The Flames of Resistance Against Japan in Jiangnan

Xu Wenqing grasped Song Chunsheng's hand and shook it:

"Comrade Chunsheng, you've suffered! How are the guerrillas' comrades in terms of health and morale?"

"Reporting to the commander, our guerrilla unit has a total of ninety-seven members. They are in good physical condition and have a strong revolutionary will."

Song Chunsheng gave a brief reply. Luo Jinsheng chimed in from the side:

"Commander, the guerrilla fighters are generally in poor health and don't have many guns. When I first met them, they were mostly wearing tattered single-layer clothing."

Xu Wenqing then noticed the crowd of people dressed as civilians around him. He had initially thought they were activists mobilized by the reconnaissance battalion after arriving in Qiyang, but it turned out they were guerrillas. He saw them looking at the new uniforms of the 58th Regiment soldiers with eager eyes and faces full of envy. He deeply understood the Red Army soldiers' attachment to their uniforms, and quickly turned to find the logistics chief of the 58th Regiment, then gave the order:

"Logistics chief, why don't you hurry up and send the extra uniforms from your regiment to the guerrilla comrades?"

The officers and soldiers of the 58th Regiment's logistics department quickly took out the uniforms they had prepared for the reconnaissance battalion and warmly helped the guerrillas change into them. Although they had never met the guerrillas before, they were like old comrades-in-arms, brothers, and long-lost relatives, shaking hands and hugging each other. Many people were so moved that they shed tears.

Some soldiers held hands, talking endlessly. At this moment, the cooks arrived with food, and the officers came to help the cooks, bringing over the food and hot water that had been prepared in advance, urging the newly arrived comrades to eat while it was hot. The entire open space was filled with a scene of mixed emotions, with many people's eyes filled with tears.

At this moment, a wisp of mist slowly rose, and the air was so fresh and pure that the noisy crowd frightened the birds that used to frolic in the mountains and fields, causing them to disappear silently.

After exchanging pleasantries, Xu Wenqing immediately led several battalion commanders to survey the terrain. Based on the ambush points initially determined by the reconnaissance company, they visited several locations before finally deciding to set up an ambush at Yezhu Ridge, eight kilometers outside Dinghai County.

Wild Boar Ridge is an earthen hill, 200 meters high, and is the only defensive high point in the surrounding area. A highway passes by the foot of the mountain on the east side, and across the highway is a small village with only a few dozen households.

The area surrounding the village is flat and low-lying, an open area about 8,000 meters wide. Scattered on both sides of the road are some small hills with little difference in elevation, covered with pine trees and various shrubs, which are very conducive to the concealment of troops and make it an ideal place to ambush and annihilate the enemy. After careful reconnaissance and full discussion, the battle plan to ambush the enemy at Wild Boar Ridge was quickly determined, and Xu Wenqing finally decided to set up the main position on Wild Boar Ridge.

It must be said that the Red Army was indeed full of hidden talents. The commander of the vanguard battalion, which was also the special operations battalion, who arrived earlier, planned to ambush the enemy here. However, Luo Jinsheng, from the perspective of a scout who could fight cleverly, proposed to lure the enemy into the city and eliminate them within Dinghai City.

Xu Wenqing, aiming to train the troops, no longer wanted to use disguises to annihilate the enemy. During this period, the Independent Regiment had won battles with minimal losses, leading to a growing sense of blind optimism and arrogance within the unit. His intention in dealing with Ding Fujiang was simply to make an example of him. However, he didn't expect the procedures to be incorrect, which backfired.

He knew that an army could not fight smart battles forever. Without being tested by blood and fire, it could never become a mighty and powerful force. Only through repeated tempering can one become steel!

The small mountain village was quickly sealed off by the reconnaissance battalion soldiers, and fully armed soldiers were everywhere, along the highway and under the trees at the entrances of the village.

A residential house near the highway was requisitioned as the command post of Xuanwu District. There were guards every three steps and sentries every five steps outside the door. The security was tight. Many soldiers with pistols on their waists hurried in and out. The sound of telephones ringing could be heard from inside the house from time to time.

Inside the command post, Xu Wenqing was bent over, pressing his hand against the map spread on the table. Chief of Staff Hu Jiu, holding a pencil, moved along the road from Dinghai to Pinghai on the map, calculating the distance to the Zhejiang army. After detailed calculations, they quickly designed the battle plan, the layout of the positions, and the allocation of firepower.

As Xu Wenqing read, he listened to the chief of staff's explanation. After listening, he felt it was quite comprehensive. After thinking for a long time, he ordered the guerrillas to continue to blockade Dinghai City. The first company of the reconnaissance battalion, dressed in civilian clothes, went forward and ambushed the Sancha area, two kilometers north of Yezhu Ridge. Once the battle started there, they were to immediately block the road and intercept the fleeing Zhejiang troops. At the same time, they were to capture any enemy troops who had fallen behind, and try not to let a single enemy escape, so as to buy time for the next phase of the operation.

At the subsequent pre-battle mobilization meeting, after Chief of Staff Hu Jiu explained the battle plan in detail, Xu Wenqing began to speak:

"According to the phone call received by the reconnaissance battalion, the enemy coming from Ningbo is the supplementary regiment of the 73rd Division of the 57th Army of the White Army, commanded by Niu Yuesheng. Their strength is estimated at around 1,500 men, and their weaponry is unknown. Since they are not part of the Central Army's direct forces, they likely don't have many heavy weapons. Our special operations regiment, plus the division's guard company, numbers over 1,300 men, each armed with a rifle, ample grenades, and nearly forty light and heavy machine guns. Our firepower is clearly superior. Our objective is to annihilate the entire 23rd Division's supplementary regiment here, leaving no one behind. The position is determined to be at Wild Boar Ridge. Upon returning, everyone's immediate priority is to repair fortifications and prepare camouflage. No one is allowed to be careless!"

Upon hearing that the enemy was a replenishment regiment, the cadres all thought it was a piece of cake and didn't want to bother with extensive fortification repairs. They began to discuss among themselves:

"Commander, is it worth going through so much trouble for a single reinforcement regiment? A single charge would have sufficed!"

Others chimed in:

"Exactly, it's a shoddy piece of junk, not worth building anything on!"

"The moment the bugle sounded, they collapsed!"

"Building fortifications is too tiring! Let's save our strength to capture the enemy!"

Xu Wenqing, seeing the group's disdainful expressions, chuckled and tapped the table:

"Comrades, does anyone know who in the White Army is the commander's confidant?"

"Relatives, friends, classmates, fellow villagers, of course!"

“That’s right, Luo Jinsheng. Tell them about the White Army’s supplementary regiment that you’ve learned from your reconnaissance.”

Xu Wenqing gave the order.

Reconnaissance Battalion Commander Luo Jinsheng stood up and reported:

"According to the confessions of the captured officials in Dinghai County, the 57th Army was known as the Li Family Army. The commander of the supplementary regiment, Niu Yuesheng, was a close fellow villager of the army commander, Niu Yunjie. After the 73rd Division pursued the Red Army, the supplementary regiment received the equipment allocated to the 23rd Division by its superiors in Ningbo."

"Has anyone considered that Niu Yunjie would allow his trusted confidant to lead a unit with no combat capability?"

Xu Wenqing lay on the table, looking up at everyone.

The cadres pondered the situation carefully, their faces showing embarrassment. Suddenly, Xu Wenqing slammed his water glass heavily on the table, straightened up, and looked down at the cadres sitting on the floor: