Binjiang Police Affairs-Chapter 1037 - 680: To Compete Is to Win!

Speaking with Old Ge in his hometown dialect, the commander couldn't understand a word, always so impolite.

Han Yu chatted for a few moments, then excused himself, saying he had things to do.

After nearly a month of working together, the collaboration between the different teams was very smooth. Zou Xiangyu and Wu Hai Li had long gotten into their roles; even Secretary Wang and Old Chen knew what to do, so Han Yu no longer needed to direct everything like he did when he first arrived.

Seeing Old Wang and Old Chen setting up signs and barricades again, Han Yu felt a bit awkward.

The commander saw it too and couldn't help but laugh, "The signs are nicely made, especially the characters on them, they look just like printed text. Salted Fish, there's no need to put our unit number on the signs. In the project documents, can the emergency construction team also include us?"

"Commander..."

"I'm saying for this current emergency project, don't add us if we're not participating."

"No problem, I'll talk to Director Ge about it later; Director Ge is in charge of the project documents."

Why do all these leaders like having their names on the project documents...

Han Yu was left in a state of amusement and disbelief. At this moment, Old Wang ran back excitedly after putting up the last sign and said, "Captain Meng, our Mayor Shen has arrived in Jingzhou. Do you have time tomorrow? If so, Mayor Shen would like to send some supplies to your troops."

"I have time; as long as it's for visiting the troops, I always have time!"

"Thank you."

"I should be thanking you, Secretary Wang. Here, have a cigarette."

"Alright, let me wipe my hands first."

Old Wang was now quite something, almost like brothers with the commander.

Han Yu was just about to head to the front to take a look when Old Wang suddenly chuckled in his awkward Mandarin, "Salted Fish, the Red Saber Battalion from the 301st Army has left. Ming Yuan just called me, saying he and Xiao Ma went to see them off and brought some breakfast to the Red Saber Battalion of the 301st Army."

Whether or not to win the honorary title of Red Saber Battalion wasn't really important to the Linghai Reserve Camp.

The reserve soldiers in the First, Second, and Fourth Companies were generally older and didn't care much about honor.

Although the average age in the Third Company was younger, most were veterans and retirees who had already settled down, focusing now on the essentials of life, thus they also weren't particularly concerned about honors.

To be honest, if it weren't for coming to support the Beihu flood relief, the camp's officers and soldiers might only gather during formal military formations; military training was done in batches.

In short, reserve forces are both military and civilian, but ultimately they focus on the "civilian" aspect.

Han Yu, with his accolades and awards, has so many advanced and outstanding commendations that they can't fit in the desk drawer at home, and he didn't care much about them either, only about not wasting those 50,000 yuan!

The only person who might really care about these honors among the reserve soldiers is Xiao Yu.

Even Han Yu wasn't particularly bothered, let alone Old Wang.

He flicked the ash from his cigarette, laughing, "Ming Yuan handled this beautifully. First, he had Xiao Dai and the district's patrol control the situation, then let Xiao Dai keep the two Red Flags. Early today, they generously went to see them off. It was handled reasonably and methodically, so no one could find fault."

The commander laughed, asking, "Secretary Wang, is this matter now resolved?"

"Of course not."

"What are your plans next?"

"I was just about to discuss it with Salted Fish." Old Wang grinned, eyes sparkling, "Honor can't be eaten, and we don't lack it, but we still need to fight for what's ours. If we don't, how will the Provincial Military District and Nanjing Military Region know us?"

The commander, intrigued, asked, "That makes sense. So how do you plan to fight for it?"

Old Wang truly regarded the commander as one of their own now, laughing, "The two military flags have been handed over to Political Commissar Yang; he will take them to the division headquarters today. The division should help us continue to escalate it upwards until it's handed over to the Nanjing Military Region. When the flags reach Nanjing Military Region, the regional commander will definitely have to address it."

"And then?"

"If before we were just fighting over who was the Red Saber Battalion, now the fight is about who is the legitimate and who the collateral branch. It's about pedigree and lineage. There's a saying, 'The barefooted aren't afraid of the shod.' That's essentially us right now. As for what the future holds from the Nanjing Military Region commander, it's not important, not even who wins. Just by fighting, we've already won!"

The reserve forces competing with regular active forces for an honorary title, indeed as he said, just by participating they remain undefeated.

Han Yu completely agreed, nodding without realizing it.

The commander was left speechless, digesting the thought for a long while before bursting into laughter, "Not fighting is not an option. Fighting means losing, yet somehow it makes sense. Thankfully, it's with the 301st Army. If you were fighting against our army, I'd have quite the headache right now."

"I hope we didn't amuse the commander too much."

Old Wang smiled and continued, "This is a deeply rooted issue that can't be easily explained. I predict that the superiors will eventually try to smooth things over. However, we must seize the moral high ground and use our advantages to secure our legitimate status."

The Commander asked curiously, "How can we ensure that?"

