Chapter 7: The Match with Baoding Military Academy

  Xu Shaowen knew this Mr. Weixin, whose original name was Yao Zun, and his courtesy name was Weixin. This person's background is not small, he had received training in the first accelerated class of Baoding Military Academy, and later served as a company commander during the Xinhai Revolution, after which he went to Zhejiang Lecture Martial Hall to serve as an instructor.

  Now at the Army University, Yao Zong still retains his temper as a company commander. All young cadets are afraid of him every day. Cadets such as Xu Shaowen and Li Zanning who have not been to the battlefield and have no experience in commanding troops are even more strict with Yao Zong's teaching.

  Yao Zong was a ruthless figure in history. After graduating from the Military Academy, he returned to Zhejiang as a staff officer of the Provincial Governor's Office and later became the head of the General Staff Headquarters of the National Government. Until after liberation, he was still an advisor to the Presidential Palace in Taipei.

  Yao Cong gave Guo Songling a cold glance. Although he was younger than Guo, and both of them had led troops before, he still didn't give Guo any face. He let out a cold hum, stretched out his hand, and pushed away the cigarette in Guo's hand, saying: "The academy clearly stipulates that smoking is not allowed in dormitories or classrooms. Are you all comfortable now? Do you still have the demeanor of soldiers?"

  He deliberately stared at Xu Shao Wen and Li Zhen Ning for a moment, making the atmosphere in the dormitory extremely awkward.

  "Make it clear to all of you, although the Military Academy is a school, we are not students, we are soldiers." Yao Zhuang saw that everyone was silent and became even more fierce, "Today we step into this threshold, tomorrow when we go out, I will be the iron wall of China's mountains and rivers. You are so disorganized and undisciplined, don't mention being an iron wall, you're not even as good as a crumbling wall."

  This made Lin Wei's face look a bit unsightly. Although he wasn't in the same dormitory as Xu Shao Wen, he often mixed with Xu Shao Wen's stepbrother class. He stood up from his chair, put the cigarette in his mouth and took a hard drag in front of Yao Zhen, then said: "Mister Xin, we're just smoking one cigarette during our break, no need to make such a big deal out of it, right?"

  "Am I digressing? Didn't we swear an oath in front of the school rules when we first enrolled? What does our college's regulations say, have you forgotten? If we can't even follow the rules within our own college, how can we expect to follow military discipline on the battlefield?" Yao Zhuang knew that Lin Wei had also served in Zhejiang, but he had never had a good impression of this bookish-looking person, and his tone didn't soften at all as he spoke.

  Lin Wei's face was not pleasant, and he was about to lose his temper. Guo Songling, who was standing beside him, had already seen that if things continued to develop, it would lead to a big mess. He quickly stepped forward and stood in front of Lin Wei, smiling and mediating: "Yes, yes, this is indeed our fault. We won't do it again, we won't do it again."

  "Are you going to make an exception?" Yao Cong sneered, with a look of disdain, and said, "You go explain it to the Dean of Studies yourselves." After he finished speaking, he glared at everyone in the room again, then turned around indifferently and left.

  Just as everyone was disappointed, Yao Zong suddenly turned back and returned. He took out a letter from the breast pocket of his military uniform and handed it to Guo Songling, who was closest to him, in a calm tone. "This is the notice issued by the principal this morning. Now I'm handing it over to you." After finishing speaking, he turned around and left.

  Guo Songling didn't take Yao Zong's attitude to heart at all. At his age, he had already become accustomed to some things. He patted Lin Wei's shoulder comfortingly and smiled, then unfolded the notice left by Yao Zong and couldn't help but laugh.

  "Brother Mao Chen, what notice from the principal makes you so happy?" Xu Shao Wen asked, taking a step forward.

  "Next month on the third, the Army University is going to have a competition with the Baoding Military Academy, this will be fun," Guo Songling still had a relaxed expression, and handed the notice left by Yao Zhuang to Xu Shaowen.

  Xu Shaowen was slightly stunned, Baoding Military Academy and Army University were both renowned higher military academies in the Republic of China. If there had been any important competitions between the two schools, they should have been recorded in history. However, it's clear that after he traveled back from the 21st century, he must have caused some fluctuations in the course of history. He picked up the notice and began to read:

  "This is the intention of the General Staff Headquarters of the Republic of China Army, to promote the style of the national army, and to enhance the friendship between outstanding military students at all levels across the country. It has been approved that the Army Officer University will organize a competition for students in conjunction with the Baoding Army Officer Academy. After research and decision by the Teaching Affairs Office of the Army Officer University, it has been decided to hold a three-day competition in early May at the Baoding Army Officer Academy. The competition content is divided into three parts: military theory, military equipment, and strategy. Each side will select 30 representatives to compete, and the winning students will receive an award from the General Staff Headquarters of the Army and a prize of 120 yuan. Specific competition arrangements will be notified separately."

