My Military Career in a Parallel World

Linjiagou, from the name it sounds like the whole village has the surname Lin, but that is not the case. It might have been true a few hundred years ago, but with the dark and humiliating century of war, countless people were displaced, and Qin Province was one of the few places that had not been devastated by life, so naturally many people fled here and settled down.

In addition, because Linjiagou is close to the famous red sites, many old revolutionaries have settled in the surrounding area.

There are four main surnames in Linjiagou, namely Jiang, Zhang, Li and Lin. Lin, which should be the main family, is the surname with the least number of people.

The next most common surnames are Li and Zhang, while Jiang, a foreign surname, has the highest proportion.

The Third Master referred to by the villagers before was Jiang Decheng, the old village chief of Linjiagou.

As for Uncle Nine, he is Jiang Chen’s grandfather, Jiang Weiming.

Originally according to the family tree generation arrangement, Jiang Chen's father should be of the Xian generation, and Jiang Chen should be of the Liang generation.

However, the Jiang family was a group of outsiders who had only moved in within the last hundred years. In addition to the trouble caused by the Buzzing Four, in order to avoid being targeted by those with ulterior motives, they no longer used the generational order in the family tree.

……

The condolence team beat drums and gongs along the way, which really attracted a lot of people to watch.

At first, everyone was curious about whose kid was so amazing that he got a second-class merit, but they didn't dare to ask and could only keep it to themselves until the villagers from Jiang Chen's village came over and figured out what was going on.

Faced with everyone's questions, these villagers immediately began to show off proudly to the people around them who were unaware of the situation.

"Who else could it be? Uncle Jiu's grandson!"

"Uncle Jiu's grandson?!"

Some people couldn't help but be surprised, and some people who knew something about the situation hurriedly asked.

"Didn't they say that Uncle Jiu's grandson got into college? Why is he joining the army again?"

"Besides, this is too fast. If I remember correctly, Uncle Jiu's grandson took the college entrance examination this year. It's not that long!"

Someone counted on his fingers, and the confusion on his face became even more intense.

"Oh, this is a long story about a child without a mother.

You all know the situation of Uncle Jiu's family. His two sons failed to join the army, so this is the right time for him to send his grandson to the army.

I originally thought that I would come back to college after spending two years to get some retirement pay, but who would have thought…"

The situation of Jiang Chen's family was well known in the village. After a brief explanation of what had happened, everyone nodded in understanding.

"Alas, my grandson has only been in the army for a short time, and he has already earned a second-class merit. Uncle Jiu can be said to have gotten what he wanted."

"yes……"

As everyone was talking, the team had already reached the entrance of the village.

The villagers who had followed all the way from the beginning exclaimed: "Wow, they really walked four or five miles just by beating gongs and drums!"

Upon hearing this, a villager in the village immediately said proudly: "This is nothing, you don't know, in the past few days, the threshold of Uncle Jiu's house has been almost trampled flat by the cadres from the town and the village!"

"Yes, Lao Jiang came back yesterday, his face was so rosy, he gave cigarettes to everyone he met, and they were all good cigarettes, how generous he was!"

Uncle Jiu has been in much better spirits these past two days, wandering around the village every day, and the old injury on his leg seems to have healed quite well!"

"Tsk tsk, if my kid could be this successful, I'd be richer than him!"

"That's right. Not to mention the pain in my legs, even if I were paralyzed, I would still need someone to carry me out every day!"

"Yeah, that bastard of mine was told to join the army, but he was afraid of the hardship and insisted on working in some crappy electronics factory. What a loser!"

"I have a little kid at home who just can't concentrate on his studies. I'm going to have a good talk with him when I get back. If he doesn't study, he'll have to join the army. If he dares not go, I'll break his legs!"

"Let's put aside whether you have made any achievements or not. It's also good to go to the army for some training!"

The villagers gathered around and talked about it, while the Jiang family members who had received the news long ago were already waiting outside the gate.

"Hey, why don't we see Uncle Jiu?!" Someone looked towards the gate and saw that only Jiang's father and mother came out with their daughter, and couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Yeah, why didn't Uncle Nine come out?"

Everyone started talking about it.

It's no wonder that everyone is so curious. Jiang Chen's grandfather is a celebrity in the village. The younger generation may not know who Uncle Jiu is, but those who are a little older know how glorious Uncle Jiu was in his past.

Unfortunately, for some reason, he suddenly retired from the army and returned.

