In April 1942, a man named Hu Fu, under the cover of more than 100 plainclothes soldiers of the New Fourth Army, set off from Shan Jia Port in Funing, Northern Jiangsu Province, traveled day and night along the way, headed towards Shandong, and arrived in Zhufan Village, Linshu County, the base area of Shandong, in early April, and stayed in Wang's old residence under the escort of a group of guards.
After Hu Fu came in, there were no requirements in life, only a change of clothes and pillows in the room, and a guard lived next to him. After the "Hufu" came, they either met with different local cadres in this courtyard and talked to them late at night, or under the protection of the guards, they often ran to the village to talk with the elderly and understand the real thoughts of the people at the bottom.
After several months of intense busyness, Hu Fu returned to Yan'an under the protection of the guards, and they learned the true identity of Hu Fu from other people, it turned out that he was the central leader Liu Shaoqi, and this time received a secret order from Chairman Mao to preside over the work in Shandong. So why did Chairman Mao specifically send Liu Shaoqi to Shandong? What measures did Liu Shaoqi take in Shandong? What was the result?
Liu Shaoqi
After the outbreak of the Lugou Bridge Incident, the Japanese and Kosovars gathered heavy troops in North China, the Chinese nation was facing a serious crisis, and the Kuomintang and the Communists joined hands to resist japanese aggression under the anti-Japanese national united front. Shandong is a strategic point connecting North China and Central China, and after the Japanese army occupied Pingjin, the sword blade pointed directly at Shandong.
On December 23, 1937, the Japanese army crossed the Yellow River south to attack Jinan, and Han Fuyu, the chairman of the Kuomintang Shandong Province and commander of the Third Army, stationed in Jinan, in order to preserve his strength, did not have the slightest determination to resist the war, retreated in the face of the Japanese attack, and fled in the face of the wind. In less than a month, most of Shandong fell into enemy hands.
Han Fuqu
Shandong's geographical location is extremely important and of great significance to the overall development of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, so at the time of the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, our Party has begun to call on the people in Shandong to resist the War, establish armed forces, and open up anti-Japanese base areas. At the end of 1938, our Party had opened up anti-Japanese base areas centered on Leling, Ningjin, and Qingyun in northern Shandong, and the anti-Japanese work in Shandong was proceeding in an orderly manner.
In 1939, in order to strengthen our party's Shandong anti-war strength and crush the Japanese invasion of the base areas, the 115th Division entered Shandong. Lin Biao, the commander of the 115th Division, had gone to the Soviet Union to recuperate, and the current division commanders and political commissars were Chen Guang and Luo Ronghuan. After entering Shandong, the 115th Division, in conjunction with the Shandong Column, uprooted a large number of Japanese puppet army strongholds, expanded the scope of the anti-Japanese base areas, and consolidated the achievements in the construction of the base areas.
Military victory is naturally inseparable from the role of politics and economy. At the beginning of entering Shandong, Luo Ronghuan and Zhu Rui (leaders of the Shandong Branch of the CPC) actively implemented the policy of "reducing rents in the Second Five-Year Plan, reducing interest rates by half, and increasing capital on May Day", which won the heartfelt support of the people at the bottom, and the anti-Japanese base area in northwest Lubei developed rapidly and greatly consolidated the anti-Japanese democratic regime.
However, Luo Ronghuan and Zhu Rui had a disagreement soon after. After the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression entered 1941, the Shandong base area entered the most difficult moment. At that time, in order to cooperate with the German army in attacking the Soviet Union and at the same time prepare for the Pacific War, the Japanese army attempted to eliminate the anti-Japanese armed forces in Shandong in order to achieve the purpose of opening up the main north-south communication route, and carried out a large-scale "sweep" of the Shandong base area. ”
In 1942, the Japanese army concentrated 47,000 troops in Shandong, plus 110,000 puppet troops, the total strength reached nearly 160,000. At that time, on how to further strengthen the anti-Japanese struggle in the base areas and expand the anti-Japanese armed forces in the base areas, Luo Ronghuan and Zhu Rui had differences. Luo Ronghuan believed that a vigorous policy of "rent reduction and interest reduction" should be carried out in order to win the support of the peasants at the bottom, while Zhu Rui opposed Luo Ronghuan's opinion, saying that at this stage, women and young people should be mobilized first, and the peasant movement and rent reduction and interest reduction would be done well. Due to the differences of opinion between Zhu Rui and Luo Ronghuan, it is difficult to carry out the "rent reduction and interest reduction" campaign.
On how to develop the anti-Japanese armed forces and smash the Japanese army's campaign to clear and suppress the base areas, Luo Ronghuan and Zhu Rui had different opinions. The leadership of the two sides was divided, especially at the most difficult moment of the Shandong War of Resistance, and the slightest carelessness could turn into a subversive disaster. Faced with the problem of different opinions among the Shandong leadership, the CPC Central Committee dispatched Xu Xiangqian, then deputy commander of the 129th Division and former commander-in-chief of the Fourth Front, to preside over the work in Shandong.
