Chapter 65

With the convening of the Zunyi Conference, Mao Zedong returned to his position as a military commander. Upon learning this news, Chiang Kai-shek, who was commanding the front lines, and Xue Yue both felt a sense of foreboding.

As an opponent, Chiang Kai-shek was well aware that the four failed encirclements in the southern Jiangxi Soviet area were largely due to Mao Zedong's strategic deployments. Their victory in the fifth encirclement was more due to the Red Army changing its commander.

The Red Army, which had emerged from the Soviet area, suffered heavy losses from Chiang Kai-shek's iron bucket encirclement tactics. After a series of battles, the Red Army's strength was now less than half of what it was before the campaign.

Sure enough, as the Red Army crossed the Chishui River for the second time and surrounded the Guizhou Army and Wu Qirui's two divisions that were taking over Zunyi, Chiang Kai-shek was furious and quickly ordered the arrest of the defeated Guizhou warlord Hou Zhidan.

Even Wang Jiale, the commander of the Guizhou Army, was forced to send a telegram requesting his resignation. Chiang Kai-shek gave him the empty title of Lieutenant General and Advisor, and thus Wang Jiale, who had ruled Guizhou for many years, left the province in disgrace.

The Red Army's third crossing of the Chishui River made Chiang Kai-shek realize that a single misstep could turn the border area of Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan into a stormy region. Worried that the troops would not fight hard enough, he personally went to Guiyang to supervise the military.

However, to Chiang Kai-shek's surprise, the Red Army, which was surrounded by a large force, unexpectedly broke out again. What made Chiang Kai-shek even more frustrated was that the Red Army seemed very relaxed, crossing the Chishui River again and advancing directly towards Guiyang.

Initially, Chiang Kai-shek thought that the Red Army's fourth crossing of the Chishui River was more about entering western Guizhou and escaping the encirclement in northern Guizhou. However, what terrified Chiang Kai-shek was that a main force of the Red Army was advancing directly towards Xifeng, even shouting slogans to capture him alive!

"Damn it! These Red bandits are so audacious. Ask Zhou Hengyuan where they are now?"

Chiang Kai-shek, stationed in Guiyang, was also well aware that the forces in front of Guiyang were not substantial. If the Red Army's main force truly attacked Guiyang, he might really be captured.

Of course, he could leave by plane, but how could he face the troops if he fled? A commander being scared away by the enemy would be a disgrace.

The guard commander, somewhat helplessly, replied, "Commander, our main forces are currently concentrated in northern Sichuan. They are now advancing towards Guiyang. However, even the fastest of them will take at least ten days to arrive."

"Ten days! Damn it, in ten days, the Red Army will have entered Guiyang. What the hell are the Guizhou Army units stationed in Xishui and Renhuai doing? Why didn't they detect the Red Army's attack?"

Faced with Chiang Kai-shek's anger, the guard commander responded rationally, "Commander, according to our intelligence, the Red Army unit that entered Xifeng seems to be a newly formed main force. They were the vanguard of the Red Army's campaign. They captured Xishui and Renhuai by surprise, so we didn't get the news in time. We only learned that Renhuai was occupied two days ago."

Later, after sending the air force to reconnoiter, it was discovered that the Red Army's main force had crossed the Chishui River for the fourth time and had already entered Renhuai. The current situation is very dangerous. I suggest that the Commander avoid placing himself in a dangerous position."

Listening to the guard commander, Chiang Kai-shek still angrily replied, "What do you mean? Are you suggesting I be a deserter? If I leave, how will the troops on the front lines view me? Damn it, I don't believe the Red Army can capture Guiyang!"

"Commander, a wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall. The current situation is very dangerous. With the current forces around Guiyang, we can only stop the Red Army for three to five days. You should know that the Guizhou Army's combat effectiveness is unreliable!"

Even though he knew Chiang Kai-shek would not agree to leave, Wang Shihuo, as the personal guard commander, clearly felt it was his duty to say these things. In an emergency, he would even forcibly escort Chiang Kai-shek onto a plane.

Understanding that Wang Shihuo was speaking out of duty, after some consideration, Chiang Kai-shek finally shook his head and said, "No! I can't leave now. Which unit is closest to Guiyang?"

"Report, Commander, the closest unit is actually the Yunnan Army under Long Yun's command, led by Sun Du. If we issue the order now, they should be able to reach Guiyang in about three days."

As the guard commander, Wang Shihuo naturally understood some military strategy. When he learned that the Red Army had crossed the Chishui River for the fourth time and was advancing directly towards Guiyang, he considered various possible scenarios.

