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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Ninety-Five: Retirement (Part Two)
This is a notebook! The kind typically used for education in the military. Could this be He Baisha's countdown journal?
"This is my diary. Indeed, ever since I joined the Unit as a recruit, I would always write down how many days were left until Retirement at the end of each entry. Back then, I couldn't stop thinking about leaving the army; sometimes, I even thought about sneaking away. But after you came to our squad, I noticed that our atmosphere and life changed. I stopped counting down the days," He Baisha said, looking at me with sincere eyes. " Squad Leader, I envy the new recruits who joined this year. They can still enjoy life in this collective, while we have to separate from it. Sometimes I wonder if I've stayed here too long and whether I can adapt to life outside."
He Baisha gazed around the Barracks, his eyes filled with reluctance. "These past two years have been the most unforgettable of my life! Oh, and Squad Leader, you wanted to know about my family background, right? Remember to come visit me in Chongqing. I'll surprise you."
"You brat!" I didn't know how to respond, so I punched him lightly and mimicked his usual tone, saying, "You little rascal!" As it was time to go out for Roll Call, I masked my emotions and quickly walked out of the Barracks.
After Roll Call, I ran alone to the second-floor drying area, feeling a surge of emotions that was hard to contain. Yes, these soldiers had grown up under my watch—some were mischievous, some were arrogant, some were slow-witted, and some lagged behind… After all this time spent together as a unit, we were now about to part ways.
The bond formed among comrades who share daily life is incredibly deep. In the words of my Military Academy instructor, soldiers are like brothers who would risk their lives for one another because your survival on the battlefield depends on them—and vice versa. Now I truly understand this saying. It didn't feel significant before, but once I realized that everyone was about to go their separate ways and that it would be hard to see each other again afterward, it genuinely hurt. I wondered how I'd feel after Zero when I looked at the empty space in our squad; right now, I truly admire the Company Commander for remaining calm through each wave of Retirement.
At that moment, music began playing before Roll Call: "My old squad leader, how are you doing now?..." The melancholic melody instantly brought my mood down to its lowest point. I sighed and gazed at the starry sky above me. How many joys and sorrows must one experience in life before achieving a state of indifference? I felt that I couldn't do it; I knew I was too sentimental and emotional.
Behind me, Hainan's voice called out, " Squad Leader, Company Commander is looking for you everywhere. The office has notified you to go to Military Affairs right away." My thoughts snapped back to reality. Adjusting my mood, I replied in a low voice, "Got it. I'll head there now." After Hainan left, I went to the Water Room to wash my face, put on my hat, and walked toward the office.
Upon entering the Military Affairs Division, I found Jiang Squad Leader inside along with Old Bi Suddenly, who had a bandage wrapped around his head. What happened? How did he get injured? Also, isn't it usually just Xie Staff Officer working late here?
I called out a report and stood by the door. "Come on in! Wang, sit down," Jiang Squad Leader said warmly.
I sat next to Old Bi, who winked at me. Not knowing what he meant by that, I pretended not to see.
"Ah, since you're all here, I'll keep it brief. Ahem! There’s something that requires your attention, Wang Squad Leader ."
"Please give your instructions!" I sat up straight and replied earnestly.
"Ah, don't be nervous, haha, it's nothing serious. This, Wang Squad Leader, you need to hand over to Squad Leader Bi. From now until zero hour, you'll lead your squad in the night patrol and inspection missions."
"What? Isn't this your task?" I looked at Old Bi.
"Sorry, Brothers, but you have to cover for me," Old Bi said with a hint of helplessness.
"Oh, I see. Ahem, well, a few nights ago, Xie Staff Officer got attacked while on night duty. Later, Squad Leader Bi took over his shift, and during these nights of patrolling, he found quite a few soldiers trying to sneak out of the Camp at midnight. But either they couldn't catch anyone or there were conflicts; on the way back, they even had stones thrown at them. We suspect it’s all the work of the Veterans."
Ah, is that so? I thought to myself, why?
As if sensing my thoughts, Jiang Squad Leader awkwardly chuckled, "Well, you know how it is. We check a lot and have strict requirements for the troops. Many soldiers down below have grievances against us. With retirement approaching, many are adopting a 'since I'm leaving anyway' attitude and starting to act out. Xie Staff Officer was ambushed by a few Veterans who threw a sack over him and beat him up; now he can't even report for duty. Sigh, Squad Leader Bi is injured too; he went for an examination today and will need to be hospitalized tomorrow. So I reported this to the Regimental Commander. Given that the Reconnaissance Platoon has had some friction with various companies lately, it's not suitable for them to oversee this anymore. It would be better to assign you from the Sharp Blade Company to carry out this routine task for a short period. You have a good reputation throughout the Entire Unit, and many respect you; it should yield better results."
