Here, a Special "Wall" Silently Tells Stories of Growth

The Company-Level League Branch Has a "Soldier Secretary" ■ Chen Liangliang, Zhu Wenxin

At dawn, the early summer sun illuminates the easternmost point of the motherland. In the garrison of the Fuyuan Detachment of the People's Armed Police Heilongjiang General Corps, a plaque reading "National May Fourth Red Flag League Branch" gleams conspicuously in the sunlight.

League Branch Secretary and First-Class Staff Sergeant Liu Tao solemnly hangs it on the wall of honors. This weighty distinction is the finest testament to this "soldier secretary" and the League branch he leads, rooted at the "golden rooster's crown" of the motherland.

Fuyuan is the easternmost point of China's landmass. The detachment's officers and soldiers are stationed here year-round, confronting a harsh environment described as "two seasons of wind a year, blowing from spring straight through to winter," and a long stretch of national border. The unique mission and geographic environment pose challenges for League branch work: information is relatively scarce, conditions are harsh and monotonous, and problems such as new recruits' "failure to acclimate" (水土不服) and veterans' "occupational burnout" (职业倦怠) arise from time to time.

"I am a soldier—I understand what soldiers think and what they struggle with! Let me try. I will definitely bring this unit together!" At the critical moment of the League branch's leadership transition, Liu Tao, then a branch committee member, stepped forward and volunteered at the branch committee meeting. This plain sense of responsibility earned everyone's trust, and Liu Tao was elected League branch secretary by a wide margin.

Upon taking office, Liu Tao did not rush to "light three fires" (烧三把火). Instead, he tucked a notebook under his arm. From then on, the sandy ground during training breaks and the study room after dinner became his "research sites." Like an older brother, he sat in circles with his comrades, listening to them describe training bottlenecks, pour out their homesickness, and speak freely about their desire to grow. These unfiltered "soldier voices" (兵声) were recorded by him one by one and organized into a "service needs list" for League branch work.

It was in this way that Liu Tao "listened out" the troubles of new recruit Zhou Weihao. When Zhou first joined the company, he was daunted by the high-intensity training and remote environment. Seizing opportunities during shared guard duty, Liu Tao shared amusing stories of his own growth when he first arrived at the eastern extreme, while also recounting stories of the detachment's predecessors holding their posts through blizzards. "Standing here, we are the eyes of the motherland!" The resonance of standing shoulder to shoulder to protect the frontier gradually smoothed the furrows from Zhou Weihao's brow.

In the soldiers' hearts, Liu Tao is not only the "soldier secretary" but also a trusted older brother. When a soldier preparing for the military examination was anxious about weak academic foundations, Liu Tao helped him analyze his shortcomings and draw up a plan. When a soldier was despondent over a sudden family conflict, he patiently counseled and helped mediate. "Sometimes it's just asking one more question, listening a little longer, making one more trip—and that might be enough to open a window for a comrade or help him over a hurdle." Liu Tao often says this.

How can the League organization truly become a "magnetic field" (磁场) that rallies young officers and soldiers and serves combat readiness? Liu Tao understood that spoon-fed lecturing (填鸭式的说教) would not work. So he turned his attention to reforming League classes (团课).

"Speak from the heart—speak honestly and sincerely, and that is the best contribution." At the opening of every League class, Liu Tao works to create an open and inclusive atmosphere. When soldiers speak, as long as they have something substantive to say—even if it comes out rough—he leads the applause.

Silence is broken, and sparks of thought begin to collide. At one League class on the theme of "The Mission of Border Defense and Personal Growth," Liu Tao led everyone in freely discussing their military goals. When it was Zhou Weihao's turn, he straightened his back, eyes bright: "I want to be like my predecessors—hone solid skills and guard the eastern gateway of the motherland!" The resounding pledge drew applause from the entire room.

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The Story Behind the "Wall of Growth Reflections" (成长心语墙)

■ Chen Liangliang, Zhu Wenxin

Walk into the garrison of the People's Armed Police Heilongjiang General Corps Fuyuan Detachment, and a special "wall" silently tells stories of growth. The entire plain wall is covered with sticky notes, layer upon layer, arranged in an uneven but orderly fashion.

