Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 80: Top students compete, soldiers should strive for first place
When the squad leader met an acquaintance and chatted, Chen Mo and the people from Class 8 stood by and waited. He glanced at the veteran in the distance from time to time and could guess what was going on.

This person is most likely the An Zhentao that the third squad leader Peng Wei mentioned before.

"To save the squad leader's reputation" were the exact words the third squad leader said to Chen Mo at the back of the cafeteria.

But how can I argue with this? Should I just go up and beat him up? Or should I get a few people to put a sack on him and beat him with clubs?
Chen Mo shook his head and put aside the unrealistic and sinister thoughts in his mind.

Trying to save face is not the same as venting anger, and besides, this is not the way to vent anger.

Just thinking about hitting someone with a club is not what a training model soldier should do.

As he stood by and observed, the lieutenant colonel who was chatting with Lao Pao next to him said a few words with a smile on his face, then turned to look at the people in Class 8.

The lieutenant colonel grinned and said, "Old Zhou, these are the soldiers you're leading this year, right? Yeah! Not bad, each one of them is quite energetic and spirited."

"Who among you is the scholar?" the other party suddenly asked.

"Reporting to the chief, I am."

Chen Mo stood at attention and saluted, then responded in a loud voice.

"Oh?"

The lieutenant colonel's gaze shifted to Chen Mo. He looked him up and down for a few times before he suddenly realized, "Yes, it's you. You look more handsome than the photo in the press release."

"Haha, we here have all heard of your great name, the scholar."

"Do your best, and help me teach those bastards here a lesson, so they know there are always people better than you."

"Yes, Chief!!"

It is hard to say whether the lieutenant colonel did it intentionally or unintentionally. In any case, Chen Mo had no impression of him and did not know what position he held in the Wohu Bay military camp.

But people were quite friendly to him, calling him "scholar" every time, and even deliberately shouted at him to teach those bastards a lesson.

This hatred is so strong.

You know, they were standing at the entrance of a row of cafeterias.

There were nearly 82 new recruits from the two brigades who came to eat nearby. There were at least a dozen people from the nd Brigade nearby, and they heard the name "scholar".

In just a few seconds, Chen Mo felt at least ten eyes around him.

Lao Pao glanced at the colonel and ignored him. Judging from the situation, the relationship between the two of them was probably not very good. They were just old acquaintances.

"Let's go and eat."

After saying that, Lao Pao walked towards the cafeteria first, without even looking at the veteran in the distance who looked like An Zhentao.

Since there were outsiders present, the new recruits from Class 8 all stood up straight, held their heads high, and marched into the cafeteria in step.

The dining hall was probably cleared out temporarily because of the competition. There were four wooden tables with cracked peeling surfaces inside. The food, steamed buns, and rice were all placed there in advance by people from the 82nd Brigade.

I saw Lao Pao leading the team in.

An old soldier immediately called out from the inside: "Platoon Leader Zhou, over here, the food is ready."

"eat first."

There's nothing much to know about the food. The food at the 82nd Brigade is pretty much the same as that at the 7th Brigade. Things like rice and steamed buns, which are not considered staple foods in the individual meal standard, are served in large quantities.

Place them on the table in pots and frames.

The dishes are not good, they are still radish, cabbage and potato, which were called the three big brothers in the winter military camp in the 1990s. They are fried separately and then stewed together, and the four dishes are complete.

I didn't eat much in the morning, and even if I did, I ate it all in the carriage.

After the long journey from Hedong to Pingcheng, everyone in Class 8 was already starving. After the meal started, they sat down and ate voraciously.

His cheeks were puffed out like a groundhog's.

Chen Mo also relaxed his appetite. He had to eat a full meal before the elimination match this afternoon.

But during the meal, there were privates wandering outside the canteen door from time to time. Yang Dali occasionally looked up and found someone staring at him.

He extended his elbow to poke Chen Mo, raised his head and said, "Deputy, someone is watching you outside."

"know."

Chen Mo held the steamed bun in his hand, took a bite and looked up.

Just at this moment, there were about six or seven privates wandering outside the door. They must have noticed that he looked up and filed into the cafeteria.

When Chen Mo saw these people, he was stunned, because he knew at least half of them.

The one at the front of the line is called Li Xingkuan. He was in the same company with Chen Mo in his previous life. He was the top soldier in the dormitory next door and a real big guy.

