Yang Botao recalled Chen Cheng's interaction with General Ye Ting, and told the reason for the New Fourth Army and Ye as the commander

In 1940, after the Japanese army captured Yichang, Chen Cheng's headquarters of the Sixth Theater Commander and the provincial government of the Hubei Provincial Government were stationed in Enshi, western Hubei. In March 1942, the 185th Division of Shi Zuhuang, a member of the 94th Army under the 94th Army, which was transferred to the theater chief of staff Guo Chen, was transferred from the first line to Enshi, and served as the garrison of the headquarters of the commander of the 6th theater, the Hubei Provincial Government, Enshi Airport, and the city defense. Division commander Shi Zuhuang concurrently serves as the commander of the Enshi garrison, and I, the chief of staff of the division, concurrently serve as the chief of staff of the garrison headquarters, and often live in the garrison headquarters to work.

In the Southern Anhui Incident, Ye Ting, the commander of the New Fourth Army, was captured and sent to Chongqing for imprisonment. Chen Cheng and Ye Ting have a very good friendship, and General Ye is specially invited to Enshi to recuperate. One day in December 1942, I received instructions from Guo Chen, chief of staff of the theater: General Ye Ting, the former commander of the New Fourth Army, was invited by Chen Cheng in Chongqing to come to Enshi to recuperate, and instructed him to protect General Ye's safety and prevent idle people from interfering with General Ye's life and actions. The garrison headquarters lived at the site of the Hubei Provincial Bank in Enshi City, and the bank moved to Tuqiaoba outside the city in order to avoid air raids. When General Ye first arrived in Enshi, he first temporarily stayed in a hotel across the street from the Garrison Department. In order to carry out my mission, I went to the hotel with Li Zefen, director of the Military Aircraft Division of the Commander's Department and a native of Guangdong, to meet General Ye, his wife Li Xiuwen, and daughter Yang Mei. After the questioning, he did not talk about other issues, but only asked General Ye if he had anything to order. We paid a purely courtesy visit and left in a moment. The Garrison Department dispatched secret police to patrol around Ye Ting's residence from time to time to ensure the safety of Ye Ting's life and movements.

In my impression, General Ye is burly, dignified, full of energy, and radiant. He, his wife, and his daughter's clothes are quite gorgeous, which is not found in Enshi. Chen Cheng provided for General Ye's living in a particularly good way, and in the future, Chief of Staff Guo sent someone to arrange his residence. Yeju has a quiet residential environment, often growing vegetables and raising chickens as a pastime, leisurely. We see that he has a very graceful attitude.

In the Sixth War Zone, there were several Soviet military advisers who lived in a relatively good house outside the south gate of Enshi, but when the Soviet-German war broke out, the advisers had all returned to the Soviet Union, and the house was empty. So the fibersmith repaired, a new look, and the environment is still beautiful. I didn't know anything about General Ye Ting in the past, but in January 1941, in the territory under the jurisdiction of Gu Zhutong's Third War Zone, the "Southern Anhui Incident" occurred. This time he personally received General Ye. In order to grasp the proportions of the handling, it was necessary to understand the relationship between Chen and Ye, so he inquired about the details of Lai Gang and other confidential personnel around Chen to understand the one-sided historical materials. In the spring of 1943, I was transferred to Fang Riying's chief of staff of the 86th Army, which was newly transferred from the Third Theater. Fang was a participant in the "Southern Anhui Incident" and was the commander of the 40th Division at that time. It was better equipped and was the main force in the attack on the New Fourth Army. In September of the same year, I was transferred to the post of chief of staff of the Sixth Theater Commander's Headquarters, and I obtained some more information. Here is a summary of what I know:

General Ye Ting graduated from the sixth phase of the Baoding Military Academy of the Beiyang Government, Mr. Chen Cheng graduated from the eighth phase, Ye once stayed in the school to work, served as Chen's district captain, had the friendship of teachers and students, and later worked together in the Northern Expeditionary Army of the First Great Revolutionary War, Chen deeply respected Ye and laid a friendly foundation.

