Chapter 39: The Battle of Xikou (8)

  The creek is now filled with the aroma of meat.

  Cai Zhong followed Liu Yimin and also learned well. As soon as he heard Bao Chang say that several pigs were killed in the afternoon, he thought about how the soldiers had been marching and fighting from last night to now, extremely tired, and there would be a big battle soon, urgently needing to replenish their strength. Since there was readily available pork, wouldn't it be unfair to the soldiers if they didn't eat it?

  Then, in the large courtyards of several families in Xikou, stoves were set up, and villagers brought out their own prepared chili peppers, onions, and wild vegetables to start stewing meat and steaming rice.

  Several hunters also brought out their own prey, anyway, the Red Army officer said that they would pay according to the price, and it didn't matter who they sold it to.

  Several shops on the street also opened their doors, and the owners all knew that the Red Army would buy and sell openly. Because the owner of the grocery store told them that the firecrackers in the store had been bought by the Red Army at a very fair price, and they were paid in cash. If I had known that the Red Army was going to buy so many firecrackers, I should have stocked up more goods. Who has eyes on their forehead or back these days? Several shop owners envied them, sucking their teeth.

  When Liu Yimin led his troops back to Xikou, it was just when the rice was cooked and the meat was ripe.

  The warriors lined up in units of camps to eat, either sitting or squatting, with bowls or rice boxes, eating until they were sweating profusely and had oily mouths and full bellies.

  When Liu Jian and the three battalions brought back the captives, the other several battalions had finished eating and were already assembled in formation.

  Liu Yimin handed over the captives to the new recruits' camp for management, then asked Cai Zhong if Li Qing and the snipers, cavalry company, two mountain artillery companies, and engineer battalion soldiers had eaten. Cai Zhong said that the new recruits' camp had already arranged for food to be sent up, and estimated that they were now finished eating and resting on the battlefield! Only then did Liu Yimin line up with Cai Zhong and Liu Jianli to have lunch with the soldiers.

  Liu Yimin held a large bowl and ate while thinking about Chen Guangzhong, the commander of the 63rd Division of Xiang.

  Chen Guangzhong, the commander of the 63rd Division of Xiang Army, is a typical representative of the integration of soldiers and bandits in old China. He was born in Shuangquanpu, Shaoyang in 1897 and started mixing with the underworld in Changsha, the provincial capital, at the age of 21. He once joined the first division of Xiang Army as a soldier for a few days, but soon became a deserter and returned to his hometown in Shaoyang to become a bandit.

  The early years of the Republic were a time of great upheaval in Chinese society, with all sorts of characters emerging under the banner of revolution, performing a tragicomedy that was both shocking and heartbreaking. Chen Guangzhong was a tough character who could mix with the underworld, dare to be a deserter, and dare to be a bandit.

  Opportunities soon came. Tang Shengzhi, who was the commander of the 4th Division of the Hunan Army at that time, was not on good terms with Zhao Hengti, and he drove Zhao out of Changsha to take over as governor. As a result, Zhao's subordinates were dissatisfied, they sought help from Wu Peifu, who was stationed in Hubei, and joined forces with him to defeat Tang Shengzhi. With no way out, Tang Shengzhi had to turn his attention to the Guangzhou National Government, agreeing to reorganize his troops into the 8th Army of the National Revolutionary Army to participate in the Northern Expedition. After reaching an agreement with the Guangzhou National Government, Tang Shengzhi began to clean up the various armies stationed in Hunan that were loyal to Zhao Hengti.

  In that era, there was no justice to speak of among warlords, everything was decided by fists. Today you hit me, tomorrow I hit you, constantly fighting and resting. The result of the fight is naturally that the warlord is still a warlord, and the people are still the people, only the people's livelihood is getting worse day by day, and the national situation is becoming more and more decadent. Tang Shengzhi held the title of acting governor, but couldn't solve his opponents with force, so he used a sinister trick instead. By July 1926, he had deceived and killed a group of garrison commanders who supported Zhao Hengti and the Northern Warlords, including Liu Chongwei, who was stationed in Shaoyang.

