Tribute to the Taihang Spirit｜Travel Notes on Chi’an Village, Shexian County, Hebei Province

It is 310 kilometers to drive from Handan to Taiyuan, 170 kilometers to Shijiazhuang, and 141 kilometers to Zhaozhou Bridge. But I didn’t drive, so I could only stand on the roadside of Fuxing Road Primary School in Fuxing District and look at the map on my mobile phone. I saw that there is a direct link. Buses are running in various counties under Handan, such as No. 808 to Wu'an and No. 812 to Shexian. Compared with the distance of dozens of kilometers, the fare is not expensive. The original plan was to go north to Shijiazhuang and visit the Hebei Museum, but the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army was located more than 80 kilometers away from where I am now. This made me very interested in history and military affairs feel hot.

Unplanned trip

Maybe this is a walk-and-go trip. The No. 812 bus didn't wait, so we first waited for the minibus bus from Handan to Shexian. The driver was also the conductor. Maybe there are no more passengers on the road. The car stops and sells tickets when it reaches the Baijiacun Massacre Memorial Hall. The fare to Shexian County is 20 yuan. The words "Baijiacun Massacre" immediately brought my mind back to the not-too-distant Anti-Japanese War years. The land of Yan and Zhao has been full of generous and tragic people since ancient times. The villagers of Baijia Village once again demonstrated the bloody nature of the Zhao people during the Japanese invasion of Handan. When the country falls, no one can survive alone. What I am going to look for is a group of national backbones when the Chinese nation is in danger.

The road to Wu'an is fairly plain, and farmers on the roadside like to pile harvested corn cobs into piles of cylindrical shapes and place them in the open space at the door. After passing the Longhu River, the car began to enter the mountainous area. This should be the outer chain of the Taihang Mountains. After passing through the three tunnels of Shibo, Ma'anshan and Jinggouling, Shexian County was already in sight. The chimneys symbolizing industrialization were emitting white smoke. . After the shuttle bus arrived in Shexian County, there were often people waving for a ride on the roadside. I was impressed by the driver's ability to stop the bus as soon as he waved. The person who got on the bus had to pay, but the driver did not pay. He stopped at any time and was always kind. I originally thought they knew each other, but when I got off the bus, I specifically asked the driver. The driver told me that he didn’t know each other, which made me a little touched by the realism and simplicity of the people in Shexian County. Later, my experience in Shexian County confirmed that people in the old areas still retain these touching qualities.

 

Shexian County, with its mountains and rivers, is a good place for guerrilla warfare.

The place name Shexian is very interesting. The first thing that came to my mind was the word "crossing mountains and rivers". In fact, this place, which was already a county in the Western Han Dynasty, is indeed worthy of its name. To borrow Ouyang Xiu's writing style, it is called "surrounding mountains and crossing mountains". The Qingzhang River and Zhuozhang River in the Taihang Mountains in southeastern Shanxi merge to form the Zhang River in Hezhang Village in Shexian County. The geographical significance of this Zhang River is great. It is not only the longest tributary of the Haihe River system, but also the longest tributary of the current Henan and Hebei Provinces. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, the Zhang River also merged into the Yellow River. Later, the Yellow River moved south due to excessive sediment load, which caused frequent changes in the river course. The two rivers began to diverge. Therefore, although Henan and Hebei were named after the Yellow River in history, Hebei is currently Henan is bounded by the Zhang River.

Shexian County is building a comprehensive tourism county, but Chi'an Village, where the 129th Division Headquarters is located, is only 7 or 8 kilometers away from the county seat and there are no buses, and there are no shared bicycles. This is not very friendly for people who like to travel independently. It used to be 10 yuan one way. Chi'an Village is located at the foot of the mountain in the west of Shexian County. If it is not sunny, it is really difficult to identify the direction when you arrive in the village. The villagers are also accustomed to using up, down, left, and right to guide the way. People like me who have direction obsessive-compulsive disorder also You have to do as the Romans do, but in general the entire scenic spot is located on a hillside facing the east. Victory Square connects the 129th Division Exhibition Hall and the Visitor Service Center next to the Village Committee.

