Writer 1978: I Need to Give the Literary World a Lesson

Chapter 426 The Past of Gongdelin

Inside the study, Xizi and the others were discussing the upcoming military parade. They had come to Beijing at the beginning of the year to begin training, and after several months of intensive training, the parade was a success.

"You guys are full of energy! When I heard the sound of gunfire, my blood was boiling!" Liu Yimin praised.

Xi Zi, holding a teacup, asked, "Comrade Liu Yimin, were you there?"

"I'm right on the city wall!"

The group laughed and shared their excitement as Yang Xiuyun walked in carrying several plates of fruit, inviting everyone to eat quickly.

Xizi looks more mature than before; the childishness on her face has disappeared, and her gaze is sharp and her features are distinct.

When Liu Yimin asked about their plans, Xizi told him that he wanted to change careers.

Xizi believed that they had already been transferred from the front lines to the local area, fought the battles they were supposed to fight, and made the contributions they were supposed to make. For rural soldiers like them who had no education, becoming a platoon leader was the highest they could achieve.

“They no longer promote soldiers to officers. A few of us were lucky; after we made meritorious contributions, we were sent to the training corps for a while, and with the care of our superiors, we were directly promoted to officers. Nowadays, the training corps in various units are gradually being abolished, but it’s basically impossible to get any further advancement. If you want to get ahead, you can only go to military academy.” Xizi felt that there was no point in being a platoon leader forever, so he might as well choose to retire.

The training teams at all levels of our army have always been places for training grassroots officers. After their abolition, many units still have the term "training team," but it is no longer for preparing soldiers to become officers, but for training backbone combatants.

"You can also apply to military academies," Liu Yimin advised.

Rural soldiers don't have many career prospects, and life isn't easy after they're discharged. These men all have genuine military achievements, and Liu Yimin sincerely believes they should serve longer in the army.

"Should we try for military academy?" The group felt that their educational level was too low and they might not even be able to pass the exam.

Liu Yimin said, "How will you know if you don't try? You finally got to wear military uniforms, and you're just going to take them off like this? You've come back from the front lines, you have combat experience, and you've also gained education through training. The army is in dire need of officers like you."

The meal was ready as they were talking. They quickly finished eating and prepared to return to their unit. Before leaving, Xizi said, "Comrade Yimin, thank you for your words. I've decided to give it a try. I didn't have the opportunity to go to university before, but now I have time in the army. If I really can't pass the exam, then I'll think about it."

Liu Yimin's words ignited Chen Qiuxi's ambition. Coming from the countryside, he didn't know what to do after being discharged from the army.

"Goodbye, Comrade Yimin, Auntie, Comrade Ximei. Please give our regards to Comrade Zhu Lin."

Liu Yimin watched their backs as they walked away. If they didn't get into military academy, he figured that even if he didn't retire next year, some of them would still face demobilization.

A massive reduction of one million troops, 11 military regions were merged into 7, and the fate of countless people was changed from then on.

Back in the courtyard, Ximei started clearing away the dishes, while Yang Xiuyun pushed the two little ones out for a stroll.

Since Ximei arrived, Yang Xiuyun has had much more free time. Ximei can even sing a few lines of Henan opera and folk opera. The two get along very well, and Yang Xiuyun is starting to treat Ximei like her own daughter.

When Zhu Lin returned home from get off work that evening, Yang Xiuyun, upon hearing the noise, immediately prepared to go back.

Aunt Liang, fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan, said, "Old sister, your daughter-in-law is still so slim after giving birth; you can't tell she had twins at all!"

"Haha, my second wife was born beautiful," Yang Xiuyun said happily.

After giving birth, Zhu Lin took care to recover and returned to almost her usual level. Furthermore, while at the Beijing People's Art Theatre, she frequently practiced dance moves and other fundamental skills, so there was no trace of having given birth.

"Teacher Liu, are you still writing?" Zhu Lin asked.

