Starting from the deputy company commander of the Soldier Assault Team

Office of the Deputy Division Commander of the T Division, C Group Army.

In the simple office, Deputy Division Commander Li Kangmei was chatting with Wang Qingrui, the commander of the 702nd Regiment.

Deputy Division Commander Li exhaled a puff of smoke, his somewhat deep voice ringing out, "Old Wang, do you still remember Deputy Platoon Leader Zhang?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Qingrui frowned sharply, tapped his fingertips unconsciously on the table twice, and then stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.

"Deputy Platoon Leader Zhang? How could I not remember him! He died right before my eyes, and now you're suddenly bringing him up? What are you trying to do?"

"His son also joined the army; he was among the first batch of national defense students and graduated this year."

Wang Qingrui, who was holding a water glass, about to take a sip to moisten his throat, heard this and said, "You idiot, what are you waiting for! Hurry up and come over here, put him here, I guarantee I'll train him thoroughly!"

Upon hearing this, Deputy Division Commander Li's face darkened. "Don't try to fool me with your dialect! I understand you perfectly well! Besides, do you need to remind me? I already contacted Commander Gao through the division commander and got the man over. The appointment has already been made: deputy company commander of the Steel Seventh Company."

Wang Qingrui then smiled and said, "That's more like it! You can rest assured leaving it to me. But I remember that the national defense students also had to do internships in the military when they were studying. Why didn't you bring him here for his internship back then?"

"Old Wang, you're being unreasonable. How was I supposed to know before? I'm not super hearing. It was only after the national defense students graduated and the list came out that the division commander said to check if there were any suitable candidates. That's when I looked at the information and found out."

Because he specifically requested him, Commander Gao initially thought I was trying to pull strings. Only after reviewing the file did he say, "This family is full of martyrs. A slight lack of physical fitness doesn't matter; they can be trained. He's a double-degree holder; we have to get him. Otherwise, this good opportunity wouldn't have come your way."

Wang Qingrui smiled but didn't say anything. He then handed Deputy Division Commander Li a cigarette and lit it for him himself.

Deputy Division Commander Li took a nice puff of his cigarette. "That's more like it. Take the file with you when you leave. The person will be here in a few days, and then I'll hand him over to you."

Wang Qingrui took the file folder. "Don't worry, don't worry, once the person is in my hands, there won't be any problems! But about this matter, I must say—you handled it exceptionally well!"

Wang Qingrui tucked the file folder under his arm, stood up briskly, and said, "I'll head back now." He then walked out of the office.

A burst of spirited singing drifted from the office: "Today we drink to celebrate our victory, our ambitions unfulfilled, we vow to never rest until they are realized! The future is long, we'll show our skills, and we'll dedicate our lives to writing our own epic tales..."

Gao Cheng, the company commander of the 7th Company of the 702nd Regiment of the T Division of the C Group Army, was watching his soldiers train enthusiastically on the parade ground next to the company headquarters.

……

Suddenly, several loud shouts made Gao Cheng turn his head to look over.

"Old Gao, Old Gao!"

While still in the car, Hong Xingguo excitedly called out to Gao Cheng, who was not far away, through the car window.

Gao Cheng looked at Hong Xingguo, who was running over with a big smile after getting off the car, completely bewildered. The instructor was usually such a composed person, what was wrong with him today? Had he found some money?

Seeing the instructor's beaming face, Gao Cheng teased, "Instructor, you're so happy, what's wrong, did you find some money?"

"Hey Lao Gao, finding money is nothing special, you'd have to hand it over, but I've got a really good thing to do."

"Oh, you're keeping us in suspense! Tell us what great news it is?"

Gao Cheng became interested, put down his binoculars, looked at Hong Xingguo, and asked.

"We've been short a deputy company commander for a while now. When I went to the meeting this time, the political commissar told me that the regimental commander went to the division headquarters yesterday, and the appointment will be finalized soon."

"Oh, okay, when are you coming? Do you know the general situation?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Cheng immediately became more serious, after all, this person would be his right-hand man and work partner from now on, and therefore deserved to be valued.

This series of questions left Hong Xingguo somewhat bewildered. After a year of getting along, he had long since grown accustomed to Gao Cheng's temperament.

"The specifics are still unclear. The political commissar just casually mentioned to me that he's a national defense student from Tsinghua University, with two bachelor's degrees, and is quite an impressive person. Don't you think it's a great thing that such an outstanding talent came to be the deputy company commander?"

"Hey, instructor, you're only looking at the double degree, right? Those are national defense students. I've heard of this national policy, but many military academy graduates have physical problems and can't keep up with the training pace, let alone national defense students who train even less."

Is this some kind of genius? Or is this just here to cause trouble?

Hong Xingguo laughed and said, "I know what you're worried about. I think you can rest assured about this. A double bachelor from Tsinghua and Tsinghua Universities, such a top talent can go anywhere. Why did he have to come to the army with such hardship? This shows that there is absolutely no problem with his ideology."

