Chapter 10 Beside the Xiang River (3)

  December 1st was already the beginning of early winter, and the night wind blowing from the Xiangjiang River directly pierced the thin clothes of the Red Army soldiers after the great war, wrapping their sorrow and desolation in coldness.

  Liu Yimin walked a circle in front of the troops, his fierce eyes scanning them, then stopped in the middle of the formation and shouted: "Red Eighth Army Corps officers above company level, fall out! First row, regimental and above cadres; second row, battalion-level cadres; third row, company-level cadres."

  Soon, the above cadres stood in three rows. Liu Yimin took a look and saw that there were 2 regimental-level cadres, 6 battalion-level cadres, and 21 company-level cadres. The two regimental-level cadres were Regimental Political Commissar Chen Qian and Deputy Regimental Commander Huang Chengchang. The six battalion-level cadres were Battalion Commanders Chen Heguang and Li Meng, and Deputy Battalion Commanders Chen Gengsheng, Wang Fengming, Zhang Peng, and Li Yingjie.

  Liu Yimin had the intention to incorporate all 3,400 people into the Red 34th Regiment and the 18th Battalion, but after some thought, he gave up. The soldiers of the Red 8th Army Corps were either new recruits or old veterans from the original Central Guard Regiment, with too weak combat effectiveness. Moreover, the internal political struggle was complex, and they couldn't give others an excuse to attack.

  The team was in a state of silence. The wind and water hummed, continuing to play every string of this miserable night.

  "Comrades of the 8th Army Corps, you are over 10,000 strong, yet you fled in disarray at the mere sight of the enemy. Your cadres were flustered and frightened, your soldiers scattered like sand. The corps commander couldn't find the division commanders, the division commanders couldn't find the regimental commanders, the regimental commanders couldn't find the battalion commanders, the battalion commanders didn't care about their troops. Where is your revolutionary spirit? Where is your heroic mettle? This is a shame, a shame on the entire 8th Army Corps, a shame on our Central Red Army! You have disgraced our army's flag! If you want to wash away this shame, take up your arms and use the enemy's blood to wash away your shame! I order that you be reorganized into one regiment. Huang Chenglong will act as regimental commander, Chen Qian will act as political commissar, Chen Heguang will temporarily serve as battalion commander of the 1st Battalion, Li Meng will temporarily serve as battalion commander of the 2nd Battalion, Chen Gengsheng will temporarily serve as battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion, Wang Fengming will temporarily serve as battalion commander of the 4th Battalion, Zhang Peng will temporarily serve as battalion commander of the 5th Battalion, and Li Yingjie will temporarily serve as battalion commander of the 6th Battalion. Battalion commanders will select company commanders, company commanders will select platoon leaders, and platoon leaders will select squad leaders. You have 10 minutes to reorganize your troops. After reorganization is complete, the 1st and 2nd Battalions will be responsible for evacuating the wounded, while the other four battalions will be led by the acting regimental commander to immediately bury the bodies of our fallen comrades. After that, you will be responsible for transporting captured ammunition and food. The entire regiment will cross the river in the order of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Battalions. After crossing the river, you will come under the command of the 102nd Regiment of the 34th Division until we rejoin our main force and resume our original formation as the 8th Army Corps. Do you have any opinions?"

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

  Looking at the cadres of the 8th Army Corps reorganizing their troops, Wang Dahou leaned over to Liu Yimin and said: "We have too few people, when can the 18th Regiment return to its original 1500 men?" Liu Yimin looked at Wang Dahou: "Envy the 8th Army Corps for having more people? Combat effectiveness is not necessarily high just because there are more people. After crossing the river, the Central Committee will reorganize this regiment. Now we have soldiers, it depends on whether we can keep them or not."

  Wang Dahai excitedly said: "Where is it?" Liu Yimin said: "It's coming soon!" He raised his head and shouted: "All cadres above the regimental level of the Fourth International Division, fall in!"

  Five little red devils stepped out of the ranks: "Deputy Regimental Commander Huang Liancheng, Deputy Regimental Commander He Tie, Company Commander Li Xiaowu, Deputy Company Commander Wei Shengli, and Deputy Company Commander Zheng Yingcai reporting!"

  Liu Yimin took a look at the several little red devils and thought to himself that they were the central party's most cherished ones, so he must protect them well. He immediately ordered: "Your unit will be temporarily reorganized into a battalion, following my regiment's actions, after crossing the river and catching up with the main force, you will return to your original formation. I appoint Huang Liancheng as temporary battalion commander, He Tie as temporary instructor, Li Xiaowu, Wei Shengli, Zheng Yingcai as commanders of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd companies respectively. Immediately replenish ammunition and dry rations. Any questions?"

  "Carry out orders resolutely!"

  Liu Yimin waved his hand: "Act immediately!"

