Chapter 134: Collective Third-Class Merit, Dispatching Troops to the Company!

Heave-ho, heave-ho, with one heart!

Heave-ho, heave-ho, put out the mountain fire!

Heave-ho, heave-ho, give it more effort!

Heave-ho, heave-ho, can't do it anymore!

Whoever shouts randomly, whoever stirs up trouble, the spirit is all shouted away!

Hahahaha...

Under the joint efforts of all firefighters, veteran and new soldiers, and the armed forces department militia comrades, working day and night.

The mountain fire was finally completely extinguished before sunset the next day.

And this also thanks to the full cooperation of the Sixth Company Motorized Infantry.

The veteran soldiers of the Sixth Company led by Ma Qing'an and Cheng Jun were each like professional extreme motorcyclists.

No matter how steep the opposing side, how difficult the mountain road, they could still force themselves to ride their motorcycles up.

With the efficiency of going up and down the mountain greatly improved, the efficiency of transporting firefighting equipment and supplies also greatly increased.

The soldiers didn't need to use their legs to go up and down the mountain to transport things; they just needed to focus their efforts on firefighting.

"I announce, the firefighting mission is over!"

As Gao Feng's words fell, the new recruits instantly all went limp on the ground.

Even Lu Yang at this moment sat on the ground with weak limbs.

The work he did was much more than others', and on top of that he had previously chased the arsonist.

His jacket, pants, and buttocks were burned with holes, and his casualty rate was also much higher than others'.

But fortunately, this operation had a scare but no danger, and there were no personnel casualties, which is also the greatest luck.

Gao Feng looked at the exhausted new recruits lying on the ground, smiling and said: "This battle was fought beautifully; although the New Recruit Company has ended, I still want to say, thick-skinned as I am, that you are the best batch of new recruits I have ever brought!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yang laughed, Kong Long laughed, and Ding Tengfei also laughed.

Because before this, the Company Commander often said they were the worst batch.

Now, being able to receive recognition at the last moment makes them feel extremely proud.

Indeed, soldiers who have been granted rank and those who haven't are two different matters.

Even if just carrying a cane, that is still a true Longguo soldier in the real sense.

He Zhen Tao also spoke at this moment: "Although the New Recruit Company is gone, the Regiment already knows your performance these two days. Furthermore, the Regiment has decided to award the Whole Company a collective third-class merit as a reward!"

"Oh oh oh oh!"

The new recruits felt as if they were instantly infused with strength, wanting to wave their hands happily, but discovered their arms could hardly be lifted.

Even the sound of cheering carried a strong sense of fatigue and weariness.

Tired!

So damn tired!

In daily training there is still something to look forward to, and one still knows how long one can run and how many push-ups one can do.

But firefighting work is that kind of endless tiredness, with no breaks between groups, no meals or midday rest.

As long as one's eyes are still open and one is still standing, one must keep working nonstop and cannot stop.

So this honor is what they deserve, and it is recognition they earned through their efforts.

He Zhen Tao continued: "Besides that, there is one person who deserves special praise, that is Lu Yang......"

Everyone turned their gaze toward him; Lu Yang also had an expectant look, because he knew he had achieved merit this time.

He caught the arsonist, not just one, but two.

Previously, that scavenging old woman and the man who set fire on the mountain were a mother and son.

These two have now been taken away by the police, awaiting them will be severe legal punishment.

Meanwhile, Lu Yang learned from bystanders that the logic behind their arson was also utterly absurd and laughable.

The old woman thought that as long as the mountain caught fire, when the firefighting team came to put out the fire they would leave a large number of plastic bottles at the scene.

Last year when the farmland caught fire, this old woman relied on selling plastic bottles to earn a windfall, totaling over thirty yuan.

Seeing that the year-end was approaching, she came up with a crooked idea, simply urging her son to join her in setting fire to the mountain, hoping to earn another bundle from plastic bottles.

And his son was no good either, indulging in eating, drinking, gambling, and prostitution; after his wife divorced him and took the kids to remarry, this guy not only didn't repent but felt that the whole country was at fault.

Carrying oil cans up the mountain, he thought firefighters put out fires too easily, so he took revenge on society by causing trouble for everyone.

As a result, Lu Yang caught him on the spot, gave him a good beating, and finally he was almost carried down the mountain by others.

As for who beat him, the police knew full well but had no intention of investigating.

After all, if anyone else were in this situation, they'd probably be furious to death.

For just a few dozen or hundred yuan of petty profit, they set fire to the mountain, wasting so many public resources, causing so many people to suffer from this firefighting!

If we don't let this mother and son wear out the bottom of their prison cell, it's simply intolerable by heavenly principle!

However, this matter is no longer mentioned in Lu Yang's book; he now looks forward to seeing what class of merit he can actually earn.

