After crossing the Chishui River four times, the Kuomintang Central Army and the warlords in Sichuan and Qian were tricked by the Red Army. So much so that Chiang Kai-shek did not understand what the strategic intentions of the Red Army were.
However, when the main force of the Kuomintang army was transferred to this area, the Red Army seized the fighter plane and turned south, crossed the Wujiang River and went straight to Guiyang. Due to the emptiness of the troops in Guiyang City, Chiang Kai-shek, who had personally come to Guiyang to command, was frightened half to death. At this time, his various encirclement and suppression armies were far away from the water and could not quench their thirst in the near future, and only the Yunnan army Sun Du was closer to Guiyang.
Therefore, Lao Jiang hurriedly gave Sun Du a death order, asking him to come to the aid of the east in the starry night, and he must ensure the safety of Guiyang. At this point, Mao Zedong's strategic intentions were achieved. Just as Sun Du was leading his army to the east, the Red Army had quietly bypassed Guiyang City and advanced rapidly toward the southwest region.
The front is Yunnan, and the Red Army is going to enter the hinterland of Yunnan to attack Kunming? Or are you preparing to cross the Jinsha River in northern Yunnan? At this time, Old Jiang did not know. His opponent, Mao Zedong, already had plans for the next step.
Dragon Street Ferry Red Army slogan
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="4" >, a false shot at Kunming</h1>
On April 10, 1935, after learning the exact news of the Red Army's westward march into Yunnan, Lao Chiang held a military conference. "Urgent pursuit and suppression, do not make a rest", this is the so-called new strategy he formulated.
In Chiang's view, the Red Army must not be allowed to stay in a certain area for a long time. He was well aware of the Red Army's ability to recover and organize, and once he stayed in an area too much, the Red Army's combat effectiveness would not only be restored quickly, but the local people would also follow the Red Army. Therefore, old Chiang's method is still to change the soup and not change the medicine, and to chase after the Red Army's ass.
On the one hand, he ordered the columns of Zhou Hunyuan and Wu Qiwei to march west along the Dianqian Highway. The position of these two columns was located behind the right flank of the Red Army, so the pursuit was parallel to the Red Army.
On the other hand, old Chiang summoned the troops of Sun Du, the master of the Qin King, and at this moment he ordered Sun Du to lead his army westward to pursue the Red Army. A moment to the east and a moment to the west, it is estimated that Sun Du, especially his subordinates, must be cursing the mother in his heart.
In fact, due to Mao Zedong's previous false shot at Guiyang, all the Kuomintang troops were located in the Qiandong region, so the marching mileage of the Red Army had been far away. Plus for more than four months, they were led by the nose by the Red Army, in Guizhou. Sichuan's mountains and rivers were exhausted, but not even a hair of the Red Army was fished.
Kyaukpyeong Crossing Red Army Crossing River Monument
Therefore, the Kuomintang troops of all walks of life, especially the soldiers at the grass-roots level, cried bitterly. Therefore, when old Chiang Kai-shek readjusted the strategy of pursuit and suppression, the marching process of the Kuomintang troops was very slow. Objectively, this helped the Red Army to realize its strategic intention of advancing westward.
On April 18, the Red Army, which was divided into two routes and marched westward, crossed the Beipan River in the White Layer area. The Northern Route Army successively took areas such as Longchang and Xingren. By this time, the Red Army was already approaching the Border of Yunnan and Qian.
Yunnan Wang Longyun panicked. The Red Army was already close to northwestern Yunnan, and if it went deep into the hinterland of Yunnan, it would either be destroyed by the Red Army or, like Wang Jialie in Guizhou, by Lao Jiang.
To this end, the strategy he formulated was to block the Red Army outside Yunnan and not let the Red Army penetrate deep into the hinterland of Yunnan. To this end, he established the Kunming City Defense Command to strengthen the defense in depth. On the other hand, he also secretly sent a telegram to Sun Du that if the Red Army really entered Yunnan, "it is necessary to try to surpass the front day and night, and to hinder its deepening, which is the most important." At the same time, Long Yun also dispatched Li Song's independent regiment and other units to Pingyi County to deploy defenses in order to intercept the Red Army.
General Shi, Liu Bocheng commanded the crossing of the river
Unfortunately, in the Battle of Bailongshan on April 25, the Dian Army tasted the strength of the Red Army for the first time. The Red 2 Regiment led by Liu Ruilong and Deng Hua fought and charged hard all the way, while Li Song escaped with only a few retinues. The red army's passage into Yunnan was opened. In this battle, the Red Army captured a large amount of materials, so that Mao Zedong joked that zhang song presented the map in the three countries, and now there is Li Song's present map.