When Linjiagou was still a collective economy, the village asked him to be a village cadre, but Uncle Jiu ignored it. Except for going to work, he stayed at home every day and rarely went out. It was not until Weng Weng Weng was overthrown and the reform and opening up took place that Uncle Jiu appeared in the village from time to time.

I thought that since my grandson had made great contributions in the army and the county leaders came to present him with a plaque as a meritorious official, Uncle Jiu would definitely show up. Who would have thought...

"Hey, look, Uncle Nine is coming out!!"

As he was speaking, someone in front suddenly shouted.

Upon hearing this, everyone looked towards the yard. The people crowded at the back didn't know what was going on, and they were anxiously trying to squeeze forward.

The county leader who came to present the plaque was a little impatient at first, until he saw the figure coming out of the courtyard...

Jiang Chen's grandfather, Jiang Weiming, was seen wearing a neat military uniform with rows of medals on his chest, some of which were slightly dull and some even rusty, hanging from his chest to his waist.

Jiang Weiming walked towards the gate step by step with the help of a cane. Although he looked weak, his steps were steady.

One person walked out with the momentum of thousands of troops.

Especially the military coat he was wearing. The hem of his coat fluttered gently in the mountain breeze. It seemed as if the man was not just an old man from the mountains, but a general who was famous on the battlefield.

Although it has just begun autumn, the temperature in the mountains is already a bit low. The old man is weak, so he has to wear more clothes when going out.

However, there was something special about the military coat that Mr. Jiang was wearing.

It is not the ordinary military coat that we see today, but a general's coat specially made for military cadres above the rank of general several decades ago. Its style is somewhat similar to the windbreaker of later generations.

How could one become a leader these days without some skills? What's more, he was in charge of matters related to the military personnel in the army.

As a famous old revolutionary base, X County has countless retired veterans, and even a large number of veterans who survived the Anti-Japanese War. It is no exaggeration to say that there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers here.

But no matter how many hidden dragons and crouching tigers there are, no one would have thought that there was such a great god in the small ravine right before their eyes!

Yes, it’s the great God!

Not everyone can own or wear a general's coat.

What's more, what is more dazzling than the general's uniform is the row of military medals hanging on the old man's chest that almost reaches his waist.

My goodness, it’s so dazzling that it hurts my eyes just looking at it.

Director Chen, who was previously in charge of the recruits' files and had contact with Lu Ming, was also present today. After all, Jiang Chen was a recruit sent out from his hands, so as a fellow villager, how could he not come?

However, even though he thought he had enough knowledge about Jiang Chen's family situation, Director Chen couldn't help but feel dizzy when he saw the scene in front of him.

Compared with the old man, even the second-class meritorious service plaque held by the soldier seemed inconspicuous.

"Old sir, may I ask who you are..." The county leader walked up to Mr. Jiang at a loss. He wanted to extend his hand but was a little timid for some reason, so he could only ask in a respectful tone.

"Jiang Weiming, Jiang Chen's grandfather, aren't you here today just to present a plaque to my family?" the old man said calmly.

“Yes, yes, but we didn’t expect…” Looking at the long string of medals hanging on the old man’s chest, the county leader couldn’t help swallowing.

The distance was a bit far just now, and everyone only saw a long string of military medals hanging on the old man's chest, but they couldn't see what the medals were specifically. Now that the distance was closer, he realized how terrifying the value of this row of medals was.

Some of the medals were so old that he couldn't recognize them.

However, he had some impression of several medals.

For example, the last medal in the first row on the old man’s left chest should be more appropriately called a commemorative medal.

It was a commemorative medal for the liberation of North China issued during the liberation period!

There are also the August 1st Medal, the Independence and Freedom Medal, etc.

As for the first, second, and third class military medals, they were somewhat inconspicuous among that row of medals.

In the reflection of the sunlight, the military medals flashed with a dazzling light, making people dare not look directly at them.

The condolence process was completed quickly. Under the gaze of everyone, a plaque with the words "Second-Class Meritorious Family" was added to the Jiang family's gate. Jiang's father and mother wore ribbons and accepted the condolence money and gifts from the county leaders under the gaze of reporters and cameras.

Of course, the reporter also noticed the old man in the general's uniform with the military medal on his chest, and wanted to come over for an interview. However, the county leaders who had been dealing with these veterans for a long time did not dare to let them disturb the old man, and quickly stopped the reporter from interviewing him.

