Chapter 40 Battle of Guangzhao

From January 15 to 17, 1935, the Central Committee held the Zunyi Conference.The Zunyi meeting distinguished right from wrong based on the military line, named and criticized Bogu and Li De for their serious mistakes in military leadership, Mao Zedong was elected as a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo, and entered the core of the party's leadership. In Mao Zedong's words to He Zizhen, "I also have a speech Right."This is Mao Zedong's return to the military leadership position of the Party Central Committee after Bo Gu, Li De and others went to the Ruijin Soviet Area to deprive him of his military leadership.At that time, the Standing Committee of the Central Committee consisted of five members including Zhang Wentian, Zhou Enlai, Bo Gu, Chen Yun and Mao Zedong.Zhang Wentian replaced Bo Gu as the "general responsibility" of the Party Central Committee.The original military command "three-person regiment" composed of Li De, Bogu, and Zhou Enlai was cancelled, and Zhu De and Zhou Enlai were in charge of the military command. Zhou Enlai "led the work of the Military Commission on behalf of the Central Committee" and was the "person in charge of the final decision" of the military command.In the division of labor of the Standing Committee of the Central Committee, Mao Zedong assisted Zhou Enlai as "the helper of Comrade Enlai's military command". Later, Zhou Enlai, Mao Zedong, and Wang Jiaxiang formed a new military command "three-person regiment".Since the Zunyi Conference, Mao Zedong has in fact become the core figure of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, the Secretariat of the Central Committee and the leadership of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission.

After the Zunyi meeting, on January 19, Zhou Enlai, Mao Zedong, and Zhang Wentian analyzed and evaluated the enemy's situation, and decided to avoid the enemy's edge and move to the border of Sichuan and Guizhou. On January 20, the Central Committee held a special meeting to discuss and formulate the "Central Military Commission's Battle Plan for Crossing the River": 2. Combat policy: The current basic policy of our field army is to move from northern Guizhou to southern Sichuan and cross the river to a new area to cooperate with the Fourth Front Army to carry out a general counter-offensive from the northwest of Sichuan, while the Second and Sixth Army Corps will attack in Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan and Hubei. In order to contain the enemy who will be suppressed in the southeast of Sichuan, cooperate with this counterattack to crush the enemy's new siege and fight for the red transformation of Sichuan.

... 6. In order to cooperate with the implementation of this plan, our second and sixth armies should transfer in time and rely on Hunan and Guizhou to develop to Pengshui, Songtao, Yinjiang, and along the river, and develop Xianfeng, Laifeng, Xuanen, The guerrilla movement in the Enshi area was aimed at creating activities deep into eastern Sichuan, threatening the enemy's favorable conditions for waterway traffic in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, diverting and dispersing the new siege forces of the Jiang enemy, and cooperating with our field army and the Fourth Front Army to fight for Chihua in Sichuan.Before our field army crosses the river, the Fourth Front Army should actively move towards Chongqing to attract the main force of the Sichuan enemy in Chongqing to its own side, so that our field army can cross the river smoothly.After our field army crossed the river, we turned to Cangxi and the Jialing River in the south to counterattack, and closely cooperated with our field army to fight the Sichuan enemy in order to open up the connection across the northwest of Sichuan.

The telegram clarified the strategic intention of the Party Central Committee: cross the Yangtze River from northern Guizhou, enter southern Sichuan, and then cooperate with the Red Fourth Front Army in the north and south to occupy Sichuan as a base.After receiving a call from the Central Committee, Xu Xiangqian recalled: The Central Committee called and asked us to send a division to the south to support the Central Red Army going north.We met immediately to discuss how to deal with it.Sending more troops out is tantamount to a big relocation, abandoning the Sichuan-Shanxi base.Less, going to a division is equivalent to beating a dog with a meat bun, and you will never return.In the terrain of Sichuan, the enemy cuts off the dangerous mountains and narrow roads, and you have nowhere to go!Also, we learned from enemy newspapers that Xu Haidong had led the 25th Red Army to southern Shaanxi and western Henan, and we also needed our support.Some said that we should send a regiment first, and some said that we are not superhuman, so how can a regiment do it!what to do?Discussions have been discussed, but no good solution can be thought of.In the end, it was decided to develop toward Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu in accordance with the guidelines formulated by the Qingjiangdu Conference, first to take down Guangyuan and Zhaohua, and to eliminate some of Hu Zongnan's forces that had just extended into Sichuan.There is the upper reaches of the Jialing River. The river is not wide, and the water is stable in winter, so it is easy to cross.If we take Guangyuan and Zhaohua, we will control the throats of the Sichuan-Shanxi border on both sides of the Jialing River, and then we can map the western Sichuan plain, southern Gansu, and southern Shaanxi, and wait for the opportunity to respond to the Central Red Army and the Red 25th Army.