I was at a loss for words. At night when it's pitch black outside, who cares if you're from the Sharp Blade Company? If something happens, I'm still going in first. I looked at Old Bi, wondering if it was really that serious that he needed hospitalization—was he trying to pull one over on me?
However, military orders are like mountains; I had no choice but to stand up and say, "Yes, I guarantee the mission will be completed!" After hesitating for a moment, I asked again, "When does the handover start?"
Jiang Squad Leader happily replied, "Wang Squad Leader, as expected of the Sharp Blade Company Squad Leader! Great! Starting tonight; it's all up to you now. The password tonight is 'advance,' and the counter-command is 'turn left.'" Seeing him and Old Bi look relieved made me feel like I had stepped into a trap.
Once outside the gate of the facility, I grabbed Old Bi firmly. "You tell me the truth; do you really need to be hospitalized? Don't lie to me—I’ll unwrap the bandages myself to check your injuries!"
"What the hell?! Do you really want me to go? I'm out of options here! Our Special Operations Unit has always been tough, but right now with retirement looming, we can't afford any mistakes. When we go out on patrol at night—firstly because we're from the Special Operations Unit, and secondly because we get stones thrown at us—by the time you rush over, there's no one left! My injuries weren't self-inflicted! Ahem... Also, umm, Lulu has called me several times already; heh heh... It's been a while since I've seen her; you understand."
"Damn it! I knew you had some scheme going on! So you're going to the hospital to meet up with Lulu while I'm stuck here doing your work?!" I started getting furious.
"Brothers, brothers, hold on! How about this: help me out this time and I promise I'll return the favor next time!" Seeing that I wasn't budging, he quickly added, "I'll treat you to dinner and let Lulu introduce some of her pretty colleagues to you. You should hurry up and find someone too! Come on now!"
I looked at him in frustration, unsure of what to do. "Choosing friends poorly!" I shook my head and turned to leave.
"Hey! Don't go yet; come back with me to get your gear."
"What equipment?"
"The Gendarmerie helmets, armbands, and so on, for patrol."
"Forget it! I don't want to end up in the hospital with you!" I waved my hand and walked down the slope.
Once a mission was assigned, I had to see it through. So, I had my own ideas. I went to the Company Headquarters and reported the orders along with my thoughts to the Company Commander. The Company Commander listened intently, clapping his thigh in approval, and encouraged me to take charge and make my own decisions.
With that, I returned to the squad and gathered the nine veterans who were about to retire in a private room. With a serious expression, I said, "In just a few days, you will be leaving. But before you go, there is an important mission that we need to carry out together, and only you can do it. This concerns the honor of our Sharp Blade Company—my face and yours. Do you still have the confidence and determination to complete this final task? Let's end your military careers on a high note!"
The nine brothers looked at each other excitedly before collectively shouting, "Yes!"
"Very good!" I replied with satisfaction. "From now on, the nine of you will be divided into three teams. One team leader will take two soldiers to patrol with me every night. Garfield, arrange the order for everyone’s posts; don’t mix it up."
Shen Xiang hesitated for a moment and asked, "Squad Leader, isn't this the responsibility of the Special Operations Unit? What's going on?"
I simply replied, "The Special Operations Unit has been taken down by retiring veterans. Now our Sharp Blade Company has taken over this mission. Show me your spirit and maintain peace in our ranks during this final stretch before retirement! Do you all understand?!"
"Understood!" everyone roared excitedly. Garfield even chimed in, "I've been checked for five years; now it's our turn to check others, haha."
I continued, "Great! Garfield, He Baisha, Shen Xiang, we’ll head out for patrol tonight! The rest of you can go to bed as usual. Tomorrow night, three team leaders will take turns; Fourth Squad Leader will oversee things. You guys put on your hats and belts, grab your flashlights, and let’s move out."
Before heading out, I hesitated for a moment and told He Baisha, "Take out the weapons from my backpack and bring them along." Honestly, I was worried about getting ambushed.
So off we went—four of us—with flashlights in hand, starting our rounds around the camp. During this patrol, we quickly discovered that there were indeed people trying to sneak out. Before long, we had caught several veterans attempting to climb over the wall. When they saw us, they were stunned; one stammered, "Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding! We’re one of you; we just want to go out!"
I approached them slowly and said firmly, "Get out of here! Listen carefully! From now on, our Sharp Blade Company will be responsible for nighttime patrols. Given that we're all from the same battalion, I'll pretend I didn’t see this time; you can go back. After all these years you've endured—can’t you hold on a little longer? For those who are reckless and refuse to obey orders—if I catch you, I won’t report it to higher-ups; however, let’s see if this stick in my hand agrees."
