Chapter 66

As an important source of tax revenue for the Qian army, Daguxinchang has always been a place of commercial importance for the Qian warlords. Whoever controls this territory will have a stable source of tax revenue. With money, expanding and maintaining the army will become much easier.

Even He Zhizhong, the commander of the newly formed 103rd Division, chose this area as the headquarters for his 103rd Division. Upon receiving the order from Chairman Chiang, he did not bring all his troops out.

He Zhizhong, who commands four main regiments and numerous defense militia, felt that leading three main regiments would be enough to deal with the isolated Red Army unit that had entered Xifeng. After all, according to intelligence, this unit only has about 3,000 men.

A three-to-one ratio in terms of manpower, plus the presence of the Xifeng defense regiment, gives them a significant advantage over the isolated Red Army. The remaining main regiment of the 103rd Division is still stationed in Daguxinchang.

Looking at the continuous intelligence reports from the reconnaissance company, He Zhengdao said happily, "Chief of Staff, it seems that Commander He is still very concerned about his old base! He hasn't followed the instructions to mobilize all the main forces of his division!"

"Isn't that perfect? If he really brought out all the main forces of his division, this battle would be much harder for us. Even now, with 3,000 against 9,000, we still face considerable pressure!"

Even with the ambush positions already set up, Wang Tianlin still viewed the 103rd Division as a formidable opponent. Fortunately, the reconnaissance company's reports did not mention that the 103rd Division had brought mountain guns.

Although they have mortars, in the upcoming ambush, a division with mountain guns would have a significant advantage in heavy firepower. Wang Tianlin also thought that burying the mountain guns in Xifeng was a stroke of genius.

Regarding Wang Tianlin's concerns, He Zhengdao smiled and said, "Chief of Staff, with the firepower of our two main infantry regiments, plus the mortar companies and heavy machine gun companies of two regiments, and the artillery battalion, such a concentrated attack would make you wonder how long the Qian army can hold out. Moreover, this Qian army unit is a reorganized remnant of the 25th Army. Their morale is likely to be low when facing us again.

Many of the Qian army soldiers would be grateful to have survived the previous battles. As long as our ambush is successful, even if we can't completely annihilate them, we can at least make them retreat in disarray and abandon their plans to outflank us."

After hearing He Zhengdao's analysis, Wang Tianlin also thought it was possible. Previously, the 59th Division of the Central Army was also defeated without a chance to fight back when ambushed in Xifeng.

After analyzing this, He Zhengdao said to the communicator, "Send a message to headquarters, informing the brother units attacking Daguxinchang. The 103rd Division still has one main regiment left, and their divisional artillery battalion has not moved out."

He felt it necessary to remind the 9th Red Army Corps attacking Daguxinchang. After all, a regular Qian army main regiment, plus a divisional artillery battalion, still has significant advantages in defensive battles.

Moreover, in the Daguxinchang area, there are also many defense militia. Once the Red Army launches an attack, these militia will likely cause some trouble. Therefore, it is necessary to remind the attacking units to be cautious.

Upon receiving the message from the division, Mao Zedong quickly said, "Send a report to the 9th Red Army Corps, informing them of the situation reported by the division. Instruct the 9th Red Army Corps to be cautious of the enemy's artillery during the attack."

"Yes!"

When the intelligence reached the 9th Red Army Corps, Corps Commander Luo Binghui also felt that the information was timely. If they launched an attack rashly, the 1st Red Regiment might suffer a setback. The role of an artillery battalion cannot be underestimated!

"Communicator, promptly inform the 1st Red Regiment of this situation. Order our other participating units to steadily advance and capture Daguxinchang, trying to avoid significant casualties!"

As the radio waves transmitted back and forth within Qianxi, the division, which had been waiting for nearly a day, finally received the news that the 103rd Division was about to enter the ambush zone. All the Red Army officers and soldiers were ready for the attack.

As the key to this ambush, the artillery battalion's soldiers, despite feeling exhausted from the constant movement, were still determined to set up the mountain guns and wait for He Zhengdao's order to launch an artillery attack on the 103rd Division.

As for outside Xifeng, Zhang Cheng did not rush to attack. Instead, he frequently sent people to the city to persuade the defenders to surrender. Unfortunately, the defense regiment commander on the city wall did not dare to surrender. If he did, he would surely be executed.

