Chapter 59: The Great Victory at Qingxi Town (Part 2)

  Xixiang Town is located in the eastern part of Zhenyuan County, less than 100 kilometers away from Zhenyuan County. The road conditions are relatively good, so by 6:00 am, Liu Yimin led the Central Guard Regiment to arrive here.

  Zhang Yicheng and Luo Yan led a platoon of scouts to control the town, seeing the main force coming, they quickly reported the situation to Liu Yimin.

  Zhang Yicheng introduced that Qingxi Town is located in the east and west, with Xiangda Road in front of the town, and Wu Yang River flows northeast along the highway. The eastern part of the town is 20 miles away from Yangping Town, which is connected to Xinhuang County, Hunan Province, and is adjacent to Sanxi County in the south and Cengong County in the north. It is an important town on Xiangda Road from Yunnan and Guizhou to Hunan, known as the "East Gate" since ancient times, and is the main passage for Guizhou's eastern exit. Xue Yue entered Guizhou through this place, which was a must-pass route.

  The town has only one main street, with many shops and a dock, where cargo ships can go up to Shangyuan and down to Hunan. There is also an iron and steel plant called Qingxi Iron Plant, which is in normal production. The population of the town is mainly composed of merchants and workers engaged in commerce, while the Miao villages are all on the mountains behind Qingxi Town.

  Under Zhang Yicheng's guidance, Liu Yimin led the leaders of various regiments, battalions and directly affiliated units to climb up to the top of the mountain behind Qingxi Town to observe the terrain.

  It was already 7 o'clock in the morning, and the snow had stopped falling. The sky had begun to clear up.

  Liu Yimin stood on the mountain top and looked out, in the valley between the two mountains, the Wu Yang River in winter was like a white silk ribbon, quietly unfolding from west to east. One could imagine that when spring arrives, the clouds would reflect off the river's surface, with white sails dotting it, eagles flying and swallows dancing, fishermen singing in harmony, how beautiful the scenery would be. The Xiang River Road was just like the Wu Yang River's lover, coming from the east to the west, winding through the valley and embracing the Wu Yang River, tightly entwined together.

  Across the river should be the Wuling Mountains, where the continuous peaks are covered with cedars, pines, and red...|where the green colors of the cypress, bamboo, and pine trees stubbornly spread outwards in threads, streaks, clusters, and tufts.

  Looking at the terrain in the direction I am in, it should be the remaining vein of Miaoling, the mountain trend stops abruptly at the Wuyang River, and along the river from east to west, not very high peaks are lined up like soldiers, reporting to the Wuyang River, waiting for roll call. The slope is not very steep, covered with trees and bamboo forests, cold wind blows by, snowflakes fall straight down, revealing green embroidered leaves and pine branches, making the snowy white winter sky suddenly full of endless hope.

  Let's take a closer look, this is indeed a natural ambush site! The Wuyang River is a natural barrier, and the enemy's path to the west is completely sealed off on the right side. Once the battle starts, the enemy can only charge forward, retreat backward, or rush up the mountain slope on their left side. If we block their retreat route and seal off their advance road, the enemy will have no choice but to rush up the mountain slope on our side. And the slope is covered with dense forests, which can hide our main force. Just imagine, when the enemy rushes up the slope in a panic, trying to occupy the high ground, and a row of gun barrels pops out from the trees, what a thrilling feeling it would be!

  Down the mountain, Liu Yimin led the cadres to ride horses along the highway for more than ten miles. At each key point on the hillside, they conducted actual distance measurements and looked at how much further they needed to go before reaching Yangping Town before turning back.

  Back to Xigou Town, Liu Jianli, Zhang Yicheng and several other combat staff members were busy drawing maps. Liu Yimin and Cai Zhong had a brief discussion and then notified the company-level cadres to gather for a combat meeting.

  He Xinghua reports. Decoded enemy telegram. Xue Yue's main force departed from the junction of Xinhuang and Yuping at 6:00 this morning. Expected to arrive in Yuping County at 11:00, which is 5 hours later. Xue Yue ordered the 59th Division and 93rd Division stationed in Yuping to send out scouting troops. The main force will depart from Yuping County at 9:00. Proceed along the Xiang-Da Highway towards Zhenyuan. The two divisions are not allowed to exceed a distance of 2 li between them, so as to provide mutual support.

  Depart at 9. Yushan County is only 50 miles away from Qingxi Town. That means, if the enemy moves fast enough, they can arrive in Qingxi Town around 2 pm. There's not much time left for arrangements.

