Volume 1: Red Star Over China Chapter 70: The Zunyi Conference (I)

  The meal took a long time to eat. Mainly because the four corps commanders were enthusiastic about distributing prisoners and arguing non-stop. When Liu Yimin said that the Guard Division had newly established the 6th, 7th, Artillery, Heavy Machine Gun, Engineer, and Logistics Regiments, the remaining prisoners were only managed by the New Soldier Regiment with 0 people. There were also 510 lightly wounded people. The several corps commanders were stunned at this time. They had originally planned to take a few thousand prisoners back. Suddenly, there were so many fewer. Can't accept it emotionally!

  Luo Binghui took a sip of wine and said: "I'm asking you, Comrade Little Liu. How many men does your guard division have after reorganization?"

  Liu Yimin said: "Report to Commander Luo. Our division originally had around 950 people. In Qingxi Town and Yangtze Town, there were over 100 casualties. There are still 70 people left. After replenishment and reorganization in Zhenyuan, we have a total of seven infantry regiments, one artillery regiment, one heavy machine gun regiment, one engineer regiment, one logistics regiment, and one new recruit training regiment, totaling twelve regiments. In addition, there are cavalry battalions, guard battalions, special operations battalions, reconnaissance companies, communication platoons, and other directly affiliated units. Except for the new recruit training regiment, our entire division has over 19,000 people, less than 20,000."

  Luo Binghui took another sip of wine and said, "Little Liu, your one division is more than the sum of our five divisions in the Ninth Army. Why don't we make a deal? You go to the Ninth Army to be the commander, and I'll come to the Guards Division to be the division commander. What do you think?"

  Liu Yimin hastily said: "Commander Luo, don't scare me. I've only been in the Red Army for a few days. How dare I compare with you esteemed and accomplished veterans? To be honest, the rapid expansion of our troops isn't a good thing. If all these people were seasoned old Red Army soldiers, how could I have let Xue Yue go? There's no choice. We've captured too many prisoners. We can only organize them into units for easier management. Otherwise, it would be impossible to bring them here."

  Lin Biao took a sip of wine and said slowly, "Long-distance marching. Escorting so many prisoners is indeed not easy. Organizing the prisoners into troops is worth studying. Little Liu, commander-in-chief, I have an idea. What do you think? Your prisoner soldiers are too many, and they can't form combat effectiveness in a short period of time. My army has many old Red Army veterans. I'll send you a battalion, all old Red Army veterans, the main force battalion, 20 people. In exchange for your 100 prisoners, plus 10 wounded." After finishing speaking, he smiled at Liu Yimin.

  Liu Yimin was about to speak, but Peng Zong said: "My three armies have suffered too many casualties. The 18th Regiment has already become the Guards Division. I don't have any troops to give you. Give you another 50 regimental-level old Red Army cadres. The condition is also 10 captured and 10 wounded. You are responsible for all weapons and ammunition."

  Dong Zhentang immediately followed up: "The Sharp Blade Regiment has already been taken away by you. I heard that now they are all backbone troops. The platoon leader at that time is now a battalion-level cadre. In this case, I will also give you a 300-man battalion, all old Red Army soldiers, with the same conditions as them."

  Luo Binghui said: "My 9th Army Corps has too many new recruits. I can only give you 30 cadres. That's all I have. However, my army corps urgently needs to supplement its combat effectiveness with strong warriors. Your captives are all well-trained Central Army soldiers. I need them very much. I also want to take 10 wounded men."

  Liu Yimin thought to himself, "It seems that the bigger the tree, the more wind it attracts. These several military commanders have come prepared to take advantage of the situation. Not giving in is not an option." Just as he was about to open his mouth to agree, the commander said again: "Alright, let's settle on this. Each of you will get 100 wounded soldiers. The remaining 110 lightly wounded soldiers, you don't want them anyway. It just so happens that I'll hand them over to the Heavy Eighteenth Regiment. Comrade Liu Yimin, do you have any objections?"

  Liu Yiming thought to himself, "It's really true that hearing something a hundred times is not as good as seeing it once." When did the historically honest and straightforward Old General Peng learn how to talk like this? He came up and asked if I had any opinions. I'm dizzy!

