Starting from the deputy company commander of the Soldier Assault Team

As the old saying goes, "New recruits arrive at their units, and veterans celebrate the New Year," which perfectly describes the current situation where the arrival of new recruits lightens the burden on veterans.

With new people taking over the routine duties and housekeeping tasks such as sweeping the playground, cleaning the sewers, wiping the armory, helping the cooks prepare vegetables, folding blankets, and tidying up the house, things will be much easier for them.

Another issue is that the veterans have been together for a long time, some for at least a year, and they've become so familiar with each other that they've lost a lot of their fun.

The new recruits are different. They bring with them a sense of naivety and confusion, and many of them have a clear sense of foolishness in their eyes. When the leaders are strict, they get so nervous that they shout slogans off-key.

There have even been instances where an emergency assembly was misheard as a meal assembly.

A soldier went to the toilet, caught a weasel, tied it to a tree, and made it recite regulations. While reciting, he asked it, "Do you think I can become a general?" The political commissar, who couldn't sleep, overheard this and the next day, the soldier recited regulations to the weasel all day.

Privates leading privates on guard duty, especially during the second shift at night, are most prone to drowsiness. Although privates rarely fall asleep, it's not entirely impossible, and they usually remind each other.

However, the new recruits' actions were beyond the comprehension of the veterans. The moment the veterans fell to the ground, the new recruits' shrill cry of "Enemy attack!" immediately pulled the entire company up.

……

These embarrassing incidents are a source of joy in our peaceful lives. Each time one happens, the whole company can be happy for days. It can be said that new recruits are a source of joy when they arrive at the company. Some of their stories can even be heard throughout the entire regiment or even the entire division.

Of course, the new recruits do more than just funny things; they also get into a lot of trouble. You never know just how much trouble a new recruit can cause after joining the unit.

So clever of him to change into civilian clothes and steal an apple from a fellow villager, only to be chased by the villager's dog. Although the villager didn't catch him, he still came looking for him. The villager said, "Even my dog ​​can't catch you. If you're not one of your people, then who is?"

During a field training exercise, a villager bought a chicken and made it into a large plate of chicken. The villager caught him, and since most people couldn't afford five yuan, they would offer socks as payment.

……

However, there is a saying in the Steel Seventh Company that has not been passed down: when new recruits join the company, it is even more difficult for veterans.

The Steel Seventh Company doesn't accept ordinary recruits; they always select the best recruits from the recruit training units.

These people were able to become the best in the recruit company in just three months, so they must have some skills, especially the company commander Gao Cheng, who was a guy who could touch the soldiers' sense of honor and ignite their fighting spirit.

If this were during the War of Resistance against Japan, he would definitely be a guy like Li Yunlong, capable of leading a fierce and aggressive force to chase after the enemy.

Under Gao Cheng's leadership, these new recruits who had just joined the company were all eagerly training extra hard. For the veterans, this was a real threat; if they were surpassed by the new recruits, their days in the Steel Seventh Company would be numbered.

Therefore, the experience of new recruits joining the Seventh Steel Company was both painful and joyful for the veterans.

The reveille sounded precisely on time the next day.

Bai Tiejun was quite happy. "Agan, our Steel Seventh Company isn't as strict as the rumors say. We can actually get up according to the reveille. That's great."

Gan Xiaoning chuckled, "Of course, our company is a united and loving family. You'll know how great the Steel Seventh Company is in the future."

Gan Xiaoning would never tell him that this was the way he came from. After all, even in ancient times, a new bride was not immediately taught proper etiquette on her first day in the family. She would have to wait until the second day when the tea ceremony was held.

For the Steel Seventh Company, which is an army of the new era, giving them a day and a half is such a heartwarming gesture.

"Beep--beep beep beep-beep beep beep." The whistle broke the silence, with a long tone followed by short, rapid beats like drumbeats, like a steel needle piercing the newly awakened Steel Seventh Company.

Bai Tiejun noticed that the whistle sounded different from the assembly whistle he usually heard in basic training. He turned around and asked, "Agan, what's wrong with this whistle?"

Wu Liuyi's shout told him something was wrong: "Assemble fully armed!"

Bai Tiejun was stunned. He heard from the veterans that the company's morning exercises were also three kilometers of unarmed running. Just now, Agan had said that the Seventh Steel Company was a united and loving family.

On the first day of morning exercises, we ran three kilometers fully equipped – that's what love is all about.

