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

The oilcloth was spread out on the table in the camp headquarters.

With stones pressed down at the four corners, the paper was illuminated by the yellow light of the kerosene lamp, and the charcoal lines on it swayed slightly in the lamplight.

The three regimental commanders were already waiting inside.

Li Yunlong stood leaning against the edge of the table, a cigarette in his hand, unlit. Kong Jie sat on a bench, his hands on his knees, the top button fastened. Ding Wei stood opposite him, looking down at the sketch, a pencil stub between his teeth.

Staff Officer Luo stood at the door, arms crossed.

Zhao Weiguo picked up a pencil and started gesturing on the map.

Three lines. One at the valley entrance, one at the valley floor, and one along the mountain ridge. The three lines form a circle. In the center of the circle are two words: Pocket.

"At the narrowest point of the valley, it's less than three steps," Zhao Weiguo said. "The valley floor, from south to north, is one hundred and twenty steps. The slopes on both sides are steep, seventy-two degrees to the left and sixty-eight degrees to the right."

Kong Jie didn't look at the picture; he looked at Zhao Weiguo's shoes first.

The soles of his shoes were covered in yellow mud, mixed with white stone powder. The mud had dried, indicating he had walked a long way. Kong Jie stared at it for a few seconds before turning his gaze to the map.

"Did you scout the location?"

"Stepped on it."

Kong Jie nodded and looked down at the picture.

Ding Wei took the pencil stub out of his mouth and tapped it twice on the table.

"You're stepping on the terrain," he said. "Not the Japanese. How do you know they definitely came this way?"

Zhao Weiguo took several items out of his pocket and placed them on the table.

An empty tin can. A piece of gravel. A small cigarette butt.

"I've checked the road coming from the Yangcun direction," Zhao Weiguo said. "The truck ruts are deep, typical of Japanese trucks. The gravel road is newly paved; the edges aren't rounded. A canned food container lies by the roadside; its production date is Showa 13 (1945)."

He turned the can over so the bottom was facing up.

"It's canned beef. Standard rations for the Japanese army."

Ding Wei picked up the can and examined it. The label on the bottom was still there, in Japanese, with the production batch number printed on it. He then picked up the cigarette butt, squeezed the tobacco, and smelled it.

"The Southeast Route," Zhao Weiguo said. "Taking the main road involves going around the north side of the mountain ridge, which adds half a day to the journey. Going through Hulu Pass will save half a day. The supply team, wanting to get there faster, will definitely take the shortcut."

He pressed the evidence onto the table and pushed it forward.

"The mule dung was on the road, not completely dry; it was from this morning. There were many footprints and hoofprints, indicating that it was carrying cargo. There are two cart tracks, one in each direction, with the deeper tracks towards Hulukou, indicating that it was a heavily loaded journey."

He paused.

"Over a hundred people were guarding the area, comprising an entire company."

Ding Wei put the can down without saying a word.

Kong Jie tapped his finger on the table.

"What are you using to calculate a company?"

"Footprints," Zhao Weiguo said. "I counted the shoe prints on the road; there were about seventy or eighty with marks from rifle butts, plus those from people resting by the roadside and those who took turns on guard duty—a little over a hundred. There were forty-two pairs of mule hoof prints, corresponding to forty-two mules."

He glanced at Kong Jie.

"A company escorted a supply convoy of forty-two mules. Taking the Hulu Pass route saved half a day's journey. The supply convoy's rule was to always take the shortest route if possible."

After listening, Kong Jie returned his gaze to the map and did not ask any further questions.

Ding Wei removed the pencil stub from the corner of his mouth and rubbed the cigarette butt with his fingertips.

How deep are the ruts?

"It's a finger's width deeper than an empty truck," Zhao Weiguo said. "It's not loaded with heavy weapons. It's loaded with ammunition and food."

Ding Wei put the cigarette butt on the table and didn't ask any more questions.

Kong Jie drew a line on the map with his finger, from the mouth of the valley to the bottom.

"The mouth of the gourd is so narrow. Didn't the Japanese send out scouts?"

"group."

Zhao Weiguo pointed to the entrance of the valley.

"We'll send scouts over, but we won't do anything. Once the main force arrives, we can easily seal the deal and wipe them out."

The room was quiet for a few seconds.

Ding Wei put the pencil stub back in his mouth and bit it twice. Kong Jie kept looking at the drawing without looking up. Li Yunlong didn't say a word from beginning to end, leaning against the edge of the table, a cigarette twirling between his fingers.

"How do you plan to play?" Ding Wei asked.

Zhao Weiguo turned the map around and traced his finger from the mouth of the valley to the northern end of the valley floor.

"Detonate the landmines first. Three mines, arranged in a triangle, covering an area of ​​about sixty paces in the middle of the valley. Once the mines explode, they will break up the ranks."

