Chapter 118: New Recruit Assessment Gets the Regiment Commander All Fired Up?

Count off, 1, 2, 3, 4......

Report, Company Commander, the New Recruit Company should have xx personnel, actually xx present, awaiting orders!

Company Commander Gao Feng gave a brief command to straighten the formation, then turned and ran to the long tables behind him to salute.

Report, Regiment Commander, all recruits of the New Recruit Company are ready, standing by for higher‑up inspection!

Alright, begin.

Regiment Commander Wang Zhongxi returned the salute and nodded at him.

Gao Feng turned around and shouted sternly at the troops.

The new‑recruit assessment officially begins!

First item: basic physical fitness!

Everyone use one arm as a reference, spread out forward, backward, left and right, and prepare for push‑ups in the prone position!

As the whistle sounded, the new‑recruit assessment officially started under the gaze of the regiment leaders.

The recruits dug in with all their might, mustering their newborn strength, just to showcase themselves before the leaders.

Hoping to catch the leaders' extra attention and be assigned to a relatively outstanding unit.

Meanwhile, the leaders all watched the recruits' performance closely.

These are the future fresh blood of the regiment; they cannot be taken lightly.

Regiment Commander Wang Zhongxi and Deputy Political Commissioner Tan Yuanzhou kept their attention fixed on Lu Yang.

Unsurprisingly, Lu Yang was also the most eye‑catching performer among all the recruits.

Whether in physical fitness, formation, or tactical moves, he almost always showed the shadow of a veteran.

Especially in tactical actions, they were crisp, thunderously swift, and very fast.

Particularly in some detailed handling, even more standard than some veterans.

"Looks like, Little Lu's training squad, just go?"

"This is earnest, hard‑worked, truly learned something real!"

Tan Yuanzhou gave him a glance and pursed his lips.

You keep running to the Training Section every now and then, treating the Training Section Chief's office as a lookout tower.

You force them to work elsewhere, and the aggrieved ones complain to you, the Deputy Political Commissioner, in tears.

Now you're pretending not to know here?

But for the sake of face, he still replied.

"When I first enlisted a month ago, I conducted a surprise inspection; this soldier wasn't like this then."

"Thin and frail, unable to withstand the wind; his physical fitness then was far worse than now."

Wang Zhongxi laughed heartily: "That shows, this soldier is diligent, which proves our unit's meals are nourishing."

Suddenly, he thought of something: "Right, the little Guo's girlfriend from the Seventh Company, the matter of her accompanying the troops, …"

Tan Yuanzhou: "I assigned her to the Division Logistics breeding base, helping feed the pigs and raise the chickens; that place was short of manpower."

"How's the salary?"

"Not high, but there's definitely three thousand, just more strenuous; otherwise there wouldn't be a shortage. However, Guo's partner is quite satisfied with the job, saying she did farm work at home without pay, and now working here she gets money, plus dormitory and hot water, very grateful to our unit."

"That girl is pretty down‑to‑earth, quite capable, just like Guo."

"Children from poor families grow up early; both of them are very resilient."

Wang Zhongxi instructed: "For family members accompanying troops, we must fight for whatever benefits our regiment can secure, especially welfare guarantees and medical care."

Tan Yuanzhou nodded: "Rest assured, Guo has served the troops for over ten years; although we can't grant him a Platoon Leader position, we can take better care of his family accompaniment."

"There's something you might not fully understand: the reason Guo's girlfriend could break through the family blockade and decide to come here has a lot to do with Lu Yang."

"What do you mean by that?"

Wang Zhongxi immediately became interested.

Tan Yuanzhou glanced at the handsome youngster sweating nearby and said with a smile.

"That kid helped Guo Yongwen write a family letter that moved his partner immensely."

"When I was arranging a job for the girl, she voluntarily mentioned it, saying because of that letter, she would never marry anyone but Guo Yongwen."

"I was rather presumptuous and took a look…"

"Hahaha, you were indeed a bit presumptuous; you even read a young man's love letter."

Wang Zhongxi teased cheerfully, but Tan Yuanzhou shook his head, saying that when he saw the content, he was stunned.

"It was indeed well‑written, sincere, moving, bringing tears. If Guo Yongwen had such literary talent, would he still worry about failing the military academy?"

