Chapter 17 Chapter Sixteen Going North Again

After the Second and Sixth Army Corps joined forces with the Fourth Front Army, the mood was still joyful and cordial.But the difference from when the First and Fourth Front Armies joined forces is that the Fourth Front Army troops and the Second and Sixth Army Corps did not live together, but kept a certain distance.There are also few party activities between the troops, and the cadres of the Fourth Front Army do not often come to the Second and Sixth Army Corps. There is no impenetrable wall in the world.When He Long and Ren Bishi were on the Long March, they heard the news of the split between the Central Committee and Zhang Guotao from the Kuomintang broadcast.They thought it was the Kuomintang who spread rumors and did not believe it.Zhu De and Zhang Guotao did not mention this matter in many telegrams.Now that we have met, of course we will ask.

Not long after the rendezvous, Chief of Staff Liu Bocheng came to the Second and Sixth Army Corps.He was kicked out by Zhang Guotao.He recalled: "The Second Front Army is here. Zhang Guotao held a meeting again and said that he would unite the Second Front Army. In fact, his purpose was to jointly oppose the First Front Army. He fought against me again today. I said: The Three Front Armies should be united. Unity is strength." Li Te said: What is the front army, the two legions are here, it is only half of the front army! Comrade Xu Qianqian said it very well: Our several front armies are like brothers, how about the fourth and the boss, others still can’t tell Who is right. If you can’t do well with the second child, then people must say that the fourth child is not good. Zhang Guotao said to me: Zhu De, He Long and you are all warlords. This time you may be responsible! I said: He and I They are all Communists, why should I be responsible? He said: It depends on whether you have provoked or not.” Liu Bocheng had just arrived, and Wu Defeng, the head of the Second Army’s security, invited him to dinner.He asked Liu: "How is the situation?" Liu said: "We must do unity work." Wu asked again: "Can you tell Bishi what you mean?" Liu said: "Yes." In this way, Ren Bishi got to know Zhu De and Liu Bocheng I have a bottom line in my mind.

When they arrived in Ganzi, both sides began to work on the Second and Sixth Army Corps.Zhu De first talked with Wang Zhen all night.He introduced the struggle between the central government and Zhang Guotao to Wang Zhen, and told Wang Zhen: "He (Zhang Guotao) didn't want to command the Second Front Army. You came here, but there is a password problem. The telegram code is in his hands. We can only get some information to help you. This so-called instructions from the Central Committee and the Military Commission are all fake, because after they are broken, he will not give you everything from the Central Committee. Turned around. The central government can’t tell you directly, so it’s all his stuff.” Zhu De said again: “Comrade Liu Bocheng went to the Second Front Army, we knew that. He (Zhang Guotao) opposed the central government, and our people tried to send one Count it as one. Comrade Liu Bocheng was in opposition to him and was almost killed by him. Right opportunism is very fierce in organization!" Liu Bocheng told Wang Zhen that he should not get angry with Zhang Guotao, but split up if he got angry.Center is in the front, not here.After listening to the words of the old chief, Wang Zhen understood a lot.He told Liu Bocheng: Our troops came from Jinggangshan, and we cannot oppose the central government.

Zhu De talked with the main leaders one by one in the Second and Sixth Army Corps, so that everyone recognized Zhang Guotao's sectarian hilltops and stood on the side of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.He Long said: Zhang Guotao's approach is absolutely not allowed.Wang Zhen recalled: "After meeting with the Fourth Front Army, Zhang (Guo Tao) conspired to disintegrate the Second and Sixth Army Corps. He, Ren, and Guan were the old banners. He was one of the commanders-in-chief of the Nanchang Uprising and was the banner of the revolution. Ren, Guan, He is a member of the Central Committee. Zhang thinks we are hairy dolls. He wants to buy me, Xiao Ke and the Sixth Army to oppose Mao, Zhou, Zhang, and Bo. When we went to Daocheng, he distributed pamphlets against Mao, Zhou, Zhang, and Bo. I I rejected this resolution, and I agree with Guan Xiangying. Ren is very disciplined, he knows Zhang Guotao's details, and knows that this time is a sectarian activity. Later, He, Xiao, and Zhang Ziyi ate at my place to talk about this issue. Opened. Xiao Ke said: Zhang Guotao didn’t know about sectarian activities, and he couldn’t figure out what the purpose was. He always thought that the separation of the Second and Sixth Army Corps was the decision of the central government, and we could just implement it. I didn’t know it was a pseudo-central government. The second and sixth regiments were split."

