Chapter 21: A Busy Day 5

  Met Han Zhongliang and exchanged a few pleasantries, asking about their recent situation.

  Han Zhongliang said everything was fine, his subordinates all believed that the Red Army kept their promises and did what they said, not as terrible and evil as rumored, everyone had no worries when they were with the Red Army.

  Chen Haisong thanked them for their propaganda work for the Red Army, hoping they would continue to play a role in letting more Ma clan soldiers know about the Red Army's views and practices, eliminating the estrangement between the two armies and the two ethnic groups, and turning swords into jade belts.

  At mealtime, the two went to the cafeteria together with the Muslim soldiers of the detachment to have dinner. The dishes were relatively simple, mutton noodles and pot helmets, which were made by the Muslim soldiers themselves, and tasted very good.

  As for the arrangement of the prisoners, Han Zhongliang said that in the prisoner-of-war camp, they still organized their lives according to the company, and the original company commander was responsible for the personnel of the company. The platoon leaders were each responsible for military discipline, internal affairs and sanitation, and food. Each company had one cafeteria, and the ingredients were uniformly distributed. The prisoners cooked and ate collectively.

  After dinner, the two came to Han Zhongliang's office, drinking spring tip tea and chatting. Chen Haisong asked: "I heard that your Muslim rules are very strict? Do you have to insist on worship every day?"

  Han Zhongliang thought for a moment and said, "According to the teachings: Allah created heaven and earth, especially humans, who were created by Allah as intelligent and beautiful creatures."

  Therefore, a person with intellect should praise and worship Allah. Allah is the only one worthy of worship, and this worship must first be reflected in the observance of prayer.

  Or whether a person can maintain his prayer is the minimum condition to distinguish whether he has sincere faith. Perfect prayer will gain Allah's pleasure, and the reward received is that there is no fear when the end of the world comes, and in the afterlife, one enjoys eternal happiness in heaven without worry.

  Those who are pious and fearful of Allah should constantly review their sins, seeking forgiveness from Allah. And prayer is the best way to sincerely repent and pray to Allah.

  "So in order to gain Allah's protection and the blessings of life, and also to cleanse ourselves from our sins, we Muslims strictly follow the teachings and perform prayers on time."

  "What rules do you have for worship?"

  Personal cleanliness

  (2) Intentional

  (3) Pious Muslims perform five daily prayers, namely 'Subuh' ('Morning Prayer', before the eastern red glow appears), 'Zohor' ('Midday Prayer', when the sun is slightly westward at noon), 'Asar' ('Afternoon Prayer', when the sun is 45 degrees westward), 'Maghrib' ('Evening Prayer', from sunset to complete disappearance of the red glow), and 'Isyak' ('Night Prayer', after dark until the next morning).

  (4) Orientation: The Kaaba has always been the direction of Muslim prayer. Since we are located to the east of the Kaaba, our prayers face westward.

  Last week, we should focus on withdrawing our minds from complicated things and focusing on the Lord. We should achieve purity in water, clothes, place, thoughts, timing, and direction (facing west), which are called 'outer six items' in Buddhist teachings.

  When worshiping, one must be sincere and respectful to the Lord, under the leadership of Ah Qu, follow the order of worship step by step, including singing hymns, standing upright, reciting scriptures, bowing, kneeling, sitting still, which are called 'the inner six items' in the teachings.

  "How can those of you who are fighting in a foreign land perform your prayers?"

  "On the march people pray on camel (horse) back and set up a watch rotation to pray when there is an enemy threat."

  "Can everyone do it?"

  "Normally, we can, because this kind of worship has become a part of our daily life and has become a habit."

  At nine o'clock in the evening, Chen Haisong stepped on the bright moonlight and returned to the teacher's office.

  He had just sat down when Zhang Zhenyu and Liu Gang followed in, "At 6 o'clock this afternoon, Ma Yuanhai sent two intelligence reports. We let the messenger go back."

  "Didn't leave any flaws, did you?"

  "Routine report, handed over to the team's guard and left."

  "What does the circular say?"

  Liu Gang took out the bulletin and read it aloud near the lantern: "The two divisions of the pseudo-fifth army and the ninth army, after suffering a series of defeats in the area of Linze Tangjiawan, joined forces with the remnants of the pseudo-30th army stationed in Shahe, and then retreated to the southeast, crossing the Black River and passing through Xidunbao (50 miles southwest of Ganzhou) and Longshoubao, heading towards the south of Ganzhou City, hoping to occupy Ganzhou and make a final struggle.

  The bandits did not see our military defense being very strict, and our various troops Ma Pu, Han Qigong's brigade followed closely to surround and annihilate them. The bandits could not hold on and retreated across the Black River, with their main force gathering at Xidunbao.

