Chapter 30 Battle Zhenlong Pass

If it doesn't work once, come back a second time. On February 2, 1934, Liu Xiang held the second phase of the "Bandit Suppression" military meeting in Chengdu. At the meeting, warlords from all walks of life poured out their bitterness, saying that they had contributed a lot and sacrificed a lot, and asked Liu Xiang to "give money". The second phase of the Bandit Suppression Military Conference was held in Liu Xiang's mansion in Chengdu. Except for Wang Lingji, the commanders-in-chief Deng Xihou, Tian Songyao, Li Qixiang, and Yang Sen all attended.The meeting starts on the third day and closes on the sixth day.During the meeting, the issue of salary and ammunition was discussed for the longest time, and Liu Xiang was still asked to take charge of the planning.

After bargaining, on February 17, Liu Xiang issued the second phase of the "Bandit Suppression" combat plan.The main content of Liu Xiang's second phase of the battle plan is: on the western front, the first, second, third, and fourth routes will suppress the main force of the Red Army to the north of Tongjiang, Bazhong, and east of Mumen to eliminate them; , the Fifth and Sixth Route Army occupied Wanyuan, drove the Red Army to the area east of Zhuyuguan, and blocked the northern Sichuan to Zhenba gate, preventing the Red Army from leaving northern Sichuan. The above-mentioned combat plan was completed within one month.

On March 3, Liu Xiang issued the second general attack order.This time, Liu Xiang increased his investment again. In addition to the third and fourth divisions that had already been invested, he also put his first division, second division, independent first brigade and independent regiment into battle.Adding the two divisions of Liu Bangjun's 23rd Army of the Sixth Route and the miscellaneous troops from Sichuan and Shaanxi, the total strength reached more than 60 regiments. On March 4, the enemy on the Western Front launched the first attack.The first route attacked Wangcangba, the second route attacked Enyang River, the third route attacked Yushan Field and Dingshan Field, and the fourth route attacked Lancaodu.The Red Army still adopts the established strategy of "tightening the position".The Red Army troops on the western front took advantage of the favorable terrain to fight steadily.After delaying and eliminating some of the enemy's active forces, they withdrew from Dingshan Field on the 7th, Wangcangba on the 10th, Enyang River on the 14th, and Bazhong and Mumen on the 18th.

During the first phase of the attack, the enemy suffered the most losses on the eastern front. This time, Tang Shizun, the new commander-in-chief of the Fifth Route, abandoned Wang Lingji's method of advancing in an all-round way and switched to a focused attack. Tang Shizun, whose name is Zijin, is a second-level army general of the Kuomintang and Liu Xiang's most trusted general. Because Tang Shizun usually speaks incessantly and lacks the masculinity of a soldier, he was nicknamed "Tang Erwen" and "Tang Wenzhu". ".In fact, this Tang style compliance is very smooth, just like the saying in Sichuan, "Ha'er Buha, plagued pigs are not plagued".There is one thing that shows Tang Shizun's people: once Liu Xiang visited Tang Shizun's department, in order to show his sympathy for the soldiers, he announced that he would pay the soldiers for three months. "Being a soldier eats food, and the salary is paid every month." This was the purpose of the soldiers of the Kuomintang army at that time.However, due to the embezzlement and exploitation by officials, military salaries cannot always be paid in full and on time.Seeing the army commander pay his salary today, everyone was very happy.But when the first soldier got to the ocean, he counted the soldiers who were still two months away, and shouted loudly: "Report to the commander, this salary is not enough!"

