Iron Armor Vanguard, Charging Forward with Valor! An Army Brigade's 'Qingzhou Company' Carries Forward the Red Bloodline
An Army Brigade's 'Qingzhou Company' Carries Forward the Red Bloodline—— Iron Armor Vanguard, Charging Forward with Valor
■ Zheng Jiajun, Xu Xiaolong; PLA Daily Special Correspondent Liu Zhiyong, Photography Report
Officers and soldiers conduct driving training.
Officers and soldiers solemnly take an oath during a pre-battle mobilization.
Returning with honors, officers and soldiers place the collective second-class merit citation plaque on the honor wall.
Dismounted personnel join the fight.
In the mountains and fields of northern Fujian, an attack-and-defense training exercise is underway with intense urgency.
Amid billowing smoke, Second-Class Staff Sergeant Yao Guoxin of an Army brigade's 'Qingzhou Company' fixes his gaze on the commander's panoramic sight, directing the armored vehicle to charge forward. Upon detecting an 'enemy' firing position, Yao Guoxin rapidly coordinated with the crew members to complete the maneuver, aiming, and firing sequence in concert. The artillery shell screamed through the air, and the target was successfully destroyed……
Today, Yao Guoxin has grown into a vehicle commander with solid all-around capabilities. But a few years ago, when the company had just converted into a mechanized infantry company, he had not yet fully mastered professional skills such as equipment operation and command coordination, and his assessment results were less than ideal.
After encountering this setback, Yao Guoxin walked into the company's honor room and drew the strength to press forward from its glorious combat history. During the 1945 Battle to Liberate Qingzhou, the company's predecessor unit was assigned the assault mission. Officers and soldiers braved a hail of bullets to erect ladders and storm the city walls, staining them with blood, and broke through the enemy's defensive line in a single stroke. After the battle, the company was awarded the honorary designation 'Qingzhou Company.'
The iron-blooded assault of the company's forebears became the spiritual reference point (精神坐标) for officers and soldiers of the new era to sharpen their skills and strengthen their capabilities. Deeply moved by reading the relevant records in the company's history, Yao Guoxin devoted himself to studying the equipment and trained hard on coordination, ultimately transforming from an infantry standout accustomed to relying on physical prowess into a professional vehicle commander who understands equipment and knows how to command.
'Dare to fight hard battles! Never admit defeat!' Before participating in major exercises and training missions, the 'Qingzhou Company' always organizes a pre-battle mobilization. The oath shakes the heavens and sets the blood surging (血脉偾张), inspiring generation after generation of officers and soldiers to charge forward with valor.
On the front-line position, Private First Class Ni Yu advances in a low crouch, skillfully operating an unmanned aerial vehicle to execute a penetration strike. When he first entered the barracks, Ni Yu's physical fitness was relatively weak. Seeing that multiple officers and soldiers in the company had earned merit citations for their outstanding military and political capabilities, he quietly resolved to catch up through hard effort. After rigorous training, not long ago in a brigade-wide 5-kilometer armed cross-country competition, he and his comrades-in-arms together won first place among organic companies.
Keeping pace with the drive to strengthen the military (强军步伐) and honing the capabilities needed to win battles, the officers and soldiers of the 'Qingzhou Company' have fused their solemn oaths into combat training and war preparations, advancing excellence in every move and every form, writing new glory, and keeping the hero's battle flag flying high.