————————————————————Author: Rao Hongqiao, Major General——————————————————

I knew Liang's motherland 30 years ago. When I first met him, he took a few small press releases for me to recommend to the newspaper, giving people the impression that he was very daring and very pursuing. Because he also broke through like this back then, he regarded this soldier as the same way and was willing to help him. But I thought, how far can a big-headed soldier go? Publish a few small drafts, make a meritorious contribution to join the party, and it's almost the same. After that, I didn't see any reports about him, and one moment I heard that he was promoted, one moment I heard that he made a TV series and was praised by the national leaders, and another time I heard that he was awarded the rank of colonel by the national leaders, and he continued to impress people. Many years later, when I saw him again, I felt that I had indeed become a great weapon, with the temperament of an artist and a celebrity. How did he get over the past 30 years? After reading his book, which is similar to an autobiography, I realized that he was really not easy, and he was really amazing.

His fighting spirit is the most remarkable. This book can be regarded as an inspirational masterpiece. As a soldier who enlisted in the army from the countryside, I am very familiar with all the experiences in the book, as well as the joys, sorrows and sorrows expressed, just like I have experienced it myself, which makes me feel a resonance from the bottom of my heart. Soldiers like me and the motherland have no hope but struggle. The only thing that the family can give is a word of encouragement, "Go to the army and do a good job." This sentence contains a lot of their expectations, and you must strive to move forward under their expectant gaze. And thanks to the troops, thanks to this big school. To this day, joining the army and going to university are still the preferred paths for rural young people to change their living conditions and those of their families. Perhaps because there are too many such people gathered in the army, the environment in which they struggle is particularly harsh and relatively fair: whoever can endure hardships the most, work hardest, suffer grievances, and persevere, will be able to make people look up to them.

Mr. Liang Heng, an essayist, told the story of how a stone turned into an eagle in one of his philosophical essays: the sculptor carved an ordinary stone into a lifelike eagle with wings ready to fly, and the audience was amazed. The sculptor said that there was already an eagle in the stone, and I just removed the excess and it flew out. Liang Heng explained: The atomic bomb exploded because there was atomic energy in the nucleus; Plants germinate because there is life in the seeds. It doesn't explode or sprout because it has a superfluous shell, and if we remove this shell, it can realize its value. Now it seems that Liang Guoguo is the person who removes the superfluous part of the stone, the person who removes the superfluous shell of himself, the person who allows himself to fly out of the stone and realize the value of his life.

From this, I thought of the Internet phrase that has been very popular recently-Shenma is all floating clouds. This online phrase seems to have aroused strong resonance among people, and it seems that people have seen everything openly, looked down on it, explained it and understood it very thoroughly. After reading Liang Guoguo's book, I thought of this online saying, and I suddenly felt that I didn't agree with this statement. Just imagine, if there were no more than 30 years of struggle, would the Liang motherland be today's Liang motherland? Definitely not! And most likely a real floating cloud! The current Liang motherland should be a star above the floating clouds, a star that tramples the floating clouds under his feet and persistently runs according to his own orbit! No matter what the power, no matter how much power, to throw this star out of orbit, it is impossible. The setbacks, losses, failures, and rises he experienced illustrate this. And the one who sees everything as a floating cloud is the one who lives under the floating cloud.

The older generation said that every star in the vast universe should deal with everyone in the world. People only see stars, not stars that are not in sight. In fact, before a certain star was discovered, it existed, that is, it was running and glowing. Whether you find it or not, he's there. Although it is not very dazzling, it also appears from time to time. Liang Guoguo is such a star.

(Note: The author is Rao Hongqiao, a well-known journalist inside and outside the military and deputy editor-in-chief of the People's Liberation Army Daily, Major General)

February 28, 2011