Starting from the deputy company commander of the Soldier Assault Team

The days in recruit training felt both fast and slow. They were fast because recruit training only lasted three months, which was a very short time. They were slow because of the few hours each day spent learning and practicing things: drills, marching, goose-stepping, saluting...

The repetitive, mechanical training made the recruits feel that each day dragged on endlessly.

The squad leaders used all their skills and finally managed to assign beds and lockers to these noisy new recruits.

Then I took them to collect their daily necessities and taught them the standards for housekeeping, how to arrange things, and how to fold blankets. After all that, it was almost dinnertime.

The new recruits were quite excited; they could finally eat! They wondered how the food in the army was, but they figured they should at least get a good meal since they had just arrived.

Most new recruits don't realize that eating in the army is different from eating at home. At home, as long as you don't do anything messy, your parents won't interfere, and you can eat whatever you want.

In the military, this doesn't work. The front table is for the company leaders, and each squad has its own table. Some new recruits who don't know the rules just sit down and want to eat, only to be pulled up by their squad leader.

Until Gao Cheng said, "Sit down and eat."

The new recruits, finally granted permission, were able to sit around the table and begin their meal. Dinner was nothing special, and there was nothing unusual about it compared to what officers and soldiers would do.

The first meal is usually noodles. Dumplings before getting on the train, noodles after getting off – these are old traditions that should naturally be carried forward.

After dinner, given that the new recruits had just arrived, there were no strict requirements for them to study regulations, watch the news, or do physical training. Instead, they were encouraged to introduce themselves to each other, which would help them adapt to the environment quickly.

In the large dormitory, Wu Liuyi's loud voice was extremely noticeable.

"Everyone, from now on I will be your squad leader in the recruit company. In the next three months, we will be together day and night. First, let me introduce myself. My name is Wu Liuyi, and I come from the Steel Seventh Company of the 702nd Regiment."

I hope that in the future, everyone will be able to endure hardship and fatigue during training, have a strong sense of ambition, and strive to be the best. Training will inevitably involve difficulties and pain, so you all need to persevere and absolutely not desert. Okay, everyone, please introduce yourselves.

Wu Liuyi's resounding words, carrying the iron-blooded flavor unique to soldiers, instantly silenced the previously noisy dormitory.

After Wu Liuyi finished speaking, the entire dormitory fell silent, and not a single recruit stepped forward to introduce themselves.

Wu Liuyi frowned and called out, "Chengcai, you go first. The others will introduce themselves in order."

"Yes, squad leader. My name is Cheng Cai. I am 18 years old and a high school graduate. My home is Xia Rongshu Village, Taiping Township, Ruyang County, *** City, Nanhe Province."

Cheng Cai, speaking with a strong local accent and trying his best to imitate Mandarin, quickly introduced himself.

Wu Liuyi nodded as he listened. He disliked people trying to establish a hometown connection with him, but at this moment, he was quite satisfied with the fellow villager's performance.

"Next one."

"My name is Zhang Lianqi. I am nineteen years old. I graduated from junior high school. My home is in Dashiqiao, Liaoning Province."

One by one, the students from Class 5 introduced themselves.

"My name is Xu Sanduo. Cheng Cai and I are from the same village. Platoon Leader Shi Jin recruited me here."

Xu Sanduo spoke in a low voice, his head drooping, as if he had done something shameful.

The sight of this person in military uniform standing before him made Wu Liuyi extremely uncomfortable. Suppressing his anger, he snapped, "Stand up straight, raise your head, speak louder, and say it again."

Xu Sanduo panicked even more. "I...I'm called...Xu Sanduo, and I'm also...also...from the banyan tree, I...I'm done."

Wu Liuyi was speechless, but seeing how he wanted to hide behind someone, he could only let him go for now.

After everyone finished their introductions, Wu Liuyi explained the dormitory lights-out time regulations in the military, the general requirements for training, and the requirements for meals. He also showed everyone around the water room, toilets, and other daily areas before letting everyone have some free time.

Each squad lived in a large dormitory, and the procedures were the same for all. After the squad leaders said that they had some free time, the soldiers in the dormitory went out. Some went to the toilet, some went to wash up, and some simply looked at the outside environment and some simple training equipment not far away from the dormitory entrance.

Only Xu Sanduo sat there quietly, flipping through a dictionary with a worn cover.

Zhang Anbang had nothing to do at the moment, so he strolled over to the dormitory and saw that only Xu Sanduo was sitting there.

He was a little curious about what Xu Sanduo was doing, sitting there all by himself. Logically, if Cheng Cai was going to do something, he would have dragged Xu Sanduo along.

"What's that soldier doing over there?" Zhang Anbang asked, and then there was a loud thud as a dictionary fell to the ground.

These three words were a bit of a shock to Xu Sanduo. He had just started being scolded today because of these three words. Xu Sanduo hurriedly stood up and turned around. It wasn't the company commander with the bad face, but the deputy company commander who had assigned them to their platoons during the day. He wondered if he was a good person.