"There's a saying: 'Hold no office, take no responsibility.' The Red Saber Battalion has produced many commanders. Those who aren't retired won't easily make a statement, and may not even easily go to the 301 Army."

"That's true. Once they're transferred away, no matter how high their position, they can't keep returning to their old unit, or it won't be good for appearances."

"But those retired commanders certainly can."

"Secretary Wang, are you suggesting inviting retired senior commanders to support you?"

"We're a reserve force unit, not bound by so many active-duty regulations. We can definitely invite these old commanders to come to our camp to guide our work. We don't need them to make a statement, just their presence is enough!"

Old Wang discarded his cigarette butt, pointing to a sign not far away with a smile, "Our camp is jointly built by the Changhang System and the local transport system. It can be said to be the reserve camp for the transport system, and the Customs also has a small share. Now that issues have arisen, the transport system and Customs need to play their roles."

Salted Fish jokingly asked, "Uncle Wang, are you saying to seek assistance from the Changhang Bureau and Customs, and ask their leaders to help us invite retired commanders from the Red Saber Battalion and Heroic Assault Battalion to support us?"

"If we go by ourselves, it'll cost travel expenses, but it's different for the Changhang Bureau and Customs. They're vertically managed units, not only present in the capital but also nationwide. We can entrust them to help with invitations, while we at Linghai handle the hosting."

"Will those old commanders come?"

"The older generation of commanders are very nostalgic and don't put on airs. As long as we invite them, I believe they'll definitely come."

"Secretary Wang, why do your words sound a bit... a bit... "

"Commander, please don't misunderstand. I'm not talking about you; you're very approachable, otherwise you wouldn't be standing here talking with us."

The Commander appreciated Old Wang's words, laughed and said, "As long as it's not about me. Continue."

Old Wang couldn't miss this opportunity and eagerly said, "Commander, we're all ready except for a crucial piece, or rather, we're just missing intelligence."

"What intelligence?"

"We're all small-time cadres, unaware of the situation with big leaders. Plus, as local cadres, we're unfamiliar with army affairs. Can you assist by inquiring about the current status of those retired commanders from the Red Saber Battalion and Heroic Assault Battalion? Gathering their contact information would be even better."

"Old Wang, Mayor Shen hasn't even come to visit me yet, and you're already asking me to work for you."

"This is different from a visit. We're requesting, begging!"

"No, although it's not exactly military secrets, if the commander and political commissar from the 301 Army hear about it, they'll certainly come looking for me."

"You're our support. Our Linghai Reserve Camp was just established, and as the saying goes, 'Father doesn't love, mother doesn't care.' Believe it or not, when we set up this camp, our superiors didn't give us a dime, didn't even provide uniforms!"

Han Yu chuckled and said with amusement, "Commander, you're the highest-ranking military commander we've ever met; we can only turn to you."

"Stop kidding. You've met the Regional Military Commander."

"I've even met Vice President, but can I speak with Vice President, or seek him out for help when there's trouble? Commander, Secretary Wang is right; you're our support, our backstage force!"

"What support and backstage, making it sound like building personal cliques." The Commander laughed, then shifted tone, "But we're comrades fighting side by side now; seems I can't refuse this help. I'll look into it for you all."

"Thank you, Commander!"

Military life is secluded, and officers are very straightforward. When it comes to playing mind games, they can't compete with these seasoned veterans; 301 Army indeed runs into bad luck meeting them...

The Commander found this matter interesting, eagerly anticipating Salted Fish and their competition with the 301 Army, and thought with a laugh, "Old Wang, Salted Fish, I'm actually someone who likes being approachable rather than putting on airs, and when dealing with certain matters, like the one you're facing, I always favor kinship over reason."

"What do you mean by favoring kinship over reason, Commander? It sounds like you think we're being unreasonable."

"My wording wasn't quite right, but I've taken up the task of gathering intelligence for you, though I can only inquire, not formally invite, otherwise people might be upset with me."

The master rightly said before he passed that the higher up the leader, the easier they are to talk to.

Unlike Captain Xia and Political Commissioner Jiao, who are unreliable, even daring to sell honorary titles that have intellectual property disputes.

Director Ge now has a grand vision, contemplating how to further strengthen cooperation with the Ministry of Transport to secure more funding for Linghai's roads and bridges. It's rumored that departments are quite wealthy these days, and lower districts, counties, and even cities must engage in "departmental pleas for funds;" this opportunity must be seized.

Meanwhile, he contemplates how to amplify Linghai's reputation, ensuring both Jingzhou residents and visiting Central Leadership for flood prevention inspections remember Linghai.

Ultimately, Linghai Reserve Camp is no longer important, at least not within Director Ge's considerations.

Han Yu was thinking that striving for the "legitimacy" of the Red Saber Battalion could only be fully entrusted to Old Wang, when the Supervision boat arrived, still far from the construction water zone, and sounded its horn.