Chapter 56: Wu Jiang Fei Du (Three)

  Hu Lao Hu knew that his cavalry had no advantage in the mountainous areas of Guizhou, and their disadvantage was obvious - they were too conspicuous. Moreover, when the cavalry regiment was formed, there were few qualified cavalrymen, and most soldiers had just learned to ride horses, let alone possess skills such as shooting, throwing grenades, or melee combat. The division commander sent his own cavalry regiment to escort the logistics regiment for three reasons: firstly, warhorses could conserve the soldiers' energy and speed up their march; secondly, it was an opportunity for the cavalry regiment to train; and thirdly, perhaps the division commander had taken notice of Hu Lao Hu's performance in the Xiguan battle. It seemed that he needed to be extremely cautious, and absolutely could not afford to make any mistakes - if anything happened to the over a million silver dollars and ammunition being transported, it would be unforgivable even if he died trying!

  Looking ahead, it was a valley. Hu Lao Tiger circled his horse and shouted: "Halt! Dismount and prepare for battle!"

  Upon hearing the order to prepare for battle, the warriors quickly dismounted their horses and held guns in hand.

  "Hu Lao Hu ordered again: 'Third row leader, go and bring those people by the side of the road to me, be careful.'"

  Three rows of answers responded with a sound and took a class to the old people on the side of the road. Before they approached, those people whistled and ran into the mountain forest by the roadside.

  Three rows of long-handled guns fired at once, hitting a person's left leg in the back row. The guy fell to the ground with a thud.

  The third squad leader quickly lifted the guy up and handed him over to the soldiers behind. He looked up and saw that the others had already disappeared into the mountains, unable to catch them. The third squad leader cursed: "Damn it, they ran fast!"

  Two warriors dragged the injured man in front of Hu Lao Hu, searched him and found a short gun on his body. Hu Lao Hu took it, looked at it, and saw that it was a handmade pistol from Guizhou. He directly removed the magazine and threw it to the side of the road.

  "What's your name?" asked Hu Lao Hu.

  He didn't say a word.

  "What's going on?" Hu Lao Hu asked again.

  That guy still didn't say a word.

  Old Hu laughed and said, "What a commotion. It turns out to be a mute. A mute with a hidden handgun. Must be a ruthless scoundrel. Won't speak even after doing something bad. Three rows long. Dragged into the mountain forest and directly hacked with a knife."

  Three rows of answers responded with a sound. "Swish" sound, the horse knife was pulled out and made several gestures on the guy's neck, then placed the knife on his neck and dragged him into the mountain forest.

  That guy couldn't hold on any longer. He immediately shouted: "Officer, spare my life! Officer, spare my life!"

  San Pai Chang laughed and said: "So you're not mute after all. Are you willing to speak now?"

  That guy nodded hastily: "I said. I said."

  The three men dragged him back to Hu Lao Hu and threw him to the ground, shouting: "Speak up. If you utter a single falsehood, I'll behead you just the same."

  That guy stuttered and confessed. It turned out that they were from the Jianhe Minlian, with over 300 people. Before the Red Army occupied Jianhe, they escaped. Just as they arrived in Huangping, the Red Army took Huangping, so they fled to Jiuzhou. The Red Army also reached Jiuzhou. Thinking of escaping to Fuquan, they saw the Red Army start marching towards Fuquan. Having no choice, they hid in the mountains and forests. After running out of dry rations, thinking that the Red Army should have passed by, they wanted to return to Jianhe. The dozen or so people who just passed by were vanguard scouts, afraid of encountering the Red Army, they changed into civilian clothes. These few were sent by the main force behind to maintain contact with the vanguard scouts. The main force was marching on the highway about 7-8 miles away in the back, preparing to advance towards Jianhe along the highway. It is estimated that those people will run back to report the news.

  Hú Lǎo Hǔ listened and ordered the signal corps to pass on the order for the second company to hurry up and provide support. The third company and two companies of the logistics battalion were placed under the command of Battalion Commander Cao. If there was an opportunity, they would wipe out the enemy vanguard platoon. If not, they would speed up their march, paying attention to defense and vigilance. Then he grabbed the captive and put him on his own horse, shouting to the soldiers: "Comrades! Ahead of us are 300 militia troops. I'll lead you in a charge to capture them. Do you have confidence?"

  It is said that there were 300 civilian team members, and the soldiers naturally did not hesitate for a moment. A thunderous shout of "Yes!" rang out.

  "Mount! First row in front, second and third rows behind. Form a combat formation. Depart!"

