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The formation of the 12 detachment
In January 1940, the Third Route Army of the Anti-Japanese Coalition Army faced an unprecedented predicament. The originally powerful 3rd and 6th armies were unable to maintain their original structure due to constant fighting and serious attrition. In this case, it was decided to merge part of the forces of the two armies into new units - 12 detachments. This decision was made to concentrate limited resources and continue the war in a more flexible and efficient manner.
Dai Hongbin, the former commander of the 6th Army, was appointed the head of the 12th detachment. He has a wealth of combat experience and has shown excellent command skills in many fierce battles. Fighting alongside Dai Hongbin was Xu Hengzhi, who served as the chief of staff of the Third Route Army and the commander of the 3rd Army, and also served as the political commissar of the 12th detachment. This combination of military and political responsibilities is designed to ensure that the troops can maintain a high degree of combat effectiveness and organizational discipline in a complex environment.
The establishment of the 12th detachment marked the rapid response of the anti-Japanese coalition forces to the increasingly severe war situation. In the bitter cold wind, the detachment received an order to rush to the Sanzhao Plain to carry out a new anti-Japanese mission. The Sanzhao Plain is remote and has complex topography, which is particularly advantageous for conducting guerrilla warfare. The task of the detachment was to establish a base in this mountainous area, expand the anti-Japanese forces, strike at the supply lines of the Japanese army, and create favorable conditions for the actions of the main forces.
In the cold wind of winter, Dai Hongbin and Xu Hengzhi led the troops on the journey to the Sanzhao Plain. During the march, the troops passed through dense forests and mountains, and from time to time scouts reported on the surrounding movements to ensure the safety of the march. The actions of the troops were fraught with challenges: in addition to being alert to enemy pursuits and ambushes, it was also necessary to deal with the harsh natural environment. However, despite all the difficulties, the morale of the members of the detachment remained high, and they were well aware of the importance of their mission in the war of resistance.
Immediately after arriving on the Sanzhao Plain, the 12 detachment set about building fortifications and reconnoitering the surrounding terrain in order to better arrange battles and ambushes. Dai Hongbin and Heo Hyung-sik often held operational meetings to plan each operation in detail and ensure that each group had a clear understanding of its mission and course of action.
The growth of the Anti-Japanese Salvation Association
After more than half a year of unremitting efforts, Zhang Ruilin and his team succeeded in expanding the membership of the Anti-Japanese Salvation Association to more than 200 people. This feat not only demonstrates their influence on the ground, but also shows the organization's broad support and deep foundation among the people. As the strength of the detachment continued to grow, Zhang Ruilin's team gradually formed a solid core of resistance in the Bamudong area.
The main task of Heo's trip was to guide and strengthen Chang's team and ensure that this emerging force could effectively organize and carry out more anti-Japanese activities. After meeting with Jang Seo-lin and his team, Heo Hyung-sik affirmed their recent achievements. He listened carefully to Zhang Ruilin's report on recruiting new members, organizing anti-Japanese activities, and coordinating and cooperating with surrounding anti-Japanese forces.
During the meeting, Mr. Cheung presented Mr. Hsu with a detailed list of members, including each member's background, expertise, and specific roles in the organization. He also provided a map of the main activities in the area, marking key nodes, including storage sites, secret meeting locations, and possible danger zones.
Heo Hyung-sik kept a detailed record of the information, and he used a notebook to carefully jot down every detail. In the process of recording, Heo Hyung-sik paid special attention to the residents' addresses and the scope of their activities, which were crucial for subsequent operational scheduling and security. He planned to compile these details and report them to his superiors in order to provide a more accurate plan for the allocation of personnel and resources for the entire anti-Japanese coalition army.
After the meeting, Heo also toured several important facilities for Chang's team, including a hidden storage site and a makeshift training camp. Although these facilities were rudimentary, they were an important guarantee for the continuation of the anti-Japanese struggle. He personally inspected the stockpiles of supplies, including weapons, ammunition and food, to ensure that they were able to meet the coming winter and possible emergencies.
During the few days in the Bamudong area, Xu Hengzhi had many in-depth exchanges with the members of Zhang Ruilin's team. They discussed the current situation of the war of resistance, analyzed the enemy situation, and formulated countermeasures for possible Japanese actions.
Text security concerns
Although Heo Hyung-sik carefully and meticulously recorded the information and strategies of the members of the Anti-Japanese Salvation Association, Chang was deeply concerned about this way of recording. In his day-to-day life of the war of resistance, he has become well aware of the importance of intelligence and the fragility of its security. While Heo was recording, Zhang Ruilin repeatedly examined his surroundings to make sure no outsiders approached.
Mr. Cheung observed that Mr. Heo recorded the details of each member, including their names, addresses, movements, and even their family backgrounds, in his notebook. In addition, Heo Hyung-sik drew up a number of maps to mark the key locations and liaison networks of anti-Japanese activities. If these records were to be acquired by the enemy, they would undoubtedly be disastrous to the entire organization.
During the recording process, Zhang Ruilin repeatedly reminded Xu Hengzhi to pay attention to the security of the recording method, and he suggested that certain shortcodes or passwords should be used instead of direct names and locations to reduce the risk of direct information leakage. However, because Heo Hyung-sik needed to report this information to his superiors in detail, he insisted on using clear transcripts to ensure that the information was conveyed accurately.
