The development of the guerrillas of the Bashan guerrillas

In October 1936, the guerrillas held a plenary meeting at the Jiaojia River Grottoes in Nanjiang County, criticizing the military mistakes of the guerrilla leader Liu Zicai, revoking his leadership position, and correcting his "Left" thinking. route. Formulated the struggle strategy of "attacking Shaanxi and Anchuan", abolished the county committee, changed the "independent division" into a guerrilla battalion, elected Zhao Mingen as the battalion commander, under the jurisdiction of an independent company and two teams (two squads), and the battalion headquarters moved to Nanjiang Taoyuan Temple.

At this meeting, the organization was improved, the troops were reorganized, the combat effectiveness was enhanced, and the united front work was strengthened. The guerrillas entered another period of development and growth. In order to survive, struggle and develop, a series of correct struggle strategies have been adopted.

Promote the party’s policies and expand revolutionary influence. The guerrillas sent people to Tongjiang, Nanjiang, Nanzheng, Guangyuan, Wangcang and other places to write and post revolutionary slogans, and asked small businessmen and vendors to take the slogans to markets and towns to distribute them. They wrote the slogans on wooden boards coated with raw lacquer. Put it into the river, float into the Han River and the Yangtze River, and spread widely.

Crack down on landlord bullies and protect the interests of farmers. Rely on the former Soviet cadres and masses in Taoyuan to eliminate the stubborn landlord bully forces and lift the economic exploitation and political oppression of farmers. We will fight against the rich and help the poor, and part of the money earned will be used for army construction, and part will be used to help poor farmers. There will be no grain collection or tax collection in the base areas.

Practice “paying taxes to protect business” and develop commercial trade. In accordance with the Sichuan-Shaanxi Province Soviet Tax Regulations and the operating policies of the Economic Commune, a tithe was levied on bulk commodities, tax exemptions were imposed on small merchants and hawkers, and the safety of transit merchants was protected with arms. In January 1937, a Lijin Bureau was established in Tieluba, Nanjiang, and began to collect taxes. .

Strengthen self-construction and make long-term preparations. At this time, the number of party members increased to 60, and 1 party branch and 5 party groups were established. A party group was established in the company, and Zhao Mingen was appointed as party branch secretary. Political education is often carried out. The motto of the guerrilla officers and soldiers is "Equal food, equal clothing, and equal orders." The army's organizational structure and logistics department have been improved. The troops are trained according to actual combat standards, and special "cold-resistant" training is carried out. During the frost-free period, In the high-cold mountainous area, which only lasts for half the year, there is no quilt all year round. A large amount of weapons and food (youmizi) were stored in stock, "you can still live without making a fire for three years."

Thanks to the correct measures taken, at the end of the summer solstice in 1937, the guerrillas entered a period of comprehensive recovery and development. The guerrillas called themselves the "Happy Period". The force grew from more than 50 people to more than 600 people, and the base area was created from scratch. A base area of ??about 100 miles in length and breadth was established centered on Daoyuanbao, Tieluluba, and Huilonggou (including the entire Taoyuan). The guerrilla area reached as far north as It stretches from the south of Hanzhong to the west of Tongjiang in the east, to the east of Guangyuan in the west, and to the north of Nanjiang in the south, with a length of about 300 kilometers. In June 1935, after the Fourth Red Army joined forces with the First Army in Ganzi, Mao Zedong asked Fu Zhong, director of the General Political Department of the Fourth Red Army, with concern: "How many Red Army units are left in the Soviet area?" Zhang Wentian wrote in "Developing Development" in September. The "Shaanxi-Gansu Soviet Movement Against the Enemy" proposed: "Cooperation, coordinated action and convergence with the Tongnanba guerrillas". Although many contacts were made later, due to the Kuomintang's refusal to recognize the legal status of the guerrillas and various complicated reasons, the guerrillas were unable to "go to Yan'an" according to the instructions of the central government.

In May 1937, the Party Central Committee sent He Xiaolin (former chairman of the Yingshan County Soviet, responsible for the work of family members accompanying the army during the Long March) to send letters, books, maps and 4 sets of Eighth Route Army uniform samples to the guerrillas from Yan'an , notified the guerrillas to go to Yan'an. Since Liu Zicai believed that this notice was inconsistent with the spirit of "staying in the Soviet area", he suggested that it would be easier if someone he knew from the army came. In September 1937, the second Kuomintang cooperation was realized. The Party Central Committee required the Kuomintang to recognize the legal status of the Bashan guerrillas, but the Kuomintang refused to recognize it. In October 1937, after the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China reorganized the Red Army guerrillas in 13 regions of 8 southern provinces into the New Fourth Army, it once again sent He Xiaolin back to Sichuan to introduce the domestic revolutionary situation to the guerrillas, the reorganization situation of the Red Army and the guerrillas in various provinces, and gave a thorough introduction to the guerrillas. Instructions were given on team work.

