Chapter 4 The fourth chapter touches the border, Mao Zedong and Zhang Guotao warmly embrace

The boundless world of ice and snow is presented in front of the Red Army. The peaks are covered with silver, carved with ice and made of jade, dazzling people's eyes.The commanders and fighters of the Red Army, although they ate chili peppers and some drank a little wine before going up the mountain, they still couldn't resist the severe cold of the snow mountain. Machine gun: "clack cluck". In this snow-capped mountain, there are no roads, no human traces, no birds, only ice and snow filling the valley.In some places there are hard lumps of ice, and if you step on it, you will slip and fall if you are not careful; while in the low-lying places, the snow is thick, and if you step on it accidentally, you will sink in and it is difficult to pull out. come out.The cold wind waved a series of "steel whips", slapping the face and body of the Red Army from time to time, making it uncomfortable like being cut by a knife.

Those weak fighters fell on the snow-capped mountains and found it difficult to get up.And those who stood upright without falling, and those who wanted to rescue the fallen comrades seemed to have no strength at all.They stretched out their rescue hands and held their comrades in arms on the snow, but they couldn't pull them up no matter how hard they pulled.Usually this hand can lift things weighing tens of catties, but now it has become powerless for some reason.And those comrades who slipped down the snow slope and stopped breathing in the deep snow valley were quickly covered by the flying snow. Bai Xue sewed a big mourning hair for them, and gently covered them.

The further up the snow-capped mountains, the more difficult the road under the Red Army's feet. Little Liu Ying, leaning on a bamboo pole, trekked with the central team on the snow-capped mountains. She kept panting for heat, and felt more and more strenuous and exhausted.Gradually her head became dizzy, the white snow color irritated her eyes for a long time, she felt stinging and swollen, a few tears involuntarily leaked from the corners of her eyes, she really wanted to sit down on the snow and take a rest I will go again, but when I think of the discipline of the army before leaving-no stopping on the snow-capped mountains, it will be dangerous to stop.The longing for life and the compulsion of will made her dare not be negligent on this "divine mountain". She quietly made up her mind and swore that she would climb the snow-capped mountain even with both hands and feet.

Before going up the mountain, because she ate a little more chili peppers, and Hunan people usually like this kind of food, the scabies she had suffered from in the past recurred at this time, her body was itchy, stimulated and burned by the hot sweat frequently, It hurts and itches, and I really don't feel good all over.Her heart was very restless.I thought to myself, how did the troops come to this ghostly place? Today, I am afraid that they will fall down on the snow mountain.A thought of fear and despair began to torment her.Stubborn Liu Ying is unwilling to tell others about her pain. She knows very well that it is useless to talk about it. Everyone is "suffering", so why add a little more pain to the pain of others?

Liu Ying endured silently, gritted her teeth and moved her legs with difficulty. Liu Ying couldn't move anymore, she was out of breath, her cheeks were pale, her heart was beating violently, and cold sweat broke out from her vest.Just then, a mule from the Central Team passed her with a pair of heavy briefcases on its back.The mule was skinny, and the hair all over its body seemed very long. It kept panting and breathing heavily, its eyes were looking straight ahead, with no expression on it, and there were traces of saliva dripping from its mouth from time to time. Its thin legs Every time he took a step forward, he tremblingly blinked. Liu Ying looked at it distressedly, thinking that this mule is so pitiful. This animal that lacks food and food is also loyally serving the Red Army, and both humans and animals are "suffering".

The mule slowly climbed up a steep slope, rubbing Liu Ying's body, and swept Liu Ying's body playfully with its black tail. Liu Ying felt a stench, and the backs of her hands were itchy.She suddenly thought.Why not pull the mule's tail to climb the mountain to reduce the fatigue of climbing a little.She took a few steps to catch up with the mule, and tried pulling its tail, and it was really good. The wind was blowing on the soles of her feet, and the strength under her feet suddenly eased, and it was effortless.A smile appeared on Liu Ying's face, and she felt indescribably happy.And that mule also seemed very docile and obedient. He was dragged by Liu Ying, not jumping or being irritable, and obediently walked towards the peak of the snow-capped mountain step by step with his shriveled legs.

