Li Yanping, the hero of the Anti-Japanese War, was nicknamed "Ma Biao" and led the heroic commander of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Alliance in the Western Expedition.

Li Yanping was born in Yanji County, Jilin Province during the Anti-Japanese War. Commander of the Fourth Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Forces. In September 2014, he was awarded the honorary title of Anti-Japanese Hero by the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Introduction to Martyr Li Yanping

Martyr Li Yanping was born on March 9, 1903, in a poor peasant family in the suburbs of Yanji County, Jilin Province. When I was a child, I went to a private school in the village, but I dropped out because my family was poor. At the age of 13, he went to work as an apprentice in a local leather shop. Later, with the support of relatives and friends, I went to Harbin to learn to drive. After I finished my studies, I couldn't find a job, so I returned to my hometown and became a farmer.

After the "September 18th Incident" broke out in 1931, he witnessed various atrocities committed by the Japanese army and his heart was filled with hatred for the invaders. In January 1932, he followed his younger brother Li to Ning'an County, Heilongjiang Province, and joined the Anti-Japanese Salvation Army as a military staff officer. In mid-March, he participated in the battle to ambush the Japanese Ueda detachment at the edge of Nanhutou. Because of his tenacity and resourceful fighting skills, he shouldered the important task of hunting down the defeated soldiers of the Ueda detachment. He led a small force to the only way for the Japanese army to pass, and used spring breeze and green grass to attack the Japanese invaders, beating the enemy to pieces. In June, he joined the Communist Party of China. In July, he was appointed leader of the Suining guerrilla detachment, and his activities covered the Dongning and Mishan areas. Soon, he led the guerrillas to outwit the Suining Company and seized more than 60 rifles and many military supplies. In February 1933, Li Yanping led the second detachment of the guerrillas to ambush a puppet army convoy and seized three vehicles and supplies, all of which were distributed to the local people. In the winter of the same year, Li Yanping was sent to study at the Eastern University of the Soviet Union.

Li Yanping, who returned from studying abroad in the winter of 1935, returned to the Northeast Anti-Japanese battlefield and took over as the fourth-generation commander of the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces. He persisted in the anti-Japanese struggle in Boli, Huachuan and Baoqing counties. He and former commander Li led their troops to attack the Japanese and puppet troops stationed at the No. 25 gold mine at the junction of Boli and Huachuan. They killed more than 70 enemy and puppet troops, seized more than 70 rifles, hundreds of war horses, and more than 10,000 bullets. made a successful attack and occupied the No. 25 gold mine. In June and July 1936, Li Yanping led his troops to successfully attack the Pretend Armor Research Institute in Baoqing District 7 and seized more than 60 rifles. In August, Li Yanping led his troops to work in Baoqing and Fujin areas. They carried out anti-Japanese propaganda through mass rallies, distributed leaflets, posted slogans, taught revolutionary songs and other activities, organized the masses to resist Japan, and recruited the so-called "national army" supported by the masses. At the same time, the Fourth Front Army actively sought the support of patriotic landowners and gentry, and received large amounts of food and money donated by them. After several months of hard work, the Fourth Front Army opened up a new anti-Japanese guerrilla zone in this area, combating the arrogance of the Japanese and puppet troops.

Under the leadership of Li Yanping, the Fourth Anti-Alliance Army developed rapidly. In January 1937, according to instructions from superiors, the troops were organized into four divisions and ten regiments, with more than 2,000 troops.

In August of the same year, Li Yanping became seriously ill in Quanzi Mountain, Liangshui, Baoqing County due to malnutrition due to long-term marching and fighting. Unexpectedly, he was discovered by the enemy and dozens of puppet troops infiltrated. Li Yanping calmly commanded the troops, arranged for transfer while fighting, and finally escaped from danger. In the same month, he led some officers and soldiers of the Fourth Army, the Fifth Army, and the Sixth Army to attack Liangshui Quanzi, annihilating more than 100 enemies, and seizing 3 light machine guns and more than 100 rifles.

In the spring of 1938, the Jidong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Second General Headquarters of the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces formulated a plan for the Western Expedition, linking the anti-Japanese allied forces in northern Manchuria and southern Manchuria. Li Yanping was the leader of the joint Western Expedition. main person in charge. On July 12, he led the Fourth and Fifth Army Corps

Li Yanping was born in March 1903 in a poor peasant family in the suburbs of Yanji County, Jilin Province. He entered a private school in his village at the age of 10 and dropped out of school in 1915 due to his poor family. In 1916, he worked as a child laborer in a nearby leather shop and made a living for 10 years. Later, he lost his job when the leather shop closed down. In 1928, he went to Harbin to learn driving, but returned home because he could not find a job.

