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

Chapter 231 Chen Ming in Yan'an

For a week, the mountains and valleys of Chifeng were filled with Japanese soldiers searching for survivors.

Four infantry battalions, along with several thousand puppet troops, wandered aimlessly through the mountains and forests like headless flies.

But the advance team vanished as if they had evaporated into thin air; not only were there no traces of them, but there wasn't even a hint of their activity.

Sato sat in the command post, receiving daily reports of "no trace of the Eighth Route Army," which infuriated him so much that he slammed his fist on the table and cursed, yet he couldn't even touch the hem of the advance team's uniform.

Unable to find an advance team, the Japanese soldiers had nowhere to vent their anger, so they decided to take it out on the civilians.

But when they arrived in the village where the advance team had been active, they found it deserted.

Every household's doors and windows were boarded up, and the yard was spotless, with not a single grain left behind.

It turned out that Liu Tengjie had long anticipated that the Japanese would retaliate against the people, and had arranged for the villagers who supported the advance team to move to the deep mountains before the anti-mopping-up operation began.

The villagers had enough food and clothing seized during the previous bandit suppression, and with the wild vegetables and fruits in the mountains, their survival was not a problem at all.

Furthermore, Liu Tengjie led his soldiers to lay countless traps and booby traps along the routes the Japanese soldiers might take:
Some had buried trigger grenades in the grass, which would explode if stepped on;
Some trees had sharpened pieces of wood tied to their trunks, so that they would fall off when the Japanese soldiers touched them.

Some even dug deep pits in the only way, covering them with branches and fallen leaves. Unsuspecting Japanese soldiers would fall and be smashed to pieces if they stepped into the pit.

The Japanese soldiers searched the mountains for several days, but not only did they fail to find the advance team, they were also thrown into a state of panic by the traps and booby traps.

A small squad of Japanese soldiers had just entered a grove of trees when they stepped on two grenades, killing three and injuring five on the spot.
Another group of puppet troops tried to take a shortcut into the mountains, but they fell into a deep pit. It took them a long time to climb out, and they were all bruised and battered, with some even having their bones protruding.

In this situation, the Japanese soldiers had to be assigned to take care of these wounded soldiers.

The sharpness of the search efforts further declined.

In just one week, the Japanese suffered more than 200 casualties due to traps and booby traps, and their morale plummeted to an all-time low.

More importantly, fate was on the side of the advance team.

Several days of heavy rain turned the mountain roads into muddy, impassable paths and caused the rivers to swell.

The small bridge that was once passable was washed away, and cars can no longer drive into the mountains.

The Japanese troops were in such a hurry this time that they did not prepare enough supplies, and their logistics were blocked by destroyed roads and bridges. The soldiers could not even get enough to eat, and some could only eat compressed biscuits to fill their stomachs.

With all these factors combined, the Japanese could no longer hold out, and Sato had no choice but to grit his teeth and order: end the sweep and withdraw to the stronghold.

Instead of comfort, Sato received a severe reprimand from the Kwantung Army headquarters.

"Baka! You said there are more than three thousand Eighth Route Army soldiers, how come we can't even find a trace of them?"

The telegram from headquarters was filled with anger.

"Judging from the traces found during the sweep, this group of Eighth Route Army soldiers numbered at most five or six hundred!"
You actually lied about military intelligence, and we lost most of our battalion. Where is your command ability?

Judging from the traces of the Eighth Route Army found during the Japanese sweep, the number of Eighth Route Army members was not large.

The traces left by five or six hundred people and those left by more than three thousand people are on completely different levels.

During their sweep, the Japanese obtained corroborating information from some surrendered traitors and bandits, finally ascertaining the true strength of the advance team.

There were indeed only five or six hundred people, roughly the size of a battalion.

Now, Sato's "sin" is even more serious:

They sent a large battalion plus more than 2,000 puppet troops to encircle and annihilate a force of 500 or 600 men. As a result, they not only failed to eliminate the enemy, but also lost most of their forces.

Even the battalion commander was captured alive, which was an absolute disgrace to the Kwantung Army (as evidenced by the surviving Japanese soldiers).

Sato was severely reprimanded and almost dismissed from his post. In the end, he could only stay in Chengde in disgrace and never dared to mention the matter of "suppressing the Eighth Route Army" again.

With the fighting in Chifeng temporarily over, the focus shifts back to Chen Ming in Yan'an.

Chen Ming set off from northern Shanxi at the end of June, traversing mountains and valleys, and arrived in Yan'an around July 10.

Upon arriving in Yan'an, he was stunned by the sight before him.

