The Whole Family Was 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 from you at all! Sing it again!"

Old Hei's voice was still loud.

The duty lieutenant immediately issued the second command.

"At ease!"

"Sing a song!"

The new recruits, smelling the delicious food inside, were practically drooling.

"Unity... Ready, sing!"

"Unity is strength!!"

After three rounds of this, Old Hei finally gave the order to eat.

As the new recruits entered the mess hall, three of them excitedly slipped and fell.

The duty officer noticed something was wrong and quickly shouted, "There's water! There's water on the ground! Slow down! Why are you running so fast??"

Inside the mess hall, Old Hei watched the situation at the entrance, deep in thought.

When all the new recruits had entered the mess hall, a strange scene unfolded.

The Chief of Staff was standing.

So the company commanders and squad leaders also stood.

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

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

After a long while.

"Running around? Running like the wind! Is safety more important or eating more important? You run fast and you get food?"

The Chief of Staff Old Hei's roar echoed throughout the quiet mess hall. At this moment, only the sounds of the mess hall aunties and cooks cleaning up the kitchenware were silently opposing his shout.

"Starting today, the rules are being redefined. When entering the mess hall, all new recruits must be present, and only when the Regimental Headquarters starts serving will everyone be allowed to eat! Without rules, there can be no order! If eight hundred people in a regiment eat in this mess hall, jostling each other, what if two people get trampled to death? Who will be responsible!

All company commanders and squad leaders! Take care of your own people! If I find anyone pushing others or rushing into the mess hall to eat again, they will be deducted points! Oh, and starting today, a points table for each company and squad will be posted downstairs in the new recruit building. The most advanced collectives and individuals will be selected based on points!

Rushing around... like a bunch of starving ghosts!

Dinner is served!"

Choosing this opportune moment to dampen the new recruits' enthusiasm for eating, everyone hesitated to move.

As an old soldier, Hao Chengbin was the first to quietly call out "Dinner is served," and only then did the new recruits of Squad Nine dare to sit down.

Hao Chengbin was the first to pick up a piece of meat with his chopsticks. Seeing the new recruits who were as silent as cicadas in winter, he spoke to ease the atmosphere.

"You all heard him, right? If you anger the regiment, everyone's life becomes difficult!

But I think you all performed well today. On the training ground, including the little ones who couldn't keep up, Sun Lianhai, you all did your best. You didn't rush to eat, which is very good!

But you must learn from this in the future! Don't step into puddles that others have already stepped in!

With the points board, that's a good thing, an opportunity for us to show off! Our Squad Nine, from now on, must be the best squad in the company, or 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.

This was why they called him an experienced soldier.

The surrounding squad leaders were scolding their new recruits, and some tables near the Regimental Headquarters were still standing, looking as if they were determined to make an example of someone today, to show the Chief of Staff.

Only Hao Chengbin, instead of scolding, offered words of comfort and encouragement.

Going against the grain was both the unique privilege of an old squad leader and the source of his charm.

He saw it clearly: What was the point of scolding? The regiment wouldn't praise you for scolding well. If the new recruits' psychology broke down under continuous high pressure, it would still be someone's responsibility.

He had already made them feel the tension, and with a tense environment, relaxation would seem rare and precious. Those who were sensible would know to be content and act accordingly.

As for those who were not sensible, they could be trained individually afterward.

Leading soldiers wasn't just about being strict; the tension had to be tightened step by step.

The new recruits of Squad Nine watched as the new recruits in the adjacent squads were still being disciplined, and their earlier resentment was gone.

Our squad leader is truly the best!

They ate their meager meal with politeness, frugality, and deference, even starting to serve each other food, led by Jiang Peng.

"Here, little one, you worked hard today, eat more."

"You eat more too."

"Fang Huai... do you want meat? My arm is long, I'll serve you." Lu Zexian also joined the food-serving team.

Hao Chengbin's mouth twitched as he watched, wondering if he should drop his kind squad leader facade and scold them.

"No! Just eat your own! Stop serving each other! Eat quickly! We don't have much time!" Fang Huai said loudly.

Did you not want this hard-won gentleness anymore? Why are you serving others now?

Do you think this is like the news showing troops eating New Year's Eve dinner? Harmonious and happy?

"Ahem, let's set some rules. Mealtime is only five minutes! Rules wait for no one!"

Hao Chengbin added in a sarcastic tone, his face becoming a bit more serious.

Everyone quickly fell silent and began shoveling food into their mouths with slurping sounds.

