Editor's note: Since the publication of the series of columns in Zhang Minggang's self-selected essay collection "Looking Back on Military Performance", it has continued to be well received by readers. As Mr. Fan Xi'an said in the prologue of "Looking Back on Military Performance": "In terms of his writing achievements, I think the highest level is reflected in his theoretical attainments. As a senior cadre of the party, Ming Gang has a very high theoretical attainment, he closely follows the pace of the party's theoretical innovation, closely combines the ideology and work reality, in-depth study, thinking, practice and understanding, many aspects of the insight is unique and profound, and good use of fresh and beautiful language, expound profound and novel truths, so that people are happy to accept, refreshing. Therefore, his articles have been widely used and disseminated, and not only have a large number of Internet readers, but also serve as learning materials for some units and party organizations. At the request of readers, China Shande Network will continue to reprint the series of articles in Zhang Minggang's self-selected anthology "Looking Back on Military Performance", please pay attention to and support!
After the People's Publishing House published and distributed Zhang Minggang, deputy director of a major general of a certain unit of the People's Liberation Army stationed in Beijing, deputy secretary of the party committee, secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, and director of the Supervision Commission, a collection of self-selected essays "Looking Back on Military Performance", it aroused widespread heated discussions among readers and was widely praised by mainstream media such as People's Daily, People's Daily Online, Xinhua News Agency, Military Daily, China News Service, China Youth Daily, and China Youth Network.
(Zhang Minggang, male, Han nationality, from Suizhou, Hubei, postgraduate degree, member of the Communist Party of China, with the rank of major general of the army.) He participated in the war and was awarded the title of "Outstanding Communist Party Member in the Front Line" and was directly promoted to officer by a soldier on the front line)
The book consists of three volumes, "The Light of Theory," "The Voice of the Barracks," and "The Window of the Soul," and contains 183 representative theoretical articles, news works, and literary works published by the author Zhang Minggang over the past 40 years in the army, with a total of 550,000 words. More than 30 of these articles have won awards or been selected as teaching models, and some of them have been reprinted more than 100 times on online platforms with more than 10 million views.
In October 2022, after the first edition of the book came out, it was highly praised and loved by Tie Ning, Shao Huaze, Sun Xiaoyun, Sun Jilian, Xu Guixiang, Fan Xi'an and other masters in the current literary circles in mainland China. The second edition will be released in January 2023, and as of August 2023, it has been the sixth printing of the fourth edition in less than one year, with a cumulative print run of more than 120,000 copies. In February 2023, the Youth Development Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League and the People's Publishing House, together with the author Zhang Minggang, jointly donated more than 10,000 copies of "Looking Back on Military Performance" to more than 1,000 high schools across the country, which was warmly welcomed by the majority of young teachers and students across the country.
Tie Ning, chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and chairman of the China Writers Association, said: "Reading "Looking Back on Military Performance", I feel that Comrade Ming Gang writes with sincerity and sincerity the vivid and progressive road from a rural boy to a border soldier to a general of the republic. His extraordinary diligence, his awe, passion, and vigor for his career, as well as his simple and affectionate descriptions of his homeland, relatives, and comrades-in-arms, are permeated in a wide range of themes and chapters, from which readers can see the heroic posture and style of a dreamer of the times with flesh and blood, courage and responsibility. ”
General Sun Jilian, former vice chairman of the China Journalists Association and former editor-in-chief of the People's Liberation Army Daily, said: "Ming Gang is a master of writing, a fast hand, and a generalist, and can be called a miscellaneous family...... The book "Looking Back on Military Performance" is the culmination of Ming Gang's 40 years of hard work, wisdom and sweat. ”
Xu Guixiang, vice chairman of the Chinese Writers Association and director of the Military Literature Committee of the China Writers Association, said: "In my opinion, 'Looking Back on Military Performance' can be used as a teaching material for life, study, and work in the barracks. ”
Fan Xi'an, former counselor of the State Council and former principal person in charge of Sanlian Bookstore, said: "I feel that Ming Gang's anthology has textbook significance, which is not only suitable for ordinary readers, but also suitable for party members and cadres, journalists, theoretical workers, literature lovers, and veteran cadres and workers to read. ”
【Learning Summary】Zhang Minggang's "Military Shoes Looking Back· Window of the Soul Volume" "On-site Direct Hit" Section of "Zero Point Sentry Post"
(This article was originally published in Heilongjiang Daily, April 2, 1985, page 3, right headline)
Zero sentry position
This is a snow-soaked border post on the northeastern frontier of the motherland.
