Chapter Fifty-Seven: Snowy Night on Miao Ridge

  From Jianhe to Zhenyuan, the mountain roads are winding through the Miaoling Mountains, crossing rivers and fording streams, climbing up and down, which is not what modern city dwellers can imagine.

  Two hours later, Liu Yimin and the guard battalion finally caught up with Li Qing's three

  The three regiments of the Guards Division were formed from the original 7th Regiment, which was renamed from the old 3rd Regiment during the reorganization at the Xiangjiang River. The backbone of these troops consisted of cadres and soldiers who had been left behind by the Red First, Third, and Fifth Armies on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River. These cadres and soldiers were all elite Red Army forces that had fought from the Central Soviet Area to the Xiangjiang River, and they had experienced many fierce battles. Therefore, after reorganization at the Xiangjiang River, they quickly formed a strong fighting force. In the words of old Red Army soldiers, they had already "died once" at the Xiangjiang River, so what were they afraid of? With the tempering of the Western Extension training, occupying Tongdao, Xiaoshui and Xikou battles, the cohesion, combat will, and tactical level of the troops have all risen to a new level. If the six fighting regiments of the original 18th Regiment were the backbone of this troop from regiment to division, to army corps, and later to the million-strong Liberation Army, then the current Guards Division's First Regiment, Second Regiment's Fourth Battalion, and Third Regiment's Seventh Battalion, also known as the "Old First Battalion", "Old Second Battalion" and "Old Third Battalion", were the backbone of the backbone. Every soldier in these three battalions during the reorganization at the Xiangjiang River, as long as they survived until the founding of New China, became a battalion-level cadre or above. Therefore, later military histories often mention these three battalions alongside the Central Red Army's elite units such as the Red First Regiment and Red Fourth Regiment, referring to them as our army's "seed troops".

  The 13th Regiment, the basic unit of the Fifth Division, was formed after the Battle of Xiaoshi and was also known as the Old Fifth Regiment in later military history. Although it was established a bit later than the Old First Regiment, Old Second Regiment, Old Third Regiment, and Old Fourth Regiment, its foundation was based on old Red Army companies, and new recruits were also elite soldiers from the Xiang Army who were well-trained and had undergone Liu Yimin's new military concept and tactical ideology. They made rapid progress and fought bravely in the Battle of Xikou. Although it is now renamed as the 13th Regiment, officers and soldiers are still accustomed to calling themselves the Old Fifth Regiment.

  Liu Yimin caught up with the third and fifth battalions, saw that the troops were marching in an orderly manner, the vanguard, wings, and intervals between companies were all arranged very tightly, and could be put into battle at any time. He felt that the 20 days of hard work since crossing over had not been wasted. Under his influence and leadership, this army had undergone a thorough transformation, and was no longer the exhausted and depleted force that had been pursued by the enemy on the banks of the Xiangjiang River, but had become a fierce tiger opening its jaws to go down the mountain, ready to fight, kill, and devour the enemy's life at any time.

  Seeing the instructor leading the guard battalion coming up, the soldiers voluntarily made way and let Liu Yimin and others pass first.

  When they arrived at the front of the 7th Company's column, Battalion Commander and 7th Company Commander Chen Dayong gave a single order, and the entire company immediately stopped advancing. The soldiers turned to the left in unison, holding their guns at chest level, and stood at attention.

  Liu Yimin's heart skipped a beat as he watched, and for a moment, it seemed like he had returned to the scene of the National Day military parade on TV in later generations.

  Looking at the eager eyes of the Seventh Regiment soldiers, Liu Yimin stopped in his tracks. He came to the front of the Seventh Regiment formation, from the first row to the last row, and rearranged the uniforms of each soldier in the first row. Then he stood in the middle of the troops and said loudly: "Comrades! The Central Army's Xue Yue has eight divisions participating in the encirclement and suppression of the Central Soviet Area, and another route is pursuing the main force of the Red Army, with a blood debt that cannot be repaid. We have countless relatives and comrades who fell under their guns. Now they are chasing us to Guizhou again, and our chance for revenge has also come! I want to lead you to give them a head-on blow, to see whether the blade of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army Central Guard Regiment is fast or the fist of the so-called elite Central Army is hard. Do you have confidence?"