  Looking at several military commanders with different expressions, but the thought of answering is the same. Liu Yimin said: "Thank you for your support, leaders. No need to say more. The troops will rest for a night and send new soldiers to report to you tomorrow morning."

  Lu Binghui said: "The guards are too tired. No need to send them off. We all brought our troops here. Let them follow us and that's it. It's just a matter of equipment. Little Liu, the division commander, sent people off until they reached their homes and even sent Buddha to the Western Heaven. There's no need to say more."

  Liu Yimin said straightforwardly, "There's no problem with the weapons and ammunition. The Central Army dropped many guns when they retreated. I captured more than 40 guns. If I weren't thinking of bringing them back to exchange for our main force, I would have buried all these guns in Zhenyuan! As I always say, there's nothing to hide. Light and heavy machine guns, rifles, submachine guns, pistols, bullets, hand grenades... you can take as many as you want. Not only can the new soldiers' equipment be satisfied, but also some old weapons of other troops can be eliminated."

  Lin Biao raised his wine glass and said: "Come on. Let's all have a drink. Congratulations to the Guards Division for their victorious return."

  Dong Zhen Tang said: "Lin Jun's performance is good today. He usually doesn't talk much. Today he has already drunk several cups. Come on, come on, drink!"

  DeHui said: "Commander Lin usually doesn't speak. When he does, it's absolutely not ordinary. That Liu Yimin kid has a big face after all. Normally, I wouldn't even have the chance to drink with Commander Lin." After finishing speaking, he put down his wine cup and suddenly seemed to remember something, asking: "Comrade Liu Yimin, I seem to recall seeing in the war report that you captured over 00 cannons? And wasn't there also a 75mm artillery battalion from the tax police? You probably can't use all those cannons, right?"

  Several legion commanders perked up their ears.

  Liu Yimin thought to himself, "How did they set their sights on the cannons again?" Li Chang had already told him that everything could be given, but not a single cannon would be handed over. However, looking at the situation, it seemed like not giving them was not an option either? So he said: "Reporting to Commander Peng Jun, our unit has captured 36 Type 75 field guns and 08-type mortars from the Taxation Police Regiment. We have established a artillery regiment, which consists of three battalions: one battalion equipped with 75mm field guns, one battalion equipped with 60mm mountain guns, and one mixed battalion equipped with 60mm mountain guns. I think in the future, this artillery regiment will definitely be directly under the Military Commission's command, and during battles, it will be uniformly allocated for use. The remaining mortars are all in the fire support companies of each regiment and battalion."

  "In short, I think this way. Each division will be given three 75mm guns and twelve 60mm guns. The ammunition will be allocated at the rate of 50 rounds per gun. The gunners will be arranged by each division themselves. The artillery regiment will be assigned to the Military Commission for use. The remaining guns will be left to your disposal. In this way, the firepower of the divisions can be initially strengthened a bit. When we encounter the Central Army's fortifications again, it won't always be necessary for our soldiers to sacrifice their lives. Comrade Liu Yimin, what do you think?"

  Liu Yimin immediately said: "Let's follow Comrade Peng Jun's instructions."

  The atmosphere has thoroughly come up. Several army corps commanders began to take turns and toast with Liu Yimin. To put it accurately, they ordered Liu Yimin to drink. They got Liu Yimin drunk, pulling him to shout "Big Brother" at Lin Jun's Army Corps Commander.

  The next day when I woke up, it was already 9 o'clock in the morning.

  Liu Yimin took a sip of the tea brought by Li Chengwei and asked: "Where are the commanders of several legions?"

  Li Chengwei replied: "The commanders have all left. They took the captives away. The cannons were also taken away. Light and heavy machine guns, rifles, submachine guns, pistols, and ammunition. Everything that could be taken was taken. Lin Jun and Dong Jun each left a battalion behind. Peng Jun left 50 cadres behind. Luo Jun left 3 cadres behind."

  Liu Yimin asked Cai Zhong and others what they were doing.

  Li Chengwei replied: "Everyone is waiting for the teacher."

  Liu Yimin said: "I'll wash my face. You call them in."

