One day in April 1937, a "Mr. Teaching" wearing a long shirt and a long beard came to Pingliang City, Gansu Province. Behind him was an attendant carrying a load. This "Mr. Teaching" was very thin, with a vegetable face, some tattered clothes, and looked very tired. At the gate of Pingliang City, the two saw several notices posted by the Northwest Warlord Ma Bufang to arrest the "bandit leader", one of which was the arrest of Xu Xiangqian, the commander-in-chief of the Western Route Army.
What is puzzling is that this "Mr. Teaching" did not panic, but walked into the city without hurrying. Could it be that this "Mr. Teaching" is the rumored Xu Xiangqian? Why did he appear here alone? And why was he so calm and composed, turning a blind eye to those notices? What is even more puzzling is that an unidentified person is so respectful to this "Mr. Teaching," is he Geng Biao? What happened to cause this abnormal scene?
1. The difficult battle of the Western Route Army in Hexi
In October 1936, after the division in Huining, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China decided to form the Western Route Army, with Chen Changhao as the chairman of the Military and Political Committee, and Xu Xiang as the former vice chairman and commander-in-chief, responsible for opening the passage to the Soviet Union. The main forces of the Western Route Army were the Ninth Army, the Fifth Army and the Thirtieth Army of the Red Fourth Front.
On November 10, the Western Route Army was formally established, and the next day it marched to Hexi. After Ma Bufang learned the news, he immediately mobilized the main force and encountered it in the Gulang area. On November 11, the two sides fought a decisive battle in Gulang. Although the officers and men of the Red Army fought bloodily, they were finally outnumbered, and the Ninth Army suffered heavy losses, and the chief of staff Chen Bozhi and other generals were killed.
The defeat in the Battle of Gulang hindered the westward expansion plan of the Western Route Army. The central government immediately issued an order requiring the Western Route Army to establish a base in the Yongliang area. In this regard, Chen Xu and Xu had a disagreement. Xu Xiangqian advocated continuing to move westward, while Chen Changhao insisted on staying in Yongliang.
In the end, Chen Changhao, as chairman of the Military Commission, his opinion was implemented. From late November to early December, the Western Route Army fought fiercely with the Ma Jiajun in the Yongliang area for dozens of days, dealing a heavy blow to the enemy, but it also suffered heavy casualties of its own, and the number of combatants was sharply reduced to less than 15,000.
In December, the Central Committee again ordered the Western Route Army to carry out the task of advancing westward. The Western Route Army then took the Red Fifth Army as the vanguard and marched towards Gaotai County. On January 1, 1937, the Red Fifth Army conquered Gaotai, but the Ma Jiajun quickly surrounded it, and the two sides fought to the death. In the end, Dong Zhentang and more than 3,000 people of the Red Fifth Army died heroically.
After the Battle of Gaotai, the Western Route Army had to abandon its westward march and prepare to return east. However, he was ambushed in the Ni family camp in the southeast of Linze County and fell into a desperate situation again. After five days and nights of fierce fighting in Ni's camp, the Western Route Army was in a hurry and asked for reinforcements from the central government.
On March 11, without waiting for reinforcements, Xu Xiangqian commanded the remnants of the Western Route Army to break through and transfer to Liyuankou. However, the cavalry of the Ma Jiajun pursued closely, and the Red Ninth Army and the Thirty Army were all wiped out at Liyuankou. Subsequently, the Women's Independent Regiment of the Western Route Army was also massacred in Kanglong Temple.
By March 14, the only remaining part of the Western Route Army had retreated to Shiwo, and Chen Xu held the last meeting of the Military Commission. Chen Changhao announced that he and Xu Xiangqian would return to northern Shaanxi to report to the Central Committee, and that the rest of the personnel would disperse to fight guerrillas. Xu Xiangqian was adamantly opposed, but Chen Changhao, as chairman, had to carry out his decision.
2. The fall of the Western Route Army and the breakup of Chen Xu
After the encounter at Xidongbao, Chen Changhao and Xu Xiangqian led the remnants to continue to move eastward. Along the way, they were attacked and harassed by the Ma Jiajun from time to time, and after several setbacks, they finally came to the area of Liyuankou.
In Liyuankou, Chen Xu and Xu decided to break up temporarily. Chen Changhao led the remnants of the Red Ninth Army and the 30th Army to break through to the east, attempting to cross the Yellow River and return to northern Shaanxi, while Xu Xiangqian led the remnants of the Red Fifth Army to continue to move southeast, preparing to regroup forces in the Qilian Mountains.
