Wei Yinlai, deputy captain of the Tanliang Self-Defense Force, heard that someone saw that Qin Xiangmei had returned to Qin Jiawang's home. Wei Yin thought about it, catching her was not only as simple as being able to catch a guerrilla, but more importantly, he could also get the situation inside the guerrillas and the whereabouts of other guerrillas from her mouth. So, he immediately took seven or eight people to Qin Jiawang to arrest Qin Xiangmei.

Since Xiangmei returned home, Qin Zhihao has not let Xiangmei leave Qin's house for half a step. First, "there is no impermeable wall", sooner or later people outside will know the news of the road, and rumors will go out, and the Self-Defense Forces will come to find trouble; Second, he wanted to take this opportunity to discipline his precious daughter well, so as not to cause any big trouble in the future. He didn't want to lose his precious daughter. From childhood to adulthood, Xiangmei is the pearl of his palm, holding it in the palm of his hand, as if he is afraid of melting away, he never beats or scolds, and gives whatever he wants. When you encounter disobedience, it's a big deal to close it for a few days. But she always secretly found a way to slip away. Alas! He really doesn't have any good plans for this daughter, he just hopes that she won't have any accidents, and living well is his greatest hope and comfort. In order to ensure the safety of his daughter, it is worth fighting for his life. So, he sent more than a dozen family members to guard the courtyard of the Qin family day and night, preventing outsiders from stepping into the Qin family.

Wei Yinlai and seven or eight of his men came to the gate of Qin's house. This gate of the Qin family is really magnificent! Two very thick vermilion doors opened inward, and on each of them there was a flat bronze lion the size of a bowl and plate, inlaid in the door, and the lion wore a large copper ring at its nostrils, which was scratched orange and yellow. These scarlet, bronze lions, and brass rings are all used to ward off demons and exorcise demons, and only rich families with illustrious backgrounds can afford to use them. On the bluestone steps, the doorposts on both sides are carved with large stones. The door is carved with a dragon and a phoenix, and the blue plaque below is neatly written: Qin Jia. The two sides are connected by a tall and thick gray courtyard wall. The spirit of this mansion shows the luxury of the Qin family for generations. Wei Yinlai didn't care too much, he only wanted to catch Xiangmei, a communist, and led people to break in, but was stopped by the guards at the door.

"Hey! Who dares to break into the Qin family and don't want to die? The two men guarding the gate set up their guns and blocked the way.

"Yo! Dare to block Lao Tzu's way, do you know who Lao Tzu is? Wei Yinlai took the box gun and tapped the heads of the two.

"I don't care who you are, without the order of my master, even if the king of heaven comes, don't even think about going in." Seeing that the other party only had seven or eight guns, the two family members were not afraid.

"Get out of the way! Don't let Lao Tzu collapse you again. Wei Yin said, waved his gun at the captain of the detachment, Liu Da, and everyone pushed the two aside and rushed into the courtyard together.

"Who ate the gall of a leopard and dared to break into my Qin family?" As soon as the words fell, more than a dozen armed men had already surrounded Wei Yinlai and them. Under the many guns, Wei Yinlai had to soften.

"We are the Self-Defense Forces."

"Oh! It turned out to be Captain Wei of the Self-Defense Forces, why did you bring so many people to the Qin family? The middle man was dressed in gentleman's attire and wore a melon-skin hat, and a large pipe in his mouth, and he breathed smoke, and spoke unhurriedly.

"Qin Zhihao, we came to arrest the communists on the orders of the superiors."

"What Qin Zhihao? No big or small, you have to call me uncle, I think back then, when your father was alive, he and I were still brothers, and your mother and I are also very familiar, I don't believe you go back and ask your mother. Qin Zhihao said disdainfully, "Who are you going to arrest when you come to my Qin family?" Qin Zhihao asked knowingly.

