Chapter 53 Military Life

  On the night of reporting for duty, Zhang Chengyuan moved into the new recruit barracks. The new recruit barracks were two rows of large beds, with 9 to 10 people sleeping on each row, and only a fist or two fists' distance between each person. If one was not careful, they would kick or hit someone next to them. Zhang Chengyuan was tall and broad-shouldered, and although he slept well himself, he couldn't avoid being touched by the rough new recruits on either side of him. Due to his high alertness, he didn't sleep very soundly that night, and the next day he applied to the squad leader to move to a corner spot near the wall.

  But the military rules were strict, and even this small matter could not be compromised. Especially, new recruits could not be allowed to develop the bad habit of haggling over everything. Therefore, the squad leader severely reprimanded Zhang Chengyuan, making an example out of him for the other new recruits to see. After being scolded, the proud and arrogant Zhang Chengyuan was naturally very unhappy. However, when he realized that all the officers and veteran soldiers were more or less like this towards new recruits, and his squad leader's verbal violence was actually the mildest, he gave up on the idea of secretly teaching him a lesson later. Through this small incident, Zhang Chengyuan came to realize that in the military, human rights were sometimes truly dispensable, and even if they existed, they must have been greatly restricted.

  The training life of new recruits is really extremely hard for most ordinary young people with general physical conditions, and many people are exhausted on the first day. Zhang Chengyuan's squad also fell down several times that day. Among the soft and weak new recruits, Zhang Chengyuan performed exceptionally well, whether it was military posture or various technical tactics, he got the first place in the training assessment of the first week. The team leader was delighted to praise him, and actively let Zhang Chengyuan's bed be moved to the corner closest to the wall, and other new recruits also looked at him with admiration, no longer regarding him as a weak and useless artist pretty boy.

  Zhang Chengyuan's performance continued to be strong, almost always the best in all projects, and his overall performance was first every week. After the 5-week new recruit training ended, at the graduation ceremony of the new recruit training camp, Zhang Chengyuan took over the highest award called "Training Institute Award" from the highest officer of the training institute without any dispute, and won the title of "Special Class Warrior".

  He didn't work so hard to show off in front of the new recruits or to impress his superiors. It's a well-known fact that conscripted soldiers in Korea, no matter how excellent their performance, have zero chance of promotion or wealth as long as they don't switch to being volunteer soldiers. They also can't apply for early discharge; at most, they might get assigned a slightly easier job. So why would he bother with such futile efforts?

  His purpose in doing so is mainly to let his relatives and friends see his recent situation on the official website of the training camp and the military's propaganda TV program, so that they can be more at ease. Of course, if the media can pay attention to this period of new recruit training and report on his outstanding performance, it would be even better for the public and his fans to have a deeper impression and better feelings about him!

  Fortunately, Park Byung-ryul's reaction was absolutely quick enough. After learning in advance about Jang Sung-won's excellent performance at the training camp, he promptly contacted some reporters from TV stations, newspapers and magazines with whom he had a good relationship, and fully reported on the matter, temporarily keeping Jang Sung-won's popularity for a while.

  After completing his new recruit training, Jang Sung-won was assigned to the 15th Infantry Division of the Army stationed in Hwacheon County, Gangwon Province. Prior to this, his superior had recommended him to participate in the selection for the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps is known as an elite force and is one of the most valued branches of the military in Korea, with recent efforts to expand its ranks. However, the selection process for the Marine Corps is strict, and training is much more rigorous than in regular army units, resulting in a shortage of recruits every year.

  However, although this assessment was a mere trifle for Zhang Chengyuan, he neither had a strong passion for South Korea nor the vanity to become the strongest branch in the military, so he unhesitatingly refused. As for his refusal, the superior could not force him to go due to the army's management regulations, and besides, which officer of the land army would truly be willing to let their ace serve in the navy?

  Zhang Chengyuan was unwilling to join the Marine Corps because under current circumstances, the army is safer and easier than the navy.

  Due to the serious disagreement between North and South Korea on the demarcation of maritime boundaries, both sides have drawn a line that is not recognized by the other side, leading to countless conflicts and numerous small-scale naval battles. Just three years ago in June 1999, the largest naval battle since the Korean War ceasefire broke out between the navies of North and South Korea. Although South Korea suffered minimal losses and gained an advantage in this battle, it is uncertain whether there will be no casualties on the South Korean side when a larger maritime conflict occurs in the future.

  In comparison, the land route is relatively safer as it passes through the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. At least after being attacked, Zhang Chengyuan's chances of survival on land are much higher than at sea or on an island where retreat routes can be easily blocked.

