Honesty and trustworthiness is a kind of conduct for individuals, and loyalty to one's family and country.
—Epigraph
Every time the 94-year-old stands up from his wheelchair and salutes those who listen to his story, his expression is solemn. And every time in the face of such solemnity, people can not help but be moved, in such a moved, people are all grateful for the old man's persistence in the long river of "loyalty".
For He Wenxun, the word "loyalty" is not only a belief, but also a practice. For 40 years, he has been accompanied by the special task assigned by the organization, and the oath of "the secret of the Conservative Party" has been engraved in his blood and written in his life.
94-year-old Ho Wenxun.
On December 15, 2023, in the early winter of southwest Guizhou, the winter sun is shining and warm like spring. "Dad, shoot your promotional video and win the national award!" In Room 201, Building 9, District 2, Geely Community, Zunyi Road, Xingyi City, He Qin leaned close to his father He Wenxun's ear and loudly announced the good news.
The "award" mentioned by her daughter He Qin refers to the fact that in the 2023 Confidential Public Service Promotional Film Creative Copywriting and Confidential Public Welfare Publicity Poster Collection and Selection Activity of the Central Secrecy Office (State Secrecy Bureau), the promotional film "One Man's Air Raid Shelter", which was submitted by the Caiheng County Taxation Bureau to show the deeds of He Wenxun's 40 years of insistence on keeping secrets, won the second prize in the country.
Looking out of the window where the sun shines, 94-year-old He Wenxun's heart is surging: Although there are too many things worth remembering in his life, the most memorable thing is that he spent 40 years sticking to the secrets of the air defense headquarters. In the old man's heart, it was a great thing, it was a matter of discipline, it involved loyalty, and it was the responsibility of his life.
Ordered to build a secret project
The Geely Community of Zunyi Road, Xingyi City, is the home of He Wenxun's daughter He Qin and son-in-law Wei Shirong. Before the epidemic in 2020, in order to facilitate the care of his father, He Qin took the elderly He Wenxun from Caiheng County to live with him. He Wenxun feels uncomfortable from time to time when it comes to his new residence, because he always believes that the dormitory of the Audit Bureau, where he has lived for nearly 40 years, more than 100 kilometers away, is his place of peace.
And this place of peace of mind has a special meaning in He Wenxun's heart.
Underneath the dormitory of the Audit Bureau, there was an air defense facility that he had guarded for 40 years. And this air defense facility was secretly built by him back then. It is this artificial cave that serves as the air defense headquarters that has been buried in He Wenxun's heart as a high secret for 40 years since it was built.
Since the early 50s of the 20th century, after coming to Caiheng County from his hometown of Panxian (now Panzhou City), He Wenxun spent most of his working time in the infrastructure construction team of Caiheng County until he was transferred to the county department store in the early 70s.
Ordinary life rippled in the spring of 1975. At that time, Ho Wenxun had just returned to Xi from the Provincial Construction Engineering Department, mainly responsible for planning and urban construction. At that time, based on the international situation, the state proposed to "dig deep holes, accumulate grain, and not seek hegemony". As in all parts of the country, the construction of air defense facilities became an important task in the county. On this day, Geng Political Commissar of the County People's Armed Forces Department invited He Wenxun to his office and solemnly told him: "The county is preparing to repair the air defense headquarters, and you are responsible for all the design and construction. ”
Unrepaired air defense command.
Faced with this sudden task, He Wenxun was both shocked and excited. Later, he learned that the leaders of the county People's Armed Forces Department gave him this task, which was the result of repeated investigations: He Wenxun has a firm position, high loyalty, strong principle, conscientious and responsible, and more than 20 years of experience in infrastructure construction.
After receiving the task from the county people's armed forces department, joy and pressure were repeatedly intertwined in He Wenxun's heart: the organization entrusted such an important task to himself, which was the organization's trust in him. In addition to being happy, He Wenxun was also quite apprehensive. Judging from the nature of the mission, this is a mission that requires a high degree of secrecy, and the slightest carelessness will bring immeasurable losses, and he suddenly felt that this mission has become heavy.
