At noon on August 25, 1945, in the Supreme Headquarters of the Central Military Commission in Yan'an, Mao Zedong looked a little anxious and walked around in the cave; Zhu De was silent and had a solemn expression; Ye Jianying stood by the telegraph machine and muttered to himself: "May Marx be blessed by the spirit of heaven, and the plane will not be troubled, but it is the essence of our party!" ”
It turned out that at 9:00 a.m. on the same day, under the decision of Mao Zedong, Liu Bocheng, Deng Xiaoping, Lin Biao, Chen Yi, and 20 other important military and political leaders of our party simultaneously boarded a "broken" plane and left Yan'an and flew to Licheng, which is the famous "Changning Airlift" in history.
To say that the plane was "broken" is not an exaggeration at all. The plane was a Douglas cargo plane, very old, and it had to rely on human power to push an engine behind it to turn it up when taking off, and the aircraft hatches were not tightly closed, leaking air while flying.
In addition to the worrying condition of the aircraft itself, there is a bigger security risk: the plane belongs to the US military and belongs to the US military observation group in Yan'an. At that time, the US government pursued a policy of "supporting Chiang Kai-shek and opposing communism", sided with the Kuomintang, and used their planes to transport so many senior generals of our party, and the potential risks could be imagined.
The stakes were high, and it was no wonder that Mao Zedong, who had always been calm, was worried.
So why did Mao Zedong arrange for 20 senior cadres to board an American plane at the same time? Where are their destinations? Today, we will talk about this story.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="8" > Chiang Kai-shek planned to launch a civil war, Mao Zedong was anxious to send senior generals to major strategic regions</h1>
In August 1945, when the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was about to be won, Chiang Kai-shek began to actively prepare for the civil war, "going down the mountain to pick peaches and snatching the fruits of victory." With the help of the United States, the troops located in Guizhou, Guangxi, Hubei, and other places were quickly transferred to the northeast, east China, east China, and northeast China by using modern means of transportation such as aircraft and warships to seize central cities and control strategic points. The United States even directly sent troops to land in Tianjin, Shanghai, Qingdao and other places to help the Kuomintang seize land.
On August 11, Chiang Kai-shek issued successive orders: ordering the Kuomintang troops to "actively advance" to the Liberated Areas; requiring the Communist forces to "stand by and stand by" and not to "act without authorization" against the Japanese puppet army. In order to scramble for territory and even risk the world,1 chiang kai-shek ordered the puppet army in the occupied areas to "maintain law and order," accept the surrender of the Japanese army, and use force against the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army. Later, Chiang Kai-shek also ordered the Japanese army to "stick to the territory" and could only surrender to the Kuomintang army, not to the communist army, and could continue to resist the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army by force in the name of "self-defense."
In the face of the Kuomintang's attempt to launch a civil war and seize the fruits of victory, our Party also reacted quickly. In August, Zhu De, commander-in-chief of the Eighth Route Army, issued successive orders to mobilize troops to launch attacks against the Japanese puppet armies in north, east, and south China, and actively recover the lost territory. At the same time, the Party Central Committee divided the northeast, east China, and the Jin-Ji Luyu region into different strategic regions, and appointed corresponding responsible persons of the party, government, and army to prepare to quickly assemble the main force to deal with Chiang Kai-shek's imminent military offensive.
But at this moment, a major problem arose, that is, how to get the senior generals of each strategic region in place quickly as soon as possible to seize the opportunity.
At that time, most of these senior generals were still in Yan'an, because from the second half of 1943 onwards, the leaders of the liberated areas were ordered to return to Yan'an to participate in the rectification movement, and later participated in the Seventh National Congress of the Party. In June 1945, the Seventh Congress was closed. At that time, the Central Committee estimated that the War of Resistance Against Japan might last for another year, so these leaders studied in Yan'an for a while longer and did not immediately return to the front.
Now that the War of Resistance Against Japan is about to be won, civil war may break out at any time, and the situation is suddenly grim, these high-ranking generals must return to the front as quickly as possible in order to implement the strategic intentions of the Party Central Committee and deal with the military offensive of the Kuomintang.
However, there were almost no modern means of transportation in Yan'an at that time, and in the past, when the leaders of the various liberated areas traveled to and from Yan'an, they usually walked under the escort of small groups of troops. Because of the natural dangers of the Yellow River, the Loess Plateau and the Jinnan Mountains, and sometimes the risk of crossing the road blockade of the occupied areas and the National Unification Area, each trip is time-consuming, laborious and inefficient. At the beginning, Yang Dezhi traveled from Puyang to Yan'an for more than 70 days; Jiang Hua went from Shandong to Yan'an for half a year...
