Chapter 18 Chapter 17 Before and After Meeting Huining

In May 1936, Mao Zedong led the Red Army to return to northern Shaanxi after the end of the Eastern Expedition.Not long after, under the command of Chiang Kai-shek, various troops of the Kuomintang army carried out a larger-scale military encirclement of the base area in northern Shaanxi, and the Central Red Army and the base area were in new danger. According to Chiang Kai-shek's order, the "Communist Suppression" General Headquarters in the border areas of Shanxi, Sui, Shaanxi, and Ningxia, with Chen Cheng as the commander in chief, mobilized 16 divisions to surround the Soviet area in northern Shaanxi from all sides, preparing to launch a new offensive.On the east bank of the Yellow River, Tang Enbo's 13th Army and Yan Xishan's 66th, 69th, and 101st Divisions were stationed at Linxian, Shilou, Daning, Jixian and other Yellow River ferries, blocking the Red Army's way to Shanxi.The 84th Division stationed in Suide and the 86th Division stationed in Yulin blocked the way for the Red Army to go north out of Suiyuan and Inner Mongolia.In Ganquan, Fuxian, and Luochuan south of Yan'an are the 67th Army of the Northeast Army Wang Yizhe; in Qingyang and Heshui are the cavalry troops of the Northeast Army He Zhuguo; The new 7th division of Ningxia warlord Ma Hongkui.In addition, Deng Baoshan's New 1st Army of the Northwest Army was on the front lines of Huining, Jingning, and Guyuan in Gansu, and the 51st Army of the Northeast Army Yu Xuezhong was in Tianshui and Lixian, preventing the Second and Fourth Fronts from going north.More than 200,000 troops are distributed around the Soviet area in northern Shaanxi, and there is a tendency of "black clouds overwhelming the city to destroy it".Coupled with the fact that the militia bandits in the soil circles in various places in northern Shaanxi defended themselves against the Red Army, Mao Zedong had only 20,000 troops on hand, and he really felt that he was weak.

At that time, Mao Zedong lived in Wayaobao with the central government and the Red Army University, and Peng Dehuai's field headquarters was located in Ningtiaoliang, Anbian, and was preparing to conquer Ningxia in the west.Although the situation looks serious, it is fortunate that the Northeast Army, which is closest to the Red Army, is unwilling to fight a civil war. In April 1936, General Zhang Xueliang, the leader of the Northeast Army, went to Yan'an to secretly meet with Vice Chairman Zhou Enlai. The two sides reached a non-aggression agreement openly and honestly.Decided to stop the civil war and unite against Japan.Since then, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has established a communication channel with the Northeast Army.Peng Dehuai and Wang Yizhe, the commander of the 67th Army, secretly communicated and exchanged information.The Northeast Army's encirclement and suppression orders to Chiang Kai-shek were delayed as long as they could, but if they couldn't be delayed, they greeted the Red Army in advance and took a symbolic step forward.Liu Ding, an envoy of the Red Army, set up a secret radio station in Xi'an to report news to northern Shaanxi.At the most difficult time for the Red Army, Zhang Xueliang took out money to help them, showing the noble character of a patriot.

On June 21, 1936, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China experienced another disaster.According to the information provided by the Northeast Army, the Kuomintang troops will attack Wayaobao, where the Central Committee is located.Mao Zedong realized that Wayaobao was difficult to defend, and informed Peng Dehuai that the central government was planning to withdraw from Wayaobao one after another after June 15 and move towards Wuqi Town.Mao Zedong asked Peng Dehuai to send someone to investigate whether Hongdecheng and Helianwan had the conditions to establish a capital, but the result was disappointing.These two locations are very desolate, and they simply cannot accommodate the central authority with thousands of people. At 13:00 on June 21, Mao Zedong also sent a telegram to Li Fuchun and Xiao Jinguang, asking them to visit suitable places in Wuqi Town and Baoan (now Zhidan County). Around 14:00, a Kuomintang army unexpectedly arrived outside the city of Wayaobao.I found out afterwards that they were two battalions of the 86th Division of the Kuomintang Army stationed in Yulin. The main force of the Red Army was outside and the rear was empty, and they came to sneak attack.At that time, the only defenders in Wayaobao were Yan Hongyan's 262nd Regiment of the Red 30th Army, a local force with weak combat effectiveness, and was responsible for covering the withdrawal of the central government.At that time, the central authorities were hastily retreating towards the security guards, with no regard for order.Li De, a German, walked for three days before he met the security guard and the unit.Wang Ping was at the Red Army University at the time. He recalled that when the Kuomintang army attacked Wayaobao, "The Red Army University was gathering when suddenly bullets flew through the air, making it difficult to understand the situation for a while. Going up the mountain to cover, the Red Army University withdrew from one end, and Gao Shuangcheng's troops entered Wayaobao from the other end."Afterwards, the 262 regiment suffered serious losses, and Mao Zedong instructed the regiment to be reduced into two companies.

At the beginning of July 1936, various departments of the central government and the Red Army University arrived in Baoan one after another.Wang Ping recalled: "The land here is barren and the people are extremely poor. Baoan said it was a county town, but it only had a population of a hundred. There is a cook, and one or two people doing chores. Standing on the high security guard and looking around, the endless plateau is dotted with a few ruined temples, a handful of dilapidated cave dwellings, and only dotted green clusters in summer. A veritable poor den. The Red Army University came to the security guards and first cleaned up the abandoned cave dwellings and arranged dormitories and classrooms. The cave dwellings don’t even have door panels, and a straw curtain is hung at the door. The people in this place are poor and wolves, and hungry wolves often come here at night. We look for food in the village. When we sleep, everyone puts a stick next to the pillow, and puts a stool and a magnetic basin at the door. The wolf comes in and knocks down the magnetic basin. When we hear the noise, we get up and beat the wolf.” It can be seen how hard life is. .

Not only do they have no place to live, money is getting tighter and tighter.Northern Shaanxi is full of poor and remote areas, and the Soviet area is surrounded by enemy troops on all sides. It is impossible to go to Shanxi.The money raised by Dongzheng is getting less and less.Although the Northeast Army in the south left a channel for the Red Army to circulate supplies, the Red Army had no money to buy things.Ye Jianying and Liu Ding were working on the United Front in Xi'an at that time, and Mao Zedong wrote to him: "The economy is very tight, and we must save and economize on expenses outside, and we must not overspend. Do not lose our position at any time, and do not accept others. Gifts. Only when it is absolutely necessary, you are allowed to borrow a little money from others and return it in full in the future.” In order to maintain the funds of the Red Army, some troops made a lot of troubles to raise funds.In order to prevent the situation from expanding and causing confusion among the people in the Soviet area, on August 18, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Peng Dehuai, etc. issued an instruction in the name of the Central Military Commission, severely criticizing the wrong tendency of violating discipline in fundraising.

The instruction pointed out that some troops did not follow the class line in the fund-raising process, "not only confiscated the landlords of the rich peasants by mistake, but also violated the middle peasants and poor peasants (such as Huanxian County). For the landlords who are also merchants, even part of the property of the store is intentional. Inadvertently confiscated (such as fixed borders). Strict attention should be paid to correcting these mistakes in the future." "As for the landlord class, as long as he does not oppose the Anti-Japanese Red Army and is willing to destroy his family to relieve his difficulties, confiscation should also be avoided. It is better to confiscate one family less than to confiscate one family by mistake." Hand over to headquarters.These erroneous actions were severely criticized in the instructions of the Central Military Commission.We ask everyone to grasp the new policy of the united front and stop using the old fundraising methods.But in the final analysis, the economic difficulties of the Red Army remained unresolved.

This kind of life is even more difficult than in the Jiangxi Soviet Area.First, the living conditions in the south are much better than those in northern Shaanxi.Second, the Red Army was powerful at the time.Third, the Kuomintang army's encirclement and suppression was not as tense as it is now.The base areas in northern Shaanxi were always in danger. One of the issues that Mao Zedong pondered over and over again was to strive for the Second and Fourth Front Army to join forces in the north as soon as possible to strengthen the Red Army.The other is to arrange a retreat route. If we can't stay in northern Shaanxi, we will go to Ningxia to open up the Soviet Union.

In mid-August, the second and fourth front armies all passed through the grassland and reached Baozuo.Where to go next?It is also a question that Zhang Guotao considers every day.To be honest, he was unwilling to go to northern Shaanxi to meet Mao Zedong, and he would never forget the split in September last year.Instead of going to the central government in northern Shaanxi, it is better to set up another base area. After all, the Fourth Red Army is still the most powerful force.Therefore, long before the meeting with the Second Front Army on June 10, Zhang Guotao called the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and proposed the policy of "moving to the northwest of Xia and Tao". In fact, he wanted to go to Qinghai. On June 19, the central government replied and asked him to leave Gannan. On July 13, the central government called Zhang Guotao and others, more specifically suggesting that they attack Minzhou.It is said that "if Minzhou City can be captured, it will be very beneficial to fight horses (Hongkui), fight Mao (Bingwen), and fight Wang (both), and it will be a big strategic advantage." On August 1, upon learning that the Fourth Front Army had arrived at Baozuo, the central government immediately sent a telegram to inform them of the enemy situation in Gannan, the route from Baozuo to Hadapu and the dangers along the way, and instructed them to go north quickly and rest at Hadapu.Zhang Guotao, Zhu De, and Ren Bishi did not neglect, and issued the "Mintao Xigu Battle Plan" on August 5, requiring the main force of the Fourth Front Army to quickly occupy Minzhou and Xigu, and the Second Front Army to follow up in order to advance towards Tianshui and Lanzhou and join forces. On the one hand the army.

