Chapter 45 044. The Heroic Commander of Culai Mountain——Record of Hong Tao, the Commander of the Only Division of the Shandong Anti-Japanese Allied Army

At that time, this ballad was like a spring breeze blowing in the Culai mountain area and the banks of the Wen River, inspiring countless outstanding Chinese sons and daughters to take up their swords and go to the anti-Japanese battlefield.Hong Tao in the ballad is one of the main leaders of the Culaishan Uprising in Shandong, the founder of the Fourth Detachment of the Shandong People's Anti-Japanese Guerrilla of the Eighth Route Army, and the commander of the Independent First Division of the Shandong People's Anti-Japanese Coalition Army.He joined the Red Army at the age of 16, moved to the border of Fujian and Jiangxi, marched 25,000 miles, and fought bloody battles in Culai Mountain, making immortal military exploits for the liberation of the Chinese people. On May 25, 1938, Hong Tao, who was only 26 years old, died of a recurrence of injury.However, his heroic deeds and his name are with the majestic Mount Culai.

On April 3, 1912, Hong Tao was born in Qingbanqiao Township, Hengfeng County, Jiangxi Province. At the age of 14, he grazed cattle for the landlord.When he was 16 years old, he bid farewell to his mother and joined the Northeast Jiangxi Workers and Peasants Armed Forces.After studying at the Xinjiang Military and Political School, he was assigned as a platoon leader and company commander in the Red Cross Army. Joined the Communist Party of China in 1930.Because of Hong Tao's bravery in battle, he was promoted to battalion commander and deputy regiment commander, and later served as the commander of the seventh regiment of the third division of the Ninth Red Army.He often led his troops to attack, and he fought bravely during the Long March. He was wounded three times. The last time he was injured, the bullet penetrated into his lung, and the bullet remained in his body and could not be taken out.

After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937, Hong Tao was ordered to go to Shandong to organize anti-Japanese armed forces and open up anti-Japanese base areas behind enemy lines.Dressed as businessmen, he and Liao Rongbiao crossed the Japanese blockade, crossed the Ping-Han Line and Jinpu Road, and got in touch with the Shandong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China.In December of this year, the Shandong Provincial Party Committee withdrew from Tai'an City and moved to Biaozidian. An emergency meeting was held to determine the time and place to organize the armed uprising in Culai Mountain. On the evening of the 31st, the organs of the Shandong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and guerrilla forces from all over the country arrived at Guanghua Temple in Culai Mountain one after another.The ten or so comrades led by Hong Tao at that time only had two box guns and one Hanyang-made rifle.Hong Tao said humorously to everyone: "We are an uprising with two and a half guns."

January 1, 1938 was a memorable day in the history of the Shandong people's anti-Japanese armed struggle.On this day, the Shandong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China held a grand armed uprising swearing-in meeting at Guanghua Temple in Culai Mountain. The "Fourth Detachment of the Shandong People's Anti-Japanese Guerrilla of the Eighth Route Army" was established. Hong Tao was the commander, Li Yu was also the political commissar, and Zhao Jie was the deputy commander. Lin Hao served as the director of the Political Department. The detachment has 3 squadrons under its jurisdiction, with a total of 160 people.

In mid-January, after short-term military training, the four detachments headed north to the Anti-Japanese War. On the 26th, the four detachments successfully ambushed the Japanese army from Wenkou to Xintai at Siling in the northeast of Ningyang County.This was the first battle for the four teams to go out to fight, and the victory in the first battle boosted the morale of the troops. At the beginning of February, the troops stationed in Liudu Town, Xintai County.Here, the Shandong Provincial Party Committee held an enlarged meeting. The meeting decided to divide the troops into two routes: Hong Tao and Lin Hao led the first brigade composed of the first, third and fourth squadrons to go north to Laiwu, develop towards Zichuan and Boshan, and go to Jiaotong Fei County, Mengyin, and Yishui in the central Shandong area north of the Jinan Railway, launched guerrilla warfare.At this time, the four detachments had grown to seven squadrons with more than 400 people. On the 18th, the four detachments ambushed the Japanese army again in Sihuaishu, northwest of Xintai, blowing up 4 Japanese vehicles and killing more than 40 enemies (including a senior officer).The prestige of the four detachments continued to expand, and the name of "Commander Hong" seemed to have wings, spreading in the Tailai Mountains and on both sides of the Wen River.Young and middle-aged people in the mountainous areas signed up to join the army one after another, and the teams of the four detachments continued to grow.

