Chapter 2 Chapter 1 Yan'an (1)

At the beginning of March 1947, Luliang Mountain was still covered with ice and snow.The northwest wind rolls across the white mountains, spinning and whistling.The yellow sun shines through the dry branches-- According to the snow, there are little flowers.It was cold in the ravine, and large icicles hung on the edge of the cliff like a curtain. On the top of the mountain, in the ravine, a line of soldiers, horses and pack animals marched against the strong wind sharper than a knife.Some soldiers grabbed the snow and stuffed it into their mouths; some soldiers knocked off the small ice cones on the edge of the cliff with bayonets and put them in their mouths to suck.Their gray cotton military uniforms were freezing cold, and they made noises when they walked.Because they spend the night in the snow.

This is a column of the People's Liberation Army. It was ordered to start from the central part of Shanxi and advance westward day and night.They, like the people's soldiers in various battlefields, have fought day and night for eight months from the beginning of the People's War of Liberation to the present.At present, where they are going to fight, the environment will be more difficult and the battle will be more brutal. Keeping their guns on their shoulders and their horses on their saddles, the soldiers rushed to the bank of the Yellow River for more than ten days. There are towering mountains on both sides of the Yellow River.The soldiers stood by the river and looked up, the sky was like a long swinging belt.If one wants to stand on the top of the mountains on both sides of the river, maybe the clouds will fly past his ears, and he can touch the cold blue sky with his hands.In the mountain gorge, the muddy yellow river rolled up large ice blocks and crashed into the steep cliffs, making a roar.The Yellow River sprayed out mist-like cold air, which made people breathless, penetrated into bone joints, and drilled into blood vessels.No wonder the old boatman who pulls the boat said that people here still wear leather jackets in the summer of June!

The vanguard of the column assembled at the fork in the mouth of the ditch, ready to cross the river.Five or six American-made fighter jets of Chiang Kai-shek circled over the Yellow River ferry for reconnaissance and swooped down to shoot; the sound of gunpowder, the smell of gunpowder, and the roar of the Yellow River made people feel that the battlefield was right in front of them, and made people feel an unusual tension. The brigade commander Chen Xingyun rode out from the mountain pass, and the Yellow River was in front of him. He hurriedly reined in his horse.The tall and fat bay red horse shook the sweat off its body, pricked up its ears, and neighed a few times towards the Yellow River.Then it raised its tail and swung its head violently, pawing its two front hooves on the ground, as if when Brigadier Chen let go of the reins, it would rise into the air and cross the Yellow River.

Brigadier Chen jumped off his horse and handed the horse to the correspondent behind him.He took a few steps forward, habitually looking at the mountains on the left and right.Then, with his hands in front of his belly, he looked at the rushing waves for a long time. The chief of staff of the regiment, Wei Yi, and the instructor of the first battalion, Zhang Pei, came out from the mountain pass and walked to Brigadier Chen. Wei Yi and Zhang Pei stood together, which seemed very interesting.Wei Yi has a square face and thick eyebrows; he is tall and strong, with broad shoulders and an upright appearance. He is indeed a big man in Shandong.As for Zhang Pei, he was a head lower than Wei Yi, with a thin body and a thin face, looking refined.He had been wounded four times, bleeding profusely, and frail.So, looking at his appearance, no one would believe that he is a man who has lived a fighting life for ten years.

Brigadier Chen said: "How many times have we been back and forth on the Yellow River! The Yellow River has an old friendship with us." Wei Yi and the others are used to this cheerful and hearty voice. Wei Yi shrugged his shoulders slightly, smiled honestly and said, "We have a lot of dealings with the Yellow River, so it's not an annoying thing!" Brigadier Chen smiled: "How can it be an annoying thing? On the contrary, every time I cross the Yellow River, I always feel very uneasy. Think about how bravely the Chinese nation has carried out beside it for thousands of years. Hard struggle!" He turned to look at Zhang Pei: "Yes, you always keep silent like this."

Zhang Pei blushed.He said gently and humbly: "Habits are hard to change, and progress is slow!" Brigadier Chen waved his hand violently and said, "Nonsense, nonsense! It's good to have a temper like yours. Probably, the soldiers in your battalion regard you as their mother, don't they?" Zhang Pei smiled slightly and said, "If the soldiers really look at me like this, that would be a joyful thing." Brigadier Chen asked: "These days and nights of rapid marching, can you bear it?" "I'm marching on horseback, so what else can I say. The warriors are really badass!"

Brigadier Chen asked knowingly, "Wei Yi, is Zhang Pei really marching on horseback?" Wei Yi felt unnatural, shrugged his shoulders slightly, and said: "During the march, his horses are always ridden by soldiers who have lost their legs." A look of dissatisfaction flashed across Brigadier Chen's face, and he said, "I'm really too lazy to talk about these things!" Zhang Pei knew why the brigade commander was dissatisfied with him.Half a month ago, Zhang Pei was still lying in the hospital. The bullet wound on his chest was healed, but his body was still very weak.He heard that the army was going to fight across the Yellow River, so he repeatedly asked to be discharged from the hospital early and return to the army.On the first day the troops left, he rushed back.During the march for the past few days, every time Brigadier Chen met him, he would say: "The body is so weak, why do you rush back? Comrade, there are plenty of opportunities to fight!"

Five or six enemy planes swooped down from the sky above the Yellow River, dropped a few small bombs, strafed for a while, and went into the clouds with strange screams. A stern look flashed across Chen's face, and he said, "We must hurry forward every minute. The situation in the Northwest is serious, very serious!" He described the enemy's formation.How bitter was the eight-year War of Resistance Against Japan!But just after a major war, the Chinese people had no time to breathe. The Kuomintang reactionaries headed by Chiang Kai-shek, relying on 4.3 million troops and economic advantages, took the 1.2 million People's Liberation Army with no aircraft, tanks and few artillery And the Chinese people are simply ignored.At the end of June last year, starting from the Liberated Areas of the Central Plains, they brazenly launched a "comprehensive attack" on our liberated areas.Its menacing, mighty ah!The enemy thought that after three to six months, they could celebrate victory with a toast.However, the soldiers and civilians in our liberated areas held out their chests bravely and resolutely launched self-defense operations.For more than eight months, we gave up many places and more than a hundred cities in order to maintain our active position.However, more than 100 battles and more than 700,000 enemies were wiped out, forcing the enemy to give up the "all-round offensive" from March onwards, and had to concentrate heavy forces and launch "focused offensives" in Shandong and Northwest China.Now the enemy's hundreds of thousands of horses are madly attacking Shandong; miles northwest of us, the enemy has mobilized a total of more than 300,000 troops, and the number of troops used on the front line is more than 200,000.On March 13, on the southern front, Hu Zongnan's 140,000 to 50,000 troops attacked Yan'an along the Xianyu Highway and the area east of it.On the west front, Ma Hongkui and Ma Bufang are attacking the three sides of our Longdong division.The enemy in Yulin on the northern line is preparing to attack our Suide and Mizhi counties.That is to say, the enemy is coming from all directions!

