Chapter 8

In He Zhengdao's memory, in later generations, Gongcheng should have become a national autonomous county, but it was not so now. As a strategically important county in western Guangxi, a Guangxi Army security regiment was permanently stationed here.

With the Red Army entering western Guangxi and operating around the Xiang River, Gongcheng was now used as a rear base, serving as a storage area for supplies and a military stronghold for detaining Red Army prisoners.

Under the guise of a search team from Fuchuan that had been eliminated by He Zhengdao, they escorted five Red Army soldiers disguised as prisoners. After their documents were checked, the group of twenty-eight people smoothly entered the city. Under the guidance of the city defense officer responsible for receiving the prisoners, He Zhengdao, as the platoon leader, successfully reconnoitered the temporary prison where the Red Army prisoners were detained.

After sending the five skilled Red Army soldiers inside to act as insiders, He Zhengdao gave them a reassuring look. He then accompanied the officer, who had been thoroughly charmed, and left the prison, which housed many Red Army prisoners who looked somewhat dejected.

After touring the prison with the battalion commander of the security regiment, He Zhengdao received a reward of twenty-five silver dollars and said happily, "Commander Zhu, it's a rare coincidence that we met today. I just received some reward money and would like to treat you to a good meal. Commander Zhu, would you be so kind as to take me to a restaurant with good food and wine, so I can show my gratitude?"

The battalion commander, who was said to have a bit of money and family background, and who was currently idle in the prison, did not refuse He Zhengdao's enthusiastic invitation. He handed over his duties to a subordinate responsible for guarding the prison and led He Zhengdao to a restaurant in the city that looked quite upscale.

The waiter, who seemed very familiar with Commander Zhu, greeted him with flattery, "We have honored guests, Commander Zhu, it's rare for you to visit. Please, honored guests, follow me upstairs."

After shouting this, the waiter led Commander Zhu and He Zhengdao to a relatively quiet table by the window on the second floor. Using the excuse that he was not familiar with the menu, He Zhengdao asked Commander Zhu to order a few of the restaurant's specialties. Commander Zhu did not hesitate and ordered several expensive meat dishes.

At the same time, seeing He Zhengdao's generous expression, he also asked the waiter, who was beaming with joy, to bring two bottles of the restaurant's best high-end liquor.

Once the food and drinks were served, He Zhengdao used his brotherly enthusiasm to get Commander Zhu drunk and helped him down the stairs. He also managed to extract a lot of information about Gongcheng and the recent situation outside from him.

Just as in his previous life's memory, although the main force of the Red Army had successfully broken through the Xiang River encirclement, the brutal battle that resulted in more than half of their forces being lost was unavoidable. Recently, counties like Gongcheng, which had a regiment stationed, had dispatched many search teams to the surrounding counties and towns of the Xiang River to search for possible Red Army stragglers and wounded soldiers.

He Zhengdao learned that, apart from the search teams like his, the actual garrison in the city was only two security battalions. The other security battalion, led by the commander of the Gongcheng security regiment, had already gone to the Xiang River to capture prisoners. According to Commander Zhu, many officers of the search teams that had recently captured Red Army stragglers around the Xiang River had made a fortune.

Because the scattered Red Army soldiers were numerous and had few bullets after leaving the main force, the search teams could easily capture them after a short pursuit. Some search teams could even capture more Red Army stragglers and wounded soldiers in a day than the number of their own team.

This almost money-grabbing search naturally made the security regiment commanders of the surrounding cities eager. They abandoned their duties and took the lead in commanding the search teams in their cities, rushing to the Xiang River to make a fortune from the Red Army.

For the Guangxi Army officers who took pleasure in capturing Red Army soldiers, this operation to capture Red Army prisoners was a way to make a fortune. Compared to small search teams like He Zhengdao's, who could earn five silver dollars for each Red Army prisoner captured, the security regiment commanders could get seven to eight silver dollars per prisoner from the higher command.

