On the arduous Long March, the Red Army soldiers were in the predicament of hunger for a long time. However, during the whole long journey, there were only two places where the Red Army was able to take a moment of respite and eat a full meal for two days. What are these two places? What kind of hospitality did the Red Army receive there? Why did they go on after a short meal in those two places? What kind of historical story does this contain? Let us find out.
1. The hardships of the Red Army's Long March
In October 1934, the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army began its famous strategic shift, the Long March. It was an unprecedented expedition that was about 10,000 miles long and spanned more than a dozen provinces and regions. Along the way, the Red Army fighters endured a lot of hardships and were almost in a state of chronic starvation.
At that time, the main force of the Red Army numbered more than 90,000 people, and logistical supply was extremely difficult. Only a small amount of dry food is distributed every day, and sometimes even this little dry food is not eaten. In order to maintain its combat effectiveness, the Red Army adopted the operational policy of "fighting two battles in three days and three days fighting in two days" to save limited food.
During the long march, the Red Army often had to eat wild plants, such as wild vegetables, tree bark, and grass roots. Sometimes they had to eat horse meat, mule meat, and even the fur of dead horses. Due to long-term malnutrition, many soldiers lost weight sharply, their faces were yellow and thin, and their marching strength was inadequate.
What was even more cruel was that the Red Army encountered a terrible "ice and snow disaster" in the area of Jiajin Mountain in western Sichuan. In that snow-capped mountain with high cold and lack of oxygen, the Red Army soldiers could not eat for several days, and could only gnaw on ice and snow to satisfy their hunger. Some fighters were even forced to eat human flesh to barely stay alive. At that time, the Red Army suffered heavy casualties, with only more than 8,000 remaining.
In the face of such a difficult environment, the officers and men of the Red Army gritted their teeth, persisted in fighting, and never gave up. With tenacious perseverance and heroic fighting spirit, they wrote a heroic epic that can be sung and cried. And on the entire route of the Long March, there were only two places where the Red Army was able to temporarily take a breath and eat a full meal for two days.
II. Hadapu: A brief respite for the Red Army
In May 1935, the Red Army arrived in the town of Hadapu in Linxia County, Gansu Province. It was a small town, but it gave the Red Army a long-lost warmth and solace.
At that time, the Red Army had been on the march for several months, there was a shortage of food and grass, and the soldiers were hungry and thirsty. When approaching Hadapu, Mao Zedong sent scouts Liang Xingchu and Wu Delian to explore the way. The two disguised themselves as Kuomintang officers and infiltrated the town of Hadapu. They found that the people here were simple and rich, and it was an ideal place for the Red Army to rest for a while.
Liang Xingchu and Wu Delian also found a large number of newspapers, which contained a major piece of good news: There was already a base area in northern Shaanxi, and the Red 25th Army joined forces with the Red 26th Army and the 27th Army to establish a new revolutionary base area. This was undoubtedly a glimmer of life for the Red Army in a desperate situation.
After learning of this good news, Mao Zedong decided to rest for a few days in the town of Hadapu. The Red Army soldiers were finally able to temporarily unload their heavy bags and resupply themselves.
Soon, the Red Army settled in the town of Hatapu. The local people were very friendly to this "army of the poor" and provided food and lodging for the Red Army. The Red Army soldiers ate a rare number of feasts here, and some even had enough to eat for several days in a row.
In Hadapu, the Red Army not only ate delicious food, but also carried out reorganization. The 1st and 3rd Army Corps and the Central Column were combined into the Shaanxi-Gansu Column, with Peng Dehuai as commander and Lin Biao as political commissar. The combat effectiveness of the reorganized Red Army has been greatly enhanced.
In addition to eating and drinking well, the Red Army soldiers were able to take a bath and get a haircut, which improved their living environment. Each of them was given some pocket money to purchase their own daily necessities. After a long drought, the Red Army briefly resped for about a week in the town of Hadapu.
This was the first time since the Red Army's Long March that it had been fully rested in a relatively safe place. In Hatapu, the Red Army not only replenished grain and grass, but more importantly, regained confidence and added strength to the final victory.
Another respite: a certain region
Leaving Hadapu, the Red Army continued its march to the northwest. In another small town on the territory of Gansu Province, the Red Army again received a brief respite.
This town is called Wuqi Town, which is located between Linxia and Wudu. When the Red Army arrived, they found that the people here were simple and the products were abundant, and it was a good place for the Red Army to rest temporarily.
In the town of Wuqi, the Red Army soldiers again had a full meal for several days. Food is plentiful and cheap. One ocean can buy five chickens, and two oceans can buy a fat sheep. After a long drought, the Red Army soldiers could finally replenish their strength.
In addition to eating well, the Red Army also got a full rest in Wuqi Town. The fighters could not only take a bath and get a haircut, but also buy some daily necessities. For the Red Army, which fought on the march for a long time, this improvement in the quality of life was undoubtedly a great consolation.
During the period in Wuqizhen, the Red Army also carried out a major reorganization. According to Mao Zedong's instructions, the Red Army reorganized the Shaanxi-Gansu Column into three columns, each with a number of regiments. After the reorganization, the Red Army has become more streamlined and its combat effectiveness has been further enhanced.
Wuqizhen was also an important turning point in the Red Army's Long March. Here, the Red Army learned the good news that a base area had been established in northern Shaanxi, and its morale was greatly boosted. The Red Army, which had planned to continue its march north, changed the direction of its march and decided to go straight to northern Shaanxi.
After resting for about a week in Wuqizhen, the Red Army regrouped and set out for a rapid march in the direction of northern Shaanxi. Although there were still many enemy obstacles ahead, the confidence of the officers and men of the Red Army was unprecedentedly high, because they knew that the dawn of victory was at hand.
Moving on: Winning the final victory
Although in Hadapu and Wuqi Town, the Red Army received a brief respite, but this was only a small episode in the long journey. The officers and men of the Red Army quickly packed up their bags and continued their march towards northern Shaanxi.
After several months of arduous trekking, the Red Army finally reached the Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi. The terrain here is open and the terrain is complex, which is an ideal place for the Red Army to establish a base area.
In October 1935, the main forces of the Red Army joined forces in the Yan'an area of northern Shaanxi and joined up with the local Red Army guerrillas. Subsequently, the Red Army successively established a series of base areas in Yan'an and other places, laying the foundation for the final victory.
In Yan'an, the Red Army first set about reorganizing its troops and restoring their combat effectiveness. The rest and recuperation in Hadapu and Wuqi Town greatly replenished the Red Army in terms of personnel and equipment. Although the strength of the reorganized Red Army was only more than 8,000 people, all of them were the backbone forces that had undergone strict selection.
Soon, the Red Army launched a series of guerrilla warfare in northern Shaanxi. They attacked all parts of northern Shaanxi, attacked the Kuomintang strongholds, and expanded the territory of the base areas. In Yan'an, Mizhi, Baoan and other places, the Red Army established a strong militia force, which received strong support from the local people.
At the end of 1936, the Red Army won a decisive victory in the guerrilla war in various parts of northern Shaanxi. By 1937, northern Shaanxi had formed a vast base area and became the base camp of the Red Army.
In the base areas in northern Shaanxi, the Red Army not only restored and developed its own strength, but more importantly, formed a complete set of theoretical and practical experience in the construction of base areas. This laid a solid foundation for the future War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation.
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It was precisely with the strong backing of the base areas in northern Shaanxi that the Red Army was able to forge ahead indomitable in the subsequent wars and finally won a complete victory. And all this has to start with the arduous long march. The Long March was a thrilling expedition and an important strategic shift, laying the foundation for the Red Army's eventual national victory.