Chapter 1178: Realizing One's Mistake and Returning to the Right Path

The Grand Competition aims to drive training across the entire army, improve training quality, foster a spirit of confrontation, and enhance unit combat effectiveness. Through the competition, experience is exchanged, exemplars are identified, and model soldiers are established, playing a demonstrative and promotional role in unit training.

In the early days, when our country had various reasons for having everyone as a soldier, local militia armed forces also held various competitions and confrontations. Meanwhile, each major military region would specifically organize vast numbers of officers and soldiers to compete and measure their skills against one another.

Thus, it is called 'Grand' precisely because of its scale and its level.

Across the nation, the People's Liberation Army and the Armed Police Force organize over ten thousand Grand Competitions annually. Organizations exist at every level: regiment, division, group army, and major military region.

As for the grassroots battalion and company levels, these belong to internal confrontations; there are some battalion honors, commendations, and evaluations for advanced units, with the maximum decision being a 'Commendation'.

Of course, the military also has specific authorities for evaluating merit. Generally, battalions and companies can issue Commendations; regiments and brigades can award a San Deng Gong; a Er Deng Gong requires approval from the Group Army; and a Yi Deng Gong must be reported to the Central Military Commission for approval.

Naturally, in actual execution, there may be slight deviations. This applies to non-commissioned officers, senior NCOs, officers, civilian personnel, and so on; nothing is absolute. But overall, it is largely consistent...

"The Grand Competition starts next week. First, we compete within our regiment, then proceed to the division, and finally to our military region's grand match. As for our company, although I registered five people, only you two have any hope; the others stand no chance. As for you two, say nothing else—you must annihilate our regiment's competition; that is the bare minimum. I make no further demands beyond that."

Gao Cheng, holding a cigarette between his fingers, pointed at Wang Yan and Wu Liuyi standing before him.

"Yes! We guarantee to complete the mission."

The two saluted and responded in unison.

"Pay attention during your training these few days; do not get injured and affect the competition. This is no joke; it concerns your future, so you must distinguish clearly between what is weighty and what is light. I am reassured about this kid Wang Yan, but Wu Liuyi, you pay attention. Even when the Grand Competition arrives, do not overexert yourself; if you truly cannot manage it, then just let it go."

"I have a clear idea, Company Commander."

"Bullshit, I still know you; just pay attention, that's all I ask."

Wang Yan nodded from the side: "The Company Commander is right. Being a soldier certainly means striving to be first, but there is always a mountain higher than the next, so one must consider a backup plan. Having stayed in the army for so long, if we are discharged, what would we do? If we cannot beat others across the entire Group Army or the entire Major Military Region, it is still no problem within just our one regiment. Making it to your third or fifth term is not difficult; serving in the army until retirement would be wonderful.

Hey, don't glare. What do the Company Commander and I mean? We are telling you to fight when you should fight, but not to fight blindly when you shouldn't. There is nothing wrong with striving for honor, but one must also accept defeat and be able to lose. Is that the meaning, Company Commander?"

"Summarized very accurately." Gao Cheng nodded with satisfaction, distributed cigarettes to both of them, and said to Wu Liuyi, "You should learn more from this kid; his ideological awareness is higher than yours, and his mind is sharper too."

"Hey, Company Commander, you can't say that. One can only say that Squad Leader Wu has his own pursuits."

"You manage not to offend anyone." Gao Cheng shook his head with amusement. "Is that pursuit? That is just him getting carried away, thinking of nothing and caring for nothing."

After such banter and laughter, Gao Cheng finished his instructions and dismissed the two.

The two found a spot to crouch and smoke, since Wang Yan had swiped a pack of Chunghwa from Gao Cheng...

"How about it, do you have confidence?" Wu Liuyi asked, smoking with great delight.

"That depends on where we look," Wang Yan said. "A San Deng Gong is definitely no problem; it just depends on whether we can get a Er Deng Gong."

"Your hopes are quite high, really. I have participated in the Grand Competition several times; although they are much stronger than me, I can still see where I stand. Unlike you, kid, I simply have no idea where your limit lies. I will just aim for a San Deng Gong. Having hung around with you these past few months, I have improved considerably; I estimate this is my most hopeful chance yet. Transferring to my third term will also be easier."

