Chapter 54

As Zheng Dao had guessed, upon receiving the main forces of the Central Army, they all gathered on the north bank of the Chishui River, preparing to encircle the main Red Army forces once again. Mao Zedong, who had been waiting for this moment, immediately ordered the main Red Army forces to begin a night transfer.

The main Red Army forces, who had rested during the day, once again reached the Chishui River under the cover of night, crossing it for the fourth time. The Red Army's back-and-forth movements not only surprised the Central Army, which was trying to encircle them, but also surprised many within the Red Army itself.

However, with Mao Zedong back in command, the Red Army, which had been on the brink of danger, seemed to have found the right direction again. The first three crossings of the Chishui River did not result in any loss of strength for the Red Army; instead, their combat capability had improved.

Apart from the replacement and supplementation of weapons and equipment, many Red Army soldiers had also received adequate rest. Although they did not understand why the main forces needed to cross the Chishui River again, every unit that received the order moved at the fastest possible speed.

Zhu De, who was accompanying the Central Military Commission's column, looked at the intact pontoon bridge under the night sky and said with a smile, "Old Mao, what do you think their expressions will be when they realize we've crossed the Chishui River again and left them on the north bank?"

"I don't know! However, our journey ahead is still fraught with danger. What we can hope for now is that they discover our main forces have left as late as possible, giving us a few more days to march."

Although the encircling forces had been lured to the north bank of the Chishui River, Mao Zedong was still very clear that once they understood the Red Army's route, they would urgently modify their encirclement strategy, making this journey equally perilous.

At this moment, Zhou Enlai, who was with the communications room, said with a delighted face, "Old Mao, Commander, we have a telegram from the Independent Regiment. Good news! It seems you've chosen a capable commander this time!"

Waving the telegram he had just received, Zhou Enlai also looked very pleased. He knew very well that the Independent Regiment's silent capture of the militia in Xishui would play a crucial role in the main forces' transfer.

As long as the Red Army could gain one to two more days of transfer time, by the time the encircling forces realized the Red Army was advancing towards Guiyang, they would be powerless. After all, a three to four-day difference in travel time was not something that could be easily caught up.

After reading the telegram from the Independent Regiment, Mao Zedong also said with satisfaction, "Yes, it seems this young man has a deep understanding of our combat mission. Which unit is currently leading the way?"

"The 9th Red Army Corps!"

"Order the 9th Red Army Corps to dispatch a regiment to Xishui as quickly as possible to take over control from the Independent Regiment. This will be the third time we've taken Xishui, right?"

"Yes! However, capturing a nearly thousand-strong militia without firing a single shot, as the Independent Regiment did, is unprecedented. It seems we made the right choice in assigning the Independent Regiment as our vanguard!"

Zhu De was also very satisfied with the report from He Zhengdao. In his view, any tactic that achieved the goal while minimizing losses was a good tactic, and the commander who employed it was a good commander.

Upon receiving the order, Luo Binghui, the commander of the 9th Red Army Corps, who learned that Xishui City had been secretly captured by the Independent Regiment, immediately said, "Order the 1st Red Regiment to move out lightly equipped and head to Xishui City as quickly as possible."

"Yes!"

As the commander of the 9th Red Army Corps, Luo Binghui also knew He Zhengdao. Learning that He Zhengdao had single-handedly saved thousands of captured Red Army commanders, he found it incredible.

The upcoming advance of the main Red Army into Yunnan was a cause for great joy for Luo Binghui, who was from the Yunnan Army. Although the Independent Regiment had taken the vanguard role, which was somewhat unexpected, it now seemed that the Independent Regiment was performing its duties very well. He doubted that any of his regimental commanders could have captured Xishui City without firing a single shot.

Upon receiving the telegram from headquarters and seeing the troops entering the city, He Zhengdao immediately ordered everyone to eat and rest. The Independent Regiment's soldiers had been eating dry rations throughout their journey.

Now that Xishui City had been captured, the rice and cured meat in the military camp's warehouse seemed plentiful. He Zhengdao directly ordered the kitchen staff to prepare a hot meal for all the soldiers. After eating, he also instructed each battalion to rest as quickly as possible.

Although they would need to stay in Xishui City for another day, He Zhengdao believed that as long as the disguise was effective, the local residents would not realize that the guards were all Red Army soldiers in disguise.

