Chapter 89 The Legendary Life of Bandit Leader Zhang Yanning

Zhang Yanning was a popular legend in the Zhaojin area during the National Revolution. Zhang Yanning was born in a relatively wealthy family in Fentan Village, Zhaojin. He didn't study hard since he was a child, but he liked to dance with boxing sticks. He often idled around the village.He didn't learn many Four Books and Five Classics, but he has developed a good martial arts.Because of his violent nature, his father, who is a little literate, can't control him.Early Republic of China.It was the period when the counties and townships vigorously developed militias and joint protection groups. At this time, the counties were called militias, and the cooperative organizations in the townships were called "lian", and the leaders were called "liantou and vice-liantou".The main task of the militia and the alliance is to prevent the looting of the local people by returning soldiers, warlords and bandits.Because of Zhang Yanning's high martial arts skills, his ability to hold a gun with both hands, and his ability to hit a hundred shots, he was favored by the then head of the county militia and became the joint leader of Zhaojinlian.At that time, the young and vigorous Zhang Yanning also led the UNbao to attack the looting of 200 people led by Zhang Zhigong of the warlord Liu Zhenhua's department, and also killed several bandits who looted their homes. Through a head-on attack, he has done some good things for the local people.It was not until 1930, after the establishment of the Yaoxian Defense Corps, that Zhaojin truly established a local militia group, headed by Zhang Yanning, which belonged to the Xiaoqiu District Mission.

As the head of the militia, Zhang Yanning naturally became a figure who called the wind and rain in Zhaojin based on his brilliant achievements.At this time, he helped the Kuomintang reactionary regime to collect grain and donations; forced the people to build walls, build gates, and dig fortifications in the Hougou village where he was entrenched, and completely became a running dog of the Kuomintang reactionaries.In 1932, the Shaanxi-Gansu guerrillas of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army often went to Zhaojin for activities. Zhang Yanning helped the local landlords and gentry transport food and valuables to Hougou Village, and became the "protector" of the landlords and gentry.In addition, his school worked hard to maintain the Baojia system established by the Kuomintang reactionaries, cooperated closely with the 511th Regiment of the 86th Division of the Kuomintang, and echoed the Yaoxian Defense Regiment. On the opposite side of the revolution.In the many confrontations between our Red Army guerrillas and the Kuomintang troops, he saw every stitch and acted as an accomplice, and Hougouzhaizi was his base.It poses an extremely serious threat to the construction and development of our Red Army guerrillas and Zhaojin revolutionary base areas.

