Introduction to Yangzhou Jiefang Bridge

In November 1948, after the victory of the Huaihai Campaign, Huang Botao, commander of the Seventh Corps of the Kuomintang who was stationed in Yangzhou, was shot dead in Nianzhuang. Upon hearing the news, the other leading figures of the Kuomintang military, political and police stationed in Yangzhou arranged for their wives and children to escape to southern Jiangsu with valuables; the citizens rejoiced. ?

At that time, there were many reactionary troops in Yangzhou City. Situ Temple and Longqing Temple outside the west gate; Pingshan Hall, Guanyin Mountain, Tianning Temple, and Chongning Temple outside the north gate; Jinghui Temple and Fuyuan Temple outside the south gate; Changsheng Temple, Reclining Buddha Temple, and Taiyang Temple outside the east gate. The Kuomintang troops were stationed in the Imperial Palace, Xiangfu Temple and Youshou Temple; the remnants of the landlord armed "big coat teams" who fled from the Lixia River were scattered in nearby villages; some middle and primary schools and the Slender West Lake Scenic Area were occupied by stragglers . ?

These garrisoned, defeated, and wounded soldiers had nothing to do all day long, and they often caused troubles. Businesses were robbed, pedestrians were beaten, and households were robbed. One afternoon, a conflict broke out between the garrison and the wounded soldiers who were watching a play in the Grand Stage Theater. Guns were almost fired, and the theater was forced to suspend the performance. Afterwards, in order to maintain order, the authorities had to dispatch a "joint repression team of the military, police and constitutional law" to sit in the theater. Some wounded soldiers went around claiming to be "heroes" and begging for money. One morning, at the door of Xin Daxiang Silk and Satin Shop on Duozi Street, a northern soldier about 17 or 18 years old, with a cane under his arm and a worn-out steel helmet in his hand, asked the shop owner for money. Because there was a hint of contempt in the tone of a young clerk in the store, the wounded soldier raised his crutch and smashed the container. Although there was a security team to "mediate" the situation, there was no way to deal with the wounded soldiers, so the shop owner had to come forward and give him money to settle the matter. ?

In order to resist stubbornly, the Kuomintang reactionaries continued to recruit young men to replenish their troops. At about 9 o'clock one morning, the author saw a group of captured young men on Duozi Street. There were five to six hundred people. They all had their heads shaved and wore yellow military uniforms. Every five young men were tied up with a long hemp rope. His left arm was connected in a string, and he was guarded by heavily armed soldiers next to him. The author was curious and followed him all the way to the Public Stadium (today's Workers' Cultural Palace). It turned out that the Jiangdu County Government gathered young men captured from four townships and eight towns here. Many family members of the arrested men gathered around the stadium. They carried Caolu Shaobing, Jingjiang navel and other food in their hands, calling their children's names and crying bitterly. Seeing this scene, even the escorting soldiers couldn't help crying. ?

The Kuomintang reactionaries dug trenches at the foot of Daming Temple and Guanyin Mountain in Shugang, built bunkers on Wuting Bridge, and sealed 6 of the 13 gates of Yangzhou City with bricks and rubble. , leaving only the Fuyun Gate, Old South Gate, New South Gate, West Gate, New North Gate, Dongguan, Gap and other city gates for passage. The city gates open at 6 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. All pedestrians and goods entering and exiting the city All were carefully inspected; light control was also tightened, and Zhenyang Power Plant was designated to start generating electricity at 6 pm every day and stop generating electricity at 12 pm; police and security chiefs went door-to-door to check household registrations every night; after midnight, land security in various areas was returned Knock on the clapper to make an update, just in case. Under such control, the streets, stations, and docks of Yangzhou were deserted and deserted. Fuyunmen, Dongmenmen, and the ancient canal, which usually had more pedestrians and businessmen from other places, were empty and sparse. ?

