In theory, the Long March should be over until now. Next should be the "Xi'an Incident" and the establishment of the national united front for the whole nation's anti-Japanese nationality. The Chinese revolution is about to enter a new stage.

Continued with the above:

In fact, this history was not complicated at first, but the situation he faced was complex and changeable. During this period, he encountered some unthinkable coincidences and some misunderstandings between the parties involved. The whole thing is a bit unbroken and confusing, which makes it easy to complicated the originally uncomplexing history.

To be honest, the emergence of the Western Route Army was indeed the product of Zhang Guotao's wrong line. Without him disturbing the situation, the Western Route Army would not have become a lonely army. In the later period, the Western Route Army's transition to the Hexi Corridor was affected by factors such as international, domestic and local geographical conditions, that is, the development of the objective situation exceeded the Western Route Army's ability to withstand.

In this article, we will try to interpret this history with a realistic attitude for everyone to comment on. Next, let’s start with how the Western Route Army was created.

. How did the Western Route Army come into being?

We have already introduced the emergence of the Western Route Army, but in order to take care of new friends who have not seen it, we are simply sorting it out.

The goal of the Red Army's three armies is to open up the Soviet aid channel; jointly establish a northwest national defense government that resists Japan and anti-Chiang Kai-shek; and eliminate the power of the old Chiang Kai-shek's direct central army in the northwest region.

For this goal, the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao formulated a powerful combat plan - the "Ningxia Battle Plan". As for the specific content of this plan, you can check out the above and above, and I won’t go into details.

In short, the third step of the plan is: after the three major Red Army troops of , one frontier is placed south of Yellow River to block the enemy's possible attack; the other two frontiers crossed the Yellow River to the west, eliminated the Ma family army, and occupied the Dingyuan Camp in Ningxia.

In this way, our army grasped the Soviet aid channel of Dingyuan Camp. As shown in the figure below

In fact, there are two Soviet aid channels:

one is from the north, through Outer Mongolia, and directly to Ningxia, a place called Dingyuanying, which is closer to the northern Shaanxi base, and is the channel controlled by the Red Army; the other one is from the northwest, through Hami, Xinjiang, and through the Hexi Corridor, you can directly reach Lanzhou. This is the channel controlled by Zhang Xueliang's plan. As shown in the figure below

However, due to various reasons between the enemy and us, specifically, it was affected by the storm of Hu Zongnan and Zhang Guotao's westward advance storm, although our army successfully met, the task of connecting with Northeast Army to open up the Hexi Corridor was not completed. What should I do if

is? Then we can only open up the assistance channel of Ningxia Dingyuan Camp. Therefore, after the meeting, the Red Army was in the stage of preparing to implement the third step of the "Ningxia Battle Plan". These have been described in detail above.

According to the arrangement of the "Ningxia Battle Plan", we originally planned to to let Central Red Army and Red Fourth Front Army perform the task of crossing the Yellow River west and occupying Dingyuan Camp , and Red Second Front Army perform the task of blocking Hu Zongnan to the south.

Since among the three major Red Army, only the Red Fourth Front Army has a dedicated shipbuilding force. Therefore, the task of building ships in the early stage and choosing a river crossing point was handed over to the Fourth Front Army.

The Fourth Red Front Army made the following deployments:

1. The Red 30th Army led by Li Xiannian drove to the Jingyuan area to build a secret ship, reconnaissance the river crossing point, and prepare for crossing the river.

2. The Red 4, Red 5, Red 31st Army is arranged in sequence along the border Shipu, Huajialing , Gejiacha, Huining and other places to fight against the attacks of enemy troops such as Hu Zongnan;

3. The Red 9th Army is maneuvering in Guochengyi between Huining and Jingyuan to serve as a reserve team. As shown in the following figure, the Red 30th Army, led by Li Xiannian, began to build ships hidden in a willow forest about 40 miles away from Jingyuan, and reconnaissance the river crossing point to prepare for crossing the river.

However, there was an unexpected but expected situation that occurred, resulting in the failure of this crossing plan to be successfully implemented. Yes, the situation on the battlefield changes rapidly, and sometimes plans really cannot keep up with changes.It is not difficult for us to guess the major change of

, that is, "I change, the enemy is also changing" . To put it bluntly, it is Mr. Jiang's encirclement and suppression of the army, and he will not cooperate with you.

The meeting of the three main forces of the Red Army made Chiang Kai-shek very frightened, so he hurriedly mobilized dozens of divisions to pursue the Red Army.

He used the First Army of Hu Zong and the 37th Army of Mao Bingwen to attack from the east and west respectively; he used the Third Army of Wang Jun and the 25th Division of Guan Lin's junction to advance from south to north; he planned to eliminate the Fourth Front Army in Huining, Jingning, Tongwei areas. As shown in the figure below

In order to stop Chiang Kai-shek's army and ensure that the vanguard troops cross the river smoothly, the Iron Guard Division of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army - the former Central Red Fifth Corps. The current Red 5th Army of the Fourth Front Army also organized a tragic Huajialing blocking battle.

Finally, under the desperate attack of the Red 5th Army, the vanguard of the Fourth Front Army finally crossed the Yellow River. These vanguards include more than 21,800 people in the 30th Army, 9th Army, 5th Army, direct team, teaching regiment, women's regiment, youth vanguard regiment, etc.

Note that only the Red 30th Army crossed the river under the orders of the Central Committee, while the Red 9th Army and the Red 5th Army were given additional orders after Zhang Guotao "dead first and report" and caused the established facts. This is a point affected by Zhang Guotao’s mistakes.

No matter what, although the Fourth Front Army has crossed the Yellow River by more than 20,000 people, it is still one and a half short of the two former troops originally planned to cross the river. In other words, the third step of the Ningxia battle plan has not been successfully implemented.

But the battlefield situation at this time was becoming increasingly unfavorable to the Red Army, because Chiang Kai-shek's encirclement and suppression army was pasted like a dog-skin plaster. As shown in the figure below

The so-called speed is the most important thing. On the battlefield, every minute and every second, it is constantly influencing the development and direction of the entire battle situation. At this time, the advancement speed of Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang army as shown in the picture above put great pressure on the Red Army to cross the river.

is obvious. In this case, the first priority is to block the attack of Hu Zongnan, the enemy's army, and the original plan to use only one front to block Hu Zongnan has obviously no longer kept up with the changes.

Therefore, the Central Red Army and the remaining four fronts that had not crossed the river must stay and first fight back with the Second Front to defeat this enemy before can continue to cross the river. Otherwise, our army would be hit by these guys in the middle of the crossing.

To this end, General Peng formulated the "Sea Battle Plan" with the purpose of attacking Hu Zongnan and other enemy troops, and the central government agreed and approved this combat plan.

This plan is jointly implemented by the Central Red Army, the Second Red Front Army, and the 4th Army and the 31st Army that did not cross the river. If this battle is won, the Red Army can continue to cross the river and implement the Ningxia Battle plan.

But at the critical moment of the battle, our Guotao "comrade" came out to cause trouble again, and transferred the 4th Army and 31st Army of the Fourth Front Army, which had not crossed the river but was responsible for important combat tasks, leaving their combat posts, resulting in the miscarriage of the Haiddial Battle Plan.

As shown in the following two comparison pictures:

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Moreover, Zhang Guotao's mobilization not only made the Haidao battle unable to be implemented, but even the "Ningxia Battle Plan" was miscarried. This is the second point affected by Zhang Guotao’s mistakes.

At this time, Mao Bingwen's 37th Army and Guan Linzheng's 25th Division had arrived in Jingyuan, occupied the Yellow River Ferry, completely blocking the connection between the Hexi Red Army and the Hedong Red Army. As shown in the figure below

In this way, the Hedong Red Army and the three armies of the Fourth Front Army that crossed the Yellow River were then separated by the enemy on both sides of the Yellow River. Without contact, the Ningxia battle plan could not be realized.

. The 30th Army, 9th Army and 5th Army that crossed the Yellow River had more than 21,800 people, were forced to hang in the same way, and the West Route Army produced .

In short, the emergence of the Western Route Army was indeed the result of Zhang Guotao's wrong route.

2. The Western Route Army successfully completed the task assigned by the Central Committee in the early stage. It was OK. The above mentioned is the reason for the emergence of the Western Route Army. It was mainly because Zhang Guotao's "causing trouble" in the last battle, which led to a miscarriage in the sea battle, and the enemy seized the Yellow River Ferry, and the remaining Red Army could not cross the river.

However, there is one thing that everyone needs to pay attention to. The West Route Army that just crossed the river is not called the West Route Army, it can only be called the Hexi Army. That is, from October 24 to November 11, 1936, this army should be called the Hexi Army.