On August 12, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China sent a telegram to Zhu De, Zhang Guotao, and Ren Bishi, asking the Second and Fourth Front Armies to try their best to seize the Minzhou area as a temporary base, and wait for an opportunity to cooperate with the Northeast Army to complete the task of "opening up the Soviet Union, consolidating the interior, sending troops to Suiyuan, and establishing a Northwest National Defense Government." " task.At this time, Chen Changhao led the 5th and 9th armies to besiege Minzhou City, but the city was indestructible and failed to succeed many times.And Xu Xiangqian led the 30th Army to conquer Zhang County, and the 4th Army conquered Weiyuan, forming a threat to Lanzhou. On August 23, the central government called again and asked Zhang Guotao: "According to the current strength, if the second front army is used to support Ganzhong and Gannan, and the fourth front army independently advances in Qinghai and Ganxi until it reaches the border of Xinjiang, I think it is sufficient. No?" Zhang Guotao called Xu Xiangqian for his opinion.Xu Xiangqian gave him an affirmative answer: OK!This is the first time that the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed the plan to go west to Xinjiang.

On August 25, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China called Wang Ming, the head of the Chinese delegation to the Communist International, and proposed the next step of the strategic plan.The telegram said: "If the Soviet Union can promise and solve the two major technical problems of aircraft and artillery for us in a timely and definite manner, no matter how difficult it is, we will take advantage of the freezing season to sail westward with the main force and approach Xinjiang and the Outer Mongolia." The specific deployment is: 1.On the one hand, about 15,000 troops attacked Ningxia, and the rest defended the Soviet area. 2.In December, the Fourth Front Army crossed the river from the south of Lanzhou, occupied a part of Qinghai, and then advanced to Gansu, Liang and Suzhou. 3.The Israeli Second Front Army is located in Gannan and has become the link between several Soviet areas.If this cannot be done, we will have to develop east of the Yellow River.The telegram from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China stated that it would be very disadvantageous if the plan to develop Hexi was abandoned.Because: "A. will be forced to abandon the existing Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Soviet Area. B. The direction of development of the Red Army is not head-on with the direction of Japanese attack, but in the opposite direction, that is, not the direction of the war of resistance but the direction of civil war. C. Therefore, it is inevitable There will be a military conflict with Nanjing. D, the Japanese imperialists may use this opportunity to cut off Sino-Soviet relations.” All in all, the central government will take opening up the Soviet Union as its central task at this time.Therefore, no matter whether you go west to Xinjiang or go north to Ningxia, it is still a way to retreat.

But the situation quickly changed.Chiang Kai-shek quelled the civil strife among the warlords in Guangdong and Guangxi, and quickly dispatched Hu Zongnan's 1st Army, the main force, northward to Lanzhou in the northwest.At this time, the first and fourth front armies have not yet joined, how to deal with Hu Zongnan?How to get through the international route?Both need to be rescheduled. On September 13, Zhang Guotao, Zhu De, Chen Changhao and others called the central government to propose a plan for the First and Fourth Front Army to attack Hu Zongnan from the north to the south in the Jingning and Huining areas.However, the central government’s answer was that the main force of the Fourth Front Army should fight Hu Zongnan on the Xilan Avenue in Jingning and Huining areas, and that the main force of the First Front Army should not leave the Shaanxi-Gansu Border Region to fight southward until Ma Hongkui’s troops in Ningxia were wiped out. assist. Knowing the attitude of the Central Committee, although Xu Xiangqian and others knew that they could not win the battle with Hu Zongnan, they were still prepared to bite the bullet and do it.Zhang Guotao, however, had doubts and did not express his opinion for a long time.He considered various factors: it would be easy to fight Hu Zongnan if he won, but if he lost, where would the Fourth Front Army go? On September 4, the central government notified him of the situation in northern Shaanxi, saying: "In terms of terrain, the counties have many mountains, deep gullies and sparse forests, lack of water and loose soil, few households, and inconvenient transportation. It is not suitable for large troops to move. The total population is only about 40. Ten thousand, there are more than 30,000 Red Army members in the Soviet area, and the products are generally poor. Except for millet, there is a shortage of wheat and miscellaneous grains, which cannot supply the army for a long time.” The central government is telling the truth, and it seems that the Fourth Front Army is not easy to survive.This made Zhang Guotao consider whether he would reconcile with the central government, or not?Instead of going to northern Shaanxi to continue starving, it is better to set up another base area in Gannan or Hexi.Most of the leaders, including Zhu De, Ren Bishi, and Chen Changhao, were eager to join the Central Committee, and this set off a new struggle. Zhang Guotao stood still