Courtyard Houses: Starting with Li Yunlong's Comrades-in-Arms

Li Yunlong picked up his cup, clinked it against Liu Yuheng's, took a big gulp, and looked at Liu Yuheng with a more serious expression: "Old Liu, is there anything going on with your work this time you're back? Are you staying with the 45th Army, or is there some other arrangement?"

Liu Yuheng put down his chopsticks, leaned back in his chair, and thought for a moment before speaking: "I don't know yet. As you know, there's a downsizing going on right now. My unit won't be disbanded, but personnel reductions are certain. As for myself..."

He paused, picked up his glass, and took a sip, as if carefully choosing his words.

"He might go to headquarters, or he might be transferred to a local position."

"Transferred to a local post?" Ding Wei frowned. "How could this be? You're a field army commander, you just finished a battle with outstanding achievements, how could you possibly be transferred to a local post?"

Kong Jie chimed in, "Yeah, Lao Liu, are you mistaken? What would a military officer of your rank do in a local position? Local governments need administrative officers, not those who lead troops into battle."

Liu Yuheng waved his hand, his tone calm: "It's a fact that there's a shortage of personnel in local areas. The whole country has been liberated, and everything needs to be rebuilt. Every place needs cadres to take charge of the work. And to be honest, there are plenty of cadres in the army."

He paused, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and continued, "Large-scale wars will decrease significantly in the future, and there will be no need to maintain such a large army. Reduction of the armed forces is inevitable, and the transfer of some military officers to local positions is also inevitable. This is not targeted at any particular individual; it is a general trend."

"Besides, I was already classified as a quasi-corps level in the last rank assessment. It's not appropriate for me to stay at this level in the 45th Army, and there are no vacancies above me. I can't just stay there forever. So, whether I go to headquarters or transfer to a local position, it's a normal personnel arrangement for me, and it's not a bad thing."

When Li Yunlong heard the words "quasi-corps level", his mouth opened slightly.

He sighed, his expression a mix of envy and感慨: "You little rascal, you've finally climbed above me completely. Me, Lao Ding, Lao Kong, and I are all at the rank of major general. You, on the other hand, are only at the rank of quasi-corps commander, one rank higher than us. How many years has it been? Fourteen or fifteen years, I guess? And you've already surpassed us."

Looking at Li Yunlong's expression, Liu Yuheng's lips curled up slightly, revealing a smug smile: "Keep it down, keep it down. I don't like to show off, just keep it to yourself, don't go around telling everyone."

"You son of a bitch!" Li Yunlong slammed his hand on the table. "You call this being low-key? Your smug look is clearly just you showing off to us!"

Liu Yuheng raised his hands in surrender and said with a smile, "Okay, okay, I was wrong. I'll punish myself with a drink."

The four of them laughed, and their laughter echoed through the small canteen.

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, it was already past 2 p.m. before we knew it.

Liu Yuheng glanced at his watch, stood up, buttoned up his uniform, straightened his cap, and said to the three men, "Alright, it's getting late, I have to go. I need to catch the train back to the capital tonight, or I'll be too late."

All three of them stood up. Li Yunlong took his hand and said, "What time is it? Sit a little longer, have a cup of tea before you leave."

Liu Yuheng shook his head: "It's really not going to work. The train won't wait for anyone. If I miss it, I won't be able to get back today. Anyway, we can get together after the New Year, and then we can have a good drink."

Kong Jie nodded, patted Liu Yuheng on the shoulder, and said with a hint of entrustment, "Okay, then be careful on your journey. When you get to the capital, give our regards to your family and send our regards to the elders."

Ding Wei nodded, without saying anything more, but simply extended his hand and shook hands with Liu Yuheng.

Liu Yuheng walked out of the cafeteria, and the three people saw him to the door.

"Let's meet again after the New Year," Liu Yuheng said, waving his hand before turning and striding away.

Xiao Li was already waiting downstairs. When he saw Liu Yuheng come out, he immediately opened the car door.

"Let's go to the train station."

The jeep slowly drove out of the military academy gate and onto the main road of Nanjing.

The train clattered and rattled its way from Nanjing to the capital after a day and a night.

Liu Yuheng took a nap on the train, and when he woke up it was already daylight.

The train slowly pulled into Qianmen Railway Station. Liu Yuheng picked up his military cap, put it on, straightened his collar, and tightened his belt.

"Let's go."

The platform was crowded with people, bustling about. There were all sorts of people: some carrying luggage, some holding children's hands, and some holding signs to welcome people to the station.

As Liu Yuheng was about to head towards the exit, a man in military uniform strode towards him. The man was in his thirties, of medium build, and walked quickly. Reaching Liu Yuheng, he stood at attention and saluted: "Excuse me, are you Commander Liu of the 45th Army?"

