General Chen Geng joined the Communist Party of China in 1922 and was a veritable old revolutionary.
During his long revolutionary career, there was one thing that he had always mentioned as a regret and left a deep impression on his family.
His son, Chen Zhijian, recalled that it was in 1929, when he personally commanded a very important operation, the personnel were already in place, and the team was ambushed on the other side's necessary road, ready to rescue the arrested comrades.
However, no one expected that the people were ambushed, but there were unexpected problems with weapons. It also led to the failure of this operation. Chen Geng could only watch the enemy pass by and watch one of the most important leaders of our party being killed, and he was Peng Pao.
Who is Peng Pao? It can make Chen Geng so obsessed. And what is wrong with the weapon?
We are going to start with this comrade who needs to be saved.
Chen Zhijian
The reverse son of a large landowner's family
The name Peng Pao is somewhat unfamiliar to us now, but it was a big name in China at that time. Qu Qiubai called him and Mao Zedong the "king of the peasant movement", while Mao Zedong called him the "king of the peasant movement".
However, this "king of the peasant movement" was not from the imaginary peasantry.
Peng Pan was born in 1896 in Haifeng County, Guangdong Province, and his family was a well-known local landowning family.
According to Peng himself, his family of nearly 30 people "each had an average of fifty peasants as slaves." This means that the family controls nearly 1,500 farmers, and the influence can be imagined.
The landlord's house in the Republic of China
However, Peng Pan did not choose to lie on his family's huge wealth and become a second ancestor, but chose to actively participate in the wave of salvation and survival when the nation was in danger and the country was in trouble.
Like many progressive young people at that time, he made the introduction of advanced experience from other countries one of the ways to enrich and strengthen the country. And for the situation at that time, Japan's neighbor became the object of their learning.
Peng Pao also chose Japan as his first stop. After arriving in Tokyo, he changed his name from Peng Hanyu to Peng Pan, hoping that he would be like the sea, washing away the muddy water of the dark society with the waves of Peng Pan.
In 1918, Peng Pao was admitted to the Department of Political Economy of Waseda University, which shows Peng Pao's language ability in junior high school and Peng Pao's ambition - "to study political economy and reform with the aspirations".
Peng Pao when he was a student
However, on March 25, 1918, the then Beiyang government signed the "Agreement on Mutual Defense against the Enemy by the Chinese and Japanese Army" against Japan.
A Japanese document said that Japan had gained great benefits in this alliance, and militarily the Japanese army could enter and leave Chinese territory and participate in the training of the Chinese army; Politically, they can participate in China's internal affairs and foster pro-Japanese political forces; Economically, China's resources and markets can be exploited for Japan's use.
This triggered protests from students studying in Japan, and 3,000 students decided to return home en masse as a protest. Peng Pan was even more passionate, organizing the "General Office of the National Salvation Corps" in injury, publishing the "Letter of Returned Students Weeping to Their Compatriots", and later organizing the "Guangzhou Office of the National Salvation Corps" in Guangzhou, calling for resistance to Japanese aggression.
However, the Beiyang government at that time did not repent at all, but issued a notice that if these students did not return to study, they would be disqualified from studying abroad.
Peng Pao
After weighing the pros and cons, Peng Pao, full of enthusiasm for saving the country, decided to continue his studies to explore ways to save the country. Even if he was on the "black watch" of the Japanese police and was often monitored, Peng Pao could not prevent Peng from concentrating on his studies while participating in the anti-Japanese rescue movement.
As a student of political economy, he was exposed to many ideas and theories, including a master's degree in Marxism. In the process of studying, after studying the works of Marx and others, he realized that this was the salvation he was looking for.
On September 18, 1919, Peng joined the League of Builders, an organization within Waseda University that specialized in socialist theory, and was characterized by a special emphasis on peasants and the study of peasant issues.
Today's Waseda University
Therefore, between 1920 and 1921, Peng Pan went deep into the countryside many times to conduct surveys, increasing his understanding of farmers and gaining a deeper understanding of rural problems.
This showed him what he did not understand as a child, why his brother and father were able to collect rent and collect debts, and oppress the hard-working peasants, while they could have food and clothing without having to work.
