Names: Uncle Zhao Mengsheng, Father-in-law Pei Yihong

Several soldiers responsible for receiving the troops walked over, their expressions serious.

Squad Leader Zheng frowned and said sternly, "What are you crying for! A real man shouldn't be crying like this."

If you join the army, you have to act like a soldier.

Everyone has it.

gather!"

Zhao Ruilong was frightened by Zheng's tone, and his crying stopped abruptly.

Following instructions, the new recruits quickly assembled and formed neat rows.

"Listen up, all of you!" Squad Leader Zheng stood at the front of the formation, his voice booming and his tone stern. "We're about to board military trucks and head to a regiment in the Northern Xinjiang Military Region. The journey will take about two hours. You can talk on the way, but no horseplay or complaining. Do you all understand?"

"Understood!" Except for Zhao Ruilong, all the other recruits answered in unison, their voices loud and clear, full of enthusiasm and vigor.

Zhao Ruilong dawdled along with the others and boarded the military truck.

Zhao Ruilong huddled in the corner of the truck, muttering, "I want to go home so badly. I can't take it anymore. This place is no human being..."

Cheng Du glanced at him and said, "Zhao Ruilong, you caterpillar, can you stop acting like Lin Daiyu?"

Everyone's the same, you're just being dramatic. If you keep grumbling, I might throw you off the bus!

Zhao Ruilong felt a bit scared after what Cheng Du said.

Looking out the window at the vast desert and desolate Gobi, he felt like an abandoned little bird, isolated and helpless.

In Handong, he was pampered by many people.

But here, no one cares for you, no one loves you.

Qi Tongwei leaned against the truck, facing the wind, gazing into the distance.

He turned to look at the taciturn recruit and found that the other was also looking at him.

Qi Tongwei nodded slightly, and the other person also nodded gently, without saying a word, yet they seemed to have a tacit understanding.

Military trucks sped across the Gobi Desert, bumping violently, with sand and dust flying everywhere, stinging and numbing their faces.

Not a single person bent over, not a single person complained; this is what soldiers should look like.

More than two hours later, the military trucks finally arrived at a regiment of the Northern Xinjiang Military Region.

In the camp, colorful flags fluttered and slogans resounded. Veterans, dressed in neat uniforms, stood in orderly rows to welcome the new recruits.

The new recruits jumped off the vehicles, quickly assembled, and formed neat rows.

Soon, a middle-aged man in a military officer's uniform, with a straight posture, walked over. He was the regimental commander, Lu Guangrong.

He walked to the front of the line, his gaze slowly sweeping over each new recruit, and said solemnly, "Comrades, welcome! You've worked hard."

The new recruits answered in unison, "Greetings, Commander! Serving the people!"

Lu Guangrong nodded. "You come from all over the country, and once you put on this uniform, you become a glorious soldier of the People's Liberation Army."

The conditions in the Northern Xinjiang Military Region are harsh and the environment is severe. Here, you will undergo the most arduous training, you will shed your pampered nature, you will learn to take responsibility, you will learn to persevere, you will learn to unite, and you will learn to dedicate yourselves!

His voice was strong and clear.

Qi Tongwei looked at Lu Guangrong with eyes full of admiration.

Lu Guangrong is Lu Yike's father.

In his previous life, Qi Tongwei had met Lu Guangrong at Gao Yuliang's house.

Now, Qi Tongwei knows Lu Guangrong, but Lu Guangrong does not know Qi Tongwei.

Lu Guangrong paused for a moment, then continued, "I don't care what your previous status or education was, or what your family background was. Here, everyone is equal, everyone is an ordinary soldier, and everyone must abide by the discipline of the army."

Obey orders, follow commands, train hard, and strive to become a qualified People's Liberation Army soldier to defend the country.

Do you have confidence?

"Yes!" the new recruits answered in unison.

The voice was loud and deafening.

After Lu Guangrong finished speaking, it was Liu Xinjian's turn.

Liu Xinjian was tall and not too fat. "New comrades, welcome to our regiment!"

The commander has made his point very clear.

Once you're here, you have to act like a soldier. Discipline is paramount, and obedience is paramount!

I hope you can overcome the difficulties, work hard, and become outstanding soldiers as soon as possible!

Qi Tongwei looked at Liu Xinjian and understood.

In his previous life, after retiring from the military, Liu Xinjian became Zhao Lichun's secretary and later got caught up in the vortex of officialdom.

However, Liu Xinjian is still serving in the military and remains a passionate soldier, and has not yet crossed paths with Zhao Lichun.

After Liu Xinjian finished speaking, he gave Lu Guangrong a standard military salute, then turned to the new recruits and said, "Now, distribute the food. Everyone, have something to eat first, then assign dormitories and tidy up your belongings!"

Upon hearing the word "food," Zhao Ruilong instantly perked up, his eyes lighting up as he thought to himself: Great! Finally, there's food! It must be the whole roasted lamb that Li Dakang mentioned, along with raisins. I'm going to eat my fill!

He eagerly awaited the soldiers bringing out the whole roasted lamb and raisins.

Unexpectedly, the soldiers came over with a plate of naan bread.

They handed the bags to the new recruits, one bag for each of them.

There was no whole roasted lamb, no raisins, only a dry, hard naan.

Hold the grass!

The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

Zhao Ruilong's face darkened instantly as he looked at the naan in his hand.

He snatched the naan, took a big bite, and the dry, hard naan made his throat hurt, and the taste was also very unpleasant.

He couldn't help but frown, then abruptly threw the naan on the ground, complaining, "What kind of junk is this?"

This tastes awful!

I won't eat it! Li Dakang lied to me. He said there would be roast whole lamb and raisins, but there weren't any at all!

I want to eat a whole roasted lamb!

His actions instantly drew everyone's attention, and everyone fell silent.

The veterans' eyes were full of dissatisfaction, and the new recruits also frowned, feeling that Zhao Ruilong had gone too far.

Lu Guangrong's face instantly darkened, his eyes sharp as knives as he stared at Zhao Ruilong and barked, "That recruit, step forward!"

Zhao Ruilong was startled by Lu Guangrong's tone, and trembled all over, but still reluctantly walked out of the group.

He lowered his head, not daring to look Lu Guangrong in the eye.

"What's your name?" Lu Guangrong's voice was icy cold, devoid of any warmth.

Zhao Ruilong trembled with fear, his voice weak, and he forced himself to say, "Zhao... Zhao Ruilong."

"Zhao Ruilong? Pick it up." Lu Guangrong sneered. "Do you know what you just did? You didn't just throw away a naan bread; you threw away precious food! Do you know how precious food is in the northern frontier? How many soldiers can't even bear to eat a single naan bread during training? And you just threw it away like that? Do you deserve this uniform? Do you deserve the soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect this land? Do you deserve the hardworking farmers and soldiers of the Production and Construction Corps?"

Zhao Ruilong bent down and picked it up, speechless after being confronted by Lu Guangrong, but still managed to argue, "I... I just think it tastes awful, I don't want to eat it, I want to eat whole roasted lamb! My dad is Zhao Lichun, he won't let me eat this garbage!"

"Zhao Lichun?" Lu Guangrong raised an eyebrow, then sneered, "Oh, so you had someone give you a heads-up beforehand. In that case, Comrade Liu Xinjian, please give Zhao Ruilong special consideration."