Zhang Guotao also came to do work.He met with the leaders of the Second and Sixth Army Corps one by one.He Long had a bad impression of him. Before the Nanchang Uprising, He Long asked to join the party in Wuhan. Zhang Guotao said he was a "warlord" and refused.When Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, and He Long were preparing to launch the Nanchang Uprising, Zhang Guotao conveyed the instructions of the Communist International to postpone the uprising, which almost aborted the uprising. He Long will never forget this.At the welcome meeting on the day of the Ganzi meeting, before Zhang Guotao spoke, He Long whispered half-jokingly and half-seriously: "Guotao, you only talk about unity, not division. Otherwise, be careful that I will shoot you with a black gun." Zhang Guotao was taken aback. .Ren Bishi was Zhang's old colleague who had worked together in Moscow and knew Zhang Guotao's details very well. Zhang Guotao was still a little afraid of him.Zhang Guotao focused on pulling Xiao Ke and Wang Zhen. He gave Wang Zhen several good horses, and praised Wang Zhen for being brave, capable of fighting, and wearing a high hat.When Wang Zhen came back and asked Liu Bocheng what to do, Liu said: "Give it to you (horse), and you will accept it." He Long heard that, and expressed contempt for Zhang Guotao's solicitation.Zhang Guotao sent people to send documents such as "Must-Read for Cadres", and He Long said to the person in charge of the Political Department: "It is not allowed to publish. If you read it, you will be punished. Put it in the Political Department." According to the clues introduced by Liu Bocheng, He Long and Guan Xiangying should find Liu Shaowen, who works in the Boba local government.Liu Shaowen took out all the documents from the central government that had been hidden in the belly of a clay bodhisattva at the risk of his life, and solemnly handed them over to He and Guan.He also made a detailed report to the heads of the Second and Sixth Army Corps on the situation he had mastered.

After a comprehensive understanding of the situation, the leaders of the Second and Sixth Army Corps of the Red Army fought against Zhang Guotao in a reasonable, favorable and restrained manner.After Ganzi joined forces, Zhang Guotao wanted to send another political commissar to the Second and Sixth Army Corps under the pretext of transferring Ren Bishi to work at the headquarters, but was rejected by everyone.Zhang also wanted to incorporate the Sixth Army into his army, but was also rejected.Zhang Guotao suggested convening a joint meeting of the two armies in an attempt to overwhelm the minority with the majority.Ren Bishi solemnly pointed out: Who will make the report for the joint meeting of the two armies?In the event of a difference of opinion, who will make the conclusion?The majority must not overwhelm the minority and create opposition at the top, which will make work more difficult.I am not responsible if both sides are sharp.Flatly rejected Zhang Guotao's proposal.

Unlike the last time when the First and Fourth Front Armies joined forces, although there were struggles between the Second and Sixth Front Armies and the Fourth Front Army after the meeting, the leaders of the two sides did not argue endlessly because of this, but quickly divided their forces and went north.Although there are credits of Ren Bishi and other comrades here, it must also be pointed out that there are many reasons for Zhang Guotao's second trip to the north.Among them were Lin Yuying's mediation, Zhu De's patient work, and the strong demands of the Fourth Front Army.Coupled with the arrival of the Second and Sixth Army Corps, Zhang Guotao realized that going north was the only way out.