Hao Chengbin still had to go to the company headquarters for a private session that evening, so he wasn't rushing his meal. He started to lecture them.

"In our fire department, we have to eat especially fast!

You'll understand when you get to your units. The alarm can go off at any moment. You might be halfway through a meal, or halfway through lathering up in the shower, and you won't even have time to rinse off before you have to rush out on a call. It happens more often than you can imagine!

When the alarm sounds, within one minute, the combatants must be in their combat gear and on the vehicle, and the vehicle must have driven out of the squadron's gate. Some places even have a standard of 45 seconds!

Think about it, how fast do you have to be? In one minute, how much do you have to accomplish? Is there time for you to dilly-dally?

I don't want you to have vague ideas about the rules. Once the reasoning is clear, the rules must be implemented to the letter! Starting today, when I put down my bowl, you must put down your bowls and chopsticks!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yue Tao's endless questions immediately surfaced.

"Squad leader... one minute? How is that possible? That combat uniform you mentioned, is it the one under the new recruit building? The one with the helmet?"

Hao Chengbin's throat bobbed, but he suppressed the urge to explain in detail and waved his hand.

"When you get to your units, your squad leader will teach you. New recruits also have drills for dressing in place. But I can tell you the standard: for dressing in a full set of combat gear in place, the passing standard is 16 seconds, excellent is below 12 seconds, and some people can even get dressed in 6 seconds."

"Squad leader, will we learn these things in the new recruit regiment?" Zhao Bing asked with a look of longing.

Hao Chengbin chuckled lightly.

"The fire department new recruit regiment doesn't teach these things, nor do they have the full set of equipment for you to learn. The equipment is very expensive, and there are many recruits. Where would they get the equipment for you to waste?

Our fire department equipment is used almost every day, and it needs maintenance! What, are they going to assign 40 equipment technicians here to maintain the gear just for your 800 new recruit training?

Every unit has its own unique missions, training equipment, and drills, and there are many differences!

But there is one common foundation!

You are all soldiers!

So here, just focus wholeheartedly on learning how to be a soldier. Learn the regulations and orders, learn drill, and focus on training. Don't think about anything else. Once you get to your units, life there will be a completely different world from here!

The only thing that remains unchanged is that you must constantly abide by military discipline! And possess the strong physique that a soldier should have! With these foundations, you will have the capital to learn other things!"

"Squad leader, I understand! I will definitely be a good soldier from now on! And then I'll work hard to get promoted to a high-ranking officer, a general!"

Yue Tao's statement made everyone roll their eyes.

Are you trying to slack off here!

"Yue Tao, what's your educational background?" Hao Chengbin asked.

"Junior high."

"Hmm, then you don't need to think about it. Just be a good enlisted soldier. Don't even mention officer schools; even applying for non-commissioned officer schools now requires a high school diploma."

"Squad leader! My family knows a director at the town high school, actually..."

"There's still one minute left for mealtime."

In the evening, in the dormitory.

Hao Chengbin held a corner of Yue Tao's quilt.

"Your quilt is like this because you didn't rub it properly when you were rolling it. That's why this edge is so loose, with a big lump of cotton piled up on the side, and the corner is empty. No matter how you adjust it, there's a big gap here!

Rolling a quilt isn't about just rubbing it back and forth randomly! You need to press the cotton down firmly and evenly! While rolling, you need to control the thickness of the quilt and ensure it's even!

Your squad leaders at the unit won't have time to teach you these things! If you fold it poorly, they'll just make you redo it!"

"Oh, squad leader, I thought you just had to rub it back and forth! That part you mentioned that's extra thick, that's from me rolling it! It got stuck!" Yue Tao said, looking quite proud.

Fang Huai watched attentively from the side, slowly recalling some of the things he hadn't done well.

After watching for a while, he said, "Squad leader, why don't you find us two short bamboo strips, or chopsticks will do, to tidy up the bedsheets and fix the quilts?"

Hao Chengbin nodded. "Alright, I'll get some for you tonight."

As he spoke, he seemed to remember something.

"How do you know all this? Did your dad teach you? Your dad... must have been a soldier in the seventies or eighties, right?"

As soon as he said this, the new recruits nearby perked up their ears.

No wonder! He's so capable, it turns out he came with a cheat sheet before joining the army. We're not starting from the same line!

Yue Tao, on the other hand, seemed quite composed and couldn't wait to reveal the "mystery."

"Squad leader! Fang Huai also has an older cousin! He's also a soldier!"

