Chapter 38

For the officers and soldiers of the Independent Regiment, since they were captured and then rescued, many felt that their lives had been spared. During the time they were captured, they witnessed too many sacrifices of their comrades and understood what their identity meant.

Fighting against the Central Army was something that many old Red Army soldiers were already accustomed to. Upon receiving the order for the ambush operation at Hu Xiaoshan, many Red Army soldiers felt determined to fight to the death.

If possible, they would rather die on the battlefield than suffer the fate of being captured again. However, when the battle began, the process was so smooth and swift that it exceeded their imagination.

The attack lasted less than five minutes, and in the end, they were capturing prisoners all over the mountain. The entire battle, from start to finish, actually spent more time capturing prisoners and clearing the battlefield. In contrast, the actual fighting was so short that the Red Army soldiers felt it was too brief.

Looking at the Central Army soldiers being rounded up, Yao Shengjun, the political commissar standing beside He Zhengdao, said with a delighted face, "Commander, this battle was too satisfying. It ended in just five minutes, a mere five minutes!"

Regarding Yao Shengjun's delight, He Zhengdao also smiled and said, "Commissar, speaking of today's battle, we did have some unfair advantages. Our Independent Regiment's firepower is probably even stronger than that of the Central Army's main force regiment.

Although the battle only lasted five minutes, if you ask the battalion commanders, you'll know how much ammunition they consumed. In the base area, it would be impossible to fight such a luxurious battle.

Moreover, we had the advantage of favorable terrain and the support of an artillery battalion. With our deliberate planning and being the ambushing party, it's normal for the battle to end in five minutes.

I'm sure you've fought against the Central Army more than once. As long as their officer corps suffers significant casualties, these Central Army soldiers will fight like headless flies and lose the will to fight. Surrendering becomes their choice to save their lives."

Although He Zhengdao wasn't very clear about the battles of the past, he knew that with the current Independent Regiment's firepower configuration, where light machine guns were assigned to each squad, it was probably unmatched nationwide.

Without such a firepower configuration, how could He Zhengdao dare to carry out such an ambush?

Seeing that the battle had ended, He Zhengdao said to the guard beside him, "Xiaoshan, have each battalion report their losses from the battle. We have countless tough battles ahead, and every soldier in the Independent Regiment is a precious asset!"

Standing beside him, Yao Shengjun nodded in agreement, "Indeed! Given the current situation, we can only convert these prisoners to replenish our ranks. I wonder how many of these prisoners are willing to join the Red Army."

In response to Yao Shengjun's words, He Zhengdao smiled and said, "Commissar, that depends on your political work. We don't have much time to stay here. Although this battle ended quickly, it won't be easy to keep it a secret from the Hunan Army.

So, we don't have much time to move. The work of converting prisoners must be done as soon as possible. We'd rather have fewer recruits than take in those with weak wills. We are behind enemy lines, and we can't afford to be careless about confidentiality."

"Alright, I understand! I'll go and see those prisoners right now. I hope we can successfully convert a batch of soldiers this time."

Yao Shengjun, who had previously discussed the issue of converting prisoners with He Zhengdao, knew that it wouldn't be easy to get these Central Army soldiers to join the Red Army.

In the Soviet area, this work might be easier. After all, the Red Army had a base area and had repelled the Central Army's encirclement and suppression multiple times. These victories gave some prisoners the confidence to join the Red Army.

But now, the Red Army's Long March has suffered heavy losses. Facing the Central Army's relentless pursuit and blockade, whether they can successfully escape is a question. In such a situation, it's unlikely that many Central Army soldiers would dare to take the risk of joining the Red Army.

Seeing the Red Army soldiers carefully picking up spent shell casings while clearing the battlefield, He Zhengdao originally intended to stop them, but then thought that this was a Red Army tradition. If he stopped them, they might be surprised.

Considering that this road couldn't be blocked for long, He Zhengdao called the guard and said, "Notify our troops to clear the battlefield as quickly as possible. Fill in the shell craters and bury the bodies as soon as possible."

"Yes, Commander!"