He Zhen Tao looked at him with a smile: "The Regiment has already decided to award you an individual third-class merit as a reward; the merit medal will be issued to you in two days."

Lu Yang laughed happily: "Thank you, Instructor, thank you, Regiment leadership!"

Although it's only an individual third-class merit, he is also content.

At the very least, it makes up for the regret of not earning merit in live-fire shooting.

And Ding Tengfei, Kong Long, and the other new recruits' eyes were full of envy.

"Commendation, outstanding new recruit, collective third-class merit, individual third-class merit."

"My goodness, this new recruit is extraordinary; after going down to the company, won't he just take off?"

The other squad's veteran soldiers were picking at their fingers, calculating just how much honor Lu Yang had on him, almost dropping their jaws in shock.

In the past, for a new recruit to receive a commendation or even a third-class merit at the company level was already quite remarkable.

Lu Yang alone earned so much, which is truly somewhat overly impressive.

After a simple bite to eat and a brief rest, the new recruits prepared to board the vehicle and leave.

Before boarding, firefighter Zhang Wenbin voluntarily came over and moved a box of cola onto their vehicle.

"Keep in touch, let's cheer each other on!"

"Yeah, you too, goodbye!"

The troop transport slowly started moving, still driven by the second squad leader.

But this time, the second squad leader drove very smoothly, without a single jolt.

Zhou Kaidong watched the young firefighter waving goodbye with Lu Yang, smiling and saying: "That kid needs to improve his physical fitness; firefighting is physically demanding, and he's not up to it."

Lu Yang nodded: "Seeing him is like seeing myself when I first enlisted."

Zhou Kaidong slapped his cap: "You just got your rank, only three months in service, and you're already feeling sentimental?"

Lu Yang adjusted his cap and laughed heartily......

After more than half an hour, the vehicle returned to the New Recruit Company; as everyone stepped back onto this familiar camp, they inexplicably felt a sense of coming home.

Initially, many recruits dreamed of leaving this place as soon as possible, but after experiencing the outside world's "cruelty," they realized how fortunate it was to be able to stay in the New Recruit Company.

After the rank-bestowal ceremony, becoming privates from recruits meant they had to assume many responsibilities.

Although they still cannot operate independently, their collective strength remains not to be underestimated.

Because they extinguished the mountain fire and persevered to the end, they were awarded a collective third-class merit.

Through their actions, they have proven themselves to be a batch of qualified soldiers!

Gao Feng, without further ado, ordered everyone to immediately return and pack their things, preparing to be assigned to different companies.

The new recruits eagerly ran to the dormitories to pack their belongings, while the Director of Affairs returned all the personal items they had originally brought.

And Zhang Jiaheng of the Eighth Squad also retrieved his Tifa Fiji Cup, once again reliving the socially mortifying moment he experienced when he first enlisted.

While Lu Yang was tidying up in the dormitory, he inadvertently saw the large red flower that had once been stuffed into his pack bearing the words "Glory in Enlistment," and he instinctively waved it at Kong Long, Ding Tengfei, and the others.

The others also smiled knowingly, neatly putting away their own large red flowers.

For this is the path they came by, and moreover, a testament to their growth.

Fifteen minutes later, Lu Yang was called by name and boarded a bus.

The bus carried about twenty or thirty new recruits, with people continually getting off along the way.

They were assigned to new barracks and a new company.

During the wait, Kong Long and Ding Tengfei inexplicably felt a bit nervous.

They didn't know what unit they would be assigned to, let alone what position.

Lu Yang, however, was actually quite open-minded about it; no matter where he went, it was still being a soldier.

His goal of taking the military academy exam and becoming an officer remains unchanged.

His belief in becoming a good soldier remains steadfast.

"Lu Yang, get off."

A veteran in front shouted.

The vehicle stopped, and the door opened.

Lu Yang lifted his luggage and looked back to say goodbye.

Under the gaze of Kong Long and Ding Tengfei, he stepped down from the vehicle.

They followed their gaze forward, and a barracks entrance suddenly appeared before them.

Before the two could make out the characters above, a group of veterans came out beating gongs and drums.

Zhou Kaidong played the shawm, Li Jiang beat the gong, Cheng Jun had a drum slung at his waist, and a bunch of them clanged nonstop, as lively as a New Year celebration.

Sixth Company Commander Ma Qing'an walked out of the crowd with a smile and tossed something to Lu Yang.

Lu Yang instinctively reached out and caught it, only to find it was actually a vehicle key.

Ma Qing'an smiled and said: "Lu Yang, welcome to the Motorized Infantry family. Our company does have motorcycles, though not many, but now this one belongs to you."

Lu Yang glanced at the four large characters "Iron Foot Company" on the metal plaque at the gate, holding the motorcycle key, a smile curling his lips: "One breath transforms into the Three Purities, motorized... General, kind of interesting!"