Peng Tao suddenly realized, but the doubts in his heart were not solved, he found that what really frightened him was not the result of this attack, but the action itself: when the whole company was killed and wounded, the attack stopped, and he knew that the terrain of the main peak was treacherous, and there were Soviet heavy machine guns guarding it, to attack was death, and if he didn't attack, why did Shang Yujun and them still risk death to attack? Doesn't Shang Yujun know how to cherish his life?! and Liu Zongsheng. It was from the army commander's assessment of the first day of the battle that he better understood the significance of the battle fought by the 5 battalion of the 3 regiment in the area of the 632 heights. Without this battalion appearing in this area, or if this battalion was about to collapse under the attack of the Soviet troops at Xilian Mountain and Vulture Ridge, the fate of the 4th Regiment being annihilated in the area of Heights 001 would be difficult to change, and the 1st Ridge would be attacked head-on, and he could not guarantee that he would really be able to hold such a long mountain beam.

Not only is the team led by Liu Zongsheng a mystery, but Liu Zongsheng himself is even more a mystery: if he hadn't personally used a heavy machine gun to disintegrate the threat of reinforcements from the direction of Xilian Mountain to the 3rd Battalion and 9th Company of the 5th Regiment in the direction of the 634 High Ground, the 9th Company would have been wiped out in the afternoon of the same day, and Shang Yujun and the others would not have had the opportunity to attack the main peak, so not only would they not be able to take the 634 Heights, but the 633, 632 and even 631 Heights would have been immediately attacked by the Soviet army, and the consequences would have been unimaginable. How did this person, who was not good-looking, not highly educated, and who did not speak well, bring out such a team that could fight evil battles? How could you bring out a platoon commander and soldiers like Shang Yujun and the other 6 people? Also, late that night, he did not let the troops attack the 634 Heights, and he was wounded in the neck, so why did he go to the northwest side of the 634 Heights to open a passage in the minefield and go to the high ground? Didn't he expect that if he was not careful, he would die in a minefield or on the 634 heights? What is his purpose in doing this? Peng Tao couldn't find an answer, so he couldn't help but accept the following answer that shocked him: Liu Zongsheng and Shang Yujun were both good, and they both wanted to die bravely in their final actions. Not for victory, but only to perform the duty of a soldier for the last time, to die heroically!

It was at this time that his heart fell into a deep inferiority complex and self-blame. In the past, he always thought that he was the most heroic and outstanding soldier, but now he found that not only compared with Liu Zongsheng and Shang Yujun, but also compared with any of the most ordinary soldiers in the 3rd Battalion of the 5th Regiment, he was not only not heroic and outstanding, but he was not even a qualified soldier. He saw the loyalty, bravery, and loftiness of others, but at the same time his own selfishness, cowardice, and insignificance, which were contrary to the self-esteem, pride, and heroism of his life, and which he himself could not bear.

The war was not over, and after a short respite, the Soviet army became fiercely entangled with the Chinese army, and every day there were battles on the front-line positions. At this time, Peng Tao began to show a surprising new style: in the past, he liked to give orders from the command post, but now as soon as there was a situation on the position, he would rush there in person, squat in the trench with the soldiers, drink raw water, and lie in the bunker to participate in the battle. He had long been not afraid of the small red and white flags on both sides of the path to the battlefield, nor of the mines and artillery fire laid by the Soviet army. His new style of work is a practical requirement -- he must resolutely defend every inch of his position, and he must command directly on the position, and his heart will be more steady.

It is the desire that swells up in the heart of inferiority and fierce self-condemnation. "Your life is not more precious than others," he often said to himself, to ward off the premonitions of death that surged up from time to time in battle, "even if you can't be as heroic as Liu Zongsheng and Shang Yujun, at least don't be scared half to death by the Soviet army!" ...... "His new style brought him something that Peng Tao did not expect: every time he appeared on the battlefield, he would inspire the soldiers and inspire their bravery and sacrifice to win every battle." Peng Tao used to read historical books, and often did not understand some of the practices of a generation of famous generals Ma Fujun Zhao Hao and Fubo General Ma Yuan: every time they went on an expedition, they always put all the gold and silver rewarded by the king or emperor at the gate of their own house, and let the soldiers pick it up. And Li Guang, who is known as General Fei, always "eats as much as the soldiers eat" and "the soldiers drink as much as they do". Today, he felt in a trance that he had somewhat understood: the behavior of these famous generals could not be explained by a sentence of "encircling the hearts of soldiers", which was the basis of truly respecting soldiers and regarding soldiers as combat and victory. Suddenly, Peng Tao was excited to realize that he had just gained insight into the subtlety of the way of generals.

