Chapter 3: The Wind Rises in Guangdong Section 27: Inspection (2)

  Zhuang Jihua saw Chiang Kai-shek and his entourage when he was waving his arm to direct everyone to sing; this "Man Jiang Hong" was still learned from the previous life when accompanying several military clients to K-song, such songs he can still remember a few more, he plans to sort out and teach again.

  After Chiang Kai-shek and his men arrived, everything felt different. The troops looked no different from those in other units, with similar slogans and blackboard newspapers. The only difference was the people, the soldiers, and their mental state. The soldiers here were optimistic and proactive, unlike the stiff and numb ones in other units.

  Chiang Kai-shek did not go directly to Lian's department, but first inspected the soldiers' dormitories. Everything in the dormitory was neatly arranged, with quilts folded into tofu blocks and cups and water bottles placed in order. On the wall of each dormitory were also posted "Temporary Regulations for Internal Affairs of the Seventh Regiment" and "Temporary Regulations for Personal Hygiene".

  Chiang Kai-shek looked and asked, Zhuang Jihua and Cao Yuan answered one by one; these rules were all made by several officers together, and soldiers who couldn't read or write were taught two rules every day by the squad leader until they memorized them all. To be honest, after these rules came out, several officers were exhausted, soldiers couldn't read or write, their memory was uneven, and they had to be supervised every day, even folding blankets were taught by hand by several officers, those platoon leaders hadn't received such training, but their acceptance ability was quite strong, and soon became the helpers of several officers.

  Chiang Kai-shek even went into the toilet to take a look, and the more he looked, the more satisfied he became. He felt that his decision to let Zhuang Jihua lead the troops and resolutely leave him with the position of company commander was wise.

  The group stopped again in front of the regimental headquarters, where they were very interested in the financial disclosure and training reward and punishment regulations posted outside. Chiang Kai-shek noticed that the punishments listed were rarely targeted at individuals, but rather one person's mistake would result in punishment for the entire class, with some punishments even affecting the squad leader. The rewards were similarly structured.

  After Chiang Kai-shek found this, he asked why; Zhuang Jihua explained his overall idea, and then said that the cultural quality of the soldiers was poor, and it was better to cultivate them through training and life rather than teaching. Let them remember at all times that they are a member of a collective, and every word and deed will affect the entire collective. On the other hand, members of the collective will also pay attention to the behavior of others, which is conducive to cultivating the collective spirit of mutual help and support among soldiers. After listening to Zhuang Jihua's explanation, Chiang Kai-shek and Director Zhou were very impressed, thinking that this method could be promoted in the school army, while Wang Boling's face was gloomy, and since arriving at the military camp gate, Chiang Kai-shek had not given him a good face.

  In the headquarters, Chiang Kai-shek began to ask Zhuang Jihua about the unauthorized handling of deserters. Zhuang Jihua only then realized the true purpose of Chiang's visit and once again explained his original actions and intentions, and requested punishment. Cao Yuan then added that Zhuang had grasped the opportunity well, now the soldiers' morale was high, and their training enthusiasm was soaring, which proved that the original goal had been fully achieved. Only then did Chiang Kai-shek and Director Zhou realize that it was actually Zhuang Jihua who had taken action first, while Cao Yuan had only summarized.

  But Wang Boling immediately launched an attack, criticizing Zhuang Jihua for arbitrarily handling the escaped soldiers and emphasizing that the treatment of the escaped soldiers was too light, and in other brigades, at least fifty lashes would be given. Zhuang Jihua defended himself by saying that there were regulations in the brigade prohibiting corporal punishment of soldiers, so he changed it to confinement instead.

  Wang Boling angrily asked: "Who gave you the power to change the punishment method?"

  Zhuang Jihua strangely asked: "There is no clear provision in the team regarding punishment for deserters, so I think it's appropriate to impose closed detention on deserters."

  Wang Boling sneered: "Can simply locking them up make the soldiers stop running away? They must be severely punished for desertion to dare not run again."