In order to enhance the centripetal force of the Shandong leadership, Xu Xiangqian reorganized the 115th Division and the Shandong Column into the Shandong First Column, so that the leading cadres of the 115th Division and the Shandong Column often stayed together to enhance their tacit understanding with each other. However, their differences have not been resolved, the two sides are still "independent", and the situation in the Shandong base area has worsened. Xu Qiangqian had no choice but to re-divide the 115th Division and the Shandong Column, and everything remained unchanged. Subsequently, Xu Xiangqian was transferred from Shandong by the central government, but Shandong's problems were still severe.
Xu Xiangqian
The Japanese army's "sweeping" of the Shandong base area is still in progress, of which more than 70 times more than 1,000 people have swept up, and as many as 9 times more than 10,000 people have made the Shandong base area suffer huge losses. By the end of 1942, the population of Shandong's base area had dropped sharply from 12 million to 7.3 million, and the base area had decreased from 36,000 square kilometers to 25,000 square kilometers.
The CPC Central Committee has seen the dangerous situation in Shandong and knows that it is extremely urgent to send a cadre to preside over the overall situation. At that time, Liu Shaoqi was guiding the work of the New Fourth Army in northern Jiangsu, and Chairman Mao called Liu Shaoqi: "There has been a debate for a long time... When you pass through Shandong, please investigate and solve it."
It was against such a tense background that Liu Shaoqi came to Shandong in April 1942. So, in the face of the tense situation in Shandong, how will Liu Shaoqi mediate the differences between Shandong's leading cadres and stabilize the overall situation of Shandong's War of Resistance?
On April 10, 1942, Liu Shaoqi, who had finished his work in central China, arrived in Zhufan Village, Linshu County, 115th Division, Shandong. After Liu Shaoqi arrived in Shandong, he immediately began to solve the problem. In the first step, Liu Shaoqi first held a meeting with the Shandong Sub-Bureau and the 115th Division's "rent reduction and interest reduction" policy implementation personnel to summarize the experience and existing problems in Shandong's "rent reduction and interest reduction" work in the past few years. In the second step, Liu Shaoqi tirelessly went deep into the bottom people's investigation to understand the real needs of the bottom people. In the third step, Liu Shaoqi organized his secretaries to send Shandong's party, government, and military materials in recent years for half a month's careful analysis.
Thanks to Liu Shaoqi's efforts, the crux of the implementation of the "rent and interest reduction" movement in Shandong was finally found; the party organizations in the Shandong base areas did not mobilize the strength of the people at the bottom, and mass work was the weakest link in all work. After carefully and meticulously investigating and understanding the situation in the Shandong base area, on April 16, Liu Shaoqi held a meeting at the Shandong branch bureau, which was presided over by Zhu Rui and Liu Shaoqi made a report.
Liu Shaoqi affirmed the achievements made in the Shandong base areas, and then pointed out the shortcomings in the work of Shandong's leadership, the main problem being that the "rent reduction and interest reduction" campaign could not be carried out, and the people at the bottom were not fully mobilized. Through this meeting, Liu Shaoqi reached a consensus on the implementation of the "rent reduction and interest reduction" campaign among Shandong leading cadres, and determined that letting go of the masses and comprehensively implementing the "rent reduction and interest reduction" campaign is the first step in solving the Shandong problem.
Thanks to Liu Shaoqi's efforts, the crisis situation in Shandong has gradually been alleviated. At the beginning of May, the Shandong branch began to fully implement the "rent reduction and interest reduction" campaign. The movement to reduce rents and interest rates conforms to the aspirations of the broad masses of the people, enables the anti-Japanese base areas to achieve unprecedented development, and plays a tremendous role in the victory of the war against Japan in the future.
In June 1942, Chairman Mao called Liu Shaoqi and appointed him to handle Shandong affairs on behalf of the Central Committee. In July, Chairman Mao called Liu Shaoqi again to clarify the problems he might encounter in Shandong in the future. This telegram was sent by Chairman Mao alone to Liu Shaoqi and is not allowed to be disclosed to anyone, and the contents of the telegram can be divided into three parts:
First, the current policy is to maintain cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party and to work towards peaceful post-war nation-building. After Japan's defeat, the troops of the New Fourth Army needed to assemble in North China as a condition for the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communists, so Shandong was the only way for the New Fourth Army to transfer.
Second, after the end of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, if Chiang Kai-shek attacked the New Fourth Army with heavy troops, then Shandong would be the main route for the New Fourth Army to go north, and it would also be the most important task for the construction of Shandong troops.
