Feng Xuefeng The publication of Du Pengcheng's novels is of great significance in terms of our literary work or the literary and artistic life of the people.Readers may not pay much attention to what significance and problems such works reflect in the growth of our country's literature today, but every reader who opens this book, as long as he reads it, will feel its compelling and inspiring power, and will be very happy. Naturally exhilarated and tense, it will cause a feeling as if you are not appreciating a work of art, but being drawn into the intense actual combat life.For the heroes described in this book, readers will definitely arouse the kind of consciousness and emotion that Brigadier Chen Xingyun said in the book, and feel that they have been deeply influenced and educated.In Chapter 6, Section 5 of the book, Brigadier Chen Xingyun once described our soldiers in this way:

Our soldiers have given their entire lives, youth, blood and sweat to the cause of the people.Even if they go through fire and water, they are proactive and have no complaints.A person who looks at them does not know what hardship and fear are.When a person compares them, he feels that his contribution is too little, and he feels that he should not be dissatisfied in any position. If people face them, what personal plans do they have, they will die of shame! This inspiring power is of course not limited to the individual heroes it describes.The whole book is full of inspiring power.But what does this inspirational power mean?

What kind of book is this? The achievements of this book, its spirit, the creative spirit of the author, and the significance of this book to us, etc., I think it is necessary to attract our attention. I think there is no doubt about the great achievement of this book.It paints a truly moving picture of the people's revolutionary war, and successfully writes a page in the vivid history of how the people defeated the enemy.For such a work, its inspirational power can fully explain the substance, spirit and achievement of the work. This work, it will be admitted, deserves to be called an epic of the famous heroic war of great historical importance which it describes.Or, in a higher sense, in the sense that the work can still be worked on, it can always be said to be a first draft of such a heroic epic.The basis of its heroic epic is already established.The familiar feeling of our readers is the sure proof that in its intense and unified atmosphere, in its comprehensive and central description of the war, it is the Such is the appearance, atmosphere, and especially the great spirit of the Revolutionary War.

The author wrote such a revolutionary war with a fighting spirit, so the work has a compelling and inspiring power. In the work, what exactly has the author mastered? Let's take a look. After reading all the works, we will feel that the author has really grasped the spirit of this war.The most important thing is that he has grasped the key to victory in this war and all the forces relying on it to achieve victory, grasped the fundamental and main spirit of this war, and thus grasped its overall spirit.The author was able to grasp it in this way without needing to explain it, of course, because he has comprehensively studied and grasped the entire development process of this war.

When we read it, we will deeply feel that in all the works, what the author pursues, what he is convinced, and what he must affirm and praise with all his strength is the key to victory in this war and all the power to achieve victory.What the author concentrates on and goes all out to embody and describe is the spirit and strength that led to such a brilliant victory in this war.Therefore, the author had to devote the entire space to the wise leadership and command of the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao, as well as the arduous revolutionary heroism of the People's Liberation Army and the revolutionary masses.We have to admit that the author's creative spirit shown in his works is the most fundamental to his works, and this is the key to the success of this work.

Why is this spirit so fundamental?We can illustrate it from the actual situation of this war.If we want to describe such a war epically, it can also be explained in terms of epic tasks. We all know that the victory of this war is due to the correct analysis and estimation of the war situation by the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao, as well as the wise instructions and leadership of the war, Chairman Mao's personal command, the People's Liberation Army's arduous and heroic fighting, The loyalty and unity of the people, the cooperation of the National People's Liberation Army in various battlefields, and the sympathy of the people of the whole country have been achieved.These main factors are also the common cause of every victory in the People's War of Liberation.However, every victory shows that the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao's correct stipulations on each war mission and the correct instructions on the conduct of the war, as well as the correct command of the commander who firmly and flexibly grasped Chairman Mao's strategic thinking is the key to victory.At the same time, every victory shows that under the inspiration of the war task directed by the party and fought for it, under the correct direction, leadership and command, all the elements of victory can then be developed to the highest degree , combined at the highest level to create a great force that is sure to win, and to demonstrate the spirit of the most glorious and exemplary revolutionary war that has not been uncommon in the history of the People's War of Liberation.

This war took place because Chiang Kai-shek attacked Yan'an and the northern Shaanxi liberated areas with ten times the strength of our People's Liberation Army in the Northwest at that time.At that time, Yan'an was the seat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the holy land of democracy, the head and heart of China at that time, and the symbol of the people's victory.Chiang Kai-shek attempted to deal a major blow to the CCP's headquarters and the Northwest People's Liberation Army in order to save the reactionary forces from perishing.But at this time, the national situation was already changing, because this was the time when Chiang Kai-shek's all-out attack on the liberated areas of the country that had begun in July 1946 had been crushed.The people have wiped out 710,000 enemies in eight months, and the great disparity between the enemy's armed forces and the people's armed forces has greatly changed.The enemy's key offensive started at this time (March 1947), that is, to concentrate its forces on the Shandong liberated areas and the northern Shaanxi liberated areas, objectively reflects that the national situation will develop faster and greater, and that Chiang Kai-shek will move faster. to perish, because the strength of the people's army on the battlefields across the country is rising, while the strength of the enemy is declining.But at such a historical juncture, what will play a decisive role is still how the people defeat the enemy.At that time, the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao correctly analyzed the national situation and the strength of the enemy and ourselves throughout the country, and believed that with the coordinated operations of the National People's Liberation Army, it was possible to smash the enemy's attack on the Northwest battlefield, so they wisely and decisively stipulated the scope of this war. The most arduous historical task is not only to prevent the enemy from taking any advantage, but also to wipe out the enemy in northern Shaanxi with ten times the enemy's strength, so as to strive for new developments in the war situation and history.Facts later fully proved that the spirit of the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao played a huge and prominent role in the development of the war situation and historical development at that time.The spirit of the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao, the stipulation of the war mission, the instructions and leadership of the war, as well as the personal command of Chairman Mao and the actual command of General Peng Dehuai are the keys to the victory of this war.Naturally, the key is not everything, nor is it the root of all things, it is only one aspect of the root of things; however, the key specifically and fundamentally determines everything and connects all aspects.The specific circumstances of this war show that all the forces to achieve victory in this war are most highly inspired and carried forward around the arduous and clear historical task, correct leadership and wise command of this war. came out and combined, thus forming such an ensemble of great forces that must be won.The revolutionary heroism and fearless spirit of the great Chinese people who endured hardships and overcame all difficulties are also developed in this way.

