He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

As the sound of gunfire ripped through the dawn, He Yuyang was lying in the trench, wiping his rifle. The Type 38 rifle barrel was wet with morning dew, gleaming coldly. He used a coarse cloth to polish the barrel again and again until he could clearly see the light in his eyes—a calmness that a twelve-year-old boy shouldn't have, like steel that had been tempered.

"Brother, listen!" Zhao Dayong suddenly grabbed his arm, his voice trembling. "It's artillery fire! It's really started!"

He Yuyang cocked his rifle with a crisp "click." He listened intently; the distant artillery fire, deep and rumbling like thunder, was slowly approaching. The order he had received yesterday evening still echoed in his ears: "The Kuomintang army has broken through the defenses. Your company is ordered to hold Eagle's Beak Cliff for three days to buy time for the main force to retreat!"

Eagle's Beak Cliff is a barren, rocky mountain with only a few ravines of varying depths that can serve as cover; there's no way to dig even a decent fortification. And what they're facing is an entire division equipped with American howitzers and heavy machine guns—the company commander spent the night squatting in front of the map smoking, his cigarette butts piling up half a basin, before finally uttering only one sentence: "Let's fight."

"Third squad, follow me!" He Yuyang grabbed his gun and ran towards the easternmost ditch. That was the weakest point of the entire position and the most likely direction for the enemy's main attack.

Twelve soldiers followed closely behind. Sun Erzhu was running too fast and tripped, his rifle butt hitting a rock. He grimaced in pain, but didn't bother to rub it. He got up and charged forward again. The past two weeks of training had paid off; the timidity in the children's eyes had lessened, replaced by a fearless and ruthless spirit.

Just as they jumped into the ravine, the first shell landed in the ravine a hundred meters away. With a loud "boom," rocks and dust rained down like a storm. He Yuyang quickly pressed Sun Erzhu to the ground beside him and shielded him with his back.

"Get down! Don't look up!" he roared, his voice muffled by the sound of the cannon fire. His internal energy circulated rapidly within him, his ears picking up the whistling sound of the shells cutting through the air—he was all too familiar with this sound, able to judge the distance of the impact point from the pitch.

"Left! Move to the left quickly!" He suddenly pulled Zhao Dayong and rolled to the other side. Just as they left their original spot, a shell landed where they had been lying, kicking up a huge pile of dirt that almost filled the ditch.

Zhao Dayong turned pale with fright, collapsed to the ground, and gasped for breath: "Brother... how did you know where the shells were going to land?"

"Listen to the sound." He Yuyang wiped the mud off his face, his eyes fixed on the open ground ahead. "The enemy is testing fire. Once they figure out our position, they'll launch a full-scale attack. Check your ammunition, prepare for battle!"

Sure enough, after several rounds of test firing, a barrage of shells rained down. The entire Eagle's Beak Cliff trembled, and pebbles fell with a crackling sound. Some people were cut by shrapnel and cried out in pain. Medics carried their medical kits and darted back and forth between the ravines, keeping themselves busy.

"Brother, the medics have run out of bandages!" Sun Erzhu ran over carrying a wounded soldier whose arm had been blown open, and blood was seeping down between his fingers.

He Yuyang's heart tightened, and he reached into his pocket—there were still two packets of the medicinal powder he had brought from his spatial storage yesterday. Just as he was about to take them out, the medic stumbled over, his face contorted with grief: "We're out of medicine! We're out of hemostatic powder and bandages! If we keep giving these, the wounded will all…"

"Use this." He Yuyang handed him the medicine packet. "Sprinkle it on the wound and wrap it with a clean cloth."

The medic, without bothering to ask where the medicine came from, tore open the cloth package and poured it onto the wounded soldier's arm. The moment the powder touched the wound, the bleeding that had been gushing out slowly stopped, even surprising the wounded soldier: "It...it doesn't hurt anymore?"

