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

The next morning, Liu Yuheng got up very early.

As dawn broke, sparrows were already chirping in the locust tree outside the guesthouse window, their chatter keeping everyone awake.

He got up, washed his face with cold water, put on his military uniform neatly, pressed the brim of his hat down an inch above his eyebrows in front of the mirror, tightened his belt, and polished his shoes.

Today is the day I report to the garrison command.

He took one last look at himself in the mirror, took a deep breath, and turned to leave. Xiao Sun was already waiting in the hallway, carrying a canvas briefcase.

"Let's go." Liu Yuheng strode downstairs.

The garrison's temporary headquarters was located in an old military camp in the west of the city. This place was originally the headquarters of a Nationalist army division. The compound was very large, with more than a dozen barracks and a three-story building used as the command post. After the People's Liberation Army entered the city, this barracks was taken over by the military control commission. After simple repairs, it is now used as the temporary headquarters of the newly established garrison.

The jeep stopped at the entrance of the camp.

Two sentries stood at the entrance, fully armed and upright. When they saw the jeep approaching, the sentries raised their hands to signal it to stop.

Liu Yuheng got out of the car, straightened his military cap, walked up to the sentry, and took out his officer's identification from his pocket, handing it to him. The sentry took it, glanced at it, then looked up at Liu Yuheng's face. After confirming it was correct, he snapped to attention, saluted, and handed the identification back with both hands, his voice booming, "Greetings, sir!"

Liu Yuheng returned the greeting, took the identification documents and put them in his pocket, then asked, "Are Division Commander Chen and Political Commissar Zheng here?"

"Reporting, sir! Commander Chen arrived early this morning, as did Political Commissar Zheng!" The sentry's voice was still loud and clear.

Liu Yuheng nodded, turned around and got into the car. Xiao Sun restarted the car and drove into the camp.

The camp was larger and more organized than Liu Yuheng had imagined.

At the end of the road stood a three-story building, gray bricks and tiles, its windows gleaming clean. A flagpole stood atop the building, a red flag fluttering in the morning breeze. In the open space in front of the building, several military trucks were parked neatly, and a few soldiers were wiping them down.

Xiao Sun parked the car in front of the small building. Before Liu Yuheng could get out of the car, he saw two people walking quickly out of the small building.

The one walking in front, around thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, of medium height, with a sturdy build, square face, thick eyebrows and big eyes, should be Chen Ji, the commander of the 89th Division.

The one following behind, who was two or three years older than Chen Ji, had a fair complexion, wore black-rimmed glasses, and looked very refined. He was probably Zheng Mowen, the political commissar of the 89th Division.

The two men walked up to Liu Yuheng and stood at attention to salute at the same time.

"Commander Liu! Chen Ji, commander of the 89th Division, reporting for duty!"

"Commander Liu! Political Commissar Zheng Mowen of the 89th Division reporting for duty!"

Liu Yuheng returned the greeting, his gaze sweeping over the two men before he nodded slightly. He didn't recognize either of them; they weren't his former subordinates.

When he was the column commander, the troops under his command were several other units that had never dealt with the 89th Division. These units were transferred from other units and assigned to the garrison command, so he had to learn about the abilities and temperaments of these two men from scratch.

"Commander Chen, Political Commissar Zheng, come in and talk."

The three people entered the small building, went up to the second floor, and walked into a spacious office.

A large desk stood by the window, covered with a green velvet cloth. On it sat a black telephone, a pen holder, and a desk lamp. Opposite the desk was a row of empty filing cabinets.

Chen Ji asked Liu Yuheng to sit down in the chair behind the desk, while he and Zheng Mowen sat down in the chair opposite him.

Liu Yuheng sat down, placed his briefcase on the table, and asked his first question: "How is the barracks construction going?"

Chen Ji immediately replied, "Reporting to the Commander, the barracks have been repaired. This area was originally a Nationalist army garrison, so the basic conditions were good; they were all brick and tile houses, not temporary sheds. After we took over, we organized the soldiers to clean the barracks inside and out, repaired what needed repairing, and patched what needed patching. Now all the barracks are ready for the troops to move into, water and electricity are connected, and the kitchens can be used."

Liu Yuheng nodded. Chen Ji speaks clearly and concisely, without beating around the bush. When reporting on work, he knows to state the conclusion first and then the details; he is a capable person.

He looked at Zheng Mowen and asked, "Political Commissar Zheng, how's the ideological work going? Have the soldiers become lax since being transferred to Beijing?"

"Commander, when the troops first received the order, some soldiers did indeed have a lax attitude, thinking that now that they had been transferred to the capital, they wouldn't be fighting anymore and could take a break. We promptly carried out ideological education work, organizing all officers and soldiers to study the current situation and tasks, making everyone understand that the work of the garrison is not about relaxing, but about taking on even greater responsibilities. After a week of study and education, the soldiers' understanding has changed significantly, and the troops are currently in a stable morale and high spirits."

Liu Yuheng nodded again.

"Commander Chen, Political Commissar Zheng, there are some things I need to say upfront."

"Although the troops have temporarily withdrawn from the front lines and are no longer directly involved in the battle against the remaining forces, but—"

"The troops' training must be taken seriously; there can be no relaxation for even a day. You must remember one thing: this is the capital, the place where several top generals reside. The garrison troops are here to protect the safety of these top generals."

