Chapter 37

Taking advantage of the pretext that Jingzhou City had been plundered, He Jian, the 'King of Southern Hunan,' led a main force back. The central army, which had originally planned to do something in Southern Hunan, also realized that it might not be wise to stay there for long.

Having pursued the Red Army from the Gan Nan Soviet Region all the way to here, many central army generals knew that in the campaign to encircle and suppress the Red Army, these warlords mostly adhered to the principle of 'sweeping the snow from one's own doorstep,' not allowing the Red Army to linger in their territories.

However, the success of this encirclement and suppression campaign was largely due to the significant contributions of these warlords. Among them, He Jian, as the commander-in-chief of the encirclement, undoubtedly made great contributions.

Even Xue Yue, who led the central army in this campaign, had to follow He Jian's orders when operating in Southern Hunan. Now, with the main Red Army forces having moved to Guizhou and capturing several cities in one fell swoop, Wang Jialie was indeed very anxious.

Even if Wang Jialie did not want the central army to enter, he, who nominally accepted the control of Chairman Chiang, could only watch helplessly as Xue Yue led the main forces of the central army to take over military affairs in Guizhou, facing a situation where he was powerless against the Red Army.

In this era, whoever held the guns had the say. In response to the Red Army's entry and the continuous retreat of the Guizhou forces, Chairman Chiang seized the opportunity to harshly criticize Wang Jialie for not being diligent in the encirclement and suppression, and took the chance to dispatch the central army to fight in Guizhou.

As a warlord, everyone knew that Chairman Chiang had long been dissatisfied with the solidarity and mutual support of the warlords in the southwestern provinces. He could not touch Li Zongren of the Guangxi clique or He Jian of the Hunan clique for the time being. But he believed he could still deal with Wang Jialie.

The first two had shown great obedience in the campaign to encircle and suppress the Red Army, and their strength was not to be underestimated. Even if Chairman Chiang had the intention to take over these two provinces, he could not make it look too obvious.

Due to He Jian's complaints and appeals, Chairman Chiang ultimately ordered all central army units remaining in Southern Hunan to move into Guizhou, aiming to annihilate the Red Army, which had suffered heavy losses, in Guizhou.

For the central army units entering Guizhou, everyone knew that the Red Army was currently resting in the Zunyi area. Even though the Second Front Army had not successfully joined the main Red Army forces, it was still surrounded by heavy Hunan forces.

This meant that, apart from Western Hunan and the Zunyi area, the armed forces that the central army needed to guard against were minimal. This, to some extent, gave the central army units entering Guizhou a false sense of security.

He Zhengdao, who had led the Independent Regiment to set up an ambush on Hu Xiaoshan Mountain, watched the merchants and their escorts passing on the road below. He knew that their ambush was still very secret, and these merchants with their escorts had not detected any signs of it.

On a road where merchants could travel safely, how could the main central army units entering Guizhou possibly think that He Zhengdao would lead the Independent Regiment to set up an ambush on Hu Xiaoshan Mountain?

As the time approached noon, the central army's 704th Regiment, which had kept the Independent Regiment waiting, finally appeared before the soldiers. These Red Army soldiers, who had been resting in the mountains for half a month, also felt that they could have a good fight today.

He Zhengdao, who was also lying in wait in the trenches, saw that the vanguard reconnaissance detachment of this central army regiment was only a platoon. He felt that these central army troops really thought this was a safe rear area.

Even more speechless was the fact that this vanguard reconnaissance platoon, though each member was on horseback, was not actually conducting reconnaissance or advancing. Instead, they seemed to be out for a spring outing, enjoying the scenery along the way.

When the main central army forces appeared earlier, He Zhengdao ordered all units not to show themselves or fire without orders. But the current situation made the Red Army officers and soldiers in the ambush feel that they had already won half the battle before it even started.

As the horse-mounted reconnaissance platoon passed by He Zhengdao's position very relaxed, He Zhengdao, who was eyeing the horses with some envy, called over He Xiaoshan and gave him some instructions. He Xiaoshan then quickly ran off to report.

The artillery battalion of the Independent Regiment, which was already prepared to fire, was also waiting for He Zhengdao's signal. As soon as He Zhengdao fired, these artillerymen would fire their shells as quickly as possible.

