Chapter 74 Northwest of Songpan (Moxiu)

I arrived at Maoergai first with the vanguard group, and left it with the last covering echelon.In terms of time, he stayed there for fifty days. Fifty days is a long time, so there are naturally many incidents that can be narrated. I will only report a little about the struggle for food here. After crossing the snow-capped mountains of Jiajin Mountain to Maogong, we were threatened by food.But corn can also be found in difficulty.It's just that the teeth hurt from chewing, and it's a bit uncomfortable, but my stomach finally stopped growling all the time.After entering the Tibetan area, from Zhuo Keji (beside Xiaojinchuan) to Changde (near Heishui), the atmosphere of hunger surrounded us tightly. After the minor sound, what everyone got was two mouthwash cups of young pea shoots and wild vegetables.At the beginning of the day, the bean sprouts are tender and tender, and they are cooked with beef. It is not annoying to eat, and maybe it is fresh and delicious. After a long time, it will not taste good.The old pea stalks were hard and chewed, but they were just thick fibers that filled the mouth. If I didn't swallow them, my stomach was in a hurry.At this time, all the people have only one thought every day: find something to eat, so as not to be hungry, go quickly, and go to a place where there is food.

I heard that Maoergai is a big place close to Songpan.Everyone's hearts flew to Mao Ergai.Two days away from Changde, I climbed two 30-40 li snow-capped mountains and old forests. On July 8, I arrived at Maoergai with the vanguard.Walking near Maoergai on a slope more than ten miles away, there are pieces of highland barley that are about to mature. What a joy it has given us! A small group of us were assigned to camp in a house at the foot of a hill, but by chance there was a ferocious dog squatting at the door, baring its teeth viciously at these "uninvited guests". No one dared to approach it, let alone cross it. Go in the doorway.At this time, everyone was complaining that the campers were deliberately embarrassing us.After struggling with the dog for a long time, the finger-thick iron chain finally broke, and it ran to the old forest, and we successfully got a safe place.

This dog gave us twenty days of happy life.Because its guards, the troops who passed by first, did not dare to ask anything about this house, so they kept five or six hundred catties of cooked flour, more than one thousand catties of highland barley, and some ghee.These things are precious foods that are extremely difficult to obtain in the past and in the future. Our small front echelon, with only a dozen people, has a large amount of precious food, and that night, we were distributed hundreds of catties of beef.At this time, there was so little work in the army that there was almost nothing to do, but we were also busy. There were always more than ten hours a day busy with food.The stewed beef is rotten and eaten with sesame seed cakes, which has a special taste, although there are no spices.Sometimes boiled beef is served with camel on top, and the taste is not bad; pancakes are scorched hot and coated with a thin layer of ghee, which has an indescribable "foreign" taste.But highland barley flour is not easy to digest, and we eat so unrestrainedly, our stomachs will naturally be swollen, and sometimes it is so bloated that it is difficult to sit, walk, and sleep.Fortunately, I soon discovered that "manzi tea" boiled thickly with branches and leaves, and a large bowl of cattle drink is a panacea for reducing swelling.

This short period was the golden age in Maoergai's fifty-day life. Soon, our rear echelon, the brigade all came, and then there was a food panic.After everyone ate hundreds of catties of hot powder, each of them shared a few catties as dry food.In this way, our "sticky cake" and "face camel camel" can't be eaten.The water mill has been taken up by other parts. There is wheat, but it can’t be turned into powder, so we have to cook and eat the whole thing. The grains of highland barley wheat are not very tasty!People lose weight day by day!At this time, our stomachs seem to be very hungry again, and we are always in a hurry, eager to eat. The horn rang, but when the horn rang, the meal came, and everyone frowned when they saw the grains of wheat that had settled in the clear water. Done.

Several members of our Propaganda Department live in a relatively tidy "Sutra hall" (every Tibetan home has one, dedicated to Buddha statues and scriptures). The sacrifices, walnuts, dates, a few grains of white rice, cheese... What attracts our appreciation the most are those delicate and vivid portraits of human and animal dough.Because we respect the religious beliefs of Tibetans, we did not dare to desecrate these sacrifices at first.One day I went to the army to turn around, and when I came back, I saw that the facial portraits were disordered and reduced, so I naturally asked Gallen, Zhao Bing and other comrades.They just giggled and didn't give any answer.Galen suddenly handed me a small copper cup filled with something like bean paste.It turned out that they ate the sacrifices because of their hunger.

