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

The monk squatted down.

Yang Xiuqin looked at the monk but didn't move.

"Big sister, let me carry you out."

Yang Xiuqin's lips moved slightly.

"Don't touch my waist."

"knew."

The monk knelt on the cell floor, letting Yang Xiuqin climb onto his back. Yang Xiuqin's arms were wrapped tightly around the monk's neck. Her head rested against his shoulder blades. The monk's back was pressed down by her weight, but he didn't make a sound.

Zhao Weiguo used leg bindings to secure Yang Xiuqin to the monk's back. The leg bindings went around the monk's chest, then around his waist, and were tied in a knot on the other side.

Yang Xiuqin's face was as white as paper.

"Does it hurt?"

Yang Xiuqin didn't answer. She bit her lower lip.

Zhao Weiguo tore a piece of gauze from the Japanese soldier's corpse and pressed it onto her wound. The gauze was originally white, but it bled red in less than a second after being pressed on.

"Walk."

The monk walked out of the cell. He was hunched over because Yang Xiuqin was on his back, and he couldn't stand up straight. He tried to keep his steps steady, making no sound on the wooden floor.

Gardenia was waiting in the yard.

She dragged the four Japanese soldiers' bodies to the base of the wall and covered them with sandbags. The courtyard looked the same as before. The "Japanese soldiers" on guard were actually sandbags.

"sewer."

"Um."

The monk walked to the opening of the cave next to the outhouse. The stone slab at the opening had been pushed aside. The opening was only about half a person's height.

The monk couldn't squeeze through. There was someone on his back.

Zhao Weiguo squatted down behind him.

"I'll make the stone slab a little bigger."

He used a machete to pry open the edge of the stone slab. The slab was made of stone, and after being pried open, it slid to one side. After the slab slid open, the opening became larger, but the monk's back couldn't fit directly inside.

"I'll go in first."

Gardenia crawled into the hole first. She was thin, and half of her body disappeared inside the hole.

"I'll push the stone slab up."

Gardenia's voice came from inside the cave.

"Brother Monk, please lower your head a little. I'll push the stone back from inside."

The monk lowered his head. The top of his head was almost touching the stone slab.

Gardenia used her shoulder to push against the stone slab inside the cave. The stone slab moved back two inches.

The opening is big enough for a monk to crawl through.

The monk first poked his head into the cave. Yang Xiuqin was on his back, her feet dangling over the edge of the cave entrance. The monk braced himself against the sides of the entrance, helping Yang Xiuqin into the cave.

Zhao Weiguo pushed from behind.

"Slow down. Don't touch her wound."

The monk's knees touched the ground first, then his feet. He squatted in the pipe, with Yang Xiuqin leaning against his back.

"Enter."

The monk climbed into the pipe.

Zhao Weiguo was the last to go down. He put the stone slab back in its original position.

The pipes were black and smelly.

The monk climbed very slowly. Yang Xiuqin was on his back, and with each step, her body would sway. Zhao Weiguo followed behind him and heard Yang Xiuqin take a breath.

"pain?"

"fine."

Zhao Weiguo held the monk's ankle with one hand. The monk's ankle was thick, with hard joints. His leg was trembling.

"Can I climb?"

The monk didn't answer. He pushed forward, bracing his arm against the pipe wall.

The air in the pipes made it hard for Zhao Weiguo to breathe. He covered his nose with his hand. The stench seeped in through his fingers.

I climbed for ten minutes.

Gardenia's voice came from ahead.

"There's a sound."

All three of them stopped. There was a sound overhead. Boots. And a dog.

The sound was closer than the first time they went through the pipe. The dog's paws scraped against the stones, making a screeching sound.

Zhi Zi reached out and pressed down on Yang Xiuqin's shoulder.

Zhao Weiguo held his breath and pressed his hand against the tube wall. Yang Xiuqin lay on the monk's back, her eyes closed. The monk squatted, his knees already numb.

The sound passed overhead. After it passed...

