Who are the soldiers who flew to capture Luding Bridge?

A glorious mission On May 25, the first regiment of the 1st Red Division successfully crossed the Dadu River at Anshun Field. However, the current here is too fast to build a bridge, and there are only a few small boats at the ferry. It takes dozens of minutes to go back and forth. If tens of thousands of troops only rely on these few small boats to cross the river, it will take an unknown amount of time. At the same time, Chiang Kai-shek was ordering Sichuan warlord Yang Sen and other troops to block the Dadu River, and ordered Xue Yue and Zhou Hunyuan's troops to pursue them one after another. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Shi Dakai was finally eliminated by the Qing troops in Anshun Field. Chiang Kai-shek also dreamed of turning the Red Army into the second Shi Dakai. At that time, many patriotic and progressive people were also worried: Will the Red Army take the road of Shidakai? In order to quickly cross the Dadu River and smash the counterrevolutionary conspiracy of encirclement and attack, the Luding Bridge must be captured quickly. Our Fourth Red Guard Regiment of the Left Route Army quickly accepted the task of capturing Luding Bridge under this emergency situation. The 1st Red Division was the right route army. After crossing the Dadu River, it marched north along the east bank and supported the 4th Regiment of our 2nd Division to seize the Luding Bridge. On the early morning of the 27th, the first day of victory, our regiment set off from Anshun Field and ran along the west bank of the Dadu River towards Luding Bridge. The whole journey is three hundred and twenty miles, and the order stipulates three days to arrive. The road is a winding, ups and downs one-sided path. On the left is a cliff as high as a knife cutting into the sky. The mountainside is not melted all year round. The snow is dazzling with silver light and the cold air is biting; on the right is the Dadu River, which is several feet deep and has rough waves. If you are not careful, you may fall down. But everyone did not take this danger to heart. They only had one idea: to speed up and capture the Huding Bridge as soon as possible. After walking for more than thirty miles, the enemy troops on the other side of the river started shooting at us. In order to avoid unnecessary casualties, we had to take a detour to climb the mountain for more than ten miles. This took a lot of time. After walking about sixty miles, a big mountain rose up in front of us. The leading company suddenly encountered the enemy company. The brave men were like tigers seeing a flock of sheep. They defeated the enemy with just one charge. The mountain is more than ten miles high. Across the mountain is a small river. The bridge has been destroyed by the enemy. Although the river is not wide, it is very deep and cannot be crossed by just wading. The first battalion immediately organized troops to cut down trees and build bridges. Having won the battle, I became more energetic when running. We continued to climb the mountain in the face of sporadic gunfire. Suddenly, the scout rushed back and reported: In a large mountain field in front of me on the left, I found about a battalion of enemies guarding, blocking our way. Comrade Wang Kaixiang, the regiment leader, and I led the cadres to run forward to reconnoiter the terrain. There is only one path in the middle of the mountain, which is as steep as a ladder. If you look up, your hat will fall off. Blockhouses were built on the top of the mountain and on the pass. To the right is the river, with no way around it. It seems that there is no way to rush forward from the front or the right. On the left is also a vertical cliff with some small trees and thorns growing sparsely on the cliff. The cliff tops connect to higher peaks. After careful reconnaissance, it was concluded that by climbing up the cliff on the left, we could reach the enemy's side and seize the pass from behind. We immediately ordered the third battalion commander Zeng Qinglin and the general branch secretary Comrade Luo Huasheng to lead a company to resolutely climb up from the left, and organize the other two companies to feint from the front. The enemy fired machine guns frantically and blocked the intersection. In less than an hour, gunfire came from behind the enemy. We took advantage of the situation and launched a fierce attack from the front, attacking back and forth, and the enemy was quickly defeated. A fierce pursuit ensued, and three enemy companies were completely 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 originally wanted to hold on and block our progress, but after we launched a fierce pursuit, our progress accelerated. Two hundred and forty miles in one day. On the second day, we ate one hour earlier than the time stipulated in the original order and set off at five o'clock. After walking only a few miles, the Military Commission came again and ordered us to capture the Luding Bridge on the 29th. "The 29th!" The 29th is tomorrow! There are still two hundred and forty miles from here to Luding Bridge, which means we have to complete the two-day journey in one day. No one expected that the mission would become so urgent. Two hundred and forty miles away was a big problem! The road must be walked by people, not even a single step is missing! And it also has to break through the enemy's heavy blockade. However, this is a major task that affects the entire army and must be carried out resolutely without allowing a minute or a second of hesitation. Luding Bridge was originally defended by two enemy regiments, but now two more brigades are moving towards Luding Bridge for reinforcements. They used one force to stop the advance of our 1st Red Division, and most of them went north along the east bank of the river, advancing with us across the river. If we reach Luding Bridge earlier than the enemy, there is hope for victory. Otherwise, it will be difficult or even impossible to pass Luding Bridge. We have to compete with the enemy for time! Have to race against the enemy! While marching, we convened battalion, company cadres, headquarters, and political department cadres to jointly study how to complete this urgent task.

