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

"Nothing's happened yet; they must have fooled those bastards!"

Zhou Jindong poured out the remaining water from the earthenware pot, put it back into the satchel that Lao Meng handed him, and casually wiped the mud and sweat from his neck with a cloth towel.

He glanced at Guo Fuyuan, who was huddled in the corner, and then nudged Liu Shunfa, who was still unconscious, with his foot.

"Old Meng, is everything arranged at the sewer outlet?"

Old Meng nodded vigorously, his gray hair trembling in the faint glimmer of water seeping down: "It's all arranged. Old Zhao the blacksmith's son is keeping watch on the slope at the exit ahead. I only came here to meet him when I saw the torch signal."

The entrance to the cave over there was half-collapsed and well-hidden. Climbing over from this side, the exit led to the desolate graveyard at the foot of the city wall. I had prepared an old cart, covered with straw mats and tattered straw mats.

Has anyone noticed anything amiss?

"Not yet." Old Meng lowered his voice and leaned closer. "As soon as the gun went off, chaos broke out on the west side of the street. Jin Wanfu's men were yelling and searching everywhere. But the sewer opening is out of the way and buried next to the cemetery, so it's hard to find it in a while."

"Let's go now. By the time we reach the dilapidated temple, it should be just getting light. Zhao Xiaoshuan is there, having hitched up the donkey cart and waiting."

Zhou Jindong didn't ask any more questions; time was of the essence. He bent down, grabbed Guo Fuyuan by the back of his collar, and lifted him up. He then poked Liu Shunfa with the butt of his rifle: "Playing dead won't work. Wang Quan, wake him up."

Wang Quan squatted down and slapped Liu Shunfa's bald head several times. Liu Shunfa's cheeks were swollen and red. He groaned as he woke up, his eyes unfocused. Seeing the Mauser pistol in Zhou Jindong's hand pointed at his forehead, he cried out, "Don't...don't kill me...I'll confess...I'll do everything..."

"Shut up if you want to live, and crawl." Zhou Jindong interrupted him, tilting the muzzle of his gun towards the low hole leading deeper into the sewer.

The hole was even narrower; you almost had to crawl in. It was pitch black inside, and you could vaguely hear the sound of water flowing.

Liu Shunfa dared not utter a single word of dissent and scrambled into the hole.

He was thin, but he crawled in quickly. Guo Fuyuan, with a long face, had no choice but to follow Wang Quan as he crawled in with a gun pointed at his buttocks.

Soon, the sounds of bodies scraping against the slippery cave walls and suppressed breathing could be heard from inside the cave.

Zhou Jindong had Lao Meng walk in the middle, while he himself walked at the very back.

Before entering the cave, he glanced back at the passage he had come from. It was still quiet there, with only the sound of dripping water.

He crouched down and crawled inside, using his feet to remove a few loose clods of earth from the edge of the hole, slightly blocking the entrance.

The cave was pitch black, so you could only rely on your senses and use your hands and feet to inch forward.

The air was humid and stuffy.

The ground was muddy, sometimes deep and sometimes shallow.

After climbing for about twenty minutes, Liu Shunfa, who was in front, suddenly stopped, his voice trembling with tears: "There's...there's no road anymore, there's water ahead..."

"That's it." Zhou Jindong's voice came from the back, sounding very close in the narrow passage. "Wang Quan, push him forward, the water isn't deep down there."

With a muffled thud, Liu Shunfa had probably slipped and fallen, followed by a splash of water and a short scream.

Then came the sound of Guo Fuyuan falling down, cursing and swearing.

Wang Quan and Lao Meng went down one after the other. Zhou Jindong was the last to slip into the water, which was indeed only thigh-deep.

He steadied himself. This was a relatively wide brick-built sewer main channel, taller than a person, with smooth blue brick walls on both sides and an arched dome overhead, some parts of which had collapsed, revealing the hazy white light of the outside sky.

Dirty water flowed slowly from behind them, meandering along the ditch.

The air has circulated a bit more.

Old Meng held up a simple, dimly lit lantern wrapped in oilcloth, which only let out a faint light. The light was so dim that it could barely illuminate a few steps around him.

He checked the direction and pointed downstream: "Go this way, about half a mile, there's a gap formed by a landslide, you can climb up from there."

The group waded through the thigh-deep, dirty water, following the direction of the current.

Zhou Jindong kept his gun at the ready, half watching the road ahead and half wary of what was behind him.

Wang Quan did the same, the muzzle of his Mauser pistol occasionally sweeping across the backs of Liu Shunfa and Guo Fuyuan.

After walking for a while, we indeed saw a collapse ahead.

A section of the dome collapsed completely, and bricks and mud blocked most of the channel, leaving only a gap on the side large enough for one person to squeeze through. Brighter sunlight and the swaying shadows of withered grass peeked through the gap.

"I'll go first," Old Meng said, handing the lamp to Zhou Jindong. He then used both hands and feet to climb up through the gap, his movements surprisingly nimble. Once up, he lay down at the edge of the opening and reached down, saying, "Bring the prisoners up."

