"What, the Red Army crossed the Luding Bridge, how is this possible? ”
Knowing that the Red Army had overcome difficulties and seized the strategic point of storming the Luding Bridge, Chiang Kai-shek felt incredulous, and he scolded, "Niang Xipi, Liu Ziqian (Liu Wenhui's character Ziqian), this Lu Zijing (Lu Su of the Three Kingdoms), who eats inside and out, has ruined my big thing, sinners, sinners, ......."”
Lao Chiang had already transferred two brigades to assist the Sichuan army in intercepting the Red Army on the opposite bank; Moreover, he also ordered Liu Wenhui to blow up the Luding Bridge, the only way for the Red Army to cross the river, at any cost.
According to intelligence, Liu Wenhui has dismantled half of the bridge slabs on the Luding Bridge and planted explosives underneath.
After learning the news, Chiang Kai-shek was very proud, the Red Army became "Shi Dakai's second", there was no suspense, the great achievement was about to be completed, he was already planning to hold a celebration party in Nanjing, drink the victory wine.
However, reality ruthlessly shattered Chiang Kai-shek's dreams, which made how could he not be angry.
He didn't understand why Liu Wenhui didn't blow up the Luding Bridge.
Also feeling a little puzzled were Wang Kaixiang, the head of the Red Fourth Regiment, and Yang Chengwu, the political commissar.
When the dawn of May 29 was approaching, Wang Kaixiang and Yang Chengwu braved the heavy rain and led their troops to reach the Shangtian Dam, ten miles away from the Luding Bridge.
At this time, there was a Red Army that had reached the west bridgehead of Luding Bridge.
Their feedback was that half of the bridge deck of the Luding Bridge had been dismantled, and the iron cables on the bridge had not been moved.
The two Red Army generals were suspicious: Liu Wenhui should have had plenty of time to blow up the bridge, why didn't he do that in the end?
On May 19, 1935, Chiang Kai-shek flew a plane circling over Xichang to observe the military situation.
He thought that the Red Army would definitely go there in the future, so he ordered Liu Yuanzhang, the commander of the Western Frontier, to destroy Xichang.
But surprisingly, the Red Army did not capture Xichang, but made a detour to the north.
Chiang Kai-shek also ordered that the entire territory of Sichuan should immediately implement the policy of fortifying the walls and clearing the wilderness, and the troops stopped their operations and turned to large-scale fortifications to encircle the Red Army.
This trick really worked, and the Red Army was in a desperate situation, and had to march to Anshunchang, the crossing of the Dadu River, on the night of May 24, intending to cross the Dadu River.
Chiang Kai-shek was overjoyed, because more than 70 years ago, Shi Dakai, the general of the Taiping Army, suffered a catastrophe in the Dadu River and was blocked by the Qing army.
So, he came to Wuhua Mountain in Yunnan Province, lived in a villa on the mountain, unfolded a military map, and formulated the "Dadu River Battle Plan" here.
In addition, he also held a copy of "Yong'an Wen Continuation" and read it repeatedly, which is about the process of Shi Dakai tens of thousands of horses and destroying in the Dadu River.
He may also be a little confused, ** is a person who is well-versed in the past and the present, why did he repeat the mistake of Shi Dakai? I didn't believe it for a while.
It wasn't until it was finally confirmed that most of the Red Army had arrived at Anshun Field that Chiang Kai-shek laughed out loud and thought: Wait, Runzhi, I will make you the second Shi Dakai.
But a few days later, an unbelievable news came that the Red Army had captured the Luding Bridge, tens of thousands of horses and horses passed safely, and his wishful thinking fell through.
As a key figure in this plan, why the Sichuan warlord Liu Xiang did not make a heavy move at the last moment has become a historical mystery, which not only puzzles the leaders of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, but also makes countless historians scratch their heads.
What kind of considerations did he have for not carrying out Chiang Kai-shek's order to blow up the bridge?
To answer this question, we must first start with the situation of warlordism at that time.
After Yuan Shikai failed to claim the emperor, he was so angry that he was killed.
Lao Yuan is the leader of the Beiyang warlords, and his death has opened Pandora's box, and no one of the Beiyang warlords can control the situation, no one will obey anyone, and they all have hegemony ambitions.
Since then, China has been mired in warlord secession and endless melee wars have begun.
