Lovers eventually become partners.

As expected, during his time in the propaganda team of the political department of the X Division, Yan Yuanchao met his female comrade Wang Jia. Although they did not officially date while in the army, after both left the military, they embarked on a passionate romance.

In the end, they held their wedding in Beijing.

From meeting Wang Jia to deciding that she was the one he wanted to marry, Yan Yuanchao considered this a significant gain in his life during his time in the propaganda team of the X Division.

In fact, there was also a major regret in his life during his time in the propaganda team of the X Division, which came so suddenly that he had no forewarning.

In a certain month of 1984, the Central Military Commission officially approved the major field armies to take turns conducting rotations at the China-Vietnam border.

According to the higher-ups' orders, the army's X Division conducted mobilization for combat at the front lines.

When Yan Yuanchao finally received the news that he would soon be going to the front lines, he was extremely excited.

Although he was the deputy leader of the propaganda team, his official position at that time was as a deputy battalion officer in the cultural section of the political department. According to the instructions of the division's party committee, the propaganda team would rearrange each member's positions and tasks according to wartime requirements when going to the front lines.

In the time before the specific work assignments were given, Yan Yuanchao had already made various preparations for his personal deployment to the front lines.

During the pre-war mobilization of the army's X Division, all officers and soldiers were filled with enthusiasm and spirit.

To cooperate with the mobilization for combat, the propaganda team urgently added several short and powerful performances to perform at various regiment-level units.

This time, three small teams were formed to go to different units.

As the team leader, Yan Yuanchao led a small team of ten to the XXX Infantry Regiment. In just a few days, he was deeply moved by the high fighting spirit of the officers and soldiers in the grassroots units. Being in the midst of it, he gained a true sense of mission as a soldier for the first time in over ten years of service.

However, unexpectedly, an accident occurred.

After the last performance of the second battalion of a certain regiment, while he and his comrades were unloading the stage and preparing to load the equipment back to the division headquarters, a male soldier unloading the frame from the top of the stage accidentally dropped a three-meter-long steel pipe from the top of a makeshift stage about four to five meters high. At that moment, a female soldier was cleaning up instruments and props right where the steel pipe was about to fall, and it looked like it was going to hit her head.

Be careful!

Hearing the male soldier's shout, Yan Yuanchao quickly pushed the female soldier aside, but the steel pipe struck his left ankle hard.

Yan Yuanchao let out a "Yo!" and instantly fell to the ground.

When his comrades rushed over, he endured the pain and said: It's okay, it's okay, help me up. In fact, he could no longer get up.

The battalion commander and political instructor also heard the commotion and hurried over, comforting Yan Yuanchao while urgently asking a nearby communications officer to call the battalion's medic over.

The medic came over to check Yan Yuanchao's injury and confirmed that his ankle was fractured. The medic said: However, to determine the extent of the fracture, he needs to go to the hospital for examination, as the regiment's medical team cannot diagnose it at the moment.

At this time, Yan Yuanchao's left leg could no longer move, and the excruciating pain made him sweat profusely.

To avoid affecting the normal work of the battalion and the small team's planned return to the division headquarters, he endured the pain and communicated his views on handling the current situation to several leaders in the battalion. The battalion commander nodded frequently and comforted him, saying, don't worry, don't worry, the regiment's medical team has already been notified.

About ten minutes later, the leader of the regiment's medical team and a military doctor arrived at the scene, examined the injury, and believed it to be a comminuted fracture that must be sent to the division hospital for treatment.

They applied a simple splint to Yan Yuanchao's left foot and decided to use the regiment's ambulance to take him back to the division.

In the end, Yan Yuanchao was carried on a stretcher and lifted into the ambulance.

In the operating room of the division hospital, he was officially diagnosed with a comminuted fracture of the left ankle, with severe displacement and four broken fragments, requiring surgery.

However, the division hospital was about to move with the troops to the front lines and suggested transferring him to the military district hospital for surgical treatment.

Hearing that he needed surgery and would have to be transferred, Yan Yuanchao was so anxious that he almost cried, not only from the pain but also from the unexpected severity of the situation.

The director of the political department of the division, the head of the cultural section, and several leaders of the propaganda team also rushed to the division hospital. After listening to the report from the surgical military doctor in the director's office, they decided on the spot that he must be sent to the military district hospital for surgery as soon as possible, because Yan Yuanchao was still young and could not be left with any disability or aftereffects.

Several leaders then came to visit Yan Yuanchao.

Yan Yuanchao said: Thank you, leaders. This is all my fault. I have been too tired in the army these past few days and didn't let the soldiers rest well, which led to this incident.

The leaders praised him while comforting him and informed him of the results of their earlier discussion.

In these days, he was full of fighting spirit and ready to go to the front lines, but at this moment, it felt like he had been doused with cold water.

He lay on the hospital bed, holding the director's hand and said: Leaders, I transferred from the military district's art troupe to our division precisely to go to the front lines. I earnestly request that you allow me to avoid surgery. I have also fractured before in the military district art troupe, and it healed after a couple of days. I don't feel that much pain anymore.

As he spoke, he tried to get up from the bed.

Seeing Yan Yuanchao like this, the leaders understood that he was anxious about not being able to go to the front lines with the troops.

The director of the political department of the division kindly said: Comrade Yuanchao, we all understand your feelings. The troops are currently on standby, ready to depart for Yunnan at any moment, and it is impossible for you to receive treatment in the division hospital. Your injury cannot be delayed either. I will not criticize you for this incident; instead, I want to commend you because you were injured while protecting your comrades.

After saying this, he immediately became serious and said: Comrade Yan Yuanchao, you must go to the military district hospital for surgery immediately; this is an order, and you must obey!

Upon hearing this, Yan Yuanchao knew that further pleading would be futile and could only lie on the bed helplessly saying: Yes!

Thus, Yan Yuanchao lost the opportunity to go to the front lines and participate in combat while in the propaganda team of the X Division.

When the comrades in the propaganda team learned that Deputy Leader Yan was injured and would undergo surgery at the military district hospital, and that he could not go to the front lines with them, they all expressed their regret.

The male and female soldiers who were present at the scene of the incident felt even more guilty upon hearing this news.

This was Yan Yuanchao's greatest regret during his eleven years of service in the army.