German Red Prince

"Yes!"

"Wait!" Tang Shengzhi suddenly called out to the soldier, then picked up the telegram and began to read it. "Troops are reinforcing Changsha? Which troops? I don't know anything about them."

"Not good! Not good!"

Before Tang Shengzhi could think it through, a soldier stumbled in.

"It's bad, sir! Zhuzhou and Xiangtan are surrounded!"

"what!"

The Red Army troops that crossed the Xiang River marched rapidly to Zhuzhou and Xiangtan. As expected, Tang Shengzhi had never expected the Red Army to come; after they went to reinforce Wang Jialie, there were not many soldiers left to defend the area.

"Pass down the order to attack immediately. It's our turn to cause some trouble."

The unprepared defenders were caught off guard, and Zhuzhou and Xiangtan were quickly captured. The Red Army looked like they were going to attack Changsha.

"Quickly! Quickly notify the troops to come back and provide reinforcements!" Tang Shengzhi shouted frantically to his adjutant.

At this time, Changsha did not have many garrison troops, and Tang Shengzhi never expected that they would attack Changsha.

"Reinforcements! I'm asking you, reinforcements! Where are they! Where are they! Ah! Didn't they say they were almost there! Where are Tang Shengzhi's troops!" Wang Jialie shouted hysterically.

"Sir! For some reason, they've retreated!"

"Ah! Tang Shengzhi, I'm not finished with you! You just wait! You just wait!"

Without hesitation, Wang Jialie ordered, "Pass the word down: we're done fighting! We're retreating to Chenzhou!"

Tang Shengzhi, you are heartless, don't blame me for being unjust!

"Report! Wang Jialie has retreated! The Red Army has crossed the Xiang River! They have captured Hengyang!"

"That good-for-nothing Wang Jialie! He escaped so quickly? He couldn't even hold out for one night! Even if there were 30,000 pigs, you couldn't catch them all in one night!"

The Red Army, having captured Zhuzhou and Xiangtan, continued its advance towards Changsha. However, upon crossing the river again, the Red Army did not attack Changsha. Instead, they suddenly turned back and headed south.

Knowing that the Red Army had fled south again, Tang Shengzhi suddenly burst into laughter.

"Why are you laughing, sir?" the adjutant asked.

"I laugh at Zhu De for being reckless and Mao Zedong for being unwise."

Tang Shengzhi stood up, put his hands behind his back, and said in a pretentious manner, "The main force of the Red Army must be hiding somewhere right now. They sent troops to attack Hengyang, hoping to break through from Hengyang back to Guangdong. They probably feared that I would send reinforcements, so they sent another force to launch a surprise attack on Zhuzhou and Xiangtan, causing me to hastily withdraw my reinforcements to defend. But I still saw through their plan!"

"The Red Army's fighting power is impressive. It seems I underestimated them. Two detachments have captured Hengyang and Zhuzhou. I can't let my guard down now. Instruct the troops not to return to reinforce, but to go back and attack Hengyang. Send more troops over! Tell Wang Jialie to come back! Attack from both sides! Have He Jian thoroughly search the Red Army's base area and let them completely annihilate the Red Army!"

"Pfft."

The adjutant couldn't help but laugh. We're professionals; we don't usually laugh unless we can't help it.

"What are you laughing at?" Tang Shengzhi asked his adjutant.

"Commander-in-Chief, your insight is brilliant! I laugh and think the Red Army's day is coming!"

"Hahaha, quickly pass down the orders! The Red Army's day of reckoning is nigh!"

Wang Jialie was on his way to Chenzhou when he received another telegram from Tang Shengzhi.

"Brother Shaowu, I have already sent reinforcements to Hengyang. Please lead your troops back quickly. There is He Jian stationed in Chenzhou. Please do not worry."

"Damn it, this is threatening me!" Wang Jialie clenched his fists.

"Sir, shall we go or not?"

"Can we not go?! Send the word back to Hengyang!"

However, he did not expect that the Red Army was not in Hengyang at this time, but was lying in ambush on Wang Jialie's way back.

The Red Army's main combat strategy this time was to annihilate the enemy forces to the greatest extent possible, to fight a war of annihilation, and to destroy their main force.

And just like that, Wang Jialie, completely bewildered, was ambushed.

Wang Jialie's troops relied entirely on a single opium pipe for their fighting strength. Now, with the massive expenditure on suppressing the Red Army, they hadn't received their pay for a long time. Therefore, their resistance was weak, and they surrendered after only a few skirmishes.

There's no need to risk your life if you're just going to be a soldier and get paid a meager salary.