As we turned towards the Second Battalion area, things got even livelier. Several people were hiding in the bushes by the wall; as soon as we shone our flashlight over them, rocks came flying at us while someone cursed under their breath, "Damn it! I'll smash you!"
Before I could react, He Baisha lunged forward with a roar: "You bastards! I'm going to catch all of you turtles today!"
It turned out that I had encountered his fellow townsmen. These guys dragged a few people out of the bushes, and at first, those inside wanted to resist, but Garfield and Shen Xiang quickly knocked them down. I walked up to them with my stick and began to educate them. Throughout the night, we made several rounds and had some gains. By Early Morning at two o'clock, I called a few brothers to go out the side door for some noodles. Unfortunately, on our way back, we ran into someone again.
After three rounds, the entire unit was quiet for the night. The Veterans who were about to Retire all knew that the Patrol had changed shifts, with Sharp Blade Company taking over the duties from a few other Veterans who were also set to Retire. Additionally, each Unit had strengthened the education and management before retirement, so everyone was behaving more Honest.
During fulfilling times, you always feel like time passes quickly. Before I knew it, it was time for Retirement.
In the morning, we didn’t have drills, but my mood was heavy. The music played songs like "My Old Squad Leader," "Goodbye, Comrade," and "Green Flowers in the Army," which made me feel quite sad. Later, I learned that every year around this time, the scene of Veteran Retirement is always heart-wrenching.
Since everyone had different purposes, it was all about sending off the Veterans. Trucks were constantly parked in front of the auditorium, with drivers taking turns to transport them to the station—two shifts in the morning, two in the afternoon, and two at night. The tickets were purchased by our group in advance, and each shift had an officer leading the way to help them board the vehicles. The Company Commander claimed he wasn’t feeling well and asked me to oversee each shift while taking the soldiers to ride bikes on the playground. In my squad of nine brothers, we concentrated on riding in the afternoon and evening shifts. However, they insisted on going together for the second afternoon shift. I thought it was fine; one send-off would be enough. If I had to do it four times, I feared I would really shed tears.
After breakfast, I gave my prepared gifts to these nine brothers—a beautifully crafted address book. I asked everyone in the squad to write their family contact addresses in order according to our roster and left messages for each person so they could avoid losing touch while also having something tangible to remind them of each other.
The atmosphere was quite oppressive. I initially thought of telling some jokes to lighten things up, but nothing came to mind. As the Squad Leader, I was the first to finish writing my message and address. Sitting on my bed, I watched everyone say their final goodbyes with a heavy heart. Just as I decided to step outside for some fresh air and reached the door, I overheard a conversation between Shen Xiang and Xuanhua.
“Xuanhua, I'm leaving now, brother. You must find me after your Retirement,” said Shen Xiang.
“Ha ha,” replied Xuanhua, grinning foolishly. “I will! You lent me 500 yuan before; I sent it back home to my mom. Now I only have 100 left. Here you go; I'll pay you back with interest when we meet.”
“Damn! Silly brother! What are you talking about? Are we not brothers?” Shen Xiang’s eyes turned a bit red.
“Why shouldn’t I pay you back? I know it's not easy for you; I can’t just take your money.”
“Brother!” Shen Xiang suddenly hugged Xuanhua. “I’m sorry; I've been lying to you. My family has plenty of money; I just didn’t want to use my parents' money.”
“Hehe,” Xuanhua patted his shoulder innocently. “I knew it all along! When you first hid your money, I saw it! Your family is wealthy; you just don’t have any money yourself! So I must pay you back!”
“Brother! You’re really silly!” Seeing that Shen Xiang was already wiping his eyes made me unable to listen any longer; I quickly walked past them. Behind me came a playful remark: “I’m not silly; you are! Ha ha! That’s why the Squad Leader calls you Silly Xiang.”
……
Stepping out of the Barracks, I saw the soldiers from Unit gathered outside in front of the A Squad vehicle. They were all dressed in Camouflage Uniforms, adorned with Red Flowers, and carrying their Backpacks. I took a deep breath; there was still something I needed to do.
"Attention—Stand straight!"
"Right face—Align! Forward—Look!"
"Brothers, technically, I am no longer your Squad Leader. But let me give one last order! Everyone, remove your Rank!"
…
The soldiers looked at me, not moving. I sighed softly and walked down the steps, starting with the first soldier, helping each one remove their Rank insignia and gently placing it in their hands. The Military Affairs Division had notified us to collect the Rank insignias from retiring soldiers, and the Company Commander had assigned this task to me. I knew I couldn't give orders anymore, so I thought it best for them to keep it as a memento.
After removing the Rank insignias, I commanded them to turn right and march forward, leading everyone to the entrance of the grand hall where several trucks were already waiting. Looking around, I noticed that almost all the leaders from various Units were new Squad Leaders; none of the Unit Commanders had come. Old Bi was still on sick leave—what a clever guy! He managed to avoid work, got a girlfriend, and remained blissfully unaware of everything else. I couldn't help but admire him; why hadn't I thought that far ahead?