Wei Yi and Zhang Pei looked at Brigadier Chen's dark, iron-like face.This expression is common to them every time the troops launch an attack. Brigadier Chen looked at the dark mountains to the west of the river, and said in a low and heavy voice: "A bigger test lies ahead, comrades!" "Defend the Party Central Committee!" "Defend Chairman Mao!" "Defend Yan'an!" "Defend the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region!" "Repel the enemy's attack!" The shouts of the soldiers and the sound of the waves of the Yellow River merged into a huge roar.This roar sounded like thunder and lightning flashing suddenly in the middle of the night, and a violent storm came.Brigadier Chen, Wei Yi, and Zhang Pei looked back: the troops assembled in the mountain pass used the time before crossing the river to hold cadre meetings, party members meetings, and military meetings respectively to mobilize for combat.

In front of a company, there was a man with the appearance of a company commander, with his chest in front of him, raised his hands, and shouted: "Comrades, let's go to defend the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao..." Brigadier Chen felt that the soldiers were all nervous , It seems that the speaker set a fire in the hearts of the soldiers! The person speaking in front of the team pointed to the Yellow River and shouted: "Comrades, we are about to cross the river. ... The enemy is attacking Yan'an. Comrades, Yan'an, that's where our Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao lived for more than ten years. ...Yan'an, the Holy Land of Democracy, everyone in China and the world does not know..." The soldiers all looked at the mountains in the west of Hexi.Some soldiers stood up and sat down, as if to say something.

Brigadier Chen pointed to the person speaking in front of the soldiers, and asked: "Who is that? Ah, yes, that is Zhou Dayong." He looked at Wei Yi and Zhang Pei and said, "Yes, we must explain to the soldiers at any time. , The significance of our going to the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region to fight." He bowed his head in thought, a little annoyed. "The way forward is difficult. However, you have to give special instructions to the soldiers: Chairman Mao personally commanded us to fight in the northwest. This is the greatest guarantee of victory. Well, you immediately go to organize the soldiers to cross the river. I will go and see Is the commander coming up?" Wei Yi took steady strides and walked towards the river.He walked a few steps and looked back: Zhang Pei was still standing there looking at the thousands of mountains and mountains in the Hexi-Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, without blinking his eyes, something trembling in his heart. Wei Yi shouted: "Zhang Pei, let's go! Your battalion will cross the river soon." Zhang Pei walked up to Wei Yi slowly, his lips trembling, and said, "Chief of Staff! I, I can't wait to fly to Yan'an." Wei Yi looked at Zhang Pei, his heart was churning, and he said, "Zhang Pei, it's useless to be anxious. ... We are going to fight the enemy, to fight it firmly! "He raised his right fist and slammed it down through the air. The wind blowing outside the Great Wall brought yellow sand all over the sky.The soldiers moved towards the ferry, the wind bulging their clothes and the sand slapping their faces. The strong wind whipped up the waves of the Yellow River and crashed into the cliffs. The splashed water droplets hit the soldiers' bodies and faces.On the upper reaches of the river, a few small wooden boats came down with the wind and the water.Sometimes they climbed up waves as high as mountains, and then fell down suddenly; sometimes they were caught up in a maelstrom and swirled rapidly, as if they were about to be submerged in a blink of an eye, but suddenly they broke through the waves like arrows.The sailors on the ship yelled "Hi yo-hi yo--", shaking their oars desperately, and wrestling with the wind and waves. The banks of the river were crowded with troops, war horses and pack animals preparing to cross the river.Many soldiers shouted in unison to the people pulling the boat: "Come on! Pull! Come on!" Several tall pack mules were frightened by the shouts of the people and the roar of the Yellow River. Li Hu jumped up and down.Artillery soldiers were chasing the escaped mules.The commanders are very busy arranging things to cross the river.Staff members were running back and forth.Some of the communications staff were riding horses to convey orders, some were checking the wires that had just been pulled by the river, and some were pulling telephone lines from the mountain pass to the river with telephones on their backs. Liu Yuanxing, the commander of the first battalion, swung his hat in his hand and shouted: "Correspondent! Call the first company commander. Run!" The little correspondent slipped away and ran to the back.About two or three minutes later, the correspondent came running along with a young commander.The young commander ran up to the battalion commander, put his left hand on the bobbing pistol at his waist, leaned on his heels, and saluted.He stood beside the battalion commander, waiting for orders. Battalion Commander Liu didn't return the salute, and didn't say anything, his face was dark and annoyed.He turned his head and glanced at Zhou Dayong, the commander of the first company, as if most of his anger had dissipated.He thought: "Okay! No matter what task is entrusted to him, there will be no mistakes." Zhou Dayong looks very well-proportioned, with