Zhao Weiguo counted to sixty, then counted to sixty again.

"Walk."

The monk crawled forward.

The third turn. Turn left. Climb out of the cave.

The entrance to the cave is in the backyard of a house in the west of the city.

There's an earthen wall in the backyard. Outside the wall is an alley. There's no one in the alley.

The monk crawled out of the cave. Yang Xiuqin was on his back. Yang Xiuqin's face was pressed against the monk's shoulder, her eyes closed.

Zhao Weiguo emerged from the cave entrance. He squatted motionless at the base of the earthen wall.

Footsteps could be heard from the north side of the alley.

They were not Japanese soldiers.

It's Chen An.

Chen An ran over from the alleyway with two stretcher bearers. His face was covered in sweat, and his military uniform was stained with dirt.

"Commander."

"stretcher."

Two stretcher bearers placed the stretcher on the ground.

The monk lowered Yang Xiuqin off his back. When Yang Xiuqin's feet touched the ground, her legs buckled, and she was supported by the stretcher bearers.

"Big sister."

"Um."

Yang Xiuqin was placed on a stretcher. The stretcher bearer secured the straps.

"Go around to the north side of the city from the back," Zhao Weiguo told Chen An. "Find the medical team. Have them stop the bleeding first."

"Yes."

The stretcher bearers lifted the stretcher and walked north through the alley.

Yang Xiuqin's head was lifted off the stretcher. She glanced at Zhao Weiguo.

"Commander."

"explain."

"Is Old Zhou working at the county government office?"

"Um."

"Tell him not to use the cannon. There are people imprisoned inside."

Zhao Weiguo looked at Yang Xiuqin.

"knew."

The stretcher was carried deeper into the alley.

An explosion was heard from the north side of the alley.

Old Zhou took action at the county government office.

Zhao Weiguo recognized the sound as that of a cluster explosive charge. The cluster explosive charge was made by Zhao Tieshan; it consisted of three grenades strapped together, and its power was three times that of a single grenade.

The explosions rang out twice in succession.

The south wall of the county government office was blown open.

Old Zhou's voice came from afar.

"Rush."

The gunfire intensified.

Zhao Weiguo did not head towards the county government office.

He crouched behind the earthen wall in the alley, listening to the gunfire. The gunfire came from the south; Old Zhou was attacking from the south. There was also gunfire from the east; it was Li Yunlong's New First Regiment attacking from the east.

The Japanese army was attacked from both sides.

"Messenger."

Zhou Yuan peeked out from behind the wall.

"Tell Lao Zhou, I'll stay put on the north side for now. Let him attack from the south."

"Yes."

Zhou Yuan ran down.

Zhao Weiguo drew his Mauser pistol from his waist. He checked the magazine. There were nine rounds left in it.

He walked towards the prison.

There were still several Japanese soldiers' corpses in the prison yard. He wanted to go back to the prison.

The Japanese soldiers who are changing shifts are coming soon.

Zhao Weiguo returned to prison.

The prison courtyard remained the same as before. Japanese soldiers stood behind sandbags, which were actually used to cover corpses.

Zhao Weiguo dragged the corpses towards the door.

He pulled the door panel over and placed it inside the doorway. The door panel was made of wood and was two inches thick. He squatted behind the door panel.

The muzzle of the Mauser pistol was pointed towards the yard outside the gate.

He waited.

three minutes.

five minutes.

ten minutes.

There were footsteps outside the courtyard.

The footsteps weren't just from one person. There were at least three. There was also the sound of rifle butts hitting clothing.

The Japanese soldiers outside the door are talking.

Zhao Weiguo couldn't understand what they were saying, but he could tell the rhythm of their footsteps. The Japanese soldiers were in formation.

A person walked to the door.

He pushed the door open.

The door was half open.

Zhao Weiguo fired a shot from behind the door.

The first shot hit the Japanese soldier pushing the door in the stomach. The Japanese soldier fell backward and hit the door frame.

The Japanese soldiers outside the door reacted.