Gao Cheng glanced back at Hong Xingguo and said, "I know there's nothing wrong with his thinking. I'm just worried that he doesn't know his own limitations and that he's physically incapable, yet he insists on showing off in the army."

"Old Gao, you really don't take this seriously. That's a student from Tsinghua University, with two bachelor's degrees. Their cultural level must be several stories high. Now that they've come to our Steel Seventh Company, if any of them want to take the military academy entrance exam in the future, wouldn't they be several steps ahead of other companies with some tutoring?"

As expected of an instructor, Hong Xingguo quickly switched to the point that Gao Cheng was definitely interested in.

Hearing the instructor's words, Gao Cheng turned around and looked directly at Hong Xingguo, and said loudly, "What you said makes a lot of sense, but if the physical fitness is not good, how can the soldiers be convinced?"

"Your job won't be easy then. The Seventh Steel Company is the best company; it's full of the best soldiers I personally selected one by one. If someone like this becomes the deputy company commander, what will the soldiers think? What will they think?"

Gao Cheng's words began to soften. He loved the Steel Seventh Company dearly and valued honor immensely, but he also knew how much a high level of education a top graduate of Tsinghua University could bring to the company.

Hong Xingguo, understanding the implication, chuckled and tapped Gao Cheng's arm, saying, "As for physical fitness, as long as the mindset is sound, there's no need to worry about it. When the Steel Seventh Company arrives, just have Shi Jin and Wu Liuyi help train them properly, and that'll be fine."

"Alright, alright, we'll see. Anyway, no matter how high his education level is, if he doesn't meet the physical requirements, I'll go to the regimental commander and make sure he's transferred."

Of course, someone with such a high level of education, as you said, might just be coming to the grassroots level to gain experience; the division and regiment might be keeping an eye on them.

"Also, you should go back and get back to your work. I'm busy overseeing training here too."

Gao Cheng was somewhat skeptical of the new deputy company commander's educational background, but he remained certain that physical fitness was essential, and he deeply suspected that the man was just there to gain experience.

These days, junior officers are required to take the lead in training, including drills, 5-kilometer cross-country running, and gymnastics. These basic subjects are mandatory for all personnel. The assessment standards for officers are linked to those for soldiers, and are even stricter.

If officers themselves can't run 5 kilometers, they can't lead soldiers on marches. In tactical training, they have to lead the charge into tactical trenches. If their physical fitness isn't up to par, they can't even perform the demonstration properly, making it difficult to establish authority.

The daily work at the grassroots level is intense. Going on official business, carrying out construction, and dealing with emergencies all require physical strength. If you are not physically fit, not only will you not be able to handle it, but you will also easily leave an impression of being a lazy officer among the officers and soldiers, which will greatly affect the training atmosphere and cohesion of the company.

Hong Xingguo knew that Gao Cheng didn't want to talk about this topic anymore, but he firmly believed that as long as there was no problem with his mind, his physical fitness could definitely be developed. After all, someone who could be a national defense student must not have any physical problems.

However, it wasn't the right time to argue with Gao Cheng any further, so he waved his hand and said, "You're busy, I'm going to my office now. I have a lot of things to do too. We'll see how things go later."

A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and all the national defense students, including Cui Changkai, who were to graduate and join the troops, had already completed their unified conferment of ranks in the auditorium.

Another day passed, and the fourth brother had already boarded the train heading south. The military vehicle that came to pick up Zhang Anbang today had also arrived. As for the eldest brother, who was closest to the station, he would report for duty tomorrow. The second brother would also go to the Army General Hospital for his internship after seeing off the eldest brother.

Zhang Anbang carried only a backpack, saluted his two roommates, opened the car door, and got in.

"Third brother, do your best there. Don't keep anything to yourself, contact me anytime. Remember to take good care of yourself. I hope you live up to your mission and achieve great success." Cui Changkai and Wang Yang gave him their heartfelt advice.

"I understand. I will never forget my original aspiration and will forge ahead. I will come to visit you again when I have leave to visit my family. Please take good care of yourselves and I wish you a bright future and all the best."

Zhang Anbang also returned the blessing to his roommate, and then said, "Class monitor, thank you for your help, let's go."

The soldier in the driver's seat smiled and said, "Of course, Captain."

Then, starting the engine, depressing the clutch, and shifting gears were all done in one smooth motion, and the military green Jeep 212 sped away.

At the school gate, the two people seeing him off exchanged a glance, and Cui Shuai said, "I hope everything goes well for the third brother."

Wang Yang smiled and said, "I think it's fine. Lao San's physical fitness has improved a lot these days, and he's almost as good as a regular new recruit now."

After leaving the army, if he keeps this up, he should reach the level of a normal soldier in no time. Besides, he's an officer, not a top soldier. His position is in command, not on the front lines.