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

Inside the earthen cave dwelling at the brigade headquarters, a map was spread out on the earthen kang (heated brick bed).

The map, three meters long, covered the entire surface of the kang (a heated brick bed), its edges weighed down with stones, and its center supported by bowls and cups. It depicted the terrain of the Taihang Mountains, with mountain lines marked in brown, river lines in blue, roads with dashed lines, and villages marked with circles. The paper was yellowed, the edges were worn, and some areas were stained with water, blurring the writing, but it was still legible.

In the center of the map is a red arrow, drawn from the direction of Niangziguan Pass, pointing towards the heart of the Taihang Mountains. Next to the arrow are the three characters: "Sakata Regiment."

The old brigade commander clutched his pipe, unlit. He sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), his face more somber than usual, his brow furrowed, his lips pressed into a thin line. His eyes were on the map, but his gaze wasn't on it; he was thinking about something else. He was pondering the concept of 3,800 men, whether the people of the Taihang Mountains could be evacuated, and whether these regiments combined were enough to fight a battle.

A dozen or so people sat in the cave dwelling, including the brigade chief of staff, Li Yunlong, Ding Wei, Kong Jie, and several battalion and company officers. Some squatted on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), some sat on the threshold, and some leaned against the wall. No one spoke. The shadows on the cave walls swayed in the lamplight, like underwater grass.

The stick pointed to the red arrow on the map. The brigade chief of staff stood beside the map, clutching the stick in his hand.

"The Sakata Regiment, consisting of three infantry battalions and one artillery company, totaling approximately 3,800 men, is advancing from the direction of Niangziguan and is expected to reach the Tiger's Mouth line the day after tomorrow."

The wooden stick was moved to the position of the tiger's mouth, which is a narrow canyon between two mountains, through which the road passes.

"Tiger's Mouth is the only way through. If Sakata wants to enter the heart of the Taihang Mountains, this is the only route accessible via artillery."

The cave dwelling was quiet for a while. Outside, there was the sound of wind blowing from the mountains, rustling the branches of the jujube trees.

He drew circles on the muddy ground with straw sticks. Li Yunlong squatted under the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), glanced up at the map, then lowered his head to continue drawing.

"Three thousand eight hundred people. We can't hold them off."

He spoke slowly, each word landing heavily on the table. He had fought many battles, against Japanese battalions and companies, but never against a regiment. A regiment consisted of 3,800 men, three infantry battalions plus artillery, well-equipped, well-trained, and experienced in tough battles. His New 1st Regiment, though at full strength, had fewer than 800 combat-ready men. They lacked ammunition, and their heavy weapons consisted of only a few heavy machine guns and two mortars.

"Break the main force into smaller units. Harass, guerrilla tactics, and piecemeal attrition. This is the old method, and also the safest one."

The pencil stub was already quite short, like a toothpick, held between his fingers. Ding Wei stood next to him, wrote a few words in his notebook, and then crossed them out.

"We're running out of ammunition. If the artillery gets on our heels, no regiment can hold out. The Sakata Regiment's artillery is a mountain gun company; it has a long range and high firepower, which our mortars can't reach."

He put the pencil stub in his pocket and looked at the map.

"A direct confrontation won't work. We can only fight mobile warfare, guerrilla warfare, strike and then leave, without getting entangled with them."

The gauze on his left arm was sticking out from under his sleeve, and there were bloodstains on the gauze. Kong Jie sat on the threshold, his face in shadow, so his expression was not visible, but a vein could be seen throbbing in his temple.

"The outposts on the northern front can cover the evacuation of civilians, but they can't stop Sakata's main force. My Independent Regiment hasn't even recovered from its losses; less than five hundred men are still operational."

He paused for a moment.

"The evacuation will take time. With 3,800 people pressing in, the evacuation of the masses will take at least two days. Who will hold them off during those two days?"

The cave dwelling was quiet again.

His finger slid across the map, past Niangziguan Pass, past Tiger's Mouth, across the heart of the Taihang Mountains, and stopped at Tiger's Mouth. The old brigade commander didn't speak, he just looked at the map.

After a while, he turned his head and looked at Zhao Weiguo in the corner.

"Little one. You've just fought two battles, do you have any different opinions?"

All eyes in the cave turned to Zhao Weiguo.

Zhao Weiguo stood next to the map, holding a charcoal pencil. He walked up to the map and pointed to the tiger's mouth.

"Don't attack the entire regiment. Attack the vanguard battalion."

The cave dwelling was quiet.

Li Yunlong raised his head and looked at Zhao Weiguo.

"Are you crazy? A commando battalion of over three hundred men, how are you going to take down a reinforced Japanese battalion? Don't get too cocky just because you've won two battles."

Zhao Weiguo didn't look at him, and drew a line on the map with his finger.

"The three teams from Sakata could not possibly travel side-by-side along the mountain path."

His fingers traced from the tiger's mouth to the canyon exit.

"The tiger's mouth is only twenty paces wide. The vanguard and the main force can be separated by five li."

He marked five points on the map.

