Chapter 24 Meeting each other, Deng Bin and Li Mingrui talked frankly

The Jiang-Feng War and the second Jiang-Gui (that is, Yu and Li against Chiang) instigated by Wang Jingwei, a reorganization faction of the Kuomintang, were easily defeated by Chiang Kai-shek in less than half a month. Wang Jingwei did not give up.When he learned that Yu Zuobai and Li Mingrui led their troops to withdraw to Zuojiang Longzhou, Wang Jingwei sent Huang Junjian to Longzhou to win over and seduce Yu and Li, and persuade them to obey Wang's Second Central Committee.Huang Junjian proposed a new plan to defeat Jiang to Yu and Li Duan: Feng Yuxiang's Northwest Army, Yan Xishan's Jin Army, Zhang Xueliang's Northeast Army, Li Zongren's Gui Army and other millions of troops joined forces to fight Jiang's army in the hinterland of the Central Plains; The reorganization faction in Shanghai also had to cooperate internally and externally, launching a military coup, bombing Nanjing City with heavy artillery and planes, and preparing to blow up the meeting hall of the Central Party Headquarters when the Kuomintang Central Political Conference was in session, allowing Chiang Kai-shek and his party, government and military officials All died without a burial place, and their lairs were reduced to ashes.

This is indeed a plan full of bloody terror ten times hatred and a hundred times madness, violence and conspiracy. Otherwise, it would not be enough to put Chiang Kai-shek to death, and Wang Jingwei's dream of reorganization would not be realized! Yu Zuobai was excited by this plan, and was invited by Wang Jingwei to go to Hong Kong with Huang Junjian to take up important positions in the Second Central Committee.Before leaving, Yu Zuobai repeatedly told Li Mingrui: act as soon as possible, don't hesitate, come back and wait for this move. And how did Wang Jingwei's plan come true?It was indeed put into action, but it was far from the purpose it was intended to achieve.

In the middle of the night on December 2, 1929, Shiyou Sanbu stationed in Pukou bombarded Nanjing City with dozens of cannons, which startled the unprepared Chiang Kai-shek.But the hit rate of the cannon was not high. The shell did not explode in Chiang Kai-shek's official residence, but only destroyed a few nearby houses... Then, the Jiangsu reorganization faction launched the Liyang riot, occupied the Liyang special office, blew up an arsenal, cut off the railway line from Nanjing to Liyang, overturned a troop carrier, and that's all.But it was quickly quelled by Chiang Kai-shek's troops

Then, an aviation instructor from the Central Military Academy planned by the Nanjing Reorganization Faction piloted a training plane equipped with several heavy bombs and was on standby at any time. During the bombing, news came one after another that failed to take off due to bad weather, which was shocking and regrettable. Lessons learned.This time Li Mingrui did not send troops lightly.During this period, Chiang Kai-shek sent his confidant Yan Dezhong to Longzhou to persuade Li Mingrui and his relatives and friends with the letter of appointment signed by Chiang himself from the chairman of Guangxi Province and the commander of the 15th Army, and a huge sum of 650,000 yuan. Flatly refuse.

Li Mingrui obviously had his own plans.At this time, he had discovered an opportunity from the sidelines - he wanted to take advantage of the confrontation between the Guangdong and Guangxi armies, the political chaos in Guangxi, and the emptiness of Nanning to launch an offensive to counterattack Nanning. When he received a telegram from Deng Bin and Zhang Yunyi asking him to go to Baise to discuss a plan, he had ordered Yu Zuoyu to lead the fifth garrison brigade into Chongshan to stand by. He set off for Baise to discuss with Deng Bin and Zhang Yunyi a joint attack on Nanning. Pingma Town, an important ferry on the Youjiang River.Deng Bin and his entourage from Baise to Longzhou and Li Mingrui and his entourage from Longzhou to Baise met by chance in Pingma Town.This coincidence, both of them were extremely surprised.This coincidence seemed to be a deliberate arrangement by God.