broad shoulders, not very tall, but half a head taller than a person of medium height, with a rectangular face, and under two broad and black eyebrows, there is a pair of stubborn eyes. twinkling.Standing beside the battalion commander, he seemed to have taken root in the ground, making you feel that even three or five young men would not be able to push him. Liu Yuanxing rubbed his hands and said, "It's cold on Luliang Mountain, but it's even colder by the Yellow River!" Zhou Dayong said: "Battle Commander, you are covered in fire after jumping a few times." Commander Liu said, "Hey! Age is not forgiving. If I am as old as you and as tall as you, I will not be afraid to jump into the ice hole!" Zhou Dayong smiled; "You are only thirty-four!" "That's ten years more food than you, comrade!" Enemy planes swooped and strafed frantically across the river.Battalion Commander Liu looked at the churning Yellow River and said, "You son of a bitch, can you keep me from crossing the river by shooting again? Zhou Dayong, your company will cross first!" "I wish I had this order." Zhou Dayong's eyes flashed with irrepressible enthusiasm. Commander Liu asked, "Have the soldiers prepared the camouflage circle?" "it is done." Battalion Commander Liu looked at his watch and said, "It's two o'clock in the afternoon. The head of the brigade ordered that our brigade must be finished by this evening. OK, you bring the troops here immediately!" "Okay!" Zhou Dayong saluted and was about to turn around and leave. Battalion Commander Liu said: "Don't worry! As soon as your company passes by, place it on the opposite mountain and organize air-to-air shooting." He pointed to the plane and said: "These guys who have been wronged are most afraid of death. You put up the machine gun Throwing its two shuttles, it flies so high. Oh! Look, the boat is pulled down. Quick, bring the troops across the river!" Two The whole column of people and horses crossed the Yellow River, marched from east to west, and marched straight to Yan'an.Enemy planes strafed and bombed along the narrow ravine, trying to stop our army from advancing.The soldiers lay down when the enemy planes strafed, and got up and walked when the planes turned around.Lie down, get up...they walked like this, and they didn't calm down until it was dark. The soldiers marched through the night and passed through Yanchuan County on March 18th, which is 180 miles away from Yan'an, but the sights of war are everywhere.The staff of the People's Government are transshipping public grain.Old men and women are fortifying things.On the road fork and at the entrance of the village, children are standing guard.Squads of self-defense troops came and went.Some of them were carrying seven-nine rifles, and some were carrying red-tasseled guns, and they probably went to participate in exercises somewhere. The soldiers hurried forward.As they walked, they looked at the battle mobilization slogans written on the walls of the small temple and on the rocky cliffs: "The people of the whole border area are urgently mobilized! Defend the Communist Party Central Committee! Defend Chairman Mao! Defend the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region! Defend Yan'an! Defend the land! Defend the life of adequate food and clothing!" "Army commanders, fighters and logistics personnel in the border region! You are standing on the most honorable posts. The eyes of the people of China and the whole world are on you. They pin their great hopes on you! Chairman Mao , Everything that Commander-in-Chief Zhu has taught, now is the time to implement it!" "The enemy is going to kill and set fire here again!" Zhou Dayong, the commander of the first company, was full of anger. This mountainous area in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia border area is seven to eight hundred miles from east to west and eight to nine hundred miles from north to south, but Zhou Dayong has been to almost all the big cities, small towns, ditches and ditches.He and fellow villagers in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region have spent many difficult days together.He cut crops and sent dung to fellow villagers along the Wuding River; along the Yanhe River, fellow villagers also told him the story of the land revolution in northern Shaanxi. He thought of northern Shaanxi and Yan'an as affectionately as he thought of his hometown.When he was only as tall as a rifle, he followed the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army through the 25,000-mile Long March to northern Shaanxi.Later, the Red Army was reorganized into the Eighth Route Army. Like many Red Army soldiers, he cried and wrapped his hat with the five red stars in his baggage, and drove from northern Shaanxi to the anti-Japanese front line.In the next ten years, he and many of his comrades returned to northern Shaanxi and Yan'an several times, and set off from northern Shaanxi and Yan'an for expeditions several times. Today, Zhou Dayong set foot on the land of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, and headed towards Yan'an.However, coming back this time is different from going back, because the flames of war have ignited in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, and it will soon reach Yan'an, where the Party Central Committee lives.When these thoughts flashed through Zhou Dayong's mind, the terrible pain and anger tormented his heart.He had been through life and death, and had seen a lot of grief in war, but he had never experienced the emotion he felt right now.This is just like when