On the Road to Enlistment

In the autumn of 1971, the vast land of North China was filled with the signs of a bumper harvest. Endless fields of corn stretched as far as the eye could see. In a village under Wanghai Commune in Jizhou County, Hengshui Prefecture, Hebei Province, more than two thousand people lived. The village extended roughly two li from east to west and one li from south to north. Most of its houses had been built with blue bricks facing the outside, and they stood in an uneven jumble.

Li Qibing, who lived at the eastern end of the village, officially joined the army that day. He was eighteen years old, tall and broad-shouldered, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and large, bright eyes. Dressed in a green military uniform and cap, with a green kit bag in his hand, he waved goodbye to his parents as he walked toward the main road south of the village.

Before long, Qibing climbed aboard a tractor sent by the commune. Several other young men in military uniforms were already seated on the trailer behind it, and the commune head was there as well. Transportation was inconvenient in those days; an entire commune might not possess more than a few tractors. Thus Qibing set out with the commune head and the other recruits for the county armed forces department to report for duty.

The road to the county town was almost perfectly flat. Apart from two earthen embankments built by hand during the great flood of 1963 and the broad banks of the Fuyang River, there was nothing but boundless yellow earth.

About half an hour later, the tractor arrived safely in front of the county armed forces department and switched off its engine. The commune head hurriedly called for Qibing and the others to get down. By then, the other communes had gradually delivered all their recruits as well.

The sun had risen high, and rays of morning light fell upon the young men, making their green uniforms appear even brighter and more striking. Qibing looked around curiously. At that moment, a young soldier strode toward the recruits with an imposing air. He was Li He, the recruiting squad leader. He was about the same height as Qibing, though slightly thinner, with smaller eyes.

Li He ordered all the recruits to assemble, then called out their names in a loud, resonant voice. Two middle-aged men soon emerged from the armed forces department. One was Chen Zhi, an instructor from the Xingtai Field Unit; the other was the director of the armed forces department. After exchanging a few polite words, the director delivered a farewell speech to the recruits, encouraging them to follow the Party and become qualified soldiers devoted to serving the people.

At last, Instructor Zhang shook hands with the director and said goodbye. He then ordered Li He to have all the recruits board the vehicles. Afterward, the instructor and Li He led the young men straight to Hengshui Railway Station.

Built in 1941, Hengshui Railway Station was known as “the First Great Station South of Beijing” and was an important transportation hub in Hebei Province. It lay more than three hundred kilometers from Beijing and Tianjin and over one hundred kilometers from Shijiazhuang. As a result, railway lines extended in every direction from Hengshui.

The station entrance faced due south. On the left were small restaurants and shops selling breakfast and snacks; on the right stood several simply furnished inns. This was what Hengshui Station looked like in the early 1970s.

Usually, the station was quiet and deserted, and the ticket inspectors wore dull, wooden expressions. But today it was full of life. A red banner had been hung in front of the station bearing several conspicuous words:

“Warmly Sending Off the New Recruits!”

Several officials from Hengshui had arrived early. They stood gazing intently beyond the station, proud smiles on their faces. Their hometown had once again sent a group of young men into the army, and they themselves felt honored beyond measure.

An hour later, Instructor Zhang, Li He, and the recruits arrived at Hengshui Railway Station. Li He ordered everyone to get down and form two orderly rows. The recruits then listened to a speech by the local government officials. Afterward, Li He called out the head count in a ringing voice and ordered everyone into the station.

Instructor Zhang smiled as he thanked the local officials and said goodbye, expressing his gratitude for their strong support of the recruiting effort.

Qibing and the others boarded a train running from Tianjin to Xi’an. The train passed through Hengshui, and they needed only to ride as far as Shijiazhuang North Station before transferring to a train bound for Xingtai.

Once aboard, the recruits were assigned a separate carriage. The army had contacted the railway authorities beforehand, so the carriage had been reserved especially for them. The sun was already high overhead, and the carriage gradually grew hot and stuffy.

Qibing gazed out through the window. Under the blazing sun, endless fields of corn stretched toward the horizon. Their leaves were slowly changing from green to golden yellow. He suddenly remembered working beside his father in the fields—the sun beating down overhead and sweat soaking through their clothes. Those days now seemed to have receded far into the distance. He had boarded a train bound for the army, and before him lay boundless dreams and hopes of military life.

A little over an hour later, the instructor called Li He aside and whispered a few words to him. Soon afterward, Li He came to the center of the carriage and spoke loudly.

“Comrades, the instructor and I have received orders. Our next stop is Shijiazhuang North Station. The army leadership has instructed us to eat there before transferring to the train for Xingtai. Is that clear?”

Since all the recruits came from the countryside and had little experience of the outside world, no one answered. Li He repeated what he had said, and only then did everyone reply together:

“Understood!”

