Chapter 23 "Army is weak"

The growth of the Red Fourth Front Army and the development of the Sichuan-Shanxi base areas have seriously threatened the ruling interests of various warlords. In particular, the three offensive campaigns of our army were overwhelming and unstoppable. The strategic situation of "redification of the whole Sichuan" has been confirmed.When the Red Army reaches the east bank of the Jialing River in the west, if they cross the river, they can sweep across the Minjia River Basin, control the western Sichuan Plain, and approach Chengdu; reach Wanyuan and Liangkai areas in the east, and then go to Wanxian and Kuimen in the east of the river to take over. Liu Xiang's lair strangles the throat of the whole Sichuan; along the Yangtze River, Fuling and Chongqing are also in jeopardy.As a result, warlords from all walks of life felt like they were sitting on pins and needles, and wealthy gentry, businessmen, and dignitaries in Chengdu and Chongqing all transferred their assets and fled to Wuhan, which shocked the whole Sichuan.Liu Xiang, who was entrenched in the area from Chongqing to Jiangdong, saw that Tian Songyao was about to collapse, Yang Sen was about to collapse, and Liu Cunhou was finished. If the Red Army continued to fight, it would definitely be his turn.If the two barriers are lost, it will be difficult to go down to the east of the river, and the danger of overthrowing the nest is in front of us, how can we sit idly by?

After the Fourth Red Army established the Sichuan-Shaanxi base area, it fought continuously and smashed Tian Songyao's "three-way siege". The 15,000 people who entered Sichuan grew to as many as 80,000.Chiang Kai-shek and the Sichuan warlords were extremely disturbed by the development of the Red Fourth Front Army in Sichuan and Shaanxi.As early as May 1933, Chiang Kai-shek urged Liu Xiang to "suppress the Communist Party" with all his strength. Liu Xiang was busy fighting with Liu Wenhui, so he did not move.After Tian Songyao was beaten up by the Red Army, Chiang Kai-shek once again urged Liu Xiang to go out to "suppress the Communists."

On July 7, 1933, the State Council of the Executive Yuan of the Nanjing National Government passed a resolution: Appoint Liu Xiang as the commander-in-chief of "suppressing bandits" in Sichuan, control the army in central Sichuan, and jointly "encircle and suppress" the Red Army in northern Sichuan.On the same day, the Nationalist Government appointed Liu Xiang as the "Commander-in-Chief of Sichuan Bandits Suppression" and issued an order to "suppress bandits": Now Sichuan bandits are rampant, and Tongnan has fallen; they should be eradicated urgently to calm the place.Liu Xiang is specially appointed as the commander-in-chief of suppressing bandits in Sichuan, and all the armies in Sichuan are under control, and he will compile and cooperate with the generals to work together to do their best to eradicate violence and make peace.In the past, all the petty suspicions should be discarded. Don't succeed in selfish anger and internal strife, causing bandits to become powerful.It is necessary to declare discipline, and take care to relieve Lu Yan's suffering wherever the teacher goes.The bandits are in trouble early, and the civil affairs and finances are on the right track, so there is great hope.This order!

Liu Xiang had subdued Liu Wenhui at this time, and now he was appointed by Chiang Kai-shek. On July 20, he convened a meeting in Chengdu to discuss the "communist suppression" Yaskawa. On July 23, Liu Xiang, who had other plans, telegraphed to Chiang Kai-shek his own "Anchuan Suppression of the Red Army" procedure: "I thought that today's plan to suppress the bandits in Dingchuan should have certain procedures, and they cannot be confused. The army, unify the will, remove obstacles, and jointly determine the Sichuan situation; the second is the sincerity and strict combination of the armies, and the distribution of tasks... The third is the unification of Sichuan administration and efforts to build... All the above three points are the stages that must be passed... Sichuan affairs At this point, there is no room for any mistakes, and we plan to follow the above-mentioned procedures and proceed earnestly, in the shortest period of time, adjust all the troops, advance together, clarify the banditry, and everything will be solved."

