Chapter 938: Going to Beijing

The green train was driving on the tracks with a *clatter*, heading north.

The soldiers on the train were very excited; many had not been to the capital, not to mention that this time they were going to accept commendation, which was even more glorious.

However, this journey was not very comfortable. Because it was not a special train, the sleepers were limited. So the seriously injured and those who were inconvenient to move were in the sleepers, while the rest were in hard seats. However, the soldiers had no complaints, not to mention that there was a seat, even if they were asked to stand for dozens of hours, it didn't matter.

The atmosphere was naturally excellent, everyone laughing and talking, very lively. The topic was definitely monotonous, either imagining Beijing or reminiscing about the previous battle, even if these things had been said to death in the past two months, it had no influence at all, and the soldiers' interest was very high.

The high-ranking leaders and leaders had already taken a special plane to Beijing, and the officers who went to Beijing with the soldiers were at most deputy regiment commanders. In this case, there was obviously no need to spoil the fun, and they also laughed quite happily.

The carriage where Wang Yan was located was all from the Third Battalion, or rather, all from the company under his command. In the past two months, the slightly injured had recovered, the seriously injured had lightened, the fallen had been settled, and those who couldn't be cured had been sent away.

There were seventy-eight people going to Beijing this time, and there were four in the hospital. Among the seventy-eight

Looking back after the war, this full-strength company of 123 men, in the thirty days of fighting during the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, lost 41 men killed in action, including those who died of their wounds. Counting the soldiers who were transferred to civilian work, the total combat loss was 61 men, a reduction of half the company.

Of course, the main reason was that they followed Wang Yan, always acting as the tip of the spear, repeatedly attacking the most difficult breakthroughs, and always fighting with fewer against more; heavy casualties were inevitable.

This also inversely proves that the 62 men who remained—excluding the original company commander who was sent back to the rear at the start of the war—the remaining 61 were all true elites...

On this point, Company Commander Yang was very self-aware, sighing: "I've really benefited from everyone else's light this time."

"Hey, don't say that. The soldiers were all trained by you. If you weren't serious and responsible, how could the soldiers fight so fiercely the moment they went into battle? Look at Old Liu, he's the one who's really benefiting from others' light in the rear."

Battalion Commander Liu sat opposite, chuckling: "Benefiting from others' light is one thing, but although I wasn't at the front holding the line, I certainly didn't drag my brothers' legs in the rear."

He naturally understood Wang Yan's meaning; he was just using himself, the battalion commander, to put his company commander at ease.

"Wang Yan is just talking nonsense. A battalion commander's mission is different from ours anyway."

Company Commander Yang still had his superiors in his eyes, unlike the soldiers under him who, after fighting a month-long war with Wang Yan, seemed to be subtly becoming harder to command. Who could understand the bitterness in his heart...

"Company Commander, the brothers still feel your combat merits were set too low." The communications soldier, whose ears looked quite unsightly, leaned in, "I saw it with my own eyes. All the way through this fight, you killed more than eight hundred, but in the end, they set it at three hundred and sixty-five. Damn it, are they counting heads for the New Year?"

"Get lost. Bullets were flying everywhere on the battlefield, who knows which bullet was mine? The superiors are in a difficult position too. Killing three hundred and sixty-five people in thirty days is already exaggerated enough. If they said we killed over eight hundred Vietnamese monkeys, wouldn't people who don't know think we were faking it? Keeping a low profile is never wrong.

Besides, didn't our company's overall combat merits get set quite well? Over two thousand enemies annihilated, and we counted a few extra heads for everyone; the brothers who died or were transferred also get a share of the credit. Also, shouldn't the artillery brothers get credit too? If it weren't for their artillery support, we would have died eight hundred times over.

What use is that title to me, you tell me? What's the difference between three hundred and sixty-five people and one thousand? It's better to realistically fight for some benefits for the brothers. The superiors know my contributions, and they won't shortchange me in the future; that's enough. As for you guys, you've also shared in the credit, and your future treatment will be better; that's enough too.

You don't know this, do you? This number was actually set by me and the superiors. How did it become 'counting heads for the New Year' in your mouth? Let me tell you, don't you guys go fighting for justice for me; let's leave it at this. Don't go blabbering about it outside. If this reaches the superiors' ears, it'll sound like I have complaints, which would really affect my future."

