When Li Xiang heard this, he frowned and his face darkened.
'This guy is even more stubborn than Yan Poyue! Do you still think that you're not in the wrong after being educated to this extent?'
He stared at Chen Ran and shouted, "You taught your comrades to use such underhanded methods to deal with other comrades. How can you say that you're not wrong?"
Li Xiang's gaze was sharp, making people shudder. His aura gave people a strong sense of oppression.
"Brother Chen, just admit your mistake. If you anger the company commander, you won't be able to bear the consequences."
Lu Xiaotian, who was standing at the side, had a bitter expression on his face. He was secretly worried for Chen Ran. He was worried that Chen Ran would continue to provoke the company commander and anger him. He did not want Chen Ran to be punished by the company commander because of him.
Chen Ran was not overwhelmed by Li Xiang's imposing manner, nor did he avoid Li Xiang's gaze. Instead, he calmly looked forward and said firmly, "Reporting to Company Commander, my situation is different from Yan Poyue's. At that time, Lu Xiaotian and Xiao Yunjie were in an official competition. During the competition, we must treat our opponents as our real enemies. Only then can we truly display our true strength.
"So, at that time, Xiao Yunjie was an enemy to Lu Xiaotian, not a comrade!
"In war, when facing an enemy, what we have to do is quickly find a way to defeat the other party according to the other party's situation. Whether this method is underhanded or not, as long as we can defeat the other party and win, this method is optimal.
"Only by defeating the enemy can we better protect our comrades and our country."
When Xiao Yunjie heard this, his mouth twitched.
"Good lord, you've already said all the good things, yet you're still so serious. How can actual combat be the same as a competition? According to what you said, shouldn't I have killed Lu Xiaotian back then? Wouldn't he have been crippled?"
When Li Xiang heard this, his expression became even uglier. His brows were almost knitted together, and he was about to reprimand, "You…"
At this moment, a voice sounded from behind them.
"Little fellow, you're right."
The men turned in surprise to see the veteran lumbering toward them.
It was the veteran who had blown the horn on the mountain just now.
After the veteran walked in, Li Xiang immediately shouted in a low voice, "Attention, salute!"
Chen Ran and the other three immediately straightened their bodies and stood straight. They raised their hands and saluted the veteran.
The veteran straightened his slightly hunched body and returned the salute.
Then, the old man stood in front of the four of them and looked at the young figures in front of him. He muttered to himself, "So similar, so similar. Isn't this just like us forty years ago? We were also so young back then!"
Looking at the young man in front of him, he seemed to suddenly see his comrade whom he had not seen for many years and his younger self.
In the next moment, tears suddenly flowed down the old man's face which was covered in traces of time.
When Chen Ran and the others saw this scene, their hearts were deeply moved, and their eyes were slightly moist.
Li Xiang stepped forward and held the old man's hand. "Senior, we're here to see you. How are you?"
"Yes, I'm fine." The old man wiped his tears with his sleeve and smiled.
"Senior, please wait!"
With that, Li Xiang ran to the car, took out a bottle of wine, and handed it to the old man with both hands.
"Senior, this is for you."
"Good, good wine!"
The veteran took the wine. After looking straight ahead for a while, he opened the bottle and spilled the wine on the ground in front of him.
"Good wine. We should drink together. Brothers, let's drink!
"Did you all see that? We have successors. They are as young and vigorous as we were back then. They are currently taking over for us.
"The burden continues to protect every inch of our country.
"Brothers, let's drink. Drink happily. Just like before our last battle, let us drink to our heart's content."
During times of war, warriors were not allowed to drink. However, before battle, each of them picked up a large bowl of strong wine and drank it in one gulp. Then, they smashed the bowl before leaving the camp.
They were going to the place where the flames of war were the fiercest.
Veterans would always remember that night. At that time, they were only young men in their twenties. After drinking the hard liquor, they felt the alcohol burning in their bodies, their blood boiling, and passion surging in their chests.
The vanguard suicide squad was the first to charge into the enemy's ranks. As a member of the suicide squad, there was a high chance that they would never return. In the end, they could only bury their loyal bones in the mountains and forests, unable to return to their families and live a stable and peaceful life. However, no one had any timidity or hesitation on their faces. After stepping out of the camp, everyone rushed towards the enemy's position with firm and powerful steps.
The old man drank the remaining wine in the bottle in one gulp and muttered to himself, "Brothers, you can sleep in peace now. Our country has become stronger. Those bastards won't dare to come again."
Li Xiang and the others quietly accompanied the old man at the side and did not disturb him.
After a while, the old man turned around and said to Li Xiang, "Thank you for coming to see me at this time every year."
"It's my honor. I'll visit you again in the future. You have to take good care of yourself."
"Well, by the way, you need to be careful these days. There's a gang of drug dealers who hang around the neighborhood. They're organized."
When Li Xiang heard this, he immediately said solemnly, "Yes, thank you for your reminder, Senior. We will definitely pay close attention to the nearby movements and not let any criminal off!"
The old man nodded. Then, he looked at Chen Ran and said, "This young man is right. On the battlefield, you have to be as ruthless as you can when dealing with the enemy. If you are merciful to the enemy, you will be cruel to your own people."
"My squad leader was too kind back then. He couldn't bear to hurt a child and didn't want to accidentally injure him. In the end, he was killed by the grenade hidden in the child's clothes. At that time, a few comrades died. They were only in their twenties at that time!"
The old man looked at the place where the wine had just been spilled and sighed, "Brothers, I don't know if I can come and see you again next year. If I can't come, I'll go and find you personally. Please wait for me. We'll fight side by side then and kill the enemy again…"
As the old man spoke, he turned around and walked down the mountain.
The figure that left under the setting sun looked neither old nor stooped. He was like a hot-blooded young soldier back then. His hoarse voice let out a passionate tone, just like when he left his hometown back then. He shouted at his parents and siblings who were unwilling to go back when he was sent to the army at the village entrance, "I'm going to kill the enemy!"
Chen Ran and the others quietly watched the old man's back gradually disappear under the setting sun.
The old man had left a deep mental imprint in everyone's hearts. At this moment, they seemed to have just begun to understand what a military spirit was and also began to understand that there was still a long way to go on the path of military service.
Li Xiang broke the silence and said, "Get in the car. Let's go."
The four of them silently followed Li Xiang into the car and began to walk down the mountain. No one spoke along the way. Even someone like Lu Xiaotian, who chattered non-stop all day, was silent along the way.
When the car reached the foot of the mountain, a heart-wrenching cry suddenly came from the front. "Can someone save my child? Hurry up and save my child. Hurry…"
"What's the situation?"
The expressions of Chen Ran and the others froze. They quickly rolled down the car window and looked over.
Li Xiang, who was driving in front, stepped on the accelerator and instantly spedforward.