Move your finger to the mouth of the valley.

"Rolling stones to seal the entrance. At the narrowest part of the valley, a half-person-high stone can be pushed down and block most of the way. Add two more piles of rubble, and it'll be enough to keep those behind stuck there, unable to get in. Even if they want to climb out, with everyone crammed together, they'll all try to get out first, causing chaos."

Move your fingers to the slopes on both sides.

"Archers should be positioned on the middle sections of the slopes on both sides to fire from a superior vantage point. Sniper positions should be set up on the ridge to prevent detours."

Kong Jie raised his head.

"How are you going to evacuate your own people?"

Zhao Weiguo picked up a white stone from the table and marked several locations on the map.

"It'll be dark at night, so we'll use white stones as our markers. The retreat route will be marked with white stones, and our men will feel their way across. There are many loose stones at the bottom of the valley, so the white stones will blend in and be inconspicuous. The Japanese will just mistake them for frost; even if they see them, they won't suspect anything."

Kong Jie looked at the white stone position on the map but didn't say anything.

Ding Wei bit the end of his pencil and stared at the drawing for a long time.

"Repeatedly block the entrance," Zhao Weiguo said. "Block the entrance halfway, leaving a small gap. When the rear team sees the front team blocked, they'll definitely come to their rescue. They'll squeeze in as soon as they arrive, not chase them out of the valley. Eat as many as they come."

The room was quiet for a while.

Li Yunlong put the cigarette in his mouth, struck a match, and lit it. The light from the match illuminated his face for a moment.

"Where's the ammunition?" Kong Jie asked.

"Enough."

"How much is enough?"

Zhao Weiguo gave a number.

On the New First Regiment's side, there were three landmines, 220 guns, and an average of 20 rounds of ammunition per person. The firing angle, covering three sides from the valley entrance to the valley floor, utilized the vertical drop to conserve ammunition. The captured ammunition could be used to replenish the supply after the landmines were detonated.

After listening, Kong Jie looked at the picture again and did not refute it.

Ding Wei spat out the pencil stub and twirled it around his finger.

"Each of the three regiments will send one battalion," Zhao Weiguo said. "The first battalion of the new first regiment will be responsible for the valley entrance and the southeast direction, the second battalion of the new third regiment will be responsible for sniping along the northwest ridge, and the third battalion of the independent regiment will be responsible for the northern end of the valley floor and the blocking point. The repair squads will be responsible for laying mines."

He finished explaining the troop deployment. Each of the three regiments would guard one side, and the three veteran regimental commanders would each be in charge of one section; each commander's troops would be responsible for their own. His job was simply to detonate the explosives.

Ding Wei put the pencil stub back into his mouth. This action indicated that he was thinking.

Kong Jie glanced at Li Yunlong.

Do you agree with what he said?

"He was the one who went to scout the location," Li Yunlong said. "He drew the plans. He came up with the scheme. If I don't approve of it, what am I doing sitting here?"

Kong Jie turned his gaze back to the map.

"The repair crew is planting mines. What if a twelve or thirteen-year-old kid's hand slips at the last minute and detonates them prematurely?"

"I'll recite it."

Li Yunlong took the cigarette out of his mouth and stubbed it out on the table.

"If anything goes wrong, I'll take the blame. If the brigade headquarters investigates, I'll handle it."

Kong Jie didn't reply. He looked down at the picture.

Staff Officer Luo walked in from the door and stood by the table.

"The brigade headquarters' intention is to fight," Staff Officer Luo said. "The brigade headquarters has considered what Regiment Commander Kong is worried about. But we can't avoid fighting just because we're worried. Young soldiers have to see blood eventually; Hulu Pass will be their first lesson."

Kong Jie was silent for a few seconds, then looked up.

"I'll send a soldier to accompany you."

He glanced at Zhao Weiguo.

"Shuanzi. An old soldier. Let him follow the gifted youth program; if anything happens, someone will cover for him."

Zhao Weiguo nodded.

Li Yunlong slapped the table.

"It's settled. We'll bury it tonight."

He glanced at Zhao Weiguo.

"The detonation rope is yours to control. When you pull it is up to you."

Zhao Weiguo rolled up the drawing and stuffed it back into the cloth bag.

The sentry at the entrance of the camp suddenly pushed the door open and came in.

"Report. There are car lights in the direction of Yangcun."

Everyone in the room looked up at the same time.

The sentry handed over something. It was a half-empty Japanese cigarette box with Japanese characters printed on it.

"Heading towards Hulukou," the sentry said. "Two headlights, followed by a mule caravan. Bells."

Zhao Weiguo took the cigarette box, turned it over, and glanced at it.

He didn't speak.

Ding Wei bit the pencil stub, making a sound that was neither too loud nor too soft.

"It arrived earlier than expected."