The commander of the Eighth Route Army instigated defection, and was recognized after liberation, what was the end
At the Southwest Military and Political University in the early 1950s, Wang Wei, head of the Political Education Section, walked into the office with a thick stack of documents. Around the corner, a hurried figure bumped into him, causing his papers to scatter all over the place.
The man immediately apologized and squatted down to help Wang Wei pick up the papers. At the moment when the man stood up and handed the document to Wang Wei, the two looked at each other. However, Wang Wei felt that this person was very familiar.
And after the man and Wang Wei looked at each other, their eyes were also a little evasive, and they turned around and wanted to leave. Suddenly, Wang Wei seemed to remember something. He grabbed the man and asked, "Liu Ziren?" ”
The man immediately denied: "No, no, comrade, you recognized the wrong person......Wang Wei sneered and said, "Captain Liu, don't pretend anymore, we have worked together for so long, can you still hide it from me?" ”
Geng Yunzhai is a character with a complex identity and experience. A native of Xiao County, he was a Communist Party member at the Whampoa Military Academy, but after the defeat of the Great Revolution, he left the Communist Party and went incognito to teach in the Kuomintang-ruled areas.
He also worked as a teacher at Xiao County Normal and Pei County Normal School, and even served as the district governor of the national **. However, it was precisely because of these experiences that he later became the protagonist of the "Geng, Wu, and Liu Defection Incident", which left a deep impression on history.
His name is also known as "Geng Gong Gong". And now, why does he refuse to admit his identity? This arouses curiosity and thought.
In 1937, when the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression broke out, Geng Yunzhai once again got in touch with the party organization and expressed his willingness to do his part for the War of Resistance. From then on, he actively organized anti-Japanese guerrillas, and was reorganized into the Eighth Route Army, serving as the captain of the Seventh Brigade of the Sulu-Henan Guerrilla Detachment.
Although he has become a cadre of our party, and his guerrilla unit has also been reorganized into the Eighth Route Army, in fact, he still lives a semi-"soil emperor-style" life in Xiao County, with big fish and meat every day, and there are many people around him.
Therefore, when his superiors decided to transfer him north with the fourth column of the Eighth Route Army, he delayed in every possible way and made up his mind to stay in Xiao County and continue to enjoy his life. Later, the party committee of the border region appointed him as the commander of the border security command and led his troops to garrison the north of the border.
Although he was promoted, his original two battalions were assigned to the 4th Division's Special Service Regiment, leaving only one battalion and a cavalry company to accompany him. Coupled with the difficult conditions in the north of the vortex, he felt that he was "rising and descending secretly" and "cutting off his military power".
So, not long after, he returned to Xiao County with the guard company without the approval of the organization. In fact, when he led the guard company back to Xiao County, he was already very dissatisfied with the party organization and had the intention of defecting.
At that time, when Chiang Kai-shek launched the second ** climax, Tang Enbo's 200,000 horsemen approached the Henan-Anhui Soviet border area. Therefore, he planned to liaise with Wu Xinrong, who was also a cadre of the Eighth Route Army, and if necessary, they could directly lead their troops to Tang Enbo.
Understanding the "Geng, Wu" incident, why did Geng Yunzhai choose Wu Xinrong as the target of defection? It turned out that Wu Xinrong, as the deputy commander of the 6th Brigade, was also Geng Yunzhai's fellow countryman, and the two had a close relationship.
However, not long ago, Tan Youlin, the commander of the 6th Brigade, was transferred to Yan'an, and Wu Xinrong, who originally thought he could take over as the brigade commander, was replaced by Rao Zijian. This made him very unhappy, and his relationship with others in the army was strained.
Therefore, Wu Xinrong was at his most upset, and Geng Yunzhai seized the opportunity and found him. In order to prevent the situation from worsening, Commander Peng Xuefeng decided to send Zhou Jifang to Xiao County to carry out ideological work on Geng and Wu, hoping to bring them back to the organization.
Wu Xinrong's attitude in Xiao County was quite positive, not only meeting with Zhou Jifang, but also firmly saying that he fully agreed with Geng Yunzhai's view, believed that his approach was wrong, and promised not to betray the party.
However, Geng Yunzhai's attitude is very different. Although he asked others to tell Zhou Jifang that he would "go back in two days", he shirked the meeting with Zhou Jifang in every way.
After staying in Xiao County for a few days, Zhou Jifang still did not see Geng Yunzhai himself. Considering the performance of Geng and Wu, the party committee of the border region believes that there is still a possibility of their defection.
Therefore, after studying, it was decided to send Wu Zhipu, secretary of the border regional party committee, to do the ideological work of Geng and Wu again. If they are still stubborn, then rely on Liu Ziren's 17th Regiment to take direct measures of force.
Why did the Party Committee of the border region favor the 17th Regiment at that time? Because head Liu Ziren has always been an activist and a party member. Not only that, the cadres at and above the company level of the 17th Regiment were all dispatched after training, and the proportion of party members in the regiment exceeded one-fifth.
