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The educational legacy of the seven Liu brothers and Liu Yihuai
Liu Yihuai, a Xiucai from Ganyu County, was admitted to the title of Xiucai during the Guangxu period. In the last years of the Qing Dynasty, although those who obtained the title of Xiucai may not be able to become officials in the court, they have the qualifications and social status to open schools and impart knowledge. Liu Yihuai was never satisfied with just enjoying personal honor and comfort, but chose to transform his knowledge and life experience into the long-term interests of society. He set up a wide range of schools in Ganyu County, and devoted himself to popularizing education, making it an important tool for promoting social progress.
Liu Yihuai's dedication and enthusiasm for education is obvious. Not only did he teach the curriculum himself, but he also raised funds to improve the facilities and ensure that the school was open to the public for free so that more children could get an education. He teaches a wide range of topics, from Confucian classics to history, mathematics and even agriculture, and strives to cultivate students who have both cultural knowledge and practical solutions to life problems. In the social context of that time, Liu Yihuai's educational philosophy was particularly advanced, and he believed that the power of knowledge could enlighten the mind and change destiny.
The seven Liu brothers grew up in such a family full of academic atmosphere. Their childhood was accompanied by the teachings and narration of their grandfather Liu Yihuai, whether in the study at home or in the spacious school, they could always hear their grandfather's words about the importance of education. Whenever the children in the village were unable to go to school because of their families' poverty, Liu Yihuai always tried to find ways to ensure that the children could continue their education, whether it was a waiver of tuition fees or the provision of books.
Growing up in such an environment, the seven Liu brothers naturally saw education as the cornerstone of their personal growth and even the future of their country. They were not only deeply influenced by Liu Yihuai's scholarship, but also moved by his passion and sacrifice for education. They have witnessed how education has changed the lives of themselves and those around them, and are convinced that the power of education is the key to the revitalization of the nation.
The Lugou Bridge Incident and the collapse of education
On July 7, 1937, the Lugou Bridge Incident broke out, and the conflict between China and Japan escalated into a full-scale war. Ganyu County, as the base of the education of the seven Liu brothers, was not spared from the impact of the war. The school, which they had carefully prepared, was badly damaged by artillery fire and chaos. The school building partially collapsed, with books scattered and some engulfed in flames. The blackboards in the classrooms were broken, the wooden desks and chairs were broken, and the place that was once filled with the sound of children reading aloud was in ruins.
Nevertheless, the Seven Brothers were not discouraged. Local villagers live in the shadow of the war, and the children have lost a place to continue their education. Seeing this situation, the seven brothers of the Liu family felt that they could not sit idly by. The eldest brother among them, Liu Hongjian, is a figure with a strong will and leadership. He began by proposing a bold idea: to transform their current role from educators to part of the anti-Japanese forces. He gathered his brothers and some trusted villagers and began a secret discussion about how to use their knowledge and skills to contribute to the country.
The first task was to rebuild a temporary learning place for the children of the village, albeit in poor conditions, to ensure the continuation of education. They chose a relatively safe place on the edge of the village and built a makeshift classroom out of bamboo and curtains. Even though there are no solid walls and a full roof here, it is enough for the children to continue their studies here.
Next, Liu Hongjian led his brothers to participate in more direct anti-Japanese activities. Using their knowledge of geography and humanities, they began to plan small-scale anti-Japanese actions. Due to the high prestige of the Liu brothers in the local area, they soon organized an anti-Japanese group composed of local youth. This group operated mainly at night, avoiding patrols and searches by the Japanese army.
At the beginning of the operation, the Seven Brothers were mainly responsible for collecting information on the activities of the Japanese army and passing this information on to the nearby anti-Japanese forces. Using the observation and recording skills they had developed while teaching in schools, they carefully recorded the Japanese army's patterns of movement and the distribution of forces, which were crucial in planning anti-Japanese operations.
Over time, the Seven Brothers' operations gradually expanded, transforming from initial intelligence gathering to direct anti-Japanese operations.
The establishment and battle of the anti-Japanese night raid squad
When Liu Hongjian organized this night raid team, he focused on the strengths and abilities of each brother. Under the influence of their grandfather, Liu Yihuai, all seven of them have good knowledge and in-depth knowledge of the local geographical environment, which provides a natural advantage for their nocturnal operations. Liu Hongjian himself served as the commander of the squad by virtue of his leadership skills and calm judgment.
The team members use the daylight hours to carefully scout and plan the routes and strategies of each operation. They moved at night, taking advantage of the faint illumination of the moonlight and starlight, and covertly approached the Japanese garrison. Their familiarity with the local mountains, forests, and rivers allowed them to easily navigate between various terrains at night, avoiding the regular patrol routes of the Japanese army.
In the 1938 Battle of Xiaotushan, the performance of the seven Liu brothers was particularly outstanding. Working closely with the local anti-Japanese self-defense regiments, they developed a detailed plan for the attack. The goal of the operation was to destroy an important logistics warehouse of the Japanese army, which was located near Xiaotushan and served as a distribution center for Japanese supplies in the area.
As night fell, the seven Liu brothers and members of the Self-Defense Regiment began to act according to the predetermined plan. They were divided into three groups, one of which was responsible for diluting the enemy's attention, and the other two approached the target from the flanks and rear, respectively. Liu Hongjian personally led a group and quietly walked around the back of the warehouse. They used improvised explosive devices, which were made in advance by team members based on local materials.
