Chapter 86

For Zhou Hunyuan, the main force of the Independent Division capturing Shuicheng was indeed somewhat unexpected. However, he was also well aware that the Independent Division would not abandon the Third Regiment, which had yet to join the main force, and would certainly hold Shuicheng firmly.

This would also create an opportunity for the encircling forces to encircle and annihilate the Independent Division. At least in Zhou Hunyuan's view, although he only had one division, the other two reinforcement forces were not far from Shuicheng.

Under the three-pronged encirclement, the Independent Division faced only two options: one was to hold Shuicheng and block the encircling forces. In this case, even if the Independent Division eventually won, its strength would be severely damaged.

The second option was to give up Shuicheng and return to the Liuzhi area to join the main force of the Third Regiment. However, Zhou Hunyuan felt that this was not a good choice for the Independent Division either.

The reason was that the 86th Division and the two Guangxi divisions were not far away. Once the Independent Division withdrew from Shuicheng and lost this stable base, the fate of the Independent Division would not be much better.

The most pressing task at present was to encircle Shuicheng before the Third Regiment of the Independent Division. Therefore, Zhou Hunyuan's troops, like the Third Regiment, chose to advance lightly equipped when they set out the next day.

What Zhou Hunyuan did not know was that He Zhengdao, who was leading the Third Regiment to advance rapidly, had already dispatched the reconnaissance battalion to cut off Zhou Hunyuan's logistics supply line. Without the support of rear supplies, Zhou Hunyuan's troops would not last long.

In contrast, the three main regiments of the Independent Division outside Shuicheng, in He Zhengdao's view, had two to three days to build defensive works and had captured a large number of artillery pieces. Holding Shuicheng was not a problem at all.

Moreover, the Independent Division had a large number of new troops that could be dispatched to the three blocking positions at any time. This undoubtedly increased the Independent Division's chances of victory. Even when the Third Regiment arrived, Zhou Hunyuan would have to be careful about the risk of being completely annihilated.

While the Third Regiment and Zhou Hunyuan's troops were competing in speed, He Zhengdao assigned the minority soldiers, including Gao Lin, to be the vanguard. By asking the local residents, they sought the fastest route to Shuicheng.

This greatly increased the speed of the Third Regiment's march. Every time they passed through a village, He Zhengdao would leave a batch of weapons and ammunition to thank the local leaders for their help to the Red Army.

Of course, while the local leaders were happy, He Zhengdao would also make a small request. He hoped that after they left, if strangers passed through their controlled areas, they would detain them.

Even if they did not kill them, just detaining them for a while would suffice. This meant that for the spies, it would become very dangerous and difficult to track the movements of the Third Regiment.

As the Third Regiment passed through several minority villages and their movements disappeared from the spies' sight, the reconnaissance battalion arrived in the jungle on the official road from Tongchang to Shuicheng before nightfall.

Looking at the troops who had worked hard all day and the official road below, Li Xiangdong thought for a moment and said, "Each company should separate and find advantageous positions to implement phased resistance and destruction. Starting tonight, no horse-drawn cart should pass this road."

"Yes, Battalion Commander!"

After the four reconnaissance companies separated, each found defensive positions. They buried explosive charges at some narrow road intersections overnight, ready to detonate them when the Central Army's logistics units passed the next day to block the passage of these transport vehicles.

At this moment, Zhou Hunyuan, who had lost track of the Third Regiment of the Independent Division, looked at the two routes almost parallel to theirs and said worriedly, "What's wrong with the intelligence department? How could they lose track of thousands of people?"

Faced with Zhou Hunyuan's inquiry, the intelligence officer in charge was also helpless and said, "Commander, according to the information we have, the route taken by the Third Regiment mostly passes through areas inhabited by local minorities.

I don't know how the Red Army managed to gain the goodwill of these natives. In the past, not even the Guizhou Army dared to pass through their areas casually, for fear of accidentally provoking the natives.

If my guess is correct, the intelligence personnel who were tracking the Third Regiment must have been captured by the natives. They are quite rough in dealing with strangers passing through their controlled areas."

As an intelligence officer, the officer in charge of this intelligence liaison naturally knew that Guizhou was the area with the most minorities. Even now, many places were still governed by local chieftains.

