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Looking at these more than one hundred soldiers, elites selected from the military region, he was filled with emotion.
This is the cradle of my country's Army Special Forces.
"My name is Fang Zhenhua. You must have all heard of me. That's right, I'm the one who broke the military's armed cross-country record."
Elites are elites. Although these soldiers were surprised, their faces remained expressionless.
"Today, the military region leaders said that our unit's code name will be the Wolf Fang Special Forces Brigade from now on, but don't think that everything will be fine once you're in."
"Because next, I will conduct three tests on you: physical fitness, psychological resilience, and combat skills. Only those who pass will be able to join the special forces."
"Special forces soldiers die. If you're afraid, you can submit a report now and I'll approve it."
"I'll give you ten seconds to think it over. If no one quits, hehehe, the next week will be hell."
Fang Zhenhua began to count in front of everyone.
In this day and age, the atmosphere in the military is very intense; if someone is sent back to their original unit, they will lose all face.
After Fang Zhenhua finished counting to ten, seeing that no one had chosen to withdraw, he smiled and clapped.
"Great, great, these are all promising talents. Now let's have some fun!"
After finishing his speech, Fang Zhenhua returned to his office, followed closely by He Zhijun.
"Captain, you said you wanted to conduct a test, how should we do it?"
"Old He, I had already given this issue full consideration when I became the commander of this unit. The testing of special forces requires the full cooperation of the military region."
"Captain, could you please talk to me about this?"
"Here is the training plan I have already prepared. Take a look."
He Zhijun took a notebook, on the title page of which were written the words "Gate of Purgatory".
His heart skipped a beat, and the more he looked, the more shocked he became. When he looked at Fang Zhenhua again, it was as if he were seeing a demon.
"Captain, I'm afraid not many people will approve this plan, right?"
"Special forces don't choose heroes, they choose weapons—killing weapons that terrify all enemies. This isn't child's play. These training programs aren't just for outside soldiers; we two have to lead the way."
With a "bang," the notebook fell to the ground, and He Zhijun's face was full of shock.
Fang Zhenhua's training plan is just too inhumane.
Chapter 22 The Gates of Purgatory
The testing period for the Gates of Purgatory is seven days, and the core principle is to break through both physical and psychological limits.
The test is divided into three aspects.
The first aspect is the physical fitness test, codenamed "Flesh and Blood Furnace".
It contains three sub-items:
I. Extreme Endurance
Carrying 40 kilograms of weight, including simulated wounded soldiers, they will run 25 kilometers through mountains within a 4-hour time limit; those who exceed the time limit will be eliminated.
The task involves a 5-kilometer armed swim. Given that there is no sea in the southwest region, the choice is to swim in the river. The river water is 15°C. Participants must carry fully sealed weapons and equipment. Those who give up will be eliminated.
II. Outbreak of Confrontation
Mud fighting involves free, unregulated combat in a 1.5-meter-deep mud pit for 30 minutes, with only breathing breaks allowed. Those who cannot last 30 minutes are eliminated.
Weighted rock climbing: In heavy rain, carrying 20 kilograms of equipment, climb 100 meters up a 90-degree rock face. Those who give up are eliminated.
III. The Death March
Within 48 hours, participants must complete a 200-kilometer forced march across complex terrain, with only one day's rations provided. They will be subject to three ambushes. Those who fail to complete the task on time will be eliminated, as will those who are shot.
The second aspect is psychological testing, codenamed "mind deconstruction".
It contains three sub-items:
I. High-pressure interrogation
72 hours of continuous sleep deprivation plus sensory interference, bright light and noise, simulated capture and interrogation behind enemy lines, elimination of those who leak secrets.
The moral dilemma test requires participants to choose between sacrificing civilians or teammates amidst false information. Emotional fluctuations are monitored throughout the test, and those who experience emotional breakdowns are eliminated, as are those who fail to make a choice.
II. Conquering Fear
A closed-space live burial involves being buried in a coffin for 30 minutes with only a breathing tube left; those who cannot endure the ordeal are eliminated.
Blind jump from a high-altitude broken bridge at night, without protective equipment, with a 5-meter-wide pool below. Those who dare not jump will be eliminated.
III. Environmental Interference
Those who lie in the cesspool for thirty minutes, and then eat lunch by the cesspool, will be eliminated.
The third aspect is a combat skills test, codenamed "Blade Trial".
It also includes three sub-items.
I. Kill Precision
Moving target sniping: Hit a 5cm diameter target from 300 meters away, with a wind speed of level 8 and a heart rate greater than 140 beats per minute. Those who miss three times will be eliminated.
II. Battlefield Survival
Survive in the wilderness for 48 hours with only a knife. Create traps to hunt live animals. Those who cannot endure will be eliminated.
Break through the encirclement while injured, simulated being shot in the leg, with restricted movement, and break through a 3-kilometer minefield blockade within 90 minutes. Those who exceed the time limit will be eliminated.
III. Explosive Attack
Within 20 minutes, participants must destroy ten simulated brick houses using explosives; those who exceed the time limit are eliminated.
During the testing period, nighttime raids were frequently conducted, requiring participants to assemble within three minutes; those who failed to do so were eliminated.
Only those who complete the full set of Purgatory Gate tests are qualified to join the Wolf Fang Special Forces.
The Wolf Fang Special Forces Brigade has only just been established, so it needs the cooperation of the military region in many things, such as ambushes during death marches.
He Zhijun was eventually persuaded, because just as Fang Zhenhua said, special forces are not child's play; people really do die here.
Special forces are the most well-rounded elites, and the tests they undergo must be the most rigorous.
However, He Zhijun still asked.
"Captain, if the tests are this strict, what about the training afterwards?"
"Hmph, do you think I'll let them off so easily?"
