Chapter 35

As the battle plan was determined, the reconnaissance company, which had been specially trained by He Zhengdao, soon became the busiest unit in the entire regiment. Some of them entered the southern Hunan region to conduct enemy reconnaissance, while others entered Guizhou to conduct reconnaissance behind enemy lines.

Along with these scouts, the information they gathered was continuously fed back. He Zhengdao learned that He Jian had brought a main force from the western Hunan front back to Jingzhou City, which he found quite unbelievable.

Just thinking about the main Red Army forces now operating in Guizhou, He Jian's decision to redeploy his troops at this time seemed to be a plan to indirectly 'drive away' those so-called friendly forces. The existence of these friendly forces must have made him uneasy!

Upon returning to Jingzhou, He Jian, seeing the empty supply warehouses, issued his first order to execute the unfortunate security regiment commander and several battalion commanders outside the city.

In addition, several divisions of the main force were deployed to several key towns in southern Hunan. Such a large-scale movement made the Guangxi and Central Army troops stationed at the border feel uncomfortable, and they also understood what He Jian was planning to do.

However, in the telegram He Jian sent to Chairman Chiang, he appeared to be quite aggrieved, stating that if the rear was unstable, how could he command the army to encircle and suppress the Second Red Army, which was on the move in the front lines?

The so-called 'unstable rear' undoubtedly referred to the Guangxi and Central Army troops lingering in southern Hunan, which made him uneasy. As for the regiment that had looted Jingzhou City, He Jian straightforwardly stated that the Second Red Army did not have such a unit.

Moreover, the Second Red Army was now surrounded by his main forces, with the Guangxi and Central Army's main forces in the rear. Unless the Red Army commander was a madman, how could they possibly commit such acts in an area heavily fortified by troops?

According to He Jian's analysis, the unit that looted Jingzhou City was likely in collusion with the Guangxi Army. Everyone knew that the Guangxi Army openly stated they did not welcome the Hunan Army's entry into the region but warmly invited the Guangxi Army to enter and maintain order.

Such covert collusion could not make He Jian feel at ease.

Faced with He Jian's use of this opportunity to deploy a large force to maintain local stability, it was also understood that if the Guangxi Army continued to clash with the Hunan Army, it would have serious consequences for the encirclement on the front lines.

Ultimately, Chairman Chiang ordered Xue Yue, who was responsible for commanding eight Central Army divisions, to begin deploying his forces into Guizhou. As for Xue Yue himself, he directly led his main force toward Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou.

This Red Army's main force's Long March gave Chairman Chiang an excellent pretext to intervene in the southwest. In his view, if he could suppress the Red Army while also gaining control over these southwestern provinces, it would be a double victory!

As the Central Army forces continued to deploy into Guizhou, the regiment that had been training at the border for half a month undoubtedly received a valuable rest period. The information brought back by the reconnaissance units made He Zhengdao feel that it might be time to make contact with the main force.

Most importantly, the large amount of supplies the regiment was carrying, he still wanted to deliver to the main force. These supplies, to some extent, had become a burden for the regiment's combat and movement.

However, at present, delivering these supplies to the main force would not be an easy task. Thinking about this, He Zhengdao truly realized that logistics in this era of warfare was indeed a headache.

Too many supplies would make the troops more exposed, while too few could lead to failure in a tough battle due to shortages. It was truly a dilemma!

Just as many of the regiment's soldiers felt it was time to catch up with the main force, the scouts operating near Jingzhou soon brought in a piece of intelligence: the 704th Regiment of the Central Army was leaving Jingzhou, preparing to head to the Jinping area in Guizhou.

If they wanted to reach Jinping as quickly as possible, the area where He Zhengdao's regiment was resting was their inevitable route into Guizhou. Thinking about this, He Zhengdao knew that the opportunity he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

"Xiaoshan, go and call the political commissar, the deputy regiment commander, and all the battalion commanders for a meeting."

For He Xiaoshan, who served as his guard and communicator, He Zhengdao treated him like a younger brother. He even taught him the martial arts and the flying knife skills he had been practicing.

