Chapter 7 2. General of Bravery—General Wang Shusheng

In October 1936, the 1st, 2nd, and 4th main forces of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army joined forces, thus ending the world-renowned 25,000-mile Long March, which was recorded in history with a brilliant victory. However, for Wang Shusheng and some of his comrades-in-arms, they had not fully enjoyed the joy of this victory, and even the journey had not been washed away, and then the most tragic scene of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army began again. Fighting to implement the "Ningxia Campaign Plan"; following the Western Expedition, fighting bloody to "open up the international route".

At that time, Wang Shusheng was suffering from illness due to the overwork of the Long March. He had every reason not to participate in the Western Expedition, but he went resolutely.The extremely tragic West Route Army set off. Perhaps it was a sign that Wang Shusheng and the others would be unlucky as soon as they left the division. On October 25, when crossing the Yellow River from Jingyuan, Gansu to the west, it was blocked by the enemy and bombed by planes.The whole army worked desperately and only crossed more than half of it, and the delayed 4th and 31st armies were stopped by Hu Zongnan-this turned into a "good thing" and avoided the greater tragedy of the Western Expedition.

The Red Army that crossed the Yellow River was: the Red 30th Army, the Red 9th Army and the Red 5th Army, with a total of about 30,000 people. They were called the Hexi Army of the Red Fourth Front Army at that time.As soon as they landed, they launched an attack to the north.Wang Shusheng, who was then the head of the teaching regiment of the Red Fourth Front Army headquarters, followed the Red Ninth Army in action.The first battle is Yiyishan and Suohanbao; the second battle is Dalapai and Zhenlubao.In these few battles, although the Red Army also achieved certain results, they fought very hard and suffered great losses.

The enemy facing the West Route Army is the Ma family warlord who regards the Red Army as a sworn enemy.The Ma family warlords represent the most reactionary feudal forces of the upper Hui people in the northwest region.Its military strength is mainly under the command of Ma Bufang, Ma Buqing, Ma Hongbin, Ma Honglu and Ma Hongkui, commonly known as the "Five Horses".Most of them are cavalry, and they are mobile, flexible, and fast in combat, and they are well supplied in their hometown. With more than 100,000 elite soldiers, the "Five Horses" have an absolute advantage in the balance of strength against the 30,000 West Route Army.

After a few battles, the Red Army, which had traveled long distances and had no base to rely on, showed signs of trouble. Subsequently, the Ningxia campaign plan was abandoned due to changes in the military situation.According to the new deployment, on November 11, the Central Military Commission ordered the Red Army across the river to be called the "West Route Army", appointed Chen Changhao and Xu Xiangqian as the chairman and vice chairman of the West Route Army Military and Political Committee, and led the troops westward to open up Xinjiang. Just as the Red 30th Army and the Red 5th Army were advancing westward, the enemy's main force first bit the Red 9th Army marching towards Gulang. In the early morning of November 11, the 9th Army entered the Ganchaiwa area.The enemy's 3 cavalry brigades and a large number of militias swooped in from the east, west, and south.The 27th Division of the 9th Army, which was playing cover here, escaped from the fierce battle with the enemy for several days and went to Hengliang Mountain to join the army headquarters.Subsequently, the enemy's three cavalry brigades came in pursuit again, and the Ninth Army fought all day and night before repelling the enemy. It took a lot of effort to capture Gulang City.

This hard-won victory paralyzed some people underestimating the enemy. After entering Zhanlang County, the 9th Red Army relaxed its vigilance and defense. On November 16, the enemy's 3 cavalry brigades, 2 infantry brigades, and 4 militia groups, with the cooperation of aircraft and artillery, launched a fierce counterattack against Gulang City from the southwest and northeast. The 9th Army hastily faced off. The dilapidated city walls of Gulang City and the temporary fortifications built by the Red Army could not withstand the bombing of planes and artillery.The position was quickly destroyed, and the enemy rushed into the city. The soldiers of the 9th Army fought bravely and drove the enemy back after repeated hand-to-hand combat; but during the counterattack, they were attacked by enemy cavalry again, causing heavy casualties and blood staining the moat.

