Chapter 47

In order to quickly transfer the main force to the southern part of Sichuan and break away from the encirclement by the Nationalist Army, the main force of the Red Army, after a brilliant annihilation battle, also rapidly moved towards the southern part of Sichuan.

Upon learning that the two divisions led by Wu Qiwēi were annihilated by the Red Army in the Zunyi area, Xue Yùe, stationed in Guiyang, also became somewhat restless. He was very clear that Mao Zédong had once again taken command of the Red Army and was well aware of Mao's expertise in surprise tactics.

He immediately ordered the Yunnan and Sichuan armies, as well as the Zhou Hényuán column rushing to southern Sichuan, to adopt a pincer attack from the north and south, with the aim of encircling and annihilating the main force of the Red Army in the southern part of Sichuan. This situation was also known to the Red Army, which had just recrossed the Chishui River.

Faced with the strict defense of the Yunnan and Sichuan armies ahead and the fierce pursuit of the Nationalist Army from behind, Mao Zédong understood the Nationalists'如意算盘 (wishful thinking). However, this made it difficult for them to break through from southern Sichuan as planned.

While Mao Zédong and Zhu Dé were discussing the next steps, the Independent Regiment, the last unit to cross the Chishui River, led by He Zhēngdào, had already all changed into Red Army uniforms.

Even the captured Nationalist soldiers, under He Zhēngdào's orders, were all made to change into Red Army uniforms. Those who refused were dealt with in the old way: no reasoning, only killing! For a time, the captured Nationalist soldiers were terrified of He Zhēngdào.

Just as the Independent Regiment crossed the Chishui River, the rear guard of the 4th Battalion sent someone to ask whether they should blow up the pontoon bridge on the Chishui River to prevent the Nationalist Army from advancing. After all, building a bridge also takes time!

Upon hearing this request, He Zhēngdào immediately said, "Order the 4th Battalion not to destroy the pontoon bridge. We might need to cross it again in a while! The Nationalist Army won't catch up with us for a while!"

With He Zhēngdào's order, the pontoon bridge built by the Red Army across the Chishui River remained intact. After establishing contact with headquarters, He Zhēngdào also led the Independent Regiment to join the main force.

With the successful implementation of the third crossing of the Chishui River, the main force of the Red Army annihilated two divisions of the Nationalist Army and part of the Guizhou Army in Zunyi. This victory greatly excited the Red Army commanders and soldiers.

At least every Red Army soldier felt that they no longer had to worry about weapons and ammunition. After these battles, the weapons and ammunition they had seized were enough for each of them to have a good gun and a few extra bullets in their cartridge belts.

When the Independent Regiment arrived at the main force's rest area, He Zhēngdào saw from a distance a familiar figure standing and smiling, waiting for him. Yao Shènjūn, standing beside him, hurriedly said, "Commander, it's Comrade Mao and Comrade Zhu!"

Since the Independent Regiment had established contact with the main force, Yao Shènjūn had been worried that they would be looked down upon by the main force. After all, many of the soldiers in the Independent Regiment had a history of being captured.

However, as He Zhēngdào led them to win battle after battle and even provided the main force with a large amount of weapons, ammunition, medicine, and money, these things were undoubtedly a timely rain for the main force!

As a military doctorate of the People's Republic of China, He Zhēngdào was naturally very familiar with these future leaders of the country. However, the leaders in his memory from the future were somewhat different from what he saw now.

But this did not prevent him from quickly stepping forward and saying, "Greetings, leaders! I am He Zhēngdào, commander of the Independent Regiment, reporting for duty! Requesting to rejoin the ranks!"

Seeing He Zhēngdào salute, Mao Zédong smiled and said, "Zhēngdào, can you still recognize us?"

In the letter he had previously asked Wang Tiānlín to deliver, He Zhēngdào had detailed his situation of forgetting many things after waking up. This was why Mao Zédong wondered if He Zhēngdào didn't recognize them.

Caught off guard by this question, He Zhēngdào said somewhat embarrassedly, "You are Comrade Mao! Although I have forgotten many things, I still remember some after waking up. You are Comrade Zhu! You are Secretary Zhou!"

Seeing He Zhēngdào's expression, Mao Zédong also smiled and said, "Old Zhu, it seems this kid hasn't forgotten everything! It looks like you have turned a misfortune into a blessing. What about the people around me?"

It seemed that Mao Zédong was testing whether He Zhēngdào really didn't remember the leaders of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission. To the surprise of Mao Zédong and many other leaders, He Zhēngdào seemed to really have trouble recognizing these people.

At this moment, a man with glasses stepped forward and said, "Zhēngdào, you really don't recognize me?"