In 1936, the Double 12 Xi'an Incident led to the second cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. In 1937, the July 7 Incident launched a full-scale war of resistance, and after the decisive battle of Songhu, the Nationalist Government moved to Wuhan, and Chen Cheng served as the head of the Political Department. Driven by the upsurge of patriotism and patriotism in the national unity of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Chen Cheng was also immersed in it, actively performing the duties of the head of the Political Department, uniting people from all walks of life to participate in national affairs. Comrade Zhou Enlai was invited to be the deputy head of the Political Department, jointly responsible, and Guo Moruo, Tian Han and other progressives were hired to hold important positions in the Political Department. With the cooperation of all parties, the work of the Political Department at that time was steaming, and the anti-Japanese war sentiment was extremely strong, and the propaganda, mobilization, and organization work of the anti-Japanese war to save the country was effectively carried out. In order to adapt to the situation, a training group was set up in Luojia Mountain, Wuchang, and military and political cadres from all walks of life were convened for training, and celebrities from all walks of life were widely invited to express their speeches here, which became a forum for people from all walks of life to patriotic the War of Resistance and express their loyalty. It has played an indelible role in mobilizing the people of the whole country to unite in the war of resistance. At that time, the situation of the Anti-Japanese War was very good.

General Ye Ting has been living in Hong Kong since the first split of the KMT-CCP cooperation, and it has been his long-cherished wish to save the country during the War of Resistance. Today's day has come, and he resolutely got in touch with Chen Cheng, who warmly welcomed General Ye to Wuhan to discuss the plan of the War of Resistance. After Ye arrived in Wuhan, Chen was hospitable and suggested that Ye take up a post in the Nationalist Government. Ye hesitated for a while. Later, after Vice Minister Zhou Enlai's various considerations, Chen and Ye mediated between Chen and Ye and suggested that in order for the Kuomintang and the Communist Party to cooperate more sincerely and closely, the problems left over from history during the Second Civil Revolutionary War should be resolved. This is the armed guerrilla forces left over from the Red Army's Long March in October 1934 in the areas of Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and Fujian, Henan, Hubei, Anhui, and other areas in the Central Soviet Region, and still exist to varying degrees. The local officials of the Nationalist Government regarded the existence of armed guerrilla units as a danger to their henchmen and had trouble sleeping and eating. At the moment of national crisis, launching "encirclement and suppression" again not only failed to achieve the goal of annihilation in one fell swoop, but also provoked a battle to close the wall, which is really not true. They are eager for this problem to be solved as soon as possible. On the part of the Communist Party, in order to express its determination to unite with the Kuomintang and to dispel such concerns, the armed guerrilla units left over from history have lost their significance and have no need to continue to exist at a time when national contradictions are prominent. However, they cannot be disbanded by a single order, and so far, these revolutionary fighters who have been tested for a long time, who are loyal and unyielding, who persist in the revolution and who have struggled hard, have been left homeless and unable to even earn a living after leaving the party's organization and leadership. Such a negative approach to dissolution is obviously not feasible. The positive and favorable method is for the Kuomintang and the Communist Party to hold consultations, and the Communist Party will issue an order to take into account the situation and the general righteousness, and be responsible for taking into account the situation and the general righteousness, and will be responsible for containing and concentrating the guerrilla troops scattered in various places, organizing them into a neat army, and increasing the anti-Japanese forces. This not only enabled them Chinese to fulfill their responsibilities and exert their own strength, but also greatly encouraged and honored them. The greatest advantage is that it has eliminated the rift left over from the history of the two parties, and is conducive to the close unity of the KMT and the CPC on the basis of new cooperation.

