Chapter 362 Hungry
"Haha, just average, third in the country." Liu Zhiye said proudly with his big white teeth showing.

Chen Zhe gently hit Liu Zhiye's chest and said half-jokingly: "Boy, if you get promoted again, won't I have to call you Chief when I see you in the future?"

Liu Zhiye teased him when he heard this: "If you want, it's not impossible to change your words in advance, hahahaha..."

Chen Zhe rolled his eyes and cursed with a smile: "Screw you! Hahahaha..."

"Ah, what a coincidence, we were assigned to the same dormitory, what a fate!"

Liu Zhiye smiled but said nothing.

How could there be so many coincidences in the world?
The class of students that Liu Zhiye is in brings together more than a hundred senior officers with the rank of colonel and above from the army, navy and air force across the country, who are participating in advanced military command training.

What is particularly rare is that among so many people, he and his comrade-in-arms Chen Zhe, whom he had not seen for many years, were coincidentally arranged to live in the same dormitory. This must have been a deliberate arrangement by Minister Liao.

Just a quick chat.

Liu Zhiye quickly and orderly put his luggage away, then began to tidy up his room and fold up his iconic "tofu block" quilt.

The military blanket he folded had smooth lines and sharp edges and corners. This action seemed to have become an indispensable part of his life, deeply rooted and destined to accompany him for the rest of his life.

Some people may be dismissive of our army's strict requirements for folding military blankets.

Most people's first impression of the army comes from the quilts that are folded like "tofu blocks". Since the first day that the "tofu blocks" came into the public eye, there have been admiration and praise, as well as various doubts and misunderstandings.

"To fold it so well is just formalism and grandstanding!"

"Can folding quilts increase combat effectiveness?"

"Can you kill the enemy with a blanket on the battlefield?"

"Your M Army is so free and open, and your combat effectiveness is top notch. Who would want to play with your formalistic crap?"

So is “tofu block” formalism? If not, why? Let’s look at a few examples.

More than 60 years ago, the Qing government spent a huge amount of money to establish the Beiyang Fleet, which was known as the strongest in Asia at that time. This force was far superior to the Japanese pirate navy at that time in terms of tonnage, number and firepower of warships. However, in the following Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, the Beiyang Fleet was completely annihilated, which declared the Qing government's tragic defeat.

Indeed, there were many reasons for the failure of the Sino-Japanese War, including the corruption and incompetence of the government, the weakness and concession of those in power, and the short-sightedness of the powerful officials...

But on the eve of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, a small detail determined the Japanese pirates' determination to provoke a naval battle.

Before the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, the Japanese pirates saw the shorts and socks hanging in all directions on the turret of the Beiyang warship and said: This is an army with lax discipline and chaotic management. Such an army will not have any combat effectiveness.

The Qing government's final disastrous defeat also confirmed the judgment of the Japanese pirates at the time.

In contrast, the Japanese pirate army at that time had extremely high requirements for housekeeping. Quilts had to be folded into a standard square shape, and this tradition has been passed down by the Japanese pirate self-defense force today.

"Tofu blocks" are the guarantee of military discipline and a landscape of military camp culture. They carry the beauty of the military camp, the soul of the soldiers, and the immortal spirit of the army.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army learned how to fold quilts during their time at the Whampoa Military Academy.

The discipline at the Whampoa Military Academy was very strict and the pace of life was very intense.

When the bugle sounded in the morning, we had to get up, dress, wash up, and fold the quilt into a square like a tofu block and place it in the middle of the wooden bed.

Everything had to be tidied up within 10 minutes, and then drills were conducted. A large number of middle and senior officers in the Chinese People's Liberation Army had graduated from the Whampoa Military Academy, so they naturally learned how to fold quilts and do their housework.

Then, carry forward this fine tradition in the People's Army.

To this day, the PLA's housekeeping regulations do not stipulate that quilts must be folded into tofu blocks, but only require that the environment be kept tidy and clean and the air fresh.

