In the spring of 1944, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared that the Allies had seized the Pacific situation and had found the best solution, and were inclined to attack the Japanese mainland directly. The Japanese government and opposition faction were frightened, and the Tokyo Broadcasting said: "It is possible for the Allies to attack Japan, and if Britain and the United States invade our homeland, how will we treat our ancestors?"
However, the Japanese militarists headed by Hideki Tojo were still in a desperate struggle and deliberately formulated the "Operation No. 1" plan, that is, to attack China's Pinghan Road, in a vain attempt to restore Japan's communication lines from northeast, north, and south China to Nanyang when the US forces cut off the sea lines of communication, so that the lines of communication from Chinese mainland could supply the Japanese troops invading various parts of Southeast Asia. At the end of April, the Japanese army of 60,000 horses forcibly crossed the Yellow River and moved south along the Pinghan Line, connecting key points such as Xuchang, Zhumadian, Queshan, and Xinyang. The 400,000 troops of the Kuomintang troops stationed in Henan, Jiang Dingwen, Tang Enbo, and Hu Zongnan, were defeated without a fight, and in just over a month, 38 county towns were lost, and the whole of Henan was under the iron heel of the Japanese army, setting another shameful record in the history of China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
The commanders and fighters of the 4th Division of the New Fourth Army, which was fighting fiercely in Huaibei, were anxious! Many of them withdrew to Ludong after Luxi's stubborn defeat in 1941, and their fathers, elders, brothers and sisters in their hometowns were waiting for them to be rescued; the defeat three years ago still weighed on their hearts with lingering pain.
On April 25 and May 8, division commander Peng Xuefeng, political commissar Deng Zihui, and chief of staff Zhang Zhen reported to the military headquarters of the New Fourth Army twice in a row on the situation of the Henan-Xianggui Campaign, and suggested: "The current conditions are quite favorable to me, and the conditions are ripe for carrying out Luxi. "It is a good opportunity for us to restore the Yongvort area, the original base of the 4th Division, and open up the Bixi area. "
On 1 May, Li Xiannian of the Henan-Hubei border region also sent a telegram to Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang government, calling for "uniting to resist Japan and rescuing the Central Plains." He pointed out: In order to save the Central Plains, it is hoped that all friendly forces in the War of Resistance will immediately eliminate their prejudices, strengthen unity, and work together to smash the enemy's attack. Li Xiannian also explained that in the past, the 5th Division of the New Fourth Army had always adhered to this spirit and constantly put forward the above suggestions to the friendly troops around the Henan-Hubei border region and made all kinds of efforts. It is a pity that this kind of sincerity has not been understood by the majority of friendly forces, and has not achieved the desired results. Therefore, I hereby sincerely appeal once again that the highest authorities and the wise soldiers of the friendly armies of all departments will adhere to the great cause of national rejuvenation, cherish the achievements of the seven-year War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, advocate with one voice, and be open and honest with each other, so that sincere unity can be seen in the facts, and the rescue of the Central Plains will be put into action. The 5th Division of the New Fourth Army is determined to make unremitting efforts to achieve this goal, and is willing to resolutely cooperate with all its strength under the principle of abandoning friction with friendly forces, and will never fight for any defensive territory.
However, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China believes that the situation is not yet completely clear and the time is not yet ripe, and that "at present, we should avoid provoking the Kuomintang in all respects, and the units of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army should absolutely not advance to Henan at present, so as not to cause friction with the Kuomintang and hinder the overall situation."
By June, the development trend of the situation in the Central Plains War of Resistance gradually became clear.
On June 23, Liu Shaoqi and Chen Yi sent a telegram from Yan'an to Li Xiannian and Peng Xuefeng, asking the troops to make preparations for developing in the direction of Henan: "The future direction of the 5th Division should be determined to develop towards Henan and complete the strategic task of the Central Plains. The accomplishment of this task has enabled Central China, North China, and Northern Shaanxi to unite as one, and has resolved the unbreakable strategic position of our party and army. However, at present, since the enemy has not yet launched a large-scale attack on the 5th Theater and the Pinghan Road has not yet been repaired, it is only appropriate for the 5th Division to make preparations for various developments in the posture of a camera, and a part of the 4th Division, crossing the Jinpu Road, can advance westward to Vortex, Mongolia, Fu, and other places. In short, the task of struggle for the development of Henan must be accomplished. "
The New Fourth Army learned the lesson of its defeat in the last march to Luxi, and it was more cautious from the beginning of this march into Henan.
In mid to late June, the Central China Bureau held a meeting in Huanghuatang, Huainan Province, attended by the heads of various divisions, to prepare for the march into Henan. Before the meeting, Peng Xuefeng wrote to his wife Lin Ying, saying: "The summer of 1944 was an unprecedentedly lively season, the whole earth was full of artillery fire, and a new world was not far off!" And because of this, it also gives me great spiritual comfort!"
On the evening of 10 July, the military headquarters of the New Fourth Army discussed how to implement the instructions of the CPC Central Committee on the Henan campaign policy; the next day, the 4th Division was ordered to actively prepare for battle and report the plan for moving west behind enemy lines in Henan to Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, and Chen Yi in Yan'an.
