In the cold winter of 1936, the Red Army was surrounded and intercepted by the Kuomintang troops, and could only temporarily shelter in northern Shaanxi.
However, the northern Shaanxi region was sparsely populated and the land was barren, and tens of thousands of Red Army soldiers were struggling with food and clothing here. Faced with this situation, Chiang Kai-shek made up his mind to destroy the Red Army within three months, mobilizing 260 regiments and 50 fighters in an attempt to swallow the Red Army in one fell swoop.
** Objectively analyzed the situation and decided not to sit still, but to take the initiative strategy. On November 20, 1936, the Red Army telegraphed the Comintern, detailing the current situation and drawing up the "New Long March Plan", which planned to set out eastward through Shanxi, Henan, Hebei, and northern Hubei.
It was planned to inform the patriotic general Zhang Xueliang by telegram at the end of November, and he realized that it was a risky chess game. After careful consideration, Zhang Xueliang quickly telegraphed to the CCP, hoping that they could "try to stay where they are and survive a month or two, and great changes may occur in the northwest and the whole country."
In the face of severe cold and internal and external difficulties, ** faces a choice between life and death. At this critical moment, do you choose to make a dangerous move and fight against the water, or do you temporarily avoid the edge and wait for the opportunity? At the moment when tens of thousands of Red Army troops were at stake, what exactly was the "great change" that Zhang Xueliang was talking about?
The Red Army joined forces in northern Shaanxi and fell into a situation of insufficient food and clothing. At the beginning of 1936, the CCP decided to cross the Yellow River and organize the anti-Japanese vanguard army to the east.
Although the Red Army achieved remarkable results in just a few months, out of the general interest of the country, **chose to lead the **Red Army back to northern Shaanxi to retain anti-Japanese forces.
In July 1936, when the vanguard army of the Red Army's Eastern Expedition returned to northern Shaanxi, the Red.
2. The Red Fourth Front Army successfully joined forces in Ganzi, Sichuan. Immediately after the merger of the two armies, a military plan was drawn up to the north.
In order to implement the plan, the Red Fourth Front Army was divided into three columns, left, center, and right, and marched north from Ganzi, Luhuo, and Suijing. Prior to this, due to Zhang Guotao's erroneous command, the Red Fourth Front Army had crossed the grassland twice, resulting in the inability to find even wild vegetables during this march, and each Red Army soldier could only receive a very small amount of barley noodles, and had to rely on cowhide and grass roots to cook soup to fill their stomachs. At the same time, the encirclement and interception of the Kuomintang troops made the Red Army face an existential crisis.
However, in red.
2. In the course of the Red Fourth Front Army's northward advance, Zhang Guotao once again wavered and put forward the erroneous proposition of crossing the Yellow River and going to Qinghai and Xinjiang to establish base areas. This decision could lead to a last-ditch battle and make matters worse for the Red Fourth Front. Fortunately, due to the cold weather and heavy snow covering the mountain, Zhang Guotao's plan was forced to cancel.
Early October 1936, red.
1. The Red Fourth Front Army successfully joined forces in Huining, Gansu Province, and held a grand rally. Leaders and Chen Changhao delivered speeches at the meeting, and the commanders and fighters of the two sides exchanged gifts, which was full of jubilant atmosphere. The Red Second Front learned that it was red.
1. After the news of the Red Fourth Front Army's rendezvous at Huining, it was greatly encouraged and accelerated its northward march. In the end, on October 22, the Red Army successfully rendezvous, and the two sides had friendly exchanges, and the Red Army also generously presented silver dollars, cattle and sheep and grain to the Red Second Front Army, and the CCP also sent *** to condole.
The Red Second Front Army successfully escaped from the encirclement and suppression of the Kuomintang troops and arrived in Huining, marking the successful completion of the strategic transfer of the three main forces of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army and drawing a victorious end to the two-year Long March.
