Chapter 135: Yo, old oil veteran, we meet again

"Good Forest 600?"

In the garage, Lu Yang lifted the canvas, and a military-green motorcycle appeared before his eyes.

He had actually seen this motorcycle yesterday; it was a standard-issue military motorcycle in service.

The old soldiers of the Sixth Company rode this motorcycle, carrying these new recruits and hauling box after box of firefighting supplies up to the mountain summit.

As for this bike, its power and performance are pretty good; a full tank gives it a range of a hundred kilometers, no problem.

"How about it, I didn't lie to you, right?"

Zhou Kaidong chuckled and patted the motorcycle seat: "Our company really has a motorcycle; plug in the key and give it a try?"

Lu Yang felt honored and surprised, but the key was already shoved into the keyhole: "May I?"

Seeing Lu Yang ask if he could, his body honestly had already swung a leg over.

Company Commander Ma Qing'an and the other familiar old soldiers all laughed.

As the key turned, the motorcycle's engine began to roar; this arm-shaking numb feeling was really exhilarating.

He kicked out the side stand with his foot, tried to gently twist the throttle, and the motorcycle surged forward a short distance.

In his previous life, he had never ridden a motorcycle; his usual rides were a small electric scooter and shared bicycles.

Twisting the throttle is the same motion, but the power delivers a completely different experience.

Riding an electric scooter really is just like riding a donkey.

Because most electric vehicles have speed limits.

Unless you remove the limiter, otherwise it's hard to pick up speed.

But riding a motorcycle inexplicably feels like riding a leopard; each twist of the throttle feels like lunging at prey.

Seeing Lu Yang grinning as he rode the motorcycle around and around in the garage, Zhou Kaidong felt like laughing.

This kid is almost the same as when I finally got to touch a motorcycle back then.

"Just get a feel for it; later we'll first go store our bags and get assigned dorms."

"Okay."

Lu Yang parked and turned off the engine, but he grew even more fond of this motorcycle.

This thing is addictive to ride, especially the scene of shouldering a gun and fighting on a motorcycle.

It inexplicably reminded him of the scene in the Terminator movie where Schwarzenegger rides a motorcycle and fights the enemy.

At that moment, Lu Yang noticed another motorcycle covered in camouflage cloth in the corner; from the exposed foot pegs it was obvious that bike was quite different.

But he didn't ask further; instead, after everyone dispersed, he followed Zhou Kaidong and Cheng Jun on the way to store their bags before asking.

"That's a Ducati, and it's the company commander's prized possession."

"A Ducati?"

Lu Yang exclaimed in surprise: "Is it also issued by the unit?"

Zhou Kaidong shook his head: "Of course not; that's the company commander's personal purchase, his private property. Normally the commander wouldn't lend the bike to others, but if you perform well, he might make an exception."

Lu Yang chuckled, thinking the company commander was pretty nice: "Hey, squad leader, which squad am I assigned to, and will I still be with you?"

Zhou Kaidong shook his head: "From now on, you don't need to call me squad leader anymore; you've been assigned to Old Cheng's squad, and he is now your squad leader."

"But I'm still in Third Squad; later you can call me Third Squad Leader, or just call me Old Zhou comrade."

"Yes, Old Zhou squad leader."

Lu Yang originally wanted to change his address, but calling 'squad leader' had become a habit, and it wasn't easy to change right away.

However, everyone gets along fine, so it doesn't matter how you address them.

Because new recruits, upon seeing old soldiers, must uniformly call them 'squad leader'.

Therefore, out of courtesy, it is also a sign of respect.

And the reason Lu Yang was able to be assigned to Sixth Squad was actually because Cheng Jun fought hard for it.

Previously, in the sniper training team, he was Lu Yang's deputy team leader; plus, he is a veteran of the Sixth Company with richer troop-leading experience than Zhou Kaidong, so the company commander entrusted him with this responsibility.

"Let's not head back to the squad yet; the dormitory building is at the far end, a bit far. Put your luggage down first, and I'll take you around the camp to get familiar with the environment."

"Yes."

Lu Yang looked around like a tourist, curiously gazing at the camp's buildings and training grounds.

Actually, the camp buildings in most grassroots units are mostly similar, adhering to a simple, practical style.

However, the Sixth Company's drill ground is larger than the New Recruit Company's, the equipment area is more comprehensive, and there is also a dedicated 400-meter obstacle course and an indoor training hall.

Overall, it's better than the New Recruit Company, but falls short of the Training Battalion and the Training Section.

This gave Lu Yang an inexplicable feeling of having been transferred to a company, yet not fully transferred.

Perhaps it's because Zhou Kaidong, Cheng Jun, and Li Jiang are all here.

Moreover, receiving a motorcycle as soon as he arrived at the company made him feel overwhelmed with favor.

