Chapter 6 6. Go to the light

On the morning of December 10, 1931, on the second floor of a Yip ancestral hall in Yeping, Ruijin, the office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Central Government of the Soviet Area.Wang Jiaxiang, the newly appointed minister of the People's Committee for Foreign Affairs and director of the Red Army's General Political Department, is sitting in his office, reading a briefing on the Red Army's political work.The staff came in and reported to him: "Chief, someone from Ningdu is here. Chairman Mao asked you to see him." Wang Jiaxiang entered the Soviet area from Shanghai in March of the beginning of the year. Before he left, he learned that there was an underground organization of the CCP in the 26th Route Army of the Kuomintang.Hearing this news, he immediately stood up happily. He had been longing for the news from Ningdu for a long time.

At the headquarters of the Red Army, Wang Jiaxiang held Yuan Xuezu's hand tightly and said: "Comrade Xuezu, you have worked hard. On behalf of the Red Army, I would like to express my gratitude for your hard work." It can be said that Yuan Xuezu went to the Soviet area without any danger, because he was wearing the Kuomintang military uniform. After the Red Guards stopped him, they tied him up without any explanation, and escorted him into the jungle by the roadside.Yuan had a heavy responsibility, but it was useless for him to explain. (Yuan is from Shaanxi, and the two sides could not understand each other.) In desperation, he sang the Internationale. This song was often sung by soldiers and civilians in the Soviet area, so the team members dared not Negligence, he was taken to the local county Soviet government. After explaining the situation, He Buqing, Secretary of the Pagoda County Party Committee, immediately escorted him to Ruijin.

At this moment, Yuan Xuezu made a detailed report to Wang Jiaxiang on the current situation of the 26th Route Army, Wang Chao's incident, and Chiang Kai-shek's Nanchang camp sent a "urgent" telegram to the 26th Route Army.After that, Dong Zhentang, commander of the 73rd Brigade, and Ji Zhentong, commander of the 74th Brigade, were introduced one by one. Wang Jiaxiang listened carefully to Yuan Xuezu's report, stood up excitedly, and said: "The 26th Route Army is in a situation of direct revolution." I don’t want to be an enemy of the Red Army. As long as we do our job well, the conditions for a large-scale uprising exist. Ningdu is very close to the Soviet area and can be reached within a day. There are no such good conditions for an uprising!"

In the afternoon, Yuan Xuezu was cordially received by Commander-in-Chief Zhu again.When Yuan came to the commander-in-chief's room, Yuan was very nervous. Zhu De said kindly, "Please sit down." "Yes!" Yuan Xuezu's mood gradually eased. "Are you an underground party member?" "yes." Seeing his reserved look, Zhu De smiled.Poured him a bowl of water, and then asked, "How many people are there in your 26th Route Army?" "There were 20,000 people during the roll call in Pukou, but not so many now." "Don't you like rice?"

"Most of us are from the Northwest and mainly eat pasta, but I'm okay." Zhu De said again: "If you want to lead them into the Red Army, that's very good. Are officials as big as Zhao Bosheng and Dong Zhentang willing? This is not a joke." Evidently the Commander-in-Chief did not know much about the details of the uprising. Yuan Xuezu gave a detailed report on the preparations for the riot. "Well." Zhu De nodded after hearing this, and continued: "If you can lead the 26th Route Army to riot and join the Red Army, we welcome them, and welcome them to stand on the same front with us to fight Japanese imperialism and save the nation from peril. Our Military Commission is going to hold a meeting, this is a big deal, we must discuss it carefully!"

The next day, the Central Revolutionary Military Commission held a special meeting to discuss and study the issue of the 26th Route Army uprising in detail. Wang Jiaxiang, Zhu De, Zuo Quan, Liu Bojian, Ye Jianying, Li Fuchun and others attended the meeting.After listening to Yuan Xuezu's report, the meeting made the following seven instructions: 1. Use the greatest efforts to fight for all uprisings. 2. If the 74th Brigade cannot win, the 73rd Brigade and the troops under the command of the General Headquarters will use the troops under the pretext of "advancing and suppressing" to solve the reactionary officers at appropriate locations and carry out local uprisings.

3. If the uprising is unsuccessful, comrades exposed, such as Zhao Bosheng and others, must leave Ningdu and come to the Soviet area, and comrades who have not been exposed continue to work in the 26th Route Army. 4. When dealing with reactionary officers, you must be firm and act quickly. The time of the riot will be announced on December 13. 5. After the uprising, the army was changed to the 16th Army of the Red Army of Chinese Workers and Peasants. 6. If possible during the uprising, arrest the leaders of the local armed forces, Yan Weishen and Huang Caiti. 7. Decided to send Red 4th Army cameras to assist.

