Chapter 50 (4) Reunion

On October 10, 1936, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Central Government of the Chinese Soviet, and the Military Commission of the Central Revolutionary Army issued a "Congratulatory Message to the Whole Army for the First, Second, and Fourth Front Armies' Meeting in Gansu."The congratulatory message said: "Just as the Japanese imperialists are preparing to launch a new large-scale attack on China, our Chinese nation, which has a glorious history of 5,000 years, is in an unprecedented critical situation of survival. The vanguard of our national revolutionary war The 1st, 2nd, and 4th front armies of the corps have joined forces in Gansu."

"Our meeting at the anti-Japanese advanced position proves that the bandit aggression of the Japanese imperialists is about to be hit by the strongest anti-Japanese vanguard of our entire nation; It proves that the compatriots of the whole country who are in dire straits have a core of unity and defense against aggression; it proves that the patriotic workers, patriotic farmers, patriotic students, patriotic soldiers, patriotic reporters, patriotic businessmen, heroic Northeast Volunteers and all patriotic soldiers on the front line of the Anti-Japanese War Those with lofty ideals now have supporters and leaders.

"In short, the rendezvous of the main national Red Army and its entry into the anti-Japanese advanced positions will play a decisive role in the international fire line of the struggle between China and Japan, as well as in the country's domestic political relations. The rendezvous of our national main Red Army and its entry into the anti-Japanese advanced positions , will also prove to the Spanish nation in the raging waves of revolution that we are their good friends against fascist counter-revolution, and will prove to peace-loving nations in France, Belgium, the Czech Republic and all European countries that we are their defense against fascist German aggression Good friends; we will prove to the Abyssinian nation who fought bravely to the death that we are their good friends against fascist Italian aggression; we will prove to all oppressed countries and nations in the world that we are their opponents against imperialism Good friends; in the end, we will prove to the Republic of the Soviet Union, the Republic of Outer Mongolia, the people of Inner Mongolia, and the Hui people in Northwest China that we are the closest good friends who are fighting with them against Japanese imperialism and world aggressors.”

The congratulatory message pointed out that "we are about to enter a new stage, which is the new stage of the Anti-Japanese National Revolutionary War, and this is the new stage of the establishment of the National Defense Government, the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces, and the Democratic Republic." In the new stage, set an example for the people of the whole country, set an example for the anti-Japanese front, enlist all Kuomintang troops to join the anti-Japanese national united front, open up the anti-Japanese advance road, expand the anti-Japanese base areas, consolidate the anti-Japanese base areas, fight to defend the Northwest, fight to defend North China, Fight to defend the whole country, fight to recover lost land, fight to unite workers, peasants, businessmen, soldiers, all parties, factions, walks of life and armies, and drive Japanese imperialism out of China."

On October 24, the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China reported the meeting of the Red Army's three front armies to the Comintern.The report said: "The three front armies have completely joined forces. Because of the victory of the first army and the influence of the second front army, because of your help and the development of the national situation, Comrade Guotao, the leader of the fourth front army, has basically changed his previous attitude. Not only has the political line expressed support for the Central Committee and the International, but the organization has also been unified under the leadership of the Central Committee and the Military Commission. We have taken an attitude of trust in Guotao. Zhu and Zhang command the front-line operations, and the Central Military Commission guides their operational policies. We are vigorously carrying out political education for cadres in the three front armies to ensure that the entire Red Army will assume the responsibility of organizers and leaders in the new stage of the national revolutionary war.”

On November 15, Zhou Enlai left Bao'an and went to Dahe Lianwan. After working out the mountain castle battle plan for the three front armies with Peng Dehuai, he arrived at the headquarters of the Red Second Front Army in Hongde City, where he met with He Long and Guan Xiangying. On the 23rd, he arrived at the headquarters of the Red Fourth Front Army in Shancheng Castle. In the mountain castle, Zhou Enlai met Zhu De, an old comrade-in-arms who had been separated for more than a year.Clutching Zhu De's skinny hands, and looking at Zhu De's old, pale face full of sorrow, Zhou Enlai felt sore in his heart and was speechless.Zhu De's eyes filled with tears, and he was speechless.Last year, Songpan had a farewell, and it has only been more than a year, but he has experienced so many hardships.Zhou Enlai hugged Zhu De, and couldn't help bursting into tears.Ever since Zhang Guotao stubbornly insisted on going south and forcibly established another "Central Committee" to rule the Red Fourth Front Army as king and hegemony, he and Mao Zedong have been worried that they would never see the commander-in-chief again.

