Chapter 4: The Recruit Grand Tournament

“Beep beep beep...”
“Assembly!”

In the early morning, the sky was still dim and gray. The wake-up whistle pierced the quiet camp, immediately followed by the voice of the duty veteran.

Half-awake, Su Yang instinctively opened his eyes and quickly climbed out from under the warm covers. He swiftly pulled on his pants and jumped out of bed. Seeing that no one else in the dormitory was stirring, he hurriedly urged them awake.

“Get up, get up!”

While putting on his clothes, Su Yang went around tapping on their beds one by one, rousing everyone.

Xi Wa groggily climbed up and, looking at Su Yang who was already dressed, glanced outside the window and mumbled, “It’s still dark out.”

“Who cares if it’s dark or not? Hurry up! If we’re late again, Old Gun will cause us trouble!” Su Yang said, then turned to Zhuang Yan.

“Especially you, Little Zhuang. You beat Old Gun yesterday and embarrassed him. Don’t go provoking him today!”

Zhuang Yan, hearing Su Yang’s words, replied stubbornly, “I’m not afraid of him!”

Though stubborn in words, he started dressing faster.

Su Yang paid no attention and, with his belt still undone, dashed out of the dorm. This was a trick he learned from a drill instructor during his university military training in a previous life—putting on clothes faster by not fastening the belt immediately.

“Brr, it’s so cold!”

Just running down the hallway, a cold gust of wind swept over him, making him shiver. Looking up, he saw the camp, which had been fine yesterday, now blanketed in white snow.

“What are you daydreaming for? Hurry up and get in line!”

As Su Yang sighed, Zheng Sanpao, already standing downstairs with the new recruit platoon leader, frowned coldly when he saw Su Yang stop after running down first.

“Yes, sir!” Su Yang quickly ran to the position Zheng Sanpao assigned him and stood at attention.

A squad leader, looking at Su Yang—the first to come out—envied him a little and said to Zheng Sanpao, “This soldier is good, great stamina and quick reflexes. Old Gun, you’re lucky.”

Zheng Sanpao glanced at Su Yang, fully dressed and ready, then deliberately raised his voice, “Quick reflexes? I don’t see it. You’re still just a bunch of clumsy bears. If this were war, you’d be dead by now at that speed!”

Su Yang pursed his lips, silently cursing. This old gun really had a sharp tongue. Fortunately, he knew it was part of the training method; otherwise, with his old personality, he might have retorted like Zhuang Yan.

After a while, the new recruits started trickling out slowly, which made the veterans frown. Some were not only slow but also careless and made many mistakes.

Someone wore another’s shoes, or someone else took another’s clothes.

Thanks to Su Yang’s reminders, Squad One was relatively fast, with few lagging behind. They stood one by one next to Su Yang.

Xi Wa, fastening his belt, admired, “Su Yang, you’re so fast. You dashed down in no time.”

“I was prepared, so naturally I was fast! Enough talk.” Su Yang looked straight ahead, lips twitching slightly.

As a seasoned military enthusiast, he was aware of some common drills in new recruit companies. He hadn’t slept much the night before out of excitement and had been mentally alert all along, so he was well prepared.

Once everyone was in formation, the new recruit platoon leader gave a speech, emphasizing the importance of assembly times. Since everyone was fresh to the company, no one was punished for being slow yet, and the first morning exercise began.

They started with a three-kilometer run. After the sweaty recruits finished, they gathered at the cafeteria entrance under the platoon leader’s command.

The platoon leader nodded approvingly at the steaming recruits and loudly announced, “From today onward, before each meal, we’ll sing a song. The squad with the loudest voices eats first! Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Squad One, you go first!”

Zheng Sanpao quickly stepped forward, his stern eyes scanning everyone in Squad One. He loudly commanded, “Squad One, attention! Fall in! Speak louder! Unity is strength!”

“Unity, prepare to sing!”

“Unity is strength, unity is strength, this strength is iron, this strength is steel...”

Within the ranks, some soldiers in Squad One were still catching their breath from the run. Their singing was weak and breathless. Su Yang immediately felt discouraged and tried to sing louder, but one person couldn’t change much.

