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

Chapter 460 The Central News Agency Visits

The summer heat was intense, so Liu Yimin had someone buy soda and ice cream. During breaks in filming, everyone sat in the shade and ate ice cream.

Commander Li, of course, couldn't stand as straight as the others at all times, and even his way of eating ice cream was different.

The actors, especially the soldiers playing the soldiers, had their clothes unbuttoned, revealing steam rising from them.

"Director Yang, we need to be careful, it's too hot today," Liu Yimin said.

Yang Guangyuan looked at Liu Yimin. He knew it was too hot, but there was nothing he could do. Delaying even one day would cost a lot of money.

The Film Bureau recently allocated another five million yuan to them, so the production team is currently flush with cash; in fact, they could be considered well-off. However, he's worried that if they wait too long, it will be a waste of the country's money.

"I'll try to get some more heatstroke prevention medicine, and I'll talk to the melon farmers nearby about a partnership so they can send us some watermelons every now and then," Yang Guangyuan said helplessly.

"That's all it can do."

Liu Yimin didn't care about his image, wandering around the film crew in a vest and straw hat. In his spare time, he would chat with Zheng Dongguo, Zheng Tingji, and Cheng Siyuan about another battle surrounding Xuzhou, namely the Huaihai Campaign.

“Xuzhou has been a strategic location fought over by military strategists since ancient times. Xuzhou is surrounded by plains, and from Xuzhou one can go south or north. To the north one can go to Beiping, to the south one can go to Jinling, and to the west one can reach Guanzhong. It is also the granary of the Central Plains. Who wouldn’t fight for it?” Zheng Dongguo explained to Liu Yimin.

Unfortunately, Zheng Dongguo and Zheng Tingji did not know much about the details of the Huaihai Campaign, but they had a clear grasp of the overall course of the war.

"The People's Liberation Army had ample troops in the Liaoshen Campaign, but the East China Field Army was always fighting a tight battle. In the Liaoshen Campaign, you could still see the PLA on the defensive, but in the Huaihai Campaign, it was basically all about pursuit and ambush."

"Our troop strength is stretched thin, and all our forces must be used to their fullest potential. Most of the time, we have no reserves at all in East China," Zheng Tingji said.

The Huaihai Campaign was a battle between 60 and 80 troops—a half-cooked meal that had to be swallowed whole. Earlier, on the Shandong battlefield, the East China Field Army was outnumbered by the enemy, but through flexible strategies and the concentration of superior forces, it repeatedly achieved remarkable feats.

The advantage was built up step by step, for example, by taking down more than 50,000 of Li Xianzhou's men in three days. The famous line from "Bright Sword" by Chu Yunfei—"Even tens of thousands of pigs couldn't capture them all"—came from Wang Yaowu's evaluation of Li Xianzhou.

Besides serving as consultants, Zheng Dongguo and his companions were often bored and enjoyed talking to Liu Yimin about these things.

"We could only watch our advantage slip away bit by bit in Nanjing. Eight hundred thousand men, American-equipped mechanized troops, were routed like a house of cards," Cheng Siyuan lamented, adding that the Nanjing command headquarters was in complete chaos at the time.

"Of course, the victory on the battlefield is inseparable from the intelligence work of the People's Liberation Army. I never expected that Guo Xiaogui was actually an undercover agent. He was responsible for many of the battle plans in Nanjing. Sigh."

Guo Xiaogui, also known as Guo Rugui, was the highest-ranking underground party member. Through him, a steady stream of intelligence was transmitted from Nanjing.

“If we had followed his plan, we might not have lost so badly,” Liu Yimin said.

"Hahaha, that's all in the past, all in the past!"

Filming went very smoothly at the end of August. The local residents, who were initially alarmed by the loud explosions, have now become completely accustomed to them.

Director Yang Guangyuan and Zhai Junjie are working together more and more smoothly. Zhai Junjie's first time directing has been a resounding success.

Zheng Dongguo, Cheng Siyuan, and Zheng Tingji left the crew. The three were too old to keep up with the young crew.

Before leaving, Zheng Dongguo told Liu Yimin that if he wanted to learn more about the details of the Huaihai Campaign, he would have to find Huang Wei, Yang Botao and others.

At this time, the Beijing Film Studio's "The Most Beautiful Youth" was edited and officially premiered on CCTV and Tianjin TV. A few days later, seven other TV stations followed suit and broadcast it.

