Chapter 51: Delivering the Map, Crossing the Jinsha River on a Rainy Night

This was a map of the entire Yunnan province, marked in meticulous detail with various major roads and even some minor paths.

The precision of the map was unmistakably at a military grade.

Historically, the Red Army had indeed once obtained such a map.

Back then, the security guards of Director Zhou intercepted a truck, and inside was a map of Yunnan.

It was originally sent by Long Yun to薛岳 (Xue Yue) to aid in their pursuit of the Red Army, and the truck also carried local specialties such as Pu'er tea.

This event became known as "Long Yun Offering the Map."

As for whether Long Yun gave it intentionally or if it was a mere coincidence, various theories abounded.

Yet, there was no doubt that such a military-grade "Yunnan Map" provided crucial security for the subsequent operations of the Red Army's main force, including cleverly crossing the Jinsha River and the Dadu River.

Because Yunnan was exceptionally mountainous and its terrain extraordinarily complex, relying solely on local guides and crudely made maps resulted in massive margins of error.

Such a military map, however, could guarantee the safety of the ensuing march.

Upon seeing this map, Long Wencheng wasted no time and immediately began searching the ranks for personnel to find a way to copy the entire document.

Once the copying was complete, he dispatched several cavalrymen directly to Qujiang to deliver the original map to the Central Red Army.

As for the copied map, it would be sufficient for Long Wencheng's subsequent use.

Having secured this map, Long Wencheng lingered in Zhaotong for yet another day.

By the early morning of that day, Peng Hongsen returned to the camp with a detachment of soldiers on horseback.

Shortly after arriving in Zhaotong, he had, in accordance with Long Wencheng's orders, led troops to the Jinsha River not far from Zhaotong to scout the enemy's defensive posture on the opposite bank and identify suitable crossing points.

"There are already enemy troops on the far side of the river—at least two regiments of Sichuan forces. Though somewhat scattered, they firmly control the opposite ferry crossings," Peng Hongsen reported.

Those were the troops of Liu Wenhui from Sichuan.

Liu Wenhui was a minor warlord in western Sichuan, while the main force of Liu Xiang's Sichuan army was entangled by the Fourth Front Red Army along the Sichuan-Shaanxi border.

Had Liu Xiang's main Sichuan forces been deployed along the banks of the Jinsha River, the difficulty for the Red Army to cross would have increased exponentially.

"Where is the ferry crossing?" Long Wencheng asked, unfolding the Yunnan map. This particular section happened to display the terrain, mountain ridges, and roads surrounding Zhaotong.

Watching Long Wencheng pull out a map of the Zhaotong region in Yunnan as if by magic, Peng Hongsen wore a look of utter astonishment, thinking to himself that the Division Commander was truly omnipotent to be able to procure even a military map of Yunnan.

Yet, why did this map look so brand new, as if it had just been drawn yesterday?

After searching the map for a moment, Peng Hongsen finally located the position of the ferry.

"Datuo Village," Peng Hongsen said.

"The river is relatively wide at this spot, making it suitable for a crossing. Elsewhere, the current is torrential with numerous hidden undercurrents and whirlpools, rendering them unfit for passage.

Our vanguard troops managed to secretly hide a few boats, but the rest of the watercraft were confiscated by the Sichuan forces to the opposite bank."

Late the following night, the troops set out under the cover of night without disturbing the residents of Zhaotong.

After marching for two days, the column finally arrived at the banks of the Jinsha River near Datuo Village.

This was considered one of the most optimal locations for crossing, as other potential sites were over a hundred kilometers away.

Moreover, those alternative locations were likely already occupied by enemy defense forces.

Thus, capturing the opposite bank and crossing at Datuo Village was the inevitable choice.

According to the reports from the cavalry company, the pursuing Kuomintang forces in their rear were still four days' march away.

This was good news; barring torrential rain, four days provided ample time to cross the river.

And then, it began to pour that very night.

Torrential rain as early as early April was truly absurd. Summoning his officers, Long Wencheng concluded that they could no longer afford to delay.

The enemy on the far shore was already alerted, and the storm's geographic scope and duration remained entirely unknown.

It was entirely possible that it was raining upstream as well, which would cause the river levels to continuously rise and stall them for several more days—thereby granting the opposing enemy more time to fortify and their pursuers more time to catch up.

If they were cornered by the trailing enemy forces right at the banks of the Jinsha River, the consequences of fighting with their backs to the water were unimaginable. Long Wencheng was certainly no military genius like Han Xin.

On the opposite bank, the defending garrison belonged to the Fourth Security Brigade under Liu Wenhui, commanded by Tong Siyi, a man who excelled only in armchair strategy.

The weapons and equipment of such provincial forces were hardly stellar, and the quality of the personnel was mediocre at best.

However, to spur the enthusiasm of these regional warlords in encircling and suppressing the Red Army, the Central Government spared no expense, dispensing rifles, ammunition, silver dollars, and gold bars generously.

Liu Wenhui had also urgently supplied this river-defense force with three Maxim heavy machine guns.

Combined with the four Maxims Liu Wenhui's forces already possessed, a total of seven heavy machine guns had their barrels trained directly upon the waters off Datuo Village.

Forget about crossing the river; anyone merely approaching the water's edge on the opposite bank would be shot on sight, civilians and Red Army soldiers alike.

This was the strict order issued by Tong Siyi. In just a few days, over a dozen corpses already drifted upon the river. This did not mean only a dozen had been shot; rather, some bodies had been retrieved overnight by grieving families, leaving behind only the unclaimed dead.

On this stormy night, the river current grew even more violent.

Holding binoculars, Tong Siyi stood pompously on the riverbank while a subordinate shielded him with an oiled-paper umbrella.

"Brigade Commander, let's head back. The river is rising dangerously. Unless the enemy grows wings, there is absolutely no way they can cross over," advised his adjutant.

The adjutant was so urgent because Tong Siyi hogged the sole umbrella while everyone else, just like the adjutant himself, had been drenched to the bone by the torrential downpour.

That aside, in such heavy rain and pitch darkness, visibility dropped to less than ten meters. The adjutant could not fathom what on earth Tong Siyi was staring at through his binoculars.

At that moment, a wave of poetic inspiration truly struck Tong Siyi.

"What a fine rain, what a splendid rain! One simply must compose a verse to commemorate this," he declared.

With that, he drew a deep breath and began to chant.

"This rain falls so well,
This rain falls so grand.
Should it rain for three days,
The Red bandits are damned."

As his voice trailed off, the adjutant and the surrounding soldiers immediately burst into enthusiastic applause.

"Brilliant verse! Truly brilliant! Brigade Commander, could you perhaps be the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang?"

The adjutant hastily flattered him, praying only that they could return indoors promptly.

"Hahaha," Tong Siyi chuckled, appearing immensely pleased. "Since you appreciate my poetry so much, I shall compose two more."

These words plunged the adjutant's vision into darkness, making him wish he could slap himself twice across the face.

Tong Siyi, busy crafting his doggerel, never imagined that even as he composed his verses, three boats had already set off from the opposite shore amidst the driving rain.

Aboard each of the three boats were at least two skilled oarsmen and thirty soldiers gripping submachine guns.