  A distance of eight li was nothing for the cavalry. When Hu Lao Hu led his troops to arrive, the militia had already dispersed, and only 11 prisoners were caught, all of whom were skinny opium addicts. Hu Lao Hu was so angry that he felt like a failure, but there was no way out. The terrain in Guizhou was such that once they entered the mountains, it would be difficult to find them again. Pursuing them strongly might also lead to losses, not to mention that they still had tasks to complete. Hu Lao Hu could only order one platoon to return and welcome the logistics camp, the second platoon to dismount and occupy the left mountain head, the third platoon to dismount and occupy the right mountain head, and he himself took the prisoners and stood on the main road smoking.

  As the first platoon arrived with the second and third platoons and the logistics battalion, Hu Lao Hu had already smoked half a pack of cigarettes. After explaining the situation to Bao Wen and Cao Shengli, they also felt that they must consider dealing with the scattered soldiers. They decided to send out one platoon as the vanguard, with the first and second platoons walking together, the logistics battalion following closely behind the two platoons, and the third platoon bringing up the rear, marching in a tight formation to prevent any unexpected situations from arising.

  After adjusting the marching column of troops, they continued to advance towards Huangping.

  At this time, one division of the 1st and 15th Corps were organizing a crossing at Chashan Guan Ferry.

  On the morning of the first day, when Hongyi's troops arrived at Chashan Pass, there was not a single person on the ferry terminal. The boatmen were still sleeping at home, and only a few ferries were parked by the Wujing River on that winter morning.

  Yang Dezhi knew that at this time, every minute was a soldier's life. As long as one troop crossed the river and controlled the commanding heights on the other side, they could guarantee the safety of the main force crossing the river. Therefore, he ordered the soldiers to go from door to door, searching for boatmen.

  The boatmen, upon hearing that the Red Army was going to cross the river to fight against the Wang and Hou armies, became enthusiastic and quickly boarded the ships.

  The Wu River is not very wide, sandwiched in the canyon, and the river surface is only about 50-60 meters wide. The key is that the water flow is too rapid, with a speed of up to 18 meters per second, so locals say that to cross the Wu River, three conditions must be met: one is to cross during the daytime, two is to have a large boat, and three is to have an experienced boatman. The Fifth Army Corps' 100th Regiment crossed the river by boat in the late afternoon and then set up a floating bridge. The Second Division's Red Fourth Regiment crossed the river by boat and bamboo raft at dawn and then set up a floating bridge. Now the Red First Regiment has better conditions for crossing the river than they did, as it is daytime, so it went very smoothly.

  After the first battalion finished crossing, Yang Dezhi ordered the second battalion to cross the river. The third battalion hastened to collect materials and build a floating bridge. As the Red First Regiment had no engineering troops of its own, and Yang Dezhi was not like Yang Chengwu who grew up by the water and had experience in building floating bridges, he could only send telegrams urging the engineering company of the 1st Division to speed up. After receiving the telegram, Li Juquan, commander of the 1st Division, ordered his troops to speed up on one hand, while sending a telegram ordering the Red First Regiment not to be responsible for building the floating bridge, and instead quickly cross the river and control the northern bank of the Wujiang River crossing.

  Yang Dezhi let out a long breath, and after the Second Battalion had finished crossing, he led the Third Battalion onto the ship to cross the river.

  As soon as the engineer battalion arrived, they immediately used ropes, bamboo and wooden boards to connect the ferry boats together, and quickly set up a pontoon bridge. The boatmen who were watching couldn't help but gasp in amazement, saying that if everyone was like the Red Army, then this job of ferrying wouldn't be needed anymore.

  Lin Biao and Nie Rongzhen arrived, ordering the engineering troops to build another pontoon bridge, ensuring that the three military divisions could quickly cross the river when they arrived. They also ordered the 15th Division to leave a company to guard the pontoon bridge and control the crossing point on the south bank of the Wu River. After welcoming the three military divisions and waiting for them to finish crossing, they dismantled the pontoon bridge. Then the two men followed their troops across the river.

  December 21st at 9:00 am was a fatal time for Lin Xiusheng, the commander of the Guizhou Army.

  Lin Xiu Sheng set out on the 19th at noon and didn't leave Zunyi until the afternoon. Just 20 li outside of Zunyi, they began to make camp.

