For fairness, the military songs selected among the hundred were anonymized, with military regions, creators, and song titles all concealed.
During the selection process, all songs underwent rigorous vetting until the day the top songs were announced, at which point their titles would be revealed.
Now that the rankings had emerged, the time for announcements had finally arrived.
The person stepping onto the stage to make the announcement was a Lieutenant General, over sixty years old. He appeared frail but his gaze was incredibly sharp, and as he surveyed the audience, he exuded an aura of authority.
The Lieutenant General was a well-known figure in the military, named Zhao Youcheng. He had joined the army at sixteen and had participated in numerous battles, big and small, accumulating considerable merit.
"Next, I will announce the military regions and creators of the top three new military songs!"
Lieutenant General Zhao dispensed with pleasantries and went straight to the announcement.
"Third place, 'Looking Towards the Army,' comes from the Jinling Military Region, created by Major Xu Minghao!"
As soon as Lieutenant General Zhao announced third place, the people from the Jinling Military Region erupted in cheers.
After all, the top two military songs were incredibly powerful and impressive, so achieving third place was already a source of great satisfaction.
"Next, I will announce second and first place!"
Lieutenant General Zhao flipped over another card. Upon seeing the military region and creator listed, he couldn't help but pause.
Reading the brief description, he wondered if there had been a mistake and quickly turned to ask the host beside him.
Meanwhile, below the stage, as people eagerly anticipated which military region and creator had produced these two perfect military songs,
they noticed Lieutenant General Zhao's surprised expression and couldn't help but wonder what was happening.
"What's going on? Why haven't they announced yet? Did the military region and creator details get mixed up?"
"That's unlikely. The major overhaul of military songs is no trivial matter. How could such a significant event have errors!"
"Could it be that the creator's identity has made Elder Zhao suspicious? Perhaps the creator isn't from our forces?"
Whispers rippled through the crowd, and a sense of curiosity arose regarding the prolonged delay in announcing first and second place.
Gao Fei, wearing a training uniform without rank insignia, was also puzzled by the delay.
He looked at the enigmatic Yao Qiang beside him and asked, "Brother Yao, what's happening on stage?"
"You'll know soon!"
After about half a minute of confirmation, Lieutenant General Zhao reclaimed the microphone.
"This is interesting. The top two spots for military songs this time come from the same military region."
His words sparked another wave of discussion from the audience.
The same military region?
This was surely a sign of great success!
Amidst the excited chatter, Lieutenant General Zhao coughed softly, and the hall immediately fell silent.
"The top two new military songs are both from the Kyoto Military District. Congratulations!"
Instantly, all eyes turned towards Yao Qiang and Gao Fei, as well as Staff Officer Xu and others present.
The high-ranking cadres' sons who had been met with sarcasm by Gao Fei and Yao Qiang earlier now had faces flushed with a mixture of red and white.
No one had expected first and second place to truly come from the Kyoto Military District.
Wu Changshun, who was the most unconvinced, glanced at Yao Qiang, who was looking at him, and immediately lowered his head, avoiding his gaze.
As the applause subsided, Lieutenant General Zhao smiled meaningfully once more, "It seems Dragon Country is blessed with abundant talent. I never expected such astonishing creators!"
This time, he didn't keep them in suspense and announced directly, "The creators of 'Strengthen the Army' and 'I Am Also a Soldier' are Kyoto University freshmen, Gao Fei, who are currently undergoing military training in the Kyoto Military District."
The moment the announcement was made, the entire venue erupted in an uproar.
Gao Fei was currently a hot topic, and it was impossible for everyone present not to know of him.
At least more than half of them had heard Gao Fei's name no less than ten times this month.
Now, hearing that he was the creator of 'Strengthen the Army' and 'I Am Also a Soldier' again, everyone was filled with shock.
A freshman who had just entered university.
A freshman who was still undergoing military training.
Had actually created two soul-stirring songs.
A true prodigy!
Everyone's gaze fell upon the young man standing beside Yao Qiang, wearing a training uniform without rank insignia.
Initially, they had assumed he was just some new recruit from somewhere, but little did they know he was the hidden genius, Gao Fei.
As the buzz and applause subsided, the venue quieted down once more.
Lieutenant General Zhao nodded with satisfaction in Gao Fei's direction and declared with a powerful voice, "From this moment on, the nationwide military song overhaul officially begins.
The choral piece will be 'Strengthen the Army.'
The solo pieces will be 'I Am Also a Soldier' and 'Looking Towards the Army.'"
"Yes!"
All one hundred people in the hall stood up in unison and saluted!
The military song overhaul, which had taken two months, officially commenced after this day.
That day, all military regions across the country received official documents and the original song files.
In the afternoon, soldiers' training included a new item: practicing the new military songs.
However, in just one afternoon, the catchy and inspiring songs 'Strengthen the Army' and 'I Am Also a Soldier' were fully learned by the troops.
If military dogs could speak, they would have howled along to these memorable and resonant songs.
Simultaneously, some schools that were also undergoing military training changed their military songs, and the students familiarized themselves with them after just a few repetitions.
During dinner, outside the mess hall, the song 'Strengthen the Army' filled the air.
The military song overhaul was undoubtedly a sensation across the nation.
That evening, all news channels reported on the military song overhaul, interspersing it with the choral rendition of the two new songs.
Listening to the broadcast of 'Strengthen the Army' on the news, everyone was awestruck.
Who wrote these lyrics and composed this song? The sheer power and spirit of it made people tremble.
Whether they were retired soldiers or civilians who had never served, everyone felt invigorated and inspired after listening.
The new military songs truly deserved to be sung by all after the overhaul.