In this way, the 9th Red Army fought hard for three days with an enemy that was several times its own, and only then, with the support of a regiment of the 31st Red Army, broke out of the encirclement.In this battle, although more than 2,000 enemies were killed, the 9th Red Army lost more than 2,000; the chief of staff and a division commander both died in the fierce battle, and the 9th Red Army was seriously injured.At this time of crisis, Wang Shusheng was appointed as the deputy commander-in-chief of the West Route Army and the commander of the Ninth Army. Wang Shusheng regretted the defeat of Gulang, the 9th Red Army, but did not show any complaints.Later, he recalled this: "From the point of view of command, this time is not appropriate! Gulang's city wall is broken and the terrain is low-lying, which is really not conducive to defense; but if the commanding heights outside the city are well guarded, the enemy will be blocked first. If we build a second line of defense in the city, the situation will be much better. But we just ignored these, and the high ground outside the city was seized by the enemy. This is like a mountain pressing down on the top, and there is no way. This bloody lesson should be firmly remembered. ..."

After withdrawing from Gulang, Wang Shusheng was ordered to lead the 9th Army and move to the Hexi Corridor controlled by the brother troops.The original plan was to go to Liangzhou, but because the enemy was already prepared, he changed to Yongchang. At that time, Wang Shusheng predicted that the enemy would never let it go after they succeeded in Gulang.As soon as the 9th Red Army arrived in Yongchang, he sent an order to build fortifications overnight.Sure enough, before the gun holes were drawn out, the enemy came; moreover, there were as many as 5 brigades and 7 militias. The enemy army was still the same as Dagulang, first bombarded with cannons, and then the cavalry charged.Wang Shusheng commanded the troops to fight calmly, defended the city, repelled the enemy's attack many times, and wiped out more than 2,000 enemies, but was forced to evacuate due to the fact that the enemy was outnumbered.

During the more than a month of the westward march of the West Route Army, although more than 6,000 enemies were killed and wounded, their own losses were even heavier, and their combat effectiveness was greatly weakened, and the difficulties became more and more serious. Just at this time, the "Xi'an Incident" broke out.The West Route Army was ordered to stop the westward advance, contain the Ma's army on the spot, and establish a base. The situation that the West Route Army is in is objectively in the hands of the enemy.Ma's army used a part of their forces to contain the main force of the West Route Army in the Nijiayingzi area, and concentrated heavy troops to divide and encircle and defeat the scattered West Route Army units.

At this time, Wang Shusheng led a part of the 9th Red Army to station in Ganjunbao.This is a big man.One day in the middle of the first lunar month, Wang Shusheng learned that the enemy was about to launch an attack, and Gan Junbao was one of the main targets.He considered that the 9th Red Army was far away from the headquarters and was in an isolated situation, so it was not suitable to fight to the death, so he took the initiative to retreat that night and moved closer to the main force of our army in Fuyi. Unexpectedly, not far from Zhuangzi, the neighing of mules and horses alarmed the enemy troops that had surrounded Ganjun Fort.In an instant, there was loud gunfire and the team was in chaos.Just as Wang Shusheng was about to issue an order, the enemy fired a cannon, which shook his mount and threw him off the horse.Fortunately, he was not seriously injured. He jumped up, but the frightened horse was gone.