If we require an epic describing such a revolutionary war, it must describe the spirit of such a revolutionary war.The great spirit of such a revolutionary war is always worthy of praise, and it will always have the power to enhance people's heroism and inspire people to advance courageously with self-sacrifice, dignity and greatness. In the face of such an epic theme, the writer's creativity is of course not reflected in passively obeying the appearance of the event, but must be reflected in how to truly grasp the essence of the event and its fundamental and important spirit.The infinite creativity of the writer still has to be brought into play in grasping reality and expressing it; that is to say, the creativity of the author of such epic poems will be based on a deep and thorough understanding of events and a correct and comprehensive grasp, on the ability to generalize and Concentrated, prominent and vivid descriptions (creation of heroes) are highly developed on warm, powerful and inspiring odes.Not only is the writer's creativity unrestricted, but he is most inspired by the object he wants to describe, because the spirit of the object can most arouse people's fighting and creative enthusiasm.But in this way, the writer must truly grasp the great spirit of the subject, and the writer himself must have enough enthusiasm and heroism to describe such a war and sing praises of such a war and its heroes.This correct grasp of events and a combative attitude of praise is the spirit necessary for heroic epics.

If we want to describe the War of Defending Yan'an epically, we must truly grasp the key to its victory and all the forces to truly reflect this war and its comprehensive spirit, and describe such a war.Describe how the power of the people is displayed, and describe the spirit of this brilliant and exemplary people's revolutionary war.At the same time, only such a description can reflect the pulse of the times when the war occurred and progressed, so that the work can inspire the reader to enter the historical reality with a strong and true historical feeling, and make him (the reader) feel more deeply.We must know that the victory in the defense of Yan'an is not an ordinary victory; it is a victory that has overcome many insurmountable difficulties, and at the same time it is a victory that has pushed history forward.Grasping the arduousness of this war, its difficult environment and the magnificence of victory can most arouse people's cordial feelings and strong emotions for this historical event, so as to push them to understand how history is driven by revolution. To get inspired and educated by understanding how the leadership of the Party and Chairman Mao and the heroic and arduous struggle of the people brought about the victory of the revolution.

This is what we can see from the works that the author has mastered and the author's creative spirit.We can point out that this work has become a heroic epic, a powerful description of the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao's wise leadership and command of the revolutionary war, and a description of the revolutionary heroism of the People's Liberation Army and the people in overcoming all difficulties. This book is inseparable from the author's approach and attitude to mastering this war and affirming its great spirit so forcefully. How is what the author has grasped manifested in art?

The author grasps the comprehensiveness and core of reality, and concentrates on describing the fundamental and main things with confidence, which enables the work to develop a comprehensive description of the war in a unified and central way, and can spread the whole story on one main line. The luxuriant branches and leaves of the revolutionary war life can weave many moving scenes into a tapestry of bright and strong colors, which is eye-catching but not confusing. The work describes all kinds of people involved in the war, but they are all united in one spirit, in the spirit of overcoming any difficulties and winning the war.In this picture of how to achieve victory, from the Party Central Committee, from Chairman Mao, from General Peng Dehuai, the commander-in-chief, to the cooks and servants of the army, to the women and children in the liberated areas of northern Shaanxi, all have their own positions and tasks , are all indispensable for victory; at the same time, although the strength and role are divided into small and small, major and minor, and because they are unified in one will, each of them is prominent and distinct. The most relevant thing is that the author has grasped the key and all the strength of the victory in this war, which also enabled him to grasp the key and law of people's spiritual development in the war, and the law of typical creation.We can see that the author grasps the key to the