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The Long March Begins
(china.org.cn)
Updated: 2004-06-25 10:08 Communist-nationalist alliance breaks
up
The Chinese Communist Party had its origins in 1921. The shaky alliance with
the Nationalist Party headed by Chiang Kaishek came to a halt on the morning of
April 12th, 1927 with a feast of heads. Thousands perished. Some were shot; some
beheaded; some hurled alive into the glowing furnaces of steam locomotives. So
many heads were chopped off that the weary arms could hardly raise their great
scimitars from their sides. What few escaped, including Zhou Enlai fled to the
west to Jiangxi Province. The remoteness of Jiangxi was so great in the 1930s
that the government had almost no control over this area. Roadless, as was most
of China in those years, it was traversed only by mountain footpaths by people
carrying bundles on their backs, horse-and-mule caravans, single file, too
narrow for even carts, made Jiangxi a haven for rebellion. Everywhere flourished
illiteracy, disease, poverty, and ignorance. It was here that Mao Zedong set up
his new Soviet Communist zone.
The Soviet Zone in Jiangxi
For seven years the communists prospered despite everything Chiang Kaishek
and his Nationalists Koumingtong (KMT) could do in The First, Second, Third,
Fourth, and now the Fifth, "annihilation" campaign against the "Red Bandits" as
he referred to them. Until the Fifth Campaign, the Communists had played
hit-and-run. They sucked the KMT deep into their territory and sandbagged them
with deadly ambushes. The Communist captured huge quantities of guns and
ammunition and from the thousands of KMT prisoners, they replenished losses in
their ranks. Now in the Fifth Campaign, thanks to Hitler who had dispatched one
of his best Generals, Hans von Seeckt, to come to China to direct the newest
tactics. Von Seeckt moved the KMT troops forward very slowly and then built
concrete reinforced blockhouses and pillboxes (some 3,000 in the past year).
This allowed the KMT to control every path and road. The noose was being drawn
around the Red Army slowly but surely. Now the Red Army was confronting the KMT
in costly head to head battles. For Chiang, the end to the Red Bandits was near
at hand and he took great comfort in this.
Moscow had sent their German, Otto Braun, to advise the Chinese communist
group. The Red Army was now under the leadership of Otto Braun, (Chinese name of
Li De) Bo Gu, (a Moscow trained Chinese), and Zhou Enlai. Mao was not in a
leadership role and had no say in the operations, military or otherwise. After a
year of terrible losses (about 60,000 men), one disastrous battle after another
throughout Chiang's Fifth Campaign, the end was near. As autumn 1933 gave way to
winter 1934, the Fifth Campaign chewed into Communist territory. The Soviet
Republic contracted again and again. By autumn of 1934, the Communists had lost
58% of their territory. It was decided that the Red Army must leave the area in
order to survive. On October 16th, the move began. No one was sure where they
were heading, they were just leaving.
The Long March Begins
86,000 men and woman began the trip that would last over a year until October
19, 1935 in Yan'an in Sha'anxi Province. Some of the prominent Chinese leaders
that began the Long March were Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, Zhu De,
Peng Dehuai, leading the Third Army Group, Lin Biao, leading the First Army
Group, Nie Rongzhen, political commissar of the First Front Army, Liu Bocheng,
Ye Jianying, (the preceding from Zhu to Ye would later be declared Marshals in
1955), and Li Xiannian, who would become the President of the People's Republic
of China. He Long, (also to be named a Marshal) had been sent ahead leading the
Second Army Group and to-be-Marshal Chen Yi was left behind with the wounded and
sick.
By its standards, the Red Army started the Long March quite well armed. It
had 33,243 rifles, carbines, pistols, submachine guns, light machine guns, and
heavy machine guns. It processed 38 mortars. They brought along a store of
1,801,640 cartridges, 3,523 mortar shells, and 76,526 hand grenades. A KMT force
of 300,000 to 400,000 men opposed them. Numerous deals were made with local KMT
warlords about passing through their territory unmolested. The Red Army agreed
to just pass through and leave and the warlord promised to look the other way
for a short period while they passed through.
The Crossing of the Xiang River
The first major battle was crossing the Xiang River. It was fought for a week
--- November 25th to December 3rd. By most accounts, it was a disaster. By the
time they reached Zunyi, a month later, the Red Army had about 30,000 troops
left. One of the major problems was the baggage train of equipment carried by
porters stretched out for 50 miles. A great deal of equipment was tossed into
the Xiang River. Things were not going well for the leadership of Li De (Otto
Braun) and discontent was spreading. The Red Army was heading south and west to
join He Long's army. Because many KMT troops blocked the way, they wheeled south
into Guizhou Province to draw off forces guarding the Yangzi River crossings. By
January 7th they had taken and occupied Zunyi.
Mao Takes Over Command
At Zunyi a conference took place that would forever change the face of China.
