Chapter 26 State River Blockade

In mid-December, under Liu Xiang's three requests and four urgings, the various troops of the Sichuan Army finally reached the starting point of the attack. On December 16, Liu Xiang announced the launch of the first phase of the attack in Chengdu, ordering the six-way army to attack Xuanhan, Daxian, Yilong, Wangcang and other counties launched an attack. Sichuan has large mountains and lots of water. Due to the high air humidity, the sky is always foggy. In winter, it is dominated by foggy weather.There are many large and small rivers in the area of ​​northern Sichuan. The Zhou River and Qian River flow to Xuanhan and Da counties after circling Kaijiang and Kai counties.To attack Xuan and Da, we must cross these two rivers.

There is a place two hundred miles southwest of Xuanhan called Zengjiashan. Zengjiashan is only six to seven hundred meters above sea level. The mountain is tall and straight, with a gentle slope of about 20 degrees from the top to the foot of the mountain.At the foot of the mountain, the Zhou River twists and turns, the river is not wide, the widest point is sixty to seventy meters, and the narrowest point is only thirty to forty meters.The water in the river is not deep, and a penny more than three meters long can support it to the bottom, and the current is not too fast. There are lush aquatic plants along the river, and you can see fish happily splashing in the water from time to time.

According to the deployment, the 25th Division of the Ninth Red Army commanded by Xu Shiyou was stationed at the foot of Zengjia Mountain on the west bank of the Zhou River. This is the only way to enter Xuanhan and Da counties from the Liangkai area.Xu Shiyou chose Zengjiashan as the main defensive position.After the encounter, the Red Army confronted the enemy in an all-round way, and the Zhou River became the natural boundary river between the two sides.Xu Shiyou took the staff of the division headquarters along the Zhou River for a few rounds, observed the terrain carefully, and decided to use the gentle slope between Zengjia Mountain and the Zhou River and the height difference by the river to organize a three-dimensional fire net from high to low.The frontline troops built several fortifications along the banks of the Zhou River. Xu Shiyou specially told the frontline company and platoon commanders the allusion of "strike the enemy at half crossing" and told them: We must wait for the enemy's ferry to leave the bank and come to the middle of the river. Hit hard.

On the morning of December 15th, the banks of the Zhou River were shrouded in mist. The soft white mist was like a veil, and the distant mountains and trees were close. Everything looked foggy. Early in the morning, Xu Shiyou walked out of the division's command post and performed a set of Kung Fu boxing on the flat ground at the entrance. This was his warm-up exercise.Several guards watched eagerly from the side, admiring the division commander's punches and kicks.Suddenly, there were rumbling sounds in the sky, and Xu Shiyou looked up at the sky.The rumble sounded from far to near, and soon flew over the position. Although there was a thin fog in the sky, five aircraft formations could be clearly seen circling over Zhouhe and Zengjiashan.Xu Shiyou immediately ran back to the command post and loudly ordered the combat staff: "Notify the troops and get ready quickly, the enemy is going to cross the river."

Xu Shiyou's estimate was not bad at all. At this moment, the 3rd Division of the 21st Army of the Sichuan Army and the Liao Yuchen Division of the 23rd Army are preparing to go on the east bank of the Zhou River. In northern Sichuan in mid-December, the temperature is close to zero, and the wind blows along the Zhouzhou River.On the east bank of the Zhou River, the first wave of the Sichuan Army's attacking troops had entered the forward position, and the vanguard preparing to cross the river to attack was Liao Yuchen's troops.The team of thousands of people was black and dense. The commandos at the front were neatly dressed and lined up in battle formation. The cold wind blowing by the river made them shrink their necks and hang their noses, but they were still operating in a hurry according to the infantry code. Prepare to cross the river.On the side and rear of the forward position, the command post of the third division is hidden in a hill.Hearing the roar of the plane overhead, Wang Lingji stepped out of the command post, held up the binoculars, and carefully observed the opposite bank.Behind Wang Lingji, dozens of "60" and "80" caliber mortars and five mountain cannons were lined up, with their dark muzzles pointing to the opposite bank.

According to previous reconnaissance, Wang Lingji deployed three brigades of his own headquarters, Liao Yuchen's department, and Yang Qin'an's independent regiment, a total of 15,000 troops, along with five planes and nearly a hundred troops, in the section of the Zhou River less than 70 miles away. Mortars of various calibers.With such firepower, he claimed to "boil a pot of steel broth" for the Red Army. On the other side of the river, in the rolling hills, fortifications stretched along the undulating terrain.In the fortifications, the Red Army soldiers hid behind the fortifications and monitored the movement of the enemy on the other side of the river.

