Barren hills, shovel, wind sand, sun... Zuo Yun in the north of the Great Wall, close the Yanmen. Year after year, "veterans" use the rings of life to turn the wasteland into green fields - camphor pine, spruce, poplar and seabuckthorn, row by row, row by row, all over the mountains Over the past 18 years of retirement, the "veterans" have led the villagers to plant more than 2 million trees for their hometown. "Veteran" named Zhang Lianyin, 76 years old, former deputy commander of Hebei military region and major general. In his military life, he could have chosen to spend his old age in peace, but he drank the wind, swallowed the sand and gave everything. He was still planting trees with cancer, and built a "Green Great Wall" for the benefit of the people in his hometown. The background of a Communist's life: "working for the party and the people is not hard, but very happy." "Why did you choose this painstaking tree planting road?" many people don't understand. "Afforestation, wind prevention and desertification control will benefit the country and the people and benefit future generations," Zhang Lianyin said. In 2003, Zhang Lianyin returned to his hometown after retirement in Zuoyun County, Shanxi Province. Beyond all expectations, Zhang Lianyin, who had unloaded the steel gun, lifted a shovel. The senior military cadre who came out of Zhangjiachang village will go back to his hometown to plant trees after retirement?! "Planting trees can prevent wind and sand, and improve the natural environment of my hometown. I don't have a lot of money. Planting trees is the most realistic choice. How much money to plant trees." after repeated thinking, Zhang Lianyin chose this road. At that time, against his fame, enterprises threw olive branches one after another, "it's easy to make money". But Zhang Lianyin was as transparent as a mirror: "I just want to do something for the people in my hometown with limited time, limited energy and limited scope." Villagers, Zhang Lianyin has a heavy weight in his heart. His father died at the age of 4, his mother remarried at the age of 6, and his grandmother and grandfather who raised him also died at the ages of 13 and 16. "I can grow up only by eating a hundred meals and wearing a hundred clothes. The kindness of the villagers to me will never be forgotten in my life." he remembered that when he was a child, he was sometimes so poor that he didn't even have shoes. That morning 57 years ago, Zhang Lianyin will never forget—— The village is full of gongs and drums. The 19-year-old is going to be a soldier! Dai Honghua, riding a horse, villagers fill his pockets with fried melon seeds and boiled eggs "You wear red flowers for me. I express my determination. When I go to the army, I listen to the party and do whatever the party asks!" at the farewell party, Zhang Lianyin, as a representative of recruits, improvised allegro. He remembered this sentence all his life and did it all his life. In his second year in the army, due to his excellent performance, he joined the party with honor. Since then, he has grown from an ordinary soldier to a senior leading cadre. For 40 years, Zhang Lianyin has made great achievements in each post—— As a soldier, he is a "five good soldier" every year; As company commander, he was rated as an excellent representative of the "four good companies" of the Beijing Military Region; He was awarded the rank of major general from head and deputy division commander to division commander, deputy military commander and deputy commander of the provincial military region. In March 2003, Zhang Lianyin retired. He seriously said to his wife, "I am retired and have no job, but my party membership is still there. This is my job all my life. Serving the people wholeheartedly is also my duty all my life." Zhang Lianyin's hometown, Zhangjiachang village, Zuoyun County, is located at the edge of Maowusu Sandy Land and belongs to Beijing Tianjin sandstorm source control area. More than half of the land in the village is barren mountains and slopes, and the wind is blowing. Decades later, although villagers moved from the original Adobe houses to brick houses, the bare barren mountains and slopes have not changed. "Greening my hometown and benefiting the villagers is the last battlefield of my life." in October of that year, Zhang Lianyin returned to his hometown with his wife Wang Xiulan and started the "first war" of tree planting. However, the difficulty of starting a business was unexpected. Zuoyun has poor land and low survival rate of trees. In the first year, Zhang Lianyin bought 10000 Pinus sylvestris seedlings from Youyu, and all died in the second year; Plant another 6000 trees and die again "Ancestors can't plant for three generations. You'll plant it when you come back?" "faxiao" Hu Wanjin looked at him angrily. All the trees died, and the old man was sad, but he was even more unwilling. He bought books for self-study, came to consult experts, and went to other forest farms to study. Every time he met someone who could plant trees, he pulled others to break the casserole and asked them to the end. The wife who went back to plant trees with him remembered that in the first few years of planting trees, his face and ears were often peeled off by the wind, and blisters swelled up on his mouth. Sometimes the blisters cracked and blood flowed down his lips. Once the eldest daughter went back to visit her hometown, but she didn't recognize the parents coming up. Looking at the two old people who were "beyond recognition" by the wind and sand, she was so distressed that she burst into tears. Zhang Lianyin has his own "bitter optimism": "I plant trees and work for the party and the people. I don't feel hard, but I'm very happy." Now, the barren mountains of the past are full of pines and waves. The nature of soldiers in charge: there are no difficulties that cannot be overcome On the hillside, Zhang Lianyin sat down on the ground after finishing his work and spoke with full confidence. It's hard to imagine that he was hovering on the line of life and death. In 2011, knowing that he was suffering from lung cancer, Zhang Lianyin only said "face it calmly and treat it scientifically". Before the operation, he silently paid off the money owed to his relatives and friends for planting trees over the years, and even went to the photo studio to take his last photos. But the trees haven't been planted yet. Zhang Lianyin couldn't wait after the operation. He took his wife home in the first month of the second year. As usual, they didn't find anyone to pick them up. The old couple took the train from Shijiazhuang to sleep one night, arrived in Datong at more than 5 a.m., and