In early March 1937, Xiao Jinguang went to Yan'an to perform his duties and officially took over the work of chief of staff of the Central Military Commission

In early March 1937, Xiao Jinguang went to Yan'an to perform his duties and officially took over the work of chief of staff of the Central Military Commission.

　　At this time, the Western Route Army was in the northern part of Gansu Province, where NiJiayingzi was under siege ten times larger than itself. The central organs and the central military commission organs at all levels are painstakingly thinking of good strategies to save this heavily encircled unit. As soon as Xiao Jinguang arrived at his post, he threw himself into this work. During this period, in accordance with the instructions of Mao Zedong and the Central Military Commission, he did a great deal of practical work to rescue and receive the breakthrough of the Western Route Army.

On March 5, the Western Aid Army led by Liu Bocheng and Zhang Hao set out to advance west. However, in the end, due to the limitations of many conditions, the results were minimal. Dong Zhentang (who had been deputy commander of the Fifth Red Army and commander of the Thirteenth Army), who had joined the Red Army in the Ningdu Uprising and lived with him day and night, led more than 3,000 people and died heroically on the high platform position there.

In order to meet and find the officers and men of the Western Route Army who had been scattered, the central authorities specially sent Chen Yun, Teng Daiyuan, and others to greet them. The General Staff specifically informed the troops on the Western Front, dispatched small detachments, dispersed operations, made up reconnaissance, and received the return team. This incident left an unforgettable impression on Xiao Jinguang's mind. Until his old age, whenever he talked about it, he always sighed and said: "Some cadres and fighters of the Western Route Army have returned from begging for food along the road, and they are very bitter!...... The achievements of the Western Route Army are singable and weeping, and the lessons of the Western Route Army are very profound. ”

　　On July 7, 1937, the Lugou Bridge Incident, which shocked China and foreign countries, broke out in Beiping. In the face of the severe national crisis, Yan'an, the revolutionary base area, quickly and strongly reacted. The next day, the Communist Party of China sent a telegram to the whole country, calling for the implementation of the nationwide War of Resistance. The senior generals of the Red Army jointly sent a telegram to Chiang Kai-shek, asking him to kill the enemy.

At this time, Xiao Jinguang was presiding over the preparations for the celebration of the "August 1st" Founding Day (in the Central Soviet Region, august 1 of each year has been officially determined as the Red Army Founding Day). The planned celebration of the Games on 1 August was based on preparations. One day, Xiao Jinguang went to Mao Zedong's residence to report and asked: Was the original movement meeting held as scheduled? Is this an opportunity to mobilize for resistance? Mao Zedong pondered a little and said: "Very well, the congress is held as scheduled, it is called the 'Anti-War Mobilization Movement Congress.' ”

　　On August 1, the Anti-Japanese War Mobilization Movement Conference was held in the Stadium outside the South Gate of Yan'an City. Party and government organs, troops, schools formed their own representative teams, and thousands of people from all walks of life attended. In order to express the determination of the Communist Party of China and the Kuomintang to establish a united front and jointly go to the country to suffer hardships, the congress raised the blue sky and white sun flag and the sickle and axe red flag together at the flag-raising ceremony. Mao Zedong and Zhang Wentian personally attended the meeting and made impassioned speeches on the mobilization of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. In order to defend the country and defend the territory, we call on everyone to be ready to rush to the front line of the anti-Japanese war and kill the enemy. Comrades have turned their anger into strength and participated in various competitions organized by the Congress. The slogan of unification is: Train your body, rush to the front, destroy the enemy, and defend the motherland!

　　On August 13, the Japanese launched a campaign to attack Shanghai. The artillery fire shocked Chiang Kai-shek, and the Nanjing government reached an agreement with the Communists to reorganize the Red Army and send it to the anti-Japanese front in Shanxi. In order to study and determine a series of political, military, and other principles and policies on the joint resistance of the army and the Kuomintang army, the CPC Central Committee decided to convene an enlarged meeting of the Politburo.

After repeated deliberations, the venue for the meeting was set in Luochuan. One morning, Mao Zedong summoned Xiao Jinguang to his cave and ordered that the Party Central Committee was going to go to Luochuan for a meeting, and that you should go to the front station. Arrange a meeting place. After a pause, I stressed that it was not in Luochuan County, where it was not safe. Choose a safe place. You get ready and go right away.

　　After accepting the task, Xiao Jinguang immediately set off in a large truck with Yang Lisan, director of the General Military Station Department responsible for logistics support work. It rained for several days, and the road that was already difficult to walk around the beams became more and more difficult. It rained again halfway through the day. In the pouring rain, there is no one in the opposite few steps. Yellow water rolls in the river, there are landslides on the mountain beams from time to time, and the roads are more muddy. They were riding in a captured, dilapidated American truck, with poor performance, and walked more than a hundred miles for most of the day before stopping near the Jiezi River. After looking at several villages in succession, we finally selected Fengjia Village, which is more than ten miles away from the county seat of Luochuan County.