On the issue of fighting for Zhang Guotao and the Fourth Front Army, Lin Yuying did a lot of work, and the central government also made concessions and compromises. On May 30, 1936, Lin Yuying and the leaders of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China jointly called Zhu De, Zhang Guotao, He Long, and Ren Bishi. After reporting the domestic anti-Japanese situation, they made the following suggestions: This humble telegram not only extended a hand of reconciliation to Zhang Guotao, but also gave Zhang Guotao a step down.At this time, the calls for unity within the Fourth Front Army were very loud.Under Zhu De's patient persuasion, Chen Changhao and other senior cadres agreed with Zhu De's proposition.With Zhang Guotao's temper, it was impossible for him to bow his head and admit his mistakes to the central government, but he knew that it would be no good to freeze up.Now that the central government advocates putting aside disputes and uniting against the enemy, Zhang Guotao has no reason not to accept it. On June 6, 1936, Zhang Guotao held a meeting of activists of the Central Column (headquarters) in Luhuo, announcing the abolition of his "Party Central Committee".In his report he said:

"I remembered that when the first and fourth front armies broke up last year, the enemy was very happy, and even said that it was the Communist Party's 'end of the day'. Naturally, such rumors are not effective now. The Chinese Communist Party has committed quite a lot in the past. However, the Party has corrected the shortcomings of the past day by day in the struggle, so that it can learn from itself, make itself sound, and know how to overcome the shortcomings of the past... There are sometimes disputes in the Communist Party, but we can find unity. Let the enemies who sneer laugh, let them laugh, and the ones who can laugh in the end are the ones who can really laugh." There was a round of warm applause from the venue.

Zhang Guotao went on to say: "Regarding the resolution of the party's leading body, most comrades have probably read it. Everyone should read this resolution carefully, and don't take it as a simple notice. In the resolution, we pointed out that we not only We have reached a complete consensus on the issue, and also achieved unity in the organization. That is, both of us canceled the name of the Central Committee at the same time, and the Central Committee’s functions and powers were temporarily exercised by the delegation to the International. Comrade Chen Shaoyu (Wang Ming) and other comrades are responsible for the overall responsibility, and Comrade Lin Yuying, etc. are returning to China on behalf of the delegation. In northern Shaanxi, there are now eight members of the Central Committee and seven alternate members; There are seven members of the Central Committee and three alternate members; the international delegation has about 20 comrades. In this way, the Northern Bureau of the Central Committee is set up in northern Shaanxi to direct the work of the Party and the Red Army in northern Shaanxi. In addition, of course, there are white areas We set up the Shanghai Bureau and the Northeast Bureau, and we set up the Northwest Bureau, all of which are under the command of the international delegation. Under such a decision, we must oppose all elements who attempt to distort this decision. Our decision is to unite the party and make the The party can fight for the new strategic line unanimously, which is the great unity of the party in principle and organization, which is of great significance.”

