Chapter 43

For many of the residents of Jinping, the arrival of over three thousand soldiers from the main force of the Central Army indeed made them somewhat worried. Even if the residents of the small town didn't fully understand what the Central Army meant, they knew that their reputation wasn't very good.

Many residents even knew that the Central Army was described by the people in other places as the 'Disaster Army.' However, with the arrival of the Independent Regiment, many residents could feel that this Central Army wasn't as terrifying as they had imagined.

At least, the 'entry fees' that the city defense teams used to collect at the city gates seemed to have been canceled. Of course, many merchant caravans entering the city still had to pay commercial taxes. This, in the eyes of ordinary people, was considered normal.

Compared to the residents, the evaluation of this Central Army seemed quite good. However, the local gentry and wealthy merchants felt that the commander of this Central Army was very 'greedy.' In the face of their bribes, he mostly accepted them without refusal.

But if they wanted this commander to do something, he would always dodge the issue. Occasionally, he would even deliberately extort these unscrupulous rich people. At least, the opium dens in the city, after the arrival of this 'Central Army,' had a tough time.

Central Army soldiers would often come here for so-called inspections and checks. If anything went wrong, the opium den owners had to give some 'hardship fees.' After a few rounds, the opium den owners were constantly complaining.

The security regiment commander, who was supposed to support them, helplessly said to their complaints: "Spend money to avoid disaster! Although these people are greedy, they at least follow the rules. If it were other Central Army units, they might be even more ruthless."

As the security regiment commander, he knew something about the current situation in Guizhou. With the Red Army advancing into Guizhou, the Central Army followed. Even the stronghold of the provincial chairman was occupied by the Central Army's commander, let alone them?

In the future, Guizhou would no longer be surnamed Wang but would be surnamed Jiang. Therefore, the security regiment commander had to be cautious in serving these stationed Central Army units. Who knew what trouble would come if he angered them?

On the other hand, He Zhengdao, who had reconnected with headquarters, convened a temporary meeting of the company-level officers of the Independent Regiment. Besides announcing the orders from headquarters, he also discussed the next combat plan.

Upon learning that they had reconnected with the main force, the battalion and company commanders were very excited and asked, "Commander, what did headquarters say?"

Facing the excitement of these battalion and company commanders, He Zhengdao said seriously, "Headquarters has instructed that our Independent Regiment will be directly commanded by headquarters. Our current biggest task is to maintain our combat strength and strive to reunite with the main force as soon as possible.

But look at the map and the current position of the main force. As military commanders, you should clearly understand the current severe situation. Our Independent Regiment will face total annihilation if we make even the slightest mistake.

Moreover, the timing to reunite with the main force is not yet ripe. Therefore, what we need to do next is to patiently wait for the right opportunity. During this time, each battalion and company should focus on military training and discipline education."

"Commander, can't we secretly reunite with the main force? It shouldn't take more than a few days to get there, right?"

One of the company commanders still suggested reuniting with the main force. However, this suggestion was quickly silenced by He Zhengdao. Everyone then realized that reuniting with the main force was not feasible under the current situation.

"Indeed, from the map, we are not far from the main force. But you must understand that we are currently safe because of our uniforms and our identity.

From Jinping to the Sichuan-Yunnan border, we need to pass through at least a dozen counties. Most of these counties are currently garrisoned by the Central Army or the Guizhou Army. As soon as we move, they will discover that we are imposters.

Even if we can handle a Central Army main force regiment with our current strength, if they send a division or more, how many of us would be left even if we could break through the encirclement?"

These words immediately poured cold water on the excited battalion and company commanders. But soon, Zhang Cheng, a battalion commander, said, "Commander, what should we do next? We can't stay here forever, right?"

"Are you complaining about the comfortable life you've been having recently?"

Zhang Cheng, who was teased, felt somewhat amused and helpless. In fact, Zhang Cheng, who had been impersonating a Central Army regiment commander, was the busiest person in the Independent Regiment. He was almost invited to banquets every day and could even take some so-called 'specialties' home.

Hearing this, Zhang Cheng said helplessly, "Commander, you know that's not what I meant. I just think that if we continue to impersonate the Central Army, we will eventually be exposed. After all, we are not the real Central Army."

"Don't worry! The reason we chose to impersonate the Central Army and enter Jinping is to have a quiet place to rest and regroup. Next, each battalion and company should strengthen their shooting training. Don't be stingy with the bullets; let the soldiers have more live-fire training.

