Chapter 1, Breaking the Flame Ridge

Oh dear, where have you gone, Wang Da! Why don't you send a message... Immediately, I began to cry uncontrollably at my grandfather's house

My grandfather not only worked as a teacher but also, quite unexpectedly, became a Red Guard. However, what truly captivated him were the cultural relics and antiques buried underground. Therefore, during the destruction of Yanling, my grandfather employed various means, resorting to both theft and deception to acquire many unearthed artifacts. That day, my grandfather excitedly drank heavily with five of his colleagues, celebrating throughout the night

During a business transaction, my grandfather became enamored with a royal copper-enamel vase with yellow floral designs. After much contemplation, he ultimately decided to leave Beijing under the cover of night with this vase and returned to his hometown, Ling County in Zhuzhou. To make a living, and being skilled in writing, he quickly became a teacher of traditional Chinese studies at a local middle school before the campaign against the Four Olds. Friends who are into antiques should know the value of such a vase in modern times. In fact, every time I think of this matter, I cannot help but shed tears, deeply feeling the wisdom of my grandfather on that day

With the destruction of the excavated antiquities, the tide of "revolution" seems to have swept away from Ling County. As the spirited Red Guards turned their attention elsewhere, strange events befell the ten leading teachers that very night. The first to be affected was the oldest among the ten, Wang Da.

They violently stormed temples and historical sites, destroying Buddha statues and antiques, confiscating and burning renowned calligraphy and paintings, as well as classical scriptures, and excavating graves and royal tombs, creating a scene that was both vivid and tumultuous

At present, no one dared to delay any longer and hurriedly ran towards Luyuan Slope. Before they reached Yanling, several of them were startled to the point of trembling legs by the suddenly appearing blood-red soil beneath their feet. As they stepped on the ground, which was rich in moisture, a faint halo of water was pressed out, blending with the color of the soil, resembling thick, fresh blood

Having had a bit to drink, Wang Da, emboldened by the effects of alcohol, disregarded the advice of his grandfather and others. He wrapped himself in a tattered oilcloth and, humming revolutionary tunes, spiritedly disappeared into the night. The remaining few waited until the next day when daylight broke before they dared to rise and return home

Just as Grandfather was nervously preparing to head to Yanling to investigate, Wang Da's wife anxiously arrived at Grandfather's home: "Xiao Qian, my husband hasn't come home for three days! I only found out this morning that he was drinking here that night! Do you know where Wang Da has gone?"

After speaking, he followed Wang Da's wife out and called a few people who had drunk together that evening. The group searched back and forth along the road to Wang's house, but despite numerous attempts, they still found no trace whatsoever

"What do you mean by going home!" Grandfather looked at Wang Da's wife with a stern expression, already sensing that the situation was dire. Nevertheless, he spoke the truth: "Wang Da, he, he went home that night!"

After the night of drinking, suddenly the wind and thunder erupted, and dozens of lightning bolts struck Ling County like raging dragons. The boundless torrential rain produced a sound akin to ghostly wails, awakening people from the joyous dreams of revolutionary victory. Children trembled as they nestled in their parents' arms, their terrified eyes fixed on Luyuan Slope to the west of the county town. For there, in the very place that had just been destroyed today, the land of Yanling, a towering red light was now emanating, painting the entire night blood red amidst the flickering and rumbling of thunder and lightning

Grandfather was in a hurry, busy persuading Wang Da's wife: "Sister-in-law, don't cry! First, we need to find him, that's the priority https://m.hetushu.com.com"

In November of that year, ten middle school teachers from a certain area in Hunan led tens of thousands of Red Guards to bravely storm the Yandi Mausoleum. Within a single day, they completely destroyed the main hall and its auxiliary buildings, excavated the tomb, and looted all the items within, ultimately leveling everything to the ground. Among those ten teachers was one surnamed Qian, who was my grandfather

Less than twenty years after the victory of the Liberation War, New China faced the most severe cultural destruction in the history of the Chinese civilization. The storm of destroying the Four Olds was ignited by a 1966 editorial in the People's Daily titled "Sweep Away All the Monsters and Demons," which rapidly stirred up a tempest, sweeping across the entire Chinese territory within a matter of months

However, the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning did not cease, continuing relentlessly for three days and nights. When the dark clouds finally dispersed and the thunder and lightning subsided, people were horrified to discover that the land surrounding Yanling, for several miles, had turned blood red! Vast areas of forest in the mountains had been reduced to charcoal during these three days!

In this wave of fervor, students once again became the main force of the revolution. A large number of Red Guards composed of students, under the guidance of teachers from various revolutionary schools (after the rise of the movement to destroy the Four Olds, schools, shops, and roads were all given such revolutionary titles), prioritized cultural heritage such as historical relics, books, and paintings as the primary targets of their "revolutionary" efforts

Speaking of my grandfather, he was originally not a teacher, but made a living in Beijing through the restoration of ancient artifacts. He studied under Gong Maolin, whose master was the renowned Qing Palace artist known as one of the Eight Eccentrics, Wai Zuiyu. Wai Zuiyu once worked in the Qing Palace's manufacturing department and left the palace during the Xinhai Revolution, subsequently making a living through the restoration of ancient artifacts near the palace, and he had seven disciples.

At that moment, someone suddenly exclaimed, "He won't be wandering off to Yanling, will he?"