So Lu Yang felt no strangeness or discomfort upon arriving here; instead, he looked forward to the upcoming life with anticipation.

Zhou Kaidong had something to attend to in his squad, so he left first, and Cheng Jun alone continued to show Lu Yang around the camp.

"You know, how long after enlisting did Zhou Kaidong first get to touch a motorcycle?"

"How long?"

"After completing the first term and staying for the second, when one becomes a company backbone."

"Does it really take that long?"

Cheng Jun laughed: "You have to be outstanding to enjoy special treatment; after all, the company has only a limited number of motorcycles, not everyone can ride one."

Lu Yang felt a bit embarrassed by the praise.

In other words, he enjoyed, upon arriving at the company, the treatment that Zhou Kaidong had worked hard for many years to earn.

Even some soldiers never got to touch a motorcycle even after retiring.

So, training people as if they were motorcycles is not a rumor but actually exists.

Because here, whether you ride a motorcycle is secondary; forging a pair of iron feet and flying legs is what matters most.

What is emphasized here is a path to sanctifying the flesh; one must run faster than a motorcycle, consuming two steamed buns and a drumstick per hundred kilometers.

Cheng Jun took Lu Yang to the company honor room, introducing him to the history of motorized infantry and the origin of the title 'Iron Foot'.

It also explains why, even though mechanization is fully implemented and informatization continues to develop today, the unit still possesses such a light infantry unit.

"Every unit that has survived to today has its necessity and a suitable battlefield environment."

"The advantage of motorized infantry lies in its high mobility and concealment, something the armored Seventh Company cannot match."

"Of course, I'm not saying which unit is good or bad, because it's really hard to compare different branches."

"Take the just-concluded mountain fire as an example: if it weren't a sea of fire but a battlefield of gunfire and rain of shells, supplies and ammunition would be hard to deliver to the front without the help of mechanized light infantry."

"Once war breaks out, the first things destroyed are roads and bridges; the road will have all kinds of obstacles and barbed wire, and regular mechanized vehicles cannot get soldiers to the front. Especially the last two or three kilometers, which are crucial, and that's where our advantage lies......"

In fact, Lu Yang had already seen introductions to motorized units in books like war chronicles before coming here.

The earliest origins trace back to World War I, although the tactical positioning was unclear then and they were mainly used for logistical support.

During World War II, the Germans concentrated on using armored units and motorized infantry together to implement high-speed, deep-penetration offensive tactics.

In the Blitzkrieg campaign in Poland, motorized units played a key role in reconnaissance, rapid support, and pursuit; while our country only truly organized its own motorized infantry in the 1960s, and it has continued to this day......

Cheng Jun continued: "Our positioning is light infantry; battlefield support actually mainly relies on transport vehicles, and after dismounting we need to coordinate with armored units to fight. Conventional means include machine guns, rocket launchers, mortars, etc."

"As for motorcycles, they are mainly used for early rapid reconnaissance and rapid mobile support of the battlefield......"

Lu Yang asked: "Then am I considered the reconnaissance soldier of our company?"

Cheng Jun: "I don't know; actually we and the Company Commander are torn; reconnaissance soldiers need to be the first to go deep into the battlefield, survey terrain, scout enemy combat deployments, but you happen to also be a very talented sniper, do you understand what I mean?"

Lu Yang naturally knows that reconnaissance soldiers are the vanguard, similar to scouts.

The danger factor is relatively high; put simply, it's easy to be discovered and surrounded by the enemy.

Whereas snipers belong to hiding in camouflaged positions, developing in a low-key way, waiting for the opportunity.

Moreover, snipers often stay at the edge of the battlefield, in relatively safe areas, and can lie prone for a whole day.

Therefore, equipping Lu Yang with a motorcycle is not necessarily for early reconnaissance; it can also be used to quickly withdraw after eliminating the enemy's main target.

"Alright, you basically understand the situation; we'll talk about the rest later, after all you've just joined the company."

"Come on, let's first take you to the cafeteria for a meal; you must be hungry by now."

Lu Yang followed behind Cheng Jun, walking toward the cafeteria.

The military song in the distance had just ended, singing: "There's a truth that need not be spoken, the company commander's sister was snatched by brothers......"

Lu Yang followed Cheng Jun into the cafeteria and came to the table of Squad Six.

Next to him was a somewhat honest-looking, simple young man, and like Lu Yang he wore the rank insignia of a private first class.

But Lu Yang didn't know him; obviously he wasn't from the New Recruit Company of the Special Third Regiment, and was most likely a new recruit assigned from the Division Training Base.

However, at this moment Lu Yang was surprised to see two familiar faces opposite him, and they also looked at him in shock.

"Holy shit, it's you, kid?"

"Yo, old oil soldier, long time no see!"