In 1950, in Shizhou, western Hubei, at the junction of Hunan, Hubei, and Sichuan, a hundred thousand karst caves lie hidden along both banks of the Qing River, riddled with sinkholes and underground rivers. After the War of Liberation, remnants of the Nationalist army and Military Statistics Bureau agents join forces with local bullies to form ruthless cave bandits. They occupy a vast cave system, waiting for a chance to counterattack with their radios, while burning and pillaging villages and terrorizing the region. Tujia men driven into the mountains also occupy stockades and set down rules: rob the rich, never harm the poor, and remain somewhere between right and wrong. Meanwhile, countless refugees fleeing famine hide in caves large and small, struggling to survive.
Lu Zheng, a soldier sent south, is ordered to lead a unit to Shizhou to suppress the bandits. On entering the mountains, he finds that his experience fighting on the plains is useless at every turn. He meets Tian Nongsui, a Tujia liaison officer who knows the forests and caves and understands local customs and dialects. She becomes the bridge connecting the unit to the local people. Together, they must fight Mo Cangheng, a ruthless bandit commander who opposes the Communists and stops at nothing, while dealing with stockade bandit chief Tan Songshan, whose loyalties keep shifting, and distinguishing between the many cave bandits who are simply desperate to stay alive.
Here, nothing is simply black or white. Behind the stilt houses, oil tea soup, and communal tree wine lie the collision of local customs and the chaos of war. Suppressing bandits means more than exchanging gunfire: it means understanding the mountains, the Tujia rules of the stockades, and the suffering of ordinary people. Deep in the mist-shrouded maze of caves, a story of bandit suppression in the mountains of Shizhou slowly unfolds.
After the snow stopped, it was cloudy for several days. The sun hid behind the thick clouds and only let out a little gray light. It was freezing in the mountains, the soil was crusty, thin ice formed on the edges of river ditches, and the eaves were covered with ice ridges of varying lengths.
The decisive battle on the Moping Terrace came to an end. Xiang Dagunzi's main force was defeated and fled into the mountains alone. Huang Lao Yao once again escaped into the Huangling Mountains. Zhou Scarzi shut himself up and watched the destruction of his allies, guarding the isolated village of Moping alone. There were only about forty remnants of his direct lineage under his command, and the people in the village were completely shattered. In the thirty-fourth year of the Republic of China, Jianshi·Moping
The setting sun sinks into the mountains, the red sky fades away, and twilight quickly covers the mountains.
Huang Laoyao led his troops over the off-shore cliff to the rear of the official camp to launch a sneak attack. Inside Moping Village, Xiang Dagunzi heard the gunfire from the back mountain and insisted on opening the camp to send troops. Zhou Scarzi tried his best to stop it, and the bandit leader started fighting in public. The officers and soldiers were attacked from both sides. There were bandits from the village in front of them and fierce bandits from Beishan behind them. Moping Terrace faced a decisive battle. In the thirty-fourth year of the Republic of China, Jianshi·Moping
The officers and soldiers completed the encirclement of the Moping Alpine Platform. Lu Chengyue's main force pressed on Shimen Ya due south, guarded Beifeng Ya towards Shi Gen, cutting off internal and external communication, and set up warnings in the east side bridge ditch. Three hundred bandits, Xiang Dagunzi and Zhou Scarzi, huddled in the stronghold and defended themselves with fortifications; Huang Laoyao and more than a hundred people wandered around the dense forests of the northern mountains outside Beifengya, waiting for opportunities to find flaws. In the thirty-fourth year of the Republic of China, outside Moping Village at the beginning of Jianshi
The army raided Liangshuipu in a night attack. The bandit leader Zhou Scarzi led the remnants of his troops to break out and flee south, defecting to Xiang Dagunzi who was retreating to Moping. Huang Laoyao, who had escaped into Beishan, was ready to move and might go south to support him at any time. Two of the three major bandits gathered in Moping, and Moping Mountain was the core base of the banditry in Jianshi. In the thirty-fourth year of the Republic of China, Liangshuipu was built
In Jingyang Pass, the fireworks have not yet been completely extinguished.
