Baiyangdian Yanling Team-Founding Colonel Zhang Xiping recalled the story of fighting against the Japanese invaders during the Anti-Japanese War

Baiyangdian is located east of Baoding, Hebei Province, across Xiong County, Anxin County and Renqiu County. This beautiful freshwater lake covers an area of ??more than 600 square kilometers. It joins the Tang River and Zhulong River and flows into the Hai River through the Daqing River. It is the center of inland waterway shipping between Tianjin and Baoding. It is rich in white jade-like rice, plump fish and shrimp, fresh water chestnut root and the famous Anzhou reed mat. It is like a dazzling pearl embedded in the vast Jizhong Plain.

In 1938, the Japanese army extended its claws into Baiyangdian and set up strongholds in Zhaobeikou and Tongkou. From then on, the Japanese motorboats ran rampant, overturned the fishing boats on the lake, broke the lotus stems in the lake, and even the tame osprey was brutally attacked. The bloody "Three Lights" policy turned forty-six villages in Dianli and along the coast into ruins; more than 200 people were shot dead in Duancun alone. The fertile land of fish and rice has turned into a hell on earth.

However, the heroic people of Baiyangdian can never be conquered. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, they picked up the big stick (large native gun) used to hunt wild birds, drove a gun platoon (a small boat used to hunt waterfowl) and fishing boats, and formed a water guerrilla team - ——The third team of the Anxin County Brigade took advantage of the favorable terrain of the lake, river and port to fight on Baiyangdian. The soldiers sang their own songs, expressing their unyielding will:

Baiyangdian is our hometown, and we should defend our hometown.

As long as we are not slaves to the country, we can feel comfortable drinking Baiyangdian water.

The Japanese will never put down their guns until they are eliminated.

…

At that time, I was the propaganda committee member of the district committee, and I had been fighting with the team. When the team was first established, there were only more than 20 soldiers, a dozen large lifting poles and 20 small boats. However, we knew Baiyangdian well, had rich experience in life on the water, and had an undying hatred for the Japanese invaders. Therefore, in the first battle, we annihilated more than 20 Japanese soldiers who went from Xin'an to Zhaobeikou, and destroyed one steamboat. After the battle, when we returned to Zhainan Village, among the people waiting to welcome us, an old man pointed at the fleet and praised loudly: "Look, how powerful it is, just like a team of wild goose feathers! People are looking at it like a human being The twenty boats in the shape of a Chinese glyph also cheered together: "Yan Ling Team! "Yan Ling Team!" "Our Yan Ling Team!" Since then, the people of Baiyangdian have replaced our official designation with the name "Yan Ling Team". Soon, the superiors officially named the third team the Yanling Team.

The Yanling team gradually developed and grew stronger during the battle. The native gun was replaced with a 38-inch cover, and the crooked machine gun replaced the large lever. By the end of 1944, the team had grown to more than 180 people and owned more than 50 boats. The Yanling team is like a sharp knife inserted into the throat of the enemy's Jin and Baoshang water routes.

In 1941, the Japanese invaders "mopped up" and "cannibalized" our Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base areas more frequently and cruelly. The spearhead of "cannibalization" was first pointed at Jizhong, known as the "Eighth Route Army cotton grain depot". In March, the enemy chief Guiben stationed in Xin'an mobilized more than 130 steamboats from Tianjin and Baoding, and cooperated with infantry and cavalry to launch a joint water and land "sweeping" and "cannibalization" of our Baiyangdian.

The enemy's steamboats patrolled Baiyangdian like shuttles. Japanese invaders, puppet troops, traitors, and spies were like countless locusts, covering the villages of Baiyangdian. There was no place to stand on the shore, so we broke into pieces, used the reed pond as cover, and dealt with the enemy on the lake. At this time, things that can replace food have not grown in Baiyangdian, so we can only eat fish and shrimp. There is no oil, no salt, boiling fish and shrimp in plain water is so fishy that it makes people sick. As time goes by, many mermaids and shrimps just fell into their stomachs and immediately vomited them out. But we all know the meaning of perseverance, spit it out, rinse your mouth with some salt water, and eat again! Without cigarettes, people crushed dried lotus leaves and rolled them into cigarettes, and gave them a beautiful name, "Lotus Brand". Although life is so difficult, no one complains, and we still actively look for opportunities to attack the enemy.

