During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, many outstanding generals emerged in our army, and they showed excellent command skills at a young age. Unfortunately, Zuo Quan was hit by a Japanese shell during the breakthrough at Cross Ridge and died for the country, at the age of 37.
Some people commented on Zuo Quan that if he had not died so early, then according to his previous battle achievements, Zuo Quan would have no problem evaluating a general at all. Because at that time, the power of the two words "left power" was greater than that of artillery shells for the Japanese army. And after hearing the news of his death, the Japanese army happily set up a banquet to celebrate?
What ability does Zuo Quan have that can make the Japanese army so jealous? Since the War of Resistance Against Japan. There are so many generals sacrificed in our army, why is General Peng so indignant about this matter?
The victorious general, the nightmare of the Japanese army
Zuo Quan joined the Whampoa Military Academy in 1924 and became one of the first cadets at that time. At the Whampoa Military Academy, Zuo Quan learned practical knowledge beyond books, and in the process gradually strengthened his Marxist beliefs, and began to grow from a progressive student to a qualified communist fighter.
After returning from the Soviet Union, he served as the chief of education of the Red Army Officer School, teaching his students what he had learned at the Whampoa Rank and Sun Yat-sen University in Moscow. In the same year, Zuo Quan also became the commander of the Red New 12th Army, when he was just 25 years old.
At this time, coinciding with the first Kuomintang civil war, after the failure of the fifth anti-encirclement and suppression campaign, the Red Army was forced to start the process of strategic transfer, and Zuo Quan's performance in this was even more prominent, especially in the process of forcibly crossing the Dadu River, Zuo Quan led his troops to pretend to attack the Shubao Ferry, attracting the superior strength of the Kuomintang, but in fact, it was diverting the attention of the Kuomintang army to Anshun Field and helping the Red Army to cross the river.
Although the forced crossing of the Dadu River and the capture of the Luding Bridge have become the landmark victories on the Road of our army's Long March, if it were not for Zuo Quan and his troops to relieve the worries of the real battlefield, then the time for the Red Army to cross the river would certainly be delayed. On the battlefield, the war situation changes rapidly, time is life, if the main force of the Red Army can not cross the river at the specified time, it will be blocked by the main force of the Kuomintang in the south, and the war situation in China as a whole will change with it.
The Japanese invasion of China interrupted the dispute between the Kuomintang and the Communists, and in Mao Zedong's initiative of "armistice and peace, unanimous resistance to Japan", Chiang Kai-shek also made the decision to jointly resist Japan, which led to the object of the left power battle from the Kuomintang reactionaries to the Japanese army invading China.
After the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communists in 1937, the Kuomintang held back most of the Japanese army's troops in the front, not only that, our army's guerrilla tactics were also very effective, in general, the Japanese army's strength was divided more and more fragmented, so it left a very large space for the Eighth Route Army, especially in North China, the Eighth Route Army established many base areas throughout the country. Our army's base areas are lined up, and there are many troops hoarded, and it was once called the "Little Yan'an" of the Taihang Mountains.
In the process of expanding the anti-Japanese base area, Zuo Quan fought many victorious battles, the most famous of which should be the Huangyadong Defense War, which was once hailed as "the most successful model battle against sweeping.".
Huangyadong, formerly known as the General Ordnance Institute of our army, was responsible for the repair and manufacture of guns and ammunition, and was one of the main sources of military and civilian weapons in the entire North China base area at that time. Because the weapons and ammunition produced in Huangyadong can continuously support the frontline battlefield, it has become a major problem for the Japanese army, and the Japanese army has repeatedly gone to Huangyadong to try to destroy our army's arsenal, but it has been successfully blocked by the heroic Eighth Route Army.
In order to defend the Huangyadong Arsenal and completely subdue the Japanese army, Peng Dehuai and Deputy Chief of Staff Zuo Quan sent Eight-Way Agents to guard the Arsenal, hoping to give them a fatal blow in the next Japanese attack.
On November 9, 1941, more than 2,000 Japanese troops came to sweep the Huangya Cave, and the battle was about to break out. However, at this time, the Eighth Route Army was already fully prepared under the command of Zuo Quan.
Although our army has made sufficient preparations, there is still a disparity in strength, and the Japanese army has added 3,000 people to support on the basis of 2,000 people, while our army's special task force regiment only has 1,200 people at this time, but fortunately, the terrain that is easy to defend and difficult to attack gives the Eighth Route Army a chance to breathe.