"Almost finished writing!"

After washing his hands, Zhu Lin entered the room, closed the study door, gently rubbed Liu Yimin's shoulder, and whispered in his ear, "Teacher Liu, what do you think of adapting this into a stage play script?"

"I've been quite busy lately, so the rewrite might have to wait."

Zhu Lin dragged out his words for a long time: "Teacher Liu—"

Feeling the warm breeze on his ears, Liu Yimin knew that Zhu Lin wanted to direct "The Most Beautiful Youth," but he just wanted to tease her.

"Zhu Lin, Teacher Liu is indeed tired."

"Teacher Liu!" Zhu Lin wrapped her arms around Liu Yimin's neck, rested her chin on the top of his head, and continued to act coquettishly.

Liu Yimin covered the manuscript with a smile and said, "Teacher Liu is watching your performance."

Suddenly, Liu Yimin thought of something, patted Zhu Lin's arm and said, "Get up, get up, you can see the shadows outside."

Zhu Lin quickly got up and tidied his hair. He opened the door and saw Xi Mei and Yang Xiuyun chatting under the tree with their backs to them before he felt relieved.

"Sigh!" Liu Yimin sighed.

"Teacher Liu, how about we go clean the Overseas Chinese Apartment this weekend?"

"Cleaning? It's still a long way from getting cold, isn't it?"

Zhu Lin kicked a chair leg: "Clean up beforehand!"

"Oh—" Liu Yimin revealed a meaningful smile.

After receiving the document, the Chinese Department of Hebei University immediately notified Wang Liqun, instructing him to bring his luggage and report to the Institute of Literature and Art.

Wang Liqun had already made preparations and packed his luggage. After not receiving any notification for several days, he was filled with anxiety, fearing that something might have gone wrong.

"Professor Yu, Professor Ren, I'm leaving!" Wang Liqun said happily.

Ren Fangqiu said, "Go ahead and study hard in the Chinese Department of Yanda University. The future of the Chinese Department of Hebei University still depends on you young people."

After Wang Liqun left, Yu Anlan muttered, "Is he not going to leave and not come back?"

"No, Yenching University won't keep us here, nor will the Institute of Literature. If they do, how can we cooperate in the future?" Ren Fangqiu said with a smile.

Wang Liqun's visit to the Institute of Literature immediately caused a stir in the Chinese Department. There was no such cooperation between the two sides.

Inside the Institute of Literature, Yan Zhen was very pleased after spending some time with Wang Liqun. She found this older brother easy to get along with and knowledgeable. Yan Zhen even felt that Wang Liqun seemed more like a graduate of Yenching University.

Wang Liqun participates in some research projects at the Institute of Literature and Art. He usually attends classes in the department or exchanges ideas with some senior professors.

Professors Wu Zuxiang and Wang Yao, who taught classical literature, spoke highly of Wang Liqun. Things gradually progressed to the point where Wu Zuxiang encouraged Wang Liqun to apply for his own doctoral program.

"Professor Wu, you want the senior professors from Hebei University to come to your door, right?" Liu Yimin asked with a smile.

"I really think this young man is suited to in-depth study of classical literature; it would be a real waste if he didn't get a doctorate."

“Then please teach more. The Institute of Literature and Art says it’s a six-month advanced training program, so there’s plenty of time,” Liu Yimin said.

Yan Jiayan's occasional glances at Wang Liqun also carried a certain longing.

"Hebei University really has a strong foundation; it's able to cultivate such excellent students," Yan Jiayan exclaimed.

Liu Yimin said with a smile, "After all, his ancestors were wealthy! I met him at Hebei University and thought he was indeed capable, so I had the idea of ​​inviting him to study at Yenching University."

"The department is very supportive. It's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. Instead of training students, we should directly train teachers," Yan Jiayan said, patting Liu Yimin on the shoulder.