"Zhang Guotao is indeed a ruthless guy, but he can only embarrass me, and he doesn't want to kill me." Zhu De just laughed at Zhang Guotao's various tortures and insults.In fact, Zhang Guotao had actually placed him under house arrest because he insisted on opposing Zhang Guotao's idea of ​​establishing a separate "central government" and going south.Only he can bear such humiliation. Zhou Enlai said angrily: "Zhang Guotao is unpopular, so even though he has a strong army, he still failed when he went south!" Zhu De thought for a while and said: "Enlai, you came at the right time, and I have to tell you clearly about some things. Now some people criticize me, saying that when Zhang Guotao led his troops to go south and set up a new 'central government', I did not make it public. opposed, and did not lead the comrades of the First Army to go north.”

Zhou Enlai: "Their criticism is unreasonable. In the struggle with Zhang Guotao, the boss was reasonable and restrained, and he was as big as the sea. He did the right thing. If you openly confront Zhang Guotao, lead the comrades in the front army If you go north, the consequences will be unimaginable. You and your comrades from the First Army stay in the Fourth Army and carry out a reasonable and disciplined struggle against Zhang Guotao. restrictive effect." Zhu De held Zhou Enlai's hand tightly again, and said gratefully: "Enlai is the one who knows me!" Zhou Enlai: "All this is not only understood by me, but also by Mao Zedong, Luo Fu, Bogu and most comrades in the Central Committee."

When the two were talking, Ren Bishi hurried over.Reunited with Zhou Enlai after a long absence, Ren Bishi was filled with emotion.In the work of promoting Zhang Guotao's transformation, two people contributed a lot, one was Lin Yuying who came back from Moscow, and the other was Ren Bishi.At the beginning, not only Ren Bishi, but also the commanders and fighters of the Second Front Army were troubled by this matter.After all, Zhang Guotao led most of his troops to the south, not only the Fourth Front Army, but also the First Front Army. Zhu De and Liu Bocheng also followed.Without knowing the truth, it is really difficult to judge who is causing the split.After several investigations, Ren Bishi finally figured out the reason.When Zhou Enlai and Mao Zedong led the Red Army and the three armies to the north, they said that black is black and white is white. Zhang Guotao's splitting plot can only succeed for a while, and it won't take long for comrades in the party to see through him.This is not to say that Zhou Enlai had any foresight, but the fact is that going north was the correct decision made by the central government long ago.

While seeing Zhu De and Ren Bi, Zhou Enlai was going to see Zhang Guotao. At this time, Zhang Guotao was frowning and depressed.The southward movement failed, and the newly established "temporary central government" also had to announce its cancellation a few days ago.Lin Yuying, who came back from Moscow, had a good relationship with him, but he did not support him, because Moscow did not support him either.Without the support of Moscow, he knew that his "temporary central government" would not be able to sustain it.It's hard to sing alone!The current Zhang Guotao is no longer the Zhang Guotao who held a heavy army and was full of ambitions a year ago.Going south to lose troops and lose generals, a complete defeat, how can the defeated generals speak bravely?When the two front armies met in Maogong, he despised Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai in this way.Now, his situation is many times worse than that of Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai at that time.Originally hoped that Ren Bishi would stand by his side, thus increasing his weight to contend with Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai.Because Ren Bishi did not participate in the dispute between them, nor did he know the inside story.Unexpectedly, Ren Bishi not only did not stand by him, but accused him of splitting.This time, he was really alone.

