Chapter 51: The Xi'an Incident
After a series of fruitful harvests from the mountain strongholds and cave owners, Gao Quan and the many military and political leaders who accompanied him, with smiling inspections, also gained some confidence in the upcoming war.
"Teacher! Teacher! The Nationalist Party's iron bird in the sky has laid a white egg and it's floating in the air!" Shi Shenjie rushed over, panting and covered in dust, causing everyone to laugh while also feeling a sense of surprise. According to Gao Quan's words: "The Nationalist Party's planes have always been dropping black bombs on us! Extremely powerful! As soon as you hear the humming sound of the plane above your head, you should immediately lie down on the ground and hide to avoid being injured by the enemy's bombs!"
"What's white? What's big? Slowly floating down?" Gao Quan finally managed to get the detailed situation out of Shi Shenjie's mouth, who was excited and anxious. Among the anxious eyes of the crowd, he asked with a puzzled face: "What is the Nationalist Party airborne doing? Is it...". Gao Quan, who had been silent, suddenly thought of something, and his facial expression became extremely rich in an instant, with an indescribable sly joy. The military and political leaders around him looked at Gao Quan's expression in confusion.
Actually, Gaoquan didn't know much about the secrets in history. As a young university student in the 21st century who was enthusiastic about military affairs, he only focused on major events or various types of weapons and ammunition. But if he knew that just this April, General Zhang flew to Yan'an with Vice Chairman Zhou to discuss a ceasefire between the two armies, he would have jumped up! Moreover, the Communist Party of China is negotiating the "Anti-Japanese National Salvation Agreement" with the Northeast Army, preparing for the signing of the treaty to formally end hostilities.
So when the shadow of war was pressing down on Generals Zhang and Yang, they first thought of rescuing Director Zhou, who was famous for his bravery. The delegation from Yan'an had already made General Zhang regard Vice-Chairman Zhou as a bosom friend with whom he could discuss everything, a kindred spirit he had rarely met in many years.
In a critical moment, the two men who handled matters with discretion immediately contacted Yan'an through a secret radio station. They gave a detailed account of their current predicament and indirectly expressed their unwillingness to be enemies with the Red Army. They wanted everyone to preserve their strength and unite against external enemies, fighting against the Japanese invaders!
In the scorching May weather, the fiery sun couldn't penetrate into the cool cave in northern Shaanxi. In a certain cave not far from Bao Ta Mountain, the remaining main forces of the Central Red Army gathered together after their 25,000-li Long March to discuss Zhang and Yang's telegram.
They had just returned from the eastern expedition and hadn't even had time to brush off the dust on their bodies. The deeply sunken eye sockets, the dark face, and the white hair at the temples belonged to General Peng, who was sitting aside, a renowned warrior known for his bravery in hard battles. With a straightforward and outspoken personality, he coldly smiled as he tossed the intelligence report onto the table without observing anyone's expression, saying: "This Commander Zhang seems to have been intimidated by our young commander! A force of over 30,000 people didn't dare to attack our 6,000-7,000 troops! This Gaoquan is quite impressive, isn't he? He was able to develop the guerrilla team left behind by Comrade Xu Haidong, which had less than a thousand people, into this scale in just one year! It seems that the waves of the Yangtze River are indeed pushing forward! We're getting old!"
The thick Xiangtan accent, after slowly exhaling a mouthful of smoke, said in the quiet conference room amidst everyone's attention: "Yes! We're all old! Just seventeen-year-old kids! Younger than Xiao Hua was back then by a year! With one-fifth of our current Red Army strength (excluding the Red Silk Army), they've made the enemy tremble with fear at the mere mention of their name! They even want to initiate a ceasefire!" The witty remark sparked a burst of laughter from everyone, and in some of the not-so-good uncles' minds, images emerged of little kids carrying loads taller than themselves, surrounding commanders who weren't much older than them, pursuing the enemy's fleeing troops across mountains and plains.
The old and cunning guy naturally thought of something from the other's eyes, couldn't help but laugh even more. However, in the end it was still up to the chairman to make a decision, sending Li Tao to convey the message, requiring Gao Quan's department to temporarily not take any major actions (according to the chairman's intention, although there should be some restraint, without provoking the other side too much, but also not tying one's own hands and feet, putting one's own safety in someone else's will. The chairman who proposed that power comes from the barrel of a gun especially emphasized this point!)
No need for a big action, just to make Zhang Shuai look good, after the Red Army defeated two divisions of the Northeastern Army in a row. The Red Army didn't think much of the combat effectiveness of this army that had lost its way and was on the verge of collapse. In their opinion, Gao's troops, which had grown strong in adverse environments, might accidentally defeat some people by a landslide.
