Arrowhead Strike

On August 8, 1945, the Soviet government declared war on Japan. The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party issued a statement calling for a nationwide counteroffensive. The New Fourth Army immediately launched fierce attacks on Japanese and puppet troops. In northern Jiangsu, one column of Japanese and puppet forces came under siege. To prevent the Japanese army from sending reinforcements, their superiors dispatched Li Jian and Qiao Yu, disguised as husband and wife, to lead a small squad into Xingcheng, a major Japanese stronghold. There, they fought one brutal battle after another against the Japanese invaders and Chinese collaborators, foiling the enemy's plans to deliver supplies and rescue the besieged troops. Their efforts made a major contribution to the main force's campaign to wipe out the Japanese army.