Guangyuan, known as "Lizhou" in ancient times, and Zhaohua as "Jiamengguan" in ancient times, the two cities are located in the upper reaches of the Jialing River in the mountainous area of ​​northern Sichuan, with a distance of only thirty or forty miles. The junction of the three provinces of Shaanxi, Shaanxi and Gansu is the throat of Sichuan in the north. It is known as "the important town in northern Sichuan" and the "gateway in northern Sichuan". Defending northern Sichuan.Because of its important strategic position, the Sichuan warlords have heavily guarded here. After the failure of the "six-way siege" of the Red Army, Chiang Kai-shek arranged a new "Sichuan-Shaanxi Campaign" and ordered the Ding Delong Department of the First Division of Hu Zongnan, an elite Kuomintang army stationed in Tianshui, Gansu, to station in Guangyuan and Zhaohua. develop.

The fertile land in Wen, Wu, Cheng and Kang areas in the south of Gansu is the granary of Gansu Province, and the strength of Lu Dachang, the warlord of Gansu, is also weak. If we develop to the south of Gansu and connect the Sichuan-Shaanxi base area with it, we can have a wide range of maneuvers The region, and the food and military sources that can support the base area, will be well-founded whether it is the northern expedition to the Central Plains, the westward advance to the Chengdu Plain, or the easterly Hanzhong. Zhuge Liang’s management of the Shuhan regime was also based on this idea.This is Xu Xiangqian's basic idea of ​​developing the Sichuan-Shaanxi-Gansu base area.But to enter Gannan from Wangcang, you have to cross the Jialing River to the north, and you have to cross Jiange, the most dangerous part of the Qinling Mountains.To realize this strategic intention, it is necessary to take down the key Guangyuan and Zhaohua stuck in the defense line of the Jialing River. In mid-January 1935, Xu Xiangqian and Chen Changhao decided to launch the Guangzhao Campaign, and the Red Fourth Front Army collided head-on with Hu Zongnan's First Division.

The Red Fourth Front Army and Hu Zongnan's First Division are old enemies. In 1932, the two armies fought in Hubei, Henan and Anhui, and later in Manchuan Pass, and the fights were evenly matched.What's more interesting is that Xu Xiangqian and Hu Zongnan, the main generals of both sides, were classmates in the first period of Whampoa. Because of their different beliefs, they used to study together in the same class, but today they lead armies against each other. Hu Zongnan, a native of Ningbo, Zhejiang, was admitted to the first phase of the Whampoa Military Academy in June 1924.Hu Zongnan was less than 1.6 meters tall and was eliminated when he applied for the Whampoa Military Academy due to his short stature. Judging people by their appearance, Hu Zongnan was admitted with special approval.After graduating in 1925, Hu Zongnan entered the Whampoa Military Academy to teach the Eighth Regiment of the Third Battalion of the First Regiment and served as a Second Lieutenant Trainee and a Lieutenant Platoon Leader of a Machine Gun Company. Later, he participated in the Eastern Expedition and the Northern Expedition. He was promoted to be the commander of the 22nd Division of the First Army. In June 1930, he became the acting commander of the First Division of the Army. In January 1931, he became the commander of the Lieutenant General of the First Division of the Army.

The First Division of the Army is a unit that Chiang Kai-shek started from the Whampoa Military Academy. The predecessor of the First Division was the Teaching Corps of the Whampoa Military Academy. First division teacher. In 1926, He Yingqin was promoted to the commander of the First Army, and Qian Dajun was appointed as the commander of the First Division. In 1927, Xue Yue and Jiang Dingwen successively served as the commanders of the First Division. In 1928, the Kuomintang army was reorganized, and the original 2nd, 22nd, and 71st divisions were combined into the first division, with Liu Zhi as the division commander.At this time, the first division is actually equivalent to the strength of the army. In 1930, Hu Zongnan served as the acting division commander and division commander of the first division.As can be seen from the above names, the commanders of the First Division are all well-known generals in the Kuomintang army, and these people are also Chiang Kai-shek's hard-core cronies.

