After the second Kuomintang-Communist cooperation, the 45,000 Red Army was reorganized into the National Revolutionary Army, of which the main division, the 115th Division, was formed on the basis of the original Red First Army. The 115th Division has two brigades, the 343rd Brigade and the 344th Brigade.
Among them, the 343 Brigade is a unit of the Red First Army Corps of Miao Gen Zhenghong, while the 344 Brigade is different, it is adapted from the original Red 15th Army Corps. The Red 15th Army was formed very late, and was composed of the famous Red 25th Army and the 26th and 27th armies of the Red Army in northern Shaanxi. Originally, there were two regiments - the 687th Regiment and the 688th Regiment.
Later, Xu Haidong, the former commander of the Red 25th Army, considered that the Red Army in northern Shaanxi was also a heroic unit, so he proposed to build another regiment based on the Red 26th and 27th Armies. After getting the approval, Xu Haidong drew out two battalions of troops as the backbone, and then supplemented some troops to form the 689th Regiment. Thus, the 344 Brigade became a large brigade with three regiments.
Soon after the 344th Brigade was formed, Division Commander Lin and Deputy Division Commander Nie Rongzhen of the 115th Division sent a telegram to the central authorities, hoping to "replace a brigade commander to replace Comrade Xu Haidong." Although the telegram did not spread out the reason, the implication was actually easy to understand.
1. The highly decorated 25th Army and the special 344th Brigade
Although the 344th Brigade originated from the Red 25th Army and the Northern Shaanxi Red Army, its backbone force was undoubtedly the Red 25th Army. If the Red First Army, the Red Second Front Army, and the Red Fourth Front Army are the three mountains of our army, then the Red 25th Army is a steep hill relative to the three major peaks.
The Red 25th Army originated in the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Soviet Region and was originally part of the Red Fourth Front Army. In 1932, the Red Fourth Front Army launched the Long March, and the veterans of the Jute Uprising such as Xu Haidong and Wu Huanxian led the Red 25th Army and the 28th Army to continue to fight in the Hubei-Henan-Anhui region.
Due to the fierce enemy, the Red 25th Army and the Red 28th Army merged to form a new Red 25th Army. Under the assignment of the Central Committee, the Red 25th Army decided to launch the Long March. Cheng Zihua, who was specially dispatched by the central government, served as the commander, Xu Haidong served as the deputy commander, and Wu Huanxian served as the political commissar.
When the Red 25th Army set out, the number was less than 3,000, and they were all a group of bitter orphans and martyrs, the average age was less than 16 years old, and most of the leaders above the regiment were in their 20s. Some soldiers are not even as tall as their own guns. Therefore, the Red 25th Army was nicknamed the "Boy Scouts" by the enemy.
However, it was this boy scout army that broke through the enemy's hundreds of thousands of encirclement and interception like a sharp axe, and successively defeated the Central Army, the Northeast Army, the Shaanxi Army, the Ningma Army and the Jin Army, invincible and indomitable. While the other Red Army's Long March attrition was serious, the Red 25th Army was growing in number and better equipped with better equipment. After the Red 25th Army took the lead in arriving in northern Shaanxi, the 3,000-man Mali actually had more than 100 machine guns, which was even better than the configuration of the Central Army.
As long as there was a battle, the Red 25th Army would swing its various machine guns into the position, and the bullets would be like a scoop, making the enemy scurry.
When the Red 25th Army arrived in northern Shaanxi, the Red Army in northern Shaanxi was facing great difficulties. The arrival of the Red 25th Army helped the Red Army in northern Shaanxi stabilize its position, expand its territory, and consolidate its base areas. A solid foundation was laid for the arrival of the Shaanxi-Gansu detachment and the three main forces. Without the Red 25th Army, it would have been difficult for the Red Army in northern Shaanxi to hold the base area. At that time, the fate of the Chinese revolution will probably be rewritten.
This was the first contribution made by Xu Haidong and the Red 25th Army.
The second major achievement of the Red 25th Army was to take over the Shaanxi-Gansu detachment led by Mao Zedong. At that time, Mao Zedong and other leaders had just experienced the "grassland shock" and were once facing great danger. When the Shaanxi-Gansu detachment arrived in northern Shaanxi, it was already hungry and cold, and its clothes were ragged. Therefore, Mao Zedong sent a telegram to Xu Haidong, hoping to borrow 2,500 oceans as military expenses.