In the chaos, Wang Shusheng decisively grabbed a light gun from the soldiers around him, held it up and shouted loudly: "Comrades, come with me!" The 9th Red Army fought a bloody road. However, when Wang Shusheng led his troops through life and death, went through dangers, and gathered at the headquarters of the West Route Army, what they learned was one after another extremely sad and unfortunate news. On January 20, Gaotai fell, and more than 3,000 people including Dong Zhentang, commander of the 5th Red Army defending the city, Yang Keming, director of the Political Department, and Ye Chongben, commander of the 13th Division, died heroically; on January 21, our cavalry division who rescued Gaotai, It was also stopped by the enemy on the way.Both the division commander and the political commissar died in the fierce battle; Fuyi, where the team directly under the headquarters is located, fell back to the enemy.The soldiers who broke out were intercepted by the enemy again and suffered heavy losses... And all the remaining troops of the West Route Army were surrounded by tens of thousands of powerful enemies in more than 40 villages in the northwest of the Nijiayingzi area.The situation is dire.Although there was a telegram from the central government to return east, it was difficult to realize it under the interception of the enemy's superior cavalry.Only temporarily gather the whole army and stick to the ground. Ma's army realized that the West Route Army had the intention of returning east. On January 23, they bombarded with artillery and machine guns, and launched continuous fierce attacks on the positions of the West Route Army.At this time, the West Route Army was short of ammunition and could only fight the enemy by hand-to-hand combat.Whenever the enemy charged forward, the Red Army who stood firm, regardless of gender, age or age, would jump out and charge into the enemy group, brandishing spears, knives, wooden sticks, and everything else that could be used as weapons. Fighting with the enemy; some of the weapons in their hands were destroyed, so they rushed at the enemy with bare hands, punched, kicked, bitten, tore off the enemy's ears, and grabbed the enemy's beard; The man fired the grenade for his body protection, and died with the surrounding enemies... At this time, Wang Shusheng, as a senior commander, not only had to lead ten soldiers in every battle, but also kept running around between battles, condolences to the soldiers, and inspired fighting spirit. The Nijiayingzi area occupied by the West Route Army is just a small area.After being trapped for a long time, it has reached the point of running out of ammunition and food.In order to survive, the only way to brave the blockade of enemy artillery fire is to fetch water in the enemy-occupied area. I don't know how many soldiers were killed or injured!After fighting like this for more than a month, although a large number of enemies were wiped out, the number of the West Route Army was less than 10,000. On February 21, 1937, the Military and Political Committee of the West Route Army decided to return to the east in view of the hopeless long-term defense.That night, the soldiers broke through in two ways.Wang Shusheng led the 9th Army to the right wing. On the 24th, Wang Shusheng's troops arrived in the Xidongbao area of ​​Ganzhou.That is to say, I got the news that a large number of enemies are following.As soon as he heard it, he made up his mind.The enemy is a proud soldier, and he can just take advantage of this and kill him with a "returning carbine". Therefore, Wang Shusheng arranged the position carefully, and in order to strengthen the main attack force, he sent out all his guards and communication companies.Sure enough, as expected by Wang Shusheng, the enemy army arrived in the middle of the night, and they were too arrogant to set up camp. As soon as they came up, they surrounded Xidongbao, and then launched an attack.After fighting for a while, there was no fire. The enemy thought that the Red Army had no power to fight back, so a large group of people rushed to Xidongbao. Just when the enemy was proud, suddenly, the sound of the charging horn pierced the silent night sky, and there was a sudden sound of killing. Rows of grenades were thrown at the enemy group, causing the enemy to cry and cry, and the people turned their backs.The rats fleeing alive, were greeted by the light and heavy machine guns in the hands of the Red Army; the enemy's cavalry suddenly lost their former prestige and were beaten to run around. Fighting continued until midnight, when an enemy cavalry brigade and a gendarmerie regiment were defeated, our army seized a large number of guns and ammunition. The next day, the 9th Red Army and the 30th Red Army wiped out the enemy military police regiment in the area of ​​Longshoubao, surrendering more than 1,200 guns and a large number of military supplies. These victories hit the Ma's army's spirit and inspired their own fighting spirit, which would have helped the West Route Army get out of danger and return eastward quickly.However, the main person in charge of the West Route Army once again