Liu Xiang's intentions are very clear. Although the war between himself and Liu Wenhui is over, it will take time to "exile" Liu Wenhui to Xikang and clean up the "Chuanzheng". After the command between the two is unified, we can start.This is also Liu Xiang's bargaining with Chiang Kai-shek.After repeated discussions, Chiang Kai-shek sent representatives to mediate in the middle, and all the warlords agreed to accept his restraint and expel Liu Wenhui's forces. Liu Xiang's goal was basically achieved. On August 3, the Chengdu meeting chaired by Liu Xiang officially opened. The core topic was "strengthening the suppression of bandits in Anchuan". Warlords Deng Xihou, Tian Songyao, Yang Sen, Luo Zezhou, Li Jiayu and other warlords attended. It was lively for a while. These warlords finally came together. Together against the Red Army.

While Liu Xiang was bargaining with Chiang Kai-shek, the Red Army launched the Yinan Campaign and captured Yilong on August 18.The active offensive of the Red Army is in stark contrast to Liu Xiang's dilatory.Chiang Kai-shek sent a telegram to Liu Xiang, ordering him to launch a large-scale attack immediately, and ordered him to wipe out the "red bandits" within three months.Chiang Kai-shek didn't let him do it for nothing, and allocated more than 2 million yuan, more than 10,000 guns, and 5 million rounds of ammunition to him. But Chiang Kai-shek was in a hurry, and these Sichuan warlords were in no hurry. Everyone was making repeated calculations for their own interests, such as the number of troops dispatched by all parties, the allocation of funds, etc. If these issues were not resolved, no one would move.Faced with Chiang Kai-shek's renewed urging, on September 12, Liu Xiang once again convened these warlords in Chengdu to discuss sending troops, and made a gesture at the meeting: the army will be dominated by the 20th Army, not relying solely on other armies, and the funds will be unified by the Superintendent's Office. is five million yuan.Method of raising, or collecting donations or issuing public debt.

But the warlords of all walks of life have their own thoughts, and they can't urinate in one pot.Tian Songyao poured out bitterness at the meeting, and stated in detail how his troops fought against the Red Army. After moving to October, the troops were exhausted, and his financial resources in the defense area were exhausted. I hope that this time Liu Xiang must coordinate the overall situation.Deng Xihou sang with him, emphasizing that the supply of money, food and materials, the transportation of logistics supplies, and the compensation for casualties of officers and soldiers must be carefully coordinated.After talking for a long time, the discussion was still inconclusive. In the end, the warlords from all walks of life had to appoint special personnel to discuss again.

These warlords have their own minds, and together they seem to be at odds with each other, discussing the truth without making a decision, and the Red Army launched a series of attacks again. From September 23rd to 24th, the Red Army marched from the south of Yilong to attack the salt-producing areas in the south, occupying Zhongxingchang, Beiyuan Township, Chenghuangya, Racecourse, Nanmusi, etc., and attacked Langzhong, reaching the north bank of the Jialing River. On September 28, the Battle of Yingqu was launched, Yingshan was captured, Yang Sen was severely injured, and Yang Sen was forced to retreat from Guang'an to Nanchong. On October 1, the Red Army captured Sanhui Town in Qu County.The Battle of Yingqu broke Yang Sending's two knives in the base area: Yushan Field and Dingshan Field, which greatly improved the strategic situation of the Red Army and demonstrated the prestige of the Red Army.

Chiang Kai-shek was extremely annoyed at the behavior of the warlords who followed the rules and shirked the opportunity. On October 12, he sent a telegram to the warlords in central Sichuan: If anyone neglects the defense line and retreats on his own, not only the defense area of ​​the army will be cancelled, but he will also be removed from his post and investigated.In addition, if other troops encounter bandits, and the neighboring troops wait and see and do not help, or those who do not do enough to suppress bandits and refuse to obey the restraints, they will be severely punished once they are found out.

