Chapter 57: The Alliance at Yihai Lake and the Eighteen Brave Warriors

Early the next morning, Long Wencheng led his men toward Yihai. After marching along the mountain trails for an entire morning, they finally caught sight of a lake as crystal-clear and beautiful as a gemstone.

The people of the Gubi family were already waiting there.

It was a group of dozens of Yi compatriots dressed in ethnic attire, carrying bows and arrows, spears, and matchlock guns, walking barefoot.

The leader looked to be in his fifties, though he was actually only in his early thirties. It was just that years of exposure to the wind, sun, and rain in the high-altitude region had weathered his face and made him look much older.

That was Xiao Yeda, the leader of the Gubi family. He had a "Hero Knot" wrapped around his head and wore dark blue, wide-legged trousers.

When Xiao Yeda saw the group approaching from the opposite direction, he was somewhat surprised to find that although they wore military uniforms, they carried no weapons at all.

Furthermore, their leader was remarkably young—only in his twenties, apparently—yet his gaze was steady and his expression resolute. One could tell at a glance that he was a man who had been through great trials and tribulations.

With Lin Que, the horse trader, acting as an intermediary, the two sides briefly introduced themselves, and Long Wencheng began to converse with Xiao Yeda.

He discovered that communicating with these ethnic minority people was not actually all that difficult.

Because they were not overly manipulative and often spoke their minds directly, it saved everyone from beating around the bush.

After chatting for two hours, Xiao Yeda finally understood that these Red Army soldiers were different from the Han warlords who had bullied them for years. In fact, those Han warlords regarded the Red Army as a thorn in their side.

The enemy of my enemy is a friend; he understood this principle.

Moreover, he really appreciated the way Long Wencheng spoke. There was none of the condescension previously displayed by the Han people; instead, he maintained a consistent modesty, which delighted Xiao Yeda.

Seizing the moment, Xiao Yeda made a proposal:

"Your Red Army is quite capable in battle, and we Yi people are not entirely at peace internally either. The Luohong family on the other side frequently conflicts with us. If you are willing to join forces with us to wipe out the Luohong family, we can swear a blood oath today, and the Red Army can safely pass through here to reach Anshunchang."

Long Wencheng had no desire to wade into muddy waters, so he politely declined:

"The Yi and the Han are like brothers, and you Yi people share an even closer bloodline. Furthermore, our Red Army has not come to instigate conflicts. If I agree to help you wipe out the Luohong family today, would I not have to agree to do the same for the Luohong family tomorrow?"

These words brought a sudden realization to Xiao Yeda. Looking back into Long Wencheng's dark, bright, and clear eyes, he completely understood that this group of Han people truly had no desire to become embroiled in any conflict with them.

Xiao Yeda burst out laughing, patted Long Wencheng on the shoulder, and said:

"We can become brothers."

With a grand wave of his hand, he swore a blood oath with Long Wencheng.

Long Wencheng made a cut on his own palm, and the two successfully forged an alliance by the shores of Yihai.

(My apologies to Commander Liu; by walking the path of the elder, we have left him with no path to walk.)

On the other side, when the Luohong family heard that the Red Army and the Gubi family had formed an alliance, they felt somewhat uneasy, fearing that the opposing side would come to attack them. To their astonishment, however, the Gubi family actually sent delegates to make peace, proposing that the leader of the Luohong family also ally himself with Long Wencheng and Xiao Yeda.

As for the disputes between the two clans, they could be negotiated and discussed properly rather than being resolved through armed conflict.

In essence, it was still a struggle for the right to survive. Today you occupy three-tenths of my land, tomorrow I occupy four-tenths of your field; back and forth the contradictions grew.

Once everything was laid out in the open, both sides recognized that the urgent priority was not internal strife, but rather the warlords rushing up from behind, who might very well wipe them out in passing.

By the time the alliances with both families were completed, it was already the third day, and the Central Column was nearly catching up.

Daring not to delay, Long Wencheng led his troops at top speed toward Anshunchang.

This time, there were no Yi people creating difficulties; in fact, guides were specifically dispatched to lead the way for them, making their marching speed even faster than before.

In addition, Xiao Yeda and the leader of the Luohong family stated that they had already sent men to notify all the Yi tribes throughout the Sichuan-Tibet border region, instructing them to provide whatever assistance they could should they encounter the passing Red Army.

Long Wencheng knew that with the help of these local Yi tribes, the difficulty of crossing the snow-capped mountains ahead would likely be reduced considerably.

After all, the local people knew the conditions of these snow mountains best, and securing assistance from them would naturally yield unimaginable benefits.

Furthermore, the Luohong family and the Gubi family expressed that they would contact other Yi tribes to jointly harass the warlords and the Central Army pursuing the Red Army.

This was even more crucial for the Red Army; even delaying those enemies by just two or three days could buy precious marching time for the retreating Red Army.

Two days later, they arrived safely at Anshunchang.

As soon as they reached the location, Long Wencheng ordered his troops to scour the riverbanks for any usable boats.

This was not for their own use, but for the Central Column following behind.

In particular, these boats would allow a detachment of the Red Army to cross the river first at Anshunchang.

If their attack on the Luding Bridge encountered obstacles, the Red Army troops who had crossed at Anshunchang could march northward along the riverbank and directly capture the Luding Bridge from the opposite shore.

Executing both plans simultaneously was the most prudent option.

Upon arriving at Anshunchang, they swiftly annihilated the enemy forces on the opposite bank and simultaneously discovered a hidden boat.

Logically speaking, such boats should have long ago been thoroughly scuttled and burned, or gathered onto the northern bank.

Yet just as Jiaopingdu on the Jinsha River had Wang Baoqing, a business genius, Anshunchang had Lai Zhizhong. However, he did not make his fortune through this boat; rather, he was Anshunchang's largest landowner while also commanding a battalion of troops.

Moreover, having just returned from the direction of Dashubao, he had adamantly insisted that the main force of the Red Army was at Dashubao and could never possibly come to Anshunchang.

As for this boat, he had kept it as a means of escape. If the Red Army failed to arrive, Lai Zhizhong could not bear to part with his family property on the southern bank.

If the Red Army truly arrived, it would not be too late for him to flee then.

What Lai Zhizhong failed to anticipate, however, was that the assault team of the 1st Red Division would launch a nighttime raid, giving him no opportunity to escape before the boat was intercepted.

Long Wencheng knew that they had to capture the enemy positions opposite Anshunchang and then push their positions into the depth, otherwise crossing the river here would be impossible.

However, the enemy on the opposite shore had long since constructed bunkers, and an entire battalion was stationed across the river.

Although these men were a mob, separated as they were by the hundred-meter-wide expanse of the Dadu River, as long as close combat was avoided, these enemy forces would not easily rout.

After some discussion, they decided to cross the river at five o'clock that morning, dispatching an assault team to make the crossing.

However, that boat could only carry twenty people; counting the two boatmen, there were only eighteen.

Without a doubt, if the enemy on the opposite bank had not routed, those eighteen men would be in grave danger.