Snowfield Fangs
Volume 3, Chapter 10
Gu Tieshan's guerrilla tactics were like a constantly swung, blunt knife—not deadly, but it made the Japanese uneasy. However, both he and Political Commissar Yang knew that such harassment could not fundamentally reverse the tide of the war. The massive machine of the Japanese "iron wall encirclement" continued to operate slowly but steadily, and the pressure on the front lines was increasing daily. To break the deadlock, they needed more crucial intelligence—the Japanese army's next operational plan, troop deployment, and even the movements of its command center.
On a snowy night, the atmosphere inside the brigade command post was heavy. The flames in the charcoal brazier flickered, illuminating the increasingly faded map on the wall.
"Headquarters has relayed intelligence that the Japanese have set up a forward command post at 'Zhangdiyingzi,' between Heihe and Huma, to coordinate the actions of these two Japanese forces." Political Commissar Yang pointed to a location marked with a red circle on the map. "It is said that not only are there operations staff inside, but some encrypted operational orders and maps may also be stored there."
Zhangdiyingzi was originally a small village with a few dozen households. Now it has been forcibly occupied by the Japanese army, and the villagers have either been driven away or killed. The terrain there is relatively flat, but it is close to the mountains and forests, making it easy to attack but difficult to defend. It was precisely for this reason that the Japanese army chose this place to set up a temporary command post to facilitate communication with the front line.
“This is an opportunity, but also a trap.” Gu Tieshan stared at the map, his eyes sharp. “The Japanese deliberately set up their command post in this kind of place, which may well be an attempt to lure us into a trap.”
“But what’s inside is too important,” Shen Lanjun said. She had just deciphered a fragment of an intercepted Japanese military telegram, which showed that the Japanese were planning a new operation codenamed “Awakening of Insects.” The specific details were unknown, but the target was clear and the threat was enormous. “If we can get their codebook or operational orders, we can seize the initiative.”
Silence fell inside. The wind and snow lashed against the wooden windows, making a howling sound.
"I'll go." Gu Tieshan's voice broke the silence, calm yet undeniable.
"Chief of Staff, this is too dangerous!" a battalion commander couldn't help but dissuade him. "Although Zhangdiyingzi is not a core fortress, the garrison has at least one company, and there are many strongholds around it. Once we get caught..."
“It’s precisely because they think we wouldn’t dare to go that we have a chance of success.” Gu Tieshan interrupted him, his thoughts clear. “With heavy snow blocking the mountains and freezing temperatures, the Japanese will be less vigilant. We are outnumbered and a small target; we can use the weather as cover, so we have a chance.”
He looked at Political Commissar Yang and Shen Lanjun: "I need an absolutely elite squad, no more than ten people. They will only carry guns, daggers, ropes, and explosives. The objective is not to annihilate the garrison, but to infiltrate, gather intelligence, and then quickly withdraw."
Political Commissar Yang pondered for a long time before finally slamming his hand on the table: "Alright! We'll do it your way! You'll personally select the personnel! Whatever you need, the detachment will provide full support!"
Shen Lanjun didn't speak, but walked to Gu Tieshan's side and stuffed a small, tightly wrapped object in oilcloth into his hand—it was one of the few miniature cameras and a few rolls of film that had been seized earlier. "Be careful." A thousand words were condensed into just these two.
Gu Tieshan gave her a deep look and then carefully hid the camera close to his body.
He selected seven people: Xiao Chen, two veterans from the 29th Army, three of the best-skilled anti-Japanese guerrilla fighters, and a guide who had hunted near Zhangdiyingzi and was familiar with the local terrain. Including himself, there were eight people in total.
The next evening, the wind and snow intensified. The world was a vast expanse of white, with visibility extremely low. Eight people, draped in white cloths and their faces smeared with soot, moved silently like ghosts across the snowfield, leaving the camp and heading towards the death-shrouded snowfield.
The journey was far more arduous than they had imagined. Knee-deep snow severely hampered their progress, and the biting wind scraped against their exposed skin like knives. Every step consumed immense energy. Gu Tieshan led the way, using a wooden stick to probe the path and avoid potential snow pits and crevasses. He had to conserve his strength for the battle that lay ahead.
After a whole night and half a day, they finally made their way to Zhangdiyingzi with the help of a guide. The village was deathly silent. Antennas stood on the roofs of a few large mud-brick houses, and sentries stood at the doorways, holding guns and pacing back and forth with their necks hunched over. Clearly, the awful weather was also making life miserable for the Japanese soldiers.