A group of sculptures of "Liu and Deng and his comrades" stands in the square in front of the visitor center. I am more sensitive to words. Liu Deng refers to Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping. I always feel uncomfortable when using "his comrades" later. There's something wrong with it, but that doesn't affect my admiration.

My trip to visit the former site of the 129th Division Headquarters started with this group of sculptures.

After bypassing the group of sculptures and continuing forward, there are shops opened by villagers and a place selling local specialties and souvenirs. Shexian County has three treasures: walnuts, pepper and black dates. I didn't taste the walnuts. The peppercorns have a strong flavor and I think the quality is good. The black dates taste a bit like persimmons. I said I would buy two bags. The boss was a simple middle-aged man who was enthusiastic and good at doing business. He said that if he bought two bags, he would get a discount of 0.5 yuan per bag. And you can taste anything you are interested in for free. I prefer to eat local wild wild jujubes, and I wanted to buy a few more because of the service attitude. Unfortunately, I didn’t want to carry too many things along the way, so I only bought two bags of black dates. This also became one of the regrets that I will never forget on the road. These specialties are reasonably priced, unlike some specialties from scenic spots that have changed their taste and become particularly expensive products. Turn left here to go to the old site of the 129th Division Headquarters.

The origin of the Eighth Route Army

After the "Xi'an Incident" on December 12, 1936, the Kuomintang and the Communist Party jointly resisted Japan. On August 25, 1937, the main force of the Red Army in northern Shaanxi was reorganized into the Eighth Route Army of the National Revolutionary Army, although it was renamed the Eighteenth Route Army of the National Revolutionary Army after September 11. Group Army, but the name Eighth Route Army was still used out of habit.

The People's Liberation Army is a legendary force that has written splendid military history in various historical stages since its birth.

The Eighth Route Army consists of three divisions, namely the 115th Division, with division commander Lin Biao and political commissar Luo Ronghuan, with about 15,000 people. It set out from Fuping County, Shaanxi Province on August 31, 1937, crossed the Yellow River eastward and advanced to the anti-Japanese front line in Shanxi, mainly heading to northeastern Shanxi. The 115th Division was the first to set off.

The 120th Division, with division commander He Long and political commissar Guan Xiangying, and about 14,000 people, set out from Fuping County on September 3, 1937 to cross the Yellow River eastward, mainly heading to northwest Shanxi. The 120th Division set out second.

The 129th Division, with division commander Liu Bocheng and political commissar Zhang Hao, has about 13,000 people. It is the smallest and the last team to set off. On September 30, 1937, the division headquarters led the 386th Brigade and the 769th Regiment, the Teaching Regiment, the Cavalry Battalion and other 9,100 troops. The remaining people set out from Fuping County to cross the Yellow River eastward, mainly heading to southeastern Shanxi.

No one expected that the 386th Brigade of the 129th Division, which first set out from Fuping County, Shaanxi Province, would write the legend of "nine thousand soldiers entered Shexian County, and 300,000 troops came out of Taihang".

Charm 129

The 129th Division initially consisted of two brigades, 385th and 386th, with division commander Liu Bocheng and deputy division commander Xu Xiangqian. Liu Shuai was later called the "Military God" by foreign troops. He once commanded and created the Qigen Village Ambush, which successfully ambushed the Japanese army twice in a row at the same location. It was listed as one of the world's classic tactics.