After the September 18th Incident in 1931, Li Yanping devoted himself to the anti-Japanese war and national salvation. In January 1932, he joined the army with his younger brother Li. In December 1931, he was appointed to work in the army by the Yanji County Committee of the Communist Party of China.

On February 8, 1932, the former battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 63rd Regiment of the Northeast Army led his team to raise the flag in Xiaochengzi, Yanji County, and established the "China National Salvation Army" with Li as chief of staff. In the same month, Li organized a supplementary regiment of the Self-Defense Forces under the direct leadership of the Salvation Army headquarters and served as its leader. A secret party branch was established in the supplementary regiment, and Meng was appointed as party branch secretary. Li Yanping served as regimental adjutant and combat staff officer in the supplementary regiment.

The Second Regiment and the Third Battalion of the Salvation Army successively captured Dunhua, Emu, and Jiaohe counties in Jilin Province, dealing heavy blows to the enemy. On March 1, 1932, the Japanese army decided to send part of the Second Division to follow the Salvation Army to invade Ning'an, Heilongjiang. As a result, more than 600 soldiers from the Uedian detachment of the Japanese army headed north from Dunhua in two ways. On the morning of March 20, the main force of Shangtian detachment arrived at the wall of Nanhutou, Ning'an County. The auxiliary regiment organized an ambush at the crack of the wall and killed 100 Japanese soldiers. When the deputy regiment retreated from the gap, Li and Shi Zhongheng agreed to block the enemy in Songyi ditch. The next day, Li Yanping, a staff officer and battalion commander Cui Yongxian, a party member, and a troop ambush in Songyi Valley, which the enemy must pass through. On the 23rd, the main force of the Shangtian detachment entered Song Yigou as scheduled. Cui Yongxian was in Pinghe, and Li Yuan used the natural conditions of spring breeze and flammable vegetation to attack the enemy with fire. In an instant, black smoke filled the sky, and the Japanese were in chaos and beaten again. This is the famous "Songyigou Burning Battle". When Japan's Ueda Task Force joined Amano's force at Ning'an, it lost more than a third of its troops.

In May 1932, Li and Meng made a written work report to the Jidong Bureau of the Communist Party of China, praising other comrades for their active work and good performance. Under the training and education of the party organization, the supplementary regiment continued to improve political and ideological awareness, assisted Colonel Li in his arduous struggle, and fought bravely on the front line, which was highly praised by the party organization and soldiers. In June of this year, he honorably joined the Communist Party of China.

At the end of 1932, the Japanese army attacked the Salvation Army in three ways. That is: Mudanjiang to Harbin to Dongning along the Sui Dynasty; attack Bamiandong and Suiyang from the north; attack from Yanji to Dadianzi in Wangqing Suifenhe River. On December 28, Li led the 3rd Battalion, 500 men from the 1st and 2nd Regiments, and 500 men from the 17th Regiment to board the train from Ilia to Whetstone to prevent the enemy from invading from Mudanjiang.

Under the large-scale invasion by the Japanese army, the Salvation Army lost its position. Some people surrendered to the enemy and were unable to coordinate their actions. After Li's troops broke through Wuhulin, the regiment branch immediately reorganized according to the instructions of Sui'an Central County. On January 4, a meeting of all commanders and fighters was convened and it was announced that they would be reorganized into an anti-Japanese guerrilla force. Li was appointed captain, Meng was appointed political commissar, and Meng was appointed staff officer. There are more than 800 anti-Japanese guerrillas, divided into four regiments and one detachment. Li Yanping was appointed captain of the guerrilla detachment and led three detachments in combat.

In February 1933, Li Yanping led a guerrilla group to Dongning County. They actively publicized the policy of resisting Japan and saving the country among the masses, helped the masses solve their difficulties, and were quickly welcomed by the masses. One day, Li Yanping learned that an enemy transport truck passed through Wanzhanggou the next day. He immediately led the second group to choose favorable terrain for an ambush. Next d

In the winter of 1933, Li Yanping left Mishan and went to study at Moscow Oriental University. During his studies, he worked hard to learn Marxist-Leninist theory and military knowledge, achieved excellent results, and was praised by teachers and classmates. At the end of 1935, after Li Yanping returned to China, he worked in the Jidong Special Committee for a period of time. In late February 1936, Li Yanping served as acting commander and division commander of the Fourth Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Forces.

