Chapter 27 5. Yanjingping blockade

After the first Red Army crossed the Jinsha River north, according to the decision of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission, they besieged Huili City with the Third Red Army and cadre regiments, and the rest of the troops took a short-term rest in the Huili area.In late May, the whole army passed through the Yi people's area and began to advance towards the Dadu River.The Dadu River is surrounded by high mountains and dangerous roads, and the river is wild and unruly. If you want to cross the river by boat, you must rely on boatmen who are familiar with water.At that time, Shi Dakai, the wing king of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, was chased and suppressed by the Qing army. He led his army here. Facing the torrential river, he failed to cross the north, and his entire army was wiped out.Today, Chiang Kai-shek is also going to set up a battlefield here, taking advantage of the natural danger of the Dadu River, gathering and annihilating the Red Army on the banks of the Dadu River, delusionally making the Central Red Army the "Second of Shi Dakai".

On May 25th, Sun Jixian, commander of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Division of the 1st Red Army Corps, organized 17 warriors from the battalion to forcefully cross the Dadu River. With their fearless revolutionary spirit, they wrote a glorious page in the history of the Red Army's Long March.It is worth mentioning that the battalion commander who organized this storm, Sun Jixian, was a cadre from the Fifth Red Army.Sun Jixian, a native of Cao County, Shandong, served as a junior officer in the former 26th Route Army.After joining the Red Army in the uprising, he fought bravely and advanced in thinking, so he joined the Communist Party of China in the second year.He has successively served as the district captain of the Teaching Brigade of the Jiangxi Independent Fourth Division of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, the company commander of the 64th Division of the Red Twenty-sixth Army, and the battalion commander of the Second Regiment of the Jiangxi Model Division.Before the Long March, he was transferred to the Red First Army and served as the commander of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Division of the 1st Regiment.

At that time, due to the emergency, Liu Bocheng, chief of staff of the Military Commission, ordered Sun Jixian: "Do you know Shi Dakai? Right here, his 40,000 troops were wiped out by the Qing army." Twenty-two years later, Sun Jixian, who became the first commander of the new China's missile training base, replied bluntly: "I don't care about ten ups and downs, chief of staff, you give the order!" Liu Bocheng smiled elegantly, and then said seriously: "I give you three tasks. The first is to take down Anshun Field, and set a fire after occupying it as a signal; "Thirdly, prepare all the tools for crossing the river, and then set up a pile of fire. When the three piles of fire are lit, the follow-up troops will go up, do you understand?"

"Understood!" "Then go and execute it!" Sun Jixian lived up to expectations and completed this glorious and arduous task. Although the forcible crossing of the Dadu River was successful, it would take a month for the entire army to cross the river with a few small boats.The enemy's various pursuit forces are only a few days away.Halfway was attacked, this situation is very serious.Therefore, the Central Revolutionary Military Commission immediately ordered the Second Division and the Fourth Regiment of the First Red Army to rush to Luding Bridge to complete the task of capturing the bridge.The regiment lived up to expectations and marched for more than 300 miles. They fought several times on the way and successfully captured the Luding Bridge on the 29th.The Red Fifth Army and other main forces successfully crossed the natural danger Dadu River from here.At the same time, the Military Commission ordered the first division and cadre regiment of the Red Army Corps crossing the river from Anshunchang to go north along the left bank of the Dadu River under the leadership of Liu Bocheng, and cooperate with the Red Army on the right bank to capture Luding Bridge.

After the two red armies joined forces on the north bank of the Dadu River, they immediately entered the Ya'an area of ​​Sichuan.There are many mountains here with high mountains and dense forests, and the first division of the Red First Army is still the vanguard of the whole army, advancing in the rugged mountain road.In this army, there is another military cadre who has to be mentioned, Lu Zimei, who came out of the Fifth Red Army. Lu Zimei disappeared in the Ya'an area.It is a pity that this famous commander of the Red Army who joined the Communist Party before the Ningdu Uprising and fought side by side with Li Jukui, Yang Dezhi, Yang Chengwu, Xiao Hua, Geng Biao, etc., could not persist to the end.Is he captured?Or was it sacrificed?This has always been a suspense in the history of the Red Army.

