Chapter 44 (3) Zhang Guotao's secret telegram

Zhou Enlai accompanied the Right Route Army from Maoergai via Qixing Bridge, Wazitang, Fenshuiling, Houhe, Sejiba, Xiaolin, and Banyou, and arrived at Asi in late August.At this time, the right army had finished opening the door to march to Gannan, and the left army had also reached the Aba area.However, Zhang Guotao still wavered about going north. On August 24, Xu Xiangqian and Chen Changhao sent a telegram to Zhang Guotao, saying: "Brother, the right army cannot completely (eliminate) the prepared enemy by acting alone. The left (army) must immediately approach the right army, or take a quick shift You, so that the two roads can be concentrated (towards) Xia, Tao, and Min. The main force will be combined and then divided. The military strategist is a big taboo, and the future is at stake. Hope that the decision will be repeated, and hesitation will miss the major events of the Chinese revolution.”

However, Zhang Guotao stood still and did not implement the Central Committee's Lianghekou and Shawo meeting's decision on going north and east, and delayed until August 30 before ordering the left army to concentrate on Jianbutang on September 8 and advance towards Banyou. The other arrived at Banyou around September 16 in order to concentrate Banyou and the right army to move closer to the north.The next day, August 31, Zhang Guotao changed his mind again and called Xu Xiangqian and Chen Changhao, saying: "Xigu will not be a gap for the enemy. Enemy control", "the 5th Army, 93rd Division, and 25th Division have a total of seven regiments, and it will take three days to reach Banyou", and the left road "give up all the hospitals and rush in, and it will take 14 days to reach Banyou. Now it is not an opportunity to pass the enemy blockade, but concentrate our forces to break through the blockade, and pay serious attention to being cut into several sections by the enemy, please resolve the Politburo as soon as possible.”On the same day, Xu Xiangqian and Chen Changhao called Zhang Guotao, saying: "At present, the responsibility group is fully dispatched to break through the Minxi blockade, and Kang is on the way to the enemy's concentration. Except for leaving two or three regiments to cover the rear of Aba and Charlie, the rest should be quickly Assemble, the 31st Army cannot disperse, and must not go to this place to cover, and there is a lot of food here, and there is more left, so we can advance more." The next day, Mao Zedong, Xu Xiangqian, and Chen Changhao jointly urged Zhang Guotao to lead the left army northward. , have no effect.

On September 3, Zhang Guotao called Xu Xiangqian, Chen Changhao and transferred to the Central Committee, saying that "the water in the Kaqu River is flooding, and there are no trekking points in the upper and lower thirty miles", and stopped going north again.The next day, he publicly declared to the central government that he opposed the policy of going north and decided to go south.He said: "In the vast grassland, I can't move forward. I just sit and wait to die. Without a guide, the result is so painful. I decided to rush back to Aba in three days tomorrow morning." The army also went south to "attack the Songpan enemy".The next day, he called some units of the former Fourth Front Army without authorization, saying: "Our vanguard regiment of the Left Army will definitely transfer to Aba", ordering them to "consolidate their current positions and go forward to raise food for guerrilla warfare."In order to unite Zhang Guotao, Mao Zedong, Luo Fu, Bogu and other members of the Central Standing Committee talked to Chen Changhao many times and tried to get him to participate in Zhang Guotao's work.The three of them also went to Zhou Enlai's sick bed to hold a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Central Committee to discuss ways to persuade Zhang Guotao.

Mao Zedong said: "Zhang Guotao's attitude was completely within my expectations. After seeing us making concessions to him repeatedly, he ignored our words. Now the critical moment has come, should we let him?" Zhou Enlai said: "We can't let him go any further. But we can't confront him head-on. I know him very well, and it's impossible to be tough now. After all, this is still our internal dispute, and it should be resolved through democratic consultation. .” Mao Zedong said: "Yes, I think so too. The problem is that he has prejudices against the three of us, we can't talk to him at all, and you are sick! How can we negotiate with him?"

Zhou Enlai thought for a while, and said: "Continue to let Xu Xiangqian and Chen Changhao persuade him. These two are colleagues who have followed him for many years. If the same words are said by them, the effect will be different." Mao Zedong thought about it, nodded, and said, "We can only try again. You said just now that you can't be hard on him. I think, at this time, not only can we not be hard, but we have to be soft." pose." Luo Fu said: "When he saw us softening, he thought we were giving in to him again, so he just insisted on it. Wouldn't it be more troublesome?"

