In 1949, Liu Deng's army swept across the Southwest like a wind and clouds. Head Hou Zhenhua's headquarters was ordered to intersperse and rush thousands of miles to cut the 118th Army of the Kuomintang on the outskirts of Bashan County, north of Maodong. The third battalion commander Zhang Dapao rushed into the command post of the regiment and shouted excitedly: "Regiment commander, I have touched a big fish." When he charged just now, the bullets that passed by his shoulder tore a big hole in his clothes, and his hair was burned off. Half of it exudes a burnt smell, and the whole person looks like Zhong Kui in the New Year painting.

"What's the hurry, speak slowly, what big fish?" "The captive confessed that the headquarters of the 118th Army is on the top of the mountain." Before the words were finished, gunshots erupted from the surrounding mountains, and the bullets drew barrages of bullets in the dark night. Hearing that the headquarters of the 118th Army was found, Hou Zhenhua cheered up, walked out of the command post, looked up for a while, and issued an order: "The third battalion took advantage of the chaos to go up the hill, and the more chaos the better. The rest of the troops stepped up to build fortifications to prevent the enemy from counterattacking. .”

At this time, the division sent a staff officer over.The staff officer stood at attention and reported: "Commander Hou, the commander of the division instructed that you have reached the headquarters of the 118th Army, and there are many enemies around, so withdraw immediately." Zhang Dapao, the commander of the third battalion, had a fiery temper. He threw his hat on the table and said anxiously, "How can you let go of the meat in your pocket?" Hou Zhenhua didn't speak, his face was tense, and a faint muscle bulged on his face.Holding the lantern, he turned to the map, looked at it for about ten minutes, and said decisively: "The enemy is a frightened bird. He has lost his courage and dare not come down from the mountain. We must be able to hold the enemy firmly and wait for the large forces to come up."

Soon, the division staff brought instructions from the division head: "The enemy's situation is unknown, in order to avoid unnecessary losses, we should withdraw first." At this time, Hou Zhenhua had already made up his mind, his face was as heavy as iron, and he said every word: "We are building fortifications, and we are confident to hold off the enemy before reporting to the division commander." After getting the approval of the head of the division, Hou Zhenhua's troops were like an iron nail pierced into the heart of the 118th Army. The 118th Army sent heavy troops to attack Hou Zhenhua's troops.All night, the troops of both sides criss-crossed, the fire lit up half the sky, and the sound of gunfire never stopped.At dawn, the red-eyed 118th Army had no time to retreat, and was surrounded by the desperately rushing PLA.

Hou Zhenhua's troops not only repelled the crazy attack of the 118th Army, but also captured more than 2,000 prisoners at dawn, including the enemy commander, and the captured guns were piled up like a hill. Zhang Dapao, commander of the third battalion, was hit in the abdomen by shrapnel and was seriously injured. Commander Du rushed to Hou Zhenhua's department with a stern face. He pointed to Hou Zhenhua's nose and said, "Hou Huhu, Hou Huhu, do you know how many enemy troops are surrounding you? Fifteen thousand people! You, fucking, are so bold !" After fighting all night, Hou Zhenhua's face was covered with gunpowder smoke, but he was not injured at all.He confidently said: "The 118th Army has lost its nerve, and no more than 10,000 people will be able to surround us."

Mr. Du stood on the top of the hill, looking across the river, the outline of the city on the other side of the river was clearly visible.After a long time, he withdrew his gaze and said: "This battle knocked out a sharp claw of the Lingxi defenders. Lingxi City is in the bag. Your regiment has suffered a lot. You are temporarily resting in Bashan. I remember that you are from Bashan. , take some time to go home and have a look." At this point in the battle, the war is coming to an end, and there will not be many big battles to fight in the future.Hou Zhenhua shook his head like a rattle, and said, "It's enough to rest for a day, otherwise I won't be able to catch up with Jiefangling West City. I will go back to my hometown today, and tomorrow I will march to Haitangxi as originally planned."

After seeing off Master Du, Hou Zhenhua led the guard squad, horses and quick guns, and went straight to Liuhe's hometown with awe-inspiring presence. Hou Zhenhua left his hometown to study in Lingxi City at the age of 14, and participated in the student movement at that time.After being expelled, he came down to Wuhan along the river and joined the Communist Party. It took 18 years in the blink of an eye.He has never returned home, and he doesn't know how his parents in his hometown are. With the guard squad, they rushed all the way back to Liuhe's hometown.Only the collapsed earthen walls are left in the old courtyard of the Hou family. Weeds are overgrown in the courtyard, and the yard is full of desolation. It no longer has the atmosphere of the old home.Hou Zhenhua was dumbfounded while holding the military cap.

He found a fellow villager, only to find out that a few years ago, a return mission came and killed many people, and the old courtyard of Hou's family was burned down. Arriving at the tomb of Hou Jiazu, Hou Zhenhua saw the tomb of the former Minister of the Ministry of War of the Qing Dynasty and the tomb of a Jinshi at a glance.These two tombs are the glory of the Hou family, and Hou Zhenhua is very familiar with kowtowing in front of the tombs since he was a child.Searching in turn, he saw the graves of his father and mother, his elder brother and his second brother, and some graves without a stele.

He asked the villagers again, but none of them knew the whereabouts of the rest of the Hou family. Hou Zhenhua kowtowed several times in front of the grave, and when he raised his head, blood was seen on his forehead.After standing for an hour, he stomped his feet and gritted his teeth: "Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety cannot be combined. My son is not filial, so he left." After this departure, Hou Zhenhua never returned to his hometown. A few days later, several sons of the Hou family heard the news and went to Bashan City, and Hou Zhenhua's troops had gone south to pursue the enemy.Disappointed, the sons of the Hou family stood at the city gate and looked to the south.Hou Houde, who was seven years old, asked: "Hou Yao's father is the head of the regiment, what kind of official is the head of the regiment?"

The elders of Hou's parents didn't know how old the leader was, so they touched the child's head and said, "You have to study hard, and you will be the leader when you grow up." Hou Houde held a book in his hand, and nodded with a vague understanding. Time flies, and in 2008, after Hou Houde was discharged from the hospital, he insisted on going back to his hometown. His son Hou Haiyang accompanied his old father to Liuhe Town, Bashan County. Hou Houde had undergone a major operation and was extremely weak. When a gust of wind came, he seemed to be blown down.He stood in front of the tomb, tried to stabilize his body, and found the oldest tombstone with his eyes: "Haiyang, this is the ancestors of the Hou family. In terms of future prospects, the first is to be considered as a Jinshi in the former Qing Dynasty. Geng Jie, dare to fight against the rich and powerful. The Hou family is called the home of scholars, which comes from this. The tradition of scholars should not be lost no matter what era it is.”

Hou Haiyang supported his father, his eyes gliding past the tombstones.When he was a child, he didn't like to go to this place to listen to his father's lectures. Standing here now is completely different from the feeling he had when he was a child.These tombstones are full of rich historical information, and the sense of vicissitudes is overwhelming.Listening to his father's nagging, an old man in a former official uniform appeared in his mind, thin, wise, and a little stubborn. "The second is my cousin Hou Zhenhua. He is a member of the founding army and the only general of the Hou family. He has contributed to the country." After Hou Zhenhua left Bashan, he did not return home until his death.But when he learned that Hou Haiyang was a direct descendant of the Hou family on his sickbed, he jumped up, as agile as a young man.To this day, Hou Haiyang still remembers the radiance and eagerness on Hou Zhenhua's old face. "You have made some small achievements now. Modesty makes people progress, and pride makes people fall behind. Remember an old saying, being an official is not making decisions for the people, it is better to go home and sell sweet potatoes." Hou Houde has taught for a lifetime and formed a deep-rooted profession. Habits, habitually taught his son life lessons.Zhang Xiaogui, who was wearing a beige windbreaker, stood beside Hou Haiyang, quietly listening to Hou Houde's words. In the distance, several cars parked on the road, shining in the sun.The secretary of the Bashan County Party Committee hurried over, and he criticized the fat man who was following him: "Your sense of smell has always been very good, why is it so dull today? What is the use of this office director!"