The Flames of Resistance Against Japan in Jiangnan

The sound of gongs and drums throughout the city woke Xu Wenqing from his deep sleep. He stepped out of his room and looked up to see that the sun was already high in the sky, and it was noon.

Hungry, Xu Wenqing ate the rice served by the guard and asked Ma Xiaoer what was going on with the gongs and drums outside. Ma Xiaoer excitedly recounted the story.

This morning, the 19th Division of the Red Army held a public trial on a large open space west of Taizhou City. Thousands of people from Taizhou gathered there to see if the Red Army would really execute the captured local tyrants and evil gentry.

The platform was made of wooden planks and mats, and slogans were posted all around it. The political commissar and representatives of the masses walked onto the platform and took their seats amidst enthusiastic applause.

The director of the political department presided over the meeting and loudly announced:

"Bring sixteen people, including landlords, bureaucrats, local tyrants, and evil gentry such as Jiang Shiren, into the meeting hall!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than fully armed Red Army soldiers dragged a dozen or so trembling prisoners into the meeting hall. The surrounding laborers were filled with righteous indignation, and some of the bolder ones raised their arms and shouted:

"Down with the traitor! Down with Jiang Shiren!"

Gradually, more and more people started shouting slogans, and the slogans rose and fell, one wave higher than the next.

Director Li Jianmin said in a kind manner:

"Fellow villagers, we are the people's army, dedicated to redressing grievances and avenging the poor. We will overthrow imperialism and reactionaries, and we poor people will rise up and become masters of our own destiny."

Political Commissar Zhao also spoke, actively promoting the Party's political propositions: to fight local tyrants, eliminate local bullies, and stand up for the poor. He emphasized that the Red Army was specifically tasked with fighting the White Army and reactionaries, and that it fought for the interests of the impoverished masses. He hoped that the broad masses of people would take action and fight against the local gentry, for only in this way could the poor people finally have a better future.

Mobilized by the Red Army, some people began to recount their suffering, their stories filled with blood and tears. The infected masses also denounced the cruelty and ruthlessness of the local tyrants and bullies, their accusations dripping with blood.

After verification, the Red Army issued a proclamation announcing the crimes of Jiang Shiren and others, who were stained with blood, and executed them on the spot. Jiang Shiren was indeed dead. Seeing that the once arrogant local tyrants and bureaucrats had been suppressed, the masses applauded and cheered, and slogans echoed from the crowd:

"Down with the reactionaries! Long live the Red Army!"

After the public trial, Taizhou was in an uproar. People were overjoyed and cheered. Dragon lanterns, lion lanterns, flower lanterns, waist drum teams, stilt walkers, and other performances sang and danced, parading through the streets to express their gratitude to the Red Army for ridding the people of this scourge.

The women, having completed their mission, went on a long journey to the logistics department of the 19th Red Army Division to hand in their uniforms and shoes. Before long, the courtyard was neatly filled with rows of bright flags, stacks of brand-new clothes, and pairs of colorful military shoes and insoles, a dazzling sight.

After the meal, Xu Wenqing, accompanied by his bodyguards, arrived at the logistics department. Smiling broadly, he watched the lively scene and happily said to Ma Xiaoer:

"The people of Taizhou are truly ingenious! Our soldiers of the 19th Red Army Division are eagerly awaiting it!"

When Director Chen saw Xu Wenqing, he showed him a red flag that had been urgently made and embroidered with the words "19th Division of the 10th Army Corps of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army". Excited, Xu Wenqing picked up the flag, planted it on a flagpole, and happily started waving it.

Although Xu Wenqing consciously suppressed the news of the Red Army's occupation of Taizhou Prefecture for two days, the news still leaked out after the main force of the 19th Division withdrew from Taizhou Prefecture one after another, leaving only the 58th Regiment, also known as the Special Service Regiment, to control Taizhou Prefecture. Due to the small number of troops and insufficient control, the news quickly spread throughout eastern Zhejiang, to cities and towns in the Anhui, Zhejiang and Jiangxi regions, and to the vast rural areas, inspiring the development of revolutionary struggles in various places.

