Chapter 22: The First-Class Red Star Medal

  Just as we were having lunch, a cadre sent by the Central Column to the 18th Regiment arrived. The team leader was Wu Zheng, a deputy regimental officer who studied at the Red Army University.

  The Director of the Cadre Department of the General Political Department also came with the team. He read out three orders from the General Political Department of the Red Army: The first order was to establish the Party Committee of the 18th Regiment, with Liu Yimin as the regimental commander and party secretary, Cai Zhong as political commissar and deputy party secretary, Liu Jianli, Li Qing, and Wu Zheng as members of the party committee, and Wu Zheng concurrently serving as the head of the logistics department of the 18th Regiment. The second order was that in view of the outstanding achievements of the 18th Regiment in the battle to capture Tongdao, which had made significant contributions to the Chinese revolution, the Central Revolutionary Military Commission decided to award the 18th Regiment a collective first-class merit citation, and the first battalion and first company of the regiment were awarded a collective first-class merit citation. The entire regiment was rewarded with an allowance of 5,000 silver dollars, and each soldier in the regiment was rewarded with two silver dollars. The third order was that in view of Comrade Liu Yimin's outstanding contributions to the Red Army since his participation, he had made outstanding contributions to the Red Army, and after research by the Central Revolutionary Military Commission, Liu Yimin was awarded a first-class Red Star Medal.

  After the order was read, the Minister of Cadre Department personally handed over the First-Class Red Star Medal to Liu Yimin and held his hand, saying that since the establishment of the Central Red Army, only a few First-Class Red Star Medals have been awarded, all of which were awarded to people who made great contributions to the Chinese Revolution and the Red Army. Considering Liu Yimin's special contributions in breaking through the 34th Division, rescuing the 18th Regiment and saving the scattered Red Army on the banks of the Xiangjiang River, as well as his achievements in annihilating two regiments of the Guangxi 24th Division and one regiment of the Hunan Army with zero casualties, plus the huge spoils of war from the Tongdao Battle, the Central Revolutionary Military Commission decided to award him the First-Class Red Star Medal. It is hoped that he will not be proud, but make new achievements for the revolution and the Red Army.

  Liu Yimin was so excited that he didn't know what to do, a First-Class Red Star Medal, the legendary First-Class Red Star Medal, his merits weren't that great, oh God! Seeing Liu Yimin being a bit silly again, Cai Zhong hurriedly nudged him lightly. Liu Yimin suddenly came back to himself, hastily saluted and said: "Please rest assured, Comrade Leader, for the success of the Chinese Revolution, I will fight tirelessly until my dying breath, dedicating myself wholeheartedly."

  After seeing off the head of the personnel department, Liu Yimin took over the list of cadres from Wu Zheng. Upon careful examination, it included 220 people, including political and military cadres, artillery cadres, cavalry cadres, engineering cadres, communication cadres, and logistics cadres. Liu Yimin thought to himself that the central leadership was truly generous in their support for the Red Eighteenth Regiment. Not to mention anything else, just the fact that the regiment commander also served as the party committee secretary was unprecedented in the Red Army. And then there were the rewards of silver dollars, 2 yuan per soldier, probably a first in Red Army history. Looking at these cadres again, aside from technical cadres, they were all grassroots combat backbones who had risen through the ranks of the Red Army's military and political departments and had been selected to receive training at the Red Army school. Just taking artillery as an example, there was a heavy artillery regiment and a mortar regiment's worth of cadre framework. With this, the cadres for the headquarters, political department, logistics department, artillery regiment, machine gun regiment, cavalry company, engineering company, and the four regiments' radio operators were all in place. The regimental communication squad could also establish another telephone squad. In the future, if military operations went smoothly, it wouldn't be a problem to expand to ten regiments. Thinking of this, Liu Yimin called over several party committee members to discuss and finally decided that the regiment leadership would no longer hold concurrent posts and the troops would undergo another reorganization.

  Due to concerns about receiving tasks at any time, the party committee decided to hold meetings directly during meal times.

