Chapter 828: Chapter 565: Duped and Deceived
"No need to wait until tomorrow to ask, the Instructor and Uncle Liu haven’t left, and Luo Wenjiang is here too."
"What is Luo Wenjiang doing here again? Let me go in and take a look first."
"Wait, there’s something else."
"What’s up?"
Xiao Yu turned around and grabbed Han Yu: "Isn’t Brother-in-law Xiao Jun making a medicine list to buy medicine from the pharmaceutical company? Later, tell him that there are many snakes by the river, especially during the floods, they’re everywhere, including poisonous ones; ask him to prepare more snake medicine!"
Han Yu suddenly remembered why he made this suggestion and laughed: "Xiao Yu, you’re like someone who’s been bitten by a snake and fears ropes for ten years. Okay, I’ll tell him tomorrow."
"Don’t say it was me."
"Why?"
"Because they’ll laugh at me."
"Got it, don’t worry, I won’t spill the beans."
Xiao Yu feared neither heaven nor earth, only snakes, but didn’t want to admit it. Seeing Salted Fish took his advice, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Han Yu patted his arm, reminded him to be safe while operating the excavator, then briskly walked into the camp area.
The office had moved from the message room to a dormitory in the middle of the first row of barracks, where Liu Degui, Yang Jianbo, Luo Wenjiang, and Zhao Jiang, who had just taken over as the Second Battalion Commander two days ago, were studying the training plan.
Zhao Jiang was also an active-duty officer with the same rank of Captain. Although like Yang Jianbo, he was previously a battalion commander, he didn’t have his own battalion or any camp area. Before coming to Sanhe, he had always been helping out at the Binjiang Reserve Group Political Office.
Now, finally a battalion commander with troops, but he kept a very correct attitude.
He was very respectful to Captain Wu, recently promoted to Deputy Battalion Commander, and cooperated "harmoniously" with Instructor Luo Wenjiang, looking as if he was Luo Wenjiang’s orderly.
But it’s understandable because he couldn’t command the Second Battalion nor manage it; he had to respect Captain Wu.
As for Luo Wenjiang, being both the actual-power Water Police Captain under special cultivation from superiors and the son of the national-level Economic and Technological Development Zone Management Committee Director, as long as he maintained a good relationship with Luo Wenjiang and cooperated with his work, he could stay in Binjiang after decommissioning, or even find a good position.
For this reason, seeing Han Yu, who even Luo Wenjiang had to respect as the "Binjiang Water Army Commander," coming back, he immediately stood up and said, "Deputy Chief of Staff Han, why did you come back so late, have you eaten?"
"I ate at the shipyard, you guys keep busy."
Han Yu chuckled, teasing aside: "Instructor Luo, we need to take reserve responsibilities seriously, but not at the cost of our primary job. You’re always hanging around the camp; it’s so late, what about the company’s work?"
Luo Wenjiang grinned: "I’ve arranged everything, and besides, there’s a reason I’m here today."
"What is it?"
"All four hundred thousand have arrived, ask the manager if you don’t believe me."
"Uncle Liu, did the fund from the Binjiang Development Zone arrive?"
"Yes, it arrived, transferred in six batches." Liu Degui smiled and looked back at Luo Wenjiang.
Luo Wenjiang, a bit embarrassed being stared at, hurried to say: "Secretary Yu, my dad said he’d give you four hundred thousand, so it’s four hundred thousand, the number of transfers doesn’t matter."
Han Yu stared at him and asked, "What’s really going on?"
The man before him was both an old leader and a current "double leader", being his supervising party committee member at the Water Police Station, and Deputy Chief of Staff in the Reserve Forces.
Recalling his father’s instructions, Luo Wenjiang awkwardly said, "The funds were sponsored by companies in the Binjiang Development Zone. My dad asked me to check if it’s possible, while holding the commencement ceremony, to also arrange a military-civil partnership signing ceremony, since they are the funders."
"..."
"Secretary Yu, Minister Yu, Deputy Chief of Staff Yu, you’re like a brother to me, could you not look at me like that!"
"So the funds were indeed from Binjiang Development Zone companies. Your dad gave nothing himself and still managed to land a battalion!"
"You can’t put it that way. Funds sponsored by Binjiang Development Zone companies are still funds. If my dad hadn’t mobilized, would they pursue military-civil construction with us, would they donate to us?"
Ten reserve officers turned into four hundred thousand.
On reflection, this seems a bit unscrupulous.
Luo Wenjiang, noticing Salted Fish realized he was tricked, added: "Regarding appointing reserve officers, Binjiang Development Zone could do the same, without affecting Linghai Reserve Camp’s spots. Plus, that’s four hundred thousand, my dad can’t gather that many people on his own, but Chonggang District and Changzhou have plenty. If we ask them to help with construction, it wouldn’t cost the full four hundred thousand."
Han Yu sat down and asked: "So I should thank you, huh?"
"No need to thank me, given our relationship, of course, I’d pull good opportunities your way. Director Yu, honestly, knowing the camp lacked funds, and seeing my dad troubled about forming a reserve camp, I suggested he partner with you for one."
"That’s all talk, sounds better than you actually mean it."
"How is that possible? I’m being honest here."
Even though they fell for the father-son trick, the die is cast, and it’s too late to complain now.
