Chapter 83: Continuous Newspaper Reports, the Unnamed Lu

Hey, why are you up so early?

In the regiment office, Regiment Commander Wang Zhongxi pushed the door and entered the office.

He saw Deputy Political Commissar Tan Yuanzhou open the tea tin and steep tea into a cup.

Tan Yuanzhou smiled and greeted, "I'm getting old; I open my eyes before the alarm even rings."

Wang Zhongxi took the cup he handed over and joked, "If you can't sleep, it means you have something on your mind; having something on your mind naturally makes you get up early. I'm not like that—I have no worries; once I put my head on the pillow after work, I fall asleep instantly."

Tan Yuanzhou said helplessly, "It's because Political Commissar Wen went out for training, so all the work tasks have fallen onto me."

"Everyone says that deputy posts in the unit are just cushy jobs, yet I have not a moment of idleness."

Wang Zhongxi blew on the tea froth, took a small sip, and, holding the cup lid, smiled and pointed at him.

"You, have you heard any rumors?"

"What rumors?"

"Don't pretend with me; I'm talking about the rumor that Political Commissar Wen is being transferred."

Wang Zhongxi set the cup down, smiled, and said, "You think I'm clueless? How could I not know? As a deputy, why wouldn't I want to be promoted?"

Tan Yuanzhou smiled gently, "A regular and a deputy aren't that different, are they? Occasionally getting a quiet break is actually quite nice."

Wang Zhongxi's face hardened, "Nonsense. When I was deputy regiment commander, my mind was full of when I could be made permanent, when I could have three stars on my shoulders."

"I just don't like you cultured folks; you always speak in roundabout ways, never straight."

"If you want something, just say it. The new recruit who asked me for a pen before was far more frank and straightforward than you."

When the regiment commander brought a new recruit to criticize him, Tan Yuanzhou's expression instantly wavered.

But the mention of Lu Yang also made him recall a funny incident from two days earlier.

He gave a brief account of going to the New Recruit Company to inspect the battlefield emergency medical training.

When he learned that Lu Yang had used his drawing talent, applying watercolor to makeup the soldiers as injured patients to boost immersion during bandaging, he laughed heartily.

"This method is good, this method is great, worth promoting—why hadn't anyone thought of using this before?"

"Bandaging the wounded and treating the uninjured, the level of seriousness is definitely different, right?"

"Wen Xu, Wen Xu (the clerk)…"

"Here!"

Wang Zhongxi called out toward the doorway, and the clerk instantly came over with a bundle of files.

"Put your current work aside for a moment, and find today's morning report for me."

"I want to see if there's any news about our regiment's New Recruit Company."

"Yes."

The clerk rushed to the reading room to look through, and brought several of today's newspapers.

Wang Zhongxi's every morning work begins with a cup of strong tea and a newspaper.

It's not for entertainment; as regiment commander, he must grasp all the unit's various dynamics and the latest information.

First, the piece he saw was a news introduction about Special Third Regiment successfully holding an elite marksman training squad.

Its content first outlined the origin of the Special Third Regiment's elite marksman unit, their achievements and heroic deeds in the early years of the anti‑Mi aid‑to‑Korea battles, followed by a discussion of inheriting and promoting old traditions.

Wang Zhongxi tapped the newspaper and asked, "The squad leader Xiao Guo still seems to be a non‑commissioned officer, right?"

Tan Yuanzhou nodded, "He's a veteran NCO of the fourth period, currently acting as the platoon leader of the 2nd Platoon, 7th Company."

"NCO, acting platoon leader, tsk tsk tsk."

"This soldier has enough ability, brave but lacking in strategy, temperament flawed—can't stay calm, prone to anger and irritability, so still needs observation. This training is also a comprehensive assessment by the organization, but the regiment currently has no promotion slots."

"Then just wait until next year, observe more, give him some time to adjust and change; otherwise it's bound to be a mistake."

Wang Zhongxi continued flipping through the newspaper and suddenly saw an article criticizing the unit's training as being rigid.

He expected to see some real problems and flaws, but a close look revealed only various trivial petty matters.

"Littering, poor hygiene, the cafeteria's watery dishes that ruin appetite, and the like."

"The training issues couldn't even be listed; they were mostly lofty, empty theoretical systems and convoluted, lengthy grand principles."

Wang Zhongxi frowned, "The writer, Hu Zhong? That sounds familiar."

Tan Yuanzhou glanced and sneered, "Heh, this kid is a 'top talent' graduate of the National University of Science and Technology. I'm the Division Chief of Staff, specifically assigned here for training, currently serving as platoon leader of the 1st Platoon, 6th Company."

"He has no major defects, just likes to use official jargon, put on airs, write novels, especially these chaotic articles."

Wang Zhongxi laughed along, "He likes writing novels; seems to have plenty inside, maybe he'll become a great writer in the future?"

Tan Yuanzhou chuckled coldly, "Utopian, fanciful, all just paper warfare, not practical."

