Episode Summary
The Eighth Route Army departs, leaving behind a new cadre, Qiu Jiasheng, to help Zhuang Qifeng train the local militia. Zhuang Qifeng ignores Qiu's advice and leads a disastrous, premature attack on Liu Village, resulting in casualties and his own humiliation. After admitting his mistake, he accepts Qiu's guidance to properly train the troops. Meanwhile, Zhang Zhiping learns he's going to be a father and resolves to clear his name, while Wang Yu attempts to forge an alliance with a puppet army leader.
Spoiler Alert
A New Chapter for the Village
Goodbyes and New Arrivals
The Eighth Route Army made a huge impression on the folks in Lü Family Village. Their discipline was something else. It inspired a ton of the young men to sign up. You should have seen the line for new uniforms. It was massive.
But the army couldn't stick around. Battalion Commander Xiang Qian came to say goodbye to Zhuang Qifeng. The 115th Division had new orders and had to move out. Zhuang Qifeng was sad to see them go but understood the bigger picture. He suggested they could use Qingkou Mountain as a new base, and Xiang Qian said he'd think about it.
Xiang Qian didn't leave them empty-handed, though. He left behind a cadre to help organize things. He also left a stash of captured Japanese uniforms and weapons. This new guy is named Qiu Jiasheng. He looks young, but he's a Red Army veteran who survived the Long March. The man knows his stuff. Zhuang Qifeng was grateful. He saw this as his chance to turn the local fighters into a real force.
Personal Stakes and Bad Decisions
A Baby on the Way
On the personal front, Lü Ying is pregnant. This hit Zhang Zhiping hard. He was happy about being a father, of course. But he's also worried about the war. He's still seen as a traitor, and he feels like he can't give his family a safe life. Lü Ying was firm, though. She's having this baby. This pushed Zhang Zhiping to make a choice. He decided he needs to clear his name with the organization as soon as possible. He wants to be a proper husband and father.
An Attack Gone Wrong
The minute the army was gone, Zhuang Qifeng got impatient. He wanted to launch a surprise attack on Liu Village right away. This was a terrible idea.
Qiu Jiasheng immediately shut it down. He told Zhuang Qifeng that the new local team was nowhere near ready. They didn't have the training or the gear for a fight like that. But Zhuang Qifeng was arrogant. He argued they could win with a clever plan instead of a direct fight. Most of the team sided with him. Qiu Jiasheng had no choice but to go along with it, even though he knew better.
The plan started off okay. Zhuang Qifeng and Qiu Jiasheng used the Japanese uniforms to disguise themselves as officers. They walked right into the Liu Village stronghold. They were so close to succeeding. But then it all fell apart. The new recruits had no discipline. They didn't follow orders, made a bad call, and showed themselves way too early. The whole operation was a bust.
Because of this, three men died. Qiu Jiasheng was wounded. Zhuang Qifeng was completely gutted.
Picking Up the Pieces
A Hard Lesson Learned
The failed attack was a wake-up call for Zhuang Qifeng. He went to Qiu Jiasheng and admitted he was wrong. He confessed he had no idea how to make the team better.
Qiu Jiasheng, ever the professional, laid out a three-point plan. First, Zhuang Qifeng needed to take on the roles of political instructor and party secretary. The team needed better ideology. Second, they had to recruit the most disciplined and bravest guys into the party to act as role models. Third, they needed serious, systematic military training. Zhuang Qifeng was blown away. He finally understood what he had to do.
New Alliances and Old Suspicions
While all that was going down, other moves were being made. Wang Mantun's hard work paid off. Wang Tiezhu told him he was approved to join the party, and he was ecstatic.
Elsewhere, Wang Yu set her sights on Xing Zongmao. He's the leader of the puppet army in Dawang Village. They had a meeting where Xing Zongmao admitted he wanted to fight the Japanese but was scared. Wang Yu explained the Eighth Route Army's policies to him, and they started planning their next steps.
The episode ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Zhuang Ziqiang heard that strange men were visiting Fu Hua's home. He immediately assumed the worst and gathered some guys to go confront her. This probably won't end well.
