Chapter 67 Part 6: Six Letters from General Wei Zhengmin

General Wei Zhengmin is an anti-union general who is very good at relying on the secret battalion to fight against the enemy, and the secret battalion is the crystallization of the anti-union command. But General Wei Zhengmin left behind more than just secret camps.When collecting historical materials related to the Northeast Anti-Japanese War in Japan, six letters were accidentally discovered in the military history "From Creation to End" (internal documents, published in 1978) compiled by the Veterans Association of the Eighth Battalion of the Independent Infantry Garrison of the Japanese Kwantung Army. Letter from General Wei Zhengmin.

Wei Zhengmin was once the sole party representative of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Armed Forces. In 1935, he went to Moscow to attend the Seventh Congress of the Communist International. How could such a loyal and brave anti-Japanese general have his letters appear in the documents of the Japanese army? According to the records of this Japanese military history, these six letters were discovered from the relics of Li Yongyun, the commander of the 15th Regiment of the Third Front Army of the Anti-Japanese War, after his death in battle.The six letters have all been translated into Japanese. The Japanese army recorded that this was an attempt to use them as reference materials in order to understand the situation of the First Army of the Anti-Union Army and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the Anti-Union Army.The origin of this batch of documents is introduced as follows:

After the death of Commander Yang Jingyu, the First Route Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Coalition Army, according to the situation of the "bandits" (the name of the Anti-Japanese Coalition Army in the Japanese military literature-Translator's Note) captured and surrendered, and the results of the crusade, should be in a more difficult situation. . (1940) On August 15th, the Antu County Shenzhuan Crusade Team attacked the First Route Army General Headquarters commanded by the First Route Army Commander Wei Zhengmin near Xiaoliushuhezi, Antu County, and seized a batch of document.On September 6th, the troops of the Chunyang Special Search Team of Wangqing County, the Self-Defense Team of the Xuanhua Team of the Union Association, and the police shot and killed the head of the 15th Regiment of the Third Route Army in Tunpangou, Wangqing County. Li Yongyun also seized a batch of documents.From this, we can understand the real situation of the South Manchurian Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and the First Route Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Army.

Among these six letters, Sa noticed that three of them had been stored in the archives of the Puppet Manchukuo before, and were translated back to Chinese and published after the Japanese surrender.include-- "Comrade Wei Zhengmin, Secretary of the Nanman Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and Deputy Commander of the First Route Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Army, to the Eighth Route Army in the Pass". Correspondence of the Eighth Route Army" (assumed to be 1940). "Report by Comrade Wei Zhengmin, Secretary of the Manchuria Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and Deputy Commander of the First Route Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese War to the Representatives of the Communist Party of China", the Japanese side titled this letter "Signed by Wei Zhengmin, Secretary of the Manchuria Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and Deputy Commander of the First Route Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese War" Status Report to the Chinese Representatives of the Communist International (April 1940).

"Comrade Wei Zhengmin, Secretary of the Southern Manchu Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and Deputy Commander of the First Route Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Alliance, to Comrade Kang Sheng". Letter (July 1, 1940)". It is just that when we translated these three letters, we mentioned that these letters were taken as documents of the Anti-Union Alliance and were captured when the Japanese army attacked the secret camp where Wei Zhengmin once lived after his death.After discussing with Mr. Shi Yijun, it is speculated that if this statement is true, the documents in the secret camp may be the drafts of the letters left by Wei Zhengmin.

