Zhong Faquan

This book is a journalistic work by Zhong Faquan， winner of the 8th Lu Xun Literary Prize and a renowned contemporary author. Drawing from detailed interviews， the author navigates vast spans of history to focus on Wang Zhanshan， a recipient of the “July 1st Medal” and a war hero. The book tells the tale of Wangs journey from youth to his later years， enduring countless battles. Even in the face of the fiercest enemies， he never admitted defeat or surrendered， always leading from the front and devoting his life to serving his country.

The heroic sacrifice of Political Instructor Ma Zhanhai deeply grieved all the officers and soldiers of the company. The surging waters of the Hai River crashed against both banks， igniting a fiery determination in the troops.

Deputy Squad Leader Wang Qingshan directed the demolition team to approach the wall of the enemys security command building， attempting to destroy a large bunker directly in front of Jintang Bridge. The demolition teams leader， Li Quanshun， got within 10 meters of the bunker， hurled a hand grenade， used the cover of the ensuing smoke to reach the bunker， and inserted an explosive charge. But quickly， the enemy pushed the charge out. Unfazed， Li Quanshun promptly inserted a second explosive charge into the bunker. With a massive explosion， the bunker was reduced to rubble. Wang Qingshan swiftly led the soldiers to capture the position on the left side of the bridgehead， repelling the enemy multiple times.

As thick smoke billowed， comrades believed Li Quanshun had fallen. But upon clearing the battleground， they found Li Quanshun bloodied and injured， with even his front teeth knocked out from the blast.

The black night enveloped the city of Tianjin like a metal bucket， representing the darkest hour before dawn. With deafening artillery blasts continuously resembling spring thunder， the clear call to charge echoed through the pervasive smoke. Amidst the inspiring shouts of “Charge， charge！” and as the sun began to rise on the eastern horizon， the first light of dawn like a rose shimmered on the clear waters of the Hai River.

Company Commander Zhang Yutian organized his troops to firmly hold the eastern side of the bridgehead， eliminate remaining enemies near the eastern side of Jintang Bridge， and prepare to assault the enemys security command center. As they readied their charge， a group of enemy soldiers suddenly emerged from the command center. In an instant， both sides clashed in close combat， engaging in fierce hand-to-hand combat.

Commander Zhang Yutian， bayonet fixed， charged at the enemy， followed closely by Wang Zhanshan with his bayonet ready. Wang Zhanshan first stabbed one enemy. As he readied himself to face a shorter enemy， a taller foe suddenly lunged at him from the right. Facing the simultaneous attacks of these two adversaries， Wang Zhanshan reminded himself to stay calm and keep his footing. He widened his eyes， roaring deeply to embolden himself， and readied for the fight. Simultaneously parrying the attacking bayonet and gradually stepping back towards a wall behind him， he ensured no enemies could ambush from the rear. Just as he had retreated to a point only a meter from the wall， the company commander rushed over and fired a shot， taking down the shorter enemy. The taller enemy， seeing his companion shot， instantly became afraid.

Initially， Wang Zhanshan faced two enemies alone， but now the tables had turned， with both he and the company commander confronting just one enemy. Wang Zhanshans confidence surged. Taking a quick step forward and stomping heavily， the tall enemy panicked and thrust his weapon at him. Wang Zhanshan didnt dodge. First， he flicked his gun outward， then quickly swung the butt to the right， knocking the weapon from the tall enemys hand with a sharp slap. In his panic， the tall enemy turned to flee but only took a few steps before tripping over a stone on the ground. Wang Zhanshan lunged forward， thrusting his weapon towards the enemys back.

With that， the close combat came to a resolution. The enemies at the forefront were one by one neutralized by the soldiers of the 7th company， and seeing the turn of events， those following behind quickly retreated. The No.1， 2， and 3 squads of the 7th company regrouped into one force， pushing up to the Jintang Bridge.

From a bunker about ten meters from the bridge， a machine gun rattled loudly. At the commanders order， the last two assault members were charged with explosives. However， midway， they fell， lying in pools of blood. The commander， clearly frustrated， bellowed， “Charge again！”

At this point， with all assault members having bravely sacrificed themselves， without hesitation， Wang Zhanshan bent low and rushed forward， grabbing the explosives from a fallen comrade. He targeted the enemy bunkers approach， circumventing from the side of the street to the right of the bunkers. The enemy was focused on the frontal attack， never anticipating PLA soldiers coming from a side alley， let alone an explosive charge being placed right outside their yet-to-be-opened firing hole. Wang Zhanshan quickly pulled the detonation cord， diving into a roadside ditch. With a thunderous explosion， a gap was blown in the bunker， and the last stronghold at Jintang Bridge was conquered.

Company Commander Zhang Yutian gave an order， and immediately， the bugler blew the charge. The soldiers swarmed towards Jintang Bridge.

Wang Zhanshan followed closely behind Commander Zhang Yutian， rushing towards the bridge. Just as they were mere meters from Jintang Bridge， a flag-bearer holding a red flag was injured by flying shrapnel. As the flag-bearer stumbled， Wang Zhan Shan quickly grabbed the flag， leading the charge onto Jintang Bridge. Standing with his legs apart， rifle slung over his shoulder， he waved the vibrant flag from the center of the bridge.

His comrades gathered like a tidal wave beneath the bright and colorful fluttering flag， their rifles raised， shouting and yelling， delivering a fatal blow to the enemies who were still resisting an unstoppable momentum.

On the smoke-filled Jintang Bridge， amidst the chilling cold wind， the red flag flapped passionately in the wind while the river below murmured softly amidst the sky-shaking triumphant cheers. The symphony of these sounds seemed both a lament for the fallen comrades and a triumphant anthem for capturing Jintang Bridge.

On January 14， 1949， the entire siege force attacked the Nationalist defenders of Tianjin from the east， west， and south. After nearly 24 hours of bloody combat， at 5：30 a.m. on January 15， the 7th company achieved the primary success in the battle of Jintang Bridge. Amid victorious shouts and cheers， the 7th company met the vanguard units of the 38th and 39th armies， who attacked from west to east on the bridge.

As the sun slowly began to rise， all the siege units converged like a tide on the streets near Jintang Bridge， then spread out like a tide as well， fighting valiantly to liberate the entire city of Tianjin.

The warm winter sun pierced through the clouds and the thick gun smoke over the city， shining brilliantly. A dazzling red glow illuminated the sky above Jintang Bridge， shining upon the crescent-shaped bridge.

The Horn in the Smoke of Gunpowder

Zhong Faquan

Changjiang Childrens Press

June 2023

32.00 （CNY）

Zhong Faquan

Zhong Faquan， a member of the China Writers Association， to date has published over 5 million characters of novels， essays， and journalistic works in publications like Peoples Literature， Chinese Writers， and PLA Literature and Art. Many of his works have been featured in various annual anthologies and? have won awards such as the 8th Lu Xun Literary Prize and the 5th Liu Qing Literary Prize.