To relieve the pressure of filming, the crew specially found an open space in the evening, set up a TV, and let everyone watch "The Most Beautiful Youth".

After the two episodes aired, everyone was still not satisfied.

Yang Guangyuan stood in front of the crowd and said, "Comrades, this was filmed on Saihanba. It's freezing cold. The crew of 'The Most Beautiful Youth' didn't give up. Some people were frozen to death on their first day on the dam."

We must learn from them. The filming task is arduous, but I believe that our efforts will earn the unanimous recognition of the people nationwide.

After Yang Guangyuan finished speaking, he didn't forget to ask Shao Hong to come forward and say a few words to cultivate the temperament of a theater commander.

"Please give instructions, Commander Li!" Yang Guangyuan said, then returned to the crowd.

Wearing a cloak and white gloves, Shao Honglai stood in front of the crowd with his hands on his hips and delivered a passionate pre-battle speech.

From then on, actor Shao Honglai had an inextricable connection with Li Zongren, and played the role of Li Zongren many times in movies and television.

In September, Yenching University started its new semester, and Liu Yimin prepared to return to Yanjing. There was nothing more for him to do on the film set.

The dialogue has been polished multiple times and flows perfectly.

"Yimin, don't go. We've received a call from Yanjing. We need to pick up a guest from the island."

"Who is it?" Liu Yimin looked at Yang Guangyuan.

Yang Guangyuan handed the telegram to Liu Yimin, which read, "Notify the production team director Yang Guangyuan and Zhai Junjie to inform and forward to screenwriter Liu Yimin."

The visitor was Xie Zhonghou, the head of the island's "Central News Agency," who was buying books for Chiang Kai-shek. He applied to the mainland through Xinhua News Agency to come and interview the film crew, and his application was approved immediately after being seen by the authorities.

"Then let's wait for this guest from across the strait!" Liu Yimin said.

Yang Guangyuan asked, "Should we get ready to welcome them?"

“Welcome? Director Yang, I don’t think that’s necessary. We’re a film crew, not a luxurious hotel. Besides, it’s just a small manager. We don’t need to make a big fuss. Just do what we’re supposed to do,” Liu Yimin said.

Zhai Junjie hesitated and said, "Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

The two felt that this represented the face of the mainland and that they had to leave a good impression on each other.

"Why don't you send a telegram to inquire? If the higher-ups wanted to give us an honored welcome, they would have sent someone already, not just us," Liu Yimin analyzed.

In the end, the two still sent a telegram to their superiors, fearing that if things went wrong, the reporter might spread rumors internationally and cause a negative impact.

However, the ministry's response was: "Listen to Comrade Liu Yimin, let the other party see whatever they want, there's nothing they can't see, and there's nothing to hide."

Hearing this, Yang Guangyuan and Zhai Junjie were relieved and happily continued filming.

On September 3, Xie Zhonghou of the Central News Agency arrived in Taierzhuang, accompanied by the head of the Xinhua News Agency's Hong Kong branch.

"Mr. Liu Yimin, I have long admired your name. You are the pride of our Chinese literary world," Xie Zhonghou said excitedly, shaking Liu Yimin's hand.

"Mr. Xie, you're too kind. There's no need to be proud. I only have a little bit of fame."

Xie Zhonghou quickly replied, "You're too modest. The leader asked me to thank you for writing this novel. He was deeply moved after reading it and felt that the mainland has not forgotten their contributions."

Xie Zhonghou walked into the film crew's residence, his eyes constantly searching around, his camera clicking incessantly, wanting to take the photos to show the gentleman on the island.

"Mr. Xie, there's still plenty of time. We can shoot whenever we want."

Upon hearing this, Xie Zhonghou put away his camera and began to observe carefully again. When he arrived at the filming location in the afternoon, his camera started clicking again.

Xie Zhonghou, dressed in a sharp suit, was sweating profusely but refused to take it off, as if to show off his superiority.

When he walked up to Liu Yimin, sweating profusely, Liu Yimin joked, "Aren't you hot?"

"It's not hot, it's not hot. This fabric is the latest style, made with Western weaving techniques, it's very breathable." Xie Zhonghou pulled down the hem of his clothes with his sweaty fingers.

Liu Yimin stared intently at Xie Zhonghou, who looked himself over and asked him in confusion what he was looking at.
"Your tie is a little loose," Liu Yimin said casually.

Xie Zhonghou quickly tightened his loosened tie again; the stuffiness almost made him unable to breathe.

