Who taught you to be a soldier like this!

Chapter 518 A fierce tiger stands nearby, surrounded by wolves! [Please subscribe! Please vote with monthly tickets!]

"Hey! Platoon leader, it's your turn to stand on the first night shift!"

The sentry on duty was a first-term sergeant from the second squad. He was both surprised and delighted to see Zhao Weihong come to take over the post.

Thinking that he hadn't had dinner yet, Zhao Weihong skipped the handover ceremony and simply called out "Please step down from your post," then took the Type 81 rifle loaded with blank rounds from the sentry and took his post.

"Are you starving? Hurry up and go to the cafeteria for a meal."

"Don't wander off after you finish eating. Our company is already waiting in the study room to watch the Spring Festival Gala. Hurry up and go over there."

"Yes!"

With a grin, the sentry saluted Zhao Weihong and immediately scurried off towards the canteen. His joyful appearance was like that of Sun Wukong, who had escaped from the Five Finger Mountain and almost forgot who he was!
Seeing this, Zhao Weihong didn't say much, but simply straightened her back and faithfully fulfilled her mission at her post.

In fact, every soldier can be described as a unique "philosopher".

Compared to ordinary people, they have a period of time each day when they can be undisturbed to contemplate profound questions such as life and ideals.

That's right.

This refers to the time spent on guard duty.

In front of me were large red lanterns swaying in the evening breeze, and behind me came the sounds of laughter and cheerful conversation coming from the study room.

Zhao Weihong stood at the sentry post, right at the "border" between the two.

Movement and stillness, light and darkness, are intertwined and mixed together, with Zhao Weihong at the center.

Such a unique environment is indeed suitable for contemplating some profound questions.

He thought of himself.

She also thought about everyone she had met along the way, including Director Wang, who changed Zhao Weihong's life.

It's funny to say.

Factory Director Wang caused Zhao Weihong to work "outside" for decades, operating a sewing machine.

But now, he's gone "inside" to operate the sewing machine.

It was as if an invisible hand was at work, making Director Wang, the instigator, personally experience all the hardships that Zhao Weihong had gone through.

In truth, Zhao Weihong has indeed matured a lot in terms of character.

Before going to USTC to study, Zhao Weihong would never have been so calm about this matter.

But now, Zhao Weihong can calmly recall all of this and remain composed.

He even wanted to thank Director Wang in person.

If it weren't for those decades of relentless honing of skills in the dimly lit factory, spending all their time with sewing machines.

If Zhao Weihong had joined the army, she probably wouldn't have caused such a stir, let alone ended up in this situation.

Lost in these random thoughts, time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was time for the Spring Festival Gala opening ceremony.

At the same time, Zhao Weihong caught a glimpse of Hu Yiming carrying a string of red firecrackers as he walked out of the dormitory.

"It's Chinese New Year!"

As if in response to Hu Yiming, shouts of "It's New Year's Day!" also rang out from the other companies' camps.

The next second, the sound of firecrackers, carrying auspicious meanings, rang out from all directions throughout the camp.

The crackling sounds of firecrackers mingled together, finally adding the last bit of festive spirit to this New Year celebration.

The reason why the various companies set off firecrackers at this time in such a unified manner was not due to a tacit understanding or a customary practice, but rather because they received an order from the regimental headquarters.

While the sound of firecrackers is an indispensable part of the New Year, in the military, it is a very sensitive sound.

Gunshots.

To avoid emergencies, in barracks like the 446th Regiment where multiple units are stationed, the time for setting off firecrackers must be unified. Once the time has passed, no more firecrackers can be heard throughout the entire regiment.

For troops stationed independently in other areas, they have a little more freedom in this regard, but only in the timing of setting off firecrackers.

If you want to set off fireworks and firecrackers all night long, that's absolutely impossible.

The tail of the entire string of firecrackers bounced defiantly on the ground for a moment.

The lively firecrackers that had just been going off in the camp quickly subsided, leaving only the lingering smell of gunpowder and the scattered red paper on the ground, adding another unique touch to the New Year season.

Hu Yiming chuckled, wrapped his new overcoat tighter around himself, and strode toward Zhao Weihong.

At this critical juncture, the two cadres did not exchange pleasantries, but instead completed the prescribed procedures for going on and off duty with the utmost solemnity.

Zhao Weihong could make a slight exception in front of the soldiers.

But when they are all cadres, they will treat this process, which only happens once a year, with the utmost seriousness and dedication.

