The Fiery Era: Starting from Longxugou

"Line up, the teacher is coming!"

As soon as Wang Xuewu from the Sports Commission spoke, the previously noisy team instantly fell silent, and everyone stood ramrod straight.

Seeing his classmates' reactions, Wang Xuewu was very satisfied, and then quickly ran to the teacher to salute and report.

"Reporting, teacher! Class 1 of Grade 11 should have 49 students present, and 49 students are present. No one is absent. Please advise!"

"Return to the team!"

Zhang Kangzhan returned the gift and issued instructions!

"yes!"

Wang Xuewu jogged back to the group and stood in line.

"At ease! Today's training event is the throwing of wooden-handled grenades. According to the labor and defense regulations, boys must throw 36 meters to pass, and girls 22 meters. Those who do not meet the standard should practice throwing bricks and stones more often..."

Standing in the line, Zhao Shi'an saw the PE teacher standing tall and straight like a pine tree, his dark face devoid of any smile, his eyes cold and sharp. Meeting the teacher's eyes, he immediately felt a strong sense of pressure.

He quickly looked away and continued listening to the teacher's lecture.

The full name of the "Labor and Defense System" that the teacher just mentioned is: "Preparatory Labor and National Defense Sports System." "Labor" refers to labor, and "Defense" refers to national defense; that is, it involves strengthening physical fitness through physical exercise to prepare for labor and defend the country. Through sports level tests, it promotes the active participation of citizens, especially young people, in sports.

This system originated from the sports system established by the Soviet Union in 1931. In 1951, my country piloted it in Beijing and other places. Last month, the State Council officially approved the Labor and Defense System, and it began to be implemented nationwide. Hand grenade throwing has also become a compulsory test item!

Although China had won the war that founded the nation and shifted its focus to economic development, with the First Five-Year Plan progressing steadily, the external environment remained challenging.

Knowing the course of history, Zhao Shi'an understood that the subsequent deterioration of relations with the Soviet Union and the country's difficult situation made the implementation of the Labor and Defense System all the more forward-thinking.

"Attention, everyone! Right turn, march! Led by the sports committee member, jog three laps around the track!"

As soon as Zhang Kangzhan finished speaking, Wang Xuewu ran out of the group and began to lead the team.

After finishing their jog, the students dispersed in a gymnastics formation to stretch their wrists, ankles, and legs.

After warming up, Zhang Kangzhan looked at the group of students in front of him and said in a deep voice:

"Today's lesson: Five-Step Boxing, basic military combat stance."

"Punch hard, keep your stance stable. Begin!"

As soon as the teacher finished speaking, Wang Xuewu got into position, stood directly in front of the students, and began to demonstrate while calling out commands!

"One, two..."

The students practiced following the commands. The Five-Step Boxing is a basic boxing style that students have been practicing since elementary school. Now that they are in their first year of high school, they have been practicing for at least five or six years, so they are naturally very proficient in it.

Zhao Shi'an had never learned Five-Step Boxing, but he had practiced military boxing during military training. Fortunately, the two had many similarities, and with the original owner's memories, he could barely pass himself off as someone else.

After finishing the Five-Step Fist, he practiced the Basic Long Fist, Cha Fist, and Cannon Fist one by one.

After the boxing practice ended, Zhang Kangzhan signaled for the sports committee member to return to his post, then pointed to a large, open wooden box at his feet and said:

"Each person gets a wooden-handled grenade. Boys take the big ones, girls take the small ones. Get yours and stand in line. Listen to my explanation!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shi'an hurriedly ran to get a grenade. He had never touched one during military training, so he was going to have some fun with it today.

Arriving at the wooden crate, he picked out a grenade that looked pleasing to the eye. The grenade had a wooden handle, was over twenty centimeters tall, and had a cast iron warhead. At the very top of the wooden handle was an oval-shaped cap, which revealed a hemp rope when pried open. Seeing this thing, Zhao Shi'an was eager to try it out, but remembering his teacher's words, he forcibly suppressed his impulsive thoughts.