Looking at the centrally dispatched commissioner who was tied up with five flowers, Gao Quan looked at him for a long time with a wry smile. The deep-seated ropes in his flesh and the fierce militiamen holding bird guns, big knives, and long spears drove this blindfolded commissioner away, occasionally punching or kicking him heavily from behind. Although no mournful cries were heard, it could be seen from his clenched teeth that these farmers' strength was not small! Behind them, a large box carried by four or five people, as well as the huge silk parachute, and the cheering children surrounding in a circle, Gao Quan didn't know whether to say that the masses at the current base were highly conscious or that this misunderstanding seemed too big.
A sumptuous feast of good wine and fine dishes made Comrade Li Tao deeply feel the cruelty of the Shaannan base area towards its enemies and its warmth towards its own people, reminiscent of the Soviet Union's "three flavors" - being as ruthless as winter towards enemies and as warm as spring breeze towards comrades. Taking a big swig of Shaannan's fiery liquor, he ignored the pungent taste and said with a mix of admiration and jest to Gao Quanquan: "Comrade Gao Quanquan, you are indeed a fierce tiger of Shaannan who makes enemies tremble with fear! Even your superiors would find it difficult to reach your gathering place if not for the underground party's information. I reckon that halfway here, we would have been thrown into some mountain valley by your militia! It seems that your non-withdrawn militia is far more formidable than our former Red Guards!"
After complaining for a while, they naturally brought up the main topic. Upon learning about the ongoing negotiations between the Central and Northeastern armies, as well as the preparations for the Anti-Japanese United Front, people like Gao Quan who were ready to feast felt frustrated and disappointed. They had already prepared their bowls, waiting for the enemy to fall into their trap, but now the sudden intervention by the Central government had ruined their plans, leaving them with a sullen expression on their young faces. The atmosphere at the dinner table suddenly turned chilly, and everyone felt embarrassed for a while.
However, when they saw Gaoquan standing up with a resolute expression, everyone was shocked for a moment, not knowing whether Gaoquan was going to storm out or say something. After all, it's hard to accept emotionally that after fighting the White Bandits for nearly ten years, they would suddenly cooperate. The soldiers of the 74th Regiment were not only poor farmers who couldn't make a living, but also had greatly enhanced their class consciousness through the new military training movement, and it wasn't easy for them to change their minds!
Not to mention the countless relatives and friends of the Red Army commanders who died at the hands of the Nationalists! Even using the phrase "blood feud" would not be an exaggeration! Especially since Gao Quan's entire family was brutally killed by the Nationalist Party's Returned Village Militia! The vendetta for killing one's father is irreconcilable! No one knows what shocking move Gao Quan will make next...
"I represent the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, the 74th Division of the Red Army, and resolutely obey the leadership and command of the Party Central Committee!" Gao Quan's astonishing move left everyone stunned and speechless for a moment. This... seems to have changed too quickly! How could Gao Quan, a man who always sought revenge, have such high political awareness all of a sudden?
"But Comrade Li, if the enemy doesn't provoke us, we won't provoke them. If they do provoke us, we will definitely counterattack. If the Nationalist Party tears up the agreement, we can't just sit back and do nothing, right?" At first, Gao Quan's words made Li Tao feel quite pleased with himself, thinking that his persuasion work was still relatively easy, and that the comrades here had a high level of awareness. However, as Gao Quan continued speaking, he began to feel that this little fox in southern Shaanxi was everywhere, and that his words were full of hidden meanings. If the enemy provoked them, they couldn't just sit back and do nothing, right? But if, in the process of counterattacking, they accidentally sparked a fire, then it would be best to secretly pray for the enemy's good fortune!
Li Tao carefully observed the clever and incomprehensible young man in front of him, deeply feeling that this sixteen-year-old who could become a teacher was not a good person. Then he slowly and heavily said: "The central government's intention is naturally not to tie your hands and feet, but now our negotiations with the Northeast Army and Northwest Army on the united front are crucial for our nation's anti-Japanese cause! We need your troops' cooperation! As for the enemy, we will take action when necessary!" Suddenly, Li Tao discovered that his words were flawed, and looking at the smiling Gao Quanquan, he seemed to have realized that he had made a mistake that should not be made.
I haven't been doing well lately, and I'm really sorry for everyone's support. Although I have a lot of worries, I will try to speed up the writing process. It has already been two months since I started writing this book, but I feel like I've made very little progress. The collection of books is also very low, which makes me feel unconfident. I estimate that this book's performance will definitely be worse than the previous one. But in every aspect, this book is better than the previous one!
