Article 10 of Chapter 23 Section 1 Ordinance

  "Lao Wu, the day after tomorrow is when the new recruits will be assigned to our company. We mustn't let that good soldier go to someone else's company! These past few days, others have also been running back and forth to the battalion headquarters, all eyeing those few promising young soldiers." Zhang Mo said while drinking tea.

  "Don't worry, the trees I planted will not let those kids take advantage of me cheaply. During training, they were all busy like dragons, but now when it's time to harvest, they're already preparing big baskets? Thinking of taking advantage of my hard work? No way." Wu Minghui said.

  "Tomorrow, the political commissar is coming down to take a look at the new recruits. At that time, we need to be careful, our political commissar has a temper, you know."

  "I already know this."

  When the political commissar of the third battalion, Lin Guojun, arrived at the barracks, new recruits had just finished their meal and were sunbathing on the playground. A cross-country vehicle drove into the camp without drawing attention from the new recruits, but when Wu Minghui saw the license plate, he immediately ran to the entrance to greet him.

  Lin Guojun is of medium build, with a delicate and fair complexion. Wearing a pair of glasses, if he weren't in that military uniform, it would be hard to argue that he doesn't look like a humanities teacher. However, those who know him wouldn't think so - this psychology Ph.D. had even used his knowledge at the dinner table to dig up old grievances against his superiors. When Lin Guojun got off the car, there was also a female soldier with him. Although she wore military uniform, it couldn't hide her stunning figure.

  "Director Wu, you're here? Forgive me for not coming out to greet you." Wu Minghui said with a smile.

  "You're not as fierce as I thought, today I came to take a look at our new recruits. This is Li Qiuyue, a reporter from our military newspaper, I think you should have seen her before?" Lin Guojun said, looking at the female soldier beside him.

  "Look who's here! What wind blew our Li Da journalist here today?" Wu Minghui laughed.

  "Hehe, Commander Wu was just joking, I'm just coming down to get some fresh air, and I hope I won't be a bother to you." Li Qiuyue said with a smile.

  "Comrades, soldiers, apart from mastering the skills to defeat the enemy, our ideological awareness and willpower are also an indispensable victorious army. Coming here, each of us has a reason for coming here, but these are not important. What is important is why we put on this military uniform, what is the meaning of our existence? What is our mission?"

  Lin Guojun looked at the new recruits below and said: "Soldiers, your duty is to defend your home and country, your responsibility is to defend your home and country, and your right is also to defend your home and country. Your existence is your responsibility, duty, and right."

  "I believe your class leaders and platoon leaders have already told you many things, so I don't need to repeat them. Today, let's just chat about something else. Here, I have a question: when war breaks out, what would you do first? I don't want standard answers; I want to hear your inner thoughts. Most of you are post-90s, and I believe you have your own ideas, so feel free to share them, one by one."

  Wu Minghui and Zhang Mo exchanged a glance, they knew what Lin Guojun was up to today, the political commissar wasn't like this before.

  "If war breaks out, I'd like to leave a letter for my family first. If I sacrifice myself, let my brother take care of my parents. In the next life, I'll repay them with filial piety." This is what a practical person would say.

  "If war breaks out, let's not say anything and just go to war early, finish the fight early and come back to work early. Hmm, it's best to fight against those little Japanese, I've been wanting to beat them up for a long time, this is also why I came to be a soldier in the first place. Unfortunately, I was assigned to Xinjiang here, let's see if Russia will get restless later."

  "Report for duty, go to the battlefield! Anyway, everyone will die once, being a soldier means fighting wars."

  ……

  Although everyone's words are different, the meaning is only one. Once the war breaks out, they have to rush onto the battlefield immediately. Upon hearing the new recruits' responses, Lin Guojun nodded in satisfaction, seemingly quite pleased with them.

  "If war breaks out, I'd like to go home first."

  When Xiao Lie spoke, the whole scene fell silent. This kid actually chose to go home first, which seems different from a warrior who values his country above all else?

  "Tell me, why?" Lin Guojun said.

  "My motherland is my home, I have thousands and millions of compatriots who are my brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, I exist for them. But my mother only has me as her son, and I only have one mother and brother. She just wants her son to return to her side, even if it's just a visit. She is my mother, but she is also my responsibility, duty, and right."

  I believe in my comrades, and they will do better than me. I also believe in my mother, she will be happy for me, and will never let me back down, bravely fighting the enemy. I am a Chinese soldier, I am ready to sacrifice myself for the country at any time.

  They are my comrades, my family. If I can't protect them and they sacrifice themselves, how heartbreaking it will be for their families?

  Xiao Lie said.

  "Hmm, okay, you're right." Lin Guojun said.

