Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Departure and Return

Back in Banzi Village, Lao Dan was once again warmly welcomed by the whole village. Firecrackers blared at the entrance of Banzi Village, and the horns blew through the sky. It was even more lively than when rich families got married.The village cadres attached great importance to welcoming the heroes home this time, and made preparations in advance.Dozens of firecrackers were prepared, and several jars of wind-receiving wine were prepared, and a table wrapped in red cloth was set up, preparing for a moving scene of "heroes return to their hometowns and cadres greet each other with joy".

However, when Lao Dan's terrifying eye patch and fluffy left arm sleeve jumped into the eyes of the villagers, the horn suddenly became dumb, and only the firecrackers were still "cracking" there.The villagers were all dumbfounded and looked at each other in blank dismay.The village cadres were a little overwhelmed, and they forgot all the rhetoric they had prepared long ago.It was Guo Pingyuan who was the first to break the embarrassment, stepped forward and tightly held Lao Dan's one-armed right hand with both hands, and said enthusiastically: "Liberation, you finally made the folks look forward to your return! You are our great hero! Folks, let's welcome our hero with warm applause. The old comrade Liberation has returned in triumph!"

Guo Pingyuan quickly gestured to the "horn team", and the horn sounded lively again.Only then did the villagers rush forward to ask Lao Dan how he was, and they didn't care about the arrangements made by the village cadres.The villagers were amazed by the great changes in Lao Dan. Several close friends couldn't help crying when they saw that the once mighty and strong Lao Dan had become so decayed and old that he couldn't walk straight. I haven't seen him for two years. Guo Pingyuan, secretary of the village branch and head of the village, has gained a lot of weight. Standing at the entrance of the village, he is very bulky.On the top of his originally bald head, hair grew again, densely packed and standing upright, Lao Dan couldn't help touching it with his hands.Guo Pingyuan chuckled and said that it was all thanks to your volunteer army. He drove away the American devils. He didn’t have to watch everyone rushing to make military supplies every day in the village. He slept a lot and ate a lot of meat. The hair grows out, which symbolizes the prosperous future of our Banzi Village!Deputy village chief Xie Guoya was really jealous of Guo Pingyuan's competitive head—it was obvious that he was half a head taller than himself, and the enemy's advantage had to be suppressed, so he said:

"Old Dan, Secretary Guo is thinking of you! People tend to think about people to get thinner and lose hair, but our Secretary Guo is unusual. The more you think about you, the more hair you get, and the faster you gain weight. Lao Dan, if you come back two years later, there will be no room for him at the entrance of the village, and he has to meet you on the main road, and you can see his belly five miles away, maybe you thought it was a stop sign?" At this moment, Guo Pingyuan didn't care about Xie Guoya's bitter ridicule. What he thought of in an instant was that Lao Dan, a disabled hero, might pose a threat to his position when he returned home.It seems that the big cadres in the district and the village can't do it, but it is more than enough to directly replace the village secretary and head of the village.Xie Guoya, Xie Laogui and others are not senior enough to pose a threat, but between themselves and Lao Dan, they would undoubtedly prefer Lao Dan, a member of his family, to be the village party secretary, not to mention Lao Dan is a well-known fighting hero throughout the county. , has prestige in the county... Guo Pingyuan was so upset, the more he thought about it, the more guilty he felt, and he took Xie Guoya's words as a fart.

"Lao Dan, the whole village misses you! You have given us the head of Banzi Village a disgrace. Let's go to the district for a meeting, and the district leaders are asking when our 38th Army hero will return home! Let's give Banzi Village a Doing business, the waist is so hard..." "Lao Dan, are you a general now? It's amazing! What do these military medals mean? Talk to the villagers later?" Before Guo Pingyuan could finish speaking, Xie Laogui, secretary of the village branch, pointed A mouth was inserted in the chest. "Old Gui, you just flattered me. How can I be a general? These are military medals, not official titles. Let me talk to you later!"

"Hey... folks, let Lao Dan go home and rest early. He is not in good health and he has walked such a long way. If you have any questions, we will wait for two days. Our village arrives It's time to hold a hero report meeting, and let Comrade Liberation take a break to tell us about his heroic deeds, everyone, let's go..." Guo Pingyuan played by ear, and he had to think carefully about how to arrange the following things.What's the matter, we have to look at the wind direction first, look at the opinions of the district and the policies implemented by the county for Laodan before it's too late.

The four members of Lao Dan's family sat on the kang and had a reunion dinner around the hot dining table.Tweety found that the man's drinking capacity was not as good as before, his face turned red after only a few glasses of wine, and sweat oozes from his forehead, his right hand holding the chopsticks was also shaking, and it was still difficult to hold the vegetables.Tweety helped him pour wine and vegetables, and wiped the sweat from his forehead, but she didn't dare to show her pity in her heart.Lao Dan saw the eyes of his wife and children, and just smiled lightly. "Tweety, I'm fine. This is a year-old problem. It was much worse last year than it is now. The doctor said that it will become more and more stable in the future."

"Father, tell me about the three institutes. Did you travel eight hundred miles at night and end up in a devil's den?" Yougen finally asked what he was most interested in. "Silly boy, that's a Water Margin drama! Our volunteer army has no cars and no planes, how can we travel 800 miles at night? But we ran 160 miles of mountain roads in one battalion and one night, and got stuck with a large army of devils. It’s true that there’s no way out.” "One hundred and sixty miles? Isn't that about to reach the provincial capital? It's still a mountain road. How did you run? It takes me two days to ride in a carriage!"

"The higher-ups issued a death order, even if we were exhausted, we had to run there. We all gave our lives. However, many soldiers were exhausted to death, and I also vomited blood from exhaustion... Have you seen exhausted people? What? A mouthful of blood spewed out, and he fell to the ground, and he was already dead..." "Shut up, you're really disgusting..." Lao Dan's words made Tweety's face turn pale. "My weak body is actually not caused by the injury in the battle, but tired from the running. The doctor told me that this is called injury. Many soldiers have suffered from this disease. When they move, they feel dizzy and nauseous. Hey ...I will never do heavy work again in my life..."