Since the content of the above three letters has already been translated, I will not repeat them here.But in addition to these, there are three other documents, which seem to have never been seen by domestic scholars before, and may be a batch of new discoveries made by General Wei Zhengmin 70 years after his death. The first newly discovered letter is "Wei Zhengmin, Secretary of the Southern Manchurian Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and Deputy Commander of the First Route Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Army, in order to give preferential treatment to subordinate cadres and soldiers, and to provide relevant cadres to the Red Army General Headquarters in the Far East for those sent to the Soviet Union." "Letter of Introduction", this letter, Wei Zhengmin's letter of introduction prepared by Wei Zhengmin for the withdrawal of the old, weak and wounded of the Anti-Japanese War to the Soviet Union, was originally written in Chinese (the Japanese army wrote "Manchu").Its content is translated as follows——

To the comrades in charge of the Far Eastern Red Army Headquarters of the Socialist Federal Republic of the Soviet Union: On behalf of all the soldiers of the First Route Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Army, I would like to pay tribute to all the work and fiery revolutionary spirit you have done in consolidating the construction of our common revolutionary base—the Soviet Union. I think you have a clear understanding of the details of my insistence on fighting the Japanese and Manchurian bandits in the southeast Manchurian area in the past few years, so let me make some repetitive explanations here.

Due to the great righteous indignation of the Chinese and North Korean people towards the Japanese thieves and the activities of the anti-Japanese coalition forces, the Japanese thieves were constantly attacked.The Japanese thieves, embarrassed and angry, carried out many times of barbaric return to villages and households (that is, the small villages in the area around the forest where we were active were destroyed, and all the people were moved to large villages, where heavy troops were stationed), and unified management of all economic supplies ( All the food harvested by the people after a year of hard work was confiscated, and the ticket system was adopted for all other materials to prevent them from being used by me).As this action continued, our supply of supplies encountered insurmountable difficulties.At the same time, while using this economic method, the cunning Japanese thieves used their tricks to induce surrender. As a result, some weak-willed and politically immature members of our army surrendered to the Japanese thieves, and some of them fell into their traps and were killed. There are also some who are deceived by the enemy's treacherous schemes, and under the coercion and lure of the Japanese thieves, they specifically destroy all revolutionary causes.On our side, during several years of work, comrades who were injured by enemy bombs, those who were unable to act with the armed forces due to physical reasons, and elderly comrades are currently hiding in the forest to rest and recuperate, but the enemy is ahead Under the leadership of the so-called "dogs" mentioned, they not only captured and killed my comrades, but also posed a major threat to the remaining comrades on our side through economic blockade and completion of the transportation network.In the absence of other options, we have to send them to your side, hoping (your side) can stand on the standpoint of being friends of the Chinese and North Korean people and accept them.Here is proof of their identity.

The process of their participation in the revolution and their resumes in the army are recorded as follows: so-and-so name x x Wei Wei, Director of the Political Department of the First Route Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Army 1940 After Yang Jingyu's death, in view of the severe situation faced by the First Route Army, the upper echelons of the Anti-Japanese League were already considering withdrawing its remnants into the territory of the Soviet Union, and sent personnel into the country to find Wei Zhengmin who persisted there.But until Wei Zhengmin's sacrifice, the two sides have not been able to connect.Judging from this text, Wei Zhengmin, who had lost contact with his superiors since 1935, came to the same conclusion based on his own judgment, and implemented it personally. His talent and love for commanders and fighters is amazing.

The latest article I wrote was "Instructions from Wei Zhengmin, Director of the Political Department of the First Route Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Army to Pu Defan, Chief of Staff of the Third Front Army, June 29, 1940", the original text was in Korean, and it included: 1. The sacrifice of Commander Yang is a great loss to the First Route Army; 2. The area of ​​activity and the re-election of cadres of the Third Front Army; 3. The means of logistical work in preparation for the winter; 4. For those who affect the revolutionary work, it is planned to start in autumn sent to the Soviet Union.

