The Iron-Blooded Path of Resistance Against Japan
The Red Army Marches 9,000 Miles
At the same time as the Chinese Red Army's main force carried out the 25,000-mile Long March, another Red Army unit was also carrying out a long march that was in no way inferior to the Central Red Army in terms of hardship. They were the 25th Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, who set out from Hejiachang, Henan on November 16, 1934.
As Wu Huanxian's political commissar's bodyguard, Gao Quan was undoubtedly one of the lucky ones in this young army. With his quick wit and agility, he would often walk past the Red Army soldiers who were about the same age as him, with a rifle case slung over his shoulder, his head held high and chest out, smiling and greeting those soldiers whose rifles had not yet been fitted with bayonets. The envious glances from others gradually cultivated the smile that always lingered on his face and his faint self-confidence.
For Wu Huanxian, the political commissar who always called him "little devil" and took good care of him, Gao Quan was always respectful and admiring. Although Commissar sometimes had disagreements with Deputy Army Commander, it is undeniable that the creator of this Hubei-Henan-Anhui revolutionary base and the 25th Red Army, Wu Huanxian, was indeed very capable, brave and good at fighting, and was welcomed in the army with high prestige.
Not to mention the sacrifices made for the revolution, the wife of the political commissar, a woman worthy of respect, in such harsh environments, time and again took the only food available at home to give to the Red Army soldiers who had been wandering and starving for several meals, while she herself endured hunger and hardship. Every time I think of the political commissar's daughter who was starved to death, her emaciated appearance, when buried, there wasn't even a simple wooden coffin, it always brings tears to my eyes! Especially the brothers and sisters in Wu Zhengwei's family who had already sacrificed, out of seven people in the whole family, only three were left, if compared, only Xu Deputy Army Commander, who had lost more than 50 relatives killed by the Nationalist Party, could be compared. This is truly hanging one's head to make revolution! Sacrificing small families for everyone, in rural mountainous areas where family concepts are highly valued, people are extremely respectful of these revolutionaries, for the sake of the Red Army who are struggling to divide the land - relatives and the Red Army are one!
In the afternoon, in Hejiachong, southern Henan, a young boy wearing faded and ill-fitting military uniform, with a large box-shaped cannon slung over his waist, was hurrying along the bluestone path. The cold winter wind clung to his oversized uniform, tightly wrapping it around his short, thin body. Along the way, there were only anxious-looking Red Army soldiers rushing about. Under the oppressive atmosphere lay a huge crisis!
Since the main force of the Fourth Red Army had to withdraw from this originally nationwide Hubei-Henan-Anhui revolutionary base in 1932 due to certain reasons, the situation in the Soviet area has been continuously deteriorating. The Kuomintang's inhumane massacre, repeated encirclement and suppression by heavy troops, and the blockade of fortifications were like heavy shackles, step by step compressing the Soviet area, compressing the water that the Red Army relied on for survival! The 25th Red Army with more than 10,000 people also stepped onto the road to failure under those blind command orders. Although Commissar Wu and Commander Xu made efforts time and again, they were unable to turn the tide. The repeated failures of the attacks not only reduced the number of troops to 3,000 guns but also repeatedly pushed the originally high morale of the soldiers to a low point, making the people of the Soviet area repeatedly disappointed!
Gaoduan's father was sacrificed in an attack by the landlord's homecoming team. Until his death, this poor peasant-born tough guy didn't shed a single tear, but kept muttering: "Why hasn't our Red Army come back yet?" At that time, 13-year-old Gaoduan stood guard beside his father, watching as his eyes gradually lost their luster and slowly became empty. He deeply understood that the eyes that refused to close even in death were waiting for the return of the Red Army!
So he joined this young team in the spring of this year, when the 25th Army was reorganized and expanded. He joined a team composed of children aged 13-18. That day, he stood in front of his father's grave for a long time, wearing that uniform that had been worn by countless comrades who had made sacrifices, but never said a word. Because he knew that his father's spirit in heaven must be very happy.
But today, as he was still wearing that patchwork of clothes, he felt a strange chill as he hurried along this very wide street. The enemy's encirclement was getting tighter and tighter, and every time he went on reconnaissance with the political commissar, he could feel the threat from those dark machine gun muzzles in the pillboxes. Having been with the political commissar for so long, Gaoquan also knew that these pillboxes were meant to strangle the Red Army's neck. But for a Red Army that was short of even millet and rifles, these damn pillboxes were indeed formidable opponents!
"Grandma, if I knew who invented the bunker, I'd kill him!" The ignorant and fearless Gaoquan waved his small fist in a threatening manner, revealing a faint murderous intent on his tender face, as well as a maturity that was completely at odds with his age. Perhaps it's true that the cruelty of war makes people grow up quickly!
The central new army commander, Cheng Jun, warmly received the little messenger and then led him to the military department to discuss important military decisions. It was a big deal that Gao Quan often bragged about with other kids, but what exactly it was, he didn't know. In his eyes, whatever the political commissar and army commander did was a big deal, especially with the addition of a central army commander. Anyway, Gao Quan could barely understand his own name, let alone the grand theories that the political commissar often spoke about. He only half-understood what he said, but when it came to the university that the political commissar always mentioned - "After the national revolution is victorious, we'll send you to university to make up for your lack of culture" - Gao Quan was filled with longing. In the impoverished Dabie Mountains, even in a good harvest year, it was hard to fill one's belly, and landowners didn't eat white buns every day, let alone read books. He had heard that some suppressed Nationalist reactionaries were university graduates, but they had become worse after reading books, harming and exploiting the common people more viciously. Gao Quan felt a bit fearful of universities, and his longing was always ended by Wu Saozi's gentle pats.
