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

At 4:00 AM on December 6th, the telephone line in Heisonggou was cut off.

After cutting the wire, the signalmen didn't leave the severed ends by the roadside. They dragged the two pieces of copper wire into a snow ditch and covered their footprints with frozen soil. The junction box at the bridgehead still hung on the wooden pole, undetectable from the road.

The vanguard of the Japanese army had already reached Shibalipu. The artillery and supply train had just entered Liujiapo. The grain and ammunition wagons of the rear guard were still stuck on the narrow road of Heisonggou.

The three sections were separated by more than ten miles of mountain road. The first detachment had not yet realized that their phones were now just ringing in vain.

Our telephone lines were also unreliable. Two sections of the cable laid before nightfall were stuck to the frozen ground, and could easily break if a mule cart drove over them. A cavalry messenger was stationed in each of the three directions, with cloth coverings for the horses' muzzles and hemp wrappings for their hooves. The communications staff checked each item one by one: who set off first, which ditch they would cross, and whose reply slip they would collect upon arrival.

On the regimental headquarters table, the four ledgers had been updated with new figures.

Officially employed: 15,500. Training and replenishment: 12,000. Local armed forces: 7,500. Friendly and neighboring forces: 10,000. Total: 45,000.

The newly added troops were deployed to the outer lines, transportation, mining areas, supply depots, and blockade lines. The first wave of troops actually deployed to the three battlefields numbered approximately 5,000, along with six mountain guns. Zhao Weiguo did not force 45,000 men into a single ditch.

"Let's start with Heisonggou," he said.

Old Zhou glanced at his pocket watch.

"Liujiapo is ten minutes late."

"Wait for the signal at Shibalipu. The rear ranks must remain orderly; the front ranks are not allowed to charge forward."

Duan Peng picked up the straw.

"If the rear guard remains in order, the front is not allowed to charge forward. But what if the front becomes chaotic?"

"Don't flush it if it's messy." Zhao Weiguo put down the pencil. "If it's messy, it means it hasn't broken down yet. Only flush it when it's broken down."

Duan Peng took the straw out of his mouth and didn't say anything more.

The ambush at Heisonggou lasted for nearly an hour.

As the first grain cart crossed the bridge, no one fired a shot from the mountain. The second and third carts followed, the Japanese soldiers driving them whipping the mules, causing the wheels to slip and slide in the icy mud. The ammunition carts crowded to the bridgehead, while the rest of the column was still turning.

The battalion commander, lying prone in a snowdrift, saw his gloves soaked through by the melting snow. He watched as a soldier ahead of him lifted a mortar shell to the muzzle and then pressed it down.

Wait a little longer.

The seventh ammunition truck was visible at the rear, and grain trucks also blocked the narrow opening.

The battalion commander then clapped his hands.

The first mortar shell landed behind the bridge. The second hit the mules next to the ammunition truck, causing the truck to roll sideways and block the road. Engineers detonated pre-buried explosives at the foot of the hillside, collapsing a section of the embankment but not destroying the bridge. Debris rolled onto the road, preventing vehicles from turning back and stopping those in front.

The machine guns fired short bursts from both sides.

The Japanese army reacted quickly. The rear guard did not run around aimlessly; the infantry first lay down to find firing positions, the engineers led men to rush towards the embankment, and another group sneaked along the bottom of the ditch toward the mortar positions. The battalion commander originally planned to withdraw after firing three rounds, but seeing the enemy sneaking up the ditch, he blew a short whistle in advance.

The mortar crew disassembled their bases, and the machine gun crew took turns retreating. One ammunition handler's backpack strap got caught on a bush; after pulling it twice without getting it off, he simply cut the strap and took only two shells.

The Japanese troops pursued the enemy to the first fork in the road, stepping onto a fake path laid by local militia. There were no landmines there, only a steep, frozen embankment. The front rank rolled down, while the rear rank stopped; the ambush battalion had already moved to the second gully.

