Soldiers Assault: Starting from the 7th Steel Company

Chapter 179 The Challenger Arrives
Although Chen Jiang wanted to inquire further, unfortunately, Commander Liu didn't know much either. He only knew the rumors he'd heard from his friends in the military region, and even that couldn't be confirmed, let alone the details.

But one thing is certain: Chen Jiang's Third Battalion should be prepared for any eventuality. The main force of the 702nd Regiment is this Third Battalion. If the enemy really comes to challenge them, they will most likely choose the strongest unit.

Upon returning, Chen Jiang dared not be careless and immediately reported the situation to Long Kaifeng, Lin Xiao, and Gao Cheng.

Long Kaifeng felt a headache coming on as soon as he heard this, because in the past two years, the country has begun to pay more attention to the construction of the navy and has invested a lot of money in the navy. Among the three branches of the armed forces, the army has always been the last in terms of investment, which has led to the rapid improvement of the combat effectiveness of the marine corps.

Chief of Staff Lin Xiao mentioned that during one of his advanced studies, he heard from his classmates in the Navy that their Marine Corps not only had a large number of highly skilled personnel, but also that their training methods were very effective and had drawn on experience from the United States.

Lin Xiao's words put Long Kaifeng under a lot of pressure. The 702nd Regiment was originally a mechanized infantry regiment. It used to have a very powerful Steel Seventh Company. After it was reorganized, the elite soldiers were scattered to various companies. Although the overall combat effectiveness of the regiment has improved, the small troops that came from other places could not possibly take on an entire regiment by themselves. At most, they could only send one company to compete.

Nine companies, are there any with particularly outstanding combat capabilities? It's really hard to choose!
"Chen Jiang, what do you think?" Gao Cheng asked.

"My opinion is that no matter who comes from the other side, we must be brave enough to draw our swords. When paths cross, the brave will prevail!"

"Yes, I like what Chen Jiang said. We all have two shoulders and one head, so who's afraid of who!" Chen Jiang's words were very much to Gao Cheng's liking. "But regardless of whether we are selected or not, all our companies must be prepared. We can't slack off in our daily training!"

Long Kaifeng and Lin Xiao both agreed with Gao Cheng and Chen Jiang's opinion that they must be fully prepared. If they were chosen and made a fool of themselves in the competition, they would be finished.

After the group met, they immediately convened a meeting of officers at the company level and above to promptly convey the relevant requirements, and a training climax was launched in all companies and battalions.

In particular, Chen Jiang's Third Battalion. He and He Hongtao discussed it and found that the Eighth and Ninth Company Commanders usually kept a tight grip on training, so there shouldn't be any major problems. It was just that the Seventh Company was relatively weak, so the two of them should focus more on Jiang Fashi.

However, the soldiers of the Seventh Company were not stupid. Seeing that other companies were training hard, they knew that there must be a big mission soon. Moreover, Deputy Battalion Commander Chen and the political instructor came to the company every few days. Everyone was guessing that the Seventh Company was going to be selected.
I don't know when it started, but there's a rumor going around that the Seventh Company is the chosen one.

When Chen Jiang heard this news, he was at a loss for words, feeling both amused and exasperated.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, half a month has passed. Under the constant encouragement of Chen Jiang and He Hongtao, the morale and training level of the Seventh Company have greatly improved.

Especially He Chenguang, Chen Jiang would give him pointers every time he came, and his sniping skills improved very quickly. Now his ability to shoot through grains of rice is much better. With a calm mind, his hands are also more steady. If Chen Jiang didn't have the help of cheat codes, he might not be able to beat this kid.

Wang Yanbing and Li Erniu have also improved a lot. Li Erniu is so honest and hardworking that even Chen Jiang was moved by his dedication to training. He would do a movement five times when others did it once, and he would practice for three hours when others practiced for 30 minutes.

This high-intensity training reduced his sleep time, but his improvement was obvious.

Furthermore, under their "involution," the training of the Seventh Company became spontaneous and diligent, thus forcing Company Commander Jiang to take initiative.

Although his grades in his subjects were still below average, they were no longer at the bottom, which made Chen Jiang's opinion of him slightly better.

Soon, a notice came from the division that the "Jiaochuan" special operations team of the East China Sea Fleet had indeed arrived, and specifically requested to "learn and exchange" with the 3rd Battalion of the 702nd Regiment. Long Kaifeng and his men immediately called Chen Jiang over.

"Chen Jiang, they claim to be here for learning and exchange, but they definitely have ill intentions. Don't let them ruin your trip," Chief of Staff Lin Xiao said earnestly.

