The military base, meeting room.
A massive holographic map hovered above the desk, its display focused precisely on the territory of Jiang Ye's colony.
Mountains, rivers, seas, cities, plains… vast and intricate.
The officers gazed upwards, their expressions a mixture of awe, pride, and deep reflection. Many of the places depicted on this map were areas they themselves had pioneered.
"You have all worked hard. To date, our territory spans 19,077.5 square kilometers. Your contributions are invaluable."
"I have decided to award the entire force a collective Third Class Merit, with bonuses to be distributed this evening."
"Furthermore, we will issue New Year's bonuses to the entire army in advance. Each soldier will receive fifty thousand, and each officer eighty thousand."
"Give yourselves a round of applause."
Jiang Ye finished speaking, and applause erupted around the conference table.
Everyone was happy to receive money, especially when the amounts were this substantial.
"They say promotion comes with wealth, and after getting rich, we must also get promoted." Jiang Ye shifted the topic.
The officers adopted serious expressions, feigning indifference, but they all subtly straightened their backs.
The meeting room became so quiet that one could hear their breathing.
"I announce that we will now proceed with an expansion of the army, increasing our total strength to 3,000 personnel." Jiang Ye surveyed the room.
Breaths quickened, and the officers' pupils contracted.
More than doubling the numbers – this was indeed a massive military expansion!
"Every 300 personnel will form a Battalion, and each Battalion will be divided into 10 Squads."
"All of you present will be uniformly promoted to Battalion Commanders. Specific appointment letters will be issued shortly."
"Within each Battalion of 300 personnel, there will be 200 Spider Armored Vehicle drivers, 20 Skywing pilots, 50 support personnel, and 30 medics and infantry."
"Each Battalion will be equipped with 100 Spider Armored Vehicles, 10 Skywings, assault rifles and rocket launchers for each soldier, along with various other weapons, with quantities adjusted as needed."
The sounds of breathing grew more excited, and the officers' faces lit up with joy.
With armored vehicles, Skywings, support staff, and medics, the army's combat effectiveness would leap to a new level!
"Of course, wealth and promotion come at a price," Jiang Ye suddenly smiled.
"The troops have not undergone formal training yet, and many soldiers' physical fitness is still not up to par."
"Therefore, I have decided to initiate a 'Devil Week' for the entire army!"
"What is known as Devil Week is a week of devilishly high-intensity training. Every soldier must endure it. If anyone falters midway, they will have to undergo additional training on their own, and then repeat Devil Week later. In short, only by passing the Devil Week assessment can one be considered a qualified soldier."
"The training will be divided into three stages. Listen carefully."
"In the first stage, I will personally train all the Battalion Commanders present."
"In the second stage, the Battalion Commanders will lead the training of the currently enlisted veteran soldiers."
"In the third stage, once the new recruits arrive, the veteran soldiers will train the new recruits."
Jiang Ye stopped speaking at this point.
The faces of the officers present turned pale.
When they first heard about the upcoming Devil Week, they harbored a sliver of hope, thinking such rigorous training would surely be for the lower ranks, not necessarily for officers.
To their surprise, the first group to undergo training were the Battalion Commanders!
"Why are all your faces so pale? Are you scared?" Jiang Ye's smile was radiant.
"We are not afraid!" the officers declared in unison.
"This is for your own good. You must train first to earn the respect of your subordinates. Moreover, officers require more stamina. Your command decisions affect the lives of hundreds. If your physical condition is too poor and you make mistakes due to fatigue during command, you will not be able to bear that responsibility." Jiang Ye paused, his expression suddenly turning serious. "I will give you one hour to arrange any unfinished matters. One hour from now, I will be waiting for everyone on the open ground in the center of the base."
"What are you all standing around for? Devil Week has begun!" Jiang Ye roared.
The officers inhaled sharply, their faces growing paler by the second. They scrambled to their feet and rushed out of the meeting room in a frenzy.
