In the late autumn of 1944, Ye Fei, deputy commander of the First Division of the New Fourth Army, had to temporarily leave his busy military affairs and go to a small clinic nearby for medical treatment due to unbearable toothache. The clinic is located in a remote rural area with a lot to offer on weekdays. When Ye Fei walked into the clinic, a strong smell of medicine came to his face. After examining him, the young doctor prescribed several pairs of medicines and told him to pay attention to rest. Just as Ye Fei was about to leave, his gaze inadvertently swept over a calligraphy and painting hanging on the wall. That painting seemed ordinary, but it made Ye Fei's brows furrow slightly. He casually exchanged a few words with the doctor, but his heart was already suspicious. After returning to the station, Ye Fei immediately gathered his subordinates and ordered a secret investigation into the doctor's background. Why did an ordinary calligraphy and painting cause Ye Fei to be so alert? What exactly is the true identity of this young doctor? Why did Ye Fei have doubts about him?
Ye Fei, formerly known as Ye Chenggao, was born in Fu'an County, Fujian Province in 1914. His revolutionary career began at the age of 15 at a time when China was in turmoil and there were various currents of thought. In 1929, the young Ye Fei joined the Chinese Communist Youth League and began his revolutionary career.
In the eastern part of Fujian, Ye Fei has participated in many underground works. In 1933, at the age of 19, he was appointed by the party organization to inspect various parts of eastern Fujian as a "special commissioner". This experience allowed him to grow rapidly, developing a keen sense of observation and judgment. During his mission, Ye Fei dealt with Kuomintang spies many times, and each time he saved the day, and these experiences laid a solid foundation for his future revolutionary work.
In 1934, Ye Fei participated in the world-famous Long March. During this arduous journey, he experienced numerous trials of life and death. On the Long March, Ye Fei not only exercised his will, but also cultivated his keen observation ability to details. While traversing the vast meadows, he once led a small team to find a safe passage through the vast meadows, avoiding the danger of falling into the swamp.
After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Ye Fei was sent to the battlefield behind enemy lines. In this particular environment, his insight was further honed. In 1938, Ye Fei organized anti-Japanese guerrillas in the Huai'an area of Jiangsu. During a reconnaissance mission, he only used the way a passerby put on his shoes to see through the disguise that the other party was a Japan agent. This keen observation of details has allowed Ye Fei to perform miraculous feats in the complex environment behind enemy lines.
In 1941, Ye Fei joined the New Fourth Army and became a member of the Northern Jiangsu Command. Here he began to systematically study military theory and strategy and tactics. Ye Fei combined his practical combat experience accumulated over the years with theoretical knowledge to form a unique combat thinking. He was good at capturing intelligence from the enemy's subtle movements, accurately predicting the enemy's intentions many times, and winning the initiative for the troops.
By 1944, Ye Fei had grown into the deputy commander of the First Division of the New Fourth Army. In this position, he placed more emphasis on cultivating his strategic vision and holistic thinking. Ye Fei often emphasized that in a complex war environment, any small negligence can lead to catastrophic consequences. He asked his subordinates to be vigilant at all times and pay close attention to any unusual changes in their surroundings.
It was this keen insight, honed over a long period of time in the revolutionary struggle, that made Ye Fei immediately suspicious when he saw the calligraphy and painting on the wall of the clinic. He realizes that in this seemingly ordinary small clinic, there may be hidden secrets that no one knows. Ye Fei knew very well that on the battlefield behind enemy lines, intelligence work was no less important than fighting on the frontal battlefield. A seemingly ordinary doctor may be an enemy who has been lurking for many years, while a seemingly ordinary calligraphy or painting may be a code to convey information.
Ye Fei's sensitivity was not innate, but gradually cultivated and honed in long-term revolutionary practice. From participating in the revolution at the age of 15 to becoming an important general of the New Fourth Army at the age of 30, Ye Fei's every step of growth was accompanied by the arduous process of fighting against the enemy. It is these experiences that have forged his unique insight into potential threats in seemingly mundane details.
