Graphic Coordinator: Li Wubin (Beijing)
Ran Huaizhou: He used to be the head of the creative group of the Ministry of Culture of the Railway Army, a professor of the Literature Department of the People's Liberation Army Academy of Arts, and a member of the Chinese Writers Association. He was born in November 1937 in Jiucheng Village, Gaoyang County, Hebei Province. His childhood was spent in the anti-Japanese guerrilla war in the Jizhong Plain. At the beginning of 1951, he graduated from primary school in his hometown and was admitted to Baoding No. 1 Middle School in the provincial capital, where he began to love literature and practice writing. In 1956, he was admitted to the Chinese Department of Nankai University, and after graduating in 1961, he successively engaged in literary editing, creation, criticism and teaching at the Tianjin Federation of Literary and Artistic Union, Railway Soldiers, and the People's Liberation Army Academy of Arts. His published works include more than 40 novels, such as the novels "No Invasion", "Green Pastoral Red Blood", the prose collection "Caiyun", "Rural Whispers", and the poetry collection "Nostalgia".
【Iron Soldier Chronicle】
Traces left on the earth
Ran Huaizhou
What is recorded here is Wei Caiyou's deeds at the Yinluan construction site. I was hesitant to accept this writing assignment. Because he is a well-known example of a railway soldier, I am afraid that if he does not write well, it will damage his image.
Wei Caiyou is a native of Guizhou, Buyi nationality, enlisted in the army in 1959, served as a soldier in the mechanical company, and has been rated as a technical expert and a pacesetter in technological innovation many times, and has been awarded for meritorious service again and again, and has been praised as "a good soldier of Lei Feng" by the railway soldiers. Later, he was promoted to a cadre and served as a company instructor, battalion instructor, regimental deputy political commissar, and division deputy political commissar. He attended the party's national congress and was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League. His deeds were written by journalists and published in various newspapers and periodicals. His fame, within the scope of the railway soldiers, can be said to be extraordinary. Can I find any magnificent words to describe his image, to express his sentiments? Besides, he is in such a position, so busy, and it is inconvenient to disturb him.
The leader seemed to see my mood and said, "This is work." "In this way, I can't say anything about excuses.
One
I don't know Wei Caiyou yet, and I want to meet him first. As a result, it is easy to see it on the Luan construction site. On the afternoon of the day I first arrived at the construction site, at the entrance of cave 15, he happened to come up from under the cave, wearing a hard hat, long water boots, and a flashlight, covered in muddy water. Although spring had arrived, it was still cold in the mountains, and he was dressed very thinly. A gust of wind blew from the canyon, and I felt a tightness in my body, but he seemed to be steaming outward, perhaps because he had labored under the cave and climbed hundreds of stone steps, but I could not see that he was panting at all, perhaps because he was tall and strong. If it weren't for someone who introduced him, I would have thought he was a company commander, or a battalion commander. Why I feel this way, I can't say for a while. But I can say that he gave me the same impression as an ordinary grassroots cadre. I thought: this is an easily approachable person. So there is a kind of affection for him.
However, when he found out what I was coming from, he didn't agree with me writing about him. The reason is that he has been here for a short time and has not done much work. He asked me to write about soldiers, about grassroots cadres, about technicians. He gave many names and introduced their touching deeds, and his eyes welled up with tears as he spoke. He spoke particularly of the Tiger Regiment and praised it repeatedly: "Admire! Admire!" With regard to the Luan diversion project, he said: "The railway soldiers have done a lot of work in digging holes, and the holes here are no more difficult to gnaw than the holes on the Xiangyu line." However, the construction period is so short, and it has been repeatedly advanced, and the railway soldiers are facing reorganization again, and they are in a period of transition. That's what he said. He didn't talk about himself. He didn't let him write, obviously not to be modest, he was very sincere. I couldn't ask him personally. I knew that the engineering task was urgent and arduous, and seeing that he was very busy, it was inconvenient to delay him more time, so I took my leave.
However, the task of writing still has to be done. I had to learn about his situation at the Yinluan construction site from the side.