"Arrest the communist Qin Xiangmei,"

"Who is Qin Xiangmei? She is not only my daughter, but also your sister, you go and ask your grandma and your deceased Abba, will they let you arrest her? Even if they agree, my Qin family's dozen guns will not agree. Besides, it's not your turn to speak in this area. If you mess around, I guarantee you won't be able to get out of Qin Jiawang. Besides, even if my daughter is a communist guerrilla, it is only a small step, what use do you want her? Do you have the ability to catch the bandit leader Hou Liang to show me? ”

Wei Yinlai was very unconvinced, and he was hard, and there was not enough manpower. While hesitating, the detachment leader Liu Da was weak-hearted, afraid that he would miss the gun, so he gave Qingqing his life, so he whispered in Wei Yinlai's ear: "Captain, as the saying goes, 'A good man doesn't suffer immediate losses', it's not okay to clamp hard, let's withdraw." Wei Yinlai didn't dare to come hard, he originally wanted to make a surprise attack, and he would leave after arresting someone, but he didn't expect this old fox to be on guard, so he had no choice but to go.

"Let's withdraw!" Wei Yinlai and his gang withdrew from the Qin family's compound and left Qin Jiawang in a gloomy manner under the threat of the guns of more than a dozen black holes.

Since Xiangmei returned home, she was locked in the house by her father, and there was a family outside who was strictly guarded, not to mention going out of the yard, it was very difficult to even get out of the house. She knew that her father was doing it for her good. This Self-Defense Force ran to her house twice in three days, asking her father for someone, and wandering around at the gate of her compound without any trouble, which is really worrying, if she goes out, she will be arrested by the boys of the Self-Defense Force, how can this be lived? Stay at home all day, after a long time, you will suffocate people to death. Besides, what are you going to do? The guerrillas were dispersed, and there was no news of them, and they did not know where to find them. Su Cheng's death hit her too hard. Day and night of longing and the days of washing her face with tears, she could not get out of the painful torment, her innocent and naughty smile was gone, the tenderness and fiery taste were gone, and her intelligent eyes became dull and dull. In her world, her faith was frustrated, and what was worse was that in her youth in the flowering season, when her love was budding, and she was full of yearning and expectation for love, her love was gone, and her sweetheart was like a gust of wind, blowing towards heaven, disappearing without a trace, leaving no words. She felt like she was living every day. From time to time, she either lies in bed all day long, or sits in the house, motionless, for a long time, fantasizing about the day when Su Cheng's brother flapped the wings of an angel and took her to a mountain full of flowers, a cottage made of flowers, a quiet and serene fairyland, no one disturbed the fairyland, and live happily together...... What a beautiful world it is! She had been dreaming like this, sluggish, like a living corpse......

Qin Zhihao saw his daughter's current situation in his eyes and hurt in his heart, and persuaded him many times but with little effect. On this day, he called Xiangmei to her mother's spiritual seat, added some incense to the incense burner, and said to Xiangmei, "Daughter! Come and burn incense for your grandma. With tears in her eyes, Xiangmei lit the incense, stepped forward and kowtowed to the grandmother's tablet three times, inserted the incense into the incense burner, and then stepped aside, just wiping her tears. Qin Zhihao looked at his daughter with loving eyes and said: "Daughter, we are just one of your daughters, your eldest brother rarely comes back in the county, on weekdays, Abba doesn't care enough about you, and he doesn't understand his daughter's heart, if only your grandma was here, you wouldn't be what you are today." Alas! It's all Abba's fault, you shouldn't be locked up at home, and when the wind outside is not so tight, I'll let you out, and you can do whatever you want. You have to live well and live happily, otherwise, how will I face your dead mother! ”

"Abba......" Xiangmei threw herself into Abba's arms and just cried. Qin Zhihao touched his daughter's head, blaming himself for knowing how to lock up his daughter on weekdays to prevent her from causing trouble and accidents, and lacking care for her, making her feel that there is no warmth in this home, and it is not interesting to stay at home. His father is incompetent! However, he really didn't understand his daughter's heart. When her daughter is older, she not only has this family in her heart, but also her own world, her own beliefs, her own love, and even her own home...... This is her own world.

A family member came running to report: "Master! The eldest prince is back. Qin Zhihao was overjoyed when he heard his son come back: "Please come here!" ”

"Yes! Master. As soon as the family went out, a person came in outside the door. The man wore a top hat, a plaid shirt, a pair of white summer trousers, and a pair of white leather shoes. The person who came was Qin Zhihao's eldest son Qin Shouye.

"Abba, sister, you're all here." Qin Shouye lit three incense sticks, knelt down three times, stood up, and stepped forward to insert the incense into the incense burner.

"Shouye, you're back?"

