Climbing the snow-capped mountains, the Red Army faces a "death March"
The Red Army's crossing the snow-capped mountains and grasslands is listed as the most arduous journey. Snow-capped mountains are high enough to retain ice and snow, and the temperature in summer is below freezing point-summer at the foot of the mountain, spring and autumn at the mountainside and cold winter at the top of the mountain.
The Red Army in the Long March, except the 25th Army, the Central Red Army (Red Army), the 2nd Army and the 4th Army all experienced the arrogance of the Great Snow Mountain. After crossing the Dadu River, the Central Red Army entered Qionglai Mountain, leaving hundreds of thousands of troops behind. Chiang Kai-shek stopped chasing at this time and only sent troops to guard outside the mountain pass in western Sichuan, because he concluded that the Red Army heading for the snowy grassland was dying.
No cotton-padded clothes and soju, chewing pepper on the snowy mountain.
1In June, 935, the Central Red Army crossed the Dadu River in the north and met the first snow-capped mountain-Jin Jia Mountain.
This mountain is more than 4500 meters above sea level, located in the south of Maogong, with snow all year round. In addition to the cold, there is also lack of oxygen in the mountains. Locals say that people who died of lack of oxygen were strangled by mountain gods, which cast a mysterious veil over the snow-capped mountains.
You must have enough winter clothes to climb the snow-capped mountains, and it is best to have shochu to keep out the cold. Unfortunately, the Red Army lacks both. There are few people at the foot of the mountain, so it is impossible to find cotton-padded clothes for 20 thousand people, and there are few shochu.
At that time, the officers and men of the army were not only in rags, but also mostly from Hunan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangdong and other places. They have never seen such a high snow-capped mountain, nor have they experienced the biting cold.
Commander-in-Chief Zhu De made use of his rich experience in fighting in Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou to make suggestions to the headquarters and informed the whole army: At the foot of the mountain, we must eat a full meal, drink some Chili soup, bring as much dried ginger and Chili as possible, and chew it up when we reach the top to stimulate our spirit.
The headquarters also requires everyone to cut rags and rags into strips and wrap them firmly on their feet to avoid frostbite.
The weather became colder and colder when the Red Army wearing a single coat crossed the snow-capped mountains. The commanders and fighters had to open the quilt in their backpacks, chew peppers and climb the mountain with strong political mobilization. In the face of severe cold and extreme hypoxia, officers and men have to rely on the heat generated by their own exercise to drive away the cold. At this time, the red pepper has become a life-saving fruit for the Red Army to climb over the snow-capped mountains.
Mao Zedong didn't wear a cotton-padded jacket when climbing the snowy mountain. Although he was soaked to the skin, he still looked happy. However, Zhou Enlai caught a cold on the road and kept coughing after going down the mountain, which was the first symptom of the disease that almost killed him.
Zhu De, a strong man, also suffered from bronchitis, and the sequelae left behind have not been cured.
Lin Biao, the head of the Red Army Corps and less than 30 years old, fainted several times due to lack of oxygen in the mountains, and was finally carried over the mountains by the soldiers. Xu Teli, 58 years old at the time of the Long March and the oldest member of the Red Army, climbed over by himself.
Dressed in summer clothes, Yue Yulong Red Army knits sweaters by himself.
The climate on the snowy mountain is very strange and dangerous, and it often snows. Thick snow was blown by strong winds and collapsed in piles, burying people deeply under the snow. Sometimes the mountains will suddenly look clear and sunny, and the strong reflection on the snow will make some people blind. On Mount Jin Jia, the Red Army was also attacked by hail. Heavy snow, mixed with hail the size of eggs, flooded people. Some patients fell on the snow and never got up. The Red Army, dressed in summer clothes, finally defeated the snow-capped mountains with tenacious perseverance.
When the Red Second and Sixth Army Corps crossed the Yulong Snow Mountain, it was May, and the weather at the foot of the mountain was very hot. When climbing the mountain in the morning, the officers and men were sweating and their clothes were soaked. Climb halfway up the mountain at noon and enter the snow line. It's white, as cold as winter, and the chill is biting. The red army is still wearing sandals and shorts that it usually wears for marching, and its teeth are chattering with cold. Under the cover of snow, even a narrow path can't be found. In some places, the snow is knee-high, and the people in front step out of a "snow lane" and the people behind follow. In some places, the slope is steep and the road is slippery, so it is easy to get up when you fall. If you are not careful, you will fall into the deep valley with people and things.
The higher you climb the mountain, the steeper the snow and the thinner the air. All the officers and men have mountain reactions-difficulty breathing, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, backache and leg weakness, and the chest seems to be pinned down by a huge stone. Try your best at every step. People are too tired to sit down and have a rest. Once they sit down, they can never stand up again. People with poor physique can't climb the snow-capped mountains on their own. The leaders of the corps and divisions gave their horses to the sick, and even rode one at once, and another dragged a ponytail. He Long, Xiao Ke, Wang Zhen and other leaders not only carried guns themselves, but also helped cooks carry the burden.
It is difficult for all units of the Red Army to find cloth to make cotton-padded clothes in the local area. Commanders mainly use wool and yak skin to make sweaters and leather clothes. Before the Red Second and Sixth Army Corps arrived in Ganzi, the leaders of the Fourth Army, considering the lack of warm things in this army, asked the whole army to start work and knit a sweater or sweater vest for each of the two brothers. When the three main forces of the Red Army joined forces, some troops wore cloth clothes and some wore messy leather clothes, but most of them still wore red five-star octagonal hats symbolizing the world revolution to show their loyalty to the revolution.