Chapter 12: Ambush in the Passageway

Chapter 12: Ambush in the Passage

Within the county town of Tongdao, preparations for evacuation were nearing completion. The soldiers conducted their final inspections, securely bundling precious medicines and ammunition. Mules and horses shifted restlessly beneath their harnesses, the air thick with tension and anticipation. The setting sun cast a golden glow upon the ancient city walls as Wang Lin stood atop the ramparts, his gaze sweeping over the undulating mountains to the west.

“Company commanders report ready, standing by for departure,” Chief of Staff Wang Guang said quietly as he approached Wang Lin.

Wang Lin nodded, about to give the order, when suddenly—

“Bang! Bang! Bang—!”

From the southern part of the city, sharp gunshots tore through the twilight silence without warning. Immediately following were the more intense sounds of heavy fire and grenade explosions.

“Recon platoon alert! Situation developing!” Wang Guang’s expression hardened instantly.

Almost simultaneously with the gunfire, a figure dashed through the alley leading to the command post from the south like an arrow released from a bow. It was Recon Platoon Leader Zhang Hongtu. He nearly burst through the half-open door, drenched in sweat, chest heaving fiercely, face smeared with smoke and dirt, voice hoarse and urgent, laden with unprecedented alarm:

“Battalion Commander! Chief of Staff! The main force of the Gui Army is to the south! Judging by their banner, it’s the enemy’s 23rd Regiment—at least two fully equipped elite battalions! Their vanguard reconnaissance company is less than a mile from the city’s southern edge, already engaged in firefights with our forward patrols! They’re on a forced march, formation tight, equipment top-notch!”

“A mile?!” Wang Lin’s heart clenched as if gripped by an icy hand. A mile—for a battle-ready elite force on alert, it was practically breathing distance. The warning shots meant the enemy’s vanguard had collided head-on with the Red Army’s frontline pickets.

“Are you sure it’s the main force? Not scattered troops or militia?” Wang Guang pressed, disbelief heavy in his voice.

“Absolutely! I saw their regimental flag! They wear gray cloth uniforms, their leggings tied neatly, with heavy machine gun and mortar pack animals trailing behind! At least one company in the vanguard, with fierce firepower and swift movement!” Zhang Hongtu’s arm bled from a grazing bullet wound.

Liao Lei, commander of the 7th Gui Division, had a clear, ruthless strategy: the main Red Army forces were to be “courteously escorted” out of the province, pressured to leave Guangxi quickly; but Wang Lin’s unit, deep in northern Guangxi, having captured two cities—Daoxian and Tongdao—and inflicted serious damage, was regarded as a critical threat that must be annihilated at all costs within Guangxi’s borders. Failure to do so would be unacceptable to Bai Chongxi and the Nanjing command.

After unsuccessful mountain hunts, Liao Lei judged Wang Lin’s troops would escape westward into Guizhou. Tongdao County, controlling the vital junction of Hunan, Guangxi, and Guizhou, became the key to “locking down” the Red forces.

He ordered Colonel Zhou Zuming of the 23rd Regiment to personally lead the two most elite battalions (1st and 2nd, supported by the regimental mortar and heavy machine gun companies) in a forced march to seize Tongdao’s county seat, establish a firm defensive line, and annihilate the scattered Red remnants at the Hunan-Guangxi border. Zhou, eager to make a name, pushed his troops relentlessly, disregarding fatigue. He assumed Tongdao was still held by local militias or allied forces, unaware it had fallen to the Reds hours before. Thus, two highly alert, elite forces with entirely different objectives collided unexpectedly on Tongdao’s southern outskirts at dusk.

“Entire battalion, prepare for emergency combat! Abandon all non-combat supplies! 1st Company, Chen Ahai, immediately seize the southern city wall and all usable fortifications and buildings outside the city! Hold the enemy vanguard at all costs! 2nd Company, Huang Musheng, deploy on the left flank, using the walls and houses to prevent enemy encirclement! 3rd Company, Zhou Zhiming, remain in reserve, ready to plug any gaps! Artillery platoon, Liu Gensheng, find commanding positions inside the city and establish firing points targeting enemy follow-up units and fire positions! Guard platoon, protect command post and medical teams! Communications, inform all companies: this is a battle of life and death—hold firm!” Wang Lin’s roar thundered, igniting the command post. Hastily, a cruel, unprepared defensive battle erupted.

