When it comes to the Battle of Guiliu, the first thing that most people think of is the abandonment of the county by the 93rd Army and the tragic Battle of Guilin, and then the Guiping Counterattack, but the Battle of Hualei Heights, which is closely related to the Guiping Counterattack, is poorly understood.
The Battle of Huabud Heights was first known to the world in the War History Series compiled by the Japanese Defense Agency: Operation No. 1: The Battle of Guangxi (II).
Beginning on October 22, 1944, Deng Longguang, commander-in-chief of the 35th Group Army, commanded the 64th Army and the 1st Column of Guisui to launch a counterattack against the 23rd Brigade of the Japanese 23rd Army, which invaded the Mengwei and Guiping areas from Guangdong to the north, and at the same time ordered Zhou Zuhuang, deputy commander-in-chief of the 16th Group Army, to command the 135th Division of the 31st Army and the 2nd Column of Guisui to be ordered to hold the line of Jintian Village and attack the enemy in Pingnan. After several days of fierce fighting, ** invaded Mengwei, and the combat command post of the 23rd Brigade was forced to withdraw to Lingtou (3 kilometers south-southwest of Guiping) a few miles away, and the remnants of the command were stubbornly resisted. At this time, the 23rd Army of the Japanese Army ordered the 22nd Division to reinforce the independent mixed 23rd Brigade, and on the other hand, ordered the 104th Division to enter the west of Jiangkou Wei with the main force according to the original plan, and to enter Dongxiangwei with a section (scheduled to send the 108th Infantry Wing) to search and reconnoiter the enemy situation and terrain in front of it, so as to prepare for a possible counterattack after the main force of the 23rd Army entered the Wuxuan area (at this time, the Japanese army had not yet discovered that the counterattack had been launched in advance). The above is the background of the battle in the Flower Bud Heights.
I used to think that "flower bud" was a name created by the Japanese army, but I didn't expect that there was indeed this place name in history, but it was not called "flower bud", but "flower thunder".
What I didn't expect was that with the changes of the times, Hualei Village has really become Hualei Village, and it is now an administrative village under the jurisdiction of Bauhinia Town, Guiping City, Guigang City, Guangxi.
Strictly speaking, the battle on the highland of Hualei should be called the battle on the highlands west of Huabud, or the battle of blocking the top of the boundary, because it mainly occurs in the area of the top of the boundary and the hammerhead mountain in Wuxuandong Township.
The course of the battle recorded by the Japanese side:
According to the Battle of Guangxi (Part II) of Operation No. 1: On October 25, the 137th Infantry Wing of the 104th Division advanced along the muddy road to Jiangkouwei (18 kilometers west-northwest of Pingnan) garrisoned by the 135th Division (46th Army) to eliminate the stubborn resistance of the enemy, and after a fierce attack, completely occupied the place on the evening of the 26th. Jiangkouwei is located 40 kilometers northeast of Guiping, which is the west gate of Pingnan Flat and the key point to Nanning and Liuzhou. On the other hand, the 108th Infantry Wing set out from the vicinity of Siwangwei before dawn on the 25th, routed the enemy, and captured the Yangtze River at about 3 pm on the 26th. After defeating the Chongqing Army in the northern area of Taipingwei on the 24th, the 161st Infantry Wing advanced westward from the southern area of Taipingwei on the evening of the 25th, and continued to set out from the vicinity of Dongpinglong on the evening of the 27th, advancing to the area north of Sanjiangwei. The division set out from Wuling on the night of the 27th, advanced the combat command post to Xinning at 4:30 a.m. on the morning of the 28th, and arrived at Xinwei at dawn on the 30th via Siwangwei on the morning of the 29th. However, the front line north and south of Sanjiangwei was heavily guarded by enemy troops, and the 108th and 137th Infantry Wings, which arrived first, were fighting. In the vicinity of Guiping on the south bank of the Wujiang River, there seemed to be fierce fighting for several days. It seems that the crushing of the enemy forces in front of them is more urgent than the preparation for the battle against Liuzhou as required by the order issued by the 22nd Japanese army.