The truth was not revealed until 1979, exactly forty-four years later. It turned out that during a battle when the Red Army entered Ya'an, Lu Zimei, who was then the head of the Second Regiment of the First Red Division, led several soldiers to the front to scout the enemy, and encountered the enemy on the way back. He was shot and sacrificed, and Lu Zimei was captured after all the bullets were shot.During the interrogation by the enemy, Lu claimed to be a cook. Seeing his unkempt appearance, the enemy believed him and asked Lu Zimei to carry water for them to cook.One night, Lu Zimei escaped while the enemy was unprepared, looking for her team in the barren mountains.At this time, the Red Army had already moved. Lu Zimei begged along the road and searched hard for more than two months, but she still failed to do so.In desperation, he returned to his hometown in Henan.Due to the circumstances at that time, Lu Zimei did not tell her relatives and friends about her service in the Red Army, but only lied that she had returned from a desertion in the Kuomintang army.

At home, Lu Zimei thought about the party, her comrades-in-arms and her chief.In 1938, when he learned that the Red Army had arrived in northern Shaanxi, he was determined to find troops.Because his family was poor and had no money for travel expenses, he mobilized his third younger brother Lu Zihua to sell young men together, and then escaped and took the money from selling young men to northern Shaanxi.When the two brothers passed through Luoyang, they met an old friend of the Northwest Army and persuaded them to stay.Lu Zimei said to the third brother: "You are doing it here, and I will go to my army."When crossing the Yellow River, due to the strict blockade by the Japanese army, he returned to his hometown disappointed.In 1940 and 1942, Lu Zimei sold young men twice, and went to the Dabie Mountains and Xiangxi successively to find the team led by our party. Both were unsuccessful due to the frequent transfer of our army during the Anti-Japanese War.

After finally surviving in 1947, Liu Deng’s army went south and entered Henan. He finally met his familiar comrades and leaders in the past, but he dared not talk about his own experience. If you admit it, you may be murdered by the local reactionary armed forces. If you go in by yourself, it's a small matter, what about your wife and children?He suppressed his inner excitement, actively participated in the local struggle against bandits and hegemony, and was elected as the first model township head. After the founding of New China, he couldn't hold back his inner joy any longer, so he mustered up the courage to write to the Political Department of the Military Commission, asking for information about the old chiefs Zhao Bosheng and Dong Zhentang, and the answer he got was that they had already died. During the "Cultural Revolution", Lu Zimei was criticized many times for being a soldier of the Kuomintang. In addition, she learned from the newspaper that her former comrades-in-arms and chiefs were also being criticized, so she was discouraged by finding an organization to prove her experience as a Red Army cold.It was not until after the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Party that Lu Zimei dispelled her worries and confidently declared her life experience to the party organization.