The captured Wang Jialie squatted on the ground in despair. He had been completely defeated; these two rounds had wiped out his troops.

That damned Tang Shengzhi! If I'm not having a good time, you won't either!

The men of the First and Second Regiments changed into the uniforms of Wang Jialie's troops. As soon as Wang Jialie saw this, he knew they were going to ambush Tang Shengzhi's troops, so he stood up.

"Comrade, I have something to say."

"Hey, Commander Wang? What happened to you? What happened to you?"

The garrison reinforcements in Hengyang City looked at the disheveled Wang Jialie with some surprise.

"We clashed with the Red Army on the way and lost some brothers," Wang Jialie laughed. "With so many of us deployed in Hengyang, I don't think the Red Army will be here anytime soon. We can rest for a while. You must all be tired from your journey, so I'll treat you to spicy chicken!"

The officers, hearing that there was good food, agreed without any suspicion.

"Brothers, dinner's ready."

Xu Shengjie, who was dozing on the ground, was woken up by the noise and saw a group of people bringing him food.

"Food?" Xu Shengjie's eyes lit up. He had been dragged into the army and put in a uniform without really knowing what was going on. He hadn't received any training before being given a gun and made a common soldier.

There were many others here, just like him, who were conscripted into the army without any clear understanding of what was happening. Some tried to escape, but they were all caught and brought back, where they were subjected to inhumane torture.

Beheading, skinning, dismemberment, hanging.

Some were even chopped up and boiled into a soup, which they were forced to drink. The leader threatened them that if they tried to escape, this would be their fate—a terrible death!

These days were definitely the darkest days of Xu Shengjie's life. Even seventy years later, when Xu Shengjie thought about these days in front of the camera, he still couldn't help but shed tears.

“You haven’t experienced it, so you don’t know. Back then, those people treated us like livestock, beating and killing us whenever they wanted. It wasn’t until we met the Red Army that we were truly treated as human beings.”

Xu Shengjie has been going hungry for days, the best meal he had was a salted vegetable pancake, but that was three days ago.

When he saw the braised pork and steamed buns served by the Red Army disguised as Wang Jialie's troops, he thought he was dreaming. It wasn't until he smelled the aroma that he realized what was happening and hurriedly pounced on them to wolf them down.

"Brother, brother, eat slowly, don't choke, there's plenty more, plenty more," the soldier who brought the food smiled at him.

Several officers were drinking with Wang Jialie, getting them quite tipsy, while the soldiers below were scrambling for food, completely unsuspecting.

Looking at the group of people who had already been plied with alcohol, Wang Jialie sneered, "You son of a bitch, Tang Shengzhi, your good days are over!"

Several soldiers tied up the officers who had already drunk themselves into unconsciousness and brought them under control.

Chen Geng came over and smiled, "We've finally caught these bastards."

Wang Jialie ran over, mimicked the salute, and said, "Sir, all done."

"Have you all eaten your fill?" Su Yu asked the group of soldiers.

"Thank you, sir. I'm full!" Xu Shengjie smiled at him.

"That's good. Now that you're full, please sit down obediently."

Before Xu Shengjie could react, a group of people surrounded him.

"Please bear with us, we are the Red Army."

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Changsha

Soon after, Tang Shengzhi received a telegram: "Successfully intercepted the Red Army and captured Zhu De and Mao Zedong alive!"

"Good! Hahahaha, I thought these two were someone important, but they haven't plotted against me yet. Call them back. Notify He Jian to continue the sweep; the Red Army leader has been captured, and the rest are just a bunch of rabble!"

The adjutant went downstairs, but quietly slipped into the garrison of the Third Regiment in Changsha.

He was not just Tang Shengzhi's adjutant; he was also a spies of the revolutionary government in Changsha, a red spy named Qian Zhuangfei.

"Commander He Long, everything is proceeding according to plan."

"Yes, the revolution will surely triumph, comrade!"

"Must win!"

He Long started out with just two kitchen knives and single-handedly built an army. Tang Shengzhi greatly admired him and recruited them into the Changsha garrison.

However, Tang Shengzhi could not have imagined that although He Long served under him, his heart was with the revolution. After careful consideration, Qian Zhuangfei decided to win him over, and the two hit it off immediately, becoming a thorn in Changsha's side.

Chairman Mao, who was firmly in command, also received the news. Wang Jialie's surrender saved them a lot of trouble. He smiled and ordered, "The main force can stop and wait for news from Changsha. Send three regiments back to our base area. He Jian has probably suffered a lot."

Xu Shengjie and a group of people squatted on the ground with their heads in their hands, and the Red Army soldiers surrounded them.

