Volume 1: Red Star Shining Over China Chapter 49: Sweeping Across Southeastern Guizhou (Part 2)

  On the morning of December 16, Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi in Guilin, Guangxi also received a telegram from Liu Yimin, commander of the Central Red Army's Guard Regiment of the Fifteenth Army on the northern front of Guangxi.

  The letter was written like this:

  "To General De Neighbour and General Jian Sheng"

  The two generals held high the banner of righteousness that year, gathered scattered soldiers and weak troops, opposed warlords, and with the strong support of Premier Sun Yat-sen's Guangzhou Revolutionary Government, completed the great undertaking of unifying Guangxi. Later, they twice sent troops on a northern expedition, all the way to Shanhai Pass. Their meritorious deeds shine brightly in history.

  During the Northern Expedition, the Communists cooperated closely with the two generals, charging forward and sacrificing their blood. It is likely that the two generals still remember this to this day.

  After Chiang Kai-shek betrayed the revolution, the two generals followed suit and completely forgot their original revolutionary aspirations. They joined Chiang in wielding the butcher's knife against the Communists, degenerating from revolutionary soldiers to warlords seeking personal gain. This ultimately led to the defeats of the Chiang-Gui War and the Central Plains War. Past events are past, but thinking about them now still fills one with sighs!

  Today, the enemy occupies our Northeast, and 30 million people have fallen into their hands. At this time when heroes are rising up to resist Japan and defend against humiliation, our Red Army's main force is responding to the great trend of national independence and going north to fight against Japan. The two generals hold sharp swords, but instead of rushing to the anti-Japanese battlefield to save the nation from danger, they use airplanes and artillery to surround and attack our Red Army warriors who are going north to fight against Japan. The battle at Xiangjiang River has caused the blood of our nation's elite Red Army warriors to flow into the river. Is this kind of thing that brings pain to friends and joy to enemies something that wise people would do? I don't know how future generations will evaluate what the two generals have done today. Are they Han traitors? Are they accomplices? Or are they something else?

  Xinwan, Gulingtou battles, the Seventh Army's artillery and two regiments of the 24th Division were lost to our hands. I suppose the two generals should have a deeper understanding of our military strength. Under the invasion of the Japanese enemy, our army is really unwilling to see this kind of same-room maneuvering, same-root burning again. Therefore, on behalf of the Central Guard Regiment of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, I negotiate with the two generals on the following three matters:

  1. Your army is not allowed to pursue our army again. If the two generals insist on entering Guizhou to form an alliance for self-protection, the vanguard must not enter within 200 li of our army's rear guard. Otherwise, all consequences will be borne by the two generals themselves.

  2. The Red Army soldiers captured by your army during the Battle of Xiangjiang are making sacrifices for the entire nation.

  Anti-Japanese generals, I hope to cooperate with our army.

  Our army is going north to resist Japan. This is for the freedom and independence of the whole nation. The expenses, weapons and ammunition needed by our army should be borne by the whole nation as a whole. Guangxi is part of the Chinese territory and should take the lead in responding. Can provide 3 million yuan first. 50 heavy machine guns. 100 light machine guns. 3000 Type 79 rifles. 5000 rounds of 75 mountain gun shells. 10,000 rounds of 6 mortar shells. One million rounds of heavy machine gun bullets. 1 million rounds of Type 79 bullets. 500 mules with complete saddles and bridles. The two generals have benefited a lot from the opium tax that harms the country and the people, so they should not be short of money.

  If the two generals agree to the above three matters, please ensure that our personnel, funds, and ammunition arrive at Tongdao County's Ya Tou Fortress, which your army occupied yesterday, by 5 pm on the 17th. Our troops will send someone to welcome and receive them. No delay is allowed.

  If the two generals do not agree with the above three things and insist on pursuing, please think thrice about the lesson of the 24th Division's vanguard.