At the end of the Northern Expedition in 1928, the Anhui and direct warlords became history, but the northeast controlled by the Feng warlords had de facto declared independence with the support of the Japanese, and China was still in the middle of the list.
On June 4, 1928, there was a loud bang at Huanggutun Station, Zhang Dashuai's life was whimpered, and the close cooperation between Feng and the Japanese was terminated.
On December 29, 1928, the patriotic general Zhang Xueliang withstood internal and external pressure, resolutely terminated independence, and returned to China in the Northeast.
At this point, China was reunified, but it was only formal, and the situation of warlord secession still existed.
At the time of the Red Army's Long March, Xinjiang, Shanxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Lianghu, Liangguang, and Shandong were all under the control of the warlords.
These warlords have a common characteristic, that is, their qualifications are no worse than those of Chiang Kai-shek, and they do not obey the old Chiang.
Whether it is Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi, Yan Xishan, Feng Yuxiang, or Tang Shengzhi, Long Yun, Lu Han, and Wang Jialie, they all participated in the revolution earlier than Chiang Kai-shek.
Therefore, they did not recognize Chiang Kai-shek, and although they surrendered to Chiang Kai-shek on the surface, it was also a last resort.
On the surface, they are respectful to Commander-in-Chief Jiang and Jiang **, but behind the scenes, they still play their own calculations, and their personal interests are paramount.
The loyalty of our party generals to the organization is based on faith, and the relationship between the warlords and Chiang Kai-shek is the maintenance of interests.
Once faced with a choice, personal interests will definitely take precedence over the interests of the so-called "party-state", and if there is a good opportunity, they will not hesitate to stab Chiang Kai-shek in the back.
The attitude of the warlords was that as long as the Red Army did not stay in their own territory for too long, they could say anything, and they would not send heavy troops to fight the Red Army hard.
During the Red Army's Long March, warlords intentionally or unintentionally released water into our army, which happened from time to time, and it was not uncommon.
First of all, they believed that after the Battle of Xiangjiang, Chiang Kai-shek had the ability to destroy the Red Army, but he deliberately did not do so, and let the Red Army go to the southwest, so as to weaken the local warlords under the banner of "suppressing the Communists".
Many years later, Jiang Weiguo once bluntly said: "It's not so much that we didn't succeed in breaking through the encirclement, but that we released water." (Central media: Was the Red Army's Long March successful because Chiang Kai-shek deliberately "released water"?) "People**" client 2016-10-20).
As we all know, the warlords have their own independent kingdoms, and the water cannot be poured.
However, once there is an excuse for "suppressing bandits", the ** army can go to their territory to fight and infiltrate.
Not only that, in the "encirclement and suppression", the local warlords and the Red Army can fight to defeat both, no matter who wins or loses, the ** army is happy to see it, this is called "killing people with a knife".
Of course, this was Chiang Weiguo's one-sided statement, and the truth was not exactly as he said, Chiang Kai-shek naturally wanted to destroy the Red Army, but he did not do it.
Because the Kuomintang was unpopular, the Red Army was supported by the people, and the soldiers were united.
In addition, the warlords and Chiang Kai-shek shared different dreams, they had their own ghosts, and their ambiguous attitude when blocking the Red Army was also one of the reasons why the Red Army successfully reached northern Shaanxi.
When the Red Army set out on the Long March, the Cantonese warlords signed a secret agreement to lend the Red Army a route.
When the Hunan warlords fought against the Red Army, they did not exert all their strength, and passivity and sabotage were the norm.
The Gui warlords had a very clever attitude towards the Red Army, that is, "a send-off pursuit, a knock-on blockade", specifically not attacking the vanguard of the Red Army, nor attacking the main force of the Red Army, but only carrying out symbolic attacks on the rear guard of the Red Army.
The Guizhou warlord Wang Jialie's attitude towards the Red Army is more interesting, he chooses to avoid it, and tries to avoid contact with the Red Army.
The Yunnan warlord Long Yun was even more blatant, and after finding out that the Red Army was only a hole card for transit, he simply issued an order not to clash with the Red Army, and whoever disobeyed the order would be punished.
The attitude of the Sichuan army towards the Red Army was also not significantly different, it was "turning a blind eye".
Liu Wenhui, the warlord of Sichuan, is not a general, or rather, the situation he faces is more delicate.
Liu Wenhui was born in 1895 in Dayi, Sichuan, and graduated from the Baoding Army Military Academy.
We know that Chiang Kai-shek also graduated from this military school, and the two are considered alumni.
After graduation, he began his military career, starting as a battalion commander, growing step by step, and becoming the Sichuan Military Affairs Supervisor.
When Chiang Kai-shek launched a counter-revolutionary coup, Liu Wenhui actively supported it, so when the old Chiang became the first leader, he also followed the light and was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Sichuan-Kang border defense and the chairman of Sichuan Province.
Even so, Liu Wenhui was also separated from Chiang Kai-shek, and he only used him, not loyalty.
No, in 1930, when Feng Yuxiang and Yan Xishan attacked Chiang Kai-shek and started the Central Plains War, Liu Wenhui instantly turned his face with Chiang Kai-shek.
Together with Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi, he joined the anti-Chiang alliance and shouted for Feng Yan.
Lao Jiang is angry, you eat me and drink me, but you me behind your back?
As a result, Lao Jiang secretly supported Liu Wenhui's uncle Liu Xiang and defeated him in 1932.
In this regard, Liu Xiang knows very well, don't mention the hatred for Lao Jiang.
After being defeated by Liu Xiang in 1932, Liu Wenhui led his troops to retreat to Xikang.
In 1935, Chiang Kai-shek appointed him chairman of the Xikang Provincial Committee and chairman of the Preparatory Committee of the Xikang Provincial Party Department of the Kuomintang, which was regarded as a recognition of his legal status.
But Xikang is a barren land, poor in resources, extremely desolate, and Sichuan, the country of abundance, can not be compared with it at all, Liu Wenhui is not a taste in his heart, and he is definitely dissatisfied with Chiang Kai-shek.
The enemy of the enemy is a friend, Liu Wenhui has always admired the Communist Party in his heart, and around 1940 began to contact the Chinese Communists and democrats, and in 1942 even set up a secret radio station to make direct contact with Yan'an.
That is to say, Liu Wenhui did not want the Red Army to be wiped out.
If the bridge is blown up and the Red Army is blocked on this side of the Dadu River, according to the tenacious style of the Red Army, it is impossible for the whole army to be annihilated, which will add endless troubles to Liu Wenhui and will make Xikang restless, which is the last thing Liu Wenhui wants to see.
In other words, it was in Liu Wenhui's best interest for the Red Army to cross the river.
However, after receiving Chiang Kai-shek's order, Liu Wenhui could not disobey it openly, so he had to symbolically resist and perfunctory.
In May 1935, after Liu Wenhui received an order from Lao Jiang, he sent a brigade to remove the wooden planks on the Luding Bridge and planted explosives under the bridge in advance.
However, when the Red Army commandos came to the bridge, the troops stationed in Sichuan did not receive an order to introduce the first medicine.
In the end, the Red Army flew to capture the Luding Bridge, and the army successfully passed through the Dadu River.
Liu Wenhui did not blow up the Luding Bridge, both politically and economically.
Xikang is very backward and lacks resources, and Luding Bridge is the only channel to Sichuan to the world, and it is the lifeblood of obtaining resources and developing the economy.
According to the technical level at that time, the construction of such a bridge not only consumed a lot of manpower and material resources, but also took a long time.
Besides, Luding Bridge is a historic site, which was built during the Kangxi period, and if the Luding Bridge is gone, he will not only have to bear the crime of destroying the monument, but also bear the cost and loss of rebuilding the bridge.
In other words, if the bridge is not blown up, the Red Army can all cross the river smoothly and leave Liu Wenhui's sphere of influence, and Liu Wenhui can rest easy.
Once the bridge is blown up, it will be possible for the Red Army to stay in his territory, and Liu Wenhui will never have a peaceful day, and he will have to be scolded by his descendants again, and he will have to bear a huge amount of expenses to repair the bridge, and the economy of Chuankang will also greatly regress.
In the end, what kind of choice is cost-effective, I'm afraid even primary school students know, and Liu Wenhui knows better.
Of course, the brave Red Army is by no means the Taiping Army, and the wise *** is by no means comparable to Shi Dakai; Even if Liu Wenhui blows up the Luding Bridge, the Red Army can still find another way, survive in a desperate situation, and develop and grow, and will not affect the final direction of the Chinese revolution.