Later I was transferred to the General Political Department, and joined forces with Comrades Ding Yi, Bo Zhao, and Huang Zhen.At this time the brigade arrived, some were passing by and continued to drive towards Songpan, and some stopped here.As for food, they all came here from Heishuiluhua and Dagu for food.The highland barley stored here last year has long since been eaten, there are no pea shoots, and there are very few wild vegetables. There is only green highland barley all over the hillside, which is the only food for tens of thousands of us. The wheat is still green.It will take at least one and a half months to mature.But people cannot wait for the wheat to turn yellow while starving and dying.We harvest the hardened ears of wheat, burn them on the fire, rub them patiently, and then we can get a pile of highland barley mixed with wheat straw and chaff, and then boil it with water and eat it. Although the mouth is full of thorns, the stomach is not hungry anymore.At the beginning, due to lack of skill, the heat was not enough, the wheat grains could not be harvested, the roasted grains were old, and the grains were scorched.Not only do you have knowledge in roasting, but you also have the knowledge of wise people in picking. The wheat grains will not fall off if you use less force, but if you use too much force, the grains will be flattened, and the pulp will flow out, leaving only a little chaff.Because of such troubles, one person can only get one to two catties of sugary wheat in one day. If all the people are not mobilized, they still cannot meet the requirement of one catty of wheat per person per day.Later, as a last resort, it was implemented that those who did not work were not allowed to eat. Each person had to pick two catties of wheat a day to hand over to the public, and besides, he had to accumulate twenty catties for the grassland for fifteen days.This rule drove Dingyi, Bozhao and the rest of us into the wheat fields.Every day we are busy picking ears of wheat, roasting, and winnowing. Our hands are black and have never been clean, because our stomachs are more likely to be hungry when we work. Being dyed black, everyone became Zhou Cang.At this time, not only glutinous rice cakes or noodle camels have become the delicacies of the mountains and seas, but even a handful of old highland barley without bran or burnt gas has become a treasure.

There was no salt, no fat, no meat for more than a month, so the cowhide was discovered.After a smoldering fire, the hair is burned off, and the skin is scorched and smelly. Then it is sent to a pot to simmer over high heat. After 24 hours or more, it can be chewed.But people still don't dare to "waste" like that. They eat it immediately and have to dry it for grassland.Later, I heard that a broken leather boot weighing four to five catties of Tibetans was also taken to make dry food like cowhide. Although I didn't see it, I dare not say that it was inevitable. The first echelon (the Central Column, the First Army Corps, and the First Division of the Fourth Front Army) has already set off, and I was mobilized to co-operate with Wen Bin, Rong Huan, Zhou Huan and other comrades to set up a new organization—the Political Department of the First Front Army, and the Waiting for the arrival of the three armies in Maoergai.The team arrived one after another, and they had to pick wheat and make other preparations for crossing the grassland. Naturally, we also had to participate day and night.

The grassland journey is said to take fifteen days.There were no houses on the road, and no firewood at all.Our preparations are naturally carried out in accordance with the conditions of the future.First of all, 20 catties of highland barley are picked, and then a few hand mills (about the same as small mills for grinding tofu) are brought in, half of the wheat is ground into powder, and dozens of four-two-weight dry cakes are baked; It is to find a three-foot-long stick to build a tent, and a bundle of firewood. If you find a fur, you can also combine two single clothes, sew five sheepskin cotton clothes, and make a pair of four-dimensional cowhide boots.