The artillery crews, after being withdrawn, didn't immediately go far. They re-erected the guns in the second ditch, first taking stock of the bases, sights, and shells they had brought back. The two missing shells were left at the first position; there wasn't time to send someone back, so they could only note it in the logbook. When the ammunition handler, who had cut the backpack straps, put down the two shells, his fingers were so frozen he couldn't open them. His comrades poured warm water on them little by little until they could pry his hands off the ammunition canisters.

The gunfire from Heisonggou did not reach Liujiapo.

Liujiapo started firing on time.

Six Japanese infantry guns were being dragged in a line down the slope. The first vehicle stopped to find a spot, while the following vehicles were still turning. The artillery company commander sent men up the hill to check the gun positions. Old Zhou waited for the observation group to climb halfway up the slope, then had the two mountain guns fire on the last ammunition truck first.

The shell landed about ten paces off course.

Old Zhou cursed, "Damn it, it's off-center."

The artillery staff officer beside him shrank back: "It's windy, adjust the sights—"

"Strong winds are no excuse." Old Zhou moved the binoculars half an inch to the left. "Second round, adjust by half a division."

The second round finally dislodged the wheels. The ammunition car lay across the bottom of the slope, startling the mules and horses behind it, and the artillery emplacements were immediately jammed.

The four mortars pressed down on the gun crew.

The Japanese army's first infantry gun was still set up. The gunner loaded the gun with shrapnel on his body, and three shells slammed into the hillside in succession. One of them knocked away the dummy gun position, and wood and straw mats flew all over the slope.

"It saw a fake one," the artillery staff officer said.

Old Zhou was not happy.

"Once they see one place, they'll look for another."

The Japanese artillery quickly changed their firing arc. The fourth shot landed in front of the actual gun position, and two loaders were knocked down by gravel. The gun crew towed the gun away, but the right-side gun wheel got stuck in a frozen ditch, and it took more than a dozen men pushing it out twice.

Old Zhou's left leg became stiff after standing for a long time, so he switched legs to support the binoculars.

"Don't fire the third shot. Fire at the bend."

Shells struck the bend in the uphill slope, blocking half the road with earth and rocks. The Japanese artillery could still fire, but could not deploy all six cannons at once. The mortars took the opportunity to switch their fire to the artillery groups and ammunition boxes, while the infantry approached from the side ditch. The artillery fire at Liujiapo came in bursts and then stopped.

It's even harder to get through when you stop.

Our artillery crews didn't know if the enemy artillery was being calibrated, and the Japanese were also unsure how many guns were behind the ridge. Both sides were waiting for the other to show smoke, fire, or figures first.

A telephone operator, carrying a reel of wire, crawled over the gun emplacement and had just reconnected the broken wire when a shell landed twenty paces away. The wire broke again. He lay on the ground, groping around for a long time, only finding two ends of the wire buried in the soil.

During the twenty-eight minutes the phone call was cut off, Liujiapo received no news from Shibalipu. Old Zhou continued attacking the slope according to plan, without redirecting artillery fire towards the direction of the densest gunfire. When the cavalry messenger arrived, his horse's foreleg was cut by gravel, but the messenger's message was still tucked into his sleeve. The medic first bandaged the horse, and the messenger stood and recited the commands before sitting down to catch his breath.

Old Zhou took the receipt and glanced at it.

"The news from Shibalipu hasn't started yet."

"Wait for the signal," the messenger said, panting.

"I know to wait for the signal," Old Zhou said, stuffing the receipt into his pocket. "But the cannon can't wait. Once it stops firing, it'll move. And once it moves, it'll be hard to find again."

The gunshots didn't ring out until dawn at Shibalipu.

The Japanese vanguard discovered that their rear guard had lost contact and sent a company back to provide support. The blocking battalion let the advance reconnaissance group pass, waiting until the main force entered the area between two low hills before opening fire. In less than half an hour, the Japanese used grenade launchers to suppress the hill pass, while another unit circled around the flank from the dry riverbed.

Upon receiving the report, Zhao Weiguo replied with only six words.

"Make way, let it go back."

The delaying battalion withdrew from the first ridge. The Japanese company, believing they had cleared the road, accelerated towards Liujiapo, only to discover the bridge planks had been dismantled when they reached the second section. While repairing the bridge ahead, they were attacked from the side, and the entire unit was pinned down in the ditch.