Their mission is to implement the third step of the "Ningxia Battle Plan": one front army is placed south of the Yellow River to block the enemy's attack; the other two front army crossed the Yellow River to the west, eliminated the Ma family army of Ma Hongkui's troops, and occupied the Dingyuan Camp in Ningxia.

This is very important, indicating that although the Hexi troops at this time were affected by Zhang Guotao's mistakes, they did not implement Zhang Guotao's wrong line, but implemented the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee. In the past half month, the mission of this Hexi army was to occupy important Hexi strongholds and ferries such as Wufo Temple, Zhongwei , Zhongning and other ferries, and open up frontier positions for the subsequent Central Red Army and the 4th Army and the 31st Army that did not cross the river.

In other words, their mission is to attack the Ma family army of Ma Hongkui in Ningxia in the north and occupy the Dingyuan Camp, rather than attacking the Ma Buqing and the Ma family army of the Hexi Corridor in the west and occupy the Hexi Corridor.

After crossing the river, the Hexi troops also completed all the preliminary tasks excellently.

Politically, they vigorously promoted and mobilized the people in Hexi, organized the establishment of the "Five Buddha Temple Anti-Japanese Promotion Association", mobilized the masses to vigorously support the Red Army, and actively carried out the united front work of the Ma family army.

Military, they fought bravely regardless of their fatigue, occupied Wujiachuan, Zhenlubao, Leijiaxia, Yishan and other towns on the west bank of the Yellow River, and went forward to Hongshui Town, and Wufosi Township, opening the gateway to Ningxia, and opening up a frontier position for the subsequent main Red Army. As shown in the figure below

, the next task of the Hexi troops is to consolidate the frontier positions and welcome the remaining one and a half of the Front Army (the Central Red Army and the Fourth Front Army, the 4th Army and the 31st Army that have not crossed the River) to cross the river.

Then the two main forces then went north along the Yellow River to attack the Ma family army of Ma Hongkui's troops in Ningxia and occupied Dingyuan Camp. As shown in the figure below

3. Several strategic choices of the Western Route Army

However, because our "comrade" of Guotao did something wrong before the battle of the sea, the battle of the sea was aborted, and the enemy occupied the Yellow River Ferry, and the remaining Red Army could not cross the river.

Hedong Red Army, who could not cross the river, quickly moved eastward under the leadership of General Peng, and finally built an ambush position in Shancheng Castle, annihilated the two pioneer brigades in southern Hu Zong, and achieved a great victory in Shancheng Castle. These were introduced in detail above.

But at this time, Xu Xiangqian and Chen Changhao on this side of Hexi were anxious.

Yes, they can't be in a hurry. The original plan was to cross the river with two fronts and then take Ningxia north. But the Yellow River Ferry has been occupied by Mao Bingwen and Guan Linzheng , which means that the Hedong Red Army will not be able to cross the river in the near future.

The troops crossing the river only brought food for one week. Each of them was sparsely populated on the banks of the Yellow River, with food shortages and water, and no supplementary sources, and they were definitely not a place to stay for a long time.

If the Hexi troops enter Ningxia from the north to complete the task of opening up the aid channel alone, they must pass through the Tengger Desert, which requires at least one week of itinerary. In the absence of food and water in the army, it is really difficult to complete it alone. As shown in the figure below

Moreover, there is no accurate information about when the Soviet materials arrived at Dingyuan Camp at this time. If the Hexi troops entered Dingyuan Camp but could not get the materials in time, it would be troublesome.

OK. So far, this army hanging in Hexi is already in a very unfavorable environment.

To put it pessimistically, it is difficult to escape unstoppably. I can only think about how to minimize the losses, because their surrounding environment is very unfriendly:

East: is the 25th Division of Guan Linzheng and Mao Bingwen's 37th Army, who had just occupied the Yellow River Ferry, have blocked the retreat of the eastward;

Northeast: is the Ma family army of Ma Hongkui's troops in Ningxia. They occupy the main cities of Ningxia, which is very difficult to fight;

north: is the vast Tengger Desert with thousands of miles of uninhabited people;

west and south: is Qingma Ma Buqing and Ma Bufang's Ma family army are eyeing. How about

in the figure below? It looks familiar. The Red Army has encountered such a surrounded formation on all sides during the Long March.

