Soldiers Sortie
Soldiers Sortie (simplified Chinese: 士兵突击; traditional Chinese: 士兵突擊) is a 2007 Chinese TV drama based on a novel of same name by Lan Xiaolong. It was co-produced by the 8-1 Film Studio, Chengdu Military Region Television Arts Center, Huayi Brothers Film Investment Co. Ltd. and Yunnan TV. The production cast includes Kong Honglei as director, Yang as producer, Qian Zhang as chief producer, and Lan Xiaolong as script writer.
Important characters
- NCO (Class 1) Xu, Sanduo (许三多) or "Three-More Xu" or "Three-More Accepted" if directly translated because every Chinese character can be translated in English.
- A shy village boy, nicknamed to fellow villages as "Idiot the Third" due to his avoidant and introvert personality. He was made to quit school (despite being a model student) and drafted into People's Liberation Army by his alcoholic father, who considers him as "turtlish" and hopes military life would toughen him up. After boot camp he was dispatched to the remote Fifth Squad of Third Company (known notoriously as "commanders' tomb, dunces' heaven" due to the extreme slack culture there) because of his very poor performance record. At Fifth Squad he amazed everyone with his dedication to duty. He was later reallocated to the Third Squad of the famed "Steely Seventh Company", an elite scout section of armored infantry, where he was generally perceived as a greatest liability to the company. But through encourage by his squad commander and his own determination, he excelled his qualities and was accepted by the company as a valuable member. He was later drafted into the ultra-elite "Unit A" special force after the Seventh Company split, eventually became a core member of elite force.
- NCO (Class 1) Cheng, Cai (成才) or "Talent Cheng" or "Talent Complete" if directly translated because every Chinese character can be translated in English.
- A boy who come from same village as Sanduo, a childhood bully but a very talented soldier. He joined the army with Sanduo and went to the Third Squad of the famed Seventh Company (a squad renowned as the long-term performance champion), where he was trained into an excellent sniper. Cunning and eager to get promoted, he organized his own transfer from the Seventh Company in the hope that he could show off better as an elite somewhere else, earning the disgust from the entire Seventh Company as a traitor. Ironically he was assigned to be the leader of Fifth Squad of Third Company (Sanduo's old squad of the delinquent), much to his own chagrin. He was later invited to the drafting for the "Unit A" special force with Sanduo, but was rejected despite being the best performer because of his lack of commitment to his comrades. He went back to Fifth Squad alone in disgrace, and spent the next year cleansing his own soul. He was later recommended by Major Gao and went to elite force again, eventually earned appreciate by Lieutenant Colonel Yuan and stayed in Unit A.
- NCO (Class 2) Wu, Liuyi (伍六一) or "Six-One Wu" or "Six-One Five" if directly translated because every Chinese character can be translated in English.
- The deputy squad leader of Third Squad, the renowned best performer of the Company. He was unfriendly and untrusting to Sanduo at beginning due to the latter's extreme clumsiness in boot camp (he was the frustrated drill sergeant), but accepted Sanduo when Sanduo proved his abilities, participated in elite force selection contest with Sanduo and Cheng Cai but forfeited after a bad leg injury caused him to become a liability for Sanduo. He released himself from army after the contest.
- NCO (Class 3) Shi, Jin (史今) or "Today Shi" or "Today History" if directly translated because every Chinese character can be translated in English.
- The commander of Third Squad. He was the recruiter who drafted Sanduo into boot camp after getting drunk and unable to tolerate the domestic violence Sanduo received from his father when the initial request was rejected. He volunteered to Sanduo transferred to his squad, to the frustration of Major Gao. He often encourage Sanduo to improve, but had to be discharged from the army before Seventh Company split due to his age and a hand injury.
- NCO (Class 3) Lao Ma (老马) or "Old Horse" if directly translated because every Chinese character can be translated in English.
