Chapter 52 - 24 Bring Joy to Your Squadron!_2

The pace of this march was noticeably faster than the morning drill, and in half an hour, we had run more than six laps.

Many new recruits were too exhausted to continue, crying out "Report," but inevitably they had to be pushed along by the group.

"Report what? Where’s the energy you had fighting for buns this morning? This will help you digest!"

"Run faster! You’ve only run one kilometer and you can’t keep up?"

The squad leaders yelled and cajoled from the sidelines.

The new recruits were woefully out of breath and gasping for air.

"This... one lap is 400 meters... squad leader! We’ve run... seven laps!"

"Who said one lap is 400 meters? One lap is only 200 meters!"

...

Soon, some began to fall out of the formation, no matter how much the squad leaders yelled, they could only trudge forward, gasping for breath.

The squad leaders physically dragged these people back into the formation.

"Pick up the pace! Don’t play dead!"

No matter how you looked at it, it was akin to sheepdogs herding sheep.

...

Fang Huai felt okay; with the enhancement to his heart, his stamina recovered fast enough to keep up, and aside from sore legs, he was far from a pitiful state.

Finally, when 40 minutes had passed, someone fainted.

The squad leaders quickly rushed in to part the crowd and carried the person out to prevent being trampled.

The cadres arranged for the individual to be taken to the medical office.

When the whole formation came to a stop, exactly one hour had passed.

Three people in the entire corps had fainted.

Squad Seven also had a lucky one: the wealthy second-generation heir who brought over three hundred thousand, the chubby Han Yong.

...

The whole company was gathered on a bare patch of ground.

All around were sounds of dry heaving and heavy breathing.

Squad Nine’s physically weakest, Peng Yingqirui, was so exhausted he was seeing stars and wished he could lie on the cold ground to rest. If he weren’t so lightweight, he probably would have collapsed in front of Han Yong.

But Zhao Bing, Hu Deli, and Zhang Yizhang from the neighboring Squad Eight and others could still chat naturally.

This level of exercise sharply highlighted the physical disparities between the recruits.

The squad leaders managed to find some thick mats, allowing the most distressed-looking new recruits to lie down for leg presses, demonstrating for all to see.

The lying recruits trusted their legs to the smiling squad leaders.

Pressing legs felt quite comfortable.

Very comfortable.

Peng Yingqirui also cried out in comfort among them.

The squad leaders demonstrated gently, "When pressing legs, take it step by step... if you feel the other person’s leg resisting, loosen up a bit."

The lying recruits enjoyed the sensation, "Ow..."

"Relax a bit, then press harder."

The recruits felt something was off, "Ow! It hurts a bit, squad leader!"

The squad leaders smiled, "Then we’ll loosen up a bit... and now, press hard!"

The recruits’ eyes widened, "Ow!!!"

The squad leaders finally laughed, "Press harder, apply strength! Keep your legs straight! Fight back, use your legs to resist me! 20 seconds!"

The recruits struggled and pounded the ground, "Ow! Ow! Squad leader, no more pressing! Can’t bear it anymore!!"

"A man must never say he can’t!"

"Ow!!! ...Uh... Huh? ...Oh, that feels good..."

Anyone unaware of the context might wonder what was going on.

...

Twenty minutes later, the whole playground was filled with new recruits groaning with "uh uh uh" after a full-body relaxation exercise.

Wang Jian stood in front of the formation with a big grin on his face.

"How does this full-body stretch feel? Comfortable, right?"

"Comfortable, Company Leader..."

"Okay, the whole corps has made this stretching routine into a PDF and distributed it. From now on, you’ll have to teach it yourselves, bringing this joy to your squadrons!"

...

Today’s morning queue exercise class ended early at 10:30. Back at the squad, it was time for a collective cleaning.

The whole corps busied themselves, and the new recruits slowly shed their childish mentalities of being praised for just washing dishes at home.

Squad Nine passed the hygiene inspection, but Hao Chengbin didn’t let the new recruits rest. He had Fang Huai lead everyone in reading the codes and regulations.

At noon, while eating, the Chief of Staff gave a flamboyant speech for twenty minutes at the door of the mess hall, from what it means to be part of the troops to the demands of a competent soldier, making everyone drool with anticipation.

Summed up, it was just a repetition of the same few phrases.

"You company leaders, squad leaders, don’t just focus on training, teach them how to be soldiers first!"

"To learn how to be a soldier, first learn to be a person!"

"You might be a soldier for a while, but you are a person for a lifetime!"

These words, not just for the new recruits, but even the twenty-something squad leaders and young cadres found them abstract.

Fang Huai understood.