For him, the biggest gain is that he can finally understand Liu Zongsheng and Shang Yujun, and he can also understand the officers and soldiers of the grassroots troops like them. Liu Zongsheng represents a large number of people who have been difficult to understand and unable to grasp in the army for many years, and Shang Yujun represents a large number of newcomers who have an age gap with him and cannot be understood by him, whether it is Liu Zongsheng's bravery in the last war, or the heroic behavior of him and Shang Yujun in the recovery of the 634 Heights this time, it has become a mystery that makes his heart tremble afterwards. However, when he placed himself in the middle of the battlefield and ordinary soldiers, and he himself became an ordinary soldier in battle, these mysteries that he had never been able to find answers to in the past were answered.

“…… You can't understand them because you always think about everything from a personal point of view, including war and death, and without that point of view, you can't understand anything. Liu Zongsheng and Shang Yujun are different, they are not at all involved in every war for themselves, they enter the war purely in the sense of defending the motherland, and bear the heaviness, suffering and sacrifice of the war. …… What they show is not personal strength, but the deep, great, and forever invincible strength in the life of the Chinese nation, and it is this strength that enables this ancient nation to survive from generation to generation to overcome internal and external troubles, and will continue to survive forever, constantly creating and continuing its own glory. …… You think that you are outstanding, different, and have a special mission, and that war is a place for you to display your talents and realize your lofty ambitions, but in fact you are wrong, war is only a special way for a nation to show its strength and determination to another nation and to safeguard its own interests and dignity, and you are only a member of Liu Zongsheng and Shang Yujun, and your identity and mission are the same as theirs, and you are only defending the motherland with your own life in this historical era. This is the true destiny of being a soldier, and at the same time, it is also the glory of your life. …… You are not yourself, you are only a member of the Chinese nation, only like Liu Zongsheng and Shang Yujun, completely integrate yourself into the array of soldiers, you can have strength. ……”

On the 10th day of the war in the area of Mount Kibiv, the 3 regiment officially received the order to withdraw from the battlefield. At this time, Peng Tao, both in appearance and in heart, has been completely changed by the war: he no longer thinks that he is born heroic, but he is more heroic than ever; He no longer showed himself to be good in any way, but he was more outstanding than before; More importantly, the shallowness, arrogance, and violence that had dominated his life disappeared, and his heart became broad, deep, and soft, and he learned sympathy, pity, and understanding people and things from a completely new perspective, so that he suddenly had a demeanor that only a high-ranking military commander could have. It is an obvious fact that although Peng Tao did not die in this war, like many martyrs, the original Peng Tao disappeared forever.

Peng Tao, who had been on leave, set off for the capital after a more than a year's absence, stayed in a hotel arranged in advance by others, and told the commanders at all levels about the combat experience in the Kibiv Mountains area again and again as required. During this period, the Supreme High Command officially issued an order appointing him as the commander of the 16th Division. By the time he was finally able to leave the hotel and return home for a few days of rest, a month had passed.

In such a month, Peng Tao's own inner emotions have also changed a lot.

First of all, he received the rest that he had so much craving during the war, and his strength and energy were well restored; Second, the longer he moved from war to peace, the more difficult it was for the fierce emotions of war to remain in his heart. These feelings are: although he led his troops to victory in the Battle of No. 1 Ridge, and was regarded as a hero by the people in front and rear, in fact, it was difficult for others except him and his comrades-in-arms to understand all the tests and thoughts that this war had given them; Not only that, but when he returned to Yanjing, he also heard people use the phrase "a small battle" on different occasions to refer to this war in the mountains near Moscow, Peng Tao was not used to it at first, and felt harsh, in others it may be "a small battle", but in him he invested all of his life, even life itself, but then he had to get used to it, because even compared with the large and small battles currently being waged, the battle of Mount Kibiv can only be regarded as a "small battle"; Secondly, he has not lived in Yanjing for many years, but this time he came back and found that it had changed a lot, becoming more beautiful, more open and more fashionable, but it seemed strange and noisy to him, making him feel that he was not from Yanjing but like a foreigner.

On the day he returned to Yanjing, a general chief who first listened to his report, and then his own mother, all hinted to him: The real reason why he wanted to come to Yanjing this time was none other than because the senior chief said that he wanted to see him in person after listening to the report from the relevant departments.

For this reason, after reporting to the head of the headquarters, the authorities concerned did not let him go home, and his mother did not let him go back, but asked him to continue to wait for the chief to receive him in the headquarters guest house. The mother thinks that although her son is now a hero on the battlefield of Mount Kibif, he is only a hero, and if the commander can meet him alone, he will not be an ordinary hero, and his future in the military world is likely to be limitless.

The mother also told a secret on the phone: Peng Tao's father, General Peng Qingzhong, had a fairly close relationship with the commander during the war years. She asked Peng Tao to greet the chief for her when he met him, so that perhaps the chief could recall the hard years of the war years together. Peng Tao was a little impatient and determined not to do what his mother said. But since the chief said that he would meet him, and no one received a notice that the chief had canceled what he had said, he could only wait day by day at the guest house.

After a week of idleness, Peng Tao decided that the commander must have forgotten what he had said casually, and he was just about to call the relevant parties to express his opinion and ask to return to the battlefield, but he received an official notice that the commander wanted to see him that night.