However, martial arts were not something that could be mastered overnight. Even He Zhengdao knew the principle that martial arts had no end. Moreover, in the era of modern firearms, martial arts were often less effective than a bullet or a shell.

"Yes, Regiment Commander!"

After half a month of rest, He Xiaoshan's mental state was undoubtedly much better than when he was rescued. The other Red Army soldiers who had been rescued and joined the regiment were now full of spirit and high morale.

As Yao Shengjun and the battalion commanders, including Deputy Regiment Commander Wang Tianlin, arrived, He Zhengdao smiled and said, "Everyone, I know you must be eager."

"Yes! Regiment Commander, always resting like this, I feel like I'm about to rust!" Zhang Cheng, one of the earliest battalion commanders to follow He Zhengdao, also said with a smile. Even though he found the rest period very comfortable, he still hoped to leave as soon as possible.

After everyone was seated, He Zhengdao said seriously, "I know everyone wants to join the main force as soon as possible. However, based on our reconnaissance, the main force of the First Red Army has already entered the Zunyi area.

Even if we catch up now, it won't be easy. The main forces of the Central Army and two main divisions of the Guangxi Army have already deployed into Guizhou, encircling and blocking our main force.

With just our two-thousand-strong regiment, breaking through their encirclement to join the main force is not an easy task. Therefore, I ordered everyone to take this time to rest and recuperate.

Once the next battle begins, we will likely be running around in Guizhou and Hunan for a long time. By causing chaos in the rear, we can provide more support to the main force than by joining them.

Additionally, we have received intelligence that the Second Red Army, commanded by Comrade He, is also operating in western Hunan, tying down the main forces of the Hunan Army to support the main force's military activities in Guizhou.

If we can create chaos in the rear of the Central Army, it will provide even more support to the main force. I have already ordered the reconnaissance units to establish radio contact with the main force as soon as possible."

Understanding that the regiment was hastily formed and that his age and experience were not sufficient, He Zhengdao did not want to show too much authority and sternness in front of the battalion commanders, who were much older than him.

Of course, if they still felt that joining the main force as soon as possible was the best option after hearing all this, He Zhengdao would use his authority as the regiment commander to remind them of their duties as soldiers.

At least, everyone in the regiment, from top to bottom, knew that without He Zhengdao's rescue, they might not have survived.

After listening to He Zhengdao's analysis of the current situation, Yao Shengjun, the political commissar, said, "Regiment Commander, we have already determined the next action plan. Let's quickly discuss the upcoming battle situation.

This half-month of rest has been very valuable for all of us. Those who were previously in poor health have now recovered. Everyone is eager to fight the reactionaries."

"Good! I will now assign the combat tasks to each battalion. Once this battle begins, my requirement is that not a single enemy escapes. If possible, I will bring a batch of prisoners with us.

If the regiment wants to expand, replenishing new soldiers is urgent. I hope that the political commissar and the political officers in the regiment can think of ways to convert the prisoners. We cannot always engage in attrition warfare with the Central Army."

Hearing this, Yao Shengjun said somewhat surprised, "Is it appropriate to bring these prisoners along at this time?"

"We don't want officers or seasoned veterans. We only select ordinary soldiers who can be converted. I believe that you, as the political commissar, have done this many times in the Soviet areas, right?"

Hearing this, Yao Shengjun felt it was worth a try. After all, as the political commissar, Yao Shengjun knew that since the main force's transfer, the regiment's ability to replenish soldiers had become increasingly limited.

If they continued to fight along the way, without sufficient soldiers, they might not last until they joined the main force. Compared to recruiting young civilians, Central Army prisoners with some military training were undoubtedly the best choice.

In this era, while the Red Army often recruited soldiers voluntarily, the Central Army often conscripted them. For these ordinary soldiers who were forced into the army, He Zhengdao believed they should be given a chance to repent and reform.

Moreover, compared to the current Red Army and Central Army, who viewed each other as mortal enemies, He Zhengdao knew that a common enemy that required the unity of the entire Chinese nation was not far away.

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