The medic's eyes lit up, and he was about to speak when he was interrupted by an even more intense burst of gunfire. On the distant horizon, a dark mass of enemy soldiers surged forward, their helmets gleaming blindingly in the sunlight. Heavy machine guns rattled across the battlefield, bullets striking the rocks and sending sparks flying.

"Fire!" The company commander's shouts echoed throughout the position.

He Yuyang set up his rifle and aimed at the enemy soldier charging at the forefront. He took a deep breath, channeling his inner energy to steady his arm, which was trembling from the shelling. The figure in his sights drew closer and closer, and he pulled the trigger—"Bang!" The man fell to the ground.

"Hit!" Zhao Dayong shouted excitedly, then pulled the trigger, but missed and the bullet went into the ground.

"Don't rush, aim carefully before you fire!" He Yuyang took down another enemy and said without turning his head, "Conserve your bullets, wait until they get closer before you shoot!"

But the enemy's firepower was simply too intense. Heavy machine guns pinned them down, and howitzers rained down on the position from time to time, the explosions deafening. Not long after, cries came from the second platoon: "The platoon leader is dead! The second platoon leader is gone!"

He Yuyang's heart sank. The second platoon leader was a veteran in his thirties. Yesterday, he had patted him on the shoulder with a smile and said, "Little squad leader, don't be a hero in battle," but now...

"Brother, the enemy is about to charge!" Sun Erzhu's voice was choked with sobs. His gun barrel was hot from firing, but his hands were shaking more and more violently.

He Yuyang gritted his teeth. If they continued fighting like this, they wouldn't be able to hold out for three days; they would be wiped out today. He glanced at the sky; the sun was already high in the sky, and there was still some time before nightfall—he had to think of a way to take down the enemy's heavy machine gun stronghold.

He crawled to Zhao Dayong's side and growled in his ear, "See that embankment on the right? The enemy's heavy machine guns are there, at least two."

Zhao Dayong followed his gaze and could vaguely see the barrel of a machine gun flashing on the earthen slope. The bullets were being fired from there, pressing down on them so they couldn't lift their heads.

"I saw it, so what?"

"I'll cover you for a bit. Go and deliver the explosive charge and blow it up!" He Yuyang pulled an explosive charge out of his pocket—he had specially taken it out of his spatial storage yesterday, and it was much more powerful than the ones issued by the army.

Zhao Dayong took the explosive charge, but his hands were trembling: "Brother, that place is too close to the enemy, I...I'm scared..."

"Don't be afraid." He Yuyang patted his face. The boy's hand still had a touch of childishness, but his eyes were surprisingly steady. "Remember, stay close to the cliff face. There are depressions there that can stop bullets. I'll use the gunfire to attract their attention. Just keep running forward. When you get to the bottom of the slope, pull the trigger and run, understand?"

"I...I remember!" Zhao Dayong nodded through gritted teeth, stuffed the explosive pack into his clothes, and stared at the earthen slope like a frightened calf.

He Yuyang took a deep breath, suddenly stood up, and fired three shots in the direction of the earthen slope. Although he missed the machine gunner, he successfully drew attention—the firepower of the two heavy machine guns instantly turned towards him, bullets whizzing overhead.

"Go!" he roared, grabbing Zhao Dayong's arm and pushing him toward the cliff face.

Zhao Dayong stumbled and lurched forward, clinging tightly to the cliff face like a gecko. Enemy bullets struck the rocks beside him, sparks flying all over his face, but he didn't dare look back, only focusing on moving forward.

"Sun Erzhu! Hit him!" He Yuyang shouted.

Sun Erzhu quickly set up his rifle and fired wildly at the earthen slope. Although his aim was poor, he still managed to absorb some of the firepower. The other soldiers reacted and began firing at the slope to provide cover for Zhao Dayong.

Just as Zhao Dayong was about to climb down the slope, an accident suddenly occurred—a shell landed not far from him, the blast wave threw him away, and the explosive charge rolled to the side.

