Chapter 68

When the 03 Division was successfully defeated, the defense regiment of the Guizhou Army guarding Xifeng City also quickly fell into disarray due to the infiltration of the reconnaissance company. In the end, they had no choice but to open the city gates and surrender to the 1st Regiment outside the city.

Seeing the city gates wide open, Zhang Cheng was also very excited and said, "Great, order the troops to enter the city as quickly as possible and take over the defense warehouses and barracks. Also, post notices to reassure the people and prevent any hooligans from causing trouble."

"Yes, Regiment Commander."

The three battalion commanders responsible for the feint attack were also very pleased to have taken Xifeng City smoothly. Most importantly, such a battle had resulted in very few casualties. It could be said that this was a complete victory.

The main force of the 1st Regiment, which rushed into the city one after another, quickly took control of the situation inside. However, as Zhang Cheng entered the city, many people were surprised and said, "Isn't that Regiment Commander Liu? Why is he wearing the uniform of the Red Army again?"

Zhang Cheng, who had been stationed in Xifeng for a period of time, had dealt with the local officials and gentry by pretending to be the commander of the 704th Regiment of the Central Army. Now, the officials and gentry who recognized him immediately felt very puzzled.

According to the information they had, the 704th Regiment had been completely annihilated by the Red Army. So, was the Red Army regiment commander in front of them the same person as the Central Army regiment commander who had previously stationed in Xifeng, or was there really someone so similar in the world?

After successfully taking over the barracks and warehouses, Zhang Cheng also breathed a sigh of relief and said to the guard beside him, "Send a telegram to the division headquarters and report that we have successfully taken Xifeng City. Request the next combat plan."

The 1st Regiment, which was also equipped with a radio, quickly sent the telegram to the division. Upon receiving the telegram, He Zhengdao was also surprised and said, "Wasn't he supposed to conduct a feint attack? How did he manage to take Xifeng City?"

Wang Tianlin, hearing the question, smiled and said, "The defense of Xifeng is a local defense regiment of the Guizhou Army. You should know the quality of those soldiers. I have already asked, and the 1st Regiment's casualties in taking Xifeng were very small."

"Alright, order the 1st Regiment to control Xifeng City and wait for the main force of the division to join up. At the same time, order the reconnaissance company to continue reconnaissance. Search for the deployment of the Guizhou Army in Guiyang."

"Also, send the news of the 03 Division's defeat and the breakout of Commander He Zhizhong with the remnants to the headquarters. Additionally, order the 2nd Regiment, 3rd Regiment, and the logistics regiment to speed up the cleanup of the battlefield and strive to join up with the 1st Regiment before nightfall."

"Yes, Division Commander."

As Wang Tianlin went to issue these orders, He Zhengdao looked at the battle damage reports being submitted one after another. With nearly a hundred dead and over two hundred lightly and heavily wounded, He Zhengdao still felt a bit heartbroken.

However, he knew that compared to the nearly three thousand they had killed and nearly four thousand they had captured, the division's losses would be seen as a great victory by many. Thinking about this, He Zhengdao felt that his heart was not yet hard enough.

"A general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand. It seems I still have a long way to go to become a qualified military commander."

"Order the logistics regiment to send the lightly and heavily wounded to Xifeng City for treatment as quickly as possible. Also, collect the bodies of each fallen soldier and find a place to bury them when we reach Xifeng City."

"Yes, Division Commander."

The communicator, hearing this order, seemed to know that what He Zhengdao disliked most was seeing casualties in his own troops. But the problem was that achieving such a great victory without any casualties was simply impossible.

As the division began to clean up the battlefield and prepare to continue advancing to Xifeng, He Zhizhong, who had escaped, looked at his subordinates lying on the ground and felt a strong urge to cry. He knew that his military career was probably over.

But he still asked, "How many people escaped?"

"Report to the Division Commander, I have already sent people to count. However, only about a thousand people from the 3rd Regiment escaped with us. There are still some coming in, but it won't be many."

Out of the 9,000-strong 03 Division that left Daguxinchang, almost the entire army was now annihilated. Such a crushing defeat made He Zhizhong truly feel that his fate would not be good.

Compared to the dejected 03 Division soldiers, Mao Zedong and Zhu De, who were still resting in Maotai Town, laughed as Zhou Enlai shouted before even entering the room, "Old Mao, the division has reported a great victory! The 03 Division has been crippled."