Liu Ying pulled the mule's tail tightly and climbed on the snow peak, thinking as she walked, if it weren't for this life-saving mule today, she might not be able to cross the mountain and would fall on the white snow.She deeply felt that the mule's tail was more precious than any other panacea.On the snowy mountain, this mule is her closest companion. Suddenly, big and small hailstones from the sky came crashing down on Liu Ying's face, causing pain on Liu Ying's face.Liu Qunxian and Cai Chang from the local work department were walking in a place a little ahead of Liu Ying, their bodies staggered by the hail and kept staggering.Liu Ying dragged the mule's tail and twisted past Liu Qunxian and Cai Chang. Liu Qunxian said happily as if he had discovered a new continent:

"Liu Ying, you are so smart, you are walking by the mule's tail." Liu Ying replied: "Try it, it will save a lot of effort." So Liu Qunxian and Cai Chang stopped at the pass of the snow mountain, and when the mules and horses from the local work department passed by them, they quickly dragged a horse's tail and walked forward. They really felt much more relaxed. Liu Qunxian joked to Liu Ying and Cai Chang while walking: "Hey, this mule is better than my husband!" Cai Chang pouted: "Cough! See what you said!" Liu Qun squinted his playful eyes and said to Cai Chang:

"Drawing the horse's tail, you won't have to worry about crossing the snow-capped mountains. Will your old Li carry you there? Bogu can't control me, he can't even protect himself." Liu Ying and Cai Chang giggled. "Sister Cai! Sister Cai!" Suddenly, exclamations came from behind them. Several women stopped immediately and ran to a place not far behind.It turned out that Yin Tao, Cai Chang's little hygienist, fainted on the snow mountain. Her face was pale, her lips were black and purple, her breathing was short of breath, and she was unconscious.

Cai Chang quickly bent down, picked up Yin Tao who was in a coma, and shouted repeatedly: "Yin Tao——Yin Tao——Yin Tao!" Yin Tao closed her eyes slightly, her long eyelashes covered her big eyes, her lips were trembling slightly, white foam was spit out from her lips, and there was a stench, permeating the faint smell. Red plasma.Tears rolled in the corners of Cai Chang's eyes, and Liu Ying and Liu Qunxian also burst into tears.Several female political fighters from the cadre recuperation company also surrounded Yin Tao and wiped their tears.Looking at it, Yin Tao's shriveled face completely lost its color and turned into a piece of white paper. Her slightly exposed breasts were still heaving and twitching, but they suddenly stopped moving.Several female companions burst into tears with a "wow".With tears streaming down his face, Cai Chang laid Yin Tao flat on the snow, then took out an old dress from his satchel, and gently covered Yin Tao's face.The huge wind blew wildly on the snow mountain, stirring up clusters of snowflakes and hitting Yin Tao's body on the snow ground. In the blink of an eye, the snowflakes covered Yin Tao's body completely, and a white hill rose from the snow mountain pass.After a while, the surroundings of Xiaoxueqiu were also filled with ice and snow, a vast expanse of whiteness, and the calmness and appearance of the past were restored.It was as if nothing had happened on this mysterious and eternal snow mountain.

