Chapter 27: Rematch with Xiaoshui (Part 1)
Liu Yimin followed the first and second battalions to a new position, and radio station director He Xinghua reported that enemy division commander Zhang Liangji had called to ask about the location of the 48th Brigade and the outcome of the battle. According to pre-battle deployment, he replied that the enemy division commander was leading the 47th Brigade towards this place.
Liu Yimin asked if the enemy's communication personnel had been captured. He Xinghua replied that not only had they been captured, but this communication personnel also claimed to be an underground party member and took out a password book, actively contacting the enemy radio station. Liu Yimin said that after the battle is over, when reporting to the Central Committee, report this situation as well, and ask the political department to verify it.
Luo Yan also made a phone report, and the scout reported that the enemy army was found, but the enemy army was marching at a normal speed. Liu Yimin then instructed He Xinghua to send an urgent telegram to urge the enemy army to speed up its pace, and He Xinghua responded with a "yes" before running back.
Waiting is the most unbearable thing. The warriors who were just excited by their victory are all looking forward to the 47th Brigade bringing food soon.
The old warriors recalled the past when Chairman Mao led everyone to launch a mobile war against the enemy in the Central Soviet Area, and the sense of victory, honor, and grandeur surged up.
The emotions of the new warriors are complex. The new warriors who enlisted through the channel, although they had learned to shoot in the recruit camp, had not yet fired a shot and felt that fighting was so simple, eager to wait for the enemy to come and try their hand; The new warriors from the security team through the channel had never seen such good weapons or such a large formation. Most people thought this was what it meant to be a soldier, this was what it meant to fight, which was much stronger than being a squad leader holding a fire stick to scare people; The soldiers who enlisted from the Xiangjiang Battle prisoners felt that they had taken the wrong path before and now was the time to make amends.
The cadres, especially those supported by the headquarters, felt that the team leader was too mysterious. How could he clearly know that the enemy must take this road and even the configuration of the troops? It seemed as if he was commanding the enemy army. It's incredible! Following such a commander, it's hard not to win the battle.
Actually, the waiting time was not long. Luo Yan reported that the enemy had begun to rush and advance in three columns towards Xiaoshui. Liu Yimin immediately ordered the preparation of battle flags, and the entire position fell silent.
Hunan 16th Division Commander Zhang Liangji is a career military officer, graduated from the third period of Baoding Army Officer School, and was promoted all the way up from platoon leader to battalion commander. He had served as a staff officer in other troops for a long time before joining the Hunan Army, where he was highly valued. In October, he was just promoted from commander of the 46th Brigade to commander of the 16th Division.
Zhang Liangji was a complex figure in history, serving in multiple troops. During the Red Army era, Zhang Liangji followed He Jian and actively participated in battles against the Red Army, with his hands stained with the blood of Red Army soldiers, and rose to become a division commander. In April 1937, he was promoted to lieutenant general and became the deputy commander of the 18th Army of the National Revolutionary Army, later serving as the chief military law enforcement officer of the Ninth War Zone. On August 1941, while inspecting war defense projects in Yichun, Jiangxi, he encountered Japanese bombers and sacrificed himself for his country, adding a most brilliant stroke to his military career. Many young readers today are unfamiliar with him, but mention one person and everyone will immediately have an impression - the famous railway guerrilla leader Li Zheng. Zhang Liangji was the uncle of Li Zheng's original prototype, Wen Liren martyr.
Zhang Liangji's mood has been great lately. He was just promoted and led his troops to participate in the Battle of Xiangjiang, where they fought a fierce battle with the main force of the Red Army, the First Red Army Corps, at Jiaoshanpu. Although the First Red Army Corps completed its mission of covering the Red Army's crossing of the river, the 16th Division of Hunan also made a name for itself in the battle. One of Zhang's detachments even broke through to the vicinity of the command center of the First Red Army Corps. If it weren't for the fact that the glint of bayonets on the soldiers' rifles startled the guards when they were about to launch a surprise attack, the outcome of the Battle of Xiangjiang might have been rewritten.
Zhang Liangji also acknowledged in his heart that the Red Army was the bravest force he had ever seen. Especially the main forces of the Red Army, such as the First, Third and Fifth Corps, who charged forward like a tide when the bugle sounded, completely disregarding the Nationalist army's machine guns, artillery and airpower. On the battlefield of Zuishanpu, although the planes and cannons had blown the Red Army positions to smithereens, every time their own soldiers reached the front line, there were always Red Army soldiers emerging from the craters left by the bombs, shooting and throwing grenades, refusing to retreat. Every inch of land was taken only after repeated bombardments, repeated charges, repeated struggles, and after all the Red Army defenders had been killed. The blood of soldiers on both sides stained every inch of Zuishanpu's soil red. Fighting against such a brave and fierce force, it was not just impossible to win, even if they did win, it would be a Pyrrhic victory.
In the eyes of Zhang Liangji, a KMT general, the Red Army commanders were also very skilled in tactical command. As long as they showed a little weakness, the Red Army would immediately counterattack and make them bloody.
However, no matter how brave the infantry is, it's not a match for planes and artillery. Moreover, after the Battle of Xiangjiang, the Red Army should be a beggar army by now, I heard that many deserted during the battle, will they collapse soon?
