Chapter 432: Division, New Recruits End

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“Tomorrow, we’ll be splitting our forces. It’s been nearly three months since we’ve been working together with Jiang Huai, and I want to express my gratitude for all your cooperation during this time!”

Inside the company office, Jiang Huai stood by the desk, smiling as he distributed cigarettes to everyone.

“Company Commander, no need to be so polite!”

“Yeah! Company Commander, you’ve been a tremendous support to our work over these three months!”

One by one, the seasoned soldiers spoke with smiles on their faces.

This was a farewell gathering. After tonight, the new recruits would be heading to Lian, and everyone would naturally be returning to their original company.

After handing out the cigarettes, Jiang Huai smiled and continued, “Without going into details, we’ve saved a lot of trouble this year. So, let’s go out together later, have a good drink, and enjoy some great food. It’s been a meaningful collaboration!”

“Sounds great!”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Tonight, the new recruits’ company had organized a barbecue party.

In fact, preparations were already underway outside.

Under the guidance of experienced soldiers from the mess hall, the new recruits were busy preparing barbecue ingredients.

This was an experience Wang Ye and his group had missed out on last year.

Mainly because this year, the new recruits’ company compressed the schedule, combining training and assessment.

After returning, there was really no need for the platoon leaders and company commanders to do much in terms of the final division of troops.

It was all about waiting, waiting for the division orders from the regiment. Once the division orders came through, their job would be done.

As usual, the new recruits’ company commander had some authority in the division, and other companies would usually try to win favor in the hopes of recruiting some talented soldiers. However, this year, that situation wasn’t going to happen.

Of course, Jiang Huai had been mentally prepared for this from the beginning. When he took charge of the troops, he knew he was just a lubricant, easing the tensions and competition among the three battalions.

“I never expected that our new recruits’ company would get to have a drink. Seriously, it’s touching!”

“Yeah! It feels surreal. We didn’t even get to drink during the New Year. 1 thought we’d have to wait until after we moved to Lian, but here we are!”

At night, on the training ground, there was no one on the running track.

Everyone was gathered around a bonfire, with barbecue grills set up around them, sitting on the ground.

Barbecue and drinks flowed freely into the night.

There wasn’t much alcohol to go around; each new recruit had just one bottle of beer. However, it was enough to bring joy to the newly sober soldiers who had refrained from drinking for three months.

Perhaps the only downside today was that even though the ban on alcohol had been lifted for the new recruits, smoking was still not allowed.

This was mainly because smoking was strictly prohibited during the new recruit period, and the platoon leaders couldn’t easily go against the rules in public. However, once everyone returned to their dormitories, as long as the platoon leaders weren’t overly strict and traditional, they would often indulge the recruits in this little desire.

For example, in Class Five’s dormitory after the evening party, Wang Ye took out some cigarettes and started distributing them to the new recruits who were sitting neatly on their beds and small stools.

“Over the past three months, you guys haven’t been very demanding. Except for Li Jun and Duan Wei, who don’t smoke, the rest of you never had a chance to come to me for cigarettes.

But on the last night before parting ways, I’ll be generous.

Come on, one for each of you. Of course, if you don’t smoke, there’s no pressure!”

While handing out cigarettes, Wang Ye smiled and said something that hit home for most of the new recruits in Class Five.

Honestly, when they first arrived and heard the two conditions Wang Ye mentioned for getting cigarettes from him, they felt a bit of excitement and self-assuredness.

Of course, many of them didn’t aim to surpass Wang Ye in every aspect; they just wanted to excel in some specific aspect to outdo him.

They thought that nobody could be perfect in every way, and surely the seasoned soldiers had their weaknesses.

However, they soon realized that they had been too young and naive back then.

What two conditions were they talking about?

There was only one condition: to secure the first place in the entire company in a single category.

The other condition was essentially a dead end.

It was quite frustrating.

But they had no choice. Those who smoked had to endure three months of forced abstinence from cigarettes.

Now, some of the recruits who used to smoke were holding the cigarettes Wang Ye had given them, with expressions that seemed like they were about to cry. “Class leader, 1 finally got your cigarettes!”

“Haha, fulfilling a dream, huh?” Wang Ye laughed.

The recruit nodded vigorously. “Exactly! When you mentioned those two conditions back then, I was determined to get a cigarette from you. 1 didn’t want to wait until today!”

Wang Ye chuckled, “Well, you didn’t get it through your abilities, I can tell you that much! Let me tell you, don’t bring this up after we move to Lian; I can’t afford to lose face over this.”

Speaking of this, Wang Ye looked around at the new recruits in the dormitory. “Remember this well after we split, unless you can achieve the first place in the company, bury the fact that 1 was your class leader deep in your guts and never tell a soul!” Wang Ye pretended to be stern.

This statement immediately caused a freeze in the expressions of the new recruits in the dormitory.

Who even thinks about claiming the first place in the company before knowing which company they’ll be assigned to?

Who in their right mind would dare to say something like that? Perhaps Li Jun had some confidence, considering his aptitude.

Duan Wei was good with subjects like ideology and culture, which counted for something.

In terms of overall performance, even Han Yi was ahead of him.

As for the others, it was hard to imagine them claiming the first place in the new recruits’ company, let alone in their future company.

“It looks like 1 can only keep this secret until 1 finish my service!” one of the new recruits said dryly.

Someone nearby chuckled.

They were in the same boat.

Wang Ye continued with a smile, “Lack of ambition, don’t you know how to strive for improvement? Look at Han Yi, initially, his performance wasn’t outstanding either, but now? He ranked fifth in the entire company during the final assessment!”