Confidants are treated like cronies, and the establishment of the First Division is larger than that of other troops. In November 1930, the first division was reorganized into the Type A Division of the Third Brigade and Ninth Regiment.As Chiang Kai-shek's direct descendants and fist troops, the First Division fought in the country. In May 1931, the First Division went to Hebei to cooperate with the Northeast Army to defeat the third division of Shiyou, and then entered Jiangxi to "encircle and suppress" the Central Red Army; after the outbreak of the "January 28" Songhu Anti-Japanese War, it was stationed in Nanjing, Changzhou, Wuxi, etc. as a strategic reserve team In May 1932, he went to Hubei, Henan and Anhui to participate in the "encirclement and suppression" of the Red Army; in November 1932, he followed the Fourth Red Army into Sichuan. In February 1933, in order to prevent the Red Army and monitor Yang Hucheng in Shaanxi, Chiang Kai-shek sent the First Division to Tianshui, Gansu for training. In February 1934, the First Division formed a Northwest Supplementary Brigade and Cavalry Regiment, which was expanded into the Fourth Brigade and Thirteenth Regiment, with more than 30,000 people.The weapons and equipment of the First Division are all German-made equipment. It is the largest, best-equipped and well-trained strategic mobile force among the Kuomintang troops.

Hu Zongnan's First Division took Tianshui as the center and occupied more than a dozen counties and towns. The division headquarters, directly subordinate troops, and the First Regiment of the Supplementary Brigade were stationed in Tianshui. The independent brigade is stationed in Bikou, and the supplementary brigade is stationed in Lanzhou.Hu Zongnan is Chiang Kai-shek's favorite student. He understands the purpose and intention of Chiang Kai-shek to put him on the border of Gansu and Sichuan. During the Tianshui training period, he paid special attention to strengthening the troops' mountain combat training. According to the customs and habits of the Tibetan and Qiang people, they are actively preparing to fight in Sichuan. In the winter of 1934, after Hu Zongnan received a telegram from Chiang Kai-shek ordering aid to Sichuan, he said conceitedly: "If the First Division entered Sichuan early, the Communist Army would not have developed to this point."

Before the battle of Guangzhao started, according to the suggestion of He Guoguang's battalion staff group, Liu Xiang's deployment of the Fourth Red Front Army was to "defend the north and reject the south".Pan Wenhua, the commander-in-chief of the South Road, led 40 regiments to assist Chiang Kai-shek's Xue Yue, Wu Qiwei column, Long Yun, Sun Du, Wang Jialie and other Yunnan-Guizhou local warlords to encircle the Central Red Army on the Sichuan-Guizhou border.In the north and west of Sichuan, the bunkers and fortifications were overhauled, and they were defended according to danger.The specific deployment is: Deng Xihou's department defends the river bank from the Shejian River in the south of Zhaohua City to Jiange and Jiangkou; Tian Songyao's department defends the river bank from the south of Jiangkou to Xinba in the south; , Fengyichang area; Yang Sen's division is distributed in Quxian, Yingshan and the area to the north; Liu Xiang's main force of 60 regiments is distributed in the east of Sanhui Town, Quxian County, from Luojiangkou, Xuanhan Guangxi to Chengkou in Daxian County.On the northern line, Yang Hucheng's 17 regiments of the Shaanxi Army stationed in Nanzheng; Shangguan Yunxiang commanded the 44th Division, 47th Division, 54th Division and the Independent Fourth Brigade from Hubei and Henan to Sichuan.Chiang Kai-shek and Liu Xiang used two hundred regiments and hundreds of thousands of troops to deploy defenses along the Qinling Mountains, Bashan Mountains, and Jialing River, and laid a large net for the Red Army from all directions in Sichuan, Shaanxi, Hubei, and Henan.In a sense, this is a new and more crazy "multi-channel encirclement and suppression".Moreover, this time is different from the past. Liu Xiang did not drive the various ministries to take the initiative to attack. Instead, under the guidance of the He Guoguang Staff Group, he adopted the tactics of steady and steady, step-by-step, bunker blockade, and north-south pincer attack, and no longer gave the Red Army any chance to defeat them. The deployment has been made, but there are still many difficulties in the implementation process.Chiang Kai-shek's Central Army and Fan Shisheng's troops were waiting on the outskirts of Sichuan. With Chiang Kai-shek's order, all units of the Central Army moved immediately.But Yang Hucheng's department was not so active. Chiang Kai-shek sent Hu Zongnan to Tianshui, and Yang Hucheng was extremely dissatisfied.Yang Hucheng originally planned to bring Gansu into his sphere of influence, but he ran into a wall with Chiang Kai-shek. On October 14, 1934, Chiang Kai-shek came to Xi'an to deploy the "Sichuan-Shaanxi Confession" to coerce Yang Hucheng's department to cooperate with Hu Zongnan to encircle the Red Army in southern Shaanxi.Yang Hucheng verbally agreed to send troops to the Fourth Brigade to cooperate with Hu Zongnan, but he did not take any substantive military action except for Sun Weiru and Zhao Shoushan Garrison Brigade to send troops to move on the Sichuan-Shanxi border. The