Chapter 25: The First Battle of Little Water (Part 1)

  Xiaoshui is just a small mountain village in Tongdao County, but it was famous in the time of Liu Yiming because the Red Sixth Army Corps fought a fierce battle with enemy Li Jue's Xiang 19th Division here in September 1934. Eighteen Red Army heroes who covered the main force to break through the siege jumped off the cliff collectively when they were out of ammunition and had no hope of breaking through, writing a heroic epic.

  Liu Yimin, who is familiar with military history, knows that historically, on the morning of the 13th, the enemy's 16th Division of Xiangjiang marched along the line of Jiamachi and Xiaoshui towards Linqkou to intercept the Red Army. Xiaoshui was a route that the enemy had to take.

  Since the Red Army's advance had caused the meeting at Tongdao to be held a day earlier, the main force of the Red Army also advanced into Guizhou a day earlier. Therefore, the Xiang Army would certainly pursue them a day earlier as well. Because historically, the 16th and 62nd Divisions of the Xiang Army had intercepted the Red Army on the morning of the 13th in the direction of Tongdao, it was because they had received reports that the main force of the Red Army had broken contact with the enemy and took measures accordingly. Furthermore, Liu Yimin had studied the battle reports of the 16th Division of the Xiang Army after the war, when the Red Army transferred troops to Guizhou, the 16th Division of the Xiang Army pursued them relentlessly, causing over 2,000 casualties among the Red Army's rearguard and straggling units in the Tongdao area alone. Therefore, he decided to precede the enemy and arrive at Xiaoshui first, where he would launch a fierce attack on the 16th Division of the Xiang Army.

  On the morning of December 12, 1934, after a night of rapid march, the Red Eighteenth Regiment arrived at Xiaoshui. The reconnaissance platoon leader Luo Yan, who had arrived ahead of time, controlled Xiaoshui Village with his scouts, and the terrain had been clearly reconnoitered. They also set up a 20-li reconnaissance warning line in two directions, towards Suining and Chengbu. When he saw the main force arrive, Luo Yan quickly briefed Liu Yimin on the situation and terrain of Xiaoshui Village. After listening, Liu Yimin instructed the regimental headquarters to be set up in a four合院, to set up a radio station and arrange for battlefield medical care, then took several regiment leaders, staff officers, battalion and company commanders, instructors, and guides to survey the terrain, while letting the soldiers rest and hide in Xiaoshui Village.

  In the early winter, the small water village's grass on the mountain slope had begun to wither and turn yellow, but the trees remained lush and green. Liu Yimin and his group stood on a mountain slope in the small water village, looking out at the opposite side. A dirt road wound its way from the distant mountains, entering the valley near the small water village. The valley was narrow, with the road built close to the western mountain wall. The trees on the mountain slope were dense and could conceal part of the troops. To the east of the road, the flat land was not wide, with no obstacles, about 70 meters wide. At the end of the flat land was the mountain slope where Liu Yimin was standing, with a dense forest that made it easy to hide troops and deploy firepower. A short distance away from the entrance to the valley, near the road, there was a small hill, not high but with a gentle slope and a wide field of fire, making it easy to set up a defensive position.

  After surveying the terrain, Liu Jianli said: "If the enemy really comes from this road, they will be dead. As long as we block both ends, the enemy has nowhere to run and can only run towards the opposite side of the road. Then our firepower can be unfolded. What a good terrain for an ambush! Battalion commander, let's do it."

  Several battalion commanders were eager to try, and Zhang Yitong, the chief of staff who graduated from the Red Army University, led several staff members to start drawing a tactical map.

  Liu Yimin didn't say a word, and led the cadres down from the mountain slope, walking along the highway for about 3000 meters, repeatedly observing the terrain, then went up to the mountain ridge on one side of the highway, threw down a few hand grenades, of course without pulling the strings, before finally feeling at ease to walk back.

  Back at the headquarters, the staff quickly came up with a battle plan, deployment of troops and firepower configuration diagram. Liu Yimin took a look and felt that it was basically feasible, and proposed two points: First, light and heavy machine guns should be concentrated for use, but three light machine guns should be deployed in each of the blocking and encircling troops; Second, to ensure the effectiveness of the battle, the sniper squad's hidden position should not exceed 60 meters from the highway, ensuring that enemy officers could be eliminated at the first opportunity. After modification by the staff, Cai Zhong, Liu Jianli and Li Qing all thought it was feasible, and Liu Yimin immediately ordered a pre-battle meeting to be convened.

