Forest of Snow and Sea A Classic Story of a Hundred Years of Chinese Cinema Text and Image

Author: Yao Kang (Compiler)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: The story takes place in Northeast China during the Liberation War. By the time of the twelfth month (Lunar New Year), the Sanjiang Plain, Greater and Lesser Xing'an Mountains, and everywhere else were covered in white. The wind swept heavy snow, turning the world into a chaotic mess. Northeasterners vividly called such weather "" (wind-swept snowstorm). A small team had a tough time marching in this weather. Most of the regular Nationalist forces in this area had been defeated, but there were still some armed groups of local bandits, flying the Nationalist flag, holding out in areas like Bin (Harbin), Sui (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, skilled in guerrilla warfare, and capable of individual combat. Using large-scale suppression tactics against them was like using a fist to swat fleas—it would be ineffective and costly. Therefore, the higher command 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 staff officer with the code name "Two-Three," Xiao Jianbo, to enter the deep mountains and forests. Their mission was to eliminate bandits and launch land reform among the local population. Over the past few months, they had eliminated several bandit groups, including the "Nine Tigers" and "Xu's Big Horsewhip." Now, they were preparing to launch a devastating blow against the bandit group led by Zuo Shandao, who was entrenched in Tiger 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 Tiger Mountain. Xiao Jianbo suspected that the woman had a close connection with the bandits and decided to give chase. The snow had thinned slightly, making the tracks clearer than before. However, as the woman's footprints were about to enter the primeval forest, Xiao Jianbo grew anxious. He ordered the team to scatter and surround the area, determined to catch the woman before she entered the forest.
"Quick, over here! It's over here!" Suddenly, the call of Sanwei Bai Ru, the team's medical aid, came from the northeast. Everyone immediately gathered toward her direction. When Xiao Jianbo arrived, he saw the woman lying in the snow, with blood seeping through the leather coat on her chest. It was clear she had been killed. Bai Ru was crouching beside the woman, quickly examining her injuries.
"How is she?" Xiao Jianbo asked.
"She's breathing. She can still be saved!"
"Tank!" Xiao Jianbo shouted at Liu Xunchang, the tall soldier known as "Tank," "Quick, get her back! Hurry! We must save her!"
At the small team's base camp.
"Report!" Yang Zirong, the scout who had been investigating the scene, returned. "Report to Two-Three: There are tracks heading north—it's likely the murderer's escape route."
Xiao 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 (Jiapi Valley), and about three hundred miles from Tiger Mountain. Clearly, this area is under Zuo Shandao's control. We can't let this unexpected situation go—we may have just found the start 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."