August 1, 2017, is the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Looking back at history, back to the beginning, back to the starting point, there is always some emotion: 90 years ago, when the two failed teams of the Nanchang Uprising and the Autumn Harvest Uprising gathered in Jinggangshan, a vast mountain far away from the city, the public opinion at that time included some of the insurrectionists. People all think that this is just a common occurrence in Chinese history of "falling out of control and turning into bandits". The outcome is nothing more than being wiped out, recruited, or left to fend for itself. It is just another replica of Liangshanbo and Wagangzhai.
But why did Jinggangshan not become Liangshanbo and Wagang Village, but instead cultivated an invincible iron army from here that is more difficult to shake than the mountains?
一
Trend In Jinggang Mountain, the road is difficult and long.
In the beginning, Jinggangshan was not the destination. In 1927, Chiang Kai-shek and Wang Jingwei successively rebelled against the revolution and massacred the Chinese Communists. Of the 60,000 party members, only more than 10,000 were left.
Should we let others slaughter us, or should we rise up to resist? The Chinese Communists responded with gunshots. This year, the Nanchang Uprising, Autumn Harvest Uprising, and Guangzhou Uprising started one after another. These were the three major uprisings in the history of the Communist Party of China and the military. They failed one after another and the teams were dispersed. The remnants of the Autumn Harvest Uprising, Nanchang Uprising and a few members of the Guangzhou Uprising went to Jinggangshan.
The Autumn Harvest Uprising team was the first to arrive at Jinggangshan. Their previous goal was to capture Changsha.
On September 9, 1927, the Autumn Harvest Uprising broke out. One of the slogans shouted by the officers and soldiers was: "Resolutely capture Changsha!" At that time, some leaders of the Chinese Communist Party preferred to formulate plans to capture large cities. Isn't this how the Moon Revolution was successful? The cruiser Aurora first occupied the capital Petrograd with a blast of cannon, then annihilated the White Army and planted the red flag all over the vast land. This is the experience of the Soviet Union, and it is also what the Communist International representatives talk about and insists that the Communist Party of China should imitate.
However, the high-spirited Autumn Harvest Uprising Army encountered serious setbacks on its way to Changsha:
The first regiment was defeated miserably in the first battle of the Xiushui Uprising. The bandit Qiu Guoxuan suddenly rebelled, and the Kuomintang army took the opportunity to counterattack. As a result, one regiment retreated, with only half of the 2,000 men left, and the regiment leader Zhong Wenzhang disappeared;
The second regiment rebelled in Anyuan and failed to attack Pingxiang. They attacked to the west and captured Laoguan and Liling, and then moved north to capture Liuyang. However, due to paralysis and underestimation of the enemy, the troops fell into the enemy's siege and were scattered. Some of them broke through and escaped, and many people died;
The Third Regiment During the Tonggu Uprising, they successfully occupied Baisha Town and immediately occupied Dongmen City. However, they were surrounded by enemy troops in two groups. After retreating, only more than 400 of the 1,500 people remained. Some people died, and more people were scattered and left the team.
What should we do? All three operations have failed. Should we continue the attack or retreat? If we retreat, where should we retreat? In Wenjia City, Liuyang, Hunan, Mao Zedong, then Secretary of the Autumn Harvest Uprising Front Committee, made a decisive decision: Give up the attack on Changsha and move the rebel army south to rural areas where the Kuomintang's ruling power is weak, looking for a foothold in order to preserve the revolutionary power and try to develop again.
The "Records of China's Revolutionary War" series commented: "This is a bold decision, because continuing to attack Changsha is the original decision of the Provisional Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Failure to do so will undoubtedly be detained.' "Escape". This is an innovative decision... Ruthless facts have proved that the "October Revolution" model will not work in China. If the Chinese revolution is to succeed, it can only find a new way to attack the cities and turn to the countryside. Mao Zedong was the first to realize this and took the first decisive step. "Historical records show that on the same day that the remaining troops of the Autumn Harvest Uprising made the decision to retreat to southern Hunan, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China announced The report of the representative of the ** Industrial International in Changsha once again made the resolution to ask the Hunan Provincial Party Committee to attack Changsha. However, by the time this resolution was sent to Hunan, the Autumn Harvest Rebel Army had already moved south. Assuming that this team continued to attack Changsha, it would only suffer the fate of annihilation. Fortunately, history does not allow for assumptions.
"Going up the mountain" was not Mao Zedong's expedient measure after his failure. "Chronicle of Mao Zedong" (Volume 1) records that on July 4, 1927, Mao Zedong attended the 34th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. When discussing the Hunan issue, in his speech, he advocated "going up the mountain". It is believed that "going up the mountain can form the basis of military power." At that time, everyone had different opinions. Some suggested attacking the city, while others talked about "serving as soldiers" in the Kuomintang troops to wait for the opportunity. Mao Zedong insisted: go up the mountain armed.