Early one morning in October 1944, the First Division of the New Fourth Army was busy. Ye Fei, the deputy division commander, was studying the map at the headquarters when he suddenly felt a sharp toothache. The pain had been going on for a few days, but it had been pressed against him in the bottom of his heart. This time, however, the pain became so unbearable that it affected his productivity.
Chief of Staff Liu Xiansheng noticed Ye Fei's abnormality and suggested that he go to the dentist. At first, Ye Fei rejected this suggestion, believing that in the tense war environment, personal minor illnesses and pains were not worth mentioning. But under Liu Xiansheng's repeated persuasion, Ye Fei finally agreed to temporarily put down his work and go to a small clinic nearby for medical treatment.
The clinic is located in a small village about 5 km from the New Fourth Army station. The clinic is a plain adobe house on the edge of the village, with a faded wooden sign hanging from the door, on which the words "Huimin Clinic" are written crookedly. Ye Fei changed into civilian clothes, accompanied by a guard, and rode a bicycle to the front of the clinic.
Pushing open the creaky wooden door, Ye Fei walked into the clinic. The room is dimly lit, and the air is filled with the smell of medicinal herbs. A young doctor was treating an old farmer, and when he saw a new patient coming in, he motioned for Ye Fei to wait for a while. Ye Fei looked around and found that the layout of the clinic was very simple, with a few dilapidated benches, a wooden table for consultation, and various Chinese medicinal materials stacked in the corner.
After a while, the young doctor walked up. He introduced himself as Li Ming and was the attending doctor at the clinic. Li Ming appeared to be about thirty years old, wore a pair of round-rimmed glasses, and spoke with a hint of a southern accent. He warmly beckoned Ye Fei to sit down and asked about his condition.
Ye Fei briefly described his toothache symptoms. After careful examination, Li Ming diagnosed pain caused by gum inflammation. He prescribed a few pairs of traditional Chinese medicine, instructed Ye Fei to decoction every day, and advised him to rest more and eat less spicy food. Throughout the consultation, Li Ming behaved professionally and enthusiastically, giving people a sense of reliability.
Just as Ye Fei was about to get up to say goodbye, his eyes were inadvertently attracted by a calligraphy and painting on the wall. Hanging in the center of the consultation room, this painting is a landscape painting, the painting looks ordinary, but some of the details in it have attracted Ye Fei's attention. The outline of the mountain in the painting bears a striking resemblance to an important strategic location on a map that Ye Fei recently studied.
Ye Fei forcibly suppressed the doubts in his heart and asked Dr. Li about the origin of the painting casually. Li Ming replied that he had bought it from a passing art dealer, and that he thought it was good and hung it in the clinic. Ye Fei nodded and didn't ask any more.
Before leaving, Li Ming enthusiastically sent Ye Fei to the door and told him to take the medicine on time. After Ye Fei thanked him, he got on his bicycle and left the clinic. Along the way, he kept recalling the details of the painting in his mind, and he always felt that there was something strange about it.
After returning to the station, Ye Fei immediately gathered several cronies, including Chief of Staff Liu Xiansheng and Intelligence Section Chief Zhang Yuan. He gave them a detailed account of what he had seen and heard at the clinic, specifically mentioning the calligraphy and painting that aroused his suspicions.
Ye Fei raised his doubts: First, why does this remote rural clinic have a young doctor who looks well-educated? Secondly, does it mean that the painting on the wall, although it looks ordinary, has some details in it that closely match the military map? Finally, during this sensitive period, no anomalies should be taken lightly.
After discussion, Ye Fei issued two orders: first, to secretly investigate Dr. Li Ming's background; Second, the clinic is secretly monitored 24 hours a day, and all personnel entering and leaving the clinic are recorded.
In this way, a secret investigation triggered by a toothache quietly unfolds. Ye Fei and his comrades realized that behind this seemingly peaceful rural clinic, there might be a major secret hidden enough to affect the situation of the battle. And the key to uncovering this secret is likely to be hidden in that inconspicuous landscape painting.
As Ye Fei's order was issued, a secret investigation quickly unfolded. Zhang Yuan, the head of the intelligence section, was personally in charge of this task, and he sent several experienced intelligence officers to infiltrate the village in various capacities and begin to gather information about Dr. Li Ming and the Huimin clinic.
