Where is Baizhang Pass?

Baizhang Pass is located in Mingshan District, Mingshan County, Sichuan Province, under the jurisdiction of Ya'an City, Sichuan Province, and on the southwest edge of the Chengdu Plain. Geographical location: 29° 58′~ 30° 16′ north latitude, 103° 02′~ 103° 23′ east longitude, covering an area of ??614.27 square kilometers, with a registered population of 278,700 and a permanent population of 269,000. It governs 9 towns and 11 townships. It is 90 kilometers away from Chengdu in the east and 13 kilometers away from Ya'an in the west).

Baizhangguan is a town under the jurisdiction of Mingshan District, Ya'an City, Sichuan Province. Baizhang Pass is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with the flat Chengdu Plain to the east and the mountainous transition zone in western Sichuan. It is the only place to pass from Ya'an to Chengdu. Surrounded by undulating mountains and ravines, its strategic position is very important. Since ancient times, there has been a saying that "whoever wins Baigang will definitely win Chengdu".

Eighty-four years ago, the Fourth Front Army of the Red Army and the Sichuan Army of the Kuomintang fought a decisive battle at Baizhang Pass. The scale of the battle, the large number of participants, the long duration, and the brutality of the battle can be called a major battle in the history of the Red Army's Long March, second only to the bloody battle on the Xiangjiang River.

Looking carefully at the map of Sichuan Province, we found that there are two memorial sites related to the Battle of Baizhang Pass. Located in Mengdingshan Scenic Area, Mengdingshan Town, Yucheng District, Ya'an City, there is a Red Army Baizhangguan Battle Memorial Hall, also known as Mengdingshan Red Army Memorial Hall. The memorial hall was established in 1985 and is located on the Royal Tea Garden on Mengding Mountain. It was originally the site of Tianzhu Garden in Mengding Mountain and was the headquarters of the Red Army Baizhang Pass Campaign.

The other one is in Group 2 of Zhuba Village, Baizhang Town, Mingshan District, Ya'an City. There is the Red Army Baizhangguan Battle Martyrs Memorial Park and the Red Army Baizhangguan Battle Martyrs Monument, which is the site of the Baizhangguan Battle.

The two memorial halls are 35 kilometers apart, neither far nor close. For some reason, the Baizhangguan Battle Memorial Hall and the Memorial Garden were not built in the same place. Because the Mengding Mountain Scenic Area still charges entrance fees, we went to the Red Army Baizhang Pass Battle Memorial Park in Zhuba Village, Baizhang Town, which is free.

Entering the geographical scope of Baizhang Pass, a large number of lush tea gardens are spread across the mountains and fields. These tea gardens are the sites of the Battle of Baizhang Pass. It is known as the source of tea in the world and the tea capital of China. According to historical records, during the Manlu Period of the Western Han Dynasty (53-50 BC), ancestors began to plant tea on Mengding Mountain, and Mengding Mountain became the earliest place in China where written tea was produced. In the entry about "Meng" in the "Modern Chinese Dictionary", it is specially noted that "[Mengshan tea] is produced in Mengshan, Mingshan County, Sichuan Province." Mongolian camellia is not only famous for its high taste, but also has written a glorious chapter for national stability and national unity, so it has been highly praised by scholars and writers of all generations.

Once a battlefield, now a tea garden.

The Red Army Baizhangguan Battle Memorial Park is built at the highest point at the east end of Zhuba Village, Baizhang Town. On the high platform, looking around, there were no traces of the battle. What you can see in front of you is the scenery of green mountains and tea plantations. In the center of the tower stands the Red Army Baizhangguan Battle Martyrs Monument inscribed by Marshal Xiang Qian. Behind the monument is the newly built Red Army Baizhangguan Battle Memorial Hall. The memorial hall has not yet been built, but the main project has been completed. However, the front steps of the hall are still rough and the exhibition inside is unfinished. We walked around the memorial hall and found no workers working. It seems like we've stopped working for a long time.

Red Army Baizhang Pass Battle Memorial Hall

As for the Battle of Baizhang Pass, we have to start with the split between Zhang and the Party Central Committee.

In early September 1935, Zhang insisted on going south and parted ways with the Central Committee. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China called Zhang several times on his way north and ordered him to change his southward policy, but Zhang insisted on his mistake. In late September, Zhang led more than 80,000 troops from the Fourth Red Army, the Fifth Red Army, and the 32nd Red Army affiliated to the Red Front Army to go south, planning to head toward Tianquan, Lushan, Ya'an and other places with dense populations and abundant food supplies. transfer. That is, it advances from northwest Sichuan to southeast and toward the rich basin of the western Sichuan plain. Therefore, the Fourth Red Army had a slogan at that time, "Go to Tianquan Lushan to eat rice!".

