Chapter 59

For He Zhengdao, as he gradually integrated into the Red Army, he also felt his affection for this unit deepening. He even felt that heaven had sent him to this era, hoping that he could change some of history.

Perhaps in the eyes of many officers and soldiers in the independent regiment, he was someone who enjoyed killing. Compared to the Red Army's policies toward prisoners, He Zhengdao's policies were too strict. But He Zhengdao felt that he had already reduced many casualties.

Whether it was the independent regiment or the Nationalist forces seen as enemies, using ambushes and unconventional tactics to achieve the greatest victory at the smallest cost, reducing the massive casualties that would result from close combat.

As the saying goes, "Killing a thousand enemies costs eight hundred of your own." Compared to the prisoners he used to set an example, more prisoners actually survived. But this point, many people did not understand, and He Zhengdao felt it was something that needed to be done.

Due to their different ideologies, it was normal for the two forces to compete in war. However, He Zhengdao's focus was more on the near future, the battlefield of the Anti-Japanese War.

The people who survived now might appear on that battlefield in the future. Keeping more soldiers alive might mean more strength for the Anti-Japanese War. The people he killed were mostly those he felt deserved it.

The telegram from headquarters also made He Zhengdao feel the trust placed in him. A division commander under twenty years old was not the first in the Red Army, but for He Zhengdao, it indeed made him feel a heavier burden on his shoulders.

When convening a meeting of all battalion and company commanders, He Zhengdao had carefully considered the expansion of the unit. In his view, the framework of the independent division could be established, but it must ensure that the unit's combat effectiveness was not affected.

Amid the expectations of the battalion and company commanders, He Zhengdao said seriously, "Based on the current structure of the independent regiment, I have decided to first form three infantry regiments and one logistics regiment. The artillery company and reconnaissance company will both be upgraded to battalion-level units.

Battalions One and Three will maintain their current structure and be upgraded to the First, Second, and Third Regiments of the independent division, with the battalion commanders continuing to serve as regimental commanders. The political commissars of the regiments will be appointed after I consult with the political commissar.

As for Battalion Four, except for Company One, the other three companies will be reorganized into the First, Second, and Third Regiments. The logistics regiment will be commanded by Battalion Four Commander Ma Xiaojun. The logistics battalion will also be fully integrated into the logistics regiment.

I will serve as the commander of the independent division, with Political Commissar Yao serving as the division political commissar, and Deputy Regimental Commander Wang as the chief of staff. Artillery Company Commander Zhu Dingyi will be promoted to battalion commander. I hope the artillery battalion can be supplemented in the future.

During this advance to Guiyang, we will likely pass through Xifeng, where you can dig up the buried mountain guns. In Renhuai, we also captured a lot of artillery shells, but the mountain guns seem to be a bit scarce.

The reconnaissance company will also be upgraded to a battalion, with Comrade Li Xiangdong serving as battalion commander. However, due to limited personnel, your reconnaissance battalion will temporarily maintain its current structure. If conditions permit, we will select capable personnel from the entire division to join.

The regimental communications platoon will be upgraded to a division communications company, with Comrade Sun Shicheng serving as company commander. Next, Company Commander Sun will distribute the small-power radios we seized to the three infantry regiments and the logistics regiment, with the corresponding radio operators selected from the communications platoon."

Hearing this expansion plan, the battalion and company commanders who attended the meeting were all very pleased. After all, with the expansion of the independent regiment, their battalion commanders would become regimental commanders, and company commanders would become battalion commanders. In the future, they would undoubtedly command more troops!

After announcing these orders, He Zhengdao continued, "Each of the three infantry regiments will temporarily form three main battalions, with each regiment's strength set at around 1,100 men. We will expand using the three-three system to ensure that the combat effectiveness of the three main battalions does not decline.

Additionally, each regiment will form a reserve battalion and a guard platoon to prepare for the arrival of new recruits. The specific expansion plan will be written and distributed to each regiment. As for the logistics regiment, it is also a key focus for the future development of the independent division.

Future captured prisoners will be prioritized for the logistics regiment. Those suitable for the three infantry regiments will need to be vetted by you, the regimental and battalion commanders. At the very least, I do not want any prisoners to drag the independent division down."

As He Zhengdao said this, Ma Xiaojun, appointed as the commander of the logistics regiment, quickly stood up and said, "Please rest assured, Commander. I will manage the logistics regiment well and provide the division with the most qualified soldiers!"

