Chapter 31: Management on the Train

  In this way, Qu Mingjun spent his second semester in military school unremarkably but not uneventfully. This semester they learned a lot of military skills. In the words of their team leader Yan Weidong, they can barely go to the battlefield now, although it's just as cannon fodder.

  Qu Mingjun's military achievements were outstanding, and his cultural achievements did not fall behind. In fact, given the level of education he received, the ordinary university courses were too elementary for him. This was evident in the first year's overall ranking, where Qu Mingjun's military and cultural total score ranked first in the entire team. Additionally, he also received the title of "Learning from Lei Feng" model student, which made him the outstanding student of the 14th squadron's first year, making everyone very envious of him.

  The comrades in Class 6 have achieved good results. Although the old soldiers are a bit headache about cultural courses, especially higher math and English, with the help of the people who took the entrance examination education in this class, they passed the first year's exam very smoothly.

  The "Mountain Man" Wang Jin is back in class (since this kid always says "the mountain man has a wonderful plan", the class gave him this nickname), under his inquiry, all six classes heard that there will be no summer vacation this time. All local students will go to the wilderness combat troops for military training and experience troop life, while all old soldiers will stay in the academy's training camp, responsible for some internal affairs, such as sentry duty and patrol.

  In the afternoon, team leader Yan Weidong confirmed this news.

  In mid-July, when the old students were laughing and joking on their way home for summer vacation, all 105 local students of Class 14 boarded the train, heading to their unknown troops.

  They are going to a division in Inner Mongolia this time, which belongs to a group army with a very glorious history. Its predecessor was the First Division of the Red First Army Corps of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, and now it is a mechanized infantry division. Logically speaking, Qu Mingjun and others, as new students in the reconnaissance department, should go to a reconnaissance unit for experience, but for management convenience, students from an academy are concentrated in a field division, and there are not many reconnaissance companies in a field division, so they have to follow the arrangement of the division.

  "Quán Míng Jùn!"

  "Arrived!"

  "After getting on the train, you and Wang Jin will guard the entrance of the train door on the platform. That carriage is ours, no outsiders are allowed to get on from this door, got it? The troops arrived at the train station, taking advantage of everyone getting off to adjust their formation, Yan Weidong was arranging things seriously."

  "Yes!" Qu Mingjun shouldered his backpack and accepted the order. He saluted the captain and returned to the front of the formation.

  Due to this time's lower troop deployment, the old soldiers were not arranged together, so the entire team of over 100 people was temporarily divided into two large squads, which happened to correspond to the two regiments they were going to. Qu Mingjun, who had performed exceptionally well in his first year, was assigned as the squad leader of the first squad, while Wang Jin was assigned as the fifth class leader.

  As soon as the lights came on, a group of students wearing green winter uniforms and red epaulets quickly gathered into a neat square formation on the train station square under Qu Mingjun's loud command.

  The team stood quietly at the entrance of the bustling train station, just like a huge stone standing upright in the river formed by the flow of people. Many people who came and went hurriedly couldn't help but stop and point when passing by the two sides of the formation.

  Yan Weidong ignored the disturbance from outside and looked at Qu Mingjun with a serious expression as he checked the number of people with each class leader.

  "Comrade Captain, all team members have assembled, with 105 people present and accounted for. Please give instructions!" Qu Mingjun ran over to report. His loud voice echoed through the noisy train station square, drowning out the surrounding murmurs of the crowd.

  Dashing and handsome Qu Mingjun, the team of students with neat and compact backpacks, loud and powerful reporting voices, the military formation that turns all directions into straight lines... A unique charm of the military camp is emanating from the train station square at dusk, many fashionably dressed young girls can't help but sneak glances at Qu Mingjun.

  "Board!" Yan Weidong's order was crisp and concise.

  The team quickly began to advance in two columns under the command of Qu Mingjun towards the entrance of the train station, and Wang Mi and Ma Xiaotian, who were at the forefront, arrived early at the railing at the entrance and started maintaining order.

  "Hey, hey, what's going on with you soldiers?" The few men next to them who hadn't had time to enter the station saw Wang Jian and Xiao Tian blocking the entrance, only allowing the trainees to line up and enter. They tried to squeeze into the line but were pushed out by the trainees.

  "Sorry, please wait!" Qu Mingjun bowed and passed by.

  "Then, then, then fart, fart then." The slightly stuttering man in front of me doesn't know what medicine he took, his temper is soaring, "Th-this, th-this fire, fire train station is your family's? Wh-wh-what makes us have to w-wait?"

  Several people around who looked like little rascals suddenly burst into a loud laugh.

  Qu Mingjun frowned, wondering if this guy had been drinking, with a mouthful of alcohol on his breath. "Please speak more politely."

  "What's wrong, what's wrong? I'll just speak impolitely then. What's wrong?" The stutterer saw someone behind him cheering and became even more arrogant.