Vice Minister Zhou Enlai proposed this solution as a suggestion to Minister Chen Cheng, and was praised by Chen Cheng. General Ye also thought that he could contribute to the harmony between the two parties as a non-party center, and also contributed to the interests of the country and the nation within his ability, and at the same time satisfied his ardent desire to kill the enemy and not be willing to be in the rear. Therefore, Comrade Zhou Enlai's suggestion is also deeply promised. Therefore, in accordance with this suggestion, Minister Chen Cheng wrote a written report and personally presented it to Jiang Zhongzheng, chairman of the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government, euphemistically stating the content of the proposal, analyzing the gains and losses, and urging in a firm tone to handle the proposal in accordance with the proposal. After consideration, Chairman Chiang believed that the case was feasible and beneficial to both sides, so he immediately approved it. After the proposal was approved, Chen, Zhou, and Ye convened relevant personnel to discuss the specific implementation steps, and in a harmonious atmosphere, the problems were easily solved, and the work was carried out separately, which was very smooth. However, after several consultations, the guerrilla units were incorporated into the official ranks of the national army, and the question of what names to assign and what affiliation they belonged to was disagreed upon after several consultations. In the end, it was General Ye's opinion that was unanimously agreed. During the Northern Expedition of the First Great Revolution, Ye served as the head of the Independent Regiment in Li Jishen's Fourth Army, and in the Northern Expedition, he attacked the Beiyang warlord troops, conquered the city, and was invincible, with outstanding achievements, and had the reputation of the Iron Army. Especially Ye Ting's Independent Regiment, on the way to attack Wuhan, Wu Peifu, the leader of the Beiyang warlords, made the greatest determination to protect the three towns of Wuhan, and did not hesitate to devote all his strength to fight against the city. At this critical moment, General Ye rose up with his arms folded, led the regiment to charge the enemy in hand-to-hand combat, trampled on the corpse and trampled on the blood, seized the enemy's position, drove straight into the city of Wuchang, and completely annihilated the defending enemy Liu Yuchun's troops, laying the foundation for victory. Ye is nostalgic for the glorious history of the past, and his emotions are fierce and irrepressible. In order to maintain this sharp spirit, it was proposed to give this unit the name of the "New Fourth Army" in order to boost morale. Relying on the prestige of General Ye Ting, under the mediation of Vice Minister Zhou Enlai, through Chen Cheng's dredging with Chairman Chiang, this anti-Japanese army was suddenly established. After its establishment, the military supply of the New Fourth Army was treated by the Central Military Commission in accordance with the corresponding treatment of ordinary national army units.

After the completion of the New Fourth Army, it was ordered to go to the front line in northern Jiangsu to kill the enemy. These commanders and fighters, who have been trained for a long time, marched to the front line with great vigor and vigor. The local armed guerrilla units originally located south of the Yangtze River, such as Jiangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang, Hunan, and Guangdong, were organized in a concentrated manner in the Yansi area of Shexian County in southern Anhui; the local armed guerrilla units originally in Hubei, Henan, Anhui, and other areas north of the Yangtze River were concentrated in the Hefei and Shucheng areas in central Anhui Province. The headquarters of the New Fourth Army Army established by General Ye Ting in Nanchang was led by Ye to be stationed in Yansi to carry out the task of commanding. After the whole army was ready, the New Fourth Army on the north bank of the Yangtze River launched a guerrilla offensive against the Japanese forces in central Anhui and northern Jiangsu, while the New Fourth Army on the south bank of the Yangtze River went north to reach the areas on both sides of the Nanjing-Shanghai Railway from Nanjing to Shanghai, disrupting Japanese communications and attacking Japanese strongholds. Later, it continued to develop in southern Anhui. Southern Anhui belongs to the territory of Gu Zhutong's third theater of operations. Gu believed that this was the rear of the theater and that there were no Japanese troops. Ordered the New Fourth Army to move to northern Jiangsu, and placed troops around the New Fourth Army to keep a strict surveillance. After several negotiations, General Ye Ting agreed to the transfer. In January 1941, the troops were ordered to turn around and march northward, marching to Maolin, where they were suddenly attacked by several divisions commanded by Shangguan Yunxiang, deputy commander of the Third Theater of Operations, and General Ye Ting was captured. In July of the same year, he was escorted to Guilin. In January 1942, it was transferred to Chongqing.

