Chapter 2894: Seeking Knowledge (2)

"Come, come." Sergeant Ma poured tea into a cup and pushed it toward the rattan chair facing the desk. "Sit. From the look on your face, this is good news."

Tan Shuangxi lowered his voice. "I've come to ask your counsel."

"My counsel?" Sergeant Ma paused, then laughed. "Well then, speak — what counsel?"

"I passed the Class B equivalent education exam."

Sergeant Ma's grin spread wide. "Good lad! I knew you had it in you!" He clapped Tan Shuangxi hard on the shoulder. "When did you hear?"

"Yesterday." Tan Shuangxi hesitated. "Old Ma, I'm here to ask about the candidate officer application."

The smile faded. Sergeant Ma sat down across from him, lit a cigarette, and exhaled. "The application process is public knowledge — no secrets there. You and I both know the regulations and directives well enough..."

Tan Shuangxi opened his mouth, then closed it. Of course he knew the regulations — he had read them several times. But those were only the rules on paper.

He lifted the teacup, sipped, and let his gaze settle on the stack of account books on the desk. He chose his words with care, his voice dropping:

"Old Ma, I can recite the regulations backward and forward — the black-and-white rules, we learned them in the training unit." He looked up. "But some things... it's like fishing. When the tide rises, which waters hold the most fish, how the wind shifts — those tricks you can't learn from a sea chart."

He set the cup down. "What I want to know is how to read this tide, how to gauge this wind."

Sergeant Ma drew deeply on his cigarette, held the smoke in his lungs, and exhaled slowly. He leaned forward, low and deliberate:

"Brother Tan, the fact that you came to me means you think highly of me." He tapped ash into the tray. "Tides and winds — when you get down to it, the answer is simple. First, look at the man. Then look at the matter."

He slid the ashtray between them and studied Tan Shuangxi's face. "Since you're asking at this level, I won't beat around the bush. The official process for applying to become a candidate officer — you know it, yes?"

Tan Shuangxi nodded and began counting on his fingers. "Submit an application to battalion headquarters and fill out the form. After the battalion approves, they pull my service records. Then everything goes through the Maniao Fort Military District Command to the Army Department Personnel Division. Finally, wait for review."

"The process is the process, but the art is in the details." Sergeant Ma took another drag and spoke slowly. "The first hurdle is the battalion. When they say 'submit an application to the battalion,' what they really mean is getting the battalion commander's personal signature. And how that signature gets made — that's where the learning is."

Tan Shuangxi leaned in. "Tell me."

"The battalion commander is a busy man. A private audience isn't easy. But you can't just drop your form with the battalion clerk and call it done —" Sergeant Ma gave him a sharp look. "The clerk files it in a folder. When does it reach the commander's desk? Three days? Five? Or does it sit in a backlog until the commander has a free moment? And in that interval, what if something changes?"

Tan Shuangxi thought this over.

"Besides," Sergeant Ma continued, "even if the commander has no authority to refuse your signature if you meet the qualifications, and can't unreasonably delay — a signature of 'approved' can be just a name, or it can be followed by a line like 'this comrade demonstrates outstanding work ability, steadfast and diligent, recommended for priority consideration.' Whether that comment is written, and how well — the weight it carries at the military district, even the Army Department, is very different."

Tan Shuangxi understood. "I need to make sure the battalion commander knows who I am and understands my situation."

"Exactly. So don't just submit a form — bring your complete dossier to him and report face to face."

He counted on his fingers, laying it out: "These materials must be complete, and they must be impressive. First, make several copies of your Class B certificate and take them to the notary office in town for certified duplication. Make extra — the battalion, the military district, the General Staff Political Office, every stage will need one. Show the original to the battalion commander, then put it away safely. Attach the certified copies to your application."

"Second, your military service record summary. Get it from the battalion clerk. List your years of service, campaigns, commendations, and medals — clearly and completely. Don't just name them. Describe the key combat experiences and meritorious deeds. 'Led the entire squad in the first breakthrough on the strategic height during the Guilin Campaign' carries far more weight than a bare 'received the Second-Class Valor Medal.'"

