"Damn, I'm going to be an officer too! A general!"
"In your dreams! Do you even know what a general's insignia looks like? None of the heads of the corps who came today were generals!"
"Look, those guys are all pretty old!"
"So what if they're old? In 30 years, you'll be old too!"
"You don't know shit. In the troops, the older you are, the higher your rank! If you see someone with white hair still in the service, that's definitely top leadership!"
Fang Huai couldn't help but chuckle.
That wasn't entirely wrong.
The maximum service limit for each rank in the military is regulated. A colonel in a regimental command at about 45 who hasn't been promoted to deputy division-level will have to apply for retirement. Those over 50 still in the military are at least at the rank of senior colonel or deputy division-level, and they can retire at age 55.
If someone over the age of 60 is still in service with a postponed retirement, they must at least be a general.
It's the same for soldiers. If a non-commissioned officer manages to advance to the seventh level, a first-grade sergeant major, that's a deputy division-level treatment.
But the difficulty of becoming a first-grade sergeant major is much greater than an officer being promoted to deputy division-level. There are less than 200 active-duty first-grade sergeant majors in the entire national military, far fewer than generals, all of whom are top talents with special skills.
Fang Huai once met a sixth-phase sergeant, a second-grade sergeant major, who was a whiz in information technology. Supposedly, when he advanced to the sixth level, an aviation company outside offered him an annual salary of 1.2 million yuan to poach him. He didn't go. The words he left behind spread throughout the entire brigade.
"The skills I learnt in the army should contribute to the army."
1.2 million yuan in the early 2000s.
Not to mention first-grade and second-grade sergeant majors. Even Fang Huai's former squadron's logistics officer, a fourth-grade sergeant major, was a sturdy guy, weighing over 200 pounds, slow in running, yet violently flipping over barriers and capable of performing five exercises on the horizontal bar. It was said he once knocked out a man over 1.9 meters tall with a single slap.
A typical case of hidden muscle beneath fat, a new energy "fatso".
The military's respect for old soldiers is not without reason. Both non-commissioned officers and officers are subject to a fairly rigorous elimination mechanism. Those who can serve until they are old are talents and leaders.
And don't think just because they're older means they can't beat you up threefold once they strip down.
Who would dare to disrespect them?
A line of leaders approached and took their seats on the rostrum one by one.
The music stopped, and a dark figure ran to the very front of the entire troop, about five meters away.
"Spacing of 15 centimeters left and right! 75 centimeters front and back! Look to the right... line up!!"
Chief of Staff Yang Yonghua's resonant voice echoed across the more than 20-acre playground.
The whole troop started to move.
"Look forward!"
"Look right!"
"Look forward!"
"At ease!"
Everyone felt the solemn atmosphere, with only the sound of marching feet and nothing else.
Yang Yonghua turned around, took a big leap, and ran to the left side of the rostrum to a halt, turned towards the rostrum, and saluted.
"Reporting to Commissar! New Training Group, 853 people expected, 848 people present, five on official trips. Please give your instructions!"
The senior colonel in the center returned the salute.
"Commence the ceremony!"
"Yes!"
Yang Yonghua ran back to his command post.
"Attention!!"
"At ease!"
The conference request procedure was finished, and the colonel beside the rostrum began to introduce the leaders present for the day.
Political Commissar, Head of the Corps, Command Department, Political Department, Logistics… It seems that everyone except the Fire Department was present.
If my uncle doesn't get promoted next year… The deputy regimental commander of the Provincial Brigade in the provincial city he's served for several years as a colonel… According to my mother, he's also about to be promoted to senior colonel.
Who knows, maybe next year in the new training, he'll also be sitting on the rostrum.
"…Now, please, Political Commissar Zou Tong, will address us!"
Squawk, squawk.
The senior colonel in the center stood up, saluted with not quite the textbook form, but as his hand went up and down, he did exude an air of authority.
