On January 6, 1941, the Kuomintang reactionaries launched the Southern Anhui Incident that shocked China and foreign countries, more than 7,000 people of the New Fourth Army were killed, the army commander Ye Ting was detained, political commissar Xiang Ying, director of the Political Department Yuan Guoping, and deputy chief of staff Zhou Zikun were sacrificed one after another, and the number of the New Fourth Army was also canceled.
***, then secretary of the Central Plains Bureau, immediately called ** and proposed to rebuild the military headquarters of the New Fourth Army in northern Jiangsu.
After careful consideration, we agreed to the suggestion of ***, appointed ** as the commander of the New Fourth Army, and appointed *** as the political commissar of the New Fourth Army.
So, at this critical juncture, why let *** be the political commissar of the New Fourth Army and not anyone else?
You must know that the rebuilding of the military headquarters of the New Fourth Army at this time is not only of military significance, but also of political significance, so the arrangement of the leadership of the military headquarters of the New Fourth Army must be carefully considered, at least not lower than Ye Ting and Xiang Ying.
Ye Ting is a famous general of the Northern Expedition, ** is also a famous general of the Red Army, and the New Fourth Army is adapted from the guerrillas of the eight southern provinces, ** is the spiritual pillar of these guerrillas, originally he should have served as the commander of the New Fourth Army, but it was only because he had to cooperate with the Kuomintang that Ye Ting was changed to serve as the commander.
Now that Ye Ting has been detained, it is logical for ** to be the commander.
Xiang Ying was not only the political commissar of the New Fourth Army at that time, but also the secretary of the Southeast Bureau and a member of the Politburo, and his status was very high, and he was also the secretary of the Central Plains Bureau and a member of the Politburo at that time, and his level was equivalent to Xiang Ying"Comrade Shaoqi is one of the party leaders and guides us on behalf of the party, and the New Fourth Army is directly under the leadership of Comrade Shaoqi and Comrade Shaoqi, and our political direction will not be wrong. ”
Moreover, the rebuilding of the military headquarters of the New Fourth Army is tight and the tasks are heavy, and the leaders are required to familiarize themselves with the work of the New Fourth Army as soon as possible.
Needless to say, in November 1939, he led the Central Plains Bureau to advance eastward and arrived at Xinxingchu in Wuyang, Anhui Province, to guide the work of the Henan-Anhui Soviet Border Region, and had a comprehensive understanding of the New Fourth Army.
Therefore, let *** serve as the political commissar of the New Fourth Army, you can get started directly, and there is no need for a run-in period.
So, what contributions did you make to the development of the New Fourth Army?It can be divided into two stages: before the Southern Anhui Incident and after the Southern Anhui Incident.
As early as December 1939, ** suggested to Xiang Ying: The New Fourth Army should develop in northern Jiangsu in a planned way. However, Xiang Ying still reserved his opinion and did not implement it when he supported ***'s opinion.
At the same time, he led the Jiangbei New Fourth Army and waged a resolute struggle against the Kuomintang recalcitrant army in eastern Anhui, and the Jiangbei New Fourth Army not only won many battles, but also established more than a dozen anti-Japanese democratic regimes, laying the foundation for the later New Fourth Army to advance into northern Jiangsu.
** had already realized that the Kuomintang was going to take action against the New Fourth Army in Jiangnan, so he suggested to ** that the Eighth Route Army and the Central China Command of the New Fourth Army be established, with ** as the commander-in-chief and ** as the political commissar in case of accidents.
Because of the preparations made in advance, when the incident in southern Anhui occurred, on the one hand, it proposed solemnity to the Kuomintang, and on the other hand, it telegraphed to the relevant comrades in central Anhui to immediately do a good job of receiving and accommodating the personnel of the New Fourth Army breaking through the encirclement, and reduce losses as much as possible.
In three months, Anhui received more than 1,000 commanders and fighters of the New Fourth Army, preserving a rare spark for the reconstruction of the New Fourth Army.
After the reconstruction of the New Fourth Army, at the suggestion of the New Fourth Army, the military headquarters was set up in the Yancheng area north of the Yangtze River in Jiangsu Province. In fact, before the Southern Anhui Incident, Yancheng was already the garrison of the Central Plains Bureau and the Jiangbei New Fourth Army.
So, why should you choose Yancheng?This is a reflection of his strategic vision.
Yancheng is one of the few prefecture-level cities in China that does not have mountainous areas, is located between the Yangtze River and Huai, the rivers and lakes are vertical and horizontal, is the famous land of fish and rice, with a population of more than 3 million and an annual output of more than 3 million quintals of cotton, and has enough conditions to bear the anti-Japanese activities of the New Fourth Army.
Moreover, Yancheng is located in the north of southern Jiangsu and east of Anhui controlled by the Japanese puppet army, and is connected to the Longhai line and Shandong in the north, so the strategic room for maneuver is very large, and the Japanese puppet army's control over the Yanfu area is also relatively weak, the Japanese army has only more than 1,400 people, and the puppet army has only more than 6,000 people.
After the Southern Anhui Incident, the vast number of commanders and fighters hated the Kuomintang to the core, and vowed to take revenge. But, looking at the big picture, say:"Chiang Kai-shek is still resisting Japan, and he cannot break with it in order to make it more difficult for us to resist Japan. ”
I also understand everyone's anger very well, and I advise everyone to be calm"We can't just try to have a good time, just do it. ”Under the appeasement of ***, everyone slowly calmed down and stabilized the military morale of the New Fourth Army.
Subsequently, a meeting of senior cadres of the Central China Bureau (formerly the Central Plains Bureau) was held and a report on the "Lessons and Lessons of the Southern Anhui Incident" was made, focusing on:"It is necessary to uphold the independence of the united front, which is the unity of the two aspects of unity and struggle. ”
At the same time, ** also proposed:"To strengthen the education of party spirit among party members, we must carry out the instructions of the party under all circumstances, obey the interests of the party, and strive to complete the tasks assigned by the party. ”
I have to say that it really grasped the main problems faced by the New Fourth Army and solved them in a targeted manner, which played a decisive role in the reconstruction of the New Fourth Army after the Southern Anhui Incident, and the credit is very great.
(Reference: "* Biography", "Southern Anhui Incident", "New Fourth Army").