1978: A Literary Giant Who Began His Military Service

Chapter 106 Are your first-class merit awards given out in bulk?
Waiting for Zhou Xu to head to the capital of England.

At this time, the Lichuan County Armed Forces Department, an ordinary unit, received a call from the Wuhan Military Region.

"Regarding the awarding of a first-class merit to Comrade Zhou Xu of your county, his medal and certificate have been sent to your unit's armed forces department. Please arrange for someone to collect them as soon as possible and provide timely feedback."

"..." Upon hearing this, Wang Hairui, the head of the Armed Forces Department, froze for a moment, his eyes initially showing uncertainty:
"Hey? Zhou Xu?"

"Yes, Comrade Zhou Xu from Yujiang Commune!" The communications officer from the Wuhan Military Region nodded in confirmation.

Wang Hairui took a deep breath.

They actually had some first, second, and third-class merit awards, after all, the Wuhan Military Region contributed a lot to the counterattack against Vietnam.

However, Wang Hairui has always been quite concerned about Comrade Zhou Xu, after all, he has been awarded a third-class merit and a first-class merit!

Less than a year has passed, and Comrade Zhou Xu has been awarded another first-class merit?

The introduction over the phone sounded like it was a first-class merit in arts and culture? A first-class merit in arts and culture isn't so easy to get!
Wang Hairui was filled with countless doubts: Was this first-class merit awarded in bulk? Why was it buy-one-get-one-free?

However, having heard that Zhou Xu was a novelist and that he was originally a member of the cultural troupe sent to the front lines, he could understand it a little better...

"Hiss... Let's inform the county head! I heard that Comrade Zhou Xu has received his first-class merit award for literature and art. Let's ask him if he wants to go to the countryside to celebrate!" Wang Hairui said to the communications officer beside him.

The correspondent quickly connected with the county head on the phone: "Comrade County Head! I have something to inform you. The Wuhan Military Region has sent another congratulatory message. One of our county's comrades has been awarded a first-class merit in arts and literature!"

"Old Wang said that?"

"Anyway, the minister told me to notify you first!"

"who is that?"

"The minister said it was Comrade Zhou Xu from Yujiang Commune!"

The county magistrate had accompanied Wang Hairui to deliver the first-class merit award last time, so he naturally remembered Zhou Xu's name.

However, he also learned from the county committee that a writer had emerged from their county, namely Comrade Zhou Xu.

For writers to emerge from their own county, it is indeed a difficult thing for impoverished mountainous areas like this, given the lack of education. Therefore, they have a deep impression of the well-known writers in their own county.

So when he checked the accounts, he was astounded! Comrade Zhou Xu is not only a writer in the county, but also a top soldier?
"I'll be there right away regarding the first-class merit award!" That was the county magistrate's last words.

Soon, the two met at the Armed Forces Department's office.

Wang Hairui, still looking at the congratulatory message, exclaimed in surprise, "Wow? How did this first-class merit come about? I think this king of soldiers is truly legendary!"

To say that he received a first-class merit after a year of service, Wang Hairui would at most think it was just because he went to the front lines and was relatively talented.

But in just a year and a half, he'd received the Third-Class Merit Citation, the First-Class Merit Citation, and the First-Class Merit Citation in Arts and Literature? If it weren't for Zhou Xu's clean background and the fact that his whole family were honest farmers, he would have suspected something was amiss...

Pooh.

"It's truly amazing! Comrade Zhou Xu's achievement is outstanding. I feel that Lichuan is about to produce at least one division commander!" The county head exclaimed as he looked at the congratulatory report.

In terms of administrative rank, a division commander usually corresponds to a department-level official in a local government, which is the same level as Qi Tongwei.

If given the opportunity, the division commander could be promoted even further.

Wang Hairui asked, "Why?"

You have to understand, they've been stuck at the division-level position for who knows how long, and the deputy director-general level is really hard to cross! For ordinary people, reaching the division level is already the ceiling.

Therefore, Wang Hairui also understood the value of this.

"He's a writer! Writers follow an artistic path, so the restrictions aren't too severe. Talent is highly valued, and Zhou Xu's achievements have already proven himself. I think he has a bright future ahead of him!"

The county magistrate took out Zhou Xu's documents from his pocket with a smile on his face. Compared to a political commissar, this could be considered part of his achievements, right?

After all, Zhou Xu is not only a member of the military, but also a writer! Having such a prominent writer in a region will undoubtedly have a positive impact on future publicity efforts.

However, Wang Hairui was even more excited at this point, after all, Zhou Xu was someone he had recruited himself, and Zhou Xu had earned so many first-class merits during his years of service.

Soon, Wang Hairui looked at the information on Zhou Xu that the county magistrate had transferred from the county and noticed something suspicious.

"Let's put that aside for now, but it seems like his county's records have been refurbished? Did you look at them before?"

There are some marks on it that don't seem to be from ten or twenty years ago! For example, there are signs of alteration.

"Has it been touched? Maybe they did it when they were cleaning?" The county magistrate touched the document and tried to remove the black paint, but found that it was indeed ink.

