1978: A Literary Giant Who Began His Military Service

Chapter 74 Report
"Think about it, Gao Junlang! What kind of team is our People's Liberation Army? It is a heroic team that defends the country and is willing to make sacrifices! Our soldiers shed blood and sacrifice their lives on the front lines, how could they be worried about money?"

Liang Sanxi is a company commander. If even he has to borrow money to make ends meet, what will the people think of us? Won't they think the army's benefits are so bad that even basic living standards can't be guaranteed? Who would want to join the army then? Who would believe we can win battles?

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, veins bulging on his forehead. He pointed to the passage about the outstanding bills, his tone filled with unwavering conviction:
"Furthermore, the regimental newspaper is a propaganda platform within our unit, used to boost morale and publicize heroic deeds! If we publish stories of 'owing debts,' what will the soldiers think? Will the new recruits have doubts and feel that there's no future in being a soldier? Will the veterans feel disheartened, thinking that their sacrifices are just a 'debt' in the eyes of others?"

Hearing this, Gao Junlang nodded silently, seemingly agreeing with Jiang Yi's assessment.

He followed up, expressing his strong agreement: "This kind of novel is definitely biased and deliberately smears our great People's Liberation Army soldiers. Although the fighting on the front lines has ended, we are still defending the border. If anyone reads this kind of novel, wouldn't it undermine morale and discourage the soldiers? It's absolutely unacceptable!!"

The other junior editors all looked in the direction the two were.

Jiang Yi felt a little smug, thinking he had caught a 'crooked tail' (a metaphor for a situation where someone tries to take advantage of another's situation), and continued to promote the novel: "This isn't me making things up, everyone can take a look at this novel! Take a closer look!"

"..."

Although the group hadn't read the complete novel, they all nodded in agreement as they listened to Jiang Yi's seemingly serious explanation.

"Yes! This kind of writer and this kind of work are just awful!"

"Brother Jiang is absolutely right!! Everyone is risking their lives to protect our country, so why should some people get special treatment? Isn't this blatantly undermining the military?!"

"If this is printed out, not only will the soldiers feel uncomfortable, but their families will also start to wonder – what kind of troops are we really? This is just smearing the troops for no reason, it absolutely cannot be published!"

The last to speak was Old Zheng, who was in charge of proofreading. He pushed up his reading glasses, and his tone was full of unquestionable authority:
"In my opinion, not only should it not be published, but this matter should also be reported! This kind of work is clearly biased. If we let it go unchecked, who knows what even more outrageous things will come out in the future. We who work in propaganda must uphold the bottom line and never allow such texts that smear the troops and undermine morale to have a chance to spread. This is being responsible to the soldiers and to our troops!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yi felt as if he had performed a great service and said happily, "I can handle these things, old editor, just trust me!!"

"Okay, whether it's notifying us to make changes or ordering it to be returned... in any case, this novel can't be published like this. You go and take care of things!" Old Zheng nodded and handed the task over to Jiang Yi.

Jiang Yi immediately began filling out forms, deciding not only to report the novel but also to make the author write a self-criticism report!
Jiang Yi wrote it without hesitation; he wrote a complaint letter of about five hundred words in total.

"Upon reviewing the manuscript of 'Wreaths at the Foot of the Mountain', I discovered that many parts of the story seriously violate the image of the People's Liberation Army and are suspected of defaming the troops. I hereby solemnly report this matter."

The novel depicts the story of Company Commander Liang Sanxi, who, after his sacrifice during the Sino-Vietnamese War, left behind a debt bill totaling 620 yuan.

We earnestly request that higher authorities order the return of the manuscript, require the author to write a self-criticism, and thoroughly investigate the relevant content to uphold the bottom line of propaganda and safeguard the glorious image of the People's Liberation Army.

Whistleblower: Jiang Yi…

Of course, his letter of over five hundred words was written with earnest words and exquisite craftsmanship, as if he wanted to put Zhou Xu's work on a chopping board!

After writing the letter of complaint, Jiang Yi did not give Wang Chuanhong time to review it.

After all, if the credit went to Wang Chuanhong, it wouldn't fall on his own head. Based on the letter, he went directly to the General Political Department's Discipline Inspection Commission and placed the letter in their mailbox. Then, he clapped his hands and returned to the editorial department.

Gao Junlang asked, "Did you just send a letter to the Discipline Inspection Commission?"

Jiang Yi on the other end nodded slowly: "If we don't report this kind of work to the disciplinary committee, who should we report it to? Are we just going to let it go and ruin the next generation? If all else fails!!"

Gao Junlang frowned slightly. Things aren't like they were a few years ago anymore; there's no need to be so absolute about this. He advised, "Maybe they just wrote it without thinking? You might be making a big fuss about it."

"...Not good? I think it's great! Do you support it?" Jiang Yi looked around.

The editors and colleagues nearby, adhering to the principle of minding their own business, smiled and said, "I think it's fine."

"Yes, yes, yes! I think... you're all right. Reporting them is a good thing; it's just teaching them a lesson."

“I think Gao Junlang is right. There’s no need to target him like this, is there? We’re comrades in the military after all… It’s not good to leave something in his file like this…”

Gao Junlang nodded: "There's no need. I think Comrade Jiang Yi, you should take out the letter. Otherwise, you might offend them and suffer retaliation."

Jiang Yi thought it made sense. What if he encountered a madman? Who would stab him too?

Besides, what if he ran into a relative of a high-ranking official? He might be the one who suffers then... He was still a little hesitant.

But hearing so many people agree with him, he suddenly felt a little more confident... What was there to be afraid of? It was just a letter of complaint, it wouldn't cause any big waves.

"..."

After a group of people discussed for a while, Wang Chuanhong came out and looked around: "What are you all arguing about again? I told you to review the incoming and outgoing letters here, not to have a discussion and talk!"

The editors lowered their heads.

Wang Chuanhong glanced at Jiang Yi, who was considered the most important among them, and said, "Alright, let's have the meeting this afternoon..."

After a while, the group stopped discussing the whistleblower letter.

After all, nobody really cared about other people's business. Of course, even Jiang Yi didn't seem to pay much attention to the whistleblower letter.

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(End of this chapter)