German Red Prince

Page 19

"Give me eggs?" Xu Shengjie's eyes lit up when he heard this. His elderly mother worked hard at home every day, and she was reluctant to eat the eggs at home, so she would collect them and sell them at the market.

He squeezed to the front, stretched out his hand to reach, and somehow ended up being pulled up.

“We’ve found another suitable one, that’s enough,” said the officer beside him, leading Xu Shengjie and a large group of young men away.

"Tang Shengzhi wants to attack us, and Wang Jialie wants to join in the fun, so let's fight!" Chairman Mao said to the commanders and soldiers below from the platform. Tang Shengzhi probably never dreamed that his adjutant was an underground party member.

Before Tang Shengzhi's encirclement and suppression plan was even communicated to the troops below, Chairman Mao, who was far away on the border of Hunan and Jiangxi, already knew about it.

"Tang Shengzhi thought we wouldn't attack Changsha, but I'm determined to attack Changsha. They thought we'd go back to Guangdong, but we're not going back to Guangdong. We're going to make a huge scene in Hunan! We can also relieve some of the pressure near Nanchang. We also want to contribute to the Northern Expedition!"

"Right now, our greatest advantage is our intelligence. Tang Shengzhi thinks we only have 15,000 men, but our Red Army now has nearly 30,000! Let these reactionary warlords see what the power of the people is!"

The Red Army now needs both soldiers to fight and soldiers to stay and defend the base areas. Jiang Yun has been appointed by the organization as the commander of the guerrilla forces left behind, responsible for harassing the enemy attacking the base areas.

The rural Red Guards have also developed rapidly, and the peasants have awakened. They are ready to fight to the death against anyone who dares to take their land.

Shang Yunxia also had to set off with the main force. The Red Army would definitely need propaganda teams to spread the word in the towns they passed through, so that people would understand the nature of the Red Army and win the support of the masses. As the political commissar, she had to keep up.

"Wait a moment."

Suddenly someone called out to Shang Yunxia, ​​who was leaving with the army. Zheng Jiawang was a local cadre and had to stay behind to guard the area, so he could not fight with the main force.

He took a silver bracelet out of his pocket, blushed, and handed it to Shang Yunxia, ​​saying, "This is a bracelet that has been passed down in my family. I kept it for my wife. You can wear it."

Shang Yunxia laughed as she watched Zheng Jiawang scratching his head, his face flushed, and brushed a strand of hair that had been ruffled by the wind. She took the bracelet, saying, "Thank you!" and continued walking forward.

"I'll marry you when you come back!" Zheng Jiawang shouted, mustering his courage.

"Wait for me!" Shang Yunxia didn't turn around, she just waved her hand. She didn't want Zheng Jiawang to see that she was crying.

Upon hearing the response, Zheng Jiawang smiled, rubbed his face, and turned to walk towards the village.

At this moment, Wang Jialie was in the most agonizing situation. He Jian was guarding his base camp in the south, and he would be heartbroken if it were destroyed. Tang Shengzhi in the north didn't need to panic at all. The Red Army would not go north to attack Changsha, so he was fine there and could just watch.

Only Wang Jialie stood at the forefront of the Red Army. If the Red Army wanted to break out, the easiest way was to break through from his position.

He couldn't defend effectively; if he only defended, Tang Shengzhi would definitely question him. He couldn't launch an offensive either; he only had so many men, and if he fought the Red Army to the last man, he would be finished.

On the Red Army's side, the First and Second Regiments feigned an attack on Hengyang, making it appear as if the main force was about to break out of Hengyang and head south, while the main force crossed the Xiang River to launch a surprise attack on Zhuzhou and Xiangtan.

"Oh no, I won!"

In a room late at night, an officer shouted excitedly.

The others looked at the officer who was stuffing money into his pocket with resentment.

"Again, again!" The officers who lost were quite dissatisfied and wanted to play another round.

"I'm not coming, everyone. It's getting late, we should go to sleep. Otherwise, when the Red Army comes, we won't get a good night's sleep." He chuckled as he got up to leave, when suddenly the door was kicked open.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you all. I guess you won't be able to get any sleep tonight," the person who led the way in said with a smile.

The officers were then disarmed and tied together, and the silver dollars they had just won were also confiscated.

"Gambling is a deadly game!" That was the lesson the officer learned that night.

