Chapter One: Fierce Battle at Elm Tree Valley

June 22, 1938, Heyuan County, Elm Tree Valley

“Miss Hua, don’t run!”
“Miss Hua!”
“Catch Miss Hua!”
“Stop!”
“Hiyaku, hiyaku!”
“Everyone, ganbare!”

Gu Yufei, leader of the Taiyuan Military Intelligence Station’s action team, stumbled along a mountain path with deputy leader Xu Zhongyi. Behind them surged a large group of Japanese puppet soldiers, with the squad leader at the front wearing a brazen, lecherous grin.

At the city gate earlier, the Japanese squad leader had tried to harass Gu Yufei—touching her and even attempting to tear her clothes. Naturally, Gu Yufei wouldn’t tolerate it and slapped him hard. Thanks to Xu Zhongyi’s quick reflexes pulling her uphill, the Japanese squad leader took a loss and now chased after them with his men.

Though several special agents were killed in the pursuit, the squad leader was excited—not only could he capture this “flower girl,” but he could also earn merit. No matter if she was a wealthy young lady, to them she was just an Eighth Route Army soldier.

The dozen or so Japanese soldiers flanking the squad leader were equally excited, their eyes burning with anticipation. If their leader got the meat, they’d get the broth. After all, the Imperial Army had long upheld such traditions. As for the security regiment and special agents, they were left to watch helplessly.

Gu Yufei turned and pulled the trigger again. A click sounded—no bullets left. Furious, she threw the gun aside and kept running. Xu Zhongyi had already discarded his weapon.

“Company commander, they’re out of bullets!” Xu San’er, deputy of the security company, eagerly whispered to company commander Jia Youfu. The female Eighth Route soldier’s marksmanship was impressive—thirteen special agents had already been killed or wounded along the way, frightening the security regiment from showing their faces.

“They’re our own people; what a curse!” Jia Youfu shot a glare at Xu San’er, annoyed. The Japanese had no good intentions. Just moments ago, the squad leader slapped him after he fired a shot. It was a pity for that girl.

Jia Youfu was a former regular military officer, a major and deputy battalion commander. After being forced to surrender by his superiors, he became a company commander. But this was no ordinary company—it consisted of two infantry platoons, each with sixteen men, divided into three five-man infantry squads plus a platoon leader, and one machine gun squad of three men. The only weapon was a locally made Type 65 light machine gun in the machine gun squad. Including himself and Xu San’er, they had 37 men armed with one Type 65 light machine gun, four “big eye” rifles, eleven Type 65 rifles, seven Hanyang rifles, and six old revolvers.

On the hillside

“Yufei, team leader, I can’t go on. You go on alone!” Xu Zhongyi, gasping like a bellows, collapsed into a grassy nest, his face flushed and unable to move.

“You coward!” Gu Yufei wanted to keep fighting, but her arm was bleeding heavily from a bullet wound. She sank down beside him, regretting not saving the last bullet for herself. Tears welled in her eyes at the thought.

“Don’t be afraid, we still have this.” Xu Zhongyi elbowed her and magically produced a Mills grenade.

“Wait until the Japanese get close, then pull it! Don’t mess this up at the last moment.” Gu Yufei’s lips curled into a faint smile. Though the mission had failed, at least they could die for the Party and the nation.

“We’re not losing out. We’ve gotten our money’s worth.” Xu Zhongyi smiled bitterly. Gu Yufei had already disguised herself, but she still stood out too much. If it had been just him, nothing would have happened. Alas, a beautiful woman truly is a curse, as the ancients said.

Facing an enhanced Japanese squad, a security company platoon, and over twenty special agents, it was a miracle they had made it this far. It seemed the Japanese wanted to capture live prisoners, as their enhanced squad carried a grenade launcher.

But there was no time for idle thoughts. Xu Zhongyi could clearly see the terrifying grin on the enemy’s faces. If these weren’t the strictly trained Japanese soldiers, they would have charged already.

