Chapter 16: Urgent Military Intelligence—Heading North to Qingkou

Chapter 16

The reorganization camp in Gulong Town was thick with dust kicked up by straw sandals and the lingering clang of metal weapons. The smell of gunpowder still clung to the 2,700 soldiers of the Independent Regiment, barely dissipated, when a new order thundered through the camp like a sudden storm.

“Beep beep… beep beep beep…”

The urgent buzzing of the temporary regimental radio shattered the brief silence. The radio operator almost dashed out of the tent, thrusting a high-priority telegram into Wang Lin's hands:

Independent Regiment, Wang Lin and Wang Guangdao:

Enemy Wu Qiwei’s 90th Division, 536th Regiment, is advancing rapidly along the narrow path from Old State → Zhongping → Xiangqinkou, intent on blocking our westward route! If Xiangqinkou falls, the 37th Regiment and the army’s flank will be in grave danger! The 37th Regiment’s 3rd Battalion (Commander Zhou Biao) currently holds Xiangqinkou, but the enemy’s assault is fierce and pressure immense!

You are ordered to immediately halt rest and march north at the fastest speed possible. You must arrive at Xiangqinkou before noon tomorrow (the 5th) to reinforce the 3rd Battalion of the 37th Regiment, jointly defend the Xiangqinkou position, and resolutely block the enemy’s 536th Regiment at all costs!

Fifth Army Group Command, Dong

The message was brief but weighed heavily on their hearts. Wang Lin and Wang Guangdao exchanged a glance, both seeing solemn resolve mirrored in the other’s eyes. The reorganization had only begun a day ago; new and veteran soldiers were still superficially acclimating, and the 3rd Battalion’s equipment was incomplete… Yet Xiangqinkou was in urgent peril, comrades were locked in bloody battle, and military orders stood firm as mountains.

“Sound the urgent assembly!” Wang Lin’s voice was as cold and sharp as a blade. “Entire regiment! Complete battle readiness within 30 minutes! Destination: Xiangqinkou! Forced march!”

A piercing bugle call instantly echoed through the Gulong valley. Soldiers who had just set down their bowls, still adjusting their leg bindings, sprang up like coiled springs. After a brief moment of chaos, harsh orders from core leaders and veterans transformed the troops into a well-oiled machine. Backpacks were slung over shoulders, rifles chambered, and the artillery company’s mules were swiftly harnessed to the gun carriages.

“Comrades! At the Wujiang front, our brothers in the army group are bleeding! We have orders to rush there at maximum speed! We must block those damn white devils at Xiangqinkou! Do you have the confidence?!”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Two thousand seven hundred voices erupted in a deafening roar. Although the rookies’ eyes flickered with nervousness, the fierce spirit ignited by the veterans blazed hotter, dispelling the winter chill.

“Move out!” Wang Lin waved his hand decisively.

The Independent Regiment surged forward like a steel dragon awakened, plunging headfirst into the towering mountains of northern Guizhou. There were no roads, only narrow winding paths marked on maps, tracks used only by herbalists and hunters. The night was as dark as ink, the chill wind biting; the soldiers stumbled on steep, slippery terrain. Heavy mortar components required several men to shoulder; rookies’ breaths were harsh like bellows, while veterans clenched their teeth, clearing the brush with their bodies to forge a path.

Wang Lin’s mental 3D map was their sole guide. He constantly adjusted their direction, choosing the fastest, safest routes that avoided detection. The unit could not afford delay. Through one long day and night, the troops rested only twice during the coldest hours before dawn, each break no longer than two hours. Many soldiers fell asleep leaning on rocks with rifles in hand, only to be jolted awake by sharp whistles and forced onward. Their straw sandals wore through; the soles of their feet were raw and bleeding, leg bindings soaked with blood, yet not a single man lagged behind. The forced march itself was a crucible, as rookies gradually steadied their steps and shed panic, replaced by resilience inspired silently by their elders.

At last, as the eastern sky lightened, the rushing sound of water came from ahead—a tributary of the Wujiang River, the Jiangjie River! According to the map, Xiangqinkou lay across the river to the northwest.

But Wang Lin’s heart sank suddenly. On the map, the ferry area on the south bank of the Jiangjie River was ablaze with dense flickering blue dots! Intense gunfire and artillery roared like bursting popcorn, shaking the valley with thunderous echoes.

“Report, regimental commander!” Zhang Hongtu, the forward scout, dashed back like a leopard, his face smeared with mud and dust, voice hoarse. “South bank of the ferry! Large numbers of Central Army troops! They belong to Wu Qiwei’s 90th Division, about two thousand strong! They are fiercely assaulting the ferry! The 37th Regiment holds the north bank, entrenched in defenses! The floating bridge has been partially destroyed, and the enemy is using rafts and small boats to cross! The north bank is under extreme pressure! We… cannot cross!”