reactions of Deng Xihou, Tian Songyao, Li Jiayu, Luo Zezhou, and Yang Sen were even more complicated. In the "six-way siege", they suffered heavy losses one by one. As a result, Liu Xiang got the right to rule Sichuan Province. The brothers fought together, and they were beaten black and blue. In the end, Liu Xiang ate all the fruits alone, and all his troops were killed. To obey Liu Xiang's command, Yang Sen almost fell into Liu Xiang's trick and was "eaten" by Liu Xiang.How difficult is it for these warlords to lose?According to records: Tian Songyao's twenty-ninth army "supplied the food at the same time", "the food in front was exhausted early", "the food was almost unsustainable", "the porridge had to be changed, and it was not enough, so it was mixed with corn sorghum, or daily Eat a meal to prolong your breath." "Its economic difficulties are so severe that it is difficult to make up for the loss of soldiers; it is difficult to maintain the lack of food and salaries; it is difficult to provide for the consumption of weapons and ammunition; it is difficult to organize the deterioration of equipment." "This kind of difficulty does not belong to the Tian army. , Yang, they are all the same." In addition to these, Hu Zongnan also "doesn't like to talk to" the Sichuan warlords. On January 3, Liu Xiang sent a telegram to Deng Xihou, Tian Songyao and other generals of the Sichuan Army: After Zhu Mao fell into Tongzi, there seemed to be an attempt to harass us in southern Sichuan, and the main force of the Xu bandits also moved from Xuansui to the left, and it seemed that the north and south echoed and harassed westward. Fifteen regiments of elite soldiers were drawn from the first road, and ten regiments from the second road were handed over to Commander Deng to take charge of the offensive and defensive tasks of the left wing.Zhaoguang Defense Interchange received Hu Division, and immediately began to move. Temporarily use Shuanghechang and Saijinchang as the battle areas. The Tenth Regiment of the Army was in charge of the northern section, and the Fifteenth Regiment of the Deng Army was in charge of the offensive and defense in the southern section. Liu Xiang's order was issued under the guidance of Chiang Kai-shek's camp staff group, and Tian Songyao, Deng Xihou and other ministries also obeyed the order honestly. Guangyuan and Zhaohua were originally Deng Xihou's defense areas. After receiving an order from Liu Xiang to hand over the defense of Guangyuan and Zhaohua to Hu Zongnan's First Division, Deng Xihou immediately informed Hu Zongnan of Tianshui and asked him to send troops to take over the defense along the right bank of Zhao, Guangji and Jialing Rivers. , At the same time, he also telegraphed Tian Songyao that his troops would hand in defense. On January 14, Deng Xihou issued a redeployment order to the troops under his jurisdiction. Unexpectedly, Deng Xihou acted according to the order, but hit a snag with Hu Zongnan.Hu Zongnan seemed to disdain dealing with Deng Xihou and his ilk.As a student of the Son of Heaven, Hu Zongnan's First Division has always listened to Chiang Kai-shek alone, and the words of other people have fallen on deaf ears.Hu Zongnan knew clearly that it was Chiang Kai-shek's opinion to let him guard the two cities of Guangxi and Zhaozhou, and keep a close watch on the gates of Sichuan and Gansu. You also handed over the lot south of Hua, and you regard me as your "janitor"?Hu Zongnan was not polite: The important task of Zhaohua city defense was reluctantly taken over by my brother's order. If we move southward, we will be unable to do what we want. I really dare not take on the responsibility. I also pray that your department will continue to station and help each other. Hu Zongnan flicked Deng Xihou's "sleeve".Deng Xihou is the most "smart" person in the Sichuan Army, known as the "Crystal Monkey". The defense line of the Jialing River is within his defense zone. Can't.When the troops are gone, neither Chiang Kai-shek nor Liu Xiang will subsidize themselves.Since Hu Zongnan ignored him, he made another move to pull Tian Songyao on his back. On January 16, Deng Xihou called Liu Xiang: The defense of the section from the south of Zhaohua County to Jiangkou can no longer be replaced by Hu Shi, the line from the south of Zhaohua City along the Jiajiang River to Xinzhengba, Fulichang to Shuanghechang, and Saijinchang should be blocked by 122 roads The division between the north and south sections is planned to be at Shuanglongchang or Hexiguan, and I must expressly stipulate that the section from the south of Zhaohua City to Jiangkou is temporarily in charge of the Marquis, and the defending troops should immediately transfer to the south section. Five regiments took over. At the same time, Deng Xihou adjusted the army's defenses immediately, and sent a telegram to Yang Xiuchun, his chief of staff and former commander-in-chief of the enemy: However, each unit should keep in touch with the Jialing front-line friendly forces at any time during the march. If the situation changes, each of them should turn left at their current positions to support the entire line along the river and serve as the general reserve team for the Jialing River. The so-called "if the situation changes, turn left at the current position", the meaning could not be more clear, that is to be ready to escape at any time.The