"Good! I believe in you! When the division reaches around 8,000 men, I will form another infantry regiment and appoint you as the regimental commander. So, you don't need to envy them. In the end, Zhang Cheng and the others will still need your help!"

He Zhengdao understood that being promoted from a main battalion commander to a logistics regiment commander might make Ma Xiaojun feel a bit uncomfortable. He also considered that the independent regiment should not expand to four infantry regiments at present, as that would reduce the unit's combat effectiveness.

Therefore, dispersing the main forces of Battalion Four to the other three infantry regiments could maximize the combat effectiveness of the three infantry regiments. As for the logistics regiment, it would not have any combat missions in the near future.

Their main tasks would be transporting supplies and re-educating prisoners. As long as these prisoners and new recruits passed the evaluation period in the logistics regiment, they would be supplemented into the reserve battalions of the three infantry regiments.

This way, after a period of training and evaluation, the reserve battalions of each regiment could gradually become the main battalions. During combat, the reserve battalions could also handle the logistics and reserve tasks of each regiment.

After explaining the expansion plan, He Zhengdao added, "Everyone should now know the expansion plan. Give you one day to sort out the expansion. The appointments of battalion and company commanders will be selected and reported to the division headquarters for review.

In short, I hope that by the morning after tomorrow, when we leave Renhuai, each regiment will truly have the combat capability to face off against a main regiment of the Guizhou forces. After the meeting, you can start the reorganization of the units!"

"Yes, Commander!"

"Commissar and Chief of Staff, please stay. The rest of you can leave!"

After retaining Yao Shengjun and Wang Tianlin, He Zhengdao first selected the four regimental political commissars. In this task, He Zhengdao mostly followed Yao Shengjun's advice. After all, he was the political commissar of the independent division!

Yao Shengjun was more familiar with the capabilities of the political work cadres in the independent regiment. Therefore, appropriately delegating authority was also necessary in He Zhengdao's view. Yao Shengjun was naturally very moved by this!

After confirming the four regimental political commissars, He Zhengdao continued, "Based on the battle results reported by each battalion, we lost over twenty soldiers in this attack on Renhuai. I plan to give these fallen soldiers a grand funeral.

Old Wang, please buy some coffins in the city tomorrow and select a place with good feng shui and some secrecy. I plan to give a political and ideological class to the entire division before we leave Renhuai.

First, to boost the morale of the entire division, and second, to show the newly captured prisoners our sincerity. Let them feel that joining the Red Army was a correct choice.

Of the over 3,000 Guizhou soldiers we captured, I hope that at least half of them will be willing to follow us when we leave. In the future, as we move from city to city, we will need to recruit new soldiers to expand our independent division."

Hearing this, Yao Shengjun said with a bitter smile, "Commander, this might be a bit difficult! Many of these Guizhou soldiers are hesitant about joining the Red Army. It's hard to convert so many prisoners in such a short time!"

Faced with Yao Shengjun's challenge, He Zhengdao suddenly thought of the "bitterness movement" invented by the Third Corps of the Northeastern Field Army during the Anti-Japanese War. This method was very effective and had quick results in converting prisoners.

Thinking about this, He Zhengdao smiled and said, "Commissar, how about this! I have an idea that might speed up the conversion of prisoners. After all, most of these Guizhou soldiers are young men from poor families.

As long as they understand that following us in the Red Army is beneficial to them, I believe they will try to join us. Once they join, I believe they can become the main force of our division in the future."

"What idea?"

"Bitterness movement!"

As a military doctorate, He Zhengdao was very clear about the power of the "bitterness movement." If it could be combined with the land reform policies of the Red Army, its power would be even greater!

As He Zhengdao explained the ideas and methods of the "bitterness movement," Yao Shengjun became increasingly excited. "This is a great idea! We need to make these Guizhou prisoners understand the reality and truly realize that the Red Army is a force fighting for the poor.

As long as they accept the Red Army's mission to fight for the people, I believe they will gradually integrate into the independent division after joining. The prisoners we previously reorganized are now performing well in each battalion. Commander, this idea of yours is brilliant!"

He Zhengdao felt a bit embarrassed by Yao Shengjun's praise. After all, this brilliant idea was not his original creation. But in the present, he was the one who came up with it.

Just with this brilliant idea, many political work cadres in the Red Army would be grateful to He Zhengdao. It provided a valuable political work and propaganda model for reorganizing prisoners!