In the spacious and clean dining hall of the landlord, Old Wealthy, a circle was formed with tables, surrounded by big and small leaders from the Hubei-Henan-Anhui revolutionary base, including those from the Party and the Red Army. Everyone had a gloomy expression, staring blankly at the transparent water in the large ceramic bowls, despite them being refilled multiple times by the guards of High All-around and Xu Deputy Military Commander. On either side of the table sat two intellectuals with glasses, who stopped writing to constantly grind the ink that was about to freeze, carefully pouring a small amount of hot water into it. The cold wind blowing in through the gap under the door ignored their thick, tattered cotton-padded jackets, freezing their pale faces purple. High All-around couldn't help but think maliciously that if he were to become like this in the future, how would he be able to cope? Although he was the center of attention for those young girls and daughters-in-law, where was the masculinity in being so pale and weak? In his childish heart, his father and the political commissar were the true men!
The meeting was extremely tense, after all, the Hubei-Henan-Anhui region is a stronghold that has been fought for many years, and it's inevitable to have deep feelings. Not to mention the good relationship with the masses has deeply infected these men from the Dabie Mountains. Countless loved ones sacrificed themselves for the revolution on this land soaked in blood, but they themselves gave up due to hardship. How can one bear such emotions! At least there is that unbreakable bond with their hometown - the feeling of native soil! This emotion has made countless heroes sigh and lament.
Although the central opinion was to go to Wobu Mountain, where Li Zicheng started his career, to create a new base area, after all, there were unfamiliar people and land, poor relations with the masses, and it was difficult to open up the situation. Moreover, letting a team of 16- or 17-year-old boys go to a place far away from their hometown, in case something happened, the troops would disperse. Creating a new base area near Hubei, Henan and Anhui today, when the enemy is blockading with fortifications, surrounding with heavy troops, and the depth and scope of activities are getting smaller and smaller, this is indeed a very difficult thing to do. Moreover, even if we get closer to the base area, it is still hard to mobilize the main force of the enemy, and the burden on the base area remains so heavy!
Even the dining hall of the wealthy landlord's family was still shrouded in this thick smoke, everyone looked worried and unhappy, either circling and drawing on their books or smoking with their heads down in deep thought. Making the decision to leave was really too difficult, especially for the local-born cadres. In the end, it was the Party Central Committee's decision and its boundless prestige that made everyone agree, no matter whether this decision was right or wrong, the central command must be executed!
In order to conceal the march and not let the enemy discover their tracks, and also to avoid causing any extra worries for the ordinary people, the troops decided to set out at night, following the residual momentum of the Dabie Mountains, and walk out of the enemy's encirclement.
On the quiet street, there were neat and tidy Red Army soldiers with tender faces and heavy rifles. The slightly slippery bluestone road was still emitting the fragrance of freshly harvested grain from their straw sandals. A long procession emerged in the darkness. Following Political Commissar Gao Quan, he kept looking at the scenery around him. Those slogans illuminated by dim oil lamps or crackling torches were so eye-catching: "Starving poor people, come and follow the Red Army!"
But the Red Army didn't have any extra either! The corn bun in his pocket was specially left for him by his pale and wan sister-in-law that afternoon, but Gaoquan knew very clearly that the second child of the political commissar's family must be searching everywhere for food with an empty stomach, and his swollen belly must be filled with cold water. But Gaoquan couldn't refuse either, facing his sister-in-law's sincere gaze, even the most iron-hearted person in the world couldn't refuse! This was simply more kind-hearted than the clay Buddha in the temple! He secretly decided that this corn bun would definitely be left for the seriously wounded soldiers to eat at a critical moment (years later, when Gaoquan learned that Wu Zhengzhi's wife and only child had starved to death shortly after they left, he cried bitterly for a long time!)
At some unknown time, a tightly closed wooden door creaked open with a "creak" sound, and in the dark night, Gao Quan could only make out that it was a human head sticking out. Then, after several more "creaks", many wooden doors opened one by one, and pairs of longing eyes looked at these Red Army men who were about to leave again, not knowing when they would return! Gao Quan seemed to read from their eyes in an instant: "Why are you wandering spirits again? Why can't you stay? We can give you a warm home! Why do you always leave silently time and time again, giving us endless melancholy and worry, worrying that the next day we'll see white dogs all over the streets!"
Facing this situation, facing the crowd with infinite expectations, Gaoquan lowered his head in silence, unable to make a promise. "No, not even if the political commissar and the army commander were here! We can only march at night, find a tiny gap in the enemy's tight defense line at night. We are just a group of revolutionaries lacking real power, we need to keep exploring to find a reliable base, at least not this piece of land under our feet now. Sorry to the crowd, but we will return many years later, with countless elite soldiers, with victory! Please believe us, because this is our heartfelt cry! Because I deeply love this land under my feet - my hometown!"
Gao Daquan set off with the heavy conviction that we will return, carrying this weighty burden and inner vow, and slowly departed from his hometown with infinite nostalgia, riding Secretary's Qinghua horse, far away, far away...
