The Whole Family Had Been Arranged to Join the Army

"Unity is strength, unity is strength, this strength is iron, this strength is steel..."

"Stop, stop, stop! I don't see any unity in you at all! Sing it again!"

Old Hei's voice was as loud as ever.

The duty lieutenant immediately gave the command a second time.

"Stand at ease!"

"Sing a song!"

The recruits smelled the food inside, and their mouths were practically watering.

"Unity... Ready, sing!"

"Unity is strength!!..."

After putting them through it three times, Old Hei finally gave the order to eat.

Three recruits slipped and fell as they excitedly rushed into the mess hall.

The duty officer realized something was wrong and hurriedly roared, "There's water! Water on the floor! Slow down! Why are you running so fast??"

Inside the mess hall, Old Hei looked at the scene by the entrance thoughtfully.

Once all the recruits had entered the mess hall, a strange scene appeared.

The Chief of Staff remained standing.

So the company commanders and squad leaders remained standing too.

Since the squad leaders were all standing, all the recruits could only stand as well.

The Chief of Staff said nothing, and everyone fell silent.

After a while.

"Why were you running? Running like your lives depended on it! Which is more important, safety or eating? Do you get food just because you run fast?"

Chief of Staff Old Hei's roar echoed through the silent mess hall. At that moment, only the sounds of the cafeteria aunties and cooks clearing away utensils silently contended with his shouting.

"Starting today, we're setting the rules again. Once you enter the mess hall, nobody eats until every recruit has arrived and Regimental Headquarters gives the order! Without rules, there's no order! More than eight hundred people in one regiment eat in this mess hall. What if people crowd around and trample two people to death? Who's taking responsibility!

"Company commanders and squad leaders! Keep your own people under control! If I catch anyone again shoving others or racing into the mess hall for food, points will be deducted without exception! Oh, and starting today, the points sheets for every company and squad will be posted downstairs in the New Recruit Building. Advanced collectives and individuals will all be selected according to points!

"Running around in such a panic... like a bunch of starving ghosts!

"Eat!"

Having chosen that perfect moment to dampen the recruits' enthusiasm for food, everyone was a little afraid to move.

As a veteran, Hao Chengbin was the first to call out softly, "Eat," and only then did the recruits of Ninth Squad dare sit down.

Hao Chengbin took the first bite of meat. Looking at the terrified recruits, he spoke up to ease the atmosphere.

"You all heard that, right? If you piss off the regiment, nobody's going to have an easy time!

"But I think you did pretty well today. On the training ground, even the little runt who couldn't keep up, Sun Lianhai, gave his all. And you didn't rush into the mess hall either. Very good!

"But learn your lesson from now on! Don't step into puddles other people have already stepped in!

"Having a points leaderboard is a good thing. It's our chance to stand out! Ninth Squad needs to become the best squad in the whole company, maybe even the best squad in the entire regiment!"

"Thank you, Squad Leader!" Fang Huai immediately chimed in.

"Thank you, Squad Leader!"

His words warmed everyone's hearts.

No wonder he was an old hand at leading troops.

The squad leaders around them were all chewing out their recruits. Some tables closer to Regimental Headquarters were even still standing, looking as though they were determined to kill a couple of people to make an example for the Chief of Staff.

Only Hao Chengbin did not scold them. Instead, he comforted and encouraged them.

Going against the grain was both a privilege unique to veteran squad leaders and part of their charm.

He understood it clearly in his heart. So what if he scolded them? Regimental Headquarters would not praise him for doing it well. If the recruits developed psychological problems under constant high pressure, whoever was responsible would still have to take responsibility.

They had already felt the tension, and with such a tense overall environment, relaxation became all the more precious. Sensible people would know to be grateful and behave themselves.

As for those who were not sensible, he could train them separately afterward.

Leading troops was not about being harsh all the time. A string had to be tightened bit by bit.

Seeing the recruits from nearby squads still being scolded, the resentment Ninth Squad's recruits had felt earlier vanished completely.

Our squad leader really is the best!

Even a meal eaten like starving refugees became polite and courteous. Led by Jiang Peng, they even began serving each other food.

"Here, little runt. You worked hard today. Eat more."

"You should eat more too."

"Fang Huai... Want some meat? My arms are long, I can get it for you." Lu Zexian joined the food-serving crowd.

Hao Chengbin's mouth twitched as he considered whether to put away his kindly veteran squad leader mask and scold them a little.

"No! Just eat your own food! Stop serving each other! Hurry up and eat! There isn't much time!" Fang Huai shouted.

The hell? They finally got a little kindness, and they did not want it? Why were they suddenly serving food to each other?

Did they think this was some news report about troops having a New Year's Eve Dinner? All cheerful and harmonious?