  Lin Xiusheng thought to himself, "The Red Bandits have already gone to besiege Guiyang, and Chairman Wang has withdrawn his main forces. Yet Commander Hou still orders me to guard the Wujiang River. Isn't this just blind command and chaotic governance? Who doesn't know to stay at home and enjoy their good fortune on such a cold day? Am I born to suffer? Should I be the one to go to Wujiang and freeze? If the Red Bandits really want to cross the Wujiang River into northern Guizhou, then it's fine if we have to endure the cold and hardship. We can just fight them off. What I'm afraid of is that my brothers and I will run to the banks of the Wujiang River, drink in the cold wind for two or three months, and not even see a shadow of the Red Bandits. Wouldn't that be a tragic injustice? Moreover, judging from the current situation, the Red Bandits' most elite troops, the 1st and 3rd Army Corps, have gone to Fuchuan and Kaiyang. Chairman Wang has even withdrawn his command center from Kaiyang's Ma Changping. The defensive lines they built are all being abandoned. Even a fool knows what the Red Bandits want to do. They want to occupy the provincial capital! This broken place in northern Guizhou, with its high mountains, rapid waters, and steep slopes, is not even suitable for humans to live in. Why would the Red Bandits come here? Didn't Commander Hou say that it's impossible for the Red Bandits to come to northern Guizhou? So why do I have to go guard the Wujiang River? Is it just to respond to Chairman Wang's pressure? Or is it because Commander Hou wants to maintain his own psychological balance, so that when others ask, he can say that my troops are guarding the Wujiang River and blocking the Red Bandits? What a load of nonsense! It's either a mistake in judgment or an attempt to gain fame. Being under Commander Hou's command is really difficult."

  As a result, Lin Xiu Sheng naturally would not force the troops to speed up their march. On the evening of the 19th, they rested in a place only 20 miles away from Zunyi City.

  The troops got up early in the morning and were still slow to move, entering every village they came across and resting at every town. It wasn't until noon when Hou Zhitian called to ask about their progress that Lin Xiusheng quickened his pace. On this day, they only marched a few dozen miles before arriving at Pigs' Field, which would later become Zhucang Town. Seeing that the distance to the Jiangjie River was only 20 or 30 miles away, Lin Xiusheng ordered the troops to set up camp and continue on their journey the next day.

  At night, when Lin Xiu-sheng was talking to Hou Zhi-dao, he received some good news: Wang Jia-lie's He Zhi-zhong division, the Wan Shi-yong brigade, had not withdrawn from Mei-tan back to Guiyang and Hou Zhi-dao had ordered Wan Shi-yong to defend Jingkou. Lin Xiu-sheng knew that Wan Shi-yong's troops were still in Mei-tan, which made Hou Zhi-dao unhappy. But he was delighted! With Wan Shi-yong's troops there, he didn't need to send his own soldiers to guard Jingkou; three brigades could hold the Jiangjie River crossing and Chashan Pass crossing, and he could set up his Jiang Defense Command in Zhu-chang, making it convenient to command the two crossings. So that night, when Lin Xiu-sheng went to sleep, he was humming a Guiyang flower lantern opera tune: "In the first month of the year, I come to the first month's festival, the host family invites me to light the lanterns again. If I don't sing about the lanterns, I won't know the story; when I raise the lanterns, there is a root born. In the Tang Dynasty, opera was popular, in the Song Dynasty, lantern singing was popular."

  Lin Xiu Sheng got up early in the morning and had the orderly burn two cigarettes, after which he ordered the troops to set out for the Jiangjie River ferry terminal on the Wujiang River. Lin Xiu Sheng was planning to take the troops to the Jiangjie River ferry terminal to inspect the terrain, arrange defenses, and then return to the pig farm to establish the Jiang Defense Command headquarters.

  The troops were walking slowly on the highway from Wengan to Zunyi, and Lin Xiusheng didn't bother to urge them on. Anyway, they would arrive soon, what's the hurry? Impatience can't eat hot tofu. It wasn't until almost 9 o'clock that the vanguard suddenly heard gunfire, which startled Lin Xiusheng. At this place and at this time, the sound of guns, could it be that the Red Bandits had crossed the river?

  The scout's report confirmed his speculation that the Reds had indeed crossed the river. The vanguard regiment encountered the Red vanguard troops.

  At this time, if Lin Xiangxian ordered a retreat, he could still withdraw his troops back to Zunyi and defend the Lou Mountain Pass as in history.

  But history has changed, and the fate of people has also changed. Lin Xiusheng's first thought was not to retreat, but to lose the Wujing Tianxiang, how Hou Zitao would deal with him, whether it was shooting or beheading, knowing that Hou Zitao's punishment for his subordinates was very cruel. His subordinates had something happen, generally did not dare to escape back. Because escaping back is also death, and the death is more miserable.

  Thinking of the burden on Hou's shoulders, Lin Xiusheng knew he had no way out and could only suppress the Red Bandits, retake the Wujing Ferry, and then have a way to survive. Moreover, there were only a few boats at the river crossing, and only so many people could be transported at one time. The Red Bandits who landed first must be the vanguard, and their numbers must not be many. And he was a division with three regiments, it was very possible to successfully counterattack. Fight, or don't fight is cowardice!