Seeing Zhou Enlai, Zhang Guotao was still brooding over the fact that Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai led the Red Army and the three armies to the north in September last year.He said with a sullen face, "Brother Enlai, no matter what, you and Mao Zedong led one or three armies to leave without authorization, which cannot be said to be the correct decision." Zhou Enlai wanted to refute Zhang Guotao, but on second thought, using strong words at this time would not be of any use to this prodigal son.So, he still said in a gentle tone: "Brother Guotao, in the previous disputes between us, who is right and who is wrong, we will leave it to the discussion at the Central Plenary Session, and let Moscow make a ruling! Now, you are going north, Bishi, He Long and the others We are also going north, and our three front armies are about to join forces. We should spend more time thinking about the strategic decision after the three front armies join forces!" Zhang Guotao shook his head and said: "I don't agree with your practice of walking around when encountering conflicts and failing to resolve them in time. When we met in Maogong, no matter on organizational issues or on strategic and tactical issues There are differences in everything. If we could sit down calmly and resolve all the conflicts between us, why did we end up like this today?" Zhou Enlai smiled lightly and said: "Brother Guotao, the Central Committee appointed me this time not to bring up old matters, but to discuss with you the strategic policy after the three armies join forces. Let's not mention the past for now. Bar!" Zhang Guotao sighed and said: "So, I, Zhang Guotao, are narrow-minded and always want to entangle you on these small issues? Hey, I haven't seen how broad-minded you are! I propose to fight in the three fronts. Before joining forces, my "temporary central government" was cancelled, and your "central government" was also cancelled. We are temporarily under the leadership of the international delegation, and a new central committee will be elected at a congress later. Why didn't you agree, and when I announced the cancellation After the 'temporary central government', do you still issue orders in the name of the central government?" Zhou Enlai frowned, stared at Zhang Guotao, and said seriously: "Comrade Guotao, you are a bit unreasonable! The Central Committee was elected by the 'Sixth National Congress', and you and I both participated in the 'Sixth National Congress' and voted for It’s a ticket. This is the Central Committee supported by the Communist International! Can you cancel it if you say it?” Zhang Guotao was very unconvinced, and raised his voice and said: "Then under what circumstances did my 'temporary central government' come into being? You led five or six thousand people away without permission, and I was surrounded by eighty to ninety thousand horses. I think you have escaped and have lost trust in you. In this case, will they still obey your command?" Zhou Enlai said: "Is this the reason for you to establish a new central government?" Zhang Guotao said: "I don't want to do this either. But under the circumstances at the time, I had no choice. This is a strong request of more than 80,000 Red Army soldiers!" The establishment of another "central government" is a strong request of you, Zhang Guotao, and this is the truth!Zhou Enlai said this in his heart, but he didn't say it out loud.He still patiently said to Zhang Guotao: "Brother Guotao, I admit that we have not done enough, and you can't say that you are 100% correct! These right and wrong, we will find time to discuss slowly in the future Yes. But now, the reunion of the three armies is imminent, and the enemy is at hand, how can we sit down and argue?" Zhang Guotao took a long breath helplessly, and said: "Brother Enlai, I said before that you are more fair, and now I still think so. After all, you did not participate in their Russian circle meeting, and did not participate in the criticism." Zhang Guotao is right opportunist route' Well!" Zhou Enlai couldn't laugh or cry when he heard Zhang Guotao say that.When you Zhang Guotao established a new "Central Committee", you did not forget to expel Zhou Enlai from the party and order you to be wanted!But he still suppressed the pressure in his heart, and said kindly to Zhang Guotao: "Brother Guotao, at this time, we need to be more open-minded and far-sighted. We still have a lot to do!" Zhang Guotao said: "Brother Enlai, I only have one question about the reunion of the three armies. In the future, the central government must treat the three front armies equally, and must not have any opinion of us because our fourth front army failed to go south." Zhou Enlai patted Zhang Guotao on the shoulder with one hand, and said: "Brother Guotao, don't worry about that! Now, unity is more important to us than anything else. It can no longer be done in our party and It happened inside the military." This was the day at the end of November 1936. After being persuaded by Zhou Enlai, Zhang Guotao, together with Zhou Enlai and Zhu De, led the Red Army headquarters to Baoan to cooperate with the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Central Military Commission.At the Red Army University, they received a warm welcome.Although it is early winter, the north wind carries a chill, and the warm atmosphere makes people feel as warm as spring. Mao Zedong held Zhu De's hand tightly and refused to let go for a long time.He said with emotion: "Zhu Mao can't be separated, this time it has come true again!" Zhu De nodded, and said repeatedly: "Zhu Mao is separated, and the Red Army is bound to face disaster! We can't separate anymore no matter what!" When shaking hands with Zhang Guotao, Mao Zedong said in a meaningful tone: "Commissioner Zhang, we have been waiting for you for a long time!" Zhang Guotao was quite embarrassed. He looked at Mao Zedong with cold eyes and said, "How much weight do I Zhang Guotao have? The three armies joined forces, and I did not act according to the wishes of all the Red Army officers and men!" Mao Zedong said: "The three armed forces have joined forces, and you, General Political Commissar Zhang, have made great contributions!" Zhang Guotao said: "It is true that I dare not make great contributions, but that I am an active supporter of the joint army." Mao Zedong pulled Zhou Enlai aside and said gratefully: "Enlai, I thought it would be difficult for you to persuade Zhang Guotao this time, but I didn't expect you to be able to persuade him!" Zhou Enlai smiled and said: "The key is not my persuasion, but the situation. At this time, if Zhang Guotao wants to pull the troops away again, I am afraid that few people will follow him." Mao Zedong said: "The development of the situation is the key, and your persuasion is also the key!" Zhou Enlai said: "It should be said that the central government's strategic decision won the hearts of the people, and Zhang Guotao had to accept it if he didn't want to." The welcome meeting was held in the large playground of the Red Army University.With vigorous steps, Mao Zedong, together with Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Zhang Guotao, etc., boarded the temporary podium.Putting one hand on his waist and waving the other hand forward, he said loudly, "Our long march of thousands of miles is over. However, our road to revolution is still tortuous, difficult, and long." Zhou Enlai, standing behind Mao Zedong, fell into deep thought.The Long March is over, but the burden on his shoulders has not been lightened.He had a secret meeting with Zhang Xueliang, and he was waiting for him to achieve a compromise between the Red Army and the Northeast Army of the Kuomintang; to open up the relationship between the highest level of the Kuomintang Central Committee, and to find a way for the highest level of contact between the two parties; to establish an anti-Japanese unity The front line, the work of going to the national crisis together is waiting for him... a new battle is waiting for him.