On April 17, 1975, Caiheng County allocated 5,000 yuan from local self-raised funds for the construction of an air defense headquarters. A month later, He Wenxun, who led the mission, began to secretly step on the spot. He found a valley on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by good geology, which was an ideal place to build an air defense headquarters. He reported the results of his visit to Political Commissar Geng: "This place is sparsely populated, and construction can be carried out with the help of a ravine, which not only helps to maintain secrecy, but also saves costs." After the site selection was approved by Political Commissar Geng, He Wenxun immediately said: "I am responsible for finding the workers, and you will do a good job of reviewing." ”
Considering that the air defense headquarters is a secret project, He Wenxun was very cautious in selecting construction workers, and made a "long trip" to Xingyi, more than 100 kilometers away, to spend half a month carefully selecting and bringing back 25 workers who had passed the examination.
In the 70s of the 20th century, the transportation of construction materials was a challenge. The main building material of the air defense headquarters is stones, and the stones have to be mined at a distance of 10 kilometers, and how to transport the stones to the construction site has become a big problem. The confidentiality of the project requires that there should not be much movement during the construction process, and in many cases it can only be carried out at night. He Wenxun led people to chisel and shape the quarryed stones in the quarry and then carried them to the construction site on a small road. In order not to attract attention, He Wenxun divided the workers into six groups, each group of four people, carrying people on their shoulders, for a month, and forced all the stones to move to the construction site. Sometimes there were not enough people, so he went shirtless to carry stones with the workers.
Another conundrum is cement. In the 70s of the 20th century, cement building materials had to be approved to obtain, just at that time the new cement plant in the county was put into operation, He Wenxun found the relevant departments of the county, and struggled to get 6 tons of cement index. Seeing his efforts realized one by one, He Wenxun felt like he had won a battle, immersed in joy every day.
The third row (first from right) took a photo of He Wenxun when he was studying Xi in the trade area team of the financial team.
In He Qin's memory, during that time, his father ran around during the day, tanning and not slipping away, and often did not return at night, and his whereabouts were mysterious. The family thought the head of the family was a bit odd, but no one dared to ask because his expression was too serious.
He Qin, his mother and two older brothers were in the early 70s in Yangba Village, dozens of kilometers away from the county seat, and later returned to the county seat. The mother is unemployed, the three siblings are studying, and the family is counting on the father. Seeing He Wenxun's black and thin appearance, everyone was distressed and puzzled. "When the family came back, there were so many things to discuss, but he put his work first and almost ignored us. Speaking of the past, He Qin was full of emotion. Later, she learned that in fact, her father was under a lot of pressure because he was building an air defense headquarters, and he, who usually didn't smile, looked more dignified.
For He Wenxun, who has rich experience in building houses, the construction of an air defense headquarters is not complicated. However, it is undoubtedly a severe test to build the project with quality and quantity without construction drawings. There was a drying platform upstairs in his house, where he quietly spread out the blank paper from time to time to write and draw. The son was curious about his father's mysterious actions, and sometimes ran to the drying platform to "explore", but in exchange for his father's reprimand.
The real "weird old man"
Although the construction site of the air defense headquarters was relatively remote, He Wenxun still built a fence to enclose the construction site, and when someone approached, he immediately drove it away like an eagle that had been violated. Wei Shirong recalled that at that time, his family lived near the construction site of the air defense headquarters, and he often saw a group of people working inside the retaining wall day and night. He Wenxun saw that a child was coming to join in the fun, so he reprimanded loudly with a tiger face, and he was so frightened that he quickly ran away.
He Wenxun when he was young.
"It wasn't until 2015 that I found out that there was an air defense headquarters there. The fierce appearance of the 'foreman' made me feel very frightened at the time. What Wei Shirong didn't expect was that he later married the daughter of this fierce "foreman" and became a family.
As an air defense command facility, this project must be secretive and safe, which undoubtedly increases the difficulty of construction. He Wenxun led the workers to dig up the original ravine, build a stone wall, arch the top with stones, then pave it with asphalt, and finally backfill and tamp it with soil. Four months later, this air defense facility was completed on schedule.
The air defense headquarters was built, and the head of the county people's armed forces department came to accept it. Every detail was checked one by one, and the nine rooms, including the command room, the confidential room, and the power generation room, were arranged in a "leek" shape, and the shape was regular, which met the requirements of underground command and operation. In the event of an emergency, this will be the command center of the entire county. Affirmed by the person in charge of acceptance, He Wenxun felt that he had done a great thing.
