Ran Huaizhou: He used to be the head of the creative group of the Ministry of Culture of the Railway Army, a professor of the Literature Department of the People's Liberation Army Academy of Arts, and a member of the Chinese Writers Association. He was born in November 1937 in Jiucheng Village, Gaoyang County, Hebei Province. His childhood was spent in the anti-Japanese guerrilla war in the Jizhong Plain. At the beginning of 1951, he graduated from primary school in his hometown and was admitted to Baoding No. 1 Middle School in the provincial capital, where he began to love literature and practice writing. In 1956, he was admitted to the Chinese Department of Nankai University, and after graduating in 1961, he successively engaged in literary editing, creation, criticism and teaching at the Tianjin Federation of Literary and Artistic Union, Railway Soldiers, and the People's Liberation Army Academy of Arts. His published works include more than 40 novels, such as the novels "No Invasion", "Green Pastoral Red Blood", the prose collection "Caiyun", "Rural Whispers", and the poetry collection "Nostalgia".
The first volume of the Chronicle of the Iron Soldiers
Ran Huaizhou
War years
1. Born in the flames of war
In mid-October 1945, Lu Zhengcao, commander of the Jinsui Military Region, who was commanding operations in Shangdu, received a call from the central government, ordering him to rush to Shenyang in the northeast with a regiment first.
The victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression dramatically changed the situation at home and abroad. In order to maintain the dictatorship, the Chiang dynasty came down from Emei Mountain and used various conspiracy methods to snatch the fruits of the victory of the Anti-Japanese War. Mao Zedong figuratively said that Chiang Kai-shek was going down the mountain to pick peaches.
Northeast China has a vast territory, abundant resources, and developed industry, with heavy industry accounting for 90 percent of the country's total. It is bordered by the Soviet Union to the north, Mongolia to the west, North Korea to the east, North China to the south, and the Shandong Peninsula across the sea. Chiang Kai-shek was well aware of the strategic importance of the Northeast, desperately competing with the Communists, using the United States's naval and air assistance to send receiving officers to occupy large cities; Appoint traitors, puppet soldiers, and bandits as the advance force for attacking the Northeast; Rushing to transport heavy troops, using the treaty relationship with the Soviet Union as a cover, and fighting with the Communists for big cities. However, the Communist Party has the influence and foundation of the long-term activities of the anti-Japanese coalition forces in North Manchuria, South Manchuria is connected with the Jireliao anti-Japanese base area, the main force of the Eighth Route Army has preemptively entered South Manchuria, and the Communist Party and the Eighth Route Army have already formed a preconceived situation in the northeast.
Two months ago, when Lü Zhengcao was in Yan'an, on August 8, the Soviet Union officially declared war on Japan and sent troops to northeast China. On August 10, Japan sent a beggar note, and Zhu De, commander-in-chief of the Eighth Route Army, issued an order to the Liberated Areas, demanding that all units issue an ultimatum to the Japanese and puppet troops near their locations in accordance with the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration, surrender within a time limit, and wait for disposal. In case of resistance, it will be resolutely eliminated. It also sent troops to exercise military control over the occupied territories and to take charge of all administrative matters. The next day, Zhu De issued Order No. 2, in order to cooperate with the Soviet Red Army to enter China to fight, and to prepare to receive the surrender of the Japanese and Manchurian enemy puppet army, he ordered Lü Zhengcao to lead his troops from Shanxi and Suiyuan to Chahar and Rehe; Zhang Xuesi's department, from Chahar to Liaoning; Li Yunchang's department, which is now stationed on the border of Hebei and Liaoning, headed for Liaoning and Jilin on the same day. On 13 August, the Central Committee held an enlarged cadre meeting in Yan'an, at which Mao Zedong delivered a speech entitled "The Current Situation and Our Principles After the Victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan," pointing out that the War of Resistance against Japan as a historical stage had passed, and the Chinese people's arduous war of resistance had already won victory, but the danger of Chiang Kai-shek starting a civil war was very serious. We must fight-for-tat, fight for every inch of land, and the rights obtained by the people must not be easily lost, and must be defended by fighting. That night, the central authorities held another meeting on combat deployment and assignment of tasks. It was past midnight when the meeting was adjourned, and it was already 2 a.m. when Lu Zhengcao returned to his residence. He left Yan'an early in the morning and went to the Suiyuan front.