Two guns fired simultaneously into the door. The bullets hit the door panel, creating two holes.

Zhao Weiguo hid his head behind the door panel.

He fired two shots at the door with his Mauser pistol. The bullets went through the holes in the door and probably hit one of the doors.

The Japanese soldier outside the door shouted.

The footsteps outside the door took a few steps back.

Zhao Weiguo pushed the door forward. The door made a scraping sound on the ground.

Another shot was fired from behind the door.

The shot hit another Japanese soldier outside the door. The Japanese soldier fell to the ground.

The third shot.

The Mauser pistol's magazine was empty.

Zhao Weiguo ejected the empty magazine and took a full magazine from his pocket, inserting it into the pistol. The bolt of the Mauser pistol pulled back slightly, making a metallic clang.

The Japanese soldiers outside the door made no move.

They may have left. Or they may be waiting.

Zhao Weiguo squatted behind the door panel for thirty seconds.

The footsteps outside the door did not return.

He pushed the door open.

Two Japanese soldiers' corpses lay in the courtyard.

Looking out of the prison gate into the courtyard, you could see the alleyway outside. There was no one in the alley. The Japanese troops had withdrawn.

Zhao Weiguo tucked the pistol back into his waistband.

He squatted behind the door panel.

The gunshots were still ringing out outside.

Old Zhou was fighting at the county government office.

Old Zhou is at the county government office.

The south wall of the county government office was blasted open with explosives, creating a three-meter-wide breach. Smoke billowed out of the breach. Old Zhou led a battalion through the breach.

Upon entering the courtyard.

There were Japanese sandbag fortifications in the courtyard. Several Japanese soldiers were firing from behind the fortifications. The demolition team of the First Battalion threw grenades behind the fortifications. After the grenades exploded, the Japanese soldiers were trapped behind the fortifications.

Two platoons from the first battalion flanked the enemy from both sides.

The Japanese troops withdrew from behind the fortifications and retreated to the second courtyard.

Old Zhou followed and rushed into the second courtyard.

There were more Japanese soldiers in the second courtyard than in the first. They had built a half-person-high bunker in the center of the courtyard using sandbags and planks. There were four or five Japanese soldiers behind the bunker. A light machine gun was mounted behind the bunker.

Old Zhou's two platoons were pinned down by machine gun fire.

"Adjust the grenade launcher."

The grenade launcher was brought up from behind. The grenade launcher operator crouched behind the wall in the yard and stuffed the shells into the launcher.

"put."

The shell flew out of the grenade launcher and struck behind the bunker. Half of the bunker was blown away. The light machine gun was sheared in half by shrapnel.

The demolition team of the first battalion rushed forward.

The Japanese troops retreated to the third courtyard.

Old Zhou didn't chase after him.

"Surround them."

The battalion surrounded the third courtyard from three sides. The Japanese soldiers inside the courtyard were trapped in the middle.

The third courtyard is the last courtyard of the old county government office.

There was an old locust tree in the courtyard. A Japanese military officer stood under the locust tree.

He was wearing a woolen overcoat, with a command sword hanging at his waist. Behind him were a dozen or so Japanese soldiers. There was also a radio station in the courtyard, its antenna extending from the roof.

Japanese regimental commander.

Old Zhou did not give the order to attack.

He ordered the First Battalion to surround the third courtyard. Machine guns were positioned at the three corners of the courtyard. The Japanese troops were trapped in the middle.

"Tell Commander Zhao, I've surrounded them."

Gunfire also erupted from the east.

Li Yunlong's New First Regiment stormed into the county government office from the east.

Li Yunlong's fighting style was very much Li Yunlong's. He ordered three mortars to be set up outside the east wall and bombarded it. After ten rounds, a section of the east wall collapsed. The New First Regiment charged in through the collapsed wall.

The new regiment entered the second courtyard.

Old Zhou's battalion was also in the second courtyard. When the two sides met, Li Yunlong was not there, but his messenger was.

The messenger saw Old Zhou.

