Chapter 12: The Shamelessness of Gao Daquan
The brilliant report made many leaders of the Twenty-Fifth Army, who were unable to open up the situation in Funiu Mountain, suddenly enlightened. They did not expect that these old rich men in this place would play this set of tactics so skillfully. Since the situation has been clearly understood, then this guy who once made the big bandit Fan Zhongxiu suffer a great loss will naturally be beaten out! Moreover, Zhang Juren, who can mix up such a large family business in the Funiu Mountain area, how many blood debts are on his hands! Who else would he beat?
According to Gaoquan's words, the defense of this village is obviously not ordinary. Even if they have "many" big guns and shells, they have never thought of using shells to open up a road. The mountain cannons and howitzers also have little destructive power against the walls made of bluestone slabs and glutinous rice paste. The small conference room fell into a long silence after a brief excitement, as the temporary military command post set up in the ruined temple in the mountains was filled with smoke from the abundant cigarettes that had been captured. If the kind-hearted bald man on the Lingtai could see all this, see so many incense sticks, I wonder if he would cry or laugh!
The howling north wind in this mountainous area is particularly biting, although the sentries outside the temple are all wearing brand new cotton-padded jackets, but after long-standing and concentrated observation, they are also extremely tired and cold. The straight body and the frozen red face show the tenacity and strength brewing deep in the soul of this army! Whether it's the frustration of the Dabie Mountains, or the hardships and difficulties of circling with the enemy in the mountains, or the bloody hand-to-hand combat at Du Shu Town, this gradually growing and strengthening army has never disappointed their parents' high hopes for them.
From 7 am to 11 pm, the four-hour rest was a luxury for many soldiers in the army. They knew that something must have happened or the leaders were making decisions about the future of the troops. They rested quietly on their own, drying and mending their wet clothes by the fire, sewing and repairing them. The entire campsite was eerily quiet and peaceful, except for the northwest wind blowing gently. The cooks were carefully cooking a nutritious porridge made from millet, corn, and red dates to nourish the hardworking Red Army soldiers.
Gao Quan, that little rascal, caught a whiff of the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen and couldn't resist sneaking in. "It's you again, you little scamp!" Old Wang shouted as he spotted Gao Quan by the stove, holding his familiar ceramic bowl, ladling out hot soup and slurping it down with gusto. Just as Gao Quan was about to grab another spoonful, Old Wang swooped in and dragged him away.
"You little scamp, you're already a squad leader! How can you still be so gluttonous? In the future, when you become a battalion commander or regimental commander, won't you make mistakes?! Looking at Gao Quan's focused expression as he savored the sweet and fragrant millet porridge, Old Wang's heart ached as he gazed at Gao Quan's frail body. He then carefully took out a piece of red sugar wrapped in oil paper from his pocket, and from the scattered sugar cubes on top, gingerly picked out the smallest one and placed it into Gao Quan's bowl. As he smoked the cigarette that Gao Quan had previously obtained for him, Old Wang's face was filled with kindness as he looked at Gao Quan, who was struggling to hold back tears. He chuckled and said: "Foolish child, eat well, eat more! In the future, you'll have a robust body to fight against the enemy! The liberation of the whole country is waiting for you! Later on, when you get married, have children, and own a house with fields and cattle, don't forget to burn some paper money for me!" Gao Quan didn't lift his head, only responding with a muffled "uh-huh" because he didn't want anyone to see the tears welling up in his eyes, especially not Old Wang, whose white whiskers and kind face made him feel even more emotional.
The leaders of the military department had their lunch warmed up twice, although today may be an unexpected event, but it made Old Wang's heart ache for every soldier and officer. His muttering was heard by Gaoquan, who didn't miss a word. After finishing his sweet millet porridge and licking the "small bowl" clean, Gaoquan took the initiative to carry the food box containing the military leaders' lunch towards the military department.
Because Gao Quan was the platoon leader of the military guard company and a former bodyguard of the Military Commission, he naturally came to the conference room door without being stopped by anyone. In an era where ranks were not strictly observed, it was still astonishing that Gao Quan would interrupt the meeting with such force. Just as several leaders were accumulating their anger, Gao Quan began placing bowls of lunch on the worn-out table for the leaders, mischievously saying: "Don't worry, I have a plan! But first, you must eat this meal!" Only then did everyone realize that it was this young man who had gone to investigate at the old rich man's house last night.