  Liu Chongwei was also from Shaoyang, and at the age of 11, he was sponsored by his clansmen to enter Xun Cheng Academy. Later, he took the entrance exam for Baoding Military Academy's Cavalry Department and graduated with excellent grades. After graduation, he was recommended by the principal to serve as a company commander under Zhao Hengti, the governor of Hunan Province. He made military achievements in battles at He Sheng Bridge and Ting Si Bridge, and was subsequently promoted to battalion commander and regimental commander. At the time of his assassination by Tang Shengzhi, he was serving as the commander of the independent mixed brigade of the Hunan Army, responsible for suppressing bandits in western Hunan. According to local records from Shaoyang, Liu Chongwei did many good deeds for the local people, including introducing electricity, repairing bridges and railways, building schools, and establishing scholarships. He had a certain influence both within the military and among the locals of Shaoyang, and it was thanks to his efforts that Shaoyang began using electric lighting. After Tang Shengzhi assassinated Liu Chongwei, some of his subordinates not only refused to accept Tang's reorganization but also defected to the bandit Chen Guangzhong, greatly increasing Chen's strength.

  The second division commander of the Xiang Army, Zhou Pan, saw that Chen Guangzhong was strong and powerful, so he hastily surrendered to him and appointed him as the camp commander. This Zhou Pan was also a blind man who opened his eyes, and he couldn't see Chen Guangzhong's wolf-like ambition at all, and he supplied Chen Guangzhong with one year of grain and salary in vain.

  After Xu Kexiang launched the "May 21 Incident" on May 21, 1927, Chen Guangzhong was like a fly smelling blood, buzzing and rushing up. He led his troops to leave Zhou Baozhong's Second Division of Hunan Army, self-proclaimed "* Advance Commander", and attacked the worker inspection teams and peasant self-defense armies led by ** everywhere. Chiang Kai-shek saw that this guy had a higher sense of killing himself than he did, and his methods were more ruthless than his own, so he knew there was a good dog, and hastily appointed him as "Hunan Eastern Suppression Commander" and "Independent Fifth Division Second Training Regiment Commander". This time Chen Guangzhong changed from voluntary suppression to authorized suppression, and the wolf's nature burst out.

  In July 1928, when Peng Dehuai launched the Pingjiang Uprising, Chen Guangzhong underestimated his own strength and led his troops to intercept the insurgent forces. As a result, he was naturally defeated. In a fit of rage and shame, Chen Guangzhong slaughtered innocent civilians in Pingjiang's Longshou Street and Dongnan Township, killing 1,800 people to cover up his failure.

  This massacre made Chen Guangzhong addicted to killing, and from then on, he was unstoppable. Every time he attacked the Red Army, he would slaughter villages and towns, from old men in their 70s and 80s to infants in swaddling clothes, tens of thousands of innocent civilians died at his hands and those of his subordinates. In just a few places like Yiyang Tie Shu Mountain, Hengshan, Fuling, etc., he left no human life within a radius of 10 kilometers. The brutality was such that not only was there no one in the National Army who could surpass him, but even in Chinese history, only the brutal invaders during the Five Barbarians' invasion, the Mongol invaders at the end of the Song and beginning of the Yuan dynasties, the Manchu invaders at the end of the Ming and beginning of the Qing dynasties, and the Japanese devils who implemented the "Three Alls" policy could be compared to him.

  Chen Guangzhong thoroughly instilled his bandit nature into his subordinates. Chen's troops killed people and took their left ears as proof, with a reward of 5 silver dollars for each left ear. Later, due to the large number of killings, it was reduced to 3 silver dollars per left ear. The right ear was not worth a single copper coin. According to historical records, once Chen Guangzhong's troops returned from suppressing the Communists, the left ears taken by his subordinates as rewards filled several sacks.

  Such behavior, Chiang Kai-shek, as the chairman of the Military Affairs Committee of the National Government, and He Jian, as the governor of Hunan Province, not only did not execute him to apologize to the nation, but instead promoted him to be the commander of an independent brigade. Such a leader, such a government, how can the people endure? On this matter, He Jian thought it was not enough, personally reported to Chiang Kai-shek to reward Chen Guangzhong, with the reason being "leading the way in suppressing communism, repeatedly achieving great merits, stabilizing the local area, and thoroughly eliminating bandits". Everyone has seen clearly, it is "thoroughly eliminating bandits". He Jian also merged the native Hunanese Chen Zigong's division with Chen Guangzhong's division, forming the 63rd Division, appointing Chen Guangzhong as the Major General commander.