Wang Yan was, of course, not lying; on the contrary, he was exceptionally sincere. He was a man who didn't like to beat around the bush, and naturally, he was even more candid with these soldiers who didn't have much education.

Before arriving in Beijing, the Kunming Military Region had already held a commendation meeting, and the combat merits had already been tallied.

Just as he said, in this battle, he and his soldiers had distinguished themselves; the tallied number of enemies annihilated was at least two thousand, and this didn't even include the highlight moment when half a company held off a regiment of Vietnamese troops during the final retreat.

And the soldiers under Wang Yan were so in awe of him that whoever you asked, they all said they saw it and were counting heads. The conservative soldiers said over five hundred, the bold ones said over fifteen hundred, leaving the political workers tallying the numbers speechless.

Later, it was the superiors who found Wang Yan and discussed making the final tally of combat merits. They came up with three hundred and sixty-five people and over two thousand enemies annihilated. In fact, once a certain level is reached, the exact number doesn't have much significance.

Just like now, let alone three hundred and sixty-five, even with two thousand enemies annihilated, for a company-level combat unit, it was quite an exaggeration.

Regardless of whether others believe it or not, the superiors clearly knew that the tallied number was not the total for Wang Yan and his soldiers, and that was enough. The benefits for the soldiers who had braved life and death were all there.

As for Wang Yan himself, it wasn't that important. If the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam had originally been a defeat and was won because of his participation, that would be important. Now, it was just icing on the cake; for the soldiers under him, it meant fewer deaths and injuries. As for his personal future, Wang Yan naturally didn't care.

Even when there was no war, he already had quite a few connections in the military. Now that he had fought a war, it simply meant he had gained the respect of more people, and of course, it added weight to his words. The next time he wrote his "My Observations" on the Vietnam War, the attention it received would inevitably be different; after all, he had proven that he really knew how to fight and could fight.

Company commander, political instructor—these were the highest-ranking officers who charged at the front during battle. It wasn't that there were no battalion commanders, but relatively speaking, the opportunities for a battalion commander to appear were simply too few. As the highest-ranking officer in frontline combat, the things involved were naturally multifaceted. The coordination between various units under his command, the deployment of personnel, even the simplest things like eating and resting, all had their own ways.

At the same time, one had to be brave. From ancient times to the present, officers have always led the charge in battle. Our army's fine tradition has always been maintained: if there's an officer, the officer goes; if there's no officer, the Party member goes; if there's no Party member, whoever has the most prestige goes.

Wang Yan was able to lead his team to fight on the front line all along and lead a company to achieve exaggerated results; his abilities in all aspects were absolutely top-notch. He had the ability to command subordinates, combat ability, adaptability, and the ability to capture the dynamics of the local battlefield. After this battle, no one would doubt Wang Yan's combat proficiency.

But if there were no war and he simply went to speak, the superiors wouldn't ignore him either. If it made sense, it made sense; if it was right, it was right. It was just that there were some differences in priority.

In the great tide of the era, these small differences didn't have much impact on the overall situation; after all, the superiors weren't just sitting around doing nothing.

Unlike Wang Yan, there was Company Commander Yang sitting on the side. When he heard others calling "Company Commander," he turned his head subconsciously, but seeing his own soldiers chatting and laughing with Wang Yan, the feeling in his heart was indescribable.

What was this? This was a power grab! He dared to say for certain that if this were ancient times, a player like Wang Yan would definitely be a great rebel who had the yellow robe thrust upon him.

Wang Yan didn't know what Company Commander Yang was thinking, and if he did, he would likely just laugh it off. If he were truly a rebel, his nearly twenty-jin head would be full of rebellious bones...

After listening to Wang Yan, the soldiers chattered for a while longer, but quieted down after being scolded by Wang Yan twice. How could they not know that Wang Yan had their best interests at heart? They were just habitually loose-lipped. Wang Yan was used to being all smiles and joking around with them, so they were all very close. Otherwise, Company Commander Yang wouldn't have felt so uncomfortable.

Actually, Wang Yan was very clear about Company Commander Yang's situation; it was the superior who told him. They said these soldiers had gone out for a round of fighting with him and were all very arrogant; if it weren't for the fact that Company Commander Yang had been in charge before and his words were barely effective, others really wouldn't be able to handle them. But even this Company Commander Yang was filing reports, wanting to be transferred to another unit...

