Chapter 21: Setting a Small Goal for Oneself

Chapter 21: Setting a Small Goal for Myself

(I)

More than half a month ago, when he had just transmigrated, broken his leg, and been put to work as a courier by Li Yunlong, Guan Shan’s first small goal was to recover as quickly as possible.

After accidentally discovering that the system had a hidden "cheat" function for his recovery, Guan Shan began actively volunteering for missions, hoping to grow stronger as soon as possible. This led to the "skirmishes" during his assignments, and until he met Commander Chen Bo yesterday, Guan Shan had been constantly building himself up mentally, trying to move past the psychological trauma.

However, after meeting Commander Chen Bo yesterday and hearing that he had been selected to participate in the "Taihang Shield" project, Guan Shan tried to set a new goal for himself.

This tendency to set goals was a product of his personality and life experience from his previous life; for Guan Shan, a life without a sense of purpose was an unimaginably mediocre existence.

It was already the end of the second lunar month of 1942, and the time for the Japanese army’s "Great Sweeping Campaign" in North China was drawing ever closer. As he went for his morning jog, Guan Shan couldn't help but think of the surprise attack on the Eighth Route Army headquarters that would take place later that summer.

(II)

Following the Hundred Regiments Offensive, in the summer of 1941, Yasuji Okamura—who had personally directed operations in China’s Fifth and Ninth War Zones and achieved significant results—was promoted to General by the Japanese military and transferred to North China to serve as Commander-in-Chief of the North China Area Army.

This signaled that the focus of the Japanese army on the Chinese battlefield had shifted to dealing with the Eighth Route Army and targeting the North China theater. During the summer and autumn sweeping campaigns of 1941, the Japanese began utilizing the "Iron Wall Encirclement" tactic and organizing "net-style" sweeps. The breakout at Cangyun Ridge and the battle at Lijia Slope both occurred during that campaign.

Once winter arrived, the Japanese further adopted the "Three Alls" policy and the "Cage" strategy, tightening economic and material blockades to cut off the Eighth Route Army’s logistics. This forced the Eighth Route Army to launch the grand "Great Production Movement." Within the Independent Regiment, they were also practicing "self-rescue through production," though Li Yunlong preferred running off to various villages to raid the grain depots of the local puppet administration heads.

Oh, one shouldn't call it raiding; it was called "requisitioning grain."

Along the way, they could also "go fishing." If the Japanese or puppet troops tried to ambush the grain-requisitioning squads, they wouldn't make it back to their strongholds once they stepped out, and in addition to capturing weapons, the soldiers could strip the winter clothing off their backs.

Beginning in April 1942, the Japanese army initiated various troop movements, flooding the area with false intelligence and rumors to distract the Eighth Route Army. The true purpose of these measures was their "C-Plan," aimed at attacking the Eighth Route Army headquarters and the leadership organs of the 129th Division.

The Japanese used various channels to track the locations of key Eighth Route Army facilities. According to historical records, the Eighth Route Army headquarters had received many strange reports from various localities during the spring and summer of 1942.

An "Eighth Route Army soldier" helping with "land reform" in a small village was exposed by local residents as a Japanese spy in disguise and fled.

A militia member discovered an unidentified armed group of about 100 people near the old forests of northwest Taiyuan; they were in plain clothes, carrying small radios, and later disappeared without a trace.

In Shanxi, a unit claiming to be the Eighth Route Army’s New Sixth Brigade was discovered, with every member carrying photos of Eighth Route Army commanders, resumes, and maps of troop deployments.

In Lucheng, a unit was found dressed in plain clothes, faces smeared with brown dye, claiming to be our party’s political and military staff. They carried several days' worth of rations, rain gear, and backpacks, wore straw sandals, and avoided main roads, never lighting fires to cook or staying at inns.

