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墨書 Inktalez
"Ah!" Both Commander and I were startled, but Commander reacted more strongly. He stood up and took a couple of steps closer. "You, you are Gao's brother? How did I not know about this?!"
Gao Ge nodded, his eyes reddening. "I was only a junior in college when my brother sacrificed himself. At that time, I vowed to enlist and join this unit. When I graduated from university, I finally fulfilled my wish and was specially recruited into the army. After various twists and turns, I finally arrived at the unit where my brother once served."
Commander murmured, "Gao's brother, no wonder you look so much alike! Back then, I was the Company Commander of the First Battalion, and Gao was the Company Commander of the Third Battalion; he was a spirited young man." He looked again at Gao Ge. "You really do resemble him more and more; it's fate. You're in the Third Battalion now too," Commander sighed.
At this moment, Gao Ge raised his head. "Commander, having our number canceled is something no unit can tolerate. Don't worry; we know what to do. My brother has already sacrificed his life for this unit; I will never let such a heroic unit Disappear."
I patted Gao Ge on the arm and comforted him, "Old Gao, don't worry; we won't be restructured."
Commander did not sit back down but paced back and forth for a moment before speaking softly. "I hope you all understand that I'm not doing this for myself. By the end of the year, I will submit my report for transfer; personal honor and disgrace no longer matter to me. But for the honor of this unit! This time, there must be no mistakes!"
With an increasingly firm tone, Commander declared, "Whatever personnel or resources you need, just ask. In this battle, we can only win!" With that, Commander strode out of the observation post, followed closely by the Deputy Chief of Staff.
Left with just Gao Ge and me, he stared in the direction where Commander had gone, lost in thought. I looked at Gao Ge, unsure of what to say. Previously, I always thought Gao Ge was quite arrogant—wasn't it unnecessary? Wasn't it better to be approachable? Now I realized that Gao Ge also had his own story. Sigh, perhaps our paths of growth were different, which might explain our differing personalities.
After a long pause, I finally asked quietly, "Gao Lian, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Gao Ge replied calmly as he turned to me. "We'll practice together again shortly. You focus on building the bridge with all your strength; don't wait for my speed; I'll coordinate with you."
Huh?!
Gao Ge glanced at me before stepping onto the Floating Bridge, heading to the opposite shore. Watching his back, he seemed somewhat lonely.
Sigh, but there was no time to dwell on that—Honor of War!
When I reached the shore, I called all the crew members operating the Speedboat. Once we lined up in a row of ten people, I noticed that Fatty was among them. Huh? Wasn't he absent before?
"Fatty, what are you doing?" I couldn't help but ask.
"Driving the Speedboat," Jinghe said with a smile.
"How come I haven't seen you drive?" I asked, curious.
"Hehe!" The chubby guy looked a bit embarrassed. "We agreed to go by skill and operation level. I'm ranked tenth, so I haven't had the chance yet."
"Oh!" So they were operating one Speedboat per person, with the first ranked person leading and the last ranked person as a co-pilot and observer on the first Speedboat, the second ranked person leading the nineteenth person on the second Speedboat, and so on. Fatty Jinghe obviously didn't have a chance to participate since there were only five boats.
No wonder I saw him struggling with the Bridge Board earlier; he hadn't had the opportunity to show his skills. I glanced at the Number One Boat's driver, who turned out to be Wu Chao. He patted Fatty's shoulder in encouragement. I smiled and pretended not to see it; Jinghe seemed like Wu Chao's lackey.
As I walked to the front of the line, I announced loudly, "I have an important announcement. I will apply to the team for ten Speedboats for everyone. My requirement is that everyone starts simultaneously, and the entire team must connect two Bailey Bridges on the water at the same time. Once two connections are completed, the Dock Bridge will also be established. The Number One Boat will need to push the two connected Bailey Bridges toward the dock. It is crucial that you synchronize your movements because two sections of Bailey Bridge will face greater water resistance; you must maintain speed together to avoid drifting. Similarly, Boat Four will also push two sections of Bailey Bridge alongside, and once Boats One and Two complete their connection, you must quickly cooperate to finish connecting the next section, repeating this process. Is that clear?"
"Understood!" Everyone shouted in unison.
"Great! This mission is significant and largely depends on your performance in driving the Speedboats. I'll make sure to commend anyone who performs exceptionally well by the end of the year!" I said seriously.
"Yes!" They all responded in chorus.
"Go prepare and do it again!" I blew my whistle.
The equipment had already been disassembled and piled on the shore. I took out my walkie-talkie and pressed the call button. "Gao Lian, Gao Lian, my team is ready. Can we start? Please respond!"
"Received! Received! We can start; please give the order!"