If you put yourself in the role of commander of the Hexi Force, what should you do?

If you can’t think of a solution, that’s right. We are not military strategists, and you will definitely be stunned when you encounter this situation.

But even so, this desperate situation is not difficult for the Red Army, which is known for its mobile warfare and guerrilla warfare and . Because we can just find a weak part of the enemy's defense to break through. Although it will definitely lose some people, it is better than annihilation of the entire army.

Moreover, at this time, there was a "God of War" military strategist in the Hexi army, and he was Marshal Xu Xiangqian. However, according to the system at that time, the political commissar had the final say in the decision-making power of military operations, and Comrade Changhao had the final say in the transfer of the major strategic direction.

Assume: If we start from this time (the day of the abortion of the battle in the sea), we can issue such a simple and crude order to Xu Xiangqian: "Old Xu, no matter what method you use, you must bring back this old party capital, otherwise you will not come back."

The ending of the Western Route Army is another way out. Although it is inevitable that some of the troops will be lost, it will never be wiped out. From Xu Xiangqian's perspective, let's see what choices he has: the following figure

1. First of all, it is not possible to go to the north. The north is the deserted Tengger Desert with a radius of thousands of miles. You can avoid the enemy's pursuit wherever you go, but there are yellow sand and northwest winds there, and the Red Army still cannot survive wherever you go.

2. Look at the east side, the east side is the east bank of the Yellow River. At this moment, it has been occupied by Guan Linzheng and Mao Bingwen, which obviously cannot be done.

However, you can't say that you are dead. In another month, the Yellow River will freeze. At that time, the Hexi troops seize the opportunity and give full play to our army's advantages in close combat and night battles. It is not impossible to penetrate from the defensive gap between Guan Linzheng and Mao Bingwen to Hedong.

There is a glimmer of hope here.

3. Look at the south again. The first line of defense is the Ma family army of the Ma Bu Qing army. Further south is Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province. At this moment, the Northeast Army Yu Xuezhong's army is stationed there.

If Xu Xiangqian and Chen Changhao had the ability to predict that in the future, Zhang Xueliang would launch the Xi'an Incident and turn against Jiang Jiang, they would definitely try their best to approach Lanzhou. This sentence is just a joke.

4. Look at the west side, the Hexi Corridor is defended by the "Qingma" Ma family army.

Objectively, to the north of the Hexi Corridor is the Alxa Plateau connecting the Tengger Desert , and to the south is the Qilian Mountains , which is snow-covered all year round. The Hexi Corridor between the two mountains is just an alley corridor that is transparent from east to west. The narrowest part of the corridor is only 30 kilometers.

This is obviously not a place for the Red Army, which has developed guerrilla warfare skills in the mountains in the south. Because his activity space is too narrow, he is not suitable as a long-term base for the Red Army, but it does not mean that it cannot be used as a temporary base.

There is also a glimmer of hope here.

OK. If it is just a simple tactical breakthrough, I believe that Xu Shuai, who has experienced many battles, is able to grasp the two opportunities above and bring the troops out of difficulties.

4. Different considerations for generals and for generals

But the problem is that the Hexi Red Army could not do whatever they wanted at this time, because they came with a mission, and the ultimate goal was to go north with the Central Red Army and open up the Soviet aid channel for Dingyuan Camp in Ningxia.

Therefore, Xu Xiangqian cannot command as you wish according to your own way.

Therefore, on January 2, Xu Xiangqian and Chen Changhao reported to the Red Army Headquarters and the Central Military Commission: "There are few people in Yishan area, food is scarce and water is bitter, and it is difficult for large troops to fight for a long time", and proposed two sets of plans.

First: If the Hedong Red Army on the east bank can defeat the enemy troops of Hu Zongnan and cross the river smoothly, then the three armies that have crossed the river will immediately enter Ningxia and implement the Ningxia battle according to the original plan.

Second: If the Hedong Red Army on the east bank is blocked from crossing the river, then it must temporarily give up the Ningxia battle plan. The three armies that have crossed the river will move westward and develop towards the Gulang and Dajing in the Hexi Corridor.

Because the enemy forces in Dajing, Gulang and Liangzhou areas to the west are relatively empty, and the population is mostly Han , you can temporarily get out of the predicament and try to establish a temporary base. As shown in the figure below

At the end of the telegram, Xu Xiangqian emphasized that if you continue to stay here and wait for the enemy to surround you, the situation will be very difficult.