After hearing this, everyone understood: Zhang Guotao still wanted to sit on an equal footing with the central government and fight against courtesy in court, and he did not return to the leadership of the central government sincerely.Later, Zhang Guotao changed his tone and began to clear the central government's "escape route" again.He said: "In principle, we oppose the incorrect line. This must be adhered to. Since the Shawozi meeting, we have spoken out publicly, pointing out that some comrades in the central government may have good aspirations, but serious mistakes have been discovered. This is due to military Mistakes in policy, line, and politics, which resulted in great setbacks in the five wars. Of course, from the present perspective, this is not just a simple problem, but a closed-door error....Our opposition to the wrong line is That's right, now that the comrades in northern Shaanxi have returned to the international line, we should unite and fight against the enemy. In the past, our opposition to the escape line was based on principles, but now we have even taken considerable measures for the unity of the party. This is also for the sake of principle. Our ideological struggle is to win the unity of the party. Therefore, the party has two aspects in the ideological struggle: it always struggles with the wrong line, and on the other hand, it strives to win the party's unity as much as possible. We often have a mechanical understanding on this issue, that is, the comrades who have made mistakes have already changed, and it is wrong to continue the struggle unchanged. Now the comrades in northern Shaanxi have expressed their change and faithfully implemented the international policy. In this way, we should be in unison, and the disputes in the past will be resolved in the future. Not only are we in full agreement with the Second and Sixth Armies, but we have also reached an agreement with comrades in northern Shaanxi. This great significance must be deeply understood by every comrade .” Subsequently, Zhang Guotao announced the organizational structure of the Red Army.He said: "Our military is still divided into military unity based on the timely establishment of the First and Fourth Front Armies. The Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of the Military Commission is Comrade Zhu De, the Vice-Chairman of the Military Commission and General Political Commissar is Comrade Zhang Guotao, and the Director of the Political Department is Comrade Chen Changhao. Secondly, organize three front armies: northern Shaanxi is the first front army, commander-in-chief Comrade Peng Dehuai; the second and sixth armies (regiments) are the second front army, commander-in-chief Comrade He Long; Comrade Xu Qianqian is the commander-in-chief of the Fourth Front Army, and Comrade Chang Hao is still the general political commissar of the Fourth Front Army. On the one hand, Comrade Lin Biao’s 1st Army and Comrade Xu Haidong’s 15th Army. As for the Northern Shaanxi, the banner they used when they went north was the Anti-Japanese War In the name of the advance army, it is not clear that they had established the Military Commission or the General Political Department at that time. Now we do not necessarily use orders to comrades in northern Shaanxi, but it is still possible to negotiate with each other. In such a Some people may have some doubts in the establishment of the army. On the one hand, in the old establishment of the army, the 1st and 3rd armies went to northern Shaanxi, leaving only the 5th army and the 32nd army in this regard. How to solve this problem? It should be understood in this way, that is, the Red Army was originally one, and there was no artificial boundary.... In this regard, we should understand the problem from the Bolshevik point of view, and we should not have the boundary doctrine of the old front army. The old problems of the past They should all be eliminated, and the spirit of helping each other, seeking progress, and uniting must be carried forward, which is very necessary." No matter how Zhang Guotao justified himself, he announced the abolition of the self-supporting "Party Central Committee", and the biggest obstacle to the split within the party has been removed.This was a victory won by Zhu De, Liu Bocheng, Xu Xiangqian, Ren Bishi, He Long and others by adhering to principles and unity, and it was also an important step for the later three main Red Army forces to join forces in northern Shaanxi.Therefore, when the Second Front Army arrived, everyone had the same goal and quickly embarked on the journey northward. On June 28, 1936, Zhang Guotao, Chen Changhao, and Li Zhuoran issued the "Political Order for the Second Northward Movement of the Fourth Front Army", informing Xu Xiangqian and the heads of the various armies in the front: "The current strategic policy of the party is to build a vast