*The Wall of Growth Reflections of the officers and soldiers of the People's Armed Police Heilongjiang General Corps Fuyuan Detachment. Photo by Zhuge Xuqiang.*

The notes vary in size and color; each one bears a line of heartfelt reflection: "Rely on yourself in all things, so you are never found wanting—Zhao Zilong"; "To lead soldiers, first lead their hearts; to cultivate people, first cultivate their souls—Yan Yunfei"; "The meaning of perseverance is to carry the ordinary to the extreme—Kong Yuhao"…

Old notes with frayed edges are still carefully affixed; new notes are continuously added, fresh ink layered over old marks. The growth reflections of generation after generation of officers and soldiers converge and are passed down on this wall.

The soldiers who wrote them all share one guide—First-Class Staff Sergeant Liu Tao. Over more than ten years of border defense, Liu Tao has brought up crop after crop of soldiers, and these notes are the reflections written in good faith by soldiers who have found their direction in life.

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**Teach Without Holding Back—**

*Failing to master your skills means you are not a qualified soldier; holding back when passing on skills means you are unworthy of leading soldiers*

Step into the Fuyuan Detachment's equipment room, and a stuffy air mixed with the smell of electronic components and machine oil hits you. When Liu Tao is found there, this first-class staff sergeant—whom his comrades laughingly call a "tech fanatic"—is hunched over, absorbed in maintenance work.

Yet his "obsession" extends far beyond the pursuit of technical mastery. He holds a grander vision in his mind: when an alarm sounds and equipment fails, what the battlefield needs is not a single "technical ace" pulling off a last-minute save, but a battle-ready unit that can be called up at any moment and fight the moment it arrives. How to transform his own skills into genuine capabilities mastered by the entire unit—this is the problem Liu Tao has pondered day and night since becoming the detachment's technical backbone.

"Failing to master your skills means you are not a qualified soldier; holding back when passing on skills means you are unworthy of leading soldiers." This saying is constantly on Liu Tao's lips. It transcends simple master-apprentice sentiment and points toward the technical inheritance that bears on the unit's combat capability building.

When network maintenance candidate Zhao Zilong was calibrating information technology equipment, a mistaken operation caused a network outage. Having only recently begun working with the equipment, he panicked on the spot. "I felt like I had caused a disaster. I was extremely self-reproachful," Zhao Zilong admitted. Liu Tao did not criticize him. Instead, he pulled him aside and carefully reviewed the operation step by step. He found that although Zhao Zilong's steps were wrong, his description of the fault symptoms was clear, indicating that he was observant—he simply lacked a solid foundation and had moved too hastily.

"Don't rush. Sloppiness is the greatest enemy of technical work. Only when the foundation is solid will you have confidence." Liu Tao's words settled Zhao Zilong's nerves. In the days that followed, Liu Tao took him through the most basic elements—circuit identification and interface types—tracing wires one by one, identifying connectors one by one. He taught Zhao Zilong the methods he had worked out himself, holding nothing back, and drilled him through repeated practice.

Zhao Zilong said: "The squad leader made me understand that making mistakes is not frightening—what is frightening is failing to find the root cause. He worked through the fundamentals with me bit by bit, and my mind actually grew calmer." An increasingly solid foundation gradually restored Zhao Zilong's confidence; today he is able to handle network problems calmly and has become a backbone of the detachment.

"Steady, solid basic training is only the first step." Once soldiers have mastered standard procedures and gained initial confidence, a new challenge follows—how to make them truly "click" (开窍) and handle complex situations independently. New recruit Kong Yuhao was exactly this type: diligent in study, meticulous in operations, but prone to getting stuck when faults fell outside the manual, habitually turning to others for help.

For Kong Yuhao, Liu Tao tried a different approach—not "walking him along" but "giving him a push." During one guard monitoring shift, the screen suddenly went black. Kong Yuhao ran through the standard procedure and found nothing, then instinctively looked toward Liu Tao. Liu Tao did not take the tools. Instead, he fired off a string of questions: "Where does the signal come from? Where does it go? Which step in between is most likely to break down?" The rapid-fire questioning forced Kong Yuhao to break out of the manual's step-by-step framework and mentally trace the signal transmission path from beginning to end. Once his thinking cleared, Kong Yuhao quickly identified the cause of the fault. The sense of accomplishment in that moment surpassed anything he had felt from any previous by-the-book repair. That experience made Kong Yuhao genuinely understand: technical skill is not memorized—it is thought through and worked out.