  Two months later, on June 29, 2002, another naval battle broke out between North and South Korea. This time, there were casualties on the South Korean side: a South Korean patrol boat was sunk, killing four people including the captain, injuring nearly 20 others, and leaving one missing. Upon hearing this news, Jang Sung-won, who was serving in the army at the time, felt relieved that he had not transferred to the Marine Corps; otherwise, he would have been subjected to a sudden increase in surface surveillance missions, which would have left him exhausted and worried about being attacked by North Korean artillery in the middle of the night.

  On land, there have been no battles between North and South Korea for over a decade or two. Even after the naval clashes, Zhang Chengyuan's daily alert duties were not too strenuous, let alone worrying about being suddenly killed by North Korean artillery fire one night.

  But just a few days after celebrating, Zhang Chengyuan's luck turned sour. In a shooting incident, he almost lost his life. Moreover, what was unexpected and shocking to him was that the person who opened fire on him and his dozen or so comrades was not an enemy sneaking up from the north, but a fellow soldier from the same sentry post.

  In the South Korean army, due to the continuation of some bad traditions from the Japanese military, it was common for superiors to bully subordinates and for veteran soldiers to bully new recruits. Although Jang Sung-taek sometimes saw new recruits being bullied and had fleeting thoughts that one day a soldier would snap and shoot the sergeants who repeatedly beat, scolded and punished them without reason, he never thought this scenario would actually happen in real life, let alone almost get him killed.

  It was around 2 am that day, Zhang Chengyuan, who often woke up three times a night, vaguely sensed that someone had quietly walked to the door of his room. He thought it was a fellow soldier returning from a nighttime patrol mission and didn't pay attention, but soon heard an extremely unusual yet familiar sound. He immediately opened his eyes to see a dark object, seemingly a hand grenade, flying in.

  At this critical moment, Zhang Chengyuan's divine consciousness was suddenly activated, allowing him to instinctively make an emergency rescue action. He stretched out his hand and swept the pillow towards the incoming grenade, knocking it flying out of the door. The entire action, including reaction time, absolutely did not exceed one second. A loud "boom" sound was heard, and the grenade exploded. The person outside the door also reacted extremely quickly, dodging to the side and avoiding injury.

  Zhang Chengyuan immediately reacted that the danger had not passed when he did not hear any screams, and quickly jumped down from the bed and ran to the door at the fastest speed. At this time, the soldiers who heard the explosion also woke up and were about to rush out of the room to check what was happening, unaware that there was still a killer hiding at the door, and rushing out recklessly could result in death at any moment.

  Zhang Chengyuan loudly shouted to his comrades to be careful, and a gun barrel had already been inserted into the door. Gunfire immediately erupted, followed by loud screams. Zhang Chengyuan didn't have time to look back, he ducked forward and grabbed the gun, while a lightning-fast punch heavily struck the killer's arm that was pulling the trigger. Before the killer could even scream, his arm bone had already been broken, and the gunfire stopped.

  Zhang Chengyuan kicked the murderer again, kicking him flying, and immediately turned the gun to aim at the murderer. He then retreated into the dormitory to observe the surrounding situation, strictly preventing other unexpected events from happening.

  Things had almost come to an end here. Within ten minutes, the military police arrived at the scene and took away the seriously injured perpetrator, as well as Zhang Chengyuan and several others who were present. Fortunately, after understanding the situation, Zhang Chengyuan was released, but he was strictly ordered by a certain official not to leak a single word before the matter was settled.

  It was later learned that the perpetrator was a Jin surname first-class soldier in Zhang Chengyuan's sentry post, who was dissatisfied with the insult of his superior and made such an impulsive move under emotional excitement. Soon after, this soldier was sentenced to death because the few shots he fired killed one officer and injured many soldiers, and the crime was too serious. It is worth mentioning that the officer was one of those who often abused this soldier.

  After this incident, although he was awarded for his bravery and promoted to first-class soldier two months in advance, Zhang Chengyuan's heart was very bitter. He felt that such an army was not worth staying for another day. Although the perpetrator was severely punished, the ugly tradition of the army and the lax management of the army remained unchanged, and similar incidents would continue to occur in the South Korean army. Moreover, he also felt a little worried, fearing that similar things would happen to him again.

  For the next year and nine months of service, Zhang Chengyuan was on high alert every day, having to execute tasks to prevent North Korean spies from infiltrating, while also being cautious of his colleagues who might lose control of their guns at any moment, almost reaching a state of extreme vigilance. Only during the limited times he had leave could he temporarily relax. If not for his strong spirit and physical health, it would have been really difficult to get through this period of military life that he later never wanted to look back on.

  ;