If the major problems in transportation are not solved, even if the senior generals in the strategic areas set out immediately, they will not be able to rush ahead of the Kuomintang army with the help of the Americans, and the initiative of our army will inevitably be lost, and the strategic deployment will become "paper talk."
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="61" > Ye Jianying suggested, Mao Zedong made a plan: "borrow" the American aircraft to transport our generals</h1>
At that time, Ye Jianying and Yang Shangkun were in charge of the foreign affairs work of the Central Committee, and Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai specially summoned them to discuss and try to find a way to quickly and safely send senior generals to the front.
But after half a day of discussion, I didn't think of a feasible solution.
After Ye Jianying and Yang Shangkun returned, they held a small meeting to study it. After thinking about it, Ye Jianying suddenly said:
"Can we use the planes of the US military observation group to send out the generals of our army?"
The U.S. Military Observation Group was sent to Yan'an in 1944 by U.S. President Roosevelt, headed by Colonel Bao Ruide, and its main tasks included collecting Japanese intelligence, strengthening liaison with the Chinese Communists, and helping the Chinese Communists to fight against Japan. The liaison person on the CHINESE side was Ye Jianying, then chief of the general staff of the Eighth Route Army.
In order to provide them with convenience, the military and civilians in the base area built a temporary airfield on the edge of Changning Village in Licheng, in the Jinji-Hebei Luyu Border Region. The airport is 3 miles long and 30 meters wide, and the runway is paved with flattened loess, and the aircraft needs to be navigated by lighting a fire every time it lands.
The idea put forward by Ye Jianying was to use US military aircraft to transport the senior generals who needed to go to the front to Licheng, and then from Licheng to all parts of the country.
It's a fairly bold idea, with high risks but also big benefits.
After listening, Yang Shangkun said: "This method is indeed good, but all the people who want to send it are the elites of our party and our army, and in case there is a mistake, the consequences will be unimaginable!" ”
Ye and Yang decided to report this idea to Mao Zedong and ask the chairman to decide.
Mao Zedong felt that this method was feasible. Considering the importance of the matter, Mao Zedong summoned Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, and others to study it repeatedly, and finally agreed to this plan: "borrow" an American plane and send these senior cadres to the front as quickly as possible.
Ye Jianying and Yang Shangkun were responsible for the specific implementation of the plan, and Mao Zedong told them that they must ensure safety and be foolproof.
Soon, the Central Foreign Affairs Group and the US Military Liaison Group held a gathering, and in a cheerful atmosphere, Ye Jianying quietly said to the head of the US Military Observation Group: "Some of our generals are anxious to return to the Taihang Mountains and command the final battle against the Japanese Kou. ”
The stakes are high, and Ye Jianying did not disclose the names of the people who will be on the plane.
The head of the US military observation group agreed on the spot, very cheerful, he did not ask who was flying the plane, nor did he ask his superiors for instructions. The head of the observation group may think, what is the point of sending a few people? This is just a small thing, a small episode of long-term and pleasant cooperation between the two sides.
<H1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="63" > 20 senior generals boarded U.S. military aircraft</h1>
The takeoff was scheduled for August 25, 1945 at 9 a.m., and 20 senior cadres boarded the plane of the U.S. Military Observation Group. They are: Deng Xiaoping, Liu Bocheng, Chen Yi, Lin Biao, Bo Yibo, Chen Geng, Chen Xilian, Chen Zaidao, Zhang Jichun, Teng Daiyuan, Yang Dezhi, Xiao Jinguang, Deng Hua, Deng Keming, Song Shilun, Li Tianyou, Wang Jinshan, Fu Qiutao, Jiang Hua, and Nie Heting.
Those who have seen these thunderous names and are familiar with Chinese history will surely understand how far-reaching the impact this airlift has had on the course of China's history in the future, and why Chairman Mao was so cautious in making his decision and so worried after making his decision.
Before the plane took off, Ye Jianying, Yang Shangkun and the generals shook hands one by one, saying the same thing to everyone: "All the way safe."
Before taking off, everyone took a group photo to commemorate the occasion. Chen Yi, who has always been witty, said:
"If we do fall, this picture can be used for a memorial service!"