Leaning on a bamboo pole, Mao Zedong climbed step by step towards the peak of the snow-capped mountain. Secret agents Xiao Chen and Xiao Wu followed closely behind.The white snow under Mao Zedong's feet made a "creaking" sound, and he greeted people passing by him from time to time: "Come on, don't stop breathing, just go all out and climb over the top of the mountain." In fact, he also felt exhausted .Climbing mountains is nothing to him, but this is the first time he has encountered the thin air and ever-changing snow mountain.When Mao Zedong was about to climb to the top of the snow-capped mountain, a sudden gust of wind swept over the sky, whipping up snowflakes all over the sky, spreading them all over the sky, and the cold snow particles poured into his collar, sleeves, and trouser legs. There was a heart-wrenching coldness, as if the body had fallen into a hole in the ice.Huo Di, the huge wind stopped abruptly, and the hail hit again without thinking.The beating made him very uncomfortable.Mao Zedong thought to himself, this snow-capped mountain is really like a magician playing magic, changing as he says, unpredictable.In an instant, the wind stopped and the hail stopped, the sun cast thousands of golden lights through the thin clouds, the sky was clear again on the snow mountain, and the ice and snow shone with silver light under the sunlight.Standing on the top of the snow-capped mountain, Mao Zedong looked around and saw the words around him were white, as if his whole body was also purified by the white snow, and he was about to become a fairy and become a fairy. A sense of heroism immediately surged in his chest.But he was not in the mood to write poems and lyrics at this time.In the future, he must dissolve this situation into his poems.At present, his mind is completely thinking about the fate of 10,000 to 20,000 people, pinning on the speedy rendezvous with the Fourth Front Army.The reason why he and his comrades chose to take the dangerous road of snow-capped mountains was also to join up with the brother troops as soon as possible, reduce the enemy's interception and strive for less sacrifice.But he never expected that there would be so many sick and weak comrades sleeping on the snow-capped mountains, and he was very sad.How he looks forward to joining forces with the Fourth Front Army as soon as possible! On the way down the snow-capped mountains, Mao Zedong was thinking about the course of action after the two armies joined forces. Where would it be most beneficial to develop?Where should a base be established? Mao Zedong was thinking while walking. Those young soldiers kept passing him while sitting on the snow slope in order to save effort on the downhill. He raised his hand to greet them, and kept telling them: "Be careful, be careful not to slip. You can’t get up in the canyon.” The soldiers smiled and nodded to him. When they were about to descend to the foot of the snow-capped mountain, Staff Officer Luo from the headquarters rushed to report to Mao Zedong: "The vanguard regiment met the Fourth Front Army troops at the foot of the mountain!" Mao Zedong was taken aback and said overjoyed: "Ah! Join forces! Which unit is it?" "The Thirty Army led by Li Xiannian." Mao Zedong couldn't wait to say: "Okay, let's go! Let's go quickly!" Mao Zedong said as he strode towards the foot of the mountain. At the beginning of June, Li Xiannian led the troops of the Fourth Front Army to meet the First Army, captured Maogong, wiped out nearly 1,000 people from the Deng Xihou Department of the Sichuan Army, and then occupied Dawei.On the one hand, the army has crossed Jiajin Mountain, and the avant-garde troops have come to Dawei. After Zhang Guotao, who was stationed in Jiemao County, learned of the news of the meeting, he immediately called Xu Xiangqian, who was stationed in Yuli County, and asked him to write a report on behalf of the leaders of the Fourth Front Army, and quickly sent people to Maogong to forward it to the Central Committee. Xu Xiangqian was very excited when he received the instructions, so he rushed to write a report overnight, introducing the deployment of the enemy army and the Fourth Front Army in Northwest Sichuan, and asked for instructions on the combat policy after the Sa army rendezvous, and warmly welcomed the Central Western Expeditionary Army who had struggled to fight. Xu Xiangqian said in his report to the Central Committee: "At present, the main enemies of our army are Hu Zongnan and Liu Xiang's remnant enemies. The current task of our army must be to eliminate one of them before the battle can begin. Therefore, it is urgent to attack Hu or Liu first. Famous cities, repeatedly destroying powerful enemies, but long-distance travel is not without fatigue, and rest and supplementation are also necessary. It is best to ask the Red Army to consolidate