Chapter 12 Training

  Special forces members stand on the training ground.

  The so-called training ground was a flat piece of land in the valley, roughly leveled out. As for those small rocks and whatnot, Qin Yang didn't have them cleared away, euphemistically calling it making the training more realistic.

  The scorching sun above was like a fire, burning everything in the valley, including those special forces soldiers.

  The special forces' clothes had been soaked and dried, then drenched in sweat again, repeating this process several times. A layer of white salt crystals formed on their clothes and hair, making it seem as if they had gone gray-haired.

  But the special forces members didn't dare move, standing upright like bamboo poles.

  "Hold on, just ten more minutes!" Qin Yang patrolled the troops, shouting from time to time.

  The special forces soldiers gritted their teeth and persisted, some of whose legs had already begun to tremble.

  Qin Yang walked along a row to the end, then turned around and walked back along the next row behind him. Suddenly he stopped, lifted his foot and lightly stepped on the knee of one of the team members.

  The special forces member thudded to the ground, and the surrounding special forces members' eyes quickly turned over.

  Qin Yang said coldly: "You are slacking off, training time is extended by half an hour!"

  The seventeen or eighteen-year-old special forces soldier got up, sniffing and muttering to himself in a low voice.

  Qin Yang furrowed his eyebrows and roared at the young man, "What did you say? Speak louder!"

  The young man wiped away his tears and shouted loudly: "You... you warlord, this is torture!"

  People couldn't help but sweat for the young man, these days of training had made them realize the ferocity of this dark-faced instructor. At first, some people were not convinced, but in the end, they were all put down by the instructor's three to five moves, and from then on, no one dared to disobey again, everyone honestly followed the instructor's requirements.

  Now this young man has offended his superior officer, and he's probably going to be in for a tough time.

  Qin Yang heard the young man's words, was taken aback for a moment, then walked to the young man's side and said expressionlessly: "Get in line, continue training!"

  The young man wiped away his tears and walked back into the ranks, puffed out his chest.

  The ten minutes finally passed, and the special forces members let out a sigh of relief. Many people simply sat down on the ground with a thud, panting heavily.

  "Who would have thought that standing here could be so tiring!" Ma Zhanting sat on the ground, rubbing his somewhat numb legs, muttering to himself.

  Since the start of training, he only knew how fierce the training projects written in the training outline were. Almost every item was exhausting, but it also allowed them to continue with the next training session. Thinking about this, he couldn't help but secretly admire Qin Yang, and unexpectedly, he came up with such an efficient training plan.

  "It's much stricter than when I was in the Northeast Army!" he thought to himself.

  It's not just him who has such thoughts, these former Northeastern Army soldiers have all personally felt the benefits brought by the training outline, so although Qin Yang's requirements are strict, they don't complain.

  Qin Yang turned around and walked towards the entrance of the cave, but as he turned around, he saw that young man again, and stopped in his tracks.

  The young man still stood in place, standing upright like a pillar, with sweat flowing down from his head like running water, and soon the ground was wet all over.

  Qin Yang gazed at his stubborn back, nodding silently to himself. He liked this young man's personality.

  The special forces soldiers sat around the training ground, looking sympathetically at the young boy being trained in the field, no one spoke.

  Time passed minute by minute, second by second. The young man felt as if he had floated into the clouds, his feet like cotton, soft and unable to exert any strength. The faces of his comrades sitting in a circle in the distance became more and more blurred, as if they were about to disappear from view.

  "Time's up!" A cold voice came, just like an imperial pardon.

  The young man let out a sigh of relief, his body went limp and was about to fall, the special forces soldier next to him immediately ran over, propped him up and ran to the shade under the stone wall, laying him flat on the ground.

  A refreshing breath enveloped his body, and the young man's spirit lifted. He slowly opened his eyes to see a person standing in front of him. At first, he was stunned, then realized it was that devilish instructor.

  Qin Yang stretched out his hand and threw a towel that had been soaked in the spring water into the young man's hands, then turned around expressionlessly and walked towards the entrance of the cave. Leaving the young man standing alone, holding the towel in a daze.

  A sweet and refreshing scent wafted from the water, and the young man covered his face with a towel, taking deep breaths of the cool sensation, a faint smile spreading across his lips.