"What are you thinking about? I won't let you work anymore. From now on, I will serve you and provide for you with the children. Don't even go out this door if there is nothing to do..." Tweety finally couldn't help crying again . "Father, you are all so tired, can you still fight? Can you still stop the devils?" Youpan's eyes were also red. "Boy, you don't understand—I don't really understand. When the soldiers who persisted until the third station stopped, some vomited blood, some rolled their eyes, they were all like dead dogs. But when they heard that the devil was coming, Everyone's eyes were red, and they didn't know whether they were tired or sleepy. An ammunition box weighing 80 kilograms, a small soldier who weighed no more than 100 kilograms, from Jiangxi, carried it up the mountain by himself... It's a pity that he was killed by a bomb It's..."

"Father, your arm..." You Pan touched his father's sleeve and asked softly. "It was on the top of the mountain. Your father and the last six soldiers of the 2nd company were defending the mountain. The enemy's artillery fire was too strong. I was blown from the top of the mountain to the middle of the mountain. When my shoulder was cold, my arm disappeared, and I still had two ribs. Half of the lung lobe has been removed... Don't be sad, I can come back alive, this is already God's love for our family. Only a few dozen people survived the entire reconnaissance camp, and only a dozen with arms and legs. ...Alas...Your Uncle Yang Beiwan, I can't even find a corpse, it's gone, gone..." "It's a pity that Bei Wan is a young man. How many girls in our village miss him! He hasn't even returned home yet, why can't he leave a corpse behind? Really..." Tweety wiped the corner of her eyes and said. "Father, were you scared at the time?" Gen asked with red eyes. Lao Dan looked at the child, and recalled the bloody scene in his mind. How many times he told the story to the soldiers in the rear, his blood boiled with enthusiasm. How could he be afraid?At that time, I only thought of the glory of the 38th Army of the Chinese People's Volunteers.But now, the child's sincere eyes made him hesitate, he gently touched the child's hand and said: "If you say you're not afraid, that's a lie. Dad is not afraid of death. He has seen a lot in the battlefield and died many times. What I am afraid of is that I will never see you again, and I will never go home again!" "It's all right now. The battle is finally over. Chairman Mao bless us. If you can come back, my children and I will be at ease. You should also be at ease and take good care of your body... Really, you are only three years old this year. Sixteen miles away, as old as fifty." "Mom, the war is not over yet. We are still talking with the Americans in Panmunjom. Our troops are still confronting the enemy. There are still local battles on the front line. As long as there is no negotiation in Panmunjom, the war will not end." Gen stared at the military medal in his hand, and said seriously. "That has nothing to do with your father! Why, you can't get along with the Americans, so you have to drag your crippled body to fight? Is there no one in China..." "Yes, mother! Dad is back, I'm going to defend our country!" Yougen stood up abruptly and said, the military medal in his hand fell to the ground, startling Lao Dan and Cui'er, "You Hu Le What? Can't I scare you to death? Your father is already like this, and you are still scrambling to die on the battlefield? Are you tired of living?" Before Lao Dan could speak, You Gen replied stiffly: "Mother, it is an honor to defend the country and protect the country. You have seen my father's glorious appearance when he came back. Father used to help the Kuomintang to fight wars like this. I also feel sorry for my father's appearance, but I feel even more proud. My father is a hero who defended the new China and a hero of the 38th Army of the Chinese People's Volunteers. Youpan and I felt that we were underfoot when we walked in the county. Actually Ah mother, my family can live a peaceful life, and Youpan and I can go to school in the county, relying on our father and thousands of people like my father to defend the country there, this is all given to us by Chairman Mao of the Communist Party Created. The country spent countless money and sacrificed countless people just to keep the US imperialism out of the country. We can’t say that it has nothing to do with us! Although China and the Yankees have been negotiating for so long , but the battle over there is still going on. We have all grown up, and we have the obligation to take over from my father and defend our home and country for my father, which is also taught in our school!" Lao Dan was eager to say something, but was choked back by the plausible words of the eldest son.He looked at Yougen silently, and finally realized that he was already a sixteen-year-old junior. He was already thinking about his future and judging the affairs of this country by himself.What the son said was almost the same as what he heard in the army, and he even said it at the mobilization meeting, which is true.However, once this principle was put on his son, he was still reluctant. The cruelty and unpredictability of the battlefield made him never think about letting his son join the army.But when the sons grow up, they already have their own ideas. He is their role model and the heroic father they are proud of, so they will naturally yearn for the army.Lao Dan drank a glass of wine helplessly, and said slowly: "There are roots, Dad knows what you mean. Dad is still happy that you can think like this. It means that you have grown up. But the Korean War is different from what you think and hear. You have roots. That's right, this battle is still being fought every day, and Panmunjom cannot reach an agreement for a day, and this battle will continue, and some battles are still fought very cruelly, like Shangganling... Alas, it is even more cruel than ours in the third institute. On the top of the mountain, it is a common phenomenon to die with the enemy. "The Volunteer Army needs to replenish new troops, but the defense work has been completed this year, and the 38th Army has been withdrawn to rest. And as far as I know, there is no conscription policy here, and the follow-up source of troops has been resolved in the Southwest Military Region. In the three On the Eighth Front, we already have more than one million troops guarding there. Son, you don’t have to go to the battlefield to contribute to Chairman Mao and New China. You have already gone to school and are cultural people. You should think about it. The things of cultural people. "Your father has fought a war all his life, and it's not something he wanted to do—your mother knows that he was arrested by the Kuomintang when he fought devils. After all, he was also defending his family and the country, but he just didn't want to. No one in the peasantry wants to fight. , but this fight lasted for eight years, and then the civil war lasted for another four years. I was born and died for more than ten years. I was worried, and I was willing to fight for the new China. Hidden and tucked away, there are heroes everywhere, your father, a second-level hero, is nothing... "Your father has no education at all. Apart from farming, he only knows how to fight. Now that he is disabled, he can no longer fight wars, and he can't even do physical work... It is not rare for father to fight wars. He became an official and made a fortune. In the past, he had to do so. It's for you now, so that