Far back

Author: Shen Zhenghua

Read aloud: Wang Ruonan's Yellow Flag

There are two vague figures on the top of No. 8 Bridge! When I looked through the black and white pictures of the railway soldiers repairing the No. 8 Bridge of Longhai Railway, I had a new discovery by accident.

In the black and white photos, we can see that a single-sided ladder has been set up on the bruised pier 8. On the middle pier, one person is working in a cat's posture, while the other person is standing on the single-sided ladder not far from him. What these two people left us is just a distant and vague figure. There is no historical data to explain who they are, but I firmly believe that they are "climbing heroes" Yang Liandi and his squad leader Diao Shugui, who are carrying out dangerous blasting operations!

At the China Railway 11th Bureau and even the whole China Railway Construction Corporation, many people can give a general idea of the story of Yang Liandi, the "climbing hero", who repaired the No. 8 Bridge.

In August 1949, in order to liberate the northwest, the First Detachment and the First Detachment of the Railway Corps were ordered to repair the destroyed No. 8 Bridge and unblock the interrupted Longhai Line. In order to solve the problem of climbing high, Yang Liandi risked his life to create a single-sided ladder. He boarded the tallest bridge in old China with his bare hands, and used only a piece of wood as a cover. He blasted the top of the pier for more than 100 consecutive times. The pier was leveled smoothly, making the bridge repair and open to traffic 20 days ahead of schedule.

The heroic deeds of Yang Liandi are summarized in a few words. Everyone knows Yang Liandi's title of "climbing hero", but they don't know that his blasting at the top of the pier is more dangerous. He is also a well deserved "blasting hero". After the problem of climbing was solved that year, the army faced a new problem - two piers were higher than the top of other piers, and 26 cubic meters of concrete needed to be chiseled before beams could be erected. If chiseled by hand, it will take a long time and affect the opening plan. At the critical moment, Yang Liandi put forward a bold idea of blasting with explosives and took the initiative to complete the blasting task. However, the pier top is narrow. When blasting at the 45m high pier top, there is no shelter. If the explosive power is not well controlled and the pier top is blown off, the problem will become more serious.

Diao Shugui, the former leader of Yang Liandi's squad, recorded in the article "Flagman on the Ladder" that after Yang Liandi had drilled holes on the pier top and loaded explosives, he had the following conversation with Diao Shugui on the ladder:

"You should go down now, monitor."

"No, I will complete this task with you."

"No way! There is a risk of sacrifice here. Since one person can do the work, why should two people take this risk?"

"Comrade Yang Liandi, if you have me, we will surely complete the task safely and smoothly. You can light the gun!"

Yang Liandi, who could not defeat the monitor, lit the fuse. The two men stepped on the single-sided ladder and hid under the prepared plank, holding tightly together

There was a bang, the explosion shook the pier, the ladder creaked, and the blasted stones flew past them

It was under such dangerous circumstances that Yang Liandi blasted more than 100 times in a row and insisted on leveling the pier top, creating conditions for the bridge construction.

There are many pictures recording Yang Liandi's ascent, but the pictures of his explosion are only seen in comic books. Until I saw the blurred background in the picture, combined with Diao Shugui's memoirs, I firmly believed that this was the precious picture of Yang Liandi's explosion.

Looking at this distant figure, I was excited first, then moved, and finally fell into deep thinking. Inevitably, I replaced myself in the rush repair facing the choice of life and death, and inevitably compared with the ancestors.

Why did Yang Liandi join the army in his thirties? Why did he sacrifice his life to fight? Because he witnessed the weak chaos in modern China and experienced the bitterness of the old society, he cherishes the hard won revolutionary achievements. Compared with our ancestors, we are born in a golden age. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, New China has achieved the great achievement of standing up, becoming strong and becoming rich. We are closer than ever to the grand dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. We live in an era of peace and stability, great material wealth, and rapid technological progress. We have received good education and have a broad vision. Focusing on our work, we have advanced mechanical equipment, thousand ton bridge erecting machine, intelligent track laying machine and other equipment widely used. Let's say goodbye to our predecessors' hand-held shoulder, and production efficiency has been greatly improved; We have the opportunity to exert our intelligence in one super project after another, and have the ability to climb the highest building peak in the country and the world; We bid farewell to the wind, food and sleeping outdoors. The quality of home building is unpredictable; Our safety awareness and protection level are constantly improving, so we don't have to risk our lives to complete the task

It can be said that compared with our ancestors, we have more happiness and more superior working environment, and all of this has been accumulated in the continuous struggle of countless ancestors.

Looking at the distant figure, I could not help sighing: Yang Liandi has sacrificed 70 years. In the photo, his figure is so far away from us, so blurred. But in reality, his figure is so close to us, so clear and profound. Because he is still around us, in our hearts; His deeds also inspire us, and his spirit also inspires us. The unfinished dream of national rejuvenation for which he dedicated himself will be realized by our generation!

(e employees of CRCC)