Siheyuan: Shazhu's Brother Shadan

He Daqing and Zhang Guilan looked at the transport team going away, their hearts filled with hope.

They know that despite the dangers, their efforts are worth it.

Their actions not only supported the Communist Party, but also allowed people around them to see the dawn of victory.

In this turbulent era, their vanguard has become a bridge of power connecting ordinary people to the struggle, igniting the fire of hope in people's hearts.

At the same time, deep in Zhang Guilan's heart, she also had the idea of ​​revenge for her son.

If Shadan knew that all his family members had devoted themselves to the anti-Japanese cause, he would definitely go home and tell his parents the truth.

In this way, her mother Zhang Guilan could avoid crying and being heartbroken every night.

When that time comes, he will straighten his chest and shout loudly to his beloved mother: "Mom! I have been promoted to the commander of the independent brigade. I have finally made a name for myself! I will never be that silly again!"

Unfortunately, these are all ifs. He Daqing and Zhang Guilan's mercenary vanguard group also encountered many twists and turns along the way.

During the transportation in recent months, they were also subject to inspection by the Japanese and contraband items were found. Naturally, they were thrown into jail and some were even shot.

But this did not scare them, but instead aroused their enthusiasm for anti-Japanese resistance.

The road of anti-Japanese war is a bloody road for both the military and civilians. When the day comes when you win the anti-Japanese war, you will look back and find that everything is worth it.

After a year of rest, Comrade Shadan and his independent brigade should be back.

It was now April of 1945, and victory in the War of Resistance against Japan was imminent, so naturally we began to take some small actions.

Even if others didn't tell him, he should have taken action.

By the end of 1945, the conflict between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party had become more open, complicated, and diversified, especially in early 1946, when they began to engage in militarized confrontation with each other.

Therefore, at this time, when the Japanese devils could not defend their homes and the Kuomintang did not dare to provoke them, it was an opportunity for the Independent Brigade to expand its territory and develop surrounding bases.

"Comrades, fellow villagers! The situation is critical now, but it is also a golden opportunity! The little devils are like grasshoppers after autumn, they can't jump for long! At this moment, it is the time for our independent brigade to avenge our lost comrades and the villagers who were brutally murdered! What are you still hesitating about? Rise up and resist immediately!"

Shadan made a prompt decision and quickly dispatched four regiments, divided into four groups, to march from top to bottom, left to right, aiming to recover the occupied Hebei territory. The fifth regiment served as a reserve army, ready to fight back if the Kuomintang dared to invade our territory.

In fact, each independent brigade only has 3,000 men on paper, but this does not include the county squads, district squads, and reserve militia. If all these forces are integrated together, the actual strength of a regiment can even be as high as 10,000!

Over the past year or so, the independent brigade has weathered many ups and downs in the Hebei base area and has not wasted its time.

Thanks to Mingyue, the director of the logistics department, she was fully responsible for all logistics matters and maintaining relations with the people, and her contribution was indispensable. Because of this, the military and the people had a deep bond and had formed a tacit understanding - as long as one order was given, the people would respond.

While other Kuomintang and Communist forces were still in a standoff, the Independent Brigade had already taken action.

In just one month, by May of 1945, most of Hebei had been recovered.

But at this time, the jealous Kuomintang came out to make trouble again.

Knowing that the independent brigade is very capable in fighting, but unable to rely on Lin Yu, he goes directly to the upper level and puts pressure on Shadan.

But at this time, the Eighth Route Army was united against foreign enemies, so how could they possibly deal with their own people?

The Kuomintang can protest as much as they want. It’s their business whether they care or not.

So during the protest, there was a verbal battle between the two sides.

The Kuomintang is no longer the only powerful party in power and has the final say. The Communist Party also has its own say and has begun to let the masses know the truth of the matter.

This is no longer the era where whatever the Kuomintang says is the truth.

The quarrel over there did not affect the independent brigade's continued expansion of its territory at all.

The Japanese were like grasshoppers in autumn, falling down at the slightest touch, and even began to retreat.

It didn't matter that they retreated, as it immediately attracted the Kuomintang.

In this way, the entire Hebei province belonged to the Chinese, but most of it was in the hands of the Independent Brigade and a small part was in the hands of the Kuomintang.

Do you think the independence brigade will stop like this?

No no no, instead they began to expand their territory even more aggressively.

Isn’t the Kuomintang capable? They fight on their own. If they can’t defeat them, they can just pick up the survivors and be worth two at a time. And they can run very fast.

Shadan vaguely saw the marching speed of the Eighth Route Army. After all, the Kuomintang had targets for recovering lost territory. If more lost territory was recovered, his official position would rise rapidly.

When it comes to grabbing food, the Kuomintang has never fallen behind.

Sometimes, the Independent Brigade had just driven away the Japanese and had not yet moved into the county town when the Kuomintang rushed into the city.

The soldiers of the independent brigade who were there at the time thought they were dazzled, but after learning what had happened, they became very angry.