in Minzhou, and the central government sent telegrams every three days to urge the Fourth Front Army to go north.Therefore, on September 16, the Northwest Bureau held a meeting at the headquarters of the Front Army in Sansanlipu, Minzhou to discuss the course of action.After driving for several days, there was endless debate.Zhu De, Ren Bishi, and Chen Changhao insisted on following the established guidelines discussed in Ganzi Shi, and resolutely went north.Zhang Guotao insisted on advancing westward to Gannan and Qinghai.Ren Bishi and Zhang Guotao quarreled fiercely. Zhang Guotao had always been the same in the four fronts. No one dared to stand up to Zhang Guotao like Ren Bishi.Ren Bishi said: Mao Zedong was right, we have to go north to meet up, we cannot go west.Although Zhang Guotao is in the minority, he is the general political commissar of the Red Army. According to the organizational principles of the Red Army, he has the final decision.That's what he did in Aba, and Zhu De couldn't turn the situation around. The meeting was going on intensely. On September 19, the central government called Zhu De and Zhang Guotao to tell the truth about the central government's plan to seize Ningxia and open up the Soviet Union.This made Zhu De and Chen Changhao firm in their determination to go north to meet up.Telegram says: Zhu De called back on the same day, agreeing to the central plan, and the Fourth Army will follow the instructions of the central government to advance towards Jingning and Huining.Zhu De immediately made arrangements, and formulated the "Jingning and Huining Campaign Program" with Chen Changhao and others, and Zhang Guotao also signed it.When the headquarters notified Xu Qianqian and the troops on the front line in Zhang County of the order, Zhang Guotao suddenly changed his mind and ordered the troops to move westward. He also left the headquarters of the front army and went to the supply department on the other side of the river.This aroused the anger of the public, and the senior cadres of the Fourth Front Army were very dissatisfied.Chen Changhao issued an order in the name of the General Command of the Front Army, ordering the troops to stay put and not go west.After Zhang Guotao learned about it, he rushed back to the headquarters of the Front Army in the middle of the night on September 20 and had a big fight with Chen Changhao.Chen Changhao recalled what happened at that time and said: The Minzhou Conference was a debate between going west and going north.Zhang Guotao would not join the meeting. The meeting lasted for several days. Zhang Guotao insisted on marching to Xining, Qinghai, for fear that he would collapse after the meeting.We resolutely oppose westward advance and fight against him.As the general political commissar, he finally decided to go west, and after the decision, he mobilized the troops.At that time, I talked with Commander-in-Chief Zhu and Liu Bocheng. No matter what we had to meet, Ganzi's decision could not be violated halfway.I think Zhang Guotao's decision is wrong, and I have the right to overturn his decision.That is to say, an order was issued in the name of the Fourth Front Army Command: the left-wing troops stopped westward advance and were ready to stand by; the right-wing troops also stopped westward retreat.Zhang Guotao knew about it after giving an order. He was living in the Supply Department on the other side of the river. He came to me at 3 o'clock in the middle of the night and talked about three points: 1.Said that I have no right to change the westward plan he decided. 2.The rendezvous is wrong, the Fourth Front Army should be preserved in today's revolutionary situation. 3.After the rendezvous, everything will be over. Let us surrender our military power, expel us from the party, and follow the military law.At this point he burst into tears.I said at the time: 1.Who has the right to decide depends on whether the central requirements are met, and your decision is wrong. 2.Must go to rendezvous.Why did the rendezvous decided by Ganzi change? 3.It is the revolutionary situation that requires a rendezvous, and after the rendezvous there will be a solution. Splitting is not good for the Chinese revolution.We are party members, and we have to admit our mistakes to the central government and wait for the central government to deal with them. Crying is useless.Speaking of this, Zhang Guotao left. Chen Changhao thought he was going back to sleep, so he didn't stop him.Unexpectedly, Zhang Guotao didn't sleep at all, but rode to Xu Xiangqian's headquarters in Zhang County overnight, and persuaded Xu Xiangqian to wait for the Red Army commander to support his westward plan.Xu Xiangqian recalled the situation on September 21 and said: "We were busy mobilizing the team to move northward, and Zhang Guotao rushed to Zhang County. When we entered the door, we found Zhou Chunquan, Li Te, Li Xiannian and other comrades, and said: I, the chairman, can't do it. Let Changhao do it! We were surprised and inexplicable. After asking about the situation, we found out that the Minzhou meeting had just been held. At the meeting, Chen Changhao and Zhang Guotao had different opinions. The focus is: Chen Changhao advocated immediately going north to the Jing and Hui areas, joining forces on the one side, and fighting decisively with the enemy. Zhang Guotao believed that since the main force of the one side army could not go south, it would be very disadvantageous for the main force of the four front forces to fight alone in the Xilan Passage area. Crossing