Lijiatun

June 10, the twenty-sixth year of the Republic of China. Beiping, headquarters of the 29th Army. Song Zheyuan, the army commander, had not slept all night. A pile of charred cigarette butts littered his square office desk. Worn down by two agonizing days, his face shone with grease, his spirit thoroughly depleted. About a fist's width to the right of the cigarette butts lay two stacked telegrams. On the morning of the ninth, Kimura Kuro, commander of the Japanese China Garrison Army, had arrived on his doorstep, demanding to discuss railway construction and coal mining in Hebei with the 29th Army, expressing his hope for "continued sincere cooperation." The first telegram was titled "Draft Plan for the Southern Hebei Railway Network Construction," sent by Kimura Kuro himself from the China Garrison Army headquarters. Although they had held earnest face-to-face talks the day before, Song Zheyuan had deferred his response on the pretext that matters of major military and political affairs required convening a conference. By evening, the telegram had arrived as expected, once again backing Song Zheyuan into a corner with no way out. What gave him an even worse headache was the second telegram, which came from Nanjing. Nanjing was adamantly opposed to allowing the Japanese military to pursue development in southern Hebei. The dispatch sent to Song Zheyuan was sharp and uncompromising: "It is expected that you will put the nation first; not an inch of Beiping-Tianjin may be surrendered to others." It hung over him like a crushing weight, suffocating him. How could he not understand that these were sovereign issues brooking no compromise? Yet, feeling deeply aggrieved, resentment often welled within him. Why hadn't Nanjing made a peep when the Northeast was lost? Why hadn't Nanjing made a peep when Rehe fell? Why was it that when it came to Beiping and Tianjin, simply agreeing to let the Japanese lay some railway tracks made Song Zheyuan a traitor selling out the nation, a damned warlord? Song Zheyuan was besieged by frustration. If he refused the Japanese demands, the territory he had painstakingly nurtured might face total destruction. If he agreed, public opinion nationwide would nail him irrevocably to the pillar of shame. *** Zhaojiazhuang. The truth behind the actions of the Northern Hebei Peace Preservation Regiment had largely been uncovered. Last week's grain-seizing campaign had indeed been instigated by the Japanese military—a sweeping operation carried out in close coordination. Only a handful of villages and towns falling within the protective umbrella of regular army garrisons had managed to escape unscathed. After a week of relentless searching, the reconnaissance platoon finally sent back word: the puppet troops had concentrated all their stolen grain in Lijiatun. Another piece of welcome news for Sun Yi's regiment was a recent reshuffle of defense assignments in the Beiping-Tianjin area. The 219th Regiment's other two battalions, originally stationed at Changxindian and Dawangmiao, had also returned to regimental headquarters. Today, Zhaojiazhuang was a scene of bustling activity. "Brothers, division headquarters' order is simple: wipe out this supply depot." Inside the command post, Sun Yi finally felt like a regimental commander again. Over the past few months, he had often had only a single battalion commander and two staff officers by his side. A moment like today, surrounded by his battalion and company commanders, was precious indeed. Perhaps because of the crowd, the command post, set up in the central hall of the township office, felt somewhat cramped. Zhu Shiqing and Fang Wenjian did not push forward, choosing instead to transcribe notes in the second row. "Everyone, speak up. Let's see how we should fight this battle." Sun Yi carefully fished out a half-empty case of dry tobacco cigarettes from a cloth pocket on the front left of his collar, tapped out a cigarette or two, and handed them to the three battalion commanders flanking him. He looked over toward Zhu Shiqing in the distant corner and was just about to raise his hand when he caught the young man's polite look of refusal. Slipping the cigarette case neatly back into his pocket, he cracked a smile and chuckled, "I don't have much tobacco to go around, so I'll let your battalion commanders have first draw. I can't afford to treat everyone, haha!" Sun Yi's brand of northern humor often defused tense moments, making those around him feel he was easy to get along with. 3rd Battalion Commander Tan Hai was the key figure responsible for the search mission at hand. As Sun Yi finished speaking, Tan rose slowly to his feet. Setting the cigarette Sun had offered onto the table, he took down the map of North China that had hung at the front of the command post and spread it before everyone. "Look