  "Yes!" shouted the warriors in unison.

  Chen Dajun immediately raised his arm and shouted: "Overthrow the Central Army and avenge our fellow villagers in the Soviet Area!"

  The warriors immediately shouted in unison: "Overthrow the Central Army. Avenge our fellow villagers in the Soviet area!"

  The warriors' shouting stopped. Liu Yimin roared again: "The Seventh Regiment is a glorious unit, the main force of the entire division. We fought at Xiaoshui and Xigoukou. The old Third Regiment was mentioned, and the Hunan Army trembled with fear. Which comrade doesn't boast about it? Which one doesn't praise it? We must continue to carry forward the fighting spirit of the old Red Army - not afraid of hardship, not afraid of death. We will carry on the tradition of the old Third Regiment, dare to charge into the hail of bullets, capture the enemy general's head in a million-strong army, take one for ten, take one for a hundred, and trample all enemies who dare to block our advance underfoot. Everyone answer me, can you do it?"

  The warriors' emotions have been stirred up to a boiling point. In unison, they roared: "We can!"

  "Target: Defeat the enemy Central Army's Xue Yue division! Let's go!"

  Many years later, Chen Dajun, the founding general of the Republic, wrote a memoir article titled "Liu Shuai took me to battle". He gave a very realistic and vivid description of Liu Yimin's impromptu motivational speech during the march. The article ended with: "Comrade Liu Shuai and Liu Yimin led the guard regiment away. All the cadres and soldiers gazed at his tall and upright back for a long time, unable to calm down. It was true what Liu Shuai said. Xue Yue's Central Army attacked the Soviet area, pursued the Red Army, and owed a debt of blood. Now it's our turn to settle accounts with them. The soldiers unconsciously clenched their fists, reciting the names of fallen comrades and family members, tears streaming down their faces. They were eager to charge into battle immediately. I knew that the soldiers' hearts were filled with anger and their fighting spirit was high. In front of such a team, any enemy would have only one outcome - annihilation!

  Liu Yimin led the guard battalion, carrying torches and advancing quickly. Behind them were the third and fifth battalions of the rear guard, marching in formation. The torches wound their way along the mountain path in the dark night, stretching out as far as the eye could see, like a mighty dragon dancing with flames, a truly magnificent sight.

  It's snowing, and the cold wind is dancing with the snowflakes, floating gently in the air. Soon, the entire mountain and field are covered in a blanket of white.

  Liu Yimin thought to himself that this snow had come at a really bad time, increasing the difficulty of their march and making things even harder for the soldiers.

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, at the foot of a hill, they met several lagging soldiers. Liu Yimin asked the guard battalion commander Zhang Haitao to ask what was going on. Zhang Haitao came back and reported that a female soldier couldn't walk anymore and was resting, while the others were protecting her.

  Liu Yimin felt strange, the whole division had a total of five female soldiers, two were nurses rescued from Xinhuai, one was Wu Zheng's wife, they were all in the field hospital and should have had mules. The other two were the wife and daughter of Zeng Zhao, the head of the artillery repair department, who were also prioritized to be equipped with mules. How could they not move?

  I went over to ask and only then did I realize that I was too bureaucratic. It turned out that when Hu Lao Hu and Wang Tongsheng went to the pass for the second time to install a telescope on their rifle, they not only brought back Engineer Zeng Zhao's family but also a girl named Tang Xingyan. She didn't want to go to the war zone's rescue station, so she was temporarily assigned to the logistics department. Because she was an ordinary soldier, she wasn't equipped with a mule.

  Seeing the commotion, Red Army female soldier Tang Xingyun felt embarrassed and struggled to get up and continue walking. After just a few steps, she had to stop and catch her breath, while several soldiers protecting her were anxious and at a loss for what to do. After all, she was a woman, and although comrades in the Red Army were like brothers and sisters, it was only when a female soldier was injured that male soldiers would carry them. The current situation left the male soldiers unable to decide whether to help or not, so they could only watch anxiously.

  Liu Yimin had Li Chengwei bring over his reddish-brown horse, went forward and picked up Tang Xingyan, then put her on the horse. Tang Xingyan was so embarrassed that she almost cried, hanging her head and not making a sound.