the Yellow River to the west, occupying the Gulang and Hongchengzi areas, waiting for an opportunity to respond, on the one hand, the army crossed the river, captured Ningxia, and realized the plan to open up the Soviet Union in winter. This is the first time since Zhang Guotao and Chen Changhao have worked together. The burden of setting up a new central government was on him, so he was very emotional and wept. He said: "I can't do it anymore. I will go to northern Shaanxi to go to prison and be expelled from the party. The central government will hand over the affairs of the Fourth Front Army to Chen Changhao." Made it.'" When Zhang Guotao cried, everyone sympathized with him instead.Xu Xiangqian felt that Chen Changhao was arguing with Zhang Guotao at this time because he wanted to replace him as the leader of the Fourth Front Army.Everyone said something, and I persuaded Zhang Guotao with one word. No one said that they didn't want to join the Central Committee, but they didn't want the Fourth Front Army to split.Seeing that the military commanders obeyed him, "Zhang Guotao got excited. Pointing to the map, he gestured while talking. The general idea is that the Fourth Front Army went north to the Jing and Hui areas, facing the Xilan Passage, and was at a disadvantage in a decisive battle with the enemy; The land is barren and the people are poor, and it is not convenient for large troops to solve the food problem. If they are transferred to the area north of Lanzhou in Hexi, the situation will be much better.”Xu Xiangqian felt that Zhang Guotao's opinion was not unreasonable from a military point of view, so he agreed and drew up a new action plan.Use one army to cross the river from the Xunhua area and seize the Yongdeng area as a foothold; use two armies to attract and contain Ma Bufang and Hu Zongnan;The deployment was established, Zhang Guotao telegraphed Zhu De and Chen Changhao on the one hand, and on the other hand mobilized troops to prepare to cross the river. Zhu De and Chen Changhao were taken aback when they received Zhang Guotao's telegram.Chen Changhao immediately galloped to Zhang County on horseback, hoping to save the situation.Zhu De, the always loyal and gentle commander-in-chief, became furious and immediately telegraphed the leaders of the Central Committee and the Second Front Army: At the same time, Zhu De and Fu Zhong called Xu Xiangqian and Zhou Chunquan to Zhang Guotao to persuade them to change their decision. On the morning of the 22nd, when Chen Changhao rushed to the Red Army headquarters in Zhangxian County, he found that he was already in an isolated position.The people here all sided with Zhang Guotao and agreed to cross the river to the west and then to the north.Chen Changhao had no choice but to obey the majority, and no longer insisted on the original plan.When Zhu De and others arrived in Zhang County, they found that Chen Changhao had also changed.In this way, the resolution of the Minzhou meeting was overturned by an earthquake by Zhang Guotao.There is no way. Zhang Guotao is the general political commissar of the Red Army and the secretary of the Northwest Bureau of the Communist Party of China. He has the final decision.But Zhu De still expressed his resistance, and he did not sign the telegram for several days. Zhang Guotao defeated Chen Changhao, and on September 22, Xu Xiangqian and three others called the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to inform the Fourth Front Army of their plan to cross the river and march westward.The telegram said that they fully agreed with the international instructions to realize the plan to occupy Ningxia and northern Gansu and join the front army.However, considering that "it is unfavorable to fight decisively with Hu Zongnan's Route Army in Jinghui, an area surrounded by enemies", and "Ningxia's area is small, and the concentration of the First and Fourth Front Armies in Ningxia will inevitably lead to the danger of the Yellow River Desert in the future and the danger of the front. The enemy has blocked it. If you have to stay in this area for six months to fight, it will be inconvenient to replenish materials. If the decisive battle is not good, or if the enemy cannot be effectively stopped, the Red Army will be trapped in an unfavorable area."Based on the above reasons, the Fourth Front Army decided to cross the Yellow River westward, "with a strong part moving towards Yiyi Mountain, Jingyuan, and Zhongwei, and cooperate with the main force of the First Front Army to cross the Yellow River from the Jingyuan and Ningxia sections to form a situation of rendezvous and mutual support." September 26 was another grim day.The Central Committee and Zhang Guotao came and went and exchanged opinions several times.The central government received Zhu De's report and Zhang Guotao's official notice. The excellent situation of the rendezvous will soon come to naught. How can we not be in a hurry? On the morning of the 26th, the central government called Zhang Guotao to oppose the westward advance. At noon, Zhang, Xu, and Chen called back to insist on the westward policy.The telegram stated: "International assistance to the Red Army is very important and decisive. We request assistance from military experts and technicians, as well as a large number of new weapons. According to our estimation, international assistance is currently only a secret line of communication. Only the Dingyuan camp is prone to obstacles from the Japanese secret service and the reactionary forces of the princes of Outer