He Zhengdao, who had been observing the marching order of the central army, soon saw the central army regimental commander in the center of the formation. He was able to identify him so easily because the commander was also somewhat distinctive, riding a tall horse and protected by the formation.

In addition, the communication officers that He Zhengdao had been searching for were also not far behind the regimental commander. Once the battle began, the sharpshooters would prioritize eliminating these mounted officers.

"Brothers, now choose a target to aim at, and take my shot as the signal. Once I fire, you must hit your target with your first shot and eliminate these central army officers. Understand?"

Hearing He Zhengdao's words, the sharpshooters of the reconnaissance company, who were also ready to shoot, began to select their targets. For them, aiming and shooting at a distance of about 100 meters was not a problem.

He Zhengdao, who was also holding a Mauser 7.92mm rifle, which was not commonly equipped by the central army, had his first shot locked on the central army regimental commander on horseback. Capturing him alive seemed meaningless to He Zhengdao.

As He Zhengdao aimed his gun at the commander, the artillery battalion commander, Zhu Dingyi, was also watching the central army forces marching on the road, constantly instructing his artillerymen to fire as soon as the gunshots were heard.

Perhaps knowing that such practical combat opportunities were rare, even though he knew that these mountain guns might soon be stored and handed over to the Second Front Army, Zhu Dingyi understood the importance of experience.

As He Zhengdao had told him, as long as the artillerymen of the artillery battalion learned to operate these guns, the Independent Regiment would capture more mountain guns in future battles. With people, there would never be a lack of guns.

The central army regimental commander, who was in the center of the marching formation, probably never expected that a Red Army force would be lying in ambush on a road that had just seen merchants passing by.

Although he did not march with the main forces into Guizhou, this commander preferred independent operations. He believed that this way, he could gain more benefits and avoid the jurisdiction of his superiors.

Just as he was fantasizing about enjoying himself in Jinping, Guizhou, when he saw the rear guard of the central army regiment also enter the ambush area, He Zhengdao finally fired the first shot.

The crisp gunshot made the marching central army troops seem to pause for a moment. After the gunshot, the guards around the central army regimental commander found that their commander's head had burst into a spray of blood.

Without even a groan, he fell to the ground. As some officers shouted in shock, "Enemy attack!" the entire Hu Xiaoshan Mountain erupted in gunfire.

Looking at the previously quiet sides of the mountain, where fierce gunfire suddenly erupted, many unprepared central army soldiers were knocked to the ground. As the central army was shocked by who dared to ambush them here,

The whistling sound of shells made many central army soldiers who were lying on the ground scream in terror, "Oh no! The enemy has artillery! Artillery attack, scatter, find cover!"

Unfortunately, the cries of these veterans were instantly drowned out by the explosions of the shells that landed among the central army troops. The entire Hu Xiaoshan Mountain was filled with the sound of gunfire and artillery, and the central army regiment that had entered the ambush area had no chance to fight back.

The regimental commander was killed by the first shot, and the remaining officers, who were intentionally targeted by the sharpshooters of the guard company, were also shot dead at the start of the battle. Without officers to command them, the central army soldiers could not form an effective counterattack.

In less than three minutes, seeing the disorganized central army, He Zhengdao stood up and said, "Bugler, sound the charge! Full attack!"

The loud and rhythmic bugle call sounded, and the Red Army soldiers, full of spirit, charged forward with a deafening battle cry. Faced with this familiar bugle call, even the most foolish central army soldiers knew who was ambushing them!

"How is this possible? How can there be a main Red Army force here? Weren't they supposed to be in Guizhou?"

Many central army junior officers who knew the mission were very surprised by the Red Army soldiers charging down from the sides of the mountain. After all, Jinping, their destination, had been attacked by the main Red Army forces.

But the question was, if the main Red Army forces were in the Zunyi area, how could they suddenly appear here? With such fierce firepower and the earlier intense artillery bombardment, who would believe it wasn't the main Red Army forces?

As the cries of "Surrender and you won't be killed, the Red Army treats prisoners well" echoed, the central army soldiers, who seemed to know the Red Army's battlefield discipline, obediently raised their hands over their heads, watching the Red Army soldiers rush past them.

They were also anxious about what fate awaited them next.