This is not just during the New Year season; it is the care and love that the officers of this unit show to their soldiers.

It is also a major symbol that cadres are different from soldiers and must shoulder more and heavier burdens and responsibilities.

Only after meticulously completing all the procedures did a slight smile appear on Hu Yiming's rugged face as he greeted Zhao Weihong.

"Old Zhao, you must be exhausted. Go back and rest. The lights probably won't be out until after midnight tonight."

"Once we officers have finished our shifts, come to the company headquarters. I've ordered some barbecue and duck parts, all perfect for drinking. Let's have a good drink!"

Seeing that Zhao Weihong seemed hesitant, Hu Yiming immediately pressed his advantage.

"I won't get up until eight o'clock tomorrow, and there's no training!"

"Old Zhao, I'm not trying to be mean, but don't be so tense during the New Year."

"Listen to me! See you at the company headquarters after midnight!"

"If I can't see you, I'll tie you up and bring you to the company headquarters with the instructor!"

Seeing that Hu Yiming had put it this way, Zhao Weihong had no choice but to agree. They made a pact to drink until they were drunk at the company headquarters that night, to see which of the officers in the Second Company had the best alcohol tolerance!
Back in her dormitory, Zhao Weihong didn't immediately go to the study room to watch the Spring Festival Gala. Instead, she took out her phone and called her parents and Zhao Yuejin at home.

During his years of military academy studies, Zhao Weihong returned home quite often. In addition, Zhao Weihong had been a soldier for many years, and Zhao Jianguo and Li Ping had long been used to their only son not being around. They only chatted for a few minutes, told Zhao Weihong to take care of his health, and then hung up the phone.

Zhao Yuejin, on the other hand, chatted with Zhao Weihong for a full half hour, and even asked Zhao Weihong about Lin Jingshu in a very gossipy way.

Zhao Weihong hadn't contacted Lin Jingshu for over half a year.

Zhao Weihong was going to do an internship, and Lin Jingshu was no exception.

Lin Jingshu, who studied under an academician and pursued a scientific research career, had a much higher level of internship than Zhao Weihong. She was taken directly to the Northwest by her academician mentor to participate in a highly classified military research and development project.

Not to mention Lin Jingshu, even her teacher couldn't easily contact the outside world. Furthermore, their research was supposedly only to provide technical support for a much larger project, and it was unclear when this project would conclude.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuejin instinctively wanted to curse.

Isn't this preventing me from holding my nephews and nieces?

But after a second thought, Zhao Yuejin suppressed his grievances.

As a veteran, Zhao Yuejin understood the significance of Zhao Weihong and Lin Jingshu's careers, and also knew what sacrifices they would have to make if they wanted to start a family.

Since both children are on the right track, as their elders, they should not only support them, but at the very least, not hold them back.

Finally, the uncle and nephew agreed to meet again after Zhao Weihong graduated.

Zhao Yuejin really wanted to see what Zhao Weihong looked like in military uniform and with the rank of officer, and he wouldn't mind making the trip himself.

Zhao Weihong readily agreed to this request. He then wished Zhou Kehu, Wang Chuan, and others a Happy New Year before dialing the phone number he knew by heart but hadn't saved in his phone.

The phone rang once, and then Deputy Chief Wei's strong voice came through.

"I was just saying that you should call me soon!"

"I heard from Xiao Xie that you've stirred things up again during your internship and even earned a second-class merit award?"

"That's more like it!"

"Having studied at military academy for so long, I'm determined to make some immediate and significant achievements when I return to the army!"

"You did a good job, kid, you didn't embarrass me!"

Deputy Chief Wei's voice was as strong as ever, but Zhao Weihong keenly noticed a hint of fatigue in it.

"This is just a small-scale operation for me, nothing serious."

"If you really want me to make a big splash, then just wait for my graduation defense."

"You and Professor Yu have placed such high expectations on my graduation thesis, I can't let you down!"

"Let's not talk about this, sir. You seem a little tired."

The words fell.

There was a very noticeable silence on the other end of the phone.

If Zhao Weihong could see the scene beside Deputy Chief Wei, she would be astonished to find that Deputy Chief Wei was not at home at the moment, but sitting in an office adorned with the national flag, military flag, and party flag, with a thick stack of documents in front of him. Outside the brightly lit corridor, there were chaotic footsteps, as if all the staff in the building were working tirelessly day and night on this day of family reunion.

It is often said that the military is an extension of politics.

