The War of Resistance Against Japan: Starting with a Calm View of Life and Death

A week passed quickly.

The door to the team headquarters was pushed open, and a gust of cold wind carrying snowflakes rushed in.

Wang Quan was carrying an empty flour bag, his face long and drawn. As soon as he entered the room, he slammed the bag onto the table with a loud "thud".

"Dongzi, we can't live like this anymore." Wang Quan plopped down on a bench, ignoring the other cadres around him, and started complaining as he pointed at the empty bag. "Old Liu from the logistics department just complained to me about being poor, saying that the rice jar is almost empty, with only two hundred bushels of old rice left."

There are over a thousand people, and even a single bite wouldn't be enough to fill a tooth gap for each person!

There's still ammunition. I just checked the depot; each person has less than fifty rounds of ammunition on average. There are still dozens of boxes of grenades, but you can't eat that stuff!

Zhou Jindong, who was marking the map with red and blue pencils, asked without stopping his pencil or looking up, "How many days can it last if you use it sparingly?"

"Save my ass!" Wang Quan pushed his cotton hat up, revealing his forehead covered in oil and sweat. "It's training season now. Zhao Laosi's First Company fires more bullets in a day than the guerrillas used to in a year."

If we keep training like this, we'll starve to death before the Japanese even come to attack us!

Sitting in the corner, Zhao Laosi was displeased and slammed the shoe sole in his hand on the table: "Wang Quan, stop talking nonsense! Sweat more in peacetime, bleed less in wartime."

If we don't train now, what will we do when the Japanese come? Besides, food is a problem; we'll have to ask the Japanese for it!

"We just captured Ningwu, and aren't all the Japanese soldiers in the surrounding strongholds incredibly wealthy?"

"Ask the Japanese? Easier said than done!" Wang Quan rolled his eyes. "The Japanese are currently gathering in the Datong direction, and those in the strongholds are all holed up like turtles, where are we supposed to find them?"

The atmosphere in the meeting room suddenly froze.

Liu Heiqi puffed on his pipe, squinting at this person and then that person, finally tapping the pipe on the sole of his shoe and slowly saying, "Captain Zhou, what Captain Wang said isn't entirely unreasonable."

The brothers have been training intensely these past few days, and they're really feeling weak from lack of food. My men were just complaining to me, saying that the Eighth Route Army is good, but their discipline is too strict.

Zhou Jindong threw the pencil on the table, straightened up, and glanced around the room.

His complexion was much darker than it had been two weeks ago, and he had lost weight, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.

"Stop arguing, everyone." Zhou Jindong's voice wasn't loud, but the room instantly fell silent. "I've already made plans regarding food and ammunition. Wang Quan, you just said the rice bin is almost empty. How much longer can it last?"

Wang Quan was taken aback, not expecting Zhou Jindong to be prepared. His tone softened a bit: "Four or five days at most. If there are no supplies after four or five days, we'll be starving."

"Three days is enough." Zhou Jindong walked to the map and pointed heavily at a railway line north of Ningwu. "We won't attack the strongholds; those are tough nuts to crack. We'll take on those that come to us on their own—we'll take on the trains."

"Take the train?" Zhao Laosi's eyes lit up, and he jumped to his feet. "Dongzi, you mean that special train that transports supplies from Datong to Shenchi?"

"Yes." Zhou Jindong nodded. "I've had the reconnaissance platoon scout around for three days already. This train is specifically for transporting supplies to the front lines in northwestern Shanxi, and it runs every three days without fail."

Tomorrow night is the day it will pass by. This train has twelve carriages; the first two are for the Japanese soldiers escorting it, and the last ten are full of food, ammunition, and supplies.

Wang Quan swallowed hard: "Is the information accurate? If we're disappointed, all of us over a thousand people will really go hungry."

"Absolutely accurate." Zhou Jindong looked towards the door. "Old Zhang, come in."

The curtain was lifted, and a middle-aged man wearing a tattered cotton-padded coat and a felt hat walked in.

The man's face was covered in soot, and his hands were calloused; he looked like a typical railway maintenance worker.

He was an informant recently developed by Zhou Jindong within the railway section. His name was Zhang Chen. He used to be a switchman on the Tongpu Railway. He was captured by the Japanese and forced into hard labor. Later, he was rescued by the guerrillas and has been secretly passing on intelligence to the Eighth Route Army ever since.

Zhang Chen rubbed his hands nervously and bowed to Zhou Jindong: "Captain Zhou, greetings to all officers."

"Old Zhang, don't be so polite. We Eighth Route Army soldiers don't call each other 'commander.' Tell everyone what you know." Zhou Jindong poured him a bowl of hot water.