Jinggangshan has entered history.
Two
From Wenjia City, Liuyang, Hunan, to Sanwan Village, Yongxin, Jiangxi, the journey was full of dangers. By the time they arrived at Sanwan, the uprising team had less than a thousand people. The most tragic Yes, Commander-in-Chief Lu Deming also died.
But Mao Zedong made a surprising decision. He announced in public: Participating in the revolution is completely voluntary. Those who want to stay will stay, and those who don’t will be paid travel expenses and leave. Of course, guns cannot be brought. Walk. Another group of people left, but how long can the remaining team hold on? The grim reality is: the escape has become public, and the speculators are actually asking each other: "Are you leaving?" "Where are you going?" As long as Another defeat and more people will flee.
In the final analysis, this team has not broken away from the habits of the old army.
There is a mixture of people, including determined warriors, ruffians with a gangster spirit, Huangpu students who have received formal military training, and young farmers who are full of enthusiasm at first but want to quit when they fail. Some people know how to fight for the revolution. , but some people regard themselves as mercenaries... People are distracted and their thoughts are confused. If this problem is not solved, even if they go up the mountain, they will still be unable to avoid the fate of destruction.
The "Sanwan Adaptation" that has an immortal status in history appeared: "The branch is built in the company". Party organizations are established at all levels of the army, with squads and groups, companies with branches, and battalions. , the league has a party committee. This is a major creation that plays a very important role in the party's integration of the army and the smooth realization of its will in the army. Mao Zedong later wrote in "The Struggle in Jinggangshan" about the important role it played in adjusting the structure of the army and party organizations: "The reason why the Red Army fought hard and did not collapse was that the branch was built on the company. "
"For whom to fight?" has always been a major problem for China's old army. The "X family army" has a long history, and the troops are often the capital or even private property of the warlords. In modern times, the Hunan-Huaihe warlords continued the bad habit of "preparing soldiers for generals". Yuan Shikai's small station training was based on the German military system. This was a major turning point in the history of China's modern military system. However, selecting generals and educating soldiers still created The "Yuan Family Army" cultivates its own power, and the officers and soldiers under its command "eat Marshal Yuan's food and fight for Marshal Yuan." The same is true for the Kuomintang army. Although there are many soldiers and generals, there are many factions. The generals support the troops and respect themselves. Each one has small calculations. There are too many cases of desperate situations on the battlefield.
In July 1932, the Japanese army invaded Jehol. Wang Jingwei, then the Executive Dean and Minister of the Interior of the Nanjing National Government, ordered Zhang Xueliang, who was occupying North China at the time, to send troops to resist. The latter refused to carry out the order and even sent back a message with hints. Wang had no authority to command the military in North China. In his memoirs in his later years, Zhang Xueliang restored the conversation he had with Wang Jingwei. At that time, Wang said that the pressure from the Japanese was too great. It would be enough to move your army and fight the Japanese. First, calm public opinion. Zhang Xueliang replied: "Mr. Wang, what are you talking about? Let my subordinates take a beating and let my subordinates give their lives in exchange for your political lives? I, Zhang Xueliang, have never sacrificed the lives of my subordinates in exchange for mine. For this matter, neither the central government nor you come to me!"
How can such logic, such a military, such a government, and such a political party be possible? Not collapse?
In contrast, it shows the advantage of the Communist Party of attaching importance to political work. It can be said that since the "Sanwan Adaptation", the armed forces led by the Communist Party of China have been completely transformed. "The Party commands the gun" has since become an image expression of the principle of the Communist Party of China's absolute leadership over the people's army. As historical witness Luo Ronghuan later recalled: "The reorganization of Sanwan was actually a new life for our army. It was from this time that the party's leadership over the army was established. If not for this, the Red Army would not have been wiped out by a powerful enemy. , they can only become rogues. "
三
The grand history always comes to us through some details.
Today, in Jinggangshan, people like to wear gray red military uniforms and walk on the "grain-carrying trail" again. Decades have passed and everything has changed, but the pole has not changed. It is still made of Moso bamboo, which is abundant in Jinggang Mountains.
