Chapter 18: Sergeant Lao Pao Submits

At this moment, Guo Jing, looking at the files of the veteran squad leaders in his platoon, couldn't help but ask Platoon Leader Chen curiously, "This Sergeant Lao Pao is a fine soldier and strong general; why is he serving as the company commander's clerk?"

Hearing Guo Jing's words, Platoon Leader Chen couldn't help but smile bitterly and said:

"This Sergeant Lao Pao is indeed a fine soldier and strong general, but precisely because he is too domineering, capable people are generally quite prickly; none of the platoon leaders in the company can manage him."

After hearing this, Guo Jing understood: no platoon leader wanted him, Company Commander Miao cherished talent and couldn't bear to let him leave, so he could only become a clerk.

Since no one can manage him, then I will manage him; I don't believe I, someone who can spar with the Wolf Tooth Special Forces squadron leader, cannot manage him.

At this moment, Sergeant Lao Pao stood outside the dormitory, his face full of melancholy; although his conflict with Xiao Zhuang had been resolved, he disapproved of Xiao Zhuang's lax style. Obviously, just like Sergeant Lao Pao, Xiao Zhuang also refused to submit to authority, and he could not suppress his sharpness.

At this moment, Sergeant Lao Pao recalled his own disobedient behavior when he first joined the army and couldn't help but sigh that the Way of Heaven truly turns in cycles; now he was fully tasting the pain his own squad leader once suffered.

Seeing Sergeant Lao Pao so worried, Guo Jing stepped forward, smiled, and greeted him:

"What's wrong, Sergeant Lao Pao? Worrying about managing the new recruits?"

Sergeant Lao Pao's face turned red, and he replied in a low voice, "Where did you get that idea?"

"Come on, stop arguing. Capable people are all quite prickly, like you. I heard Platoon Leader Chen say that because your strength is so great, you submit to no one; none of the platoon leaders in the company wanted you, so you ended up as the company commander's clerk."

Guo Jing smiled and brought up Sergeant Lao Pao's past, making his face turn red:

"Platoon Leader, I was young, impulsive, and ignorant back then; please don't mention it."

"Fine, I won't mention it. I'll say something practical: judging by Xiao Zhuang's current performance, when it's time to join a company, probably no one will want him either; what will he do then?"

Speaking here, Guo Jing couldn't help but tease Sergeant Lao Pao: "You can't expect Company Commander Miao to take two clerks, can you?"

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

Sergeant Lao Pao asked Guo Jing.

"I'll take the trouble; when we join the company, I'll take both of you. However, I heard Platoon Leader Chen say that you seem to only submit to those stronger than you."

Guo Jing asked Sergeant Lao Pao.

"No, no, that was in the past; I'm not like that anymore."

Sergeant Lao Pao quickly explained; a person like him truly didn't want to be a clerk, but since no one wanted him, he could only be a clerk.

"We are both soldiers; it's better to speak plainly. Here's the deal: let's have a contest. After the contest, if you submit to me, you will be a soldier under my command."

Hearing that Guo Jing wanted to contest with him, Sergeant Lao Pao neither immediately refused nor immediately agreed:

"Platoon Leader, if I win, I'll also be your soldier; is that okay?"

"Fine; what shall we contest? You decide."

Guo Jing readily agreed.

Sergeant Lao Pao looked at Guo Jing and thought inwardly: "Judging by the Platoon Leader's performance over these two days, I am no match for him in the five-kilometer cross-country run, but in hand-to-hand combat, I won't lose to him; this is evident from the fact that Xiao Zhuang can outrun him but cannot defeat him."

Thinking this, Sergeant Lao Pao immediately said:

"Platoon Leader, let's have a hand-to-hand combat contest."

"No problem."

Guo Jing hadn't sparred with anyone for a month; his hands were itching.

Half an hour later, Sergeant Lao Pao lay on the ground with a dead heart. Guo Jing was an honest person who never actively mocked others, but the look in his eyes seemed to tell Sergeant Lao Pao, "Is that all you've got?"