It has to be said that as an excellent commander, Xu Xiangqian has already seen the unfavorable situation of the Western Route Army , and the two plans he proposed are very consistent with the actual situation at that time. Although this plan coincides with Zhang Guotao's idea. After receiving a telegram from Xu and Chen, the central government replied: "You are temporarily centered on the current region and expand the occupation area to three sides, with one to occupy Yongdeng and the other to connect to Weilanzhou. The general direction remains unchanged."

On November 3, he sent another telegram to Xu and Chen: "The troops are moving westward to occupy the line between Yongdeng and Gulang, but one of them should be left to guard the mountain and Wufo Temple, and attached a radio station to facilitate traffic rear operations." The following figure

Here, Chairman Mao has three meanings:

1. At this time, Chairman Mao did not give up the final effort to open up the Ningxia Dingyuan Camp in the "Ningxia Battle Plan";

2. After occupying the lines of Yongdeng and Gulang, a temporary base can be established.

3. Don't forget to keep a part of the mountain and Wufo Temple. It is best to leave a retreat where can return east when it is unfavorable to advance westward.

If we look carefully at the two pictures above, we will find that the central government’s requirements are somewhat different from the Western Route Army’s plan. The central government requires that "a part of the five Buddha temples should be left to guard it" and leave a way out, but Xu Xiangqian and the others did not expect this level.

Yes, leaders in different positions have different perspectives in considering issues and making decisions. As generals, Xu and Chen are responsible for the operations of independent units. They are responsible for local battlefields, and all decisions are made around making local battlefields win.

But as the leader, Chairman Mao cannot think so, because he is responsible for the overall situation. He must consider how to reasonably use the Hexi troops and the main forces in Hedong to cooperate organically, and then achieve the greatest victory, and form a favorable situation for the Red Army in the overall situation.

5. On the road to the West Expedition, there are many variables. If the situation does not change and the West Route Army can act according to the instructions of the central government, it should not be wiped out in the end.

But at this moment, something happened, which made the situation complicated again.

There is a saying: "A book cannot be made without any coincidence."

At almost the same time, that is, the second day after Xu and Chen suggested to the central government that they could enter the Hexi Corridor westward - November 3, the arrival of another telegram completely dispelled the Red Army's idea of ​​seizing Ningxia.

This telegram was sent by the Soviet Union (Communist International ), On November 3, 1936, Soviet Union (Communist International) suddenly called:

"It has been decided that the method of helping from Outer Mongolia will not be adopted. At the same time, we are studying the method of helping through Xinjiang.If we ship about 1,000 tons of goods to Hami, could you ever occupy western Gansu to receive it? Please inform us of how to receive and what specific transportation you use. "

Okay, the Soviet Union (Communist International) called "stand without a pain in his back" declared that all the previous plans of the Red Army were in vain. Everyone will look at the map below and you will know how tricky the Soviet Union's behavior of letting go of pigeons was.

Slavic men are so rough in their work, and they don't consider other people's difficulties at all. That is, the leaders of our party are all from senior intellectuals and will not swear, but they must have ten thousand alpacas rushing past.

The central government can only reply to the Communist International:

"The method of transporting materials from Hami is no longer useful to our main Red Army, and this change is too late. The Red Army has about 21,000 people crossing the river. We can order them to advance towards Hami, but it will take a lot of time to overcome the enemies and fortresses in this area, at least next summer.

Moreover, unless you can use a car to deliver supplies to Anxi , it is impossible for the Red Army to go to Hami to pick them up. Because there is a deserted desert between Hami and Anxi. "

There is a little sadness between the words, but it is more of a helplessness.

Why did the Soviet Union change the aid route of the Dingyuan Camp in Ningxia?

Simply put, it is a subtle change in the Soviet Union's diplomatic strategy against China. They believe that compared with the weak Red Army, the Kuomintang army of Chiang Kai-shek could help them to hold back the Japanese devils on the Chinese battlefield to relieve the huge pressure from the Soviet Union.

So, they didn't want to help the Red Army so directly, so as not to stimulate Chiang's nerves, and began to fight with us. Tiger Eye.

is passive, it is really too passive.

The matter at least shows that will completely rely on obtaining Soviet aid, which is an unreliable thing.

