The Flames of Resistance Against Japan in Jiangnan

Spring is just around the corner, and the mountains are covered in blooming flowers and fresh greenery. The clothing factory moved to the Yangtianwo area in Henan Province and soon set up camp at Xujiazhai at the foot of Yangtianwo to rush to make uniforms for the Independent Regiment. They often worked until late at night, sewing during the day and gathering around the fire pit at night to make shoes and socks.

The flames flickered in the hearth, and the mountain village night was exceptionally quiet. The stars twinkled in the sky, and a gentle breeze rustled through the trees outside the village…

The soldiers chatted and laughed as they worked, maintaining an optimistic attitude even in those brutal years of war—a truly remarkable feat.

Female soldiers Hu Kaicai, Liu Xingzhi, and Yu Haibo tied up the sewn clothes one by one, preparing to send them to the district committee the next day. They worked like this until dawn, still forgetting their fatigue.

The soldiers were exhausted and had just lain down when a burst of intense gunfire suddenly erupted from the foot of the mountain.

Liu Yuqing was startled awake from her sleep, and she immediately realized that the enemy had come to search the mountain.

It turned out that after the security team found out about the clothing factory, they immediately ran to report to the local garrison, and the enemy quickly organized a regiment to search the mountain.

"Quick, get up! The enemy is searching the mountain!"

"Quickly, we need to move immediately!"

"Stop packing, there's no time! Leave your things here for now, we have to move immediately!"

Liu Yuqing, guns in both hands, immediately led her soldiers in a swift retreat towards the back of the mountain. Just as they left the village, the enemy entered. Upon discovering the Red Army soldiers, the pursuing enemy opened fire and gave chase.

"Hu Kaicai, Yu Haibo, you take the clothing factory workers and quickly move from the mountainside. I will lead a few soldiers into the ravine to draw the enemy away and cover your retreat!"

Liu Yuqing immediately led several soldiers to deliberately draw the enemy's attention away and rushed into the ditch, completely exposing themselves to the enemy's sight. They fired at the enemy while rushing towards another hillside.

When the enemy saw Liu Yuqing and his men rush to the bottom of the ditch, they charged towards it again, and immediately, a burst of gunfire erupted from the bottom of the ditch.

Hu Kaicai led most of the soldiers from the clothing factory across the mountain ridge and finally broke out of the enemy's encirclement.

After a fierce battle with the enemy, Liu Yuqing was eventually captured because he was outnumbered and ran out of bullets.

After the enemy escorted Liu Yuqing and several other soldiers to Jingfu County, they subjected them to severe torture. The cruel enemy demanded that they reveal the location of the Northeast Hubei Provincial Committee and the Red Army's hiding place. Facing the enemy's cruelty, they remained steadfast and unyielding, never uttering a single word.

"Damn it, you communist bitch, are you going to talk or not?"

"As long as you tell us, we'll definitely give you something in return. I promise I won't kill you or your sisters!"

"Pooh!"

Liu Yuqing glared at him angrily.

The enemy further tortured her with cruel methods, beating her with sticks, splashing her with cold water, pressing her down with a lever, sticking skewer on her fingertips, and making her sit on the tiger bench, torturing Liu Yuqing to the point of near death, her skin torn and bleeding.

"Are you going to tell me or not?"

"Damn it, you communist bastard, I refuse to believe I can't get you to talk!"

Liu Yuqing remained silent.

"Let's see if you'll talk or not?"

The cruel enemy stripped Liu Yuqing naked, tied her to a door with wire, and branded her body with a red-hot iron...

Liu Yuqing's body was eventually branded black and charred, and he was ultimately branded to death by the enemy.

The ruthless enemy still wouldn't let him go, and finally cut off Liu Yuqing's head and hung it on the gate tower of Xinji City for more than a month.

The enemy sold the remaining Red Army soldiers to other places under the pretext of them being "Communist women".

After escaping from Yangtianwo, the other 20-odd soldiers from the clothing factory moved to the Yejiaji area of ​​Shangcheng, Henan. In Yejiaji, they were ambushed by the enemy. Deputy Captain Yu Haibo was captured while covering the soldiers' breakout. He was imprisoned by the enemy for a year before being sold.

The remaining soldiers, led by Hu Kaicai, finally reached western Anhui after many twists and turns. They disguised themselves as starving beggars along the way and finally found the main force of the 28th Red Army in western Anhui, where they rejoined the ranks of the main Red Army.

Shortly after the Red Army clothing factory was scattered, Wang Xiaoming, a high-ranking official in the district, and Dong Xiangdong, a member of the district committee, held a meeting of local party cadres in a small mountain village in Dongda Mountain. On their way back, they were unfortunately arrested due to betrayal by a traitor. The enemy also used various cruel tortures to torture them. Wang Xiaoming and Dong Xiangdong remained righteous and unyielding, and were eventually killed by the enemy.

Within just a few months, the enemy used methods such as searching the mountains and conducting espionage to capture more than 1000 wounded and sick soldiers of our Red Army, local party and government cadres, and revolutionary masses. Most of the captured cadres and revolutionary masses were tortured and killed by the enemy.

The local Party organizations in Hubei, Henan and Anhui provinces suffered extremely serious damage once again.

Furthermore, Fang Shuihua, Chen Wendong, and Xu Hongji led more than 300 members of the Northeast Hubei Independent Regiment, following the instructions of the Northeast Hubei Regional Committee, and set off from the Luoshan Jinzhulin area in southern Henan. They bypassed the enemy's heavy blockades and, during the day, they hid in the deep forests or caves, and at night, they braved the cold wind and continued to advance eastward. Their actions were extremely difficult.

Fang Shuihua, a 19-year-old member of the Communist Youth League of Northeast Hubei, joined the main force of the Red Army at the age of 13 and rose to the rank of company commander of the special service company at 17. He was an excellent marksman, but was later left behind after being wounded in battle and requiring medical treatment. This time, he was particularly cautious because of the heavy responsibility he bore. He had to lead his soldiers to avoid enemy blockades and ensure their safety, and he felt a great weight of responsibility.

It was during the coldest time of year, with howling north winds and heavy snow. The soldiers, dressed only in thin clothing, shivered uncontrollably on the snow, their faces turning blue. Their legs felt weak and numb, almost unresponsive. Adding to the hardship, it was deep winter, and food was scarce. The soldiers were constantly hungry, their stomachs growling loudly. Some, unable to bear it any longer, secretly sneaked into villages to beg for food. But many villagers were starving and had virtually no food, so they often returned empty-handed. Desperate, they resorted to digging up wild potatoes and stealing sweet potatoes and radishes from the fields to stave off hunger, but even then, they often remained hungry.

On several occasions, when they went to steal sweet potatoes from the fields of ordinary people, they were discovered by the people and chased after as bandits. The soldiers would often run back empty-handed, panting and disoriented, and their disheveled state was easy to imagine.