Glorious task
On May 25th, the first regiment of Red First Division successfully crossed the Dadu River in Anshunchang. But the current here is too fast to bridge, and there are only a few boats at the ferry. It takes dozens of minutes to go back and forth. If tens of thousands of troops cross the river only by these boats, I don't know how long it will take. At the same time, Chiang Kai-shek is ordering Sichuan warlord Yang Sen and other departments to firmly block the Dadu River, and ordering Xue Yue, Zhou Hunyuan and other departments to give chase. Shi Dakai, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, was finally wiped out by the Qing soldiers in Anshunchang. Chiang Kai-shek also dreamed of turning the Red Army into a second Shi Dakai. At that time, many patriotic progressives were also worried: Will the Red Army go the way of Shi Dakai?
In order to cross the Dadu River quickly and smash the conspiracy to attack around the counter-revolution, it is necessary to seize Luding Bridge quickly. It is in this emergency that Zuo Jun Qianwei Red Fourth Regiment quickly accepted the task of seizing Luding Bridge. The Red First Division is a right-wing army. After crossing the Dadu River, it went north along the east coast and cooperated with the Second Division and the Fourth Regiment to seize Luding Bridge.
The first day of victory
On the morning of 27th, our group set out from Anshun Field, along the west bank of Dadu River, and ran to Luding Bridge. The whole journey is 320 miles, and the order stipulates that it will arrive in three days. The road is a winding and one-sided narrow path, and on the left is a cliff as high as a knife. On the mountainside, it is snow that does not melt all year round, shining with dazzling silver light, and the air is cold. On the right is the Dadu River, dozens of feet deep and choppy. If you are not careful, you are in danger of falling. However, everyone did not take this danger to heart, only one idea: speed up and win the Huding Bridge as soon as possible.
About 30 miles later, the enemy on the other side of the river started shooting at us. In order to avoid unnecessary casualties, we had to detour to climb the mountain for more than ten miles. Spent a lot of time.
After walking about sixty miles, a big mountain stood in front of me. Suddenly met one enemy after another in a row, the brave soil seemed like a tiger saw a flock of sheep, and only one manganese rushed to defeat the enemy. The mountain is more than ten miles high. Above it is a small river, and the bridge has been destroyed by the enemy. Although the river is not wide, it is too deep to cross. A battalion immediately organized troops to cut down trees and bridge.
After winning the battle, running is more exciting. Faced with sporadic gunfire, we continued to climb the mountain. Suddenly, the scout flew back and reported that in a big Shan Ye in front of me on the left, a battalion of enemies was found guarding us and blocking our way. Comrade Wang Kaixiang, the head of the delegation, and I led the cadres to run forward to survey the terrain. There is only one path in the middle of the mountain, as steep as a ladder. If you look up, this hat will fall off. The bunker was built on the top of the mountain and on the pass. The right side is near the river, and there is no road around. It seems that the front and the right can't rush up anyway. On the left is also a cliff towering in the air, with some small trees and thorns growing sparsely on the cliff wall. The top of the cliff is connected with a higher mountain peak. After careful reconnaissance, it is concluded that climbing the cliff on the left will definitely copy the enemy's side back and attack this pass from behind the enemy's ass. We immediately ordered Zeng Qinglin, the battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion, and Comrade Luo Huasheng, the general branch secretary, to take a company and resolutely climb up from the left and organize the other two companies to feint from the front.
The enemy frantically fired machine guns and blocked the intersection. Less than an hour later, gunfire came from behind the enemy. We took advantage of the situation, stormed from the front, attacked from front to back, and the enemy was soon defeated. Then a fierce chase, three enemy companies were wiped out at the foot of the cliff, one battalion and one company commander were captured alive, and more than 200 people were captured. The enemy wanted to hold on and stop us from moving forward, but after we launched a fierce pursuit, the speed of progress accelerated.
240 Aliri
The next day, we ate an hour earlier than originally scheduled and set off at five o'clock. After only a few miles, the CMC gave us the order to take the Luding Bridge on the 29th.
