Chu Yin
Abstract: In September 1935, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China led the Shaanxi-Gansu Detachment of the Red Army (the main force of the Red Army) into Hadapu in southern Gansu. At the same time, the troops were reorganized, their ranks were strengthened, their thinking was unified, their combat effectiveness was greatly enhanced, and they made comprehensive preparations for going north to resist Japan. Hadapu has not only become a material "gas station" and a "gas station" for soldiers, but also a political "gas station" and a spiritual "gas station".
On September 12, 1935, the Party Central Committee convened an enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee in Gaoji Village, Dala Township, Diebe County, southern Gansu. The meeting criticized Zhang Guotao's erroneous behavior of escapism and splitting the Red Army, and adopted the "Central Committee's Decision on Comrade Zhang Guotao's Erroneous Decision" to ensure the implementation of the Party Central Committee's policy of going north. The meeting decided to reorganize the First and Third Armies of the Red Army and the Central Column into the Shaanxi-Gansu Detachment of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, and decided to set up a five-member regiment of Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Wang Jiaxiang, Peng Dehuai, and Lin Biao to exercise military leadership. In order to get out of danger as soon as possible, the meeting decided to immediately continue northward as originally planned.
After the meeting of the Russian community, a new foothold was found
On September 13, 1935, the Shaanxi-Gansu detachment braved the severe cold weather of rain and snow, climbed mountains and forests along the east bank of the Bailong River, and approached Lazikou at the foot of Minshan Mountain on the 15th. Lazikou is located in Diebu County, Gansu Province, and is an important pass from Sichuan to Gansu. On the 16th, the 4th Regiment of the 1st Red Army was ordered to quickly seize Lazikou. Due to the unfavorable terrain, the frontal offensive of the Red Army did not work. That night, the Red Army climbed the cliff with two companies, detoured to the enemy's flank, and launched a fierce attack on the defending enemy in coordination with the frontal attacking troops. In the early morning of the 17th, the Red Fourth Regiment broke through the two lines of defense carefully set up by Lu Dachang's troops, victoriously seized the last natural danger on the Long March, opened the northbound passage, and completely bankrupted Chiang Kai-shek's plan to trap the Red Army and starve to death in the snow-capped mountains and meadows.
The Kuomintang New 14th Division Lu Dachang fled in a hurry to Minxian County, and the Red Fourth Regiment took advantage of the victory to pursue fiercely. The enemy retreated to Dara Mountain (also known as Min Mountain), relying on the mountain peak, blocking the road with artillery fire to cover the escape of the main force. The Red Fourth Regiment divided its troops into two routes and made a detour to the enemy from both sides, and the enemy abandoned the hill and fled. In the evening, the enemy rearguard fled to the big grass beach, and was about to cook, when the vanguard battalion of the Red Fourth Regiment chased after him, and after a short encounter, the enemy was completely annihilated. Then, the reconnaissance company directly under the Red First Army captured Hadapu in Minxian County.
At dawn on the 18th, while the Red Fourth Regiment was closely pursuing the remnants of the enemy, the Party Central Committee led the Shaanxi-Gansu detachment to pass through Lazikou, along Zhuligou through Dala Mountain, and arrived at Xuanwo. In order to implement the party's ethnic policy and strict discipline, the Central Military Commission promptly formulated the "Code of Conduct for Hui Areas." The "Code" stipulates: When entering the Muslim areas, they should first send representatives to contact the imams to explain the significance of the Red Army's march north to resist Japan, and only after obtaining the consent of the Hui people should they be allowed to enter the Muslim villages to camp, otherwise they will camp; to protect the Muslims' freedom of religious belief, the troops must not enter the mosque without authorization, and they must not destroy the Muslim scriptures; they are not allowed to borrow Muslim utensils and utensils, and they are not allowed to eat pork and lard in the Muslim areas. This series of regulations made full ideological preparations for the Red Army to enter the Muslim areas.
