Chapter 36 The warlords fought in the Central Plains, and the Seventh Red Army returned to Youjiang

In April 1930, Yan Xishan joined forces with Wang Jingwei, Feng Yuxiang, Zhang Xueliang, Zhang Fakui and Li Zongren of the Guangxi family to send a telegram against Chiang. On April 1, Yan Xishan was sworn in as the commander-in-chief of the anti-Chiang allied forces in Taiyuan; Feng Yuxiang was appointed as the deputy commander-in-chief of the anti-Chiang allied forces in Tongguan and Li Zongren respectively in Guilin, which opened the prelude to the Central Plains War.The scale of this war was unprecedented and the cost was huge. The main battlefields were in Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Hubei, Shanxi and other provinces.The anti-Chiang allied forces concentrated 700,000 troops, and Chiang Kai-shek invested about 600,000 troops.Millions of troops fought on the thousands of miles in the hinterland of China, which was the largest warlord melee in modern Chinese history.

Chiang Kai-shek has long been prepared for the anti-Chiang military offensives of various powerful factions: On April 5, the State Council of the Kuomintang Nanjing Government ordered Yan Xishan to be wanted. On April 8, Chiang Kai-shek flew to Xuzhou to hold an emergency military meeting and mobilize troops. On May 1, Chiang Kai-shek issued a crusade order to the entire army across the country. On May 2, Chiang Kai-shek held an oath ceremony in Nanjing, expressing his determination to fight the anti-Chiang faction to the end. On May 8, Chiang Kai-shek crossed the Yangtze River to the north, and successively went to Bengbu, Jinan, Yanzhou and other places for military deployment.Then he led a large German military advisory group and sat in Xuzhou to command operations.Although the anti-Chiang coalition forces had an advantage in terms of military strength, it was not just military strength that determined the outcome of the war.Chiang Kai-shek sent He Yingqin to lead Chen Jitang's and Zhu Shaoliang's troops in Guangdong and He Jian's troops in Hunan to fight against the Guangxi faction and Zhang Fakui's troops with relatively superior forces.

On June 4th, Li Zongren and Zhang Fakui led 30,000 troops to conquer Changsha, and on June 8th they occupied Yueyang.It is a pity that Feng Yuxiang moved the Northwest Army eastward prematurely in order to seize Nanjing, so he stopped going south to Wuhan, which delayed the opportunity of the war.Chen Jitang's Cantonese army took the opportunity to cut off the return route of the Guangxi faction and Zhang Fakui's troops from the south. Chiang Kai-shek took the opportunity to mobilize another 9 warships into Dongting Lake to participate in the battle. Under the predicament, turn around and retreat.On the way to the south, they were flanked by Jiang's army from three directions. Gui and Zhang's troops suffered heavy losses in the breakout, and almost lost their money.

It was in the gap between the warlords' melee that the Red Seventh Army in Guangxi had a good opportunity to develop and grow again. At the beginning of April, Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi personally led the main force of the Guangxi faction to go north to Hunan to participate in the Central Plains Battle.Li Mingrui and Zhang Yunyi led the first and second columns of the Seventh Red Army through Hechi and Huaiyuan, and moved to Si'en (now Huanjiang), where they fought fiercely with Yang Tenghui's division from Liuzhou to Hunan. The Seventh Red Army suffered a small setback Afterwards, they crossed the Nine Thousand Mountains in the area where the Miao people lived, and arrived in the Rongjiang area of ​​Guizhou. At the end of April, they captured Guzhou County (now Rongjiang County), and seized a large number of weapons, ammunition and other materials, which greatly boosted the morale of the troops.

When resting in Guzhou, the Seventh Red Army got news from the Kuomintang newspapers about Jiang, Feng, and Yan's "Central Plains War" and the fact that the Guangxi faction had transferred the main force to go north to Hunan to participate in the war. Li Mingrui and Zhang Yunyi immediately decided to return to the Youjiang area of ​​Guangxi. "Brother Yusheng, look at Jiang, Feng, and Yan's competition in the Central Plains, who will win?" Zhang Yunyi rode a fast horse with a green mane, and Li Mingrui, who was riding a bay red horse, rode side by side. "Lao Jiang is not only a veteran of warlord melee, but also a commander with a sword in his hand. Although Lao Jiang does not have an advantage in terms of military strength, he will use various tactics to defeat his opponent at all costs." Li Mingrui said.

