At 9:30 a.m., a bus stopped in the company yard. Fang Hai was organizing the actors who were about to go to the military camp for military training. This time, including Fang Hai, there were a total of twelve people from the security department. Fang Hai was naturally in his element. Since it was at the company, he naturally took on the role of commander, arranging for the others to board the bus in order.
Not only Fang Hai, but also more than a dozen others assisted from the side, and the scene was arranged in an orderly manner. Fang Yang, who had just come downstairs, was very pleased to see that Fang Hai had gotten into the role on his own without needing to make any arrangements. This was a great improvement compared to when he was completely oblivious to everything else except for the security department.
The two film crews together had more than forty people who needed to go to military training. This time, they rented a 55-seat bus, which was quite spacious. When Fang Yang got on the bus, everyone had already chosen their own seats. The driver had already started the engine and warmed up the bus, and they were just waiting for Fang Yang to get on before they could depart.
After Fang Yang got on the bus, he didn't ask for the bus to leave immediately. Instead, he handed a slip of paper to Fang Hai and said, "Let's take attendance according to the list first. We'll leave once everyone is here."
After receiving the list, Fang Hai scratched his head. He had been momentarily distracted and had forgotten to take attendance. Fortunately, the bus hadn't departed yet. It wouldn't be good if someone was left behind and had to turn back later. He still lacked experience.
There were a total of 45 people, and the roll call was completed in just a few minutes. After Fang Yang nodded, Fang Hai told the driver to start the car. The journey would take more than three hours. After arriving, they would need to sign in at the military region first, and then be received by the relevant troops. It was estimated that it would take until nightfall to complete the process.
The bus arrived at the gate of the East China Military Region at nearly 3 p.m. Despite having an appointment, it was stopped by the soldiers on duty at the gate. No one was allowed to escort it in; outside vehicles were not permitted to enter, even if some of the security personnel were retired members of the East China Military Region.
Fortunately, Fang Yang called Zhou Taowei just before he arrived. Not long after, Zhou Taowei and a middle-aged military officer in his thirties came out. Upon seeing Fang Yang, they smiled and said, "I thought you would arrive before lunch. I didn't expect you to arrive so late. This is our Political Department Director, Qi Minghua. Director Qi is in charge of arranging your military training."
Fang Yang stepped forward and grasped Qi Minghua's hands with both of his. "Director Qi, thank you for your help this time. The time was too tight, and I didn't have time to discuss it with you in advance."
Qi Minghua shook hands firmly with Fang Yang with his calloused hands. "President Fang, I've heard of you. Your song 'The Moon on the Fifteenth' expresses the feelings of us veterans. This time, you're even promoting our female special forces team by filming a TV series. If I had to say, I should thank you. I read the script for that TV series, and it's very well written. It's very similar to the situation of our female special forces team."
Fang Yang laughed and said, "That's good. I was just afraid that I was showing off my limited skills in front of an expert. If there's anything that doesn't fit the actual situation, I hope you can give me some pointers."
Qi Minghua shook his head. "This is already the best. It is said that art comes from life but is higher than life. I feel this very well. Although your TV series has some embellishments, it has not deviated too much. If it were just copied verbatim, the TV series would not be very entertaining. I have nothing to correct. Mr. Fang, let's bring the car in first, and we can talk more later."
As soon as Qi Minghua finished speaking, Zhou Taowei had already signaled to the guard on duty to open the door and let the bus in. He then greeted Fang Yang and said, "Xiao Fang, I'll take them to the barracks to put their luggage down first. You and Director Qi can take care of the formalities. We'll have a good drink tonight."
Fang Yang said apologetically, "Then I'll trouble you in advance, brother. I'll offer you a few more drinks tonight."
Seeing the bus leave, Qi Minghua invited Fang Yang to walk to the side, "President Fang, what made you decide to write about our female special forces team? You know, not many people outside know about our female special forces team, and we rarely even appear in newspapers."
"Director Qi, it's quite a coincidence. I prepared two scripts about special forces this time. One is 'Operation Red Sea,' which is based on the evacuation of Chinese citizens from Yemen and describes the heroic deeds of the naval special forces in overseas operations. I thought that since I had already written a script about male special forces, I might as well do it in pairs and write a script about female special forces. I didn't expect that it would coincide with the script about the East China Military Region's female special forces. It's a twist of fate, a mistake that turned out to be a happy one."
This was the first time Qi Minghua had heard this reason, and he couldn't help but laugh. "President Fang, you're too kind. I don't know the specifics of your 'Operation Red Sea,' but this TV series about a female special forces team is being filmed here. We will provide the greatest possible support. As long as it's compliant with regulations, we will do our best to help."
Although he had expected it, Fang Yang was still very happy to hear Qi Minghua openly support him. "Director Qi, this is our first time filming a special forces TV series, so we may lack experience. If you have professional instructors on set to provide guidance, the results might be even better. We will film some movies or TV series about special forces every year to promote the fearless spirit of the troops in protecting homes and defending the country. I hope our cooperation will be even closer in the future."
The two walked along the tree-lined path. Every now and then, soldiers passing by would salute and greet Qi Minghua. Perhaps because it was an office, they didn't see any marching formations. However, the groups of soldiers passing by from time to time still impressed Fang Yang. This was the most disciplined military camp!
"Mr. Fang, you are very kind. We are happy to cooperate with people like you who love and support the military. To be honest, our recruitment work has become increasingly difficult in recent years. The phenomenon of money worship is extremely popular in society now. Many young people of eligible age would rather wander in society than join the army. We have done a lot of publicity, but to be honest, the results are not very ideal."
Fang Yang understood this very well. "You'll regret serving for two years, but you'll regret not serving for a lifetime." This saying is easy to say, but very difficult to put into practice. Without a strong and deeply ingrained propaganda effect, it is indeed very difficult to get eligible young people to join the army.
"Director Qi, it's both difficult and easy. The key lies in the propaganda. Only when eligible young people see the benefits of joining the army will they be eager to enlist. But how to do this propaganda is a lot of work, and it's not something that can be done with just a few simple slogans."
"Oh, Mr. Fang, do you have any good ideas? Please tell us. We've done a lot of research, but we still don't have a good solution. If you have any ideas, Mr. Fang, we will definitely consider them carefully."
"Director Qi, I wonder if you have considered that what can truly move people is to unveil the mysterious side of the military, to convey the sacred mission of the military in protecting thousands of families to countless young people of the right age, rather than just relying on a few slogans. What would be the best way to do this?"
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