In April 1936, the Fourth Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Forces was renamed the Fourth Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Forces. On May 23, the fourth and third armies jointly attacked more than 400 Japanese and puppet "crusaders" stationed in Taoshan. Hao Guilin led the Fourth Armed Division to attack the enemy camp, while Li Yanping led the Fourth Front Army to ambush the enemy on their way to escape from Xiaoliu Station. In this battle, more than 20 Japanese and puppet troops were killed, with no casualties. On June 20, in order to open up a new guerrilla zone, Li Yanping led more than 200 people from the Army Department, the Guard Company, the Seventh Corps, and more than 150 people from the Fourth Division of the Third Corps to march eastward towards Baoqing. On July 15, the Eastern Expeditionary Army arrived in the Lianhuadingzi area of ??Baoqing County. On the one hand, Li Yanping led his team to attack the reactionary landlord forces and pseudo-police; on the other hand, he vigorously carried out mass anti-Japanese propaganda.

On August 5, the Anti-Allied Forces confiscated the troops in District 7, captured more than 20 commanders and squires in the district, and donated large amounts of food and money to the army. After that, Li Yanping led the Second and Third Divisions to carry out struggle activities in the Baoqing and Fujin areas and opened up new anti-Japanese guerrilla base areas. He sent commanders and fighters to Lijinweizi, Yangrongweizi and other places to carry out extensive publicity activities by distributing leaflets, posting slogans, holding mass meetings, and teaching anti-Japanese songs. It improved the anti-Japanese consciousness of the masses and achieved good results in opposing the enemy's "group tribalism" policy. At the same time, he spared no effort to protect the interests of the masses and crack down on pro-Japanese landlord armed forces, which was welcomed by the masses. On this basis, the Fourth Front Army established a secret camp and clothing factory in Dayegou. That winter, the military departments and guard companies of the Fourth Front Army conducted winter training in secret camps to improve the political, cultural and military qualities of the troops. Li Yanping personally taught political and military courses, as well as reconnaissance and surveying and mapping knowledge. More than 20 soldiers in the clothing factory made cotton-padded clothes for the troops day and night, ensuring the supply of winter clothes for the troops.

Under the leadership of Li Yanping, the combat effectiveness of the Fourth Front Army has been greatly improved. He wrote a poem called "We are the Anti-Japanese Guerrillas led by the Communist Party", which is full of victory:

We won the battles on every battlefield.

In order to drive the Japanese fascists out of the motherland,

the comrades continued to fight on the cold battlefield.

The snowflakes under your feet are getting thicker and thicker.

The ice surface formed by frost and snow is getting longer and longer.

The cold does not scare the heroes,

Thousands of sharpshooters brandished rifles.

My hands that were numb from the cold continued to shoot,

even though blood and brain matter were splattered all over my clothes.

Carry the anti-Japanese guerrilla war to the end,

The sparks of victory shine red.

In 1937, Li Yanping led some detachments of the First and Second Divisions and the Fifth and Sixth Army to carry out guerrilla activities in the Fujin and Baoqing areas, attracting the enemy's attention. After the July 7th Incident, the anti-Japanese armed struggle in Northeast China underwent tremendous changes. In order to expand the war of aggression against China and consolidate its strategic rear area in Northeast China, the Japanese aggressors took great pains to "conquer" in vain. Since the beginning of autumn, the enemy has successively mobilized the Japanese army, the puppet Xing'an army, and the puppet Jing'an army to attack Fujin and Baoqing where the Fourth Front Army was active. The situation has become increasingly serious. In September this year, Li Yanping was invited to attend the working meeting of the Standing Committee of the Jidong Provincial Committee held in Sidaohezi, Yilan. In order to strengthen the coordinated operations of the Jidong Anti-Alliance Forces and improve the combat effectiveness of the troops, the meeting decided to establish the Second Anti-Alliance Army Headquarters and reorganize the Fourth, Fifth, and Seventh Armies. On November 30, a joint meeting of the Standing Committee of the Jidong Provincial Committee and the Fourth Front Army Headquarters attended by Zhou Baozhong, Li Yanping, and Wang Guangyu was held at the Fourth Front Army secret camp in Dayegou, Baoqing, to discuss the implementation of the Fourth Front Army's reorganization plan, cadre allocation, and troop reorganization etc. questions. According to the spirit of the meeting, the Fourth Front Army was reduced to two divisions, with Li Yanping as commander, Wang Guangyu as deputy commander, and Huang Yuqing as director of the political department. In the process of reorganizing the army, Li Yanping on the one hand seriously dealt with the mutiny attempts of Li Pengfei, Wen Jingtang and others, and on the other hand sent a group of young people to the training team training class hosted by the commander-in-chief of the Second Route Army to enrich the company's political cadres. Through rectification, the political and ideological quality of officers and soldiers has been further improved, and the combat effectiveness of the troops has been enhanced. The troops took the initiative to attack the invading enemies many times.