The roadside was lined with people, including soldiers in uniform, cadres wearing glasses, and villagers carrying baskets, all with smiles on their faces, waving at him.

To Chen Ming's surprise, his teacher was standing at the very front of the crowd, holding a brand new towel.

Since being wounded in the Battle of Cangyunling and returning to Yan'an to recuperate and study, Chen Ming has only been back in Yan'an a handful of times due to his busy schedule with the war.

This time, he returned with the glorious achievement of "conquering Datong".

Datong was a major military stronghold heavily guarded by the Japanese army. Capturing it from the Japanese was a great joy for the entire base area.

Chen Ming is no longer the inexperienced young cadre he once was; he is now a hero respected by everyone in the revolutionary base area.

Countless soldiers and comrades wanted to see this commander who was "capable of fighting tough battles" in person.

Chen Ming received a very high level of hospitality.

They lived in cave dwellings, ate white flour steamed buns, and received visits from cadres every day.

He knew in his heart that this treatment was not for "Chen Ming" personally, but for all the revolutionary comrades who fought for the country and the nation.

The Party and the people will never forget those soldiers who shed their blood and sacrificed their lives on the front lines.

In the first few days after arriving in Yan'an, Chen Ming was extremely busy.

He first visited the leaders who cared about him greatly and reported on the situation in the Jinbei base area and the details of the Datong Campaign.

He then gave an interview to a newspaper reporter.

When he was in the base area of ​​the Independent Detachment, in order to maintain secrecy, only newspapers directly under the Party's leadership were allowed to interview him.

When he arrived in Yan'an, reporters from countless newspapers flocked to him. Some asked him about the tactics of the Datong Campaign, some about his experience fighting behind enemy lines, and others wanted to know his personal story.

On the two busiest days, Chen Ming worked from morning till late at night without even having time to drink water. He smiled and said to his bodyguard, Da Biao:

"This is even more tiring than commanding battles on the front lines!"

After finishing all that, Chen Ming was finally able to calm down and start studying.

Every morning, he joined the other trainees in morning exercises and classes, listening to the teachers talk about Marxist theory, the revolutionary situation, and the Party's policies.

He listened very attentively, and his notebook was filled with dense handwriting.

He knew that the more he learned now, the better he would be able to command his troops and fight for the revolution when he returned to the front lines.

Chen Ming's teacher was extremely generous in sharing his knowledge with him, not only explaining the knowledge in detail but also talking to him privately after class, imparting his many years of revolutionary insights and experiences to him without reservation.

In those days, the word "teacher" carried far more weight than it does now.

The concept of "a teacher for a day is a father for life" is ingrained in everyone's bones.

Chen Ming had great respect for his teacher. He would always ask his teacher for advice, whether it was about work problems or ideological confusion. His teacher also treated him like his own disciple.

The days of studying flew by, and in the blink of an eye, Chen Ming had already completed half of his course.

But just then, something that made him both laugh and cry came knocking on his door.

The leaders started to pay attention to his personal life.

"Chen Ming, you're almost thirty-two this year, how come you're still single?"

An old leader took his hand and said earnestly.

"Revolution must be carried out, and personal problems must also be solved!" Even the brigade commander far away on the front line did not forget to act as a "matchmaker".

So, the brigade commander personally looked for a suitable candidate for Chen Ming, and asked his teacher to personally vet him and introduce him to an outstanding and progressive young woman.

He sent a message to his old comrades in Yan'an via radio, asking someone to find a suitable female comrade for Chen Ming.

Chen Ming's teacher was even more direct, personally overseeing the process and finding a suitable candidate for Chen Ming in no time.

"Teacher, this won't do. Isn't this an arranged marriage? Our Party doesn't allow this."

Chen Ming looked distressed, trying to decline.

He had been focused on fighting all these years and hadn't thought about personal matters at all. Now, suddenly having to meet a female comrade he didn't know made him feel awkward.

The teacher glared at him, but her tone was gentle.

"What arranged marriage? This is just to let you meet. If you don't like the girl, would I force you?"

"What an outstanding woman Xiao Cheng is! How can you not go and meet her?"

"Leading troops into battle is for the revolution, and getting married and having children is also for the revolution."

Chen Ming knew that his teacher's words were all reasonable.

He could find excuses to refuse the brigade commander, but he couldn't bring himself to refuse his teacher's personal urging.

In his heart, his teacher was like a father, and he couldn't let his teacher down.

In the end, he had no choice but to reluctantly agree: "Okay, teacher, I'll go see him."

The "Comrade Xiao Cheng" mentioned by the teacher is named Cheng Qingrong.

She graduated from Moscow University of the Toilers of the East and is fluent in Russian, English, and Japanese. She currently works as an officer in the United Front Work Department.