  Let's recalculate. 9 o'clock, 11 o'clock. That is to say, the first two divisions and the main force are separated by a two-hour journey. If the vanguard encounters an ambush, the main force will rush to the battlefield in more than an hour. The cavalry will be even faster. Those are six central army main force divisions! It seems that Chiang Kai-shek is really angry. Xue Yue is going to fight for his life.

  Liu Yimin deliberated repeatedly. One plan was to concentrate forces to annihilate the enemy's vanguard division, and then strive to defeat another vanguard division of the enemy before retreating. The advantage of this plan is that the pressure on the troops would not be too great. However, the disadvantage is that the losses of the troops responsible for dividing and blocking the enemy would be very heavy, and the impact on the enemy would also be limited. Moreover, it would be easy to be attacked by the enemy's main force from behind.

  Another plan was to put together the two vanguard divisions of the enemy and attack them, then swing back to block Xue Yue's main force, striving to defeat one part of it, forcing Xue Yue to retreat back to Yushan County Castle to defend. The advantage of this plan is that the impact on the enemy would be great, equivalent to heavily damaging Xue Yue's forces. However, the disadvantage is that the enemy might gather together in a tight group, making it difficult to swallow.

  The third plan was that since the enemy was relatively concentrated and not easy to attack, they should give up the ambush and turn around to rapidly march away from the enemy, cross the Wu River, and join forces with the main force.

  Let's calculate the ratio of our forces. Our own Guard Division has 9,000 men, five main force regiments, with excellent weapons and sufficient ammunition, high morale, and an advantageous position in terms of time, terrain, and human factors. The enemy has two vanguard divisions, the 59th and 93rd, both of which are three-regiment forces that may have a supplementary regiment each. After deducting casualties since the Jiangxi pursuit and suppression campaign, they should be around 7,000 to 8,000 men per division. Together, they would total about 15,000 men, roughly twice our number. However, with preparation against unpreparedness, victory is basically in our grasp. In the worst-case scenario, defeating the enemy will not be a problem at all.

  After repeated deliberations, Liu Yiming decided to adopt the second plan, to recreate Xue Yue's unit, and strive for a relatively better environment for future Red Army operations.

  Li Chengwei reported that all cadres above the company level had assembled and were waiting for the commander's order to go into battle.

  Liu Yimin walked into the courtyard and saw that all the cadres were sitting neatly, asking Zhang Yicheng where so many stools came from. Zhang Yicheng said that the scale of this steel plant is not small, and this courtyard is their office place, with plenty of stools and chairs.

  Liu Yimin walked to the front of the cadres and stood still. Before he could speak, the cadres had already begun to applaud. Liu Yimin knew that this was the trust of his comrades and also their longing for victory. With a wave of his hands, he stopped the applause and said loudly: "Comrades, we set out from Jingzhou, braved the wind and snow, slept in the open air, and marched hundreds of miles to get here. What have we come here for?"

  "Down with the Central Army!"

  Liu Yimin continued: "Why did our Central Red Army leave the Soviet area? There are many reasons, one of which

  The reason is that the troops led by Xue Yue, with whom we are about to fight, have been surrounding and pursuing us for years, killing many of our comrades and harming many of our loved ones, forcing the Red Army to fight as they march. Do you say we should avenge ourselves?

  The cadres shouted in unison: "Avenge! Avenge! Settle the blood debt with the Central Army!"

  When the cadres' voices stopped, Liu Yimin said: "Now is the opportunity for revenge, and the enemy has come to our door. After our Red Army's main force occupied Zunyi, Chiang Kai-shek ordered Xue Yue to lead eight divisions of 100,000 Central Army troops to suppress bandits, that is, to fight against us Red Army.

  According to intelligence, at 5 o'clock this morning, Xue Yue led the main force of six divisions and left Xinhuang County to advance towards Yushan. It is estimated that they will arrive around 11 o'clock. The enemy's vanguard troops, the 59th Division and the 93rd Division, will depart from Yushan County and head towards Zhenyuan along the Xiang-Da Highway. Our current location in Qingxi Town is their必经之路 (necessary route). There are three plans for everyone to consider: First, we abandon the ambush and turn west, crossing the Wu River to join forces with the main force; Second, we ambush the enemy's vanguard division, defeat another division, and then withdraw from combat to avoid being pursued by the enemy's main force; Third, we annihilate the enemy's two vanguard divisions, then swing our troops eastward, defeating a part of Xue Yue's main force. After the enemy retreats, we will withdraw from the battlefield and cross the Wu River to join forces with the main force. I give everyone 5 hours to think about it and choose one of the plans.