It has now been determined that the Chongqing Army's ** in front of Guiping was seriously launched with the powerful forces (7-8 divisions) of the 4th Theater, but this was completely beyond the expectations of the 23rd Army. The army believed that if the Chongqing Army carried out the first attack, it might be when the main force of the army entered the Wuxuan Flat Land, and it was precisely because of this error in judgment that the Chongqing Army was given the opportunity to strike first. In addition, it was originally judged that the 64th Army of Chongqing, which was transferred from the 7th Theater as the main force, would be deployed in front of the 11th Army, which was actually unexpected.
In this way, for the 23rd Army, the annihilation of the current enemy has become a serious problem, even if the battle to Liuzhou is placed in a secondary position, it is imperative. The commander of the army, Lieutenant General Tanaka, instructed the staff to first devote all the strength of his army to annihilate the current Chongqing army.
On October 31, the army decided to take the opportunity of the Chongqing Army to encircle and annihilate it in the western area of Guiping, and re-engage the main force of the 104th Division into battle.
Prepare to crush the current enemy forces with the main force of the 104th Division, and then advance to the southern area of Wuxuan. And advance in the direction of Dongxiangwei (50 kilometers west of Guiping).
The 22nd Division advanced from the right bank of the Yujiang River to the northern part of Guixian with a powerful force, cutting off the enemy's retreat in the direction of the south bank and annihilating the current enemy forces with the main force. The Gendarmerie Regiment was assigned to the 22nd Division.
The 108th Infantry Wing began to attack the Hualei Heights (about 12 kilometers east of Dongxiang) east of Dongxiang (32 kilometers west of Jiangkou Wei) on the 30th, and the 161st Infantry Wing also began to attack a part of the 135th Division of the Chongqing Army in the northern area of Sanjiangwei on the 29th. However, due to the difficult terrain, the progress of the battle was slow. The rest of the teams assembled in the area around Xinwei (9 kilometers west of Jiangkou Wei) on the morning of the 31st.
The task of the 104th Division was to quickly occupy the vicinity of Wuxuan, but the terrain was too difficult to maneuver quickly. In particular, the attack of the 108th Infantry Wing was stopped by the 135th Division and the 3rd Advance Column by virtue of natural hazards, and the progress was not satisfactory. Although I was extremely anxious, I couldn't do anything, and it was November 1. After the 161st Infantry Wing defeated a regiment of the 135th Division in front of it, it entered 8 kilometers north of Sanjiangwei at 11 a.m. on the 30th, and was attacking the Chongqing Army in the northern mountains from noon on November 1. Based on the steep terrain and the battle situation on the side of the 108th Infantry Wing, Wing Commander Shimizuen Daisa judged that it would be indeed difficult to advance towards Wuxuan all the time, and that it would not succeed quickly. I think that even if you move back, you should choose an area that is easy to pass through and go around behind the enemy's back. So he put forward this intention to the division and suggested breaking through the Dayao Mountains. The mountain had never been traveled before, and it was also blank on the map of 1/500,000 that was carried at the time. Although the situation was unclear, the division commander, Lieutenant General Suzuki, approved the proposal of Daisa Shimizu. The 161st Infantry Wing was immediately ordered to break through the Dayao Mountains from the area north of Sanjiangwei, and then enter Dawanwei (45 km north-northwest of Wuxuan and 20 km north-northeast of Laibin). The 161st Infantry Wing then left its heavy equipment and horses at the division headquarters, set off lightly, and began its operation on the night of 1 November.
On the other hand, the 108th Infantry Wing began to attack the main force of the 3rd Regiment of the 2nd Column and the 135th Division in the Hualei Heights in the mountains east of Dongxiangwei from the 30th. By 8 p.m. on the 30th, 250 enemies had been killed, and 2 mountain guns, 1 mortar, 6 machine guns, 4 heavy machine guns, and 9 light machine guns had been captured. However, the fighting was very hard, and after successive night raids, it was not until 2 November that the high ground was barely captured. As a result, our army suffered heavy losses, with about 80 killed and 100 wounded. Among the battle dead was the 3rd Captain Namba Shoroku Shosa. Since the beginning of this operation, the major has often taken the lead and fought actively in the battles of the wing, and the commander of the Suzuki Division and others deplored his death in battle. In addition, the captain of the wing, Genyoshi Ueno, and the captain of the 1st team, Katsu Takanagi, were also injured.
According to the 104th Division's regimental battle history data investigation report: the upper and middle troops in the battle of Hualei Heights (the damage of the 108th Infantry Wing was 80 killed in battle and about 200 wounded).