When one spends time in the military, the gains depend on how much this experience changes one’s entire life.

Those who truly experience a spiritual cleansing in the military will see many changes in their perseverance, execution, values, and ideals. Compared to a lifetime, the time spent as a soldier is very short, yet the "post-military era" is very long, enough to influence one’s entire life.

Some people treat their time in the military like a long vacation, only to end it and perhaps talk about it as a life experience; others see it as a layover outside of college, moving on to jobs in society; and yet others start a new life, from here on, saying goodbye to their former self who had nothing meaningful to do.

...

Afternoon.

A formal queue exercise class.

Hao Chengbin wore a hat and fastened his belt, with a stern expression.

The new recruits below, clad in winter combat uniforms, had their faces reddened by the sudden chill and gusts of wind.

"Look right, look forward, look right, look forward, at ease!"

After finishing the formation twice, Hao Chengbin saluted and continued loudly.

"Time: one morning.

Location: right here on the training ground.

Subject: individual soldiers’ barehanded queuing actions.

Content: at ease, attention, standing with a stride, halt-turn technique.

Requirements: Comrades must be serious and attentive, hear the Commander’s orders clearly, and perform movements neatly in unison.

Do all comrades understand these requirements!"

The new recruits stood at attention in unison, saying loudly.

"Understood!"

"At ease!"

"Let’s go over it!"

New recruits stood at attention again.

"At ease!"

After Hao Chengbin shouted, he finally relaxed his posture and began pacing in front and behind the formation with his hands behind his back.

"The opening words of queuing training are complicated, designed to make you understand the solemnity and seriousness of queuing discipline!

Today’s morning content! At ease, attention, standing with a stride, halt-turn technique, all involve standing at attention!

Attention is to resume the military posture!

I have already explained the key points of the action yesterday!

When you hear the command ’attention,’ your heels must come together and toes must be pointed outward at about 60 degrees! Straighten your legs and squeeze your knees together! Squeeze them!"

Hao Chengbin unfastened his belt, held it in his hand, and pointed at someone’s knee, then nudged another one’s stomach.

"Slightly tuck in the abdomen, and hold your chest up naturally!

...Little guy, what are you doing sucking in your chest? Did you grow breasts? Need to feed a child? Or does the ant on the ground have your relatives?"

Everyone tried to stifle their laughter.

"Laugh! Whoever laughs later, I’ll have them come up and do it alone!

Keep your upper body straight and slightly leaning forward!

Most of the body’s weight should be on the balls of your feet, shoulders level and slightly retracted, arms hanging naturally straight down, fingers together, naturally and slightly curved, with the tip of the thumb touching the second joint of the index finger, and the middle finger in line with the seam of your trousers!

Keep your head up! Neck straight! Mouth closed! Slightly tuck in the chin, eyes looking straight ahead!

Why do military personnel stand out when they are out and about?

Three shapes!

A robust physique! A sharp hairstyle! An erect stance!

The third shape refers to your form, standing at attention is all about cultivating your form!

We prefer to call it a posture! This word captures the pride of a soldier!"

While listening to Hao Chengbin’s nagging, Fang Huai tensed his body, silently feeling the differences in each part and organ, and planning the order of future physical enhancement.

The benefits of heart enhancement were quite obvious - in addition to making his morning run easier, his spirit was clearly better than before, and his breathing was smoother.

Of course, quitting smoking played a part; after cutting back on heavy smoking, the daily morning cough and phlegm had reduced.

Legs... felt a bit weak, and quite painful after standing for a long time.

The basic fitness subjects for the new recruit group included: pull-ups, three kilometers, and one hundred meters.

Basic training: push-ups, sit-ups, and squats.

Enhanced after joining the group: pull-ups increased by two drills, and three kilometers turned into five kilometers.

To get all this sorted, only the lungs, legs, and grip strength were left. In terms of physical strength, if there were no system awards, he would train himself. With internal organ enhancement, it shouldn’t be hard to improve bodily functions.

Fang Huai was lost in thought when suddenly someone nudged the back of his knee. He quickly tried to push back, but it was too late, and his leg bent slightly.

He immediately received a thump on the back of his head.

Hao Chengbin’s stern voice started bombarding his ears at the same time: "Don’t let your mind wander during training! Otherwise, this is what happens!"

Seeing Fang Huai get hit made everyone feel a bit more balanced.

Fang Huai could make mistakes, too!

The prince commits the same crime as the common people!

Unknowingly, the new recruits had come to recognize Fang Huai’s status as the "major prince."

Only Jiang Peng felt he at least had the stature to be a prince capable of usurping the throne.