Chapter 25

When the people of the county saw the security troops who had stormed out of the city with such arrogance return in less than an hour in a wretched state, even the least perceptive among them knew that these usually domineering security troops had been dealt a blow.

Feeling a great sense of satisfaction, the people also wondered who had taken down these usually arrogant security troops.

A group of security officers who had stayed behind, seeing their colonel return in a sorry state, asked in disbelief, "Colonel, was it those central army troops who did this? They embezzled our money, and now they're killing our people? This is too much!"

Colonel Ma, also furious, said, "They embezzled my money and killed my people. Is this how the central army treats their allies? No, we must send a telegram to Xing'an City to intercept this central army inspection team that robbed me and killed my people.

"Also, send a telegram to Commander Li to protest to the bald-headed official. How can they bully us like this? They came to our territory, ate our food, and drank our water, and now they're embezzling our reward money and killing our people. This is simply treating us as if we are incapable!"

As the two telegrams were sent out, these usually united city defense troops immediately set up checkpoints along the way to intercept the central army troops who were surely returning to the capital of western Guangxi.

However, by nightfall, no one had been seen. Just as the security troops in Xing'an were wondering if the central army had fled, a group of central army soldiers, stripped of their uniforms, appeared outside the closed city gates. The leading officer's name seemed to match the name of the central army colonel sent by Colonel Ma of the county.

Well, you waited all day, and you only came now. No excuses, the security colonel of Xing'an immediately ordered his troops to surround these central army soldiers who had walked all the way here, exhausted and out of breath.

As Liu Zhendong looked at the fierce security troops and demanded, "What do you want to do? I am Colonel Liu Zhendong of the central army inspection team. I will report to the chairman that your Guangxi troops are bullying us and robbing our reward money."

Good! You killed our people and still dare to file a complaint first.

The security troops of Xing'an, who were already annoyed by the central army's usual arrogance, hearing their colonel's order to "beat them to death," knew that shooting and killing was not good. But as long as they didn't kill anyone, it should be fine.

They swung their rifle butts fiercely, but the central army, who had not eaten or drunk anything all day and had blisters on their legs, were no match for these fierce and angry security troops.

Finally, the beaten central army soldiers, seemingly enraged, shouted, "Brothers, the Guangxi troops are bullying us too much. They not only robbed our money and guns but also treated us like this. Let's fight them!"

The conflict between the two sides escalated from a fistfight to the central army soldiers grabbing guns and firing at the security troops of Xing'an. Seeing their comrades being killed, the security troops who had been using rifle butts immediately turned their guns around and fired back.

However, because the two armies were so close, some central army soldiers, risking their lives, rushed forward, grabbed the rifles from the security troops, and turned to shoot their officers and soldiers.

For a moment, the two armies, who had initially been fighting with their fists, began to slaughter each other like mortal enemies.

Until the central army suffered heavy casualties, and the security troops of Xing'an also suffered many deaths and injuries, the two armies formed a standoff outside the city. Liu Zhendong, protected by his soldiers, shouted, "Do you Guangxi troops want to rebel? We are being tolerant to avoid fratricide, but you must not bully us too much. Otherwise, even if we die, we will take you with us."

With guns taken from the security troops, Liu Zhendong's confidence undoubtedly increased.

But hearing this, the security colonel of Xing'an, also protected by his soldiers, said, "You shameless people, you did something bad and still dare to file a complaint first? This morning, you went to the county to pick up people. We let you take the people, but you only gave us two boxes of money, and the rest were all stones. When our Colonel Ma confronted you, you ambushed him with guns and cannons.

"Do you really think we Guangxi troops are easy to bully? You want to take us down with you, but are we Guangxi troops afraid of death? Let me tell you, this is our territory in western Guangxi. Even if you kill me and all these brothers tonight, you won't escape from western Guangxi. Try it if you dare."

Hearing this, the other central army soldiers shouted, "Bullshit! Our brothers hadn't even reached the county this morning when your Guangxi troops disarmed them, took their money, and imprisoned them in the mountains, starving them all day. We gave you stones and robbed you? You're just trying to cover up your murder. Why are you spreading rumors about us, Guangxi troops?"

