Chapter 29: Playing Every Scheme, Open and Secret

Early the next morning, Xu Guoqing and the other officers announced that the game had concluded. They brought the veterans back to the Iron Fist Regiment, those who had spent the entire night lying in ambush on Cangshan Mountain only to come up empty-handed.

The veterans were utterly dejected, especially those who had been eliminated by the recruits, feeling a profound sense of frustration. Many of them had participated in these "cat-and-mouse" games several times before, and in every previous instance, they had crushed the recruits' morale so thoroughly that they had no hope of resistance. But this year, the contrast brought by this game was simply too great.

Until the very end, they had remained on the back mountain, hoping to ambush Qi Tian and his group to stage a spectacular comeback. Little did they know that their own command post had been completely overrun by the recruits. If Xu Guoqing hadn't ordered the recruits to return to the Iron Fist Regiment ahead of schedule the night before, they would have all been stuck on the back mountain this morning, forced to watch the recruits complete their withdrawal.

"Company Commander, Old Qiu and I share an uncanny intuition: I fear that as soon as the recruit training period ends, Qi Tian will be directly transferred by the higher-ups. What do you think about that..." At the entrance of the Iron Fist Regiment, Old Hei sighed as he registered the returning troops.

Before Xu Guoqing could respond, a noisy commotion drifted over from the nearby training ground. Xu Guoqing’s expression darkened, and he asked the veteran on sentry duty, "What is going on? Which battalion is training?"

"Company Commander, this isn't our veterans making all that noise!" the sentry replied with a wry smile, gesturing toward the field. "Last night, for some reason, these recruits started chanting Qi Tian's name, and then, like they’d gone mad, they sprinted back to their barracks. Moments later, they rushed back to the field. The racket they made was so loud that no one could sleep. I couldn't help but go out and take a look, and I found the recruits acting like they’d been injected with adrenaline, frantically reciting the military regulations and codes. I’ll never forget that scene as long as I live!

"I asked around later and found out it was all because of that kid, Qi Tian. Apparently, he got into a scuffle with a guy named Zhang Meng. He defeated him in less than four moves—his martial arts skills are truly formidable. Now, all the recruits want to learn fighting from him; one even knelt down and begged to be his apprentice! The kid simply set a rule: any recruit who recites twenty pages of regulations a day gets to learn his moves. You should go see for yourself; these recruits are obsessed. Even when I was cramming for my college entrance exams, I wasn't half as crazy as they are!"

"He defeated Zhang Meng in less than four moves?!"

As soon as the sentry finished speaking, the expressions of the officers standing nearby shifted in unison. Xu Guoqing turned sharply toward the ten squad leaders of the recruit company, his tone filled with shock: "Besides the one from the Donghai Institute of Physical Education, is there a second Zhang Meng in our recruit company?"

"No, Company Commander, that must be him!"

"Damn, this kid is really going to turn our Iron Fist Regiment upside down!"

"Zhang Meng is one of the top prospects our city of Donghai has been grooming for the Olympic Games. They say he’s the foremost expert in ancient martial arts in nearly a hundred years, with a body like bronze and iron. And even such a powerhouse couldn't last four rounds against Qi Tian? This... is this kid even human?"

The squad leaders could not hide their astonishment, and they voiced their reactions one after another. Hearing this, the sentry finally realized the gravity of the situation. Glancing back toward the training ground, his eyes were clearly filled with a mix of wariness and awe.

"Good, good, very good!"

After a long silence, Xu Guoqing finally came back to his senses. He nodded with a smile and addressed the squad leaders: "A golden dragon trapped in a shallow pond, awaiting the wind and clouds to soar! Mark my words: the achievements of this kid, Qi Tian, will be nothing short of dazzling in the future. His military proficiency is rock-solid, he is brave and resourceful, and he knows how to exploit human nature. This kid has truly opened my eyes!"

"Company Commander, I can understand you calling him militarily proficient and resourceful, but what do you mean by him 'exploiting human nature'?" the Seventh Squad Leader asked.

Qi Tian had been at the Iron Fist Regiment for barely half a week. No matter how sharp or experienced Xu Guoqing’s judgment was, how could he possibly tell that Qi Tian was manipulating human nature? The Seventh Squad Leader was utterly baffled, as were the others. It was no wonder they questioned him—Xu Guoqing’s assessment was so high that it bordered on the absurd, leaving them completely bewildered. Some of them had known Xu Guoqing for nearly eight years, and this was the first time they had ever heard him praise a recruit in such a manner.

Finally, it was Old Hei, who understood Qi Tian better than the rest, who stepped in to resolve their confusion. "Everyone, you need to consider one question: why did Qi Tian choose to challenge Zhang Meng last night, and why did he strike with such lightning speed, defeating the top expert in ancient martial arts in under four moves? They had been marching for five hours straight without a break—don't you think they were tired?

"If I’m not mistaken, the kid wanted to capitalize on the momentum he built last night to make the recruits completely surrender to his influence. Then, he leveraged their burning desire to become stronger to make the recitation of regulations the 'price' for learning his skills. From the moment the game started last night until this very second, Qi Tian has played both sides of the coin: he used underhanded tactics to deal with us, and overt, brilliant tactics to deal with his own people."

"Hiss... there's such deep meaning behind it! Old Hei, if what you say is true, this kid is truly calculating, and ruthless too—he’s even manipulating his own peers!" The Second Squad Leader’s eyes widened as he inhaled sharply.

Even the sentry couldn't help but nod. "No wonder they call him the 'King of Recruits.' There really is a shadow of a true soldier-king in him!"

The other squad leaders and the veterans behind the two battalion commanders remained silent, but their expressions grew strange. For a single recruit to possess such deep calculation—not only outmaneuvering his opponents but also exploiting his own side—was something they had never heard of or seen in all their years in the service.

"The 'King of Recruits'? That’s an interesting title!" Xu Guoqing glanced at the sentry, thought for a moment, and turned to the ten squad leaders. "Listen to me clearly: this batch of recruits must be trained thoroughly; there can be no negligence. I have a premonition that our Iron Fist Regiment is about to cultivate a new breed of soldiers unlike any the military has ever seen. Our regiment, and indeed the entire 386th Brigade, has been quiet in the Southeast Military Region for too long—it’s time we made some noise.

"Since Qi Tian has already set the momentum, you are to harness it. Integrate the training of all ten squads. With him leading the way, I believe every recruit will perform at 120 percent of their potential. Your job is to ensure their safety while training them until they drop. Don't go easy on them!"

Hearing this, the ten squad leaders immediately grasped his intent. They nodded in unison and replied firmly: "Yes, sir! Mission accepted!"