the formation to rest and supplement, and put the four-front army in front to destroy the enemy. In the final analysis, attack Hu first and Liu first Which one is better? Brother, please discuss and make a decision based on the actual situation of all parties." Xu Xiangqian found two more maps of Northwest Sichuan and sent them to the central government together with his report. A few days later, the vanguard troops of the First and Fourth Fronts met at the foot of Jiajin Mountain, and the camp was full of joy.The Fourth Front Army gathered the condolences from each unit, drove the livestock, and sent them to the meeting area in batches.The 31st Army alone sent 500 pieces of clothing, 1,400 pairs of straw sandals, 500 pairs of wool socks, 100 blankets, 170 pairs of shoes, and 200 pairs of sock soles in one batch. Soon, Zhang Guotao received a call from Dawei jointly signed by Luo Fu, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Zhu De, asking him to hurry to Dawei to meet and discuss the combat policy after the meeting.At the end of the telegram, it said: "Brother has arrived in Dawei, I hope you will see me soon." Zhang Guotao was excited and complicated after reading the telegram.All kinds of thoughts came one after another.For these comrades-in-arms, some of them have not seen each other for more than ten years, and the shortest has been three or four years.Mao Zedong, he met when he attended the Third National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Guangzhou in 1923. After that, they went their separate ways and never got together.After Luo Fu returned to Shanghai from Moscow, he had a quick meeting at the Provisional Central Committee in 1931, and then he rushed to the Hubei, Henan, Anhui and Soviet Areas.He thought of these important members of the Communist Party of China, after several years of guerrilla warfare, hardships, untold hardships, and heart-wrenching, he never imagined that they would meet in this remote western border today.Everyone has become a guerrilla expert, a guerrilla hero.The heroes of the two groups will unite under the CCP's command in the future to fight and fight.After several years of war and bloody rain, everyone actually gathered together in Xishui alive. It is also rare to meet each other in adversity, so much joy.The current strategic policy also urgently needs to be studied and decided.As a result, Zhang Guotao, with an extremely complicated mood, simply cleaned up, took the chief of staff Huang Chao, selected more than ten strong guards, and set off from the Mao County headquarters on horseback.The Maoxian headquarters was left behind by Xu Xiangqian, Chen Changhao and others. Zhang Guotao went to Maogong from Mao County via Weichuan and Lifan.Along the way, we pass many villages inhabited by Tibetans.Through a swift river.There are no fixed bridges in these rivers, but simple bamboo cable bridges, suspended wooden bridges, cowhide boats and slings are the means of transportation on the river.When Zhang Guotao's obese body slid on the sling, the sling drooped, and everyone in the company sweated for him, for fear that the sling would break and fall into the river.And Zhang Guotao was even more nervous.Fortunately, the rivers and rivers finally passed through without any problems.To the west of Weichuan, there is a piece of primeval forest. The trees are dense and dark, covering the sky and the sun, but a lot of them have been cut down by the locals. One tree is placed horizontally and another tree is piled up on the ground.Some felled wood was pushed into the river, and the loggers wanted to take advantage of the water to transport it downstream.The river course was blocked by logs, and the road beside the river was washed away by the rapids, which added to the difficulty of their movement.Zhang Guotao was in a hurry, and sometimes had to detour through the long dense forest road. Crossing mountains and ridges, crossing rivers and rivers, Zhang Guotao and his party did not unload their saddles and people never rested their feet. They enjoyed a lot of Tibetan scenery along the way, but because they had to rush to Maogong, Zhang Guotao had no time to observe along the way. After more than 3 days, I came to Fubian in the north of Maogong. Let's say that Mao Zedong and others crossed the Jiajin Mountain, which was covered with snow all the year round, and came to Maogong to meet the troops greeted by the Fourth Front Army. The joyful mood is self-evident.Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Zhou Enlai, Luo Fu, and Bogu were even more heartily happy when they learned that Zhang Guotao had set off from Mao County to Maogong.In order to show their respect to Zhang Guotao, and actually their respect to the Fourth Front Army, Mao Zedong and others decided to leave the Fubian garrison three miles away to meet him.Even Zhou Enlai, who was ill after feeling the cool wind when it was snowing down the mountain, also went.They also brought more than 40 staff from the headquarters and the General Political Department to greet them.Because Mao Zedong thought: Zhang Guotao is a veteran of the CCP and the commander-in-chief of the Fourth Front Army. In addition, in his contacts with the commanders and fighters of the Thirty Army in the past few days, he felt that this brother army has gone through years of hard work. In good shape.It is stronger than the army he is in.He deeply felt that Zhang Guotao, Xu Xiangqian and other generals of the Fourth Front Army had achieved quite a lot in leading this army.In the future, the two militaries will cooperate and fight together to realize the central government's future strategic policy and create a new situation. There must be great hope.For the sake of the future and for better cooperation in the future, we should also go out of the station to welcome them to show respect and friendship. Fubian, a town with only a few dozen families, is very beautifully decorated today, with large welcome slogans painted on the walls with lime water: "Celebrate the victory of the first and fourth front armies!" "Long live the Communist Party of China!" "Chinese workers and peasants!" Long live the Red Army!" Red, green and green slogans were also posted on the street.Red flags are hung in front of some houses, and welcome slogans are written in white characters on the red flags.There are also telephones installed between villages to keep in touch at any time.On the grass in the center of the town, a podium was set up, surrounded by green pines and cypresses, and decorated with bunches of flowers. When Mao Zedong and others walked more than 3 miles from the Fubian station to a small mountain village, it suddenly began to rain.At the beginning, it was drizzling, and then bit by bit, and after a while, it was pouring like a pour.The entourage had to quickly set up an oilcloth tent on the side of the road, and Mao Zedong and others were among them, anxiously and joyfully waiting for Zhang Guotao's arrival. Mao Zedong squatted in the tent and lit a cigarette and said to everyone: "The weather is not beautiful, it's a bit of a disappointment." Zhou Enlai coughed twice and continued: "It's also strange, it's a sunny day, and it suddenly rains." Zhu De cared about him and said: "Enlai is sick, so you don't have to come today." Zhou Enlai said seriously: "It's not good if you don't come, Guotao is the elder of the party." Bogu also said: "Enlai came out of the mountain with an illness, which shows our sincerity." Mao Zedong said with a smile: "Today, the leaders of the party, government and army of the Red Army are all out." Everyone laughed in unison. After a while, they heard a commotion in the village, and the sound of horseshoes approaching from a distance.Luo Fu took a look and said hastily: "Come on! Come on!" Mao Zedong and others braved the continuous heavy rain and walked out of the tent, and then a white horse galloped in front of them, splashing mud and shooting Mao Zedong's trousers.Mao Zedong took a closer look, and it was none other than Zhang Guotao who was sitting immediately, so he quickly called out: "Brother Guotao!" Hearing the sound, Zhang Guotao controlled the reins of the horse, turned over and jumped off the saddle, smiled and bowed to Mao Zedong and others standing by the roadside: "My dear friends, I'm really sorry for the heavy rain." Then Zhang Guotao hurried forward to hug Mao Zedong.What Mao Zedong hugged with his big hands was a pile of fat, so solid that it was almost oily.And what Zhang Guotao's big hands hugged was a tall and strong body, which seemed a little thin, almost able to support the bones.So Zhang Guotao cared about him and said: "Brother Run, you've been in poor health recently. I see you're a little thin." Mao Zedong smiled: "It doesn't matter, I often do this." Mao Zedong looked at Zhang Guotao: he was not short, but he was tall, with a fair and fat face, neatly dressed, and in good spirits.His body was stronger than when we met in Guangzhou in 1923, so he was happy and said: "Brother Guotao, look at your appearance, you are doing well! After three days, I will look at you with admiration. I haven't seen you in ten years. I am so excited!" After speaking, there was a burst of hearty laughter. Everyone also laughed. Zhang Guotao smiled implicitly, but did not answer immediately.He observed the faces of Mao Zedong and others.I saw that Mao Zedong's cheeks were quite yellow and thin, with little blood, his hair was very long, and the cuffs of his cotton coat were torn, and the exposed cotton was no longer white, but dirty.Zhou Enlai looked sickly, with a beard growing to his chest, he looked like an old man.The honest Zhu De is still the same as he was during