Episode 37
According to your order, the ditches
outside Hill Hutou were filled with water.
Last night, we caught
a fish from Eighth Route Army in Taifeng.
With a few tricks,
the enemies in Hill Hutou
have been worn out.
I admire your wisdom.
Actually, all that I’ve done
are for the purpose of gaining time.
Gaining time?
I know Weiguo.
I have done what I have done for him.
No matter what I do,
Weiguo Zhou
will find out a solution
in the shortest time.
I’ve made all these arrangements
for one purpose.
That is to gain time for the task force.
I want them to be familiarized with
all these new tactics as soon as possible.
Master, please allow me to express
my humble opinions.
I think even without the task force,
as long as you will be the commander,
we will be able to destroy Eighth Route Army
in Hill Hutou soon.
You don’t know Weiguo very well.
If I am not fully confident
with my task force,
I won’t be able to rival him.
After learning the report of Jie Zhao,
I have an idea.
In this battle,
if we set the target
as the turret,
it will be too small a battle.
Now that we are to fight,
we should aim for a big victory.
1st Pl, 1st Coy, 1 Bn and 1st Coy-Led Squad
will destroy the turret.
3rd Pl, 1st Coy and 6th Squad will ambush
Japs’ reinforcements from the northeast.
7th and 8th Local Squad will make a feint
at the stronghold in northeast.
2nd and 3rd Coy will ambush
Japs’ reinforcements from the west.
Dali,
inform
Master Zhu in Cool Breeze Village.
We can’t forget our old friend.
Yes.
Signal. Make a response.
Jincai.
Come on. Let’s welcome our guests.
Yes.
Pl Leader Yuan. I’m Weiguo Zhou.
I’ve heard a lot about you.
I’m glad to meet you.
It's uneasy to work
in the camp of the enemy.
I’m sorry you have to wear enemy’s uniform.
I was an idiot
to have been a traitor to China.
Had it not been for you
to give me a chance to start anew,
I’m afraid
I would have been killed.
Commander Zhou, I owe you a lot.
If there is anything I can do for you,
I will not hesitate to follow your orders.
Even if you let me to take my weapons
and fight against the Jap...
Pl Leader Yuan,
we will fight against the Japs.
You have a special identity,
and we need you to be in Japs’ army.
Commander Zhou, tell us what the order is,
we will accomplish it.
The 37 of us would sacrifice our lives
for the Eighth Route Army.
I do need your help now.
Commander Zhou, what can I do for you?
I need your uniforms.
-Our uniforms. -Right.
Now that it is your order,
I will do it for you.
I will ask my people
to bring their spare clothes to you.
Commander Zhou,
are you going to
attack the turret in the north?
Why do you think so?
I heard
that your army suffered losses
at the turret last night.
So, you must wanna take a revenge
at the turret.
Pass my order to cancel the previous plan.
Wait for further notice.
Yes.
Thank you, Pl Leader Yuan.
What is the matter, Commander Zhou?
So, you no longer need the uniforms.
-Jie Zhao. -Here. -Reconnoiter again.
Why?
Even a Pl Leader of the puppet army
knows that I’ll revenge at the turret,
it is impossible that Takeshita will ignore it.
It is our fault to
make mistakes in the reconnaissance.
Let me check out again with 1st Squad.
OK.
1st Squad. Let’s go.
According to
the latest reconnaissance,
the stronghold we planned to attack
is normal in the surface.
After bypassing the stronghold,
we found that many Japs and puppet soldiers
were lurking by the road.
To avoid alerting the enemies,
we did not
reconnoiter closely at the firepower.
We just left our men there
to monitor their actions.
It is apparent from the reconnaissance
that Japs have laid an ambush.
That is to say
it is probably
that Japs know our combat plan.
Pl Leader, if Japs have an ambush,
how shall we win this combat?
Commander,
everything is ready.
Well done, Miyamoto.
Thanks for your praises.
It is my duty
to serve the Emperor.