In February 1938, Wang Zhengkun (former commander of the 259th Regiment of the 33rd Army of the Fourth Red Army) was sent to Xingmakan, Nanjiang County, about 160 miles away from Taoyuan, under specific arrangements by the Hanzhong Working Committee of the Communist Party of China to do business. , whose pseudonym is Chen Ke, has established long-term contacts with the guerrillas.

In August 1938, Wang Zhengkun conveyed the request of the guerrillas to the Central Committee that the contact person should have photos or handwritten letters of Chen Changhao and Zhang Qinqiu. In the summer of 1939, the Central Committee instructed that the letters and photos should be handed over to the Central Committee of the Sichuan and Kangxi Special Committee. The committee designated Rao Maowen, secretary of the Langzhong Central County Party Committee, to personally handle the matter. For fear of misunderstanding, Zhou Enlai again asked Zhao Mingen's sister Zhao Mingzhen in Yan'an to take photos and write a personal letter. Wei Chunhuan, Zhao Mingen's classmate and a former Communist Party member who fought with him in a party branch in his hometown, provided information from the Central Organization Department. I wrote a long letter in my name and handed it to the Hanzhong Special Committee of the Communist Party of China through Cai Chang. Unfortunately, due to various reasons, it could not be sent to the guerrillas.

In the late spring of 1940, the Party Central Committee did not know that the guerrillas had failed, so it sent Yang Guilin to Nanjiang via the Eighth Route Army Office to contact him. Yang was arrested as soon as he arrived in Bazhong.

Bashan guerrilla commanders and fighters also missed the Party Central Committee all the time. They wrote to Liu Bocheng many times and sent people to Yan'an, but failed to get in touch with the Party Central Committee. In November 1938, Hu Zongnan appointed Yang Shaixuan, commander of the newly formed 9th Division of the 28th Army, as the "Commander of the Bashan Clearance Campaign". He used the strength of two regiments to conduct an "iron wall encirclement" against the guerrillas. In February 1939, the "clearance campaign" began. . The guerrillas took advantage of the severe cold climate and densely forested mountains to disperse their activities in company units, luring the enemy deep and spreading their forces, defeating them one by one, and achieving victory in the counter-"clearance campaign".

In the winter of 1939, the enemy's strength reached 4 regiments and more than 7,000 men. Yang Shaixuan appointed Li Ziyu, a Bazhong native who understood the topography and people of Tongnanba, as the "Director of Bashan Supervision and Suppression" to launch another encirclement and suppression campaign. The enemy adopted the vicious strategy of "empty mountains" and forced all the people in the mountains to evacuate. As many as 62 households of "mountain people" were driven away from their homes. Massively killing people who had contact with the guerrillas, cutting off the contact between the guerrillas and the people, and cutting off the guerrillas' food and sources of information. Then "build fortifications and store grain", step by step, gradually reduce the encirclement. At the same time, "political persuasion" was conducted to shake the morale of the guerrillas. Because the guerrillas have relatively rich material reserves, they use familiar terrain to deal with the enemy, constantly attack the enemy, attack sentries and logistics squads at night, destroy the enemy's logistics supplies, and cause the enemy's "empty mountain" encirclement and suppression to fail.

However, under the severe white terror, traitors appeared internally, which caused great harm to the guerrillas. The situation was very critical. The guerrillas decided to concentrate their forces, fight on the outside, and break out towards Shaanxi.

On the one hand, the guerrillas persist in arduous guerrilla fighting; on the other hand, they do a good job in the political and ideological work of cadres and soldiers and strengthen their beliefs. Battalion Commander Zhao Mingen often encourages everyone: As long as there is the leadership of the party, the support of the working people, and the unity and fighting will of the comrades, victory will definitely belong to us. The people risked their lives to support them, sending food and intelligence. The guerrillas still fought tenaciously against the enemy under extremely difficult conditions. Continue to break through to southern Shaanxi. During the breakout, the guerrillas seized the enemy's slack and successfully attacked the enemy's headquarters at the cost of sacrificing only one person, which dampened the enemy's arrogance and boosted the guerrillas' fighting spirit.

On January 27, 1940, due to the rebellion of deputy battalion commander Guan Yeyuan, the situation of the guerrillas became even more critical. The main force of the guerrillas was divided and dispersed by the enemy, with only about 50 people in total. On February 9, 1940 (the first day of the first lunar month), the guerrillas moved to Tongjiang and entered Beiba Houhe River (now Nanzheng). On the 15th, they were ambushed by enemies several times larger than themselves, with only 20 people left. In March, the battle moved to Beiba Mountain and was attacked by the enemy again. Most of them died heroically. Zhao Mingen was killed by the traitor Yang Zhifang.

Although the Bashan guerrillas that persisted for five years suffered a tragic defeat, their glorious combat achievements will always remain in the hearts of the people. The heroic souls of the martyrs, like the towering Daba Mountain, shine with the sun and the moon, and are with the heaven and the earth.