The Courtyard House: The Little Red Devil Returning from the Peninsula

Ping'an County is located 60 li south of Baimaling, situated on a flat area between two mountain ridges.

Zhao Weiguo, the monk, and Chen An set off before dawn. Zhao Weiguo wore a gray cotton-padded jacket with worn-out cuffs and a scarf of indeterminate color wrapped around his head.

The monk pushed a wheelbarrow with two bundles of firewood tied to it. Chen An walked behind, carrying a tattered cloth bag on his back containing a few sweet potatoes.

The three men looked like firewood sellers from a nearby village.

As the city walls emerged from the morning mist, Zhao Weiguo slowed his pace.

The city wall was very high, with neatly laid gray bricks, and a crenellation every twenty steps on top.

He parked his wheelbarrow under an old locust tree by the roadside, squatted down and pretended to organize the bundles of firewood on the wheelbarrow, peering through the gaps in the bundles at the city wall.

"Monk, count how many firing ports are on the north gate tower."

The monk stood next to him, bending over and pretending to tie his shoelaces.

"Eight. Four on the left, four on the right."

Zhao Weiguo memorized the numbers. He stood up and pushed the wheelbarrow eastward along the base of the city wall. The road surface was made of rammed earth, full of potholes, and the wheelbarrow bounced violently on it.

He walked for a while, then stopped and squatted by the roadside, drawing a few lines on the ground with his finger. He was measuring the height of the city wall using strides.

His stride was fixed, two feet and five inches per step, a total of fourteen steps from the base of the city wall to the moat.

The city wall was about eight meters high. It was half a meter shorter than he had estimated on the map, but eight meters was already a high enough wall for infantry without ladders.

The moat isn't wide, about three meters, and the water is covered with a thin layer of ice. There are cracks on the ice, so it doesn't look very thick. If someone were to walk on it, they would most likely break through.

But that's not important. What's important is that crossing the river will expose you to fire from the city walls.

He continued walking east. The east gate was shorter than the north gate, about seven meters higher, but there were two barricades at the city gate, and behind the barricades, the barrel of a heavy machine gun was exposed.

The gun barrel is polished to a shine, which means it's used every day.

The monk walked over and said something in a low voice.

"The east gate is heavily guarded. At least a platoon. Sandbags are piled up in two layers, and there's a grenade launcher behind it."

Zhao Weiguo absorbed this information. He pushed his wheelbarrow to a tea stall outside the East Gate, sat down, took a copper coin from his pocket, placed it on the table, and asked for a bowl of hot water.

The tea stall owner was an old man with a face full of wrinkles, wearing a tattered cotton robe. He glanced at them but didn't ask any further questions. Zhao Weiguo drank his hot water, watching the people coming and going at the city gate through the rim of his bowl.

Japanese patrols passed by every half hour, in groups of four, each accompanied by a wolfhound.

The wolfhound sniffed the ground, paused briefly in Zhao Weiguo's direction as it passed the tea stall, and was then pulled away by the soldier leading the dog.

He mentally reviewed all the numbers: eight meters for the city wall, three meters for the moat, eight firing ports at the north gate, heavy machine guns, barricades, and grenade launchers at the east gate, and patrols every half hour.

He hadn't even seen the south gate yet, but he had already guessed it.

That's enough. Go back and check the South Gate again; you can't walk the whole circle during the day.

Gardenia arrived in the city the day before.

She was wearing a blue cotton-padded jacket, with a black cloth wrapped around her head, and carrying a bamboo basket containing a dozen or so eggs.

Her gait changed; her back hunched slightly, and her pace slowed, making her look like a peasant woman visiting relatives.

Ping'an County is where she grew up. She could walk to the tofu shop on East Street, the tailor shop in South Alley, and the well behind the City God Temple with her eyes closed.

Three years ago, she left with the Eighth Route Army. When she returned this time, half of the shops on the street had changed, but the layout of the alley remained the same.

