The Courtyard House: The Little Red Devil Returning from the Peninsula

early morning.

Zhao Weiguo was tying his shoelaces at the entrance of the regimental department. He squatted down, wrapped the shoelaces around his fingers twice, and tightened them.

Old Zhou stood to the side, carrying a Type 24 rifle on his back, the barrel polished to a shine.

He is waiting.

Gardenia stood under the locust tree, while Mosin-Nagant had his sling across his back and was munching on a dry bread in his hand.

She took a bite, chewed twice, and kept her eyes on the mountain path.

Li Dazhu emerged from the cave dwelling, a pistol tucked into his waistband, and a map rolled up in a canvas tube slung over his shoulder.

Chen An was the last to come out, carrying a medicine box on his back. He fastened the medicine box twice to make sure it was secure.

Zhao Weiguo stood up and adjusted his shoes.

"Let's go."

Four people. Including himself, five people.

Zhao Gang stood at the entrance of the regimental headquarters, looking at them.

"Should we take on another class?"

"Need not."

Zhao Weiguo said, "Let's go see the old regimental commander, leading a large group of people in what looks like a demonstration."

He paused for a moment.

"Be back before dark."

The five people walked south along the mountain path.

The sentries at Baimaling watched them walk away from the slope before turning their gaze away.

The mountain path was a dirt road, with shrubs and rocks on both sides.

The grass has turned yellow in autumn, and the leaves rustle in the wind.

Gardenia walked at the front, her pace neither too fast nor too slow.

She would walk a short distance, then glance at the ridges on both sides of the mountain before continuing on.

Zhao Weiguo followed behind her, not carrying a gun in his hand, but with a pistol tucked into his waistband.

Old Zhou walked at the back of the group, his steps heavy, his boots creaking on the gravel.

After walking for an hour, Zhi Zi stopped and listened intently for a while.

Zhao Weiguo also stopped.

He didn't rush her, he waited.

"This road is so quiet."

Gardenia said the sound wasn't loud, "There must be birds chirping."

Zhao Weiguo looked at the mountain ridges on both sides.

The tree swayed in the wind, and there was nothing else.

Gardenia added, "Last time I passed through this area, there were hoofprints on the mountain path. They weren't from the army; the horses had loose hooves and weren't shod."

"bandit?"

"uncertain."

Gardenia thought for a moment, "But we'll have to be more careful on this road in the future."

He didn't answer, but continued walking forward, his pace didn't quicken, but his gaze began to sweep across the ridges on both sides.

Old Zhou muttered something behind him.

Zhao Weiguo didn't hear him clearly and turned to look at him.

"I wish I had brought two more people."

Old Zhou said, "Five people walking this kind of road, without even one person to provide support."

Zhao Weiguo ignored his comment and turned back to continue walking.

After noon, the five of them arrived at Shuangbaigou.

The New Third Regiment's encampment was located on a slope in a gully, consisting of several rows of cave dwellings, a drill ground, and a flag planted beside the drill ground.

The flag drooped in the wind.

The sentry had already spotted them and ran inside to report.

Zhao Weiguo stood at the mouth of the ditch and waited.

Not long after, a familiar figure emerged from the cave dwelling.

Kong Jie.

He was wearing a gray military uniform, and his right leg was slightly lame. He walked slowly, but without a cane.

He came out of the cave dwelling, stood at the door, and first squinted at the few people at the mouth of the ditch.

Then he recognized Zhao Weiguo and was stunned for a moment.

Zhao Weiguo didn't wait for him to speak and walked straight ahead.

"Old Commander."

Kong Jie stood at the door, his lips moved, but he didn't say anything.

Old Zhou rushed up from behind Zhao Weiguo.

He strode up to Kong Jie and hugged him tightly.

They were holding each other very tightly.

Kong Jie was hugged by Lao Zhou, and his body swayed slightly.

He raised his right hand and patted Old Zhou on the back.

"Alright, alright."

His voice was a little hoarse, "Stop hugging me, my leg isn't fully healed yet, I can't stand steadily."

Old Zhou released him, took a step back, and his eyes were red-rimmed.

"Commander?"

"What are you yelling about?"

Kong Jie glared at him, his voice trembling slightly, "I'm not dead yet."

Zhao Weiguo walked up and stood in front of Kong Jie.

"Old Commander."

Kong Jie looked him up and down.

"You've lost weight."

"The same to you."

Kong Jie smiled.

The laugh was brief, but it was a laugh.

"Come in and speak."

A table was set up in the cave dwelling, with several bowls on it, including a bowl of pickled vegetables.

Kong Jie sat on a stool, and Zhao Weiguo sat opposite him.