Our last team set off from Maoergai on August 27th. Before departure, Comrades Wen Bin and Zhou Huan accompanied the regiments to help with work on the way, and Comrade Tuofu came back from Luhua and became our temporary companion, so the "Cowhide Company" did not collapse. Going north from Maoergai, it is the avenue to Songpan at first. After passing a group of "cow dung houses", it turns northwest and enters the valley.The enemy plane came suddenly and circled Maoergai for reconnaissance, which caused us to spread out our cover and was delayed for a long time.In the afternoon, the sky suddenly changed, and it was dark, followed by violent storms and hail.At this time, all of our rain gear was worn out, and two-thirds of the people didn't even have a broken bamboo hat.The gravel-like ice made the men and horses shrink back and hide in the bushes.

After the storm and the hail passed, the creek swelled above the knees.It was indescribably uncomfortable that the water was so cold that it pricked the skin.When crossing the river, people were too cold and turbulent to stand still.At five o'clock, we arrived at a river dam called Lazitang, and the team stopped camping.Although the advance troops had left some sheds for us, it was getting dark when we were busy.The bad thing is that the rain followed the night god to attack again.Because of lack of experience, the tarpaulin was stretched out of order, and the rotten bamboo hat was of no avail.The water flowed from the high place again, and everyone was so noisy that they couldn't sit still, and Comrade Tuofu couldn't hum the Beijing tune.Naturally we wanted to light a fire, but the matches had long since disappeared, and no flint was found in Maoergai, so we had no choice but to complain to another shed.It took a lot of effort to start the fire, so naturally they couldn't give us more.Although there was firewood, it was all submerged in water, and it took a lot of effort to start the fire. At this time, Tuo Fu and Rong Huan, I, and I were so dizzy that we couldn't start a fire because of all our efforts and energy.Until one hour after midnight, we finally "where there is a will, there is a way" started the fire, ate boiling water and dry biscuits, but forgot about going to bed.

