The captain of the third company of the independent regiment was named Hao Ping. He was not good-looking and had no special strengths, but he was of good family background and had a high level of self-awareness and consciousness. The third company was responsible for building houses and doing engineering in the village. As the captain, he had a relatively leisurely job, so he also served as the captain of the recruit company, responsible for training the recruits who had just joined the army but had not yet been assigned.
The training of this batch of new recruits is nearing its end, and the allocation quotas have been determined. There are about one hundred people in total, with forty in the first company, forty in the third company, and twenty in the second company. However, they will have to wait for a few days after the training is completely completed before they can actually enter each company.
The training assessment had just ended and the recruits started chattering on the sidelines of the playground.
"Hey, I'm going to join a company in a few days. I wonder which company I'll be assigned to?"
"Which company do you want to go to?"
"I want to go to the Second Company, but unfortunately there are only 20 places, so the chance is too small."
"There are only 17 or 18 people in the Second Company now. What's good about that?"
"You know shit. I asked the veterans. We have a saying in our independent regiment: Iron First Company, Red Third Company, and a sharp knife is the Second Company!"
"What does this mean?"
"The commander of the first company was cautious, and he was always gloomy and didn't like to talk. He was very strict in enforcing discipline, and managed the first company like an iron plate, so it was called the 'Iron First Company'. The commander of the third company was highly conscious, cared about the people, cared about the soldiers, and was enthusiastic about the revolution, so it was called the 'Red Third Company'. The commander of the second company was the best fighter, especially in close combat and with the bayonet, so it was called the 'Sharp Knife Company'."
"Oh my god, so that's how it is! The first company is too strict, and the second company is life-threatening. I wish I could be assigned to the third company."
"You wish. You have no chance of winning the third game."
"Why?"
"You idiot, isn't the Third Company Commander our new recruit company commander now? He's the one in charge of the assignments. He already knows who his Third Company wants. Those with excellent training results, good family backgrounds, high awareness and a willingness to help others will definitely be kept by him. How could it be your turn?"
"… "
The training assessment was over, but there were still several recruits standing side by side in the middle of the playground. The third company commander Hao Ping stood in front of the recruits with a frown and his hands behind his back.
These guys are the most troublesome for the third captain. Some of them are cunning and lazy and don't train hard, some are lazy and don't have the energy to train, and some are really stupid. They haven't improved even after being taught for 800 years. As the training is about to end and they are waiting for assignment, they still can't pass the basic training courses, and there is no improvement despite all the methods they have used. For this reason, the third captain has figured out a new incentive method, and after asking the regiment commander for approval, he is ready to try it out.
"We in the Eighth Route Army don't have corporal punishment, nor do we beat or scold people, so you guys are just being arrogant, aren't you? Everyone else has passed, why can't you? You think that it doesn't matter whether you train well or not, you will be assigned to the first, second, or third company sooner or later, right? Haha, I guess you've made a wrong calculation. Today I'll give you one last chance. If you still fail, I'm sorry, you won't be assigned to the first, second, or third company."
One of the recruits grinned and couldn't help asking, "Then, where should we go?"
The third company commander raised his voice: "Squad Nine!"
Plop—one of the new recruits couldn't stand and fell to the ground. The new recruits who were resting around the playground were also attracted by the loud voice of the third company commander and were shocked.
Although he did not fully understand the original intention of the regiment commander and the political commissar to set up the ninth squad, in the mind of the third company commander Hao Ping, the ninth squad was just a kindergarten, a garbage factory, and a backward group that ate idle meals. For this reason, he specifically asked the regiment commander whether he could use the ninth squad as a negative example to motivate these unpromising recruits. He did not know what the regiment commander was thinking, but he not only agreed, letting Hao Ping decide for himself, but also gave the ninth squad a quota. The political commissar was also there at the time, but he did not express any opposition to this approach.
Class 9 lives separately, trains independently, and has very little interaction with the new recruits, so the new recruits' understanding of Class 9 is all based on rumors.
The recruits who had been talking on the sidelines just now understood what the third company commander meant, and they were surprised and immediately started talking again.
"Oh my god, they are in trouble!"
"It's miserable? Not really, right? Class 9 has fewer people, and there's a little girl there. Besides being embarrassed, what else can it be?"