"Ahem, one rule: you only have five minutes to eat! The rules won't wait for you!"

Hao Chengbin added in an odd tone, his expression becoming somewhat stern.

Everyone hurriedly fell silent and shoveled food into their mouths.

Hao Chengbin still had to go to the company office for a special meal that evening, so he was in no rush to eat. Instead, he began explaining things to them.

"For us firefighters, eating especially has to be fast!

"You'll understand once you join a unit. The alarm bell can ring at any time. There are countless cases where you have to run out on a call halfway through a meal, or when you are halfway through soaping up in the shower and do not even have time to rinse it off!

"Once the alarm bell rings, firefighters have to put on their Combat Uniforms, get into the truck, and have the truck leave the squadron gate within one minute. In some places, the standard is even forty-five seconds!

"Think about it. How fast do you have to move? How much do you have to do in one minute? Do you have time to dawdle?

"I don't want you to be vague about the rules. Once the reasoning has been explained clearly, the rules must be carried out to the second! Starting today, when I put down my bowl, you put down your bowls and chopsticks too!"

The moment he finished speaking, Yue Tao's endless questions immediately began.

"Squad Leader... one minute? How's that possible? That Combat Uniform you mentioned, is it the one downstairs in the New Recruit Building? The one with the helmet?"

Hao Chengbin's throat moved, but he restrained his urge to explain in detail and waved his hand.

"Your squad leaders will teach you after you join a unit. Recruits also have a test for putting on gear in place, but I can tell you the standard. For the full Combat Uniform, sixteen seconds is passing. Excellent is under twelve seconds, and some people can even get dressed in six seconds."

"Squad Leader, will we learn those things in the New Recruit Regiment?" Zhao Bing asked with a yearning expression.

Hao Chengbin chuckled softly.

"Fire service recruit regiments do not need to learn that, and there are not enough full sets of equipment for you to train with. The equipment is so expensive, and there are so many recruits. Where would we find enough stuff for you to waste?

"Our fire service equipment is used almost every day and needs maintenance too! What, should we assign another forty Equipment Technicians here just to maintain gear for your eight hundred recruits to train on?

"Every unit has its own unique missions. Their training equipment and drills differ in many ways too!

"But they all share one foundation!

"You are all soldiers!

"So while you are here, just focus wholeheartedly on learning how to be a soldier. Learn the Regulations and Ordinances, learn formations, train well, and do not think about anything else. Once you join a unit, life will be a completely different world from here!

"The only thing that will not change is that you must obey military discipline at all times! You must have the strong physique a soldier should possess! Only with those foundations will you have the ability to learn other things!"

"Squad Leader, I understand! From now on, I'll be a good soldier! Then I'll work hard to rise through the ranks and become a big officer, a general!"

Yue Tao's words made everyone roll their eyes.

The hell, was he treating this like getting a job at some company?

"Yue Tao, what's your education level?" Hao Chengbin asked.

"Middle school."

"Mm, then don't think about it. Just be a good ordinary soldier. Forget officer academies—even NCO schools require a high school education now."

"Squad Leader! I know a director at the high school in my town. Actually..."

"You have one minute left to eat."

That evening, in the squad room.

Hao Chengbin pinched one corner of Yue Tao's quilt.

"The reason your quilts are like this is because you didn't knead them properly. That edge is all loose, with a huge lump of cotton piled up on one side while the corner is empty. How are you supposed to fix that? There's a huge gap right here!

"Kneading a quilt doesn't mean randomly rubbing it back and forth! You need to compress and spread the cotton evenly! While kneading it, you have to control the thickness of the quilt and make sure it's even!

"Once you join a unit, the squad leaders there won't have time to teach you this! If you fold it badly, they'll only make you fold it again!"

"Oh, Squad Leader, I thought I was just supposed to rub it back and forth! The part you said was especially thick was made by me! It got stuck!" Yue Tao said, looking particularly proud of himself.

Fang Huai watched seriously from the side, slowly recalling the parts he had not done well.

After watching for a while, he said, "Squad Leader, how about finding us two short bamboo strips? Chopsticks would work too. We can use them to straighten the sheets and shape the quilts."

Hao Chengbin nodded. "Sure. I'll get you some tonight."

Then he seemed to remember something.

"How do you know how to do everything, kid? Did your dad teach you this? Your dad... was probably a soldier in the seventies or eighties, right?"

The moment he said that, the recruits nearby perked up their ears.

No wonder! He was so good because he had gained experience before joining the military. He wasn't even on the same starting line as us!

Yue Tao, however, looked smug as he eagerly revealed the "answer."

"Squad Leader! Fang Huai has a cousin too! He's also a soldier!"

Fang Huai sighed.