At the same time, it was also decided that Wang Jiaxiang, vice chairman of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission and director of the General Political Department, Liu Bojian, secretary general of the Military Commission, and Zuo Quan, director of the First Bureau of the General Command of the Military Commission, would take the radio to Gu Village, the seat of the Soviet government in Pengpai County, to be responsible for the guidance and liaison work of the uprising. After the meeting, Wang Jiaxiang, Liu Bojian, and Zuo Quan led Yuan Xuezu to meet Chairman Mao.Chairman Mao held Yuan's hand cordially and asked, "Is Comrade Yuan an underground party member?"

Yuan nodded and replied: "Yes, he joined the Party in the Northwest Military Academy in 1926." Liu Bojian introduced from the side: "Comrade Yuan Xuezu is a member of the military transportation team of the 26th Route Army. The training of Comrade Rui and others is young and promising!" Chairman Mao listened carefully. He was very concerned about the riot, so he asked Yuan Xuezu: "The Military Commission discussed the strategy and policy of the Ningdu riot, and it was very good. Yuan Comrade, are you sure if you think about it?" When the chairman asked this question, Yuan Xuezu couldn't answer for a while, but after thinking about it for a while, he answered firmly: "I'm sure!"

"Are you sure?" Obviously the chairman wanted to ask what happened. Yuan Xuezu said: "The general headquarters of Dong Zhentang and Zhao Bosheng of the 73rd Brigade are sure, and we are actively working with the headquarters of Ji Zhentong of the 74th Brigade..." Liu Bojian added: "I know General Dong Zhentang very well. When he was in the Northwest Army, he invited me to give speeches to his 12th Brigade many times. We had many long talks. He fully agreed with our party's proposition. Ji Zhentong He is Feng Yuxiang's niece and son-in-law, and also his favorite general. This man is shrewd and capable, with high military quality. I remember that his equestrian skills were famous in the whole army! Even the Soviet military advisers were surprised, saying that his riding skills were second to none among the Cossacks ( Cossack cavalry are known for their bravery and skill in combat and superb riding in history) are rare. They all have one thing in common, that is, they have the great ambition to save the country and the people. There is no way to serve the country. If these two people can join hands, I think the uprising will have a great chance of victory."