Gu Tieshan lay prone behind a snow-covered slope outside the village, carefully observing through binoculars. The command post was located in the tallest brick and stone building, which might have originally been an ancestral hall. The antenna extended from there. There were two fixed sentry posts at the entrance, and patrol teams occasionally passed through the village, about every half hour.
"We can't wait until night. The wind and snow are too strong, making it even more difficult to move at night and increasing the risk of getting lost," Gu Tieshan said in a low voice. "Let's strike now, when they're most relaxed."
The plan was quickly formulated. Two snipers (both veterans with the best marksmanship) occupied high ground outside the village, responsible for eliminating fixed sentries and suppressing any patrols that might appear. Gu Tieshan personally led Xiao Chen and three other assault soldiers to infiltrate the command post from the side and rear of the village, using the houses and snow as cover. The guide and another soldier provided support from the outside.
"action!"
At Gu Tieshan's command, the two snipers disappeared silently, as if blending into the snow.
Gu Tieshan made a hand gesture, and the five men, like cats in the snow, crouched low and, using the wind and falling snow as cover, quickly maneuvered towards the side and rear of the village. The thick snow absorbed the sound of their footsteps.
The defenses behind the village were indeed much lax. They easily scaled a low earthen wall and infiltrated the village. Following the route they had memorized, they avoided the occasional patrols and quickly approached the ancestral hall.
At the entrance of the ancestral hall, two sentries were huddled together, shivering as they lit cigarettes and grumbling about the weather.
"Pfft!" "Pfft!"
Two extremely faint gunshots, almost drowned out by the sound of the wind and snow, came from outside the village. The two sentries jolted violently, collapsing to the ground without uttering a sound, each with a small red dot on their forehead.
"Go!" Gu Tieshan shouted, and the five men rushed to the entrance of the ancestral hall. Xiao Chen used a dagger to pry open the loose door latch, and the men slipped inside.
The interior of the ancestral hall had been renovated. In the center stood several tables pushed together, covered with maps and scattered with documents. A radio was operating in a corner, with a Japanese communications soldier wearing headphones, his back to them. Two other Japanese soldiers, who appeared to be officers, were warming themselves around a brazier. Hearing the noise, they turned around in surprise.
"Eight..." An officer had barely uttered half a word when Gu Tieshan's dagger flew out like lightning, accurately piercing his throat! Before another officer could even draw his gun, he was tackled to the ground by Xiao Chen and another soldier, who ended his life with a dagger.
The communications soldier frantically removed his headset, about to make a move, when Gu Tieshan pressed the muzzle of his gun against the back of his head. "Don't move!" The cold Japanese words instantly froze the communications soldier.
"Quickly! Gather all documents! Maps! Codebooks!" Gu Tieshan ordered urgently, pointing his gun at the communications soldier.
Xiao Chen and his soldiers immediately sprang into action, stuffing all the documents and maps on the table into their waterproof bags. Gu Tieshan strode over to the radio, his gaze sweeping over the work log and a black-covered booklet beside it—the Japanese army's temporary codebook!
He grabbed the codebook and stuffed it into his pocket. At the same time, he noticed a telegram on the table that had only been partially translated, titled "Preparatory Order for Operation Jingzhe"! He immediately took out his miniature camera and quickly snapped photos of the telegram and the map on the table.
Just then, a flurry of footsteps and shouts in Japanese came from outside! Clearly, the body had been discovered!
"Withdraw!" Gu Tieshan didn't hesitate. He knocked the communications soldier unconscious with the butt of his rifle and ordered a retreat.
The five men rushed out of the ancestral hall, just as the village alarm was sounding shrilly! Gunfire came from the direction of the village entrance; snipers on the outskirts were exchanging fire with Japanese troops who had rushed to the scene!
"Follow the planned route, let's go!" Gu Tieshan took the lead, running with the four men towards the designated evacuation point behind the village. Bullets whizzed past them, hitting the walls and the snow.
The guides and soldiers responsible for the rendezvous arrived in time and temporarily slowed down the pursuers with grenades. The eight men reunited and plunged into the boundless primeval forest and snowfield outside the village.
Behind them, the shouts and gunshots of the Japanese soldiers grew fainter and fainter, eventually being swallowed up by the howling wind and snow.
They succeeded. With the captured documents, codebooks, and crucial photographs, like a lone wolf baring its fangs on a snowy plain, they accomplished an almost impossible mission, gaining a precious head start in the coming, even more brutal "Awakening of Insects."
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