  My master is currently serving as the main force of the Red Army and has been given the right to mobile warfare by the General Headquarters. I heard that Bai Da Gongzi's mother is warm, elegant and refined, and quite skilled in cooking. I often think that if General Jian Sheng were to host a banquet for me in Nanning, it would be a great fulfillment of my lifelong wish. However, this led to the Central Army launching a large-scale pursuit of our army into Guangxi, which is not my responsibility.

  I've often heard that General Neighbour and General Jian Sheng are the top military strategists of our time. In my humble opinion, fighting internal wars can't produce a Sun Wu of this generation. Only by taking to the battlefield against the Japanese invaders, making the enemy tremble with fear at the mere mention of their names, can one be considered a reincarnation of Zhuge Liang or a brilliant and fierce general.

  Longing to join hands with the two generals to resist Japan, fight for national independence and liberate China.

  Obey

  Warm Winter!

  Liu Yimin, Commander of the Central Independent Division of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army

  December 14, 1034 AD

  The telegram was read out. The room fell silent, with Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi and Liu Fei not uttering a word.

  After a while, Bai Chongxi burst out laughing: "Haha, where did this ignorant thing come from? It actually dared to strike the bamboo clapper on our heads! It really takes me, the Eight Trigrams Sect's disciple, for a soft persimmon that can be pinched!"

  Li Zongren picked up the tea on the table, took a sip, and said slowly: "Jiansheng, don't say that. This guy is not only naive and lovely, but also makes some sense. He has a bit of our fearless and daring attitude back in the day."

  Liu Fei, a think tank of the Guangxi clique, received: "De Gong and Jian Gong, Chiang Kai-shek is playing a trick of killing three birds with one stone. We can only unite with Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan and Guangdong to counterbalance Chiang. If the Red Army really goes north to resist Japan, everything will be easy to say. But if the Red Army wanders into our province, it will provide Chiang Kai-shek with an excuse to send troops into Guangxi to suppress bandits. At that time, the situation will become even more complicated."

  Bai Chongxi thought for a moment and said, "The main force of the Red Army will not come, entering Guangxi is a dead end. But whether such an unpredictable guy who doesn't play by the rules will enter Guangxi is hard to say. If the pursuing army presses too hastily, it's hard to say whether this guy will make a move to shift the disaster eastward. After all, our military strength is limited, and even with the most stringent defense line, there will be gaps. However, if this guy dares to enter Guangxi, relying on our tight militia system in Guangxi, we can make him have nowhere to hide and be unable to escape."

  Li Zongren suddenly asked: "Jiansheng, how did this guy know that your wife's culinary skills are pretty good?"

  Bai Chongxi's face was a bit twisted, and he said, "Didn't his letter say so? It's just rumors, hearsay."

  Li Zongren sighed and said, "We know nothing about the enemy, but the enemy seems to be familiar with us. Such an enemy is the most dangerous. Fortunately, Jian Sheng reacted quickly and acted swiftly. Otherwise, I'm afraid Wei Yunshou's 43rd Division would have fallen into the tiger's mouth. It's strange, when did the Red Army produce such a figure? Liu Yimin, have you heard of this person?"

  Bai Chongxi and Liu Fei both shook their heads. Li Zongren said, "This person's views are still fair, and he also highly evaluates our Northern Expedition. Thinking back to the past when we followed Old Jiang in the party purge, it was indeed not a glorious thing to do, and we owe an apology to our friends. Compared with the Communist Party people, that Chiang is really much more sinister."

  The three people fell into contemplation once again.

  Liu Fei thought that just watching was not a solution, so he boldly asked: "De Gong, Jian Gong, how should this letter be handled?"

  Bai Chongxi raised an eyebrow: "How to deal with it? Ignore it! Ridiculous, can my tens of thousands of elite soldiers be extorted by a small Red Bandit division?"

  Liu Fei asked another question: "Do we still need to adjust our military deployment? If the Red Army enters Guizhou, and the Central Army also enters Guizhou to suppress them, will our previous plan be carried out?"

