Passed through the Yi area and forcibly crossed the Dadu River
After the conference , the Red Army continued to move north. On May 17, the 1st Army, 1st Division and 1st Regiment captured Dechang and captured more than 200 enemies. Later, we marched to Xichang together with the Fifth Army Corps. When we arrived at the edge of Xichang City, we learned from reconnaissance that Xichang City was three feet high and very strong. There were four regiments of Liu Wenhui's troops guarding the enemy and some Yi soldiers in the city. The Military Commission accepted it. Our suggestion is to take a detour through Xichang and arrive in Lugu on the 20th.
At this time, the Central Military Commission designated Comrade Liu Bocheng, Chief of General Staff, and I, with him as commander and me as political commissar, to lead the first regiment of the first division of the first army, an engineer platoon and the radio station, together with Comrade Xiao Hua A work team formed the advance team of the Central Red Army to conduct strategic reconnaissance and open the way for the Red Army to move north. After receiving the order, Comrade Bocheng and I led the contingent and continued to advance in the direction of Anshunchang north of Mianning.
At the same time, Comrades Zuo Quan and Liu Yalou led the Fifth Regiment of the Second Division to occupy the Dashubao Ferry via Western Vietnam. On the one hand, they covered the right flank of our army, and on the other hand, they feigned crossing there to divert the enemy from Anshun. Field direction attention.
The task of the advance team, in layman's terms, is to open roads when encountering enemies and build bridges when encountering rivers. Especially when the front is going to pass through Yi ethnic areas, the work of the Yi people must be done well to ensure the safe and smooth passage of the Central Red Army .
The Central Military Commission sent Comrade Bocheng. I am very happy to work with Comrade Bocheng to complete this task. He is not only an old soldier, but also an old Sichuan; he is especially experienced in the military, can be far-sighted in situations, and has a meticulous style; he pays great attention to investigation and research, asks for instructions and reports on everything, and never makes rash opinions. He has been to western Sichuan in the past and is quite familiar with the local geography, customs and people.
At that time, the Yi people in that place were a slave society and were divided into "white bones" and "black bones". I heard what he said. Although I am also from Sichuan, I came out of Sichuan when I was young and know almost nothing about the situation in northwest Sichuan. After receiving the mission, the advance team occupied Mianning, a county town, on May 21. The defenders had fled. Many Yi leaders were imprisoned in the prison. It turns out that this is a method used by the Kuomintang to rule ethnic minorities. If the Yi people do not listen to them, they will kill these leaders and use them as hostages. We let them go and invited the leaders to drink, and the atmosphere became much more relaxed. Some Yi leaders knew some Chinese. We asked them and told us some information, and some even expressed their willingness to guide us. However, the Kuomintang's cruel rule over ethnic minorities made them full of hostility towards the Han people . The ethnic gap was deep. They had no idea what kind of team the Red Army was and what policies it implemented, so they did not treat us sincerely. The advance team still encountered many difficulties, but only because we adhered to the party's ethnic policy and handled it properly, we were able to complete the task of passing through the Yi area relatively smoothly.
On May 22, the advance team began to enter the Yi ethnic area of Daliang Mountain. Its edge is the edge of Yuan Juhaizi, more than fifty miles north of Mianning. Knowing that it was not easy to pass through the Yi area at that time when ethnic barriers were deep, there was a language barrier, different customs and habits, and the terrain and roads were not clear at all, so we were very cautious and sent Comrade Ding Bolin from the work team to inquire about the situation. , knowing that there are several tribes of Yi people here. As soon as we entered the Yi area, there were two relatively large tribes, one was called Hajijia and the other was called Luohong. The two tribes were "fighting enemies" at the time. As soon as we arrived, we heard several cannon sounds. When we inquired about it, it turned out that the two of them were fighting there. Hearing that the Red Army was coming, the Guji family wanted the Red Army to help them "fight their enemies", so they expressed friendship to us. The Luohong people were hostile to us and wanted to attack us. We fired several flares to scare them away.