At about eight o'clock, the sun gradually came out, the mist had cleared, and the artillery reported clear sight.Wang Lingji stretched out two fingers and pressed down suddenly: "Start." As if pressing the switch of a war game machine, the five planes above their heads tilted their wings, and one after another swooped down to the ground, starting in turn. bombing. Aircraft bombing caused heavy casualties to the forward positions.Among the Red Army soldiers, only the veterans from Hubei, Henan and Anhui had seen enemy bombing and knew how to survive the bombing.However, most of the new fighters from Sichuan were seeing aircraft bombing for the first time.At the beginning, when the sound of rumbling motors appeared in the sky, everyone looked up curiously. When the planes roared and swooped down, and the bombs with their shrill whistles stimulated people's nerves, some timid soldiers climbed out of the fortifications everywhere. Running around, the bombs falling, the loud explosion and the rising smoke frightened some soldiers even more.The huge destructive power and lethality of the bomb caused deep craters on the battlefield. Many people were blown into the air, and mutilated limbs were scattered on the battlefield. After a while, panic spread like a plague among some new fighters.When the enemy plane swooped down, some of them were frightened by the shrill whistle, while others put their heads in their hands, curled up in a ball, and trembled.At this time, only the old Red Army from Hubei, Henan and Anhui was the calmest. Together with cadres at all levels, they shouted loudly to the soldiers who jumped out of the trenches and ran around: "Don't run around, get down, get down."

But this kind of shouting didn't have much effect. Only when those who were running around were blown to pieces were blown to pieces, those who were not blown lay down and dared not move.Looking back, there are a few old soldiers from Hubei, Henan and Anhui who are still leaning on the fortifications and smoking leisurely, which has a great calming effect on them.A soldier tremblingly crawled back to the fortification and asked, "Aren't you afraid that the plane will lay eggs?" An old soldier chuckled: "What's the use of being afraid? The more you run, the easier it is to be bombed. This guy has no way of laying eggs in the sky. You sit here firmly. I'm unlucky if the bomb falls on your head. We are so old. How many eggs does he have in one plane? How many eggs just fell on the top of his head? Remember, this guy bullies the timid, and the more he runs, the more he bombs you."

The calmness of the veterans and cadres at all levels set an example for the new fighters who ran away in fright. They were a little embarrassed by the previous panic, and crowded around the veterans one after another, asking them to explain how to avoid the bombing of the plane.In order to cover up their gaffe just now, some new fighters pointed to the opposite bank and said, "Ge Laozi, you laid eggs in the sky, and I want you to return them on the ground." The planes in the sky left after raging for a while, and the cannons on the other side roared again. The threat of shelling was much greater than that of planes.Nearly a hundred mortars fired at the same time, and the shells whined and fell to the ground in pieces. The air wave from the explosion of the shells was like a twelfth-level typhoon, and the smoke covered the sky on the ground, and shrapnel flew across.The vegetation on the hillside was also ignited, and the billowing smoke and flames spread everywhere.The shelling lasted for a full twenty minutes, and the entire position seemed to have been turned over again. The soldiers who were killed and injured were lying on the position in a mess.

The sound of gunfire had not stopped, and the second round of planes came again.War is the best teacher. During this round of bombing, basically no soldiers ran around.The enemy's bombing overwhelmed the Red Army soldiers in the fortification. At this moment, the commander on the ground shouted loudly: "Attention, the enemy is coming!" Only then did the soldiers turn their eyes to the Zhou River ahead.There are at least thirty small boats and bamboo rafts in the river. These boats are full of enemy commandos lined up, and the boatmen rowed straight to the other side of the river.

