Chapter 71

When the attention of various encirclement forces was drawn to the Red Army's Independent Division surrounding Guiyang City, the First Red Army, led by the First Red Army Corps, rapidly maneuvered within Qianxi. By the time the Independent Division withdrew, the main force had already reached the Shuicheng area.

And with the crisis of Guiyang being surrounded resolved, the encirclement forces also learned this news. Faced with the rapid advance of the Red Army's main force, the Central Army returning to Guiyang felt somewhat helpless.

Most importantly, upon learning that the Independent Division had defeated Sun Du's forces in the suburbs of Guiyang, Long Yun, as the commander-in-chief of the Yunnan Army, also appeared somewhat furious. He was very clear that the defensive network set up by the Yunnan Army had been torn open with a large gap.

From the current speed of the Red Army's advance, it was evident that the Red Army would certainly enter Yunnan. Faced with this situation, Long Yun also quickly mobilized troops, hoping to make up for the defensive gap formed by the defeat of Sun Du's forces.

Upon learning that the main force had already entered Shuicheng, He Zhengdao felt that the Red Army's route of operations in Guizhou seemed to deviate somewhat from his memory. However, from the telegrams sent by headquarters, He Zhengdao also knew that the main force would turn to Yunnan.

This meant that the small deviation in the route of advance did not seem to affect the Red Army's subsequent re-entry into Sichuan from within Yunnan. This also meant that the well-known battles to come would likely still occur.

The Independent Division, which had entered Pingba, only rested for half a day before continuing its march, following the route of support for Sun Du's forces. The Independent Division's marching speed was not slow, but it seemed to maintain a distance of two to three days from the main force.

The reason for this was that the Independent Division's mission had changed. They had shifted from being the vanguard during the four crossings of the Chishui River to becoming the rear guard of the main force. For such a change in mission, He Zhengdao also felt no surprise.

Looking at the slow-moving logistics units, He Zhengdao was well aware that the Central Army returning to Guiyang was not far from the Independent Division. If they continued to march slowly, the Independent Division might soon face a heavy encirclement by the encirclement forces.

Thinking about this, as the troops entered the next rest area, He Zhengdao specifically called Yao Shengjun to discuss: "Commissar, our marching speed is still somewhat slow. Although the Central Army is still some distance away, if we continue like this, we will eventually be caught up. This time, the Independent Division has stirred up a hornet's nest. Given Chiang Kai-shek's temper, he will certainly not let us easily join the main force and will try to encircle and annihilate us.

You know, the Central Army's ability to transport troops is stronger than that of the Qian and Yunnan armies. If they mobilize a division of troops to pursue us by car, we might be caught before we even enter Yunnan. My suggestion is to select the supplies we urgently need and bury the rest that slow down our march. I believe these supplies will be useful eventually!"

"Commander? Who will use the buried supplies?"

From Yao Shengjun's perspective, he was also aware that the logistics units' marching speed somewhat delayed the main force's advance. As for the cars captured from Sun Du's forces, most were used to transport the wounded. However, supplies still relied on human and mule transport.

But burying a large amount of supplies seemed wasteful to Yao Shengjun. Given his experience of hard times, he was well aware of the importance of supplies to the Red Army.

Even in Yao Shengjun's view, with these large amounts of supplies, the Independent Division could continue to expand during the operations. For the Red Army, which had suffered significant losses, expansion was inevitable.

Listening to Yao Shengjun's questions, He Zhengdao quickly replied: "Commissar, we have been working together for a long time. You should know that as long as the Independent Division is not caught by the pursuing Central Army, the Qian and Yunnan armies ahead are not a concern. I am telling you this to let you know that in the days to come, as long as we have battles to fight, we should not worry about a shortage of supplies. Instead, you should worry about not being able to carry all the captured supplies.

The decision to bury supplies is, first, to quickly increase the distance between the Independent Division and the pursuing Nationalist forces. Second, I believe that burying these supplies on-site might play a crucial role for a certain unit."

"Which unit? Are there other units behind us?"

