In April 1924, Xu Xiangqian was admitted to Whampoa Military Academy and became a student of the first phase of the Whampoa Military Academy. During his studies at the Whampoa Military Academy, Xu Xiangqian actively participated in various activities organized by the Huangpu Special Branch of the Communist Party of China, but his political appearance at this time was a member of the Kuomintang.
According to Xu Xiangqian's later recollection, the school asked the students to fill out the form for the first time after entering the school, and the students collectively joined the Kuomintang. The procedures for joining the party were as simple as a child's play.
When he graduated from the Whampoa Military Academy, Xu Xiangqian discussed with several fellow Shanxi villagers among the students and wanted to return to the north to work at Feng Yuxiang's army.
Feng Yuxiang unit is called National Army , and has three armies, namely the first, second and third armies of the National People. Feng Yuxiang was appointed commander-in-chief of the National Army and commander of the First Army; Hu Jingyi was appointed as deputy commander and commander of the Second Army; Sun Yue was appointed as deputy commander and commander of the Third Army. In April 1925, Hu Jingyi died of illness, and the commander of the Second National Army was taken over by the commander of the Second Division, Yue Weijun, and 2nd Division.
Chiang Kai-shek was about to intervene in the National Army and gradually dismantle Feng Yuxiang's power, so he quickly approved Xu Xiangqian and others to work in the National Army.
Xu Xiangqian was assigned to the Sixth Mixed Brigade of the Second National Army. When he went to report, the commander of the Second National Army was already Yue Weijun. At that time, the Second National Army was quite powerful, claiming to be 200,000.
In the Sixth Mixed Brigade, Xu Xiangqian first served as an instructor of the teaching battalion, and later served as a staff officer and deputy to the 2nd Regiment. He stayed in this army for a year, and because he couldn't stand the warlords' melee, he left the team and returned to his hometown to continue to find the truth of saving the country and the people.
At the end of November 1926, Xu Xiangqian came to Wuhan occupied by the Northern Expedition Army and served as the instructor of the Nanhu Student Corps.
At this time, Xu Xiangqian gathered a group of Communist Party members around, such as Fan Bingxing, Yang Dekui, Li Chubai, He Chang , Cheng Zihua, etc. After careful thinking, Xu Xiangqian made up his mind to follow the Communist Party of . In March 1927, after introduction by Fan Bingxing and Yang Dekui, Xu Xiangqian officially joined the Communist Party of China .
In April 1927, Xu Xiang was formerly the major captain of the scholarship team of the Wuhan Branch of the Central Military and Political School. That winter, he participated in the famous Guangzhou Uprising .
1929, the Central Military Commission of our party sent Xu Xiangqian to work in northeast Hubei. In this way, Xu Xiangqian began his military career in the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area. He first served as deputy commander of the 31st Red Division, and later as deputy commander of the 1st Red Army and commander of the 1st Division.
In mid-January 1st and 15th Army, which were scattered across Hubei, Henan and Anhui, were combined to form the Red 4th Army, with Kuang Jixun as the commander, Yu Dushan as the political commissar, the chief of staff was Xu Xiangqian, and the director of the political department was Cao Dajun.
At this time, the military and civilians in the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base areas are facing the severe moment of 's first anti-encirclement and suppression of . Chiang Kai-shek mobilized 8 divisions and 3 brigades, with nearly 100,000 troops coming in full force.
html In February, according to the instructions of the Party Central Committee, the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Special Committee and the Military Commission were officially formed, and Zeng Zhongsheng was appointed as the Secretary of the Special Committee and Chairman of the Military Commission.offense is the best defense. According to the decision of the Military Commission of Hubei, Henan and Anhui Special Committee, the Red 4th Army decisively turned into offensive operations. After several battles, the main force of the Red 4th Army approached Xinyang, Henan.
, director of the Zhengzhou "Appeasement" Office of the Kuomintang, Liu Zhi 2, urgently ordered the main force of the 6th Division to gather Xinyang , and ordered the 38th Brigade of the Division, the 1st Cavalry Division, the 91st Brigade of the 31st Division, the 63rd Brigade of the 20th Route Army and other units to advance south from Xinyang and Luoshan .
Kuomintang Wuhan "Appeasement" Director He Chengjun also ordered the newly compiled 2nd Brigade to stick to Guangshui . The main force of the 31st Division went from Guangshui to Xinyang, and the 34th Division of Yue Weijun was promoted from Xiaogan through the Garden to the north along the east side of Pinghan Road.
attempts to attack the Red 4th Army from north to south.
Yue Weijun appears! He met his old subordinate Xu Xiangqian, six years ago, and exchanged fire on the battlefield, and his life tragedy was thus destined.
