Literary Master 1983

Chapter 415 South China Sea (Part Two)

Reading aloud is much slower than reading a book. After a whole night, Lu Yingmo's mouth was dry from reading, but he had only read a little over half of this issue.

"Dismissed. Come back for more stories tomorrow!" said Squad Leader Li.

The soldiers all let out a sigh of despair.

In the middle of the night, everyone in the stilt house on the island tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

The starlight from 3.35 to 11.55 degrees north latitude shines over this vast sea area, which stretches 900 kilometers from east to west and is about 880 kilometers wide from north to south.

On a sea area of ​​nearly 900,000 square kilometers, all they were given was a single stilt house. Consider the countless stars in the sky, each one larger than their own insignificant existence. The motherland's mainland was still a distant 2,000 kilometers away.

This feeling is very strange.

Sometimes I feel detached, bigger than the universe; other times I feel frustrated. My emotions constantly shift between these two states.

He should have been extremely exhausted, but as soon as he closed his eyes, he would think of Zhang Xingwu, Shi Guangzhu, and the battalion commander on the front lines of Laoshan.

The characters from those stories appeared before them, ready to go.

Bullets, daggers, endless artillery fire... I fear none of that. What I fear is the deathly silence, the silence of no one, as if I have been forgotten by the world.

Are you asleep?

In the crowd, Xiao Hu suddenly asked a tentative question.

No one answered him, and no one told him to shut up. Little Hu continued, "Zhang Xingwu brought sixty packs of gauze, more than three times the amount a regular medic would bring! He's probably wrapped up like a man in gauze!"

After a few seconds of silence, as if unwilling to let the topic die down, Xiao Hu continued, "Zhang Xingwu is an unruly soldier! I don't know if he's suitable for Laoshan, but he's suitable for our side."

"Why?" Finally, someone answered; it seemed to be Squad Leader Li.

As soon as someone responded, Xiao Hu immediately started talking like a machine gun: "At first, we had to maintain a proper appearance and military posture, but as a result, our pants were ripped and we got athlete's foot! Later, we all changed into T-shirts and shorts. When the leaders came to inspect, they would first ask: Why aren't you dressed more formally? If they stayed for another half hour, they would say, 'Oh my god, I was wrong, you guys are killing me with heat!'"

Laughter immediately rang out from inside the stilt house.

One person said, "His battalion commander didn't criticize him; instead, he believed he was the most capable!"

Later, he tried to justify himself: "Class monitor, I wasn't talking about you, you're amazing too."

"—Don't even try!"

The soldiers started discussing it.

"With a major battle imminent, we can't strictly follow the rules. I think Zhang Xingwu will definitely be of great use..."

"And that Shi Guangzhu! He's prepared to sacrifice himself! He's even making arrangements for his last moments!"

"Yes, and Shi Guangzhu too."

Why are people so fearless in the face of death?

"Who knows..."

Suddenly, someone asked, "How many of these soldiers do you think will survive?"

The stilt house fell silent for a moment. For some reason, everyone's eyes followed the sound and turned towards Sergeant Li, the most senior member of the group.

The vanguard company is always the bravest, but also suffers the most casualties; sometimes, an entire company is reduced to just a few survivors.

Those of them who were in the army naturally knew these things.

After a moment of silence, Squad Leader Li said in a deep voice, "Death is nothing to be afraid of. What is to be afraid of is dying meaninglessly, dying in humiliation, dying in betrayal... I cherish life, but I am not afraid of death."

His voice boomed over the tide, echoing loudly within the stilt house.

This afternoon, Lu Yingmo, the youngest member of the "Military Literature" magazine, felt a tremor in his heart.

He realized that his comrades in the stilt house were completely engrossed in the story. A single piece of writing could have such power.

Is this what a great writer is like?
In late April, "The Battle of Laoshan" had already won widespread acclaim within the military system.

Due to the scarcity of pulp, the printed novels were first supplied to the front lines before being sold on the market. The "braided girls" of Xinhua Bookstore (referring to the grassroots employees who had the power to decide the purchase quantity) had urged their superiors many times, but each time their requests were suppressed.

The novel is in high demand and short supply.

Yu Qie's novels have become a rarity, much like specially supplied liquor and cigarettes.

The last time it was this popular was three years ago with the article "Lurking".

What's particularly surprising is that "The Battle of Laoshan" is exceptionally popular among the soldiers stationed on the island. They send about one letter home every week, and naturally, the letters are opened and read by the officers and soldiers. Recently, words like "Zhang Xingwu" and "Laoshan" have appeared very frequently.

Clearly, the "Laoshan Spirit" has become their new belief.