"The regiment level awards a San Deng Gong, so it's no big deal. For events like shooting, you are already quite good. For the armed cross-country run, just run behind me during the competition; I will lead you. We will secure first place for you at both the regiment and division levels, making the San Deng Gong easy."

"Just let me have it?" Wu Liuyi paused, stunned.

"What's the big deal?" Wang Yan smiled, completely unconcerned.

He exhaled a puff of smoke and continued, "I am only twenty years old, right in the prime of my youth and strength. During new recruit training, I already received a Commendation. Transferring to my first term as an NCO is a certainty. Even if I fail to stand out in the military region this year and earn no honors whatsoever, there are still four years after this. These four years mean four Grand Competitions. Even if the military region does not hold one, our own army holding its own competition is the same; besides, there are various military exercises.

With so many opportunities, given my strength, could I not earn a San Deng Gong to transfer to my second term as an NCO? Perhaps I will even earn two San Deng Gongs, or a Er Deng Gong, and get directly commissioned as an officer then. Isn't this calculation flawless?"

Wu Liuyi looked silently at Wang Yan, took another deep drag on his cigarette, then nodded with a smile: "Flawless."

He said, "Actually, our Squad Leader used to be incredibly formidable too; it's just that in these past two years he has grown older, and his condition is indeed not so good. If only you had arrived two years earlier, him transferring to his fourth term would have been no problem either."

"He is the Squad Leader; he only exerts full strength during military exercises, which requires our entire squad to work together. But it's no big deal."

"Alright, stop talking; I'm afraid if we continue, I'll start shedding tears in a moment."

"It's not that exaggerated."

"Refusing merit that is already within reach—isn't that exaggerated? If I were a woman, I would marry you."

"Get lost. You're old and ugly; that's revenge, not a compliment. Grown men shouldn't be so sour."

Wang Yan waved his hand, threw his cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it out, then skillfully kicked it into the flowerbed and onto the grass, before leaving with Wu Liuyi, chatting and laughing...

Although Wu Liuyi was moved immensely, for Wang Yan, such matters were simply done with a casual hand, not requiring him to expend the slightest bit of extra effort. It was just running; as long as he led Wu Liuyi while keeping pace ahead of the other competing soldiers, letting Wu Liuyi take the lead at the very end, it would work.

Thus, Wu Liuyi would claim victory in the running events at the regiment and division-level competitions, securely earning a San Deng Gong.

Wang Yan himself was aiming for the higher-level Group Army and Military Region competitions; as long as he ensured good results in the lower-level contests, even if not first place, he could continue to compete, and that was sufficient.

As for merit, the Military Region's Grand Competition can award a Er Deng Gong. Since he would have a Er Deng Gong, they naturally would not award him another San Deng Gong simultaneously; therefore, helping Wu Liuyi naturally became the matter with higher cost-performance ratio.

Moreover, Wu Liuyi is truly a good person; giving his future a boost has nothing wrong with it...

On the grassland, Xu Sanduo carried his backpack, braving the scorching sun, walking rapidly. His steps were light, not slow in the least.

From time to time, he wiped the sweat from his face. He remained silent, his gaze firm.

Returning to the garrison in this manner, from afar he saw a jeep parked outside the garrison; Wang Yan and Wu Liuyi were smoking and chatting leisurely in the shade together with the rest of Fifth Squad.

Happily, he quickened his pace, running with heavy footsteps up to Wang Yan.

"Wang Yan, Squad Leader, you've arrived," Xu Sanduo said with another silly smile.

Wang Yan nodded with a smile, stood up to help unload the pack from Xu Sanduo's back, lifted it vigorously, and said, "This must be forty kilograms, right?"

"About that; I can't really tell," Xu Sanduo replied, taking the pack, walking to the side to pour out the stones inside, and asking, "Why have you come? It's not yet time for leave, is it?"

"Tomorrow is the regiment's Grand Competition; the Company Commander gave us leave to rest well and conserve our energy. Since there was nothing else to do, we came over to see you; after all, things are relatively free on your side," Wang Yan replied with a smile.

