The NCO Program

"Defending home and country is a man's calling," Sun Beifeng said slowly, puffing out a cloud of white smoke. Hearing this, the blood in Zhu Shiqing's veins flared hot. What kind of man spent every day sitting behind an office desk? A real man should shoulder a rifle, march to the battlefield, and wipe out every last invader with his own two hands! "Director Ming, Zhu Shiqing is not afraid to go to the battlefield!" "Sir, Fang Wenjian isn't afraid to go to the battlefield either!" Both youths brimmed with spirit. Ming Quan said no more on the matter, getting straight to the point as he produced the plan he had prepared long in advance. First, Ming Quan waved Sun Beifeng a few steps closer and whispered into his ear. A grin spread across Sun Beifeng's face as he listened, a dry, raspy chuckle coming from his throat: "Heh... heheh..." Zhu Shiqing and Fang Wenjian exchanged glances. Anything surrounded by this much secrecy had to be something good. Before long, the two concluded their private talk. Without a word of explanation, Sun Beifeng patted Zhu Shiqing heavily on the shoulder, turned, and walked out of the office. What was going on? Zhu Shiqing's heart tightened. Pulling his stool forward a few paces, he opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Ming Quan took the initiative to explain: "No need to be nervous. The General Staff assigned him a new task. But as for you two, are you really not afraid of going to the front lines?" Fang Wenjian leaned in as well, vigorously shaking his head alongside Zhu Shiqing to insist they had no fear. "You've likely noticed that the Nationalist government is holding a central conference this week. Yesterday, committee members and representatives from all circles officially deliberated plans and proposals regarding military and political preparations against Japan. "The Nationalist government anticipates that a war with the Japanese army is inevitable, sooner or later. The plan to reorganize and train sixty divisions launched last year has yet to be completed, and in the process, a severe shortage of officers and personnel has emerged. "Therefore, the government has decided to push forward an NCO Program to strengthen the decision-making capabilities of training units in the field. "The NCO Program is currently slated for roughly one hundred men. Externally, it will be known as the Central Staff Corps, led by one commander and three deputy commanders. Its core candidates are being recommended from within the General Staff." At this point, Ming Quan scanned the two young men. Zhu Shiqing and Fang Wenjian's eyes were practically gleaming. Ming Quan added: "However, I must clarify that the NCO Program does not grant you the status of military academy graduates. Compared to the Whampoa clique and Baoding clique out there, you will only be considered common soldiers. Even so, your curriculum will not be any less rigorous than that of an academy. "In fact, you will need to study even more specialized courses in military theory and tactical decision-making." Ming Quan spoke slowly and deliberately, letting the gravity of his words sink in. The NCO Program was a staff-officer training initiative geared toward the Army General Staff, with an instructional period of only three months—whereas an average class at Whampoa took roughly two years to graduate. By comparison, the tempo of the NCO Program was far more intensive and its focus sharply defined: staff operations. Its core objective was to produce a cohort of decision-makers capable of providing independent operational support to various units. Through the Nationalist government's collective assessments, it had become clear that if they fought the Japanese military using existing tactics and strategies, they would fail to achieve the tactical objectives set by higher command while incurring needless casualties. Moreover, another emerging reality laid the foundation for the program: a united, nationwide resistance was on the verge of taking shape. Beyond Chiang Kai-shek's central forces, there were Feng Yuxiang's Northwest Army, Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi's Guangxi Army, Liu Xiang's Sichuan Army, Long Yun's Yunnan Army, and the disintegrating Northeast Army. China's existing armed forces were exceedingly numerous. To unite against foreign aggression, the Ministry of Military Affairs had to find a way to establish centralized, unified command. One method was deploying these NCOs directly into the forces. By specially training a corps of young non-commissioned staff directly subordinate to the General Staff Headquarters, they could disperse them when necessary into the ranks of regional armies across the country. In wartime, this staff network would form a command structure answering to the central government. Thus, the NCO Program was an enterprise bearing a momentous mission for the Nationalist government. Selection for its ranks weighed not only capability, but family pedigree and closeness to the core of power even more heavily. In a sense, for a grassroots commoner from Hubei like Fang Wenjian, green smoke was practically billowing from his ancestral graves—he had caught a sudden wind and soared straight up. Pressured by the current situation, the three-month training period could not be held in total seclusion; the General Staff still required frontline functionaries. Consequently, a hybrid format was adopted, akin to on-the-job training. On the thirteenth day of the first lunar month in the twenty-sixth year of the Republic of China, the NCO Program officially commenced in Nanjing. Through Ming Quan's recommendation, Zhu Shiqing and Fang Wenjian successfully entered the program, poised to serve the central government formally as staff personnel. The following morning, a grand opening ceremony was held at the military encampment on Qingliang Mountain in Nanjing. For the first time in his life, Zhu Shiqing donned a field cap bearing the Blue Sky with a White Sun emblem, wearing knee-high cowhide boots and brimming with pride. "Hey, Shiqing, you really look the part in that uniform." Fang Wenjian had been cheerful and grinning lately; if he saw a roadside rock, he would probably stop to chat with it. Though in good spirits, Zhu Shiqing could not help feeling a twinge of worry. That day, after whispering with Ming Quan, Sun Beifeng had taken on a mission and departed for Baoding, leaving without being able to explain anything. Separation between uncle and nephew seemed like a prank played by fate; for now, Zhu Shiqing could only focus on doing his best. Of average height, Zhu Shiqing and Fang Wenjian stood wedged in the center of the formation, surrounded by men in identical uniforms who would soon be their classmates. The entire square formation numbered nearly a hundred men. Supposedly, because the NCO Program had not been widely publicized, many senior officers far from Nanjing had never even caught wind of it. On his way into the ranks before falling in, Zhu Shiqing had taken in all these "classmates," and a sharp sense of contrast couldn't help welling up in his mind. Compared to Battalion Commander Wu Zhiqing, whom he had met before, calling these men greenhorn soldiers would be an overstatement. If one had to name the person among these hundred who looked most like a soldier, it was probably Fang Wenjian beside him. Qingliang Mountain was an elliptical hilly tract with a notable difference in elevation, dipping as low as twenty meters and rising above eighty meters at its peak, though the terrain was generally gentle. The training grounds for this NCO Program borrowed the military camp stationed on its slopes. As the first rays of dawn broke, a speaking rostrum draped in red carpet had already been erected against the backdrop of the hills. Guards on either side holding standard-issue submachine guns cleared a pathway, and the nearly one hundred cadets below stood at attention in formation. "I heard the Generalissimo is coming today." "Really? If the Generalissimo is coming, we're really getting our moment in the sun." "Coming? No way. Yesterday's news said the Generalissimo was going to deliver the closing address for the congress in person." Murmurs rippled through the crowd. It felt less like an opening ceremony and more like an investiture, everyone grinning as if preparing to receive their honors and rewards. "Shiqing, he's here, he's here!" Fang Wenjian called out in a low voice, his eyes fixed on three Buick cars slowly driving in from the distance. The grand spectacle truly broadened Zhu Shiqing's horizons. Amid the rising waves of gasps, he seemed already to envision himself in the future, shedding blood on the battlefield and commanding thousands upon thousands of troops. An attendant pulled open the door of the lead Buick. The tip of a black walking cane emerged first, planting firmly into the sandy dirt. A figure then slowly rose from the car and, guided by the attendant's welcoming gesture, walked toward the square formation. Zhu Shiqing's cheek twitched. Unconsciously clenching his fists, he narrowed his eyes into slits to look— It really was Generalissimo Chiang!