At the beginning of April, Chen Changhao's troops broke through first. When Ma Jiajun learned about it, he immediately sent a large number of cavalry to pursue. The two sides fought to the death in the area of Liyuankou. The soldiers of the Red Ninth Army and the Thirtieth Army tried their best, but they were eventually outnumbered and annihilated.
Chen Changhao was accidentally injured during the breakout and was captured by Ma Jiajun. After Ma Bufang learned that Chen Changhao had been captured, he personally came to interrogate him. Chen Changhao spoke bluntly to Ma Bufang, and Ma Bufang was furious and imprisoned Chen Changhao.
At the same time, Xu Qianqian was heavily surrounded by Ma Jiajun in the area of Kanglong Temple southeast of Liyuankou. After several days of fierce fighting, Xu suffered heavy casualties in the front and ran out of ammunition and food.
At this critical juncture, the Red Army Women's Independent Regiment was ordered to come to reinforcements. The regiment commander Wang Quanyuan personally led more than 200 female soldiers to break through the siege bloodily and open up a way of life for Xu Qian.
However, the cavalry of the Ma Jiajun was in hot pursuit, and near Kanglong Temple, the Red Army Women's Independent Regiment fell into a heavy encirclement by the enemy. After several days and nights of fierce fighting, almost all of the female warriors were killed, and the few dozen remaining were also captured.
Ma Jiajun inflicted all kinds of humiliation on the captured female soldiers, and finally gathered them in Kanglong Temple, where they were brutally shot with machine guns. Wang Quanyuan and other regiment leaders and most of the female soldiers died heroically here.
Under the cover of the female warriors, Xu Qianqian finally highlighted the encirclement of the Ma Jiajun. But then, the cavalry of the Ma family army surrounded them again.
On March 14, Xu Xiangqian held the last meeting of the Military Committee of the Western Route Army in Shiwo. At the meeting, Chen Changhao announced that he and Xu Xiangqian would return to northern Shaanxi to report to the Central Committee, while the rest of the personnel would disperse the guerrillas.
Xu Xiangqian was adamantly opposed, believing that the troops had lost the battle and that the leaders should not leave first. However, Chen Changhao, as chairman of the Military Commission, had to carry out his decision.
After the meeting, Chen Changhao and Xu Xiangqian crossed the Yellow River separately. Chen Changhao led a small detachment to leave first, while Xu Xiangqian led the remnants to continue the struggle.
3. Chen Xudong's difficult journey across the Yellow River
After the encounter at Xidongbao, Chen Changhao and Xu Xiangqian led the remnants to continue to move eastward. Along the way, they were attacked and harassed by the Ma Jiajun from time to time, and after several setbacks, they finally came to the area of Liyuankou.
In Liyuankou, Chen Xu and Xu decided to break up temporarily. Chen Changhao led a small detachment to cross the Yellow River eastward in an attempt to break through and return to northern Shaanxi, while Xu Xiangqian led the remnants of the Western Route Army to continue to move southeast, preparing to regroup forces in the Qilian Mountains.
Chen Changhao's squad was led by Chief of Staff Chen Mingyi and consisted of 28 soldiers. Before leaving, Xu Xiangqian handed Chen Mingyi a leather bag containing important documents and instructed him to deliver them to Yan'an. Chen Mingyi choked up and promised to complete the task.
After the breakup, Chen Mingyi's team crossed the Yellow River eastward. On the way, they were attacked by Ma Jiajun many times and suffered heavy losses. In the end, only Chen Mingyi and 5 soldiers were left to reach northern Shaanxi with difficulty.
At the same time, Xu Xiangqian led the remnants of the Western Route Army to move to the southeast. At the beginning of April, they came to the area of Kanglong Temple in the southeast of Liyuankou and were surrounded by Ma Jiajun.
After several days of fierce fighting, Xu suffered heavy casualties in the front and ran out of ammunition and food. At this critical juncture, the Red Army Women's Independent Regiment was ordered to come to reinforcements. The regiment commander Wang Quanyuan personally led more than 200 female soldiers to break through the siege bloodily and open up a way of life for Xu Qian.
