A Brigade of the 82nd Group Army's 'Liulaozhuang Company' Solidifies Officers and Soldiers' Ideological Foundation of Heeding the Party's Command

"Zhang Yuhang is going to give a Party class to the entire brigade!" Not long ago, when a reporter visited the "Liulaozhuang Company" of a brigade under the 82nd Group Army, this news spread through the company. Who is Zhang Yuhang? Why is he qualified to give a Party class to the entire brigade? To answer the reporter's questions, the company's acting political instructor Wang Chenyi led the reporter to the brigade's integrated media studio.

In front of the broadcast stage, a spirited sergeant was recording a Party class for all officers and soldiers of the brigade, titled "Mastering Ideological Leadership Is the Foundation of Mastering All Leadership." "That is Zhang Yuhang. He is from Liulaozhuang in Huaiyin, Jiangsu, and has grown from a company-level theory backbone into a member of the brigade's theory propaganda service team," Wang Chenyi introduced.

In front of the camera, Zhang Yuhang did not elaborate extensively on abstract principles. Instead, he began with his own story of tracing the footsteps of the "Eighty-Two Warriors" in Liulaozhuang, then extended to the core spirit of the company soul (连魂)—"life unceasing, battle unending"—combining the study of the Party's innovative theories with the aspiration to become a worthy successor of the "Eighty-Two Warriors." Through one real-life example after another, he explained in plain terms the importance of strengthening theoretical grounding. It was evident that Zhang Yuhang had put in considerable effort to prepare this class.

The subsequent interview confirmed the reporter's conjecture. When he first received the teaching assignment, Zhang Yuhang felt great pressure and kept thinking about how to bring theory to life so that everyone would both enjoy listening and be able to understand it. During that period, he frequently visited the company's honor room, silently reading again and again the letter that Li Yunpeng—the company's first political instructor—wrote to his parents, seeking to understand the patriotic sentiments of the revolutionary predecessors; he gazed time and again at the 26 red handprints on the flood-fighting pledge, recalling the moving stories of his comrades-in-arms… Gradually, he found his approach: whether in the past or the present, the steadfast faith deep in the minds of the company's officers and soldiers, and their charging into battle with blood soaking the battlefield, are vivid portrayals of wholehearted devotion to the Party. To master ideological leadership, what matters most for grassroots units is to use political education and theoretical grounding to solidify officers' and soldiers' ideological foundation of heeding the Party's words and following the Party's lead.

"A company with strong combat effectiveness must have unified thinking and consistent action." Sharing his understanding, Zhang Yuhang looked back with deep feeling at the battle fought 83 years ago: facing an enemy several times their number, the company's officers and soldiers fought with valor from dawn to dusk, all falling heroically in battle. The "Eighty-Two Warriors" fought in the same trench, died on the same day, were buried in the same grave, and are honored under the same flag—is this not the finest interpretation of "all actions obey command"?

Since the beginning of this year, the brigade has continued to deepen political consolidation training (政治整训), studying Xi Jinping's thought on strengthening the military in depth, carrying forward and promoting the fine traditions of our military, and educating and guiding officers and soldiers to forge firm political loyalty and forever preserve purity and honor. In the brigade's organization section, the reporter met Dai Tianjiao, the former political instructor of the "Liulaozhuang Company," who was planning a study, education, and discussion exchange on establishing and practicing a correct view of political achievement (政绩观), one topic of which was how to transform thinking.

According to him, after the "Liulaozhuang Company" was awarded the title of "Model of the Era" by the Central Propaganda Department in October of last year, more and more units came to learn and exchange experiences. They shared experiences on strengthening the work of forging the soul and cultivating people (铸魂育人) under new circumstances, learned from each other, and established a cooperation mechanism.

Officers and soldiers of the "Red Third Company" of a brigade under the 71st Group Army told them the story of the "Grassland Party Branch" (草地党支部) following the Party with iron resolve and not falling behind a single step; the "Dadu River Company" of a brigade under the 74th Group Army jointly explored with them the spiritual intersection between the Dadu River spirit and the company soul of the "Liulaozhuang Company"; the "Spark" (星火) theory propaganda service political instructor group of the Army Engineering University provided face-to-face guidance on how to make theory truly sink into the mind and heart… Through this process, the officers and soldiers of the "Liulaozhuang Company" developed an ever deeper understanding of their company soul: the reason the "Eighty-Two Warriors" gave their lives without hesitation was precisely because loyalty endowed the heroes with a soul, faith forged the heroes' bodies, and mission tempered the heroes' courage.

The stories of heroes are inexhaustible; the spirit of heroes is passed down through generations. Entering the new era, facing new missions, new tasks, and new requirements, how should they carry forward fine traditions and strive for greater glory? The officers and soldiers of the "Liulaozhuang Company" answer: with iron resolve toward the Party, capable of winning battles, charging toward the "new battlefield."

On the training ground as the heavy rain briefly subsided, the company conducted tactical training. Artillery technician Cao Baogang, covered in mud, demonstrated while correcting errors: "Movements must be crisp, the rifle grip must be steady, eyes must always be alert to enemy activity…" With the combat formation subject assessment approaching and several new comrades still falling short in capability, he did not wait for the weather to clear before taking them to train intensively on their weak points. "The 'Liulaozhuang Company's' honor was won through fighting. No matter how hard or exhausting, we must build up combat effectiveness—otherwise we let down the revolutionary predecessors and bring shame to the company," said Cao Baogang.

Not being satisfied with syllabus requirements, not being satisfied with routine training, and not being satisfied with individual proficiency—these are the "iron rules" the officers and soldiers of the "Liulaozhuang Company" have set for themselves. The company has established many "additional conditions" with higher standards and stricter requirements for conducting training and developing personnel:

For basic tactical training, sprint 400 meters first, then crawl through low-post barbed wire; for light weapons disassembly and reassembly, operate blindfolded to simulate a nighttime environment; for emergency combat readiness mobilization (应急战备拉动), break down the entire process into 40 key points and rigorously scrutinize every second; build "one specialty, multiple capabilities" crews in which commanders, drivers, and gunners can interchange positions, and all crew members must be proficient with multiple types of weapons…

Through the relentless tempering of "seeking hardship" and "adding difficulty," every officer and soldier in the company stands out. At the end of last year, the brigade held a military sports meet, and the "Liulaozhuang Company" took first place in the brigade's overall ranking.

As the interview was drawing to a close, a batch of newly assigned soldiers happened to be visiting the company's honor room. Zhang Yuhang served as the guide, telling the new comrades about the company's heritage and transmission of its torch. As the 6,700th soldier of the company, new recruit Liu Xuwang—from Liulaozhuang itself—listened with exceptional attentiveness.

"In youth I admired you; grown up, I have become you." Like Zhang Yuhang, Liu Xuwang also grew up hearing the stories of the "Eighty-Two Warriors," and likewise yearns to be tempered into steel in the crucible of military life. After arriving at the "Liulaozhuang Company," he got to see, as he had hoped, the green pine brought from his hometown, the battle flag stained with the blood of heroes, and—on the "Warriors' Wall" in the honor room—the direction of his own path forward—