In the Jinggangshan Museum, there is a replica, "Zhu De's Pole". Fan Shude, the director of the munitions department of the Red Army at that time, recalled before his death: He spent a copper plate to buy a moso bamboo, cut it into two poles, gave one to Zhu De, and kept the other for his own use. On Zhu De's pole, he used On one end of the writing brush, write "Zhu De's Carrying Pole" and on the other end, "No Handling". In December 1928, in order to protect the Jinggangshan base, the Red Army launched a grain-carrying campaign. Zhu De was already in his forties and an army commander. The soldiers advised him not to carry grain, but he still carried it up the mountain himself. Therefore, the soldiers made up a song for Zhu De: "Zhu De carried the grain to the col, and the food was absolutely reliable. Everyone worked together to crush the enemy's 'suppression'."
Officers and soldiers are equal, and democracy is implemented in the army , is also an important part of the "Sanwan Adaptation". "Records of the Chinese Revolutionary War" wrote: "There are clear historical boundaries between the officers and soldiers of the old army. The Autumn Harvest Uprising team basically followed the rules of the Kuomintang army in terms of treatment of officers and soldiers, troop management, etc. The officers and soldiers usually have different meals, and the soldiers eat large stoves , Officers above the company eat Xiaozao - four dishes and one soup. The gap between officers and soldiers is not small. Especially the officers who were born in Huangpu Military Academy have leather hats, leather belts, leather shoes, leather bags, and leather whips. They are called "five-leather officers". Not only did Officer Pi have a special diet, but he was always superior to others. Beating and scolding soldiers was commonplace. "
"Sanwan Adaptation" established soldier committees at the company, battalion, and regiment levels, abolished red tape, and made no mistakes. Soldiers are allowed to be beaten and scolded, the economy is open, soldiers manage meals, and officers and soldiers are treated equally. These regulations greatly aroused the revolutionary enthusiasm of the soldiers. Historical witness Song Renqiong once served as the director of the Soldiers Committee during the Jinggangshan era. He recalled: "The work of the Soldiers Committee was mainly placed within the company. One was political democracy and the other was economics. Democracy, sharing meals, managing food, and managing the economy. At that time, there were many officers from the old army, and the warlord habit of beating and swearing was serious. The soldiers' committee fought against their old habits.
"
At that time, the economic foundation of Jinggangshan was poor, and the enemy's blockade made the Red Army's life very difficult. Su Yu, then the commander of the 28th Regiment, recalled that in addition to grain, the daily meals at that time included oil, salt, vegetables, and gold. Five copper coins, basically eating red rice and pumpkin. The most difficult thing is that the soldiers can’t eat salt. Red rice and pumpkin soup, it is hard for people to imagine that the Red Army officers and soldiers ate this every day. What is even harder for people to imagine is that under such difficult conditions, the Red Army could still maintain strong revolutionary optimism - because of equality. In the first volume, it is written: “From the commander to the cook, everyone eats five cents of food except grain. When giving pocket money, two jiao means two jiao, four jiao means four jiao. Therefore, the soldiers did not resent anyone. "
While officers and soldiers are equal, military-civilian relations have also been reshaped. As we all know, the "Three Major Disciplines and Eight Points of Attention" originated from Jinggangshan. It was called "Three Disciplines and Six Points of Attention" at that time. "Discipline": first, follow the command in actions; second, fund-raising must be returned to the public; third, do not take a sweet potato from the common people; and then there are "six points of attention": door panels, bundling straw, speaking kindly, buying and selling fairly, borrowing money Things must be returned and damaged things must be compensated.
In the Jinggangshan Museum, there is a fishing net on display. At that time, the people of Jinggangshan lamented that the Red Army was really different and liked it! So they used this net to catch fish to express their condolences. Red Army.
Four
History is very strange. Some people appear with great success, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, but then they lose their role and even become clowns; some people appear in the curtain of history. At the beginning, he was inconspicuous and no one valued him, but in the following time, he walked into the center of the stage and became an important figure in changing history.
Yu Sadu, a second-term student of Huangpu Military Academy, was known for his eloquence and ability. Known for his literary talent, he was the commander of the First Division of the First Army of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army during the Autumn Harvest Uprising. He was a well-known hero. After going to Jinggang Mountains, he lost confidence in the revolution. Feeling pessimistic and disappointed, he chose to escape from the army, moved to Shanghai, and chose to quit the party. , after being arrested by Kuomintang agents, he chose to surrender to the enemy and was appointed as a major general. In order to satisfy his luxurious life, Yu Sadu used his authority to sell drugs. After the incident was exposed, Chiang Kai-shek personally ordered him to be shot.