The construction of the nearly 10-kilometer water diversion tunnel through the mountains was undertaken by the railway troops and the troops stationed in Tianjin. The division led by Wei Caiyou had only one or more regiments, and it was attached to the brother division of the railway corps, which undertook the engineering tasks of the 13th, 14th, and 15th tunnels downstream of the tunnel. There is only one working group in their division at the construction site, and the leaders of the division take turns to come here to coordinate the construction of their subordinate units. Wei Caiyou has been here three times.
At the beginning of April last year, he came for the first time. At that time, the project headquarters had already issued a notice that the "May Day" commencement ceremony was held in Zunhua, and it did not require all the 15 branch holes to be hit to the main hole, but only required some of them to be hit. Because the branch caves are long and short, the stone quality is good and bad, the slope is different, and the troops enter the field early and late. However, this notice is also a call for everyone to be willing to hit the right hole before the groundbreaking ceremony. The No. 3 Battalion, which was tasked with the task of supporting the 13th branch hole, was particularly anxious, because it had been working for two months, and only half of the 129-meter branch hole had been dug, and there were still more than 20 days left before the "May Day" to take more than 60 meters. If there is a landslide, or a power outage, it will be unimaginable. Whenever the pumping machine stopped, the soldiers were so anxious that they took off their hard hats and scooped water into the bucket truck. Otherwise, it will only take an hour to flood the entire face. Besides, the further you go inside, the harder it is to fight, and everyone knows this.
However, none of them wanted to say that they entered the field late, and they did not want to say that the slope of this branch cave was large and the stone quality was poor, and they felt that it was disgraceful to say such words to excuse themselves. They stipulated for themselves that if they could not make a positive hole before May Day, they would attend the meeting as non-voting delegates. They knew, of course, that the delegates were dishonorable. I can't tell if this is motivating or punishing myself. They are just such a temper, and they are competitive. Later, the project headquarters postponed the date of the groundbreaking ceremony and changed it to May 11, but they still decided that it would only be counted if it was hit before May Day. However, they knew in their hearts that they would not be able to hit the right hole before the "May Day", but they were unwilling, and they held their breath in their hearts......
After Wei Caiyou arrived at the construction site, he lived in the 10th Company of the 3rd Battalion and lived in a tent with the soldiers. The people of the tenth company are familiar with him, in the past, there was a month in the stone ballast field, because of the total rain, the construction was greatly affected, and the task of Wanfang could not be completed, but as soon as he went, the task was completed ahead of schedule. Now that he has come, people have asked him: Can he hit the main hole before May Day? He doesn't have this ability, he's just like everyone else, he only has two hands. However, at the meeting of cadres above the platoon level of the whole battalion, he said:
"Before 'May Day', the No. 13 branch hole could hit the main hole. I believe you have the ability. People on the earth are decades, and there must always be some traces. Otherwise, what's the point of living? When we do the Luan diversion project, we just want to leave some traces on the earth!"
His words were very brief, but they touched people's hearts: Yes, why do people live on the earth? What traces have they left behind in the past years? What traces will they leave in the years to come? After a moment of silence, I don't know who took the lead in applauding, and there was a warm applause. So it was decided to hold a battalion-wide pledge meeting on the evening of April 11. On April 12, the day of excavation of four meters, the people's hearts were greatly inspired. Twenty-four hours, four shifts, Wei Caiyou topped four shifts.
He is not an iron man, and he will work three shifts a day in the future, and sleep in the remaining shift. Someone noticed that he slept for two or three hours a day. The instructor advised him: This is not possible. He said, "Yes, he's in good health." However, I was sick and tired, I had a cold and fever, and I couldn't eat half a catty of food a day for several days. No one listens to the advice, and goes to the construction site anyway. "I'm so tall, so fat, I don't eat for a day or two, no problem," he said. The instructor asked the company to pay attention to his nutrition, and the instructor asked the gang to buy a bag of milk powder and a pound of sugar, brewed a cup, and brought it to him. He looked at it and smiled: "This thing is delicious." But he didn't drink it. He said that it didn't seem like a big deal, and that if he drank it, a second or a third would follow...... Just when he returned to the division for a meeting, the instructor put milk powder and sugar into his bag. Two days later, he returned to the construction site after the meeting, brought milk powder and sugar, and handed them to the instructor: "Take the room and give it to the wounded and sick soldiers." ”
The instructor felt that the deputy political commissar was too harsh in demanding himself in this way, but he admired it in his heart: following such a leader to do work, suffering and suffering, not afraid, being criticized, and being happy.
