Comrade X Comrade

Kang Xing stepped into the gates of the academy. Despite his large stature, befitting a Northern boy, he felt scared and alone. Above him read three characters.

TAKE RISKS - SELF-SACRIFICE - DISCIPLINE

These were the words of General Cheng. The same man that Kang Xing had saved from a runaway horse cart weeks ago. Cheng Zhiqiang, the great commander looked so small. As the horse ran towards him, he didn't even bother to flinch. Kang Xing, the big lout ran and shoved the General out of the way. Kang immediately apologized and begged for forgiveness. Cheng, as well as his brilliant uniform was now covered in animal feces. To Kang's surprise, Cheng merely laughed and helped him stand up.

"You're the kind of man I'm looking for. Strong, dependable, humble. I am Cheng Zhiqiang, General of the New National Army" Cheng said. There were many who had never heard of him. But Kang Xing had. Even in the North, there was word of the New National Party. An organization building an army to seize power from the provincial warlords, and reunify Xinhai.

"Thank you General Cheng. It is an honour to meet you." Kang said.

"There's a military academy in the South, run by a close friend of mine. I want you to join. Their motto is take risks, self-sacrifice and discipline."

Kang was surprised. He had been looking for work. Suddenly his fate was decided for him.

Now, he was walking through the gates. He towered above the others, and felt as though he might crush them if he wasn't careful.

"Move it, you ugly slab of beef!" someone shouted behind him. Kang Xing stopped, and the man crashed into his back. Kang looked back, and saw that the small man had now fallen backwards.

"S-sorry sir" Kang said. The man just grumbled on the floor. Kang reached down to help him up, but the man slapped his hand away.

"I can do it myself. Shouldn't you be on a meat hook or something?"

"Huh?" Kang said.

"Or maybe you should stand outside the gate, as a defensive barrier."

Kang scratched his head.

"I'm saying you're a better door than a window. You're a better fence than a man. You're just a big waste of space walking as slow as molasses."

"Me?" Kang said.

"Does it look like I'm talking to anyone else? Now move it. We're going to be late to the opening speech" he said, pushing Kang Xing forward, who reluctantly walked in front of him. The two of them made it, and took seat as an elderly man spoke. He was dressed in an elegant military uniform, festooned with shiny medals and ribbons. His voice was deep and raspy, as if the words were fighting to emerge from his throat, and his accent was unplaceable. Kang didn't recognize him.

"When I look at your faces, I am filled with sadness. In your short lives, you have never known Xinhai to be great. Even your parents were born too late. Xinhai still hasn't emerged from it's Age of Humiliation. Our once great nation has been cut to pieces by conniving warlords and overgrown bandits. It's ports belong to Western Imperialists, who promise development but practice the looting of our resources. Our people have been ravaged by war, poverty, and opium."

He sighed. Then he spoke with the explosive anger of a mortar.

"And so we, the New National Party must train you, the next generation to take our country back. To throw the opium into the sea, to usher in a new age of prosperity for our people. To eliminate the warlords and return the land to the tillers. To take our country back, we need soldiers. Professional, disciplined soldiers who take risks, and are prepared to self-sacrifice for the good of us all. The foundation of a new, modernized , unified Xinhai."

He exhaled, and relaxed his voice. Now he spoke in a monotone, as if he was reciting a train schedule.

"Now, today you will make a choice. You will choose a path in which to serve the party and the country. Let me introduce your instructors."

As he said this, several men stood up.

The first was a thin, handsome young man wearing glasses. His hair was carefully parted in Western style. He spoke in a Southern accent, very kindly.

"My name is Ho Zhiyuan. I am honoured to be teaching mathematics and artillery." He bowed.

The second man was a foreigner, and the second tallest of the instructors.. His skin was pale, and his hair was blonde. On his face was a thick and carefully curled mustache, and a pointed beard. He wore a western-style cap, and his speech was very rough. He mispronounced words, and mixed casual and formal language.

"Gracious greeting. Am your friend, Galen Marcovitz. Teaching logistics. Only a master of the battlefield can know logistics. Thank you." He bowed.

The third man was the tallest, and spoke in a Northern accent. He looked like an ancient warrior with his flowing beard and long black hair. On his side was a Western style saber.

"I am Huang Yiming. I will be teaching infantry tactics. Anyone who cannot manage to listen to the other instructors will drill with me. But I have no mercy, and will not tolerate weakness or laziness. Only the best will graduate."

The fourth man stood up. He was wearing a unique uniform as well as a Western style cap. He spoke with an Eastern accent.

"Greetings. My name is Xia Tian. I will be teaching you cavalry tactics. There are those who think in this age of the machine gun that cavalry is outdated. In our country, it is still the fastest and reliable mode of transportation. In the heat of battle, mobility can play a decisive role. During the National Rebellion, our most powerful army was the Haqq Riders. The few victories we had against the Western Imperialists were mostly due to those braves. In the next war, cavalry will remain important."

The elderly man spoke once again, with gusto. "Now make your decision. If you fail to register, you will be placed in the infantry school."