From January 15 to 17, 1935, the zunyi conference of decisive historical significance was held at the official residence of Bai Huizhang, the commander of the Qian Army. The meeting focused on discussing and summing up the lessons learned since the Fifth Anti-"Encirclement and Suppression" campaign of the Central Red Army and reorganizing the leading organs. The meeting pointed out that the main reason for the previous series of defeats was the strategic and tactical mistakes of the military leadership, and for these mistakes, Bogu and Li De "bear the main responsibility." The meeting decided to abolish their supreme military command and set up a three-person group with Mao, Zhou, and Wang to command the military with full authority. According to the "Outline of the Conference Transmission", Li De "completely and resolutely disagreed with his criticism".
Li De (formerly known as Otto Braun, a German), a foreign adviser who used to hold military command power, took the initiative to ask to go to Lin Biao's Red I Army after he stepped down. In his own words, it was to "understand mao's highly prized tactics through his own experience at the front." After Li De arrived at the headquarters of the First Army, he felt that Lin Biao's attitude was very different from the past, and he received him with "an impatient attitude". For a few weeks, Lin Biao paid little attention to Li De, let alone studied the issue of military command together. After the second occupation of Zunyi by the Central Red Army on February 28, 1935, Li De, who was bored in the First Army Corps, returned to the column of the Central Military Commission and later worked as a military instructor at the newly formed Red Army University.
In mid-June, the Central Red Army and the Red Fourth Front met in victory in the Maogong area in western Sichuan. The central authorities analyzed the situation after the confluence of the two main forces and the actual situation in Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Sichuan, and determined the strategic principle of concentrating forces to develop northward and establishing revolutionary base areas in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu, that is, "going north." However, Zhang Guotao, the supreme leader of the Four Fronts Army, for the purpose of personal ambition, insisted on going to the border of Chuankang to develop, that is, "going south".
On 9 September, Zhang Guotao, carrying a telegram from the central authorities, ordered Chen Changhao, political commissar of the General Headquarters of the Former Enemy of the Red Army, to blackmail the Central Committee and the Central Red Army by force to "go south and thoroughly carry out the struggle within the Party" and plot to endanger the Central Committee. When Chief of Staff Ye Jianying saw the telegram, he immediately reported it to Chairman Mao. After Chairman Mao learned of this emergency, he held urgent consultations with other leaders of the Central Committee at the Red 3 Army garrison, Assi. In order to implement the strategic policy of going north and avoid possible conflicts within the Red Army, it was decided to lead the Red 1st Army, the 3rd Red Army, and the Column of the Central Military Commission to quickly get out of the dangerous situation and go north first. In the early morning of the 10th, the Red 3rd Army and the column of the Central Military Commission followed the instructions of the central government and moved northwest from Afghanistan to the Red 1st Army.
Soon, Chen Changhao learned of the news that the Central Committee was leading the troops to the north, and on the one hand he ordered the troops to prepare for battle, and on the other hand, he ordered Li Te, deputy chief of staff of the Fourth Front Army and the education chief of the Red Army University, to lead a group of cavalry to pursue the north. Li Te and his party caught up with the CMC column on a small hillside, and as soon as they arrived, they shouted: "Comrades of the Four Fronts Army go back!" "Don't go with them!" "Stop advancing ahead! Without commissar Chen's orders, it is not allowed to advance! "Don't go north with the opportunists and eat rice in the south!" When Chairman Mao saw the situation, he stood on the hillside and said loudly: "May the north follow the central authorities, and those who wish to go back with Zhang Guotao can go back, and you will come back in the future." ”
Li Te came over and questioned Chairman Mao: "The commander-in-chief has no orders, why are you leaving?" Chairman Mao said sternly: "It was decided by the Central Committee." And patiently enlightened him, "The policy of going north is correct, and going south to Chuan Yasu is very unfavorable." It is hoped that Zhang Guotao and Chen Changhao will have a clear understanding of the situation and lead the ministry to follow up. If you can't figure it out for a while, after a while you figure it out and then go north, the central authorities will also welcome it. I hope to focus on the overall situation of the revolution, and if you have any opinions, you can e-commerce at any time. ”
But Li Te and others were still not convinced. Just as the two sides were arguing, Li De came over and saw Li Te standing in front of Chairman Mao angrily. Knowing that Little's temper was very grumpy, he quickly stepped forward and pulled Little off his horse and forbade him to make a fool of himself. Er li quarreled fiercely, his face was red. Li De repeatedly explained: "Going north is the correct policy, and no one is allowed to pull the troops away without Chairman Mao's consent." At this time, Chairman Mao analyzed the advantages of going north and the disadvantages of going south to the commanders and fighters of the Red Army University and the Four Fronts Army, and made a touching and profound remark.
