Blood-Red Front

After being frightened by Lin Zhiyuan and Qiu Yu'an, Chang Zhongshi dared not cause any more trouble, for fear of some accident.

Without Chang Zhongshi's intervention, and with Chu Shengjun's delayed troop deployment in order to prevent Xia's army from crossing the river and heading north, Xia's breakout operation went very smoothly.

Two days later, Xia Jun and Chu Sheng Jun successfully separated. Chu Sheng Jun tried to give chase, but it was too late.

After successfully breaking through the encirclement, Chang Zhongshi did not march slowly with the troops, but instead took a plane directly to Jiangcheng.

After leaving the capital, Chen Zai did not go directly to Shu, but chose to settle in Jiangcheng, which became the temporary capital of the Xia Kingdom.

After arriving in Jiangcheng, Chang Zhongshi returned home, looking slightly tired. He planned to rest for a while before attending the General Staff Headquarters' operational meeting the next day.

Seeing Chang Zhongshi enter, Mei Lin put down her coffee, stood up, and took his coat.

"Honey, you're back. Are you tired?"

"I'm fine." Chang Zhongshi patted Mei Lin's hand.

After hanging up her coat, Mei Lin looked at Chang Zhongshi, who was sitting on the sofa, and said, "My brother sent a telegram asking me to thank you."

"Mei Wen? What are you thanking me for?" Chang Zhongshi asked, somewhat puzzled.

"It's not a big deal. It's just that Lishui fell too quickly before, and a lot of things couldn't be transported out. They were evacuated with the troops this time."

The Mei family were large landowners and wealthy merchants in Jiangnan, owning many shops in Lishui.

Previously, due to the rapid attack speed of the newly promoted army and the large amount of supplies, many valuable items were not transported out. This time, they finally escaped with the troops.

"Lishui? What's the situation after the Chusheng Army occupied it? Are the people able to survive?" Chang Zhongshi asked.

"There are not many newly promoted people in Lishui, only a small military police squad and more than 300 traitors and puppet troops. Extortion, rape and murder occur from time to time, but life should still be able to get by."

Merlin picked up her coffee, took a small sip, and looked somewhat indifferent. She didn't care much about the situation of ordinary people and didn't know much about it.

Mei Lin spoke casually, but Chang Zhongshi's face instantly turned ashen.

It wasn't that Chang Zhongshi felt sorry for the people, but rather that he realized he had been deceived.

Lishui had no cavalry regiment, let alone the main force of the 9th Division.

Chang Zhongshi was furious that Lin Zhiyuan and Qiu Yu'an were actually conspiring to fool him.

"Damn it! Those two bastards actually gave a false report! What a great opportunity, and they just wasted it!"

Chang Zhongshi grew angrier the more he thought about it. In his opinion, it was all because of Lin Zhiyuan and Qiu Yu'an that he had not become world-famous.

"What do you mean by falsely reporting military intelligence?"

"I originally had the opportunity to annihilate the 18th Division of the newly promoted army, but it was because Lin Zhiyuan said that there was the main force of the newly promoted army in Lishui that I gave up the attack plan."

"Really? That's such a shame," Merlin comforted.

"But it's all in the past now, there's no point in saying it anymore. What you need most right now is rest."

"I've already had the water drawn; go take a bath and relax."

"Hmph, I will never let Lin Zhiyuan get away with this."

Mei Lin didn't respond; she knew Chang Zhongshi was just saying things out of anger.

Lin Zhiyuan's father held a high position within the Party, so Chang Zhongshi couldn't possibly do anything to Lin Zhiyuan.

Chang Zhongshi went to take a bath, and Mei Lin's maid came over. "Madam, the milk is ready."

Merlin also stood up. She takes a milk bath every day, which is her secret to maintaining her fair skin.

……

The following day, at the General Staff Headquarters, Chen Zaizhi convened a discussion meeting regarding the defense plan for the Yellow River and Huai River.

Everyone agreed on the defense plan, but Chang Zhongshi raised the issue of troop strength.