She spent the whole morning walking through the four streets. Walking through each street once was enough; she didn't need to stop and look around, her peripheral vision was sufficient.

The regimental headquarters was located in the old county government office in the west of the city. There were two rows of sentries standing at the entrance, and antenna poles could be seen in the courtyard, with antennas for at least three radio stations.

A company was stationed at the North Gate, with its barracks on the left side inside the gate, and two rows of uniforms hanging to dry at the entrance. There was also a company at the East Gate, with ammunition boxes piled up at the base of the city wall, covered with tarpaulins.

The south gate is located by the river and is the weakest point in terms of defense. It is guarded by only one squad of Japanese soldiers and a dozen or so puppet troops. The puppet troops are playing cards at the foot of the city wall, while the Japanese soldiers are inside the bunker.

The ammunition depot was located in the East City granary, with two trucks parked at the entrance.

On her way back after buying the eggs, Zhi Zi ran into an acquaintance at the entrance of the Chengnan Pharmacy. The pharmacy owner, surnamed Fang, was in his fifties and had treated her father before.

He saw her pause for a moment, then pulled her into the shop and lowered the curtain.

"Why are you back? The city is full of Japanese."

Gardenia lowered her voice.

"Uncle Fang, I have a question for you. Have you heard about the people arrested outside the city a few days ago?"

Boss Fang hesitated for a moment and glanced outside the curtain.

"You mean the one in Shenjiazhuang? Three days ago, the patrol intercepted a female doctor in Shenjiazhuang, about five miles west of the city. She was wearing an Eighth Route Army uniform."

"I heard he was targeted while treating injured civilians. He's been imprisoned in the southwest corner of the city."

Gardenia's fingers tightened around the handle of the bamboo basket.

"What's your name?"

"I don't know his name. I heard he's the captain of the sanitation team, not very old, in his early twenties."

Gardenia didn't ask any more questions. She took five eggs from the basket, placed them on the counter, and left the pharmacy. It wasn't until she walked two blocks that her steps returned to normal.

Five eggs were missing from the bamboo basket, rolling around at the bottom and making a clicking sound.

Five miles outside the city, Zhao Weiguo waited for Zhizi in a dried-up ditch. Withered grass grew on the earthen slopes on both sides of the ditch, and the wind blowing from the slopes carried the smell of frozen earth.

The monk stood guard above the ditch, while Chen An squatted at the bottom of the ditch, munching on a sweet potato.

It was almost dark when Zhi Zi arrived. She walked quickly along the edge of the ditch, her breathing steady. Judging from her expression, Zhao Weiguo knew she had brought back more than just city defense intelligence.

Zhi Zi explained the city's defenses. The locations of the brigade headquarters, the four gates' troop strength, and the ammunition depot matched Zhao Weiguo's findings. The two of them split up and sneaked in, finding that everything was as described.

Zhao Weiguo drew a circle on the earthen slope of the river ditch with a twig. The locations of the four city gates, the distribution of troops, the ammunition depot, and the regimental headquarters were all marked inside the circle.

Then Gardenia paused for a moment.

"There's one more thing. Yang Xiuqin, the captain of the Independent Regiment's medical team, was intercepted by a Japanese patrol three days ago while treating wounded soldiers in Shenjiazhuang, west of the city, and is now imprisoned in the county jail."

Zhao Weiguo remained silent.

The monk cursed from the side.

"Damn it."

Zhao Weiguo squatted in the ditch and drew two lines on the ground with a dry twig. He drew the approximate outline of Ping'an County, the locations of the North Gate, East Gate, and South Gate, and the prison in the southwest corner near the city wall.

He planted the branch in the spot representing the prison and stared at the lines on the ground for a while.

The monk squatted down beside him, looking at the picture on the ground.

"The south gate is the closest to the prison, but the south gate is next to the river, and once you cross the river, it's all open ground with no cover."

