He was so persuasive that he actually practiced extraordinary

"Report! This is my gun."

Upon hearing the voice, Gao Shiwei turned his head and looked at Zhang Beixing, who had answered. His expression softened slightly, and he nodded almost imperceptibly.

At the same time, Gao Shiwei raised his rifle, aimed at the target a hundred meters away, and fired three shots in quick succession. His movements were so agile that he didn't seem like an elderly man who sat in an office all day.

Everyone present couldn't help but light up, and they thought to themselves: The commander is indeed a veteran with more than forty years of military experience!

Unfortunately, without exception, every bullet fired from the barrel missed the bullseye, and not a single one hit its target.

This confirms that Gao Shiwei's previous judgment was correct.

The gun's calibration was indeed problematic; the bullet trajectory was deflected to the left, making it difficult to hit the target even when aiming. Therefore, the mistake just now was not Zhang Yingying's responsibility.

Gao Shiwei put down his gun, raised his head, and glanced sideways at Zhang Beixing.

"Zhang Beixing, then explain yourself, why did you deliberately adjust the sights like this?"

Zhang Beixing looked straight ahead and replied loudly, "Report, this is just my personal habit."

"What's the reason?" Gao Shiwei stared at him and pressed for an answer.

"Prevention is better than cure," Zhang Beixing replied succinctly. "Battlefield situations are ever-changing. If a weapon is lost and picked up by the enemy, it could very well be pointed at my comrades. But if the zeroing is inaccurate, the enemy can't use it, and my comrades will have an extra layer of safety."

After hearing this explanation, Gao Shiwei nodded.

"That's a good answer. But can you actually shoot accurately with this gun yourself?"

"can!"

"So confident?"

Zhang Beixing declared confidently, "Because I never miss a shot!"

Gao Shiwei stared at Zhang Beixing, his tone leaving no room for doubt: "Talk is cheap. We'll only know if it's true or false after we've verified it. So why don't you fire a few shots and see?"

Zhang Beixing quickly stepped forward, took the rifle, turned around, and strode to the firing line. He raised the rifle, aimed, and waited for the firing command.

Gao Shiwei shouted the order: "Same target position, fire!"

Zhang Beixing pulled the trigger without hesitation, before anyone else could even see him aiming.

"Bang bang bang!" Three rapid shots were fired at an extremely fast pace.

Gao Shiwei immediately raised his binoculars and looked toward the target.

The target was hit by a bullet in the forehead, jaw, and eye socket—each shot was fatal!

"Excellent marksmanship!" Gao Shiwei couldn't help but clap his hands in praise.

He then shouted, "Enemy helicopters have appeared at 800 meters!"

Zhang Beixing raised his gun and fired, the bullet accurately hitting the driver's human-shaped target's head, sending up a wisp of white smoke.

"Beautiful!" Gao Shiwei laughed. "To be so accurate at such a distance with a rifle, you truly deserve to be called the Wolf Fang's sharpshooter and king of soldiers!"

Zhang Beixing smiled and shook his head: "I'm not the only sharpshooter among the red blood cells."

After saying that, he turned to the team and called out names.

"He Chenguang, Wang Yanbing, step forward! Prepare to fire."

"Yes!!" the two answered in unison.

Seeing that Gao Shiwei did not object, clearly tacitly approving Zhang Beixing's arrangement, He Chenguang and Wang Yanbing breathed a sigh of relief.

The two quickly stepped forward, each taking a rifle and a sniper rifle, and advanced in tactical formation, nimbly crossing the simulated fire blockade and firing alternately as they advanced.

All targets that appeared along the way were accurately shot down by the two men. The targets fell one after another, making a clanging sound like a stirring symphony.

The two's coordinated combat demonstration was exceptionally impressive and captivating.

Gao Shiwei watched with great interest, saying "good" three times in a row, appearing to be in a very good mood.

"That's enough, no need to continue. I now understand that the red blood cells are an excellent fighting force; this trip was worthwhile!"

Seeing that the leader was quite satisfied with the red blood cells, Fan Tianlei secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, Song Kaifei, who had not had a chance to perform in the team, couldn't help but sigh to Xu Tianlong.

The sharp-eyed Gao Shiwei immediately noticed and asked, "What's wrong? This young comrade seems a bit agitated?"

"Report!" Song Kaifei said loudly, "We have undergone extremely rigorous and even brutal training in preparation for the commander's inspection. You can't just look at a part of it."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Xu Tianlong beside him realized something was wrong, thinking to himself, "Nonsense!"

As expected, Gao Shiwei's expression immediately turned serious upon hearing this.

"Are you training just for show? Are you wearing those uniforms just for my benefit?"

Song Kaifei realized he had said the wrong thing and knew he had stirred up a hornet's nest.

He secretly glanced at Zhang Beixing, whose face was filled with displeasure, and sighed inwardly: Oh no, I'm going to get a severe beating when I get back tonight.

Song Kaifei quickly admitted his mistake: "I was wrong!"