  The officers immediately began to discuss, not long after, a team leader stood up and said: "Report to the commander, our team chooses the third option, thoroughly defeat Xue Yue, and avenge our loved ones and comrades! As for the sacrifices that the third option may bring, we are not afraid, our loved ones have basically been killed by the Central Army, and we have long wanted to fight them to the death! Please give the order, the Guard Team will follow your command, guaranteeing the completion of all tasks assigned by the commander!"

  Deputy Commander Zhang Hongtao stood up and roared: "Fight the Central Army, the Second Regiment resolutely demands to be the main attacker, please give orders from the division commander, the Second Guard Regiment will sacrifice the enemy's blood to the flag!"

  "Third Battalion Commander Chen Dayong jumped up and roared: 'You Second Battalion take the lead, what about my Third Battalion? Please give orders, in a sea of knives and fire, my Third Battalion will charge forward without hesitation!'"

  The fourth team leader, Hong Chaoyuan, stood up and said: "What are you two arguing about? The instructor said to discuss which combat plan to choose, not to show off your bravery."

  Zhang Hongtao and Chen Dayong immediately fell silent. Hong Chao continued, "Commander, the Fourth Battalion has never lost face for you! My parents and wife and children were killed by them long ago, do you think I won't get angry when I see them? No need to say more, this most difficult task must be given to me, whoever dares to compete with me, I'll fight with him!"

  Commander Zhao Shan of the Fifth Regiment immediately stood up: "Commander Hong, take a look at these regiment commanders, who still has relatives alive? We are all the same! Fighting against the White Dog Troupe, no one from the Fifth Regiment will be left behind! Please give the order, I'd rather die here than not bring the enemy down with the Fifth Regiment! Please give the order!"

  Liu Yimin was deeply infected by the war-seeking sentiment of the cadres. Thinking about his original life, when he mentioned the National Army, it was just a term, and there was no love or hate to speak of. When he saw an American journalist during the Anti-Japanese War period who encountered the National Army's Tang Enbo unit stationed in Henan and exclaimed "I finally met a unit worse than the Japanese army", he was still half-believing and half-doubting. It wasn't until after crossing over that he realized that at that time, the National Army, except for individual units with good discipline, were all worse than the National Army portrayed in later films and TV shows. As for the Red Army, although he was familiar with their stories and even the basic situation of each battle, it was just knowledge on a superficial level. Except for admiring them as revolutionary pioneers and having infinite respect for their spirit and great achievements, there was no personal feeling. Since joining the Red Army, he finally understood that every old Red Army soldier had a blood debt owed by the Nationalist reactionaries on his back, which was piled up with the lives of loved ones! Liu Yimin also finally understood why the Red Army was invincible, why they could develop and grow as soon as they had the opportunity, and why the old Red Army soldiers would rather freeze to death or starve to death in the snowy mountains and grasslands than surrender to the Nationalist Party. Blood debt, blood feud, heart harder than iron!

  Liu Yimin's eyes shot out a sharp glint, his right hand swung forcefully, and the cadres immediately stood up straight. Liu Yimin said: "According to the enemy situation we have grasped, I have decided to annihilate the vanguard of the 59th and 93rd Divisions of Xue Yue's Central Army in Qingxi Town, and then march east to ambush the main force of Xue Yue's Central Army near Yangping Town, resolutely defeat them, and force the enemy to retreat and defend. I order:

  The first company of the engineering battalion quickly built two pontoon bridges on the west side of Qingxi Town using boats, for use by the artillery battalion and the heavy machine gun battalion. The second company of the engineering battalion laid mines densely on the mountain slope near the highway 500 to 3000 meters east of Qingxi Town, leaving a passage for the troops to charge through. Captain He Mingliang led the third company of the engineering battalion to secretly advance to the eastern end of Yangping Town and bury explosives on the road, hiding on the roadside slope, waiting for Xue Yue's main force to pass by, then detonating the explosives to blow them to smithereens!

  Two, the chief of staff Liu Jianli led the artillery battalion, heavy machine gun battalion to hide on the west bank of Wuyang River. Mountain guns, howitzers and heavy machine guns must be marked with shooting range in advance to ensure that the first wave of firepower can severely damage two enemy vanguard divisions. The chief of staff is responsible for observing the enemy situation. The artillery and heavy machine gun firing time is when the blocking troops fire, and the enemy's 93rd division rushes to reinforce, we must grasp the opportunity, concentrate our firepower, and hit the enemy gathering place. When our army launches a charge with the bugle call, stop shooting to avoid misfire. After the battle, quickly move east along the west bank to Yangping Town, establish a position on the opposite bank, and provide firepower support for our army to counterattack the main force of Xue Yue. After repelling Xue Yue, withdraw first and advance towards Zhenyuan.

