The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 512 Return to Yanjing!!!
At the end of December, Liu Zhiye finally completed the handover work with his successor.

The next person to be responsible for the "Two Mountains Rotational War" is General Zhang from the Chuncheng Military Region.

Liu Zhiye knew that in his previous life, General Zhang was also the commander-in-chief in charge of the "Two Mountains Rotation War" three years later.

It’s just that this life happened earlier because of him, the butterfly.

After some ideological struggle, Fan Tianlei finally did not reject Liu Zhiye's kindness.

Afterwards, he went to the Army Academy for further studies according to Liu Zhiye's arrangement.

From then on, Liu Zhiye temporarily put down the heavy burden on his shoulders and returned to Yanjing with his guards and staff in a relaxed manner.

On the day he returned to Beijing, Liu Zhiye did not go home immediately. He first visited his former leaders Lao Liang and Sister Ren.

The Liangs now live in the military compound, which is located at the foot of the scenic Badachu Park in the SJ mountain area.

The military hospital houses the headquarters, political department, military kindergarten, military general hospital, military service agency, motor vehicle company, military canteen, auditorium, sports field and Comrades Art Troupe.

The old leader and his wife were very surprised by Liu Zhiye's sudden arrival.

"Sister Ren! How have you been recently?" Liu Zhiye looked at the elder sister who came out to greet him, feeling a lot of emotions in his heart. He had not seen Sister Ren for many years, and his emotions were quite complicated at the moment.

"Very good! Come on, let's go inside and talk. Haha, before you came, Lao Liang was still talking about you, praising you for your beautiful fighting in the south!" When Sister Ren saw Liu Zhiye, her enthusiasm was as if she was treating her own junior.

"Lao Liang, Lao Liang, come out and see who's here!"

Lao Liang was reading a newspaper in the study. He came out after hearing the shouting, muttering, "You old woman, who can make you so excited?"

"Hello, Chief! Liu Zhiye is here to visit you!" Liu Zhiye's eyes were red and he saluted Lao Liang.

"Zhiye? It's you, kid. Okay... okay, come here quickly..."

Lao Liang patted Liu Zhiye's arm and sighed: "Zhiye, you fought really well in the south. I am very pleased with your performance. I never thought that the young boy in the past has become a famous general today."

Liu Zhiye responded modestly: "That's because you taught me well. Without your careful teaching back then, how could I be where I am today?"

Lao Liang waved his hand and said, "Don't say that. I have led many soldiers, but not many have achieved what you have. This is the result of your hard work. I dare not take credit for it."

"Old lady, go make some delicious dishes. I want to have a good chat with Zhiye."

Lao Liang was the guide of Liu Zhiye's military career. Seeing him become successful now, he is very pleased and even happier than if his own sons and nephews were successful.

Sister Ren smiled and replied, "Zhiye, you and Lao Liang can chat slowly. I will go and make you some of your favorite dishes."

Liu Zhiye nodded readily: "Okay! Sister Ren, I brought some things with me when I came. Please ask the service staff to pick them up."

"Kid, what did you bring to see us? Take them all back to me!" When Lao Liang heard this, his face suddenly changed and he was quite displeased.

Liu Zhiye knew that he was principled, so he quickly explained: "Old leader, don't you know me? These are just local specialties from Liujiazhuang, they are worthless!"

After hearing this, Lao Liang smiled and said eagerly: "Let's go to the study and talk. Tell me about the situation in the south in the past two years..."

Liu Zhiye found out about it through chatting.

Lao Liang has not had an easy time in recent years. He went to work in a factory in Xishan Province ten years ago and just came back a while ago.

The moment they received the news, Lao Liang and Sister Ren cried with joy.

Then, the couple hurriedly packed up their things, returned to Yanjing, and stayed in the military district guesthouse.

In the guesthouse, although Lao Liang and Sister Ren’s new home is not very big, thanks to the hostess’s careful care, the simple furniture reveals warmth everywhere.

On the walls of the new house, there are many old photos of Lao Liang.

Whenever guests came to visit and ask about the family, Sister Ren would happily introduce them to everyone: "In the past, my old man fought in many battles. He was a man who could fight tough battles. Before joining the revolution, he was a blacksmith."

Whenever he heard his wife express her pride in her, Lao Liang would just smile it off.

Lao Liang is a low-key person, and sometimes he is not willing to show off more of his power.