Liu Yimin kept talking about his knowledge of suits that he had gained in Europe and America, while blocking up all the breathable parts of his suits.

"Mr. Liu Yimin, you're a writer, so why are you dressed like a dockworker, wearing only a vest?" Xie Zhonghou asked.

"Because it's cool!"

Xie Zhonghou was speechless, and Liu Yimin continued to take "wonderful" photos of him. Half an hour later, Xie Zhonghou tore off his suit jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.

"What? This fabric isn't breathable?"

"No, I'm afraid the sun will damage me," Xie Zhonghou insisted.

"If you get sunburned, I'll buy you another set." Xie Zhonghou gave in and quickly said, "Mr. Liu, it's really too hot on the mainland."

"That's great." Liu Yimin laughed when he saw that he had stopped pretending.

Liu Yimin walked back to the tree, and Xie Zhonghou went to the river to wash his face and slightly wet his clothes to cool off. After returning, he began to talk to Liu Yimin about his works.

Xie Zhonghou spent most of his time in Hong Kong and had read almost all of Liu Yimin's books. He was most familiar with "The Flames of War in Beiping," and he found the description of the reporter Lu Zhongyong in it particularly brilliant.

"You affirmed the role of the KMT in the War of Resistance in your book 'The Flames of War in Beiping,' which is commendable. The leaders also inquired about your speeches in Europe and America and praised you for upholding the backbone of Chinese literature," Xie Zhonghou said.

"There are many writers in mainland China who are more talented than me."

When Xie Zhonghou asked Liu Yimin about his views on cross-strait relations, Liu Yimin held back when sharing his thoughts with him.

“I’ve read a lot of writers criticizing you, some of whom are writers from mainland China. They’re criticizing you for not letting people speak.”

Liu Yimin said, "Didn't they say something? Old Xie, look at yourself before you say that. Press bans still exist on your island. Not only on the island, but if you go abroad and say a few words, you'll get assassinated."

Xie Zhonghou was somewhat embarrassed, as the "Jiangnan case" had drawn international condemnation.

"Ah, indeed. Newspaper restrictions are very severe, but I believe things will gradually improve. When I delivered books to Mr. Chiang Kai-shek a while ago, I sensed goodwill toward the mainland in his words, but many people didn't dare to say it."

"Old Xie, why don't you dare to speak up?"

"How many heads do I have?!" Xie Zhonghou shrank back.

Liu Yimin spoke to him about the goodwill shown by the mainland and hinted that the veterans who were being coerced must be very homesick. Who knew that Xie Zhonghou would be the first to feel distressed when he got to this point.

When he was a reporter on the island, he met many veterans. The veterans would burst into tears when they talked about their hometowns, and many of them had the slogan "Homesick" written on their bodies.

"The poet Yu Guangzhong wrote a poem called 'Nostalgia,' which has moved many people to tears."

“They should go home,” Liu Yimin said. “You reporters should be doing more work!”

"How could I dare?"

"Old Xie, since you say Jiang Da has such thoughts, your newspaper should speak out for him!"

"I await clear instructions."

"Can you easily say things that are difficult for the leader to say? The leader needs a way out. If you provide that way out, how could the leader not favor you?" Liu Yimin patted Xie Zhonghou on the shoulder.

The Central News Agency (CNA) holds a similar position on the island as Xinhua News Agency does on the mainland.

Hsieh Chung-hou's eyes darted around, but he didn't give a specific response. Over the next few days, besides taking photos, Hsieh Chung-hou spent his time talking to Liu Yi-min about literature and cross-strait relations, always feeling like the conversation wasn't over when it ended.

"Yimin, the future of Chinese literature and the international Chinese literary scene will surely belong to you," Xie Zhonghou said admiringly.

Liu Yimin laughed and said, "Old Xie, with your words, I must work hard. How much do you know about the writers on the island?"

“I have met with Yu Guangzhong, Li Ao and others. There is also a female writer who is very popular right now, named Lung Ying-tai. Her essays sell out as soon as they are printed. Yu Guangzhong called her a ‘tornado’.”

"Oh? I wonder how strong her wind is?" Liu Yimin said with amusement.

"Of course, it can't compare to your style. The literary market on the mainland alone is enormous, with individual book sales reaching tens of millions of copies, which is unmatched worldwide. Internationally, with so many awards you've won, it's even more incomparable." Xie Zhonghou picked up a stick and scratched at the sand on the ground.

