Chapter 32 "Operational Plan to Suppress the Communist Army South of the Yellow River" Released

With the development of the situation, the situation is relatively favorable for Chiang Kai-shek.With the United States, Britain, Japan and the Soviet Union vying to win over countries, Chiang Kai-shek was finally able to see the hope of victory in the war under the pressure of the Japanese army, and finally had "leisure" time to "calmly" think Let's take a look at the threat posed to us by the growing Communist Party forces. Around 1940, Stalin believed that the strength of the Chinese Communist Party was too weak to rely on, and believed that the strategic interests of the Soviet Union had to be established with the Kuomintang forces in order to protect the strategic interests of the Soviet Union. He decided to provide the Kuomintang with 150 fighter jets, 100 bombers, 300 cannons and The military aid of 500 vehicles required Chiang Kai-shek to rule out the possibility of negotiating a peace with Japan. On October 16, Chiang Kai-shek received a telegram of Stalin's assistance and found out the details of the Soviet Union. On October 19, he sent a power-generating order to order the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army to march north of the Yellow River within one month.At the same time, Chiang Kai-shek secretly ordered Tang Enbo, Li Pinxian and other 300,000 troops and Gu Zhutong's troops to prepare for a massive attack on the Central China New Fourth Army.In addition, the army surrounding the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region was increased to 200,000.In order to take into account the overall situation of uniting and resisting Japan, the CCP agreed to move the New Fourth Army troops in southern Anhui to the north of the Yangtze River.

On December 7, Chiang Kai-shek approved and issued the "Operational Plan for Suppressing the Communist Army South of the Yellow River" and secretly ordered all ministries to implement it.The first step of the plan was to use Gu Zhu's troops to "purge" the New Fourth Army in the south of the Yangtze River before the end of January 1941, and then use the troops to "purge" the New Fourth Army in North Jiangsu.The second step is to "purge" the Eighth Route Army south of the Yellow River with Li Zongren's troops before February 28.According to Chiang Kai-shek's secret order, Gu Zhutong assembled seven divisions of about 80,000 troops in southern Anhui, preparing to "encircle and wipe out" the New Fourth Army.He also notified the Japanese and puppet troops through the radio station that "the New Fourth Army is going to cross the river to the north", so that the Japanese and puppet troops blocked the Yangtze River, burned the ferry boats, and sent warships to cruise on the river every day.

On December 8, He Yingqin, Chief of Staff of the Nationalist Government, and Bai Chongxi, Deputy Chief of Staff, sent telegrams to Zhu De, Commander-in-Chief of the Eighteenth Army, Peng Dehuai, Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Ye Ting, Commander of the New Fourth Army, and Xiang Ying, Deputy Commander Xiang Ying, to order the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army to move northward within a time limit. On December 9, Chiang Kai-shek issued a warrant, ordering the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army to move northward within a time limit: "The Eighteenth Army and the New Fourth Army were ordered to march to the north of the Yellow River to fight within a time limit, and we will extend the period of expansion in different areas. Those in the south of the Yangtze River The entire New Fourth Army is limited to march to the area north of the Yangtze River on December 31 this year, and to fight in the area north of the Yellow River before January 30 next year. Now all units of the Eighteenth Army south of the Yellow River are limited to December 31 this year. At the end of the day, we will drive to the area north of the Yellow River. We hope to follow He Baizheng, Deputy Chief of Staff Shiyue Haodian, to fight together, fulfill our duties, and make no further mistakes. This is an order. Jiang Zhongzheng."

On December 10, 1940, Chiang Kai-shek sent an urgent telegram to Gu Zhutong: (1) The bandits and puppets in the north of Chasu continue to attack the Han tribe. In order to prevent the Jiangnan troops of the army from directly participating in the attack on the Han tribe, they should not be allowed to cross the north from Zhenjiang, but should only be allowed to cross the north at the same place, or the commander should decide otherwise It is also possible to specify a route. (2) The war zone should properly deploy and prepare for the Jiangnan bandits according to the previous plan.If it is found that Jiangbei bandits dare to attack Xinghua, or the army still does not obey the order to cross the north by the deadline (December 31 this year), they should be dealt with immediately, and no more tolerance!

