Chapter 16: The Strange March

  The artillery regiment followed Yin Changheng's command to Luding, and just as they were about to set off westward in late June, news arrived from the front that Aiyi Zhai, the native chieftain of Kangding, had joined forces with the 13th Dalai Lama's rebels, occupied Kangding Prefecture, and blocked the army's return route.

  Upon receiving the report from the Third Division, Yin Changheng ordered Sun Zhaorong to advance step by step and not give the Tibetans any opportunity to attack Kangding.

  Arrived at Luding Bridge by early July, but received news from ahead that was quite unsettling.

  Due to the narrow and winding road, it was not conducive to the advancement of the main force. Although the third division had a grand momentum, the Tibetans relied on their familiarity with the geography and actually harassed the main force along the way, which not only seriously affected the speed of the march but also made the supply extremely difficult.

  At this time, the weakness of the Western Expedition Army's inadequate preparation was exposed, that is, there were too few people who truly understood Tibetan affairs and guides. Although the harassment by Tibetans could not fundamentally affect the army, it obviously consumed the morale and progress of the expeditionary force, affecting the army's supply and logistics.

  Seeing the army being blocked, Yin Changheng was furious and scolded Sun Zhaojun for being timid like a mouse, deciding to lead his troops to the front line to command in person.

  As the artillery regiment followed the Model Troupe with Generalissimo on their way forward, Yang Xing also frequently went to the command post of the artillery. When he heard that Yin Changheng had decided to lead the Model Troupe to rush to the front line, Yang Xing was shocked and advised: "Generalissimo, recently the news is that the 13th Dalai Lama has organized a Tibetan army of over 10,000 people, under the command of Dasangzhabu, the leader of the rebel army, has already arrived in Kangding. It seems that the Tibetans want to fight a decisive battle with our army in Kangding.

  It appears that General Sun's troops, although ambushed along the way, were mainly guerrilla fighters, mainly harassing our army, and the ones who exchanged fire with Sun's division were not their main force. As for the main force of Dazan Sangduo, its whereabouts are unknown, and I believe that the Tibetan army has already hidden itself, preparing to deal a fatal blow to us.

  "Your Excellency, please note that the Third Division is far better equipped than the Tibetans and has a strength of over 10,000 men. Such a large army will not dare to lightly clash with them, except for harassment along the way."

  But the Grand Commander is different, the Grand Commander has been stationed at Luding Bridge for more than 20 days. Such important news must be known to the Tibetans. From Luding westward is the traditional Tibetan area, with a treacherous terrain and dense forests, which is very suitable for the Tibetans to set up an ambush. Moreover, there have been frequent alarms along the way in recent days. If the Tibetans were to lay an ambush with a crack troop before the Grand Commander's advance, our troops, with only over 1,500 men of the Model Battalion, would certainly be unable to resist. The Grand Commander is crucial to the overall situation in the southwest and cannot afford to take risks because of this."

  Yin Changheng was furious as soon as he heard it, saying: "How can revolutionary soldiers be afraid of wolves in front and tigers behind? Even if there are more than 10,000 Tibetan troops, what's the big deal? Although Tibetans may have the possibility of ambush, Changheng thinks they must not have the guts to ambush. Besides, our model regiment is the backbone of the whole army, how can we be afraid?"

  Yang Xing further advised: "The Grand Governor, my model troops are united in their hearts and would not be afraid of the Tibetans. However, as the Grand Governor is responsible for the overall situation in the southwest, you must not personally take risks."

  Yin Changheng angrily said: "Can revolutionary soldiers be afraid of difficulties and dangers?" He did not listen to Yang Xing's further persuasion, and insisted on going his own way.

  Seeing that General Yin had made up his mind, he had no choice but to order the soldiers of the entire army to remain vigilant and prepare more ammunition and food, in case the bandits launched a surprise attack.

  On the road, seeing that everyone was in low spirits due to the continuous rush, Yang Xing adapted the theme song of the TV series "The Sword" from his previous life, "Chinese Military Soul", and spread it throughout the company:

  Now our motherland is invaded, sons of China should strengthen themselves.

  Drink up this bowl of hometown wine, a hero once gone will never return.

  The rolling Yellow River, the surging Yangtze River, give me life and give me strength.

  Let fresh blood dye into the most beautiful flower and scatter it on my chest.

  The war flag is fluttering, the military horn is sounding. The sword has been drawn from its scabbard, thunder is rumbling and lightning is flashing.

  It has always been a narrow road where the brave win, move forward, move forward.

  March forward, march forward, Chinese military soul!

  The war flag is waving, the military horn is sounding. The sword has been drawn from its scabbard, thunder is rumbling and lightning is flashing.

  It has always been a narrow road where brave warriors meet, move forward, move forward.

  March on, march on, Chinese military soul!

  Kangding is hundreds of miles away from Luding, the road is rugged and steep, with many dangerous shoals and cliffs along the way. The army can only march 60 miles a day, and the journey is extremely quiet, Sun Shi did not encounter any ambushes, making Tao Zecheng complain about Yang Xing's excessive vigilance.

