Chapter 48

The main force of the Red Army, which had annihilated two main Nationalist Army divisions, crossing the Chishui River again, indeed came as a great surprise to all the Nationalist forces involved in the encirclement and suppression. Faced with the Red Army's main force preparing to enter southern Sichuan again, the various Nationalist forces that had been mobilized gathered once more.

Although they had managed to shake off the pursuit of the Nationalist Army's Wu Qiwēi unit, and even this Nationalist Army lieutenant general had become a prisoner of the Red Army, this fact also came as a great surprise to He Zhēngdào when he heard the news.

If his memory served him correctly, although the Red Army had also crippled the two Nationalist divisions led by Wu Qiwēi during the four crossings of the Chishui River, the Nationalist Army lieutenant general had ultimately managed to escape capture.

But now, the situation seemed to have changed!

However, thinking about the appearance of the Independent Regiment, He Zhēngdào felt that this was quite normal. After all, his presence had, in a certain sense, already altered the trajectory of this Long March Red Army. What the final outcome would be still needed to be verified by time.

Seeing that it was already late, He Zhēngdào, who had chatted with Mao Zédong for more than two hours, finally returned to the Independent Regiment's base. With Mao Zédong's promise, He Zhēngdào was not worried about the Independent Regiment being disbanded.

For the officers and soldiers of the Independent Regiment, when they were not part of the main force, they all looked forward to rejoining it as soon as possible. But when they actually rejoined the main force, they found that some people looked at them with strange eyes.

He Zhēngdào, who had convened a meeting of all the battalion and company commanders, could also sense that these battalion and company commanders' expressions were somewhat off. Some even looked very angry, and the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

In response to this situation, He Zhēngdào smiled and said, "What's wrong? We have finally successfully rejoined the main force, so why aren't you all happy? Instead, you all look so troubled. Can you tell me what's going on?"

Faced with He Zhēngdào's inquiry, these battalion and company commanders, who all owed He Zhēngdào a life, did not know how to express their grievances. They couldn't tell He Zhēngdào that some people suspected them of defection, which was why they had managed to survive, right?

Fortunately, as the political commissar, Yao Shènjūn had already understood some of the situation and said with a somewhat helpless expression, "Commander, you should know that we all come from various main forces. Many of us were mistakenly believed to have been killed in action.

Now that we have returned alive, although some people are happy for us, others still suspect why we managed to survive. You know, being captured and returning alive can easily lead to misunderstandings."

Listening to Yao Shènjūn's words, He Zhēngdào slammed the table and shouted, "Damn it, who said you have a problem? Let them come and tell me! The reports on how you joined the Independent Regiment have already been submitted to the Central Committee by the political commissar.

If the leaders really thought we were untrustworthy, would Comrade Mao and General Zhu have personally met with us? You shouldn't even bother with such petty-minded people."

Seeing He Zhēngdào slamming the table and cursing, the few company commanders who had heard the gossip also felt very moved. However, they all knew that such situations were relatively common in the Red Army. Being captured was something many Red Army soldiers found very shameful.

But the problem was that they had indeed been captured by the Nationalist Army before they were rescued. If it weren't for He Zhēngdào's rescue, they would probably have been shot by the Nationalist Army's inspection team by now.

After cursing for a few moments, He Zhēngdào continued, "Are you going to feel so wronged over this little thing? Are you all seven-foot-tall men, and a few rumors can bring you down? That would disappoint me too much!

They can say whatever they want; just ignore them. Your loyalty, I and the political commissar can see, and the leaders also know. Why bother with others?

Also, I have some news for you. The Independent Regiment will continue to be retained and will be directly under the command of the Military Commission. Until we receive other orders, you are all still battalion and company commanders of the Independent Regiment, my soldiers. Understand?"

Upon hearing this news, the five battalion commanders promptly stood up and said, "Yes, Commander! Understood!"

"Are you all mute?"

"Yes, Commander, we understand!"

The company commanders, who had been shouted at, quickly stood up and responded. Seeing that these battalion and company commanders were beginning to calm down, He Zhēngdào knew that the morale and unity of the Independent Regiment must be maintained; this spirit could not be lost.

So he quickly said, "I have already talked with several leaders and Comrade Mao. They all agree that the Independent Regiment should continue to be retained and become a regimental unit under the Military Commission, with all battalion and company commanders remaining unchanged.

