Noticing that Ye Jian seemed to be in deep thought, he continued, “Those few days when your school has military training, the soldiers there will be from this base itself. There’s no need for you to participate in those baby steps like attention, standing at ease and singing the military songs. As long as you agree, I can guarantee that we’ll bring you to a good place.”
To a good place?
The national military training indeed was baby steps to her. From the moment Teacher Tong announced it, she had already thought about asking for leave. It was a pity that this was going to be recorded into her student files, so she was forced to give up her idea.
From the looks of it, she did have a chance not to participate, but Regimental Commander Liu had also voiced out his terms.
It would be a lie if she said she’s not enticed. But the motorized infantry training was indeed a challenge for her.
Regimental Commander Liu’s discerning eyes spotted Ye Jian’s hesitation, and he started fanning the flame. “And there’s absolutely nothing that you can lose, whether you satisfy the terms I have laid down for you. Isn’t it true that you still have to come here every night? Even if you don’t satisfy my requirements, there’s nothing you can lose from it! The worst that could happen is that you end up participating in the week-long baby-steps training, and making the officers invite you up to become the ‘model soldier’ for the students or something like that.”
That was indeed the case. If Ye Jian didn’t meet the requirements, she would not lose anything. And if she met the criteria, she would benefit! She could compete with the other motorized infantrymen while also being able to skip the military training!
No matter how she looked at it, it seemed like a good offer.
Realizing that the prospects of their plan were going smoothly, Regimental Commander Liu sneaked a meaningful glance at the smiling political commissar. Now, it was time for Political Commissar Yan, who was always great at working at emotions and thoughts, to join the fray.
As a political commissar who came from an instructing background, the moment he entered the conversation, he immediately started to influence her thoughts. He chuckled, “It’s not long, it’s just a seven day holiday. Once those seven days are up, you can return. Besides, I will also ensure that it won’t affect the marks that you’ll get from the military training written in your student records. On the other hand, this event will also help you to get higher political marks when you’re trying to enrol into Military School.”
With that said, Ye Jian was much more interested. But in front of her was Regimental Commander Liu, who was a ‘tiger’ that devoured people whole, and Political Commissar Yan, who was currently conversing with her with a smile on his face, was also a ‘grinning tiger’. Ye Jian directed her gaze towards Xia Jinyuan, who hadn’t spoken since the beginning.
She took a step back, and her arm gently touched him, who seemed to be rooted in thought. She asked quietly, “Captain Xia, do you think I should agree to it?”
A regimental commander was able to promise the little fox that they were going to take a journey, and it could also add political bonus marks, and this wasn’t something that can be ignored.
And the little fox chose him to man the gates, Xia Jinyuan, who had obtained her trust, motioned for her to stay calm. He smiled and asked Regimental Commander Liu, “Commander, you don’t normally discuss these things with soldiers, and now you’re doing this suddenly. We’re not quite used to this.”
“How about this, Regimental Commander Liu, Ye Jian doesn’t know what the trip you’re talking about is like, and she’s in the dark about the requirements she has to meet before she can follow you on that trip. How about this, you let her observe the standards she needs to achieve before she can follow you onto that mission.”
Regimental Commander Liu glanced at Ye Jian, then once more at Xia Jinyuan. His gaze shimmered for a moment, and he started laughing while thinking it over, “Deal, that means that there’s a chance, right? Major Xia, could you decide this on little lass’s behalf?”
“But we still have to let Ye Jian decide for herself; I am responsible for making sure her odds are evened out. There’s no helping this. Regimental Commander Liu, you’re the ‘Buddha’ of the military, no one should even dream of escaping from your palm. Ye Jian is a little lass; you see, you just gave her a little taste of those benefits, and she already believes you even before tasting the sweetness.”
“I’m just here to even out her odds and see what type of standards you need her to achieve. Judging that to get the general idea of what you’re trying to make her do.”
Xia Jinyuan was an expert at sparring with his superiors, bringing them through circles and hoops, and testing the waters. He would always grasp the upper hand in the palm of his hands, and he didn’t allow others to lead the topic away easily.