He Zhijun gave a bitter smile.
"I'm just afraid that if we can't finish it, we'll lose face big time."
"You've already read the test plan. This is like an open-book exam. If you can't even finish it, you might as well pack your bags and go home to take care of the kids!"
He Zhijun was seven years older than Fang Zhenhua, but when Captain Fang confronted people, he was utterly ruthless.
"Old Fang, you are a demon."
"Thank you for your compliment, but I am a Party member and do not believe in any gods or ghosts. What I want to become is the leader of the pack of wolves, the true wolf king."
When Fang Zhenhua submitted the "Gate of Purgatory" training plan, the entire military party committee and the military region party committee were shaken.
The root cause of the tremor lies in the fact that Fang Zhenhua's training plan went too far.
Our soldiers are the people's own army, not killing machines. Doing this is inhumane and has no moral bottom line.
A deputy political commissar of the military region even bluntly stated that Fang Zhenhua should be dismissed.
Fortunately, Lei Zhen spoke up, and the military region party committee eventually decided to send Fang Zhenhua to the military region to explain to them whether the Purgatory Gate plan was actually useful.
Fang Zhenhua was prepared for this situation because special operations theory was advanced and extremely difficult in China.
Because our military had not experienced the Gulf War, the sense of impact was not as strong or urgent.
The military region sent a vehicle to the special forces' base. Before leaving, Fang Zhenhua specifically instructed He Zhijun to make arrangements when he returned.
He seemed quite confident in persuading the military region's leaders.
We traveled by military vehicle all the way to the military region.
As soon as Fang Zhenhua got out of the car, he was picked up by an official.
"Is that Captain Fang from the special forces?"
"The military region's leaders are already waiting. Please follow me."
Led by this cadre, Fang Zhenhua arrived at a conference room. Upon opening the door, he saw six people sitting inside.
After some introductions, Fang Zhenhua learned the true identities of these six people.
These six are the top leaders of the military region, including the commander, political commissar, chief of staff, director of the political department, deputy political commissar, and deputy commander Lei Zhen.
To avoid suspicion, Lei Zhen kept quiet.
At that moment, the chief of staff of the military region spoke.
"Fang Zhenhua, do you know why we've called you here this time?"
"Tell me! Do you think your plan for the Gates of Purgatory is appropriate?"
Fang Zhenhua straightened his chest and said firmly,
The commander and political commissar couldn't help but exchange a smile.
No wonder he caught Old Liu's eye; he's got guts.
The chief of staff made it clear today that he was going to play the bad cop, so he didn't hesitate to point out Fang Zhenhua's mistakes.
“Our army is a revolutionary army that has always advocated unity. What you’re doing is simply treating the soldiers like they’re not human. It’s utterly absurd.”
Seeing that Fang Zhenhua seemed hesitant to speak, the chief of staff tapped the table.
"What do you want to say? Say it."
"Sir, currently, apart from the British who have made significant progress in the field of special operations, other countries are still in the initial stages worldwide. However, special operations theory is at the forefront of the military field today. If our army catches up now, we will not lag behind."
The chief of staff was about to speak when the commander stopped him and then said...
"Let Comrade Zhenhua continue first, you go on."
"Yes, Chief."
Fang Zhenhua remained silent for a while, organizing his thoughts, before speaking.
"Special operations are called special operations because they are vastly different from conventional forces in terms of testing, training, and operations. If we continue to use conventional force training methods, then the establishment of special forces will become meaningless."
"Furthermore, special forces differ from large military units in that they rely on small, elite units to infiltrate behind enemy lines and conduct operations. Therefore, special forces face extremely complex and challenging situations, and their members must undergo rigorous testing to be able to handle these complex challenges."
"I have already specified in the testing plan, for example, in terms of psychological testing, what if members of special forces are captured by the enemy? If they are not tested in advance, selected from the best of the best, and do not undergo rigorous training, then the combat operation will face failure."
At this moment, the deputy political commissar of the military region spoke.
"I saw that you included a moral dilemma test in the training plan. Our army is the people's army. How dare you test soldiers to kill civilians? It's utterly absurd."
"Commander, for special forces, there is no such thing as moral correctness, only tactical correctness. I believe that the tasks assigned to special forces are the most difficult to complete. Are we going to abandon the mission for the sake of morality, or even cause the entire mission and the whole operation to be wiped out?"
Which is more important, the mission or morality?
The deputy political commissar was stumped by Fang Zhenhua's question.
"Sir, from the perspective of military psychology, the core of this test is to train soldiers' battlefield decision-making speed and emotional detachment ability, requiring soldiers to be absolutely rational, react quickly, and have creative thinking."
"I have already written in the standard answer of the training plan that shooting civilians or shooting captured team members counts as passing the test, and the purpose is to ensure the success of the mission."
"We are all commanders of troops. You can't command an army with a kind heart. For the success of the mission, not only civilians, but even comrades-in-arms can choose to sacrifice themselves when necessary."
"Because I believe that all sacrifices will ultimately lead to victory, and only victory can prevent further sacrifices."
"Commander, if possible, I would actually prefer to continue leading the regular troops, because I know that special forces are deadly weapons hidden in the shadows, and the best executors for completing missions."
"Special forces members must learn to replace tears with reason and repentance with bullets. The moment we step through the gates of the special forces, we are no longer human, but war machines of flesh and blood."
After Fang Zhenhua finished speaking, applause slowly filled the meeting room.
"Slap!" ~ "Slap!" ~ "Slap!"
"Well said. So, Comrade Fang Zhenhua, are you confident in leading this special forces unit out?"
"Please rest assured, sir. I will complete the Purgatory Gate Project together with the soldiers. Leading by example is my military philosophy."