Wang Lin and Wang Guangdao rushed to a nearby high ground, raising their binoculars. Across the open south bank, the gray mass of Central Army soldiers swarmed like ants, driven by officers, wave after wave surging toward the riverbank. Light and heavy machine gun fire whipped across the river and the opposite shore like lashes. Mortar shells constantly exploded over the 37th Regiment’s positions on the north bank, sending up thick black smoke. On the river, dozens of rafts and small boats fought desperately against the hail of bullets, many struck, with soldiers screaming as they plunged into the water. The Red Army positions clung stubbornly to the cliffs, but their firepower was clearly suppressed, and the situation was perilous. The sound of gunfire and artillery from the Xiangqinkou direction drifted faintly, adding urgency.

“Xiangqinkou is in crisis, and here we’re trapped too…” Wang Guangdao frowned deeply.

“We can’t wait!” Wang Lin’s eyes flashed cold steel as he made a swift decision. “Xiangqinkou is a death order; we must arrive on time! This enemy force right here will be our sacrifice! Let them see what the Independent Regiment is truly made of! Orders—”

His voice rose sharply, filled with ruthless martial spirit:

“Artillery Company! Liu Gensheng! Immediately find firing positions! Targets—the enemy’s heavy machine gun nests, mortar positions, and densely packed assault formations on the south bank! Ten guns! Fire with all you’ve got! Use up every shell if you must, but suppress their firepower! Five minutes to prepare! Show these rookies what real fire coverage means!”

“1st Battalion! Chen Ahai! Li Gang! After the fire coverage, the entire battalion will attack from the enemy’s flanks and rear! Move by company, veterans leading rookies, bayonets flashing! Tear through the enemy’s assault formations! 2nd and 3rd Battalions follow closely to expand the gains! The guard company will protect the flanks! The reconnaissance company will monitor the perimeter! Remember, we’re rushing to extinguish the fire at Xiangqinkou! This fight must be quick and decisive!”

“Yes, sir!” The orders spread rapidly, and commanders’ eyes blazed with fighting spirit.

Liu Gensheng and his artillery soldiers moved like monkeys, swiftly setting up ten 82mm mortars behind several hills. Though the newly assigned artillery rookies were tense, under the stern command of Chief Gunner Chen and experienced crews, their movements were surprisingly agile. Loaders passed heavy shells quickly, while the aimers adjusted swiftly based on Chen’s parameters.

“Azimuth 210! Distance 800! Rapid fire! Fire!”

Liu Gensheng’s shout was filled with barely contained excitement and a hint of expectation for the rookies.

“Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!…”

The ten mortars unleashed a deep, thunderous roar! Shells screamed through the air, tracing deadly arcs, pounding the enemy’s core area on the south bank like a hailstorm!

“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!!”

A series of earth-shaking explosions erupted along the enemy’s frontline! The ground trembled as a heavy machine gun nest spewing flames was directly hit, shattering gun and crew into pieces; parts and limbs flew skyward! Another mortar position was struck with multiple shells nearly simultaneously, the exploding ammunition engulfing the crews in a massive fireball! Dense assault formations were engulfed in clouds of blood, limbs, and earth! The fierce, saturated artillery barrage shattered the enemy’s arrogance, plunging their assault into chaos and terror! Many rookies gasped at the terrifying power but soon their eyes blazed with fiery determination—this was their artillery!

“Charge—!!”

Almost at the instant the artillery fire ceased, Chen Ahai and Li Gang led their 700 steel warriors like descending tigers, roaring as they burst from the woods behind the enemy’s flank! Nine heavy machine guns opened fire from hastily fortified positions, forming a scorching wall of death that crushed any enemy officers and gunners attempting to counterattack! Following came dozens of light machine guns, unleashing a dense hail of bullets that mowed down exposed foes like scythes! Rookies, though still awkward, were swept up in the overwhelming assault, bayonets raised, fiercely plunging into the disordered enemy ranks!

“Red Army! Red Army behind us!”

“Where did so many guns come from?! So many machine guns?!”

“We can’t hold! Run!”

The Central Army was completely stunned! Attacked from both front and rear, and facing unprecedented firepower—exceeding anything they had seen—they were utterly broken in spirit. Officers’ shouts were drowned out by explosions, gunfire, and soldiers’ screams. Formations collapsed instantly, and soldiers panicked as escape routes seemed cut off. Survival instinct overwhelmed discipline, resulting in total rout.

Led by veterans, the bayonet charge of the 1st Battalion pierced the enemy lines like a hot iron through butter, ruthlessly tearing their formations apart! Rookies, inspired by the veterans’ decisive moves, grouped in threes to cover each other, stabbing mercilessly into fleeing enemies’ chests! The 2nd and 3rd Battalions surged forward like a breaking flood, splitting, encircling, and annihilating the scattered enemy. The fight rapidly turned into a one-sided pursuit and mop-up. The Central Army soldiers screamed and fled, discarding helmets and weapons, running wildly like headless flies, many plunging into the icy Jiangjie River in desperation.