Survey report on the history of the 104th Division.
Survey report on the history of the 104th Division.
The 104th Division of the Xianggui Operation Phase 2 battle process map.
*Aspects of the record:
From the morning of the 11th to the 12th of the 11th and 12th of the Battle of Guiliu compiled by the Military Command Department (February 8, 1945) :(October), the enemy of the Darong River repeatedly attacked the N8D position, and the enemy who fought at Jianghua, Yongming, Longhu Pass and other places were all repulsed by us. After the Wuzhou enemy more than 10,000 joined the enemy in Pingnan and Danzhu, he crossed the river in Guanjiangwei in Guiping Nanguanjiang on the morning of the 11th, captured Mengwei, and attacked our 155d division to Guiping City, and fought fiercely in the streets. By the afternoon of the 12th, the whole battalion of our defenders had died heroically, and the enemy was also very heavy. The theater of operations decisively defeated the enemy in Pingnan and Danzhu, and fought after Elier, and deployed the troops of Xijiang as follows:
1. 155d should delay the enemy attacking from Guiping to the west, in order to cover the assembly of the main force.
Second, Gui Suidi.
The 1st and 2nd columns quickly occupied positions near Shilong and repelled the enemy.
3. The 135d occupied the battle of Jintian Village with one part, supported the 37a, attacked the enemy attacking from Jiangkou and Siming to Pingnan and Guiping, and covered the assembly of the main force.
Fourth, the commander of the 46A Li army commanded the 188D and 175D vehicles to transport the area south of Wuxuan and used them in a mobile manner.
5. 64a quickly advance to the area south of Wuxuan, and preparations for battle must be completed before the twenty-first day.
6. 37a Preparations for the attack were to be completed before the 17th of October at Dawangwei and the area south of it, and on the 16th the enemy to the south of Pingnan and to the west of it was to be attacked.
On 11 October, we crossed Guiping and Mengwei and attacked Guanwei fiercely, but we repulsed them. One of them fought with the main force of our 155d near Mengwei. On the morning of the 14th, Xianggui faced the enemy, and on the morning of the 14th, he went to the Darong River and divided into parts towards the mouth of the Songjiang River, trying to move back to our position, but was also blocked by us for 10 days. As of the 16th, the position of the Great Banyan River was repeatedly contested by the enemy and us, and those who lost and regained it were again. On the afternoon of the 17th, the enemy was attacked by me, and he was defeated and retreated to the northeast. On the morning of the 14th, one part of the attack on Gaoseda and the other on the mouth of the Songjiang River, I immediately deployed as follows:
1. Guo Shaowen, deputy commander of the 131st Division, was sent to lead the 2nd Battalion to Guizi Pass and regain Gaosantian from Xiangji.
2. N19D repelled the enemy to Haiyangwei, approached the Li River, and recaptured Gaosamitian towards the phase.
3. 93a tried to keep the enemy at bay on the line of the Xiaorong River, and to expel the enemy at the mouth of the Songjiang River.
The enemy in Songjiang was a brigade of 106B 58D, attempting to detour to the main position of Xiaorongjiang and my 93A, that is, sending 10D to attack the enemy. On the evening of the 18th, most of the enemy was annihilated. I then regained the mouth of the Song River.
On the morning of the 17th, the other part of the enemy's 58d attacked the southern high school of Hung Yen, but was stopped by our 31A search battalion. The enemy immediately erected fortifications in place and awaited the arrival of his follow-up troops.
In order to plan ahead of the machine, on the morning of the 21st, our troops on the Xijiang side attacked the enemy in two directions. On that day, the 155d captured the northwest area of Mengwei, and the 159d captured the southwest area of Mengwei, and the enemy was very heavy. On the twenty-fifth day, I 155d and 156d coordinated with 159d to besiege Mengwei, and the remnants of the enemy resisted stubbornly.
On the twenty-seventh day, the enemy took advantage of our transfer of troops to fight bravely on our left flank, and even escaped into the stone slab and protected the village. Until noon, he continued to invade Xinwei and fought fiercely with the second column of our Gui Sui. Due to the adverse impact of the battle situation on the right bank of the Qianjiang River, our army immediately suspended the attack. And with the drastic change of the enemy situation, he went to Wuxuan on the twenty-sixth day of 62a to 157d, under the command of Zu Huang, deputy commander-in-chief of Zhou. Our 135d main force was transferred from the line of Luobi and Niuchong to the vicinity of Sanjiangwei on the 28th of the 28th of our day, and cooperated with the Guisui Second Column to defend the new position. Haike, the enemy is about 2,000, plainclothes team.