But this year, Lao Liang came back and caused quite a stir.

The leaders of the headquarters knew Lao Liang quite well, as they had had interactions as early as the Red Army period.

The leader also knew that Lao Liang was a rare military talent, so based on his suggestion, the headquarters decided to give Lao Liang more responsibilities.

Although Lao Liang is 67 years old this year, he is still relatively young compared to other old comrades.

Therefore, the relevant departments soon put a notice on Lao Liang's desk.

At the beginning, the headquarters decided to arrange Lao Liang to be in charge of the Yanda Military Region.

But what many people did not expect was that Lao Liang finally made an unexpected decision.

Because after many years of military service, Lao Liang's body had been severely overdrawn;
Working in a factory in recent years has only exacerbated the damage to his body.

Now that he finally has some time to rest, Lao Liang is no longer willing to do any specific work.

Because he knew that his body would not allow it, Lao Liang declined the arrangement made by the headquarters. In fact, he also wanted to live a stable life in his later years.

Lao Liang declined due to health reasons, however, he recommended a suitable candidate to the organization - Liu Zhiye.

Liu Zhiye never expected that he would be able to come back to take over Yanjing University, and this was also related to the factors of his old leader.

“I recommend you not based on the relationship between you and me, but on the result of your own hard work.

If you had no ability, I would never have nominated you." Lao Liang said earnestly.

"Old leader, don't worry, I will do my best and will never let you down!" Liu Zhiye responded with a firm look in his eyes and a solemn tone.

Lao Liang did not treat Liu Zhiye as an outsider, and he only shared his inner thoughts with Liu Zhiye.

Older people often like to immerse themselves in memories of the past.

At the dinner table, Liu Zhiye, Lao Liang and Sister Ren were eating and chatting.

Somehow, the topic quietly turned to the past.

Looking at the young and vigorous Liu Zhiye, Lao Liang was reminded of his military life.

Lao Liang was from central Jiangxi and joined the Red Army at the age of 17.

Before joining the army, Lao Liang was naughty and mischievous since childhood and was unwilling to study.

In order to correct Lao Liang's character, his father sent him to a blacksmith shop as an apprentice when he was 14 years old.

Blacksmithing is not an easy job. It requires strength, skills, and more importantly, patience.

The father's original intention was to temper Lao Liang's mentality, let him give up when faced with difficulties, and focus on his studies again.

But what his father didn't expect was that Lao Liang fell in love with blacksmithing.

When 14-year-old Lao Liang first saw the sparks flying as the blacksmith worked, he fell in love with this job.

In the blacksmith shop, the young boy is in high spirits every day. He never complains about the hard work or being tired. He is either swinging a sledgehammer or pulling a bellows.

Even the master blacksmith in the blacksmith shop didn't expect that Lao Liang would be able to continue working there.

Later, as time passed, the blacksmith gradually fell in love with this "barber" boy who gave his father a headache.

This took three years.

Not long after, Lao Liang's hometown, Ganzhong, became popular. After much deliberation, Lao Liang decided to join the Red Army.
After leaving the blacksmith shop, Lao Liang gloriously became a member of the Red Army.

Although Lao Liang only stayed in the blacksmith shop for three years, these three years had a great impact on his life.

Today, Lao Liang has achieved success and fame. When he recalled his days in the blacksmith shop, he still said excitedly: "Blacksmithing is a job that requires brute force, ingenuity, and perseverance. I worked as a blacksmith for three years, which had a positive impact on my later military life."

After joining the army, Lao Liang was born as a blacksmith, so his comrades gave him a nickname, "Blacksmith".

When hearing this title, Lao Liang did not take it seriously and always responded with a smile. However, as the war progressed, his comrades soon changed the way they addressed Lao Liang.

May of 31 was not an ordinary day for Lao Liang.

Because at this time, Lao Liang participated in the first battle of his life as a "new recruit".

Swords and guns are indiscriminate. On the battlefield where you fight to the death with the enemy, sacrifice and injury are very common things.

Lao Liang was only 18 years old at that time. He was very young and energetic, and he was also smart and determined.

In the first battle with the enemy, Lao Liang was unfortunately injured. After being injured, surprisingly, Lao Liang did not retreat to seek treatment immediately, but insisted on staying on the front line, enduring the pain and continuing to charge forward.

After the war, Lao Liang's performance on the battlefield attracted the attention of his superiors, and he was subsequently promoted to squad leader.

