Chapter 6: Father and Son Discuss Military Affairs

  "As the old leader of such a special force, I am proud of the achievements you have made over the years. At the same time, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to our national leaders and also to my nephew Comrade Liu Shuangxi. It was under his seemingly fanciful suggestion at that time that our special forces were established."

  Excerpt from General Liu Guoping's speech on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Hua Xia Special Forces.

  The weather in Beijing at the end of February is still a bit dry and cold, but the PM2.5 index is still relatively low, um, this standard was only proposed by the United States in 1997, and now it's just being used as a reference standard.

  Early in the morning, even on a day off at home, Liu Guoping, who had developed a habit of getting up at 6 o'clock in the army, got up and started doing some simple exercises in the small courtyard of the Liu family after washing up. Before long, Liu Dongfang also got up and couldn't help but feel happy to see his son's robust appearance.

  "Guo Ping, let's practice together and see if you've made any progress in the army." At this time, Liu Dongfang's body was still quite good, under 50 years old, and had been practicing martial arts for many years, so he was eager to exchange a few moves with his son.

  According to Old Master Fang, Liu Guoping's endurance is quite good, it can be said that he has truly inherited the skills of Old Master Fang. In addition, after several years of hard training in the army, he is no longer the young man who was once pampered by his father before joining the army. In fact, if he didn't have some abilities, how could he become the deputy commander of the reconnaissance company in less than three years?

  At this time, in the Liu family's small courtyard, two father and son came and went, although there were no fancy moves, nor was there flying sand and walking stones, but they also made a good noise. This commotion woke up the whole family one after another, even Liu Shuangxi, who was used to sleeping in, got up to watch the excitement, from time to time cheering on his grandfather and uncle. (Hmm, okay, Liu Shuangxi admitted that he slept too much yesterday, plus being woken up early)

  The two of them fought for more than half an hour. The father didn't dare to use his full strength, and the son didn't dare to use his full strength either. As a result, neither of them could gain the upper hand. At this time, Zhu Wenhua had also prepared breakfast. Under the command of his daughter-in-law, Liu Dongfang was the first to stop fighting. The whole family sat together to eat a simple breakfast, and it was rare for them to gather together like this, but they were all in high spirits. After breakfast, Liu Guoqing and his wife, as well as Liu Guoli, each went about their own business, so let's not mention them for now. Liu Dongfang called Liu Guoping alone into his room, wanting to have a talk with his son. As it turned out, Liu Shuangxi, that little troublemaker, also managed to sneak in.

  "Guo Ping, these two years in the army have been quite good, your battalion commander and regimental commander have praised you several times. Even when I met with your division commander twice, he couldn't stop praising you, saying that I sent a great soldier to the army. However, remember that the past is already gone, only if you continue to work hard can you go further and higher." Liu Dongfang was still relatively satisfied with his youngest son, but couldn't help but remind him to stay humble.

  "Dad, I've been working really hard these past two years. Apart from my superiors, no one else knows about my background. But even with all this effort, there are still many people who envy me as the deputy company commander." Liu Guoping said with a hint of grievance.

  "Hmm, don't you think there's something wrong? Tell me about your situation in the grassroots unit." Liu Guoping's little trick couldn't deceive Liu Dongfang.

  "Dad, I'm telling you something, but just between us, don't spread it around."

  "Shut up, you little brat! Stop talking nonsense!"

  "Dad, I feel that the problems in our troops are really not few, and the more serious situations can be summarized in five words: swollen, scattered, arrogant, extravagant, and fallen. I believe you often accompany the leaders, so you should have also heard about these situations."

  "Hmm, after these 10 years of turmoil, our troops' combat effectiveness has been greatly affected, alas! It's not just the troops that have been affected, I heard from the leader that our country is also facing enormous difficulties now. Otherwise, Ye Lao wouldn't be in such a hurry to ask Deng Lao to come out of retirement."

  "Dad, what Grandpa Deng said when he came to our house yesterday, I think it's also somewhat applicable in the army."

  "Oh? Have you got some ideas? Share them with me. If they're useful, I'll pass them on to Old Deng and make sure he remembers your contribution."

