Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Changjin Lake, a Hundred Battles, a Hundred Victories

Chapter 168 The Sacrifice of Shanxi

“Hey, I got a share too, that’s great,” Wang Dabiao said with a smile.

The meat porridge with canned beef that Wang Yumei made was the best meal Wang Dabiao had ever eaten.

Even after the district squad later developed into an independent detachment and the army grew, Wang Dabiao ate countless bowls of beef porridge, but he still felt that it couldn't compare to that meal back then.

This time, following Chen Ming, Wang Dabiao wanted to taste the flavors he remembered once again.

Upon arriving at Wang Yumei's house, Chen Ming saw a boy who looked to be about ten years old.

This person is Wang Yumei's son, Li Gou'er, who is twelve years old today.

"Uncle Chen Ming."

Upon seeing Chen Ming, Li Gou'er greeted him warmly, his eyes filled with respect and admiration.

"You've grown so much, Gou'er! You're almost a young man now." Chen Ming smiled and patted Li Gou'er's head.

The boy who used to timidly hide in his mother's arms has now grown up healthy, which makes Chen Ming very gratified.

"Go and get a chair for your Uncle Chen," Wang Yumei said to the dog.

"Okay, mother."

Li Gou'er quickly brought over two chairs so that Chen Ming and Wang Dabiao could sit down.

The birthday party was very small, with only four people: Chen Ming, Wang Dabiao, Wang Yumei, and Li Gou'er.

The food was just ordinary meals, nothing special, except for an extra dish of canned beef porridge.

This was a collective reward given after the Independent Detachment won a battle. As the director of the Women's Salvation Association, Wang Yumei could naturally produce a can, but that was all she had.

As an outstanding revolutionary fighter, Wang Yumei did not seek special treatment. Even when it came to rewards from the organization, she would voluntarily share them with those who needed them more, such as wounded soldiers.

There were no special ceremonies; everything in the base area during this period was simple and unpretentious.

Not long after, the four of them began to eat.

As soon as Wang Dabiao started eating, his eyes were fixed on the pot of meat porridge on the table.

After dinner was served, they started slurping and wrestling with the meat porridge.

"Are you a reincarnated starving ghost? Can't you eat with some manners?" Chen Ming slapped Da Biao on the head.

Why did I never see Wang Dabiao eat like this when we were in the mountain city? Why is it that this time his eating is so unsightly, making him look bad?

"It's delicious, it tastes just like the first time I ate canned beef porridge."

"Captain Chen, Comrade Da Biao likes to eat, so let him have more. There's still plenty left," Wang Yumei said with a smile.

Da Biao's words reminded her of the porridge she made for the comrades in the district team after Chen Ming led them to rescue her and her child.

That was the beginning of their redemption, a memory that Wang Yumei will remember for the rest of her life.

Wang Yumei was very happy to receive the recognition of the district squad members who had saved her and her child.

"It's only because Comrade Yumei pleaded for you, otherwise you'd be in my shoes."

After finishing her meal, Wang Yumei began to remove the red cloth (cloth lock) that Gou'er was wearing, symbolizing the end of Gou'er's childhood.

"Captain, I invited you here today to ask you to name our dog," Wang Yumei said to Chen Ming.

"No problem, then I'll take your word for it," Chen Ming said with a smile.

During this period, rural families liked to give their children humble names, the core logic being "to suppress bad luck and bring good fortune through a name."

Some people deliberately give their children vulgar, crude, or ugly names to avoid misfortune and pray for their children to grow up healthy.

To put it simply, giving a child a humble name makes them easier to raise.

This is the simple aspiration of ordinary people like us.

"It's Gou'er's good fortune that Captain Chen gave him a new name. Gou'er, come over here and kowtow to Uncle Chen," Wang Yumei said to Gou'er.

"Okay, mother."

Upon receiving his mother's instruction, the dog ran over and made as if to kneel down and kowtow.

"Oh, no, Comrade Yumei, I have to criticize you for this. You're a Party member now, and our Party doesn't do this kind of thing." Chen Ming quickly pulled Gou'er back, preventing her from kneeling.

"Yes, yes, Captain Chen, I apologize to you. I almost made a mistake," Wang Yumei said quickly.

Wang Yumei is not young and has been a member of the organization for more than two years. Her long-held traditional ideas are difficult to change overnight.

After Chen Ming reminded him, he understood.

They are now Party members and revolutionary fighters; the old ways are no longer acceptable.

"Okay, I won't do this next time."

After saying that, Chen Ming looked at the dog.

"Stand up straight, chest out, you're a man now."

Upon hearing Chen Ming's words, the dog straightened its head and stood up straight with a determined look in its eyes.

"Since your mother asked me to name you, let's call you Li Xinhua—Li Xinhua, which embodies the ideals of personal rebirth and national liberation, and the establishment of a new China that belongs to us."

