Ace Troops Episode 5 Recap
> Ace Troops Recap
Jiang Nanzheng sat alone on a hillside at night, which drew the attention of two provosts. Gao Liang appeared just in time, pulling her behind a large rock to avoid detection. Unexpectedly, a wild boar suddenly burst from the bushes, narrowly missing them but terrifying Jiang Nanzheng. After this close call, Jiang Nanzheng, certain of her feelings for someone else, deliberately distanced herself from Gao Liang.
She firmly told him to give up on any romantic notions, explaining that they shared no romantic feelings and that she considered him a brother. Gao Liang did not directly respond to her words, but after she left, he gazed at the sky, realizing that from that moment on, someone new occupied his heart. He wanted to treat her well, and he wanted to be better than Gu Yiye for her.
The next day, after morning training and during the lunch break, provosts arrived at the Ninth Squad to investigate. They demanded that all recruits present their liberation shoes. The provosts explained that they had discovered male and female shoe prints outside a broken section of the camp wall the previous night, along with cinders. They were looking for a male soldier whose shoes had cinders or who had washed his shoes without a clear reason.
All other recruits passed the inspection, but Gao Liang's shoes were clean, raising suspicion. Gao Liang claimed he had stepped in dung while fertilizing the vegetable garden, a punishment for being last in a run, and that his shoes still smelled despite two washes. To prove it, he dramatically pulled out a pair of still-smelly socks from his cabinet, narrowly passing the inspection.
Realizing the provosts might trace the female soldier's identity, Gao Liang immediately sought out Han Chunyu to gather information. Han Chunyu confirmed Gao Liang was the male soldier in question and that the provosts had checked everyone's shoes. She admitted that seeing the situation, she had claimed Jiang Nanzheng's shoes were hers to protect her, and because she was on duty that night, she faced no repercussions.
However, Han Chunyu warned Gao Liang that the provost's precise timing suggested an informant, advising everyone to be careful. Gao Liang, complimenting her, took her warning seriously and began to suspect Niu Mancang. During bayonet training, Gao Liang aggressively targeted Niu Mancang, believing him to be the snitch. Niu Mancang repeatedly pleaded his innocence, asking Gao Liang to believe him and insisting he had not informed the provosts.
The company's soldiers and the provosts had questioned him and threatened him with punishment if he covered up, but he maintained that he had said nothing, and his sergeant could testify to this. Despite Niu Mancang's pleas, Gao Liang's aggressive attacks continued, eventually leading to Niu Mancang sustaining an injury to his forehead. Filled with guilt upon realizing his mistake, Gao Liang apologized to Niu Mancang, and the two reconciled.
Niu Mancang, knowing Gao Liang often wore a watch, asked to borrow it to keep track of time during his guard shifts, as he was often called early by other shifts. Gao Liang refused, citing army regulations against wearing watches and rules against hedonism, offering instead to take Niu Mancang's guard shifts himself. Later that night, as Niu Mancang was called for guard duty, he quietly took Gao Liang's watch from under his pillow. Gu Yiye witnessed this.
Shortly after, Niu Mancang bumped into a comrade and pulled out the watch, only to discover its dial was shattered, its hands stopped, and its strap broken. Terrified, he spent the next day nervously observing Gao Liang's reactions. During a weighted mountain run, Qin Hanyong noticed Gao Liang wearing the watch. He confiscated it, publicly reprimanding Gao Liang for his "hedonism" and for daring to do what even veterans wouldn't.
As punishment, Qin Hanyong ordered the entire company to carry a wax gourd each and run to the cookhouse and back within 30 minutes. He further decreed that for the next three days, all meals for the Ninth Squad would consist of wax gourd dishes until the "spoiled" gourds were consumed.
Feeling deeply sorry for Gao Liang, Niu Mancang approached Gu Yiye, explaining he had broken Gao Liang's watch while trying to wear it for a photo for a potential marriage match. He offered a replacement watch he had bought from Gu Yiye to compensate Gao Liang.
However, Gao Liang was already in a foul mood and, overhearing their conversation, accused Gu Yiye of having ill intentions, questioning why Gu Yiye would sell a watch worth 300 yuan for only 80 yuan, and implying Gu Yiye was using Niu Mancang against him. Gu Yiye, provoked by Gao Liang's accusations, retorted that Gao Liang's watch was worth only 35 yuan when new and was already broken upon enlistment, calling it "worthless trash."