"Stand still, everyone!"

After seeing that all the students had taken their grenades, Zhang Kangzhan casually picked up a wooden-handled grenade and began to explain:

"This is the Type 51 wooden-handled grenade, our first standard-issue weapon!"

It is 25 cm long, weighs 550 grams, has a cast iron head and a hardwood handle, and is loaded with 50 grams of explosives.

Open the lid, pull the rope, throw it; it explodes in 3 to 4 seconds, with a kill radius of 10 meters, producing approximately 70 fragments, some of which can travel up to 30 meters away!

As Zhang Kangzhan explained, he demonstrated the actions, and the students imitated him.

After the students had had their fill of explanation, he continued:

"In the military, the passing requirement for live-fire throwing is 30 meters. Based on the labor and defense system, first-year high school boys use a pound of training ammunition, and the passing result is 36 meters, 42 meters is good, and 48 meters is excellent; girls use 10 ounces of ammunition, and the passing result is 22 meters, 28 meters is good, and 34 meters is excellent."

The wooden-handled grenade is not ordinary training equipment, but a real weapon for killing enemies.

If the throwing distance is too short, the angle of release is wrong, or the force is insufficient, after the explosion, the flying shrapnel, gravel, and debris will first injure yourself and your comrades-in-arms!

Throwing far and accurately is never a simple physical education test, nor is it just about getting scores in the labor and defense system.

On the battlefield, this is the skill to save one's life and the ability to kill the enemy and win.

The enemy won't give you a second chance; life and death hang in the balance.

Therefore, grenade throwing training cannot tolerate any perfunctory attitude or carelessness.

Every exertion of force, every movement, and every repetition of the key points must be practiced thoroughly and meticulously.

Practicing throwing distance is not only to protect your own safety, but also to effectively kill the enemy in critical moments and defend your country.

Only by sweating more on the training ground can we bleed less on the battlefield. Do you all understand?

"I understand!"

The students responded loudly, their voices booming!

"Didn't you hear me! Haven't you eaten yet?"

"I understand!"

"Very good! Next, I will explain the movements. The first step is holding the bullet!"

Support the base of the projectile with your left hand and grip the handle firmly with your right. Remember, palms facing backward, so as not to obstruct your view!

Hey! Very good, step two…”

Zhang Kangzhan then began to explain the steps of throwing a grenade.

Zhao Shi'an listened attentively, occasionally imitating the teacher's explanations. He suddenly remembered that the teacher had mentioned that girls used ten-ounce bullets. He realized that the 16-ounce scale was still in use in China. The weight of one jin (a unit of weight) hadn't changed; it was still 500 grams. This was a reform implemented by the Republic of China to align with international standards, and it was still in use domestically.

So, one tael is 31.25 grams, which is exactly the weight of a small yellow croaker.

Having grasped the essence of this era, Zhao Shi'an remembered it well.

He held the grenade with obvious delight. After learning that there was no explosive inside, he felt much more at ease. He picked up the grenade and tossed it around, muttering to himself: "This should be able to throw 36 meters without any problem, right?"

The original owner had been doing farm work since childhood, and had just turned the soil two days ago. She still had some strength. Even if she didn't know how to exert force, passing shouldn't be a problem. If she mastered the technique, getting an excellent grade wouldn't be impossible.

Thinking about all this, he immediately wanted to give it a try!

As Zhang Kangzhan explained, he corrected the students' movements one by one, and then began to explain the last movement.

"Step 3, pull up your arm!"

Don't straighten your arms; hold your strength like you're drawing a bow.

Wrists, elbows, back—taut in a straight line! Ready—go!

After Zhang Kangzhan finished speaking, he made a standard throwing motion, and the grenade in his hand flew in a perfect parabola, flying over most of the playground before finally landing on the ground.

"Wow!"

When the teacher threw it so far, the students exclaimed "Wow!"

"Did you see that clearly? Push off the ground, rotate your body, swing your arm, and snap your wrist! Remember these eight words!"

Throwing practice begins now. First group, step forward!