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introduction
One day in June 1935, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Zhang Guotao and other leaders of the Red Army gathered together. The atmosphere in the conference room was a little tense, and today, they are here to discuss the question of the next direction of the Red Army's advance.
Everyone in attendance has their own reasons, and behind every path there are unknown risks. How to choose the three roads in front of you? How can we find a way out for the Red Army soldiers who were encircled and suppressed by the Kuomintang? And why did you choose the meadow in the end?
Let's travel back in time and space to the era of that hero, and explore the story behind it together.
(Red Army over meadow)
1. The controversy over the route of the Long March
In June 1934, Mao Zedong and others led the Red Army soldiers to cross the Jiajin Mountain and join the Red Fourth Front Army led by Zhang Guotao. The Red Army, which was temporarily freed from the encirclement and suppression of the Kuomintang, needed to determine the direction of its next move as soon as possible.
In front of the Central Red Army and the Red Fourth Front Army, there were three roads: first, to attack the great northwest; Second, go south to Chengdu, and third, it is proposed by Zhou Enlai at the Lianghekou Conference - go north to Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningbo.
At this time, the imperialists and the Kuomintang were increasingly invading and controlling Xinjiang, which was like fat in the eyes of various forces, and was not suitable for the Red Army, which was in dire need of recuperation at this time. On the other hand, taking advantage of the fact that the eyes of various forces were focused on the great northwest region, the Central Red Army just took advantage of the situation to find vitality.
(Long March Roadmap)
However, the natural environment in western Sichuan is harsh, and ethnic relations are extremely complicated. Therefore, although Zhang Guotao strongly advocated going south to Chengdu, after comprehensive consideration, Mao Zedong and others finally decided to go to Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningbo.
After determining the direction of advance, Mao Zedong immediately realized that if he could quickly seize Songpan and Gannan while Hu Zongnan's troops did not react, he would be able to open up a relatively easy road to the Long March.
Second, the grassland that cannot be avoided
Although it is necessary to pass through the grassland to get to Gannam, as long as you can take Songpan, you can pass through the grassland from relatively easy places such as east and northeast.
(Venue of the Two Estuaries Conference)
For this reason, Mao Zedong told Zhang Guotao that he and other comrades who advocated going to the Chuankang area should give a good explanation. It was also decided to seize the time and take advantage of the fact that the deployment of Hu Zongnan's troops in the Songpan area had not yet been completed, and to gather the forces of the Red First and Red Fourth Front Armies by surprise and seize the Gannan area as soon as possible.
At this moment, something happened suddenly.
In July of the same year, Zhang Guotao incited other comrades in the party to put pressure on Mao Zedong and others, hoping that they would change their strategy of going north. And under the pretext of unifying the command of the Red Army, the pace of the march of the Red Fourth Front was delayed. At this time, the Kuomintang Hu Zongnan, Xue Yue and others gathered a large number of troops to encircle and suppress the Red Army soldiers.
The Battle of Songpan was aborted, and the Red Army suffered serious attrition.
(Hu Zongnan)
Mao Zedong made a decisive decision and commanded the Red Army to launch the Battle of Maoergai. After a fierce battle, the Red Army had a basic understanding of the strength of Hu Zongnan's team, and also completely realized that the opportunity for the Battle of Songpan had been lost.
Diverting the route to the north and crossing the grassland became the only option for the Red Army to open up the passage in the Gannan area.
Second, it is dangerous to run to the meadow
Crossing the meadow is not as simple as words.
(Former Conference Site)
On August 17, Mao Zedong asked the advance team of the Red First Army to make a trip north on the grassland. A day later, the Red One advance team, carrying the countless hopes of the Chinese Red Army, began to march towards the grassland.
The vast grasslands are beautiful and dangerous. Before leaving, the local Tibetans told the Red Army soldiers to prepare some warm clothing such as sheepskin jackets, otherwise they would probably freeze to death in the grassland.
But the Red Army at that time did not have such conditions. Dressed in single clothes, they set out on a journey north. According to the Red Army fighters later recalled, crossing the meadow, there were three fears, swamps, rain and crossing the river.
