My Military Career in a Parallel World

"When each row announces their program, please pay attention and don't play any songs like Green Flowers in the Army!"

At noon, when compiling the program list, Ge Hongtao did not forget to give a reminder.

I have to remind you because this kind of songs are too destructive.

The new recruits are a little better, but the old soldiers really can't hear anything.

Especially as the year draws to a close, the demobilization season will follow immediately after the New Year. If this kind of song appears at the gala, it goes without saying that the number of people who will be discharged next year will at least double.

Many privates and sergeants who were about to leave the team may change their minds.

Now is different from before. The reconnaissance battalion already has fewer soldiers. If a large number of veterans retire...

Therefore, Ge Hongtao had no choice but to be cautious.

This aspect is also taken into consideration when arranging rehearsals. Problems discovered are solved promptly to prevent a good gala from turning into a scene of tears.

After lunch, there was no further training in the afternoon. Everyone in the company gathered in the cafeteria with their small yellow basins.

As for what to do...

A must-do activity during every festival in the army is to help in the kitchen and prepare for the evening dinner, or to put it simply, it means making dumplings.

Although dumplings are not eaten during the Chinese New Year in many areas of the south, it does not prevent the troops from preserving this tradition.

Not to mention, a large number of soldiers here, to be exact, nearly half of them are from the north.

Just like many southern soldiers were sent to the north to join the army, it was the same reason why northern recruits like Jiang Chen and Li Qiang came to the south to serve.

Although I have been in the army for so long, I should have adapted to it by now, but the reality is...

Seeing the small yellow basin in his hand, Jiang Chen still felt a little nauseous for some reason.

His little yellow basin was already very clean.

At most, it can be used to wash your face, feet, and clothes...

At most, you will have the experience of cleaning the toilet once more.

At least, he has never used this thing to dig out manure.

But the little yellow basins of other people in the class...

Especially veterans like Li Gang, god knows what they have done with this thing.

However, no matter how unwilling I am, I can't change anything.

Jiang Chen can only work hard to overcome and adapt...

Come to the cafeteria.

There were more than three hundred soldiers attending the dinner in the evening, and even if we only counted their own company, there were more than a hundred people.

Soldiers are all big eaters, each one eats more than the other.

Needless to say, each person needs to prepare at least one kilogram of dumplings to barely make enough for this group of people.

Please note that the one jin here does not refer to the weight of the dumplings, but the weight of the dough.

According to the calculation method in Jiang Chen’s hometown, one pound is about sixty dumplings.

Based on Jiang Chen's own appetite, before joining the army, if he only ate dumplings, he could easily eat more than sixty dumplings in one meal, and this is still a conservative calculation.

If you eat it open...

There was a record of Jiang Chen when he just started working in his previous life.

On the day of the winter solstice, I went out to eat a pound of dumplings by myself. Just after I came back, my friend dragged me out to eat another pound of dumplings and half a pound of pot stickers. Less than two hours after I finished eating, another colleague forced me to go again.

At the end of the day, according to incomplete statistics, Jiang Chen ate at least two hundred dumplings that day.

Moreover, Jiang Chen's appetite is relatively small.

Because he often stays up late playing games online, he is about 1.8 meters tall but thin. If he were a strong person of the same age with the same height, his figure would probably be twice as thin.

This little brat is going to eat me to death. I’m not joking.

In the reconnaissance company, there are many such people, and there are many who can make seventy, eighty or one hundred dumplings in one meal.

So, even though so many people come to help, the workload is not small at all.

Half of the people were kneading dough in small yellow basins, while the other half were preparing the fillings.

I have to say that as long as a veteran has been in the army for more than three years, his other skills may not be known, but he is definitely a master at kneading dough.

Even soldiers like Li Gang, who are from the south, don't often eat pasta.

While Jiang Chen was kneading the dough, the fat boy Sun Weichen was responsible for rolling out the dough. He held a rolling pin in each hand and worked with both hands. Not only was his speed fast, but the dough he rolled out was also round and flat.

"Oh my god, Xiaopang, you roll out the dumpling wrappers really well!"

Sun Weichen would come to see Jiang Chen whenever he had something to do or not, and after a few visits he became familiar with the other people in Class 3.

Look, seeing Sun Weicheng using both hands, Lu Xingwang immediately exclaimed in surprise.

"Hehe, it's nothing. Although we don't eat dumplings often, we like to eat wonton. We make it at home every day. After a long time, we get used to it."