Northwest and consolidate the anti-Japanese base areas. Next, the main force of the Red Army will first move towards Songpan and Gannan to eliminate the enemies in the area, Wang Jun and Mao Bingwen, and then respond to the front army." In his telegram to Xu Xiangqian, Zhu De formulated the northward route of each army, and asked the fourth army to go north. Walk in front of the Second Front Army and open up the passage. From September 1935 to July 1936, the comrades of the Fourth Front Army experienced countless twists and turns and hardships, and finally went north again.Everyone's mood is undoubtedly excited and excited.Chen Bojun was transferred from the 4th Army to the 6th Army as the commander (Xiao Ke was transferred to the 31st Army from the 4th Army), and he felt comfortable when he acted with comrades from the 2nd Front Army.Seeing Wang Zhen and other old comrades-in-arms, they had a long talk all night about the situation of the first and fourth front armies meeting and splitting up, and they were deeply moved. On August 2, they came to the Kachu River in Ngaba again and crossed the river smoothly.Chen Bojun wrote in his diary: "The Gaqu River is not big, the water is neither deep nor urgent, and it is better than the Aba River (the upper reaches of the Dajinchuan River). And there are forests along the river, which can be used for building bridges and shipbuilding. But I What I don’t understand the most is why we can’t cross this river? How can we fundamentally change our strategic policy because of the separation of a river! From this point of view, the Kachu River will be a meaningful and memorable place name in the history of Chinese revolution !" The same is true of Dong Zhentang, commander of the 5th Army.When the troops arrived at Baozuo, he said to his comrades: "We are about to join the Central Committee. Chairman Mao is right, he is not opportunistic." Although they were out of food, they carried their guns on their shoulders and their belts Cooked and ate, but the morale of all comrades was still high.Dong Junchang took the lead in finding wild vegetables to eat, and encouraged comrades to stick to the grass. Chen Changhao went north with another mood.When he recalled the process of ideological transformation in that period, he said: "Going south to establish the Second Central Committee and raising the banner against Mao Zhou and Zhang Bo is the heinous crime of Zhang Guotao's culmination of the line. At that time, it was estimated that the Central Committee and the first army went north. We were defeated by the enemy on the way. (We) wanted to stay in Luhuo, Ganzi, and wanted to rest and organize to preserve our strength. The troops scattered widely, and we also did some Tibetan work. We stayed for a while and then looked at it. At this time, the central government had arrived in Shaanxi. North, it is a key issue for the Chinese revolution. It gave everyone a shot of sobriety. Of course, Zhang Guotao will not change. My own mind has also begun to sober up, proving that our previous estimates were wrong. At this time It was the spring of 1936. Later, I heard that the Second Front Army was coming soon, and I made preparations to meet the Second Front Army. The arrival of the Central Committee in northern Shaanxi and the arrival of the Second Front Army also had a great influence on the commanders and fighters of the Fourth Front Army. From From then on, our thinking changed. We thought that we were wrong to oppose the Party and the Central Committee. At that time, we began to distance ourselves from Zhang Guotao in thought. At this time, Zhang Guotao’s line began to waver, and we wanted to join the Central Committee. The thoughts gradually increased, like an unfilial son who wants to return to his parents after he changes his mind. The same is true for the cadres of Xiangqian and the army. After speaking, I also talked with Mr. Zhu about joining forces. After Ren Bishi came, the forces opposing Zhang Guotao became stronger, and the idea of ​​meeting increased. Ganzi held several meetings before deciding to go north. This is also the key Zhang Guotao was not prepared to go north, and he was forced to agree when he saw that we, President Zhu, and the Second Front Army were all going north.” Chen Changhao’s statement reflected the ideological change of most senior cadres in the Fourth Front Army at that time. In order to reconcile Zhang Guotao and the Fourth Front Army with the Central Committee and return to the correct line, Ren Bishi did a lot of work.He had many long talks with Xu Xiangqian, Chen Changhao, Fu Zhong and others to understand the situation.Xu Xiangqian frankly talked to Comrade Ren Bishi about his views on the split between the First and Fourth Front Armies, which can be summed up as follows: (1) The northward policy of the Central Committee and Comrade Mao Zedong was correct. I did not follow