Helplessly, the reporter could only find a roundabout way to save the situation and took the photographer to interview the surrounding villagers.

After the ceremony, several county leaders did not leave immediately. After hesitating for a moment, they decided to first find out which great god this gentleman was.

Especially Director Chen, as the director of the County Veterans Affairs Bureau, he did not even know that there was such an outstanding veteran in his jurisdiction for such a long time. It is no exaggeration to say that he was derelict in his duty.

Moreover, in recent years, the country has attached increasing importance to the treatment of veterans, and has specially organized personnel to investigate and survey existing veterans in various provinces, cities, counties and villages, and establish exclusive files for these veterans.

He dare not be careless about this matter.

"Comrade Jianguo, you..." Director Chen pulled Jiang's father, who had not yet taken off his ribbon, to the side. Just as he was about to ask a question, he was interrupted by Jiang's father.

"Leader, please don't call me comrade. I really don't know anything about my father. He never mentioned his past to us young people. I only know that he was a soldier before, and I really don't know anything else!"

As he spoke, Jiang's father smiled bitterly: "If Chen'er hadn't made great contributions in the army, and if you hadn't come here today to present a plaque for the meritorious service, I'm afraid I would never have known that the old man had such an experience in my life."

"Alas." Director Chen also sighed when he heard this.

He had actually anticipated this. The ideological awareness of the older generation was far beyond what people today can imagine, and he had encountered similar things more than once.

Even many people have had their parents pass away for many years, and only when they accidentally sort out their belongings do they discover the past that their father/mother had hidden.

"Director Chen, if you really want to know, you have to go and ask the old man in person, or you may have to go to the old village chief. He may know something." Jiang Jianguo said after thinking for a while.

"Old village chief?"

"Yes, our former village chief Jiang Decheng, although he is one generation older than my father, they are almost the same age. When the old man retired from the army and came back, it was he who arranged the funeral affairs." Jiang Jianguo explained, searching his mind for the already vague memories.

"Okay, I'll go find the old man first and if that doesn't work, I'll go find the old village chief you mentioned!"

Since the old man chose to wear a military uniform and carry his military medals today, he didn't think about hiding what happened in the past.

However, it is not the right time yet. He wants to wait a little longer until his grandson comes back and tells him in person that he is willing to stay in the army. Only then will he tell him everything that happened in the past.

However, he is quite old, and no one can say how long he can live. What if...

So, when several county leaders came to him with hesitation, the old man still revealed some things.

According to the old man's original words, he joined the revolution and joined the local children's group at the age of twelve, joined the army at the age of sixteen, and joined the party at the age of eighteen. It was not until the end of the Korean War that he left the army and returned to his hometown to have children because of certain things.

Although the old man did not say what the specific reason was, based on the expression on his face when he talked about it, Director Chen and others guessed what happened.

Alas, no one can tell whether what happened back then was right or wrong, good or bad.

As the latecomers, they couldn't say much and could only bow their heads in silence...

Afterwards, they went to find Jiang Decheng, the former village chief of Linjiagou, and learned some things from him.

When the old man just came back from the army, he was very taciturn and sometimes he was not seen for several days. If it weren't for Jiang Decheng's intentional care, he probably would not have lived to see the day when he got married and had children.

Therefore, he more or less learned something from Jiang Weiming.

Before Jiang Weiming returned home, he was already the commander of a certain army's main force regiment.

Many elderly people in the village knew about this, which was why everyone was surprised when Jiang Weiming returned from the army.

Given his age and achievements, it would not be difficult for him to become a division commander if he just endures a few more years.

If I had stayed in the army till now...

Unfortunately, it has already happened and there is no point in saying more.

The reason why Jiang Weiming gave up his bright future and left the army was that he even gave up the honor that should have belonged to him...

It was because the old leader he had been following was implicated in something and eventually could not bear the humiliation and chose to commit suicide.

In a rage, he left the army alone and returned to this small village deep in the mountains...

After listening to the old village chief's narration, it is not difficult to guess why the old man has kept silent about the past for so many years.

Anyone who gives everything and gets a result like this would probably not feel good.

They did not bother the old man again, but told Director Chen to take this matter to heart, communicate more with the army when he has time, and try his best to find an opportunity to let Jiang Chen come back.

The old man had made it very clear before that he would only tell his grandson about what happened in the past if he told him in person that he wanted to stay in the army.

In order to allow an old man who has devoted half his life to the country and the people to spend his old age in peace, I think the military should also provide as much convenience as possible...