Resistance against Japan: Starting with the local militia

Chapter 143 Competition

The waiting time always felt incredibly long, and with everyone in the militia eagerly anticipating it, the moment of the competition finally arrived.

All the militia members stationed at Wolong Mountain, except for the sentries on the outer perimeter, were present. Even some soldiers who were not seriously injured came to participate.

Bi Shoucai thoughtfully put up a banner with the name the team leader had given to the competition.

"The First Combat Competition of Wolong Mountain".

On both sides of the field, there were also many large posters with competition slogans hanging on them, which read:

"Friendship first, competition second."

"Compete with style and skill."

Faster, higher, stronger!

"Never abandon, never give up!"

With the recommendation of the crowd, Tang Weiguo became the first host and chief referee of the first combat competition at Wolong Mountain.

"Good afternoon, officers and soldiers of the militia. In this majestic Wolong Mountain, amidst the snow-covered landscape, I, Tang Weiguo, am honored to serve as the host of the first Combat Competition."

"Today's competition is based on the spirit of 'friendship first, competition second.' We hope that all participating units can show their best and achieve the best results."

"Now I will announce the competition events and rules."

First, each participating unit selects ten soldiers to participate in the following three competitions.

"The first event is a 5-kilometer trail run. To accommodate everyone watching the race, this trail run will be held at the training ground."

"The team that takes the shortest total time among the ten warriors wins."

"The second event is the 200-meter shooting competition, with one bullet per person."

"The soldier with the highest target score among the ten soldiers wins."

"The third competition is bayonet fighting."

"Each of the five teams sends two players to compete against the other teams. Each team plays against the other teams in turn. One point is awarded for each victory, and the team with the highest total score wins."

"Finally, based on the rankings of the three matches, the overall rankings for this competition will be announced."

"Now that the competition events and rules have been introduced, I will introduce the referee team for this competition."

"I will serve as the chief referee. The members of the referee team are Wang Qiang, director of the engineering factory; Long Wenying, staff officer; Li Qukou, director of the intelligence department; Li Qin, director of the communications department; Bi Shoucai, director of the logistics department; and Zhang Zhu, training instructor of the militia."

"On behalf of the referee team, I guarantee that the refereeing results in this competition will be fair and impartial."

"Now, I declare the first Wolong Mountain Combat Competition open!" Tang Weiguo shouted loudly through a megaphone.

The local militia members in the audience began to cheer.

"Now, let's welcome the first participating team, the First Battalion team," Tang Weiguo said. Tang Xiaohu then led the First Battalion team into the competition area.

Led by Tang Xiaohu, the ten men of the First Battalion marched in neat formation toward the training ground. The soldiers, who had just come from the battlefield, had a murderous look on their faces.

"Go! Go!" the soldiers of the First Battalion shouted as their battalion commander walked in.

"Now we welcome the second team, the Second Battalion team."

Tang Dazhuang walked over with his head held high and chest puffed out.

......

"Now, let's welcome the last team to the competition, the reconnaissance battalion team."

Then Niu Dali led the soldiers of the reconnaissance battalion over.

"Now, all the participating teams have arrived at the competition venue and are making their final preparations. Audience members, you can see that the members of each team are full of fighting spirit! I'm really looking forward to the first 5km cross-country run!" Tang Weiguo shouted loudly through a megaphone.

"Alright, time's up. All units, get into position." Tang Weiguo took out his pistol.

"Begin!" Tang Weiguo then fired a gun into the air, announcing the official start of the competition.

Upon hearing the gunshot, the five participating teams charged out in perfect unison, creating a lively and exciting scene. After a period of competition, differences began to emerge among the units. The reconnaissance battalion took the lead, followed by the first and second battalions in the second echelon, the third battalion in the third echelon, while the fourth battalion, due to less experience with the five-kilometer cross-country training, was in last place.

"Commander, it seems the first place belongs to the reconnaissance battalion." Long Wenying said to Tang Weiguo with a smile as he looked at the reconnaissance battalion leading the way.

“That’s true. Other teams really can’t keep up with the reconnaissance battalion’s cross-country training,” Tang Weiguo said.

"Commander, who do you think will come in second place?" Long Wenying asked.

"It's hard to predict the second place. I think Tang Xiaohu's first battalion has a slight advantage," Tang Weiguo said, looking at the two battalions that were neck and neck.

"Commander, I have high hopes for the Third Battalion," Long Wenying said with a smile.

"Well, let's wait and see."

"Go! Go!" The entire militia members of Wolong Mountain were completely inspired by the soldiers' enthusiasm for the competition, shouting loudly to cheer them on.

As the number of laps increased, the five-kilometer cross-country race was about to determine the winner. The reconnaissance battalion lived up to expectations and ran in the lead. What surprised everyone was that the third battalion, which was originally in the third tier, actually caught up with the first and second battalions and even showed signs of overtaking them.

"Go ahead."

The reconnaissance battalion crossed the finish line with a significant lead, winning the five-kilometer cross-country race. The third battalion narrowly overtook the first and second battalions to secure second place. The first and second battalions tied for third place, while the fourth battalion came in last.

"The Third Battalion gave me a pleasant surprise," Tang Weiguo said, slightly surprised by the result.

"It seems the Third Battalion Commander has put a lot of effort into training the soldiers," Long Wenying said from the side.

After the runners in the 5km cross-country race had finished resting, Tang Weiguo began to announce the start of the next race.

"Dear audience members from the militia, the five-kilometer cross-country run just now left a deep impression on everyone, especially the Third Battalion team, which came from behind and perfectly demonstrated the spirit of daring to fight and struggle."

When the soldiers of the Third Battalion heard the regimental commander praising the Third Battalion, they couldn't help but stand up and excitedly shout for the Third Battalion.

"Now I announce the start of the second competition, the 200-meter shooting competition."

After Tang Weiguo finished speaking, each participating team took turns shooting according to their training routine before entering the venue.

After all the teams finished shooting, the final results were tallied after a while.

The reconnaissance battalion won first place with a total score of 93 rings, far surpassing other teams.

The First Battalion ranked second with a score of 70 rings, the Third Battalion ranked third with a score of 65 rings, the Second Battalion ranked fourth with a score of 64 rings, and the Fourth Battalion ranked fifth with a score of 53 rings.

Seeing the huge gap between their fourth battalion and other teams' performance during their last week's victory in Taiwan, Lian Sheng secretly resolved to train them well when they returned!