After the establishment of the air defense headquarters, the county arranged special personnel to guard it. In less than a year, the staff on duty were transferred. The person in charge of the county people's armed forces department found He Wenxun again: "You are familiar with the situation of the air defense headquarters, and the guard will be handed over to you." This is a matter of party secrets, and you must protect them well. The moment he took over the key to the door of the air defense headquarters, He Wenxun felt that the responsibility on his body was heavier, and he said with a serious expression: "Resolutely complete the task!"
In the mid-70s of the 20th century, China underwent great changes, and not long after that, it ushered in the spring breeze of reform and opening up. In those years of change, institutions have changed and people have been on the move...... But no matter how it changes, He Wenxun sticks to his duty.
Since then, this secret project built by himself has been "stationed" in He Wenxun's daily life.
Every day after work, He Wenxun would come to the special building he had built with his own hands, check whether the door lock of the air defense headquarters was in good condition, and open the door when people were not paying attention, and go in to carefully inspect the facilities inside. He knew that in the event of an emergency, this facility would play an important role. This state of affairs lasted until the early 80s, when the international situation changed, and he changed the inspection once a day to once every few days.
1984 was a year to remember for Ho Boon Fun.
In that year, the Auditor's Bureau of Chuiheng County was established. He Wenxun, who was conscientious and responsible, was selected and transferred to this newly formed unit. In March of the same year, He Wenxun, who had done an excellent job, was honorably joined the Communist Party of China. When joining the party organization, the phrase "keeping the party's secrets" in the oath of joining the party was deeply imprinted in his mind, which made He Wenxun more determined to guard the prevention and control headquarters, which is a heavy responsibility.
Coincidentally, the site of the unit dormitory building of the county audit bureau was located just above the air defense headquarters. After He Wenxun learned the news, he was worried that the construction of the dormitory building would affect the safety of the air defense headquarters, so he secretly went to the scene to investigate. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the dormitory building was close to the slope inside, which had no impact on the safety of the air defense command.
Moving into a new home in the dormitory, it became convenient for He Wenxun to guard the air defense headquarters. "The thought that the secret I am guarding is at my feet gives me a sense of solidarity. Every time he returned home, He Wenxun felt that he could be close to his "mission", and suddenly felt a lot less stress.
In 1993, Ho suffered from cataracts, and his vision became blurry. Even so, he insisted on going to the air defense headquarters every once in a while. After the cataract was cured, the children mobilized him to travel to other places, and every time he came back from a trip, the first thing he did was to go to the air defense headquarters to see that the door lock was in good condition. "As soon as my father went out, he always thought about the air defense command, and after going out for a little longer, he became unsettled." He Qin said that although the family did not dare to ask what was in the air defense headquarters that haunted his father's dreams, he always felt that it had a magical attraction to his father.
Ho Boon Funn (centre) and his daughter and son-in-law.
In the eyes of his neighbors, He Wenxun is an out-and-out "strange old man".
He Wenxun's "strangeness" is reflected in the fact that as long as the security of the air defense headquarters is involved, he will intervene in an unreasonable way.
With the continuous expansion of the county seat, houses have been built in the area of the once remote air defense headquarters. Right in front of the air defense command, there is a construction project that is about to start. Although the military function of the air defense command has gradually weakened with the changes of the times, in the eyes of He Wenxun, it is a holy place that cannot be violated in the slightest. From the very beginning, this construction project, which was built in front of the air defense headquarters, was blocked by Ho Wenxun. What distressed him was that due to secrecy, he couldn't explain the reason, but he couldn't find a convincing reason to stop it for a while, and the block ended in failure, so he had to watch the building rise from the ground.
He Wenxun, who was secretly anxious, drew a "red line" that no one could cause even the slightest damage to the air defense headquarters, otherwise he would have to "resist to the end" with those who caused the damage. After renting this building built at the entrance of the air-raid shelter, a county bank found the air-defense facilities behind the building, so it wanted to renovate it and use it as a vault. The bank staff found He Wenxun, who was in charge of the key, but was sternly rejected as soon as he opened his mouth, and after a reprimand without knowing the reason, the bank did not dare to mention the matter again.
