Chapter 502 - 402: The Many Twists and Turns of Instructor Huang’s Fate_2

This made Ye Jiahong burst into laughter.

It’s still you, Order Soldier.

Moreover, the phrase "the deputy instructor is subordinate to the company leader" really delighted him.

This guy had been picking on him for such a long time—Fang Huai was bound to be pleased now.

Heh, you’re under me too!

Ye Jiahong laughed out loud, patted Fang Huai’s shoulder, and said cheerfully, "You really are a patrol elite of Order. The Order rules come right off your tongue!"

Fang Huai saw Ye Jiahong’s triumphant smile and immediately added another line, "Of course, we still need to act according to the actual situation."

He was about to become the deputy squadron leader, and according to the Order, the first duty of the deputy company leader was also "to be subordinate to the company leader and the instructor."

A deputy instructor can be subordinate, but not a deputy squadron leader. Absolutely not.

Damn, subordinate to this simpleton? I would be utterly wasted.

Seeing Cao Yi and Ye Jiahong both smiling, Huang Zhongjiu felt a sinking feeling in his heart.

He had heard how formidable Fang Huai was, but he couldn’t bear the thought of being inconsequential in this squadron.

Before he came, someone had told him that Second Squadron was a key unit, and if he could make achievements, he might even stay longer in the troops.

He was a soldier who grew up in the 90s and had been managing troops at the grassroots level for a long time, relying on three things: first, strict demands; second, a rewards and punishments system; and third, unity between officers and soldiers, with no special treatment.

He couldn’t stay in the first squadron because he had had a falling out with a self-indulgent main officer who did not participate in training. The other cadres collectively accused him of disrupting unity, and for that, he was transferred away by the higher-ups.

After spending some time at the Detachment government agency in the provincial city, leadership said he was a natural-born cadre, so they reassigned him to the county squadron.

In the second squadron, he was promoted to the regular company and became squadron leader and deputy secretary. After suffering for the first time, he became much more humble, planning to manage soldiers first, then cadres.

Eventually, he made secretary of the squadron and achieved some success. Just as he was about to start dealing with the cadres, they had already heard about his past and were on guard. The moment they objected, it was another collective report.

The last time they transferred him, he felt utterly disillusioned. Detachment Captain Zhang had a talk with him, and he retorted a few times, pointing out some of the irregular behaviors of the other cadres.

The result was that those cadres were criticized in a notice, and he was reassigned by Captain Zhang to the logistics department, saying logistics was a place to hone people skills and wisdom, and asked him to stay there for a year.

Not even half a year passed, and the whole corps logistics department needed someone. They agreed unanimously to recommend him for a temporary transfer to Guiyang Regiment.

After half a year, leadership finally told him there was an opportunity.

The deputy commander of Special Service Squadron 2 was reprimanded for poor self-management and was transferred. They thought he had the advantage in this area and sent him to Second Squadron to be an example.

Those words really touched his heart.

He was an example, not someone to be ostracized.

After arriving at Second Squadron, he found it to be quite good. True to its reputation as a Special Duty Team, both cadres had decent physical abilities, and many soldiers were not weaker than him. He became more cautious, starting with managing the soldiers.

But then, because of his methods, he faced discontent from the non-commissioned officers.

This was a first for him—slapping and kicking were all too common in the county squadron he used to be in, and such matters were not for the cadres; it was the squad leaders who acted.

He thought that management in Special Duty would surely be stricter, and he believed he hadn’t been too harsh, focusing mainly on persuasion and education. Yet, one instructor after another, and a captain, came to tell him that this approach wouldn’t work.

It was another two-against-one situation.

He didn’t want to be transferred yet again.

Then let’s clean up the discipline. That should be okay, right?

While the two main officers took charge during work hours, he would handle rest times and weekend living system management, making sure leave and outings were well-regulated. He decided not to bring up other issues, to avoid further criticism. He channeled most of his energy into these times.

As a result, after dealing with a few old soldiers, the discontent among the soldiers grew. They were spreading rumors like "wait until Fang Huai comes back to sort him out." As he passed by several squads, he overheard the soldiers saying this more than once or twice.

A new recruit had won the Grand Martial Arts Competition and become a squad leader, seemingly holding more prestige than him, a regular company cadre with 13 years of military service.