  I will advance each unit from Dafengbao and cooperate to surround and annihilate. The deployment is as follows:

  Ma Yulong's troops, apart from garrisoning the original fortified line, continued to clear out the remaining bandits around Xidunbao with a strong force.

  Second, the Xining City Garrison will continue to hold its original position and strive to maintain the fortifications. When Ma Yulong's troops take action, they must use their full strength to attack the forts near Wengdunbao, supporting their advance and covering the safety of their left flank.

  Third, the Hanqi Gong department advanced westward to Dunchengbao and coordinated with various departments to advance westward together. The remaining troops built fortifications and gradually pushed forward into the bandit area, gathering supplies and preparing to maintain rear defense communications for each department.

  According to the report from Linze, our 100th Division Cavalry Regiment Ma Bao-liang's unit stationed in Dujiabao was suspected of being ambushed by Chen Haishan's fake 9th Army roaming around Shaherbao, and the cavalry regiment was almost annihilated, with significant losses of arms and ammunition, which is the largest loss for our army since the start of the war.

  The troops under Zhang Chen's command are well-equipped, with a strong and fierce fighting style, equipped with mortars, machine guns and other heavy firepower, with sufficient ammunition, posing a major threat to our flank and rear. All units must be highly vigilant and respond to each other, not giving the enemy any opportunity to take advantage of us.

  Order the Fifth Division's Ma Lu and Han Qi to immediately rush to the Linze, Shahe area, search for and annihilate the bandits, in order to gain an advantage in the decisive battle.

  Chen Haisong listened to the report and said: "Our plan to confuse the enemy has taken effect, the enemy has transferred two cavalry brigades northward, and the main force has moved southward, disrupting the enemy's original deployment, and also created opportunities for us.

  "For the time being, the war is intense and the enemy is moving frequently, so we can't take care of Zhangye for the time being. We must seize the opportunity to win in the chaos. Have you come up with your action plan?"

  "We plan to dispatch the Guard Battalion and the Logistics Battalion under the pretext of transporting food, fodder, and ammunition into Dong Shili Village. The 2nd Battalion of the 1st Regiment will provide cover and support from the outside, while the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Regiment will move forward to defend against the west, and the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Regiment will move forward to defend against the south. The remaining troops will continue with normal training and make preparations for supporting and defending the city."

  "This way, the movement is a bit big and too many troops are involved, affecting normal training." Chen Haisong walked back and forth twice. "I think this way, the main force will not move, I'll just take the guard battalion and logistics battalion with one company to go."

  "Enemy has over a thousand four or five hundred people, if we send fewer people, I'm afraid we'll lose control and if one escapes, our subsequent plans can't be implemented."

  Liu Gang also added: "Moreover, when troops go out, it is a kind of exercise. Commanders learn to organize deployment defense, arrange firepower, and support each other. Soldiers can take the opportunity to practice armed marching, training in digging trenches, using weapons, and familiarizing themselves with basic tactics for platoon-level defense."

  In addition, after annihilating the forward command post, Dong Shiliu Puping as the north-south hub of the eastern city must be occupied to respond to Zhangye's defense and attack against the enemy. I considered taking a battalion of 23 troops to garrison there.

  Chen Haisong saw that they were worried about tomorrow's battle, and it was indeed necessary to garrison the East Ten Li Pu. He himself had overlooked this and said: "I just thought of using the Ma family army's fanatical religious beliefs and strict doctrine to launch a surprise attack on the military camp during their noon prayer time."

  "As long as they separate their men and weapons, they won't be so fierce, and will even collapse in panic. Just surrounding them with guns will succeed. It seems I was thinking too simply, the continuous success of sneak attacks made me have a light enemy mentality, I accept your suggestions."

  I think it's better to use a disguised identity, seize the enemy's defense weakest time period and launch a surprise attack. I entered with the Guards Battalion under the pretext of strengthening the command post defense with the Hua Min Tuan, and the Logistics Battalion entered under the pretext of transporting grain, when the enemy started to pray, all units took unified action.

  The logistics camp controls the warehouse, horses, and guards. The second and third companies enter the enemy's barracks, collect weapons, and surround and force the unarmed enemies to surrender.

  The guard company launched a surprise attack on the enemy's command post, controlling the enemy's radio station and combat room. Try to capture personnel alive and find the secret code. Ma Yuanhai is in my charge.

  "Arrange the peripherals according to your plan. Do you have any supplements?"

  Zhang Zhenyu nodded and said, "Then let's bring the reconnaissance company along too. The assault command center is better off in their hands. They are all skilled fighters, close combat is their strong point."

  "Thus, three consecutive attacks on the enemy's barracks, with roughly equal strength. Also, each participating unit should bring more automatic weapons, with a greater deterrent effect."