The Flames of Resistance Against Japan in Jiangnan

The sudden bombardment from over a dozen mortars of the artillery battalion inflicted heavy casualties on the advancing enemy 2nd Regiment. Shells rained down on the narrow area, sending human limbs and remains flying into the air along with stones and mud, before turning into a sticky mist of blood that fell from the sky. The air was thick with the pungent smell of gunpowder, blood, and burnt flesh, and the battlefield was littered with enemy corpses.

Immediately afterward, all the light and heavy weapons on the Red Army's positions opened fire, providing cover for the well-equipped special operations brigade's charge. A hail of bullets from hundreds of automatic pistols swept through large groups of Jiangxi soldiers who hadn't had time to take cover, effectively cutting the enemy's 2nd Regiment in two. Before follow-up troops could even get a foothold, the brigade split into two sharp swords, advancing north and south. Mortars first shattered the White Army's hard-won assault force, then the White Army was mowed down by pistol fire. Approaching the enemy, the special operations brigade soldiers drew their broadswords and pounced like hungry wolves on a flock of sheep, stirring up a storm of blood and gore.

Upon receiving news that his 2nd Regiment was surrounded in Gaotang and Hongling, Li Xin, commander of the White Army's Jiangxi-West Garrison Division, realized that the Red Army was far more ruthless than he had imagined, actually preparing to snatch food from the tiger's mouth. He was furious that they were going to cut his troops in half and devour them. Enraged, he tore up the telegram sent by Duan Changgong, the commander of the 2nd Regiment, and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Immediately order the First Regiment, led by Hu Qinghai, to return to the rescue; also order the Third Regiment to expedite the rescue efforts!"

In fact, Li Xin, the commander of the Bai Army's Jiangxi-West Garrison Division, knew that the Third Regiment he led was a hundred miles away from Gaotang. The distant water could not quench the immediate thirst, so he could only hope that Hu Qinghai, the commander of the nearby First Regiment, could lend a hand.

But Hu Qinghai's answer greatly disappointed him. Just now, the Red Army launched a surprise attack, detonating all the artillery shells and recapturing Dachuan. This completely severed the connection between the First and Second Regiments. Moreover, the Red Army on Songshan also began to launch a counterattack, not only unable to support the Second Regiment, but also strongly requesting fire support from the division headquarters.

Li Xin hurriedly telegraphed Commander Lu, requesting that the Nanchang Headquarters send aircraft to assist in the battle, but received a reply much later.

"The weather conditions are complicated, and planes cannot take off or land."

With nowhere else to turn, Li Xin slumped down, buried his face in his hands, and let out a long sigh, wailing:

"I have lofty ambitions, but fate is not on my side!"

After the battle began, a strange sandwich-like battle formation emerged. Two regiments of the Jiangxi Army were blocked separately by the 59th Regiment of the 19th Division of the Red Army, which was positioned on higher ground at Dachuan. Two regiments of the Jiangxi-Western Garrison Division were also separated and fought independently. The 1st Regiment of the Jiangxi-Western Garrison Division and the Independent Regiment of the 19th Division of the Red Army fought fiercely for a day. Their strength was greatly weakened, and their artillery battalion was destroyed. Their remaining strength was barely enough to protect themselves. They had to resist the attack of the Independent Regiment of the 19th Division of the Red Army to the north and also had to launch an uphill attack on Dachuan Mountain to the south. It was impossible for them to launch a major offensive. They could only watch helplessly as their neighboring 2nd Regiment was attacked from three sides by the 59th, 58th, and 57th Regiments of the 19th Division of the Red Army. The two elite divisions of both sides charged back and forth in a hail of bullets, repeatedly fighting for every hilltop, every high ground, every river, and every ditch.

Two battalions of the Jiangxi-West Garrison Division's Supplementary Regiment, trapped outside the encirclement, hastily attacked the Red Army's blocking positions before occupying nearby high ground. They sporadically fired while observing the battle. Upon witnessing the brutal fighting within the ambush zone, they were all stunned. The enemy's supplementary regiment commander lowered his binoculars and said:

"Brothers, we can't fight this battle anymore, let's run!"