"However, it would be more suitable to place it under your Institute of Literature and Art. The department does not yet have the funds for this, but since the number of people is small, the department will help you with accommodation."

"Professor Yan, you're from Shanxi Province, right? You're as stingy as a nouveau riche."

"We Shanghainese can do math too, you know!"

Liu Yimin walked out of Yan Jiayan's office with a smile. Wang Liqun was sitting next to Wu Zuxiang and Wang Yao, discussing the issue of traditional cultural preservation.

"Professor Liu!" Wang Liqun quickly stood up to greet him.

"Sit down, you two chat."

Liu Yimin looked at Wang Liqun thoughtfully and then picked up his pen to write a report.

At the Ministry of Culture, Xia Yan carefully read Liu Yimin's report. After finishing, he said, "This is quite interesting for the training teachers at the Institute of Literature and Art, but your funding is insufficient!"

"I'll test it out on one or two people first, but I need to let you know about this first," Liu Yimin explained.

“Sure, go ahead and do it. We can’t always rely on foreigners for training; we need to train our own teachers too. Teachers are supposed to impart knowledge, teach skills, and resolve doubts; they can’t go astray. Let’s proceed cautiously, it won’t cost much for a few people.” Xia Yan asked Liu Yimin if the funding was sufficient, and if not, they could add more.

"That's enough. The institute can afford the funding for a few people. The professors there even asked me to thank you. They approved $10,000 in foreign exchange, which was used to buy a lot of materials." "No, that $10,000 is going to be something significant, and it's definitely not just a few words of thanks from you." Xia Yan interrupted Liu Yimin's thanks.

Liu Yimin asked, "How's the Iowa International Training Camp going?"

"We've verified information from multiple sources, and it seems the other party is receiving funding from the CIA and even directly from the U.S. State Department. We plan to release this information through European media to give them a heads-up. According to relevant departments, the existence of the Iowa International Training Camp is generally more beneficial than harmful."

Nie Hualing and her husband did not strictly follow the CIA's instructions. However, we can't be completely inactive; I think your step as a training instructor at the Institute of Literature is quite good.”

"it is good."

After leaving the Ministry of Culture, Liu Yimin had another candidate in mind—Li Liangrong, a scholar from Fudan University.

Li Liangrong later became very important in the field of journalism and communication education, and most students studied his book "Introduction to Journalism".

Li Liangrong stayed on to teach at Fudan University after graduating, and is now a lecturer. I met him once when I was at Fudan.

After leaving the Ministry of Culture, Liu Yimin did not return to the school. Instead, he went to People's Literature and Art magazine and delivered "The Most Beautiful Youth" and an essay about his experiences in the United States to Cui Daoyi.

"This was commissioned by the Ministry of Forestry to be written by me, senior brother, please take a look!"

"The Ministry of Forestry? Impressive!" Cui Daoyi exclaimed excitedly as he picked up the book and began reading. Seeing that it was about Saihanba, Cui Daoyi remarked, "Saihanba should be written about more; it's such a harsh place!"

When Cui Daoyi saw Wu Yansheng appear, he cursed as he watched, "What kind of rubbish is this? Is this all the moral character he has? He's a complete scoundrel!"

"The forestry worker who was given supplies should be shot. He almost killed more than a dozen people. Giving him a prison sentence is too lenient."

Cui Daoyi's cursing aroused the curiosity of the other editors, who gathered around to read it. After reading it, they all cursed Wu Yansheng for his shamelessness.

Editor Xu Yi said, "To be honest, I've encountered quite a few people like this in my work."

The other editors turned their gaze to Xu Yi, seemingly to confirm whether she was referring to herself.

Xu Yi quickly waved his hand and explained, "I wasn't talking about any of the people here!"

"Are you talking about all of us here?" Cui Daoyi joked.

"Editor Cui, you've got me in trouble! The person I was talking about is gone, gone!" Xu Yi quickly said.