"Report, leader! I'm sorry, I can't remember much. Even on the way, I didn't recognize Comrade Yao or Commander Chen. However, I remember I was the commander of Comrade Mao's guard company."

At this, Mao Zédong was startled and quickly asked, "Zhēngdào, the Commander Chen you mentioned, is it Shùchūn? Is he still alive?"

"Yes! Comrade Mao, I met Commander Chen on Fairy Ridge in Quan County. Oh! I'm sorry, my unit has been on the move for a while, and I haven't reported this situation to headquarters."

Knowing the status of Commander Chen Shùchūn in Mao Zédong's heart, He Zhēngdào quickly recounted the entire process of meeting the 34th Division led by Chen Shùchūn. Upon hearing that the 34th Division had fewer than a regiment left, everyone felt very sorry.

Everyone knew that this unit was essentially Mao Zédong's direct command. Previously, Mao Zédong had been very sad about the lack of news from the 34th Division, but he had mostly hidden his sadness.

Upon learning that the Independent Regiment had radio contact with the 34th Division and that they had established a guerrilla base on Fairy Ridge, with a force exceeding a regiment, Mao Zédong also breathed a sigh of relief.

He then stepped forward and said, "Zhēngdào, this is Comrade Zhang Wéntiān, the secretary of the Central Committee. You used to learn writing from him in the Soviet area! In a way, he can be considered your teacher!"

"Ah! Greetings, leader! I'm sorry, after waking up from my illness, I have forgotten many things. Please forgive me!"

Understanding that this Comrade Zhang would also become a national leader in the future, He Zhēngdào naturally did not dare to be disrespectful. Under Mao Zédong's introduction, He Zhēngdào finally got to know these future famous Red Army leaders again!

After chatting for a while, He Zhēngdào introduced Yao Shènjūn to everyone. At this moment, Yao Shènjūn formally submitted some documents about the Independent Regiment to Zhou Enlái.

These documents detailed the process of each soldier in the Independent Regiment being captured and rescued. Of course, they also included information about those who had been martyred in battle and those who had been left behind in guerrilla areas.

At noon, due to He Zhēngdào's contributions to the main force and his familiarity with these leaders, he was fortunate enough to have lunch with them. Finally, the time was left to Mao Zédong and He Zhēngdào.

Seeing He Zhēngdào take out a pack of cigarettes and offer it to him, Mao Zédong smiled and said, "I'm really happy to see you alive and well! When your master entrusted you to me, I was really worried about letting him down!"

He Zhēngdào replied somewhat bitterly, "Comrade Mao, I've heard about this from Comrade Yao. However, my memories of my master are also very limited. When I woke up, I was very confused and didn't know who I was.

It wasn't until the local people showed me my uniform and identity papers that I knew I was a Red Army soldier. To find my identity, I gathered my comrades along the way and finally found you."

"Child, you've suffered a lot!"

Although these words were spoken lightly, Mao Zédong knew how difficult it was to achieve this. Apart from the converted captives, the Red Army had reduced its losses by three to four thousand people due to He Zhēngdào's rescue efforts.

Although the Independent Regiment now had only about two thousand Red Army backbone members, when combined with those left in other guerrilla areas and the Red Army soldiers of the 34th Division led by Chen Shùchūn, three to four thousand people had survived thanks to He Zhēngdào. This was no small feat.

While chatting, Mao Zédong also said, "Zhēngdào, now that you have rejoined the main force, I plan to let you continue as the commander of the Independent Regiment. Do you have any objections?"

"No! In fact, I also want to continue as the commander. Many of the soldiers in the Independent Regiment have always felt somewhat inferior. Although I have told them that being captured is not a shameful thing and they have not betrayed the organization, this is still a very dishonorable thing for anyone.

I hope that in future battles, I can lead them to wash away the shame imposed on them by establishing merit.

If possible, I also hope that the Central Committee will not disrupt the current structure of the Independent Regiment. As for the captured soldiers, if other brother units are willing to accept them, we can also let them go."

Listening to He Zhēngdào, Mao Zédong understood that this situation was indeed common. For the Red Army, honor was life. Being captured once was indeed a disgrace in the eyes of many self-respecting soldiers.

Washing away this disgrace through meritorious service was the best way to prove oneself. Mao Zédong also understood the other meaning in He Zhēngdào's words. He could give up the captives, but he would not easily give up the backbone members.

Moreover, He Zhēngdào probably did not want others to think that the Independent Regiment was too well-equipped. Under the guise of supporting brother units, the Independent Regiment's existing weapons and equipment could be divided.

This small cleverness, Mao Zédong thought, was what a nineteen-year-old He Zhēngdào should show!