"Isn't this obvious?" Wang Hairui wondered. Who would tamper with Zhou Xu's information for no reason?
The county magistrate hadn't thought that far ahead. As long as Zhou Xu was still a resident of Lichuan, and Zhou Xu's parents were also from Lichuan, he felt it didn't matter.

"As long as there's nothing seriously wrong with the information—it's been there for decades, and he's not a spy or an undocumented immigrant—what are you worried about?"

Wang Hairui could only nod, deciding not to worry about anything else; "What about the celebration?"

"Let's just proceed as usual. This is a celebratory occasion! So you can call over the firecrackers and drum team, and we'll make a big show of it."

The county magistrate packed up the items and immediately made arrangements. "Alright, I'll go and continue making arrangements." Wang Hairui was slightly excited; who wouldn't be happy that the county had produced such a talented person!
The two prepared a drum troupe and firecrackers.

I took another walk around the city center.

Everyone who saw the banner, "Congratulations to military writer Zhou Xu for receiving the First-Class Merit in Literature and Art!!!", was utterly astonished.

"Is this Zhou Xu the same one from last time?"

"They're all from Yujiang Commune, so it's impossible for them to have the same name!"

Their county and city museum still has records of Zhou Xu and Zhou Youcai, detailing their battlefield performance and how they earned first-class merit.

"Comrade Zhou Xu was originally an arts and culture soldier, so what's so strange about him receiving a first-class merit award?!"

"That's truly remarkable! Comrade Zhou Xu has earned two first-class merits in just one year."

"..."

Soon the car arrived in the countryside.

The car stopped at the entrance of the commune.

First, Wang Hairui ordered the drum and gong team to come out, and they threw a string of firecrackers in front of them, which popped and crackled.

Today is supposed to be the busy time for farming, but the sound of firecrackers woke up a group of people who were still hoeing the fields.

Originally, Youcai's father had been transferred to the commune, and the family mostly lived with him there, only returning to the commune during holidays.

The current Party Secretary is Zhou Guoping. He looked up and walked towards the two of them: "Hey? It's you, County Head! Minister Wang!!"

Wang Hairui and Zhou Guoping were both familiar with each other.

Zhou Guoping looked at the procession behind him, but he couldn't hear what the drummer was saying.

Wang Hairui had no choice but to shout, "I'll take you home first!!!"

So the drum and gong team walked through the village and finally arrived at Zhou Guoping's doorstep.

Wang Hairui was reading a congratulatory message;
"Comrade Zhou Xu's series of literary and artistic works, including 'Lurking,' 'The Song of a Strong Army,' and 'Wreaths Under the High Mountains,' have aroused strong reactions and widespread discussions within the military and in all sectors of society. They have effectively conveyed positive energy and demonstrated the ideological height and artistic value of literary and artistic work in the new era. In recognition of his outstanding contributions, it has been decided to award Comrade Zhou Xu the honor of 'First-Class Merit in Literature and Art.'"

"..."

Zhou Guoping was also stunned: "A first-class merit?"

He himself was a little unsure of his son's abilities! How come he had only been back in the army for two or three months and had already earned a first-class merit again?

"Yes, yes, yes! This is Comrade Zhou Xu's second first-class merit award!!" The county head shook hands with Zhou Guoping, his hands moving very wide.

"We also sincerely congratulate and congratulate Comrade Zhou Xu on receiving such an honor once again!! Thank you, Comrade Guoping, for cultivating such an outstanding comrade for our country and society!!!" Wang Hairui shook Zhou Guoping's other hand.

Zhou Guoping scratched his head: "Look at the mess this has made, hahaha! I don't even quite understand it myself, hahaha!!"

But Zhou Guoping was all smiles, which must have been a sense of accomplishment for his son's achievements.

A group of villagers put down their work and came to Zhou Guoping's doorstep.

"Incredible! Another first-class merit!"

"Why is it like a wholesale distribution? This first-class merit award seems so easy to obtain?"

Wang Hairui listened to the group's comments.

There's nothing we can do. These people have never served in the military. Seeing how many awards Zhou Xu received in just one year, they think this first-class merit is very easy!
"Ahem, actually we weren't entirely convinced at first, but it was a comrade from the military region who called us personally!"

"Ouch!" Zhou's mother covered her mouth. "I was so worried! I thought my son had died!!!"

After all, her last first-class merit was earned on the battlefield, and this time she even suspected it might have been earned by sacrificing herself on the battlefield again!
"Ahem!" The county magistrate was slightly embarrassed: "No, no, Comrade Zhou Xu has already been transferred to the cultural troupe. Besides, the war in the south is basically over. How could that be?!"

"That's fine, that's fine!"

The county magistrate and Wang Hairui went straight into the house, taking their belongings with them.

The two men, carrying a plaque, called out to the soldiers behind them, "Shall we hang up this plaque for the family of a first-class meritorious soldier as well?"

Wang Hairui said with a smile, "To show that these are two first-class merits, we also marked the dates below, and the color is also different from the original one."

Zhou Guoping said with a smile, "Thank you so much for your help."

"What's the trouble? We should take this seriously as the family of a first-class meritorious soldier. Comrade Zhou Xu's heroic performance in the army deserves our care on behalf of the country and the army!" Wang Hairui said, patting his chest.

"..."

(End of this chapter)