However, for the Red Army at that time, this kind of assistance was really needed. Even if there was only one-tenth of hope, we would try our best to strive for it. Xu and Chen's plan to advance west can meet this aid route from the Hexi Corridor to Xinjiang.

Therefore, on November 11, 1936, the central government officially ordered the Hexi Red Army troops to form the Western Route Army and establish the Western Route Army. The Military and Political Committee of the Lu Army, Chen Changhao as chairman, and Xu Xiang as former vice chairman.

Their task is: "To establish a base in Hexi and directly open up the distance, and prepare to complete it in one year."

However, at this moment, our Guotao "comrade" double-supported is not honest again, double-supported again again again again again again again again

Yes, not to mention the previous tricks of "going south to split" and "establishing a new central government", just talk about how much Lao Zhang has done since he met There was a tragedy: the storm of going west, fishing for troubled waters, and unauthorized troops. Now he wanted to play a "fake imperial edict".

Because Zhang Guotao was obviously hoping that the Western Army would go to the Hexi Corridor at this time.

The development of the situation happened coincidentally. At this moment, the instructions of the Communist International and the instructions of the Central Committee coincided with his private purpose.

When he saw that the central government also had the intention of going west, he added fuel to the fire and called the Hexi Army in the name of the Red Army Headquarters:

"Your main task at present is to eliminate the Ma Bufang army and carry out a new situation independently.

Take advantage of the enemy's lack of attention to you, stand firm and act quickly, secretly, resolutely and decisively,"

"The enemy may cut off your contact with the main force of Hedong, but it cannot hinder your main force's actions. If you have no choice, you do not have to leave troops to guard the ferry."

"You should not be restrained by everything and complete your tasks independently."

Here, we can also feel Zhang Guotao's mentality of begging for nothing and being anxious. He kept instigating the Western Route Army to go west without leaving a retreat, completely ignoring the central government's strategic intentions and action policies.

He emphasized the importance of "independent" and carrying out a "new situation". It is "not hindered" and "not restrained by everything", which of course means that the central government has "hindered" and "retained".

He sent the Western Route Army into the fire pit like a kite with broken strings, and planted the seeds of the Western Route Army's future failure. This is the third point influenced by Zhang Guotao.

After receiving the telegram from Zhang Guotao, Xu Xiangqian and Chen Changhao were both very happy. They all thought this was the request of the central government, so they organized personnel to hold a meeting overnight to formulate detailed combat plans and put forward the slogan "Go to the Soviet Union, Outer Mongolia, Xinjiang, and strive for the realization of the Northwest National Defense Government!" .

6. Changes in the situation, difficult choices

In fact, as a great strategist, Chairman Mao has always paid great attention to "independence and self-reliance". It is unreliable to place the Red Army's wealth and life on foreign players.

What's more, the Soviet Union unilaterally changed the aid location at this time, which shows that it has tilted its policy balance towards China, and it is hard to say whether it will be able to obtain the aid in the end.

has not been without precedents before. I still remember that after the failure of Nanchang Uprising, the rebel army led by Zhou Gong and Mr. He also planned to go south to Guangdong at the beginning, hoping to obtain weapons assistance from the Communist International from the coastal ports of Guangdong, and prepare to come to for the second Northern Expedition again. What about the result of

? In the end, except for the 800 heroes of General Zhu, who went to Jinggang, the rest of the rebel troops were almost wiped out, and the Communist International's aid was not even yarn in the end.

Moreover, the situation at this time was that the enemy situation in the Hexi Corridor was not very clear, and the Soviet Union only said that the specific date of assistance and transportation methods were not involved, and this transportation route was thousands of miles away. It was really a disaster for the Western Route Army to go here.

Therefore, within two days, he sent another telegram to the Western Route Army and the General Command, asking them to consider:

"Is the Western Route Army alone going west to connect Xinjiang? Is it possible to return to Hedong if it encounters difficulties? Can the clothing problem be solved?"

can be seen that this is a telegram of inquiry, and it mentions the suggestion of the Western Route Army returning to Hedong.

Because as the highest-level command organization, it is impossible to make mechanical and rigid regulations on the specific situation of the battlefield. Chairman Mao is not a "micro-operation master" like Lao Jiang, and he will not put so many tight curses on the front-line commanders.

He must give the battlefield commander the necessary power to deal with the camera, otherwise he may make decisions that are not in line with reality because he does not understand the actual battlefield situation and changes.