Old Zhou, Li Dazhu, Chen An, and Zhi Zi sat on both sides.

Chen An opened the medicine box, took out several packets of sulfanilamide powder and a roll of bandage, and placed them on the table.

"Sulfonamide powder."

Chen An said.

"It's purer than what was captured, right?"

Kong Jie took over the conversation, picked up a bag, turned it over to look at it, and didn't put it down.

"Was it built by Zhao Tieshan?"

"right."

Kong Jie held the packet of sulfanilamide powder, turning it over and over several times before finally placing it on the table, though he was a beat late in doing so.

"Is that enough for yourselves?"

"enough."

"Enough my ass."

Kong Jie said, "With over two thousand people like you, who can use this little bit of sulfanilamide powder?"

Zhao Weiguo did not offer any explanation.

Kong Jie didn't ask any further questions.

He picked up the wine pot, poured himself a bowl, and then poured a bowl for Zhao Weiguo.

The wine was poured to the rim of the bowl, paused for a moment, not full, and then put down.

"I've settled the score regarding Zhao Jia Yu."

Zhao Weiguo picked up the bowl but didn't drink it.

"The Yamada Battalion numbered 1,100. That night at Willow Gully, the Independent Regiment suffered over sixty casualties."

Kong Jie's voice lowered, "You'll have to settle this score for me."

Zhao Weiguo paused for a moment while holding the bowl.

"I'll include it."

Kong Jie looked up, glancing at his face out of the corner of his eye.

"How was it calculated?"

"Yamada was killed by Gardenia. His sword was hanging on the wall of the regimental headquarters."

"Just hanging a knife is enough?"

"Next to it is the list of the fallen."

Zhao Weiguo said.

Kong Jie did not respond.

He picked up the bowl and took a sip. The wine went down his throat, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

"Are the brothers from Willow Gully on that list too?"

Zhao Weiguo did not answer immediately.

"They're in the first row."

Kong Jie put the bowl down.

"You still keep their names?"

"I had Zhao Gang write the list."

Zhao Weiguo said, "I didn't lose the independent regiment you led."

Kong Jie stared at the table for a long time.

Then he picked up the bowl, downed the rest of the wine in one gulp, put the bowl down, and wiped his mouth.

"good."

Ding Wei also came over from the cave dwelling next door.

As soon as he entered the room and saw Zhao Weiguo, he stopped and looked him up and down.

"Didn't you say you'd come the day after tomorrow?"

I was referring to tomorrow.

"You said the day after tomorrow."

Ding Wei walked in and sat down on an empty stool. "I heard you clearly, the day after tomorrow."

Kong Jie chuckled beside him.

"You two can actually argue over a single day."

"He misremembered."

Ding Wei said.

He picked up the teapot on the table, poured himself a bowl, took a sip, and put it down.

Kong Jie pushed the bowl forward.

"Say something, are you mute?"

Ding Wei smiled, put the bowl on the table, and fixed his gaze on Kong Jie's face.

"Li Yunlong went to Baimaling yesterday. He got sixty artillery shells from Weiguo and also borrowed a mechanic."

Kong Jie froze for a second, then slapped his thigh.

"Sixty shells! That bastard Li Yunlong, is his mouth made of iron?"

"With that mouth of his, he could bite through sixty, even a hundred bullets."

After laughing and drinking three rounds of wine, Kong Jie's face slowly darkened.

"Defend the country."

Zhao Weiguo looked at him.

"My leg has healed, can I have a seat?"

Kong Jie said, "I'd be happy to be your deputy in the Independent Regiment."

Zhao Weiguo shifted his gaze away from Kong Jie's leg.

"I know you dislike me because I'm lame."

Kong Jie added, "Even a lame man can fight."

"It's not about the leg."

"What is it?"

Kong Jie raised his voice, "You think I'm too old? You think I can't manage my soldiers?"

Ding Wei put down his bowl beside him without interrupting.

Zhao Weiguo did not avoid his gaze.

"Old Commander, now that you're the deputy in the Independent Regiment, who will command whom?"

Kong Jie opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

"You've fought wars your whole life."

Zhao Weiguo said, "If you can't stand being under my command, I can't bring myself to do it."

"What do you mean by 'can't stand it'?"

"You can't stand it."

Zhao Weiguo interrupted him, "I can't stand it either."

Kong Jie fell silent.

He looked at the rim of the bowl and ran his finger along the edge.

"Then what can I do?"

Zhao Weiguo did not answer.

"You want me to just sit here and watch you fight?"

"no."

"Then what did you say I did?"

