Peng Xiaoming, Hu Lang, Zou Chaojie, Zhou Yunbo, Cover news reporter Chen Yanfei, Wang Yuexin, and photo courtesy of the interviewee
"That army is back!" The 70-year-old Wang mother-in-law could not help but sigh.
At about 9:00 a.m. on September 6, she was rescued by officers and men of a brigade of the 77th Group Army, and along with her, five victims of the disaster in Wandong Village, Detuo Town, Luding County, Sichuan Province. With the support of rescue officers and soldiers, they boarded a storm boat on the Dadu River.
In the view of Grandma Wang, this is a military-civilian "mutual crossing" after 87 years. 87 years ago, the people helped the Red Army through the natural graben, and now, the People's Liberation Army has helped the people turn the crisis into safety. "The story of the boatmen helping the Red Army to cross the Dadu River is passed on by word of mouth, but I didn't expect that today it was the descendants of the Red Army who helped us get through the difficulties." Grandma Wang said.
Officers and men of the 77th Group Army were evacuating the affected people along the Dadu River
【That year】Anshunchang Ferry Encountered the Red Army 21-year-old boatman stepped forward
Dadu River is the largest tributary of the Min River, the river is turbulent, can make the goose feathers sink to the bottom, known as "natural danger".
"My grandfather was a well-known boatman along the Anshunchang Ferry, where he helped the Red Army cross the Dadu River." When the reporter contacted Shang Shuaifei, he was participating in the earthquake relief in caoke township of "isolated island", and in May 1935, when his grandfather Shuai Shigao was 21 years old, he became the helmsman of the first boat of the Red Army to forcibly cross the Dadu River.
"At that time, the river was more than 300 meters wide, and it took more than 1 hour to send the Red Army across the river to cross the river." Shuai Fei, who listened to his grandfather tell stories since he was a child, still remembers this history very clearly. The story of this forced crossing of the Dadu River has also gradually spread in the oral tradition of later generations.
Red Army ferry
In May 1935, after crossing the Jinsha River, the Central Red Army rushed towards the Dadu River. On the evening of the 24th, the advance troops of the Red Army attacked Anshun field at night and took control of the Anshun field ferry port located on the south bank of the Dadu River. Take the top wooden boat. But if you want to cross the Dadu River, you must find a local boatman who is familiar with the hydrological situation.
So, there was a knock on the door of the handsome man's house along the river. Due to the Kuomintang's "demonization" propaganda against the Red Army, Shuai Shigao only opened a gap in the door. "Boss, don't be afraid, we are Chairman Mao's Red Army, specially for the poor to fight the world!" The Words of the Red Army impressed Shuai Shigao, so he agreed to the Red Army's request and found 3 more boatmen to help.
77 boatmen ferry 7 days and nights to send more than 7,800 Red Army soldiers across the river
At that time, Chiang Kai-shek attempted to take advantage of the natural danger of the Dadu River to fortify the north bank.
In the early morning of May 27, 1935, the cliffs washed by the torrential rain stood tall and appeared particularly deserted. The Dadu River at the foot of the cliff roars, and the atmosphere on both sides of the river is extremely tense. A battle concerning the survival of the Central Red Army was fought at the Dadu River.
"After 7 o'clock in the morning, my grandfather and the Red Army pulled the wooden boat with a rope to the current position of the Red Army ferry." When crossing the river, the enemy troops on the opposite side attacked with rivet-foot fire, and when the bullets clearly crossed his ears, Shuai Shigao was a little scared. But the Red Army soldiers on the ship kept firing back with their guns, and this spirit of not being afraid of sacrifice infected Shuai Shigao, so he paddled the oars harder to the opposite shore.
It was with the help of the local boatmen and the cover of artillery fire on the south bank that the brave team of 17 brave men crossed the river in one fell swoop and succeeded. While expanding the results, two more small boats were found on the opposite shore.
Subsequently, more boatmen joined the team to help the Red Army cross the river, and after 7 days and 7 nights of people taking the boat back and forth, 77 boatmen successfully sent more than 7800 Red Army troops across the river. It laid a solid foundation for the Red Army to rush to Luding and eventually go north.
Later, the shipwrights, including Shuai Shigao, feared retaliation from the Kuomintang, had to flee in all directions, and it was difficult for them to return home for several years. Shuai Shigao hid outside for 17 years before returning to his hometown.
"Later, at the behest of my grandfather, I became a soldier, and he wanted me to be a person who could contribute to the people." Today's Shuai Fei can better understand his grandfather's good intentions, he thinks, when his children are a little older, he will tell this story to his children, and tell it for generations.
【Today】Storm boats open up the lifeline on the water to transfer 160 victims
Today, less than 60 kilometers from the Anshunchang ferry port, the 200 officers and men of the 77th Group Army, in the face of landslides and landslides, all roads leading to the village have been blocked, use storm boats to open up the water lifeline.
Officers and men of the 77th Group Army were evacuating the affected people along the Dadu River
"There is no road in the forest in the mountains, but our team, with a shovel and a sickle, has finally opened up a safe passage along the way to facilitate the evacuation of the masses and take a storm boat." The fighters involved in the rescue said that the brigade leader and the commandos rushed to the front, and after 15 minutes of bumping on the Dadu River, they finally reached the nearest landing point to the village, and then took the way of climbing and building ropes, climbing hard for more than 3 hours, and finally reached the village.
Officers and men of the 77th Group Army were evacuating the affected people along the Dadu River
Officers and men of the 77th Group Army were evacuating the affected people along the Dadu River
"The shipwright Shuai Shigao was only 21 years old at the time, about the same age as the young man who came to the disaster relief." Batch after batch, boat after boat, 128 people and 32 wounded were smoothly transferred by the PLA to a safe place, and medical treatment and life were quickly and properly resettled.
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