The General Political Propaganda Department in Beijing held a small celebration meeting, and the speaker was Yu Qie.

At that time, the General Political Department's Propaganda Department was quite large, encompassing song and dance troupes, opera troupes, drama troupes, and more. The renowned August First Film Studio also had numerous connections with the General Political Department's Propaganda Department. In front of hundreds of representatives from various units, Yu earnestly said, "Writing novels is not difficult; there are only two things: one is to have good professional skills, and the other is to travel and observe more."

"Many of our creators have never been on the battlefield, or even talked to soldiers. They don't know what soldiers are thinking or what they have experienced. If we can do both of these things well, we can create works that are loved by people."

Someone in the audience asked Yu Qie, "Teacher Yu, is creating art really that simple?"

"It's simple! This is the first step in creation, but many of us haven't even taken that first step yet."

After coming down, without even taking a break, a voice suddenly came: "You were still holding back! At least when it comes to writing novels, it's not as easy as you say!"

It turns out to be Old Chen, the editor-in-chief of Military Literature!

He laughed and said, "We launched a writing contest throughout the entire army and also solicited submissions from writers from all walks of life. The result was... a novel quickly rose to prominence, utterly defeating all the other novels, like autumn leaves being swept away by the wind! Showing no mercy!"

Liu Jiaju, who has long collaborated with Yu Qie, said, "It's not an autumn wind, it's a gale, a typhoon!"

Everyone laughed.

Old Chen said, "Yu Qie's status in our military literature circle is not something his researchers have hyped up, nor is it something someone has promoted; it is a real victory! We have had several such 'novel competitions,' and every time Yu Qie has stood out."

"We then realized that although his output was not high, he was undoubtedly the number one military writer."

The officers and soldiers in the South China Sea once collaborated with the Nanjing-based magazine "Zhongshan" to organize a "South China Sea Writers' Conference," which boasted a rather impressive lineup of writers... but it turned out to be a disappointment!
Letters from military wives are more popular than those from military spouses!

This incident serves as a wake-up call for those in the propaganda department: military novels have their own unique characteristics, and it's not simply a matter of having exceptional writing skills to write well.

Old Chen looked at Yu Qie: "A young soldier stationed on Yongshu Reef in the Spratly Islands wrote you a letter. We plan to use this as a typical case for publicity."

Yu asked him, "What can I do?"

Old Chen shook his head: "You don't need to do anything, just pay more attention to him. Maybe one day we will arrange a meeting between you and the officers and soldiers in the South China Sea. If you can say a few words about his everyday life then, I think he will benefit from it for the rest of his life."

South China Sea?

What about Laoshan?
The place mentioned earlier is clearly Laoshan. The news has already been released, and Yuqie will go there to offer condolences in May.

Just as Yu was wondering what was going on, Old Chen said, "I implore Teacher Yu to make two trips. After your visit to Laoshan, we will take you to the South China Sea for a visit. It will be quick and won't take up much of your time. We will also ensure your safety."

“It’s my honor,” Yu Qie said without refusing. Back on Gulou Street, Zhang Li told this story: “I ran into Professor Gu at Peking Union Medical College Hospital today, and he said your new novel is well written.”

"Which one?"

"What else could it be? 'The Battle of Laoshan'!"

Gu Fangzhou, the director of a hospital, actually subscribed to "Military Literature"? Yu Qie was very surprised: were his military novels really that popular?

……

Yu Qie didn't dwell on it much and opened the South China Sea letter in his study.

This is a letter written by a sailor named Lu Yingmo, but it is actually several diary entries. It records the events that occurred in the few days that the whole class read "The Battle of Laoshan". All the soldiers became fans of Teacher Yu's book, which suddenly made them feel a long-lost strength in their impoverished days.

A typical soldier's letter home. Simple, yet widely appreciated.

Lu Yingmo, Lu, Ying, Mo!

Yu Qie kept repeating these words in his mind.

If Yu Qie remembers correctly, this person should be the later well-known "pen leader" of the navy, who won the Mao Dun Literature Prize.

Many novelists have come from the military, but most no longer write military-themed novels. If we exclude those who have left the military, such as Guan Moye and Wang Shuo, Lu Yingmo is actually the first person to follow this path... it's just that literature was no longer a focus of attention when he became famous.

Unexpectedly, a rising star has been discovered!
However, at this time, Lu Yingmo was still stationed on the island in misery, worrying about his life that was as dull as a bird's perpetual existence.

Yu Qie wrote a reply, hoping that he could continue his efforts and achieve the leap from diary to novel!

The following day, Yu Qie took Zhang Li to the hospital for a prenatal checkup.

The doctor said, "You are very healthy; there are no abnormal indicators."

