Chapter 39 Chapter Thirty-ninth The Final Pursuit

The mastermind behind the bank robbery in Hami is none other than the dignified commissioner Yao Lebosi. A week before Tao Zhiyue and Bao Erhan were connected to the electricity successively, the helpless Yao Lebosi suddenly received a telegram from overseas. There is bright hope only when we have a bright future.The signature at the end of the newspaper is: Xiang Renzhi. Jollerbosch laughed after reading the telegram, then downed his whiskey and lay down early.However, what awaited him was still a long sleepless night. As the sky was approaching dawn, Yao Lebosi tossed and turned on the bed, still unable to sleep.

Xiang Renzhi used to be the British consul in Xinjiang.When he was in office, he and Yao Lebosi had a scene of being brothers and sisters, and they talked about everything together.At that time, Yao Lebosi's home was Xiang Renzhi's home, and he could move anything except his wife.Even sometimes, even his wife...Yao Lebosi turned a blind eye.Eating and drinking are of course commonplace.After eating and drinking, Xiang Renzhi burped and said: "In Xinjiang, I only obey one person, and this person is you, Mr. Yao Lebosi. You are a real hero! A hero like you, even in England, is not See you more."

Yao Lebosi likes to hear such words. After following Ma Zhongying on the saddle, he dreamed of becoming a hero who is more than ten thousand people.But in troubled times, it’s not enough for a hero to be full of tricks, and he has to risk his life. Like Ma Zhongying, he can’t sleep at night if he doesn’t kill a dozen heads every day, and his head must be tied to his belt. , risking his life to move forward.Yao Lebosi later objected to this way of living.He sees it as a form of stupidity and vulgarity.He still had a bit of otherworldly thoughts, so he didn't want to fight with Ma Zhongying in southern Xinjiang, but occupied a vested Hami and lived a peaceful life in peace and contentment.

It is not easy to do this.Yao Lebosi conquered Sheng Shicai and Wu Zhongxin with his ambition and resourcefulness.But in the era of Zhang Zhizhong, the situation changed, and Yao Lebosi was depressed for a long time.He has a feeling of being forgotten by the world, even if he becomes a commissioner of the provincial government, he is still lonely and lonely, and he secretly opens up in desolation and panic.Under such circumstances, besides drinking as a companion all day long, what else can one do? Fortunately, Maxwood came, and Yao Lebos was saved.It was during this golden time period that he and Xiang Renzhi became best friends.Through Xiang Renzhi, I got acquainted with the US Consul General in Dihua, Bao Maoxun, and Vice Consul Mark Nan.In 1948, Bao and Ma planned a "Defense of Religion, Anti-Soviet and Anti-Communist Committee" with Ashan Commissioner Usman, especially Ma Kenan, who never tired of it and was extremely active in thinking. In terms of IQ, he was on par with Yao Lebosi of.However, Yao Lebosi felt that Ma Kenan was too close to Usman, so he discounted the emotional investment in the specific relationship.

Yao Lebosi had always disliked Usman. He felt that Usman was uneducated and his class was too low.And the word of mouth is not good, so you know that grabbing cows, grabbing sheep and crawling on women is the image of a boar.What Ke Yao Lebos didn't understand was that this was what Usman admired so much from the American consul Mark Nan. The reason why Ma Kenan was not very interested in Yao Lebos was because Yao was too cunning and good at changing, and he might betray his friend when he was happy.Among other things, just the smirk on his face covered with ten thousand masks when they met each other made people stay away with respect.But Usman was different, he would call his mother when he was breastfeeding, and he would follow his buttocks when there was a bone shaking.It’s just that I have a slightly bigger appetite. It sounds scary. I want airplanes, cannons, cars, everything, but these things are nothing to the majestic United States of America!

Another advantage of Usman is that he is not afraid of losing face, and it doesn't matter if he fails. Even if he is the only one left in the battle, he will still have that mouth that can't die when he gets up from the ground.Mark Nan always believed that if Usman could be equipped with a decent head, then he might become an angel with wings.For this reason, Ma Kenan discussed with Xiang Renzhi many times.He tried to cultivate a Janim Khan for Usman. Jia's brain is better than Usman's, but no matter what he does, he still can't read a single word. up. The most ideal pair is to let Yaole Bosi and Wu Siman team up.This is the common wish of American Consul Mark Nan and British Consul Xiang Renzhi.

"But it's difficult." Xiang Renzhi shrugged his shoulders European-style, "Usman is a wild horse, so why not Yao Lebosi? This guy eats, drinks, and does nothing. Unlike Usman, he doesn't do anything all day. Butt itches when you ride a horse." Ma Kenan smiled secretly: "Yao Lebosi is a person who does great things. It's not that he doesn't do it, but he has no work to do. I have an idea. He won't think the work of Hami Bank is too small..." In fact, Ma Kenan and Xiang Renzhi are not needed for this move!Yao Lebosi has long had a soft spot for Hami Bank.It's just that the more careful he is, the less he shows his face, as if he doesn't understand that Hami Bank still has gold bars and silver coins in stock.Even when Tao Zhiyue occasionally asked about this matter in the past, he pretended to be deaf and dumb.In the dead of night, he said to himself a thousand times and ten thousand times: hold your breath, hold your breath, there will always be opportunities!Sometimes, the incident seemed to disappear from memory—if I didn't remind myself deliberately, it would almost disappear.