spiritual development of the characters from the role of the characters in the real struggle, so as to describe the soul of the characters and their overall personality. Typical creation. Needless to say, just as the author is able to grasp the key to victory in a war and all the forces, it is the result of his research and mastery of the overall situation of the war and its entire development process, so it is absolutely necessary for him to be able to grasp the key and laws of people's spiritual development in war. It is necessary to be familiar with and understand the actual situation of these people's struggle behavior and their thoughts and feelings in the war.In fact, knowing what is the key and all strength to victory in war is also the result of knowing the actual situation of people's struggles and thoughts and feelings in war.What we are talking about is a deep and comprehensive understanding of this situation, and we firmly grasp the keys and laws we have grasped from the actual situation when describing.We have studied the actual situation of the people in this war, and we know that the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao's regulations on the tasks of the war and the leadership of the war not only mobilize, inspire, decide and control people's actions, but also mobilize and inspire , determines and dominates people's thoughts and feelings; therefore, to grasp the spirit of the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao (instructions and leadership), the mission of the war, the wise command, the difficulty of the war and the process of victory, is to grasp the character's Totally necessary for spirit and character.In fact, the thoughts and feelings of all commanders and fighters and the people involved in the war, their personal demands and hatred for the enemy, their heroism and self-sacrifice in overcoming difficulties, their firm will and confidence in victory, and everything in the people's army The fine spiritual traditions and all the characteristics of the people in the old liberated areas, etc., are all developed to the extreme under the historical tasks of the war and the requirements of victory.No one's spiritual quality, as long as he is in such a war, regardless of his advantages and disadvantages, can not be tested, tempered, improved and transformed by the war. Therefore, the author's description of the characters is based on the difficulty of the war, the development of the war and the requirements of its great victory, and makes the characters obey such requirements.However, the personalities of the characters he described are all profound, full and vivid.This war requires exactly the characters it requires.In war, all people have to obey the demands of war; precisely because of obeying the demands of war, they exert their strength and spirit, and become the various characters required by such wars.The author has mastered the real situation, key and law of reality, therefore, the characters he describes are all integrated with the spirit of war, they all exist as a pulse of war, they are all the embodiment of the spirit of war, and they are all the creations of victory. By. As I have already said, the author's grasp of characters in this way is conducive to his creation of characters on a concentrated and broad basis, so it will only make the historical basis and typicality of the characters clearer, but will not eliminate them. character's personality.As in reality, each man is a pulse of war, but each pulse issues from each living heart.In fact, such a revolutionary war requires everyone to have a living heart that can sense the actions of all. (As long as a writer masters the law of character development, as long as it is comprehensively and concretely grasped from real life, as long as he does not resort to conceptualization, he will never eliminate the character's individuality, but will only make the individuality more vivid in the typical , it goes without saying.) Of course, what we are talking about is the spirit of realism and epic in which the author grasps and describes the characters; it does not mean that all the characters in this work are highly typical characters. Some characters in the works are obviously not fully typicalized, but the author's spirit of creating characters is implemented in the description of each character.Moreover, this work has indeed successfully and brilliantly created typical people's heroes like Zhou Dayong, Wang Huhu, Li Cheng, Wei Yi, etc.This vivid portrait of General Peng Dehuai, which is not sufficient but conveys the true spirit of the character, is an important achievement in our literature.The old man Li Zhende is also a typical character of a people's hero who can leave a clear and deep impression on readers for a long time.As for the others, from the brigade commander