The Great Triathlon Challenge

Chapter 1

That evening, Qi Bing and Su Lang embraced in farewell, both promising to write to each other. By then, Major Liu’s jeep was already parked outside the military academy gates. The Major was heading to the division headquarters for a meeting and was picking up Qi Bing on the way. Ran Feng, who had arrived with Qi Bing, remained at the academy; according to Instructor Liu, Ran Feng possessed great aptitude and was well-suited for teaching, so he had been kept on staff. Qi Bing stood by the jeep with his duffel bag, watching Major Liu shake hands with Instructor Liu. Once the formalities were over, they boarded the vehicle and ordered the driver to depart.

After getting in, Qi Bing excitedly called out, "Major!" Liu Zilong glanced sideways at him and said, "Look at you, two years gone and you’ve bulked up. A fine sight to behold!" Qi Bing smiled at his Major. By then, the jeep had cleared the city and was cruising along the open highway. The night felt heavy, and the air had turned chilly. The Major took a drag of his cigarette and said, "Do you remember the day you first joined the army? It was in this very city that Li He and I picked you up that night. To be honest, I was impressed by you from the start." Qi Bing replied with a trace of embarrassment, "Major, I will never forget that night." He looked out the window. The Major took another deep breath of his cigarette and continued, "I was truly worried you wouldn't be able to bear the news of your mother’s passing, but I’m glad you pulled through." The Major paused, his face breaking into a wide grin as he announced, "Welcome back to the unit, Squad Leader Seven!"

"Squad Leader Seven?" Qi Bing looked at the Major, bewildered.

"That’s right! You have been officially promoted to squad leader of the Seventh Squad, First Battalion!"

"Yes, Major!" Qi Bing saluted respectfully. And so, Qi Bing and the Major rode through the plains, speeding toward the rolling hills.

About three hours later, under a sky filled with stars, a vast military camp emerged. The Five-Star Red Flag billowed in the wind, and the name "Xingtai Field Army" was etched in striking characters on the gate.

It was mid-autumn when Qi Bing officially returned to the unit and was appointed leader of the Seventh Squad. From that day on, the Major gave Qi Bing a nickname: "Old Seven."

Upon reporting to the Seventh Squad, Qi Bing realized that the men in his unit were all fresh recruits recently assigned from the training company. Looking at them, he couldn't help but recall his own arrival at the army. Time had flown by so quickly; he was now a veteran. He introduced himself, "Hello everyone, I am Li Qibing, and from now on, I am your squad leader." As he spoke, he tossed his bag onto the communal bed. A short soldier spoke up in a Sichuan dialect, "Squad leader, you’re finally here. We heard you just came back from the military academy?" A thin soldier also chimed in, "Squad leader, why did you take so long? We got here yesterday." The others gathered around, firing questions and asking him to talk about the academy. Qi Bing laughed, "There isn’t much to tell. It’s mostly military theory classes, with less actual physical training." He then asked everyone to introduce themselves: the short one was Kang Tai from Sichuan; the tall, thin one was Zheng Ping'an from Nanjing; the hulking, dark-skinned one was Zhang Dahai from Shandong; the short, slightly chubby one was Zhang Dashan, also from Shandong; and the stocky, gruff-voiced one was Gao Yibo from Xingtai. There were also Zhao Gang from Cangzhou and Li Ming from Shanxi. Including Qi Bing, the Seventh Squad had eight men. These were his soldiers, and in the days to come, Qi Bing would eat and sleep alongside them, leading them in daily five-kilometer cross-country runs and various tactical drills.

One morning, the Seventh Squad gathered on the training field. Qi Bing was teaching them the essentials of the high and low bars. After a while, he asked the men to try. Kang Tai frowned and said, "Squad leader, I don't think I can even get on the bar, let alone flip over it." Qi Bing glared at him and commanded, "Kang Tai, step forward!" Stunned, Kang Tai stepped out, but when ordered to mount the bar, he dawdled. Finally, Qi Bing roared, "Mount the bar! That is an order!" Startled into action, Kang Tai bit the bullet and climbed up. Qi Bing encouraged him to use his arm strength to swing, but after several failed attempts, Kang Tai fell. Qi Bing had the others practice instead. After many repetitions, only Zheng Ping'an, Zhang Dahai, Gao Yibo, and Zhao Gang could barely manage the flip. Kang Tai and Li Ming couldn't do it at all, so Qi Bing told them to practice more when they had time.

In the blink of an eye, Qi Bing had been back for over half a month. He was busy training his men every day—from bars to vaulting, grenade throwing, and disassembling rifles for target practice at various distances. Qi Bing was in his element. Only Kang Tai and Li Ming showed little progress. Qi Bing often took them aside for extra training. Every time they practiced vaulting, Kang Tai’s legs were covered in bruises. Qi Bing patiently taught him the technique until he could finally clear the obstacle, though expecting him to be as agile as a swallow was a tall order. Li Ming’s marksmanship was poor, so Qi Bing spent time at the range explaining the nuances of aiming, calculating distance, aligning the sights, and maintaining a proper stance. Whether Li Ming truly grasped it remained to be seen.

Recently, Qi Bing proposed a new training method for individual soldiers to engage tanks. After the Major sought approval from the regimental commander, the method was adopted, and the entire regiment began practicing it in an orderly fashion.