Sergeant Lao Pao could not refute at all; although only half an hour had passed, he had been knocked down more than two hundred times, falling once every five to ten seconds on average.

This was still because Guo Jing hadn't struck him; otherwise, after the first knockdown, he wouldn't have been able to get up.

Although Guo Jing defeated Sergeant Lao Pao more than two hundred times while holding back, as a good person, he still encouraged Sergeant Lao Pao, saying, "Your spirit of perseverance despite repeated setbacks is still worthy of affirmation."

Sergeant Lao Pao, stubborn and unconvinced, said, "Platoon Leader, in hand-to-hand combat and cross-country running, I am no match for you; how about we compete in shooting?"

Hearing that Sergeant Lao Pao wanted to compete in shooting, Guo Jing couldn't help but shake his head; his current marksmanship was something even Dog-Head Gao Shu admitted he couldn't match. No, not now; even two years ago, his marksmanship had made Dog-Head Gao Shu admit he couldn't match it.

Seeing Sergeant Lao Pao's confident look, Guo Jing drew his pistol and said to him, "Let me do a simple demonstration first; if you can do it, then we'll compete."

Before Sergeant Lao Pao could agree, Guo Jing aimed at a hundred and fifty meters—wait, originally he was aiming at that tree; this is simple."

Guo Jing shook his head and said, "Go look at the tree first before deciding whether you can do it."

Sergeant Lao Pao, puzzled, ran toward that big tree; after looking, he couldn't help but gasp in shock. As everyone knows, the effective range of a pistol is only fifty meters; beyond one hundred and fifty meters, both lethality and accuracy decrease significantly.

Therefore, hitting a tree one hundred and fifty meters away could only create a small hole, but what shocked him was that the deepening of the bullet hole showed signs of the tree trunk cracking; several bullets had all hit the exact same spot.

Sergeant Lao Pao stammered and asked Guo Jing, "Platoon Leader, is this the 'simple demonstration' you mentioned?"

Hearing Sergeant Lao Pao's question, Guo Jing asked in confusion, "Is this very difficult? Can't you do it?"

That doesn't make sense; I remember demonstrating it once for Gao Shu, and he did it on the spot and told me it was no big deal."

Hearing Guo Jing's doubt, Sergeant Lao Pao wanted to say he could do it too and claim it was no big deal, but the key point was that he couldn't do it.

Sergeant Lao Pao could only say dejectedly, "Platoon Leader, I can't do this; in terms of shooting, I submit; I completely submit."

"Then is there anything else you don't submit to? Shall we compete?"

Guo Jing continued to ask.

"No more competitions, no more competitions; Platoon Leader, I completely submit."

Sergeant Lao Pao repeatedly refused; he had only competed in three things: cross-country running, hand-to-hand combat, and shooting; except for cross-country running, he lost the other two miserably.

Alright, I was just trying to save face; I lost all three. Seeing Sergeant Lao Pao's convinced look, Guo Jing smiled and said, "Since you completely submit to me, I will issue you your first order: you must make Xiao Zhuang submit wholeheartedly."

Hearing Guo Jing's words, Sergeant Lao Pao looked distressed and said, "Platoon Leader, can you change the order? I really can't manage this soldier."

"No."

Guo Jing refused on the spot: "As a platoon leader, I have made you, this prickly squad leader, submit wholeheartedly; my mission is complete. Therefore, as a squad leader, you must also make your soldiers submit wholeheartedly, and these soldiers were chosen by you."

Hearing the last sentence, Sergeant Lao Pao really wanted to slap himself a few times; why did he, in a fit of heat-headedness, choose this prickly soldier back then? Does this count as reaping what one sows?

Guo Jing then said, "If you cannot persist to the end on the path you chose, I won't want you then either. The reason I won't want you won't be because you are a cowardly soldier, but because you are a cowardly soldier who retreats when facing difficulties."

Hearing Guo Jing's words, Sergeant Lao Pao immediately said loudly, "Please rest assured, Platoon Leader; the person you chose might be a disobedient cowardly soldier, but he is not a cowardly soldier who retreats when facing difficulties."