After the Sihuaishu ambush, the four detachments divided their forces in Xintai. Hong Tao led the first brigade to go north, and wiped out a local landlord army colluding with Japan in one fell swoop at Tianjingyu at the junction of Laiwu and Xintai, and then occupied Laiwu County.After the troops entered the city, many anti-Japanese armed forces organized by patriotic progressives came to join them one after another, and were successively incorporated into the first brigade.In order to expand the anti-Japanese national united front and unite people from all walks of life to fight against Japan, the four detachments set up the Eighth Route Army Laiwu Office in Laiwu, which is responsible for negotiating with people from all walks of life and carrying out anti-Japanese national united front work.Hong Tao led the first brigade to continue northward, advancing towards Zichuan and Boshan.

Laiwu is located in the central part of Shandong Province, bordering Tai'an in the west, Jinan in the north, and Zibo and Linyi in the southeast. It is known as the "Steel City and Coal Capital" in central Shandong.When Hong Tao led his troops through Miao Mountain in the north of Laiwu, the local anti-Japanese armed forces led by Xu Jie, Zhang Mingshou and others joined the first brigade. In mid-April, the first brigade arrived at Ma Peng Village in Zichuan for a short rest.At this time, a part of the third detachment of the Heitieshan Uprising led by Liao Rongbiao, the South Vietnam Jiaoji Railway, came to the barn to join the first brigade.At the same time, more than 400 people from the former Kuomintang's independent camp in Linyi area, led by Communist Party members Wang Yang, Zhang Gang, Xie Hui and others, resolutely came to the stables to join.Hong Tao reorganized four detachments and reorganized them into three regiments, with a total of more than 2,000 people.

In April 1938, under the unified command of Hong Tao, the first and second brigades returned to attack Laiwu County, captured more than 300 puppet troops alive, seized a large number of weapons and ammunition, and rescued our arrested people.The Laiwu County Administrative Committee of the Anti-Japanese People's Government was established immediately, and the four detachments were changed to the Independent First Division of the Shandong People's Anti-Japanese Allied Army. At the beginning of May, Qin Qirong, commander of the fifth column of the Rangers who secretly informed Japan, assembled a large number of troops and attacked the Independent First Division in the area south of Laiwu.Hong Tao led his troops to voluntarily withdraw from Laiwu County and moved to Zhaili, 25 kilometers away.The enemy chased after him, and Hong Tao commanded the main force to counterattack in the direction of Niu Quan.At this time, Hong Tao was too sick to stand up, and could only lie on a stretcher to direct the battle.Facing the powerful offensive of the Independent First Division, Qin Qirong panicked and organized a death squad with a lot of money, desperately attacking the First Division headquarters.After Hong Tao learned of this situation, he jumped up from the stretcher, carrying a 20-gun box gun, and personally led the special agent team of the division to attack, and beat the enemy back.After 3 days and nights of intense fighting, the Independent First Division dealt a heavy blow to the enemy.

On May 25, the troops marched to Quanli Village in Tai'an County.At this time, Hong Tao's condition became more serious.The organization tried every means, and finally bought some good medicine from Jinan to treat him.But he was reluctant to eat it, and gave it all to other sick comrades.The commanders and fighters carried him on a stretcher and transferred him to the village in the Culai mountain circle. On the 25th, the tall Culai Mountain was shrouded in twilight, and the surrounding fields were silent.Master Hong felt that he was about to bid farewell to the army, so he said to his comrades intermittently: "It seems that my health is failing, and the burden will be on your shoulders. The first division has a preliminary scale. It is a good army. Cherish it, it has a bright future..." At this point, his mouth was still moving with difficulty, but he could no longer make a sound.He waved his hands anxiously, took the pen and paper from the comrades beside him, and tremblingly wrote his last words with the pen he was holding tightly: "We must strengthen internal unity, step up training, and establish an anti-Japanese base." , he slowly closed his eyes...

When the bad news came, the cadres and soldiers of the army and the local people were distraught and wept loudly.At the memorial meeting held at Shangzhuang Square in Tai'an County, more than 3,000 soldiers and civilians in the Culai Mountain area burst into tears and refused to leave for a long time.Hong Tao's body was buried on the hill north of Quanli Village.