However, Xiang Renzhi's words about "positive action" touched Yao Lebosi fundamentally anyway.He felt that he had woken up and had to make a decision! After dawn, Yao Lebosi sent someone to send invitations to gang leaders Liu Xiangpu and Liu Guanghua in Dihua City, claiming that he was going to celebrate his birthday, and hoped that they would appreciate it and have a drink... This is the real truth of a big case start. It was Cheng Yuechang, commander and political commissar of the 17th Division of the Sixth Army, who first approached Yao Lebosi to discuss this major case with the People's Liberation Army's Xinjiang troops.

Cheng Yuechang's first impression of this place in Hami was terrible!It was the afternoon when Cheng arrived in Hami. He was accompanied by the head of the 533rd Regiment of the 178th Brigade of the Kuomintang uprising army, surnamed Zhu. He walked around the streets and saw with his own eyes that almost all the shops and ports were smashed. .There were few pedestrians on the street, and it was deserted. The common people hid far away when they saw the team, fearing that they would be infected with the plague. At the entrance of a local product store, Cheng Yuechang watched a few Kuomintang soldiers running in with sacks on their backs, and shouted at the shopkeeper in front of them: "Listen, everyone, there are orders from above to comfort the PLA. If you have money, you will pay. Hurry up, don't blame us for being rude!"

When Cheng Yuechang heard something was wrong, he hurriedly asked Commander Zhu: "What's going on? Whose order?!" Head Zhu hesitated for a long time and didn't want to say anything.Suddenly he stepped forward quickly, slapped the yelling soldier, and cursed: "Fuck you, get out!" Several soldiers fled away in a flash, Cheng Yuechang didn't let them go: "Just now they said the order from above, was it your order?" Head Zhu's face was red and white: "I also passed on the words from above..." "Who are you passing on? Is it the brigade commander or the division commander?!"

"...Yes, it's from the Commissioner's Office..." "Commissioner's Office? Is it Yao Lebosi?" Cheng Yuechang said, "I'm just looking for him, let's go, you accompany me to see him!" "Don't dare! The little one dare not! He..." "There's nothing to be afraid of. He's a government official, not a tiger." Cheng Yuechang said.He could clearly see the extreme fear in the eyes of that regiment leader Zhu. That night, Cheng Yuechang invited Chief of Staff Feng Peiyue to visit Yao Lebosi's mansion together. This is a quasi-Western small building with two stone lions lying on the door as usual.When the guests were 50 meters away, a tall wolf dog rushed out roaring, baring its teeth and claws, as if showing off its master's prestige.Then I saw a strange-looking servant running out from some corner with a box gun to greet the guests. Yao Lebosi's wife is a well-bred Uighur woman, her gentleness complements her husband's smiling face.In the first five minutes, Cheng Yuechang and Feng Peiyue couldn't help but feel admiration for the couple. "Comrades in the People's Liberation Army have worked so hard. This commissioner and all the people in Hami are looking forward to it every day! Those bandits are really unreasonable, burning, killing, and looting. They can do all kinds of bad things..." Yao Lebosi looked at his wife, Cheng, and Feng. The two made tea and complained. Cheng Yuechang interrupted bluntly: "The case of Hami Bank has surprised Commissioner Yao!" Yao Lebosi hurriedly covered his face with his palms: "I'm ashamed and ashamed... for causing the country to suffer such a big loss." "Someone wants to turn Hami into a sea of ​​flames, you must know about it, right?" Cheng Yue pressed on step by step. "It's all because of my lack of control, which made the place chaotic and out of control. This commissioner is guilty..." "There are still people who, under the banner of comforting our army, openly plunder people's wealth and search for businesses. Is there such a thing?" "Yes, yes..." Yao Lebosi nodded his head like a spring on his neck. Seeing that the time was ripe, Cheng Yuechang changed the topic and said to the point: "How do you plan to get back the tens of thousands of taels of gold and silver dollars stolen from the bank?" This time Yao Lebosi was dumbfounded.He blinked his eyes hard, and held back for a long time before choking out a sentence: "This...is all done by lawless soldiers. The criminals are fleeing with the money. I...will definitely help the army to find out, definitely..." The moment Yao Lebosi muttered these few words, Cheng Yuechang suddenly felt an uncontainable wildness from this amiable guy.That aggressive and fierce look is fleeting, but its danger has been deeply engraved in Cheng Yuezhang and Feng Peiyue's hearts.More than ten days later, Cheng Yuechang and Feng Peiyue told the feeling of this moment to Wu Zongxian, the commander of the 16th Division stationed in Hami, Guan Shengzhi, the political commissar, and Luo Shaowei, the deputy commander of the division.At the same time, a report was also made to