As the troops accelerated their work, He Zhengdao also ordered the surviving Central Army radio operator to be brought to him. He asked, "You are the radio operator of this unit?"

"Yes, sir!"

"What's your name? Your rank is a second lieutenant, so you must have received specialized radio training, right? Do you know why I called you here?"

Faced with He Zhengdao's questions, the radio operator felt very unlucky. He had just graduated from the radio training camp and was assigned to this main force regiment. But no one expected that his first battle would end in capture.

After a moment's hesitation, he said, "My name is Sun Shicheng, and I graduated from the Fifth Army's radio training camp. Sir, I joined the 704th Regiment a month ago. I haven't participated in any encirclement and suppression campaigns against your Red Army."

"Do you want to live? From your speech, it seems you've read a lot of books, haven't you?"

Although he didn't understand why He Zhengdao was asking so many questions, Sun Shicheng knew that as a radio operator, he was very important to any unit.

However, he had just joined the 704th Regiment and was mainly assisting the senior radio operator as an intern second lieutenant. In the previous battle, the senior radio operator had intended to destroy the radio, but was killed by a bullet.

He was only revealed during the Red Army's interrogation when Sun Shicheng voluntarily confessed. He knew that as a radio operator, he was highly valued by any unit. As long as he was willing to defect, his chances of survival were higher.

After all, during the Red Army's prisoner screening, soldiers were detained together, and officers were detained together. This situation made Sun Shicheng realize that the Red Army seemed to have a rule of not killing ordinary soldiers but only officers.

Without time to change out of his second lieutenant uniform, Sun Shicheng could only think of his identity as an intern radio operator. As expected, when he revealed that he was the unit's radio operator, he received special treatment.

Facing the Red Army commander, Sun Shicheng was amazed by his appearance, which seemed younger than himself. However, the aura he exuded made Sun Shicheng dare not even think of lying.

When asked about his background, Sun Shicheng thought for a moment and honestly answered, "I am a student from Zhongshan University in Wuchang! However, I didn't finish my studies and had to drop out due to financial difficulties and join the military."

He explained in detail how he joined the Central Army, was selected for radio training, and was assigned to the 704th Regiment. He Zhengdao, who had been closely watching him, was surprised to find out that he was a university student, even if he hadn't completed his degree.

In this era, even a university dropout was a rare talent.

Thinking about this, He Zhengdao continued, "Before you joined the military, your family must have been well-off, right? Can you tell me why your family declined to the point where they couldn't even afford your education?"

Sun Shicheng's face showed a hint of pain, but he still hesitated and shook his head, "Sir, this is my personal matter. Can I not talk about it?"

To Sun Shicheng's surprise, He Zhengdao responded understandingly, "Alright, since it's your privacy, I won't ask further. Now, I formally invite you to join my Independent Regiment. Are you willing?"

Although He Zhengdao had no problem operating a radio in this era, as the commander of a regiment, he couldn't be by the radio all the time. The Independent Regiment urgently needed an experienced radio operator.

Even though inviting Sun Shicheng was somewhat risky, after hearing his military journey, He Zhengdao felt that he could be useful. Even if he tried to cause trouble, it wouldn't be easy.

In the future, the Independent Regiment's radio platoon wouldn't consist of Sun Shicheng alone. In addition to having him responsible for receiving messages, He Zhengdao would also assign some Red Army soldiers with basic radio knowledge to the platoon.

This way, if Sun Shicheng tried to cause trouble or use the radio secretly, it would be almost impossible. Giving him a probationary period, He Zhengdao believed he could determine whether this talent was worth trusting.

Such a straightforward invitation made Sun Shicheng look surprised, "Sir, I don't know much about fighting. Apart from receiving messages, I only completed three months of basic training and fired only five bullets."

Before Sun Shicheng could continue, He Zhengdao said directly, "I'm inviting you to join the Independent Regiment because of your ability to receive messages. Sending someone with your talent to a frontline combat unit would be a waste!"

For some reason, hearing this, Sun Shicheng felt a sense of respect and gratitude. During his time in the Central Army, this was the first time someone had valued his education so much. After all, he had always been proud of being a scholar!