you don't suffer from what my mother and I have suffered... Now that my father has finally completed his task, the party and the people have affirmed what your father did, and now I have watched you grow up, Although North Korea is tense, it’s not like it was last year. The Americans are also tired from fighting... I know that you are eager to serve the country, but Chairman Mao and the Volunteer Army did not recruit troops here, which means that the country does not need you to go there. You He Youpan should study hard and think about the future..." "Father, I'm not good at studying. You Pan'er always makes fun of me for being stupid, and my teachers say I'm not enlightened. I still want to join the army. Even if I don't want to fight, it's good to guard the frontier." "You son of a bitch, why can't you understand your father's words? The Volunteer Army doesn't need you now, let's talk about it when they need you." Tweety thumped Yougen heavily and said. "Anyway, I want to join the army. Studying is meaningless. Youpan'er is good at studying. He is a man of culture. I like to join the army. I want to join the army even if I don't fight..." Having said that, Lao Dan and Tweety are a little angry with this stubborn boy, but they know in their hearts that joining the army is still the most glorious thing in this era. If parents openly stop their son from joining the army, their reputation will be bad. It sounds good, there are counter-revolutionaries in other villages because of this matter.The two stopped talking for a while.Looking forward to seeing a little stiff, he spoke. "Father, mother, I actually think it's good for my brother to join the army. He failed in school, but I think he is a natural candidate for the army. He is the best in physical education in my class and the fastest in long-distance running. That's not right. Does he meet the conditions for serving as a soldier? According to what my father said, he may not necessarily go to war after becoming a soldier, maybe he will be stationed in the rear to prepare hundreds of thousands of people? After my brother passes by, the war may be over. So I Tell me, let my elder brother join the army, that is his future! We are both civil and military, isn’t our family well-equipped with both civil and military? What are you worried about?” The hopeful words surprised Lao Dan. When did the second son become so smart?To have such a clear judgment ability is really not what it used to be. I think I didn't have this brain when I was fifteen or six years old.But no matter how reasonable the words of hope are, he can’t just agree to Yougen to join the army. He can’t even accept this child leaving him. , his arms and legs are much stronger than he was back then, but even so, he is still a child at heart, so he has to wait any longer. "Well, there is some truth to Youpan's words. You have roots. Dad said before that if you want to join the army, I won't stop you, but you have to follow my arrangement. Will you go to North Korea after I arrange it for you? On the battlefield, your father had many comrades-in-arms and chiefs. I will arrange a place for you to get ahead. Dad just came back and he is not in good health. Don’t rush to join the army and fight. Take care of the caregiver first, and wait for your father to recover. Be tougher, dad will take you to the army, okay?" Yougen's mouth had already turned into a rice shovel, but after hearing what his father said, his lips finally retracted, and he happily went to add firewood under the kang stove.Tweety touched a gap on the edge of the kang helplessly, and murmured: "The old one is looking forward to coming back with great difficulty, but he is still ruining his body. If the young one catches up again, he will not be able to live in peace. I owe it to you." In which life, worrying about debts..." Under the dim oil lamp, Lao Dan saw that several strings of tears had flowed down the woman's face like beads. Contrary to everyone's expectations, Xie Yougen did not wait for his father's arrangement to join the army.A few months later, Youpan ran back from school and said that his brother was going to join the Volunteer Army, and a recruiting team from the army happened to pass by the county town, and it seemed that they were also temporarily recruiting soldiers in the county and school, and they had nothing to do with it. The school said hello, and only told me to go to the army to have a look, so I went there, and there was no news. Hearing the news, Tweety, who was doing needlework, was so surprised that her finger was pricked by a needle, and Lao Dan was so angry that she knocked her job to the ground. "Do you know what kind of army it is? What's the serial number? Very few troops recruit directly from the local area. This work is done by the local military district." "Father, how do I know? Aren't you in a hurry to ask you?" "Enter the city! Don't you always feel that you have enough brains? You know that your brother is going to join the army, so you don't look at him! I haven't arranged a place for him yet. What if he goes to the front line? Do you think the front line Are you really not going to fight anymore?" Lao Dan put on his padded jacket and shouted to Youpan angrily, he couldn't stand such strong anger, his face turned red from holding back, and his eyes turned black. When he arrived in the county, Lao Dan learned something about it. This was a small-scale conscription by the military region, and it was prepared as a reserve source of troops for the Volunteers stationed in North Korea. The county had done close cooperation.The county magistrate Chu went to the provincial capital for a meeting. The people in the office only knew that these recruits had already reported to the Zhengzhou area. It was not certain which unit they would be assigned to. I was busy cleaning up counter-revolutionaries and reporting work to the province, so this time the conscription work was short and the task was urgent, but the effect was good. The task of enlisting soldiers was completed within a week, and the people from the conscription office of the military region had already gone to Zhengzhou.Lao Dan became even angrier when he heard this, isn't this the KMT Latino?There was no way to get angry, and I had no acquaintances in Zhengzhou, so I stomped my feet and counted the entanglements in my waist, and asked Youpan to take him to the 38th Army's station around the clock. Seeing Lao Dan's demobilization certificate, the sentinel jumped down from the high platform in shock, put his gun aside, and tightly held Lao Dan's right hand, too excited to speak.Lao Dan looked at this little sentinel who was about the same size as Yougen, and smiled wryly in his heart, which younger generation would not regard himself as a hero?The child in front of him must have the same thought in his heart, always ready to go to the front line to kill the enemy and make meritorious deeds, to shed blood on the battlefield for the new China, how could he be able to pull him back as a father?What's more, I am the role model for my children, how can I persuade them? The person who received Lao Dan was a regiment-level staff officer, surnamed Zong Mingliang, with a thick back but a thin skin and tender flesh. He looked like Li Kui, a black whirlwind who had been doing needlework for eight years. He was probably a newcomer. Most of the commanders and fighters of the 38th Army are still resting and stationing in the Northeast and Suchuan, North Korea. Only civilians and logistics and political workers are left in the rear base. The