Gao Ge was actually reporting to me; wow, this guy has changed quickly. I was a bit taken aback but still held up the walkie-talkie, timed my watch, and shouted from the shore, "Everyone—get ready! Start!"
"Ooooh!!!" The soldiers charged toward their positions like tigers released from their cages. It was as if everything was automated; no command was needed as they seamlessly repeated their familiar operations. This time we deployed nine Speedboats, and within minutes, we were already connecting with Gao Ge Lian across the river. The ninth Speedboat assisted by Gao Ge Lian's soldiers and mine positioned the connecting Bailey Bridge at the Gap while Gao Ge Lian's team had only built four sections of Bailey Bridge at that point.
The most troubled was Fatty Jinghe. As a reserve member, he pushed a section of the Bailey Bridge, working alongside those on the bridge, yet he had no chance to join in, clearly feeling a bit disheartened. The speedboat kept circling downstream.
I pretended not to see and issued the order to gather the troops. I felt that this result was quite good; any unit would achieve about the same.
The next morning, we practiced together again, and the results were still the same. It seemed we had reached our limit. In the afternoon, the Leader instructed us to clean up and prepare for the arrival of the Leader and Allies.
For an entire afternoon and evening, we made sure that not a single leaf was left behind; everything was spotless. We hung banners that read "Welcome Leader for Inspection and Guidance!" and "Learn from Brother Units!" to create an atmosphere. The Recruit Training Camp's building was cleared out to serve as a temporary camp to host the Allies. Everything was ready; we just needed a favorable wind!
Heh, a favorable wind? Of course, it was the inspiration that stirred us! After taking attendance before lights out, I stood on the steps, looking at the officers and soldiers below, and loudly declared, "Tomorrow will be a milestone! Some of you may wonder why? Because tomorrow we will face a tough battle! The outcome of this battle will determine the fate of our unit and relate to each of our honors!"
"Our opponents are units of similar nature! They are strong; they have upgraded earlier than us, their organization is more complete than ours, and their training grounds are more challenging! They have traveled from thousands of miles away in Hubei, heading south, and they chose to stop here with us—why?!"
"They want to show off!" someone shouted, causing laughter among the soldiers.
"Exactly!" I seized this opportunity and shouted, "That's right! Tomorrow, there will be a group of people who want to compete with you in what you do best. What will you do?!"
"Defeat them! Defeat them!" The shouts started off unevenly but grew more synchronized and louder, echoing across the fields!
I looked down at them with satisfaction, raised my fist, and everyone stopped shouting. I added one last line: "Tomorrow, we fight together for honor!"
After roll call ended, everyone was still excitedly discussing among themselves. Suddenly, I felt something was missing; it wasn't perfect yet.
Standing on the first floor, I pondered deeply when a soldier passed by humming a tune on his way to the Water Room. "Ocean's Laughter..." It was from The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.
In an instant, I realized what it was! We needed melody, rhythm—music that would uplift our spirits! I immediately turned back to my room and opened my laptop. I wanted to find some suitable music from my previous collection—one for timing and another to motivate everyone. Heh heh heh, there was already a loudspeaker available on Fatty Jinghe's speedboat! Since he was also a reserve member, let him drive it around on the river surface so everyone could hear!
And that settled it—tomorrow would be a done deal!
Before eight in the morning, all troops had gathered at the Water Training Ground, seated according to their designated areas. On both sides, Assault Boats were deployed to mark the military exclusion zone. The Special Operations Unit from Old Bi was fully mobilized on the Embankment, establishing a security line every ten steps, prohibiting civilians from taking photos.
Everything was ready; they were just waiting for the Allies to arrive.
A tall observation pavilion had already been set up at the training ground, with two rows of tables and chairs inside for the Leader and their entourage to observe the training. Microphones were placed on the tables, and the Commander stood armed in camouflage alongside all members of the Standing Committee, occasionally whispering with the Political Commissar.
Given this setup, it seemed likely that they would first arrive at the training ground for a speech from the Leader before starting the competition, and finally return together to our Base.
I stood nearby in camouflage with a belt cinched around my waist and a life jacket on, feeling unexpectedly nervous. Gao Ge was currently across the way with a walkie-talkie in hand.
A few minutes later, the Deputy Chief of Staff rushed over, shouting, "Contact established! They've disembarked from the train and are unloading at the station, heading this way!"
Before long, the Vice Commander came running, breathless. "Report! The Military District Commander has arrived! They're almost at the training ground entrance!"
"Let’s go! All members of the Standing Committee follow me to welcome them!" the Commander shouted as he turned and sprinted toward the entrance.
(To be continued; more exciting developments tomorrow!)
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