"Battalion Commander Zhou, our regimental commander told me to tell you. We took out those two heavy machine guns at the east gate. Your Independent Regiment is pretty crazy when it comes to street fighting."

Old Zhou didn't have time to answer.

"Tell Regiment Commander Li that the Japanese regimental commander is in the third courtyard."

The messenger ran down.

Li Yunlong's troops moved from the second courtyard to the third courtyard, completely encircling the area. The third courtyard was now even more tightly surrounded.

Old Zhou assigned a platoon to guard the second courtyard, while he led the rest of his men to the south side of the third courtyard.

The south side of the courtyard.

Zhao Weiguo came from the direction of the prison.

He walked around the base of the prison wall to the south side of the old county government office. Smoke was still rising from the breach in the south wall of the old county government office. He went through the breach.

Old Zhou saw him.

"It's surrounded. The regimental commander is inside."

Zhao Weiguo remained silent.

He walked to the south wall of the third courtyard. There were several Japanese soldiers' leather helmets on the top of the wall. He didn't look up.

He walked towards the gate of the courtyard.

There were no Japanese soldiers blocking the entrance. The area behind the sandbag fortifications at the entrance was empty. Half of the sandbags had been destroyed by grenades.

Zhao Weiguo walked into the courtyard.

The Japanese soldiers in the courtyard saw him.

A dozen or so Japanese soldiers surrounded the regimental commander. The commander stood under a locust tree, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

Zhao Weiguo stopped in the middle of the courtyard.

He looked at the regimental commander.

The regimental commander looked at him.

The two stared at each other for three seconds.

The regimental commander drew his command sword.

The blade gleamed briefly in the morning light.

The regimental commander charged at Zhao Weiguo with his knife raised.

Zhao Weiguo fired a shot at the regimental commander's chest with his pistol.

The regimental commander held his sword above his head and paused for a second.

He fell forward, face down. The knife fell to the ground.

Zhao Weiguo took a step forward and fired a second shot into the regimental commander's head.

The Japanese soldiers in the courtyard did not move.

Footsteps came from behind Zhao Weiguo.

The monk jumped down from the roof. He kicked open the door to the main room and went inside to look around.

"The radio station is defunct."

The monk came out of the main room.

The remaining Japanese soldiers in the courtyard began to shrink into the corner. Someone raised their hand.

Old Zhou rushed in through the south gate of the courtyard.

"Stop fighting. Those who put down their guns will not be killed."

The Japanese soldiers put their guns on the ground one after another.

The third courtyard has been cleared.

Old Zhou took the Japanese flag off a Japanese soldier's corpse and climbed onto the roof of the main house.

He used the bayonet of his Mauser pistol to cut the rope on the flagpole. The Rising Sun flag fell from the flagpole.

Old Zhou planted the red flag on the flagpole.

The wind blows the red flag open.

Under the antenna pole of the old county government office.

Zhao Weiguo squatted next to the radio. The radio's antenna had been kicked askew by the monk. There were several bullet holes in the radio's casing.

The radio station is no longer in operation.

He pulled the telegram paper out of the casing. The paper contained Japanese text.

The last line of the manuscript read:

Peace has fallen. Farewell.

The old county government office is located to the west of the prison.

Chen An ran over from the alley entrance.

"Commander."

"explain."

"Reinforcements are coming from the Taiyuan direction. They're being transported by truck. Commander Kong's messenger says the first line of defense has been breached. The second line of defense has been under attack for two hours."

"Where is Commander Ding?"

"Commander Ding's messenger said that reinforcements were blocked at Shibalipu. Commander Kong suffered over two hundred casualties. But the position was not lost."

Zhao Weiguo stood up.

Where is Yang Xiuqin?

"The medical team said it's nothing serious. The bayonet missed by an inch. No internal organs were damaged."

Zhao Weiguo remained silent.

He looked towards the roof of the old county government office.

Red flags fluttered on the rooftops.

It was completely dark. He headed towards the old county government office; he still had things to finish.