Chaos and efficiency gripped Tongdao instantly. Piercing whistles, officers’ shouts, soldiers’ pounding footsteps, and the clatter of weapons melded into a single roar. Soldiers dropped their packs, grabbed weapons and ammo, and surged southward with astonishing speed. Instinct honed by countless bloodbaths and morale tripled by determination transformed into a near-cold composure and explosive power.

Wang Lin and Wang Guang dashed from the command post toward the southern ramparts. As they reached the parapet, the sight before them cast a shadow over their hearts:

At the edge of the open southern field, dust and smoke billowed. Gui soldiers, clad in neat gray cloth uniforms, wearing wide-brimmed hats (officers) or cloth caps (troops), leggings tied with military precision, pressed forward in expertly executed skirmisher lines like a surging tide. Their movements were swift, alternately covering each other, with machine gun fire precise and deadly. The Gui vanguard reconnaissance company had already crushed the Red Army’s outpost beyond the city, taking cover behind ridges, graves, and ruins, exchanging fierce fire with the hastily defending soldiers on the walls. Bullets struck bricks and stones with sharp pings, sending debris flying. Farther back, the main Gui force unfolded battle formations at breathtaking speed; heavy machine guns and mortars were unloaded from pack animals and quickly set up firing positions. The “23R” regimental banner stood proudly amid the smoke, a symbol of the elite Gui forces’ ferocity.

“They’re the real Gui main force—hard nuts to crack,” Wang Guang said gravely. Their tactical skill, coordinated firepower, and rapid advance far exceeded any previous adversary.

“No time! Liu Gensheng, open fire! All light and heavy machine guns, suppress the enemy’s spearhead! Crush their firing points!” Wang Lin’s voice was cold steel, eyes flashing with icy resolve. When paths cross in a narrow pass, only the fiercest firepower can disrupt the enemy’s rhythm and buy a sliver of survival.

“Yes, sir!” The command passed amid the roar of guns and artillery.

“Mortars, bearing 175 degrees, range 600 meters, rapid fire—fire!” Liu Gensheng’s hoarse shout echoed from a hastily chosen rooftop shrine firing position. Six mortars bellowed in unison.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The shells screamed death as they pounded the advancing Gui vanguard.

Crash! Crash! Crash! Thunderous explosions ripped through the Gui ranks. Though fired hastily and imprecisely, the shells covered a wide area, instantly toppling over a dozen Gui soldiers, disrupting their attack line and sowing confusion.

“Fire!” Almost simultaneously with the mortar salvo, all light and heavy machine guns atop the walls, behind sandbag barricades at the gates, and from high rooftops unleashed blistering torrents of fire.

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat! The light machine guns spat like cascading water.

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap! The heavy machine guns fired steady, deadly bursts.

Bang-bang-bang! Rifles cracked with precise shots.

An intense, suffocating storm of steel swept across the southern plains. The Red Army’s firepower poured out without reserve. Twenty-seven light machine guns and six heavy machine guns wove a net of death, cutting down exposed Gui soldiers like a grim reaper’s scythe. The Gui vanguard was caught off guard, a large swath felled instantly. The following units, suppressed by fierce fire, faltered, their momentum broken.

Colonel Zhou Zuming, stationed about 800 meters behind the frontline on a vantage hill known as “Wangxiang Slope,” was elated, ready to establish his “chain” defense after “receiving” Tongdao. But the sudden, far heavier-than-expected barrage of mortars and machine gun fire froze his smile. This relentless hail of bullets—far more machine guns than expected—and the powerful mortar fire! Intelligence had said the Red remnants numbered fewer than two hundred, lacking guns and ammo. What the hell was this “remnant”?! The horrifying thought of ambush flashed through Zhou’s mind. His elite vanguard had barely engaged before suffering heavy casualties. He immediately ordered his signalmen to call for artillery support and commanded the 1st Battalion commander to hold at all costs, while the 2nd Battalion moved quickly to flank.