He said: "The policy of going north was decided by the central authorities long ago, and General Political Commissar Zhang also raised his hand. Now, in order to win the opportunity, the Red 3 Army has already started last night. If comrades want to go south, please go to the toilet; if you want to go north, please also go to the toilet, and never force it. However, I would like to advise you, and I would also like to ask you to convey to Zhang Guotao that there is no way out of going south. As for the comrades who are unwilling to go north with the Central Committee, we can wait, and we, as the vanguard troops, will take the first step. Chairman Mao took a puff of his cigarette and continued, "Let's go first and open up new base areas." In order to complete our mission, we welcome everyone to join us. I'm sure in a year's time, you'll keep up. ”
As soon as Chairman Mao finished speaking, Li Te jumped up, held the large revolver around his waist in one hand, pointed at Chairman Mao and said loudly: "You have abandoned the Jiangxi Soviet region, practiced escapism, and now you are engaged in splittism, and ordered the troops to flee secretly, you..." Li De saw Li Te so wanton, afraid that he would not be able to control himself, desperately taking risks, and causing unimaginable consequences, so he turned around, clasped Li Te's body tightly with both hands, and said loudly in Russian: "What are you going to do?" Little, who speaks Russian, struggled to respond loudly in Russian, saying, "Don't you care!" Go away, you royalist! ”
When Li De heard Li Te scold him as a royalist, he said angrily: "It is right to go north, and to go south is to escape, afraid of the enemy, cowards!" Li Te was angry and said loudly to the students of the Red Army University: "We do not go with them, they are fleeing when they go north!" He shouted at Li De again: "Mao approved you at the Zunyi meeting, and you still shielded him!" Li De said unconvincedly: "Mao's current proposition is right, and there is nothing wrong with going north." ”
Chairman Mao, witnessing the fierce quarrel between Li De and Li Te, went over and forcefully separated them, loudly reprimanded and stopped Li Te, and also asked Li De to let go of Li Te and loudly said: "Don't quarrel! We are all Red Army, we are all family, and we don't fight a family! If you don't want to go north now, you can still be together in the future! Tied up as a couple, who wants to go, let them go! Those present listened to Chairman Mao's words and stopped humming. But Chairman Mao's magnanimity did not move Li Te, who was still shouting: "You are escapists!" ”
Li De was afraid that Li Te would really launch a sexual attack to hurt Chairman Mao, so he stepped forward and hugged Li Te tightly. No matter how angry and frustrated Li Te struggled, shouting and screaming, Li De's arms were like iron tongs, so that he could not get rid of it no matter what. Chairman Mao waved his hand and motioned for Li De to release his arm. As soon as Li De let go of his hand, Li Te quickly turned over on his horse and hurried away.
In his memoirs, Yang Shangkun described Li De's resolute act of stopping Li Te and protecting Chairman Mao, and Li Te also stayed in the Soviet Union, and he came with a menacing force and asked us why we "deserted." At this time, Li De, a military adviser present, saw Li Tepei approaching Chairman Mao with a pistol, and without saying a word, he hugged Li Te with both hands. Reed was tall and also carried weapons, and Lite was not his opponent. At the Zunyi meeting, Li De refused to admit his mistake at all, and at this time he stepped forward to defend Chairman Mao, which is still good! Peng Dehuai praised Li De in his self-report that he made a mistake in the Central Soviet Zone, and this time he performed well and stood on the right side.