In Wuxiang, a "unit" was discovered either scattering or lurking in the wheat fields, caves, and valleys on both sides of the main roads to eavesdrop on telephone lines, capturing lone travelers to interrogate them about the location of the general headquarters, or using small radios to scout and report on our troop movements.

Based on these analyses, it was clear that one or more suspicious "special squads" were operating secretly in the Taihang region.

Subsequently, the headquarters ordered intelligence systems across all military districts to employ diversionary tactics, spreading false intelligence to create the illusion that the Eighth Route Army headquarters was retreating west to Wuxiang, while simultaneously arranging for the headquarters to move north.

On May 25, 1942, the Eighth Route Army headquarters—including the staff, political, and logistics departments, the Northern Bureau, and the Guard Regiment, totaling over 10,000 people and thousands of pack animals—were bombed by Japanese aircraft while on the move at Nan'ai Pu, northeast of Matian. At the same time, reports arrived that massive numbers of Japanese troops were closing in, attempting to encircle them.

Over the next two days, after fierce fighting, most of the cadres and soldiers managed to break through, but the losses were devastating.

At dawn on May 27, Yan'an received a telegram from the 129th Division: Deputy Chief of Staff Zuo Quan had sacrificed his life gloriously in the battle.

In addition, the head of the Eighth Route Army’s Communications Division, Hai Fengge, was killed; the director of the North China Branch of Xinhua News Agency, He Yun, and over 40 reporters were killed; the director of the Northern Bureau’s Research Office, Zhang Hengyu, and more than ten staff members were killed; the leader of the Korean Communist Party, Kim Baek-yeon, also unfortunately perished during the breakout; and the Secretary-General of the Northern Bureau, Zhang Youqing, went missing, was captured, and later died in a Taiyuan prison.

This was the single greatest loss the Eighth Route Army had suffered since the start of the War of Resistance. If these people could have lived to see the end of the war, the founding of New China, and participated in its construction, they surely would have played a monumental role.

(III)

I wonder if, having come to this life and joined this "Taihang Shield" project, I can prevent all of this from happening!

Otherwise, why not give it a try?

Thinking this, Guan Shan ran into the regiment headquarters courtyard, shirtless and carrying his clothes.

Li Yunlong took his toothbrush out of his foam-filled mouth and cursed at Guan Shan, his speech slurred: "Had another nightmare last night? Look at you, you look pathetic, your eyes are as dark as a prostitute's."

"Shan-zi, your bucket is over there, the water is ready! Don't pour it over your head, pour it from your chest down!" Monk Wei stood by the drainage ditch, calling out to Guan Shan while lifting a wooden bucket and pouring cold water over his own chest.

"Get out, get out, go pour over there, don't get me all wet!" Li Yunlong said with disgust.

Guan Shan chuckled, took off his pants and set them on the ground, standing half-naked in just his underwear. He grabbed a bucket full of cold water, still with ice shards in it, and walked over toward Monk Wei.

"Splash!"

"Ah! Refreshing!" Guan Shan felt the sting of the ice-cold water.

The sound of horses' hooves approached from afar, and following a neigh, a hoarse voice came from outside the courtyard.

"Is Regiment Commander Li and Political Commissar Zhao in?"

"Who is it? What are you howling about! It's early in the morning!" Li Yunlong replied, then began gargling noisily.

"Hello! I am Zhao Gang! Is that Comrade Xiao Lin from the Division headquarters? Hello, hello!"

"Commissar! Commander! The Division Commander sent me to deliver a message to you!"

"Come in, come in! Old Li, Old Li!"

"Got it, got it!"

Guan Shan and Monk Wei hurriedly wiped themselves dry with towels and ran into the room to change their clothes.

"Monk! Monk!" Li Yunlong’s voice boomed like thunder from next door.

"Here! Here! Just putting on my pants, I'll be right there!" Monk Wei hurriedly scrambled into his clothes.

Welcome to add to your favorites, and thank you for your recommendations!

(End of chapter)