In 1935, during the difficult years of the Red Army's Long March, an unforgettable episode occurred. A unit of the Red Army lost its way in the western Sichuan region, went astray, and went all the way south, to the border of British Burma. What kind of route did this army take? How did they get lost? What did they go through on the Burmese border? How did they finally join the army? Let's walk into this little-known journey of the Red Army's Long March.
A special unit in the Long March of the Red Army
In September 1935, the main forces of the Second Front Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army began an arduous strategic shift. This unit was subordinate to the Red Second Front Army and was led by the then commanders-in-chief He Long and Ren Bishi.
At first, the Red Second Front Army sang a triumphant song in the Xiangxi region, defeating the troops of the Kuomintang warlord Chen Quzhen one after another. However, with the serious attrition of the Central Red Army, Chiang Kai-shek freed up a large number of troops and mobilized more than 130 regiments to encircle and suppress Helong's troops.
In the face of the enemy's frantic pursuit, the Red Second Front had to divide its forces. On November 19, 1935, He Long and Ren Bishi led about 8,000 people from the Red Second and Red Sixth Army Corps to move their positions westward from the Sangzhi area of western Xiangxi.
Their marching route was: first to Guizhou, break through the defense line of the Guizhou army into Yunnan, then cross the Jinsha River and the Yulong Snow Mountain, and finally join the Red Fourth Front Army in Ganzi, Sichuan. This difficult journey doomed the Red Second Front Army to a bumpy cross-border journey.
At the beginning of May 1936, in order to avoid the enemy's main force, the Red Second Army Corps marched in two columns, left and right. The left column of about 4,400 people, led by He Long himself, marched along the line of Derong, Batang and Baiyu to Ganzi.
On May 14, when the left column entered Batang County, Sichuan, it was blocked by the local Sichuan army. Due to the lack of men and horses, and the unfamiliar terrain, the Red Army could only avoid the enemy's main force and advance on a detour.
However, the Sichuan army believed that the Red Army wanted to establish a base in Batang, so they ordered a full-scale attack. The rear guard units of the Red Army had to exchange fire with it and suffered heavy casualties in fierce battles. To avoid greater losses, the rearguard troops could only retreat at night.
On this very night, a Red Army regiment, due to its unfamiliarity with the terrain and its hasty retreat, lost its way and went astray......
Unexpected Lost and Cross-Country Travel
In mid-May 1936, when the rearguard troops of the Second Red Army Corps evacuated Batang at night, they took the wrong direction due to the unfamiliar terrain, lack of guides, and hasty retreat.
Originally, they just wanted to get out of the enemy's encirclement and advance in a northwesterly direction, but somehow turned to the southwest. Along the way, the rearguard troops did not notice anything unusual until they entered Gongshan County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan, and realized that they had lost their way.
The Red Army soldiers saw the towering Gongshan Mountain and the unique local national costumes, and realized that they had moved away from the predetermined march route. Due to the language barrier, they could not ask the local people for directions, so they had to continue on their way.
Shortly after leaving Gongshan, the troops crossed the Hengduan Mountains and entered a strange and inhospitable area. The land was vast and sparsely populated, and the villages were rare, and the Red Army soldiers could only rely on the occasional herdsmen to supply dry food.
Fast forward to June 1936, and they had marched hundreds of miles, but still could not find their way back. The veteran soldiers in the unit began to get anxious, and the younger soldiers were curious and looking forward to the unknown ahead.
Just when everyone was confused about the future, an unexpected discovery shocked everyone - it turned out that they had stepped out of the country and entered the territory of British Burma!
At that time, Burma was still a British colony. The Red Army soldiers found that there were many British people in the villages along the way, and the villagers were dressed in completely different costumes from China. What's even more surprising is that some of the villagers are even fluent in English.
Faced with this shocking discovery, the Red Army soldiers reacted with unexpectedly calm. They insisted on keeping things in order, maintaining strict discipline and not causing any disturbances.
At the same time, the leadership of the Red Army realized the seriousness of the problem. They convened an emergency meeting, decided to halt the advance for the time being, and sent several warriors who could speak a little English to try to negotiate with the locals to find a way out.
Experience on the Myanmar border
The Red Army's advance guard was stopped by Burmese border guards in the mountains of Kachin State, Burma. The local border guards, although armed with weapons, did not cause casualties, but only signaled with words and gestures that the Red Army units could not move on.
Faced with this situation, the Red Army fighters showed great restraint and discipline. They took the initiative to lay down their arms and make peaceful gestures in an attempt to show goodwill to each other. The person in charge of the avant-garde was even more smiling and enthusiastically beckoning.
Despite the language barrier, the two sides were at a stalemate. Fortunately, the Burmese border guards quickly realized the goodwill of the Red Army, and their attitude changed from initial wariness to warm and friendly. They invited the Red Army soldiers to rest in the villages below the mountain.