At the beginning of the assault, the first group launched a feint, which attracted the attention of the Japanese and quickly retreated, luring the enemy into pursuit. At the same time, Liu Hongjian's group and another team quickly broke through the outer guards of the warehouse, using torches and explosive devices to ignite the stored supplies. The fire quickly spread, and the entire warehouse turned into a sea of fire, accompanied by a powerful explosion, which shocked the entire war zone.
The operation to eliminate Sun Shengben's puppet army
By 1939, the anti-Japanese detachment of the seven Liu brothers had become famous, and their actions were becoming more daring and precise. When Liu Hongjian learned that Sun Shengben had been supported by the Japanese and had established a puppet army, which directly threatened the local anti-Japanese forces and the safety of civilians, he immediately decided to take action to completely eradicate this threat.
Sun Shengben's home is located in a relatively remote village in Ganyu County, and because of his cooperation with the Japanese invaders, many traitors have been set up around him. Liu Hongjian and his brothers carefully studied the terrain and the security layout of Sun Shengben's residence, and formulated a detailed attack plan. They chose to act in the dead of night, using the darkness and drizzle as cover for a surprise attack.
On the night of June 26, 1939, the sky was covered with low-hanging dark clouds, and a drizzle fell softly like silk. The seven brothers, dressed in dark clothes that almost blended in with the night, quietly approached Sun Shengben's residence. Liu Hongjian commanded the three brothers to go around to the rear, while he himself led the other three to attack head-on. Their movements are fast and precise, giving the other person no time to react at all.
When they approached the periphery of Sun Sheng's house, they first encountered several armed traitors. These traitors were lax in the rain and did not perceive the danger of stealth. The Liu brothers quickly subdued them one by one with knives and short guns, making sure they didn't make too much noise. Everything was done quickly and cleanly, avoiding alarming the people in the house prematurely.
Then, they quickly approached Sun Shengben's residence and broke down the door. Several puppet soldiers in the house were panicked by the sudden attack and were captured. However, after hearing the gunshots in the front yard, Sun Shengben immediately realized the danger, and he fled through the back door and disappeared into the field in the night rain. Although the Seven Brothers quickly chased after him, the drizzle and darkness provided excellent cover for Sun Shengben's escape.
Although Sun Shengben was not able to be arrested red-handed, the operation succeeded in clearing his residence and greatly weakening his power. After that, the Seven Brothers continued to increase the pursuit pressure on the rest of Sun Sheng's main army, almost making it impossible for this puppet army to raise its head in the local area.
In the following year, the detachment of the seven Liu brothers launched more than 30 attacks on the Japanese puppet army, and they were not only limited to Sun Shengben's sphere of influence, but also expanded to a wider area. During these operations, they took advantage of the terrain and night operations to inflict heavy blows on the Japanese puppet army many times, killing and wounding more than 100 Japanese puppet soldiers.
Anti-Japanese sacrifice and eternal heroism
In the autumn of 1939, as the War of Resistance Against Japan continued, the anti-Japanese front-line troops increasingly felt the pressure of material shortages, especially the food supply became an urgent problem. Against this background, Wan Yi, commander of the 57th Division of the 111th Army, sent his messenger Zhu Aizhou to Ganyu County to seek help from the seven Liu brothers. Zhu Aizhou approached Liu Hongdu and Liu Hongjun and asked them to help raise the necessary military rations.
Liu Hongdu and Liu Hongjun attached great importance to this, and they knew the hardships of the front-line soldiers, and immediately began to plan for the collection and transportation of grain. They gathered trusted farmers in the village to discuss how to allocate food storage for each household without affecting the villagers' own livelihoods. They also planned the transportation routes of grain to ensure that it could be safely delivered to the anti-Japanese army.
However, all these activities did not escape the ears and eyes of the traitor Wang Qi. Wang Qi happened to hear Liu Hongdu and Liu Hongjun discussing the matter of raising grain, so he quietly passed this information to Sun Shengben. Sun Shengben harbored a deep hatred for the seven Liu brothers, as they had previously destroyed his residence and severely weakened his power. Knowing that the two brothers were raising food for the anti-Japanese army, Sun Shengben thought that this was a good opportunity to take revenge and weaken the anti-Japanese forces.
Under Sun Shengben's orders, his men quickly devised an ambush plan. They chose a narrow mountain road through which grain could be transported as an ambush point. Sun Shengben's plan was not only to intercept the grain, but also to capture or kill Liu Hongdu and Liu Hongjun in one fell swoop, in order to retaliate for the past actions of the seven brothers.
As Liu Hongdu and Liu Hongjun led a procession of wagons full of grain through the mountain road, Sun Shengben's men suddenly rushed down the hills on either side, trying to cut off their path. Liu Hongdu and Liu Hongjun quickly organized a convoy of horses to defend themselves, and a fierce exchange of fire with the ambushers began.
The exchange of fire lasted for several hours, and although Liu Hongdu and Liu Hongjun showed great fighting skills and courage, the two brothers were eventually captured due to the large number and excellent equipment of the enemy. Sun Sheng originally hoped to defeat the final will of the seven brothers by persuading him to surrender, but in the face of the threat of death, Liu Hongdu and Liu Hongjun were unwavering and refused all conditions.
Enraged, Sun ordered the two brothers to be executed and their heads openly hung on the south gate of Shahewei, intending to suppress the morale of the local population and other anti-Japanese forces through intimidation. This atrocity provoked a larger anti-Japanese sentiment and brought Sun Shengben to the end of his life.
Resources:
Liu's Anti-Japanese Night Raid Squad Century Style. 2019(06) Author: Chen Bolin Liu Shuang