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

Until that big-character poster appeared.

One morning in mid-June, just as dawn was breaking, the air still carried a hint of nighttime chill.

Zhao Lichun arrived at the office an hour early as usual to prepare for the day's documents.

As he walked past the notice board at the entrance of the compound, he glanced at it unintentionally and froze on the spot.

In the very center of the bulletin board was a two-meter-long sheet of white paper covered with densely packed characters written in thick black ink, the title of which was glaringly large.

Zhao Lichun's heart sank. He rushed forward, tore the big-character poster down, and clutched it tightly in his hand. Although he acted quickly, many of the earlier-arriving staff still saw it. They gathered in twos and threes, whispering among themselves, their eyes filled with shock and unease.

Ignoring everyone else, Zhao Lichun rushed into the minister's office, locking the door behind him with a "click" before even knocking.

"Minister! Something's happened!" Zhao Lichun's voice trembled with extreme tension. His chest heaved violently, and sweat streamed down his face, soaking his collar. The big-character poster in his hand was crumpled and torn at the edges.

Lin Yang was sitting behind a large mahogany desk, flipping through an urgent report on the shutdown and reduction of production at Ansteel's blast furnace, his brows furrowed.

Upon hearing Zhao Lichun's voice, he slowly raised his head, his eyes as calm as a bottomless lake, without the slightest ripple.

"What's the panic?" Lin Yang put down his pen, leaned back in his leather chair, and pointed to the sofa opposite him. "The sky isn't falling. Sit down and talk slowly."

Zhao Lichun swallowed hard, his hands trembling as he handed the crumpled poster to Lin Yang's desk.

Lin Yang's gaze fell on the blank sheet of paper, and the moment he saw the title, a cold and mocking smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

Unveiling the historical hoax of "Capturing MacArthur Alive"—The Truth About the Traitorous Act of the Ambitious Lin Yang.

He didn't get angry or slam his fist on the table. Instead, he picked up the poster with great interest and read it word by word.

The logic of the big-character posters was absurd to the extreme, yet it accurately hit the nail on the head regarding the current state of blind fanaticism.

An anonymous organization, identified as the "Revolutionary Rebel Command of the Ministry of Heavy Industry," raised a startling question in its article: "During the great War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, even the commander-in-chief led thousands of troops in a bloody battle against the US military, never claiming he could capture the US commander-in-chief alive. Lin Yang was merely a nineteen-year-old division commander back then. How could he possibly single-handedly penetrate deep behind enemy lines, under the heavy protection of an entire US army group, and capture General MacArthur alive? This is simply illogical!"

"There is only one conclusion! This is a complete political hoax! It's a secret agreement reached between American imperialism and Lin Yang on the battlefield! MacArthur deliberately allowed Lin Yang to be 'captured'! American imperialism used this Hollywood-style self-inflicted injury to gain political capital for Lin Yang, making him a top-tier hero, with the aim of gradually infiltrating the core leadership of our Party and country, turning him into a time bomb planted within our heavy industry and defense industry!"

"The evidence is conclusive! During his tenure as Minister of Heavy Industry, Lin Yang frantically promoted the revisionist line of 'technology first, production first,' opposed the 'omnipotence of spirit,' openly suppressed the revolutionary enthusiasm of the masses, and used material rewards such as bonuses and certificates to corrupt the revolutionary will of the working class! He wore bourgeois woolen overcoats, drank specially supplied Moutai liquor, lived in a spacious ministerial building, and led a corrupt and decadent life! He was the biggest capitalist roader in power within the Party! He was a double agent planted by the United States and the Soviet Union within our ranks!"

After reading the whole thing, Lin Yang casually tossed the big-character poster into the wastepaper basket next to the table, as if it were a useless piece of paper.

"Absurd beyond belief, yet utterly despicable." Lin Yang's fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a soft, rhythmic sound. His tone carried a hint of cold sarcasm. "To come up with something like 'Hollywood self-inflicted injury,' it seems our Ministry of Heavy Industry has quite a few imaginative 'writers' hidden away."

"Minister! This must be the work of those deputy directors you've been suppressing!" Zhao Lichun stood up abruptly, his fists clenched, his eyes flashing with a fierce light. "They've been eyeing your position for a long time, and now they're using this opportunity to completely crush you! I'll immediately notify the guard company of the Internal Security Forces to surround the compound, arrest everyone who wrote this big-character poster, interrogate them one by one, and we'll definitely find the mastermind behind it all!"

"Grasp?"

Lin Yang shook his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the gray sky outside the window. His tone was calm yet carried an undeniable authority. "Lichun, you're still too young. Don't you understand the situation outside? This storm didn't originate in the Ministry of Heavy Industry; it's sweeping across the entire country. You arrest a few people today, but tomorrow hundreds or thousands will storm the gates of the Ministry of Heavy Industry waving red flags. Then, you'll be charged with the death penalty for 'suppressing a revolutionary mass movement,' and no one can save you."

"But Minister! They're throwing dirty water on you!"

Zhao Lichun's eyes reddened with anxiety, his voice trembling with tears, "Capturing MacArthur alive is an honor you fought for on the battlefield, a victory bought with the blood of hundreds of thousands of volunteer soldiers! How can they be allowed to slander it like this!"

He was truly desperate. His political life was already inextricably linked to Lin Yang's; their fates were intertwined. If Lin Yang fell, those he had offended would tear him to pieces.

"Honor cannot be denied with a few scraps of paper."

Lin Yang stood up, walked to the French windows, his back to Zhao Lichun, hands behind his back. Sunlight streamed through the glass, illuminating him, but it couldn't dispel the chilling aura emanating from him, a aura forged in the crucible of war. "I wasn't afraid of the hail of bullets on the Korean battlefield, why would I be afraid of a few flies buzzing in the gutter?"

"Lichun, remember this. The more chaotic the situation, the more you need to remain absolutely calm." Lin Yang's voice came slowly, with a composure that remained unchanged even if Mount Tai collapsed before him. "Don't rush to make a move. Let the bullets fly for a while. I want to see how many monsters and demons will emerge after this storm."

However, the situation deteriorated far faster than anyone had anticipated.

Less than four hours later, around noon.

Outside the once quiet office building of the Ministry of Heavy Industry, a deafening roar of slogans suddenly erupted. The sound grew louder and louder as it approached, sweeping in like a surging tide.