Chapter 39

When He Zhengdao led the Independent Regiment to encircle and annihilate the 704th Regiment of the Central Army, all the merchants traveling on this road were intercepted by the disguised Central Army and the Central Army's guard battalion at both ends of the highway, and were not allowed to pass through this road.

Although some of the merchants were curious about what was happening ahead, the disguised guard battalion soldiers directly told them that this was an operation by the Nationalist Army to clear out roving Red Bandits, and they would have to wait until the operation was over to pass through the road.

After the Independent Regiment quickly cleaned up the battlefield, even filling in the shell craters from the earlier artillery bombardment, He Zhengdao led the main forces of the 1st Battalion, 2nd Battalion, and the artillery battalion, boldly disguised as the 704th Regiment of the Central Army, advancing towards Jinping City in Guizhou.

However, after not traveling for long, He Zhengdao ordered the troops to camp and rest in a valley within Guizhou. The reason he dared to impersonate the 704th Regiment was mainly because he had successfully turned Sun Shicheng, the radio operator, which made He Zhengdao feel this was an opportunity.

Considering that the 704th Regiment was marching independently, after the troops began to camp, He Zhengdao said to Sun Shicheng, "Send a telegram to the division headquarters, telling them that our regiment has entered Guizhou, and due to the late hour, we are temporarily camping here to rest."

"Yes, Commander!"

Every time Sun Shicheng sent a telegram, He Zhengdao would watch his finger movements closely. The main reason he trusted Sun Shicheng was that after agreeing to join the Independent Regiment, Sun Shicheng handed over the codebook.

With this codebook, as long as He Zhengdao's group did not have direct contact with the Central Army, it was believed that the local Guizhou forces would not know that they were actually a disguised Red Army unit.

After all, although only two main battalions followed He Zhengdao on the advance, the weapons and equipment of these two main battalions were such that no one would doubt they were a Red Army-led unit.

Although they only had one night, it was a rare opportunity for the Independent Regiment to rest and regroup. The other two main battalions, led by Yao Shengjun, also began to move from the mountains to join He Zhengdao.

In the marching formation, to ensure that the information was not leaked, Yao Shengjun also tacitly allowed He Zhengdao to execute the Central Army soldiers who had surrendered and had Red Army blood on their hands, burying them in the mountains.

As for the living, in this situation, they had no choice but to follow the Red Army. The remaining two main battalions mainly served as guards and protected the supplies of the logistics battalion.

When leaving the resting place in the mountains, He Zhengdao also led his men to hide many of the guns, ammunition, and food that were inconvenient to carry in several caves in the mountains. Once they contacted the Second Red Army, these supplies would be useful.

When Yao Shengjun led the rest of the Independent Regiment to the place where He Zhengdao was camping and resting, He Zhengdao, who had already prepared food, immediately ordered the exhausted soldiers to eat and rest.

As for the several hundred Central Army prisoners being held, He Zhengdao did not treat them too harshly, saying, "Captain of the 1st Battalion, have the kitchen staff prepare food for these Nationalist Army brothers! A man is iron, and food is steel; I'm sure they must be hungry."

"Yes, Commander!"

"Right, the standards should be the same as ours. Since they are traveling with us, we shouldn't treat them too poorly."

Zhang Cheng hesitated for a moment at this order, but He Zhengdao said, "Carry out the order!"

"Yes, Commander!"

Seeing this, the Central Army prisoners felt that He Zhengdao seemed quite generous. However, his previous order to execute the Central Army prisoners who had Red Army blood on their hands made him seem cold and ruthless.

What kind of person is he?

Perhaps sensing the confusion in the prisoners' eyes, He Zhengdao calmly said, "You might think that my previous execution order was too cold and ruthless. After all, you were also following orders from your superiors.

But I need to make it clear to you that we in the Independent Regiment are all people who have died once. You have been pursuing us from southern Jiangxi to here, and you should know better than anyone what you have done to our Red Army.