  "Grandpa Deng emphasized the importance of science and education, so I thought that in our troops, we should also emphasize the application of technology in military affairs. Our cadres must meet the requirements of revolutionization, youthification, professionalization, and intellectualization. Our entire team needs to be politically qualified, militarily strong, with good work style, strict discipline, and effective guarantee to guide and regulate."

  "Hmm, not bad, Guo Ping. I can see that you've made significant progress in the past two years in the army. They say you're a good soldier and I believe it, but to be honest, I was a bit hesitant about promoting you to a leadership position before. Now that you've said something, I can report some of your words to the superior."

  "Dad, don't go telling the leader nonsense, this is all just my wild imagination."

  "Even if you talk nonsense, the leader won't listen to it, you little brat, put that bit of cunning in your belly. Your old man has shouldered more guns than you've fired bullets. Alright, what else do you want to say?" Liu Dongfang saw through his son's small mind at a glance.

  "Yesterday, I heard Ye Lao mention that small country in the southwest. I turned around and asked Gu Ge (Gu Haiping) about it again, and I think our country must have a war with that small country!" Liu Guoping said very affirmatively.

  "Hmm, you're so sure." Liu Dongfang looked at his son's expression and raised a few points of scrutiny.

  Here is the translation:

  "I think this way, the US and USSR are competing for dominance, with the Warsaw Pact and NATO facing off; we Chinese have poor relations with the Soviet Union, which has stationed a million troops along our border. In terms of diplomacy, we've established ties with the US, and over the past few years, the two countries have gotten along well, naturally leading to dissatisfaction from the Warsaw Pact. This is a triangular relationship, where any two sides forming an alliance would gain the upper hand.

  Looking at Southeast Asia, I'm somewhat aware of the situation in some countries, which view overseas Chinese as 'communist elements'. The situation on the Indochinese peninsula is deteriorating. If a coalition forms in the Mekong River region, it will undoubtedly be an anti-Chinese coalition. This coalition would form a strategic encirclement around our country, with China as its sole enemy. Similarly, we don't want to see this coalition forming in our backyard.

  I recall that this small southwestern country has some connection to the 'Night Lang' idiom in our language. Liu Guoping blurted out his entire analysis at once. 'Besides, our recent mobilization should be preparation for the upcoming military exercises in spring, which we haven't had in many years.'"

  "You're quite right, that Night Lang country has been very restless lately, and there have been many reports that have caused concern for the leaders. If it weren't for our domestic problems being too numerous, we would definitely take action to teach these disobedient children a lesson!" Liu Dongfang was still far from the decision-making level, but he had access to some information.

  What? Is Second Uncle going to prepare for that war at this time? Liu Shuangxi listened quietly to the conversation between the two, but his heart was already stirring. In his past life, Second Uncle had indeed participated in the self-defense counterattack war and, at a young age, had been promoted to deputy regiment commander due to his outstanding performance. Unfortunately, he had been injured in a battle, resulting in a disability in his left leg, and eventually retired from the army. What could be done? Liu Shuangxi's little brain was already turning rapidly.

  "Grandpa, you say that our leaders nowadays don't have the energy to discipline those disobedient guys, then why not send a few fierce ones like Uncle Fang to teach them a lesson?"

  "Haha, my good grandson, you think there are a few people as fierce as Uncle Fang? You know about Uncle Fang's glorious deeds back then, right? I'll tell you, that was also something your Uncle Fang did when he came home to visit relatives by chance. Besides, how old is your Uncle Fang now?" Liu Dongfang couldn't help but laugh at his grandson's words.

  "That Master Fang still has apprentices, right? Why not send a few more formidable uncles to teach those disobedient people a lesson?" Liu Shuangxi asked with feigned innocence, barely holding back from saying "special warfare" and "beheading war".

  "Dad, don't say that, the idea of Double Seventh actually makes some sense. If we can select an elite team from our previous reconnaissance company to focus on missions like breaking and entering, assassination, and scouting, it could be effective." Liu Guoping, who was already the deputy commander of the reconnaissance company, had a quick mind and could develop a string of ideas based on his nephew's topic.

  "Uh, you can go find your Uncle Fang to discuss it, his children are not around, as younger generations, you should often go visit him. Bring Shuangxi too, I think he likes Shuangxi." Liu Guoping glanced at the time, simply packed up and was about to head to work in the palace. Who would have thought that this last sentence would bring great disaster to Si Jiucheng.