Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation

Hunger and cravings are the best catalysts. Around eleven o'clock, Liu Dazhu announced that it was time to eat. The third company and the cooks left behind their guards and took turns getting their food from the big pot. As they wolfed it down, the riverbank was already in an uproar.

More and more soldiers from the Fourth Regiment strolled over here in twos and threes, or even in groups, watching eagerly. The sound of them swallowing their saliva could almost be heard in the air.

Seeing that the food was almost cooked and that his own men had finished eating—there was indeed a lot of meat and steamed buns left in the pot, which had been deliberately made in excess—Liu Dazhu stood up and shouted loudly to the growing number of soldiers from the Fourth Regiment, now numbering one or two hundred:

"Brothers of the Fourth Regiment! Our Battalion Commander Zhao Ping'an is kind-hearted. Seeing how hard you brothers are working, he specially asked us to do more!"

Now that we've finished eating, if you don't mind, please come and try the rest!

"Whoosh—" The crowd erupted in excitement, rushing forward in a flurry.

"Don't rush! Line up! One at a time!" Liu Dazhu shouted, but the crowd was already getting out of control.

He suddenly drew his pistol from his waist and fired a shot into the air!

The gunshot brought the frenzied crowd to a standstill.

Almost simultaneously, the two Czech-made guns next to them snapped up and pointed directly at the crowd.

Behind several inconspicuous mounds at the edge of the woods, several soldiers suddenly stood up, holding two more light machine guns and several submachine guns! It turned out that Liu Dazhu had already set up multiple fake and real firing points.

A deathly silence fell over the scene, broken only by heavy breathing. The soldiers of the Fourth Regiment, staring at the dark muzzles of guns, broke out in a cold sweat.

Liu Dazhu then lowered his gun, still smiling, but his tone left no room for argument:

"Brothers, I'm sorry, I scared you all. It's not that we're stingy, it's just that there are too many of us. If things get chaotic, we're afraid someone will get hurt, and we're also afraid that our tools of the trade will be damaged."

He pointed to the machine guns, "How about this, let's be more orderly. For everyone's safety and to avoid any misunderstandings, let's put the guns under that tree over there."

"Our men are watching, it won't get lost! I have number tags here, one for each person. Use the number tag to get your food, and use it to get your gun after you finish eating. Fair and reasonable, what do you say?"

The starving soldiers looked at the meat and steamed buns within reach, and then at the menacing machine guns. Most of them quickly lost their reason to their appetite.

Someone took the lead, leaned their rifle against the designated tree, received a simple wooden tag, and then happily rushed towards the cooking pot.

With role models in place, more people followed suit. Before long, hundreds of rifles, several light machine guns, and a considerable number of grenades and ammunition belts were placed along the edge of the woods.

Liu Dazhu arranged for someone to "guard" the area, but in reality, he secretly controlled it.

In the end, more than two hundred soldiers from the Fourth Regiment laid down their weapons and joined this pre-battle "feast".

They wolfed down their food, their mouths greasy, and were moved to tears by the "generosity" of the Sixth Regiment.

Of course, some soldiers who were more vigilant or stayed far away did not come over.

At noon, a sudden clap of thunder!

As the clock struck 1 p.m., three red signal flares were launched precisely on time!

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The soldiers of the Fourth Regiment, who were eating or had just finished eating and were still wiping their mouths, looked up in astonishment.

Immediately afterwards, the sounds of battle and the roar of gunfire erupted from the north, winding through the mountains – the People's Liberation Army's general offensive had begun!

"Oh no! It's the Communist army!"

"Enemy attack!"

On the riverbank, the main force of the Fourth Regiment was thrown into chaos.

Almost simultaneously with the launch of the signal flare, Liu Dazhu's expression changed, and he shouted sharply, "Attack!"

The soldiers of the Third Company who were originally "guarding" the weapons instantly turned their guns around and surrounded the Fourth Regiment soldiers who were still in a daze and had just put down their weapons.

The real and fake firing positions at the edge of the woods and behind the mounds of earth, with machine guns and submachine guns all pointed towards the riverbank.

"Don't move! Drop your weapons!"

"You are surrounded! Resistance will only lead to your death!"

Liu Dazhu's roar drowned out the initial noise.

His soldiers quickly subdued the more than 160 unarmed soldiers of the Fourth Regiment and bound them with ropes that had been prepared beforehand.

These soldiers, still chewing on their steamed buns, were taken prisoner without even realizing it.

Almost at the same moment!

"Now! Attack!" Zhao Ping'an roared.

"Bang! Bang!" The friendly mortars fired first, their shells hitting the middle of the enemy 4th Regiment and the area where the mules and horses were gathered, exacerbating the chaos.

"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat—!" Four Czech-made guns spewed fire, and a hail of bullets mercilessly swept towards the exposed enemy group from the south.

At the same time, Wang Dahe's rifles and submachine guns, which had been lying in ambush in the woods on the flank, also opened fire.

A true three-sided encirclement! The main force of the People's Liberation Army was launching a fierce attack from the north, Zhao Ping'an's troops were suppressing the enemy with firepower from the south, and Wang Dahe's company was launching a surprise attack from the flank.

The Fourth Regiment was completely trapped in a pre-set death trap, and their psychological defenses were on the verge of collapse at the very first encounter.

At this moment, two different but unified shouts rang out on the battlefield:

Loud shouts came from the People's Liberation Army positions to the north, transmitted through a tin loudspeaker:

"Soldiers of Fu Zuoyi's troops! You are surrounded! We are the Chinese People's Liberation Army!"

Lay down your weapons and cease resistance! Treat prisoners of war well! Struggle to resist and you will only face death!

Almost simultaneously, from the southern and flank positions of Zhao Ping'an's troops, familiar shouts with northern accents rang out:

"Brothers of the Fourth Regiment! We have already surrendered, so you don't need to risk your lives for Fu Zuoyi anymore!"

Look around! There's only one way out! Lay down your guns and live! The People's Liberation Army keeps its word! We are all Chinese, we don't fight Chinese!

These two voices created a remarkable synergy. The PLA's pronouncements represented powerful external pressure and the legitimacy of the surrender party;

Zhao Ping'an's call to action brought about internal disintegration and the implication of "we are all in the same boat," shattering their last shred of hope for a last stand.

"Stop fighting! We surrender!"

"We surrender! We surrender!"

On the riverbank, white flags spread like wildfire. Soldiers dropped their weapons in droves and crouched down, covering their heads. The battle was drawing to a close in less than half an hour.

Zhao Ping'an ordered a halt to firing, and the troops advanced while maintaining vigilance to control the situation.

The PLA troops from the north also quickly advanced, and the two sides successfully met on the riverbank.

Battalion Commander Chen, who was leading the team, shook hands firmly with Zhao Ping'an, his face full of admiration:

"Battalion Commander Zhao, the timing was perfect, and the firepower coordination was excellent! Your operation significantly reduced the pressure on the north side; you've made a brilliant save!"

"Commander Chen, you flatter me. Your unit's main attack was swift and decisive; we merely provided support from the sidelines," Zhao Ping'an said modestly, then changed the subject.

"The situation here is largely settled. We request your assistance in recovering the prisoners. We must immediately return to support the 1st Regiment's blocking action on the southern front!"

"Don't worry! Leave this to us! You guys go quickly!" Battalion Commander Chen immediately arranged for men to take over.

Without delay, Zhao Ping'an assembled his troops, carrying ample ammunition, to support his elder brother.