The enemy's steamboats could not enter the reed ponds and could not navigate in shallow water, so we would drive our small boats from one reed pond to that reed pond, and from one river branch to another. Sometimes we would ambush the enemy's steamships by the reed ponds and attack the enemy. They were caught off guard; sometimes they used the cover of night to sneak into enemy strongholds, put up slogans and scatter leaflets, and launch surprise attacks on the enemy. The soldiers made this kind of life into a song:

"Sweep" in the east and turn in the west, but you can't squat in the reed ponds on the shore.

The boat is as fast as a shuttle, and the Japanese steamboat cannot catch up.

The Japanese were so anxious that we returned to our old place.

Seize the opportunity to ambush him and beat him unawares.

In this way, we lived on a small boat, spent sixty dewy and foggy nights, survived sixty hungry days, and never left Baiyangdian.

Two months have passed, and the green reeds on Baiyangdian Lake can be seen as far as the eye can see. At this time, Japanese soldiers had built thirty-eight artillery towers around Baiyangdian; puppet regimes were established in every village. They believed that Baiyangdian had been "secured", so they hastily ended the "spring sweep". The enemy's chartered ships traveling between Xin'an and Zhaobeikou also became more frequent.

In the early morning of July 1, scouts Zhao Bo and Tian Zhenjiang reported: More than 20 Japanese soldiers and 30 puppet troops took two steamboats from Xin'an to Zhaobeikou to make contact, and returned in the afternoon. . The team leader, Comrade Zheng Shaochen, said to me excitedly: "Lao Zhang, let's lay an ambush to commemorate the party's birthday and let the Japanese devils know that our Yanling team is still here, so don't be too arrogant." We decided to go to Weitang in Dazhangzhuang Ambush the enemy. In order to severely punish the fierce flames of the Japanese invading army, the large lifting pole that had not been used for a long time was also moved out. The comrades were so happy that they were going to attack the Japanese steamboats. The soldier's cart jabbed the bullets under the soles of his shoes. The captain asked him what he was doing, and he gritted his teeth and said: "To make the Japanese soldiers' heads bloom!"

It was the dry season at this time, and many reed ponds had dried up. We filled twenty pairs of large lifting poles with sulfuric acid and iron sand the size of soybeans, and set them up on the edge of the reed pond. The rifle squad and the pistol squad were arranged on both sides. It was stipulated that Captain Zheng hit the Japanese soldier at the helm as a signal, and the big stick opened fire at once. The rifle squad and the pistol squad took advantage of the enemy being stunned by the lift stick to attack the enemy's steamboat. The arrangement was ready, it was almost noon. Everyone picked a lotus leaf and put it on their head to protect themselves from the sun. If they didn't walk up to it, they would never realize that there was an ambush here. After finally waiting until the sun turned to the west, the faint sound of a motor came from the east. Everyone immediately became nervous. Some were lying on the bow of the boat, looking out from the gaps in the reeds; some were holding incense and squatting beside the big lifting pole. After a while, Tian Zhenjiang, dressed as a fisherman, sailed over in a small boat. He said with excitement and regret: "Captain, here we come! Unfortunately, there is only one, and the other one is far away." Captain Zheng and I studied it and agreed: as long as we move the steamboat in front closer, we can If you move quickly and bravely, you can catch him off guard, and it is entirely possible to get rid of him before the steamer behind him arrives. Finally, Captain Zheng said resolutely: "Fight! Fight resolutely! Come and extract his teeth!"

After a while, the enemy's steamboat cut through the calm water and rumbled towards us. Gradually, even the Japanese soldiers on the ship could see clearly. Captain Zheng was lying on the bow of the ship, his hull gun stretched out from the reeds, and he was aiming closely at the Japanese soldier who was holding the steering wheel. When the steamboat was only more than a hundred meters away from us, we only heard a "bang" sound, and the Japanese soldier who was holding the steering wheel fell down next to the steering wheel. Immediately afterwards, twenty pairs of giants lifted their poles and roared like the earth was shattering. The fire reflected the lake water red, and shotguns poured into the enemy ships like a rainstorm. The steamboat without its helmsman spun like a whipping top. At this time, the rifle squad and the pistol squad also opened fire on the enemy ship with volleys of fire. The steamer was immediately beaten like a honeycomb, and the machine stopped screaming. Several uninjured enemies jumped into the water and tried to escape by swimming. Captain Zheng yelled, "Ammonia rush," and dozens of small boats rushed out of the reed pond like arrows from a bow, shooting directly at the steamboat of the Japanese invading army. The soldiers approached the enemy ship and threw a row of grenades, and the enemy ship was immediately enveloped in fireworks. . Then, everyone took the boat to chase the Japanese soldiers who were trying to escape.

