Chapter 358: When morale scatters, regroup!

"You agreed?"

"Yes."

"Compete over what? You choose—best two out of three, or a single match to decide?"

"Either works."

Beneath Lan Li's calm exterior, a faint excitement stirred.

But just then, Lu Yang changed the subject.

"But not now."

"What do you mean?"

Lan Li didn't understand, but Yang Yong was clear.

Compared to sparring with an irrelevant outsider, the internal issues of the Sixth Company are the primary conflict to resolve.

The focus had long shifted away from this baffling duel; everyone worried about where they'd go after the unit disbanded.

Yang Yong quickly spoke, "Then set a time, and we'll come back later?"

Lu Yang said gravely, "No need for you to come. When the time is right, I'll personally visit your Zhencha Daitui."

"It's a promise!"

"Take care, I'm not seeing you off!"

With the agreement made, Lan Li followed the battalion commander onto the vehicle.

Before getting in, Yang Yong solemnly said sorry to Ma Qing'an, but it was not accepted.

At this critical moment, provoking openly and exposing wounds publicly couldn't be brushed off with a few apologies.

Those two guys slapped their backs and left, leaving the mess for Ma Qing'an, Lu Yang and the others to clean up.

If mishandled, not only will the troops' morale crumble, but people's hearts may also scatter.

The dissolution of an honored unit is far harsher than a company going bankrupt and employees being laid off.

Every soldier of the Sixth Company had once poured all effort and sweat into the unit's glory.

The three words "Iron Foot" are the pride and spiritual backbone of all Sixth Company warriors.

"Battalion commander, did I say something wrong?"

The jeep started and slowly pulled away, while Lan Li kept staring at the rearview mirror.

He could see the anger in Lu Yang's eyes and feel a surge of restless agitation.

Yang Yong casually grabbed a pack of cigarettes, shook out one and put it in his mouth; knowing Lan Li couldn't tolerate the smoke, he rolled down the window.

"Seems like this is the first time you've proactively asked me such a question?"

"Did I say something wrong?"

"You shouldn't use this method to provoke Lu Yang."

Lan Li: "But I'm stating facts. The Special Third Regiment's exercise failed, and the reorganization is a higher‑up decision; the Sixth Company's disbandment wasn't caused by me. Why are they pinning the resentment on me?"

Yang Yong sighed helplessly, "The mistake is that this matter shouldn't be raised by you; I'm an outsider. Also, from now on speak less out there and watch my cues."

Lan Li furrowed his brows, wanted to say something, but held back.

In his view, Yang Yong's position is Division Reconnaissance Battalion Commander, a deputy regiment‑level lieutenant colonel.

Both in rank and position, he's far above Ma Qing'an; if he orders a match with Lu Yang, it must be obeyed.

The other side must agree and obey; that's indisputable.

Yet, despite his higher rank, position, and commission, the battalion commander still beats around the bush, which he can't understand.

To him, many matters should be like solving math, physics, or chemistry problems: apply a formula, quickly verify, and get the answer, not drag on writing useless stuff.

Lan Li dislikes this roundabout feeling and can't adapt; he always feels out of sync with those around him.

Suddenly, Yang Yong hurriedly fastened his seatbelt, tossed the unfinished cigarette into a thermos, and sealed the lid.

It turned out that at the upcoming intersection, two routine‑inspection white‑hatted officers were checking passing vehicles.

"Pull over, turn off the engine, routine inspection!"

One of the white‑hatted officers stepped forward.

Yang Yong gave a guilty smile, "What's the matter?"

Military Police: "We just noticed you didn't fasten your seatbelt when you came from the opposite side; according to internal traffic safety regulations, we will impose the following penalty…"

"No way?"

Yang Yong feigned ignorance, "I was wearing a seatbelt, did you see wrong?"

The other white‑hatted officer approached with a camera, "You buckled later; we captured it. Also, there's smoke inside the car—did you smoke while driving?"

Yang Yong flatly denied, "No, absolutely not!"

He must not have consulted the old almanac before leaving today.

Not only was he humiliated in the Sixth Company, being undermined by his own men, leaving his face unable to hold up.

Then he happened to run into two Military Police road checks right after stepping out, and conveniently forgot to fasten his seatbelt.

The Military Police made them get out of the car and found in the thermos the just‑extinguished cigarette butt: "You said you didn't smoke, so what is this?"

Yang Yong quickly signaled Lan Li, urging him to cover: "It wasn't me who smoked, it was him. It's okay for the co‑driver to smoke, right?"

Both officers turned their gaze to Lan Li, then received an affirmative reply.