When several leaders even ignored the rapid eating of their meals, Gao Quan carefully took out a topographic map drawn after last night's reconnaissance from his pocket and posted it on the wall. Then, in the midst of many expectant eyes, he said: "This Zhangjia Village is not to be underestimated! The houses are all built with bluestone and granite, and there are crisscrossing small roads along the way. If we rush in recklessly, the enemy's firepower will be more than we can withstand! Not to mention that their village walls are not only densely packed with gun holes but also as high as three zhang! The materials used are also top-notch Jiangxi glutinous rice paste mixed with yellow mud and rammed earth, I estimate that even if our artillery shells hit it, they would only make a small hole. Moreover, there are hundreds of people in the village's defensive team, as well as thousands of people in the joint defense team, if we force our way in, even if we sacrifice all our troops, it will be difficult to take down!"
Gao Quan said with some regret, but the commander of the 225th regiment immediately became very dissatisfied and said in a bad tone: "You little brat, didn't you say you had a way? How come now you're saying there's no way? Are you playing tricks on us again?" With his thick eyebrows and robust body, Gao Quan looked like a giant spirit. This amateur who was always at odds with Gao Quan finally found an opportunity to mock him in front of everyone and felt a little smug. The leaders in the army knew that this cunning and clever Gao Quan would definitely have more to say next!
"Last night, that old rich man, after being squeezed by me, still wanted to recruit me, so there was the five hundred big oceans and this brand new gun." He took out the oil-filled mirror case from the gun box and waved it in front of everyone, amidst the envy and drooling of the 225th regiment commander. Then, with great caution, he put the gun back into the box. With a very old-fashioned tone, he said: "So this time we'll do a Li Gui swap for Li Kui, I'll bring thirty or so elite soldiers, pretend to join Zhang Juren's group, and then our main force will launch a fierce attack on Li Xiucun's stronghold!"
"With eyes shining with excitement, the tall and majestic figure exclaimed: 'This Li Xiucan is not only Zhang Jupu's relative by marriage, but also extremely wealthy. He has been bullying the villagers for a long time, and if it weren't for Zhang Jupu's support, no one would dare to provoke him. He has three or four hundred bandits under his command. Our main force will definitely make Zhang Jupu come to his aid, so I'll take the initiative to request to go and assist, bringing some of Zhang Jupu's men with me. We'll sneak into Li Xiucan's place at night and eliminate this group of enemies! By destroying this loyal dog of Zhang Jupu, we'll not only win the hearts of the people in Funiu Mountain, but also gain their support. Moreover, it will be a shock to the tiger, cutting off one of Zhang Jupu's arms, making him completely isolated and helpless!'"
Gao Daquan's words made all the young commanders excited! Not only for the possible victory that followed, but more for Gao Daquan, this rising general star, to be inspired, to stir up the tiger and leave the mountain, to shock the tiger, to hide a knife in a smile, to draw out the fire from the cauldron, using one set after another! This was simply unthinkable for a 14-year-old kid!
"Besides, I've already discussed this with the military doctor. At that time, we'll take advantage of the night to sneak into Zhangjia Village and put anesthetic in the stream water coming down from the mountain. And I'll put medicine in the enemy's well water! I just don't believe that after we defeat Li Xiucan and come back, the enemy won't all be lying on the ground with weak legs waiting for us to clean up the battlefield! Even if a few of them are lucky enough to survive, I'll personally lead the guard squad from the rear mountain to break in and open up a path for the main force!"
Gao Quan is indeed ruthless, making the "old rough men" around him tremble with fear, wondering when this young kid became so vicious! Fortunately, he's one of their own, and many people secretly think that only Wu Zhengwei knows that this young man is like this because his father died a cruel death at the hands of the enemy. That year, during the expansion of the Red Army, Gao Quan deliberately chose to join in order to avenge his father. Wu Zhengwei still feels a little regretful, thinking "I didn't expect that after educating him for so long, he still can't shake off the shadow of that incident! Maybe it's because of his youthful stubbornness and obstinacy."
Eight o'clock!!!!! Thirty-five already! Tonight's overtime has made me even more confident in Chapter One.
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Gao Quan after coming out of Funiu Mountain
About to enter the development stage
