Chapter 97

With the surrender of Xichang without a fight, the officers and soldiers of the independent division were extremely impressed by Commander He Zhengdao's military strategy. To the ordinary soldiers, war ultimately means death.

Compared to the officers who stayed at the rear, the ordinary soldiers undoubtedly had the highest mortality rate. Now, through the method of threatening and negotiating, they successfully occupied Xichang, completing the mission while reducing the risk of dying on the battlefield.

Why not do something that achieves two goals at once?

The officers and soldiers of the independent division were happy, and the Sichuan Army garrison troops who surrendered to the independent division were equally happy. Although soldiers are prepared to die in battle, facing the Red Army's siege, they knew they had no chance of winning.

This meant that if a real battle broke out, many of them would inevitably lose their lives. Now that they could survive, how could they not be happy? Therefore, such a surrender actually gained the support of many Sichuan Army soldiers.

When the telegram reporting the capture of Xichang was sent back, Mao Zedong and others were also very surprised, saying, "So fast?"

According to their information, a Sichuan Army garrison division was stationed in Xichang. With the solid defensive walls and fortifications, if the independent division launched a direct attack, it would have to pay a heavy price to capture Xichang.

However, the independent division only surrounded the city for a day and a night before forcing the Sichuan Army to open the city and surrender. It seems that the current momentum of the independent division has made many enemies hesitant to confront them directly!

Although the speed at which the independent division captured Xichang exceeded his expectations, Mao Zedong also knew that the main force still had a long way to go to successfully enter the northwest.

As the main force accelerated towards Xichang, Yao Sheng, who had arrived ahead of the main force, was also present. He Zhengdao, who was in charge of the military and political affairs of the independent division, also felt a great relief.

"Commissar, you're finally here! The remaining list of supplies and the prisoners are all handed over to you."

Seeing the exhausted He Zhengdao, Yao Sheng, who knew how hard He Zhengdao had worked during this period, also smiled and said, "Alright, I'll take care of the rest! Commander, you should go rest!"

"Alright! If there's any emergency, remember to call me."

After handing over the tasks to Yao Sheng, He Zhengdao finally had a good night's sleep. Like him, the reconnaissance battalion, which had a full night's rest, was also ordered to rest the next day.

When the reconnaissance battalion began to rest, Battalion Commander Li Xiangdong was called to the command post by He Zhengdao. Looking at He Zhengdao, who was examining the map, Li Xiangdong knew that the reconnaissance battalion definitely had a new mission.

"Xiangdong, you're here! You've worked hard recently. How are the soldiers?"

"They're all young men. After a good meal and a good night's sleep, they're all energetic! Commander, what's the mission?"

As the commander of the reconnaissance battalion of the independent division, Li Xiangdong also knew that although he was a battalion commander, his authority was higher than that of several regimental commanders. Often, the main force regiments needed to cooperate with them.

The recognition from the main force regimental commanders was largely due to the strength of the reconnaissance battalion. Throughout the independent division's campaign, the role played by the reconnaissance battalion was very important. All the soldiers of the division had great respect for the reconnaissance battalion.

Seeing Li Xiangdong's eager expression, He Zhengdao didn't waste words and directly said, "Xiangdong, the next mission for the reconnaissance battalion will be relatively difficult. Moreover, you need to move faster and farther than the main force.

This means that once your whereabouts are exposed, you will be in great danger. However, to ensure the safety of the main force and our division headquarters, the reconnaissance battalion must take on the responsibility of being the vanguard."

"Please give the order, Commander! The reconnaissance battalion will complete the mission!"

"Alright, come over here. I'll explain the tasks you need to complete and achieve."

He Zhengdao called Li Xiangdong over and began to explain the assigned tasks in detail. After listening, Li Xiangdong didn't waste words and directly said, "Commander, when do we set out?"

"After dinner, you'll set out! Remember to bring plenty of rations. When you leave, take some of the opium and silver dollars we seized. Also, I'll arrange some Yi ethnic soldiers as guides for you."

"Yes!"

After Li Xiangdong left the command post, He Zhengdao quickly said, "Communicator, notify all division-level and above officers to attend a meeting in the conference room. Tomorrow, we'll set out and continue on our way!"

