On May 29, 1935, if according to Chiang Kai-shek's deployment, as long as the Luding Bridge was blown up, the 20,000 Central Red Army would inevitably suffer a catastrophe.
In the late spring and early summer of 1935, an unprecedented war was going on on the land of China. In this year, with the failure of the fifth anti-"encirclement and suppression", the Central Red Army faced an unprecedented crisis, Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang army forces were overwhelming, and the 20,000 Central Red Army was forced to start an arduous Long March.
The background of the times was frozen at this moment, and the social situation was particularly drastic before this Long March, and every move of the Central Red Army affected the future direction of China.
Chiang Kai-shek, as the leader of the Kuomintang, had a clear and brutal strategy - just blowing up the Luding Bridge would inflict an irreparable blow on the 20,000 Central Red Army. The Luding Bridge, the lifeline connecting Sichuan and Tibet, became the key to the Long March. The mutual cooperation between Chiang Kai-shek and the Chuankang warlord Liu Wenhui was supposed to drive the Central Red Army to a dead end.
But history often moves in unpredictable directions at critical moments, and Liu Wenhui's hesitation and final decision have become the most puzzling part of this strategic game.
During the difficult course of the Long March, the Central Red Army encountered an unprecedented challenge - forcibly crossing the Dadu River. Facing the surging Dadu River, the officers and men of the Central Red Army knew that the Luding Bridge was their only way to survive. For Liu Wenhui, the Luding Bridge is not just a bridge, it is the economic lifeblood of the region he rules.
The tax revenue on the bridge was of paramount importance to him, and once the Luding Bridge was blown up on Chiang Kai-shek's orders, he would not only lose important revenues, but also face a heavy burden of rebuilding the bridge.
So, in this contest by the Dadu River, Liu Wenhui made an important decision - not to blow up the Luding Bridge. He believed that by strengthening the defense of the Luding Bridge and removing the bridge decks, it would be enough to stop the advance of the Red Army. However, this judgment underestimated the courage and determination of the Central Red Army. The vanguard of the Red Army marched 240 miles on muddy and winding paths, and with unimaginable speed and perseverance, finally reached the Luding Bridge.
On the banks of the Dadu River, the Luding Bridge quietly spans the turbulent river, and this chain bridge has become the focus of the contest between the two armies. The defenders sent by Liu Wenhui, under his orders, removed the bridge slabs and set up heavy machine guns at the bridgehead, ready to intercept any Red Army that tried to cross the bridge. Liu Wenhui confidently believed that this was enough to stop the Red Army, and he did not expect that the Red Army would force its way across the river under such difficult conditions.
After several days of rapid marching, the vanguard of the Red Army finally arrived on the banks of the Dadu River in the evening. Facing the Luding Bridge in front of them, which was stripped of the bridge plank, they did not flinch in the slightest. The commander of the Red Army immediately summoned his troops for a short discussion and decided to seize the Luding Bridge anyway to ensure that the whole army could cross the river smoothly.
As night fell, the Red Army took advantage of the cover of night and began the seizure of the Luding Bridge. The warriors of the vanguard, carrying simple climbing tools, quietly approached the riverbank. Their goal was the iron cables on the bridge, which were their only path to the opposite bank. Despite the absence of bridges, the Red Army soldiers, with their firm will and extraordinary courage, began to climb the iron cables one after another.
The bridge-grabbing operation was almost impossible. Due to the lack of bridge support, the iron cable swayed in the wind and was extremely unstable. Moreover, the rope was covered with droplets from the icy river water, making the climb more difficult and dangerous. The Red Army soldiers' hands ached from clenching the iron cables, and their feet were numb from hanging in the air for a long time, but they had only one thought in their hearts - to seize the bridge!
At the same time, although the defenders sent by Liu Wenhui were alert, they did not expect that the Red Army would try to cross the river under such conditions. When they found that the Red Army was climbing the iron cable, although they hurriedly opened fire, the night and the resourceful actions of the Red Army soldiers made their shooting inaccurate.
After a night of hard work, the vanguard of the Red Army finally succeeded in taking control of the north bank of the Luding Bridge at dawn. They quickly re-laid temporary planks on the bridge, making it possible for the follow-up troops to cross the river. When the morning dawn broke, the Luding Bridge on the bank of the Dadu River was already full of Red Army flags, which was not only a direct counterattack to Liu Wenhui's decision, but also a great boost to the morale of the Red Army.
At this time, Liu Wenhui received a report that the news that Luding Bridge had been captured by the Red Army hit him like a thunderbolt from the sky. He couldn't believe that the poorly equipped but determined Red Army could capture the Luding Bridge under such conditions. At this moment, he realized that he had made a mistake in judgment and underestimated the courage and determination of the Red Army. Liu Wenhui's plan failed, and the Red Army's Long March, because of this battle of Luding Bridge, took another big step.
The successful capture of the Luding Bridge was not only a tactical victory, but also a spiritual victory. The soldiers of the Red Army, with their courage and wisdom, created miracles that were impossible to make. This battle became an important symbol in the course of the Long March, inspiring the Red Army to continue to move forward until the completion of the Great Long March.
At that stormy historical moment, Luding Bridge became a symbol of the Red Army's indomitable and courageous spirit. For Liu Wenhui and the Kuomintang, this incident became a profound lesson in their strategic mistakes, and it was also an irreversible turning point in the course of history. The victory of the Central Red Army at Luding Bridge was like a ray of light, illuminating their difficult but glorious Long March.