The battle was fierce but brief. In less than thirty minutes, the open south bank was littered with corpses, smoke billowing. Gunfire and explosions quickly thinned to scattered resistance before the Red Army’s furious shouts of “Surrender or die!” Nearly two thousand enemy troops had been shattered by the Independent Regiment’s whirlwind firepower and swift assault! The rookies looked upon the captured weapons and prisoners, faces glowing with the mixed exhaustion and pride of victors. This swift victory was undoubtedly an excellent baptism by fire.

On the north bank, at the 37th Regiment’s positions of the 5th Red Army Corps:

Regimental Commander Li Pingren and Political Commissar Xie Liang crouched in the trench, staring through binoculars at the incredible, blood-stirring scene across the river. Their faces were etched with shock and disbelief. The Central Army that had been pressing them down moments ago, almost breaking through their defenses, had now been annihilated in a flash by a sudden Red Army force! That dense, terrifying artillery barrage—ten mortars firing simultaneously! The storm of machine gun fire—light and heavy guns in astonishing numbers! And that unit, stabbing through enemy lines like a sharp dagger, bayonets gleaming… Who were these gods of war?

“Good heavens! Old Xie! Did you see that? The artillery! The machine guns! More lavish than the white devils’ elite! And that charging momentum… like a pack of starving tigers!” Li Pingren’s voice trembled with awe and excitement.

“They don’t look like our men! Look at their equipment and firepower… too much like the Central Army’s! Could this be a double bluff by the enemy to lure us into opening the ferry?” Xie Liang frowned, fingers unconsciously resting on his pistol. His reason told him this was too strange.

“But… they’re damn fierce fighting the white devils! Look at those bayonets, they’re stabbing without hesitation! The white devils are scared stiff!” Li Pingren’s binoculars followed a rookie from the Independent Regiment clumsily yet fiercely stabbing a fleeing enemy, his heart pounding.

As the 37th Regiment wavered in doubt, some even nervously shifted their barrels toward the south bank, the regimental radio suddenly crackled with an urgent confirmation from the army group command:

To 37th Regiment, Li and Xie:

This is Wang Lin’s Independent Regiment of the newly formed 5th Army Group, ordered to rush reinforcement to Xiangqinkou and support Zhou Biao’s battalion. We have reached your ferry defense line. Open the ferry immediately and allow us to cross! Repeat: Open passage without delay!

Fifth Army Group Command, Dong

“It’s the Independent Regiment! Wang Lin! From the 34th Division!” Li Pingren slammed his fist into the trench wall, voice trembling with excitement. “Quick! Signal the other side! Engineer company, immediately repair and reinforce the floating bridge! Clear the ferry of obstacles! Hurry! Prepare to welcome comrades from the Independent Regiment across the river!”

As the Independent Regiment’s soldiers escorted hundreds of prisoners—over five hundred—carried away hundreds of captured rifles and numerous ammo boxes, orderly crossing the hastily repaired floating bridge, Wang Lin made a point to approach Li Pingren and Xie Liang who were directing at the ferry.

“Commander Li! Commissar Xie!” Wang Lin saluted crisply, speaking rapidly. “By order of the army group, we rushed to reinforce Zhou Biao’s battalion at Xiangqinkou! Time is tight! The prisoners, captured rifles, light machine guns, some ammunition, and rations from the south bank battle are all transferred to your regiment! We are taking the mortars and heavy machine guns with us—the Xiangqinkou position needs firepower support! We leave the battlefield cleanup to the comrades of the 37th Regiment!”

Li Pingren grasped Wang Lin’s hand firmly, shaking it vigorously, eyes filled with gratitude, shock, and a hint of envy. “Commander Wang! Divine troops descended just in time to relieve the burning crisis at Jiangjie River! This great favor will be remembered by me, Li Pingren, and all commanders and soldiers of the 37th Regiment! Xiangqinkou is in your hands now! Zhou Biao is under heavy pressure; hurry! Take care!” He glanced at the mortars on the soldiers’ shoulders and the heavy machine guns carried by the mule teams, knowing these were Wang Lin’s “hard assets” left to support Xiangqinkou. He admired their vision and sense of responsibility.

Xie Liang also saluted solemnly, his tone sincere: “Commander Wang, today’s battle by the Independent Regiment displayed the true might of our Red Army! Ferocious firepower, sharp assault—truly impressive! We entrust Xiangqinkou’s reinforcement to you with full confidence. Wishing you victory!”

Without further words, the Independent Regiment, still smelling of gunpowder and riding a wave of high morale, pressed on without pause.