The fighters discussed: "If our party members and our state cadres are like Deputy Political Commissar Wei, then everything will be easy to do." ”
Two
April 28, 1982, may be a very ordinary day for many people, but for the commanders and fighters of the third battalion, it is very unusual. In the afternoon of that day, when a row of cannons rang out in the cave, the battalion commander and several cadres ran to the face of the palm, and Wei Caiyou also followed closely along the steep long stone steps. When he got to the palm, he used the light of the flashlight to observe the effect of the blasting.
The battalion commander reported to him:
"Deputy Political Commissar, we have hit the right hole!"
And all those who came into the cave began to shout for joy. They shook hands, embraced, and rushed down the stone steps to the outside of the cave, quickly telling the comrades of the battalion the good news of victory.
The comrades of the whole battalion were waiting around the entrance of the cave, and when they heard the good news, they all jumped for joy. They shouted with all their might, as if they were reporting to the mountains. The echo soon came, a compliment and congratulations to them. Their hot tears flowed down and wet the rocks beneath their feet. For months, they were bloody, sweaty, desperate and desperate. They remembered the entry at the beginning of the year. At that time, in the north, it is the coldest season. Strong winds blew through the gates of the Great Wall, and heavy snow fell down. They traveled all day in an open-top truck and did not arrive at the construction site until evening. They did not alarm the people of the nearby villages, they swept away the thick snow and set up tents, even if they lived. It's too late to light a fire to keep warm. The dry food he brought was cold and hard, but when he was hungry, he tasted sweet. There was no boiling water, no cold water, and when I was thirsty, I grabbed the snow and put it in my mouth. The next day, they all caught a cold, but no one rested, and they all went to the entrance of the cave to clean up the grounds......
Now, they have finally reached the main hole, and they will go to the groundbreaking ceremony with their heads held high as official representatives. They seem to feel that spring has arrived today, the sky is so blue, the sun is so bright, and Yanshan is so beautiful. The pear trees all bear green leaves, and when they bloom, they don't even pay attention. How did the grass all over the mountains suddenly grow up? All they could smell all day long was the smoke of the explosion mixed with moisture, and what they heard was a noisy and deafening sound. Today, I seem to have just smelled the fragrant air, how refreshing, and I heard the chirping of birds jumping around on the branches of chestnut trees, which is so good!
Wei Caiyou was still in the cave, his white face was stained by gunsmoke, covered with a layer of gray black, I don't know whether it was sweat or tears, there were a few obvious traces. His legs seemed to feel heavy, and he walked slowly up the stone steps, using a lot of force with each step. On weekdays, he runs up and down many times, but what is going on today? He ordered himself to speed up his pace, estimating that the company would have dinner and that his comrades could not be made to wait. When he ascended the last stone staircase and exited the cave, he saw that the instructor was looking for him.
"Deputy commissar, it's time to eat. ”
He returned to the company with the instructor, the meal was already on the table, and there was a bottle of wine. The instructor said:
"Today is more than usual, I added two dishes and made a bottle of wine. ”
"What about the soldiers?" Wei Caiyou asked.
"Same. The instructor replied.
Wei Caiyou listened, walked out of the company headquarters again, and entered a tent. The warriors there were clinking glasses, and when they saw him come in, they all put it down. The squad leader poured a glass of wine and handed it over, saying:
"Deputy Political Commissar, I would like to toast you with a glass of wine on behalf of the whole class!"
Wei Caiyou took the wine glass, raised it, and said:
"Come, come. Today everyone is going to drink and eat well. ”
He clinked glasses with each of the fighters and drank them all. These days, none of the fighters calmly ate a meal, went to work, rested, everything was spent in a tense hurry. Wei Caiyou looked at these fighters, he had a lot to say, but he didn't know where to start for a while. He went to another tent, where the fighters were also drinking. They all toasted him, and he toasted everyone. He instructed:
"After eating, I slept happily. ”
Wei Caiyou walked through all the tents of the company before returning to the company headquarters. He greeted everyone:
"Come on, have a drink!"