  There were more than 400 scattered personnel from various units, including the First Division, Third Division, Fifth Division and Ninth Division. Among them were several tattered old Red Army men in their 30s. Liu Yimin thought they might be former Red Army cadres who had been persecuted for taking a wrong line. Liu Yimin stepped forward and said: "Comrades, you will be incorporated into the 18th Regiment of our Red Sixth Division. Cadres at the company level and above, as well as those who have held positions at the battalion level and above, please step out."

  This is strange, the 10 people who stood up were all tattered old Red Army soldiers. Liu Yimin shouted: "Sign up!"

  "Deputy Chief of Staff Liu Jianli of the First Red Army Corps reports for duty"

  "Li Qing, political commissar of the First Red Army Corps, reports for duty."

  "Former Red First Army Corps Commander Gao Yuan reports for duty"

  "Zhang Hongtao, former commander of the 3rd Red Army Corps, reports for duty."

  "Former Red Fifth Army Corps Commander Chen Dayong reports for duty"

  "Former Red Ninth Army Corps Commander Hong Chaoyuan reporting for duty"

  "Zhao Shan, former deputy commander of the First Red Army Corps, reports for duty."

  "Deputy Commander of the 3rd Red Army Corps Wang Nanhu reports for duty"

  "Li Deguang, former deputy commander of the Third Red Army Corps, reports for duty."

  "Deputy Commander of the Original Red Fifth Army Corps Chen Dazhong Reports for Duty"

  Liu Yimin was overjoyed, these were all seasoned Red Army division and regimental commanders, each of whom could lead an entire regiment. Why are their names not mentioned in later military histories? It's likely that according to the original historical records, they all sacrificed themselves on the banks of the Xiangjiang River, just like other fallen Red Army heroes who fell into the river, leaving behind no names, only a lingering heroic spirit guarding the waves of the Xiangjiang River that flow endlessly with the blood of heroes year after year.

  Director Cai Zhong next to him quietly told Liu Yimin that these were the backbone cadres of the original main force Red Army who had been dismissed during the Soviet area encirclement campaign.

  Liu Yimin nodded and said: "The 18th Red Regiment suffered heavy casualties among its battalion and regimental cadres in the battle. In order to restore combat effectiveness and complete the combat tasks assigned by the Central Revolutionary Military Commission and the Army Corps, I hereby command: Comrade Liu Jianliang will temporarily serve as the Chief of Staff of the 18th Red Regiment, Comrade Li Qing will temporarily serve as the Director of the Political Department of the 18th Red Regiment, Comrade Gao Yuan will temporarily serve as the Battalion Commander of the 1st Battalion of the 18th Red Regiment, Comrade Zhao Shan will temporarily serve as the Deputy Battalion Commander, in charge of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Companies; Comrade Zhang Hongtao will temporarily serve as the Battalion Commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 18th Red Regiment, Comrade Wang Nanjing will serve as the Deputy Battalion Commander, in charge of the 4th, 5th and 6th Companies. Comrade Chen Dayong will temporarily serve as the Battalion Commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 18th Red Regiment, Comrade Li Deguang will serve as the Deputy Battalion Commander, in charge of the 7th, 8th and 9th Companies. Comrade Hong Chaoyuan will temporarily serve as the Battalion Commander of the New Soldier Battalion, Comrade Chen Dazhong will serve as the Deputy Battalion Commander, and Comrade Li Qing will concurrently serve as the Battalion Instructor. The Chief of Staff will temporarily lead the regiment's directly affiliated units, the Director of the Political Department will follow the New Soldier Battalion, do you understand?"

  Ten old Red Army soldiers replied in unison: "Understood!"

  Liu Yimin shouted to the Red 18 team: "Shen Nantang, Li Yunlai, Chen Dongsheng, Zhang Shan, Tian Taiping, Yao Mingjun, Liu Run, Li Letian, Peng Hu, Nan Hongjun, Cheng Guangrong, Shi Tugen, Yang Yan, Hou Sanxi, Ding Jiesheng, Yu Qingshan, Sang Yida, Cheng Baicheng, Chen Xi, Guo Decheng, step forward!"

  The officer on duty shouted "To" and stepped out of the team.

  Liu Yimin ordered: "Shen Nantang will be the commander of the 6th company, Chen Dongsheng will be the political instructor of the 6th company, Li Yunlai will be the commander of the 7th company, Zhang Shan will be the political instructor of the 7th company, Tian Taiping will be the commander of the 8th company, Liu Run will be the political instructor of the 8th company, Yao Mingjun will be the commander of the 9th company, Li Letian will be the political instructor of the 9th company. You will report to the battalion commanders immediately and reorganize the remaining 400+ Red Army soldiers. After reorganization, you will be equipped with weapons, ammunition, and dry rations according to the standard of the 1st company and join the combat sequence of the 18th regiment. Act immediately."

  Watching the first, second and third battalions all leave, the newly appointed new recruit battalion commander Hong Chaoyuan was anxious, hastily saluting to report: "Report to the regiment commander, where are our new recruits?"