The wounded were placed in batches in the old temple in the pass. They were screened and detained by the captured bandits, and the bodies of the brothers who died in the battle were gathered neatly. The battle was won, but not with much ease.
Xiang Shigen re-bandaged the wound on his arm and came to Lu Chengyue.
"Sergeant, Zhou Scarzi escaped into Liangshuipu. It was a mountain market town. It was surrounded by rammed earthen walls and trenches were dug outside the walls. He gathered 140 or 50 remaining bandits in his hands and coerced many young men in the town to help defend the stronghold. If they fight hard and the bandits use the common people as human shields, they will inevitably suffer casualties, and they will also harm the residents of the town."
The suicide squad climbed over the "Monkey Hanging Wall" and made a surprise attack on the back of Jingyang Pass. Fires broke out in the food and grass shacks, and the bandits in the pass were in chaos. Lu Chengyue led the main force to charge from the front. Just when the pass was about to be breached, the bandit leader rushed towards Dagunzi's hundreds of reinforcements, only two miles away from the pass. In the thirty-fourth year of the Republic of China, Jingyang Pass was built
The officers and soldiers crossed the Qingjiang River at night and approached Jingyang Pass. The bandit leader Huang Laoyao and Zhou Scarzi joined forces to defend Xiongguan. The bandit Xiang Dagunzi led more than a hundred people to come day and night for support. Lu Chengyue made a plan: set up a frontal formation to feign attack and containment, and the suicide squad took the "monkey hanging on the wall" to collect herbs and climb the cliff to sneak attack on the back of the pass. They must break through before reinforcements arrive. In the thirty-fourth year of the Republic of China, Jingyang Pass was founded
The morning mist at dawn is like a layer of milky white gauze, entwined between the thousands of cliffs of Jingyangguan.
Crossing the Qingjiang River at night, Jingyangguan beacon smoke
After the victory in Gunyan Cave, bandit leader Huang Laoyao and seven or eight of his cronies broke through the branch cave and fled to Jianshi overnight, intending to join the local bandits to guard Jingyang Pass. The officers and soldiers captured forty-two bandits alive and rescued the hostages. The war to suppress the bandits in Shizhou was about to cross the Qingjiang River, and the Jianshi War Zone was officially launched. In the thirty-fourth year of the Republic of China, along the Qingjiang River
After midnight, the poisonous smoke in the mountains completely dissipated.
The main bandit force was wiped out on the Qingjiang River outside Shizhou City. The remaining bandits abandoned their village strongholds and fled into the karst caves along the Qingjiang River to hide. The government and army teams joined forces with local warriors to hunt down the remnant bandits. Double traps of poisonous smoke and flooded underground rivers had already been set up in the caves under the undercurrent, paving the way for the battle to advance into the three major towns of Jianshi. Thirty-four years of the Republic of China, Gushi Prefecture, Qingjiang River Bank
After the snow stopped, it was cloudy for several days. The sun hid behind the thick clouds and only let out a little gray light. It was freezing in the mountains, the soil was crusty, thin ice formed on the edges of river ditches, and the eaves were covered with ice ridges of varying lengths.
The decisive battle on the Moping Terrace came to an end. Xiang Dagunzi's main force was defeated and fled into the mountains alone. Huang Lao Yao once again escaped into the Huangling Mountains. Zhou Scarzi shut himself up and watched the destruction of his allies, guarding the isolated village of Moping alone. There were only about forty remnants of his direct lineage under his command, and the people in the village were completely shattered. In the thirty-fourth year of the Republic of China, Jianshi·Moping The setting sun sinks into the mountains, the red sky fades away, and twilight quickly covers the mountains.
