noveltune Chapter 0004: Horses and Mules
Chapter 0004: Horses and Mules
Zheng Yingqi and his fellow recruits walked in a group through the tanks and armored vehicles. The roaring engines of eight or nine hundred horsepower made their nerves numb. The veterans, on the other hand, were busy and didn't even notice the group of greenhorns.
Zheng Yingqi knew that the entire 702nd Regiment was being re-equipped. The country's economy was getting better year by year, and the most direct result was the upgrading of military equipment. Although it could not compare with the army after 2010, it was undoubtedly lucky compared to the generation of soldiers who sacrificed for the country's economic construction.
At this moment, Shi Jin was talking with Gao Cheng. Seeing this scene, Zheng Yingqi couldn't help but recall the plot. Shi Jin was saying goodbye to his 207th squad. It was also at this moment that Gao Cheng asked who recruited that soldier. Shi Jin's shy smile made Gao Cheng understand the reason. Looking at his favorite squad leader, Gao Cheng shooed Shi Jin away in an annoyed manner, and then loudly addressed the new recruits:
"My name is Gao Cheng, and I'm the company commander of the Seventh Steel Company of this regiment," he said, deliberately staring at Xu Sanduo and glancing at Zheng Yingqi, who was standing not far away. "This time, I'll be the company commander of your new recruit company..."
Gao Cheng was very fond of his identity as the company commander of the Steel Seventh Company. When facing these new recruits, he specifically emphasized his identity as the company commander of the Steel Seventh Company. But the flattery was wasted on the blind. These new recruits could not understand Gao Cheng's pride in the Steel Seventh Company at all. They just looked at him with awe.
After speaking, Gao Cheng tried his best to appear warm and approachable, since he was facing new recruits who had just left home to join the army. He wanted the recruits to see his friendly side. Just then, he walked up to Xu Sanduo, remembering the image of him with his hands above his head and Zheng Yingqi's words about the courage to block a tank cannon with one hand. So he stopped in front of Xu Sanduo, looked at him, and asked:
"What's your name?"
Xu Sanduo was startled, not daring to meet Gao Cheng's gaze, and said tremblingly with his head down:
"Xu...Xu Sanduo."
Standing to the side, Zheng Yingqi smiled bitterly to himself. "Uncle Xu, how could you be so utterly incompetent? All my painstaking efforts, risking my life, have been wasted!"
His trembling reply, his cowardly demeanor that prevented him from even making eye contact, instantly ignited Gao Cheng's anger. Zheng Yingqi's sophistry in defending Xu Sanduo vanished from Gao Cheng's mind.
"Heads up! Stand tall and proud!"
The stern voice made Xu Sanduo shudder. He struggled to raise his head and gave a silly, ingratiating smile.
Seeing that silly grin, Gao Cheng was furious: "What are you laughing at? Is it that funny?"
He scolded Xu Sanduo, but seeing him revert to his pitiful quail-like state, he lost interest in lecturing him. Instead, he simply strode forward, landing right in front of Zheng Yingqi, who was not far away. Seeing Zheng Yingqi trying to stand tall and proud, Gao Cheng felt a little better; at least he looked like a soldier. But remembering how this kid had just defended that silly boy, Gao Cheng snorted and asked:
"What's your name?"
"Reporting to the commander, my name is Zheng Yingqi!"
Zheng Yingqi may not have eaten pork, but he's seen pigs run. His answer satisfied Gao Cheng and eased his worries about Xu Sanduo. He praised him and continued his amiable demeanor.
The troops stopped in an open area to await orders. Groups of veterans walked by, but their eyes were red, and some were wiping away tears as they passed by.
The new recruits couldn't help but laugh, feeling a little proud: the veterans hadn't seen them cry, but they had seen the veterans shed tears.
Only Zheng Yingqi understood that these veterans were seeing off their "comrades," and that's why they were crying because they were reluctant to part with them.
Pretending to own a car, and then giving it away, Zheng Yingqi thought, that's probably what it feels like, although this pretense didn't make him cry—he muttered to himself.
These veterans are far too sentimental, aren't they?
After the veterans left the station, it was time for the new recruits to leave. However, Gao Cheng was very dissatisfied with the dejected recruits. He called Shi Jin over to ask him what was wrong. After learning that the recruits only knew how to sing "Unity," he immediately had Shi Jin lead the singing of "Unity." The recruits joined in, and Gao Cheng finally relaxed.
Zheng Yingqi silently observed his future recruit company commander, and silently made a judgment in his mind:
This is a passionate man, a soldier who always maintains high morale.
[The Steel Seventh Company, led by Gao Cheng, will one day be the fiercest tigers on the battlefield. Even if they run out of ammunition and reinforcements, this army, which considers it a great disgrace to raise its hands above its head, will fight to the death without flinching.]
