Chapter 22: Kill One to Warn a Hundred

Of course, showing off their strength wasn’t just Guo Jing and Zhang Chu’an—Zhang Xiaofan of the Iron Fist Squad also demonstrated his formidable power; He Chenguang’s military skills were solid, and Wang Yanbing was a troublemaker. Zhang Xiaofan told them, “You two take me on together—if you can’t handle me, then tuck your tails between your legs.”

So both He Chenguang and Wang Yanbing ended up on the ground, staring at each other in disbelief—especially He Chenguang, who was a national youth-level martial arts champion, and yet even the two of them together couldn’t defeat him, crushed as if by a storm.

“Well? Are you convinced?”

Zhang Xiaofan looked down at the two fallen troublemakers.

“Squad leader, I’m convinced.”

He Chenguang panted out.

“Squad leader, I’m convinced too—I’ll definitely tuck my tail from now on.”

Wang Yanbing quickly added.

“Sigh, why do you always add ‘deputy’ when addressing my rank? Nie Huaishang’s been mocking me with ‘deputy’ and ‘chief’ nonstop—especially you, Wang Yanbing, calling me ‘Women’s Federation.’”

Zhang Xiaofan said calmly.

“Squad leader, I ask you—is Nie Huaishang’s level really about the same as yours?”

He Chenguang asked curiously; he felt Nie Huaishang’s strength might not be weaker than Zhang Xiaofan’s, but he’d never seen him fight—he always solved problems with his mind.

Hearing He Chenguang’s question, Zhang Xiaofan paused, then said: “Our hand-to-hand skills are about equal, but his level is slightly higher than mine.”

Zhang Xiaofan was about to add that he might be more ruthless in a fight and could still win, when He Chenguang and Wang Yanbing roared in unison:

“What? Nie Huaishang’s hand-to-hand combat is that strong?”

He Chenguang immediately exploded.

“Damn, this kid’s got such great skills, yet every time we brawl, he just watches like it’s a show.”

Wang Yanbing shouted angrily.

At that moment, Nie Huaishang came by, inspecting the barracks one by one.

“Huaishang, is it true you’re this good in hand-to-hand combat?”

He Chenguang and Wang Yanbing bombarded him with questions, but Nie Huaishang cut them off sharply:

“What’s going on? What’s this? Do you know where you are? This is the military, not Liangshan Marsh. Are you even aware of military discipline?”

The three immediately snapped to attention and saluted: “Squad leader, sir.”

Then they all stared at Nie Huaishang, hoping for an explanation—but he sternly rebuked them:

“Don’t think just because you’re my childhood friends, you can speak to me so carelessly in camp. From the moment we stepped into this barracks, we took on the heavy burden of defending our country.”

“How can such a serious matter be treated like a joke? If all of you act like this, the whole company will copy you—will discipline still exist? An undisciplined unit is just scattered sand on the battlefield—don’t you know that?”

He Chenguang and the others lowered their heads, speechless.

“From the moment we entered the military, we became soldiers of the state. The entire nation entrusts its safety to us—how great is that trust? Is this how you repay it? All three of you—go stand outside the Iron Fist Squad all night and reflect deeply.”

The three immediately ran to stand rigidly beneath the Iron Fist Squad. Watching them from the window, Gong Jian teased Nie Huaishang: “They’re your childhood friends, your picked soldiers—yet you’re making them stand outside all night?”

Nie Huaishang replied solemnly: “War is a matter of life and death, the nation’s greatest concern—it cannot be ignored. How can a commander let personal feelings override duty?”

“Then why didn’t you keep quiet about them being your childhood friends?”

Gong Jian asked curiously.

Nie Huaishang said: “Why hide it? I want everyone to know—even if he’s my childhood friend, I’ll punish him if he breaks military discipline.”

Gong Jian understood: Nie Huaishang was killing one to warn a hundred—so He Chenguang and the others had walked straight into the trap.

Gong Jian couldn’t help feeling sorry for the three standing beneath the Iron Fist Squad. Nie Huaishang silently thought: “To spare you one drop of blood on the battlefield later, I must make you sweat ten drops in training now.”

In the following training, everyone began their own methods—Zhang Xiaofan was the strictest of the four, known in camp as the Ice-Faced Instructor.

Nie Huaishang, compared to the others, was more meticulous, striving for perfection in both military administration and training.

Guo Jing was approachable, and the unit he led had the strongest cohesion.

After Zhang Chu’an demonstrated his formidable strength, the entire platoon submitted to him—but it also marked the beginning of their nightmare, for his punishments inflicted little physical harm but extreme humiliation; when Doghead Old Gao’s taunts came, they’d probably just say, “We’re used to it.”

When new recruits were assigned to units, Wang Yanbing, He Chenguang, and Li Erniu were all placed by Nie Huaishang into the Sharpshooter Fourth Company.

As for Xiao Zhuang’s unit, Guo Jing found Company Commander Miao and apologized: “Commander Miao, I’m sorry, but I’d like to borrow your clerk.”

Hearing Guo Jing’s request, Commander Miao laughed heartily: “What’s there to be sorry about? You don’t know how careless Lao Pao is—I’ve wanted to replace him for ages, but no platoon leader wanted him, and I couldn’t bear to let him go, so I kept him as my clerk.”

“Besides, right now, no one wants Xiao Zhuang either—just send him to your platoon. Neither of them is cut out for serving others.”

Guo Jing happily accepted: “Thank you, Commander Miao.”

With new recruits assigned to units, everyone became busy—not only improving their own combat ability, but also enhancing the entire army’s strength.

At that moment, Xiao Zhuang fired repeatedly at thrown beer bottles, shattering them with each shot. Watching Xiao Zhuang’s performance, Guo Jing nodded approvingly: “Good. Your progress has been significant.”

“Can I make it into the Wolf’s Tooth Battalion with this level?”

Xiao Zhuang asked excitedly.

Guo Jing paused, then said: “Entering the Wolf’s Tooth Battalion requires not just hand-to-hand combat and shooting, but also survival skills in the wild.”

At that moment, they received an urgent notice: senior leadership would be inspecting the Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company.

Zhang Chu’an: “Guo Jing, this must be when High Uncle comes to challenge you. If we beat him, will he start giving us trouble later?”

Zhang Chu’an: “That’s great—can you beat Senior High in marksmanship?”

Guo Jing: “No problem. I beat him two years ago.”

Zhang Chu’an: “When Senior High comes to challenge, I’ll challenge him to hand-to-hand, and you challenge him to shooting—how’s that?”

At that moment, Guo Jing felt Doghead Old Gao might get humiliated this time—after all, the entire platoon had mastered his famous beer-bottle trick.

And while High Uncle clearly couldn’t hit a tossed coin, Guo Jing could do it effortlessly. The platoon would laugh at him for missing beer bottles, Guo Jing would outshoot him, and Zhang Chu’an would beat him in hand-to-hand.

At that moment, Doghead Old Gao, accompanying the regional commander on inspection, felt his right eyelid twitch violently. Based on years of experience, he knew tomorrow would be an unforgettable day.