Chen Cheng visited General Ye's residence several times in Chongqing and invited Ye to take up his post as deputy commander of the Sixth Theater. Chen Cheng was able to adopt the policy of co-opting and mediating with regard to anti-Chiang figures who had opposed Chairman Chiang, such as Zhengcheng, Zhang Fakui, Xue Yue, Huang Qixiang, and Wu Qiwei, and so on, in an effort to eliminate contradictions, turn enemies into friends, and make progress useful to us. In this regard, a great deal of work has been done for Chairman Chiang, and results have been achieved. Chen Cheng served as the commander-in-chief of the former enemy in the Songhu August 13 Campaign, and in the great righteousness of resisting Japan and saving the country, he persuaded Zhang Fakui to make a comeback and defend the country, and recommended him to be the commander of the Songhu battlefield; in Wuhan, he invited Mr. Yan Lisan, who lived in seclusion in the Lushan hut, to go down the mountain to manage the government and perform the duties of Hubei Provincial Chairman on behalf of Chen; and invited General Huang Qixiang to be his deputy commander of the Sixth Theater of Operations, and specially built a house with a combination of Chinese and Western styles near the headquarters of the Tuqiaoba Governor in Enshi, while Chen's own residence was still an old-style bungalow and was far inferior. Xue Yue was invited to Jiangxi to take over as the commander of Luo Zhuoying's Fifth Army, and led his troops to pursue the Red Army on the Long March; after Wu Qiwei rebelled against Chiang in Yichang with Zhang Fakui, he dragged his troops to Guangxi to attach to the Gui system, and thousands of people remained, dying. At this time, Chen Cheng was "encircling and suppressing" the Red Army in the Soviet area in Jiangxi, and in order to strengthen his own military strength, he contacted Wu and reported to Chairman Chiang to transfer Wu to Zhangshu Town, Jiangxi Province to assemble, and allocated a small number of firearms and other military supplies from the 18th Army's stock to Wu Ministry, and within a few months, he made up the quota and participated in the fourth "encirclement and suppression" battle sequence. Ren Wu was the commander of the second column. Later, in the fifth "encirclement and suppression" and the pursuit of the Red Army's battles on the Long March, he became one of the main forces.

Chen Cheng is active, uneasy and lonely, in addition to being diligent in governing the army, he has a little time to go to the sundial, that is, to recruit celebrities and salute virtuous people. Adhering to this consistent style, he naturally cherished General Ye Ting, considered it an important object to fight, and groveled and tirelessly talked with General Ye and persuaded him to attach himself to Jiang, hoping to get Ye's approval, but Ye refused. Chen reported Ye's attitude to Chairman Chiang, believing that if the chairman personally summoned and comforted him, Ye might be brought into submission, and Chiang also agreed with Ye, so in order to move Ye with affection, Chen Teh arranged for Guo Chen, chief of staff of the Sixth Theater, to go to Chongqing to meet General Ye to persuade him. Guo also graduated from the sixth phase of the Baoding Military Academy, and was a classmate of General Ye at the same time, and he has always been a friend. In May 1942, Guo Xin went to Ye's apartment and said to Ye: The chairman of the committee is eager to see his brother and talk, so he specially asked me to come to greet him, please go together. When Ye met with Chiang, Chiang first asked Ye about his recuperation in Chongqing, and then asked about his views on the incident in southern Anhui and his plans for the future. Ye declared that he was right in southern Anhui, and asked for the release of hundreds of innocent cadres of the New Fourth Army imprisoned in the Shangrao concentration camp and the restoration of the New Fourth Army, without the slightest attitude of admitting guilt and attaching himself to Chiang. The direct negotiations between Jiang and Ye did not make Ye change. In order to break this deadlock, Chen Cheng decided to invite General Ye to recuperate. After the failure of the negotiations between Chiang and Ye, all preferential treatment for General Ye was cancelled. In order to avoid the sharp edge of the debate between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in Chongqing, as well as the freedom and security of General Ye, it is best to go to Enshi to recuperate. Chen told General Ye Ting about this decision, hoping to get approval. Ye was deeply moved by Chen's sincerity and readily agreed, so as to escape the confinement of Chongqing. Chen Cheng then reported to Chairman Chiang for verification, and Chiang nodded in approval.

In December 1942, General Ye Ting was transferred from Chongqing to Daenshi, and Chen Cheng was courteous. According to the service staff of General Ye, in addition to reading books and periodicals every day, Ye often walks with his wife and daughter in the shade of the front and back of the house to do various sports, and there is an anecdote: Ye wants to raise a group of chicks in the courtyard, and he bought more than 20 fresh eggs and prepared to hatch. The leaf should always check the thermometer to keep the temperature at a certain temperature required for incubation, and the leaf should be operated correctly every day. But when it is time to hatch, the eggs are still the same, and they smell bad. The desired effect was not achieved. Ye is not depressed, and often takes pleasure in it.

