The beacon of youth

Hongliuxia Ranch is a natural place to support people, with abundant water sources and large swathes of wetlands. It has all the conditions to become a large oasis.

The Usman gang has been working hard in this area for decades. Their family background is very strong, they have all kinds of food and drink supplies, and their grazing animals are like stars in the sky.

The soldiers are happy, it is better to fight such a battle to dig out their nests. The bandits are too rich and fat. The army needs these supplies. Taking Hongliu Gorge is like rain in time, and it has a great effect.

The Independent Brigade used to compete with Hu Zongnan of the Northwest Kuomintang Central Army. Because of the extra care of President Jiang, the Northwest King of Whampoa Phase I had what he wanted. The weapons, ammunition and logistics materials were sufficient, and the equipment of the troops was better than other troops. The local warlords are not strong at 01:30.

It was through the light of the captain of the transport brigade (the name of the People's Liberation Army to Chiang Kai-shek) that the Northwest Field Army, which developed and expanded in the future, had a strong independent brigade.

But this is all in the past. Later, after the Independent Brigade followed the First Corps of the People's Liberation Army to the northwest border, there were no major seizures.

The opponents who fought against the Independent Brigade were poor and poor, and there was nothing to capture at all. The weapons and equipment of the bandits were despised, and there were a lot of war horses, but the independent brigade, which was all mechanized, would not use much. Therefore, the development of the army fell into a trap. a bottleneck.

What does the development of the PLA's troops depend on?By superiors?That is impossible. Whether it was during the Red Army period or the Anti-Japanese War period, until the later period of the War of Liberation, the development of the army has always relied on seizures. To be clear, all weapons and equipment were snatched, including soldiers. in this way.If you take captives from the Kuomintang troops and educate them for a while, you will become soldiers of the People's Liberation Army.

There are tens of thousands of commanders and fighters in the Independent Brigade, how many of them are not prisoners?Even the brigade commander Li Yong was half-captured and half-captured, but when he arrived in Xinjiang, all this changed.

The weapons of the bandits were despised, and the tattered rifles were useless if they were seized. Needless to say, the personnel had nowhere to start. The original Kuomintang troops were organized into the 22nd Corps of the People's Liberation Army after the uprising.These more than [-] people have nothing to do with the Independent Brigade. Let's say that we can't go to our own homes to rob people.

In addition to the 22nd Corps, the rest of Xinjiang's armed forces also have a national army, but the national army is also an authentic member of its own people. It was reorganized by its superiors a few months ago into the Fifth Army of the People's Liberation Army.He also sent the old head of the Independent Brigade, Deputy Commander Chen of the Second Army, as a political commissar.It's not bad that the Fifth Army didn't care if it needed cadres.If you want to hit them, the door is gone.

In addition to the above-mentioned troops, the armed forces in Xinjiang consist of countless bandits, big and small. The only way to deal with these habitual bandits who kill and rob goods is to eliminate them, and it is impossible to carry out any education. This creates a problem, and the independent brigade has no way to continue to expand. .From stagnation in personnel to weapons, this is the reality.

How long have you been in Xinjiang?In addition, it should have been half a year on the road, the weapons and equipment of the independent brigade have not been improved, and the number of personnel has not increased.The material reserves were still slightly reduced. Fortunately, the replenishment of ammunition was timely, so that the combat effectiveness of the independent brigade did not decline.

Since the formation of the army in March [-], the independent brigade has been developing very fast, but after arriving in Xinjiang for more than half a year, it has been stagnant. Not only has the army not developed, but it has a downward trend (sacrificed and wounded soldiers have not been replenished) , This disturbed the majority of commanders and fighters, including brigade commander Li Yong and political commissar Wang Chengde.

Taking away Hongliuxia, the bandit's lair, was the largest operation of the Independent Brigade in recent times, and it was also the largest battle captured. For this reason, the commanders and soldiers at all levels jumped their feet happily, and Li Yong also grew a hole in his chest. stuffy.

Brigadier Li Da ordered the soldiers to search through the entire Hongliu Canyon ranch, and to get all the materials that the independent brigade could use like a sieve.

Everyone is very experienced in executing such orders. The soldiers used squads, platoons, and battalions as units to search the entire Hongliu Gorge like digging three feet into the ground.

The troops from the Eighth Route Army are the most experienced in cleaning the battlefield. If this is also called cleaning the battlefield, Brigadier Li Da’s consciousness is not so high. As long as it is an enemy, no matter how old or weak, he will attack when it is time to attack. The old bandits who have robbed for decades, can their crimes be mitigated after retirement?

A few hours passed, and the ranch that the Usman gang had been running for decades became as clean as a dog. All the materials that were considered useful were packed into trucks, and most of them were herds of cattle. Sheep, there is no way to load these livestock, so we can only send someone to take care of them.