At this point, the warlords from all walks of life saw no further action. Not only did Chiang Kai-shek refuse to agree, but the Red Army's sharp swords had reached their foreheads, so they restrained a little and had to agree to act together.Even so, everyone is still making small moves.For example, Deng Xihou said at the "Suppression of the General Assembly" meeting: "The last general obeys orders and is willing to follow the instructions" and "sacrifices everything" in order to "suppress" the Red Army.But as soon as he got home, he immediately changed his mind. Deng Xihou's 28th Army had a total of 41 main force regiments. There were only 18 regiments in the "Advance and Suppression" troops, and these troops only obeyed his command.Deng Xihou did this very simply: "It is your old Jiang and Liu Xiang's business to fight the Red Army. This army belongs to me, Deng Xihou. Don't look at how polite you are to me today. If I lose all my capital, in your eyes , I am nothing."

On October 14, 1933, Liu Xiang was sworn in as the "Supervisor of Bandit Suppression" in Chengdu.At the inauguration ceremony, Liu Xiang's inauguration telegram was half-text and half-white: The case was opened by order of the Nationalist Government: Specially appointed Xiang as the commander-in-chief of suppressing the bandits in Sichuan, and all the troops in central Sichuan were under control. Therefore, they respectfully took up their duties at the Sichuan Rehabilitation Supervision Office in Chengdu on October 4th, and stole the red bandits to invade Sichuan. , More than half a year later, every time the internal disputes did not cease, the conquest against Jiuji caused fierce flames to flare up, Tongnan fell again, and the exile set off the road, which was shocking.Hunan is under the entrustment of the Central Committee, and the people of Sichuan are responsible for Yin, worrying all day and night, and dare not have time to relax.In the past month, the civil strife in the barbarians has been exhausted.Fortunately, the internal strife has been leveled off, and all the armies have returned to fight against the Red Army. The preparations have already begun. I would like to worship a new order, drive forward in the near future, and vow to sweep away the red atmosphere and use it to lay down the country.It is hoped that the virtuous men in the country will be awarded the training at the time, and the whole Sichuan will go to work together.Today, the will of the people has become a city, and it is expected that one effort will last forever.What Xiang personally hopes for, should also be sympathized with by Bo Hai.I am hereby arduous moment, cut cold Iceland, I would like to send electricity to Chen, and still pray for Mingjiao.Liu Xiang, the commander-in-chief of the Sichuan bandit suppression, knocked on his seal. On this day, Chiang Kai-shek sent He Chengjun to take an oath on his behalf, and various warlords also sent representatives to attend.In order to exaggerate the atmosphere, various businesses in Chengdu were ordered to hang flags, and various schools were also ordered to have a holiday, which was very lively. This is the first time Liu Xiang has unified the army of Sichuan after he drove away Liu Wenhui. Seeing that his wish to unify Sichuan has become a reality, he is quite full of ambition.Liu Xiang, who is good at making a fortune, did not miss the opportunity to make a fortune from the people of Sichuan this time.According to "Impressions of Red Suppression in Northeast Sichuan": Because of the suppression of the Red Army, an additional burden of donations for the suppression of the Red Army was added to the grain tax.In the cities of Chongqing, Wanxian, and Chengdu, housing donations have also increased, and the increase is also used to subsidize the expenses of suppressing the Red Army.This is one aspect of Sichuan people's contribution to the suppression of the Red Army. On his part, Chongqing, the source of the suppression of Chice, has set up a "Sichuan People's Support Association for Suppressing Bandits", and each county has branch offices.This is an institution that concentrates the power of the people from all walks of life in the military, politics, business, and academia to publicize, raise donations, and comfort the former enemy soldiers.Items transported from here to the front line to comfort officers and soldiers include