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墨書 Inktalez
A sleepless night turned into a restless morning, and by the time I had breakfast, the Company Commander was taken aback when he saw me, asking why my eyes were as red as a rabbit's. I shared my tangled thoughts with him, and he laughed heartily, saying, "You local university students just don't understand. In Armed Swimming, collective swimming can utilize floating devices like air bags, bamboo rafts, or rafts, along with ropes for support."
"Look at you, scared out of your wits. I told you to find time to practice, but you didn't listen. Now you're afraid?" The Company Commander teased. I mustered my courage and replied, "I wanted to practice, but there aren't any conditions for it. Isn't it against regulations for our unit to swim in the river? We also don't have the time or money to go to the swimming pool!"
"Ah, you're good at everything except this," the Company Commander said with a hint of regret. "By the looks of you, are you planning to give it a shot?"
"Yes, I don't want to be a taxi driver; a soldier should strive to be better. You've laid a solid foundation for me, and the soldiers are all quite capable. I think we can give it a try."
"I didn't see that coming; you have quite the ambition! A freshly graduated military doctor turning into a squad leader and then aiming for this honor—everyone will think you're superhuman!" the Company Commander joked.
"No, no, I just want to test my abilities," I quickly waved my hands.
The Company Commander pondered for a moment and said, "To be honest, I know my unit well. In terms of fundamentals, I believe our company is average within the entire unit; we should rank first or second. But if we compare each platoon individually, I'm not so sure. According to our Company Commander’s intel, Captain Deng from the Second Battalion's Fourth Company is quite formidable. And then there's the Third Battalion's Seventh Company; they haven't been performing well in recent years—average strength not matching ours or Fourth Company’s—but their A Row is still impressive."
The Company Commander glanced around and lowered his voice. "The Seventh Company's Commander has been consistently placing third or even fourth during assessments these past few years. This time they are determined to turn things around. Some say that Seventh Company's Commander is very cunning; he adjusted personnel last year and almost all the outstanding soldiers were moved to A Row when new recruits came in."
I was taken aback. "How did Seventh Company's Commander manage that?" It was known that personnel were assigned according to roster lists; it shouldn't be possible for one unit to hoard all the good soldiers.
"The Seventh Company's Commander is the cousin of the current Deputy Chief of Staff! This assessment setup for Sharp Blade Company was suggested by him to the leadership; it seems he’s dead set on winning!" The Company Commander lit a cigarette and took a deep drag before continuing.
I felt a jolt of concern; how could we compete? Normally each unit practiced independently without comparison, so I wasn't entirely sure about my comrades' capabilities. From what the Company Commander said, it seemed this unit was fully prepared for the assessment—could we keep up?
Lost in thought, the Company Commander suddenly exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "Don't overthink it; we will definitely support you. Train however you need to train; in terms of quality, we may not lose to them. Besides, I'll make some adjustments accordingly."
The Company Commander smiled mysteriously, turning to summon the Communicator to notify all the company leaders to gather for a meeting. I wondered what scheme the Company Commander was concocting.
As I entered the conference room, the Unit leaders trickled in one after another. The Company Commander and the Instructor were whispering to each other. Soon, everyone had arrived, and the Company Commander decisively announced the start of the meeting.
"I have discussed with the Instructor, and tomorrow we will gather all the soldiers for a military quality assessment. Those who score excellent will be concentrated in A Row, and Squad Leader Wang will be designated as the seed squad. The other squads will focus on providing support and protection for A Row to ensure they win first place in the competition!" The Company Commander's opening statement stunned everyone.
After a pause, the Company Commander added, "Don't overthink it; we will follow the structure. Since our company is Sharp Blade Company, it is only natural that A Row should strive to claim this title. Squad Leader Wang is not only the Squad Leader of A Row but also familiar with the Squad Soldiers, so we have decided to fully support and protect Squad Leader Wang's A Row during the competition. The other two squads may be sacrificed if necessary in our competition for Sharp Blade Company. However, he can only lead his team if our Unit can secure a spot in the top three. Therefore, the other two Red Badge Acting Squad Leaders must assist Squad Leader Wang in his preparations and quickly strengthen training for those soldiers who are lagging behind after personnel adjustments so that they can keep up with everyone else and not hold back our Unit."
