Starting from the deputy company commander of the Soldier Assault Team

Shi Jin smiled awkwardly, but before he could speak, Wu Liuyi's mouth started like a machine gun again, "This Xu Sanduo, I admit he has improved a little since he first came."

But this thing is like a roly-poly toy; it won't move unless you push it, and even if you do push it, it won't move in the direction you want it to.

In all my years of service, I've never seen a recruit like this. Most recruits know they're not doing well in their training and will voluntarily do extra practice. But him? I always have to drag him to do extra practice. Anyway, I absolutely disagree with him joining the Seventh Company.

Wu Liuyi finished speaking in one breath, took a sip of water, sat on the stool, and stopped talking.

Shi Jin was a little unsure how to start the conversation, so he looked to Zhang Anbang for help.

Just as Wu Liuyi quieted down, Gao Cheng spoke up again, "My dear Squad Leader Shi, I know you're good at judging soldiers and you're capable, but I, as the company commander, am not good at judging soldiers and I'm not as good as you."

I really didn't see Xu Sanduo's true colors. Normally, out of respect for you, Shi Jin, I'd give him a chance if he met the standards, no problem. But what kind of situation is this? I wouldn't dare do it even a little bit now.

Seeing Shi Jin's dejected look, Wu Liu quickly interjected with a joke, "Company Commander, you're definitely a good judge of soldiers. What do you think of me and Squad Leader Shi? What about the Deputy Company Commander?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Cheng's tone softened considerably. "Your deputy company commander is a ruthless and intelligent man, a genius-like figure who knows a lot."

Then look at how he's been training like a madman for the past six months. He's gone from a bean sprout to someone who can kill you, Wu Liuyi. Do you think this guy won't achieve great things in the future?

Furthermore, Liu Yi, you are a sharp knife, tough and strong, a good man who would rather break than bend! As for Shi Jin, he sees more, thinks more, and does even more, but he just doesn't say anything.

"With the annual downsizing and troop reductions, I'm afraid I'll let him down. No matter what it takes, I'll do everything I can to keep him. How could I possibly bring that guy in now? One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel."

Hearing this, Shi Jin forced a smile and said, "Company Commander, he has improved. He's not that bad anymore. Really, if you put him in our platoon, I really can train him."

As she spoke, she looked at Zhang Anbang with pleading eyes.

Seeing Shi Jin's distress signal, Zhang Anbang, who had already made up his mind, decided not to speak up for Shi Jin, mainly because it would be useless to say anything now.

"Squad Leader Shi, stop talking, it's useless. From the first day of recruiting, Xu Sanduo was not on the Steel Seventh Company's roster."

Wu Liuyi loudly agreed, "The deputy company commander is right. This soldier not only has the worst grades in the entire company, but he was also so scared by his own tanks when he was being recruited that he surrendered. The Seventh Company can't possibly want a soldier with such a spineless attitude!"

Shi Jin still insisted, "I, I really can take good care of him, Company Commander."

Upon hearing this, Gao Cheng slammed his fist on the table in anger: "Shi Jin, let me tell you, I don't like soldiers who surrender! I don't like soldiers who have no self-respect. If you treat them badly, they don't care; if you treat them well, they'll cling to you all day long."

I know, I know, I shouldn't have prioritized my own preferences, but I personally selected each and every soldier in the Seventh Company, and I personally inspired their courage. Even the regimental commander wouldn't have a say!

Wu Liuyi immediately added insult to injury: "Squad leader, you're just asking for trouble, it's not worth it!"

Shi Jin's head was almost touching the table. "I..."

Gao Cheng glared at him. "Impossible, Shi Jin. There's no need to say anything more. You know what I care about, and you know what time this is."

Shi Jin lowered his head. "I...I don't know."

Gao Cheng immediately lost his temper, stepped forward, and grabbed Shi Jin by the neck. "What are you saying? Huh? What do you mean you don't know? Tell me, what does the company use to evaluate a squad leader's performance, and even, even to decide his fate, Comrade Shi Jin?"

"Everything about the entire platoon of soldiers..."

After saying this, Shi Jin fully understood that he couldn't change Gao Cheng's mind, and Xu Sanduo couldn't join the Steel Seventh Company, but the promise he made in his heart made him unwilling to give up.

"It's good that you know."

Gao Cheng continued, "Even if you're willing to trade your own future for Xu Sanduo to get in, Xu Sanduo's grades are among the worst in the recruit company. If he comes into the Steel Seventh Company, how will the other soldiers in the company look at me? How will they look at you? Do you know what that means?"