- The squad commander of Fifth Squad of Third Company. He used to be a model commander who trained distinguished troopers like Shi Jin and Wu Liuyi, but deteriorated to a slacker after his disappointment of being assigned to a remote, insignificant post on the grassland. Surprised to see Sanduo's naivety and idealism, he "suggested" Sanduo to build a road in front of their barrack in the hope that this would wear out the dedication. However, after Sanduo surprised everyone by completing the road all by himself (sometimes enduring sabotage attempts by his fellow squad members), Lao Ma was inspired and reignited his sense of duty. He retired from the army not long after, receiving an (unexpected) honoring farewell from his former subordinates.
- Captain Gao, Cheng (高城) or "Castle Gao" or "Castle High" if directly translated because every Chinese character can be translated in English.
- The proud and demanding CO of the Steely Seventh Company. He is the son of a high-ranking Corps CO but he rejects any help from his family, though he is clueless that much of his fame and achievements owes at least partially to his father's influence. He despises Sanduo as the "surrenderer" (due to an incident at the boot camp) and wanted to kick him out from the very beginning. After the company was split, he had a tough time getting over the reality but eventually accepted Sanduo after the latter remained more dedicated to the duty than he ever does. He was later transferred to the Division Reconnaissance Battalion as deputy commander and promoted to major. He later helped to snap Sanduo out of depression after the drug-bust incident. He was the primary opponent of Unit A in the final war game.
- Lieutenant Colonel Yuan, Lang (袁朗), his name has no English correspondent.
- Company leader of the elite "Unit A" special forces. During the first battle simulation, Yuan's detachment (serving as the aggressor) dealt significant casualties to Seventh Company, with himself single-handedly taking out several of Seventh Company's top troopers, including Cheng Cai. However, upon withdrawal he was pursued and captured by Sanduo due to the latter's dogged determination. Impressed, Yuan personally invited Sanduo twice to join his unit, eventually convincing him to participate in a selection contest. He was seen as having an exceptional appreciation of Sanduo's qualities, and supported Sanduo through his period of personal and family difficulties. He fired Cheng Cai from the final round of Unit A's selection process because of the lack of teamwork spirit, but eventually accepted Cheng Cai after the latter changed his personal traits.
- Major Wu, Zhe (吴哲) or "Philosophy Wu".
- A fellow Unit A recruit, one of Xu Sanduo's best friends in the detachment. Wu is a distinguished marines officer and a high-achieving graduate with honors double-degree in military philosophy and language, as well as a Masters degree in Optoelectronics. Wu, along with an arrogant elite paratrooper named Tuo Yonggang, share the same living quarter with Sanduo and Cheng Cai. Though the highest-ranking officer second only to Yuan Lang, Wu is very easy-going and befriends almost everybody. Silently enduring the intentional abuse of the Unit A trainers, he openly trashed Yuan Lang's training strategy during Unit A's final selection panel assessment, and threatened to file a misconduct report to the Chief Headquarters. However, Yuan still delightfully offered Wu a spot in his unit, citing that Wu is has sufficient quality to challenge him like that. During the final war simulation, Wu is a valuable member of Yuan's 4-man tactical squad (the other two being Sanduo and Cheng Cai) and is in charge of hacking/information warfare.
plot
Xu Sanduo initially was a shy village boy who never had confidence in himself. He used to be bullied by almost everyone in the small village he lived. San-duo's father disappointed in him for being weak and made San-duo through cursing and beating.
One day,Shi Gin, a non-commissioned officer from PLA, appeared in San-duo's village as a recruiting officer.
Under the sincere request by San-duo's father, Shi Gin accepted San-duo to give him a chance to change.
Shi Gin also recruited Cheng Cai.
Xu San-duo and Cheng Cai went to boot camp together.
In the boot camp, San-duo's performance was terrible and he acted like a child comparing to other trainees.
San-duo's poor performance made his squad the worst comparing to all others.
Captain Gao, the commanding officer of the 7th company of regiment 702 and the course officer of the boot camp, did not like San-duo.