Gao Shiwei's expression softened slightly, and he said to the crowd with his hands behind his back, "Although I am the deputy commander of the war zone, how could I organize an exercise that costs over 100 million yuan and involves continuous artillery fire? Do you think I am just trying to fool my superiors? We must not have such thoughts!"

"Soldiers, remember this: you are soldiers, not actors! Your mission is not to perform, but to fight!"

"In my opinion, random checks are a better test of the troops' combat effectiveness than performance reviews."

"Train for war, not for show! I hope you will always remember these six words."

Zhang Beixing led the team in shouting: "Always remember!"

"Loyal to the motherland! Loyal to the people!"

Gao Shiwei nodded in satisfaction and looked at Zhang Beixing.

"Red Cell Special Operations Team, I saw the fighting spirit of warriors in you today, and I am very pleased. I hope you will always maintain this momentum. You are a team capable of winning battles, and I have faith in your combat effectiveness."

"Thank you for the compliment, sir!"

Zhang Beixing showed great respect to the old general who was the same age as his grandfather.

Gao Shiwei laughed heartily.

"Today's unique review has given me hope for a strong future for our motherland. Keep it up."

Zhang Beixing saluted and said, "Please rest assured, sir."

Gao Shiwei nodded: "I still have to inspect other units, so that's all for today. Goodbye, comrades."

After saying that, Gao Shiwei turned around and got into the car without hesitation.

The journalists, having amassed a wealth of visual and news material, happily boarded their vehicles.

The vehicles roared to life, and the convoy sped away like the wind.

The soldiers saluted and watched their commander depart.

At the field training range, billowing dust rose up along the way.

The convoy of jeeps drove further and further away, eventually disappearing from sight.

The red blood cell team members all breathed a sigh of relief, except for Song Kaifei and Zhang Yingying, who had made a mistake and remained standing there anxiously.

Zhang Beixing glanced at the two of them, and Song Kaifei quickly lowered his head to avoid their gaze.

However, Zhang Beixing had no intention of pursuing the pilots' case. After all, each of them had trained for so long, and it was a rare opportunity for them to be reviewed by the military region leaders. If they didn't want to show themselves and instead hid away, Zhang Beixing would only be more disappointed.

He temporarily set aside the matter of the talkative Song Kaifei and slowly walked up to Zhang Yingying. Zhang Yingying kept her head down, not daring to look up, like a primary school student who had made a mistake.

"Brother Beixing, I...I was wrong. I didn't want to lose face like this. If it weren't for you saving face, Red Blood Cell would have been utterly humiliated today."

Zhang Beixing chuckled: "Yingying, don't be afraid of losing face; victory and defeat are common in war. But what's wrong with your mentality?"

He looked at Zhang Yingying intently, his tone full of confusion.

"We've been through so many battles together, you weren't afraid of bullets, why are you so nervous now?"

Zhang Yingying smiled sheepishly, scratched her head and said, "I can't really explain it. I'm not afraid of the enemy, but when I see the commander, I feel like I'm back in school and about to be checked on my homework by the teacher. I panic so much."

Upon hearing this, the comrades around him all laughed.

"Yingying, it seems you were a poor student in school."

Zhang Beixing shook his head helplessly. This habit, formed from childhood under the teacher's intimidation, couldn't be changed in a short time. Fortunately, Zhang Yingying was never intimidated when facing enemies; he could only adjust slowly.

"What are you laughing at? You've made a mess of yourself today and you still have the nerve to laugh at others?"

At this moment, Fan Tianlei walked over alone.

"Zhang Beixing, come with me. General Gao asked me to pass on a few words to you."

Zhang Beixing nodded and turned to follow Fan Tianlei.

A low cheer erupted from the team members. But Zhang Beixing had only taken a few steps when he suddenly turned back.

"Go back and everyone clean the toilets!"

The relieved smiles on the team members' faces instantly froze, turning into bitter expressions.

Zhang Beixing followed Fan Tianlei to a secluded sandy area, where the distant shouts of morning exercises from various camps could be faintly heard.

The two stopped, and Fan Tianlei looked at Zhang Beixing solemnly.

"The old commander has some things to tell you."

Zhang Beixing put on a serious expression: "I am ready."

"It's really not a big deal," Fan Tianlei said with a half-smile. "It's just that the old commander intends to make you a role model for the military region, a paragon of virtue. Isn't that an exciting honor?"

Zhang Beixing thought for a moment, then replied with a grin, "Are you trying to make me a target for the entire military region?"

Hit the nail on the head.

Fan Tianlei did not refute. Since Zhang Beixing saw through it all, he skipped the roundabout way and nodded directly and emphatically.

"That's right, you're absolutely right. If the benchmark isn't strong enough, it doesn't even qualify as a target."

As he spoke, Fan Tianlei sighed softly, paused, and continued:

"Zhang Beixing, you need to be mentally prepared. Being a model for the entire military region is a very tiring thing."