According to the report, Yu Houqi is a big, chubby boy. He's only seven months pregnant with Zhang Li, but he's already bigger than most babies. To give him enough nutrition, Zhang Li has also gained a lot of weight… Yu Qie pushed her out for a walk to clear her head, but Zhang Li was very worried: “I’ve gained twenty pounds! I want to stop eating, but you all won’t let me!”

"Is the scale broken? I can't tell."

"There are two scales at home..."

"Oh, it's all my fault!" Yu Qie first took the blame upon himself.

Zhang Li chuckled: "You should blame Xiao Xu instead. She's taken such good care of you that now she can even cook quite well!"

"Chen Xiaoxu is so good to you, I'm even jealous of you."

Zhang Li looked up at Yu Qie for a while, then suddenly said, "If she weren't so wonderful, how could I have agreed?"

Yu Qie hugged her and said, "I'm sorry you had to go through all this."

Zhang Li gave birth to Yu Houqi safely, and Chen Xiaoxu was probably more excited than anyone else.

After staying in the ward for a while, Dean Gu Fangzhou came to greet Yu Qie. Yu Qie was wondering where he was, and now he had come looking for him.

"Dean Gu, I heard you've read my latest novel?"

"Which one?"

"The Battle of Laoshan"

Gu Fangzhou was taken aback: "I didn't come to see you. I saw a group of retired cadres at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. They heard that I knew you and specifically praised you in front of me."

Oh, old revolutionaries.

Upon hearing this, Yu Qie thanked the group of special readers, satisfied their desire to confide, and then exchanged pleasantries with their children and nephews for a while.

After playing bridge for a while, my phone suddenly rang.

"Excuse me, I'll be back in a moment."

A colleague from Xinhua Printing Factory told him that after two rounds of updates, the production of the novel "Bloody Battle of Laoshan" has initially met the needs of society.

Yu Qie rushed to Xinhua Printing Factory and gave an impromptu speech. After he finished speaking, he stood on the stage and looked down, only to see a vast expanse of workers' heads.

No hair loss at all! Great genes!

The head of the technical department of Xinhua Printing Factory told him, "The printing of 'The Battle of Laoshan' may be the last time our entire printing factory will work together."

"why?"

"We won't need so many people in the future. In the past, it would take us at least a month to print a novel, but in theory, we'll only need a few hours in the future."

It turned out that Xinhua Printing Factory had introduced foreign laser typesetting technology, and from then on, electronic color separation machines replaced photographic halftone color separation, retouching, and typesetting. The publishing industry was about to undergo a revolutionary change.

Yu Qie's future novels will no longer require months of waiting to be released.

Once the pulp shortage is resolved, his future novels may even be published as standalone volumes, outpacing serialization.

It is obvious that established authors will naturally publish their works as standalone books without needing to appear in literary journals. Now that the Copyright Law is nearing promulgation, it stipulates the legality for authors to receive high royalties.

Literary journals do not pay authors royalties, which would be much more than a few thousand dollars in royalties.

In other words, the era of decline for literary journals is about to begin.

However, Yu Qie's novels are still on the rise.

He turned to the clerk at Xinhua Factory and asked, "Engineer Li, according to you, how long would it take for my novel to be printed at the earliest?"

"I wouldn't dare say a few hours in theory, but I think it should be possible within a few days."

"Wow, things are changing so fast," Yu Qie exclaimed.
-
Yongshu Reef in the South China Sea.

Yu Qie's reply was delivered to the sailors via expedited channels.

When they laid it out, there was nothing special about it; it was just some everyday conversation.

Yu Qie suggested they try creating art, "like me."

Everyone laughed: "Teacher Yu really thinks highly of us! Writing a novel isn't that easy!"

Life in the army was tough, but becoming a writer was indeed a life-changing opportunity. Guan Moye was such a person. He used to admire the big leather boots on his squad leader's legs and wanted to buy a pair for himself... This became Guan Moye's initial motivation for pursuing literature.

A pair of leather boots!
As long as one makes a name for oneself in writing novels, one will be immediately promoted by superiors and freed from the hardships of being stationed on the island. One can simply accompany the warship on occasional field trips.

"Teacher Yu knows we're having a tough time and hopes we can learn something. Just listen."

Squad Leader Li recalled his experience when he first came to be stationed here.

"I was shocked when I first came to the island! I asked an old soldier, 'Why do the seagulls follow the warships?' The old soldier said, 'There isn't a single island in sight for hundreds of kilometers across the sea. If the seagulls can't fly anymore, they'll fall into the waves and drown!'"

"On the open sea, seagulls must follow the ship!"

(End of this chapter)