Chen Xingyun to the orderly Xiaocheng, and Li Yushan in the guerrilla, there are quite a few characters, although there is still room for more prominent description, they are all completely real, vivid and vivid An inspiring character.In short, in terms of character description, this is really a book that can make heroes and fighters come alive as they do on the actual battlefield. The portrait of General Peng Dehuai described by the author is certainly not sufficient if viewed as a typical character in literary works; if viewed as a reflection of Comrade Peng Dehuai's lofty spirit and all his strength and role in this war, It is also not sufficient.The leeway left by the author here is that the description of General Peng Dehuai in this work is too light, and the description of this people's general can reflect more the spirit of the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao. A more concentrated and prominent description of the general's faithfulness to Chairman Mao's strategic thinking and creative command can also be developed on the basis of the current description of the general's outstanding and profound people's character. This is what we feel. But the author leaves such a leeway, and if he is not a mature and talented virtuoso, it is completely unsurprising.We readers can also explain for him: First, it is indeed not easy to describe the spiritual and historical characteristics of such characters more, more comprehensively, and more directly and concretely, and it still needs to be higher in our literary ability. growing up.Second, the author mainly adopts an indirect method of describing the spirit of the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao, that is, to reflect the spirit of the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao from the description of the development of the war and the description of all these characters.The author does not regard the description of General Peng Dehuai as the structural core of the work.The author's own structure is based on one of the two columns transferred from Shanxi to fight at that time. More practically speaking, one of the companies in this column and its company commander Zhou Dayong are the main line. Therefore, the author In the description of the characters, the focus is on Zhou Dayong and others. General Peng Dehuai is a great servant of the people and a great and exemplary Communist Party member.He is one of Comrade Mao Zedong's close comrades-in-arms who have always shared weal and woe, and one of our glorious senior generals who are most faithful to Chairman Mao's strategic thinking and can creatively apply it to actual command.Comrade Peng Dehuai's noble moral character of the people and of the Communist Party is well known both inside and outside the Party and in the entire People's Liberation Army.Among the characters tempered in his long-term revolutionary struggle, he is the most rich in the traditional good qualities of the Chinese working people; "Hungry" spirit, dauntless heroism and scholastic humility, seriousness and kindness, etc., are the various characteristics that integrally form the character of this man.He is an exemplary people's hero who unswervingly serves the people and the cause of communism with such spiritual qualities, and combines the fine spirit of the Chinese working people with the party spirit of communism; One of the new modern revolutionaries in our country united by the great spirit and the cause of the party.He is such a character: you are in front of him, if you are a kind, honest and promising person who is willing to serve the people for life, even if you meet him for the first time, even if he does not say a word, just silently If you look at you carefully, you will immediately feel that he is the strict teacher who loves you the most and will help you the most, as well as the most reliable and trustworthy sincere friend.He has always been a strict father and a loving mother to ordinary comrades and ordinary soldiers.Whenever one was with him, or heard his name, it aroused a feeling of adoration and intimacy which is not easy to express. (We know that Chairman Mao, Commander-in-Chief Zhu, respectable figures of the Party Central Committee, and the spiritual quality of senior generals of course play a very important role in the cultivation of our party members and the cultivation of the fine spiritual traditions of our troops. great effect.) Only a talented art master can fully and fully describe the spirit and character of such a senior general to create a huge artistic statue.Of course, the author is just an immature genius who is just beginning to grow; obviously, in front of such an object, the author will not fail to arouse the mood of Brigadier Chen Xingyun in the book when he is in front of this character, feeling that he is somewhat