Mao Zedong shook his head and said: "We are soft this time, but there is strength in softness. On the one hand, we can show him that the Politburo is considering his suggestion of going south. If going south is more beneficial than going north, we can still discuss it." , and asked him to come over to exchange opinions with us. We respect his opinion of going south, so he should have nothing to say. On the one hand, he emphasized that the policy of going north should not be changed in the name of Enlai, because he was more polite to Enlai, and Enlai didn’t say anything during this time. Confront him directly. Let's see if we can bring Enlai out and calm him down. It seems that this is the last resort to persuade him."

Zhou Enlai said: "I don't dare to suppress him. If he really listens to me, I really want to sit on a stretcher to talk to him and try my best to persuade him." "No. You can't go now." Mao Zedong said, "Let's send him a telegram first to see if his attitude changes." Therefore, on the morning of September 8, in the name of Xu Xiangqian and Chen Changhao, he called Zhang Guotao and said in a tone of asking for instructions: "Hu does not open Min, and it is very easy to attack South and Min at present. What is the overall action? Is the 1st Army quickly occupying Luo?" Up to? Is the 3rd Army following up? Is the enemy going to attack? Flying to show, it will be distressing to delay it again." "The Central Political Bureau is considering whether to go south. Both Mao (Zedong) and Zhang (Wen Tian) said that as long as (to) go south, it will be beneficial, and we can exchange opinions; Zhou (Enlai) thought there would be a way out if he went north; The principle is to disperse the main force, and it is the best policy to come to the north quickly from the left. If you can take advantage of (the enemy) to move northward (take) Songpan and Nanping, it is still the best policy. Please discuss it with the Central Bureau of Mingdian, and we will implement it.”

Zhang Guotao immediately replied to Xu Xiangqian and Chen Changhao, ordering "the 1st and 3rd armies to temporarily stay in Luoda and advance to Luoda, and immediately try to solve the specific problems of going south." At the same time, Zhang Guotao, the political commissar of the 31st Army of the Fourth Front Army, said: "The two regiments of the 91st Division will go through Suomo until Maerkang and Zhuo Keji are on standby, and the bridge that must pass through will be repaired. Cai Shufan of the column moved the people he led to Maerkang to stand by. If they don’t listen, they will be detained. Call back and deal with it.”

That night, Zhou Enlai, Mao Zedong, Luo Fu, Bogu, Wang Jiaxiang, Chen Changhao, Xu Xiangqian and others held a meeting at Zhou Enlai's residence to discuss countermeasures against Zhang Guotao's telegram going south.At this time, Zhou Enlai was still very weak and could not get out of bed, so he could only lean on the head of the bed to attend the meeting.Still, he played the leading role in this meeting. At the beginning of the meeting, Zhou Enlai clearly told Chen Changhao and Xu Xiangqian that if Zhang Guotao and the others moved south, he did not think there would be any future for development.First of all, more than 1,000 miles south of Danba and more than 700 miles south of Maogong are covered with snow-capped mountains and forests, most of which are small roads.Secondly, the population of the Dadu River Basin was sparsely populated, and the conditions of supplies were extremely poor. It was a problem for the Red Army to even survive in such a place.Thirdly, the people from the south of Aba to Mianning are all ethnic minorities. The Red Army is exhausted and has nothing to replenish in this area. How can it be maintained?Mao Zedong said that Zhou Enlai's opinion was correct, and going south would be extremely detrimental to the Red Army.The central government's northward policy cannot be shaken.He asked Chen Changhao and Xu Xiangqian to express his opinions on going north and going south.

Chen Changhao said: "It's not good to turn back and walk on the grass, but now going north, there are Wang Jun and Mao Bingwen blocking the way. I think, if we want to go north, the left and right armies must act together." Xu Xiangqian said: "I am not mature enough to think about going south." Mao Zedong stared at Chen Changhao and asked, "What if Political Commissar Zhang doesn't change his idea of ​​going south?" Chen Changhao said: "Then we should consider going south." "Going south cannot be considered." Zhou Enlai said solemnly, "Going north is the established policy of the central government and cannot be changed. You must do everything possible to persuade General Political Commissar Zhang to give up the idea of ​​going south and implement the central policy of going north."

