Chapter 28: Worries Near and Far
The news of the main force of the Red Army's westward and northward march had not yet been transmitted to the E-Shaanxi and Yu-Shaanxi Special Committees, because of the betrayal of the traitors, the Kuomintang Shensi Provincial Pacification Office, which obtained intelligence, concentrated more than 20 regiments of troops, implemented "divided zones and cleared", ordered "clearing troops to use all kinds of methods to thoroughly search and clear", attempting to use the method of "divide and conquer" and "defeat in separate battles" to annihilate our guerrilla forces in the E-Yu-Shaanxi border area and completely destroy our base.
The triumphant return of Gao Daquan greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers, but Gao himself was not optimistic. As someone familiar with history, he knew that the newly established Hubei-Henan-Shaanxi base area would soon be plunged into a desperate situation! The Northwestern Army, which had suffered heavy losses in repeated battles against the main force of the Red Army, would seek revenge, as would the landlords and wealthy merchants who had lost their land and property. Even some local Red Gun units that had joined the Red Army due to its impressive momentum but had since lost faith in the revolution and were wavering in the face of the Nationalist Party's brutal suppression would reveal their true intentions under the Nationalist Party's siege. What could be achieved by relying on these scattered guerrilla forces?
The five fingers must be tightly clenched into a fist in order to strike the enemy under their siege! Wei Lao, the head of the E-Yu Special Committee, was unaware of the Red Army's main force leaving, and only knew that the Nationalist Party had suddenly dispatched heavy troops to the area, adding to the "disappearance" of the main Red Army and the provincial committee, which immediately plunged him into a state of panic. Especially when the Nationalist Party slaughtered people on the edge of the base area, those landlord organizations, such as the Home Returning Corps, carried out bloody massacres against the families of revolutionaries.
For a time, the land was in a state of turmoil, and the bloody rainstorm frightened the people who were still immersed in the recent string of victories. The unprecedented severe situation made everyone in the Hubei-Shaanxi Special Committee extremely anxious.
"Wei Lao, we can't go on like this!" High Daquan's stern words struck a chord with Wei Lao. The difficult mass work, the destruction of local governments, and the scattered guerrilla troops being attacked by the Nationalist Party's heavy forces in various regions, as well as the destruction caused by local militias, had resulted in severe losses. However, he was just an administrative personnel and had no way to deal with many aspects of combat.
"Defend the old! We must first gather our scattered guerrilla troops! Gather our scattered palms into a fist, only then can we give the enemy a strong and powerful blow! Otherwise, our scattered guerrilla troops will not be able to withstand even slightly larger enemy local militias! If we continue like this, our guerrilla troops will be completely eliminated by the enemy! My suggestion is to immediately gather the four guerrilla divisions and combat battalions under the Hubei-Shaanxi Special Committee! Only then can a force of over 600 people make it impossible for the Nationalist Party to easily devour us! Disperse us! Are not the soldiers from those guerrilla divisions we've been gathering over the past few days the best example?"
The torn collar, the heavy breathing, the anxious eyes, the feet pacing back and forth on the spot, all reveal the anxiety in Gao Daquan's heart at this moment! "Can't we just watch these future Red Army soldiers of the 74th Division lose like this? Can't we preserve some seeds for the future war of resistance? Must they die on the battlefield of the civil war?"
Gao Quan's anxiety was seen by Wei Lao, and for this young fighting hero, Wei Lao had heard of his name before, but wasn't familiar with him. However, at this moment, Gao Quan's passionate heart moved Wei Lao! But Wei Lao still expressed his deep concerns: "Comrade Gao Quan, we can concentrate our troops and deal a heavy blow to the enemy, but don't forget that the common people are our foundation! We can win victories under the current good morale of the people, but the Nationalist Party's revenge will be even more severe! Our weak forces are not enough to resist the enemy! We can leave, but the common people will bear the brunt of the Nationalist Party's anger! In the long run, will the common people still support us? Without the support of the common people, our troops, no matter how strong, cannot surpass the Nationalist Party!"
Although Wei Lao was extremely anxious in his heart, he calmly expressed his deep doubts from the perspective of the people's support. Looking at Wei Lao's very painful face, Gao Quan also couldn't say that he didn't care about the people, this was because he wasn't very familiar with this aspect, at most it was just guerrilla warfare, landmine warfare and so on! The classic red movies almost made Gao Quan excitedly jump up! Although southern Shaanxi isn't a mountainous region, when the common people hide in the mountains and forests, can the Nationalist Party still find a few? In the villages they dig hidden holes or short tunnels, at the village entrance they bury some earth-made landmines, Gao Quan really didn't believe that the Nationalist Party would be so reckless with their soldiers' casualties!
