Chapter 895 - Students Go into Battle

He Ming had already notified the Organization Department, Executive Committee, and Senate Standing Committee that Fu Sansi would be promoted to Inspector General of Training during the routine personnel adjustment at year's end. He would be responsible for Fubo Army recruit training, military education, and the organization and training of militia reserves.

"Everyone, take a seat," Hu Qingbai invited them to the conference table. "Little Yuan, Ah De and Fu Sansi came here to discuss something with us."

"Just give the orders if there's anything we can do—we'll fully support," Yuan Ziguang said, glancing at Hu Qingbai. Wu De and the military arriving suddenly—what exactly was this about? Could it be expanding enrollment for the military class?

Fangcaodi housed several special "Directed Training Classes": Military Class, Police/Admin Class, Medical Class, Industrial Class, and others. These belonged to "Directed Training"—their students were selected and sent by the directing departments themselves, with tuition and living expenses paid by the "entrusting" units. However, students didn't learn specialized professional knowledge within the National School itself, only cultural courses. Except for slight curricular emphasis according to professional characteristics, they were no different from other classes.

Specific professional learning was arranged by each department internally. Some continued borrowing space at Fangcaodi for instruction; others had specialized venues. For instance, Army and Navy teaching units were located in barracks at Bopu and Ma'niao; Political Security General Bureau at Bairen; Foreign Intelligence Bureau in the county seat.

"I came with Fu Sansi today to utilize the human resources here," Wu De said. "Presumably you already know about the Operation Engine we're about to launch."

Hu Qingbai and Yuan Ziguang both nodded. Operation Engine had been communicated through the Senate. Everyone had offered suggestions. Yuan Ziguang roughly understood: the Elder presiding over this operation had set his sights on Fangcaodi students as a resource.

Fangcaodi students, as an organized and educated group, had participated in many major projects—from land surveying to rural propaganda campaigns to assisting in various administrative affairs. They were an important arm the Senate commanded with confidence.

"The specific purpose," Wu De continued, "is to utilize Fangcaodi students. Receiving two hundred thousand refugees is an enormous undertaking, exceeding all projects we've operated before. It requires many administrative clerks to assist the work."

"No problem," Hu Qingbai said. "Our students have done similar work before—we send people to assist at quarantine camps every month. After the Second Counter-Encirclement, students went in large numbers to help clean up battlefields, register captives and spoils. They should have experience."

Wu De smiled. "The reason I brought Old Fu was to assess your students' discipline and military quality. Looking at them now, their military and political qualities are top-notch—fully capable of meeting our needs."

The Operation Engine project team planned to draft students in batches to Taiwan and Jeju Island for refugee registration and management services. Some would also be deployed to temporary camps in Shandong.

"You understand, this operation isn't just about fighting—the civil affairs workload is massive. The army alone can't handle it; naturalized cadres aren't sufficient either. So I had to turn my attention to you."

Hu Qingbai and Yuan Ziguang exchanged glances. Clearly, this wasn't a matter of temporarily lending a dozen students to help administrative organs for a few days, or sending some students weekly to quarantine camps for literacy instruction. This was large-scale deployment.

Fangcaodi students had made business trips before, but at most they had gone to Qiongshan or Sanya. Now they would serve off-island, traveling all the way to Jeju Island and Taiwan!

Hu Qingbai asked cautiously: "How many people are you planning on?"

"About two hundred."

Yuan Ziguang was shocked and blurted out: "I'm afraid that won't work."

Currently, total enrollment at the National School exceeded three thousand. Most were children under fourteen or fifteen, predominantly Junior Primary students enrolled only in the past year. Senior Primary students totaled only three hundred. Now Wu De opened his mouth asking for two hundred—tantamount to taking away the entire Senior Primary section.

Hu Qingbai also objected: "This is really too many. You know, collecting these Senior Primary students wasn't easy. We were preparing to train our first batch of middle school students from them. Pulling them away like this will delay their studies by at least a year. And though they won't be fighting directly, they'll be at sea—possibly encountering storms or shipwrecks, or falling ill from the change in climate. If we lose a batch of them, it would be too pitiful. These students aren't screws—you can't just insert steel bars and have output flow continuously. Even losing one is a tremendous loss."

Yuan Ziguang nodded emphatically. "It's not that we want to hold back. Taiwan inherently has malaria problems. Students are young, bodies not fully developed, resistance low. In case of disease outbreak, I'm afraid they'll die in droves. These aren't refugees recruited to repair roads and work mines for a corn bun—these are future elites we've taught by hand."