This document, dated June 29, 1940, appears to be the last known letter written by General Wei Zhengmin before his martyrdom in March 1941 that preserves its contents.From its content, it can be seen that after nearly ten years of hard fighting, especially after the death of General Yang Jingyu, the officers and soldiers of the Anti-Japanese Union are still stubbornly and methodically continuing their unyielding resistance. The letter was originally written in Korean. Since there is no record of General Wei Zhengmin's proficiency in Korean, it is speculated that it was dictated by General Wei Zhengmin and written by the staff of the First Route Army Headquarters.The reason for using this language is probably because the recipient Park Deok-beom is Korean, so it is easier for him to read.The Japanese army translated this letter into Japanese for the purpose as stated in this war history: "It is valuable information for gaining insight into the weaknesses of the bandits, hoping to provide references for the work of suppressing bandits." (The Japanese army called the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces "bandits" or "communist bandits") The full text is as follows: Comrade Chief of Staff Park: Although the enemy's brutal crusades continued at this stage, we have overcome difficulties, are safe and continue to carry out operations.We have been thinking about you since contact was lost. Now, we are faced with the following problems: 1. In the face of last year's winter crusade, our troops suffered considerable losses in order to obtain food and carry out struggle work.Among them, the most indignant thing is the sacrifice of Commander Yang.This is really a big loss for my First Route Army. At the meeting of the Nanman Provincial Party Committee held this spring, a resolution was made on the issue of the operations and cadres of the various troops this year. The content related to the areas of activity of the Third Front Army and the re-election of cadres is as follows. The activity area is Wangqing, with Luozigou as the center, and the activities can be carried out flexibly according to the local conditions and environment. With regard to the re-election of cadres, the guard brigade will be led by Staff Officer Han (presumably Han Renhe——Translator’s Note) since Staff Officer Lee rebelled this year.But in fact, due to combat experience and other reasons, it is impossible for Staff Officer Han to independently command the actions of such a large force.Therefore, comrades (the Japanese army infers that the comrades here refer to Pu Defan) and the responsibility of the commander of the guard brigade are required. The Political Commissar of the Thirteenth Regiment has always been appointed by cadres sent by the military from the third side, but considering that the area of ​​its activities is now the area where the Guard Brigade is active, it was decided to appoint Commissar Cui of the Third Regiment of the Guard Brigade (the Japanese army deduced that Commissar Cui here was Cui Chunguo, Cui later led his troops into the Soviet Union and was incorporated into the Anti-Union Teaching Brigade where Zhou Baozhong served as the brigade commander. Cui later became a major general of the Korean People's Army and died in the Battle of Andong in July 1950). At present, it has been decided to appoint political commissar An (presumably Anji, who later served as the political commissar of the First Battalion of the Anti-Union Teaching Brigade and died of illness in 1947, when he served as the political commissar of the 14th Regiment of the Third Front Army) as the chief of staff of the Third Front Army.However, comrades, before taking up the post of commander of the security brigade, please be sure to study clearly with the security staff (political commissar of security) the corresponding methods for various current issues, and hand over the work smoothly without leaving any future troubles. The leaders of the guard brigade believed that the actions of large troops should be absolutely prohibited under the urgent situation of winter preparations.It is preliminarily scheduled that Staff Han will act with the first regiment, and comrades will act with the third regiment. 2. With regard to this year's winter preparations, please refer to past experience and on the basis of a detailed investigation of the environmental situation, and convey the order to disperse the troops into small teams and solve the food problem individually.At the same time, the focus should be on strengthening the accountability of individual units and promoting positive action. In addition, for those who are politically dangerous in the team and cannot continue to be revolutionary workers due to illness or old age, please use this autumn to send them to the Soviet Union, so that the preparation efforts will not be affected.Regarding the method of sending relevant personnel to the Soviet Union, comrades and others can directly command the responsible personnel to be dispatched, and move across the border in the form of small troops.If there is a possibility of crossing the Soviet Union, please select a candidate from the previous dispatchers and dispatch as soon as possible.A letter of introduction is attached to this letter and sent to you.In addition, if the number of people is large, the delivery can be divided into multiple times. 