If the Independent Regiment was not yet fully accustomed to such disguises, after the journey with He Zhengdao, they seemed to have gained considerable experience in this tactic.

Moreover, the Independent Regiment was confident that by enforcing curfew and strict city defense control the next day, they could buy the main forces an extra day. Once the 1st Red Regiment arrived to take over, the Independent Regiment could leave Xishui City quickly under the cover of night.

Even more, according to He Zhengdao's plan, the two main battalions that rested tonight would set out early the next day. They would head to Xifeng City, where the Independent Regiment had previously been stationed, to open the route to Guiyang.

At that time, even if the encircling Nationalist forces realized the Red Army had moved again, they could only watch helplessly. He Zhengdao even thought about whether to go to Guiyang to scare the Commissioner who had personally come to supervise the battle.

The night passed with the captives in fear. The next morning, the local residents woke up to find notices posted around the city. To prevent a Red Army ambush, Xishui City would be under military control starting that day.

The control would last only one day and one night. Although many merchants were unhappy, they dared not complain in the face of the armed guards and could only wait for the control to end before leaving the city.

Considering that the Red Army would face a shortage of supplies during the upcoming journey, He Zhengdao took the initiative to convert the money seized the previous night into supplies needed by the main forces.

Salt, cured meat, fur, and medicine were among the items He Zhengdao purchased. Although the buyers, accompanied by soldiers, seemed mysterious, no one refused the business when they saw the real gold and silver being paid.

Seeing the continuous flow of silver dollars being exchanged for supplies, He Zhengdao specifically called Yao Shengjun and said, "Commissar, from now on, every time the Independent Regiment captures a county, we must quickly spend all the seized money.

"Except for gold, which will be retained and handed over, all other silver dollars and currency should be converted into supplies we urgently need. Using our disguise, we should purchase as many of these supplies as possible, as they will be more useful than keeping the money."

Very aware of the hardships the Red Army would face during the Long March, He Zhengdao began to systematically prepare supplies for the main forces and the Independent Regiment after taking on the vanguard role.

Even Yao Shengjun, who was somewhat puzzled by He Zhengdao's order to the logistics battalion to purchase cured meat and avoid using it on the journey, still firmly executed the order to buy fresh ingredients.

In the afternoon, the two main battalions, dressed in the uniforms of the Yunnan militia, left the city in a hurry, watched by many local residents. Many residents speculated whether the Red Army had arrived.

However, they never imagined that the militia guarding Xishui City were now all prisoners. Even many of the captured militia soldiers felt that being a prisoner was better than being a soldier.

At least in terms of food, the Red Army treated them well, providing enough steamed buns. This treatment allowed Yao Shengjun to select nearly 300 new recruits from the captured militia in the afternoon.

They would temporarily join the logistics battalion and leave Xishui City with the Independent Regiment. The fate of the remaining prisoners would be left to the main forces that took over. Many of the captured officers, who were opium users, were of no interest to He Zhengdao.

Even among the supplies to be carried, He Zhengdao ordered Yao Shengjun to seize a significant amount of opium. Yao Shengjun found this order very puzzling, as opium had little use for the Red Army.

However, He Zhengdao explained, "In places like Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, opium is sometimes more valuable than silver dollars. Carrying this opium might be useful on the journey. Although I detest this substance, if it is useful, we should keep some."

Thus, the logistics battalion and the Independent Regiment, who had rested for a day, finally saw the vanguard of the 1st Red Regiment arrive as night fell. Upon learning that the 1st Red Regiment had arrived, He Zhengdao immediately ordered the logistics battalion to set out early.

When the main forces of the 1st Red Regiment arrived, He Zhengdao handed over the supplies and prisoners in Xishui City to the new commander and quickly disappeared from the sight of the 1st Red Regiment's soldiers.

Seeing the Red Army suddenly enter the military camp, many prisoners were somewhat worried. Although the Independent Regiment, which had captured them, was also part of the Red Army, the fact that they had worn the same uniforms as the militia for a day made them feel somewhat reassured.

However, the Red Army that entered the camp that night did not change into militia uniforms and still wore Red Army uniforms, which made them more afraid. Many prisoners even regretted not leaving with the Independent Regiment in the afternoon.