Volume 1 Teacher Chapter 9: Establishing Authority (Part 2)
A competition in gun assembly? As soon as Dai Jiliang said this, there was a commotion in the team below. Even the experts recommended by the three companies retreated.
"what happened?"
Dai Jiliang had just rolled up his sleeves when he looked up and found that things had changed, so he asked the three timid soldiers in front of him in confusion.
"Report to the battalion commander, we can only clean guns, but we can't load them."
The corporal's answer almost made Dai Jiliang stunned. He looked at his deputy for confirmation, and E Tao had to nod with a wry smile. Only then did he suddenly realize.
Yes, the team before us is not the well-trained strong army of the German and Japanese powers. You must know that even more than ten years later, among the party army that claimed to be invincible in sweeping across China, there were still very few soldiers who could reinstall damaged guns. Now, those who know this skill can only be found in a few arsenals.
“I see!”
Dai Jiliang pondered for a while, and then asked the guards to set up three tables, each of which had a Mauser Type 98 rifle currently in use by the Guards.
"Guns are our livelihood, but guns are not always indestructible. What if your gun jams on the battlefield, or you only have a few broken guns at hand? What will you do? Wait for death!"
Dai Jiliang shouted with great vigor.
"I was right in what I said just now. You are just a bunch of civilians wearing military uniforms. It's embarrassing to expect you to go to the battlefield!"
As Dai Jiliang spoke, he walked to the first stage and raised the rifle on the stage.
"Everyone, watch carefully. I will show you how to disassemble and assemble it with your bare hands."
Having said that, Dai Jiliang began to perform in front of everyone.
"The 1898 Mauser rifle was an improvement on the 1888 Hanyang rifle . It fired pointed bullets, weighed a little over eight pounds, was 1,245 millimeters long, and had an initial bullet velocity of 878 meters per second."
Dai Jiliang recited the data of the Mauser Type 98 like a treasure trove. At the same time, with a swipe of his hand, the bolt latch on the left side of the receiver was opened. Next, he rotated and pulled the bolt, and the entire bolt part was taken out of the receiver. The next step was the firing pin and spring, and then the bottom magazine. Everything was pleasing to the eye, like flowing water. After opening a few more latches, the barrel was also removed from the handguard. At this point, in just two or three minutes, the entire rifle had been disassembled into eight pieces.
"How's it going? Do you understand how to unload the gun?"
Dai Jiliang raised his head and looked at the soldiers of the Third Battalion who were standing on tiptoe and watching his movements not far away, and asked leisurely.
"So now let's put it back together."
Dai Jiliang moved his hand, and as if by magic, the parts spread out on the table automatically jumped into his palms one after another, even faster than when they were taken apart just now. A Mauser rifle that seemed to be intact appeared in Dai Jiliang's hand.
"ah!"
The officers and soldiers who were watching exclaimed in unison.
But Dai Jiliang pulled the bolt as if it was a trivial matter. He pulled the trigger into the air and a crisp sound was heard. He nodded with satisfaction and turned to hand the gun to the three soldiers beside him who did not dare to compete.
"Check to see if it's intact?"
Several soldiers checked over and over for a long time before reporting loudly.
"Report to the battalion commander! Just like the new gun."
Dai Jiliang nodded, walked to the second stage and gave orders.
"Go get some black cloth."
After a while, the black cloth was brought over, "Try covering yourself with it!"
Dai Jiliang's tricks once again confused the people below. "How about it, you can't see it, right? Okay, take it down and cover it for me!"
When the blindfolded Dai Jiliang raised his head, the sound of gasps in the room almost merged into one.
"This time, I'll blindfold myself and disassemble it for you idiots to see."
"Deputy Battalion Commander, is this right?"
Chief Steward Chu Gan spoke softly in E Tao's ear.
E Tao shook his head.
"Captain Dai is really capable. You did this in front of so many brothers. Aren't you afraid that General Lu will destroy you if he finds out?"
So everything was dropped and the officers could only watch Dai Jiliang show off.
Although he was blindfolded this time, his speed was not much slower than the previous time. After a short while, the disassembly and assembly were completed.
"How is it, does the gun work?"
Dai Jiliang took off his blindfold, and this time he casually handed the gun to one of the onlookers below. Of course, the result was the same.
"This time, in addition to disassembling and assembling, I also have to calibrate the gun."
Dai Jiliang came to the third table.
"Some soldiers only know how to pull the trigger when they get a gun. Do you know why they can't shoot accurately?"
Dai Jiliang's several performances had already deeply shocked everyone, and this time everyone listened attentively.
"A gun is like a woman. It needs constant care. If you're not careful, the sight will be off due to bumps and bruises. If you can still shoot accurately with the deviation, you'll be like a cross-eyed man!"
Dai Jiliang swore constantly and did not look like a top student who had studied abroad at all. However, it was precisely this that made him full of strange charm.
“Watch this!”
Dai Jiliang once again demonstrated his amazing skills in disassembling and reassembling the gun, and then ordered: "Give me a row of bullets, set up a 200-meter target, and move back a little to the left and right to avoid accidental injuries ."
Soon everything was done according to Dai Jiliang's wishes.