The mobilization slogan we proposed is: "The Fourth Red Regiment has a glorious fighting history, resolutely complete this glorious mission, and maintain the glorious tradition!" "Learn from the First Red Regiment that captured Anshun Field, compete with the First Red Regiment, and resolutely capture Lu "Dingqiao!" "The task is glorious and very arduous. We must stand the test!" The troops are required to arrive at Luding Bridge before six o'clock tomorrow. After the meeting, everyone went to the company separately for mobilization. Comrade Luo Huasheng, the general branch secretary, and I flew to the front of the marching team, stood on a small mound, and carried out political agitation to the urgent marching team. The team rolled towards us like a gust of wind, and blew past us like a gust of wind. But I can see every face and every pair of eyes very clearly. Among the passing teams, slogans of "Resolutely complete the task and capture the Luding Bridge" were heard one after another. The sound overwhelmed the roar of the Dadu River and shook the mountains. The team moved faster. In the marching column, suddenly a group of people gathered together: this group of people had just dispersed, and then more people appeared. They were talking excitedly as they ran. This is the party branch committee and party group of the company marching and having a meeting at the same time! Time forced us to stop and have a meeting, and we had to discuss how to complete the party's tasks while on the march. The mobilization work for the emergency mission has just been completed, and the troops are approaching Menghu Post. Menghu Gang is a treacherous mountain with a height of 30 to 40 miles and a height of 30 to 40 miles. It is surrounded by the Dadu River on the right and higher peaks on the left. There is only a small trail in the middle. This is the throat from Ansunchang to Huding Bridge. There is a battalion of enemies guarding the pass on the top of the mountain. At this time, it was foggy and misty, and nothing could be seen beyond five steps. The enemy couldn't see clearly where we were, and they just panicked and blindly fired guns in the direction of our progress in the fortifications. We used the cover of the heavy fog to organize the troops to go up the mountain and ordered them not to fire a single shot. After approaching the enemy, we used bayonets and grenades to kill the enemy. Not long after, only "bang, bang..." a series of grenade explosions were heard, followed by the sound of killing. The frightened enemy had no choice but to flee backwards. Our leading battalion immediately pursued the defeated enemy until it approached the village of Moses Mian, where we encountered an enemy battalion and a regiment headquarters stationed in the village. Under the impact of my victorious spearhead, the enemy was defeated again, and we occupied the village of Moses Mian. The hateful enemy destroyed the bridge over the river east of the village again, which added new difficulties to our operations. It took two hours to erect the bridge. We continued forward and ran another forty or fifty miles in one breath. By the time we arrived at a village with about ten households on the banks of the Dadu River, it was already seven o'clock in the evening. It is still one hundred and ten miles from here to Luding Bridge. Difficulties came one after another. The sky was out of control, and suddenly there was heavy rain, lightning and thunder, and it was so dark that I couldn't see my fingers. The troops had not had anything to eat all day and were so hungry that it was difficult to support them. The roads were muddy, making it even harder to walk fast, and the animals and luggage couldn't keep up. When we descended from Menghu Gang, we clearly saw that the enemy on the other side was still advancing side by side with us. The more serious the difficulties are, the greater the need to strengthen political work. We explained to the party branch and all Communist Party members, Communist Youth League members and activists all the difficulties before us, and also explained that we must strive to reach Luding Bridge before six o'clock tomorrow. Everyone was called upon to prepare a crutch, and those who could not walk would use the crutch to walk. It was too late to cook, so everyone was asked to chew uncooked rice and drink cold water to satisfy their hunger. This call was like a fire that ignited the troops' fierce fighting mood. It seems that even if there is a mountain of swords ahead, they can get through it. However, how could we complete this muddy and slippery one hundred and ten miles in the dark night when we couldn't see the hand of our hand? This question weighs on my heart like a heavy stone. Suddenly, a few lights appeared on the mountain col on the other side, and in an instant they turned into a long string of torches. It is the enemy who is lighting torches and rushing on his way. The enemy's torch gives us inspiration. "Let's also light the torches