1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll

Because, of the more than 6 people who died in this siege, 5 of them starved to death after eating all the edible animals, leather products, and medicinal herbs in the Chinese medicine shops!

Putting aside the fact that Liu Zhenhua was a bastard, what is even more infuriating is the behavior of this group of Shaanxi gentry in the war of 1926!

They either left Xi'an with a large amount of food in advance and went into hiding, or they hid the food and refused to release it, taking advantage of the situation to raise the price for profit, or even colluding with Liu Zhenhua outside the city to rebel!

If it weren't for the Shaanxi Army and its people's ability to endure hardships, if it weren't for Yang Hucheng and many other generals leading the charge, if it weren't for the desperate pressure of using guns to force them, if it weren't for...

Who knows how the battle to defend Chang'an will turn out!

Therefore, although he was from Shaanxi and had reached the highest position among the officials, Yang Hucheng had long been fed up with the gentry in Shaanxi who had no home or country and only cared about their own petty profits.

Xie Hua's words immediately struck Yang Hucheng's heart. After a long silence, he asked softly:

"What do you comrades from the Chinese Communist Party want me to do?"

.

After a long discussion between the two sides, Xie Hua finally went back happily to report the results with the newly signed draft of the "Xi'an Secret Agreement".

What Xie Hua didn't know was that the door to the other side of the room he had just been in was opened, and a rough voice came out:

"I say, Hucheng, why are you so timid? You agree to whatever the Communist Party says!"

"Yunlong, how dare you say that to me! When you were in Hankou, why didn't you dare to fight the Communists?"

"Hehe...Hehe."

The man touched his head and smiled without saying anything.

Li Yunlong is Li Huchen, Yang Hucheng's good comrade-in-arms, the one who defended Xi'an with him back then.

After being forced to step down in 1930, he traveled all over the country. When he arrived in Hankou, he encountered Chairman Chiang Kai-shek's encirclement and suppression of the Red Army and was assassinated.

By the way, the news Li Huchen brought back from Hankou was also one of the important reasons why Yang Hucheng was so "well-behaved".

"So you're planning to join the Communist Party?" "Haven't you heard anyone say that?"

"What?"

"They don't need us to declare our allegiance or accept reorganization. They just need us to persist in resisting the Japanese and not attack them."

"But, if you send people to fight against the Japanese with them, in the eyes of Chairman Chiang, you are completely surrendering to the enemy!"

“3,

Yang Hucheng pursed his lips, his eyes determined: "I must do something for the people of my hometown."

On August 7, Yang Hucheng, Chairman of the Shaanxi Provincial Government, announced that he would send 5000 troops to follow the Red Army north to fight against the Japanese.

As soon as the news came out, the whole world was shocked.

332 The Shaanxi-Northern Guerrillas are almost finished

"Comrade Xie Hua has done a great job..."

Li Desheng was amazed when he saw the "Memorandum of Understanding between the Communist Party of China and the Shaanxi Provincial Government on Certain Issues" (referred to as the "Xi'an Secret Agreement") signed and stamped by Yang Hucheng.

Although he had expected this, he was still somewhat shocked by Yang Hucheng's quick agreement and decisive action.

All I can say is that all the conditions perfectly hit Yang Hucheng's pain points, so he was so straightforward!

The conditions agreed upon by both parties include but are not limited to:

The two sides agreed to mutual understanding, non-aggression, and opposition to Chiang Kai-shek and Japan;

The CCP established a party branch and contact points within the 17th Route Army;

The Red Army could send troops to Xi'an to purchase necessary supplies; the Red Army could establish a Soviet regime in Shaanxi Province; the 17th Route Army could donate some medicine and maps to the Red Army; the 17th Route Army could send troops to follow the Red Army north to fight against the Japanese; and all imprisoned CCP members and revolutionary masses could be released.

As long as they do not enter Xi'an and towns, the Red Army can move freely in Shaanxi... Compared with the "Hanzhong Secret Agreement" reached between Yang Hucheng and the Red Fourth Front Army in history, the terms of this "Xi'an Secret Agreement" are obviously much more favorable to the Red Army.

At least, when Yang Hucheng allowed the CCP to establish a party branch in his army, it was done covertly, and he had to hide when he encountered someone (the Central Bureau of Investigation) trying to catch him. Now, it is almost the same as being open and aboveboard.

If these conditions were known to outsiders, their impression of Yang Hucheng would be the same as their impression of Fan Shisheng and even Wang Jiaben:

This guy bet everything on the CCP, believing that the other party would definitely be able to defeat Chiang Kai-shek and seize the world, so he invested in advance.

Regardless of what others think, the Red Army did give Yang Hucheng benefits. In addition to some "industrial support" that he could not understand, they also agreed to a condition that was personal to Yang Hucheng but not personal.

Let’s talk about this later.

"Haha, Comrade Xie Hua has indeed helped us solve a big worry..."

Xu Xiangqian, who came to report the situation, also praised it and then asked tentatively:

"Chairman, are we really not going to enter Xi'an? Are we just going to take a walk around the periphery and leave?"

"No!"