Master,
I am wondering
if I may ask
why you are so sure
that Weiguo Zhou
will take a revenge at our turret.
Concerning the battle last night,
we don’t know the exactly casualties
of the Eighth Route Army.
But the report from the turret
suggested that the enemies had
5 light machine guns
and cartridges.
The turret was not severely damaged
because the enemies were at a distance.
Considering the equipment of the enemies,
it must be at least a unit at the Coy level
to have cartridges.
An attack from a company was beaten off.
I believe Weiguo suffered a great loss.
I know this man.
He will not swallow the loss without revenge,
just as a leopard will not change its spots.
If Weiguo will come himself,
it will save us a great trouble.
Miyamoto, don’t look down upon Weiguo.
We can’t afford any mistake when fighting him.
Master. You are too cautious.
The firepower of a turret
can rival a company of the Eighth Route Army.
Now, with more troops
from two neighboring strongholds,
we can assemble a whole detachment.
Plus, you are the commander yourself.
Even if
Weiguo will the lead the attack,
we will be the winner.
Miyamoto. Man proposes, God disposes.
Despite of a well-devised plan,
no one knows the results until the last minute.
They know we’ll attack, but it doesn’t follow
that they know the target of main attack.
If I were Takeshita,
I would assume the turret will be attacked.
It is because the turret is likely
to be the target for revenge.
Japs will naturally assume that
the main attack will be directed at the turret.
All of their arrangements
will be surrounding the turret.
What if our attack is aimed at another target?
Then Japs’ efforts will be in vain,
like striking at the cotton.
Yes.
What we are gonna do is to make a mess.
Make a big mess. From now on,
our troops will be divided into 4 units. The 1st
will make feint at the northeast stronghold.
2nd unit will feint at the turret in the north.
Master Zhu,
you will lead the 3nd unit.
-Make a feint in the west. -OK.
Pl Leader, these are all feints.
What will be the target for main attack?
If the enemy stays still, we will stay still.
If the enemy moves, we will move before him.
I will lead the 1st Coy-Led Squad
as the reserve troops.
After the battle begins,
we will know the target for main attack.
OK. Set out.
Do you think enemies will come tonight?
How do I know?
Then why should we lurk here
for over 4 hours?
Lurk there as you are told.
Even the Japanese are lying behind us.
What do you wanna do?
Squad Leader, we will suffer in vain
if Eighth Route Army does not come.
Shut up.
Do you want Eighth Route Army to come?
Do you think they can be easily defeated?
If Eighth Route Army does come,
I’ll let you charge first.
Master.
Something has gone wrong in Taifeng.
Three strongholds
in the first blockage line outside Hill Hutou,
that is strongholds No. 16, No. 17, and No. 18,
as well as stronghold No.10 in the second line,
were all attacked by Eight Route Army.
Since troops were transferred for the ambush,
strongholds No.16, No. 17, and No. 18,
these three strongholds
all ask for reinforcements.
There spots were attacked at the same time.
That means there was no main attack.
How tricky it was!
Weiguo,
I know you will not be fooled.
Master, as we don't know the target
for main attack, what shall we do?
We will wait and see.
Regt Commader, the feints showed
that strongholds in the north and northeast
were guarded by only about 20 men.
The puppet army by the road did not act.
Takeshita.
I appreciate your calmness.
Japs were not deceived, what shall we do next?
If that is the case, we will make a real attack.
Pass my order to the 1st and 2nd units
to turn from a feint to an attack after 40 mins
and capture all the turrets and strongholds
as soon as possible.
Also, ask people of the Cool Breeze Village
to withdraw after 40 mins.
And remember to set mines by the road.
As for the Japs lurking by the roadside,
let them continue to lie in ambush.
Regt Commander.
Why should we withdraw now?
We have captured two strongholds
and killed 40-50 Japs.
It’s a fruitful trip.
If we continue to attack,
it is hard to tell who will win.
Listen to me. Withdraw.
Yes.
Master, a quarter ago,
strongholds No.17 and No.18
reported
that the attack was getting fierce.