Soon, former leaders and comrades-in-arms such as Nie Rongzhen, Yang Chengwu, Xiao Hua, Su Jin, Yuan Xuezu wrote letters one after another, and some even came to visit him in person.With the care of leaders at all levels, Lu Zimei was approved as a veteran of the Red Army in the village, a member of the Standing Committee of the County CPPCC, and a member of the Provincial CPPCC. In 1985, the old man died of illness at the age of 86. Turning around, the Red Fifth Army, as the general guard of the Red Army, guarded the Long March team through Hanyuan, Tianquan, Lushan, and finally Baoxing County under Jiajin Mountain.Jiajin Mountain is more than 4,000 meters above sea level, also known as "Jiajin Mountain". It is called "Jiaji" in Tibetan, and Jiajin is a transliteration, which means very high and steep.The mountain belongs to the Qionglai Mountains, which lie between Dawei Township, Xiaojin County and Baoxing County, Ya'an City.The terrain here is steep and dangerous, the mountains are continuous, there are many mountains, dangerous rocks are towering, the cliffs are cut, and the air is thin. There is a folk song circulating in the local area: "Jiajin Mountain, Jiajin Mountain, birds can't fly, people can't climb. If you want to cross the Jiajin Mountain Jinshan, unless the gods come to the world!" is a true portrayal of this harsh environment.In addition, the climate in the mountain is changeable, sometimes cloudy and sometimes sunny, sometimes rainy and sometimes snowy, sometimes strong winds, and sometimes hailstorms, the local people call it "Sacred Mountain".It is said that there are gods on the mountain. If a person crosses the mountain and offends the mountain god, he will either be buried in ice and snow or swept away by a storm.The Red Army so far on the Long March is not only short of clothing and food, but also extremely exhausted from fighting all the way.Under the pursuit of tens of thousands of Kuomintang troops, it is extremely difficult to calmly cross this snow mountain.However, as long as you climb over the snow mountain in front of you, you will be able to meet up with the Fourth Red Army.On June 6, the Central Revolutionary Military Commission issued the "Instructions on Strategic Tasks to Create a New Situation after the First and Fourth Front Armies Join Together", requiring all units of the Red Army to prepare sufficient food and make preparations (clothes, spirits, peppers, walking sticks, etc.) ), the Red Army commanders and fighters who have been fighting for several months are in an unprecedented high mood.At that time, the task given by the Central Committee to the Fifth Army was: to build fortifications on the spot at Yanjingping, to block the enemy who was chasing after him, and to cover the whole army to jump over Jiajin Mountain.

After thinking about it, Dong Zhentang still handed over the arduous blocking task to the 37th Regiment.Because he is familiar with his troops and trusts his two favorite generals.Li Pingren, the head of the regiment, was an old subordinate who followed Dong Zhentang and Ningdu's uprising, and Xie Liang was an old political commissar who took office in the 37th Regiment of the Red Army before the Long March.Dong Zhentang praised the two of them countless times: "With Pingren and Xie Liang around, the 37th Regiment can't suffer!" When the order was issued, Li Pingren replied resolutely in the old tone: "Please rest assured, Commander-in-Chief, we promise to complete the task!"

