Chapter 264: This Soldier's Service Is Absolutely Worth Every Penny!

"I'll ask the questions, you answer. In total, three questions; if you get them all right, the reward is yours."

"Conversely, if you answer incorrectly or can't answer, the reward will be out of your reach."

Division Commander Luo stated the rules, and Lu Yang was ready.

Take a gamble; a bicycle becomes a motorcycle—there's no reason not to agree.

Earlier, Gao Feng and He Zhen Tao had each told him that only after officially becoming an officer does one start a military career.

Officer and Non-commissioned Officer differ by a single character, yet their pay and advancement are worlds apart; therefore, Lu Yang must seize this opportunity.

"First question: what is the total weight of the Type 63 armored personnel carrier, its armor thickness, and its main weapon?"

The first question immediately sparked discussion among many on the spot.

It was previously mentioned that Lu Yang is a soldier in a Motorized Infantry Company.

The question clearly concerns armored unit knowledge, which other branches would find hard to answer.

But Ma Qing'an and all the warriors of the Sixth Company were fully confident, knowing this question could not stump Lu Yang.

Lu Yang: "Total weight 12.6 tons, armor is welded steel plates, thickness 14 mm, main weapon is the Type 59 12.7 mm machine gun."

Division Commander Luo raised an eyebrow: "You're a motorized infantryman; how do you know the specifics of armored troops?"

Lu Yang answered honestly: "Half a year ago, the Regiment held a mock combat, and the opposing armored company gave us a hard time. After the battle, I studied and researched armored specialties, hoping next time we could give them a hard time in combat strength."

Division Commander Luo nodded approvingly: "Unyielding, willing to endure hardship and study—well done."

Listening to the praise from the senior officer on stage, the various leaders of the Special Third Regiment below all curved their mouths into smiles.

Lu Yang loves reading; it's well known throughout the unit.

Especially military books—more is better.

During weekend leisure, others clutch phones to listen to music or watch movies, but he sits in the electronic classroom with a book in hand.

Thus, those familiar with Lu Yang aren't surprised he could answer such a question.

In fact, the answer wasn't from books but was told to him directly by Gao Feng, including the distinctions between armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles.

"Next question: what is the design inspiration for the domestic Type 66 152 mm howitzer, its maximum range, rate of fire, and its high and low elevation limits?"

Whoa!

The remark caused another wave of uproar in the venue.

Earlier it was armor theory, now it's artillery.

Although everyone knows that exceptional promotion within the troops is extremely difficult.

They didn't expect the difficulty to be this great!

Even Zashi Nima and Zhao Chuanwu of the 441st Regiment Artillery Ninth Company had to think carefully, and might still get it wrong.

Even though these topics were taught in military classes before, what is learned quickly is also forgotten quickly.

Similar to friction and buoyancy calculation formulas, solving linear equations in two variables.

Nowadays, few can still recall and apply them flexibly.

The saying that one's cultivation can be scattered in a single morning essentially means this.

"Lu Yang, can he answer it?"

From the back row, Zashi Nima whispered to Zhao Chuanwu.

Zhao Chuanwu forced a wry smile: "Probably difficult; I only recall the maximum range as 17,000, but the exact figure I've forgotten."

Zashi Nima: "Then, is the Division Commander deliberately giving him a hard time?"

Zhao Chuanwu shook his head: "I don't know, can't say. Anyway, I've never heard of a Non-commissioned Officer being directly promoted to officer in the Division, so the difficulty is understandable."

"As a soldier, not knowing these may be fine, but as an officer these are hard requirements."

Zashi Nima let out a soft 'oh', still staring blankly at the front: "Then I probably can't become an officer; I can't even count how many yaks my family has."

Zhao Chuanwu turned with a questioning look: "Can't even count a few yaks, did you finish elementary school?"

"So, can you answer it now?"

Division Chief of Staff Xiong Yao asked from the side, indicating that if he couldn't answer, he should voluntarily give up.

Zhou Kaidong wanted to help, but he didn't know the answer to such a question either.

Kang Changyi knew the high and low elevation limits, but each time he tried to hint, his uncle glared at him like a knife.

Division Commander Luo said lightly: "If you can't answer, that's fine; no pressure."

Lu Yang: "The domestic Type 66 152 mm howitzer is one of our main howitzers, a copy of the former Soviet D‑20 152 mm howitzer's design, mounted on a 60‑type 122 mm howitzer carriage fitted with a 152 mm barrel, sharing over 60 % of parts with the Type 59‑1 130 mm howitzer."

"It can fire high‑explosive fragmentation and smoke shells, maximum range 17,404 m, rate of fire 6–8 rounds per minute, elevation limits –5° to 45°, and azimuth limits left 30° and right 28°."

"Is the Division Commander satisfied with this answer?"