This coincidence not only changed the course of Li Mingrui's life and made the leftist general of the Kuomintang defect to the Communist Party, but also avoided the tendency of the Zuojiang army to repeat the mistakes of the warlord melee, and promoted the early establishment of the Red Eighth Army and the Longzhou Soviet government. So far, some historians are grateful for this chance encounter: If the two sides miss each other, then perhaps there will be no tragic journey of the young central representative fighting side by side with this iron-blooded general, and sharing life and death together; perhaps the history of Li Mingrui and even the history of the Red Eighth Army , It is not the ending that is so epic and tragic as it was later; maybe, but no matter how you reason and judge, how many inevitable factors are there in this accidental coincidence?So, let's go back to the reality after this coincidence—Deng Bin heard Li Mingrui's intention to launch an offensive to counterattack Nanning, and found that Li Mingrui and Yu Zuoyu were still hesitant about whether to raise the red flag and establish a revolutionary base in Longzhou , but felt that there was no other best choice, so Deng Bin decided to postpone going to Shanghai for some time and return to Baise with Li Mingrui.

Along the way, Deng Bin and Li Mingrui had a heart-to-heart conversation, pointing out sharply the dangers of warlord melee and the fundamental reason why various factions of warlords repeatedly challenged Jiang and suffered repeated defeats: In the endless warlord melee, Chiang Kai-shek is indeed worthy of being a generation of heroes. The reason why he was able to defeat all kinds of opponents vertically and horizontally, and finally realized his goal of dictatorship, all depended on his good analysis of the situation, good use of contradictions, and good use of various methods. means to deal with various adversaries.

First of all, Chiang Kai-shek has advantages in financial resources, material resources, and military strength.Soong Ziwen raised military salaries in Nanjing, Shanghai, and Zhejiang, and even used public debts to fight the civil war; Soong Meiling also personally organized a consolation team, bringing huge amounts of cash to the frontlines to reward officers and soldiers; He also invited German military advisers to offer advice and suggestions, so that the direct troops and the miscellaneous troops who took refuge in him far surpassed the military strength of any faction in terms of weaponry and military strength.

Secondly, in terms of political strategy, Chiang Kai-shek also threatened to overwhelm the warlords of various factions.There is no justice at all in the melee among the new warlords, but Chiang Kai-shek relied on Sun Yat-sen's fame and Sun Yat-sen's trust in him, and at the same time he held the power of the party and government, making his crusade against the warlords of various factions a high-sounding "unification". Revolutionary Action".For example, Song Zheyuan and other generals in the Northwest's appeal to Chiang Kai-shek certainly had a certain political impact, but Chiang Kai-shek responded with a "Letter to the Generals and Soldiers of the World", saying that the Northwest Army "is a combination of interests and a feudal group. I only know that there is a group, but I don't know that there is a country. ; only know that there are benefits, but don't know that there are doctrines." "If this kind of feudal group is not eliminated, the national reunification will not be successful for a day."This kind of condemnation, which seems to be just and righteous, spread to the whole country through radio stations and newspapers, which can confuse and move the sympathy of people from all walks of life, and the scolding of Chiang Kai-shek by Song Zheyuan and others cannot be answered.

Again, there is no trust between the factions.Although they were gathered under the banner of "protecting the party and saving the country" on the surface, they actually fought against each other and each protected their own strengths.For example, Yu and Li raised their troops to rebel against Chiang. Before the troops were pulled out of Guangxi, the old Guangxi cliques such as Lu Huanyan, Yang Tenghui, and Huang Quan of the three divisions and two brigades defected one after another.Another example is the Northwest Army. It was agreed in advance that Feng Yuxiang and Yan Xishan would jointly fight against Chiang Kai-shek. As a result, the scheming and capricious Yan Xishan broke his promise and stood still, leaving the Northwest Army to fight alone.Seeing the rift between Feng and Yan, Chiang Kai-shek immediately adopted the strategy of wooing Yan Xishan and isolating Feng Yuxiang, so he called Yan Xishan in the name of the Fifth President of Nanjing.Yan Xishan's conferment of an official and title meant that the Jin army fully supported the Central Committee and Chiang Kai-shek, which resulted in the complete failure of Feng Yuxiang's Northwest Army's second campaign against Chiang.

