Soldiers Assault: Starting from the 7th Steel Company

Chapter 182: Is training more important, or is safety more important?
Because of the training accident, the training had to be suspended that day, and the division quickly dispatched vehicles to take the injured soldiers to the military hospital for emergency treatment.

Fortunately, Chen Jiang contacted Chu Ning immediately. When he called, his voice trembled for the first time. Chu Ning probably sensed it with her woman's intuition and comforted Chen Jiang on the phone: It's normal for accidents to happen during training, and she will do her best to treat him with the best experts and doctors in the hospital.

When Chu Ning and his team took over the patient and wheeled him into the operating room, the moment the door closed, he gave Chen Jiang a confident smile, which calmed Chen Jiang down considerably.

The "Operating" warning light at the entrance of the operating room lit up. Chen Jiang sat on a chair by the door and realized that the back of his combat uniform was soaked with sweat.

Jiang Fahui, who accompanied the soldiers, and the squad leader and others all looked panicked, their hands and bodies covered in blood, a truly shocking sight.

Such accidents are indeed rare, especially for Chen Jiang, who has never experienced one before.

In situations like these, it's crucial to remain calm and composed, because what's done is done, and blaming yourself won't change anything.
On the contrary, my own behavior can inspire others, and what they need now is to stay calm.

"Company Commander Jiang, you guys go wash your hands and clean yourselves up a bit. It's not good for you to stand in the corridor looking like this, covered in blood."

Jiang immediately understood Chen Jiang's meaning, and promptly led people to the restroom to clean up before taking over for Chen Jiang.

Chen Jiang stared blankly at the mirror in the bathroom. He was extremely worried about the situation in the operating room. Whether he pursued the matter or not was secondary. The key was that this young man was in danger of losing his leg. How would he live the rest of his life?
As he came out of the restroom, he ran into Long Kaifeng and his group who were rushing over.
"Chen Jiang, what happened to you? How did such a serious accident happen out of nowhere?" Long Kaifeng couldn't help but complain as soon as he arrived.

This made Gao Cheng, who was following behind, frown slightly.

It's really inappropriate to say that here. What does "serious accident" even mean? How can you arbitrarily classify something without investigation?
He was about to speak when Chief of Staff Lin Xiao spoke first.

"Commander, calm down. Deputy Battalion Commander Chen was just trying to get the troops training. Accidents during training are inevitable. Come on, this isn't the place to talk. Let's find somewhere else to talk."

It has to be said that Lin Xiao's words were quite skillful; after just a few sentences, Long Kaifeng's expression improved.

Since they were in surgery anyway, and there was nothing they could do, they temporarily found a small meeting room on the side to discuss the matter. Many doctors and nurses in the hospital knew that Chen Jiang was Dr. Chu Ning's boyfriend, so they wouldn't say anything.

As soon as the door closed, Long Kaifeng began to ask what had happened. Because the incident was sudden and there were no surveillance cameras in the training area, he could only listen to Jiang Fahui's report on the specific situation.

The general situation is that a young soldier wanted to show off, so he violated regulations and rushed to the right track of the infantry fighting vehicle. He then tripped and his foot got caught in the track.

After listening to Jiang's report, Long Kaifeng immediately slammed his fist on the table.
"Nonsense!" He pointed at Jiang Fashi's nose. "Are all the officers in your company dead? Why didn't you stop them? Why didn't you advise them?"

Jiang expressed his grievance, "Commander, our entire company is working hard to improve our training results. This happened in an instant, how could we possibly have time?"

"Alright, alright, the matter is clear now. It was caused by this soldier violating operating procedures. Company Commander Jiang, the higher-ups will definitely send an accident investigation team down. When they do, I hope you will report the problem truthfully and not contradict yourselves." Lin Xiao's words were very veiled, implying that Jiang should determine the nature of the matter, because the accident investigation team would determine responsibility based on the facts. If they were ultimately found to have violated training regulations, then everyone would be in trouble.

He, the company commander of the seventh company, was the first to be affected.

Even if Jiang Fahui was slow-witted, he realized what was going on. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and firmly stated that he would report the problem "in a factual and truthful manner".

"Why have you guys been training so hard lately?" Long Kaifeng asked casually, glancing up at Chen Jiang.

Jiang Fahui didn't know how to answer, but Chen Jiang said bluntly, "What I demanded is that the Seventh Company should be the spearhead of the entire regiment, so the training requirements cannot be too low or too lenient."