mobilization of Deng Xihou's troops on the front line also made Tian Songyao, who was also on the same line of defense, anxious. If you leave, who will fill the hole you left?Tian Songyao immediately called Deng Xihou: The bandit stationed troops on the other side of Canglang, please stay in a suitable place to support Liu and He... Tian Songyao's meaning is very clear, everyone is mutual, Deng Xihou, don't overdo it.Deng Xihou was even more interesting. He received a telegram from Tian Songyao and immediately ordered Wang Huixi of the 27th Regiment of the 14th Brigade to turn from Hanyangpu to Jiangkou and focus on defending the Tiger Leaping Post.In the life-and-death battle, he did not say "support", but said "support" the neighboring friendly forces. Deng Xihou really went to great lengths to preserve his strength, and he is worthy of the name "Crystal Monkey".From this we can also see the tense relationship between the enemy's Central Army and the Sichuan Army, and between the various departments of the Sichuan Army. Hu Zongnan is usually too proud, and he doesn't pay attention to anyone, let alone the local warlords.For this reason, colleagues stay at a respectful distance, and hide far away when there is an emergency. As a result, the troops always fight alone in action.These practices of Hu Zongnan were reported to Chiang Kai-shek long ago, and Chiang Kai-shek admonished Hu Zongnan, so Hu Zongnan restrained himself and did some "face saving". When the two armies change defenses, it should be officials of lower rank who come to meet with officials of higher rank and receive instructions.Deng Xihou's position is the general commander of the 28th Army.Although Hu Zongnan is the First Division of the Central Army, and its establishment is far more than that of the 28th Army, he is only a division commander after all.This time the two armies handed over defense, but it was Commander Deng Xihou who condescended to go to Hu Zongnan's division headquarters in Tianshui.Fortunately, when Deng Xihou arrived at the headquarters of Hu Zongnan's First Division in Tianshui, Hu Zongnan held a grand ceremony to welcome the officer, and he himself stood at the front of the guard of honor and raised his hand to salute Deng Xihou.Hu Zongnan's move moved Deng Xihou quite a bit.In fact, this is just a little "small trick" after Hu Zongnan was "taught" by Chiang Kai-shek. On January 18, 1935, Ding Delong, commander of the Independent Brigade of the First Division, led his troops to Guangyuan and Zhaohua.The brigade headquarters and the first and third regiments are stationed in Guangyuan, the second regiment is stationed in Zhaohua, the first brigade and one regiment attached to the brigade, and the supplementary brigade and one regiment are located on the line of Yangmoba and Sanleiba to the west of Guangyuan. Two guerrilla detachments (equivalent to Yuying) was active in Deshengguan, Zhuandoupu and other places at the junction of Sichuan and Shaanxi to consolidate the Guang and Zhao sides.Li Yongzhang of the Sixth Regiment of the Second Brigade was stationed at Yangping Pass, north of Guangyuan, and provided support from afar. Aiming at the enemy's defense, Xu Xiangqian decided to adopt the tactic of encircling and attacking reinforcements. First, he cleared out the surrounding enemies in Guangyuan and Zhaohua, and used his main force to attack the enemy's back, cutting off the contact between the enemy troops in Guangyuan and Zhaocheng, and then turned to the siege and battle. Surround the point to fight for aid.The campaign deployment is: The 93rd Division of the 31st Army crossed the Jialing River between Zhaohua and Guangyuan, cut off the connection between the enemy forces in the two cities, surrounded Zhaohua City, and prepared to attack the enemy who came to aid from Jianmen Pass; The main force of the 91st Division of the 31st Army approached Guangyuan City from the front, and a part of the 91st Division attacked Zhuandoupu in the northeast of Guangyuan, covering the troops who attacked the enemy's back from crossing the river, and blocked the possible attack from the direction of Yangping Pass. The enemy who came to aid; the other two regiments of the 25th Division of the Ninth Red Army and the other regiment of the 88th Division of the Thirty Red Army, a total of nine regiments, crossed the river from the north of Guangyuan, went straight to Guangyuan, and Zhaohua The enemy army contacted Gannan The important strongholds on the line, Yangmoba and Sanleiba, are going to be turned into reinforcements after the enemy forces in the area are eliminated, and part of them will cooperate with the troops besieging Guangyuan to attack the city. Guangyuan, Zhaohua, and Longnan are famous ancient battlefields of the Three Kingdoms, where Wei and Shu staged scenes of civil and military dramas competing for the world.The famous historical and cultural figures Zhuge Liang, Jiang Wei, Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, Wei Yan, Fei Yi and Deng Ai of the Three Kingdoms all met here.Under Xu Xiangqian's guidance, the ancient battlefields of the Three Kingdoms were now in full bloom again. On January 22, 1935, the Battle of Guangzhao started. On January 18, the Ding Delong Independent Brigade took over the defense of Guang and Zhao from Deng Xihou's department, and the Ding Delong Independent Brigade headquartered in Guangyuan