Third, during this period of time in Shandong, you can command the affairs of central China, Shandong and the Northern Bureau.
Chairman Mao's telegram made a judgment on the future development of the situation, and even more gave Liu Shaoqi great autonomy; far-reaching consideration was given to the future development of Shandong's work, the future development of the New Fourth Army, and the peace talks between the Kuomintang and the Republic after the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
Under the guidance of Chairman Mao and under the command of Liu Shaoqi, the Shandong sub-bureau vigorously launched the "rent reduction and interest reduction" campaign, and by the end of 1942, the Shandong militia had reached 170,000 people, and the self-defense regiment had reached 820,000 people. With the cooperation of local armed forces, the Shandong Eighth Route Army smashed many "sweeps" of the Japanese puppet army in one year, repelled the offensive attacks of the diehards, and began to change the situation between the enemy and us in the Shandong area.
Chairman Mao
During this period of time in Shandong, Liu Shaoqi lived up to the heavy trust of the party Central Committee, went deep into the investigation and analysis of the base areas, successfully solved the problems in the Shandong base areas, and enabled the Development of the Shandong Base Areas. Later, the Shandong base area became the most powerful anti-Japanese base area of our party, and the number of regular troops reached one-third of our army, and history proves that Liu Shaoqi has made great contributions to the development of the Shandong base area.
In late July of that year, seeing that everything was on the right track, Liu Shaoqi asked the central government for instructions to return to Yan'an. So under the protection of more than a dozen guards, Liu Shaoqi and his party disguised themselves as ordinary people and began to go north. Liu Shaoqi set off from Nanshan Lake to the Huxi base area, this section of the road is not easy to walk, to pass through more than two hundred kilometers of enemy-occupied areas, and along the way a group of people carrying twelve bags of documents.
Escorted by the railway brigade, the group came to the east bank of Weishan Lake via Jiang Ji. At that time, the Japanese army suddenly increased the strength of the stronghold, the surrounding situation became tense, for the safety of Liu Shaoqi, the railway brigade decided to change the route of travel, by boat to the reeds to rest for a day.
The next night, just as the members of the railway brigade were preparing to hand over the escort task to the Weihu brigade, the Japanese army launched a "sweep" of the Huxi area, and under the dense blockade of the Japanese army, the Lunan Military Region instructed the escort troops to temporarily not stop the lake. So Liu Shaoqi and the members of the railway brigade spent five difficult days and five nights in Weishan Lake.
In a few days, Liu Shaoqi and his entourage lived on a fishing boat, and the railway brigade arranged meals for him in order to take care of Liu Shaoqi's body, Liu Shaoqi refused the kindness of the railway brigade, and together with the entourage, he ate the lotus roots, fish and shrimp in the lake when he was hungry, and drank the clear lake water when he was thirsty. At night, Liu Shaoqi spends most of his time grading documents and writing articles, and when he is tired, he stands up and stretches his waist to breathe. Before going to bed at night, Liu Shaoqi did not forget the soldiers who slept on the deck, covering them with his coat and a blanket.
A few days later, the situation improved, and the Lunan Military Region ordered the Weihu Brigade to continue its escort mission, and the Railway Brigade completed its mission and returned to the east of Jinpu Road. Liu Shaoqi and his party drove a boat to the west bank of Weishan Lake, and arrived at hushan Wanglou a few hours later. After landing ashore, Liu Shaoqi bid farewell to the Weihu Brigade and rode on a war horse to embark on a new journey.
In late August, when Liu Shaoqi and his party entered Hebei and passed through the Pinghan Railway, under the arrangements of the local party organization, Liu Shaoqi transformed into a businessman and successfully passed through the Pinghan Railway in a puppet army car. After arriving at the headquarters of the 129th Division in early September, Chairman Mao called him to take a short break and inspect the work in North China.
Liu Shaoqi, who was worried about the work of the Central Bureau of the Central Committee, hurried to Zuoquan County, met with Peng Dehuai, then deputy commander-in-chief of the Eighth Route Army, to study how to deal with the "sweeping" in Jizhong Province.
Liu Shaoqi's opinion inspired the leaders of the Jizhong Military Region and greatly promoted the promotion of tunnel warfare in Jizhong. Subsequently, Liu Shaoqi and his party braved the cold winter winds to break through the layers of blockades of the Japanese puppet army, passing through several areas such as southeastern Jin, Taiyue, northwestern Jin, and Suide, and finally arrived in Yan'an at the end of December 1942.
Chairman Mao's telegram constructed the development strategy of the Shandong base areas, made countermeasures to the future situation, and showed Chairman Mao's far-sightedness. Liu Shaoqi trekked hard in Shandong and finally lived up to the trust of the party Central Committee and made tremendous contributions to the future development of the Shandong base area.