After thinking for a moment, Chen Ming spoke.

"Li Xinhua, Li Xinhua, what a good name!" Wang Yumei paced excitedly, repeating the name over and over again.

"Mom, my name is Li Xinhua. I have a new name. Uncle Chen gave it to me. I am Li Xinhua, and I will build a new China that belongs to us."

Li Gou'er, no, it's Li Xinhua. He was very satisfied with the name given to Chen Ming, the hero he respected and admired, and shouted it happily.

“Yes, Xinhua, you must live up to the name your Uncle Chen gave you and not let him down,” Wang Yumei solemnly instructed her son.

“Mother, I know, I will definitely not let down the name Li Xinhua,” Li Xinhua said firmly.

After the mother and son calmed down, Wang Yumei spoke to Chen Ming again:
"Captain, I have one more request."

"Just tell me what difficulties you're facing," Chen Ming said.

Wang Yumei is not someone who doesn't know how to behave properly; her request shouldn't put Chen Ming in a difficult position.

"Captain, Xinhua has already turned twelve and is no longer a child. I would like to ask for your help so that Xinhua can join the revolutionary ranks and become a revolutionary fighter," Wang Yumei pleaded.

This is the purpose of her inviting Chen Ming today. In addition to asking Chen Ming to name her son, she also wants to send her son to join the army.

Back in Lijia Village, which was being massacred by the Japanese, the soldiers of the district militia rescued the mother and child.

Wang Yumei only wanted to raise her son to adulthood and continue the Li family line.

But now she wants her son to dedicate himself to the war effort.

So what if the family genealogy is cut off? There are plenty of families in Shanxi without genealogies, so it doesn't matter if it's her family or not.

Upon hearing Wang Yumei's request, Chen Ming fell silent for the first time in a long time, and did not speak.

a long time.

“I disagree. Xinhua is the only son in the Li family. Participating in the revolution will result in death and sacrifice. I do not agree to his participation,” Chen Ming said.

“Captain, I know, I know there will be sacrifices in the revolution, but I am not afraid, and neither is Xinhua. There are too many families in Shanxi whose ancestral line has ended. I don’t want more of my compatriots to end up like us.”

"Xinhua and I both want to contribute to the revolution. You gave Xinhua his name, which means 'Xinhua, Xinhua,' meaning 'to revitalize China.' Don't you also hope that he can inherit the ideal of revitalizing China?"

Wang Yumei spoke sincerely.

Silence, still silence.

Wang Yumei's words deeply moved Chen Ming. The land of Shanxi has sacrificed far too much for this country and this nation.

Throughout the War of Resistance against Japan, Shanxi was the main battlefield. With a total population of ten million, the total number of soldiers and civilians who sacrificed their lives reached three million, nearly one-third of the total population. 90% of Shanxi families lost their family genealogies.

In 1945, the Eighth Route Army had a total of 132 million soldiers, of whom 700,000 were from Shanxi Province. More than one million people from the province joined militia, armed work teams and other anti-Japanese organizations.

The fact that every county has a historical cemetery and every family has a story of sacrifice is not a literary exaggeration, but a testament to the people of Shanxi who defended North China with their blood and flesh.

Beneath every handful of yellow earth lies a heroic song of dying for one's country!

The custom in Shanxi of celebrating a major birthday at the age of twelve actually signifies bidding farewell to ignorance and preparing to face death as a "warrior."

In many parts of Shanxi, there is no New Year's Eve dinner because every family waits for the New Year, and if they don't get to have one, they wait some more.

I hope someone can come home and have New Year's Eve dinner together.

Therefore, many people in Shanxi still continue this custom to this day: they do not eat New Year's Eve dinner, and they stay up all night, keeping the lights in the courtyard on all night, in order to wait for their families to return for a reunion.

Every household in Sichuan hung white silk ribbons, but no one in Shanxi did.

Shanxi did not conscript soldiers for ten years, and Shanxi had no New Year's Eve dinner.

Most families in Shanxi do not have family genealogies, but every county in Shanxi has a mausoleum.

It was precisely for this reason that Chen Ming disagreed with Li Xinhua joining the army.

Once on the battlefield, even Chen Ming himself couldn't guarantee he would survive, let alone others.

Li Xinhua, as an orphan from Lijia Village, had to live, whether for the sake of the hundreds of people in Lijia Village who were slaughtered by the Japanese invaders, or to witness the birth of the new China.

"No matter what, I disagree with Xinhua joining the team," Chen Ming said firmly.

Wang Yumei's expression darkened upon hearing Chen Ming's resolute words.

"Captain, can we let Xinhua join the children's corps instead of going to the battlefield and staying in the base area to be assigned to logistics?" Wang Yumei asked as a second-best option.

If we can't let our son join the army, then joining the children's corps is fine, as long as he doesn't have to go to the battlefield.