The Zhou River was winding, and halfway through the boat, there was a clear gunshot from the fortifications on the opposite bank, and the same roaring mortars and light and heavy machine guns that spewed flames swept towards the boats in the center of the river like iron brooms.A huge water column suddenly rose on the river, and more than a dozen small boats were spinning around in the river. After a while, the surface of the water was full of enemy soldiers. It became turbid in an instant, the river turned dark red, and there was a strong stench of human blood everywhere in the air. Xu Shiyou held a binoculars in his hand, his face was ashen, his breathing was rapid, and every move in the forward position was in his sight.He can judge the current situation of our army's positions based on the density of gunfire from the forward positions.He has sent two batches of reserve teams to the front. One day passed, and the brutal crossing of the river was repeated many times, and the flesh and blood body was tortured by the hail of bullets.On several occasions, the enemy suppressed our army's firepower by bombing, and some enemy troops rushed ashore.Soon, the enemy soldiers who rushed ashore discovered that they had reached a dead end.Due to the limited means of transportation and the firepower of our army, the follow-up troops could not keep up, and they were suppressed by the firepower of our army's front and couldn't move on the river bank.The enemy on the east bank of the river bombarded the Red Army's position with artillery fire, while the Red Army soldiers braved the enemy's artillery fire and used platoon guns to concentrate their fire on the Sichuan Army on the bank.Some of those Sichuan soldiers wanted to rush forward, but were knocked down as soon as they stood up, and those who rushed closer were blown to pieces by the soldiers' grenades.In desperation, some soldiers of the Sichuan army lay down by the river and pretended to be dead to avoid the attack. Some even touched the river and swam to the other side again. Looking at the banks of the Zhou River filled with gunpowder, Wang Lingji's mood was complicated. He really did not expect the Red Army on the other side of the river to be so resistant to blows.Two rounds of plane bombing, nearly a hundred guns and thousands of shells, overturned the opposite position several times, and the pot of "steel broth" cooked by myself was boiling, but the flesh and blood of those Red Army soldiers could be beaten again and again. After the bombing, the guns fired, and saw the Texas River turn red, and the dead fish and soldiers' bodies covered the river densely. In his opinion, he could even walk across the river by stepping on these soldiers' bodies.But just can't get through.However, he was not very sad, because the soldiers who died were not his troops. Standing beside Wang Lingji was Liao Yuchen, and the commandos crossing the river were all soldiers from Liao Yuchen's department.Liao Yuchen's face was ashen. His idea of ​​rushing across the river to regain Xuanhan and Daxian was dispelled by the blood of his soldiers and the dense corpses.His troops charged nine times, rushed to the opposite bank five times, and even rushed past the opponent's forward position three times, but they were still wiped out by the Red Army reserve team rushing down the mountain.What made him most dissatisfied was that when he saw his soldiers rushing to fight the Red Army on the opposite bank, Wang Lingji actually ordered the artillery to fire. Looking at the silent Liao Yuchen beside him, Wang Lingji put on the airs of a commander and ordered Liao Yuchen to organize another attack.The veins on Liao Yuchen's head were so violent that he pulled out his spear and handed it to Wang Lingji: "Yuchen is incompetent, please shoot me in command! Only two thousand people in my regiments can vent their anger. It is said that Commander-in-Chief Wang has a large number of troops and a good command, and Yuchen is willing to learn from here." Wang Lingji was taken aback for a moment. Although he felt a fire in his heart, Liao Yuchen was not in his army after all, and was only under his control temporarily.In fact, he has long wanted to incorporate Liu Cunhou's troops to stand on his own without Liu Xiang's control, but the time is not yet.He turned his face and ordered the chief of staff beside him: "Let the brothers of our third division go!" Wang Lingji's third division was well-trained and equipped better than Liao Yuchen's troops. The Red Army had been fighting all day, and the fortifications were basically blown up. The soldiers were still fighting the enemy's bombing and charging.The enemy's bombing caused more and more damage to our army. In front of the position, the corpses of both the enemy and us were strewn all over the field.Finally, one of Wang Lingji's troops crossed the Zhou River and opened up a landing field, and the follow-up troops were still crossing the river one after another. In the Zengjiashan command post, Xu Shiyou had no reserve team to send. He lifted his general cap and ordered the division's communication, security, transportation and other subordinate troops to take