After Gu Zhutong received Chiang Kai-shek's urgent telegram, he immediately convened a high-level military meeting to formulate a plan for "advance and suppression".He rushed to repair the long-distance carrier telephone from Chongqing to Shangrao within a time limit, actively deployed troops and generals, and decided that Shangguan Yunxiang would be the front-line commander. At the same time, Bai Chongxi commanded Li Pinxian to set up defenses along the river in the north of the Yangtze River, burn the ferry, control the ferry, and actively support Gu Zhutong's troops. In southern Anhui in December, the cold wind was howling, and it was chilling.Over southern Anhui, the sky is covered with haze, thunder is rolling, the bloody wind is ahead, and the blood rain is imminent...

The New Fourth Army in southern Anhui finally made the decision to retreat south. On January 4, 1941, in the early morning, it was raining. In the drizzle, thousands of people flocked to the New Fourth Army station from Luoli, Yunling, Xincun, Baiguoshu and other places. The people in southern Anhui came here in their unique way. See off for the New Fourth Army.The masses slaughtered chickens and pigs, and every family set up large and small banquets to bid farewell to the departing New Fourth Army soldiers.With tears in his eyes, an old man said to the soldiers who prevented him from slaughtering pigs: "Children, after you leave, the Kuomintang army will come to grab food and pigs. Why don't you kill him to show our heart..." The old man choked up. , Tears flowed down the wrinkled cheeks together with the rain.

The soldiers could no longer restrain themselves, letting their tears flow in the wind and rain.The soldiers embraced the masses, and the masses embraced the soldiers, with thousands of exhortations and entrustments, endless farewell words, endless parting tears, and endless narration of the military and civilian feelings. The wind and rain in southern Anhui are sudden, and the mountains and rivers cry together... At 6 o'clock in the afternoon, the troops of the New Fourth Army in southern Anhui bid farewell to the folks in Yunling, murmured "Farewell, three years in southern Anhui", distributed the "Letter to the Compatriots in Southern Anhui", and embarked on the journey in the wind and rain.

The military department organized 9,000 troops into 3 columns and marched in three routes: the first column was on the left, and it governed the old and new regiments of the original new detachment, with about 3,000 people.Fu Qiutao served as commander and political commissar, Zhao Lingbo served as deputy commander, Wang Huaisheng served as chief of staff, Zhao Xizhong served as deputy chief of staff, and Jiang Weiqing served as director of the political department. The second column is the middle road, which governs the old third regiment and the new third regiment of the original new second detachment, with about 2,000 people.Zhou Guisheng was the commander, Huang Xingxing was the political commissar, Feng Dazheng was the deputy commander, Xie Zhongliang was the chief of staff, and Zhong Desheng was the director of the Political Department.Concentrate from Gongli to Fengcun, and move to Xingtan via Gaotan.

The third column is on the right, and it has jurisdiction over the fifth regiment of the original third detachment and the special task force of the military department, with about 2,000 people.Zhang Zhengkun was the commander, Hu Rong was the political commissar, Huang Xuzhou was the chief of staff, and Wu Xiru was the director of the Political Department.The Zonglu Department led the Fifth Regiment to concentrate in areas near Dazhang Village, Xikou and Maolin, and its special agent group concentrated in the Tongshan area, preparing to control Qiaoshanling and Damaling, pretend to attack Taiping, and cover the advance of large troops.