Chen Changhao and Xu Xiangqian looked at Zhou Enlai and did not raise any objections. After the meeting, that is, at 22:00 on September 8, the seven people who attended the meeting jointly called Zhu De, Zhang Guotao, and Liu Bocheng.The telegram stated that the current Red Army operations are at the most critical juncture, and the issue of going south must be carefully and quickly considered and decided.The central government carefully considered the result of going south, and believed that if the left army moved south, the future would be extremely unfavorable.Point out that "because the terrain is conducive to the enemy's blockade, it is not conducive to our attack. More than a thousand miles south of Danba and more than 700 miles south of Maogong are snow-capped mountains, old forests, and narrow roads. Kangkou Tianlu is elegantly named Qiongda until Maofu. It has been completed, and there is absolutely no possibility for our army to attack. The economic conditions are absolutely impossible to support the army. The Dadu River Basin is more than a thousand miles away, such as Maoergai, only to the west. The population of Suichong is more than 8,000. There is very little food. Mao Fu's food has been exhausted, and the army is in danger of going on a hunger strike. From Aba south to Mianning, all of them are ethnic minorities. Our army is in this area, and there is no replenishment. This matter is extremely serious now, and it is absolutely impossible to continue. Blockade, there is no strategic retreat." Therefore, I hope that Zhang Guotao and others will think carefully and "make up our minds. After replenishing food in Aba and Zhuo Keji, we will divert to the north and march. There will be a large reduction in troops during the march. Supplementation is expected. In terms of terrain, economy, residents, and strategic retreat, there is a prospect of victory. In the past, Qingning Xin said that it has far surpassed the Xikang area. At present, Hu Zong dare not move in the south. At that time, the north was still empty." Zhang Guotao and others planned to take out a part of the right army, "mobilize first, cooperate with the 25th and 26th armies, and attract the enemy to follow them, so that our left army can enter Gansu and start a new situation."The telegram emphasized the above opinions, purely for the sake of the overall future and interests, and hoped that Zhang Guotao and others "immediately make a decisive decision, and the revolution will be blessed." At 24:00 the next day, Zhang Guotao sent a telegram to Xu Xiangqian, Chen Changhao, Zhou Enlai, Luo Fu, Mao Zedong, and Wang Jiaxiang in his own name.The telegram said, "To this day, please calmly estimate the enemy's strength and position, whether our army's reduction of personnel, ammunition, and uniforms can defeat the enemy in one fell swoop, or we can defeat the enemy in a protracted battle; whether the enemy may continue to increase. The 25th and 93rd divisions on the left, with less than 1,000 soldiers in each regiment, and at most 1,500 combatants in each division, and those with sick feet accounted for two-thirds of them. Then march northward, pass by the right road and continue marching for ten days, and the left road In twenty days, more than half of the staff will be reduced. At that time, the following situations may occur: "1. Protruding to the east of the Simon Seal Line, will it become an endless mobile war, marching without stopping all day long, what is the future? "2. Can Ruotingxia and Tao gain a firm foothold? "3. If you can't go to East Africa to stop summer and Tao, there is no chance to return to the south. With the Yellow River as your back, can you not be hindered? Brothers in the above three items have thought about it clearly. "4. The enemy in Sichuan is weak and not good at defending towers. I am good at mountainous and narrow road warfare. Mao, Dan, and Sui have less rocky terrain than Tong, Nan, and Ba. There is no shortage of food in the south. My brother asked for details. 25, 93, etc. The cadres at all levels of the division are very true. It takes about six days to travel from Aba to Songgang along the east bank of the Dajinchuan River. There are more, Sui and Chong have 6,000 household registrations, and Baogu is already cooked. According to reliable guides, Danba, Ganzi, Daofu, Tian, ​​and Lu are all better than Tao, Xia, Qiong, and Da. All patients in Nancai need to be abandoned; in Nancai, take care of them as much as possible. If you don't try to defeat the enemy, it will be of no use to despise the minority areas with empty words. "5. Now it is advisable to use one part to move to the northeast to lure the enemy to the north, and I will take advantage of the situation and go south. This is an excellent match for the 2nd and 6th armies. I think there are many conflicts between Jiang and the Sichuan enemy, and going south is a real attack. , will never be a turtle in an urn. "6. The left and right armies must not act separately. My brother is loyal to the party and the revolution, and I am confident that I will not talk nonsense. How to, wait for instructions