City.After receiving the defense, Hu Zongnan immediately warned Ding Delong that the main force of the Fourth Red Army had moved eastward from Tongjiang and Bazhong to the Wangcang area in large numbers.After receiving the warning, Ding Delong did not dare to neglect. Within three days, there was no room for warmth. He ordered the soldiers to strengthen the city defenses, dig deep trenches, and densely set up blockhouses on the Chenghuangmiao Mountain in the east of the city. A brigade and regiment were stationed there. Longbao (Wulongbao) has five fortress circles, and the third regiment of the independent brigade is stationed there.Guangyuan and Zhaohua were originally solid cities with high walls, deep ditches, and numerous fortresses. After several days of hard work by thousands of soldiers, the traffic trenches extended in all directions, the fortifications were arranged in depth, densely covered with machine guns and cannons, and the two cities became two steel hedgehogs. Easy to defend but difficult to attack. On the evening of January 22, the wind was blowing and the night was dense. As usual, the Jialing River flowed quietly.Soldiers from the 31st Red Army, the 9th Army, and the 30th Army quietly transported the equipment for making the pontoon bridge that had been prepared to the Jialing River at several locations such as Datan in the north of Chaotianyi. As early as a few days ago, in order to confuse the enemy, various units of the Red Army set fire to and fired guns on the south bank of the Jialing River every night, and some even moved some small troops to the river. Asking for support, Ding Delong first thought that the Red Army was going to cross the river, but every time he found it was a false alarm. For several days in a row, the enemy was frightened overnight. They "don't bother with others".When the Red Army fired again, the enemy also regarded it as a "wolf is coming" story, stopped responding, and hid in the bunker to sleep.The Red Army's "harassment tactics" paid off. Following an order, several small boats carrying the advance commando quietly rowed to the opposite bank to control the landing site. The well-trained sailors on the south bank of the river connected the ferries that had been prepared in advance, laid wooden planks, and set up The pontoon bridge was raised, and the officers and soldiers who had already assembled on the shore rushed to the opposite bank quickly through the pontoon bridge.When the enemy guarding in the bunker discovered that the "wolf" had really come, the Red Army's guns were already on their foreheads.The 31st Army, the Ninth Army, the 30th Army, and the Fourth Army, the main force of the Red Fourth Front Army, each with a total of about 18 regiments crossing the river, divided into two groups to cut off the connection between the enemy forces in Guangyuan and Zhaozhou in one fell swoop. The strongholds on the outskirts of Zhaohua were the first to be violently attacked by the Red Army. In order to defend Guangyuan and Zhaohua, Ding Delong placed the two newly formed guerrilla detachments and a supplementary brigade in Zhuandoupu and Yangmoba outside the city. These places have dangerous terrain and are easy to defend and difficult to attack. On January 22, a part of the Red Thirty-one Army took advantage of the night to attack Pan Mingshi, the first guerrilla detachment stationed in the south of Huzong in Zhuandoupu.In the cold night, piercing gunshots crackled sporadically at first, and then quickly exploded like popping beans. Rumbling grenades exploded one after another, sparks splashed in the night sky, and raging flames ignited everywhere.Due to the sudden attack, the sleeping enemy army was caught off guard and in chaos.Zhang Junyao, the enemy's second guerrilla detachment stationed at Deshengguan, also rushed to support, but was intercepted by the 31st Red Army halfway. On the same day, all the first guerrilla detachment and most of the second guerrilla detachment were wiped out.The "Battle Detailed Report" of the enemy's first division recorded this battle: On January 22, one part of the bandits attacked our first guerrilla detachment in Zhuandoupu, and the second part dispatched about 200 people. A team failed to support, so they turned to the north.The second guerrilla detachment of ours left Deshengguan for reinforcements at 4:00 p.m. and arrived at Lijiaping near the Huangba River. They encountered bandits and fought for four hours. Due to the outnumbered men, they retreated to Deshengguan in the dark. At 5:00 p.m. on the 23rd, a part of the Thirty Red Army surrounded Yangmoba. The 1st Regiment Headquarters and the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of Luo Kefu, the enemy's supplementary brigade, were stationed at Yangmoba. Since the battle had already started on the 22nd, the Red Army's attack had been lost. Suddenly, the enemy defended against danger, and their firepower greatly surpassed that of the Sichuan army. In order to reduce casualties, the 88th Division of the Red Thirty Army did not launch an attack until night fell on the 23rd, and the two armies launched a night battle.The night was thick and the vision was poor. Both sides shot at each other's flashing muzzles. The tracer bullets flying all over the sky let people clearly see how the god of death took away the fresh lives with strands of dazzling light.The equipment of Ding