To be honest, Wang Yan felt quite embarrassed. He actually had no way to say anything to these soldiers; that would only make the soldiers misunderstand, thinking Company Commander Yang was incompetent and was snitching everywhere, which would further affect unity.

As they chatted, a soldier shouted: "Company Commander, I remember when you told us about Beijing before, you said Beijing's roast duck and instant-boiled mutton were delicious?"

"Oh, you're putting me on the spot," Wang Yan said. "How about this, we still have to rest for a day after we get to Beijing. Once we get off the train, I'll go to the restaurant to make arrangements and have them prepare in advance, and then I'll treat our brothers from the Kunming Military Region to roast duck and instant-boiled mutton."

"Hey, how much would that cost? Do you have that much? Let's all chip in, tasting it is enough," Battalion Commander Liu waved his hand repeatedly.

"Yeah, Company Commander, there are over five hundred of us on this trip. I didn't say I wanted you to pay for everyone. Even if you wanted to, you wouldn't have that much. The Battalion Commander is right, let's all chip in and taste it. Then when we talk to people later, we can say we've been to Beijing and eaten the local specialties, right?"

The soldier who shouted earlier spoke very clearly and directly, almost writing "I want to brag" on his forehead.

Wang Yan stood up and laughed loudly at the soldiers: "Did you guys forget that I'm also a writer?"

"Writers don't have that much money, do they? I heard it's all calculated by the character?"

"After the manuscript fee system was restored, my manuscript fee was set at seven yuan per thousand characters. The meaning is very simple: every thousand characters I write is worth seven yuan, and anything less than a thousand is counted as a thousand. You also know that I've written quite a few books over the years, and I have over seven million characters to date. Have you calculated how much money that is? Fifty thousand! I'm a genuinely wealthy man. Do you think our five hundred brothers from the Kunming Military Region could eat me into poverty?"

Wang Yan didn't care about his wealth being exposed; after all, it was all clean money, so there was nothing bad to say. People were actually curious about his income, just too embarrassed to ask.

Sure enough, after he finished speaking, the temperature in the carriage dropped by two degrees, and you could hear a pin drop... well, not quite that exaggerated, after all, trains didn't have air conditioning at that time, and it was mid-summer, so the windows were all open, and the *clack-clack* sound was still there.

"It's settled then, everyone eat until you're full," Wang Yan added.

At this moment, the carriage suddenly became noisy again.

"Company Commander, then how much interest do you get on your savings in a year?"

"Company Commander, are all you writers that rich?"

"Company Commander, do I look like a writer to you?"

The group arrived in the capital in high spirits. Wang Yan kept his word and didn't leave with the main force, but went to Donglaishun first to reserve a meal for tomorrow noon, and then went to Quanjude and other roast duck restaurants to order over five hundred roast ducks, planning to bring them to Donglaishun tomorrow noon to eat together. The soldiers were big eaters; one duck per person, and they could still eat two jin of mutton.

Afterward, he bought quite a few things and went to his three-courtyard mansion in Shichahai.

"What's wrong? It's only been a year, don't you recognize me anymore?"

Wang Yan carried a pile of things, turned the shadow wall, crossed the archway, and looked with a smile at the two girls who were listlessly flipping through books at the stone table and staring blankly at him when they heard the commotion.

"You bastard, I've finally caught you." Hao Shuwen stomped over in a few steps and slapped Wang Yan hard on the back, making a *thud* sound.

"Hiss..." Wang Yan looked like he was in great pain and moved away from her, "Why are you using such lethal force? It has to be Xiao Suizi who's good, knowing to help me carry things."

It was Xiao Xiao Suizi, who had come over together, looking at Wang Yan with watery eyes and reaching out to help Wang Yan carry the things.

Hearing this, Xiao Xiao Suizi also stopped her movements and slapped Wang Yan crossly: "You're too reckless, the battlefield is so dangerous. You don't know, every time I thought about you fighting for your life on the battlefield, I... woo~"

As she spoke, she couldn't continue and burst into tears.

Wang Yan hurriedly put the things in his hands on the stone table, reached out to cup Xiao Xiao Suizi's face, and wiped away her gushing tears: "What did I say? Don't worry about things that haven't happened, don't scare yourself. Look, aren't I perfectly fine? Standing here alive and well, without a single scratch."

Xiao Xiao Suizi didn't speak, leaned in two steps, and sobbed against Wang Yan's chest.