More than 1,000 people from the army directly under the team and the teaching corps followed the second column.Along with the military agencies, there was Rao Shushi, deputy secretary of the Southeast Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The rain was getting heavier and heavier, the wind was blowing harder and harder, and the sky and the earth became one, pitch black.The troops marched on the muddy road.When we arrived at Zhangjiadu, the Qingyi River, which had always been calm, was roaring and roaring with turbid waves. The surging water shortened the pontoon bridge erected in advance.As a last resort, the vanguard struggled to lengthen the pontoon bridge.However, troops of different formations crowded at the bridgehead, shouting, the sound of equipment colliding with the sound of wind and rain.Just after passing thousands of people, the pontoon bridge broke.The warriors crossed the river on foot, shivering in the cold wind and shivering in the icy water.

After a night of arduous trek, the soldiers were cold, hungry and extremely tired, walking 40 kilometers for 8 hours.After dawn, the headquarters of the New Fourth Army arrived at Pancun, south of Maolin, the first column arrived at Dakangwang, the old third regiment and the new third regiment of the second column arrived at Fengcun, the special agent regiment of the third column arrived at Tongshan, and the fifth regiment Arrive near Zhangcun, Xikou and Maolin. Looking at the exhausted troops, Xiang Ying's face was covered with clouds. On the first day the army moved north, it encountered such bad weather, and it was a bad start. So he decided to rest for a day in the area around Maolin. Maolin is a big market town, and the people here have extremely deep feelings for the New Fourth Army.The remains of Xun Huaizhou, head of the Seventh Corps of the Red Army's anti-Japanese advance team going north, are buried here. In May 1938, Chen Yi led a team to South Jiangsu and passed by here to build a tomb for Xunhuaizhou.Today, when the New Fourth Army came to Maolin in the early morning with tired steps, the town was awakened and suddenly became lively.The people are busy for the arrival of the New Fourth Army, and the southern Anhui snacks on both sides of the street emit a tempting aroma: salty boiled peanuts, fried glutinous rice cakes, fried chestnuts in sugar, spiced eggs... everything you expect to find. The New Fourth Army in southern Anhui was melted by Maolin's enthusiasm.The military department decided to hold a military-civilian party in the evening to sweep away the frustration of the previous day and boost morale in order to face the difficult days and nights ahead.Soldiers took to the streets, distributed the "Message to the Compatriots in Southern Anhui", and carried water and firewood for the villagers.The comrades of the cultural task force pasted red and green slogans promoting the anti-Japanese war all over the streets. In the evening, the military-civilian party was held in the Maolin Ancestral Hall.The New Fourth Army Field Service Corps put on a wonderful show.There was applause, slogans and cheers inside and outside the venue.Mr. Lu Shaoquan, President of Maolin Anglican Church, gave a welcome speech.Yuan Guoping, director of the Political Department of the New Fourth Army, delivered a farewell speech on behalf of the New Fourth Army: Folks, our New Fourth Army puts national interests first, bears the burden of humiliation, endures humiliation and leaves southern Anhui, and marches into the enemy's rear. struggle for the liberation of the nation and the Chinese people.Don't feel bad folks, we will definitely be back. There was a bit of sadness in the warm atmosphere. At the same time, the KMT's seven entire divisions and more than 80,000 people, in accordance with the orders of Gu Zhutong, commander of the third war zone, and Shangguan Yunxiang, commander-in-chief of the 32nd Army and front-line commander, are advancing day and night to the Southern Anhui troops of the New Fourth Army. The New Fourth Army in southern Anhui took a day's rest in the Maolin area to relieve fatigue.However, it gave the Kuomintang "advancement and suppression" troops time to tighten the encirclement... Beginning on January 6, 1941, more than 80,000 people from Gu Zhutong's Shangguan Yunxiang Division surrounded and ambushed more than 9,000 people from the New Fourth Army headquarters and southern Anhui troops. After seven days and nights of desperate fighting, only more than 2,000 people broke through. After Chiang Kai-shek did this bloody deed, he actually issued an order in the name of the Military Commission of the Kuomintang government on January 17, announcing that the New Fourth Army had "rebelled" and had "disbanded them all", decided to "revoke" the designation of the New Fourth Army, and hand over Ye Ting to the military law. Judgment, punishment according to law.