The person who specifically performed the combat mission was the 772nd Regiment of the 386th Brigade. Brigadier Chen Geng was one of the Three Heroes of Huangpu. He served as a bodyguard for Sun Yat-sen, saved Chiang Kai-shek's life during the Eastern Expedition, and was known as a "many-faced man" when he worked in the Central Special Branch. He was a bold and funny man, and a charismatic war general. He once called himself the "Three Sons and Ichiro" unit of the 386th Brigade. Because his legs were disabled due to battle injuries, he was known as the "Cripple". Political Commissar Wang Xinting was known as the "Cripple" because of his high myopia. "Blind man", Chief of Staff Zhou Xihan is known as "Skinny Man" because he is very thin, and Deputy Brigadier Chen Zaidao is known as "Desperate Saburo", which in total is "Three Sons and One Man". In fact, the 772nd Regiment below also has a deputy commander Wang Jinshan who is called "Crazy King". He is the prototype of Li Yunlong in the TV series "Bright Sword". Ye Chenghuan, the commander of the 772nd Regiment, was also a member of the Tiger General. Unfortunately, he died in a battle in April 1938 at the age of 24. Otherwise, the 129th Division would have had another general.

Whether a team is good or not depends on the opponent's evaluation. After beating the Japanese in the ambush at Shentou Ridge in Shexian County, the Japanese army specially painted a slogan in Chinese on the armored vehicle: Specialized for the 386th Brigade.

This people's army under the leadership of the Communist Party with poor equipment used its courage and wisdom to win the fear of its opponents. It also won the respect of the world on the Korean battlefield more than ten years later.

The 129th Division was not only the unit of the Eighth Route Army that wiped out the largest number of enemies during the War of Resistance, but also created the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Anti-Japanese Base Area with the largest area, the most populous population, and the most solid foundation during the War of Resistance. A group of leaders headed by Deng Xiaoping also accumulated a large amount of management experience in the process of creating, developing and governing the base areas, and later became the chief architect of China's reform and opening up.

The origin of Liu Deng

I arrived at the scenic spot early in the morning. There were still very few tourists. The staff were cleaning. When I walked along the stone slope road to the old headquarters site, the staff was struggling to put a lot of cleaned fallen leaves into the trash can outside. Dragging everywhere, I saw it and rushed forward to help. As a patriotic education base, it is free to visit. You need to pay to hire explanations. Of course, if you want to save money, you can also go and listen, but that will be too fast. I still like it. Look slowly and think quietly. For example, I didn't rush in to see the flowers. Instead, I sat on the low wall in front of the headquarters, lit a cigarette, and bathed in the warm sunshine in November. In the rising smoke, I thought about Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping, who might have been smoking cigarettes in the sun here, talking about military and political affairs, or trivial matters in life. This sense of immersion often makes me feel closer to these great people. This feeling of "they are not here, but they are everywhere" is intoxicating.

Visiting the former residences of celebrities or revolutionary holy sites requires this kind of imagination and empathy. They were once ordinary people with ordinary lives and emotions, but they became extraordinary because of their beliefs and actions, and found a spiritual and emotional connection with them. Only by having something in common can we feel their greatness more deeply.

The first political commissar of the 129th Division was not Deng Xiaoping, but Zhang Hao. Zhang Hao's original name was Lin Yuying. The eldest of the three Lin brothers, Lin Yunan, who was the first to embark on the revolutionary road, died in Longhua, Shanghai in 1931. There was also Lin Yurong later. His name was changed to Lin Biao, and he was appointed commander of the 115th Division at this time. In order to commemorate her savior, Lin Yuying changed her name to Zhang Hao. She persuaded Zhang Guotao not to establish a separate Central Committee and saved the Red Army from splitting. She was also arrested in the Northeast and was brutally tortured by the Japanese army, causing serious physical injuries. Therefore, in the spring of 1938 He was transferred back to the Central Committee of Northern Shaanxi due to physical injuries. He was replaced by Deng Xiaoping, deputy director of the Political Department of the Eighth Route Army, and this was how Liu and Deng later collaborated.

In March 1942, Zhang Hao died of illness in Yan'an. Central leaders such as Mao Zedong, Zhu De and Ren Bishi personally carried the coffin to Taohua Ridge for burial. This was the only time in Mao Zedong's life that he carried the coffin and inscribed his tombstone "Zhang Hao." Tomb of Comrade Hao". Only Zhang Hao can enjoy such mourning and honor after death.

