Starting from the deputy company commander of the Soldier Assault Team

At this stage, Gao Cheng really showed his sharp edge and was annoying in some ways, but now that he's one of us, it doesn't matter. Anyway, Xu Sanduo will teach him a lesson later.

Yes, Zhang Anbang knew very well that even if he knew the plot and had the ability, he could not change the fate of the Steel Seventh Company.

He was just a wave in the great tide of history. Even if you look at him with a higher opinion and consider him a slightly larger wave, he could not withstand the rolling wheels of history.

After the first platoon of recruits finished shooting, even though most of them were reluctant to leave and wanted to experience shooting again, it wasn't their turn today.

He could only stand at the assembly line and watch helplessly as the soldiers of the second platoon took their positions at firing posts in response to the commands.

Shi Jin's gentle voice rang out at the shooting range, "Don't rush, don't panic. Just follow what your squad leader explained a few days ago, take it slow, and relax."

Wu Liuyi also walked back and forth among the new recruits in the fifth squad, giving them a few words of instruction. This live-fire exercise was not a spur-of-the-moment decision; everything in the army was done according to plan.

Over the past week, the squad leaders had thoroughly explained the shooting techniques of the August 1st rifle according to plan. Now it was time to test the new recruits' understanding, acceptance, and practical application.

Cheng Cai quickly loaded the bullets and deftly pressed the magazine. Although his movements were a little clumsy, they were very smooth overall.

"Not bad, Cheng Cai, your movements are quite nimble. But take your time when shooting, don't rush. Take it one bullet at a time, feel the bullets, aim carefully. There are only five bullets, and three minutes is plenty of time."

Wu Liuyi never hesitates to praise soldiers who perform well.

The gunfire from the 81-1 was quite loud. The garrison area had relatively good conditions, with simple earmuffs available to protect the ears.

Wu Liuyi's rough voice mingled with the sound of the wind, "Put your earmuffs on properly, or you'll have tinnitus and dizziness after the shooting starts. Don't blame the squad leader for not reminding you."

Everyone remember the key points I taught: hold the rifle steadily, aim intentionally, fire unintentionally, and keep the butt firmly against your shoulder. Anyone who doesn't follow the rules and fires a bullet into the air will have to practice holding the rifle until lights out when they get back!

Shi Jin stood to one side, blew a whistle, and shouted, "Attention, everyone! On my command, aim at the bullseye and prepare to fire!"

Xu Sanduo's body trembled involuntarily. Cheng Cai turned his head to look at him and hurriedly whispered a reminder, "Sanduo, lower your back a little more and press the butt of the rifle against your shoulder. You're not doing it properly right now. The squad leader said that the recoil hitting your shoulder can hurt a lot."

Xu Sanduo hurriedly did as instructed, but before he could move the butt of the rifle even slightly, Wu Liuyi kicked him in the butt. "Xu Sanduo, why is the butt of the rifle so loose? Do you want it to hit your chin? Tighten it! Align the sights with the bullseye, the notch, the front sight, and the bullseye—three points in a straight line! Don't keep staring at the muzzle; look at the bullseye!"

"Yes, class monitor."

Xu Sanduo shuddered in fright and quickly pushed the butt of the gun further into his shoulder, looking through the sights at the bullseye in the distance.

As Shi Jin blew a short whistle and the red flag waved, Wu Liuyi's gruff voice rang out, "Target trench, attention! Prepare to fire!"

"Received, concealed!" the target reporter replied over the walkie-talkie.

"Disengage the safety and begin firing." With all preparations complete, Shi Jin immediately issued the firing order.

Cheng Cai was ready to shoot, the muzzle of the gun steadily aimed at the bullseye. He glanced at Xu Sanduo and noticed that the silly boy was a little nervous and anxious, but he didn't dare to say anything to comfort him.

Wu Liuyi paced behind the two of them like a wary leopard. Cheng Cai was afraid that if he spoke, Wu Liuyi would explode and beat him up.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The moment Shi Jin gave the order, Cheng Cai fired his gun. Three bullets were fired in quick succession, and a small cloud of gray smoke with a few sparks rose from the muzzle.

Like a spark blown from a cigarette butt by the wind, it vanishes in an instant under the sunlight, so fast that one might think it's an illusion.

The other recruits in the fifth squad also began to slowly begin firing.

Only Xu Sanduo, who was next to Cheng Cai, was startled by the sudden gunshot. He trembled and instinctively pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

The moment the gunshot rang out, the metal folding butt of the rifle, which hadn't been pressed tightly against Xu Sanduo's shoulder due to his trembling, slammed heavily against his shoulder, causing the rifle to bounce upwards.