The instructor raised his glass and gave a speech:
"Under the direct leadership of the deputy political commissar, we completed the branch tunnel excavation task ahead of schedule......
Wei Caiyou intercepted his words:
"Don't be wordy. I propose, a toast to the company commander all the way!"
Unexpected results. The company commander was a native of Yunnan Province, and his family was in difficulty, and he had many brothers and sisters, but he did not take care of himself; his mother was sick all the year round and could not take care of himself, and his lover had two children and had a heavy burden; the whole family depended on his father for support, but his father suddenly fell ill and was very serious, and he wrote and sent telegrams asking him to go back, but he insisted on staying on the construction site and not leaving. Until April 26, seeing that he was sure that he had reached Zhengdong before the "May Day", Wei Caiyou ordered him to go home to visit his relatives. Others visit relatives, the family is reunited, happy, he visits relatives, but what awaits is misfortune.
With a sense of longing, everyone drank this glass of wine for their company commander together with Wei Caiyou.
Then after two more drinks, Wei Caiyou said:
"Drink here today, and drink your wine later. ”
He had eaten and walked outside the tent. The wind on the spring night was still very cold, and the smell of alcohol quickly disappeared. He looked at the sky, a deep blue, starry starlight, as if for the first time, he felt that the spring night in the north was so beautiful. So he straightened up his tall body and walked towards the entrance of the cave.
(Commencement Ceremony of the Luan into Tianjin Project)
Three
Soon, Wei Caiyou left the construction site. His heart is always attracted by the hot construction site. The Luan diversion project is a major project determined by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, and a major measure related to the country's socialist construction. He had a hunch that in order to catch up with the schedule under the guarantee of quality, the construction period must be advanced. He thought that their troops must press forward the task in order to avoid passivity. For this reason, he came to the Luan construction site for the second time in late October.
Yanshan is more beautiful in autumn, and all kinds of fruits are ripe. But Wei Caiyou had no intention of watching or enjoying it, he came to Cave 13 again, and he lived in Tenth Company. The 10th Company was responsible for the excavation of 381 meters upstream of Cave 13, which was connected to the management area of the brother troops, and if it could not reach the demarcation line on the specified date or in advance, the water flowing to Tianjin would have to be intercepted here. The stone here is extremely tenacious, and a row of cannons has been fired, sometimes only a few tens of centimeters can be blown up, and the footage of a day is no more than one meter.
Wei Caiyou came, went to the palm first, and saw the company commander directing the construction there. When the company commander visited his relatives in April, he sought medical treatment and medicine, which prolonged his father's life, and he returned to the team on time. In September, my father died. He received the telegram, carried the painful tears of his comrades on his back, and directed the construction again. With admiration and love, Wei Caiyou expressed his deep condolences to the company commander.
At dinner, there was wine on the table, and Wei Caiyou asked him to take it down. The instructor explains:
"This was brought back by the company commander's visitor, and I specially kept it until you came to drink. ”
"Now is not the time to drink. Wei Caiyou said, "Eat quickly, I have something to discuss with you." ”
After eating, he asked the cadres in the battalion to come and proposed to visit and study in the Tiger Regiment. The Tiger Regiment is a famous pangolin of the railway soldiers, and they fought three of the longest railway tunnels in the country. At the Luan construction site, they set a record of 100 meters of excavation per month. Wei Caiyou advocated that you should go quietly and not make a noise, so as not to be entertained by others, cause a lot of trouble, and may not be able to learn real and useful things. Everyone was unanimous in favor.
As soon as he said it, he called a truck and set off. At a distance from Cave 5, Wei Caiyou asked to stop the car. They got out of the car and walked silently towards Cave Five. As soon as a row of cannons was fired, before the smoke was exhausted, a group of people rushed up, pulling electric lights, clearing dangerous stones, and hitting anchor holes...... Wei Caiyou was afraid that he couldn't see clearly, so he shook his hand and beckoned everyone to move towards the palm side as much as possible. He felt that this unit had a tiger spirit, and it was worthy of being called a tiger regiment. He wanted to squat in the cave for a week, how to do homework in each class, how to hand over from class to class, he wanted to figure it out, and he wanted to learn how to do it. In the middle of the night, when everyone was hungry, they went up to the outside of the cave entrance, hurriedly ate a few mouthfuls of the dry food they had brought, and then went down to the cave again.