There was a fundamental problem with the mentality of these people.

The two cadres hadn’t mentioned much about Fang Huai to him, and he was thinking of humbling this Soldier King a bit, to show the soldiers that it would be no use for anyone to come back!

But today, with Fang Huai’s return, the attitude of the two cadres towards him made him feel cold inside.

The authority of the soldiers was handed over.

This prestige was probably also the result of the two cadres’ laissez-faire attitude.

If he offended Fang Huai, considering his relationship with the two main officers, it seemed likely that the old scenario would repeat itself.

How can I keep doing this job?

I can’t go on like this!

At that moment, a sentence snapped him back to reality.

"Instructor Cao, why haven’t you organized training tonight?"

Fang Huai was wholeheartedly focused on pushing forward the reform pilot project. The pilot project needed to advance quickly, and training had to be intensified to build a strong physical fitness foundation.

Cao Yi looked at Huang Zhongjiu, considered for a moment, but decided not to say anything that could undermine unity:

"Today is Saturday, and Instructor Huang has already done well to have them watch the News Broadcast in the study room. You still want them to train? Or, since it’s still early now, why don’t you go and talk to them?"

Fang Huai suddenly realized and smacked his forehead.

Having been out in the wild for dozens of days, he’d lost track of time, today was August 9, Saturday.

At this point, Huang Zhongjiu said, "Even if there is no drill, it’s still good to watch and understand recent events. Like the incident on the 4th, everyone should have an alert in their mind... Squad Leader Fang, you don’t think there’s a problem with this policy, do you?"

Fang Huai frowned.

Is this a trap for me?

"No problem, Instructor Huang is jesting. What could possibly be wrong with the contents of the ’Daily Life System’?"

Seeing this, Huang Zhongjiu glanced at Cao Yi and Ye Jiahong, and then said to Fang Huai:

"The way the soldiers of Special Service Squadron 2 rest, staring at computer screens, even organizing competitions, is this proper? The new recruits as well, either they are hiding and resting, or watering and planting trees, and even muttering to trees, which is not good for their mental health. We should make use of the army’s old traditions, during leisure time, playing chess in the game room, tidying up the quilts, honing their skills..."

"Damn it."

Upon hearing these words, Fang Huai, who had maintained a good temper since his return, immediately lost his composure, and his fierce nature was instantly revealed.

"You didn’t uproot my tree, did you?"

As he spoke, he quickly walked to the window, craned his neck, and looked outside.

This caught Huang Zhongjiu off guard.

I’ve been a cadre for thirteen years, and you address me as "I"?

"Fang Huai, what did you just say to me?!"

Seeing this, Cao Yi didn’t bother with Huang Zhongjiu and instead patted Fang Huai, saying:

"Why the panic? We’re both not dead, and the tree hasn’t been uprooted! Wang Peng has been taking care of your tree the whole time!"

Fang Huai finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But turning around, he hardened his expression again and looked at the two officials, asking, "You’re not going to manage this way of management? Do you think what he’s doing is right?"

Cao Yi gave an awkward smile, "Well, Instructor Huang is new here. It takes time to integrate into the squadron."

At this time, Ye Jiahong also waved his hand, "What needed to be reminded has been reminded. He’s an old soldier, strengthening some old traditions is a good thing. The new officers, conscripts, many don’t understand how tough being a soldier used to be. When we were new recruits, it was like this..."

Fang Huai twisted his mouth.

He launched into an indiscriminate attack:

"New recruits talking to trees and not having heartfelt chats with cadres, have you ever considered that there might be issues in your management?

Instead of finding the root of the problem within yourselves, you blame a tree?

Old traditions, old rules, were limitations of the times! What era are we in now? What’s the purpose of tradition?

It’s for better officer-soldier relations, for better management!

Military management is not about repeating the same things over and over, it must evolve with the times!

Stinky tofu, snail noodles, people like to eat them because they’re tasty, not just because they stink!

What’s the point of obsessively pursuing tradition,

The Olympics are embracing openness and progressing with the times, so why do you have excuses for taking steps back in history here?

I don’t care! Starting tomorrow, we must restore the previous management system, those who should work will work, and those who should rest will rest! I don’t want an old bone like you changing the flavor of the soup. You can’t afford the responsibility!"