"Comrades,"
"Today, here we hold the opening ceremony for the New Training Group. On this occasion, I would like to represent the party committee of the whole corps and the extensive firefighting forces of the entire province to extend a warm welcome to the new comrades! To express my cordial solicitude and heartfelt thanks to soldier-receiving cadres who have successfully completed their mission and returned triumphantly…"
"At present, right after the victorious close of the Seventeenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, while the entire Party and the whole nation are actively striving for new victories in building a moderately prosperous society in all aspects, you have positively responded to the call of The Party and The People and resolutely chosen military service. You have come from all corners of the country to join the firefighting forces and enter the red door of the Fire Department…"
"New comrades, Guizhou is an inland mountainous province with beautiful landscapes, pleasant climate, abundant resources, and numerous ethnic groups. At present, as the comprehensive implementation of the national 11th Five-Year Plan unfolds…"
"The firefighting forces are a troop on active duty tasked with multiple special missions such as fire prevention and extinguishment, emergency rescue, and handling sudden incidents…"
"New comrades, the future is yours, with boundless prospects ahead. The Party and The People look forward to your growth and development; the troops need you to become true heroes in the military. I hope that you will seize every moment with a sense of urgency, study diligently, practice arduously, and soon complete the transition from ordinary citizens to qualified soldiers, becoming soldiers with ideals, morals, culture, and discipline. Thank you, everyone!"
Below, there was a smatter of applause.
The leader's Mandarin was not very good.
The average age of the attendees below was eighteen or nineteen. Talking about development and policies, most were also a face of confusion: I'm here to be a soldier; local development is the government's business, what does it have to do with me, Zhou Someone?
In essence, it's about encouragement; applauding is the correct response.
Only the old soldiers knew the arduous tasks represented by these words.
Among the crowd, some would sacrifice their youth, some their lives, to safeguard these development plans. Some would be mere children at their time of sacrifice, still not understanding the meaning behind it, but they all charged forward without regret.
Rushing into the sea of fire, into the site of disaster, into the mountains and ravines, leaving their lives there.
Those who emerged alive would be interviewed, and reporters would always ask what they thought at the time; the most common and sincere answer was always "I didn't think about anything at the time."
Fang Huai had served five years in the firefighting service in his previous life, and every so often he would hear about a comrade from some squadron who had died or another comrade who was injured and disabled in a rescue. Standing here now, he was overwhelmed with emotions.
He hoped they would remain forever young, forever tearful with passion, in a time of peace and safety.
Suddenly, he realized that he could do quite a lot, and a new understanding began to grow in his heart.
Perhaps rebirth could change more than just oneself.
...
The speech ended quickly. After the Political Commissar, the speech by the Corps Captain was concise and resounding.
"Train hard, serve the nation!"
...
"Platoon leaders, take charge and begin training!"
With one sentence from Yang Yonghua, the whole playground sprang into action.
Squad Seven secured a feng shui hotspot by the corner with a chain-link fence, and Hao Chengbin immediately occupied the spot closest to the fence.
When Squad Nine arrived at their training spot, Hao Chengbin's face showed a sly smile tinged with mischief.
"Brothers, you're in for a treat; beyond this chain-link fence is the driving school."
Everyone looked perplexed.
"Squad leader, what do you mean?"
Hao Chengbin chuckled and pointed to a hole half a person tall in the fence, "See that over there? That dog hole allows for escape; crawl through and head downhill, and you can catch a taxi."
They exchanged glances.
"Squad leader! I definitely won't run! I want to be a soldier. The senior officer just said it, serve the nation!" Yue Tao patted his chest, his face full of fervor.
"Yeah, squad leader, we finally made it in, how could we possibly run?" Chen Zhongqiang said indignantly, feeling looked down upon, somewhat resentful.
Hao Chengbin laughed, "If you're not planning to run, then let me tell you some good news... Outside this driving school, lots of people pass by every day, and during your training, you'll be able to see beauties."
"Damn…"
Everyone's eyes widened.
"Squad leader, slick!" Even Fang Huai couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.
Being reborn doesn't mean a man in his inner thirty-five stops looking at beauties, right?
You should know that in the New Training Group, this damn place basically had no women. When they first entered the office building of the Training Base, there were indeed several beautiful military officers, but afterward, they were stationed in a lower area, and the training grounds were further inside. They couldn't see the scenic view of the office building at all.
After a long time, even the cafeteria auntie looked slightly appealing.
No wonder in his previous life, their squad was squeezed near the center of the playground; the squads led by the non-commissioned officers all moved towards the wall.
Old squad leaders sure are cunning, the perks come just like that!
(Stamping the official seal, ready for a ten-thousand-word surge after going on shelves.)