"Nonsense! Why target the Seventh Company when there are so many companies? We need to consider the actual situation. The Seventh Company has a weak foundation; is it realistic to expect it to become a giant overnight?"

Listening to Long Kaifeng's hindsight advice, Chen Jiang felt a surge of disgust. Why didn't he do this earlier?
"Commander, the Seventh Company's foundation is actually not weak. My training volume has only been increased by one level." Chen Jiang argued his case, because if he didn't, Long Kaifeng would probably change his training volume back to the original level, or even lower, and then the Steel Seventh Company would really be ruined.

Upon hearing that Chen Jiang dared to talk back, Long Kaifeng was immediately amused and exasperated. "Fine, then I guess I was wrong?"

Gao Cheng also felt things were getting a bit bad; a deputy battalion commander openly contradicting a regimental commander was indeed a bit...
Lin Xiao remained silent, because he also felt that Chen Jiang was ungrateful. Without the battalion commander's kind words, how would he have gotten through this accident?

Just as the situation reached a stalemate, the meeting room door was pushed open. Long Kaifeng was already in a bad mood and was about to lose his temper when he saw that the person who pushed the door open was actually a high-ranking general wearing two bars and four stars on his shoulder.

"Deputy Division Commander!"

Everyone, stand at attention immediately.

"What are you doing in Guangmozi?" Wang Qingrui's accent was quite heavy, making one want to chuckle at first.

But who dares to laugh now?

"Reporting to the deputy division commander, we are discussing the gains, losses, and causes of this accident," Long Kaifeng replied loudly.

"Oh? What were the gains and losses? Tell me about them."

Wang Qingrui also heard about this matter, so he came here specifically to find out what was going on, entrusted by Liu Biwu. Liu Biwu was in a meeting out of town and couldn't come back for the time being.

Seeing that Wang Qingrui wanted to hear, Long Kaifeng quickly shared his own views.

As a result, Wang Qingrui's face immediately fell.
"Hmm, so you mean we're just going to let the Seventh Company go? Last place is fine? As long as it's safe, we can lower the bar? Then everyone can just stay in their dorm beds and read every day, guaranteed no danger. Oh, there's a danger too, you'll become nearsighted!"

Wang Qingrui's words almost made Chen Jiang laugh. The old regimental commander was still as humorous as ever, and he never used any vulgar language when he cursed.

"You too, Chen Jiang, I have to criticize you! You handed over a perfectly healthy kid to your care, and this happened. What if he's disabled? That kid will suffer for the rest of his life." Wang Qingrui was also very angry with Chen Jiang. He was protective of his own, but he was indeed strict with his subordinates.

"I admit I didn't consider safety factors carefully enough; I was too focused on achieving results." Faced with the old commander's criticism, Chen Jiang had to show his attitude.

Just then, hurried footsteps suddenly came from the corridor outside the operating room, drawing everyone's attention.

Isn't that Chu Ning walking in?

The hem of her white coat was still stained with blood.

She walked quickly to Wang Qingrui, took off her mask to reveal a stunningly beautiful oval face.
She glanced at Chen Jiang before turning to Wang Qingrui. "Uncle Wang, the injured man has a comminuted fracture of his right lower leg, but fortunately the tendons and nerves have been reconnected, so the leg has been saved. We'll have to wait for the window of observation period to assess the spinal injury."

Long Kaifeng and his group then realized that the beautiful doctor in front of them seemed to be related to Deputy Division Commander Wang, or at least they should be quite familiar with each other.

Wang Qingrui's tense shoulders visibly relaxed, and he asked with a hint of expectation, "Will I be disabled?"

Everyone's hearts were in their throats, because being disabled would definitely mean being discharged from the army, which would be a devastating blow to any soldier.

"It depends on his recovery." Chu Ning's gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Chen Jiang's face. "But he definitely won't be able to adapt to the high-intensity training in the army."

As soon as Chu Ning finished speaking, Chen Jiang felt as if he had been struck hard in the chest. Her words were practically a death sentence for the soldier.

"The best we can do is help him regain his ability to take care of himself," Chu Ning added with difficulty.

"Don't let him know yet, I'm afraid the kid won't be able to handle the shock," Wang Qingrui instructed.

"Okay, Uncle Wang, should the military notify the patient's family, or should we do it?"

“Let’s do it. What’s meant to come will come.” Wang Qingrui knew that this call would be extremely difficult to make and very hard to ask, but it had to be made by the military. It was a responsibility, and even more so, a duty.