Upon hearing their commander's instructions, the officers and soldiers below acted swiftly and without hesitation, immediately rushing towards Huangling.

Before noon, after several hours of bloody fighting, the enemy's 2nd Regiment of the Jiangxi-West Garrison Division was almost completely annihilated under the fierce attack of three regiments of the 19th Red Army Division. The regimental commander, Duan Changgong, was wounded and captured, the chief of staff went missing, and all three battalion commanders were killed in action. Of the more than 2,000 men in the regiment, fewer than 1,000 were captured.

At this point, the 1st Regiment of the Jiangxi Garrison Division, caught in a pincer attack by the Independent Regiment of the 19th Division and the 59th Regiment, was barely clinging to life. A sniper squad attached to the 59th Regiment was tasked with targeting the leading officers and machine gun positions, completely crushing the enemy's arrogance. With the 57th Regiment joining the battle, the situation became even more one-sided. Upon learning that the 2nd Regiment had been annihilated by the Red Army and knowing that reinforcements were hopeless, the 1st Regiment, which had been stubbornly resisting and awaiting rescue just an hour earlier, finally collapsed. Except for Regiment Commander Hu Qinghai, who led his personal guards in a breakout into the depths of the mountains, the remaining troops laid down their weapons and ceased resistance.

When the 19th Red Army Division was cleaning up the battlefield after defeating two regiments of the Jiangxi Garrison Division, they noticed a strange phenomenon that made Xu Wenqing both laugh and cry. He discovered that every Jiangxi soldier carried a rope. Upon inquiry, he learned that their division commander, Li Xin, had issued them ropes before they set out, intending to use them to capture Red Army prisoners. Xu Wenqing couldn't help but burst into laughter, saying:

"That's great, it saves a lot of trouble. They can use it themselves. I didn't expect Li Xin to be so conscientious. He brought his own tools and no longer bothers our Red Army!"

The victorious army, still riding high on its momentum, marched south, directly threatening the headquarters of the White Army's Jiangxi-West Garrison Division. Terrified, Li Xin abandoned the large amount of heavy equipment stored on top of the bridal sedan chair. He led his troops in a disarray to Jingdezhen before finally halting their advance. By the time the Third Regiment had gathered the remnants of the defeated army, he finally realized that his Jiangxi-West Garrison Division had been utterly decimated. This was a full-strength division! Adding the supplementary regiment, its original strength was over seven thousand men; now, including the lightly wounded, the number was less than two thousand. The rest had either been wiped out by the Red Army or had fallen behind in the ensuing chaos.

Upon seeing the report on troop losses, Li Xin, usually so upright, slumped into his chair as if his very marrow had been drained. His expression was blank, his eyes dull, and beads of sweat trickled down his nose. He was drenched in cold sweat. It is said that he was deeply moved by the battle afterward. When he finally learned that he had encountered Xu Wenqing's troops, he hastily ordered his officers to be extra cautious the next time they encountered this Red Army force. Xu Wenqing and the 19th Division were among the most formidable and elite troops in the Red Army!

Upon hearing the news of the annihilation of the Jiangxi-West Garrison Division, Commander Lu was overcome with grief and despair for over two days. In a phone call with Li Xin, he said:

"However, this setback was exceptionally tragic, truly the only hidden pain I have ever experienced in my life!"

The Jiangxi Army's encirclement and suppression of the Anhui-Zhejiang-Jiangxi region failed, especially the defeat of the Jiangxi Western Garrison Division at Gaotang, which gave the central government an excuse to intervene in western Jiangxi. Chen Erchen and others publicly criticized He Jian's Hunan Army for its low combat effectiveness and the officers' passive avoidance of battle. This put Commander Lu in a difficult position, and he cried out in anguish, "What a disgrace!" Minister He seized the opportunity to speak to President Chiang Kai-shek, proposing to send elite troops of the Central Army into Hunan to help suppress the bandits.