All the captives were silent, Jian An and Wei Wengang exchanged glances, Jian An said with a solemn expression: "We have been out for a long time, I don't know the situation in the city, we received an order five days ago, let us immediately gather the detachment and withdraw to Huili, and then withdraw to Ya'an, the order was issued by Captain Li Anding, it is estimated that there are still our people in the city, but we don't know how many there are." ”

Zhou Elai nodded, but Chen Geng rolled up his sleeves happily: "Li Anding, this kid is in the city, and this kid can't run now." ”

"Chen Geng, I heard that your troops have seriously violated discipline and started beating people," Zhou Elai suddenly said in a stern tone: "This matter must be dealt with seriously, this is a serious violation of the party's policy, and the main commander must be punished and a profound inspection must be made." ”

"Yes," Seeing Zhou Elai's serious expression, Chen Geng didn't dare to smile facefully, he knew that this old leader was very principled and never sloppy in this kind of thing.

"In addition to the seized things, except for the weapons, the rest will be returned to them," Chen Geng was about to reply, but Zhou Elai added: "Including those mules and horses." ”

Chen Geng was a little stunned at this time, and he said softly: "Vice Chairman Zhou, let us stay with the mules and horses, you know that we need these mules and horses very much, and many old comrades need these horses," Seeing that Zhou Elai was unmoved, Chen Geng was a little anxious: "It's a big deal that we will give money, and even if Zhuang Wenge is here, I ask him, will he not give it?" That kid is so rich, richer than the landlord's old wealth! ”

"But he's not here." Zhou Elai interrupted him: "Instruments, ore specimens must be returned to them one by one, Chen Geng, you listen well, they are also contributing to the resistance, although they take a different way from us, but as long as they resist, we must support." ”

Chen Geng reluctantly agreed, and their argument passed into the captives, and Cao Ruizhi said with some emotion: "No wonder Captain Zhuang said that these communists are just patriots with different ideas from us, and most of them have noble moral character, which is true." ”

"I'm not without people in China," Chang Longqing also shook his head and sighed: "Why can't we unite?" The country is in danger of extinction, so why should they kill each other? ”

Wei Wengang smiled bitterly, these nerds, is it so easy to unite? Jian An said bitterly: "How can it be so easy to unite, the two parties have been killed for eight years, and the blood of both sides is flowing like a river, how can it be so easy to unite." ”

"Will they be able to lay down the Reason?" With security in place, more people are more concerned about the current war.

"It's hard to say." Wei Wengang didn't know if it was okay or not, but he knew that as long as he laid down the Huili, Li Anding would never escape the revenge of the Communist Party, and he had killed too many Communist Party members.

"The Central Revolutionary Military Commission ordered to capture Huili, and the task was undertaken by you and the Red Third Army Corps, with Comrade Peng Dehuai as the commander-in-chief," Zhou Enlai said to Chen Geng, and then whispered: "There is another secret mission." ”

Chen Geng's spirits perked up, Zhou E came to wave in the distance, a figure walked over, Chen Geng looked at it, and knew Chen Yun, an old acquaintance of Shanghai Teke.

"You know Comrade Chen Yun," Zhou said, "and the Central Committee has decided to send him to Shanghai, to restore the party organization there, and to establish contact with the Comintern." You find a few Sichuan soldiers or cadres in your regiment and send them to Xichang. Then Zhou Elai said to Chen Yun: "Comrade Chen Yun, after you arrive in Xichang, you have to find a way to go to Yucheng, in Yucheng, you can go to find the blade, do you know the blade?" He turned out to be on the red team as well. ”

"I've heard of it in Shanghai, but I haven't seen it." Chen Yun is a little strange, Blade is a legend of the red team, in two years under his gun traitor spies killed no less than 20 people, legend has it that he can fly the eaves and walk the wall, marksmanship is fascinating, in Shanghai Beach his name makes the enemy scared. However, this person acted very cautiously, only accepted Chen Geng's command, and only Zhou Enlai knew his identity, and he put on makeup every time he appeared, and no one had ever seen his true face.

"After you arrive in Yucheng, send a missing person notice in the newspaper, the content should include..."Zhou Elai whispered in his ear, and finally added: "The situation of the blade is top secret, if you don't have to look for him, don't look for him." ”

"Yes, understood." Chen Yun solemnly replied that when he was in Shanghai Teke, he was Zhou Elai's assistant and knew very well about secret work.

Zhou Elai had just finished assigning the task, and the guards came to report, and Peng Dehuai rushed to the outside of Huili City with the three legions.

The Red Army began a large-scale cutting of trees and ladders, preparing for an attack on Huili.

The Red Army's blatant engineering preparations made Liu Yuantang in the city a little panicked, he was worried that he would not be able to hold the city wall, he began to prepare for street fighting, and ordered the demolition of the two streets near the city gate to clear the shooting boundary for the deep troops.

Li Anding was also dead set on the situation outside the city, no matter what, he reorganized his nearly 300 guards and served as the reserve of the defending troops, ready to rush forward at a critical moment.

"Brigade Commander Liu, tell the brothers that as long as they hold for two days, General Xue Yue, who is pursuing behind, will be able to arrive." Li Anding saw that Liu Yuantang's confidence was a little shaken, so he cheered him up: "As long as you keep the meeting, Captain Zhuang will offer a reward of 100,000 oceans." ”

Liu Yuantang immediately ordered people to shout all over the city, "Hold the Huili and reward 100,000 oceans!" The high reward boosted the morale of the anxiously waiting soldiers, and the young and strong people in the city immediately conducted simple military training under the command of the soldiers, in fact, most of the people living in this remote mountain town have mastered the ability to use firearms.