Not long after, in the Huangpi battle, Lao Liang once again staged the legendary story of "not leaving the front line even with minor injuries".

This time, Lao Liang also gained more. He was awarded the third-class "Red Star Medal".

The "Red Star Medal" is a badge awarded by Xia Jun to meritorious personnel of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army during the Agrarian Revolution.

At that time, the "Red Star Medal" was divided into three levels. The first level was awarded to those who had made special contributions in leading the progress of all or part of the revolutionary war, the second level was awarded to those who had changed the situation and won a great victory in a certain battle, and the third level was awarded to those who often showed bravery and determination.

Lao Liang’s rank was not high enough, so he did not have the opportunity to win the first two classes of the "Red Star Medal". Being able to win the third class was already the greatest honor for Lao Liang at the time.

And because of this "medal", Lao Liang also established his own image among his comrades.

Some old comrades joined the army with Lao Liang, and everyone called Lao Liang "the blacksmith" at the beginning.

But after many battles, everyone was moved by Lao Liang's bravery and fearlessness.

Therefore, his comrades changed the way they addressed Lao Liang.

People no longer call Lao Liang "the iron forger", but "the iron man"

The change in the order of the words also indirectly showed that the young Lao Liang completely impressed everyone with his unparalleled courage.

In fact, Lao Liang not only had courage but also wisdom when fighting.

During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Lao Liang's life entered a new period. He served successively as the commander of the Eighth Route Army, brigade commander, and military sub-district commander.

However, what really made Lao Liang famous throughout the army was a battle during the War of Liberation.

This battle was the famous "Black Mountain Blocking Battle" in the Liaoshen Campaign.

At that time, Lao Liang was the commander of the 10th Column. His task was to lead his troops to block the elite Liao Corps of the enemy's Guo Army in the Heishan and Dahushan areas and prevent them from advancing a single step.

When he received the task, Lao Liang was shocked because the gap between his team and Liao’s Corps was too big in terms of both number of people and equipment.

But things have come to this point. As a veteran who has fought for many years, Lao Liang's party spirit tells him that he must complete the mission.

As a result, Lao Liang finally, with the most tenacious perseverance, led the soldiers of the 10th Column to block the enemy for three days and three nights, and completed the mission at the lowest cost without allowing the enemy to advance a single step.

As a result of this battle, Lao Liang became famous throughout the army.

It is worth mentioning that it was also during this battle that Lao Liang met his wife, Sister Ren, with whom he would spend the rest of his life.

Sister Ren studied medicine at Sun Yat-sen University for five years, and later joined the army and became a medical worker in the People's Liberation Army.

Before the Montenegro Battle, Lao Liang went to the hospital to visit the wounded and happened to see Ren Guilan bandaging and treating the wounded, so the two got to know each other.

Later, Lao Liang injured his eyes, and the hospital specially sent Sister Ren to take care of him.

As time went by, the two learned about each other's experiences.

Because of their similar interests, they soon got married and started a family.

After that, the two spent the rest of their lives together, and no matter what hardships they encountered, they could not separate them.

Later, Lao Liang entered the pass as a vanguard, where the young but passionate Liu Zhiye was appreciated by Lao Liang and began his military career.

Sister Ren met Liu Zhiye during the C War. At that time, Liu Zhiye was a workaholic and had to be sent to the field hospital for treatment every now and then.

Here, Liu Zhiye also met a girl named Zhen Ni, who made him feel guilty to this day.

"Zhiye, are you still in contact with Zhenni?" Sister Ren was aware of the entanglement between the Liu and Zhen families back then, but she still couldn't help but ask.

Back then, Zhen Ni was Sister Ren’s favorite girl, and she hoped that Liu Zhiye and Zhen Ni could get married.

However, fate played a trick on them. Not only did Liu Zhiye and Zhen Ni fail to be together, but they also had a falling out because of Li Huaide.

Liu Zhiye's face darkened and he shook his head at Sister Ren.

Liu Zhiye looked gloomy and shook his head slightly at Sister Ren.

After the Li Huaide case happened, Jenny was forced by her family to meet Liu Zhiye.

The Zhen family hoped that Liu Zhiye would show mercy, but Liu Zhiye refused mercilessly.

After that, the extremely heartbroken Jenny chose to leave under the double pressure from her family and loved ones.

She might have gone to a certain military unit, a certain third-line engineering base, or an overseas office.