We certainly have no intention of supporting one side against the other. However, in order to pass through the Yi area, we decided to take advantage of this contradiction. So Comrade Ding Bolin invited Xiaoye Dan, the leader of the Guji family, and Comrade Bocheng came forward to negotiate with him over drinks for a long time.Comrade Bocheng was very resourceful, and the two sides talked very speculatively. The other party proposed to swore a sworn alliance with Jinlan, and brought a rooster and killed it on the lakeside. Bocheng and Xiao Yedan drank the chicken's blood and sprinkled it, thus opening a road through the Yi area. I was also present at the time and couldn't understand what they were saying. I only knew that the unfaithful one was just like the rooster. Finally, an agreement was reached, and the Guji family was willing to escort us through the Yi area.
But it was already after noon. I heard that the Yi area was more than a hundred miles away and it would take a day to pass. So Comrade Bocheng and I discussed that although we had reached an agreement with the Guji family, there were still other tribes and it would be too dangerous for them to wander in confusedly. Bocheng agreed with my opinion and finally decided not to leave. Not only did he not leave, the team that came to the front also ordered them to follow us, just like Sima Yi back then, he went "back thirty miles" and returned to a place called The place where the bridge is. This is a small market town at the junction of the Yi and Han people, where the two ethnic groups live together. We camped there. The next day, the Guji family sent someone to escort us to the Yi area. When we entered the Yi area, there were Yi people from other tribes on the mountain. They stood on both sides of the road and stretched out their hands to ask us for money. They all shouted, "If you want money, take it." Come the money! These Yi people are tall and fearful. We were well prepared, the troops were in neat formation, and passed calmly. We ignored them and passed by.
Thanks to Xiao Yedan's escort, we passed through the Yi area relatively smoothly and arrived at Chaluo at dark that day, which is not far from Anshun Chang. Not long after we passed, the engineer company with us also had some rearguard personnel. Because they were carrying some bulky engineering equipment, they fell behind during the march and were intercepted by more than a thousand Yi people in a mountain valley behind. All the utensils they brought were taken away, and even the clothes they were wearing were stripped naked. Fortunately, we stipulated that no shooting was allowed, and the Yi people only took clothes and did not harm the Red Army. These soldiers were so angry that they burst into tears and ran naked without fighting back. So we once again educated the troops on the party’s ethnic policies.
On the way, we met the county magistrate of Mianning County of the Kuomintang, and he and his family were stripped naked. When they saw us, they knelt down and asked us to save them, saying that they were all Han Chinese and would rather die here than be insulted. At that time, everyone hated the Kuomintang and ignored it. Later, I left Comrade Ding Bolin behind and continued to keep in touch with the leader of the Guji family. Therefore, when my subsequent large forces passed through, the Guji family was still friendly to us, provided various conveniences, and escorted us through the Yi area. This is all thanks to Comrade Bocheng. If he hadn't been here, it would have been really difficult for me to deal with this situation. At the same time as we passed through the Yi area, it happened that Comrades Zuo Quan and Liu Yalou led the fifth regiment to open the Yuexi County after passing Mianshan. We also released hundreds of Yi people who were held as hostages in the Kuomintang County Yamen. , which also helped us pass through the Yi area smoothly.
The purpose of achieving a smooth passage through the Yi area is to seize the Anshunchang ferry as early as possible without the enemy's surprise, so that the Red Army can cross the river from Anshunchang. We arrived at Anshun Field on May 24th.
Of course, the task of capturing Anshun Field was borne by our advance team, and the specific tasks fell on the regiment leader Yang Dezhi and the political commissar Comrade Li Lin. The first regiment designated one battalion as the vanguard battalion, and the battalion commander was Sun Jixian. The night of crossing the river - the night of the 24th, Comrade Bocheng and I went to the vanguard camp in the rain in order to check the preparations of the troops crossing the river. It was very dark and the road was difficult to walk. I used a recently seized French-made flashlight to illuminate the way for Comrade Bocheng, because his eyesight was already relatively poor at that time. At that time, the two companies stationed in Anshun Field did not expect us to arrive so quickly. They thought they were still several days away. They were paralyzed. We launched a surprise attack and quickly eliminated them. The huge roar of the river drowned out the gunfire of the fierce battle, and the enemies on the other side did not notice it.