"The 29th!" The 29th is tomorrow! There are still 240 miles from here to Luding Bridge, which means we have to walk for two days a day. No one expected that the task would become so urgent. 240 miles is a big problem! Road, people have to go, not a step less! We must also break through the enemy's heavy blockade. But this is a major task that concerns the whole army, and it must be resolutely implemented, and there is no hesitation for a minute.
Luding Bridge used to be defended by two enemy regiments, but now two brigades are reinforcing it. They stopped the progress of our Red First Division with one force, and most of them went north along the east bank of the river and crossed the river hand in hand with our army. If we reach the Luding Bridge before the enemy, there is hope of victory, otherwise, it will be difficult or even impossible to cross the Luding Bridge. We have to race against the enemy! Race the enemy! While marching, we gathered cadres from the battalion, company, headquarters and political department to study how to complete this urgent task. The mobilization slogan we put forward is: "The Red Fourth Regiment has a glorious history of fighting, resolutely complete this glorious task and maintain the glorious tradition!" "Learn from the Red Group that captured Anshun Field, compete with the Red Group, and resolutely win the Luding Bridge!" "The task is glorious and arduous, and it must stand the test!" The troops must arrive at Luding Bridge before six tomorrow. After the meeting, everyone joined the company separately to mobilize.
Comrade Luo Huasheng, the general branch secretary, and I flew to the front of the procession and stood on a small mound to give political encouragement to the procession. The motorcade rolled in like a gust of wind and passed us like a gust of wind. But I can see every face and every pair of eyes very clearly In the passing procession, the slogan "Resolutely complete the task and seize Luding Bridge" rose from one place to another. The sound overwhelmed the turbulent waves of the Dadu River and shook the mountains. The team moved faster.
In the marching column, a group of people suddenly gathered: the group just dispersed, and then more people appeared. They talked excitedly as they ran. This is the company's party branch Committee and party group marching and meeting at the same time! Time makes it impossible for us to stop for a meeting. We must discuss how to accomplish the Party's tasks in the hurried army.
Emergency mobilization has just been completed, and the troops are close to Tiger Hill.
Tiger Hill is a dangerous mountain, with a distance of 30-40 Li and a distance of 30-40 Li. On the right is adjacent to the Dadu River, and on the left is a higher mountain peak, with only a narrow path in the middle. This is the throat from Anshun Field to Hu Ding Bridge, and there is a battalion of enemies guarding the pass at the top of the mountain. It was foggy at that time, and nothing could be seen five steps away. The enemy couldn't see clearly where we were, but panicked and fired blindly in our direction in the fortifications. Under the cover of fog, we organized troops to touch the mountain and ordered them not to shoot. After approaching the enemy, we solved the enemy with bayonets and grenades. After a while, I heard a series of Grenade explosions, and then there was killing everywhere. The frightened enemy had to run backwards. I chased the defeated enemy from the first battalion until I approached Moses village, and I met a battalion and a regimental headquarters of the enemy stationed in the village. Under the impact of my victory, we defeated the enemy and occupied the village of Moses. The hateful enemy destroyed the bridge over the village east river again, which added new difficulties to our actions and delayed the construction of the bridge for two hours. Go on, run another 40 or 50 miles at a stretch. When we arrived at a village with about ten families on the bank of Dadu River, it was already seven o'clock in the evening. There is still 1 10 Li from here to Luding Bridge.
Difficulties followed. It was very difficult for people to help. Suddenly it began to rain cats and dogs, and it was too dark to see my fingers. The troops didn't eat for a day, and their stomachs were too hungry to support them. The road is muddy and you can't walk fast. Animals and luggage can't keep up. When we descended to Tiger Hill, we clearly saw that the enemy on the other side was still marching side by side with us.