the Central Committee at that time because I did not want to divide the Fourth Front Army into two halves. (2) When the enemy is present, unity is the most important thing.Zhang Guotao established a new central government, which is very wrong. If there are differences within the party, you can talk about it slowly!But he didn't listen to what I said, and he didn't listen to what Boss Zhu said.The "central" is now abolished, which is beneficial to unity.During the northward march, it is best not to talk about the past, so as not to cause new disputes. (3) We are very happy after the first and fourth front armies meet.However, some comrades in the Central Committee said that the Fourth Front Army was a warlord, bandit, fleeing, and politically backward, which was too much and hurt the feelings of the Fourth Front Army.Many commanders and fighters of the Fourth Front Army and I couldn't figure it out. (4) Since we participated in the revolution, we have expressed our support for the Third International, which is also written on the armbands.I am in favor of the Comintern coming forward to resolve past differences. Xu Xiangqian's statement was very sincere and reasonable. Ren Bishi was very happy to hear that, and said that he must make efforts in unity.Zhang Guotao was very uncomfortable with Ren Bishi's actions. He recalled: "Ren Bishi himself was very interested in Mao Ergai's dispute. He spared no effort to spend a lot of time talking with Zhu De, Xu Xiangqian, Chen Changhao, Liu Bocheng and me in detail to collect relevant information. Studying the crux of this dispute, I asked him with a smile if he wanted to be 'Bao Zheng', and he did not deny it completely, saying that he was a person who did not participate in this dispute, and if we study it now, it may be helpful for everyone in the future Do your best to reconcile." However, unlike Xu Xiangqian and others' attitude, after hearing Ren Bishi's warning, Zhang Guotao was "very moved by his enthusiasm. As for his opinion, I did not comment at the time."Actually refuse to accept. In order to seek unity within the party, Ren Bishi sent the first telegram to the Central Committee on July 10, 1936, reporting in detail the situation after the reunion of the Second and Fourth Front Armies, and put forward his own suggestions on the issue of unity within the party.The telegram said: "I should know when I go to Gansu: First, the issue of debate within the party after the Fourth Front Army meets." "Comrades in northern Shaanxi and Chuankangbian have agreed on the current situation and the party's strategic line. In order not to relax the current situation The extremely favorable situation in the whole country enables our party to take on the arduous historical task at present. I deeply feel that the unity within the party and the establishment of an absolutely unified and centralized supreme leadership are extremely urgently needed, and we cannot wait for the Seventh Congress." He suggested: " When the first, second, and fourth front armies are close together, call an enlarged meeting of the Central Committee, at least an enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee. In addition to the members of the Central Political Bureau, the main cadres of the first, second, and fourth front armies will participate, and ask the International to send responsible representatives to attend this meeting. The agenda should include summarizing the experience and lessons learned in the five 'encirclement and suppression' struggles and discussing the current tense tasks of the party, and creating a unified and centralized supreme leadership within and outside the party." On August 9, 1936, after walking out of the grassland, Ren Bishi sent another telegram to the leaders of the Second Front Army in order to prepare for the main forces of the three major Red Army forces to join forces.The telegram said: "I followed Zhu, Zhang, etc. this time, trying to understand the disputes within the party when the first and fourth front armies met in the past, and strive to promote the complete unity of our party. I, Zhu, Zhang, Liu, Changhao, and Xiang Comrade Qian, Fu Zhong, Zhuo Ran and other comrades, everyone thinks that the unity of the party organization and the establishment of the highest collective centralized leadership are urgently important issues. Comrades in northern Shaanxi also believe that it is urgently needed. On this basis, we The party is united and hopes that it will be able to achieve smooth success." "In addition, I have proposed to the General Political Department and have agreed to immediately start the political mobilization of the first, second, and fourth front armies in the second and fourth front armies. All prejudices and bad impressions should be eliminated. Good political and technical preparations must be made in order to hope that the three front armies will be fully