  Bai Chongxi sighed: "Please decide for yourself!"

  Li Zongren sipped his tea and began to pace slowly around the room, finally stopping. He opened his mouth and said: "Jiansheng, I have an idea, you think about it, if it's not feasible, we'll discuss it again. From this letter, it reveals that the main force of the Red Army has entered Guizhou. I estimate that we will soon receive a distress telegram from Wang Jialie. However, our entry into Guizhou requires a clear order from the Central Committee, and Chiang Kai-shek may not let us enter Guizhou easily. He will drive the Central Army to quickly enter Guizhou under the pretext of suppressing bandits, but in reality, it's to seize power in Guizhou. To prevent this unfavorable situation, we must also enter Guizhou to support Wang Jialie. How can we resolve this dilemma? Just now I suddenly had an idea - since Liu Yimin dares to blackmail us, why can't we use him as a gun? You two think about it, if He Jian doesn't take the lead and we withdraw our defense line, then only the Central Army will be left to pursue the Red Army from behind. This situation is not something that Mao Zedong and Zhu De would overlook. If the Central Army advances recklessly, won't they become the bird that sticks its head out for the Red Army to peck at? Joining forces with the Red Army can make the Central Army suffer a great loss. Old Chiang will be forced to let us send troops to support, and then our entry into Guizhou will be justified, right? You two think about it, is this reasonable?"

  Bai Chongxi nodded slightly, and Liu Fei said: "Mr. De's argument is indeed ingenious."

  Li Zongren continued: "Let's talk about this sudden emergence of the Guards Division, which should be a newly formed unit of the Red Army. It is estimated that it will be used as a reserve division to tie up various pursuing armies. It is very likely that He Jian's three divisions were eaten away by this unit one after another. So Liu Yimin is quite arrogant, pointing fingers at mountains and rivers, praising or criticizing people. However, from this we can also see that this person is not a mediocre talent. We should not underestimate him. What will he do next? I don't think he will enter Guangxi now, because our army has retreated to the north of Guangxi to defend, and there are basically no weaknesses to attack. He won't come to knock his head against the wall. However, if we were to pursue the Red Army aggressively with all our troops, he would definitely take advantage of the situation to enter. In that case, we might suffer a great loss, and even let Old Chiang follow suit, creating an unimaginable situation. What about He Jian? I estimate that he is also tightly defending his gate, or has even reached a secret agreement with the Red Army. We should know that Liu Yimin can blackmail us, and it's likely that he has already blackmailed He Jian. Apart from us and He Jian, there is only the Central Army left, and Liu Yimin will definitely set traps for them to jump into."

  Bai Chongxi and Liu Fei listened very seriously, Li Zongren sipped his tea and continued: "Rather than us confronting Old Chiang, it's better to let the Red Army beat him up, weakening Old Chiang is equivalent to helping us. Therefore, money and weapons are not a problem, we can even give more, so that the Red Army has more energy to fight, and a stronger offensive, only then can Old Chiang suffer greater losses. As for those Red Army prisoners, they are basically new recruits who just put down their hoes, they can't be used for much. If he wants them, we'll pick out some of the healthier ones to give him, and hand over the rest of the old and weak to the Chairman."

  Li Zongren finished speaking and picked up his teacup again to sip his tea.

  Bai Chongxi thought for a moment, then said: "Neighbor's analysis makes sense. Whether the Red Army beats Old Chiang or Old Chiang beats the Red Army, we'll be happy to see it happen. Best of all would be if they both suffer losses, and we can step in to clean up the mess. The only thing that's not pleasant is that Liu Yimin dared to come to our doorstep to extort us. When I get the chance, I'll definitely teach him a lesson and let him know what it means to bully people!"

  Li Zongren was already smiling with pursed lips, and Bai Chongxi also felt that saying angry words was very funny, so he said to Liu Fei: "For Zhang, trouble you once, follow the arrangement of the neighbor."