"I never smoke."

"......"

Yang Yong was left numb.

Truly high education, low emotional intelligence.

I have no idea when this kid will finally have an epiphany.

And the two Military Police also enforced the law impartially, issuing the corresponding penalties to Yang Yong and his vehicle.

After the two left, Sixth Company's training continued as before, but the overall atmosphere was very gloomy.

The pull‑up bar wouldn't move, the tactical climb wouldn't move, and every squad had someone slacking off.

In the past, veteran Squad Leaders would have directly scolded them, but now even the veterans can't muster any spirit.

Across the whole Sixth Company, only Zhou Kaidong was still diligent and strict, but most of the Third Squad's soldiers were listless, and his shouting a couple of times could not make a difference.

Even the usually lively Kang Changyi now seemed wilted, looking utterly disinterested in life.

This condition persisted until lunch; the soldiers who should have had hearty appetites all became like chicks pecking at rice.

The food tasted like chewing wax, and the rice was taken bite by bite, counting each grain into the mouth.

"Strange, what's going on today? This morning everything was fine,"

"Is it that our lunch is just unappetizing?"

At the Cafeteria window, a few Cook Squad soldiers saw the scene, their faces full of confusion.

Squad Leader Hong sighed, explained the reason, and instantly shocked everyone in the Cook Squad.

"Squad Leader, if Sixth Company disappears, where will we go? Are we becoming sea cooks?"

"No way, I get seasick; if we cook at sea and the waves get big, I'm afraid I'll vomit into the pot!"

"Or are we being reassigned to other units to cook?"

Faced with everyone's barrage of questions, Squad Leader Hong didn't know how to answer.

He didn't know whether the future lay on land or on the sea.

It is precisely this unknown that makes people increasingly confused and uneasy.

Ma Qing'an and He Zhen Tao watched, their brows also furrowed.

After those two left earlier, they quickly did some morale‑building, soothing everyone's emotions, but it was of no help.

"The situation is worse than expected; if we stay like this until reorganization, this Sixth Company vanguard will definitely be the first to be eliminated by the Navy."

"I heard the Navy's elimination system is ruthless; those who fail are discharged early, even losing the right to return to their old unit."

"It's not that there's no eligibility; after reorganization many old units disappear, so where could one retire to?"

The two cast their worried gazes toward Lu Yang, who sat quietly eating.

The process that should have progressed step by step was suddenly torn apart, leaving a mess everywhere.

If they could, they'd really like to pin that guy Lan Li to the ground and beat him up.

Lu Yang ate silently, saying nothing; only after he finished all the food on his plate and drank the soup did he set down his chopsticks.

"I'll do it."

"What will you do?"

"Just as we discussed before, step by step."

"But the pace has already been messed up by that bastard Lan, and both military morale and the people's hearts have scattered; how can we get back on track in such a short time?"

Lu Yang gave no reply, but stood up, walked to the Cafeteria entrance, and blew the assembly whistle.

The stools were shuffled sparsely, and the Sixth Company's well‑trained soldiers became sluggish.

Even the speed of gathering and the order of the ranks seemed to revert to the stage when new recruits first entered camp.

Lu Yang scanned the scene; some were looking at him, some were staring blankly, some were daydreaming, showing none of the bearing an elite company should have.

Lu Yang glanced at the Company Commander; Ma Qing'an nodded at him and temporarily handed the Sixth Company's command authority to him, letting him restore the troops to normal and regain the shattered morale.

"Too slow, roll back to your seats and sit properly!"

The scattered troops shuffled back to their original seats.

Everyone seemed to know what Lu Yang intended and were willing to cooperate.

But morale can shatter in an instant; gathering it again is not easy.

The talk of Sixth Company's disbandment came from outsiders, which caused an internal trust crisis, making everyone doubt the Company Commander's motives for concealment.

The whistle sounded again, and everyone reconvened at the entrance.

Lu Yang said nothing, still thought it too slow, and ordered everyone to sit back down.

After repeating the drill twenty times and nearly reaching the previous assembly state, he finally spoke again.

"Subject: armed off‑road!"

"You have five minutes; go to the barracks, pack your gear, and take your guns!"

"Disperse!"

The troops scattered, running toward the barracks to pack their things.

Ma Qing'an watched the soldiers' departing silhouettes and asked, "How far are we supposed to run?"

Lu Yang: "Keep running."

"Keep running?"

"Run until they can't run any more, run until they're exhausted, run until they have no spare time to daydream, run until they no longer waste their energy worrying about things that haven't happened!"