Chapter Six

  I had just put on my new uniform when I heard a knock at the door. "Who is it?" I asked. "It's us, Liang and the others." "Come in," I replied, getting up to open the door. As soon as I opened it, they all rushed in and stared at me intently. Qiao Liang looked at me with envy and said, "Head, you look different when you wear a military uniform! And you're even a colonel!" "Really?" I said, trying to play it down. "What position did you get? Tell us so we can all celebrate." They all started talking at once, making my head spin. I waved my hand and said, "Stop, stop. Everyone sit down, don't stand there." They all found seats and I cleared my throat before speaking. "It's nothing much, just a small position." "Oh, what kind of position?" they asked. I looked down and said dejectedly, "Just a small team leader." "Oh, just a small team leader!" they exclaimed. They were all taken aback by my words, but I was secretly amused. This group of people didn't disappoint me either - they exchanged glances with each other before shouting in unison, "Team leader?!" Zheng Hui said loudly, "This is ridiculous! You're already a team leader and you still want us to live?! No way, Head! You have to compensate us for our mental distress." "Yes, yes, compensate us!" the others chimed in. I smiled and asked, "How do you plan on compensating?" Zheng Hui said, "Treat us to dinner! Take us out for a meal." I agreed readily, saying, "Alright, let's go now. But I won't be able to drink much - I have to meet with the commander this afternoon!" They all laughed and surrounded me as we left the house.

  "These guys." I shook my head, and still couldn't escape the fate of drinking, being forced to down two cups of liquor by everyone. If I hadn't taken a look at the time and realized it was getting late, those guys wouldn't have let me off so easily. I first returned to the reception office, washed my face, straightened out my uniform, and poured myself a glass of water to rinse the taste of alcohol from my mouth. Not long after, Captain Han arrived, leading me to the door of the commander's office, saying: "Go on in, Colonel Tang, the commander is waiting for you inside!" I nodded, knocked on the door, and loudly said: "Reporting!"

  "Come in."

  I opened the door and went in, closing it behind me. I saw the commander standing by the window with a smile on his face, looking at me. As soon as he saw me, I quickly saluted him and said: "Commander, Tang Ning reporting for duty."

  I saw Director Yao walking towards me and said: "Sit down, Tang Ning, how's it going? How does it feel to be the team leader?"

  I just sat down and listened, then quickly stood up and said: "Leader, I feel very excited, thank you for the organization's trust in me."

  "Sit down, sit down." Commander Yao said as he gestured for me to take a seat. After I sat down, Commander Yao looked at me and said: "Comrade Tang Ning, this time you've been appointed as the commander of the 53rd Regiment, it's not easy, there was huge pressure from above, after discussion in the military region and reporting to the Military Commission for approval. Your 53rd Regiment is a five-five configuration under the 27th Army, directly affiliated with the army headquarters, with three infantry battalions, one guard company, one heavy artillery company, one transportation company, plus a communications platoon, the troop strength is almost double that of before. Don't get too excited too early, the requirement from above is to form combat effectiveness within six months, how's it going? Any difficulties? Speak up now, you young man will have a heavy burden on your shoulders in the future!"

  I listened and frowned: "Chief, who are the other cadres of the 53rd Regiment? Where did the troops come from?"

  Commander Yao listened and said, "The political commissar is Wu Jianguo, the original deputy political commissar of the 112th Division. The deputy regimental commander is Pan Cheng, the original commander of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Regiment of the 118th Division of the 27th Army. As for the chief of staff, you also know him, he's Han Peng, a staff officer from the Military Region Command. What do you think of this team?"

  I listened and shrugged my shoulders saying: "You'll know when we work together from now on."

  The commander listened, smiled and continued: "As for the source of troops, I have two plans: 1. Directly transfer from various units; 2. Direct recruitment, select from new recruits. Which one do you choose?"

  I thought for a moment and said, "I choose the second option. Because our team is almost newly established, and drawing from various troops will affect the combat effectiveness of each troop, and also cause dissatisfaction among the leaders of each troop."

  "Haha, I've arranged it this way too."

  I was taken aback and thought to myself: You've already made the arrangements, why are you asking me? I continued, "I suggest that we select the grassroots officers of our 53rd division from among the graduates of the National Defense University. The main problem is that it's hard to find battalion-level commanders. Does the commander have any candidates in mind? It would be best if they were experienced and capable. What about Zheng Hui and the others, how will they be arranged?"

  The commander listened, didn't say a word, lowered his head and walked back and forth for several steps. He then raised his head and said: "In that case, the regimental commanders will be replaced with another batch, and they will be selected from those so-called 'problematic' officers."

  "Which officer?" I asked in puzzlement.

  The commander sighed and said: "It's just that according to the central directive, the comrades who were reviewed by the Military Region's Jiang Politics Committee said that they had problems with their background, work style, and so on. After reviewing for more than half a year, nothing was found, not even a conclusion. I think he is changing direction to persecute comrades and gain achievements at the expense of his own comrades. Don't worry, I guarantee that the people I sent are reliable, most of them were originally regimental cadres, and going to your place would be considered demotion for them. Alas!"

  I listened and nodded: "As long as you have the ability to fight, that's all right."

  The commander sighed and said, "You little brat! I also sent someone to talk to those other 7 comrades of yours, and they told me that 'being a squad leader or something is fine'. I think we'll just let them be squad leaders. Promoting them too high won't do them any good either, and people might gossip behind their backs."

  "Alright, then when do I depart, where do I receive the troops and train them?" I asked.

  "In half a month, at the Third Military Base in Lanzhou, that will be the garrison of your 53rd Regiment. You take people and Staff Officer Han there tomorrow to do some preparatory work, other officers will arrive within 7 days. Do a good job, I'll come to inspect after 6 months. The requirements you raised have all been met, if the troops don't pass the inspection at that time, you get out of here." Commander Yao replied.

  "Yes, then I'll leave. Commander, goodbye!" I stood up and bid farewell to Commander Yao.

  "Alright, go."

  I walked out the door and saw Director Han still waiting there. I went up to him, smiling, and said: "Old Han, you've done a great job keeping secrets! It wasn't until now that I found out you're also my comrade-in-arms! My Director Han."

  "Colonel Tang, please take care of me from now on!" said General Han.

  "We should support each other."

  That day, I dragged Han Peng to dinner, saying he wasn't a good enough friend and had to treat me. I also invited Liangzi and the others, and we all headed to the restaurant together. At the table, you took a sip of wine, I took a bite of food - this was probably the happiest and most enjoyable meal since I joined the army. At the time, I was so drunk that I don't remember how I got back, but when I woke up, it was already dawn. I opened the window, looked out into the distance, and thought: A new day has arrived, a new day has arrived.