Liu Yuheng stopped, returned the greeting, and sized up the other person: "I am, and you are?"

The man pulled a red-covered ID from his pocket and handed it to him with both hands. Liu Yuheng took it, opened it, and looked at it. It bore the seal of the Central Military Commission and a bright red official stamp. He returned the ID, nodded, and waited for the man to continue.

"The Chief of Staff requests your presence. The car is waiting outside; please come with me."

Liu Yuheng was taken aback for a moment. But he quickly regained his composure, nodded, waved to Xiao Li, and followed the man out of the station.

A black jeep with military license plates was parked in the station square. Liu Yuheng got in, and Xiao Li put the luggage away and sat in the passenger seat. The car drove through the streets and alleys of Beijing, heading towards the Central Military Commission.

Liu Yuheng leaned against the car window, looking outside, wondering what the chief of staff wanted to see him about.

The car stopped at the gate of the Central Military Commission compound, and the sentry checked the identification before letting it pass.

Liu Yuheng got out of the car and followed the cadre into the building.

He stopped in front of a door, and the man knocked on it. A steady voice came from inside and said, "Come in."

Liu Yuheng pushed open the door and went in.

"Comrade Yuheng, you've arrived? Please have a seat."

Liu Yuheng saluted and sat down in the chair opposite the desk, his back ramrod straight.

The chief of staff closed the document, placed it aside, leaned back in his chair, and fixed his gaze on Liu Yuheng's face, getting straight to the point: "Aren't you curious why I called you here?"

Liu Yuheng didn't hide anything and nodded honestly: "Yes, it was a bit of a surprise."

"Your job is going to change. You should be prepared for that, right?"

Liu Yuheng nodded, his tone calm: "I expected this. Chief of Staff, please speak. I will obey the organization's arrangements."

The chief of staff glanced at him, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

"Your 45th Army currently has 38,000 men. According to the directives from above, it needs to be reduced to around 20,000. You will be in charge of this task after the New Year."

The workforce was reduced from 38,000 to 20,000. That's almost half the number.

Liu Yuheng's fingers twitched slightly. He hadn't been unaware that troop reduction was an inevitable trend, and no unit could escape it. But when he actually heard the number, his heart sank. Those 18,000 soldiers were the ones who had risked their lives alongside him; he couldn't bear to cut them.

"As for your personal destination, it's still under discussion. There are two possibilities: either you go to headquarters or you transfer to a local position."

Liu Yuheng remained silent, waiting for what was to come.

"Your old brigade commander has asked for you."

"And your old political commissar,"

The chief continued, "He's in charge of local affairs now, and they're short-staffed right now. He also asked you about it, saying there's a position for you there if you'd like to go."

"You can think about it carefully; there's still time."

Liu Yuheng was silent for a few seconds, then nodded, his tone decisive: "I will consider it carefully. Chief of Staff, I have noted everything you said. I will think about it when I get back and give you an answer as soon as possible."

The chief grunted in acknowledgment, put down his teacup, and then, as if suddenly remembering something, spoke again: "There's one more thing."

Liu Yuheng looked at him.

"Anyway, it's settled that you'll be working in Beijing in the future. Whether you go to headquarters or transfer to a local government, your work will be based in Beijing."

"Take advantage of this trip back and get your accommodation arranged. It'll save you the trouble of traveling back and forth later. Go to the logistics department and ask them to arrange it for you."

"Yes, sir! Thank you, Chief of Staff!"

The chief waved his hand, picked up the documents on the table, and began to read them again. Liu Yuheng turned and left the office, gently closing the door behind him.

He found the logistics department and knocked on the door. The head of the logistics department, surnamed Zhou, was in his forties. As soon as Liu Yuheng gave his name, he immediately jumped up from his chair.

"Commander Liu! The General Staff Headquarters has already informed me. You've come at the perfect time. I've already chosen a house for you. Let me show you now; if you're not satisfied, we can change it!"

Liu Yuheng followed Director Zhou out of the Military Commission compound and got into a jeep. After about twenty minutes, they arrived at a large compound in the north of the city. There were sentries standing guard at the entrance of the compound, and inside were rows of small buildings with gray bricks and gray tiles, nestled among pine and locust trees.

Director Zhou led Liu Yuheng to the front of a small building, took out his key to open the door, and introduced as they walked in: "This was designed by SL experts. The building is nearly 200 square meters in total, upstairs and downstairs. There's also a small courtyard in the back. It's not big, but you can still grow some flowers and plants there."

Liu Yuheng followed Director Zhou around the building and nodded, "Okay, this building will do. Thank you, Director Zhou."