When you walk along the lanes paved with blue bricks and gravel, you will see fair scales, three disciplines and eight points of attention, Liu Bocheng's rejection of melons, stallion reform, Peng Dehuai's criticism of public cigarette meeting receptions, Xu Xiangqian's injury and refusal to receive special care, etc. Exhibition; see the simple office and living spaces of Liu Deng, Chen Geng, Li Da and others; you can truly understand what loyalty, cleanliness, and responsibility are, and think deeply about why the army led by the Communists is called the People's Army; why the 129th Division can start from The number of more than 9,000 people at that time has grown to 300,000 field troops and 400,000 local troops; why the Chinese revolution led by the Communists can finally win.

An alley filled with the atmosphere of military and civilian life

Lianxin Lane behind the old headquarters site is also very interesting. Although there are obvious traces of subsequent renovations, the traces of history are well preserved. Strolling along the bluestone path, with gray tiles and mud walls on both sides, an ancient locust well at the corner, and red slogans on the mud walls, you can inadvertently see the revolutionary sites of the Eighth Route Army Logistics Department, Ministry of Health, etc., as well as traditional workshops such as cloth mills and wine shops. , old objects from the old era, and B&Bs from the new era. When I was walking in the winding alley, I happened to meet the elder brother of a household who was locking the door. Seeing me carrying a big bag, he invited me to visit his house. Later, we chatted and found out that he was younger than me. , the slightly embarrassed little brother turned around and turned into the big brother. Let’s talk about it. He actually has a relative who is from my hometown. If you want to say that some things are not destined, I don’t believe it at this moment.

Saying goodbye to my enthusiastic brother, I continued to explore Lianxin Lane and encountered another surprise. The courtyard outside was the nursery of the 129th Division. In October 1945, Deng Xiaoping's second daughter Deng Nan was born here. I think that Comrade Xiaoping must have gained a lot of family happiness here during his busy schedule. I wonder how many memories of this courtyard are left in Deng Nan's mind?

Jiangjun Ridge and Exhibition Hall

To the right of the group of sculptures are the 129th Division Exhibition Hall and General Ridge. The ground of Victory Square is paved with reliefs of "The Long River of History" and several sculptures reflecting scenes of battles and military and civilian life in the old area. The square is so big, there should be more such sculptures, which is a new and meaningful attraction. . The exhibition theme of the exhibition hall is "Taihang Mountain", which is divided into four parts: advancing into Taihang, fighting fiercely in Taihang, loving Taihang, and leaving Taihang. It displays the 129th Division in the Anti-Japanese War in the form of oil paintings, pictures, text, sculptures, and objects.

Jiangjun Ridge is very large, with full-body statues of Deng Xiaoping, Liu Bocheng and Xu Xiangqian standing on it in different positions. In addition to the two marshals, the ashes of former 129th Division leaders such as Huang Zhen, Li Da, Wang Xinting, He Zhengwen, and Huang Xinyou were scattered on the mountain, later called Jiangjun Ridge. The number of steps and the height of the monument are similar to the number 129. relation. The former generals of the 129th Division fought, worked and lived here during their lifetimes, and were deeply attached to the Taihang Mountains (for example, Liu Bocheng's eldest son was named Liu Taihang). After his death, his soul returned to Jiangjun Ridge and continued to watch over the land and people they loved.

Standing on Jiangjun Ridge, you can see the majestic Taihang Mountains in the distance. The "red" people of Shexian County in the past, the Taihang spirit of bravery, tenacity, sacrifice, and daring to show their swords has been passed down from generation to generation. The sons and daughters of Shexian County are using their actions to further demonstrate the Taihang spirit of the new era, making the spirit of Shexian people even more red and red. The earth is greener and the air is sweeter!