Chapter 125: The Students are Deployed

He Ming had already informed the Organization Department, the Executive Committee, and the Standing Committee of the Senate that Fu Sansi would be promoted to Director of Training at the end-of-year personnel adjustments. He would be responsible for the Fubo Army’s recruit training, military education, and the organization and training of militia reservists.

“Please, have a seat,” Hu Qingbai invited everyone to the conference table. “Xiao Yuan, Wu De and Fu Sansi are here to discuss something with us.”

“Whatever you need, just say the word. We’ll definitely give our full support,” Yuan Ziguang said, glancing at Hu Qingbai. He wondered what brought Wu De and the military here so suddenly. Could they be looking to expand enrollment in the military-track classes?

Fangcao di had several special “targeted training programs,” such as the military class, the police and administration class, the medical class, and the industrial class. These programs were all forms of定向培养 (directional training). The students were selected and sponsored by their respective departments, which paid for their tuition and living expenses. However, the students didn’t learn specific vocational skills at the National School; they focused on general education. Aside from a slight curriculum bias tailored to their future professions, they were no different from students in other classes.

Specific vocational training was arranged by the individual departments. Some continued to borrow classrooms at Fangcao di, while others had their own dedicated training facilities. For example, the Army and Navy had their training brigades in the barracks at Bopu and Ma Niao, the General Political Security Bureau was in Bairen, the Foreign Intelligence Bureau was in the county seat, and so on.

“I came with Fu Sansi today to tap into your human resources,” Wu De said. “I assume you know about the upcoming ‘Operation Engine’.”

Hu Qingbai and Yuan Ziguang both nodded. “Operation Engine” had already been announced in the Senate, and many suggestions had been made. Yuan Ziguang had a good idea of what was coming: the Yuanen in charge of the operation had their eyes on Fangcao di’s student body.

The students of Fangcao di, as an organized and educated group, had participated in many major projects, from land surveying to rural propaganda work and assisting with various administrative tasks. They were a crucial and reliable asset for the Senate.

Wu De continued, “The specific purpose is to utilize the students of Fangcao di. Taking in two hundred thousand refugees is a monumental task, far exceeding any project we’ve handled before. It requires a great number of administrative personnel to assist.”

Hu Qingbai replied, “No problem. Our students have done similar work before. We send people to help at the quarantine camps every month. After the second anti-encirclement campaign, our students also helped with battlefield cleanup, registering prisoners, and cataloging spoils of war. They should have the experience.”

Wu De smiled. “The reason I brought Old Fu along was to see the level of discipline and military proficiency of your students. From what I’ve seen, their political and military qualities are top-notch, perfectly suited for our needs.”

The project team for Operation Engine planned to dispatch students in batches to Taiwan and Jeju Island to handle refugee registration and management. They also planned to station some in the temporary camps in Shandong.

“You know, this isn’t just a matter of fighting a war; the civil affairs workload is immense. We can’t rely on the army alone, and we don’t have enough naturalized cadres. So, I had to turn to you.”

Hu Qingbai and Yuan Ziguang exchanged a look. Clearly, this wasn’t about a temporary loan of a dozen students for a few days or sending some to the quarantine camps for literacy work each week. This was a large-scale, long-term deployment.

“How many people are you thinking of?” Hu Qingbai asked cautiously.

“About two hundred.”

Yuan Ziguang was shocked and blurted out, “I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

The National School had over three thousand students in total, most of whom were children under fourteen or fifteen, and the majority were new elementary students who had just enrolled in the past year. The higher primary school section had only three hundred students in total. Wu De’s request for two hundred would essentially gut the entire higher primary department.

Hu Qingbai added, “That’s really too many. You know, it wasn’t easy for us to cultivate these higher primary students. We were planning to select our first batch of middle school students from them. If you take them away, it will delay their studies by at least a year. Even if they aren’t in direct combat, they’ll be floating on the sea, possibly encountering storms and shipwrecks, or falling ill from the new environment. It would be a terrible waste if any of them died. These students aren’t like screws that you can churn out from a steel rod. Losing even one is a huge loss.”

Yuan Ziguang nodded emphatically. “It’s not that we’re trying to hold you back. Taiwan has a known malaria problem, and the students are young, their bodies not fully developed, and their immune systems are weak. If an outbreak occurs, we could lose a large number of them. These aren’t refugees we can recruit for roadwork with a simple steamed bun; they are the future elite we’ve taught with our own hands.”