In addition to theoretical research, Peng Pao also participated in the "Workers' Sympathy Meeting", taking the initiative to help workers and farmers, and constantly drawing into the relationship between them and workers.
Peng Pao
In October 1920, together with his friends, he organized the "Red Heart Society", which attracted many students studying in Japan to join. And in their association, they mainly studied socialist doctrines and works such as the Communist Manifesto.
As his understanding of socialist theory deepened, he realized that "human suffering is caused by the economic system" and that in order to liberate these people, it is necessary to "overthrow the irrational economic system and establish a socialist economic system."
The socialist economic system undoubtedly proclaimed the end of the Peng Pao family's land system that forced the peasants to depend on themselves. But Peng Pao did not care about this at all, he resolutely decided to devote himself to the revolutionary cause and became the villain of the landlord's family!
Landlord during the Republic of China
Farmer leaders
In May 1921, Peng Pan returned to China and joined the Chinese Socialist Youth League, trying to transform China with socialism.
In China at that time, people had just been liberated from the old ideas, but they always had little understanding of the new ideas. After all, compared to the evolution of the Enlightenment in the past two hundred years, it is not easy for Chinese scholars to quickly understand communism.
Many people understand communism as "equal wealth and poverty" or even "public wives", and in the face of these statements, Peng Pao, who studied political economy, theoretically refuted these misunderstandings. The question of communism's targeting of the private property system was explained very thoroughly, so that the theoretical circles were clear.
However, Peng Pan also deeply knew that revolution could not rely only on the consciousness and understanding of intellectuals, but more importantly, the support of the broad masses of the people, especially the peasants, who accounted for the overwhelming majority of the country's population.
Graphics and text have nothing to do with each other
Therefore, after returning to China, he focused on the cause of peasant awakening. He was invited to go to Guangzhou to develop, but he refused without hesitation, saying that he did not want to be separated from the most vibrant peasant associations and lovely farmers.
But in fact, he is facing not only social pressure, but also family pressure.
In fact, because of his peasant movement, almost all of his family, except for his wife and children, fell out with him. His mother thought he was a "loser", and his eldest brother even tried to kill him before he was willing.
However, this did not stop Peng Pao's determination, and in order to win the trust of his peasant brothers, he burned all the land deeds he inherited to win the trust of the peasant brothers.
Peng Pan during the peasant movement
Moreover, in order to let the peasant brothers understand him, he even changed his living habits, put on the clothes familiar to the peasant brothers, and spoke the language familiar to the peasant brothers.
In this way, the Chishan Farmers' Association he founded initially consisted of only 7 people. But by 1923, the Haifeng Farmers' Association led by Peng Pan held an abnormal farmers' New Year party, which was attended by more than 9,000 people, including more than 6,000 members of the agricultural association.
Under Peng Pao's leadership, the peasant association developed rapidly in the local area and was also valued by the party.
In 1924, he went to Guangzhou to join the Chinese Communist Party. After that, he participated in the struggle against landlords in Quang Ninh and developed a peasant movement workshop, which can be said to be a symbol of the Chinese peasant movement at that time. His book "Report on the Peasant Movement in SITC" has also become the benchmark and guide of the peasant movement.
Tools made by Peng Pan to inspire farmers
With the defeat of the Great Revolution, Peng Pan participated in the Nanchang Uprising in 1927 and served as a member of the Committee of Former Enemies. Subsequently, in November 1927, he led the Hailufeng Uprising and established China's first red regime, the Hailufeng Soviet Government.
Because of his outstanding work, in November 1928 he was elected a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee, serving as secretary of the Agricultural Commission, member of the Central Military Commission, and secretary of the Jiangsu Provincial Military Commission.
Therefore, Peng Pan did not hesitate at all and left his hometown and went to Shanghai, where the central government was located at that time. And it is precisely this identity that makes General Chen Geng still impressed many years later.
Shanghai in 1928
Traitor Bai Xin
In 1929, the center of the activities of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for various reasons was in the Shanghai Concession. Therefore, in the face of the intensifying white terror, the work is also becoming more and more difficult.
In particular, as more and more comrades were killed, many comrades defected from the party or even betrayed the revolution, which made many people's revolutionary determination waver. Especially in Shanghai, convenient transportation and spies are rampant, which also gives traitors more opportunities to defect.
