Chapter 9: First Entry into the Army Camp

  ument.write(

  A few days later, Zhang Qin and Zhang Ke went to school one after another. Zhang Peng's days were spent very leisurely, running around the big yard with his father in the morning, and after his parents went to work, he was left alone at home, practicing boxing, reading books, or going to watch the guard team training, and then returning home to cook. There were no people in the yard during the day, and Zhang Peng didn't even have anyone to play with. In the evening, his father always had meetings, but today they happened to be all at home, so Zhang Peng mentioned to his father and mother that he wanted to go to school. Yan Xiufang originally wanted Zhang Peng to stay at home for a few more days to adapt for a while before saying anything, but now seeing him struggling to stay at home, she thought about it and agreed.

  Yan Xiufang went upstairs to prepare things for Zhang Peng to go to school, and Zhang Quanyi told Zhang Peng about the school he was going to - the Learning Army Corps. Originally, there were no schools in the army, and children all attended local schools, but after the Cultural Revolution began, classes stopped, and these military dependents mostly joined the Red Guards, running around, searching homes, participating in armed fighting, and even bringing "revolution" back home, posting big-character posters in the courtyard, holding debate meetings, and wanting to struggle against "power holders", causing a huge commotion. After the "Eight Points of Attention for the Army" were issued, the military leaders who were being driven crazy by these dependents took advantage of this "east wind" (Chairman Mao required strengthening education for leading cadres' children, especially high-ranking leading cadres' children) and established a Learning Army Corps, sending them all to study in the People's Liberation Army.

  The student soldier team was set up in the reconnaissance battalion and communication battalion directly under the army, where it was located about ten miles away from the military department. It's not far or near to say that leaders have a quiet ear root, children can go home easily, and the communication battalion has a female soldier squad, which is easy for girls to arrange. The student soldiers were assigned to each class, requiring them to "eat together, sleep together, train together" with the soldiers, without any special privileges. In the morning, they trained with the soldiers together, and in the afternoon, they concentrated on learning cultural courses taught by cultural cadres dispatched from the army. The student soldier team had been running for several years with not bad results, a small number of students went to university, some became soldiers or were sent to the countryside to join the production team, and more than 30 are still left.

  The military family was not short of military supplies, and Yan Xiufang quickly found several sets of small-sized military uniforms, a military quilt, a canteen, an armed belt, a backpack, and so on. Zhang Peng looked at them with some confusion, wondering how to carry all these miscellaneous items. Colonel Zhang had to train Zhang Peng at home first, starting with dressing, wearing the liberation cap correctly, buttoning up all the buttons, and not losing the windproof button; then packing the backpack, three horizontal and two vertical, also putting the quilt in, watching his father finish it in three or two moves, Zhang Peng tried it once, breaking out in a cold sweat, it's not easy; finally, the backpack was slung over the right shoulder and left armpit, the canteen over the left shoulder and right armpit, the armed belt was buckled, and the bag was carried on the back.

  Zhang Peng practiced several times, and Zhang Quanyi saw that he understood, so he didn't need to say more. He just reminded him of some things to pay attention to in the army: respect for old soldiers, calling them "class leader", paying attention to personal hygiene, how to arrange washing utensils, clothes, shoes, etc., and being proactive in cleaning up. Zhang Quanyi didn't want others to take care of Zhang Peng, so he warned him: "Don't think about relying on your father's influence to get special treatment, everything depends on yourself, if someone asks, just say your dad is a staff officer in the army." There was only one battalion commander in the army, and there were many staff officers, let alone Zhang Peng who didn't even understand what a "staff officer" was.

  The next day, Yan Xiufang found a guard platoon soldier to take Zhang Peng to the recruit team by truck. Zhang Peng was assigned to the 2nd Platoon of the 1st Company of the Reconnaissance Regiment, and when he arrived, Deputy Squad Leader Liu Dayong was arranging for a new recruit who had just been assigned, and saw that the instructor had brought another one.

  "Instructor, how come there's another one?" Liu Dayong said discontentedly.

  "What's wrong, unwilling? Now there are fewer people in your class, I'll add some manpower for you." The instructor replied.

  "That can't all be allocated to our class! When new recruits arrive, can't we just allocate a few more?" Liu Dayong was not convinced.

  "The new recruits are still adjusting, now just receive them first, this is also a political task." The instructor didn't waste any words and directly pressed down.

  "Zhang Peng, this is Liu Squad Leader, you stay here for now." The instructor finished introducing them and left.

  Liu Dayong reluctantly arranged Zhang Peng to the upper bunk of that new recruit, and Zhang Peng quickly climbed up, made his bed according to his father's teachings, and came down to arrange his personal belongings. That new recruit obviously didn't receive training at home, piling all his stuff on the bed. Liu Dayong frowned, helped him tidy up, took the two of them to find the quartermaster to pay for their meals, and led them around to familiarize themselves with the camp area. The new recruit was a chatterbox, asking Liu Dayong this and that, and Zhang Peng soon figured out from the conversation that the kid had also just arrived after Chinese New Year from his hometown in rural Henan, named Sun Li, two years older than Zhang Peng, and his father was the commander of the 5th battalion of the 3rd regiment.

  Liu Deputy Captain is now very depressed, the captain followed the "Three Supports and Two Militaries" (referring to the period of military support for the left-wing masses, supporting industry, supporting agriculture, military control over some areas, departments and units, and military training for students) and went away. The old soldiers were demobilized, new recruits had not yet joined the company, and there were only about 50 people left in the company. It was a relaxed time, but the company brought in two "little devils". The trainees were participating in the assessment with them, and if they didn't do well, they would drag their feet. Most of the trainees' fathers were high-ranking officials, and if they weren't taken care of properly, they would be punished. The captain was not around, and the company's advanced banner was lost, which would be a joke. Liu Deputy Captain thought about it more and more, and unconsciously quickened his pace, leaving the two young recruits far behind.