Just as people were wondering who had written the lyrics and music,
Gao Fei, the original creator, reappeared on the news.
This time, it wasn't just the evening news; Gao Fei and the two new military songs were featured on news programs throughout the day.
Initially, people speculated if it was the Gao Fei who had gone viral online.
Or perhaps it was two different people with the same name.
Until the creator's profile was released online.
'Strengthen the Army' and 'I Am Also a Soldier' were created by: Gao Fei, a freshman at Kyoto University and a reservist soldier from Fengyun City.
The moment the information was seen, the entire internet was in shock!
Gao Fei, who had been relatively quiet for over half a month, once again became a trending topic online, dominating search engine results.
The new military songs had been uploaded to various music platforms.
The comment sections for both songs were filled with praise and astonishment.
"I thought Gao Fei would fade into obscurity after entering university and undergoing military training, but who would have thought! He doesn't show up for a while, and when he does, he's absolutely terrifying."
"The creator of the new military songs that the entire army must sing after the major overhaul. With his current status, what's the point of calling him 'Top Scholar Gao' or 'Singer Gao'? Shouldn't he be called 'Teacher Gao' or 'Artist Gao'?"
"Now that the entire army is singing 'Strengthen the Army,' who would dare criticize Gao Fei now? That would be offending millions of soldiers. Going to war with millions of soldiers is suicidal, my goodness!"
The comment sections were filled with surprise and admiration for Gao Fei's creations.
At the same time, many comments expressed different thoughts after listening to the choral performance of 'Strengthen the Army.'
"The grandeur of the choral performance was truly earth-shattering! Just listening to it gave me goosebumps. It's so powerful!"
"No need to say more. The recruitment season is in November, and I'm signing up to join the army. Not for any other reason, but for Brother Fei's song, it has made me yearn for the military!"
"I have the same thought as the person above. I want to enlist!"
In an instant, nearly ten thousand comments expressed a desire to join the army.
This was an entirely unexpected outcome that the military had not anticipated when releasing the songs online.
...
Kyoto Military District.
The male students of Kyoto University had already learned that Gao Fei was the creator.
However, the female students, who were undergoing military training, only found out after practicing the choral performance and eating dinner before watching the news. They learned that the new military songs they had been singing were written by Gao Fei.
After more than half a month of training, the fair-skinned female students had all developed a tanned, wheat-colored complexion, and their long hair had been cut to ear-length bobs.
Upon seeing the news report about the new military songs, all the female students' mouths gaped open in surprise.
They never imagined that Gao Fei, their fellow trainee, would once again appear on the national news, and become the creator of the mandatory songs after the military song overhaul.
Zhou Yuyan and Wang Shiyu stared at the news, unable to recover for a long time.
In just over half a month, Gao Fei had reached new heights once again.
"Shiyu, don't blame your sister for speaking frankly, but we are truly not worthy of Gao Fei!"
Zhou Yuyan, who had been very unconvinced before, was now completely humbled.
Seeing her best friend's dejected expression, she sighed and consoled her, "It's okay. Even if you can't find a talented person like Gao Fei, with your looks alone, all the men at school who can't compare to Gao Fei will surely fall at your feet!"
"Oh, your attempt at comfort is worse than saying nothing!"
After breaking the silence, Wang Shiyu, who had previously held onto hope, also completely gave up.
She no longer thought about the boy who used to bring her breakfast and let her scold him. That person was now far beyond her reach!
Men's New Life Activity Room.
Everyone was celebrating Gao Fei that night, with tables laden with various fruits, snacks, and drinks.
The army had a prohibition on alcohol, and the freshmen were no exception.
The large activity room was filled with singing, so loud it almost threatened to tear the roof off.
Commander Huang and others present were also very happy.
After all, Gao Fei had brought honor to the military district, so the freshmen and the soldiers of the fifth company were allowed to celebrate freely that night.
During the celebratory feast, the soldiers of the fifth company also learned something.
They understood why Li Dong, who was leading the freshmen of Class Five, had been so boastful and provocative to other classes.
It turned out that Gao Fei had instructed Squad Leader Li to stir up trouble deliberately, to keep everyone in a state of anger and high spirits. This had been approved by the commander and others.
Otherwise, with only two days of courage, he wouldn't have dared to provoke hundreds of people everywhere.
Furthermore, Commander Huang informed everyone that although they wouldn't receive individual military merits, as performers in the choral rendition, the fifth company would be awarded a collective honor and merit.
Their efforts had not been in vain.
After various festivities, everyone dispersed from the activity room, soldiers returning to their barracks and freshmen to their dormitories.
The lights-out bugle sounded, and all soldiers in the army, except those on duty, entered their rest period.
The next day.
The marching drills were completed, and the freshmen finally faced their most dreaded physical training.
Freshmen, Class Five.
Li Dong stood at the front of the formation, looking at the freshmen who, just a month ago, had been hunched over and appeared weak.
After a month of training, they now stood tall and straight like pine trees, their gazes resolute, and even their complexions were a uniform wheat color.
"Not bad, you're finally starting to look like soldiers.
At ease, attention, at ease!"
After shouting the commands and issuing his praise, Li Dong gestured towards the running track on the training ground, "The upcoming training will be relatively easy. You will start with a three-kilometer run.
The passing time was usually 12 minutes and 33 seconds. But since you are freshmen, I'll be lenient. Thirteen minutes is passing.
Anyone who doesn't finish within thirteen minutes will have fifty push-ups to do after resting.
On my command, run!"
Gao Fei finally began his physical training.
Yao Qiang, who had been eagerly anticipating this, was currently observing from a distance with binoculars.