The building was later rented by a hospital, and the rooms near the air defense headquarters became X-ray rooms. One day, when He Wenxun went to inspect, he found that the door lock of the air defense headquarters had been smashed, and one of the rooms inside had been turned into a utility room. He Wenxun was immediately furious, immediately found the person in charge of the hospital, and sternly demanded that the debris be cleaned out immediately and replaced with a new lock. Seeing that the usually taciturn old man stared at a pair of copper bell-like eyes, the person in charge turned blue with anger, and hurriedly ordered the sundries to be moved out of the air-raid shelter. He Wenxun was not at ease, so he quickly paid for a new lock and hung it up.
Find a successor
With the change of personnel for decades, coupled with the loss of relevant archives and functional changes of the air defense headquarters, fewer and fewer people in Caiheng County knew that there was such a secret project, and the air defense headquarters gradually became a secret of He Wenxun alone.
In He Wenxun's view, before the organization did not formally arrange someone to take over the task of taking care of the air defense command, as an old party member, he must fulfill his promise to the organization, even if it takes a lifetime, once there is any problem in the air defense command, he will not be able to forgive himself in this life, and he will not be able to face the organization.
As he grew older, He Wenxun's heart began to get heavier and heavier. He understood that his biggest concern was this air defense command. If he closes his eyes one day, this secret cannot be lost, and he desperately hopes that someone will take over his class.
The succession is not trivial, who should be found to take over this important task? He Wenxun has been secretly observing in the familiar crowd, but he has never found a satisfactory candidate until the appearance of his neighbor Wei Yingqiao.
Wei Yingqiao, a native of Anlong, a neighboring county, works as a teacher in a township primary school more than 10 kilometers away from the county seat. In 1998, he bought a house in the dormitory building of the county audit bureau and has since become a door-to-door neighbor with Ho Wenxun. Subconsciously, He Wenxun silently paid attention to Wei Yingqiao.
He Wenxun once chose his neighbor Wei Yingqiao to succeed him.
After years of contact, He Wenxun found that Wei Yingqiao was down-to-earth, cautious, helpful, usually did not talk much, and his social contact was relatively simple, and he was a very reliable person. What especially reassures He Wenxun is that Wei Yingqiao is a member of the Communist Party of China.
Since 2015, He Wenxun, who is 86 years old, feels that his health is declining, and he is secretly anxious, and the implementation of the "successor" plan to protect the air defense command has begun to be put on the agenda.
"Teacher Wei, you can't be free tonight, if you are free, come to my house late, and the two of us will have a whole drink." One day in the spring of 2015, on Friday, Wei Yingqiao, who had returned to the county seat from school, had just arrived at his doorstep when he was stopped by He Wenxun. Invited by He Lao, who rarely invites people to his home, Wei Yingqiao agreed.
He Wenxun's three children all got married and lived elsewhere, and in order to make it easier for him to guard the air defense headquarters, the elderly He Wenxun repeatedly refused his children's requests to move in with him, and insisted on living in the dormitory of the Audit Bureau alone.
The solitary room was deserted, but the atmosphere was quickly diluted by a hot meal. That night, He Wenxun specially made a few specialty dishes, and he also opened a bottle of good wine when he was rare to drink, and started a drink and conversation with Wei Yingqiao, who was invited on time.
"Teacher Wei, I'm going to tell you one thing today...... After a few glasses of wine, He Wenxun saw that the time was ripe, so he opened his heart to Wei Yingqiao, and explained the details of how he presided over the construction of the air defense headquarters, how the leaders of the county people's armed forces department gave him the task of taking care of the air defense headquarters, and how he offended many neighbors and friends over the years. In the end, he said to Wei Yingqiao with a serious expression: "I'm old, I don't know when I'll leave, and now I really hope that someone will continue to guard this air defense headquarters." I've been watching you for a long time and think you're a good fit, so please think about it. ”
He Wenxun's words made Wei Yingqiao suddenly recall a lot of past events: He Wenxun saw that his family was in a difficult situation, and he took money to support him several times, although he did not accept it, but he felt that it was a very heavy affection; usually the old man rarely chatted with his neighbors and even neighborhood acquaintances, but he chatted with himself for a long time; the old man rarely drank alcohol, but today he actually drank a few small glasses...... Wei Yingqiao suddenly realized that he had been favored by the old man.