"Well, which of your three companies do you plan to send out? Or are you going to pick a few top soldiers from each company?" Long Kaifeng knew that this "learning exchange" was just a challenge, and he was determined to show off the prestige of his troops.

Chen Jiang answered with his head held high, "A unit pieced together by drawing people together is easy to expose. It's better to have complete companies. The three companies are all at about the same level now, but in terms of top talents, I think the Seventh Company is more reliable."

The main reason is that the Seventh Company has three promising talents, including He Chenguang, and we absolutely must use them!
“Yes, I also support the Seventh Company to participate!” Gao Cheng spoke up. He had a deep affection for the Seventh Company and hoped that they could “become something of little value.”

"Hehe," Long Kaifeng chuckled, "You two both came from the Seventh Company, so don't let your personal feelings get in the way. As far as I know, the Seventh Company is really not performing well in the regiment's skills competitions right now. If we choose the Seventh Company to fight and they get humiliated, it will be a huge loss of face."

"No, Commander, it's mainly because there are several top students in the Seventh Company who are making rapid progress."

"Oh?" Long Kaifeng was a little incredulous. How long had it been?
Even if there is progress, to what extent can it be made?
"You mean He Chenguang and Wang Yanbing?" Gao Cheng paid close attention to the Seventh Company, so he knew that Chen Jiang had been giving them pointers recently.

"Yes, He Chenguang's shooting skills are now definitely at the top level in the entire regiment." Chen Jiang didn't dare to say that he was the best in the entire regiment, as that would be too shocking. It was better to keep a low profile.

Sure enough, when Long Kaifeng heard Chen Jiang and Gao Cheng say this, he also wanted to let Jiang make a name for himself. He had seen the resume of all company commanders and knew Jiang's potential. He hadn't considered him before mainly because he was worried that Jiang would mess up the competition, which would make it easy for him to smear Deputy Commander Sun's flattery.

As for He Chenguang's background, he really didn't know. The main reason was that He Chenguang's secrecy measures were too good. In addition, his resume only stated that he was an orphan, and he even passed the review. How could Long Kaifeng find out?
His grandfather had this in mind, and hoped that his grandson could make a name for himself in the army through his own hard work.

"That's settled then. I hope Company Commander Jiang's Seventh Company won't let us down!" Long Kaifeng and Lin Xiao exchanged a smile. If the Seventh Company could win the battle, that would be the best possible outcome.

The "Jiaochuan" special forces team has finally arrived.

They were few in number, only a few dozen, but they were all incredibly muscular. There was no way around it; the navy's food was far superior to the army's, and they also had seafood to replenish their bodies—a natural advantage.

To Chen Jiang's great surprise, he actually knew their team leader. Wasn't he Wu Zhe, his "best friend" from the A team?

When Wu Zhe left, Chen Jiang and Yuan Lang saw him off at the gate of the military camp. In addition, the two of them went to the hunter school for training together. They could truly be called friends who had been through thick and thin together.

The two embraced warmly upon meeting, leaving everyone puzzled until Wu Zhe explained that they were sworn brothers, making the martial arts match a friendly one.

Wu Zhe, as one of the team leaders, has long since moved beyond his previous rank of major; he has completed a remarkable transformation from lieutenant colonel (deputy regimental level) to deputy battalion commander of the East China Sea Fleet Marine Corps.

Therefore, Chen Jiang was bound to salute him, but Wu Zhe stopped Chen Jiang and saluted him first.

"You're the company commander, and I'm one of your soldiers!" Wu Zhe's words stunned the group of burly men he had brought with him. They never dreamed that the deputy battalion commander, who usually had a stern face and trained relentlessly, would show such respect to a captain, and from the way he spoke, it seemed that this captain was his former superior?

What is this routine?
Not to mention Wu Zhe's soldiers, even the division leaders such as Liu Biwu present at the scene, as well as the fleet chief of staff who led Wu Zhe and his team, were curious about this.

So Wu Zhe explained the reason to everyone in front of them, and then everyone suddenly understood.

"Since you two have such a connection, then you can decide on this learning exchange program. I hope you'll go easy on us and give us some face," the other side's chief of staff said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Liu Biwu immediately declined, but the other party insisted on doing so. In the end, he could only let Long Kaifeng decide. After weighing the options in his mind, Long Kaifeng thought that if it were a hand-to-hand combat contest, these guys were so strong that they would most likely be in grave danger. So he decided to have them compete in some events that were more suitable for the army.