The first regiment began using flag signals and cavalry to relay orders.

The elite command chain has broken a section, but not completely.

At 10:00 AM, the enemy launched a large-scale counterattack. Two infantry companies from Liujiapo advanced along the ridge towards Lao Zhou's artillery position, while the rear guard at Heisonggou also sent engineers to clear the way. The vanguard of the Shibalipu unit halted its advance, constructed a circular defensive position, and deployed six machine guns in layers.

One forward company position had been forced back more than two hundred paces. The company commander wanted to push the platoon that had just withdrawn back, but the battalion headquarters only allowed him to hold the second embankment. The first embankment had already been marked by enemy artillery; taking it again would only send them back to the same spot of impact. Only when the Japanese infantry caught up to the foot of the embankment did the machine guns on the flanks resume firing.

Zhao Weiguo was not included in the general reserve.

Three battalions rotated to the front lines, while two battalions replenished ammunition, ate, and treated the wounded. Local armed forces took over the cleared roads, prisoners, and captured vehicles, freeing the main force from guarding the vehicles. The 358th Regiment and neighboring units along the line held the southern branch line to prevent a second wave of reinforcements from advancing.

Before noon, a live artillery position at Liujiapo was exposed.

The Japanese infantry gun fired five rounds. The first shot landed far away, the second shot broke the camouflage frame, and the third shot overturned the breech. The gun wheel cracked, the gun barrel lay askew in the ground, and two gunners were injured. Another mountain gun also had its wheel flange damaged during relocation and could only be dragged a short distance.

The mortar positions were in even worse shape.

After firing consecutive shots, a cannon exploded, the muzzle flipped open, and the two gunners fell to the ground in the snow. When the medics cut open their cotton-padded coats, fragments were still stuck in the fabric. The two seriously wounded were counted as wounded for the day, and no separate number was given.

The mortar that exploded was not discarded on the spot. The carriage, base, and broken barrel were tagged and sent back to the repair shop to check the batch of shells, the scale buildup inside the barrel, and the continuous rate of fire. If the problem wasn't thoroughly investigated, the remaining mortars wouldn't be allowed to continue firing at the same pace.

Old Zhou touched the cracked gun wheel.

"Take it out and fix it. Don't just scrap it."

The artillery staff officer asked, "We're down two guns, are we still going to fire?"

"Turn what can rotate. Leave the ones that can't rotate as smoke. Use the mortars sparingly."

Duan Peng rushed back from the southern front, his clothes covered in mud and snow.

"Old Zhou, you're missing two cannons over there?"

"One door was blown up, and another was damaged."

"Then how do we fight?"

"Use your brain." Old Zhou put his pipe in his mouth. "With fewer cannons, you have to be more accurate. Ten shots are not as good as three hits. What the hell are you in such a hurry for? Shells aren't going to grow on their own."

Duan Peng cursed and turned to leave.

In the afternoon, Japanese planes arrived.

The plane did not dive directly, but circled around the mining area, Heisonggou, and Liujiapo. Smoke from cooking fires ceased on the ground, and the wounded were dispersed into three gullies. Thick camouflage netting covered the artillery positions. Old Zhou deliberately left half a tire track at one of the dummy artillery positions.

Half an hour later, two bombs fell, collapsing a section of the trench.

After the planes left, no one cheered from the trenches. The Japanese had confirmed that there were indeed artillery pieces near the mining area, and they might not fall for the same trick again if they came back tomorrow.

Old Zhou looked at the two sections of the trench that had been blown up and cursed.

"Damn it, it bombed an empty trench. But it remembered there was a cannon here. It won't bomb an empty trench tomorrow."

At dusk, heavy firepower ceased in all three battlefields.

The three evacuation lines had been operating non-stop since noon. The shortcut prioritized transporting abdominal and chest wounded, the mule cart line carried those unable to lie flat, and the stretcher line through the narrow ditch was dedicated to artillery wounded. Eleven stretchers broke or wore out on the frozen slopes, and the stretcher bearers removed door panels and ammunition box lids to make replacements. Ammunition trucks stopped at forks in the road to let the wounded pass first, causing a delay in the arrival of a batch of mortar shells at the front lines.