In terms of political reliability, she had undergone rigorous vetting by the organization;
In terms of ideological awareness, she had a firm belief in the revolutionary cause;
In terms of ability, she has successfully completed many tasks in united front work and is a backbone member of the department.

In the eyes of Chen Ming's teacher, Chen Ming and Cheng Qingrong were a perfect match.

Both men prioritized the revolution and postponed their personal lives for the sake of their work.

If it works out, it will not only solve Chen Ming's lifelong problem, but also give Cheng Qingrong, this outstanding woman, a good home.

The meeting place, arranged by the teacher, was a small teahouse near the Yan'an Party School.

That afternoon, Chen Ming specially changed into a clean military uniform, straightened his collar, and walked into the teahouse somewhat nervously.

When it comes to fighting, Chen Ming could face tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers without changing his expression and calmly command his troops in battle.

However, when it comes to personal matters, Chen Ming is a complete novice.

In his previous life, he was a bachelor when he was in the army and had never even held a girl's hand.

After returning to this era, it goes without saying that he was so busy with the work at the base that he barely had time to put his feet on the ground. He had no time to think about these things.

Even if there were interactions with female comrades, it was for work and for the revolutionary cause; the purpose was pure.

This kind of "blind date" was truly a first for Chen Ming, like a young woman getting married.

As soon as he entered, he saw Cheng Qingrong sitting by the window.

She was wearing a light blue cadre uniform, her hair was neatly combed back, and she had a gentle smile on her face. She was holding a book in her hand and reading quietly.

Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing her in its glow, making her appear exceptionally composed and intellectual.

Hearing footsteps, Cheng Qingrong looked up and saw Chen Ming. She stood up, extended her hand, and spoke in a clear and gentle voice:
"Comrade Chen Ming, hello, I am Cheng Qingrong."

Chen Ming was stunned for a moment, then quickly reached out and shook hands with her.

Her hands were warm, and she had a special scholarly air about her.

"Hello, Comrade Cheng Qingrong, I am Chen Ming."

Chen Ming smiled and said, "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"No, I just arrived."

Cheng Qingrong invited him to sit down and poured him a cup of hot tea.

"I've heard about Comrade Chen Ming's deeds for a long time. The Battle of Datong was fought brilliantly. All the comrades in our department admire you very much."

"You've fought so many battles on the front lines, which has made our department's work much easier."

"Many of my colleagues in the department want to meet you, but because you are so busy, we haven't had the chance."

Hearing this, Chen Ming felt a little embarrassed:

"It was all thanks to the soldiers' excellent fighting; I just did what I was supposed to do."

"As for Comrade Cheng Qingrong, I've heard my teacher mention her achievements in united front work; they are truly remarkable."

The two of them started chatting back and forth like that.

They talked about everything from the revolutionary situation to their work experience, from their studies and life in Yan'an to their battles behind enemy lines.

It can be said that they were completely different from the female comrades Chen Ming had met on the front lines.

When the Independent Detachment was based in the base area, Chen Ming was the highest-ranking military officer.

The difference in their status had long made the female comrades in the base area appear very reserved when facing Chen Ming.

Comrade Cheng Qingrong was different; the two did not have a direct subordinate relationship, so their interactions were naturally different.

Chen Ming discovered that Cheng Qingrong was not only knowledgeable and had a profound understanding of the revolution, but also particularly intellectual and generous.

When he spoke of the guilt he felt seeing the suffering of ordinary people on the front lines, she could understand his feelings;

When he mentioned the pressure of commanding battles, she could talk to him about the difficulties she encountered at work, and they encouraged each other.

Before we knew it, the sun had set, and the teahouse was gradually filling up with people.

Chen Ming glanced at the sky and decided it was about time.

"It's getting late, I've kept you occupied for so long. I'll have a proper chat with you next time."

Cheng Qingrong smiled and nodded, then stood up:

“Great! I’d love to hear about Comrade Chen Ming’s experiences in northern Shanxi, and also your insights on the history of the Ming Dynasty.”

By the way, here's my contact information. Feel free to contact me anytime if you have time.

She took a piece of paper from her pocket with her home address and office phone number written on it.

As expected of a woman with experience studying in the Soviet Union, she is much bolder than other women.

Chen Ming gladly accepted the note.

After all, she's a female comrade personally vetted by the brigade commander and her teacher; she's just different.

P.S.: The female lead is a must-have for a main character, but she won't be written in detail. She'll just be a supporting character, appearing in a few chapters at most. Don't worry, dear readers, I know my own limitations and won't be foolish enough to include romance in the story.

(End of this chapter)