Before Bai Tiejun could react, Agan urged him to hurry up and pack. "Bai Tiejun, hurry up! This isn't basic training anymore. If you're late for assembly, you'll be in big trouble."

Bai Tiejun was urged to speed up by Gan Xiaoning, while the other soldiers sprang up from their beds like springs, quickly grabbing their training uniforms. The quiet dormitory was filled with the rustling of clothes and the clicking of belt buckles.

"Hurry up! Don't dawdle! We still need to get our guns from the armory." Wu Liuyi's shout came from the doorway, and he had already neatly fastened his belt.

He glanced around the dormitory, his gaze landing precisely on Bai Tiejun. "Bai Tiejun! Hang up your gas mask! Xiao Ning, keep an eye on it and tell him to tighten it properly! Don't let him get lost."

Knock knock, knock knock.

The footsteps in the corridor were chaotic yet orderly, as soldiers from various squads lined up and ran toward the armory. Each person was in a hurry, yet everything was well-organized.

Squad leader Shi Jin is here at the armory. He is the company's duty officer for today. In order to prevent single people from accessing weapons, the troops implement the ironclad rule of two people and two locks. The armory has two different locks. One key is kept by the armorer, and the other is kept by the company's duty officer who takes turns every day.

When receiving or returning a gun, both individuals must be present to unlock it; neither can be absent.

The armorer was already used to this kind of work. Although they were both armorers, his workload in the Seventh Steel Company was several times greater than that in other companies. However, working in the Seventh Steel Company was a prestigious job, and the food was much better than in other companies.

The guns in the armory are stored in fixed locations, and each gun is numbered and corresponds to a specific soldier. The armorer knows the location and status of each gun very well. Shi Jin, as the company's duty officer, calls out the names of each soldier at the door, and the armorer retrieves the guns one by one.

Wu Liuyi stood at the armory entrance like a gatekeeper, loudly instructing his squad, "Pull back the bolt and check! Make sure there are no bullets in the chamber!"

"Click—clatter—" The sounds of bolts being pulled back rang out one after another. Bai Tiejun operated the gun as instructed. Although his movements were not as skilled as the veterans, they were not far off. After all, every new recruit who came to the Steel Seventh Company had some tricks up his sleeve.

At the edge of the parade ground, Gao Cheng and Zhang Anbang were already standing under the flagpole. Both of them were fully armed. Junior officers were responsible for leading the charge. Just as Zhukov said, war is a huge meat grinder for junior officers and soldiers.

This is why junior officers place such importance on physical fitness and military skills these days.

As the military commanders of the Seventh Steel Company, they were responsible for leading the charge in battle when war broke out, and naturally, they couldn't avoid training.

……

After a morning exercise session, Bai Tiejun stuck out his tongue. "Agan, this is just a morning exercise session, but the intensity is too high. I was one of the top students in the recruit training camp. I'm exhausted like this."

Gan Xiaoning patted Bai Tiejun on the shoulder and said, "Old Bai, right? This just shows that you're too bad. The deputy company commander said that if you're bad, you should practice more."

Wu Liuyi chimed in, "Xiao Ning is right. We're an armored reconnaissance company, and we can't avoid fighting off the vehicles. How can we manage without training our iron legs? You should train hard with Xiao Ning from now on, and if you can't keep up, you can train more."

Cheng Cai noticed the difference after just one morning exercise session. He was unique in the recruit company, but he was simply not good enough here.

During basic training, he had never seen the deputy company commander, who was also training, lead a fully armed unit like him, and even had a large black star gun at his waist, chasing after them back and forth.

Cheng Cai made up his mind that he had to train hard and catch up with them so that he could stay and not go back to that small village.

……

Gao Cheng stood at the front of the group, his hands on his belt, and said, "Say something."

"Comrades, before we begin training, I have some good news to share with you."

A while ago, our deputy company commander, squad leader Shi Jin, and squad deputy Wu Liuyi bravely rescued people who had fallen into the water while they were out on duty, ensuring the safety of the people. After deliberation by the division, it was decided to award the three comrades a second-class merit. Let's all give them a round of applause!

A round of applause erupted, and every soldier in the Seventh Steel Company felt honored. Wu Liuyi clapped his hands loudly, not only for himself but also because he was happy that this would increase the chances of his squad leader staying on.

Gao Cheng waved his hand, and the applause stopped. "The day after tomorrow, our entire company will go to the regimental auditorium to attend the award ceremony for the three comrades. I hope you will learn from them and continue training. Tell the cooks to have extra food tonight."

……