At this moment, He Zhengdao spread out a map of enemy and friendly forces on the table, pointing to the Second Red Army Corps in western Hunan: "Commissar, do you think what the main force will do once it breaks out of the enemy's encirclement? How will the Second Red Army Corps proceed?"

"Commander, do you mean the Second Red Army Corps might follow our route?"

From the initial burial of supplies outside Jingzhou, Yao Shengjun felt somewhat confused. Now, seeing He Zhengdao point out a place in front of Pingba to bury supplies for the Second Red Army Corps to use, he was even more puzzled.

Seemingly noticing Yao Shengjun's confusion, He Zhengdao continued to explain: "Commissar, according to the latest route decided by headquarters, we will join the Fourth Red Army Corps and establish a base for the northern advance against Japan. In the entire south, only the Second and Sixth Red Armies commanded by General He Long remain. If I were Chiang Kai-shek, knowing that he cannot capture our main force, he would certainly try to reduce our strength.

Thus, when the encirclement forces pursuing us and He Jian's Hunan Army regroup, the best decision to preserve this force would be for the Second and Sixth Red Armies to join the main force and advance north. If the main forces of our major bases can all establish a foothold in the north, we may not be able to capture much territory, but I believe we can secure at least one province. After all, the Nationalist forces in the north are not strong either."

After He Zhengdao's explanation, Yao Shengjun found it reasonable but still asked: "Should we report this to headquarters?"

"Commissar, this is just my subjective speculation. How can we report it to headquarters? Burying some weapons, ammunition, and food, even if General He Long's forces do not use them, can be given to our guerrillas. I believe that with our Red Army's operations in Guizhou, the local people already know that we are the army of the poor. The seeds we leave behind will certainly lead to guerrilla warfare in Guizhou in the future.

These supplies, if not used by General He Long's forces, can be given to local or nearby guerrillas. With the weapons, ammunition, and food we bury, the guerrillas' strength will certainly improve.

Most importantly, we cannot carry so many supplies now. We are currently traveling on major roads, and cars can still be useful. But what if the Nationalist forces send planes? We will be in trouble!"

Regarding the power of planes, Yao Shengjun, who had participated in the Xiangjiang Campaign, was well aware. Currently, in Guizhou, the Central Army also had airfields, including one in Guiyang.

Faced with these aerial giants, the Red Army not only disliked them but also feared them. Currently, the Independent Division mostly marched at dusk and rested in safe places during the day to avoid the Central Army's reconnaissance planes flying over Guizhou. If not for the good camouflage provided by He Zhengdao, the Red Army might have been bombed by the Central Army's air force during the day.

Thinking about this, Yao Shengjun quickly said: "Alright, how much should we bury?"

"Commissar, you can decide. My requirement is that the marching speed of the troops must not be affected. The main force has already left Shuicheng, and I hope to rejoin them when we enter Yunnan."

"Alright!"

Yao Shengjun, who took on this task straightforwardly, chose to bury all the supplies that needed to be carried by soldiers based on the transport capacity of the mules. For this decision, the logistics troops, who were former prisoners, felt very happy.

After all, carrying heavy supplies while marching was tiring for each prisoner. Now, they only needed to carry their own belongings and drive the mules, which was much easier.

However, many prisoners did not know where the supplies they had carried earlier had gone. Given the Independent Division's consumption of over ten thousand troops, the daily consumption of supplies was not small, and they assumed the supplies had been used by the troops.

Seeing the significantly faster marching speed as the troops set off again, He Zhengdao felt very pleased. When the Independent Division reached the Anshun area in Guizhou, the captured cars, due to a lack of fuel, were completely out of commission.

Faced with this situation, He Zhengdao felt somewhat helpless. But seeing the car tires, he found tools to dismantle them and, in the presence of many Red Army officers and soldiers, converted them into several special carts.

As He Zhengdao put it, this was a form of waste utilization. These carts made from car tires were undoubtedly more durable than the mule carts the Independent Division had confiscated or purchased. Using them to transport goods was a good use of resources!

Even if the Central Army found these cars in the future, seeing them in such a state, they would likely not be able to repair them. Given the high cost of cars at the time, the Central Army would probably feel the pain of seeing these irreparable cars!