Wu De listened with a smile, but his expression was a bit stiff. The pushback from the Education Department was within his expectations. But he had to draft the students from Fangcao di for this. The administrative system in Lin’gao was already severely short of basic cadres. If it weren’t for the fact that the southern counties of Qiongzhou were sparsely populated and didn’t require many administrators, Liu Muzhou wouldn’t have even been able to set up the basic administrative structures there.

“I don’t intend to take only your higher primary students,” Wu De said. “Students from the lower primary section will also do. As long as they can read, write, and do simple calculations, they’ll be fine. As for age, we’ll only take those sixteen and older.”

The student population was mostly composed of rescued refugees, so age wasn’t a strict determinant for their grade level. There were fifteen and sixteen-year-olds in the lower primary section, and children under ten in the higher primary section.

Wu De’s plan was to rotate the deployed students every three months to avoid disrupting their studies too much.

“Every student who participates in Operation Engine will have it noted in their file, which will be a reference for future salary increases, promotions, and evaluations. Besides, this is social practice. Most of them will become cadres in the future. Gaining practical experience now is better than just reading books and becoming a bunch of nerds,” Wu De continued. “This is also the opinion of the Executive Committee.”

Yuan Ziguang retorted, “Salary increases and promotions are minor issues. Education is a project of a century. Especially now, when naturalized citizens with a systematic modern education are rarer than giant pandas. If we lose a student today, we lose a precious seed that could have grown into a great tree, providing shade for an entire region. The Executive Committee must think thrice…”

Although he was a math teacher by trade, his long immersion in the school environment made his emotional appeals sound particularly distinct.

Wu De’s expression grew even more unnatural. At this moment, Fu Sansi interjected, “How can the Executive Committee think thrice? I don’t even know which way their front door opens.”

The comment slightly eased the awkward atmosphere in the office. Hu Qingbai, however, knew the matter was already decided. Having been a leader for a long time, he knew when to stand firm and when to change tack. He said slowly:

“We understand the Executive Committee’s difficulties. Operation Engine is a matter of national importance. It’s only right that we in the Education Department give our full support.”

Now that the People’s Commissar for Education had spoken, Yuan Ziguang couldn’t argue further, but he let out a series of “hmph” sounds to show his disapproval. Hu Qingbai knew he had to give Yuan Ziguang a way to save face; it was important to manage the morale of his key staff.

“I can transfer the students, but the decision of who goes and who stays will be made by us, the Education Department. Neither the Planning Office nor the military can cherry-pick students. This excludes sponsored students.”

Wu De nodded. “That’s no problem.”

“Secondly, our students cannot go to combat zones. You must ensure they work in safe locations. If possible, minimize their travel frequency and duration.”

“Third, you must establish field schools in each camp and set aside time for the students to self-study and receive instruction. The Yuanen participating in Operation Engine must allocate time to teach courses according to the curriculum to ensure their studies are not interrupted.”

Wu De agreed to all the conditions and also promised to provide preferential treatment for the deployed students in terms of supplies and living conditions.

Hu Qingbai said, “As long as these conditions are met, a three-month rotation might not be necessary. The journey is long, after all. If the camp environment is relatively safe and the sanitary conditions are good, a six-month rotation should be fine. Of course, anyone in poor health must be sent back immediately.”

Although Yuan Ziguang was wholeheartedly against the large-scale deployment, it was a direct order from the Executive Committee, and Hu Qingbai had managed to secure decent conditions. He couldn’t object further and had to give his tacit approval.

After seeing off Wu De and Fu Sansi, Hu Qingbai considered that besides sending the students, Fangcao di should also dispatch at least one Yuanen teacher to lead the group and supervise their studies.

“You know, even though Wu De promised us field schools, the other Yuanen might not be interested in teaching the kids. And even if they were, I wouldn’t feel at ease…”

Yuan Ziguang understood the double meaning of “not at ease.” First, he feared the other Yuanen’s teaching skills were subpar. Second, he feared someone might lay a “demonic hand” on the students. There were quite a few Yuanen eager to “conquer” someone. Given the students’ age and gender ratio, they couldn’t send only boys.

It seemed Hu Qingbai was hinting that Yuan Ziguang should volunteer for the position of field teacher. Yuan Ziguang was quite terrified of the prospect. He hated traveling by boat, especially on small sailing ships! Furthermore, the living conditions on desolate Jeju Island or Taiwan would be incredibly harsh. At least here at Fangcao di, the Yuanen dorms had flush toilets and hot showers.

“I think Jiang Youzhong or Xiao Zhaochuan would be very suitable…” Yuan Ziguang shamelessly “recommended worthy talents.” Both were permanent Yuanen teachers at Fangcao di.