The first step in the investigation was to understand Li Ming's daily life. The intelligence officers found that Li Ming opened the clinic on time at 6 a.m. every morning and closed at 9 p.m. His life seems regular, but he has a strange habit: every Tuesday night, he goes out alone and doesn't come back until late at night. What's even more interesting is that this point in time happens to be the time when the New Fourth Army routinely changes its military password.
At the same time, another group of intelligence agents began to track down Li Ming's background. They found that Li Ming suddenly appeared in the village three years ago, but the trajectory of his previous life was difficult to verify. The villagers spoke highly of the young doctor, praising him for his excellent medical skills and kindness. However, no one knows where he came from.
The breakthrough in the investigation came on the tenth day. An intelligence agent disguised as a homeless man noticed that every Tuesday night, a stranger came to the clinic. The man always arrives late at night, stays for a short time, and leaves in a hurry. What is even more suspicious is that the origin and destination of this person are all directed to the Japanese-occupied areas.
Zhang Yuan immediately reported the discovery to Ye Fei. Ye Fei decided to take action, and he made a bold plan: on the next Tuesday night, secretly follow the mysterious visitor, and at the same time conduct a raid search of the clinic.
It is scheduled to be implemented the following Tuesday evening. An elite squad lies in ambush around the clinic, waiting for a mysterious visitor to appear. Sure enough, in the middle of the night, a figure quietly came to the clinic. The squad immediately went into action, with one group following the mysterious man and another breaking into the clinic.
The raid was swift and effective. Li Ming was arrested on the spot, and the clinic was thoroughly searched. In a hidden basement, the informants discovered a sophisticated radio transmitter. What was even more shocking was that the landscape painting on the wall that aroused Ye Fei's suspicion turned out to be a cleverly camouflaged military map, which marked the important fortifications and troop movement information of the New Fourth Army.
At the same time, there was good news from the group that tracked the mystery visitor. They succeeded in intercepting the Japanese spy and seized a large number of classified documents and a codebook from him. After interrogation, the agent admitted that he was a senior intelligence officer of the Japanese army's special high section, and was responsible for liaising with Li Ming.
As the investigation deepened, Li Ming's true identity was finally revealed. His original name was Yusuke Takada, and he was a special agent sent by the Japan Army Intelligence Department. Three years ago, he managed to infiltrate this strategic location through a well-designed identity cover. As a doctor, he was able to travel freely from village to village, and he was also able to gather information while visiting a doctor. The landscape painting was a key tool for him to convey intelligence, and each stroke of the painting concealed a mystery and contained important military information.
This successful operation not only smashed an important intelligence network of the Japanese army, but also thwarted an imminent large-scale enemy offensive. From the captured documents, the New Fourth Army mastered the battle plan of the Japanese army and was able to make defensive arrangements in advance.
In summing up the operation, Ye Fei pointed out that the key to this success lies in the usual vigilance and keen observation. He stressed that in a complex environment behind enemy lines, every detail can be a matter of life and death. This experience also made the officers and men of the New Fourth Army profoundly realize that in a brutal war, intelligence work is no less important than fighting on a frontal battlefield.
The success of this operation not only enhanced the combat effectiveness of the New Fourth Army, but also greatly boosted the morale of the troops. Ye Fei seized this opportunity to carry out an in-depth anti-espionage education throughout the division, thus enhancing the vigilance and sense of secrecy of all officers and men.
However, this victory did not make the New Fourth Army let its guard down. On the contrary, they realized that enemy infiltration was everywhere and that they had to be on high alert at all times. Ye Fei ordered the protection of military intelligence to be strengthened, and at the same time, the search and arrest of enemy agents was intensified.
In November 1944, with the collapse of the Japanese spy network, the New Fourth Army was given a precious respite. Ye Fei and the other commanders used this time to make careful preparations for the upcoming battle. Based on the captured intelligence, they developed a series of targeted tactical plans.