"I'm asking, do you really not know or are you pretending not to know? Have you forgotten what happened in the kitchen yard? That runny nose guy is from the Ninth Squad, right? It is said that they thought he was a waste and wanted to dismember him in broad daylight. If the Second Company hadn't stopped them and then Officer Su interrupted them, a life would have been lost."
"Yes, yes. Also, that squad leader is known as the nemesis of the Second Company. He only attacks his own people. It is said that he slaughtered all the people in the Second Company! If new recruits want to join the Ninth Class, they have to be skinned alive by him first!"
"What? Is this possible? Doesn't the leader care about him?"
"You don't understand this, right? Legend has it that the wicked little girl is the captain's biological daughter, and that evil star saved the little girl's life. Do you understand?"
"This, this, is actually like this?"
"What do you think? A few days ago, they came back from outside and reportedly killed another of their own people. It seemed that he was from Qingshan Village. It was that wicked little girl who fired forty shots in a row for no reason. He was riddled with bullets! Because of this, that evildoer is still in prison."
"Think about it, why do they live alone? It's because their squad 9 is too vicious and the commander is afraid that they will hurt their own people! If we, the new recruits, go to squad 9, what will happen? That's hell!"
…
The third company commander had no idea about the nonsense rumors spread by the recruits. Seeing how shocked the recruits were, he felt very satisfied with the result. After all, people should have dignity and trees should have bark. They were also motivated, which was good. Little did he know that the recruits were not afraid because of shame, but because of a mysterious fear.
These new recruits were really nervous. They really didn't expect this kind of arrangement. They couldn't go to Class 9 no matter what. If they had known this would happen, they should have practiced more on weekdays. Now they really regretted it. They must seize this last chance and use all their strength.
With sweat on his forehead, he tried hard to remember which side was the left hand side, then turned right, and passed the queue test. He gritted his teeth and held the gun steady and level, concentrating his mind, repeating the three-point-one-line formula silently, and passed the aiming test. He kept the tip of the knife steady, moved quickly, and tried hard to remember the posture essentials, and passed the assassination test.
After all the make-up exams were completed, the playground was already surrounded by new recruits. They were also worried for their classmates and watched quietly.
The effect was surprisingly good. Out of the five people who took the make-up exam, four passed on the spot, but one, named Wu Shitou, failed in all the subjects.
The third company commander looked at Wu Shitou helplessly and shook his head. Wu Shitou was the dumbest. He was not cunning or lazy. He was really dumb, or he was a little stupid. He was missing a brain. The recruits nicknamed him "idiot". They taught him a thousand times, but he still didn't understand what the three points and one line meant. When they drew a mark on his left foot with chalk, he still mistook his right foot for his left. He was quite strong and had strength, but he couldn't learn to fight with a spear. He also injured several people because he didn't know how to use light or heavy hands and couldn't tell whether it was a real fight or a fake one.
The third company commander once scolded the recruiter for this, saying how could such a person be a soldier? He also took the initiative to persuade Wu Shitou and gave him repatriation expenses to let him go, but Wu Shitou, who was a fool, refused to move and did not respond no matter what anyone said. The third company commander would definitely not want such a soldier. Even if he forced him into the first or second company, he would probably have to send him back. Giving him bullets would be a waste. He couldn't even use the gun. What's the use of this soldier
Originally, the captain of the third company wanted to send Wu Shitou to the medical team to carry a stretcher, but now the ninth squad had been assigned a vacancy by the regiment commander, and it just so happened that the place of collecting garbage for children was very suitable for him.
"Wu Shitou, you should go to Class 9. You don't have to participate in training anymore, and you don't have to wait for assignment. You can go now." The third company commander announced the result on the spot.
Wu Shitou was not smart, so he did not have the fear of the Ninth Squad like other recruits. He even had no opinion of the Ninth Squad in his brain because he did not have much thought. But he had one visible advantage, which was obedience. As long as he stayed in the Eighth Route Army, he would be fine with any other arrangements. So he nodded heavily to the Third Company Commander and turned around to pack his luggage.
The third company commander looked at Wu Shitou's back and couldn't help sighing: I just finished the test, stood at attention and saluted, but I forgot...