When news of the Red Army's capture of Taizhou reached Hangzhou, it was like a bombshell. Gu Zhutong hurriedly summoned his men to discuss countermeasures.

The Chairman's official residence in Hangzhou was surrounded by heavily armed White Army soldiers, with guards every three steps and sentries every five steps, making the security extremely tight.

In the operations room, Gu Zhutong's mustache drooped, and his brows and eyes were filled with worry. He hadn't felt this anxious in a long time. The situation had been excellent; most of the Red areas in Anhui, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi had been recovered, the main force of the 10th Red Army Corps had been defeated and suffered heavy losses, and they had been driven to the border of Fujian and Jiangxi, with several divisions blocking their way. It seemed that victory was just around the corner. What troubled him now was the sudden appearance of an unidentified Red Army unit. A few days ago, they had acted silently and decisively, capturing several cities in succession. Although those cities had been recovered, the Red Army had now seized Taizhou Prefecture, causing unrest throughout the province.

"What worries me even more is that we haven't confirmed which part of the Red Army it is. The Central Red Army? They've clearly reached the border of Hunan, Guangxi and Guizhou. The remnants of the 10th Army Corps? They're struggling to protect themselves, they couldn't possibly have any extra troops. If it's neither of them, could it be divine soldiers from heaven?"

Gu Zhutong thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile.

The people at the meeting were also confused about the true strength and unit number of the Red Army that appeared in Taizhou Prefecture. Xu Wenqing shook his head helplessly and gestured for the chief of staff to speak first.

The chief of staff stood up and walked to a map hanging on the front wall:

"Look, everyone, the Red Army has occupied Taizhou Prefecture for two days now. In fact, who can say for sure whether the main force of the Red Army is still in Taizhou Prefecture? It's possible that the main force of the Red Army has drifted off to some unknown place and is about to wreak havoc. During this period, the Red Army has been moving around unpredictably, making it difficult to figure out its next move. There are some experts in the Red Army."

The chief of staff spoke as he considered the matter:

"The fact that this Red Army force could appear so quietly means that it was neither the Central Red Army nor the Hunan-Jiangxi Red Army. Their strength must not be very large, and their capture of Lingling could not have been achieved through a direct assault!"

"No matter which faction they belong to, just send in a large force to encircle and wipe them out!"

"A division commander said casually."

"Could it be a small force sent by bandits from the Hunan-Jiangxi bandit area, who feinted and hid as soon as our main army arrived?"

The chief of staff suddenly asked a question.

Gu Zhutong seemed to be deep in thought, and blurted out:

"A diversionary tactic! To relieve the siege of their stronghold?"

Seeing that Chairman Mao believed it to be a small Red Army unit, and with the others agreeing, He Jian's resolve was strengthened. He made the following decision:

An order was issued for Hangzhou to immediately dispatch a plane to Taizhou Prefecture for reconnaissance;

The troops attacking the Red Tenth Army Corps, except for those that were withdrawn, continued to encircle and annihilate the Red Army.

To prevent the Red Army from harassing Hangzhou, the troops stationed in Jinhua and Lanxi were ordered to send a brigade to advance towards Taizhou Prefecture to cooperate with the Zhejiang East Garrison Division in encircling the Red Army and preventing them from escaping.

The order was given to the security regiments in the area surrounding Taizhou Prefecture to advance towards Taizhou Prefecture and ascertain the Red Army's number and size as soon as possible.

The order was given to the Zhejiang East Garrison Division, which was stationed in Wenzhou and preparing to pursue the Central Red Army, to immediately send a regiment to advance towards Taizhou Prefecture and wipe out the Red Army in one fell swoop.

Watching the chief of staff leave to receive his orders, Gu Zhutong let out a long sigh of relief, muttering to himself:

"Don't let me catch you, or I'll make you wish you were dead!"