The puppet soldiers woke up from their dreams. Some raised their hands while still lying down, and some raised their hands and murmured in sleep: "I won't move! I won't move!" Hu Fengcai, the squadron leader of the puppet army, was still lying in his sleep. Thinking that the puppet soldiers were talking in their sleep, he got up and cursed: "Cowards, you all scared the Yan Ling Team out of fear..." But when he saw clearly that it was the Yan Ling Team members who were standing in front of him, he also He quickly raised his hands tremblingly and said, "I won't move, I'll hand over my gun!"

At the end of the battle, more than fifty 38-guns, a pistol, and more than twenty boxes of grenades were seized. Finally, we deliberately asked Hu Fengcai to check the number of people. He checked for a long time and said: "Only the cook, Lao Zhu, escaped, and there were quite a few others." Little did he know that Lao Zhu had long been our insider connection, and this annihilation battle without a single shot was fired was arranged with his help . Now, he has been ordered to "escape" and "report" to the Japanese devils.

Our Yanling team became stronger as we fought. The enemy's chartered ships traveling between Tianjin and Bao were afraid of being intercepted by us, so they had to form groups and send river defense brigade to escort them. In order to cut off the enemy's water transportation line, the district committee decided to choose a favorable opportunity to eliminate the river defense brigade. For this reason, the army sent Tian Zhenjiang and Zhao Bo to lead a reconnaissance team to appear near the enemy's stronghold all day long.

The day has finally arrived.

On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Zhao Bo came back from Zhaobeikou and reported: The enemy has chartered 110 ships, fully loaded with reed mats, duck eggs, wheat and other military supplies, and will set off from Zhaobeikou to Baoding tomorrow morning. The river defense brigade responsible for the escort consisted of 15 Japanese soldiers and 110 puppet troops, carrying one heavy machine gun and two light machine guns. This was really a rare opportunity. We decided to ambush in the reed pond in the west of Zhaozhuangzi Village and the east of Wangjiazhai Village, annihilate the river defense brigade, and intercept the chartered ship.

In the dead of night, the round and bright moon hangs like a silver plate on the blue sky. Wherever the pole rose, it tore through the brocade-like water surface, causing ripples like fish scales. The boat was sailing quickly and entered the position at five o'clock. We hid the boats, wore lotus leaves on our heads, and quietly waited for the enemy to come.

Before the morning mist had cleared, the sound of creaking oars could be heard in the distance. Looking up, a line of tall masts was exposed on the reed tips. Then, Zhang Liang drove the duckbill boat and drove the osprey into the reed pond. He went to reconnoiter the enemy's situation. The results of the reconnaissance were completely consistent with Zhao Bo's report. As he spoke, the enemy's fleet appeared in front of him: in front were more than a hundred charter ships, and Japanese soldiers and puppet troops were sitting on the last three ships. They were more than 100 meters away from the chartered ship, unsuspecting, and eating breakfast while fighting for each other. There was only one lookout sitting on the horizontal plank at the tip of the mast, looking furtively through a telescope. Captain Zheng immediately ordered everyone to take cover, let go of the chartered ship, and concentrate on attacking the river defense brigade.

The water in the lake made a splashing sound, and one charter boat after another passed in front of us. In a short while, more than a hundred of them turned across the reed pond. When the Japanese saw the consignment ship turning a corner, they shouted and hurriedly caught up. As soon as the first boat approached us, Captain Zheng fired a "pop" shot, and the Japanese soldiers watching immediately fell to the ground. At the same time, all our firearms fired at three enemy ships. A large number of the enemies who were eating fell to the left and right in an instant. Captain Zheng shouted "Assault team, follow me", and dozens of small boats rushed towards the enemy ship. Soldier Shi Laogang climbed onto the first boat and saw the enemy's machine gunner setting up his machine gun. He fired a shot, killed the Japanese soldier and grabbed the machine gun. Captain Zheng had just climbed onto the enemy ship when two Japanese soldiers rushed towards him at the same time. He knocked one down with one shot, and the other actually hugged him from behind. The two of them twisted around and rolled into the water. Captain Zheng is famous for his water qualities. He pressed the Japanese soldiers into the water and filled them with energy. At this time, Zhao Bo also led the rifle squad to rush onto the enemy ship. In just a few minutes, the enemy on the first ship was All were resolved.