Wu Liuyi asked, "What made you think of building a road? Truly nothing else to do?"

"No," Xu Sanduo said with an honest smile. "The Squad Leader told me that our Regiment Commander had wanted to build a road before but failed. He also said we should do something meaningful. I feel building a road is meaningful; this way, when it rains, we won't have to walk on muddy paths. Moreover, carrying stones allows me to train my physical fitness."

The other members of Fifth Squad nearby all fixed their gazes on Lao Ma.

They did not know why Xu Sanduo was building the road; the road construction had made them extremely uncomfortable. Now they knew; it turned out that Lao Ma, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, had defected.

Lao Ma waved his hands, feeling somewhat guilty, yet glaring: "Why are you all looking at me? What's wrong? Is what Sanduo said incorrect? This road should be built; it will be convenient for everyone."

"What are you talking about? Stop speaking," Lao Wei said impatiently, waving his hand.

"Is that how you speak to the Squad Leader? Huh?" Lao Ma shouted.

Li Meng spoke softly: "You are just guilty and trying to reverse the blame."

Regardless of the winks and nudges among the few, Wu Liuyi spoke up at this moment to ask Xu Sanduo: "How far did you walk on this trip?"

"A little over two kilometers."

"That's five kilometers round trip."

"No, it's a bit over two kilometers round trip, less than three."

"That's not bad. How many trips do you make in a day?"

Xu Sanduo thought for a moment and said, "It varies. Anyway, if I'm not on guard duty, I'm fixing the road. When we run out of stones, I go fetch more."

If this were a martial arts film, Xu Sanduo's current behavior would be like a protagonist stumbling into a treasure land, gaining the time and opportunity to safely practice various martial arts. Once he leaves the mountains, he will be a grand master.

"By the way, Wang Yan, how much did this watch actually cost? I can't just take it for free."

Xu Sanduo still remembered the matter of the watch; he had mentioned it in his letter and even enclosed money in the envelope, but Wang Yan had mailed it all back to him.

Wang Yan smiled and waved his hand: "We're good buddies; don't keep harping on money, money, money. If I need cash, I'll definitely ask you. Don't feel like you owe me either. When I'm broke, I'll come to you; if you don't lend me money then, I'll curse you out and say you, Xu Sanduo, are unreasonable. I'm just spending a little money on you now, waiting for you to do big things for me later."

Xu Sanduo looked utterly serious: "Wang Yan, rest assured, I'll give you everything I have. If it's not enough, I'll borrow from others for you."

"There you go then, what else is there to harp on? Do you like the watch?"

"I like it, it's great. Oh, right, I forgot to stop it." Xu Sanduo hurriedly raised his wrist and operated the digital watch to stop the timer.

Wu Liuyi asked, "What's your time for the five-kilometer cross-country run now?"

"I can't compare to you and Wang Yan; I can only run it in twenty-two and a half minutes."

"With what load?"

"Thirty kilograms..." Xu Sanduo grinned foolishly again.

Wu Liuyi said, "Don't exhaust yourself too much; take proper rest. Good health is the foundation of everything; only then can you go further. For us soldiers, the biggest challenge is injury and illness, so you must be careful. What, am I not allowed to say this?"

Wu Liuyi looked at Wang Yan, meeting the latter's smiling gaze.

"Of course you can say it; it's just inconsistent with the image you've always projected on me. Get back to your usual self."

"Get lost." Wu Liuyi cursed once, then seeing Xu Sanduo grinning foolishly again, he couldn't help but laugh and scold, "You're an idiot, grinning like a fool all day long."

"I strongly agree." Old Wei chimed in from the side, "He is an idiot, single-minded, completely impossible to converse with. You two tell me, is there any point to him?"

Wang Yan laughed heartily: "Of course there's a point; your situation here is indeed a bit harsh. Xu Sanduo wrote to me about it; you said you needed something to hold onto here to pass the time. So you play cards, Li Meng writes novels hoping to become a great author; you're all just killing time. Now Xu Sanduo is here carrying stones to fix the road; that's also just killing time. Playing cards is meaningful to you; fixing the road is meaningful to him. That's all there is to it."