However, the situation of the war is changing rapidly. Just as the New Fourth Army was getting ready, an unexpected news came: the Japanese army had suddenly moved a large number of troops in the nearby area, which was different from the information obtained earlier. Ye Fei realized that the enemy might have sensed that his plan had been leaked and was taking countermeasures.
Faced with this sudden situation, Ye Fei immediately made a decision and convened an emergency meeting of commanders at all levels. The meeting lasted a whole day and a night, and finally a bold new plan was formulated: to lure the enemy deeper.
The core of this plan was to take advantage of the Japanese army's concern about the intelligence superiority of the New Fourth Army to deliberately expose some "false" defensive deployments to lure the Japanese army into a preset encirclement. In order to make the plan more convincing, Ye Fei even ordered the sacrifice of some non-important positions, creating the illusion that the New Fourth Army was retreating.
On November 15, the battle officially began. The Japanese army was really fooled and attacked the "weak point" of the New Fourth Army in a big way. At first, the battle went well, the Japanese easily broke through several lines of defense, and morale was high. However, just when they thought victory was in sight, the true strength of the New Fourth Army suddenly appeared.
On a front stretching for tens of kilometers, the units of the New Fourth Army are slowly tightening like a huge net. The Japanese vanguard soon found themselves encircled. At the same time, the guerrillas of the New Fourth Army began to operate in the rear of the Japanese army, cutting off their supply lines.
The battle lasted three days and three nights. The Japanese desperately broke through, but every attempt was decisively repelled by the New Fourth Army. By the early hours of the fourth day, the Japanese resistance began to crumble. A large number of Japanese soldiers began to surrender, including several high-ranking officers.
The victory in this battle not only achieved great results militarily, but also dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese army psychologically. The Japanese command began to doubt whether its intelligence system had been fully infiltrated by the New Fourth Army, and this suspicion seriously affected their subsequent decision-making.
Post-war statistics show that the New Fourth Army annihilated more than 5,000 Japanese troops and captured a large number of weapons and ammunition. What's more, this victory completely changed the strategic landscape on the ground. The Japanese army was forced to shrink its defensive line and abandon several important strongholds, creating favorable conditions for the further development of the New Fourth Army.
However, the joy of victory did not overwhelm Ye Fei's mind. At the celebration, he highlighted the lesson behind the victory: the importance of intelligence. He pointed out that if it had not succeeded in cracking the Japanese spy network before, the New Fourth Army might have fallen into the enemy's trap. He called on all levels of the armed forces to continue to maintain a high degree of vigilance and constantly improve their counter-espionage capabilities.
The battle also taught the commanders of the New Fourth Army the importance of being flexible. The original battle plan was disrupted by the sudden movement of the enemy, but by quickly adjusting the tactics, not only the crisis was defused, but also the situation was turned into safety. This ability to adapt to changes on the spot became a major characteristic of the New Fourth Army's operations in the future.
After the battle, Ye Fei immediately organized the troops to launch a new round of military training activities. He was well aware that, despite the major victories, the war was far from over. Although the Japanese army suffered heavy losses, it still had great strength. The New Fourth Army must continue to improve its combat effectiveness and prepare for even more arduous battles in the future.
At the same time, Ye Fei did not forget the rewards for meritorious troops and individuals. He personally awarded medals to officers and men who had distinguished themselves in battle, and compiled the heroic deeds of some grassroots commanders into teaching materials for use in the political education of the troops.
This battle was not only a military victory, but also an important milestone in the growth of the New Fourth Army. It proved that the New Fourth Army had the ability to confront the Japanese army head-on, and greatly enhanced the confidence of the whole army. In the years that followed, the battle was often cited by the commanders of the New Fourth Army as a model for the flexible use of tactics and the importance of intelligence work.
At the end of 1944, with a series of victories of the New Fourth Army in the Jiangnan region, the balance of war began to tilt in favor of the anti-Japanese forces. The troops led by Ye Fei not only succeeded in smashing the Japanese intelligence network, but also won a decisive victory in the ensuing battle. These achievements have laid a solid foundation for the development of the New Fourth Army on the ground.
