Chapter 8: The First Meeting with Ma Yuanhai

  On a winter morning, it's still cold at 8 or 9 o'clock. The sun is reluctant to come out quickly, hiding its head and face, which has turned bright red from the cold. My whole body feels like it's wrapped in ice shards, without any warmth.

  Chen Haisong simply ate some food, then rode the horse he had chosen from Ma Bao's team and rushed towards Nijia Camp. He wore a robe with the emblem of the Xunhua Militia, slung a shotgun diagonally across his back, hung Liu Ye's willow-leaf knife on the other side, and stuffed the official seal of the Xunhua Militia and a bag of silver coins into his chest, hurrying along the road.

  Many people at home are waiting for him, and the plan must be implemented quickly. The two or three thousand Red Army soldiers detained in Zhangye will soon be sent to Xining, and the comrades in Ni Jia Camp are about to run out of food, time is running out.

  After the destruction of war, many villages have been reduced to ruins and rubble, with scars all over, and few people. Some larger villages had their gates closed, and when they heard the sound of horseshoes, the guards at the gate kept looking this way.

  Alas, the strife between political groups always evolves into war, leaving countless civilians displaced and families destroyed. When can China end this internal struggle and become a strong nation with its people living in peace?

  The Nationalist Party's Chiang Kai-shek is hopeless, similar to the Qing dynasty, being cruel domestically and weak internationally.

  Now only the Communist Party and the Red Army can be relied on, but they are still in their growth period, immature, childish, with dogmatism prevailing, feudal remnants deep, and narrow vision, it's really worrisome!

  However, although it will take many detours, the prospects are bright. As an advanced ideology and system, it has a strong vitality and self-repairing ability, which will continue to improve. Perhaps in this growth period, I can still play a certain role, accelerating China's modernization process.

  Getting closer and closer to Nijiaying, the air seems to be getting heavier. The middle of the battlefield between the two armies is desolate, with no civilians on the road except for troops and military vehicles, and the sound of artillery explosions can be heard from time to time in the distance.

  At a distance of ten li from the Nie family camp, a roadblock blocked Chen Haisheng's path. Several soldiers stood behind the roadblock, pointing their guns at him. A self-proclaimed second army law enforcement officer seriously inquired about his destination, reason, identity certificate, and examined the official seal before telling him the specific location of the command post, moving the roadblock, and letting him pass.

  After five miles, another checkpoint made him dismount and went through some trouble, wasting some words to explain clearly before letting him pass.

  Arrived at the gate of the stronghold where the commander was located, both guns and knives were taken off, saying they would be retrieved when coming out again.

  A soldier led him on foot to the gate of a large courtyard and said a few words to the soldier standing guard at the gate before leaving.

  The soldier on duty came to a telephone, picked up the receiver, turned the handle several times, said a few words, put down the phone, waved at him, and walked into the courtyard. He quickly followed in. The yard was quite large, and after turning around for two or three minutes, he stopped in front of a large house.

  Many armed soldiers stood around the big house, staring at him with their eyes wide open. Without a definite estimate, this momentum can scare people to illness.

  The soldier walked up the stairs, separated by the door and reported that the people of the Fourth Workers' Militia in Xunhua had come to report for duty. A low voice came from inside, "Come in." The soldier beckoned him again, indicating that he could enter.

  Chen Haisong took a deep breath, this was a historic meeting that created new history. He walked up the steps, stood in front of the door and shouted loudly: "I, Hou Hu, commander of the Fourth Workers' Regiment of the Luoyang Garrison, have been ordered to report for duty, please instruct me, sir."

  "Hmm, quite confident, are you? Come on in and let me take a look."

  He pushed open the door and walked up to a desk with military bearing, standing at attention.

  This is an opportunity to see Ma Yuanhai himself, who was passed down through the ages as being evil.

  His head is really big, his forehead is truly prominent, like the old Shou Xing in traditional Chinese paintings. I estimate that he has an astonishing brain capacity and belongs to the extremely intelligent type.

  His eyes are really big, reminding him of a black child who is dying in an African famine.

  His eye sockets are somewhat deep, probably at least one eighth of Tujue ancestry.

  He is nearly two meters tall, with a red face and black beard, thick eyebrows and big eyes, wearing a leather robe and a leather hat, looking majestic and powerful.

  It's really true that hearing about someone is not as good as meeting them in person, and meeting them in person is even better than hearing about them - he's absolutely amazing.

  He is the cousin of Ma Bufang, a famous firefighter of the Ma family army. Wherever the battle was not going well, he would be sent there. He didn't wear military uniform and wouldn't give orders, but he could win battles, which made him an oddity. Today, seeing the real person is inevitably exciting.

  "You have a very military bearing! Were you in the army?"

  "I was once a company commander in the 100th Division."

  "Huh, why did you join the civilian defense force?"

  "I am a Han Chinese."

  "Huh, why didn't your commander come this time?"

  "Han Shangying is injured."

  "What's going on?"

  "Just last night, we discovered that the Linze bandits broke through under cover of darkness. Commander Han assembled the entire regiment to intercept them and after a fierce battle until dawn, they have surrounded the breakout red bandits."