After Wang Qingrui and the others left, Chen Jiang and the men from the Third Battalion stood guard outside the special care ward, where the patients were still under anesthesia.

Chu Ning stayed by his side, while Jiang Fahui and the others tactfully went to the stairwell to "relax".

Chen Jiang felt sorry for Chu Ning. She had undergone surgery for so long and should rest for a while, but Chu Ning did not leave. She felt that Chen Jiang needed someone to support him.

"Actually, I have nothing to fear when facing the investigation team. I have a clear conscience. It's just that I don't know how to face his family," Chen Jiang said worriedly, glancing at the door of the ward.

Any parent would be unable to bear seeing their child become like this. Chen Jiang was not afraid of being scolded or even beaten to vent their anger. He couldn't stand seeing tears, and that kind of scene terrified him.

"It's alright. Since he's joined the army, he should be prepared for this. I believe his parents are also very understanding." Although Chu Ning said this, she wasn't entirely sure herself. People are not all the same.

"Ah~ my legs, my legs, are they ruined?"

Just then, soldier Sun Keming in the ward finally woke up, feeling a strange numbness in his right leg.

He suddenly opened his eyes, and the blinding white light made him instinctively squint.

The smell of disinfectant filled my nostrils, and the beeping of the electrocardiogram monitor rang regularly in my ears.

He reached out with trembling hands to touch his right leg, but his fingertips touched thick plaster and bandages, like a cold suit of armor imprisoning his limbs.

"Don't move."

A clear, cold female voice suddenly rang out.

Chu Ning, wearing a white coat, was the first to rush into the ward, followed by Chen Jiang. Jiang Fahui and the others were stopped outside the door by the nurses and could only anxiously peer through the glass window in the door.

"Doctor," Sun Keming's voice was hoarse, as if it had been scraped from sandpaper, "Why can't I feel anything in my legs? Am I paralyzed?"

“You’re not paralyzed,” Chu Ning didn’t lie, nor did she like to lie. “The anesthesia in your legs hasn’t worn off yet, so it’s normal that you can’t feel it.”

Sun Keming stared intently at his right leg, which was immobilized in a cast.

Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting dappled shadows on the snow-white bandages, like ugly scars.

"Can I still stand up?" He could hear his own voice trembling.

"Of course." Chu Ning picked up the examination form at the foot of the bed and quickly recorded the data in the notebook with a ballpoint pen.

Her handwriting was so neat it looked like printed text, and every stroke exuded professionalism and composure.

“Your leg is saved, the bone has been internally fixed, but,” she paused, tapping her pen lightly on the paper, “you can no longer engage in high-intensity training.”

Sun Keming's head buzzed, as if he had been hit hard with a hammer.

"Can I still stay in the army?" His voice trembled.

Chu Ning didn't answer, but just sighed softly.

In that instant, Sun Keming understood—his military career might be coming to an end.

"Don't worry, the leaders in the division and regiment are trying to find a solution," Chen Jiang said.

Because not all military units are combat units. Some units allow you to skip high-intensity training, but those units are definitely not glamorous places.

Sun Keming shook his head, gripping the bed sheet tightly.

He certainly knew what the battalion commander meant. Many soldiers in the regiment who guarded the training grounds and fuel depots did not need high-intensity training, but was that really the kind of place he wanted to go?
He recalled what his squad leader had said during basic training: "If you're going to be a soldier, be a soldier who can fight!"

"If you want to stay in the army, this is the only way. You definitely can't stay in a combat unit." Chen Jiang didn't lie to him. Sincerity can be cruel at times, but it can touch people's souls more deeply.

At this moment, Company Commander Jiang asked a nurse to hand him a notebook.

"Written for you by your entire company."

Chen Jiang helped turn to the first page.
"Kemin, get well soon. The class can't even win tactical drills without you."

"Stop pretending to be dead, come back right now! I'm waiting to race you in the 400-meter obstacle course!"

The comrades' handwriting wasn't very good, but their feelings were very sincere and pure.

Chen Jiang stood by the bed, his voice low but firm:

"Sun Keming, the Seventh Steel Company will not abandon any of its brothers."

"Your leg is injured, but your heart is not."

"As long as you still want to wear this uniform, there will always be a place for you in the Seventh Company."

"A true soldier is not one who never falls, but one who can get back up after falling."

Sun Keming looked up at him, his vision blurred with tears.

(End of this chapter)