The weekly shift has been reduced to eighteen hours. The next morning, the battalion commander said that the following process was still out of the ballast and hit the blast hole, and he had been observing for a long time, and he could go back. Wei Caiyou agreed, but he wanted to leave the gunners and see how the guns were loaded and fired.
They came out of the cave, and Wei Caiyou sighed and said:
"What a name it deserves!"
He asked:
"You can see it all, right?"
Everyone answered:
"I saw it all clearly. ”
Wei Caiyou said:
"Just see it clearly, we're going to do the same!"
Everyone didn't speak again, they were all gearing up.
Big dry November. There are four shifts a day, and Wei Caiyou has three shifts. One day, when a row of cannons was being fired, a large stone weighing several hundred pounds fell, touched his hard hat, and slipped down his back. He was knocked down and the stone was pressed against his leg. The fighters all came to the rescue. Coincidentally, it was a bow-shaped stone, and the place where his leg was pressed was the one that was recessed. When the warriors moved the stone and lifted him up, he moved and smiled:
"And the stones will salute me!"
The instructor won't let him do it anymore, and no one can be held responsible for smashing him.
"What about smashing the soldiers?" Wei Caiyou asked.
The instructor was stunned. Wei Caiyou said:
"Don't be afraid, I don't want you to be responsible for smashing it. Besides, didn't it break it either?"
As he spoke, he picked up the ballast with the soldiers.
In November, the 10th company excavated 65 meters. This was the best result of the diversion tunnel at that time and was praised by the superiors.
Four
Wei Caiyou came to the Luan construction site for the third time, and that is the time I saw it.
During the Spring Festival this year, Vice Premier Wan Li came to inspect, and Wei Caiyou also came. At the meeting of cadres of the construction troops, Vice Premier Wan Li once again put forward three requirements: ensure quality, speed up, and strictly economize. The commander-in-chief announced: it will be completed in July, the water will be tested in August, the acceptance will be accepted in September, and the water will be opened to the "Eleventh". The construction period was brought forward by another three months. The fraternal troops proposed that the diversion tunnel be completed by the end of March. Wei Caiyou immediately returned to the division headquarters and reported to the party committee. The party committee decided: Do its best to support the troops at the Luan construction site, and the administrative area to which they belong will be completed before March 15.
Wei Caiyou returned to the construction site with the decision of the division party committee. The key part of their management area has been moved upstream to Hole 15. This is the worst stony section of the diversion tunnel, when the excavation reaches 125 meters, it encounters fault fracture zones, all gneiss, quartzite, mud layers and turbulent groundwater. The excavation was stopped on December 25 last year, and the 2nd Company of the 1st Battalion, which was the main attacker, was so anxious that his throat and eyes were about to burst into flames. The engineering command sent a team of ten engineers to tackle the problem. The commander-in-chief said: "In the whole Luan diversion project, the water diversion tunnel is the key point, and as far as the water diversion tunnel is concerned, the No. 14 and No. 15 tunnels are both key points and difficult points.
Out of love for the troops, the tackling group held 50 meetings and successively put forward several plans for safe construction. However, the construction force did not accept it, because it was labor-intensive, time-consuming, and material-consuming, and the construction period was not guaranteed......
Work has been suspended for more than 50 days, and it can no longer be stopped like this. The deputy head of the regiment in charge of the construction firmly advocated the arc guide pit excavation, and the headquarters research team opposed it, believing that this excavation method, although less dangerous than the full-section excavation, was still not safe.
Wei Caiyou supports the construction proposal of the deputy head of the regiment, and he believes that it is not safe to excavate such a long tunnel in such a stony area. Like in battle, although it is dangerous to charge, in order to win the victory, it is necessary to charge. According to the construction experience of the railway soldiers, the arc guide pit is used for excavation, and as long as the safety measures keep up, it can pass through the fault fracture zone. It's not okay to do such a big business without taking some risks.
