Chapter 95

The Red First Army, which had successfully joined with the Independent Division, found it somewhat unbelievable that the Independent Division had prepared such a dinner for them. To many of the Red Army soldiers, such a meal seemed somewhat luxurious.

However, for many of the Red Army leaders, after seeing the rations the soldiers were eating, they didn't say much about the special treatment given to the Independent Division. After all, Yao Shengjun had mentioned that some of the supplies were limited in quantity!

After the dinner ended, Zhou Enlai called many of the political commissars of the corps and followed Yao Shengjun to a heavily guarded supply warehouse. Seeing the mountain of supplies, everyone felt their eyes could hardly take it all in.

Compared to Zhou Enlai and the other political commissars who were more concerned with food and clothing, Zhu De walked straight to the area where the ammunition and weapons were stored, looking at the row of mortars with great joy.

Opening an ammunition box and picking up an unopened rifle, Zhu De skillfully pulled the bolt and said, "Good gun!"

Hearing Zhu De's praise, Yao Shengjun also smiled and said, "Commander-in-Chief, these are the weapons and ammunition that the enemy originally air-dropped for Zhou Hunyuan during the Shuicheng campaign. There weren't many, and we re-equipped some of our troops, leaving only a thousand new rifles. In addition to these thousand new rifles, we are transferring six thousand more rifles to headquarters. We have eighty-six mortars of various types, and not many light or heavy machine guns, totaling only about two hundred, but the ammunition is still quite sufficient."

Yao Shengjun had a clear account of the weapons and ammunition being transferred. In fact, these weapons and ammunition were also part of the Independent Division's reserves. But considering that the Independent Division would continue to fight, the weapons and ammunition they would capture would likely not be lacking.

Therefore, He Zhengdao only kept the weapons needed to expand one regiment, and the rest were all transferred to headquarters by Yao Shengjun. As for the salt, medicine, and food, the quantities were very sufficient.

Mao Zedong, who also came to receive the supplies, said with a smile, "Commander-in-Chief, with this batch of weapons and ammunition, we can expand another division. With these mortars, we won't fear any future offensive battles."

"Yes! The mortars that Xiao He transferred to the Central Military Commission during the last campaign were almost all used up. Now, with this supply of ammunition, our main force's artillery power will increase significantly. However, I heard that during the Shuicheng campaign, you also used a mountain artillery battalion. Why don't I see any mountain guns here? Have you already equipped your troops with them?"

Regarding the report on the Shuicheng campaign, Zhu De had naturally seen it. Compared to mortars, he hoped even more to see his troops equipped with mountain guns.

In response to Zhu De's question, Yao Shengjun said somewhat embarrassedly, "Commander-in-Chief, after the battle, we buried those artillery pieces on the spot. One, the shells were all used up, and two, they were not easy to carry."

"What a pity!"

Although Zhu De felt a bit heartbroken upon hearing this, he also understood that carrying so many mountain guns would indeed be a difficult task. Especially since the route the Independent Division was taking was not all official roads.

Being able to bring these supplies here and transfer them to headquarters was already something worthy of praise. Dragging those mountain guns along would not only be useless but could also delay the operation.

While inspecting the supplies, Zhou Enlai looked at the piles of cured and smoked meat and said in surprise, "Is this also part of the supplies you captured?"

"Some of it was captured from the enemy, but most of it was purchased. Although I don't understand why the division commander always has us buy these cured and smoked meats whenever we reach a new place, he says this kind of meat can be stored for a long time. Most importantly, in our lack of salt, this cured meat can also serve as salt. According to him, with a piece of cured meat, even a pot of wild vegetables can make several more bowls of rice!"

Yao Shengjun's explanation made Zhou Enlai think for a moment and say, "That's true! Buying this kind of thing is like buying meat and salt at the same time. It seems our main force will have a good time for a while."

After tallying these supplies, Yao Shengjun took Zhou Enlai to a separate room where the supplies were stored. He handed over a box of heavy gold and several boxes of silver dollars to this Red Army chief steward.

However, compared to these supplies, Zhou Enlai liked the eight radios of various power levels even more. With these radios, the Red First Army could fully equip the corps and regiments with them.

Thinking about this, Zhou Enlai quickly said, "Does your Independent Division have many radios?"

"Each of the four infantry regiments is equipped with two radios, the new regiment and the logistics battalion each have one, and the division headquarters has one high-power and two low-power radios. Additionally, each company of the reconnaissance battalion is equipped with one radio."