However, there are a lot of problems behind it. First of all, Chiang Kai-shek, the three main forces of the Red Army successfully joined forces to make him panic, did not expect the Red Army to be completely annihilated, so he hurriedly mobilized nearly 20 divisions of the surrounding Kuomintang army to encircle and suppress the Red Army.
Despite the fact that under the leadership of the CCP ** and ** Military Commission, our army won the battle of the mountain castle, annihilated one Kuomintang brigade and two regiments, and basically successfully thwarted the offensive of the Kuomintang army.
However, there were only more than 10,000 men left in the Red First Army, and only 7,000 in the Red 15th Army. Despite the successful return to northern Shaanxi, the army was significantly reduced. Although the base areas in northern Shaanxi occupy more than 20 counties, they have a population of just over 400,000 square kilometers of land, creating a situation of "vast land and sparsely populated," and it is difficult to provide sufficient troops for the Red Army.
In addition, the poor natural environment, barren land, low grain production, lagging economic development, and traffic congestion in northern Shaanxi seriously restricted the supply and development of materials for the Red Army.
Some Kuomintang newspapers even gloated that they thought the Red Army's survival in northern Shaanxi was absurd. The most serious problem was that the purpose of the Red Army's Long March was to preserve its vital forces and establish an anti-Japanese national united front, and the Yellow River between northern Shaanxi and North China was difficult to cross, making it difficult for the Red Army to reach North China.
Chiang Kai-shek acted quickly. On November 20, 1936, the Red Army sent a telegram to the Comintern, stating that Chiang Kai-shek was determined to destroy the Red Army in the Soviet zone and planned to leave the 3,000 Red Army behind and dismiss the rest, thereby co-opting the Red Army and making it impossible to form an effective resistance.
The presence in the base areas of northern Shaanxi was not sustainable, especially as Chiang Kai-shek's army approached. **On November 12, 1936, the "New Long March Plan" was formulated, preparing to conquer Shanxi, Henan, Hebei, and Hubei in the east, first getting rid of Chiang Kai-shek's "blocking and anti-Japanese forces", and then establishing anti-Japanese base areas and anti-Japanese national united front.
* Although the Red Army eventually returned to northern Shaanxi, it successfully accumulated a wide range of contacts and won the hearts of the people with noble character. The Red Army even did not hesitate to withdraw its troops in order to establish an anti-Japanese base area, an act that changed Yan Xishan's political attitude, and he once proposed the establishment of an anti-Japanese national united front.
Zhang Xueliang, Yang Hucheng, Yan Xishan, and Fu Zuoyi all expected assistance from the Soviet Union, but Chiang Kai-shek kept obstructing it, forcing the Red Army to rely on itself.
The new Long March plan "made a dangerous move, and the slightest carelessness may lead to the Red Army and Chiang Kai-shek's troops being exhausted in the "civil war", but the far-reaching decision of the first is well considered.
After the Eastern Expedition, the CCP and Yan Xishan established an anti-Japanese national united front, and Yan Xishan had a positive attitude and invited the leaders of the Red Army to Shanxi to establish the Sacrifice League. In Shanxi, the Red Army planted the flame of resistance against Japan, accumulated a mass base, and established local party organizations. Although the army was in northern Shaanxi, in Shanxi, the party organization had taken root.
The formulation of the new Long March plan was also out of concern for further aggression by Chiang Kai-shek, and Zhang Xueliang was quickly informed. He was surprised to realize that the place through which the new plan passed was a densely populated and easily accessible strategic location, which would be beneficial to mechanized troops. However, the Red Army began a "new long march" and could face danger. Even if they escaped Chiang Kai-shek's encirclement and interception, they would inevitably engage in fierce battles with his troops, resulting in further damage to the anti-Japanese armed forces and making it more difficult to establish an anti-Japanese national united front.