  Lin Xiusheng, still under the influence of opium, pulled out his pistol and immediately shouted at his three battalion commanders: "The Fifth Battalion will attack along the highway, while the other two battalions will go up the mountain slope, one on the left and one on the right. Give me a charge, drive those Red Bandits into the river to feed the fish! Catch one alive and I'll reward you with two ounces of opium!" The battalion commanders came forward, and Lin Xiusheng shouted at his own troops: "The brigade commander has given the order! Charge forward, drive the Red Bandits into the river to feed the fish! Catch one alive, and I'll reward you with one ounce of opium! Brothers, charge for me!"

  Down here, the two taels of opium said by the company commander became one tael of opium at the regimental commander's place. The soldiers who were stimulated to shout loudly rushed forward along the highway and up the mountain slope like madmen.

  After the vanguard fired, Zhu Shuiqiu, the regimental commander of the Red Sixth Regiment, and Wang Jicheng, the political commissar, led the main force to catch up. Zhu Shuiqiu climbed onto a mountain ridge and took a look with his binoculars. Good grief, there were indeed many Guizhou troops. It seemed like three regiments. This was it, he had really gotten lucky this time! With this terrain, relying on the Guizhou army's equipment and combat strength, even if they added two more regiments, they still wouldn't be able to attack. Damn it, were these Guizhou troops just finished with their opium? They charged up in unison, unaware that his machine gun hadn't had a good workout in ages.

  Look, the Guizhou army has entered within 50 meters. Zhu Shuiqiu shouted "Fire", and the Red Sixth Regiment's position immediately erupted in a flurry of gunfire. The Guizhou soldiers at the front fell one after another, while those behind continued to surge forward. Zhu Shuiqiu yelled "Grenades!" as he fired his gun.

  The warriors picked up hand grenades, pulled the strings and threw them out. This time, the Guizhou army soldiers were blown to pieces, unable to hold on, and began to flee down the mountain. Zhu Shuiqiu jumped up, just about to order the blowing of the charge horn, when his arm was grabbed by someone.

  Zhu Shuiqiu turned his head and saw that it was Liu Bocheng, the Chief of Staff of the Red Army, who had arrived. He hurriedly wanted to salute, but was stopped by Liu Bocheng.

  Liu Bocheng said: "Don't charge, that will make it a defeat. Look here, the mountains are high and the forests are dense, if the enemy runs away, we're not familiar with the terrain, we can't catch up. I want to annihilate this part of the enemy, the 4th and 5th regiments are going around from the left mountain, the 13th division is going around from the right mountain, you don't charge here, the enemy will think we're the vanguard, they'll still attack again. Wait until their next attack is repelled, our troops on both wings will arrive. Then you can charge, thoroughly encircle and annihilate the enemy."

  "Resolutely carry out the order!"

  Lin Xiusheng watched as his subordinates retreated with their tails between their legs, their faces black and green with rage. These good-for-nothings were full of energy when smoking and chasing women, but turned soft the moment they were called to attack. Dammit, what a bunch of weaklings!

  Lin Xiusheng called the three team leaders together, pointed a handgun at each of their faces one by one, and mimicked the sound of gunfire "bang", "bang". The three team leaders were frightened pale, with cramps in their legs.

  Look, it has taken effect, Lin Xiusheng began to say: "Brothers, behind us are Commander Hou's guns. No need for me to say, you all understand. Only by charging forward and defeating the red bandits in front of us can everyone have a way out. Immediately organize the troops to charge up for me!"

  "Comrade commander, I think we've encountered the main force of the Red Bandits. Their firepower is fierce and their shooting is accurate. The brothers can't charge forward." "Yes, comrade commander, let's hurry up and retreat. Don't throw away all the brothers' lives here."

  Lin Xiusheng slapped three team leaders, one by one, and then shouted: "All nonsense! This is clearly the vanguard of the Red Bandits, with limited forces. If it were really the main force of the Red Bandits, they would have pursued us when we retreated earlier, and we might have been defeated by now. I order: this time, attack! Battalion commanders, company commanders, and platoon leaders will lead the charge, team leaders will supervise from behind, whoever takes the position first will be rewarded with 2 liang of tobacco, and a promotion of two ranks. Anyone who dares to retreat will be shot on the spot."

  The three battalion commanders were all cursing this guy for being crazy in their hearts, but they had no choice but to organize an attack.