The rain never stopped overnight, and the stream flooded even more wildly.At dawn, the departure number led us out of the shed, and we were already in the isolated island, surrounded by water on all sides. Although it was so cold, we had to grit our teeth and rush out.From then on, in the grassland for five days, our feet were never dry no matter day or night. You have to cross the river if you can't travel two miles. The water is fast and cold, and some "kids" call their mothers.Many of the transporters who picked up file boxes and copper pots were thrown down three or four feet before getting up. After crossing the river, we stepped onto the so-called grassland. First of all, the mountain has changed. There are no stones, let alone a tree.It turns out that after Maogong traveled northward and entered the Tibetan area, everyone was terrified of Lao Lin. The army could not get rid of the thick trunks standing around the road like giant spirits in the forest. , ferocious branches, and the ground has been rotting branches and leaves for many years, revealing a disgusting musty smell.Now it is extremely difficult to find clumps of trees half a foot in diameter here.Only a few shrubs lined the sides of the creek.Besides just grass and water.The ground is so flat, the water naturally cannot rush to the creek, so it stagnates in the grass and soil.The soil is exceptionally soft, sinking half a foot deep when you step in, sometimes it is a bottomless quagmire. Once people and horses sink, the more they struggle, the more they sink, and they will never get out without being dragged by others.This kind of quagmire is not necessarily in a low-lying place, and the surface is not particularly abnormal. All the ground is covered by grass and water that is more than a foot or several feet high, and it is difficult to identify.In the beginning, many people suffered from this, especially those who were first.Later, no one dared to be careless, and only dared to follow the footsteps of people and horses. Just like this, every step must be carefully raised and stepped down, because if you are not careful, your foot may be buried in the muddy water. Two feet, it takes a little effort to pull it out. The whole day's trip is in this kind of aquatic mud.It rained again in the afternoon, making it even more difficult.At dusk, there are small bushes scattered on the hills in the future.When it comes to camping, the woods are something you can’t wait for, but your legs are so weak that you don’t want to take an extra step. If you want to go up the mountain and go to the forest, who doesn’t hesitate?Fortunately, the team went up the mountain, and we were designated to camp by the river. If we didn't go up the mountain, we set up camp on the river bank.Although the ground was wet, but the broken branches and leaves were covered with tarpaulins, and it was possible to barely sit on it. The rain did not hit as violently as that night, but it just fell a little bit sparsely.Sticky rice, we are all hungry. Comrade Rong Huan seems to feel that he is not enough, so he generously poured out some oily wheat flour. Comrade Tuofu donated the beef powder brought from Luhua. Naturally, I don’t want to eat for nothing, so I will add a little more salt, so everyone cooked a pot of noodles and had a full meal. Before departure in the early morning, an order was issued: Each person should bring a bunch of firewood, because there is not a single tree in the camp today.This is a difficult problem. Everyone is like someone who just woke up from a hospital bed. A dozen catties of food and a full set of equipment are marching on this plateau at an altitude of 4,000 to 5,000 meters. The thin air has already made it difficult to move. I don't want to increase the burden of the march.But thinking of not getting a cup of boiled water to moisten the throat after marching for dozens of miles, "weighing the weight", naturally I dare not disobey the order.I made up my mind and went all the way on foot, and tied several catties of firewood on my horse. About ten miles away, on the back of Pansheng Mountain, this is a big watershed that the famous geologists in China and the world probably don't know-the watershed of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River.The river where we camped at Thirty Nights runs southeast, flows south into the Minjiang River, and ends at Yibao to become the Yangtze River.Beyond this watershed to the north, the rivers flow northwest to Qinghai and enter the Yellow River.When walking to the top of the ridge, there are grasslands and mountains on all sides, and the edges cannot be seen. The road we traveled in the afternoon was still wet and muddy, but the small river next to us aroused our interest.Because the ground is very flat, the river cannot descend steeply and steeply, so a waterway is scoured out with the water potential, and the twists and turns are particularly impressive.In the flat grass, the river is pulled into a zigzag shape like a ribbon, often falling up to tens of feet, or bending back and forth several times, with only a foot or so of earth embankment in between.However, the earth embankment did not collapse, and two convection currents were still separated. Arriving at Houhe at dusk is our campsite.The grass on the hillside is deep, and there is no place for water storage.The rain fell evilly again, because with two days of experience, the tent was set up more skillfully today. Although it was raining, four or five people could still curl up on the grass without getting wet.I couldn't find a foot-high tree, and it was impossible to find a little dry grass to make a fire. At this time, I felt the "gift" of several catties of firewood carried seventy or eighty miles away. The direction of departure on the first day was northwest, the next day it went straight to true north, and yesterday it turned to northeast.Turned due north shortly after setting off this morning.The commercial road from Songpan to Aba (Qinghai Sea) passes through the southeast mountain pass and joins the road we came from, becoming