Chapter 40: Plum Blossoms Welcome the Red Army in the Twelfth Lunar Month
In the twelfth lunar month, Ningxian County was right in the path of the Red Army's attack. The sharp blade pointed directly at Ningxian City time and again. Looking at those mounted Red Army cavalrymen, the poor security guards did not dare to open fire, fearing that they would provoke the powerful 74th Division into attacking the city; also because the rifling on their old guns was almost worn out, making it difficult to hit the target accurately.
The arrogant "aura" of the Red Army outside the city walls made the big masters in the county government shocked several times a day, whether it was the head of the security team, the county magistrate, the director of the Kuomintang party committee, or the gentry who had stood for hundreds of years without falling. They all regarded the area outside the city as a fallen area. Although they were heartbroken about their good fields and villas outside the city, who could stand up to argue with Gao Quan's troops, notorious for their massacres?
When everyone was full of confidence in preparing to take down Ningxian County, and then have a good New Year's celebration, the Red Army was about to declare its mighty strength to the Nationalist Party. However, Gao Quan suddenly decided to postpone the attack on Ningxian County under everyone's astonished gaze, because he had a chessboard in his mind, a big chessboard! A chessboard that would guarantee victory!
Because of the many captured soldiers in the army, Gao Daquan was afraid that the military situation would be leaked out, so he personally led more than 2,500 people to bypass Ningxian County from the west. The long queue, the loud military song, the neat pace, and the magnificent momentum made some security team members who had lived in the mountains since childhood sit on the ground with one foot numb, and many others trembled with both legs; The big and small officials who rushed to the county wall saw the Red Army troops gradually moving away, and couldn't help but wipe off the cold sweat that appeared on their heads at some unknown time.
In the intelligence sent by the Blue Shirt Society of the Nationalist Party, Gao Quan was jealous and contemptuous of the combat effectiveness of the Security Regiment, so he only dispatched Fang, the chief of staff of the division, with more than a thousand men to stay behind and prepare to attack the county seat. The main force of the troops then divided and marched towards Dongjiangkou, preparing to raid Foping County! However, this covert operation was done very poorly, and in Gao Quan's eyes, the absolute power had already been able to completely intimidate the Northwestern Army garrison around Foping County, and take down Foping County with one blow.
Xin Chang, located between Ningqiang County and Foping County, is a must-pass place for Xi'an to go to the two counties. After marching for more than half a day in the mountains, the main force of the 74th Division finally arrived at Xin Chang. Under the sunset, Xin Chang was already a piece of duskiness and vagueness, and even local people could hardly recognize the mountainous terrain. Gao Daquan convened the long-awaited pre-war combat meeting that everyone had been expecting.
Gao Quan's worries about the exposure of the combat plan were soon understood by everyone, because many of the newly joined captive soldiers were not good at mass work in peacetime, and had already been familiar with them in recent times, and from time to time, they would catch out scattered company-level officers. As for whether there were still higher-ranking officers hiding in the troops, Gao Quan did not investigate further, but only let the Security Department pay attention to it. He didn't want to create a "purge" movement within his own troops that he might not be able to control himself!
The Red Army has made mistakes in dealing with political prisoners over the years, and many people have been killed! Especially how many good people, how many officers, and how many excellent commanders were mistakenly killed! Human heads are not like leeks, cutting one off does not allow another to grow back!
"Commander, this area is all flat terrain, how can our army hide such a large force? In an open plain, the enemy can see to the end with one glance, and it's really not possible to take advantage of the terrain in an ambush! If the enemy is prepared, even if we have two or three thousand regular troops with heavy machine guns, it's not something we can swallow in one bite! If we get bogged down with the enemy for a long time, reinforcements from Xi'an can arrive at any moment, and by then it will be too late to turn back!" As the leader of the regiment, Mao Dun looked at Gao Quan's battle plan, thought for a moment, and was the first to express his concerns.
