My Military Career in a Parallel World

Chapter 114 Wilderness Survival Training!

I thought I would be able to have a hot meal at noon after arriving at the campsite, but...

"The mountain road is rugged, and our kitchen team's car can't drive in. You'll have to solve your own lunch problem."

"But I'm not unkind. Before we entered the mountains yesterday, the comrades in the kitchen prepared some rations for everyone. Squad leaders, please send someone to pick them up!"

After a while, Jiang Chen took back the rations that the company commander had mentioned.

Looking at the dehydrated rice, several cans of unknown canned food, and the same 761 compressed biscuits as in the morning, everyone's brows were almost twisted into a "eight" shape.

It’s not that everyone doesn’t want to eat it, but…

Although these military rations were all fast-food foods, they needed to be heated or boiled in order to be swallowed. Moreover, the amount of military rations distributed by Ge Hongtao was not as much as imagined.

A squad has at least ten people, but only five people are given enough rations.

In other words, if the recruits want to fill their stomachs, they have to find a way on their own.

Fortunately, Li Gang had already anticipated this situation.

Since it is a field training, wilderness survival is definitely an indispensable item. It doesn’t matter how well the recruits do, but at least they have to understand the most basic wilderness knowledge.

"When you are in the wild, remember that unless you are 100% sure that it is non-toxic, don't try foods like mushrooms easily."

Walking in the mountains and forests, Li Gang kept explaining to everyone the things they needed to pay attention to when surviving in the wild.

"The easiest food to collect in the wild is various wild fruits, such as this one..." As he spoke, Li Gang walked to a shrub and pointed at the dark purple fruit on it and introduced: "Myrtle, also known as Gang Niangzi and Shan Niangzi, is one of the most common wild fruits in the south.

In the past, during times of war, people fled to the mountains to avoid the flames of war and used this fruit to fill their stomachs. People called this fruit "fleeing army food", which later evolved into its current name, "myrtle".

"There is also a fruit next to it that looks a bit like a blueberry. It is called ren and is also an edible wild fruit."

Li Gang talked a lot, and by the end everyone felt a little dizzy.

Fortunately, Li Gang didn't mean to teach them all at once, he just wanted everyone to have an impression so that they wouldn't be at a loss when they really needed it.

He took everyone to pick some wild fruits and vegetables. Just when everyone thought they were going back, Li Gang actually took out an engineer shovel and started shoveling the soil.

"Hehe, you can't just eat these things in the wild. You must take in a certain amount of meat and protein. This way you can better replenish your physical strength and maintain your combat effectiveness."

Li Gang picked up an earthworm as thick as his little finger and held it in front of everyone, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

“And the fastest way to supplement meat in the wild is to eat insects!

Many insects in the wild can be used, such as most common snails, earthworms in my hands, ants, cicadas, locusts, grasshoppers, etc.

Even in extreme cases, insects such as cockroaches and spiders can be used as alternatives!

Of course, the most delicious and nutritious food has to be bamboo worms! "

Just when everyone was feeling a little tingling, Li Gang suddenly raised the engineer shovel in his hand, chopped off a nearby bamboo, and found several large white bugs that looked like maggots inside.

"No, squad leader, we have canned food with meat in it. We really don't need to eat these things!" Looking at the maggots that are still wriggling and twisting, I'm afraid no one can accept it.

Even Jiang Chen, who was "well-informed", felt a little overwhelmed when he heard the squad leader say that he wanted them to eat insects.

Six times the protein of beef!

Just cut off the head and tail and you can eat it!

Chicken flavor, crunchy...

Countless images flashed through his mind, and Jiang Chen felt sick.

"Don't talk nonsense. There are only a few cans, not even enough to fill your stomach. Now that you've finished eating, what are you going to do tonight?" Li Gang glanced at everyone and said calmly, "Don't be idle. Look carefully for dead trees and bamboos nearby. Get more of these larvae. It's much better than eating canned food and wild fruits!"

"Gudong~" When they heard that they were going to eat this thing soon, everyone couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

This is not because I am greedy, I am just scared.

When they thought about eating this thing later, their stomach acid couldn't help but rise up and waves of nausea came over them.

If they hadn't eaten two pieces of compressed dry food in the morning, they all wondered if they would vomit on the spot.