"The assault battalion is blocking the choke point. Regimental Commander Li's men are blocking the middle section. Regimental Commander Ding's men are blocking the rear. Regimental Commander Kong's men are blocking the western communication line. The brigade's guard company is on standby."

He paused for a moment.

"Move in five directions simultaneously, cutting off the vanguard's retreat within half an hour."

He looked at Li Yunlong.

"Five forces acted simultaneously. The vanguard of 1,200 men was unable to deploy in the canyon; their front was blocked, their rear cut off, and their middle severed. The battle was resolved in half an hour."

Ding Wei walked to the map and looked at the lines drawn by Zhao Weiguo.

"How can we guarantee that the enemy will definitely take the tiger's mouth?" he asked.

Zhao Weiguo drew three circles on the map with a charcoal pencil.

"Road conditions, artillery and mules, detour time, and water sources along the way. The Sakata Regiment brought artillery, which has mules, but mules can't travel on mountain roads and can only take the main roads. The detour will add two days to the journey, and Sakata can't afford to wait. The only water source along the way is Tiger's Mouth. How much water will 3,800 men and mules need per day?"

He looked at Ding Wei.

"Tiger's Mouth is the most cost-effective option."

Kong Jie stood up and walked to the map.

"What if Sakata's central army advances ahead of schedule?" he asked.

Zhao Weiguo drew a dotted line with a charcoal pencil.

"The withdrawal route will be through the North Gully, with the ambush point set up at its mouth. This battle will only target the vanguard, not the entire regiment. Fight and leave immediately; do not linger."

He looked at Kong Jie.

"The terrain at the north gully is narrow; a single company can hold off a large battalion. We have enough time to retreat."

The cave dwelling fell silent again. The sound of sentries changing guard could be heard outside, a few clicks before fading into the distance.

The brigade chief of staff stubbed out his cigarette, and the room fell silent as soon as he spoke.

"Brigade Commander, shouldn't we reconsider the unified command? Zhao Weiguo is only fourteen years old. Will Li Yunlong and the others be convinced if he commands companies from four regiments?"

The old brigade commander didn't turn around; he kept looking at the map.

"Zero casualties at Huanghuaigou, one dead at Liushuwang. Two battles in three days, over two hundred enemy soldiers killed, and only one of our own lost. Tell me, who else can do that?"

The brigade chief of staff opened his mouth, then closed it again.

"Age is not the issue," the old brigade commander said. "The issue is whether we can win the battle. If we lose this battle, I will take the responsibility."

The cave dwelling was quiet again.

The old brigade commander stared at the map for three minutes. No one spoke during those three minutes; only the hissing sound of the tobacco burning in his pipe could be heard.

He placed the tobacco pipe on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and stood up.

"Li Yunlong will send a company. Ding Wei will send a company. Kong Jie will send a company. Add the assault battalion and the brigade guard company. Set up an ambush at Tiger's Mouth."

He looked at Zhao Weiguo.

"Zhao Weiguo was in overall command of this battle."

The cave dwelling was quiet.

Li Yunlong opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back. He looked at Zhao Weiguo for two seconds, threw the straw on the ground, and stood up.

"Fine. I'll hand over my company to you."

Ding Wei put the pencil stub into his pocket and nodded.

"I'm handing my company over to you too."

Kong Jie looked at Zhao Weiguo for two seconds and then nodded.

"My company is too."

Zhao Weiguo stood in front of the map, a charcoal pencil in his hand. He looked at the red arrows on the map, at the location of the tiger's mouth, and at the lines and circles he had drawn.

"Yes."

As the meeting adjourned, the people in the cave gradually left. The curtain was lifted, letting in a cool breeze carrying the earthy smell of the mountains. Li Yunlong passed by Zhao Weiguo, pausing for a moment.

He said in a low voice.

"Don't you dare lose to me."

Zhao Weiguo nodded.

Li Yunlong is gone.

As Ding Wei walked by, he patted Zhao Weiguo on the shoulder without saying anything, and then left.

As Kong Jie walked past, she glanced at Zhao Weiguo with a complex look in her eyes—a look of worry, expectation, and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Zhao Weiguo stood in the cave dwelling, looking at the map. The red arrow on the map was still there, pointing to Tiger's Mouth, towards the heart of the Taihang Mountains. The lines and circles he had drawn were still there, the five points clearly marked, each point corresponding to a power.

The wind blew in from the cave entrance, lifting the edges of the map and then letting it fall back down.

He placed the charcoal pencil on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), turned around, and walked out of the cave dwelling.

Outside the cave dwelling was the brigade headquarters courtyard, where a jujube tree stood, its branches swaying in the wind. It was already dark; the moon hadn't risen yet, only the stars twinkled in the sky. The distant mountains were dark, their outlines appearing as a line against the starry backdrop.

He stood in the courtyard, looking at the distant mountains.

Behind the mountain is Tiger's Mouth, and behind Tiger's Mouth is the Sakata Regiment.

Three thousand eight hundred people.

His fingers were moving, drawing lines in the air, lines like the mouth of a tiger. The charcoal ash stuck deep between his fingers, and he couldn't wipe it clean even after several attempts.

He turned and walked back to the cave dwelling, rolled up the map, and tucked it under his arm.