However, the party committee of the border region did not expect that Liu Ziren turned out to be a sinister and cunning "two-facedness". His desire for rebellion even surpassed that of Geng and Wu. After accepting the instructions of the border district party committee, Liu Ziren appeared to be resolutely obedient on the surface, and even proposed to invite Geng and Wu to the 17th regiment for a banquet in his own name.
Secretly, he immediately sent someone to report to Geng and Wu, claiming that Wu Zhipu's trip was specially for the purpose of setting up a "Hongmen Banquet", and if Geng and Wu came, they would be killed on the spot at the banquet.
As expected, Geng and Wu were shocked and angry after receiving Liu Ziren's report, and soon decided to join forces with Liu Ziren to arrest all the cadres appointed by the border party and then defect to Tang Enbo.
At noon on the day of the "mass arrest" operation, Wu Zhipu and others waited for Geng and Wu to no avail. Liu Ziren pretended to be confused and said that he wanted to send someone to see the situation. So, Wu Zhipu sent Li Zhongdao to check on the three buildings of Zhang Sanlou, where Geng and Wu were stationed.
However, as soon as Li Zhongdao arrived, he noticed an abnormality. There were many roadside sentry posts, loaded with guns, and it was obvious that military operations were going to be carried out. As soon as Wu Xinrong saw Li Zhongdao, he immediately cried and cried out that he had been wronged, saying that he had never done anything to be sorry for the party.
Li Zhongdao was also puzzled after hearing this, but he was ordered by the angry Geng Yunzhai to surrender his guns and be imprisoned. That night, Liu Ziren called the cronies and cadres of the 17th Regiment to a meeting, falsely claiming that Peng Xuefeng was going to lead the army to escape, and planned to transfer the 17th Regiment to Jinpu Ludong to block the bullets for them.
Our ancestors were from Yongcheng, and we can't leave our hometown. Usually we have suffered from the bullying of outsiders, and today we have to settle accounts with them! Liu Ziren's cronies are also very excited and ready to do a big job.
Subsequently, Zhu Shihua, a close confidant of Liu Ziren and commander of the guard company, led the soldiers to the residence of Cai Yong, the political commissar of the regiment, and arrested him. Then, Liu Ziren sent someone to call the cadres sent by the brigade headquarters to a meeting.
As soon as these cadres entered the room, they were all tied up and locked up by Zhu Shihua's soldiers. In Wu Xinrong's 18th Regiment, although Liu Ziren demanded to "catch them all", Wu Xinrong did not carry it out.
After all, Wu Xinrong's motives are fundamentally different from Liu Ziren's, he is only dissatisfied with some ** in the army, and put forward the slogan "rebels do not betray the party".
Therefore, he only arrested those who he thought were against him, including Zhang Manping, the instructor of the first battalion, Xiang Dan, the instructor of the regiment, and others. For Chief of Staff Liao Bichen and Chief of Staff Li Guishan, Wu Xinrong gave them horses and silver dollars to return to the brigade headquarters safely.
Soon after Li Zhongdao was detained by Geng and Wu, representatives of Xiao County's cultural circles, the county magistrate Zong Hanmin and the chief of the civil affairs section of Xu Xilian, came to Zhang Sanzuo to demand Li Zhongdao's release and solve the "Hongmen Banquet" issue.
After discussion, Geng and Wu agreed to escort Li Zhongdao to Dongcaozhuang and invited Wu Zhipu to come and clarify the facts. At the same time, Geng Yunzhai also arranged for a reinforced platoon of troops, ordering them to shoot Wu Zhipu to death immediately if he refused to come.
In the face of Geng and Wu's "Hongmen Banquet", Wu Zhipu decided to go to the meeting, because he considered that Geng, Wu, and Liu still had nearly 100 experienced party members and cadres in their hands, and they must not let the party's precious wealth be lost.
When Wu Zhipu and Li Zhongdao were brought to Hongheji in Xiao County, machine guns, cannons, and soldiers with loaded guns lined up along the way to "welcome them." In the face of these threats, Wu Zhipu still did not show a trace of fear.
Wu Zhipu warmly shook hands and broke the ice to relieve doubts Wu Zhipu warmly greeted Geng and Wu, and said with a smile when shaking hands: "Long time no see!" Wu Xinrong's grievances instantly surged into his heart, and he asked loudly: "Secretary Wu, what crime did I commit?"
Let you set up a Hongmen banquet to kill me? Wu Zhipu replied solemnly: "There is no such thing!" I invite you to the banquet to discuss the return of Commander Geng. Wu Zhipu pointed out that the behavior of Geng and Wu was the real "Hongmen Banquet", and that as the commanders of the anti-Japanese forces, they were bewitched by others and slashed their butcher knives at their compatriots and comrades-in-arms, which was a betrayal of the state and the party's organization.
Geng and Wu were questioned and had nothing to say, so they had to whisper: "Our anti-Japanese spirit will not change. With his firm belief and sincere attitude, Wu Zhipu successfully resolved the contradictions between the two sides and paved the way for Geng and Wu to return to the battlefield of resistance against Japan.