a person walks into the village where his ancestors lived for generations and sees the bandits killing his own parents! On March 19, as soon as the sun climbed the top of Dongshan Mountain, the troops entered Dachuanli, a hundred miles due east of Yan'an.The dust billowed in the river, crowded with retreating people, vehicles, donkeys and cattle.Animals are loaded with grain and fodder, and vehicles are loaded with furniture, spinning wheels and pots and pans.In some vehicles, there is also a cat sleeping next to the furniture. ... Among the crowd, few middle-aged men or young men were seen. Some of them led the way for their troops, some carried stretchers, some transported food, and some held weapons to defend their hometown.Only the women, with their children on their backs, shouldered the burden of the whole family to escape; some old ladies carried their burdens, and some carried chickens and wooden ladles for water in their hands.Some of the children were carrying small shovels for sheep herding, followed by a dog; some were carrying schoolbags and wooden knives.Old men, some carry farm tools, some carry quilts and clothes... Some people don't talk to anyone, don't look at anyone, as if they don't know each other.Their faces are covered with dust. It seems that they are tired and sad!Some people look back at the sky in Yan'an for a while, and at the fields and hillsides on both sides of the road for a while.Usually, people seldom pay attention to the familiar things around them, the loess mountains, the red valleys and the clouds over their hometown.Now, when the war comes, when people want to part with all this, they feel that the rare time of the past has not been fully utilized, and many beautiful things have not tried hard to understand it. When these fleeing masses did not see their own troops, they were very panicked; when they saw their own troops, they sat on the side of the road and did not move forward.According to their thinking, when the troops go up, the enemy will be wiped out, the war will be over, and the days of peace will resume. The faces of the women with their children on their backs were full of joy.They all chattered: "Ah, look, how thick our troops are. Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, the white army will not come!" "Don't be afraid, look! We transferred hundreds of thousands of horses from the east of the river." Zhou Dayong thought: "Hundreds of thousands? There are only more than 5,000 people in total!" He often encountered such things in his war life: people often fabricated or exaggerated some contradictory and ridiculous good news according to their wishes to seek comfort .As he walked, he asked, "My fellow countryman, is the enemy still far away?" "How far away? People say that the enemy has arrived in our city of Yan'an! According to my opinion, the enemy has arrived at Ershilipu in the south of Yan'an!" "Cough! You are talking nonsense. Comrade, the enemy is still thirty or forty miles away from Yan'an." "Yan'an,...it's not good, it's not good!" Zhou Dayong felt that the news that the fellow villagers said had great discrepancies brought him a heavy pressure.He asked again: "My fellow countrymen, didn't you say that you have already retreated? Why, you are still crowded here?" The villagers answered in a noisy voice: "It's hard to leave a poor family, it's hard to leave a hot land!" "A golden nest and a silver nest are not as good as my own poor nest!" "I can't talk about it for a while! Comrade Township Chief persuades us every day, telling us to go far away to settle down. We have another plan: our team can still let the White Army occupy our Yan'an... Anyway, the battle was over in a few days, and we went back.Now,... Feeling dizzy... I can't tell at all... Alas, what time will the war last, and how will I live in the future! " Zhou Dayong's face was gloomy.As he walked, he explained to the fellow villagers: We must prepare for a long-term war. The road was too crowded to walk.The head of the brigade issued an order: "The troops go to the river on the right!" The troops in front turned around and walked towards the river, and the troops behind surrounded them.Zhou Dayong stopped beside a large car.In the car was an eleven or twelve-year-old boy lying down and moaning.He was injured when enemy planes strafed him on the way.Beside the child lay a dying woman.Zhou Dayong asked a fellow villager, and he knew that this woman was shot to death by enemy planes on the road ten miles ahead. Zhou Dayong stood there, with his right hand tightly grasping the belt around his waist, and his left hand tightly grasping the wooden sheath of the pistol. His face was carved out of bluestone, without any expression.The blood in his whole body seemed to be coagulated and stopped flowing; his heart seemed to be pinched and twisted by a vise.The instructor Wang Chengde, who was standing more than ten steps away from him, let out a rough breath! Zhou Dayong's gaze shifted from the fellow's cart to the faces of the soldiers. The soldiers were all staring straight ahead, as if they couldn't bear to see the tragedy in the car beside them! Beside the cart stood an old lady.The dead and injured people in the car were all relatives of her.The old lady looked at the dead bodies and the injured children on the cart, in a daze of despair.Everything seemed to her vague and uncertain, like a dream.Her dull eyes fell on the serious faces of the soldiers, as if asking: "Is the war really going to be fought in our border area? Can you let the White Army occupy our Yan'an? My