As he was talking, the dumpling filling on the other side was also ready.

There are several large pots filled with dumpling fillings, both meat and vegetarian. You can just fill in whatever filling you want.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, everyone was still busy in the cafeteria, but Jiang Chen and several other soldiers in a row who had signed up for individual programs had to stop what they were doing and go to the battalion auditorium to rehearse for the party.

The final result of this rehearsal will also determine the order in which they will appear in the evening.

……

When we arrived at the rehearsal site, there were soldiers setting up the venue under the command of their leader, and some people who were obviously not soldiers were standing aside watching the fun.

Most of the people inside were women and children. The children were playing around while the women were chatting together.

What? Are you thinking about whether something bad will happen to the kids playing nearby?

Don’t you see where we are? There is no safer place in China than here!

As for why there are women and children in the army...

These are the military dependents living in the military compound of the regiment headquarters and the families of soldiers who have rushed over from nearby provinces.

There may not be so many military dependents in ordinary troops, but the reconnaissance battalion is an exception.

Because of the special nature of scouts, coupled with their location on the border, there are some potential requirements for getting married and having children.

For example, when carrying out some particularly dangerous missions, military leaders will ask questions such as who is not married and has no children.

Although this situation is not common in the military and is more common among drug enforcement police, it does not mean that it does not exist at all.

It’s okay for ordinary soldiers. The service period is there and a group of them leave every three or four years, so the impact is not that big.

But the same cannot be said for officers.

As long as you become an officer, unless there are special circumstances, the minimum service period is twelve years.

Older soldiers like Li Cheng who were promoted due to their merits are basically married and have children.

It is relatively easy for officers to find a partner.

In addition, the regiment commander Zheng Xingguo has relaxed the threshold for family members to accompany the troops...

-

In order to avoid the evening party from being boring, the rehearsal was not held inside the venue. It was only held here to give Jiang Chen and the others a basic impression of the stage.

After walking around the venue to familiarize themselves with the environment, Jiang Chen and others were taken to a small bungalow at the back of the auditorium that had been cleaned up and used as a temporary backstage. They had to go up here one by one to perform the shows they would be performing in the evening.

The people responsible for the review were naturally the instructor of their reconnaissance battalion and the two cultural officers from the regiment headquarters who were specifically responsible for related matters.

The other people's performances were okay.

Although the singing and guitar playing skills of several people were far better than Jiang Chen, it did not attract much attention.

The main reason is that there are too many people who choose to sing.

Among Jiang Chen's group of soldiers alone, at least 30% of the programs they signed up for were related to singing.

This is still under restrictions. For example, a class that has signed up for a chorus program cannot also sign up for a solo program.

Otherwise, this number would have to at least double.

"Jiang Chen!"

"To!"

Hearing his name, Jiang Chen quickly stood up and responded.

"The song you are going to sing is... 'Brothers Forever'?" Looking at the program list in his hand, the officer in charge of review said hesitantly.

"Report to the commander, yes!" Jiang Chen said affirmatively.

"Well, it only takes five minutes to prepare. Once you are ready, you can start."

"Yes!"

While Jiang Chen was making preparations, the two officials below started discussing in a low voice.

"Have you heard this song?" an officer asked his companion next to him.

The companion shook his head: "No, maybe it's the folk song of that place?"

"Nonsense! With just this name, you're telling me it's a folk song?"

"That should be a newly released song. It's impossible that he wrote it himself..." the officer said in a teasing tone.

It's no wonder he said that. The main reason is that there are so many soldiers coming and going in the army every year. Among them, there may be soldiers with good singing skills, and some are almost catching up with professional singers, but those who can write their own songs and write well...

Anyway, they have never encountered each other in all these years.

As he was speaking, Jiang Chen on the other side was already ready and walked to the microphone with a guitar in his arms.

The two officers in charge of program review stopped talking and looked up at Jiang Chen.

These two people needed it for work, but the others didn't give them that much face.

Although they seemed to be paying attention, if you looked closely you could find that many people's attention was not on Jiang Chen at all, including the instructor Tian Zhiqiang, who was casually flipping through the list of rehearsal programs.

However, when Jiang Chen's singing began, this situation gradually disappeared.

Everyone's eyes were involuntarily focused on Jiang Chen, who was singing with a guitar in the middle of the room.

Although the background music seems particularly thin due to the playing of a guitar, it does not hinder the infectiousness of the song itself.

Dao Lang's song "Forever Brothers" may be okay for ordinary people, but for soldiers, especially veterans, it is absolutely lethal.