3. Still failed to get in touch with Commander Chen (the Japanese army analyzed that it was Chen Hanzhang, commander-in-chief of the Third Front Army). 4. If the machine gun is difficult to carry, it can be hidden in a non-dangerous place (but it should be within the range that does not affect the attack and defense). 5. The contact time is July 15th and 16th, and August 15th and 16th. The contact location and details will be informed by the correspondent of the 15th regiment. Finally, I wish comrades a heroic struggle! June 29 Wei instructor book From this letter, we can see the tenacious vitality of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Army. The headquarters still has overall work considerations, and is still actively organizing troops to persevere in the resistance struggle, and has not become the "lost dog" that the Japanese army expected. It is a pity that Piao Defan, the chief of staff that Wei Zhengmin placed high hopes on, failed to persevere in the war of resistance to the end. It should be said that Pu Defan was once a titan in the Anti-Japanese War. He joined the party in 1932 and served as the company commander and instructor of the first regiment of the Independent Division of the Second Army in 1934. In March 1936, he served as chief of staff of the First Division of the Second Army (later changed to the Fourth Division). In July 1939, he served as chief of staff of the Third Front Army of the First Route Army.He is one of the most powerful subordinates and comrades-in-arms of Chen Hanzhang, the commander-in-chief of the Third Front Army. Because of his fierce and tricky combat, he was given the codename "Wolf" by the Japanese army, and he was listed alongside Chen Hanzhang, who was called "Tiger", and Kim Il-sung, who was called "Bear". In the big crusade, the fourth squadron of the eighth garrison was specially dispatched to pursue him (the first squadron chased Chen Hanzhang, and the third squadron chased Kim Il-sung).Wei Zheng polled him as the brigade commander of the security brigade, probably due to his military ability (In the establishment of the Anti-Union First Army, the security brigade and the third front army each had three regiments, but the security brigade that moved with the headquarters was obviously more important).It is a pity that Pu Defan failed Wei Zhengmin's expectations. He was captured and rebelled on September 29, 1940, and later became the captain of the special police commando in Pseudo-Jiandao Province. "August 15" After the recovery of Northeast China, he was arrested by the Soviet army, and his whereabouts are unknown. The place where Pu Defan was captured was very close to the place where the head of the 15th regiment "Li Yongyun" died in battle. We even speculated whether this is the place where Park and him planned to meet. What about being captured?This is unknown. There is also a "Private Letter from Wei Zhengmin, Deputy Commander of the First Route Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Army to the Chinese Representatives of the International Communist Party", which includes: 1. The Nanman Provincial Committee and the First Route Army encountered many difficulties in their work, 2. Wei Zhengmin's heart disease worsened and he became weaker and weaker. He hoped that he could hand over the job to his successor smoothly in his lifetime. Just the translated letters already let us feel Wei Zhengmin's calm, meticulous and sophisticated work style. The last point is worthy of research-it seems that there is no "Li Yongyun" among the generals of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Forces.After checking, it is speculated that the Japanese army had wrongly recorded the name of Li Longyun, the commander of the 15th Regiment of the Third Route Army. Li Longyun was born in a poor peasant family in the Russian Far East. In 1930, he participated in the activities of sending letters and spreading leaflets of domestic revolutionary organizations and joined the Communist Party of China. In May 1935, participated in the attack on international trains in Harbaling. In March 1936, he served as the platoon leader of the guard company's machine gun platoon of the Second Division of the Second Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Army.In August of the same year, he was promoted to the head of the 15th Regiment of the Third Front Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Army. On September 7, 1940, he led his troops to encounter the enemy in Dongtuogou, Tianqiaoling, Wangqing County, and died a heroic death in the fierce battle. It is worth mentioning that the documents carried by Li Longyun included a letter to Park Deok-fan, and Park Deok-fan was captured and rebelled in this area almost at the same time.Could it be that the news of the meeting of the two was discovered by the Japanese army, so they suddenly attacked Dongtonggou, causing heavy losses to the Anti-Japanese troops. These may need more information to supplement.