Huang Laoyao led his troops over the off-shore cliff to the rear of the official camp to launch a sneak attack. Inside Moping Village, Xiang Dagunzi heard the gunfire from the back mountain and insisted on opening the camp to send troops. Zhou Scarzi tried his best to stop it, and the bandit leader started fighting in public. The officers and soldiers were attacked from both sides. There were bandits from the village in front of them and fierce bandits from Beishan behind them. Moping Terrace faced a decisive battle. In the thirty-fourth year of the Republic of China, Jianshi·Moping
The officers and soldiers completed the encirclement of the Moping Alpine Platform. Lu Chengyue's main force pressed on Shimen Ya due south, guarded Beifeng Ya towards Shi Gen, cutting off internal and external communication, and set up warnings in the east side bridge ditch. Three hundred bandits, Xiang Dagunzi and Zhou Scarzi, huddled in the stronghold and defended themselves with fortifications; Huang Laoyao and more than a hundred people wandered around the dense forests of the northern mountains outside Beifengya, waiting for opportunities to find flaws. In the thirty-fourth year of the Republic of China, outside Moping Village at the beginning of Jianshi
The army raided Liangshuipu in a night attack. The bandit leader Zhou Scarzi led the remnants of his troops to break out and flee south, defecting to Xiang Dagunzi who was retreating to Moping. Huang Laoyao, who had escaped into Beishan, was ready to move and might go south to support him at any time. Two of the three major bandits gathered in Moping, and Moping Mountain was the core base of the banditry in Jianshi. In the thirty-fourth year of the Republic of China, Liangshuipu was built
In Jingyang Pass, the fireworks have not yet been completely extinguished. The wounded were placed in batches in the old temple in the pass. They were screened and detained by the captured bandits, and the bodies of the brothers who died in the battle were gathered neatly. The battle was won, but not with much ease. Xiang Shigen re-bandaged the wound on his arm and came to Lu Chengyue. "Sergeant, Zhou Scarzi escaped into Liangshuipu. It was a mountain market town. It was surrounded by rammed earthen walls and trenches were dug outside the walls. He gathered 140 or 50 remaining bandits in his hands and coerced many young men in the town to help defend the stronghold. If they fight hard and the bandits use the common people as human shields, they will inevitably suffer casualties, and they will also harm the residents of the town."
The suicide squad climbed over the "Monkey Hanging Wall" and made a surprise attack on the back of Jingyang Pass. Fires broke out in the food and grass shacks, and the bandits in the pass were in chaos. Lu Chengyue led the main force to charge from the front. Just when the pass was about to be breached, the bandit leader rushed towards Dagunzi's hundreds of reinforcements, only two miles away from the pass. In the thirty-fourth year of the Republic of China, Jingyang Pass was built
The officers and soldiers crossed the Qingjiang River at night and approached Jingyang Pass. The bandit leader Huang Laoyao and Zhou Scarzi joined forces to defend Xiongguan. The bandit Xiang Dagunzi led more than a hundred people to come day and night for support. Lu Chengyue made a plan: set up a frontal formation to feign attack and containment, and the suicide squad took the "monkey hanging on the wall" to collect herbs and climb the cliff to sneak attack on the back of the pass. They must break through before reinforcements arrive. In the thirty-fourth year of the Republic of China, Jingyang Pass was founded The morning mist at dawn is like a layer of milky white gauze, entwined between the thousands of cliffs of Jingyangguan.
Crossing the Qingjiang River at night, Jingyangguan beacon smoke After the victory in Gunyan Cave, bandit leader Huang Laoyao and seven or eight of his cronies broke through the branch cave and fled to Jianshi overnight, intending to join the local bandits to guard Jingyang Pass. The officers and soldiers captured forty-two bandits alive and rescued the hostages. The war to suppress the bandits in Shizhou was about to cross the Qingjiang River, and the Jianshi War Zone was officially launched. In the thirty-fourth year of the Republic of China, along the Qingjiang River After midnight, the poisonous smoke in the mountains completely dissipated.
The main bandit force was wiped out on the Qingjiang River outside Shizhou City. The remaining bandits abandoned their village strongholds and fled into the karst caves along the Qingjiang River to hide. The government and army teams joined forces with local warriors to hunt down the remnant bandits. Double traps of poisonous smoke and flooded underground rivers had already been set up in the caves under the undercurrent, paving the way for the battle to advance into the three major towns of Jianshi. Thirty-four years of the Republic of China, Gushi Prefecture, Qingjiang River Bank