Ace Troops Episode 8 Recap
> Ace Troops Recap
Jiang Nanzheng, now at the division headquarters, occasionally wrote to Gu Yiye. As the weather grew colder, she entrusted Lu Pingfan to deliver some items to him. One night, after lights out, Gao Liang and Gu Yiye covertly shared the delivered socks under a tree. Gao Liang snatched two packs from Gu Yiye's hand, one of which Gu Yiye intended for Niu Mancang.
Niu Mancang's foot odor had become infamous throughout Regiment 720 after a previous inspection revealed his use of toilet water, presumably to mask the smell. Later that night, in the dormitory, Gao Liang admired the socks and almost kept them, deciding instead to give Niu Mancang his newly bought rubber shoes. Meanwhile, Gu Yiye found a note from Jiang Nanzheng inside his pack of socks.
The note stated that she sent socks for him, Gao Liang, and Niu Mancang, and also included eye drops that she specially acquired to help with eye fatigue, a testament to their continued connection despite the distance. The next morning, Gao Liang passed Qin Hanyong’s office and saw him practicing martial arts using a book. After Qin Hanyong left, Gao Liang secretly snuck in and took the book titled "Black Dragon Eighteen Hands."
For several days afterward, Gao Liang diligently practiced the moves, feeling like a martial arts master, even walking with a swagger. During the recruit-veteran tactical competition, Gao Liang and Gu Yiye performed exceptionally, finishing over a minute ahead of the veterans, achieving outstanding results. This boosted the recruits' morale. In subsequent shooting training, Gu Yiye favored scientific methods and precision, while Gao Liang relied on brute force and hard work.
When Gao Liang challenged Gu Yiye to a contest, Gu Yiye declined, stating he only competed against his own limits. Gao Liang, however, saw it as the best way for two men to prove their strength, hoping that defeating Gu Yiye might impress Jiang Nanzheng. While washing clothes, the recruits overheard that Colonel Chen Dashan was accompanying Division Commander Zheng Yuan to visit Qin Hanyong.
Gu Yiye took note and went alone to the company commander's office, where he publicly requested Division Commander Zheng Yuan for a transfer to Night Tiger Company of Regiment 700. He knew Night Tiger Company was Army A's elite unit, a renowned hero model company since the Red Army era, with countless victories.
Gu Yiye stated that his primary reason for joining the army was to enter Night Tiger Company and that he did not wish to remain in Regiment 720, even with Colonel Chen Dashan present. Division Commander Zheng Yuan, though disliking the direct approach, valued ambitious young soldiers and believed the best way to prove capability was to demonstrate it. He instructed Chen Dashan to organize a night shooting competition, inviting veterans from the First Company for comparison.
Before leaving, Gu Yiye asked Zheng Yuan about the caliber of the bullet lodged in his body, wanting to confirm a suspicion. Zheng Yuan told him to focus on the competition, promising to reveal the bullet type afterward. That night, the recruits' first event was tactical night shooting, designed to test their combat ability in complex environments where strong light causes visual errors.
Gu Yiye advised his comrades not to look directly at the light beams, suggesting they cover their eyes with their hands and peer through their fingers as the beams moved. However, others didn't quite catch his advice, leading to less-than-ideal scores. In the second round of night shooting, Gao Liang fired all his bullets rapidly. Division Commander Zheng Yuan, observing his speed, suspected a high error rate, unless Gao Liang possessed special skills like night vision.
When it was Gu Yiye's turn, his method was entirely different: slow for the first two shots, then progressively faster. This approach earned him praise from Zheng Yuan. Zheng Yuan, with his years of combat experience, explained that the first two bullets have different trajectories because the gun barrel is still cold, a phenomenon known as "cold gun accuracy." Therefore, precise aiming and careful recovery between the first two shots are crucial, highlighting Gu Yiye's scientific approach to shooting.
After all scores were tallied, Gu Yiye predictably hit eight out of ten targets, while Gao Liang, though slightly less with seven out of ten, also performed exceptionally well. These were thought to be the best scores until the First Company veterans took their turn. Their lowest score was nine out of ten, with most achieving perfect scores, clearly demonstrating the significant gap in skill between the two groups.
Division Commander Zheng Yuan used these results to teach Gu Yiye a lesson, emphasizing that there are always stronger opponents and that Gu Yiye needed more training before qualifying for Night Tiger Company. He also confirmed Gu Yiye's earlier guess: the bullet in his body was indeed a 9mm Parabellum pistol round. Meanwhile, Song Jianshe noticed that Gao Liang's reliance on brute force training was merely a temporary solution. He approached Gao Liang for a talk, offering seasoned advice.
Song Jianshe told Gao Liang that if forced to choose between him and Gu Yiye, he would pick Gao Liang, not because Gao Liang was more excellent, but because Gu Yiye was "too" excellent and had many opportunities, whereas Gao Liang needed more chances. Gao Liang was deeply inspired by this conversation and started jotting down Song Jianshe's words. Feeling disheartened, Gu Yiye spent the night reflecting on his shortcomings.
As Gao Liang walked back alone, Niu Mancang rushed up to him, reporting that First Company veterans had called Ninth Company soldiers "rubbish," leading to a fight in the bathhouse. Soldiers from both sides sustained injuries of varying severity. Colonel Chen Dashan was furious in his office, yelling and ordering Song Jianshe to investigate the situation thoroughly and severely punish the instigators.
After hearing from Niu Mancang that the fight started over bathwater, Gao Liang rushed to the bathhouse where chaos ensued. He attempted to use the "Black Dragon Eighteen Hands" moves he'd learned, but the fight was too widespread. Colonel Chen Dashan, arriving at the scene, berated Qin Hanyong and Lu Pingfan for their companies' behavior, lamenting that Ninth Company was proving to be a "backward company" good only at fighting, and First Company was acting superior. He reiterated his order to Song Jianshe to identify and punish the ringleaders as negative examples, refusing to let "a few rough soldiers" ruin Regiment 720.