It was a great honor that after some "hard fighting", my name was finally filled in at 0:00 a.m. on the sentry list on February 20.
It's 0:00 a.m. on the first day of the Lunar New Year! At the special moment of saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new, winter to spring, I am proud to stand guard for the motherland and the people, I am proud!
It's really not easy to win this post! I have been in the army for three years, and two more recruits came after me, but the old squad leader still treats me as a recruit and protects me everywhere. During the New Year's holidays, we either gave our whistle to the top, or skillfully arranged for us to be in a better time period.
Let's just say last year, Chinese New Year's Eve at nine o'clock in the evening was his shift, before going to the outpost, he asked everyone to watch TV first, and then have a good rest, and greet whoever is the whistle when it is their turn. As a result, he remained silent until five o'clock in the morning, and this was the kind of people who woke up and forced him down from his sentry post.
When the needle was about to point to the second year of the lunar calendar, I walked up to the sentry post in high spirits and majesty, staring at me very vigilantly, and subconsciously clenching the steel gun in my hand.
At this moment, the whole world celebrates. People of all ethnic groups across the country are immersed in the joy of the festival, or raise a glass to drink, or tell about family affection, or enjoy the wonderful programs of the "Spring Festival Gala......
Standing guard for my motherland and a billion relatives at such a moment, I feel incomparably happy and supreme glory in joy and excitement.
At this moment, I saw goose feathers and snowflakes in the night sky, dancing to the accompaniment of the north wind, and then quietly falling; I heard the howling north wind, like a huge orchestra, playing the overture of spring. Snowflake, are you celebrating the New Year with a beautiful dance? North Wind, are you bless us with beautiful music? ……
Ah, the charm of the Chinese New Year's Eve at the outpost is so wonderful!
There is a case! Fifty meters away, a dark figure was moving towards it - bullets were rapidly loaded, eyes widened......
30 m, 20 m, 10 m ...... Oh, I saw it clearly, it turned out to be a fawn! Presumably it represents the animal kingdom to give me a New Year's greeting, it's really rare!
It stopped, its long neck poking it out.
Oh, I can see better, isn't this the fawn friend named "Meimei"?
"Meimei, Happy Spring Festival!" I put away my gun, greeted it, said hello, and saluted.
It stopped, seemed to nod at me, and walked away slowly.
Maybe it's going to pay New Year's greetings to other outposts!
Goodbye, "Meimei", my friend! ……
It's time for a change of whistle.
It's really strange, how can this sentry, which is usually the hardest watch, be so short today?
I know that the next few shifts are all new recruits, and I am determined to put them on the top of the post like the old squad leader, so that my comrades-in-arms who have worked hard for a year can have a complete good dream.
Oh, there's someone—"Password?" I casually shouted.
"Spring – Peace." This is the voice of the old squad leader.
"Squad leader, you?" I wondered how he came again.
"Don't ask, go back to the dormitory and rest!" The old squad leader seems to be giving orders.
"No, I'm going to stand!" My attitude was resolute.
"Obey orders!" The old squad leader was categorical.
"I ...... Stand with you! My voice was almost pleading.
The old squad leader buttoned the brass button of the unbuttoned fur coat below my neck, and bent down again...... Really, when did my left shoelace open?
Eventually, I stood side by side with the old squad leader at the sentry post......
In this way, my old squad leader and I, in the snow, in the whistling north wind, together with the slim birch trees on the back mountain and the majestic and upright pine forest on the right peak, ushered in the beautiful dawn of the first day of the new year of the republic.
Source: "Looking Back at the Military Performance" Zhang Minggang's self-selected collection