child, you can't!" She When I looked at the dead body of my daughter-in-law and the injured grandson in the car, I felt that the ruthless fire had already reached Yan'an, and it had already burned my own head!War, war has destroyed the homeland she built with a drop of blood and sweat! ... Zhou Dayong wanted to reassure the old lady.I also wanted to say that the enemy couldn't occupy Yan'an, and the troops rushed forward in a hurry just to defend Yan'an, but they didn't say a word.His heart was burning with fuel: fellow villagers, old and young, are fleeing, but where are they going?Soldiers, isn't the responsibility of soldiers to defend their lives and homes?Isn't it just to protect them from fear?Zhou Dayong can't wait to reach Yan'an in one step, let him and his comrades use their lives to support all blows, let the enemy throw all the steel and gunpowder of the United States over! The old lady raised her head, tears streaming down her face.After a long pause, she squeezed out a word between her teeth: "My child, take out the black heart of the white army murderer!" A soldier beside Zhou Dayong said: "Old mother, don't worry, we will not let the enemy occupy our Yan'an no matter what!" A group of children who followed the adults to escape squeezed into the middle of the team, held the hands of the soldiers, and asked questions.A six or seven-year-old child stood on the ridge and jumped on Zhou Dayong's back.He put his small mouth against Zhou Dayong's ear and said, "Uncle, we should go back after we beat the Bai army tomorrow! Isn't it? Uncle, uncle, look, I brought out my schoolbag too." Is there anything in the world that is more heart-wrenching than the words of this ignorant child?Zhou Dayong turned around, held the child's face in his hands, and looked at him eye to eye for a long, long time!Ah, these childish and bright little eyes don't know how cruel the cruel enemy is; they don't know the real war and the hardships of life.Because, when he opened his eyes to see the world for the first time, his father and brother had washed the land of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region clean with blood and sweat; And a face full of emotion; when he can play, he sits by the Yanhe River, splashing water with his fat little feet, while listening to his uncles and aunts singing—songs calling for a happy life.But now, he is going to escape! ... The child saw his appearance in Zhou Dayong's eyes, he hugged his neck, leaned his cheek against his cheek, and shouted happily: "Uncle, there is someone in your eyes..." Suddenly, the air defense horn blew from the front, All of a sudden, the trumpeters of each company blew their horns.The shrill and passionate sound of the trumpet made people tremble in their hearts!The three enemy fighter jets came up along the Okawa, and they didn't even circle around, they swooped down and shot at the crowd along the river.Children, women, and old mothers with white hair are all crowded together with the troops; the sound of planes swooping, the sound of strafing, the sharp shouts of women, and the crying of children... The commanders are shouting: "Scatter, scatter!" Open!" How can you disperse? ... A woman raised her hand and lay in the bloody water.The baby who was nursing in her arms was thrown far away on the side of the road.Zhou Dayong, ignoring the shooting from the plane, rushed over from the road and hugged the child tightly in his arms, protecting the child with his chest.He seemed to feel that his broad back could block the enemy's bullets.In fact, the child had already died! Five or six steps away from Zhou Dayong, there was a puddle of blood, in which was a small schoolbag.There are some scattered pages of elementary school textbooks around the bloody water; there are also some book pages hanging on the withered grass by the roadside, and some are flying in the air with the wind! The fields are full of damaged cars, agricultural tools, furniture, some clothes, quilts, cotton, and they are breathing fire and smoke.After the wormwood on the roadside burned, it turned into piles of black ashes. Zhou Dayong, the man who has experienced all hardships in life, the man who has walked tens of thousands of miles in the flames of war, has tears in his eyes.Every nerve in him is cramping, every cell is splitting! ... After the planes had strafed, the villagers from the villages on the side of the road took the door panels and ran to the main road to rescue the wounded and bury the dead.They neither lament nor shed tears, neither cry nor speak.The ravine is full of silence and seriousness.The air was filled with dust, smoke and the smell of gunpowder. A dozen district and township cadres ran up from Qianchuanli, all carrying big guns; working day and night made their eyes red.The cadres spoke to the crowded fellow villagers, telling them where to go safely. Thousands of old people, women, and children walked to the avenue in the valley to the east - walking forward with suffering and the pain of losing their loved ones.Their heavy feet, *# stirred up dust all over the sky! Zhou Dayong's face turned dark.The miserable faces of the old ladies and the watery eyes of the children kept appearing in front of his eyes.Instructor Wang Chengde jumped up from his side and shouted: "Comrades, remember, these are the people killed by American lackeys, American planes, and American bullets! Comrades..." Wang Chengde yelled in front of Zhou Dayong, but he Zhou Dayong didn't hear a word of what he shouted.Like the soldiers, Zhou Dayong's blood was boiling all over his body, and