"He previously submitted a report asking why the 6th Company has no armed helicopters, no attack aircraft, no anti‑aircraft guns, saying that now it's all air‑ground integrated warfare, making such ordinary regiments hard to develop."

"A while ago he submitted another report, saying the camp should plant more trees, that photosynthesis can absorb carbon dioxide, allowing soldiers to breathe fresh air."

"Yesterday another report arrived, stating the intention to turn the 6th Company into a Special Forces unit, a sea‑land‑air tri‑domain type, asking whether the higher‑ups could allocate funding."

"Do you think this kid's brain is full of bubbles, got stupid from studying? He speaks so casually, as if the money they print is just waste paper?"

Wang Zhongxi laughed heartily, "Young people read a lot, so they naturally have many ideas; it's normal to enjoy fanciful thinking."

"Moreover, his father is also the Division Chief of Staff, has seen a lot of big scenes."

Being overly ambitious, having lofty expectations but low ability, is a common flaw among many self‑styled intellectuals.

Especially many newly graduated intern platoon leaders from the military academy often feel like they're the best in the world.

Moreover, with Division connections behind them, they've seen things ordinary small units can't compare to, so naturally they feel underutilized.

Regarding this, Wang Zhongxi neither comments nor intervenes, leaving it to the 6th Company commander and others to gradually work it out.

Intern platoon leaders entering the company from the military academy must undergo a stage where reality collides with ideals.

Through repeated collisions, those paper‑warfare, overly lofty bad habits vanish; even if they get beaten, they can learn and quickly improve.

"Huh?"

At this moment, Wang Zhongxi finally found two news items about the Regiment's New Recruit Company on the back of the newspaper.

One of them was a piece published by the core members of the Medical Team, introducing a new method of battlefield first‑aid training.

It called on everyone to study earnestly together, innovate actively, and strive so that after going to the front lines "everyone becomes a medic."

At the end of the article, it emphasized that the inspiration came from a certain unnamed Lu‑surname recruit of the Special Third Regiment New Recruit Company First Platoon Third Squad.

"He still won't give his name; the kid is rather indifferent to fame and profit."

"Let me see… wow, indeed."

Tan Yuanzhou was surprised; for such a good chance to show his face, Lu Yang still wouldn't reveal his name.

If it were any other recruit, he'd want his name printed in bold, bold, and even bolder.

One must know that this military newspaper isn't open to everyone; you need outstanding performance to get featured.

Tan Yuanzhou leaned in, turned his gaze to the second news item, and as he read it felt something was terribly off.

"What's wrong?"

"It's wrong; this news should be encouraging the New Recruit Company Cook Squad to clear the Hou Shan wasteland for farming, to be self‑sufficient and save resources for the unit, so why does it involve wild boars?"

"Hand it over, let me see."

Wang Zhongxi put on his reading glasses, leaned closer, and examined the newspaper's contents.

As he read, his expression grew somewhat serious.

Especially when he saw that a wild boar weighing over four hundred jin had rammed a cook soldier, causing a fracture, and the soldier was still receiving hospital treatment, he immediately frowned.

During the previous Southern Frontier rotation battles, his unit had already encountered a wild‑boar‑injuring‑people incident.

That creature, though a pig, was untamable in its wildness; calling it a beast was more appropriate.

"Several soldiers were injured while encircling the wild boar; Company Commander Gao Feng was brave and fearless, leapt onto the boar's back to subdue it, but was thrown off."

"In the end, the rampaging boar was hit by four consecutive shots from a loaded Gun Automatic Rifle wielded by an unnamed Lu‑surname recruit."

"The bullets struck non‑lethal points on the boar's back, legs, joints, etc.; ultimately, the seriously wounded boar and two other piglets were taken away by comrades from the Forestry Bureau......"

After finishing the newspaper article, Tan Yuanzhou looked up at Wang Zhongxi, his wide eyes staring at the small eyes in an indescribable oddness.

"Regiment Commander, why do I feel something's off?"

"The boar's frontal charge was like a small hill, and all four shots hit non‑lethal spots?"

Wang Zhongxi blew the tea froth, took a sip of strong tea, then looked up at him: "Do you think he was scared, his hand shook and missed, or he deliberately didn't aim for the boar's brain?"

Tan Yuanzhou analyzed seriously: "If a boar charged at me, holding a gun, my first reaction would definitely be to shoot the head, because it's a large target, high hit rate, and can kill quickly."

Wang Zhongxi: "But why did Lu Yang miss all of them? The distance wasn't far; even a child could aim accurately and hit."

Tan Yuanzhou paused: "So he did it on purpose? He knew the boar was going berserk in advance, to protect the two piglets, so he didn't deliver the killing blow?"

"Most likely, that's how it is."

"But in such a complex setting—night, heavy fog—how did he observe, make a rapid judgment, and in an instant hit only non‑lethal spots?"

"I've never said that."

Wang Zhongxi felt the tea was unusually jade‑green this time and said, "All I know is that our Regiment may soon have an extraordinary sharpshooter!"