Chapter 178 - 130: Those Are All My Cops!!

Wen Jingsong has recently been too brash in the First Squadron.

A few days before the new recruits joined the squadron this year, he expressed his ambition to become a squad leader and made it clear to the Squadron Leaders, saying he wanted to rise through the ranks and must serve as an official squad leader for a year and obtain a third-class merit to qualify.

Normally, the Squadron Leaders should provide extra support in personal advancement.

Wen Jingsong had good physical abilities and his work in various aspects was not bad either, and the Squadron Leadership was aware of who his father was, so there was no reason not to support him.

The Squadron Leaders were well aware that if he talked about rising through the ranks, he must have confirmed it with his family before raising the issue with the squadron.

Becoming a squad leader was no problem.

Regarding the matter of applying for the third-class merit, the Squadron Leaders also agreed that if there was an opportunity to earn it, they would consider nominating him.

If all else failed, at the end of the year when merits were assessed, they’d have a word with everyone and let him have his turn.

Initially, Captain Huang thought it was a good thing and busied himself helping Wen Jingsong with the arrangements.

He told the other Squadron Leaders that having such a physically skilled cadre staying on in the First Squadron would be a great asset for group drills in the future.

In team drill competitions, there are fixed slots for cadres, meaning that a certain number, maybe one or two, must participate.

At the present, among the cadres of the First Squadron, except for Leader Huang, others were somewhat dragging their heels in physical and drill proficiency.

When everyone heard this rationale, they felt embarrassed to object anymore and agreed with one eye open and one eye closed.

After discussing for two days, they appointed him as the squad leader of the Rescue Team.

However, when they inquired about Wen Jingsong’s intention to stay with the squadron after his promotion, Wen Jingsong actually said that Special Duty was too exhausting and he planned to work in a government agency with a regular office hour system in the future.

He didn’t even bother to tell a little lie to keep everyone’s spirits up.

This completely cooled Captain Huang’s enthusiasm, but since everyone had already agreed to his promotion to squad leader, it was difficult to backtrack.

But since he became the Rescue Team squad leader, he has become increasingly arrogant.

He frequently spoke without giving necessary respect to the older soldiers in the squad, and at a squad meeting last weekend, he rebuked two first-period non-commissioned officers.

When arguments arose, he would provoke others by challenging them to physical fitness and job competency pursuant to military regulations.

He would offer some face to the non-commissioned officers who had served longer, but the first-period ones received no such considerations. If they’re not up to par in physical fitness, he wouldn’t give them the time of day.

It could be said that, aside from He Zhijun who had just returned from the new recruit group and went out for training again, no first-period non-commissioned officer could thoroughly outperform him in all aspects.

Despite having a new recruit class, he would often join soldiers of the same service year to call new recruits for extra training and lessons.

Instructor Liu disapproved of his lack of discipline.

But Captain Huang often advised him to let it be: after all, the kid had powerful connections, being the son of the Logistics Minister and indeed was physically superior within the First Squadron; without any significant fault to pick—aside from not getting into fights—it was better to tolerate him for just one year, and thankfully he wouldn’t stay after that and would be someone else’s problem.

But a few days ago, when Wen Jingsong was at the Squadron Department, he saw Instructor Liu’s frosted cigarettes on the desk and joked in front of everyone, "Instructor Liu, you’re a mighty Imperial Captain and you smoke this brand?"

After speaking, he took out a pack of Black Gold from his pocket and threw it on Liu’s desk.

In Wen Jingsong’s view, he would be a Captain in the future too. By joking with Liu and giving him a pack of cigarettes, he thought he was showing respect.

But in Instructor Liu’s view, it was a repeated insult.

Such jokes were commonplace among non-commissioned officers.

However, jokes depend on who you’re joking with. For someone already displeased with you, this frivolous tone would only increase loathing and attract nitpicking.

To say "Imperial Captain" was to insult the country; to look down on his cigarettes and then toss him a pack was to insult him personally.