To encourage these warlords to intensify their efforts to eliminate the Red Army, the bald committee chairman had allocated a lot of reward money. Moreover, if the officers captured many prisoners and left a good impression on their superiors, promotion would be just around the corner.

After sending the drunk Commander Zhu, who was calling him brother, to the company commander responsible for guarding the prison, He Zhengdao returned to the resting place of the Fuchuan search team. While he and Commander Zhu were gathering information in the city, Zhao Erzai and the others had also thoroughly scouted the important targets and key traffic routes in the city.

Using the intelligence gathered, He Zhengdao drew a rough defense map of Gongcheng and decided to avoid delays. They would first capture the prison, which was guarded by only one company, and rescue the Red Army prisoners, who could form two companies. After arming them, they would seize the weapons depot and the security regiment headquarters in Gongcheng.

If the plan was exposed early, they would have to break out of the city under the cover of darkness and find another way. After all, with just one platoon, it would be unrealistic to fight against the two security battalions in the city. Only by completing the first rescue plan would their chances of success increase.

After confirming the plan for the night, He Zhengdao selected ten more agile and skilled Red Army soldiers from the chosen group to assist him in the rescue mission. The other ten or so soldiers with good marksmanship, led by Zhao Erzai, would provide support outside the prison. Once the gunfire started inside, they would draw the enemy's attention, giving He Zhengdao time to rescue the prisoners.

With everything arranged, He Zhengdao, as the overall commander of the rescue operation, ordered the group to rest. They would be woken up at around three or four in the morning to start the operation. That time was when people were most likely to be drowsy, reducing the chance of being discovered during the rescue.

The Gongcheng security regiment, being fellow Guangxi Army, had arranged food and lodging for them. Therefore, He Zhengdao and his nearly thirty men squeezed onto two large bunks and began to rest with their weapons.

When He Zhengdao, who was meditating, saw the hands of his watch, a foreign mechanical wristwatch he had taken from a killed Guangxi Army officer, point to 3:30 AM, he immediately woke up the sleeping Red Army soldiers to prepare for the rescue operation.

Leading the way, He Zhengdao brought Zhao Erzai and the others to a street corner near the prison guarded by the Guangxi Army, hiding there. He then took the ten selected Red Army soldiers to the back of the prison.

Looking at the wall, which was over three meters high, He Zhengdao had the ten soldiers prepare. He was the first to climb over the wall. Having already seen the martial skills of this commander from the security regiment, the soldiers knew he was the most capable Red Army fighter they had ever seen. They watched as He Zhengdao climbed the three-meter-high wall, stepping on it once and hanging steadily on the edge.

Holding onto the edge of the wall, He Zhengdao cautiously peered over and saw that the inside was completely quiet, with no one in sight. He quickly climbed over the wall and signaled the other soldiers to form a human ladder. They quickly and smoothly entered the temporary prison, which was likely converted from a warehouse.

Having scouted the prison layout during the day, He Zhengdao led the group. He noticed that the two guards at the entrance to the prison were dozing off. He signaled the soldiers to stop, drew two throwing knives from his waist, took a deep breath, and quickly threw them.

The two throwing knives hit the guards between their foreheads and throats, preventing them from making any noise. He Zhengdao rushed forward, caught the guards as they fell, and muffled their mouths, using his foot to catch their guns before they hit the ground. When the two Red Army soldiers came to assist, the operation was completely silent.

He ordered the two Red Army soldiers to replace the guards and prevent anyone from entering. He then slipped into the prison first, quickly and silently killing the eight Guangxi Army guards who were sleeping in the duty room.

After eliminating the threat in the prison, He Zhengdao found the keys in the duty room and carefully opened the main door. He soon saw many Red Army prisoners who were still awake, looking at him with surprise.

Putting a finger to his lips to signal the prisoners to be quiet, some of the prisoners who were sitting on the ground quickly stood up and walked quietly to the cell door. They looked at He Zhengdao and the others with disbelief and excitement, whispering, "Comrades, are you...?"