Two months have passed, the situation in the Jinsui border area has changed greatly, and most of the enemy and puppet strongholds in the area east of the Yellow River in Suiyuan have been swept away; The vast mountainous areas in the northwest of Shanxi Province and most of Suimeng were completely wiped out of enemy and puppet strongholds; Taking advantage of the victory, the troops penetrated deep into central Jinzhong and Pingchuan in northern Shanxi, and reached the Tongpu line, launching a resolute blow against the enemy who refused to surrender. Now, after receiving the central telegraphic order, Lu Zhengcao immediately took a regiment and drove to the northeast.
Lü Zhengcao arrived in Shenyang in late October. At this time, the General Headquarters of the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army had been formally established. Lin Biao is the commander-in-chief, Peng Zhen is the political commissar, Luo Ronghuan is the second political commissar, Cheng Zihua is the deputy political commissar, Lu Zhengcao, Li Yunchang, Zhou Baozhong, and Xiao Jinguang are the deputy commanders-in-chief, Xiao Jinguang is also the chief of staff, and Wu Xiuquan is the second chief of staff. At the same time, the Northeast Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was established, with Peng Zhen as secretary. A month later, the Communists and their troops were forced to withdraw from Shenyang as the Soviet army fulfilled its treaty obligations and decided to hand over Shenyang to the Kuomintang. Therefore, the Northeast Bureau decided to set up four sub-bureaus and military regions in the eastern, western, southern, and northern Manchurian regions to mobilize the masses and establish base areas in an effort to control small and medium-sized cities and minor railways. Lu Zhengcao concurrently served as commander of the West Manchurian Military Region, Li Fuchun as political commissar, and Zhang Pinghua as director of the Political Department. Soon after, Huang Kecheng led the Third Division of the New Fourth Army to the northeast and merged with the West Manchurian Military Region, and Huang Kecheng served as the deputy commander and deputy political commissar of the West Manchurian Military Region. Huang Kecheng was a veteran comrade of the Long March, and his veteran troops had a large number of troops, strong combat effectiveness, and were able to fight tough battles; Lu Zhengcao felt that his deputy post was not suitable, so he suggested to the Northeast Bureau that Huang Kecheng be appointed commander of the West Manchurian Military Region. The Northeast Bureau agreed with Chang Zhengcao's suggestion and asked him to go to the headquarters to take charge of logistics and transportation, and to get involved with the railway, which became his job in the second half of his life.
Restoring railways and transportation is a new task for Lu Zhengcao. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, whether in Jizhong or Jinsui, launching and leading the army and civilians to attack the railways became a daily and major combat task. The most typical and large-scale one is the Zhengtai Road Breaking Battle, which is often referred to as the Battle of the Hundred Regiments.
At the end of 1939, in order to consolidate its rear and ensure the smooth flow of strategic communication lines, the Japan invading army tightened its control of Zhengtai Road, closely linking Hebei with Shanxi and Shandong. Lu Zhengcao, then commander of the Jizhong Military Region, and Cheng Zihua, political commissar, were keenly aware of the enemy's purpose and movement in building roads, and telegraphed to the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army, pointing out that the enemy must not be allowed to succeed, otherwise it would create an extremely difficult situation of persisting in guerrilla warfare.
Zhengtai Road was an important strategic communication line for the Japanese army in North China to ensure the transportation and supply of the occupying troops along the route, and it was also an important blockade line for the destruction of the anti-Japanese base areas of the Eighth Route Army. Tada Jun, commander of Japan's North China Front, has always regarded it as a core part of the so-called rectification construction.