Comrade Bocheng and I entered a shed where ordinary people lived on the side of the Anshun field, and found Sun Jixian, the commander of the first battalion. Comrade Bocheng carefully inquired about the preparations for crossing the river, and then further clarified the task for him. Precautions are indicated. I said to Comrade Sun Jixian: "I saw a leaflet dropped by an enemy plane a few days ago, saying that our Chairman Mao is going to become Shi Dakai . But we are not Shi Dakai, and we cannot become Shi Dakai. Because we are the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army led by the Communist Party of China. , are closely integrated with the Chinese people, have strong political work, and have extraordinary bravery and hard-working spirit. This is something Shi Dakai does not have. We must cross the river, and we must be able to cross the river. Go; cross over, and we will be free to move." I asked him to go back, mobilize the troops, and make all preparations for crossing the river.
At this time, the first battalion had captured an enemy boat. This small boat was sent by the enemy regiment leader to cause sabotage. The other boats had already been rowed to the other side by the enemy. Even this ship is a broken ship and we have to repair it.
The Dadu River is about 100 meters wide and 30 meters deep, with a flow speed of about four meters per second. The roar of the rapids can be heard from a distance. This is the most rapid river we have crossed since the Long March . The water in Wujiang and Jinsha River is even stronger. If two people are talking by the river, if they don’t use a loud voice, the other party will not be able to hear them.
Comrade Bocheng and I continued to reach near the ferry, and saw the comrades of the first battalion arguing over being a commando team. There was a correspondent who was sixteen or seventeen years old and was the most active in the fight. Comrade Yang Dezhi and I both said: "Let your battalion commander give the final order. Whoever is asked to go will go." The correspondent finally got the approval and happily joined the commando team. At that time, it was decided to force the crossing at dawn the next day, May 25th. At dawn, Comrade Bocheng and I were standing on a slope on the river bank, next to the position where the heavy machine gun was mounted. We directly observed this thrilling historical scene. After the battle started, Comrade Zhao Zhangcheng, the famous mortar operator, and three special shooters from a group of machine gun companies used two mortars and several machine guns to provide cover. Our seventeen warriors In the only small boat, they rushed to the other side of the river in the stormy waves, defeated the enemy's defense, and occupied the beachhead. Comrade Bocheng and I are filled with excitement and are proud of our brave and fearless Red Army!
Then, they covered the follow-up troops to cross the river one by one. The boats were too small and each boat could ferry more than 40 people. Until the evening of the 25th, two companies of the regiment had not crossed. The wind was strong and the waves were high, and the pontoon bridge could not be erected. There was no other way but to cross the river one boat at a time.
The next day, the second and third regiments of the first division also came to the ferry. That night, all three regiments finally crossed the river. Before the 1st and 4th regiments had finished crossing the river, and before the 2nd and 3rd regiments started crossing, Comrade Mao Zedong came to the ferry, and Lin Biao also came. Comrade Mao Zedong had a small meeting with us. When he learned about the difficulty of crossing the river, he immediately decided that our army should quickly seize Luding Bridge , otherwise it would be difficult for the large troops to cross the river for a while. The enemy Li Yunheng 's 53rd Division had already crossed the Jinsha River and was heading towards us. Come. The Red Army was still facing huge dangers. Comrade Mao Zedong’s deployment at that time was as follows: the First Division and the cadre regiment led by Comrades Chen Geng and Song Renqiong went to the other side of the Dadu River, still led by Bocheng and me, and rushed north from the east bank to Luding Bridge; Lin Biao led the Second Division, the First Army Corps Headquarters and the Fifth Army Corps to rush to Luding Bridge on the west bank of the Dadu River. The 340-mile journey from Anshun Field to Luding Bridge required us to arrive in two and a half days.