Delong's troops is far superior to that of the Red Army, and the morale is not weak. The terrain of Yangmo Dam is steep, and the enemy is building fortifications. The Red Army launched an attack but lacked heavy weapons to attack the fortifications. , One after another, the sacrifice was heavy.The battle lasted all night until the afternoon of the 24th, and Yangmoba was occupied only after paying a lot of casualties. Most of the defending enemies were wiped out except for one who fled to Wulongbao. It is the tradition of the Red Fourth Front Army that cadres take the lead in charging, but this also caused a lot of cadres to sacrifice. In addition to the casualties of some battalion and company cadres during the two-day battle, two senior cadres, Pan Youqing, deputy commander of the 25th Division, and Ding Jicai, deputy commander of the 88th Division, They also sacrificed one after another, and Ding Jicai was hit by a stray bullet when he was directing the battle beside Xu Xiangqian, which shows the fierceness and danger of the battle.The "Battle Detailed Report" of the enemy's first division recorded this battle: At 5:30 p.m. on January 23, the 31st bandit army, about a thousand, attacked the main force (two battalions) of our Luo regiment (two battalions) at Yangmoba from the highland at the east end of Luojiayuan. Just as the market was about to disperse, The chaos was abnormal, and the regiment hurriedly responded to the battle and continued all night.On the afternoon of the 24th, it entered a state of bitter fighting.The first battalion of the regiment was ordered to station at Dabakou on the 23rd, and was ordered to return to Yangmoba to attack at noon on the 24th. It encountered bandits on the way, fought and left, and arrived at Dongshan Temple at night.At this time, the main force of Luo Tuan had withdrawn from Yangmo Dam, and the follow-up troops of the bandits crossed the river one after another from the mouth of the dam to surround and attack Luo Tuan.At around 11:00, a part of them withdrew to Guangyuan. At the same time, Brigade Commander Ding ordered Gan Tuan to assemble Zhaohua and prepare to defend the city. The regiment Gao battalion (with a radio) sticks to it. In the two battles of Zhuandoupu and Yangmoba, the Red Army wiped out more than 300 enemies and handed over hundreds of guns. The enemy brigade and regiment defending Sanleiba immediately abandoned their positions and fled to Bikou when they saw that the situation was not good.Xu Xiangqian ordered the 88th Division and other departments not to pursue the remnants of the enemy, and immediately turned around and besieged Guangyuan, leaving the Red 25th Division and other departments to prepare for reinforcements. The battle lasted for a week, and the Red Army basically cleared the outlying strongholds of Guang and Zhao, and surrounded Guangyuan and Zhaohua from all directions. After the Red Army occupied Yangmoba, Guangyuan's back was fully exposed, and the enemy troops who fled back to Guangyuan from Yangmoba vividly described to Ding Delong the fierceness of the Red Army's attack.Ding Delong felt threatened. At twelve o'clock that night, he called Gan Jingsheng, who was guarding Zhaohua, to make preparations to defend the city overnight, and to send a battalion to rush to Sanleiba to strengthen the rear.Gan Jingsheng sent a battalion to reinforce Sanleiba as ordered, and at dawn on the 25th, he withdrew the security forces on the north bank of the Baihe River back to the south bank of the river, cut off the pontoon bridge, and set up security. On the morning of January 25th, the 93rd Division of the Red Army moved towards Zhaohua. The forward encountered the guarded enemy at Yahongyan at Dengjia Ferry. The forward of the 93rd Division charged, and the enemy immediately retreated to the pavilion in Zhaohua City. position.The troops of the 93rd Division quickly seized positions on Tianxiong Pass and the back hill of Zhaohua City, and launched a fierce attack on the Zhaohua defenders. Zhaohua has a history of two thousand years. After the unification of Bashu by the Qin Dynasty, Jiameng County was set up here. Since then, the ancient city of Jiameng has become an important town in the Shu Han Dynasty.In the Song Dynasty, it was renamed Zhaohua County, which means "showing the emperor's grace to transform the people".The ancient city of Zhaohua is backed by mountains on three sides and water on two sides. The Jialing River and the Shejian River go around the city. The ancients called it "although it is a small city, it is as solid as a golden soup".Because the geographical location is extremely important, it has always been a battleground for military strategists.As a strategic town, the ancient city of Zhaohua has tall and strong walls.According to the "Zhaohua County Annals" recorded in the 22nd year of Daoguang in Qing Dynasty (1842): "The old earth city was built with stones in the Mingshun period (1457-1464). Zhang, three feet high, and one or two feet thick." In the 31st year of Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1766), the eunuch Li Yixiang received more than 17,000 taels of silver to repair the ancient city wall, but was dismissed because of reducing the city area.Baoning Mansion also ordered Wu Tingxiang to rebuild the east and west city walls in Xinyi, with stone on the outer walls and bricks on the inner walls.The project was