Chapter 611: What are the Odds?

Tian Rulong raised his hand slightly: "Lin Sicheng, from what period is this painting?"

"Late Ming, early Qing!"

"What mountain is this?"

"Taihang Mountain!"

"Are all twenty-four of them like this?"

"Yes!"

Good heavens, just how infatuated with Taihang Mountain must one be?

Tian Rulong could guarantee: without ten or so years of effort, and without walking the ground a thousand or eight hundred times, one could not paint it so realistically, let alone with such detail.

If you don't believe it, take a look: even the piles of loose stones on the bank are painted with absolute precision—

Tian Rulong tried hard to recall: in his impression, it seemed there wasn't any famous master who painted only Taihang?

There are a whole bunch who paint Huangshan—

After thinking for a good while, he looked at Sheng Guoan: "Director Sheng, who specializes in painting Taihang?"

Sheng Guoan frowned: there are references, of course, such as Guo Xi, or Wang Ximeng. In his Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains, a portion of the mountain formations were modeled after Taihang.

But that was merely a reference, not a sketch from life.

And then there are Shen Zhou and Xie Shichen, who both have subjects related to Taihang. But these two were only reminiscing about the past; to put it bluntly: they were just relying on imagination and had never been to the actual site.

As for someone who specializes in painting Taihang, there is even less of that—

He subconsciously shook his head, and just as he was about to say something, Zhang Zongxian pointed upward: "Junior brother, look closely."

"Rulong, you look too!"

Look at what, the painting?

Tian Rulong was confused: he only understood painting, he wasn't an expert. He was a long way behind Sheng Guoan. Even if he were told to look, he would likely not understand it.

But Zhang Zongxian was his elder, so he only had to listen, and could only honestly shut his mouth.

And just as Tian Rulong raised his head, he was stunned again: on the big screen, the twenty-four album leaves had been removed, leaving only the corresponding twenty-four photographs.

Lin Sicheng clicked them open one by one, and below each photograph, there was a detailed textual explanation:

The first one, Jingxing South River Beach Ancient Road.

Location: Hebei Jingxing.

Purpose: Underground transport warfare in the Taihang First Sub-district; during the War of Resistance, it was a transit ferry for intelligence personnel, capable of crossing the Pinghan Railway blockade line (Japanese army).

Characteristics: The river beach is shallow, Japanese defenses were weak, used for night transport of underground personnel, medicine, and newspapers to the Taihang base area.

Primarily focused on guerrilla vigilance and secret night passage.

The second one, Changshenggou Mountain Path.

Location: Hebei Jingxing Changshengkou.

Responsible unit: 129th Division 386th Brigade, Taihang First Sub-district guerrilla forces.

Purpose: Ambush and detour secret path, bypassing to the rear of the Japanese army's road.

Battle: February 22, 1938, Changshengkou Ambush; the 386th Brigade's 771st and 772nd Regiments used this secret mountainside path to set an ambush, attacking the point to strike reinforcements and annihilating the Japanese reinforcements.

The third one: Niangziguan (Weizeguan, border of Shanxi and Hebei).

Responsible unit: Initially Kuomintang garrison troops; after the fall of Taiyuan, the 129th Division 344th Brigade and Taihang First Sub-district guerrillas operated in the surrounding area.

Purpose: A strategic pass at the gateway between Shanxi and Hebei, controlling the vital route of the Zhengtai Railway into Shanxi.

Battle: October 1937, Battle of Niangziguan; afterwards, the Eighth Route Army continuously harassed Japanese strongholds at Niangziguan.

The fourth one, Xiangtangpu Canyon (She County, Fukoujing).

Responsible unit: 129th Division 385th Brigade 769th Regiment, 386th Brigade; temporary ambush set during wartime, no large troops stationed there permanently.

Purpose: A classic ambush valley along the Handan-Changzhi Highway.

Battle: March 31, 1938, Xiangtangpu Ambush; commanded by Xu Xiangqian, they annihilated a Japanese transport unit here, blowing up 181 Japanese vehicles,

and captured a large quantity of weapons, clothing, and gasoline.