up arms and must suppress the enemy.After all, carrying the machete that never leaves his body, he took the lead in rushing to the forward position.Behind him, almost all the Red Army soldiers yelled to kill and rushed to the forward position, the enemy and us fought in a melee. On the 16th, the enemy's reinforcements continued to increase. The enemy Xu Shaozong's brigade and Yang Qin'an's regiment crossed the Zhou River at the mouth of Donglin River and attacked Zengjia Mountain and Chiqi Mountain. The position launched an upward attack.By night, the number of enemy troops crossing the river had exceeded 20,000. On the 17th, the Ninth Red Army also sent reinforcements. The enemy and us charged back and forth on the Dashanpo, Chiqishan, Zhoujiaqiao, and Jingba Pass on the north bank of the Zhouhe River. It was so tragic that even ghosts and gods were terrified.Xu Xiangqian described in "Historical Review": "On the north bank of the Zhou River, the enemy and the enemy fought each other, the sound of killing shook the sky, and the mountains and rivers were dyed." "The History of the Total Collapse of the Fifth and Sixth Route Army of Sichuan's "Bandit Suppression" in the Wanyuan Area" records the course of this river-crossing battle: At dawn on December 15th, the Independent First Regiment of the central column covering the troops crossing the river fired violently at the Red Army's positions on the north bank of the Xuanhan River in Chiuqi Mountain, Zengjia Mountain, Xinlangpo, Zhangjiazhai, and Shiguzhai. At the same time, the crossing began; around noon, the planes were flying to help the battle, and the artillery continued to bombard the Red Army's fortifications.The First Independent Regiment first crossed the river, fought fiercely along the river for two hours, and immediately occupied Zengjiashan, covered the 7th and 8th brigades to cross the north bank of the Xuanhan River, and attacked the Red Army's position on Chiqishan.The commanding height of Chiuqi Mountain is about 1,000 meters high, and it stands on the riverside. The seven brigades crossing the Donglin River all attacked up the mountain; One guards the position and counterattacks the exhausted enemy with the main force.Xu Lu and Yang Tuan fought with their backs, and knew that only by advancing could they be saved from being destroyed, so they repeatedly fought hand-to-hand with the Red Army in this area, and did not dare to retreat even though they were dying.From dawn to dusk, Xu Brigade suffered 1,400 to 500 casualties, Yang Tuan suffered 2 to 300 casualties, and Hu Zejiang, the commander of the Machine Gun Battalion, was seriously injured.In the end, he had no choice but to stick to the slope and fight against the Red Army. Liu Tuan of Li Shufan's brigade, which was crossing the river by Yang Liezi, occupied Xinlangpo, that is to say, it was next to the position occupied by Zengjiashan Yang Tuan, waiting for the tour group to cross the river.On the morning of the 17th, the brigade continued to attack Dashanpo and Chiaqi Mountain. From morning to dusk, the brigade fought on Dashanpo, Chiaqi Mountain, Zhoujiaqiao, and Jingjia Pass. All went into battle.The Red Army also reinforced and attacked the incoming enemy one after another. The strength of the two sides amounted to more than 20,000, and they charged repeatedly, leading to an unprecedented bloody battle.When the battle situation was urgent, the plane flew to help the battle many times.Seeing that all the enemy troops had crossed the river and stood firm, the Red Army retreated on the evening of the 17th.At the cost of more than 1,000 casualties, Li Shufan's brigade was able to advance to the Ejingba, Chiqishan, and Xiermianpo highlands.Xu Shaozong's brigade occupied the line of Xinchang and Jianshanzi.The official regiment occupied Xuanhan City on the evening of the 17th. In addition to Zengjiashan and Chiqishan, the 88th Division, the main force of the 30th Red Army, and Fan Shaozeng, the 4th Division of the 21st Army of Liu Xiang, also fought bloody battles in the Leiyinpu area southeast of Daxian County. Fan Shaozeng, a native of Qinghe Township, Dazhu County, Sichuan Province, is nicknamed "Fan Ha'er". "Ha" means "stupid" in Sichuan dialect.Fan Shaozeng's life was full of ups and downs. He wandered the rivers and lakes with a gun by himself. After several ups and downs, he later joined Liu Xiang and served as the commander of the Fourth Division.This time "encirclement and suppression" of the Red Army, Fan Shaozeng worked very hard.Wang Lingji's task for Fan Shaozeng was to cross the Tongjiang River and occupy the Red Army's position on the north bank of the Tongjiang River. Not far from the south bank of the Tongjiang River, there is a luxurious courtyard, which is the mansion of a landlord named Liu.The surrounding walls are towering, densely covered with green trees, archways and bucket arches at the entrance of the courtyard, cornices inside the gate illuminate the walls, and there is actually a rock garden in the courtyard.The landlord of this family is very good at choosing places. Behind the house is a big mountain like a chair. The house is less than ten miles away from the