In view of this situation, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and leading comrades in the north sent telegrams many times to tell Zhang that his future was not good and that he would encounter obstacles when he went south. He must take the overall situation into consideration and implement the Central Committee's decision to go north. However, Zhang always turned a blind eye and ignored the Party Central Committee's repeated orders and patience.

While carrying out a series of activities to split the party and the Red Army, he stepped up the deployment of the southward campaign plan.

From today's perspective, Zhang's plan is also amazing. Why? Because even though the Red Fourth Front Army was powerful, it was not as good as the Sichuan Army that fought against it. The Sichuan Army was a very special local armed force in the history of Chinese warlords. Its total strength accounted for one-third of the total strength of the Kuomintang at that time.

The number one warlord in Sichuan is Liu Xiang. He comes from Anren Town, Dayi County, Western Sichuan Plain. In the 1920s and early 1930s, a Liu family miraculously emerged from here and eventually became a wealthy family ruling Sichuan and Kangxi provinces. The most prominent and powerful person in the Liu family is Liu Xiang.

Look at those Sichuan soldiers, they look like poor and evil gangsters. They are skinny, wear military caps crookedly, open collars, wear straw sandals all year round, are short in stature, and curse whenever they open their mouths. In fact, they are not to be underestimated. They have worked hard since childhood and can run long distances even with heavy burdens on their backs. They dare to fight you for a few silver dollars. They have been fighting non-stop since the Revolution of 1911, and their marksmanship is very accurate. Their battlefield experience is by no means idle. Once they have strict management and good command, they can compete with any Chinese army at that time.

Monument to the Red Army Baizhangguan Battle Martyrs

However, Zhang is not afraid of Liu Xiang. He fought several battles with his Sichuan army and almost never suffered a defeat. After the Fourth Red Army retreated from the Hubei, Henan, and Anhui base areas to northwest Sichuan in 1932, in just over two years, its ranks grew from more than 20,000 to 80,000. On Liu Xiang's territory, it established a military force second only to the Central Soviet Area. The second largest base area. Interestingly, Liu Xiang did not pay attention to the Red Army. He regarded the Red Army as "bandits" and did not pay attention to the deployment of troops. Both sides made the same mistake, which was to underestimate the strength of the other side.

On October 7, Zhang issued a battle order to go south - the "Sui (Beijing) Chong (Hua) Dan (Ba) Mao (Gong) Campaign Plan". The entire army was divided into two routes, led by the Red Fourth Front Army. The commander-in-chief led the left column southward along the east bank of the Dajinchuan River; deputy commander Wang Shusheng led the right column southward along the west bank of the Dajinchuan River.

The battle against Mao Gong lasted for more than ten days. Under unfavorable terrain, this tired army, which had crossed the grassland twice, carried out a series of night attacks, sneak crossings and long-distance insertions, and fought a beautiful mountain battle. In the two counties of Kedanba and Maogong and the surrounding areas of Pingjing, Chonghua, Dawei and other places, they defeated the Sichuan Army and Liu's six brigades and wiped out more than 3,000 enemies.

On October 20, Zhang issued the "Tian (Quan) Road (Mountain) Ming (Mountain) Ya (An) Qiong (Yi) Da (Yi) Operation Plan" in the name of "Chairman of the Military Commission" and ordered The Fourth Red Army continued its pursuit into the mountains. At this time, the Central Red Army in the north had arrived in Wuqi and joined forces with the Northern Shaanxi Red Army.

Baizhang Town

On October 24, the main force of the Fourth Red Army crossed the snow-capped Jinjia Mountains, crossed the virgin forest, and launched an attack on the enemies of Baoxing, Tianquan, and Lushan. Due to the heroic fighting of the Red Army officers and soldiers, within ten days, the Red Army occupied the vast area west of Qionglai Mountain, east of Dadu River, north of Qingyi River, and south of Maogong River, annihilating more than 5,000 enemy people and shooting down an enemy plane. During the battle, an enemy logistics base in Lingguan Town, Baoxing was captured, and a large number of guns, ammunition and food were seized. The troops suffered from long-term drought and heavy rains for supplies.

Liu Xiang was caught off guard by the speed of the Red Army's march south and its determination to attack the city. Subsequently, the Fourth Red Army decided to attack Mingshan and Qionglai, and pushed the victory to the east and west plains of Sichuan, resulting in a direct sweep of Chengdu. Zhang was overjoyed, and the slogan "Eat rice in Shushan, the whole world" became "Eat rice in Chengdu!".