In the spring of 1940, the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army decided to carry out a large-scale sabotage attack on Zhengtai Road to cut off the enemy's transportation lifeline. On July 22, the "Preparatory Order on the Large-scale Attack on the Battle of Zhengtailu" was issued. The task of the Jizhong Military Region is to draw two regiments to participate in the attack on Zhengtai Road, and the troops remaining in Jizhong will carry out extensive attacks on Pinghan Road, Beining Road, Jinpu Road, Shide Road, etc., prevent the enemy from reinforcing Zhengtai Road, and conquer some strongholds.
At 10 o'clock in the evening of August 20, the attack on Zhengtai Road started. The 1005 regiments of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region and the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region launched an offensive on all fronts in a large-scale traffic sabotage campaign focusing on Zhengtai Road. One after another, the attacking red signal flares rose into the air, piercing the night sky, and the assault troops from all walks of life were like tigers descending from the mountain, rushing towards the enemy's stations and strongholds, and the thunderous explosions resounded throughout the Zhengtai Road. The entire Zhengtai Road and part of Tongpu Road were submerged in the fire net of the Eighth Route Army and the people's great attack. This battle paralyzed the entire line of Zhengtai Road.
Various regions in central Hebei also launched a series of sabotage battles on railways and highways. The militia and civilians risked low-altitude strafing from enemy planes to massively damage the enemy's railways, highways and their outbuildings. Not a single railroad track, not a single sleeper, not a single bridge was left, which fundamentally undermined the enemy's lines of communication.
Now it's time to repair and build the railways to keep transportation unimpeded.
After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Kuomintang recruited traitors and special bandits, and the situation in the northeast was very chaotic. The railways are completely paralyzed. Many stations and factories were burned down, and lines and communication equipment were damaged, making it difficult to repair railways and operate. Moreover, it was also attacked and destroyed by bandits, spies and the Kuomintang underground army from time to time.
In August 1946, Lu Zhengcao went to the Qiqihar Ximan Military Region to explain his work. Before they had gone far from Harbin, a group of political bandits suddenly burst out of the sorghum fields on the side of the road and attacked the light oil truck they were riding in, and the bullet passed through their heads, knocking out the oil drums. Jiao Shikui, the leader of the guard squad, immediately jumped off the train with two or three people and ran into the sorghum field. The enemy then pursued with all his might, thus diverting the enemy's target. The driver was an old worker, brave and calm, and although there was little light oil left, he still insisted on driving to the Qingshan station.
After the train started and accelerated forward to escape, Lu Zhengcao found that the blanket around him had been punched with more than a dozen holes, and Fu Jingchun, the guard who was sitting on the back of the chair, had been shot and died. So, Fu Jingchun's body was buried on the spot.
Qingshan was the first stop to leave Harbin, and the Harbin Road Bureau sent an armored car. After Jiao Shikui and the others jumped out of the car, they ran to Harbin in one go, and in the afternoon, they followed the armored car and rushed to Xiangqingshan Station, where they followed Lu Zhengcao and continued to advance to Qiqihar. After the work was completed, he drove back to Bei'an in an armored car, but was attacked by horse thieves on the way. After returning fire with machine guns and artillery fire, the horse thieves broke and fled.
It is precisely for this reason that after the establishment of the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army, in September 1945, it began to form an armed road protection force, and under the leadership of various military regions, it carried out the tasks of armed road protection and assisted in taking over the railway. Later, according to the needs of the development of the situation, in order to strengthen the organization and command of the armed road protection, in June 1946, the leading organ of the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army Road Protection Army was established in Harbin, with Su Jin as the commander and Wang Guangwen and Zhang Heming as the deputy commanders. According to the region, the East Manchurian and West Manchurian Road Guards were set up, with He Dequan as the commander of the East Manchurian Road Guards and Guo Weicheng as the commander of the West Manchurian Road Guards. Subsequently, the South Manchurian and Central Road Protection Army were established one after another, with Chen Bo as the commander of the South Manchurian Road Protection Army and Zhang Heming as the commander of the Central Road Protection Army. The road protection units closely cooperate with the front to fight and suppress bandits in the rear, protect the safety of transportation, and are active on the 5,000-kilometer railway line in the northeast liberated area.
General Lu Zhengcao during the Liberation War
Lu Zhengcao is in the northeast
During the War of Liberation, the railways were ensured
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