"No, that's not what it's about; he is..." Old Wei opened his mouth, then slumped back against the wall in dejection and fell silent.

"I understand what you mean; he holds himself to strict standards, and that bothers you a bit. That's understandable." Wang Yan smiled, "But this is a personal choice. You play cards; he fixes the road. There's nothing wrong with that. He is strict; you are lax. Even if we weren't soldiers, but just ordinary citizens, there's no rule forcing him to slack off along with you. Don't you agree?"

"That's certainly true, it's just..." Li Meng opened his mouth, but he couldn't finish his sentence either.

Old Ma snorted: "Still care about saving face, do you? Can't bring yourselves to speak up?"

No one answered him; everyone just remained silent. Xu Sanduo merely offered a simple, honest smile. Wu Liuyi watched the spectacle.

Wu Liuyi naturally looked down on these people because, except for Xu Sanduo, every single one of them was not a good soldier. Yes, he had long considered Xu Sanduo a good soldier because of Xu Sanduo's purity.

It was Wang Yan who broke the silence; he said cheerfully, "Actually, you could join Xu Sanduo in fixing the road; it would exercise your bodies too. Always playing cards, lying down or sitting all day, your bellies have grown fat. My family practices traditional Chinese medicine; for a person, moving too much is bad, but not moving at all is also bad."

"You are struggling internally; on one hand you are slacking off, on the other you feel this is wrong. You want to change, but after enjoying comfort for so long, you lack motivation. That's normal. But as the saying goes, 'As long as one is a monk, one must strike the bell.' I think it's good to have some spirit and energy. No matter what, we must at least look like soldiers. Don't you agree?"

Everyone in Fifth Squad, including Old Ma, lowered their heads. There was no other reason; they were ashamed.

"See, you're all embarrassed. I talked too much."

"Not too much, not one bit too much." Old Ma suddenly raised his head, "You're right. The way we are now, we damn well don't deserve to be called soldiers. I've decided: starting today, we fix the road!"

Saying this, Old Ma sat up straight and shouted loudly: "Everyone get back and put on your packs! We're going to move stones right now!"

"Huh? We're doing it right now?" Yang Xue Lin hadn't said a word yet, but he felt as if the sky had collapsed.

Old Wei also widened his eyes: "Can't we discuss it a bit more?"

"Yeah, Squad Leader, we..."

Before Li Meng could finish, Old Ma roared: "What the hell are you babbling about? Hurry up! Don't force me to take action. I may have been slacking off, but dealing with you lot is still easy peasy. Move it!"

And so, everyone in Fifth Squad sprang into action. They returned to the squad room, grabbed their packs, left a single sentence for Wang Yan and the other—"We won't be hosting you; help yourselves"—and then set off at a run.

Xu Sanduo left as well. He bid farewell to Wang Yan and Wu Liuyi, then trotted eagerly to catch up with the group.

They departed under the blazing sun, gradually shrinking into several small dots, until finally they crested an earthen slope and vanished from sight.

"Wait, are they sick or something?" Wu Liuyi turned to look at Wang Yan, his brows furrowed, his face contorted.

"They're just showing us how decisive they can be. Do you think they don't know they're ashamed?"

"Then what the hell were they doing all this time!"

"Realizing one's errors and returning to the right path is never too late. It's always good to make some changes."

"If you ask me, you just have a sharp tongue. Why did you have to say anything to them!"

"I was afraid they would drag Xu Sanduo down with them."

"Them?" Wu Liuyi shook his head in disdain.

"Oh my, Old Squad Leader, you really approve of Xu Sanduo now, don't you?"

"It's that Xu Sanduo is stronger than them! This kid thinks simply and can persevere. Try bringing Bai Tiejun over? Within three days, he'd become the laziest person in Fifth Squad."

Wu Liuyi stood up, brushed the dust off his buttocks, and said, "Let's go, let's go. You're just idle too; insisting on making this long trip for nothing. You drive on the way back; I need to rest. Tomorrow, we'll crush them..."

Wang Yan followed Wu Liuyi onto the vehicle with a cheerful smile.

Shortly after, the jeep spun its tires as it accelerated, driving across the vast grassland...