Chapter 15: Becoming A Platoon Leader??
Chen Jun’s mission was even more arduous than others’ because he needed to fight for a new track.
It was also returning to his most proficient track.
To build up his bamboo pole physique, in the past half month, Chen Jun not only intensified cross-country but also did various weightlifting and stamina training.
Steel Seventh Company had no professional fitness equipment, so Chen Jun utilized his hands-on ability to make his own.
Welding a steel pipe between two wheels made a purely handmade barbell, paired with scrap steel plates for weight plates.
Without a rowing machine, he used a tire inner tube, added a scrapped seat from a vehicle, and welded two iron rods as oars.
It could temporarily make do.
Things like Roman chairs, butterfly chest presses, dumbbells, bench racks, and Smith racks, etc.
In front of Chen Jun with strong hands-on ability, none of them were a difficulty; using scrap from the combat vehicle maintenance workshop, he made them all in a few days.
A bunch of ugly handmade fitness equipment, neatly arranged in the corner of the parade ground.
Don’t say.
It actually had quite an outdoor gym feel.
The company was not short of veteran soldiers who liked to train muscles, and Chen Jun’s personally built outdoor gym became everyone’s leisure center in their spare time.
Chen Jun was very happy to be a professional fitness coach, guiding everyone to build strength and fitness together with him.
The bond between Chen Jun and the veteran soldiers also continuously improved bit by bit, and the bad impression Chen Jun had left before gradually faded with time.
The benefit it brought was…
Chen Jun’s influence in Steel Seventh Company was slowly rising imperceptibly.
Scientific professional training methods, paired with pure handmade DIY various fitness equipment assistance, and Company Commander Gao Cheng’s separately provided protein ingredients.
In this past half month, Chen Jun had very significant gains.
Successfully completed 10 kilograms of muscle gain, pulling his weight up to 150 pounds at once.
Although the revolution had just begun, still a considerable distance from the 180-pound standard weight for his 89-meter height, and the 200-pound double-door perfect cross-country with load body.
But once this person’s frame was filled out, the change was enormous.
First of all, his spirit looked much better, no longer giving the frail impression of a skinny bamboo pole; his image and temperament had also risen several levels.
“You kid put on a few pounds of meat; you finally look a bit like a soldier.”
This was Gao Cheng’s summary of Chen Jun’s muscle gain!
Moreover, Chen Jun’s such fast muscle gain speed finally let Gao Cheng see a bit of hope, imagining Chen Jun’s 89-meter height, if he could get strong, snatching meat from Sixth Company’s mouth might really be possible.
With hope comes anticipation.
When Chen Jun’s weight rose a level, his daily protein and carb intake demand increased, nearly doubling the amount.
Gao Cheng didn’t even blink, handing the procurement list to the quartermaster.
Instructing him to procure the various foods Chen Jun needed on time and in quantity every day.
Muscles supported purely by exercise and food, every cell full of sweat and hard work, those were live muscles containing explosive power.
Not comparable to those from injections or drugs.
Gao Cheng had reason to believe in Chen Jun, believe Chen Jun could train his physique up, become Steel Seventh Company’s first tough guy, challenging Inner Mongolia tough guy Ba Te Er.
As for whether it would ultimately succeed, set that aside for now; only by striving hard first was there hope.
With Company Commander Gao Cheng responsible for formulating the training plan, Chen Jun personally responsible for execution and leading, the political instructor constantly doing ideological work and pumping chicken blood on the side.
Cross-country special training proceeded in an orderly manner, with results showing daily improvements.
In the blink of an eye.
A week passed.
This noon, Chen Jun was in his private small kitchen, the vacant deputy company commander office, eating his muscle gain meal, when Company Commander Gao Cheng quietly came over.
“Chen Jun, eating?”
Gao Cheng walked in chuckling.
Chen Jun was like a plot of undeveloped land; digging every day yielded new astonishing harvests. Gao Cheng found Chen Jun more and more pleasing to the eye.
“Hello, Company Commander.”
Chen Jun immediately set down his bowl and chopsticks and stood to greet.
Now his status in the company had risen, and he had preliminarily gained Gao Cheng’s trust, but he absolutely could not become arrogant; being arrogant was a military taboo.
“Sit, sit, sit, keep eating, no need to stand.”
Gao Cheng hurriedly reached out to pat Chen Jun’s shoulder, then sat on the left side of the table where Chen Jun was eating.
“Then I’ll not stand on ceremony, haha.”
Chen Jun followed all the rules he should, did what he should generously, every gesture neither humble nor arrogant; he smiled and sat back down.
“I came to find you to talk about something.”
Gao Cheng was also straightforward, not beating around the bush: “This year’s new recruit company will be led by our Seventh Company; you should have heard about this long ago.
The company just received notification from the regiment; the quotas for new recruit company’s leading cadres and backbones have been determined.
New recruit company’s company commander will be me, political instructor is Red Third Company’s He Hongtao, three platoon leaders and leading backbones to be dispatched from each company.”
“Being close to the water gets the moon first; now all the good soldier seedlings can’t run away. Looks like I should congratulate you in advance, Company Commander.” Chen Jun offered a flattering remark.
“Of course.”
Gao Cheng smugly smiled, pulled out a cigarette, opened the cigarette case gesturing to Chen Jun.
“Company Commander, I’ve quit smoking.”
Chen Jun waved his hand in rejection, continuing to eat his beef.
“Not smoking is good, saves money, good for the body too; unlike me, if my nose wasn’t still breathing air, it’d probably be smoking out of my nose.”
Gao Cheng self-deprecatingly smiled, lit the cigarette, took a drag, and said: “The regiment gave our Seventh Company three backbone quotas, one platoon leader quota.
The political instructor and I discussed, decided to have you go to the new recruit company as platoon leader, adapt in advance to being a platoon leader. What do you think?”
In the original drama, the platoon leader quota went to Shi Jin; now Chen Jun emerged as a dark horse, and the plot had begun to change.
The butterfly effect was starting to show!
“Have me be the platoon leader of the new recruit platoon?”
Chen Jun was shocked by the news; the beef on his chopsticks was forgotten in his mouth.
In Chen Jun’s original plan, becoming a platoon leader should be at least three months later; stabilizing as a company backbone squad leader would already be satisfying.
And new recruits in the new recruit company knew nothing, everything starting from zero, so the training tasks were actually very heavy.
Plus, the new recruit company was a focal point; not only would officers and soldiers from other companies watch here, regiment leaders would also watch here.
Every new recruit’s performance would be seen by all officers and leaders in the regiment.
The performance of every leading cadre and leading backbone, their training command and professional abilities, would also be seen by all officers in the regiment.
If a backbone squad leader led poorly, it would lose face for their own company.
So.
To show their company’s strength, and also to train their own backbones’ professional abilities, each company would dispatch their most excellent backbones to lead.
Squad leaders with lesser ability weren’t qualified.
And now Gao Cheng not only let Chen Jun go, but gave the one and only platoon leader quota, such an important position, to Chen Jun, placing such high trust.
This made Chen Jun, who was baggage just a month ago, inevitably surprised by the news.
