Chapter 14: Hundreds of Billions Nurtured an Ungrateful Traitor!

"Platoon Leader, I'm not afraid. Just tell us!"
"Yes, Platoon Leader, please speak!"

At this moment, Chu An felt a vivid déjà vu, reminiscent of Xiuqin urging Li Yunlong to open fire.

Of course, Chu An was genuinely curious about what the platoon leader was about to say.

He knew that early next year they would go to war with the Vietnamese, understood the reasons behind it, and even knew how the war would end.

But what he didn’t know were the intricate stories and details that led up to the conflict.

"Ah, you guys! Just like calves unafraid of tigers!"

Platoon Leader Ma performed a brief act before beginning to speak.

"Alright, let me tell you about something that recently happened around here."

He glanced at everyone and continued, "Before I tell you the story, let me first explain the background and the overall situation."

Chu An pricked up his ears, and the others did the same. This time, Ma didn’t dawdle and spoke directly:

"Our border with Vietnam is very long, stretching across two provinces. In most areas, there’s a buffer zone left between the boundary markers of the two countries."

He paused, then went on: "But this buffer zone isn’t without value.

In many places, because the terrain is flat, both sides’ border villagers have settled and cultivated farmland there, so naturally, specific border lines need to be demarcated."

Platoon Leader Ma scanned the group and seeing no one asked questions, he continued:

"These detailed border lines are mostly defined by mountains, rivers, or obvious landmarks.

For example, about twenty kilometers south of here, there’s a flat open area where both sides’ villagers farm on either side, and the real border is marked by a century-old tree.

The land on the side of that ancient tree belongs to Vietnam, while the farmland on our side of the tree belongs to our villagers."

"Platoon Leader, what’s the problem with that? I heard on the radio back home that our country and Vietnam are friendly nations, right?"

At this, a new recruit couldn’t help but ask.

Ma looked at him: "They were, once."

"Ah! Were? Platoon Leader, isn’t that no longer the case?" Another recruit seized the point.

"Yes," Ma nodded. Just then, Squad Leader Wang interjected: "Everyone, listen to the platoon leader first. No questions for now."

The new recruits fell silent immediately, and Ma continued:

"You all live far inland, so it’s understandable you don’t know much about the border situation."

After a pause, he resumed:

"We and Vietnam were indeed friendly nations, and from the 1950s until their complete unification, we never stopped providing various forms of aid.

But that was then. Ever since the Eagle Empire withdrew its troops, Vietnam fully unified, and cozied up to the Soviets, they have become arrogant.

Once claiming to be the world’s third strongest military power, and with the encouragement and support of the Soviets, they started repaying kindness with hostility from last year onward, constantly provoking trouble along our border!"

Ma glanced around again.

He watched the new recruits’ reactions.

Clearly, some looked confused, some angry, and others thoughtful.

"Chu An, have you heard about this?"

Ma asked curiously, noticing Chu An’s pensive expression.

"Ah... no..." Chu An replied, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Then why the furrowed brows? I thought you knew!" Ma chuckled, but didn’t wait for Chu An to respond further. Instead, he looked at the others and continued:

"Take that open field I mentioned as an example.

Originally, the old tree marked the border, with each side’s farmland clearly defined. Because we were friendly, villagers on both sides had close relations. But one night last mid-year, that old tree was cut down in a single night!

After that, Vietnam’s ridges started creeping forward daily, inching into our territory bit by bit."

"Ah, that’s..."

"This is downright bullying!"

The new recruits were indignant, and Chu An was baffled.

He knew the war was Vietnam’s ungrateful provocation, but he hadn’t imagined their provocations would take this form.

"Yes! It’s sheer bullying!" Ma nodded, his smile fading, fists clenched as he spoke:

"For over twenty or thirty years, we tightened our belts, feeding these ingrates with hundreds of billions!"

"Are we just going to let them run wild like this?" Chu An couldn’t hold back.

Ma looked at him: "Of course not. That’s why Squad Leader Wang told me to explain this to you now is not the right time."

"Platoon Leader, I’m not afraid. If we have to fight, I’ll be the first to charge!"

"Yes, being afraid isn’t being a hero. For country and people, I’ll beat the lungs out of these ingrates!"

The new recruits became fired up, each eager to declare their resolve.

Ma smiled again, then gestured for calm.

Once quiet returned, he said: "Actually, it’s not that severe yet."

"So far, we haven’t had the chance to deploy. It’s only local militias clashing with them.

But I want to make it clear: we are soldiers. Now that we’re stationed here, if Vietnam still doesn’t rein in its behavior, if their provocations escalate, we might really have to go head-to-head with them."

He fixed everyone with a stern gaze:

"Whether with batons or firearms, this could involve bloodshed and sacrifice."

"I’m not afraid!"

"Yes, Platoon Leader, like I said, for country and people, death is the highest honor!"

One after another, the recruits reaffirmed their determination.

As for Chu An, he seemed lost in thought and remained silent.

Of course, Platoon Leader Ma and Squad Leader Wang noticed this.

After the others finished speaking, Wang glanced at Chu An with a teasing tone:

"Chu An, aren’t you afraid, you intellectual?"

"Ah? How could I be!"

Chu An snapped out of it and laughed:

"This tiny country has been taught lessons by our ancestors countless times throughout history. Why would I fear them?

I’m just wondering if they really have no self-awareness.

Only a few years of peace, and they’ve already forgotten who they are because they haven’t had enough to eat?

If they had any sense, they’d be resting and recovering, not turning hostile with us."

"Intellectuals always think deeper than us rough, uneducated types!"

As Chu An finished, Ma laughed too:

"The truth is simple — they’re just relying on the Soviets backing them up. Without the Soviets, they’d still be wagging their tails at us!"

Ma didn’t wait for more comments:

"Alright, this matter isn’t to be spread around. It was just some nonsense from Squad Leader Wang earlier; otherwise, I wouldn’t have told you.

This topic ends here. You may know about it, but don’t go blabbing outside this dormitory.

If I hear anyone else outside knows about this, I’ll hold you accountable!"

"Yes, we promise to keep it secret!"

Chu An and the others answered in unison, though Chu An suspected the other dormitories were probably going through the same briefing.

Why?

Chu An wasn’t sure. At this moment, he believed that besides himself, probably no one dared to be certain that Vietnam would keep pushing until they forced us to actually send troops.

No matter what Ma and the others thought, Chu An could only play ignorant for now.

The dormitory fell silent.

With the topic concluded, Ma ordered everyone to dismantle the neatly folded quilts they had spent the morning making and to lay them out again for an afternoon nap.

Though everyone was reluctant—some even asked Ma and Wang if they could just sleep on straw instead of folding the quilts again—the answer was no.

Squad Leader Wang even said plainly that quilts are meant to be used for covering, and what they were practicing was how to quickly fold a used quilt into a standard tofu-block shape, not to slowly fold it into something resembling tofu and then put it away.

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