When they arrived at the courtyard house and the celestial bridal chamber, they discovered it was a

Some people hesitated, some shook their heads slightly, and no one immediately agreed.

After a moment, Director Gao slowly spoke, saying, "Old Huang, I disagree with this suggestion, and we can't do it this way."

He looked at everyone and said slowly, "We all know that our great party is very strict in recognizing merits, allowing no ambiguity or favoritism. The merit was earned by Comrade Zhou Zheng'an himself, earned on the battlefield with his blood and courage, and has nothing to do with his wife, Liu Qianqian."

"We cannot reward his wife just because her husband is capable and has made great contributions. This is not in accordance with the rules of our party, nor with the principles of merit recognition."

He paused, then continued, "Comrade Liu Qianqian, as Comrade Zhou Zheng'an's wife, silently cared for her husband and supported him in going to the front lines. This sentiment deserves recognition and respect. However, recognition and respect are not the same as commendation."

"Rewards should only be given to those who have made contributions. There should be no additional rewards. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to the contributions and to the soldiers who fought bravely on the battlefield and made contributions."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, their faces showing nods of approval, and their hesitation and doubts vanished instantly.

"Director Gao is right," one of the directors said. "We didn't think things through and overlooked the principles of merit recognition. We really can't do it this way. We can't give bonuses to others. We must strictly follow the rules, respect merit, and respect every soldier who has made a contribution."

"That's right," another director nodded in agreement. "Director Gao is right. Our great party has always been fair and just. The recognition of merit is strictly based on principles, without favoritism or ambiguity. Only in this way can we convince the soldiers and inspire more soldiers to fight bravely on the battlefield and make meritorious contributions."

Thus, the proposal to reward Liu Qianqian was completely rejected.

Everyone understood even more clearly that the Party's strict criteria for recognizing merit only strengthened their resolve to treat every soldier and every merit fairly.

The discussion in the conference room gradually came to an end, and all matters were finalized one by one. The directors got up one after another and busied themselves with the relevant preparations.

The biggest preparation was for Deputy Director Long to go to the island to participate in bilateral talks with the United States.

Of course, officially it's still called a four-party meeting, since Hanhan and Chaochao are also on the opposing side. Right?

Afterwards, Deputy Director Long led a guard company by train to the border of Daxia, and then went to the island.

If everything goes smoothly, it will take about seven days to reach the island.

Meanwhile, Wei Zhengyan, a frontline reporter covering the island-island battlefield, had already packed his bags and hurriedly headed to the headquarters of the Chinese People's Volunteers.

By this time, Wei Zhengyan was no longer the unknown reporter he once was. He became famous overnight for his report "Who Are the Most Lovable People" after interviewing the Long Live Army about their battle at Songgu Peak. The story spread throughout the entire Great Xia.

The article "Who Are the Most Lovable People?" is filled with respect and heartache for the volunteer soldiers, and it reports in detail the heroic deeds of the Long Live Army soldiers in the Battle of Songgufeng.

This article reveals the incredible defensive achievements of many named soldiers who, in order to protect their positions and prevent the enemy's retreat, fought on the difficult-to-defend Songgu Peak.

These adorable soldiers, some tumbled down the cliff with the enemy, some fought with bayonets when they ran out of bullets, and some even picked up stones and fought to the death with the enemy.

The battlefield was littered with corpses and shattered weapons.

These adorable soldiers exemplified the meaning of "adorable" with their lives. This report moved countless people, from frontline soldiers to people back home; those who read it were moved to tears, and it also allowed more people to understand the bravery and fearlessness of the volunteer soldiers.

For this reason, Wei Zhengyan was later dispatched to the island battlefield again.

At this moment, Wei Zhengyan was actually a little excited and nervous. After all, he had interviewed so many soldiers and heroes, and had even personally covered the Battle of Songgu Peak. But he felt that these combat heroes were far inferior to Zhou Zhengan, whom he was about to interview.

In Wei Zhengyan's mind, Zhou Zheng'an at this moment seemed somewhat unreal; his achievements and merits were simply too incredible.

Finally, escorted by two soldiers, Wei Zhengyan arrived at the headquarters.

He was wearing a faded, yellowed soldier's uniform, with an old camera slung over his shoulder, a notebook and a pen in his hand. His face showed signs of fatigue, but his eyes remained firm and bright.

These past two days, he has been traveling day and night, constantly recalling Zhou Zheng'an's heroic deeds, his heart filled with admiration and anticipation.

He desperately wanted to meet this lone hero, to interview him in person, and to write a report about his deeds so that more people would know about him and be moved by this hero.

Of course, there is still a little bit of doubt.

After all, influenced by several bigwigs in the party, Wei Zhengyan also has a spirit of skepticism.

The guards at the headquarters had already been notified and, upon learning that Wei Zhengyan was coming to interview Zhou Zhengan, immediately gave him a warm welcome and led him to Zhou Zhengan's residence.

Along the way, Wei Zhengyan inquired about Zhou Zheng'an's situation from the soldiers, his face full of urgency and anticipation.

Then they discovered that the guards had an extraordinary level of admiration for Zhou Zheng'an.

Zhou Zheng'an's residence was very simple. It was a makeshift wooden hut in the cave where the headquarters was located. There was only a wooden bed, a dilapidated wooden table, and a wooden chair in the hut. There was nothing else inside.

At this moment, Zhou Zheng'an was sitting at a wooden table, holding a photo in his hand. The photo was a wedding picture of him and Liu Qianqian. The two in the photo had bright smiles and their eyes were full of anticipation and hope for the future.

This photo was taken by Zhou Zheng'an before he came to the island battlefield.

At this moment, Zhou Zheng'an's eyes were gentle yet melancholic. His fingertips lightly stroked Liu Qianqian's face in the photo, a faint trace of longing appearing on his face. At the same time, his gaze drifted further into the distance, where he saw a girl who looked remarkably like Liu Qianqian.

Of course, you could also say that Liu Qianqian looks a lot like her.

After all, that girl named Tianxian is a bit older.

Zhou Zheng'an was at position 406 when his tunnels were sunk by American bombers. When he was buried underground, he felt like he had a dream in which a fairy seemed to be pregnant and the child was his.

During this period, however, there has been constant warfare, and I haven't been dreaming.

In addition, Zhou Zheng'an felt that when he dreamed, the situation was generally not good, such as being injured or something.

The first time I dreamt of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, I was buried by American bombers while they were blowing up the Shuimen Bridge.

Just then, Zhou Zheng'an heard a soldier knocking on the door. "Staff Officer Zhou, Reporter Wei is here for an interview."

"..." Zhou Zheng'an