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

He Yuzhu, dressed in his crisp uniform with a pistol at his waist, stood imposingly at the foot of the main house steps, like a guardian deity. The scar on his left cheek, left from the Korean War, looked particularly menacing in the cold wind.

"Director Lin..." He Yuzhu turned around immediately when he saw Lin Yang come out, his body ramrod straight. "These bastards said they wanted to bring you some local specialties, but I thought they were an eyesore to you, so I was just chasing them away."

Lin Yang coldly glanced at the people in the courtyard. With just that one glance, Liu Haizhong nearly dropped the wine bottle in his hand.

"Zhu Zi, behave yourself. We're a disciplined group," Lin Yang said calmly, but the chill in his tone sent shivers down the spines of all the beasts present. "From now on, anyone who dares to approach within three meters of this door will be arrested without asking for permission, charged with storming the commander's residence. Understand?"

"Understood!" He Yuzhu shouted, casually drawing his sidearm from his waist, pulling back the bolt with a click, and glaring fiercely at Yi Zhonghai and the others. "Are you all deaf? Get back to your doghouses!"

Amidst a flurry of scrambling footsteps, the courtyard was instantly emptied. Lin Yang didn't give these clowns another glance and turned back into his house. Arguing with them would be beneath him. His mind was now preoccupied with the fate of the entire nation.

After having lunch at the courtyard house, Lin Yang didn't linger. He got into his jeep and drove towards the Yuquanshan Military Region compound.

There were some senior officials he had to meet.

The jeep came to a stop in front of Building No. 2, Class A. Before even entering the courtyard, Lin Yang heard the sound of a cup being smashed coming from inside.

"Damn it! Is this how those bastards down there fooled me? What do you call this? This is blatant disregard for human life!"

Lin Yang pushed open the half-closed iron gate and walked straight in. In the courtyard, Li Yunlong, wearing an old military cotton-padded jacket, was pounding on the stone table, his face red and neck bulging. On the table was a bottle of specially supplied Moutai, several dishes of snacks, and peanuts scattered all over the ground. The guard, Old Wang, stood to the side, not daring to breathe.

Seeing Lin Yang walk in, Li Yunlong was stunned for a moment, then pushed Old Wang aside and strode forward to greet him.

"Yangzi! You've finally come back from that godforsaken place!" Li Yunlong grabbed Lin Yang's shoulder and slapped his back hard with his large palm, making a loud thud.

"Old Chief, your fiery temper can be heard from three streets away." Lin Yang chuckled and patted Li Yunlong's arm, gesturing for Old Wang to fetch another wine glass.

The two sat down at the stone table. Li Yunlong personally poured Lin Yang a full glass of Moutai, the aroma of which filled the air.

"Try it, it's authentic. If I hadn't made some contributions on the battlefield back then, I wouldn't be able to drink this good wine now." Li Yunlong picked up his wine glass, drank it all in one gulp, smacked his lips, and then his face darkened.

"Yangzi, you've been in the Northwest for the past few years, you don't know what's going on there." Li Yunlong's eyes were full of heartache. "I recently went to inspect a few counties. Good heavens, the bark on the roadside trees has been eaten off! The villagers are all swollen like steamed buns. And the local officials are still bragging to me, saying that the yield is 100,000 jin per mu, and that the granaries can't hold it all."

Li Yunlong slammed his fist on the table, making the wine bottle shake violently: "I drew my gun right then and there! I asked that county party secretary, if your granaries can't hold all the grain, why are the people starving? Why are beggars begging at the gate of the military compound? What kind of nonsense is this! We fought for this country, shedding so much blood, all so that the people could live a better life, not to listen to these stinking intellectuals spouting nonsense!"

Lin Yang listened quietly without responding. He picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and gazed into the distance.

After Li Yunlong had finished his tirade, Lin Yang slowly stood up, walked to the courtyard gate, closed the iron gate tightly, glanced around to make sure there were no outsiders, and then sat down again.

