Chapter 175: A Latent Commander

Are you sure you weren't beaten to pieces?

Xiong Yao has a pair of eyes that excel at perceiving the surface of things.

Lu Yang smiles lightly and says nothing; he is not one who likes to lie, but sometimes he must preserve others' dignity.

Even though Kang Changyi is indeed not pleasant, she is still a soldier of the Sixth Company, so she counts as one of us.

Most importantly, he is also unsure whether speaking the truth would offend the other side.

Fortunately, Xiong Yao is not angry, but speaks earnestly: "I know that Kang Changyi is certainly not well regarded in your company; to be precise, wherever she goes she will not be treated well."

"An officer who only talks about warfare on paper, and a person who only flaps his lips, no matter how high their education, will not be accepted by the soldiers."

"I forgot to mention, he is my nephew, and I deliberately placed him in your regiment, the Iron Foot Company."

Lu Yang understands: "You wish to temper his muscles and bones, forge his will, and help him grow."

Xiong Yao smiles and says: "That's only one side of it; more important is the special nature of your regiment. Let me test you—do you know what your regiment…"

Before he could finish the question, Lu Yang had already answered in advance: "The Special Third Regiment originated as the Longguo People's Volunteer Army's 17th Division 302nd Regiment. It repeatedly repelled the enemy during the anti‑U. S. Korean War, holding the line time after time!"

Xiong Yao is pleased to hear this from him: "On your first day of enlistment, you probably ate fried noodles, right?"

"Yes."

"Among all the regiments in the entire division, only the Special Third Regiment's welcome dish is fried noodles and frozen potatoes."

Xiong Yao, with a solemn expression, says: "This is a glorious unit, a heroic force, and the three characters Iron Foot were bestowed upon you in that era of raging war."

He pats Lu Yang's shoulder and says seriously: "No matter where you go in the future, never forget where your roots lie, and never forget the Special Third Regiment, the heroic unit that emerged from the snowfields, stained red with blood."

At that moment, Lu Yang could not fully grasp the Chief of Staff's deeper meaning.

But he knows that a soldier's promotion inevitably comes with growth and parting.

Therefore, he keeps the words in his heart, remembering them firmly.

Xiong Yao prepares to leave, and before departing asks Lu Yang to look after his wayward nephew.

Lu Yang almost thought he misheard: a private who has served only six months tasked with looking after a Lieutenant Platoon Leader who graduated from the military academy after four years?

"Chief, you must have misspoken?"

"I didn't misspeak. You have many qualities worth his learning; you are willing to travel so far to exchange and learn with the soldiers of the 441st Regiment, quickly blending in with everyone—that's something he completely lacks; he would only be beaten into a lump."

"But he must let me take care of him, after all he is an officer and I am just a private?"

"That is indeed a problem," Xiong Yao muses for a moment, saying before getting on the vehicle.

"How about this: I'll grant you a privilege. If he refuses admonition, clearly errs yet stubbornly talks back, you give both of them an ear slap for me."

"Ah, that's not right, isn't it? Isn't that subordinates striking superiors?"

Although he says so outwardly, Lu Yang is actually quite willing to serve.

Even though, at night, the Military Police came looking for trouble, Kang Changyi performed fairly adequately.

But it was merely adequate; against his usual habit of constantly losing his mind, it was a case of a minor witch meeting a major witch.

That fellow still carries a scholar's sourness at his core; when he's abnormal, it is noticeably stronger than when he's normal.

Therefore, if Lu Yang can properly "look after" him, that would be most excellent.

Xiong Yao sneers: "Feel free to strike boldly; I am both an elder and a superior, and his parents also let me discipline him strictly, it's just that work kept me busy and I hadn't had the chance."

Lu Yang asks curiously: "Then why don't you let him join the Zhencha Daitui?"

"He doesn't deserve any!"

"......"

Lu Yang realizes that this Chief of Staff is also a man of temperament.

Good is good, bad is bad.

He tossed Kang Changyi into the Sixth Company not as some gilded honor, but simply to watch her get dealt with.

The Special Third Regiment is a premier unit; its soldiers are each like wolves and tigers, and they cannot tolerate even a speck of sand in their eyes.

Thus, for Kang Changyi, being thrown there is essentially inviting punishment.

No soldier is born a good soldier.

Nor is any officer born knowing how to be a competent officer.

This is Xiong Yao's test for his nephew; if he can't even get through this, he might as well ditch the uniform early and run away, sparing the unit from further disgrace.

"As long as that kid makes a mess or causes trouble, consider it me properly educating him. Can you do it?"

"I can!"

"Very well, I'll leave this to you. I trust you can raise him well, and I believe you have the ability to manage upwards."

Lu Yang salutes, watches the Xiong Chief of Staff depart, feeling pleased.

This outing proved truly rewarding; not only did I learn the Through-the-back Fist, but I was also entrusted with an important task by the Chief of Staff.

Now that's settled; if the First Platoon Leader dares to pick a fight with Zhou Kaidong again, or to mock me or anyone else, he'll be shown who's boss.

Lu Yang can directly give him a big slap, twisting his mouth crooked.

The reason is, your uncle had me beat you; the reason is, the Chief had me look after you; the reason is, to help you quickly integrate into the group and get along with everyone.

"Hey, take it, take it!"

"No, no!"

"No way, take it, you must take it!"

"Hey, you guys, this mess, I'll be too embarrassed to come tomorrow."

"Hey, look at what you're saying—just some oranges, apples, milk, nothing valuable. Our regiment may not be as affluent as yours, but it's still a token of our goodwill."

The Company Commander gives Zhao Chuanwu a signal, telling him to slip a cigarette into Lu Yang's pocket.

He knows Lu Yang doesn't smoke, but the cigarette can be taken back for the Squad Leader, Platoon Leader, and Company Commander to smoke.

In the unit, one must also cultivate good relations and do favors.

Many friends, many paths; besides, they come from an elite unit.

Later, we might run into each other during drills; knowing someone or not makes a difference in how it feels when we fight.

Lu Yang, unable to refuse, had to accept everyone's goodwill; but when leaving, there were too many things hanging on the motorcycle handlebars, making turning a bit troublesome.

"Little Lu, come early tomorrow and have breakfast with us; after that, I'll have Zhao Chuanwu accompany you to practice Through-the-back Fist again."

"Then we need to start shooting training early; in the afternoon around two o'clock we'll have live-fire artillery shooting."

"You want to fire the cannon, don't you? At that time I'll definitely let you really experience it—this is much more fun than shooting a gun."

Lu Yang gave an OK sign, put on his helmet, and rode the Company Commander's Ducati out of the gate of Regiment Ninth Company, 441st Regiment.

Watching the motorcycle gradually fade away, the Ninth Company Commander said with feeling: "What a fine soldier! If only he were in our regiment, how great that would be."

Instructor: "If only he were in our company, how great that would be."

"By the way, what did the Division Chief of Staff talk about with Lu Yang when he called him aside earlier?"

"I don't know, but I saw the two of them getting along swimmingly, talking and laughing."

"Tsk tsk tsk, at such a young age, being able to chat and laugh freely with division leaders, showing no nervousness at all. I remember, when I graduated from the military academy, seeing senior non-commissioned officers with many stripes on their shoulders, I felt a bit intimidated, worried I couldn't handle it."

"We're pretty similar; back then, going to the regiment for a meeting, the Regiment Commander gave me a glare and I felt like the world was ending."

"This soldier, he's extraordinary!"

"In his bearing lies the demeanor of a future commander; he will surely become a great talent."