and leave." This thought flashed through my mind, and I planned to immediately discuss it with the regimental commander, chief of staff, and branch secretary, but then I changed my mind, "There is only a river between us. If the enemy contacts us, It has been exposed that we are the Red Army. What should we do if we join forces? ""Be bold in all circumstances." We decided to use the numbers of the three enemy battalions that were wiped out and defeated today and yesterday to disguise ourselves and deceive the enemy. Immediately ordered the troops to buy all the fences of the villagers' homes, tie a torch to each person, and light one in each shift. No waste was allowed, and they strived to cover more than ten miles per hour. They also arranged for the buglers to familiarize themselves with the captured enemy contact signals and prepare for them. "Contact" with the enemy when necessary; the enemy's troops are all from Sichuan, and we also selected comrades from Sichuan and newly captured prisoners to prepare to answer the enemy's questions.

In order to speed up the march, all livestock, luggage, and heavy weapons, including the regimental commander and my horse, were left behind. He Jingzhi, the director of the management department, and Deng Guanghan, the adjutant, led a platoon to cover and follow up. At that time, the wound on my leg had not fully healed, and it was somewhat inconvenient to walk. My comrades, especially the regimental leader, advised me to ride on horseback. This is the time when cadres need to play an exemplary role. How can we ride horses again? I said to everyone in a challenging tone: "Comrades, let's walk together! Let's see how fast we walk! Who can reach Luding Bridge first!" The troops marched forward happily, holding torches high. The torches of the enemy and ourselves on both sides of the strait reflected each other. From a distance, they looked like two flying fire dragons reflecting the water of the Dadu River red. Through the waves of the Dadu River, crisp bugles and faint shouts came from the other side. "What kind of troops are they!" The enemy is contacting us. According to the enemy's communication signal, our bugler blew a loud bugle; the Sichuan comrades and prisoners also raised their voices and responded loudly. The stupid pig-like enemies never expected that walking struttingly alongside them was the heroic Red Army they dreamed of destroying day and night. They walked with us in a daze for twenty or thirty miles. Later, it rained harder, and at twelve o'clock in the night, the fire dragon on the other side disappeared. They probably couldn't leave because they were afraid of the pain. This situation immediately spread throughout the group, and comrades were talking about it: seize this good opportunity! Go quickly, go quickly! One after another, they hurried forward desperately. Heavy rain hit the soldiers, and flash floods poured down the Dadu River from the top of the mountain. The winding trail, which was already difficult to walk, was now washed by the rain as if it had been poured with a layer of oil, making it extremely slippery. The crutches didn't work anymore, and I fell head over heels if I wasn't careful. It could be said that I fell every three steps, or every five steps, and the team was literally rolling forward. Even under such circumstances, people were still being beaten to sleep. Some people stopped while walking, and those behind pushed them: "Let's go! The one in front has gone too far!" Then they suddenly woke up and quickly followed them. Later, everyone simply took off their leggings, picked them up one by one, and pulled them back and forth. After a whole night of rapid marching, we successfully arrived at Luding Bridge at around six o'clock the next morning and occupied the west bank and west bridge head. On this day, in addition to fighting and building bridges, I traveled a total of 240 miles. It was really fast! We wanted a bridge, not a gun. We occupied several buildings and a Catholic church west of the bridge. The soldiers were busy preparing for battle. Commander Wang and I led the battalion and company cadres to inspect the terrain. Luding Bridge is really a dangerous place. Even those of us who build roads over mountains, build bridges across rivers, and overcome obstacles at every turn can’t help but take a breath of cold air. Looking down, the brown-red water pours down from the upper reaches of the gorge like a waterfall, hitting the jagged rocks at the bottom of the river, splashing white waves more than ten feet high, and the sound of the running water is deafening. In such a river, even a small fish cannot stay for a while. It is completely impossible to wade on foot or cross it by boat. Look at the bridge again. It is neither a stone bridge nor a wooden bridge, but an iron cable bridge. Thirteen long iron ropes connected with thick iron rings were pulled from the east bank to the west bank. Each rope was as thick as an ordinary rice bowl. There