Small, far from having enough ability to experience everything about this character.But just because of the author's reverence and the feeling that this character is always the most approachable, the author finally uses the correct, honest, but also profound and generalized writing style and clear Clear lines draw this portrait. The author's direct description is mainly limited to the scene of contact with Brigadier Chen Xingyun, and is limited to two aspects at the same time.That is to say, on the one hand, it describes his calm, comprehensive and meticulous analysis of the enemy's situation, and his correct and decisive judgment; it describes how he does not put the enemy's fierce flames in front of his eyes, but he does not allow himself and his troops to have any contact with each other for a second. The concept and mood of underestimating the enemy; describes how he pays attention to and is familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy and the thoughts and emotions of everyone in his own troops, how to make the enemy fall into a wrong and passive position; describes how he educates the commanders not to be impatient And to be patient, to have the concept of the overall battle situation, how to think patiently and concretely about all problems and all aspects of all problems, and repeatedly educate and help commanders to think carefully and understand all problems and all small things; It describes how he thought of big and small difficulties for the commanders and soldiers in advance, how he specifically instructed them to overcome these difficulties, how he reminded the commanders to avoid all possible mistakes at any time, and how to pay attention to the straw sandals of each soldier. It describes how he attaches importance to the role of a soldier on the battlefield, how he repeatedly educates the commanders to keep in mind the principle of "destroying tens of thousands of enemies starts with destroying one sentry and one squad of the enemy", and how Willing to listen to the opinions of the commanders and fighters and trust the creativity of the masses, and so on.At the same time, it also describes his calmness and calmness on the battlefield, as well as his ordinary look like that of an ordinary veteran. On the other hand, it describes the relationship between General Peng Dehuai and ordinary people, describes how he shared joys and sorrows with an ordinary soldier or ordinary people in a difficult environment at that time, and describes his sincere "use for the people like a broom" the spirit of.Brigadier Chen Xingyun once quoted his words; we should be used by the people like brooms; we should not be respected, exalted and feared by the people like a bodhisattva.The Bodhisattva looks majestic and frightening, but it cannot withstand being hit by a broom. Although the broom is a small item, it is not noticeable when lying in the corner of the room, but every house cannot do without it. He himself practiced this quite naturally, and taught his comrades in this way. Although the author's descriptions are not yet a huge artistic statue, they have truly expressed the lofty spirit of General Peng Dehuai. The author painted this portrait of General Peng Dehuai, which made this heroic epic more colorful and weighty; at the same time, this achievement is also meaningful for our literary career today. The author describes Zhou Dayong intensively, describing him as a company and battalion commander and as an ordinary soldier.Zhou Dayong was the company commander and was later promoted to battalion commander, but in him he concentrated the spirit of ordinary soldiers in our army, the spirit of people's soldiers, and the spirit of ordinary revolutionary masses. Zhou Dayong, Wang Huhu, Li Cheng, Wei Yi, Zhang Pei, etc., are all the spirits carried forward by the commanders at the company, battalion, and regiment levels, political workers, and ordinary soldiers in this war. Characters to be focused on.They are all typical figures, outstanding embodies of the great spirit of this war, outstanding creators of victory, and the strongest pulse of the war. In Zhou Dayong, we can strongly and intimately feel the thoughts and emotions of the soldiers in the whole process of the war.From the time when Zhou Dayong's column crossed the Yellow River westward to fight, that is, from the beginning of the work, readers can strongly feel that such an army is completely armed with loyalty to the cause of people's liberation and the spirit of resolutely fighting to the end Armed with the justice of defending Yan'an War, the sense of honor to participate in such a war, the confidence of victory under Chairman Mao's personal command, and the boundless hatred for the enemy.The closer the soldiers get to Yan'an, the more they are burned by the hatred for the enemy and the sacred righteous