Chapter 25: Tradition?

"Beep-beep!"

"Everyone, roll your right pant leg up to the knee. No backpacks, no belts. Out and assemble!"

"Beep-beep!"

"Everyone, barefoot, vest only. Out and assemble!"

...

In the First Company’s barracks, the sound of Tong Lianzhong’s whistle was like a death knell. The recruits were on the verge of a breakdown, and Chu An was howling internally.

"If Heaven wants me dead, just do it. Why go through all this trouble to drag me to a military camp in this era? And after bringing me here, why put me under such a sadistic company commander?"

It was sheer agony.

There were all sorts of absurd drills: rolling up pant legs, stripping off clothes, and the most ridiculous one yet—having to run outside with their hats gripped between their teeth.

The kicker was that once they were outside, they didn't do anything else. They just lined up on the track, counted off, and that was it. As long as the count was correct, they would be immediately dismissed to return to their barracks to lie or sit on their beds.

Then, the whistle would blow again.

What kind of training was this? This question was likely haunting every single recruit, but no one dared to ask, and the squad leaders certainly weren't volunteering any answers.

Once again, they were called out, and the recruits stood in formation, looking utterly exhausted.

"Attention! Parade rest... Count off!"

The platoon leader gave the order after straightening the ranks. Immediately, the heads of the nine squads began to shout "One!"

It must be said that this was where the advantage of being tall truly shone. Although Chu An wasn't the tallest in the entire company, he was the tallest in the Fourth Squad. Standing at the head of the line, all he had to do was shout "One." He didn't have to worry about being thrown off by the voices of his comrades; all he had to do was be loud. Because of this, after the first time, no one had been singled out and scolded for the squad leaders' positions.

"What on earth are you doing? How did you become 'seven' again!"

Suddenly, the Third Squad leader strode toward a recruit and roared. His face was dark, and the recruit was shivering uncontrollably. Chu An could see it clearly—the recruit was truly trembling.

"Drop! Fifty push-ups!" the squad leader didn't wait for an explanation. Everyone knew why; the recruit had been rattled by the voices of the comrades next to him and had lost his place. Punishment was immediate.

It should be noted that while they had started with squad-level counting, they now counted off as an entire company.

When someone made a mistake now, it wasn't just a scolding. Fifty push-ups was the standard penalty for a slip-up. If someone messed up repeatedly, their squad leader would even kick them out of pure frustration.

When Chu An had been "reborn," the military had long since adopted a policy of civilized leadership, strictly forbidding corporal punishment. But this was not the time before his rebirth. In this era, even in schools, teachers carried rulers or bamboo canes. People still followed the old proverbs: "A strict teacher produces excellent students," "Jade must be carved to become a masterpiece," and "A person cannot become talented without discipline."

...

The recruits' suffering lasted for nearly an hour and a half. Finally, after a round of counting without a single error, Tong Lianzhong, who had been watching from the front, spoke up.

"Dismissed! Go back, put on your clothes, and assemble to get ready for dinner!"

Those words sent a jolt of energy through everyone. The recruits, who had been driven half-mad by the ordeal, were suddenly as energized as if they’d been injected with adrenaline. The agony was finally over!

It was safe to say that every recruit was desperate for this meal. Perhaps they weren't even hungry, but as long as it was mealtime, they wouldn't be tortured like this. The first day of training had pushed them to the brink. It was no exaggeration to say that during the short intervals when they were sent back to the barracks to wait for the next whistle, at least half of the recruits had questioned whether joining the army was the right choice.

...

"Heh, those guys were really put through the wringer today!"

The recruits had dispersed, and it was only then that the political instructor, who had been absent during the chaos, emerged from the barracks and walked over to Tong Lianzhong. Beside him was the officer who had distributed the supplies earlier, whose name the recruits still didn't know.

Tong Lianzhong smiled. "If we didn't push them, it wouldn't work. Things were too soft before. Now that training has started, we have to make them face reality. Grind them down, and they'll become obedient."

He then turned to the other officer. "Deputy Company Commander Zhao, don't forget the plan you and Lao Ge have for later!"

"Haha, how could I forget!" the officer known as Deputy Company Commander Zhao laughed.

Unlike them, the political instructor shook his head helplessly. "Leading new recruits—this is the part I hate the most."

"I hate it too, but it's tradition!"

At that moment, Chu An, who had just returned to his barracks, felt a chill run down the back of his neck. It lasted only for a split second, and no prophetic vision accompanied it.

...

"Unity is strength..."

Outside the mess hall, the recruits of two companies stood in formation, shouting at the top of their lungs.

"Where’s the volume? Listen to the group next door! Do you want to eat or not?"

Involuted competition, once started, is everywhere. Tong Lianzhong and the commander of the Second Company were both standing in front of their respective units with grim faces, shouting. Spurred on by their commanders, the recruits truly roared with all the strength they had.

"Not loud enough! Suppress the Second Company! I'll start it again... Unity is strength, ready, begin..."

When they finished, Tong Lianzhong made them do it again. The group next door did the same.

By now, Chu An was starting to think that skipping dinner might be worth it. His throat felt like it was going to smoke. But then, smelling the aroma wafting from the mess hall, he roared again with everything he had left. There was meat tonight; he could smell it. He couldn't help himself.

He had been here for a few days, and aside from the meat they had on the first day at lunch, every other meal had been salted vegetables, potatoes, and cabbage. After two or three days, finally smelling meat again made Chu An feel like his eyes were turning green with hunger.

Fortunately, Tong Lianzhong and the Second Company commander didn't keep it up forever. Or rather, with over a hundred people on each side, once that volume peaked, it was impossible to tell who had won. Once the two rounds were over, everyone was allowed into the mess hall.

"Wow, this is amazing! There’s such a huge portion of meat!"

The recruits surged into the mess hall, instantly buzzing with excitement. Even though they had smelled it from outside, they hadn't expected the kitchen staff to be so generous! On every table sat a large basin filled with chunks of potatoes and thick pieces of braised pork.

"Gulp."

Chu An heard someone swallow hard; in fact, he was doing the same. Having been forced to transition from a meat-lover to a vegetarian, heaven only knew how much he craved a bite of that meat.

"Over here!" Li Guoping waved from one of the tables.

In the mess hall, there was one recruit at every table. These were the "duty soldiers" responsible for setting the table and serving the food. Before the training had officially begun, they had been called into the kitchen even earlier to help.

Before the squads were assigned, Chu An had gone every time. But after the squads were split up, when the call for duty soldiers went out, Wang Qinghe had said that the duty would be rotated, and he had assigned Li Guoping to the task.