Although Chiang Kai-shek repeatedly ordered Zhang Xueliang to encircle and suppress the Red Army, the Northeast Army was bent on establishing an anti-Japanese national united front and returning to the Northeast to fight the Japanese army. However, in the face of Chiang Kai-shek's heavy-handed methods, the survival of the Red Army was in danger, and the Northeast Army's desire to return became increasingly slim.
In order to protect the vital forces of the Red Army and stabilize the situation, at the end of November 1936, Zhang Xueliang sent a telegram to the Chinese Communist Party, suggesting that the Chinese Communist Party temporarily stationed in the same place to wait for possible major changes in the northwest and the whole country.
Zhang Xueliang repeatedly advised Chiang Kai-shek to stop the civil war and hoped to peacefully resolve the issue of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. However, Chiang Kai-shek adhered to the policy of "suppressing the Communists" and even said that he would resolutely destroy the Red Army at all costs.
Since the "918 Incident", the Northeast Army, headed by Zhang Xueliang, has harbored national hatred and family hatred. However, the Kuomintang adhered to the policy of "settling the outside world before securing the interior", and severely suppressed the Communist Party and the anti-Japanese democratic and patriotic movement, which led to the fall of Northeast China.
Faced with Chiang Kai-shek's plan to force the Red Army away again, Zhang Xueliang was deeply chilled. He realized that the time was urgent, and that if the Red Army was forced to leave, he might face a dangerous situation, especially since the road to the new Long March was full of dangers.
Chiang Kai-shek was angry that Zhang Xueliang did not actively "suppress the Communists", and on October 22, 1936, he personally flew to Xi'an in an attempt to force Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng to "suppress the Communists" by force. After learning the news, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng prepared to implement the "military advice".
After Chiang Kai-shek arrived in Xi'an, he severely criticized Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng and demanded that they "fight ineffectively". In desperation, Zhang Xueliang gave up his advice and began to arrange combat missions.
However, Chiang Kai-shek was extremely wary of Yang Hucheng. He chose to be in Huaqingchi, the garrison of the Northeast Army, rather than in Xi'an, which was commanded by Yang Hucheng. Zhang Xueliang took into account Chiang Kai-shek's vigilance against Yang Hucheng and decided that Liu Duoquan, commander of the 105th Division of the Northeast Army, would be in charge of the task, and Bai Fengxiang, commander of the Sixth Cavalry Division of the Northeast Army, would be the commander-in-chief to ensure the smooth progress of the operation.
On December 11, everything was ready, except for the east wind. Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng decided to launch a "military admonition" at 6 o'clock the next morning. That night, Chiang Kai-shek had a dinner with a group of Kuomintang officers, but he did not notice that the Northeast Army had quietly approached Lintong.
In the early morning of the next day, under the command of Bai Fengxiang, more than 100 officers and soldiers of the guard arrived in Lintong and went straight to Huaqingchi. Under the cover of night, the Northeast Army surrounded Chiang Kai-shek's guards at four or five o'clock, and after eliminating the outer guards, entered Chiang Kai-shek's bedroom. Although Chiang Kai-shek was not seen, the quilt was still warm.
Bai Fengxiang immediately reported to Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng. Zhang Xueliang felt the pressure, this was a decisive step, if he could not catch Chiang Kai-shek, the consequences would be worrying. After a calm analysis, he ordered Bai Fengxiang to lead the troops to quickly search the mountain, believing that Chiang Kai-shek must not be far away.
Sure enough, Chiang Kai-shek was not far away. Several guards escorted him to a stone cave in Lishan. When the Northeast Army found him, Chiang Kai-shek was wearing only a robe and pajama pants, and it was the dawn of the bitterly cold winter, and the wind was howling on Lishan. Chiang Kai-shek was pale and trembling all over.
The timely actions of the Northeast Army averted a tragedy. On December 12, 1936, in order to save the Red Army and the Chinese nation, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng launched the "Xi'an Incident" and placed Chiang Kai-shek under house arrest. On the same day, they sent a telegram to the Chinese Communist Party, saying that for the sake of the Chinese nation and the anti-Japanese cause, they had detained Chiang Kai-shek and others, forced them to release the patriots, reorganize the alliance, and solicited their opinions.
