Chapter 87 3. The success of united front work

In the struggle to create and develop the Lunan base area, Luo Ronghuan skillfully used the two basic weapons of military struggle and the united front.Uniting Wanchunpu and fighting for Kong Zhaotong is a major achievement of the United Front.The enlightened gentleman Wan Chunpu was the first "commander" to unite with the Eighth Route Army in the Baodugu mountain area.Because his eldest son Wan Guohua, the housekeeper Yang Chunmao, and Liu Qingru who is in charge of the armed forces are all members of the Communist Party.Wanchunpu, known as Wansan Lord, walked the rivers and lakes in his early years, and was famous for his chivalry and righteousness, and enjoyed a very high reputation in this area.After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Zhang Liyuan, the Commissioner of the Third District of Shandong, asked him to restore the Lianzhuang Association in the border areas of Linyi, Feixian, Yixian, and Tengxian.Wanchunpu is armed with hundreds of rifles, several machine guns and three mortars, which is considered a large stock in this area.However, his armed forces were built with the help of the Communist Party organization.He has a good impression of the Eighth Route Army, but he doesn't know it very well.

Luo Ronghuan and Chen Guang received warm hospitality as soon as they arrived in Lunan.Wan Chunpu's wife cooked the famous whole sheep mat by herself. The three of them talked very speculatively, and they all said that they had never drank so much wine.Wan Chunpu strongly invited the two to stay and set up the division headquarters in his home.Wan Zhaifang has many courtyards, and it is best to be a teacher. Chen Guang rode on horseback all day to inspect the troops, while Luo Ronghuan was in charge of the division headquarters.Wan Chunpu was deeply moved when he witnessed what the Eighth Route Army did.The officers and soldiers of the Eighth Route Army are equal and as close as brothers.Luo Ronghuan often taught soldiers how to read and write, and personally fed horses with grooms.A senior general commanding thousands of horses and horses actually wore faded white clothes, his bedding was covered with patches, he ate pickles and sorghum cakes, and sang with his soldiers all day long.

Once, Wan Chunpu ordered his wife to make a spicy chicken, and asked the orderly to serve it to Luo Ronghuan.The orderly knew Luo Ronghuan's temper and dared not accept it.Wan Chunpu said: "This is a little bit of my heart. Commissar Luo said you, let me 'carry'." The servants had no choice but to accept it boldly, and carried it into the division headquarters in fear.Luo Ronghuan picked up the chopsticks and asked, "Xiao Wang, has the food been improved? Who informed you?" "It was from Mr. Wan, and he said it was a little thought from him." The servant was afraid of being criticized, so he quickly explained, "I have no choice but to accept it. Mr. Wan said that if you criticize me, he will take care of it."

Luo Ronghuan put down his chopsticks, took out the stipend that had just been paid, and handed it to Xiao Wang, "Go buy something to reward Wan's family, and tell him that the three major disciplines and eight precautions are the rules of our army. Don't let him misunderstand." Wan Chunpu was very moved, and went to visit Luo Ronghuan with his wife, and happened to see Luo Ronghuan sitting on the threshold picking bubbles and applying medicine for the guards. "Such officials and such an army are rare in the world. They are truly the teachers of the king, the teachers of benevolence and righteousness!" Wan Chunpu sighed.

On March 22, 1940, the Four-County Border Area Lianzhuang Association in Wanchunpu was formally incorporated into the Four-County Border Alliance Detachment of the Eighth Route Army.At the same time, Kong Zhaotong, another enlightened gentleman, also joined the Eighth Route Army and was appointed as the guerrilla commander of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army in Qu, Si, Zou, Teng, and Fei counties. Kong Zhaotong is a native of Teng County, a descendant of Confucius. He once served as a lieutenant general and division commander in the Beiyang Army and as a guard envoy in Xing (Hua) Yong (Ding) in Quanzhou, Fujian.After the Northern Expedition, he disarmed and returned to his hometown, opened a pharmacy, opened a school, and helped the world and educated people.

At the beginning of 1938, after occupying Jinan, the Japanese army continued to move south, occupying Tai'an and Yanzhou, and Teng County was in a hurry.The local tyrants and evil gentry in Teng County urged him to come forward to organize a pro-Japanese maintenance meeting, but he said: "We can't be a traitor even if we carry our handles (referring to swords, guns, swords and halberds) to the streets to sell boxing and beg for food!" At the end of January of that year, Kong Zhaotong and Yang Shiyuan, who had been the commander of Yan Xishan, organized the Lunan People's Anti-Japanese Self-Defense Army, with Yang as the commander and Kong as the deputy commander.

In March, the Japanese army attacked Teng County, Kong Zhaotong's sons Kong Xianyao and Kong Xiangang were killed by Japanese aircraft bombing.Soon, the Anti-Japanese Self-Defense Forces were also attacked by the Japanese army and collapsed.On the contrary, the failure strengthened Kong Zhaotong's determination to resist Japan. He sold his property and reorganized the army. recover a little. In the summer of 1938, Shi Yousan, the commander of the 10th Army of the Kuomintang, was stationed in Shandong. Kong Zhaotong was Shi Yousan's sworn brother, so he accepted the designation of the 6th Division temporarily organized by Shibu, and was active in Teng County, Zou County, and Surabaya in the northwest of Baodugu. and Fei County.