However, the cavalry of the Ma Jiajun was in hot pursuit, and near Kanglong Temple, the Red Army Women's Independent Regiment fell into a heavy encirclement by the enemy. After several days and nights of fierce fighting, almost all of the female warriors were killed, and the few dozen remaining were also captured.
Ma Jiajun inflicted all kinds of humiliation on the captured female soldiers, and finally gathered them in Kanglong Temple, where they were brutally shot with machine guns. Wang Quanyuan and other regiment leaders and most of the female soldiers died heroically here.
Under the cover of the female warriors, Xu Qianqian finally highlighted the encirclement of the Ma Jiajun. But then, the cavalry of the Ma family army surrounded them again.
At this critical juncture, the Red Army reinforcements led by Geng Biao arrived. When Geng Biao saw the "Mr. Teaching", he shouted in surprise: "Commander Xu, it turned out to be you!"
It turned out that after the encounter at Xidongbao, Geng Biao was ordered to lead his troops to reinforce the Western Route Army. Along the march, they encountered the Ma Jiajun many times and suffered heavy casualties. When they finally arrived at the mouth of the pear orchard, they saw a dilapidated Red Army unit under heavy surroundment.
Geng Biao personally rushed to the front line and joined forces with Xu Xiangqian. The two hit it off at first sight and told each other about the hardships of life and death. After Geng Biao learned of Xu Xiangqian's situation, he immediately ordered full cover to open up a breakthrough passage for Xu Xiangqian.
Under the cover of Geng Biao's troops, Xu Xiangqian led the remnants of the Western Route Army to finally highlight the encirclement of the Ma Jiajun. They continued their eastward shift, eventually arriving in northern Shaanxi in late May.
4. Reflections of the Party Central Committee on the Destruction of the Western Route Army
The collapse of the Western Route Army dealt a heavy blow to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. After the defeat of the Western Route Army, the central authorities attached great importance to this lesson and conducted in-depth reflection and summing up the reasons for the defeat of the Western Route Army.
First of all, the central government believes that the westward expansion plan itself is correct. Under the circumstances at that time, the strategic goal of opening up the passage to the Soviet Union, obtaining military assistance from the Soviet Union, establishing a base area in the northwest, and laying a solid foundation for the future War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was completely correct.
However, in the process of implementation, there are some problems and shortcomings. For example, the armed forces of the Western Route Army were overestimated and the actual situation of backward equipment and serious shortage of personnel was overestimated; the comparison of forces between the enemy and us was underestimated and the strength of Ma Bufang's troops was underestimated; and the difficulties that the Western Route Army might encounter along the way were not fully considered.
Second, the central authorities believe that Chen and Xu also have differences and deviations in their specific commands. As chairman of the Central Military Commission, Chen Changhao's lack of decisive decision-making at critical moments, coupled with his serious personal subjectivism, led to rare opportunities for the Western Route Army in Yongliang, Nijiayingzi, and other places, while Xu Xiangqian was too stubborn and had rigid thinking on some issues. The lack of tacit cooperation between the two at the critical moment undoubtedly exacerbated the destruction of the Western Route Army.
Thirdly, the Central Committee believed that the deep-seated reason for the collapse of the Western Route Army was that the armed forces of the Red Army at that time were weak and outdated, and they could not compete with the heavy weapons of the Kuomintang army. Although the officers and men of the Western Route Army were brave and tenacious, they were eventually outnumbered and retreated in the face of absolute inferiority in equipment.
Finally, the central authorities spoke highly of the heroic sacrifice of the officers and men of the Western Route Army. Although the Western Route Army was eventually destroyed, they made great contributions to the cause of the Party and the people. The struggle of the Western Route Army contained a large number of Kuomintang troops, won precious time for the central authorities, and also laid a solid foundation for the victory of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in the future.
After the defeat of the Western Route Army, the central authorities learned a profound lesson. During the subsequent period of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the central authorities paid more attention to the united front and united all forces that could be united; paid more attention to strengthening the building of the Red Army and improving the armed equipment of the Red Army; and paid more attention to strategic planning and the scientific nature of campaign command. It was precisely because of the sacrifice of the Western Route Army and the reflection and summary of the central government that the great victory of the War of Resistance against Japan was finally won.
Although the Western Route Army was destroyed, their heroic struggle will forever be engraved on the monument of the Chinese revolution. As Mao Zedong said: "Stay in the green mountains, don't be afraid of no firewood." "As long as we persist in the struggle, we will eventually overcome all difficulties and win the final victory.