The 31st Army's Western Retreat

  Zeng Shan said she would go find Yuan Jing, naturally it was just a joke to tease Luo Yi. But before Luo Yi could even rest for a bit, Yuan Jing surprisingly really came knocking on the door.

  " Luo Yi, you're back?" asked Yuan Jing as she entered the door.

  "Uh-huh. Just got home."

  "Oh, you're doing laundry." Yuan Jing saw the washing basin that Zeng Shan hadn't taken away.

  "Uh, I just rubbed a few times and got a bit tired. Let's take a break for now." Luo Qi didn't dare to say that he was just discussing life issues with Zeng Shan.

  Yuan Jing sat down on the small bench, picked up the clothes and started rubbing them: "Let me help you. You guys are having a tough time with outdoor training in the mountains, come back and rest for a while."

  Luoyi secretly sighed in his heart: The girls back then were really virtuous. How could the Three Obediences and Four Virtues be abandoned?

  "Is there something I can help you with?"

  "I've come to bid you farewell. I've been taken care of by all of you for so many days here, thank you."

  "Are you leaving? Where are you going?"

  "Return to the troops! I'm a Red Army soldier, can't always be hiding here enjoying life?"

  "What's wrong with you?" Luo Yi was anxious, "You, you, you...now everything is in a mess, where do you plan to go find the Red Army?"

  "I heard from fellow villagers who came back from outside that the Red Army is now fighting along the Nanxun Railway, and one troop has already fought to the vicinity of Xishan in the southwest of Nanchang. I plan to go back and join the battle. Can you return my gun to me? Also, can you provide us with some bullets?"

  Luo Yi racked his brains to recall this piece of war history, vaguely remembering that he had once visited a martyrs' memorial or something like that. It seemed to say that the Red Army had sent a force to attack Nanchang, but was surrounded by the Nationalist army and suffered heavy losses, ultimately losing control of the Xiang-E-Gan border region. The remnants continued guerrilla warfare in the surrounding mountains for many years.

  History did not deviate from its original trajectory, and the tragedy still had to occur. With Luo Yi being a butterfly who crossed over from another world, it was not enough to change anything. However, he could at least keep this beautiful female Red Army soldier away from danger.

  "You can't go." Luo Yi said firmly.

  "Why?" Yuan Jing jumped up, "I didn't sell it to you. Even if I ate your spotted dove, I helped you train soldiers, didn't I? That's even. Do you still want to detain me?"

  "Don't be impatient, listen to my analysis. The Red Army leaving the remote mountainous areas and mobilizing the entire army to attack the enemy's central cities and railways is a very wrong decision. Chiang Kai-shek has been at war for several years, has pacified various warlords, unified national military and political power, and now is at his strongest. This time, he concentrated 1 million troops and set up his headquarters in Nanchang. You have only a few thousand men in the northwest of Jiangxi Province, and you can't gain any advantage by fighting head-on with the enemy like this. I estimate that within a few days, the Red Army will be defeated and lose its original base."

  "You... nonsense!" Yuan Jing was furious, "How can you talk about the Red Army like that?"

  "Yuan Jing, you are also a soldier. Winning battles is not just about temporary morale, but rather the comprehensive consideration of factors such as troops, weapons, and geographical conditions. Think about it, does your Red Army unit have the strength to attack Nanchang?"

  Yuan Jing was stunned, she had just heard her fellow villager mention that there were battles in the east and couldn't wait to find Luo Yi. As for strategic issues, she really hadn't thought about it carefully. Now after Luo Yi's analysis, she also felt that something was not right. She wasn't a stubborn person, and having been with Luo Yi for so long, she still had some faith in his analytical abilities.

  "But this is definitely something our leader has decided on, can't you see that?"

  Luo Yi sneered in his heart, thinking to himself: "Of course your leader doesn't understand as much as I do. I have a cheating device, and the outcome of this battle was something I knew long ago." As for the mistakes made by the Red Army during the Fifth Encirclement Campaign, later generations have already conducted detailed analyses. That's why I can see so far ahead - it's because I'm standing on the shoulders of countless giants.

  "Yuan Jing, let's put aside our differences and analyze the current situation..." Luo Yi sat down at the table and began to lecture Yuan Jing. Earlier, he had given Zeng Shan a lecture on life philosophy, and now he was continuing to teach Yuan Jing about the revolutionary situation. Luo Yi felt that this trip through time was really too exhausting. However, both Zeng Shan and Yuan Jing were beautiful girls, and on such a cold winter day, hugging a hot water bottle and chatting with beautiful girls had its own romantic charm.

  "The characteristics of the Russian Revolution were to first seize the central cities and then, from these central cities, control the vast rural areas. This was determined by Russia's particular conditions. The Chinese Revolution is different from the Russian Revolution; the power of the big landlords and the big bourgeoisie is extremely strong, while the Red Army's strength is very weak. In this situation, the Chinese Revolution must take the road of surrounding the cities with the countryside, rather than recklessly attacking the enemy's heavily guarded big cities under conditions where the forces are vastly unequal. However, at present, those who hold the leadership power of the Red Army are foreign advisors from abroad and students who have returned from studying abroad; they know nothing about the particular characteristics of the Chinese Revolution, only knowing how to fight hard and blindly, and the evil consequences this will bring we will soon see..."