Comrade Mao Zedong specifically pointed out to us that this is a strategic measure. Only by capturing Luding Bridge can our army's large forces cross the Dadu River, avoid Shi Dakai's fate, and then go to western Sichuan to join the Fourth Front Army. I know what Comrade Mao Zedong means. If the meeting fails, Bocheng and I will take the First Division and the cadre group to western Sichuan to create a situation. Comrades Luo Ruiqing and Xiao Hua also left with us. The Cadre Corps has cadres and as long as there are masses, it will be easy to establish a revolutionary base area.After receiving the mission, Comrade Bocheng and I followed the troops of the First Division to the other shore. The cadre group then crossed the river from here.
The enemy defending the other side of the river was just driven away by us and did not go very far. We don’t know. Comrade Bocheng and I led the troops across the river before it got dark before we had gone far, and we found a village to camp. When we got up at dawn the next day, we found that the enemy was living in the same village as us. We were on this side of the hillside, and they were on the other side of the hillside, fighting in a remote place. Experienced another thrilling experience!
The team continued northward along the east bank of the Dadu River, with the purpose of using the east bank to support the troops on the west bank preparing to capture Luding Bridge. Comrade Bocheng said that he wanted to go first. He wanted to lead a part of the troops to occupy a pass where the enemy had about one battalion. I walked with my team, and we interrogated the prisoners as we walked. From the words of the newly captured enemy, we learned that following us was a battalion of the enemy Liu Wenhui, and there was another brigade behind the mountain. They are all river defense troops deployed by the enemy, just on the mountainous area on the right side of our march. I quickly went to tell Comrade Bocheng about this situation. I said to him, you can't go like that. If we don't capture the high ground on the right first, we won't be able to get through. If the enemy is condescending and makes a counterattack, there's a risk of pushing us into the Dadu River. At that time, we only had Huang Yongsheng's three regiments, and the other teams had not arrived yet. So we led the three regiments to attack from behind, occupied the hills on the right in one go, and defeated the enemy's brigade. The enemy fled towards Hualinping. This ensured our safety and ensured that the 2nd Division and 4th Regiment marching on the other side of the river would not be shot by the enemy across the river.
The mission of the Fourth Regiment of the Second Division is to serve as the vanguard and go north along the west bank of the Dadu River to capture the Luding Bridge. Our two heroic troops supported each other and headed north across the Dadu River. The scene at that time was really touching. As they marched to the opposite shore, they kept shouting and gesticulating at us, meaning to tell us that there were enemies there and to pay attention to them. It's the same here. Although no one could hear anything due to the roar of the river, the concern of their comrades inspired every Red Army soldier to step up and rush towards Luding Bridge. Seeing this exciting scene, I firmly believe that we will never be the second Shi Dakai. At the same time, this time we attacked the Luding Bridge. Fortunately, we adopted the method of crossing the river and going up. Because the Dadu River is not wide and becomes narrower as we go towards the Luding Bridge. It is only about 100 meters away. Enemies on both sides of the river can shoot across the river. , blocking our way forward. Comrade He Tingyi, who served as a staff officer in the First Army Corps and now serves as deputy commander of the Air Force, was wounded by enemy fire from the east coast on the west bank.
By crossing the river, we can destroy and drive away the enemies on both sides of the strait and ensure the safety of the comrades on the other side. The leader of the fourth regiment was Wang Kaixiang, and the political commissar was Yang Chengwu. They set out from Anshun Field on the morning of the 27th at the maximum speed of a forced march. They had to walk while destroying the enemies they encountered along the way. They were really walking like flying. They fought several victorious battles one after another on the road and captured hundreds of enemy battalion commanders and company commanders. They traveled day and night, braved heavy rain, and lit torches in the dark. The next day they used "two hundred and forty miles a day" "At six o'clock in the morning on the 29th, we arrived at the west bank of Luding Bridge. Facing them was a roaring river. In many parts of the Luding Bridge, only nine bare iron cables were left, hanging above the dizzying rapids. They organized a heroic commando team of twenty-two people. At four o'clock in the afternoon that day, under the fire blockade of the enemy on the other side,
laid door panels on the iron rope while crawling and shooting forward. This is how the Luding Bridge was captured in such a unique and thrilling way. At this time, several companies from our First Division, Second Regiment and Third Regiment also rushed to the outskirts of Luding from the east coast and played a supporting role in the Fourth Regiment's capture of Luding Bridge. Then the four regiments braved the raging fire set by the enemy and captured Luding City. The twenty-eight enemy regiments retreated towards the sky. Our army captured more than a hundred people and guns and replenished a batch of ammunition.