  Liu Fei left, and only Li and Bai were left in the room. The deputy officer added tea and tactfully retreated, leaving behind only the sound of drinking tea and laughter.

  Jianhe County was originally named Qingjiang County, and was renamed Jianhe County in the second year of the Republic of China. It is located in the central part of southeastern Guizhou Province, bordering Tianzhu and Jinping counties to the east, Liping and Yongjiang counties to the south, Leishan and Taijiang counties to the west, and Shibing, Zhenyuan, and Suiyang counties to the north. It is a necessary passage from Liping to central Guizhou Province. The county seat is located in Liuhe Town, which was built on the side of a mountain and by a river.

  On December 16th in the afternoon, the vanguard of the First Division of the First Army Corps arrived at Wulichang on the east side of the county town.

  Commander Yang Dezhi and Political Commissar Li Lin of the Red First Regiment, who had been marching through Miaoling and defeating enemy reactionaries along the way, discovered that there were regular Guizhou troops stationed at Wuliqiao Bridge. Judging by the flag, it should be the 7th Regiment of General Zhou Fangren's brigade of the Guizhou Army. After further reconnaissance, they found that there were no other Guizhou army units nearby. What a great opportunity! Let's try our swords on the Guizhou Army and see if the Red First Regiment has become even more sharp after receiving weapons and ammunition supplies in Liping! So, Yang Dezhi decided to annihilate this enemy.

  The combat order was issued, and the 1,700 soldiers of the Red First Regiment launched a three-pronged attack on the enemy under the cover of machine guns. What Yang Dezhi did not expect was that as soon as the charging troops came into contact with the enemy, the enemy collapsed and fled, and there was no mention of any fighting spirit. It was simply similar to the militia. This made Yang Dezhi, who had been eager to test his skills against the Guizhou army, feel like he had punched a lump of cotton, unable to exert his strength, and felt uncomfortable all over.

  Battalion Commander Sun Jixian led the soldiers to bring over the captured prisoners. Seeing the regimental commander and political commissar, Sun Jixian ran over to report: "Report to the regimental commander and political commissar, after we launched the attack, the enemy began to flee in disarray. Fortunately, our actions were swift, and we captured more than 700 prisoners and seized over 800 guns. This battle was simply too easy."

  Yang Dezhi asked: "Have you interrogated the captured enemies? What is the enemy situation at Jianhe?"

  Sun Ji-xian said: "I have just interrogated a regimental commander. According to him, there is only one battalion and some civilians in Jianhe City."

  Yang Dezhi said: "Bring that battalion commander here, I want to ask him some questions."

  Sun Jixian suddenly turned around and shouted: "Yilian Chang, bring the Guizhou army camp commander who was interrogated earlier, the regimental commander wants to interrogate him personally."

  Before long, the enemy commander was brought over

  That guy was quite clever, as soon as he saw Yang Dezhong and Li Lin standing there with binoculars around their necks, he knew they were high-ranking officials of the Red Army, and with a thud, he knelt down to the ground. While kowtowing, he shouted for mercy from his superiors.

  Yang Dezhi looked at him with a smile and said: "Get up. Honestly answer my questions."

  The enemy commander didn't dare to get up, still knocking his head like he was pounding garlic. Sun Jiquan angrily pulled him up and roared: "When I tell you to get up, get up! You good-for-nothing! Answer the questions honestly, or else you'll be shot on the spot!"

  The enemy commander stood up and said: "Comrade Red Army officer, please ask. I will definitely answer honestly."

  Yang Dezhi took a look at the guy, who was skinny to the bone. His face was dark and yellowish, probably a heavy smoker. He said: "Report your unit number!"

  Enemy camp long busy hitting a stand at attention: "Report to Red Army officer. My unit belongs to the 25th National Revolutionary Army, Fourth Division, Seventh Regiment of Zhou Fangren"

  Yang Dezhi asked: "Which unit is garrisoned at Jianhe? How many men are there?"

