Courtyard House: From Deputy Division Commander to Civilian, Progressing All the Way

In such a desperate situation of extreme resource scarcity, this is undoubtedly the most sober and pragmatic choice.

"Good! We'll do as Commander Lin says!" Chief Engineer Qian's face flushed with excitement. "Our missile development team has made a solemn pledge: even if we have to file it by hand, we'll file out the missile engine nozzle!"

The strategic direction is set.

The entire 211 base was engulfed in a dramatic technological frenzy.

Without the Soviet Union's large electronic computers, Chinese scientists used the most primitive tools.

In Hall One, hundreds of researchers and calculators each had an abacus in hand.

Working day and night without rest.

The clattering of the abacus beads filled the spacious hall, creating a powerful symphony.

Lacking enough scratch paper, they collected old newspapers and wrapping paper, filling them with all sorts of complex calculus formulas and aerodynamic parameters.

There wasn't enough food. Each person's daily ration consisted of only half a pound of moldy cornmeal and a bowl of salt water soup with a few vegetable leaves floating on top. Many scientists were so hungry that their bodies were swollen, and pressing on their legs would leave a deep indentation.

Lin Yang felt a pang of heartache watching these pillars of the republic suffer from hunger.

He directly used his privileges as the Vice Minister of Heavy Industry to forcibly intercept a batch of soybeans and military canned goods that were originally destined for other places from the military region's logistics department.

At the time, this was a disciplinary violation that risked being court-martialed.

When the guard platoon leader brought the truckloads of supplies into the base, Lin Yang only said one sentence: "No matter how great the responsibility, I, Lin Yang, will shoulder it alone. Even if it means going to a military court, I will not let these scientists who are building the backbone of the country starve!"

He personally carried the cooked soybean soup to the desks of the calculators who were so tired that they had fallen asleep on their abacuses.

On this wind-swept Gobi Desert, Lin Yang is not only their commander-in-chief, but also their strongest support.

……

Time slipped away quietly during this arduous and extraordinary battle.

Early autumn, 1961.

The severe natural disaster that lasted for three years has finally reached a turning point. Agricultural production across the country has begun to slowly recover, and the food shortage situation has been given a brief respite.

And on this golden and silver beach in the Great Northwest.

It also marked a historic moment worthy of being recorded in history.

Missile Test Range No. 2

The wind howled.

A massive metal cylinder, over ten meters tall, was firmly fixed to the test stand. It was the prototype engine for the first short-range ballistic missile, designed entirely by Chinese scientists using only abacuses and files!

Lin Yang stood behind the blast shelter, his hands tightly gripping the communicator, his palms sweaty.

Shen Zhiyuan, Chief Engineer Qian, and a group of other scientists all held their breath, their eyes fixed on the engine, and many of their lips were trembling violently.

"Attention all units"

Lin Yang's voice echoed inside the bunker, carrying an intense, suppressed excitement.

"Countdown begins."

"ten!"

"Nine!"

"..."

"three!"

"two!"

"one!"

"ignition!"

Lin Yang suddenly pressed the red launch button.

"Boom!!!"

A deafening roar, like the creation of the world, exploded across the Gobi Desert!

Suddenly, a dazzling orange-red plume of flame, several meters long, shot out from the tail of the missile engine. The terrifying heat instantly melted the surrounding sand and gravel, and the immense thrust caused the entire test stand to tremble violently.

The deafening roar lasted for a full sixty seconds!

When the flames died down, the engine stood intact on the test bench.

The entire blast shelter fell into a deathly silence that lasted for ten seconds.

Followed by.

"We did it! We did it!"

Chief Engineer Qian suddenly ripped off his hat and jumped up and down like a child, tears streaming down his face like a burst dam.

The old engineer Shen Zhiyuan's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, covering his face with his hands and wailing.

"So what if Big Brother withdrew! We Chinese have built our own missile engines! We've made our own 'guns'!"

Inside the blast shelter, hundreds of scientists and technicians embraced each other tightly, weeping uncontrollably.

Looking at these heroes, ravaged by the wind and sand, their faces unrecognizable and their bodies emaciated, Lin Yang's eyes also welled up with tears.

He stood at attention and gave these heroes of the Republic a most solemn and prolonged military salute.

That evening.

An urgent, top-secret telegram was sent directly to headquarters via a military hotline.

The next morning.

The commendation order from the Central Military Commission was then sent to Base 211, along with a special transfer order specifically for Lin Yang.

Given the breakthrough progress made in the "two bombs as the mainstay, missiles as the priority" strategy, the base's various research and development efforts have been put on track.

Comrade Lin Yang is hereby specially ordered to return to Beijing immediately and report in person to the Central Special Committee on the detailed situation of the base's construction and research and development.

……

three days later.

Qianmen Railway Station in Beijing.

The golden autumn sun shone on the platform, bringing a long-lost warmth.

A military train from the Northwest slowly pulled up to the edge of the platform.

The car door opened.

Lin Yang, wearing a faded military overcoat, stepped off the train.

It has been more than three years since I left Beijing.

The once spirited and stern-faced young general is now deeply etched with the marks of time by the winds and sands of the Gobi Desert. His skin has become rough and dark, and there are even faint wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. But his eyes are deeper and brighter than ever before, like stars encompassing the entire universe.

"Commander!"

On the platform, Xiao Li, who had been waiting for a long time, was so excited when he saw Lin Yang that he immediately stood at attention and saluted, his voice trembling slightly.

"Xiao Li, prepare the car, let's go back to Yuquan Mountain." Lin Yang didn't waste any more words and strode out of the train station.

The jeep traveled through the streets of Beijing.

Looking out the window at the familiar alleyways and streets gradually coming back to life, Lin Yang felt a strong sense of belonging.

Yuquanshan Military Region Compound, Building No. 6, Class A.

The leaves of the sycamore tree in the yard have begun to turn yellow.

The jeep was parked steadily outside the gate.

Lin Yang opened the car door, not letting Xiao Li follow, and walked to the gate of the courtyard alone.

He took a deep breath and reached out to push open the slightly ajar iron door.

yard.

A boy of about seven years old, with a chubby face, was playing with a wooden toy gun on the lawn with a little boy who was a little over four years old.

"Wei Dong, you hide behind the tree, I'll charge!" the older boy commanded in a childish voice.

Hearing the door open, the two little ones turned their heads at the same time.

When they saw the tall soldier standing at the door, who looked as if he had stepped out of a magazine, they were all stunned.