  After Liu Yimin announced the order of the General Political Department of the Red Army in the cafeteria, the soldiers of the 18th Regiment cheered and the new cadres felt that the 18th Regiment seemed to be a victorious team, as if they had not been affected by the defeat at Xiangjiang. Then, Liu Yimin announced the formation of troops and cadre appointments: The establishment of the regimental staff office, with Zhang Yicheng as the director; the establishment of the regimental logistics department, with Wu Zheng as the head; the establishment of the regimental heavy-duty team, with Wu Zheng as the commander and Cao Shengli as the instructor. Other cadres were selected from those sent by the General Headquarters of the Red Army, and soldiers were selected from new recruits who had enlisted in the army. The establishment of the regiment's heavy machine gun company, with Wei Xiufeng as the company commander, Li Yi as the instructor, and Wang Runching, the original fire support platoon leader, as the deputy company commander, aiming to cultivate and select at least 40 heavy machine gunners throughout the regiment; the establishment of the regimental engineer company, with He Mingliang as the company commander and Ren Chaoran as the instructor; the establishment of the regimental artillery company, with Li Chang as the company commander and Wang Shanzhu as the instructor; the establishment of the regimental cavalry company, with Hu Lao as the company commander and Bao Wen as the instructor. The regiment's communication team was upgraded to a communication platoon, consisting of a communication squad, telephone squad, and flag language squad, with Zhang Siquan as the platoon leader. Zhao Jie was appointed as the instructor of the 1st Battalion, Li Congmin as the instructor of the 2nd Battalion, Hu Xuerong as the instructor of the 3rd Battalion, and Liu Yi as the instructor of the 4th Battalion. Li Yimo was appointed as the commander of the instructional team, Han Qianjin as the political commissar, and Shi Ran as the deputy commander. He Xinghua was appointed as the director of the radio station. The deputy cadres of the newly established units and the company commanders were selected from the sent cadres and appointed by the Political Department, while soldiers were selected from throughout the regiment. It is hoped that soldiers with expertise in engineering, artillery, and cavalry will enthusiastically sign up. The remaining cadres, except for those who were artillery cadres or logistics cadres who were incorporated into the artillery company and heavy-duty team, all went to the new recruit camp to train new recruits. All units' cadres took office immediately.

  After finishing dinner, taking a bath and combing his hair, the newly appointed officer Liu Yimin began to busy himself with selecting personnel and organizing troops throughout the entire regiment. The artillery company was the first to be organized because some of the new soldiers who had participated in the battle to annihilate the 24th Division of the Guizhou Army at Guleiying were from the artillery, and they were originally scattered among various battalions, but now they were gathered together. Liu Yimin was delighted that the artillery company commander Li Chang and political instructor Wang Shanzhu followed closely behind him, shouting excitedly that with cannons, the artillery company could go into battle immediately. Liu Yimin's mood was also very good, so he told Li Chang that at the Central Army there were all types of cannons, and next time they went into battle, he would bring the artillery company along, and capturing a battalion of mortars would be easy as pie. If they could capture an entire battalion of cannons, it would be even better, and Li Chang could directly become the battalion commander. Who knew that this Li Chang was not simple? During his studies in the Soviet Union, he had studied artillery and was deeply influenced by the Soviet military's emphasis on heavy artillery. When Liu Yimin said this, Li Chang's eyes lit up, and he asked if it would be possible to capture enough cannons to equip an entire regiment. Liu Yimin smiled and said that in that case, Li Chang would become the first artillery regiment commander in Red Army history.

  Next to him, the cavalry regiment commander Hu Laohu was unhappy. Originally, it was hard to find soldiers for the cavalry regiment. After searching high and low, there were only about 20 people in the whole division who had ridden horses before. Not to mention warhorses, they didn't even have a single donkey. Looking at Li Changxing's excited expression, Hu Laohu became annoyed and asked directly: "Can cannons charge? Commander, give me a cavalry regiment and I can chase the Central Army like rabbits all over the mountains. Do we still need their artillery to waste shells?"

  Liu Yimin liked the cadres' eagerness to go to war, and told Hu Lao Hu, who was crying with a sad face, that there would be war horses and cavalry sabers, but the key issue was to train qualified cavalry soldiers. Don't always think about using sabers to chop off the enemy's head, think about how to play the advantage of strong mobility of cavalry, and train soldiers into sharpshooters, grenade throwers, and mortar gunners on horseback. It is necessary to know that the US ace unit, Cavalry Division 1, has replaced war horses with armored vehicles, and cavalry are too fragile in the face of strong firepower in modern warfare. Using sabers to slash enemies is only used when launching a pursuit after the enemy's defeat.

  Look, basically all the main cadres of each regiment are here. Liu Yimin thought that some new cadres needed to transform their ideology, so he said: "A commander must be both intelligent and brave, and it is unacceptable to rely solely on bravery. When our 18th Regiment fights, we need to mobilize all factors, lure the enemy, confuse the enemy, deceive the enemy, and turn tough battles into clever ones. Before the battle, thoroughly investigate and analyze intelligence, come up with a practical combat plan, especially a plan for how to retreat if the troops lose. During the battle, hide and ambush the enemy, launch surprise attacks, maximize firepower, and adhere to the principle of not using bullets to solve problems that can be solved with artillery shells, not using hand grenades to solve problems that can be solved with bullets, and not using bayonets to solve problems that can be solved with hand grenades. The lives of Red Army soldiers are the most precious, and close combat should be avoided as much as possible. Because our purpose in fighting is not to sacrifice ourselves, but to eliminate the enemy, preserve and expand ourselves. Of course, under current conditions, when training troops, in addition to strengthening shooting and throwing training, we must also train bayonet skills, because only troops that dare to engage in bayonet combat are truly strong, and can achieve the goal of defending like Mount Tai and attacking like a swift thunderbolt."

  Liu Yimin's words left a group of cadres speechless, with everyone deep in thought. It is worth noting that the Red Army had always been short on guns and ammunition, usually launching charges after firing only three rounds. The Red Army's victories were mainly due to the art of command and the bravery of the soldiers. Seeing that no one was speaking up, Liu Jian asked: "Comrade Commander, what you said resonates with me, but our Red Army is facing difficulties in logistics and supplies, so it's hard to make full use of firepower."