As I was sending off the soldiers boarding the trucks, one soldier from my Unit suddenly grabbed my hand. "Wang Squad Leader, I had decided that if I could stay, I would definitely apply to transfer to your squad!" I patted his hand and replied gently, "Brother, I'm just an ordinary officer; you think too highly of me! I hope you do well wherever you go. One day, we might meet again!"
He nodded vigorously. Just then, a loudspeaker blared music: "I follow them onto the truck; I wave goodbye to them; my sadness is not just an act..."
My nose tinged with emotion as I waved my hand again with more force. Watching the truck slowly pull away, I forced myself to turn around and walk towards Unit, wondering if I would cry during the afternoon send-off.
After getting up in the afternoon, I sent off another batch of soldiers. My heart felt heavy with sadness. Upon returning to Unit, I was surprised to find all my squad members gathered in front of the building. What was going on?
Nine members of Garfield stood in A Row, having already removed their insignias themselves. One of them said to me, "Squad Leader, you rarely lead us in singing or even sing yourself. Now that we are leaving, please sing us a song!"
"Yeah, Squad Leader! Sing us one last song!" they chimed in unison.
I smiled wryly. "You little rascals are still thinking about this? I rarely sing military songs because they often feel insincere and lack emotion. However, since it's our farewell, I'll lead you all in singing 'Do You Remember, Comrade?' I'll start first; everyone can follow along!"
"Do you remember that year of enlistment? Do you remember the first time you put on the uniform? Do you remember the tree in front of the barracks? Do you remember the training officer and the squad leader?"
Even though I shouted "Prepare to start," not a single soldier joined me in singing. They all gazed at me, their eyes telling me they were reminiscing about those days of training together, enduring hardships, fighting side by side, and living together!
I didn’t stop. "We once got drunk together, and we once talked about our dreams. We dreamed of becoming generals, and we vowed to learn from Lei Feng!"
...
"Comrades, oh comrades, do you remember the song we loved to sing the most? Let us sing it out loud once again!"
At that moment, everyone suddenly joined in, singing loudly: "Comrades, comrades, as close as brothers! Prepare to start: Comrades, comrades, as close as brothers! Comrades, comrades—close—as—brothers!"
As the echoes faded, my eyes became a bit misty. I seemed to see the scene when we first gave Garfield his nickname...
I could almost see Shen Xiang dragging his tall body and pretending to be clumsy during training...
I could almost hear the first time I entered the barracks and heard the White Sand Chongqing accent saying, "Which horse squad leader is coming to my platoon?"
Time truly flies; in an instant, this year is almost over. Although our time together was less than a year, my heart has already deeply rooted itself in this platoon. Here lies my hard work, my life, my emotions, and my joys and sorrows...
At that moment, Xuanhua, who was leading the second row and had already become the squad leader of A Squad, foolishly asked, "Squad Leader, are you crying?"
I turned my head slightly and wiped my eyes. "The wind is too strong."
When it was time to send them off, all the brothers insisted on seeing them off. I didn’t stop them; I let everyone be casual for once! They rushed to carry the backpacks of the nine brothers and headed together to the open space in front of the auditorium. This was the only time I didn’t organize them into formation; I allowed everyone to walk freely and naturally.
As we sent them off to the vehicle, they insisted on crowding around beside the rear window. I knew they wanted to take one last look at us.
The vehicle roared to life, and with a wave of my hand, the remaining brothers immediately understood, forming a line behind me. I cleared my throat and solemnly addressed the brothers on the vehicle, "Comrades! It has been an honor to fight alongside you this year! You are the finest soldiers! On behalf of Sharp Blade Company, I thank you! Go well! No matter where you are, Sharp Blade Company stands with you! The spirit of Sharp Blade Company is with you! We have all that Sharp Blade Company represents! Salute!"
"With you all the way!" dozens of voices echoed behind me.
I was the first to raise my right hand in a standard military salute. I had saluted countless times in my life, but only a few were heartfelt, and this was one of them!
The brothers on the vehicle stood up sharply, and Garfield shouted, "Return the salute!" Nine of them raised their right hands together, and no one was willing to lower them for a long time...
Finally, the vehicle started moving. We watched as they embarked on their journey home. I saw Garfield rubbing his eyes, He Baisha was crying, Hainan had his head down sobbing, Shen Xiang turned away from us, while Shoulder was shaking... And so it was that amidst the singing, the sound of drums, and firecrackers, with hands waving goodbye, the truck drove out of the camp gate, gradually disappearing from sight as it headed into the distance...
As soldiers, they ultimately left; as brothers, will we meet again?
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