Zhang Yanning escaped under the noses of our Red Army guerrillas four times, and his experience of escaping four times made him quite legendary.On the night of February 22, 1932, that is, the 15th night of the first month of the lunar calendar, when Zhang Yanning’s militia was playing social fire and carnival on Zhaojin Street, our Red Army guerrillas, led by Xie Zichang, according to intelligence, With lightning speed, they quickly surrounded the Zhaojin militia.Zhang Yanning took advantage of the convenience that he was very familiar with the terrain, when our army shrunk the encirclement.Using the vast night as a cover, he escaped from Zhaojin Houhe, and then fled into the dense forest of King Kong Temple. Although our Red Army guerrillas gathered and wiped out the Zhaojin militia, Zhang Yanning escaped by luck.After the Red Army guerrillas withdrew, he returned to Zhaojin Hougou stockade in a grand manner, and continued to be an enemy of the revolution and the people.On September 12, 1932, when the Shaanxi-Gansu guerrillas of our Red Army, led by Xie Zichang, used a plan to wipe out the KMT's three-county defense regiment in Zhang Yanning's family's Fentan Village, the cunning Zhang Yanning arranged everything for the defense regiment. After receiving the incident, he hid in the Hougou village that he had occupied for many years with a high degree of vigilance at night, and once again escaped the pursuit of the Red Army.In October 1932, Yan Hongyan led five detachments of the Shaanxi-Gansu guerrillas to the Zhaojin area.At that time, Yan Hongyan was posing as a "platoon leader" of the KMT's regular army special service regiment, and his subordinates carried him in a sedan chair, and staggered to Zhang Yanning's old nest, Fentan Village.For this new team.Zhang Yanning was very skeptical, but the information obtained from the provincial party's autopsy was that the Red Army guerrillas had been chased to the Nanliang area in the east of Longdong by the 97th and 98th regiments of the Long Army Guard and several regular regiments of the Shaanxi Army. No army.Seeing the behavior of the "platoon leader" of the troops, Zhang Yanning gradually believed that this was their own team.At the beginning of the night, Zhang Yanning lowered his vigilance, and scattered a group of people to various defensive positions in Hougou Village.In the middle of the night, several shots were fired suddenly, and under Yan Hongyan's careful deployment, the five detachments of our Red Army guerrillas disarmed the Zhaojin militia in one fell swoop.This time, the cunning Zhang Yanning did not escape bad luck, and obediently became a prisoner.During this period, the original pro-Red Army guerrillas were divided into two detachments, three and five, to carry out decentralized activities. Yan Hongyan, the leader of the fifth detachment, took advantage of the enemy's misjudgment and designed another solution;After capturing Zhang Yanning, the guerrillas locked him and several small leaders in a civilian house, under the guard of two Red Army soldiers, one old and one young.It was raining heavily at midnight.He couldn't see his fingers, and the little bosses who were detained with Zhang Yanning were scared out of their wits, but the cunning Zhang Yanning used a broken bowl of cat food on the kang to break the ropes that bound him, hoping to relieve him. When the little Red Army was listening to the battle stories told by the old Red Army with relish, it deceived the eyes and ears of two Red Army soldiers, one old and one young, and was hidden in the darkness.After entering the vast blackness, he once again used his familiarity with the terrain to disappear into the vast darkness.In July 1933, after Wang Taiji's uprising troops and Yaoxian guerrillas came to Zhaojin, the border special committee and the headquarters decided to concentrate their superior forces, open the Hougou stockade that had been occupied by the Zhang Yanning militia for many years, and pull out this tree. I shine the nails of the Golden Revolutionary Base.After our army launched a fierce attack with mortar shells, braided grenades, and light and heavy weapons.Duan Yang, a member of the Red Guards, was sent into the village to negotiate. Seeing that the situation was over, the enemy obediently handed in their guns and surrendered.Seeing that Zhang Yanning was unable to save the crisis, he held two guns, killed several members of our Red Army, and then escaped through the narrow path in the west of the village. This was the fourth time Zhang Yanning escaped from the hands of the Red Army.But from then on, Zhang Yanning could only hide in the Xiaoqiusipo area. Apart from cooperating with the Kuomintang army to "encircle and suppress" my base area, he never dared to go one step further than the Jin Revolutionary Base Area.

Zhang Yanning has a violent and cruel personality. He often sleeps with his eyes open, and often holds a gun in his hand. Whenever there is any movement, no matter who it is, he will pull the trigger without thinking. He often kills people without blinking an eye.Several members of his regiment alone were killed by his gun for no reason. He brutally killed our guerrilla fighters and peasant association cadres without mercy.At the end of October 1933, after cooperating with the Kuomintang's heavy troops to capture our Xuejiazhai, Zhang Yanning led his regiment to search everywhere for our Red Army wounded and peasant association cadres, and killed many wounded and revolutionary cadres.When he captured Duan Yang, a member of our Red Guards who had negotiated with him at Jianchuan Cliff, he was so worried about his entering the stockade to negotiate, he gritted his teeth and brutally pushed him off the cliff into the deep valley.

In 1934, after our third guerrilla team liberated Zhaojin again, Zhang Yanning had been retreating in the area of ​​Xiaoqiu and Sipo, serving as the head of the Kuomintang’s Xihe Lianbao and the Kuomintang’s Xiai Township. He acted as the vanguard of the enemy army when attacking our Soviet base areas, went deep into the Soviet area, burned, killed, looted, and did everything.During the ten years from 1934 to 1947, many unforgivable and heinous crimes were committed against our Soviet area. No matter how cunning a fox is, it will show its feet, and it is hard to escape its fate of extinction.On the night of October 10, 1947, the Chunyao County Party Committee and the county government decided that the Independent Battalion, Guards, and militias from all districts would jointly attack Sipo Town, which was occupied by Zhang Yanning.Under the guidance of the county magistrate Xi Zhengbao, the troops set off from Xiangshan Temple and Changjiashan respectively, with the independent battalion as the main attack.As soon as they arrived at the stronghold, the commando immediately touched the first trench outside the enemy bunker and bombarded it with grenades one after another. The enemy defenders were still asleep.Before Feng could get dressed, he fled in a panic.The guards immediately occupied the commanding heights and intercepted them with machine guns.Seeing that the situation was not good, Zhang Yanning fled along the ditch in a hurry, and was shot dead in the grass.A total of 69 enemies were killed and captured in this campaign, three machine guns, fifty-eight rifles, pistols, and pistols, more than 10,000 bullets, and more than 200 grenades were seized. There were no casualties among the soldiers and civilians in Chunyao County.After this battle, Zhang Yanning finally ended his bloody and sinful life.