The prisoners weren't piled up in one courtyard. Temporary detention points were set up at Heisonggou and Liujiapo respectively. Weapons were searched first, and then the prisoners were divided into officers, wounded, and ordinary soldiers. Only after the local armed forces took over did the main battalion have time to rotate them. A prisoner's wound was bleeding, and the medic re-bandaged it. A soldier next to him was unhappy, but Zhao Gang only said one sentence.

Even a survivor needs to ask for directions.

At Heisonggou, seven ammunition carts and eleven grain carts were intercepted; the carts and goods still need to be inspected one by one. At Liujiapo, a damaged infantry gun was left behind; the breechblock was missing a part, so it could not be fired at the moment. The main force of the Japanese army at Shibalipu retreated to its core position, but still maintained organized resistance.

Five tables were set up for the nighttime inventory check.

The six mountain guns used a total of over 140 rounds of ammunition. Nearly 40% of the mortar shells were used. Seven rolls of telephone wire were destroyed. Eleven stretchers were damaged. Two mountain gun wheels were damaged, and one mortar barrel exploded.

Our army suffered 86 dead and 231 wounded.

The list of the dead was checked separately by battalion and company. If someone's dog tag was damaged by artillery fire, their comrades' testimonies, ammunition receipt signatures, and medical station records were used for comparison. The first list was three names short of the roster. It wasn't until late at night that they discovered two had been transferred to another evacuation line, and one had stayed behind at Heisonggou to guard a captured vehicle; all three were alive. The missing persons column was ultimately not used to make up the death toll.

The enemy confirmed approximately 720 dead, 480 wounded, and 200 captured. Some of the wounded remained in the core positions, so the total number of dead and wounded cannot be recorded as deaths. The remaining force numbered approximately 2,400 men, who were divided between Liujiapo and Shibalipu, while the rear guard at Heisonggou was also clearing a path again.

Zhao Gang pushed the remaining mortar shells in front of Zhao Weiguo.

"At this rate, they won't last two days."

"We won't do the same thing tomorrow."

"What about the general preparation?"

"Don't move."

The monk poked half his body in through the doorway.

"The preparations haven't moved; my men have been lying in wait all day."

"Squat down." Zhao Weiguo didn't look up. "You'll be making moves tomorrow."

The monk pulled his head back in and muttered something under his breath.

"Squatting for a day is more tiring than fighting for a day."

Gardenia brought over an old mine map.

The old mine building at Liujiapo was used as a regimental command post by the Japanese army. The map shows three abandoned tunnels, one of which runs from the abandoned mine entrance three miles away to the area beneath the mine building. The paper is too old; details about water accumulation, collapses, and ventilation are all blank.

After reading it, the monk said, "I'm in!"

Zhao Weiguo did not agree.

"First, find people who have walked through this mine tunnel."

"It's too late, the Japanese will retreat."

"It's oxygen-deprived, flooded, and prone to landslides inside. Even if twenty people went in, we don't know if they'd come out."

The monk swallowed his words.

Zhao Weiguo pointed to the old mine entrance.

"Let's scout ahead tonight. Ventilation, scaffolding, water depth, how long it will take to climb—everything must be accounted for. Once we've figured it out, then we can discuss who to bomb."

The oil lamp on the table was blackened from burning.

The mine tunnel in the picture is only as wide as a finger.

Eighty-six people died that day in exchange for the chance to touch it.

Zhao Weiguo folded the old mine map and placed it under the oil lamp. The wick had shortened again, so he used a needle to adjust it, and the flame stood up again, illuminating the finger-width mine tunnel with flickering light.

He didn't say anything more. Whether they could squeeze through this crack tomorrow depended on what the explorers brought back tonight.

The monk was still squatting at the door, holding a straw in his mouth.

"Eighty-six men," he said in a low voice. "Change to another mine tunnel."

Zhao Weiguo didn't reply. He moved the oil lamp closer to the mine map, the flame flickering on the narrow mine tunnel.

Eighty-six lives were exchanged for a crack the width of a finger.