Comrade Bocheng and I rushed to Luding City from the east bank of the Dadu River in the rain with three regiments. It was already 2 o'clock in the evening. At that time, I was already sick and had a fever.However, in order to check whether the Luding Bridge had been damaged by the enemy and whether large troops could still pass through it, Comrade Bocheng and I asked Yang Chengwu to take us to see the Luding Bridge. Comrade Yang Chengwu held a lantern and took us for a walk on the bridge covered with door panels. When we returned to the middle of the bridge, Comrade Bocheng was so excited that he couldn't help but stamp his feet on the bridge three times. While stamping, he said: "Luding Bridge, Luding Bridge! How much energy and effort we have spent on you, and now we have won!" Because he had fought there in the past and knew the danger of Luding Bridge, It was not easy to capture this bridge, so I felt more deeply. I also said excitedly: "We have won! We have won!"
Subsequently, the Fifth Army Corps and the First Army Corps led by Lin Biao, as well as the Central Red Army troops led by Comrade Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, crossed the river from Luding Bridge. As soon as we crossed the Dadu River, we got rid of all the Kuomintang Central Army who were chasing us.
After the victory across the river, the first army's " warrior report " continued to publish good news and comments. First, he praised "Okibe is always a model - the victory before crossing the river". Chongbu was the code name of the fifth regiment that year, praising them for occupying Yuexi County and creating conditions for us to cover the crossing of the river from the west. Then came the "Salute to All the Commanders and Fighters of the Shengbu". Shengbu was the code name of the regiment, commending them for their successful forcible crossing at Anshun Field. Finally, special praise was given to the brave troops who flew to capture the Luding Bridge and marched 240 miles in one day. Yongbu was the code name of the fourth regiment back then. These all reflect the excitement from the agency to the company soldiers.
In particular, Commander-in-Chief Zhu De sent several telegrams, repeatedly calling this victory a strategic victory, which was very encouraging. In terms of the command of the campaign alone, I think we did make a few key risky moves. We all came out victorious. As far as a legion is concerned, this victory was the result of several units consciously cooperating closely with each other tactically and executing a unified campaign plan. If the fifth regiment did not stay away from the main force to attract the enemy's attention to Anshun Field, it is still doubtful whether the first regiment could seize the small boat and successfully cross the river at Anshun Field. Of course, capturing the small boat would have a certain degree of chance. If the first division had not crossed the river, crossed the river with the second division and the four regiments, and captured the Luding Bridge by flying, it is difficult to predict whether it would have been possible to succeed in such a timely manner, although the speed and bravery of the four regiments were indeed unique. If we had not been able to capture the Luding Bridge, what kind of situation would our army have been in? That's hard to imagine.
In short, although the situation was dangerous at the time, we finally succeeded. It is indeed hard-won, but it is by no means accidental. Our struggle with the Kuomintang was often based on superiority and hostility. This is because we are a workers’ and peasants’ Red Army led by the Communist Party of China. Our enemies have political qualities that cannot be compared with ours and a flexible tactical quality that allows us to defeat the superior with the inferior. In particular, our army’s commanders and fighters are infinitely loyal to the party, the people and the people. The great sacrificial spirit of the Chinese revolution is why sometimes it is possible to survive a desperate situation, raise the flag of victory again, and regain the fruits of victory.
In October 1979, some comrades asked me to write an inscription for the Dadu River Memorial Hall. Feeling the heroic spirit of the Red Army when they crossed the Dadu River and the main process of our victory in this battle, I wrote the following sentences: "Anshun rushes to cross the river, Dadu rushes to seize the bridge, the two armies cross the river, and Lu decides to decide." This is not a poem, it just reflects my actual situation of forcibly crossing the Dadu River .