Mao Zedong in the jujube orchard in Yan'an is brewing a bigger plan.
The Japanese army's "Operation No. 1", which began in the spring of 1944, was extremely ferocious, and soon opened up the southern section of Pinghan Road. In late May, the Japanese army launched another attack from Wuhan to Hunan, and by mid-June it had occupied Changsha and encircled Hengyang, seriously threatening the local US air base.
The defeat of the Kuomintang army in Henan, Hunan and Guizhou shocked the Allies, and US President Roosevelt was also very annoyed. This is because a large number of more than 100 divisions of the Kuomintang Army, which received assistance from the allies, either passively slackened the battle, or were about to collapse at the first touch, or actively attacked the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army.
In order to save the situation, on July 6, 1944, Roosevelt sent a very tough telegram to Chiang Kai-shek:
I believe that the present critical situation requires us to authorize a single person to coordinate all the military forces of the Allies in China, including the Communist forces.
I think I understand exactly how you feel about General Stilwell, but I think he has now clearly demonstrated his far-sighted judgment and talent for organizing, training, and especially directing your Chinese troops. I don't know who else has the ability, the strength, the determination to eliminate the current catastrophe that threatens China and our entire plan to defeat Japan. I intend to promote Stilwell to four-star general, and I suggest that you immediately consider recalling him from Burma to China, placing him under your direct leadership, and putting him in command of all Chinese and American forces. You should give him full responsibility and authority to coordinate and direct operations in order to stop the enemy's offensive momentum. I feel that the situation in China is so critical that if bold and appropriate practical measures are not taken, our common cause will suffer a serious setback.
...... I assure you that, as far as I am concerned, I have no intention of dictating to you on issues concerning China, but the future of Asia as a whole, and the enormous efforts that the United States has invested in that region, are at stake. Therefore, I have reason to express serious concern about this issue.
However, for the sake of the needs of the overall situation of resistance against Japan, this was only the urgent need of Roosevelt. Roosevelt also had a long-term plan, believing that if a civil war broke out between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party after the war, it would most likely lead to a conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union, and that if the Communists prevailed, China would fall to the Soviet Union. Therefore, establishing some kind of connection with the Chinese Communist Party can strengthen the influence of the United States and better safeguard the interests of the United States in China.
Roosevelt decided to adopt the advice of John Hsieh, second secretary of the US Embassy in China and political adviser to the China-Burma-India Theater Command, and others, and decided to provide assistance to the Chinese Communist Party-led army and consider cooperating with it.
On July 22, a mission of U.S. military and government officials arrived in Yan'an. Although the members of the mission, named after an American slang term called "Dixie," were not the first Americans to arrive in Yan'an, China's "red capital," they were the first to be officially sent by the U.S. military and even by the U.S. top decision-makers.
In the mission, there was a young man with a tall body and a Chinese speaker, and this was Xie Weisi. Although he was not a professional soldier in the United States, he also wore a U.S. military uniform. Obviously, he didn't realize at the time that as soon as his feet set foot on this muddy yellow land, his fate for most of his life would be closely linked to it. During this period, Xie Weisi put forward many constructive suggestions for the development of Sino-US relations.
However, in the early 50s of the 20 th century, due to the Cold War, rightist forces in the United States became very popular, and they put the so-called "crime" of "losing China" on Xie Weisi and other officials who worked in China in the 40s of the 20 th century and gave a correct report on the situation in China. Senator McCarthy manipulated the Congressional Commission of Inquiry to persecute Tse and others. In September 1951, the U.S. State Department dismissed Mr. Tse from public office after an investigation found him innocent, putting the career diplomat's livelihood in jeopardy. To do this, he had to get a "layman" job at a steam engine manufacturing company in New York. Impartial American public opinion has always commented that Xie Weisi was the most seriously injured person in the darkest era of American history when McCarthy was in charge. If the US Government had listened to Xie Weisi's views earlier, and had adopted a realistic policy toward China and the Chinese Communist Party at that time, then the Korean War might not have occurred later, and Sino-US relations after the war might have changed dramatically. This is off-topic.
At first, Mao Zedong was quiet, neither humble nor arrogant, and made cautious observations of the American personnel.
However, like Snow, Xie Weisi had a very good impression of the CCP, and he clearly expressed to Mao Zedong that he agreed with the CCP's idea of obtaining US aid and even reorganizing the Kuomintang government. What is particularly important is that, as a diplomat, Mr. Tse's remarks seem to reveal the intentions of the U.S. government, whether consciously or unconsciously. Mao Zedong easily came to the impression that the US government's insistence on sending an observation team to Yan'an had far-reaching political and diplomatic aims. In particular, when he learned that the U.S. government had instructed Ambassador Gauss to China to bring about a coalition government in China, Mao Zedong was naturally even more encouraged.