As new equipment increased and technical support pressure continued to grow, Liu Tao was keenly aware of the limited efficiency of individual instruction. He therefore systematically organized the operational standards, common fault phenomena, and key operational techniques accumulated over many years into an *Equipment Operation and Fault Diagnosis Manual*. Drawn from practice, this manual became a practical guide for officers and soldiers' daily operations as soon as it was issued. Liu Tao's valuable experience was effectively shared and passed on through this manual, shortening the growth cycle for new recruits and raising the detachment's overall technical support capability.

The numbers speak without words, yet they measure the depth of "inheritance" and "refinement." Over the years, under Liu Tao's leadership, the detachment's officers and soldiers have cracked one hard nut after another—more than one hundred complex faults independently resolved, each one a test of technical strength and team coordination. Through independent repair, precise diagnosis, and scientific maintenance, they have both saved costs and advanced combat capability.

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**Ingenious Methods for Organizing Training—**

*Turn experience into science; let sweat translate precisely into combat power*

*Officers and soldiers of the People's Armed Police Heilongjiang General Corps Fuyuan Detachment during training. Photo by Zhuge Xuqiang.*

"Training cannot rely on brute force—you must find the right method and progress step by step; the biggest obstacle is usually the urge to quit that forms in your own mind." Liu Tao often reminds his comrades of this. In his view, the key to improving training quality and effectiveness lies in turning experience into science and letting sweat translate precisely into combat power.

Liu Tao's approach to organizing training begins with careful observation of each soldier and rigorous use of data. Over the years, he has consistently maintained dynamic individual training records for the detachment's soldiers. These are not simple scorecards—each soldier's initial physical fitness test data, segmented scores on key training events, and physical condition after training are all recorded in detail. This continuously updated "database" has become the foundation for his solving training problems.

No one would have guessed that Ma Boyi, now a training standout, once regarded the 3,000-meter run as his "perennial nemesis." When he first arrived at the detachment, he repeatedly finished at the bottom of assessments. Watching his comrades improve, the competitive-spirited Ma Boyi was deeply anxious.

Liu Tao noticed acutely, moved proactively, and made a precise diagnosis based on Ma Boyi's physical fitness test report: "Your foundation is not weak—the problem is insufficient endurance and disordered breathing rhythm. Blindly adding volume will be counterproductive. We train according to scientific principles, progressing step by step, and you will definitely break through." He then tailored a personalized training plan for Ma Boyi.

Throughout training, Liu Tao closely monitored data changes, dynamically refined the plan, and accompanied Ma Boyi as he challenged his limits again and again. At the year-end assessment six months later, Ma Boyi achieved a perfect score on the 3,000-meter run—to everyone's surprise. "It was Squad Leader Liu who made me understand that so-called 'comebacks' (逆袭) are nothing more than day-after-day persistence, backed by scientific methods." Today, Ma Boyi has taken up the responsibility of mentoring his comrades, applying Liu Tao's training methods and letting the concept of scientific training take root in the detachment.

Addressing the realities of grassroots training, Liu Tao also innovatively explored a "training video" instructional method. Using his spare time, he filmed instructional videos of basic training movements and standard techniques one by one, carefully breaking down the points of force application, breathing rhythm, and detail standards for each movement, enabling officers and soldiers to study, self-check, and self-correct at any time and place—significantly improving training quality and effectiveness.

Li Wenchao, who had relatively weak coordination, became a direct beneficiary of this method. Liu Tao found that he trained diligently and had strong perseverance, but his understanding of movement techniques was incomplete, and an incorrect angle of force application led to low efficiency. After identifying the root cause, Liu Tao led Li Wenchao through repeated viewing of slow-motion videos, analyzing the key points of force application and details, gradually adjusting the angle of force application, and reducing ineffective expenditure. At the same time, he dynamically adjusted instructional priorities based on daily training data, making training better suited to Li Wenchao's actual situation.