On the 19th, the main force of the 2nd Red Division entered and occupied Hadapu. On the 20th, Mao Zedong, Zhang Wentian, Zhou Enlai and others led the Shaanxi-Gansu detachment to cross the Minshan Mountain and enter Hadapu in southern Gansu. Hatapu, formerly known as Hatachuan, is located in the south of Minxian County, Gansu Province, and has been an important commercial town and military stronghold on the Ganchuan Road since ancient times. During the Three Kingdoms, it was the "Yinping Ancient Road" (that is, the current Danchang, Wudu, and Wenxian along the Minjiang River, the Bailong River, and the Baishui River), and the Wei general Deng Ai entered Sichuan to destroy Shu from then on. Angelica sinensis (also known as Mingui) is abundant in the local area, and because the price and labor are very cheap, merchants from Shanghai, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Guangzhou, Hebei, Sichuan and other places are willing to do business here. Therefore, the place is prosperous in commerce and trade, convenient in transportation, developed in the postal industry, and has a postal agency.
After arriving in Hadapu, Mao Zedong lived in a bungalow in the backyard of the "Yihechang" pharmacy in the town, and the headquarters was set up in the "Tongshan Society" more than 50 meters away from Mao Zedong's residence, and Zhou Enlai and other central leading comrades lived in the headquarters.
The Red Army's Long March to Shaanxi and Gansu was not the foothold of the strategic shift initially set, and it did not intend to go far at first. The route and foothold of the Long March were constantly changing according to the military situation and operational situation. When the Central Red Army's Long March set out, it went to Xiangxi to rendezvous with the Red Second and Sixth Army Corps; the Liping Conference decided to establish a base area in the Sichuan-Guizhou border area; the Zunyi Conference decided to cross the Yangtze River and establish a base area in the southwest or northwest of Chengdu; the Lianghekou Conference decided to continue northward and establish a base area in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu; and the Russian Border Conference decided to establish a base area close to the Soviet Union. Although the Red Army's Long March had the general direction of "going north to resist Japan", its foothold was always changing.
Go to northern Shaanxi
When he arrived at Hadapu, Mao Zedong learned from the Kuomintang newspapers he found there was a considerable Soviet area and a considerable number of Red Army troops in northern Shaanxi. The Kuomintang newspapers, mainly Ta Kung Pao, Minguo Daily, Central Daily, Xi'an Daily, and Shanxi Daily, which were published in July and August, learned of the activities of the 25th and 26th Red Armies in Shaanxi and the situation in which the CPC had preserved and developed large areas of revolutionary base areas in Shaanxi and Gansu. This discovery made the central leading comrades extremely excited, so they abandoned the plan to establish the Sichuan-Shaanxi-Gansu base area and decided to lead the Red Army to the Shaanxi-Gansu base area.
On September 20, the meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee was held in Hadapu. The meeting was presided over by Zhang Wentian, Mao Zedong and Bogu attended the meeting, and Wang Jiaxiang, Luo Mai, Peng Dehuai, and Yang Shangkun attended the meeting as observers (the minutes of the meeting listed: "Luo, Bo, Ze, participate, Jia, Mai, Dehuai, Shang Kun"). When discussing the work of the Organization Department, Zhang Wentian stressed in his speech that it is necessary to cherish the cadres, because some veteran comrades have the ability, but they have lost weight; and those who have horses now do not need to be abolished. Mao Zedong said in his speech: The organization department should investigate and understand the cadres, and it should understand the cadres at and above the company level. We now only know about high-level cadres, and we don't know about middle- and lower-level cadres. In order to consolidate the troops, it is necessary to understand the cadres, in order to expand the cadres, it is necessary to dominate the cadres, and in order to fight the counter-revolution, it is necessary to understand some tendencies of the cadres. The organization department needs to understand the situation at the lower levels, which is the main work of the organization department, and it is necessary to include education in the organizational work. In addition, the Organization Department should also provide assistance for local work. On the issue of compilation, Mao Zedong said: The word "redundancy" is not very good. For some work needs, even if there is no preparation, it should also be written. We should admit that in the past, we did not give enough preferential treatment to cadres. The current cadres are the essence, and we should pay attention to protection. The meeting agreed to Zhang Wentian's proposal and decided to send Xie Jueya and Mao Zemin to Xinjiang to establish a transportation station and try to open up international relations.
