Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1004 The matter has finally come to fruition.

If drill training was an ordeal for Haftar's undisciplined soldiers, then the military training conducted by Jiang Feng and others made these soldiers, who only had battlefield experience but had not received systematic military training, feel like they had come to hell.

At the firing range, Jiang Feng was carrying an AK-47 that he had just confiscated from a new recruit.

The barrel was filled with sand, the bolt parts were rusty, and there was even a strange smell of engine oil and sweat mixed together.

"Is this what you call your livelihood?" Jiang Feng's voice was as cold as ice. "A gun is your life! If you can't even handle a gun properly, you're just handing equipment to the enemy on the battlefield!"

He personally demonstrated: disassembling, wiping, oiling, and assembling, his movements were as fast as lightning and incredibly smooth.

Then, he ordered everyone to dismantle their weapons on the spot.

"Now start timing. You must completely disassemble and reassemble your weapons within one minute! Don't think this requirement is harsh; in my previous unit, this was merely the passing grade for a greenhorn!"

The scene was chaotic at one point, with parts scattered all over the ground, and some people were sweating profusely because they couldn't put them back together.

Jiang Feng and the veterans moved among them, sternly reprimanding and teaching them step by step, demanding that everyone disassemble and assemble weapons with their eyes closed, and that weapon maintenance must become an instinct ingrained in their bones.

The shooting training is even more rigorous, abandoning the "faith shooting" common among African armed groups.

Start by meticulously working on the most basic shooting stance, breathing control, and the alignment of the three points (shoulder, body, and shoulder).

Under the scorching sun, one can lie prone for half an hour at a time, holding a gun, unable to move even when sweat gets into one's eyes.

Live-fire exercises require a first-shot hit and prioritize accuracy over spraying water.

Ammunition consumption is enormous, but every bullet must be effective. Unsatisfactory results? More training!
Until his hands trembled so much he could no longer hold the gun, and his eyes were stung red by sweat.

On the tactical field, the ground was covered with sharp gravel and thorny camel grass.

"Low crawl! Forward!"

At the command, the recruits fell to the ground.

The movements were varied; some people writhed like earthworms, some stuck their butts out, and some cried out as they were pricked by the pebbles.

Jiang Feng and the veterans, holding pointers, patrolled the ranks.

"Lower your buttocks! Get close to the ground! Imagine bullets flying overhead! Be quick! Be stealthy!"

The pointer struck mercilessly on the upturned buttocks or the high back, accompanied by a stern shout.

High crawl, side crawl, leap forward, roll forward...

Each movement must be broken down and practiced hundreds or thousands of times until it becomes muscle memory.

The most difficult part is not training basic tactical movements.

After all, these things can be forced out.

Tactical coordination, platoon and squad coordination, company and battalion coordination, etc., are the most chaotic and deadliest aspects.

Simulated ruins and trench areas.

A simple "squad attack" drill—machine gun squads provide suppressive fire, rifle squads take turns providing cover as they advance, and finally launch an assault.

After the order was given, the scene was horrific.

The machine gunners only cared about their own shooting fun and didn't care about their teammates' positions; the riflemen either rushed out in a swarm or hesitated to advance.

Alternating cover?

No one remembers who they were supposed to cover for.

The result was that the "enemy's" simulated bullets "killed" a large portion of the attacking squad.

Jiang Feng, with a cold face, stopped the drill and gathered everyone together for another reprimand.

"Look at you all! You're like a bunch of headless flies! On the battlefield, charging in like this is just giving the enemy kill counts!"

He singled out the squad leader, deputy squad leader, machine gunner, and rifleman, explaining their responsibilities one by one, emphasizing observation, communication, fire coordination, and mutual cover.

If once isn't enough, try ten times!

If ten times isn't enough, try a hundred!
Amid Jiang Feng and the veterans' cold-blooded "death" judgments and deafening roars, the soldiers began to vaguely understand the meaning of the word "coordination."

The groups that fail in the drill will be punished.

The punishment was brutal—fully armed, they had to run under the scorching sun carrying logs until someone vomited and fainted.

The training plan was designed by Jiang Feng based on the intensity of the PLA recruit training program, so even at night, it didn't mean that he could get a good night's sleep.

The Gobi Desert experiences large temperature differences between day and night, with nights being bitterly cold.

The emergency assembly whistle, like a death knell, suddenly tore through the night sky at two in the morning.

The sleepy-eyed soldiers rushed out of their tents like startled rabbits, frantically dressing, grabbing equipment, and assembling in the darkness.

Those who were slow or went the wrong way were tackled to the ground by the veterans of Razorback, who stuffed cold sand into their collars. Then came a 20-kilometer forced march with heavy loads, without lights, only the faint moonlight and a compass for guidance.

Stumbling and falling, some people were left behind. Jiang Feng and the veterans, like wolves in the night, moved back and forth in the column, urging them on and roughly pulling up those who had fallen behind.

Upon reaching the finish line, without rest, they immediately began nighttime live-fire shooting and tactical infiltration training.

The use of low-light night vision devices, target identification in the dark, fire control, and silent movement—each of these is an extreme test of willpower and nerves.

Physical training was a relentless daily ordeal: cross-country running with full gear, log-carrying sprints, mud wrestling, obstacle courses...

The training ground echoed with heavy breathing, painful groans, and the tireless roars of the instructors.

The high-intensity training was like a giant millstone, crushing everyone's body and mind.

