Soldiers Assault: Starting from the 7th Steel Company

Chapter 176 Three Promising Talents

Chen Jiang consciously picked up the 37-degree liquor on the table and poured himself a glass.

"My lords, I'm late, so I'll punish myself with three cups!" Chen Jiang stood up, picked up the cup, and poured it down his throat.

"Hey, Deputy Battalion Commander Chen, slow down your drink, we just arrived too," Chief of Staff Lin Xiao quickly advised.

Gao Cheng didn't know what to say. He knew Chen Jiang's alcohol tolerance; Chen Jiang could easily drink several cups of this two-ounce glass.

Drinking it directly without eating any food is a bit too strong.

"Chief of Staff, I was definitely wrong for being late, I accept this penalty for the drink." Chen Jiang downed two glasses in a row and was about to pour a third.

At this moment, Long Kaifeng spoke up, "Deputy Battalion Commander Chen, this meal is to welcome you back. If you get drunk, we won't have any energy left."

Long Kaifeng's words were quite tactful. He didn't explicitly say that Chen Jiang didn't need to drink anymore, but only told him not to drink himself into oblivion, which made it seem like he was testing Chen Jiang's alcohol tolerance.

There's a classic saying at the dinner table: a person's good drinking manners don't necessarily mean they have good character; but a person's bad drinking manners certainly don't indicate a good character!
So Chen Jiang had no choice but to drink, whether he wanted to or not.

He had never dealt with Long Kaifeng before, but Long Kaifeng was his superior and he was his subordinate. The only way to bridge this gap in rank at the dinner table was to use drinks.

After three cups of wine, even with Chen Jiang's high tolerance for alcohol, he felt a burning sensation in his stomach and could only eat some food to calm it down.

"Good! Deputy Battalion Commander Chen has a good capacity for alcohol. As expected, Deputy Regiment Commander Gao has no weaklings under his command!" Lin Xiao praised with a smile.

This put Chen Jiang in a difficult position, because according to the rules of the dinner table, he was supposed to toast Commander Long Kaifeng next, but now that Lin Xiao was praising him, he couldn't raise his glass to toast the commander.

But if I offer a toast to Lin Xiao first, it would make me seem like I don't know the proper etiquette, which is indeed a dilemma.

However, Chen Jiang only needed a moment to think before he came up with a solution. He simply filled his glass and stood up.

"Let me first offer a toast to the three leaders, and I hope they will provide more guidance and assistance in the future."

Seeing Chen Jiang stand up, Long Kaifeng and the others could only stand up and clink glasses as a sign of respect.
"Deputy Battalion Commander Chen has a truly enormous capacity for alcohol. I'm not a very good drinker, but I have no choice but to keep you company today." With that, he downed his drink in one gulp.

If the regimental commander did it, the chief of staff and deputy regimental commander naturally couldn't be exempted from it.

Chen Jiang knew, of course, that Long Kaifeng was mostly just being modest. At his level, it was rare to find someone who couldn't drink. Those who didn't claim to be good drinkers at the table would at least drink a pound of low-alcohol liquor, while those who claimed to be non-drinkers would still manage half a pound.

Only people like Gao Cheng are truly honest; they can drink half a jin (250ml) of liquor and then a jin (250ml), so you can absolutely trust their character.

After four cups of wine, Chen Jiang remained unfazed, which gave Long Kaifeng and the others a first glimpse into Chen Jiang's drinking capacity. Alcohol is an excellent medium that can bring people closer together.

Why do people enjoy drinking parties? Because many things that are inconvenient to say in normal times can be said freely and without restraint after drinking. This is especially true for communication between subordinates and superiors, where it's impossible to cross certain lines in normal times, but it's easy to say them at the dinner table.

Chen Jiang toasted the three leaders of the regiment in turn, drinking each cup in one gulp and letting them drink as they pleased. Except for Gao Cheng, who downed his drink in one go, the other two leaders only drank half.

This is actually considered giving face. In his previous life, when Chen Jiang went to toast people of higher rank, sometimes they would just lick their glasses and that was it.

But when your boss retaliates, even if they say, "Take it easy, just do whatever you want," that's just polite talk. Do you really just "do whatever you want"? In order to make a name for yourself in the workplace, subordinates basically have to get rid of you as a way of showing respect.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, the three bottles of baijiu were quickly emptied, and Long Kaifeng's attitude towards Chen Jiang changed from initial wariness to preliminary acceptance.

Because Chen Jiang was suddenly assigned by his superiors, although Chen Jiang's resume was very impressive, Long Kaifeng originally had his own preferred candidate for the position of battalion commander of the third battalion. Being interrupted was bound to make him a little unhappy. However, when he saw that Chen Jiang respected him very much, was an old subordinate of Gao Cheng, and was very strong in military skills, speech and interpersonal skills, he did not have much objection.