In May 1943, the Japanese invading army entrenched in Yichang launched the Western Hubei Campaign in order to seize Badong and Enshi, break through the key passes of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River from the side, and get a glimpse of Chongqing. Under the command of Chen Cheng, our army bravely faced the battle, relying on the blocking tactics set up in advance, guarding the steep mountains around the Shipai fortress on both sides of the Yangtze River to Muqiaoxi and Wufeng County, and firmly attacked the Japanese army, and counterattacked the southern flank of the Japanese army with the control force to recover the key points of Yuyangguan, and the Japanese army was forced to retreat. It was a great victory for our army. Chongqing, the temporary capital, lifted the threat, and all walks of life rejoiced, organizing a condolence group headed by Kuomintang veteran Ju Zheng to Enshi to pay tribute to Commander Chen Cheng and the troops. Lu Zhi, a famous journalist, was dispatched by Comrade Zhou Enlai to participate in the condolence group on behalf of Xinhua Daily. Comrade Zhou Enlai wrote a personal letter to Chen Cheng, asking Lu Zhi to hand over in person, in which he asked Chen Cheng to allow Lu Zhi to meet General Ye Ting in person. After reading the letter, Chen reads the letter and immediately agrees. Lu immediately met with General Ye Ting on the same day.

At that time, Enshi was a small remote city in western Hubei Province, with narrow streets and an untidy appearance. After the bombing by Japanese planes, it was even more dilapidated. Chen Cheng's Sixth Theater Commander's Headquarters and the Hubei Provincial Government are stationed here, and personnel are constantly coming and going, and the traffic is diverging. Chen Cheng thought that it would be an obstacle to the view, so he ordered the garrison headquarters to command the troops and mobilize the masses to carry out rectification, and I was responsible for planning. First of all, a straight street will run through the east and west gates of the city, and it will be appropriately removed and modified, and it will be opened up as an avenue that can pass cars. An octagonal pavilion was built in the center of the street, and flowers and trees were planted around it for the citizens to rest, and I wrote the stone as a memorial note; secondly, the bombed-out site was cleared and vegetables and flowers were planted; and the people were organized to clean the streets. In addition, a Peking Opera troupe organized and trained by Tian Han, a famous playwright who had been evacuated from Wuhan to Enshi, staged such programs as the patriotic historical drama Yue Feichuan, which further aroused the patriotic sentiment of military and political personnel and the masses. After this operation, Enshi has a new look. In order to avoid air raids by Japanese planes, the headquarters of the Theater Commander and the Hubei Provincial Government were stationed in the suburbs of Tuqiaoba in the northwest of the city. In order to ensure the smooth flow of the two places, Chen Cheng ordered the Provincial Construction Department to cooperate with the army engineers to build a 300-meter-long stone cement pavement bridge across the Qingjiang River. After the completion and opening to traffic, Chen Cheng came to congratulate in person. The local people came and went, and it became a commemorative symbol of the Enshi Anti-Japanese War.

In August 1945, after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, he was stationed in the Sixth War Zone in Enshi, and was assigned the task of accepting the surrender and disarming of the Japanese army in Wuhan. The Ministry of the Governor and all the civil and military organs of the Hubei Provincial Government moved to Wuhan. General Ye Ting is inconvenient to live alone in Enshi, so he needs to be resettled. On August 28 of the same year, General Ye Ting and his family left the house and set off for Chongqing, and took a car to Chongqing, bidding farewell to Enshi, who had lived for two years and eight months.

[Yang Botao, April 19, 1909-February 20, 2000, was born in Yongping Township, Zhijiang County, Hunan. Dong. In 1930, he graduated from the seventh phase of the Wuhan branch of the Whampoa Military Academy. He graduated from the 14th class of the Army University in 1938. From 1938 to 1942, he served as a lieutenant colonel and staff officer of the headquarters of the 15th Group Army of the Kuomintang Army, chief of staff of the 11th Division of the 18th Army, commander of the 94th Army Corps and chief of staff of the division. Later, he served as the commander of the 86th Army. He was captured during the Battle of Huaihai in 1948 and released in 1959 under amnesty. In 1961, he was appointed Commissioner of Culture and History of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. In 1983, he was appointed as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and a member of the Central Supervisory Commission of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang. 】