Zhang Xiqin, Chief of Staff of the Corps. Over the next month or so, Zhang Xiqin confirmed Cheng Yuechang's feelings one by one during the process of recovering the lost money from the bank. Yao Lebos can no longer hide anything.As the investigation of the Hami Bank case progressed step by step, he knew that the day when he was hanged was getting closer and closer.Without doing anything, Yao Lebosi decided to accept Ma Kenan and Xiang Renzhi's suggestion, pack up his luggage, bring enough clothes, and fled to the northern border in a dark night of unknown depth, and fell into the arms of the habitual bandit Usman . At this time, Usman was hugging Janimu Khan and enjoying the happiness of being a villain.Seeing Yao Lebosi coming to vote, his satisfaction was beyond words.As soon as we met, Usman asked knowingly: "Brother Yao Lebosi, you have a good stay in Hami. You have food, drink, and a big treasury. Why are you here to join in the fun?" People under the eaves had to bow their heads, and Yao Lebosi drooped his head.But he was confident that he would subdue the grass-headed king in front of him in a short time, and said, "Brother Usman, there is an old saying in the Han people that there are unpredictable things in the sky. Think about when you were chased away by Abasov and the others in the third district. , don’t you also want to take advantage of the opportunity to go to Hami to catch your breath? What time is it now, you should look up at the sky before you speak, otherwise, your teeth will chew your tongue! To be honest, it’s not for the sake of the two foreigners , you gave me a thousand sheep, and I don’t intend to come here to suffer!” Wu Siman sneered, showing his fleshy face: "Don't be ignorant, what kind of hero are you when you are about to die! Let me ask you, do you understand the rules of the mountain?" "Isn't it just to collect some bad money? Come on, bring things up?" Yao Lebosi yelled at the followers, and immediately two strong men carried a heavy carved mahogany box in front of Usman. Wu Siman squinted his eyes, pretending to have seen the world and not caring. Yao Lebosi ordered the left and right to open the wooden box, and suddenly the light flickered, and a box of gold bars neatly dazzled people's eyes.Usman was staggered, and then, a greedy smile could not help but appear on his face: "Hey, brother Yao Lebosi, what are you doing? It's not about money for us to pull a team to fight the Communist Party... ..." At this time, Janim Khan, who had been silent all this time, stood up and spoke.He casually glanced at the gold and said: "Money is a good thing, what can be done without it? Brother Yao Lebosi donated this money from the Central Bank because he is interested in our anti-communist cause. Why not accept it?" what?" Wu Siman gave Janimuhan a look, and shouted anxiously: "Who says no! We are not fools..." Yao Lebosi couldn't help laughing out loud when he saw the two people talking in confusion.Amidst his laughter, several attendants hurriedly closed and locked the box, and lifted the carved wooden box down again.This made both Usman and Janim Khan out of control, and asked long and short sentences: "You, what kind of tricks are you playing!" Yao Lebosi lowered his face: "Let me declare that the money belongs to me, not the central bank; I want to use my money for the cause of anti-communism, not to honor you two. Please rest assured, I Yao Lebosi will take good care of the money and make good use of it!" Wu Siman grinned and raised his eyebrows.He scolded his mother severely in the Kazakh dialect, and said, "After playing for a long time, you still want to be a white wolf with me... My Usman's little fortune is not easy to earn!" At that time, Wu Sman has 4,000 men and horses, and has everything from aircraft and cannons, which can indeed be called "family possessions". Yao Lebosi said: "It is difficult to start a business, I know that. I never like to take free food from others. I will definitely give you and Brother Janimhan a generous gift, just in case you two will not accept it!" "Don't talk about it, just take out what you have, and I'll take as much as you want, so you won't be able to hook up with your wife, hahahaha..." Wu Siman laughed wildly. Yao Lebosi's so-called "rich gift" is actually an idea.He asked Usman and Janim Khan to dismantle part of the team and put them among the Hami crowd to coerce the crowd and increase their momentum.The specific method is as follows: if a family can send one person to the team, it will give one sheep, and if it can send two people, it will give two sheep.If you resist, all the property of the family, such as cattle and sheep, will be "donated".This move was powerful. Within a month, Usman's team rapidly increased from 4,000 to 6,000, and the number of Kazakhs who were coerced into it reached 40,000 to 50,000!In the area 600 kilometers west of the town from Sui to the west, dust billowed and people screamed. "Aha, this time I want to tell the Communist Party where it came from and where it will go. I want to announce to the world that Xinjiang is my