I thought that bugs wouldn't be that easy to find, but I don't know what's going on in this damn place. I can dig out several bugs by simply splitting one or two bamboos, and I can find several earthworms as thick as my little finger by simply shoveling the ground a few times.

After working for less than fifteen minutes, Jiang Chen and others felt despair when they saw the lunch box full of various insects in Li Gang's hand.

On the way back, everyone in Class 5 had a sad face, until they met the teams from other classes and saw that they also had sad faces. Only then did everyone feel better.

After returning to the camp, Jiang Chen took Chu Fei and Zhang Meng to start digging a stove, while the others went to collect firewood nearby. Two people were taken by Li Gang to find water at the edge of the woods.

"Ah, no way, we won't have to find something to eat at night!"

Thinking of what the squad leader had said before, Chu Fei couldn't help but sigh.

"Otherwise, the kitchen team's truck can't even drive into this damn place!"

They chatted while working, and soon the first smokeless stove was completed.

One stove was definitely not enough for so many people, so Jiang Chen and the other two dug two more stoves before stopping. At this time, Li Qiang and others who had been collecting firewood also came back.

It must be said that there are quite a lot of animals and plants in this forest. When a few people were collecting firewood, they unexpectedly came across several bird nests. They were all the kind hidden in the bushes, and they didn't even need to climb trees.

Jiang Chen counted them and found that there were more than ten bird eggs.

"With bird eggs, the squad leader won't have to force us to eat insects anymore..." Looking at the bird eggs in front of them, everyone couldn't help but have some fantasies in their hearts.

"Don't even think about it. Do you think it's possible? Unless you can get a wild boar here now, this bug is doomed to be eaten."

"All right……"

As they were talking, Li Gang and others who had gone out to look for water came back.

Since he chose this place as the camping site, it was definitely not without purpose. Ge Hongtao had considered the surrounding water sources, food, and fuel necessary for making a fire.

The smokeless stove has been dug and fire prevention measures have been prepared, so everyone started cooking.

The cooking process is very simple.

Boil water and pour it into the dehydrated rice, then heat the canned food on the fire, and serve with wild fruits and blanched wild vegetables.

The only thing was the insects that Li Gang had caught before, which made everyone feel a little confused. They had no idea what to do with them.

"Come here, take a lunch box and give each of you a little bit. Just boil it in water." Li Gang said calmly. Seeing that no one was ready to take action, he changed the subject and said, "Actually, this thing can be eaten raw, and it tastes much better than boiled in water. Do you want to try it?"

"No, no, no, squad leader, let's eat, can't we just eat?" Everyone's face changed when they heard that.

Eating insects was difficult enough for them, let alone eating them raw. Just imagining it made everyone feel nauseous, especially when Li Gang opened the lunch box and saw the pile of earthworms and white maggots wriggling and entangled. Jiang Chen felt like his claustrophobia was about to break out.

If you eat this raw, you will probably vomit out the overnight meal!

Helplessly, everyone could only carry their lunch boxes forward, hoping to take as little as possible, but Li Gang didn't give them any chance.

The full lunch box of bugs was distributed very, very, very evenly among the ten people.

With this skill, it is more accurate than any damn electronic scale!

Each person received a box of boiled insects and wild vegetables, a bird's egg, soaked dehydrated rice, and two cans of food. They could prepare the meal as soon as Li Gang gave the order.

"Even in the wild, we must not forget the fine traditions of our army. Let's sing a song before dinner. Get ready!"

"Unity is strength. This strength is iron, this strength is steel, harder than iron, stronger than steel..."

After a burst of ghostly howling, Li Gang finally gave the order to eat.

However, before eating, Li Gang had a request.

"Eat this first, and then you can touch other things!" Amid the resentful gazes of the crowd, Li Gang pointed at the bugs in their lunch boxes and said with a smile.

Despite having prepared ourselves mentally for so long, when it comes time to actually pick up our chopsticks, no one can get over this hurdle.

Looking at the yellowish worms floating on the water, Chu Fei's face wrinkled into a bitter color: "Squad leader, there's no need. These wild vegetables and fruits plus rice and canned food are enough to fill me up!"

Everyone else had similar expressions.

Although we are not asking everyone to eat insects raw, overcoming psychological barriers is not as easy as we think.

Looking at the expressions of the recruits, Li Gang pointed his finger and said calmly, "You have two choices, eat or put down your bowls. I believe there are many people willing to help you share the rice and canned food!"