  Cai Zhong Liu established Li Qing Wu Zheng Jin Lai Hou. Liu Yi Min asked Zhong Ge Jun

  There is no report. Liu Jianzhang said there were two telegrams. One was an order for the Guard Division to rest in the suburbs. The other was an order for the division commander to rush to Zunyi today to attend the enlarged meeting of the Central Political Bureau.

  Tsai Chung said: "Before the instructor left, there were a few things that needed to be settled. One was the arrangement of cadres and soldiers sent by several military divisions. The second was the problem of troop adjustments."

  Liu Yimin said: "Speak up. Let's discuss it together."

  Tsai Chung said: "I have a suggestion. The battalion of the First Army Corps should be incorporated into the First Division. The battalion of the Fifth Army Corps should be incorporated into the Second Division. The cadres of the Third Army Corps should be incorporated into the Sixth Division. The cadres of the Ninth Army Corps should be incorporated into the Seventh Division."

  Liu Yimin thought for a moment and asked: "Which unit were the 100 prisoners of war taken from yesterday?"

  Li Qing replied, "Last night the superiors got drunk. We discussed it among ourselves. All 10 new recruits were withdrawn. The engineering corps and logistics corps each withdrew 1,000 men. The 126th and 127th regiments each withdrew 500 men."

  Liu Yimin said: "In that case, let's follow the political commissar's suggestion. The surplus new soldiers from the 1st and 2nd battalions will be supplemented by 300 new recruits each from the 3rd and 4th battalions to form the 6th battalion."

  Liu Jian said: "Teacher, yesterday was really too much. The cadres were all heartbroken."

  Liu Yimin said: "Make it clear to the cadres. The Central Red Army is a family. No distinction between you and me. Our troops are composed of cadres and soldiers from various Red Army units. Everyone has come together to defeat the Kuomintang and establish a new China. Moreover, so many prisoners are difficult for us to digest. Handing them over to the main force would make it easier. Only if our Red Army's main forces can quickly recover their strength and develop and expand, will the Red Army have hope."

  Tsai Chung said: "The instructor is right. Now our division's troop strength, not counting the wounded, has reached 1500 people. More than a corps. The firepower is also much stronger. However, just when we encountered a fierce battle of wits, we were far inferior to the 13th Army Corps. The reason is that the proportion of old Red Army soldiers in our division is too small. This time the division commander went to the meeting, it's best for the headquarters to say something and ask for some cadres."

  Liu Yimin said: "I'll be leaving soon. The political commissar is in charge of the overall responsibility for the troops' training and preparation. We must speed up the implementation. I estimate that by the time the meeting ends, Chiang Kai-shek's main forces will have arrived too. Very soon we will start a new battle, fighting alongside the main force. The Guard Division strives to be the vanguard of the assault. Therefore, this period of training is crucial. We must seize it firmly and do it well."

  "Go with peace of mind. Remember to bring us a few to greet the leaders."

  After finishing work and having dinner, Liu Yimin set out with Li Chengwei and a company of cavalry.

  Tang Xingying led a cavalry squad from the logistics team to follow up. It was said that Wu Zheng sent them. The task is to manage the security guards in Zhenyuan who purchased hundreds of fur coats, and let the division commander give them to the central leaders.

  Liu Yimin thought to himself, "This Wu Zheng is really meticulous. I just mentioned it briefly and he's already taken care of it. This is good too. When we meet the leaders, it'll be a nice gesture. After instructing Li Chengwei to take good care of Tang Xing, Liu Yimin gave the order to set off.

  Zunyi City has a long history. During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, it belonged to the small vassal state of Guiyuan. The ancient Gui people were one of the important branches of the Ba people and also one of the important origins of the Shu people. The Gui people established the ancient Shu Kingdom of Kaiming Dynasty. The current cultural center of Sichuan, Chengdu City, was first built by the Kaiming Dynasty.