"Later I asked Guo, and he finally revealed the truth, saying Lu Yang dictated it to him, as gratitude for teaching Lu Yang many veteran skills…"

"Hahaha, hahaha!"

Wang Zhongxi laughed loudly, his gestures even more exaggerated.

It drew many recruits on the field to cast curious glances.

The Regiment Commander, watching this, got all hyped?

Which lucky soldier got a designation from the Regiment Commander here?

Even Gao Feng and He Zhen Tao exchanged a glance, feeling that this new‑recruit assessment had drama!

In past assessments, the Regiment Commander never got this happy; it shows the leadership is very satisfied with their results!

Wang Zhongxi could barely contain his laughter, tears of mirth streaming: "I never imagined, really never imagined, that this kid even has the potential to be a matchmaker, a cupid?"

"If you ask me, just set up a psychological counseling and marriage matchmaking service within the regiment."

"Anyone with relationship issues, or looking for a partner, or wanting a friend‑type soldier, should go to Lu Yang."

"I just recalled something: a while ago I think I heard you say you had a fight with your… partner, want to …"

Tan Yuanzhou, with a face flushed with embarrassment, said, "No need, my little matter was settled long ago. However......"

He paused, then changed the subject: "What have you thought about Lu Yang's lower‑company assignment? That Gao Feng fellow is pulling out all his tricks this time; no matter what he says, he must get the person."

"Several other Company Commanders have been very active lately, and some even came to me through connections, which gives me a headache as well."

"They're all from the same Regiment; doing the troop allocations like this every year really harms unity. I think you should give a suggestion."

Wang Zhongxi stayed silent, smiled and pointed to the field: "The assessment isn't over yet; it's too early to talk about this. Let's wait and see, wait and see."

Tan Yuanzhou, helpless, left under the pretense of going to the restroom.

Passing by Gao Feng, he gave him a glance, and the two eyes briefly met.

Tan Yuanzhou lowered his gaze, gave a slight shake of the head, indicating the situation was not ideal.

Gao Feng was frantic, wondering what kind of medicine the Regiment Commander was really selling in his gourd.

In the past, such matters would have been agreed on long ago, yet now, with tomorrow's lower‑company troop split still undecided?

Could it be that they'll gather all the Company Commanders together and argue endlessly over the troop allocation?

He isn't afraid of the others, but the Sixth Company Commander is his uncle!

"This assessment, everyone performed better than in any previous small test!"

After lunch, Zhou Kaidong finished announcing the earlier assessment results, and the Third Squad recruits could no longer contain their excitement, becoming agitated.

Zhou Kaidong, shedding his previously stern demeanor, smiled kindly and said, "In a little over three months, I've seen you transform from clueless countryside youths into soldiers."

"Especially Ding Tengfei, the most improved......."

Ding Tengfei's face flushed instantly.

The greatest improvement is because he started from the lowest point, the biggest scoundrel.

Zhou Kaidong singled him out for praise; last night on guard duty, he didn't flee at the first sign of rain.

Moreover, when Lu Yang went to deliver raincoats, he strictly followed the rules and asked what the password was.

Zhou Kaidong patted his shoulder and said, "You did well, and you're looking more and more like a soldier!"

Ding Tengfei thrust his chest out forcefully: "Thank you, Squad Leader!"

Zhou Kaidong then turned his gaze to Kong Long: "Kong Long, your progress is great, but regarding your weight… you still need to keep at it."

"One meal can't possibly produce that much rice; it would be a miracle for the weight to drop!"

"Hehe, after the lower‑company assignment… I'll keep at it!"

Kong Long laughed cheerfully; the innate humor of a Northeasterner made everyone want to laugh along.

Finally, Zhou Kaidong fixed his gaze on Lu Yang, his expectations highest: "I'll say no more about the rest; this morning your performance was the most outstanding of the entire Platoon, even the Whole Company."

"The hardships of the training team these days weren't for nothing; the punishment wasn't in vain."

"In the final live‑fire shooting, you must steady your mind and perform well. Aim to hit five ten‑ring scores and earn a third‑class merit for the lower‑company."

Everyone's eyes turned to Lu Yang, filled with expectation.

Although that third‑class merit isn't guaranteed.

But if you don't hit five ten‑ring shots, there's not even a tiny chance of it.

And Lu Yang, brimming with confidence, is ready to try to claim the first medal of merit in his military career!