"Da Yong!" He Yuyang was terrified and almost rushed out.

Zhao Dayong rolled on the ground, his arm was cut and bleeding profusely, but he ignored the pain. He crawled over on all fours, grabbed the explosive charge, and scrambled down the slope. He found a crevice, stuffed the explosive charge inside, pulled the pin, and turned to run back.

With a deafening roar, half of the earthen slope collapsed, and the sound of the heavy machine gun abruptly ceased.

"It's done!" A cheer erupted from the trenches.

But before they could celebrate for long, the sound of heavy machine guns came from the left again—the enemy had a backup stronghold!

He Yuyang's heart sank. Zhao Dayong had already run back, his face pale, and the wound on his arm was still bleeding; he clearly didn't have the strength to go any further. And their ammunition was almost gone; that round of cover had nearly used up all the bullets in the entire squad.

"Brother, what should we do?" Sun Erzhu asked, his voice trembling with tears.

He Yuyang looked at the sun; there was still more than an hour before nightfall. He gritted his teeth and made a bold decision: "I'll sneak up on the camp when it gets dark."

"What?" Zhao Dayong exclaimed anxiously, "Brother, are you crazy? It's dark and the roads are slippery, there are many enemy sentries, you're going alone..."

"I'm not going. We'll all die here." He Yuyang interrupted him, his eyes unusually firm. "You guys stay here and fire a shot every fifteen minutes, pretending you still have ammunition. Don't let the enemy notice anything amiss. I'll go take out the remaining machine gun positions. Wait for my signal before charging."

He pulled a small cloth bag from his pocket and handed it to Zhao Dayong: "This contains hemostatic powder. Bandage your arm properly. If I don't come back..."

"Brother, don't say anymore!" Zhao Dayong's eyes reddened. "I'll go with you!"

"Listen to me!" He Yuyang's voice turned stern. "You have to keep an eye on Shift Three, keep an eye on these brothers. That's an order!"

Zhao Dayong gritted his teeth and nodded heavily.

The sun slowly sank in the west, and the last glimmer of light disappeared behind the mountains. Night fell like a black cloth, shrouding the entire Eagle's Beak Cliff. The enemy's attack temporarily ceased, and the battlefield was deathly silent, save for the groans of the wounded and the occasional gunshots.

He Yuyang took off his military uniform, changed into a black cloth shirt he took from his spatial storage, and smeared some mud on his face, blending himself into the darkness. He tucked the silenced pistol he had redeemed from the sign-in system into his waistband; this thing was quiet and suitable for surprise attacks.

Like a nimble cat, he slipped out of the ravine and, under the cover of darkness and rocks, stealthily made his way towards the enemy's position. His internal energy was circulated to its peak, his ears picking up every sound around him: a sentry humming a tune five paces away, two enemies chatting ten paces away, and the sound of matches being struck coming from a distant tent.

He bypassed the sentries and circled around to the enemy's rear. Sure enough, there was a machine gun emplacement on the hillside to his left, with two machine gunners leaning against their guns smoking, and a liquor flask beside them, clearly having let their guard down.

He Yuyang held his breath and drifted over like a leaf. When he was two steps away from the stronghold, he suddenly darted out, covered the first machine gunner's mouth with his left hand, pressed the silenced pistol against his temple with his right hand, and gently pulled the trigger—with a soft "thud," the man collapsed to the ground.

The other machine gunner had barely reacted and before he could even shout when He Yuyang kicked him in the chest, knocking him unconscious as he slammed into the machine gun. He Yuyang didn't dare delay; he pulled out two grenades, cocked them, and threw them into the ammunition box beside him—he remembered the military manual in his spatial storage saying that this would trigger a chain reaction of explosions.

Having done all this, he whistled, the agreed-upon signal. Then he turned and ran back.