"Big brother!" Two words popped out of Xiangmei's mouth, lowered her head, and said no more.

"Hey, what's wrong with this sister today? The face is so ugly, is it sick? On weekdays, as soon as the eldest brother and I come back, like a little swallow, fly over, ask this and that, and pester, today is really abnormal. Qin Shouye asked puzzled.

"If you don't come back, your sister will become a dead swallow, so please persuade her quickly."

"Sister, didn't you join the guerrillas, why are you at home?" Qin Shouye asked, but Xiangmei did not answer. "Oh, I heard that the security regiment and the self-defense corps are encircling and suppressing the '**', and the guerrillas were beaten badly, did you run back?" There is no need for Xiangmei to answer, he thinks that this is the case, it is good to be able to pick up a life and come back. Seeing my sister's sluggish appearance, I want to enlighten my brother, after all, I am my own sister, out of Abba, I don't care who else cares?

"Sister, don't be sad, the victory or defeat of your guerrillas is a temporary matter, I heard in the county town that the People's Liberation Army has reached Hunan, and it will soon enter Guangxi. We are so close to Hunan, you think that the liberation here will be sooner or later. So, don't be discouraged. I heard that the Xiangguixi Guerrilla Corps in Beijiang County next door even the county seat was defeated, and soon after, the guerrillas in our county will be able to do the same. Qin Shouye patted his sister on the shoulder and encouraged: "I believe that you guerrillas will be able to do it." ”

"Really, you're not going to bluff me happy, are you?" Xiangmei was skeptical. Because, she didn't know what the world outside the Dao was like, what she knew was that she had just experienced a series of brutal battles, and what floated in front of her was the face of Zhang Zhang's once fresh life, and the face of his comrades who were brutally killed by the enemy at the end, including the face of Su Cheng who could never be erased. However, she finally saw hope again, in the future when her comrades died, the red flag of victory will be planted on every hillside of Tanliang, like a mountain full of red and bright flowers, to comfort every heroic soul who sacrificed their precious lives for the liberation of Tanliang, so that they can rest in peace as soon as possible.

"It's true! This is the unstoppable tide of history, and you can't help but want it. ”

's words made Xiangmei's mood gradually improve a lot. Qin Zhihao and Qin Shouye smiled heartily, and Xiangmei's face finally had a hint of a smile, a smile that she hadn't seen in so many days......

"Shouye, what's the matter with coming back this time?"

"That's right, because I worked well in Nanliang County Commercial Bank, I was discovered by Longcheng Head Office, and decided to transfer me to work in the head office, and I will go to work in two days. So, come back and say to you, so as not to worry. There will be fewer chances of coming back in the future, Abba, there is no one around to take care of you, you have to take care of yourself. ”

"You go about your business, don't worry about me, my body is very tough."

The three of them talked and laughed, talked about family life, and it was a rare moment for the family to get together......

Beipo Village is located in the north of Tanliang Town and Liangyou Town, about 20 kilometers away, and the two towns form a three-legged momentum, which is the final gathering place of the Tanliang Guerrilla Brigade's anti-encirclement and suppression plan. The strategic location here is exceptional. If you enter, you can return to the Tanliang area and restore the lost territory, and if you retreat, you can enter the Dayao Mountain area, which has countless mountains, and persist in the revolutionary struggle. At the same time, it is convenient to gather here the guerrillas from all walks of life who have been scattered by the enemy in the process of counter-encirclement and suppression. The terrain around this village is relatively flat, and there is a small river in front of the village that flows in the direction of Tanliang Town. The river is not deep, crystal clear, the small fish are clearly visible, leisurely, sometimes in groups of pairs, sometimes scattered everywhere, sometimes hanging in the water in contemplation, not moving, sometimes the group of fish blow up, go quickly, hide in the aquatic weeds, instantly there is nothing in the water, surprised and wondering, suddenly find that the fish reappear in the water, frolicking and playing, as if nothing has happened.

The guerrillas were stationed in the village ancestral hall. The personnel led by Hou Liang arrived here first, and soon after, Qin Gang and Yang Ruping's teams also withdrew here, and some of the scattered team members arrived individually or in twos and threes. Hou Liang sent a guard post to the surroundings, especially in the direction of Tanliang and Liangyou, to strengthen the vigilance to prevent the enemy from encircling and suppressing it. After the troops settled down, the guerrilla brigade convened a meeting of leaders at and above the squadron level to focus on analyzing the current situation of the struggle, summing up the lessons and lessons of the struggle since the anti-encirclement and suppression, and studying the plan for the next step.