  Young Xiao Lie had no idea how much impact his words would have on himself in the future. Yes, to him, he thought he should go home, perhaps it was just his own thoughts. But he did not think that if war were to break out, soldiers would immediately take up their equipment and rush to the battlefield at the fastest speed, perhaps only receiving news of the war along the way, so what time would they have to return home?

  "Director, don't you think Xiao Lie's military quality is very good? He's a rare talent. Shouldn't we consider him?" Wu Minghui said.

  "Ming Hui, you know what's most important for an army? It's political ideology. He may have excellent military skills, but so what? If a person's thinking doesn't include battlefield discipline and the spirit of sacrificing for one's country, can you dare to go into battle with such a comrade?" Lin Guo Jun said.

  "But Commissar, he's still young, we can give him time. I believe..."

  "Alright, don't say anymore, let's just do it this way. No matter how strong a person's military quality is, if they don't have political awareness, then it's useless."

  Lin Guojun's one sentence has defined Xiao Lie, and perhaps he did not expect that the person who would save him in the near future was this little soldier whom he had personally brought down.

  The day the new recruits left the company, several military vehicles were parked on the playground early in the morning. The soldiers knew they had to leave this place today, and for a moment, they felt a little reluctant to part with each other. Some comrades who parted ways would find it difficult to meet again, while those who got along well started exchanging contact information.

  It didn't take long for the roll call to begin, and the new recruits who were called stood in front of the vehicle of their respective companies. As people left one by one, there were only a dozen or so left, and Xiao Lie became anxious because at this time, all the people from the third squad had left except him, and the remaining new recruits were also quickly called away, leaving only himself standing there alone.

  "I'll go first. I hope that one day I can defeat you, so you'd better train hard and not make me think you're too weak." Yang Xian said as he walked away, then turned around to say this in front of Xiao Lie.

  "If you want to defeat me, you'd better drink more milk every day." Xiao Lie said with a smile, looking at the person in front of him who was both a friend and an opponent. The two of them had a feeling that couldn't be expressed in words, but at least they knew that in life, having someone like this would make them feel less lonely, because there would always be someone pushing them to move forward.

  "Instructor, where am I going?" Xiao Lie asked Zhang Mo somewhat urgently.

  "It's going to be seven consecutive classes." Zhang Mo said.

  "What's going on?" Xiao Lie asked somewhat anxiously, fearing that he would be assigned to an inconspicuous company.

  "Soldier Xiao Lie, do you still remember the first rule of a soldier?" Zhang Mo asked, his tone very formal.

  "Report, I recall, a soldier's duty is to obey orders." Xiao Lie said seriously.

  "Remember that, but what I want to tell you is that a true soldier, no matter which position or branch of the military, will make their own contribution and stand out. I hope that one day when I see you again, I still think you are the best soldier I have ever led."

  "Yes, instructor." Xiao Lie felt a bit uneasy and unsure of what to do. He didn't know why Zhang Mo had said that sentence, and also why he had left with his own troops after gathering them together today. Before yesterday, he would have thought that he would be assigned to a good company, but now everything had changed. Wu Minghui took his new recruits from the reconnaissance company and left quickly, even those who were going to the cooking class had left, leaving only himself behind. He knew Zhang Mo wouldn't say something like this casually, it was as if he wanted him to prepare mentally for something.

  At this time, an old-fashioned jeep drove in from the entrance. Judging from the marks on the body of the car, the age of that car was not small. The car drove to the playground and a fifth-grade officer jumped out from above.

  "Hey, Class Monitor Zhang, why are you so late?" Zhang Mo greeted.

  Xiao Lie knew it was his turn as soon as he heard the call, but no matter how he looked at the officer in charge, he didn't seem like someone from an elite unit. Fortunately, he wasn't assigned to be a cook, because the soldiers who had been assigned to the kitchen duty earlier had already been taken away.

  "It's a bit late for something to happen, which one is my soldier?" asked Shi Ban Chang.

  "Ah, it's him, Xiao Lie. This is his file. I'm handing everything over to you, I'll leave first." Zhang Mo said.

  After Zhang Mo left, the officer looked up and down at Xiao Lie, who was standing straight.

  "Good job, Class Monitor." Xiao Lie immediately gave a salute.

  "Alright, let's get on the bus."

  The car left the training camp, and Xiao Lie took a last look at the training camp before following the jeep to another new place. The car drove on the desolate land, although it was already almost March, but the weather in Xinjiang was still cold, and as the car drove further and further away, Xiao Lie's heart also became more and more tense.

  "Monitor, what's our job?"

  "Oh, we're the demolition squad."

  "Ah, bomb disposal unit." Xiao Lie was slightly surprised.