Li He continued, “When we get off the train in a while, do not jostle with the civilians. Maintain formation and leave the carriage in an orderly manner. Now check your hand luggage carefully. Do not leave anything behind.”

Once everything had been arranged, Li He mechanically lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. He stood perfectly straight at the junction between the carriages, his intelligent eyes gazing through the window toward the distant horizon.

Ten minutes later, the train slowly came to a halt at Shijiazhuang North Station. The station had formerly been called Beijiao Station and had been built in 1958. Located in Xinhua District, it occupied an area of approximately 480 square meters. It played an important role in the nation’s economic development by connecting the east with the west and the north with the south.

As soon as the train stopped, Li He ordered everyone to stand, take their bags, and leave the carriage in an orderly fashion, repeatedly reminding them not to jostle the civilians.

Instructor Zhang had already gotten off because he needed to meet the railway officials and quickly arrange a meal for all the recruits. The army had contacted the railway authorities in advance and asked them to make all the necessary preparations. Instructor Zhang would pay for the meal himself.

This arrangement saved time. They had only half an hour before they had to board the train for Xingtai.

Nothing in life was perfect, and neither was the road ahead. It was rough and unpredictable, forcing people to drift with the current. Yet Qibing fought to break free even as the current carried him along. In doing so, he was about to embark upon a glorious military career.

While Li He was leading the recruits through their meal at Shijiazhuang North Station, Qibing went to the restroom because his stomach was bothering him. When he returned, Instructor Zhang, Li He, and all the other recruits had disappeared.

Qibing was stunned. He immediately ran to the boarding area and searched frantically for any sign of them, but all he saw were ordinary civilians waiting to travel.

A station employee noticed him pacing back and forth and quickly approached.

“Comrade, which army unit are you with?” he asked suspiciously.

Sweat broke out on Qibing’s forehead. He looked at the station official and answered timidly, “Which unit? I’m not sure. Today is my first day in the army. I got separated from the others during the meal.”

After speaking, he continued scanning the station. Still, he could not find Li He or any of the other recruits. Fear gripped him, and he stood there utterly helpless.

The station official took Qibing inside and told him to sit still. He then quickly reported the matter to the local police station, suspecting that Qibing might be a suspicious person.

Ten minutes later, two middle-aged police officers arrived. After scrutinizing Qibing with grave expressions, they took him to the police station. Throughout the journey, Qibing’s heart pounded with anxiety. He was terrified that he would be sent back to his hometown. If his dream of joining the army were shattered, how could he bear the pain?

At the police station, Qibing was taken into an empty room. Not long afterward, the two officers entered and began questioning him suspiciously.

One of them asked why he was alone at the station.

“I got separated from my unit,” Qibing replied.

The officer obviously did not believe him. He looked at Qibing and gave a contemptuous smile.

“Which army unit are you serving in?”

“I only know that I’m supposed to take the train from here to Xingtai. I don’t know which unit I’m joining.”

The other officer spoke sharply. “Are you trying to desert?”

At those words, Qibing shot to his feet.

“Who wants to desert? I’m not a deserter!”

The two officers saw that the situation was not what they had assumed and hurried to report to the station chief.

When the chief heard what had happened, he realized that it was no small matter. He immediately reported it to the local government. The government officials, in turn, ordered the station authorities to check whether a recruiting contingent had taken the afternoon train from there to Xingtai.

The result confirmed that a recruiting group had eaten at the station and then boarded the train to Xingtai.

Once everything became clear, the government officials urgently instructed the local armed forces department to identify the unit to which Qibing was supposed to report. Without delay, they telephoned the army and explained that, while returning from recruiting in Hengshui, the unit had lost a new recruit at Shijiazhuang North Station. They requested that the army send someone to collect him immediately.

The person who answered the call was Regiment Commander Wang. He was over fifty, had fought in battle, taken part in the Huaihai Campaign, and received numerous military honors.

The commander had a notoriously explosive temper. After hanging up, he flew into a rage and shouted hoarsely, “Xiao Zhang! Xiao Zhang!”

Xiao Zhang, the commander’s orderly, hurried over and saluted.

The commander glared at him. “Go and see whether Zhang Zhi has returned from recruiting. Tell him to come here immediately!”

Having received his orders, Xiao Zhang dashed out. The commander paced angrily around the room, muttering and cursing under his breath.

By then, dusk had begun to fall, and scattered stars were appearing in the darkening sky. Not far away, a military camp stood prominently beneath the heavens. It occupied an area roughly five kilometers around and lay at the foot of the Taihang Mountains.

The camp gate faced directly west, with a broad, unobstructed view before it. About half a kilometer away stood a lofty mountain peak. On the left side of the gate, several large black characters had been mounted in three-dimensional relief:

“Xingtai Field Unit.”

