Chapter 347: Chapter 346

At this point, Ling Chengyan finally understood that their live training exercise in Fujian Province was indeed quite special, targeting specific objectives.

Their destination was a concealed training site located in a mountainous region along the coast.

This training site, backed by mountains and facing the sea, allowed for subtropical mountain wild training when heading into the mountains and various comprehensive trainings at sea and onboard ships when heading into the sea.

Comrade Chen specially introduced the seaside training ground, but what Ling Chengyan heard was the key: maritime live training, including ship interception and pursuit.

She was somewhat puzzled; isn’t this type of task supposed to be for the navy? Why were they, the army, brought here? Even if it’s a special training team, the combat range of an army special training team is basically on land, isn’t it?

However, orders were orders, and they couldn’t set conditions. At present, what they could do was quickly learn and familiarize themselves with seawater and maritime operations.

Upon arrival, seeing the camp nestled on the rocks, the team members from Eastern Province were quite curious.

They arrived at around seven or eight in the morning, with the camp built on a hillside facing east, welcoming the brilliant and bright morning sun. Looking out, the sea was glittering endlessly, refreshing their spirits, as if the fatigue from a journey of over forty hours dissipated instantly.

After settling in and placing their luggage in the dormitories, breakfast was already prepared in the dining hall. When the team members saw the delicious seafood noodles on the breakfast table, they were overjoyed.

With the sea at their side, the seafood naturally tasted the freshest: fish, shrimp, shellfish, all with flavors so fresh and sweet that they were astonishing.

Even though Eastern Province is also a coastal province, the strict conditions for seafood transportation made fresh seafood brought to the provincial capital scarce; they usually only had dried or pickled goods, with few chances to enjoy fresh seafood.

After the meal, Deng Chuang quietly whispered to his comrades, “I didn’t expect us to be so lucky, being able to come here for live training. Hey, I love eating fish and shrimp the most, and this time, I’m going to eat to my heart’s content.”

Chen Changzheng, walking ahead, heard the whispers of the team members, turned back with a smile, and said, “These were bought from a fishing boat, so they’re not too fresh. When the tide goes out, we can go to the beach and collect seafood ourselves; those are even tastier.”

“Really?” Deng Chuang and several young team members’ eyes were practically glowing with excitement, their faces full of ecstatic Hong Guang.

Ling Chengyan walked steadily in front of the team, a slight smile on her lips, with a trace of sympathy flashing in her eyes.

After breakfast and a brief rest, the team members were led to the seaside.

The gentle sea, beautiful white waves, and the soft, comfortable sea breeze were all very new to the team members.

Their eyes were bright and their spirits lively, showing no signs of having endured a forty-plus-hour train ride followed by four or five hours by car.

Ling Chengyan gave a brief speech, then temporarily handed over the command of the training to Chen Changzheng: “This is your temporary instructor, Instructor Chen. In the coming days, he will familiarize you with the sea and seawater and train you to improve your swimming skills as quickly as possible. The training goal is not for you to swim tens of miles out at sea, nor to dive to the sea floor, but so that if you fall into the water from a ship, you won’t drown.”

Many team members below were indifferent. Many of them had been swimming in rivers with their brothers since they were four or five years old, spending entire summers immersed in water by the age of seven or eight, swimming back and forth across river bends in their own villages. The sea just seemed to have bigger waves and a wider surface area; it didn’t seem like a big deal.

As for the few team members who couldn’t swim, they had their own sense of determination. If they could run 20 kilometers with ease while carrying weight, what’s learning to swim in comparison? It’s not a big deal.

Ling Chengyan stepped aside, temporarily handing over the teaching command to Chen Changzheng. The team members were then led to the seaside, removing their shoes and long pants, leaving only tank tops and military shorts on their bodies.

Initially, the team members looked at each other and chuckled, but as the training began, it didn’t take long for the laughter to fade.

Having once carried tens of kilograms of equipment and run forty miles cross-country, they were now running on muddy tidal flats, panting and feeling as if lead filled their legs after jogging just a few hundred meters, making it more exhausting than running cross-country for tens of kilometers.

Whether climbing mountains or crossing rivers, they often had solid ground underfoot, but on the tidal flats, there was thick, viscous mud. Stepping down, the mud could reach up to their calves; every step required pulling their feet out of the mud with effort… they simply couldn’t maintain a good pace and were constantly struggling against the mud.

In just ten minutes, one clean and spirited young man after another was covered in mud, with even their hands and heads inevitably smudged, turning them into mud-covered monkeys!

Watching for a while, Ling Chengyan removed her military shoes and rolled up her trouser legs, joining in the rear of the group.

As soon as she stepped in, her feet also sank. After walking slowly for a few steps, she discovered the knack, gradually picking up speed. Although her feet still sunk into the mud, they no longer sank too deep, merely reaching the surface level.

Initially, she lagged far behind the group, but as her speed increased, she soon caught up with the team members who had started ten minutes earlier, easily passing by them and steadily pulling ahead…

When Ling Chengyan reached the destination and turned back, the fastest among the team members had barely covered two-thirds of the distance one way. Seeing their captain run effortlessly back and forth, their eyes were filled with even deeper respect and admiration.

The troublesome beach run for the Eastern Province special training team members was just an appetizer. Once they gradually adapted to the muddy and arduous beach, they were taken to a relatively dry sand beach.

Then, the actual understanding of seawater and the sea began officially. Everyone was required to soak in the seawater, experiencing the power of the waves and the speed of the current. Gradually, their positions were deepened step by step until the sea water reached over their chests, and each wave could completely submerge them.

Waves that initially seemed beautiful and light crashed over their faces, rose above their heads, making even standing upright a challenge.

Fortunately, holding on to the planks added weight and offered stability among several people, preventing them from being swept away by the sea.

After adapting to the sea water, there was no rest upon returning, for behind the barracks there was a large bay with relatively stable water conditions where they were to learn to swim as quickly as possible.

Not the wild dog-paddle style, but truly familiarizing themselves with the water and being able to dive swim.

Only after completing one project could they engage in the next training project.

A few days later, the special training team members gradually dispersed, and they realized that those who initially thought they were good at swimming might still be practicing in the bay, while those who initially couldn’t swim at all had already passed the initial swimming training and started boarding ships.

Upon finally meeting the instructor’s requirements, completing the swimming training and boarding the ships, they discovered once more that being on a boat was far from as easy as they had imagined.

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