He emphasized, "Therefore, the troops in the garrison must be the elite of the elite, capable of being 'ready to be summoned, able to fight, and victorious in battle.' Anyone who thinks that arriving in the capital means entering a life of luxury and leisure, shouldn't blame me for being impolite!"

Chen Ji and Zheng Mowen exchanged a glance, then stood up simultaneously, saluted, and said, "Commander, rest assured! We will definitely intensify our training and never slack off!"

Liu Yuheng looked at the two of them, nodded slightly after a moment, waved his hand for them to sit down, and said in a gentler tone, "Sit down, there's something else I want to tell you."

The two sat down again.

Liu Yuheng returned to his desk, unzipped his briefcase, pulled out a document, placed it on the table, and tapped it lightly with his finger: "You've probably heard about the event scheduled for October 1st this year, right?"

Chen Ji and Zheng Mowen nodded at the same time.

Liu Yuheng continued, "Some troops from the garrison will participate in the parade. Which troops will participate and how they will participate will depend on the arrangements from higher up. But there's one thing I can tell you in advance—"

He raised his head, his eyes fixed intently on the two people opposite him: "In two weeks, I will lead a team to inspect the training results of all the troops in the garrison area. Whichever unit trains well, I will recommend that unit to participate in the parade."

The expressions on Chen Ji and Zheng Mowen's faces changed instantly. Their eyes lit up, they straightened their backs even more, and their breathing became more rapid.

parade!

For any soldier, it is the highest honor.

Chen Ji was the first to stand up: "Commander, on behalf of all the officers and soldiers of the 89th Division, I assure you that we will definitely deliver the best training results! Please inspect us in two weeks!"

Zheng Mowen also stood up and added, "Commander, as soon as I get back, I'll organize the entire division for special parade training, leaving no detail overlooked, from formations to military bearing, from marching steps to slogans. I guarantee you'll see a highly motivated and disciplined force!"

Liu Yuheng looked at the two men, a slight smile playing on his lips. He waved his hand, gesturing for them to sit down. "Alright, it's good that you're determined. I'll see the results in half a month."

He pulled another document from his briefcase, glanced at it, and looked up, saying, "There's one more thing. The garrison command is going to formally establish departments such as the Operations Department, Staff Department, Logistics Department, and Political Department. Currently, all departments are short-staffed and need to draw cadres from the lower-level troops."

Chen Ji and Zheng Mowen exchanged a glance, their expressions shifting from excitement to heartache.

Liu Yuheng saw everything clearly and understood perfectly. Which commanding officer wouldn't be heartbroken to have the troops below send people, especially good ones? A good staff officer and a good political officer are the backbone of the army; losing them is like losing a vital piece of flesh. But this was non-negotiable; the garrison's framework had to be established, and each department needed people to do the work.

"All garrison troops must send personnel." Liu Yuheng's tone left no room for argument. "After you return, compile a list of qualified officers from your divisions and submit it. Don't hold back; submit the most outstanding individuals."

Chen Ji opened his mouth, then closed it again. He looked at Zheng Mowen, who was also looking at him. Their expressions were surprisingly similar: heartache.

"What? Reluctant to part with them?" Liu Yuheng glanced at them, his tone slightly teasing.

Chen Ji gritted his teeth, as if making a huge decision: "Commander, yes! We'll go back and compile the list!"

Zheng Mowen nodded in agreement.

"That's settled then. The various units are still on their way, one after another, and they should all arrive within the next two weeks. During this time, I will stay in the garrison area, waiting for the troops to arrive while also finalizing the organizational structure of each department. If you need anything, feel free to come to me anytime."

"Yes!" The two men saluted simultaneously.

Liu Yuheng returned the greeting, watched the two leave the office, then sat down behind his desk and let out a long sigh.

In the days to come, I'm afraid my feet won't touch the ground.

He opened the documents in his briefcase and began to read them one by one. Organization plans, troop deployment plans, stationing arrangements, officer lists, material requirements… stacks upon stacks of documents, densely packed with text, made his eyes blurry.

He picked up the phone, cranked the handle, and said into the receiver, "Connect to the logistics department... Yes, it's me... When will the supplies I requested arrive?... Another week? No, that's too slow. Urge them, the troops will be here soon. How can we garrison without supplies?... Yes, urge them, urge them every day until they deliver them."

After hanging up the phone, he flipped to another document, this one about camp allocation. Several military units were coming to Beijing, and it was necessary to arrange in advance which unit would be stationed in which camp, how the housing within the camp would be allocated, which regiment would live in which building, and which company would live on which floor. The troops needed to have a place to stay as soon as they arrived; they couldn't be left standing in the courtyard waiting idly.

He picked up a pencil, wrote a few words on the document, and set it aside.

There was a knock on the office door, and Xiao Sun came in carrying a cup of tea, placing it on the table: "Commander, have some water. You haven't had any all morning."

Liu Yuheng looked up at him, smiled, and said, "You're quite the capable housekeeper." He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and winced, "Too hot!"

Xiao Sun smiled sheepishly: "It was just brewed, please let it cool down before drinking."

Liu Yuheng put down his teacup and continued reading the documents. Xiao Sun quietly slipped out and gently closed the door behind him.