  The Third and Second Battalions were tasked with the mission of ambush, establishing a hidden blocking position along the mountain slope and highway at the eastern end of Qingxi Town. The enemy's vanguard company must be captured alive in the town without triggering a large battle. When the enemy's main force arrives, attention must be paid to not opening fire with artillery or heavy machine guns at the start of the attack, creating the illusion that our military firepower is insufficient and that it is a small unit, only using heavy weapons after the artillery battalion and heavy machine gun battalion open fire.

  The 4th and 3rd regiments led the workers' and peasants' battalions, 1st and 2nd companies to undertake the task of cutting off the enemy's retreat. They ambushed at a distance of 15 li from Qingxi Town, waiting for the enemy's 93rd Division rear guard to pass through, then immediately blocked their retreat route and pursued them fiercely along the highway. After the battle was over, the 3rd Regiment quickly turned around, seized the high ground on the east side of Yangping Town, and led the charge against Xue Yue's main force.

  The 1st, 4th, 5th Battalions, the Guard Battalion, the New Soldier Battalion and the Logistics Battalion's three companies were hidden on the east slope of the highway, tasked with charging at the enemy and blocking them from occupying high ground. Specifically: I led the 1st Battalion and the Guard Battalion in the middle, the Political Commissar led the 3rd Battalion and the New Soldier Battalion to the west of the 1st Battalion, and Director Li Qing of the Political Department led the 5th Battalion and the Logistics Battalion's three companies to the east of the 1st Battalion.

  After the battle, Wu Zheng led the new battalion, logistics battalion three companies to take over the task of managing prisoners of war. The fourth and fifth battalions quickly occupied the high ground at the eastern end of Yangping Town, supporting the third battalion's mission to block the enemy. The third, fourth, and fifth battalions were all under the command of Political Department Director Li Qing. The first and second battalions followed me in a surprise attack on the enemy's main force. After the enemy fled, the first and second battalions pursued them, but they were not allowed to pursue for more than five miles or engage in a prolonged battle.

  Sixth, the sniper company's first platoon was led by Platoon Leader Wang Tongsheng, who chose their own position and fought independently. The second and third platoons were led by Instructor Li Lingfeng, hiding in a line on the mountain top, with the task of taking out small enemy search teams, preferably without firing a shot, using silent combat.

  Seven, the reconnaissance company immediately sent someone twenty miles ahead, set up a forward observation post, and sent people in disguise to investigate towards Yushan.

  8. Establish communication with the forward observation post, western shore artillery, heavy machine gun battalion and each regiment by telephone immediately. Telephone lines should be well camouflaged and not discovered by enemy search or reconnaissance units. My command position is on a hillside 3000 meters east of Qingxi Town.

  9. The field hospital was set up inside Qingxi Town, where laborers were organized to carry stretchers and rescue the wounded in a timely manner. All medical personnel were dispatched to the troops to implement battlefield first aid.

  Tenth, the command sequence of the entire division is: Division Commander, Political Commissar, Chief of Staff, Director of the Political Department, Head of Logistics Department, First Regimental Commander, Second Regimental Commander, Third Regimental Commander, Fourth Regimental Commander, Fifth Regimental Commander. If I am sacrificed or severely injured and unconscious, the Political Commissar will take over command, and so on. Is each unit's task clear?

  "We guarantee to complete the task!"

  Liu Yimin waved his hand: "Execute immediately!" Mobile visit: wak

  As soon as the cadres left, Hu Lao Hu and Cao Shengli arrived. After paying their respects, they asked to be assigned combat tasks. Liu Yi Min took a look at Cao Shengli's eyes, which were red from lack of sleep, and swallowed his criticism. He directly ordered the two men to lead their troops to rest for four hours, after which they would take on the task of being the entire division's reserve force.

  Cao Shengli was unwilling and demanded that the troops rest immediately after joining the battle, without serving as a reserve. Liu Yimin's face turned stern: "In war, the reserve team is the most crucial. Just now when assigning combat tasks, no reserve team was left behind precisely because we considered the possibility of your return. Execute the order, take the soldiers to rest immediately. After resting well, you can go onto the battlefield. Can you still pursue the enemy in your current exhausted state? I understand your mood, go!"

  Cao Shengli then bowed and left.

  Just as Liu Yimin issued the order to fight, Xue Yue, the commander-in-chief of the pursuing enemy army, led his troops into the territory of Yushan County and was advancing along the Xiang-Da Road towards the county seat.

  Because of the snow, the car couldn't run anymore and was stuck in Xinhuang. Xue Yue had no choice but to ride a horse to march forward. Looking at the troops and soldiers' tired faces trudging through the snow and mud on the main road, Xue Yue felt an inexplicable fire burning inside him.