As the squad leader arranged the machine gun and grenade launcher teams, and two four-man rifle squads prepared to flank from both sides, a sudden roar broke out. A sharp whistling sound followed, then an explosion flipped the squad leader and the grenade launcher team.

Before Xu Zhongyi and Gu Yufei could react, the air filled with relentless gunfire—machine guns, small-caliber artillery, rifles. The enemy’s enhanced squad, still unscattered, fell to the ground in no time.

Soon, the gunfire stopped abruptly, replaced by an eerie silence.

Behind the Japanese fell the puppet army’s company commander Jia Youfu, still trembling but immediately waving the white towel from around his neck. “Bang!” A gunshot rang out, startling Jia Youfu. He trembled, checking himself for wounds, only to find a Japanese corpse nearby had been shot instead.

Sparse gunfire resumed—ambushers finishing off the Japanese and collaborators with more shots. Jia Youfu was dumbfounded, as were Gu Yufei and Xu Zhongyi. Four machine guns, one rapid-fire cannon, dozens of rifles, hundreds of bullets, eight artillery shells—and still they were topping off the kills. These people must really fear death.

“Down there, what are you dawdling for? Surrender or drop your weapons now!” A small-caliber rapid-fire cannon with a shield was pushed out. A man in a Shanxi-Suiyuan Army second lieutenant uniform shouted loudly, holding an unidentifiable pistol—or perhaps a carbine.

“Ah, folks from my home! Lay down your guns, lay ‘em down quick. Brothers, calm down, I’m from Huanren.” Jia Youfu sighed with relief upon hearing the familiar dialect. He had feared the enemy would fire into their cramped group, which had no space to maneuver.

“Look at you lot. I’m from Xiuyan. Keep your young ones in line. Don’t make a move, or we’ll open fire!” The lieutenant’s tone softened, but four machine gun teams shifted their firing positions alternately. Four light machine guns and one cannon encircled Jia Youfu’s security regiment in a half-circle on the hillside. The security men grew even more frightened, especially Xu San’er, who doubted the discipline of their fellow countrymen.

Soon, dozens of Shanxi-Suiyuan soldiers emerged from the forest, moving in pairs to cover each other, keeping watch on the security regiment while methodically finishing off the corpses with bayonets. Each body was stabbed multiple times until the attackers were satisfied.

Ten minutes later, the disarmed security regiment lined up on the hillside. Jia Youfu watched the soldiers clean the battlefield and, though worldly-wise, was shocked again. They took weapons, ammunition, and gear, yes—but also stripped the dead of their clothes and even pulled gold teeth from their mouths. Was that not cruel?

Wait, what were these killers about to do? They drew their knives and began beheading the Japanese. Led by a Shanxi-Suiyuan colonel, they swiftly severed the heads of the Japanese and special agent corpses, neatly arranging them with a chilling sense of ceremony. Yet, the colonel looked oddly familiar.

“Alright, pack up your things quick, let’s move!” The lieutenant approached Jia Youfu, patted his shoulder gently, and handed him a lit Hardy cigarette.

“Let’s go, brothers! Hurry and help our compatriots carry the things!” Jia Youfu tried to make small talk, but the lieutenant had already walked away with a bundle of rifle bolts. Jia hurriedly gathered weapons, ammunition, packed bullet casings, and torn clothes, following the group.

Gu Yufei and Xu Zhongyi each leaned on a wooden stick and followed. No one spoke to them the entire time, nor did they understand why this rough-speaking Shanxi-Suiyuan army suddenly appeared. But they dared not leave recklessly—the young colonel was malevolent, and Gu Yufei was wounded.

“Team leader, are these men from the Shanxi-Suiyuan 358th Regiment?” Xu Zhongyi whispered. According to prior intelligence, the nearest Shanxi-Suiyuan unit to Heyuan County was the 358th Regiment. There was also the 359th Regiment nearby, but that one collaborated with the Japanese and would not have done this.