Now that you are alive, you should be grateful. To be honest, I don't want to do this kind of fratricidal thing. But I am a person who likes to repay kindness and revenge. Since they have killed Red Army soldiers, it is only right that they be killed by the Red Army.

Those who kill will be killed. Don't give me reasons. Since you are all alive, why didn't they consider the consequences when they killed my comrades? We are an isolated force and must enforce a more ironclad and ruthless military discipline."

After this explanation, the surviving Central Army soldiers felt that although He Zhengdao didn't seem like a typical Red Army commander, he was more like a man. Besides, the two armies were mortal enemies, so what was the problem with killing them all?

After saying this, He Zhengdao continued, "Although you haven't killed Red Army soldiers and perhaps didn't want to be soldiers, once you put on this uniform, I must consider you enemies.

But for now, you are my prisoners and have no weapons to kill. I can temporarily treat you as fellow countrymen, giving you a bowl of rice and a sip of soup. The only requirement is that you listen and obey my orders.

Even if I want to select some of you to join my unit, I still need to see your performance on the march. Those who perform well, I will treat as my own.

If anyone thinks about causing trouble on the road or escaping, I will tell you to abandon such thoughts. We are an isolated force, and if we are surrounded, you will die faster than we will!"

After this threatening speech, the captured Central Army soldiers felt that this young Red Army commander was not someone to be trifled with. But it was understandable that he had such concerns.

If absolute secrecy of the march was to be guaranteed, the safest thing would be to execute them all. Carrying them as a burden on the march was a dangerous thing.

Of course, some Central Army soldiers thought it would be better to release them.

The problem was that in enemy territory, He Zhengdao needed to ensure that the existence of the Independent Regiment was not known by the Central Army's main forces. The escape of any prisoner would pose a fatal threat to the Independent Regiment. In such a situation, how could he be merciful?

After He Zhengdao finished speaking, a prisoner cautiously raised his hand and said, "Sir! May I ask, what do you plan to do with us? Do we have to follow you all the way?"

"For now, that's the case! Before I join up with the main force, you can only follow us. Our safety is your safety. The consequences of leaking information could cost you your life.

You have two options ahead of you. One is to work hard and earn my trust, and I might give you a chance to join the Independent Regiment. Once you join, I will treat you as a brother.

The second option is to obey our arrangements and help us carry supplies. As long as you work hard and don't slack off, I can guarantee that as long as we have food, you won't go hungry."

To quickly select prisoners to join the Red Army, He Zhengdao and Yao Shengjun discussed and decided to play good cop and bad cop. The good cop, of course, was the young and energetic He Zhengdao.

The bad cop was the seemingly honest and straightforward political commissar Yao Shengjun. They believed that the selected prisoners would be more reliable. Besides, they had plenty of time to observe and select them on the march.

In enemy territory, Yao Shengjun understood He Zhengdao's cautious attitude. This was not the Soviet area, and there was no time to indoctrinate the prisoners. Even if they didn't want to join the Red Army, they had to be forced to march with them.

As soon as He Zhengdao gave the two options, a prisoner immediately raised his hand and said, "If we join now, will you accept us?"

To this, He Zhengdao calmly replied, "What? You want to join our Red Army so quickly? Do you know the consequences of joining us? Once you join the Independent Regiment, there is no turning back!

Remember, if we face the Nationalist Army, we will be mortal enemies. If you dare to turn against us in battle, have you really considered the consequences? You should know how the Red Army deals with traitors."

In He Zhengdao's view, such a life-or-death decision required caution. Those who chose to join the Red Army must think carefully, and the Independent Regiment must also be cautious in accepting them.

If they were not in enemy territory, He Zhengdao might have warmly welcomed their joining. But in this dangerous enemy territory, any mistake could put the Independent Regiment, which had just recovered, back into a life-or-death situation.

Out of this concern, He Zhengdao felt that being more cautious was necessary. After all, as the commander of the Independent Regiment, he was responsible for the lives of over two thousand loyal Red Army soldiers!