The more serious the difficulties, the more political work should be strengthened. We explained to the Party branch, to all party member, league members and activists all the difficulties before us, and also explained that we must strive to reach Luding Bridge before 6 o'clock tomorrow. Call on everyone to prepare a crutch and walk with it; When it's too late to cook, everyone eats raw rice and drinks cold water to satisfy their hunger. This call, like a fire, ignited the fierce fighting mood of the troops. It seems that even if there are mountains ahead, they can break through. However, in this dark night, how can you walk this muddy and oily 1 10 mile? This problem is like a heavy stone on my mind.
Suddenly, a few flames appeared on the other side of the mountain and suddenly turned into a long string of torches. It was the enemy who lit a torch on the road. The enemy's torch inspired us. "Let's light a fire and drive away," I thought. I planned to study it with the head, chief of staff and general branch secretary at once, but on second thought, "I am only separated from the enemy by a river. If the enemy contacts us and reveals that we are the Red Army, what should we do to fight with us? "
"Be brave when encountering all difficulties", we decided to disguise ourselves and deceive the enemy with the names of the three battalions that were destroyed and defeated yesterday. Immediately ordered the troops to buy all the fences of the villagers' homes, each tied a torch and lit one in each class, so as not to waste, and strive to walk more than ten miles per hour; And arrange the trumpeter to be familiar with the contact signal of the captured enemy first, and prepare to "contact" with the enemy when necessary; The old man's troops are all from Sichuan, and we also selected comrades and new prisoners from Sichuan to answer the enemy's questions. In order to speed up the March, all the animals, luggage and heavy weapons, including the colonel and my horse, were left behind, and the management director He Jingzhi and the adjutant Deng Guanghan took a platoon to cover and then followed up.
At that time, the wound on my leg had not completely healed, and it was not convenient to walk. Comrades, especially the colonel, advised me to ride a horse. This is the time when cadres need to play an exemplary role. How can we ride again? I say to you in a challenging tone: "Comrades, let's go together! Let's see how fast it can run! Who goes to Luding Bridge first! "
The troops marched happily with torches. The torches on both sides of the Taiwan Strait reflect each other, and from afar, like two flying fire dragons, they reflect the water of the Dadu River red. Through the waves of the Dadu River, clear trumpets and faint shouts came from the other side. "What troops!" The enemy is contacting us. Our trumpeter sounded a loud horn according to the enemy's contact signal; Comrade Chuan Sheng and the prisoner also raised their voices and answered loudly. Unexpectedly, the enemy walked side by side with them like a stupid pig It is the heroic Red Army that they dream of destroying day and night, and they have walked with us for twenty or thirty miles in a daze. It rained even harder later. At midnight 12, the fire dragon on the other side disappeared. They may be afraid of suffering. This situation immediately spread throughout the regiment, and comrades were talking about: seize the good opportunity! Let's go, let's go! One follows the other and rushes forward desperately.
The heavy rain hit the soldiers, and the mountain torrents should have poured down the Dadu River from the peak. At the moment, the narrow path, which was difficult to walk, was washed like a layer of oil by rain, and it was really slippery. The crutches don't work either. If you are not careful, you will fall headlong. It's really three steps backwards, five steps backwards. This team is simply rolling in. Even in this case, people are still snoring. Someone stopped while walking, and the person behind pushed him: "Go! The front has gone far! " This just suddenly woke up and quickly followed. Later, everyone simply untied the leggings, connected them one by one and dragged them back and forth.
After a night of urgent marching, we arrived at Luding Bridge at six o'clock the next morning and occupied the west bank and the west bridge head. On this day, besides fighting and building bridges, I drove 240 miles. What a good scud!
Want a bridge, not a gun
We occupied several buildings and a Catholic church on the west side of the bridge. The soldiers were busy preparing for the battle, and Colonel Wang and I led the battalion company cadres to inspect the terrain.
Luding Bridge is really a dangerous place. Even those of us who meet the mountain to clear the way, meet the water and bridge the bridge, and take it as soon as we see it, can't help but gasp. Looking down, the reddish-brown water poured down from the upstream canyon like a waterfall, hitting the jagged stones at the bottom of the river, splashing white waves ten feet high, and the sound of running water was deafening. In such a river, even a small fish can't stay for a minute, and it is absolutely impossible to wade across the river.