here, everyone. According to our reconnaissance, the unit guarding Lijiatun is a reinforced battalion of the Northern Hebei Peace Preservation Regiment, roughly five hundred men strong. At Zhangwan, northeast of Lijiatun, there is another puppet battalion, forming a mutually supporting flank with Lijiatun." Zhu Shiqing jotted down Tan Hai's description in his notebook. According to the reconnaissance, combined with the North China map—which was not necessarily precise—Lijiatun lay due south of Zhaojiazhuang. To facilitate transportation, the puppet forces had chosen Lijiatun, situated right along the Jinnan Highway. Zhu Shiqing narrowed his eyes, studying the unfolded map. If the layout was accurate, Lijiatun was at least forty li from Zhaojiazhuang. "I've been to Lijiatun once," 1st Battalion Commander Xiang Chengyu tapped the Jinnan Highway on the map and looked around at the officers. "The terrain of Lijiatun isn't complicated. It sits on the east side of the main road, with crop fields running along both flanks of the Jinnan Highway. The village itself is narrow at both ends and wide in the middle. The entrance only allows a single vehicle through at a time, but the interior opens up considerably." "If that's the case, driving in from the front won't be easy," Sun Yi said, propping his chin with his right hand and scratching at his stubble with his forefinger as he pondered. "We'd be making a long-distance assault without heavy siege equipment. If the enemy seals the village entrance, our casualties will be steep." From the perspective of tactical cost-effectiveness, Zhu Shiqing believed that besieging the post to strike at reinforcements was the best course. Lijiatun was shaped like an oval; frontal assault forces would struggle to deploy effectively and could not achieve firepower superiority. Pushing into the settlement risked dragging them into the quagmire of street-to-street combat. "We don't necessarily have to annihilate all the puppet troops in Lijiatun." Fang Wenjian, standing beside Zhu Shiqing, came up with an idea and chimed in, "Lijiatun is easy to defend and hard to attack, situated deep in the enemy's defense zone. Once fighting starts, their reinforcements will arrive quickly. If our troops get bogged down, we won't even be able to secure our retreat. "Perhaps we could launch a feint at Zhangwan to lure out part of the puppet force from Lijiatun. Then we split our main force into two: one unit lays an ambush along the route between Lijiatun and Zhangwan to intercept the relieving puppet troops, while the other waits for their forces to march out and immediately storms Lijiatun's northern entrance. "At the same time, we send in a demolition squad to slip straight into the grain depot and set it ablaze, with our outer troops providing covering fire. If the attack goes smoothly, we take Lijiatun outright; if our advance is checked, we can still hold the village entrance to cover the demolition team's extraction." Fang Wenjian's plan was not without merit, but the crucial point was that the puppet forces had to commit at least a company to reinforce Zhangwan; otherwise, breaking through a reinforced battalion would still prove difficult. Listening to the idea, Sun Yi seemed torn between approval and doubt. "It's a way forward, but what if the puppet troops dig in and refuse to come out?" Fang Wenjian smiled faintly and gestured toward Zhangwan's position on the map, adding, "From the enemy's standpoint, Zhangwan covers Lijiatun's flank. Moreover, right behind Zhangwan lies Tongxian. According to intelligence sent back to regimental headquarters over the past few days, most of the puppet troops in Tongxian have been transferred west of the Yongding River, leaving it practically empty." "So those traitors wouldn't dare ignore Zhangwan," Sun Yi finished the thought, then burst into hearty laughter. "A fine idea! If they really turtle up in Lijiatun and refuse to budge, we'll take Zhangwan and drive straight toward Tongxian! Let's see if they dare sit on their hands then!" His piece said, Fang Wenjian sat down with a touch of pride, glancing at Zhu Shiqing as if waiting for his praise. Zhu Shiqing gave him full face, nodding in evident approval. Feeling that words were also in order, he said in a low voice, "Wenjian, when it comes to having both courage and cunning in our Staff Corps, you certainly take the prize." Fang Wenjian fought back a grin, his heart already bursting with delight. Still, Zhu Shiqing believed the plan remained somewhat unpolished, with many blind spots and vulnerabilities left in the details. "Staff Officer Zhu, I'll trouble you two to hammer out a concrete plan for me tonight," Sun Yi said, turning an expectant look toward Zhu Shiqing. "We need to wipe out this Lijiatun as soon as possible." Zhu Shiqing did not hesitate and agreed at once.