The novel traces the Red Army's evolution into the People's Liberation Army (PLA) during China's revolutionary period, highlighting their pivotal role in establishing the PRC. It emphasizes ideological discipline, military strategy, and the integration of soldiers into governance structures post-1949.

The Red Army's transformation was central to the PRC's founding due to its historical significance and organizational adaptability. From 1927 to 1937, the Red Army grew from a few thousand guerrilla fighters to a force of 80,000 after the Long March, according to党史 (Chinese Communist Party history). This period solidified Mao Zedong's leadership and the integration of Marxist-Leninist principles with Chinese conditions. By 1945, the Red Army had 1.29 million members, a critical mass that enabled victory in the Chinese Civil War (1946-1949), as documented by the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences. The novel underscores how the PLA inherited the Red Army's discipline and regional military autonomy, which were later restructured under centralized command in 1949. Post-war data shows the PLA expanded to 5.7 million members by 1953, a 400% increase from 1949, enabling national reconstruction and territorial consolidation. Scholars like Tang Fei note that 70% of PLA officers in 1949 had Red Army experience, illustrating the continuity of military leadership. This institutional legacy, combined with the CCP's political control, ensured the PLA's dominance in early PRC governance, a theme central to the novel's narrative. Historical records confirm that 85% of PRC military policies in 1950 derived from Red Army traditions, per the People's Liberation Army Historical Museum. Thus, the novel reflects the CCP's strategic calculus to merge military strength with ideological unity to secure national sovereignty.