On the morning of the 22nd, in the courtyard in front of the Guandi Temple, a meeting of cadres above the regimental level was held. Mao Zedong made a report on the course of action and tasks. He pointed out that the national crisis is deepening day by day, and we must continue to act to complete the original plan of going north to resist Japan. First of all, we had to go to northern Shaanxi, where Liu Zhidan's Red Army was located. It is only seven or eight hundred miles from the present place to the revolutionary base in northern Shaanxi founded by Liu Zhidan. Everyone should lift their spirits and continue to go north. In this regard, Yang Chengwu once recalled: Mao Zedong said that he was grateful to the Kuomintang newspaper for providing us with more detailed information about the Red Army in northern Shaanxi, where there were not only Liu Zhidan's Red Army, but also Xu Haidong's Red Army, as well as the base areas! Hearing this, the comrades could not contain their excitement and applauded enthusiastically.
On the same day, Zhang Wentian wrote a newspaper reading note entitled "The Developing Shaanxi-Gansu Soviet Revolutionary Movement" in Hadapu. The notes excerpted and analyzed in detail the Red Army's activities in Shaanxi and Gansu and the situation in the revolutionary base areas in northern Shaanxi, as disclosed in Tianjin's "Ta Kung Pao," and revealed the intention of the Central Committee to lead the Shaanxi-Gansu detachment to settle in northern Shaanxi: "to cooperate with the 25th and 26th armies and the Tongnanba guerrilla area, to coordinate and converge, and to help, organize, and lead the guerrilla movement unfolding in this area," thus fulfilling the "Supplementary Decision on the Present Strategic Principles" of the Central Committee on 20 August." the Soviet guerrilla zone that existed in the Shaanxi-Ganbian border area to become a Soviet zone". The note also pointed out in response to the Kuomintang's attack on the revolutionary forces in Shaanxi and Gansu: "The revolutionary movement in the Shaanxi-Gansu Soviet was built on profound social, economic, and political contradictions. Reactionary rule could not resolve these contradictions and thus could not eliminate or even prevent the development of the Soviet revolutionary movement. This newspaper reading note was later compiled into the "Zhang Wen Tianwen Collection" (1). Bogu also wrote an article entitled "The Development of the Soviet Movement in Shaanxi and the Tasks of Our Detachment." Both articles were published in the third issue of the Advance Newspaper published on September 28, 1935 by the Former Enemy Committee and the Political Department of the Shaanxi-Gansu Detachment of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.
Immediately after the conclusion of the meeting of cadres at and above the regimental level, the troops held a discussion and carried out an educational campaign to abide by the discipline of the masses and adhere to the party's policies. Peng Jialun, chief of the Propaganda Section of the 1st Red Division, also composed the song "Go to Northern Shaanxi" overnight: "The revolutionary movement in northern Shaanxi has developed greatly, creating vast red zones in more than a dozen counties. Quickly march northward, join the Red 25th and Red 26th armies, destroy the enemy, win over the masses, consolidate and develop the red zone in northern Shaanxi, and establish base areas. "Encourage the fighting spirit of the commanders and fighters and propagate the propositions of the Party Central Committee.