"Boom!" A loud explosion came from behind, and flames lit up half the sky, clearly indicating that an ammunition box had been detonated. Immediately afterward, the bugle call to charge sounded from our own position, and the shouts of our soldiers echoed through the night.

He Yuyang felt a sense of relief, but he didn't stop walking. But just then, he suddenly felt dizzy and his vision went black—the rapid run and the exhaustion of his internal energy had finally taken their toll on his body.

He stumbled, almost falling, and quickly grabbed a nearby rock for support. He heard hurried footsteps; Zhao Dayong was rushing over with his men.

"Brother! Are you alright?" Zhao Dayong ran up to him and was startled to see his pale face.

"It's nothing..." He Yuyang wanted to laugh, but then everything went black and he fainted.

When He Yuyang woke up again, it was already daylight. He was lying in a makeshift medical tent, covered with a tattered military overcoat, while Zhao Dayong was squatting beside him, wiping his face with a cloth dampened with water.

"Brother, you're awake!" Zhao Dayong cried with joy. "You've been asleep for a whole day! You scared me to death!"

He Yuyang moved his fingers, his whole body aching as if it were falling apart. He looked out of the shed; the sun was shining brightly, birds were chirping in the branches, and the sounds of gunfire were gone.

"We...won?"

"We won!" Zhao Dayong nodded vigorously. "You blew up the enemy's machine gun stronghold, and we took advantage of the momentum to charge and drive them away! The company commander said we held Eagle's Beak Cliff, and the main force has safely moved on!"

He paused, his voice lowering, "It's just... so many brothers sacrificed themselves... only three men left in the second platoon..."

He Yuyang fell silent. The price of victory was always so heavy. He looked at Zhao Dayong's arm; the wound had been bandaged, wrapped in thick strips of cloth, clearly treated with the medicine powder Zhao Dayong had given him.

"Is everyone in the class... alright?"

"It's alright! Not a single one is missing!" Zhao Dayong quickly said. "Thanks to you for getting us to safe cover beforehand, the shells didn't hurt us. Sun Erzhu even killed two enemies!"

He Yuyang smiled, but a wave of fear washed over him. He could protect the third platoon, but he couldn't protect the entire company. They won this battle, but what about the next? The enemy's equipment was far superior; how many more tough battles like this would there be?

He thought of the Spirit Spring Space. For the past two weeks, he'd been busy with training and preparations, barely managing the space. The ten thousand acres of fertile land he'd developed had only yielded two harvests because the time flow had been slowed down (from 1:5000 to 1:1000), and the herbs in the medicinal garden were growing more slowly. Even so, the resources in the space were far more abundant than those in the army's logistics.

"Dayong, do me a favor," He Yuyang said.

"Brother, you tell me!"

"Find a secluded cave nearby, the more hidden the better."

Although Zhao Dayong was puzzled, he nodded anyway: "I'll go right away!"

After Zhao Dayong left, He Yuyang struggled to sit up. He needed to check his spatial storage and inventory the supplies, especially the medicine—this battle had taught him that relying solely on the "ancestral secret recipe" was insufficient; he needed more medicine and more ammunition to save the lives of his brothers.

He leaned against the wall as he walked out of the first-aid shed; the sunlight was somewhat blinding. On the battlefield, soldiers were clearing the area and carrying the bodies of their fallen comrades down the hillside, each face etched with exhaustion and sorrow. The company commander stood atop Eagle's Beak Cliff, gazing into the distance, his back now noticeably hunched.

He Yuyang took a deep breath. He knew this was just the beginning. The curtain of civil war had only just been raised, and even more brutal battles awaited them.

But he will not back down. He is the squad leader of the third squad, the trusted "brother" of his comrades, he has a spiritual spring space, a sign-in system, and a heart that is determined to protect to the end.

Even if he faints from exhaustion, even if he is covered in injuries, even if the road ahead is full of thorns, he will keep going.

For those who survived, and for those brothers who will forever remain on Eagle's Beak Cliff.

They won this battle. And they must win the next one too.