world!" Usman almost didn't know who he was.He rode on horseback, ran from the head of the team to the end of the team, shouting all the way, shaking his prestige. Janim Khan was equally excited, adding fuel to the fire from time to time by suggesting: "We can't just have thunder without rain, we have to find a way to let the Communist Party know how powerful it is!" Usman asked: "How can you give power to the Communist Party? If you have an idea, I'll hear it!" Janim Khan had always harbored deep-seated hatred for the Third District Group, so he shouted without hesitation: "The troops in the Third District have just been reorganized by the Central Committee of the Communist Party, and they are firing machine guns and cannons. They are enjoying themselves there! Why don't we recruit a few Go to their lair to 'celebrate congratulations'?" "You mean... Hey, let's be blunt, are you hitting Yining?" Wu Siman hated guessing riddles the most. Janim Khan swung his arms arrogantly: "Yes, beat Yining, no matter whether you can beat him or not, give him a scare!" Yao Lebosi sat beside him with a smirk and did not express his opinion. Wu Si was furious: "Why are you laughing? Don't I dare!" "I know you dare, don't talk about beating Yining, you dare even beating Dihua!" Yao Lebosi cast his eyes on Janimuhan, "I just think that brother Janimuhan is dreaming! Have you ever thought about it?" No, it’s at least 1,000 kilometers from our Balikun Grassland to Yining, and we have to walk by the side of Dihua, I’m afraid the Communist Party will eat it up before you can pull the team to the place!” "Oh—" Wu Siman looked like a deflated ball, "then we have nothing to use force?" Yao Lebosi said: "In my opinion, if you want to do it, you have to fight with the real Communist army, attack a nearby fortress point, attract their large forces, and then...um!" He made a gesture of encirclement. Usman suddenly realized, and laughed loudly: "Okay! Okay! Tell me quickly, which vital point should you attack?" As far as the nearest "key point", apart from Hami, there is only Yiwu County, about 100 kilometers northeast of it.This place is close to the Sino-Mongolian border, and it is a remote area of ​​the Barkol Grassland, separated from Hami by the Harlik Mountain.More importantly, only one company of the People's Liberation Army is stationed in this small county, that is, the first battalion and the second company of the 46th Regiment of the 16th Division of the Sixth Army.Yao Lebosi believes that as long as a small number of troops surround the area, it will be effective immediately. Usman used only a few hundred troops to encircle the Second Company of our People's Liberation Army, but tens of thousands of innocent people were drawn in, so it appeared to be so powerful that it shook the entire Barkol grassland.His officers and soldiers were originally like cattle handles, and if they got mixed up with the Kazakh masses, it would be impossible for people to start.This is the meaning of "other articles" in Tao Zhiyue's words. Tao Zhiyue said to Wang Zhen: "A few bandits in the area are not complicated. The complicated thing is that they intentionally coerce a large number of people into it. Xinjiang is an ethnic region. According to General Zhang Zhizhong, the problems in Xinjiang can be solved by political means, but by military means." Solve it. In fact, military means can’t solve any problems in Xinjiang. This point was clearly understood when Zuo Zongtang was in power!” Wang Zhen felt that this was quite reasonable.Then he asked, "Then what do you think about the matter in front of you?" "It's up to Chairman Bao Erhan!" Tao Zhiyue suggested, "Should I call Chairman Bao over and let's discuss it together, maybe he can find a solution." Bao Erhan's solution was to find a businessman named "Aimati" in Dihua through his acquaintances.This person sold horses with Usman in the early years, and the two kept in touch for many years.Bao Erhan asked Wang Zhen to write a letter to Usman himself, advocating the righteousness of national unity, and reiterated the policy of letting the past go, hoping that Usman would change his mind and stop being instigated by foreigners to do things that hurt relatives and enemies.Then deliver the letter to Aimati and send it to the Barkol Grassland. Amat is very confident in completing this task.He said: "Usman was also a passionate young man..." Of course, the most important thing is that he is full of confidence in his friendship with Usman. Sure enough, Usman was ecstatic to see Aimati.In order to let old friends see his current majesty, two groups were specially pulled out to welcome him.Usman rode his horse to the outside of the camp, hugged Aimati, and laughed loudly: "Old friend Amat, what gust of wind blows you to the Barkol Grassland?" "The wind of spring!" Aimati also laughed from ear to ear. Wu Siman frowned and said: "But you see, the autumn grass has grown seeds here, and the cattle and sheep are not in heat hahaha..." Amat said: "But I brought you the spring breeze!" "Oh?" Usman seemed to realize that there was something in