He was a thoughtful cadre. His subordinates were elite soldiers, which would definitely help his future career. Moreover, he could sense that Chen Jiang's background was not insignificant, otherwise how could he have been promoted so quickly?
At the end of the drinking session, Long Kaifeng abandoned his previous reserve and actually escorted Chen Jiang downstairs, even having his driver take him back to the Third Battalion headquarters.

Just before boarding the bus, Gao Cheng praised Chen Jiang: "You didn't embarrass yourself. It's clear you passed the first test!"
Although Chen Jiang had drunk at least two and a half jin (1.5 kg), he was still sober. This was thanks to the benefits of the system upgrade, as well as his usual hard physical training. Being in good physical condition, he was able to withstand the strain.

When he arrived at his dormitory, he found that the orderly had already packed everything up, so he took a shower and then leaned against the bed to call Chu Ning to let him know he was safe.

The 702nd Regiment was a little closer to the military hospital, so it was easier for the two to contact and meet. When Chu Ning heard that Chen Jiang had drunk a lot of alcohol, he immediately advised him to drink less next time, because alcohol is bad for your health!

Chen Jiang verbally agreed, but he was inwardly distressed. Could he really not drink it? Sometimes there's no other way.

The two chatted about private matters for a while before reluctantly hanging up the phone.

Perhaps due to the effects of alcohol, Chen Jiang slept very soundly, but his military habits, which he had developed over the years, still woke him up at four in the morning. He suddenly had a whimsical idea: why not go and practice the morning training of the Seventh Company?
So he quickly washed up and jogged to the Seventh Company's barracks. When he entered, the sentry, having seen him during the day, immediately saluted and asked what instructions he had.

Chen Jiang immediately ordered, "The entire company must assemble immediately!"

The piercing whistle shattered the early morning night sky. When would the Seventh Company usually have such an early emergency assembly? After hearing the whistle, many people did not react for a moment, but a few soldiers reacted immediately. To Chen Jiang's surprise, among the soldiers who rushed downstairs to assemble, there were actually two privates.

But amidst the surprises, there were still many problems.

Among those who came down later, there were quite a few veterans, scattered about. Some soldiers even had their shoes on backwards, and only realized this when they saw the light in the courtyard, so they quickly changed their shoes there.

Jiang Fahui was one of the last to run downstairs. He was in relatively good condition, at least his clothes were still neat.

After a series of tense roll calls, Jiang ran up to Chen Jiang to report on the company's assembly status and requested instructions.

"Tell me about it!"

stand at attention!

"How long did it take you to assemble? I think even the aunties at the market are quicker than you! With this kind of reaction speed, if the enemy launches a surprise attack, by the time you're all assembled, their guns will already be pointed at your heads!"

Complete silence
It's really too slow.

"Next, I'm going to take you to greet the sunrise, a 5-kilometer cross-country run fully equipped!"

"The bottom three will have to do 500 push-ups and clean toilets for a day!"

Everyone gasped upon hearing this, but unexpectedly, someone spoke up at that moment.
"report!"

Chen Jiang glanced over and saw that it was one of the privates who had rushed downstairs to assemble earlier.

"Speak!"

"Excuse me, are the last ones to arrive punished, and are the first ones to arrive rewarded?"

Chen Jiang chuckled upon hearing this, stopped Jiang Fahui from winking at the private, walked up to him, and sized up the new recruit.
The dark-skinned young soldier stood as straight as a javelin, with a pair of exceptionally bright eyes beneath his sword-like eyebrows.

"Good! You've got guts!" Chen Jiang smiled slightly. "What's your name?"

"Reporting to the battalion commander, Private He Chenguang!" the new recruit answered loudly, straightening his back. This name made Chen Jiang pause slightly.

He Chenguang? Isn't that the sharpshooter from the "I Am a Special Forces Soldier" series? It seems this world really does incorporate a lot of film and television elements.

"He Chenguang, you've got guts, I'll remember you." Chen Jiang nodded. "Since you asked, I'll tell you—the first three to arrive will be exempt from next week's cleaning duty and will get extra meals in the cafeteria!"

A quiet murmur arose within the group.

This reward is a real benefit for ordinary soldiers.

"Commander, I don't want these!"

Everyone was stunned, especially Chen Jiang. Good heavens, judging from this kid's tone, it seemed like he was definitely number one.
"Then what kind of reward do you think should be given? Tell me!"

He Chenguang said confidently, "I've heard that the battalion commander is a famous sharpshooter in our entire army. I'd like to have a friendly match with you!"