Chen Mo was familiar with Li Xiaolong and Zhang Xiangkun. After all, they were the top soldiers of the 82nd Brigade and he had dealt with them more or less.

He couldn't remember the names of the remaining few because it had been so long, but he was familiar with them all.

It would be impossible to say that I didn’t feel a little uneasy when I saw someone I knew from my previous life again.

It’s just a pity that the looks these people gave him were unfamiliar and even vaguely hostile.

As the few people came in, the new recruits in Class 8 who were eating all put down their chopsticks and glared at them.

Several people from the 82nd Brigade seemed a little afraid of veterans like Lao Pao. When they walked into the cafeteria, they hesitated for a while before standing three meters away from the dining table of Class .

"Are you the scholar?" Li Xingkuan raised his head and asked in an adolescent and immature manner, trying his best to make himself look tough.

"My name is Chen Mo, and it's not wrong to call me scholar." Chen Mo stood up and smiled, and then he looked at the crowd pouring in with a bit of curiosity in his eyes.

"Whose platoon leader is An Zhentao?"

Ok?
Li Xingkuan and his team had read a press release before and knew that there was a very impressive new recruit named "Xiucai" in the 7th Armored Brigade.

They heard others in the cafeteria say that the scholar was eating there, and since the competition was about to start, the old soldiers were happy to see the conflict.

That's why they came together to find the top talents of the Seventh Brigade.

But I didn't expect that I hadn't even asked anything yet.

Instead, he looked at him excitedly.

what's going on?
Li Xingkuan was a little confused because he didn't know who An Zhentao was.

Just like Lao Pao, whose name is Zhou Yongjie, not to mention the recruits from other companies, even few recruits in the second company know Lao Pao's name.

"No one knows him?" A hint of disappointment flashed across Chen Mo's originally excited face.

As for people like Li Xingkuan, he has no interest in them. They are just a bunch of little brats.

"I know."

A private soldier standing outside the cafeteria of the 82nd Brigade suddenly popped his head out and responded, "The dispatch officer is the platoon leader of the first platoon of our new training company, the third."

Three consecutive no wonder
Chen Mo was in the first company in his previous life. Like Li Xingkuan, it was normal that he had never heard of the new recruit platoon leader of the third company.

"Go back and tell everyone in the first row of the third company that it was the scholar who said that. Be careful in the elimination match this afternoon. I'm targeting you."

"Alright, alright, all of you go away and don't disturb us while we're eating."

After Chen Mo finished speaking, he sat down very naturally and continued to pick up the food with his chopsticks.

This left the group of people from the 82nd Brigade confused.

Why are you targeting the third company? They haven't even reported their numbers yet.

But with the veteran sitting there, the new recruits didn't dare to make too much noise. After they identified who was the scholar, they lined up and left.

The private who was standing at the door just now and said he was from the first platoon of the third company was almost angry.

He stood at the door and stared for a while, then turned and ran away, apparently to report the news.

After the farce between the new recruits ended, Lao Pao turned his head to look at Chen Mo and reminded him: "It's a good thing to be aggressive. If you stand out as soon as you arrive at someone else's place, it's not a matter of aggressiveness."

"During the elimination round this afternoon, you guys should follow the squad leader closely. Help out if you can, and it's okay if you can't keep up at the back."

"Remember to conserve your strength. The requirement of 20 minutes for the 5,000-meter unarmed run is not difficult for you, especially the squad leaders. Understand the rules of the competition and, when necessary, just charge ahead. Maintaining your ranking is the most important thing."

"The top 30 from the two elimination rounds are the strongest contenders for the later stages. Competition is often just a battlefield for a small number of people. For most people, it's a process of continuous elimination."

"Understand?"

"Yes, monitor."

Everyone responded in unison.

Lao Pao’s explanation is cruel, but it is also the truth.

They said it was a competition between the two brigades, but it was impossible for them to really gather hundreds of people to stage various competitions. Chen Mo felt that a competition field with thirty people was too many.

In the end, it’s just a dozen people competing, or even fewer.

People fight for the first place. After all, since ancient times, people only recognize the first place, and no one cares who is the second place.

It may be the provocation from the 82nd Brigade, coupled with the serious warning from the old artillery.

Let everyone in the class re-examine this competition.

Only two types of people can fall asleep during lunch break.

The first type is Chen Mo, who doesn't worry about being eliminated at all. He is determined to beat everyone on the field, so he sleeps very soundly, calling it conserving his energy.