are two poles on each side to form the bridge railings, and nine poles are arranged side by side at the bottom to serve as the bridge deck. Originally, there were wooden planks laying across the bridge. Now, the planks have been moved to the city by the enemy. Only the hanging iron ropes remained. Two lines of poetry are engraved on a stone tablet at the head of the bridge: "Beside the Luding Bridge, there are thousands of mountains, and the peaks reach into the clouds thousands of miles long." At the east end of the Luding Bridge is the city of Luding. Half of the city is on the east mountain and half is close to the bank of the Dadu River. The city wall is more than two feet high. The west city gate is blocking the bridge. To cross the bridge, you must pass through the city gate. There is no other way. Two regiments of enemies were stationed in the city, and tight fortifications were built on the hillside. Machine guns were concentrated near the bridgehead, constantly firing at us, and mortar shells were flying over us in a continuous stream. With such natural danger, the enemy shouted to us crazily: "Fly over here! We are handing over our guns!" Our soldiers replied loudly: "I don't want your guns, just your bridges." After looking at the terrain, We immediately organized a battalion's firepower to block the enemy's reinforcement road on the east bank of the river. Because the east bank, like the west bank, has only one path along the mountains and rivers, and the enemy can only reach Luding Bridge through that path. Holding tight, we divided into companies to carry out battle mobilization to seize the bridge. The troops set off a craze to become the commando team to seize the bridge. Each company sent a list of commandos requesting approval for assault missions. At noon, we held a meeting of all regiment cadres in the Catholic Church to study and approve the commando team. Just as the meeting began, a row of mortar shells came from the other side, blasting a large hole in the roof of the Catholic Church, sending shrapnel and tiles raining down. Everyone remained motionless. I took the opportunity to agitate: "The enemy has come to mobilize us, we must fight across the bridge immediately.

Now let's talk about which company to assign to the assault. "As soon as I finished speaking, the usually quiet Second Company Commander Liao Dazhu stood up. His short but strong body was shaking a little with excitement, and his dark face suddenly turned red to the roots of his ears. He said with difficulty: "Cross Wujiang Li in a row. We have achieved success and become a model company for crossing the Wu River. We must learn from the first company and strive to be the heroic company that captured the Huding Bridge. "The task of seizing the bridge must be given to our third company." Wang Youcai, the impatient commander of the third company, stood up before Liao Dazhu finished speaking. He stood there like a small iron tower, and his mouth sounded like a machine gun: "When did our third company win?" We have never been behind in the battle, and we are sure to take down the bridge this time. Finally, he added: "If we are not asked to be commandos, I, the company commander, cannot explain to the soldiers." "What followed was a heated debate. It seemed that no one was willing to give up this task to others, and our leaders needed to appoint it. After discussion with the regiment leader, Captain Wang handed over the task of seizing the bridge to the cadres and said The second consecutive commando team was designated. Then I stood up and added: "There are many battles to be fought. Let's take turns. The first company took the lead last time when we took over Wujiang. This time it is the turn of the second company, led by the twenty-two soldiers of the second company. Party members and activists form a commando team, and Comrade Liao Dazhu is appointed as the commando leader. I think it’s good. Do you have any opinions?” There was a burst of applause at the venue, and Liao Dazhu jumped up happily. Only Wang Youcai lowered his head and muttered. What are you talking about? "The task of the third company is not light," I pointed at Wang Youcai and said: "Your company serves as the second echelon and rushes with the commando team. It also has the task of paving the bridge to allow the follow-up troops to quickly rush into the city. Look. Do you have any other comments? "At this time, Wang Youcai smiled. Finally, we ordered each company to let the troops have enough food to fight. After the meeting, Luo Huasheng, secretary of the general branch, went to the second company in person to help with the preparations for the assault. The general offensive started at four o'clock in the afternoon. Regiment Commander I directed the battle at the bridgehead. The trumpeters of the whole regiment gathered together and blew the charge horn; all weapons fired at the enemy on the other side. The sound of bugles, gunfire, and shouts of death shook the valley. With