  The battle raged until around 10 am, when suddenly a group of about 2,000 Red Bandits emerged from Shaherbu, ferocious and fearless, fighting with extraordinary desperation. Under the sudden attack, our troops suffered losses, and the Red Bandit reinforcements broke through the encirclement and entered, joining forces with the Linze Red Bandits to flee towards Nijiayuan.

  Han Shilin assumed that there must be high-ranking leaders among the fleeing bandits, and led his troops in pursuit. They finally caught up with the enemy near Gudun, where the Red Bandits had left behind 500-600 men to fight to the death, relying on the terrain to hold their ground. As a result, more than 500 Red Bandits from Linze managed to escape.

  Fighting until the afternoon, General Han feared that the enemy would retreat at nightfall. To encourage the entire regiment, he bravely charged forward, leading his troops, and unfortunately was hit by a stray bullet in the buttocks and fell off his horse.

  The whole army was inspired by the commander's loyalty and bravery, morale soared, and they broke through the enemy's defensive position in one fell swoop, killing over 300 bandits, with the rest fleeing in all directions.

  The self-operated department of Zhi Bu lost more than 300 people, including the head of the department, Ma Mingxue, and over 400 people were injured, which can be described as a tragic victory.

  At this time, the sky was getting late, the ammunition was exhausted, and there were no reinforcements nearby, so they had to withdraw their troops and return to the camp.

  "After this battle, the department can be said to have been severely damaged, a large number of wounded soldiers urgently need medical treatment, food and ammunition losses are almost complete, urgent repair and replenishment are needed, please commander decide."

  "On his way here, General Han asked me to convey to you that he was unable to assist in your remarkable achievement and instead suffered losses of men and generals. He is deeply ashamed and has sent 100 silver dollars as a token of apology." With that, he took out a small cloth bag from his bosom and presented it with both hands, bowing his head.

  "Ah, what's the point of this. If I don't accept it, Zhongliang will definitely be uneasy, okay, put it down." Chen Haisong put down the small cloth bag and returned to his original position, standing at attention again.

  "What troops are so powerful?"

  "The Red Bandits all referred to their leader as Comrade Chen."

  "Chen Haisong, this man is a great enemy, a notorious general among the Red Bandits. Losing to him would not be shameful."

  "Do you know where they went?"

  "It is humbly presumed that they have either entered Nijia Camp or are lurking around Shaherbu."

  "It's all possible."

  "Has the battle report arrived?"

  "He brought it." Chen Haisong took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over with both hands.

  "Take it to the secretary's office, I'm illiterate."

  "I don't know how to read either, it was written by the team's clerk."

  "Oh, hahaha"

  "You have encountered strong enemies and won a hard-won victory, which is indeed not easy. Captain Ma will definitely commend the Tunghua Civilian Corps."

  I've approved your plan for a comprehensive supplement. You are allowed to go to Zhangye for a month of rest and reorganization, which can also strengthen the defense of Zhangye. Ma Quanyi's regiment is somewhat weak.

  The wounded were sent to Zhangye Army Hospital for treatment, and all grain, grass and ammunition were fully replenished.

  As he spoke, he pulled out a drawer, took out a black iron token and handed it over. "This is the receipt certificate, take it to Zhangye to handle with Captain Ma. As for the soldiers, you can ask for them from Xunhua County yourself."

  Chen Haisong bowed and took over the iron plate with both hands. The front was engraved with "Please receive" and the back was engraved with "According to regulations".

  He took the iron plaque and looked at it several times before saying, "Thank you, Commander, for your concern. Our department will intensify its training and recover as soon as possible. When the time comes, we will fight against the Red Bandits again, capture their leader, and bring glory to the Commander."

  "Haha, it's rare for you to be so ambitious, what are your views on the current situation?"

  "My humble self has not yet fully considered it, and only understands some superficial things from the battle report. Some ideas are presented for the commander's correction."

  Now the Red Bandit's outer strongholds have all been eliminated, with more than half of them dead or wounded. They are forced to gather in one place, fantasizing about a long-term standoff, waiting for changes in the situation. This is their own path to destruction.

  There are three reasons. Firstly, our army responded to the national government's call to quell the rebellion and eliminate bandits, which is a just cause, and this trend is in our favor;

  The two sides met in the depths of winter, with bitter cold and frozen earth. The Red Bandits were mostly southerners who could not withstand the severe cold, far from their old haunts, and without logistical support, the advantage was mine.

  Three points: the Red Bandits have sent a lone army to penetrate deep, unfamiliar with the local terrain; their advocated doctrine is extremely radical, widely detested by the gentry and common people, whose hearts are with me.

  It can be seen that the heavens, earth and people are all on our side, how can we fail?

  Your humble servant thinks that there is no need for a large-scale attack, just besiege it and wait. When they can't bear it anymore, they will break out of the siege and seek a decisive battle. At that time, leaving the village to take shelter, placing oneself in the wilderness, suffering from hunger and cold, the army has no fighting spirit, isn't it like waiting to be slaughtered sheep?

  Otherwise, a large-scale attack would be launched. The enemy has villages and strongholds to rely on, fighting house by house, with intense close combat, the battle situation will be brutal, killing 1,000 enemies, but losing 800 of our own troops.

  "Our side has a small population, and the sacrifice of strong men is meaningless. It's self-mutilation, not a blessing for the commander, nor a blessing for the people of Qinghai. Please be cautious, Commander."

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