Liu Xiang was furious when he was asked, he understood that Tang Shizun had done something wrong.Liu Xiang stared at Tang Shizun, and Tang Shizun panicked. He immediately said to the soldiers: "Brothers, I withheld the money. I'm afraid that if the money is sent to you, you will spend it soon if you gamble or whore." , I will withhold it to help everyone do business, and when I make a fortune, I will double it and return it to you!" Liu Xiang and Tang Shizun also made a serious analysis and judgment on the current situation: In mid-March 1934, Liu Xiang believed that: the Red Army suffered heavy casualties and lacked ammunition. The core units of the Red Army (referring to the old Red Army in Henan, Hubei, and Anhui) had been dispersed and deployed to various ministries. It has been blocked by Yang Hucheng's department; it was also detected that General Commander Xu Xiangqian and Director of the Political Department Chen Changhao and others had a meeting and decided to concentrate the main force to break through to the east of Sichuan, contact the He Long General Command to block the Yangtze River, attack the Sichuan and Hubei borders, and plan to develop .At the same time, it was proved that the Red Army in front of the first, second, third, and fourth routes gradually decreased, while the Red Army in front of the fifth and sixth routes continued to increase, and there were often fierce battles, so it was misjudged that the Red Army would use the main force to break through the fifth and sixth routes to enter the east of Sichuan... …Therefore, Liu Xiang specially ordered Tang Shizun to pay close attention to them, and made the Yang Guozhen Division of the Second Brigade, the Rao Guohua Division of the Second Brigade of the First Division, and the Wang Zejun Division of the Fourth Brigade of the Second Division (later Wang was promoted to the commander of the Second Division, and Lin Yi succeeded the commander of the Fourth Brigade) , the Liu Guangyu Department of the Fifth Brigade, the Tong Yi Department of the Fourth Independent Regiment, and Chen Lanting, the Commander of the First Route of the Frontier Defense of the 21st Army, joined the Fifth Route to enhance military strength; and ordered to prepare for a full-scale attack as soon as possible to complete the second phase of the combat plan ...

Tang Shizun discussed with Fan Shaozeng and decided to divide the troops into left and right wings. He led the troops as the left wing and Fan Shaozeng's troops as the right wing, and they attacked Tongjiang together. Honglingtai is the junction of the Red Army's east and west defense lines and the hub leading to Tongjiang. If you want to take Tongjiang City, you must take Honglingtai. On March 12, Fan Shaozeng concentrated four divisions and three brigades to attack Honglingtai. The Red Army organized several lines of defense to block it tenaciously. The two sides fought fiercely all day without any progress. On the 14th, Fan Shaozeng was very anxious. His troops were originally recruited bandits, so they used silver coins and smoke as bait to organize death squads to attack wildly. , Many people were knocked down, and the ocean on their bodies was scattered all over the ground. After more than 500 casualties, they broke through some front positions.After dark, the Red Army organized a small group of multi-way commandos to fight back. After hand-to-hand combat, more than a thousand enemies were wiped out, and the positions occupied by the enemy were regained. After several days of blood and blood, the Honglingtai position was always in the hands of the Red Army. On March 22, the enemy concentrated the first, second, fourth, fifth, and ninth brigades to attack Laoyingzui and Maoping, the middle positions of the Red Army's eastern front.The Red Army officers and soldiers defending the front lines of Laoyingzui and Maoping used the steep terrain to flexibly defend, and used the tactics of day defense and night attack to deal with the enemy's day attack and night defense tactics.During the day, a small force was used to block and injure the enemy at the front, and at night, a large force was used to counterattack in multiple directions. This method of fighting frightened the enemy. In just two days, more than 2,000 enemies were wiped out. The losses of Fan Shao's troops increased. It has exceeded six or seven thousand, and it is really unbearable to continue like this. Fan Shaozeng stopped the attack again regardless of Tang Shizun's pressure.

Due to the heavy casualties and the slow progress of other warlords' troops, Tang Shizun and Fan Shaozeng became dissatisfied. They jointly called Liu Xiang to complain to him and asked him to urge the first, second, third, and fourth routes to speed up from Nanjiang and Bazhong. Advance eastward, capture Tongjiang, flank the right flank of the Red Army to facilitate the capture of Wanyuan by the Eastern Front troops, and then advance east and west to encircle and annihilate the Red Army. After Liu Xiang slapped the table angrily, he issued the third general attack order on March 28, requiring all besieging troops to advance to the Red Army positions at the same time.Under the pressure of Liu Xiang and Chiang Kai-shek, the first, second, third, and fourth routes accelerated their offensive rhythm and increased the pressure on the right wing of the Red Army.