Mongolia. It is more beneficial to follow the international instructions and occupy Ganbei first, because Ganbei has more roads leading to Outer Mongolia and Xinjiang. Secrets, so as not to be hindered by Japanese forces." Moreover, "it is disadvantageous for the Red Army to concentrate in one place, otherwise it would be more advantageous to cooperate with each other in a wide area."Therefore, Zhang Guotao reiterated their westward plan.And emphasized that the troops have already started to act, and it is inconvenient to change it.In the end, Zhang Guotao made a concession and said: "Unified leadership is extremely important. Today, when the international line is implemented in unison and hard struggles, there should be no more differences. Therefore, we suggest that Luo Fu and other comrades be used to guide us in the name of the Central Committee. How the bureau should organize and work, how the military should lead, and how the presidium of the Military Commission should organize and work, all of these should be decided and instructed, and we should follow them.” In this long telegram, Zhang Guotao's intentions are very obvious.He didn't want to fight Hu Zongnan, and he didn't win the battle in Songpan. Now the number of the Fourth Front Army has been reduced by half, and they are exhausted after the long march.Zhang Guotao will not suffer this loss.He didn't want to join forces with the Central Committee, and wanted to go to the Liangzhou area in northern Gansu to build another area and open up the Soviet Union.If the Soviet aircraft and artillery come, the strength of the Fourth Front Army will be greatly increased, and no one will be afraid.In the end, the central government had to ask him for help. The two sides telegraphed back and forth all day, and at 22 o'clock in the evening, Zhang Guotao told the Central Committee that the Fourth Front Army had acted according to the Xidu plan. "We can rendezvous near Jingyuan within a month, please explain well, and we must not disappoint the whole party and the whole army about the rendezvous." On the 27th, the central government sent a long telegram, explaining the central government's position in a strong tone: "The central government believes that the first and fourth fronts of our army will be stronger if combined, and weaker if divided. If combined, both Ningxia and Ganxi can be occupied and completed. The mission shown in the International; in terms of division, it is difficult to occupy the two places, and there is a danger that the mission will not be achieved in fact." "If the Fourth Front Army marches westward, Mao's (Bingwen) army will go first, and the Hu army will follow. The blue line, block the cool and blue line for the second time, and then the enemy will be in the center, and we will be in the remote area, and the rendezvous will be impossible. If there is a mistake, the overall situation will be in danger." Therefore, the central government asked Zhang Guotao to follow the September 18 Zhu De et al. The planned action of the static and meeting campaigns will go north to join forces as soon as possible. Even though they talked hard and softly, the leaders of the central government knew that they had no binding force on Zhang Guotao.So while doing Zhang Guotao's work, he was planning for the worst. On September 24 and 25, Mao Zedong called Peng Dehuai and Nie Rongzhen, pointing out: "Guo Tao has shaken the policy of going north again, and we are trying to save China (keeping secrets from the outside world)." However, "the Fourth Army is determined to go west, cross the river from Yongjing, and seek Occupying Yongdeng and Liangzhou, his Tongwei troops withdrew on the 24th, and after crossing the river according to Yun, they used one part to support the central defenders and one side occupied Ningxia, so he had to let him do it himself." Full of resentment. God seems to be deliberately against the Fourth Front Army.Xu Xiangqian led the troops westward to Lintao, came to the bank of the Tao River, and asked the villagers.According to the villagers, the other side of the Yellow River has entered the season of heavy snow closing the mountains, the climate is cold and the road is difficult.Xu Xiangqian sent people to investigate the situation of crossing the river. Because there was no ferry, the people who tried to cross the river were washed away several times.According to such terrain and climatic conditions, it is basically impossible for large troops to cross the river.Xu Xiangqian returned to Taozhou and reported to Zhu De and Zhang Guotao.At this time, the central government called on the 27th to oppose Xidu.Zhang Guotao had no choice but to convene a meeting to discuss, and everyone agreed to abandon the westward plan and go northward to join the front army according to the original Jing and Hui campaign plan.At 20 o'clock that night, Zhu, Zhang, Xu, and Chen called Chen Zaidao, commander of the 4th Army, and Wang Hongkun, political commissar, and issued an order to advance north: Later, they telegraphed the Central Committee and the heads of the Second Front Army: It's no coincidence that in September 1935, Zhang Guotao decided to go south because he couldn't cross the Kaqu River, which caused the division of the First and Fourth Front Armies. In September 1936, Zhang Guotao decided to go north to join the Central Committee because he could not cross the Taohe River.The danger of another split was resolved because of the natural and geographical environment. The Fourth Front Army turned around and marched towards Huining. It