Taohuaji, at noon, the sun was high overhead, casting a golden glow. The Zhejiang Army, which had been training for the whole morning, sat on the ground in a circle, with Zhu Ping'an standing in the center of the circle.
"You all performed very well this morning. You all have worked hard. The cooks have prepared lunch in the barracks, and the pork I promised is already stewed in the pot. Before lunch, I will teach you a military song of our Zhejiang Army. You should study it carefully in units of sentries. Those who have learned the song can have lunch first. Those who have not learned the song can have lunch only after they have learned it. If they cannot learn it, they can skip lunch. Oh, by the way, I almost reminded you that the pork is limited. Those who arrive first can eat the meat, and those who arrive later can only drink the soup..."
Zhu Ping'an stood in the middle of the crowd, first praised everyone, and then asked everyone to learn to sing military songs.
When everyone first heard Zhu Ping'an say that the pork was already stewed in the pot, they all shouted excitedly, "Wow!" However, when they heard Zhu Ping'an ask them to learn to sing military songs before they could eat lunch, they all looked bitter.
"Sir, asking us to sing military songs is like asking Zhang Fei to embroider. He has the will but not the strength."
"Sir, we are all born as bandits and cannot read a single word. You ask us to sing military songs. Isn't that making things difficult for us?"
"Besides, what's the point of singing military songs? We are not prostitutes, what's the point of singing?"
"That's right. No matter how beautiful the song is, it's useless. We're on the battlefield killing the enemy. Can we sing the enemy to death?"
... ...
The people off the field had bitter faces and started complaining in a mess.
"What's the point of singing?!" Zhu Pingan smiled and looked at everyone, and said slowly, "Do you know about the struggle between Liu Bang, Xiang Yu and Chu and Han?"
"I've heard of it, I've heard of it, Liu Bang, who ate and drank like a swindler, eventually became the emperor, and his wife was a powerful one, a poisonous queen."
"It's a pity for the King of Chu. Why didn't he cross the Wu River? If he had, maybe the dynasty would have changed."
"Liu Bang wanted to snatch Xiang Yu's wife, Yu Ji, so he killed Xiang Yu..."
Everyone responded in a disorganized manner, obviously having heard of storytelling and unofficial histories about the Chu-Han contention.
Zhu Ping'an nodded slightly, "Well, since you all know about the Chu-Han contention between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, you should have heard of the story of the Four-Sided Chu Song. Of course, it doesn't matter if you haven't heard of it. I will briefly tell you about it. In the Dingding battle of the Chu-Han contention, Liu Bang mobilized generals such as Han Xin and Peng Yue, and led the army to surround Xiang Yu's 100,000 troops at Gaixia. Xiang Yu was surrounded, and his army and horses were reduced day by day. He could not get supplies, and his food and grass were getting less and less. Late one night, Liu Bang set up the Four-Sided Chu Song plan and ordered the Han army that surrounded Gaixia to sing the songs of the Chu people, that is, the songs of Xiang Yu's old nest, Chu. Sleeping in the Gaixia general's tent Xiang Yu was awakened by the singing. After listening carefully, he was shocked. 'Has Liu Bang already taken over the Chu territory? Why are there so many Chu soldiers in his army?' He immediately lost his will to fight. He sang a sad song to his favorite concubine: 'My strength is as great as the mountains and my spirit is as great as the world. The time is not right and my horse will not move. What can I do if my horse will not move? Yu Xi, Yu Xi, what can I do?' After singing it several times, his favorite concubine also sang along. Then the two of them were speechless and cried. In the end, his favorite concubine Yu Ji committed suicide in front of Xiang Yu's horse. Xiang Yu, who was at the end of his heroic life, took the remaining soldiers to Wujiang River and finally committed suicide by the river.
"This is the story of being surrounded on all sides. You just asked what the use of singing is. This is the answer." Zhu Ping'an looked at everyone with a scorching gaze and said in a resounding voice: "Singing can rally the troops and boost morale, and it can also undermine the morale of the enemy. It is no exaggeration to say that one song is worth thousands of troops!"
Everyone present was greatly educated.
"We understand. However, we are illiterate and our brains are not very good, so we are afraid that we can't learn it..."
Someone said worriedly, and many people echoed him.
"Don't worry, the military song I'm going to teach you has simple lyrics that are easy to understand. There's nothing fancy about it, it's all plain language, and the lyrics aren't long, just a few sentences. As long as you study hard, there's nothing you can't learn." Zhu Ping'an smiled and said to everyone, "Okay, now I'll start teaching you. The name of this military song is "I'm a Soldier."
"I am a soldier... This is a good name, it sounds like it is singing about us." Everyone in the audience was very excited and curious, looking at Zhu Ping'an eagerly, waiting for him to teach them.
“I am a soldier
Coming from the common people, bathed in the emperor's grace
Defeat the Japanese invaders
Eliminate the Huns;
I am a soldier
Love the King and the People
The Fire War tested me
A firmer stance;
Hey, hold your weapon tightly.
Eyes can see clearly
Who dares to invade my country
Beat him without mercy... "
Yes, the military song that Zhu Ping'an taught them to sing was the famous revolutionary song "I am a Soldier" from the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of my country.
This is a popular song, written by Lu Yuan and Yue Lun, and was born after the outbreak of the Korean War. Once it came out, it quickly became popular all over China, spreading across the land of China and the ends of the earth. Its lyrics and music are simple, but full of power; its lyrics and music are simple, but they burst out the strongest voice of the times. After its birth, with its overwhelming momentum, it inspired generations of compatriots and soldiers of the three armed forces to fight for the new China! In the process of the Korean War and the rise of the new China, this song contributed an indispensable force.
Of course, Zhu Pingan made some changes to the lyrics of the song while respecting the original work, so that it can adapt to the feudal Ming Dynasty, where imperial power is supreme, and to the current historical background of anti-Japanese war. For example, "bathing in the emperor's grace" was added after "from the common people", "overthrowing the Japanese invaders and destroying the Chiang Kai-shek bandit army" was changed to "overthrowing the Japanese invaders and destroying the Hu Lu Xiong", and "loving the country and the people" was changed to "loving the emperor and the people"... ...
"This song is really exciting to listen to. Just like what our adults said, the lyrics are simple and I can understand them all."
"After listening to this song, I feel so proud of myself as a soldier..."
After listening to Zhu Ping'an singing, everyone present was excited and felt their blood boiling.
Soon, after Zhu Ping'an taught them once, within a few minutes, one of the soldiers raised his hand to show that he had learned the military song. Zhu Ping'an checked and asked them to sing it in public, and immediately a majestic, loud and sonorous song rang out.
"Good! You have all learned the whistle, and no one is just filling in the gaps. You can go to have lunch now." Zhu Ping'an nodded.
"Thank you, sir!" A sentry clasped his fists to express his gratitude, and walked towards the temporary canteen amid the envious gazes of the crowd. He winked at everyone with pride, "How about we help you taste the saltiness of the pork, hahaha..."
“Go to hell!”
"roll!"
A burst of laughter and scolding.
The song was so catchy that everyone present had learned it in less than a quarter of an hour.
"I am a soldier..."
The majestic, loud and powerful singing voice resounded throughout Taohuaji, and self-esteem, self-confidence, pride and sense of responsibility were slowly brewing in the singing... ...