  Yuan Jing initially found it difficult to accept Luo Yi's point of view, as she was accustomed to unconditional trust in her superiors, understanding that orders were to be carried out whether she understood them or not. But what Luo Yi said was also something she could not refute, and as a grassroots commander, she naturally knew that her troops did not have the ability to attack fortified cities, and that persisting with guerrilla warfare was the best choice.

  "But what you've said, don't you think our central leaders would have thought of it?"

  "The Central Soviet Area was established by Chairman Mao, but now he has been squeezed out of the core leadership and his correct views are not being taken seriously. This is why the Red Army is currently in a passive situation."

  "Lu Yi, how did you know so many things?" Yuan Jing asked in surprise. "You said Chairman Mao was being squeezed out, but I've never heard the leader mention it before."

  "This...” Luo Yi was stumped, “How did I know? You don't need to worry about it, I have my own intelligence system. What I want to tell you is that the current situation of the Red Army is extremely dangerous. If you go back now, it will only add one more person to the casualties, and it won't help save the fate of the Red Army at all."

  "No matter whether what you said is right or wrong, I must go back. If the Red Army really faces danger, I will go back even more. I cannot leave my troops at this time." Yuan Jing said firmly.

  "Alright, let's go find Da Cheng and see if he has any news. I just got back from the mountain and haven't met up with him yet. Let's get a grasp of the whole situation first."

  Two men arrived at the headquarters of the assault camp and found Wang Dacheng. As soon as Wang Dacheng saw Luo Yi, he said: "Luo Zi, you've come just in time, I have urgent military information to report to you."

  "Let's talk about it."

  Wang Dacheng looked at Yuan Jing, hesitated for a moment. Luo Yi said: "It's okay, let her listen, after all this time, she doesn't count as an outsider."

  Wang Da-cheng nodded and said, "I learned from informants in several places that the Red Army's 16th and 17th Armies advanced eastward along the entire front last month, pressing to a line west of Gao'an and Nanchang. They fought several battles with the National Army. At first, the National Army was unprepared, and the Red Army won repeatedly, advancing quickly. But a few days ago, the National Army concentrated its forces and launched a siege against the Red Army, which has already lost on all fronts. I heard that their losses are extremely heavy."

  "Ah!" Yuan Jing almost didn't dare to believe it was true, she looked back and forth at Luo Yi and Wang Dacheng's faces, trying to determine if this was a lie they had concocted together. But she saw that the two people didn't seem to have any tacit understanding, and her legs suddenly went weak.

  "What position has the Red Army retreated to now?" Luo Yi asked.

  Wang Dacheng walked to the front of the map, roughly pointing: "The Red Army retreated from the east, yesterday our scouts saw that they had passed by Mashan Ridge in the south and went west. I estimate that the National Army's pursuit troops will follow soon, and it's possible that they will pass through our Zhushan Town."

  "Luoyi, shall we go and intercept the pursuing troops of Baidoguzi? If the Red Army really retreats, we should cover them." Yuan Jing begged Luoyi.

  Luo Yi looked at her, as if he didn't recognize her: "You're not mistaken, are you? The National Army that can defeat two Red Army corps must be at least four or five divisions in scale. I currently have less than 100 men, how can we hold them off?"

  "Then... then return my gun to me, I'll go alone, it's fine if I can be of some use."

  Luo Yi shouted out towards the gate: "Someone come!"

  Two soldiers from the assault battalion walked in, Luo Yi pointed at Yuan Jing and said to them: "Find a room, take this crazy woman away for me, provide her with food and drink, but within seven days, she cannot leave the room one step."

  Yuan Jing suddenly jumped up: "Luo Yi, how dare you! How can you treat me like this!"

  Luo Yi waved his hand, and the two soldiers dragged Yuan Jing away. Yuan Jing had been living in the barracks for days, so the two soldiers took her directly back to her room and locked the door. Yuan Jing scolded and shouted inside, but knowing it was useless, she lay on the bed and cried. Of course, she also knew that Luo Yi's actions were for her own good, and if she had really gone alone to block the enemy army, she would have been dead for sure.

  Seeing Yuan Jing off, Luo Yi asked Wang Da Cheng: "Is there any other intelligence that hasn't been revealed?"

  Wang Da-cheng said: "In my analysis, the Red Army is in a precarious situation this time. Their strength was originally weak, and they ended up fighting all the way to Xishan, with continuous battles, and the soldiers must be exhausted. The Nationalist army has assembled a large force, waiting for an opportunity to strike, and the Red Army's losses are bound to be heavy."

  Luoyi said: "This situation, I have already anticipated it. Is there any impact on us?"

  "This time, the National Army is conducting a dragnet pursuit, and we in Zhushan Town will definitely not be able to escape. Losing some wealth is probably unavoidable, but what I fear is that the National Army will turn against us and expose our true nature. After all, we are bandits at heart."

  "Uh, you go inform the Double Brave ones, let's get together to discuss and see how to deal with it. If the Red Army collapses, the National Army will have nothing to worry about in this area, we need to be prepared."