Starting from the deputy company commander of the Soldier Assault Team

Especially as military dependents, they understand what it means to participate in a mass wedding at the military base. It signifies recognition from the organization; they are officially recognized by the military, representing a very high level of prestige and honor.

They were people who rarely saw each other, or only heard about from others on television. The fact that military division commanders came to witness their wedding was a level of ceremony that ordinary weddings could never achieve.

The bride's parents, in particular, will feel extremely proud of this occasion, and their relatives and friends will all praise their son-in-law for being highly regarded in the military.

What's even more affordable is that the military provides comprehensive financial support, relieving ordinary girls of the financial burden of marriage. Even without mentioning the bride price, the rest of the expenses, such as the banquet, makeup, wedding dress, and venue, all have to be covered by the military.

This would be a considerable expense for an ordinary family, but the entire group wedding was funded by the military, with free food and lodging in guesthouses.

The staff and nurses transferred from the division's propaganda department and hospital provided free makeup, photography, uniform wedding dresses and veils, and provided the venue and banquet, so that the family didn't have to spend a penny more.

The parents, who came from afar, even arranged transportation and provided free food and lodging. For the bride and her family, this shows that the groom's workplace is considerate enough, so that the young couple doesn't have to overspend their savings on the wedding. It is a genuine expression of sincerity and security.

……

At eight o'clock, six young soldiers in crisp service uniforms were driven to the entrance of the division headquarters auditorium by jeeps.

Seeing Gao Cheng looking a bit awkward, Zhang Anbang was the first to greet him, "Hey, Company Commander, you look really energetic today. But why do you look a little awkward standing there? What's wrong? Are there ants crawling on you?"

"Get lost, get lost," Gao Cheng sneered. "Isn't it nerve-wracking for your first marriage?"

"Company Commander, what are you saying? What, you want to do it a second time to gain experience?"

Seeing Gao Cheng's speechless expression as he glared at him, Zhang Anbang chuckled and leaned closer to Gao Cheng, whispering, "My father-in-law isn't here today, only my mother-in-law, Director Chen, is coming. I'm definitely not nervous."

There's no other way; the 15th Airborne Corps is a rapid reaction combat readiness force directly under the Central Military Commission, maintaining a high level of combat readiness year-round.

Commander Lao Gu is the primary person in charge of the unit's combat readiness. He is on duty around the clock. The period leading up to August 1st is the busiest time for training and combat readiness, with a lot of tasks such as airborne joint training, equipment preparation, flood control, and stability maintenance.

In the event of a sudden mobilization, airlift exercise, or temporary inspection by higher authorities, the corps commander must be on duty at all times, and personal matters must take a backseat to combat readiness.

As the number one paratrooper, if Lao Gu is away from his post for too long, he must report to higher authorities and get approval from the Air Force headquarters. In that case, he would have to miss his own daughter's wedding.

Fortunately, what comforted Lao Gu was that after the group wedding here, the two of them would hold another one in Xiaocheng, Hubei Province, otherwise Lao Gu would be furious.

Although Zhang Anbang spoke softly, the surroundings were so quiet that the other soldiers who were also attending the group wedding heard him.

One of the captains said with a smile, "I've always heard of Deputy Section Chief Zhang's reputation, and seeing him today, I can confirm it's true. His condition is so enviable."

The remaining three third-term sergeants also burst into laughter. "Section Chief Ding is right. We've long heard of the fame of you 702's Twin Tigers. We never expected that we would have this fate to hold our wedding together."

"Ahem," Zhang Anbang didn't want to listen anymore after hearing about the 702 Double Tigers, so he quickly changed the subject and said, "Company Commander, didn't you say there was a surprise? What surprise? Can you tell me now?"

Gao Cheng's brows relaxed instantly. "A surprise? We'll only find out when the time comes. It's no fun talking about it now."

Gao Cheng didn't actually know either, but he wouldn't tell Zhang Anbang. Besides, when you think about it, Zhang Anbang, the deputy head of the training section, had a wider range of information sources than Gao Cheng.

After all, Zhang Anbang was someone who stayed at the division headquarters, so he could get first-hand information about any slight movement in the division, unlike him who spent his days leading his men to endure sandstorms in the wilderness.

As the group was chatting, a loud rumbling sound came from nearby.

Gao Cheng, Zhang Anbang, and the equipment section chief Ding who had just spoken blurted out almost instantly, "Type 89."

"Listening to the 'tap-tap-tap' sound, although it's not loud, it's quite obvious. The knocking is pretty clear. How come I don't know which unit in our division is still using armored vehicles with such large wear on the cylinder liners and pistons?"

"Not only that, Anbang, that clanging sound also indicates a significant amount of play in the track pins and bushings."

Captain Ding, the section chief, also spoke up, "One of the sounds I heard was particularly familiar, very much like the 302 truck that our regiment uses for educational demonstrations. The sound of the road wheel bearings wearing out is quite unique."

The three sergeants were also a bit confused. One of them asked, "Sirs, do you have any clue? Isn't today our wedding day? Why are there so many armored vehicles?"

Another sergeant, who had served in the third term of service, smiled and said, "I'm just saying, leaders and comrades, do you think it's possible? Just listen to what I have to say."

"Do you think the division might have invited a bunch of old, rattling machines—the ones with clattering tracks, knocking engines, and creaking road wheel bearings—to celebrate our wedding?"

Another sergeant laughed loudly, "Old Li, you really dare to dream! Driving an armored vehicle out to celebrate for you? Why don't you just fly to the sky?"

As the group spoke, a series of rumbling noises grew closer and closer, eventually turning a corner and stopping on the main road in front of the auditorium.

The six men stared wide-eyed as six Type 89 armored tracked vehicles, each adorned with a large red flower, stopped in front of them.

The sergeant who spoke last couldn't help but say, "Damn, Lao Li, you were right, this is getting a bit big."

"Yeah, it's really big," Gao Cheng was also taken aback.

Zhang Anbang chimed in, "Company Commander, this is huge! If this thing is really used to pick up our bride, then all the Mercedes, BMWs, and Audis used for weddings can be pushed into the ditch."

Gao Cheng laughed out loud, "Push them into the ditch, haha, they really can be pushed into the ditch. Although these ancestors are no longer in the combat formation, when they appeared back then, each one must have been worth hundreds of thousands."

That makes perfect sense. Putting everything else aside, just the 127 heavy motorcycle with a shield on its roof—that's a small thing; who could afford to get one for a wedding?

Crunch!

As the doors on the armored vehicle opened, several lieutenants and fourth-term sergeants disembarked.

One of the lieutenants jogged over, snapped to attention, and saluted, "Deputy Section Chief Zhang, Deputy Battalion Commander Gao, Section Chief Ding, and all the veteran squad leaders, congratulations on your wedding!"

"By order of the Equipment Section, I am leading a team of our first batch of '89 veterans' to carry out the wedding reception duty. Please board the vehicles."