Looking back in 1929, it seemed that there was an invisible giant hand in the dark sky, which pulled the warlords of all factions of the Kuomintang into the vortex of civil war, and pushed the suffering China and the working people into the abyss of war and chaos.The flames of war have raged across most of the country, the people are destitute, mourning is everywhere, and complaints are pouring out to ask the sky, when will this chaos, this disaster, this suffering, this resentment, when will it be over? ! Deng Bin frankly stated to Li Mingrui that the CCP's plan in Guangxi is to establish the Zuojiang and Youjiang revolutionary bases, prepare to launch Baise and Longzhou armed uprisings, and establish the Seventh Red Army and the Eighth Red Army. The commander-in-chief of the Eighth Red Army hopes that he will go with the Communist Party. "Everyone has always respected General Li very much." Deng Bin said sincerely, "I heard that recently Chiang Kai-shek sent his confidant ministers to Longzhou to promise General Li a high-ranking official and rich salary. However, I did not expect to be rejected by General Li. This move by General Li is admirable!" Li Mingrui was shocked when he heard this, he didn't expect Representative Deng to know this so quickly!At the same time, he also admired Representative Deng's in-depth analysis of the situation and the contradictions and root causes of the factions of the Kuomintang's military groups fighting each other.So he said: "Half a month ago, Chiang Kai-shek sent Yan Shuxiang (Yan Dezhong), a senior official of the state government, to Longzhou with a huge check and a letter of appointment, but I politely declined and sent him away." After finishing speaking, he let out a long sigh, and then expressed his depression and unbearable secrets: "Yusheng has been in the army for decades, and he has always only thought about the battlefield, killing thieves for the country, and he did not hesitate to ruin his brains! He dismissed the officialdom as if it was dirt. Representative Deng, To tell you the truth, Yusheng was rafting in the vast sea, trying to find a way to save the country and the people, but every time he fought and killed, he got more regretful self-blame and sorrow. Where should the road under his feet go? Now I have seen it clearly, Sun Mr. Doctrine and the party-state he created have been trampled and ruined by a bunch of traitors and thieves, the government is in chaos, filthy and corrupt, and only by purging and rebuilding can we have hope for the revival of China!" "Brother Yusheng's words are very true! We have the same views on this issue related to the future of the country and the survival of the nation." Deng Bin confided, "The Sixth Congress of our party formulated the ten major principles of the democratic revolution. The program aims to develop the workers' and peasants' armed revolution across the country, overthrow the imperialist and Kuomintang reactionary rule in China, and establish a democratic regime. The central government sent me to Guangxi to establish the Guangxi workers' and peasants' revolutionary armed forces as soon as possible and establish a local democratic government. I hope that Li The general and colleagues can declare righteousness and join our ranks. The Party Central Committee has approved us to hold armed uprisings in Zuojiang and Youjiang, and set up the Seventh Army and Eighth Army of the Red Army. Brother Yun Yi and I jointly sent a telegram to General Li, I sincerely invite General Li to be the commander-in-chief of the two armies." Li Mingrui stared at each other with mixed feelings: "I am very grateful to Representative Deng and Brother Sheng for treating Yusheng as a useful person! I have always admired the ideals of many people with lofty ideals in your party for saving the country and the people, and they are not afraid of beheading." Integrity and spirit of imprisonment, bloodshed and sacrifice” Looking ahead to the historical future and the prospects for the development of a political party takes time.Li Mingrui witnessed that Chiang Kai-shek's "April 12" massacre in 1927 did not intimidate the Communist Party: Zhou Enlai, Ye Ting, Zhu De, Liu Bocheng, He Long, Chen Yi and other communists in the Kuomintang army and government launched the Nanchang Uprising that shocked the world; Mao Zedong and Lu Deming led the Hunan-Jiangxi Border Autumn Harvest Uprising in Hunan; Uprising; Guangzhou Uprising led by Zhang Tailei, Ye Ting, Ye Jianying, Zhou Wenyong, Nie Rongzhen, etc.; Honghu, Hunan and Hubei border uprisings led by He Long and Zhou Yiqun; Southern Hunan riots led by Zhu De, Chen Yi, etc.; Hunan Pingjiang Riot led by Peng Dehuai, Teng Daiyuan, and Huang Gonglue Although the armed riots and uprisings again and again failed or failed due to the bloody suppression of the Kuomintang, the Communists and the masses who participated in the riots and uprisings were frantically retaliated by white terror. The Kuomintang hunted them down everywhere. Some fell behind, some fled, but the survivors hid themselves in remote mountains, old forests, rivers and lakes.In the nearly one or two years of warlord melee, many strongholds and areas of the red regime have been established-the German senior military adviser von Seekert invited by Chiang Kai-shek jokingly