  Liu Yimin instructed Li Chengwei to take good care of Tang Xingyan, and the guards who were protecting Tang Xingyan would continue their march.

  Riding on a horse, no, to be precise, sitting on a horse, Tang Xingyan's heart is like a deer struck by an arrow. Some readers would say that Yu Xi Mountain people are talking nonsense, in the dark and snowy weather, they were frozen to death, what other emotions could there be? To say that she felt very ashamed, Yu Xi Mountain people themselves thought it was inexplicable, during the Long March era, the environment was cruel, if you fell behind, the outcome would be disastrous. Riding on a leader's war horse again, as long as you can keep up with the team, you can survive. It's not about being ashamed or not. In short, Tang Xingyan's heart is very complicated while sitting on the horse.

  Tang Xingyun was born into a family of scholars in Guilin, Guangxi. Her father had some reputation locally. Therefore, Tang Xingyun received what could be considered good education for that era from a young age. Especially after the Republic of China, when the social atmosphere changed greatly, Tang Xingyun's father was not as conservative as most bookworms of the past, who only allowed their children to study the Four Books and Five Classics. Instead, he sent her to a new-style school to receive an education and be influenced by new ideas. As a result, 16-year-old Tang Xingyun not only had a slender figure and a beautiful face but also progressive thinking. She was refined in her interactions with others, with the demeanor of a noble lady.

  That era, girls all married early, and Tang Xingyun was naturally the object of pursuit for many people. In the end, her parents decided to marry her off to the son of a high-ranking military officer in the Gui system. If it were someone else, Tang Xingyun might have agreed, after all, girls are supposed to get married, and their parents must have carefully selected and considered it for themselves. But this person was not acceptable, Tang Xingyun knew him too well, with a humble appearance on the outside but extremely cruel inside, Tang Xingyun had once seen him beat a maid in their household to death. The vicious gaze, the punching posture, and the maid's miserable cry before she died had made Tang Xingyun wake up from her sleep many times. Therefore, no matter how much she tried to persuade her parents, they didn't believe her, and the wedding date was getting closer and closer. In a fit of anger, Tang Xingyun packed her clothes and ran away from home, wandering around and fighting everywhere, until she arrived at Tongdao, where she met Hu Lao's cavalry and joined the Red Army.

  These days, Tang Xingyan felt everything was fresh and new. Compared to the Gui army that lived near her home, the Red Army didn't bully new recruits or women, which made Tang Xingyan feel she had joined the right side. Therefore, she was very enthusiastic, training every day with the male soldiers and keeping busy. The logistics director Wu Zheng praised her almost every day, and the little girl's face was filled with smiles. Who knew that on this long march, being a Red Army soldier would be so painful? If they were to fight, wouldn't it be even more painful and tiring? The more she thought about it, the more afraid she became, and the softer her legs felt, until she couldn't walk anymore.

  As a result, she naturally fell behind, and the warriors had no choice but to leave a few people to protect her. Fortunately, they met their commander, rode on his war horse, and this was good, no need to run on the road, and could keep up with the team.

  Looking at the Red Army soldiers beside her, they were all advancing in the wind and snow, not a single one complaining of hardship or fatigue. Tang Xingyun felt that she was still not doing enough, holding back the troops. If only she had endured more hardships since childhood, walking such a long distance would be nothing. It seems that being a Red Army soldier, making revolution, is not just about talking and shouting slogans, parading on the streets, but requires enduring hardship, sacrificing blood and undergoing trials by fire to become a qualified Red Army soldier.

  It's all right now, and my legs aren't weak anymore, but I couldn't help wanting to take a look at my teacher with my eyes.

  Tang Xingyan had seen Liu Yimin for the second time. The first time was at the founding meeting of the Jiangzhou Garrison Division, when the cadres gave all the new recruits red flowers. Tang Xingyan observed from a close distance the division commander who was being passed around by the soldiers with an aura of mystery. Indeed, he was handsome and tall. His eyes had an inexplicable charm. However, judging from his age, he seemed to be only in his early twenties, not like a general who had charged into battle and won victories, but rather like a foreign student who had returned from studying abroad! This time they met at zero distance, but when Liu Yimin carried her onto the horse, she was so shy that she closed her eyes, only feeling the warm air from Liu Yimin's body blowing onto her face, making her feel comfortable and numb. Now riding on the horse with idle legs, her mind was busy thinking about taking a glance at the tall back of the person walking in front of the team.

