Starting from the deputy company commander of the Soldier Assault Team

3:30 a.m.

Beep, beep, beep…

A series of sharp, short whistles sounded once again, piercing the quiet night sky once more.

Three to five seconds later, the gruff voices of the new recruits' squad leaders rang out again, "Emergency assembly, no backpacks."

The familiar recipe, the familiar taste—the new recruits groped their way into their clothes through the smoke and ran out of the dormitory to assemble.

However, they made a lot of progress this time, and everyone managed to gather in front of the dormitory building within five minutes.

Although the recruits looked half-dead on the face, their eyes were full of longing for praise.

Zhang Anbang waved his hand, "Hmm, not bad, that's more like it. Go back to sleep, the reveille will be ringing soon."

The new recruits were furious, but dared not speak out. They could only silently curse the deputy company commander as a complete scoundrel.

Shi Jin looked at the listless new recruits who were being led back by their respective squad leaders one by one.

"Deputy Company Commander, you're really the best at this. I have to admit it."

"So-so. Half of the recruit training is over. It's time to toughen them up. Shi Jin, you can't be too soft-hearted. As the saying goes, jade must be carved to become a gem."

Shi Jin looked at Zhang Anbang with a helpless expression. "Is this how you push people to their limits? This kind of emergency training twice in one night is rare even in regular companies, let alone recruit training units."

Especially since they made people do newspaper push-ups before going to bed, only the Seventh Steel Company would do something like that.

"Yes, the deputy platoon leader is right. As long as you're happy."

The new recruits lay on their beds, trembling with fear, and fell into a deep sleep, finally receiving the reassuring reveille.

All the new recruits swore that this was the first time they had ever looked forward to the reveille so much, and the first time they had ever thought the reveille sounded so good.

After assembling, seeing the deputy company commander's beaming smile, the new recruits were once again convinced that this guy was definitely not a good person; he was the epitome of a smiling tiger.

Looking at the slightly angry eyes of the new recruits, Zhang Anbang smiled indifferently, "Alright, comrades, yesterday's emergency assembly is a regular occurrence for our Steel Seventh Company."

The Steel Seventh Company, as the elite unit of our 702nd Division, is a place that most soldiers yearn for. Of course, it is undeniable that many soldiers are afraid of coming to the Steel Seventh Company and suffering hardships.

The Steel Seventh Company, a sharp blade of the 702nd Company, is a sharp blade against the enemy, a razor for training, and a boning knife for itself.

So last night was just to give you a glimpse. There's still more than a month until the new recruits are discharged, so those of you aspiring to join the Steel Seventh Company need to work harder!

Shi Jin, proceed as planned.

"Yes, Deputy Company Commander."

"Form running formation—spread out! Today's morning exercise is a 3-kilometer run. Maintain synchronized strides and loud chants! No one is allowed to fall behind!"

"Shi Jin, everyone worked really hard last night, so you only need to run eight laps during morning exercises today."

"Yes, Deputy Company Commander. All personnel, run—march!"

The new recruits were internally grumbling: What do you mean by "you worked hard last night"? Running eight laps is enough. Shouldn't three kilometers be seven and a half laps, since one lap of the parade ground is 400 meters? How did it become eight laps?

Although you, Deputy Company Commander, are well-educated, we, though less educated, can still do the math, okay?

The new recruits had no choice; the deputy company commander was now the most powerful, and they had to listen to whatever he said, not to mention that even the company commander was present.

The two of them are so close they're practically inseparable; they'd probably be standing by, clapping and cheering.

Wu Liuyi really liked the deputy platoon leader's order; it was the kind of order soldiers often received.

As Shi Jin led the team running, he pondered that the deputy company commander was indeed going to put the new recruits under some serious pressure.

Could it be that the deputy company commander felt bad that the Seventh Steel Company had taken all the best recruits from the new recruit company, so he increased the intensity of the training so that there would be good recruits to be assigned to other companies?

"One, two, three, four!"

"Stay vigilant and defend our motherland!"

Zhang Anbang was unaware of Shi Jin's thoughts. After going through this process, he had his own ideas and had already instructed the cooking squad yesterday to improve the meals today.

As a pilot applicant, Zhang Anbang wanted not just one Xu Sanduo, but all the new recruits who had been strengthened as a comparison. Only in this way could the extent to which psychological intervention improved the problem recruits be better demonstrated.

As for the rations for the mess hall, it's perfectly normal to occasionally improve their meals.

After huffing and puffing through the extra three kilometers, the new recruits returned to their dormitories to tidy up their belongings and wash up. This was a mandatory task: folding their blankets into neat squares, organizing their personal belongings, cleaning the dormitory, and washing up. The squad leader would check each person's belongings, and anything that didn't meet the standards had to be redone. This was a task that absolutely could not be done carelessly.

Finally, as the mess hall signal sounded, the new recruits marched towards the mess hall in neat rows, shouting "Unity!"

At the entrance of the canteen, the new recruits, who were lined up waiting to enter, suddenly smelled a scent that was different from usual.

A new recruit in the ranks whispered among themselves, "Is that the smell of meat buns? It smells really like them to me."

"Yes, yes, that's how it smells to me too."

"Did the deputy company commander have a change of heart and improve our meals?"

Just as the recruits began to daydream, Shi Jin, the leader, shouted, "No talking in formation! Anyone who violates this rule will be forced to do one hundred push-ups!"