Xu Haidong waved his pen: "How can 2,500 oceans be enough? "I took 5000 oceans from the internal affairs and gave them all to the Central Red Army. Not only that, the Red 25th Army also took out a large number of machine guns to replenish equipment for the Shaanxi-Gansu detachment.
In terms of military spending, 5000 oceans is actually not much. But the deep meaning of its implication moved me. At that time, it was like a sense of comradeship to meet such a local leader who had party spirit and did not stress self-centeredness and localism. This is undoubtedly a great encouragement to the Shaanxi and Gansu detachments, which are in a difficult situation. As a result, Xu Haidong became a hero of the Chinese Revolution, and his Red 25th Army also became a special force.
Later, Xu Haidong and the Red 15th Army, under the command of Mao Zedong, broke the Northeast Army, disabled Zhang Xueliang's three divisions, and Yang Hucheng's elite forces were also defeated. It is precisely because of this that Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng came into contact with the CCP, and finally evolved into the Xi'an Incident, which changed the direction of Chinese history.
Because the historical situation of the 344 Brigade is so special, and Xu Haidong's historical status is so high, even if he is as strong as Division Commander Lin and Deputy Division Commander Nie Rongzhen, they will beat drums in their hearts, worried that they will "not be able to hold down" and that they will not be able to command.
First of all, with the strength of the 15th Army Corps of the Red Army, it is entirely possible to build another division on the basis of replenishing troops. It was only because Chiang Kai-shek was too stingy that the Red 15th Army and the Red 1st Army were "squeezed" together for adaptation;
Secondly, Xu Haidong's merits are too great, and if it were not for the limited establishment, he would definitely be a strong contender for the deputy commander of a certain division.
Therefore, Lin and Nie Ershuai did not squeeze out Xu Haidong, nor did they look at the 344 Brigade differently, they were indeed a little unconfident, a little embarrassed, and worried that they would "not be able to hold on".
But in the end, Mao Zedong did not agree to Lin and Nie's request, and Xu Haidong still served as the commander of the 344 Brigade, and why is this?
2. The Chairman is of great use to the 344th Brigade
Although the Red 25th Army is a small hill, it is a very strong mountain. The Red 25th Army had strong combat effectiveness and fought a lot of vicious battles, so the entire unit had a fairly strong cohesive force. However, there are pros and cons to overly strong cohesion, that is, it is prone to xenophobia.
The Red 25th Army admired Xu Haidong and Wu Huanxian very much, and the cadres sent by the central government were not very easy to work there. Although Cheng Zihua was once a military commander, his sense of existence was far less than that of deputy army commander Xu Haidong. From the perspective of military command, Cheng Zihua is a Huangpu tiger general, and his military talent is no less than that of Xu Haidong. But in the specific command, Cheng Zihua is Xu Haidong's deputy.
Therefore, the Red 25th Army is a strong army that is difficult to advance, and the difficulty of its leadership can be seen. When the 344 Brigade was first established, the banner figure Xu Haidong was the brigade commander, which was actually very suitable.
Besides, Xu Haidong himself doesn't care much about who will lead and who will command. As long as there is a battle, Xu Laohu is happy. For example, when Cheng Zihua arrived in Hubei, Henan and Anhui, Xu Haidong took the initiative to ask to be the deputy commander and let the comrades from the central government be the commanders. shows outstanding high style and regardless of fame and fortune.
Xu Haidong once said to himself: "I am addicted to war, walking, and drinking, but I just don't have an official addiction." "Xu Haidong was happy when he heard about the war, but if he didn't fight, he would be sick. The general once said, "Fighting is my good healer." ”
Therefore, it is impossible for Xu Haidong to have a situation where the command is not moving, he and Chairman Mao are heart-to-heart, and absolutely obey the party's command. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Xu Haidong led the 344th Brigade to follow the main force of the 115th Division to North China, and made great contributions to the victory of Pingxingguan.
In addition, the central government actually has a great use for the 344 Brigade, and it is by no means as simple as a subordinate brigade of the 115th Division. Judging from the later use of the 344 Brigade by the Central Committee, it has always been regarded as a mobile force directly under the Central Committee.
When the Kuomintang and the Communist Party cooperated, Mao Zedong proposed to Chiang Kai-shek that the Red Army was not good at frontal offensive operations and was more suitable for guerrilla warfare in the mountains. Therefore, Mao Zedong explained to Chiang Kai-shek that the Eighth Route Army would conduct guerrilla warfare independently and autonomously. Every division, every brigade, and every regiment of the Eighth Route Army is not a simple troop establishment, but a seed destined to take root behind enemy lines.