"Brother Yusheng is right. No matter what banners and signs Lao Jiang plays, he is still a warlord at heart, and every method he uses cannot be separated from the scope of the old warlord. But this time he didn't know how to use the old methods. What new tricks are you going to play?" Zhang Yunyi smiled lightly, but a trace of suspicion emerged between his brows, "Sun Yat-sen (Sun Yat-sen) relied so heavily on Chiang Kai-shek back then, it must be said that it was a mistake." Li Mingrui didn't answer immediately, and thought for a moment before saying, "Brother Sheng, did you read the pamphlet "President Sun's Tribulations in Guangzhou" written by Jiang when he was serving in the Guangdong Army?"

Zhang Yunyi said: "I have read and read it. Even the officers above have a copy. Sun Yat-sen also wrote a preface to this book, which he highly praised: "Chen Ni (referring to Chen Jiongming) changed, Jieshi rushed to Guangdong, and entered the ship as a Japanese servant On my side, but with a lot of planning, I am happy to share death and life with Yu and the warriors of the navy. This is the record.'” "Brother Sheng has a good memory! Jiang fought against the enemy side by side with Sun Yat-sen on the Yongfeng ship for more than a month. Therefore, in the eyes of the President, Jiang was a man who was resourceful and courageous and could live and die with him. At that time, the President was in Guangzhou. There are many elites from all over the country, but in the military, Jiang is the only person who can be relied on, and he was appointed as the Chief of Staff of the Grand Marshal's Mansion (February 18, 1923)." "It is said that Jiang was not flattered by this position However, Sun Yat-sen did not hesitate to ask for distant water to rescue the nearby fire, and urged Xikou in Fenghua by telegram: "Please come quickly, don't delay. It was only a few days later that Jiang reluctantly set off and arrived in Guangzhou to take office." "One year Later (that is, on May 3, 1924), Sun Yat-sen officially appointed Jiang as the principal of the Whampoa Military Academy and the chief of staff of the Cantonese Army. The Bushido school spirit that Chiang learned at the Zhenwu School in Japan was fully demonstrated in the Whampoa Military Academy. In just another year, Jiang led the elite division composed of the Whampoa teaching group and the student army as the vanguard to meet Chen Jiongming's rebels and started the first Eastern Expedition. As the principal, Jiang was able to lead the charge with the troops, so he was among the teachers and students of the Whampoa Military Academy. Gained prestige."

"Yes, the Northern Expedition brought glory to Jiang. We did have some respect for him at that time. All civil and military officials were called under his banner to kill thieves and shed blood for the country." "And Jiang even more Thinking that he is a talented man, Mr. Sun cannot unify China, and Yuan Shikai cannot unify China. He is the only one who can unify China. This makes him so full of ambition: If you want to rule the country and the world, no one else can do it in today's world." "Precisely because of his desire for power and dictatorial ambitions, how can the existence of the Communist Party be tolerated, so he deliberately created troubles to carry out the Qing Dynasty, and turned Mr. Sun's policy of uniting Russia, the Communist Party, and supporting farmers and workers into the anti-Russian, anti-Communist and suppression of workers and peasants. sea ​​of ​​blood."

The two talked freely, and followed the brigade to the direction of Hechi.All the way through the pass, there was hardly any decent resistance.The main force of the Guangxi faction has all left Hunan, and the militia groups from all over the country have also disappeared without a trace.At this time, Li Mingrui and Zhang Yunyi had a strong consensus and a sense of urgency: the opportunity is rare, let's kill the carbine, seize the opportunity to develop and strengthen the Red Army, and regain the Youjiang Revolutionary Base! Three thousand troops traveled day and night to Hechi in Guangxi.