After a 57-day stoppage, excavation began again on 20 February. The fact that the troops have not entered the palm for such a long time will inevitably produce some fearful feelings, Wei Caiyou estimated this, and he asked the battalion and company cadres to take the lead. He said:
"We often say to be tested, and that's the time of trial. ”
He went to the palm first. The research team asked:
"Who's responsible?"
Wei Caiyou said:
"Of course I'm responsible. ”
"There was a big accident and people had to be arrested. ”
Wei Caiyou said excitedly:
"Then arrest me!"
After saying this, he took off his shirt, put on only a shirt, and picked up the ballast.
He soaked in the hole all day, and he couldn't rest assured. He was not mainly worried about the accident and holding him responsible, he was sweating for the safety of the soldiers. In every work class, he had to advise, the cadres, and the soldiers. Everyone comforted him:
"Deputy political commissar, we will break through the danger zone victoriously. ”
That's it, one day, two days...... By 4 p.m. on March 8, it finally broke through with the downstream of Cave 14.
Wei Caiyou was surrounded by the comrades of the Second Company and went to dinner. This meal was accompanied by dishes and wine. People toasted him, and he waved his hand and asked everyone to sit down. He seemed to have a stomach full of things to say, but he couldn't. You could see that his feelings were churning, and his eyes were rolling with tears. He tried his best to control himself and not let the tears flow. After a while, he took his glass, stood up, and said:
"Thank you, thank you!" his voice was low and hoarse. His words are difficult to continue. Everyone stood and waited for him to finish.
"Thank you!" he repeated what he had just said before continuing, "Because of everyone's efforts, I successfully completed the upstream excavation task of hole 15 and passed through the dangerous area safely, without accidents, and I was saved from being held accountable and ......."
He still didn't finish his sentence, nor did he say the word "Cheers", and drank the wine down. Everyone drank their wines.
The atmosphere in the room was a bit dreary. Everyone held their breath and didn't say a word. It was Wei Caiyou who livened up the atmosphere, he said:
"Now we're taking the initiative. Upstream of Cave 13, the dividing line will be reached the day after tomorrow. There were only four meters left in the exit, and if it were not for the possibility of a landslide if it were not taken into account the continued excavation, two rows of guns could be fired. Now the slope protection is being carried out outside the exit. Before the 15th, our district was fully connected, and it was already certain. ”
Everyone raised their glasses excitedly. Wei Caiyou continued:
"We can tell the people of Tianjin: the water of the Luan River flowing to Tianjin will not be intercepted by us. They are waiting to make Longjing tea with Luanhe water!"
(Diversion tunnel construction)
Five
It was at this time that I met Wei Caiyou again. He also advised me to drink, and when I told him that I never drank, he didn't force me, and he was also truthful on this. I regret that I can't drink, otherwise I'd have toasted him. Although I didn't know much about him and had little contact, he had already made a good impression on me.
After eating, he and I went outside, and he told me not to write about him. He said that he did not open the hole, and he did not break through the difficulties, and he only came here three times, and he did not have many days in total, and he did very little work. I didn't pick up on his words. Knowing that he would rush back to the division for a meeting the next morning, he wanted to take the time to talk to him more. It is natural for us to speak of the reorganization of the railway corps. When I asked him what he had thoughts, he said very frankly: He wanted to continue to work in the army, thinking that he still had the conditions and was young, and he wanted to return to his hometown and work in the military sub-district of their Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture.
"Then ......," I wanted to say, "then you don't have an active activity," but I didn't say it. However, he understood what I meant, so he told me that last year, when he attended a meeting held by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, a comrade of the General Political Department asked him with great concern what his personal plans were for the reorganization of the railway army, and he talked about his ideas. Not long ago, the higher-level leadership department really asked about this matter through the organization, but the leaders of the railway soldiers did not agree to let him go.
"Then ......," I tried to say, "then you didn't look for it", but I didn't say it. He smiled knowingly:
"If you don't agree, you can stay! I was trained by the railroad soldiers, and I really don't want to leave. Share the same fate with the railway soldiers, let's do it with everyone!"