Tan Shuangxi pulled a small notebook from his shoulder bag — the one Squad Leader Li Anze had left him, its inside cover still inscribed with "A poor memory is no match for a pen in hand" — and began to write.

"Third, and most important, is a personal statement." Sergeant Ma's tone grew solemn. "Write why you want to become an officer, what strengths you bring, and what you plan to do going forward. It can't be empty, can't be copied from a template — it must be grounded in your actual experience. You rose from private to sergeant, and served as acting platoon leader for more than half a year. Those experiences are your capital. Weave them together. Write about your growth, your reflections on why you enlisted, why you want to be an officer."

Tan Shuangxi stopped writing, thought a moment, and asked, "Old Ma, are there pitfalls to avoid?"

"There are!" Sergeant Ma answered at once. "First, empty rhetoric. 'For the great cause of the Senate' — yes, write that, but don't let the whole piece be nothing but that. Ground it in reality. Write what you've seen with your own eyes, what you've lived through. Seeing Ming troops abuse civilians in Chaozhou, rescuing women and children in Guangxi — these experiences taught you what a soldier is meant to protect."

"Second, exaggeration and self-aggrandizement. State your merits as they are. The battalion commander has been through battle — he can see through bluster at a glance. Third, don't talk only about the past and ignore the future. What will you do once you're an officer? How will you lead troops? How will you accomplish missions? You need ideas — even raw ones are better than none."

Tan Shuangxi wrote it all down, the path ahead clearer with each line.

"Once your materials are ready, go to your company commander first." Sergeant Ma continued. "Though this doesn't strictly require his approval, you are his sergeant, his direct subordinate. Go give him a heads-up, explain your thinking — it's both respect and procedure. Once the company commander nods, seeing the battalion commander follows naturally."

"Of course."

"Then comes the critical step — bring all your materials and find a chance to see Battalion Commander Lin in person." Sergeant Ma leaned back and smiled. "Think about it. The battalion has close to a hundred NCOs and over twenty platoon leaders. How many matters does the commander handle each day? If you don't bring your materials to him, you're just 'that Sergeant Tan from First Company' — a fuzzy impression. But when you lay out your service record, your certificate, your personal statement right in front of him, as he reads, he naturally forms a picture of who you are and what you've done. When he picks up his pen, the favorable comment comes easily."

Tan Shuangxi nodded. "I see. Thank you, brother. I'll go back and prepare right away. I'll return to camp in the next few days, get the platoon in order, then push hard on all this."

"That's the way." Sergeant Ma smiled with satisfaction. "Battalion Commander Lin is a practical man — he values substance above all. When you see him, cut the pleasantries and talk real business. Tell him how you run new recruit training, how you handled emergencies during bandit suppression on the mainland, how hard you worked to earn this diploma. In short, make him see you as someone willing to work, capable of working, and knowing how to work."

Tan Shuangxi thought of Battalion Commander Lin's usual style and nodded in wholehearted agreement.

"One more thing." Sergeant Ma leaned closer, his voice dropping further. "Before you see the battalion commander, make sure everything in the platoon is squared away. Training, barracks management, the men's morale and state of mind — you need to know it cold. If the commander asks something casually, you must answer fluently. Only then will he feel you have the platoon firmly in hand, that you can stand on your own." He paused, then smiled mysteriously. "And here's a small trick — you want to see the battalion commander, but you might not get an appointment directly. Do you know the battalion commander's orderly's surname?"

"That..." This stumped him. The company commander's orderly he knew well enough.

"His surname is Huang. A fellow townsman of Battalion Commander Lin, also a Hoklo. This fellow is unusual — no smoking, no drinking, no socializing. He has exactly one hobby: comic books, especially King of the Pirates." Sergeant Ma winked. "He knows better than anyone when the commander is busy and when he's free. If you're so inclined, you might want to read that comic too."