But Han Yu still couldn’t stand his stubbornness. He tapped the table and started calculating, "If it’s just about headcount, like in the past with paper soldiers, Chonggang and Changzhou might indeed help your dad. But now it’s not just about headcount; the higher-ups will come down for verification.
We at Linghai found it so hard to muster a single battalion, and it’s the same for Chonggang and Changzhou. They are overwhelmed themselves! Plus, they don’t have the same technical equipment advantages as we do. They can only form an infantry battalion or maybe a high artillery battalion, with at least three hundred people, not one less."
If you can’t pull any tricks, you can only rely on gathering a headcount.
Chonggang and Changzhou first need to gather their own people and, on the critical juncture of inspections, truly can’t help Binjiang Development Zone.
Luo Wenjiang, exposed, smiled awkwardly, "But the Binjiang Development Zone at least helped you raise four hundred thousand in funds, and organizing a battalion doesn’t need that much."
"How much do you think is needed to organize a battalion?"
"A hundred thousand, maybe eighty thousand should be enough."
"It seems your hundred or eighty thousand goes further than others’.
"What do you mean, it’s really not enough?"
"Definitely not enough."
Han Yu casually picked up the calculator, calculating as he laughed, "Let’s assume three hundred people. By regulations, we must train for 240 hours a year, which amounts to 20 days. The meals can’t be poor, otherwise, they won’t be willing to come. With a meal standard of 8 yuan per person per day, just the meal cost during training is 48,000.
Since it’s a reserve unit, we can’t go without uniforms. Each person is issued a set of camouflage clothes and a pair of rubber shoes, costing around 170 yuan, making it 51,000 total. Last year, for the militia training we organized in the development zone, it was 15 yuan per person per day. The reserve unit training subsidy can’t be less than that, so that’s another 90,000."
Luo Wenjiang hadn’t expected forming a reserve battalion to be so costly. Looking at the calculator, he stubbornly said, "That’s only 189,000."
"That’s just meal costs, uniforms, and training subsidies; what about other expenses?"
"What expenses?"
"Do you think just standing here people will come to serve in the reserves, participate in your organized training? Do you think you have special abilities, think you can turn beans into soldiers?"
Han Yu interrogated with a series of questions, pretending to be dissatisfied, "This is like doing business; you need to put a lot of work in upfront, and even after the deal is done, you need to maintain relationships with clients. After all, this isn’t a one-shot deal. If we pass inspection this year, what about when higher-ups inspect again next year?"
Uncle Liu couldn’t help but laugh, "Wenjiang, your team has office funds, right? The battalion needs them too."
Han Yu continued, "Office funds alone need at least a hundred thousand, making it nearly three hundred thousand. And we can’t just think about how to establish the battalion, organize training; we must also consider the higher-ups might order us to execute disaster rescue missions.
Even if your dad can find people, can organize a battalion by himself, we can’t let the whole battalion go empty-handed for disaster rescue, right? Shouldn’t we prepare shovels, protective gloves, and life vests? During training, subsidies must be given, and even more so for rescue missions. Do you think forty thousand is enough, is it too much to ask for forty thousand from you and your dad?"
"It’s not too much."
"Since you know it’s not too much, tell your dad when you get back that this forty thousand is for this year, and the same forty thousand will be for next year. Isn’t there an agreement for military-civil joint construction coming up? Instructor Yang, Camp Commander Zhang, could you draft an agreement with the Binjiang Development Zone Management Committee under the regiment’s name for co-building the reserve camp, specifying the funding, and have Mayor Qin, Captain Xia, and the Binjiang Development Zone leaders sign it?"
It’s no wonder he’s the "Binjiang Water Army Commander," not only asking for money confidently but also having a broad view. Just stepping into April, he’s already thinking about next year’s funding.
Yang Jianbo laughed, "Yes, I’ll draft it right away."
Zhang Hao dared not offend the instructor and could only stand by and smile.
Luo Wenjiang realized he had shot himself in the foot, and since the wool doesn’t come off the sheep, worst case, he’d have his dad find some wealthy boss to sponsor next year. He chuckled, "Okay, I’ll tell my dad when I get back."
"You’re now the instructor of the Second Battalion; you need to think about the Second Battalion’s development."
"I know."
"Also, are the ten reserve officers your dad appointed participating in the battalion’s training?"
"Yes, they are all very concerned about national defense, and among them, three bosses have served in the military and have feelings for the troops."
"They better not treat our battalion like a summer camp."
"They won’t, they’ve said they’ll follow orders and obey commands once inside the camp."
"That’s good."
Han Yu smiled and turned back, "Uncle Liu, Instructor Yang, the helmet issue is resolved; they didn’t charge us. They’ll deliver them to us tomorrow morning. However, they don’t look quite like the ones from the Hong Kong Garrison. We only need three or four hundred helmets, so opening a new mold is too expensive and not cost-effective; we’ll just use regular safety helmets covered with camouflage cloth for now."
"As long as we have them, they don’t necessarily have to look like the ones from the Hong Kong Garrison." Liu Degui considered for a moment and asked, "Are we able to make the helmet covers in time with training starting the day after tomorrow?"
"Definitely not in time, but helmets aren’t needed for training anyway."
"That’s true; I almost forgot. The camouflage clothes we purchased come as a set, including a peaked cap, which will do just fine."
