On the same day, Li Kenong put on a Red Army uniform and a Red Army hat. After several months of running day and night, although he still looked a little tired and emaciated, Li Kenong, who was already quite handsome and dashing, added a little bit of fortitude and might as soon as he put on this military uniform. Li Kenong came to the Jiangxi Revolutionary Base Area and served as the executive director of the Jiangxi Provincial Security Bureau. Subsequently, he was sent to the Red Army as the head of the Security Bureau. In a short period of time, Li Kenong successively established political defense sub-bureaus in the first, third, fifth, seventh, and ninth regiments of the Red Army.
In addition to doing security and engaging in intelligence, which is Li Kenong's best skill, he also has many hobbies. In Jiangxi Su District, he wrote plays, worked as a director, and performed plays and double reeds himself. Once, Li Kenong, Together with Qian Zhuangfei and Hu Di, three long-pond comrades-in-arms, took the stage to perform the one-act drama "Long Live the Secretary-General" written by Li and Qian, Li Kenong played the role of "Secretary General" Chen Lifu, and Qian Zhuangfei played Chiang Kai-shek. Because of the well-written script and their exquisite performances, it caused a sensation in Ruijin's Red Army Theater.
General Li Kenong
From October 1934, Li Kenong participated in the 25,000-mile Long March and served as the commander of Wei Cheng, the garrison of the Central Column, and played an important role in defending the security of the CPC Central Committee and Mao Zedong in the Long March. The historic Zunyi Conference was successfully held under the close guard of his "commander of the garrison." During the Long March, Li Kenong was the only one with a camera, but unfortunately, the precious film he photographed did not have the conditions to be rinsed at that time, and was lost when the Kuomintang searched the Guiyang office of the Eighth Route Army, which was his lifelong regret.
In October 1935, after the Long March of the Central Red Army arrived in northern Shaanxi, Li Kenong was mainly responsible for liaison with the Northeast Army. In order to win the Northeast Army against Japan, Li Kenong was ordered to hold a training course at Wayao Fort to educate 120 middle- and lower-ranking officers of the Northeast Army captured in the battles of Laoshan and Zhiluozhen. There was a young officer named Gao Fuyuan, a close associate of Zhang Xueliang, who had studied in Japan and served as the battalion commander of Zhang Xueliang's guard battalion, and was deeply respected by Zhang Xueliang, and was later promoted to the commander of the 619th Regiment of the 67th Army of the Northeast Army, and was captured in the Battle of Yulin Bridge.
Li Kenong's many times of doing his work has greatly improved his understanding, from being depressed, not speaking, and even resisting, to regretting himself and being willing to cooperate with the Communist Party. Gao Fuyuan frankly and bluntly told Li Kenong: "For the sake of the future of the Northeast Army and for the sake of resisting Japan and saving the country, I voluntarily went back to do the work of Deputy Commander Zhang and others." Li Kenong said; "Senior Commander, we agreed to send you back, just to consider whether doing so would be dangerous to you, and I was a little worried." Gao Fuyuan replied without hesitation: "You can rest assured, I am sure." Besides, in order to resist Japan and save the country, even death is worth it. Before leaving, Li Kenong gave an explanation to Gao again: "After you go back, first use your personal identity to test General Zhang Xueliang's attitude before going deeper." If he was interested, the Red Army was willing to send official representatives to negotiate. ”
Gao Fuyuan went back to see the military commander Wang Yizhe, who promptly reported Gao's return to Zhang Xueliang, and then took Gao Fuyuan to see Zhang Xueliang. Zhang Xueliang and Gao Fuyuan, who were eager to connect with the Communist Party, talked all night. Gao Fuyuan returned to Wayao Fort with Zhang Xueliang's opinion and immediately made a detailed report to Li Kenong. The CPC Central Committee's decision to appoint Li Kenong as an official representative to negotiate with the Northeast Army has taken an important step in the work of winning over the Northeast Army. After many confrontations with Zhang Xueliang, he finally persuaded Zhang Xueliang to stop suppressing the Communists, launch the "Xi'an Deeds", and make a feat of forcing Chiang Kai-shek to resist Japan.
To be continued...