Chapter 40: The Ginger Is Indeed Spicier When Old!

None of the recruits, including Chu An, had expected the roll call to last this long.

Tong Lianzhong had previously given the impression of being a very crisp and efficient man. But now? He was only on the second of his "three points," and he had just reached the eighth sub-point... Half an hour had passed at the very least!

The leg Chu An was squatting on was already trembling uncontrollably. He desperately wanted to switch legs, but that was clearly out of the question.

Finally, after another few minutes, Tong Lianzhong moved on to the third point. To everyone's surprise, it was remarkably brief; there were no endless expansions or sub-points.

"Comrades, this third point is the focus of your work for the next three months, and indeed for the next three, five, or even six years of your service." He scanned the crowd, his tone deepening as he added, "Physical fitness! Your body is the capital of revolution. After lights out later, each squad will organize physical training before going to bed!"

With that, he barked, "Stand up!"

In that moment, Chu An and the other recruits felt as if that command was the most beautiful sound they had ever heard. Their legs were completely numb!

The company was dismissed in an orderly fashion, but as they reached the barracks, Squad Leader Wang called out, "Squad Four, come with me!"

"Coming!" the recruits of Squad Four thought in unison, while simultaneously casting a glance at Gong Liqun. Everyone followed, including the three recruits who had been pulled aside earlier during the roll call to write their self-criticisms. In fact, those three were the only ones in the squad who still had no idea what was happening. They were bewildered and confused as to why Old Wang wasn't taking them back to the dorms like the other squads, but was instead leading them toward the edge of the camp.

...

"Do you want to go take a look?"

At the entrance of the company headquarters office in the first dormitory building, the Company Commander and the Instructor were standing together. When the Instructor spoke, the Commander chuckled, "No time. I have to head to the battalion headquarters for a meeting. You go keep an eye on them!"

"Will do!" The Instructor smiled, turned, and slowly followed behind. He knew where Old Wang was taking them. There was a large auditorium in that direction. Although the C Regiment’s recruit barracks lacked many facilities, they did have an auditorium. He had already guessed what Old Wang intended to do.

...

"Come on, put this on!"

Inside the auditorium, after turning on the lights, Old Wang retrieved two pieces of protective gear from the back—designed to cover only the face and neck—along with two wooden sticks over a meter long, tipped with rubber caps. He tossed one set of gear to Gong Liqun and put the other on himself.

Once geared up, he didn't even look at the still-motionless Gong Liqun, but turned to the rest of Squad Four. "Today, I am going to teach you the bayonet techniques that every soldier must know and master!"

Only then did he turn back to Gong Liqun and bark sternly, "Well? Did you not hear me?"

Gong Liqun didn't say a word, but he silently put on the protective gear. He had never learned bayonet techniques, but he had trained in staff fighting.

"What on earth is going on?"

Chu An and the others stood in a row, watching the scene. Xu Ji’an and the others couldn't help but whisper their curiosity. No one dared to answer, as the Squad Leader was right in front of them. Chu An, hearing them, shot a low, sharp reprimand: "Pay attention to squad discipline! No talking!"

He hadn't even finished his hundred push-ups yet, and if he kept this up, he might end up with even more. As for whether Xu Ji’an and the others would think he was using his minor authority to act like a big shot, he couldn't care less about that now.

"Are you ready?"

In front of him, Old Wang held his wooden stick with both hands, and Gong Liqun did the same. Gong Liqun took a deep breath, adopted a stance, and said, "Squad Leader, be careful!"

At this point, he felt he had no other choice. If that was the case, then he would fight. If he could beat the Squad Leader and prove his strength, then today's incident would surely be put to rest! That was what he thought, but events did not unfold as he had anticipated.

"Kill!" Old Wang roared, lunging forward with both hands to strike at Gong Liqun's face. Gong Liqun’s eyes narrowed behind his mask, and he reflexively raised his stick to parry. He hadn't studied bayonet fighting, but he had trained in staff techniques! He figured that even with sticks, he wouldn't be at a disadvantage.

