Chapter 11: Not Enough Food? Then Take It by Force

Besides that, the Nationalist Army also began mobilizing various local units to encircle and cut off the pursuers.

Of course, the small detachment led by Long Wencheng was not the main target of the Nationalist encirclement; their priority was the central column, which they aimed to annihilate first.

Long Wencheng’s troops marched at a steady pace, gradually leaving the pursuing forces behind.

Their plan was to head to Liping County first, because if Long Wencheng remembered correctly, the central column had stayed there for a while before moving on to Zunyi.

If they could make it in time, they could catch up with the central column in Liping; otherwise, they would have to wait until Zunyi to regroup.

After several days of continuous marching through the forested mountains, Long Wencheng realized their food supplies were nearly exhausted.

With six to seven hundred soldiers plus the pack mules carrying goods, their daily consumption of provisions was tremendous.

The supplies they had captured earlier were never plentiful to begin with, and after a few more days, they feared they would have to resort to foraging for wild vegetables and gnawing on tree bark, living like savages.

Long Wencheng was all too aware of how urgently the Red Army would need food in the future.

Though they weren’t short on provisions at the start, once they entered western Sichuan and faced snow-capped mountains and vast grasslands, food would become a scarce commodity.

That night, Long Wencheng gathered the main officers to discuss solutions to the food shortage.

Everyone pooled their ideas and proposed several plans.

The first was to find wealthy landlords and confiscate their grain.

The second was to disguise themselves as ordinary grain merchants and buy supplies in the town.

The third, proposed by Long Wencheng himself, was to ambush the 189th Regiment of the Guangxi Army trailing behind them.

During this time, Long Wencheng had also sent scouts to the rear and knew the 189th Regiment was relentlessly pursuing them.

These wolfish soldiers from Guangxi were fast on the march, especially adept at mountain warfare.

The 189th Regiment was a main force unit, well-manned and decently equipped, ranking fairly high in combat effectiveness within the Guangxi Army.

“Isn’t attacking the 189th Regiment too risky?” Wen Song was the first to voice concern; he now regarded himself almost as a member of the Red Army.

“Not to mention anything else, I know that old dog Lei. He fights fiercely, and his weapons aren’t shabby. A full-strength regiment has over two thousand men, and our six hundred may not be a match even for an ambush,” he warned.

He was also from the Guangxi Army and knew the combat power of Lei’s troops best, hence he advised Long Wencheng against targeting them.

Such a head-on confrontation, even if victorious, would come at a heavy cost, destroying all their accumulated resources.

The others shared similar views, feeling the plan was too dangerous; a single misstep could mean complete defeat, and their small force simply couldn’t afford such losses.

After everyone had spoken, Long Wencheng said calmly, “I never said we were going to attack their main force.”

Upon hearing this, the group immediately understood his meaning.

“Attack their supply train?”

Though Yang Gang looked rough and fierce, he was quite perceptive.

The men began quietly discussing before Qi Delong, chewing on a willow twig, was the first to raise his hand in agreement.

“I agree with the captain’s idea.”

Yang Gang slapped his thigh and raised his hand as well.

Other company and battalion commanders also found the plan feasible.

Finally, Wen Song timidly raised his arm.

“I... I agree too, hehe.”

“Military democratic meeting this is; you’re a prisoner, what right do you have to vote?” Little Stone glared at him.

Wen Song shrank his neck and chuckled, “I just find these meetings interesting, can’t help myself.”

Back when he was with the 177th Regiment, the command was autocratic; whatever he said went.

The Red Army was different; a group of people gathering to discuss, brainstorm, and everyone dared to speak out.

The decision was made, and that very night they divided their forces.

About three hundred, led by Tian Lixin, consisting mainly of the wounded, supply carriers, and some soldiers, disguised as the main force, continued marching toward Liping County.

The remaining three hundred-plus elite troops, carrying the main firepower—including light and heavy machine guns, a large number of submachine guns, and a 37mm direct-fire cannon—hid in place, waiting for the 189th Regiment’s main force to pass before attacking the supply unit at the rear.

The next day, the 189th Regiment’s main force passed through that spot.

It must be said, Wen Song did not deceive them; the 189th Regiment was truly formidable.

Despite days of forced marches, their formation was not overly scattered.

Moreover, the weapons the soldiers carried made Long Wencheng drool.

Among them were Maxim heavy machine guns and even 81mm mortars produced at the Liuzhou Arsenal.

However, to increase marching speed, this unit traveled light, each soldier carrying only seven days’ rations, like a pack of wolves tightly biting at Long Wencheng’s heels.

Long Wencheng observed the soldiers on the road through his binoculars from the bushes.

He noticed an officer holding a coin purse, handing out silver dollars directly to marching soldiers, shouting something.

Though too far to hear clearly, it was likely words of encouragement.

No wonder these guys were running so fast and chasing so relentlessly—turns out old dog Lei was spending big money.

“Old dog Lei is really going all out,” Long Wencheng muttered.

“Of course, he’s Lei Baojun’s only brother and dotes on him to death. Didn’t you notice when they went to clear you out, Lei Baojun was held back? Who would’ve thought you’d steal the rear from them,” Wen Song said beside him.

The 189th Regiment passed by quickly; Long Wencheng roughly counted about seventeen hundred men.

The remaining several hundred were probably the supply unit trailing behind.

Otherwise, the soldiers alone could not maintain such a relentless pursuit relying only on their carried rations and supplies.

After all, silver dollars don’t fill stomachs.

It wasn’t until late afternoon, with the sun about to set, that they finally saw the enemy supply unit appear.

“They really came,” Yang Gang grinned, the scars on his face making his expression hideous.

“Captain Long, a brilliant strategy. Old dog Lei won’t even have time to turn back and support them,” Wen Song gave Long Wencheng a thumbs-up.

At that moment, Long Wencheng said, “Enough talk. You handle the 37mm cannon. Bomb their machine gun positions.”

“Leave it to me. That old dog Lei isn’t a good man—often looting civilians and taking credit for others’ deeds. I’ve been wanting to deal with him for a long time,” Wen Song said as he went to adjust the cannon positioned on a nearby high ground.