  Looking at the battalion and regiment commanders sitting on the ground in the courtyard, Liu Yimin felt a little dazed. In his original time and space, he had repeatedly simulated battles with his classmates, thinking about when he could truly command a battle. Unexpectedly, after crossing over, his wish was thoroughly fulfilled. Although the breakout at Xinhuang was not bad, at that time, he only led a platoon and a company, and the surprise attack on the communication line did not count as a real battle. The only gain was the rich spoils of war, which allowed the First Army Corps and the Central Column to have some time to rest and regroup. This ambush against the 16th Division of Hunan was truly a big battle, this was his first true battle in terms of command. Not urgent, not flustered, think again if there's anything that has been overlooked.

  Seeing the team leader's dazed expression and the cadres having waited for a while, Cai Zhong couldn't help but remind him: "Team leader, let's begin."

  Liu Yimin suddenly came to himself and said, "Everyone has seen the terrain, do you have any opinions on setting up an ambush here?"

  The cadres all shouted in unison: No objection!

  Liu Yimin swept his eyes around again, seeing that all the cadres had an eager-to-fight expression, and began to issue combat orders:

  I. Enemy Situation Report: According to analysis, after our main force units of the Red Army broke contact with the enemy last night, the enemy army will launch a pursuit against us this morning. The enemy's 62nd Division of Hunan Province will intercept our troops from Le'an, passing through Xiguan, Taipingtou, Kuiniukou and Zhaizibao towards Jingzhou; three regiments and six battalions of the enemy's 16th Division of Hunan Province will intercept our troops from Xiaoshui to Lin Kou. It is estimated that the vanguard of the enemy's 16th Division will be composed of two battalions of the 48th Regiment, advancing to search for us in Xiaoshui and Jiamazhen, with the 47th Regiment following up and the 46th Regiment bringing up the rear.

  Two, our military combat intention: Our regiment has 3,000 people, half of whom are unarmed, but have sufficient grenades and six heavy machine guns, 27 light machine guns and some assault rifles, with an obvious advantage in automatic firepower. Therefore, I decided to annihilate the enemy's Xiang 16th Division here. The first wave of ambush targets the enemy vanguard 48th Brigade, requiring concentrated firepower, solving the battle within half an hour, without letting anyone escape. After clearing the battlefield, strengthen firepower. The second wave of ambush targets the enemy Xiang 16th Division headquarters and the 47th Brigade. The third wave of ambush targets the enemy's 46th Brigade.

  Three, combat deployment: The sniper platoon sets up a hidden sniper position, and at the first opportunity, takes out all enemy officers who can be discovered. Then, take out the enemy's possible firepower points; The reconnaissance platoon continues to advance and scout, grasping the enemy's movements, and brings binoculars to set up a forward observation post 1000 meters away from the ambush point, contacting me by phone. Note that the observation post should be set up on this side of the highway, making it convenient to lay telephone lines; The guard platoon hides at the west end of Xiaoshui Village, with the task of taking out the enemy's scouting vanguard after they pass through Xiaoshui; The heavy machine gun company commands six heavy machine guns and 21 light machine guns, deploying them according to the plan of the staff department. Each machine gun must be marked in advance with a shooting range, ensuring that firepower covers the entire highway surface within the ambush circle, without leaving any shooting blind spots. Before opening fire, the position must be hidden and cannot be discovered by the enemy. After the troops launch a surprise attack, the heavy machine guns provide covering fire, while all light machine guns follow the troops in the attack, being careful not to cause friendly fire; I lead the 1st and 2nd battalions, deploying them on the mountain slope opposite the highway, with the task of launching a surprise attack against the enemy. Among them, the 1st battalion must dispatch one platoon to control the main peak of Dashan, preventing any enemy from taking a detour to attack us; The chief of staff and the staff department lead the 3rd battalion with three light machine guns, deploying them on the mountain slope at the entrance of the gorge. After the enemy enters the ambush circle, they will launch a surprise attack against the enemy's rear; The political commissar leads the 4th battalion's 10th company and the instructional team with three machine guns, hiding at the entrance of Xiaoshui Village, preparing to intercept the enemy army. If the enemy vanguard is relatively far away from the main force, they can be allowed to pass through Xiaoshui Village, with the instructional team responsible for the enemy vanguard company, and the 4th battalion's 10th company responsible for blocking the enemy's main force; The director of the political department leads the 4th battalion's 11th and 12th companies, the new recruits' battalion, the artillery company, the logistics team, the engineering company, and the cavalry company, hiding on the mountain slope on one side of the highway. They concentrate all the hand grenades in the regiment to launch a concentrated attack against the enemy. Especially for newly established units, cadres must go down to each platoon, organizing concentrated grenade attacks by platoon.