At this time, Liu Xiang couldn't sit still. Liu Xiang was originally unwilling to let Chiang Kai-shek's Central Army enter Sichuan, but now the Red Army not only brought the Central Army into Sichuan, but also captured Sichuan, and also captured the richest Bazi in western Sichuan. Maybe even the Liu family's hometown in Dayi There is no way to save it. He thought that if he lost this battle, not only would the Red Army occupy his territory, but Chiang Kai-shek would also take control of Sichuan with great fanfare. This is no longer a matter of weighing the pros and cons, but a matter of life and death. He has no choice but to fight to the death.

Liu Xiang quickly made arrangements. He assembled more than 80 regiments of the Sichuan Army, totaling more than 200,000 troops, on the Mingshan and Qionglai lines where the Red Army attacked.

At the same time, under the command of Chiang Kai-shek, six divisions of the Xue Yue Department of the Central Army also gathered in Ya'an and Tianquan counties on the southern line to prepare for battle.

A great war began, and the focus of the competition between the two sides gathered at Baizhang Pass. The Sichuan army could not let the Red Army pass Baizhang Pass under any circumstances. As a result, the most tragic Battle of Baizhang Pass in the history of Red Army combat took place.

On November 19, under the cover of aircraft and artillery, more than a dozen brigades of the Sichuan Army launched a fierce attack on the Red Army positions from the east, north, and south. Liu Xiang personally took command and issued a death order: If you don't take the first step, you will be shot on the spot! The Sichuan army, which had been beaten to death with a stick and fled in despair, suddenly became "hard-core". The Red Army officers and soldiers fought continuously, endured extreme fatigue, and fought bloody battles with superior enemies on hills, trenches, and woods. Some soldiers fought with the enemy when they ran out of bullets; some soldiers broke their arms and used tooth-grenade grenades to kill the oncoming enemies. Both the enemy and our side suffered heavy casualties, and fallen bodies were densely packed in ditches and ditches.

Air strikes posed a huge threat to the Red Army. They all wore camouflaged branches on their heads, so they had to spread out and hide when enemy planes flew in. Often at this time the Sichuan army rushed up, and the Red Army, which was short of ammunition, would fight the Sichuan army with bare blades. The two sides repeatedly charged and killed each other, and the battle lines were crisscrossed. Every hillock and every trench echoed with the sounds of gunfire and battle. Xu, then commander-in-chief of the Fourth Front Army of the Red Army, recalled in "Historical Review": "Batches of enemy planes were circling in the sky and bombing indiscriminately. The enemy troops launched a fierce attack on our positions one by one, battalion by regiment. From Heizhu The front line, which is more than ten miles away, is filled with flames of war and bloody shadows. It is the sound of explosions, gunshots, and shouts, and it is a life-and-death struggle between the enemy and us."

The battle at the east bridge of Baizhangchang was very fierce. , there are dense bunkers on both sides of the bridge. The two sides launched a fierce offensive and defensive battle in the bunker, and then turned into street fighting. Chen Xilian, then the commander of the Red Tenth Division, rolled up his sleeves, picked up a broadsword, and led his team to fight to the death and launch a counterattack behind enemy lines. Under the powerful counterattack of the Red Army, the enemies retreated to the bridge. Seeing this scene, Xie Jun, the leader of the Sichuan Army, stood upright at the end of the bridge with a knife, shouting not to retreat, and finally just lay down on the bridge. It was getting late at this time, and the two sides were unable to fight anymore, forming a standoff of hundreds of feet.

Night view of Ya'an City

The battle at Baizhang Pass lasted seven days and seven nights. Although more than 15,000 enemy soldiers were wiped out, the Red Army suffered nearly 10,000 casualties. Due to the huge disparity between the enemy and ourselves, the main force of the Red Army suffered a serious setback and was forced to withdraw from Baizhang Pass on November 21.

It can be said that the decisive battle of Baizhang and Baizhang was not only a turning point for the Red Fourth Front Army from strategic offensive to strategic defense, but also a major sign that Zhang's wrong southern policy hit a wall. In other words, Zhang Nan's plan to go to the Sichuan Basin was thwarted by the fierce blocking of the Sichuan army, so he crossed the mountains for the second time and retreated to the snow-covered Garze Tibetan area. In the middle of winter in western Sichuan, there is continuous snow and it is extremely cold. Since cotton was not produced locally, the Red Army officers and soldiers used palm to make clothes. Many soldiers froze to death in the snow. The soldiers sent by the army to raise food to hunt wild yaks who had no food to eat not only gained little, but also suffered from snow blindness. This, coupled with an increase in injuries, has resulted in significant attrition. Cold and hunger threatened the lives of tens of thousands of Red Army soldiers. When the main force of the Red Army moved south, its strength dropped sharply from 80,000 to more than 40,000.

Practice has proved that Zhang's southward policy was wrong, and the Party Central Committee's strategic decision to place the Chinese revolutionary base in the northwest was correct.