Fang Huai sighed.

He's really roped the whole family into enlisting now.

"Yeah... Squad Leader, my family has quite a few soldiers. It's probably from the older generation's influence. Oh, and on my mom's side, my uncle is also a soldier. I grew up surrounded by it."

He'll probably get his rank in a month or two. If nothing changes, his uncle should come to see him. Maybe I should give him a heads-up. As for Hao Chengbin, it's hard to say what will happen then.

Hao Chengbin was taken aback.

"So many soldiers? Is there... not a single officer?"

"Ah, well... there is one, active duty, but he's not high-ranking." Fang Huai stammered.

"What, it's not something you can talk about? Which unit is he from?" Hao Chengbin wasn't stupid. Seeing how secretive he was, he'd guessed something.

He probably figured it was the fire department.

But he never would have guessed who that leader was, or that it was his own maternal uncle.

Fang Huai seemed a bit embarrassed to speak. "Ah, Squad Leader, I won't say. There's nothing worth mentioning, and even if I did, it wouldn't help me much. Once you're in the military, you still have to rely on yourself."

Hao Chengbin nodded approvingly. "Good. It's great you have that mindset. However... if your personal abilities meet the standard, and your family can help with transfers, you can follow me to the Guiyang Special Services Detachment later."

The other new recruits listened, suddenly filled with envy.

Fang Huai had caught the Squad Leader's eye and was going to be brought to his own squadron.

These past couple of days, everyone knew how special a third-term sergeant was here. Out of nearly a hundred squad leaders in the entire recruit corps, there were only two third-term sergeants.

If he followed his Squad Leader to a unit, he'd 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 was very clear about this, and he'd even subtly listened to the new recruits in the company chatting these past two days to confirm.

The squad leaders and officers in the Seventh Company were basically all from the Liupanshui and Anshun detachments. Only the fifth squad leader seemed to be from Zunyi.

"It's not exactly a secret. I'll tell you guys."

Hao Chengbin's face showed a hint of pride as he brought this up. "Last year, during the General Corps' intensive training, a leader from Guiyang took notice of me and asked me to transfer to the Guiyang Special Services Squadron. Once I finish leading these recruits, I'll be handling the transfer."

Fang Huai's heart surged.

No wonder the System had him join Old Hao's squad. It had already arranged his next step.

"Special Services Team? Squad Leader, is that like Special Forces! Guiyang Special Services, is that Guiyang's fire Special Forces?" Yue Tao asked, his eyes shining.

Having someone like Yue Tao in the squad made things easier for everyone. They didn't need to say anything; they just had to listen. They all sat on their small stools, listening intently.

Hao Chengbin chuckled. "Not exactly. Each detachment is a regiment-level unit, but Guiyang is the provincial capital, so some key leaders are a rank higher. The Special Services Squadron is also a rank higher than other squadrons; it's a deputy battalion level.

They also have better specialized equipment and personnel.

For example, if a detachment needs to conduct diver training, they'll usually prioritize giving the spots to the Special Services Team. They'll also get priority for diving equipment. When responding to calls and diving to rescue people, if a regular squadron doesn't have divers or equipment, they'll ask the Special Services Team for support.

Of course, the Special Services Team also has its own jurisdiction and will encounter major incidents requiring other squadrons to reinforce them. It's just that they reinforce others more often. For many super large fires, they'll also undertake the tasks of the main combat squadrons, giving them more opportunities for commendations."

"Wow, Squad Leader, so you'll be going to a high-spec squadron in a high-spec detachment!"

Yue Tao's words made Hao Chengbin beam, and he waved his hand, unable to suppress a smile.

"Ah, it's nothing much! I used to be in the Anshun Special Services!"

The new recruits were filled with admiration again, and at the same time, they were filled with envy and jealousy towards Fang Huai.

The Squad Leader was going to take him, so it was practically a sure thing! Fang Huai would be a soldier in a major squadron of a major detachment from now on!

Fang Huai twisted his mouth, feeling the gazes.

These young lads weren't brainless, just unhappy.

When it came to transfers, could a third-term sergeant who had just transferred have any influence? Even a sergeant major wouldn't be useful!

Sigh, he still had to "work hard" himself!

This matter really wasn't something that could be handled just by training well and being a model recruit. He still needed to bring out his uncle, that ultimate trump card.

"Beep. Beep."

The whistle from the company headquarters today was definitely different; it was exceptionally loud.

"All squads, gather 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!"