Courtyard House: From Deputy Division Commander to Civilian, Progressing All the Way

In the past, Yi Zhonghai would have already used his "big brother" authority to loudly rebuke He Daqing and told him to stop.

But now, he doesn't dare to utter a single word.

Why?

Because He Yuzhu is going to be Lin Yang's bodyguard! Lin Yang is about to go abroad to fight, and anyone who dares to provoke the Lin family or their loyal followers at this critical juncture is definitely asking for trouble!

What's more, Lin Fan is now the deputy director of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, in charge of the entire factory's security department! With just a word from him, he can make them suffer a terrible fate in the factory!

"Old Yi, this...should we do something about this? Jia Zhangshi is about to be beaten to death." Liu Haizhong swallowed and asked in a low voice.

"Mind your own business!" Yi Zhonghai's face turned ashen. He turned around abruptly. "Didn't you hear that old hag cursing someone's son to die? That kind of foul-mouthed scum deserves to be beaten to death! Anyone who tries to get involved will only get themselves into trouble!"

Liu Haizhong nodded in deep agreement and quickly followed Yi Zhonghai back into the house.

It lasted for a full five or six minutes.

Only when Jia Zhangshi was beaten until her skin was torn and bleeding, and she lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) too weak to even scream, barely managing to stay awake, did He Daqing finally throw away the broken wooden stick in his hand, panting heavily.

He pointed at Jia Dongxu, who was cowering in the corner trembling, and spat viciously.

"Jia Dongxu, you piece of trash, listen up! Go back and tell your foul-mouthed mother! My son is going to defend our country! He's going to fight the enemy with Commander Lin! If I hear her utter another swear word, I'll burn your whole family down in the middle of the night!"

He Daqing turned around and strode out of the Jia family home.

A cold wind blew, and He Daqing's tears flowed again. He looked in the direction of the alley entrance, knowing that his son's fate was unknown.

But he also knew in his heart that his son had grown up and embarked on a path ten thousand times more glorious than his own as his father.

……

Late October 1950.

Dandong, Liaoning Province, on the banks of the Yalu River.

The river wind was biting, and the current on the river was swift and icy cold. Dark clouds filled the sky, as if foreshadowing a bloody storm that was about to sweep across the entire peninsula.

As night fell, strict blackout measures were implemented along the entire border. Not a single light could be seen, only the sound of the river lapping against the shore.

However, hidden within this boundless darkness lies a torrent of steel powerful enough to shake the world.

Hundreds of thousands of Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers, dressed in thin winter clothes and carrying rifles and fried noodles, stepped onto the pontoon bridge across the Yalu River like silent giant dragons.

There were no cheers to see them off, no rousing slogans.

This was a top-secret strategic transfer.

Inside a hidden command post by the river.

Several senior generals were standing in front of the sand table, making final pre-battle deployments by the dim light of flashlights.

Li Yunlong was dressed in an ordinary cotton-padded uniform for the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, without any rank insignia, with a Browning pistol tucked into his waistband. He had been appointed by the Central Military Commission as the commander of a vanguard army of the Volunteer Army! He was responsible for leading the vanguard force deep into the enemy's lines during the first phase of the campaign.

Standing to his left was Ding Wei, who was also a corps commander. Ding Wei's troops would serve as the left flank, responsible for containing the American mechanized division.

Standing on the right is Kong Jie. His troops, as the main force on the right flank, are responsible for launching a blocking attack in the mountainous area.

The Northwest Iron Triangle reunites on a battlefield in a foreign land!

Opposite Li Yunlong stood Lin Yang, whose posture was as upright as a pine tree.

Lin Yang's position was commander of the Volunteer Army's Special Mountain Independent Division. This unit was not subordinate to any army, but was directly under the command of the Volunteer Army headquarters and the frontline commander-in-chief, General Peng Dehuai.

However, in terms of tactical coordination, Lin Yang's special forces division will work closely with Li Yunlong's vanguard army to jointly undertake the most dangerous infiltration and decapitation missions.

"Old Li, Old Ding, Old Kong."

A deep and authoritative voice came from deep within the command post.

General Peng, wearing an overcoat, strode out. He looked at these battle-hardened generals, his gaze filled with a solemn weight.

"In this overseas campaign, our enemy is the world's leading industrial power. They have airplanes, tanks, and artillery. What do we have? We only have the rifles in our hands and the blood in our chests!"

General Peng slapped his hand on the sand table.

"But! We Chinese soldiers never believe in evil! The mechanized forces of American imperialism are formidable on the plains, but in the mountains of the peninsula, we'll turn those iron lumps into a pile of scrap metal!"

General Peng turned his gaze to Lin Yang.

"Lin Yang!"

"Here!" Lin Yang stood at attention with his chest puffed out.

"Your Special Mountain Independent Division is the only special forces unit in our entire army built entirely according to your tactical concepts. I don't want you to confront enemy tanks head-on; I want you to infiltrate the enemy's rear like ghosts!"

General Peng pointed to the locations marked on the map that indicated the US military's logistics supply lines and command posts.

"Blow up their bridges! Burn their oil depots! Take down their artillery positions! I'll make sure MacArthur never sleeps in peace! Can you do it?"

Lin Yang's eyes were cold and sharp. Without hesitation, he answered loudly, "Mission accomplished! This special forces division, this sharp dagger, will surely pierce the enemy's heart!"

"Good!" General Peng nodded in satisfaction. "All troops, move out! Let those foreign devils see just how tough the Chinese backbone really is!"

That night.

Lin Yang led 12,000 elite soldiers of the Special Mountain Independent Division across the Yalu River under cover of night.

Beside him was He Yuzhu, who was wearing an ill-fitting military uniform and carrying a PPSh submachine gun.

He Yuzhu walked on the pontoon bridge, looking at the rushing river below and listening to the neat yet silent footsteps of the soldiers around him. His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his throat.

Was he afraid? Of course he was.

He was just a cook in Beijing, and he had hardly ever seen a dead person.

However, when he turned around and saw Lin Yang walking at the front, his steps steady as a mountain, his eyes without a trace of emotion, the fear in his heart miraculously subsided.

"Following the commander, I'm not afraid of death," He Yuzhu said silently to himself, gripping his rifle tightly.

The first week after entering the Korean Peninsula.

Lin Yang did not rush to send his troops into battle.

He knew that facing the U.S. military, which possessed absolute air superiority, large-scale marches and the exposure of targets would be tantamount to suicide.

In a secluded karst cave deep in the mountains, Lin Yang convened the first pre-battle command meeting of the Special Mountain Independent Division.

A few dim lanterns were lit inside the cave.

Lin Yang sat on an ammunition box, with Political Commissar Shen Jian sitting beside him. Standing in front of them were the three brigade commanders of the Independent Division.

The first brigade commander, Zhao Tie, was a burly man from Northeast China with a full beard and an extremely fierce fighting style; the second brigade commander, Wang Meng, was a meticulous and ruthless general skilled in night combat; and the third brigade commander, Sun Cheng, was a reconnaissance soldier who was proficient in various infiltration and demolition techniques.