The room was suddenly empty, save for Jiang Ye, who sat in the main seat, and Liu Jizi, the female secretary, in the corner.
Liu Jizi looked stunned, still processing the events.
"Commander, do I, as administrative staff, also need to train?" she asked meekly.
"You do not need to participate in Devil Week, but you must voluntarily increase your training," Jiang Ye smiled. "Prepare some things for me; I will need them shortly."
...
One hour later.
A biting wind swept across the open ground. Ten Battalion Commanders, clad in snow camouflage uniforms, stood in a straight line.
The dormitory buildings in the distance had all their windows open, with two heads peering out from each. Nearly a thousand heads were gazing intently, a truly spectacular sight.
The entire army was on rest today, with most soldiers lounging in their dorms, playing cards or sleeping. Suddenly, news spread that the senior officers were all assembled on the open ground and had been standing motionless for over ten minutes. This immediately piqued everyone's curiosity, and they collectively leaned out their windows to peek.
Some even held binoculars, and after scanning the officers one by one, exclaimed, "Wow, it's really the top brass! Our Captain Che Zhen is in there too, standing at the very front!"
"What are they doing? A collective punishment of standing?"
"Standing punishment? They're officers; who could punish them by making them stand?"
"Nonsense, it must be the Commander-in-Chief!"
"Hey, hey, speak of the devil, the Commander-in-Chief is coming over!"
The soldiers all lowered their heads, leaving only their eyes visible as they continued to watch.
Jiang Ye, wearing a formal snow combat uniform and holding a large scorebook, walked slowly across the open training ground towards the officers.
The officers watched him from the corner of their eyes, silently speculating about what grueling training exercises lay ahead.
"Alright, let's start with a warm-up: one hundred push-ups." Jiang Ye stood still with a smile. "Begin!"
The officers smiled, thinking it wasn't that terrifying after all, just a minor task.
They quickly dropped to the ground, completed a hundred push-ups, and reported.
"Everyone just did wide-grip push-ups. Now, do another hundred narrow-grip push-ups to warm up your wrists." Jiang Ye did not let them stand up.
The officers continued, completing another hundred quickly.
"Switch to knuckle push-ups, and do another hundred." Jiang Ye smiled.
The officers began to struggle, but they gritted their teeth and finished.
"Don't get up, everyone. Rest on your fists for a moment, and we'll continue training shortly," Jiang Ye said.
The Battalion Commanders remained on the ground, panting heavily, their arms trembling.
Secretary Liu Jizi arrived, bringing a lounge chair and a teapot.
Jiang Ye sat on the lounge chair, crossed his legs, and leisurely took a sip from the teapot, drinking hot tea.
One minute.
Three minutes.
Five minutes.
The teapot was finally emptied. The officers were still supporting themselves on their fists, their bodies shaking.
"Alright, everyone should have rested enough." Jiang Ye handed the teapot back to Liu Jizi and rose from the lounge chair. "One hundred left-arm push-ups!"
The officers were dumbfounded. They tremblingly switched to supporting themselves on their left arms, their right hands behind their backs, and began the push-ups with great difficulty.
The second, fourth, and sixth captains all faltered midway but managed to get back up and continue.
The long hundred push-ups were finally completed.
The expression on each captain's face was one of extreme suffering. Sweat poured from their foreheads, and their faces conveyed messages of "That's enough, really," "Please end this," and "Help, I'm dying."
Jiang Ye smiled. "Everyone's left arm must be tired by now. Let's do one hundred right-arm push-ups!"
The officers were on the verge of tears.
When would it end?
One hundred, one hundred, and another one hundred. Did they think one hundred push-ups were easy?
However, everyone dared not voice their complaints, as Jiang Ye was the Commander-in-Chief, their superior. Whatever he said, went.
After laboriously switching arms, the officers continued their push-ups. Sweat dripped from their heads into their eyes, stinging them and causing tears to well up.