feelings for defending Yan'an, defending the Party Central Committee, defending Chairman Mao, and defending the people's democratic and happy life.When the column had arrived at Ganguyi Town, eighty miles due east of Yan'an, and was gathering in a ravine west of the town to wait for orders, news came that our army had withdrawn from Yan'an. All souls are in agony in the torment of their holy feelings of justice and rage.Let's take a look at the situation when the company commander Zhou Dayong conveyed the news to the soldiers. The author's description is obviously very true: Zhou Dayong... He usually speaks with a loud voice, but at the beginning of his speech, he said: "Comrades..." There was a lump in his throat.He couldn't see the soldiers, he couldn't hear the roar of the wind, and he didn't know what he was going to say.He paused for a minute or two until the instructor reminded him that he squeezed out these words: "Our army withdrew from Yan'an..." The soldiers stood up in unison as if they had heard some order. For five or six minutes, those who spoke and listened were silent.Everyone was breathing softly and shortly, as if something big was going to explode violently if someone opened their mouth, or someone coughed. Gusts of wind rolled heavily over the hills, and the ditches roared.The wind and sand filled the sky, and the sky was dark. Suddenly, a soldier broke the unbearable suffocation and asked: "Yan'an, where our Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao live... is it really... Tell me, company commander!" Kongdong Kongdong beat like a drum.Their eyes were darkened, their brains were buzzing, and the ground under their feet was melting like spring snow. Zhou Dayong also stood there like a wooden man, his mind was in a mess. He felt as if someone had hit his hot heart with a hammer.Hot tears suddenly fell down! Someone cried in a low voice!In the blink of an eye, everyone in the audience burst into tears.Some soldiers stomped their feet, sobbing and crying.Tears dripping on hands, on breasts, on the cold butts of guns! Seeing that Zhou Dayong couldn't continue speaking, Zhang Pei walked up to the soldiers.He tried to speak, but was unable to speak for a while.He wondered: The People's War of Liberation has been fought for more than eight months. Haven't we given up too little?Many soldiers saw their hometown give up with their own eyes, but who shed a tear?I have joined the People's Army for ten years, and I have never seen soldiers cry like this! ... Zhang Pei knew clearly the purpose and significance of our army's withdrawal from Yan'an, but at this moment, like the soldiers, tears rolled in his eyes.He said in a trembling voice: "Comrades, sit down! Comrades, we have indeed withdrawn from Yan'an..." The soldier Ma Changsheng stood up and shouted: "Report!...Yan'an is ours...Our Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao are in Yan'an Live...Yan'an...Central Committee of the Party...Chairman Mao...." He beat his chest violently with his fist, as if something was about to explode in his chest. Zhang Pei suppressed his surging emotions, held back his tears, and said: "Comrades, the Party Central Committee has safely withdrawn from Yan'an. Comrades, rest assured, the brigade head conveyed: Chairman Mao continues to command the National People's Liberation War in northern Shaanxi, And personally command us; Chairman Mao is with us..." The second squad leader Ma Quanyou suddenly stood up and shouted: "Report! Instructor, let me say a word. I... We Communists, revolutionary soldiers, day and night Came from Shanxi, came... came to defend the Party Central Committee, Chairman Mao, and...to defend Yan'an... Now... what kind of Communist Party members are we? What kind of revolutionary fighters?" A soldier shouted: "Instructor! Give orders for our Chairman Mao! Go fight, fight the enemy!" The thunderous voices of the soldiers exploded: "Fight it! Fight it!" "Let's go all out! Fight!" "Fighting...fighting...fighting..." "For the Party Central Committee...we...go to recover Yan'an...go...go..." "For Chairman Mao..." "Go!...go..." "The Party Central Committee...Chairman Mao...Chairman Mao...Yan'an..."... The cries turned into shouts, and the shouts into oaths.The stronger the wind, the louder the oath. Zhang Pei said: "Comrades, don't be sad, don't cry, listen to me. Comrades! We love Chairman Mao, we should..." The soldiers shouted: "Defend the Party Central Committee...Defend Chairman Mao... . . . " shouted like rolling thunder.The strong winds on the hilltops and rolling in the ditches carried the roar far away. (Above quotes, slightly omitted in the middle.