It cannot be said that Wen Jingsong lacked emotional intelligence, but it was limited.

Therefore, today, Instructor Liu took the opportunity to bring up this matter intentionally and did so in front of members of both squadrons.

After mentioning it, a smile played about the corners of Instructor Liu’s lips.

Wen Jingsong liked to joke around and wash away people’s dignity, right? Liu thought it was time to turn the tables—are you able to take this joke?

However, Instructor Liu’s own emotional intelligence wasn’t high either—he was pleased with his "jest," but it left everyone else bewildered.

Cao Yi wasn’t afraid of stirring trouble and asked as if clueless, "Oh? Who in the First Squadron is looking to rise through the ranks?"

Instructor Liu chuckled without responding.

But all eyes from the First Squadron turned to Wen Jingsong, the new squad leader. The non-commissioned officers had thought Wen Jingsong was just trying to get a taste of being an officer, but it would be foolish not to grasp the deeper implication now.

Damn, it turned out that it wasn’t just any leadership position he was after, but the Captain’s role.

The young officers of the First Squadron were all pondering one question: with someone so dismissive of others, what would happen if he became a deputy captain or captain? Would there be any good outcomes left for them?

Thus, a man stood up, rolled his sleeves to his elbows revealing scars running halfway up, and said with a smile:

"Instructor Liu, I also have a second-class meritorious service, a burn scar on my right arm, a ninth-degree disability for which I was compensated. I’ve been a squad leader for a year too, so I meet the qualifications. You’re not talking about promoting me, are you?"

Immediately, someone objected, "Yang Cheng, if you meet the criteria, am I not qualified?"

Zhao Jinchen from the Second Squadron also laughed, "Yang Cheng, if we’re talking about merits, I’ve got three third-class merits, which is even one more than the requirement. And as for being a squad leader, I’ve served for two and a half years."

With those words, Wen Jingsong’s face turned ashen.

Based on his current status, he really did not meet the requirements for promotion.

Indeed, there are unwritten rules regarding two third-class merits: one should be for proficiency in work, the other for excellence in physical fitness, colloquially known as "one literary and one military."

The most esteemed third-class merits are those earned during Martial Arts Competitions or urgent, difficult, and dangerous police dispatch missions.

Third-class merits awarded at year’s end assessments are not taken very seriously by senior leaders.

Furthermore, the Provincial Special Duty Squad often has visits from the Head of the Corps. If his ambition became well-known, envy could flourish, potentially causing numerous complications in his effort to rise through the ranks.

At this moment, Fang Huai, who had been watching quietly on the side, suddenly spoke up, lighting the fire:

"Instructor Liu, you think too highly of me. I actually do want to advance, but Captain Hao told me that without securing a top-two position in the national Grand Martial Arts Competition, I wouldn’t be qualified," Fang Huai said.

At these words, Cao Yi and Hao Chengbin both laughed.

The previously "qualified" Yang Cheng also laughed:

"The kid’s right! If you can place in the national competition, we’d all support your advancement!"

The old soldiers echoed in agreement: "Right! Without the strength, what’s the point in trying to advance?"

Wen Jingsong’s anger reached its peak, with all indicators hitting alarming highs.

His complexion was now uncontrollably flushed red.

The national competition, goddammit, you all talk as if it’s nothing, as if you’re hoping no one gets it since you can’t, right?

Biting his teeth, Wen Jingsong sneered:

"The Corps is a division-level unit and has quotas for advancement, but the national competition? Even He Zhijun, the highest in the province, only ranked third!

According to what Fang Huai said, who could get it? Who would be qualified? Are the positions just going to waste?

You squad leaders, stop complaining about pain in the legs while standing. Out of everyone here, not a single one is capable of making the top ten in the national competition, let alone the top two or three!"

Wen Jingsong didn’t care about the negative impact of his open heart anymore. Instead of having people gossip about him, he’d rather stand up and fight.

But his mockery didn’t silence everyone as he had imagined.