overestimated the role of these victories, believing that the forces of the enemy and ourselves had undergone decisive changes, and decided to return to Nijiayingzi, preparing to continue westward and complete the established tasks. On February 26, the troops returned to Nijiayingzi.At this time, Ni's camp, which was looted by the enemy, had no food to eat and no houses to live in. The next day, the Ma family army waited for an opportunity to besiege with heavy troops.Our West Route Army fought bloody battles with the enemy for 7 consecutive days and nights, with heavy casualties, running out of ammunition and food, and fell into an extremely difficult situation. On the night of March 5, the West Route Army broke through again.Move to the northwest.On the 7th, they were surrounded by the enemy in Sandaoliugou in the south of Fuyi. After fighting hard for 5 days, they were freed from the mountain again. Constantly breaking through and fighting, the Red Army has been dragged to exhaustion; often the enemy cavalry will catch up as soon as they settle down in the early morning; up. In such a dangerous situation, considering that the West Route Army has many Sichuanese soldiers and is familiar with mountain warfare, the headquarters decided to move to Qilian Mountains. Qilian Mountain, located at the junction of Gansu and Qinghai provinces, is a mountain that stretches for thousands of miles and has many mountains. On March 12, as soon as the West Route Army arrived at Liyuankou in Qilian Mountains, the Majia cavalry swarmed in again. At this critical juncture of life and death, the 9th Red Army as the rear guard, under the command of Wang Shusheng, took the lead in seizing the west hill of Liyuankou, resisting the enemy and covering the deployment of the 30th Red Army.The battle was extremely fierce. In just a few hours, two closed Red Army troops shed their blood in front of the battle; Chen Haisong, political commissar of the 9th Red Army, Huang Siyan, director of propaganda, and Yang Chaoli, political commissar of the 25th Red Division, were killed on the spot.Wang Shusheng fought hard, only to be able to escape from death under the cover of a group of guards. After the defeat of the 9th Red Army, the enemy rushed to the 30th Red Army with all its strength.Two more regiments of the Red Army died on the battlefield.The general headquarters led the remaining troops to retreat while fighting, and retreated into the Qilian Mountains.Once counted, the entire West Route Army, including a large number of wounded, is less than 3,000 people. On March 14, all the West Route Army moved to the Shiwo area 40 miles south of Kanglong Temple, and was attacked by enemy cavalry again, losing 2 regiments.So far, there are only more than 1,500 people left in the whole army, and they are surrounded by two enemy brigades down the mountain. The critical situation has finally reached its peak. At the last moment, Chen Lvhao, chairman of the Military and Political Committee of the West Route Army, presided over a general meeting and decided to reorganize the remaining troops into two detachments, the left and the right: the left detachment has more than a thousand people, led by Li Xiannian, the political commissar of the Red 30th Army, and marched along the Qilian Mountains. Going west, shifting covertly, getting rid of the enemy, and heading towards Anxi and Xinjiang; the right detachment of more than 500 people, led by Wang Shusheng, went east, preparing to go out of the mountain, deal with the enemy, and move east toward the Yellow River; It was decided that Commander Chen Changhao and Xu Qianqian would divide into another path, separate from the troops, and move eastward. Time was pressing, and each detachment acted separately overnight.Wang Shusheng led the right detachment and quickly attracted a large number of enemy soldiers. On March 15, the right detachment fought fiercely with the chasing enemy in the Huangfansi area and repelled the enemy.However, immediately after that, two more brigades of enemies surrounded them, and the right detachment was outnumbered. Most of the soldiers shed their last drop of blood, and only a hundred or so soldiers were left to break through. From then on, Wang Shusheng led more than a hundred people to fight guerrilla attacks in Qilian Mountains for nearly a hundred days, and experienced human suffering.In the vast mountains, not to mention life and death struggles with fierce enemies anytime and anywhere, even the struggle with nature is extremely cruel.In the Qilian Mountains shrouded in severe winter, there is no human footprint, no grass, and as far as the eye can see, it is a piece of snow and jagged rocks.What a disaster it was for the Red Army, who had no clothes to cover their bodies and no food to eat!Some soldiers who survived the enemy's hail of bullets were killed by the hunger and cold in Qilian Mountains. With the constant life-and-death struggle, severe cold and hunger intensified, the number of fighters around Wang Shusheng decreased day by day, and in less than two months, there were more than a hundred soldiers.The number dropped sharply to more than 30 