Also, NCO Wu Liu-yi, a hardcore soldier and the Second In Command of San-duo's squad, tried his best to train San-duo but ended in disappointment.
San-duo completed his training in boot camp and was dispatched to the 5th squad of the 3rd company of regiment 702, a squad that is stationed at an desolated fuel outpost although Shi Gin, the recruiter, attempted to take San-duo to his own squad but was disapproved by Capt. Gao.
San-duo and Cheng Cai became friends in the boot camp even though Cheng Cai used to bully San-duo back in the village they are from.
Cheng Cai, the other boy who was enlisted with San-duo, was sent to the 7th company(as known as "Steely 7th company") because the boot camp course officer, Cpt. Gao, hand picked a few privates (the best) for his own company in the end and Cheng Cai was one of them.
The 5th squad members(including their squad leader, NCO Ma) felt that they were a "forsaken team" and lost their discipline.
They felt uncomfortable when San-duo kept to maintain his discipline learned in the boot camp. San-duo kept his routine physical exercises and drills even there was no monitoring in the desolated 5th squad.
The soldiers of the 5th squad wanted San-duo to be out of their sight and told him to do anything he want but annoying them. San-duo later came up with an idea of building a pathway between the barrack to the post of the 5th squad, which had no pedestrian roads in between.
San-duo's effort initially looked hilarious to the other soldiers, but later they were all moved by San-duo's attitudes, energy, and obedience. They eventually joined in building of the roads with rocks and made a red star in the intersection. Their effort was spotted by a military helicopter and caught some attention from the headquarter of regiment 702.
One day, Zhang, a military journalist from regiment 702 was sent visited the 5th squad. The Squad commander Ma told the story of San-duo's Zhang.
Zhang told San-duo's story to the Commanding Officer of regiment 702.
The Regiment's CO, Col. Wang, was surprised and arranged a meeting with San-duo.
Col. Wang asked San-duo to talk about himself, but San-duo was nervous and speechless.
In the colonel's office, a armored personnel carrier (APC) model caught San-duo's eyes. Col. Wang regiment leader told San-duo that he will give the APC model to him if San-duo has done something meaningful.
Also, regiment leader decided to sent San-duo to motorized infantry company - Steel 7th company.
Captain Gao refused to accepted San-duo to his company, but NCO Shi Gin, who recuited San-duo to boot camp, convinced Captain Gao to give San-duo a chance.
Captain Gao agreed reluctantly.
During training, San-duo felt sick when he and his teammate were riding on the real APC.
It made Captain Gao outraged. San-duo tried hard to overcome this weakness.
Captain Gao realized San-duo's efforts.
Unfortunately, after over a year with San-duo in his squad, NCO Shi Gin, now a Level 3 NCO, had to be released because of the duration of his service is exceeding the regulations of PLA and his degradation of performance was another reason for discharge.
NCO Shi was honorably discharged from the army.
San-duo had a hard time letting NCO Shi go. Shi's Second In Command and best friend, NCO Wu Liu-yi felt San-duo occupied too much time of Shi Gin from training and caused his discharge.
Liu-yi hated San-duo.
Captain Gao wanted San-duo to learn more, so he made San-duo to take Shi's place.
San-duo became the acting squad leader of the 3rd squad of the Steel 7, althought his rank didn't change.
A newly founded elite force, A-Unit, participated in a training with regiment 702 as the opposing force.
During the battle, Cheng Cai showed his talents in marksmanship.
Also, San-duo captured A-Unit's ground leader, Lieutenant Colonel Yuan. San-duo could have not done so without the exercises he had on his own.
It's amazing, but still cannot help San-duo's company. They were defeated by A-Unit.
After that exercise, Cheng Cai thought there are too many competitors in Steel 7-company and decided to be transferred to the 3rd Company to be prompted easier. His decision and action was shocking to Capt. Gao who always liked him.
