Sword of Light: Humanoid Self-Propelled Artillery

Chapter 79 Special Forces Soldiers Should Be Treated Like Special Forces Soldiers
Although Wang Gensheng was somewhat unhappy with Li Yunlong's words, it was indeed Wang Gensheng who robbed the Huting stronghold, so it was understandable that Li Yunlong was unhappy.

So Wang Gensheng naturally didn't take it to heart. What Wang Gensheng was thinking about now was another problem, which was how to get some benefits for the special cavalry company under his command.

You know, from the time Wang Gensheng just formed the special cavalry company to the most recent time when he followed him to cut off the Huting stronghold with three times the number of troops as his own, every time he was dancing on the edge of a knife in the charge.

After winning so many battles, Wang Gensheng was promoted to the position of deputy regiment commander.

But most of the soldiers in his cavalry company are just ordinary soldiers!

If this situation happened in an ordinary troop, the soldier in the cavalry company would at least be a squad leader, if nothing else.

This is why there are no military ranks in the Eighth Route Army now. If it were placed in the special forces a few decades later, the starting rank of an ordinary soldier in the special forces would be squad leader.

You have to know that decades later, special forces soldiers are not just exceptionally skilled, but more importantly, their ranks are significantly higher than those of ordinary soldiers! A private in an ordinary unit might still be sweeping the drill ground, while a special forces soldier of the same age might already be a veteran with the rank of Third Class Sergeant!

You have to understand that special forces soldiers who achieve high ranks don't just get there by doing nothing. Do you think they're just fast runners, good shooters, or skilled fighters?

First of all, just the selection stage alone can cause 90% of ordinary soldiers to fail!
For example, in the simplest and most basic selection of special forces, more than 3,000 candidates are vying to join a special forces unit, but 2,000 are eliminated in the first round of physical fitness tests.

A passing score is a 5km cross-country run with a load in 23 minutes – a pace even delivery drivers can't match! The remaining elites must also endure psychological stress tests, such as blindfolded firearm disassembly and assembly, a 72-hour sleep-deprived mission simulation, and even being thrown into a deep mountain forest for wilderness survival. Those who survive to the end are naturally crowned the military kings, and who else deserves such a rank if not them?

Speaking of military rank, there's a key detail: even the most junior soldiers in special forces units start at sergeant. While a new recruit in a regular unit might be sweeping floors and cleaning rifles with the rank of private, a special forces soldier of the same age might already be a sergeant. Such a rank would at least be squad leader-level in a regular unit.

This isn't military favoritism, but rather the result of years of service and combat experience. A true story circulating within a special operations unit: A third-class sergeant, while on a cross-border mission, pursued a drug lord through the rainforest for three days and nights, armed only with a saber and half a can of water. Should such a ruthless individual be given a promotion?

The rank of military officer is even more interesting. You think that a special forces team leader with only a few men under him is a greenhorn?
But they started out as a middle-level unit, and all those who have led actual combat missions are from the upper-level unit. During a crime-fighting operation, a commander from the upper-level unit led a six-man team to raid a criminal hideout. He suddenly changed tactics on the spot, using a drone as a feint to draw fire while he led his men through a sewage pipe to eliminate the criminals.

This kind of on-the-spot adaptability is simply impossible without ten or eight years of actual combat experience. Meanwhile, officers of the same rank in ordinary units might still be in their offices studying exercise maps!

What's even more exciting is yet to come. The squadron leader of the special forces starts out as a low-ranking official with only forty or fifty soldiers under him. Every time he goes on a mission, he is wrestling with the god of death.

You have to understand that in ordinary troops, the rank of Junior Officer would start at a battalion commander overseeing 300 to 500 men, but in special forces, it would only be a top soldier in charge of a platoon. Therefore, the rank and the number of men managed in special forces are two or three levels higher than those in ordinary troops.

But now is not decades later, the Eighth Route Army has a mature military rank system and special forces promotion mechanism, so Wang Gensheng is the only one who can help them seek benefits and let these brothers who have followed him through life and death enjoy the treatment they deserve.

So when Wang Gensheng handed the report to Kong Jie, Kong Jie was naturally stunned and said to Wang Gensheng:
"What do you mean? Are you going to disband the special cavalry company you worked so hard to build? And you're even asking me to assign deputy squad leader positions to even the most basic soldiers!"

When Wang Gensheng heard what Kong Jie said, it was obvious that Kong Jie had misunderstood what he meant, so he quickly explained:

"Captain, I'm not trying to disband the Special Cavalry Company. I'm trying to improve their welfare. Think about it, Captain. Since its formation, the Special Cavalry Company has fought countless battles, big and small. To be frank, it's not an exaggeration to say that half of the wealth of our new Second Regiment came from the battles fought by the Cavalry Company!"

After hearing this, Kong Jie nodded in agreement:
"That's right, so you've been promoted to deputy commander! We in the Eighth Route Army have clear rewards and punishments! If you think the deputy commander position isn't enough, why don't you take on the regular position? To be honest, I, Old Kong, really admire your fighting skills. It's no shame to be your deputy!"

Wang Gensheng listened to Kong Jie's words and knew that Kong Jie had misunderstood him even more. He immediately waved his hand and said:
"Captain, I'm already very satisfied with this deputy commander. Although I trained the Special Cavalry Company, I didn't fight this battle alone! The soldiers in the cavalry company have also made great contributions. If these contributions were placed in other regiments, with the abilities and combat exploits of the soldiers in the cavalry company, they would definitely be deputy squad leaders!"

"But if you assign all the soldiers in the cavalry company to other battalions and squads as deputy squad leaders, won't the cavalry company be left with no one?"

Obviously, Kong Jie's mind hadn't come to its senses yet, so Wang Gensheng could only explain in more detail:

"This is just an acting deputy squad leader. He's just a name in this squad, but he's still in the cavalry company. This will make the soldiers in the cavalry company feel better! Last time, a soldier in the cavalry company told me that his fellow villagers were deputy squad leaders, but he was still an ordinary soldier. He killed several Japanese soldiers! So he felt it was unfair!"

After hearing Wang Gensheng's explanation, Kong Jie immediately nodded in agreement:

"That's no problem. The soldiers of your cavalry company have experienced so many battles and made so many contributions to the New Second Regiment. They deserve a promotion. We can resolve this matter within our regiment!"

Wang Gensheng was relieved when he heard Kong Jie agreed. Wang Gensheng was afraid that Kong Jie would not agree, which would be bad. Moreover, all the soldiers in the cavalry company were at the deputy squad leader level, so it would sound good if it were said out loud!
Even in the future, the special cavalry company will recruit people. Needless to say, those soldiers will definitely compete to join. After all, as long as they pass the selection, they will be at the level of deputy squad leader. Which soldier doesn't want to join!

(End of this chapter)