Tan Shuangxi understood perfectly. "What a coincidence — I like it too."

"Even better!" Sergeant Ma laughed. "Once you clear the battalion commander, the military district is basically a formality. After your materials are compiled and submitted, the General Staff Political Office will send someone to interview you. The questions never vary much: your understanding of the Senate, why you want to be an officer, your views on current affairs, the ideological state of your soldiers. Think them over in advance, draft your answers in your head. Same rule — no empty bluster."

Tan Shuangxi listened with full attention, his pen never stopping.

"Finally, you wait for the Army Department Personnel Division's approval." Sergeant Ma flicked his ash. "At that stage, as long as your materials are complete and your political review is clean, you generally won't be rejected. When the approval comes down, you'll report to the Army Officer School on Jeju Island for candidate officer training. Three months at the shortest, half a year at the longest. Pass the training, and you're granted warrant officer rank — that's your foot in the door."

His tone dropped. "But Brother Tan, I must give you fair warning. Warrant officer rank is only 'officer treatment,' not a fully commissioned officer. You'll need to complete your probationary period and pass the evaluation for formal promotion to second lieutenant before you truly have a place in the officer corps. The path looks glamorous, but it isn't easy to walk. Every candidate officer training cycle has people who wash out. The training is harsh, the evaluations strict, the pressure enormous. You need to be ready."

"I'm not afraid of hardship, and I'm not afraid of strictness." Tan Shuangxi's gaze was steady. "My squad leader used to say — if you're afraid of hardship, don't wear the uniform. I want to try, and I'm determined to succeed."

Sergeant Ma looked at the fire in his eyes and nodded in approval. "Good! With that spirit, you'll be fine!" He pulled two packs of "White Shengchuan" cigarettes from his desk drawer and pushed them across. "Take these. Not for bribing anyone — for yourself, or to offer a cigarette and chat when you run into the battalion clerks and staff officers. Clerk Little Liu at the battalion — visit him often. He's not after your goods, but if you drop by regularly, ask what's new at the battalion, what the latest directives and trends are, he always knows first and knows most. Build that relationship, and you'll be a step ahead on a lot of news."

Tan Shuangxi looked at the two packs of cigarettes, hesitating, not reaching for them.

Sergeant Ma pushed them closer, his tone sincere. "Brother Tan, I've talked your ear off today because I can see you're an honest man, a hard worker, someone who values loyalty. Now that you have the ambition and the opportunity, I'm glad to lend a hand." His expression turned serious. "But one thing I must caution you — our friendship isn't deep. That you came to me today with these heartfelt questions means you trust me. I appreciate that. But going forward, when you deal with others in the army, remember: don't show all your cards, don't burn your bridges, and don't let people read you too easily. You never know whether the person across from you is a brother genuinely reaching out to pull you up, or a petty soul waiting to see you stumble, even hoping to trip you."

He stood and walked to the window, gazing out at the clamor of the dock. "It's like fishing. On the surface, the sea looks calm — but underneath, there may be treacherous currents and hidden reefs. You're a smart man with real experience. These truths, you grasp as soon as they're pointed out."

Tan Shuangxi was silent a moment, then rose. He clasped his fists formally toward Sergeant Ma. "Your words today are worth more than gold, every sentence from the heart. I'll remember them all."

"You're too kind." Sergeant Ma turned and patted his shoulder. "Go. Prepare your materials thoroughly — don't skip a single step, don't cut a single corner. The rest is up to your ability and fortune. In the future, in the army or out of it — if you run into trouble and think old brother Ma might still be of use, still trust me, you can come find me anytime."

Tan Shuangxi no longer refused. He pocketed the cigarettes, gave Sergeant Ma a nod, turned, and strode out of the office.

Sergeant Ma stood alone at the window, watching the figure in the faded army uniform cross the busy dock and vanish into the distant flow of people. The sea breeze poured through the window, salt-tang sharp in the air. He sighed softly and murmured to himself, "He's good timber. Let's hope this world gives people like him a few more chances."

(End of chapter)