took the bus to Zhangjiachang village. "If I don't come back, it will be over." he didn't think about his body at all, and his mind was full of planting trees. Back to the base of planting trees, Zhang Lianyin installed his saplings and shovel and sat on his "special car" up the hill. The van which had been bought for less than 50 thousand yuan ran nearly 200 thousand kilometers in 6 years. "Pulling workers, pulling tools, pulling seedlings, and going out of the ditch into the mountains are all his cars." Ike Kohiro, deputy director of the Zuoyun county Party Committee Organization Department, said. The shade of Zuoyun County continues to expand, and the cancer cells in his body are also growing madly. In 2014, his lung cancer had bone metastasis. This time, after a month in hospital, he returned home to plant trees again. "Cancer should be treated scientifically and trees should be planted to the end," Zhang Lianyin said firmly. Some people say, why compete so hard? But Zhang Lianyin, a soldier, is like this, just like his wechat signature: strong, tough and resolute—— Today, the survival rate of tree planting has reached more than 95%. He led the villagers to plant more than 2 million trees for his hometown. Today, Zhang Lianyin still walks fast and energetic. On the land of China, Zhang Lianyin is not the only one who creates miracles! The satellite at an altitude of 600000 meters faithfully recorded the gradually "disappearing" Mu Us sandy land in the green enclosure—— Planting trees in pits and laying sand barriers and fixing sand with shovels one by one, people go forward one after another. In the years of one Jiazi, they have sowed a green barrier with scientific allocation of trees, shrubs and grass in the former barren land, so that most of the desertification land can be controlled and become a model of global desertification prevention and control. "Tens of thousands of Zhang Lianyin have created an ecological miracle from" sand advance and people retreat "to" green advance and sand retreat ". Luo Tao, senior auditor of the natural resources and ecological environment audit department of the National Audit Office, said with emotion that since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the successful practice of the Chinese Communists in promoting the construction of ecological civilization shines the" spiritual code "of the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. "30 years is my 'goal', planting trees should be planted until the age of 88!" Zhang Lianyin said: "when dealing with trees and people every day, I'll be in a good mood and good health." Driven by him, the forest coverage rate of Zuoyun County, Shanxi Province has increased from 38.6% in 2003 to 45.03% now, an increase of 6.43 percentage points. Zhang Lianyin is called "greening general" by the masses. The role of "public servant" who cares about the masses: never forget the soil and the villagers In the autumn afternoon, there were waves of pines. Standing in a small pavilion at the top of the mountain in Zhangjiachang village, Zhang Lianyin looked up and down and sang his favorite song—— "No matter how rich you are, no matter how old you are, you can't forget our mother at any time..." In the past 18 years, he led the villagers to plant 18000 mu of trees in this land, including 6000 mu of voluntary trees and 12000 mu of wind and sand source control project in Beijing and Tianjin. He took nothing from more than 2 million trees and signed an agreement: "first, no forest rights, second, no land rights, and return them to the collective free of charge 30 years later." In the early stage of entrepreneurship, Zhang Lianyin took out all his savings of 300000 yuan, his eldest daughter Zhang Xiaomei took out a house mortgage of 200000 yuan, his son Zhang Xiaobin took out his savings of 100000 yuan, and his youngest daughter Zhang Xiaohua advanced 30000 yuan of transfer fee and 20000 yuan given by her father-in-law at the time of engagement. Later, Zhang Lianyin borrowed money from the bank twice. However, Zhang Lianyin's old house in the village collapsed. The old man of his family advised him: Lian Yin, don't you think about your own family? You'd better spend some money to renovate your old house. Zhang Lianyin said, "I'd better spend my limited funds on Greening barren mountains!" After the ecological improvement, the villagers remembered Zhang Lianyin's deeds and spontaneously raised money to build a pavilion. They wanted to be called "jiangjuntai", but Zhang Lianyin stopped it. Later, the "monument to the comprehensive treatment project of 10000 mu small watershed in Zhangjiachang township" was erected. In 2015, his son Zhang Xiaobin left the army to choose his own career and went back to the village to plant trees with his father. Someone wondered, "didn't you think about using your own resources to make your son better develop in the army?" Zhang Lianyin replied: "the recognition of the people and good family style are the best 'wealth' I leave to my children. It's good for Xiaobin to stay with the villagers and do such a meaningful thing." He mingled with the masses, ate farm meals, did farm work and spoke farm dialect. Whoever had a family leader and a short career, he was invited to preside over it. When he was short of funds, three villagers lent him 300000 yuan without even writing a debit note. Over the years, Zhang Lianyin has eaten potatoes, cabbage and tofu. What he likes most is an old camouflage suit; On New Year's and holidays, he always goes shopping to see the poor households in the village The villagers all said that he "never put on airs. He can't see that he is a general." And his wife Wang Xiulan knows him best, "if the villagers think he is like them, he will be happy." In Zhang Lianyin's diary, some little things are recorded—— "After taking the medicine, I ordered a bowl of noodles at the door of the hospital and made a CD-ROM operation myself!" "From Zuo Yun to Datong, I took a bus and went on a low-carbon trip again." …… Mo Dao sang Yu night, for the Xia is still all over the sky. Today, Zhang Lianyin's tree planting base has become the teaching point of Youyu cadre college. It was originally named "general forest" greening base. He replaced the word "general" with "Qingfeng". He has implemented all the advocacy and requirements of the party and the state, large and small, for only one reason, simple and passionate: "It was the party that trained me from a lonely cowherd into a general. It was the villagers who let me live my present life. Never forget the villagers in this land and water. The party organization is my home, and the parents in my hometown are my mother." (outlook new era)