  After the Central Red Army's Long March began, Chen Guang actively pursued the Red Army, fighting on the front lines. Historically, after the Red Army retreated to Guizhou, He Jian used the excuse of surrounding the Second and Sixth Armies to withdraw most of the main forces of the Xiang Army, leaving only Chen Guang's division to pursue the Central Army. In the area of Yunnan Town, they burned, killed, and looted the Miao ethnic minority, causing almost complete destruction within a radius of several dozen miles. Due to the large number of people killed, the reward was reduced from 3 silver dollars per left ear to 1 silver dollar. At the beginning of the Anti-Japanese War, Chen Guang's division was ordered to defend Jinshanwei, but unlike the 800 brave soldiers of the Xiang Army's 62nd Division who shed blood at Jinshanwei, Chen Guang saw that the battle was intense and privately ran back to Shaoyang to build the Chen family garden. This led to a defeat in battle, and Lieutenant General Li Bozhong was killed. Chiang Kai-shek was furious and imprisoned him in Jiangxi Shangrao. After being released, Chen Guang returned home, bullied men and women, and did all sorts of evil things, forcing Shaoyang's famous courtesan Huazhong to throw herself into a river. During this period, he also did one good deed in his life - in 1944, he donated the Chen family garden to establish the Shaoyang Public Hospital and donated funds to repair the Zidong Academy and reprint the "Baqing Prefecture Annals".

  When Hunan was liberated in peace, Chen Guangzhong jumped out again and was appointed by Bai Chongxi as the "Commander of the Chinese People's Salvation Army", wielding a butcher knife to attack the insurgent troops and slaughter the masses. On December 6, 1949, Chen was captured by our army at Xiejiachong, Longhui County, Shaoyang, and was executed according to law on December 25, 1949.

  Thinking of Chen Guangzhong's sinful life, Liu Yimin couldn't help but curse out a sentence "human trash".

  Cai Zhong, who was beside him, saw Liu Yimin's distracted expression while eating and thought he was thinking about the war again, so he didn't bother him. When he heard Liu Yimin curse out loud, he said: "Captain, you're eating, why are you scolding?"

  Liu Yimin then came back to his senses from his contemplation. He smiled and said, "Nothing, I was just thinking about where the 63rd Division of Hunan might be now."

  "Right, the warriors have all eaten and each camp is waiting for the order to go into battle."

  Liu Yimin said, "Alright, let's deploy early. After the soldiers have taken their positions, they can still rest for a while and conserve their energy." He turned around and had Liu Jian notify the battalion commanders, deputy battalion commanders, and instructors to come and receive their tasks.

  Just then, the radio station director He Xinghua rushed over to report that the enemy's 62nd Division had made contact, and the route of march was clear. The division had departed from Zhaiya and was advancing south along the main road via Damulin Village and Huangjiashui Village. It was expected to arrive at Luocheng Village in about an hour. Liu Yimin listened and took over the telegram to read it again. He hastily said, "Chief of Staff, immediately notify Li Qing to have the engineering battalion firmly defend Beishan Village and the eastern mountain ridge, and withdraw the rest of the troops back to Xigou to await orders. The head of the engineering battalion will follow Li Qing back to attend the combat meeting." Then he hurriedly began studying the map.

  When Li Qing arrived at Bao Chang's house, the chief of staff Zhang Yicheng had already led several staff members to draw a map of the terrain near Xiguan, which was hung on the wall of the main room of Bao Chang's house. Several torches were lit in the courtyard, and the cadres sat on the ground, quietly waiting for Liu Yimin to make battle deployments.

  Liu Yimin is increasingly fond of this commanding feeling, and the small water battle was still a bit tense. After the baptism of the small water battle and the annihilation of the Xiang 62nd Division, he seems to be more and more adapted to commanding large troops in battle. Besides, which good man does not want to kill and decide, and shout at the wind and clouds?

  Looking at the cadres with a look of expectation, Liu Yimin began to speak: "Comrades, from last night's rush to Xiaoshui until now, in just one day and one night, we used the strength of a regiment to continuously wipe out two elite divisions of the Xiang Army. How does everyone feel?"

  The cadres all said yes in unison.

  Liu Yimin shouted loudly: "I didn't hear you, haven't you eaten yet? Answer me loudly, okay?"

  The cadres all shouted in unison: "Good!"

  Liu Yimin nodded in satisfaction, continuing to say: "We were able to achieve such an unprecedented record for two reasons. First, our tactical command was correct, and second, the Red Army soldiers were brave and invincible. Think about it, if our Red Army soldiers couldn't overcome fatigue and carry on the spirit of continuous combat, could we have continued to fight at Xikou after the battle at Xiaoshui? Answer me loudly!"

  The cadres again let out a thunderous roar: "No way!"