“Hehe, Class Leader, it’s all thanks to your excellent teaching!” Han Yi immediately responded with some flattery.

Wang Ye looked at him and said with a smile, “I’ve taught all of you the same way; you’re the one who put in the effort!”

“Hehe!” Han Yi grinned.

In reality, he had worked hard to get to where he was today.

And now, he had proven himself.

At least, the platoon leader of the seventh platoon must be regretting his decisions by now.

In fact, after Han Yi’s performance improved, the seventh platoon leader had approached him twice.

He asked if he wanted to return to the seventh platoon and even offered some incentives.

After all, while both the second platoon and the seventh platoon belonged to the second battalion, the priorities for transferring soldiers led by different veteran soldiers to various companies were different.

For example, the elite soldiers led by Wang Ye and Zhou Qi in the fifth and sixth platoons would have priority in transferring to the fourth company. The elite soldiers led by the seventh and eighth platoon leaders would have priority in transferring to their own company.

In this situation, with Han Yi performing so well lately and being transferred to Class Five, he would eventually go to the fourth company. This didn’t just upset the seventh platoon leader; even their company commander would be furious!

Unfortunately, Han Yi was definitely not going back.

He had joined Class Five and voluntarily put in extra hours of training, even tackling the subjects he used to dislike. Why?

It was all about pride.

He wanted to prove that he had self-reflective and that he was still right.

“Alright, come on, those who smoke, light up your cigarettes. Those who don’t smoke, keep this one as a memento!”

Wang Ye took out a lighter and lit their cigarettes one by one.

Last year, Ye Sanshi had done the same before they split, and this year, he followed suit.

“Li Hua, Zhang Qingyi, Wen Xiaolong…”

After a delayed wake-up call by half an hour, everyone was ordered to pack up and gather downstairs.

Now, after Wang Ye finished organizing the squad, Jiang Huai took out the troop assignment orders sent by the regiment and began to read them aloud.

Nearby, representatives from each company had already arrived.

As each name was called, after it was read out, a cadre came over and directly escorted the person away.

By the way, the veteran soldiers originally from that company would also follow along.

“Li Jun, Duan Wei, Pang Wen…”

Finally, it was the turn of the soldiers going to the fourth company. Jiang Huai read out eight names in total, with only three from Class Five but five from Class Six!

Each platoon leader was responsible for some of the soldiers assigned to artillery and heavy machine gun platoons, as well as logistics, so it was impossible to retain all of their own soldiers.

In fact, some platoon leaders might not even want all of them. After all, not every soldier was suitable for combat units, and some were indeed not up to par.

“Over here!” A second lieutenant platoon leader from the fourth company called out with a smile from outside the formation.

At that moment, among those standing at attention, Li Jun, Duan Wei, and three others looked at Wang Ye, who was still standing behind Jiang Huai, grinning happily.

Wang Ye also smiled and then moved away from behind Jiang Huai.

He was going to report to the Criminal Investigation Company, but nobody had asked him to go with the new recruits. So, he planned to make a quick visit to the fourth company first.

Accompany the new recruits and also meet old comrades.

In the afternoon, he would head to the Criminal Investigation Company.

At this moment, among the remaining members of Class Five, Han Yi clenched his fist tightly.

He also wanted to go with Wang Ye.

In his current understanding, Wang Ye had done him an immense favor. Wang Ye had transformed his life; otherwise, he wouldn’t have returned home, potentially facing severe consequences, and even if he had stayed in the military, things wouldn’t have gone as smoothly.

Unlike now, where he could make his original platoon leader bow his head.

However, when the names were called, his name wasn’t on the list.

His fist clenched tightly, and he felt a sense of frustration, but he couldn’t do anything about it.

He was a soldier, and the three months of basic training had instilled the value of obedience deep into his bones.

At this moment, Wang Ye had actually noticed Han Yi’s expression and even made eye contact with him.

Wang Ye smiled and nodded at him, leaving Han Yi somewhat puzzled.

Wang Ye had checked the troop assignment list earlier, and he knew that he had been selected to go to the Criminal Investigation Company.

Of course, he hadn’t told Han Yi about this or mentioned that he was also going to the Criminal Investigation Company.

He wanted to surprise him a bit.

“Let’s go!”

The deputy platoon leader from the fourth company, who came to pick up the recruits, was named Wang Ye. They knew each other but weren’t particularly close.

The former platoon leader, Wang Ye, smiled at Wang Ye and said these words, to which Wang Ye nodded in response.

There was no need to wait for everyone to finish dividing the troops.

Once they knew which company they were assigned to, they could leave directly, saving everyone from lingering and getting too sentimental.

“Class Leader!”

Wang Ye, Zhou Qi, and the former platoon leader walked ahead of the formation, and from behind, someone called out excitedly.

Even without turning around, Wang Ye knew it was Li Jun.

He turned back and smiled.

Wang Ye also hadn’t mentioned to them that he was going to the Criminal Investigation Company.

That’s how it was. He wasn’t their nanny, and they weren’t babies. In the end, taking them to the fourth company before parting ways was already a decent way to say goodbye.

The journey continued in silence, and Wang Ye and the former platoon leader didn’t take them to the canteen.

They exited from the gate of the new recruits’ company and then entered through the gate of the regiment’s headquarters, making their way to the fourth company.

The sounds of drums and gongs echoed once again.

This filled the eight new recruits arriving at the fourth company with excitement.

Zheng Ke and the instructor personally welcomed them.

Then, they were divided into their respective platoons.

All eight new recruits were dispersed, and Class Eight kept one.

However, it wasn’t one of the recruits Wang Ye had brought; it was one of the top-notch new recruits from Zhou Qi’s Class Six..