"More than twenty divisions have been assembled in the Pengcheng area of ​​the Yellow River, and General Xiang Fang's 5th Army Group is firmly holding the north bank, so the defense should be secure."

"However, the defense of the Huaihe River region is extremely weak, with only one army. If the Chusheng Army crosses the river and heads north, it can reach Pengcheng directly along the Jinpu Railway."

"Zhongshi, what's your opinion?" Chen Zaizhi asked.

"Since the area is empty, we can simply send troops there," Chang Zhongshi said with a smile.

"Although the decisive battle in Kyoto ended with our army breaking through, the performance of all units was commendable, especially the 404th Detachment, which demonstrated extremely strong combat capabilities."

"As long as the 404th Detachment is deployed to the Luyang area, it can defend the South Railway Line and also provide flank protection for the Jinpu Railway Line."

The Nantong Railway is located west of the Jinpu Railway, starting from Tianjia'an on the Huai River in the north and ending at Yuxikou on the Yangtze River in the south. It is one of the important transportation lines in the Jianghuai region.

If the newly promoted army were to cross the river and advance north, the South Railway Line and the Tianjin-Pukou Railway Line would be their inevitable routes.

"The 404th Detachment has suffered considerable casualties in the continuous battles. Should we withdraw and rest before making further decisions?" Ren Huasheng suggested.

"We can rest and recuperate anywhere, but it would be easier to recruit troops if we were transferred to the Jianghuai region."

"Minister Chang's words make sense," Ren Huasheng nodded and smiled. "However, I think that strengthening only one detachment is still somewhat insufficient."

"I remember that the 511th and 512th Regiments are currently operating with the 404th Detachment. I think it would be better to assign them to the 404th Detachment."

Chang Zhongshi's expression changed.

The 511th and 512th Regiments were reserve regiments of the 29th Army Group, whose commander was Chen Xiu, a staunch conservative. These two regiments were essentially his troops under Chang Zhongshi.

Chang Zhongshi wanted to refute, but he didn't know how to say it. He had already raised the bar, and he couldn't very well say he was unwilling at this point.

Looking at Chang Zhongshi's stiff face, Ren Huasheng added, "The garrison in the Jianghuai region lacks firepower. I think it would be better to reinforce the 35th Artillery Regiment there as well, and have it deployed by the 404th Detachment."

"No way." Chang Zhongshi shook his head repeatedly without even thinking.

"The Jianghuai region is crisscrossed by rivers. The 35th Artillery Regiment consists of field artillery, which requires six horses to pull. Moving it in the Jianghuai region would probably be very troublesome."

"That's right, it was my oversight." Ren Huasheng nodded in realization.

The copy of the Kremlin field gun is an old-fashioned field gun. Although the gun barrel weighs only 940 kilograms, it is necessary to add a carriage to the front when moving it in order to counteract the vertical pressure exerted by the gun on the horses.

The weight of the artillery itself, plus the foreground vehicle, would soar to 1700 kilograms, making forward movement quite troublesome.

"Since field guns won't work, let's reinforce the Bofors mountain gun battalion from the previous detachment there. Bofors mountain guns only need two horses to pull them."

Unlike field guns, mountain guns do not require a lead vehicle and need fewer horses.

"I have no objection," Chen Zaizhi said before Chang Zhongshi could speak.

Chang Zhongshi was now completely speechless.

"Then I'll issue them the transfer order," Chang Zhongshi said with a hint of helplessness.

However, although it strengthened the 404th Detachment, Chang Zhongshi's plan succeeded.

According to the original plan, the 404th Detachment should have returned to Jiangcheng to rest and reorganize, while parading newly promoted prisoners of war and spoils of war through the streets.

The transfer of the 404th Detachment to Luyang meant that this high-profile event was no longer relevant to them.

With a flick of his pen, Chang Zhongshi assigned the task of parading people through the streets to Chen Xiu and the 11th Division of the 29th Army Group.

……