Those who stayed behind to work in logistics or auxiliary positions, such as delivering documents, caring for the wounded, or serving as propagandists, were also contributing to the revolution.

Chen Ming looked at Wang Yumei, whose eyes were sincere, and Li Xinhua, whose face was full of expectation, and finally sighed.

"Okay, but I will never allow Xinhua to go to the battlefield under any circumstances. Da Biao, remember that."

"Yes."

Wang Dabiao wholeheartedly agreed with Chen Ming's decision.

There was only one son left in the village. If this child were to die on the battlefield, then Lijia Village would be extinct.

That would be terrible.

The battle of Lijiacun was of special significance to the district squad.

So even if Chen Ming didn't say anything, he would continue to pay attention to Li Xinhua.

"Thank you, Captain! Thank you, Captain!" Wang Yumei said excitedly.

"Xinhua, quickly thank your Uncle Chen."

"Thank you, Uncle Chen! I can join the revolution now!" Li Xinhua exclaimed excitedly.

"Da Biao, I'm leaving Xinhua's affairs to you. Make sure he's taken care of, and report back to me afterwards."

"clear."

After resolving Li Xinhua's matter, Chen Ming returned to the command post, while Wang Dabiao began to make arrangements for Li Xinhua's affairs.

after one day.

"Report, I've assigned Xinhua to the propaganda department as a propagandist to spread the word about the Japanese devils' heinous acts to the people in the base areas."

Wang Dabiao reported to Chen Ming.

After listening to Da Biao's report, Chen Ming nodded and approved the arrangement.

Given Li Xinhua's background and the tragic fate of Lijia Village, he was indeed a good choice as a propagandist.

Wang Dabiao's arrangement is quite good.

After all, he was Chen Ming's personal agent. Having followed Chen Ming for so long, even if he was slow-witted, he could still learn a lot.

Besides, Wang Dabiao only has "biao" in his name, and he usually looks fierce.

But as Chen Ming's personal agent, he was no less as shrewd and resourceful as one would expect.

It can be said that Wang Dabiao is perfectly capable of being assigned to a main force battalion of an independent detachment as a deputy chief of staff, or a battalion-level military commander or political instructor.

This is the enormous benefit of a higher-level perspective.

While they may be inferior to cadres who have risen through the ranks from the grassroots in military affairs, they can far surpass grassroots cadres in strategic vision.

This is why Zhao Gang, despite graduating from Yenching University, studying at the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University, and organizing student movements, was still able to learn a great deal from Chen Ming.

The level of a platform determines one's perspective.

Datong.

Noon Saburo had absolute confidence in the defenses of Datong. With the help of the fortifications built by the tens of thousands of laborers he had gathered, he was not afraid of even another independent detachment, let alone one.

His current headache is that the Eighth Route Army is operating too frequently around Datong, causing Datong to lose many important mining areas.

The tens of thousands of miners who had been captured were all rescued by the Eighth Route Army. After the war, if mining was to resume, they would have to be captured again, and the recovery process was slow.

The loss of coal resources in the Datong area had a tremendous impact on the First Army and the troops stationed in Mongolia.

Because of the loss of the coal mine and the loss of its coal supply, Noon Saburo was questioned several times by the North China Expeditionary Army and even the Imperial General Headquarters.

Noon Saburo was completely helpless in this regard.

They simply had no troops left and no strength to fight a decisive battle against the independent detachment.

He also asked Gangcun for soldiers and heavy firepower. He said that as long as he was given soldiers and heavy firepower, he would dare to drive away the Eighth Route Army and resume production.

And the North China Expeditionary Army also lacked what Noon Saburo requested.

Having just sent a group of elite troops to the Pacific theater and to reinforce the southern theater to prevent an Allied counterattack, the North China Expeditionary Army is now stretched thin in terms of manpower.

Secondary strongholds have been handed over to the puppet troops for defense, and the defensive line has begun to be tightened.

Where would we find the troops and heavy firepower to allocate to Noon Saburo?

At most, two puppet army brigades could be deployed, but as for heavy firepower, there wasn't a single cannon.

Noon Saburo was helpless in this situation. He was now a criminal due to the capture of his nephew and the loss of a large area of ​​defense, and he no longer had the confidence to speak out.

However, Noon Saburo was extremely unwilling to accept the two puppet army brigades that were assigned to him.

This time, he and the 110th Division were really badly let down by the puppet troops. If those three puppet troops hadn't retreated at the first sign of trouble, it would have directly led to the defeat in the battle.

He is no longer forced to retreat to a fortified city, allowing the Eighth Route Army to wreak havoc in the Datong Basin.

"What's the use of those puppet troops? Are they here to eat my stored food and deplete my ammunition?"

Noon Saburo was furious and powerless in the command post.

P.S.: 8,000 words is my limit, please vote with monthly tickets!

(End of this chapter)