The entire PLA was undergoing a reformation for the new era of war in order to improve combat efficiency. The entire regiment 702 was ordered to set example to the rest of the T-Division.
The 7-Company had all the best soldiers in regiment 702 and caused an uneven distribution of force as a whole, so they were ordered to be reformed first, which is to split up and re-dispatch, completely.
San-duo and Captain Gao were the last two who stayed to guard their emptied barrack and equipments.
Captain Gao was heart-broken when the last platoon of seventh company left.
San-duo kept the barrack clean and continued training by himself as he did in the 5th squad of 3rd company.
Day by day, Captain Gao was moved by San-duo's attitudes and tenacity because he always looked down to San-duo before.
San-duo and Capt. Gao were chosen to stayed for specific reasons. One day an order from the high-up was sent to Col. Wang to prompt Capt. Gao as the Division Recon Battalion Second In Command. Capt. Gao was then prompted to Major.
Before Major Gao moved to his new position, he confessed to Col. Wang that he was underestimated Xu San-duo, and said, "...he (San-duo) takes everything as a life saver, things that everybody else ignores and things that are as minuscule as grass, he is now grown up, I now realized that whatever he grasped wasn't grass, but a tree as high as the sky."
Maj. Gao accepted San-duo as one of his most trusted soldiers.
NCO Wu Liu-yi (the best of the former Steel 7 and most respected man by Maj. Gao) was asked to visit San-duo by Maj. Gao because San-duo is the only one left to guard the empty 7-Company.
Liu-yi found that San-duo was confused about his future. Later, Liu-yi helped San-duo to determine his career as a soldier when San-duo's arrogant father showed up in the military base and asked San-duo to return home.
San-duo was later prompted to Level 1 NCO to extend his service in the army.
One day, a colonel, the CO of A-Unit, came to Col. Wang's office and wanted to pick some soldiers through a screening process.
Maj. Gao came, too and saw that Liu-yi wasn't in the best condition.
San-duo told Gao that Liu-yi's back pain was bothering him.
When San-duo went back to his room during a break and he was sneaked and jumped by a man he knew - Lieutenant Colonel Yuan Lang. He told San-duo that his team is looking for new members.
Yuan invited San-duo to participate the test that A-Unit set up, he only wants the first three from the contest.
During the contest, San-duo teamed up with Cheng Cai and some ex-members of 7th company who still regard Cheng Cai as a betrayer, but they still let Cai come with them.
Liu-yi injured his leg in the contest at the very last moment and forced himself to quit because he didn't wand San-duo to carry him while other competitors were catching up. Other teammates had failed, San-duo, Cheng Cai and a third man, who did not join A-Unit after winning the contest, where the only ones made to the end.
San-duo blamed Cheng Cai for abandoning Liu-yi in the last moment. Although from 7th-company, Cheng Cai did not follow the creed - Don't Abandon, Don't Give Up. They later visited Liu-yi in the hospital and overheard that Liu-yi's leg won't be fully recover.
San-duo and Cai followed Lieutenant Colonel Yuan to A-Unit. They surprised all A-Unit's members are officers because they were the only two members with NCO's rank.
In the first day, they met fellow trainees and also their roommates Wu Zhe, a young Major from the Chinese Navy, and a paratrooper name Tuo Yong-Gang. They became friends in the first day. The trainees were called by their numbers instead of names. Xu San-duo is the last one - 42.
The selection process wasn't easy, and there were some candidates failing everyday. Tuo Yong-Gang was the first out because he challenged the course officer Yuan Lang during a range test and lost on the bet where Yuan scored a 25/25 whereas the candidates only got 3 or 4 out of 25, Yuan cannot accepted a man with hot temper in his team. There were only 8 or 9 out of 42 made through the 3 month training, both Xu San-duo and Cheng Cai were among the 8 or 9.
Although Yuan told the remaining candidates that they were accepted as a member of A-Unit, there was a final test ahead, but no one knew about it.
During the test all candidates believed that they were in a real situation.
