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

Five days passed in a flash. Liu Yuheng led his men to visit the remaining divisions and regiments, inspecting what needed to be inspected, checking what needed to be checked, and holding all the necessary symposiums. Overall, the situation in most units was relatively normal, the downsizing was being implemented effectively, training was not lagging behind, and the morale of the grassroots officers and soldiers was also good.

That afternoon, they returned to the military headquarters. As soon as the car stopped in front of the guesthouse, Li Wenying was already waiting there. He stepped forward and shook hands with Liu Yuheng: "Old Liu, you've had a tough time. These past few days must have been exhausting, right?"

Liu Yuheng smiled and followed him into the guesthouse, asking as they walked, "Old Li, how's the investigation on Chen Tao's side going?"

Li Wenying sighed, her expression darkening, and her voice lowering: "The investigation team just returned a couple of days ago, and the situation is pretty much as the people described. Chen Tao did indeed unilaterally file for divorce without consulting his wife, and she, unable to bear it, jumped into the river. After the divorce, he immediately married Zhang Zhenjun's sister, and even lied to Zhang Zhenjun, saying he had never been married."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of disappointment: "This matter has had a significant impact locally; everyone in the village knows about it. If we hadn't acted quickly and suppressed the news, it probably would have been reported in the local newspapers."

Liu Yuheng was silent for a few seconds, then stopped on the steps at the entrance of the guesthouse, turned to look at Li Wenying, and asked, "So, what do you plan to do?"

Li Wenying frowned: "According to military discipline, his situation is difficult to handle. Strictly speaking, he divorced before remarrying, so there's nothing illegal about it. His first wife jumped into the river because she couldn't think straight, so there's no grounds for criminal prosecution."

"But this kind of thing has seriously damaged the image of the military," Liu Yuheng continued. "No matter how Chen Tao tries to explain himself, in the eyes of the people, he's an ungrateful military officer who abandoned his wife and drove someone to suicide. If this kind of person stays in the military, who will dare to trust us in the future? Who will dare to marry their daughter to a soldier?"

He thought for a moment, then softened his tone: "I suggest your military discuss this and have Chen Tao discharged. Discharge him as a soldier, not as an officer. This will be more convincing and give the people an explanation."

Li Wenying was silent for a moment, then nodded: "You're right. That's what I think too." He took a deep breath, "When I get back, I'll have the political department process the paperwork and treat it as a soldier's discharge."

Liu Yuheng nodded, not pressing for further details. He glanced at his watch, then at the darkening sky in the distance, and said to Li Wenying, "Old Li, I've almost finished things here. I have several other troops to run, so I won't stay any longer. My train leaves early tomorrow morning; I'll pack tonight and leave tomorrow."

Li Wenying didn't try to stop him. He reached out and patted Liu Yuheng on the shoulder: "Then I won't keep you. Thank you for covering for me this time."

Liu Yuheng smiled and said, "Alright, handle the aftermath properly and don't let the people lose heart."

The next morning, Li Wenying personally escorted Liu Yuheng and his party to the train station. A cool morning breeze blew across the platform, and the faint sound of train whistles drifted from afar. The two exchanged a few more words by the platform, and Li Wenying squeezed Liu Yuheng's hand: "Next time you come, let's not let this happen again."

Liu Yuheng laughed: "Next time I come, I'll try to just drink and not do any work."

The train whistle sounded again, and it pulled into the station. Liu Yuheng waved to Li Wenying, then turned and boarded the train.

.......

Over the next three months, Liu Yuheng led his men to traverse the remaining troops of the Northeast Military Region. From one army to another, from one city to another, they took countless train journeys, visited countless military camps, and their daily routines were completely aligned with their missions.

Upon arriving at each location, the first step was to review the list of troops to be reduced, followed by an assessment of the implementation of the demobilization plans. Then, a few companies were randomly selected for visits. Meetings were held if any were taking place, and training sessions were observed if any were underway. The situations within the troops varied widely; most were relatively normal, but a few troublesome issues arose.

The most outrageous incident occurred in an army unit that had not participated in overseas combat. This unit had also expanded in 1951; at that time, due to urgent missions, its size was increased rapidly, and recruitment standards were relaxed somewhat. When this round of troop reductions began, the problems became apparent.

When Liu Yuheng was checking the list of demobilized soldiers, he found that several people in one regiment had the same surname. Upon further investigation, he discovered that the regimental commander had included all the able-bodied members of his family in the military, including his brothers, cousins, and other relatives.

When the army was downsized later, this regimental commander insisted on keeping all his relatives in the ranks, regardless of whether they met the downsizing criteria. He even kept two men who were underage and had concealed their age when they enlisted, and who were still underage to this day.

Liu Yuheng recorded the details and, upon returning to the military region, truthfully reported the situation to Commander Li.

After hearing the report, Commander Li slammed his fist on the table and berated the officers for nearly ten minutes, shaking the teacups on the table so much they jumped: "Has this regimental commander lost his mind! What does he think the troops are? His own vegetable garden? Who gave him the guts?!"

After Commander Li finished his tirade, Liu Yuheng finally spoke up, saying, "Old leader, calm down. Nobody's perfect. As long as problems are identified and corrected, that's fine. The army has already transferred him from his post; when he returns, the military will deal with him seriously."

Commander Li sat down with a dark face, picked up the now-cold tea and took a sip: "If you hadn't come down here, I don't know how long this would have been kept secret."

When Liu Yuheng bid farewell to Commander Li, his tone carried a sense of relief: "Old leader, I've seen everything I needed to see on this trip, and it's time for me to return to Beijing."

Commander Li nodded, did not linger, and instructed the driver to take Liu Yuheng and his entourage to the train station.

The group boarded the train for their return journey. The lights in the carriage were warm and yellow, and the sky outside the window gradually darkened.

Liu Yuheng leaned back in his seat and finally let out a long sigh of relief. After running for several months, he could finally go back.