The wait was finally over, and under the loud trumpet of the charge, the Red Army launched a tidal attack, and the soldiers carried the ladder and braved the rain of bullets to storm the city walls. The soldiers of Liu's army in the city shot desperately to prevent the Red Army from approaching the city walls.

The morale of the Red Army soldiers was extremely high, and they fell and rushed up again, took the ladders and rushed up, and gradually several ladders approached the city wall. Several grenades were thrown from the city walls, and after a violent explosion, the ladder never rose again.

Fierce gunfire rang out around Huili, Liu Yuantang was naked, with a red cloth around his waist, holding a big knife in his hand, running around the city like a madman.

After an afternoon of fighting, Li Anding had some confidence, although the Red Army soldiers were brave, they were seriously short of heavy weapons, and for a whole afternoon, no artillery was heard in the three attacks. Li Anding decided to transfer the convoy up, and he ordered the entire convoy to be divided into three squads, he left a squad of eighty people, and the other two squads went up to the western city wall, which was the focus of the Red Army's attack. The artillery squad was then ordered to prepare for fire, but at this moment the Red Army retreated.

"You can't fight like this!" The attack was continuously frustrated, Peng Dehuai's black face became even darker, he was a little angry and a little puzzled in his heart, he didn't understand why he wanted to attack Huili, Liu Yuantang made it clear that he would defend it and would not interfere with the actions of the Red Army, so as long as he monitored or besieged, he didn't have to risk huge casualties to storm the county seat.

The Red Army was not without artillery, but there was a great shortage of shells, and there were very few shells captured during the second crossing of Chishui in continuous battles, and the rest had to wait until the most critical moment before they could be used, so the tactical choice could only adopt this kind of storming tactics.

"Relying entirely on the field method to storm the city wall, the casualties are too great, so let's dig tunnels." Li Tianyou, the chief of the operations section, suggested, and his suggestion was quickly accepted.

After nightfall, Liu Yuantang was worried that the Red Army would attack at night, so he ordered everyone not to leave the city wall, divided into three groups and slept in turns, and at the same time poured pine oil on the wood and lit it and threw it under the city. At this moment, when you look at Huili from outside the city, it is a pair of cities surrounded by flames.

"Report, the bandits are digging tunnels."

As soon as Liu Yuantang returned to the headquarters, Xu Ying, who was defending Xicheng, came to report, and Liu Yuantang jumped up.

During the construction of the city wall of Huili City, a large vat was buried at the root of each section of the city wall, which was handed down from the ancient Chinese city building science, in order to prevent people from outside the city from digging tunnels into the city during the war.

"Knock, knock," the sound from the water tank made Liu Yuantang, who had been fighting for a long time, look blue and frightened, "Come on, dig a pit, fill water", Liu Yuantang gave an order, and a group of people began to dig a pit behind the city wall, and soon dug seven or eight big pits, and then began to pour water inside. When the water enters it, it penetrates deep into the ground.

In the past, the purpose of digging tunnels was to drill into the city from the tunnels and launch an attack from the inside, but now it is different, the purpose of digging tunnels is to blow down the city walls, and the purpose of this irrigation is to make the opponent's explosives ineffective.

In the second half of the night, Liu Yuantang couldn't stay up, so he threw the task of supervision to Xu Ying and went back to sleep by himself, and Xu Ying threw it to the company commander Wu Mingen after a while, and went back to sleep himself. Wu Mingen was not happy in his heart, and scolded and urged the people to pour water desperately.

As the day began to dawn, and the people were still working hard to fill the water, they heard a boom, and the city wall suddenly collapsed. Wu Ming woke up in a drowsy state, and his mind was clouded, "It's over, the Red Army has blown up the city wall." As soon as this thought came to mind, it took hold of him irrepressibly, and he got up and ran towards the city without looking at the collapsed walls. The soldiers followed him into the city in a hurry.

"The bandits have entered the city!" The screams rang out in the city, Wu Mingen just ran to the end of the street, and bumped into Liu Yuantang head-on, Liu Yuantang didn't say a word, he cut off Wu Mingen's head with a knife, and the blood that spurted out dyed Liu Yuantang into a bloody man, he stood in the middle of the street with his fierce words, and shouted loudly:

"Go back! Take back the walls! Death to those who retreat! ”

"Go back! Death to those who retreat! Liu Yuantang's guards also shouted loudly.

The chaotic soldiers came to their senses in front of the bloody corpses, turned around and ran towards the city wall again, and Liu Yuantang ordered loudly: "Order the chief of staff to transfer the reserves." ”

"What's going on?" Liu Yuantang saw that Li Anding was coming, and behind him was a large group of guards.

"It seems that the bandits blew up the city wall." Liu Yuantang wiped the blood on his face, and said a little impatiently, the equipment of this escort team is the best in Huili City, but he has not fired a single shot since the start of the war, and he is thinking about how to let Li Anding contribute. Li Anding waved his hand back: "Follow me!" ”

More than 200 guards in gray military uniforms followed Li Anding and rushed towards Xicheng, and at the end were more than a dozen artillery men carrying mortars and shells.

(To be continued)