Looking at his own 16th Division, due to the good performance in the Xiangjiang Battle, the casualties were quickly replenished, and the logistics supply was even more sufficient. Each of the three brigades had added mortar companies, each regiment had added heavy machine gun companies, and each infantry company had three light machine guns. Platoon leaders and above were equipped with brand new 20-round semi-automatic pistols, while squad leaders and the division's guard company were all equipped with flower-patterned submachine guns. Commander Liu Zhanxu even took command of the 28th Army's artillery battalion, which was the only mountain artillery in the entire Xiang Army system, showing how much the higher-ups valued the 16th Division's combat strength.
For more than a dozen days after the Battle of Xiangjiang, I led the 16th Division to chase the Red Army. Although Chairman He Jian repeatedly asked to keep a distance of one day's journey from the main force of the Red Army, and Commander Liu Jianxu also repeatedly warned to be careful of the Red Army's sneak attack, I was indeed very cautious, with the vanguard, rear guard, and flanks all tightly protected, maintaining contact with the Red Army at all times, but not pressing too hard. Although the results were not as great as those of the Battle of Xiangjiang, at least the 16th Division had always been in an advantageous position. Who would have thought that early this morning, I received a command from the General Headquarters to pursue the Red Army, and also received a report from the front-line positions saying that the Red Army had fled.
Run? Where to run? Can you escape? The big net laid down by the Chairman is enough to capture the defeated Red Army remnants who are short of food and clothing, guns and bullets. Everywhere is a dead end, anyway it's death, why not add a few more strokes of brilliance to the achievements of the 16th Division?
Fortunately, I acted quickly and ordered the 48th Brigade to pursue, while I led the 47th Brigade to respond, with the 46th Brigade protecting the rear and following up. Just now, the vanguard company of the 47th Brigade reported that there seemed to be intense gunfire in the direction of Xiaoshui, and after asking the 48th Brigade, it was found that they had encountered a Communist rear guard regiment, which had been defeated and was being pursued, and requested that the division headquarters and the 47th Brigade quickly follow up and provide reinforcements.
We must speed up our march to avoid the 48th Brigade encountering the main force of the Red Army and suffering a defeat. In these times, winning battles is naturally rewarded, but losing them is disastrous. The eyes on top of Chairman Chiang's head are not just for show, they are even more ruthless than those of Chairman He.
Thinking of this, Zhang Liangji immediately said to the chief of staff beside him: "Order the 46th Brigade to speed up and keep up with the main force." He also said to Cheng Tiejun, the commander of the 47th Brigade: "Commander Cheng, the 48th Brigade is in fierce battle with the enemy. We have an artillery battalion and need to advance quickly to provide firepower support for the 48th Brigade. This marching speed won't do, we must advance at a running pace." Cheng Tiejun immediately said to his deputy officer: "Pass on the commander's order, the whole brigade will advance at a running pace." The enemy's 47th Brigade suddenly erupted in shouting and chaos, but after a brief confusion, they formed three columns and advanced at a running pace.
The enemy's front-line company commander was a veteran, having participated in countless battles. During the Northern Expedition, he had followed He Jian to attack the Beiyang Army, and among the Xiang Army, he belonged to the kind of grassroots officer with very old qualifications. Unfortunately, he couldn't read or write, so he didn't enter He Jian's eyes, otherwise, in He Jian's rapid development like a snowball, he would have already become a brigade commander or division commander. Although his official position did not rise, his rich combat experience was solid. Now, although they were advancing rapidly, he had never relaxed his vigilance. For some reason, he always felt that there was a pair of eyes watching him from the roadside hills. This feeling was very uncomfortable, as if it was an omen. He originally wanted to let the troops stop and report his thoughts to the higher-ups, but after turning around a bend, he saw the distant small water village so peaceful, and thought he was being paranoid. Just about to continue running, suddenly his nose caught a whiff of bloody smell, yes, it was the smell of blood, like the kind during the Central Plains War when thousands of soldiers died. The enemy company commander didn't hesitate, immediately shouting: "Halt!" As soon as the words left his mouth, he heard a gunshot, and his head shook, then he knew nothing more.
Zhang Liangji rolled off his warhorse at the first gunshot and pulled out his pistol. The guards beside him were not so lucky, all being shot through the head with white brain matter and blood mixing together, spraying onto Zhang Liangji's warhorse, as disgusting as can be.
Zhang Liangji hid behind the war horse and took a look at the opposite side, unaware that a long row of heavy machine guns had emerged from the mountain forest on the opposite side, with their muzzles spitting fire tongues towards his 47th Brigade. The sound of gunfire was accompanied by countless Czech-style light machine guns and submachine guns sweeping across, what kind of Red Army unit was this, with such powerful firepower? Just as he thought to shout orders for the troops to lie down on the spot, he heard a "hissing" sound above his head, and he knew that it was the sound of a cluster of hand grenades falling from the sky.
It's all over, the 47th Brigade is finished, and the previous 48th Brigade must have been finished too. That damned telegram from the 48th Brigade urging us to speed up our march was definitely a masterpiece after the Red Army captured their radio operator. Damn that operator, damn the 48th Brigade, they're dead and gone, but still dragging me down with them. Zhang Liangji regretted and raged, raised his pistol to shoot at the opposite side, when a shrapnel flew over and hit his wrist, causing the pistol to drop to the ground.
A Xiang Army soldier had just taken down his gun and hadn't even opened the safety when he heard the "popping" sound around him, he knew it was the sound of machine gun bullets entering the human body. Looking around, there wasn't a single person standing around him, so he let out a strange cry of "Ah Ma!" and took off in a sprint towards the flat ground by the side of the road. Suddenly, he stumbled and fell to the ground, his empty eyes staring fixedly at the clouds in the sky.
