Red genes crystallize the wisdom of the older generation of revolutionaries, carry the loyalty and dedication of our forebears and martyrs, and are the precious spiritual wealth created by our Party in leading the people through the great historical process of prolonged revolution, construction, and reform—the foundation of faith and the spiritual source of the Party and the people's armed forces. Chairman Xi has emphasized: "Make good use of red resources, carry forward red traditions, and pass down red genes well." On the new journey of strengthening and invigorating the military, officers and soldiers at large must inherit the red genes and continue the red bloodline, draw the strength to press forward from the spiritual wealth accumulated over nearly a century of struggle by the people's armed forces, ensure that the bloodline endures without interruption, the foundation remains permanently solid, and the advantages are preserved forever, and strive to open up a new horizon in the modernization of national defense and the armed forces.
Brighten the political character of heeding the Party's command, and forge a force of loyalty. Loyalty is the sincerity flowing through the bloodline, the flame beating in the chest, the red gene and bloodline inheritance with which the people's armed forces were born. Along the way, the people's armed forces have endured countless hardships and tribulations, yet no difficulty has ever crushed us and no enemy has ever defeated us—this is because of the loyalty of tens of millions of Party members. In those years, when asked "The Long March was so arduous and perilous—how did you get through it?" Comrade Deng Xiaoping answered firmly: "By following along." Whether in the war years of beacon fires and gunsmoke or in the fervent period of construction, generation after generation of outstanding Communist Party members and revolutionary soldiers dedicated themselves to the Party, made selfless contributions, and fought with utter devotion, setting a fine example of loyalty to the Party. "As long as we follow the Party, we will surely achieve victory" became a firm conviction forged into the blood of generation after generation of revolutionary soldiers. "Resolutely heeding the Party's command is the soul of our army-building and the soul of our military strengthening. We did so in the past, we do so now, and we will continue to do so in the future." Officers and soldiers at large must draw from their forebears and martyrs the spiritual strength to press forward with courage and resolve, always take the Party's banner as their own banner, the Party's direction as their own direction, and the Party's will as their own will, continuously forge an ironclad consciousness of the military soul, ensure that they stand with clear-cut banners before major questions of right and wrong, are fearless in the face of trials and storms, and hold firm positions in the face of all manner of temptations, guaranteeing that under any circumstances and at any time they will not change their hearts, not waver in their resolve, and not compromise their integrity.
Cultivate the noble character of fearlessness in the face of sacrifice, and consolidate the strength of faith. Revolutionary ideals are higher than the heavens. The people's armed forces have forged ahead through all obstacles, growing from small to large, from weak to strong, advancing from victory to victory—this is because of the power of faith and conviction. Looking back on the extraordinary journey traveled, countless martyrs guarded their faith with their lives: facing hails of bullets and repeated encirclements and suppressions, they went to their deaths with equanimity and charged forward bravely; placed in desperate straits of material scarcity and harsh conditions, they used faith as their torch and the original aspiration as their sail, creating miracles through perseverance. On the banks of the Xiang River, Chen Shuxiang led his troops in bloody battle to cover the main force's crossing; after being wounded and captured, he carried out the resolute act of tearing out his own intestines to fulfill his solemn oath to "shed the last drop of blood for the Soviet New China"; in the mountains of Manchuria (白山黑水), Zhao Yiman endured brutal torture without yielding, faced death with equanimity, and "willingly let her warm blood nourish China"; on the Taihang Mountains, Zuo Quan commanded at the front lines and shed his blood on Shiziling… Today, although the trials of life and death, blood and fire that characterized the revolutionary war years have diminished, the struggle in the ideological domain remains sharp and complex, and risks and challenges remain severe. Officers and soldiers at large must draw powerful strength of faith from the red genes, inherit through spiritual baptism the rock-solid faith of revolutionary forebears, consolidate the foundation of faith, replenish the calcium of the spirit (精神之钙), steady the helm of thought, straighten the spiritual backbone of Communists, be fearless in the face of sacrifice and undaunted by hardship, and consciously become firm believers and faithful practitioners of the great ideal of communism and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics, letting the power of faith transcend time and space and illuminate the road ahead.
Temper the martial courage and boldness (血性胆魄) to dare to fight and be certain of victory, and accumulate the strength to win battles. Daring to struggle and daring to win have always been a vivid portrayal of our military's martial courage and boldness. Martial courage and boldness are not innate; they were tempered through iron will and tenacious conduct in one glorious battle after another in which the weak defeated the strong and the inferior defeated the superior. Looking back, it was precisely by relying on a heroic spirit that advances without hesitation, a fighting spirit that draws the sword upon meeting the enemy, and a tenacious conduct of fighting to the last that—demonstrating absolute loyalty in the face of trials, daring to shoulder responsibility in the face of missions, and daring to charge forward at critical junctures—our military was able to defeat all enemies, overcome all difficulties, and achieve victory after victory. During the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, the people's air force, still in its cradle, accepted an urgent mission and set sail against the wind. At the time, the average flight time of Volunteer Army pilots on jet fighters was only 14 hours and 38 minutes, yet they dared to draw the sword against opponents equipped with the world's most advanced equipment and rich in flight experience; relying on the spirit of "aerial bayonet fighting (空中拼刺刀)," they defeated a powerful enemy, growing stronger with each battle, and created a miracle in the history of aerial warfare. Time flies, but the spirit endures forever. At present, the great changes unseen in a century are accelerating, geopolitical competition is intensifying, local conflicts and turmoil are occurring frequently, the instability and uncertainty of our country's security situation are increasing, and military struggle tasks are arduous and heavy. Officers and soldiers at large must discard complacent thinking, break free from the chronic ailments of peacetime, temper their will and forge their conduct in combat-realistic training, temper their martial courage and forge their backbone in major missions, train to strengthen their ability to win battles with a spiritual state of abundant steel, abundant spirit, and even harder bones, and ensure that when called they will come, when they come they will be able to fight, and when they fight they will certainly win.
Forever maintain the vigorous posture of arduous struggle, and sharpen the strength of striving. Hardship and difficulty forge great character. Arduous struggle is the political character of Communists and revolutionary soldiers—storms cannot change its color, and the passage of years cannot shift its resolve. From the "red rice and pumpkin soup" of the Jinggangshan period, to "eating grass roots and gnawing tree bark" during the Long March; from the Volunteer Army soldiers' "a handful of parched flour, a handful of snow," to the soldiers defending the borders of the motherland "battling sandstorms and enduring bitter cold"… The people's armed forces were built on arduous struggle and grew and strengthened through arduous struggle; the spirit of arduous struggle has always inspired generation after generation of officers and soldiers to press forward indomitably and forge ahead with determination. Today, although material conditions have greatly improved, the "family heirloom (传家宝)" of arduous struggle must not be discarded. "Struggle is not merely a resounding slogan; it must be manifested in spirit through doing every small thing well, completing every task, and fulfilling every responsibility." Officers and soldiers at large must draw rich spiritual nourishment from the red genes, learn about the heroic deeds and noble character of revolutionary martyrs in arduous struggle, receive education and inspiration from them, treat arduous struggle as a conscious choice and a habit, consciously resist extravagant tendencies and discard a restless mentality, expunge from their minds all thoughts of seeking ease and comfort and unwillingness to continue arduous struggle, concentrate their minds on their duties, pour their energy into their posts, and dedicate their talents and wisdom to the cause, creating new and greater progress through down-to-earth hard work and diligent effort.