towels, cigarettes, straw sandals and so on.Various local agencies and corporations, such as Dazhu, Wanxian, and Suiding, also sent us canned food, anti-epidemic medicines, and cigarettes.Senior commanders also gave cans, cigarettes, and cash rewards.The Wu De Li Jin Association, with Liu Xiang as its chairman, also sent commissioners to the front line to give condolences. The middle-level officials presented watches, and the junior officials presented head tents (mosquito nets that can only cover their heads). Liu Xiang divided all the troops of several major warlords in central Sichuan into 111 regiments and 200,000 people into six groups to besiege the base area.The six paths are: The 18th regiment of the 28th Army of Deng Xihou of the First Route attacked from Guangyuan and Zhaohua to Mumen and Nanjiang; In the second route, the twenty-four regiments of Tian Songyao's twenty-ninth army attacked from Cangxi and Langzhong to Bazhong; On the third route, Li Jiayu newly formed the Sixth Division and the Twenty-third Division with a total of fifteen regiments, attacking from Nanchong to Zengkouchang in the southeast of Bazhong; The 12 regiments of the 20th Army of Yang Sen of the Fourth Route attacked from Guang'an, Yuechi, and Peng'an in the direction of Tongjiang; The 24th regiment of the 21st Liuxiang Army of the Fifth Route attacked from Kaijiang and Kaixian to Xuanhan and Daxian; Eighteen regiments of Liu Cunhou's 23rd Army and the landlord's armed forces of the Sixth Route attacked from Kaixian and Chengkou in the direction of Wanyuan. Liu Xiang also sent 18 planes to assist the Sixth Route Army.The whole front starts from Guangyuan in the west, passes through Peng'an and Yuechi, and ends at the entrance of the city in the east for thousands of miles.Liu Xiang's tactic is that the 200,000 men of the Sixth Route Army will attack in separate ways, step by step, and fight steadily.He uttered wild words that within three months, the Fourth Red Army would be wiped out on the Sichuan-Shanxi border, eliminating the "red plague" in Sichuan. On November 16, Liu Xiang ordered the various armies to launch the first general offensive, and issued a "reward and punishment order": The commanders-in-chief of all walks of life, Jun Wen: This campaign for redemption is related to the safety of the overall situation. Everyone in our country should work together to kill the enemy and achieve results. In the shortest period of time, we should eliminate bandits, use them to lay down the country, and make peace and prosperity.The commander-in-chief is responsible for the leadership, and the rewards and punishments should be clearly stated. I hereby promise three things, and I am willing to abide by them: (1) Anyone who participates in the Red Suppression Army, who dares to disobey orders, retreats before the battle, or abandons flooded areas, or loses supplies, will be determined. To be severely punished, and even to sit directly under the chief.If the circumstances are serious, it shall be submitted to the Central Office for verification. (2) If the Red Army suppresses military discipline, harasses the local area, or harms the people, once it is found out, it will be severely punished. (3) If you participate in the bandit suppression force and suffer losses due to hard work and thorough struggle, the commander-in-chief will be absolutely responsible and make up for it as much as possible.At the same time, it was announced to the whole Shu, reported to the central government, and immortalized with honor and diligence.For the casualties of officers and soldiers, it is also decided to give preferential treatment. The above three points must be believed and acted on, and there is no room for delay.All the departments under the supervision and order, as a whole, obey and do not violate this order!Commander-in-Chief Liu Xiangyin. What's interesting is that on October 17, the day after Liu Xiang issued the attack order lively, the Red Army suddenly launched the Xuanda Campaign and captured Daxian and Xuanhan in one fell swoop.The Xuanda Battle was equivalent to giving Liu Xiang and Chiang Kai-shek a big mouth.Chiang Kai-shek was extremely annoyed. On the same day, he sent a telegram to reprimand Liu Cunhou for "abandoning Xuansui" and "invincible", dismissed Liu Cunhou, and immediately appointed Liu Bangjun as the deputy commander of the 23rd Army Army. On