Chapter 31: Total Annihilation of the Security Brigade, the Severed Heads of the Bai Family Patriarchs

More memories from the training ground, along with details passed down by veterans, began to flood into the recruits' minds, dispelling their tension, anxiety, and fear.

"Align the three points, hold your breath, pre-press the trigger, fire!"

The recruit who had been trembling just moments ago finally fired his first bullet. An enemy soldier from the Security Brigade, attempting to reach the riverbank, was instantly struck down.

"I hit him! I actually hit him!"

The recruit cheered, standing up straight from the defensive position. Before he could shout twice, however, a veteran behind him yanked him down and kicked him hard.

"Are you tired of living? Who told you to stand up?!" the veteran cursed furiously.

But the recruit, lying on the ground, kept repeating, "I hit him, I hit him. I avenged you, Father, I avenged you." His father had been beaten to death by these very thugs from the Security Brigade simply because he refused to let them steal the family’s pig.

Seeing this, the Red Army veteran softened his tone, patted the boy on the shoulder, and said, "Keep fighting, but don't stand up and throw your life away, damn it."

"Yes!" the recruit replied. He crawled back up, took aim at the front, worked the bolt, focused, held his breath, and pulled the trigger.

Bai Jiasheng, who had charged onto the riverbank and plunged into the icy water, never imagined that the enemy had also deployed defensive troops on the opposite bank. Hundreds of soldiers who had already reached the middle of the river were trapped, unable to advance or retreat. They were caught in a crossfire between the firing points at Nangao Village and the roaring guns from the opposite bank. Most of the soldiers were killed in the Qingshui River before they could even climb onto the bank. Those few who managed to reach the shore were quickly shredded by the concentrated fire.

Bai Jiasheng fell into utter despair. He was trapped; if he tried to retreat, the enemy on the heights would focus their fire on the riverbank, and if he advanced, the firepower from the opposite bank was equally ferocious.

"Heaven is trying to destroy me!" Bai Jiasheng shouted in bitter resentment toward the dark sky. A moment later, a heavy machine gun bullet flew over and pierced straight through his chest.

The gunfire lasted all night. The riverbank, the river surface, and the valley were littered with the corpses of the Security Brigade soldiers. At daybreak, Long Wencheng ordered his men down from the hills to clear the battlefield.

The cleanup took until noon. Long Wencheng was not particularly overjoyed by the spoils, but rather by the growth of his recruits during the battle. Using the Fifth Security Brigade as a training ground for these new soldiers was quite appropriate. Had they faced a regular army or the fierce Wolf Soldiers of the Gui Army from the start, many more would have died.

Just then, Little Stone ran over and led Long Wencheng to the riverbank, which was piled high with the bodies of the enemies who had been shot while trying to cross the river the previous night.

"That is Bai Jiasheng, Regiment Commander," Little Stone said, pointing at a body. Nearby, seven or eight surviving Security Brigade soldiers were kneeling. The adjutant, Bai San, was soaked through, kneeling with a pale face.

Looking at his officer’s uniform, Long Wencheng asked, "Hey, is that man Bai Jiasheng?"

"Yes, it's the Brigade Commander—no, it's that bastard Bai Jiasheng! Officer, please... please don't kill me," Bai San stammered.

Long Wencheng glanced at him coldly and said to Cavalry Reconnaissance Company Commander Lin Tong, "Old Lin, cut off his head and send it to Kaili. Tell them that Bai Jiasheng is dead and his Fifth Security Brigade has been wiped out by our Red Army."

"Yes!" Lin Tong replied. He pulled a machete from his waist, severed Bai Jiasheng's head in a few quick strokes, grabbed it by the hair, and turned to lead his cavalry toward Kaili.

Seeing Bai Jiasheng’s head sliced off like a piece of fruit, Bai San trembled even more violently. He crawled on his knees toward Long Wencheng, begging loudly, "Don't kill me! I... I know about Bai Jiasheng's secret warehouse. If I tell you, can I live?"

"A secret warehouse?" Long Wencheng’s eyes lit up. After all, when Yang Gang had raided the Bai estate earlier, they had already seized quite a lot; who knew what else might be in a secret warehouse?

"Take us there," Long Wencheng said coldly.

Bai San tentatively asked, "So... can I live?"

Before he could finish, he heard Little Stone work the bolt of his rifle, the muzzle pressed firmly against his head.

"Yes, I'll take you there right now," Bai San said, not daring to bargain further.

The main force finished clearing the battlefield, and the inventory of captured supplies was tallied: 2,011 rifles, including Hanyang-made and Lee-Enfield models; 30 Mauser C96 pistols; 20 submachine guns; 16 Czech light machine guns; and 4 Maxim heavy machine guns. There was no artillery. Combined with their existing arsenal, they now had 50 light machine guns, 18 heavy machine guns, 75 submachine guns, and 6 artillery pieces, along with various other pistols and rifles.

As for ammunition, they captured about 150,000 rounds. After replenishing what was spent in the battle, they would have at most 40,000 to 50,000 rounds left, perhaps even less. However, they did acquire 20 crates of hand grenades, totaling about 600, along with a good supply of explosives, fuses, and detonators. They also captured 25 mules and horses, as well as a dozen carts. Many more animals had been killed, blown up, or spooked into running away during the prolonged battle.

With the equipment sorted, the main force marched toward Kaili County.

In Kaili, Lin Tong, who had arrived first, was already parading through the streets with Bai Jiasheng's head impaled on a bayonet, shouting, "Bai Jiasheng is dead! Folks, you don't have to be afraid of him anymore!"

When Yang Gang and his men had raided Bai Jiasheng’s lair earlier, they had distributed grain to the locals. However, the residents had remained fearful, even planning to return the grain to Bai Jiasheng, thinking that once the Red Army left and Bai Jiasheng returned, they would be forced back into servitude. But seeing Bai Jiasheng's head on the bayonet—though the sight was gruesome—sent a clear message: Bai Jiasheng was finished, and a new dawn had come to Kaili.

People swarmed into the streets; the sound of firecrackers and gongs filled every alley. The entire city of Kaili felt as if it were celebrating the Lunar New Year, though even more jubilantly. The grain they had been too afraid to eat was finally being cooked or stashed away in their cellars. Poor Lin Tong, however, was accidentally pelted by rotten vegetables and eggs thrown by the excited crowd, leaving him reeking with a pungent, foul odor.