The Flames of Resistance Against Japan in Jiangnan

After accompanying the security regiment officer, who held the position of battalion commander, on a tour of the temporary prison, Xu Wenqing successfully received the reward of seventy-five silver dollars. He happily said to the officer:

"Battalion Commander Zhu, it's a rare coincidence that we brothers meet here today. I just received some reward money and would like to find a place to have a good meal. I wonder if Battalion Commander Zhu would do me the honor of taking me to a restaurant with wine and meat, so that I can express my gratitude?"

As for the platoon leader, who supposedly had some money and a good family background, Battalion Commander Zhu, who happened to be sitting in the temporary prison with nothing to do, didn't refuse Xu Wenqing's enthusiastic invitation. He handed over his work to one of his subordinates who was guarding the prison. He then led Xu Wenqing to a decent-looking tavern in town for drinks.

Seeing that Battalion Commander Zhu seemed quite familiar with him, the tavern waiter immediately started to flatter him:

"We have distinguished guests. It is a rare honor for Battalion Commander Zhu to grace us with his presence. Please come upstairs, both of you."

After shouting this, the waiter, all smiles, led Battalion Commander Zhu and Xu Wenqing to a relatively quiet table by the window on the second floor. He Zhengdao, using the excuse of not knowing what was good to eat at the restaurant, asked Battalion Commander Zhu to order a few of the tavern's specialties. Battalion Commander Zhu didn't stand on ceremony and named several meat dishes that sounded expensive just from their names.

Meanwhile, under Xu Wenqing's expression of not being short of money, he ordered the tavern waiter, who was beaming with joy, to bring out two bottles of the tavern's best high-end liquor.

Once all the food and drinks were served, He Zhengdao, with the hospitality of a sworn brother, got Battalion Commander Zhu completely drunk and helped him downstairs. He also successfully extracted a great deal of intelligence from him regarding recent events in Yansi Town and the outside world.

Just like in my previous life, although most of the main force of the 10th Red Army Corps successfully disengaged, the brutal battle at Huaiyu Mountain, in which they suffered more than half their losses, was still unavoidable. Recently, even county towns like Huizhou, where a security regiment is stationed, have dispatched numerous search teams to counties and towns around Anhui, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi provinces to search for any Red Army stragglers and wounded soldiers who might be hiding there.

Upon hearing this, it was learned that besides the search teams posing as infiltrators like Xu Wenqing, the only truly garrisoned forces in Yansi Town were two security companies. The other security company, personally led by the Huizhou security regiment commander, had already gone to Jiangxi to capture prisoners. According to this Battalion Commander Zhu, many officers in the search teams recently capturing stragglers of the Red Army near Anhui, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi had made a fortune.

Because so many Red Army soldiers had been scattered, and because they were separated from the main force, they carried very little ammunition. Once they had caught up for a short distance, these search teams could easily capture the scattered Red Army soldiers. Some search teams even managed to capture far more Red Army stragglers and wounded soldiers in a single day than the number of search team members themselves.

This almost robbery-like manhunt naturally stirred up the security chiefs of the surrounding counties of Huizhou Prefecture. Abandoning their duties, they volunteered to command the search teams in their respective cities and went off to the Anhui, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi regions to make a fortune off the Red Army.

For these White Army soldiers who took pleasure in capturing Red Army soldiers, this operation of capturing Red Army prisoners was a way to make a fortune. Compared to the small search team that Xu Wenqing was impersonating, which earned five silver dollars for each Red Army prisoner captured, the security regiment commanders could easily resell these prisoners to their commanders for a reward of seven or eight silver dollars each.

To incentivize these warlords to annihilate the Red Army, the bald-headed Chairman allocated a considerable amount of reward money. Moreover, if these officers captured many prisoners, leaving a good impression on their superiors, wouldn't promotions be just around the corner?

After handing over the drunken Battalion Commander Zhu, who was still calling Xu Wenqing his brother, to the company commander in charge of guarding the prison, He Zhengdao returned to the unit where he was posing as the Nanxinan search team resting. While he was inquiring about news in the city from Battalion Commander Zhu of the security regiment, Li Youcai and others who had entered the city with him had also thoroughly investigated the important targets and transportation routes in the city.

Based on the intelligence gathered from these reconnaissance missions, Xu Wenqing drew a rough defense map of Yansi Town.

To avoid any unforeseen complications, they decided to first seize the prison guarded by only one company that night, and rescue all the Red Army prisoners inside—enough to organize two companies. After equipping them with weapons, they would then take advantage of the situation to seize the weapons depot in Yansi Town and, when the opportunity arose, occupy the headquarters of the Yansi Town security regiment.

If the operation is exposed prematurely, the only option left is to break out of the city under cover of darkness and find another way. After all, it's wishful thinking to think that the platoon he brought in could stand against two security companies in the town.

Only after completing the first step of the rescue plan will their chances of success increase significantly.

Having finalized the operation plan for the evening, Xu Wenqing specifically selected ten more Red Army soldiers from the chosen pool who were agile and had some martial arts skills. They would cooperate with him to complete the mission of rescuing the imprisoned Red Army soldiers that night.

As for the other dozen or so soldiers with good marksmanship, Hu Jiu was in charge of providing support outside the prison. Once gunfire erupted inside, they were responsible for drawing fire from the outside, buying time for the rescue operation of Xu Wenqing inside.

With everything arranged, Xu Wenqing, the commander-in-chief of the rescue operation, quickly issued an order to rest. Around three or four in the morning, Xu Wenqing would wake them up to begin the operation. That time of day is when people are most prone to drowsiness, naturally reducing their chances of being discovered during the rescue.

Upon arriving here, at least in terms of food and lodging, the Yansi Town Security Regiment, also a White Army unit, arranged places for them to eat and sleep. Therefore, He Zhengdao and his group of nearly thirty people squeezed onto two large communal beds and began to rest with their guns.

Xu Wenqing meditated and rested until late at night. When he saw the hands of his watch by the light of the lamp, it was already 3:30 a.m. He immediately woke up the Red Army soldiers who were still sleeping and prepared to launch the rescue operation.

This foreign mechanical wristwatch, which ordinary people couldn't afford at all, was obtained by Xu Wenqing from a slain White Army officer. With this watch, Xu Wenqing, who previously could only judge the time by the sky, could undoubtedly better confirm the timing of battles.

Seeing the Red Army soldiers awaken, they quickly prepared to depart, with Xu Wenqing once again acting as the scout. He led Hu Jiu and his group to a street corner in front of Yansi Primary School, a temporary prison guarded by the White Army security regiment, and hid there. Xu Wenqing then led ten selected Red Army soldiers around to the back of the prison.

Looking at the wall, which was over three meters high, Xu Wenqing ordered ten soldiers to get ready, and then he was the first to scale it. They had already witnessed his skill along the way; this commander was highly skilled in martial arts and was indeed the most formidable Red Army soldier they had ever seen.