Given this situation, Zhang Cheng, who had come to the regiment's artillery company, asked, "Soon, you will target the city gate. Our reconnaissance officers saw many officers on the city wall. Adjust the artillery quickly and try to hit them. If we can kill a few Qian army officers, this battle will be much easier. Although the division commander ordered us to feint, if we can capture Xifeng early, the next battle will be much easier!"

Hearing Zhang Cheng's words, the artillery company commander said seriously, "Please rest assured, we will do our best!"

After personally adjusting the artillery parameters, the artillery company commander, upon receiving permission, heard Zhang Cheng say, "Fire!"

"Yes, Commander!"

As the three mountain guns simultaneously fired, the defense regiment commander, who was encouraging the soldiers to hold the city, heard "Commander, be careful" just before a loud explosion. In an instant, he knew nothing more!

Seeing two of the three shells hit the city gate directly, Zhang Cheng said excitedly, "Good shot! Continue!"

"Yes, Commander!"

Apart from one mountain gun, which was readjusted, the other two mountain guns roared again. The continuous shells made the Qian army and militia on the city wall tremble with fear. They felt that this battle was impossible to win.

At this moment, Zhang Cheng ordered again, "Order the regiment's mortar company to advance and fire. The regiment's heavy machine gun company will provide fire support, trying to force these militia to surrender the city!"

Through the telescope, Zhang Cheng saw the panic on the city wall and felt it necessary to intensify the pressure. If he could capture Xifeng before the main force arrived, it would be a great boost for the newly expanded 1st Regiment!

Sure enough, as the regiment's heavy machine guns roared, the soldiers of the regiment's mortar company began to advance their mortar positions. Seeing these Red Army soldiers setting up their mortars, the militia on the city wall were even more panicked.

Although the defense officers ordered the militia to fire, the militia soldiers dared not expose themselves to the heavy machine gun fire. Even if they fired, most of the bullets flew into the sky.

Moreover, the sharpshooters of the 1st Regiment, in coordination with the heavy machine gun company, conducted precise shooting. The militia soldiers exposed to the gun barrels mostly could not escape being shot. Seeing their comrades fall one after another, the militia soldiers on the city wall were terrified.

When the deputy defense regiment commander, seeing the already fallen regiment commander and the severely wounded battalion commanders, felt bitter. How could they hold out against the Red Army with artillery until the 103rd Division came to their aid?

"Quick! Send a message to the 103rd Division, asking them to speed up. The Red Army has already launched an attack, and we can't hold out much longer."

Naturally, upon receiving the message from the defense regiment, learning that the isolated unit had already launched an attack, He Zhizhong did not dare to delay. He ordered the troops to accelerate their advance.

If this unit captured Xifeng, it would be difficult to pursue them. If they defended the city, it would be almost impossible to recapture Xifeng with the weapons they had.

It was the defense regiment's request for help that made He Zhizhong realize that the 1st Regiment attacking Xifeng was the same Red Army unit that had captured Xishui and Renhuai. He did not know that the main force of the division had been waiting for them for a long time.

Learning that the 103rd Division was accelerating to Xifeng, He Zhengdao smiled and said, "Good! It seems he is in a hurry! Order the troops to prepare for battle. Once the main force of the 103rd Division enters the ambush zone, launch the attack immediately!"

After the order was passed down, the soldiers of the division, hidden in the trenches, were both eager and tense, staring at the road ahead. Once the battle began, they would fire their guns as quickly as possible.

Throughout the journey, every soldier of the division knew that they were no longer short of weapons and ammunition. Therefore, when the battle began, they could fire their guns without worrying about running out of ammunition!

At the same time, in the logistics regiment hidden behind the ambush position, Wu Zhefeng, who had been captured in Renhuai, was somewhat worried about the division headquarters. He knew that the 103rd Division was in grave danger.

However, he was very clear that although the regiment had them as a reserve force, ready to be deployed in the next battle, they still had not gained the full trust of the division.

If he dared to give any early warning, his fate would be death. The other Qian army captives who sympathized with the 103rd Division also understood this.

Once the battle began, the defeat or annihilation of the 103rd Division seemed to be only a matter of time. Once the 103rd Division was defeated, the entire Qianxi region would be open to the Red Army.

Even if the division attacked Guiyang this time, it would be under the threat of the Red Army. It seemed that the prospects for the encirclement and suppression forces were bleak. Does this mean that joining the Red Army might be a good choice?

(ps: Just returned from a trip to the countryside for ancestral worship, sorry! Another update will come later! Thank you for your support and donations! I am very grateful!)