  Liu Yimin knew that this was the common idea of the cadres, so he replied: "Our Red Army does not have its own weapons and ammunition production factories, and logistical supplies are indeed difficult. However, we can capture them from the enemy. This requires us to strive for minimal casualties and maximum captures in every battle. Commanders at all levels must calculate the cost of battle, and battles with no captures and heavy casualties are losing battles, so try to fight fewer."

  Old Hu said dully: "We have to fight battles like the Xiangjiang blocking battle, it's not up to us."

  Liu Yimin said: "After the Xiangjiang Battle, such battles will be difficult to happen again. I believe that our military commanders will not make such low-level mistakes again. However, blocking battles will certainly occur frequently. Blocking battles are divided into two types: active and passive blocking. Active blocking is carried out by our side to achieve combat goals, and we must do a good job in logistics support, configure blocking positions in depth, allocate firepower with more in the front and less in the back, and allocate troops with fewer in the front and more in the back. Passive blocking requires us to quickly seize advantageous terrain, turn passive into active as soon as possible, and once the goal of blocking the enemy is achieved, we must alternate cover and quickly withdraw, pull away from the enemy's distance, and look for opportunities to fight again. Of course, regardless of what kind of battle it is, the key lies in the combat effectiveness of the troops and the quality of the soldiers. The same soldier, a well-trained fighting backbone can eliminate an enemy with one shot, while a new soldier may not be able to eliminate an enemy even after firing 50 rounds. Therefore, as a commander, the three main tasks are: first, to train the troops and improve the tactical level of individual soldiers and the entire unit; second, to make good plans, always be prepared for the enemy's attack, and never put the troops in danger; third, to make correct decisions, whether to fight or withdraw, and do so decisively without hesitation."

  "Hu Lao Hu said: 'Captain, according to your request, that means we have to win every battle?' "

  Liu Yimin smiled and said, "Congratulations, your answer is correct. Our Red 18th Regiment must become a victorious army that wins every battle, the vanguard of our Red Army. We want to make the enemy retreat at the mere mention of our regiment's name. Therefore, we must firmly establish the conviction that 'we will win if we fight' and cultivate a strong fighting spirit, daring to eliminate any powerful enemy. Even if we are surrounded by the enemy, we must dare to engage in a decisive battle with an enemy ten or a hundred times stronger than us. Just like during the prosperous Tang Dynasty, one soldier from the Tang army could charge at hundreds of enemy soldiers and emerge victorious. Therefore, we must train our troops while fighting, while marching, and while training. My goal is to turn the 18th Regiment into a powerful army that excels in both attack and defense, produces talented individuals, and dominates the world - a civilized army." As he spoke, Liu Yimin's eyes shone brightly as he swept his gaze across the faces of the cadres, shouting loudly, "Do you all have confidence?"

  The cadres were immediately stirred up and responded in unison: "Yes!"

  Liu Yimin looked at everyone with satisfaction and said, "Alright, think carefully about what I've said and pass it on to the soldiers. Each unit should seize the time to rest and train, and make preparations for battle. The logistics department should rush to prepare dry rations, striving to provide three to five days' worth of dry rations for the entire division and the Central Column, First Army, and First Division."

  Deputy Director Hu Zheng said: "Captain, I just took office and the logistics department's framework has just been set up. The situation is not yet familiar to me. Is it possible to assign a leader to assist?"

  Liu Yimin said: "Find Director Li Qing to assist, these two days are him handling these matters. Give you an afternoon to familiarize yourself with the situation, and afterwards it's your matter. For now there is only one requirement, which is that the soldiers cannot go hungry. Once we capture more in battle later on, we will need to plan and manage expenses, weapon equipment, and ammunition supplies. You should know, fighting a war is about fighting logistics."

  Hu Zheng stood up straight: "Guarantee completion of the task!"

  This afternoon, the cadres and soldiers of the 18th Regiment were pondering Liu Yimin's words during training, or in other words, digesting the new tactical ideas put forward by Liu. Especially Hu Lao Hu, who had been thinking for an entire afternoon about how to make cavalrymen become gods with guns and cannons on horseback.

  Only the new recruit camp commander Lei Meng didn't think of this, because in just one afternoon, his 400 new recruits were taken away by various units such as the logistics team, heavy machine gun company, artillery company, engineer company, and cavalry company. He had thought that these new recruits would be able to go into battle after a few months of training, but the leaders of those units said they would train them themselves. Especially Li Chang from the artillery company, who specifically chose those with good physical strength. A new recruit said he had never seen what a big cannon looked like and couldn't be an artilleryman, so how did Li Chang respond? He actually said you don't need to know what a big cannon looks like, as long as you can carry the wooden box of cannonballs. It's simply like being a bandit. Fortunately, the regiment commander sent a batch of cadres from headquarters to the new recruit camp, so not only could each company have two deputy company commanders and two deputy instructors, but also cadres could be assigned directly to classes. They had to seize the time to train, at least teach the new recruits how to throw hand grenades and shoot guns. Otherwise, their own new recruits would soon be snatched away by others.