A Century-Old Clan: Surviving a Hundred Battles

Gu Zhiyue grew up in a water-town, but a flood forced him to leave his home behind. While wandering, he happened to learn the craft of making Soviet-style pastries. In the years that followed, he went through many trials and tribulations, was reunited with his relatives, and married a kind woman, with whom he had children. But fate had other plans: an accident led him to enlist, and from then on he was separated from his family.

In the army, Gu Zhiyue survived one battle after another through his quick wits and courage. He endured the brutal Battle of Shanghai and witnessed countless comrades fall, kindling a fierce desire for revenge. He moved through the flames of war, skillfully outmaneuvering the enemy to gather intelligence and escaping death time and again.

Then came the Battle of Nanjing. His adoptive parents, wife, and children were killed by the Japanese, and he was powerless to save them. Overwhelmed with regret and devastated, he retreated to Wuhan. On the way, bandits attacked him and left him seriously wounded, so he was transferred to Changsha.

As the war continued, he took part in a series of major battles, including the defense of Changsha, growing stronger through every trial of blood and fire. At last, victory in the War of Resistance arrived, but the situation at home changed once more. Gu Zhiyue then threw himself into the three-year War of Liberation.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, he thought he could finally live in peace. But then the Korean War broke out, and Gu Zhiyue set off for the battlefield once more without hesitation. Amid Korea’s ice and snow, he and his comrades fought side by side, repelling the enemy’s frenzied assaults.

When the war ended, his family had been torn apart, and he held on to the hope of reunion. Throughout his long search, Gu Zhiyue never stopped believing that one day he would be reunited with his loved ones. His story became a small reflection of that tumultuous era.