Even the telegram was sent to Shadan, who was also very angry when he found out.

"I really hope that the Kuomintang and the Communist Party will go to war soon, so that we can beat him up then."

We haven’t taken any action yet. It’s not the right time yet. We can only endure it.

So, the independent brigade started the encirclement tactic. You can rob, right? Then we will bypass you and directly surround you.

If you can rob, then you can, but you are not allowed to eat or drink water. This is the territory of the Independent Brigade, why should we let your supplies pass through? Anyway, that's an enclave, so let's see what you can do?

After this move was used, the Kuomintang was completely depressed.

If Shadan continues to fight the Japanese and seize territory, he will have to exchange it for a lot of good things during the negotiations at the end of four or five years. If he doesn't seize it now, when will he do so?

So, starting from Hebei, the surrounding Rehe, Shanxi, and even Liaoning in the northeast were controlled by the independent brigade.

But only Peking, located in the center of Hebei, was spared. After all, it was the political and economic center, and neither the Kuomintang nor the Japanese would give it up. Besides, there were concessions there. In order to avoid further disputes, Peking had to be spared.

This also made the opportunity for their family reunion seem distant again.

For this purpose, he specially arranged for his subordinates to deliver a letter to his parents in Peking City.

Uncle Zhang suddenly received an urgent task from the combat troops - to help deliver a letter.

He took a closer look at the address on the envelope and was shocked: it was the address of his new apprentice!

"Do you live at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang?" Uncle Zhang asked suspiciously.

He Yuzhu was stunned for a moment, then he replied, "Yes, Uncle Zhang, what happened?"

"It's okay. The organization arranged for me to deliver this letter to your home address." After saying that, Uncle Zhang prepared to hand the letter to He Yuzhu.

However, He Yuzhu quickly waved his hand and refused, saying anxiously: "No, Uncle Zhang, our place is a big compound with many families living in it! Please give the letter directly to me. What if it is sent to the wrong place?"

Uncle Zhang thought it made sense, but he also felt it was a little strange because the recipient's name was clearly written on the envelope, which seemed quite similar to the names of He Yuzhu's parents.

"How about this, what's the name of the recipient on the letter? Let me see!" He Yuzhu took the initiative to suggest.

Uncle Zhang quickly responded: "Okay!"

When He Yuzhu saw the name on the envelope, his eyes widened and he shouted in surprise: "Oh my, it's really my parents' names! What's going on?"

He Yuzhu took the letter and wondered who would write to his parents?

I racked my brains but couldn't figure it out.

Anyway, it is a letter to my parents, no doubt about it.

So I took the letter home and gave it to my parents.

My parents thought that I had made good achievements recently and was commended by the Eighth Route Army.

So, this letter should be read at night.

In the courtyard, He Daqing and Zhang Guilan sat under the dim light, holding a yellowed letter tightly in their hands. The handwriting on the letter was a little sloppy, but it revealed determination and pride.

"What, my son is still alive? Daqing, my younger son, come and see, and Xiao Yushui, come and see too, our Shadan is still alive." Zhang Guilan shouted directly in the house. Only Xiao Yushui, who was still drinking milk, had a puzzled look on his face.

He Daqing, who was about to boil water, heard Zhang Guilan's call and came over to see what was going on.

After hearing what Zhang Guilan said, he quickly took the letter and read it word by word, afraid that he would miss any punctuation marks and would not be able to understand the meaning of the letter.

It was sent by their long-lost son Shadan. The things described in the letter made this weathered couple almost unable to believe their eyes.

"Dad, Mom, are you all right? I am an unfilial child and have made you worry." Shadan's handwriting jumped on the paper, as if it had come across thousands of mountains and rivers with his laughter.

"I have done very well in the Eighth Route Army. Let me tell you something I am proud of. Now, I am the commander of an independent brigade." These words, like a blockbuster bomb, exploded in the main room of this small courtyard.

He Daqing's hands trembled slightly, and a gleam of disbelief flashed in his eyes.

Zhang Guilan hugged the letter tightly, her vision blurred by tears, her voice choked with sobs: "Our idiot... became the brigade commander..."

The youngest son, He Yuzhu, listened at the side, his eyes sparkling with pride and envy.

He has always regarded his brother as his idol, and from the moment he started sending money to him, he was deeply awakened to his admiration for his brother.

I didn't expect that Shadan could achieve such a great feat on the battlefield.

He became the commander of an independent brigade, and he served as both the political commissar and the brigade commander. I couldn't even imagine such a thing, but I didn't expect that my brother would actually cause it.

He patted his parents' shoulders gently to comfort them, and secretly made up his mind that he would work harder and live up to his brother's expectations.

In fact, the letter had nothing to do with him. As a younger brother, he just took his elder brother's tall image as his goal. Not only was he proud, but he also felt that he shouldered a lot of important responsibilities.

Only the confused little raindrops sniffed and snorted, expressing their confusion.

The atmosphere in the yard became unusually warm, as if even the air was sharing the joy.