Liu Tao's ingenious training methods infused "hard training" (苦练) with the wisdom of "smart training" (巧练). Officers and soldiers have also spontaneously adopted a paired training model, proactively consulting the records data to find partners and jointly designing mutual assistance plans. These practices have converged into a powerful driving force: the detachment's overall qualification and excellence rates across physical fitness, technical skills, and other training events have steadily risen.

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**To Cultivate People, First Cultivate Their Minds—**

*There is no secret to leading soldiers; a sense of responsibility matters more than anything else; always think a little more about the soldiers*

At the end of the track, soldier Yan Yunfei—preparing for the military examination—gasps for breath, with Liu Tao beside him, equally exhausted but with a resolute gaze.

"One fall is nothing. Getting up and running again—that's the spirit of a soldier!" Liu Tao wipes away sweat; his voice is not loud, but every word lands with force. In that moment, Yan Yunfei, who had been disheartened by a failed mock examination, felt a surge of strength fill his heart.

It was not only encouragement. In the days that followed, Liu Tao became Yan Yunfei's solid backing: the two analyzed wrong answers together, identified shortcomings, and readjusted the study plan. Liu Tao also proactively contacted the brigade's academic instructors to secure additional tutoring opportunities for Yan Yunfei. What warmed Yan Yunfei's heart even more was that Liu Tao's actions inspired the entire detachment—some comrades voluntarily took on his duties, while others brought stacks of review materials. "It was the squad leader and my comrades who carried me forward." The collective warmth became the confidence that drove Yan Yunfei through every obstacle.

In the end, Yan Yunfei successfully passed the examination and entered a military academy. After graduating, he returned to this familiar garrison. "The squad leader showed me through his actions that taking root at the border is dedication, and holding your post is responsibility." Now serving as deputy detachment commander, Yan Yunfei is passing this conviction on to the soldiers he leads.

When Liu Tao leads soldiers, what he values most is the "heart" (心). He firmly believes that leading soldiers means first bringing out their spirit and morale (精气神), and that cultivating people begins with forging a firm military soul (军魂). Soldier Qin Qingxu also passed the military examination with Liu Tao's encouragement and, upon graduating, voluntarily applied to serve at the frontier. In a letter to the detachment, he wrote: "The squad leader always said that a soldier's worth lies not in the height of his position but in fulfilling his responsibilities. I will carry this charge with me and guard every inch of the frontier."

Liu Tao's teaching by word and deed has been sown like seeds in the hearts of officers and soldiers, taking root and sprouting. Under his example and leadership, the detachment has developed a strong atmosphere of valuing camaraderie, emphasizing solidarity, and growing together. Officers and soldiers deepen their bonds through activities organized by the League branch and gather strength through mutual assistance. In 2025, the detachment's League branch was awarded the title of "National May Fourth Red Flag League Branch"—this collective honor is a vivid reflection of the detachment's cohesion and upward spirit.

As a veteran who has been rooted in Fuyuan for twelve years, Liu Tao's dedication and sense of responsibility are themselves a wordless textbook. His rich grassroots experience and deep affection for the soldiers make him a valuable resource for officers seeking to understand the troops and do their work well. When the detachment's former political instructor Chen Hongyu first arrived, Liu Tao spoke to him sincerely: "There is no secret to leading soldiers. A sense of responsibility matters more than anything else. Always think a little more about the soldiers." Chen Hongyu was deeply inspired and has consistently kept the officers and soldiers in his heart and carried out his work with diligence.

The current political instructor, Li Jituo, won first place in the People's Armed Police outstanding political instructor competition. In Liu Tao he sees the benchmark of a border defense soldier: "He is the first to appear on the training ground in the morning; when new equipment arrives, he is the first to master its principles; when new soldiers join the unit, he is the first to step forward and mentor them. This spirit of hard work and steadfast commitment is the example we strive to follow."

Today, batch after batch of officers and soldiers who have grown under Liu Tao's influence shine like sparks at their respective posts: Yan Yunfei and Qin Qingxu have chosen to hold fast at the frontier and build their achievements there; Kong Yuhao handles information technology support independently; training standouts Ma Boyi and Du Hansong have won gold and silver at competitions… And Liu Tao remains, like a green pine, rooted at the frontier. Over twelve years of garrison duty, through day-after-day steadfastness and the relentless pursuit of excellence, he has established a spiritual benchmark for border defense soldiers of the new era, silently calling forth generation after generation of officers and soldiers.