Wu Liuyi's face turned red, and the veins on his forehead were almost bulging. "Squad leader, this means that the Steel Seventh Company is no longer the Steel Seventh Company, no longer the Steel Seventh Company that our predecessors watered with blood and sweat."

"Alright, alright, Shi Jin, you and Liu Yi can go ahead and get busy. The company commander and I have something to discuss." Seeing the atmosphere getting increasingly awkward, Zhang Anbang quickly told them to leave.

"Xiao Qi, I call you Xiao Qi. I consider you one of my own. Don't mess with me. You know I can't have him. I'm just holding on for now. After two more months, I'll be free."

Zhang Anbang muttered under his breath, "I don't think so."

"What did you just say? Speak louder."

Zhang Anbang waved his hand, "It's nothing, Company Commander. I just wanted to ask you, do you want to keep your good squad leader?"

Gao Cheng took two quick steps and sat down next to Zhang Anbang, saying urgently, "Isn't this obvious? Why did I bring Shi Jin to the recruit training camp and make him the platoon leader?"

Why are you trying to cram good soldiers into the third squad...? All I'm doing is trying to find a way to keep Shi Jin. Tell me your ideas.

Seeing Gao Cheng's anxious look, Zhang Anbang calmly took out a cigarette and glanced at Gao Cheng sideways.

"you……"

Gao Cheng was almost satisfied with Zhang Anbang's behavior, but Zhang Anbang had always had a lot of strange and wonderful ideas, and they all worked, so it wouldn't hurt to go along with him.

Gao Cheng took out a lighter, lit a cigarette for Zhang Anbang, and urged him, "Hurry up and tell me. You better really have a solution, or else I'll deal with you later."

"Wow, the cigarettes the company commander smokes are really something else." Zhang Anbang exhaled a long puff of smoke, a smug expression on his face.

"Look at the smug look on your face. You better really have a way, or you know what will happen..."

"Hehe, don't be in such a hurry, Company Commander. Actually, there are two ways to keep Squad Leader Shi here. The first one is very simple, but also the most difficult. I think this method is definitely impossible, so I'm not going to talk about it."

"Huh? What nonsense! The simplest yet the hardest method? What kind of crazy idea could it be?" Gao Cheng was a little curious after hearing this. Simple yet difficult?

"Oh, I heard that the commander of our army group is surnamed Gao..." Zhang Anbang said casually.

"What does the surname Gao have to do with leaving behind Shi Jin? You..." Gao Cheng interrupted before he could finish speaking, but seeing Zhang Anbang's ambiguous smile, he quickly realized what was going on.

"Who told you that? I'm telling you, it's impossible, absolutely impossible. I would never do that, and he would never do that..."

"Alright, Company Commander, I'm the deputy company commander of our Steel Seventh Company after all. What kind of company is our Steel Seventh Company? It's an armored reconnaissance company. What's so strange about me knowing this news?"

After thinking about it carefully, Gao Cheng realized that what he said made sense. After all, Zhang Anbang was quite capable, and he was from Tsinghua University. Both the division and the regiment valued him highly, so it was normal for someone to mention it unintentionally.

He then emphasized, "You, you know this, but don't tell anyone else. You know, I've never gotten to where I am today because of him."

"Everyone in the entire Seventh Company knows this," Zhang Anbang muttered under his breath.

"What did you say?"

"It's nothing, Company Commander. I said I know. If you really relied on that guy, you'd be at least a major by now, wouldn't you?"

"Let me move on to my second method. I've thought about this method for a long time and planned it carefully for quite some time. I think it's almost perfect." Zhang Anbang quickly changed the subject with full confidence.

The two had been working together for half a year, and Gao Cheng naturally knew Zhang Anbang's character. Although this kid was often joking around and not very serious, he was very tight-lipped and his abilities were beyond question. Since he said that, he must have a foolproof plan.

"Tell me quickly, what exactly is the method? I've been thinking about it for a long time, and all I can think of is how to get something for Shi Jin. This guy thinks a lot and does a lot, but doing things doesn't necessarily earn you credit, since he's not a typical example."

Hearing Gao Cheng's anxious tone, Zhang Anbang started to negotiate, "Company Commander, I know Squad Leader Shi is very useful. If I ever need Squad Leader Shi in the future, you have to lend him to me. Don't hold me back."

"You, you little brat, what time is it and you're already making demands? I'm still firmly in my position as company commander, and you're already thinking about usurping power?"

Hearing Zhang Anbang's confident tone, Gao Cheng understood that his method would definitely allow him to stay; this was the beginning of negotiating terms.

"Alright, alright, at worst I'll lend it to you for a while. Just tell me what your plan is, since time is running out."