But a second later, as the sticks clashed, he realized he had made a terrible mistake. Underneath Old Wang's fierce appearance, the thrust of his stick had no real force behind it. And almost the exact moment Gong Liqun raised his stick to block, Old Wang pulled back.

"Urgh!"

Gong Liqun stumbled back several steps. He had been struck in the stomach. Old Wang’s move was a classic bayonet feint—pretending to strike high while actually thrusting low. Naturally, someone who hadn't trained in it wouldn't know it. Although Gong Liqun was a martial artist and realized something was wrong the moment the sticks touched, it was already too late to react.

"On the battlefield, as a soldier, it is either you or the enemy who dies. Therefore, your attacks must be fast, accurate, and ruthless, aiming for a kill in a single strike!" Old Wang’s voice muffled behind the mask as he looked at Gong Liqun, who was rubbing his stomach before gripping his stick once more. "Again!"

"Right!" After being struck, Gong Liqun abandoned his last shred of hesitation regarding the Squad Leader's rank.

"Kill!" He roared, imitating Old Wang’s shout, and attacked. But he went in fast and came back even faster! He dropped his grip on the stick with one hand, shaking it in pain. He had been struck on the hand.

"Again!" Old Wang roared, not letting him rest for a second before attacking again.

*Clack! Clack!*

The sound of clashing sticks echoed. A moment later, Old Wang’s vigorous voice rang out again: "Again!"

...

A few minutes flew by, and some of the recruits in Squad Four couldn't bear to watch anymore. It was miserable. After a dozen rounds, Gong Liqun had only managed to touch Old Wang once, and that was only because Old Wang had intentionally allowed a mutual strike. Or rather, not a mutual strike, but one that resulted in one dead and one wounded. Gong Liqun had been struck in the stomach, while Old Wang had merely been tapped on the shoulder.

Gong Liqun was now lying flat on his back. He felt pain all over, especially in his stomach; if he lifted his shirt, it would surely be bruised. Old Wang hadn't held back. In fact, the bayonet gear usually included a chest protector, but Old Wang had intentionally brought only the headgear. How would the boy know if he was truly soft if he didn't feel the pain?

"Get up! Didn't you say you could take on me, the Company Commander, and the Instructor all at once? Can't you even handle me alone?" Old Wang’s stern voice echoed through the auditorium.

But this time, Gong Liqun lay on the ground, not moving. His confidence had been completely shattered. He had initially thought Old Wang was playing dirty, but those dozen rounds had made him realize the sheer gap between them. Yes, he was talented—he had taken so many hits from Old Wang and hadn't even cried out in pain—but that was all it amounted to.

He had overlooked a crucial fact. Although he had practiced martial arts since childhood, the squad leaders selected to train recruits were the elite of the elite, the true top-tier veterans of their companies. In this day and age, bayonet combat was a vital part of military training, centered on actual combat and constant sparring. A veteran refined by such training was in a completely different league than the flashy, form-based moves he had learned at home.

"Hmph, and I thought you were something special!" Seeing Gong Liqun playing dead on the floor, Old Wang scoffed and turned to Chu An and the others. "Does anyone else want to try?"

Immediately, five or six of the remaining ten recruits reacted quickly, shaking their heads like bobbleheads. Are you kidding? Who in their right mind would go looking for a beating? The way Old Wang used that stick, even with the rubber tip, looked painful.

"Hmph, a bunch of weaklings!"

As he spoke, he removed his headgear and looked down at the still-prone Gong Liqun. "What? Playing dead? Take off the gear!"

Gong Liqun gritted his teeth against the pain and climbed to his feet. A moment later, Old Wang took the gear and sticks back to the rear of the auditorium. Standing before Chu An and the others again, he barked, "Let me tell you this: once you're in the military, leave your civilian attitudes back home. I don't care if you were a dragon or a tiger before; here, you're all just worms. If you want to prove you're not, then train hard and let your performance speak for itself! Do you understand?"

"Understood!"

"Did you not eat?"

Chu An and the others had actually shouted quite loudly, but after that roar from Old Wang, everyone strained their lungs to the limit and bellowed: "Understood!"