The generals laughed. These generals, who have experienced hundreds of battles and put their lives and deaths on the side of the revolutionary cause, do not think that there is anything unlucky about this sentence.
Before the plane took off, there was also a small episode.
At that time, Zhu De's English secretary Huang Hua came to the airport. Huang Hua speaks English very well and often participates in liaison work with the US military liaison group, so every time the US military liaison group plane leaves Yan'an, he will go to the airport to see him off, and this time is no exception.
Because the secrecy work was done well, Huang Hua only knew that the US military liaison group plane had left Yan'an, and did not know the truth of the matter, so when he saw who was on the plane, Huang Hua was stunned.
Huang Hua immediately ran to Yang Shangkun and asked him to get on the plane himself. Huang Hua said that these senior generals do not know much English, and it is too dangerous to be unable to communicate with the US pilots once they encounter problems.
Yang Shangkun approved Huang Hua's request, but he said that only 20 people were prepared on the plane, and if Huang Hua got on the plane, there would be no parachute for him.
Huang Hua said, "Compared with the safety of these people, what is my fate?" I had to get on this plane. ”
In this way, Huang Hua became the 21st passenger of the plane.
Huang Hua got on the plane and really played a certain role. When flying over the Tongpu Line, because there were Japanese anti-aircraft gun positions here, the aircraft suddenly raised its altitude in order to prevent accidents. The generals in the cabin did not know what was happening, and Huang Hua asked the Americans why, and everyone relaxed their minds.
The plane flew for 4 hours in a row, and the 20 famous generals in the cabin of Chinese history were crowded on the narrow benches on both sides of the cabin, unable to bend down, unable to lift their heads, and carrying parachutes on their bodies, not to mention how uncomfortable. However, some of them were flying for the first time and were very excited, and some of them were optimistic by nature, so everyone talked and laughed along the way, but they did not feel particularly uncomfortable.
At 1 p.m. on August 25, the plane landed on the runway of Changning Airport. Li Da, commander of the Taihang Military Region, received a notice the day before that Liu Deng and the two men would arrive on the morning of the 25th, and he was a little unconvinced, but he still took a cavalry platoon to set off overnight according to the order, rushed to Changning, and prepared firewood, fire, and other applications to guide the plane to land.
After the plane landed, Li Da was also surprised, because not only Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping came out of the plane, but also 18 other senior generals.
After the plane landed safely, the Taihang Military Region immediately sent a telegram to the central authorities. Ye Jianying received the telegram, and a large stone in his heart finally landed. He reported to Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai for the first time, and Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai also breathed a long sigh of relief and a happy smile appeared on their faces.
Three days later, Mao Zedong, who was still in his arms, flew to Chongqing to participate in the Chongqing negotiations.
The 20 senior generals who arrived in Changning by American plane also rushed to the war zone. Among them, Liu Bocheng, Deng Xiaoping, Bo Yibo and others rushed to Xiangxian County, Lin Biao, Xiao Jinguang, Deng Hua and others rushed to the northeast, and Chen Yi, Song Shilun and others rushed to Shandong.
In their respective strategic areas, these senior generals quickly gathered the main forces, formed field regiments, strengthened the military training of the troops, improved the political quality of the troops, and made preparations for the civil war launched by the Kuomintang in the shortest possible time.
The "Changning Airlift" flight mission, which seemed ordinary to the Americans and without Chiang Kai-shek's knowledge, played a crucial role in the subsequent development of the military situation throughout the country; it completed the transportation task that our army needed at least two months to complete, and this gave the senior generals of various strategic regions of our army sufficient time to implement the strategic arrangements of the Party Central Committee, gained the initiative on the battlefield, and finally won the decisive battle between the Kuomintang and the Communists.
But this flight does contain huge risks. Of the 20 senior generals who flew on U.S. military planes, 3 became founding marshals, 12 became founding generals, and of course Deng Xiaoping, the chief architect of China's future reform, opening up, and modernization.
Later, when many people mentioned "Changning Airlift," they all summarized it with the words "soldiers marching dangerously," and Mao Zedong, who directed the airlift, could only be described by words such as "great wisdom and courage," "courage and courage," and "indeed brilliant."
It is said that later, when Chiang Kai-shek saw the list of personnel sent by the spy personnel, he shouted: "Oops!" I don't know whether he lamented the loss of the opportunity or applauded the opponent's wonderful move.