The auditorium fell silent, everyone staring in disbelief at Lu Yang on stage.

Those who thought the kid only knew some worldly tricks were slapped in the face.

"Is this guy a weapons encyclopedia, memorizing it so fluently?"

"He's a motorized infantryman, okay to know armored theory, but how does he also dabble in artillery?"

"My god, this kid must have been a military geek before enlistment; he knows domestic weapon specs like the back of his hand!"

Division Commander Luo glanced surprisingly at the Chief of Staff, and Xiong Yao lightly closed his eyes and nodded.

The meaning was clear: so, how about it? I'll say this soldier is pretty good, right?

The other senior Division officers seated there also felt a strong curiosity about Lu Yang at that moment.

"Hey, Lu Yang, you're a motorized infantryman; aren't the things you study a bit too mixed up?"

"I treat it as a hobby; it won't affect my main duties."

"Young man, don't try to show off by memorizing these points early to fool us old timers. So, I'll give you an extra question: what does 'depth echelon' mean in a military offensive?"

"A depth echelon is a staggered formation, with units arranged like steps, each unit offset forward and backward; the tactical essence lies in maintaining continuous pressure and successive strength..."

Oh my, everyone knows!

The usually mature and steady Division Political Commissar suddenly became a person of temperament, giving Lu Yang a thumbs-up.

The Division Political Department Director also felt an itch, and promptly posed a question: "Let me ask you, what is Xu Jin's barrage? I'll give you a hint—it's also related to artillery."

Lu Yang briefly summarized: "Infantry-artillery coordination precise to the second, soldiers charge forward with scorching feet."

The Division Political Department Director's eyes were shining as he tapped the table: "Good, good, there's substance, this soldier really has substance!"

At this moment, Lu Yang on the stage undoubtedly became the focus of everyone's attention.

Not to mention others, even Tan Yuanzhou, Ma Qing'an and the like didn't expect Lu Yang to be able to answer these tricky questions.

Especially that rhyming saying—"Infantry-artillery coordination precise to the second, soldiers charge forward with scorching feet"—it's certainly not something that can be summarized by rote memorization; it requires deeper understanding.

Wang Zhongxi stared at the energetic and vigorous Lu Yang on stage, and was once again greatly surprised and delighted.

He never imagined that, as an acting platoon leader for just a little over half a year, Lu Yang would actually have the qualified foundation to become a commander.

Kang Changyi watched Lu Yang answer the question with effortless ease, a problem that even he himself had to ponder repeatedly, and aside from being shocked, he was still shocked.

He even doubted whether he had attended a fake military academy; how could others, by just reading books, self-studying, and doing practice papers, reach such a level?

Lu Yang reminded: "Commander, is there still one last question?"

Division Commander Luo laughed: "No need to ask, they've already asked them for me. Every question here is far beyond the syllabus, yet you, with only one year of service, managed to answer them all."

"I'm really curious—does anyone in your family have a military background, or perhaps you served in a past life?"

"Service length, only one year?"

Such astonishment delivered a huge impact to everyone!

The first-term non-commissioned officer insignia on Lu Yang's shoulder was truly misleading, making everyone think he had at least three or four years of service, yet who would have guessed this kid had only been in the army for a year?

Putting it that way, his service length is merely that of a senior private; he was only made a non-commissioned officer early due to outstanding performance, right?

In just a short year, from conscript he was early-retained as a non-commissioned officer, and now he's to be extraordinarily promoted from non-commissioned officer?

Serving in the military like this is simply beyond worth, simply winning big!

Lu Yang smiled and explained: "Report, Commander, you previously said that in the end soldiers compete in culture, and I have always agreed with the view that knowledge is power."

Division Commander Luo laughed heartily: "Well said!"

He patted Lu Yang's shoulder, bringing him to face the troops below: "Did you all hear that? Did you all see that? Everyone serves in the army—some muddle through two years aimlessly, then shake off their dust and leave; others, through continual learning and progress, in one year cover the road others take four or five years to travel."

"Joining the military isn't just about reporting to the unit and being done with it, nor is it enough to merely complete training tasks by the book; spare time can also be used to enrich oneself and learn."

"The electronic classroom, library, and military museum—as long as you want to learn, there are ten thousand ways to improve."

"As always, the troops will not let down a soldier who has courage, responsibility, and is proactive."

Having said that, he personally removed Lu Yang's non-commissioned officer rank insignia from his pocket and produced a brand-new set to replace it.

Lu Yang straightened his chest, feeling extremely excited, but an inadvertent glance from the corner of his eye made his breathing quicken.

At first, he thought he was seeing double, his vision blurred.

But upon taking a closer look, he thoroughly confirmed that he wasn't seeing things.

On his shoulder was not the previous one-bar-one-star insignia, but a two-star lieutenant's rank insignia!