Saturday.
Ho Cheon-an’s trainees in the 12th division wished more fervently than ever for Sunday to arrive.
Sunday, being a holiday, was a day that anyone would eagerly anticipate, and it was entirely natural to look forward to a day of official training break…
However, ever since Ho Cheon-an announced the division’s schedule a few days ago, the trainees’ desire for Sunday had multiplied, making them some of the most eager for this day in the Central Plains.
“Even on Sundays, we won’t skip jogging and blood-splash calisthenics. Are we clear, trainees? Jogging and blood-splash calisthenics are fundamentally means of warming up, not training. While the instructor has no authority to enforce training on Sunday, do not forget that if you skip a day’s exercise, you’ll need to make up for it for three days.”
Ho Cheon-an’s declaration that if they skipped jogging and blood-splash calisthenics on Sunday, they would face a three-day penalty, was frankly fine with everyone.
“Oh, and according to the regulations, trainees can go out every Sunday. Only three can go out at a time, so if anyone wants to go out this week…”
Ho Cheon-an trailed off for a simple reason: every single one of the 14 members of the 12th division raised their hands without a moment’s hesitation.
Ho Cheon-an paused in silence before finally speaking. He understood that the trainees wanted a vacation, but he never expected them all to wish to go out at the same time.
“Trainees, vacations are granted on a rotation basis anyway. Given the four-week schedule, everyone will get at least one chance to go out. Let me ask again: Is there anyone who doesn’t plan to go out this week?”
Of course, no trainee lowered their hands. Ho Cheon-an’s head began to throb, and he decided to change tactics to an individual approach.
“Jo Ga-ju, do you have a reason to go out?”
“Ah! I want to go to the workshop and get a new spear made.”
That was such a justifiable reason that Ho Cheon-an was momentarily speechless. As he rolled his eyes, his gaze caught Gwang Jae-ryeon, whose head was notably larger than the others.
“Gwang Jae-ryeon, do you have a reason to go out?”
“Ah! I’m troubled by losing my tuition fee! I must go replenish it!”
“No, managing the number of tuition fees is my responsibility.”
“No! It’s weighing on my mind! I must fill it!”
“…”
“I really want to go, aaaaaah!”
Seeing Gwang Jae-ryeon scream as if the roof tiles were about to fall, Ho Cheon-an decided to abandon rational persuasion.
“Alright. This Saturday afternoon, we will have a hidden weapons exam. Those who achieve the target will be prioritized for the vacation queue.”
“Ah!”
The time for confrontation was drawing near.
The atmosphere in the cafeteria at lunchtime was incredibly tense.
Ho Cheon-an spoke as if going on vacation every week was normal, but the trainees were not fools. Training intensity would surely increase, and there wouldn’t be another chance for an outing like the first week without burdens. Besides, who knew if there would really be an opportunity to go out next Sunday?
Yet, none of such calculations mattered to them.
The trainees stared down at their side dishes. Just a fist-sized rice ball with a few common vegetable sides. And some eggs and chicken breast.
Kang Chumo-ru thought as he popped an egg into his mouth. If he could eat food without that unique smell coming from the yolk, he would sell his soul for it.
Jo Gab-deok also had his thoughts. Just taking a bite of the dry chicken made his stomach churn. He didn’t want anything. If he could just go out and have a bowl of warm noodle soup made with a chicken head… perhaps two, no, three portions…
All were simply forcing themselves to eat despite not wanting to, aiming to do well in the afternoon exam!
As the bell signaled the end of lunchtime, the trainees took a deep breath and stepped outside.
It was time for the showdown.
“Well, we will now proceed with the hidden weapons exam as scheduled.”
“Ah!”
“First, the six of you will shoot while standing from a distance of 10 paces.”
“Ah!”
The trainees’ skill levels in hidden weapons had now divided into four tiers. At the top were still Jo Gab-deok and Jae Sang-hae. The upper tiers featured Jo Ga-ju, Okryong, and Seong Yeol-hwi. The mid-tier included Kang Chumo-ru, Jang Choo, and Bi Ban-cha. The lower tier included Gwang Jae-ryeon and six others.
“If you throw five hidden weapons and hit at least three, you pass.”
“Ah!”
Every trainee watched the six with nervous eyes. It was only natural; if many pass, a second round of competition could occur.
Ho Cheon-an put the whistle in his mouth.
Piiik!
Whoosh!
The hidden weapons flew with a sharper sound, and cheers and gasps filled the air.
Hitting the target accurately from 10 paces after just a week of training was no easy feat. With Ho Cheon-an waiting for the right moment to throw, only one out of the six hit the target.
Yet the eight watching trainees kept their tension. The more the hidden weapons were thrown, the more they could sense the rhythm and throw better.
Piiik!
A sudden signal from Ho Cheon-an. Without yet having felt the impact of the first hidden weapon, the six had no choice but to throw hurriedly.
Naturally, the results were messy.
Ho Cheon-an, receiving the resentful gazes of the six, shamelessly declared, “Exams should be conducted like actual combat. Who do you see dawdling in combat? Throw again?”
“No way!”
If it were Ho Cheon-an, he could indeed call for another trial on the spot, making the trainees scramble to get ready.
Piiik!
Ultimately, not a single trainee from the lower tier passed. The faces of the six fell in regret.
Next, the mid-tier trainees began their tests.
The mid-tier would shoot while standing, sitting, and lying down, throwing a total of three hidden weapons, needing to hit five or more to pass.
Beep!
A pass was declared. Kang Chumo-ru had hit six out of nine hidden weapons, displaying commendable skill.
“Yay!!!”
Kang Chumo-ru jumped up joyfully. With only one passing from over half the people, his chances of getting a vacation seemed very bright.
“Kang Chumo-ru, step forward.”