the Nanchang Uprising. Although his body is strong, he looks old. After a few years, he seems to have aged again.Luo Fu, who looks like a scholar, is also very thin, with pale skin, like a poor teacher.As for Bogu, because of his thin face, the eyes behind the glasses are particularly large.Several people were dressed very casually and unkempt. Zhang Guotao was deeply surprised, could it be said that on the one hand the army really lost the battle, and the few senior officials in front of him seemed to have gone through a catastrophe and were in a bad situation.Although he thought so in his heart, he didn't say so. "The fighting spirit of the Central Red Army and the Fourth Front Army are greatly encouraged. I often educate the troops to learn from the Central Red Army." Zhou Enlai: "Learning from each other, the Fourth Front Army also has many advantages." Mao Zedong went on to say: "Of course! Learn from each other's strengths and work together." The rain gradually became lighter. Zhu De said: "The welcome party is waiting for us, let's talk while walking." Everyone said hello, and walked towards Fubian along the muddy path against the drizzle. Mao Zedong and Zhang Guotao walked together, talking and laughing, looking very relaxed. Mao Zedong said: "Farewell to Guangzhou, you and I went our separate ways. I was the 'King of the Mountain' in Jinggangshan, and you later went to Hubei, Henan and Anhui, and became a guerrilla commander. Although we haven't met, we still know something about each other." Zhang Guotao replied: "The people we met together in Shanghai in 1921, those who left the party, those who defected from the party, those who rebelled, those who sacrificed, and there are not many people left who continue to work. Brother Run fights tirelessly for the party, and he is indeed the backbone of the party." Mao Zedong smiled and shook his head: "Brother Guotao, don't praise me. I also relied on my energy to mess around there, and I also failed a lot. These years, Lao Jiang has been fighting us desperately, and the struggle is also very difficult. The old comrades sacrificed a lot, like Guotao Brother, it is rare to see success in such a struggle. I see that the secret agents who came with you are all strong and full of energy, and you can tell at a glance that the Fourth Front Army is an elite division." Zhang Guotao heard that Mao Zedong's praise of his troops came from his heart, not false words, so he said sincerely: "If the Central Red Army has lost some personnel and needs to be supplemented, I can allocate some troops and provide some weapons and equipment." Mao Zedong nodded: "When the two troops meet, they are like a family, so it is easy to talk and discuss." Mao Zedong asked Zhang Guotao: "Where is my sister-in-law, Yang Zilie? Are you going with the army?" Zhang Guotao was emotional when he heard Mao Zedong mentioning his wife Yang Zilie. He pondered for a while and said: "In recent years, Zilie has been tossing and turning, wandering here and there, and it is inconvenient for Zilie to go with her, so she stays in Wuhan. I haven't heard from her for a long time, and I don't know how she is doing recently?" After a short pause, Zhang Guotao asked Mao Zedong: "Where is your Madam?" Mao Zedong replied: "Since the Western Expedition, He Zizhen has been accompanying him. He is in poor health and is recuperating with the cadres." Zhang Guotao asked puzzledly: "Where's Yang Kaihui? Wasn't Kaihui by your side more than ten years ago?" Mao Zedong replied sadly: "Kaihui died. He Zizhen met in Jinggangshan." Zhang Guotao took the words: "Your brother continues quickly." Mao Zedong laughed twice: "Confucius said, 'If you eat and drink men and women, you can keep the great desires of life.' There is an ancient saying!" Zhang Guotao turned to Zhou Enlai who was beside him: "Brother Enlai, I will never forget the scene of the Nanchang riots. You played the leading role at that time." Zhou Enlai smiled and shook his head: "I have no experience. At that time, Chiang Kai-shek was going around arresting people and killing people. The Communists didn't pick up guns to fight him. It wouldn't work." Zhang Guotao went on to say: "I remember that after the failure of the riot, everyone withdrew separately, ran from Shantou to Tangkeng, met Quicksand, and in a small temple in Quicksand, you fell ill on a stretcher and advised me and Li Lisan to leave the army quickly and sneak back to Shanghai. You Insist on staying with illness, move with the team, and deal with the camera. At that time I asked how your illness is? Can you handle it? You said it’s okay, you can support it. Insist on not wanting to leave the army. We broke up like this, unexpectedly 8 years later Today, we meet again." Zhou Enlai said with infinite emotion: "Fortunately! We were not killed by Chiang Kai-shek, and we pulled up the