At the beginning of April, the enemy's third general offensive began. Fan Shaozeng also regained his spirit and commanded the main ten regiments of the Right Corps to attack the Red Army on the Eastern Front under the cover of three aircraft and a large number of artillery.After days of bloody battles, mountains of corpses and seas of blood, Fan's troops were still unable to break through the Red Army's position after suffering heavy casualties.After the Red Seventy-Third Division inflicted a large number of casualties on Fan Shaozeng's troops in the defensive operations on the Eastern Front, it shrank its position to the south of Wanyuan City, westwards from Zhenlongguan to Liuping and Quxikou, and built a deep defensive position.Tang Shizun commanded about 30 regiments of the Left Army Corps and various units of the Sixth Route to launch a full-line attack on the Red Army positions, approaching the line of Qinjiahe and Zhenlongguan.

On the Western Front, Wang Shusheng, deputy commander-in-chief of the Fourth Red Army, commanded the main force of the Thirty-first Red Army, the 90th Division of the Thirty Red Army, and the 27th Division of the Ninth Red Army to fight against the enemy's first, second, third, and fourth routes. Troop attack.The Red Army on the western front gradually shrunk its positions. On January 11, 1934, it withdrew from Yilong City. Jiangkou, Changchi, and Nanjiang lines; in early April, the position was again reduced to Guiminguan, Sightseeing Mountain, and Desheng Mountain.In the process of shrinking positions and transferring, the Red Army on the western front made full use of the favorable terrain of the high and dangerous mountains in northern Sichuan, and at the same time seized the characteristics of the enemy's split routes, inconsistent command, and scattered troops, and constantly ambushed, counterattacked, and night-attacked the enemy. Enemies hit hard.The enemy's attempts to open gaps at the junction of the Red Army's east and west lines all failed.

In order to take down Wanyuan, on April 23, all the enemy's third division on the eastern front and the second, fourth, and fifth brigades, under the command of division commander Xu Shaozong, marched continuously towards Zhenlongguan and Shiwochang, which are about 70 miles long, on the periphery of Wanyuan. The region launched an attack. Zhenlongguan is surrounded by lofty mountains, and the overlapping mountains look like leaping dragons, hence the name Zhenlongguan.Gaobizhai, 1,500 meters above sea level, is located in the natural barrier of Longguan Town, and is the key to the natural barrier.Gaobizhai is like a gate, blocking the periphery of Wanyuan.If you want to enter Wanyuan, you must pass Zhenlong Pass, and if you want to pass Zhenlong Pass, you must take down Gaobizhai.