Sejiba, which is more than ten miles in width and about fifty miles in length.The dam is unexpectedly flat, covered with weeds, with no end in sight, no water or mud.Both feet have been soaked in water for several days, and now it is very comfortable to walk on such a dry road, and the marching speed has to be doubled.Because this is the main commercial road out of the grassland, there are more caravans coming and going in spring and summer, and the shape of the road is widened. There are more than ten white roads that are more than a foot wide in the grass, and there are more than ten, twenty or thirty roads side by side. , extending to the endless plains from north to south.The lovely young comrades sang all kinds of popular songs, majestic or relaxed. After resting for about an hour, the sky suddenly darkened, the sun hid, dark clouds rose low, and the wind became even more terrifying.Luckily the rain wasn't falling yet.After walking on dry land for more than ten miles, a small river appeared. Although it was only five or six feet wide and more than three feet deep, the water rushed like arrows, and it was so cold that it almost bit off the skin of people.Building a bridge is a fantasy, because there is no tree in sight, so we have to take off our clothes and walk in vain. The strong ones just go in alone, and the weak ones are led in a group, so that the middle stream can avoid being washed away; or three or four Each held a horse by its tail and floated over. The "little ghosts" had to be carried by horses or carried by strong and brave comrades.I thank a frail old horse for carrying me across the river.Because there are still many young or infirm comrades who cannot make it through, this old horse has to be let go.In order to wait for the horse, I naturally have the responsibility to stay by the river to help guide.Staying by the river for about an hour, I saw three comrades being swept down in the middle of the river, and lost their lives after one or two ups and downs.Those who have already come, there are two people who are already stiff in front of me.If a few fires can be lit, these comrades can all be saved, but where is a firewood in the vast expanse of water and grass? ! After crossing the river, he got stuck in the swamp again. At this time, I was already behind, and Comrade Ronghuan Toffo and others were less than one mile ahead.Suddenly, a comrade struggling in the cement appeared. He was bent all over, his upper and lower body were covered with muddy water, and a Hanyang-made pole was painted like a stick of mud, but he was still holding it in his hand.I began to suspect that he had fallen, and wanted to help him up, but after being lifted up, he staggered two steps, and when I let go, he crouched down like a dough.But Han Yangzao still clenched tightly, still struggling like crawling.I knew there was no hope for him either.It was like a big rock was falling heavily in my heart, and I still had to rush to the team. After traveling for more than ten miles, the team stopped on the hillside, but there was still not a single tree, and there was no boiled water to eat.It rained again when the shed was erected.Everyone curled up in the clam shell-like tent, swallowing some fried barley. Yesterday there was a news about No Root Wireless, saying that Banyou was only thirty miles away, and the exhausted people became active.There is no boiling water on the hillside ten miles away, and there is no spark of fire. Fortunately, the weather is not yet cold enough to freeze, and the sticky cake can be swallowed with cold water. indivual.So he ran forward again. But it's strange that today's itinerary is on the hillside except for crossing the river.The hillsides of the meadow are really scary!Because it is more uncomfortable than the swamp with no water and grass.The water flows out in the same way. It looks like solid soil on the outside, but it is still mud if you step on it.There is no road shape, and if you walk sideways on the 60-degree inclined surface, you will either miss the "car" or slide down with one foot as far as a foot, and you will have to grab it with both hands.Due to the extremely poor long-term supplies and extremely weak physique, some people almost collapsed when the wind blows.On this extremely difficult hillside, it is even more difficult.Falling is inevitable for everyone.Originally, during the march, there was a stumble that could be used as a material for talking and laughing for miles, but now no one is in the mood to laugh. These abominable hillsides, with "turns and turns", continued for most of the day one by one. Originally, it was thirty miles to Banyou, so even if it fell a few times, everyone didn't complain much, because they were anxiously looking forward to a landing point. Today, they can go to Banyou, which has a house, to sleep for a few hours!But after thirty miles, another fifteen miles, the future is still not very bare mountains, sticky grass a foot deep and crystal clear water, this kind of disappointment is really more uncomfortable than losing a battle. After walking for more than ten miles, the mountain retreated a little, and the dam appeared, and there was a dense jungle in the distance, and the leading team threw themselves into the forest.Naturally, at this time, we don't want to think about Banyou who has a house. Being able to camp in such a dense forest is already like going to "paradise". The ground is dry, the grass is a foot deep, an extremely rare natural mattress, with dense branches and leaves, and no celestial bodies the size of a palm can be seen. The sky is also special and does not rain. Since Banyou is not far away, there is no need to "count the cakes and eat", just to make the stomach full. My four or two dry pancakes are generous, and there is no one left. Comrade Tuofu's beef powder is also pinched at the bottom of the rice bag , pour out everything.We ate for a long time, and when we talked about the joy that the grass had come over safely, we ate again, and we ate until eleven o'clock. I was disappointed yesterday, but I am sure