main job is to recruit recruits.Lao Dan saw a carload of young men in new military uniforms being pulled towards the military training ground, with red flags waving on both sides of the road, and slogans "Long live the 38th Army!" plastered on the walls, which made him feel warm again.The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead, and young people grow up.When Staff Officer Zong understood Lao Dan's anxiety, he frowned slightly, and said after a little thought: "This matter is easy to handle. Your son's going to join the army seems to be a foregone conclusion. You won't go to Zhengzhou to drag him back, right? I can understand your feelings. Isn't it just that you are worried that your son has no good place to go? How about it, I estimate that part of this conscription will definitely be added to our 38th Army. There is an order from the Northeast that the 38th Army’s reserve troops need to enter the DPRK to participate in the battle. The source of troops is needed. They must also have this consideration in their assembly in Zhengzhou. I called In the political department of the military region over there in Zhengzhou, there is an old comrade of our 38th Army, tell him, dial your son to the number of our 38th Army, and take care of it under your old comrades-in-arms, won’t that be all right?” "Well... it's a little bit better, the 38th Army is going to enter the DPRK again? Isn't our army going to fight in rounds?" "This? I just came here not long ago, and I don't know the situation here... But, your child joined the army, didn't he say hello to you?" "You bastard, no!" Lao Dan said harshly. "Comrade Jiefang, I think you are too excited? Your child joined the army because he wanted to learn from you. Isn't that an honor? Besides, there are no large-scale battles in North Korea. Our 38th Army has fought over the Han River since then. You won’t have to fight such tough battles anymore. Your child is going to go up to exercise, so what are you worried about? Well, don’t you have many good comrades in the division and regiment headquarters? You pick someone in charge , Write him a letter, I will help you pull your son over as soon as possible, and then let them take care of it, find a unit that can exercise smoothly, and take care of it more usually, won’t it be enough?” Lao Dan's face turned red.This guy came up and revealed his own thoughts - you almost said that you don't want your son to defend the family and the country!Lao Dan gradually calmed down, and felt that his attitude towards Officer Zong just now was a bit rash, and that he was really thinking of his son!It's really enough to save face.But in any case, the son can't come back, otherwise he would be hindering the country's conscription.He couldn't help but sighed quietly.Facing this staff officer who had only met for an hour, he could not express his true state of mind. The suggestion offered by the other party was also a perfect solution that he had thought about countless times on the road. It was an irreversible fact that his son went to North Korea. "Officer Zong, I'll trouble you, do me this favor, get my son...his name is Xie Yougen... let them drag him into our army. In our army, I don't really have any opinion on which part it is. If I get to Division C, I'll ask the old chiefs to help me, exercise him more often, and make him improve quickly, don't you think so?" "It's simple. You write the letter first, and they will assign it in a few days. I will help you check it out, and I will send the letter for you after the check. It is estimated that it will not be difficult to adjust a recruit. Well...in half a day Yue, there should be a letter, and then you come again, and I will report to you?" "Oh, what did Director Zong say, why did you report? It's too late for me to thank you!" "Comrade Lao Dan, don't be too polite. To be honest, with your reputation in our army, I don't need to do it for you. That's because the chiefs are all in the Northeast, so it's inconvenient for you to get in touch. Otherwise, it's my turn to make a fuss. What about the matter? I can help you if you can afford it!" Lao Dan felt a little relieved, what Director Zong said seemed to make sense. Although North Korea was still a battlefield, it was not as tense and cruel as the previous year after all. Negotiations were already underway, and maybe they would be concluded someday?Once the talks are settled, the war can be ceased.The most important thing is that Yougen will not join other troops in a muddle-headed way. He is most likely still in the 38th Army where he fought. There are a lot of his comrades and leaders in it. It will save some face.But he was a little reluctant to let You Gen enter a main division like Master C, which would mean danger, so he regretted mentioning Master C before Zonggan, but he was embarrassed to change his words at this time. Lao Dan naturally couldn't avoid a speech at the 38th Army's garrison.The cadres who are doing mobilization work in the rear will not let go of this living example who hit the door. They eat, drink, and persuade, so they let Lao Dan give two reports, one to report on the glory of several victories, and one to report on three times. The combat experience here and the reason for the long live of the 38th Army.He hadn't said it for half a year, and his mouth was a little smacked, but where did the recruits who joined the army in the audience hear this?Already moved to tears. It was half a month later when I returned to Banzi Village.Tweety wandered around the entrance of the village every day in a hurry, and the folks in the village noticed it.A long-talked person ran to tell Guo Pingyuan, Guo Pingyuan thought it was not good, Lao Dan didn't say hello to himself, and went to inquire about the whereabouts of the child by himself, which was clearly not caring for him!For such an urgent matter, at least the village committee can send him a carriage?Because this old woman is disabled, the deputy head of the district cannot take up the post.But in a small place like Banzi Village, there is no requirement for the image, temperament and physical health of the village cadres, what is needed is the approval of the villagers.The district leader whom I had hoped to curry favor with suddenly became the most direct threat to his village party secretary, Guo Pingyuan.In terms of seniority and revolutionary achievements, Lao Dan was superior to himself. The villagers all regarded him as a hero who was disarmed and returned to the fields. He still had someone to take care of him in the county.But he is also a person who understands strategy very well. Compete, cooperate, and cooperate if you can't compete. This has been the principle since ancient times.He has made up his mind that he must establish a good relationship with this old Dan who will surely sit at the top of the village committee in the future, so as to secure the position of number two. Although the loudspeakers at the entrance of the village broadcast good news from the battlefield every day, Lao Dan was still uneasy.When recuperating in North Korea and Northeast China, all he heard was good news.The volunteer army attacked every day, beating the devils to retreat and occupy Seoul, the capital of South Korea. "From north to south, one push is over!" Many soldiers recovering from injuries in the hospital described the Korean War in this way.The situation was indeed better after a few months. For a while, the leaders of the volunteer army at the front all went back to the northeast to watch the theater.Lao Dan was already in the rear at that