Free Web NovelChapter 685: Chapter 474: When Natural Disasters Strike, Walls Must Be Broken Down (Part 2)
Fang Huai also knew that the leaders wanted to see the August First Medal, so he had no choice but to take out his Military Merit Medal from his bag and wear them one by one.
As he adorned each one, sounds of awe like "wow" and "oh" echoed around him.
The August First Medal, First Class Merit, two second-class meritorious service medals, and three third-class merit medals.
The school had specially organized a viewing of the commendation meeting’s broadcast, and everyone learned what the August First Medal was.
For a soldier, it’s even more prestigious than a title of honor!
As a fellow cadet, Fang Huai had earned a First Class Merit that they could only exchange for with their lives, and an even higher medal that not even life could barter for!
Fang Huai stood next to Principal Chen with a beaming smile, while Zhang Dan, whose thoughts were all over the place, approached with a slightly blushing face. Fang Huai turned his head and glanced at her, said nothing, but his gaze traveled past Zhang Dan to Qin Ting beside her and he smiled.
Qin Ting returned the smile.
The aftermath of the window paper Fang Huai had punctured that day led to the end of two one-sided crushes and the beginning of a new romance.
A woman chasing a man is separated merely by gauze.
However, for Qin Ting and Qiao Xiaole, it was gauze, but for Fang Huai, it was a 500-meter-thick granite wall.
"One, two!"
"Eggpla..."
"Eggplants are out of date, pick up money!"
"Hahaha..."
A playful shout from one of the soldiers in the Guizhou team brought out genuine smiles from everyone.
The scene was frozen in that moment.
...
In the principal’s office.
The three walked in, laughing.
Principal Chen picked up a large tea cup and headed straight for the water dispenser to mix water.
"Little Fang, what good news have you brought? Does it need to be shared in the office?"
He turned to glance at Lv Xianzhi and Fang Huai, then gestured with his hand, "Sit, sit, have a seat first, let’s talk while sitting. Old Lü, do you want green or red tea?"
Lv Xianzhi stepped forward and took two disposable cups, "Principal Chen, don’t bother, I’ll do it myself. Fang Huai, I’ll pour you some water."
Since the leaders were taking the initiative, Fang Huai didn’t crowd near the water dispenser to add to the confusion.
But he didn’t sit down either, standing to one side, quietly watching the two leaders pour water. Only after they had poured their own did he intercept Lv Xianzhi from pouring for him.
"Teacher, I can pour my own water."
Lv Xianzhi wasn’t polite and sat down next to Principal Chen.
"Little Fang, you should learn to drink tea. You’re always so hasty; you need to cultivate some patience."
Fang Huai held his cup and filled it halfway with water, then turned with a smile,
"Teacher, it’s not about me being in a rush, the situation itself is urgent. I’m thinking of having my dad come over next week to sign the contract. I want the development of the platform system to start as soon as possible."
Lv Xianzhi was taken aback.
"That fast? Such a big investment and you’re making a decision without any investigation?"
Fang Huai laughed.
With the school’s facilities, what else is there to investigate?
I’m looking at the placard at the gate that bears the rank of a full division!
"Teacher, I’m not the kind of person to make a folder and wait for half a year. On this trip to Beijing, I’ve already talked to Division Commander Jin of the Chengdu Military Region... the one who was awarded the August First Medal with me. I’ve already discussed with him that the company cooperating with the school will not only develop the firefighting command system but will also simultaneously develop a command system for the People’s Liberation Army. I want to sign the contract early, start purchasing equipment, and also, I’d like to borrow the school’s computer room."
As soon as these words were spoken, both leaders fell silent.
Even the sound of drinking water stopped.
Principal Chen placed his tea cup down, his eyebrows slowly furrowed, and he straightened his posture.
"People’s Liberation Army system?"
Fang Huai nodded, "An informationized command system."
Lv Xianzhi looked at Fang Huai, his gaze somewhat dazed.
"Why would they let... us do it? Little Fang, don’t joke around. The command system of the People’s Liberation Army is being developed by the National Defense University; our academy simply doesn’t have that capability!"
Fang Huai was also startled, "The National Defense University is doing it? Someone is already working on it?"
"You dare to say that without knowing?" Lv Xianzhi’s face twitched:
"Last year, the Military Commission issued a task to the National Defense University to develop something... called... a ’Wargame System,’ which is an informationized command system. They’ve already published papers on it. I only saw them recently. It involves interdisciplinary and multi-domain technical integration, it’s very specialized! How could a small academy like ours handle this?"
