The Battle-Hardened General: The Complete Story of Li Yunlong

Bloody battles: From blasting the Sakamaki Regiment apart with a single cannon shot at Cangyun Ridge to the roar of the "Italian cannon" at Ping'an County; from the triumph of capturing a Japanese regimental flag to the life-or-death battle to defend an arsenal. Throughout eight years of resistance, Li Yunlong carves the "Spirit of the Sword" into the Taihang Mountains with one hard-won victory after another.

Brotherhood: He goes from clashing with Zhao Gang to sharing life and death with him, forms the "Iron Triangle" of northwestern Shanxi with Ding Wei and Kong Jie, and matches wits with Brigade Commander Chen Geng, whose respect he eventually earns. Beyond the battlefield lies a bond between comrades deeper than blood.

Battles across the land: During the Liberation War, he leads his troops from the Central Plains all the way to Hainan. In the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, he fights American forces at minus forty degrees by Lake Changjin. In peacetime, he is promoted to general, yet his heart remains on the battlefield. When fighting flares up again on the southern frontier, he returns to the front lines without hesitation, though he is over sixty.

Love of country and family: His newlywed wife dies in Ping'an County, and he turns his grief into a burning fury against the enemy. His son follows in his footsteps and dies on the southern frontier. Through tears, Li Yunlong says, "He did his father, Li Yunlong, proud." From the Taihang Mountains to Kinmen Island, from the Yalu River to the frontline at Laoshan, he devotes his life to liberating and defending his country.

Final resting place: In the winter of 1984, a great general falls. In accordance with his last wishes, his ashes are buried in three places: the battlefield at Cangyun Ridge, where he first made his mark; the ruins of Ping'an County, in memory of the love of his life; and the highest point on Kinmen Island, where he can gaze toward his unfulfilled dream of reunification.

This is not the story of one man, but a collective portrait of a generation of Chinese soldiers. From the Agrarian Revolution to Reform and Opening Up, from millet and rifles to a modernized army, Li Yunlong and his comrades write the history of China's resistance, liberation, and military construction with their blood and their lives.