San-duo show amazing abilities after he "lost" all of his teammates.
Wu Zhe saw some evidences showed that the operation wasn't real, but he still participate in it until he was "killed".
In other hands, Cheng Cai, the best trainee, gave up right after he thought his teammates were "died".
During evaluation, Yuan gave a heart-pound talk to Cheng Cai revealing that Cai treats everyone else as his competitor and getting ahead was his only forcus in life. Cai always failed to recall the creed from Steel 7 when asked by Yuan Lang, Cheng Cai was convinced that he had treated everyone in a "cold" way ever since enlisting. Yuan said, "to you (Cai), Steel-7 is nothing more than a stop, you will move on when you find a better place, if you later find another better stop, then A-Unit will be another stop of yours. We can't go with battle buddies like you to the battlefield..."
Cai was dismissed and sent back to 5th squad of 3rd company.
San-duo known that Cheng Cai loves sniping, but there is no sniper rifle issued in 5th squad, so San-duo bought a sniper rifle scope and gave it to Cheng Cai as a farewell gift.
The training with A-Unit continued day by day.
During an ambush, San-duo killed a female drug smuggler. San-duo felt guilty and cannot carry on his morale after returning to base. After hearing that San-duo wants to go back home, Yuan gave San-duo a 30-day vacation to explore the world outside the forces before making the final decision, and by then, Yuan will let San-duo to have his own way to cure his inside pain.
San-duo left his barrack and went to the cities. He changed clothes and tried to act as a normal civilians but he still caught the attentions from people passing by. San-duo realized that he is somewhat different to the people outside no matter how he acts.
He gave up, put back on his uniform, went to his previous unit, Regiment 702, to visit his his former comrades. Unfortunately, all his friends were transferred.(He didn't know that most of the ex-7th company members were transferred under Maj Gao's unit.)
San-duo met the newly prompted Maj. He, the former Company Sergeant Major of the 3rd company. San-duo later learned that Wu Liu-yi was released after San-duo and Cheng Cai went to A-Unit. The CO of the 1st company, He's neighbor, handed San-duo a letter from Liu-yi while they were having dinner together.
Although San-duo didn't talk much about his trauma after killing the smuggler, Maj. He soon realized that San-duo is needed to see his former CO, possibly the only one to talk him out of stress. Maj. Gao sent two ex-roommates of San-duo's to bring him over. Gao didn't say much when San-duo arrived at his training site.
Gao told San-duo that they are going to make a stop at Cheng Cai's barrack for the night. Cheng Cai met Gao who is now still disappointed in him, but the two men got them straightened out after Cheng Cai admitted that he was wrong for leaving Steel-7 Company.
Cheng Cai also impressed Gao's Recon Unit after beating them in a shooting contest with the 81-Type rifle with San-duo's scope taped on it whereas Gao's men used the new Type-95 rifle.
Gao later shouted at San-duo to motivated him. San-duo got straightened out and decide to go back to A-Unit. Gao said that life is full of problems overlapping other problems, and you can't be ready for all of them, so you might just move forward solve them one by one along the way.
San-duo later learned that his home has an accident when his father got into trouble with some dynamite (for mining) that exploded and injure the neighbors. San-duo had to seek help from A-Unit and borrowed money from almost everyone in the base with the help of his CO Yuan Lang. San-duo insisted on repaying his comrades with his salary over a period of 17 years although some members of A-Unit said there is no need to return the money.
Cheng Cai once again joined A-Unit after being recommended by Maj. Gao., but Lt. Col. Yuan was upset because he did not find a single thing he likes in Cheng Cai. San-duo tried to persuade Yuan and told him that Cheng Cai has changed and is no longer arrogant and self-oriented as before. Yuan gave Cheng Cai a chance in the end.
The story concluded in a training exercise where Cheng Cai proved to Yuan that his is a worthy member of the A-Unit after defeating Maj. Gao team. San-duo is happy to know that things are getting better for his friend.