team again later." Zhang Guotao sighed happily and said: "Yes! Our team is getting bigger and bigger, and the trouble is getting bigger and bigger, which makes Lao Jiang feel uneasy." Zhou Enlai smiled: "In order to deal with us, Lao Jiang didn't mobilize the army several times, trying to catch us all. It's difficult." Zhang Guotao's head: "Too." Zhang Guotao thought about it, blinked his eyes and tentatively asked Zhou Enlai: "Brother Enlai, how many are there in the Central Red Army?" Zhou Enlai thought for a while, but did not answer immediately, but asked a question instead. "Where is the Fourth Front Army?" Zhang Guotao pondered, Zhou Enlai did not answer, is there any secret?Enlai is the General Political Commissar and Vice Chairman of the Military Commission of the Red Army, so don't you know the number of troops?Now I asked back about the Fourth Front Army, what does it mean?Difficult to fathom.So casually answered: "100,000 people!" The number Zhang Guotao answered is a bit exaggerated, and he intends to show the strength of the Fourth Front Army.In fact, the Fourth Front Army has more than 80,000 people. Zhou Enlai blinked, happy and said: "Hey! Not bad. Brother Guotao has good leadership. On the one hand, since the army marched west, it has gone through several battles and suffered some losses. There are still more than 30,000 people left, but a large number of cadres have been preserved." The number Zhou Enlai answered was also a bit exaggerated. In fact, at this time, the army on the one hand was reduced from more than 80,000 people when it first set off to only more than 10,000 people.But Zhou Enlai thought to himself that he could not tell Zhang Guotao the actual number, lest he have the idea of ​​​​belittle the central government and the army on the one hand, and it will be difficult to deal with in the future.Zhou Enlai had an extra heart. After hearing Zhou Enlai's answer, Zhang Guotao's face changed suddenly, and he suddenly became suspicious.I thought to myself, on the one hand, why is the army under the direct leadership of the central government, why is there such a drastic reduction in personnel?He was uneasy about being less than half the number of the Fourth Army, and at the same time felt very powerful.Although Zhang Guotao was thinking this way, what he said was actually the same: "Since the First Army has so many cadres, some of them can be transferred to the Fourth Army in the future. We are short of cadres!" Zhou Enlai said without thinking: "Not a problem." They talked while walking like this, and when they reunited in adversity after a long absence, they naturally talked a lot. Zhang Guotao turned to Zhu De and said: "Brother Yujie, your body is the same as before, still strong, but a little darker." Zhu De smiled, showing his white teeth and said: "It is often exposed to the sun and rain, so there is no reason not to be dark." Then Zhu De said to himself again: "It's very interesting that the two armies joined forces in Dawei." Zhang Guotao asked Zhu De: "Brother Yujie, what do you mean—" Zhu De immediately took Zhang Guotao's words. "Davy! Davy! To the Soviets. Let us work together for the realization of the Soviets." Zhang Guotao smiled without a smile on his face. "What does a soviet look like? Who can explain clearly? We have been building a soviet for so many years, but we have not succeeded in one." Luo Fu interjected: "The main reason is that there are some problems with our strategy. We are a little hasty and aggressive." Zhang Guotao was dissatisfied with him and said: "It's not the result of Stalin's finger-pointing." Bogu then said: "Who dares not to listen to the instructions of the International?" Zhang Guotao glanced at Bogu and said: "Of course, we are all loyal Bolsheviks. How dare we not carry out the instructions of the International?" Gradually, the showers began to rest, and the crimson sky shed a few rays of sunshine, illuminating the small town in the western frontier. Mao Zedong, Zhang Guotao and his party wore sunshine after the rain, posing and chatting, and came to Fubian without knowing it. When Mao Zedong, Zhang Guotao and his party walked into the pre-arranged welcome venue, several Red Army soldiers cheered immediately.Mao Zedong, Zhang Guotao, Zhou Enlai, and Zhu De stepped onto the rostrum built of green pines and cypresses side by side, and kept waving to the cheering Red Army.Mao Zedong first gave a welcome speech, he said: "1. Comrades of the Fourth Front Army: "The Central Red Army broke through the siege and marched west. For more than half a year, it repelled countless enemy pursuits and interceptions, and overcame countless difficulties and obstacles in nature. In order to realize its own strategic principles, it did not hesitate to sacrifice and worked hard, and initially achieved a major victory in strategic shift. By