Peng Tao became excited. His mother's words did not sound very pleasant to his ears, but when the chief really wanted to receive him, he immediately understood what a great honour it was for him.

From morning till night, he was going to report to his commander on the battle of Mount Kibiv, not to report how he fought bravely and well, but to tell him about the battle of the 634 heights, and about the deeds of the dead and living heroes.

He got in the car at 6 o'clock after dinner and left, still feeling that he was not better prepared. No; He was so excited.

A black "Dragon Flag" sedan silently passed through the silent streets and alleys, sending him into a familiar courtyard. So it will be like this, and later he thought that this kind of courtyard was familiar to him when he was a child: the wall outside the courtyard is red, which is very distinctive, and when the car drives in, you will find that there is actually a lot of space inside, with buildings with the same red appearance, some royal and antique gardens and flowers. The car came to a halt at the foot of the steps outside the door, and a staff officer led him out of the car, and through a long corridor covered with old carpets, he was ushered into the living room of the chief's house. The staff officer on duty told him to sit down and wait for a while, then he walked into a door at the other end of the living room and was gone.

Peng Tao sat down, trying to calm his excited heart, and looked at the living room of the chief's house. The living room was large, but it was no different from the large living room that his family once had, except for a new fuchsia carpet that covered all the floors in the ground. Compared to the living room of many of the chief's houses below, this chief's living room is too simple.

A waitress came silently, served him tea, nodded, and disappeared again.

Peng Tao waited for twenty minutes. These twenty minutes felt longer and more difficult for him than twenty years. He had come with excitement, and the long wait had tempered that excitement. He stood up and sat down, sat down and stood up again. For a moment, he suspected that he would be thrown here all the time, and not only would he not see the sir, but no one would even think of him again, and he would come out to greet him.

That's when the chief walked out. He suddenly walked out of the door at the other end of the living room, no one had warned Peng Tao beforehand, and no one followed the chief into the living room afterwards. Peng Tao stood up for the twentieth time at this moment, and he was a little overwhelmed when he saw that this chief, who would appear in the TV news almost every day, was standing far away in front of him. In the end, he reacted quickly, he "snapped" and stood upright, raised his hand to salute, and said loudly: "Report to the president, Peng Tao, the commander of the 16th Division of the Army, was ordered to come to see you!" ”

Yang Shuoming didn't answer him, he had clearly just eaten, his face was flushed, and his eyes were bright. After walking out of the door, he saw Peng Tao at a glance, he seemed to be taken aback and then thought of something, standing there, looking directly at Peng Tao for a while with those moist eyes that seemed to be covered with a layer of water, as if he wanted to see something from his face. Then, he relaxed and sat down on a single sofa near the door, waved to Peng Tao casually, like an adult greeting a child, and said, "Come here." …… You're the son of General Peng Qingzhong, right? It's kind of like. …… Okay, don't stand, sit down. ”

Peng Tao walked over and sat down on a sofa closer to Yang Shuoming than he had imagined. He didn't realize that he was so nervous and restrained in front of Yang Shuoming.

"How many days have you been?"

"Two weeks." Peng Tao sat up straight and took out the report materials he had prepared from the battle map, "President, should I report now?" ”

Yang Shuoming waved his hand slightly, still looking at him attentively.

"Hmm. …… No. I want you to come just to see you. …… You don't know, the year your mother gave birth to you, the milk was insufficient, and I also mailed your father milk powder. ”

Peng Tao's tears suddenly moistened. He didn't want to be "close" to Yang Shuoming, but Yang Shuoming took the initiative to bring up the old thing, and he couldn't help but be moved, and said what his mother asked him to say: "Uncle Yang, my mother asked me to say hello on her behalf." State affairs are busy, you should take care of your health. ”

Yang Shuoming let out an "oh" and smiled, the water in his eyes became brighter and brighter. At this time, he didn't look like Yang Shuoming, who was famous for his majesty, but like an ordinary elder. His other feeling was that he didn't need to report anything tonight, and Yang Shuoming might have long been clear about the war in the Kibiv Mountain area. The reason why he wanted to come by himself may really be just to meet the son of his old subordinate who had made a meritorious service in the battle of Mount Kibif.

"Is your mom okay?"

"She's fine."

"How many brothers and sisters are there?"

"Just me and my sister."

"Oh...... What does my sister do now? ”

"Working as a teacher in a middle school."

A pleasant, old-fashioned conversation that Peng Tao thought would last a long time was interrupted at the beginning. A staff officer of a fairly high level suddenly walked into the living room, walked up to Yang Shuoming without stopping, leaned over, and whispered something in Yang Shuoming's ear.

Yang Shuoming's face did not change. His expression was originally atmospheric, and the major affairs of the country and the world were under control, and now he still had such a look, but the little light like a light like oil paint that quietly floated on his face when he was talking to Peng Tao just now disappeared. Now he is as calm and majestic as people often see on TV, and there is a simple, cold, and daunting spiritual power that only people who shoulder the great responsibility of the world can have.

(To be continued)