At the end of 1938, the third part of Shiyou was transferred to Hebei.Kong Zhaotong refused to go north and insisted on fighting in his hometown. On March 22, 1939, the Ministry of Kong encountered more than 100 Japanese troops at the foot of Longling Mountain in Teng County.Kong Zhaotong was nearly sixty years old at that time, but he was old and strong. He took off his fur robe, shirtless, and facing the Japanese army, he raised his arms and shouted: "Yao Gang and his son, if they have spirits, help their father kill the enemy, revenge for shame! " Immediately leading his subordinates to rush towards the enemy, the Japanese army left a dozen corpses and fled in embarrassment.

Among Kong Zhaotong's troops, the first to establish contact with the 115th Division was the 2nd Brigade.This brigade was originally part of the Lunan People's Anti-Japanese Volunteer Team led by the Communist Party, and the brigade commander Dong Yaoqing was a member of the Communist Party. He lost the battle in August 1938, and after losing contact with the party, he was incorporated into the Ministry of Kong and became the main force of the Ministry. After the 115th Division entered Lunan, Dong Yaoqing immediately sent someone to contact him and restored the relationship with the party. The 115th Division sent him a chief of staff.After Kong Zhaotong heard the news, he asked Peng Weisan, a well-known person in the Shandong education circle (formerly the inspector of the Shandong Provincial Department of Education), to help him establish contact with the 115th division.

After Peng Weisan arrived at Dalu, Luo Ronghuan set up a "Ten Bowls" banquet in accordance with local customs.During the meeting, Luo Ronghuan explained the Chinese Communist Party's united front policy to Peng Weisan.At that time, both Yu Xuezhong and Zhang Liyuan were wooing Kong Zhaotong.Kong Zhaotong was very disgusted with the Kuomintang's passive resistance to Japan and active anti-communism, and admired the Communist Party's resolute resistance to Japan.However, he still has some worries.In order to relieve Kong Zhaotong's concerns, Luo Ronghuan asked Peng Weisan to tell him that the Eighth Route Army and the Kong Ministry cooperated in the anti-Japanese war. The Kong Ministry could maintain its original designation and continue to operate in place.Peng Weisan suggested that Kong Zhaotong hoped that the Eighth Route Army would send a political cadre to be the director of the political department, and Luo Ronghuan would introduce Huang Yukun, the instructor of the secret service battalion who will be present with him, to him.

Early the next morning, Huang Yukun left the 115th Division with Peng Weisan.Before leaving, Luo Ronghuan held Peng Weisan's hand and said: "In the future, I hope to report the enemy's situation at any time and strengthen contact. If Master Kong has any difficulties in supplying, we can help solve it." After Huang Yukun came to Kong Zhaotong's army, he followed Luo Ronghuan's instructions to publicize the Eighth Route Army's anti-Japanese proposition, the three major disciplines, and the eight points of attention, and other fine traditions of the Eighth Route Army. It laid the foundation for the Communist Party to transform this army later. In December 1939, Chiang Kai-shek launched the first anti-communist upsurge, and the Kuomintang diehard Shen Xianwu (Shen Congzhou) who was active in Teng County was ready to attack Kong Zhaotong's troops.Liu Zhaohan, commander of the 1st brigade under Kong Zhaotong, also colluded with the Kuomintang and broke away from Kong Zhaotong's control.In order to help Kong Zhaotong, Luo Ronghuan and Chen Guang decided to attack Shen Xianwu and kill the arrogance of the diehards.After several battles, Shen Xianwu fled for his life in embarrassment, and his two regiments were wiped out.After the war, Dong Yaoqing's brigade was returned to the Eighth Route Army and incorporated into the 686th Regiment of the 115th Division.Later, the 686 Regiment was renamed the Lunan Detachment. Zhang Renchu, the head of the 686 Regiment, served as the detachment leader, and Dong Yaoqing served as the deputy detachment leader.Then, Kong Zhaotong also resolutely decided to sever ties with the Kuomintang and accept the leadership of the Communist Party and the Eighth Route Army.One night, he sent 10 strong bodyguards to escort Huang Yukun back to the 115th Division overnight, and reported his determination to Luo Ronghuan and Chen Guang. Immediately, the 115th Division got in touch with its superiors. After approval by the superiors, the 115th Division officially appointed Kong Zhaotong as the guerrilla commander of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army in Qu, Si, Zou, Teng, and Fei counties.Kong Zhaotong led his troops to the 115th Division's station to accept the adaptation. The 115th Division held a grand welcome party for Kong Zhaotong and his subordinates.Luo Ronghuan delivered a speech at the welcome meeting, and warmly praised Kong Zhaotong for his spirit of insisting on unity and the War of Resistance.Luo Ronghuan and Chen Guang inspected Kong Zhaotong's troops, issued Eighth Route Army armbands to the commanders and fighters, and replenished ammunition and clothes for Kong Zhaotong's troops. In the autumn of 1940, Kong Zhaotong was seriously ill. When he was dying, he said to his son Kong Xianshao: "The Communist Party and the Eighth Route Army will not discriminate against us, replace us, or disband our troops. The Communist Party will definitely win, and you must follow the Communist Party. Walk." In November 1940, Kong Zhaotong died of illness.Luo Ronghuan, Chen Guang and Xiao Hua jointly sent an elegiac couplet, praising Kong Zhaotong's noble character of loving the truth and fighting bravely for the nation and the country. In southern Shandong, the 115th Division also united many patriots who had a certain reputation in the local area, so that they played a great role in developing local armed forces, conducting trade in enemy-occupied areas, and disintegrating the Japanese and puppet troops.