Kong Jie's voice suddenly went hoarse. "Willow Gully is gone, the Independent Regiment is gone, now it's yours, I'm not fighting for it. But I have to do something, right?"

Ding Wei chimed in from the side.

"Old Kong, the way you're talking makes it sound like someone kicked you out of the team."

Kong Jie ignored him and stared at Zhao Weiguo.

"Give me one sentence."

Zhao Weiguo picked up the bowl, took a sip, and put it down.

"You should focus on getting your leg healed first."

What happens after it recovers?

"We'll talk about it after he recovers."

"you?"

Kong Jie choked for a moment.

Ding Wei chimed in, "Alright, alright, Lao Kong, your leg isn't even fully healed and you're already thinking about going into battle? Which regiment would want you?"

Kong Jie glared at him.

Ding Wei didn't dodge, and continued, "There will be plenty of battles to fight in the Iron Four Corners. You should take care of yourself first, so that when the fighting really starts, you won't be unable to mount a horse even with a cane."

Kong Jie did not respond.

He looked down at the wine in the bowl, picked it up, took a sip, didn't swallow, and held it in his mouth for a while before swallowing.

"I'm afraid I'll become useless if I'm idle for too long."

He said his voice was lower than before.

Zhao Weiguo glanced at Ding Wei, then looked back at Kong Jie.

"Old Commander, there's something I need to tell you first."

He said, "The brigade headquarters is already discussing merging the county brigades and district squads north of Shuangbaigou into the new Second Regiment, and equipping it with a complete organizational structure and a regimental commander."

Kong Jie's bowl stopped at his mouth.

"The new Second Regiment?"

"The foundation of the Independent Regiment has been broken up; someone needs to lead it again."

Zhao Weiguo said, "The brigade commander asked me, and I said there was only one suitable person."

Kong Jie put down the bowl and wiped his mouth.

"Damn it."

He said, with a hint of something else in his voice, "You all planned this all along, didn't you?"

Ding Wei chuckled from the side: "What do you mean we've planned it all out? That's the brigade commander's business. I didn't say a word."

Zhao Weiguo didn't respond to that, and continued, "You should focus on healing your leg first. Once the organization is complete, the brigade commander will issue official orders. Until then, you are not allowed to move around."

Kong Jie looked at him for a few seconds.

"OK."

He said, "I'll wait."

Zhao Weiguo stood up.

"You won't be crippled. I fought the battle at Willow Gully, and the flag was raised according to your rules."

Kong Jie did not respond.

He tilted his head back and drank the last bit of wine in the bowl, then put the bowl down.

"What you're saying is more pungent than alcohol."

---

The return journey took place in the evening.

As darkness fell, a final ray of red light lingered on the western ridge.

The wind was stronger than during the day, blowing the grass blades along the roadside in one direction.

The five people walked for an hour, and then it was completely dark.

Li Dazhu opened the map and glanced at it in the last bit of light.

"Ahead lies Black Cloud Ridge. After crossing the ridge and descending the mountain, it's another half an hour's walk back to White Horse Ridge."

Zhao Weiguo remained silent.

"Hurry up."

The mountain path of Black Cloud Ridge is narrow, with dense shrubs and dark rocks on both sides.

The moon had not yet risen, and the only light on the road was starlight and a few lights shining from a distant mountain village.

Gardenia walked at the front, her pace a little slower than during the day.

She suddenly stopped when she reached the middle of the ridge.

Raise your hand.

Everyone stopped at the same time.

Zhao Weiguo placed his hand on the gun at his waist.

There was silence for two or three seconds.

Then seven or eight people jumped out of the bushes by the roadside.

They were holding guns, both rifles and muskets, with the muzzles pointed at them.

The leader was a one-eyed man with a sunken left eye socket and a bright right eye, holding a Hanyang rifle in his hand.

"stop."

Old Zhou got angry immediately.

He held the gun horizontally forward, ready to charge upwards.

Zhao Weiguo reached out and pressed down on his arm.

"Don't move."

Old Zhou gritted his teeth, but didn't move again.

Zhao Weiguo took a step forward.

Which route?

The one-eyed man sized him up.

Zhao Weiguo was wearing an ordinary military uniform, without the insignia of a regimental commander, and was quite young.

"Just passing by?"

The one-eyed man spat on the ground. "Leave your toll. Leave your guns and horses, and you may leave."

Old Zhou cursed from behind.

Zhao Weiguo ignored the spitting gesture.

"I'm asking you which route you're from."

He said the voice didn't get louder.

One-Eyed glanced at him again.

This time, the gaze lingered a little longer than before.

"Black Cloud Stronghold, Xie Baoqing's men."

Zhao Weiguo nodded upon hearing the name.