Chairman Mao was very satisfied after hearing this, and said: "The conditions for all riots exist. We must seize the opportunity and strive to realize it. This all depends on our party to do meticulous organizational work." Later, Chairman Mao said: "In case One cannot riot entirely, local riots are also good, and they will cause a great loss to the enemy! It is also good to stab the enemy in the heart. If you can win over the reactionary armed forces of the 26th Route Army, that is in China. It will be of great significance in the history of the revolution." After listening to Chairman Mao's speech, Yuan Xuezu was in high spirits, and immediately expressed that he would do his best to ensure the success of the uprising. Before leaving, the guards led the horse, and Yuan Xuezu got on the horse. At this time, Ye Jianying, the chief of staff of the Military Commission, handed him a map, which marked the marching route and the distribution of the troops after the uprising. Yuan Xuezu tied the map at the waist.Bid farewell to the chief who saw him off, bid farewell to the red capital Ruijin, and rushed back to Ningdu overnight. Yuan Xuezu reported to Liu Zhenya when he returned to the station, and discussed with Zhao Bosheng the instructions of the Military Commission.In the morning of that day, Zhao Bosheng invited Dong Zhentang and Ji Zhentong to hold a meeting on Nanshan Mountain outside Ningdu City.Zhao Bosheng introduced the seven-point instructions of the Red Army General Headquarters to Dong and Ji.At this critical moment, Ji Zhentong hesitated about the uprising again. He asked whether the troop number should be reconsidered after the uprising (it was too small). Whether to wait to receive the money and goods before uprising and so on.In fact, Ji mainly considered his personal position after the uprising. Regarding the upcoming winter clothes and military pay, Dong Zhentang first expressed his opinion: "Winter is coming soon, this batch of supplies is really important to us. We can also relieve the Soviet government a lot of burden!" Ji Zhentong also said: "The team wears new winter clothes, eats a full meal, and the mood is even higher when pulling the team. If we can't get it, we will take advantage of that kid Zhu Shaoliang." Zhao Bosheng pinched his fingers and calculated, and then said: "The fastest time for this batch of supplies and salaries to arrive in Ningdu is thirteen days." Ji Zhentong said decisively: "I see! It is necessary to postpone the date of the uprising, and get the ready-made salary and winter clothes before going to the Soviet area. What do you think?" In the end, all three agreed to postpone the uprising for a day. When they broke up, Dong Zhentang repeatedly urged: "We must send reliable people to Guangchang to escort the supplies, and we must arrive in Ningdu before the thirteenth day." Zhao Bosheng also said: "The person in charge of the escort must be carefully selected, and there should be no problems." Ji Zhentong smiled, patted his chest and said: "It's easy to handle. Let my Adjutant Li handle the escort task. Over there in the Soviet area, Brother Enfu, please send someone to inform again." Zhao Bosheng thought about it for a while, and said, "Yes, Li Da is calm and reliable, and he doesn't know about the riot yet, so he won't leak the news." After the three discussed it, they split up and began to prepare for the uprising. When Zhao Bosheng returned to the general headquarters, Liu Zhenya and Yuan Xuezu were waiting there eagerly. Zhao explained the results of the discussion between the three of them. Liu Zhenya listened carefully, and then he preached; It's easy to handle. As for the designation, I want to ask the Central Revolutionary Military Commission for instructions. There should be no problem. The Ji Brigade has the best foundation and the strongest strength in the entire 26th Route Army. Whether this brigade can participate in the uprising is very important to the overall situation Impact." Zhao Bosheng nodded and said, "Although Ji Zhentong is young and vigorous, he is still an upright man. He is also a general who does not want to fight a civil war and insists on resisting the Japanese. His troops are responsible for the city defense of Ningdu. It is very important. As long as we master the seventy-three, The Seventy-Fourth Brigade, then, it is not a problem for the entire Twenty-Sixth Route Army to revolt. I suggest that Ji Zhentong be the commander-in-chief of the rebel army! Tomorrow I will move the general headquarters and part of the salary to the Seventh Army. I will go to the 14th Brigade Headquarters, and I will also go to work there. It can be proved by facts that his place has become the new general headquarters, and I, Zhao Bosheng, am no longer the one who commands him, but the one who is willing to be under his command. Firm Ji Zhentong's determination to participate in the uprising." Yuan Xuezu also said: "When I was in Ruijin, Chairman Mao himself pro-democracy and wanted to strive for all uprisings. It is true that Ji Zhentong was dissatisfied with Chiang Kai-shek, but after all, he lacked understanding of the Red Army. It is understandable for him to consider the position after the uprising. of." As a result of the final discussion, it was decided that Yuan Xuezu would go to the Soviet area with Guo Ruyue, a representative of the 73rd Brigade, and Lu Shouchun, a representative of the 74th Brigade, to ask for instructions.Yuan, Guo, and Lu rushed to Pengpai County in the Soviet District, met Wang Jiaxiang, Zuo Quan, Liu Bojian and others, and reported several suggestions for the uprising.Comrade Wang Jiaxiang immediately made the following instructions on behalf of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission: 1. Agree to postpone the uprising for one day. (December 14 evening) 2. After the uprising, the troops were