The basic strength was preserved, laying the foundation for the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan. There were many key battles on the Long March, and the most difficult of them was probably the Battle of Lazikou.
This battle, which took place before the Red Army was about to enter Gannan, was the last hurdle of the Red Army's Long March. Its difficulty is not that the enemy army is large, but that the terrain of Lazikou is very dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack.
With natural cliffs as a barrier, the Kuomintang army built bunkers on top of them. It was very difficult for the Red Army to get there quickly, but in the end it succeeded. Lazikou is located in the southern part of Gansu Province, where the terrain is very peculiar.
The canyon pass restricts access, flanked by steep cliffs, from which the enemy guards must be completely annihilated. At that time, after a long journey, the Red Army reached Lazikou without much superiority in personnel and equipment.
The reason why the Lazikou was chosen to go north was also because the enemy troops were scattered in that area, and it was easier for the enemy to break through with fewer enemies. In early September 1935, the Kuomintang gathered a large number of elite troops there, trying to block the Red Army at Lazikou.
After the Red Army reached Diebu County, the Kuomintang sent several more battalions to guard Lazikou. On September 10, 1935, Mao Zedong led more than 8,000 Red Army soldiers to plan to break through the enemy blockade from there, and it was crucial for the north to lay down there.
There are pursuing enemy troops in the rear, and there are also local forces in the surrounding areas, and if they are blocked at the Lazi Pass, they will fall into the encirclement of the enemy army. Mao Zedong issued an order to take the Lazikou within two days.
On the afternoon of 16 September, the Red Army launched an attack on the defenders of Lazikou, but failed to capture the pass after five strong attacks.
Unable to attack for a long time, the Red Army began to change tactics, the enemy army had no defense on both sides, if you bypass the enemy from the cliff to the rear to attack, then you can pinch the enemy army back and forth.
However, how to climb the steep cliff became a difficult problem in front of the Red Army. The Red Fourth Regiment held an operational meeting to discuss ways to solve the problem. A small warrior named Yun Guichuan came up with a solution.
They Hmong people have a method of picking herbs on the cliff, and the hook with the rope is tied to the front of the long bamboo pole, which can be used to cover the protruding roots and cliff crevices on the cliff, so that they can climb up.
Then lowering the rope allowed the others to climb up, which worked, and soon the Red Army swerved back to the rear and upper of the enemy. The defenders did not expect the Red Army to appear in the rear and above, and under the front and rear attacks, the defenders of Lazikou were beaten to flee in a hurry.
After this battle, the Nationalist defenders at Lazikou were annihilated, and the last hurdle of the Red Army's northward journey was successfully broken. The Red Army also encountered many such checkpoints on the long march, but they were all overcome one by one.
The enemy army occupied a natural danger, thinking that it could stop the Red Army, but it still underestimated the will of the Red Army soldiers. Even if it is a natural danger that is easy to defend and difficult to attack, it can always think of ways to fight.
In the later memories of some people who participated in the Long March, the Battle of Lazikou was a typical surprise defense battle in which less was won. The main force of the Red Army was responsible for the frontal assault and attracting enemy fire. Two companies were dispatched to break through the cliffs.
It broke through the enemy's flank rear defense, so it completely annihilated the enemy. Nie Rongzhen later recalled the battle, in the situation of having to break through from Lazikou, the Battle of Lazikou was related to the survival of the main force of the Red Army.
If you don't lay down the lazikou in time, it will be difficult to wait for the enemy troops behind to catch up, and then think about going north. He said in this regard: "If this battle is lost, there will be no new China."
Although the Red Army's unit is not the only one, but this unit has a central leader, its importance is self-evident. If the timing is delayed due to being trapped in the lazikou, it is conceivable that there will be consequences.