went smoothly all the way without encountering any battles.In contrast, the Red Second Front Army marching towards the border between Shaanxi and Gansu experienced a disaster.When in Hadapu, according to the agreed plan, the second front army went east to Chengxian, Huixian, Liangdang and other places to support the first and fourth front armies to join up.When the Second Front Army started to move, the First and Fourth Front Army did not move.When the Central Committee and Zhang Guotao were arguing endlessly about going west and going north, the Second Front Army had to wait for orders in Huixian and Liangdang, wasting a week in vain.It was not until the Fourth Front Army moved eastward to join the First Front Army that the Second Front Army received instructions from the Central Committee and set off to march towards Lund on October 4.At this time, the troops of Hu Zongnan and Wang Jun had already besieged from two sides.He Long and Ren Bishi ordered a quick march to get rid of the enemy. Marching 110 miles on the 5th and 90 miles on the 6th, more and more people were left behind. On the 7th, in Luojiabao, Tianshui Town, Lixian County, the 16th Division of the Red Sixth Army encountered the troops of Wang Jun of the Kuomintang, and fought fiercely for several hours.Due to the hasty march, the Red Army was not ready for battle, and the 16th Division was broken up.Cadres suffered heavy casualties, and almost all logistics supplies were lost. On the 9th, the Second Front Army crossed the Weihe River in the area of ​​Luomen Town, west of Tianshui.The Weihe River is about 200 meters wide, and there are no boats in winter, so we have to wade in vain.After crossing the Weihe River, we arrived at Wangjiashan on the 11th. This is all open wasteland and there is no concealment. The horses of the 18th Division exposed the target, so four or five enemy planes flew in and bombed wantonly. The Red Army lacked air defense knowledge, and more than 50 people were killed and injured by the bombing.It was very tragic.Marshal He Long recalled the losses of the past few days, and said angrily: "Crossing the Weihe River, I was extremely embarrassed. I was flanked by the enemy. There was heavy rain in the upper reaches of the Weihe River. I was wading in vain. The water was getting deeper and deeper, and some people were rushed. Zhang Guotao violated the Central Military Commission's regulations. Instructions, the Second Front Army was almost completely wiped out. The south bank of the Weihe River was also very dangerous. We can fight on that side, and we broke the blockade as soon as we broke through. The first time we were nervous was Ganzi, and Zhang Guotao would trap us to death; the second time was the battle of Chenghui and Liangkang. We originally estimated that the Fourth Front Army would not leave. At that time, we sent a telegram to the Central Committee, saying that we would have walked (to the north) two days earlier, so that we would not be in such a panic, and the Sixth Army would not be flanked. As soon as the Fourth Front Army withdrew, the enemy surrounded them. Thousands of people. Just after leaving the grassland, the troops have not yet recovered their physical strength. If you walk two days earlier, you can save losses and go out." "I suffered a little loss when I arrived in Haiyuan. I was almost killed by a bomb. ... We went the wrong way , fought a battle in Hongbaozi, and met Mr. Zhu on the ×× mountain. At that time, our Second Army lost two companies, the troops were messed up, and the logistics were all over." From September 30th, the Fourth Front Army divided into five columns and marched from Minzhou and Zhangxian to Tongwei, Huining and Jingning successively.On the one hand, the army troops captured Huining City on October 2. On the 8th, the 10th Division of the 4th Army, the vanguard of the Fourth Front Army, joined the 1st Division of the First Army Corps of the First Front Army at Shipu in Huining.The good news came that the headquarters of the Fourth Front Army accelerated its pace and arrived in Huining on the 9th.Xu Xiangqian saw Mr. Chen Geng who came to greet him.The reunion of old friends is very exciting.Red Army cadres and soldiers threw down their weapons one after another, and embraced each other with mixed feelings of grief and joy.Some talked together arm in arm, eagerly asking about the whereabouts of other comrades-in-arms.The long-awaited day finally came, and no one could control their emotions. On October 10, a grand party was held at the Confucian Temple Square in Huining City.The first and fourth front armies each sent part of their teams to participate.The singing was loud and clear at the venue, and the Fourth Front Army took out the "Speech Outline for Soldiers Celebrating the First and Fourth Front Army's General Assembly" written as early as August to express their sincere feelings: This impassioned document was drafted by the Political Department of the Fourth Front Army.Even today's generation is moved by the heartfelt feelings of the Four Fronts Army after reading it.The soldiers of the Fourth Front Army thought that after a year and seven months of arduous Long March, they had finally arrived home. After arriving in Huining, Zhu De and Zhang Guotao set up a general headquarters in the city, and quickly contacted the Central Committee of Northern Shaanxi to report the details of the Fourth Front Army.Although the Fourth Front Army lost nearly half of its troops when it went south, they were still much stronger than the First Front Army.According to