As the soldiers of the two armies cursed at each other, the commanders of both sides seemed to realize something was wrong. Soon, Liu Zhendong said, "Stop arguing. We might have been tricked. Those people were probably not Guangxi troops but the Hunan troops pretending to be them.

"They not only pretended to be Guangxi troops to rob us but also pretended to be us to rob the county and the reward money. If my guess is correct, they must have fled to Hunan while we were walking back.

"This way, as long as we can't catch them, there will be no evidence. These Hunan troops have indeed played a good game! Damn, both we and the Guangxi troops have been played like fools!"

This suspicion was not only held by Liu Zhendong and the central army but also by the now calmer security troops of Xing'an. The central army was so disheveled, without a single complete uniform, which didn't seem like the central army that had robbed the county and killed the security troops. Instead, they looked like they had been robbed.

If what the central army said was true, they might have been severely tricked. Realizing this, the security colonel of Xing'an quickly called for a ceasefire.

After a calm discussion with Liu Zhendong, they learned that the central army had been captured by Guangxi troops with a Hunan accent and imprisoned in a valley outside the county for several hours. The hatred between the two armies immediately shifted to the Hunan troops. After all, the commander of the Red Army's encirclement was the leader of the Hunan troops, He Jian.

Especially in the county, the Hunan troops had previously occupied the area and were very familiar with the surrounding terrain. This time, it might indeed have been some bold regular Hunan troops.

After learning the central army's movements, they pretended to be Guangxi troops, tricked the central army, and immediately fled back to Hunan. This way, as long as they couldn't catch them, no one could do anything about the Hunan troops who had tricked them.

Realizing this, the two colonels looked at the dead and injured soldiers outside the city, feeling a mix of frustration and helplessness. But since the incident had already happened, it was pointless to blame each other.

The most urgent task was to prevent the army that had tricked them from escaping back to Hunan. They also needed to quickly report their findings to the leaders of the Guangxi troops and the bald-headed chairman.

Upon learning that the inspection team had been robbed by a main force of the Hunan troops pretending to be Guangxi troops while receiving and transporting the reward money, Chairman Jiang was furious. The leaders of the Guangxi troops, Li and Bai, immediately mobilized a regular division to pursue the Hunan troops with cars all the way.

As the central army and the Guangxi troops belatedly vowed to severely punish the perpetrators, He Zhengdao, commanding the Independent Regiment in central army uniforms, entered Hunan territory overnight.

Shortly after entering Hunan, He Zhengdao ordered everyone to organize the things on the cars and instructed the drivers to drive the cars deeper into Hunan.

Near Yongzhou in Hunan, they found a deserted place to abandon the cars, which they were very reluctant to part with. They then returned overnight to the next assembly point, the Dadian area, to meet up with the main force. To ensure their safety, He Zhengdao also dispatched a guard platoon to escort them back.

After sending off the soldiers with the empty cars, He Zhengdao instructed the remaining Red Army soldiers to head for the Dadian area. After resting for a day, they would travel at night to Xin Ning. He Zhengdao believed that the central army and the Guangxi troops would argue with the Hunan troops over this incident for a while.

The next day, He Zhengdao's Independent Regiment, the drivers who had burned the cars in a hidden valley, and the guard platoon successfully met up at the Dadian assembly point. He ordered all the soldiers to eat their dry rations and rest immediately.

Taking advantage of the good moonlight, they quickly moved along the border of Hunan toward Guizhou. He Zhengdao knew that there, Mao Zedong would soon regain leadership and launch the Four Crossings of the Chishui River.

Although He Zhengdao was unsure of the difficulties they would face, he hoped to bring as many of these rescued soldiers back as possible. This would provide a fresh force to the Red Army, which desperately needed reinforcements.

More importantly, He Zhengdao hoped that his knowledge from his previous life about the central army's troop deployments could help the main Red Army overcome some difficulties, reduce unnecessary losses, and preserve more of the Red Army's core strength to reach the next revolutionary holy land, Yan'an!