Complaints, resistance, and even small-scale conflicts occur frequently.

By the third day, desertion had begun to occur.

Jiang Feng's approach was simple and brutal: capture him, announce his expulsion in public, strip him of all equipment, give him only a bottle of water, and then have veterans "escort" him out of the base's borders to fend for himself.

In the vast Gobi Desert, this is practically a death sentence.

After several such incidents, no one dared to mention the word "run" again.

But high pressure alone cannot forge a true army.

Song Heping and Jiang Feng were well aware of this. Every day after training, Jiang Feng would give a brief debriefing during roll call.

He was generous in praising the fastest-improving groups and individuals, even for the smallest improvement in technique. Those who made progress received extra rest time, better food, including chocolate or a bottle of beer, or even a small badge with the word "Musician" engraved on it.

These seemingly insignificant rewards became shining beacons during the grueling training.

The role model effect of those battle-hardened mercenaries in "Musician" defense is even greater.

They ate, lived, and trained alongside the new recruits, sometimes even more so.

Their silent resilience, precise movements, and tacit cooperation became the goal that all new recruits strived to emulate.

"To become someone like the 'music' defense instructor" has become a goal in the hearts of many.

During this training camp, General Haftar, who had publicly stated that he would not interfere with the training, would also regularly appear at the training ground.

He didn't speak, he just watched silently.

But the soldiers knew that the general was watching them.

Song Heping would also appear at crucial moments. His words were few, but extremely weighty: "Every drop of sweat you shed, every layer of skin you blew through, was to avenge the brothers who died in Desert City! It was to pave the way for our return to Lebia! Three months! Only three months! Do you want to go back in three months and continue to be stray dogs, chased and beaten by Saif's lackeys? Or do you want to develop a body of steel, follow the general back, reclaim your homeland, and make those traitors and invaders pay a bloody price?!"

The flames of revenge and the longing for their homeland were the greatest driving forces that sustained them through purgatory.

Discipline was elevated to the highest level.

Commands must be executed unconditionally, without any excuses.

Being even one second late for the assembly will result in a penalty!
Untidy interior - fine!

Slacking off or cheating during training is punishable!

Disrespecting the instructors will be severely punished!
Jiang Feng adheres to the principle of collective punishment: "If one person makes a mistake, the whole class will be punished."

Although this method is harsh, it is extremely effective.

It can quickly unite scattered individuals into a cohesive whole sharing honor and disgrace.

On the training ground, shouts and corporal punishments were heard constantly, but it was under this high pressure that a new steel framework called "discipline" began to take shape in these African soldiers.

The queue went from crooked to orderly, the eyes went from scattered to focused, and the actions went from sluggish to swift.

They began to learn to obey, to endure, and to grit their teeth in pain.

Time slipped away amidst sweat and pain. Change was quietly taking place.

Soldiers who couldn't even clean their guns properly before were able to quickly disassemble and maintain weapons while blindfolded after just fifteen days.

The recruits who used to twist and turn like pretzel during crawling training can now pass through barbed wire in a low, fast posture, like snakes.

The team, which used to be chaotic in its coordination, can now smoothly carry out fire suppression, alternating advances, and flanking maneuvers based on the squad leader's gestures and commands.

The time for emergency nighttime assemblies has been reduced from a chaotic ten minutes to within five minutes.

The performance of armed off-road vehicles is steadily improving.

The soldiers' eyes changed.

Shedding the initial confusion, restlessness, and hostility, they have gained a calmness and sharpness honed through experience.

Beneath his dark skin, muscle lines began to bulge.

As the column marched, the footsteps became more rhythmic and powerful, carrying a dull sense of oppression.

They began to resemble soldiers.

Two months of peaceful training passed by quietly.

That day, as Song Heping was observing the troops' training at the edge of the training ground, an unexpected situation arose.

"Boss!"

Collins quickly ran to Song Heping's side, whispered a few words in his ear, and looked serious.

Song Heping narrowed his eyes, looking at the blurry area where the Gobi Desert met the horizon in the distance.

Jiang Feng also noticed something was wrong and came over.

"Saif's men?"

Song Heping asked Collins.

"more than."

Collins' voice was low: "We discovered traces of suspected Western special forces activity in the hidden stakeouts we've set up along the border, very discreetly. There are also unidentified armed men patrolling around the base, like scouts."

Song Heping nodded, showing no surprise.

Before the three-month training period was even over, trouble came knocking.

The enemy will not stand idly by and watch Haftar's forces resurface.

He looked at the soldiers roaring and sweating profusely on the training field, then looked at Jiang Feng beside him.

"It's almost time."

Song Heping's voice was calm: "Even if we don't go looking for them, they will come looking for us. I think we've been training for more than two months, it's time to let our opponents see what this hellish training has produced."

He turned to Jiang Feng, his command clear and ruthless:
"The final week, increase the intensity! Increase the difficulty! Simulate battlefield combat! Tell everyone, this is not an exercise! It's a rehearsal for real fighting! I want to see their fighting spirit! I want to see if they can turn what they've learned into the ability to kill the enemy!"

"Yes!" Jiang Feng's answer was firm and resolute.

On the Gobi Desert in Darfur, the final and most brutal tempering process began.

Five thousand nascent blades are about to undergo their final honing before being fully sharpened. And the winds of the Sahara already carry the menacing scent of approaching enemies from afar.

The countdown to the bloody battle to return to Lebia is ticking away.

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(End of this chapter)