3. 400, continue to attack our position, fierce fighting until the 29th, I ** very serious, the commander of the third regiment Li Hua was wounded, had to move to the southwest area of the Sanjiang River. By noon, I had been forced to move the line near the east of Hualei one by one.
I reinforced to Wuxuan on the 157th day, and occupied the line of Shangdong, Fenlong, and Jieding on the 29th, and resisted the enemy's invasion from Hualei to the west. On the afternoon of the 30th, more than 1,000 enemies committed a crime on the top of the boundary, but there was no progress. On the 31st, the enemy increased by 4,000, repeatedly fought hand-to-hand with us, and the soldiers were determined to die, and on the 1st of November, the stubborn enemy was finally repulsed, and the enemy's corpses were more than 2,000.
Outline of the Battle of Guiliu compiled by the Military Command Department (February 8, 1945).
History of the Anti-Japanese War. Battle of Guiliu: In late October, the enemy's 104th Division near Pingnan broke through the positions of our 135th Division and Guisui's 2nd Column in Jintian Village and advanced westward. Feeling threatened, the commander-in-chief of the 35th Group Army was fighting fiercely with the enemy near Mengwei with his troops, so he sent a telegram asking for reinforcements from Commander Zhang, who reported that on the 27th, he ordered Huang Tao, commander of the 62nd Army defending Liuzhou, to send the 157th Division to gallop to intercept it by night, and the division arrived at Dongxiang on the 29th, and the next day it followed the instructions of Zhou Zuhuang, deputy commander-in-chief of the 16th Group Army, to occupy the positions of the line of Xiangxin, Jieding, and Shuangji Mountain, and prevent the enemy from advancing westward from Sanjiangwei. At 18 o'clock on the 30th, the enemy has been found in the front of Hualei, one of them took advantage of the dusk to turn to the position of the 2nd battalion of the 407th Regiment on the east side of the hammerhead mountain to attack, the main force attacked the top of the boundary position, the battle was fierce, the 6th company of the regiment and the enemy fought for the top of the boundary high ground, four losses and four gains, more than half of the death cause, the company commander Zhang Xiongming died bravely, the top of the boundary high ground fell, and after the reinforcement of the 469th regiment, at dawn on the 31st, the enemy **, fierce battle until late, the pawn will lose ground and recover. At 6 o'clock on November 1, the enemy units on the top of the boundary attacked our position from time to time, but they were all repulsed by the defenders, and at 12 o'clock Commander-in-Chief Deng ordered the division to withdraw westward, and after the division commander Li Hongda was ordered, he left one part to maintain contact with the enemy, and the main force retreated westward through Sanliwei after dusk, and all arrived near Ertang at dawn on the 2nd, and assembled on standby.
Zhang Fakui reported on the achievements of the 157th Division and respectfully awarded the award: Our 157th Division fought more than 4,000 fierce battles with the enemy's 104th Division's infantry and artillery on the north and south lines of Shuangji Mountain under Wuxuan for more than three days and nights. In addition to the 100,000 yuan reward from the headquarters and the commendation order, Li Hongda of the division was well commanded and the officers and soldiers were given a good command and a prayer (Note: In February 1945, Li Hongda, the commander of the 157th Division, was awarded the first prize medal of Gancheng A by the national ** for his meritorious service in the war).
Zhang Fakui reported on the achievements of the 157th Division and respectfully awarded the Excellence Award (November 1, 1944).
Wuxuan County Chronicles: Dongxiang boundary top is located in Wuxuan County Dongxiang and Guiping County Bauhinia Township and other mountains, the terrain is steep, easy to defend and difficult to attack, for the past generations of soldiers must fight for the place.
