The Flames of Resistance Against Japan in Jiangnan

Li Youcai was stunned. He rubbed his eyes and finally saw clearly that it was Lan Hua, his own younger sister.

Lan Hua's body had already grown taller. Although she was wearing old clothes, her short, jet-black hair was neatly cut, and her fair face with a pointed chin made her look very cute.

In my memory, because of our family's poverty, my younger sister was very sensible from a young age. When she was just four or five years old, she would often carry a small basket to go out and gather pig feed and firewood.

Now he felt that every feature of his sister was different from what he remembered, and everything about her was new to him.

Lan Hua has grown much taller; she is now about the same height as her sister-in-law, Zhang Hongmei.

Her face was always expressionless and calm, almost like she had facial paralysis, but it wasn't overly naive or innocent. It was as if she was always thinking about something, showing that she was simple yet opinionated, innocent yet with a certain maturity of an adult.

Even now, she doesn't like to talk much when she sees her brother, which is probably one aspect of this characteristic of hers.

From a young age, Lan Hua loved going up the mountain and knew how to work. If she wasn't allowed to go, she would cry. It was through this labor that she developed a healthy beauty. In those days, women weren't allowed to be so unrestrained. They had to start binding their feet at seven or eight years old. Back then, when choosing a wife, the first thing people looked at was how small her feet were to judge her beauty. Because of her high, full breasts and large feet, Zhang Hongmei endured much gossip and criticism. Therefore, based on her own painful experience and for the sake of convenience in her work, Zhang Hongmei forgave her disobedient sister-in-law. During those difficult years, Lan Hua, like a wild grass among rocks, stubbornly and vigorously grew.

Li Youcai pulled his younger sister to his side, excitedly stroking her little face with both hands, and said with delight:

"Orchid, is it really you? I'm your brother, Li Youcai!"

"Waaah, are you really my brother? You really came to find us?"

The orchid, which had been calm for so long, finally cried.

"Little sister, Orchid! Don't cry, listen to me!"

Li Youcai combed his sister's hair and wiped away her tears:

"I have avenged my parents."

"Was the revenge really taken?"

Orchid looked up in surprise, her lips trembling, staring at her brother with great astonishment.

"Orchids, do you know them?"

Seeing that his younger sister had stopped crying, Li Youcai continued excitedly.

“We have an organization, which means the poor come together and become stronger. We have Party members—the best people—to lead us, fight for our country, and let us poor people be the masters of our own destiny.”

"Ah! Really?"

Orchid was once again taken aback.

"real."

Zhang Hongmei answered calmly:

"Orchid, don't be afraid, we will definitely beat them."

The brother and sister talked about how much they missed each other after they were apart, and soon returned to their aunt's house. After resting for a while, Li Youcai prepared to go out to observe the military strength and equipment of the Yan family compound.

The younger sister, Lan Hua, quickly said:

“Brother, your face is unfamiliar and you’ll give us away easily. Why don’t I go take a walk around and secretly count them? Let my sister-in-law tell you what the compound looks like.”

Time flies, and more than an hour had passed in the blink of an eye. Seeing Li Youcai anxiously pull out his pocket watch from his coat pocket and stare at it intently, Zhang Hongmei stood up, opened the courtyard gate, and went outside. As soon as she stepped out of the alley, she bumped into her younger sister, Lanhua, returning home. She quickly spoke up and asked in a low voice:

"Did you see clearly?"

Lan Hua explained the situation, then took her sister-in-law's hand and whispered:

"Come on, tell my brother. I've counted them. There are over thirty militiamen and ten government soldiers. Each one has a rifle..."

Li Youcai and his group returned to Wangjiaping in the afternoon. As soon as they sat down in the village, Xu Wenqing had someone bring them food and told them to eat quickly.

Then, a messenger was arranged to notify Hu Jiu, Jin Fujiang, and others to come to the meeting.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Xu Wenqing hung up the simple map he had drawn himself based on Li Youcai's report.

"Today, Comrade Li Youcai personally went to Tankou Village to scout the enemy situation and learned that several more captured Red Army soldiers were sent to the Yan Family Compound today, and may be sent to Yansi tomorrow. Comrades, what should we do?"

"Take down the Yan family compound and rescue our captured comrades!"

"We must fight! We absolutely have to fight!"

Seeing the soldiers' high morale, Xu Wenqing smiled with satisfaction and said:

"First, Comrade Li Youcai will introduce the enemy situation, and then we can discuss how to fight this battle?"

"The Yan family compound probably occupies a small portion of the village, consisting entirely of large, gray-tiled houses. The houses are surrounded by high walls, topped with barbed wire. Beside the main gate stands a guard post, with people on duty every night. The family keeps dozens of militiamen year-round."

After hearing the introduction, everyone frowned and pondered, trying to figure out what method to take.

"Comrades, I have also thought about this for a long time, and I think we should still make good use of our Red Army's tactics of night fighting and surprise attacks."

Xu Wenqing spoke while examining the map:

"Surprise them and catch them off guard! It looks like it might rain tonight, which will be a good cover for our rescue operation."

"Then let's fight. Now, please have the commander assign the tasks."

Company Commander Hu Jiu looked at everyone and emphasized:

"This battle is very important. If we win it, it will be a great start for our special operations company! I hope that all comrades will take it seriously."

After careful consideration, Xu Wenqing finally made up his mind and decided to proceed:

"Alright, I want everyone to remember that the more difficult the environment, the better it trains people. Now I will assign the combat mission:"

Comrade Li Youcai was in charge of the work of receiving and treating the wounded and sick.

"In this surprise attack, I will take the lead in eliminating the enemy's sentries. After opening the gate, Comrade Hu Jiu will lead a team to quickly enter the compound, control all the high points, and the operation must be carried out covertly, striving to achieve zero casualties."

"Commander, wouldn't it be better if I led some men to scout ahead?"

Hu Jiu hurriedly asked for instructions:

"Commander, you are the commander-in-chief, your safety is also very important!"

"is it?"

With a sudden movement, Xu Wenqing pinned Jin Fujiang to the ground, drawing the pistol from his waist.

"Let's talk when you're as skilled as me and I can handle you."

"Guaranteed to complete the mission!"

Upon seeing the commander's swift movements, everyone immediately stood at attention and saluted.

"Zeng Aimin, you take a few snipers with you and follow me. If the operation is exposed, you will be responsible for sealing off the main gate and the watchtowers on both sides."

Zeng Aimin was somewhat confused about his task:

"Yes, but why should we try not to fire?"

Xu Wenqing explained:

"The terrain here is good, and it's also quite remote. We need to take in the wounded, so we can't leave immediately. Therefore, we need a place to stay. Your whereabouts must not be exposed. This place is a good temporary base."

"Does everyone understand their tasks?"

"Clear!"

"Okay, let's get started!"