  Liu Yimin picked up a small wooden stick and pointed to the topographic map on the wall, saying: "Everyone look, Xigou is east-facing and west-sitting, with continuous mountains behind it. The highway in front of the village connects Songmu Bridge to Jingzhou. Opposite the village are continuous mountains, with farmland in between, and the Yangsu River runs through the middle of the farmland. There is a mountain road connecting from Huaibi to Xigou. Considering that it's nighttime now, Chen Guangzhong's main force mostly originated from Xiangxi bandits. If we ambush them in the valley, it's likely that the enemy will use the mountainous terrain and night cover to escape. Therefore, I have decided to annihilate the enemy on the farmland in front of Xigou Village."

  "Zhang Yicheng!"

  "Arrived!"

  "Record combat orders!"

  "Yes!"

  "1. Enemy situation report: The enemy's 63rd Division has been ordered to reinforce the 62nd Division, with a total strength of approximately 8,000 people, consisting of two regiments and four battalions, equipped with a division-level mortar company, two regiment-level heavy machine gun companies. Through radio contact, it is learned that the 63rd Division's marching route starts from Zhaiya in Jing County, passing through Daling Village, Huangjiashui Village, Luocheng Village, heading south, then turning east at Huabi Village, and directly attacking Xikou, aiming to cut off our army's rear and form a pincer movement with the 62nd Division."

  "2. Our army's deployment: The artillery battalion set up mountain guns and howitzer positions in Xigou Village, marking the firing range in advance to ensure coverage of the entire ambush area; the third battalion was assigned a heavy machine gun company, setting up blocking positions along the edge of Xigou Village; the first battalion led the fifth battalion to hide on the opposite slope of Xigou, waiting for the enemy to exit the mountain pass and enter the plain, then quickly sealing off the enemy's retreat route, the sniper platoon followed the first battalion, arranging its own position and shooting targets, ensuring the killing of the 63rd Division Commander Chen Guangzhong; the second battalion was assigned a heavy machine gun company on the south side of the road, and the fourth battalion was assigned a heavy machine gun company on the north side of the road. The firing sequence is: after the third battalion encounters the enemy and blocks them, the artillery battalion opens fire, waiting for the enemy to become disordered and retreat, then the second and fourth battalions implement a pincer attack, while the first and fifth battalions resolutely block the enemy's retreat route."

  "Third, deceive the enemy's actions: The radio station immediately notifies Li Yimou, retreats 5 li backwards, and waits for the appearance of torches near Huabian Village before lighting up torches to continue disguising themselves as the enemy's 16th Division support troops. One battalion of the engineering regiment stays behind on the mountain peak to disguise itself as Tao Guang's division holding out, lights up torches on the mountain peak, and the other two battalions disguise themselves as the Red Army attacking, also paying attention to Chen Guangzhong playing tricks with us, sending a detachment to launch a surprise attack. One company of the new soldier regiment leaves 200 people to cooperate with other companies' cadres to guard prisoners, while the remaining 200 people disguise themselves as the enemy Wang Yuying brigade in pursuit of the Red Army's rear, launching an attack along the highway towards the eastern mountain slope. The disguised troops are all under Li Qing's command, preparing more firecrackers and lighting more torches to create the illusion that Wang Yuying's brigade and Tao Guang's division are attacking the Red Army from both sides. Remember to grasp the timing well, and definitely carry out the action when we can see the enemy 63rd Division's marching troops' torches."

  "4. As Chen Guangzhong's troops are mostly bandits, extremely cruel and cunning, with a long history of blood debts, each unit must strictly defend its position after engaging the enemy, maintain continuous firepower, use firepower to annihilate the enemy until they surrender, and before the enemy surrenders, prohibit soldiers from taking prisoners voluntarily."

  The task deployment is complete, Liu Yimin swept a glance at the cadres: "Is the task clear for each unit?"

  The cadres shouted in unison: "Understood!"

  Liu Yimin asked Cai Zhong if there was anything else to add, and Cai Zhong shook his head. Liu Yimin continued: "Comrades, after our army's forced march last night, we also fought small battles at Shuigou and Xikou. The soldiers are extremely exhausted. All levels of commanders must make it clear to the soldiers that as long as we win this battle, we will be able to gain time and space for rest in the communication area, thoroughly completing our mission of covering the main force of the Red Army's march into Guizhou. Does everyone understand?"

  The cadres responded in unison once again: "Understood!"

  "Carry it out!" Liu Yimin waved his hand.

  Cadres came out one after another.

  The night was quiet. The quiet mountain village of Xigou lay quietly in the mountains, far away it looked dark and mysterious, giving off an air of serenity and tranquility that was immeasurable. Nobody knew that beneath this serene surface, the soldiers of the 18th Regiment had already cast a wide net, waiting for the ferocious alligator-like 63rd Division of Hunan to charge in.