Zhang Chen held the bowl, his hands trembling slightly: "I recognize that vehicle. The locomotive is a 'KD7' steam locomotive, and the driver is a North Korean named Kim Jae-gyu. I have some connection with him."

The escorting vehicle was a company of about 180 men from the Japanese Independent Mixed Brigade No. 4, led by a captain named Inoue.

These Japanese devils were extremely arrogant, thinking that this area was their rear and completely disregarding the Chinese army.

"Every time we go around a curve, we slow down to our lowest speed, about 20 kilometers per hour. This is our best chance to make our move."

"Twenty kilometers..." Zhao Laosi calculated in his mind, "At this speed, if we are in ambush, a single burst of bullets can turn the front of the car into a sieve."

"It's not that simple." Zhou Jindong shook his head. "The train has armor plates that ordinary bullets can't penetrate. If we want to shoot, we have to shoot its wheels and its connectors, and make it break down on its own."

Also, there will be two flatbed trucks attached to the back of this train, carrying two Type 92 infantry guns and four heavy machine guns. This is reinforcement for the forward outpost. If they unload these, they will pose a huge threat to us.

Zhou Jindong turned around, looked at his several company commanders, and his tone became stern: "This battle can only be won, not lost. If we lose, not only will we go hungry, but we'll also face retaliation from the Japanese. That would be a case of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead. Therefore, this battle must be won. I order—"

"Zhang Fang!"

"Here!" Zhang Fang straightened his chest and raised his head.

"You will lead the First Company, along with Liu Heiqi's Fourth Company, to lay mines along the railway curves in the Duanjiazhuang section. Use chain mines, both pull-trigger and tripwire mines. Remember, the mines must blast the rails, destroying the wheels and chassis to immobilize them."

"Understood! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Zhang replied loudly.

"Wang Quan!"

"arrive!"

"You take the Second Company and Sun Erniu's sharpshooter team and ambush them on the high ground east of the railway. As soon as the train stops, take out the heavy firepower and commander on the locomotive. Especially that Captain Inoue, I want his head blown off immediately."

"Yes! Dongzi, just you wait and see. That Inoue guy, I'll crack his skull open with one shot!" Wang Quan patted his chest and guaranteed.

"Ren Wuliu!"

"Here!" Ren Wuliu stood ramrod straight.

"You take the Third Company and the county brigade's assault platoon. As soon as the locomotive explodes, rush up and take control of the carriages. Be quick. First, take care of the Japanese soldiers escorting the train, then uncouple the carriages."

Old Zhang said there are four wagons carrying grain and two carrying ammunition; we should prioritize loading these six wagons.

"Yes! We guarantee we'll seize the supplies!"

"Sun Tao!"

"Here!" Sun Tao, the leader of Baima Cliff and now the deputy captain of the Fifth Squadron, stepped forward.

"Take the Fifth Company and go to the Yangfangkou direction to keep watch. The Japanese in Datong will receive the signal and arrive in armored vehicles in as little as two hours. You need to lay mines and set up ambushes along the way. Whether you can stop them or not, you need to delay them for at least an hour. That one hour is the time we need to rush our supplies."

"Don't worry, Captain, we'll hold the position as long as we're here!" Sun Tao said fiercely, making a solemn promise.

"Liu Heiqi!"

"Here!" Liu Heiqi quickly put away his pipe.

"Take your men and mobilize the people in the surrounding area. Duanjiazhuang, Lijia Gou, Wangjia Kiln, everyone who can move, regardless of age or gender, call them all out."

Wheelbarrows, donkey carts, even baskets on our backs—we'll use everything we can. As long as we intercept the train, the grain is ours. We'll carry as much as we can, and distribute what we can't carry to the people on the spot.

Tell the villagers, this is about fighting the Japanese devils, and it's also about fighting for our own food rations. Anyone who slacks off will never eat from our county brigade again!

Liu Heiqi's eyes lit up: "I'm good at this! Those villagers run faster than rabbits the moment they hear there's grain. Captain, leave this to me!"

Zhou Jindong nodded, then looked at Zhang Chen: "Old Zhang, go back and keep an eye on things. Signal me immediately after the train passes Yangfangkou. Also, if there's a chance, try to keep that North Korean driver, Kim Jae-gyu, alive. He might be useful later."

"Don't worry, Captain Zhou, I've arranged everything." Zhang Chen finished the water in his bowl in one gulp. "Then I'll head back now. I'm afraid the Japanese will become suspicious if I stay out too long."

After Zhang Chen left, Zhou Jindong checked his watch: "It's 3 PM now. Everyone, get ready. Check weapons and ammunition. We're leaving in half an hour. In this battle, we'll show those Japanese devils in northwestern Shanxi that this railway isn't their backyard!"

