1978: A Literary Giant Who Began His Military Service

Chapter 28: Subscriptions Increase

"I was so moved watching it! It was so touching."

Gao Ruxing was in tears. As someone who had actually experienced more than ten years of the War of Resistance against Japan, he was particularly able to empathize with the selfless dedication to sacrificing one's country.

"Yes, it made me cry uncontrollably."

Lei Yuansheng sighed as he read, then turned page after page to the next chapter... until he finally reached the end.

Wu Wanli, the only survivor, disappears while holding his brother's urn of ashes... The End.

"The ending is quite meaningful."

Gao Ruxing said, "I think what Xiao Zhou wanted to express was that the War of Resistance was over, but the struggle continued, right?"

The so-called "interpretation" refers to a group of readers using their imagination to interpret the work, even those ideas that Zhou Xu didn't have.

"I really feel that way."

……

The film "The Battle at Lake Changjin" is a typical anti-Japanese war film that promotes patriotism. It doesn't have any particularly outstanding features, but it excels in its moderate approach.

It's better than "Dongji Island" and even some biased movies.

It even achieved the box office champion status of 5.7 billion yuan back then, which is enough to prove one thing: if it is adapted into a novel, its accessibility can be guaranteed, meaning that readers will at least be interested.

It may not have the depth of war films like "My Chief and My Regiment", but it is still passable.

Its production standards are very high.

First, the screenplay was written by Lan Xiaolong, one of the most renowned writers in China, who also wrote a series of works such as "My Chief and My Regiment" and "Soldiers Sortie".

The directing team is also very strong. One is Tsui Hark, who can be described as a genius in making martial arts films and is a figure in the history of Chinese cinema. Another is Chen Kaige, the "Little Poet," who, when he performs normally, is of a very high standard. The last one is Dante Lam, who directed "Operation Red Sea."

It was thanks to the combined efforts of the directing team and the scriptwriting team that this film achieved excellent results.

What Lei Yuansheng and the other man are seeing now is the story that Zhou Xu tells through the film.

Gao Ruxing exclaimed in surprise, "It's hard to imagine that this was written by an eighteen-year-old!"

However, it is not surprising that such works are written by young people. For example, Wang Meng's "Song of Youth" was a nationwide hit because it ignited the passion of young people across the country when he wrote it.

Lei Yuansheng nodded: "I underestimated him because I was being petty."

Zhou Xu walked through the gate in the morning with a news report in his hand.

Writing several hundred words of reports every day is very easy for him. Once he is promoted to a mid-level writer or even a captain, he will no longer need to write other work!

"Hey! Xiao Zhou, you're here!" Gao Ruxing waved and greeted Zhou Xu.

"Comrade Gao."

"No need to be so formal, just call me Lao Gao like everyone else."

Zhou Xu was surprised; why were all these people treating him so nicely today?

"Comrade Zhou, did you write this novel?" Lei Yuansheng took out the copy of "PLA Literature and Art".

Zhou Xu wasn't quite sure of the exact publication date, only that it was this month; he hadn't expected it to be published so soon, he said.
"I wrote it, and it was thanks to Liu Jiaju's editing guidance that it was able to be published."

Lei Yuansheng nodded in admiration: "Wow! Comrade Zhou, don't be modest. To be able to publish a novel at the age of eighteen already surpasses countless peers."

Gao Ruxing said earnestly, "Such achievements are rare even in our military region."

This made Zhou Xu a little embarrassed. The two of them showered him with praise.

Gao Ruxing glanced at the time, immediately stood up, and said somewhat anxiously, "I have rehearsal this afternoon. You two chat first, I'll be going now."

……

The People's Liberation Army Literature and Art Magazine.

"Hello?" Liu Jiaju answered the phone.

The voice on the other end of the phone said, "Hello! This is XX Company, XX Battalion, Jinan Military Region. Hello, comrade. This is to say, the novel in this issue of 'PLA Literature and Art' is very well written. Many comrades in the army have not been assigned to the magazine. Our unit would like to subscribe to thirty copies at the end of the month, and also add a year's supply."

"Thirty copies? Okay, I'll write it down. It should be ready to be sent in about ten days."

Thirty subscriptions may not seem like much, but this is just one unit, and countless other units are subscribing!

It has been almost a week since the novel was published, and judging from the reactions within the various military regions, the novel has been well received.

After all, the "PLA Literature and Art" magazine was subscribed to internally first, and each issue could accurately obtain the evaluation of the novels read by the soldiers within the troops.

If the novel is well-written, many military units will increase the subscription for this issue, so just one week later, many camps called to request subscriptions.

That call was just one of many that came in.

Liu Jiaju said to Editor Xiao Liu, "Look, I told you you should have listened to me back then and published this novel in January. Now look at how influential it is!"

Xiao Liu laughed and said, "Yes, yes, the success of the novel is all thanks to you, sir! You have a keen eye for talent!"

"Don't be sarcastic!"

"No, I sincerely praise your discerning eye. But what surprises me even more is that Comrade Zhou Xu, as a new writer, has achieved such outstanding results. He truly has a promising future."

Liu Jiaju had no objection. If Zhou Xu wrote a few more similar works, whether they were war novels or other novels, as long as the quality was similar, he might be able to be awarded the title of senior writer in the future.

The most outstanding senior creative staff can even be rated as major general or lieutenant general.

Isn't this a promising future in the military?
"No, I have to call and ask. He might have some new work!"

Editor Xiao Liu laughed and said, "Other writers can write a medium-length or long novel in a year. If you force him now, he will probably just squeeze it out and the quality will be uneven. Let's wait until after the New Year in two months."

"Sigh! I just wonder how influential this novel will be in society!"

"It probably won't be bad. Aren't all people who read novels in the military and in society human beings?" Xiao Liu said.

The other editors then came over to congratulate Liu Jiaju.

"Old Liu, the phone just rang again. This time it's from XJ. They ordered five hundred copies!"

"The sales within the military are probably close to 100,000 copies a week, right? This month it's almost 500,000 copies. If you add the 200,000 to 300,000 copies sold outside, it'll be at least 700,000 to 800,000 copies!"

The editors naturally knew which novel was the most influential in this issue of the magazine, because when the military called, they specifically mentioned "Changjin Lake," not any other work.

An editor's career is about nurturing outstanding new talent and producing excellent works.

Zhou Yanru became famous because she mentored Su Tong, Yu Hua, and others...

The same applies to other editors.

Zhou Xu is considered part of Liu Jiaju's resume, and naturally everyone envies Liu Jiaju.

(End of this chapter)