  Lin Wei leaned in front of Xu Shao-wen, took a look at the notice, and couldn't help but laugh: "Oh my, President Yuan is really cunning."

  Li Zhenning asked in some puzzlement: "Weiwen brother, it's just a competition, how did you think of President Yuan?"

  Lin Wei patted Li Zhenning's shoulder and smiled: "Wenhan, you should also care about the national situation."

  Li Zhenning was confused by Lin Wei's words, and couldn't help but feel even more suspicious. Xu Shaowen, who was standing beside him, patted Li Zhenning on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Wenhann, you should also know that President Yuan dissolved the parliament in January, and this morning he just went to make a petition to support Yuan Shikai's revision of the Constitution of the Republic of China. The implied meaning behind this is clear to everyone, isn't it?"

  Li Zhenning nodded thoughtfully and said: "Indeed, President Yuan is becoming more and more dictatorial."

  "Although Baoding Military Academy is said to be more historic than my Lu Da, it can also be said that it is the predecessor of my Lu Da. Every graduate has many students, but these students are basically unwilling to join the Beijing government's army. On the contrary, most of them returned to their hometowns and joined the local military." Xu Shaowen explained to Li Zhenning in simple language, with a tone that seemed quite mature, "This shows that most of the students of Baoding Military Academy do not trust the Beiyang government."

  "Oh, I see. President Yuan wants to use this competition to let the Baoding Military Academy know that the students of Luda are more excellent than theirs, and at the same time show off the powerful military academy under the control of the Beiyang government." Li Zhenning suddenly exclaimed.

  "That's right, that's exactly what it is." Xu Shao-wen expressed his appreciation for Li Zhen-ning's timely understanding. "I suppose the Baoding Military Academy didn't expect to have a prize when they received this competition notice. The General Staff Headquarters just hoped that our university could lead in this competition, so they gave us a reward of 120 yuan as an incentive."

  "Hey, President Yuan doesn't know that actually not all of my students at Lu Da believe in him either." Li Zhenning suddenly blurted out this sentence.

  "This is a difficult topic, let's just discuss the competition and not national affairs for now." Guo Songling immediately chimed in from the side.

  Everyone in the dormitory smiled knowingly. Li Zhenning covered his mouth, indicating a slip of the tongue.

  "I think Wen Yuan, you have a broad vision, why don't you participate in the military strategy part of this competition?" Lin Wei jokingly pushed Xu Shao Wen, pretending to squeeze out a serious expression on his face.

  "Brother Weiwen, are you kidding me? Military strategy is not just a matter of national policy and politics. Someone like me who has never been in the military and tempered by it doesn't have this kind of theoretical ability." Xu Shaowen hastily pushed back, "Military strategy isn't something that can be applied smoothly just from theory alone. If you haven't actually experienced it in the military, you'll definitely be hesitant and lack confidence when debating." "In my opinion, Brother Maozhen is the most suitable candidate. Not only is he mature and composed, but he has also served as a battalion commander. It would be a waste not to recommend him for the military strategy competition."

  Kuo Sung-ling, who was smoking a cigarette on the side, heard Hsu Shao-wen shift the conversation to himself and blinked his eyes, saying: "Hey, Wen-yuan, you can't talk nonsense like that! Who says that if you haven't been in the army, you can't discuss military affairs? Besides, the notice said that 30 people would participate, so isn't this discussion a team effort? You're really honoring me by singling me out!"

  "Alright, alright," said Duan Yunfeng, also known as Renchu, the tall and thin head of the Physical Education department, who had been quietly sitting on his bed. He rarely spoke up, but would occasionally smile along with everyone else. After silently reading through the circulated notice, he said, "This competition is still premature, the specific rules haven't even come out yet. For now, let's focus on how to deal with the Dean of Studies' handling of our smoking in the dorms."

  "Lin Yu's words are really true, and that Wei Xin is indeed too inhumane," Lin Yu said with a nod. He looked at Duan Yunfeng and sighed, "Lin Yu is the head of the step class, it seems that this child will be criticized a lot."

  Duan Yunfeng just smiled and didn't say much. All the students in the Step Science class actually liked Duan Yunfeng's personality, no matter how big the incident was, even if it had nothing to do with themselves, Duan Yunfeng would take responsibility without complaint.

  As soon as Lin Wei's words fell, several other dormitory students stood up and bid farewell to return to their own dormitories.

  "This afternoon is a rest, I think the Dean of Studies is not in school either, and it shouldn't happen today," Lin Wei said again. He was not originally living in this dormitory, nor was he from the Physics Department, but he didn't have any intention of leaving at all."

  "These few weeks have been so uneventful, especially after attending those so-called petition meetings. After they ended in the afternoon, I could only go to the newspaper office and sit around." Li Zhenning complained while picking up a cigarette butt left behind by his friend who had just left, and then tidying up the rumpled bed sheet.