Chapter 100

In less than a day, the defensive line that Liu Wenhui had constructed in Xingjing was declared a failure. The news spread, and not only was Liu Wenhui, who was staying in Ya'an, stunned, but even Xue Yue, who had learned of the news, found it hard to believe.

According to the information submitted by Liu Wenhui, their defensive positions in Xingjing were equipped with sturdy machine gun bunkers. Given such defenses, even if Xue Yue personally led the troops, he could not guarantee that they could break through in a day.

Not only were the encirclement and suppression forces shocked, but even Mao Zedong and Zhu De, who had led the main force into Shiquan, felt the same way upon receiving the victory report from the Independent Division. They were very curious about what the secret weapon could be!

However, the main task at hand was still to cross the Dadu River as quickly as possible. They needed to enter the Ganzi region before the encirclement and suppression forces reacted. If they did not leave quickly, Mao Zedong would also be worried about being pursued by the subsequent forces.

"Order the First Red Army Corps to set out at night, cooperate with the reconnaissance battalion of the Independent Division, and attack Luding, then look for an opportunity to attack Kangding to ensure the safe crossing of the main force. The Ninth Red Army Corps will move towards Hanyuan early tomorrow morning to buy time for the main force to transfer."

Although Mao Zedong and Zhu De had already determined this plan, they were still somewhat uneasy until the main force crossed the Dadu River. The most urgent task now was to transfer the main force to the other side of the Dadu River.

As for the Ninth Red Army Corps and the Independent Division far in Xingjing, their tasks would shift from vanguard to rearguard once again. If the encirclement and suppression forces caught up, their task would be to hold the enemy on the Dadu River side.

The Independent Division, which had captured Xingjing, stopped its offensive again under He Zhengdao's orders. Although He Zhengdao was eager to attack Ya'an, he knew that Ya'an was not easy to take. One misstep, and they might be cut off from behind.

To buy time for the main force, He Zhengdao ordered the main force that had entered Xingjing to begin constructing defensive works in front of Xingjing. This move left Liu Wenhui in Ya'an equally puzzled.

But thinking about the Independent Division's actions in Hanyuan, Liu Wenhui chose to remain in Ya'an and not move out. For him, the loss of thousands of elite troops in Xingjing had already left him feeling severely weakened. He felt powerless to counterattack the Red Army.

The Independent Division, which began to rest and regroup in Xingjing, naturally had to engage in another round of large-scale procurement. As for the properties of the local tyrants and corrupt officials, He Zhengdao did not hesitate to seize them.

Learning that there were many yellow cattle in Xingjing, He Zhengdao ordered Yao Shengjun to lead the logistics procurement team to buy yellow cattle throughout the city. Of course, what He Zhengdao wanted Yao Shengjun to buy was more cowhide than beef.

Even the beef that was bought, He Zhengdao ordered the logistics cooks of the Independent Division to provide a meal for the troops. He even generously sent a batch of fresh beef to the Ninth Red Army Corps entering Hanyuan.

Seeing the Independent Division soldiers who had specially delivered the supplies from Xingjing, Luo Binghui, the commander of the Ninth Red Army Corps, said in surprise, "Is this something your division commander specially asked you to deliver?"

"Report to the commander, yes! Our division commander confiscated and purchased a lot of beef in Xingjing. Considering that beef does not keep for long, he specially asked us to deliver some fresh beef to let the brothers of the Ninth Red Army Corps have a good meal. Additionally, this is a personal letter from our division commander. If there's nothing else, we need to return to our division tonight. These are all high-quality beef, and if you can't finish them, you can still salt them for preservation."

Luo Binghui took the letter from the logistics company commander and quickly read it, saying, "Good, go back and tell your division commander that I have read his letter. From now on, our corps' radio will maintain contact with you."

"Yes, commander! We'll leave first!"

Watching the Independent Division soldiers who had worked hard to deliver the large batch of fresh beef, Luo Binghui sighed and smiled, "This division commander He is really different! The ancients sent a feather over a thousand miles, but he sends beef over a hundred miles!"

"Alright, distribute the beef to each division, and the entire corps will have a good meal tonight. Although we have had meat on this journey, eating beef like this is a rare experience. Tonight, cook more to enjoy a hearty meal!"

"Yes, commander!"

Hearing Luo Binghui's orders, the division commanders were naturally delighted. Even though they held the same rank as He Zhengdao in the Red Army, they all knew that the Independent Division was much stronger than theirs.