Bai Xin is such a person, who, like Lin Biao, was a student of the fourth phase of Whampoa and joined the Communist Party of China in a military academy. In 1927, he was promoted to be the instructor of the political teaching team of the 24th Division commanded by Ye Ting.
Bai Xin
He participated in the Nanchang Uprising, and then retreated with his troops all the way from Gannan and western Fujian to the Hailufeng area, eventually joining the peasant rebel army commanded by Peng Pan. It was precisely because of his outstanding performance along the way that he was also transferred to Shanghai as the secretary of the Central Military Commission.
Life in Shanghai made his psychological defenses collapse and he decided to betray the revolution. He first contacted the head of the Kuomintang Shanghai Party Intelligence Department through his relatives.
On the afternoon of August 24, 1929, Peng Pan came to a small building on Xinzha Road in the western district of Huxi, dressed like a businessman, but in fact he was here for a meeting.
Yan Changyi
Other people attending the meeting were Yan Changyi, then secretary of the Jiangsu Military Commission; Yang Yin, minister of the Central Military Commission and military minister of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee; and Xing Shizhen, head of the Central Military Commission's soldiers' movement. The main purpose of Peng Pan's trip was to hold a meeting with Zhou Enlai, responsible person of the Central Military Commission, and to hand over the work of the Jiangsu Provincial Military Commission to Yan Changyi.
They set up a table of mahjong as cover, playing cards and discussing problems. At that time, Zhou Enlai could not attend due to physical reasons, but when the handover object came, Peng Pan did not think much and started work directly.
But who would have thought that Bai Xin, who was in charge of the minutes of the meeting, had defected to the revolution?
Not long after the meeting began, the Concession Industry Bureau and the Shanghai Police Department arrived, and they blocked the entire street in prison cars.
Due to the betrayal of the traitors, several of the people attending the meeting had no chance to escape and were brutally arrested. Comrade Peng Pan fell into the hands of the enemy at this time.
Shanghai Concession Police
Emergency rescue
The arrest of Peng Pan and others immediately attracted the great attention of the Party Central Committee, and the Central Special Branch immediately held a meeting to discuss a solution.
Comrade Zhou Enlai personally presided over the meeting, at which two things were decided: one was to try to rescue the arrested comrades, and the other was to find out who the leakers were.
The task of rescuing these four comrades was given to the Red Guards of the Central Security Bureau, and General Chen Geng was in charge of the work of the Security Bureau at this time, so he naturally participated in the operation.
Senior General Chen Geng first visited Yang Dengying, responsible person of the Kuomintang intelligence organ stationed in Shanghai.
Senior General Chen Geng
Although this Yang Dengying was an intelligence officer of the Kuomintang, he was actually an insider of the Chinese Communist Party, and he was very influential not only within the Kuomintang in Shanghai, but also among the police in the concession.
You know, at that time, the concession police were under the jurisdiction of foreign powers, and their management system was similar to that of the West, often requiring more rigorous evidence to convict. And there are many maneuverable places in this, and many of the arrested comrades were saved from this.
However, this time the Kuomintang became more shrewd and took advantage of the fear of trouble from the concession police, and soon led the concession side to transfer Peng Pan and the other four to the Shanghai Municipal Police Department in Longhua.
This approach made the central government's plan to rescue Peng Pan and others through social connections almost impossible. As a result, the plan turned to direct armed robbery.
A police station in Shanghai during the Republic of China
As the concession transferred four people to the Shanghai Municipal Police Department, they were temporarily detained in a detention center near the Shuixian Temple.
On August 28, there was an additional watermelon stall on the street, attracting many residents who lived in the surrounding area to buy it. In the midst of the people, some raw faces mingled and took away a few baskets of watermelons.
However, among these baskets of watermelons are hidden the grenades and pistols and other equipment prepared for the rescue of Peng Pan. This watermelon stall was set up by the agents of the Security Bureau, and the purpose was to rescue Peng Pan and the others who were imprisoned as soon as possible.
At the stall where the action was about to start, the stall owner selling watermelons outside the door suddenly got up and said to the surrounding people: "The stall is closed, the stall is closed!" ”
This is a code for the cancellation of the operation, and although the people of the security bureau want to save their comrades as soon as possible, they can only withdraw as soon as possible.