Five minutes ago,
they lost contact with the HQ.
Currently, we are trying to contact them.
There is no need to contact them anymore.
These strongholds have been captured.
Within 10 minutes,
we lost a stronghold and a turret.
It was so fast.
To capture two strongholds
in such a short time,
only the main force have this manpower.
Master,
please let the ambush launch an attack.
One careless move will lose the whole game.
We underestimated
the manpower of Hill Hutou to a great extent.
The detachment we have assembled
is not enough.
Let our people build a defense line
where they are in case of being attacked.
Master, don’t we attack?
Attack.
Miyamoto.
What is the target of attack?
According to Master Sun’s Art of War,
knowing the enemies is the secret of success.
Weiguo, this time you win.
I don’t know who will win in the next time.
After 9 days of mine removal,
with the deaths of 14 men,
the Instruction Bn and Engineer Coy
finally had a complete removal
of the mines in the base.
Life in Hill Hutou
is restored to peace.
But in the process of mine removal
and even in a fairly long time
after the removal,
units guarding Hill Hutou
continuously came into combat
with the Japs.
Expect for the few times
when the task force joined the battle,
the small squad of Japs
managed to retreat with ease
in every combat.
Now, all commanders are filled with anger.
Chief of Staff, the task force
makes a big difference in the combat.
So, all the Bn commanders wish
that every Bn be joined
by a squad of the Coy-Led Unit.
United, we'll gain high combat power.
Also,
since the secret troops of Takeshita
have exceedingly good penetration capability,
I suggest transferring troops from 3rd Coy,
1st Bn, the most powerful unit in the Regt.
The strengthened troops
and the task force
will be under the direct command of Weiguo
and make quick responses
to possible emergencies
in the base area.
-Reporting to duty. -Come in.
We’ve got a notice from higher authorities
that according to reliable intelligence,
the North China anti-Japan base will be subject
to a large-scale mop-up operation.
All base areas should be on guard.
OK.
As soon as Mr. Zhou comes back, we will
have a meeting with officers in Hill Hutou.
Miyamoto, please come in.
Commander,
Okamura has sent an order.
Read it
Takeshita.
Everyone in the front army
has great expectations for you.
However, the special troop
hasn’t made any accomplishments until now,
which is not in accordance with
the intention of building the special troop.
And you fail to fulfill your promise.
The Hill Hutou is but a small area,
yet it engages plenty of the imperial troops.
Although it doesn’t affect the overall situation,
it presents the risk of disrupting the order
of North China, if other places imitate.
Thus, the mop-up operations in Hill Hutou
should not be dismissed.
The special troop will be assigned new tasks
after destroying the base of Hutoushan.
I hope you will go all out to accomplish it.
I will welcome you in your triumphant return.
Good luck.
Commander Okamura Neji, IJA.
April 29th, 1942
Miyamoto, may I know
what is your opinion of the order?
I think
whereas the high-ranking commander
should decide on the overall strategy,
the commander at the front
is most familiar with the battlefield.
So, the commander at the front
should be given
the right of speech.
Sir,
please forgive my impoliteness.
In my humble opinion,
the order
of Commander Okamura
is making a storm in a teacup.
And as a front commander,
he does not have the right
to intervene with decisions
of a frontline commander.
Miyamoto,
please mind your wordings.
I’m just saying what I want to say.
Commander Okamura
doesn’t know troops in Hill Hutou.
Neither does he know Weiguo Zhou.
However, Master,
you, along with me
and the Brigadier Weiwen Jin,
knows the power of Weiguo Zhou.
Now that Commander Okamura
gave us the order,
I think the commando
must take actions soon.
All squads of the commando
have been continually
assaulting Hill Hutou.
Doesn't it mean we’ve already take actions?
The constant assaults
are just to gain more time.
The real attack has not begin.
Master, you mean...
Miyamoto,
how is the training of paratroopers?
There are 3 transport aircrafts in the airport,
so only 3 squads can be transferred at a time.
Three squads.