I never expected the Company Commander would support me in this way; I was momentarily at a loss for words. The other two Red Badge Trainee Squad Leaders stood up in unison and said, "Yes!"
After the meeting adjourned and everyone left, I remained in the conference room. As the Company Commander passed by me, he gave my shoulder a meaningful pat. "The foundation has been laid for you; you can rest assured about personnel arrangements. With this team competing, it’s up to your leadership and teamwork now. You don't have much time left to get them coordinated."
I silently nodded, watching as everyone exited the conference room. I was the last to leave, gazing at my A Row soldiers who were training hard in front of the Barracks. I couldn't help but think, "What does this mean? If we really go through with this, how will I deal with He Baisha and those soldiers whose military qualities are lacking? We don’t need you; you’re just a burden to us."
Thinking of this, I looked at He Baisha and his team as they continued their push-up training under the sun. They had no idea that several brothers under Lieutenant General would soon lose their honor and responsibility of fighting for their squad. They were all passionately preparing for battle in A Row. At that moment, how could I bring down this division upon them? How would they view me or our Unit afterward? Would it mean that anyone could be sacrificed or abandoned whenever needed?
Reflecting on my time with them and their innocent smiles, I made a decision in that fleeting moment: I would go to Unit and request not to reorganize; I would compete with this foundation. Win or lose, I accepted it—this was my squad! A makeshift unit may have strong individuals, but as a whole, it remains fragile!
That was my only argument with the Company Commander after leaving Unit. The Company Commander was shocked by my choice but even more surprised by my stubbornness. After several failed attempts to persuade me, he lost his patience entirely, kicking over a chair at Company Headquarters while pointing his finger at me and shouting, attracting many soldiers from Unit to watch.
"Narrow-minded! You’re protecting your own squad; have you thought about the entire company? Do you think you're the only one with collective Honor? Do you think you can decide everything on your own? How childish! Put away your ridiculous pride! Without support from the entire company, do you really think your squad can beat Fourth Company?"
I wasn't angry; I simply stood up calmly and replied, "Unit Honor is important, but Sharp Blade Company's significance isn't built on makeshift units. Sharp Blade Company is a whole; it's more about cooperation and unity—winning like this has no meaning! Moreover, in my eyes, my squad is Sharp Blade Company regardless of winning or losing! If my squad must be reorganized, then I'd rather choose not to compete!"
The Company Commander, after hearing this, pointed at my nose in anger, unable to speak. I met his gaze without backing down.
The Instructor stood between us and said, "How can you two act like this? It's all for the sake of the Unit. Why must everything be turned into such a big deal that everyone knows about it?"
Turning to me, the Instructor continued, "We all desire to earn honors. Our Unit has been ranked first in the Entire Unit for three consecutive years under our leadership! We don’t have much time left with this team; I will be applying for a transfer at the end of the year, and the Company Commander has other plans as well. The title of Sharp Blade Company means a lot to us, and we really don’t want to lose it on our watch. We will take some targeted measures that do not violate regulations. I understand how you feel, but you need to think about the bigger picture; I believe everyone will understand."
I ignored him, only listening as the Instructor paused before continuing, "You might not know this, but I used to be a Squad Leader just like you; you are my successor."
Surprised, I looked up at him. He then turned to the Company Commander and patted him on the shoulder. "Old Hu, do you remember when we were both Squad Leaders? Have you forgotten? Wang is somewhat like you back then—proud and stubborn, unwilling to admit defeat or accept any form of help."
"There’s no need for us to be stuck on this issue; we can discuss things. Here’s what I’ll do: Wang, I’ll give you two weeks. You need to consolidate your squad. If all of you can achieve All Excellent in every assessment, then you can compete without any objections from me. However, if even one person fails to meet All Excellent in any category, then I’m afraid we’ll have to resort to backup plans. If you resist at that point, we can apply for an exception to replace the Red Badge Trainee with a Squad Leader for the competition. After all, you were just a Military Doctor before; it’s not unreasonable for the Company Commander to have concerns about you and your squad!" The last few words from the Instructor came out almost in a decisive tone.
A heaviness settled in my heart; it turned out that even I was within the range of being discarded!
(To be continued, more exciting content tomorrow!)
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