said: "Dear Commander-in-Chief, please see your What does the map of China look like now? Like a snow leopard skin." These fugitives and truth-seekers had become fighters for a new kind of thought—Marxism and socialist revolution—but it was not only this new doctrine brought in from abroad that inspired them.Every Chinese has been influenced by legends and hero stories since he was a teenager, and he is familiar with the one hundred and eight generals who were arrested by the government, expelled from their homes, ruined their fortunes, destitute, and finally forced to rebel. How to display your abilities in Liangshanbo, which is inaccessible to the world, raise the banner of justice for the sky, and successfully challenge the official royal power. All the grand historical turning points and heroic combat strategies, such as ancient combat skills and the "combat strategy" in "Spring and Autumn and Warring States", all had an extremely important impact on China's military thinking.Of course, among these revolutionaries, some were indeed bandits who robbed houses and houses, and only after being reformed did they abandon the dark side and turn to the bright side.Most of them live in places that are difficult for outsiders to set foot in, and the official can't help their existence, because the price of punishing them is greater than the value of what they sometimes plunder.This is especially the case in warlord China, where geographic jurisdictions are constantly shifting.Most of the Red Soviet Areas were built in remote areas with difficult transportation and poor products, where there were few people and most of them were located at the junction of several provinces. This was not accidental.Since the warlords of the provinces seldom crossed their own "territory" boundaries, the Soviet area could only be wiped out by uniting several "alliances".In particular, if the alliance is to suppress the Soviet area, a large number of troops must be mobilized and a huge gamble must be placed.In this way, they do not have enough financial resources, military power and time to eliminate the red regimes in those remote areas. Li Mingrui realized many things that others could not understand from the endless bloody waves of warlords' melee. What made him sigh most was: the red Soviet area like "snow leopard skin" spread all over the land of China, embodying the ancient The realistic spirit of the Chinese democratic revolution combined with the traditional Chinese tradition and fresh foreign theories. He then thought of starting the Baise and Longzhou uprisings in Guangxi and establishing the red regime, which is like the establishment of local governments by Zhu and Mao's Red Army in Jinggangshan and He Long in the border area between Hunan and Hubei.But a cloud of doubts flashed in his mind: It is not difficult to raise workers' and peasants' armed forces in Zuojiang and Youjiang to demarcate land and build a state. The difficulty lies in development, consolidation, and persistence! "Representative Deng, I am very much in favor of holding an armed uprising in Zuojiang and Youjiang." Li Mingrui expressed his heart, "However, I have a sentence, I don't know if I should say it or not?" Deng Bin said: "We are friends who are honest with each other. We should say everything. Please speak, please speak." Li Mingrui said: "Raise the red flag and spread the word to the world. Chiang Kai-shek and Li Zongren will not sit idly by. They will definitely mobilize heavy troops to encircle and suppress us. in the midst of a desperate situation” Deng Bin said: "General Li needn't worry. China is vast and rich in resources and resources. There is a saying that the east is not bright and the west is bright. If the south is destroyed, there is the north. One of the most notable characteristics of the Communist Party is that it is good at fighting guerrillas." Li Mingrui firmly believed in this.Then he said: "I am not a member of the Communist Party. I am afraid that it will be difficult to convince the public if I am the commander-in-chief!" Deng Bin said: "If you are not a member of the Communist Party, it is temporary. Our party welcomes General Li. I will go to Shanghai to report to the central government this time, and I will further clarify the situation of General Li to the central government." The two of them talked all the way like this, both talking about politics and expressing their feelings. The more they talked, the more interesting they became, and the closer they talked, the closer they got. Deng Bin accompanied Li Mingrui back to Baise. Li Mingrui saw with his own eyes that Youjiang's army was expanding day by day, and the army was well-organized and disciplined. The common people regarded them as relatives;In his opinion, this scene may be short-lived, but it cannot but touch his heart: Isn't this the scene that he is looking for after protracted hard work and struggle? He found the long-unsolved answer in Baise.The most unforgettable thing is that Deng Bin, Zhang Yunyi, etc. had many knee-to-knee conversations with him, with deep affection!After living in Baise for two days, Li Mingrui returned to Longzhou day and night to step up preparations for the uprising. Deng Bin and Zhang Yunyi bid farewell again, and embarked on the stormy journey to Shanghai.