Soon, including the regimental commander and commissar of the new regiment, over a dozen regimental-level officers gathered in the temporary division headquarters conference room. Everyone knew that the independent division probably had a new mission!

Looking at everyone's expectant eyes, He Zhengdao didn't waste words and directly said, "Tomorrow morning, after breakfast, the main force of the entire division will continue to advance towards Ya'an. The commissar and the logistics battalion will temporarily stay behind to support the main force.

This time, the new regiment will move with the main force, and we will carry all the supplies we need. As for the commissar and the logistics battalion, once you join up with the main force, you should quickly join us.

To gain time and break through the Sichuan Army's encirclement line in Ya'an, we must move ahead of the main force and open a safe passage for them to continue north. Now, the encirclement forces are not far from us."

After saying this, Commissar Yao Sheng said somewhat helplessly, "Commander, am I staying behind again?"

"Commissar, there's no choice! Although there are no threatening enemies near Xichang, I'm worried that the situation here might change if we all withdraw. If you and the logistics battalion are here, you can manage Xichang. Small enemy forces probably won't dare to attack you. As for the main force, they must move ahead of the main force and quickly break through the Sichuan Army's encirclement line.

Although Liu Wenhui and Chiang Kai-shek don't get along, they are also worried that we will stay in the Sichuan border area. Therefore, I think it's necessary to go to Ya'an and have a good talk with him, to let him know that it's wise to let us leave the area."

Seeing that Yao Sheng didn't say anything more, He Zhengdao quickly said, "From Xichang to Ya'an, there are over a dozen large and small cities. Next, the independent division will advance in three routes, with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd regiments as the main forces.

The 4th regiment and the new regiment will move with me along the official road to Ya'an. In the upcoming battles, we must win quickly. According to our intelligence, the main force of Liu Wenhui's 24th Army is concentrated near Ya'an.

On the road to Ya'an, most of the large and small cities are guarded by garrison forces. Your three regiments need to do is to reorganize the prisoners and collect supplies.

Once the commissar arrives, hand over the prisoners and supplies to him. Your task is to advance in three routes to make Liu Wenhui feel the pressure. Finally, the entire division will gather in Hanyuan City."

After assigning the tasks to the three main regiments, the three regimental commanders confirmed their respective combat tasks. They knew that this was the time for them to prove their combat capabilities.

If the next battle goes poorly or there are too many casualties, they would likely be criticized when they meet up with the main force. In severe cases, they might even be relieved of their regimental commander positions.

After explaining the tasks, He Zhengdao said seriously, "Do you all understand your tasks?"

"Yes, Commander!"

"Good! Tomorrow at dawn, starting with the 1st regiment, the troops will gradually leave Xichang. The 4th regiment and the new regiment will serve as the reserve forces and leave with me. Whether the next battle is successful or not depends on you, the regimental commanders!"

"Please rest assured, Commander, we will complete the mission!"

"Good! I trust your abilities. However, you should all know that I don't like to hear reports of heavy losses. Therefore, in the upcoming battles, you must use your heads. Understand?"

"Yes, Commander!"

After conveying the combat tasks, He Zhengdao announced the end of the meeting. He kept Yao Sheng and Wang Tianlin to continue discussing the development plans for the independent division. After all, they were the true commanders of the independent division!

"Commissar, Chief of Staff, I plan to expand the existing battalions in each regiment by adding a reserve battalion. This will increase the strength of the four main regiments to over 5,000 men each. This way, we won't have to fear encountering a Sichuan Army division!"

Hearing this, Yao Sheng was surprised and said, "Commander, if you plan to expand, why did you hand over over 6,000 new recruits to headquarters?"

"Do you know the quality of those new recruits? They're all the ones we didn't choose! It's inconvenient for us to bring them, and handing them over to headquarters can earn us some favor. Isn't that great?"

Seeing He Zhengdao's somewhat cunning expression, Yao Sheng recalled the priority conditions for selecting new recruits. Thinking about it, it seemed reasonable that the new recruits handed over to headquarters were indeed the ones the independent division had left behind.

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