Recently, they all knew that headquarters had considered upgrading the Independent Division to a corps. However, some committee members disagreed, thinking He Zhengdao was too young. But everyone knew that the Independent Division had already far exceeded the size of a division!

Even when the Independent Division supplemented headquarters with over 6,000 new recruits in Puge, the number of prisoners they captured during this operation as the vanguard was likely far more than 6,000.

Now, only He Zhengdao and the top leaders of headquarters knew how many people were in the Independent Division. For a division commander directly under the command of the Central Military Commission, even a corps commander like Luo Binghui had to show a certain level of respect to He Zhengdao.

Compared to the Ninth Red Army Corps enjoying a few luxurious meals, He Zhengdao, far in Xingjing, received a telegram that the main force had successfully crossed the Dadu River. He immediately ordered the entire division to move towards Luding.

At the same time, the Ninth Red Army Corps in Hanyuan also advanced towards Luding. Seeing that the Independent Division, which had entered Xingjing, had left overnight, Liu Wenhui in Ya'an immediately realized that something was wrong.

Just as Xue Yue and others also realized that the Red Army's main force was heading to Ganzi and ordered the Sichuan troops along the route to implement a blockade, the news came that the city of Luding had been successfully captured by the First Red Army Corps.

Hearing this news, Xue Yue was undoubtedly very disheartened. However, compared to Liu Wenhui, he felt a great sense of relief. For him, the departure of the Independent Division meant that Ya'an should be safe.

However, before he could be happy for long, Xue Yue in Guiyang quickly sent a telegram, ordering him to lead his main force to pursue the Independent Division. He must delay the transfer of the Independent Division to create an opportunity for the subsequent encirclement and suppression forces.

Looking at the telegram, Liu Wenhui could not help but curse, "Pursue? With the troops I have now, what can I use to pursue?"

But he also knew that military orders were like mountains. Faced with Xue Yue's strict orders, he really dared not not send troops to pursue. However, there were still some tricks to it. Therefore, he quickly ordered his main force and garrison troops to switch uniforms.

He ordered the garrison troops to fly the flags of the main force and leave Ya'an to pursue the transferring Independent Division. Meanwhile, the 86th Division of the Central Army, also under Xue Yue's orders, pursued the Ninth Red Army Corps transferring from Hanyuan.

Faced with these two pursuing forces, He Zhengdao also played a trick, ordering the newly formed three battalions to be the first to cross the Dadu River, while the true main force moved closer to the Ninth Red Army Corps.

From the reconnaissance battalion, He Zhengdao learned that these two pursuing forces, flying the flags of Liu Wenhui's main force, were not true elite troops but rather a ruse by Liu Wenhui.

Moreover, the marching speed of these two divisions was as slow as a snail. Their task was to coordinate with the 86th Division, hoping to catch either the Ninth Red Army Corps or the Independent Division.

However, the 86th Division found that the transfer speed of the Ninth Red Army Corps was very fast. When they arrived in Hanyuan, the Ninth Red Army Corps had already left. The 86th Division's soldiers marveled at the Red Army's "iron feet."

But when they learned that the logistics unit and a main force regiment of the Independent Division seemed to have not yet crossed the river, the 86th Division realized that this was a rare opportunity and began to speed up, hoping to catch this slow-moving logistics unit.

Most importantly, this was the logistics unit of the Independent Division. If they could eliminate it, it would be a significant achievement!

Knowing that the Independent Division still had a main force regiment guarding this logistics unit, the 86th Division was concerned about an ambush and specially sent reconnaissance troops to investigate the logistics unit in Fuzhuang.

In addition, they contacted Liu Wenhui's two divisions, hoping they would quickly join them. This way, they would have nearly three divisions, and they would not fear failing to capture the Independent Division's logistics unit, which only had one main force regiment.

When the reconnaissance troops reported that the Independent Division's logistics unit had a large number of mules and supplies and was having difficulty crossing the river, the 86th Division felt that this was an opportunity they could not miss!

"Has the Ninth Red Army Corps really crossed the river?"

"Yes! According to the intelligence we received, the Ninth Red Army Corps crossed the river overnight yesterday. They are now preparing to move towards Luding. The three main force regiments of the Independent Division have also moved towards Luding for some reason.

According to our information, the Ninth Red Army Corps, which crossed the river after the main force of the Independent Division, also sent a main force regiment to set up a defensive line at the crossing point to support the Independent Division's troops crossing the river."

Upon receiving the reply from the intelligence officer, the division commander and staff of the 86th Division felt that this was a heaven-sent opportunity. If they could win this battle, they might also have a chance to shine in front of Chairman Chiang!