At dusk that day, the troops walked along a river valley to the foot of a mountain called Longshan. Looking up, you can see the Yunshan Mountains are emerald and the strange stones are jagged. The main peak of Longshan, Baizhangya, stands tall and straight, as steep and abrupt as a pillar of the sky; a small pavilion is built against the cliff, and the poems engraved on the stone wall in the pavilion vaguely discernible.Looking into the mountains, there are ancient banyan lingering, old cypresses, tangled vines, green shades, and birds chirping.On the left side of the mountain, there is a stream as clear as a mirror; on the right side of the mountain, there is a spring that sounds like the sound of a zither; Like a wonderful dream.Li Mingrui introduced to Zhang Yunyi and others that at the turn of summer and autumn in 1916, General Cai E went from Longzhou to Guizhou, Hunan and other places to organize the national defense army to attack Yuan Shikai. Inscription poem.Later, in order to commemorate this patriotic general, people built this pavilion leaning on the cliff. The poem on the stone wall in the pavilion is exactly Cai E's left ink: "Longshan is looking at the Chongyang Festival, and you don't look at the capital or the hometown."If you want to find the old road in the upper mountains, you will climb to the top to offer new soup.It is difficult for eagles to fly across the male pass, but eagles with high aspirations dare to jump over the beam.Who is to say that the autumn is high to prevent the invasion of the bandits, so that it can be used to fight against the southern border.

"Good poetry! Good poetry! It's really magnificent!" Zhang Yunyi repeatedly praised, "When talking about heroes cooked with green plums and wine, there are also long and short, good and bad! Only our Red Army shoulders the responsibility. The historical mission of saving the country and the people is a long way to go, and we must have such boldness!" "Anyone who is capable is true, no matter how difficult and dangerous the road ahead is, even if he is shrouded in horse leather, his heart is smashed, he will have no regrets or complaints! The soul of a bright person is also the soul of a person, and the essence of a person is also the blood of a mighty person. Only a soul can rise in a troubled world to be great. Meteorology, if you have the essence and blood sprinkled between the heaven and the earth, you will have a big heart, and those who have a big air and a big heart can shake the world!" Li Mingrui expressed his heart with this, expressing his sincere respect and support for the revolutionary armed forces led by the Communist Party.Long Shan in front of him was silently standing up for him: Li Mingrui is not Cai E, he has transformed from an old army to a general of the Red Army. "Brother Yusheng, let's encourage each other with General Cai E's poem!" Zhang Yunyi said. "It should be so, even more so!" Li Mingrui sighed with emotion. They stood side by side looking at Longshan Mountain, and the gorgeous sunset was casting its last ray of light onto the red cliff at the top of the main peak of Longshan Mountain, like a sword taken out of the furnace and being hammered and forged, the whole body was translucent. ——Perhaps it was seldom called a famous mountain in history, but it crosses the border of the southern country, and its majestic, mysterious, lonely and quiet landscape is awe-inspiring! This is the most majestic and majestic mountain that the Seventh Red Army has faced since it broke through and moved to Guizhou and Guangxi.The untouched forests on the mountain flashed a fierce iron blue color that was proud of the sky; the man-like rock peaks on the mountain stood so grotesquely, upright, and proudly, looming in the clouds. This is a male mountain tribe! This is a Silent Hill family! The entire Longshan mountain is lined up with a majestic and majestic army formation of gold and iron horses. It is the great enemy of the conqueror-it seems that this road is impassable; it is also the protector of the army-passing through the Longshan barrier, the enemy cannot form a siege. Zhang Yunyi ordered to cross Longshan overnight. Coincidentally, just a few days after the Seventh Red Army crossed Longshan and arrived in the Hechi area, Deng Bin, who came to look for the Seventh Red Army, also passed by Longshan. Ya Meiyuan, who was sent by Wei Baqun to escort Deng Bin, recalled that when they arrived at the foot of Longshan Mountain, it was also at dusk, and someone asked Commissar Deng to take a rest here, and climb the mountain after dawn, so as to enjoy the wonderful scenery here.But political commissar Deng insisted on refusing.He said: The military situation is urgent, how can there be such a leisurely mood at this moment!To find the main force as soon as possible. So that night, they crossed Longshan Mountain, rode on the road again, waded across the river, and hurriedly searched for the whereabouts of the Seventh Red Army. On the fourth day, they heard from the local villagers that a team with a big red flag of hammer and sickle had arrived in Hechi. On the sixth day, they rushed to Hechi and finally joined Li Mingrui and Zhang Yunyi. In a temple in Hechi County, the Red Seventh Army called a meeting of cadres above the group, Deng Bin conveyed the instructions of the central government, and made a decision: seize the favorable opportunity of the warlord Central Plains War, return to Youjiang, expand the Red Army, restore and consolidate the Youjiangsu area . After the meeting, the morale of the Seventh Red Army was greatly boosted and they were ready to go.