Starting from the deputy company commander of the Soldier Assault Team

Zhang Anbang certainly knew what Gao Cheng meant. He was an orphan, and if he held a wedding alone, no one would help him. He couldn't let the bride's family handle everything; that wouldn't look good.

There are requirements for holding a group wedding. At least three couples must agree to hold it together in order to meet the minimum requirement of the political department's policy to barely start.

However, if there are only 3 couples, the process will be simplified. There will be no special stage; the auditorium will simply be used to hang banners. The process will be streamlined, and there will be no external media coverage.

It was merely a simple oath-taking ceremony witnessed by comrades-in-arms, without going through the formal approval process at the regimental level. It was only considered a joyous occasion within the battalion, at most a collective celebration ceremony, and could not be regarded as a formal collective wedding at the regimental level.

Five or more couples represent the most standard and desirable scale for such an event, with a complete process, leaders in attendance to officiate, and the event itself suitable for political propaganda materials.

Gao Cheng said this because he was considering taking care of him, which is why Zhang Anbang responded with a laugh.

Gao Cheng smiled and said, "You little rascal, you have quite a few twisted arguments, but what you said also makes sense. Take Lao He, for example. When his child had his 100-day celebration, we gave two gifts and ate for two people."

If we hold the event together, he'll only be able to eat for a while if he comes, so he'll have to pay for two separate things, haha.

……

Several soldiers from the old 7th Company were in the reconnaissance battalion. Even Shi Jin finally fulfilled Gao Cheng's wish and was transferred here. He is now a technical sergeant.

Time always flies when old comrades get together, and before they knew it, it was time for Zhang Anbang's current mission to begin.

In the dead of winter, the cold wind in the mountains and wilderness is like a knife, sweeping across the rolling barren slopes with bits of snow.

The vegetation on the mountain had long since withered, and the ground was frozen solid, hard and a bit jarring to the touch. When you took a deep breath, white mist instantly filled your eyebrows, and the sub-zero temperature of minus twelve degrees Celsius made the mechanical vehicles even colder.

The T Division's reconnaissance battalion's ten-day winter special training exercise has officially begun.

This training plan was meticulously crafted by Zhang Anbang, the deputy head of the training section. Section chief Wang Haiyang reviewed it thoroughly, finding no fault in any of the eight modules, and not adding or deleting a single word. Chief of Staff Cai Dong then signed it off immediately. The entire reconnaissance battalion had already inventoried their equipment and gathered their personnel yesterday, marching into the pre-designated field training ground at dawn to begin their fully enclosed, cold-weather combat training.

During this training exercise, the battalion commander of the reconnaissance battalion was absent, and all training and management affairs of the battalion were temporarily managed by the deputy battalion commander, Gao Cheng.

The division headquarters assigned Zhang Anbang to be stationed on-site to supervise the training. The relationship between the two is self-evident; they know each other inside and out, like brothers. Having already worked together for nearly two years, their collaboration now is even smoother.

On the first day of the training, before dawn, a layer of cold mist hung over the mountains, and a breath exhaled sounded like a white arrow. All the officers and soldiers of the reconnaissance battalion got up early, wrapped themselves tightly in their cold-weather training uniforms, carried their full sets of reconnaissance equipment, and lined up neatly in the designated assembly area.

Each company, platoon, and squad was divided according to the troop organization table in the document, with each key personnel assigned to a specific post and responsibility, and the team leader on duty at a designated point.

The main reconnaissance team, the rotating standby team, and the cooking and logistics team took their positions early on, and each team was well-organized, fully implementing the task division clauses in the plan that were detailed down to the individual level.

As the team came to a complete stop, Gao Cheng stepped forward, his training uniform buttoned up tightly, his booming voice seemingly piercing the cold wind, "Everyone remember, today marks the start of ten days of winter training."

All training arrangements, safety regulations, and logistical supplies shall be carried out in accordance with the training plan issued by the division's operations and training department. No one is allowed to make any changes on their own. Do you understand?

"clear."

More than 900 soldiers responded in unison, their voices deafening, and as they shouted their slogans, the white breath they exhaled formed a layer of white mist above the formation.

After Gao Cheng finished speaking, Zhang Anbang walked to the side of the line and spoke as well. His voice lacked Gao Cheng's drive; it was not loud, but each word was clear.

Even without a loudspeaker, the message reached every soldier's ears: "Comrades, let me add a couple more points. The plan is in black and white, and every one of the eight modules is based on it."

During this ten-day training camp, every day's class hours, subjects, training standards, safety red lines, and final assessment scoring details were all documented and required.

Let me remind you again that no one is allowed to add training content or arbitrarily adjust training duration. If any deviations occur during training or safety issues arise, the responsible party will be held accountable according to the plan.

Okay, that's all I wanted to say. I hope our winter training camp will be a complete success.

"Get on the train, let's go."

After the opening ceremony speech, Gao Cheng gave an order, and everyone immediately boarded their respective vehicles. One after another, armored vehicles, troop carriers, and supply vehicles rumbled out of the camp and headed towards the designated area.

In the command vehicle, Gao Cheng turned to look at Zhang Anbang and lowered his voice, "Anbang, in the past, everyone tends to be undisciplined on the first day of training. Do you think we should have a half-hour drill to straighten out their discipline before moving on to specialized subjects?"

Zhang Anbang nodded, raised his hand and waved the complete copy of the plan, stamped with the headquarters' official seal, in his hand. "I was just about to tell you that the first article of the plan's general principles states this."

On the first day of training, the priority should be to calm minds, establish discipline, and focus on cold-weather acclimatization training and drill drills. The training should be gradual, avoiding high-intensity tactics immediately, which could easily lead to frostbite and muscle strains.

"Haha, you're getting more and more reliable, kid," Gao Cheng laughed heartily and patted his arm.

"To be honest, your plan is very comprehensive. You have more experience than me and it's more thorough. I was worried that I would be busy since the battalion commander wasn't here, but now that you're here, I feel much more at ease."

"Company Commander, you're being a bit modest, but I still feel good hearing you praise me. You can say more."

This time, we'll divide the work and cooperate: practical training on the training field, correction of individual soldier movements, and management of soldier conduct are all your responsibilities.

Overall progress control, daily record verification, comprehensive safety hazard investigation, material and ammunition consumption registration, and final overall assessment are all my responsibilities. If there's anything we're unsure about, we'll discuss it together immediately.

"Alright, you're getting more and more shameless," Gao Cheng patted his forehead, then picked up the microphone and gave the order.

"Everything is ready. After arriving at the venue, each class will lead the formation and conduct discipline exercises, while simultaneously doing warm-up activities to prevent the cold."

"Warm up your muscles and joints before starting professional training. You're not allowed to stand still for long periods. If you get frostbite, not only will you be in pain, but you'll also have to write a self-criticism, and I'll have to make someone do extra training."

……

As time passed, the thin fog slowly dissipated, and the sky brightened. The reconnaissance battalion had already moved to the designated location, and the training on the first morning proceeded strictly according to the plan and schedule.

After a half-hour formation and a full-body warm-up to protect against the cold, the participants then engaged in practical exercises on winter mountain map reading and use, field terrain assessment, and hand-drawing simple situation maps.