Chapter 518: The Greatest Fear Is Someone Scheming Behind Your Back

Instructor, Instructor, wait a moment!

The Second Brigade Night Tiger Reconnaissance Battalion's headquarters meeting has just concluded.

The Instructor clutched his notebook and was about to leave when Huang Honghui chased after him from behind.

What's the matter?

Instructor, I think this matter is still somewhat improper.

Go into the office and say it.

He entered the office, closed the door, and let him sit down to speak.

The sting after Huang Honghui sat down made his brows twitch slightly.

The Instructor saw at a glance that his old ailment had flared up again.

You should get a butt pad.

But you can't be fooled.

Didn't the Brigade Commander recommend a proctology specialist for you? If you go for surgery, it would be solved, why delay it until now?

It's just been that there's never been time or opportunity; we'll discuss it later.

Huang Honghui looked at him seriously: "Instructor, I think the morale performance and the military‑civilian liaison activity are rather unsuitable for our battalion."

The Instructor retorted, "In what way is it unsuitable?"

Huang Honghui: "Earlier you said at the meeting that we need rehearsals, a performance, games, and a TV crew for interviews; all that back‑and‑forth will inevitably waste at least two or three days."

"The exercises start in just over a month; we're in full sprint now. As the saying goes, one burst of energy, then decline, then exhaustion."

"If we get stuck in the middle—neither advancing nor retreating—soldiers will become lax, and all the effort of the previous period will be wasted, won't it?"

The Instructor took a sip of tea, set the cup down, and explained: "Huang Honghui, although you're the Deputy Battalion Commander, you've always been in charge of training. Both the Battalion Commander and I trust you, which is why we delegated authority to you."

"But you must understand that the unit isn't only about training; occasionally we need to attend to daily life and have some festive atmosphere."

Huang Honghui nodded quickly: "I get that—serious yet lively, tense yet united. I just think that at this critical juncture it's somewhat inappropriate and could slow the overall training tempo."

"Then what do you propose?"

"Could we have other units of the brigade take over the organization? If not, transfer it to the First Brigade, or the Third Brigade; that would give them some training resistance."

"Nonsense!"

The Instructor slapped his cup onto the table, his demeanor turning stern: "An event that can showcase us, appear on TV, attract attention, and promote the unit—others can't even beg for it, yet you want to push it outward?"

"Transfer it to the First Brigade, then the Third? What are you thinking? Why not suggest handing it to the naval fleet, the coastal defense forces, or the Army?"

Huang Honghui: "......"

The Instructor said coldly: "This matter was decided by the Brigade Commander; the Regiment has no objections, and both the Battalion Commander and I support it. Why are you causing so much trouble and playing devil's advocate?"

Huang Honghui hurried to explain: "I'm worried it will affect the training schedule."

"Just those two or three days?"

The Instructor, displeased, replied: "So if our battalion is a paper tiger, a short nap would cause our results to plummet and be overtaken?"

"Didn't you recently send people to probe the details of each unit in the Third Brigade?"

"They say their capability is far behind ours; even giving them two or three years might not let them catch up. What is there to worry about?"

Huang Honghui, tongue‑tied, couldn't argue with the Instructor; he didn't know how to rebut, but felt the moment shouldn't be halted.

The Instructor had been in a good mood, but Huang's remarks soured him a bit; nevertheless, he patiently continued his explanation.

"I'll make three points."

"First, August 1st is approaching; the First Brigade and the Third Brigade each have commendable achievements to present as gifts for all soldiers on the holiday."

"I ask you, where is our brigade's representation? Huang Honghui, have you achieved any breakthrough progress lately, any results you can showcase?"

Huang Honghui was instantly silenced.

The Night Tiger's last merit award was, I think, in last year's competition.

But the results were average, merely passable in ordinary times.

Yet if elevated to a holiday‑gift level, it's somewhat lacking.

Instructor: "The First Brigade's flagship unit earned a top ranking in the National Reconnaissance Soldier Competition; Lu Yang of the Third Brigade dismantled a 250‑kilogram class Heavy Aviation Bomb during an overseas mission—if not the nation's first, it's certainly a rarity."

"The local authorities proactively contacted us, saying the Sea Night Tiger is a heroic unit with a long history."

"They hope to visit for a morale‑boosting, lively celebration before the holiday, to publicize the Night Old Tiger Reconnaissance Detachment's past and present, so more people know this team. What's wrong with that?"

He tapped the table: "Even if we step back, we must fully support such a grand military‑civilian liaison event. Moreover, you know the opponent's level; why are you panicking?"

Huang Honghui quickly denied: "I'm not panicking, I just..."

The Instructor raised his hand to cut in: "If you have absolute confidence, there should be no such needless worry; the Night Tiger Reconnaissance Battalion's opponent this time is not the First Brigade but the newly formed Third Brigade."

"If you can't even guarantee that, I think you might as well go to bed early."

Huang Honghui forced a bitter smile; it's not a lack of confidence, just a habit of wanting more winning chips.

But the Instructor was right: an event that both gifts August 1st and puts the Night Tiger in the spotlight is indeed somewhat more important than the exercise.

The Instructor raised two fingers: "Second point, which I raised earlier in the meeting; training is about methods—you always like to charge forward in one burst, but at appropriate times you must give the soldiers a chance to catch their breath."

"Let me remind you, I've heard more than once privately that soldiers are secretly complaining about the heavy training pressure."

"Moreover, the incident last time when someone was slapped during a drill also left a certain impact on the soldiers' morale."

Huang Honghui was about to explain when the Instructor stopped him: "I know we were the ones who acted first, but failing to handle it promptly is your responsibility."

"From your perspective, he hit someone and got hit back, so it's even; but to outsiders, it's not the same."

"Outsiders will think our Night Tiger is scared, a soft target."

Huang Honghui shook his head: "Instructor, what they choose to think is their business; I can't intervene in what's in others' heads."

The Instructor: "That's because you can't control the situation or be flexible; you've been outmaneuvered twice by Lu Yang, who is better at controlling the field and knows when to act."

"Do you think he's not afraid of making a mess? He knows, yet he chooses to confront you stubbornly, to establish his authority before his subordinates."

In his soldiers' eyes, his actions were a challenge to absolute strength and authority, and he even won.

Huang Honghui clenched his fists, his face grim: "This is what I worry about; I'm afraid that later, during the drills, he......"

The instructor shook his head: "No matter how capable he is, he's just one person; drills aren't a solo fight, and the overall level can't be improved in a short time—it just can't."

Besides, it's not just us; do you think other units don't organize performances, hold banquets, and let the soldiers relax?

I've already inquired: some units of the Third Brigade will take a day off on the weekend for condition adjustment, and among them there is one battalion.

Hearing this, Huang Honghui relaxed a little; he was worried that some people would take advantage of their laxness here to make secret progress.

Back when he attended military academy, there was such a guy in the dorm who always pretended not to like studying, acting carefree and idle.

Only later did they discover that this guy, after lights-out every night, would sneak under the covers to read while others were asleep.

After graduating, he went straight to graduate school; now he's doing well in the Eastern Theater Command, thriving, with rank and position higher than his own.

So what he fears, worries about, and dislikes most are those who pretend not to study on the surface but secretly work hard.