--quoteer) "Central Committee of the Party...Chairman Mao...Yan'an..." What a sacred feeling came out of this voice! About Yan'an, about this historic Yan'an, the author has made the most beautiful description in the third section of the first chapter, and I will not quote it here.The prose of this poem is the most beautiful and moving writing about Yan'an that we have ever seen.What the author describes is the Yan'an in people's hearts, and therefore the most real Yan'an.In this way, he wrote this historic Yan'an, and at the same time wrote the souls of the people. Such were the actual thoughts and feelings of the soldiers at the beginning of the war, as well as the actual thoughts and feelings of the commanders.Understanding this practical thought and feeling is necessary for us to understand the soul and character of the characters, and it is also necessary for us to understand the spirit of this war.The author begins and expands the description of Zhou Dayong and other characters based on people's actual thoughts and feelings, which is completely consistent with his requirement to master the power of the characters. Zhou Dayong is a company commander, a commander, and still one of the soldiers.In our revolutionary army, the thoughts and feelings of the commanders and fighters are completely connected, because the purpose and will of fighting are completely the same.The commanders also maintain the characteristics of combatants, because the excellent spirit of the commanders is something that is extracted and improved from the spirit of ordinary combatants; Education, army education and revolutionary struggle cultivated and tempered, and most of the commanders grew up from combatants.In Zhou Dayong, the ordinary yet heroic fighter is particularly distinctive; he is a typical example of our people's fighter.The growth of his character reflects the growth of how an ordinary brave soldier becomes a hero and an outstanding commander, and especially how an ordinary person becomes a strong revolutionary fighter that cannot be destroyed.The specific history of Zhou Dayong's growth reflects a long history of hard struggle in the people's revolution.He joined the Red Army during the Long March, when he was only a thirteen-year-old child, and before he joined the army, he had already sucked the lotion of revolution, especially the bitterness of the disaster after the revolution suffered setbacks; After joining the army, the education of the party and the army and the arduous struggles gradually turned him into a person with a will of copper and iron.His upbringing also speaks for itself: he's one of those people who has no other home but his own unit, and doesn't believe there's any better home.在这些人的心目中除了党，人民，祖国，人类实现社会主义理想，就再也没有别的什么了。在他们，唯一快乐、光荣的事情，就是为人民而战斗，而牺牲。这样的人，看起来诚然是单纯的，然而却是内心最富有的人，是真正有信仰的人，是体验着党性的人。因为他们最深刻和最密切地联系着人民的苦难和希望；他们任何一个行动和思想，都会先去体会党的教育和党的意志（为人民服务）。他们是亲身地体验着被压迫劳苦群众的切身要求的，也是亲身地体验着劳苦群众只有在党领导之下团结起来斗争才能解放自己的实际的革命道路的；因此，无产阶级的理想，党的领导，人民的胜利，就成为他们的最坚强的信仰力量，这使他们在敌人和困难面前成为大无畏者。这是真正的人民战士和英雄，是千锤百炼出来的英雄，而不是仅仅立了一两次功的英雄；这样的英雄，只要在内心上不失去和人民，和党，和自己部队的联系，不失去信仰力，是无论放到什么地方去都不会被毁灭的。在这部作品中，作者所描写和歌颂的英雄和战士，在根本上就都是这样的人物。那些经过长期的锻炼和考验而已经成长为出色的指挥员的人物固不用说了，像老炊事员孙全厚和周大勇连的许多老战士也不用说了，就是李玉明和宁二子，甚至连宁金山，也正在逐步被教育和锤炼成为这样的战士。又如卫生员三牛，勤务员小成，他们是周大勇八、九年前的影子；在我们的部队中这样的少年又怎能数得完呢？ 周大勇就是这样的人民战士和英雄中的一个典型人物。 作者是确实写得成功的。 这样的人，当听到敌人接近党中央和毛主席住的延安时，自然全身心都要给"惨厉的痛苦和愤怒"煎熬着的；这样的人，也自然会本能地以自己的身体去挡住敌人的子弹对于儿童和妇女的射击的；这样的人，更不用说，无论在怎样的强敌中冲锋陷阵，也不会稍露怯色，无论受了怎样的重伤，陷于昏迷状态中，也不会失去战斗的意志的。这样的人，也是时刻能够接受人民的教育，党的教育，部队的教育，时刻在提高自己，时刻在成长中的。在这部作品中，作者全面地写了周大勇的这样的性格和他在这次战争中新的结结实实的成长。 作者为了展开对于周大勇以及王老虎、马全有等等这一群人的英雄性格的充分的描写，除了各章都有描写外，还特别选择了周大勇连和自己部队失去联络而单独跟敌人艰苦作战的情景，写了第五章"长城线上"整整的一章；我们觉得，这一章在全书的现在这样的结构上是统一的，而在这次战争的艰巨性和气氛的表达上也还是有作用的。最有关系的，是在这样的描写中，周大勇等人的性格就确实能够最充分地展开了。把这样紧张的、接连不断的、以少数人对抗多数敌人的不可想象的战斗，加以充分的描写，我们觉得，无论为了真实地表现这次战争的精神，为了人物的典型化，都是有用的，而且是有必要的。读者也许会觉得作者写得太多了，可以和应该加以压缩；我在几次阅读时也曾几次想过可否压缩的问题。但我们仍然觉得，在现在这个样子的这部作品中，加以压缩是不容易的，而且会有损害的；这些人物就是这样的人物，他们的战斗就是这样的战斗；为了要充分真实地描写他们，我们不得不同意（而且佩服）作者的这样的描写。我们仍然会读下去，要读下去，这些人物有力量使我们不能不读下去。我们读的时候，心是紧张的，跳动的，--同时也确实几次引起过以为周大勇等人很快就会摆脱敌人了罢这样的念头。可是，我们仍然不愿停止地一口气读完了这一章，而人物的重量，也就让我们真正感觉到了。 这样，由于全书各章的描写以及这一章的这种充分的描写，周大勇（和王老虎等这一群）的人民战士的形象就确实强有力地在艺术上描写出来了。 关于王老虎，我们可以不多谈，要之，这是大家知道的我们军队中许多惊人的战斗英雄在艺术上的一个不曾加过怎样夸大的写真。我们军队中许多全国闻名的英雄的战斗事迹，确实是像王老虎这样惊人，甚至还有比这更惊人的；这部作品写了这样一个人物，给我们这些永远光辉的战斗英雄描下了一幅图影。王老虎性格中有最可贵的纯朴和坚毅的精神；他还正在成长着，还要更坚强起来，这在书中是有描写的。 在这部作品中，加以最充分的描写的，除周大勇外，还有一个李诚。这个典型人物被创造出来，也是这部书的一个重要的成就。 这是可以代表中国人民解放军中政治工作干部的坚苦卓绝精神的一个典型人物；是那些真正不知辛苦、不知疲倦地惊人地工作着的政治工作人员的一个生动的灵魂；是一个以特殊材料造成的--然而完全可以了解的--真正的共产党员的一幅图影。 从这个人物身上，人们能够最深切地了解到为什么党的政治工作是我们部队的生命和胜利的保证，以及怎样地使它成为部队的生命和胜利的保证。在这里，我们就看见我们从红军时代起在长期中所创造出来和积累起来的部队中政治工作的传统和一些模范的图型。但是，这些工作，正如这部作品所成功地、出色地描写的这样，在我们的部队里决不是生硬或枯燥的，而是部队的活生生的精神生活，是使战士们的思想感情和整个灵魂活跃起来、发展起来、提高起来、相互团结起来和相互友爱的力量；我们的政治工作是部队的深刻、活泼、愉快的生活的组织者，是战士们的自觉和一切生活的意义、一切力量的启发者。这样的政治工作就决定了人民军队的性格，它不仅是战士们都有政治自觉的部队，而且是战士们都有文化生活、都有相互关心和友爱的温暖而深刻的精神生活的部队。这样的政治工作也培养出这种工作所要求的我们工作者的最艰苦的革命英雄主义的精神，像这部作品中所写的李诚、张培等人这样的精神。这样的工作者是战士们的首长和教师，同时又是战士们的亲密的同志、朋友、保姆和勤务员。（在我们部队里，政治工作是每一个共产党员和普通战士都要做的；同时，每一个军事指挥员也都负有政治工作的责任，正如政治工作人员也要负责军事指挥一样，我这里说的政治工作人员是指例如连指导员、营教导员、团政治委员等等负有政治工作主要责任的人。）