Fang Huai suddenly realized and relaxed.
"Oh, that’s good. The Wargame System is for war gaming. What I’m working on is a campaign and tactics system, which is different.
Mainly starting from the modules of intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, command, control, communications, computers, and focusing more on information collection and order issuance in actual combat.
Our firefighting command system would synchronize with it, mainly for the purpose of information sharing... one-way sharing to them.
If they are already working on it, then that’s the best. The two systems can complement each other and fulfill their greatest potential."
The People’s Armed Police was officially established in ’83, and it’s been 25 years to this day. Both of the military veterans present are almost at 30 years of service and have been transferred from the army.
These topics are not incomprehensible to them, especially to Lv Xianzhi, who has always kept an eye on information technology.
But combat, that’s really like a memory of the dead.
What they could think of was just one word: cautious.
"Little Fang, you can’t be careless about this. Command systems can’t be messed with carelessly. You have to consider a lot of factors, and our academy does have some technology, but it’s not nearly enough to handle this," Lv Xianzhi said with a serious expression.
Fang Huai pondered for a moment and said:
"Teacher, it’s precisely because combat requires consideration of so much information that I want to take the initiative to work on it, and then bridge our firefighting command system into it. They would be able to access meteorological, hydrological, architectural, and geographical information from our system, and even a database of disaster experts.
You know about my plan. To build this information, it would take at least two to three years for the national firefighting forces to do it, spending a lot of manpower and resources, social relationships, to basically complete it. Moreover, it would require time each year for maintenance.
This information is incredibly valuable. If it could be shared into the operational troops’ database, it would realize its greatest value."
Lv Xianzhi, hearing this, began to understand Fang Huai’s intention.
"This... don’t be too presumptuous. The information needed by combat forces is much more precise. Some information we don’t have the authority to obtain, they will handle it themselves."
Fang Huai smiled.
"The importance of rescue work is no less significant than warfare, and it’s an ongoing matter. Once the safety information is unified, we can access the data according to authority levels, having a convenient channel for mutual exchange is always good. Moreover... with this meaning, building our system in the future and communicating with the government will also be easier."
Fang Huai was well aware of the difficulty of building a firefighting command system according to his ideas; pushing it off to other units was not something every place could handle as smoothly as Fang Huai could in finding leadership to speak to.
He wanted to push the plan nationwide, which required not only pilot trials and demonstrating results but also considering how to reduce the difficulty for local firefighting work.
This bridging was the additional meaning that Fang Huai assigned to the information collection work.
To borrow some momentum.
Having said that, Fang Huai pursed his lips and revealed another layer of meaning: freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
"Moreover, I think... if a disaster occurs, or if there’s a need to coordinate, they should have a direct channel to communicate with our local firefighting forces.
The natural disasters of ’98 and this year saw our Firefighting forces, the People’s Liberation Army, and the People’s Armed Police essentially fighting their own battles. The cooperation only started with discussions on the spot when we actually met.
I don’t think that’s acceptable.
The future is an information society. With increasingly convenient devices for information exchange, yet the main disaster relief forces still haven’t established a channel for information communication. I believe that when natural disasters strike, it’s crucial to have a sharp sword to puncture the barriers."
Both leaders took a deep breath simultaneously.
"Little Fang, you’re right, but the leadership structures are different... This is a political issue," Principal Chen said leisurely.
Fang Huai shook his head slowly, "This isn’t a political issue, it’s just a matter of authority. When a major disaster strikes, rescue is the primary concern. Once the wartime alarm sounds and communication authority is opened, all forces should cooperate and put full effort into disaster relief. I think that’s what politics is about."
The two leaders looked at each other, simultaneously sensing the significance of the matter.
Lv Xianzhi said cautiously, "The key is... can we do it?"
Fang Huai nodded and smiled, "We just need to build a framework first and let the leaders of the People’s Liberation Army have a look. I’ve got the idea already, and I’ve got the experts. Just let me try."
"The People’s Liberation Army..."
Principal Chen’s throat emitted a long, drawn-out sound, then he patted the armrest of the sofa and looked at Fang Huai, saying:
"Perfect, Kunming Army Academy has several experts, and there’s an academy exchange the day after tomorrow. Get ready, and I’ll help you ask around."
