"What good will it do you to come to me about this? You should go to the logistics department. Go see them first and see what they say. If it really doesn't work, then give my room to the new guy," Xu Damao said irritably.
After getting to know him, Xu Damao discovered that Lei Min was quite capable, but a bit gossipy and liked to spread rumors about the relationships between leaders and female colleagues at work.
There were things that Xu Damao didn't know, so he just casually mentioned them. Now, the first thing he does every day when he gets to work is to report to Xu Damao's office and tell him the gossip he just learned yesterday.
“Yes, I told the logistics department directly that if there are no rooms available, we’ll give up the minister’s room. I think they’ll figure something out.” Lei Min seemed to have suddenly realized something.
Now, all the department leaders are worried that Xu Damao might try to extort money from them, ending up like Zhou Fenglin. So, if they bring Xu Damao out again, the room problem might be easily solved.
"The minister is busy. Oh, our Director Lei is really something, he's made our minister so happy."
Xu Damao and Lei Min were chatting in the office when someone suddenly knocked on the door. It was Vice Minister Guo Yongfa.
"Old Guo, what a rare guest. Don't you reserve soldiers have training today?" Xu Damao invited him to sit down and offered him a cigarette.
Since Xu Damao came to the Armed Forces Department, Guo Yongfa has rarely come here. Whenever he does, he goes directly to the reserve office, saying it's for the convenience of organizing training. But it's obvious he's avoiding Xu Damao.
But since their reserves are equivalent to the regular army, Xu Damao couldn't ask too many questions. He didn't expect them to come over today.
"Minister, is it because we're not doing a good job with our reserves? How come you haven't come to inspect our area since you took office? We've only seen you visiting the militia camp."
Guo Yongfa then filed a false accusation.
“Old Guo, it’s not that I have any objections, it’s that I completely trust your abilities and skills. I feel at ease entrusting the work to you. To be honest, I’m a complete novice in military management, and I’m worried about embarrassing you and your side,” Xu Damao said.
"Thank you for your trust, but the brothers below still hope to learn from you, Minister. Especially us soldiers, we like to drink, and some of us have heard that you have a high alcohol tolerance, so we're not convinced and want to have a contest with you."
"Minister, although the food at the reserve unit isn't as good as the special kitchen, they have plenty of alcohol. How about we go over there tonight?" Guo Yongfa invited.
If someone unaware of the situation heard such a sincere invitation, they would surely think this soldier was really generous. In reality, while there are straightforward people, there are no stupid ones. If it weren't for Xu Damao's previous attempt to extort money in the office, who knows when Old Guo would have come to invite him.
“Alright, I’ll hand over these hundred-plus pounds to you tonight and follow your instructions.” Xu Damao accepted happily.
After chatting for a while, Guo Yongfa made an excuse to prepare and then left.
"Old Guo, he reacted pretty quickly. But you'd better be careful tonight, those soldiers can hold their liquor. Should we call a few militiamen over here? I know a few who can drink."
Seeing Lao Guo leave, Lei Min said to Xu Damao.
"It's okay, I really won't drink. They can't do anything to me," Xu Damao said nonchalantly.
Xu Damao was truly indifferent to the reservists. They were under military-style management; you couldn't interfere even if you wanted to. As long as they were polite enough, nothing else mattered.
Because of training needs, the reserves have a small training ground outside the factory. In addition to their own training, the militia sometimes come here for training as well.
People usually live in the training ground, so it is fully equipped with all kinds of facilities. Xu Damao arrived early, so he went with Guo Yongfa to take a look at the training ground.
Several people were practicing shooting at the scene, firing loudly and making quite a scene.
"How about it, Minister, how about a few rounds?" Guo Yongfa said.
"Now that I'm here, how can I not practice? But I've only fired a few shots, so I can't compare to you professionals. Don't laugh at me."
Xu Damao hadn't actually fired a gun many times, but because of his good talent, his aim was decent. In fact, he had recently gone with the militia to a large training ground in the suburbs, where he not only practiced shooting but also observed the use of other weapons.
The other reservists, upon hearing that the newly arrived head of the armed forces department was going to practice shooting, all stopped their training and came to watch. Of course, not out of respect for their leader; on the contrary, they wanted to see him make a fool of himself. Soldiers in this era naturally possessed a sense of honor and superiority, so it was normal for them to be unconvinced of this young head of the department.
Then, with no other reservists willing to challenge him, Xu Damao simply aimed, fired, and reported the results. The pistol shot was good, but the rifle shot was slightly less successful.
"Minister, it seems you've had some special training."
Seeing that Xu Damao was a good shot, Guo Yongfa, a veteran, became much more sincere.
"Haha, I'm truly honored to receive praise from Minister Guo. I'm so glad I practiced with wild boars and rabbits with my friends a few times, otherwise I would have really embarrassed myself," Xu Damao said.
Following Guo Yongfa, we toured the training ground and chatted with the reserve officers and soldiers. It was almost time for lunch.
Seeing a bottle of liquor in front of each person's seat on the table, Xu Damao almost cursed under his breath. Was a bottle of liquor just basic stuff for someone who had served in the military?
"Minister Xu, let's start with one bottle for everyone tonight, and then we'll bring more as needed. However, this is for the other comrades. I've heard about your drinking capacity, so you'll need at least two bottles tonight." Guo Yongfa opened Xu Damao's bottle directly.
“No matter how much I say, it won’t make a difference. Since I’m here today, I’m not planning on walking back standing up. So, after I lie down, I’ll find someone to take me home tonight,” Xu Damao said with a smile.
"Haha, that's great. Don't worry, there's nothing else here, just lots of people."
Next came the meal and drinks. When a bottle of wine was finished, no one present was drunk, demonstrating their impressive strength.
"Minister, I'm a rough man, and I had some misunderstandings about you before. But through my recent understanding, especially the way you drank tonight, I feel that although you've never been in the military, you have the temperament of one."
"Come, let me offer you another toast, as an apology."
Fueled by alcohol, Guo Yongfa slightly backed down. He had initially disliked Xu Damao, believing the man's current position was solely due to his association with Li Xuewu. However, he hadn't expected that after being relegated by Li Xuewu, this guy could still so easily bring down an office director.
"Also, you should be careful about Old Ma." Guo Yongfa suddenly whispered this in Xu Damao's ear, seemingly drunk.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