He talked so lightly about such an issue about the second half of his life, and he quickly turned the topic to grassroots cadres and soldiers. For example, the commander of the 10th Company, whose family was so difficult, and he was suffering from illness, his family could not join the army, and he could not go back, because there were not so many indicators for changing jobs, how heavy his burden should be, but the first thing he thought of was his work, how good he was doing. When Wei Caiyou talked about this, he seemed to be dissatisfied with himself, and he could not solve the difficulties of these comrades. In fact, in my opinion, he is too strict and too high in his requirements for himself. He suddenly said something like this: "We always say that the country is rich and strong, and the nation is rejuvenated. I thought, let's start with ourselves!"
His words strongly shook my heart, and also reminded me of the path he had traveled, and he started with himself first. When he got out of the army, he didn't take a car if there was a train, and he didn't want a car when he had a truck on the way, and insisted on walking when he went to the construction site. On one occasion, when the troops were changing trains in Shanghai from Beijing to Jiangxi for inspection work, the comrades accompanying them wanted to make a phone call and ask the troops to send a car to pick them up, considering that they could only arrive at the station at 4 a.m. and that the station was a few miles away from the troops' station. He immediately stopped it, saying that at three or four o'clock in the morning, everyone was sleeping soundly, and a phone call would disturb people all night. They are there to help the work, not to cause trouble first. In this way, after getting off the train, he and his entourage walked to the army in the dark, gently woke up the civil servants, found a room and went to sleep, without alarming the others.
He met many comrades-in-arms there, and he went to pick up soldiers in several counties where he was stationed, and he was very familiar with the leaders. At that time, just in time for the troops to move to the north, many comrades-in-arms and local leaders heard that his lover was going to join the army, so they wanted to help him buy some wood, and take advantage of the army's move to make furniture. He declined. He has been in the army for more than 20 years, and his lover only joined the army last year, except for a few daily utensils distributed, he only has two old wooden boxes and a cardboard box, all his belongings, and he can pick up a burden.
Some of his comrades-in-arms returned home, some became deputy directors of the organization department of the county party committee, some became directors of the personnel bureau, and some became district heads and secretaries of the district party committees of the districts where their homes lived. In the past, seeing that his lover had not been in the army in the countryside, he offered to arrange a job for his lover several times, but he politely declined.
Every time he visited his home, the county leaders considered that the county seat was still more than 40 miles away from his home, and there was no bus, so they had to send a car to pick him up. But every time he came home, he didn't alarm them, and walked with his things. In January 1981, he visited his family and arrived in the county seat, where he stayed in a hotel. The next morning, the car came, but he had already set off early. Last year, his family was with the army, and he went back to move, and the county magistrate made sure that he told him the date of return, so that he could send a car to help pull things. He still hasn't done so. On the day of leaving, it suddenly rained and snowed, and the two children had difficulty walking, so he found a horse to carry it, and he and his lover and brother carried their luggage......
After more than 30 years in the army, Wei Caiyou has done just that. In my opinion, it is really not easy. He did this, obviously not out of temporary restraint, or out of some consideration, he did this, and it has become the norm of life, the belief of life.
He seemed to have sensed that after the reorganization of the railway soldiers, the burden on his shoulders would be heavier. He was considering future reforms, and he believed that the present would be a difficult period that could take three years to overcome. "It's complicated, it's difficult," he lamented. He looked at the mountain under the starry sky, as if to swear to the mountain: "There is always resistance, but you can rush through!"
This sentence reminds me of the soldiers' praise of him: "God, as soon as Deputy Political Commissar Wei comes, he can overcome any difficulty!" Wei Caiyou is still very young, he is only forty-three years old, and the road ahead is still very long, and he still has to go on. Whether it's a smooth road or a bumpy road, he can rush through. He will leave a lot of traces on Earth. I think that these traces must be distinct, brilliant, and beneficial to the country and the people.
It was with such wishes that I parted with Wei Caiyou. He still had a lot of work to attend to in the evening, and he walked towards the construction site. I stood there straight and paid my respects to the tall figure. I listened to the sound of his heavy footsteps, which were as solid and powerful as a stone rammer. Soon, the sound of his footsteps merged with the roar of the construction site, and his figure merged with the shadow of the mountain......
March 1983 in Yanshan
(Water on)
Editor: Li Wubin/Li Xunxiu Editorial Department of Qingyanwei Literature