Sure enough, hearing the feeble voices, Zheng Sanpao’s face darkened. The platoon leader, dissatisfied, shouted to stop, “Stop, stop! Squad One, are you all a bunch of sissies? Sing it again! If I hear that again, no breakfast for you!”

Zheng Sanpao glared at Su Yang and the others with a deathly stare, expressionless, and started the song again.

“Unity is strength, unity is strength, this strength is iron, this strength is steel. Fire upon the fascist enemy!”

The soldiers in Squad One, under Zheng Sanpao’s gaze, roared with all their might, voices deafening. This time, the platoon leader was satisfied.

Soon, other squads began competing like wild bulls, their squad leaders turning red in the face with effort.

For a moment, the loud voices and strong spirit swept away all fatigue and drowsiness.

After all squads finished singing and the winner was decided, the squads took turns entering the cafeteria to prepare for the meal.

Squad One exchanged uneasy glances, full of anxiety, knowing they had just slipped up.

Xi Wa, watching the other squads enter the cafeteria and smelling the delicious aroma drifting out, swallowed hard and whispered, “Su Yang, Little Zhuang, do you think there’ll be no food left for us?”

Su Yang glanced at Zheng Sanpao, who was standing nearby with a dark face but hadn’t noticed them. He whispered, “Quiet, don’t say too much! We got caught, that’s why.”

Zhuang Yan grumbled irritably, “That bastard looking for trouble! The platoon leader didn’t even say anything!”

Su Yang didn’t reply because Zheng Sanpao was walking over.

Zheng Sanpao faced the group, his expression grim as he swept his gaze over them and coldly said, “A bunch of clumsy bears who can’t even sing a single song properly, drop and give me one hundred push-ups!”

With no choice, everyone began the exercise.

After a long while, when their arms could barely hold them up, Zheng Sanpao’s expression softened somewhat. “Now sing! Sing until I’m satisfied.”

He glanced at Zhuang Yan and then at Su Yang before saying, “Su Yang, lead!”

“Yes, sir.”

Su Yang was a little surprised but said nothing and began to lead.

The song was repeated again and again until the squad’s voices were hoarse, and only then did Zheng Sanpao allow them to stop.

“Alright, remember this: if anyone messes up during singing in the future, don’t blame me for being harsh. You’ll go eat first, then clean up your quarters. Remember what we taught yesterday—I’ll be checking!”

After giving instructions for the day’s classes, Zheng Sanpao led everyone into the cafeteria.

After the meal, back in the dormitory, the group complained about the veteran’s sternness and began tidying up their quarters according to the rules taught by the old gun yesterday.

Su Yang worked quickly. Thanks to his memories of military training, although his bed wasn’t as perfectly made as in the propaganda videos, it was much neater than the other new recruits’.

After finishing his own, he took out a book and started reading.

He was preparing for the military academy entrance exam, and he couldn’t neglect academics. Though he had been a university student before, he had forgotten much of his high school knowledge, so he was racing against time to catch up since there was little free time in the army.

“Su Yang, you’re doing great! Teach me, please! Mine looks terrible. If the squad leader sees, he might punish me.”

Before Su Yang could read a few pages, a new recruit from the bed next to him approached.

His name was Yu Wei, also from Spring City, riding the same vehicle as Su Yang. Being from the same hometown, they were more familiar with each other.

“Me too, me too!” Xi Wa looked over eagerly as well.

Seeing this, Su Yang thought for a moment, then stood up and began demonstrating again.

Originally, he thought this was each person’s own responsibility—if you couldn’t do it well, you’d be punished. He wasn’t their parent and couldn’t help with everything.

But seeing everyone’s hopeful eyes except for Zhuang Yan, he decided to help.

However, he didn’t fold the beds for them but demonstrated so they could learn to do it themselves.

Xi Wa noticed Zhuang Yan not following along and asked curiously, “Little Zhuang, why aren’t you learning?”

Zhuang Yan leaned against the bed, indifferent. “It’s just a tofu block, why so serious? I’m telling you, even the veterans can’t fold these new blankets well. You have to press them down hard.”

“Really?” Xi Wa was surprised.

