Chapter 17: I Told You to Wash My Socks — Why Did You Wash Everything?

The following morning.

First Squad was out on the parade ground for their run.

Throughout the formation, soldiers kept exchanging winks and grinning from ear to ear.

Ma Xiaoshan jogged along with a blissful look on his face. "Running at this pace is so comfortable — not tiring at all. I must've had rocks in my head before, pushing myself that hard for nothing."

Wang Yong shook his head with a rueful sigh. "Yeah, I was the one with water for brains. I put everyone through hell because of it."

"At least you know it now!"

The others rolled their eyes in unison.

Still, the fact that he'd finally come around wasn't bad at all.

At the very least, nobody would have to suffer anymore.

"Move it! Why are you all bunched up like that — laying eggs?!"

"Who told you to run side by side?! Pick up the pace!"

Xu Da's furious voice rang out from a distance.

But the soldiers acted as if they hadn't heard a word, continuing on at their own leisurely pace.

Xu Da was so angry he wanted to charge over and give each of them a good kick.

In all his time training recruits, he had never seen anything like this.

Their speed wasn't exactly slow, but compared to their usual training pace, it was a far cry from what they were capable of.

Xu Da furrowed his brow. What are these guys playing at?

Before long, the squad finished their run and returned to the finish line.

Xu Da strode over, his voice sharp with anger. "What do you think you were doing out there — running or taking a stroll?"

He pointed at Lin Hui. "Lin Hui, what's your excuse today? You were slower than a snail. Did you skip breakfast or something?"

Lin Hui clutched his stomach and put on a pained, feeble expression. "The training lately has been absolutely brutal — it's pushed my body well past its limits."

"You have no idea — the moment I start moving, my ribs ache. That's why I could only run that fast."

Xu Da was left speechless with rage. He turned and jabbed a finger at Wang Yong. "And you? Don't tell me your body can't take it either and your ribs hurt when you run?"

Wang Yong grinned sheepishly. "Squad Leader, didn't you tell me to use him as my role model?"

"However fast he runs, that's how fast I run. I'm keeping in step with him."

Xu Da nearly spat blood. "What kind of logic is that?! I told you to use him as a role model to learn from his good qualities and strive to surpass him."

"I never said to copy the bad along with the good!"

Wang Yong replied with an air of righteous conviction. "That won't work, Squad Leader. If I'm using him as a role model, I have to learn from him in every aspect. Otherwise, even if I surpass him, he'll just catch back up."

Xu Da's eyes blazed as he looked at the rest of the squad struggling to hold back their laughter.

He could see it clearly now — these guys had conspired together. This was deliberate.

They were openly defying him, working against everything he said.

But even knowing that, Xu Da had no immediate recourse.

Even with First Squad deliberately slacking off, their overall pace was still faster than the other squads by a fair margin. There was no legitimate grounds to punish them.

Xu Da seethed inwardly. But if he let this go on, what would happen when the recruit assessment came around?

His gaze swept across the group and finally landed on Chen Erhu, who was looking distinctly guilty.

Chen Erhu felt his hair stand on end, and he began chanting silently in his head.

"Don't punish me, don't punish me, please don't punish me…"

"Chen Erhu!"

"Here!"

Xu Da snapped furiously. "Why are you last again? Are those two legs of yours just for decoration? They're running this slow and you still can't keep up?"

"Three hundred push-ups — get to it!"

"Y-yes, sir…"

Chen Erhu's face fell. Looking utterly aggrieved, he dropped to the ground and started doing push-ups.

Xu Da pointed at the rest of the squad and barked, "Everyone else — another five kilometers, now!"

The whole group immediately turned with cheerful smiles and jogged off toward the parade ground.

At the pace they were running, it was barely any effort at all.

Five kilometers? They could do several more on top of that without any trouble whatsoever.

"Lin Hui, you're something else, man."

"The Squad Leader knows we're slacking and there's nothing he can do about it."

Several recruits chuckled as they ran.

Lin Hui smiled faintly. "The higher the road, the taller the devil — if he thinks he can squeeze a Third-Class Merit Citation out of us by grinding us into the dirt, he's got another thing coming. Right now, we're the serfs who've finally risen up and got to sing!"

The others nodded in enthusiastic agreement. Even Wang Yong had to admit that Lin Hui had a point.

Damn it — if he'd only figured this out sooner, he could've saved himself a lot of grief.

What was the point of competing with him for first place?

He'd been saving face at the cost of his own suffering — what a fool.