However, the fruits of victory are not easy to enjoy. First of all, the New Fourth Army is faced with the problem of how to consolidate and expand its achievements. Ye Fei knew that although the Japanese army suffered heavy losses, it still had the ability to fight back. To this end, he immediately organized troops to wipe out the newly liberated areas and eliminate the remaining enemy elements. At the same time, he also sent a small detachment deep behind enemy lines to continue to collect intelligence and monitor the movements of the Japanese army.
Second, how to manage the newly liberated areas has also become an important topic. Many places have been under the rule of the Japanese army for a long time, and the common people still have misgivings about the New Fourth Army. Ye Fei decided to adopt the strategy of "both military and political". On the one hand, he sent capable cadres to assist the local government in establishing a democratic regime and mobilizing the masses to participate in local affairs. On the other hand, he demanded that the troops strictly enforce mass discipline and establish a good image of the people's army.
At a mass meeting, Ye Fei personally explained the policy of the New Fourth Army to the people. He said, "We have not come to rule over you, but to liberate you. Our goal is to build a new China in which everyone is equal and free. These remarks won warm applause from the masses and also opened up the situation for the work of the New Fourth Army on the ground.
At the same time, the New Fourth Army is also facing tremendous pressure on logistical supplies. With the expansion of the liberated areas, the size of the troops is also growing rapidly. How to ensure the food and clothing of tens of thousands of people has become a major problem in front of Ye Fei. To this end, he put forward the slogan of "self-reliance, abundant food and clothing," and called on the troops and the masses to jointly launch a large-scale production campaign.
Under the leadership of Ye Fei, the officers and soldiers of the New Fourth put down their guns and picked up their hoes. They reclaimed wasteland and grew grain and vegetables in between battles. Some fighters with technical expertise were also organized and set up small arsenals to produce improvised weapons and daily necessities. This vigorous large-scale production campaign not only solved the logistical problems of the troops, but also greatly improved the living conditions of the local people.
However, new challenges soon followed. At the beginning of 1945, the Japanese army began to launch a new round of large-scale "sweeps" in central China. In the face of a menacing enemy, Ye Fei once again showed outstanding leadership skills. He resolutely adopted the tactic of "luring the enemy into depth" and took advantage of the terrain and the strength of the masses to lead the Japanese army into ambush circles one after another.
In a key battle, Ye Fei personally commanded the troops, fought for three days and three nights, and finally surrounded and annihilated a main force of 5,000 Japanese troops. This victory not only smashed the Japanese army's "sweeping" plan, but also further expanded the influence of the New Fourth Army.
The war entered its final phase, and new problems began to emerge. With victory in sight, some cadres and fighters showed a mood of relaxation. In this regard, Ye Fei severely criticized at a cadre meeting: "The dawn of victory has appeared, but the final victory still requires us to make more efforts." Laxity and pride are our worst enemies. "
In order to maintain the combat effectiveness of the troops, Ye Fei organized a series of political studies and military training. He particularly stressed the need to improve the troops' mobile combat capability and prepare for the upcoming large-scale battle. At the same time, he did not forget to strengthen the political and ideological education of the troops, emphasized the nature and purpose of the New Fourth Army, and prevented the breeding of bureaucracy and hedonism.
In August 1945, the news of Japan's unconditional surrender came, and the entire Liberated Areas were boiling. However, Ye Fei did not bask in the joy of victory. He immediately summoned commanders at all levels to discuss how to deal with the new situation. He foresaw that with the surrender of Japan, the contradictions between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party would intensify and a new struggle would soon begin.
At an important meeting, Ye Fei announced to all the commanders and fighters: "The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression has been won, but our task has not yet been completed. We must continue to strive for the establishment of an independent, free, and democratic new China. These remarks pointed out a new direction for the New Fourth Army and made ideological preparations for the upcoming war of liberation.
With the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the New Fourth Army faced the challenge of transformation. How to transform this guerrilla force, which had grown up in a difficult environment, into a regularized and modernized army became an important question for Ye Fei and other leaders to ponder. They began to work on a new training program, the introduction of advanced weapons and equipment, and preparations for the next stage of the struggle.