After Zhang Yanning was shot dead, his head was cut off and used as a living negative teaching material, and hung on an elm tree in front of Yuanzhaojin Middle School.According to some old people, Zhang Yanning's head at that time had a ferocious face, dripping with blood, and was very rash.It is said that one of Zhang's younger brothers from the Nan family had secretly removed his head and buried it, but the government found out the next day and ordered him to return to his original state. His younger brother was criticized many times for this.During the Cultural Revolution, this younger brother also suffered misfortune and was labeled a counter-revolutionary until he died of madness.In our memory, when we were in elementary school, there was a crooked skull on the branches of the bare elm tree, and wherever we went, our hair would stand on end.But based on this, we know the legendary story of a generation of "bandit leader" Zhang Yanning.

Appendix: Northwest Red Army Sequence List 1. Northwest Workers and Peasants Revolutionary Army guerrillas (established during the Qingjian Uprising from October 12, 1927 to January 30, 1928) (1) Northern Shaanxi Military Commission Secretary: Tang Shu Member: Xie Zichang Li Xiangjiu (2) Northwest Workers and Peasants Revolutionary Army guerrillas Chief conductor: Tang Shu Deputy Commander: Xie Zichang Chief of Staff: Yan Kuiyao There are four brigades under its jurisdiction, and Xie Zichang is also the captain of the second brigade. 2. Northwest Revolutionary Army of Workers and Peasants (established during the Weihua Uprising from May 10, 1928 to early August 1928)

Northwest Workers and Peasants Revolutionary Army Military Committee Chairman: Liu Zhidan Commander in Chief: Tang Shu Political Commissar: Liu Jizeng Chief of Staff: Wang Taiji General Counsel: Xu Quanzhong Secretary of the Military Party Committee: Wu Haoran Director of Political Department: Lian Yimin Deputy Director of the Political Department: Wu Haoran (concurrently) Director of Economic Committee: Yang Xiaochu Director of the Manager Department: Wang Qinglan Director of Health Department: Xing Yuntang Director of the Military Law Department: Xu Shangzhi Captain of the First Brigade: Zhao Yasheng

Captain of the Second Brigade: Wu Peimo Captain of the third brigade: Xie Zichang (concurrently) Captain of the Fourth Brigade: Lei Tianxiang Captain of the Cavalry Brigade: Xu Quanzhong (concurrently) Red Guard Captain: Zhang Hanjun 3. Shanxi guerrillas of the Red Army of Chinese Workers and Peasants (April 1931-September 1931) Captain: Tuokekuan Yan Hongyan (back) Political Commissar: Yang Chongyuan Deputy Captain: Yan Hongyan and Wu Daifeng Captain of the First Squadron: Yan Hongyan Captain of the Second Squadron: Bai Xilin Captain of the Third Squadron: Unknown 4. Nanliang guerrillas

Chief conductor: Liu Zhidan Quartermaster: Ma Xiwu Captain of the First Brigade: Zhao Lianbi Vice-Captain: Liu Jingfan Captain of the second brigade: Yang Peisheng Vice-captain: Bai Guanwu Captain of the Third Brigade: Jia Shengcai Vice-Captain: Gu Jushan 5. Northwest Anti-Imperialist Allied Army (January 1932 to February 11, 1932) (1) The Chinese Communist Party Committee (established at the end of October 1931) Secretary: Xie Zichang Members: Liu Zhidan, Yan Hongyan, Yang Chongyuan, Hu Tingjun, Bai Xilin (2) Northwest Anti-Imperialist Allied Army Chief conductor: Xie Zichang Deputy chief conductor: Liu Zhidan