Then
just send Squad 1, 2, and 3.
Order them to be prepared
for parachute combat.
Yes.
Commander, Brigadier Weiwen Jin
wants to meet you in the HQ.
-OK. You may go. -Yes.
Why does Brigadier Jin
want to meet you?
It seems
that he has never invited me before.
The invitation is unusual. He must have
something important to discuss.
Miyamoto,
please come with me to the HQ.
Yes, sir.
Brigadier,
Takeshita and Miyamoto have arrived.
Let them come in, now.
Takeshita, Miyamoto,
I’m sorry I didn’t go out to invite you.
Please come in.
Takeshita, please.
It is good tea.
Takeshita seems to be an expert of tea.
The tea is from Hill Qingyuan,
and it bears a beautiful name,
Belle of Misty Rain. Look.
Every leaf is like
the eyebrow of a belle.
Hill Qingyuan has picturesque scenery.
Brigadier,
you have a profound knowledge of tea,
but when it comes to picturesque scenery,
Hill Qingyuan
cann’t rival with Hill Hutou.
Have you had a taste of
the newly-picked tea of Hill Hutou?
Miyamoto seems to have sipped
the tea of Hill Hutou.
Brigadier, you are mistaken.
Miyamoto means
if we work together,
we will have the tea from Hill Hutou
by next year.
Good. Good.
Then please assist me
to destroy the armed troops in Hill Hutou
and we will have tea together.
Chinese troops in Hill Hutou
can’t be destroyed within a single day.
You are right, Takeshita.
Weiguo Zhou
is especially difficult to deal with.
He is too sly.
I was wondering
why did you ask us to come here?
When the Stronghold Xiguan was captured,
there were over 100 boxes
of special smoke shells in the basement.
Special smoke shells.
These 100 boxes of smoke shells
were intended for the battle in winter.
It didn’t occur to us
that Stronghold Xiguan should be seized.
Now, these smoke shells
are in the hands of Eighth Route Army.
But according to the report of IJA in Laiyang,
after being captured,
all things in Stronghold Xiguan,
including the basement, were destroyed.
Unfortunately, I’m afraid that is not the truth.
Four months after the battle,
Japanese commanders in Taifeng & Qingyuan
respectively received a letter from the enemies,
which said explicitly
that over 100 boxes of special smoke shells
were in their hands.
Did they believe the letter of the enemies?
Accompanying the letter sent to them
was the smoke pipe of No.1 Yellow Smoke.
Brigadier,
does this matter have anything to do with
what you wanna discuss with us?
Takeshita. Please take a look at this.
Laiyang Combined Brigade will carry out
mop-up operations in Hill Hutou
before May 10th.
No.1 Red Smoke may be used, if necessary.
Commander of Japanese Army in North China,
Okamura Neji.
April 29th, 1942
Commander Okamura
allows me to use special smoke shells,
but Eighth Route Army has No.1 Yellow Smoke.
I’m terribly worried about this.
Brigadier, what do you wanna do?
I am wondering if it is possible
that you will lead the commando
to take actions before the attack.
I hope you will find out
where the No.1 Yellow Smoke is stored
and destroy the smoke shells
so as to prevent the Eighth Route Army
from revenging at the IJA.
I know it is not within my power
to give orders to your commando.
But for comrades of our country,
I solicit your help.
Brigadier. I would like to help.
Takeshita.
I know the danger and difficulty of the action.
We count on you.
Please give due consideration to the action.
Time is limited. Brigadier,
allow me to make preparations.
With the help of Takeshita,
we are sure to gain the victory.
This will be a turning point
in the battle in Hill Hutou
Help yourself to the tea.
Master,
why did you accept his request?
Our commando is not directly led by him.
I agreed to help for the safety of our comrades.
Even if he hadn’t sought our help,
we should shoulder the responsibility.
I see.
But Master, do you think
we are ready now?
Do you think
we will be allowed ample time for preparations?
That is just what I’m worried about.
Even if we are well-prepared,
how can we know where the Eighth Route Army
hides the smoke shells?