At this time, Mao Zedong already had a big plan in mind. He ordered the Red 9th Army to continue to develop in northeastern Yunnan, in order to create the illusion that the Red Army was going north in this area, thus attracting the main force of the Kuomintang army.
On the other hand, the main force of the Red Army must continue to advance in the direction of Kunming, so that both Long Yun and Chiang Kai-shek must believe that Mao Zedong is going to attack Kunming. However, Mao Zedong's real intention was to cross the Jinsha River north along the River.
At this time, the main force of the Yunnan Army Sun Du was still behind the red army's ass, and other troops were also deployed in the border area of Yunnan and Qian, and the interior of Yunnan was empty, especially Kunming was like an empty city. Long Yun hurriedly asked Xue Yue for help, and at the same time ordered Sun Du to return quickly.
Site of the Kyaukpyeong River Crossing Headquarters
As a result, the attention of the Kuomintang army was drawn to the Kunming area, and the defense of the Jinsha River area was empty. But even so, there were still Dian troops along the jinsha river, which would slow down the red army's advance. Mao Zedong decided to frighten Long Yun again—with great fanfare, and the Red Army wanted to attack Kunming.
At this time, a Red Army disguised as the main force marched to the Yanglin area, fifty kilometers from Kunming, on April 29. The Red Army made a big splash in this area, posting notices everywhere, "Fight to Kunming and catch Long Yun alive."
Then, disguised as the main force, the Red Army marched to Dabanqiao, fifteen kilometers away from Kunming. Liu Zhong, chief of the reconnaissance section of the Red 1St Regiment, led a plainclothes reconnaissance team to the outskirts of Kunming and posted notices everywhere, scaring Long Yun half to death.
Long Yun completely disregarded the defense of the Jinsha River and urgently dispatched vigilante groups from all over Yunnan to help Kunming. In this way, the defense along the Jinsha River in the north is even more empty. Mao Zedong's voice of attacking the east and the west and avoiding the real and the virtual finally played an effect.
37 river boatmen
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="10" > two, one day under the three cities</h1>
On April 29, 1935, the Central Revolutionary Military Commission issued the Instructions on the Rapid Crossing of the Jinsha River by Our Army to Establish a Soviet Zone in Western Sichuan. We must seize the favorable opportunity at present and quickly cross the Jinsha River.
On April 30, the CMC column arrived at Dangui Village in Kedu, Xundian County, where the Central Revolutionary Military Commission held a meeting and deployed the river crossing operation.
The Red Army was divided into three, with the 1st Corps on the left, passing through the three counties of Luxun, Wuding, and Yuanmou, crossing the river from Longjie; the 3rd Corps on the right, passing through Siliba and Malutang, and then crossing the river from Hongmen; the CmC Column and the 5th Army in the middle, crossing the river from Kyaukpyeong. At the same time, the 5th Legion was also responsible for cover and rear missions.
Mao Zedong stressed that it was necessary to seize these three crossings before May 3 in order for the Red Army to gain the opportunity to cross the river.
The task was urgent, and in front of the 1st Army of the Left Route Army, there were three county towns. Although there were no more regular troops here, the local vigilante groups would still affect the Red Army's capture of Longjiedu.
At this moment, the 4th Regiment of the 2nd Division, the vanguard of the 1st Army, thought of a way to outwit it. It turned out that when they were still in Guizhou, the troops captured some Kuomintang uniforms, and the 4th Regiment decided to use the strength of 3 companies to disguise themselves as the Central Army, and then deceived the city gates of these three counties.
The leader of the Red 4 Regiment was Wang Kaixiang and the political commissar Yang Chengwu, and they agreed to have one company each from the two battalions and cooperate with the reconnaissance company directly under the regiment to carry out this task. After everything was ready, Wang Kaixiang led a rush to attack Wuding, and Yang Chengwu led a rush to attack Lu Persuasion, and after the two counties were taken, they attacked Yuanmou together.
Oil painting of Qiaodu Jinsha River
Everything went well because the area was so closed to traffic that the local vigilante groups had never seen the Central Army. The "Central Army" led by Yang Chengwu successfully opened the gates of Luxun County. He even ordered the county magistrate to call Wuding County and make them ready to welcome the "Central Army."
In this way, the county magistrates of the two counties and the vigilante groups were still in a state of confusion, and they were disarmed by the Red Army. Subsequently, they took Yuanmou County in the same way. Three county towns were taken in one day, which bought valuable time for the Left Route Army to successfully capture Longjiedu.