Motor Vehicle Brigade of Shanghai Police Department
It turned out that three police cars full of Kuomintang gendarmes were rapidly approaching, which was beyond what the team could handle.
Could it be that the operation has been leaked again?
After investigation, the Security Bureau found out that this was a complete accident! Because on the day of the rescue operation, the assassination of Chiang Kai-shek occurred in Shanghai.
Chiang Kai-shek did not know who wanted to assassinate him, because after he betrayed the Great Revolution of Kuomintang and Communist cooperation, he became involved in the struggle for power within the Kuomintang. However, in a fit of rage, he instructed his men to immediately execute Peng Pan and others.
This put Peng Pan and other comrades in a desperate situation, but it also gave the Security Bureau a chance. Because if the four of them were to be executed, they had to be transferred from the detention center to the then Shanghai Garrison Headquarters.
Shanghai Police Department truck
This carjacking operation is of great importance, so Comrade Chen Geng personally took command and made meticulous arrangements to prepare for the operation on 28 August.
This time the operation gathered almost all the mobile forces, and the street vendors and jugglers were all agents of the Security Bureau. And Chen Gengda himself led the team to pretend to be a filming team as the main force to prepare for action. Armed with machine guns, long guns, and cars and motorcycles, they were determined to win.
It's just that the actions of the agents of the Security Bureau basically rely on pistols and other short guns, and this time in order to storm the opponent's convoy, they specially prepared more powerful long guns. However, these weapons are inconvenient to carry, and special personnel are arranged to purchase them from foreign banks for use.
Senior General Chen Geng led the team, reconnoitred the terrain early, made tactical arrangements and only waited for the weapons to be in place before starting the operation.
However, it was only before the operation began that the weapons were finally delivered by their own agents.
Ignoring the question of why the weapons arrived so late, Senior General Chen Geng immediately organized the team members to equip them. But as soon as they opened the box, everyone was dumbfounded.
The weapons bought from foreign companies were all new guns, coated with grease used to protect the guns. This protects the guns from rust, but the thick grease makes these weapons impossible to fire, and they must be cleaned before they can be used...
"Wipe it off with fire oil..." Senior General Chen Geng was familiar with the performance of the weapons, and without caring about anything else, ordered the team members to immediately start cleaning up these weapons.
Greased gun
But it was too late, and the convoy escorting Peng Pan and the others roared over.
Senior General Chen Geng used a telescope to observe the enemy's convoy, which was escorted by a large number of gendarmes, and could not be countered by short guns alone.
"Cancel the operation." Senior General Chen Geng, relying on his rich military experience, made such a judgment that he could not let the troops of the Security Bureau be buried in a senseless operation.
And such a forced decision has also become a memory that General Chen Geng will remember for a lifetime.
And on August 30, Comrade Peng Pan and four others were shot dead in the Shanghai Garrison Headquarters under the control of the Kuomintang...
Peng Pao statue
Unfinished business
After Peng Pan and other comrades were killed, Bai Xin's identity as a traitor was also exposed. The Kuomintang also released a smokescreen, saying that he had reached Nanjing. However, the CCP Special Branch learned through intelligence that Bai Xin did not leave Shanghai at all.
At 11 p.m. on November 11, 1929, Bai Xin appeared from his hideout in Shanghai and prepared to go to Nanjing to receive the reward. Just as he was about to get into the car, another car rushed out of the roadside.
Just when Bai Xin didn't react, three people jumped out of the car and started shooting at Bai Xin. Before the gunshots dissipated, the three gunmen had already boarded the car and disappeared into the night, leaving only Bai Xin's body on the ground.
This can also be regarded as avenging Peng Pao.
Peng Pao's wife died tragically under the enemy's butcher's knife as early as 1928, leaving only three young sons.
Peng Pao's wife Cai Suping
Just as General Chen Geng has never forgotten the failure of this operation, the organization has never forgotten Peng Pan's children.
Peng Pao's eldest son was rescued and sent to Shanghai, where he later died of illness.
Peng Pan's second son later went to study in Hong Kong, and later in Moscow, eventually becoming an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the father of nuclear submarines.
Peng Pao's third son grew up in Lufeng and later joined the revolutionary ranks and became a revolutionary cadre.
Peng Pan Martyrs Monument
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