river. Not far in front of the house is a hill hundreds of meters high. On the mountain is an earth temple and a pavilion on the top of the mountain.Climbing up the hill can directly observe the front, and returning to the house can be leisurely. Fan Shaozeng is not tall, but stocky, with a round face and round eyes.There is a lion-headed nose on the thick lips, and the round eyes are narrowed into a slit when smiling, just like a Maitreya Buddha, the wide-open eyes seem to protrude when they are fierce, and the flesh on the face is frowning, which immediately reminds people of the door god in the painting .Fan Shaozeng took a fancy to this place: "Ge Laozi, this bitch will enjoy it, tell him, I want to fight here, hey, I want to be comfortable and comfortable." With a wave of his hand, this place became his frontline headquarters.The staff hurriedly took down the landscape calligraphy and paintings in the landlord’s living room, and hung up a large battle map. The horsemen carried the landlord’s sandalwood grand master’s chair to the front of the map. Fan Shaozeng lay sprawled on the grand master’s chair. The chief of staff reported to him Wang Lingji’s death Offensive deployment and deployment of the Red Army across the river.He waved his hand impatiently: "I'm here this time to let Liu Xiang know that my team is based on fighting, not blowing it up. That bastard son of Wang Lingguan likes to bluff, so I will give him the truth. Tell the brothers , If you fight across the river, I will reward you, if anyone doesn’t put in the effort to put a needle in my eye, it’s against me, no wonder I’m being rude.” In the early morning of the 16th, on the south bank of the Tongjiang River south of Xuanhan.The Fan Shaozeng Department of the Fourth Division of the Enemy 21st Army concentrated five regiments, and under the cover of aircraft and artillery, began a continuous forced crossing. The defenders on the north bank of the Tongjiang River are the Red Eighty-Eight Division.Wang Lieshan, the commander and political commissar of the 88th Division, was born in Liujiawa, Qiliping, Huang'an, Hubei. During the battle of Sujiabu in Hubei, Henan, Anhui, Wang Lieshan had already served as the head of the Red 28th Regiment.In this battle, the two brigade commanders of the enemy surrendered their guns, and the 28th Regiment also showed its prestige.In addition to having the same brave and tenacious style as most Red Army commanders, Wang Lieshan also has the characteristics of meticulous observation and meticulous handling.When smashing Tian Songyao's "three-way siege", Wang Lieshan once sent a correspondent to deliver a letter. Just after the correspondent turned around and ran out, Wang Lieshan suddenly chased the correspondent back.Others thought there was something wrong with the content of the letter, but Wang Lieshan stared at the correspondent's feet.In winter in Sichuan, the weather is cold. This correspondent has bare feet, and the bloody holes on his heels are like a child's mouth.Without further ado, Wang Lieshan took off his shoes and gave them to him: "Put them on." The little correspondent froze for a moment.He just ran over from the enemy army to join the Red Army not long ago. The ranks of officers and soldiers in the enemy army are obviously different. It is common practice to bully soldiers and drink "soldier blood".Since joining the Red Army, the equality between officers and soldiers has refreshed his eyes and ears. Now, when the division commander takes off his shoes and puts them on for a soldier, he is still frightened.Besides, it is common for Red Army officers and soldiers to go barefoot and wear straw sandals.He was at a loss and repeatedly declined.Wang Lieshan patted him on the back like a mother: "Come on, come on, put on, put on. I'm sitting in the headquarters, you have to run outside, if the order cannot be delivered because of a foot injury, it will be a big mistake. " The little correspondent asked Wang Lieshan to put his shoes on in a daze, and stood still for a long time.It was Wang Lieshan who said to him: "Go quickly and carry out the mission." The little soldier came to his senses. He gave Wang Lieshan a military salute, turned around and ran out of the headquarters, wiping away his tears as he ran. The 263rd Regiment of the 88th Division was defending the north bank of the Tongjiang River. In order to resist the enemy's attack on Daxian, the superior dispatched Shao Liekun, the head of the 263rd Regiment, to lead a battalion to defend the Dafeng Mountain position in the south of Daxian City. Chen Xilian, political commissar of the third regiment, led the second and third battalions to defend.Wang Lieshan was worried, so he made a special trip to the position of the 263rd Regiment, and together with Chen Xilian directly directed the attack. In the early morning of the 16th, the Tongjiang River was pitch black.The Tongjiang River was not wide, and the section of the river defended by the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 88th Division was not wide either. At a distance of more than 100 meters, although it was too dark to see the opposite side clearly, the movement on the other