Wang Quan first pushed Liu Shunfa up, and Lao Meng and his team pulled him up.

Next was Guo Fuyuan. Then Wang Quan and Zhou Jindong also climbed out in turn.

Outside the gap was indeed a chaotic graveyard, overgrown with weeds and with broken tombstones leaning haphazardly.

The sky was already turning a pale white.

Sure enough, there was a donkey cart parked nearby, with a thick layer of straw and a mat on it.

The donkey pulling the cart looked a bit old, but it was very docile, chewing hay with its head down.

The young man who was squatting nearby saw them come out, immediately stood up, nodded to Zhou Jindong and Wang Quan, and without saying much, ran to fetch the donkey.

Old Meng whispered, "This is Zhao Xiaoshuan. Quick, stuff these two under the cart and cover them up tightly."

The cart was specially made, with a shallow inner layer underneath. A straw mat was laid on top, and a person was stuffed inside. Then, a tattered mat and a few bundles of firewood were placed on top, making it difficult to spot unless you looked closely.

Liu Shunfa and Guo Fuyuan were gagged, their hands and feet were tied tightly, and they were huddled together in the interlayer.

Zhou Jindong, Lao Meng, and Wang Quan changed into several patched old cotton-padded jackets brought by Zhao Xiaoshuan, put on tattered felt hats, and smeared some soot and mud on their faces and hands, pretending to be farmers who went to the city early in the morning to sell firewood.

As dawn broke, the faint crowing of roosters could be heard in the distance.

Several people got into the cart, with Zhao Xiaoshuan leading the donkey. He flicked the whip, and the cart creaked and groaned along the desolate path towards Ningwu County.

We encountered two groups of people on the road.

One group consisted of Jin Wanfu's henchmen, carrying lanterns and sticks, who were looking around and checking pedestrians at the roadside intersection.

As the donkey cart approached, a man with his hat askew stepped forward and stopped it. Zhao Xiaoshuan, with a forced smile, handed over a small packet of tobacco, explaining that he had collected some firewood from outside the city that morning to deliver to his employer's stove.

The lackey took the tobacco, sniffed it, and poked around in the firewood on the cart with a stick. Finding nothing amiss, and seeing Zhou Jindong and Wang Quan huddled on the cart yawning, looking like dull, unassuming farmers, he impatiently waved them off.

Another group was a small squad of puppet troops patrolling the city at dawn, with guns slung across their shoulders, looking listless. The squad leader, riding a skinny horse, glanced at the donkey cart and the people on it, and asked, "Where are you from?" Zhao Xiaoshuan repeated what he had said before.

The squad leader wasn't interested, muttered "What bad luck so early in the morning," and led his men away.

The journey was fraught with danger but ultimately safe.

The mountain grew steeper and the forest denser. After walking for about half a day, we crossed a ridge and came to a valley ahead, where we could see several figures in the distance.

"Captain Zhou!" The leader was Sun Bai, who was in charge of the rendezvous.

He was sent down from the main force regiment.

He led his men to greet them, "We heard you succeeded. Well, how was the journey?"

"There was a slight hiccup." Zhou Jindong gestured for Wang Quan to bring the people over. "The items are here. One is Liu Shunfa, and the other is Guo Fuyuan, the owner of the grocery store."

Sun Bai glanced at Liu Shunfa, whose face was ashen, and Guo Fuyuan, who was trembling uncontrollably, and spat: "Traitorous dog! How many of our comrades have you killed! Old Zhou, our regimental commander and political commissar are waiting at the temporary command post in Lujialing. Let's go."

The team assembled. Besides Zhou Jindong, Wang Quan, and two prisoners, there were eleven soldiers led by Sun Bai. Their firepower consisted of two Type 96 light machine guns, five Type 38 rifles, and the rest were old-fashioned rifles and Hanyang rifles, as well as a few Mauser pistols.

Sun Bai made a gesture, and two soldiers stepped forward to take over the task of guarding the prisoners. The group immediately plunged into the deeper forest and headed towards the depths of Lujialing.

The mountain path was rugged, but the soldiers often operated in this area, moving quickly and steadily. As the sun gradually set, the light in the woods dimmed.

After crossing two more hills, we saw a relatively flat valley nestled in the dense forest, with several simple tents pitched and people nearby on guard with guns. We had arrived at the temporary command post.

Upon entering the camp, a dark-skinned middle-aged man with a Mauser pistol tucked into his waistband strode up to Zhou Jindong, grabbed his hand, and shook it vigorously: "Jindong! Well done!"

He is Lao Wu, the commander of the Independent Regiment of the 120th Division. The political commissar next to him is surnamed Han. He wears glasses, has a smile on his face, but his eyes are sharp.

Zhou Jindong stood at attention and saluted, then introduced Wang Quan.

When Wang Quan saw so many of his comrades' superiors for the first time, he was so nervous that he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet, so he quickly followed suit and saluted.

Old Wu patted Wang Quan on the shoulder: "Comrade Wang Quan, you must be tired from the journey. I just heard from Captain Zhou that you acted very bravely."