  "Cao Yuan interrupted at this time: 'Commander, just locking them up can't completely stop the deserters. The main problem with deserters is their ideology. As long as we solve their ideological problems, they won't run away again.'"

  "Hah, hah," Wang Boling sneered, saying: "Commander Zhuang, on the battlefield there is no ideology, only life and death. Can you guarantee that your soldiers won't flee in battle?"

  Zhuang Jihua said without thinking: "It can't be done. Corporal punishment cannot guarantee that soldiers will not flee the battlefield."

  Wang Boling's face turned red with rage, and he shouted loudly: "Zhuang Lianchang, I hereby declare that the deserter will be punished with a hundred lashes!"

  "This time, Zhuang Jihua did not give in. He said calmly and firmly: 'Report to the team leader, I request to appeal to the higher authorities.'"

  Chiang Kai-shek asked with a stern face: "Where do you want to appeal?"

  Zhuang Jihua immediately said: "I want to appeal to the principal, the deserter has been punished before and should not be punished again for the second time. If the battalion commander thinks that my punishment is inappropriate, he can punish me, but cannot punish the soldiers who have been punished domestically."

  "Do you think you can disobey your squad leader's orders?" Chiang Kai-shek asked sternly.

  "No, but according to school rules, I have the right to appeal." Zhuang Jihua did not back down.

  "What if I also want you to carry out your squad leader's orders?" Chiang Kai-shek said coldly.

  Zhuang Jihua was taken aback, then he took off his belt, held out both hands and calmly said: "If the principal insists on this, students have no choice but to resign."

  Wang Boling was both shocked and angry, saying to Chiang Kai-shek: "Ridiculous! You think you're someone, but you're just a small regimental commander. Don't think that without you our Second Regiment will collapse."

  Chiang Kai-shek stared at Zhuang Jihua, as if trying to see through his true intentions.

  Zhuang Jihua ignored Wang Boling and continued, "The Art of War says that if a general has no prestige, his orders will not be carried out. The other day I just announced the punishment, but today it was overturned. Will the soldiers still trust me? If the soldiers no longer trust me, how can I command them to fight? Therefore, the student requests that the principal relieve the student of all duties."

  "Cao Yuan hastily stepped forward and said: 'Principal, team leader, at the beginning, the work situation in the company was indeed very dull. The company commander was eager to mobilize the soldiers, so there were some oversights, but it was not intentional. Moreover, I also have responsibility for this matter, my ideological work was not done well.'"

  Director Zhou looked at Chiang Kai-shek calmly, seemingly wanting to persuade him, but ultimately remained silent. He felt that Chiang Kai-shek did not seem to want to punish Zhuang Jihua, but had some other purpose.

  Chiang Kai-shek stood up and walked in front of Zhuang Jihua, saying coldly: "I gave you the 'Zeng Hu's Military Treatise', have you read it?"

  "Report to the principal, the students have seen it." Zhuang Jihua replied.

  "Do you understand?"

  "Some understand, some don't; students' classical Chinese is relatively poor." said Zhuang Jihua frankly.

  "Hmm, then I'll ask you, when an army is used for a long time, complacency and laziness arise. Complacency and laziness lead to defeat. Do you understand what that means?"

  "The student understands that his meaning is 'pride goes before a fall', so he must be vigilant and not be self-satisfied." Zhuang Jihua replied immediately.

  "You still don't understand, not only will a proud army be defeated, but a proud general will also be defeated. In the graduation exercise, you achieved excellent results, so do you have a sense of self-satisfaction now? If not, how could you have made such a big mistake?" Chiang Kai-shek's words pierced directly into Zhuang Jihua's heart.

  Jiang Jiehua's face turned red, and he didn't respond. Chiang Kai-shek continued: "The ninth chapter, fourth article says that the way to govern the army is to prioritize diligence; however, it's not just governing the army, but also governing oneself. To reflect on oneself three times a day, those who are lenient with themselves cannot become talents of the state. Do you understand?"