Political Commissar: Jeff Li Chief of Staff: Yang Chongyuan Chief of Staff: Rong Ziqing Director of Political Department: Huang Ziwen Director of the Manager's Office: Lei Yunting Captain of the first team: Shi Chujie Captain of the First Brigade: Yan Hongyan Captain of the Second Brigade: Yang Ding Deputy Captain: Wu Daifeng Captain of the Third Brigade: Lei Enjun Deputy Captain: Chen Yuqing Captain of the Security Brigade: Bai Xilin Captain of the second team: Liu Zhidan (concurrently) Chief of Staff: Zhu Likai Military Quartermaster: Ma Xiwu Captain of the First Brigade: Zhao Lianbi Vice-Captain: Liu Jingfan Captain of the second brigade: Yang Peisheng Vice-captain: Bai Guanwu Captain of the Third Brigade: Jia Shengcai Vice-Captain: Gu Jushan Captain of the Guard: Liu Pijie 6. Shaanxi-Gansu guerrillas of the Red Army of Chinese Workers and Peasants (from February 12, 1932 to the end of April 1932) (1) Shaanxi-Gansu guerrillas of the Red Army of Chinese Workers and Peasants Commander-in-Chief: Xie Zichang Political Commissar: Jeff Li Chief of Staff: Yang Chongyuan Director of Political Department: Huang Ziwen Captain of the First Brigade: Yan Hongyan Political Commissar: Gao Gang Captain of the Second Brigade: Wu Daifeng Political Commissar: Yang Chongyuan Captain of the Third Brigade: Lei Enjun Political Commissar: Cheng Yuqing Captain of the Guard Brigade: Bai Xilin Political Commissar: Hu Tingjun Captain of the Cavalry Brigade: Qiang Longguang Political Commissar: Yang Sen Deputy Captain of the Cavalry Brigade: Yang Qi (2) From April 1932 to early May 1932. On April 22, 1932, Du Heng, secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, announced the revocation of the commander-in-chief of the Shaanxi-Gansu guerrillas of the Red Army and the commander-in-chief of Xie Zichang, and the troops were organized into two detachments. Captain of the first team: Liu Zhidan Political commissar: Li Jeff Chief of Staff: Wu Daifeng Supply Director: Liu Yueshan Captain of the Second Detachment: Yan Hongyan Political Commissar: Huang Ziwen Chief of Staff: Yang Chongyuan (3) May 10, 1932 to late June 1932 Chief conductor: Liu Zhidan Political Commissar: Jeff Li Chief of Staff: Yang Chongyuan Director of Political Department: Huang Ziwen The troops are still divided into three and five detachments for activities. (4) From late June 1932 to August 31, 1932 Commander in Chief: Yan Hongyan Political Commissar: Li Gen Captain of the First Brigade: Gao Baoshan Political Commissar: Huang Ziwen Captain of the Second Brigade: Liu Zhidan Political Commissar: Liu Zhidan (concurrently) Deputy Captain: Wu Daifeng Captain of the Third Brigade: Gao Pengfei Political Commissar: Yan Runpin Captain of the Cavalry Brigade: Qiang Longguang (5) From August 31, 1932 to mid-September 1932 Commander-in-Chief: Xie Zichang There are two infantry brigades and a cavalry unit under it, and their activities will be dispersed after mid-September. 7. The Second Regiment of the 26th Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (December 24, 1932 to July 1933) Head: Wang Shitai Political commissar: Du Heng and Wang Feng (on behalf of) Chief of Staff: Zheng Yi and Liu Zhidan (later) Chief of Staff: Yang Chongyuan Political Director: Liu Zhidan Director of Management: Yang Qi Director of the Manager: Liu Yueshan Commander of the First Infantry Company: Li Yafu Instructor: Li Bingrong Commander of the Second Infantry Company: Wu Daifeng Instructor: Gao Jinchun Cavalry company commanders: Cao Shengrong, Zhang Shiqing (the last one), Li Guangming (the last two), Yang Qi (the last three) Cavalry Company Instructor: Zhang Xiushan Captain of Young Pioneers: Wang Youfu Instructor: Wei Wu Principal of the accompanying school: Jeff Li Instructor: Feng Wang 8. Temporary Headquarters of the Red Army on the Shaanxi-Gansu Frontier (August 11, 1933) Chief conductor: Wang Taiji Political Commissar: Gao Gang Chief of Staff: Liu Zhidan (since October 1933) (1) Red Four Missions Head: Huang Zixiang Political commissar: Wang Baidong, Zhang Xiushan (last one), Yang Sen (last two), chief of staff: Li Tianshe (2) Northwest Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army Commander in Chief: Wang Taiji Chief of Staff: Tan Guofan Director of the Political Department: Yang Sheng (Liu Yingsheng) Captain of the First Brigade: Zheng Ziming Captain of the Second Brigade: Ren Jianmin Captain