"My name is Zhao Weiguo, commander of the Independent Regiment, Baima Iron Brigade."

The one-eyed man's gaze changed.

His grip on the gun tightened involuntarily, and he took a half step back.

Which independent regiment?

"The Independent Regiment on Baima Ridge."

Zhao Weiguo said, "This is the designation the headquarters just gave us: the White Horse Iron Brigade. The Zhao Jia Yu Yamada Battalion is where we eat."

The one-eyed man stared at him for a second.

Then he lowered the muzzle of his gun.

"Walk."

His men were stunned for a moment.

The one-eyed person was not explained.

He slung the gun over his shoulder, turned, and disappeared into the bushes.

Zhao Weiguo called out to him.

"Wait a moment."

The one-eyed man stopped but didn't turn around.

"Go back and tell your boss."

Zhao Weiguo said, "Heiyunling is the road from Baimaling to Shuangbaigou, and it's also a trade route. You're blocking my way today, but tomorrow you'll be blocking grain transport teams. This road will be like riding on the back of the Independent Regiment."

The one-eyed creature didn't move.

"I'm giving you a choice: come down the mountain and rejoin the army. The Independent Regiment will give you unit numbers. If you don't come back within three months, I'll come personally."

A bandit behind the one-eyed man muttered something under his breath.

One-Eyed didn't answer and disappeared into the bushes.

The other bandits followed them inside, their footsteps echoing through the mountains at night, growing farther and farther away until they could no longer be heard.

Gardenia's hand remained pressed against the gun.

Old Zhou cursed, "Damn bandits!"

Zhao Weiguo did not move.

He stood there, looking in the direction the bandits had disappeared, for more than ten seconds.

Then he turned to look at Li Dazhu.

"Is Black Cloud Ridge the only route from White Horse Ridge to the New Third Regiment?"

"Yes. It's also a trade route south of Baimaling."

Li Dazhu said, "Blocking this ridge is equivalent to cutting off the road from Baimaling to several counties to the south."

He didn't answer, he just nodded.

Li Dazhu added, "Logistics, family visits, intelligence—everyone going south has to pass through here. If we don't clear this route, we'll have to take a detour every time."

Zhao Weiguo pulled the map out of the map tube and pointed to the location of Black Cloud Ridge with his finger.

It was dark in the mountains, and he couldn't see the words on the map clearly, but his finger remained in that spot.

"We'll talk about it when we get back."

The five men made their way back to Baimaling in the dark.

Zhao Gang waited at the entrance of the regimental department, holding an oil lamp in his hand.

Seeing that the person had returned, he put down the oil lamp.

"Why are you so late?"

Zhao Weiguo didn't answer him. He went into the cave dwelling and spread the map out on the table.

He looked down, searching for a spot, and traced a line on the paper with his finger before stopping.

Zhao Gang walked over with the lamp and took a closer look.

"bandit?"

"From Black Cloud Village."

Zhao Gang waited for him to continue.

After waiting for a while, Zhao Weiguo did not speak, but simply pressed his finger on that spot on the map.

What approach?

"Eight bandits, carrying broken guns, demanded tolls from me."

Zhao Gang was stunned for a moment.

"At Black Cloud Ridge?"

"Um."

"So what did you do?"

"They gave their names and then went back."

Zhao Weiguo said, "By the way, if they don't come down the mountain and rejoin the organization within three months, I'll personally go find them."

Zhao Gang thought about it.

Will they come?

"have no idea."

"So you really want to fight?"

Zhao Weiguo's finger was still pressed on the map and hadn't moved away.

"That ridge blocks all the roads south of Baima Ridge. Transporting grain, sending messages, visiting relatives—everything has to pass through there. If we don't clear it, we'll have to take an hour-long detour every time we go out."

Zhao Gang didn't reply, but instead moved the lamp forward, letting more light shine on the map.

"What are you planning to do?"

"Let's get a feel for things first."

Zhao Weiguo said, "We need to figure out where they are, how many guns they have, and what their methods are before deciding whether to fire."

Who's going?

"I haven't decided yet."

Zhao Gang responded.

"Okay. I'll ask the locals for you tomorrow about the origins of Black Cloud Village."

Zhao Weiguo then raised his head and glanced at him.

Zhao Weiguo rolled up the map and stuffed it back into the canvas tube.

He walked to the entrance of the cave dwelling and looked at the distant mountains.

As the moonlight rose, the area in the direction of Black Cloud Ridge was completely dark, and nothing could be seen.

But his eyes remained fixed in that direction.

He stood there for a while, then turned and went inside.

The white horse and iron brigade flag on the wall hung limply in the lamplight, without a breeze.