  "Yes, the principal's teachings, students must remember in their hearts, and never dare to be slightly negligent again." Zhuang Jihua's back was drenched with cold sweat. TMD, who said Chiang Kai-shek was stupid? Were those directors and screenwriters from past lives a bunch of idiots?

  Director Zhou, however, noticed that Chiang Kai-shek's gaze swept over Wang Boling without drawing attention to himself, while the latter was looking at Zhuang Jihua with some relief. Chiang Kai-shek slightly furrowed his brow and continued: "The way of a general is nothing more than the four words 'loyalty, integrity, bravery, and incorruptibility.' These four words are not difficult to say, but it's difficult to uphold them consistently. You think that by resigning and leaving, you have maintained your integrity as an official, but you have abandoned loyalty, which is the greatest mistake a general can make. Only those who take the world as their own responsibility, who do not fear the misunderstanding of others, who do not fear the criticism of others, and who firmly maintain their convictions can bear the weight of national responsibility."

  "I was going to severely punish you today, but after coming here, I changed my mind. You have led the company very well and are a model for the entire Second Regiment," As Chiang Kai-shek saw Zhuang Jihua's face relax again, his tone turned severe: "However, don't be complacent. Being a model for the Second Regiment is not enough; you must become a model for the entire school army. Moreover, you still need to pass the test of the battlefield, and only on the battlefield can it be said who is good and who is bad."

  Zhuang Jihua immediately became serious again, and Chiang Kai-shek saw his expression, with a hint of amusement in his heart, but not showing it on his face: "However, I still have to punish you."

  Zhuang Jihua hastily said: "Yes, the student originally accepted the punishment."

  "Alright, first, you must write a self-criticism and hand it over to Commander Wang. You must be serious in your self-criticism and not just go through the motions."

  "Yes."

  "Secondly, after we leave, you will stand at attention on the playground for two hours."

  "Yes."

  "Thirdly, you will be publicly criticized and denounced by the entire group. Do you understand?"

  "Yes, students understand, students must seriously reflect and accept punishment, and will never dare to commit it again." Zhuang Jihua said loudly.

  "The Cultural Revolution, the principal is deeply responsible and loves him dearly. You must understand the principal's kindness." Zhou Director interjected beside him. He found that Chiang Kai-shek had already completely treated Zhuang Jihua as his own person in training, what does this mean? Zhou Director quickly understood Chiang Kai-shek's intention after a few turns of his brain, Chiang Kai-shek was telling him that Zhuang Jihua is now my man. Since that's the case, I'll cooperate with you. Zhou Director said and took down the armed belt held by Zhuang Jihua and put it back on him again.

  Director Zhou smiled and said, "Your method of ideological work is a major innovation, not only can it prevent desertion, but more importantly, it can raise the awareness of soldiers and promote their revolutionary initiative."

  Zhuang Jihua sighed and said, "Director, I didn't think that much of it. I just heard the soldiers mention it and felt very sad, so I let them go up and talk about it. I didn't expect it to resonate with all the soldiers in the company. It wasn't until after Yuquan's guidance and summary that we had today's situation."

  Cao Yuan was puzzled in his heart, it was clearly proposed and implemented by Zhuang Wenge, how did it become my credit now? He was about to speak, but saw the eye signal handed over by Zhuang Jihua, so he shut up.

  "The Cultural Revolution, to prevent desertion, there is another method, which is not to let them have money in their hands. Without money, they can't run away. So from now on, military pay will no longer be given directly to soldiers, but instead will be sent back home through the school." Chiang Kai-shek began to impart his experience of preventing soldiers from deserting, which Director Zhou had already heard several times before.

  "The students understood that on the one hand they should guard against it economically, and on the other hand they should guard against it ideologically; when the two are combined, the problem of soldiers running away can be thoroughly solved." answered Zhuang Jihua.

  "It seems you understand." Chiang Kai-shek looked at Wang Boling with dissatisfaction, the latter obviously hadn't listened.

  "Get the troops assembled," Chiang Kai-shek said, "I want to give them a pep talk."