Hearing this, Zhou Enlai immediately said, "Why does the reconnaissance battalion need so many radios?"

"Because the reconnaissance battalion is the vanguard of the Independent Division. Before each battle, the reconnaissance battalion conducts reconnaissance. The division commander's idea is that with radios, the reconnaissance battalion can be divided into several small teams and report to the division headquarters at any time."

Although Zhou Enlai thought this radio allocation was somewhat extravagant, after some thought, he still felt it was necessary for the Independent Division. After all, the speed of radio communication was much faster than that of horses.

After having the communications department take charge of these eight radios, Zhou Enlai also convened the political commissars of the corps overnight to discuss the re-equipment and distribution of supplies. Zhu De also convened a meeting with the corps commanders and division commanders.

In addition to discussing the distribution of supplies and weapons, the six thousand new recruits, who had undergone a period of political and ideological transformation, would also be distributed to the main forces.

Given that the Independent Division was providing both supplies and troops, the corps commanders also developed a better impression of He Zhengdao. After all, with these supplies and troops, the strength of their corps would increase significantly!

Compared to the past, when most of the captured soldiers were added to their own forces for fear of being taken by other corps, the Independent Division's generous provision of over six thousand transformed new recruits was indeed rare.

In this situation, no one felt it appropriate to say anything negative about the Independent Division. Hearing the praise and approval from many Red Army leaders, Mao Zedong also felt gratified, thinking that He Zhengdao had some political acumen.

When you eat someone's food, you owe them a favor. These people, having received benefits from the Independent Division, naturally felt indebted to He Zhengdao. Even those who previously thought He Zhengdao had too much power now found it hard to say such things.

However, from He Zhengdao's perspective, after transferring six thousand troops to the main force, the Independent Division's combat strength did not decrease but rather increased. As long as the four main regiments' combat strength was guaranteed, the Independent Division would still be the strongest force in the Red First Army.

After a full meal and a good night's sleep, the main force of the Red Army received new uniforms and straw shoes from their superiors the next day. In addition, each corps received mortars, light and heavy machine guns, and a batch of ammunition.

The distribution of these supplies and the addition of new troops greatly improved the appearance of the main force of the Red Army. However, the next day, Yao Shengjun proposed to Mao Zedong and others that the Independent Division should set out ahead of the main force.

Faced with Yao Shengjun's eagerness to leave, Mao Zedong curiously asked, "Comrade Shengjun, aren't you going to march with the main force?"

"Comrade Mao, the division commander also needs my assistance. In the past, the division commander was responsible for the battles, while I was in charge of logistics and the education and management of new recruits. During the Zhaojue campaign, we captured over three thousand more soldiers. If we don't hurry, it might delay the division's next battle. Last night, I received a telegram from the division commander, who plans to capture Xichang and meet up with the main force there!"

In fact, Mao Zedong, who had also received a telegram from He Zhengdao the previous day, knew that the Independent Division was preparing to capture Xichang to clear the way for the main force's advance. However, Mao Zedong felt somewhat guilty towards He Zhengdao.

After all, the Independent Division, which had just broken through the encirclement, should have rested in the rear. Now, they were taking on the role of the vanguard again. This made Mao Zedong both gratified and ashamed.

Mao Zedong wrote a letter on the spot and, after giving some of the "gifts" to Yao Shengjun, approved the departure of Yao Shengjun and the backbone of the new regiment. In this way, the Independent Division seemed to disappear from the Red First Army again.

Seeing the "gifts" left on his desk by Yao Shengjun before he left, Mao Zedong kept some and said, "Guard, give these cigarettes to the other leaders and tell them that they are gifts from the Independent Division commander He Zhengdao!"

"Yes!"

Mao Zedong felt that He Zhengdao had even considered cigarettes for him. Perhaps when the situation stabilized, he should promote He Zhengdao. With this transfer of supplies, he believed that promoting him would not be opposed by anyone.

Although this was a small matter, from this small matter, Mao Zedong felt that He Zhengdao could be trusted. In the current main force of the Red Army, He Zhengdao was truly one of his trusted and loyal subordinates!

(P.S.: The new book is on the Three Rivers this week, but looking at the other books on the Three Rivers, I suddenly feel very sad. Most are by authors with a large following, and their rankings have dropped significantly. Although rankings don't mean everything, I still hope that readers with votes can go to the Three Rivers page and cast your valuable vote for me! Thank you very much!)

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