organized into the Fifth Corps of the Red Army of Chinese Workers and Peasants.There are three armies under its jurisdiction: Ji Zhentong is the commander-in-chief of the Fifth Red Army, Dong Zhentang is the deputy commander-in-chief of the Fifth Red Army and the commander of the Thirteenth Army, Zhao Bosheng is the chief of staff of the Fifth Red Army and the commander of the Fourteenth Army, and Huang Zhongyue is the commander-in-chief of the 14th Army. Commander of the Fifteenth Army. Due to time constraints, the three rushed back to Ningdu overnight.When Ji Zhentong learned that he had become the commander-in-chief of the army, his mind was at peace.The next morning, Zhao Bosheng, Dong Zhentang, Ji Zhentong, and Huang Zhongyue got together and began to study the specific plan for the uprising.It was finalized: on the day of the uprising, Zhao Bosheng, as the chief of the general staff, will entertain the officers above the regiment commander of the entire army, so that all these people can be detained, and then the troops will be mobilized in their name and brought to the designated place for assembly , and strive for the entire army to revolt. After the meeting, Dong Zhentang returned to the brigade headquarters of the 73rd Brigade. Thinking of the coming dawn, Dong Zhentang was extremely excited.He picked up a pen and paper and wrote a letter to his parents and wife in his hometown in Hebei.Considering that after the uprising, Chiang Kai-shek would use all means to persecute his family members, Dong Zhentang did not mention anything about preparing for the uprising. He only hinted at the end of the letter that everything should be taken care of at home. There may be disasters in the near future. Eldest brother Dong Shengtang hides everywhere.Because Shanxi is the territory of the warlord Yan Xishan, Chiang Kai-shek's forces cannot ignore Wuji Zen there, and it is a relatively safe place. After finishing this matter, Dong Zhentang ordered the guard Gao Zhizhong to call some subordinate officers to the brigade headquarters for a meeting.When everyone arrived, Dong Zhentang stood up and preached: "Brothers! You have followed me for many years, come in the wind and go in the rain. In Henan we fought against Chiang Kai-shek for eight months, and our blood and sweat were shed together. Fortunately, We didn’t die, if we did, we would be wronged! Think about it, the commander-in-chief (Feng Yuxiang) led us to fight this one today and that one tomorrow. After so many years, what have we done? Ours The folks and elders are still suffering as usual. Brothers! You are all good, and you have never lost a battle. The failure of our Northwest Army was that we had no money, no food, no ammunition, and were sold by our own people! Now, I Together with everyone, Chiang Kai-shek forced us to Jiangxi to fight the Red Army. Why didn’t we let us fight Japan? The Japanese devils invaded and occupied the three eastern provinces, and 30 million compatriots became subjugated slaves. The Red Army has no enmity with us. The Red Army is an army of workers and peasants Aren’t we also workers and farmers at home? The Red Army wants to fight Japan, so we also want to fight Japan. We should unite with the Red Army now, brothers, do you agree or not?” Most of the officers present were moved by Dong’s sincere words , Nodding in agreement.Because they trusted their old chief and were willing to go with him from the bottom of their hearts. Several officers also raised objections. They said: "Brigadier, let's vote for the Red Army. Isn't this jumping into the fire pit?" "Brigadier! Can the Red Army want us? Can they trust us? Will they clean us up as soon as they pass?" ... Dong Zhentang was not in a hurry, and after they finished speaking one by one, he said patiently: "I, Dong Zhentang, have a character and a personality that you should know. I will never lead everyone to jump into a fire pit. Even if there is a fire pit in front of me, I will jump first! Brothers, Think about it, Chiang Kai-shek sent us to the front line to fight against the Red Army. We lost a lot and didn't give any reinforcements. We used to have some heavy weapons, but they were forced to stay in the north. Brothers fight each other to the death, both sides are hurt! At present, we are trapped here, the camp is full of wounded soldiers, lack of food and ammunition, and morale is so low. We can't leave, we can't fight. If we want to survive, we can only unite with the Red Army and fight together. Chiang Kai-shek, there is no other way!" After saying this, the dissenting officers were convinced, and they all said: "Okay! We won't say anything, brigade commander, we believe in you, and we will follow you! " Seeing that there was no objection, Dong Zhentang continued, "Thank you everyone for trusting me. Starting today, each go back and lead the team well. We must hurry up to train and be ready at any time. In addition, please keep it secret!" Early the next morning, Dong Zhentang rode to the outside of Ningdu City.His trip is to find a long-time friend - Bian Zhangwu.Bian was the chief of staff of the 75th Brigade at the time, and he was also from Hebei. He had been Dong Zhentang's classmate and friend since middle school.At that time, China was in the midst of internal and external troubles. Both of them were born in poverty and had the same feelings about the current situation. They often got together, talked about the past and the present, and determined to do a great cause of eradicating tyranny and saving the country and the people.Afterwards, both of them were admitted to the Baoding Army Military Academy. Dong studied artillery, while Bian studied infantry. After graduation, they came to Feng Yuxiang's Northwest Army together. When he came to Bian Zhangwu's dormitory, Dong Zhentang didn't exchange too many greetings, and said frankly: "I am going to