Su Xianjun, a third-generation student in Huangpu, joined the Communist Party of China during the Northern Expedition, participated in the Autumn Harvest Uprising, and served as the commander of the Third Regiment of the First Division of the First Army of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army. After going to Jinggangshan, he also became pessimistic and disappointed with Yu Sa. He escaped from the army together and was later arrested and betrayed Hunan Provincial Party Committee leader Guo Liang. In July 1930, the Red Army captured Changsha and Su Xianjun was executed. According to historical records, Yu Sadu and Su Xianjun were blocked by sentries while escaping. When Mao Zedong found out, he said: "If they want to leave, let them go. ”
The question of “How long can the red flag of Jinggangshan be flown” is a test for everyone in the base area. Many people left the base area under various excuses, most of them left without saying goodbye, and some were superstitious to go to the central city. During the riots, some were pessimistic and ran away from the revolution and returned home, while others defected to the enemy and became traitors. Others were firm in their beliefs and persisted. This is the so-called "big wave".
This is the critical moment. , the most decisive force. General Jin Yinan wrote Zhu De’s story in the book "Heart Victory": Nanchang Uprising, "Zhu De was not among the core leaders who organized and commanded the uprising. On the night of the uprising, the task assigned to Zhu De by the former enemy committee was to hold back the two regiment leaders of the Yunnan Army through banquets, playing cards and chatting to ensure the smooth progress of the uprising. Chen Yi later recalled that Zhu De's status was not important during the Nanchang riots, and no one listened to him. Everyone just respected him as an old comrade. "
Zhu De really came into play when this unit was facing failure and everyone left the team one after another. "In addition to the chief military officers at all levels in the army, the Nanchang Uprising Army has There are party representatives and political instructors at the regiment, battalion and company levels. This sound military and political leadership system finally collapsed in Tianxinwei, Anyuan, Jiangxi at the end of October 1927. Only Zhu De was left among the military leading cadres above the division level, and all the political leading cadres were gone. The only remaining military cadres at the regiment level are Wang Erzhuo, chief of staff of the 74th Regiment, and the only political cadre left is Chen Yi, the political instructor of the 73rd Regiment. All the cadres above the regiment were added up, and only Zhu De, Wang Erzhuo, and Chen Yi were left. When leading cadres are like this, it is more difficult for the subordinates to control them. Battalion commanders and company commanders left in groups, and some pulled their troops away and left openly with a platoon or a company. The rest asked to disperse their activities...the troops were on the verge of instantly disintegrating and dispersing. The spark left by the Nanchang Uprising may be extinguished immediately. "
At the critical moment, it was Zhu De who stood up. He united the team with his firm belief. The army was reorganized into a column, with Zhu De as the column commander, Chen Yi as the column's political instructor, and Wang Erzhuo as the column's political instructor. The chief of staff of the column, with 800 soldiers. What really survived the Nanchang Uprising team of more than 20,000 people was this family fortune. Jin Yinan wrote: "This family fortune later became the basis for the establishment of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. The core of combat effectiveness. The fire of the Nanchang Uprising has never been extinguished since. ”
Zhu De led the team to Jinggang Mountain, and there was a "Zhu Mao Reunion".
Jin Yinan commented: Zhu De went from the fringes of the Nanchang Uprising to the core of the "Zhu Mao Red Army" and finally became the commander-in-chief of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Without the spiritual world of joining the revolution without hesitation and risking one's life in pursuit of the truth, he would not have been able to achieve this. Deep and keen historical awareness.
A famous saying goes: Although a person's life is long, there are only a few steps at the critical moment. This is true for individuals, as well as for groups and countries. The kind of historical consciousness called from the heart that can help leaders make key judgments and take key actions at critical moments is not only a necessary condition for a great man to become a great man, but also a person who adapts to the wind and forgets his integrity. , opportunists can never obtain!
五
The book "China 1927 - Deciphering the Historical Mysteries of China's Political Situation 80 Years Ago" writes: In the early morning of October 22, 1927, the troops were in Dafen Town, Suichuan County. , was suddenly attacked by the landlord's armed Jingwei group. Because the people and the place were unfamiliar, Mao Zedong, the spy company commander Zeng Shi'e, and the party representative Luo Ronghuan quickly retreated, only taking in thirty or forty people along the way. Mao Zedong led this small force to continue to move to Jinggangshan - this was the last battle before the Autumn Harvest Uprising team arrived in Jinggangshan and began to establish a base area.
This is called "a single spark can start a prairie fire"!
Looking back at history and looking at Jinggangshan today, there will be many enlightenments. History may have coincidences, but history also has its own rules. For example, the victors in history belong to a group of people who have faith, belief and confidence. Just like in the darkest, most difficult and most desperate moments, they still retain their poetry and romance:
“It is a ship standing on the horizon and looking into the sea with the tip of its mast visible. It is standing on the top of a mountain and looking at the radiant sun that is about to burst out in the east. It is It is a baby that is about to mature and is restless in the mother's womb."
Jinggangshan is therefore a unique Jinggangshan, not a replica of Liangshanbo and Wagangzhai.