that I will arrive at Banyou today.As soon as we set off, everyone's eyes were on the front, and everyone wanted to find the destination. Although there were two rivers to cross, the water was not deep, and the road was generally dry, so there was nothing unhappy about it.Exceptionally, cobblestones were found everywhere, and everyone judged without any basis that this was a symbol of going to a populated place. Although this is an extremely unreliable judgment, it has a great exciting effect and encourages everyone to step faster and faster. powerful. After traveling for more than ten miles, a plain larger than Yanjiba appeared, the extent of which cannot be estimated for the time being. The distant mountains to the north and east are only vague outlines, as small as a few bean grains on a mirror. .As soon as we left the hill and stepped onto the edge of this plain, some identifiable buildings protruded from the vast plane.This is a kind of joy of being saved. I don’t know how it compares to Columbus’s lonely boat. The so-called Banyou is just the surrounding area of ​​several miles of weeds, hundreds of messy "cow dung houses".Although it is only a little more advanced than the cow dung houses near Maoergai, some of them are built with wooden pillars, paneled and coated with cow dung.Except for the cow dung houses, there are still some desolate weeds here, and there is not a grain of grain in sight.A large part of our echelon was out of food yesterday. The soil is so fertile, dark brown, and full of phosphorus, but it is a pity that there is no cultivation, it is just a barren pasture, and the carpet-like grass is particularly strong. One can imagine that there will be 100,000 fat yaks on this pasture, although All I could see was grass and cow dung piled up everywhere. The "cow dung house", the luxuriant grass, the sweaty ditch crawling through the grass, all of these seem to be disappointing.But another discovery brought a little satisfaction in disappointment. It turns out that there are many wild onions growing in the grass (the leaves are like green onions, the flowers are like leeks, and the flowers are edible, so they are named wild onions).It was found to be able to fill the hunger, and it was also the one that everyone searched for in the past five days but failed to find it.So everyone scrambled to collect wild onions. "Our army wiped out two regiments of the enemy's 49th Division in Baozuo yesterday, and the other regiment of the enemy is now surrounded by me in the Lama Temple." These harsh words suddenly appeared on the roadside "cow dung house" on the corner.The crowd cheered, and they forgot about their hunger and worries about not being able to drink boiled water tonight. The road suddenly turned eastward towards the mountain pass, and after struggling to jump over six or seven muddy ditch, the stream of people went down the mountain.The embracing needle pine and various broad-leaved trees stand alone or in groups by the roadside.Suddenly changed to another world, full of downhill roads surrounded by mountains and streams, with a descent of at least 300 meters in twenty miles.Tibetan villages appeared, and on the hillside were yellow barley, green beans, peas and radishes.We arrived at Assi. Because the area northwest of Songpan is still a mystery to Chinese geographers, there is no map that can indicate the local language of this area, let alone a military map.We found only a few Tongsi (interpreters who can understand Chinese and Tibetan) and Tibetans, and their knowledge of this area is just some unguaranteed rumors.Therefore, when we set off from Maoergai, we only knew that we had to go through the grassland with barren mountains and water for at least 15 days to get to Labrang Monastery (now Xiahe County, Gansu Province).Where there are residents and food in the middle, no one dares to give a sure answer.But when our vanguard marched to Banyou based on the only "magic weapon" compass, because of the camping alert, we accidentally found a road leading to the east. According to the estimation of the road shape, it seemed that the future was inhabited, so we expanded Search the net.By accident, the enemy seemed intent on picking up our lost guests, and their scouting party lured our search party to Assi.The discovery of this new route has given us a new way to enter Gansu.The ten-day grassland that went straight north from Banyou was replaced by residential areas hundreds of miles away from the source of the Minjiang River and the source of the Bailong River.This not only shortened the time to drive directly to the northwest to reach the front line of the Anti-Japanese War, but also avoided the sacrifice of many anti-Japanese heroes during the terrible ten days of grassland, under the attack of hunger and cold.Eliminating the sacrifice of this priceless vital force, it was Assi who saved the anti-Japanese Red Army.The four or five divisions of the seat were under the proud command of Chiang Kai-shek, thinking that they would guard this important military point, and they would surely block the Red Army's northward anti-Japanese road, and force the Red Army to be wiped out in the grassland with only water and grass. As a guide, he led the Red Army to Asilai and connected to the road to Gansu. After the Red Army was led to Asi by the enemy, it immediately responded bluntly and attacked the forty-ninth division of Baozu.The division was originally reorganized from the Nineteenth Route Army, and had been enemies with the Red Army for many years, and also friends for a few months. Although all the officers and officers have changed now, the anti-Japanese anger among the soldiers has not been extinguished.Therefore, not long after the contact, the athletes of the two regiments who did not want to be subjugated slaves joined hands closely with the Red Army and went northward to fight against Japan.Hu Zongnan boldly refused Chiang Kai-shek's order to follow and pursue the Red Army in the future. Naturally, he learned a frightening lesson in the battle when the Red Army occupied Asi and Baozuo.