all his thoughts and emotions were focused on one thing. He went immediately and stabbed the robbers who had entered the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia border area with a bayonet! The main roads, small roads, river channels, and under the roots of mountains are crowded with ranks of troops advancing rapidly.Among the soldiers, no one spoke, and no one coughed, as if everyone was holding their breath and tensed their mouths. Zhou Dayong stared at the hawk-like eyes, while walking, he looked at the rolling hills ahead, the villages and woods in the river, and at the sky of Yan'an.Clouds floated in the sky of Yan'an.The clouds made the sun burn red.At noon on March 19, the troops passed through the small town of Ganguyi, eighty miles due east of Yan'an.There is a road leading directly to Yan'an, and the clear Yan River flows around the town.This river flows through Yan'an, and flows through the foot of the mountain below the cave dwellings where the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao live. Gangu Station, how familiar people should be with it! During the War of Resistance Against Japan, tens of thousands of cadres returned to Yan'an from the front to study, or set out from Yan'an to cross the Yellow River to the front line of the Anti-Japanese War, and most of them passed by here.In the past, this small town was very lively, but now, the doors of small businesses are tightly closed, and only militiamen parade back and forth with rifles, spears, and knives on the deserted streets.Troops rushed through the streets like a tide, adding vitality to the small town of Ganguyi. There was an explosion like thunder in the distance.The soldiers were discussing, some said it was the sound of artillery, and some said it was the sound of aircraft bombing. When Wei Yi, chief of staff of the regiment, followed the regiment directly under him across the street, he saw Brigadier Chen standing on the steps beside the street, looking west.He jumped down from his horse and went up to the brigade commander. Brigadier Chen turned his head and said, "Wei Yi, the plants and trees around Yan'an look quite familiar to me! It was about 1942, yes, it was 1942. I came back to Yan'an from the front. Study, just pass through this small town." Wei Yi said: "I went back to Yan'an from the front to study in 1941, and set off from Yan'an to work in the front in 1944, and I passed here back and forth." Brigadier Chen said: "You have lived in Yan'an for several years, so you must be very familiar with Yan'an." Wei Yi said: "Yes, I am very familiar with it. Brigadier! Do you remember the Central Party School outside the north gate of Yan'an? In 1942, Chairman Mao gave us a report on the rectification movement there." Brigadier Chen said: "I remember. At that time, I was studying in the first part of the Party School. The Central Party School checked that it was Yangjialing, and the Party Central Committee has always lived there. Chairman Mao also lived there. The Seventh National Congress of the Party was also held It opened there. Ho! Thinking of all of this, it seems like yesterday." He looked west, and could only see the mountains stretching into the distance and the clouds over Yan'an. "Wei Yi! Northern Shaanxi and Yan'an have made inexhaustible contributions to the Chinese revolution. After ten years of civil war, we did not get a rest, and we only got rest in northern Shaanxi. The Anti-Japanese War began, and northern Shaanxi became our general rear again. Almost all our cadres from all over the country, especially the responsible cadres, have studied in Yan'an, and almost all have eaten millet from the folks in northern Shaanxi." They talked about Zaoyuan Village where Chairman Mao lived, Wangjiaping where the Chinese People's Revolutionary Military Committee and Commander-in-Chief Zhu lived, the Border Region Government, Qingliang Mountain, Baota Mountain, Yan'an City, Qiaoergou, Xinshiba, Wenhuagou, and the Eighth Route Army Campus. The auditorium, the auditorium of the Senate... They talked so passionately, as if they were talking about their familiar hometown; it seemed that everything there—even a stone—was closely connected with their lives. Wei Yi said: "Brigade Commander! If you don't go to fight now, but go back to Yan'an to report on work, go to study, and find familiar comrades... Cough! Why do you want to do this! Now, war is everything!" Brigadier Chen folded his hands behind his back, his face was frozen, stern and gloomy, and a burst of imperceptible excitement passed over his lips.He stared at the soldiers rushing forward without moving his eyes, and never spoke a word.three Yan'an is surrounded by mountains, and the Yan River flows around the city.There is a majestic nine-level pagoda on Pagoda Mountain in the east of the city, and Wanfo Cave and evergreen pines and cypresses on Qingliang Mountain in the northeast of the city.Against the backdrop of these famous mountains and pagodas, Yan'an City looks extraordinarily solemn and beautiful. Yan'an, the ancient city next to the Great Wall and the Yellow River, is as immortal as Jinggangshan and Ruijin.In that stormy year, many great historical events were associated with the name of Yan'an.In October 1935, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Chairman Mao led the Red Army of Workers and Peasants to northern Shaanxi after a 25,000-mile long march.From then on, the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao lived on the banks of the Yanhe River near Yan'an City for more than ten