Wang Lin and his soldiers were shaken by the Gui main force’s ferocity. Far from collapsing under the sudden firestorm, the enemy dropped prone, took cover, and mounted an extremely precise, fierce counterattack. Gui soldiers’ marksmanship was cunning and seasoned; their bullets found targets relentlessly from cover. Gui mortars and heavy machine guns reacted swiftly, shells screaming onto the city walls and inside, sending stone and dust flying, bricks shattering under the machine gun fire, suppressing the Red machine gunners. Though fierce in firepower, the Reds lacked sturdy fortifications amid the rush, and their ammo dwindled alarmingly. The situation quickly turned to a grim defensive struggle. This was the true fang of the Gui steel army.

The battlefield became a brutal meat grinder. Relying on numerical superiority and soldier quality, the Gui repeatedly launched platoon and squad-level assaults, using ridges and trenches to press against the walls. The Reds, leveraging fierce firepower, slight height advantage, and tripled resolve, repelled attack after attack. The two forces tugged and pulled within the narrow southern zone, every inch bathed in blood. Red casualties mounted; ammunition reserves plummeted. Zhou Zuming, stationed on the rear hill, continuously redeployed troops, exerting pressure, clearly aiming to wear down these “remnants.”

Wang Lin crouched behind the parapet, his Tokarev pistol barrel burning hot. The digital map showed the enemy’s blue dots still large and tenacious, their assault like a tidal wave. Crucially, the enemy command group—the cluster of blue dots representing regimental headquarters—remained firmly on Wangxiang Slope, 800 meters behind, well guarded by security, signal squads, and pack animals. They had not advanced. A frontal assault was impossible.

“We must take out their brains!” Wang Lin’s eyes flashed fiercely as a bold flanking decapitation plan took shape. He turned sharply to the sharp-eyed guard platoon leader Zheng Shuisheng and the recently returned Zhang Hongtu.

“Shuisheng! Hongtu!”

“Yes!” Both stepped forward at once.

“See that ‘Wangxiang Slope’ on the map? That’s the Gui regimental HQ, well fortified and rearward!” Wang Lin spoke rapidly, tracing two arcs on the map. “Shuisheng, you lead the guard platoon out the west gate, move stealthily along the western mountain ravine, and flank to the right side (east) of Wangxiang Slope! Hongtu, take the recon platoon also out the west gate, but use the dry riverbed on the east side to flank the left (west) side of Wangxiang Slope! You two routes will act like pincers, striking from both flanks simultaneously! Only one target: destroy the Gui command post! Move swiftly and covertly! Signal immediately upon success! Any questions?”

Zheng and Zhang exchanged a glance, seeing determination and excitement mirrored in each other’s eyes. After carefully reviewing the routes and terrain, they nodded decisively: “Mission will be accomplished, Battalion Commander!” Without hesitation, both turned and gathered their finest men, vanishing into the dusk like ghosts, slipping silently through the west gate and blending into the vast mountain shadows.

Meanwhile, the frontline slaughter reached its most brutal phase. Gui artillery and machine-gun fire intensified, waves of infantry howling as they stormed the city’s weak points under fire cover. Multiple sections of the wall collapsed. Chen Ahai, Huang Musheng, and Zhou Zhiming led their men in sealing breaches with sandbags, doors, and even fallen comrades’ bodies, engaging in savage close-quarters combat with the infiltrating Gui soldiers. Shouts, bayonet clashes, and dying screams filled the air. Zhou’s reserves filled gaps but suffered heavy losses. The artillery platoon had exhausted its ammo; Liu Gensheng, desperate, and his gunners took up rifles to join the defense. The Red frontline teetered under immense pressure.

Time slipped away second by second, each moment marking lives lost. Wang Lin’s heart tightened as he fixed his gaze on the map’s two tiny red arrows representing the assault teams, creeping forward slowly.

Suddenly!

From the Wangxiang Slope direction, near-simultaneous bursts of fierce, sharp, and deadly gunfire and explosions erupted! Light machine gun sweeps, Tokarev bursts, and muffled grenade detonations sounded in rapid succession! Flames flashed violently on the dusk-shrouded hillside!