However, Gaoquan's normally extremely calm face, which couldn't show any signs of joy or worry, suddenly broke out into a faint, indescribable smile, as if mocking and confident at the same time. "Ambushing in the plains area naturally has its advantages! In the treacherous mountainous areas, although the terrain is advantageous to our army, for those Nationalist troops who have been repeatedly deceived and suffered heavy losses, it's only natural that they would be extremely cautious, and luring them into a trap would require a lot of effort!"
Those who nodded in agreement seemed to have given Gaoquan an inexplicable trust. Without any hesitation, Gaoquan turned around and pointed at the flat areas on the map, saying: "However, in the plains area, the enemy's vigilance will naturally decrease greatly! In a situation where there is no wind or grass movement, the enemy's march in broad daylight would likely only involve sending out some scouts! And as long as we hide well, the enemy will be doomed to escape!" The ups and downs of his voice led everyone around the conference table to smile in sudden realization.
"The way to use troops is to use both the regular and the unusual, only when the regular and the unusual complement each other can it be called the King's Way!" Wei Lao suddenly blurted out a sentence, which made everyone remember that Wei Lao also had profound attainments in military strategy. However, with Gao Daquan leading the troops to victory after victory, he seemed to have overshadowed all the capable and brave commanders in the 74th Division! But everyone trusted Gao Daquan deeply, whether it was Chen Xianrui, the former deputy division commander who had a higher position than Gao Daquan, or the regimental and battalion commanders under him. Looking at Gao's tall figure carefully studying the map, everyone's eyes were filled with unwavering trust...
On a winter day, the frozen earth was an unusually difficult obstacle to overcome. Under the bright moonlight, soldiers used coal powder and dry firewood to scorch the frozen earth, and the originally hard frozen earth was surprisingly peeled off layer by layer like frozen tofu, revealing its tender "skin". Within a distance of less than 50 meters from the road, there were scattered pits and holes everywhere, with dry branches and logs as thick as arms collected and placed, and straw scattered all over. On a night when water dripped into ice, they covered the heavy machine guns and other firepower points with layer upon layer of thick armor. The soldiers' bodies were sweating hot blood under the scorching fire.
As the head of Ningxian County's security team, Commander Qi was naturally very close to his uncle's family, who were eager to help him make a good impression. Since ancient times, uncles and nephews have been extremely intimate, so as soon as he received the distress telegram from his cousin, he became restless like an ant on a hot pot, unable to sit or sleep. Thinking of that little guy who had followed him around since childhood, like his own younger brother, whom he had spoiled, his face showed not only a rare outpouring of affection but also deep anxiety.
Two divisions of troops under the command of the Shaanxi Pacification Office immediately rushed to Ningxian County from Xi'an, and the mighty three thousand were all Yang's most trusted men! They were also his trump card for defeating Gao Quan, and for his own prestige, not to be looked down upon by the Northeastern Army who had just entered Shaanxi. He also specially dispatched the mountain artillery battalion of the 17th Route Army! The family fortune accumulated over the years was all for this one battle!
New recruit Shi Shenjie was holding the long spear in his hand, muttering to himself and looking very unhappy. Even when he practiced martial arts at home, he could handle a good steel spear! Where did this rusty red-tasseled spear come from? Isn't this just something he played with as a kid? He threw down the spear and sat on the side, sulking, and was seen by Old Squad Leader Liang, who had turned his head around. As the squad leader, Old Liang said with a playful tone: "You little brat is slacking off again! Are you going to say that you didn't get a steel spear? You should know that our Red Army lacks weapons! If you want a gun, take it yourself! No skills, only knowing how to sulk and complain! You, hurry up and leave the Red Army! Take the few dollars of travel expenses and go home to marry your wife!"
"Oh! Oh! Shi Shenjie wants to go home and marry his wife!" Amidst the crowd's laughter, Shi Shenjie dropped the red-tasseled spear in his hand, wanting to find someone to fight with. However, he thought of the strict military rules and felt extremely displeased, his round face flushing bright red, veins bulging, yet unsure what to do!
Two chapters today! Want tomorrow to be the same? Vote a lot!