He lowered his voice, his expression becoming more serious than ever before.

"Old Commander, this glass of wine is a toast to you, a toast to your conscience and integrity." Lin Yang raised his glass with both hands and clinked it against Li Yunlong's. "But there are some things I must tell you clearly today. From today onwards, you can only say these curses in this courtyard. Once you leave this house, keep your mouth shut."

Li Yunlong's eyes widened, and his mustache almost stood on end: "What? I've fought most of my life, and now I can't even tell the truth? I'm not afraid of anything!"

"This isn't a question of fear!" Lin Yang's voice turned cold, carrying an undeniable authority. "Old Commander, think about General Peng! How long has it been since the events at Mount Lu? Do you think we can solve this problem with just enthusiasm? The winds are blowing in the wrong direction; there are people stirring things up from below. If you jump out now and start firing, what good will it do besides handing someone a knife and labeling yourself as someone who sabotages production? Can you conjure up food?"

Mentioning General Peng instantly dampened Li Yunlong's arrogance by half. He knew better than anyone the current predicament of that upright and incorruptible general.

Li Yunlong painfully grabbed a handful of hair, tilted his head back, and let out a long sigh. That sigh was filled with endless vicissitudes and helplessness.

"Old Commander, the country is currently going through its most difficult period of adjustment." Lin Yang softened his tone, looking intently at Li Yunlong. "We face famine internally, and external threats from the Soviet Union demanding repayment of its debts and the United States engaging in nuclear blackmail. Your deployment along the coast, guarding the country's gates, is the greatest contribution you can make. The rest, leave to time and to us."

Li Yunlong remained silent for a long time, then poured himself another glass of wine and drank it silently.

"Alright, I'll listen to you. In my whole life, I've only ever truly respected a few people, and you're one of them." Li Yunlong wiped his mouth and changed the subject. "Let's not talk about these pathetic things. Give me a hint: when exactly is that 'Pride Missile' of yours going to detonate? I'm stuck here in Fujian watching those American warships swaggering around on the high seas every day, and it's driving me crazy! If we had that thing, let's see who dares to bar their teeth at our doorstep!"

A cold and resolute light flashed in Lin Yang's eyes as he tapped the stone table three times with his fingers.

"It's almost here. We've made a breakthrough in the core theoretical calculations. The reason I'm back in Beijing this time is to get money, food, and equipment. As long as the supplies arrive, I guarantee that within three years, a second sun will rise over the Gobi Desert in the Northwest."

The next morning, at Xihua Hall.

The atmosphere was so heavy it seemed ready to melt away. On either side of the long conference table...

The room was filled with core leaders from the Central Military Commission and various ministries.

The man sat in the main seat, his face thin and his brows furrowed.

Lin Yang, dressed in a crisp major general's uniform, stood in front of a blackboard with a large national map hanging on it, giving a top-secret report.

"Commanders, the current situation at Base 211 is on the verge of life and death." Lin Yang's voice echoed in the hall, unadorned and full of bloody facts.

"After the Soviets withdrew, our research team could only use abacuses and hand-cranked calculators to verify massive amounts of data. But that wasn't the most fatal problem. The most fatal problem was logistics. The base was located in Jinyintan, at an altitude of over 3,000 meters, with a harsh climate. The current food ration has been reduced to 20 jin per person per month. Half of those 20 jin are mixed grains with sand."

Lin Yang turned around and looked at each of the leaders present.

"Our experts, those internationally renowned scientists, are now working on calculus on empty stomachs every day. The day before yesterday, the head of our detonation test group fainted on the test site due to severe hypoglycemia, hitting his head and injuring himself; he's still in a coma. Many young technicians have legs so swollen that pressing on them leaves a deep dent. There's no meat, no fat; even a drop of cooking oil has become a luxury. Leaders, this isn't scientific research; this is overdrawing on our nation's most precious brains!"