Chapter 20

As He Zhengdao pointed out sharply, the problems existing in the Red Army during the Long March were not due to the soldiers and officers not being dedicated. The main issue was that the high-level commanders responsible for directing the battles were essentially giving blind commands. These hard-won main forces of the Red Army were being sacrificed one by one on the path of breaking through the encirclement. As a division commander, Chen Shuchun could hardly fail to see this.

While he knew about these issues, whether he could speak out about them was another matter. With Mao Zedong losing power, the units that had followed him from the beginning were undoubtedly under some degree of suppression. It was hard for Chen Shuchun to believe that the 34th Division's current state had no element of deliberate action.

The reason he did not want to catch up with the main force and instead wanted to return to the Soviet area was that he liked the atmosphere of unity and development of the Red Army base in the Soviet area. He disliked the scenes of constant breakthroughs and bloodshed along the Long March. Each time he saw the scenes of rivers of blood and fields of corpses, Chen Shuchun felt a deep pain in his heart.

Now, hearing He Zhengdao speak frankly about the need for Mao Zedong to return to a leadership position to change the current困境 of the Red Army, Chen Shuchun felt that he had indeed underestimated He Zhengdao, who looked like a martial man. However, he was very curious about how He Zhengdao knew all these things.

Chen Shuchun did not mention this issue. In the Soviet area, high-ranking commanders were often very cautious about comments involving the highest leadership, especially after the so-called purges.

Realizing that He Zhengdao's concerns were not entirely unfounded, Chen Shuchun sincerely sought advice from He Zhengdao on how to quickly return to the Soviet area with his force, which was less than a full main battalion.

In response, He Zhengdao drew a route on the map that was clearly somewhat unexpected. This military route, which resembled a loop, basically followed the border between Hunan and Guangxi, and the border between Guangxi and Guangdong, to return to the Soviet area. The time required for this route was undoubtedly several times longer than the one he had drawn.

Faced with Chen Shuchun's confusion, He Zhengdao quickly explained, "Commander Chen, if I were leading these people back to the Soviet area, I wouldn't rush to return. Instead, I would rely on this complex border area and operate in a guerrilla form, quietly striking the Hunan and Guangxi armies to build up strength. Sometimes, I would enter the Guangxi army's territory to raid, and if the situation turned unfavorable, I would return to the Hunan army's territory.

If necessary, I could even wear Hunan army uniforms to raid the Guangxi army, and Guangxi army uniforms to raid the Hunan army. In short, I would make these two armies, which belong to different factions, completely oppose each other in secret. Once there is a rift between them, it will be the time for you to leave.

If Commander Chen does not object to my suggestion, after two days of rest, I will lead the Independent Regiment to attack the county town of Quanxian to rescue the comrades imprisoned there. At the same time, I will divert the Guangxi army's combat strength. After capturing Quanxian, I will spread the news of attacking the important city of Yongzhou in southern Hunan, forcing the security forces near Daoxian to gather near Yongzhou.

In fact, my real target is not Yongzhou but Xinning. Once I have thoroughly mobilized the Hunan and Guangxi armies, the surrounding towns and county towns will inevitably be left with weak forces. At that time, they will be your targets. You just need to act quickly, rescue our comrades, and return here at night.

I believe that with us and the main force attracting the fire of the Hunan and Guangxi armies, you should still be safe for a short time. When I leave, I will leave you a regiment's worth of weapons and ammunition as supplies. Once Commander Chen feels that his strength has increased, he can retreat as the situation allows.

Using this border between the two armies, you can sometimes operate in southern Hunan and sometimes in western Guangxi. As long as you don't attack their key military strongholds, I don't think they will mobilize heavy forces to encircle and suppress you. This means you can take advantage of their complacency.

Contact the guerrillas operating on the border between the two provinces and expand the scale of the guerrilla base. This will allow you to bring the main force back to the Soviet area safely. As long as you maintain a low profile and follow the strategy of only taking advantages and not suffering losses, I believe your 34th Division will definitely be re-established when you reach the Soviet area."