"Damn it, they're just a few bugs. It's not like I haven't eaten them before!" As a native of Northeast China, Li Qiang is not as disgusted by bugs as some others.

Although this thing was completely different from the silkworm pupae he had imagined, he could still eat it by gritting his teeth.

After running for most of the day, I was already very hungry. I didn’t know how long I would have to walk next, so I couldn’t really not eat.

We will die anyway, so the sooner we die, the sooner we will be reborn!

Li Qiang picked up a few insects, gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and stuffed them into his mouth.

Not only him, but Sun Weichen next to him was no less inferior.

For the little fat boy, nothing is more important than eating. For the sake of eating, he can even hold on for five kilometers. Why is he afraid of this?!

"Puh, phuh, phuh..." Although the insects had been boiled in water, the necessary ingredients were still retained. Li Qiang couldn't stand the taste of the insects after chewing it for just two bites, so he turned around and spit out what was in his mouth.

It's not that he's not good enough, it's just that this thing is so fucking disgusting.

With a light bite, the feeling of bursting liquid... he really can't stand it!

As for Sun Weichen next to him, he is much smarter.

People just swallow it raw without chewing it, not caring about the taste, as long as it gets swallowed into the stomach!

"You are the first one to try it, so I won't bother you about wasting food." Li Gang picked up his lunch box, picked up a bug with chopsticks and put it into Li Qiang's bowl.

"But I have to eat all the remaining ones. Not a single one can be wasted!"

"Yes, squad leader!" Li Qiang agreed reluctantly.

He was misled by his eating habits and thought that this thing was not much different from the silkworm pupae in his hometown. If he swallowed it directly without chewing, there wouldn't be so many problems.

Someone took the lead and others started to eat.

Jiang Chen was already extremely hungry, and he followed Sun Weichen's example, picking up a worm with chopsticks and stuffing it into his mouth. Then, he picked up the kettle and swallowed the worm in his mouth with the help of the water as if he was taking medicine.

Seeing this, the others followed suit, unscrewing the kettle, picking up the bugs in the bowl with an expression as if they were ready to die.

After everyone swallowed the bugs in their mouths, Li Gang nodded in satisfaction and started to use his chopsticks.

Unlike Jiang Chen and others, after he picked up the insect and put it into his mouth, he chewed it for a while, with an expression of enjoyment on his face, as if he was eating some delicacies from the mountains and the sea.

Everyone who saw it felt a chill in their hearts.

Damn, what do scouts usually eat?!

Everyone couldn't help but think.

It’s no wonder they thought so, the expression on Li Gang’s face was really too exaggerated.

Everyone saw Li Qiang's reaction just now, coupled with the adjectives he used to describe it.

Just thinking about it made everyone feel nauseous.

"Haha, don't look at me like that. I'm just eating a bug, and it's cooked. Although the earthworm still has a bit of earthy smell, it tastes okay, much better than eating it raw."

"Uh……"

Li Gang looked calm and composed. He was not joking. For a scout, eating insects was nothing.

Every time they go on a training march they have to eat bugs for a few days.

This can also be considered a special training, a skill that must be learned for survival in the wild.

Long before setting off, Ge Hongtao held a meeting with several squad leaders to explain what to expect during the training.

Today's insect feast was one of the things Ge Hongtao had specifically reminded us of.

When serving in the 228th Regiment, eating insects is inevitable, and even in ordinary companies, it happens occasionally.

Of course, it doesn’t matter if you really don’t eat, as long as you can withstand the high-intensity training that follows.

In addition, don’t forget that field training is also one of the training programs for the recruit company, and it can even be said to be the most important program.

The performance of the recruits during the training will be recorded and reported by each squad leader.

When the final distribution is made to the next company, these things will be important reference materials.

If you can't overcome your psychological barriers and can't eat bugs, then forget about even thinking about joining the front-line combat units and reconnaissance companies.

In fact, because the requirements of the 228th Regiment are quite strict, it is even unclear whether the second-line troops can enter.

After eating the bugs, the rest is much easier.

Although the boiled wild vegetables taste bitter, they are much better than insects. I didn't even frown when eating them.

The compressed biscuits that everyone disliked in the morning now seemed to have become delicacies from land and sea.

After lunch, Ge Hongtao gave everyone half an hour to rest so that they could get enough rest before setting off again.