From a distance, Xu Da watched them, so furious he felt his lungs might burst. "These little bastards — they're practically staging a mutiny. No, I have to find a way to push them forward, squeeze every last drop of potential out of them."

The day's training came to an end quickly.

Under Lin Hui's lead, whether it was physical conditioning, tactical drills, or grenade throwing — if there was any way to slack off, they took it, and not a drop of extra effort was spent.

Xu Da nearly coughed up blood from sheer frustration.

By evening.

Xu Da finished dinner and hurried out of the mess hall.

These guys wouldn't respond to either the carrot or the stick. He was completely out of ideas.

His only hope now was that the Political Instructor might come up with a good solution to fix the situation.

Meanwhile, First Squad finished their meal and headed back to the barracks.

The moment they walked in, Chen Erhu made a beeline for Xu Da's storage locker.

He'd barely cracked it open when a sour, pungent smell hit him square in the face.

He pinched his nose and turned back with a look of disgust. "Big Bro, do we really have to do this?"

Lin Hui said calmly, "Absolutely. You're dragging behind in every area right now. If you want to avoid getting punished, this is the only angle to work. Like they say — the early bird catches the worm. You need to show the Squad Leader your attitude."

Wang Yong nodded. "Brother Hui's right. Stop being squeamish — it's just socks and underwear. What's the big deal?"

"As long as you wash them well and get them clean, will Xu Da really have the heart to keep punishing you?"

Chen Erhu gave a firm nod. "Alright, I'll do what you say!"

He scooped up the reeking socks and dirty clothes from the locker and bolted out the door.

The moment he was gone, everyone turned to look at Lin Hui with questioning expressions.

Lin Hui shrugged. "Why are you all looking at me? I'm giving him genuine advice. This move is called 'relieving the siege of Zhao by attacking Wei.'"

Nobody said much more about it.

Of all the relationships in the squad, Chen Erhu and Lin Hui were the closest.

They were even bunk mates.

Lin Hui would screw over anyone else before he'd screw over Chen Erhu.

* * *

In the office, Wang Hai let out a long sigh. "Xu Da, you're a seasoned soldier and your experience leading troops is solid — but this time, you've used the wrong approach."

"The wrong approach?" Xu Da looked puzzled.

Wang Hai nodded. "Think about it — from the very first month of recruit training, how have you been running things? Constant high pressure, each month harder than the last."

"Even a horse needs to catch its breath and be fed some hay."

"Keep up that relentless pressure and even the best soldiers will start to resent it. Even the best squad will end up broken."

Xu Da looked genuinely taken aback.

He hadn't even realized things had gotten to this point.

But thinking it over, the Political Instructor had a point.

Ever since becoming First Squad Leader, he'd been cracking the whip non-stop, always chasing results.

No wonder it had stirred up resentment and pushback.

Xu Da grew anxious. "Political Instructor, what should I do now?"

Wang Hai thought for a moment. "What you need to do right now isn't figure out how to train them harder or improve their scores. You need to find a way to mend your relationship with them."

"People's hearts are made of flesh. Two months ago, every one of them was still a pampered kid at home."

"Show them some understanding, and I believe they'll come to understand you too."

Xu Da nodded. "You make a good point. I'll give it a try your way."

"What they want is rest — so I'll give them rest. As long as they can perform at their actual level during the assessment and place well, that's what matters."

On the walk back.

Xu Da felt a knot of hesitation in his chest.

In all his years leading troops, he had always held himself and others to the strictest standards.

Whether training new recruits or veterans, he treated everyone the same.

He had never once tried to soften his stance or negotiate with the soldiers under his command.

Deep down, Xu Da believed that a soldier's duty was unconditional obedience to orders.

Never mind training at this intensity — even if it were ten times harder, you gritted your teeth, endured it, and followed orders without question.

Xu Da sighed inwardly. Times have changed. People are different now.

If he wanted to secure that Third-Class Merit Citation and get promoted to officer, it seemed he'd have to swallow his pride.

But the moment he stepped back into the barracks, he was stopped dead in his tracks by what he saw.

Seven or eight pairs of underwear and socks were strung up in a ring around his bunk like a row of little flags.

Three pairs of shoes had also been washed spotlessly clean and were propped against the wall at an angle.

"Squad Leader, how do they look? Did I get 'em clean?"

Chen Erhu slid the window open a crack and peeked in with a goofy grin.

Xu Da's mouth twitched violently. He bellowed, "Who the hell told you to wash all my clothes?! What am I supposed to wear for the next few days?!"