The second type is people like Feng Junling. When he finally gets a chance to take a nap, he falls asleep as soon as his head touches the bed, because he doesn't worry at all about not being eliminated.

With his performance at the bottom of Class 8, it would be difficult for him to rank in the middle of the entire company. He could barely run 5,000 meters unarmed in 20 minutes, but it would take 22 minutes to run 5 kilometers cross-country fully armed. Think about the gap between these two items, and then look at the time standard.

It's not hard to imagine.

After the second item is completed, at least half of the people will be eliminated.

It’s not the case in normal times, but it’s hard to say during competitions. What’s more, the first 5,000 meters is enough to consume most people’s physical strength.

I’m afraid there won’t be many people who can stick to the second item and pass it.

Aside from Chen Mo and Feng Junling who slept soundly, the rest, like Li Zhiang, Yang Dali, and Zhu Gaituan, who were neither better nor worse, were extremely anxious.

Lying on the bed, it was like a teppanyaki grill turning over by itself, making a "bang bang" sound.

I just can't sleep.

"Beep-beep!!"

"Every class, put on your belts and hats and assemble."

The officer on duty outside blew a whistle. Chen Mo turned over, grabbed his hat and put it on his head. He reached out to smooth the brim of his hat to adjust its position, grabbed his belt and ran out.

The competition is about to begin.

The classes in the nearby dormitories were all very enthusiastic. Not long after Chen Mo rushed out, basically all 12 classes from the second company were present.

Cheng Dong coughed from a distance, threw away the cigarette butt in his hand, strode to the front of the queue, frowned and said loudly: "Comrades, I won't say more."

"I've talked about the competition hundreds of times."

"There will be a 5,000-meter elimination round next week. The time limit is 20 minutes. Anyone who fails will be eliminated and will not have the opportunity to compete again."

"There are no groups in the elimination rounds. Everyone is on the field. I'm telling you one thing: soldiers must strive for first place."

"There are two elimination rounds in total. Only the top 50 will receive extra points. From 30th to 20th place, each person will receive one point. First place will receive 5 points, second place points, third place points, and from fourth to th place, each person will receive points."

"Why fight to be first? Because if you fall behind by one step, you will fall behind step by step."

"Comrades, the battle horn has sounded. Are you ready for battle?"

“Always be prepared, always be prepared.”

The cheers were deafening and rumbling.

"Okay, now each class will lead their teams and gather at the competition venue. When the starting gun sounds, everyone should show their determination to win first place."

"Set off!!"

"Squad one, turn left, four columns, squads behind, run to keep up."

Tap tap tap.
There was no unnecessary nonsense, and there was not even a general meeting or any mobilization.

The second company was taken to the competition venue as a group.

There were new recruits from two brigades, hundreds of people, participating in an elimination tournament without any division into batches. This was something Chen Mo had not expected before.

On the way to the stadium, the companies from the 7th Brigade gathered on the main road from various dormitory areas.

A dark crowd of people ran forward.

"Deputy squad leader, why don't I see anyone from the 82nd Brigade?" As the team was running, Yang Dali turned his head to observe and found that only four companies from their th Brigade were gathering to go to the stadium.

"I guess they've already arrived at the stadium."

Chen Mo replied dimly that when playing at someone else's home court, many things would appear passive.

"Damn, that's so unfair! If they went to the stadium early and we just ran there, how can we compete with them?"

Yang Dali complained indignantly.

But he didn't think about it, this is a competition for new recruits, it concerns the reputation of two units, and it's on someone else's territory, who will treat you fairly?
It's good enough to be relatively fair.

Chen Mo's guess was correct. When the four companies of their Seventh Brigade arrived at the stadium, hundreds of people from the 82nd Brigade had already lined up on the track.

The stadium looks very large. It should have been the training ground for the artillery battalion. On the distant dirt slope, there are huge impact point marks drawn with white lime.

Running around this kind of track would probably take more than one kilometer.

Before they could be surprised at the spaciousness of the Wohu Bay camp, Chen Mo and his companions were quickly taken to the runway by the veterans.

All four companies were lined up behind the 82nd Brigade.

But it wasn't just Yang Dali. Many new recruits noticed this and were shaking with anger.

After all, they ran hundreds of meters to get to the stadium, and their opponents were not just waiting there leisurely.

It also blocked the starting point of the white lines on the runway.