side could be heard clearly. On the 15th, Chen Xilian was ordered to lead his troops to the riverside to act as a blocker. After the troops rushed to the riverside, they immediately rushed to repair the fortifications.The troops had been busy all day and did not rest at night. Fan Shaozeng adopted the strategy of concentrating on a breakthrough point and then gradually expanding the results of the battle. He used five regiments to continuously attack in front of the position of the 263rd regiment. Chen Xilian, also known as Chen Xilian, and his childhood name Puqing. Born on January 4, 1915 in a poor farmer's family in Gaoqiao District, Huang'an County, Hubei Province (now Gaoqiao Town, Hong'an). Joined the Red Army in April 1929.Because of his bravery in battle and fear of death, he is called "Little Steel Cannon".Chen Xilian recalled: We set up defenses along the north bank of the Dongning River west of Xuanhan, but the fortifications have not yet been completed, and the enemy has already rushed to the river.Before dawn, the front line started.I stood on the bank of the river to observe the situation of the enemy on the other side. I saw black shadows on the river and noisy voices. It turned out that the enemy was crossing by wooden boats and bamboo rafts one after another.Our army concentrated its firepower to stop the attack, inflicted great damage on the enemy, and finally beat back the forced enemy. In the early morning, the mist on the river first cleared, and the enemy artillery began to bombard our positions along the river.I found that the section of the position where the enemy's artillery fire was the most fierce was the area where our fortifications were weakest.I was worried, so I hurriedly braved the gunfire and rushed there.At this time, the enemy's artillery shells were roaring, and the river bank was filled with smoke and smoke. From the sound, it was estimated that there were at least fifteen mortars on the opposite bank firing at my position. When I arrived, I saw a person standing on the bank of the smoky river from a distance, and I immediately recognized it as our Master Wang Lieshan... ... He just stared at the enemy situation on the other side in a daze.Suddenly a shell fell close to him, and the mud splashed all over him. He wiped it a few times, and said calmly: "Look at the situation, the enemy is 'unkind' this time!" On the north bank of the Tongjiang River, there is a map of Pingchuan, and the terrain is very unfavorable for defense.Under the intensive artillery fire of the enemy, the temporary fortifications built by the troops were quickly destroyed. The strength of the two battalions was too weak to block the firepower, and there was no defense depth. The enemy's artillery fire caused great damage to the troops.Although the soldiers tried their best to stop them, the enemy successfully crossed in the afternoon. The right column began to attack across the river on December 15th, taking advantage of the dense fog to smuggle in the early morning. When the Red Army discovered it at dawn, the unit suppressed it with blazing machine and artillery firepower. The regiment has passed through two battalions. The Red Army used the Luodingzhai stronghold near the river to resist bravely.Ye Tuan continued to cross the river and occupied the Jiaxiqiao Market and its surrounding areas. Liao Brigade led its reserve team Liao Tuan to wedge deep into Fuxing Field and Shuanglong Field.On the front, Fan Lu has also crossed the river to occupy Wen Jialiang and Liao Luhui to attack the county. The enemy troops who rushed across the river occupied the beachhead positions on the river bank, and Chen Xilian organized a counter-charge to drive the unsteady enemies down the river.The soldiers shouted and rushed into the enemy's position, fighting the enemy desperately. When they were stalemate, the enemy's second and third waves of troops crossed the river one after another.By noon, four regiments of Fan Shaozeng's troops had crossed the river.If you fight the enemy to the end, both battalions will be eaten by the enemy.Wang Lieshan decided that the troops would retreat to Shiguzhai, the established position. Not far from the north bank of the Tongjiang River, there are many rolling mountains.Due to geological activities hundreds of millions of years ago, these mountains are full of ravines and strange rocks.Because of frequent bandits, local people built cottages with stones on some dangerous mountains as hiding places. Shiguzhai is such a place.Because the huge protruding rocks look like stone drums, it is named Shiguzhai.The terrain of Shiguzhai is dangerous, and the road into the mountain is guarded. The surrounding area is about 20 meters above the ground. The terrain is steep and easy to defend but difficult to attack. After the troops retreated to Shiguzhai, Fan Shaozeng followed them.The enemy surrounded Shiguzhai on three sides with five regiments and launched an attack.The number of enemy troops far exceeds that of the 263rd Regiment, attacking wave after wave.The 263rd regiment defended against danger, even if the enemy rushed to the front, they would be helpless in the face of a 20-meter steep