Everyone laughed at Xu Yi's incoherent speech. Liu Yimin said, "When you have a hundred people, you'll find all sorts; when you have a thousand, you'll find an endless array. In our lives and work, we encounter all kinds of people. There are many like this in some organizations. They're good at spreading rumors and playing tricks, but lies will always be exposed eventually."

"The comrades in Saihanba have suffered greatly. This novel has written down their history, and I believe that the comrades in Saihanba will definitely like it after reading it."

After reading "The Most Beautiful Youth," Cui Daoyi also read Liu Yimin's essays, which were more detailed than the reporter's report.

After reading it, Cui Daoyi said, "With some revisions, this could be turned into a very compelling short story."

“That’s right, Comrade Yimin, you should exaggerate it more to get everyone excited and motivated,” Xu Yi said with a smile.

Liu Yimin explained, "Actually, many things aren't that mysterious."

Liu Yimin understood their feelings; they even wanted to imagine this as a spy movie.

"Yimin, we will publish it in the November issue. I believe this novel will definitely be able to showcase the charm of realist literature."

After leaving People's Literature and Art, Liu Yimin came to the Beijing People's Art Theatre, where he watched the rehearsals of "Beloved" and "The Stage".

The final rehearsals for "Beloved" are complete, and the premiere is just around the corner. Liu Yimin asked for a few tickets to give to Mulatu, so he could invite some Black exchange students, preferably African Americans, to come and watch.

"Director Lan, Yang Lixin is quite skilled at wielding that whip," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Su Min interjected, "This guy's gotten addicted to whipping it. To practice whipping, his right arm has gotten a whole size thicker."

"Yimin, do you think that tragic and desolate feeling has come through?" Lan Tianye asked.

"It all came out. The later Black religious rituals gave me goosebumps."

When Lan Tianye mentioned this, he couldn't help but feel a little proud: "We specifically looked up the information and also studied the religious rituals of the Miao people."

“In the past, people would go to the theater happily, or at the very least leave feeling heavy-hearted. After the premiere of ‘Beloved,’ I think people would leave with goosebumps.”

"Hahahaha!"

"The premiere is on the 15th, let's see how it goes then."

October 10th was the day after National Day, and on that day, Liu Yimin knocked on Zheng Dongguo's door.

Zheng Dongguo was a senior general. During the Liberation War, when Du Yuming fell ill on the Northeast battlefield, he served as the acting commander-in-chief.

After the fall of Jinzhou, he made his decision in Changchun, then returned to Shanghai to recuperate. Later, he went to Beijing to take a position in the water conservancy department, and eventually became a member of the National Defense Committee.

The meeting with the old man put Zheng Dongguo's worries aside, and he began to actively serve the country.

Zheng Dongguo's home is in Lishi Hutong in Dongsi. Liu Yimin had called Zheng Dongguo to visit him, and he had been waiting for Liu Yimin's arrival in the courtyard.

Zheng Dongguo, with gray hair, wearing a gray Zhongshan suit and reading glasses, stopped and looked Liu Yimin up and down before extending his hand to welcome him.

“This is the young leader of our literary and artistic circles!” Zheng Dongguo said with a smile, and then introduced to the person next to him, “This is Zheng Tingji.”

"Hello, General Zheng Dongguo, General Zheng Tingji!"

“A defeated general is not worthy of the title of general. Tingji knows you are going to write about the Battle of Taierzhuang, and he also said he wanted to come and join in the fun. Today, the two old folks will reminisce for you. Come, come, come inside, I'll show you a treasure.”

When Zheng Tingji was on the battlefield in Northeast China, he was under the command of Zheng Dongguo. Unfortunately, he was not as lucky as Zheng Dongguo. In 48, he was given the opportunity to study at Gongdelin Academy. He excelled in his studies and became one of the first graduates. In 59, he was granted amnesty.