  Historically, during the Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties, Zunyi was known as Bozhou. The famous Yang Family Generals' story features characters Yang Zongbao and Mu Guiying. While stationed in Guangxi, Yang Zongbao gave his son, Yang Guizheng, to be adopted by the ruler of Bozhou at that time, also surnamed Yang. Later on, Yang Guizheng's great-grandson, Yang Yang, raised a fierce tiger. In his free time, he liked to ride in a tiger-drawn carriage touring around. One day, trusting the tiger to lead the way, he rode the tiger carriage to Mujiachuan, ten miles away from his administrative center of Baojing Fortress. Seeing that the place had beautiful mountains and rivers, lush forests, and an aura of royalty, he decided to build a city there. Thus, Zunyi City came into being.

  It was the 39th year of Wanli, which is equivalent to AD 1601. The Wanli Emperor mobilized a large army of 240,000 soldiers to defeat the last native chieftain of Bozhou, Yang Yinglong. The Yang clan's rule over Bozhou for 700 years came to an end. The Wanli Emperor established the Zunyi Prefecture and Zunyi County in Bozhou, which was under the jurisdiction of Sichuan Province. From then on, ancient Bozhou was renamed Zunyi.

  Liu Yimin arrived in Zunyi at night.

  Li Chengwei and the Red Army soldiers who were defending the city made contact. The group entered Zunyi City.

  Because it was at night and inconvenient to disturb others, Liu Yimin and his group camped according to the arrangement of the Red Army soldiers.

  The next morning, a cadre from the General Political Department of the Red Army arrived and took Liu Yimin to the meeting venue.

  Arrived at the venue. Liu Yimin took a look and it was indeed a meeting at the Baihui Zhang Mansion.

  Entering the venue. Found that the chairs were already set up in the conference room, basically the same as the Zunyi Conference Memorial Hall. Liu Yimin thought while looking around. The old man is changing history. The time of the Zunyi Conference was 0 days ahead of schedule compared to history. It's estimated that the content of the meeting will also change greatly. If this small butterfly flaps its wings a few more times, the Red Army's arduous journey will be shortened by many years. In that case, the number of elite Red Army soldiers entering the anti-Japanese battlefield in the future will be much greater than in history. It is estimated that the time for Little Japan to occupy China will also be shortened. Ah, it's great to travel through time! This feeling of changing history is not something that ordinary people can experience. Cool!

  Just as Liu Yiming was indulging in his fantasy, the leaders attending the meeting began to enter the venue one after another.

  Bo Gu is still the same, wearing glasses and smoking while walking, all the way to the main seat at the conference table.

  Then Zhou Enlai came in and saw Liu Yimin. Before Liu Yimin could speak, Vice Chairman Zhou walked up to him and said loudly: "Comrade Liu Yimin, welcome back on your triumphant return!"

  "Reporting to Vice-Chairman Zhou. Liu Yimin, Commander of the Central Guard Division, reporting to you. Our division has completed the task assigned by the Military Commission and has crossed the Wu River in its entirety. The troops are now heading towards Zunyi and preparing to carry out the Military Commission's order for reorganization and training."

  Vice Chairman Zhou grasped Liu Yimin's hand and said: "You rushed back to attend the meeting, that's great. You're really a hero of our Red Army."

  Vice Chairman Zhou's voice had just fallen. Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Zhang Wentian, Wang Jiaxiang and other central leaders walked into the meeting room. Liu Yimin hastily saluted one by one.

  Mao Zedong smiled and asked: "When did you arrive?"

  Liu Yimin replied that he arrived last night and was afraid of disturbing the leaders' rest, so he didn't report to the Chairman and the other leaders.

  Mao Zedong said: "The battles of Qingxi Town and Yangping Town were fought well. The Red Army's prestige was brought out! The results are extremely great. The impact is extremely great."

  "It seems that leaving the 18th Division in Tongdao was a good move after all!"

  Liu Yimin hastily said: "I fought according to the method of the Chairman commanding the Red Army in the Soviet Area. The main reason for our victory is still the bravery and tenacity of our Red Army soldiers!"

  Zhu Laozong joked on the side: "I said, you don't have to be modest anymore. Indeed, it's a good fight! Boosting military morale!"

  Mao Zedong waved his hand: "No more talk. Let's start the meeting now. After the meeting, we'll arrange a time for Liu Yimin to give everyone a special report on the progress of these battles."

  7:30. The great Zunyi Conference was held.