The Flames of Resistance Against Japan in Jiangnan

Xu Wenqing ordered the Red Army soldiers from the communications platoon of the special operations company who were following him to ride captured security regiment warhorses and bring all the troops left outside the city into the city overnight. Of course, the police force had to be dispatched.

At the same time, people were arranged to begin taking inventory of the spoils of war in various warehouses throughout the city.

Yansi Temple was situated precisely between Huizhou Prefecture and Tunxi Town, with a main road leading to Taiping County. Its geographical location was extremely important, making it a crucial distribution center for supplies for the White Army.

With sufficient supplies, the first priority was to equip the troops. Each person was issued a set of uniforms and shoes, and each person was guaranteed at least one gun. As for bullets, they were given as many as they could carry.

Faced with the large warehouse full of weapons and ammunition that couldn't be taken away, and seeing that there were still four trucks transporting supplies in the city, Xu Wenqing selected several Red Army soldiers who dared to try driving them that very night, explaining the driving techniques to them in detail. He also led these men in teaching them the procedures and skills of driving.

After the intensive training, Xu Wenqing wasn't worried about any accidents or fatalities. He let the tense yet excited soldiers drive the four cars around the city a few times. From the initial bumps and scrapes to the final few laps, these drivers who had undergone the intensive training were already driving quite skillfully.

With these four vehicles, Xu Wenqing was able to move far more supplies from the city. He selected some valuable items and loaded them onto the vehicles overnight. After dawn, to prevent the news from leaking out, he specifically ordered the Red Army soldiers, dressed in White Army uniforms, to only allow people to enter, but not to let anyone leave.

Because the Red Army's attack last night was so swift, the deputy regimental commander who stayed behind hadn't had time to spread the news of the fall of Yansi Town. This gave the Red Army, who had time during the day to rotate and rest, a precious period of reorganization.

While Wang Tielin and others took turns resting, Xu Wenqing immediately began arranging preparations for the retreat. During their day in the city, they used a fishing tactic to capture several White Army search teams that were bringing Red Army prisoners into the city to collect rewards, rescuing dozens of Red Army soldiers who had been brought there to collect their rewards.

With the addition of these Red Army soldiers, plus the strength of Captain Xu and Li Youcai's two guerrilla teams, Xu Wenqing's forces finally exceeded one thousand men, enough to form nine 100-man combat companies, a special service company, and a guard company that he specially selected to form.

The two guerrilla teams, led by Captain Xu and Li Youcai, also drew some personnel and formed a reconnaissance company with the original special agent company's reconnaissance platoon.

At the same time, Xu Wenqing also transferred elite troops to join the guerrilla teams of Xu Dabao and Li Youcai, strengthening their capabilities. They were also equipped with appropriate weapons; everyone received a gun, along with several pistols, and each guerrilla team had three light machine guns. Their strength was equivalent to that of a regular infantry company.

Xu Wenqing knew that the news of a Red Army unit appearing in Yansi Town, Huizhou Prefecture, would likely cause a stir in the surrounding counties, and he certainly wouldn't be able to take some of the seriously wounded soldiers with him. Otherwise, it would make the troop's movement much more difficult.

Not wanting these wounded Red Army soldiers to fall into the hands of the White Army again, He Zhengdao thought that in those days almost every county town should have an underground Party organization. He immediately ordered people to post news of the Red Army's capture of Yansi Town throughout the town. In no time, the people of Yansi Town, who had felt something was amiss when they woke up, learned that their town had been occupied by the Red Army.

Xu Wenqing, who originally intended to draw away some pursuers for the main force, also ordered all eleven companies of the Red Army to change into Red Army uniforms after posting the distinctive big-character posters of the Red Army.

Soon a middle-aged man dressed as a businessman approached the Red Army sentries standing guard at the entrance of the temporary headquarters of the security regiment and requested to meet their commander.

Upon inquiring, he learned that it was the secretary of the underground party branch in the city. Sure enough, the secretary had come to contact him. Xu Wenqing was undoubtedly very happy. He quickly ended the tactical meeting to discuss the next route and had someone lead the underground party secretary from Yansi Town to his place.

From the conversation, it was learned that after the Red Army's defeat at the front, the local guerrillas had rescued hundreds of Red Army soldiers who were resting in the mountains near Yansi Town. Xu Wenqing immediately dispatched a reconnaissance company to accompany the underground party secretary to bring back those Red Army soldiers who were unarmed and unable to fight.

At the same time, the underground party branch secretary was generously given a large quantity of weapons and equipment used by the regular White Army from the captured supplies, weapons, and ammunition. This was intended for the underground party members and the local guerrillas to use for future troop expansion.

This was also to ensure that when this guerrilla force active around Yansi Town encountered small groups of White Army soldiers again, they wouldn't have to retreat or hide after firing only a few shots due to a lack of ammunition.

This party branch secretary, who also served as the political commissar of the guerrilla force in the Yansi area, was undoubtedly overjoyed. He thought to himself that they no longer had to worry about a lack of weapons.

More than 100 Red Army soldiers who had been scattered and regrouped successfully joined Xu Wenqing's troops under the protection of the underground party in Yansi and the local guerrillas.

The guerrillas, mostly armed with broadswords and muskets, stared intently at the large batch of weapons and ammunition that Xu Wenqing had prepared and delivered to them, all of which were of regular White Army equipment.

Seeing that they were even equipped with several light and heavy machine guns, these guerrilla fighters, whose development had been restricted by weapons for many years, finally experienced what it meant to go from rags to riches.

Compared to the guerrillas who were happy to have the weapons and ammunition provided free of charge by Xu Wenqing, no longer having to hide in frustration every time they encountered the Kuomintang searching the mountains, Xu Wenqing was also very happy that these hundred-plus Red Army soldiers, who had also been scattered in battle, had been brought back to their unit, and that he now had an additional infantry company under his command.

With the addition of these hundred-plus Red Army soldiers, his 55th Regiment, which temporarily lacked battalion-level organization, became much more organized. He could now easily divide these 1,200 Red Army soldiers into nine combat companies, one reconnaissance company, one guard company, and one special service company. He no longer needed to worry about a manpower shortage for the time being.

For those wounded and sick Red Army soldiers who could not travel with the main force, Xu Wenqing chose to entrust them to the care of the guerrillas, and sincerely said as he saw them off:

"Comrades, after our troops leave this place, it may take some time before we can return. I don't know exactly how long it will take; it may be a long time or a short time."