After the "July 7" Incident in 1937, on the Qinghe Plain in northern Shandong, our Party established and led an anti-Japanese armed force, the third detachment of the Shandong Column of the Eighth Route Army. The commander is Comrade Ma Yaonan, former principal of Changshan Middle School. He abandoned the Kuomintang and led the Black Iron Mountain Uprising. He extensively mobilized the masses and, together with his comrades-in-arms, led the people's children and soldiers to carry out the anti-Japanese guerrilla war and won victories again and again. In the midst of the fierce struggle, he joined the Communist Party of China and trained himself to become an excellent commander of the people's army. On July 22, 1939, he unfortunately sacrificed himself for the liberation of the Chinese nation in the battle against the Japanese Kou.
Ma Yaonan, a martyr of the Anti-Japanese Resistance in Bohai Region and commander of the third detachment of the Shandong Column of the Eighth Route Army
Comrade Ma Yaonan, also known as Ma Fangsheng, is a native of Beiwangzhuang, the third district of Changshan County (now Zhangfang Township, Zhoucun District, Zibo City).
Ma Yaonan entered a private school at the age of 7 and was later admitted to Zhoucun Higher Primary School.
In 1920, he was admitted to Jinan Provincial No. 1 Middle School.
In 1924, he was admitted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Tianjin Beiyang University. In the same year, Ma Yaonan believed in the New Three People's Principles, so he joined the Kuomintang and served as a leading member of the party department of the second district of tianjin of the Kuomintang. At the same time, he is also one of the leaders of the Beiyang University Student Union and the Tianjin Municipal Federation of Students.
In 1929, Ma Yaonan attended the Third National Congress of the Kuomintang held in Nanjing as a representative of the Tianjin academic circles, witnessed the dark corruption of the Kuomintang, and retired in anger. Later, he joined the reorganization faction of the Kuomintang and participated in the anti-Chiang Kai-shek (Jieshi) movement. In the same year (1930), the Kuomintang expelled him from the party on charges of pro-communist and anti-Chiang Kai-shek and ordered him to be wanted. He decided to abandon the Kuomintang and take the road of "educating and saving the country."
In 1933, he was invited by the squires of Changshan County to return to the county to become the principal of Changshan Middle School. After taking office, he devoted himself to the revitalization of education, actively recruited knowledgeable teachers, and strived to improve the quality of teaching.
After the "July 7" Incident in 1937, he saw that the land had been lost and the people were hanging upside down, so he resolutely threw himself into the revolution.
In December 1937, together with Comrades Yao Zhongming, Liao Rongbiao and Zhao Mingxin, he led the famous Black Iron Mountain Uprising and served as the chief of staff of the Fifth Army of the "Shandong People's Anti-Japanese National Salvation Army".
In April 1938, the Shandong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China decided to change the name of the Fifth Army to "Independent Second Division of the Shandong People's Anti-Japanese Coalition Army", and appointed Comrade Ma Yaonan as the division commander, Comrade Liao Rongbiao as the deputy division commander, and Comrade Yao Zhongming as the political commissar.
In June of the same year, the Independent Second Division had grown to seven detachments, with nearly 10,000 men. The anti-war activities were carried out extensively in the five or six local counties.
On July 7, 1938, the leading organ of the unit held a reorganization meeting in Zouping County and began to reorganize the troops. The provincial party committee officially appointed Comrade Ma Yaonan as the commander of the third detachment of the Shandong People's Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Detachment of the Eighth Route Army, Comrade Yang Guofu as deputy commander, and Comrade Yao Zhongming as political commissar.
In October of the same year, Ma Yaonan joined the Communist Party of China.
Group photo of the leaders of the third, fourth and eighth detachments of the Shandong Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Army. From left, Han Mingzhu, Yao Zhongming, Huo Shilian, Liao Rongbiao, Ma Yaonan, and Zhang Wentong
In December of the same year, according to the decision of the Central Committee, the Shandong Column of the Eighth Route Army was announced, and the three detachments were renamed as the third detachment of the Shandong Column of the Eighth Route Army.
In early April 1939, the third detachment was ordered to cross the Jiaoji Railway and go south, and together with the first and fourth detachments, severely damaged the troops of Qin Qirong and Wang Shangzhi, the diehard Kuomintang factions who had created the "Taihe Massacre", and communicated the connection between the Qinghe and Luzhong anti-Japanese base areas.
In mid-May, the three detachments received instructions from the Shandong sub-bureau on carrying out work in the Zhang (Qiu) and Qi (east) areas and opening up contacts with the anti-Japanese base areas on the Jilu border.
On June 2, the troops were stationed in the area of Liujiajingzi, northwest of Zouping City. On the 6th, in the Battle of Liujiajingzi, a major victory was achieved, and more than 800 enemies were destroyed, including more than 400 ghosts.
On July 22, 1939, Ma Yaonan and Comrade Yang Guofu led their troops into Niuwangzhuang, Huantai County, preparing to march east into Linzi and cooperate with the Ten Regiments led by Comrade Li Renfeng. Unexpectedly, at more than nine o'clock in the morning, the devil's troops rushed towards Niu Wang Zhuang very frantically. At about two o'clock in the afternoon, Comrades Ma Yaonan and Yang Guofu thought that the time had come to transfer and decided to retreat. Comrade Ma Yaonan and his entourage broke through to Dazhai Village, about a mile southeast of Niuwangzhuang. Unexpectedly, the enemy's machine guns ambushed behind the firewood stacks on the east side of the street opened fire. Comrade Ma Yaonan was shot in the chest and died honorably at the age of 37.
Video link: One Horse, Three Commanders