  He's so energetic, just a light hug and he's already on the horse. If there was no warhorse, would he carry himself on his shoulders and march? Would he fall asleep on his back and arrange a marriage for him? I don't know which girl from which family would have such good fortune to catch his eye.

  As she thought about it, Tang Xingyan felt her heart beating wildly and her face burning slightly. She glanced around casually. Fortunately, everyone was marching forward, and no one noticed her.

  Tang Xingying cursed in her heart, thinking what a fool she was. She began to focus on riding her horse. After walking for a while, she felt a bit cold, as if the snowflakes were drilling into her neck. When she looked up again, that person was still walking at the front of the team, with a steady pace. She couldn't help but mutter under her breath: "Even a dead man wouldn't ask me if I'm cold." After muttering, she immediately felt ashamed and closed her eyes again.

  On this first snow night, on the mountain road of Qiandongnan Miao Ridge. The Red Army soldiers who were marching at night in the snow, none of them thought that their new comrade, the beautiful Red Army female soldier Tang Xingying, had let her heart fly away and could never get it back again.

  At this moment, Liu Yimin felt the severity of the problem more and more: the cold was not to be mentioned. The key is that the heavy snowfall buried the road. Looking ahead at a vast expanse of white, one's eyes would become dizzy after a while. If one wasn't careful, they might slip into a deep ravine and shatter to pieces. But he also didn't dare let the troops stop, once stopped, in such a big wind and snow, the soldiers would definitely be frozen stiff, even those with slightly poorer physical fitness might freeze to death. He had no choice but to walk ahead himself, constantly breaking off branches and inserting them on both sides of the road to guide the subsequent troops.

  I don't know how the troops ahead are doing, but I hope the ones that set out first have already walked out of this damned mountain road.

  It seemed as if he was going to answer his question, and after walking about ten miles further, in a gorge, he met the troops led by Cai Zhong.

  Tsai Chung told him that three mules had been killed and two soldiers also sacrificed.

  Liu Yimin thought that marching in such a hard way was not feasible, so he ordered the troops to rest on the spot, with each squad as a unit, starting bonfires, melting snow for water for the soldiers to drink and recover their strength.

  Soon, the 4th and 5th regiments also caught up, and the canyon suddenly became lively. The soldiers surrounded the bonfire, boiling water and eating dry rations. If any soldier fell asleep, the cadres would grab his ears and wake him up, fearing he would freeze to death.

  Tang Xingyan finally got off the horse, her small face flushed red, and under the reflection of the firelight and snow color, she looked exceptionally beautiful.

  Wu Zheng felt that the warriors were too tired and needed a boost of morale, so he said: "Little Tang, sing a piece of your local opera from Guangxi Guilin for everyone."

  Tang Xingyan's little face turned even redder, and she said in a low voice: "Director, I won't sing opera."

  Wu Zheng said: "What a pity, what a good opportunity it is to let the warriors have some fun and boost their morale. Ah, the instructor sang well, but unfortunately no one dared to let him sing."

  Tang Xingying blinked her eyes: "Will Master still sing opera?"

  Wu Zheng said: "It's not that he can sing opera, but he can sing songs, and he sings very well. I've grown up to this age, and I haven't seen anyone better than Shifu at singing. Our 'Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention' and 'Ten Sending Off the Red Army' were all taught by him."

  Tang Xingyan said: "If warriors can sing, then let's have them sing in units of rows!"

  Wu Zheng said: "Alright, let's start from our logistics department, I'll be in command."

  Soon, the logistics department cadres and soldiers gathered together, and with Wu Zheng's gesture, they sang "Ten Send Red Army".

  The logistics department sang, and the other troops followed suit, one more spirited than the other. The songs flew out of the valley and echoed far, far away on a quiet winter night.

  Tang Xingying listened and listened, and tears fell. This is his own comrade-in-arms, who can still sing loudly in such a snowy day. Which team in the world can be an enemy of such a team? From now on, this team will be his home, sharing life and death, never leaving or abandoning each other.