In short, Liu Zhiye has not heard any news about Jenny for more than ten years.

Sister Ren hesitated for a moment, then stood up and walked into the bedroom. Not long after, she handed a letter to Liu Zhiye.

Liu Zhiye took it with full of doubts, and when he took a look, he was shocked.

This letter was sent to Ms. Ren from a factory in Xishan two years ago. The signer was Jenny, and the email address was for transfer to the Xinhua News Agency office in Hong Kong.

Zhiye, don’t let some things leave you with lifelong regrets.” Sister Ren said earnestly.

"Thank you, sister, I understand!" Liu Zhiye responded. He knew that Sister Ren did not want him to rekindle his old love, but wanted him to resolve that dispute.

Jenny has always been a thorn in Liu Zhiye's heart.

Back then, when Liu Zhiye had just arrived in this world, he still fantasized that if things didn't work out, he would have both.

But that is just a fantasy in the novel. There is no such a good thing in real life. Anyone who dares to do this will have the grass three feet high on his grave.

Even if he dared to do it, Zhen Ni and Gan Ning would not agree.

When you reach middle age, you should really let go of some things.

After leaving his old leader's house, Liu Zhiye did not go back immediately, but strolled around the military compound.

Not far from the military district compound is the Yanda Headquarters, which is referred to here as the Xishan Military District Compound.

Although he had not yet officially assumed his duties, Liu Zhiye inspected the situation with great interest.

SJ Mountain Area is a district in the western part of Yanjing City.

"It faces the Imperial Palace in the east and Hunhe River in the west." It is 16 kilometers away from Tiananmen Square and is located on the westward extension of Chang'an Avenue.

The total administrative area is 84.38 square kilometers, and it is one of the six districts of Yanjing City.

SJ Mountain has been a military stronghold since ancient times, and the garrisons of ancient emperors were stationed here.

The compound is a closed military area, surrounded by high walls and heavily guarded, making it almost impossible for strangers to approach.

The management here is extremely strict and is carried out completely in accordance with military standards.

There are sentries at the entrances and exits, with armed sentries standing guard. Anyone who wants to enter needs to show a pass, and even needs to register in advance with the relevant departments.

The compound's walls are high and solid, with protective wire installed on the top. There are patrolling soldiers inside and outside the compound, who conduct routine inspections every day to ensure there are no safety hazards.

There is a small training ground in the courtyard, which is used exclusively for daily exercises by officers and soldiers. Occasionally, you can hear the sound of training slogans echoing around.

In addition, there are warehouses for storing military supplies, which are managed very strictly.

Almost all the families living here are military families, and the children of senior military officers are mostly concentrated here.

These children are born into military families and their living environment is very different from that of ordinary families.

Due to the particularity of military work, many parents are stationed in other places for a long time or are busy with work and cannot reunite with their families for a long time. Therefore, the growth environment of these children is very special.

For children growing up in military compounds, their daily lives are filled with a sense of discipline and collectivism.

Since childhood, they have been required to strictly follow a daily schedule.

Every morning, as the horn sounds in the yard, the children need to quickly tidy up their rooms.

Bedding must be folded neatly, the floor must be swept clean, and items must be placed in order. These are basic requirements of daily life.

In this environment, the children in the compound learned the ability to handle complex social relationships from an early age.

When Liu Zhiye was on the front line in southern Xinjiang, he had a famous subordinate named Zhao Mengsheng.

Zhao Mengsheng is also a soldier who grew up in the military compound.

His experience, to some extent, can represent the growth trajectory of children from the compound of that era.

Last year, when he first arrived at the front line, Zhao Mengsheng seemed a little confused.

But with the tempering of military life, he gradually found his direction and eventually became a hero on the battlefield.

His transformation process was not a personal accident, but an inevitable result of the shaping of the compound culture.

The military family education Zhao Mengsheng received since childhood and the unique group environment of the compound enabled him to stand up at critical moments.

Many of the later Xia Dynasty’s entertainment celebrities were also children of wealthy families.

Big names in the Beijing entertainment industry like Ma Weidu, Wang Wan, Ye Jing, Jiang Wen, Chen Kaige, Zheng Xiaolong, Huayi Brothers, Guan Hu, etc., all come from wealthy families.

Some even say that the culture of the military compounds in Beijing supports half of the entertainment industry. Although this statement is somewhat exaggerated, there are some bases and reasons for it.

(End of this chapter)