As night fell, in the bunker on Xitou Mountain, under the dim horse lantern, a dozen men sat around the table. Although in front of them were steaming pork stewed with vermicelli, braised beef in soy sauce, roasted lamb legs and other hard dishes, they sat upright. Even though their mouths were drooling from greed, they did not dare to move, because there was a very important officer sitting at the table, a officer who was dozens of levels higher than their squadron leader, the kind of super officer who could report directly to General Lu.
Today the food in both bunkers has been improved, which is a reward brought by this great commander.
The commander had lunch at the Dongtoushan Bunker, had dinner here, and would stay the night here.
They had heard about this. General Lu had been to this bunker in person and had slept on the hardwood bed here.
However, that was when the entire eastern part of Mengdong had just been recovered by General Lu himself, and the garrison in the fort here was still soldiers from the Cangyun Regiment.
They belonged to the Mengdong Guard Battalion and were stationed here after the situation stabilized. Therefore, they only knew which hardwood bed was the general's bed that General Lu once slept on, and that hardwood bed was for the machine gunner, the hardest-working firepower operator in the stronghold and the most reliable one in case of war.
Therefore, so far, the Chief Zhang in front of them is the most senior chief they have ever met.
"General Lu is very concerned about the situation here, including your food and lodging. He specially appointed me to comfort you and asked our officers at all levels to share the joys and sorrows with the soldiers when they arrive at the front line." Lu Ming smiled, "Okay, let's get started!" He asked the person beside him, "Have you saved the meals for the brothers on duty at the sentry posts?"
Sitting next to Lu Ming was the squadron leader Gao Feng.
There were more than 30 people in a squadron. He led half of them and stationed them in the Xitoushan bunker, while the deputy team leader led the other half of the squadron and stationed them in the Dongtoushan bunker.
"Report! It's saved!" Gao Feng stood up and stood at attention.
"Don't be so restrained when eating." Lu Ming waved his hand and said, "Come on, let's eat."
In fact, they really couldn't enjoy the meal when I was there, but I couldn't say that I wouldn't sit at the same table with them just because they didn't enjoy it. No matter what, this sense of ritual was an encouragement to the soldiers, and the rewards they brought were not for just this one meal, so they had time to feast to their heart's content.
Lu Ming took the lead and the dishes on the table began to make noises. These men, some lean and some strong, all started eating quickly, but they all ate very politely.
Although the scheduled time was fifteen minutes, they all finished their meal quickly. Some of them even stayed to chat with Commander Zhang, while others were too reserved in front of the senior commander, so they reported, picked up their guns leaning against the wall, and went to change shifts early.
A few minutes later, it was time for the actual change of duty. Ding Wanjun, Governor Liu and several soldiers came down from the upper bunker to the dining area on the lower level.
Lu Ming came here to express his condolences, and he came with a large group of people, but the ones who stayed in the bunker were Lu Ming, Governor Liu of Mengdong County, and Ding Wanjun.
While Lu Ming and some soldiers were having dinner, Governor Liu and Ding Wanjun were on duty with the sentries on the upper floors of the bunker.
Now, they brought the sentries to dine together.
The same was true at night, with three people occupying one bed. When one person was resting, the other two would accompany the sentry on duty.
In fact, Lu Ming thought about it. Since he was coming to inspect the bunker and would be staying overnight here, should he change to a male confidential secretary? Although the Bureau of Secrets did not have one, they could temporarily assign one.
For example, during the war in eastern Mongolia, he naturally went to eastern Mongolia to supervise the overall situation. After the war, he went on a tour to visit and comfort the soldiers on the front line, and he brought a male adjutant with him. At that time, Zhao Jingxun played the role of the adjutant.
But in the end, I decided to take Ding Wanjun with me.
Ding Wanjun sings well and is pretty, so she can be considered a substitute when there is no art troupe visiting.
On balance, there won't be any problem as long as I handle it properly.