the Dadu River, Chiang Kai-shek hoped that we would become the second Shi Dakai. The heroic Red Army did not let the enemy's plot succeed, and finally crossed the Dadu River, crossed the Daxue Mountain, and joined forces with the heroic Fourth Front Army. Commanders and fighters of the Fourth Front Army , In order to welcome the Central Red Army, we have made a lot of hard work, prepared a lot of materials for the Central Red Army, and enthusiastically supported the fraternal troops. On behalf of all comrades in the Central Red Army, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the Fourth Front Army and Comrade Zhang Guotao. The welcome meeting held today is to In order to welcome Comrade Guotao, the two armies have finally joined forces. In the future, under the unified leadership of the Central Committee, the First and Fourth Front Armies will fight side by side and march forward together in order to realize the strategic policy of the Party Central Committee. We will definitely succeed! We will definitely win! Victory will always belong to the brothers' first and fourth front armies." After Mao Zedong finished speaking, there was a burst of warm applause from the audience. Mao Zedong asked Zhang Guotao to speak.Zhang Guotao said modestly to Luo Fu beside him: "The general secretary will talk." Luo Fuqian said to him: "I won't talk about it. What Chairman Mao said represents us." Zhang Guotao smiled slightly: "Okay, let me talk about it." So in Jiangxi dialect: "Comrades of the Party Central Committee, the Central Red Army and the Fourth Front Army: "Our victory here today is the result of the heroic expedition of the cadres and soldiers of the two armies. We celebrate our success! We celebrate our victory! On behalf of all comrades of the Fourth Front Army, I pay tribute to the Party Central Committee. The Fourth Front Army In the past, we were far away from the central government and did not directly accept the leadership of the central government. Now, the central government is by our side and is with us. From now on, we will fight and forge ahead under the direct leadership of the central government. On the one hand, the hard-working military , I express my deepest condolences. Victory belongs to the First Front Army! Victory belongs to the Fourth Front Army! Victory belongs to the First and Fourth Front Army Great Master!" There was another storm of applause from the audience. After the welcome meeting, have dinner in the Lama Temple at the end of Fubian Town.Mao Zedong and Zhang Guotao walked into the temple side by side, talking and laughing, and saw rich dishes piled up here and there on the floor of the main hall, steaming and emitting a tempting fragrance. On the square table, there are more dishes than on the ground.Big bowls of beef and mutton, stewed chicken, roast pork, chili mixed with sauerkraut, and rice bean soup served in a large earthen bowl.Mao Zedong, Zhang Guotao and others came to the table and sat down. Mao Zedong said happily to Zhang Guotao: "Brother Guotao prepared so many delicacies today, I really want to feast on it." Zhou Enlai said with a smile: "I'm still in Zunyi, and I've eaten so many delicious dishes." Zhang Guotao was happy and he said: "The comrades in the First Army have worked hard, and I will add a few dishes to show my condolences." Zhang Guotao poured out a glass of white wine from a large jar on the table, and handed it to Mao Zedong: "Brother Run, on behalf of the Fourth Front Army, I would like to toast you with a glass of wine, and pay a little respect to the heroic Front Army." Mao Zedong took the clay cup with both hands and smiled slightly. "Brother Guotao, I don't have a lot of wine, but today's glass of wine must be drunk." As he spoke, he picked up the wine glass and drank it down, sucking his lips and saying: "Yo! It's so strong! It seems to be stronger than Guizhou Moutai." Mao Zedong then poured a glass of wine, handed it to Zhang Guotao and said: "The Fourth Army, in order to welcome the Central Red Army, did its best. On behalf of the Central Red Army, I would like to express my deep gratitude and return a glass of wine to Brother Guotao." Zhang Guotao also took the clay cup with both hands, said: "Thank you!" and bowed deeply. Then Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Luo Fu, Bo Gu, Huang Chao and others toasted each other. Although the banquet seemed a bit relaxed, Zhang Guotao felt a little strange: during the meeting, Mao Zedong and others did not talk about the current strategic policy, did not tell him about the situation of the army on the one hand, and did not talk about the meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee held in Zunyi, Guizhou at the beginning of the year. Regarding the details, they did not praise the achievements of the Fourth Front Army.He was unhappy, dull, confused.