Chapter 21 4. Correspondence between the chiefs of the two armies before the war

The 40th Army and the New 8th Army, the vanguard of the 11th Theater of the Kuomintang, which went north from Xinxiang, were originally Feng Yuxiang's old troops, and most of the officers and soldiers were from Hebei.This time he went north to take the lead. On the one hand, Chiang Kai-shek took advantage of the psychology of the officers and soldiers of the Northwest Army to return home, gave them some territory, and enticed them to work for him.On the other hand, Chiang Kai-shek squeezed out and discriminated against non-directed troops. When attacking the liberated areas, he let these troops work hard in front, exhausting their strength, and achieving the goal of killing two birds with one stone.In this regard, the generals of the Northwest Army knew very well that internal conflicts had already been exposed before the soldiers and horses moved.

Gao Shuxun, the deputy commander of the 11th war zone, was born in Yanshan, Hebei. He was born in a poor family. In 1930, when Feng Yuxiang and Yan Xishan failed in their war against Chiang Kai-shek, Gao Shuxun was unwilling to join Chiang Kai-shek and avoided living in Tianjin, where he had a close relationship with the patriotic general Ji Hongchang.After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, he went to Zhangjiakou to join Feng Yuxiang's Anti-Japanese Allied Army as the commander. After the Allied Army failed, he was transferred to Song Zheyuan's subordinates.When the Japanese army invaded North China, he persisted in the War of Resistance and led his troops into Henan.When generals such as Shi Yousan planned to surrender to the Japanese army as a traitor, he stood firm and tried to trap and kill Shi Yousan.Gao Shuxun persisted in the five-year war of resistance behind enemy lines. In 1942, he led his troops to withdraw to the rear area.This made Gao Shuxun recognize Chiang Kai-shek's true face and began to seek cooperation with the Communist Party.

In Gao Shuxun's headquarters, there is Wang Dingnan, an underground member of the Communist Party of China.Wang is a native of Henan. In 1944, when he organized an anti-Japanese guerrilla in Baofeng, he was surrounded and suppressed by Tang Enbo's troops of the Kuomintang army.On the way Wang was escorted, he passed Gao Shuxun's residence. During the interrogation, Gao felt that this person was knowledgeable and might be the Communist Party. He tried to release Wang on bail and stayed in the headquarters as a counselor. In August 1945, the War of Resistance was about to be won. Gao Shuxun felt that sooner or later his non-directed army would be wiped out by Chiang Kai-shek, and he urgently needed to find a way out.Under the guidance of this kind of thinking, he entrusted Wang Dingnan to secretly go to the Taihang liberated area and contact Peng Dehuai.

Wang Dingnan came to Xinxiang via Xuchang with Gao Shuxun's secret letter.Sun Dianying, who is entrenched here, is a cunning warlord and traitor.He voted for Chiang Kai-shek openly, but he also had connections with the Communist Party secretly, playing the trick of "the three caves of the cunning rabbit".Sun Dianying had a good personal relationship with Gao Shuxun, and when he heard that Wang Dingnan was going to Taihang, he introduced Zhu Muzhi, a representative of the Eighth Route Army who worked in his army, to Wang Dingnan.Zhu Muzhi heard that Wang Dingnan was sent by Gao Shuxun to get in touch with the Eighth Route Army, so he went on the road with Wang and accompanied him into the Taihang liberated area.

After trekking all the way, when Wang Dingnan and Zhu Muzhi arrived at the headquarters of the Shanxi-Hebei-Luyu Military Region in Chi'an Village, Shexian County, the battle of Shangdang was in full swing.Liu Deng, who was commanding at the front line, heard that someone from Gao Shuxun was coming, and he attached great importance to it. He asked Wang Dingnan to meet him in Licheng.Wang Dingnan handed over Gao Shuxun's personal letter to Peng Dehuai to Chief Liu and Deng, and reported in detail the situation of Gao Shuxun's troops.Liu Bocheng wrote a reply letter to Gao Shuxun, expressing his welcome attitude and hoping that he would make contributions to the people.Deng Xiaoping asked Wang Dingnan to return to Xinxiang immediately, and sent two comrades to go with Wang Dingnan.Wang Dingnan's behavior established a formal relationship between Gao Shuxun and our army, and created conditions for the subsequent Handan Uprising.

It was the end of September when Wang Dingnan returned to Xinxiang. The 11 theater troops have received the order to march north and are ready to go.Gao Shuxun was very happy after hearing Wang Dingnan's report.At this time, the question he considered was how the troops could pass through the liberated area smoothly and receive them in Shijiazhuang.He knew that the 300-mile Ping-Han route from Anyang to Gaoyi and dozens of cities along the route were under the control of the Eighth Route Army. It was not easy for Sun Lianzhong to open up the Ping-Han route!Now that Wang Dingnan has gotten in touch with the Eighth Route Army, it is better to get rid of the Fifth Mafa Division and go northward with the New Eighth Army alone.Therefore, he wanted to send Wang Dingnan to meet Liu Deng again, and discuss "borrowing the way" to go north.Gao Shuxun wrote to Liu Bocheng and said: "When the Japanese invaders have surrendered, the whole country needs real unity to establish a modern democratic country. If fascism is still ruled, it will surely go to the road of extinction. The younger brother was ordered to advance to Shijiazhuang Brother, please inform your side to garrison troops along the way so that there will be no misunderstanding."

On October 1, after Wang Dingnan forwarded this letter to the headquarters of the Shanxi-Hebei-Luyu Military Region, we had different opinions.It can be seen that Gao Shuxun's attitude just does not want to conflict with our army, and contains the intention of preserving the strength of the headquarters.As for leaving the Kuomintang and turning to the revolution, there was no talk at that time.Liu Deng asked the Central Committee for instructions, and the Central Military Commission replied on October 10, stating: "It is necessary to strive for the temporary neutrality of some forces, but Gao Shuxun's premature northward march, going deep into Shijiazhuang and Pingjin, is not in my favor. Regardless of Gao Shuxun's subjective wishes How, in fact, it will become the center of unity for the puppet army and the puppet police in central Hebei, eastern Hebei, and Pingjin, which will increase my difficulties." "Therefore, we should use all means to discuss with Gao. It is inappropriate to delay its northward advance, and it is inappropriate to give it the convenience of the northward advance. If there is an anti-Chiang action, I can give appropriate assistance."