As Red Army commanders, Mao Zedong and Zhu De undoubtedly loved to hear good news. Zhou Enlai, who was also very pleased, said several "good" words when he received the telegram from the division.

Taking the telegram, Mao Zedong looked at the report from the division and said with satisfaction, "Not bad. To achieve such a great victory with such minimal casualties is indeed a major victory. This kid seems to have some command skills."

Hearing this, Zhu De also smiled and said, "Old Mao, aren't you being too strict with Xiao He? Although the division had the advantage of an ambush, they didn't have a numerical advantage.

"In such a situation, he still achieved such a great victory, and you should praise him. It's a bit of a pity that He Zhizhong escaped. But when he returns to Daguxinchang, he will probably be spitting blood."

The 9th Red Army Corps, which was currently attacking Daguxinchang, had not yet completely cleared the Guizhou Army from Daguxinchang. However, from the current situation, victory was only a matter of time. This way, the main Red Army force entering Guizhou West would have a smooth path.

At this moment, Zhou Enlai also said, "Old Mao, according to the intercepted telegrams, Sun Du's Yunnan Army is moving towards Guiyang. It seems that Chiang Kai-shek is really worried about his base and has sent the Yunnan Army to protect him."

"Oh, how many people?"

"About a division's worth of troops."

After hearing the latest intelligence provided by Zhou Enlai, Mao Zedong and Zhu De began to analyze the battle map. Looking at the flag marking Sun Du's forces, Mao Zedong nodded and said, "It seems the path into Yunnan is also open."

"Yes, but we need to act quickly and enter Yunnan before they react. Otherwise, if the Yunnan Army blocks us at the Yunnan-Guizhou border and the main Central Army forces under Zhou Huan's command come to the rescue, we will have trouble."

When ordering the division to serve as the main force for the feint attack, Mao Zedong's strategic intention was to draw out the Yunnan Army. Now that this strategic goal has been achieved, the main Red Army force needs to move as quickly as possible.

With the 9th Red Army Corps reporting the capture of Daguxinchang in the evening, Mao Zedong immediately ordered the 1st Red Army Corps to serve as the main vanguard and begin advancing towards the Yunnan-Guizhou border. The rest of the main Red Army forces also set out at night.

Without having to fight, the Red Army soldiers, with ample supplies, did not find the night march particularly arduous. Compared to the previous period of fighting and marching, the current situation was much better.

The telegram about Sun Du's forces rushing to Guiyang was also forwarded to the division. Seeing this, He Zhengdao, who had just arrived in Xifeng City, immediately convened a meeting of battalion and regiment commanders to discuss the division's next combat plan.

Knowing that the division must race against the incoming Sun Du's forces, He Zhengdao quickly formulated a plan to threaten Guiyang and ambush Sun Du's forces. This was because the newly formed 02 Division, which was stationed around Guiyang, had already entered the city.

Seeing that Chiang Kai-shek was trying to hold onto Guiyang City, He Zhengdao was delighted. After all, he had never intended to truly capture Guiyang City and catch Chiang Kai-shek. Now, Chiang Kai-shek's troop movements gave him an opportunity.

After resting for a few hours in Xifeng City, the main force of the 3rd Regiment of the division began to advance rapidly towards Guiyang along the Xifeng line. He Zhengdao, leading the logistics regiment, also moved towards Guiyang without any obstacles.

For a time, the entire Guiyang region became tense, and many people following the battle felt that Chiang Kai-shek, who had personally come to Guiyang to oversee the battle, probably never dreamed that the Red Army could reach Guiyang.

In this situation, it seemed that the whole country's attention was focused on Guiyang. In contrast, the main Red Army force entering Guizhou West and advancing quietly seemed to have been forgotten.

Sun Du, who received the order to rush to Guiyang, received several urging telegrams every day. But for Sun Du, unless he could fly, his Yunnan Army division would take at least three days to reach Guiyang.

Seeing the constant flow of information, Chiang Kai-shek, who was stationed in Guiyang, was also somewhat nervous. However, he knew that as long as Guiyang City did not fall, he would be safe. For safety, the airport was controlled by his guard regiment.

If the Red Army really attacked Guiyang City, he would rather lose face than lose his life in Guiyang. The next thing to see was whether the main Red Army force could really capture Guiyang.

At least in the eyes of many people following the battle, if the Red Army captured Guiyang, it would only be a nominal victory. On the contrary, the main Red Army force would face a counterattack from the rescue forces.

But until the final moment of the battle, no one could predict how it would end.

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