He turned to look at Liu Shunfa and Guo Fuyuan, who had been forced to sit slumped on the open ground by the soldiers. The smile on his face vanished instantly, and his eyes turned cold and hard: "These are the two scoundrels?"

Zhou Jindong nodded: "Commander Wu, Political Commissar, this is the traitor Liu Shunfa, and the collaborator Guo Fuyuan who provided him with hiding place. We specifically brought them back to hand them over to the victim's family!"

Political Commissar Han stepped forward, circled the two men, and his gaze swept over them like a knife.

Liu Shunfa lowered his head, not daring to look, while Guo Fuyuan kept kowtowing: "Sir, spare my life...Sir, spare my life...I just run a small business...Jin Wanfu forced me to...Spare my life..."

Political Commissar Han ignored him and said to Lao Wu and Zhou Jindong, "This is not the place to talk. Take them in and interrogate them to verify their identities."

The group entered the largest tent.

Inside, a kerosene lamp was lit, and a simple hand-drawn map hung on the wall.

Liu Shunfa and Guo Fuyuan were tied to two pillars respectively.

Old Wu sat behind the only broken table, with Zhou Jindong, Sun Bai and others standing on either side, and Political Commissar Han taking notes.

The interrogation process was straightforward, the evidence was conclusive, and Liu Shunfa's physical characteristics matched.

Knowing he had no chance of survival, Liu Shunfa stopped trembling and simply closed his eyes, answering every question. He recounted in detail how he was captured by the Japanese, how he couldn't withstand the torture, how he betrayed three secret contact points and five comrades in the city, and how he contacted Jin Wanfu for protection.

Guo Fuyuan listened from the side, his face as white as paper. He knew that his crimes of harboring traitors and acting as a spy for the Japanese and their collaborators were enough to warrant being executed ten times over.

After hearing Liu Shunfa's confession, no one spoke for a moment in the tent.

All that could be heard was the soft crackling of the lamp wick and the whistling wind outside the tent.

Five comrades, three liaison points, some were beheaded by the Japanese in the street, some were secretly executed and thrown into the river, and one was sent to a coal mine, whose fate remains unknown to this day.

Old Wu clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white. Political Commissar Han took off his glasses and slowly wiped them.

Zhou Jindong stared at Liu Shunfa, his chest heaving.

Wang Quan was breathing heavily, and his eyes were red.

Sun Bai cursed out loud: "You son of a bitch!"

After a long silence, Old Wu loosened his fist and said in a deep voice, "Liu Shunfa, do you have anything else to say?"

Liu Shunfa opened his eyes, his gaze empty: "That's all... I've finished... Just give me a quick death."

"A quick death?" Old Wu suddenly stood up. "Those comrades you killed, did anyone give them a quick death? You want a quick death? It's not that easy!"

He turned to Political Commissar Han, "Old Han, what's your opinion?"

Commissar Han put on his glasses, looked at the notebook, and said, "The situation has been thoroughly investigated, and the evidence is conclusive. My opinion is that these two people should be handed over to the county party committee and the county brigade for joint public trial, and handled according to the rules we have established."

Whether to execute by shooting or stabbing, the persecuted people shall decide. A public trial must be held, and it must be held on territory under our control, so that the people can witness the outcome.

Old Wu nodded: "Then let's do it that way. The county is holding an expanded meeting of cadres tomorrow, so we can finalize this matter. Notify the liaison officer to send out the message and let the families of the victims prepare."

Zhou Jindong asked, "Where will the public trial be held?"

"Outside Ningwu County, at the north gate, there's a stretch of riverbank. It's open, conveniently located near our camp, and easy for the local people to access. If the Japanese dare to come, we'll make sure they never leave."

As Old Wu spoke, he walked to the radio in the corner of the tent. "I'll send a telegram to the division headquarters right now to ask for instructions. Captain Zhou, you all should go down and rest, treat your wounds, and change into clean clothes. We'll enter the city first thing tomorrow morning."

The telegram received a reply quickly.

The higher-ups affirmed the success of this anti-traitor operation, agreed to hold a public trial, and instructed that it be carried out with great fanfare to deter those treacherous individuals who attempted to defect to the enemy, while also boosting the morale of the army and the people.

With instructions from higher authorities, the entire camp and the surrounding county militia and guerrilla units sprang into action.

The news spread like wildfire. Zhou Jindong and Wang Quan treated their wounds; the cuts on their shoulders and abrasions on their calves were not serious and were simply bandaged. They changed into clean homespun military uniforms, which, although patched, were thoroughly starched and washed.

Before dawn, the mess hall had already started a fire.

Old Meng squatted to the side, slurping down his porridge from his bowl.

Last night, after he and Zhao Xiaoshuan saw Zhou Jindong and the others off out of the city, they did not return to the blacksmith shop. Instead, following Zhou Jindong's instructions, they took their families and retreated to Xiaowangzhuang.

He has now arrived at the Lujialing camp. He is a witness and will also be attending the meeting.