Chapter 42 7. The adventure of leather travel through Jinpu into Jiangsu and Anhui

Among the Central Plains troops that broke out, Pi Dingjun and his 1st Brigade were the ones that withstood the most severe test. Pi Dingjun, a native of Jinzhai, Anhui, joined the Red Army in 1929 and joined the Party in 1931.He is a cadre who grew up in the Red Fourth Front Army.He participated in many anti-"encirclement and suppression" operations and the Long March in the Hubei, Henan, Anhui and Soviet areas, and later served as the head of the regiment in northern Shaanxi.During the Anti-Japanese War, he served as the head of the Special Task Force in the 129th Division and the commander of the 5th and 7th Army Divisions of the Taihang Military Region. In August 1944, he served as the commander of the Western Henan Detachment, and went south to open up the Western Henan base.After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, his troops were reorganized into the 1st Vertical and 1st Brigade of the Central Plains Military Region.This so-called "Pi Brigade" is known for its tenacious style. When the Kuomintang army besieged the Central Plains Military Region, the Pi Brigade had been defending the front line of Baiqueyuan.

After accepting the task of covering the Central Plains Bureau and the main force to break through, the cadres of the 1st Brigade began to study the action plan.Covering meant they were alone, with no one to help them.It is necessary to complete the task and preserve oneself. It is really not sure to stand out when surrounded on all sides.Many of the covering troops were prepared to sacrifice themselves. Everyone has no objection to sticking to the position of Baiqueyuan.It was hard to make up my mind where to go after three days.To pursue the main force westward will inevitably attract the enemy; to the south is the Yangtze River, and it is not easy for thousands of people to cross the river.Political commissar Xu Zirong thought over and over again, and said: "I have an idea, after the main force has passed the railway, can we feign a shot, pretend to follow the main force and walk for a day and a half, cover up, and then go south, and then catch the main force by surprise and kill the carbine. Advance eastward quickly. By the time the enemy finds out our movements, we have already traveled hundreds of miles. Although it is more than 1,000 miles to the Jiangsu and Anhui base areas, most of them are in the Dabie Mountains. The action is very concealed, and the resistance may be relatively small. Everyone What do you think?"

The opinion of the political commissar was unanimously agreed by all. Subsequently, the 1st Brigade, under the leadership of brigade commander Pi Dingjun, completed the task of attracting and blocking the enemy on the eastern front. It first marched about 30 miles southwest, and then quickly turned around and secretly entered Baiqueyuan, more than 10 miles southeast. Liu Jiachong hid himself and tightly sealed the news. On June 29, he suddenly went out from the enemy's gap, crossed Xiaojieling, crossed the Huang (Chuan) Ma (City) Highway, and rushed southeast along the Dabie Mountain Ridge, throwing off the pursuing enemy. , broke through the stubborn blockage at Songziguan, and took the road into the west of Anhui.

On July 4th, arrived at Wujiadian in the central area of ​​Dabie Mountains, took a short rest and continued to move forward. On the 10th, the 1st Brigade arrived at Dahuaping in the southwest of Huoshan County. It first defeated a regiment of the enemy's advancing column in Anhui Province at Qingfengling, and then smashed a regiment of the enemy's 48th Army at Mozitan to block us along the Pi River. In an attempt to advance, at this time the 1st Brigade learned that the main force of the enemy's 48th Army was in Shucheng, and immediately turned to the north and entered Maotanchang at the exit of Dabie Mountain.

In order to quickly pass through the Central Anhui Plain, the 1st Brigade organized the whole brigade into three columns and marched side by side. Officers at all levels marched ahead to grasp the situation in a timely manner; The front of the column was used as tentacles, and after full preparations, they walked out of the Dabie Mountains on the night of the 13th.Due to the rapid action and the enemy's surprise, at dawn on the 15th, they crossed the Liu (An) He (Fei) Highway. Under the circumstances that the local party sent people to lead the way, the troops were not afraid of fatigue and marched continuously. At dawn on the 17th, they passed Huainan Road near Xiatang. When the enemy's 138th Division arrived, I had all passed.

On the evening of the 18th, I arrived at the Chihe Town area and was preparing to cross Jinpu Road. At this time, I learned that the enemy army was dispatched from Mingguang (now Jiashan County) and was preparing to intercept our army on the way.Pi Dingdiao brigade commander made a decisive decision, and the troops turned south and crossed the road near Zhangbaling. When our large troops crossed the railway, the enemy's armored train arrived, and the enemy's 138th division also arrived from Mingguang and other places. After fierce fighting, the enemy suffered a major blow. All the troops passed Jinpu Road and successfully entered the Jiangsu-Anhui Liberated Area.

Under the leadership of Brigadier Pi Dingjun, the 1st Brigade has gone through untold hardships. After 24 days and nights, it has marched more than 1,000 miles and fought 21 times. It has defeated the enemy's blockade, pursuit, blockade and encirclement. The actions of the main force that broke out to the west. The troops of the Henan, Jianghan, and Eastern Hubei military regions each stood out from the encirclement.After covering the breakout troops on the North Road and crossing the Pinghan Road, the troops of the Henan Military Region were ordered to follow up with the main force. In late July, they arrived in the area of ​​Sangping, north of Neixiang, and then transferred to Lucheng, Lingbao, and Luonan to disperse their activities.The troops of the Jianghan Military Region set off from Sangshudian on July 1, crossed the Hanshui River from Liushuigou on July 7, took advantage of the emptiness of the enemy's defenses, and successively liberated Yicheng, Nanzhang, Baokang, and Zhushan counties. Played a positive role in cooperation, and then joined the breakout troops on the South Road.

In order to cooperate with the main force to break through the encirclement, the troops of the Eastern Hubei Military Region actively launched activities on the eastern front. After the main force broke through, due to the heavy enemy "clearing and suppressing", they dispersed to break through. Around July 20, they successively arrived at the Yuzhufan area of ​​Taihu County in western Anhui to rendezvous.Then it turned to eastern Hubei to disperse activities.