"Convene a meeting today to analyze the situation, sum up lessons and lessons, and see what to do with the troops in the next step." Hou Liang took out the cigarette case, rolled a horn barrel as he spoke, held it in his mouth, struck a match, lit the horn, shook the unburned match twice in the air, extinguished the fire, threw the match stem on the ground, and then, held the horn barrel between the thumb and index finger of his left hand, took a deep breath, and slowly spit out the cigarette. His heart was really panicked, and he really wanted to take a few puffs to relieve the evil breath in his heart. Since the anti-encirclement and suppression, his heart has never been relaxed, along the way, he seems to be always trapped by something, sometimes he is overwhelmed, and he always wants to tear off the things on his body, but he can't pull it away. Fighting all the way, he didn't know whether the enemy was too strong, or he had no way to command, causing the troops to be beaten passively and suffered heavy losses, until now, there are still many comrades who have been scattered, and they have not yet returned to the team, including their lover Osmanthus, life and death are uncertain, and there is no news at all, can this not make him anxious and panicked?

"Let's talk freely, let's talk about it!" Qin Gang took the call. He grabbed the cigarette case from Hou Liang, took out the tobacco, put it on the cigarette paper, buried his head, rolled it up with difficulty, finally rolled it into one, licked and sealed it with his tongue, because the tobacco was put too much, the mouth of the sealed mouth collapsed again, and he was so angry that he pinched the horn barrel in the palm of his hand, threw it on the ground, and stepped on it. Li Fengjiang, who was next to him, saw it and hurriedly rolled it up and wanted to hand it to the political commissar, but was stopped by Yang Ruping with his hand. Yang Ruping knew that the political commissar's mood was very uncalm at this time, and it was best not to disturb him. Sure enough, Qin Gang learned the lesson of the last failure, this time he played a little tobacco, rolled it into a thin and flat horn tube, followed Hou Liang's example, held it in his mouth, and was about to find a match, Hou Liang had already lit a match and sent it over. Qin Gang took a sip, couldn't help coughing a few times, took another sip, coughed twice, and then took another sip, but he didn't cough anymore. He wiped a few tears from the corners of his eyes and thought as he smoked a cigarette. The people around saw that the political commissar was uncomfortable smoking, but in normal times, they had already laughed and joked with him, but at this time, the venue was silent and the atmosphere was solemn.

The venue was silent, smoky, and occasionally a few coughs were heard.

"Nobody said yes, did they? Then I'll order it, the sixth squadron will say first. Qin Gang pointed to Geng Yan, the instructor of the Sixth Squadron, and said.

"Good! Then I'll start with that. After the anti-encirclement and suppression work conference was held, our squadron made careful arrangements and made full preparations. However, what we never expected was that the enemy's attack was so rapid, so familiar with our terrain and garrison situation, and so fierce that it caught us off guard at once, and the troops suffered heavy losses and had to retreat. In the process of retreating, our captain Comrade Wei Wenshou was unfortunately shot and died in order to blow up the enemy's ammunition depot and protect the lives of the people. Speaking of this, Geng Yan couldn't speak anymore and choked up.

The captain of the fifth squadron handed his handkerchief to Geng Yan, who took the handkerchief and wiped his tears.

"When the enemy's self-defense corps attacked our squadron, the attack was very orderly, not stubbornly fighting, but gradually, unhurriedly, and seemed to put on the appearance of being very sure of destroying us, and what is even stranger is that after they succeeded in the attack, they actually gave up chasing and annihilating us, but disappeared without a trace, and only later did we detect that the enemy was rushing towards the brigade in a vain attempt to encircle and annihilate the command organ of our brigade." Gong Jinchu, the captain of the fifth squadron, took over the conversation and spoke.

"Yes! All indications show that the enemy's intelligence work has been carried out under our eyes and noses, and we are at a loss to figure it out, and as long as this cancer hidden deep within us is not removed for a single day, the danger to our contingent cannot be lifted for a day! Hou Liang pointed out profoundly.