"Whose unit was that that just approached?" Chen Geng asked the person next to him. "Reporting, Battalion Commander, it's the Third Company under Company Commander Su Yu," the person next to him replied.

"Good, he's a man of courage!" Chen Geng exclaimed. Su Yu and his company had already infiltrated the area and figured out the defenses ahead.

"Alright, they're probably in ambush by now. Let's issue the battle orders."

"Yes!"

"Company commander, these are some good guys!" one of the soldiers said excitedly.

"Wow, we've struck gold!" Su Yu was also shocked; the room was filled with all sorts of good stuff.

"Speak! Which unit are you from? Why are there so many weapons piled up here? Why is no one guarding them?!"

"I...we are Commander Wang's troops. Commander Wang just delivered these weapons the day before yesterday, ready to be distributed. But Commander Wang hasn't paid us for a long time, so we...we were thinking of selling some goods to make a little money. We haven't had any cigarettes in a long time, we're getting restless," the bound officer stammered.

"Good, very good. Your Commander Wang has made a contribution to the revolution." Su Yu couldn't help but laugh when he heard these words. "Then we won't stand on ceremony. But our Red Army doesn't have that much money. I'll give you an IOU first, and you can ask your Commander Wang for it later."

He turned his head and said, "Comrades, move as much as you can, and blow up everything you can't move!"

The soldiers, who were fast asleep, were awakened by the explosion. Su Yu led his company to blow up the ammunition depot. The huge explosion caused chaos, and the soldiers rushed out of the building in disheveled clothes.

Chen Geng also led his battalion over, and with the help of both inside and outside, they took the place with almost no effort.

"Good lad!" Chen Geng looked at Su Yu. They had retrieved a lot of good stuff from the armory, and each soldier was carrying a lot of weapons.

"Alright, I'll recommend you for commendation when we get back!" Chen Geng patted him on the shoulder. "Continue onward, march westward!"

"Commander! Commander! The Fifth Regiment has been driven back!" A soldier ran up to Wang Jialie and reported.

"What?!" Wang Jialie's voice rose eight octaves upon hearing this. "Isn't the Fifth Regiment in Quanxi? The Red Army has already reached Quanxi?!"

He slumped back in his chair, dejected. "Quick! Send a telegram to Tang Shengzhi! The main force of the Red Army is advancing and will reach Hengyang soon! Requesting reinforcements!"

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Sorry, We Are the Red Army

At this moment, Tang Shengzhi was stationed at the Changsha headquarters. He frowned when he heard Wang Jialie's request.

If he doesn't go to rescue Wang Jialie, and the encirclement is breached, his long-planned policy of suppression will be meaningless. But if he goes to reinforce him now, he won't be able to weaken Wang Jialie's power.

After thinking for a while, he gave the order. "Transfer several of our divisions in Zhuzhou and Xiangtan to help. Anyway, the main force of the Red Army won't come here. But remember, go slowly. As long as Hengyang isn't in danger, you'll stay on the road."

Wang Jialie in Hengyang received Tang Shengzhi's telegram and was nearly spitting blood with anger. "Brother Shaowu, hold firm! I have sent reinforcements! Hold firm and there is a way!"

"Damn it, I really want to shoot him!" Wang Jialie slammed his hand on the table, making a loud noise.

"These Red Army soldiers are really in a sorry state," He Jian said with a hint of sarcasm from his horse.

It seems they really went all out to escape, leaving very few people behind in their base. I guess Wang Jialie is in pretty bad shape now.

He Jian's troops encountered almost no resistance along the way, which made him begin to underestimate the Red Army. What Red Army? Nothing special.

Once he has outflanked the Red Army from the rear, they can then attack from both sides, and they won't be able to escape.

He passed several villages along the way, but found no one there; they had all fled. Without further hesitation, He Jian turned to his adjutant and said, "Tell Commander Tang that our troops are unimpeded! The heart of the Red Army is now in our hands!"

He deployed some troops to garrison the villages he had captured and continued his advance.

"Comrades, look! Those landlords and reactionaries are back. They want to seize our land. Can you tolerate this?"

Zheng Jiawang and his group hid in the mountains. These reactionary warlords had lowered their guard and started to divide their forces, so now it was their turn to act.

"Let them see that our Red Guards are not to be trifled with!"

As night fell, the group silently descended the mountain and made their way to the village below. The journey was smooth, and they were not discovered by any enemies.

Upon arriving at their destination, the group lay in wait, ready to seize their opportunity.