Zhu and Zhang's report to the Central Committee on October 16, the basic strength of the Fourth Front Army is as follows: In addition, the Fourth Front Army has 28 mortars, and most of the machine guns are made in Sichuan, and the quality is not good.Nine out of ten guns did not have bayonets, and there was an average of only one grenade per person, with 20 rounds of bullets. After a long period of fighting, marching and hard life, the life of the Fourth Front Army is indeed extremely difficult.According to Peng Dehuai's report to Mao Zedong on September 30, he said: "They have been in Gannan for quite some time, but the material problems have not been solved. The soldiers still wear single clothes, and the military cap has no brim." On the 25th, Peng sent Mao a telegram. : "The material problem of the Fourth Front Army is extremely difficult, and no food money has been distributed at all. That is to say, we must find ways to borrow money from outsiders, such as paying food expenses to the First Front Army." Although the Central Committee instructed Peng Dehuai to donate some grain, cotton clothes and vegetables to the Fourth Front Army, but It can only be solved temporarily.At this time, the Fourth Front Army first considered the difficulties of the Central Committee. On October 21, the leaders of the Fourth Front Army sent people to Peng Dehuai to send the property they had saved before.According to Peng Zhimao's telegram: "The Fourth Front Army sent two hundred and fifty taels of gold, which are jewelry, and each tael of gold is worth one hundred yuan." This was really a huge fortune at the time. The warm atmosphere of the rendezvous passed quickly.Calm was restored on both sides.It seems that everyone treats each other with courtesy, but they don't live together like when they met for the first time, they act together.It turned out that long before the meeting on September 21, Mao Zedong had secretly instructed Peng Dehuai: "It is appropriate for the lower-level commanders of the two sides not to contact each other. Nie (Rongzhen) should guide the Jieshipu troops to deal with it appropriately. Only regiment-level cadres should make peace. The attitude is to contact the head of the defending unit, return the main force after receiving the defense, and absolutely prohibit the arrogance and unfriendliness of any military personnel on one side." Therefore, Peng Dehuai proceeded cautiously and did not express excessive enthusiasm. In order to dispel Zhang Guotao's doubts, he came to meet him.The leader of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China stated in a letter to Zhang Guotao on September 24: "The dispute between my younger brother and Guotao should not be discussed at all, and we should concentrate on uniting internally and carrying out the current military and political tasks. Any opinion, my brother and others are willing to seriously consider it." The instructions to the internal army of the first side are "in order to seek the true unity of the party and the Red Army and the smooth execution of current tasks, do not seek too much for the good of Guotao and the cadres of the fourth front army." "Our policy is to express trust in them, and it is not appropriate to make them feel distrustful. We must prepare for a long-term process of fighting for them. It is estimated that they may improve." Of course Zhang Guotao would not know these instructions.After the rendezvous, he really waited anxiously for the Central Committee's disposition.On the second day of the meeting, on October 11, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued the "October Combat Program", which determined that Mao Zedong, Peng Dehuai, Wang Jiaxiang, Zhu De, Zhang Guotao, and Chen Changhao would form the presidium of the Military Commission.It also stipulates that the actions of the three front armies will be organized and commanded by Commander-in-Chief Zhu De and General Political Commissar Zhang Guotao in accordance with the decisions of the Central Committee and the Military Commission.Seeing that the central government did not deprive him of his post, Zhang Guotao couldn't help feeling a stone in his heart fall to the ground.Stretching the brows, he looked much more relaxed. It was too early for Zhang Guotao to be happy.Just after the first and fourth front armies joined forces, while everyone was greeting and talking to each other, Peng Dehuai quietly found Li Bozhao, the head of the Red Army Art Troupe and Yang Shangkun's wife who was operating with the fourth front army headquarters.On the night of September 9, 1935, Li Bozhao was unable to go north with the First Army because he performed in the Fourth Front Army. Unexpectedly, he would be separated from her husband for more than a year.Seeing Peng Dehuai, he was naturally filled with sorrow and joy.Peng Dehuai said solemnly to Li Bozhao: "The Party Central Committee wants to make a record of Zhang Guotao's meeting in Songgang (Zhuomu Diao) meeting to set up a separate Central Committee. Can you find Comrade Fu Zhong and bring this record to me. Li Bozhao accepted the instruction, and quickly found Fu Zhong, deputy director of the Political Department of the Fourth Front Army, and explained the meaning of Peng Dehuai, the representative of the Central Committee.Fu Zhong said that this record should be handed over to the Party Central Committee.Therefore, he handed over the "Zhuomudao Meeting Minutes" recorded by Huang Chao to Li Bozhao and then to Peng Dehuai.Soon, this top-secret document was transferred to Mao Zedong's hands.