The capture of Jianmen Pass was an important battle in the history of the Red Fourth Front.
The Jianmen Pass on the Jialing River was the only pass for the Red Fourth Front to enter the main road in northwest Sichuan, and without capturing the Jianmen Pass, the Red Army could not enter northwest Sichuan.
In March 1935, the Red Fourth Front captured Jianmen Pass for the first time, but it was unsuccessful, thus exposing its intention to cross the Jialing River from Jianmen Pass. The Sichuan army quickly mobilized heavy troops, deployed around the Jianmen Pass, and built strong fortifications.
On April 1, the Red Army suddenly approached the sword gate again.
This battle was personally commanded by Wang Shusheng, deputy commander-in-chief of the Front.
The Sword Gate is all towering cliffs. The Red Army surrounded the enemy from the east, west and south, and after a night of fierce fighting, the next day at dawn all cleared the enemy strongholds outside Jianmen Pass. The defending enemy was forced to the last main peak position and was again surrounded by the Red Army.
In order not to give the enemy a chance to breathe, Wang Shusheng ordered the Red Army to immediately attack the enemy on the main peak. However, after a day of bitter fighting, he still did not lay the sword gate.
Because it was too steep, the Red Army attacked and was beaten back by enemy fire.
Wang Shu's voice summoned the famous ace battalion of the whole army, the "Night Attack Changsheng Army" Red 2 Battalion, and said to the battalion commander Chen Kang: "It is time for you to go up!" Then he ordered, "I order you to charge at the enemy's main peak!" ”
However, after the Red 2Nd Battalion launched a charge, it was also beaten down by the defending enemy, and the battalion commander Chen Kangdu was wounded.
Wang Shusheng said angrily, "Call the artillery company commander up!" ”
In fact, the artillery company only had a few mortars. Wang Shusheng said to the company commander: "I ordered that one of your three shells must hit the enemy fortifications and cover the 2nd Battalion's charge again." ”
As soon as the mortar sounded, Commissar Bao of the Red 2nd Battalion led the whole battalion to launch a second charge. Chen Kang also ignored the injury and rushed away. As a result, the warrior rushed to the top of the hill and threw a burst of grenades, "rumbling", and exploded on the enemy position. The defending enemy was frightened by this position, and immediately collapsed, running around and running around.
However, the Red Army found that the enemy was running more and more, one in the east and one in the west, like ants. Chen Kang was also stunned by this unexpected situation: "How did it happen, the enemy ran more and more?" In order to prevent accidents, he could not take much care of it, led the whole battalion to tightly "bite" the enemy and chase and fight fiercely, desperately rushing to the enemy's position.
Rushing into the enemy position, he saw that the enemy on the main peak was a battalion of group fortifications, and a battalion was hidden in the pine forest as a reserve, because the Red 2 Battalion attacked too fiercely and too quickly, the enemy did not have time to use the reserve, and the two battalions collapsed together, so the mountain was full of people.
The regimental commander Yang Zhuoyun, led by the enemy on the mountain. Before the war, he had ordered that anyone who saw a defeated soldier would be shot, and whoever fled back to the top of the mountain would be punished as "absconding from the front" and shooting. As a result, as soon as the defending enemy fled, the enemy behind them actually shot at their own people, and the defeated soldiers had to turn back and fight hard with the Red Army.
As a result, the remnants of the enemy could not advance, could not retreat, and were pressed into a trench less than 300 meters long. At this time, the Red 2 Battalion was condescending, hundreds of grenades were thrown down together, and the trough was crowded with people, and the grenades were blown up with smoke, like boiling a pot of rotten porridge. Yang Zhuoyun saw that the situation was not good, and hurriedly ordered the battalion commander Liao Yuzhang to carry out the silver dollar, and each soldier was awarded a three-yuan desperate award.
However, the commander of the Liao battalion did not send a few people, and he was shot in the waist, held by two soldiers, took a few steps, and fell to the ground and died.
Yang Qiyun saw that the position had been lost, the battalion commander had been shot and killed, and he could not care less, so he fled to the pass, looked up sharply, and closed the red flag "Hula" fluttering.
It turned out that just when the Red 2Nd Battalion was brutalizing the enemy in the bloody battle of the pass slot, Wang Shusheng sent another company to quickly insert it from the west side, seizing the pass and blocking the enemy's retreat.
Yang Qiyun had no choice but to flee to Yingpanzui with a few of his henchmen. But the Red Army behind was in hot pursuit. He didn't run a few steps, in front of him was a cliff tens of meters deep, and suddenly fell into a desperate situation where there was no way to the heavens and no door to the earth. The Red Army in the back shouted like thunder. Yang Zhuoyun had no choice but to jump off the cliff with his horse.
Decades later, Chen Kang recalled this scene and said, "Poor fat and short regimental commander, he actually died and mourned!" ”
At dusk, the battle of Jianmen Pass ended in victory, and the Red Army completely annihilated the four regiments defending the enemy, and finally opened the Sword Gate Pass of "Ten Thousand Fu Mo Kai".
After the war, Chen Kang was promoted to deputy regimental commander.