During this period, some people also raised doubts. After the Independent Brigade did this, what would the tens of thousands of bandit families do?How to let them live in the future will not be the same as starving them to death.

Starving to death is of course not allowed, but Hongliuxia Ranch must change owners in the future. It is impossible for these old bandits and their families who were not killed to live here again. Li Yong’s opinion is that they should all be handed over to the As for the local government, how to arrange it is the government's business, and he only cares about fighting.

There are strict regulations on the materials seized by the troops on the battlefield. No matter how much is seized, it must be handed over to the logistics unit for safekeeping, and then distributed according to needs. This is called the two lines of income and expenditure. Sun calculated the figures needed by each battalion so that they could be distributed uniformly.

There is another episode about the number of livestock. In order to quickly and accurately calculate the numbers, the soldiers came up with an idea. Wouldn’t it be clear if they asked the captives? How many cattle and sheep there are can only be a rough estimate in the end.

The guard post was released more than ten kilometers away, and the settlement was full of joy. What a good cattle and sheep. The soldiers hadn't eaten meat for more than a month. This raid just solved the urgent need of the troops.

The water in the marching pot was boiled, and the sound of slaughtering cattle and sheep was continuous. More than 1 young men were full of food. Fortunately, the Hongliuxia Ranch was full of fat. It's nothing.

A large piece of beef and mutton was rolling up and down in the open pot, and there was a circle of soldiers around the pot, all of them were holding enamel jars issued by the army, and their saliva flowed for as long as they waited. dinner time.

Are the soldiers too hungry?Of course not, the troops have been marching and fighting continuously for more than a month. These boys can't even see the oil star for so many days. If they don't add some hard food, their physical strength will drop. behavior is also acquiesced.

Hundreds of marching pots were opened at the same time, and under the expectant eyes of the soldiers, the cook announced the great news that the meat was cooked and ready to eat.

Except for the soldiers on guard outside, everyone is in action, what are they doing?The person who asked this question must have had his head flooded. He went to line up for the cooking class. Li Yong, the brigade commander, was no exception. He ran to get dinner like the soldiers.

A large piece of meat and bones was picked up from the pot by the cook, and then cut into pieces of one or two catties on the chopping board. The cook shouted while cutting:

"Everyone, come and take a look. Take a look at the craftsmanship of our PLA cooks. Hey, come on, you don't need money for free food. Hey, what are you grabbing? There is plenty of meat. If you are not afraid of being overwhelmed, you can eat it hard." , Don’t throw away the leftover bones, the soup made from the bones is fragrant and delicious.”

Each of the soldiers received a large piece of meat, either standing or squatting, with their mouths full of oil. When Li Yong came to the front of the line, the cook at the brigade suddenly saw that the brigade commander was queuing up. The old cook said a little embarrassedly:

"Hey, brigade commander, why are you queuing up with these boys, and you're not afraid of being crowded. I've already sent people over for you, the political commissar, and the chief of staff."

The cook at the brigade headquarters, surnamed Liu, is a veteran and is very familiar with Li Yong, Wang Chengde and others.

The soldiers who lined up with Li Yong booed in disorder:

"Old Liu, you know how to flatter the brigade commander. Why don't you send us our share? You want us to help you capture a shell gun? Hmph, it's up to you to act later."

The cook, Old Liu, was not blushing, and argued with the soldiers while cutting the meat: "What about the brigade commander, the brigade commander has a lot of work and is more capable than you. You will also be the brigade commander that day, and I will also be the brigade commander." Bring the food to your house."

Li Yong was also puzzled, what the hell, Lao Liu still wants a shell gun?Seeing the brigade commander's question, Lao Liu replied a little embarrassedly: "Brigade commander, don't listen to those boys, I want them to get me a shell gun. What's wrong with the cook? The battalion leader of our supply camp Sun is also a cook, how about it? Isn’t there more than 2000 people with shielded gun barrels?”

Li Yong laughed loudly, yes, it is a good thing to have such an idea, and the cooks of our independent brigade are also awesome, and it is also appropriate to carry a battering gun:

"Old Liu, it's not easy for you, the cooking squad leader, to get a gun. I'll find a way for you."

With the brigade commander as a guarantee, Old Liu was very happy. When Li Yong was messing around with the soldiers, Hu Xiaolian, the captain of the health team, came over.

The health team had its own separate cooking team, and the food was not under the brigade's control, but Hu Xiaolian was worried that Li Yong's food would not be good, so she often came to see it when she was free, and often brought some food to cook for Li Da.

Li Yong enjoyed this atmosphere very much, and when he saw his prospective wife coming again today, he rushed to greet him.

Although we often meet each other, Hu Xiaolian always gives Li Yong a feeling of amazement, feeling that this little daughter-in-law who was born as a health captain is more beautiful than before.

If you feel okay, give the old bus a "like" as if it doesn't cost you money. (To be continued..)