lead the troops to revolt and join the Red Army. What do you think?" After thinking for a moment, he immediately said with emotion: "Chiang Kai-shek rejects dissidents and ignores the fact that the Japanese devils invaded our three eastern provinces. Not only did he not resist the Japanese, but he also forced us to fight the Red Army to the death. How can I have the mood to fight this civil war, to tell you the truth, I already have this intention, as long as brother makes up his mind, I promise to follow!" Dong Zhentang nodded, with a firm mind, and then said: "Okay! Your brigade commander Zhang Fangzhao once served as the regiment commander under me. I know him very well. This person has always been reactionary in his thinking, and he can't get along with us. We will find a solution, but the work of the 75th Brigade will still be done by you." ... Dong Zhentang is active, and Ji Zhentong is not idle.At this moment, all the officers and soldiers of the 74th Brigade gathered in a large playground to listen to his lectures: "Brothers soldiers! Japanese imperialism has reached the three provinces in the Northeast, and our folks in the Northeast are in dire straits. Who has no parents and brothers? We are seven-foot-tall men, armed with steel guns but unable to serve the country and fulfill our responsibilities for the people. I'm sorry for the ancestors, I have failed the people!" Ji Zhentong's speech was very provocative. The soldiers listened quietly with tears in their eyes, contrary to the noisy meetings in the past. "Look at the life my brothers are living now. I have been trapped in Ningdu for nearly five months. The Red Army stopped me from entering, and the retreat was not tolerated by Commander-in-Chief Jiang. Now I have no cotton-padded clothes in winter, and I can't eat enough. The fields outside the city are buried everywhere. The bones of the brothers, why did we leave our hometown? Where did the military pay of the brothers go? It was all put into the pockets of those officials and gentlemen in Nanjing, and they were asked to build houses and marry concubines! The blood of the brothers is about to let They drank it all!  … "Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of a country. We should not be subjugated slaves or colonies. We must strengthen ourselves, shame our country, and regain our land and sovereignty! We must have courage, try to return to the north, and resolutely fight against the Japanese aggressors!" After talking for an hour, the soldiers were deeply encouraged.The more they listen, the more they love to listen, and they have a kind of intimacy that they have never had before.Next, the chief of staff of the brigade gave a speech. The general meaning was: the whole brigade is like a ship in the sea, and the brigade commander is the helmsman. Wherever the rudder goes, we all go there.We must absolutely obey the command of the brigade commander, we must be twisted together, and we must not tear each other down.... Ji Zhentong's move shocked the soldiers a lot, and also affected other brigades.Since then, there have been more contacts among the soldiers, and the relationship has become closer. When we get together, we will often talk about the Red Army and those exciting slogans. In the evening, in Ji Zhentong's room sat Huang Zhongyue, the commander of the first regiment, Su Jin, the deputy commander, Lu Shouchun, the commander of the first battalion, Sun Shirong, the commander of the second battalion, and Yan Tuge, the commander of the third battalion.Ji Zhentong swept away his habit of joking in the past, and said with a very serious expression: "The action will start on the 14th. Li Songkun, the commander of the 25th Division, is the biggest obstacle. This person is always reactionary and extremely cunning. In case If this guy doesn't come to the banquet on the evening of the 14th, then we have to be tough and get rid of him." Ji Zhentong lit the cigarette in his hand, took a puff, and continued: "Lu Shouchun will go to the division headquarters tomorrow, and get rid of him." Check out the surrounding situation." Huang Zhongyue added from the side; "The troops of the 1st and 2nd Battalions should go out for exercises in the past few days, in the name of emergency gathering and running, and they should deliberately pass by the 25th Division division gate in full armor to paralyze them so that they can attack suddenly in the future. In addition, in order to ensure the smooth success of the uprising, everyone must pay special attention to confidentiality. Any personnel not related to the execution of the task shall not be allowed to know any news about the uprising. For the troops performing the task, only the information that they must know to perform the task shall be informed , don’t get involved in anything else.” Ningdu City was still as peaceful as before, until the morning of the 13th, Li Da, the major and adjutant of the 74th Brigade, escorted the mules and horses, and entered the city with winter clothes and salaries. New winter clothes, people went to the streets to buy daily necessities, cigarettes, and food, and the ancient city of Ningdu boiled for a while.The several backbone troops of the uprising are always on alert, ready to assemble urgently at any time to perform various tasks. Dong Zhentang and Ji Zhentong, as always, publicized to other army chiefs, explaining that Chief of Staff Zhao was entertaining guests at the general headquarters at 8:00 p.m., with good cigarettes, good wine, good vegetables, and good fruits shipped from Shanghai.Zhao Bosheng also called the headquarters to inform them one by one. He was talking and laughing as usual, so that some army chiefs even proposed to come to the headquarters in advance to relieve their greed. Everything was carried out in an orderly manner according to the careful arrangement before the uprising.