Here it came. Now his entire family really had been arranged to join the army.

"Yes... Squad Leader, there are quite a few soldiers in my family. I guess I was influenced by the older generation. Oh, and on my mother's side, my uncle is a soldier too. I grew up around it."

He would probably receive his rank in a month or so. If nothing changed, his uncle should come see him. He ought to give Hao Chengbin a heads-up in advance, or it would be hard to explain later.

Hao Chengbin was stunned too.

"So many soldiers in your family? Not... not a single officer?"

"Ah, there... there is one. Active duty, but his rank isn't high." Fang Huai stammered.

"What, you can't talk about it? Which unit is he in?" Hao Chengbin was no fool. Seeing Fang Huai act so mysteriously, he could more or less guess something.

He figured it was probably the fire service.

But he could never have guessed which leader it was, much less that he was Fang Huai's maternal uncle.

Fang Huai seemed reluctant to say it. "Ah, Squad Leader, I won't mention it. It's nothing worth talking about. Even if I said it, he couldn't really help me with anything. Once you join the military, don't you still have to rely on yourself?"

Hao Chengbin nodded approvingly. "Not bad. That's a good mindset. But... if your personal abilities meet the standard, and your family can also find a way to help with a transfer, you can come with me to the Guiyang Special Services Detachment in the future."

The other recruits immediately became envious when they heard that.

Fang Huai had caught the squad leader's eye. He was going to take him to his own squadron.

Over the past two days, everyone had learned just how special a third-term NCO was here. Among nearly a hundred squad leaders in the whole New Recruit Regiment, only two were third-term NCOs.

If they followed their squad leader to a unit, would they not be living the good life?

"Guiyang Special Services??" Fang Huai's eyes widened in surprise.

"Squad Leader... aren't you from the Anshun Detachment?"

He knew that very well. And over the past two days, he had deliberately listened to the recruits chatting in the company and confirmed it.

The squad leaders and officers in Seventh Company were basically from the Liupanshui and Anshun Detachments. Only the Fifth Squad leader seemed to be from Zunyi.

"It's no secret. I'll tell you."

When Hao Chengbin brought this up, a hint of pride appeared on his face. "During last year's provincial corps-wide major training exercise, a leader from Guiyang picked me out and asked me to transfer to the Guiyang Special Services Squadron. Once I finish training recruits and go back, I'll handle the transfer."

Fang Huai's heart surged.

No wonder the system had sent him to Old Hao's squad. It had even arranged his next step for him.

"Special Services Team? Squad Leader, is that basically Special Forces? Guiyang Special Services are Guiyang's firefighting Special Forces?" Yue Tao asked, his eyes shining.

With someone like Yue Tao in the squad, everyone had it easy. They did not even need to ask questions; they only needed to listen. Sitting on their little stools, they listened with great interest.

Hao Chengbin chuckled. "Not exactly. Every detachment is a regimental-level unit, but Guiyang is the provincial capital, so some of its top leaders are ranked half a level higher. The Special Services Squadron is also ranked a little higher than ordinary squadrons. It is deputy battalion level.

"It also has better special equipment and staffing.

"For example, when a detachment runs diver training, the slots are usually given to the Special Services Team first. Diving equipment is also given to Special Services first. When there's a call to recover someone from the water, ordinary squadrons generally do not have divers or equipment, so they ask the Special Services Team for support.

"Of course, the Special Services Team also has its own jurisdiction and can encounter major calls that require reinforcements from other squadrons. It just supports others more often. In many especially large fires, it also serves as the main combat squadron, so there are more opportunities to earn merit."

"Wow, Squad Leader, then you're going to a high-tier squadron in a high-tier detachment!"

Yue Tao's words flattered Hao Chengbin so much that he could not hold back a smile. He waved his hand.

"Ah, it's nothing! I used to be with Anshun Special Services!"

The recruits admired him even more, while also becoming full of envy, jealousy, and resentment toward Fang Huai.

The squad leader was taking him along, so it was definitely a sure thing! Fang Huai would be a soldier in a major squadron within a major detachment in the future!

Fang Huai's mouth twisted as everyone stared at him.

These immature young guys were either clueless or unhappy.

A transfer connection? Could a third-term NCO who had just transferred there really have any say? Even a master sergeant would not be much use!

Sigh, he would still have to "work hard" himself!

This was not something he could accomplish simply by training well and becoming the top recruit. He would have to bring out his uncle, that ultimate weapon.

"Beep~ Beep."

They had definitely changed the whistle at the company office today. It was especially loud.

"All squads, assemble in the study room at 6:40!"

Hao Chengbin glanced at his counterfeit Rolex and stood up.

"Let's go. I'll take you to watch TV!"