Beginning in mid-April, the enemy's Liao Yuchen Brigade, Rao Guohua Brigade and Yang Qin'an Independent Regiment advanced from Guanmenzhai to Tulongchang, and the Red Army defenders gradually retreated to the commanding height of Gaobizhai.Liao Yuchen's department, Rao Guohua's and Yang Qin'an's department launched attacks from the left and right sides respectively.This is a battlefield carefully arranged by the Red Army, and it is also a slaughterhouse. Zhenlongguan is a natural barrier leading to the river. The mountains stretch for sixty or seventy miles, but there is only one road going up and down.Gaobizhai occupies the highest point of Zhenlongguan, and the enemy can only attack from the east and west sides. On the 22nd, the enemy began to attack, and the Red Army gradually retreated, leading the enemy to Gaobizhai.Gaobi Village is a large protruding platform, just like the bridge of a human nose protruding from Zhenlong Pass.Gaobizhai has six layers of cliffs, and the Red Army has arranged multiple defensive positions layer by layer, condescending to attack the enemy, and the terrain is extremely favorable.Liao Yuchen's department organized various regiments to launch a wave-like attack. The Red Army was condescending, with a wide range of firepower, and the enemy attacked upwards, which was extremely disadvantageous.The enemy charged, the Red Army threw grenades, and the grenades rained down on the enemy group. Smoke rose and shrapnel flew across. How could flesh and blood withstand the rain of steel bullets!After the explosion, the enemy was killed and wounded.The enemy retreated and then organized a charge. The Red Army did the same. At the end of the day, the enemy's corpses were scattered all over the field, and the wailing of the wounded soldiers shook the sky. Seeing this tragic scene, the troops behind did not want to go forward to die.That's it, in order to claim credit, Liao Yuchen actually said in a telegram to Liu Xiang: "Chen Luliang and Xu's regiments attacked Gaobizhai on the morning of the 27th. There are six floors of cliffs in the village, and the fierce battle lasted until the evening. Fortunately, I was brave and had already entered the fifth floor. , there is only one floor left to reach the top of the mountain, and the two regiments of Chen and brigade are already close to Shanguling." Not to mention the authenticity of Liao Yuchen's telegram, this is the only layer left. Liao Lu gnawed on it for two days, with nearly a thousand casualties, but he couldn't make any further progress.Liao Yuchen invited credit to brag, and Xu Shaozong was not far behind: It has been more than three months since the Fifth Route Army marched towards the Tongjiang River. However, due to the steep terrain of Zhenlongguan, Liuping, Desheng Mountain and other places, there is no place to climb, especially Zhenlongguan is the natural danger of Tongjiang. A lonely road is quite a trend that will be difficult for everyone to enter.The Tang part of the fifth road attacked Zhenlongguan. The third division, Xu Shaozong, supervised Mashikou. The distance from the pass was only eight or nine miles away. There was a stalemate for two months. There were fifty or sixty battles.Our seventh and eighth brigades occupied the lines of Zhenlongguan, Wolongzhai, Yuandingzi, and Fenbizhai day and night in Ma (21st).The bandits fled in the direction of Huangnikou and Caobachang.teda.Xu Shaozong knocked on the (22nd) day. Two days later, Tang Shizun came to the battlefield of Zhenlongguan and witnessed the horrific battle. Since it was almost impossible to injure the Red Army by upward attack, the Red Army's fortification layout could not be seen clearly from below, and mortar fire could not pose a threat to the Red Army. Aircraft volley bombing.After several enemy planes circled and bombed the top of the mountain, the enemy attacked again, still being hit from top to bottom.Seeing that the losses were getting worse day by day, and tens of thousands of troops were stuck at Zhenlong Pass, unable to make progress, Tang Shizun called Liu Xiang: "Zhenlong Pass is naturally dangerous, and it cannot be conquered for a long time, and the bombing by the air force is also ineffective. The mountain road is rugged, and it cannot be entered unless the weather is sunny. It stretches for more than 60 miles from east to west, all of which are faulted cliffs, and there is nowhere to climb. There is only a single road in Guanmenzhai..." "Xinshu News" reported on April 29: Liu, Ma, Yang, and Liao would attack Zhujiawan and Tulongchang, and advance to Shiwochang... Dozens of hand-to-hand fights. On the morning of the 25th, Liu Brigade injured two battalion commanders, five company commanders, more than twenty platoon leaders, and two hundred soldiers. Zhenlongguan blocked and fought for six full days, and except for leaving thousands of corpses, they failed to move forward. On April 28, Tang Shizun ordered a retreat.In this battle, the enemy suffered heavy casualties. Only in Gongjiaba, south of Zhenlongguan, the Red Army wiped out more than 4,000 enemies.Chiang Kai-shek couldn't help lamenting after learning of the battle at Zhenlongguan: Based on the latest information in central Sichuan, the bandits and I have entered the decisive battle period, so since ten days, our army has suffered a lot of casualties.If we don't eradicate selfish intentions and work together, we will be taken advantage of by bandits, which may affect the overall situation. By the end of April, the position of the Red Army was tightened day by day, and its forces were increasingly concentrated. The enemy's attacks from all walks of life had reached a point of decline and exhaustion. Fifty thousand people.Liu Xiang had no choice but to order all parties to suspend the offensive, tightly blockade the Red Army, and re-plan the offensive deployment.The enemy's third attack ended without a problem. From the first phase of the attack in December to the third phase of the attack at the end of April, under Liu Xiang's pressing step by step, the Red Army tightened its position and retreated while fighting, successively abandoning Yingshan, Xuanhan, Daxian, In most areas of Yilong, Bazhong, Nanjiang and other base areas, during the retreat, the Red Army took advantage of the favorable terrain, combined blocking and counterattacks, and dealt a powerful blow to the enemy, severely injuring the enemy. Although Liu Xiang's third-phase attack occupied a large amount of territory in the Soviet area, the strength of the Red Fourth Front Army was not affected.On the contrary, the Red Army is defending according to danger, waiting for work with ease.Every time the Sichuan army captured a place, it had to pay a lot of casualties. As the battle line became longer and longer, it was difficult for the Sichuan army to "advance and suppress" supplies from all walks of life.