In the process of reconnaissance, the Japanese army found the weak point of our army - 1416 Heights. Under the anti-reconnaissance technology of our army, we learned of the movement of the Japanese army in time and went to the 1416 heights to provide support, after which Zuo Quan also made a military order that "we must not love the war, and return to the Huangya Cave in time."
For a time, the vicinity of the 1416 heights was full of our army and Japanese troops. The two sides engaged in a very fierce battle, and in the process, the Japanese army even produced inhumane incendiary bombs, and the generals of our army set fire on them. Despite this, there were still some heroic warriors who used their bodies to resist the Japanese attack, and the Japanese army finally paid a painful price to capture the 1416 heights.
After capturing the high ground, the Japanese marched proudly and continued to The Yellow Cliff Cave, what they did not know was that the Eighth Route Army had emptied the place at this moment, and all that awaited them was an empty cave and an ambush was already prepared.
Historical records record that in the Battle of Huangyadong, our army suffered 166 casualties, while the Japanese army paid the price of more than 1,000 lives. In this battle where less wins more, the casualty ratio is the same as the number of victories with less.
After this battle, zuo quan's prestige was even deeper into the hearts of the Japanese army in north China. In fact, this is not the first time they hate Zuo Quan, as early as the Hundred Regiments War, Zuo Quan and his superior Peng Dehuai have become the thorns in the eyes and flesh of the Japanese army.
After taking the initiative to sacrifice, he sacrificed heroically
The Japanese army was repeatedly frustrated on the battlefield of our army, so it moved its mind and tried to assassinate Peng Dehuai, the senior commander of the Eighth Route Army, in order to disturb the hearts and minds of our army and achieve its own goals.
The Japanese assassination plan had a lot to do with Ninji Okamura, the new Japanese commander in North China. After Okamura took office, he was determined to attack the guerrilla plan of the Eighth Route Army, stabilized this large rear area, freed his hands to clean up the frontal troops of the Kuomintang, and based on the rich resources of North China, provided a steady stream of material support for the Japanese army in the Pacific Theater.
Okamura Ninji was fierce in his heart, and even extended his black hand to innocent civilians, and implemented a cruel "three lights" policy of "burning, killing, and robbing the people in the base areas of North China." Under his plan, a large area of base areas in north China fell and became Japanese-occupied and guerrilla areas.
His sweeping plan, also known as the "Battle Plan C," was divided into two separate squads. They were the "Special Advance Killing Squad", one called the "Dachuan Advance Squad", which almost attacked Liu Bocheng, while the other "Yizi Advance Squad" successfully discovered the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army and almost assassinated Peng Dehuai, and they were also the culprits who caused zuo quan's sacrifice.
The Mashiko Advance Team was subordinate to the infantry of the Japanese 36th Division and was named after the regimental commander Mashiko Shigeo. The nature of this contingent is similar to the spies we now know, they are dressed in the clothes of the Eighth Route Army, speak Chinese, have been active near the base area for a long time, trying to infiltrate the military and civilians in the base area to collect intelligence, and are preparing to assassinate Peng Dehuai and other senior generals of our army.
In 1942, in the process of carrying out its mission, the "Mashiko Advance Team" was recognized by our army, and a skirmish with our army occurred, and after the soldiers reported the situation, it caused a rapid reaction from the leaders of the Eighth Route Army. Peng Dehuai and other leaders decided to move the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army, but the cunning enemy had infiltrated the headquarters and sent information to the main forces of the Japanese army outside, and the Eighth Route Army was surrounded by the Japanese army.
Peng Dehuai saw through the Japanese army's attempt in time and decided to break through to the east as soon as possible and turn into the area of western Hebei. However, the cunning Japanese army also had a premonition of the Eighth Route Army's marching intentions, and not only strafed the Eighth Route Army with aircraft cannons, but also used agents who had infiltrated the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army to carry out assassinations, preparing to assassinate Peng Dehuai, Liu Bocheng, Zuo Quan and others in a panic.
In order to divert the attention of the Japanese army, gain the possibility of a breakthrough, and also to protect the other eighth route army generals, Zuo Quan led the team to decide to stay behind the palace and use himself as a bait to contain the Japanese troops.
After a fierce battle, Zuo Quan and his team members came to the last blockade line. As long as they cross this blockade line, they can meet up with headquarters. But he had always been cautious at this moment, and in order to ensure the safety of the warriors, he chose to take the lead and cross the hillside.
But no one expected that just as he was about to reach the opposite safety zone, a shell fell, and the shrapnel hit him directly on the head, and he was killed on the spot.
What is even more tragic is that the "Mashiko Advance Team" actually dug up Zuo Quan's grave and took a picture of his body. After this, he even threw Zuo Quan's body at will and published the photo in the newspaper, which was a humiliation for Chinese, who had always attached importance to "burying in the ground and the dead being big".