Su Yang calmly said, “Zhuang Yan has a point. These new blankets are soft and loose. If you don’t press them down, it’s hard to fold sharp edges. But look at how Zhuang Yan folds his—better than you all who are sloppy.”

“Oh, that’s true.” Xi Wa quickly glanced at Zhuang Yan’s bed, which, while not as neat as Su Yang’s, was much better than theirs. She smiled sheepishly.

At the hallway entrance, Zheng Sanpao, leaning against the wall and listening to the conversation, cleared his throat when he thought they were done and pushed open the door to enter.

“Stand up!”

Su Yang, who was sitting on his bed near the door—easiest to watch the entrance and the easiest to be seen from outside—immediately stood up and shouted loudly when he saw Zheng Sanpao enter.

He originally disliked this spot because it was too exposed, but the old gun insisted on assigning it to him, refusing any swaps.

“Good morning, squad leader!” Everyone quickly followed suit with polite greetings.

Zheng Sanpao nodded and began inspecting the quarters. He looked at Su Yang’s neatly folded bed, then noticed the book on the table and picked it up, frowning. “Whose book is this? English?”

“Report, squad leader, it’s mine!” Su Yang quickly answered.

“You’re studying English?” Zheng Sanpao asked.

“Yes, squad leader. I didn’t get into university, but my English is decent. I’m preparing for the military academy, so I review every day to keep it fresh.” Su Yang explained earnestly.

“Military academy, huh? Not bad, good ambition. But it’s tough—high academic and military standards.” Zheng Sanpao was somewhat surprised.

“Report, squad leader, I’ll train harder.” Su Yang said firmly.

“Good, keep it up! If you need help, come to me.” Zheng Sanpao softened for the diligent soldier. “But remember, put your book away immediately after reading. Don’t just leave it on the table.”

“Yes, sir!”

Zheng Sanpao continued inspecting the quarters. He glanced at Zhuang Yan’s bed but said nothing. He put on gloves and checked cleanliness.

After finishing, he nodded in approval. “Not bad, better than I expected, but still needs work. I’ll let you off today.”

The recruits breathed a sigh of relief. They truly feared Zheng Sanpao’s criticism, which could have meant more scolding.

After a whole day, they understood he was a serious man. Especially after Zhuang Yan embarrassed him during the run yesterday, he needed to regain face.

“Everyone rest for a bit. When it’s time, get ready to assemble. Remember, no lying on the beds. Su Yang, come out with me!” Zheng Sanpao gave orders and took Su Yang downstairs.

“You did well just now. Comrades should help each other.” Zheng Sanpao spoke first.

“Ah, squad leader, you mean about the beds?” Su Yang was a bit puzzled—how did he know?

“I overheard.” Zheng Sanpao explained.

“Oh, that’s right. They just asked me, so I demonstrated.” Su Yang suddenly understood and looked at the old gun with a curious expression.

No wonder Zhuang Yan deliberately insulted him later—this guy had a habit of eavesdropping.

“Demonstrating is good. It shows you care about everyone. Su Yang, you’re a high school graduate—the second highest education level after Zhuang Yan—and you’re thinking about the military academy. This means you have good qualities. Work hard and set a good example for everyone. Aim for a good result in the new recruit competition!”

“That’ll help you get assigned to a good unit next!” Zheng Sanpao’s usually stern face softened as he earnestly spoke to Su Yang.

Though embarrassed by Zhuang Yan these past days, Zheng Sanpao didn’t ignore the other soldiers. Especially Su Yang, who had stayed close behind him and Zhuang Yan yesterday and had excellent physical fitness among the new recruits.

His character seemed good so far; he was a promising soldier, so Zheng Sanpao wanted to encourage him.

“Yes, squad leader. I’ll definitely work hard.” Su Yang felt pleased. He knew the old gun’s temper, so this kind of talk meant he was valued.

Of course, being valued was important. To stand out in the army, one had to show their abilities and earn respect.

Zheng Sanpao’s words were clearly encouragement and positive feedback, which was meaningful for Su Yang’s efforts.

“By the way, squad leader, what is the new recruit competition? Is it an exam or a contest?” Su Yang asked eagerly after hearing about it.

“The new recruit competition is...”

[End of pages 1 to 3]