"I think you’re still just a rookie." Hao Chengbin spoke up:

"Don’t you even know the history of your own squad? Squad Leader Liu of your squadron, Liu Shoulin, placed second in the load-bearing climbing event at the national competition with a time of 44.3 seconds!

The Second Squadron’s Luo Ye, transferred to the Chongqing Corps last year, trained with He Zhijun and Zhou Yong, ranking ninth in overall individual points in the national competition!

With the progress of new recruits like Fang Huai, this year or next, they too will have the qualifications to aim for high ranks in the national competition!

Both squadrons have had plenty who participated in the national competition before, and there are those who, for various reasons, haven’t had a chance to compete. What makes you think this year or the next won’t produce someone who can break into the top ten?"

As soon as Captain Hao finished speaking, several backbone members of their respective squadrons stepped forward as if their names had been called.

Instructor Liu began to feel nervous as he sensed everyone becoming irritated.

This was getting out of control with all the back-and-forth.

He wanted to mock Wen Jingsong and show him up, not to make him a permanent enemy, doomed to an easygoing life as a deputy division commander’s perpetual adversary.

In that case, he really would live easily, perhaps serving as a company-level cadre until retirement.

Today, with no other First Squadron leader present, he didn’t even have someone to share the blame with. It was all on him.

With this thought, Instructor Liu changed his tone and glanced at the new recruits in his squadron:

"You guys just came back from a dispatch this morning and were washing the car, no morning exercise, right?

Wen Jingsong, Shi Jinbo, Yan Kuan, you second-year soldiers, take them to do a couple sets of pull-ups and dips!"

He needed to send Wen Jingsong away and find an opportunity for a talk to calm the emotions of the old soldiers in his squadron.

If he went straight back to the First Squadron now, he could only ride in one car and wouldn’t be able to control what the old soldiers in the other cars might say.

Cao Yi, shrewd as always, guessed his intentions and, not wishing to provide a space for peacemaking, jokingly said:

"Instructor Liu, you come to our squadron to borrow equipment for training, that’s one thing, but now you’re also taking over our pull-up and dip area?

Don’t our new recruits need to train?"

Who knew that this would bolster Instructor Liu, making him even more assertive:

"Instructor Cao, you conducted exercises the day before yesterday and spent the whole of yesterday collecting equipment, even reporting to the Brigade Command Center that you were unavailable for police dispatch for the entire day!

Our squadron answered two calls for you yesterday!

One during lunch for an elevator rescue!

And Zhu Laoping falls within your jurisdiction, right?

We got a dispatch there last night, the roads were terrible, it took us over an hour to get there, and the fire nearly spread to the mountains!

We fought the blaze for over six hours and only returned this morning. You can’t just lend us equipment or a space; even providing us with a meal here would be the decent thing to do, right?

If your new recruits need to train, let’s do it together! What, can’t we fit a few more people?"

After Instructor Liu’s complaints, the Second Squadron had nothing to say.

And the soldiers of the First Squadron, not having as many ulterior motives as their superiors and being quite gullible, immediately took a firm stand against the Second Squadron.

"Yeah! Instructor Cao! We spent all Saturday morning catching up on sleep!"

"Damn, last night we drove by a pig farm, got pig manure all over the tires, and it was so slippery. Our Car No.2 was completely smeared with it!

The smell! We endured that stench all night long! If it weren’t for fear of not having enough water to put out the fire, we’d have cleaned the tires first thing when we got there!"

Cao Yi, feeling a little guilty about the Grand Martial Arts Competition. they inadvertently took on for the day, waved them off:

"Alright, alright, go ahead, off you go."

When the Second Squadron heard this story, they felt relieved and amused, praising Instructor Cao for quietly giving the Second Squadron a day off from combat.

The only one disheartened was Fang Huai, who stood aside, wanting to cry but lacking the tears, his face a picture of despair, no longer even caring to quarrel with Wen Jingsong.

Elevator rescue, a six-hour fire...

Those were my calls, my calls!

Give me back my military merit value!!