  Time flies quickly, and the special forces members continue one project after another, carrying huge logs, lifting sandbags, crossing obstacles, crossing single-plank bridges... The team members keep running and jumping non-stop, squeezing out every last bit of energy from their bodies.

  They looked forward to it, looking forward to the end of training, so they could have a good rest.

  No, they only remembered that hateful emergency drill, every time they were sleeping soundly, the devil-like whistle would ring out, and then it was a chaotic getting up in the dark, hastily putting on clothes, packing their bags, and rushing to assemble like madmen at the door. If anyone was late, sorry, the 10-kilometer cross-country run around the valley couldn't be escaped.

  What they can't stand the most is that this whistle isn't just thought of once, but sometimes four or five times in one night, and sometimes not at all. It makes those special forces members who sleep in their clothes grit their teeth with hatred.

  As for the inspection of beds by instructors and squadron leaders at night, it completely exposed their little cleverness.

  Perhaps they couldn't have imagined that these methods were used sparingly in Qin Yang's original unit, so for Qin Yang, these were simply child's play.

  The day's training ended, and the special forces members dragged their tired bodies back to the cave, hastily washing up. Some special forces members didn't even have dinner before returning to their dormitories. Since the arrival of this batch of new recruits, Qin Yang and Ma Zhan-ting had numbered the stone rooms for easier management, which was also an old tradition in the army.

  Ma Zhan-ting leaned against a rock by the spring water's edge, with difficulty took off his boots, and then put his feet into the spring water.

  The cool feeling of the spring water made Ma Zhan Ting let out a comfortable sigh, and the fatigue of the day seemed to disappear in an instant. He leaned comfortably against the stone and closed his eyes.

  A person appeared behind him, quietly gazing at him.

  To be honest, Qin Yang admired this old officer of the Northeast Army very much. Although he lost an arm when the Japanese army attacked Beidaying, his fighting spirit was not diminished at all. The entire team was busy with him alone, and everyone's life was arranged by him. Even tonight, some soldiers didn't have dinner, and he put it in his heart, letting the cook send rice to the house.

  Although Qin Yang did not approve of this approach, he was still relieved by Ma Zhanting's meticulousness. Because a team needs someone like a political commissar, otherwise it would be difficult for people who only know how to fight to sustain themselves.

  "Big Brother Ma!"

  Ma Zhanting turned his head back and Qin Yang walked over from behind him, sitting down beside him.

  Ma Zhanting smiled wryly and said: "Alas, I'm old, my body is no longer good!"

  Qin Yang turned his head and looked at him, saying: "Big Brother Ma, you're only forty, how can you be considered old?"

  Ma Zhan Ting chuckled and didn't say a word, pulling his feet out of the spring water.

  "Qin Yang, how old are you this year?" Ma Zhanting asked.

  Qin Yang was taken aback for a moment before responding: "I'm 21!"

  Ma Zhan Ting laughed: "I didn't expect you to be so young, this is unexpected! But to be honest, I really admire your talent. You're so young and have a bright future ahead of you!"

  "This little endurance of mine is nothing, don't praise me!"

  "21!" Ma Zhan-ting gazed at the spring water, as if muttering to himself: "In the blink of an eye, I've been in the army for 27 years, time really flies!"

  "Does your family have any other relatives at home?" Qin Yang asked.

  Ma Zhan-ting said: "All gone, originally there was a younger sister's, in the 9.18 that year, Japanese soldiers attacked Beidaying, we were busy resisting, later also participated in the anti-Japanese righteous and brave army, until two days ago I returned home, only to find that the entire village had been burned into rubble, later after asking around those Japanese beasts slaughtered the entire village, my younger sister too——"

  Ma Zhan Ting couldn't speak anymore, his voice choked with sobs, and his lone arm tightly grasped the stone beside him.

  The atmosphere fell into silence!

  Qin Yang wanted to comfort him with a few words, but he opened his mouth and couldn't say anything. Compared to Ma Zhan Ting, perhaps he was much happier, at least he had nothing to worry about.

  Thinking of this, Qin Yang reached into his collar and touched the bullet-made amulet.

  Ma Zhan Ting stood up, stretched out his hand and patted Qin Yang's shoulder, then turned around and walked towards his own residence.

  Qin Yang watched him walk into his own room.

  Like this, motionless, Qin Yang sat beside the rock.