These past two days, Xie Zhonghou has stopped pretending and started wearing a vest. At first, he felt uncomfortable not wearing a suit and shirt, but then he thought that Liu Yimin was worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and was no richer than him, so he still wore a vest and a straw hat.

This is the simple and unpretentious nature of the wealthy; they pursue spiritual resonance and disdain material enjoyment. Thinking of this, Xie Zhonghou became even less inclined to wear a suit.

Xie Zhonghou spent a few days on the film set and, with the arrangement of the Xinhua News Agency branch, went to Weishan Lake to see the beautiful scenery by the lake.

“The scenery on the mainland is so beautiful. There is also Sun Moon Lake on the island. Yimin, I really hope you have the opportunity to go and see it.”

Liu Yimin smiled and said, "I hope that one day I can ride a train there."

"A train? But it's across the strait!" Xie Zhonghou almost jumped up.

"Nothing is impossible. Can't a train travel underwater?"

Xie Zhonghou then remembered the underwater train tunnel and said, "I really hope that day will come. Alas, if we really separate, we would be traitors to the nation."

Xie Zhonghou filled a cup with water from Weishan Lake and prepared to take it back with him.

"Old Xie, we all need to work hard."

Xie Zhonghou wiped the water off the outside of the cup: "I will remember what you said, and I will do it slowly."

Xie Zhonghou gazed at his home in the north from afar. This trip was too rushed for him to return.

As Xie Zhonghou gazed northward, the head of Xinhua News Agency's Hong Kong branch whispered to Liu Yimin, "Comrade Yimin, you're truly remarkable. Xie Zhonghou told me privately that he greatly admires your scholarship. You are highly knowledgeable and have a long-term vision, completely different from those who are content with a small corner of the world."

"Haha, this guy is quite interesting."

"Sigh, when we first got on the train, we were so picky about this and that, afraid of getting his white shirt dirty," the branch manager complained.

"Only when we develop can they truly change their views."

Xie Zhonghou asked the two what they were talking about, and Liu Yimin replied, "We are talking about how we should develop the economy."

“It’s difficult,” Xie Zhonghou said.

Liu Yimin said calmly, "Let's wait and see."

After returning from Weishan Lake, Xie Zhonghou boarded a train and left. He planned to publish the photos he had taken in the island's newspaper to inform the public about the film being shot on the mainland.

The five hundred books that Jiang Da purchased have by now been delivered to the library or to higher-ups.

Before a qualitative change occurs, there is often a period of accumulation.

After Xie Zhonghou left, Yang Guangyuan and Zhai Junjie asked Xie Zhonghou what he thought of the crew. Liu Yimin relayed some words of praise to them, such as being genuine and dedicated.

Xie Zhonghou also interviewed the two, but not many times, focusing mainly on Liu Yimin.

"Let him see it after it's filmed!" Yang Guangyuan said with great enthusiasm.

Filming started in early August, and they calculated that it would be completed by early October. In reality, filming went much faster than expected.

"We'll finish editing in November and aim for a release by the end of the year, or at least the beginning of the year," Yang Guangyuan said with a wide grin, very satisfied with the progress.

At the train station, when Yang Guangyuan saw Liu Yimin off back to Yanjing, he didn't forget to tell Liu Yimin that he would invite him to participate in the film review.

"Don't worry, Director Yang, I'll definitely watch it when we get to Yanjing."

"Drive carefully." Zhai Junjie waved his hand.

They arrived in Yanjing a day and a half later. The family who had gone to Beidaihe for vacation had all returned, but Liu Fuqing had already gone back to Ruxian County.

Upon returning, he first sent the script for "Huo Yuanjia" directly to the Beijing Film Studio. Wang Yang, after seeing it, exclaimed, "Yimin, you're truly a genius screenwriter! How did you come up with the story of Huo Yuanjia in Tianjin?"

“We should study the historical figures more. Tianjin isn’t far from here,” Liu Yimin said.

"That was fantastic! This fight scene was truly inspiring and showcased our national prestige!" Wang Yang was overjoyed and eager to find a director to complete the filming, but choosing a director was a major challenge.

Making a kung fu movie that can earn foreign exchange is not easy. The director must be good at this subject matter and cannot be rigid in his thinking.

"Factory Manager Wang, take your time choosing, there's no rush. What we want is quality."

Wang Yang nodded repeatedly, put the manuscript away, and led Liu Yimin into the equipment room: "Yimin, this is the projector I bought for you. You can watch movies at home from now on."

(End of this chapter)