The Weight of Yesterday's Walls
The sky above Nanjing stretched blue and clear, a perfect canvas swept by the cool autumn breeze. Below, a black 1936 Buick sedan glided smoothly down the busy streets, its dark paintwork reflecting the shadows of trees and colonial-style buildings. The car would not have attracted much attention in the increasingly prosperous capital, but its destination today was not the seat of government or the bustling commercial district. It was a place where the Republic's past and future were forged in the fires of discipline and doctrine—the Eternal Flame Military Academy.
As the car turned and slowed before the imposing stone gates, a silence of anticipation enveloped its occupants. The gates were still the same, solid and timeless, with two guardian lions carved in intricate detail, their mouths frozen in a soundless roar. They were the silent guardians of an institution that had seen thousands of hopeful young men and women pass through, including the three in the car.
The car door opened. Lee Junshan got out first, his movements efficient and controlled. His khaki major's uniform was perfectly pressed, every badge and medal attached with geometric precision. But the neatness of his uniform was in stark contrast to the air of seriousness that now seemed to be his second skin. His eyes, once sparkling with personal ambition, now scanned the surroundings with the gaze of a strategist assessing a battlefield. To him, this academy was no longer just an alma mater; it was the center of a network of diseases he had to eradicate, and these gates were the first entry points into enemy territory. The burden of the Defense Minister's mission felt like an invisible weight on his shoulders.
Hu Yanzhen followed, slamming the car door a little harder than necessary. He straightened his captain's uniform with a slightly awkward movement, as if the garment had been forced upon him. In his eyes, there was a twin, conflicting glint: the inevitable nostalgia at the sight of the place that had shaped him, and the same spirit of defiance that had once made him the most troublesome cadet. He remembered the times he had snuck out these gates to go to the bar, or the times he had openly challenged instructors he had considered rigid. Now, he returned not as a wayward student, but as an agent of change. The irony was both sweet and bitter on her tongue.
Finally, He Xiang stepped out. She was dressed in her first lieutenant's uniform, her long hair now neatly tied into a tight bun beneath her beret. Her every move conveyed the poise and confidence she had worked so hard to cultivate. However, when her gaze met the gazes of several junior cadets who happened to be passing by, she felt a tremor of her past. She saw curiosity, admiration, and a hint of confusion in their eyes. Her presence as a female officer in this bastion of masculinity was still an anomaly, a statement. Quiet whispers followed her steps like an echo, "Look, it's Lieutenant He… the first female instructor." She took a deep breath, straightening her back. She was no longer a cadet hiding behind a man's name. She was He Xiang, and she was here to make sure that other girls would no longer have to hide.
There was no welcoming committee, no warm handshakes from the higher-ups. Only a young, stern-faced aide gave an awkward salute before saying, "Major Lee, Captain Hu, Lieutenant He. The Vice Principal, Colonel Ji Jin, is waiting for you in his office. Please follow me."
They followed the aide down the same gravel path they had once trodden in ill-fitting cadet boots. The air inside the academy compound felt different. Stiffer, quieter. It was as if an invisible veil had fallen over the place, dampening the laughter and jovial spirit that should have filled an educational institution. There was order, yes, but it was a cold order, one born of blind obedience rather than of ardent passion.
The Vice Principal's office was located on the second floor of the main administration building, an imposing European-style stone structure. The heavy oak doors swung open to reveal a room that seemed frozen in time. Everything was perfect, too perfect. Stacks of military manuals were neatly arranged on the corner of the desk, its surface free of a speck of dust.
still precise. In the midst of it all, sat Colonel Ji Jin.
Ji Jin was an old face, a man in his late fifties with hair graying at the temples. He was the embodiment of the academy's tradition and conservatism. In the past, he had been one of the instructors most often troubled by Hu Yanzhen's antics and the most vocal in his skepticism of "He Liangchen," He Xiang's former alias. Now, he was to greet his three former students as colleagues, if not superiors in the context of this particular mission. The tension in the room was so thick it could be sliced with a bayonet.
He rose from his chair, his movements stiff. The smile that curled his lips was more of a smirk that didn't reach his cold, calculating eyes. "Major Lee, Captain Hu, Lieutenant He," he greeted, his voice flat and devoid of warmth. "Welcome back to Eternal Flame Academy. I have received instructions from the Ministry regarding your assignment as a team… reform… and instructors."
There was a deliberate pause before and after the word "reform," giving it a weight that implied deep distaste. It wasn't just a word; it was an accusation.
"Thank you for your welcome, Colonel Ji," Lee Junshan replied, his tone equally formal, a game of verbal chess where every word was a move. "We look forward to working with you and the entire teaching staff to improve the quality and relevance of education at this academy, in line with the Minister's directives."
"Of course, of course," Ji Jin replied, his hands clasped behind his back. "The academy is always open to improvement. Although, I must say, some of the methods and curriculum proposed in the initial draft sent by the Ministry seemed… radical." This time, his sharp eyes flicked to He Xiang as he said the word "radical," before returning to Lee Junshan. "Especially regarding the changes in admission criteria and training methods for… new elements."
"New elements." The term hung in the air, a derogatory way of referring to female cadets. He Xiang felt the gaze like a cold touch, but she held it back, her face neutral, her chin slightly raised. This was the resistance he had expected, the resistance of a system threatened by change.