(Over the grass picture)
The first is the swamp, before the advance team political commissar Yang Chengwu left, Mao Zedong specially warned him that under the lush water and grass, there is a large swamp, as long as one accidentally does not step on the meadow, it is likely to be swallowed by sludge.
The green meadows are full of tiny flowers, and it's hard to tell where the swamp is from the outside. Red Army soldiers, led by Tibetan guides, struggled to figure their way through.
Despite this, some warriors got stuck in the swamp, and other fighters rushed to the rescue, but they also fell into the swamp. The surrounding fighters could only tie their belts and the like into ropes, trying to pull their comrades up in the swamp.
However, many times, before the fighters had time to react, the person was completely engulfed, leaving only a string of bubbles.
(Swamp)
The second is the rain, the grassland climate is unpredictable, just now the sky was clear, in the blink of an eye the wind was fierce, the rain poured down, and then rain and snow for a while. The wind swept rain, snow and hail, and it was difficult for people and mules and horses to walk, so they had to seek shelter in the leeward area.
Walking in the rain also greatly deepened the danger of the soldiers slipping and being injured, and even accidentally falling into the swamp.
The heavy rains also posed a threat to the food security of the fighters. Worse still, the rain polluted the already small amount of grain, and if they ate any more food, the warriors would definitely get sick.
(Rainy meadow)
Heavy rains also made the problem of crossing the river more difficult, and the water of the river, which meandered for dozens of miles, flooded the waists of the Red Army soldiers, and the rushing river could not stand; The underwater situation is complex and difficult for even the most familiar Tibetan guides to understand.
And this is just a microcosm of the countless difficulties of the meadow.
3. Work together to get out of the meadow
Compared with the so-called "three fears", what is even more terrible is unbearable hunger.
Before entering the meadow, due to the lack of local products and the shortage of food, the Red Army soldiers had no one to bring only about two days' rations, which was tantamount to a drop in the bucket.
(Red Army)
In the face of such a difficult situation, the Red Army soldiers showed unimaginable strength, optimism and unity on the front.
The female soldiers of the Red Army made full use of all the resources around them to create a relatively comfortable environment for other comrades, and slowly spread the saying that the female soldiers of the Red Army had "four treasures".
The four jewels are the face plate, the stick, the iron needle, and the belt. They use basins to keep out the rain and cook rice; Use sticks to test the grass and support the tent; sewing clothes for the warriors with iron needles; In the midst of the famine, the soldiers were cooked with belts.
The grassland lacked food, so the female Red Army soldiers saved their rations for the wounded to eat, and went to dig wild vegetables themselves. Mao Zedong gave his little food to other Red Army soldiers.
(Female soldier of the Red Army)
Some comrades were injured and could not walk, so other comrades carried, carried, and carried them, and even if they climbed, they had to climb out of the grass with their comrades. In this meadow, there is no distinction between superiors and subordinates, only comrades who work hand in hand.
Despite this, there are still many comrades who remain in that vast grassland forever. A PLA general wrote in his minutes that from a distance, there were Red Army soldiers on the other side of the river leaning against each other and crossing the river to see that these soldiers had died.
Today, it's hard to imagine how they managed to get out of the meadow. I only know that later, this group of heroes who fought against nature led countless poor people in China to establish a new China that allowed Chinese to stand tall and be people.
(Red Army)
Resources:
Tragic Grassland Walk ——— Documentary of the Long March of the Red Army's Right Route Army through the grassland. [J].
SHI Zhongquan. Under the Snow Mountain, the Red Army Meets Together, and Zhang Guotao Splits on the Grassland[J].Vol. 30, No. 2
JIA Zhangwang. The essence of literature and history, 2005(5):7.DOI:CNKI:SUN:WSJF.0.2005-05-004.
The Paper: The Miracle of the Red Army's Trek Through the Meadow. [OL].2019.08.23.
Xinhua News Agency New Media. If you haven't crossed the grassland road, it is difficult to know the hardships of the Long March - the reporter will take you to revisit the snow-capped mountains and meadows. [OL].2019-08-03