In early 1938, the Japanese army mobilized more than 60,000 soldiers to "cruel" various anti-alliance forces active in the puppet Sanjiang Province. In order to break the enemy's encirclement, disintegrate the enemy's rear, and open up new areas, the General Headquarters of the Second Route Army decided to let the Fourth and Fifth Armies carry out the Western Expedition, and determined that the leader of the Western Expedition Army was Song Yifu, Secretary of the Jidong Provincial Party Committee. On May 27, the Fourth Front Army and the Second Division of the Fifth Front Army led by Li Yanping and Wang Guangyu set off from Fujin, entered Boli County seven days later, and then headed for Muling. Due to the enemy's tight vigilance and relentless pursuit, the Western Expeditionary Force decided to march into the Wuhe Forest in two ways. Li Eon, Wang Ping and Guangyu led the cavalry to attack Datun, Fulonggang, and Linkou, and seized more than 20 items of firearms, grain, horses and other supplies. They encountered enemies from time to time during their journey, and the troops suffered some losses. They arrived at Mudanjiang Lotus Pao on June 25.

At the end of June, the Western Expeditionary Forces of the Fourth and Fifth Army held a meeting of Fifth Army cadres in Mudanjiang and decided to march to Wuchang and Shulan. On July 2, the First and Second Divisions of the Fourth Front Army and the Western Expeditionary Army of the Second Division of the Fifth Front Army raided Sandaotang at night and seized a large amount of grain and 30 cattle. Then, the Western Expedition troops passed through four routes, three routes, and three hundred miles of uninhabited mountains and forests, and reached the northern end of the Weihe River. At dawn on July 12, the Western Expedition troops attacked Loushan Town. There is a puppet army unit, a Belarusian railway unit, and dozens of puppet policemen in the town. During the battle, six or seven people including the squadron leader of the puppet army and a batch of weapons and supplies were captured alive, without causing any casualties. The victory in Loushan Town inspired the masses, expanded the influence of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Forces, and also frightened the enemy.

After the Battle of Loushan Town, Song Yifu, Li Yanping, and Wang Guangyu led the Western Expedition troops to Wuchang. On July 25, the Western Expedition troops attacked tribal groups near Yuanbao Town, Heshu County and replenished some supplies. However, in this fierce battle, more than 40 commanders and fighters died heroically. On July 29, the Western Expedition troops attacked Nansha Town and failed. Due to accidental encounters during day and night marches, it became increasingly difficult to supply troops. The shortage of ammunition and the increase in casualties made the Western Expedition troops face various difficulties. In extremely difficult conditions, teams sometimes fall behind and run away. In particular, Song Yifu, the main leader of the Western Expeditionary Army, absconded with public funds, which had a very bad impact on the team. In August, the Western Expedition troops arrived in the Chonghe area of ??Wuchang County. In order to facilitate operations, the Fourth Front Army and the Fifth Front Army acted separately. At this time, the Fourth Front Army of the Western Expedition had less than a hundred troops. On August 15, Li Yanping and Wang Guangyu led a team to attack a tribe near Chonghe and obtained some supplies, but they were immediately pursued by the enemy. During the battle, 64 people including Ma Guochen were captured, the troops collapsed, and Qu Chengshan, commander of the First Division, surrendered to the enemy. After that, Li EonPing and Wang Guangyu led more than a dozen soldiers to continue their activities in the Wuchang and Heshu areas, looking for the tenth anti-alliance army.

On November 20, 1938, Li EonPing and Wang Guangyu led seven soldiers to camp in the Cona Grassland in the southwest of Heshu County. In the middle of the night, Peng Zigui, Feng Guozhen, and Miao Xichun stole Li Yanping's pistol, killed the commander Li Yanping, wounded the deputy commander Wang Guangyu, and then escaped and rebelled.

Peng Shilu, a veteran cadre of the Fourth Front Army, wrote in the chapter "Recalling the History of the Fourth Rebellion in Northeast China": "In the spring of 1938, according to the decision of the Commander-in-Chief of the Second Route Army, the Fourth Front Army left familiar areas and fought in Wuchang and Shu Lan opened up a new area. Li Yanping knew that the task was very arduous and the journey was full of dangers. However, with great joy and confidence, Li Yanping and Wang Guangyu led the main force of the Fourth Front Army on the journey. Despite heavy losses, they still set foot on the journey. They fought resolutely and bravely in spirit. In the end, they died heroically on the road to the Western Expedition and sacrificed everything for the liberation of the Chinese nation, which showed the pride of the Chinese Communists. This is especially worth remembering by us Northeasterners. ”