However, the subsequent river crossing operation was not smooth.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="31" > three, seven wooden boats at one port, and 37 boatmen</h1>
The Red 1st Army was the first to reach the Dragon Street Ferry, but the water here was turbulent, and the pontoon bridge was halfway up and destroyed. The ships on the south bank had been pre-seized by the Kuomintang, and not a single ship could be found. At the same time, the 3rd Army of the Right Route Army also reached the Hongmen Ferry, but unfortunately the water here was also turbulent, and after only one regiment was crossed, the pontoon bridge was washed away.
At the same time, the Nationalist side also discovered the intentions of the Red Army, and their reconnaissance aircraft obtained the Situation of the Red Army at these two crossings. Chiang Kai-shek also ordered that the Red Army must be prevented from erecting pontoon bridges, and that all pilots who could blow up pontoon bridges would be rewarded with 10,000 yuan.
Xue Yue, the commander of the pursuing army, determined that the two crossings were turbulent and there were no ships, and the Red Army could only fight here.
However, the Red Army did not intend to fight a decisive battle with the Kuomintang troops at the crossing, and the only hope of crossing the river at this moment could only be pinned on the Kyaukpyeong Ferry in front of the Middle Route Army.
Therefore, Liu Bocheng, chief of the general staff of the Red Army, personally commanded the cadre regiment of the Central Military Commission to seize the ferry, and Zhou Enlai also specially instructed Chen Geng, the head of the cadre regiment, and Song Renqiang, the political commissar, to succeed in winning or losing this move.
Slogan of the Red Army in Tong'an Prefecture
On the night of 2 May, the regiment forcibly marched 100 kilometers, occupied the ferry crossing on the south bank of Kyaukpyeong Ferry at dusk on 3 May, and captured two wooden boats. Then a platoon of troops crossed the river and quickly took control of the entire crossing.
In order to ensure the safety of the next river crossing, the cadre regiment needed to capture a market town called Tong'an Prefecture north of Kyaukpyeongdu. Chen Geng led the cadre regiment, and then took Tong'an Prefecture in one fell swoop, and even chased the supporting Kuomintang troops to Huili City in one fell swoop. The ferry is completely safe, and the next step is how to cross the river.
Since the water flow of kyaukpyeongdu ferry is equally turbulent, it is completely impossible to build a pontoon bridge. After the main Red Army arrived, it searched for five wooden boats from nearby, plus the original two, only seven wooden boats. The Red Army, on the other hand, had a total of more than 20,000 people, and if it wanted to cross the river as soon as possible, it must be organized in an orderly manner.
Propaganda posters painted by the Red Army in huili nange
The Central Revolutionary Military Commission set up a river crossing command to coordinate and command the troops and cross the river day and night. On the first day of crossing the river, there were only 18 boatmen, which later increased to 37. The Red Army paid the boatmen five pieces of ocean a day, and to protect their physical strength, they ate six meals a day. These toiling masses had never seen such a good army, so some boatmen joined the Red Army after crossing the river.
When the Red Army crossed the river on the middle road, the Red Army on the left and right roads also had to move closer to Kyaukpyeongdu as soon as possible. Since the 1st Army was far from Kyaukpyeongdu, it did not reach the ferry until 7 May.
At this moment, the Red 5Th Army, which was in charge of the rear of the palace, was fighting fiercely with the Kuomintang Wan Yaohuang Division, which had already arrived. Taking advantage of the favorable terrain, they successfully stopped the enemy attack and covered the smooth crossing of the river by the 3rd and 1st Corps. Then on May 9, the Red 5Th Army also crossed the Jinsha River smoothly.
Two days after the Red Army had all crossed the river, Wan Yaohuang's vanguard troops arrived at the crossing. And Xue Yue only arrived at the river after 7 days. However, at this time, the Red Army had already eaten and drunk enough in Huili City on the north bank of the river, and after resting, it had already marched to Xichang.
The boatman who helped the Red Army cross the river
If we say that crossing the red water four times makes the Red Army turn passive into active. Then the clever crossing of the Jinsha River means that the Red Army has completely escaped the encirclement and blockade of hundreds of thousands of Kuomintang troops. At this time, the Red Army, under the leadership of Mao Zedong, was like a dragon trapped in the sea, and in the next strategic transfer, it firmly grasped the initiative.
Text/Hsu Hirano
Resources:
1. "Qiao Crossing the Jinsha River", Qu Aiguo and Zhang Congtian
2. "How the Red Army Pretended to Attack Kunming to Break the Enemy's Encirclement Attempt", Jiang Tingyu
3. "Feigning To Attack Kunming and Outwit the Three Counties", Liu Chang, Fan Zhenkai, Cao Li, Li Hao, Jiang Yunpeng