1978: A Literary Giant Who Began His Military Service

Chapter 42 Arrival at the Command Post
Starting from this day.

The cultural troupe performed along the road, and whenever a new army unit passed by, they would set up a stage to perform and entertain them.

The terrain along the border between Guangxi and Vietnam is mostly mountainous and hilly.

The temperature here is also very low in winter.

That evening, a group of people set up tents on the hill. The political commissar said, "Later, the comrades from the 20th Army will be stationed here to rest. The cultural troupe will be performing then. Everyone, please make sure you get some rest."

The political commissar gave the signal.

Zhou Xu waved to Lei Yuansheng. Both of them walked over.

The three of them sat together around a bonfire, and Zhou Xu looked at the political commissar with curiosity:

"political commissar!"

The political commissar walked over to Zhou Xu, took a package out of his bag, and handed it to him.

"This is?"

In 79, the most widely used pistol in the Chinese military was the Type 54 pistol. The Type 54 pistol was a copy of the Soviet TT-33 pistol and began entering service in 1954.

This gun fires Type 51 7.62mm pistol cartridges and is equipped with an 8-round single-stack magazine. It features a simple and robust structure, adaptability to various harsh environments, low price, and high penetration power.

It was the first pistol issued to the People's Liberation Army after the founding of the People's Republic of China, and it was also the pistol with the largest number of units in service and the longest service life, until it was gradually replaced by the Type 92 pistol in the early 1990s.

"Pistols! What else could we have! There's a shooting range nearby, and we're almost at the border. We'll have time to practice then!" the political commissar said.

"Oh, this gun is different from ordinary rifles!" Zhou Xu nodded.

Once you cross the border, you could encounter danger at any time, so you have to be prepared just in case.

Zhou Xu examined it for a moment.

The political commissar on the other side immediately snatched it away, saying, "You're not high enough rank yet, you can't take a gun!"

He immediately took it into his arms.

Zhou Xu stared at the gun, drooling, and muttered, "Political Commissar, really! I thought you were saving this gun for me!"

"No way, let me show you, I just got mine too." The political commissar smiled, wiped it, and put it in his pocket.

Several men coveted the pistol in his arms.

Zhou Xu stood up: "Tch, old political commissar, you're showing off like this! I was so excited for nothing. I'm going to take a piss."

Lei Yuansheng chimed in, "Me too! Me too!"

"Then I'll go too!"

The three of them walked together.

After leaving the cultural troupe, He Jing asked, "Political Commissar, what were you doing in the woods? We'll be eating soon!"

"Just need to go to the bathroom."

"Oh!"

Zhou Xu looked at the sky.

In the distance are countless low hills.

Today, it rained a little, the sky was overcast, and the fog lingered around the foot of the mountain!
They walked on the grass and looked at the clouds on the horizon.

Zhou Xu breathed in the fresh air and exclaimed, "If it weren't for the war, the scenery here would actually be quite beautiful!"

"If we win, we'll come back for another tour!" the political commissar laughed.

Everyone has great confidence in the People's Liberation Army because they are the PLA, and they have never lost a battle since the founding of the People's Republic of China!
Zhou Xu unzipped his pants and started urinating.

The three stood in a line, one in place, one about 20 or 30 centimeters away, and Zhou Xu over a meter tall!
"Tsk, I think I'm only eighteen!" He felt a little relieved.

"Ahem, go back and eat, go back and eat, we have a performance later!" The political commissar couldn't help but glance at him.

in the afternoon.

I ate a simple meal inside the tent.

The group then went to the 20th Army's encampment nearby.

The 20th Army was naturally a unit under the command of the Wuhan Military Region.

The 20th Army is a brave army that has participated in battles such as the Battle of Huangqiao, the Battle of Menglianggu, the Huaihai Campaign, and the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. It is a highly effective army unit.

"Political Commissar Huang."

The division commander across from them walked over and shook hands with the political commissar. The political commissar said, "The performance starts at six o'clock. You can get the soldiers seated now! Let us know if there are any programs you'd like to see, and we'll try our best to arrange them."

"Perform whatever you're good at. Everyone will be happy enough to see a performance," the division commander said with a smile.

"Alright, I wish the comrades of the 58th Division a victory in advance!"

"..."

six o'clock.

The performance officially begins.

The first program of the cultural troupe was still "The Song of a Strong Army".

The rousing songs rang out once again in the army.

The closer they got to the border, the more these soldiers felt the urgency of war approaching.

But when the singing started...

"Fearless of powerful enemies, we dare to fight; we fight to win on the battlefield for our motherland."

The soldiers below also felt a surge of passionate energy welling up within them.

Before the war, the songs and dances we heard were all quite rousing and inspiring!

This is the true wartime role of cultural troupes.

"The Song of a Strong Army" has a stirring and righteous melody, which is why it has such a great inspirational effect at this time.

"well!"

"it is good!"

Normally, when marching, the anti-aircraft guns and artillery units couldn't stop to applaud and cheer, but now the comrades sitting and watching the performance were all applauding and cheering!

Long live the People's Republic of China!

"Long live Chairman Mao!"

"Down with imperialism!"

"Beat the monkeys! Down with the ingrates!"

The soldiers below began to shout from the bottom of their hearts!
The applause grew louder and louder.

The division commander clapped his hands, his gaze sweeping across the straight ranks on the parade ground—the soldiers' fatigue was melted away by the song, and their eyes shone with a long-lost light.

He turned to the political commissar beside him, his voice filled with barely concealed excitement: "Excellent! This song has truly inspired the soldiers; it's more effective than ten mobilization meetings we've held!"

"This song was written by the young man next to me!"

The division commander raised his hand and patted Zhou Xu on the shoulder, then his gaze returned to the ranks:
"Notify the propaganda department to copy this song into a poster, and then have the clerk teach the whole division to sing it. In a couple of days when we enter the position, we'll sing this song as we go up, so that the brothers know that we have our home behind us and the enemy in front of us, and there's nothing to be afraid of!"

"..."

Zhou Xu felt a touch of emotion without realizing it, and he gave a soft "hmm": "I've copied several copies of the manuscript here. You can take them with you when the time comes, sir."

"Yes, thank you! Comrade Zhou Xu!"

The division commander smiled and agreed, and applause rang out again. This time, the soldiers on the parade ground seemed to receive a signal and joined in the applause. The applause spread along the valley like a thunderclap, causing the snow on the branches to fall in a flurry.

"..."

Today we finished our performance for the 20th Army.

The next day, the cultural troupe continued their journey south by car.

Sit in the car.

The members of the cultural troupe continued copying the songs.

Unbeknownst to many, this song possessed immense charm, and through repeated performances to comfort and inspire the troops, it was sung to the ears of one soldier after another.

Two days passed.

They arrived at the foot of a lush green hill.

The political commissar, hands on his hips, looked down at the endless crowds below the mountains: "We've arrived at the 54th Army's garrison. This is our final destination, the forward command post!"

Three armies from the Wuhan Military Region arrived. The 20th Army consisted of only one division, the 45th Army cooperated with the Guangzhou Military Region in the operation, and only the 54th Military Region sent almost its entire division to fight first, which was also their main garrison.

(End of this chapter)