  But at the time of garrison, other troops were quite tired, and other troops had already complained, but due to the strict military training of the artillery company in the early stage, the soldiers' enthusiasm was still very high.

  Yang Xing still followed the training requirements, whether or not there were enemy troops coming to attack, they built fortifications and set up sentries, checking the camp at least twice every night.

  Other neighboring troops were very puzzled by this, wasn't it just eating too much and having nothing to do? However, due to the training of the past few months being a baptism by fire, every time the artillery company went out for exercises, they would build simple fortifications at night, and the order was still implemented among the soldiers.

  This day, after finishing the patrol, I felt strange, as if something was wrong, how could it be so calm along the way, had all the hidden people been solved by Master Sun?

  He lit a cigarette and lay on his army bed in contemplation.

  Suddenly, it dawned on me that Tibetans did not harass the model troops, which means that Tibetans are preparing a big conspiracy.

  So the object of the conspiracy is either Sun Shi or Yin Dazong, it seems that what I thought about earlier was true, the Tibetans are setting up a huge conspiracy and waiting for the model regiment and Yin Dazong to fall into their trap.

  After realizing this point, he immediately understood and hurriedly found the class leader to request an increase in the number of secret whistles.

  Although many people did not understand, after several months of getting along, especially after the destruction of Yanshan Stronghold, Yang Xing's prestige in the artillery company was truly established. Everyone no longer thought that he only understood a few English words and could repair guns and cannons, but also had drunk ink for several years in military school, and his command of battle was first-rate.

  It's strange to say, but the night passed peacefully without incident.

  Tao Zekun saw Yang Xing and said with a puzzled expression: "The Tibetan area is desolate, with no signs of human habitation for miles. Although the Tibetans are fierce, they are untrained and it's impossible for them to be so cautious."

  Considering that Tao Zekun was his superior and had also been his teacher, Yang Xing could only express himself tactfully. "War is a matter of life and death," he said. "One cannot be careless. If one is not careful, it is very likely that one will die at the hands of the enemy. It will be too late to regret it then."

  From that day on, the artillery regiment continued to strengthen its defenses every day and night, while other friendly neighboring troops were only simply on guard.

  The battalion commander of the brother unit saw the artillery company soldiers, with a mocking tone, thinking that they were overly timid and afraid of trouble, and had no idea that in Chengdu, they had written hundreds of letters asking for battle, and trained in bloody battles every day.

  It should be known that although dozens of horses were used to transport ammunition, the artillerymen carried a far heavier load than the infantry, so after several days, some of the weaker ones were complaining bitterly.

  Facing the dissatisfaction of the soldiers in the lower ranks, Yang Xing did his best to comfort them and set an example by taking a nap during the day while on the march and patrolling at night with the deputy company commander.

  Seeing Yang Xing take the lead in this way, the dissatisfaction of the lower-ranking officers and soldiers was slightly alleviated.

  On this day, we arrived at Piankou Liangzi, still 100 miles away from Kangding Prefecture and only over 60 miles away from Sun Shi's troops. The model regiment had a relaxed atmosphere.

  Seeing Yang Xing's figure, Tao Zejun, the captain of the model team, was quite pleased and a sneer appeared on his face: "Zheng Dong, now my model team is only 60 miles away from Sun Shi, such a large army can arrive in one day, do you still need to strengthen patrols today?"

  "Not a single thread out of place, not a single word out of tune," replied the guard: "Comrade Commander, of course. We are currently in a state of war, and vigilance patrols are indispensable."

  He nodded and said after a long while, "Zhen Dong, when we are in office, we must pay more attention to the physical condition of our comrades. You see that the soldiers from other units of the model regiment all have a worn-out look, but the brothers in the artillery company are not made of iron."

  I vaguely felt Tao Zejun's reproachful tone. When a superior is one level higher, it can be crushing. There was no choice but to respond with a single word and leave.

  Back at the garrison, the platoon leader was also asking if they needed to strengthen their vigilance tonight. Suppressing his dissatisfaction, Yang Xing explained: "The more it is the last moment, the more we need to strengthen our vigilance. The big army has been on high alert for over ten days as they marched west, why shouldn't we be vigilant on the last day? The main purpose of being vigilant is not to prevent the enemy from attacking, but to protect the lives, health and safety of our soldiers. Everyone please think about it, there are brothers in other units who were attacked by wild beasts, how many got sick during the march? And none of these things happened in our company, only 5 brothers got heatstroke. Now that we're in July, the terrain around Zangbian is complex, even if there's no enemy attack, there will be snakes, insects, tigers and leopards. Our vigilance may have sacrificed precious sleep time, but it guaranteed the sleep of our other brothers, this is the significance of being vigilant."

  Seeing everyone's bewildered and seemingly understanding yet confused gaze, I almost couldn't bear to say anything about not needing to strengthen our vigilance.

  Considering everyone's feelings, after arranging the guard duties, he decided to take the night watch himself, in case of any potential danger.

  Fortunately, Yang Xing persisted, and the rebels did not succeed in their surprise attack. As a result, the original direction of the rebellion was slightly altered.

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