*In October 33, the 135th Division of the 31st National ** Army and the 2nd Column of Guisui resisted the invading Japanese army in the area of Jintian Township and Zijing Township in Guiping County. The 2nd Regiment under the jurisdiction of the 2nd Column of Guisui sent its 2nd Battalion to the top of the Dongxiang boundary to build fortifications to facilitate the entrenchment. In late October, the enemy broke through the defense line of Guisui's 2nd Column in Zijing Township and pressed towards Shuangji Mountain. On October 29, the 108th Wing under the jurisdiction of the 104th Division of the 23rd Army of the Japanese Invading Army began to attack the top of the boundary. At dawn the next day, more than 100 Japanese soldiers climbed up from the foot of the water dividing area. When the Japanese army climbed to a place about 400 meters away from the ** position, ** occupied the favorable terrain and condescended, wounding and killing more than 10 Japanese soldiers at once, and repelling the enemy.
About an hour later, the Japanese army bombarded the ** position halfway up the mountain from the back of Jiejiao Village under the water boundary to the ** position halfway up the mountain. Due to the increasing strength of the Japanese army, and there was only one battalion, the top of the line was in an emergency. At the critical moment, the Commander's Department of the Fourth Theater sent the 35th Division under the jurisdiction of the 62nd Army of the 157th Group Army to reinforce it. At the same time, more than 100 people of the 108th Wing of the Japanese Army climbed up the mountain road from the back of Jiejiao Village, and when they climbed to about 200 meters away from the ** position, the light and heavy machine guns and rifles of the ** were all together, killing 14 enemies on the spot, and the enemy hurriedly rolled and crawled back. Because there was no place to hide, more than half of the enemy was wounded and killed on the way back.
At this time, ** immediately transfer, retreat about 1 mile, and then re-arm. Half an hour later, when a group of enemies climbed to the original position, they did not see 1 person, thinking that they had fled, they got up and rushed forward in a fit of forgetfulness.
After 4 days and 3 nights of fighting, more than 80 Japanese soldiers including Namba Shoroku Shosa were killed, and more than 100 were wounded, including Noyoshi Osa. **More than 250 people.
Fighting in the areas of Pingnan, Guiping, and Yishan (then commander of the 135th Division, Yan Shengwu): Battles and retreats on the line of the Dahuang River Estuary and Jintian Village The Japanese army attacked the Danzhu airfield in Pingnan County in early October, which was the first target of the Japanese army's first attack in Guinan. Before the Japanese attack, the unit defending the airfield was the 4th and 5th Regiment of the 135th Division. At that time, I was the commander of the 135th Division, stationed at the mouth of the Dahuang River in Guiping County. After the destruction of the Danzhu airfield, I ordered the regiment to deploy defenses along the north bank of the Xunjiang River near the Danzhu airfield to prevent the enemy from attacking from the south bank from crossing the north bank, but because the regiment was ineffective in preventing the blockade, the enemy forcibly crossed the river from the upper reaches of the Danzhu airfield, and the 45th Regiment retreated from the vicinity of the Danzhu airfield and passed through Pingnan County to the mouth of the Dahuang River. After the Japanese army occupied Danzhu Airport, it marched along the west of the river to occupy Pingnan County, and the mouth of the Dahuang River became the target of the Japanese army's continued offensive.
After the Japanese occupied the county town of Pingnan, the 135th Division continued to send battalion-based troops from the mouth of the Dahuang River to attack the enemy in turn, on the one hand, in order to delay the enemy's attackOn the other hand, it enables the soldiers to gain combat experience (because the 135th Division is a backward division, and the vast majority of the soldiers are new recruits), which is also a good training effect for the recruits. In mid-October, the enemy occupying the county seat of Pingnan attacked the mouth of the Dahuang River along the north bank of the Xun River, and reached Panshi Village, which was five miles away from the mouth of the Dahuang River.
