Chapter 39

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

According to the plan on the training syllabus, Lv Muzhi inspected the soldiers' earlier training results item by item and tested their training performance.

The results were not too good, but they were already far better than the Merchant Corps soldiers; compared to the warlords' elite troops, there was still a gap, and strict training had to be carried out.

After all, next February, the Revolutionary Army would launch a suppression campaign against Chen Jiongming, who was entrenched in the Dongjiang Region; if the soldiers' combat quality was low, it was questionable whether he, this platoon leader, could even survive.

"When shooting, keep your shoulders level, breathe evenly, align the three points in a line, and don't yank the trigger..." Lv Muzhi stood with hands on his hips, inspecting whether the soldiers had fully mastered the essentials of shooting.

"Hey hey hey, third soldier, I'm talking to you, what are you looking at, why are your hands shaking? Hold it steady!"

"Thirty rounds per person, ten rounds per round; after you finish shooting, I'll go get more from the Quartermaster—stuff from Russian Aid can be made however we want!"

Lv Muzhi stood with his hands behind his back, watching his soldiers conduct shooting training by squad.

He firmly believed that Gods of Gunnery were fed by bullets; when he first crossed over, his shooting level was average, but after several months of hard training, by graduation his shooting score had reached full marks.

Even if his soldiers couldn't become Gods of Gunnery, they at least had to become Precision Shooters.

Lv Muzhi picked up a rifle and conducted shooting training together with the soldiers.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ten bullets were fired rapidly; after shooting was finished, he checked the gun barrel to see if any bullets remained inside.

The soldiers retrieved their own target papers, and incidentally retrieved Lv Muzhi's target paper as well.

"Platoon Leader, one hundred rings! You're really good." Zhang Fei, the Squad Leader of the First Squad, exclaimed in surprise.

Originally, these soldiers respected Lv Muzhi only because of his Second Lieutenant rank and Platoon Leader position.

But after Lv Muzhi displayed his marksmanship, everyone was thoroughly convinced.

Lv Muzhi pointed at Squad Leader Zhang Fei's target paper: "Zhang Fei, you only scored seventy-six rings; I just observed you—when you shoot, your index finger pulls the trigger with too much force, causing the muzzle to shift slightly as well. Use less force, and achieve Intentional Aim Unintentional Trigger."

Zhang Fei scratched his head: "What does Intentional Aim Unintentional Trigger mean?"

"It's... hey, it's just use less force; treat the gun like your own wife. You're using so much force—how would that work? A wife has a temper, and a gun has a temper too."

The soldiers in the platoon laughed heartily.

"Oh! So that's how it is, I get it now! Hehe!"

The morning training just passed like that, and the Cooking Squad of the Company had already prepared lunch.

The Training Regiment had no dedicated mess hall; each platoon had to collect its own portion and eat separately.

Zhang Fei's squad went to collect the meal, carrying back three large buckets: one bucket of rice, one bucket of side dishes to go with the rice, and one bucket of soup.

The soldiers sat in a circle, eating with relish; Lv Muzhi also got a portion—the taste was average, but being able to eat his fill was already not bad.

For these soldiers, being able to eat their fill, and a Private saving eight dollars a month, was already pretty good.

The Principal's reliance was being a Whampoa Military Academy graduate; then Lv Muzhi's current reliance was probably this infantry platoon of thirty-plus men right before his eyes—in life-and-death moments, they would all depend on each other for mutual support.

"Platoon Leader, I heard that when you fought the Merchant Corps, you killed at least twenty-plus Merchant Corps soldiers? One Maxim Machine Gun was wielded with great might?" Zhang Fei said, repeating a rumor he had heard, curiously seeking confirmation of its truth.

The soldiers in the platoon all put down their bowls and chopsticks, staring at Lv Muzhi.

Lv Muzhi looked at everyone's curious eyes and shook his head: "Merchant Corps soldiers can't even be counted as soldiers; if you don't train properly, later you'll be just like Merchant Corps soldiers—only fit to be beaten by others."

"Platoon Leader admitted it? Then it's true!"

"Twenty-plus people—almost catching up to our whole platoon..."

"Platoon Leader is so young, and already has so many lives on his hands..."

Lv Muzhi glanced at his watch, quickly finished the rice in his bowl, stood up, felt his pocket, took out a few copper coins, shook his head, then pulled out a silver dollar and handed it all to Zhang Fei.

"I have to go give a lecture at Whampoa Military Academy this afternoon; you train on your own. The training subject is Earthworks: dig a fortification that can hold one platoon, required to be equipped with a Machine Gun Position, Drainage Ditch, and Concealment. I'll come back to inspect in the evening. While I'm not here, Squad Leader Zhang Fei is the Acting Platoon Leader; everyone must obey his orders."

"Yes!"