"He Chenguang! You need to watch your words!"

Jiang Fahui immediately ran over and scolded him, saying that his words were extremely disrespectful.

"Good!" Chen Jiang admired He Chenguang's courage. A soldier should have guts. What kind of soldier is one who doesn't dare to challenge a strong enemy?
"The top three will receive the same prizes as before, plus an extra opportunity to spar with me in shooting!"

"Attention, everyone—right turn! Run—forward!"

At Chen Jiang's command, all the officers and soldiers of the Seventh Company rushed out of the camp with their equipment on their backs.

In the darkness before dawn, only heavy breathing and the clanging of equipment could be heard.

Because Chen Jiang offered a generous reward, everyone ran with extra effort.
Chen Jiang ran in the middle of the formation, carefully observing the condition of each soldier.

To his surprise, He Chenguang remained in the first group the whole time, and his breathing was even and his steps were steady.

Even more surprisingly, another private who was among the first to assemble also followed closely behind He Chenguang, along with a soldier who looked rather simple and honest.

Chen Jiang asked Jiang Fashi for information, but Jiang Fashi was already out of breath from running. In the end, he could only ask other platoon leaders and learned that one was named Wang Yanbing and the other was named Li Erniu.

Good guy,
What a great guy.

All three promising talents have arrived!

When the team was halfway through the five-kilometer journey, the gap between them began to widen.

He Chenguang and Wang Yanbing were still in the lead, followed by several veterans with good physical fitness. Li Erniu was also keeping up closely. This kid's willpower was extremely strong, which was one of his great strengths.

On the other hand, Jiang Fahui, as the company commander, was at the very back of the team. If he became one of the last three, would the company commander end up cleaning the toilets? That would be hilarious.

Chen Jiang shook his head inwardly.

As the company commander, my physical fitness may not be the best, but it should be at least average.

When the team returned to the camp, He Chenguang was the first to cross the finish line, followed closely by Wang Yanbing, and the third was Li Erniu, who was already foaming at the mouth from running.

He collapsed onto the lawn in the yard and began to vomit violently.

A medic rushed over to help him, and Chen Jiang admired his spirit of working himself to the bone.

"Top three, remember your rewards, I keep my word." Chen Jiang turned to look at the soldiers arriving one after another. "Last three, step forward!"

Three panting soldiers stepped forward with their heads down.

To Chen Jiang's surprise, Jiang Fahui still managed to finish around fifth from the bottom, and he wondered if the other soldiers had deliberately let him win.

But at least the Seventh Company won't be embroiled in a scandal.

"500 push-ups, start now! After you're done, go find the quartermaster to get the cleaning supplies," Chen Jiang ordered, then turned to the others, "The rest of you, disperse and wash up, then dinner will be served on time!"

After the soldiers dispersed, Chen Jiang called Jiang Fahui to a stop.

"Company Commander Jiang, please stay behind."

Jiang, pale-faced and panting, walked over, stood at attention, and saluted: "Deputy Battalion Commander, what are your instructions?"

"How did you feel about this morning's training?" Chen Jiang asked directly.

Jiang Fahui looked ashamed: "Reporting to the deputy battalion commander, our company's emergency assembly response speed is indeed not fast enough. I will strengthen the training."

“It’s not just about reaction speed.” Chen Jiang shook his head. “As the company commander, your physical fitness should be among the best in the company, or at least in the middle, not at the bottom. Starting tomorrow, you will follow my training plan. I’ll have someone send you a training plan later.”

Jiang's expression changed slightly, but he still straightened his back: "Yes, Deputy Battalion Commander!"

Chen Jiang patted him on the shoulder: "Don't be nervous, I'm not trying to make things difficult for you. The combat effectiveness of a company depends first and foremost on the company commander. If you are strong, the company will be strong."

Jiang's face turned red. "Deputy Battalion Commander, don't worry, I'll do my best to catch up!"

"Okay." Chen Jiang watched the departing figures of the other soldiers. "The first three soldiers to arrive, He Chenguang, Wang Yanbing, and Li Erniu, have them have breakfast and then come with me."

Seeing Jiang Fasai's astonished expression, Chen Jiang smiled and said, "Didn't they want to spar with me? I'll give them that chance!"

After saying that, Chen Jiang turned and walked towards the cafeteria.

He needs to carefully plan how to improve the overall training level of the Third Battalion.

Based on today's observations, the Seventh Company has many problems, but it also has some promising talents.

Especially He Chenguang, he really seems like a promising talent.

I just wonder if He Chenguang in this world is as gifted as he is in the TV series.

Of course, he hadn't eaten breakfast yet; he needed to fill his stomach first before heading to the shooting range.

(End of this chapter)