to obey." When Chen Changhao received this telegram from Zhang Guotao, he wavered again about the Central Committee's policy of going north.He came to Mao Zedong, Luo Fu, and Bo Gu, and stated to the three members of the Standing Committee of the Central Committee that he would implement Zhang Guotao's telegram and lead his troops to the south.He was severely criticized by three members of the Standing Committee of the Central Committee and left in dismay. September 9th is a very ordinary day in early autumn.Zhou Enlai sat on the head of the bed and looked at the map in Pasil Jalan, where the headquarters of the 3rd Army of the Red Army was located.The rays of the setting sun came in through the windows, making the room warm.Outside the window, the sky is high and the clouds are light, and wild geese fly south.Not far away, the sound of drills and singing of the troops came.The whole mountain is very quiet.Peng Dehuai walked in irritably, as if he just had a fight with someone. Zhou Enlai asked, "Old Peng, what happened?" Peng Dehuai said: "I went to Qianzhi today, and the tone of Chen Changhao's speech was wrong. What he said, Aba is better than Tong, Nan, and Ba, and there is a future for development there. This is clearly the same tone as Zhang Guotao!" Zhou Enlai said, "This Chen Changhao, he can change as he wants!..." Peng Dehuai said: "I also told Lao Mao just now that Zhang Guotao must have communicated with Chen Changhao behind our backs. What kind of tricks are they going to play?" Zhou Enlai smiled coldly and said, "Hmph, it's nothing more than being stubborn and determined to go south! Zhang Guotao, a well-known old opportunist in the party!" Peng Dehuai said: "I also considered, if they threaten us to go south and disarm us, can we preemptively take them as hostages?" Zhou Enlai frowned, staring at Peng Dehuai and asked, "Did you tell Comrade Mao Zedong about this?" Peng Dehuai said: "I said it. But he does not agree to take extreme measures." "He's right. We can't do this." Zhou Enlai said, "If we did, the problem would be serious." Peng Dehuai said: "They have such black hearts, we can't just sit and wait for death, right?" Zhou Enlai said: "If that kind of thing really happens, we can think of other ways. But we can't go to extremes, that will cause the Red Army to kill each other!" While the two were talking, there was a sudden sound of horseshoes outside the door.The guard came in to report that it was Mao Zedong.Peng Dehuai rushed out of the house to greet him.Mao Zedong's face was covered with sweat, and as soon as he entered the room, he took out a cigarette slip from his pocket and handed it to Zhou Enlai. Zhou Enlai took the note and saw that it was the content of a telegram copied by Mao Zedong.The telegram was sent to Chen Changhao by Zhang Guotao, ordering Chen Changhao to abandon the plan to go north and lead his troops to go south.The central government followed the right route army, and going north was the established policy of the central government. Zhang Guotao changed the decision of the central government to go north, and instead of sending a report to the central government, he directly issued orders to Chen Changhao!Zhou Enlai opened his eyes and asked Mao Zedong, "How did you get this?" "It was Ye Jianying who gave it to me." Mao Zedong said, "When the telegram came, they held a meeting in front of them. Chen Changhao was speaking at the meeting, and the translator handed the telegram to Ye Jianying. When Ye saw the telegram, he realized something was wrong. Come find me in the bathroom." Zhou Enlai: "So, Chen Changhao doesn't know that we already know the content of this telegram!" Mao Zedong said: "Just now he came to me and said that Zhang Guotao wanted them to go south. I said that since I want to change the original plan to go south, I will have the Army Department come to you and Jiaxiang to discuss it. He didn't seem to have any worries, thinking that I was going to accept them. Go south to claim." When Peng Dehuai saw the telegram, he couldn't help feeling angry, and said, "I expected that they would do this! To deal with these people, I still have to use my method, and strike first!" Mao Zedong glared at Peng Dehuai and said, "Do you still want to take hostages?" Peng Dehuai said: "For this kind of person, is there a better way than this?" Zhou Enlai said: "This will only add fuel to the flames, and the consequences will be disastrous." Mao Zedong said: "Don't waste time, let's think about how to go north!" Zhou Enlai said, "Did you tell Luo Fu and Bogu about this?" "The situation is urgent. I only discussed it with the two of them, and then came to you." Mao Zedong said, "The three of us plan to hold a meeting with you tonight to study countermeasures. What's your opinion?" "That's it." Zhou Enlai thought for a while, looked at Peng Dehuai and said solemnly: "Old Peng, you must pay special attention to vigilance here. You must inform Lin Biao as soon as possible and ask the 1st Army to move closer here." Mao Zedong said: "We must do everything possible to avoid conflicts with the Fourth Front Army."