Episode Summary
In this episode, an Eighth Route Army raid on Sun Yulin's forces goes horribly wrong, leading to the death of Zhuang Qifeng's mother and sparking a personal vendetta. Sun Yulin escapes into Japanese territory after making a deceptive deal with Satoshi Yamashita. Alliances shift as Lü Shiqing defects to the Japanese and is tasked with spying on his countrymen, quickly targeting Zhang Zhiping. In Gucheng, Zhang Zhiping and Lü Ying make the difficult decision to stay behind and continue their underground resistance work instead of returning home.
Spoiler Alert
Our Homeland Episode 23: A Botched Raid and a Blood Feud
This whole episode felt like one bad decision after another. The plan to take down Sun Yulin’s forces goes wrong almost immediately. And the consequences are brutal.
The Attack on Lü Family Village
A Messy Ambush
The episode kicks off with Satoshi Yamashita's troops sweeping the area, trying to find the main Eighth Route Army force. Under the cover of darkness, Lü Siqing gets things started. He sneaks up to the wall of the village where Sun Yulin's men are camped out. He takes out two sentries without making a sound.
Once the gate is open, Erheitou leads his squad in a full-blown charge. They rush straight for Sun Yulin's sleeping quarters. The whole village erupts in gunfire. It's total chaos. Just as the fight gets going, Zhuang Qifeng shows up with his own squad and reinforcements from the Village Alliance. They manage to surround Sun Yulin's forces completely.
A Hostage and a Horrible End
Just when it looks like they have him, Sun Yulin grabs Zhuang Qifeng's mother. He uses her as a human shield. Everything grinds to a halt. The two sides are locked in a standoff.
Then, Erheitou makes a move. He’s positioned on a nearby hill and takes a shot. But he doesn't hit Sun Yulin. He hits Zhuang’s mother. She goes down instantly. Zhuang Qifeng is completely shattered. Now, his fight with Sun Yulin is a blood feud.
The Fallout and Shifting Loyalties
A Coward's Escape
Zhuang Qifeng is so full of rage he grabs a pistol and tries to chase Sun Yulin right then and there. Zhou Mi has to physically stop him and tell him to calm down. He lets him know that another team is already in pursuit. The Eighth Route Army opens fire on the fleeing soldiers. Sun Yulin's men drop one by one. But Sun Yulin himself and Chen Shouzheng manage to escape into the woods. They slip right into Japanese-controlled territory.
A Snake in the Grass
After burying his mother, Zhuang Qifeng forces himself to attend a military meeting. They learn that Sun Yulin and Satoshi Yamashita have been sending secret telegrams. They made a deal. The Japanese army promised not to cross the Yellow Sand River. In exchange, all the land to the south would belong to Sun Yulin.
Everyone at the meeting sees it for the trap it is. Yamashita is just letting Sun Yulin think he's in charge. In reality, he's using other puppet troops to slowly chip away at Sun's new territory.
Meanwhile, Lü Shiqing officially defects and goes straight to Satoshi Yamashita. He blames the failed raid on Sun Yulin's weakness. He claims that if Sun had just executed Lü Shicai earlier, things would have gone differently. Yamashita doesn't seem to care about the failure. He sees the chaos as a perfect opportunity to track the Eighth Route Army's main force.
Strategy and Sacrifice
Planning the Next Move
Liu Baisong correctly guesses that the Japanese will try to cross the river that very day to attack Lü Family Village. He lays out a defensive strategy. He wants to split their forces to defend key passes. This will scatter the enemy attack and allow mobile units to strike back. Zhuang Qifeng agrees. He points out that the Japanese are spread thin. Ambushes are the best way to divide their forces and hit them from all sides. They all agree on this flexible approach.
Yamashita gives Lü Shiqing a new job as deputy commander of a plainclothes unit. His only tasks are to gather intelligence and spy on the other Chinese soldiers. Lü Shiqing immediately tells Yamashita that Zhang Zhiping is acting suspiciously and is probably a communist spy. Yamashita believes him and tells Lü Shiqing to find a way to test Zhang.
A Heavy Choice in Gucheng
On the other side, Zhang Zhiping has urgent news for Lü Ying. The 115th Division is about to attack Gucheng. Their original plan was to fall back to Lü Family Village with the army. Lü Ying starts to cry when she hears her hometown might be liberated.
As Zhang Zhiping packs his things, he finds something that belonged to the fallen Feng Ji. The memory hits him hard. He tells Lü Ying he has changed his mind. He wants to stay in Gucheng and continue their underground work. He feels he has to finish the mission that Feng Ji and his wife started. Lü Ying wants to go home badly. But thinking of the sacrifices made, she tearfully agrees to stay with him.