After a few people took their seats, Wu Xinrong said with some shame: "Brother just has opinions about some cadres. Wu Zhipu immediately responded: "If you have any opinions about cadres, you can report them to your superiors, why do you want to commit such a violation of discipline?" ”
While he was talking, Liu Ziren's communication soldiers arrived and conveyed Liu Ziren's opinion to Geng and Wu, who walked outside the courtyard: "Kill Wu Zhipu and the others immediately, and lead the troops to meet in a ridge village." ”
After discussing with Geng and Wu, they believed that Wu Zhipu was an important figure in the Henan-Anhui Soviet border region, and if he was killed, he would inevitably become the number one enemy of the Eighth Route Army. Therefore, it is better not to kill for the time being.
And Wu Zhipu and Li Zhongdao in the house also sensed the crisis, and went out to Geng and Wu and said: "Since we have decided to clarify the Hongmen banquet with Liu Ziren in person, then we have to go back to the army to arrange the matter first, and then we will go to Yiyi Ridge Village to clear up the misunderstanding with the two." ”
Geng and Wu were not embarrassed, and let Wu Zhipu and a few others leave. Liu Ziren was very shocked when he knew that Geng and Wu did not kill Wu Zhipu, and immediately sent more than ten cavalrymen to chase and kill, but in the end they did not catch up.
At this point, the leaders of the border region have fully understood that this matter is because of Liu Ziren's discordant plan. Without delay, Peng Xuefeng immediately ordered Teng Haiqing and Zhang Zhen to lead the 14th and 16th regiments respectively to advance to the garrison of Liu Ziren's troops, preparing to encircle and suppress the rebels.
Before leaving, Peng Xuefeng also specially instructed the rebel leaders to adopt different methods of disposal: resolutely beat Liu, and try to persuade Geng and Wu.
On the 16th, Teng Haiqing led the 5th Brigade and 14th Regiment to the Baiwanglou area where Liu Ziren was stationed and engaged in a fierce battle with the rebels. Liu Ziren had a ghost in his heart, and used a discord scheme to kill Wu Zhipu and other important people, but in the end he escaped.
After many rounds of fierce fighting, Liu Ziren's rebels gradually fell into a predicament, so they retreated to the area controlled by Tang Enbo together with Geng Yunzhai and Wu Xinrong. During the retreat, the rebels were blocked by the 16th Regiment, but due to the combined attitude adopted towards Geng and Wu at that time, the 16th Regiment did not completely eliminate the rebels.
The 14th Regiment pursued the rebels all the way, but was unable to catch up with the rebels due to an encounter with the Japanese in the Yongdong area. Ten.
The existence of the 4th and 16th regiments enabled Liu Ziren to release all the detained party members and cadres soon after, and successfully escaped from the border area.
After the rebel leaders Geng, Wu, and Liu fled to the area controlled by the Kuomintang Tang Enbo, Tang Enbo personally met the three at the head of the Anhui Jie, but Wu Xinrong did not attend the appointment. After that, Tang Enbo appointed Geng Yunzhai as the commander of the first column of the advancing guerrillas in the Sulu-Henan-Anhui border region, Liu Ziren as the deputy commander and leader of the second detachment, and Wu Xinrong as the leader of the third detachment.
Geng Yunzhai's cronies in the rebels only have one guard company, so he can't really hold the real power, and Liu Ziren is the real power figure. Soon after, Geng Yunzhai left the army and returned to his hometown to become an ordinary farmer.
After liberation, his treachery was exposed and he was imprisoned. A few years later, Wu Zhipu, chairman of Henan Province, wrote a letter to Xiao County explaining the situation, and he was released and eventually died at home.
After Wu Xinrong took refuge in Tang Enbo, his thinking changed somewhat because of our party's work. In 1942, the Kuomintang noticed a change in his attitude and sent spies to invite him to "dinner".
It didn't take long for Wu Xinrong to die mysteriously. During the Liberation War, his younger brother Wu Xinyuan led the old rebellion, and later asked Wu Zhipu to write an inscription for Wu Xinrong.
Liu Ziren was the main mastermind of the "defection incident of Geng, Wu, and Liu." After his defection, he held an important position, causing tremendous damage to our party and our army. At the end of 1949, Liu Ziren was forced to follow Zhao Zili, the commander of the 127th Army, to "revolt" in Bazhong, and was later sent to Southwest Military and Political University to study.
However, his treachery did not escape justice. In 1950, he was recognized by Wang Wei, the chief of the judicial section of his former subordinate, at the Southwest Military and Political University, and was subsequently arrested by Wu Zhipu and returned to Henan.
On March 7, 1951, Liu Ziren was executed in Kaifeng. This incident once again proves that "Skynet is magnificent, negligent but not leaky". Even if the traitors were able to enjoy the so-called glory and wealth and gold and silver power after defecting, in the end they could not escape justice.
Their crimes will forever be nailed to the pillar of shame in history to comfort the souls of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives.