In July 1935, the Red Army reached northwest Sichuan during the Long March, and Chiang Kai-shek decided that the next steps for the Red Army would be: First, through Longnan or Qinghai to the northwest, open up international routes and communicate with the Soviet Union; second, eastward towards the Min River, facing Dajinchuan, establish a base area; third, take Lifan and Maogong as new base areas, and gradually plan to develop. In the above three directions, the first possibility is more.
Unexpectedly, the Red Army was involved in danger and made a mistake, unexpectedly crossing the meadow and entering Gannan in the north, completely disrupting his deployment. Therefore, he urgently ordered Hu Zongnan to lead the 1st Division and other main forces to assemble in the Songpan area and prepare for a decisive battle with the Red Army again.
After a long journey, the officers and men of the "First Division under Heaven" were exhausted. Hu Zongnan climbed the city wall, circled around the city, carefully inspected the terrain outside the city, and saw that the lofty mountains and mountains were surrounded by mountains, the only ancient road passed through the city from south to north, and Songpan was like an indestructible floodgate, strangling the traffic in Sichuan and Gansu.
At this time, Yu Da, chief of staff, suggested: "We may as well send small troops to Mao'ergai to fortify and prepare for the outpost, so as to prevent the bandits from suddenly coming down to the city and catching me off guard."
Hu Zongnan turned to the soldiers and said, "Commander Li of the 1st Regiment Reinforcement Battalion runs forward!" ”
Li Riji ran up the city wall sweating profusely, and breathlessly reported: "Li Riji, the commander of the reinforcement battalion of the 1st Regiment, has seen the division seat!" ”
Hu Zongnan had always been crisp and neat in his work, and pointed to the map and began to issue a task: "Order your battalion to pull out tomorrow morning and go to Mao'ergai to garrison."
"Yes!"
"The task is seven words: search, vigilance, guerrilla warfare. If the bandits come to attack, whether they can fight or not is up to you, and you don't have to ask me for instructions! ”
"Yes."
Lee Ri-ki ran away.
On July 8, Li Riji led more than 1,000 people and horses to Maoergai, a small river running from north to south, although the river is not wide, but the flow is very large, the river is discharged for thousands of miles, and the sound shock is several miles. There are gentle slopes 100 meters wide on both sides, planted with barley that are about to ripen, and the two mountains in the east and west face each other across the river. At the foot of the West Mountain there is a lama temple with a golden pagoda inside the temple. When Lee Il-ki entered the temple, he couldn't help but be overjoyed that there were two hundred empty houses inside, and according to Tongsi who led the way, this desolate place was a center of religious activities, and every time there was a big rally, the four lamas gathered here, and those empty houses were reserved for them.
Lee Il-ki ordered the whole battalion to enter the temple, and then led a group of soldiers to reconnoiter around, and drew the topographic map and sent people to Songpan.
Hu Zongnan looked at the topographic map and believed that MaoErgai's strategic position was important, so he sent a telegram ordering Li Riji to hold firm and intercept the Red Army. Li Riji was surprised to receive the telegram, and immediately called back to say that at least one regiment of troops was needed to hold Mao'ergai. Hu Zongnan also ordered the deputy commander of the supplementary 2nd Regiment to lead a battalion to reinforcements.
As soon as the deputy regimental commander arrived at Mao'ergai, he couldn't help but take a breath of cool air and said, "Although the mountain is large, it does not grow trees, and the waist-deep thatch has withered and yellowed for the most part, and the slope of the mountain is relatively gentle, and a few charges can reach the top of the mountain." There is no danger to defend, to build fortifications, it is easy to talk about! The lone army went deep into such a desolate place, and it was clear that Shangfeng was beating the dog with meat buns. ”
While the deputy regimental commander was troubled, the savior arrived.
Li Mo, a staff officer of the division headquarters, went to Aba on the orders of Hu Zongnan to contact the Tibetan Toastmasters, and on the way back to Songpan, he passed by Mao'ergai. The deputy regimental commander had a good friendship with him, good meat and good wine, and sighed during the banquet, and Li Mo asked: "What is bothering?" ”
"Mao'er Gai is the place where the Red Bandits must pass, and I have recently heard that a large group of people and horses are crossing the snowy mountains, this place is easy to attack and difficult to defend, we are only playing an outpost role here, and if we really want to stick to it, it is tantamount to committing suicide!"
Li Mo had drunk three times, and he was already a little drunk, and he was deeply worried about his friend.
"Sooner or later, this outpost will be removed by the communists," the deputy regimental commander induced, "and since it is a sentry, why should there be so many people?" The division seat was improperly disposed of! ”
Li Mo thought about it, stopped the cup and threw it, and promised with indignation: "I will try to transfer you back to Songpan, not only to relieve the worries of the elder brother, but also to preserve the strength of the party-state." ”
Two days later, when Li Mo returned to Songpan, Hu Zongnan asked how many troops were needed to hold Mao'ergai. Li Mo said, "One battalion is enough! ”
Hu Zongnan sighed and finally realized the mystery in Li Ming's words, since Mao Ergai's role was only to warn, the Red Army was bound to gain, and the more troops were invested, the more losses would be lost, so he ordered the deputy regimental commander to lead the troops to withdraw.
A few days later, late one night, Hu Zongnan received another urgent telegram from Li Riji, so he resolutely ordered:
"The battalion immediately withdrew the telegram and smashed the radio; the soldier who returned was rewarded with 10 yuan for each person, and 20 yuan for a weapon."
Lee Ri-ki translated the telegram to "and smash the radio station", so he did not translate it, grabbed a rifle, slammed it with the butt of the rifle, and then led his troops to break through.
By the time he fled to Songpan, the reinforcement battalion of thousands of men was less than a hundred. He was deeply afraid of Hu Zongnan's punishment. In the midst of panic, Hu Zongnan's aide-de-camp told him to go to the quartermaster office to receive the reward, which confused the second monk. Asking about the situation, Fang turned his worries into joy.
In this way, the Red Army did not fire a single shot and occupied Mao'ergai.