The entire line immediately fell silent. As one group of new recruits entered the mess hall, the recruits from each squad who were on duty stood by the tables with smiles on their faces, waiting for their comrades to arrive.

They arrived ten minutes early to set out the bowls and plates, distribute the food, and serve the soup. They were among the first of all the new recruits to discover that there would be meat buns for breakfast this morning.

At this moment, twenty meat buns are neatly arranged in a basket on each classroom's dining table, two for each student, no more.

With this plus the company headquarters and other personnel, we need nearly three hundred meat buns in total. The cooks have already gotten up three hours early, so we can't make them any more tired.

With a voice, "Sit down and eat."

The new recruits grabbed the meat buns and ate them with great satisfaction. With food like that, who would remember that they had been given extra distance for the morning's three-kilometer run?

……

Around mid-morning, while the new recruits were training enthusiastically, Gao Cheng stepped out of the jeep with a smug look on his face.

"Xiao Qi, Xiao Qi!" Gao Cheng shouted to Zhang Anbang in a flurry of activity.

He Hongtao was a little confused. "What's wrong with your company commander? What good thing happened to him this time?"

Zhang Anbang shrugged. "Who knows? I went to the regimental headquarters yesterday and didn't come back. I don't know what happened. New equipment? Impossible. Maybe they're issuing new shoes? But that wouldn't make them this excited."

Gao Cheng swaggered into the office, grabbed a bottle of water, and gulped down a few mouthfuls. "Xiao Qi, good news, you're coming down."

"What came down?" Zhang Anbang was a little confused.

Shi Jin and Wu Liuyi's applications have just been submitted. Even with Gao Cheng's strong connections, it's impossible for them to be approved so quickly. They need to be reviewed and tested by the August 1st Academy.

"Hey, what else could it be? A commendation for meritorious service." Gao Cheng waved the materials in his hand vigorously.

He Hongtao was no longer calm. What had happened to earn him merit? He quickly stepped forward, took the document from Gao Cheng's hand, and read it aloud word by word:

"Order on Awarding Comrade Zhang Anbang a First-Class Merit"

To all subordinate regiments, directly subordinate battalions (companies), and division-level departments:

Zhang Anbang, male, born in March 1979, is from Mudan City, Shandong Province. He entered Tsinghua University in 1997 to study for the National Defense Student Program and joined the army in 2000. He is currently the deputy company commander of the Steel 7th Company, Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 702nd Regiment, T Division, with the military rank of captain.

Since enlisting, this comrade has always kept in mind the mission of a soldier, rooted himself in the grassroots position, and while completing combat readiness training tasks, he has been deeply engaged in military cultural creation, using music as a medium to convey the belief in building a strong military.

At the farewell party for comrades-in-arms, the two military songs "Farewell to Comrades-in-Arms" and "When That Day Comes," which were composed and sung, had a wide and profound impact throughout the military, making outstanding contributions to enhancing the fighting spirit of the troops and boosting morale.

After being promoted, the two songs not only sparked a wave of singing throughout the entire division and army, but also became vivid teaching materials for the political education and combat spirit cultivation of the troops, greatly enhancing the training enthusiasm and fighting will of officers and soldiers, and injecting strong spiritual motivation into the construction of the troops' combat effectiveness.

Comrade Zhang Anbang's creative achievements fully demonstrate the cultural literacy and sense of mission of grassroots officers in the new era, and are an excellent example of practicing the core values ​​of contemporary revolutionary soldiers who are loyal to the Party and serve the country.

After being selected and submitted by the Political Department of the Division, "When That Day Comes" was listed as a key work for promoting military culture by the C Group Army.

Organizing singing practice within the army group has made "Farewell My Comrades" a must-sing song at various military competitions and commendation ceremonies within the army group, further boosting troop morale and expanding the influence of our division's strong military culture. With its sincere and delicate emotions and simple yet moving melody, "Farewell My Comrades" portrays the deep friendship between soldiers and their patriotic spirit. It is widely sung on important occasions such as veterans' retirement and new recruits' arrival, effectively inspiring a sense of collective honor and dedication among officers and soldiers.

Both military songs have been included in the group army's "Collection of Works on Strengthening Military Culture". "When That Day Comes" was selected for the General Political Department's "Songs of Combat Spirit and Drill", and won the Best Work Award for Excellent Combat Spirit and Drill Songs in the whole army.

To commend outstanding individuals and boost morale, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the "Disciplinary Regulations of the Chinese People's Liberation Army," and after deliberation by the division's Party Committee and approval by the Party Committee of the C Group Army, it was decided to award Comrade Zhang Anbang a First-Class Merit, a medal and certificate, and a reward of 5000 RMB.

It is hoped that Comrade Zhang Anbang will cherish this honor, remain humble and prudent, and continue to make persistent efforts to play a leading role in culture in his future work, creating more outstanding works that are relevant to the actual situation of the troops and demonstrate the true nature of soldiers.

All officers and soldiers of the division should take Comrade Zhang Anbang as an example, base themselves on their own posts, delve into the advanced deeds of making contributions in their posts, vigorously promote the culture of building a strong military, and continuously improve their ability to perform their duties.

To provide strong spiritual motivation for the successful completion of various tasks such as guard duty and military training, and to strive to build a well-rounded and highly capable guard force!

Attachment: Comrade Zhang Anbang's "Award Registration (Report) Form" (Shizhengjiangzi No. 2000-158)

T Division, C Group Army, Garrison Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army

Division Commander: Chen Shi

Political Commissar: Liu Gang

September 18, 2001.