After Zuo Quan's sacrifice, all the leaders of the Eighth Route Army expressed their grief, especially after hearing about the actions of the "Mako Advance Team", which was even more sad and indignant.
Peng Dehuai gritted his teeth and said, "In the future, we will do three things, three of the same things, the first is revenge, the second is revenge, and the third is revenge!" Marshal Zhu De clearly said: "We must inherit the legacy of Comrade Zuo Quan and avenge Comrade Zuo Quan," and Deng Xiaoping, Liu Bocheng, Nie Rongzhen, and others also expressed their regret for the young commander and their hatred for the Japanese.
In addition to their grief, Peng Dehuai and other leaders formulated a detailed hunting and killing plan against the culprit that caused all this, the "Mashiko Advance Team". The "Mashiko Advance Team", which annoyed many commanders of the Eight Roads, what would be the end waiting for them?
Arousing the wrath of the people, our army took revenge
Peng Dehuai personally formulated a plan to take revenge on the "Machiko Advance Team", and designated Ou Fufu, the head of the headquarters special task force regiment, to select 30 commanders and fighters on the basis of merit and hand them over to Liu Manhe, a staff officer of the regimental headquarters, for strict training to avenge the death of Zuo Quan and other martyrs.
The intelligence system of the Eighth Route Army did not stop looking for traces of the "Mashiko Advance Team", and finally received good news in December 1942. It has been learned that the "Mashiko Advance Team" will stay for some time to attend a celebration banquet in Qi County, which is no different from a perfect opportunity for the members of the assassination regiment.
However, the situation in Qi County was more complicated, and some leaders in the county could not withstand the temptation of the Japanese army and surrendered to the Japanese army one after another. This has created considerable resistance for the Eighth Route Army to carry out assassination activities in Qi County. Fortunately, there were still some upright people in the party and government organs in Qi County, and these people were all stationed by Lin Yi, an intelligence officer.
After Lin Yi learned of this, he assigned tasks to the staff of Qi County, hoping that they could cooperate with the work of the assassination squad, mainly to find out the basic situation of the banquet and find a way to bring the members of the assassination squad in.
On the day of the banquet, 30 members of the assassination squad dressed up as diners and runners gathered at the Dadexing Restaurant in Qixian County. When they saw the "Mashiko Advance Team", although they were very angry in their hearts, they did not show any emotions on the surface, and the members disguised as diners ate seriously, and they became members of the running hall, running around busily, without missing any flaws.
When the "Mako Advance Team" was drunk, Liu Manhe smashed the cup as an order, and the members of the assassination team gathered from all sides, took out daggers and began to move separately. Previously, due to the fear of unnecessary riots caused by the sound of gunfire and alarming the Japanese puppet army, the operational weapons of the assassination squad had all been replaced with daggers.
The "Mashiko Advance Team" is worthy of professional training, and in a short period of time, some people began to wake up and resist the assassination squad, and for a time the whole restaurant was filled with the sound of fighting between the two sides. However, the assassination squad is also the best of the best, after strict training, the resistance of the Japanese squad only delayed the time of their own death, and could not change the end of the day.
After the completion of the assassination squad's mission, the head of the "Mashiko Advance Team" was hung on the city wall, on the one hand, to comfort the martyrs and civilians who died innocent and tragic deaths, and on the other hand, to warn the Japanese not to underestimate the determination of the Chinese army to take revenge. Keep in mind that "those who offend our Chinese will be punished from afar."
The news that the Eighth Route Army had successfully killed the "Masiko Advance Team" caused panic among other Japanese agents, and in order to maintain the military morale of the Japanese army, Okamura Ninji announced the dissolution of the "Masiko Advance Team", and the evil "Masiko Advance Team" finally came to an end.
epilogue
The despicable means adopted by the Japanese in the process of invading China are more than one kind: germ warfare, secret service warfare, and the "three lights" policy; fortunately, there are heroes like Zuo Quan who have gone forward for us and succeeded us, so that we can have a peaceful and stable life.
Zuo Quan was not only the highest-ranking general who died on the anti-Japanese battlefield of our army, but also a rare all-rounder of literature and martial arts, and also the epitome of the vast number of soldiers in that era. They are brave and fearless, not afraid of hardships, willing to dedicate their time and lives to great causes.
We are not going to talk about his story today for the sake of pure narrative, but to remind future generations that while remembering these heroes, we must also remember the causes of that period of suffering. Don't be blindly resentful, and you must never forget history!