6 years ago in 1925, Yue Weijun was the commander of the Second National Army, with 200,000 people under his command very majestic. He suffered repeated defeats when he was fighting with other warlords. Later, he changed to Chiang Kai-shek and his troops were reduced to the New Division. Now he is the commander of the 34th Division of the Kuomintang Army. Because of his contribution to suppressing Hong, his troops were praised by the Kuomintang government as a "model division" by the Wuhan Camp.
Yue Weijun was eager to take credit and led the 34th Division to go deep into the depths. In just four days, he arrived at Shuangqiao Town, less than 50 miles from the main force of the Red 4th Army.
The Chief of Staff of the Red 4th Army Xu Xiangqian pointed out at the meeting of the military command that Shuangqiao Town is surrounded by mountains, with good terrain conditions, which is convenient for hidden operations, and the cooperation of local people and local armed forces. Our army should quickly implement encirclement and division and completely annihilate Yue Weijun's division.
So, the Red 4th Army concentrated five regiments of troops to attack Shuangqiao Town overnight, fought a great victory, captured more than 5,000 officers and soldiers from Yue Weijun and below, completely shattering the first major encirclement and suppression of the Kuomintang army in the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area.
The person who captured Yue Weijun was Xu Shiyou, the battalion commander of the 1st Battalion of the 28th Regiment of the 10th Division of the Red Fourth Army, then formed a suicide squad and became the captain of himself. After a fierce battle, he directly rushed to the enemy command center, and paralyzed Yue Weijun's command system in one fell swoop, and captured Yue Weijun alive.
Xu Xiangqian said in "History Review " that Yue Weijun could have escaped on a horse, but his horse soldiers rode on his horse and escaped, so he had to surrender.
After Yue Weijun was captured, he was soon escorted in front of Xu Xiangqian, the chief of staff of the Red 4th Army. He didn't know Xu Xiangqian. When he knew that Xu Xiangqian had been his old subordinate, he sighed and said, "Mengduoduo's care. As long as I don't kill me, I will agree to all the conditions you put forward!"
Xu Xiangqian and Zeng Zhongsheng and others discussed and decided to leave Yue Weijun's life in exchange for the money and goods urgently needed by the Red 4th Army.
Then, Xu Xiangqian gave Yue Weijun a long life-redemption list, which included bullets, military uniforms, Western medicine, silver dollar and other supplies. After seeing it, Yue Weijun repeatedly said that he would do the same.
Yue Weijun's family quickly sent 90,000 silver dollars, 100,000 military uniforms, 230 machine guns, 1 million bullets, and nearly 10,000 Western medicine to Red Army .
The other party is still continuing to raise the necessary supplies for our army, and Yue Weijun also believes that he will be released soon.
Who knew that at this moment, the senior executives of Hubei, Henan and Anhui were replaced.
Zhang Guotao is here and serves as secretary of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Branch of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Military Commission, taking over the power of the Party, government and military in Hubei-Henan-Anhui.
Zeng Zhongsheng, the former top leader of the base where Xu Xiangqian supported his opinions on Yue Weijun, was demoted, and was transferred to the political commissar of the Red 4th Army, and later demoted to the commander of the Independent 1st Division. (In August 1935, Zeng Zhongsheng was secretly killed by Zhang Guotao at the age of 35. Zeng Zhongsheng's wife Huang Jie later married Xu Xiangqian.)
Zhang Guotao was very unreasonable and untrustworthy. As soon as he took office, he said that to Yue Weijun, I want money and life.
On August 11, that year, Zhang Guotao instructed to convene a public trial meeting to shoot Yue Weijun on the spot.
Xu Xiangqian and later wrote in "Review of History" sadly: "I discussed with Zeng Zhongsheng and Kuang Jixun and decided to keep him in the future for the united front work of the Northwest Army. Later, Yue Weijun's family asked someone to contact the Central Committee of our Party and were willing to spend tens of thousands of yuan to redeem him. We also agreed and proposed to ask for 200,000 sets of military uniforms. After Zhang Guotao came to Hubei, Henan and Anhui, they sent us 100,000 sets of military uniforms and a lot of silver dollars, but Zhang Guotao changed his hexagrams and wanted money and life. He used the excuse Yue to organize a counter-revolutionary group to shoot him. Killing prisoners was only after Zhang Guotao came to Hubei, Henan and Anhui, and it destroyed the tradition of the Red Army."
No trust, harming others and oneself! Yue Weijun's execution caused the Hubei, Henan and Anhui Red Army to betray others, and the consequences were very serious. Under Chiang Kai-shek's order, the former Northwest Army units stepped up their encirclement and suppression of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base areas. Yue Weijun was born in the Northwest Army, which led to the efforts of the former Northwest Army to encircle and suppress the enemy.
Another serious consequence is that the Kuomintang officers would rather die in battle than be captured by the Red Army from then on.
During difficult times, we should unite all the forces that can be united! It is important to master policies, but it is even more important to implement policies. This is especially true in the war years. (Liu Jixing)
