— A series of talks on continuously deepening political rectification and advancing the work style and anti-corruption drive in depth (1) ——持续深化政治整训、纵深推进正风反腐系列谈①
By Sang Linfeng 桑林峰
The people’s army does not tolerate corruption, and an army that is both valiant and civilized must not be tainted. 人民军队不容腐败，威武文明之师不容玷污。
The serious violations of Party discipline and state laws by He Weidong, Miao Hua and others have been dealt with strictly. This is a continuation of the Party’s efforts since the 18th CPC National Congress to improve conduct and fight corruption, and it is a deepening of the effort to remold the people’s army. It is also a major achievement in the Party’s and the military’s anti-corruption struggle. Resolutely punishing corruption and firmly removing the “black sheep” fully proves that we are entirely capable of solving our own problems; it is a demonstration of the strength of the Party and the people’s army. 严肃查处何卫东、苗华等人严重违纪违法案件，是党的十八大以来正风反腐的延续、重塑人民军队的深化，是党和军队反腐败斗争取得的重大成果。坚定不移惩治腐败，坚决清除害群之马，充分证明我们完全有能力解决自身存在的问题，是党和人民军队有力量的表现。
There must be no place in the Party for corrupt elements to hide, and in the military—which holds the gun barrel—there must be even less such hiding places. A series of serious violations of discipline and law investigated recently has given us a profound warning: the military’s work to improve conduct, enforce discipline, and fight corruption must be stricter and higher in standard than in localities, and the military must be at the forefront of the whole Party. We must press ahead with comprehensive, all-round, and increasingly stricter requirements, and unswervingly carry the anti-corruption struggle through to the end. 党内不能有腐败分子藏身之地，军队是拿枪杆子的，更不能有腐败分子藏身之地。近期查处的一系列严重违纪违法案件深刻警示我们，军队正风肃纪反腐必须严于高于地方，走在全党前列，以全面严、处处严、越往后越严的压力压势，坚定不移将反腐败斗争进行到底。
As the cornerstone of national security, the people’s army regards corruption as its natural enemy and is utterly incompatible with it. Holding the military to higher standards and stricter requirements in the anti-corruption struggle is determined by the army’s sacred mission. Our army is the people’s army founded and led by the Party; it is the firm pillar for safeguarding our red regime and upholding national dignity, and it shoulders the mission tasks of the new era to provide the “four strategic supports.” If the military becomes corrupt, the gun barrel will rust, it will degenerate and change color, and it will be impossible to speak of consolidating the Party’s long-term governing position or of safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests. For our army, the anti-corruption struggle is a major political struggle that we cannot afford to lose and must not lose. It concerns the long-term stability of the Party and the country and the enduring red character of our socialist cause. Only by always maintaining the clarity and resolve of “sounding the charge,” and by continuously pushing the work to improve conduct, enforce discipline, and combat corruption in depth, can our army always remain that heroic force that came from the Nanchang Uprising and walked out of Jinggangshan. 人民军队作为国家安全的基石，视腐败为天敌，与腐败水火不容。在反腐败斗争中标准更高、要求更严，是我军神圣使命使然。我军是党缔造和领导的人民军队，是保卫红色江山、维护民族尊严的坚强柱石，肩负着“四个战略支撑”的新时代使命任务。军队腐败了，枪杆子就会锈蚀，就会变质变色，更谈不上巩固党的长期执政地位，捍卫国家主权、安全、发展利益。对我军来说，反腐败斗争是一场输不起也决不能输的重大政治斗争，关系党和国家长治久安，关系社会主义红色江山永不变色。只有永远保持吹冲锋号的清醒坚定，持续把正风肃纪反腐向纵深推进，我军才能始终成为那支从南昌起义、从井冈山上走来的英雄军队。
The military exists to fight, and it must be able to fight and to win. Holding the military to higher standards and stricter requirements in the anti-corruption struggle is determined by the military’s core function. Our army has won the trust of the Party and the people precisely because it has always been able to fight and to win. In the past, our Party and our army used the “Yan’an style” to defeat the “Xi’an style.” In a certain sense, we defeated the foulness of the reactionaries with the fresh air of integrity, and we defeated the Kuomintang’s corruption with our own honesty. Today, we must soberly realize that corruption is the “No. 1 killer” of combat effectiveness. To tolerate corruption in the military is to tolerate defeat in war; what it brings the state and the people can only be disaster. If we do not clear out these corrupt elements before the guns go off, and if we do not eliminate the problems and hidden dangers that affect readiness for war, then strengthening the military and winning battles will be empty talk. For our army to be able to win wars, it must first win the battle against corruption. When the military atmosphere is upright and the ecosystem is clean, we can concentrate all our minds on fighting and focus all our work on fighting; our army will then be able to give full play to its core function and ensure that, once something happens, it can be deployed and it can win. 军队是要打仗的，而且是要能打赢的。在反腐败斗争中标准更高、要求更严，是我军核心职能使然。我军之所以能赢得党和人民的信赖，就在于始终能打仗、打胜仗。过去，我们党和军队用“延安作风”打败了“西安作风”。从一定意义上说，我们是用清风打败了反动派的浊气，用清廉打败了国民党的腐败。今天，我们应清醒地认识到，腐败是战斗力的“第一杀手”。军队容忍腐败就等于容忍战败，带给国家和人民的只能是灾难。如果不在枪响之前把这些腐败分子清除出去，不扫除影响备战打仗的问题隐患，强军胜战就是一句空话。我军能打胜仗，首先要打赢反腐败斗争这一仗。军队正气充盈、生态纯净，我们就能把全部心思向打仗聚焦、各项工作向打仗用劲，我军就能充分发挥核心职能作用，确保一旦有事能够上得去、打得赢。