  Zhang Peng and Sun Li walked while talking, only to discover that the person in front of them was not Liu Banzhang. They had lost their way, surrounded by identical barracks and soldiers wearing the same uniforms. Every silhouette looked like Liu Banzhang, and every barrack seemed like their dormitory. The two wandered aimlessly for a while before finding their way back. Zhang Peng finally came up with an idea: find the main gate, follow the route they took to get there, locate the battalion headquarters, then find their squad. By the time the two "Liu Banzhangs" returned to their squad, the dinner bell had already rung. Liu Banzhang was organizing the troops to head to the cafeteria. The two quickly fell in line at the back of the formation, hanging their heads as they followed the others to the cafeteria.

  At the entrance of the cafeteria, other classes arrived one after another. The instructor led them in singing the pre-meal song "The Great Navigation Relies on the Helmsman". This song was played all day long and everyone had already memorized it. Zhang Peng also loudly sang along.

  After finishing the song, each class walked into the cafeteria in order and sat down at their respective positions. Zhang Peng took a look around and saw that there were seven people in his class including himself. There were eight students in total in the cafeteria, easily recognizable by their lack of insignia on their hats.

  The duty officer had already served the meal: one basin of stewed potatoes and another of steamed buns. Then he divided the dishes into each person's bowl. As soon as Sun Li saw that it was ready, he immediately started eating. Zhang Peng noticed that no one else in his class dared to move or make a sound.

  Sun Li made loud "slurping" noises while eating, which sounded particularly jarring in the quiet cafeteria.

  "Deputy Platoon Leader Liu." The company commander at the next table called out loudly.

  "Arrived!" Liu Dàyǒng hastily stood up.

  "How to teach soldiers? Strengthen education after meals! Start dinner!" The company commander was very unhappy.

  "Yes!" Liu Dayong sat down and glared fiercely at Sun Li, who was still "working hard", while Zhang Peng heard a few snickers from other students who were gloating over the misfortune.

  Zhang Peng picked up the steamed bun and started eating it with potatoes, the potato chunks were cut very large, there was not much oil inside but the taste was still okay.

  "Zhang Peng, my mom told me to eat more vegetables and less rice. Eat quickly! Otherwise, the dishes will be gone." Sun Li and Zhang Peng whispered to each other, then served another bowl from the dish basin, pouring the remaining soup into Liu Dayong's bowl. "Deputy Captain, this dish is better than what my mother makes, you should eat more." A small flame of anger rose in Liu Dayong's heart, thinking back to when he was a new recruit and didn't dare touch the serving spoon because the squad leader wouldn't give him any food. But now, as the company commander and instructor, he couldn't lose his temper in front of everyone, so he looked at the several old soldiers who were smiling bitterly and continued eating.

  "I'm full, you guys eat slowly, I'll go first." Sun Li threw the half mantou in his hand onto the table, politely bid farewell, patted his butt and left.

  Liu Dayong's 'small universe' finally burst, his face and clothes were almost the same color, he grabbed the half bun thrown by Sun Li and quickly chased after him. The instructor saw that things were not going well and also hurried out to follow.

  Zhang Peng helped the duty officer to clean up the table and wash the rice bowls, then returned to the squad. The three old soldiers who came back first were playing Go, while the deputy squad leader and Sun Li were not in the room, apparently they had been called to the company headquarters for "disciplinary training". Zhang Peng busied himself pouring water for each of the old soldiers and squatted down beside them to watch their game.

  "New recruit, what's your name?" asked an old soldier who was playing chess, seeing Zhang Peng being very polite.

  "Zhang Peng, from Bincheng, Shandong. You're also from Shandong, right?" Zhang Peng replied.

  "That's really a fellow countryman, our neighboring county." The old soldier said with excitement.

  "Your county has produced a 'Yan Hei Zi', did you know that?" The old soldier asked again.

  "Of course we know each other, we're from the same village." Zhang Peng thought to himself: We even live in the same house, but I shouldn't say that.

  "His sister and brother-in-law are in our army, you know?" The old soldier knew quite a lot.

  "I didn't know, I just heard that he was serving in the military abroad, but it turns out he's here."

  "Who is a soldier, others are officials, his brother-in-law is the chief of staff, his sister is the deputy director of the military hospital, what does your father do?"

  "My dad is a staff officer in the military department, how much bigger is the chief of staff than the staff officer?"

  "Haha!" Zhang Peng's words amused several old soldiers.

  "The staff officer is not as good as the battalion commander, even farting doesn't make a sound. The staff officer in the army is just a bit bigger than our company commander, and the chief of staff is the third-in-command, only under the army commander and political commissar."

  "That staff officer is older than Sun Li's father's battalion commander." Zhang Peng continued to ask.

  "He polishes the boots of the chief of staff, and others have to think twice." an old soldier replied disdainfully.

  Zhang Peng suddenly realized that his parents were quite high-ranking officials after all.

  After some back-and-forth, Zhang Peng figured it out: the Shandong native was named Zhou Liang, the one playing chess with him was Zhao Hai from Hebei, the spectator was Wang Chun from Henan, the same hometown as Sun Li, and the staff member on duty was Wang Hongliang from Liaoning.

  At this time, the class bell rang, and the old soldiers quickly tidied up their internal affairs, slung their bags, and formed a team. Zhou Liang saw that Zhang Peng was still in a daze, and hurriedly called him to walk together.