  Liu Yimin: "Our new soldiers are the captured Guangxi and Hunan troops, these people have undergone rigorous training and have a certain level of combat skills. We cannot release them to continue fighting against us, we must convert them into our new soldiers. The task of the new soldier camp is to transform these captured Guangxi and Hunan troops into qualified Red Army fighters, and eventually become our main force."

  Seeing the cadres listening very seriously, Liu Yimin continued: "I order: Peng Hu to be the company commander of the new first battalion, Cheng Guangrong to be the instructor of the new first battalion, Nan Hongjun to be the company commander of the new second battalion, Shi Tugen to be the instructor of the new second battalion, Yang Yan to be the company commander of the new third battalion, Ding Jiesheng to be the instructor of the new third battalion, Hou Sanxi to be the company commander of the new fourth battalion, Yu Qingshan to be the instructor of the new fourth battalion, Sang Yida to be the company commander of the new fifth battalion, Chen Xing to be the instructor of the new fifth battalion, Cheng Baicheng to be the company commander of the new sixth battalion, Guo Decheng to be the instructor of the new sixth battalion. The platoon leaders and squad leaders will be selected from the deputy platoon leaders and deputy squad leaders of the five old battalions. The team's guard battalion and communication battalion will be abolished, and the two battalions will be incorporated into the new soldier camp as squad leaders and deputy squad leaders. Hong Ying, you immediately lead the cadres and the guard battalion and communication battalion to reorganize the prisoners of war from the Gui Army and Xiang Army. We are now in a fierce battle, our army is being pursued, the mood of the prisoners of war is not under control, reorganizing the prisoners of war requires heavy punches, for those who refuse to join the Red Army, they will be stabbed with bayonets. I give you 10 minutes to get the troops ready. Are you confident?"

  "Hong Chaoyuan gave a salute: 'Please rest assured, Captain, I guarantee to complete the mission!'"

  Liu Yimin looked at Hong Chaoyuan with satisfaction: "Bring out the majesty of the main force regimental commander and execute the order!"

  Hong Chaoyuan shouted "New recruit battalion cadres, company guards, communication squad follow me!" and turned around to run.

  Watching Liu Yimin deal with the scattered soldiers of the 8th Army Corps in such a short period of time, reorganize the remaining troops of the International Brigade of the Fourth Red Army, and set up four backbone companies and six new soldier companies for the newly formed 18th Regiment, Commissar Cheng Cuilin thought to himself: This young man has the demeanor of a great general, his future is boundless.

  Later military historians evaluated this reorganization as very objective and fair, believing that Liu Yimin remained calm in the face of danger, using 10 minutes to regroup the scattered soldiers of the 8th Army Corps, accelerating the crossing speed, reducing personnel losses. At the same time, he reorganized the remaining 300+ people from the International Division, allowing 400+ lost combat personnel from other Red Army units to join the 18th Regiment, enabling the 18th Regiment to quickly recover its main force level. Moreover, they absorbed over 600 prisoners of war from the Guangxi Army and 300 from the Hunan Army, who were incorporated into the 18th Regiment's combat sequence after a short period of reeducation.

  Particularly noteworthy was the bold appointment of 10 Red Army regimental cadres who had been idle due to incorrect routes, making up for the lack of core command strength in the 18th Regiment. This laid the foundation for the 18th Regiment's future expansion into a Red Army corps-level unit, an Eighth Route Army division-level unit, a first-class military region, and eventually becoming a powerful force with millions of soldiers during the Liberation War.

  The 18th Regiment also became the Red Army main force regiment that produced the most generals and spawned the most units.

  Within 10 minutes, all units reported that they had completed their reorganization.

  Liu Yimin reported to Political Commissar Cheng Cuilin and ordered the troops to cross the river in sequence.

  On the night of December 1, on this night when the Red Army troops were completely defeated on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River in history, on this night when the Guangxi Army, Hunan Army and Central Army went crazy and captured a large number of Red Army prisoners on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River, due to the arrival of Liu Yimin, two regiments of the Guangxi Army were annihilated. As a result, the Guangxi Army occupying the Jieshoutou ferry did not rush towards the Fenghuangjiao ferry as quickly as in history, only the vanguard troops of the Hunan Army rushed up and were eliminated by Liu Yimin with the spearhead company and the 101st Regiment of the 34th Division disguised as the Guangxi Army. The 34th Division effectively controlled the ferry, and the scattered Red Army troops on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River were reorganized, unified command and leadership. The Red Army cadres led their teams to jump into the icy and piercing Xiangjiang River, some soldiers took a sip of wine, some had chili in their mouths, took off their pants and shoes, held hands with ropes tied with puttees, carried the wounded, and carried captured supplies, quickly and firmly rushing towards the opposite bank.

  More than an hour later, the Xiang Army's besieging troops and Central Army Zhou Hengyuan's unit arrived at Fenghuangzui Ferry on the Xiangjiang River from Jieshoutou Ferry. What was left for them were the corpses of the Xiang Army scattered all over the ground and the faintly visible torches of the Red Army disappearing into the mountains on the opposite bank.