Duanjiazhuang is located 15 li north of Ningwu. The terrain here is narrow, with earthen cliffs more than 20 feet high on both sides and only a railway winding through the middle, making it a natural ambush zone.

As dusk fell, the team had already taken up positions.

The north wind howled, whipping up snowflakes that stung the soldiers' faces.

But no one made a sound. Everyone lay silently in the snow, covered with white strips of cloth as camouflage. Unless you got close, you would never know that there were more than a thousand people lying in ambush there.

Zhou Jindong lay prone behind a mound closest to the railway tracks, holding binoculars and staring intently into the darkness to the north.

Beside him lay Zhao Laosi and several sappers who had laid mines.

"Are you cold?" Zhou Jindong asked in a low voice.

"I'm not cold, my heart is warm." Zhao Laosi lowered his voice, but his teeth were chattering. "Dongzi, do you think this train will really come? What if that kid Lao Zhang got spotted by the Japanese and they're setting a trap for us?"

"No." Zhou Jindong put down his binoculars. "Old Zhang's family is all in our base area. He wouldn't dare to do anything funny. Besides, according to the scouts' report, a fully loaded special train did indeed depart from Datong yesterday."

Just then, a muffled whistle sounded in the distance.

"They're here!" Zhou Jindong perked up and immediately made a hand gesture.

All the soldiers held their breath instantly, their fingers on the triggers, and the pins of the grenades were also on their fingers.

A few minutes later, a huge black shadow appeared in sight.

The locomotive, puffing out thick white smoke, slowly approached like a monster.

Because it was an uphill section, the train was moving very slowly, and the wheels made a rhythmic "clang, clang" sound as they rolled over the joints of the rails.

Zhou Jindong raised his pistol and aimed it at the headlights of the car at the front.

As the train drew closer, the searchlights on the locomotive suddenly shone, two blinding beams of light sweeping across the cliffs on either side of the railway.

"Take cover!" Zhou Jindong shouted in a low voice, burying his head in the snow.

The beam of light swept over the soldiers' heads but found nothing unusual.

The Japanese soldiers on the train were clearly relaxed; several even stood at the junction of the carriages smoking, their laughter carried on the wind.

"Yosh, this rice is really good! I can have a good sushi meal when I get back."

"Idiot, this is for the front lines, we can only have some soup."

The locomotive slowly passed the center of the curve, and the wheels just ran over the area where Zhao Laosi and his men had laid mines.

Zhou Jindong's heart leaped into his throat, and his finger slowly tightened on the trigger.

Just as the train's tail wheel crossed the minefield, Zhou Jindong suddenly raised his head, and his gun spat fire.

"Bang!"

The searchlight on the front of the car shattered instantly, sending shards of glass flying everywhere.

Almost simultaneously, countless flames erupted in the snow on both sides of the railway.

"Fire!" Zhao Laosi roared as he pulled the pin on the landmine.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A series of violent explosions rang out under the railway tracks, sending dirt and gravel flying into the air.

The moving train suddenly jolted, the locomotive shook violently, and the first few carriages derailed instantly, overturning into the ditch beside the road.

But the train did not stop. Its inertia carried the carriages forward, the wheels sparking brightly as they scraped against the rails, producing a piercing whistle.

"Oh no! The thunder didn't explode completely!" Zhao Laosi exclaimed in shock, grabbing his gun and rushing forward.

"Don't panic! It can't go far!" Zhou Jindong calmly assessed the situation and shouted, "Wang Quan! Shoot it!"

On the high ground to the east, Wang Quan's machine gun fired.

That was a Type 92 heavy machine gun, which we captured from the last battle against the Chida Regiment. We hadn't even had a chance to use it before this time.

The thick bullets lashed out like whips at the train wheels and the junctions between the carriages.

"Da da da—"

The connector between the third and fourth carriages of the train was broken. The enormous inertia caused the carriages behind to be flung out like whips, crashing heavily together with a deafening metallic clang.

The train finally came to a stop, lying limp on the tracks like a dead snake.

"Charge!"

Ren Wuliu roared and led the soldiers of the Third Company to leap out of the snowdrift, bayonets in hand, and charge toward the nearest carriage.

The Japanese soldiers in the train carriage were stunned by the sudden attack.

Many people were jolted awake from their sleep and frantically searched for their guns.

Captain Inoue, true to his veteran status, reacted swiftly, kicking open the car door and brandishing his sword while yelling, "Enemy attack! Counterattack! Counterattack now!"

Several Japanese machine gunners had just set up their light machine guns, but before they could even fire, they were called out by Sun Erniu on the high ground.