  The snow had let up, and they had rested for over an hour. Liu Yimin ordered them to continue advancing, with Li Lingfeng, the sniper company's instructor, leading Zhao Zhiyu, Wang Lao Hu, He Feng, and Li Hongjun, each carrying a wooden stick, scouting ahead and guiding the troops forward.

  Li Lingfeng is a Northeasterner from Harbin, who joined the party organization while studying at Qing* University. He was later betrayed and arrested by traitors, but after being rescued, he went to Jiangxi's Soviet area to join the Red Army. During the Xiangjiang Battle, he was shot in the leg and fell behind. When Liu Yimin reorganized the troops, Li Lingfeng was assigned to the third battalion as a soldier. Later, in Jingzhou, Liu Yimin had a serious conversation with him and discovered that not only was he an intellectual and old party member with meticulous thinking, but also possessed internal and external martial arts skills, especially exceling in close combat and light body techniques. Liu Yimin was overjoyed and immediately pointed out the flaws in his martial arts, making Li Lingfeng admire him deeply.

  Liu Yimin felt that Li Lingfeng was the commander of the special forces he wanted to establish, so he let him go to the sniper company as a instructor, and find out the cadres and soldiers who were good at martial arts, marksmanship, and had special skills, and form two platoons separately. Then he worked hard for another night, writing more than a dozen pages of simple special warfare manual, and letting Li Lingfeng organize training.

  This organization really discovered a lot of talent. Zhao Zhiyu, Wang Lao Hu, He Feng, Li Hongjun and others were all dug out, and two teams were quickly formed. During the few days in Xingwu State, Liu Yimin spent every spare moment with the sniper team, guiding their training. The brand new tactics opened the eyes of these old Red Army soldiers who possessed exceptional skills, as they studied and trained day and night. Although they couldn't be considered qualified special forces yet, during the Long March, this was already a super warrior.

  With their guidance, the troops' movements naturally became faster. The soldiers couldn't believe their eyes and said that the Red Army was made of iron feet. They thought they were already good walkers, but these few people were much more capable than themselves. Walking was almost like running, and it didn't seem to take any effort at all. Amazing!

  Tang Xingying instinctively rode on the crimson horse of his master again.

  Later, Li Chengwei felt that the horse of his superior officer had become Tang Xingyan's mount. This girl would stand in front of him, waiting to get on the horse, as if he, the commander of the guard battalion, was her personal bodyguard. He was so angry that he asked Wu Zheng to take care of this girl and not let her occupy the superior officer's horse during the march. Although the superior officer didn't ride it, it was still his warhorse, and except for Tang Xingyan, who in the whole battalion dared to touch it? Moreover, what if she delayed things?

  Wu Zheng thought for half a day and slowly told him that if the girl loved to ride, let her ride. Female comrades were physically weak, and she was born into a wealthy family, never having suffered since childhood. During military campaigns, it was easy to drag down the troops. With the arrival of the red horse, wouldn't this problem be solved? As for the issue of the division commander's mount, simply give you another horse, and both horses will be under your care. Wouldn't that be okay? Li Chengyi was furious and turned around to leave.

  At dawn, the troops finally encountered several larger villages.

  The first battalion had already rested in the village for two hours, and when they saw the regimental commander and political commissar leading their troops to arrive, Liu Jianli and several battalion commanders and political commissars all came out to greet them. The village also prepared hot water and cooked meals.

  Liu Yimin ordered the troops to enter the village to rest and eat, then turned around to ask Liu Jian if there was any news from the reconnaissance company, if there were enemy troops in the county seat of Zhenyuan, and where Xue Yue's troops had arrived.

  Liu Jianzhang reported that the reconnaissance company had sent back a telegram, they divided into four routes to arrive at Zhenyuan and Yushan, Zhenyuan and Shiqian intersection for reconnaissance, but no enemy was found. The county town of Zhenyuan has no enemy, according to the old fellow countrymen, our Red Army occupied Zhenyuan County Town 9th Military Division had crossed the Wujiang River.