of the Third Brigade: Zhang Longyun Captain of the Fourth Brigade: Zhou Demin Captain of the Fifth Brigade: Tan Guofan (concurrently) (3) Three detachments of the Shaanxi-Gansu border guerrillas Party Representative: Zhang Bangying Captain: Chen Xueding Vice Captain: Zhang Zhongliang 9. The 42nd Division of the 26th Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (November 1933 to February 1935) Teacher: Wang Taiji (November 1933-December 1933) Liu Zhidan (January 1934 to May 1934) Jansen (May 1934-February 1935) Political Commissar: Gao Gang (November 1933-December 1933) Jansen (January 1934-April 1934) Zhang Xiushan (April 1934 to May 1934) Gao Gang (May 1934-July 1934) Xie Zichang (July 1934 to December 1934) Zhang Xiushan (January 1935 to February 1935) Chief of Staff: Liu Zhidan Director of the Political Department: Huang Ziwen and Gong Fengchun (later) Head of the First Regiment: Chen Guodong Political Commissar: Zhang Zhongliang Head of the Second Regiment: Liu Jingfan Political Commissar: Hu Yanying Leader of the Third Regiment: Wang Shitai Political Commissar: Li Yingnan Huang Luobin (back) Head of the Cavalry Regiment: Wang Shitai Political Commissar: Li Yingnan Huang Luobin Huang Zixiang, Yang Sen (last one) Zhao Guoqing (second two) Political commissars: Yang Sen, Zhang Xiushan (last one), Gao Jinchun (last two) Northwest Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army Commander: Guo Baoshan Political Commissar: Ren Langhua Team Captain: Tao Rongqi Captain of the Second Brigade: Wang Donglai Captain of the third team: Yang Maotang Northwest Military and Political Cadre School Principal: Liu Zhidan Political Commissar: Xi Zhongxun Vice President: Wu Daifeng 10. General Headquarters of the Red Army in Northern Shaanxi (July 1934 to September 1934) Commander-in-Chief: Xie Zichang Political Commissar: Guo Hongtao Chief of Staff: He Jinnian 11. Independent Division of the Northern Shaanxi Red Army (August 1934 to January 1935) Head of the First Regiment: He Jinnian Political Commissar: Liu Guang and Ma Peixun (back) Chief of Staff: Lu Wenchang Head of the Second Regiment: Guo Yuren Political Commissar: Ma Wanli Chief of Staff: Hui Shiliang Leader of the Third Regiment: Wang Zhaoxiang Political Commissar: Yang Wenmo Chief of Staff: Liu Zhenxi 12. The 84th Division of the 27th Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (January 1935 to February 1935) Teacher: Yang Qi Political Commissar: Zhang Dazhi Chief of Staff: Zhu Zixiu Head of the First Regiment: He Jinnian Political Commissar: Ma Peixun Head of the Second Regiment: Guo Yuren Political Commissar: Ma Wanli Leader of the Third Regiment: Wang Zhaoxiang and Wang Shijie (later) Political Commissar: Yang Wenmo and Fan Wende (later) 13. Northwest Revolutionary Military Committee (February 1935 to September 1935) (1) Northwest Revolutionary Military Committee Chairman: Xie Zichang Liu Zhidan (later) Vice Chairman: Liu Zhidan Gao Gang (later) Secretary-General and Director of the Political Department: Bai Jian Chief of Staff: Zhu Zixiu (2) Former Enemy Headquarters (established on May 4, 1935) Chief conductor: Liu Zhidan Political Commissar: Gao Gang Director of Political Department: Bai Jian Secretary General: Fan Ziwen 1) The 42nd Division of the 26th Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army Teacher: Yang Sen Political Commissar: Zhang Xiushan Head of the First Regiment: Chen Guodong Jia Yibin (back) Political Commissar: Zhang Zhongliang Guo Bingkun (back) Head of the Second Regiment: Kong Lingfu Political Commissar: Hu Yanying Head of the third regiment: Wang Shitai Huang Luobin (later) political commissar: Huang Luobin Head of the Cavalry Regiment: Zhao Guoqing Kang Jianmin (rear) Political Commissar: Gao Jinchun Northwest Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army Commander: Guo Baoshan Political Commissar: Huang Luobin and Ma Peixun (later) 2) The 84th Division of the 27th Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army Teacher: Yang Qi Political Commissar: Zhang Dazhi Chief of Staff: Zhu Zixiu Head of the First Regiment: He Jinnian Political Commissar: Ma Peixun Head of the Second Regiment: Guo Yuren Political Commissar: Ma Wanli Leader of the Third Regiment: Wang Shijie Political Commissar: Fan Wende 3) Shaanxi-Gansu-Shanxi Military and Political Cadre School Principal: Wu Daifeng Political Commissar: Zhang Xiushan