Our task is not merely to find and destroy
the special smoke shells.
More importantly,
we have to destroy the HQ in Village Zhao
and to render Eighth Route Army in chaos.
Master, which factors do you think
will affect the battle in Hill Hutou?
First of all,
Commander Okamura
will take actions against Eighth Route Army
in North China recently.
He
was famous for suppressing revolts
when he was the 2nd Regt Commander
and Deputy Chief of Staff in Kwantung Army.
I believe our troops will win this time,
giving the enemies in North China a big blow,
and threatening the troops
in Hill Hutou.
In addition,
it is our way of entering Hill Hutou.
Eighth Route Army won’t imagine
that we are not penetrating into the hill
through the mountain passes,
but coming down from the sky.
This means
the inaccessible mountain area will be a plain.
And we can make a relief map of the area
through aerial reconnaissance
of the airmen.
Miyamoto, you should be aware
that so far,
we haven’t gain any advantage
over Weiguo Zhou.
I see.
And thirdly,
do you know
why I chose
the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd squads
from the commando?
Master, it seems
that at the very beginning
you set high standards
for these three squads.
Thus, among the commando,
these three squads
have the best war power.
I think this is the reason
why you chose these three squads.
This is only part of the reason,
and it is not the main reason.
Please let me know the main reason.
The reason is that these three squads
are the best in spoken Chinese.
Master, do you wanna use the same scheme
once used by our enemies?
Weiguo, I wanna know whether
your special troops speak better Japanese
or my commandos speak better Chinese.
Mr. Zhou, Mr. Zhang, I’m back.
Oh, you are back.
-Where is Renjie Zhao. -He is in Village Zhao.
What? Why did he go to Village Zhao again?
Why is he going there so frequently?
He says that the elementary school is lacking in
teachers. He is there to take over the class.
Renjie is a respected Director.
Why does he wanna be a supply teacher?
I don’t think he really goes to Village Zhao
to teach the pupils.
What do you mean?
Nothing.
Please go on.
Weiguo.
I have to talk to you.
Go ahead.
It is about Yi Chen and you.
You can’t do nothing about it.
We will talk about it later.
I think it is because of Yi
that Renjie goes to Village Zhao.
At this time,
I think you...
Chu, I appreciate your kindness.
But I really don’t think
it is the right time
to talk about these matters.
We’ll wait until the end of the war.
Oh.
I saw you two gesticulating over
the sand table when I entered the room.
Are you planning for a new action?
Recently, Japs’ scout planes have been
circling around us.
I am unsettled.
There is nothing we can do.
If you give me two ack-acks,
I’ll get the airplanes down.
If you gave me 100 task forces,
I’d catch the Emperor of Japan.
You are talking nonsense.
Thank God it’s just the scout plane.
If it were bombers, we will be in great trouble.
Even the ack-acks
shouldn't be ignored.
Bad news.
Japs attacked central Hebei.
Intelligence says that Okamura Neji
assembled over 50 thousand troops,
and he was in command
of the mop-up operations.
Since our main force failed to break out of the
encirclement, we are very passive now.
Mechanized troops and armored forces
were engaged in the plain to fight against us.
Our troops in central Hebei suffered losses.
Mr. Zhou, you were right.
Over 50 thousand Japs are in combat.
Japs are determined to destroy us this time.
So, the aerial reconnaissance
of the Japanese air force
is part of the plot.
Chu Zhang,
go to Village Zhao with a company
and tell Director Zhang and Yi Chen
to transfer the villagers. -Yes.
Report on the landing.
All the 12 men of 1st Squad
have landed safely and assembled.
All the 12 men
of the 2nd Squad have landed safely
and assembled.
How about the 3rd Squad?
11 men of the 3rd Squad have landed.
One man is missing.
It was seen
that after jumping out of the airplane,
his parachute didn’t open properly.
Have you found his body?
The 2nd Squad is now searching for it.
How can you
find a corpse in the mountain ranges?