the words, and suppressed his smile slightly. The two horses leaned against the horse's head.Amat took out Wang Zhen's handwritten letter from his pocket. Wu Siman knew a few Chinese characters, glanced at the letter, and guessed about seven or eight points, but he deliberately asked: "Old friend Aimati, what is this?" "Let's talk in the tent!" Aimati tried hard to maintain the enthusiasm when they first met. The two walked into the tent one after the other, and Amat took out gifts such as brick tea, sugar cubes and silk satin from the saddle bag.Usman unceremoniously accepted them one by one.Finally, Aimati handed over the letter with both hands and said, "This is a letter from General Wang Zhen." "Wang Zhen? A letter for me?" Wu Siman deliberately looked at the letter and burst out laughing suddenly.He casually handed the letter to the secretary Sheldman behind him, "Read it to me!" Sheldman stuttered and finished reading Wang Zhen's letter.Wu Siman squinted his eyes and looked at Aimati: "I said buddy, after a long time, you are the one sent by Wang Zhen to persuade me to surrender, aren't you?" "You can't speak like that. This is not a surrender, but a return to the embrace of the people!" Amat said. Wu Siman said "Oh" as if he had realized something, and nodded: "So, I will take the team to Dihua to plead guilty?" Amat said sincerely: "That's the only way. This is the best policy. General Wang Zhen asked me to tell you that the Communist Party's policy is to let go of the past. It was instigated by the imperialists and the Kuomintang reactionaries. Now that you are liberated, I hope you can come back and stand by the people." Wu Siman lowered his head and pondered for a while, then stared at Ai Mai and asked, "If I surrender, what position can Wang Zhen give me?" Aimati thought for a while and said, "You used to be the commissioner of Ashan District. As long as you are willing to go back, the commissioner will definitely have no problem." "Specialist?" Usman repeated as if he had kicked a rotten apple.Leng Buding laughed loudly, his face darkened, and he said through gritted teeth, "Go back and tell Wang Zhen that I want him to quit Xinjiang, understand?" "This..." Amat found that Usman in front of him had become a complete stranger.A feeling of being teased came to my heart.He said a little bit angrily, "Your Excellency, as an old acquaintance, I would like to advise you that the eagle will never be blocked by its own wings when flying high. Please think again!" Usman said: "I've thought about it a long time ago. Where do I want Wang Zhen to come from and where will I return to?" The ending of Aimati's party in Balikun surprised Bao Erhan and Tao Zhiyue. Tao Zhiyue went to Beijing not long ago. Mao Zedong invited him to dinner, and they talked with each other until late at night. They had a deep understanding of class views, especially the transformation of old soldiers.The 22nd Corps' recent vigorous thought reform practice provided strong evidence for his new understanding. What touched me the most was the soldiers' complaints against the old society and the old army.According to the statistics of the 25th Division, there are 790 soldiers in the division whose relatives have been persecuted to death, and more than 1,300 soldiers have been beaten by landlords and bullies to varying degrees.In the 24th Regiment of the Eighth Cavalry Division, after investigation, as many as 5 soldiers were tortured to death by officers and secret agents, and 49 people were buried alive!Some soldiers passed out while talking at the scene of the complaint, and the complaint meeting was often full of crying.Some soldiers hugged their instructors as if they were relatives, and wept bitterly.After complaining, many soldiers knelt in front of the portrait of Chairman Mao and took an oath, biting their fingers and writing a letter in blood, expressing that they would always follow the Communist Party and that the revolution would never turn back. The suffering of the soldiers also educated the officers.Many military officers blamed themselves, expressed their determination to change their past mistakes, and asked for meritorious service and atonement.Some took the initiative to explain their own historical issues, and checked their half-hearted erroneous thinking about the Communist Party when they first started the uprising. Even if Ma Chengxiang's 1st Cavalry Division unit defected collectively under the instigation of a few officers, and even the two companies of the 21st Regiment stationed in Fukang developed into a serious rebellion such as attacking Qitai City, after encircling and shouting, they finally massacred Some people also came to their senses. Among the more than 2,000 people, only 20 people actually escaped. Wang Zhen was not at all polite when dealing with the issue of the Seventh Cavalry Division reorganized from the First Cavalry Division.After the matter subsided, he also ordered the Sixth Army to confiscate all the weapons and horses of the Seventh Cavalry Division, and change from cavalry to infantry division.At that time, he