After Fan Xiaoyu and several other young women successfully joined the student group escorted by the Eighth Route Army Task Force, the party pressed forward without stopping, continuing their march toward the base area.
Within this group of student youths under the escort of the Eighth Route Army Task Force, two individuals possessed unusual backgrounds. One was Zhou Weiguo, a former Central Army regimental commander, and beside him was his guard, Xu Hu. The fierce Battle of Nanjing had erupted, and amidst the chaos of war, Zhou Weiguo's unit had been scattered. Yet he had not retreated in the slightest, leading a small squad deep into the dense mountains and forests to wage one thrilling guerrilla warfare campaign after another against the Japanese Army. However, the Japanese Army had advanced aggressively, with heavy forces surrounding them tightly. The breakout battle had been exceptionally arduous, and Zhou Weiguo had unfortunately been wounded by a stray bullet. Loyal to the end, Xu Hu had fought desperately to protect Zhou Weiguo and break through the encirclement. After a fierce battle, only the two of them remained.
Through a fortuitous turn of events, they had encountered Zhou Weiguo's elder brother, Liu Yuan. Knowing full well that Zhou Weiguo was an officer who had graduated from Whampoa Military Academy and pursued advanced studies at the Berlin Military Academy—a rare and formidable military commander—Liu Yuan had sincerely invited him to join the Eighth Route …
Chapter 243