November 6, the Nationalist Government issued an order: Liu Cunhou, Commander of the Army's 23rd Army, had no way to defend against the bandits, neglected his defenses, and was dismissed immediately pending investigation. On November 6, the Nationalist Government ordered the Military Commission to request that Liu Cunhou, the commander of the 23rd Army Army abandon the city for violating the order, be dismissed for investigation. According to this, Liu Cunhou has been decreed to be dismissed, and the committee will investigate and report. Chiang Kai-shek urged Liu Xiang to speed up his pace again.Facing the pre-emptive offensive of the Fourth Red Army in Xuanhan and Daxian, Liu Xiang was also very surprised. Xuanhan and Daxian are the throats of "Xiajiangdong". If they are lost here, Wanxian and Kuizhou will be directly affected.If there is a mistake here, the Sichuan-Shaanxi Red Army may contact He Long, the Second Red Army in the western Hubei area, and Sichuan and Hubei will be connected together, which will be difficult to deal with.Seeing the warlords from all walks of life watching each other, Liu Xiang could only urge the fifth army of his 21st Army to step up the movement to Kaijiang and Kaixian to block the offensive of the Red Army and cope with Liu Cunhou's defeated remnants. During the battle, the Red Army captured Jiang Mingqiu, the commander of Liu Cunhou's Fifth Regiment. Jiang Mingqiu wrote a long confession after being captured. The bargaining on "Six Routes Siege" and the military deployment of Liu Xiang's "Six Routes Siege" have all been roughly explained, which is helpful to understand the Sichuan warlords. On November 5, 1933, this article was published in the sixty-fourth issue of "Must Read for Cadres" of the Red Fourth Front Army: When the Red Army first arrived in Sichuan, although all the armies paid close attention, they all thought that the Red Army had no more than 12,000 soldiers, and that the Tian army alone could drive them out.The old habits of the defense area have not been broken, and the armies think that they have not attacked our defense, and there is no need for a coordinated attack.Although Liu and Yang's armies each sent several brigades, the main purpose was to prevent blockade and had no attempt to attack.General Tian Jun also thought that his army was strong enough to deal with it.Regarding the Sichuan-Shanxi border defense forces' request for the possession of Tongjiang, and Yang Jun's request for the possession of Bazhong or Yilong, Tian did not respond. He only asked the friendly army to block the blockade. .Since the retreat of the 24th Army, it has been shared by Tian, ​​Yang, Li and Luo.Later, Li, Luo, Yang Desui, An, Zi, Luo got Zizhong, Li got Suining and Anyue, and Yang got Shunqing.Tian Jun was in Sui's army and was rejected by Li. Tian was unwilling to take it back by force, but because Tong, Nan, and Ba fell, and was mediated by Yang's chief of staff Yu Mengqun, Tian Nai endured it.Yang regards his personal friendship with Deng and Tian Zuipu as strong, and because of his own lack of power, he hates Fuzhi for seizing his Xiadong territory, and does not want to offend Tian Jun. The enemy Shunqing Yang garrisoned two brigades, and Tian garrisoned the rest of the camp. Yang gets three-quarters of the monthly payment, and Tian gets one-quarter. willing to attack.Although Tian repeatedly asked for help, he failed to achieve his goal.Liu Xiang did not help Tian Jun, but only allowed the central government to help Tian Jun's guns, shells and bombs.Tian Jun’s counterattack failed, and his general’s ambitions faltered. He began to ask for assistance from various armies, advocating breaking the defense zone and supporting Liu Xiang’s unification. Liu Xiang pretended to be calm and silent.After seeing the sincerity of the various armies, they agreed to help each other, and took advantage of this to blackmail the puppet central government, thinking that they would be given the right to unify Sichuan, so he used all his strength to first quell the chaos in Sichuan, remove obstacles, and then move to "discuss red".The evidence is based on the experience of "suppressing the Red Army" in western Hubei, and the three-month period is indeed sure.The central government saw that it was becoming a big one, and suspected that after the unification of Sichuan, it would manage the