Chapter 93

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As the independent regiment set out from Shuicheng, they marched boldly towards the Liupan region with almost no attempt to conceal their movements. There were still some garrison troops in the Liupan region, but in the face of the independent regiment's arrival, these garrison troops had long fled.

Even many wealthy landlords and local tyrants, fearing they would be publicly tried by the Red Army, had packed their belongings and left to avoid trouble. In this situation, there was no one to block the independent regiment, let alone engage them in battle.

As for the encircling forces trailing behind, compared to the rapid advance of the independent regiment, they were more concerned about the rear guard of the independent regiment setting an ambush. They feared that a single misstep would make them the target of the independent regiment's ambush.

He Zhengdao, who smoothly entered the Liupan region, seemed very relaxed and ordered the independent regiment to rest for a day. In his view, maintaining the combat effectiveness of the independent regiment's soldiers was also a very important matter.

During this time, the newly reorganized prisoners who joined the independent regiment also felt the difference from their old units. They no longer had to worry about going hungry, and occasionally they could even have a meal with meat. This treatment was better than that of the Central Army!

Thanks to this food and supply support, the newly reorganized prisoners gradually calmed down. From time to time, prisoners from the logistics units were assigned to new battalions to receive political education and transformation.

After resting for a day in Liupan, the independent regiment quickly continued on its way towards Weining. Although there was a garrison brigade in the Weining region, in the face of the victorious independent regiment, the resistance of this garrison brigade was minimal.

Before the main force of the independent regiment arrived, the reconnaissance battalion, in coordination with the main force of the First Regiment, successfully disarmed this garrison brigade. When Xue Yue heard the news, he was so angry that he slammed the table.

In Xue Yue's view, a garrison brigade should at least be able to hold off the independent regiment for a day if they fought well. The fact that the garrison brigade was disarmed by the First Regiment of the independent regiment before the main force arrived made him furious.

Long Yun, who also received a stern order from Chairman Chiang, quietly ordered the troops heading to the Yunnan-Sichuan border to slow down. In his view, the Red Army's advance into Yunnan was indeed frightening.

Now that he had finally managed to send the main force of the Red Army away, he did not want to clash head-on with the independent regiment. If his elite troops were severely damaged, the Yunnan he guarded would likely become Chairman Chiang's possession in the future.

Before setting out, He Zhengdao had discussed with Yao Shengjun the idea of using long-distance marches to train the troops. He wanted the independent regiment to gradually hone the newly reorganized prisoners during these marches, hoping to transform them as soon as possible.

When the main force of the independent regiment entered Weining, they did not continue to rest but directly assigned the selected prisoners to the logistics battalion. This brought the independent regiment's size to over 25,000 men.

Each of the four infantry regiments now had four main battalions and one new recruit battalion, with each regiment numbering nearly 5,000 men. This continuous expansion of the regiment, which grew stronger with each battle, made every commander and soldier of the independent regiment very excited.

Even the headquarters, upon receiving the telegram, felt very pleased. Mao Zedong even considered expanding the independent regiment into a corps. After all, the independent regiment's size was now almost on par with the headquarters' forces.

In response to this situation, He Zhengdao, upon receiving the telegram, calmly replied to the headquarters: "Although the independent regiment now has over 25,000 men, the number of reorganized prisoners is too high, and it is not advisable to expand the regiment further. After joining the headquarters, the independent regiment needs to streamline its personnel to ensure its strongest combat effectiveness. As for the reorganized prisoners along the way, it would be more appropriate to distribute them to other corps."

This decision to forgo a promotion left many Red Army commanders who heard the news somewhat incredulous. However, after careful consideration, Mao Zedong also abandoned the idea of upgrading the independent regiment to a corps.

Regardless, He Zhengdao's achievements on this campaign were sufficient to promote him to a corps commander. However, his age was still a significant issue. Promoting him too quickly would be unfair to other Red Army commanders.

It was very clear, however, that with the continuous growth of the independent regiment, Mao Zedong's position among the Red Army commanders was now as solid as a rock. Everyone knew that He Zhengdao was Mao Zedong's trusted confidant.

After setting out from Weining, the independent regiment advanced into the Weixin region, which borders Yunnan, Sichuan, and Guizhou. In later times, this area was renamed Zhaotong. It was currently under the control of the Yunnan Army.

