The Flames of Resistance Against Japan in Jiangnan

The assault team ended the battle in just over ten minutes, annihilating more than thirty enemy soldiers and killing or capturing eleven enemy officers of the rank of major or above, including the regimental commander. They seized the enemy's command post while the enemy was completely unprepared. This left the 2nd Regiment of the White Army's Zhejiang East Independent Division leaderless and in disarray, providing an excellent opportunity for the main force to annihilate the enemy.

The remaining battle was straightforward. After the assault team secured the enemy regimental headquarters, they pulled out signal pistols and fired three signal flares. The 19th Red Army Division launched a general offensive, defeating the enemy's 2nd Regiment of the Zhejiang East Independent Division like a whirlwind. Of the 1,300 enemy soldiers, fewer than 200 escaped; the rest were either killed or captured. In the Battle of Meihua Mountain, although the Red Army lost over 40 soldiers, it annihilated two enemy regiments, killing and wounding nearly 1,000, capturing over 1,000 prisoners, and seizing a large quantity of weapons and supplies, thus demonstrating the might of the 19th Red Army Division.

The soldiers, busy cleaning up the battlefield, didn't even bother to wipe the gunpowder and blood off their bodies. One by one, they excitedly grabbed their newly captured rifles, shouting:

"Oh ho, the Red Army has won another victory!"

The impassioned shouts echoed for a long time near Plum Blossom Mountain.

After the battle, the 59th Regiment of the 19th Division of the Red Army urgently assembled and advanced along the route taken by the White Army. They prepared to confront the headquarters and 3rd Regiment of the Zhejiang East Independent Division. Xu Wenqing stood in the biting cold wind, gazing intently at the fearless soldiers.

The rapid sound of hooves startled Xu Wenqing from his reverie. He looked up and saw a small troop of cavalry galloping towards him from behind.

"Reporting to the division commander, Political Commissar Yao asked me to deliver two important documents. Please sign for them."

A young messenger dismounted, ran up to Xu Wenqing, saluted, and handed him two telegrams.

After reading the two telegrams, Xu Wenqing's thick eyebrows furrowed slightly. He then handed the telegrams to his chief of staff, Hu Jiu, beside him. He bit his lip, put his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth on the snow in silence. His steps were unhurried, as if he were strolling in a garden, displaying a calm and composed demeanor. Only occasionally, when he felt his footing obstructed by something, would he lightly kick it with the tip of his shoe, at which point a slight worry would flash across his face.

The smoke and fire of battle gradually instilled in the once impetuous young Xu Wenqing a fearless demeanor in the face of danger. His quick wit and composed expression made him resemble a seasoned old fox, a stark contrast to his youthful vigor.

Xu Wenqing loudly ordered:

"Order Director Li of the Political Department of the Column to lead a battalion of the 58th Regiment and the Chaling Guerrilla Team to take in prisoners, clean up the battlefield, and escort supplies back to their garrison after completing the mission. The remaining troops will launch a general offensive to pursue the headquarters and the 3rd Regiment of the White Army's Zhejiang East Independent Division!"

Just as the troops were about to depart, the division's confidential staff officer rushed over to report:

"Reporting to the division commander, an urgent telegram from the 59th Regiment!"

"Good news! The 59th Regiment has caught up with the White Army's Zhejiang East Independent Division headquarters, which was making an emergency retreat, on the east bank of the Huajiang River!"

Xu Wenqing was initially startled. He thought some kind of emergency had occurred; the regiments of the 19th Division had only been equipped with radios during this counter-encirclement campaign, and he hadn't expected to use them so quickly. After reading the telegram, his worry turned to joy, and he shouted to the troops:

"Comrades, I have some good news to report. Our artillery battalion blew up the pontoon bridge with three shots, annihilating two battalions of the 3rd Regiment of the Zhejiang East Independent Division of the Zhejiang Army and the division headquarters' reinforcement team that were stranded on the east bank, and capturing more than 800 prisoners!"

"Long live the 59th Regiment! Long live the 19th Division! Long live the Red Army!"