“The 358th has only one colonel—the regimental commander Chu Yunfei. Haven’t you seen his photo?” Gu Yufei rolled her eyes. Though the Shanxi-Suiyuan soldiers ignored them, at least two kept watch on them, armed with C93 pistols with wooden stocks. But who would really use those in combat? The guns were exorbitantly expensive, and ammunition nearly impossible to find.

“All in new uniforms, equipped with new gear, well-trained, and fierce—are they really the Northeast Army or Shanxi-Suiyuan Army? I can’t figure it out.” Xu Zhongyi glanced at the neatly arranged heads behind them and shuddered. Even the Northeast Army wouldn’t behave like this.

Not far away on a hilltop

A unit dressed in gray cloth uniforms observed the battle. Though the Shanxi-Suiyuan scouts noticed them, no conflict arose; both sides remained wary.

“Commander, aren’t these Shanxi-Suiyuan troops being too disrespectful?” Zhang Dabiao, captain of the 386th Brigade’s 1st Battalion, 1st Company of the Eighth Route Army, complained. They had rushed to support after hearing gunfire, but after running so far their legs nearly gave out, only to be cut off by the Shanxi-Suiyuan army. After watching, they still couldn’t understand why the Shanxi-Suiyuan had attacked first. Was it to rescue those two?

“Respect is earned, not given. They have guns and artillery—why should they give Old Li any face? One platoon with four light machine guns and one machine cannon. Every soldier carries two nine-shot magazines. Can our Eighth Route Army compare?” Li Yunlong shot a glare at Zhang Dabiao but felt some relief. He was glad he hadn’t acted. His company had over a hundred men but only about forty old revolvers and Hanyang rifles, and one Qilali light machine gun, with fewer than three hundred rounds. They couldn’t take on the Shanxi-Suiyuan, let alone the Japanese puppet troops.

The Japanese enhanced squad had fifteen men: one four-man machine gun team, two four-man rifle squads, one two-man grenade launcher team, and a squad leader. They had one grenade launcher, one “crooked handle,” thirteen Type 38 rifles, and possibly two pistols. Even that firepower was tough to crack, not to mention the puppet troops. Even if luck was on their side, they’d suffer serious injuries—how could they possibly face the Shanxi-Suiyuan?

“Commander, do you recognize that cannon?” Zhang Dabiao shrugged, reluctant to leave his view of the receding Shanxi-Suiyuan troops. That cannon was impressive—eight shells fired in under ten seconds. The Japanese squad and special agents were stunned, unable to react.

“No, but their rifles are interesting—nine-shot magazines. The Shanxi-Suiyuan don’t have such old guns. The last time I saw a nine-shot magazine was with old Ma Army veterans. One load fires nine rounds, recoil is low, trajectory stable, and power strong.” Li Yunlong sneered, his eyes burning. A cannon like that would be a dream. Then he could take on not just fortified watchtowers and strongholds, but even small county towns.

“Old guns? That explains why the Shanxi-Suiyuan still use black powder cartridges. These aren’t just reloaded rounds; some old guns use black powder as propellant.” Zhang Dabiao suddenly understood.

“Old guns? They’re still better than our old revolvers and Hanyang rifles. That nine-shot magazine on the scout’s rifle—damn, it's new and you could still smell the grease. I don’t even remember the last time I saw a new gun.” Li Yunlong lamented. As a regiment commander, his “box cannon” was hand-crafted by a gunsmith, firing only black powder reloaded rounds. Every shot he feared the barrel might burst.

“Commander, should we go down and take a look?” Zhang Dabiao cautiously asked, glancing toward the battlefield.

“Damn it, not a single shell casing left, even the loincloths were taken and burned. What’s the point? Let’s retreat and ask the brigade commander to investigate these Shanxi-Suiyuan.” Li Yunlong was full of grievances but dared not linger. A Japanese stronghold was nearby. If they didn’t leave soon, trouble would come. Even a single Shanxi-Suiyuan squad was enough to give him a headache.

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