"Committee Member Zheng, there seems to be a situation over there."

"Hmm? Let's go take a look," Zheng Jiawang said, gesturing to everyone.

The group approached quietly and saw several soldiers talking.

"Where did those Red bandits run off to? They're really cowards; we haven't caught a single one yet."

“Who says otherwise!” the other two soldiers responded.

"Ugh, this is really frustrating! We can't get a proper rest until we catch them. I'm exhausted these past few days." The soldiers stretched.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jiawang waved his hand, and the others immediately understood. They then climbed out of the bushes, raised their guns, and crept towards the soldiers.

"boom!"

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out.

"what……"

The soldiers screamed and fell to the ground.

The soldiers sleeping in the village were also awakened and immediately picked up their weapons to resist.

"Pfft!"

Suddenly, a knife pierced the body of a soldier who had just stepped out of the house, and blood spurted out.

"Enemy attack! Quick, counterattack!" an officer shouted.

However, the other soldiers were already terrified, dropped their rifles, and ran away.

"Oh!"

Another shot was fired, and one of the soldiers fell straight to the ground.

"Da da da……"

The remaining soldiers were about to raise their guns to fire when they were easily killed by Zheng Jiawang and several Red Guard members.

"Finally solved!"

Zheng Jiawang patted the dirt off his clothes, a look of joy on his face.

He then led several Red Guard members deeper into the area to find their next target.

That evening, in a village, inside a house.

A minor leader who was sleeping suddenly woke up. He felt a chill and quietly took out his sidearm.

"Shh!"

Just then, several dark figures suddenly appeared at the door, raised their guns and aimed at the leader. Both sides pulled the triggers almost simultaneously.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Zheng Dongsheng first lay down, then fired a bullet, killing the officer inside the house.

"Click, click!"

He quickly stood up, pulled the bolt, and went out of the house to continue the raid.

Their mission was to deliver the greatest blow to the enemy from the rear.

"Pass down the order: the troops must advance at full speed! Prepare to cross the river ahead!"

Lin Biao gave the order. At that moment, it was raining heavily, and a group of soldiers braved the rain and ran quickly toward the designated location...

"Boom——"

Another bolt of lightning flashed across the night sky, followed by deafening thunder. The rain intensified, soaking all the soldiers to the bone.

"Take good care of the heavy weapons, don't let them get wet and damaged, we'll need them when we attack the county town!"

The Red Army soldiers ran forward at full speed and met Tang Shengzhi's reinforcements on the other side of the river.

Seeing the torches lit across the way, Lin Biao also gave the order: "Notify the main force, we should also light our torches and continue on our way!"

Red Army soldiers lit torches and marched on, the ranks on both sides of the Xiang River resembling two fiery dragons.

"Brothers next door! Which team are you?!" the troops sent to reinforce Wang Jialie shouted towards the opposite bank.

"By order of our commander! Go to Changsha to set up defenses!" the Red Army soldiers shouted.

"Commander Tang Shengzhi is truly thoughtful," the division commander who went to provide reinforcements couldn't help but exclaim.

"Brothers, let's hurry! Look how desperately the brothers on the other side are fighting! If the Red Army escapes, our journey will have been in vain!"

Both teams sped up, heading towards their respective goals.

"How are the divisions that went to provide reinforcements doing?"

"Sir, we're nearby. But Wang Jialie seems to be able to hold out for a while, so the brothers haven't moved yet."

"Hahahaha, good. Let's see how long Wang Jialie can hold out. We'll send reinforcements when he can't hold on any longer."

When allies are in trouble, we remain steadfast and unyielding – a traditional virtue of the Allied forces.

"Damn it! Where are Tang Shengzhi's reinforcements?!"

Wang Jialie was frantic, like a cat on a hot tin roof. The gunfire was getting closer and closer. Who knew when he would break down? He only had so many men; if they were all wiped out, how would he get back to Guizhou?

"Go and inform Tang Shengzhi! If reinforcements don't arrive soon, the Red Army is about to break through!" He gritted his teeth. If Tang Shengzhi didn't send reinforcements, he would let the Red Army pass!

"Commander, should we go and provide reinforcements?" an adjutant asked.

"Go and send a telegram to the governor to ask for instructions."

After reading the telegram, Tang Shengzhi said to the soldier who was relaying the order: "Send them to reinforce, lest Wang Jialie let them go."