“Resisting corruption and never being tainted” has always been the “name card of conduct” of our army; it is admired in the localities and renowned throughout the country. During the revolutionary wars, the people’s army was called the “people’s sons and daughters’ army.” During the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, the Volunteer Army became “the most lovable people” in the hearts of the Chinese. In the relatively peaceful periods, the people praised the PLA as a “Great Wall of steel.” In the new era and on the new journey, netizens have sincerely remarked that, time and again, our army steps forward in moments of crisis: “The reason we can enjoy peaceful years is that someone is carrying the burden for us.” All these supreme honors were earned by the good image of the people’s army. The image and conduct of the people’s army have always been closely connected with the image of the Party and the state, and they play a distinct exemplary and leading role in society at large. If corruption in the military is not eliminated, it will be hard to consolidate the purity and glory of our army, and it will seriously affect the image and prestige of our soldiers. In recent years, our army has continued to deepen political rectification and to improve conduct and fight corruption; a number of corrupt elements have been brought to justice, which has powerfully safeguarded the conduct and image of the people’s army and allowed the people to see that the vast majority of officers and soldiers still uphold their political character. Our army must, in the anti-corruption struggle, be stricter and higher than localities and take the lead across the entire Party, vigorously carry forward the Party’s and the army’s fine traditions, and ensure that the bloodline continues, the foundation remains solid, and the advantages endure. Only in this way can we always promote the main theme, represent the new ethos, transmit positive energy, and win the trust of the Party and the people. 拒腐蚀、永不沾，一直是我军的“作风名片”，享誉地方，驰名全国。革命战争年代，人民军队被称为“子弟兵”；抗美援朝时期，志愿军成为国人心中“最可爱的人”；相对和平时期，人民赞誉解放军是“钢铁长城”；新时代新征程，广大网友真诚感慨我军一次次在危难时刻挺身而出，“岁月静好，是因为有人在替我们负重前行”。这些无上荣耀，是靠人民军队的好样子赢得的。人民军队作风形象始终同党的形象、国家的形象紧密联系在一起，对全社会具有鲜明的示范引领作用。如果不消除军队腐败，就难以巩固我军的纯洁光荣，就会严重影响子弟兵的形象威信。这些年，我军持续深化政治整训、正风反腐，一批腐败分子被绳之以法，有力维护了人民军队作风形象，也让群众看到广大官兵依然捍卫政治本色。我军必须在反腐败斗争中严于高于地方、走在全党前列，大力赓续党和军队优良传统，确保血脉永续、根基永固、优势永存，才能始终弘扬主旋律、代表新风尚、传递正能量，赢得党和人民的信任。
“He who perfects himself helps perfect the world; he who governs himself helps govern the world.” At present, our army’s anti-corruption struggle has entered a new stage and faces a severe and complex situation. We must recognize the main trend, strengthen our confidence in victory, carry forward the spirit of thorough self-revolution, and persist in grasping Party spirit, Party conduct, and Party discipline together. We must persist in bringing education, management, and supervision to bear together; we must persist in integrating treating symptoms with addressing root causes, and resolve the fundamental problems in ideology such as ideals and beliefs, Party spirit cultivation, and official morality and personal character. We must persist over the long term in maintaining a strict tone, strict measures, and a strict atmosphere, and advance in an integrated way the efforts to ensure that officials “do not dare to be corrupt, cannot be corrupt, and do not want to be corrupt.” We must keep moving forward without pause, taking not even half a step back, and, toward the goals of eliminating malpractice and creating a clear and bright political environment, we must forge ahead, determined to win the tough, protracted, and overall battle against corruption. “成其身而天下成，治其身而天下治。”当前，我军反腐败斗争进入一个新的关口，形势严峻复杂。我们必须认清主流大势，树立必胜信心，发扬彻底的自我革命精神，坚持党性党风党纪一起抓，坚持教育管理监督齐用力，坚持治标治本相贯通，解决好理想信念、党性修养、官德人品等思想根子问题，把严的基调、严的措施、严的氛围长期坚持下去，一体推进不敢腐不能腐不想腐，一步不停歇、半步不退让，朝着弊绝风清、海晏河清的目标砥砺前行，坚决打好反腐败斗争攻坚战、持久战、总体战。