united and united at the same time. At the same time, I have suggested to northern Shaanxi that on the one hand The same mobilization and preparations are taking place in the military." While promoting unity within the party, Ren Bishi also did many good things.Rescued a group of comrades who had been imprisoned and persecuted by Zhang Guotao for a long time, including the famous Communist Party member Liao Chengzhi.Liao was arrested by Zhang Guotao suspected of being a "KMT spy" during the anti-revolutionary campaign in the Sichuan-Shanxi Soviet Area.Under the ultra-left environment of the Fourth Front Army, Liao Chengzhi didn't even dare to reveal that he was the son of Liao Zhongkai and He Xiangning, the veterans of the Kuomintang, and his pseudonym was He Lihua.It was only because he could carve wax plates and draw pictures that Zhang Guotao didn't kill him, and kept him in the Security Bureau as a prisoner for the Long March.1. When the Fourth Front Army met, although the central government knew that Liao Chengzhi was in Zhang Guotao's hands, they had no chance to see him.It was not until February 8, 1936 that Lin Yuying sent a telegram to Zhang Guotao: "Even if Liao Chengzhi and Zeng Zhongsheng (zhongsheng) are suspected of being reactionary, their lives must be preserved and given preferential treatment. This is the delegation's earnest request. .” However, Zeng Zhongsheng had been dead for several months, and Liao Chengzhi was still alive.The telegram did not improve his situation. In July 1936, Ren Bishi came to the Luhuo Fourth Front Army headquarters and met Liao Chengzhi unexpectedly.Liao Chengzhi recalled: "At that time, I was one of Zhang Guotao's prisoners. The comrades who sat in Zhang Guotao's prison with me, as well as Luo Shiwen, Zhu Guang, Xu Yixin and other comrades. We were separated, and I was escorted to follow the team Going forward to Luhuo, no one dares to say hello to me. I don't want to say hello to anyone, because if I say hello, it will hurt others. Under such circumstances, we joined Comrade Ren Bishi. That was in On a small grassy slope. From a distance, I saw Zhang Guotao talking with a man with a short stature, a thin face, and a mustache. I guessed that it must be Comrade Ren Bishi. Our team was passing in front of them. Bishi Comrade saw me approaching from a distance, he stood up with a smile, walked towards me, and shook hands with me. He smiled and asked: "Are you Comrade Liao Chengzhi? I am Ren Bishi." I was very embarrassed at that time, I didn't know what to do That’s right. At that time Zhang Guotao was also very embarrassed. He put on a smiling face like a tiger, and asked Comrade Bishi in his strange tone: “Why, do you know him?” Comrade Bishi said with a smile: “Old man I knew him earlier.” Actually, Comrade Bishi and I didn’t know each other at that time. Then Comrade Bishi said to Zhang Guotao seriously: “If he needs anything, I can help him, please tell me.” After that, I went to Fulu Huo, I, Luo Shiwen, Zhu Guang, and Xu Yixin immediately regained partial freedom." 2. After the Fourth Front Army Ganzi joined forces, the Fourth Front Army immediately began its march northward. On July 3, 1936, Zhu De, Zhang Guotao, and Ren Bishi led the Second Red Army, the 4th Army, and the 30th Army as the left column, and marched towards Baozuo via Donggu, Xiqingsi, and Aba.Xu Xiangqian led the headquarters of the Front Army, the 9th Army and the 31st Army as the middle column, and marched from Luhuo to Baozuo via Charlie Temple and Maoergai.Dong Zhentang led the 5th Army and a part of the 31st Army as the right column. On July 10, they marched from Suijing via Zhuokeji and Matang to Maoergai and Baozuo.This time, Xu Xiangqian, Chen Changhao, the 4th Army and the 30th Army have crossed the grassland for the third time. The Second Front Army did not go with the Fourth Front Army.They rested in Ganzi for a few days before following on the road.Since it was the first time to march on the northwestern plateau of Sichuan, he had no experience and was not used to the climate here. On July 11, the Second Front Army entered the grassland from Donggu and marched for 17 days to reach Aba.After six days of raising food in Aba, they went to Baozao, and it was only on August 13th that they walked out of the grassland and arrived at Baozao.Gan Siqi, Director of the Political Department, said: "This period was the most difficult period in our Long March." The main manifestations are: 1. Except for the houses in Aba and a few places, the rest always walk in the desolate wilderness all day long, and sometimes wander in the deep grass and mud pits. 2. For more than ten days, I saw only the footprints and hoof marks of the vanguard troops, but no one was seen, and there were no guides. They always followed the vanguard troops to camp. 3. The weather changes at any time. Often when you wake up in the morning, the