  The enemy camp commander replied: "Report to the Red Army officer, it is the 8th Regiment of Zhou's division, with about 2,000 people. There are also some militia, with a total number of around 500. However, Officer, if you want to attack Jianhe, you must go quickly, or else I estimate they will have escaped."

  Yang Dezhi laughed and asked: "How did you know they were going to run?"

  The enemy regiment commander replied: "Report to the Red Army officer, Yongjiang, Jianhe, Taijiang, Sanmiao and Liping counties are all guarded by only two regiments of troops. Our regiment is the one that escaped from Liping a few days ago and arrived here. As soon as our regiment's escapees arrive at Jianhe County, they will definitely run away together."

  Yang Dezhi felt strange and asked: "Where is Wang Jialie's main force?"

  "The enemy commander suddenly became candid: 'Reporting to the Red Army officer, Chairman Wang's main force of 15 regiments is still in Tongren. I heard they were preparing to go to Jinping and Liping to intercept the Red Army under the order of Director Chiang. I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly. I heard General Wang ordered Hou Zhi-gang's unit to deploy along the Wujiang River at Huangping and Shibing, and ordered Yu Guo-cai to send six regiments to deploy on the east bank of the Wujiang River in the south. But it is said that Yu Guo-cai was only willing to send two regiments, which have not yet arrived. General Wang's main force planned to deploy on the west bank of the Wujiang River in the south, but now it's too late, you came too quickly, and General Wang's main force cannot return.'"

  Just then, the enemy camp commander's snot and saliva flowed out together: "Report, report to the Red Army officer, I've said all I know, please, spare me, let me take a puff, get over my addiction."

  Yang Dezhi waved his hand in disgust, and Sun Jixian dragged that guy away.

  Yang Dezhi said to Li Lin: "Commissar, speed is of the essence in war. We'll take our troops and capture Jianhe County immediately. Leave one company to escort the prisoners and captured weapons. What do you think?"

  Li Lin said two words: "Agreed."

  The troops quickly assembled and rushed towards the county town.

  As the name suggests, Wuli Bridge is five miles away from the county town. The distance was short, and the Red Army soldiers' iron feet were fast. But no matter how fast they went, they couldn't catch up with the speed of the Guizhou army's escape. When the First Regiment rushed to the edge of the county town on foot, they saw through binoculars that the Guizhou army inside the city had already begun to flee out of the west gate.

  Yang Dezhi ordered an urgent attack on the city. As a result, the Guizhou army at the east gate fired only a few shots before fleeing. When the Red Army soldiers entered the county seat, they found it was almost empty.

  Sitting in the chair of the county head of Jianhe, Yang Dezhi recalled the battles with the Central Army, Jiangxi Army, Guangdong Army, Hunan Army and Guangxi Army since joining the Red Army. He called the telegraph operator to start dictating a telegram:

  "Commander-in-Chief: On December 1st, our unit encountered the enemy's Guizhou Army Fourth Brigade's Seventh Regiment led by Zhou Fangren at Wulijiang Bridge in Jianhe County. We defeated them and captured over 700 people, seizing more than 800 guns. After interrogating the prisoners, we learned that the county seat of Jianhe was guarded by the Eighth Regiment of the Guizhou Army and a reactionary militia. Our unit immediately marched rapidly to prepare for a strong attack on the county seat. However, when our unit arrived at the county seat, the enemy had already begun to flee, and our unit occupied the county seat of Jianhe."

  "It is learned from the captives that the main force of Wang Jiaxiang's 25th Army is still on the line from Tongren to Jinping, and Taiqian, Sanshui, and Rongjiang are almost unguarded. According to observations in battle, the fighting will of the Guizhou army is weak and cannot be compared with that of the Hunan and Guangxi armies. Yang Dezhi, commander of the 1st Regiment of the Red Army, and Li Lin."