The Flames of Resistance Against Japan in Jiangnan

Thinking of the Red Army, his mortal enemy, Gu Zhutong knew that the deep-seated hatred between them, the life-or-death struggle, could only end in a fight to the death. His gaze pierced through the starry sky, across the fields and hillsides, and looked toward Lingling, as if he could see a net woven from death surrounding and annihilating the Red Army that had appeared in Taizhou Prefecture.

The time goes back to two days ago.

Inside the headquarters of the 19th Division of the Red Army, He Feng lay on the table examining a map, occasionally drawing circles with a red pencil.

"What? Are we preparing for war again?"

Political Commissar Yao Hutou, who was standing to the side, asked...

"Hmm! I think Gu Zhutong knows that Taizhou Prefecture has been occupied by us, and he won't let this go easily. The battles to come will be even more brutal!"

Yao Hutou walked to the window, opened it, and a gust of cold wind rushed in. Moved by the scene, he sighed:

"We have quite a few new recruits in our troops, and these recruits need to be tested by the harsh cold and scorching heat in order to grow up!"

"Yes, how can you see a rainbow without going through wind and rain!"

Xu Wenqing straightened up, deeply moved.

"Our troops are in enemy-occupied territory, surrounded by enemies on all sides, so we must remain vigilant!"

"Yes, always keep this in mind and be prepared at all times."

The two of them laughed again.

Suddenly, the messenger reported:

"Intelligence sent by the reconnaissance company of the 55th Regiment."

After reviewing the intelligence, Xu Wenqing handed it to Yao Hutou with a broad smile, saying:

"Yes, the enemy's actions were as expected, but Luo Jinsheng's actions were completely unexpected!"

Overjoyed, the two men quickly discussed it and said in unison:

"Communicator, order an emergency meeting for officers at the company level and above!"

When the company and battalion commanders arrived at the command post, Ding Fujiang started shouting as soon as he entered the courtyard:

"Commander, Political Commissar, where are you planning to attack this time?"

"Don't think about anything else right now. First, get the troops in line. Don't let them scatter like a flock of sheep when the battle starts!"

Xu Wenqing frowned and looked at Ding Fujiang, reprimanding him.

Political Commissar Yao Hutou quickly smoothed things over, smiling and greeting everyone:

"Everyone, please sit down. I have some good news to tell you first. The reconnaissance company of the 55th Regiment disguised themselves and occupied the Nianzhou Prefecture. They captured more than 360 members of the security regiment and also made contact with the guerrilla team composed of soldiers who were separated from our 7th Army Corps when it passed through."

The cadres immediately cheered, envying the investigators' boldness, while Ding Fujiang was even more anxious.

"Don't be impatient, everyone. You'll have your share of the battle. The reconnaissance company of the 55th Regiment has overheard an enemy phone call. Ningbo Prefecture is sending a regiment towards Taizhou Prefecture. We might as well take advantage of this opportunity. Besides me leading the main force to advance into the Anhui-Zhejiang-Jiangxi region, the division commander is preparing to personally lead the special operations regiment towards Ningbo. We estimate that the reinforcements from Ningbo will likely meet us tomorrow. Then it'll be up to you."

Political Commissar Yao Hutou dropped another bombshell on everyone.

Xu Wenqing smiled. He recalled a scene from a movie he watched in his previous life where the Eighth Route Army climbed a telephone pole to listen in on the phone. Regardless of whether the Red Army had done it before, he reminded Luo Jinsheng, and to his surprise, they immediately put it into practice and achieved results.

He suppressed his slight smugness, waved his hand to quiet down the cadres who were eagerly volunteering, and solemnly demanded:

"In order to achieve the goal of speed, I hope everyone will be ready to set off at any time after returning, especially the logistics department. There are too many supplies to carry, so make sure to prepare enough mules and carts, and also make use of the enemy's vehicles."

"But our soldiers have only been learning for two days, and they can only drive slowly in open areas. It might not be safe to drive on mountain roads!"

Director Chen of the Logistics Department began to complain.

Without thinking, Xu Wenqing blurted out:

"Aren't there captured drivers? Five silver dollars a day. If you don't work, what's the point of the gun you're holding?"

"Isn't it a bit wasteful to give them five silver dollars?"

Director Chen's petty temper flared up.

Xu Wenqing pointed at the stingy Director Chen and said irritably:

"Director Chen, don't you think about how much money those extra six or seven trucks were worth in terms of supplies? Besides, we've also seized quite a few silver dollars and gold bars these past few days, haven't we?"

Upon hearing the division commander mention the spoils, Director Chen's face lit up with pride, and he said in a proud tone:

"This time, we seized 160,000 silver dollars, more than 300 gold bars, 290,000 catties of grain, and distributed more than 200,000 catties of grain to the people, as well as a lot of other supplies."

"Take as much of the supplies as possible; if you don't have enough mules and horses, buy them with silver dollars."

Xu Wenqing didn't want to delay the march by carrying the loads on his shoulders, so he hoped to use animal power for transportation as much as possible. Of course, he had no choice but to accept his fate.

Given that the Zhejiang Army had discovered the whereabouts of the 19th Red Army Division, causing considerable alarm and achieving the initial objective of containing the enemy, the division's Party Committee decisively decided, in order to create even greater disturbance, that the 55th Regiment would immediately set off to Nianzhou Prefecture to rendezvous with the reconnaissance company and monitor enemy movements; the main force would then escort the logistics and supplies to withdraw from Taizhou and advance towards Nianzhou Prefecture. The marching order was: the 56th Regiment, the 59th Regiment, the division's directly subordinate units, the 57th Regiment, and the 58th Regiment (also known as the Special Service Regiment) would serve as the rearguard.

Soon, the main force assembled and prepared to depart. The troops gathered in the western part of the city, where the last public trial had been held.

The onlookers were quite fascinated. The entire group was dressed in brand-new military uniforms, the young men were handsome, their outstanding demeanor and perfectly synchronized movements truly captivated everyone's attention. The locals had never seen such a group before. Immediately, they crowded around, craning their necks to get a better look, and commenting as they watched:

"Before, when I saw those soldiers, they were dressed in tattered clothes and looked like hooligans. They didn't look like soldiers at all, but like bandits and thugs. They were definitely not respectable people. But today, look at how smart these Red Army soldiers are dressed. Their spirit and energy are so impressive. There's not a trace of banditry about them!"

The one who picked up the conversation said:

"Yes, the Red Army uniform is really nice. Wearing this uniform and showing it off at home will make me look really cool. I'll let the neighbor's second daughter see me and prove that I'm not just a braggart."

The common people had their own reasons for watching the spectacle. The elderly watched the excitement, while the young men were drawn to the imposing military uniforms. Most of the young women looked at the soldiers shyly, occasionally pointing and whispering, seemingly comparing who among the young men was the most handsome. The young men standing next to them, seeing the girls' reactions, immediately felt their testosterone surge, wishing they could rush forward, strip off these Red Army uniforms, and wear them themselves, hoping to win the favor of those young women.

The enthusiasm of young people to join the army was ignited, and they flocked to sign up. In a short time, more than 100 qualified people were recruited, and the 19th Red Army Division was forced to urgently establish another new recruit company.