And we don’t have much time.
Pass my order to cancel the search.
-Come back immediately. -Yes.
Four miles to our north
is a small village.
If we go northward for another 8 to 9 km,
we will arrive at the first target of this action
Village Zhao.
I know
all of you are elites in the Imperial Army,
but I wanna remind you
that we are in the interior of Hill Hutou
as an isolated force without support.
We are to be faced with
a well-trained troop
with much greater manpower.
And there is also a commando in our enemies,
which has similar combat capacity.
So, you should
take your opponents seriously
and try to avoid mistakes,
for a single mistake
may lead to the failure of our plan
and endanger
the life of your teammates.
-Clear? -Clear.
Change your equipment. Bury the parachute.
Set out 10 minutes later.
The destination is Village Zhao. -Yes.
Attention.
Eyes right.
At ease.
Eyes front.
At ease.
Regt Commander. Commissar.
Instruction Coy found a corpse
in the woods near Village Xietang.
We thought it was uncommon,
so I brought the corpse here.
Please take a look at it.
-Let’s go. -Yes.
Regt Commander, Commissar. Look.
Were these things found with the corpse?
Yes. Many things looked weird.
We found them peculiar,
so I brought them here.
The Japanese.
Why is he in Village Xietang
dressed in our uniforms?
Has any plane of Japs flown across
Village Xietang since yesterday?
Yes. This morning
we heard the noise of Japs’ aircraft.
It was unusual. It was a big noise.
The plane seemed to be flying at a low level.
There seemed to be more than one planes.
With parachutes
and with disguises,
you are really smart.
Mr. Zhou, what are you talking about?
Takeshita’s commando has entered the hill.
What? In the hill?
What don't we even know about it?
It is because they didn’t come from the pass,
but from the sky.
The sky?
You makes me confused.
Look at this.
It...
Is it a parachute?
The noise heard by our men
was not made by a reconnaissance aircraft
but by a transport aircraft.
Judging from the dead body,
when he jumped off,
the parachute didn’t open at all,
so he smashed against the ground.
Mr. Zhou, what shall we do?
-Assemble 3rd Coy and Coy-Led Unit. -Yes.
Sir, Village Xietang is not far from Village Zhao,
which might be Japs’s target.
And it is probable
that this action is led by Takeshita.
I have to lead the combat against him myself.
You will guard Village Yang.
Be careful. If necessary,
you may transfer. -OK.
The Coy-Led Unit and 3rd Coy
are assembled at the entrance of the Village.
Mr. Zhou, be careful.
You too.
Set out.
1st Squad, get in secretly.
Yes.
2nd and 3rd Squad,
surround the village.
-Provide cover. -Yes.
Regt Commander,
this is the place
where the Jap’s body was found.
Jie Zhao.
Dozens of people in Japs’ task force
might have come.
Dozens of people.
Since they landed in Village Xietang,
the target must be Village Zhao.
Yes.
I think so.
Villagers and local govern were transferred.
Japs’ attack will be in vain.
These Japs can’t be underestimated.
I am afraid
they will discover
the transferred county gcovernment.
You are right.
The top priority
is to figure out the number of the Japs,
And we should be on the alert to keep the Japs
from sending more troops from above.
Regt Commander, how can we find out
how many Japs came here?
Is there an open field nearby?
Yes. It is 300 meters to the north.
Divide our people into groups of 6.
Set out to search. -Yes.
Regt Commander, I’ve found something.
Parachutes.
-Dig it out. Count the numbers. -Yes.
-Come with me. -Yes.
Regt Commander, we've found 36 parachutes.
-Messenger. -Yes. -Inform the Commissar
36 Japs have come into the mountain.
Let him pass the order
to all units, squads, and militia
to watch out for a troop
of over 30 men or 10 men
wearing brand-new uniforms of our army.
Intercept the troop on detection. Clear.
-Jie Zhao. -Here.
Assemble 3rd Coy and Coy-Led Unit.
Set out to Village Zhao.
Yes. Set out.