This strike from the absolute rear command center hammered the Gui war machine’s core like a sledgehammer! The Gui battalion commanders at the frontline halted in shock, turning to see the hill ablaze with fire and smoke, the regiment’s banner toppled!

“Command post under attack!”

“The regimental commander’s side is compromised!”

Panic spread like plague from the front lines through the entire Gui assault force. Soldiers exchanged bewildered looks; officers were at a loss. The fierce offensive momentum shattered as if its backbone had been ripped out. Frontline Gui troops instinctively began to retreat, seeking cover.

“Charge!” Chen Ahai, Zhou Zhiming, Huang Musheng—battle-hardened company commanders—seized this rare opportunity. Bloodied like wounded tigers, they roared thunderously, leading their equally enraged men through breaches and gates in a desperate counterattack.

“Surrender and you will be spared!” The thunderous battle cries and the chaos at the rear command formed a deadly pincer. The Gui resistance crumbled completely under the dual blows of destroyed command and the Red Army’s desperate counterstrike.

The fight on Wangxiang Slope ended quickly. A green signal flare screamed sharply through the southern night sky.

Soon after, Zheng Shuisheng and Zhang Hongtu returned leading a group of dejected, disheveled officers down the hillside. At their head was Colonel Zhou Zuming, identifiable by his colonel’s insignia. His face was pale, cap askew, uniform stained with mud, one arm roughly bandaged—clearly he had resisted fiercely before capture. His adjutant, staff officer, and signal officers were equally defeated in spirit.

Zheng and Zhang marched Zhou to the blazing frontline, shouting to the disorganized Gui troops:

“Your commander, Colonel Zhou Zuming, is here! Your command post has been destroyed by our forces! Lay down your arms! Surrender and live!”

This shout was the last straw.

“The commander is captured!”

“We’re finished! Surrender now!”

“Stop fighting! We give up!”

Bereft of leadership and will, the elite Gui troops lost all fighting spirit. Waves of soldiers dropped weapons, fell to their knees, hands raised high. Officers could not restrain them and resigned themselves to surrender. Gunfire ceased swiftly, leaving only wounded groans, Red Army orders, and the wind sweeping over the blood-soaked fields.

The setting sun dipped below the horizon, twilight deepening, shrouding the southern Tongdao battlefield in a bleak shadow. Smoke, dust, and the heavy stench of blood lingered long.

The Red Army suffered 48 killed, 22 severely wounded, and 30 lightly wounded—total casualties around 100. They paid a heavy price but withstood the overwhelming Gui main force’s assault and reversed the battle with a brilliant flanking decapitation strike.

The Gui Army lost about 120 dead and more than 180 severely wounded. Regimental commander Zhou Zuming, deputy commander, chief of staff, and key officers were captured. Over 800 soldiers surrendered, abandoning mountains of weapons and ammunition—including numerous light machine guns, heavy machine guns, and mortars.

From the destroyed regimental command post, a fully intact military radio transceiver and accompanying codebook were seized—priceless treasures for contacting the Central Red Army.

Wang Lin stood on the shattered city wall, watching Zhou being escorted away and then the radio carefully lifted by soldiers, its metallic gleam flickering in the fading light. Fatigue marked his face, but a complex expression mixed profound sorrow with boundless hope.

The brutal encounter beneath Tongdao’s walls ended in the Red 3rd Battalion’s fierce sacrifice and glorious victory. They had not only shattered the last main pursuit force of the Gui 7th Division but captured its commander and staff. This hasty, forced, yet iron-willed and tactically brilliant battle marked the rebirth of the 3rd Battalion—from a desperate rear guard remnant to a formidable force that struck fear into strong enemies.

“Rapidly clear the battlefield! Prioritize treating severe wounded (regardless of friend or foe)! Gather prisoners! Secure the radio and codebook tightly! No one is allowed near!” Wang Lin’s voice was hoarse but resolute. “Inform the entire battalion: lightly wounded will receive simple bandaging and march out. Delay departure by one day; we move tomorrow night as planned.”