years. The Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao lived in Yan'an, and Yan'an became the heart of China, the headquarters of the Chinese revolution, and the birthplace of victory. The cannons on the Marco Polo Bridge sounded, and the motherland was shaken in blood and fire.Tens of thousands of people flowed to Yan'an like a tide, seeking the truth of saving the country. The Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao raised these thousands of people in Yan'an and gave them the ideological weapons to win.Relying on this winning weapon, the Chinese people persisted in the eight-year war of resistance and defeated the Japanese bandits. The Japanese bandits fell, and the American bandits came again.American bandits, commanding Chiang Kai-shek to set fire to the civil war. The Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao were again in Yan'an to guide the Chinese people in a fierce struggle against Chiang Kai-shek, the lackey of U.S. imperialism. At this time, it is: "A piece of sky topped by the Chinese, bright in the north and dark in the south." However, those who suffer in the dark often hear the majestic and strong voices of the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao from Yan'an.This sound cut through the dark sky and illuminated the road of life and struggle. The Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao lived in Yan'an, and the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region became a holy paradise, and people lived a life of adequate food and clothing.In previous years, when Akita came down, labor heroes and peasant representatives from all over the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region took melons, fruits and vegetables, and went to Yan'an to report the good news of the harvest to Chairman Mao.Chairman Mao, workers, and peasants often talked about production methods and the quality of the harvest in this beautiful place.Chairman Mao also often took walks by the clear Yanhe River, thinking about the present and future of the Chinese people. On the hill opposite the cave where Chairman Mao lived, cows and sheep were flooded in the morning and evening.Peasants and shepherds often look at the windows of Chairman Mao's cave and sing tunes praising their great leader. Chairman Mao did a great job for the liberation of the Chinese people in the cave dwelling among the green mountains and green waters.Chairman Mao wrote many immortal works guiding the Chinese revolution in that simple residence. The transition season between summer and autumn is the best time in northern Shaanxi.In the morning, there was a thick fog covering Yan'an, and covering the mountains, rivers and flowing water around Yan'an City, and it was impossible to see anything even a few dozen paces away.In the mist, the animal bells rang strangely, announcing the start of the day's work.In the distance, on the misty hilltop, someone sang "Xintianyou".This simple and beautiful singing voice is singing the merits of the Communist Party and Chairman Mao, singing the joy of labor, singing the beautiful life, singing the happy love.When the bright red sun shines on the top of the pagoda, the mist opens like a curtain, and Yan'an City gradually appears in the sun.On the hillsides and ditches around the city, people were listening to lectures and discussing difficulties in learning. Fat goats and sheep are chasing and jumping on the hillside.The shepherd boy, sitting on the top of the mountain with wild flowers, played the plum flute.Millet and sorghum all over the mountain sway with the wind.By the side of the fruit trees in Chuan Dao, an old man sat, twirling wool and humming a little song.Sometimes, a girl from someone's family leads a cow or a pair of sheep to drink water by the river.While rubbing her livestock, she stared blankly at the shadow of the pagoda lying in the river; the shadow of the pagoda was shaking with the ripples of the water. When the sun sets, Yan'an is full of joyful singing.Young people sang at the edge of Yan'an City: "On the bank of the Yellow River, there is a group of outstanding descendants of the Chinese nation..." Some people are still walking under the cave dwelling where the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao live.When swarms of fireflies flew by the Yan River, Yan'an sank into the vast and profound thoughts again. At night, on the mountains surrounding Yan'an City, rows of lights shone on the windows of cave dwellings layer upon layer.你站在延安城向四面山上望去，直觉得四面都是万丈高楼。在那万千个闪光发亮的窗子里，人们正用全部精力工作学习，思索真理。最重要的是，在这万千闪亮的窗子里，有毛主席和他的战友的一些窗子。在这样的夜晚，兴许，毛主席和他的战友正在那灯光下，思考全中国，思考全世界哩。 天上有晶亮的星星，地下有朗朗的流水声。民主圣地--延安的夜晚，该多美啊！ 可是，如今--一九四七年三月十八日的夜里，空旷旷的延安城躺在寒森森的黑暗里。城南、城北，被敌人飞机轰炸倒的房子，已经烧了好几天，房屋的木料早烧光了，晚上只有点点火星在天空飘飞。街上除了准备最后撤退的治安工作人员和一群群由青年农民组成的自卫军以外，机关工作人员、学生、老百姓，撤退得连一个也不见了。没有歌声没有笑语，往日四面山上的万盏灯光也不见了，只有延河的水还照常不息地向东流去。 十八日后半夜，有很多西北野战军的队伍，从延安南川涌上来。他们是才从南线撤退下来的。一道道的手电光，划破了无边的黑暗。战士们趁着手电光，看那城墙上、石崖上写着的字： "中国共产党万岁！" "毛主席万岁！" "我们要把蒋胡匪军埋葬在延安！" "民主圣地延安是我们的，我们一定要回到延安来！" ... 战士们默默不语地行进着。他们的脚步是沉重而缓慢的，仿佛他们有意放慢脚步，在这延安城里多走一阵。部队行列中，有时传出了一些悲愤而短促的叹息声。有一个战士，身上还有火药味，头上绑着绷带，绷带上渗出了血。他边走边用手摸延安的城墙。有一个躺在担架上的伤员，要求他的战友，停住脚步，放下担架，给他揭开被子，他要看一看延安。从他说话的声音听来，他像是刚刚从昏迷状态里苏醒过来。 部队穿过延安城，分成两股。一股顺延安西川流去了，一股顺延安东川流去了。 延安北门外，王家坪村边，站着许多威严的哨兵。王家坪沟口那片桃树林子跟前，有许多军事机关的人员，在等候出发命令。他们，有的人站在马匹和文件驮子旁边，有的在桃树林里来回走动，有的坐在桃树下的石桌旁边低声谈话。桃树枝快吐绿芽了，喷出香味，带来春天的气息。一个小通讯员，折下一节桃枝放在鼻子下边闻着。 王家坪半山坡一个窑洞的窗子，让灯光染成淡红色。沟口等着出发命令的人，不停地望着那个窗子。 远处传来一阵阵沉重的爆炸声和机关枪的响声。 突然，有六个骑马的人，从延安南川上来，穿过延安城出了北门，向右首一拐，催马*#过延河。他们下了马；其中有两个人把马交给别人，穿过桃树林，向王家坪的山坡上走去。 两个骑兵通讯员，拉着马在河边来回遛。两个干部模样的军人，一人点起一支烟，站在河边。他们不停地望着王家坪半山坡那闪亮的窗子。 "天快明了。无明敌人就可能到延安。可是彭副总司令还在这里！"