people, and all of them were ragged and exhausted.Some fighters couldn't stand it anymore and demanded to fight the enemy to finish. Wang Shusheng patiently persuaded: "Fighting against the enemy is the most enjoyable and easiest. But comrades, you should know that we are not in business, what are we doing to lose money and make money; we still have heavy responsibilities! Now I can tell everyone clearly that we are here It's not hiding in the east or west for survival, nor is it taking over the mountains and grass to be a bandit, but to contain the enemy, cover our left detachment to continue westward, and open up international routes!" Xiaoming's great righteousness, no matter how hard it is, everyone silently endured it.Wang Shusheng led this handful of people through the winter and ushered in spring.It persisted until June 1937. In Qilian Mountains in June, the ice and snow began to melt, and the grass began to sprout.On a rare sunny day, Wang Shusheng and his soldiers climbed up a hill and were about to bask in the sun. Suddenly, the sharp-eyed Wang Shusheng saw several figures appearing not far away, and they shook for a while.Then, there was a shout: "Which part?" Everyone was startled, thinking they were their scattered comrades-in-arms, so they asked back, "Which part do you belong to?" This shout was inappropriate, and immediately elicited a wild cry: "Communist Army! Communist Army! Fight!" The gunshots rang out again. Seeing this, Wang Shusheng waved his hand, jumped on his horse, and shouted: "Comrades, follow me!" With this rush, Wang Shusheng and his right detachment were dispersed, dispersed forever. Less than 10 people rushed out following Wang Shusheng. It was impossible for these poor people to persist on the spot, so Wang Shusheng decided to return east to northern Shaanxi.On the way, it was divided into two groups, one took the small road and the other took the big road, in order to preserve the last bit of flesh and blood as much as possible. Wang Shusheng led a few people eastward to the edge of the Tengger Desert, and met the cavalry of the Ma family army. They fought in the dark, but when they looked back, there was no one around them!At this time, Wang Shusheng really became a lone commander! Between the land, apart from him, Wang Shusheng, there was an endless desert, and it was difficult to tell the direction accurately, so he could only walk forward by feeling. The desert is windy, Wang Shusheng walked eastward for a day according to the rising and setting of the sun, and encountered a sudden strong wind in the afternoon.When the wind blows, the desert is like a big kang mat being shaken by people, with gravel and fine sand overwhelming the sky, the sun is invisible, and the direction is lost.Wang Shusheng was swept up by the whirlwind, pushing left and right, not knowing where to go.When he woke up, it was midnight, the wind stopped, and he was lying under a sandy slope.His face was peeling, his lips were blistered, chapped and bleeding.When I touched it with my hand, my body was covered with a thick layer of yellow sand "quilt".Little by little, he pulled himself out and struggled to get up.He knew that if he didn't hurry away when there was no wind, he would not be so lucky when the second storm came. He continued to walk forward, walk, and finally fell headfirst into the desert... When I woke up, I saw an old man over 60 years old, holding a water hyacinth in his hand and feeding him water.He struggled to get up, but couldn't move.The old man comforted him: "Don't move, you are too hungry, drink some water first." Wang Shusheng stopped talking, drank water, and ate the two buns handed over by the old man. Then he sat up, looked around, and found that he had reached the edge of the desert. The old man asked Wang Shusheng, "Why did you come to this place?" Wang Shusheng didn't know the background of this old man, so he didn't dare to reveal the truth easily, so he made up a lie and said, "Master, I'm a salt seller. I fell into this situation because I met a robber on the way and was robbed of salt and money." The old man smiled: "You don't look like a salt dealer. I have often dealt with salt dealers in my life, and I can't tell the truth from the fake? To be honest, I think you are the Red Army." Wang Shulu was taken aback, wondering where his feet had been exposed, but he kept covering his mouth: "Old man, I am not the Red Army." The old man became angry, and changed his face: "Yes, why hide it? Let me tell you, my name is Yu Xueren, I live in Xuanwopu, Zhongwei County, Ningxia, and I have been doing small business to support my family all my life. I don't cheat people. Quite right, the poor have been oppressed by the Ma’s army, and everyone is looking forward to the Red Army’s coming to wipe them out, so that we too can turn around.” What Wang Shusheng said made him feel embarrassed, so he had to admit: "I'll tell you the truth, I'm a Red Army, and I often meet bad guys along the way, so..." "Stop talking, go home with me first." The old man was very happy when he found out Wang Shusheng's identity. The old man walked several tens of miles with Wang Shusheng in