A sentry in a green uniform stood rigidly before the gate, rifle in hand. A red flag bearing five stars hung from the tall flagpole above the entrance, fluttering whenever a light breeze passed.

Looking deep into the compound, one could see countless barracks, with a few white poplar trees growing around them. Farther in, on a broad open stretch of ground, were approximately ten Liberation trucks, jeeps, army motorcycles, and several Soviet tanks. Guard posts had been arranged all around the camp.

This was the army in which Qibing was to serve—though something had gone wrong on his journey there.

Just as the commander’s orderly, Xiao Zhang, was rushing to find Instructor Chen, two Liberation trucks appeared in the distance, their headlights shining brilliantly. Their heavy engines grew louder and louder. Before long, the trucks sped up to the camp and slowly came to a halt.

Instructor Chen, Li He, and all the recruits were aboard.

Instructor Chen hurriedly climbed down. The sentry saluted, then opened the camp gates, allowing both trucks to enter. At the instructor’s direction, the drivers took the vehicles to the open ground behind the barracks.

The instructor and Li He quickly got down. The instructor lit a cigarette and ordered Li He to have all the recruits leave the trucks and form four rows. Li He took out the enlistment roster and prepared to check the head count.

He began calling the names.

“Li Jun!”

“Present!”

“Hu Yiping!”

“Present!”

“Liu Rui!”

“Present!”

“Ran Feng!”

“Present!”

“Jiang Bin!”

“Present!”

He continued until he reached Li Qibing’s name. No one answered.

Li He called the name again, but there was still no response. Only then did he realize that one recruit was missing.

A sense of dread swept over him. He nervously recalled that there had been forty recruits at Hengshui Railway Station, and forty again when they got off at Shijiazhuang North Station. Could one of them have disappeared during the meal?

While Li He stood there, unsettled and distracted, Xiao Zhang approached him, saluted, and asked, “Squad Leader Li, where is Instructor Chen? The commander is urgently asking to see him!”

Li He immediately hurried over to the instructor and whispered, “Instructor, one of the recruits we collected is missing.”

“One is missing? How could that happen?”

Instructor Chen snatched the enlistment roster from Li He’s hands and counted the names himself. Sure enough, one recruit was absent.

Xiao Zhang was still urging the instructor to go and see the commander. At that moment, Chen Ping seemed to understand why the commander wanted him. For an instructor to make such a basic mistake—what a disgrace. He could only leave himself to the commander’s judgment.

Instructor Chen ordered Li He to arrange quarters for the recruits, then went to see the commander.

Commander Wang was smoking and pacing around the room. One moment he was slamming his hand on the table; the next he was cursing someone. He was furious beyond words.

At that moment, a tall, lean man with dark skin, a square face, and bright, piercing eyes entered the room. He appeared to be about forty-five years old. He was Liu Zilong, commander of the First Battalion.

Like Commander Wang, he had fought in battle, taken part in numerous campaigns, and distinguished himself through great military achievements.

He mechanically saluted the commander, casually lit a cigarette, and sat down in a chair to smoke. After glancing at Commander Wang, he asked, “Old Wang, did you want to see me?”

The commander took another drag and looked at Liu. “I do. You’ll know soon enough.”

At that moment, someone outside called loudly, “Reporting!”

The commander recognized Chen Ping’s voice and cursed, “Chen Ping, get in here!”

Chen Ping entered and saluted. He did not dare raise his head to look at the commander. Knowing that he had returned from recruiting with one recruit missing, he was too ashamed to meet anyone’s eyes.

The commander slammed his hand on the table and angrily pointed at him.

“Is this your first time recruiting? One of the recruits is missing, and you didn’t even know! The local government has called me directly about it!”

He finished speaking, angrily crushed the cigarette he had nearly smoked to the end, and glared at Chen Ping.

When Chen Ping heard that the local authorities had called, he summoned his courage.

“Commander, where is the recruit now? I’ll go bring him back.”

The commander exploded again and pointed at him.

“In your dreams! You’d better reflect on this properly!”

Sitting to one side, Battalion Commander Liu now understood the situation: Chen Ping had returned from recruiting with one recruit missing.

The commander picked up another cigarette and handed it to Liu Zilong, then courteously lit it for him.

“You’ll have to make the trip yourself, Battalion Commander Liu, and bring that recruit back.”

Liu Zilong smiled. “Old Wang, I knew you wouldn’t summon me for anything good.”

He accepted the assignment and left while smoking. Because of his failure in the recruiting effort, Chen Ping was immediately demoted one rank and sent to a company for further training, as a warning to others.

That night, Battalion Commander Liu and Li He drove a jeep to Xingtai Railway Station. They took an electric streetcar capable of carrying more than thirty people and went to bring Qibing back to the unit.

By the time Qibing finally arrived at the army camp, it was the middle of the night. He had never imagined that his journey into military service would be so full of twists and hardships.