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On the Lunar New Year in 1949, there were more and more people wandering along the busy roads such as Yuanmen Bridge, Jiaochang Street, Duozi Street, Zuowei Street and Brick Street. People want to know some signs of changes in the current situation from what they see on the streets. Everyone noticed that the Kuomintang troops on the streets were nowhere to be seen; the leading figures in the county disappeared one by one; the security teams that used to patrol along the streets also changed to plainclothes. At the entrance of the publishing office of "Northern Jiangsu Daily" located on Yuanmenqiao Street, people gathered around to discuss the situation from morning to night. Some people say that the People's Liberation Army has arrived in the area of ??Fairy Temple and Huaisi Bridge. The Kuomintang army and the People's Liberation Army fought a battle at Situ Temple, resulting in many casualties. Others mysteriously said that the plainclothes team of the Communist Party had entered the city first, and the open letter they distributed had been seen in the city. ?

In the early morning of January 25, 1949, the author was awakened by the noise and the sound of firecrackers. Hearing that the troops had entered the city, he hurriedly made an appointment with his neighbor Ye Shanzhong to go to the street to have a look. First of all, it was discovered that the police at the "T-shaped" intersection at Yuanmen Bridge (today's National Day intersection) were missing, and the security teams patrolling in front of major shops also disappeared. A large group of people gathered around the newsstand next to Lai Dayou's cigarette shop and were discussing. It was said that the Swiss Watch Shop on Zuowei Street (today's Guangling Road) was robbed in the middle of the night the day before yesterday, but no police were dispatched and everyone had been evacuated.

We went to the Swiss Watch Shop and found that the door was open and the shelves were empty. We then went to the police station (today’s Zhongbaiyi Store) diagonally opposite the watch shop and saw that the police station was crowded with people watching the show inside and outside. Documents, police uniforms, police hats and a small amount of guns and ammunition were scattered around, but no one dared to move. ?

The Chamber of Commerce became the headquarters for the industrial and commercial circles organized by the underground party in Yangzhou to welcome the liberation of Yangzhou. The walls inside and outside the Chamber of Commerce were covered with red and green slogans, and some people with signs on their chests came in and out, very busy; there were several square tables in the hall, and celebrities from Yangzhou's industrial and commercial circles were sitting around them. But we saw no sign of the New Fourth Army at the Chamber of Commerce. I heard people say that the Old North Gate (now the southern end of Fengle Street) and the New North Gate (now the south of the New North Gate Bridge) were blocked by the Kuomintang troops. The New Fourth Army went around from outside the city to the Old South Gate (now Nantong East Road). The intersection with Wenhe South Road) and Fuyunmen (the south end of today’s Yinshi Street) enter the city. We rushed to Fuyunmen and found that the wooden Darong Bridge on the canal had been set on fire by the Kuomintang troops, making it impossible for pedestrians and vehicles to pass. The New Fourth Army did not enter the city from here. We had to return. ?

At around 3 o'clock in the afternoon, when we walked to Duozi Street, we finally saw a team of more than 10 people. They were wearing gray military uniforms, carrying rifles and backpacks on their shoulders, grenades on their waists, and pedals Straw sandals, neat steps. It is said that this team was to take over key departments such as the Kuomintang's county offices, police stations, telegraph offices, post offices and banks. At night, they stayed at the post office on Duozi Street (opposite the entrance of Xiaoshisanwan Lane today). After eating, I went to play and saw a little soldier standing by the mailbox at the door. A group of children were surrounding him asking questions. It was quiet inside the post office, and the floor was clean. Some soldiers were already sleeping, some were reading and studying, some were smoking cigarettes, and some were mending clothes. Their amiable image was very different from the impression I had of soldiers, and my fear of them disappeared. ?

In April 1949, the People's Liberation Army marched toward the Yangtze River and passed through Yangzhou. One day, the Chamber of Commerce notified merchants on the main streets of the city to place food and tea in front of their stores to express condolences to the People's Liberation Army. In the afternoon, the shops closed early, but people waited for hours for the troops. The next day I heard that the People's Liberation Army did not enter the city, but bypassed Yangzhou City along the perimeter of the city wall. A few days later, we saw regular troops of the People's Liberation Army at the New South Gate. The officers and soldiers wore uniform yellow military uniforms with unit numbers on their chests and marched in four columns. Weapons include Type 38 rifles, carbines and submachine guns, as well as heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, pursuit artillery, as well as mountain artillery, field artillery and rubber-tired carts pulled by mules. Willow or pine branches were inserted into the cannons, and many soldiers also wore hats made of willow branches on their heads. It took the troops more than two hours to complete the journey.