But very few people know that politics is a continuation of economics.

Just like the leaders of the Bashu Military Region, who hoped to make the uniform change that Zhao Weihong had just experienced a symbol of carrying on the past and opening up the future for the entire Bashu Military Region.

2008, a seemingly ordinary year, will become the starting point for the entire Yan Kingdom to build on the past and move towards the future, embarking on the road to rejuvenation!

Just a month ago.

Yan has won a war without gunfire, and has completely preserved the achievements of national development since the beginning of the new century amidst the global harvest of the US dollar tide!
As the dominant force in the post-Cold War world order, the United States has personally created the world's financial and trade system.

It was precisely because of joining this system that Yan Kingdom was able to gain the opportunity to exchange goods and resources with the rest of the world and to grow stronger.

However, as the creator of this system, the US can tolerate other countries profiting from it, but it will absolutely not tolerate any country growing strong enough to threaten its "hegemonic" status.

Just like the Japanese in the past, the EU is now barely surviving, outwardly friendly but inwardly divided.

When the overlord on the throne effortlessly eliminated yet another warrior who dared to challenge him, he looked around and discovered that the sleeping lion in his eyes, which had once been terminally ill, had opened its eyes at some point and was taking advantage of the Military World Games to unleash a world-shaking roar!
Not long ago, this sleeping lion was considered very weak in the eyes of the US.

Their economy was so weak that their products lacked any high-end competitiveness in the international market. They could only rely on cheap goods produced on assembly lines and shirts made on old-fashioned sewing machines to earn a meager amount of foreign exchange.

In the US's plan, relying solely on this low-end manufacturing industry, this ailing sleeping lion might be able to prolong its life, but there is absolutely no possibility of improvement.

Therefore, the United States confidently turned its gaze to the distance, using the thunderous methods of the world's hegemon and the victor of the Cold War to influence the rise and fall of countless countries and manipulate the fate of billions of people.

But those Western elites who spend their days in the White Palace, boasting of "absolute rationality and absolute wisdom," have seriously underestimated the resilience and diligence of the people living on this land!

The trickle of meager profits, after passing through a mountain called "People," surges and grows in the mountain stream, eventually becoming a magnificent waterfall that flows for thousands of miles and is as vast as the ocean!

Yan Kingdom, in an unprecedented way, completed the primitive accumulation of wealth that Western countries had accumulated through bloodshed and evil. With the sweat and toil of hundreds of millions of people, it achieved the possibility of national development and growth amidst numerous encirclements!
On this land, local experts, despite the blockade of high-end technology from the outside world, tried every means and made every effort to achieve one breakthrough after another in advanced technology!

We have the start-up capital and the technology.

What followed was simply a matter of course.

In just five years.

Yan's foreign exchange reserves have jumped from $300 billion to $1.5 trillion!

Up to this point, it's just a story of "hard work pays off".

But how could the United States, which considers itself a hegemon, possibly allow China to develop and grow so easily?

After the Military World Games concluded.

The US immediately began what could be described as a crazy dollar interest rate hike, with the dollar interest rate rising from a low of 1 percent to a high of 5.25 percent!

Based on past experience with the ebb and flow of the US dollar, for developing countries like China, the impact of rising US dollar interest rates can be extremely devastating.

Simply depositing money in a bank guarantees a 5% profit with no risk, and the interest rates of some financial products can even rise to over ten percent.

Regardless of the investment method, the profit margins far exceed those of traditional manufacturing.

If making money is so easy, who would want to run around and work hard to engage in the real manufacturing industry?

The decline of manufacturing, a pillar industry, will lead to the decline of the overall economy, ultimately resulting in currency devaluation or even economic collapse!
At this point, American capital will enter the market wielding dollars to acquire various assets that have already depreciated significantly at extremely low prices, thus "buying at the bottom."

If the US succeeds, all the achievements of China's development since the beginning of the new century will be handed over to them!

No one believed that Yan could escape this combination of attacks.

After all, even the red giant that once stood tall across Eurasia eventually disappeared into history due to the interplay of this tactic and internal and external troubles.

Many organizations and forces even plan to take advantage of this opportunity to take a big bite out of Yan.

A tiger was nearby, and wolves surrounded them.

The world may appear peaceful, but undercurrents are surging.

As the people of Yan, with the hope of making their lives better and better, once again began their day of hard work and struggle.

The Yan Kingdom has launched a desperate counterattack that it cannot afford to fail!

(End of this chapter)