Forest of Snow and Sea - A Centennial Classic Story of Chinese Cinema [Text and Images]

Author: Yao Kang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: The story takes place in Northeast China during the Liberation War. By the time of the twelfth lunar month, the Sanjiang Plain, Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountains, and everywhere else were covered in one color: white. The wind swept the heavy snow, making the sky and earth a chaotic mess. Northeastern people vividly called such weather "." A small team had to march through this kind of weather, which was truly tough. Most of the regular Nationalist army units in this area had been defeated, but there were still some armed groups of local bandits, disguised as the Nationalists, holding out in the areas of Bin (Harbin), Suili (Suihua), Tu (Tumen), and Jia (Jiamusi). Although these groups were small in number, they were composed of seasoned bandits who were familiar with the terrain, had strong guerrilla warfare skills, and were capable of solo combat. To deal with them with large-scale suppression would be like hitting fleas with a fist—ineffective and costly. Therefore, the superiors decided to select elite personnel to form a mobile small team that served as both a work unit and a combat unit, led by the young divisional chief of staff, Shao Jianbo, codenamed "Two Three," to enter the deep mountains and forests. Their mission was to eliminate bandits while also mobilizing the masses to carry out land reform. In recent months, they had already eradicated several bandit groups, such as "Nine" and "Xu Damabang." Now, they were preparing to launch a devastating blow against the bandit group led by Zuo Shandiao, who was entrenched in Whelk Mountain.
A few days ago, the small team had captured a bandit spy disguised as a blacksmith. Then, they discovered a suspicious woman fleeing toward Whelk Mountain. Shao Jianbo suspected that the woman had a close connection with the bandits and decided to give chase. The snow had thinned slightly, making the footprints clearer than before. However, as the woman's tracks were about to enter the primeval forest, Shao Jianbo grew anxious and ordered the team to disperse and surround the area, ensuring they caught the woman before she entered the forest.
"Quick, come here! It's over here!" Suddenly, the call of Bai Ru, the team's medical aid, came from the northeast. Everyone immediately gathered toward her direction. When Shao Jianbo arrived, he saw the woman lying in the snow, the leather coat on her chest stained with blood. It was clear she had been killed. Bai Ru was crouching beside the woman, quickly examining her injuries.
"How is she?" Shao Jianbo asked.
"She's breathing. She can still be saved!"
"Tank!" Shao Jianbo shouted at Liu Xunchang, the tall soldier nicknamed "Tank," "Quick, get her back here! Hurry! We must save her!"
At the small team's base camp.
"Report!" Yang Zirong, the scout who had examined the scene, returned. "Report to Two Three: There are tracks heading north—they're likely the murderer's escape route."
Shao Jianbo thought for a moment. "That's great, Zirong. Look," he led Yang Zirong to the map. "Our current location is still about two hundred miles away from our destination, Jiapi, and about three hundred miles from Whelk Mountain. Clearly, this area is under Zuo Shandiao's control. We can't afford to ignore this unexpected situation—it may mark the beginning of our second battle."
"This is just like the white rubber shoe we found the other day—it's a clue we need to follow!" Yang Zirong's eyes lit up again, like a hunter spotting prey.
"Exactly, Comrade Zirong, you should go on the chase."