Li Desheng smiled and shook his head:

"Don't be fooled by Yang Hucheng's willingness to agree. It's precisely because of this willingness that he's clearly worried about me entering Xi'an!"

"Uh..."

"Don't worry, as long as we leave the spark, even if we don't enter Xi'an, the people of Xi'an will support us and move closer to us. Even if Yang Hucheng wants to do something, he won't be able to turn the tables!"

Yang Hucheng was undoubtedly a patriotic anti-Japanese general with good character, but he was also a warlord. Li Desheng was well aware of the warlord's little tricks:

He wanted to explore the secret of the Red Army's strength and use the Communist Party members to transform the 17th Route Army so that he could become stronger, but he was also worried that the Communist Party would seize the opportunity to seize power.

This can be seen from the fact that he clearly hated the gentry but did not take action, and although he agreed to the party branch's affairs, he did not give the Red Army cadres military power, nor did he invite the main force of the Red Army heading north to enter Xi'an.

However, Yang Hucheng still did not understand one thing: Chiang Kai-shek had to purge the party not because the CCP cadres had too much military power.

Anyway, when the seed grows into a big tree, Yang Hucheng will only have two choices:

Or, follow Chiang Kai-shek's example and purge the Party, killing all the Communist Party members in the Shaanxi Provincial Government and the 17th Route Army along with their own grassroots cadres;

Or, if you become a member of the Communist Party of China, you will at least maintain an absolutely friendly attitude towards the Communist Party, actively or passively.

"Yes, Chairman! Then I will arrange for the troops to circle east of Xi'an and then head north!"

"Let the whole army march out!"

Soon, under the worried, vigilant, hateful, curious or yearning gazes of Yang Hucheng, Li Yunlong, the Xi'an gentry and the people of Xi'an, the huge Red Army crossed the Wei River and continued to march north.

Target, Yan'an.

That’s right, it’s Yan’an, a shabby place that not only Chiang Kai-shek himself looked down upon, but also Chiang Kai-shek’s subordinates and various warlords.

Since the decision was made to "spread the revolutionary flame by marching north to fight the Japanese," even without UMP45's suggestion, the Red Army would not have rushed straight north, but would have taken a large detour.

In fact, the main force of the Red Army heading north initially planned to take the route of Wuhan → Xiangyang → Shiyan → Shangluo → Xi'an → Yan'an → Lüliang → Taiyuan → Datong → Zhangjiakou...

This route passes through Hubei, Shaanxi, Gansu, Shanxi, Chahar and other provinces. The entire journey is expected to be no less than 5000 miles, but because it is necessary to "spread the fire" everywhere, the actual total mileage may not be less than 10000 miles.

UMP45 called it "a long march that trained cadres, trained soldiers, and strengthened the revolutionary will of the troops";

Li Desheng gladly accepted this.

By the way, regarding the Red Army's route to the north, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China gave Li Desheng a lot of power, almost letting him do whatever he wanted.

Just like the "Four Crossings of the Chishui River" in history when forced into a desperate situation, the "Wuhan Victory" that changed the situation of the struggle between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party made the doubts within the party about Li Desheng's ability to win, or at least his military talents, disappear at once.

Therefore, even Du Heng, the Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee, who had never met Li Desheng, was respectful when he came to report to him:

"...Chairman Li, this is the current situation of Party organization and military development in Shaanxi Province.

"Hmm... So, the guerrillas in northern Shaanxi are basically in chaos right now?

"Uh...."

Du Heng hadn't expected that Li Desheng would grasp the core issue after just a brief listen, and he immediately panicked:

"Chairman Li, this...that..."

"Alright, I'm just checking in on the situation. I don't mean to criticize you. Don't be nervous. Tell me more about the main leaders of the guerrillas."

"Yes, the Shaanxi-Gansu guerrillas..."

When talking about the Shaanxi-Gansu Red Army, the first thing that comes to most people's minds must be "Liu Zhidan", as if it was he who organized the troops in Shaanxi and finally welcomed the Central Red Army heading north;

But in fact, history is not that simple. In the Shaanxi-Northern Guerrillas during this period and even in Shaanxi in the following years, there is a name that may be slightly more famous:

Xie Zichang.

He was born into a wealthy landlord family (doubtful, possibly a wealthy merchant). He joined the Communist Party in 1925. Like his father, Xie Biaopeng, he was generous and righteous, sympathetic to the poor, and enthusiastic about social reform.

Before joining the party, he robbed the rich to help the poor, punished lawlessness, and upheld justice. He was called "Xie Qingtian" by the local people. Later, when he died, Zhu De still evaluated him as "the leader of the people of northern Shaanxi."

Because of this, whether he was leading the Weihua Uprising, the Qingjian Uprising, or infiltrating the warlord ranks, Xie Zichang was always superior to Liu Zhidan and was also Liu Zhidan's elder brother.

It is no exaggeration to say that if Xie and Liu had not sacrificed their lives early, there would be no Gao Gang and his ilk in the new China.

In February of this year, when the "Northwest Anti-Imperialist Allied Army" organized by Liu Zhidan was reorganized into the "Shaanxi-Gansu Guerrilla Detachment of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army" in Sanjiayuan Jinzhang Village, Liu himself was even kicked out of the core command by Xie and others!