Shang Yunxia stood on the high platform and addressed the people below. Wherever she went, she would conduct propaganda to make the people understand the nature of the Red Army and spread revolutionary ideas.

"Comrades! We've found out! You were all conscripted by that Tang Shengzhi. I know none of you came here voluntarily; you were forced by that warlord!"

"Tang Shengzhi, for his own selfish desires, is sending everyone to their deaths! Do you think it's worth it? Who doesn't want to live a peaceful life? We, the Red Army, speak for the people! We are here to give everyone a good life, to distribute land to everyone, and to let everyone live in peace. And yet, this Tang Shengzhi comes to besiege us!"

"Gentlemen, our Red Army is the people's army. Chinese people do not fight Chinese people. Our only enemies are those reactionaries and diehards. I'm sorry to trouble you now, but once our Red Army has captured Changsha, you can leave or stay as you wish. I, the Red Army, will never stop you!"

After hearing Shang Yunxia's shout, Xu Shengjie squatted down, half-believing and half-doubting. He had also heard of the Red Army, and it seemed that they really did distribute land to everyone. The group whispered among themselves, and one soldier said in a low voice, "What they said is true. The Red Army really distributed land. My uncle's family got several acres of land. I was on my way to join them, but I was conscripted halfway there. I didn't want to fight the Red Army. I was planning to surrender on any battlefield, but now I've been captured."

Listening to his words, Xu Shengjie seemed to be deep in thought. The Red Army really didn't make things difficult for them; they just surrounded them there. They didn't beat or scold them either, and even sent people to take care of the wounded soldiers.

"These Red Army soldiers don't seem so bad after all," Xu Shengjie thought to himself.

He Jian had completely lost his arrogance; in the Red Army's base area, he was utterly defeated. The Red Army was as elusive as ghosts, impossible to catch.

His troops' combat effectiveness was also questionable; the conscripted men were lucky if they could fire a couple of shots. Every day, people deserted, and no matter how many "model cases" He Jian arrested, it was useless. Some even ran off with their guns to the Red Army.

He could only send an old soldier with a few able-bodied men to encircle and annihilate the Red Army, but these able-bodied men actually tied up the soldiers who were leading them and defected to the Red Army!

He Jian was completely submerged in the vast ocean of people's war.

He Long, who was guarding the gates of Changsha, saw a troop approaching and gave a signal, which was returned by the other side.

"Brothers! Open the door! Commander Wang has returned with a Red Army soldier's head in his hand!"

The gates of Changsha were thus opened, but Tang Shengzhi had no idea that Changsha had actually changed hands at this time; he was still dreaming.

"Hello comrade, my name is Chen Geng!"

"Hello, my name is He Long, and the revolution will surely triumph!"

"Must win!"

"boom!"

Tang Shengzhi was awakened by the sound of artillery fire, and then his adjutant rushed over in a panic, shouting, "It's terrible! The Red Army has invaded!"

"What!" Tang Shengzhi's legs went weak.

"Wang Jialie has betrayed us! He's led the Red Army in!"

"That damned bastard!" Hearing the gunshots getting closer and closer, Tang Shengzhi didn't calm down and give orders immediately; instead, he ran away.

"Quick, let's go out the back door!" As long as we're alive, we can always make a comeback!

The Red Army in Changsha was fighting with the defending troops in the city. The main force of the Red Army, which was lying in ambush, also began to attack after receiving the signal. At this time, He Jian also engaged in firefight with the three regiments that rushed back.

"Fire! Don't retreat!"

He Jian is now caught in a pincer movement. The harassment from the guerrillas has exhausted him both physically and mentally. Now, with three regiments of the Red Army coming to attack, his troops simply cannot hold on any longer.

"No retreat! No retreat! Anyone who retreats will be shot!"

He fired his gun into the air and roared, but he still couldn't stop the fleeing soldiers.

"Damn it, it's in the way!"

A deserter kicked him to the ground, knocked him unconscious with a rifle butt, and tied him up.

"Hmph, aren't you usually so arrogant? We'll tie you up and hand you over to the Red Army for a reward!"

Tang Shengzhi, with the cover of his adjutant, arrived at the back door, where he happened to meet He Long, who was waiting for him there.

"Brother He, save me!" Tang Shengzhi breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing He Long; he was finally saved.

"I'm coming to rescue you!" He Long sneered at Tang Shengzhi. "Tie him up!"

"What's this?" Tang Shengzhi looked at him in alarm.

"I've been a Communist for a long time!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Shengzhi collapsed to the ground in despair and looked at his adjutant beside him.

"You too?"

"Commander Tang, I'm not your adjutant. How come you, who are so smart, didn't notice?"