  "Troops are marching, don't obstruct military affairs!" Qu Mingjun was a bit annoyed, why didn't this person know the rules?

  "I, I, I'm going in, you, you're a soldier, cow, fart, fart, fart!" That stutterer actually hugged his two bags and was about to squeeze into the ranks. The hoodlums behind him gave him another round of applause.

  Qu Mingjun stood in front of him with a cold face, staring at him like that. Wang Jin, who was in charge of maintaining order, also walked over.

  "What, what, what are you going to do?" The stutterer was blown by the wind for a while, and it seemed that the wine had gone down a bit, looking somewhat frightened.

  "I'm telling you again, don't interfere with military affairs!" Qū Míng Jùn's words came out one by one from between his teeth.

  He glanced at Qu and Wang standing in front of him, then looked at the unfriendly glances passing by from his own side, ah, ah, he didn't know what to say.

  At this time, the staff at the train station saw the situation and opened another entrance. The crowd waiting on the side all rushed over. Moreover, two police officers were walking towards this direction from afar. That stutterer, ah, ah, ah, hesitated for half a day, then shrunk his head, picked up his bag and went to the other entrance.

  A loud crash was followed by a burst of contemptuous laughter from the long line of students.

  "What are you laughing at! Keep up!" Yan Weidong shouted loudly, he had been watching this side all along, but he believed that his soldiers could solve the problem, and indeed, Qu Mingjun handed him a satisfactory answer.

  After entering the station, everyone went straight to the soldier waiting room under the arrangement of the railway staff. The soldier waiting room is not large in space and has few seats, and there are also several soldiers waiting for the train inside.

  After checking the watch, they still had to wait for a while. Yan Weidong asked Qu Mingjun to order everyone to put down their backpacks, line up and sit on their backpacks, allowing them to use the toilet and drink water, but they had to ask the class leader for permission.

  The military waiting room was crowded, but the soldiers coming and going all responded with friendly smiles, as if they could see their own shadow in them. Although the space is small, it is well-organized, and everyone speaks in a low voice. This place feels much better than the chaotic waiting hall outside, even the passing train staff secretly praised Qu Mingjun and his strict discipline.

  ……

  The train to Inner Mongolia has already departed, and the students of Class 14 are very excited. Many people have not taken a train ride in their lives, except for when they went to military school or were on vacation. Qu Mingjun, on the other hand, always takes planes back and forth and has never really taken a train, let alone a hard-seat train. Unexpectedly, this time everyone is in the same compartment, it's quite lively.

  Wang Jin eagerly pulled out two decks of poker, making a fuss about starting to play upgrade with several people. Qu Mingjun sat at the door of the carriage, next to Captain Yan Weidong. Yan Weidong was qualified to enjoy a sleeper berth, but at times like these he had to be with his soldiers.

  "Have you been to Inner Mongolia?" Yan Weidong asked Qu Mingjun.

  "Hmm? Been there."

  "Oh, your family situation is quite good, you can even travel around with them."

  "Haha." Qu Mingjun chuckled twice, thought for a moment and added an explanation, "My dad is a salesman, running around all over the place. When I'm on vacation, I follow him everywhere." Sorry, old man, the dignified chairman was actually downgraded to a salesman in his son's mouth.

  "Oh." Yan Weidong fell silent for a moment before suddenly asking: "It's been a year, how does it feel being in the army?"

  "...... Pretty, pretty good." Qu Mingjun stuttered a bit.

  "It's okay." Yan Weidong smiled disdainfully.

  Qu Mingjun felt a little guilty when he saw Yan Weidong's gaze.

  "I don't know what motivated you to join the army, but I hope that after a year has passed, you'll soon figure out what it is you want." Yan Weidong took a look at Qu Mingjun. This kid was indeed a good seedling, but his mind was too deep and complex. If he couldn't find what he wanted to pursue in the army, then this soldier would be wasted in the end.

  Qu Ming was also confused in his heart, to be honest, he didn't know what he wanted anymore. At first, it was just a matter of competing with Jiang Anjie, wanting to prove that he was stronger than Jiang Anjie. But now, it seemed that catching up with Jiang Anjie wouldn't be possible anytime soon. Besides, he had already made amends with Jiang Anjie, and the initial anger had dissipated.

  Is it still the oath of being the strongest soldier? The conversation with Jiang Ge at home is still vivid in my ears. It's not just about being a strong soldier, but even being a good soldier isn't that simple. So what am I supposed to do by staying in the army, do I really have to protect my family and country? These questions made Qu Mingjun very worried.

  The train slowly pulled into a small station. For some reason, this train was extremely crowded, with all the seats taken and many people standing in the aisles who had bought standing tickets. As it stopped at this small station, even more people got on. The other cars were avoided by the passengers, but the newcomers couldn't find anywhere else to go except for Qiu Mingjun's car.

  A group of ordinary people swarmed in, saw a car full of students, paused for a moment, but still put their luggage on the ground. Among this group of ordinary people, there were both men and women, as well as several elderly people and children. The students sitting next to them became visibly uneasy - should they give up their seats? Some students had already stood up voluntarily.

  Qu Mingjun remained silent in his own thoughts, unaware of what was happening ahead. Yan Weidong noticed it.

  "Go! Ask those fellow villagers to leave our carriage." Yan Weidong surprisingly gave this command to Qu Mingjun.

  "What?" Qu Mingjun thought he had misheard. If it was said at the entrance of the station to prevent ordinary people from breaking through the queue, now that everyone in the carriage is seated, why can't ordinary people be allowed to stand in the aisle?

  "Go and invite a few fellow villagers to another carriage." Yan Weidong lowered his voice and repeated.

  "... is." Although there were some doubts, Qu Mingjun still didn't ask much. In the army for a year, the first thing he learned was that a soldier's duty is to obey orders. Orders issued by superiors can be understood and executed, and even if they are not understood, they must be executed. This is an iron rule.

  Qu Mingjun stood up and looked at some men, women, children and old people who had already sat on the luggage in the aisle. He felt a bit embarrassed. What to say, the train is not his own, others have also bought tickets, it seems that he himself has no reason.

  "Excuse me, fellow villagers, could you please move to another carriage?" Qu Mingjun walked over and said to the nearest local resident.

  "What's up?"

  "You've also seen it, this is a military compartment, go to another carriage, okay?" Qu Mingjun finally found an excuse.

  Several onlookers looked at me, I looked at them, and then glanced around the crowded carriage. A young man suddenly spoke up: "What's with this private compartment? We also bought tickets, why can't we be here?" Upon hearing this, several elderly people chimed in in agreement.

  Qu Mingjun was in a difficult situation. He couldn't really use force to drive people away, could he? The other students had long stopped laughing and were silently watching the scene unfold.

  "You're still a soldier, okay? Not giving up your seat is one thing, but how can you shoo us away like this?" The young man looked at Qu Mingjun, who was momentarily speechless, as if he had gained great support, and spoke again with a sneer.

  "Sorry, please leave here." Qu Mingjun's voice was somewhat weak.

  Yan Weidong shook his head and thought that this kid was still not mature enough. Then he wanted to stand up and personally go to send these people away.

  The train conductor and several train attendants came over to check tickets.

  Yan Weidong saw the train conductor and went over to whisper a few words in his ear.

  Then he saw the train master coming and said to those few old people: "You several, follow me over there."

  The young man was just about to say something when the train conductor said impatiently, "Hurry up, hurry up."

  At this moment, the train conductor was like an emperor in the carriage, and several old people didn't dare to disobey him at all. They obediently picked up their luggage and followed the conductor out.

  "Seal the gate!" Yan Weidong looked at Qu Mingjun who was rushing over with a red face and threw out two words.

  "What?" Qu Mingjun didn't understand.

  "Now, start arranging the guards and close both doors at the front and back of the carriage. Except for train staff and those who really need to pass through, no one else is allowed in, got it?" Yan Weidong was getting a bit impatient.

  "Yes!" Qu Mingjun hastily arranged for him to go down.

  The doors of the two carriages in front and behind were closed under the astonished eyes of the ordinary people in other carriages.

  "Can't figure it out?" Yan Weidong asked Qu Mingjun beside him.

  "It's a bit." Qu Mingjun smiled wryly.

  "What shall we do now?"

  "Go join the army and be a soldier."

  "What's the name of the train we're taking now?"

  "March... let's march."

  "You also know we're on a mission, I thought you didn't know." Yan Weidong sarcastically said to Qu Mingjun, "If we were tourists or visiting relatives, it would be fine. But we're on a march, understand? A group of ordinary people mixed in with the troops, does that make sense? When have you ever seen regular army and militia mixed together? Not to mention ordinary people, huh? What if there are elderly women and children, should we give up our seats? If we do, how can you guarantee your classmates get a good rest? And if something happens, how can you quickly gather all the students without affecting those ordinary people?"

  A string of rhetorical questions left Qu Mingjun speechless, seemingly something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

  "Remember that well! Managing a team is not easy, there are internal problems and external problems." Yan Weidong looked like he didn't want to say any more.

  Qu Mingjun's head was a bit dizzy.

  Looking at Qu Mingjun's somewhat perplexed expression, Yan Weidong couldn't help but say another sentence: "What is the most important thing in managing a team? Is it maintaining order? A mixed group of old and young, men and women, can this still be called a team? How do you maintain order?"

  The night grew darker, and most of the students were already asleep, either leaning against or lying down. Qu Mingjun had finished arranging the night watch, but his mind kept thinking about what happened on the train, and he couldn't fall asleep for a while. Was it because of management...