Mao emerged from the conference as the leader of the Communists Party and
overall commander of the Red Army. Otto Braun was out. There was much change
taking place. With Mao in command the men felt at ease. Now the men were told
what they were doing and what was happening. The plan had been to forge to the
north, join with He Long's Second Army group and cross the Yangzi River. Red
Army intelligence reported that the KMT had 400,000 crack troops poised to block
such an attempt. As the Red Army left Zunyi to the north Mao had about 35,000
troops including many he had just recently recruited. Now Mao changed course and
the Red Army doubled back to the south and west.
Loushan Pass Victory
Close calls were the common thing. As they approached Loushan pass blocking
Zunyi, Peng Dehuai set his men off at the double (they had been at the double
for several days). Peng's troops reached the pass minutes ahead of the KMT who
arrived about 200 yards down the pass on the other side. In the next two days,
they smashed the enemy forces, knocking out two divisions and eight regiments,
killing or driving into the mountains some 3,000 KMT troops and taking 2,000
prisoners. They captured 1,000 rifles and 100,000 rounds of ammunition. The
Nationalist press admitted "extremely great losses." At the River Wu, KMT
General Wi Qiwei was caught with half his army on the wrong side of the river.
More than 1,800 men surrendered and handed over their weapons. About 800 signed
up to serve in the Red Army.
Chiang's KMT is set in disarray
Mao sent his men in several directions trying to confuse Chiang. Chiang had
between 500,000 and 750,000 men on the chessboard to prevent Mao from escaping
north across the Yangzi. The KMT leader sent men to this place and that to
defend where he thought Mao would attack next. A feint was made to Guiyang and
KMT forces were sent to defend that city. A feint was made to Kunming and KMT
forces were sent to defend that city. In fact, the Red Army was everywhere.
Probably never before or afterward has it been so scattered, moving
simultaneously in so many directions. Red Army forces were, by this time, down
to 20,000 men. The feints succeeded in opening a way for the Red Army to cross
the Golden Sands River, a tributary of the Yangzi.
Crossing the Luding Bridge
Next was the crossing of the Luding Bridge, about a 1,000 li to the north. A
li is an interesting distance measurement. An uphill li is shorter than a
downhill li. So, it measures how long the journey will take not how far. They
had to beat Chiang to the river, and they did. Next was the race to the Luding
bridge. It was an ancient structure built in 1701. This bridge is situated to
the west of Luding County. The bridge measures about 100 meters long and 2.8
meters wide. Thirteen chains supported the side supports as well as those for
the bridge floor. Irregular planking lay on the flooring. The bridge is still
there today. They had 100 miles to get to the river in two days and then take
the bridge. Abandoning their equipment except rifles and bullets, they raced to
the bridge. On the other side of the river, a KMT unit was also racing to the
bridge. The KMT unit stopped for the night and the Red Army beat them to the
bridge. On May 29, 1935, the Red Army arrived here. Despite of the heavy gunfire
from the enemy troops stationed at the bridge and the fact that the KMT had
removed the planking, the Red Army assault team of 22 crawled forward,
exterminated the enemy force and took the bridge with a loss of only 7 men.
Crossing the Great Snowies
Next was the Great Snowy Mountains that would take the lives of so many. The
14,000 and 15,000-foot height would kill many men who would just die for lack of
oxygen. Halting at the top proved to be fatal. It was terrible not to rest, but
rest meant death. The best was to sit down and slide. Let the ice take you to
the bottom. Some were lost, catapulted off cliffs, other suffered broken bones,
but many survived. To most of the Red Army, the Snowies were the worst
experience of the Long March.
Meeting with Zhang Guotao
On June 24th Mao arrived at the town of Lianghekou to meet up with Zhang
Guotao, the commander of the Fourth Front Army. Zhang had been in the field
establishing a series of base areas for five years. There were questions about
the size of the respective forces. Zhang had about 100,000 troops. Both were
exaggerating their forces. Zhang had about seventy to eighty thousand combat
troops and perhaps seventy thousand non-combat personnel. But Mao had
exaggerated more. He had about 10,000 troops. Wisely, Mao had dispersed his
troops so Zhang could not know the exact number, but it was obvious that he
out-numbered Mao greatly. Friction soon developed. Mao had sent Peng Dehuai of
the Third Army and Lin Biao of the First off in different directions. Perhaps he
did not trust Zhang, but he was taking precautions. A great celebration took
place with cordial outward appearances, but underneath, and not far underneath,
there ran a current of bitterness, hostility and suspicion.
Crossing the Grasslands
Next, they had to cross over the grasslands. It was a five to seven day
journey across an inland Sargasso Sea, which lies on the eleven-thousand-foot
plateau between the watersheds of the Yangzi and Yellow Rivers. It looks
innocent, but it was a deadly trap for the unwary. It was covered with flowers
but beneath the flowers lurked bogs that could swallow a man in a minute. Also,
there were no people, no food, and no firewood to cook. The temperatures were
just above freezing. The grass roots shifted with each step. The muck was not
only slippery, it was like glue. Once in it, you sank deeper and deeper. The
more you struggled, the faster you went down. Once they found a pig and ate it.