wrote to the Political Commissar Yu Chunshan and Commander Han Youwen of the Seventh Cavalry Division, instructing: "The sergeants of each regiment and company, without weapons and horses, should be trained in the regiment headquarters. War defense guns will be handed over to the armored company of the military area, and 3,000 horses will be handed over to six The army took over. Each horse pulled four sheep, a total of 12,000, as the price of the horses, which belonged to the officers and soldiers of the whole division. During the transformation period, the Seventh Cavalry Division was under the command and leadership of Commander Luo Yuanfa and Political Commissar Zhang Xianyue. Counter-revolutionary rebels, command the Seventeenth Division, armored corps, and aircraft, and resolutely annihilate them." However, Wang Zhen has shown great restraint and patience in dealing with Usman.He sincerely accepted Tao Zhiyue's suggestion, and when it came to ethnic conflicts, he resolved them concretely, showing the utmost political inclination, hoping to achieve the goal through policy force, and not easily using force.Only then did he agree to let Bao Erhan bring out an Amat—it can be said that it was the only decision Wang Zhen made against his own judgment. Of course, none of this is accidental.Similar to what Tao Zhiyue said, Zhang Zhizhong personally told Wang Zhen, and Peng Dehuai also explained it face to face. When meeting Mao Zedong in Beijing, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Zhu De all gave specific instructions on this issue.Therefore, Wang Zhen had to remind himself from time to time like stepping on a landmine: Xinjiang is an ethnic region, so we must be cautious, and even if we have to use troops as a last resort, we must be very careful. However, with the acceleration of the general process of the Liberation War and the coming of the final outcome, "suppressing bandits" has become a major event in New China next to "development of production". It should be carried out in ethnic areas.According to the instructions of the Central Military Commission and the Northwest Military Region, the Xinjiang Military Region also established a bandit suppression headquarters, with Wang Zhen as the commander-in-chief, Sai Fuding as the deputy commander, and Zhang Xiqin as the chief of staff.At the same time, a front-line headquarters for suppressing bandits in northern Xinjiang was established, with Luo Yuanfa, the commander of the Sixth Army, as the commander-in-chief, and a total of more than 150,000 people were dispatched from the second, fifth, sixth, and ninth armies, the Shanshan guerrillas, and the Dihua Public Security Battalion. There are 41 fighters and armored vehicles, 240 cars, used to suppress bandits, and an aircraft to support reconnaissance and communication. At this time, Wang Zhen looked back and thought about it again, and he no longer had so many worries.At the first work meeting on bandit suppression, he said: "For a bandit leader like Usman, we used to dream that he would change his mind. It's really naive and ridiculous." When he said this, he was laughing at himself, and it also had a taste of "correcting deviations" in his mind.Then, he talked about the situation of suppressing bandits in the Northwest. Let me talk about northern Shaanxi first.At the junction of northern Shaanxi and Suiyuan, there were more than 1,000 bandits who murdered and robbed goods, causing complaints from the common people. The three leaders were Duan Baoshan, Gao Huaixiong, and Zhang Shihua, all of whom were officers from the former Kuomintang Suiyuan troops.The Yulin Military Sub-district is cooperating with the Iraqi League forces to clean it up; the most serious is the Qinling and Daba Mountain areas on the borders of Shaanxi, Hubei, Henan, Gansu, and Sichuan provinces. The recalcitrant elements pulled up a so-called "Advancing Army in the Henan-Shaanxi Border Region", with Wang Lingyun at the head, and a miscellaneous group under its jurisdiction, with various names, including the Fourth, Fifth, and Eighth Armies, and the so-called "Sichuan-Shaanxi National Salvation Army" The "People's Self-Defense Army of Sichuan-Shanxi Border Region", "Youth Volunteer National Salvation Army", "South Hubei Self-Defense Corps", "South Shaanxi Temporary Corps", etc., add up to more than 20,000 bandits, large and small, boasting that they are "one hundred thousand underground troops", in vain attempt The so-called "base areas behind enemy lines" were established.Since December 23, 1949, the Nineteenth Army and the Southern Shaanxi Military Region have been suppressing for 40 consecutive days before they achieved initial success. They wiped out more than 50 enemy units totaling 17,000 people, seized 167 artillery pieces, 18,000 guns, and 47 radio stations; in Guanzhong, the Dali Army sub-divisional troops outwitted Huashan to eliminate Han Zipei's remnant bandits, and the battle was also inextricably linked; In the Wuwei and Zhangye areas of the Hexi Corridor, the remnant horse bandits were wiped out. The Ningxia Military Region’s sole