Therefore, the formidable 344 Brigade was destined to be separated from the main force and establish a base area on its own. At that time, the usefulness of Xu Haidong, who is brave and good at fighting and can take charge alone, will be highlighted
It can be seen that the 344 Brigade is not a simple subordinate unit of the 115th Division, and Xu Haidong is not completely here to be a subordinate of Lin and Nie, but exists as a "prince".
Sure enough, in 1938, the 344th Brigade was transferred to the direct jurisdiction of the 18th Group Army and was sent to the southeast of Shanxi Province to cooperate with the 129th Division to open up a base area.
However, Mao Zedong did not turn a blind eye to the self-centeredness and xenophobia highlighted by the 344 Brigade. In order to strengthen the central leadership of the 344 Brigade, Mao Zedong sent a senior general - Huang Kecheng.
3. Huang Kecheng and the 344th Brigade
Huang Kecheng is the representative of the Red Third Army, the third general of New China, and ranks higher than Chen Geng.
Huang Kecheng is famous for his uprightness, courage to give direct advice, and love for the people and soldiers. Huang Kecheng was a young man, and he looked like a "little old man" when he was young, so Chairman Mao once jokingly called him "Huang Lao".
Facts have proved that Huang Kecheng is indeed old and seeking the country. As long as he sees a problem, Huang Kecheng will always "make a mistake and give a straight advice", even if it is Chairman Mao on the other side, he will still give his opinion.
The reason why Chairman Mao sent Huang Kecheng, who had both military and political skills, to the 344th Division was to do a good job in the political work of the brigade and let the whole brigade better understand the spirit of the Central Committee.
However, not long after Huang Kecheng arrived at the 344th Brigade, he encountered a storm. It turned out that Xu Haidong, who was once as strong as an ox, fell. During the Long March, Xu Haidong suffered fierce battles in succession, was fatally wounded many times, and the string of his body was completely broken. As a result, Xu Haidong suffered from severe lung disease and often coughed up blood. Later, the doctor examined that most of Xu Haidong's lungs had been necrotic, and it was not easy to live, let alone command the battle.
Therefore, for the military command of the 344 Brigade, Xu Haidong was powerless and could only command the battle on a stretcher. During the march to the southeast of Shanxi, the 344th Brigade fought several defeats in a row. Chang Shengjun was defeated, and this situation made Xu Haidong and Huang Kecheng anxious and annoyed.
Zhang Shaodong, the head of the 687 Regiment trained by Xu Haidong, forgot his original intention and colluded with Chief of Staff Lan Guoqing to defect to the Kuomintang. Although not many soldiers were taken away, the impact was extremely bad.
When the Central Committee learned of this news, it immediately sent Zhu De to the 344 Brigade to inspect it. After some investigation, Zhu De believed that Xu Haidong's illness was no longer suitable for the post of commander, so he ordered him to return to Yan'an immediately for treatment.
In this way, Xu Haidong unexpectedly ended his war career and began to fight against the disease. Mao Zedong once gave instructions to Xu Haidong: "Calm down and recuperate, the sky falls." Later, although Xu Haidong missed the Liberation War, he still won the rank of general.
However, after Xu Haidong left, the position of brigade commander became vacant. Zhu De had some discussions with the generals of the 344th Brigade and agreed that Tian Shouyao, deputy commander of the 687th Regiment of the "Old Red 25th Army", should serve as the acting brigade commander. However, after Mao Zedong received Zhu De's report, he believed that such an appointment would encourage the 344th Brigade's self-centeredness. Therefore, Mao Zedong ordered Yang Dezhi to act as the commander of the 344 Brigade.
When Tian Shouyao heard this, he was very dissatisfied for a while, and was severely criticized by Zhu De for this.
3. Huang Kecheng is in charge
After Xu Haidong, the banner of the Red 25th Army, left, the 344th Brigade once faced pains, and many cadres actually had some opinions on Huang Kecheng.
However, after a long time, Huang Kecheng finally moved the officers and soldiers of the 344th Brigade with sincerity and integrity. Tian Shouyao did not become a brigade commander, thinking that Huang Kecheng was "obstructing", and once had a lot of opinions about him. But in the end, Huang Kecheng completely conquered Tian Shouyao with fair leadership and excellent command. And Tian Shouyao became the most powerful general in Huang Kecheng's hands.