"But the military needs role models because it needs benchmarks. Once you become a benchmark, countless people will want to surpass you. And you cannot be surpassed."

"Why? Because you are a role model, a benchmark, and a target that all soldiers in the army need to constantly strive to catch up with! If you are surpassed, what does that mean? To put it bluntly, you are the flag of the Wolf Fang Special Operations Brigade, your face! Can you let someone pull down the flag and slap us in the face?"

After listening to Fan Tianlei's eloquent speech, Zhang Beixing smiled easily.

"I never think anyone can surpass me. After all, others have just started walking, while I'm already running; others have started sprinting, while I've already reached the finish line."

Upon hearing these boastful words, Fan Tianlei laughed heartily with satisfaction.

But his smile quickly faded.

Zhang Beixing winked slyly: "But you know this is a thankless task. Isn't there some benefit to being this benchmark?"

Fan Tianlei straightened his expression and glared at him helplessly.

"This is to serve the People's Army, why are you always thinking about getting benefits?"

After a moment's thought, Zhang Beixing recalled the matter of operating across the border and said, "Then I'll ask Commander Gao to owe me a personal favor."

Seeing that Zhang Beixing knew when to stop and didn't pursue the matter further, Fan Tianlei breathed a sigh of relief.

"There's one more thing. You've been promoted from the grassroots level for quite some time now, and according to principle, you must go to a military academy to receive advanced military training."

"What? To military academy!" Zhang Beixing raised an eyebrow.

Military academies are ultimately different from front-line combat units. Without the constant dangers of gunfire, where will they earn the merit points needed to upgrade their skills?
Isn't that a bit ridiculous?

Zhang Beixing was very resistant to it.

He immediately refused: "This... military academy is out of the question. I came to the army precisely because I didn't want to go to university, but in the end I still have to go to school. It's really tough."

Fan Tianlei sneered: "Do you think you can just go to military academy whenever you want and not go whenever you don't want to?"

“However,” he changed the subject, “it’s still a long way from the start of the new training, and the Red Cells organization can’t do without you for the time being. Just stay put and follow the organization’s arrangements.”

Seeing how stern Lao Fan's words were, Zhang Beixing refrained from saying anything more.

Anyway, he was determined not to go to any military academy for further studies—he'd rather be an instructor for military academy students!

"Oh, right, there's some good news too."

Zhang Beixing asked curiously, "What?"

"In view of the outstanding performance of Comrades Wang Yanbing and Zhang Yingying during their time at the Red Cell Corps, the military headquarters has decided to award them the rank of Sergeant Major. You will personally confer the rank at that time."

Zhang Beixing frowned slightly: "They have made many military achievements and are already senior sergeants. Why don't they have the opportunity to be promoted to officer? Instead, they were given the title of sergeant major. What is this?"

"Do you think promotion is as easy as cabbage growing on the roadside?" Fan Tianlei said irritably. "Since the military reforms more than a decade ago, opportunities for promotion from the ranks of soldiers have become increasingly rare. There are plenty of veterans who have risen to the rank of sergeant, but does that mean they don't have any military merits? Or do you think everyone is like you?"

"As for the sergeant major, it's part of the military reform pilot program. The 9th Combined Arms Brigade was the first to implement it, and now it's our Wolf Fang Special Operations Brigade's turn. Although they're not officers, they can be promoted step by step, and those who perform exceptionally well can be directly promoted to brigade sergeant major. Is there anything else you're not satisfied with?"

"Do you think that only promotion means a promising future?"

Zhang Beixing's questioning was like a breach in a dam, and Fan Tianlei immediately launched into a long and eloquent speech.

"As a lieutenant colonel, you must have a clear understanding. We are a people's army that is constantly moving forward, and also an army that is continuously reforming and looking towards the future. Future wars will not only rely on the command of officers, but also on the vast number of non-commissioned officers and soldiers!"

"Outstanding non-commissioned officers, in particular, are an extremely important component of a modern professional army. The future holds great promise for non-commissioned officers, and they will become increasingly valued!"

Seeing that the conman was about to make his move again, Zhang Beixing curled his lip and quickly waved his hand to interrupt.

"I will resolutely obey the organization's arrangements!"

After saying that, he turned and ran, determined not to give Fan Tianlei any further chance to make a move.

Promotion...

Countless soldiers who joined the People's Army eagerly awaited such an opportunity.

Successfully being promoted to officer means crossing over from the stage of conscript to a true officer, where one can dedicate their life to the military.

However, since the military reforms of many years ago, the opportunity to be promoted from soldiers to officers from the grassroots level has become increasingly rare, like phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, and it is far from enough to qualify for promotion based solely on personal excellence.

Zhang Beixing was fully aware of this.

The reason I'm bringing this up again is because it carries a sense of injustice.

Both Wang Yanbing and Li Erniu were undoubtedly outstanding soldiers.

Even so, the hope of being promoted to second lieutenant remains slim and uncertain.

However, Fan Tianlei's words today finally brought Zhang Beixing some comfort. (End of this chapter)