completed in the thirty-sixth year of Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1771), and the original appearance of the ancient city of Mingshun was basically restored.After completion, the Zhaohua city wall is about 12 meters high and four meters thick. The city wall is entirely made of blue stones, surrounded by moats, and there are hundreds of meters of open land outside the city.The enemy army defending the city is fully equipped with firepower, condescending.The tall and solid city walls and fierce firepower made the Red Army's attacks repeatedly blocked. The Red Army lacked large-caliber guns and other offensive weapons. Bullets from rifles and machine guns left only a small hole in the blue stone wall. The attack distance was long, and grenades were useless. A small amount of mortars could not pose a fatal threat to the enemy. .The enemy was guarding the city wall, and dozens of light and heavy machine guns sprinkled bullets in all directions like water.To set up the siege ladder, the Red Army soldiers had to cross an open area of ​​two to three hundred meters, which caused great casualties to the siege troops.In order to reduce casualties, the Red Army could only use the cover of night to launch an attack.In order to prevent the Red Army from attacking at night, Gan Jingsheng ordered that every night, all the strongholds around the city wall should be illuminated with torches all night, which caused great difficulties for the Red Army to attack.The two sides formed a confrontation. In the winter in northern Sichuan, the cold wind howled, the ice and snow drifted, and the enemy troops in Guangyuan and Zhaohua cities wore thick padded jackets. They hoarded a large amount of food and ammunition in the city. With their solid defense, Ding Delong was confident. On the 26th, Ding Delong called Hu Zongnan: Guangyuan has already raised food, and it can last for half a month. If it continues to raise money, it will not be difficult to last for three months or half a year. Retain the majority of bandits. Knowing that the Red Army was attacking the two cities of Guangzhao and Guangzhao, Chiang Kai-shek urgently ordered Hu Zongnan to station the first division in Yangpingguan to go south to support Guangzhao and Zhaozhou day and night. Liu Xiang also urgently ordered Deng Xihou and Tian Songyao to attack the Red Army from their respective defense areas.Deng Xihou led tens of thousands of reinforcements from Lianghekou and Baitianba to the Red Army's side. This time, the Red Fourth Front Army's warring target changed from the Sichuan Warlords to Chiang Kai-shek's Central Army, Jiachuan Army, and the Central Army was the main force; The Staff Group of the Changxing Battalion.After the Battle of Guangzhao started, the National Government Military Committee Chairman and Battalion Staff Group sent by Chiang Kai-shek quickly adjusted the deployment of the Sichuan Army according to the situation on the battlefield. The bad habit of beggar-thy-neighbor. Chiang Kai-shek hated the bad habit of the generals of the Sichuan army to protect themselves in front of battle. This time the Red Army attacked his direct troops with heavy troops, he was afraid that the leaders of the Sichuan army would stand by and watch. On January 26, he sent a signed telegram to the generals of the Sichuan army with a collective warning: The actions of the red bandits were very erratic. Our army's battle against the bandits is extremely fast.Leaders of the troops.Only when you are on the line can you meet the opportunity.People in recent times often say that the strategy of suppressing bandits is that the front counter-commands the rear, which is indeed a theory of insight into the crux of the problem.Naizha Chuanzhong's generals are always in the rear, and the responsibility for the front is entrusted to their subordinates, and the generals and schools they belong to have also learned from each other and entrusted them layer by layer.As a result, military discipline is abolished in peacetime, and military opportunities are lost when things happen.Speaking of this, I can't help sighing!Afterwards, all military chiefs must abide by the orders of their superiors, stay at designated places, and are not allowed to leave without the approval of the chiefs.Anyone who seems to be negligent before or loses his teacher because of it will be punished severely according to the crime of disobedience and humiliation, and will never be lenient.Hope to transfer to order.One sandalwood compliance. At this time, the north and south banks of the Jialing River had become one, and the battle lasted until the 29th. After suffering heavy casualties, the 88th Division and the 1st Division of the 31st Army successively captured Guangyuan Airport and Wulong Fort. The attack cannot make progress.It is taboo for military strategists to station troops under the strong city.Hu Zongnan understood the tactics of the Red Army's "siege and fight for aid". Not only did he not send troops to reinforce Guang and Zhao, but he also transferred a regiment stationed in Yangpingguan back to Bikou, with the intention of exhausting the Red Army by relying on the city's fatigue.Seeing that the battle situation was about to fall into an unfavorable situation, Xu Xiangqian and Chen Changhao decided to withdraw from the encirclement and return to the division, looking for another opportunity to fight.