time, and saw with his own eyes that Mr. Jiang Haichao and political commissar Guan Jingshan swam across the Datong River with him, as well as many heads of Division C.He even saw Fan Daen, the chief of the combat department of the 38th Army. Such an important chief ran back to the northeast, but his hands were severely frostbitten when they met. He said that there were no enemy planes on the way back, so he slept in the jeep He caught himself, and was severely injured by the cold.Many heads of the 38th Army have returned to the rear to learn multi-arms joint operations, and the instructors of the Soviet Union's Big Brother will teach everyone a lesson.But before the class started, everyone only watched a Peking Opera, and news came from the front that the United Nations Army counterattacked!So everyone hurried back to the front line again, and as expected, the battle was lost. In the days after Yougen left, Lao Dan could only speculate on the situation in North Korea based on his own experience, and the ore radio that Youpan tinkered with helped Lao Dan a lot.In the good news announced by the Central People's Broadcasting Station every day, the volunteers retreated, retreated all the way to the 37th parallel, and then fought back.After that, there will be no more "one push and it's over" sound.The American radio said that the Volunteers were repelled. In order to cover other troops retreating across the river, the 38th Army of the Chinese Army fought a bloody battle on the south bank of the Han River, and was almost wiped out under the fierce attack of the United Nations.When Lao Dan heard the news, his heart was wrenched, but he secretly rejoiced that he was able to escape this disaster.The Americans said that in one battle, the 180th Division of the Chinese Army was wiped out, and the Chinese Communist Army retreated across the board.Although there is bad news, he already knows that the Volunteer Army has solved the most troublesome problem-rear transportation, and the rear materials can already be transported to the front in large quantities.The artillery of the Volunteer Army has never been as strong as it is now: during the first year of the war, due to the strangulation of the enemy's air power, only one of the ten cannons can be transported to the front line, and a division sometimes has only a dozen artillery support. A company has dozens of guns as support, which is a world of difference.Now even if it is temporarily repelled by the enemy, it will not collapse across the board.As for the complete annihilation of the 180th Division, he would never believe it, how could such a thing happen-although he believed it ten years later. Now the two sides have formed a confrontation situation of hundreds of kilometers.Although fierce battles continued on a small scale, there were no large-scale corps of hundreds of thousands of people fighting.The United Nations army was helpless against the in-depth defense of more than a dozen Chinese and North Korean troops. I have never heard of any major battles they launched.The combat casualties ratio between the Volunteer Army and the United Nations Army is becoming more and more balanced. In many battles, the ratio of casualties between our army and the enemy army has even appeared to be one to five. This is incredible!Lao Dan listened to the radio with his eyes shining, and was so happy that he went to Erzi for a few drinks. He thought that Yougen would never experience the kind of cruel battle he had experienced. After You Gen left, Tweety complained about the man from time to time, worried about the safety of the eldest son, and even became a little nervous.Most of the old dans kept silent, or coaxed them.Really disturbed by her, I go to Erzi or Turtle Monster for a few drinks, but I can't hold back the amount once I drink it, so Tweety starts to worry about his health, and usually ends up being blocked by Tweety at the wine table Go home. Lao Dan thought about it again and again, and he didn't go to the army to find Zong Zong, nor did he try to find the old leaders of Division C.When his son didn't leave, he felt really sad and tried his best to keep his son, and if he couldn't, he had to find a stable army for him.But now that his son left, he suddenly felt ashamed of his worries. He was already a member of the Communist Party, so couldn't he get rid of this?If comrades-in-arms and leaders know about it, wouldn't they make a joke or even despise themselves?The ideological struggle in his mind went on for several months, and he finally gave up the idea of ​​going to the army to ask again. In a blink of an eye, it was winter again, and it was time for the re-election of the village committee.With the appointment of the district party committee and the support of the villagers, Lao Dan became the well-received secretary and head of the village branch.Xie Laogui and Xie Guoya mobilized all their forces to win votes in the party committee and propose a proposal in the youth league committee, so that all members of the village committee almost unanimously passed the proposal of Lao Dan as the village branch secretary and village head.Guo Pingyuan also tactfully abdicated on his own initiative, and Lao Dan felt very sorry for this.The change of the village committee was not as dramatic as Xie Guoya imagined, nor did it attract the attention of the district.Guo Pingyuan fired a soft cannon, but Xie Guoya, who was about to move, had nowhere to vent his anger. The victor's posture was lacking, and he was still at the same position and at the same table. A lot of white hair.Although there was an extra seat for the director of the Women's Rescue Association, it was also Xie Laogui's wife who occupied this seat. In this unprecedented village cadre election, all the villagers in Banzi Village, including women, as long as they were listed as voters in the village election team, raised their callused hands. A village cadre discussed the current situation of the production mutual aid group, explored some ways to continue to expand the development mutual aid and cooperation, and took office with confidence. When the winter grain delivery work in Banzi Village started to work again, Lao Dan finally received a letter from his son.He was in the village office that day. When he saw the letter, he quickly put down the freshly brewed tea and almost dropped the enamel mug.He limped home with the letter, and the chickens, ducks, pigs and dogs along the way seemed to be smiling at him, and he himself was smiling from ear to ear.As soon as he slammed into the door, he shouted the woman's name and waved the letter in his hand panting.The woman simply threw the half-feathered hen on the ground, washed her hands indiscriminately, and got on the kang covered with chicken feathers, tiptoeing through her son's letter.With trembling hands, she carefully tore open the envelope, and carefully laid out eight pieces of letter paper on the table.Lao Dan hurried over, eagerly trying to read with the literacy and hyphenation skills he had learned in Northeast China. It took Lao Dan a lot of effort to read his son's letter, not because his son wrote it scribbled, but because his own cultural level was really poor, and many words and phrases were read out of guesswork.He couldn't help but be proud of his son's high level of education.Lao Dan was relieved by You Gen's letter, and his heart that had been hanging for half a year fell into his stomach.With the invincible combat effectiveness of the 38th Army and the firepower equipment that is not what it used to be, isn't killing a