“Ah! Ahhh!”
Could this loudmouth really become the legendary general known for creating the Hammer and Anvil tactic? Ho Cheon-an stifled a weary sigh and called the next trainee forward.
Jo Ga-ju, Okryong, and Seong Yeol-hwi stepped forward with nervous expressions.
“If you hit five or more hidden weapons from nine while I call for a stance, you pass.”
“Ah!”
“Stand and shoot!”
Whoosh!
A pass and an unapproved round came through. Jo Ga-ju hit six out of nine neatly, but Okryong, though hitting five out of nine, reacted too late to Ho Cheon-an’s orders, and some of his hidden weapons barely touched the target.
“Okryong trainee, do you agree your results are questionable?”
“Ah!”
Seeing Okryong sulk, Ho Cheon-an added a condition.
“If no one passes from the remaining two, Okryong trainee will also be allowed to go out. Step forward, the last two!”
“Ah!”
Jo Gab-deok and Jae Sang-hae stepped forward with serious expressions.
“You can shoot in the stance you desire, hitting the target at my calls with nine hidden weapons. Same requirement: five hits to pass.”
“Ah!”
The trainees focused on the last test, which hung in the balance of the outing. The two individuals had a distinctly different level of difficulty from others. Whereas other trainees struggled just to hit, these two had higher precision expectations.
“Head!”
Whoosh!
Two hidden weapons hit perfectly. The trainees gasped in admiration, while Okryong nibbled on his nails.
“Right leg!”
Whoosh!
“Left arm!”
The trainees watched with bated breath, wondering who would be this week’s outing candidate!
“Heart!”
Whoosh!
And the results came out.
“Yay!”
Okryong cheered. Jo Gab-deok and Jae Sang-hae both failed. Jae Sang-hae glared at the celebrating Okryong, gritting his teeth.
“This is unfair!”
The air in the training ground froze at Jae Sang-hae’s outburst. Okryong, frozen mid-air with a fist, and trainees gazing at him with jealousy, all turned their heads.
Ho Cheon-an tilted his head to the side. The more he turned, the more fear gripped the trainees. They had learned over the past week that this was a sign Ho Cheon-an was angry!
Even Jae Sang-hae, who had initially protested, froze momentarily.
Fortunately, Ho Cheon-an’s head returned to a normal position. The trainees collectively sighed in relief.
“Very well. What is unfair, Jae Sang-hae trainee?”
“At this moment, the best hidden weapons trainee is me and Jo Gab-deok! For others to go out based on hidden weapon assessments is unfair!”
Having spilled this, Jae Sang-hae briefly stole a glance at Ho Cheon-an. Ho Cheon-an favored him to continue, so Jae Sang-hae realized he couldn’t back down and mustered his courage.
“I understand that the instructor values effort, but this is an unfair treatment! Where’s the objectivity in changing goals based on levels? While effort is important, there must be rewards for results!”
“Hmmm… So, you are saying that rewarding based on ability and performance aligns with fairness, is that correct, Jae Sang-hae trainee?”
“Ah!”
A moment of silence ensued. The trainees stood at attention, their eyes flicking back and forth between Ho Cheon-an and Jae Sang-hae. Ho Cheon-an’s look at Jae Sang-hae seemed ominous.
“I seem to have focused too much on the physical aspects of your training.”
The trainees instantaneously felt a sense of dread.
“Get down.”
“Ah!”
Thud!
“Legs up.”
“Ah!”
Ho Cheon-an leisurely strolled with his hands behind his back as he began to speak.
“I believed the educational philosophy here was sufficiently understood by the trainees. Now, let me clarify something. Listen carefully. Got it?”
“Ah!”
“To put it simply, your hidden weapon skills are all a bunch of acorns measuring each other’s height. What’s the use of acorns comparing who’s bigger? It’s just hidden weapons you’ve learned in a week, right?”
“Ah!”
“You’re all trainees and should take pride in honing your skills. Therefore, I sought to assess your achievements. The standard isn’t based on objective skill but on how hard you tried. Trainees aren’t in the position to produce results; they are here to grow, so that’s how I set the criteria.”
“Ah!”
“However, truthfully, this is not particularly important.”
The trainees looked up, bewildered. So then why was he giving them such a hard time now?
Amid these questions, Ho Cheon-an’s voice rang out.
“What’s important is that you lack military spirit.”
“Ah!”
“A military is not an organization that pursues fairness or reason. Is a soldier who refuses orders for fear of his life truly a soldier?”
“No!”
“Push-ups! On the count of one, up! On the count of two, down! One!”
“Up!”
Ho Cheon-an recalled when he first met Jae Sang-hae. He wanted a rational evaluation of his capabilities, hence he applied to become a Commander of the Golden Guards. He claimed the public service world was rotten and unable to properly appraise ability.
Hearing that, Ho Cheon-an just laughed.
Unfairness exists everywhere. Theoretically, endorsing unfairness should be impossible, yet what good does it do to treat realities as nonexistent?
To not accept the unfairness of bureaucratic culture had led him to seek the Guards.
“I don’t believe my evaluation criteria are irrational, but I understand individual perspectives can differ. However, this is military training, and I am the training instructor while you are trainees. If I say ‘jump’? You jump.”
Then show me these extremes of unfairness. After experiencing the harshness of the military, perhaps Jae Sang-hae’s view of the world will shift.
The essence of the military is seasoned with collective responsibility and obedience!
“Two!”
“Up!”
“One means if I say so, two is what?”
“One!”
“Then?”
“Up!”
“Two!”
“Up!”
“Your voices are too quiet! I will instill military spirit in today’s trainees! One!”
“Up!”
“Two!”
“Up!”
The echoes of the trainees’ voices resonated nearly with cries.