"Li Guo, go report the target!"
Dai Jiliang looked among the officers and pointed out Li Debiao.
After Li Debiao was in position, Dai Jiliang pulled the bolt to load a row of bullets, casually aimed at a target in the distance, and with a "ping" sound, the first shot was fired.
"Five rings!"
A terrible number. The chests of several soldiers who were preparing to compete with Dai Jiliang, which had originally shrunk, suddenly straightened up. It was obvious that they saw hope.
Dai Jiliang adjusted the scale and fired another shot, this time it hit eight rings.
"Listen up you idiots, bullets don't fly in a straight line."
Dai Jiliang explained the principle of parabola in the simplest language, "So you must be clear about which grid your own ruler is set on. If you can hit the target by shooting at 200 meters with a 100-meter target, it is the good deeds of your ancestors."
Then he adjusted the height of the crosshairs, "Nine Rings!"
When Li Guo's voice came from afar, the people present were already numb with shock.
Dai Jiliang, on the other hand, seemed to find the number of targets unbelievable. He thought for a moment, knelt down, grabbed a handful of sand, and slowly let it drift away with the wind. When he stood up again, he heard the sound of "ping, ping!"
Fire two shots in quick succession.
"Hearts, two hits, both are ten rings!"
"Bring me another row of bullets."
Dai Jiliang glanced at the doubtful E Tao and grinned.
"Let Li Guo change the target paper, Deputy Battalion Commander, do I win this round as well?"
"Yes, the battalion commander won."
E Tao, who had just come to his senses, seemed to be burned by a cigarette butt and almost jumped up. Then he announced in public that Dai Jiliang had won again.
"good!"
Dai Jiliang had the stage removed, and then called the three soldiers who wanted to compete with him in shooting to his presence.
"I just calibrated this gun. Using it to compete with you would be considered bullying. So, the target is still the same. I'm giving you an example. If you can do it again, I'll still count you as the winner."
Dai Jiliang said this without even looking at the guys with happy expressions on their faces, and called Chu Gan over.
"Lieutenant, keep my eyes covered as usual."
Then, Dai Jiliang loaded the bullet again, raised his gun, and gestured around. Everyone was so frightened that they dared not breathe, for fear that this gentleman would accidentally fire the gun.
Of course, Dai Jiliang was just trying to scare everyone. He raised his arm and gun, aimed at the target based on memory, and fired five shots.
Then he pulled off the black cloth and ordered.
"Li Guo, report the target!"
"All five shots hit the target, a total of thirty-eight rings."
In other words, all five of Dai Jiliang's shots were within the seventh ring, which was truly astonishing.
You have to know that shooting in the dark was a shooting method that only a few top shooters in Europe would use during gambling fights. It required the shooter's memory and coordination. Dai Jiliang had only learned some basic skills from a German classmate who was from the Alpine Hunting Battalion, but even this little bit of skills was an incredible high-tech skill in China in the early Republic of China.
"How about you try it?"
Dai Jiliang wanted to hand the gun to the three challengers, but none of them dared to come forward to take the gun.
"Can't do it? That means I win, right?"
Dai Jiliang glanced at the silent playground. He slowly put on his military uniform and cap. Suddenly, he shouted loudly.
"You bunch of cowards, you have been training as soldiers for almost a year, and this is your character. Now, do you still want to obey?"
"I give in! I give in!"
At first there were scattered low responses, but later they came together like thunder.
Soldiers of this era were relatively simple and honest. Although Dai Jiliang looked ferocious, they still obeyed him. Being able to serve under such a powerful leader meant that their lives would be more secure. Therefore, although they were worried that their future days would be difficult, those present did not go against their conscience.
"It's good that you give in. I can't conquer the world by myself, so."
Dai Jiliang raised his voice.
"I tell you, if you can't learn what I teach you in three months, I will never let you have a good life."
He glanced coldly at the entire camp.
"It's not too late to quit now. Otherwise."
Dai Jiliang smiled meaningfully and didn't finish his words.
"Alright, all company officers, please go to your respective places. Officers will gather at the battalion headquarters later. Now, dismiss!"
"The eldest brother."
After returning to the battalion headquarters, Dai Jiliang still did not immediately hand over the camp affairs, so he pulled E Tao over.
"It seems I still have to trouble you these days."
Dai Jiliang's words left E Tao confused, but Dai Jiliang quickly explained.
"I'll go back and give instructions. I'll visit each company these days to get a grasp of the actual situation. Once I've seen enough, I'll draft a training outline and submit it to General Lu. I'll trouble you to stay at the battalion headquarters these days. I'll take care of everything."
"Isn't this against the rules?"
E Tao was still a little at a loss. It would have been a good thing for him to continue to be in charge of the public funds of the Third Battalion. At least he would have time to fill the holes that might have been made before. However, E Tao did not believe that Dai Jiliang would be so kind. After all, he had such a powerful chief officer. He really didn't know whether this was a trap set by the other party, so he was a little at a loss as to what to do.
"What rules are there? The most important rule is to train the soldiers well."
Dai Jiliang curled his lips.
"Okay, now that all the brothers are here, I'll hold a small meeting right away. This matter is settled."