Enraged, Gao Liang demanded to know what Gu Yiye said, then declared that the watch was not trash because his brother, Gao Shan, had died wearing it. Gao Liang grabbed Gu Yiye and punched him, prompting Niu Mancang to quickly intervene and break up the fight. Once he had calmed down, Gao Liang revealed the story behind the watch. It belonged to his deceased brother, Gao Shan, who had named him.
His brother had adopted him at age eight and raised him as his own. One year, after his brother was promoted, their family saved money to buy him a Shanghai watch, and his brother promised Gao Liang he could wear it for three days. Gao Liang was overjoyed, imagining himself as a king among the village children.
However, his brother returned empty-handed, having given the watch money to a fellow-townsman whose child was severely ill and whose money had been stolen. Gao Liang was angry and ignored him. The day before his brother left for the battlefield, he sent a letter to their mother, asking her to tell Gao Liang not to be upset and that he would buy him a watch later. He also asked Gao Liang to write to him.
Gao Liang, still angry, never wrote a single word. He never knew his brother would not return. After his brother's death, two soldiers brought his belongings. Among them was a new Shanghai watch, which Gao Liang knew wasn't his brother's. The soldiers explained that his brother had always wanted to buy him a watch but had died before he could, and his comrades had pooled money to buy it to fulfill his dying wish.
They then produced the smashed military watch his brother had worn into battle, still bearing his blood. Its dial was broken, and its hands were gone. Gao Liang had always wondered what time the broken hands indicated, believing it to be the exact moment of his brother's sacrifice. He agonized over not knowing when his brother died, if he missed his family, and if his brother believed he was still angry, unaware that Gao Liang had long since forgiven him.
Moved by the story, Gu Yiye immediately offered to retrieve the watch from Qin Hanyong. The next morning, Qin Hanyong assembled the entire company and returned Gao Liang's watch. He explained that they were correcting a mistake and that every comrade present had been protected by Gao Liang's brother and would remember him. He added that as long as one person remembered him, he would never truly disappear.
Gu Yiye added that while they might not know when he died, they knew when he was "reborn." Qin Hanyong, speaking not as a company commander but as an ordinary Chinese soldier, asked everyone to remember the fallen hero and never let him down.
Gao Liang, reflecting on his brother and the company commander's words about rebirth and remembrance, realized that the "time puzzle" he had been desperately seeking was not in the broken watch, but in the bonds of camaraderie and the path they forged together. He vowed to continue his search for the true meaning of his brother's sacrifice.
During a shooting practice session, Lu Pingfan held his submachine gun, but his mind drifted to a past border battle, filled with explosions, scattered bodies, and countless fallen comrades. Meanwhile, Gu Yiye, suffering from a high fever, eventually succumbed to exhaustion and fainted. With the internal affairs competition approaching, Niu Mancang was worried about his foot odor.
Gao Liang went to the service agency to buy supplies and tried to get a bottle of floral water for Niu Mancang, only to find that Han Chunyu had just bought the last one. Using his charming wit, Gao Liang managed to persuade her to sell it to him. As they cycled back, they accidentally fell into a pond. Gao Liang immediately scooped Han Chunyu into his arms, a gesture that made her heart race.
Jiang Nanzheng, aware of Gu Yiye's illness, went to the male dormitory window and threw him a handkerchief containing antipyretic medicine. As they spoke, Niu Mancang unexpectedly burst in, startled to see a female soldier in the male dorm, causing Jiang Nanzheng to flee. Back in the female dormitory, Jiang Nanzheng found Han Chunyu, soaked, having just returned from outside. As everyone returned to their dorms, Gu Yiye discreetly pocketed Jiang Nanzheng's handkerchief.
Gao Liang took the opportunity to give the floral water to Niu Mancang, instructing him to put a few drops in his shoes daily. Just then, Song Jianshe conducted a surprise inspection, explaining that the internal affairs competition had been moved from tomorrow to tonight because he had to accompany chiefs from headquarters.
He also informed them that the headquarters chiefs had brought weapon testing tasks and that every new recruit would have a fair chance to participate, as they intended to select soldiers of varying skill levels to test the new weaponry and assess the difficulty of mastery. He stressed the importance of excelling in internal affairs and parade ground performance to maximize their chances.
Qin Hanyong tried to divert Song Jianshe with an offer of tea, but Song Jianshe insisted on inspecting all beds, specifically mentioning Niu Mancang's, whose feet he claimed were the smelliest, but noted that due to their diligent efforts, there was no longer any odor. He then urged Qin Hanyong to smell for himself.