southwest. However, it could not be established, so it had to be announced as the commander-in-chief of Sichuan.He requested not to set up a provincial government, but to set up a military and civil administration at the headquarters to rule it, and to reward meritorious service after the incident was settled, which was established according to law.On the one hand, they asked for relief money, and the puppet central government agreed to it one by one.Liu Sui convened a meeting in Chengdu, and all the military leaders came. There were several meetings, but nothing was resolved.Therefore, since each army takes Liu Xiang as the general, it should use the other army as the main force, and Iraq must be responsible for all the money and ammunition.Liu Chuyun attacked with one division and one brigade in the rear. There was no sign of money and bombs, and all the troops were dissatisfied.So there are five cooperations, and the Baoding department is united, and it is brewing to find another way out.Liu saw that things were not going well, so he ordered Wang Fangzhou to lead the Ninth Brigade to "conquer and suppress", and promised to raise 4 million military expenses, and all the bullets were provided by the puppet central government.Jing repeatedly sent representatives to ask the puppet central government to give 2 million yuan in military expenses and 5 million yuan in ammunition.Later, the Jialing River became an emergency, and the governor could not delay. After a meeting, the preliminary military plan was finalized... The first phase of the implementation of the military plan: the first road is aimed at the wooden gate, the second road is aimed at the Enyang River, the third road is aimed at Zengkou, the fourth road is aimed at Tongjiang, and the fifth road is aimed at Jiangkou , the sixth road is full-time anti-blocking.After the general offensive is ordered by all parties, they must pursue and suppress them bravely, and must not wait and see for a while, as if they violated the military law. The second phase: The first route is to attack Nanjiang through Mumen, the second route is to attack Bazhong through Enyang River, the third route is to cross the river from Zengkou to intercept Qingjiangdu, the fourth route is stationed in Dingshan to support all parties, and the fifth route is to attack Tongjiang through Jiangkou , the sixth road is still on the defensive. The third phase: each route will attack Kucaoba on the spot and win Seoul, and at the same time call the central government to order all the armies in southern Shaanxi to attack and achieve the goal of annihilation. ... As soon as the above plan was announced, the Red Army entered and occupied Yingshan, shaking Qu and Guang.Yang thought that Liu Xiangyan would not send troops, and that the ordnance detained in Wan had no intention of returning, so he decided to abandon Qu, Guang, and Yue, and concentrate on Shun and Peng.Liu Shi was in a panic, and Li Yun sent back the weapons, and ordered Pan, Tang, and Wang to go to Wusheng and Hechuan, and Fan Shizhi's Zhou, Liao, and Fan brigades to Dazhu. , it is planned to cooperate with Yang Jun Camera to restore the lost ground in a short period of time, and then implement it according to the first phase plan.Special instructions to Pan, Tang and other ministries were not yet fully prepared, and the Sui defense was in a hurry, and the plan to assist Yang Jun to recover the lost land came to a halt again, so he deployed troops to deploy defenses in Liang and Kailin areas at night.In addition to requesting Chiang Kai-shek to issue a strict order, reprimanding Yang Jun for retreating repeatedly, if anyone falls into the defense area again in the future, in addition to being severely punished for failing to send troops, the defense area will also be revoked. Liu Xiang also issued a strict order in the name of the commander-in-chief, ordering Tian and Yang , Liu Sanjun must stick to the line of defense and not retreat again, waiting for his help. When your army attacked eastward, Liu Cunhou convened a meeting. He would attack with the main force of the Red Army, and it would be difficult to support him. However, Liu Xiang and Wang Fangzhou counted telegrams a day, saying that they would come if they stood firm in one or two days.I waited for several days, but no reinforcements were seen. Only two planes came and circled the air three times.