  4. After the battle, each unit cleans up the battlefield and replenishes their weapons and ammunition. The captured enemies are concentrated and guarded by the instructional team and the 10th company of the 4th regiment. The political commissar must immediately organize education and transformation for the captives, striving to mobilize some of them to turn their guns on the enemy. Each unit, regardless of who captures the enemy radio station and personnel, must control the captives at the first opportunity, prevent the enemy from destroying the password book, and then immediately hand it over to Comrade He Tai's team radio station. If the enemy division commander sends a telegram asking what happened, the radio station should respond that they have already defeated the Red Bandit's rear guard of one regiment and have begun pursuit, luring the enemy to speed up their march.

  Fifth, the second wave of ambush: After the first wave of ambush swept the battlefield, the reconnaissance platoon's forward observation post moved another 1000 meters forward; The 10th company of the 4th regiment immediately occupied the key point on the west side of Xiaoshui with one platoon, built a blocking position, and prevented the enemy's 62nd division from attacking our direction. The 3rd regiment's position remained unchanged, changing the encirclement to a head-on block; The positions of the 1st and 2nd regiments, sniper platoon, and heavy machine gun company moved forward by 500 meters, still undertaking the tasks of interception and assault; The 11th and 12th companies of the 4th regiment led the logistics team out 1000 meters, undertaking the task of cutting off the enemy's retreat route and attacking from behind; The new recruit regiment led the engineer company and cavalry company to move their positions forward by 500 meters, undertaking the tasks of throwing grenades and blocking the enemy from occupying high ground.

  Sixth, Third Wave Ambush: After the second wave ambush ended, if there was no significant change in enemy situation, each unit's task and the second wave ambush task were consistent, only the position advanced further forward.

  VII. As soon as the signal is given, the telephone lines will be pulled and communication will be established with the forward observation post and my phone. Before the battle, each battalion will use flag signals to communicate, and the entire regiment will launch an attack at the sound of my gunshot. When the attack begins, no bugle call will be sounded; the 1st and 2nd Battalions will follow me in the attack, and other units will charge as soon as they see the 1st and 2nd Battalions charging. Remember, if the 1st and 2nd Battalions do not charge, no one else is allowed to charge, lest they be mistakenly injured by our machine gun fire.

  After the order was given, Liu Yimin's sharp eyes scanned all the cadres again: "Is the task clear?"

  The cadres shouted in unison: "Understood!"

  "Any opinions?"

  Tsai Chung said: "Comrade Commander, isn't our plan a bit too ambitious? The enemy is a main force division, three regiments and six battalions, with over 10,000 men. Our regiment only has half of its men armed, and more than 800 are new recruits who have never been to the battlefield before. The ratio of enemy to our forces is 6:1, the disparity is too great, what if we can't take it down?"

  All the cadres were staring at Liu Yimin.

  Liu Yimin looked at Cai Zhong and patiently said: "Commissar, the enemy does not know that we dare to make a move on New Year's Day. They never thought that we would ambush them here. Even if they wanted to come, we wouldn't have time to retreat, let alone counterattack. With careful planning and this excellent terrain for an ambush, the enemy's forces cannot be deployed. Having guns is like not having guns, having cannons is like not having cannons. Moreover, although the enemy has three regiments and six battalions, with a strength six times that of ours, we are ambushing them in sections. Each time, we only ambush one regiment and two battalions. The ratio of our forces is 2:1, which is not a huge disparity. As long as the first ambush is successful, our army will have sufficient weapons and ammunition. At that time, our strength and equipment will be equivalent to two main force divisions of the Red Army. When we fight the enemy again, it will basically be one against one. This battle is definitely winnable."

  Liu Yimin looked around at the cadres again: "Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

  The cadres responded in unison: "Resolutely carry out the order!"

  "Remember, everyone! In a tough battle, use me and you will surely win! When the road is narrow, the brave one wins! Act now!" - Liu Yimin

  The officers rushed out one after another and quickly ran towards their own troops to prepare for an ambush.