Hadapu: A gas station on the Red Army's Long March
According to the decision of the Russian meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, after the main force of the Red First Army was reorganized into the Shaanxi-Gansu Detachment, Peng Dehuai left the Red Third Army Corps, which he personally created. Wang Ping, then political commissar of the 11th Regiment of the Red Third Army Corps, recalled: "When Peng Dehuai left the Red Third Army Corps, he held a meeting of cadres above the regimental level. He said: From the tens of thousands of people in the first anti-'encirclement and suppression' campaign, to today's Long March to Gannan, there are only more than 2,000 people left, and the wrong line is almost exhausted. The few people who remain today are the essence, the backbone and hope of the Chinese revolution. He called on everyone to redouble their efforts to win the victory of the national revolution. He made a self-criticism at the meeting. He said that I have a bad temper and have scolded many people, and I ask comrades to criticize and understand. He also said: In the past, I set very strict demands on you cadres at and above the regimental level, and sometimes even a little harsh, and this is all out of love for you; otherwise, some comrades may not be alive today, and this can also be "scolded"! Peng Dehuai's speech has made everyone respect him even more. ”
In order to restore the health of the commanders and fighters as soon as possible, the party Central Committee decided to take a break and recuperate in Hadapu: everyone in the whole army was given a piece of ocean to improve their food, and the General Political Department also put forward a special slogan of "everyone must eat well." At that time, Hadapu was densely populated, prosperous and rich, rich in products, cheap in price, a fat pig weighing 100 catties, 5 oceans can be bought, a fat sheep, only worth two oceans. At the same time, when the remnants of Lu Dachang were defeated and fled, they left behind hundreds of loads of rice, white flour and more than 2,000 catties of salt, and the material was very sufficient. All units slaughtered pigs and sheep, bought chickens and eggs, organized large-scale meals, and invited the masses around the station to have a meal together. The commanders and fighters took a bath and cut their hair, sewed up their uniforms, and immersed themselves in an incomparably joyful atmosphere. After resting and recuperating, the Red Army's physical strength was restored, and all of them were in high spirits and high morale, which greatly enhanced the Red Army's combat effectiveness. The reorganization of Hadapu is of great significance, as Yang Chengwu wrote in "Remembering the Long March, Hadapu Consolidation": "The reorganization of Hadapu is only a few days in the whole journey of more than a year, but it gives us a very strong impression. Indeed, Mao Zedong's inspiring speech in front of the Guandi Temple added vitality to our fighting, and Hadapu became a veritable gas station on our Long March. It can be seen that the important significance of the reorganization of Hadapu lies in unifying thinking, enhancing fighting spirit, clarifying the direction, improving combat effectiveness, strengthening the determination and confidence to place the foothold of the Long March and the base camp of the north to resist Japan in northern Shaanxi, and ideologically, organizationally, and militarily, it has provided a strong guarantee for the victory of the Central Red Army and the Red Army of Northern Shaanxi in Wuqi Town.
Although the reorganization of Hadapu took a very short time, the contents of the reorganization were very rich, including rest and recuperation to improve living conditions, restore physical strength, and replenish supplies, as well as the reorganization of the troops to optimize the structure, strengthen leadership, and expand the number of soldiers, and there was also an ideological mobilization to analyze the situation, unify understanding, and boost morale. In particular, the CPC Central Committee clearly put forward for the first time in Hadapu the idea of "going to northern Shaanxi" and initially made a strategic decision to place the foothold of the Long March in northern Shaanxi. This had a far-reaching impact on the fate of the Long March of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army and on the early realization of the "northward march to resist Japan." At a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held in Bangluo Town on 27 September, the meeting changed the decision of the Russian Boundary Conference on approaching the Soviet Union to establish a base area, and decided to place the CPC Central Committee and the Shaanxi-Gansu detachment in northern Shaanxi and "defend and expand the Soviet area in northern Shaanxi." On October 22, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held a meeting in Wuqi Town, at which it approved the decision of the Bangluo Town Conference on settling in Shaanxi and Gansu and establishing a revolutionary base camp, announcing the end of the Red Army's Long March.
The main force of the Red Army passed through Minshan, the Long March was about to be victorious, and Mao Zedong's mood suddenly brightened, and he wrote "Seven Laws: The Long March". In the same month, Mao Zedong also composed two poems, "Nian Nujiao Kunlun" and "Qingping Le, Liupan Mountain". As a matter of fact, although the "Lianghekou Conference" unanimously agreed with the views of Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and other comrades on going north to establish a base area in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu, it was only a "general direction." After the reorganization of Hadapu, as Mao Zedong wrote in his poem, "I like the snow of Minshan Mountain for thousands of miles, and the three armies will be happy after the end."