The Red Army passing through their territory without obstruction indeed made him feel somewhat incredulous! But he did not know that He Zhengdao had given generous rewards when passing through these chieftain-controlled areas!

In the eyes of many Central Army officers, the Red Army was a force that would even pick up bullet casings after a battle. Someone as generous as He Zhengdao, who gave guns, ammunition, and money, was probably hard to find in the entire Red Army.

The chieftains were not foolish and knew that opposing the Red Army would bring no benefits. Serving the Central Army would also not end well. They would choose to cooperate with whoever brought them benefits.

In times of war, the importance of guns and ammunition was self-evident. Not to mention, during the attacks on towns, He Zhengdao had captured a large amount of opium, which was as valuable as gold in Guizhou. These things were the best "toll money"!

But what truly impressed these chieftains and leaders was how He Zhengdao respected their ethnic customs and culture. He even accepted some of their young men into the army, which was quite unique.

This recognition and respect were the reasons why He Zhengdao gained the appreciation of these chieftains and leaders. After all, although they were often described as "natives" by many Han people, it did not mean they were truly natives.

As chieftains and leaders, they were also aware of what was happening outside. Moreover, they could not have been unaware of the fact that the main force of the Red Army had passed through Guizhou without harming the people.

People have a sense of justice, and the minority people also knew who truly treated them well. Faced with something that brought benefits and was recognized by the villagers, why would these chieftains and leaders not do it?

Compared to Zhou Hunyuan's troops, who began to rest at night, He Zhengdao led the Third Regiment to continue marching through the night. They only arranged for the troops to camp and rest on site in the middle of the night, all to race against time with Zhou Hunyuan.

The next day, both forces set out early in the morning. However, the logistics convoy from Tongchang suffered heavy casualties. Most of the supplies they were transporting were destroyed by the reconnaissance battalion.

Receiving the telegram from the rear, Zhou Hunyuan's expression turned serious. "Trouble! I didn't expect them to see our biggest weakness. By the way, how long can our food last?"

"Report to the Commander, it can last for three days. If we save some, it might last one more day. As for weapons and ammunition, we don't have much. If we launch a large-scale offensive, our ammunition reserves won't last many battles."

Hearing the report from the chief of staff, Zhou Hunyuan quickly said, "Order our rear main force to escort the logistics units. We must ensure that the supply line is opened within three days and the supplies are delivered as soon as possible."

"Yes, Commander!"

However, what made Zhou Hunyuan speechless was that the escort force accompanying the second batch of logistics units reported early the next morning: "Multiple sections of the mountain have collapsed ten miles outside Tongchang, making it impossible for vehicles and horses to pass."

Upon hearing this news, Zhou Hunyuan was indeed taken aback. But he also knew that the missing Third Regiment was probably not far from them. And their main force was not far from Shuicheng.

The next problem he faced was whether to retreat to the Yunnan-Guizhou border to avoid the sharp edge or to hold his position and prevent the Third Regiment from joining the main force of the Independent Division.

The former would allow him to preserve the main force of his division, but it would also allow the Third Regiment to join the main force smoothly. This would put the other two encircling forces at risk of being divided and surrounded by the Independent Division.

If he held his position, the consequence would be that his division might be severely damaged by the Red Army. If that happened, the three divisions of his corps would be left with very few troops.

After all, a regiment had been annihilated in Shuicheng, and the regiment in Longchang had suffered heavy losses. The two regiments supporting Longchang were also full of wounded soldiers. Nearly a division's worth of his main force had been almost exhausted.

At this moment, the supplies he carried could last for only about three days. Once these supplies were exhausted, the consequences of a starving army were clear to Zhou Hunyuan as a general.

Previously, he thought he had given the Independent Division a difficult choice. In the blink of an eye, Zhou Hunyuan also felt that he was now in a difficult situation. Whether to retreat or stay, he might need to listen to the opinion of Commander Xue.

If he directly ordered a retreat, he would be the best scapegoat when it was investigated. Therefore, he quickly ordered the radio operator to send this telegram to Xue in Guiyang, leaving the choice to him.

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