Hu Yanzhen, whose patience for such formalities had always been thin, cleared his throat loudly enough to break the tension. "Colonel Ji, with all due respect, times have changed. The threats the Republic faces from without and from within are increasingly complex. The old methods that have served us well in the past may no longer be adequate to deal with today's and tomorrow's enemies. We are here to help the academy adapt, not to destroy fine traditions."
Ji Jin's eyes narrowed as he stared at Hu Yanzhen. There was a flash of personal hostility in his gaze. "Tradition, Captain Hu, is the foundation of discipline, honor, and loyalty. Something you seemed to test the limits of often when you were a cadet here." The sarcasm was sharp and undisguised. It was a direct attack, a reminder that Ji Jin had forgotten nothing.
The air in the room crackled. Hu Yanzhen opened his mouth to retort, the fire in his eyes ready to flare, but Lee Junshan moved first.
"We understand your concerns, Colonel," Lee Junshan said, his voice calm but firm, taking back control of the conversation. "Any changes we propose will be through a process of discussion and consultation with you and your senior staff. Our goal is fundamentally the same: to produce the best officers capable of protecting the Republic. We believe that by combining the wisdom of tradition with the urgency of innovation, we can achieve that goal together."
It was a brilliant diplomatic maneuver, calming the situation without giving an inch. Ji Jin, trapped by that logic, could only nod stiffly. "Very well. We'll see."
The meeting ended on a cold and unsatisfying note. Ji Jin handed over a folder containing the names of the new cadets who would be their immediate responsibilities, their initial teaching schedules, and a set of keys. "Your offices and rooms will be in the East Instructor's Pavilion. It's a little away from the main building, to give you… space… to focus on your new duties."
Again, an insult wrapped in a veil of politeness. They were isolated.
As they walked out of Ji Jin's office and down the familiar stone hallways, the weight of the place's history grew heavier. They passed the vast main hall, where they had once lined up in rigid formation, swearing their allegiance in loud, hopeful voices.
He Xiang remembered how her heart had pounded, afraid that her secret would be revealed. Hu Yanzhen remembered how she had almost laughed when one of her friends had fainted from nervousness. Lee Junshan remembered the pride that had surged when his name was called as the top cadet.
The flashbacks felt like they were from someone else's life. Now, the same hallways felt oppressive. Suspicious gazes followed them from some of the old instructors they passed. Faces that had once smiled kindly or growled with discipline now wore closed, guarded expressions. News of the arrival of the "reform team" from Nanjing, and more shockingly, the appointment of a female instructor, had spread like wildfire. They were no longer one of "our children"; they were outsiders, intruders.
The Eastern Instructor's Pavilion was indeed located at the end of the compound, almost hidden behind a row of old pine trees. It looked older and less well-maintained than the rest of the academy. The paint was peeling slightly, and there was an air of loneliness hanging over it. The aide led them to a door at the end of the ground-floor corridor and opened it.
The room the three of them had been given as their office was an anticipated disappointment. The air was stuffy and smelled of dust, a clear sign that it had not been used for a long time. The sunlight that filtered in through the dirty windows highlighted the dust particles dancing in the air. There were only three simple, scratched wooden desks, a few mismatched chairs, and an empty filing cabinet with a slightly askew door. Cobwebs hung gracefully from the corners of the ceiling.
"What a warm welcome," Hu Yanzhen muttered sarcastically, wiping a thick layer of dust from the surface of one of the desks with her finger. "They really want us to feel at home."
"What did you expect? Red carpet and jasmine tea?" Lee Junshan retorted, without a trace of humor in his voice. He set his briefcase down on the cleanest desk and began arranging the few documents he had brought. To him, the condition of the office was unimportant. It was merely a base of operations. "This is just the beginning. Ji Jin and his cronies will not give up this academy without a fight. They will use bureaucracy, tradition, and every dirty trick they know to make us fail."
While the two men talked, He Xiang walked to the large, dirty window and with some effort, managed to open it. The fresh autumn air immediately rushed in, dispelling some of the stuffiness. From the window, he could see the main training field. Under the blazing midday sun, a group of new cadets were doing their marching drills, their movements still clumsy and out of sync. The shouts of an instructor sergeant could be heard faintly, scolding them for their lack of uniformity.
Among the crowd of cadets, he saw a few faces that looked so young, so eager, so full of dreams of glory and devotion. They reminded him of himself a few years ago, when he had first donned that oversized uniform, his heart filled with a mixture of fear and burning determination.
He turned away from the window, his expression softening. "At least," he said softly, his voice cutting through Hu Yanzhen's cynicism and Lee Junshan's pragmatism, "we have a chance. A chance to mold them properly, before their minds are contaminated by old thinking… or by other, more dangerous influences."
Hu Yanzhen and Lee Junshan stopped and stared at him. His words were a reminder of the true purpose of their mission. This was not about a power struggle with Ji Jin. This was about the young souls on the training ground.
The three of them stood in silence for a moment in the middle of their remote, forgotten office. Dust still danced in the air, but there was something else there now, too: a shared understanding. They might be isolated, unwanted, and facing resistance from every corner. But here, in this dusty room, in this bastion of tradition that had rejected them, their war for the future of the academy—and perhaps the future of the Republic—had truly begun. The weight of yesterday's walls weighed heavily on their shoulders, but they were ready to begin tearing them down, brick by brick.
****
____
💥 Every Power Stone from you is a bullet for the struggle of He Xiang and his comrades.
Let's help them keep moving forward!
Vote for Power Stone & comment now! 🇮🇩
Leave a comment if you are curious about He Xiang's sister…🤭🙏🇮🇩
*****to be continued