"Deputy squad leader, let's kill them later." Even Li Zhiang, who was usually taciturn, was so angry that his cheeks turned red.

Chen Mo nodded and said nothing.

First, the expected.

Secondly, what if they were blocked? The race isn't about the starting point, it's about the finish line.

As long as you have the ability to strive for the first place, any other thoughts are just fancy and useless.

"boom!"

A crisp sound came.

There were no signs, no warnings.

The first elimination match began.

From where Chen Mo was standing, he could clearly see that two hundred meters away from them, several figures from the 82nd Brigade had rushed out of the main force and began to adjust at their own pace.

The second company's troops had not moved at all.

Even if there is a gap between the top recruits, it will not be too big. Chen Mo is very clear about this.

He looked up and saw that everyone was standing still for a hundred meters from where he was. No one was moving, and he didn't bother to wait any longer.

Anyway, there were no requirements for the competition, so Chen Mo stretched his limbs, strode out of the queue, walked to the side of the crowd, bent his waist and tried to catch up.

The competition among top students begins.

No matter whether the people from the Seventh Brigade knew Xiucai or not, they sped up when they saw that he was one of their own and moved to the outside in unison, making way for the innermost path.

One person took the lead.

The soldiers in each class who were more confident in their own physical fitness joined the inner side and ran at the same pace as Chen Mo.

But the Seventh Brigade will give in, after all, they are our own people.

The 82nd Brigade won’t allow it.

Noticing the movement in the rear, the privates of the 82nd Brigade at the back of the line deliberately stretched their squad formation horizontally, tightly blocking the runway.

In fact, there are veterans watching every few meters outside the runway. Unfortunately, those on duty are also from the 82nd Brigade.

When they found someone maliciously blocking the runway, they pretended not to see it.

Chen Mo gritted his teeth, turned around, took a shortcut and rushed to the lawn to avoid Ban who was blocking his way.

"Stop him!!"

Seeing that someone was trying to take a shortcut, several people from the back squads of the 82nd Brigade rushed onto the lawn screaming, trying to stop Chen Mo, who was charging the most fiercely.

They are not stupid. They are all competing for the first place. They cannot let the opponent's top students leave the main group at all costs. They would rather they die in the queue.

"I'm stopping your mother."

Yang Dali, who had always been following Chen Mo, shook his shoulders and pushed the person who rushed towards him away several meters.

Li Zhiang attacked even more ruthlessly. Seeing someone trying to chase the deputy squad leader, he rushed forward and grabbed the other person's left leg.

How would it feel if someone who is chasing you while gathering all his strength suddenly grabs their legs?
That guy pounced much harder than before practice.

He fell to the ground with a loud "bang", his head feeling dizzy.

"Pooh!"

Li Zhiang got up, spat out the dirt in his mouth, and continued running forward.

The scene where the two of them helped to stop the incident was seen by the soldiers of the nearby 82nd Brigade. They had already taken action, so who could just stand by and watch?

More and more squads and columns began to riot, and more soldiers rushed out, trying to stop the elite of the Seventh Brigade.

At times like this, the cohesion of the Seventh Brigade was evident. The company of new recruits lined up at the front of the runway all had their eyes wide open.

He ran to the front cursing and mingled with the motorized infantrymen who were trying to stop them.

Block them.

There was a small-scale chaos in the competition venue, and the veteran on duty nearby had to step forward to stop it.

"Which class are you from? Get back on the runway."

"What about you guys? Do you have donkey hair in your ears?"

After the veteran's scolding, the people who wanted to stop Chen Mo hesitated for a moment, and the distance between them was completely widened.

Chen Mo didn't care whether they scolded him or not. Damn, they were all like blind when they blocked the road just now.

You just stood there and did nothing, and now you want him to get back on track?
But that requires us to completely separate from the 82nd Brigade.

Chen Mo exerted force on his feet, and his whole body was like a cheetah running wildly, swinging his legs to chase the first motorcycle rider who started.

Behind him, there were five or six people from the 7th Armored Brigade, who were charging straight after the scholar's pace like launched torpedoes.

In the distance, Cheng Dong was watching.

He was so happy that his nose was almost bubbling with snot, and he stood with his hands on his hips, looking at his own scholar excitedly.

If he hadn't been concerned about his identity as a company commander, and there were seven or eight company commanders standing in front of him.

He wanted to act as a cheerleader and yell a few words for Chen Mo.

To cheer.

(End of this chapter)