Before the troops set out, He Zhengdao also dispatched the reconnaissance battalion as the main vanguard to conduct reconnaissance in the Weixin region. The First and Second Regiments followed closely behind, advancing into the Weixin region to clear the Yunnan Army's defensive forces in the area.

The rest of the independent regiment, on the other hand, advanced into Weixin more leisurely, following the two main forces. Upon entering the Weixin region, He Zhengdao and Yao Shengjun both seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Commander, we've finally left Guizhou!"

"Yes! This journey has been truly difficult. After entering Weixin, the entire regiment will rest for two days. I really want to see if Long Yun will dare to clash with us head-on."

According to the reconnaissance intelligence, the blocking forces from Kunming seemed to be a bit late compared to the independent regiment. In He Zhengdao's view, this was likely intentional on Long Yun's part. If he left, the Yunnan Army would not interfere. If he stayed, Long Yun would likely be worried.

However, for He Zhengdao, the independent regiment needed to rest well before joining the main force. After all, such a long march was very tiring!

Since the main force of the Yunnan Army had not arrived, the Yunnan Army garrison in Weixin could only put up a token resistance before being disarmed by the independent regiment. This made He Zhengdao's entry into Weixin very smooth.

Upon arriving in Weixin, seeing the relatively prosperous area, He Zhengdao called Yao Shengjun and said, "Commissar, how much silver do we have left? While we rest, let's have the logistics department purchase some supplies!"

Faced with He Zhengdao's suggestion, Yao Shengjun was also curious and said, "Commander, our current supplies are already quite sufficient. Is it necessary to spend more money on supplies?"

"Yes! After entering Sichuan, it will be difficult to find another region with such thriving trade. We should continue to purchase large quantities of fur products and cured meat. For us and the main force, supplies are more important than silver. With supplies, we can ensure the food supply for the troops. If it weren't for your reluctance, I would even consider giving the soldiers another silver to rest well!"

As the commissar, Yao Shengjun, though he did not understand why He Zhengdao wanted to prepare so many supplies, thought that the more supplies they bought, the more troops would be needed to escort them. Carrying money would be more convenient.

However, after working with He Zhengdao for a long time, Yao Shengjun understood that He Zhengdao's vision was broader. The large amount of supplies stored by the independent regiment, which were not being used, left Yao Shengjun somewhat puzzled.

Despite his confusion, since this was He Zhengdao's order, he could only firmly execute it. As a result, the large-scale procurement greatly benefited the merchants in the Weixin region.

Although some local landlords and tyrants could not escape the Red Army's punishment, the independent regiment that entered Weixin did not harm ordinary merchants. Many residents of Weixin, seeing the Red Army commission them to make shoes and clothing and offering to pay, joined the行列 to earn money from the Red Army.

Seeing the military shoes and uniforms made by the residents, He Zhengdao distributed these new uniforms to the captured soldiers. This made him feel more at ease.

For the prisoners undergoing training, wearing the new Red Army uniforms meant they could only follow the Red Army all the way. After all, if they were caught by the Central Army in these Red Army uniforms, they would face certain death.

However, for Long Yun, the independent regiment's stay in Weixin for rest was somewhat annoying. Despite his annoyance, facing an independent regiment of over 20,000 men, Long Yun still felt that engaging them would be disadvantageous.

As the Yunnan Army sent reconnaissance troops to investigate the independent regiment's activities in Weixin, Long Yun was surprised to learn that the independent regiment was spending large amounts of money to purchase supplies. What was even more unexpected was that many of the reconnaissance soldiers sent to Weixin were captured by the independent regiment's reconnaissance troops but were eventually disarmed and released.

When a reconnaissance soldier returned to Long Yun with a message saying "Staying for three days, leaving afterward," Long Yun realized that the independent regiment did not want to engage in a battle with him.

This tacit understanding led to the reinforcement troops arriving in Weixin and putting on a show with the independent regiment. As soon as the Red Army left Weixin, the reinforcement troops smoothly took over the region.

Until the independent regiment left Yunnan, Long Yun could not help but sigh in relief, "Let Liu Xiang deal with the rest!"

If Sichuan's King Liu Xiang heard this, he would likely be frustrated to the point of spitting blood. Talking about unity and cooperation, how did it turn into betraying his allies so quickly?

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