Wu De listened with a smile still on his face, though his expression had grown somewhat rigid. Resistance from the education department was within his expectations. But this time, drafting Fangcaodi students was unavoidable. Lingao's administrative system suffered from a severe shortage of basic cadres. Had the Southern Qiongzhou counties not been small with sparse populations requiring few administrators, Prefect Liu couldn't even have established basic structures across the various counties.

"I don't intend to take all your Senior Primary students," Wu De said. "Junior Primary students are fine too—as long as they can read, write, and perform simple calculations. As for age, strictly sixteen and above."

Since most students had been recruited from vagrant populations, Junior and Senior Primary enrollment wasn't necessarily ordered by age. Junior Primary had older students of fifteen or sixteen; Senior Primary also had children under ten.

Wu De's plan called for rotating dispatched students on three-month terms. This wouldn't excessively delay their studies.

"All students participating in Operation Engine will have it recorded in their files as reference for future salary increases, grade adjustments, and evaluations. Besides, this is social practice," Wu De continued. "Most will become cadres in the future—exercising practical skills now is better than just reading books and becoming a bunch of bookworms." He paused. "This is also the Executive Committee's position."

Yuan Ziguang said: "Salary increases and grade adjustments are minor matters. Education is a hundred-year plan. Right now, naturalized citizens with systematic modern education are rarer than pandas. Losing one student today means losing a precious seed that would grow into a towering tree sheltering an entire region in the future. The Executive Committee must think thrice..."

Though he came from a math-teacher background, long immersion in academic atmosphere had evidently sharpened his rhetoric.

Wu De's expression grew increasingly awkward. At this point, Fu Sansi interjected: "How can the Executive Committee think thrice? I don't even know where the Executive Committee's main gate opens."

This remark slightly eased the stiffening atmosphere in the office. Hu Qingbai knew this matter was difficult to reverse. Having led for so long, he understood when to hold his ground and when to bend with the wind. He spoke slowly:

"We understand the Executive Committee's difficulties. Operation Engine is a major event concerning the state's foundation—logically, our education department should give full support."

With the Education People's Commissar stating his position, Yuan Ziguang naturally couldn't argue further—though he continued making "hmph" sounds to express disapproval. Hu Qingbai knew he had to give Yuan Ziguang an explanation for this: backbone subordinates' emotions still had to be considered.

"I can draft students. But who to draft and who not to draft will be decided by our education department. Neither the Planning Commission nor the military can name specific names. Except for commissioned students."

Wu De nodded. "That's no problem."

"Second, our students cannot be sent to combat zones. We must ensure they work in safe locations. If possible, minimize their travel frequency and time."

"Third, camp schools must be established in every camp area, with certain hours set aside for students to self-study and teach. Elders participating in Operation Engine must allocate time to deliver courses according to syllabus, guaranteeing that learning isn't interrupted."

Wu De agreed to everything and promised dispatched students would receive preferential treatment in supplies and living conditions.

Hu Qingbai said: "As long as these conditions are met, three-month rotations aren't necessary. Travel time is lengthy, after all. As long as the surrounding environment is relatively safe and hygiene conditions relatively good, six-month rotations are acceptable. Of course, anyone with poor health must be sent back immediately."

Though Yuan Ziguang still disapproved of large-scale deployment, this was ultimately a direct directive from the Executive Committee, and Hu Qingbai had secured fairly good terms—expressing further opposition would serve no purpose. He tacitly consented.

After seeing off Wu De and Fu Sansi, Hu Qingbai pondered that besides the dispatched students, Fangcaodi should send at least one Elder teacher as team leader to supervise student learning at all times.

"You know, though Wu De promised us camp schools, other Elders might not be interested in teaching children. Even if they are interested, I'm not entirely reassured..."

Yuan Ziguang understood this "not reassured" carried two meanings: first, concern that Elders' teaching ability wasn't up to standard; second, fear that someone might extend "evil palms" toward students. There were quite a few Elders with aspirations to "push down." Given limited student ages and gender ratios, the National School couldn't dispatch only boys.

Looking at Hu Qingbai's meaning, it seemed he wanted Yuan Ziguang to volunteer as this camp teacher. Yuan Ziguang dreaded the prospect. First, he feared sea travel, especially on small-tonnage sailing ships. Second, whether desolate Jeju Island or Taiwan Island, living conditions were far too harsh. At least Fangcaodi's Elder dormitories had flush toilets and hot showers.

"I think Jiang Youzhong and Xiao Zhaochuan would be quite suitable..." Yuan Ziguang bluntly "recommended worthy talents." These were all permanent Elder teachers at Fangcaodi.