In Xu Sanduo's world at this stage, people are simply categorized: those who are good to him are good people, those who are not good to him are not good people, and those who are neither good nor bad to him are just strangers.

"Report...Report, Deputy Company Commander, I...I'm looking up words in the dictionary," Xu Sanduo replied, sounding slightly nervous.

Zhang Anbang walked over, picked up the dictionary, handed it to Xu Sanduo, and patted him on the shoulder. "Sit down. Your name is Xu Sanduo, right? Don't be nervous. They've all gone out to familiarize themselves with the surroundings. What are you looking up in the dictionary for?"

Xu Sanduo was surprised that the deputy company commander knew his name. He grinned, scratched his head, and said, "Let me check what the company commander said."

"Oh, what the company commander said wasn't anything special. Was there any unfamiliar word or something? Tell me about it." Zhang Anbang spoke in a gentle and mild manner, afraid that raising his voice might startle Xu Sanduo's most sensitive heart at this moment.

"Deputy Company Commander, that mule and horse that you mentioned during the day, I don't really understand them. I'd like to look up the difference."

"Oh, so what did you find?" Zhang Anbang opened the dictionary and turned to the page about mules.

"I found it. Horse, a domestic animal, with a mane on its neck and long hair on its tail, used for riding or pulling things."

"A mule is a domestic animal, born from the mating of a horse and a donkey. It has a short mane, a slightly flattened tail, strong vitality, and is generally infertile. It can carry loads or pull carts." Xu Sanduo's voice began to sound somewhat timid.

"Hmm, you're doing very well, Sanduo. When I came in just now, I saw you looking up words in the dictionary. You memorized them all after only a short while. Your memory is amazing," Zhang Anbang encouraged.

It must be admitted that Xu Sanduo's memory is truly leak-proof; his explanations, which are quite convoluted, are exactly the same as those in the dictionary.

"Ah, what's so great about it? It's nothing, nothing at all. I just remembered it after looking at it. It's nothing special," Xu Sanduo explained hurriedly.

This simple rural boy, perhaps having received few praises and encouragements in his eighteen years of life, was now laughing and offering a flustered explanation when he finally received a little praise.

"So, after you finished your investigation, what did you find out?" Zhang Anbang continued to guide his conversation.

This time, Xu Sanduo said a lot of things, and he didn't seem nervous at all. "I focused on checking the mule. I don't think I can be a horse."

The dictionary has an explanation, which I can understand, yet I don't quite get it. The dictionary definition of a mule and a horse is the same as what I usually see. Is the mule and horse that the company commander mentioned, the one that's taken out for a spin, also like that?

What exactly constitutes a mule, and what constitutes a horse? Cheng Cai says a mule is a "country mule" and a horse is a "heavenly horse," but besides the difference in reproduction, what other differences are there between a mule and a horse? How can a horse be a "heavenly horse" and a mule a "country mule"?

Xu Sanduo quickly expressed his doubts, which gave Zhang Anbang a headache. Xu Sanduo's persistence often led him to get stuck on trivial matters, but it was precisely this kind of persistence that brought him success.

Just like his past self and his predecessor in this life, Xu Sanduo's success is the result of his hard work, bit by bit. It's just that Xu Sanduo is currently lost and doesn't know his direction.

"Sanduo, as the company commander said, 'Whether it's a mule or a horse, you have to take it out for a spin.' This is a proverb full of military characteristics, and its meaning needs to be understood in the context of the military."

The literal meaning is already clear from the dictionary. What the company commander was trying to express was that new recruits cannot be judged solely on their appearance during training. Their abilities and potential must be differentiated through real assessments and practical experience.

This is not to say that horses are more noble than mules, but that in battle, horses are often more obedient and easier to use, and play a greater role in combat. This is not to say that mules are useless; in fact, mules are better at pulling loads and in terms of survival skills.

We cannot simply talk about superiority or inferiority; we must prove our value through actions and results. The mule and the horse mentioned here represent different levels of ability in different stages and scenarios, and there is no inherent superiority or inferiority between them.

If you think of yourself as a mule and want to become a celestial horse, then you have to put in much more effort. In training, if others dedicate one hour, you need to dedicate at least two or three hours. That way, even a mule can become a celestial horse.

Zhang Anbang racked his brains to explain that Gao Cheng's words were originally meant to motivate the new recruits to train hard and strive forward, but they were not suitable for Xu Sanduo.

He's not stupid, but in this situation, it's a bit difficult for him to understand, which is quite a shock to him.

Xu Sanduo stood there blankly for a moment, then nodded and shook his head. "Deputy Company Commander, I don't quite understand, but I've remembered everything you said. It's all about practicing more and doing more."

Zhang Anbang patted his slightly furrowed forehead and said affirmatively, "That's right, practice more, do more. Formal training starts tomorrow, and you won't have time to think about the Mule and the Pegasus anymore."

Just remember one thing: practice hard, practice even harder. Don't be afraid of not being able to learn it. Ask questions anytime you don't understand. Don't be afraid of making mistakes, and don't be shy. Basic training is to help you get familiar with the training and grow.