Di Zhike directed the whole class to rush to the second boat. As soon as we rushed out not far away, the enemy's heavy machine gun fired up, and the intensive firepower caused water to splash everywhere, blocking our way forward. When Di Zhike, Zhang Liang and Xiao Che saw that the boat was blocked, they plunged into the water and swam to the side of the enemy ship as a duck chasing fish. Di Zhike grabbed the gang of the boat and climbed up half of his body when he was shot and died.

When Zhang Liang saw it, he grabbed the side of the boat with one hand, pulled out a grenade, bit open the cover with his teeth, hooked the string with the tip of his tongue, and aimed it at the enemy's heavy machine gun and threw it hard. The enemy's machine guns were immediately silenced. Zhao Da shouted: "Comrades, charge! Avenge the squad leader! He was the first to board the enemy ship and killed several stubborn enemies in a row. When the puppet soldiers saw us boarding the ship, they were so frightened that a big man raised his hands first He got out of the cabin and said: "We hand over our guns, we hand over our guns!" A large group of puppet soldiers followed him. It was later discovered that the big man who took the lead in handing over guns was Qin Fengxiang, the captain of the River Defense Brigade.

A light machine gun on the third boat was still barking like a vicious dog. We tried several times but failed to rush up to it. Captain Zheng jumped onto the second boat and ordered the assault team to prepare for the attack while lying on the mat. on, calmly aiming at the machine gun shooter, only to hear "Bah!" Ba! Ba!" Three shots were fired in a row, and the machine gun and the machine gun shooter rolled over at the same time. The assault team took advantage of the opportunity to climb onto the enemy ship and started fighting with the Japanese. Shi Laogang and a short and fat Japanese soldier were in an inseparable struggle. , Zhao Bo yelled, “Lao Gang, don’t move! As soon as the words were spoken, a gunshot rang out, and the Japanese soldier stretched out his arms and legs to kill him. The four Japanese soldiers and many puppet soldiers crowded in the cabin also raised their hands and surrendered in front of our sharp bayonets.

The battle ends victoriously. Captain Zheng sent out a fleet to stop the chartered ship while checking the results of the battle. One heavy machine gun, two light machine guns, more than 110 rifles and ten pistols were seized. However, the fifteen Japanese soldiers killed ten and captured four alive, leaving one to count. The soldiers searched from this cabin to that cabin, but there was still no trace. Finally, Zhang Daqing found a bulging sack next to the stove of the third boat. He kicked it and the sack began to tremble. He grabbed the sack and lifted it hard, and a Japanese soldier rolled out of the sack, holding a pistol in his hand. Zhang Daqing reached out and grabbed his gun. After a closer look, he turned out to be the brutal executioner Kasaburo.

The sun is rising. The golden sunshine shines on the vast expanse of reed ponds and the smiling faces of the soldiers. We escorted more than a hundred chartered ships, arranged in a neat formation, and returned in triumph.

Brief introduction of Comrade Zhang Xiping:

Born in Shenze County, Hebei Province in 1909, he joined the army in November 1937. Joined the Communist Party of China in February 1938. During the Anti-Japanese War, he served as officer of the Jizhong People's Self-Defense Army and chief of the Propaganda Section of the Political Department of the Second Military Division. During the War of Liberation, he served as director of the Propaganda Department of the Political Department of the First Column of the Jizhong Military Region. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he served as political commissar of the 36th Army Cavalry Brigade, director of the Propaganda Department of the 23rd Corps Political Department, political commissar of the Russian Technical School of the Military Commission, and director of the Direct Work Department of the Political Department of the General Logistics Department. In October 1962, he was appointed deputy political commissar (deputy secretary) of the Fourth Military Medical University. From May 1960 to June 1981, he served as a military consultant. Retired in 1981 to recuperate. In 1955, he was awarded the rank of senior colonel.