No more than 30 minutes are given for housekeeping every morning, and company-level leaders check housekeeping hygiene once a week.

The turning point was the People's Liberation Army's activity to learn about the Air Force's housekeeping in the summer of 60.

That year, various military units visited and studied at the Air Force compound, which was known as the cleanest camp in Asia. One of the main contents of the study was how to make quilts.

Later, this kind of housekeeping and evaluation was gradually retained as a basic content of grassroots management and construction of the army, and the requirements became increasingly higher.

Liu Zhiye also had strict requirements when leading his troops, and paid special attention to internal management. As early as the establishment of the public security brigade, he proposed strict military management.

This concept has been passed down like a torch, running through the subsequent Public Security Corps and the Second Guard Division, and has forged the team's iron discipline and solid foundation.

After finishing the tasks at hand, Liu Zhiye was still leisurely watching Chen Zhe, who was busy working in the bed opposite him.

"I say, what kind of quilt are you making?"

"You're so loose, I was better than you when I was a rookie."

When Chen Zhe heard this, he immediately turned to look at Liu Zhiye's quilt that was as neat as a "block of tofu", and then compared it with his own messy masterpiece. He couldn't help but feel ashamed in his heart. What kind of thing was this that he had folded? It was simply horrible.

"Ah, hahaha, it seems like I need to go back to the drawing board and start over."

"Since my position has become higher and higher, to be honest, I have really relaxed the strict requirements on myself."

"It's just right. I'll go back to the academy during this period of study. Zhiye, you have to help me and urge me..."

Soldiers are so upright. If they know they are falling behind, they will catch up.

The two of them quickly tidied up their dormitory, then walked out side by side, strolling around every corner of the military academy.

This will be the place where they will work side by side and study together for two years.

…………

After successfully completing the registration process, receiving a full set of equipment, and being assigned to the corresponding class, Liu Zhiye officially embarked on a thrilling and fun journey of advanced military command learning.

When Liu Zhiye arrived at the Advanced Military Command College, he learned that there were already six classes of this nature and theirs was the seventh.

When selecting this group of students, a working group from the headquarters made a special trip to all military units to conduct a rigorous face-to-face review and selection, with particular emphasis on cultural level, work experience and overall quality.

After entering the school, the school broke the convention and designed a curriculum that was 70% military and 30% political, and introduced the study and research of foreign military theories and their battles, battle examples and tactics in a relatively concentrated and systematic manner.

We have also increased the study and research of our army's military history and major battles, so that students such as Liu Zhiye can sum up experience and lessons while focusing on improving their military theory and practical skills based on the needs of future wars.

The Advanced Military Command College has changed the traditional indoctrination teaching model, using actual combat as a guide, encouraging students to combine learning with practice, move from the classroom to the battlefield, and transform learning outcomes into actual combat.

The academy spent a lot of time organizing Liu Zhiye's students to conduct field surveys of the terrain, draft combat documents, and practice combat plans.

No matter it is windy or rainy, hot or cold, Liu Zhiye and his classmates have been studying hard and practicing diligently.

In order to ensure high standards and high quality of learning, starting from the two-year completion class, the Advanced Military Command College has established a strict examination and assessment system, changing from the previous open-book examination to a closed-book examination.

Academic performance is assessed at four levels: failing, passing, good, and excellent. Changing "open book" to "closed book" and "assessment" to "examination" may seem like just a one-word change, but it is a qualitative breakthrough in the college's examination system.

Taking the final exam of military courses as an example, the exam starts from the first class of the day and ends at the last class in the afternoon.

The examination room lasts for one day. Each person has a desk and a paper, and they have to complete it independently and on time.

Lunch is delivered to the examination room by the cooks, and the examination continues after lunch. The test questions are selected from the question bank, and the candidates are required to independently complete the drafting of a combat order and combat plan and the marking of a combat map.

The workload is so huge that it is almost impossible to complete it without one day.

It can be said that among Liu Zhiye's group of students, almost no one had experienced such a rigorous and long examination.

Of course, it is precisely this high standard of strict learning that has further improved our military and political qualities.