wall.The enemy had no choice but to bombard the cottage with intensive artillery fire. The defensive operations of the 263rd Regiment were fought while marching. The soldiers carried a limited amount of food and ammunition. After standing for a day, the troops suffered heavy casualties and almost ran out of ammunition.Wang Lieshan and Chen Xilian organized the non-combatant cooks, breeders, and hygienists in the army.The army is short of ammunition, but there is no shortage of stones on the cottage, and everyone moves the stones to guard the village.The stockade is condescending, and the enemy can hit the enemy by hitting them with stones without shooting.The Sichuan army was also very ghostly. They immediately realized that the Red Army had no bullets. They set up long ladders. When charging, the death squads, under the cover of machine guns and artillery fire, raised the ladders and rushed to the stockade, trying to climb up the ladders. Many units of the Red Fourth Front Army were developed from peasant uprisings and guerrillas. Due to the lack of weapons, almost all units were equipped with swords and spears.Later, the equipment of the troops improved, but the swords and spears suitable for fighting in front of the positions were still not discarded.Almost all the officers and soldiers of the 263rd Regiment hold a spear, but their spears are different from others. Their spears all have barbs, just like the ancient "hook and gun".Enemy soldiers rushed to the front of the village, set up ladders, and climbed up one by one. In order to save bullets, the soldiers hid behind the stones without firing a single shot. , whether dead or alive, I can bring the hook up, and the bullets and grenades on the enemy can be used by me.When encountering a taller enemy soldier, or an enemy soldier who is still struggling desperately, a few people will fight together, dragging and dragging up. This method of warfare makes the enemy very terrifying. There are often four or five enemy soldiers climbing up on a ladder, with their heads on the back touching their feet. When the enemy at the front is stabbed and dragged up, they scream in pain Heart-piercing, the enemy soldiers below were terrified, often the ones in the front were dragged up, and the ones below were frightened and jumped down, falling from a height of more than 20 meters, and falling on the rocks also injured arms and broken legs , I can't even climb.The Red Army soldiers smashed down with stones, causing casualties immediately.Wang Lieshan and Chen Xilian also held a spear each and fought with the soldiers. The enemy bullied the Red Army for lack of bullets, and was not in a hurry to attack the village. They openly lined up their troops not far from Shigu Village. The troops in front attacked, while the troops behind watched and cheered.But this had a negative effect on the contrary. Seeing those soldiers who were stabbed and hooked and fell from the ladder and fell on the stone and injured, none of the watching enemy soldiers wanted to climb the ladder again.With five regiments of enemy troops, the Red Army had no choice but to hold less than two battalions.As a last resort, the enemy changed their style of attack and used shelling exclusively.The cottage was full of stones, and when the cannon exploded, shrapnel and stones jumped up, causing great losses to the troops. The battle lasted until evening, and the two sides remained deadlocked.The sun was westward, and the enemy stopped to smoke, and the hillside was full of enemy soldiers lying down and smoking.The cooks of the 263rd Regiment took this opportunity to bring meals to the soldiers. Chen Xilian and Wang Lieshan ate with the soldiers. Suddenly, the enemy attacked the stockade coldly, and a shell landed beside Wang Lieshan and Chen Xilian, and Wang Lieshan died on the spot.Chen Xilian regretted this for the rest of his life: "This incident makes me feel regretful every time I think about it. If I had known what happened in the future, I would never have let Mr. Wang have dinner with us anyway. It made me In the future military career, I will always remember a bloody lesson: the battlefield is always cruel and ruthless, no matter how tired I am, a soldier's high vigilance cannot be relaxed in any case!" Wang Lieshan was the most senior commander of the Red Army who died in this battle.Wang Lieshan is brave and good at fighting, loves soldiers like a son, and is deeply respected by his subordinates.When night fell, the troops were ordered to transfer.The officers and soldiers of the 263rd Regiment did not want to bury the division commander in the enemy-occupied area, so they took turns carrying Wang Lieshan's body, walked more than 100 miles, and finally buried Wang Lieshan at the foot of Daba Mountain. According to the deployment, the Red Army's eastern front troops have achieved the purpose of delaying and killing the enemy in large numbers. The headquarters ordered that the main force of the Red Army withdraw from Xuanhan City on the 17th and Daxian County on the 18th.The troops on the eastern front retreated to Miaoba, Jingxichang, Dongshengchang, Shuanghechang, Beipaihe and Beishanchang respectively.