With crying on one side, the other side naturally wouldn't be any better.

Hao Shuwen must have been just as terrified, but seeing the two of them hugging in front of her, there was inevitably an indescribable bitterness and grievance. In short, with all sorts of feelings welling up in her heart, her big eyes also broke their dams, and she stood there crying.

Perhaps the trouble of having many women lies here too. Wang Yan actually likes the process of going deep and coming out shallow, and of course, the fusion of souls is indispensable, but after coaxing women so many times, it's inevitable to feel a bit exhausted.

However, he didn't show it at all on his face. Wang Yan hugged Xiao Xiao Suizi and moved a step, then conveniently pulled Hao Shuwen into his arms as well. Both girls were buried in his chest, *woo woo woo woo woo*, still very noisy.

"Alright, alright, didn't I come back perfectly fine?"

Wang Yan touched their faces with one hand each, speaking with great righteousness, "When I requested to go to the front, the superiors also tried to persuade me, but I insisted. At the time, I said that there would be casualties on the battlefield. I am also a soldier, all born of fathers and mothers, all with heads on our shoulders; I am no different from the other soldiers. They had no choice; whether they could go or not, they had to go. Why should I stay in the rear?

Besides, I have such a great reputation, known as the invincible fighter of the Kunming Military Region. With the soldiers fighting for their lives on the battlefield, if I stayed in the rear with such a big reputation, wouldn't that be too inappropriate? Furthermore, I've written so many heroic stories, all about real men; how could I not have the ambition to serve the country? This is just this once; I probably won't be able to go to the battlefield in the future.

Oh, right, you two don't know yet. The combat merits have all been tallied. In the end, it was determined that I personally killed three hundred and sixty-five Vietnamese monkeys, and I led a company of soldiers to annihilate over two thousand enemies and capture eighty-nine enemy troops, including the regimental commander, political commissar, staff officers, and confidential personnel—the highest-ranking enemy officers captured in this battle.

The superiors have revealed to me that at this commendation meeting, they are going to give me the honorary title of Special Combat Hero and award me a Special Merit. Isn't that a great thing?

There's an even better thing to tell you. Remember what I said when I persuaded you to go to college before? The military is going to be reorganized and downsized. After this battle, this is already a certainty, and the art troupe won't last another two years. So, I'm preparing to be transferred to work in Beijing."

As soon as these words were spoken, both sobbing girls raised their heads, blinking their eyes at him, and asked in unison: "Really?"

"Of course, when have I ever lied to you? However..." Wang Yan took a turn.

"I really want to write this battle into a book, and I also need to write down the lessons learned for the superiors to see. I already told you about this in my previous letters. Next, I have to perform in all the regimental units of the participating troops to understand the situation, but it won't take too long, a year or so should be about right. By then, the art troupe's affairs will definitely be settled, and I will have reached the end of my time there, and then I'll be transferred to Beijing."

"That's still such a long time away, what are you talking about." Hao Shuwen's eyes were red, and her pretty face was also red. As she spoke, she slapped Wang Yan crossly again and broke free from his embrace.

"Exactly, why do you have to go perform? They will definitely summarize the detailed situation. Can't you just file a report to request access to the materials?"

"There are always discrepancies. What they summarize and what the soldiers and leaders recount are always different. I'm not writing a report; although what I'm writing is also a battlefield chronicle, it's inevitable to have some artistic processing without violating the facts. I heard from the soldiers that you gain more from listening to them than from reading the materials."

"You just want to drag it out, drag it out until we're old maids..." Xiao Xiao Suizi's words were full of resentment.

This was normal; who could be with a man like Wang Yan and not have resentment?

Without waiting for Wang Yan to speak, Hao Shuwen on the side shouted: "I say, that's enough, how long are you two going to hug?"

Xiao Xiao Suizi wasn't flustered, slapped Wang Yan's chest lightly, and took the opportunity to break free from his embrace, wiping her tears herself.

"Alright, you wipe your tears too. Didn't you say you wanted to eat the braised pork I make? Today, let's have a good meal. Don't just stand there, hurry up and tidy up the vegetables. I'll make another trip; I bought quite a few things."

Wang Yan greeted them, turned around and went out again, and made another trip to the car parked on the side of the road to get the things.

The two girls looked at each other in silence, but their eyes were exchanging glances, as if they had many things hidden...