  At night, Xue Yue led his troops into Xinhuang County from Zhijiang. After resting for a day on the 22nd, Xue Yue ordered the Fifty-Ninth Division and Ninety-Third Division, which were the vanguard, to enter Yuping County. The rest of the troops were stationed at the junction of Xinhuang and Yuping. The plan was to march while waiting for news of the battle between the Red Army and Wang Jialie.

  Unexpectedly, on the night of the 22nd, that is, last night, I first received a telegram from Wang Jialie asking for help, and then received a telegram from the delegate, all saying that the main force of the Red Army occupied Zunyi. What kind of egg is this? Wang Jialie's telegrams in the past few days said that the Red Army had occupied Jianhe, Huangping, and the main forces of the 1st and 3rd army corps had occupied Fuquan and Kaiyang, and were going to besiege Guiyang, how could they suddenly occupy Zunyi?

  Xue Yue was the main drafter of the National Army's fifth encirclement campaign against the Soviet Area, and had clashed with the Red Army many times. He was very familiar with the situation of each unit of the Red Army. The First and Third Corps were the backbone units that the Red Army relied on for survival. How could these two units, which were still in Fuquan and Kaiyang on the 20th, suddenly lose Xunyi? Had Mao Zedong come up with another trick to deceive heaven and cross the sea?

  It seems that the Red Army's swift action is one aspect, and General Wu's incompetence is another. I had heard that the Guizhou army was a double-gun soldier, with poor combat effectiveness, but I didn't expect it to be so bad, defending the Wujing Tianxia still let the already defeated Red Army defeat them. It seems that we need to reevaluate the combat effectiveness of Wang Jia Lie's troops.

  The original plan was to wait until the Red Army and Wang Jialie's troops were fighting each other to the death under the city of Guiyang, then lead 100,000 troops to suddenly appear at the city gate, defeating the Red Army and achieving a great feat, while also taking advantage of Wang Jialie's losses to overthrow him. Now it seems this plan can't be carried out, no one is to blame, but rather the Red Army for not cooperating, why didn't they want Guiyang? Wang Jialie's main force didn't fight, instead going to fight in Zunyi, what's the point of Hou Zidang's twin guns fighting?

  Still, the leader's vision is indeed far-sighted. He didn't let himself cross the Wu River to pursue the Red Army, but instead ordered an immediate departure, marching straight along the southern bank of the Wu River to Guiyang, urging Wang Jialie to march north and suppress the bandits. Wonderful! It's truly wonderful! Didn't Wang Jialie withdraw his main force back to Guiyang? Isn't he trying to use the Red Army's hands to eliminate his rivals? This time I'll let him play enough, daring to compete with the leader in cunning, it's simply... Those who have competed with the leader in cunning are what kind of ending, foolish!

  As soon as my main force arrives in Guiyang, sorry, Wang Jialie and Wang Daguai, you'd better lead your troops to quell the bandits in the north. The Red Army is a major threat to the Central Government's heart, and what about you warlords who occupy one side? I think you're not much better than the Red Army, and you'll all be swept away by the Central Government's main force. If you dare to disobey orders, haha, the 100,000-strong army that didn't truly join the battle in the Xiangjiang Campaign and has been conserving its strength is easy to provoke? Think carefully!

  When the time comes, I will occupy Guiyang and threaten Wang Jialie and Long Yun to attack Zunyi from the south. The northern side will be urged by De Zhuo to lead the Sichuan army to attack Zunyi, and my main force will sweep away their troops. Where can the Red Army escape? The best and most ideal situation is that the Red Army does not run away, and together with the Sichuan army, we will have a decisive battle, and when the time comes, haha, we will go down to Yunnan and enter Sichuan, and implement De Zhuo's political and military orders in every place in China. This can also be considered as repaying the kindness of De Zhuo and Chen Longquan.

  Look at the table, it's almost time for the 59th Division and the 93rd Division to depart. Xue Yue stopped his random thoughts and said to the chief of staff beside him: "Send another telegram to the 59th Division and the 93rd Division, emphasizing that speed is crucial, search thoroughly, and the distance between the two divisions must not exceed 3. After entering Qingxi Town and Jiaoxi Town in Zhenyuan, report promptly and leave troops to guard, ensuring the road is unobstructed."

  The Chief of Staff said: "Is the Commander-in-Chief being too cautious? The main force of the Red Bandits is far away in Zunyi, isn't it?"

  Xue Yue said "caution is better than error" and urged his horse forward.

  The enemy chief of staff looked at the mud splattered on his body and helplessly sent a telegram.

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