The fifth one, Dongyangguan Outer Branch Valley (Licheng Dongyangguan).

Responsible unit: 129th Division 386th Brigade, Taihang Third Sub-district reconnaissance troops.

Purpose: A mobile detachment point for monitoring Japanese strongholds at Dongyangguan.

Battle: Multiple sabotage battles on the Handan-Changzhi Highway; troops launched attacks on the highway from two separate valleys.

The sixth one, Dongyangguan Riverside Cave (Licheng).

Responsible unit: Taihang Third Sub-district reconnaissance plainclothes squad; short-term lurking, not permanently stationed.

Purpose: Forward lurking outpost.

Combat record: Monitored Japanese troop movements at Dongyangguan multiple times between 1938–1942, recording the movements of Japanese convoys and infantry.

Then the eighth, the ninth, the tenth—all the way until the sixteenth, the conference hall went "buzz," like a disturbed beehive.

The sixteenth one: Chian Village Terrace (Hebei She County).

Garrison/Responsible unit: 129th Division direct subordinate units; Eighth Route Army stationed in She County long-term from 1940–1945.

Battle: Command hub for major battles such as the Ci-Wu-She-Lin Anti-Stubborn Campaign and the Hundred Regiments Offensive. In May 1942, a Japanese special raiding unit specifically launched a surprise attack on this location, but the organs had already evacuated to safety—

Good heavens, this is the 129th Division Headquarters of Liu and Deng, and even more, the military Command Center of the Jin-Ji-Lu-Yu Border Region—

There is more behind it: the nineteenth one, She County Qingzhang River Valley Basin.

Responsible unit: Jin-Ji-Lu-Yu Border Region Government, 129th Division logistics, border region hospitals, the Taihang edition of the Xinhua Daily, and various rear-area organs.

Purpose: The core rear-area hinterland of the base area.

The twentieth one, Jiangshuichuan Mountain Area (Xingtai Jiangshui).

Garrison/Responsible unit: Anti-Japanese Military and Political University main campus; the school headquarters was stationed here from 1940–1943.

Purpose: Schooling base for the General Headquarters of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University————

The twenty-third image, the confluence zone of the Matian River Valley.

Garrison/Responsible unit: Guard Regiment of the General Headquarters.

Purpose: Forward Headquarters of the Eighth Route Army, CPC Central Northern Bureau, headquarters location from 1940–1942————

After looking at the photos, the group of people looked at each other in dismay: does this mean those twenty-four small paintings are all of the Taihang Mountain Revolutionary Base during the War of Resistance?

Including even the Liu-Deng Command, the General Headquarters of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University, the Forward Headquarters of the Eighth Route Army, and the CPC Central Northern Bureau?

Lin Sicheng, what kind of joke are you playing?

The image on the screen disappeared, the camera zoomed in again, and a book appeared in Lin Sicheng's hands: "Taihang Revolutionary Base Picture Album".

Below is the information and detailed introduction of the publishing unit: Shanxi People's Publishing House, 1987 first edition, compiled by the Party History Editorial Group.

Photo sources: Some sourced from the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army and battlefield photography of the Northern Bureau (taken by battlefield reporters such as Gao Fan and Xu Xiaobing).

Second round of photography: 1950s–1980s, Party history departments revisited various old sites in Taihang to photograph the terrain of canyons, mountain passes, caves, and ancient fortresses————

The venue was suddenly in an uproar: so, all those photos played on the screen just now were the twenty-four paintings excerpted from this book?

Tian Rulong had already asked before, and Lin Sicheng had stated it very clearly: created in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, what they depict is Taihang Mountain.

The guests have eyes and can also make comparisons: the twenty-four small paintings and the twenty-four photos match up perfectly.

But they didn't understand: why would an Ancient Painting from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties happen to depict the key strongholds of a Revolutionary Base from three hundred years later?

It couldn't be that a modern person traveled back to the Ming Dynasty, could it?

This was, of course, a joke; most people could guess: this was just a coincidence.

But it was a bit too coincidental: if one or two, or three or four matched, it could be called accidental, but for all twenty-four paintings to overlap with the Revolutionary Base, what are the odds of that?

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