few South Korean divisions like killing a little hen?Although Yougen was on the front line, the situation was not at all dangerous compared to Sansuoli and the Han River.This kid dominates the school, he is quite clever, and the company takes care of him - who gave him a heroic father of the 38th Army?So this battle shouldn't be too thrilling.Yougen is right, cultural teachers are treasures in every company, and soldiers can't wait to wear them on their belts.Their status is very prominent, and they are required to participate in various combat meetings and order transmissions.He can be a cultural teacher with a rooted level of education, which really makes him ashamed of his old man, who is more difficult to read than to fight. "I wrote so much when I was rooted? Why did it disappear? Only one letter in half a year?" "What do you know? There are disciplines in writing letters on the front line. How can you write letters in the trenches every day? One million volunteers write letters every day, so our logistics support department should stop transporting food, grass and ammunition. All the letters are busy." It’s not over...I have to remind him not to say anything about the army in the letter, he will make a mistake, you silly boy!" That night, Lao Dan and Tweety were thinking under the sesame oil lamp that it was half a month before Yougen wrote this letter, and his son might have participated in the battle he mentioned.Lao Dan knew that when the Volunteer Army launched an offensive on the Korean battlefield, it would never enter the attacking position half a month in advance. The enemy's aerial reconnaissance was very powerful, and if it was not well concealed, it would be covered by devastating bombing and artillery fire.It can be seen from Yougen's letter that their troops have entered the period of general mobilization before the war, and have also entered the starting position, and the battle should have started. After thinking about it for a long time, neither Lao Dan nor the woman felt sleepy.Shunfeng Er Guo Pingyuan learned of the arrival of the postman, guessing that it must belong to Lao Dan's family, so he came to visit with a wine bottle in the middle of the night.Lao Dan was amused when he saw it, but he couldn't sleep anyway, and he was on his kang again, and women didn't care about drinking.During the dinner, Lao Dan showed Yougen's letter to Guo Pingyuan, and Guo Pingyuan praised him, saying that your son has stood up and will make contributions to the country!What's wrong, the army still doesn't issue cotton-padded clothes?Maybe the cotton padded clothes made in our village will be worn by them!Our volunteer army is so powerful now, but we are afraid that the US imperialism will fail. Your family will have two heroes in the future!There are already two signs on the eaves of your house, do you want to hang a few more?What can I do then? However, more than a month passed, and there was no news of the frontline victory on the radio, nor did it mention the battle.Could it be that the battle didn't start?Lao Dan was at a loss and wanted to play with the hopeful ore radio, but suffered from the fact that his son could not return home after preparing for the exam in the county, and the pile of parts was not something he could handle.The loudspeakers at the entrance of the village only repeatedly broadcast the news of the front-line negotiations every day, and the large-scale battles are almost rarely mentioned.The ears of the villagers have heard the cocoon, how can the negotiation take so long?The negotiations between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party lasted only a few months. What do the Americans mean?From the central radio station, Lao Dan has no way of judging the current situation of the war.Sporadic battles are still going on, and the good news of my volunteer army is still being reported frequently, but there is still no place that my son mentioned.Every good news made him shudder, his heart seemed to be caught by a rope, and there was a dull pain there, and what he didn't expect was that this pain would be the rest of his life... The work in the village committee made Lao Dan start to re-understand the new life in the countryside under the leadership of the Communist Party.Compared with when he left, Banzi Village has undergone earth-shaking changes.The farmers in Banzi Village thanked the Communist Party and Chairman Mao from the bottom of their hearts, and thanked the Communist Party for making them no longer have to worry about the gain or loss of land for the first time.The few well-to-do households in the village have been remodeled, and they have happily accepted the new land policy.Banzi Village’s larger land boundary has not been a rich land since ancient times. Except for a few prominent bandits and the family of Xie Dalu’s family, there have never been any wealthy families, and there have been no local tyrants and evil gentry during the land reform. ——The working group stationed there found that it was not necessary at all.The relationship between these rich peasants and the villagers is very good. They also work in the fields, wear rags, and eat flour once every two weeks.According to the words of the second son and his father, the land of the rich peasants was earned through hard work in the past. The Communist Party came decades earlier, so this hardship is no longer necessary. In the autumn of 1952, Banzi Village was about to usher in a rare bumper harvest.According to Xie Er, the oldest blind man in the village, he has never had such a good harvest in his memory.Mr. Yuan Bai rummaged through the boxes and took out a few tattered county chronicles, which recorded the harvest records of Banzi Village in the short hundred years of history. Especially at the end of the Republic of China.In the eyes of the villagers, this bumper harvest came inexplicably.The heavy snow in the winter of the previous year did not bring a bumper harvest last year, it was only a moderate one, but last winter's snowfall and temperature moisture were not the peak year, and it could even be regarded as a winter drought.Since the villages are busy with the organization of mutual aid and cooperation working groups, and the entire region has not carried out large-scale fertilizer storage and cold protection and moisture protection, there is no harbinger or reason for this bumper harvest. The establishment of a new China must also make them happy.Since this year's harvest was not blessed by God, the villagers naturally thought of human reasons: this is the blessing brought to us by the great leader Chairman Mao! For the position of the village party secretary, Lao Dan was originally heartbroken. This harvest year was too timely, which relieved him of many worries.The brows of the villagers are stretched, and it is easy for the village committee to carry out various tasks.The work of the cooperation group was finally completed in the middle of the year, and the cooperation in Banzi Village became a model in the county. Lao Dan was publicly praised at the county party committee work meeting, and it became a good story in Banzi Village.The county magistrate, Chu Jian, has now been promoted to the secretary of the county party committee. Lao Dan remembers how Secretary Chu took care of himself and his family back then. Every time he goes to the county, he visits him. Sometimes he talks about work, and sometimes he talks about his combat experience.Chu Jian had a good impression of this simple and honest man who lived half his life as a soldier. After a long time with