After hearing the report from his defeated soldiers, the commander of the Bai Army's Zhejiang East Independent Division learned that two regiments had been wiped out, with only a few hundred men escaping. Realizing he had encountered a formidable foe, he decisively withdrew his troops back to Dongyang County to await reinforcements.

Unexpectedly, the 59th Regiment of the Red Army launched a surprise attack while the White Army's Zhejiang East Independent Division was crossing the Huajiang River. They intercepted nearly a thousand men of the rearguard of the White Army's Zhejiang East Independent Division, and even the supplies looted by the White Army's Zhejiang East Independent Division while chasing the main force of the Red 10th Army Corps were left on the east bank. This gave Ding Fujiang a huge advantage.

Xu Wenqing excitedly drafted the telegram and had his confidential staff officer send it to the division's wireless communications team:

"Order the 59th Regiment to leave the recruit camp to guard the prisoners, while the main force moves south along the Huajiang River to support the 55th Regiment!"

"The Jiangxi Western Garrison Division is one of the most formidable troops in the Jiangxi Army. This battle will be tough!"

Chief of Staff Hu Jiu reminded him with a worried expression.

Upon hearing Hu Jiu's assessment, Xu Wenqing realized he had underestimated the enemy. Not to mention Li Xin's extensive combat experience, the Jiangxi Independent Division was also Lu Xiping's elite force. He should have made preparations earlier. Thinking this, he instructed his chief of staff:

"Telegram to Political Commissar Yao: Leave one battalion to monitor the movements on the other side of the Gan River, and send the main force of the 55th Regiment to the river mouth to encircle and annihilate the enemy's 19th Division!"

"Is the troop strength on the Ganjiang River somewhat insufficient?"

Hu Jiu was about to turn around to arrange for the telegram to be sent when he stopped and suggested:

"Should we send the division's training battalion to take over the defense?"

Xu Wenqing suddenly stood up, smiling with a look of satisfaction:

"Chief of Staff, this is a good idea. You've thought of everything!"

"Reporting to the division commander, the 55th Regiment's radio is not switched on!"

The troops had already begun their departure, but Chief of Staff Hu Jiu rushed to Xu Wenqing to report.

Only then did Xu Wenqing mount his horse and lean down to say:

"We can't waste any more time. Notify the troops cleaning up the battlefield to send someone to protect the radio and continue calling the 55th Regiment!"

The main force of the Red Army, with the 59th Regiment of the 19th Division as its vanguard, advanced towards Jiangkou overnight after defeating the Zhejiang Independent Division of the White Army to the west. The mountain wind howled, shaking off the snowflakes weighed down by the leaves. The snow fell on their faces and bodies, icy cold, but the soldiers didn't bother wiping it away. They quickened their pace, knowing that their fraternal units were fighting off an attack by an enemy force nearly ten times their size at Jiangkou and urgently needed their support. Xu Wenqing urged his horse forward, but unexpectedly, his mount stumbled, throwing him off and soaking him in snow. His guard rushed over to pat him dry. A sudden, ominous premonition gripped Xu Wenqing, and he stood there blankly for a long time.

Li Xin, commander of the Bai Army's Jiangxi-West Garrison Division, was a former subordinate of Lu Xiping, a warlord in Jiangxi, and also the eldest son-in-law of He Wentao, the chairman of Jiangxi Province. The Jiangxi-West Garrison Division was He Wentao's elite force, considered one of the most elite units in the Jiangxi Army.

The mission of the Independent Regiment of the 19th Red Army Division was to hold off the enemy's Jiangxi Garrison Division for two days, slowing their advance. While awaiting the return of the main force of the 19th Red Army Division, Political Commissar Liu Zushan and Regiment Commander Duan Kejing, after discussion, decided to establish three lines of defense in the Dawangshan and Xiaolishan areas to engage the enemy in succession.

After the troops arrived, the entire regiment's officers and soldiers, without taking a break, began building fortifications at the designated location. When the local people heard that the Red Army needed tools such as iron-tipped hammers, the word spread quickly, and thousands of people flocked to the area, bringing their own rations to help the troops build their positions.