Xie Zichang served as the commander-in-chief, Li Jiefu as the political commissar, Yang Chongyuan as the chief of staff, and even Gao Gang became the political commissar of the second battalion. However, Liu Zhidan was transferred to the provincial party committee, and his original team was disarmed and disbanded.

Why does this happen?

In addition to the exclusion by Xie Zichang and others, the excessive number of bandits, the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee's petty thoughts and blind command, Liu Zhidan's own straightforward views on some matters were also an important reason.

Apart from anything else, when Xie Zichang and others believed that they should fight against the Japanese under the banner of the Red Army, Liu Zhidan actually opposed it, believing that they had few soldiers and no weapons and should just stay low for now, and he demanded to cooperate with the warlord Chen Guizhang!

Please, Wang Ming was in power at the time. If you dare to say such things, who else should I punish if not you?

The reason why Liu Zhidan was not killed directly (his cousin Zhao Lianbi (Zhao Erwa) was killed) was that he was afraid of his connections throughout northern Shaanxi.

However, the turning point of the matter also occurred after the "Sanjiayuan gun surrender incident".

As Xie Zichang and others led the army to repeated defeats, the guerrillas were reduced from 300 to less than 100 people, and the prestige of the party organization was completely destroyed in this guerrilla force filled with bandits and triads, the provincial party committee was forced to re-employ Liu Zhidan.

So, in May of this year, Liu Zhidan returned to the guerrillas and became the commander-in-chief. He soon led his troops to victory after victory, killing more than 1400 enemies, seizing more than 1200 guns and more than 5 bullets, and expanding the team to more than 2 people.

Since the situation is already very good, why does Li Desheng still say it is "a mess"?

Because, after winning the battle and gaining more people, the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee felt that they were in a good position again, so they once again planned to replace Liu Zhidan with "their own people";

At this time, Liu's troops were attacked by a brigade of the Nationalist Army and suffered a defeat. Liu's prestige was damaged and he was forced to flee to Zhengning, Gansu. He also gave up the position of commander-in-chief to his sworn brother Yan Hongyan.

However, a month has passed and Yan Hongyan has still not been able to "open up the situation."

Therefore, the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee was planning to send a new political commissar named Li Gen to "set things right" and let Xie Zichang replace "Liu Zhidan and Yan Hongyan who had been defeated repeatedly."

Li Desheng frowned secretly as he listened to Shaanxi Provincial Party Secretary Du Heng's introduction to Xie Liu and others and the struggle situation in northern Shaanxi, as well as the provincial party committee's report on the subsequent work arrangements.

Not to mention that after Liu Zhidan came to power, he was defeated once by the enemy's superior forces in June. It can't be said that he was "defeated repeatedly". Even if he was defeated, what would it matter?

Whenever Liu Zhidan fails, Xie Zichang is replaced. Whenever Xie Zichang fails, Yan Hongyan is replaced. Whenever Yan Hongyan fails again, Xie Zichang is replaced again.

What team can withstand such frequent changes of leadership?

Li Desheng did not dare to allow the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee to continue doing this, lest the only armed force near the northern Shaanxi region be destroyed.

Moreover, what disgusted Li Desheng the most was Du Heng's implicit and implicit attitude of shirking responsibility.

From beginning to end, he never reflected on the problems of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee or himself, and attributed all the mistakes to the poor implementation of his subordinates. Only the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee was a white lotus!

Logically speaking, failure is not a big deal. Li Desheng would never punish his subordinates for one or two failures, but Du Heng's bureaucratic style made him very unhappy.

If Du Heng had not stayed in the relatively safe vicinity of Xi'an and Weinan, but had joined Liu Zhidan and his men in the mountainous ravines to fight guerrilla warfare, perhaps Li Desheng would not have felt a subtle dislike for him.

Seeing Du Heng still talking nonsense like "Shaanxi Provincial Committee will redeploy arrangements", Li Desheng waved his hand and said:

"So, Comrade Li Gen hasn't left yet and is here now, right? Call him over. I want to ask about the specific situation."

"Uh..."

Du Heng had never expected that Li Desheng, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, the current number two in the Party and even the potential number one, the "high and mighty" Li Desheng, would actually personally meet with a mere Li Gen!

No...Why is this person like this!

Wouldn't it be fine if you just came for a stroll like the previous special correspondent? Why take it so seriously?!

"Um... Chairman Li... Comrade Li Gen..."

"What's wrong with him? Is there something that prevents him from coming to see me?" "That... is not..."

"Then call him over quickly. I'll take the troops to Zhengning to check out the situation after I figure it out."

In fact, when this was said, an advance team had already set out for Zhengning County, Gansu, where Liu Zhidan's troops were said to be currently operating.

Unable to find any reason to stop him, Du Heng had no choice but to call Li Gen, who was originally scheduled to leave in late July but had been dawdling because he heard that Li Desheng was coming.

"Okay, Comrade Du Heng, go and rest first. I'll talk to Comrade Li Gen alone."

"Uh...ok...ok..."