1978: A Literary Giant Who Began His Military Service

Chapter 44 Mobilization before the war
Zhou Xu had not yet gotten up.

He was immediately woken up by the political commissar.

"Hey! Political Commissar."

The political commissar patted him on the shoulder: "Get up quickly, your weapons and equipment application has been approved, let's go to the logistics department!"

Zhou Xu scratched his head, got dressed, and followed the political commissar to the logistics department of the 54th Army.

The tents here also contain all sorts of weapons and equipment.

There were tanks parked nearby, but no planes. "Garland Under the Mountain" is very faithful to the original, but there's one mistake: no planes were deployed.

The communications officer of the 54th Army commander came over. "You've arrived. The commander just told me to wait for you here! He said you can choose whatever weapon you like, but he'll give you twenty rounds of ammunition."

"I see."

现在军内有54、64、67、77等四类型手枪，59是研究过，但是可能是工艺原因基本没有产出的。

The 54 is a high-powered pistol; the 64 is relatively rare and has not yet entered mass production; the 67 is a silenced pistol, mainly issued to special forces such as reconnaissance soldiers and special agents; and the 77 is also not in mass production.

In the end, I chose the simpler Type 54 pistol.

Zhou Xu was actually drooling over the rifle, but as a reporter who used a handgun for self-defense, carrying a rifle around all the time wasn't appropriate. Besides, he couldn't apply for a rifle...

Zhou Xu solemnly accepted the pistol.

He even had a holster that he carried on his waist. The bullets were also carefully stored in his pack.

"These five bullets are extra for you, specially given to you by the commander! He said it's so you can try out the pistol at the shooting range outside, to avoid being unfamiliar with it when you actually use it."

Zhou Xu took the bullet and immediately said, "Please thank the old commander for me!"

“It’s alright. The old commander even said he appreciates that you volunteered to go to the front lines as a wartime reporter.”

Zhou Xu glanced at the political commissar, who remained silent. Just as Zhou Xu opened his mouth, the political commissar shook his head.

After all, applying voluntarily sounds better than being transferred.

"Oh!"

After parting ways at the door, Zhou Xu was still a little excited for a while.

After a while, he went to the shooting range!

The Type 54 safety is located on the left side of the sleeve; pulling it upwards engages the safety and locks the hammer. He disengaged the safety.

To load ammunition, hold the handle with one hand and pull the slide back to its maximum stroke with the other hand. Release the slide to return it to its original position and push the first round in the magazine into the chamber.

The movements were all performed in one smooth motion!

Zhou Xu aimed at the target, then pulled the trigger, and three bullets were fired in quick succession.

"The feel is different from a rifle," Zhou Xu said.

"Let me check the scores!" The political commissar, who had been near the target, ran back and said, "You only shot three times, not bad. One was a seven-ring, one was an eight-ring, and one was a ten-ring."

"Tsk!" The pistol was out of bullets, so Zhou Xu twisted the barrel with his fingers, squeezed the gun tightly, and put it into the holster.

"You little rascal, be careful this thing doesn't go off!"

"It's alright, I only loaded three bullets. I don't want to load too many. I don't load bullets unless I'm on the front lines," Zhou Xu said with a smile.

"I didn't expect you to be such a good shooter."

"So what do you think? I was actually the top recruit in basic training back then. Shooting is my talent, but writing is my hobby!" Zhou Xu continued to boast.

The political commissar turned around and said, "...Let's go, there's a mobilization meeting tonight!"

in the afternoon.

They left the firing range.

The cultural troupe began setting up the stage; their performance at the 54th Army's venue would be their last performance of the trip.

When Lei Yuansheng heard that Zhou Xu had been transferred to the front line, he came over and gave Zhou Xu a pack of cigarettes, but didn't say anything else.

The performing arts troupe gradually packed up.

That evening, squads of soldiers marched onto the grassland and surrounded the central stage. There were nearly three or four thousand people in total. It was fortunate that it was on the grassland, otherwise there definitely wouldn't be enough room to sit. The crowd grew deeper and deeper.

The performing arts troupe began their performance.

Several classic programs, including "Women Militia of the Grasslands," "Goodbye Dabie Mountains," and "On the Golden Mountain of Beijing," were performed one after another.

The host concluded by saying, "Our final program is a grand chorus of 'The Song of a Strong Army'!"

"The Song of a Strong Army" has been playing for the past two weeks.

The marching formations of the 45th, 20th, and 54th Armies performed this several times, leaving a particularly strong impression on the soldiers.

Moreover, many divisions were given sheet music and their clerks taught them how to sing the song.

At this moment.

The entire army sang together.

"...

The battle flag is inscribed with the glory of iron and blood.
Soldiers obey the Party's command

Capable of winning battles and with excellent work style
Fearless of strong enemies, daring to compete

To win the battle for the motherland

......"

On the grassland, the chorus resounded like warhorses galloping through the mist, like thunder rumbling across the plains, carrying the earthy scent and morning dew as it soared towards the horizon. The soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder, their chests rising and falling with the lyrics, the lead singer powerful and the chorus flowing like a tide.

Everyone's eyes were fixed intently on what lay ahead.

Zhou Xu's songs may not necessarily change history, but if anyone pays attention, the inspirational effect of his new songs during the war is absolutely enormous!
It reached the ears of at least several thousand soldiers and gained the approval of tens of thousands of people.

The familiar military vehicle was parked next to the stage.

It was the same old leader, who nodded slightly as he listened to the singing in front of him.

After a messenger saw off the soldiers of the cultural troupe, he walked onto the stage and suddenly said, "Comrades, don't disperse yet, someone will come to speak later."

A group of people were looking ahead.

The old leader walked with a strong gait as he stepped onto the podium.

Pick up the microphone.

"Comrades, the war is about to begin! I'll just say a few words."
Soldiers! Look at the frontier now! Those ungrateful monkeys are using the guns and cannons we provided with 20 billion in aid to build bunkers, bomb villages, and blast schools along the border!

The bodies of our compatriots at Pu Nianling are still warm! The smoke of battle still lingers at Tinghao Mountain! Last November, the Vietnamese army dug trenches, built bunkers, and laid landmines on the mountain, setting up our supplied weapons in their fortifications and aiming them at our unarmed compatriots. They killed or wounded twenty of our people!

"Do you think this deserves to be done?"

"Fight! Fight!"

First, the veterans in the front row gripped their rifle butts and roared, raising their fists with bulging veins; then the new recruits in the back row followed suit in unison, their young voices filled with pain for their compatriots and hatred for the invaders.

"Fight! Fight!"

There was no hesitation, no cowardice, only an iron will echoing across the grass.

The old commander continued, "The Central Committee has given the order—counterattack! This is not invasion, it's defending our homeland! They boast that Shuojiang is an 'ironclad defense line'? Bah! Who have we ever been afraid of?!"

"Kill! Kill!"

"Alright, quiet! Today's meeting is adjourned!"

The mobilization meeting convened by the old leader ended abruptly, without going on to discuss anything else.

Instead, it brought all the soldiers' morale to its peak.

He glanced at Zhou Xu.

They were even more satisfied with Zhou Xu's composition. After all, it was the group singing "The Song of a Strong Army" that first stirred up emotions, and then it was his motivation that led to a good result.

(End of this chapter)