After the Japanese army retreated to Pingnan County, a few days later, it attacked near Hucun about ten miles north of the mouth of the Dahuang River, and the 135th Division fought with the enemy for a mountain stronghold near Hucun, and fought fiercely for more than two days. The task of the 135th Division and the 2nd Column of the Sui Department was to prevent the enemy from attacking Liuzhou through the mouth of the Dahuang River via Sanjiangwei and Wuxuan. However, the vicinity of the mouth of the Dahuang River is a plain, and the decisive battle with the enemy will suffer heavy losses, and it may be difficult to achieve the task of preventing the enemy from attacking Liuzhou. The north and south lines of Jintian Village (that is, the site of the Taiping Rebellion) in the northwest of the mouth of the Dahuang River were all lofty mountains and mountains, and the terrain was dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and our army decided to retreat to this line to occupy positions in order to stop the Japanese attack. At that time, Wang Jingsong learned that Zhou Zuhuang's new operational deployment was to use the First Column of the Sui Administration (Column Commander Tang Ji), which had just arrived in Sanjiangwei, to occupy a position on the line between the north and south of Jintian Village and serve as a frontal defenseThe 135th Division left the 1st Battalion to hold the mouth of the Dahuang River, and the main force retreated from the mouth of the Dahuang River and near Hucun to the southern end of Dongxinwei to occupy a flank position, and when the enemy attacked the line of Jintian Village, it attacked the enemy's right rear from the flank. After I received Wang Jingsong's **, I immediately retreated from the mouth of the Dahuang River and near the village to the southern end of Dongxinwei to occupy a flank position in accordance with Zhou Zuhuang's planAt this time, it has been half a month since the fall of Guiping County.
In the afternoon of the next day, the Japanese army attacked the line of Kaneda Village. On the evening of the day when the enemy attacked the line of Jintian Village, I received another letter from Wang Jingzhu, saying that it was not easy for the second column of the Sui Department to hold a frontal position on the line of Jintian Village, and asked me to lead the 135th Division to Sanjiangwei at the rear end of the line of Jintian Village overnight to reinforce the line. However, from Dongxinwei to Sanjiangwei, it is very difficult to pass through the complex and rugged Yaoshan road, especially at night.
In order to go to Sanjiangwei first to understand the situation and facilitate deployment, I went to Sanjiangwei in the front to understand the situation in the dark, so as to facilitate the deployment, I went ahead first, groping and advancing in the dark, although it was not easy to walk, and the movement of heavy weapons, ammunition, luggage, and horses was even more difficult. I arrived at Sanjiangwei the next morning and divided the defensive area with the second column of the Sui Administration, and the area north of the line from Sanjiangwei to Xinwei was under the responsibility of the 135th Division, and the area south of the line was under the responsibility of the second column of the Sui Administration. The troops of the 135th Division arrived at Sanjiangwei the next day, and immediately took over the defense. At noon on the day after I arrived at Sanjiangwei, the position of the second column of the Sui Department south of Sanjiangwei was broken through by the enemy, and the column retreated to Wuxuan Dongxiang Pass, and the Japanese army followed the column and pursued and advanced. When the position of the second column of the Sui Department was broken through and retreated by the enemy, I received a letter from Wang Jingsong, chief of staff of Zhou Zuhuang, asking the 135th Division to retreat from the line north of Sanjiangwei to Wuxuan Dongxiang Pass, and together with the second column of the Sui Department, occupy a position and defend it in the area of Dongxiang Pass.
However, because the enemy followed the second column of Suiwei and pursued, the road from Sanjiangwei to Dongxiangao had been cut off by the enemy, and the 135th Division had to retreat from Sanjiangwei to Dongxiangao at this time, and it had to make a detour through the Yaoshan area and Wuxuan County, otherwise there would be no other road to pass. The 135th Division retreated from the line north of Sanjiangwei, and after passing through Yaoshan, before reaching Dongxiang Pass, it was learned that Wuyi County and Dongxiang Pass had been occupied by the enemy, and Zhou Zuhuang, director of the Wuxuan Command Post, commander of the Fourth Theater of Operations, and the second column of the Sui Administration did not know where to go, and there was no way to contact the radio at this time.
At this time, he received a telegram from Li Xingshu, commander of the 46th Army, from the radio, informing him that the 135th Division would be under the command of Li Xingshu, and ordering the whole division to go to Yishan to wait for orders. After I received the telegram, I decided that the route of departure was to go through Liuzhou to Yishan. But halfway through, I learned that the urban area of Liuzhou had fallen, which was unexpected, and I did not expect that the urban area of Liuzhou would be occupied by the enemy so quickly!Because the situation was unknown at that time, I don't know where the enemy army had beenWhere did the squadron retreat?It makes us very confused. The city of Liuzhou had already fallen and could not pass, so I took a shortcut through the mountains and drove to Yishan, and when I arrived at Datang, I also saw the heavy artillery troops retreating from the city of Liuzhou and many sporadic teams retreating through Datang to Yishan, and I looked very flustered.