him, the two had become inseparable. Chu Jian taught Lao Dan a lot of experience in Party member work and village committee management, and Lao Dan described the situation to him again and again. The glorious battle that made the 38th Army famous in one fell swoop, every time Chu Jian was dazzled. When heavy snow covers the earth again, it will be the Chinese New Year.Lao Dan's family of three ate the New Year's Eve dinner and chatted cheerfully.Youpan started to become short-sighted due to too many night battles with lights on, and he always squinted his eyes when he spoke, appearing polite, and he also spoke with a certain tone: "Father, have you read the People's Daily's New Year's Day editorial? That "Great Mission to Meet 1953"?" "I didn't read it. There are newspapers. I struggled to read them, so I didn't read them." "Father, you need to read the newspaper in the future. It is the main channel for the country to issue government orders. You have to grasp the country's policies from above." "Isn't listening to the radio the same?" "It's still not the same. Listening to the radio is easy to go in one ear and out the other. It's often incomplete on the radio, but it's written in newspapers. And you have to read this kind of article several times to understand it. You don't necessarily understand it after listening to it once. Dad, you When engaging in the work of the village committee, we must pay attention to ideological progress!" "Stinky boy, does this mean you despise your father? I don't think your thinking has improved much, and you pretend to be a scholar by wearing glasses? Come and show off to your father?" "Father, you're wrong again! I'm about to take the teacher college entrance examination. I must strengthen my political studies and understand the country's situation. The editorial said that the central government has formulated the first five-year plan for national economic construction, and the country will carry out large-scale China’s industrial agriculture and science and technology have been built, and cultural and educational undertakings must adapt to this process—the most important thing is that the country will issue a constitution this year!” "What is the 'county' law? Does the country have to set a king's law for each county?" "Father, you won't believe me when I say you are backward. The constitution is the fundamental law of our country, and it is used to run the country's major political programs, not the law of the county!" "Don't keep 'me' and 'my' in front of me, it sounds awkward, what do you want that way? Let the Communist Party and Chairman Mao talk it over? Why bother?" "Father, I really can't do anything about you! You are not as good as my Uncle Chu Jian. He also came from a war background, and his education level is not much better than yours, but he is studious and able to improve, so Uncle Chu became the secretary of the county party committee. People speak at the conference, these things are clear! I won’t talk to you about this, you can talk to him more when you have time. Dad, I watched a movie in the county last month called "Southern Expedition North "War", it is about our People's Liberation Army moving to the Central Plains in 1947, do you know?" "I don't know, I was still on the side of the blue sky at that time!" "Oh, the movie said that the People's Liberation Army couldn't beat the Kuomintang troops at that time, and they couldn't beat the Kuomintang troops head-on, so they went around and looked for opportunities to annihilate the Kuomintang troops. After watching this movie, I understand why the Kuomintang can't beat the Communist Party?" "Understood? Why do you say?" "One is that our Communist Party's Liberation Army will use tactics to avoid weaknesses in the face of the Kuomintang's aircraft and cannons; one is that it has a fearless spirit of revolutionary sacrifice in battle, and has the courage to dedicate itself to the cause of revolution; three is that our Communist Party's army has a mass base." Hearing Youpan's words, Lao Dan suddenly thought of his eight years of experience in the War of Resistance.Then why is it not the Southern Expedition and the Northern War?Isn't that a fearless spirit of sacrifice?But when he thought of the Huaihai Campaign, he shook his head again.Youpan thought he held a negative attitude, so he chased after him and said: "Father, don't shake your head. You see, when our Chinese People's Volunteers went to North Korea to fight, they were able to bring back the armed U.S. imperialists and troops from more than a dozen countries to the south of the 38th parallel. Back then, you had millions of Kuomintang troops with tens of thousands of troops. Ten thousand Japanese devils can't stop it? That little Japan is defeated by the Americans! Doesn't this mean that when you resisted the Japanese, you lacked the dedication of the Communist Party? Not to mention that you used American style during the War of Liberation. Weapons, but even the People's Liberation Army of 'millet plus rifles' can't fight!" "You fart!" Lao Dan suddenly felt a nameless anger, and put the wine glass in his hand on the table, struggling to stand up. "You know what a fart! You taught me a lesson when you just went to primary school? Do you know how many people died in the war against Japan? Do you think that we were fighting against Japan with airplanes, cannons, tanks and vehicles? That was later. At that time, our weapons and equipment were not as good as the militia company in our village! I was on the bank of the Yellow River, in Wuhan, in Changsha, and in Changde. Almost all my comrades around me died in battle! Many of them died with the Japanese devils, you know? ? Without them, we can have what we are today, maybe we still hang plaster flags in China now?" "Father, I don't believe what you said! I only know that Chiang Kai-shek didn't go to fight the Japanese in the early days of the War of Resistance, but went to the Soviet area to suppress the Communists. Incident, killed our New Fourth Army soldiers, how can such a government lead the people to victory in the War of Resistance? But in order to resist Japan, our Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao crossed the Yellow River at the most critical time and took the initiative to fight the Japanese army. Do you know? It is our Communist Party The 115th Division's first victory against the Japanese was at Pingxingguan. No matter how the devils attacked, they couldn't take down northern Shaanxi. But what about your defense area at that time? The Japanese launched a battle on the eve of their surrender, and they beat you to pieces. Isn't it true?" "It's against you. I haven't heard of Pingxingguan. How many devils have you killed?..." "More than a thousand!" "Joke, my army killed tens of thousands of devils in Changde alone. I'm afraid hundreds of them died under your father's sword and gun. What kind of victory is annihilating a thousand people? When I was fighting against Japan, which one of us Isn’t every battle full of tens of thousands of devils? The Battle of Wuhan, the Battle of Changsha, the Battle of Changde, and even a small Baishigouzi, are full of corpses, do you know that?” Lao Dan was so angry that his hands and feet trembled at his son's plausible rebuttal, he stood up and grabbed him with his hands while roaring, but Tweet hurriedly stopped him, and shouted at Youpan: "Oh, why are you so anxious! Do you get angry if you want to say a few words to you? You son of a bitch, why are you angry at your father during the Chinese New Year? Why are you