One of these scenarios included the Yunnan Army units stationed on the Yunnan-Guizhou border. However, he was somewhat worried that if Sun Du was moved to Guiyang, the Red Army might turn to Yunnan. What would happen then?

But then he thought, if the Red Army's main force advanced into Yunnan, wouldn't it give the Central Army an opportunity to enter Yunnan? Thinking about this, Wang Shihuo felt that mobilizing a part of the Yunnan Army to support Guiyang seemed like a good choice.

As he had expected, Chiang Kai-shek, after looking at the map, quickly said, "Send a telegram to Sun Du, ordering him to bring his troops to Guiyang as quickly as possible to block the Red Army's main force."

"Yes, Commander!"

Just as Wang Shihuo was about to leave, Chiang Kai-shek, seeing the isolated unit that had entered Xifeng, said, "Order the 103rd Division to cooperate with the Xifeng garrison and eliminate this unit as quickly as possible. Damn it, a unit of about 3,000 men dares to advance so boldly into Xifeng. Tell He Zhong, if he cannot eliminate this unit quickly, he will lose his position as division commander. After eliminating this unit, order the 103rd Division to set up defenses in Xifeng. They must hold for at least three days, no matter the cost. Also, order the 102nd Division to set up defenses outside Guiyang."

After hearing Chiang Kai-shek's orders, Wang Shihuo felt there was nothing wrong with them. However, as the telegrams were sent to the 103rd Division, He Zhong also realized that if this battle went poorly, his future would be in jeopardy.

Understanding the order, He Zhong, who had no choice, quickly ordered the entire division to assemble. He also contacted the Xifeng garrison and ordered them to stop the Red Army unit that had entered Xifeng.

As these telegrams were sent, He Zhengdao, who had already set up an ambush, learned that the 103rd Division was on the move and said with a smile, "Chief of Staff, it seems our Commander Chiang is really angry! Send this information to headquarters and have them dispatch troops to capture Daguxinchang. They want to cut off our rear, let's see whose rear will be cut off. Also, order the artillery regiment to return and provide support as quickly as possible!"

"Yes, Commander!"

The communicator quickly sent two telegrams. Upon receiving the telegrams, Mao Zedong also smiled and said, "This kid has a big appetite! With a reinforced regiment, will he be able to ambush a Guizhou Army division?"

In response to Mao Zedong's question, Zhu De thought for a moment and said, "Based on my judgment, that kid won't do anything without being sure. The 103rd Division might fall into his hands. Even if he can't completely annihilate them, he should be able to rout them."

"Good! Let's take a gamble with Chiang. We'll see if his 103rd Division cuts off our rear or if we cut off his 103rd Division's rear. Order the 9th Red Army Corps to launch an attack on Daguxinchang!"

As both sides' commanders adjusted their forces based on the latest movements, the Independent Regiment, which had arrived at Xifeng, also set up for an attack. The mountain guns were also set up outside the city.

However, in reality, this setup was mostly for show. Out of the dozen or so mountain guns, only three were actually operational. The rest were fake guns made by Zhang Cheng using wooden poles.

Even so, the Independent Regiment and a part of the logistics regiment, totaling about 3,000 men, surrounded Xifeng, causing great fear among the Guizhou Army garrison. This garrison knew they might not be able to wait for reinforcements!

Just as the Independent Regiment was setting up for the attack, the 103rd Division, with nearly 10,000 troops, began to march from Daguxinchang to Xifeng. However, they did not know that an ambush was already set up in front of them.

Seeing the artillery regiment, which had joined the 103rd Division, He Zhengdao said happily, "Old Zhu, you've worked hard! The next battle will also depend on your artillery regiment! Don't be stingy with the shells, use as many as you can. We must quickly defeat the 103rd Division and then launch a general attack on Xifeng. I believe the spoils there will not disappoint us. We can replenish the shells from the Nationalist Army's warehouses after we use them up."

"Yes, Commander! You'll see, our artillery regiment will not let you down!"

When the mountain guns were buried, Zhu Yiding was very reluctant. But now, as they were dug up again, he wondered if He Zhengdao had some foresight. After a round trip, the mountain guns were back in their hands.

If they had dragged these mountain guns along during the march, they would have fallen far behind the main force. Now, by retrieving the mountain guns from Xifeng, they had saved a lot of time. The 103rd Division, which would soon taste the artillery fire, would likely be surprised!

After all, no one had seen them equipped with a dozen mountain guns during their campaign. This intelligence failure would be very fatal for the 103rd Division, which was about to engage them.

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