One day, the weather suddenly changed and a heavy rain suddenly came, forcing Heo Hyung-sik and Jang to find shelter temporarily. They quickly gathered their materials and hid in a simple wooden hut. As the rain trickled down from the cracks in the roof, Heo Hyung-sik carefully placed his notebook on a dry wooden board. In such an environment, Heo Hyung-sik continued his record-keeping work, while Jang Seo-lin stood guard at the door, always on the lookout for any unusual movements.
As time passed, Heo's notebook became fuller, recording a lot of strategic information and personnel dynamics. Before Xu Hengzhi left, Zhang Ruilin once again expressed his concern about the safety of the notebook. He suggested that some of the particularly sensitive information in the notebook be destroyed before Heo Hyung-sik left, especially those records involving specific people and places, but Heo Hyung-sik did not take it seriously.
Desperate resistance and heroic sacrifice
On August 2, 1942, as it was getting late, Heo Hyung-sik and his guard Chen Yunxiang were on their way back to Bamudong, never thinking that this would be the last time they would walk on this land. As the sun set in the west, an unusual silence enveloped the surrounding forests, but this calm was soon broken.
The Governor of the Nation is the leader of a bandit-turned-"raiding party" who knows the area inside out. In the wee hours of the morning, while on his regular patrol, he saw an unusual puff of green smoke rising from the banks of the Shaoling River. Keen intuition told him that there might be anti-Japanese forces hidden there. Without hesitation, the governor immediately ordered the establishment of three strategic checkpoints, which were located on the main roads and trails, effectively cutting off the main entrances and exits to the area.
In the pre-dawn darkness, the Governor quickly mobilized more than 30 strong men under his command to outflank the location of the smoke from three different directions. They move silently, using the cover of night and dense forests to quickly approach the target area. Heo Hyung-sik and Chen Yunxiang barely perceived that danger was approaching until the last moment.
The silence was broken by the sudden sound of gunfire, and bullets rained down the trees and grass. Heo Hyung-sik and Chen Yunxiang quickly looked for cover, leaned their backs against a boulder, and began to fight back. However, the firepower of the "raiding party" was too strong, and their position was quickly locked by the enemy. In the early days of the firefight, Chen Yunxiang was unfortunately shot and died on the battlefield, leaving Xu Hengzhi alone to continue to resist.
Realizing the severity of the situation, Heo Hyung-sik quickly gave an order to Wang Zhaoqing. Wang Zhaoqing was another of his guards, and Xu Hengzhi ordered him to return immediately, inform Zhang Ruilin of the situation, and organize the team to move as soon as possible to avoid greater losses. Wang Zhaoqing hesitated for a moment, then broke through in the rain of bullets and bullets, and hurried back to the camp along the mountain road with all his might.
The rest of the time, Heo Hyung-sik was almost alone. Using his military experience and the advantage of the terrain, he held out for almost an hour. His marksmanship is accurate, and every bullet deals as much damage as possible, but as time goes by, his ammo is running low. Finally, after running out of bullets, some of the captain's team launched a final charge, and Heo Hyung-sik collapsed after a fierce melee fight.
The governor personally stepped forward to confirm Heo Hyung-sik's death. He searched Heo's belongings and found a file bag containing important documents and a notebook.
Tragic consequences
In the spring of 1943, with the cherry blossoms in full bloom, the spring light in the Bamudong area did not bring much comfort to the local residents. During this period, the Japanese army intensified its suppression of anti-Japanese forces. For months, they had been secretly investigating anti-Japanese activities in the Pamudong area, and the key clues to all of this came from the documents and notebooks that the governor had seized a year earlier, Mr. Heo.
These documents and notebooks contain a wealth of information about the members of the organization, the locations of their activities, the storage of supplies, and their tactics. Although Heo Hyung-sik was careful to protect these records during his lifetime, his tragic death and subsequent fall into the hands of the enemy made these precious materials a fatal weakness.
Using this detailed information, the Japanese army devised an elaborate purge operation. They began by secretly monitoring the key points in the records and confirming the pattern and timetable of the activities of the members of the Anti-Japanese Salvation Congress. This process lasted for several weeks, until the Japanese army gathered enough intelligence to be convinced that it could destroy the anti-Japanese core in the Bamudong area in one fell swoop.
On a dark and windy night, the Japanese launched their purge. They split into groups and raided several villages and secret meeting sites in the Bamudong region at the same time. These locations are detailed records in Heung's notebook. The members of the Anti-Japanese Salvation Congress were completely caught off guard, and many were arrested in their sleep without any chance of resistance.
The purge lasted all night, and by daybreak the Japanese had arrested nearly 600 members of the Anti-Japanese Salvation Association. This operation not only captured a large number of anti-Japanese personnel, but also seized a large number of weapons and materials. This move of the Japanese army effectively paralyzed the anti-Japanese activities in the Bamudong area and dealt a great blow to the local anti-Japanese forces.
Many of the arrested members were the backbone of the organization, and their loss greatly weakened the organization's command and combat capabilities. As a result, many villages lost their leaders, and anti-Japanese activities became fragmented and ineffective. The Japanese then set up a stricter control and surveillance system in the area to prevent the resurgence of anti-Japanese forces.
The strategy and action plan recorded in Heo Hyung-sik's notebook were originally intended to strengthen the anti-Japanese forces and contribute to the war of resistance. However, the final effect of these records was completely opposite, not only did they fail to help the anti-Japanese resistance, but instead became a sharp weapon in the hands of the Japanese army, resulting in a heavy loss of anti-Japanese forces in the Bamudong area.
Reference: From the Cultural and Historical Materials Research Committee of the Heilongjiang Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Heilongjiang Cultural and Historical Materials Vol.7[M]. 1982