这人转身问身后的人："咱们旅长、政治委员去见彭总，时间该不会长吧！" "怎么会长？这是什么时候呀！" 两个干部好一阵工夫都默默不语，像是各人都集中注意力，在看自己手指中间那红星星的烟头。其中一个人粗粗地出了一口气，像是很恼火。 "我们在延安以南和西南抗击了这几天，是够敌人呛的！" "我们的战士是很英勇啊！南线，胡宗南向我们进攻的兵力，有十四五万。我们一共五千人，就抗击了七天，杀伤敌人五千多，又打死了四十八旅旅长何奇。不过，最关紧要的还是我们抗击部队争取了时间，掩护了党中央和延安各机关、学校、群众安全转移。就这一下，便敲碎了敌人企图突然袭击延安、打击我们党中央的阴谋。" "我们打是打得很好，但是还要撤退……有什么办法？战争需要这样嘛……再过两三个钟头，延安就可能落到敌人手里！这无论如何是让人难受的！"这位军人用手轻轻地搅着河水，独自说："唉！延河啊，延河……"他们不由得眼光就转向左前方的山峁--党中央和毛主席住过的杨家岭和枣园村。One of them said: "我们中央机关和毛主席，大概撤退到延安北边什么地方了！" "现在，我们能最后再去看看杨家岭和枣园村，--""嗬，灯光！" 他们正前方王家坪的山根下，在桃树林的跟前，有灯光闪亮：一盏，两盏，三盏……。 天地间是黑漆漆的一片。河两岸是黑糊糊的大山。远处，闷声闷气的爆炸声滚过天空，空气中还有硝烟味。沉默的延安城，像在思索着马上就要来到的灾难。可是在这样情景下，人们看见了灯光，那样明亮的灯光。这景象，让人想起茫茫的大海里，有一艘挂着桅灯的轮船，在狂风暴雨的黑夜里乘风破浪，按照航线，向它的目的地驶驰。 灯光，从这几个军人面前二十多公尺远的地方闪过去了。 他们看清了：那是一条长长的队伍行列。行列前头，有人提着几盏马灯。行列中间是驮电台、文件、行李的骡马；最后边走着的人像是战斗部队。 这一支队伍的出现，给延安城周围带来非常严肃的气氛。 他们走得很慢很整齐。人们可以听见镇静的脚步声，夹着延河的流水声；兵器轻微的撞击声，战马的铁掌声。他们中间有很多人像是边走边望延安城。 站在河边的这几个军人，注视着灯光和人影，不声不吭。 他们身边的战马，扬起头竖起耳朵，也像是在听什么动静。突然，这几位军人心情快活，精神焕发。他们那因我军要从延安撤退而悲愤的心情完全消失了。仿佛，他们现在不是要从这座伟大的山城撤退，而是刚收复了这庄严的圣地。 他们望着那明亮的灯光和那队伍行列经过清凉山下，向延安东川飞机场和桥儿沟那个方向，缓缓地移去。 那两个去见彭总的军人，从山坡下来向河边走来。 河边站着的两个干部，向前跑了几步，问："旅长，你见彭总了吗？他说什么啦？" "彭总说，党中央的指示是非常英明的：我们守延安，我们就把包袱背上咯；我们放弃延安，敌人就把包袱背上咯。他还说，不要急躁，打仗的机会多得很；敌人永远占不到我们的便宜，他们是要倒楣的，过去如此，现在如此，将来还是如此。" "旅长，彭总也很气愤吧？" 站在旅长身后的那位旅政治委员说："看不出来。彭总倒是给我们叮咛：要谨慎；要懂得一个一个地夺取敌人阵地，一点一滴地积蓄自己的力量的道理。彭总说，毛主席一再指示： 延安是要保的，因为我们在延安住了十年，挖了窑洞，吃了小米，学了马列主义，培养了干部，领导了中国革命，全中国、全世界都知道有个延安。但是延安又不可保，因为美帝国主义支持下的蒋介石，调集了几十万军队，有飞机、坦克、大炮，我们只有两万多人，靠的是小米加步枪，这就决定了不可能一下子把几十万敌人消灭。存人失地，人地皆存；存地失人，人地皆失。这是很明白的道理。那种不顾自己力量硬要拚命蛮干的想法，是不对头的！ " 那位旅长坐在一块石头上，望着黑乌乌的延安城，说： "党中央让我们主力部队在延安东北六七十里的青化砭地区集结待命；另外，又派一小股部队朝延安西北的安塞川方向，节节后退，诱击敌人，迷惑敌人，以便我们主力部队相机打击他。看来，我们是给胡宗南把什么都安排好啦。我临走的时候，彭总对我说：敌人到延安扑一个大空，政治上不利，军事上更是什么也捞不到。但是敌人因为占领延安，一定非常狂妄骄傲，轻视我军。他们除了拿部分兵力固守延安和保护补给线以外，主力部队必然寻找我军进行决战。我们在延安西北地区诱击敌人的部队，就是要迎合敌人找我主力部队决战的心理，让敌人先到安塞县一带再扑一次空，挫挫敌人的锐气。" 那位旅政治委员说："党中央指挥我们向东，指挥敌人向西，不仅是让敌人再次扑空挫敌人锐气，而且为了使敌人发生过失。我军以逸待劳，利用他的过失……"他左手在空中一抡，"往后的事，就看你们这些打手了。"他回头望望王家坪半山坡上那透露出灯光的窗子，说："彭总马上就要离开延安。" 远处的炮弹爆炸声越来越近，空气在波动着。天快明啦，夜，更深也更黑啦。 通讯员们，把几匹马拉来。那位旅长扳住马鞍子，说： "同志们，走啊！敌人右兵团的先头部队，已经进到延安以南的七里铺咯！" 干部们和通讯员们翻身上马。 那位旅长勒住马，四下里看。他看毛主席住过的枣园村，看党中央住过的杨家岭，看朱总司令住过的王家坪，看庄严的延安城。黑雾雾的，他什么也看不清，可是还要多看一看。多会再回来呢？他声音沙哑地说："刚才从这里过去一支部队吗？对。那就是我们毛主席带领的中央机关！" 那两位干部连忙问："什么？旅长！什么？我们党中央才离开延安？不会吧！" "我们毛主席才离开延安？旅长……为什么？" 那位旅长喉咙里涌起激愤和沉痛。他说："同志们……不要再问！我说不上来……走！"他双腿猛磕马肚子，马跑开了。 其他五匹马也跟上跑开了。他们，顺着毛主席和中央机关人员刚才走过的那条路，向东驰去。急奔的马蹄声，给延安城的黑夜，更添了一层紧张的战争气氛。 那六匹马跑去两个钟头以后，敌人的炮弹，就在延安城冲起黑烟柱。延安升腾起大火。这灾难的火光映红了半边天！Four 我军刚从山西赶来的这个纵队，在甘谷驿镇以西的山沟里，集结待命。 三月十九日断黑，团部的骑兵通讯员王少新，从前沟跑上来。他经过第一营驻地的时候，几个认识他的战士拦住问： "少新，干什么去？" 王少新勒住马，说"到旅政治部拿报纸去！" 战士们问："有什么消息？" "听说敌人进了……延安……还有什么来……反正我说不上来！" 战士们脸色唰地变了，都拥到王少新跟前，问："你这倒楣的家伙，延安到底怎么样？" 王少新又急又气，说："真是逼住哑巴要说话。我又不是司令员，哪里会知道很多事！" 他猛扯马缰绳，双腿猛磕马肚子，马像疯了一样，顺沟飞去了。狂奔的马蹄磕碰冰冻的土地，就像磕碰着战士们的心。这偏僻的山沟，弥漫着沉重的悲痛气息！ "延安……放弃了？……"这震惊人的消息风一样快地传遍各连队。战士们都在焦灼地议论。有的战士说，这些风言风语不凭信，我们党中央和毛主席住的延安，就能松松活活让敌人占了？有的说，我们是来保卫延安的，八字没见一撇，延安就能放弃？不会，一万个不会。眨眼工夫，这个消息又传得走了样。有的战士说，敌人确实打到了延安城边，但是还没进城。有的说，有一股敌人冲进延安，又被我军反击出去了。有的说，放弃延安的消息是特务造的谣，那个特务让纵队保卫部捆起来了。 ... 尽管战士们按自己的想法，把这个消息作了各种各样的修改，尽管战士们坚决不相信延安会放弃，可是大伙的心上都坠上了一块大石头。第一连炊事班做的晚饭，剩了大半锅！ 夜里，刮起了大风。大风吹熄了星星月亮，扯起满天黑云彩。远处传来的爆炸声，有时候很清晰，有时候又很模糊。 第一连举行军人大会。战士们在河边一个小场子里，方方整整地坐了一片。往天开会前，大伙亲亲密密挤在一块，低声地开玩笑，亲切地骂着。有的战士，还趁开会前的空子，顺便念几段自己编的"快板"、"练子嘴"。各排互相拉着唱歌子。有时候，大伙还欢迎某一个战士出来，唱一段小调呀，地方戏呀！常常在这样场合，大伙会听到全国各地的曲调跟民歌，可够热闹红火。现在呢，大伙都紧张严肃地坐着，每一个人的心里都沉甸甸的。实在太闷气，文化教员走出队列，指挥大家唱歌子。战士们放开嗓子唱： 中国的高山峻岭一心要抬头 中国的长江大河一心要奔流 中华民族一心要独立 中国人民一心要自由 我们一心跟着毛泽东奋斗 昨天我们打垮了日寇 今天我们要消灭那美国的走狗 胜利胜利再胜利 奋斗奋斗再奋斗 战士们把这个歌子唱一遍又一遍，直到值星排长宣布开会，才煞住歌声。 第一营教导员张培站在队列旁边。周大勇靠一棵树干站着，低着头，一只手插在皮带上，一只手捂在前额上。周大勇说："教导员！我们指导员到团政治处去开会，过一会才能回来，不等他了，你先讲吧！" "你讲吧，我不一定讲。" 周大勇这个小伙子是性情爽快的人，着实说，他不晓得犯愁是什么味道。他平时开言动语嗓门总是宏亮的，可是目下讲话开头说了声："同志们……"喉咙里就憋了一团东西。 He couldn't see the soldiers, he couldn't hear the roar of the wind, and he didn't know what he was going to say.He paused for a minute or two until the instructor reminded him that he squeezed out these words: "Our army withdrew from Yan'an..." The soldiers stood up in unison as if they had heard some order. For five or six minutes, those who spoke and listened were silent.Everyone was breathing softly and shortly, as if something big was going to explode violently if someone opened their mouth, or someone coughed. Gusts of wind rolled heavily over the hills, and the ditches roared.The wind and sand filled the sky, and the sky was dark. 猛然，一个战士打破让人耐不住的闷气，问："我们党中央和毛主席住的延安……可真的……说呀，连长！" 会场鸦雀无声，战士们呼哧呼哧地出气，心脏孔咚孔咚地跳动像擂鼓一样响。Their eyes were darkened, their brains were buzzing, and the ground under their feet was melting like spring snow. Zhou Dayong also stood there like a wooden man, his mind was in a mess.He felt as if someone had hit his hot heart with a hammer.Hot tears suddenly fell down! Someone cried in a low voice!In the blink of an eye, everyone in the audience burst into tears.Some soldiers stomped their feet, sobbing and crying.眼泪滴在手上、胸脯上、冰冷的枪托上！ Seeing that Zhou Dayong couldn't continue speaking, Zhang Pei walked up to the soldiers.要说话，可是好一阵也说不出话。He wondered: The People's War of Liberation has been fought for more than eight months. Haven't we given up too little?Many soldiers saw their hometown give up with their own eyes, but who shed a tear?自己参加人民军队十年开外，也没见过战士们这样哭过！ ……今天上午旅长把我们退出延安的意义讲得多详尽啊！是的，党中央和毛主席把一切早都规划好咯。我们主动撤出延安，诱敌深入。这样，一方面便于我们集中兵力在运动中各个歼灭敌人；一方面使西北战场成为一个战略箝制区，拖住敌人几十万机动兵力。 ……从全国跟西北战场的情况来看，这些办法都蛮好。是的，我军退出延安是为了保卫延安；退出延安是为了打到西安，打到南京。是的，这一股妖风是猛烈的，但是它刮不了好久。 Zhang Pei knew clearly the purpose and significance of our army's withdrawal from Yan'an, but at this moment, like the soldiers, tears rolled in his eyes.他声音抖动地说： "同志们，坐下！同志们，我们确实退出延安了……今天是三月十九号，我们永远会记住……"战士马长胜站起来，喊："报告！……延安是我们的…… 我们党中央和毛主席在延安住了……延安……党中央……毛主席……"他用拳头猛烈地捶打自己的胸膛，像是胸膛里有什么东西要爆炸似的。