The sudden pain made Xu Sanduo grimace and cry out in pain.

"Xu Sanduo, why are you disobeying orders? Before firing, the butt of the rifle must be firmly against your shoulder. I've emphasized this more than a dozen times, didn't you remember?"

Wu Liuyi's rough voice rang out behind Xu Sanduo, making Xu Sanduo's body, which had just calmed down, tremble again.

Judging from the extent of his trembling, Wu Liuyi's shout had a more stimulating effect on him than the sudden gunshot that Cheng Cai had just heard.

Seeing Xu Sanduo cowering after being reprimanded, Wu Liuyi felt his scalp was about to explode. He really wanted to say, if I am guilty, then let the military court try me. Why send this guy to torture me?

"Liu Yi, what's wrong?" Shi Jin's gentle voice rang out.

Wu Liuyi slowly pressed down with one hand across his chest, exhaling a long breath as he suppressed his anger. For the sake of the squad leader, everything was for the sake of the squad leader.

Gao Cheng, leaning against the jeep, scoffed, "Xiao Qi, is this all you've got? The bullets are flying into the sky. Look at you, it's a good thing the sandstorm was strong, or you'd be crying."

However, Xu Sanduo's performance was within Zhang Anbang's expectations. "Company Commander, don't be impatient. It's his first time. This guy is naturally timid, which is normal. But his recent performance has improved a little. Haven't you looked at Shi Jin's follow-up data?"

"Yes, I definitely watched it, but it's not very meaningful. If Shi Jin's movements were applied to other soldiers, they would improve a lot, but for him, they're barely faster than a snail." Gao Cheng still couldn't accept Xu Sanduo.

"Company Commander, you can't say that. You can take Xu Sanduo as a typical example. Nowadays, the majority of those recruited into the army are from rural areas and most of them are not highly educated."

Many of them are unable to continue their studies or find suitable jobs, so they choose to join the army, driven by both patriotism and various practical problems.

If you are a conscript discharged from the city and assigned to a government-affiliated institution, you will be resettled in the place of enlistment and enter a state-owned enterprise, a collective enterprise, or a government agency. This is essentially a guaranteed job.

Rural soldiers who enlist can at least learn a skill for free and return to their hometowns to make a living after their service, or they may have the opportunity to stay in the military and achieve a leap from rural to urban status, securing a stable job.

These people have already failed once, to some extent, due to their family and social environments, and many of them have some psychological problems.

The military is a melting pot and a university. Most new recruits are naturally integrated into the organization and become positive and motivated after enlisting.

However, this process is still a bit slow. If we could intervene manually when new recruits first join the army or are just assigned to their units to help them overcome psychological problems, wouldn't that accelerate the soldiers' growth to some extent?

The rapid improvement of individual soldiers' comprehensive qualities will also drive the improvement of the troops' combat effectiveness. The country is also advocating this. Didn't you see the "Opinions on Paying Attention to Doing a Good Job in Psychological Education and Guidance in Grassroots Troops" jointly issued by the General Political Department and the General Logistics Department a few days ago?

"Take your time, we won't waste any effort," Zhang Anbang said with a smile.

Gao Cheng's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he listened. "Xiao Qi, I think you could switch careers from deputy company commander to political instructor. Your theories are so eloquent. I'll wait and see how it goes."

"Just you wait and see," Zhang Anbang said, still quite confident.

……

On the firing range.

"Xu Sanduo, what are you panicking for? Lower your shoulders! Push the butt of the rifle into your flesh! I'm not telling you to arch the gun! Your shoulder is the support for your gun! If the butt isn't against the support, the bullet won't find the bullseye!"

Wu Liu slapped Xu Sanduo on the back, his voice clearly tinged with anger, before softening his tone and continuing.

"Remember what I taught you: stay calm, re-aim, take it slow, don't panic."

Hearing Wu Liuyi's suddenly gentle tone, Xu Sanduo immediately thought of Shi Jin, and felt his eyes well up with tears and his nose sting. Fortunately, he did well this time.

He took a deep breath, adjusted his breathing as Wu Liuyi had taught him, and looked straight ahead with his eyes focused on the three points. The cold wind mixed with sand blew against his face, but it did not attract Xu Sanduo's attention. He placed his finger on the trigger and slowly increased the force.

"Bang!"

The shot finally landed squarely on the target.