The First Volume, Chapter One: Elite Troops

  The weather in September, even in Shenyang, was so hot that it made people feel annoyed and restless. However, the atmosphere in the conference room of the military district's headquarters had frozen to an icy point. An old man with a furious expression spoke coldly: "Take a good look at this! Is this what you've trained? This is what you call elite troops? What I want are soldiers who can fight, who dare to fight, and who are fearless! But what have you brought out? Decorations? Have our soldiers fallen so low that they're only good for parading?"

  The conference room was silent, with only the sound of the old man's angry gasps for breath.

  The old man pointed to the shoulder badge symbolizing Lieutenant General: "Hmph! A group of useless soldiers! One month, I'll only give you one month. If next month at this time, you can't give me a qualified special forces team, then all of you might as well quit and go home to take care of your children!" The old man stormed out of the conference room, slamming the door shut with a thunderous sound.

  The people left in the conference room all looked worried, not because they were careless with their troops, but on the contrary, the quality of the soldiers in the Shenyang Military Region had been getting higher and higher in recent years. Unfortunately, it seemed that this was still not enough to satisfy the general.

  What is the standard for a qualified special soldier? At what level should this qualification be set to be truly qualified?

  For the two words "qualified", everyone has their own requirements, and each person's heart also has a set of their own standards. Every one of you seated here dares to stand up and loudly say that our soldiers can all complete the prescribed technical indicators, and in some subjects, have far exceeded international levels!

  Is it useful to say so?

  Those who have never been on the battlefield will always be rookie soldiers...

  In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed since the meeting. Liu Changyi, sitting in the jeep on his way to the troop department, was filled with worry. The requirement seemed simple, just qualified special soldiers, but in reality, those skilled warriors were nothing in the eyes of the old man. How could fighters who could fight and win be tested in such peaceful times? Couldn't these data in hand explain the problem?

  Sitting in the passenger seat, Guard Li saw his worries and said sympathetically: "Captain, you haven't slept well for half a month because of this matter. If it goes on like this, how can it be? Before finding the right person, your body won't hold up first. Actually, this matter is not that complicated, isn't it just wanting someone with good skills?"

  "Come on, it's not as simple as you think. The requirements for this selection are too high. If we recommend someone carelessly and they end up embarrassing us in the end, it'll be a loss of face for our team. We have to be cautious, very cautious. You've seen their selection process earlier, every team is choosing top-notch people. If our team's skills aren't up to par... sigh... it's too difficult."

  After a moment of silence, Guard Li turned his head and said: "Captain, is this selection really that important?"

  Director Liu looked at this young man, who was about the same age as his son, with a kind gaze, and smiled slightly. Then he said decisively: "Do you know what is most important in the army?"

  Xiao Li fell into deep thought and after a long while said: "The most important things for an army are discipline and weapons."

  Commander Liu smiled and shook his head: "Discipline is cultivated later, weapons are not the most critical thing for an army. During the Liberation War, millet plus rifles were better than planes and artillery, and it's still the same now. The most important thing for an army is people! And if you want an army to maintain its strong combat effectiveness, then fresh blood is what matters. Without people, machines are just a pile of scrap iron. If our team can make a stunning debut in this selection, the source of new recruits will definitely be much better."

  Xiao Li seems to have understood a bit.

  "An excellent soldier not only needs to be nurtured, but also requires some innate conditions. A cripple can never hope to become a world champion in sprinting. Similarly, it is the same with soldiers. Can you expect someone who faints at the sight of blood to go into battle?"

  The tall white poplar trees by the roadside flashed past the car, and the slight vibration from the engine was barely perceptible. Liu Team Leader sighed and said, "Times have changed." He glanced at Little Li sitting in the passenger seat and continued, "When I was your age, joining the army was a very glorious thing. When it was time for conscription, our generation would all rush to grab those few spots. I remember when I enlisted, I was like a hero, and the whole village came to see me off..."

  Xiao Li looked at Director Liu in shock, who was lost in thought. As a security guard for so long, he seemed to have only truly felt it at this moment that the person sitting behind him was a human being, an old man who had dedicated his life to the army, despite being a director.

  What shocked him even more was Lao Tuan Zhang's words, because he was called "Big Dumb Soldier" by his friends!

  In the era of peaceful informatization, soldiers seem to be stupid, and people with high education can only barely make a living in society. Serving as a soldier is undoubtedly seen as foolish by modern people, wasting their youth and academic career. Many retired soldiers can't even find a job.

  Looking at the old squad leader with a sun-kissed face, Li suddenly felt a surge of pride in his heart. Without a country, there is no home; whether you are a wealthy merchant or a high-ranking official, without the protection of the military, where can you talk about rights?

  The car seemed to have crushed the stone, and suddenly it was shaking violently. Captain Liu came back to his senses, looking at Little Li who was staring at him, and said with some emotion: "I'm getting old, I always think of some inexplicable things, ah..."

  Xiao Li hesitated for a moment, then said loudly: "Captain, I recommend someone to you. He will definitely make our team achieve a stunning victory!"

  Liu Team Leader was taken aback: "Your recommender? Is there someone in our team with better skills than you?"

  Yes!

  Upon receiving Xiao Li's affirmative reply, Captain Liu was surprised. He had chosen him as his bodyguard after a thorough selection of the entire troop, and it was really hard to imagine that there were people more formidable than him. However, Xiao Li's subsequent words made him shake his head incessantly.

  "Squad leader, the one from the pig farm is indeed more formidable than me."

  "It's no good."

  "Captain, aren't you trying to make our team shine? He's definitely going to be fine."

  "This matter doesn't need to be said, if I say no then it's no."

  "Squad leader, wasn't he already punished for that matter? And yet he's been kept at the pig farm for so long. Now that we need people, why not let him go?"

  "No way!"

  "Squad leader! It's just letting him participate in the selection. If he passes, our squad will not only save face but also be able to let him leave this place. Isn't that a good thing?"

  "Impossible," said Captain Liu, shaking his head. "Although he's quite skilled, his temperament is completely unsuitable for the military. If it weren't for old comrades' faces, I would have let him resign long ago. There are less than seven months left, let him get by and that's all. If I really recommend him, I'm afraid he'll bring me even more trouble. Let's not mention this again, no way."

  "After a moment of silence, Little Li organized his words and said again: 'Captain, he is indeed a bit unruly, but that incident can't be blamed entirely on him. If those old soldiers hadn't bullied him, he wouldn't have...'"

  "Rubbish! A soldier who disobeys orders is not a good soldier! He broke the squad leader's ribs and injured over twenty comrades. Keeping him in the army to feed pigs is already being too lenient, let alone recommending him to the military district! You must be dreaming!"

  Little Li looked at the old squad leader who was panting and glaring, then turned his head back with a sigh, saying to himself: "Well, it seems that this year's recruits will have to be picked from the leftovers of other brother units..."

  After a long while, the car was silent again, with only the sound of wind outside. Looking at the rows of tall white poplars outside the window, Liu Changyi seemed to have gone through countless inner struggles before finally instructing: "Go to the breeding farm."