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**In the Words of a Witness**

**Seeing Change in the "Youth Notes" (青春便笺)**

■ First-Class Staff Sergeant of the People's Armed Police Heilongjiang General Corps Fuyuan Detachment, Liu Tao

How to truly enter the hearts of soldiers and rally them—this is a question I constantly think about and return to anew. Late at night, I sort through stack after stack of notes. The paper is short but the feelings are deep; flowing between the lines are the voices of my comrades, and reflected there are the changes that have taken place in the detachment over these years.

A year ago, I launched the "Youth Notes" activity. The original intention was simple: to build a silent bridge, so that comrades could write down the confusion, suggestions, and reflections that are hard to express face to face. Gradually, these notes became the most candid "heart-to-heart conversations on paper" between me and everyone else.

The words collected the first time were blunt enough to sting: "League activities are too formulaic"; "Squad leaders don't talk enough with new recruits"; "More genuine, heartfelt care, please"… Reading these words, my face flushed and my heart sank. I immediately took action with the branch committee members: we refreshed activity formats, proactively sought out new recruits for casual conversation, and brought a bowl of hot ginger soup after training… Every one of these things was done to ease soldiers' worries and warm their hearts.

Change quietly appeared in the lines of the notes. Since the beginning of this year, critical suggestions have decreased and reflections on growth have increased; some comrades have even written words of care: "Squad leader, don't always be so tense—take care of yourself."

This trust and concern sent a warm current through my heart—my comrades have truly come to regard the League branch as home, and me as one of their own.

Today, "golden ideas" (金点子) flow ceaselessly from the notes: optimizing training formats, enriching cultural life, sharing training tips… Watching everyone go from "keeping thoughts bottled up" to "proactively offering good suggestions," from "bystanders" to "owners," I know that these small notes have truly become a position for rallying soldiers' hearts and inspiring a sense of responsibility.

"The wind at the eastern extreme is cold, but the detachment is warm, and our hearts are united!" Holding these ever-thickening notes, I am moved to the depths of my chest. As a League branch secretary and squad leader rooted at the grassroots level, I know this well: there is no need for earth-shaking achievements, no need for grand pledges and vows. Keep your comrades in your heart at all times, resolve their difficulties with sincerity, and warm their hearts with genuine feeling—this is my most steadfast watch over my post.

*(Compiled by Chen Liangliang)*

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**Reporter's Notes**

**The Art of Leading Soldiers**

■ Chen Liangliang

What does it take to lead soldiers?

Following Liu Tao's footsteps, moving through his battle position, the answer gradually becomes clear—on the morning training ground, he patiently refines new recruits' movements, correcting deviations again and again; in the sweltering equipment room, he passes on technical experience without reservation; in the quiet of the night, he bends over his desk organizing notes, keeping the well-being of officers and soldiers in his heart.

No earth-shaking feats. No grand pledges and vows. What he does is entirely ordinary: a word of warm encouragement when a comrade is lost, a sincere piece of guidance after a comrade makes a mistake, an unwavering commitment to mastering new equipment… It is precisely these ordinary, day-after-day moments that accumulate into a moving answer to the art of leading soldiers.

On new recruit Zhou Weihao's note, the conviction that "working steadily and diligently will surely bring progress" traces back to Liu Tao's teaching by word and deed, and has become the driving force for his forward march. Kong Yuhao says frankly that Liu Tao is not only a technical mentor but also "a spiritual benchmark worth following."

"More than ten years rooted at the frontier—has it been hard?" Faced with this question, Liu Tao smiles and shakes his head: "Being stationed here, being able to refine my skills, strengthen my comrades, and watch the detachment get better day by day—it is all worth it."

At the People's Armed Police Fuyuan Detachment, the comrades standing shoulder to shoulder and the passing of the torch from mentor to apprentice are silently proving: hold sincerity in your heart, keep your feet on the ground, and you can lay one solid brick after another in the great edifice of strengthening and revitalizing the military (强军兴军).