- Background foreshadowing: The border town suffered from years of famine. Xi Fenglie, whose parents had both died, survived by begging and doing odd jobs. He saw his neighbors starving to death and being robbed by insurgents. He knew that being "poor" was a dead end and being "weak" had no place.
- The key turning point: A recruitment notice was posted in the town, promising that "you will be given three months of food upon joining the army, and you will receive a pension if you die in battle." In order to survive, Xi Fenglie gritted his teeth and signed up, and was incorporated into the "Border Army Replenishment Camp", bidding farewell to his dilapidated hometown.
- Entering the military camp for the first time: The military camp is very hierarchical, and new recruits are often bullied by veterans. Xifeng Lie is ridiculed for being thin and "falls when the wind blows." In order to grab a hot meal and protect a piece of rags, he fights for the first time. Although he is beaten, he protects the rations, which makes the recruits in the same team dare not look down upon him anymore.
-Basic training: Xi Fenglie knows that "being able to fight" is the most important thing. When others are lazy, he practices chopping and running. At night, he secretly observes the veterans' gun-holding postures, uses wooden sticks to simulate spear training, and secretly saves dry food and distributes it to the veterans who are responsible for teaching tactics, in exchange for a few practical skills.