In fact, when he patrolled the front line as General Lu, he would occasionally bring Jennifer with him. This was very morale-boosting, and I was afraid that there would be many soldiers who swore to fight to protect the safety and happiness of the general's wife.
As for the present, if Ding Wanjun was his wife, there would be no problem at all.
I was afraid that in the eyes of the soldiers, my relationship with the confidential secretary might be unclear, which would be bad.
While I was daydreaming, I heard soft talking and laughter coming from the other side of the dining table.
After the first table had their meal, those who were supposed to be on duty went on duty, while Lu Ming and squadron leader Gao Feng sat at a small table nearby drinking tea and chatting.
But it was obvious that Governor Liu Zhengtu and Ding Wanjun had become familiar with the soldiers on the sentry post. The soldiers relaxed a little and some were laughing and talking in low voices, unlike their table just now, which was completely silent and the soldiers were even afraid to make any noise when chewing their food.
"Zhengtu, you said we must stay here overnight. Isn't that a formality? General Lu is truly sharing the joys and sorrows with our young men on the front line. He also wants to experience what they really lack so that he can improve their living conditions and equip them with weapons, etc. What about us? There are only three of us. That's causing trouble for them, right?" Lu Ming suddenly said with a smile.
Before Liu Zhengtu could speak, Gao Feng, who was sitting next to Lu Ming, smiled and said, "Director, none of us thinks so. If it weren't for our Black Mountain Army, how could the county magistrate come to sleep in such a small shabby artillery tower in other military camps? That's impossible. The stupid soldiers' lives are worth it! Not to mention the identity of the director, General Lu..." Gao Feng's eyes showed a hint of fanaticism, "He is a god... He has done things that have never been heard of..."
Lu Ming was stunned and felt ashamed in his heart. He didn't do anything. He just gave them some land.
At the dinner table, a tall and thin man laughed and said, "Captain, you can't say that. County magistrates in other places would even crawl through dog holes when they want to escape. The watchtowers are even more precious! They can't wait to run in on three legs!" Obviously, this guy is usually very brave.
Everyone burst into laughter immediately, except Liu Zhengtu, whose smile was a little awkward. After all, the county magistrate was the county magistrate's, and they were making fun of the county magistrate, but he was also one of the county magistrates.
The soldiers were all rather rough and didn't think much about what they said, but Ding Wanjun noticed this and chuckled, "Everyone has almost finished eating, let me lead the singing of military songs! What do you want to sing?"
The tall and thin man took the lead and shouted, "Captain Ding, let's sing Jingwu Song! The one by General Lu!"
Everyone applauded immediately.
Lu Ming coughed and wanted to ask them to change the song, but then he thought better of it.
The Montenegrin Military and Political University launched several military songs, which were adapted by themselves based on several military songs from their previous lives and by inviting well-known lyricists and composers from the East China Sea.
The original military songs certainly did not involve personal worship. However, when the song "Jing Wu Song" was sung in the army, someone changed the lyrics to something like "General Lu is our guiding star".
It seems that what they are going to sing is an adapted version.
I feel a little embarrassed when I listen to songs praising myself.
But seeing their enthusiasm, if I tried to stop them, it would spoil their fun. Who knows, I might even be hated by them as an enemy who opposes General Lu.
Soon, Ding Wanjun's clear singing voice began, and loud military songs sounded.
They clapped in unison and sang along with Ding Wanjun's singing with excitement on their faces.
Lu Ming gradually sat up straight and started to sing along. They were shouting and singing with their blood boiling. In fact, what they longed for was a better life and what they vowed to do was to defend their homeland. He was just a symbol, representing their longing for a new life and a new order, and their determination to protect it. He was the source of their confidence and determination, and the spiritual pillar that enabled them to create a new world with the confidence.
My mentality just now was really narrow-minded, and what I need to do is to truly be the "General Lu" that they want and not let them down.