submachine guns or short guns, sabers on their backs, and twelve hand grenades on their waists, under the leadership of company commander Liao Dazhu, they climbed onto the bridge railings and rushed to the other side on the iron ropes, braving the dense bullets. Following them was the third company commander. The third company led by Wang Youcai. In addition to the weapons they carried, each of them carried a wooden plank and charged while laying the bridge. When the commando team rushed to the opposite bridge, the enemy suddenly burst into flames at the west gate and tried to block us with fire. On the bridge, use firepower to destroy us. The fire lit up half of the sky, and the bridge was surrounded by raging fire. This was the critical moment. The twenty-two heroes seemed to be stunned when they saw the fire filling the sky. Together with the people around the regiment leader, they shouted loudly: "Comrades! This is the key to victory! Rush in! Not afraid of fire! Don't hesitate! Go! The enemy collapsed. "This shout gave the heroes courage, determination and strength. Amidst the loud charging horn, they rushed towards the fire quickly. The hat of Liao Dazhu, who was rushing in front, caught fire, and he threw away his hat. Headless, they continued to rush forward, and the other commandos followed Captain Liao and rushed into the street through the flames. The street fighting started at the street entrance. The enemy concentrated all their strength to counterattack, and the bullets and grenades of the twenty-two heroes were all fired. It was all gone, the situation was extremely urgent, and it seemed that we could no longer support it. At this critical moment, company commander Wang Youcai rushed in with the third company, and then the regiment commander and I quickly crossed the bridge and entered the city with the follow-up troops. In the fierce battle, most of the enemies of the two regiments were wiped out, and the remaining ones fled in panic. At dusk, I occupied the whole city of Shanghai and firmly controlled the Luding Bridge. The top priority at the moment was to prevent the enemy from counterattacking and ensure the safety of the Luding Bridge. Safety. We immediately sent the legion training battalion under the command of our regiment to guard the direction of Dajianlu, because there were still several enemy regiments there. In order to deal with the two enemy brigades that were reinforcing the Luding Bridge, we sent a battalion south along the river. Development. At ten o'clock in the evening, the vanguard platoon started. At that time, we estimated that the enemy's reinforcements arrived and prepared for another hard battle. Some troops of the battalion occupied the position and organized a charge. They encountered a wounded soldier and asked. But it was our comrades from the Third Regiment of the First Red Division who knew that the First Division had arrived. They were immediately relieved from the tension of preparing for a desperate battle with the enemy. It turned out that the enemy's two brigades were overtaken by our First Red Division in the south of the city. There was a battle in the Zhulinping area in Liushili. Later, the enemy was afraid that we would attack from two sides and ran in the direction of Hualinping in a panic. We immediately sent people to welcome Chief of General Staff Liu Bocheng and Political Commissar Nie Rongzhen who were advancing with the Red Division into Huding City. , everyone was very happy to meet. It was already two o'clock in the evening, and Chief of Staff Liu Bocheng was still very interested in asking me to take him and Political Commissar Nie to see Luding Bridge.

I held the lantern and accompanied them from the east to the west of the bridge. Chief of General Staff Liu Bocheng looked at every iron rope and even the iron ring very carefully, as if he wanted to imprint the entire Luding Bridge in his mind. When he turned back to the center of the bridge from the west of the bridge, he stopped, held on to the bridge railings, looked down at the rapids of the Dadu River, kicked three times on the bridge deck with great effort, and said with emotion: "Luding Bridge! Luding Bridge! We are doing this for you. How much effort and energy you have spent, now we are victorious! We are victorious!" From the captured enemy documents, there was an emergency notice sent by Liu Wenhui. This report said that our army was facing the second danger of Shi Dakai; it said that with the Dadu River in front and the Jinsha River in the back, the Japanese army could be eliminated in one fell swoop. This illusion of the enemy was quickly shattered. Although we are walking on the same old path as Shi Dakai, we will not fall into the same mistakes of history. Because we are the people's armed forces led by the Communist Party of China 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 up with the central organs. Thousands of troops crossed the naturally dangerous Dadu River on the heroic Luding Bridge.