division and the sixth cavalry division, in cooperation with the Trilateral Army’s sub-division troops, wiped out the Ma Shaowu bandits. The First Army suppressed the Qingma remnants in Qinghai Encouraging results have been achieved in the eradication of war. Regardless of the number of bandits, the scale of the rebellion, or the areas they endangered, Usman in the Barkol Grassland is countable.Wang Zhen handed over the situation of suppressing bandits in the Northwest to everyone, just to give a warning, so as not to underestimate the enemy.Of course, sometimes I don't want to wait. Peng Dehuai called almost once a day, expressing great concern about the situation in the Barkol Grassland. A week ago, Luo Yuanfa sent Luo Shaowei, the deputy commander of the 16th Division, to lead the 46th Regiment to the Barkol Grassland.Their main task is to reinforce the Second Company trapped in Yiwu County.At that time, he gave Luo Shaowei a very detailed explanation, asking them to pay attention to policies, distinguish the coerced masses from the determined bandits, and not to harm innocent people, especially pay attention to the political disintegration of the enemy, and do more propaganda work , such as shouting at the position, etc. These days, Luo Shaowei and Yang Xingguo, the head of the 46th Regiment, tried their best.Every morning, each company set up a loudspeaker on the outskirts of Yiwu and shouted in Kazakh: "Kazakh compatriots, stop being deceived by Usman and Yaolebosi! The People's Liberation Army is our poor people themselves. The team. They are ordered to guard the border, to defend the country, and also to protect the lives and property of our frontier people..." However, the number of people besieging Yiwu continues unabated. The commandos of the regiment tried eight times in a row to rush into Yiwu without success.There were too many bandits, and all the intersections and mountain passes were guarded with guns, and the commandos lost more than a dozen lives in vain. In the first two days, at dawn, there was always a burst of intense gunshots from the Nanshan and Beishan positions in Yiwu City.Then, the gunfire gradually faded away, and it continued like this until dusk.In recent days, the gunfire from the city has become more and more monotonous, and occasionally a grenade explosion can be heard, followed by silence-a suffocating silence. Could it be that Erlian has already... But why are the people besieging Yiwu still increasing?Yang Xingguo and Luo Shaowei climbed to the top of a mountain and looked into Yiwu City from afar.They saw many people whose identities could not be clearly identified, crowded in the streets and alleys, and a large number of bandit camps were lined up in the suburbs.It seems that this is not a "siege", but rather like a market in the mainland. However, surrounded by the bustling crowd, the 1st Battalion and 2nd Company of the 46th Regiment were forced to the last moment.The company commander Feng Dafa and the instructor Wang Zhenhua both died, and the deputy company commander Zhang Youcai suffered serious head injuries and was in a coma.Only the deputy battalion commander Hu Qingshan and the second platoon leader Liu Mengzi were left on the battlefield.Hu Qingshan was bombed and broke a leg, lying on a stretcher insisting on command.Their faces were as white as a sheet of paper. Another dusk came, and the gangsters in the tents outside the city began to shout two drinks and three guessing fists. In the open space outside the tents, several piles of fires were ignited, and the slaughter of cattle and sheep was in chaos.Hu Qingshan propped up his weak body, and asked Liu Mengzi who was sitting next to him: "How many of us are left now?" Mengzi counted with his fingers and said: "Yesterday there were 33 people, today 4 were sacrificed, and 2 were captured by them. Now there are only 27 people who can fight, including you and me, and 11 wounded." "Is there any more wheat?" Liu Mengzi didn't want to answer this question, he just closed his eyes and shook his head vigorously. Hu Qingshan was silent for a while, and said: "Go and call all party members and comrades here..." In the camp of the 46th Regiment not far away, the soldiers were screaming in anxiety.Some companies and platoon leaders even led their troops to attack violently without authorization, "squeezing down Yiwu". Luo Shaowei said: "Xingguo, it seems that political work alone will not solve the problem!" "You mean... fight?" Yang Xingguo understood. "Yes, it must be solved militarily! You immediately mobilize the troops and start organizing the battle. I will return to Hami overnight to report. Let's try to launch an attack at dawn tomorrow!" When Luo Shaowei rushed to Hami on horseback, Master Wu Zongxian hadn't had dinner yet.As soon as I met Wu, I said: "You came back just in time. I just received a report from the Seventeenth Division Master Cheng, saying that they found Yao Lebosi's whereabouts. I guess this bastard will go back to Hami tonight!" "Great!" Luo Shaowei said excitedly while wiping his sweat, "I have to report to Chief of