Upon entering the study, Zheng Dongguo pointed to a map for Liu Yimin, which was a strategic map of both sides during the Battle of Taierzhuang.

Zheng Dongguo introduced the combat personnel and troops to Liu Yimin one by one: "There are not many senior commanders left alive. They either died in battle or passed away when they arrived on the island. Luckily you came early, otherwise you wouldn't have seen me."

"This is the terrain of Taierzhuang. It is located at the junction of Jiangsu and Shandong provinces, connected to the Jinpu Railway in the north and the Longhai Railway in the south. Controlling this place can cut off the strategic passage for the Japanese army to encircle from the north and south. At the same time, it is also a waterway hub and a shield for Xuzhou." Zheng Dongguo held a stick as a command stick, and his words sounded as if he had returned to the time of war.

"This is the location of Commander Li's command post. On our side, the Japanese forces are the 5th and 10th Divisions, commanded by Seishiro Itagaki and Isogai respectively. Commander Li's objective is to encircle the Japanese army. All units must act in unison, otherwise the strategic objective cannot be achieved."

After the defeat of the Japanese 5th Division, the Isogai Division launched a major offensive against Tengxian County. After occupying it, they quickly approached Taierzhuang. Commander Li ordered Sun Lianzhong's troops to hold Taierzhuang, and a bloody battle ensued.

Zheng Dongguo first explained the overall situation, and then went on to talk about many details. When he mentioned Tang Enbo, he started cursing him, saying that he didn't care about the overall situation and only knew how to preserve the strength of the Central Army.

"Tang Enbo is universally reviled in Henan Province. He is one of the four great scourges of floods, droughts, and locusts!"

"Alas, I was blind before. I even wanted to serve such a country as D. I feel ashamed just thinking about it. The disasters caused by Jiang Dingwen and Tang Enbo were comparable to natural disasters like floods and droughts. They were partly responsible for the great famine in Henan Province!" Zheng Dongguo said angrily.

Seeing that Zheng Dongguo was so angry he could hardly breathe, Zheng Tingji quickly said, "You're much better now. Without the opportunity to study at Gongdelin, our lives at Gongdelin would have been much more colorful. Wang Yaowu is right, even the Ministry of National Defense doesn't have this many people gathered for meetings."

"I am ashamed, I am ashamed. If I hadn't acted so stubbornly, so many soldiers wouldn't have died so tragically," Zheng Dongguo said.

Zheng Tingji pulled Zheng Dongguo to sit down and, smiling, began to tell Liu Yimin about his life at Gongdelin.

"When we first went in, we thought the bald guy could fight back. Later, nobody believed it anymore. When the Americans were fighting in Korea, Huang Wei still thought the Americans could help the bald guy come back. Who knew that the Americans had advanced weapons, but our Volunteer Army was as immovable as a mountain. The Volunteer Army truly lived up to the saying: swift as the wind, silent as the forest, fierce as fire, and immovable as a mountain."

We were discussing where we went wrong, and we almost got into a fight because no one would back down.

In particular, it's not surprising that Yang Botao and Huang Wei ended up fighting; Yang Botao believed that Huang Wei was responsible for the downfall of the 18th Army.

Liu Yimin quickly took notes, never expecting to hear excerpts from the story of the Gongdelin Dividing Pot Conference today.

"The old man is truly magnanimous. In what dynasty or era has anyone treated a defeated general like this? Yang Botao and I came out together. Huang Wei is still inside researching perpetual motion machines. Yang Botao thinks that Huang Wei's inability to get out is retribution, and he even made a few sarcastic remarks before leaving."

Zheng Tingji is now a colleague of Huang Wei, both serving as cultural and historical specialists, which means writing about their past for future generations.

Most of those who come out of the program end up in this position, since they can't do anything else.

Upon hearing Huang Wei's name, Zheng Dongguo gave a disdainful smile: "Just a stubborn scholar!"

(End of this chapter)