What I want to say is, regardless of which unit you come from or whether you want to return to your original unit, you must follow my orders until you receive orders from the leaders. No one in the Independent Regiment can be taken away without permission.

If someone envies our equipment and weapons, tell them to ask the leaders for orders. Without orders from the leaders, the Independent Regiment will not have any changes.

Don't think that rejoining the main force means everything is fine. You all know that there are still many encircling forces in front of and behind us. These weapons and people are the foundation of our victory."

After this speech, the battalion and company commanders all breathed a sigh of relief. Although the Independent Regiment was a newly formed unit, after spending this time with He Zhēngdào, every officer could see that He Zhēngdào had strong command abilities.

Fighting under this commander, they felt very reassured!

At this moment, Yao Shènjūn spoke again, "Commander, what about the weapons and ammunition we captured last time? And what about the prisoners? Carrying so many weapons and prisoners will likely affect our marching speed!"

Regarding Yao Shènjūn's question, He Zhēngdào quickly replied, "The captured weapons and ammunition will be prioritized for our battalions and companies. According to our previous rules, light machine guns will be assigned to squads, and each company will form a heavy machine gun platoon.

Secondly, the artillery battalion will be temporarily dispersed among the four main battalions, with each battalion forming a direct mortar platoon. As for Battalion Commander Zhu, he will temporarily serve as the regimental artillery company commander. The next time we capture mountain guns, they will be prioritized for your use."

"Yes, Commander!"

Although the artillery battalion was being disbanded, Zhu Yìyì understood that having an independent regiment with an artillery battalion was indeed somewhat luxurious. Dispersing the artillery battalion among the other four main battalions could also enhance the combat effectiveness of each battalion.

As for his demotion from battalion commander to company commander, Zhu Yìyì did not feel disappointed. Moreover, he believed in He Zhēngdào's abilities and was confident that he would be promoted again in the future.

"Regarding the prisoners, Commissar, please quickly screen them. If any are suitable, prioritize their inclusion in our regiment. The rest who are still hesitant should be transferred to headquarters. Our main force also urgently needs reinforcements.

Compared to the prisoners who will follow the main force, our Independent Regiment will likely continue to take on the tasks of rearguard or vanguard. After the meeting, have the soldiers rest and be ready to follow orders at any time."

Based on He Zhēngdào's prediction, if history did not change significantly, the Red Army's main force might cross the Chishui River again in a few days and advance toward Guiyang, where the forces were truly weak.

The main force had not yet moved, mainly to observe the positions of the various encircling forces. Finding the most suitable route for the Red Army to break through, based on the enemy's deployment, was undoubtedly the urgent task for Mao Zédong and General Zhu.

As the battalion and company commanders returned with the content of the regimental meeting, many Red Army soldiers felt that staying in the Independent Regiment was better than returning to their old units.

For these lucky Red Army soldiers who had survived, some could no longer find a place in the main force. The reason was that the units they originally belonged to had been disbanded. This meant they could not return to their original units.

Since they had been saved by He Zhēngdào and had followed him all the way here, they still hoped to stay in the Independent Regiment. This unit was the place they considered their home. The news He Zhēngdào brought undoubtedly gave them peace of mind.

As for He Zhēngdào, after the meeting, he returned to the Independent Regiment's communications unit and asked Sun Shíchéng, who had been monitoring the Nationalist Army's communications, about the current movements of the Nationalist Army. After all, the Nationalist Army did not know that He Zhēngdào had completely cracked their communication codes.

Upon hearing He Zhēngdào's inquiry, Sun Shíchéng quickly handed over all the intercepted telegrams for He Zhēngdào to review. Seeing that the forces in Guiyang were indeed weak, he knew that the timing for the four crossings of the Chishui River was almost ripe.

Holding the intercepted telegram on the Nationalist Army's troop movements, He Zhēngdào, after telling Sun Shíchéng to rest, quickly reported to Mao Zédong again. He handed the troop movement map to Mao Zédong, who was somewhat surprised.

Upon learning that He Zhēngdào had a communications expert like Sun Shíchéng, Zhou Enlái was also very surprised. Based on He Zhēngdào's telegram and the information he had collected, Zhou Enlái believed the telegram was credible.

Mao Zédong quickly asked, "Zhēngdào, do you have any good suggestions for the main force's next combat plan?"

Faced with this question, He Zhēngdào was genuinely startled. How could he dare to speak casually about a combat plan that would determine the fate of the Red Army? One misstep, and he would become a sinner for all time!