Look at the bridge again. It is neither a stone bridge nor a wooden bridge, but an iron cable bridge. From the east coast to the west coast, thirteen long iron ropes were pulled, each as thick as an ordinary rice bowl. Two pieces on each side are used as bridge railings, and nine pieces on the bottom are used as bridge decks side by side. Initially, the bridge deck was covered with planks. Now, the board has been transported to the city by the enemy. Only the hanging chains are left. There are two lines of poems engraved on a stone tablet at the bridgehead: "Wanzhong Mountain near Luding Bridge, with a peak thousands of miles long."
The eastern end of Luding Bridge is Luding City. Half of the city is on Dongshan Mountain, and the other half is on the bank of Dadu River. This wall is more than two feet high. Simon blocked the bridge. Cross the bridge and cross the gate. There is no other way. There are two enemy regiments in the city, and they have built strict fortifications on the hillside. Machine guns were concentrated near the bridge and kept shooting at us. Mortar shells flew around like beads. With such a natural barrier, the enemy frantically shouted to us: "Come here! We handed in the gun! " Our soldiers loudly replied, "Don't want your guns, just your bridge."
After seeing the terrain clearly, we immediately organized a battalion of firepower to reinforce the enemy and block the road on the east bank of the river. Because the east coast is the same as the west coast, there is only one path by the mountains and rivers, and the enemy can only reach Luding Bridge through that road.
Then, we went to the company separately to mobilize and fight for the bridge. The whole army set off an upsurge of striving to be a bridge commando. Each company sent a list of commandos and asked for permission to undertake the task of commandos.
At noon, we held a meeting of cadres of the whole regiment in the Catholic Church to study and approve the commandos. At the beginning of the meeting, a row of mortar shells came from the other side, and the roof of the Catholic church was blasted with a big hole, and shrapnel and tiles should pour down. Everyone did not move. I took the opportunity to encourage: "The enemy has come to mobilize us, and we must cross the bridge at once. Now everyone says which company will be the commando. " I just say that finish, usually taciturn second company commander Liao Dazhu brush to stand up, his short and strong body trembled with excitement, dark face suddenly red to the ears, struggling to say:
"We have made great achievements in crossing the Wujiang River continuously and become a model company for crossing the Wujiang River. We must learn from the company, strive to be a heroic company, and seize the Huding Bridge. "
"The task of seizing the bridge must be given to Sanlian," before Liao Dazhu finished, Wang Youcai, the impatient company commander of Sanlian, stood up. He stood there like a small iron tower, with his mouth like a machine gun: "We have never fallen behind in any battle of the Third Company. This time we promise to take down the bridge." Finally, he added: "If we are not called commandos, my company commander can't explain to the soldiers." There will be a heated debate in the future. It seems that no one wants to give this task to others, and it needs to be designated by our leaders. After my research with the colonel, Colonel Wang explained the task of seizing the bridge to the cadres and appointed the second commandos. Then I stood up and added, "There are still many battles to be fought. We do it in turn. Last time we accepted Wujiang, it was the first company. It's the second company's turn this time. Twenty-two party member from the Second Company and activists formed a commando team, with Comrade Liao Dazhu as the captain of the commando team. I think it's good. Do you have an opinion? " Applause broke out at the meeting, and Liao Dazhu jumped up happily. Only Wang Youcai hung his head and mumbled something. "The task of Sanlian is not light," I pointed to Wang Youcai. "You even served as the second echelon, followed the commandos, and also served as the task of laying the bridge deck, so that the follow-up troops could quickly rush into the city. What do you think? " At this moment, Wang Youcai smiled. Finally, we ordered the companies to feed their troops and go to war. After the meeting, Luo Huasheng, the general branch secretary, personally went to Erlian to help prepare for the assault.