his arms, and arrived at his son-in-law's house in the evening.The old man specially asked his daughter to scramble some eggs for Wang Shusheng to eat.Seeing that the old man's family was honest and poor, Wang Shusheng talked a lot, and told the old man about his family's situation: "My family lives in Xiangjiachong, Macheng, Hubei, at the western foot of the Dabie Mountains. There are 14 people in my family. The main relatives of my family participated in the revolution very early. The eldest brother was a member of the Communist Party and died of illness. The second brother was also a member of the Communist Party and died in the battle. After my younger brother and younger sister joined the revolution, they were killed during the 'elimination of counter-revolutionaries'. Now there is no one in my family, and I joined the Red Army to defeat the reactionaries and vent my anger on the poor!" The old man was smoking and listening quietly.After a long time, he said: "Look, there is no one in your family. Although our place is a bit poor, we still have something to eat. I think you are honest and honest. You stay with me, and I have a daughter." ..." "Old man," Wang Shusheng said anxiously, "I am a member of the party, and I will return to the team no matter where I go. Old man, you saved me, and I will never forget it, but if you want me to stay, I can't stay. I must Go back to Yan'an. Please forgive me, old man." The old man smoked for a long time, sighed and said: "It seems that I can't keep you here. I will see you off when there is a fine day." A few days later, the old man Yu Xueren and Wang Shusheng set out on the road. One of the two pretended to be "father-in-law" and the other "son-in-law".When encountering interrogation, Wang Shusheng did not speak, and the old man Yu Xueren answered all the questions.The journey went smoothly, and after five or six days, they arrived outside Tongxin City in northern Shaanxi.This place is already on the edge of the red zone, Wang Shusheng feels relieved.While he was secretly rejoicing, suddenly, several men with rifles came out from the woods and surrounded them.The leader waved his pistol and said, "Hands up, what are you doing?" Wang Shusheng took a closer look at the other party's attire, and asked, "What do you do?" "We are the Red Army!" Wang Shu said: "Do you have a person in charge? I want to meet for a while." The Red Army soldier glared: "You have a serious tone, say, what on earth are you doing?" Wang Shusheng replied, "My name is Wang Shusheng, and I belong to the Red 4th Front Army. My troops broke up and I lost my way in the desert on the way back to Yan'an. Thanks to this old man who saved my life, he sent me back today. .” "I don't think you look like the Red Army." The Red Army soldier still didn't believe it, and stepped forward to tie up Wang Shusheng and Yu Xueren. Wang Shusheng and Yu Xueren were escorted to a farmhouse in Tongxin City. The Red Army platoon leader entered the house and reported to the head of the regiment that two suspicious people had been caught.The head of the regiment came out of the room, recognized Wang Shusheng at a glance, and hurriedly turned around to criticize the soldiers: "What did you do? Why are you arresting people randomly? This is Deputy Commander Wang of the Red 4th Front Army!" The soldiers stuck out their tongues in fright. The head of the regiment shouted: "What are you still doing in a daze, untie the chief!" The head of the Red Army stepped forward to hold Wang Shusheng's hand, and said embarrassedly: "Deputy commander, please forgive me." Wang Shulu smiled and said, "You guys are very vigilant and you did the right thing. I can't blame you. Do you have any food?" The head of the group hastily let Shangshusheng and old man Yu Xueren into the house, and ordered people to cook food.The old man Yu Xueren was going back after two days of rest in the army.Before leaving, Wang Shusheng gave him a gold ring that he had kept for many years, and said emotionally: "Old man, you saved my life, and I will never forget it for the rest of my life. Please accept this gold ring as a souvenir! When the whole country is liberated in the future, I will go to Zhongwei to visit you!" Old man Yu Xueren accepted the ring with tears in his eyes, and bid farewell to Wang Shusheng. After the liberation of the whole country, Wang Shusheng did not break his promise. He asked people to inquire about the whereabouts of Yu Xueren many times, but he was never found. Under the escort of the cavalry sent by the head of the Red Army, Wang Shusheng came to Yan'an. Hearing that Wang Shusheng was back, Mao Zedong took him to the cave, invited him to dinner, and cleaned the dust for him.Wang Shulu reported in detail the battle process of the West Route Army, and reviewed his own mistakes and responsibilities with a sad heart. Mao Zedong did not blame him, but praised him for his courage to take responsibility, and said kindly: "You will win when you come back, and you are not responsible for the failure of the West Route Army!" Mao Zedong then wrote a letter in his own hand, introducing Wang Shusheng to study in the "Kang Da".