这部作品鲜明地描写了我们部队在连部中的党的政治工作；这些描写，为了反映部队生活，或者为了反映这次战争的精神（这次战争的胜利以及我们每次战争的胜利都是和书中所写的这样的政治工作分不开的），都是必要的；而为了描写像李诚这样的人，当然更是必要的。可是，这部作品能够反映了这样的政治工作（也就是部队的政治生活和精神生活），是因为作者真正写出了我们政治工作的精神，真正写出了战士们的政治生活，真正写出了可叹服的我们的政治工作人员的精神。作者当然是为了写人们的战斗精神和这样的战斗的人们，而不是为了写一些政治工作的事例，这是用不到说的。这样，作者就写出了李诚这样的人物，写出了我们政治工作的精神和政治工作人员的灵魂，把这些人们的惊人的革命英雄主义的品质，最生动地从一个人物的身上刻划出来了。把政治工作者写得这样深刻、充分、突出、动人，--这也是我们在别的描写我们的战争和我们部队生活的作品中还不曾看见过的。 作者能够创造出李诚这一个典型人物，也是由于作者最充分地描写了李诚这类人的那种不知辛苦、不知疲倦的，真正是非凡的工作精神的缘故。如果我们读者自己的精神没有深入到人物和我们部队的这种精神里去，那我们也会觉得作者写得太多了。并且还会奇怪：怎么能有这样的人，能有这样的精力，真正连吃饭睡觉的时间都没有，只是工作，工作；而且一个人能够注意和知道那么多的事情，战士们随时发生的任何一个小问题，一件小事情，任何一个战士的情绪的变化，他都注意到，他都知道，而他的指示和解决问题又都迅速，正确，使人信服。但我们如果进入到这种人物的精神及这样的部队和当时战争的环境中去，就会觉得作者写的一切都是最真实的；这些人就是拿这样的精神在工作，就是用这样的具体工作在保证战争的胜利。我们读下去，读下去，也就一步一步地感到了李诚这个人物的深刻性和生动惊人及其重量了。 我想，有的读者也许还会觉得，作者太把李诚这个人物写得可敬可畏，却似乎不是一个可亲可爱的人了。就是说，李诚什么时候都是这么严格地要求别人，什么时候都这样严肃，而对于同志们的困难以及缺点或弱点却太缺乏体贴或同情心了。或者说，李诚是一个最严格地要求自己的人，是一个真正以身作则的人；可是他太像要求自己那样要求别人了，别人会觉得有些吃不消，觉得他是一个缺少温暖的人。他什么时候都在指出同志的缺点，头头是道地加以批评；同时又时刻在对同志们指出任务，简直不让同志们对工作能有稍稍马虎一下或偷懒一会儿的可能。他确实有些"w人"。但是，这种严格的要求（对己对人）和看来缺少对同志的体贴的态度，即使真是这样的人的性格上的一种缺点，那也只是一种表面上的、不重要的现象；也就是说，这不是重要的缺点，至多是工作和斗争紧张时谁都不可避免的缺点。在这个人物的根本精神上，即以这个人物的灵魂而论，我们觉得，他不但是应该被崇敬的人，而且也是可亲可爱的性格。凡是受过革命的训练，真正忠实于人民事业的人，都知道这个道理：革命是无论什么时候都是只有在坚决克服困难中前进的，因此，对于困难表示软弱的态度就是对于革命的罪恶；同时，每一个人都有缺点和弱点，这是可以了解的，也应该了解的，但为了革命，必须以坚决的态度去克服自己和别人的缺点和弱点，如果对于缺点和弱点采取不坚决克服的、婆婆妈妈的温情的态度，那也是对于革命的罪恶。李诚就是富有这种精神的人物，就是在党的教育，革命的训练，工作和战斗的要求之下所培养出来的一个新的革命者的性格。我们觉得，作者是掌握了这个人物的精神和性格的。这个人物是可敬可畏的，然而也是可亲可爱的；他的严肃的精神和严格的要求，发生于革命的任务以及他的革命的意志和对于工作的责任心，但也发生于他对于战士们、同志们的爱和热情，以及对于人民和祖国的爱和热情。读者完全可以感觉到，在李诚的内心里蕴藏着对战士、对部队、对党和人民的火似的热情；而对于同志们，也经常保持有像张培那样温暖可亲的心境的，只是他的表现方式和张培不同罢了。但这是革命者的热情和爱；不用说，一切懒惰者，一切散漫者，一切自由主义者，一切保持有小资产阶级软弱性的人，仍然会觉得他是缺少温暖的；可是，战士们却是敬他又爱他，周大勇在心底里敬服他、学习他，更在心底里爱他、感激他；别的人们对他也如此。要之，李诚是一个新的人，一个模范的革命干部的性格。 作者在艺术上真正体现出了这样的一个革命英雄主义者的性格，一个党的政治工作者的性格，我重复地说，这是这部作品的一个重要的成就。 关于卫毅，作者写得并不多，但作者也深入人物的内心掌握住了人物的精神及其英雄的性格，并且已经在艺术上把人物的精神和性格都体现出来了。这是一个令人爱慕的动人的英雄人物。张培也是写得成功的，他的精神和个性也是读者不容易忘记的。 陈兴允旅长，作为一个能干、坚决、勇猛的我们的优秀指挥员，是显得真实而生动的，但作为一个艺术上的人物而论，并从这个人物在书中的重要关系而论，我们会觉得重量仿佛还太轻一点似的。其实，作者写到陈兴允的地方已经不少；我们只能说作者写得还不够有力罢。但虽然如此，这个人物还是显得真实而生动的。旅政治委员杨克文，团长赵劲，指导员王成德等，也都是鲜明生动的人物。 孙全厚是我们部队中炊事员、饲养员以及其他勤务人员中的感动人的无名英雄之一。李振德老人是革命根据地人民不屈不挠和以自我牺牲精神克服困难的一个英雄形象。 在这部作品中，作者让宁金山的故事和他的性格也占了一个地位，是有意义的。 此外，马全有、李江国等等一群生龙活虎的战士以及其他的人，都可以说是生动鲜明的。我们觉得，这是一部让这些战士和英雄能够如他们在战场上一样活跃的书，是在英雄人物的创造上打了一个胜仗的书。 所有人物在作品中都作为这次战争的一个脉搏而跳动，同时都有自己生动的面目和个性。由这些人物和全部作品所反映出来的革命英雄主义精神，也是具体的，最富于实际精神的；它是普通人所不可企及然而却是普通人在革命斗争中所表现出来的，因而它也最能感动人和鼓舞人。 以上就是我对于这部作品的看法和主要的印象；我相信这样的印象也是大多数读者都会有的。 作者的描写手腕也已经达到了高强的地步，全书大部分在描写上都是深刻有力的，有不少地方还描写得特别精彩。语言，总的说来，是能够适应所要表现的内容和全书的思想情绪以及气氛的要求的。因此，全书的语言也显得生动、有力、有深刻性、有节奏、有时富有诗意，使我们觉得这书中的语言已具有和作品所要表现的内容及精神相一致的性格。 但也是从整部作品来说，它显然还可以写得更精炼些。如果更精炼些，它的艺术性也一定更提高，更辉煌。以这部作品所已达到的根本的史诗精神而论，我个人是以为它已经具有古典文学中的英雄史诗的精神；但在艺术的技巧或表现的手法上当然还未能达到古典杰作的水平。也就是说，在艺术的辉煌性上，还不能和古典英雄史诗并肩而立。但这部作品有使它的艺术性更提高而达到更辉煌，以至接近古典杰作水平的可能性和基础，因为它已具有坚实的英雄史诗精神，同时在艺术描写上留有今后可以一次一次加以修改和加工的余地。如果作者愿意并认为有必要，在将来是可以再加工的，主要的就是使作品的结构能够更适合于一些主要人物之更集中的描写，以使作品更能在人物的集中描写上去反映战争的精神。这种加工，以及全书描写上更精炼些，我觉得是完全可能的。 但是，即使再加工，也不是在现在，应该在作者的才能更成长和成熟的时候。我们现在应该先满意于这样的成就。 这样，这部作品对于人民的文艺生活和我们的文学工作都有重要的意义，是很明白的。 首先，这部作品由于它的内容和它的鼓舞力量，对于读者的教育影响无疑将是深刻而广大的。它出版还不久，已经引起广泛读者的注意。文学作品的这种革命的鼓舞和教育作用，是最为我们所看重的。对于这部作品，我们就应该热心地把它介绍给一切能读和愿读的人，使读者的范围更推广。当然不仅这部作品，一切好的作品都应该被介绍给广大的读者，使文学作品的读者一天一天地扩大；而有鼓舞力量的好作品，更应让它很快就拥有最多数的读者。 其次，这部作品带给我们今天文学的意义，又显然是不小的。我们已经有不少反映人民革命战争（我的意思是从红军时代一直到最近的抗美援朝战争的一切革命战争）的作品，其中有写得比较优秀的，也有写得极平常的，但都为读者所欢迎，起了鼓舞教育的作用。从艺术成绩上说，这些作品的总的成就也是显著的。在我们十年来的文学成绩上，这些作品就占了很大的比重。但真正可以称得上英雄史诗的，这还是第一部。也就是说，即使它还不满足我们最高的要求，也总算是已经有了这样的一部。这当然是一个重要的收获；同时这不仅说明我们走的路是正确的，而且也说明我们的文学能力在逐渐成长起来，已经能够真正在艺术上描写新的人民英雄。我们知道，这部作品的作者--比较起来说--还是一个年轻的作家，他的艺术修养并不比我们许多作家高；他的这部作品显然是在我们年轻文学的已有的成就的基础上写出来的。他的--现在看起来已经不是平凡的--才能，也是和我们许多作家一样，在我们的文学运动中逐渐培养起来的。具体地说，我们文学上近年来现实主义的一些成就，以及我刚才说过的许多描写人民革命战争的作品，都是帮助了这部作品的成就的。（这里且不谈鲁迅和苏联文学对于作者的并不例外的鼓舞和影响）。这是说，我们的文学能力是一般地在逐渐提高起来的。而这部作品，比起许多已有的描写人民革命战争的作品来，又是大大地前进了一步；它给我们的现实主义文学带来了新的成就，主要的就是它真正在艺术上成功地描写了我们的人民英雄。这个成就是重要的，是有推进我们创作的作用的。 我们必须承认，在这部作品之前，我们许多作品所创造的英雄人物，虽然都有多少成就，但究竟还不能说已经在艺术上真正有力地、成功地反映了英雄人物，究竟都还不能给读者以深刻的、强有力的、持久的鼓舞力量。我们只要把许多作品和这部作品比较地读一读，就会得出明白的判断。这样，这部作品是我们新的成就；这个新的成就，对于我们创作所以重要，是因为创造正面人物，即描写先进分子或英雄人物，乃是我们的现实主义--社会主义现实主义文学的最根本的任务；同时，这个任务是艰巨的，要求着作家们的战斗的精神和真正的创造性。这部作品在英雄史诗上的成就，在我们创作上就有一种新纪录的意义；它的显著的创造性，显然有推进我们现实主义创作运动的作用。（用不到解释，这决不是说创造反面人物的典型和发展讽刺文学，就不是我们现实主义创作运动的极重要的任务。）如果我们联系到更切近一些的问题，则例如目前在作家们中间关于描写英雄人物就有各种问题在提出来，也存在着不正确的、非现实主义的倾向；这部作品就显然能够很有力地回答了一些问题。 再其次，我们觉得作者的战斗的创作精神，确实是最可宝贵的。大家可以判断，这部作品的成就，和作者对于这次战争的亲身体验分不开，同时也和作者掌握现实的精神不可分离。作者曾经比较长期地在部队里工作，曾经参加过多次的战斗；在这次保卫延安战争中，作者就是在战斗部队里参加工作的。这是作者写这部作品的主要的资本。但如我们在前面已经分析过，作者掌握现实的正确的、现实主义的方法和精神，也是这部作品成功的一个根本原因；而作者对现实和创作的那种战斗的态度，还更加重要。作者是全心身地在体验、肯定和歌颂这次战争的伟大精神的，他和战争的精神之间没有任何的隔离；他在创作时，也仍然是在和战争同呼吸，同跳动的。作者描写英雄人物，完全深入人物的灵魂中去，和人物同跳着脉搏，并以自己的意识到或不意识到的全部热情去肯定和体现他所认为应该肯定的东西；这样就使作者能够把革命人物的灵魂和精神真正体现了出来。这种对于生活的无隔离的精神和战斗的态度，是我们最需要的精神，也是现在我们不少作家还缺少的精神。 总之，这部作品的成就和它的创作精神，都值得引起我们今天文学界的注意和重视。 一九五四年七月十八日