Staff Zhang quickly, he is looking for this guy, as long as Yao Lebosi is caught, the case of Hami Bank will be solved!" Wu Zongxian told Luo Shaowei that Chief of Staff Zhang already knew about it.He also said: "Commander Wang organized a meeting of the Bandit Suppression Headquarters tonight. Chief of Staff Zhang and Commander Luo both went to Dihua. The Chief of Staff asked our division to cooperate closely with the 17th Division. Don't startle the enemy by arguing. Let him run away, this time we must catch him!" After hearing Master Wu's words, Luo Shaowei immediately felt that the problem was more serious.He pondered for a moment and said: "I discussed with Commander Yang, and I want to attack Yiwu tomorrow, fearing that Erlian will not be able to survive. Now it seems..." Wu Zongxian said: "Since this is the case, don't worry about catching Yao Lebosi. I will go and deploy troops." "No, I'm familiar with the situation. Let's go together. By the way, I will report to you the situation of the 46th Regiment." Luo Shaowei got on the horse without any explanation, and set off with Wu Zongxian. The arrest of Yao Lebosi became a central topic inserted in the middle of the bandit suppression work meeting. Zhang Xiqin said: "If Yao Lebosi can be caught tonight, my mission will be completed. Maybe... I can also solve the siege of Yiwu." Speaking of Yiwu, Wang Zhen anxiously asked Luo Yuanfa: "Is there anything new about Luo Shaowei and the others?" "Assault teams can't get close, and large troops are afraid of hurting the masses when they move, which will arouse even greater conflicts. The propaganda work on the position has been going on, but the effect is not obvious. I think it's time to make up your mind!" Luo Yuanfa said, his fist resting on the table. He beat it lightly, showing his inner anxiety and anger. 王震说：“你派小罗去是对的，这个同志有政治头脑，处事也果断。”他沉吟片刻，大手往桌上一拍：“你告诉他，可以有把握地打一下，规模搞大一点，跟群众讲清楚，限时离开，不离开，便是敌对，那就不客气，子弹不长眼！” 停了一停，王震起身手一挥，又说：“这样吧，干脆从五军再抽一个团，张参谋长你通知飞机明早起飞，我们到实地侦察一下……” 张希钦雷厉风行，立刻站起来出去落实。可是不到五分钟，他又返回来了。只见他手中捏着一张电报纸，脸色非常难看，进门迟钝了半天才咧开嘴说：“罗少伟同志他……牺牲了！” 罗少伟是在当晚追捕尧乐博斯时中了土匪伏击而遇害的。与他一同遇害的，还有另外六位战友。 站在罗少伟烈士遗体前，王震禁不住留下两行热泪。罗少伟早在延安时期就是名人，当过解放军第一支仪仗队的营长，多次受到毛泽东、周恩来、朱德接见，人长得很帅，又很精明，仗也打得漂亮。 罗少伟牺牲的消息很快传到北京。毛泽东特地委托周恩来给六军十六师发来唁电，称罗少伟“是我党一位忠诚的战士，是我党我军一位久经战争考验的优秀指挥员……为了中国人民的解放事业立下了不朽的功勋。他的牺牲，使我们每个人都感到十分痛心。” 彭德怀自然也很悲痛。他在电报中对乌斯满、贾尼木汗和尧乐博斯深恶痛绝，嘱咐王震务必以绝对优势兵力，坚决消灭，根绝北疆匪患。 这几份电报对王震的压力是相当大的。他决定，除六军十六师全部出动外，另配属五军的骑兵团、六军的炮兵团，以高达1.2万人的总兵力，进军巴里坤草原。这个数差不多是乌斯满能投入作战的匪徒人数三倍！ 进军的当天，又一场大雪倒向巴里坤。 雪白的原野像是专门为烈士而展示的。王震站在队前沉痛地对大家说：“今天我们是怀着烈士的遗愿出征的，我们决不让烈士们的鲜血白白流掉，北疆各族人民正在睁大了眼睛期待着我们。现在全国所有省份，都被我们人民解放军解放了，各地人民群众都在欢天喜地开展土地改革，迎接伟大社会主义建设高潮的到来，而北疆各族人民却仍生活在乌斯满、贾尼木汗和尧乐博斯这些匪徒们的铁蹄之下……同志们，我们别无选择！” 雪花在静静地飘舞，队伍开始静静地出发。 这是一次计划周密的攻击行动。王震判断，乌斯满之所以拉那么多人、搞那么大的声势来对付一个小小的伊吾，在我军区区连一级的驻守点上大做文章，而且是尽量把这一幕拉得很长很长，目的就是引诱我军大部队增援。 乌斯满让尧乐博斯在伊吾主阵，他自己则躲到其老巢花尔茨静观其变，居心就是想凭借对地形的熟悉，伏击解放军的增援部队。这种老掉牙的游击战术，在王震和罗元发等游击高手面前，简直是班门弄斧。伊吾之战，解放军一开始就拒不上圈套，搞得乌斯满心情很灰，而尧乐博斯一筹莫展。 这可就苦了二连的指战员们。 尧乐博斯一上来先摆出“围而不打”的架势，意在“激怒”和“引诱”。他派出一个叫布仑加甫的家伙打进伊吾城，找胡青山副营长劝降。布仑加甫说了一大堆恭维胡青山的话，说尧乐博斯如何如何“爱才”，暗示胡青山只要“讲和”，会得到很大很大的官位，有多少黄金、多少头羊和多大的草原，以及漂亮女人等，胡青山不吃这一套，他把布仑加甫好一顿羞辱，表示人在阵地在，与土匪拼到最后一滴血。尧乐博斯不死心，一计不成又生一计，抓到二连几个战士，严刑拷打，然后放回一两个“软骨头”，继续做劝降的美梦。这一招就更不灵了。胡青山对于可耻的叛变者毫不留情，将其剥光衣服绑在柱子上让全连战士轮流猛抽……尧乐博斯再没有别的办法可想，唯一可干的就是困住二连所控制的伊吾城南山、北山两个高地，断水断粮。他吩咐土匪们从上游截断伊吾河，使水流不再经过伊吾城里。这样，既断掉了二连的水源，又使城里唯一可以磨面的水磨停止转动。从这时起，胡青山和全连战士只能靠口嚼原麦维持生命。 水的问题似乎比粮食问题更为严重。尤其是驻守在南北两个主峰上的战士们，没有水，光嚼生麦，不但便血，连随时需浇水降温的马克沁重机枪也打不出应有的威力来了！ 北山主峰阵地是整个城防中最重要、也是最困难的一个点。匪徒们以一个连的火力集中封锁上山的道路，山下无法向山上运送任何物资。北山如果顶不住，整个伊吾就不能坚守下去！胡青山为了给北山送水送粮，一连损失了九名战士。九个人，整整一个战斗班啊，而且他们又都是骨干！胡青山伤心地哭了。 what to do?胡青山组织召开“诸葛亮会”，有人提出让牲口送，或许能成功。于是，胡让一个会做木匠活的战士连夜赶制了几个全封闭的大水桶，装满水，分别绑到两匹骆驼身上，趁着夜色，把骆驼往山上赶。谁知骆驼目标太大，爬山又慢，出发不到10分钟，就被匪徒们一阵乱枪打死在半道上。 战士们不甘心，顺着这个思路继续琢磨，最后，决定用两匹战马试一试。 胡青山亲自挑选了两匹调教很好的战马，一匹称“赤雅”，个头不大，但性情暴躁，日行千里；另一匹叫“枣骝”，性情温和且极有耐力，攀登技能非常出色。他将这两匹战马绑上足够的水和麦子，交给一个外号叫“老奔”的驭手。 “老奔”是全连最好的驭手，所有战马到他的手上，没有不服帖的。夜幕降临时，他拉着“赤雅”和“枣骝”上路了。他们沿着崎岖的山沟，小心地向北山主峰靠近，一分钟、二分钟、三分钟……二十七分钟！眼看着离主峰阵地只有不到五十米的距离了，“老奔”他们依然安然无恙！ 胡青山在手电光束下，死死地盯着怀表。 突然，枪声响了！匪徒们发现了目标，集中所有火力向“老奔”他们猛烈地射击。赤雅马一听枪声，立刻失去控制，从“老奔”手中挣脱了缰绳，扬起前蹄长嘶一声，掉头就朝山下狂奔。“老奔”惊呆了，赶紧弄住枣骝马。谁知枣骝马却恰恰相反，按照“老奔”的指令，干净利索地卧倒在地，一声不吭，显得相当懂事。奇迹就在此时发生了，因为赤雅马的嘶鸣和奔跑，匪徒们的注意力全被吸引过去，火力也随之向山下转移，这在客观上掩护了“老奔”和枣骝马，他们不失时机地一口气冲上了主峰阵地！ 此刻的枣骝马，浑身汗水直往下淋，张着鼻孔呼呼喘粗气，寒风一吹，身上的汗水立刻结成了冰，冻得它不住地发抖。但是，它却一动不动地站在那里，坚持着让战士们把水和麦子全部卸完。这情景让坚守主峰的勇士们感动极了，他们心疼地搂着它的脖子，心里都酸酸的，禁不住泪水哗哗直流。有的同志赶紧把自己的被子抱过来，紧紧地捂住枣骝马的身体…… 这次侥幸的成功，大大鼓舞了胡青山。打那以后，他就放手让枣骝马独自完成向主峰送粮送水的任务。没有“老奔”跟着，枣骝马的目标更小，它的身体也显得更为灵巧。它的种种传奇故事，也和二连指战员们一起，成为伊吾人民心中不朽的雕像。 据后来的“钢铁二连”连史记载，伊吾保卫战结束后，部队特令为枣骝马荣记了三等功。在庆功大会上，二连战友们为枣骝马系上一束大红花，披上一匹红绫子，由同样披红挂花的“老奔”牵着，绕大场一周，登上主席台。 枣骝马在不久后的一次战斗中流尽了最后一滴血。二连战友费尽周折把它葬到伊吾城的北峰山下。其时，北峰已被命名为“胜利峰”，枣骝马的墓碑与“胜利峰”永远地叠立在一起。 1978年，伊吾县决定在街心花园为枣骝马塑像。年轻的县长说：“它是我们山城人民的光荣与骄傲！” 当然，它更是解放军第一野战军的骄傲。正是这匹枣骝马，成全了二连“钢铁”之路。他们在尧乐博斯匪徒数千人疯狂围攻下，硬是坚守了40多个日日夜夜。最后，胡青山这位曾在解放战争中七次荣立大功、兰州战役带领两个连队突破皋兰山主峰营盘岭的老英雄，大义凛然地率领11个战士，端起明晃晃的刺刀，扑向密如蝗虫般的匪徒…… 在“钢铁二连”苦撑苦挨的一个一个艰难时日里，王震实现了他最初的誓言：活捉乌斯满，根绝北疆匪患！他指挥剿匪部队在梅花泉反伏击旗开得胜后，一个回马枪杀向伊吾。尧乐博斯那些乌合之众，不堪一击，几千匪徒顷刻间成了一窝马蜂。接着，程悦长所率十七师奋勇追歼残敌，穿林海，闯草塬，一直追到北塔山，紧紧咬住匪徒。 尧乐博斯没辙了，抱着美国领事馆马克南的大腿逃往印度，而乌斯满束手就擒。漏网的谢尔德曼等人，潜回阿勒泰草原又想滋事生非，但在程悦长仁至义尽的感召下，也不得不低头流下无奈的泪水。 从此，美丽的冬不拉开始在白云下轻轻弹唱：