It turned out that this was what Zhang Xueliang called a "big change". In order to preserve the new strength of the Red Army and give up the dangerous step of the "New Long March Plan", Zhang Xueliang resolutely decided to sacrifice the interests of the Northeast Army and himself, and resolutely broke with Chiang Kai-shek completely.
After the outbreak of the Xi'an Incident, ** went to Xi'an at the invitation of Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng to discuss the plan. In fact, when the leaders of the Communist Party of China learned of the news of the Xi'an incident, they initially decided to deal with Chiang Kai-shek quickly, but reason prevailed over emotion, and ** thought that this move was "very inappropriate".
**After arriving in Xi'an, the prospects for the incident were objectively analyzed. He pointed out that Chiang Kai-shek's military strength is still strong, Xi'an and Nanjing are opposed, and if Chiang Kai-shek is continued to be placed under house arrest, it will lead to a larger-scale civil war, seriously deplete China's military strength, and run counter to the peaceful reunification of the country. Therefore, he vigorously persuaded Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng to "emphasize the necessity of releasing Chiang."
At the same time, Japan adopted a bystander attitude and even tried to take advantage of the situation to loot. They not only strongly condemned Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng, but also demanded that Nanjing send a large army to crusade against them and provide support for the "suppression of the Communist Party" activities. Japanese imperialism spread rumors that Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng were manipulated by the Soviet Union, sowing discord and stigmatizing Zhang Xueliang as a "traitor".
Nanjing** urgently mobilized ** army, approaching Shaanxi, and a civil war was about to break out. However, the situation is more serious than imagined. The pro-Japanese Kuomintang, represented by Wang Ching-wei, attempted to eliminate Chiang Kai-shek and seize power through the hands of Zhang Xueliang.
The CCP understands that if it persists in "opposing Chiang", it will definitely pay a heavy price. After understanding the complex situation in Nanking and referring to the recommendations of the Comintern, he proposed to restore Chiang Kai-shek's freedom if conditions permitted.
On December 24, 1936, under the coordination of various parties, Chiang Kai-shek was finally forced to accept the six conditions of "stopping the suppression of the Communist Party and unanimously resisting Japan". This marked the beginning of the second cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, and also meant the official establishment of the anti-Japanese national united front!
Epilogue From the beginning of the Red Army's meeting in northern Shaanxi to the peaceful settlement of the Xi'an Incident, it lasted nearly half a year. The Red Army finally got out of the predicament of being "unable to fight back" and being passively beaten, and the anti-Japanese national united front was established.
The "New Long March Plan" was a risky move, and if successful, the Red Army would be able to establish anti-Japanese base areas in North China and Shanxi, and realize the contiguous base areas. However, in order to circumvent Chiang Kai-shek's resistance and avoid the outbreak of civil war, Zhang Xueliang chose to launch the Xi'an Incident, which ended the implementation of the "New Long March Plan". Although this plan was unsuccessful, it was an extremely bold idea, which paved the way for the Red Army's future march into Shanxi and North China.
In the past six months, in order to preserve the vitality of the squadron, the Red Army endured humiliation and burden, adhered to its original intention, and made strategic adjustments many times.
The peaceful settlement of the "Xi'an Incident" was the result of the joint efforts of Zhang Xueliang, Yang Hucheng and the Chinese Communist Party, which saved the Red Army, Chiang Kai-shek, and the Chinese nation.
The peaceful settlement of the "Xi'an Incident" directly contributed to the establishment of the anti-Japanese national united front, in which the Chinese people were orderly and united externally, and the Chinese people were closely united. The Xi'an Incident laid a solid foundation for the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan. The heroic deeds of Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng, two patriotic generals, will surely go down in history and inspire future generations.