  Liu Yimin thought for a moment and said: "Our army is too tired from the long march, we must find a place to rest and recover our combat effectiveness. The first, second and fourth regiments will set out immediately, occupy the town of Zhenyuan, send small teams to control the surrounding villages and towns, and implement controls, with no one allowed in or out. The main force will rest in the county seat. During the march, no red flags are allowed to be raised, no slogans are allowed to be shouted, and no posters are allowed to be posted. Other troops will rest for an hour before setting out, and then rest in Zhenyuan County. With such a big snowfall, I don't know if Xue Yue's unit will continue to march at night. After arriving at the county seat, the radio station will immediately start broadcasting, trying its best to intercept and decode the signals from the Central Army's radio station.

  Liu Jianli and several battalion commanders and political commissars accepted the task and immediately led their troops to set out. Liu Yimin and Cai Zhong, Li Qing entered the village to eat, and the troops began to take a short rest in several villages.

  At this time, Hu Lao Hu led the cavalry regiment to escort the two battalions of the logistics battalion and finally arrived at Huangping County, where they met with the two regiments of the Red Second Division who had come to greet them.

  The troops of the Second Division had already arrived in Huangping and had been waiting for a long time. So, as soon as Hu Lao Hu and his men arrived, hot tea and hot rice were ready, along with fodder for their horses. Hu Lao Hu was so moved that he couldn't help but thank the two battalion commanders of the Second Division again and again. However, the cadres of the Second Division didn't want to accept this, one battalion commander saying that the people from the Guard Division looked down on the Red Second Division, being too polite. Another battalion commander said, "When we get transferred to the Guard Division, we'll fight a few more battles, and when we meet the guys from the First and Second Divisions, we won't say anything else, just thank you." Hu Lao Hu hastily took out two bottles of wine from his horseback, poured four bowls, and together with Cao Shengli, they drank them dry with the two battalion commanders.

  After the troops have finished their meal and completed the handover, the Second Division's troops will set off to pursue the main force across the Wu River.

  At this time, the logistics department had a problem, and all cadres and soldiers demanded to return to their units with the cavalry regiment. Hu Lao Tiger found Cao Shengli and said: "Old Cao, the division commander's order is very clear, you follow the Second Division across the river, and we will directly enter Zhenyuan. Do you want to disobey orders?"

  Cao Shengli said: "I have no choice, the whole division is going to fight a big battle, and the logistics battalion belongs to the Guards Division sequence, so it must participate in the war. I cannot go against the determination of the soldiers who asked for the war."

  Old Hu said patiently: "The Second Division is a combat unit, not good at taking care of mules. You can follow them and speed up their march. Besides, you've been working too hard on the way, the soldiers need rest, just execute the order and walk with the Second Division troops. There will be plenty of opportunities to fight. When you arrive in Zunyi and meet the leaders, don't forget to say hello to Old Hu for me."

  Cao Shengli said firmly: "You little boy, don't stand there talking nonsense. Your cavalry regiment originally had only a few dozen people. After the battle of Xigou, the regiment commander suddenly assigned you several hundred people, and most of them were rescued Red Army soldiers. You can choose your war horses and weapons. Of course, you wouldn't understand the hardships of my logistics battalion. After the battle of Xiaoshui, we were tasked with escorting prisoners and supplies to Lin Kou. We didn't even get a glance during the Battle of Xigou. This time, if I don't catch up with the Central Army, in the future, my logistics battalion will become stable boys for the Central Guard Division. In the eyes of the division commander, we'll probably be on the same level as the communications platoon and the field hospital. What would you do if you were me and your cavalry regiment?"

  Hu Lao Hu understands the mood of Cao Shengli and the logistics camp officers and soldiers. In the combat sequence of the Central Guard Division, it is really a matter of speaking with military merit. Which unit fights well, equipment allocation, cadre promotion is different. Especially the commander's favorite 1st Company 1st Battalion, not to mention that each person has a long gun, a shotgun that can fire continuously, even tactical movements are taught by the commander himself. What can you do? Who let one company always walk in the front no matter whether it's fighting or marching?

  Since they couldn't convince Cao Shengli, Hu Lao Hu had to bid farewell to the two regimental commanders of the Second Division. The two troops parted ways at the gate of Huangping City, with the Second Division's troops advancing towards the Wujing River and Hu Lao Hu, Bao Wen, and Cao Shengli leading the cavalry regiment and logistics regiment along the Xiang-Qian highway to Zhenyuan.

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