Worried that Wei Yingqiao would not agree, He Wenxun continued: "Mr. Wei, you are serious and down-to-earth, not the kind of slippery person, but also a party member, I don't feel at ease when this task is handed over to others, if you take over, I will rest assured." ”
Wei Yingqiao, who was quite surprised, looked at the old man's sincere eyes, thought for a long time, and felt that it was inappropriate for him to take over this task, so he replied to He Wenxun very seriously: "At the beginning, the county People's Armed Forces Department handed over this task to you, and there were no official documents. If I promise you to accept this task, first, the division is unknown, and this kind of thing should be carried out by the organization, and second, this matter is too important for me to ......."
He Wenxun pondered for a moment, smiled and said to Wei Yingqiao: "I like you to tell the truth, if you agree immediately, I'm still a little worried!"
Wei Yingqiao smiled bitterly and said, "Can I understand that your banquet tonight is also a test for me?" Before parting, He Wenxun said again: "Teacher Wei, you should consider my suggestion!" Wei Yingqiao finally suggested to the old man: "It's best for you to go to the county people's armed forces department to find the leader and talk to the leader face to face, and the organization will solve the matter, so that it is justified and in line with the organizational procedures." ”
He Wenxun felt that Wei Yingqiao's suggestion was very reasonable. Sending Wei Yingqiao away, He Wenxun went directly to the county People's Armed Forces Department to handle this matter.
A few days later, He Wenxun woke up early in the morning. After washing up and eating breakfast, he found a brand-new white shirt in the closet and put it on, and carried two materials to prove his identity - the certificate of being rated as an outstanding Communist Party member in 1989 and the honorary certificate of advanced worker in the province's auditing system in 1985, and then went downstairs on crutches and slowly walked towards the county people's armed forces department.
40 years of tasks, 40 years of secrets, is about to be handed over to the organization today, He Wenxun can't help but feel excited. It's a very unusual day, and you have to dress formally and walk calmly – even if your legs are inconvenient. At that time, Political Commissar Geng gave him the task of guarding the air defense command, and in order to complete this task, he did not know how many white eyes he suffered, but this was the trust and entrustment of the organization, and no matter how many grievances he felt, it was worth it.
What is promised must be done
Pan Qisong, an officer of the People's Armed Forces Department of Caiheng County, still clearly remembers the situation when He Wenxun came to the People's Armed Forces Department of the county to hand over the task. As soon as he entered the office building that day, he saw a gray-haired old man negotiating with the staff in the duty room. When the old man saw Pan Qisong, he asked loudly: "Who is your leader?" I have something important to report!" The old man took out two certificates and handed them to Pan Qisong as he spoke, proving that he was not fooling around.
Pan Qisong felt that this matter was important, so he took the old man to find the then political appointment of the county People's Armed Forces Department. In the conference room, the old man took out two certificates again and handed them to Ren Bo, and then told the secret in his heart: "There is an air-raid shelter downstairs in my house, and it has been a full 40 years now...... He told Ren Bo in detail how the political commissar Geng assigned the task back then, the process of building the air defense headquarters, how the political commissar Geng arranged for him to guard the air-raid shelter after the project was completed, and how he took care of the air-raid shelter over the years. In the course of the narration, the old man repeatedly emphasized that many people thought that this was just an ordinary air-raid shelter, but in fact it was intended to be used as the county's wartime air defense headquarters, and it had a great role, and it was necessary to report to the leaders of the county people's armed forces department in person, and at the same time, it was also a task entrusted to him by the organization.
Ren Bo remembered the old man's name: He Wenxun.
"I can report responsibly to the organization, I have completed the tasks assigned to me back then, for 40 years this air defense command has been intact, and I have not told anyone about this secret. Telling the whole process in one breath, He Wenxun's heart suddenly felt much more relaxed.
The People's Armed Forces Department of Caiheng County attached great importance to He Wenxun's report, so it contacted the responsible persons of the county party committee office, the civil air defense office, and other relevant departments, and He Wenxun led the way to the air defense headquarters.