In this remote Burmese mountain village, Red Army soldiers were warmly welcomed by the local population. The villagers took out the food they had stored at home to entertain the tired guests and prepared shelters for them.
The Red Army fighters strictly followed discipline and did not cause any trouble to the villagers. On the contrary, they also took the initiative to help the villagers chop firewood and carry water, which won the goodwill of the locals.
After resting in the village for two days, the Red Army soldiers regrouped their ranks and prepared to leave. Before leaving, Burmese border guards and villagers came to the entrance of the village to see them off and show them the way forward. The kind villagers also gave the Red Army soldiers some dry rations to solve the problem of supplies along the way.
After leaving the Burmese border, the Red Army soldiers quickly found their way home, and along the way all the way north, finally joined the main force of the Red Second Front Army in Baiyu County, Sichuan.
At the meeting, the commander of the Red Army handed over a note written in English to Gan Siqi, director of the Political Department of the Red Second Front Army. This is a note that Burmese border guards once handed to the vanguard of the Red Army, and no one knows what was written on it.
Gan Siqi was one of the few highly educated cadres in the Red Army, having studied at Hunan University and later at Sun Yat-sen University in Moscow. After reading the note, he said to the regiment commander in surprise: "Okay, you guys have all gone to Burma." ＂
It was only then that the Red Army soldiers realized that they had accidentally completed a "cross-border journey" during the Long March, creating an unforgettable story.
Rediscover your direction and join the teacher
After leaving the Burmese border, the Red Army fighters quickly found their way home. They marched north in the direction of the Burmese soldiers, and finally joined the main force of the Red Second Front Army in Baiyu County, Sichuan.
This unit, which had lost its way for a time, finally reunited with the main force after many difficulties. Their arrival was undoubtedly an important reinforcement, adding new combat strength to the Red Army's operations in western Sichuan.
At the meeting, the commander of the Red Army handed a note written in English to Gan Siqi, director of the Political Department of the Red Second Front Army. This is a note that local officers handed to the avant-garde troops when they were at the Burmese border.
Gan Siqi was one of the few highly educated cadres in the Red Army, having studied at Hunan University and later at Sun Yat-sen University in Moscow. After reading the note, he said to the regiment commander in surprise: "Okay, you guys have all gone to Burma." ＂
It was only then that the commanders and fighters of this unit realized that they had unexpectedly completed a "cross-border journey" during the Long March, creating an unforgettable story.
After reuniting, the Red Second Front continued to advance to the northwest, and their goal was to join the Red Fourth Front Army at Aba, Sichuan. In mid-July, the Red Second Front Army finally joined forces with Zhang Guotao's Red Fourth Front Army, clearing the way for the Central Red Army's General Division.
At the beginning of August, the Red Second Front Army and the Red First Front Army joined forces in Huining County, Gansu Province, and then joined forces with the Red Fourth Front Army in Ningxia. At this point, the three main forces of the Red Army finally realized the rendezvous, laying the foundation for finally crossing the snow-capped mountains and entering the base area in northern Shaanxi.
This Red Army unit, which had lost its way for a time, finally relied on its indomitable revolutionary will to join forces with the large army and make its own contribution to the final victory. Their "transnational journey" on the way to the Long March has also become a good story, which has been widely circulated by later generations.
The meaning and impact of the interlude
Although this Red Army unit accidentally went in the wrong direction during the Long March and entered Burma, although it was only a small episode, it reflected the indomitable revolutionary will and excellent discipline of the Red Army soldiers.
When encountering many obstacles in the western Sichuan region, this unit was not discouraged, but responded calmly. Although they went astray, the fighters remained vigilant, strictly disciplined and did not cause any trouble to the local population.
After entering Burma, the Red Army soldiers took the initiative to show goodwill, using peaceful gestures to express goodwill, and won the friendly reception of the local border guards and villagers. In the mountain villages of Myanmar, not only did they not cause riots, but they also took the initiative to help the villagers chop wood and carry water, and won favor with their practical actions.
This excellent style of discipline stems from the persistent pursuit of the revolutionary cause by the officers and men of the Red Army. On the arduous road of the Long March, they always kept in mind the purpose of serving the people and insisted on thinking about the people wholeheartedly. It was this noble revolutionary quality that allowed them to win the respect and support of the local people.
In addition, this "cross-border trip" also added valuable experience to the Red Army's foreign exchanges. In Burma, for the first time, Red Army soldiers made peace with foreign servicemen, learned to communicate with gestures and gestures. This experience will undoubtedly be a valuable asset for future foreign exchanges.
In the end, this army finally relied on its indomitable revolutionary will to join forces with the large army and make its own contribution to the final victory. Their "transnational journey" has also become a good story, which has been widely circulated by later generations.