Zhao Weiguo didn't reply. He pulled the branch out and threw it aside.

"The fighting will continue. People will be saved."

Gardenia looked at him.

"The prison is located in the southwest corner of the city, near the city wall. If we break through from the south gate, we'll be closest to the prison."

Zhao Weiguo stood up and brushed the dirt off his knees. It was completely dark, and a few lights were sparsely lit in the distant Ping'an County.

"Go back to the meeting."

They returned to Baimaling that very night. The three of them trudged along the mountain path in the dark, abandoning their wheelbarrow in a ditch. Zhao Weiguo walked in front, his pace quick. The monk and Chen An followed behind, neither of them speaking.

The lights were still on in the cave dwelling at the regimental headquarters. Zhao Gang was waiting for him. Zhao Weiguo explained the defenses of Ping'an County point by point, and Zhao Gang took notes on a piece of paper.

Old Zhou, the monk, and Zhi Zi stood to the side, and no one interrupted.

When talking about Yang Xiuqin, Zhao Weiguo's speaking speed did not change.

"Yang Xiuqin has been arrested and is being held in the southwest jail of the city. We need a reason to attack the city, and we also need a reason to rescue her. We'll attack both at the same time."

Zhao Gang put down his pen.

"Rescue the people first, then attack the city?"

Zhao Weiguo shook his head.

"Rescuing people and attacking the city are one and the same. We have to get in first. Once we're in, the first battalion will attack the regimental headquarters, and the sniper platoon will go straight for the prison. Do it all at the same time."

Zhao Gang drew a square on the paper to represent Ping'an County, and then marked two crosses inside the square.

One was the regimental headquarters, the other was the prison. He stared at the two crosses for a few seconds in silence.

"The defending force numbers three thousand. Our independent regiment, along with three other regiments working in coordination, can mobilize a maximum of six thousand men. Six thousand against three thousand is a two-to-one troop ratio, not a huge disparity. However, in a siege, the defenders have the advantage of city walls, so the actual combat strength may be evenly matched."

Zhao Weiguo added a sentence.

"A direct assault won't work. We need to disrupt their command and communications systems first, throw them into chaos. Turn three thousand men into three thousand people who don't know where to run."

Campaign Triggered: Siege of Ping'an County. Objective 1: Capture the county seat. Objective 2: Rescue Yang Xiuqin. It is recommended that a coordinated four-corner strategy be employed to increase the campaign's success rate.

Zhao Weiguo closed the panel. The battle suggestions were for reference, not orders. He had been planning the Iron Four Corners Coordination strategy all along the way.

"Signal troops depart. Orders to Li Yunlong, Ding Wei, and Kong Jie: The Independent Regiment prepares to attack Ping'an County. All regiments shall redeploy according to the coordination plan. The attack will commence in three days."

After tidying up the records, Zhao Gang stood up to arrange for the communications soldier. He paused at the door, then turned back to look at Zhao Weiguo.

Zhao Weiguo sat at the table, pencil in hand, sketching the outline of Ping'an County on a piece of paper. The lines were thick, but the location was precise.

"Should we report Yang Xiuqin's matter to the brigade headquarters?"

"Reported. But waiting for approval."

Zhao Gang nodded and left the cave dwelling.

A night breeze blew in through the crack in the door. The outline map of Ping'an County inside the cave shook in the wind, and the pencil rolled half an inch on the table.

Zhao Weiguo reached out and pressed the pencil down.

His finger stopped at the southwest corner of the city. There was a small square drawn there, with two words written next to it: Prison.

He didn't look up. He picked up the pencil again and traced over the small square once more. The lines were now darker.

Outside, the monk stood motionless at the doorway. A clod of earth on the roof of the cave dwelling loosened and fell, landing on Zhao Weiguo's shoulder and dusting him with dirt. He didn't brush it off.

The pencil traced over the square of the prison cell again.