In the Battle of Henan, Hunan and Guizhou, the Japanese soldiers fought from Henan to Guangxi and Guizhou in one go, and almost copied to Chongqing, the "accompanying capital". Chiang Kai-shek's government was in a serious crisis politically, economically, and militarily and was losing its position of power. The stationing of the U.S. military observation team in Yan'an was called "the most exciting event since the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression" by Mao Zedong, which marked that the CCP had begun to appear on the stage of China and even the world as a conspicuous political force.
For several months, Mao Zedong and other leaders of the Party Central Committee had been discussing the current situation, and a great strategic plan was gradually emerging.
Soon, Wang Zhen, commander of the 359th Brigade of the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army, received a call saying that Mao Zedong had something to look for him.
After meeting Wang Zhen, Mao Zedong talked about the situation at home and abroad and expounded the strategic plan of the Party Central Committee. He said: At present, both the international and domestic situations are unprecedentedly favorable to the Chinese revolution, and the demise of German and Japanese fascism is a foregone conclusion. The balance of forces between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party is undergoing great changes, and China wants victory and the Chinese people want liberation, and they are pinning their hopes on us. At the moment, we are just preparing for victory.
Mao Zedong said: Everyone hopes that the war will end soon. Two years ago, I also said in my article "The Turning Point of World War II" that the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad was a turning point in the world anti-fascist war, and Hitler had no choice but to die. The Japanese fascists will also be more difficult day by day. However, the war will continue, and the theater of operations may be expanded. A powerful U.S. navy could land in the Philippines and cut off Japan's sea lines of communication to the South Seas, leaving the Japanese army with no choice but to open up the mainland lines of communication. Now that the Japanese troops on the Guangdong-Han Road are advancing from north to south, they are about to converge, and there is an attempt to open up the Hunan-Guizhou Railway, and the next step may be to attack Guizhou, Sichuan, and Yunnan and drive Chairman Chiang down from Mount Emei. In this way, the war may also be fought for another two or three years. Once the U.S. forces approached the Japanese mainland and landed on the coast of China, the Japanese army could retreat from French Indochina, Siam, and Burma, shrink its forces from southern China, and retreat to Shanghai, Shandong, and Liaoning. At that time, China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression will turn into a strategic counteroffensive, Chiang Kai-shek will also go down the mountain, and the danger of civil war will also be very serious. The more the war expands, the more the revolution develops, and the more protracted the war, the deeper the revolution. We must seize this favorable opportunity to go behind the Japanese army to regain lost territory, mobilize the masses to liberate themselves, overthrow the brutal rule of the enemy and hypocrisy, and establish a democratic regime of the anti-Japanese national united front.
Mao Zedong continued: Under the current situation, our strategic policy is to consolidate North China and Central China and develop South China, that is, to develop Henan, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Zhejiang. Therefore, the arrangements of the CPC Central Committee were: First, the Hebei-Shandong-Henan Region sent a force south to eastern Henan, the Taiyue District drew two regiments across the Yellow River to advance into western Henan, and the 5th Division of the New Fourth Army drew seven companies to go north to Henan along the Pinghan Road, so that the 4th Division of the New Fourth Army would march westward into the Henan-Anhui-Soviet region, striving to control the Central Plains, expand the anti-Japanese democratic base areas behind enemy lines, and connect the two liberated areas of North China and Central China. Second, the East China New Fourth Army will send troops across the Yangtze River in batches and gradually develop toward southern Jiangsu, southern Anhui, and Zhejiang. Third, the Dongjiang Column in Guangdong developed southward, and the Qiongya Column strove to occupy the entire island of Hainan and get in touch with the Dongjiang Column. Fourth, your southward detachment will escort the cadres into South China and join the Dongjiang Column to open up the Wuling anti-Japanese base area on the border of Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangdong, and Guangxi. After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, if Chiang Kai-shek relies on foreign forces to impose the civil war on the Chinese people, we can also advance and retreat with evidence, contain its southern wing, cooperate with the self-defense wars in the Liberated Areas, defeat Chiang Kai-shek, and build New China.
At this time, Mao Zedong focused on analyzing to Wang Zhen two possibilities for the future of the Southern Expedition, and asked Wang Zhen and his comrades to make full mental preparations. He said: The first possibility is that the entire international anti-fascist war, including our War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, will continue for two or three years. In this way, you will be able to take advantage of the contradictions between the Japanese, the puppet, and the Chiang and the stubborn in South China to unleash the masses, strengthen the revolutionary armed forces, and consolidate and develop the anti-Japanese democratic base areas behind enemy lines. The second possibility is that the international anti-fascist war will be quickly won, and Japan will soon surrender, and the whole situation will change significantly. Chiang Kai-shek will never allow you to stick this knife in his throat, he will concentrate on eating you first. In this way, you will be alone, without a base, and the struggle will be very cruel, and your situation will be extremely difficult, and you may even be completely annihilated, including yourself. You must be prepared to meet this grave struggle, carry forward the spirit of heroic struggle without fear of sacrifice, and strive for a bright future. If this happens, you can still go back to Comrade Li Xiannian on the Hubei-Henan border, and that will be a great victory.
Wang Zhen immediately began to prepare for the 359th Brigade to move south.