Memoirs of Shaw - 34

The next day, our army attacked the enemy position, and the Red 3rd Army attacked from the front, making contact with the enemy first and attracting the enemy's main force. The Red 4th Army attacked the enemy's flank, and the Red 12th Army detoured behind the enemy to cut off the enemy's retreat. The task given to the column by the military headquarters was to spread out on the left side of the 1st column, and the two detachments of our column attacked in parallel, with one heart and one mind, and attacked in an orderly manner, and soon occupied the enemy's left rear position.

After three hours of charging and killing, the frontal enemy retreated, the 12th Army intercepted in the rear, and the entire enemy brigade was wiped out by us. Our column captured more than 300 rifles, four heavy machine guns, 30,000 or 40,000 rounds of ammunition, and captured a large number of prisoners. This was the first major battle fought by our peasant army since it was sent out from western Fujian, and it was also the first major victory. This victory greatly increased the confidence of the whole column.

I remember that when we first set out from western Fujian, our peasant army was difficult to master, not to mention fighting big battles, even long-distance marches. After entering Jiangxi, the troops crossed the Wujiang River, which was a border area between red and white, not far from the enemy strongholds in Ji'an and Jishui, and enemy planes often came out to reconnoiter and bomb. Many fighters had never seen an airplane, and the enemy planes did not know how to hide when they came, and they were still pointing and watching the excitement there. For the sake of security, the troops switched to night marching.

One night, the landlords came to attack, our column was at the end, the enemy was far away from us, the gunfire was sparse, and it could be judged that there were not many people. And the recruits are inexperienced and get nervous when they hear the gunshots. At dawn, near the Wujiang River, the adjutant of the follow-up detachment ran to report that their detachment had heard the gunshots and ran to the rear.

I hurriedly asked, "How much did you run?" and the adjutant replied, "More than half of it." I asked again, "Did the company commander and platoon commander run away?" and the adjutant said, "They didn't go." I got angry: "Then why don't you master the troops?" The adjutant actually replied: "It is easy to master during the day, but you can't see it at night, and you run away in a panic." ”

Zhang Chunan and I were stunned for a moment, and when we thought about it, it was not surprising that there were many recruits in the peasant army, and it was inevitable that there would be "rumors". I ordered my adjutant: "Go back immediately, let the company commanders, platoon commanders, and party representatives go to the mountains to call back the scattered personnel, and we will wait here." ”

I told the subordinate unit of the column to rest on the spot, and then ordered the detachment that followed the subordinate unit to continue to advance to the Wujiang River, control the ferry, and wait for us and the troops to arrive before advancing.

Two hours after dawn, it was reported that the people who had run away had been recovered. So, they went to the Wujiang River together, rested in the forest, and reported to the military headquarters at the same time.

This "rumor" made us nervous. To tell the truth, at that time, I was most afraid of "rumors", and I still remember the tragedy of the 29th Regiment in southern Hunan because of the "rumors". The reason for the "rumors" is that the psychological tension in the war environment is caused by the fact that the recruits and some inexperienced officers lack the ability to judge the sudden occurrence of the situation, and they are very blind, and when they hear the slightest movement, they will make a mess, and some people will even wake up because of a dream, which will also cause many people to abandon their armor and run around.

The main reason for the dispersal of "rumors" is the dispersal of the troops, and I believe that in order to control the troops, it is necessary to stop the spread of "rumors." In addition to stepping up daily training and discipline education, a simple but effective method was also adopted: At night, the company commander and platoon commander slept indoors, and the door was closed at the slightest "rumor," and no one was allowed to run out. If there is a "rumor" on the road, everyone is ordered to sit on the ground and not move.

As soon as you calm down, you can calmly observe and identify the situation. This was indeed effective, and during the two nights of staying in Zhangshu Town, several troops spread "rumors," and this method was adopted to stop them.

In order to enable the troops as soon as possible

To fight big battles and tough battles, I also want to adopt the "joint sitting method" in the army. The "joint sitting method" was created by Qi Jiguang, and this method used by the Northern Expedition army really played a role in the Northern Expedition.

After the Red Fourth Army set out from Tingzhou, I proposed at the column committee to implement the "joint sitting method." Zhang Chinan, a Huangpu student, knew that the Northern Expeditionary Army had this system, and my suggestion was agreed to by him. I also talked to Lin Biao, and Lin Biao also agreed, so it was settled. Later, the Military Commission of the Red 4th Army inspected my work and thought that this method was inappropriate. I was disciplined by the party for this.

In 1929, some people proposed to implement it in the Red Fourth Army, but Zhu De disagreed, saying that this method was not suitable for guerrilla warfare, and Mao Zedong did not agree with it. Now it seems that the Red Army is a new type of army of the proletariat, and this method should not be applied mainly by raising political consciousness and strengthening discipline education to arouse combat enthusiasm.

A lot of guns were seized in Wenjia City, and everyone would use rifles, but heavy machine guns would not be used. When I found out that some of the captured Kuomintang officers knew machine guns, I personally did education work for them, explaining the ideas of the Communist Party, the invasion of China by the imperialist powers, the chaos of the Kuomintang warlords and the disregard for the lives of workers, peasants and soldiers, and the truth that "the rise and fall of the country is the responsibility of the husband." At that time, Jiang Fengyan was in the middle of the Central Plains War, and the captives and soldiers witnessed the disasters brought by the warlords' melee to the country, and experienced the physical and mental pain caused by the war, and they easily accepted my speech. As I said, they also interjected, citing examples of warlords fighting each other, and some of them couldn't help but sigh when they talked about the pain.

This kind of propaganda has changed their thinking. I appointed a liberated lieutenant platoon commander as the commander of the machine gun company, and he was very moved, and even though he knew that we were not paid and that our life was very difficult, he was willing to join the Red Army and accept the appointment.

At that time, every time a battle was fought, many prisoners were captured, and the captive soldiers became an important source of replenishment for the Red Army. The education and transformation of prisoners has become an important aspect of the political work of the troops. I feel that in the education and transformation of the captives, we should put the heart above all else, and understand the great righteousness, so that they can understand who they are fighting for, and at the same time, we should also give them more trust and care, so that they can feel the warmth of the Red Army and the close relationship between officers and soldiers in the people's army. By comparing the two armies, the consciousness of most of them has been greatly enhanced, and today they will become Red Army soldiers who fought for the interests of the White Army and turned their guns today.

In Wenjia City, I heard that the Red 3rd Army led by Peng Dehuai opened Changsha, but after ten days of occupation, it withdrew. Mao Zedong and Zhu De sent Yang Yuebin to liaise with the 3rd Army Corps and prepare for the two Corps to act together. At that time, the 3rd Army Corps was in Yonghe City, only sixty miles away from us, and Yang Yuebin quickly got in touch. Two days later, we advanced from Wenjia City to Liuyang and joined the 3rd Army Corps in Yonghe City. The two corps were combined into the Red Front Army, with Zhu De as commander-in-chief, Peng Dehuai as deputy commander-in-chief, Mao Zedong as general political commissar, and Teng Daiyuan as deputy general political commissar.