But judging from Chairman Mao's wishes, he always ranked second in obtaining aid. If the Western Route Army could turn back to the east bank of the Yellow River, everyone would think of other ways to stabilize their rear first. If there is conditions in the future, it would be okay to open up the Soviet channel.

The next day, Xu Xiangqian and Chen Changhao sent back a message that the region had "extremely rich in climate, water, firewood, people and food".

On the same day, the Central Committee sent another telegram to the Red Army headquarters where Zhu De and Zhang Guotao were. The same question was asked again:

"Depending on the situation in the west, are they sure to move forward alone and approach Xinjiang? Is it possible to return to Hedong if they encounter difficulties?"

The Red Army headquarters transferred the telegram to the Western Route Army Command, but Chen Changhao was unsure of his mind after receiving the telegram, so he held a meeting to discuss whether to return east or west.

Xu Xiangqian believes that moving westward to Xinjiang can solve the strategic backrest problem, and after getting Soviet weapons, it is relatively easy to turn around and deal with the Ma family army. At that time, it can also play a powerful supporting role in the Hedong Red Army.

Finally, everyone unanimously decided to agree with Xu Xiangqian's opinion, thinking that moving west is more beneficial than returning east, and at this time the east bank of the Yellow River has been blocked by the enemy, and it is also facing great difficulties to cross the Yellow River east, so everyone decided to move west.

is OK. As of now, the central government has given sufficient reminders to the two vitality of the West Route Army:

reminds them for the first time to develop westward and not forget to leave a way out for themselves: "Handle 3, one mountain, five Buddha temples should be kept, and attached to a radio station to facilitate traffic rear operations." But in the end, Zhang Guotao was fooled and the entire army went west without leaving any way out.

The second time was to remind them, "Is sure to move forward alone and approach Xinjiang? Is it possible to return to Hedong if you encounter difficulties?"

If the Western Route Army at this time can seriously consider the current situation, and after taking a little rest and replenishment in the current area, and concentrate on watching the dark and windy night crossing the Yellow River east, you should be able to get out of the danger. I dare not say that I will escape unscathed, at least I will not be wiped out.

This is their chance to save themselves.

7. When is the time for the Hexi Corridor in the West? Destiny?

, now, the saying that the failure of the Western Route Army was attributed to the central government can be stopped.

Do you still remember the previous article about the chapter on the grassland division? Chairman Mao immediately gave Zhang Guotao a wake-up call to "go to Chengdu to eat rice" at that time.

and from beginning to end, the central government's attitude has not changed. It has always believed that "going south is a dead end". As a result, "not listening to the Chairman's words, he suffers losses in front of him." Going south has turned the four fronts into 780,000 .

If the central government can give the Western Route Army a wake-up call that "advance west is a dead end" at this time, the Western Route Army will never advance westward.

But Chairman Mao could not issue such an order at this time. After all, the hope of aid from the Soviet Union (Communist International) was not shattered, and he just changed the aid route. The key point was that the Red Army at that time was too difficult and needed such assistance too much.

Of course, we are not saying that the decision-making level of the four fronts generals led by Xu Xiangqian is not good, but that involves the different angles, levels and visions of the generals and coaches mentioned above.

As the handsome Central Revolutionary Military Commission (i.e. Chairman Mao), their horizons to consider problems have certainly broadened. They should not only consider the practicality of reality from a military perspective, but also consider politically and strategically whether such a distant aid is reliable.

As the generals, Xu Shuang and others focused on considering the issues from a military perspective. With the combat effectiveness of the Western Route Army, the purpose of defeating the Ma family army and establishing the Hexi base is achieved as long as the weapons are obtained. As for the Soviet Union, of course they couldn't think of it.

So, later, Xu Shuai said to this decision in his memoir:

"We agree to advance westward to take advantage of the weather being not too cold and the troops in the Hexi Corridor are empty, and we will penetrate it in one go. Instead of slowly, stop and stop, like later, we will slept around the Hexi Corridor and fought alone. If we foresee that situation, who would not advocate going eastward?"

The Western Route Army had already made up its mind to advance westward. They were divided into three columns and began to move towards the unfamiliar Hexi Corridor.

Northwest wilderness, the sand hits the face, the breath turns into ice, and the clothes are so cold that the Western Route Army embarked on the long Western Expedition with great difficulty and blood and fire.

Regarding how the Western Route Army fought in the Hexi Corridor, we will introduce it in the next article.