  Zhu Hua saw that the Guizhou army had indeed begun to attack again, and in his heart he admired Liu Bocheng's accurate estimation of the enemy. On the surface, however, he was busily shouting out the names of the various battalion commanders, instructing them to wait until the enemy drew near before firing. Concentrate firepower, concentrate artillery fire, strive to defeat the enemy with one blow.

  The Guizhou army is coming again, the soldiers are holding guns and crouching, silently climbing the mountain slope. The officers are waving their pistols, constantly shouting to charge forward first, rewarding 2 taels of opium, and promoting two ranks for meritorious service.

  Look, the enemy is getting closer and closer. Zhu Shuiqiu ordered to fire again, and the Red Army's position burst into gunfire once more. Hand grenades also whizzed down straight. (computer)

  This is the end. The Guizhou army soldiers could no longer hold on. Think about it, for the sake of opium and land, how strong would their will to fight be? One person turns around and runs away, bringing a whole squad, a whole platoon with them; the squad leader runs away, bringing the company commander along in retreat. The battalion commanders who were directing the battle first shot and killed several fleeing soldiers, but soon joined the retreating troops themselves.

  What's even more frightening is that the Red Army on the mountain has changed and sounded the charge, holding shiny bayonets and rushing down. This time, even Lin Xiusheng panicked. Damn it, I'm afraid we've really encountered the main force of the red bandits. Let's hurry up and run away. No longer riding horses, throwing away coats, bringing a few guards under the cover of fleeing soldiers, running back to where they came from.

  It's too late now, it's already too late to run. The bugle calls for charging sounded all around. On the left, right and rear sides, they were all red bandits wearing gray uniforms, holding guns. While charging, they fired shots and pressed forward onto the highway.

  Lin Xiusheng was flustered and at a loss. He didn't know why he was so unlucky, running into the Red Bandits as soon as he left the house. If only he had known it would be like this! It would have been better to retreat earlier! But now it's too late, too late. What should he do? Thinking of what Commander Hou said about being skinned alive if caught by the Red Bandits, Lin Xiusheng broke out in cold sweat. And thinking of all the evil deeds he had done with Hou Zidao, his bones felt like they were melting. Forget it, forget it, let's just talk about it in the next life!

  He took a last look at his subordinates who were surrendering one after another, then pointed the muzzle of his pistol at his temple. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, he suddenly thought of that lantern riddle and hummed it out loud: "In the first month, I come in the first month, the host invites me to make a wish on the lanterns. If you don't sing lantern riddles, you won't know the situation; if you raise lantern riddles, there's a reason for it. In the Tang Dynasty, they flourished with singing plays; in the Song Dynasty, they flourished with singing lanterns." After humming it out, he had no more worries and pulled the trigger of his pistol, becoming Hou Zhi's burial object.

  When Hu Lao Hu and his men encountered remnants of the Old State Militia, Liu Yi Min led the main force of the Central Guard Division to Jianhe County.

  From Liping to Jianhe County, the straight-line distance on the map is only 150 miles, but the actual distance is much farther. Liu Yimin felt that from the evening of the 20th to the noon of the 21st, they had walked at least 200 miles, almost catching up with the speed of the Red Fourth Regiment's forced march when crossing the Dadu River in history. So as soon as they entered the county seat, the troops were exhausted. Fortunately, the main force of the Red Army had just left here, and the people of Jianhe County had a good impression of the Red Army, so the troops quickly arranged their campsite and started eating and resting.

  This rest lasted until 9 o'clock in the evening. By the time Li Chengwei called Liu Yimin, the Jianhe City had already closed its doors and extinguished its lights.

  Li Chengwei told Liu Yimin that the first battalion had departed two hours ago, and Deputy Chief of Staff Liu led the second and fourth battalions to follow the first battalion. Political Commissar Cai led the directly affiliated units of the division an hour ago, and Director Li led the third and fifth battalions half an hour ago. When they left, they told him to let the division commander sleep for a while and then lead the guard regiment to catch up with the troops.

  Liu Yimin felt embarrassed. He had originally wanted to criticize Li Chengwei, but after thinking about it, he decided to just wash his face and eat the meal that Li Chengwei had already prepared for him, then walked out of the courtyard.

  As he came out, the guard battalion had already formed up, holding torches and standing at the gate of his residence, a force of several hundred men, silent as the grave.

  Seeing the instructor come out, Zhang Haitao, the captain of the guard battalion, stepped forward and reported after a salute: "Report to the instructor, the Central Guard Division's guard battalion has assembled and is waiting for departure, please instruct!"

  Liu Yimin returned the courtesy and gave the order to depart. The troops quietly left the county town of Jianhe.

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