The double-barreled soldiers of the Jinping Security Regiment may not have great combat power, but their arsenal has plenty of bullets. When the time comes, each battalion and company can go out of the city for live-fire training under the pretext of anti-bandit operations.

The corresponding ammunition consumption can be reimbursed by the security regiment commander. At least, I hope that when we leave Jinping, our soldiers' marksmanship will have improved. Sharpshooters are made by firing bullets."

In He Zhengdao's view, the current ammunition supply of the Independent Regiment was quite generous. In this situation, using more bullets for training was very necessary.

At least, under his requirements, each soldier in the guard company had to fire at least thirty live rounds per day. For this extravagant behavior, Political Commissar Yao Shengjun felt both pain and concern.

But he knew that the Independent Regiment's manpower was limited. If the soldiers' marksmanship improved, their combat effectiveness on the battlefield would be much stronger. He believed that He Zhengdao had the ability to obtain more weapons and ammunition.

Hearing He Zhengdao's arrangements, the battalion and company commanders were also pleased. They all understood that improving the soldiers' shooting skills would greatly enhance the unit's combat power.

Soon, Zhang Cheng, in the identity of a Central Army regiment commander, inquired about the local bandit forces from the Jinping security regiment commander. Under the pretext of anti-bandit operations, he gradually dispatched each battalion and company.

For a time, the bandits in Jinping suffered, while the residents felt that this Central Army was quite rare. However, many people didn't know that while fighting bandits, the Independent Regiment was secretly recruiting some young bandits without criminal records.

These young bandits, compared to ordinary peasant children, at least knew how to use guns. After joining the Independent Regiment, they were all sent to the new recruit camp for training and re-education. The Central Army prisoners also gradually integrated into the Independent Regiment.

Half a month later, seeing the reassignment order from the Central Army headquarters, He Zhengdao finally smiled. He knew that the opportunity the Independent Regiment had been waiting for had arrived. At this time, the main force of the Red Army had crossed the Chishui River for the second time and returned to Zunyi, which caught the Central Army and Wang Jialie off guard.

"Send a telegram to headquarters, informing them that we have received the order and will soon be reassigned to the Xifeng area to participate in the Central Army's encirclement and suppression. Hope headquarters can dispatch forces to assist us with the necessary supplies."

Seeing the Central Army headquarters' order to reassign the 704th Regiment to the Xifeng area to prevent the Red Army from advancing on Guiyang, He Zhengdao felt that this was truly 'sending a pillow when someone is sleepy.' Wasn't this delivering the opportunity right into their hands?

Similarly, Mao Zedong, who was also in Zunyi for rest and regrouping, smiled upon receiving the Independent Regiment's telegram: "It seems our Commander Xue is really worried about us pointing our swords at Guiyang!"

Knowing that the Independent Regiment's reassignment to Xifeng would also take time, Mao Zedong instructed the Independent Regiment to move to Xifeng as quickly as possible. Although there were still many Central Army units blocking the way between the two forces.

But Mao Zedong was very clear that the Red Army's main force had little chance of advancing into Guiyang. However, welcoming the Independent Regiment's return should not be a problem. He was very concerned about He Zhengdao, the guard company commander.

Thus, the well-rested Independent Regiment left Jinping, with the local gentry shedding tears of gratitude. The reason for their excitement was that they had been heavily extorted during this period.

Even though the Independent Regiment didn't use any forceful means, the rumors that occasionally spread truly frightened the gentry. They didn't know that these rumors were deliberately spread by He Zhengdao.

Weren't they all afraid of being associated with the Red Army? He Zhengdao deliberately spread rumors in the city that they had connections with bandits. Even if he didn't take the initiative to approach them, these gentry didn't dare to sit and wait for disaster.

Knowing that they could spend money to avoid disaster, how could they not eagerly offer money? During the time stationed in Jinping, He Zhengdao truly played the role of a 'gentry scraper,' making these unscrupulous gentry disperse a significant amount of wealth.

For the money that was voluntarily offered, Political Commissar Yao Shengjun also felt that although He Zhengdao used some underhanded tactics, the results were satisfactory.

At least, the funds currently owned by the Independent Regiment made him very satisfied. This money, when handed over to headquarters, would surely make headquarters, which was in economic difficulty, feel both happy and relieved.