After Lv Muzhi finished speaking, he stared into his subordinates' eyes, but only Zhang Fei stood up at attention and answered yes; the others held their rice bowls, looking either at Zhang Fei or at Lv Muzhi, and the ranks had a loose, scattered feel.

"From now on, after I give an order, in non-combat situations, everyone must stand up at attention and answer yes, otherwise a Punishment Run of three kilometers."

"Yes!!!" This time, everyone was quite alert; they all immediately stood up at attention and answered yes.

Not bad, Teachable; in real combat, one still had to rely on Good Material—good discipline.

"Platoon Leader, what does this silver dollar mean?" Zhang Fei pointed at the silver dollar Lv Muzhi had given him in his palm.

"The troops' rations have too little Oil and Water; give the brothers a little Tooth Festival. There are a few Snack Stalls on Changzhou Island with cheap Fried Rice Noodles and Rice Rolls. After training tonight, go buy some and bring it to the brothers. No alcohol allowed; every expense must be recorded in the Account Book."

After Lv Muzhi finished instructing, he patted Zhang Fei's shoulder, put on his hat, and headed to Whampoa Military Academy on the North Side.

Not long after, he turned back again and reminded them earnestly: "You're all Old Fellows from Zhejiang Province; I'll only remind you once—don't do the heartless thing of Cheating Fellow Townsmen, otherwise I'll be the first to turn against you."

"Yes!"

This time Lv Muzhi really went to school for class.

Zhang Fei gripped the silver dollar in his hand and looked back at his comrades in the platoon: "The Platoon Leader treats us as his own people; whoever dares to Slack Off, I won't tolerate him first!"

Lv Muzhi finished training the soldiers in the morning and taught Military Topography to the students in the afternoon.

Fortunately, classes were only twice a week, two hours each time—one time Theory, one time Practical Class.

Before class, Lv Muzhi had to go to the Office first for Lesson Preparation.

Yes, Lesson Preparation in the Office; Lv Muzhi now had his own office desk inside Whampoa Military Academy, and his own Dormitory—no need to sleep in the Communal Bunk anymore.

By ill luck, his office was the same room as Tactics Instructor Liu Zhi's.

"Yo! Muzi, no no no, you should be called Lv Instructor! How is it? Holding two positions, great responsibility—the Principal looks favorably on you!" Instructor Liu laughed heartily.

Liu Zhi was his Battalion Commander and also served as the school's Tactical Instructor; this time he was taking a Midday Rest in the Office.

"Instructor Liu saying that flatters me too much; I am Instructor Liu's subordinate and also Instructor Liu's student—I can't bear the two words 'Instructor.' Wherever I go, I am your student, your soldier."

These words made Liu Zhi feel very comfortable in his heart, and he began to care about training matters: "Muzi Ah, you're busy with work; if you have any problems leading soldiers, just tell me, this Battalion Commander, and I'll help you solve them!"

Lv Muzhi thought it was truly a case of a pillow arriving just as he felt sleepy; he had just been wanting to find a leader.

"Commissioner Liu, my platoon consumed a lot of ammunition during training this morning; can you approve another hundred rounds per person for our platoon?"

"One hundred rounds?" Liu Zhi raised an eyebrow: "Training ammunition consumption is all planned; the consumption per soldier is fixed at fifty rounds per month. Yours is far too much; it's very difficult to handle."

"This... Ai Ya, it's precisely because it's difficult that I came to you, Commissioner. A few days ago in the Principal's Office, the Principal said Commissioner Liu is a Pillar of the State in the military, and told me to learn from you and seek your guidance; that any problems should be brought directly to you for help, and that any difficulty can be easily solved."

Liu Zhi instantly sat up straight and asked: "Did the Principal really say that?"

"Not a bit of it is false! If half a word is a lie, then I, Lv Muzhi, will directly..."

"Ai, don't, don't, your words are too heavy..." Seeing Lv Muzhi extend three fingers, preparing to swear, Liu Zhi hurriedly reached out to stop him.

"If it's one hundred rounds per person... that's fine; I'll allocate this batch of ammunition in the name of conducting exercises in your platoon; how you use it specifically is up to you..." Liu Zhi craned his neck and whispered: "This is basically giving it to you... even Platoon Leader Hu Gongnan of the Machine Gun Company asked for more ammunition and couldn't get it!"

"That's right, that's right... machine guns consume a lot of ammunition; a hundred rounds are gone after just a few bursts, but for our Rifle Platoon, it could last a long time... Commissioner is truly wise!"

The two chatted a bit more in the Office, and after securing enough ammunition training quota for their platoons, Lv Muzhi looked at his watch; class time was almost here.

There was no time to prepare lessons anymore; he could only grit his teeth and go to class.

Working two jobs, earning two wages—this money is truly hard to earn!

Who knows if some troublemaker students will pop up when I teach the Whampoa Second Phase in a while!