So he proposed a 400-meter obstacle course, a 5-kilometer cross-country run with a load, and shooting.

Liu Biwu felt that Long Kaifeng was being a bit too much. Long Kaifeng was a Marine, while Long Kaifeng's strengths, apart from shooting, were all Army-level.

But Wu Zhe readily agreed, saying: "The Marine Corps is all about being 'fierce tigers on land and dragons at sea'! Their goal is to have no weaknesses!"
Hearing this, Gao Cheng and the others gasped in shock. Was it really necessary to be so arrogant?

However, this "Jiaochuan" special forces team quickly made them realize what true elites are.

After Wu Zhe joined the East China Sea Fleet, he applied the training methods of Team A and the techniques he learned from Venezuela to them, and he also used his intelligence to make improvements, which made the special forces team stronger than ever before.

In the 400-meter obstacle course, the opposing team broke the 702nd Regiment record and far surpassed the veterans of the 7th Company. Moreover, it seemed that they did not send their strongest soldiers, but only a few people who were drawn by lot were so good.

As for the 5-kilometer cross-country run, since the entire force was mobilized, they left the main force of the Seventh Company far behind, with only a few veterans able to keep up with them.

Among them, He Chenguang, Wang Yanbing and his two companions were the most outstanding. They managed to hold off the enemy's main force, which impressed the regimental leaders, including Gao Cheng.

"Are these the top students you mentioned?" he asked Chen Jiang, who was standing next to him.

"Yes, how is it? Not bad, right?" Chen Jiang replied with a hint of self-deprecation.

In his view, his side had suffered a complete defeat in this "learning exchange". He even wanted to jump off the vehicle and represent the Seventh Company in the competition. When had the Seventh Company ever been so cowardly?

Gao Cheng noticed Chen Jiang's embarrassment and quickly comforted him, "This has little to do with you. You've only been here for a short time. Besides, this Seventh Company isn't the same Seventh Company as before."

Jiang Fahui was desperately trying at the back of the line. He was really giving it his all this time, but the gap was just too big. He was filled with regret. Why hadn't he tried harder before?

He thought to himself, "Now that this competition is over, I must not let myself go like this again."

After the 5-kilometer run, Wang Yanbing from the Seventh Company finished 5th, He Chenguang finished 7th, and Li Erniu finished 10th. These three were in the top ten, but the rest of the team did not perform well. Therefore, after comprehensive analysis, the Seventh Company was completely defeated!

We lost both competitions. If we're talking about the overall PK score, then there's no point in even comparing anymore. But we need to salvage some of the Seventh Company's reputation, and what about the reputation of the entire regiment, or even the entire division?
Liu Biwu's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He asked Long Kaifeng in a low voice what had happened.

Long Kaifeng was so scared that he broke out in a sweat. He could only promise that he would pass the shooting test!

But ideals are often grand, while reality is often harsh.

Even these elite veterans from the Seventh Company couldn't gain an advantage in shooting against the enemy. Their scores on the 100-meter fixed semi-human-shaped target were significantly worse, which drove Jiang Fashi almost crazy.

Am I going to get three zeros this time?
"Chen Jiang, come back! What do you want to do?" Long Kaifeng called out to Chen Jiang, who was about to leave the arena. He knew Chen Jiang was a very good marksman, but as the military commander of the First Battalion, what was he doing leaving the arena? Bullying the weak?

If we win, it's an unfair victory; if we lose, it's a disgrace so great it'll be utterly shameful.

Chen Jiang really couldn't stand it anymore. Although Wu Zhe kept emphasizing that their unit was mainly selected from the entire navy and was full of strong people, so losing was nothing.

But Chen Jiang still felt uncomfortable with these words. Even though what he said was an indisputable fact, soldiers like to win, and if they lose, they lose, and there is no other reason.

So he really wanted to go down on the field himself.

"Company commander, let me go!"

Suddenly, He Chenguang stepped forward.

Previously, because he was just a private, Jiang hadn't even included him in the competition; he had only selected a few veteran officers to participate.

"He Chenguang, go back. The veterans are no match for them. What use is a private like you?" Jiang Fahui's expression was not good, and he waved his hand impatiently.

He acknowledged that He Chenguang's shooting skills had improved considerably, but the recruits' emotions fluctuated greatly, and shooting was particularly affected by these fluctuations.

Besides, wouldn't sending out a private be even more laughable?

Sure enough, the other party's chief of staff immediately joked upon seeing this, "Commander Liu, your veterans aren't skilled enough, should we send in privates?"

His words drew laughter from the East China Sea Fleet.

(End of this chapter)