As winter approached, the entire regiment intensified their training. The Seventh Squad followed suit, starting their days with the routine five-kilometer run, followed by breakfast and then drills in combat, vaulting, bars, and marksmanship. In addition, there were military discipline and political theory classes. Days passed, and Zheng Ping'an’s combat skills improved by leaps and bounds, Zhao Gang’s shooting grew sharper, and the others made steady progress. Only Li Ming and Kang Tai lagged behind, leaving Qi Bing no choice but to drill them at night.

By December, the North China plains were frozen, and the biting wind howled. The entire regiment donned thick winter gear. Despite the bitter cold, the sentries stood tall, and the national flag still fluttered at the gates, embodying the spirit of the old poem: "Cold winds drift through falling leaves, the army dances like green flowers; standing guard for the nation, defending you and me with our lives."

Chapter 2

Recently, Qi Bing received orders from the company commander: the regiment was to select five men to go to the division headquarters at the end of the month to participate in a joint military competition on January 1st as part of the year-end assessment. The Major suggested Qi Bing sign up. Thrilled, Qi Bing threw himself into his training with renewed vigor. The Major often summoned him to chat—not just about training and command, but about life itself. When the conversation flowed, they would share a knowing smile.

At the end of December, the regiment selected five elites: Qi Bing, Squad Leader of the Seventh Squad; Gao Tian from the Second Battalion; Li Wei, Squad Leader of the Fifth Squad, Third Battalion; Zhu Ke, Squad Leader of the Third Squad, Reconnaissance Company; and Zheng Tian, Squad Leader of the First Squad, Armored Company. They were the cream of the crop. An excellent driver and a staff officer named Zhang, in his forties, were also selected. Everything was ready.

On the morning of December 31st, the sky was overcast with light smog. At the gates of the Xingtai Field Army, a Liberation truck was loaded with ammunition, grenades, and rifles. Qi Bing and the others boarded the truck, and Staff Officer Zhang waved goodbye to Major Liu before ordering the driver to head to the division headquarters in Shijiazhuang.

The route passed through the Yuan-shi area, a region surrounded by hills. The road was narrow and riddled with potholes, with mountains on one side and ravines on the other. Staff Officer Zhang urged the driver to be careful. Though it was past eight in the morning, the sun remained hidden, and a dreamlike mist hung low. As the truck rounded a bend, an elderly man on a bicycle suddenly appeared. Panicked at the sight of the military vehicle, the old man began to wobble. Staff Officer Zhang, seeing the danger, shouted for the driver to brake. But the truck was moving too fast; even if it stopped, it would likely hit the man. Thinking quickly, the officer realized that if the truck swerved into the ravine, the explosives on board would detonate, killing everyone. He ordered the driver to steer toward the mountainside, hoping the collision would bring the truck to a halt. The old man, still panicking, steered directly into the path of the truck. The vehicle stopped, but the man was struck and killed.

The driver was stunned, and Staff Officer Zhang was at a loss. After confirming the man had passed away, he ordered the men to load the body and the bicycle onto the truck and head to the Yuan-shi Public Security Bureau. The mood was heavy. At the bureau, Staff Officer Zhang explained the situation to the director, asking them to notify the family. He then reported the incident to the regimental commander, who was furious and reprimanded him severely, ordering him to return to face disciplinary action. The commander dispatched a new staff officer and a driver in a jeep to take over. The new officer, surnamed Guo, arrived at noon, took charge of the men, and provided psychological counseling to ensure they wouldn't be burdened by the incident. At dusk, they set off for the division headquarters.

Chapter 3

The division headquarters had expected the troops to arrive by noon on the 31st, but due to the accident, Officer Guo and his men didn't arrive until midnight. They reported to Colonel Zhao, and by then, all other participants had arrived.

After disembarking, Qi Bing and his team saw rows of old, three-story red-brick buildings with peeling paint. Sentries stood tall at the entrance, where the words "Shijiazhuang Division Headquarters" were inscribed.

After dinner, they were taken to their quarters. Unable to sleep, Zhu Ke whispered, "Hey, do you think they know about the accident on the road?" Qi Bing replied sharply, "Even if they do, so what? It wasn't intentional!" Gao Tian and Zheng Tian agreed, "Exactly, what can they do?" Li Wei sat up and said, "We won't bring it up. If they’re so good, we’ll settle it on the competition field tomorrow!"

At dawn, they ate breakfast and prepared for the drills. Ten minutes later, they boarded their trucks and headed to an open field. Local residents had been cleared out days prior. The site featured high walls, balance beams, barbed wire, grenade pits, water pits, and various target ranges. Colonel Zhao gave a brief speech, ordering the soldiers to check their equipment and complete the obstacle course in under 1 minute and 80 seconds.

The competition began. First was the Northeast Field Army. They were fierce and agile, clearing the high walls, moving across the beams, crawling under barbed wire, throwing grenades, jumping over four-meter water pits, and finally engaging targets with precision. Next was the North China Field Army—Qi Bing’s group. Zhu Ke led the charge, followed by Li Wei, Gao Tian, Zheng Tian, and finally Qi Bing. They moved like tigers, clearing the obstacles with seamless coordination. Qi Bing’s performance at the range was flawless; his shots rang out in rapid succession.

The competition lasted until noon. The Northeast Field Army took first place, the North China Field Army (Qi Bing’s team) took second, and the Central China Field Army took third. As evening fell, Officer Guo led them back to Xingtai.