Zheng Yingqi thought to himself, and made up his mind that even without this mission, since he had come to the world of Soldier's Assault, he must join the Steel Seventh Company and become a member of this iron-willed force!
The new recruits marched forward with uneven steps. Xu Sanduo hesitated at the front, constantly stepping on Shi Jin's feet, while Wu Liuyi, bringing up the rear, secretly wiped away tears. After Gao Cheng looked around to make sure no one was watching, he gently patted Wu Liuyi. Zheng Yingqi, seeing this, suddenly thought:
When did Company Commander Gao start patting me like that?
……
Upon arriving at the recruit training camp, the most striking thing was the tense words written on the blackboard:
Let's see what they're made of!
At that moment, Gao Cheng stood in front of the blackboard, facing a group of new recruits who had just entered the recruit training company. The company commander of the Seventh Steel Company pointed solemnly at this sentence and said:
"You'll see what you're made of! After three months, the mule can leave, the horse will come with me!"
That evening, Xu Sanduo was intently flipping through a dictionary, seemingly looking for something. Zheng Yingqi asked curiously, "What are you looking up?"
"I...I want to check the horses and mules," Xu Sanduo replied.
Zheng Yingqi waited quietly for Xu Sanduo to finish his investigation before asking, "Have you figured it out?"
"I've figured it out. I... I don't think I'm a horse," Xu Sanduo said, head bowed. Zheng Yingqi could see clearly that Xu Sanduo was focusing on checking mules, and only glanced at horses.
"Mule can carry loads or pull carts, while horses can be used as warhorses," Zheng Yingqi said, snatching the worn-out dictionary from Xu Sanduo's hand and throwing it on the bed. Looking into Xu Sanduo's timid eyes, he continued:
"But among horses, many cannot be used as warhorses; not all horses are warhorses."
"I understand," Xu Sanduo replied in a low voice.
"What do you know?"
"I..." Seeing Xu Sanduo unable to answer, Zheng Yingqi shook his head helplessly. This shook head made Xu Sanduo hang his head even lower. Zheng Yingqi patted Xu Sanduo's shoulder:
"That statement is problematic. Mules are more durable and can carry heavy loads, making them more useful than horses in many situations. Also, despite their imposing appearance, warhorses are more delicate. So, don't think that horses are superior to mules."
Cheng Cai squeezed in at this moment: "High-end and sophisticated?" He pondered these three words, not understanding their meaning.
"High-end, sophisticated, and classy!" Zheng Yingqi explained.
Cheng Cai disagreed, saying, "A horse is a heavenly horse, a mule is a dirt mule. A horse is good, a mule is bad."
Xu Sanduo said dejectedly, "I probably can't be a horse, you know that."
Zheng Yingqi smiled and said, "People, you'll never know what you're capable of until you try. Sanduo, Chengcai, we've just joined the army and haven't done anything yet, how do we know we can't do it well? Listen, although I don't agree with the saying 'a mule is not as good as a horse,' I want to be a horse in the eyes of the company commander. Sanduo, whether you can do it or not, you'll only know after you try. Even a mule has to learn to bear heavy loads and pull a cart."
The conversation between the three ended there. Cheng Cai was still full of determination, believing that he was definitely a Pegasus, while Xu Sanduo still felt that he was bound to be a mule.
This is a recruit who, from a young age, was insecure and, through his father's beatings and scoldings, transformed from a tiger into a sand cat. Amidst countless disappointments and indifference, he slowly shed the timidity and cautiousness that had enveloped him—a process called growth. But this growth was far too heavy for him.
Zheng Yingqi looked at Xu Sanduo and sighed silently. He had been sent to the Fifth Platoon of the Third Company, which was almost isolated from the world. He had also been treated with cold words and indifference. Because of his sense of reliance, he tried to gain the recognition of others cautiously, like a newly hatched bird, but what he got in return was indifference.
His approach was wrong; in the Steel Seventh Company, this flawed approach destined him to never gain recognition!
He later lost Squad Leader Ma of the Fifth Squad, and also Squad Leader Shi Jin, who was like a father, a mother, and a brother to him. In the Steel Seventh Company, which was full of strong men, he slowly found his direction after countless setbacks.
Shi Jin took care of him all the way, but because she cared so much, she forgot one thing:
This is the army! This is the Steel Seventh Company!
"From now on, I'll be there for you no matter what you do. If you can bear to keep making me suffer like this, then you'd better try to do the best you can."
Zheng Yingqi patted Xu Sanduo on the shoulder and said a series of things that left Xu Sanduo completely bewildered. These words were addressed to Xu Sanduo, but also to Zheng Yingqi himself, because he knew that to gain Gao Cheng's approval in the recruit company, he had to be stronger than everyone else, and to be stronger than everyone else required constant extra training.