Chapter 51

Xishui, a county under the jurisdiction of Zunyi, is located in northern Guizhou, at the hub of the Sichuan-Guizhou-Chongqing border region. To the east, it connects to Tongzi in Guizhou, to the west, it borders Chishui in Guizhou, to the south, it is close to Renhuai in Guizhou and Gulin in Sichuan, making it a significant military stronghold.

It was in this unremarkable county that the Red Army captured the town during their first and second crossings of the Chishui River. However, during the third crossing, the Red Army did not pass through here, much to the relief of the local Guizhou troops stationed here.

The Guizhou security regiment stationed in Xishui, wary of the Red Army's recent activities in the Zunyi area, which were unpredictable and elusive, maintained strict vigilance over the town, both day and night.

Recently, they received orders that various armies were preparing to encircle the Red Army's main force, which was expected to enter southern Sichuan. The Guizhou security regiment stationed here was also given a strict order to prevent any surprise attacks by the Red Army.

However, such an order was impossible for the security regiment commander to fulfill. All they could do was to send a telegram to their superiors as soon as they discovered the Red Army's main force. Beyond that, they were powerless to stop the Red Army.

The security regiment soldiers in Xishui were aware of the recent news that two main divisions of the Central Army had been ambushed by the Red Army. Moreover, even their provincial chairman, Wang Jialie, had been forced to retreat in disarray. How much more could they do?

The Central Army, which had now taken full control of Guizhou's military and political affairs, paid little attention to these second-line Guizhou troops. If not for the need to maintain local stability and serve as a monitoring force, they would have been disbanded long ago.

The Independent Regiment, having bypassed the villages along the way and marched secretly, arrived five miles outside Xishui as the sky grew dark. The reconnaissance company's report still made He Zhengdao feel that this thorn had to be removed.

At the very least, when the Red Army's main force passed through here, they could not allow the news to be relayed. With this in mind, He Zhengdao decided to launch a night attack on Xishui. In his plan, the best outcome would be to end the battle silently.

To achieve this, it was not easy, but He Zhengdao knew that finding the enemy's radio station before the battle began was crucial. If the security regiment managed to send a distress signal, it would mean their plan was exposed prematurely.

With this in mind, He Zhengdao immediately convened a meeting of the battalion-level officers to discuss the upcoming operation. When he announced his decision to lead the reconnaissance company in a night attack on the Xishui security regiment, Yao Shengjun immediately objected.

"No, you are the regiment commander. How can you personally participate in the battle? If anything happens, how can I explain it to the superiors? Why don't we let the battalion commander go instead?"

Zhang Cheng immediately added, "Yes, Commander, why don't I take charge of the night attack?"

But He Zhengdao shook his head and said, "Commissar, it's not that I don't trust the battalion commander, but I am most skilled at this kind of battle. We must ensure that no news leaks out during the night attack. If possible, we should end the battle without firing a single shot.

I am more adept at this than you. As for the rule that the regiment commander should not go to the front line, do you think it is necessary to follow it now? Even General Peng and the others go to the front line when they fight."

As Yao Shengjun was about to argue further, He Zhengdao said, "Enough, there's no need to discuss this further. Next, I will lead the reconnaissance company into the city in advance. You all should rest and wait for our signal.

If you see my signal, the logistics battalion and the fourth battalion will enter the city, while the other three main battalions will remain on alert outside the city. We will stay in Xishui for at most one day and must leave by dawn the day after tomorrow. Do you understand your tasks?"

"Understood!"

"Good, then after you return, order the troops to begin the operation. Remember, during the operation, you must be extremely cautious and avoid alarming them prematurely. Otherwise, the entire operation will be exposed. Understand?"

"Understood!"

After assigning the combat tasks, He Zhengdao led the guard company to Xishui under the cover of darkness. Looking at the torches hanging on the walls and the patrolling sentries, He Zhengdao thought that these Guizhou troops seemed quite diligent.

He waved to the guard company commander beside him and asked, "Dong, has the first platoon already entered?"

"They have! Xishui is not a large city, though it has a city wall. There are many ways to enter the city. During the day, the sentries on patrol were quite lax. It should be about the right time now."

