Tempering the Blade in Changbai

When "lying down is doing your part" becomes the outpost's credo for survival, new platoon leader Shen Hongwei finds himself facing a group of soldiers whose fighting spirit has been frozen solid. From a student born into poverty to the snowy frontier, "lie flat" has no place in his personal dictionary. His eyesight nearly disqualified him from enlisting, and twice someone else took his spot for the military entrance exam. But with sheer grit and a refusal to give in, he made his way from chalkboard notices to the military academy lectern, from a border defense platoon leader who refused bribes and earned distinction to an armed-forces pioneer skilled at mediating between the military and local authorities.

Over 21 years in uniform, he earned military honors three times. His writing made a name for him in the military newspaper, and his calligraphy and couplets were carved into outposts. The road was full of thorns: he had benefactors who helped him along, but also encountered corrupt hands. He wielded integrity as a blade and writing as armor, cutting through hardship time and again amid the wave of military reform. This is no simple comeback story, but the unregretful journey of a poor-born young man who, with passion, talent, and undying devotion, forged himself into a sharp blade for his country in the furnace of his times!