sky is bright and clear, suddenly it is full of haze, suddenly it rains heavily, suddenly it snows and hails, and suddenly it snows. The snow-capped mountains in the grass are even more sad. In the sudden freezing, many red fighters indeed died.Sometimes the sun is all day long, but although it is not so warm in summer, it is more comfortable to march in the sun. 4. Many people died along the way. Although the vanguard of the army, division, and regiment organized a burial team, the burial was still incomplete.In some places there are a few piles, and the remains of last year are still lying on the roadside everywhere. The biggest problem in the Long March was food.Although the Second Front Army tried its best to raise food, it was difficult to find enough food because the front troops had already collected almost all the food.The Second Front Army soon fell into a predicament without food. In late June 1936, in order to prepare for the food going north, Wang Hongkun, commander of the 4th Army, and Chen Bojun, chief of staff, commanded Chen Xilian's 10th Division to intercept Tibetan herds.After the fierce battle, the Red Army intercepted 500 yaks and more than 100 sheep at the cost of 10 sacrifices.Part of it supplemented the Red Sixth Army.However, comrades in the Second Front Army had no experience in driving cattle. When they marched to Riqing more than ten days later, all the cattle and sheep ran away because the soldiers were not strict in guarding and inspecting.The soldiers just fired their guns in panic, wasting dozens of bullets, not only did not scare the cattle and sheep, but ran faster.This is really a disaster for the Sixth Legion.The food of the whole army was quickly eaten up, and when they arrived in Aba half a month later, Chen Bojun counted the number of people, and nearly 300 people died.What an undeserved sacrifice.There were also some unexpected losses. The 6th Division of the Second Army marched down the mountain of Rongyu, did not camp early, and continued to walk up the mountain.There was a sudden heavy rain on the mountain. It was dark and there was no way to go down the mountain, and there was no fire. 170 people froze to death overnight. After the Second Front Army arrived at Aba, it planned to raise food for the grassland here.But the vanguard has almost searched for all the food, and the local Tibetans have also run away.In desperation, they suddenly discovered that comrades from the Fourth Front Army were guarding a group of cattle and sheep by the Kaqu River, waiting for them.It turned out that this was a military depot set up by the Fourth Front Army, guarded by a battalion of the Red 30th Army, and the person in charge was Comrade Yang Yishan from the Fourth Bureau of the headquarters.He reported to Commander He Long: These cattle and sheep were ordered by Commander-in-Chief Zhu De to be reserved for the Second Front Army. They were attacked by Tibetan armed forces a few days ago and some cattle and sheep were taken away. Now there are not many left.He Long ordered that five or six catties of meat be distributed to each of the troops as food for marching on the grass.But he refused to ask for it.It turned out that he made a living by fishing. It was extremely difficult for the Second Front Army to cross the grassland.Gan Siqi said: "After the guard troops arrived at Aba, more than a dozen people starved to death. Many died of starvation along the way, and many of the dead bodies were drafted by Han. Especially the soldiers who fell behind and lost contact, starved even more. Many. Although a little food was mobilized for temporary relief, it was not resolved satisfactorily. It is common to see burnt cattle and sheep bones and cowhide for food along the way.” During the grassland march from Aba to Baozuo, most of the Second Front Army was out of food.He Long found fish in the river pond, so he took out the hook and went fishing by the river.Tibetans don't eat fish, so there are plenty of fish.He Long caught a bucket full of fish in a short while. Although there was no oil or salt and it tasted fishy when cooked, it was better than being hungry after all.When He Long informed the whole army to camp, he tried to find fish and fish, which turned out to be their main means of making a living in the grass. On August 10, 1936, the Red Sixth Army arrived in Baozuo and Brazil, finally walked out of the grassland, and joined the 30th and 5th armies of the Fourth Front Army.So far, the Red Army has all passed through the Tibetan areas in northwestern Sichuan and no-man's land, and entered the Han agricultural area in southern Gansu.The Red Army saw the village again and had a full meal. Those miserable days are unforgettable for life.The only thing worthy of everyone's comfort is: this time is the real north, and there will be no turning back.Everyone has one wish: join forces with the Central Red Army!