They had agreed on the time and place for the rendezvous. Without lingering at the city gate, He Zhengdao followed the guard company commander Li Dong and the other soldiers, quickly circling around to the side of the city.

Looking down at the quiet city, with only a few lit areas, he assumed these were where the security regiment was stationed. The scattered lights in the city were likely from the homes of residents who had not yet gone to bed.

In those days, electric lights were not yet widespread. Even in a county town, most lighting tools were firewood or oil lamps. Few ordinary people could afford oil lamps.

So, after nightfall, most people stayed at home and went to sleep. The saying "rise with the sun and rest with the sunset" was very fitting for the residents of remote mountainous areas in those times.

Arriving at the agreed rendezvous point with the first platoon, Li Dong covered his mouth and imitated the call of an owl. Soon, a few bird calls came from ahead. The other reconnaissance company soldiers knew that the first platoon's support had arrived.

Shortly after, two reconnaissance company soldiers dressed as civilians quickly ran to where He Zhengdao was. Seeing the commander in person, they were surprised but quickly reported the situation.

Hearing that there were still security regiment soldiers patrolling the city, He Zhengdao sneered, "It seems these Guizhou security troops are not as incompetent as we thought! Have you figured out their patrol patterns? What's the situation at the military camp?"

"Report, Commander, there are currently four patrol teams in the city, each with eight Guizhou troops. These four teams are mostly concentrated in areas not protected by the city wall, near their military camp and the security regiment headquarters.

According to our earlier reconnaissance, they change shifts every hour. Each time they change, they return to the military camp to wake up the other patrol team members before the new team takes over.

At the military camp, there are two sentries at the gate and two simple watchtowers, but no machine guns. The security regiment commander also lives in the military camp. Their radio station is in the security regiment headquarters."

After listening to the reconnaissance report, He Zhengdao thought for a moment and asked, "Are there any other places in the city where soldiers are stationed?"

"When we entered the city this afternoon, we didn't find any. This county has been captured twice by our main force. Most of the local tyrants and corrupt officials have been dealt with. This security regiment was only ordered to garrison here after our main force left.

Their warehouses and supplies are likely concentrated in the military camp. Apart from the security company guarding the city wall, which takes turns on duty, there are only four patrol teams in the city. The rest of the security regiment soldiers are in the military camp."

After hearing the reconnaissance report, He Zhengdao quickly said, "So, the first thing we need to do is to capture the security regiment silently. Once we capture the officers, the guards on the city wall will be no problem.

From their reluctance to live outside the military camp, it's clear they are very concerned about a surprise attack by the Red Army. By the way, how much time is left before the next patrol shift change?"

"About half an hour!"

Half an hour, which is about an hour. Thinking about this, He Zhengdao immediately said, "Dong, you will lead the three platoon leaders to take out the four patrol teams. You must ensure a one-shot kill and not let them fire a single shot, understood?"

"Understood!"

The soldiers selected by He Zhengdao for the reconnaissance company were all skilled. During their time in Jinping, He Zhengdao had specially hired a blacksmith to make dozens of single-shot crossbows.

During the rest period, the reconnaissance company soldiers had become familiar with these cold weapons. While other soldiers in the independent regiment did not understand the use of these crossbows, the reconnaissance company soldiers knew they were perfect for silent attacks.

The reconnaissance company soldiers who had fought with He Zhengdao many times were already very proficient in using cold weapons to eliminate patrol sentries. This was why He Zhengdao believed they could complete the task without his direct involvement.

After issuing the combat orders, the other reconnaissance company soldiers followed He Zhengdao into the security regiment's base. Looking at the sentries at the military camp gate and in the watchtowers, everyone felt the task was challenging.

The reason was simple: eliminating the sentries at the gate would inevitably alert the sentries in the watchtowers. To take out the sentries in the watchtowers, they would have to climb the watchtowers, which were lit. Using guns would be simpler, but not using guns made the task much more difficult.

Seeing this, He Zhengdao gave a few instructions to a soldier beside him. The soldier knew that the commander was about to take action personally.

The reconnaissance company soldiers, who also knew that He Zhengdao was taking action, were eager to see how he would handle the seemingly difficult task of eliminating the sentries without alarming them.