However, the Nationalist Party didn't give Gao Quan a lot of time. With the encirclement and suppression in different regions, plus the cooperation from local militias, they turned the red Soviet area into a mess! Looking at the villages along the way, the wooden fences hanging at the entrance of the stockades, with human heads hung on them, and those villages that had become vast expanses of white land. The once prosperous and bustling villages were now desolate and uninhabited! And the fear, resentment, and complaints in the eyes of the peasants who used to be so familiar, Gao Quan's heart was pierced by pain again and again!
"No! We must retaliate with tooth for tooth, and blood for blood! Blood debts can only be repaid with blood! If we don't thoroughly eliminate the Nationalist Party's arrogance and annihilate a few local militia groups, we will have no place to hide in the future! Our wives, children, relatives, and fellow villagers will forever be trapped in a sea of flames!" Gao Da shouted angrily at the newly assembled guerrilla fighters, slamming his fist on the table.
However, he felt more like a boost was needed for these low-spirited and unstable troops who had been plagued by deserters. If they didn't win a few victories, the troops would truly be impossible to lead! Looking at the local soldiers who made up the main force of the guerrilla army, their low morale, their tattered clothes, and the gradually dulling eyes of the soldiers, Gao Daguang felt that these people needed to be inspired by a great victory!
According to the report of the underground party organization, the enemy's "sweeping" troops, a company and more than 300 armed militiamen from Xunxi County, are approaching Guojiagou in Xunxi County, preparing to attack the newly formed 228th Regiment which is currently regrouping here. As the acting regimental commander, Gao Quan plans to annihilate these over 500 enemies at one stroke, not only greatly striking down the enemy's arrogant momentum, but also giving those militiamen who dare to deeply infiltrate the countryside, burning, killing and looting, a profound lesson, telling them that their necks are not made of steel! Above them hangs the sword of Damocles!
Because recently there have been traitors emerging from the local area, Gaoguan this time entering Guojiagou in Xixian County did not bring all of his troops. A hundred or so people is enough to intimidate some with ulterior motives. After organizing the masses and local government, as well as transferring some Nationalist spies into the mountainous areas, Gaoguan immediately led soldiers in building fortifications in the village. Although the combat battalion's nearly three hundred good men were expanded from the original seventy or so people of the guard company, their fighting strength and will to fight is still not to be underestimated.
Adhering to the policy of "closing the door and hitting the dog", Gao Quan left more than 300 troops on the high ground outside the small village, letting them wait for the signal flare to be fired from inside the village, then immediately attack the enemy's rear from the main entrance of the village, annihilating the enemy's command post, machine gun positions, and possible artillery positions.
The village entrance was arranged with more than a dozen large-caliber water cannons that could be transferred immediately after shooting, and it was no problem to knock down dozens of civilian groups. Gao Quan also set up several veteran soldiers with excellent marksmanship for cover. Once the shooting is finished, the enemy will be put into the village filled with landmines, and the Red Army soldiers will rely on the shooting ports opened on the wall and hand grenades to annihilate the enemy. The doors of the houses were generally topped with logs, and ordinary kicks could not open them.
While soldiers can connect through the stairs on top of each house, in the main body of the house with bluestone slabs, solid houses can make the Nationalist Party who have not experienced mountain village warfare eat a big loss! Although the Red Army soldiers also haven't experienced this kind of warfare...
Gao Daquan's meticulous preparation ensured that each soldier had two hand grenades before the battle, and some were equipped with iron pot explosive devices with handles. The weight of seven or eight kilograms was enough to consume all the black gunpowder collected by Gao Daquan, but these things were powerful enough, and because of the solid courtyard walls, they would not harm their own people much. However, it was clear that these things could not be expected to have a long range.
The landmines buried in the village were carefully prepared by Gaoquan, except for the broken iron pieces that had been soaked in a large pile of manure, even the detonators were several intact and precious hand grenades. The careful preparation was waiting for the arrival of the enemy, and for the first time, Gaoquan felt the pain of waiting like a hunter waiting by a tree stump for rabbits.
My stomach is upset today, for the third time... Cough