talking about the past? Why don't you hurry up and shut me up?" mouth!" "Father, don't be angry. I learned this from history class. Back then, the Kuomintang troops did retreat again and again. Facing the Japanese attack, they couldn't win a single battle. The first victory was our Master Lin Biao's. The battle of Pingxingguan created a small number of enemies, but it is of great significance. It inspired the confidence of the people of the whole country to defeat the devils! This is what the teacher said in class, so is there anything wrong?" Lao Dan suppressed the anger in his heart. What his son said stabbed him heavily, to the most vulnerable part of his heart. He suddenly held his breath in his left lung, as if several steel needles were piercing his heart. It made him curl up in pain.His hands twitched because of the sudden pain, and his trembling hands were covered with spilled wine. He didn't know whether it was because of pain or sadness, and tears filled his eyes. "Get out..." Lao Dan slammed the wine glass on the ground. One afternoon in midsummer, the sonorous soprano on the radio shouted: Korea has ceased war! Hearing this news in broad daylight, Lao Dan actually thought he was dreaming!Just stop?Not heading south?My son is coming back?Why didn't he write to tell himself that? Lao Dan calculated with his fingers, the two sides signed an armistice agreement, and the troops stationed on the defense line are usually second-echelon troops. After a month or so, he should be back.Cui'er asked when his son would come back, but Lao Dan didn't dare to talk nonsense, saying that he should go to the county to ask. In Chu Jian's office, Lao Dan dialed the number of the 38th Army's garrison. Different, Director Zong's voice on the phone was a bit indifferent, as if he had changed into a different person: "Is he in the B division? We haven't received the notice of the troops coming back... Well, how should I put it? You better stop asking, right? The troops of the 38th Army entering the DPRK for the second time, especially the A and B divisions , the casualties were very heavy. We have received an order to concentrate all our energy on the policy implementation of martyrs and disabled officers and soldiers. If you are in a hurry to ask at this time, I can’t go to him specifically for you. Wait a while, if he If you come back safely, I will naturally send you a letter... If you don't come back, the army will also send you a letter." "Then, Officer Zong? In which battle did our troops suffer such a large loss? When?" Lao Dan asked cautiously while pressing his beating heart. "This is a military secret. You can't say it. Do you understand the discipline of the army?" "Is it Mount Paektu?" Lao Dan eagerly asked the question he was most worried about. "What's wrong with you?... You better stop asking..." Officer Zong hung up the phone. Lao Dan held the phone in a daze for five minutes before slowly putting it down, a thin layer of sweat oozed from his forehead.Seeing his pale face, Chu Jian comforted him: "Liberation, we are all old revolutionaries. What's wrong with you, you still have such a heavy heart? You don't look like a person who has experienced many battles. Look at your heart. You are as clever as that kid, and you will be fine... Besides If something happens, even if you sacrifice yourself, you must have the courage of an old revolutionary, and you can't cry and wipe away your tears!" Lao Dan wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand, swallowed a mouthful of bitter brick tea, sighed and said: "You are still young, and you will encounter such a big battle and such a powerful enemy as soon as you go to the battlefield, alas...how can you not worry? My son wrote that they are going to attack Paektu Mountain, but our radio station didn't mention it. I just asked Director Zong, and he hung up the phone. According to him, the division B with Yougen suffered heavy casualties. I’m afraid it’s the battle that Yougen mentioned! , I thought nothing would go wrong... I'm not afraid of his sacrifice, it's a possibility when I go to the battlefield, alas... I know how they missed me back then, so worried..." "Liberation, to be honest, you can't keep thinking like this, and stop focusing on your sons. The sons are all grown up and have their own ideas. If your parents were alive back then, they would let you Going to fight in the army? You have done your best with your sons, and it will be up to them later. And you have to pay attention to the current situation. You are a party member, so you must take the lead and let the people in the village and your Comrades know that you don’t want your son to defend the country? You still transfer your son around, fearing that if he makes a mistake, someone will question your party spirit. Liberation, you are different from me. You are a party member who became a monk halfway through. Keep this in mind, although you have achieved fame, but your background is not solid, do you understand what I mean?" "I don't like to hear your words! What's wrong? I fought like this for the new China. My party members and combat heroes were fought with real swords and guns. What happened to my background? I fought the People's Liberation Army back then, but I How do you know what the People's Liberation Army is? I thought it was bandits. When I was fighting devils, even the Communist Party didn't know anything about balls. Is it bandits or regular army? Is it riding a donkey or a horse? I don't know. What do I have? Wrong? And I have been beating the devils for eight years and no one has asked me? How much blood did I bleed when I beating the devils? Who is the account for? New China or Taiwan? My family has hope a few days ago You also run on me like this, these days I feel panicked in my heart!" Chu Jian broke into a cold sweat from Lao Dan's thoughtless complaints, hurriedly went to cover the door, and said to Lao Dan in a low voice: "Are you crazy? What are you yelling in broad daylight? Why can't you listen to what I say? You are still a party member. I don't think you are worthy of joining the party or being the village secretary. There is something wrong with your thinking! What's the matter? You fight the People's Liberation Army in a daze, are you reasonable? How many people who used to be in the Kuomintang army revolted, why didn't you think about it back then? You said you were not smart enough to make you fight with me? You are on the battlefield Those who were captured by the People’s Liberation Army didn’t take the initiative to revolt! Do you understand the difference? If you get credit for beating devils, you have to settle accounts with the party and the country? I also beat devils in Funiu Mountain for six years, and I also With scars all over your body, did I ask anyone for credit? You defended your home and country and became disabled on the battlefield. As a member of the Communist Party, this is what you should do. Why don’t you even have this awareness? How strange? Who approved you? Joined the party? He also said that your son ran against you. I think your family has a higher level of ideological consciousness than you! If you dare to say such nonsense in the county committee, you may be regarded as a target of the suppression of counter-revolutionaries tomorrow! And I'll be the first to let you go! You idiot!" Lao Dan was silent, and Chu Jian's words made him unable to refute. He wondered if he was really outdated as his son said. How can he get rid of the worry in his heart?He covered his face with his hands and let out a long sigh.