The following troops ate the pigskin left by the leading troops. Mao lost more
men the in the Grasslands than in the Snowies.
Avoiding Disaster
The date was September 10. Trouble was building up. Mao and Zhang Guotao had
joined up together after the grasslands. Their talks had gone badly. Rumors were
flying. Mao had taken the precaution of changing the codes. He had restricted
communications between his troops to protect security. Again, Mao had dispersed
his troops for fear of what might happen. Peng and the Third Army were stationed
4 miles away, Lin and the Third Army was two days distant. Zhang wanted to move
to the North and West to establish a base near Russia in a non-Chinese area. Mao
wanted to move to the North and East into a Chinese base. Intercepting a secret
message from Zhang, Ye Jianying, the commander of Zhang's troops secretly
relayed the message to Mao.
Zhang was possibly trying to take over the entire Red Army and oust Mao. Ye
escaped away with Mao and Mao's troops, out of Zhang's reach. Zhang considered
sending his more powerful army after Mao. Asking his commander, future Marshal
Xu Xiangqian, "Shall we send troops after then?" Xu replied, "Have you ever seen
the Red Army attacking the Red Army?" That was it. It was a dangerous moment in
the history of the Party. Xu and Ye both got credit for stopping an open
conflict. Both generals Ye and Xu would become Marshals in 1955 and would be
protected by Mao during the Cultural Revolution. Zhang Guotao was enraged and
held Zhu De and Liu Bocheng captive for over a year. Zhang Guotao was going
south; Mao was going north. In 1938, Zhang would join Chiang and the KMT,
eventually then to exile in Hong Kong and then Canada.
Conquering Lazikou Pass
On September 15 an order came through, "In two days we must conquer Lazikou."
They skirmished with a battalion of the KMT Fourteenth Division and scattered
them. From prisoners they learned the Fourteenth had built blockhouses at
Lazikou. The pass at Lazikou was extraordinary narrow. The right side had a
cliff that rose almost perpendicularly for a thousand feet. Across the pass, one
hundred feet wide and narrowing to twelve at its throat, rose another cliff, not
quite so high. It was jagged, not sheer. It could be climbed, perhaps, but not
with machine guns looking down at you. The position, as anyone who observes it
today can see, is impregnable.
The order was given, "We must take the Lazikou Pass or go back through the
Grasslands." Three KMT regiments and two battalions defended the pass. A
succession of night attacks failed. There were heavy casualties. Mao ordered
direct assaults halted. A band of experienced mountaineers assembled for a new
plan. These men, thirty to sixty in all, about twelve Miao and other minority
fighters gathered in the darkness. There was no alpine climbing gear. From
prisoners they learned additional KMT forces soon would arrive. Toward dawn,
explosions came from the mountain. The mountain men had reached the peak and
rained down grenades. Within minutes, the KMT soldiers ran for their lives. The
Red Army would not have to return to the Grasslands.
Ma Cavalry
The Red Army had some Ma cavalry of the KMT harassing the rear. On the 20th,
Mao set up a trap in the Wuqi area. Three rivers cut through the loess at this
point. Mao put his men in a half-moon formation to lure the Ma cavalry up the
valley. The Ma cavalry moved up to the attack, four regiments, about a thousand
men in each. Mao's forced numbered about the same. Within two hours, the Ma fled
the battlefield carrying the remains of their forces. The Red Army was home and
no enemy faced them. Of the 86,000 who began, only 4,000 remained. The Long
March ended. They had marched 25,000 li -- 6,000 miles.
Those left Behind
What of General Chen Yi who had remained back in Jiangxi with the old and
wounded? When the Red Army moved out in October 16, 1934, Chen Yi had about
30,000 men of which 10,000 were wounded including Chen Yi. A KMT force of
100,000 inexorably moved in on them. By February, 1935 they had about 2,000
troops and 2,000 wounded. Chen Yi summoned a meeting of the area leaders. He
spoke with great emotion. Yi said, " Take these wounded men into your homes.
They are our sons. They are very young. They can make good sons and good
sons-in-law for you. They can marry your daughters. They can work for you and
you will have one more pair of hands in your family. You will have their labor
and perhaps someone to take revenge for you."
Before Chen Yi had finished, tears had come to the eyes of the peasants and
of the wounded, and to those of Chen Yi as well. Within half a day, every
wounded man had been placed with a peasant family, dispersed invisibly in the
countryside; each equipped with several silver dollars, medicine for treating
their wounds, and 3 pounds of salt, a priceless gift in this region of a KMT
blockade. The remainder of the men moved off on the morning of March 4, 1935.
Chiang offered 50,000 Yuan for the capture of the leaders. By March 9, after
fearsome losses they had only about 80 men left. Living off the land, never
sleeping in the same place twice they would spend the next two years making
their way to join Mao. It would be 1937 before they would be able to join Mao.
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