The general attack begins at four o'clock in the afternoon The colonel and I commanded the battle on the bridge. The trumpeters of the whole regiment gathered to blow the charge; All the weapons fired at the enemy on the other side, and the sound of bugles, gunfire and shouts shook the valley. Twenty-two assault heroes, armed with submachine guns or spears, with sabres on their backs and 12 grenades tied around their waists, braved the dense bullets, climbed the bridge fence and rushed to the other side through chains. Behind them is the third company led by the third company commander Wang Youcai. In addition to the weapons they carried, each of them took a board, paved the bridge and charged.
As soon as the commandos rushed to the opposite bridge, Simon suddenly caught fire. The enemy tried to block us on the bridge with torches and burn us to death. The fire lit up half the sky and the bridge was surrounded by raging fires.
This is a critical moment. Twenty-two heroes seemed stunned when they saw the fire at the city gate. The people standing next to me shouted with the head of the delegation, "Comrades! This is the key to victory! Go in! Not afraid of fire! Without hesitation! Let's go The enemy has collapsed. " This cry gave the heroes courage, determination and strength, and they quickly rushed into the fire with the rumbling charge. The hat that Liao Dazhu put in front of him caught fire. He threw it away and walked barefoot. The rest of the commandos followed Liao Lianchang through the fire and rushed into the street. Street fighting starts at the corner. The enemy concentrated all their forces to fight back, and all the bullets and grenades of the 22 heroes were gone. The situation is extremely urgent and cannot be supported. At this critical juncture, the company commander Wang Youcai rushed in with Sanlian, and then the colonel and I led the follow-up troops to quickly cross the bridge into the city. After two hours of fierce fighting, most of the enemies of the two regiments were wiped out, and the rest fled in panic. At dusk, I completely occupied Hudingcheng and firmly controlled Luding Bridge.
At present, the first task is to prevent the enemy from counterattack and ensure the safety of Luding Bridge. We immediately sent the regiment teaching battalion under the command of our regiment to the arrow furnace, because there were still several enemy regiments there. In order to deal with the enemy of two brigades who reinforced Luding Bridge, we sent a battalion to develop southward along the river.
At night 10, set out in the first platoon. At that time, we estimated that the enemy reinforcements had arrived and were ready to fight another hard battle. Part of the battalion occupied the position, organized a charge and met a wounded soldier. When asked, it was a comrade of the third regiment of the Red First Division who knew that the first division had arrived. The tension of preparing for a decisive battle with the enemy suddenly relaxed. It turned out that two enemy brigades were overtaken by our Red First Division and fought in Zhulinping, 60 miles south of the city. Later, the enemy was afraid that we would be attacked from both sides and ran in the direction of Hualinping in a panic. We immediately sent someone to meet Liu Bocheng's chief of staff and Nie's political commissar marching into Hu Dingcheng with the Red Division. We met and were very happy.
It's already two o'clock in the morning, and Liu Bocheng's chief of staff also asked me to take him and Nie Zhengwei to see the Luding Bridge with great interest. I accompanied them from Qiaodong to Qiaoxi with a lantern in my hand. Liu Bocheng, chief of staff, looked at every chain and even hoop very carefully, as if to imprint the whole Luding Bridge on his mind. When he turned back to the center of the bridge from the west of the bridge, he stopped, held the railing of the bridge, looked down at the rapids of the Dadu River, stamped three feet on the bridge slab, and said with emotion, "Luding Bridge! Luding Bridge! How much energy and effort we have put into you, and now we have won! We won! "
Liu will report the enemy files he has obtained urgently. The communique said that our army has faced a second danger in Shi Dakai; It is said that there is a Dadu River before and a Jinsha River after, so the * * * army is wiped out with one move. This illusion of the enemy was soon completely shattered. Although we have followed the old path of Shi Dakai, we will not fall into the historical mistakes. Because we are the people's armed forces led by China's * * * production party and Chairman Mao.
On the third day, the main force of the legion arrived. Then, the great leader Chairman Mao, Vice Chairman Zhou Enlai and Commander-in-Chief Zhu De came to the Central Organ. Thousands of troops crossed the Dadu River from the hero's Luding Bridge.