Unlocking the lock of the air defense command, the group walked into the secret space that had been sealed in the dust for 40 years. Pan Qisong, who went with him, recalled that when he walked into the cave, the humid air was filled with a strong smell of vicissitudes, and the secret project 40 years ago was displayed in front of everyone's eyes, with stone walls and stone vaults, and the entire building was built according to the needs of the war preparedness of that year. He Wenxun introduced the functions of each room one by one: this is the command room, this is the power generation room, and this is the weapons depot, which can accommodate dozens of people to command operations in wartime.
According to the research and judgment of the relevant local departments, this air defense headquarters has long ceased to have military functions, so the county people's armed forces department decided to hand over the facilities here to the county civil air defense office for management. Yang Bo, full-time deputy director of the civil air defense office of Caiheng County, said that at present, the county has repaired the air defense headquarters that the old man He Wenxun has guarded for 40 years, and is preparing to build a civil air defense patriotism education base, so that more people can feel the touching deeds of the old man He Wenxun who has been loyal to the party and kept secrets for many years.
After He Wenxun's 40-year secret story was made public, the local people and netizens praised it. In June 2016, he was listed as an honest and trustworthy "Good Person in China", and in September of that year, he was named a "moral model" in Guizhou Province.
In the face of all kinds of praise, He Wenxun said the most sentence: "I am a party member, the organization trusts me so much, the things arranged must be done well, and the things promised to the organization must be done!"
Air defense command renovated in 2023.
In the opinion of his daughter He Qin, it is no accident that her father has been able to keep secrets for 40 years, which is closely related to his life experience.
When He Wenxun was young, he joined the local guerrilla forces in Panxian (now Panzhou City), and after 1949, he was incorporated into the county's guerrilla regiment, served as a squadron leader, and participated in the suppression of bandits in the Pannan area. In 1950, He Wenxun, who was sent to the Xingren Military Sub-district to study Xi, originally wanted to participate in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, but because his wish to have a family and children could not be realized at that time, he directly transferred to work in Caiheng County.
After arriving in Chuiheng, Ho Wenxun successively engaged in economic trade, infrastructure, department store management, auditing and other work. No matter what position he is in, he has won everyone's praise for his fairness, rigor, steadfastness and seriousness. In the eyes of his family, He Wenxun has always been a stubborn person with strong principles. He Qin said that when his father was in charge of infrastructure work, the "floor" of the house was made of mud, and the stove was also made of lime, which often collapsed. "He was fully qualified to take some cement from the infrastructure team and go home to harden the mud floor and stove, but he didn't do it, and he had to pay for the cement at his own expense. ”
He Qin thought about it carefully, it was his father's seriousness and stubbornness that allowed him to live with peace of mind after retirement, and this is also the key to his father's loyal guarding of secrets for so many years. What makes the family proud is that He Wenxun has worked all his life, no matter when and where, he dares to pat his chest and say that he is innocent, worthy of the organization, and worthy of his conscience.
After being transferred to the county audit bureau, He Wenxun, who was conscientious and responsible, found major economic problems in the audit of several infrastructure projects, and several responsible persons at the time were also punished. This incident has given people a new interpretation of his seriousness and stubbornness.
Zhao Yongxiang, a fourth-level chief clerk of the Caiheng County Audit Bureau, said that before 2017, every time it was time to pay the party dues, He Wenxun had to bring the party dues card and come to the bureau on crutches to pay the party dues. After paying the party dues, I also have to ask someone to find the latest party newspapers, party periodicals, and audit materials to take back to study Xi. In fact, he doesn't have to pay the party dues in person at all, he can entrust others to pay on his behalf, and every time he told him, he always insisted. ”
Wang Guangcui, deputy director of the office of the county party committee and full-time deputy director of the secrecy committee of the county party committee, said that today, He Wenxun's spirit of being loyal to the party and keeping secrets for the party has become an example for the cadres Xi and masses in the county.
Text/Guizhou Daily Tianyan News reporter Lu Qingjian and Huang Chengke
Editor/Qiu Yi
Second Instance/Yao Man
Third Trial/Huang Wei