Dong Zhentang looked at their thin bodies, and said earnestly; "It is important to complete the task, but at the same time you also need to prepare more peppers, ginger, and grains, which will be used when crossing the mountain." Li Zhuoran, the political commissar of the legion, also instructed: "The task is very difficult. You only have one regiment, and the enemy is several times yours. While completing the task, you must maintain your physical strength and prepare to cross the mountain. When you retreat, you must organize alternate cover. We will meet you on the other side of the mountain... ..." With the instructions of the head of the legion, Li Pingren and Xie Liang led the troops to Yanjingping at the foot of the mountain, where they publicized the party's policies to the masses in the village while building positions outside the village.Due to the good work done by the masses, a young hunter in the village offered to be their guide when they went up the mountain.The brigade of Red Army began to advance towards the snow-capped mountains one after another, and the valley of Yanjingping gradually returned to its former calm. Early in the morning of the third day, the enemy who was chasing after him came up.The head of the regiment, Li Pingren, ordered to go down and try to bring the enemy as close as possible to fight.The enemies approached from far away. At the beginning, they were row by row with their waists bowed and their heads lowered. Seeing that there was no movement, they suddenly became courageous and straightened up and rushed towards the village.With Captain Li shouting loudly: "Fight!".The enemy was like sorghum poles swept by a storm. The first few rows were knocked down one after another, while those behind rushed back with their heads in their arms. Li Pingren raised his saber and led the soldiers out of the trench, driving the enemy several hundred meters away. After driving away, he returned to his main position, waiting to meet the enemy's next attack. On this day, although the enemy attacked fiercely, they were all beaten back by my heroic commanders and fighters of the 37th Regiment, and the enemy suffered numerous casualties.The next day, the enemy became more honest, dug trenches outside the village, and attacked less, but confronted the Red Army.In this way, the 37th regiment stood firm at the Yanjingping position for five days. On the fifth day, the head of the regiment sent a telegram: On the Jiajin Mountain side, the Red Army and the Fourth Front Army have successfully joined forces. You have completed the cover task and should go north immediately. . When the soldiers heard the news, they cheered excitedly on the battlefield.This kind of scene made the enemy on the opposite side, Monk Zhang Er, confused, let alone attack the Red Army's position.Under the leadership of Li Pingren and Xie Liang, the 37th Regiment withdrew from its position in the early morning of the next day. After a rapid march of 70 miles, it rushed to the foot of Jiajin Mountain. Jinshan. The towering snow-capped mountains, the higher the climb, the lower the temperature, the harder it is for people, and the snow gradually began to fall.At this time, the soldiers were still wearing single clothes, shivering from the cold.Especially the feet. The feet of many soldiers were cut by the ice first, bled, and then froze. You help me, I help you, pushing and pulling to climb up, just relying on the heroic belief of revolution to fight against the snow-capped mountains. We are approaching the top of the mountain, and along the footsteps of the large troops crossing the mountain, we can vaguely see many raised snowdrifts, which are the revolutionary comrades who died on the Daxue Mountain.There are still some that will not be buried in the future, sitting or leaning on them, but they have already been frozen there.Everyone saw it in their eyes and felt pain in their hearts. They used their limited physical strength to bury the remains of the martyrs.Afterwards, some comrades who couldn’t hold on physically began to sit down, at this time the guide shouted loudly: “Comrade Red Army, you can’t sit down! If you sit down, you will never get up, you must hold on, hold on! Hearing this shout, the comrades who sat down became alert, and supported each other and continued to march towards the top of the mountain with difficulty. In the afternoon, the heroic 37th Regiment finally crossed Jiajin Mountain and camped in a village in the south of the mountain. Some soldiers looked back at the towering Daxue Mountain and said happily, "Goodbye! Jiajin Mountain!" In the evening, Li Pingren and Xie Liang, who were about to have a good night's rest, received a letter from the head of the army. Li Pingren opened the letter and said to Xie Liang with a smile, "Thank you! This time the first and fourth front armies will join forces in victory." , the chief must have told us to take a good rest and recover our strength so that we can continue to move forward with the whole army.” Xie Liang replied excitedly from the side: “It may be that the chief wants us to reorganize our military capacity, and we are about to join the comrades of the Fourth Front Army. Make a good impression!" The content in the credible surprised the two of them. The letter said: "According to the order of the Military Commission, in order to defend Chairman Mao, the Party Central Committee and cover the First and Fourth Front Armies to rest and reorganize, you should return to Jiajin Mountain South immediately after receiving the letter, Stick to the front line of Yanjingping and continue to block the enemy." The content of the letter is very brief, but it weighs a thousand catties.The two were relatively silent for a while, then Li Pingren quickly folded the letter and ordered the guards around him: "Notify the company commanders, bury the pot and cook immediately, and rest on the spot after eating. The troops set out at dawn!" In this way, the 37th Regiment jumped Jiajin Mountain for the second time and arrived at Yanjingping the next night.Fortunately, the timid enemy was afraid of the Red Army's ambush, so he stayed where he was and did not catch up. The previous blocking position was still empty.Facing such a timid opponent, the tired fighters laughed from ear to ear, and at the same time they strengthened their determination to stick to it.In this way, the thirty-seventh regiment confronted the enemy again, fighting during the day and resting at night, the enemy did not attack, and the Red Army did not go out. After fighting for a week, the whole regiment suffered no casualties.At this time, a telegram from the Legion arrived, instructing the 37th Regiment to withdraw from its position after completing its mission, cross Jiajin Mountain, and pass through Dawei to Maogong to stand by. Looking at the towering Jiajin Mountain in the distance, Li Pingren said to himself: "Jiajin Mountain, Jiajin Mountain, what's so great about it, I'll let you live again!"