Look, when Jiang Chen finished singing a song, the expressions on the faces of dozens of veterans at the scene were more or less filled with a hint of nostalgia and sadness.

This kind of sadness is not a negative emotion. It is simply the memories of old comrades/brothers evoked by Jiang Chen's singing.

"it is good!"

Instructor Tian Zhiqiang stood up first.

This was followed by thunderous applause.

-

"Comrade Jiang Chen, please wait a moment!"

When everyone had finished rehearsing and Jiang Chen was about to leave, the officer in charge of reviewing the program suddenly stood up and called him.

"Hello, Chief! Hello, instructor!" Jiang Chen walked up to several leaders and saluted and greeted them.

The instructor Tian Zhiqiang smiled and raised his hand to return the greeting, then he said, "Don't be nervous. I asked you to come here for no other reason. These two comrades just want to confirm something with you."

As he spoke, Tian Zhiqiang turned his head and looked to his side.

One of the officers smiled and said, "Comrade Jiang Chen, I just searched the Internet and found that the song you sang..."

Before he finished speaking, Jiang Chen already understood what he meant.

He had been mentally prepared for this scene when he decided to use this song as the song for his party.

Without hesitation, Jiang Chen nodded and answered affirmatively: "The commander guessed correctly, I wrote this song myself."

While saying this, Jiang Chen silently said to Teacher Daolang and the two teachers who wrote the lyrics and composed the music: "I'm sorry."

Although they were mentally prepared, the two cultural secretaries couldn't help but gasp when they heard the answer in person.

The main job of a cultural secretary is to organize and carry out cultural activities. The nature of their work allows them to understand the value of Jiang Chen's song better than ordinary people.

This song "Brothers Forever" may be far inferior to those classic songs that have been popular for ten or even dozens of years, but it does not hinder its excellence at all.

The lyricist of this song, Mr. Ji Daoqing, is also no ordinary person. He once served as the deputy director of the art troupe of the political department of a certain military region and held the rank of colonel. After retiring from the army, he served as the vice chairman of the Bulk Province Television Artists Association and a national first-class screenwriter.

This is why the lyrics of this song are so lethal to soldiers.

Then, the two cultural officers asked Jiang Chen many questions about the song.

Jiang Chen answered truthfully.

He is not pretending to know something or talking about professional knowledge.

He just said that he wrote a few lyrics on a whim. After joining the army, he had a new understanding of comradeship and brotherhood, and slowly perfected the lyrics he had written before.

As a student of a prestigious university, this excuse can be barely explained.

As for composing music, it is even simpler.

At that time, the great god he was looking for...

He is said to be a great player, but in fact he is just a graduate from a music college. He cut down and simplified the original melody of the song to create the song that Jiang Chen plays now.

The composition of this song itself is not too amazing, it is mainly the lyrics and Daolang's singing, the chemical reaction of the three that makes the song undergo a qualitative change.

When two cultural officials asked him how he could compose music without knowing music theory, Jiang Chen's answer was just two words...

"Hum~"

As for why he said that, it was mainly because in his previous life, when he was watching a variety show, a suspected system holder, a well-known composer who was as prolific as a sow and had a variety of music styles spanning N dimensions, answered in this way...

Looking at Jiang Chen's leaving back, the two cultural secretaries from the regiment headquarters looked at each other and both fell into a state of doubt about their lives.

Huh?!

Can Hengheng write a song of this level?

What an international joke! !

This is simply too outrageous!

Just like the expression Jiang Chen had when he held the phone and heard the famous composer's answer.

-

eight pm.

In the battalion headquarters auditorium, Battalion Commander Lei Zhenjun stood upright on the stage, without any microphone or speaker, and shouted at the top of his voice: "Comrades, family members, due to some special reasons, we have to postpone the gala originally scheduled for New Year's Eve to today!

Here, on behalf of the country and all the soldiers/officers of the reconnaissance battalion, I want to say this to you...

Feel sorry!

We are soldiers, and the responsibilities we bear as soldiers require us to sacrifice our own families for the sake of everyone.

For the lights of the thousands of families behind me..."

Lei Zhenjun did not say any high-sounding words, but expressed his inner feelings with the simplest and most practical words and actions.

As he bent his waist, which had been straight and not shaken at all even in the face of fire, swords, and bullets, the families of the soldiers in the audience could not help but have tears in their eyes.

Being a soldier is hard, being a soldier's family member is even harder...