In February 1940, the situation of the Anti-Japanese War took a new turn. With the fall of Central China, the central government had the intention of going south to open up new base areas. After thinking about it, Chairman Mao finally chose Huang Kecheng and the 344 Brigade. In this way, the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army established a second column, with Zuo Quan as commander, Huang Kecheng as political commissar, and Yang Dezhi as deputy commander. The 344th Brigade entered the second column, with Han Xianchu as the acting brigade commander and Kang Zhiqiang as the political commissar. In April, Liu Zhen took over as the commander of the 344 Brigade.
In May, the 344th Brigade followed the second column southward and divided into two echelons from Hebei, Shandong, and Henan to Central China. In June, the second column joined up with Chen Yi and Su Yu's New Fourth Army and began to jointly establish an anti-Japanese base area in northern Jiangsu.
In the south, the 344 Brigade underwent a complex personnel change.
In July, Huang Kecheng led the second column to join the sixth detachment of Peng Xuefeng's division of the New Fourth Army and established the 4th Column of the Eighth Route Army, and the 344th Brigade was changed to the 4th Brigade, under the jurisdiction of the 7th, 8th, and 9th regiments.
In late July, Huang Kecheng received an order from the central government to march northeast Anhui, so Huang Kecheng took the new 2nd Brigade and the 9th Regiment of the 4th Brigade. After arriving at the destination, Huang Kecheng's troops, together with the Sulu-Henan Detachment, the Longhai South Advance Detachment, and the 6th Detachment and the 4th Corps of the New Fourth Army, were combined into the Fifth Column of the Eighth Route Army. Huang Kecheng served as commander and political commissar.
As a result, the original 344 Brigade was divided into two, one part (9 regiments) was commanded by Huang Kecheng, and the other part (7 regiments and 8 regiments) were under the command of Peng Xuefeng.
After the Southern Anhui Incident, Mao Zedong rebuilt the military headquarters of the New Fourth Army and announced that the New Fourth Army would establish seven divisions. Among them, Huang Kecheng's fifth column was reorganized into the Third Division of the New Fourth Army, of which the Ninth Brigade was developed from the original 9th Regiment, and the brigade commander was Tian Shouyao.
Looking at Peng Xuefeng's side again, his fourth column was reorganized into the fourth division of the New Fourth Army, and the fourth brigade was renumbered as the tenth brigade.
In September 1941, taking into account the particularity of the 25th Red Army, the Central Committee decided that it would be better to unify the command of this old Red Army unit. Therefore, Huang Kecheng's 9th Brigade and Peng Xuefeng's 10th Brigade were exchanged.
In this way, the 344th Brigade completed the transformation from the Eighth Route Army to the New Fourth Army. With the old 344 Brigade as the backbone, the Third Division became the most powerful of the divisions of the New Fourth Army. Under Huang Kecheng's painstaking management, the base area in northern Jiangsu was consolidated, and the Third Division also grew to 37,000 horses, with 3 main brigades, 4 independent brigades and 3 independent regiments.
After the end of the Anti-Japanese War, the Central Military Commission issued an order to march into the northeast. As the elite force of our army, the 3rd Division has become the main force in the battle out of the pass. Huang Kecheng was wise and resolute, and did not believe that the northeast was full of weapons, and did not go to the border empty-handed like other brother troops. Therefore, the 3rd Division became one of the most powerful military forces of our army in the northeast.
In the northeast, the 3rd Division was reorganized. The original 344th Division, that is, the 8th Brigade and the 10th Brigade, was reorganized into the Dongye Second Column, which was the predecessor of the 39th Army, the top trump card of our army. Needless to say, the achievements of the 39th Army are known to the Chinese.
The 7th Brigade and the 7th Division of Shandong formed the Sixth Column of the Northeast Field Army, which was one of the six tigers in the East Field Army, and made great contributions in the decisive battle of western Liaoning, and later developed into the 43rd Army and became a heroic unit for the liberation of Hainan Island.
The Third Division of the New Fourth Army also left a part of its troops in northern Jiangsu, which became the source of the 11th Column and the 12th Column of the East China Field Army.
If the 344th Brigade takes Xu Haidong as its banner and soul, then it is probably Huang Kecheng who will completely carry forward the brigade. After Xu Haidong took a sick leave, Huang Kecheng not only filled his vacancy perfectly, but also expanded the foundation of the 344 Brigade and developed 4 columns. The Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army did not have any unit as majestic as the 344 Brigade.
In 1955, Xu Haidong and Huang Kecheng were both awarded the rank of general, ranking second and third respectively. To this day, the blood of the Red 25th Army, the 344th Brigade and the 39th Army still flows in the people's army.