Seeing He Zhengdao continuously drawing suitable places for temporary rest on the map, which also included the border of western Guangxi, and marking the area where the Gongcheng guerrillas were located, Chen Shuchun felt that although this route back to the Soviet area was time-consuming, it was indeed safer.

Especially when He Zhengdao directly told him that after he left, the Red Army soldiers captured by the Hunan and Guangxi armies would rely on him for rescue, Chen Shuchun carefully considered and decided to follow He Zhengdao's plan.

After all, the 34th Division only had this much left. If they were really wiped out, the 34th Division would be truly gone!

Seeing that Chen Shuchun did not insist on his own views and generously accepted the route back to the Soviet area proposed by He Zhengdao, He Zhengdao was undoubtedly very pleased. Next, the two began to make a series of arrangements for the distribution of supplies and personnel.

At the Xianziling base, He Zhengdao took away only the essential supplies and left the rest to Chen Shuchun. Additionally, some soldiers who were not suitable to advance with the Independent Regiment were left behind to recuperate. This way, Chen Shuchun's forces could reach about a battalion. If any unexpected situations arose, they would not be completely defenseless.

After reaching an agreement with Chen Shuchun, He Zhengdao discussed the plan with Yao Shengjun and confirmed the action plan. The next day, He Zhengdao led the guard platoon, dressed in Guangxi army uniforms, to begin reconnaissance in the western Guangxi area below Xianziling.

After wiping out a township government, He Zhengdao learned that a Nationalist force seemed to be heading to Quanxian the next day to verify and execute the Red Army prisoners held there. They also had the task of delivering the so-called rewards to the Guangxi army.

Hearing this news, He Zhengdao was undoubtedly relieved that he had come out to reconnoiter in advance. If he had missed this information, the Red Army prisoners currently held in Quanxian would be in serious trouble.

Understanding the situation, He Zhengdao quickly cleaned up the battlefield and secretly returned to Xianziling. Considering that the Nationalist force, consisting of a main regiment, would carry out the so-called inspection and cleanup plan early the next morning, he immediately ordered the Independent Regiment to stop resting and set up an ambush at the location they had previously scouted. They had to intercept and destroy this inspection team before they arrived.

Additionally, He Zhengdao hoped that by destroying this Nationalist inspection team, they could rescue the nearly a thousand Red Army prisoners held in Quanxian without firing a single shot. In the current situation, he had to act before the Nationalists and rescue as many of these prisoners as possible, who could be executed at any moment.

Understanding the urgency of the situation, Chen Shuchun did not say much. After instructing He Zhengdao to be careful, he asked for a radio to maintain communication between the two forces. As for contacting the main force, due to the frequent changes in the radio frequencies by the front command during the Long March, they could not contact the main force even if they had a radio.

However, with the radio, the remaining forces of the 34th Division led by Chen Shuchun could formulate their next combat plan based on the Independent Regiment's advancing and striking route.

The radio also had another use: if He Zhengdao needed to transfer wounded soldiers, he could secretly send them to the Xianziling base to recuperate. This would not only provide Chen Shuchun with additional core forces but also avoid the possibility of the wounded soldiers slowing down the Independent Regiment's marching speed.

Watching the Independent Regiment, composed of captured Red Army soldiers, quickly advance under the command of He Zhengdao and other officers, Chen Shuchun did not realize that he was witnessing the birth of a rear guard of iron. His fate was also completely changed by He Zhengdao's appearance.

In his previous life, his sacrifice had deeply saddened Mao Zedong. In this life, he led the almost decimated 34th Division to continue fighting in the Soviet area and the border between Hunan, Jiangxi, and Guangxi, becoming a main force of the Red Army that struck fear into the hearts of the reactionary armies.

When Chen Shuchun and He Zhengdao finally met again, neither of them realized that this brief reunion and parting would bring about a complete transformation in their lives. Of course, that is another story, which we will leave aside for now.

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