The Flames of Resistance Against Japan in Jiangnan

The sentry was stunned by the reprimand and dared not retort. He answered in a low, meek voice:

"The officers are all at the town hall!"

"Open the door quickly, I need to speak with your superior urgently!"

Luo Jinsheng deliberately stood in front of the car headlights so that the sentry would see his officer's uniform.

When the other sentries saw the regular soldiers getting off the vehicle, armed with pistols or machine guns, they knew they were not to be trifled with. They quickly sent someone back to the company headquarters to report the news, and then opened the village gate to let the car into the town. In this way, through a combination of deception and intimidation, the scouts passed the first hurdle.

After walking a few steps, Luo Jinsheng saw the new recruit wandering around ahead. He waved him over and asked him to get on the vehicle and lead the way. The young man thought he had just discovered something new and jumped up and down with great joy.

When they arrived at the town hall, the company commander, deputy company commander, and several platoon leaders of the security regiment were still awake, which was quite dedicated. However, their dedication was to the great cause of mahjong. Judging from the situation, the company commander had lost money, his face was dark, and his fat face was pouting, like a pig's butt after its hair had been shaved off.

As soon as the scouts entered, the company commander of the security regiment pushed the sign aside, preparing to start work, while the deputy company commander anxiously shouted:

"I was just waiting to kick myself in this hand, it's all for nothing!"

"Which part are you from?"

The fat pig company commander asked in a pretentious manner, but when he looked up and saw Captain Luo's rank, he panicked:

"Sir, where do you work?"

"Adjutant of the 73rd Division Headquarters, we have received news that the reinforcement regiment has been attacked by the Red Army. The division commander has sent me to order you to assemble the troops and set off immediately to provide support!"

Without wasting any words, Luo Jinsheng patted the pistol at his waist and stated his demands directly:

"If you delay official business, you'll lose your heads!"

The fat pig company commander knew that the 73rd Division's supplementary regiment had passed through this area a day earlier, but he never expected to be attacked afterwards. He kept muttering to himself:

"Looks like being a regular soldier isn't safe either! It's better to be as comfortable as I am now, drinking a little wine every day, playing a little mahjong, and having a secret chat with the town mayor's fourth wife when I have time. I wouldn't trade her skin and figure for a brigade commander!"

"What the hell are you standing there for? Get the team together!"

Seeing the fat company commander standing there in a daze, Luo Jinsheng raised his hand and slapped him hard.

"Ouch! You dare hit me!"

The company commander, used to lording it over everyone in the small town, hadn't enjoyed this treatment in a long time. He suddenly became furious and reached for his gun.

Luo Jinsheng darted behind him, grabbed him by the neck with a backhand, and disarmed him, all the while muttering to himself:

"This kid's neck is as thick as his waist; it's quite a hassle to tighten it!"

Several scouts seized the opportunity to rush into the house, pointing their guns at the remaining officers. Even though the officers still wanted to resist, they saw the water-splashing mechanism in the officers' hands and knew they were dreaming. They obediently put their guns on the ground.

It took the fat pig company commander a long time to realize that he had gotten himself into trouble. The other party was a regular army division commander. They could easily make up an excuse to get away with killing him, let alone hitting him.

The worst thing about doing things is being muddle-headed; once you understand, your awareness rises. The fat pig company commander said, panting heavily:

"Sir, please let me go! Deputy Company Commander, you son of a bitch, hurry up and assemble the troops to support the reinforcement regiment!"

Luo Jinsheng figured releasing the bandit company commander wouldn't cause any trouble, so he let go. The fat company commander, panting heavily, began to fawn over him:

"Sir, isn't one company too few? If not, we can call in the servants of the wealthy families in town to bolster our numbers!"

"Great! Perfect, we can take them all at once!"

Captain Luo was overjoyed to hear this, but he pretended to ponder for a while before agreeing. He also praised the fat pig company commander for his thoughtful consideration.

Encouraged, the company commander acted swiftly and efficiently, gathering all armed personnel in Shitingzi Town in the town government compound within just one hour.

The motley crew watched obediently as the scouts inspected the guns one by one, but in the darkness they failed to notice that the bolts of the inspected guns were no longer in place.

The rest was simple: those who had blood on their hands were also killed. After being reported and exposed, more than a dozen security regiments and local tyrants with blood on their hands were publicly executed. The wealth of the local tyrants and evil gentry was confiscated, and all the grain that could not be taken away was distributed to the townspeople. At the same time, the people were given a lecture on the theory of Communism.

Around 2 a.m., the reconnaissance team loaded the captured guns, ammunition, and valuables onto their vehicles. Riding on dozens of livestock belonging to a local tyrant, and leading a dozen or so poor young men who had secretly run away to join the Red Army, they swaggered to the highway to await the arrival of the main force. Following the directions of the young men, they also took care of a notorious landlord along the way.

After the 58th Regiment left, Xu Wenqing ordered all troops to assemble and prepare for departure. Before leaving, the political commissar, worried that Xu Wenqing would not have enough troops at his disposal, persuaded him to leave the 59th Regiment, also known as the training regiment, behind. Now Xu Wenqing had two regiments and an artillery battalion under his command.

Xu Wenqing quickly issued a combat mobilization order to the 59th Regiment, also known as the Training Regiment, to advance lightly equipped. Ding Fujiang thought there was hope, as his regiment also had a combat mission. He hurriedly arranged for the officers and soldiers to pack their gear and weapons, and to carry 20 extra rounds of ammunition in addition to the clothing and bedding that had already been issued. All of this was completed in a short period of time.

By this time, the night was deep. After issuing the combat orders to the 59th Regiment, also known as the Training Regiment, Xu Wenqing sat down under the lamp with great interest to look through some old newspapers he had captured. Looking up, he saw a bright moon reflected in the windowpane. Moved by the sight, he spontaneously recited an ancient poem:

"There is bright moonlight in front of my bed, I suspect it is frost on the ground. I look up at the bright moon and lower my head to think about my hometown."

Thinking of his friends and colleagues from his past life, he was overwhelmed with emotion and lost all interest in reading the newspaper. He simply stood up and walked back and forth in the yard to calm his thoughts.

To train the majority of new recruits in the 59th Regiment's recruit battalion, Xu Wenqing ordered the artillery battalion to equip the 59th Regiment with a mortar company. He also decided to abandon surprise attacks and instead prepare for frontal assaults on any enemy encountered along the way. The plan was to lure enemy troops out of Huangzhou Town using false intelligence and eliminate them in the field, thereby increasing the unit's combat effectiveness and cohesion. To guard against unforeseen circumstances, a newly formed special operations brigade, composed entirely of veteran soldiers, was to follow shortly after the 59th Regiment's departure to provide support.

Half an hour later, the 59th Regiment, having completed its preparations, hurriedly set off. After a night of rapid march, just as the sun was about to peek over the eastern mountains, the vanguard training battalion of the 59th Regiment, braving the howling north wind, advanced to the vicinity of Xinzhou Town. The regimental reconnaissance company, which had secretly crossed the river under cover of darkness, sent back to report:

Across the river, there was a platoon of security forces and about a hundred armed landlords defending the area.