During the study period, many military and local experts and scholars gave lectures to Liu Zhiye and his classmates. They were also organized by the school to visit local enterprises, scientific research institutions and national defense engineering units.

Such special study and research has enabled them to master and accumulate rich experience and knowledge, and enhanced their sense of urgency, responsibility and crisis awareness in doing a good job in national defense mobilization from the perspective of national defense strategy.

The school has also organized students to conduct strategic and campaign simulations and discussions around hypothetical plans many times, in order to gain the initiative and the right to win in the battle against the enemy. Liu Zhiye's class is a class with a strong learning atmosphere. Whether they are comrades from the army, colleges or the CMC headquarters, everyone helps each other and learns and improves together.

During this period, Liu Zhiye and many comrades published insightful academic research articles.

Some of the profound military thoughts even alarmed the dean Liu Shuai, who was known as the "God of War".

Marshal Liu personally led a group of senior military officers to the academy, sparking an extraordinary and heated discussion around these cutting-edge military concepts.

In this feast of wisdom collision, the most dazzling star student was none other than Liu Zhiye. With his outstanding performance, he left an indelible impression in everyone's mind.

Such learning and practice promote each other, and once again a group of commanders with strategic thinking and the ability to defeat the enemy with wisdom are forged here.

Shortly after entering the school, Liu Zhiye was elected as the deputy captain of the student team by his classmates because of his outstanding performance.

Most of the trainees in the advanced military command class are current officers at the rank of deputy division commander or above, but they are now managed according to the organizational structure of grassroots company squads.

In this way, Liu Zhiye experienced once again the joys and sorrows of grassroots cadres.

From getting up in the morning to exercises, meals, cultural and sports activities, and evening roll call, he blew the whistle, formed the team, and gave commands no less than ten times a day.

Therefore, these middle and senior officers who had been away from the grassroots for more than ten years, while studying, relived the life of an ordinary soldier and cultivated the qualities of a soldier who obeys orders.

Life in the military academy is basically the same from Monday to Saturday.

每天早上6:00起床号响起就必须起床，一般5分钟内下楼集合，出早操时间到6:30-6:50不等。

Then we went back to the dormitory to tidy up and wash up. At around 7:20, Liu Zhiye led the team to the restaurant for breakfast, and at 7:45 he led the team to the classroom.

Class starts at 8:00 and ends around 11:50. I go to the cafeteria to have lunch, and then go back to the dormitory to rest after lunch.

13:00开始午休，大概会午休到14:10左右，刘之野再带队到教室，14:30开始上课，一般16:10下课。

Then, Liu Zhiye can lead the team back to the dormitory and prepare to start physical training.

After practicing until about 17:30, you can go to the restaurant to have dinner, and it is rest time until 19:00.

Then at 19:00 they are usually taken to the classroom to study, and are brought back for evening roll call around 21:00.

The duty officer will review the day's work and emphasize the next day's work priorities, then take the team back to rest and wash up, with lights turned off at 22:30.

This is how Liu Zhiye and his classmates' daily routine repeats itself at school.

He also cherishes this rare learning opportunity very much.

In addition to attending classes, Liu Zhiye also squeezed out a lot of time to read, studying for up to 12 hours a day.

Sometimes after the lights were turned off, he would continue reading with a flashlight.

Summer is here, and the summer nights in the capital are as hot as a steamer. Liu Zhiye hides in the mosquito net and reads books. He sweats profusely but still cannot put the book down, so that his whole body is covered with prickly heat.

He studied Volumes 1 to 3 of "Selected Works of the Great Man" and "A Short Course in the History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks)" successively, researched the great man's military thoughts and the Soviet Union's military experience in the Second World War, and read dozens of theoretical and historical books such as "Anti-Dühring", "Selected Works of Lenin", "Selected Works of Stalin", and "History of the Workers' Movement", and made reading notes of hundreds of thousands of words.

Liu Zhiye is diligent in thinking, good at summarizing, has unique insights into many issues, and does not blindly follow the opinions of his teachers and books.

A political science exam, one of the questions was to discuss the significance of the GT meeting resolution.

Liu Zhiye replied: "The resolution of the GT meeting requires our army to be completely based on..."

As a result, the teacher deducted points from him.

Liu Zhiye didn't understand why he lost points on this question, so he asked the teacher why.

But the teacher said, "The old-style army...how come they were eliminated then?"

Liu Zhiye stated: "Purge the old... As for..., that is... the sentence I answered is written in the explanation of 'Wei Xuan'."

The teacher admitted his mistake and apologized.

During the military examination, there was a question about regimental defense. According to the textbook, the defenders had to release smoke bombs when retreating, and only by answering in this way could they get full marks.

Liu Zhiye believed that the situation at the time was that we did not have smoke bombs and could only face reality, so he replied that a small force could be used to cover the retreat of the large force.

Although the teacher still deducted points after the debate, he did not regret it.

Liu Zhiye's strong cultural foundation, correct learning methods, hard work and independent thinking enabled him to achieve excellent results in his first college examination.

Because of the outstanding performance during this period at school.

In July 1965, Liu Shuai, president and political commissar of the Military Academy, signed an order to award Liu Zhiye a second-class merit and personally presented him with a certificate and medal.

Of course, in addition to his excellent academic performance in military theory and thought, Liu Zhiye also did not relax in military training and performed even better.

Life in the Military Academy can be summed up in three words: "strict", "cruel" and "hard".

However, for the sake of the army's construction and their own future, every student always strictly demands of themselves, obeys orders, follows commands, is not afraid of hardship or fatigue, and completes the study and training of the required subjects with the greatest patience, conscientiously and meticulously.

Speaking of the word "cruel", the training in military academies is so "cruel" that it makes you a little "abnormal".

The 500-meter obstacle course is one of the training subjects that most students fear the most. It is a comprehensive test of each student's physical and mental qualities.

During training, many students either got bruised or sprained, with bruises all over their bodies, but they still insisted on training.

Wilderness survival training requires marching, staying, completing required training subjects every day, and finding food.

During the training period, each student was only supplied with 2 taels of rice per day, and each class could only bring oil and salt according to the prescribed standards, and no other food was allowed.

The most important thing in wilderness survival training is to find food for yourself, otherwise you will go hungry.

Each squad has 10 bullets, which are kept by the squad deputy. If they encounter animals such as hares and pheasants, they are allowed to shoot them, but most squads are not so lucky.

Liu Zhiye's class is living a very comfortable life. With him in the class, it's like they have a cheating device.

The other classes were not so lucky. During the more than ten days of wilderness survival training, they ate whatever food they could find to fill their stomachs, including wild vegetables, snails, bamboo shoots, and earthworms. If they could catch birds, fish, and snakes, they would be absolutely delicious.

During summer training, they have to conduct anti-tank training in the scorching heat.

As the deafening sound of tanks grew louder and louder, the trainees who had been lying in ambush on the path the tanks must pass opened their eyes wide and observed carefully.

When a tank approaches, they roll under the tank, and while ensuring that their bodies are not crushed, they follow standard movements and use grenades to stick to the weakest part of the tank to blow it up. That moment is also a severe test of their psychology.

To be honest, if this was in a junior military academy, these trainings would be normal and not worth mentioning at all.

But this is the Advanced Military Command Academy, and among the students enrolled, the youngest is Liu Zhiye, but he is also in his early thirties.

Most of the other students are middle-aged men around 40 years old. Naturally, their physical fitness cannot be compared with those young people around 20 years old.

Therefore, such high-intensity training is undoubtedly a difficult and profound test for this group of people.

It not only tests their physical limits, but also silently sharpens their will and perseverance.

Liu Zhiye is of course the best performing student among all. He can easily complete the training of all subjects with ease.

He was secretly called a "pervert" by his classmates.

It would be fine if he was good at studying, but why is he also outstanding in military training?

(End of this chapter)