Encirclement Campaign against Northeastern Jiangxi Soviet
Encyclopedia
The Encirclement Campaign
against the Northeastern Jiangxi Soviet
was a campaign launched by the Chinese Nationalist Government intended to destroy the communist
Chinese Soviet Republic and its local military forces. It was met by the Communists' Counter-Encirclement Campaign at Northeastern Jiangxi Soviet ' onMouseout='HidePop("88726")' href="/topics/Jiangxi">Jiangxi
Revolutionary Base ). The Nationalist campaign lasted from December 1930 to July 1931, and resulted in the destruction of the target base area.
guarded by the 10th Army of the Chinese Red Army, and it was the right flank of the Jiangxi Soviet. In comparison to the major communist base in southern Jiangxi
, the Jiangxi Soviet, this communist base was much closer to the nationalist strongholds and it was at the forefront of the nationalist controlled regions, and consequently, it had become a main target the nationalists marked for destruction. The encirclement campaign
against Jiangxi Soviet begun in December, 1930, shortly after the First Encirclement Campaign against Jiangxi Soviet
. However, due to the allocation of available troops and other resources to the top priority target, the Jiangxi Soviet, the encirclement campaign against the Jiangxi Soviet was protracted, and was not over until July 1931 after the Third Encirclement Campaign against Jiangxi Soviet
had already started.
prefectural centre, Zhushanqiao (珠山桥, Pearl Mountain Bridge), and Hekou
(河口, River mouth), losing more than 1,500 troops in the process. A stalemate was reached as result, and the nationalists stopped their offensives. However, the huge number of the nationalist troops surrounding the Jiangxi Soviet still posed a major threat, and the nationalists could have struck at any time. To distract the enemy, the communist 10th Army of the Chinese Red Army launched diversion offensives in late March 1931 in the regions of Guixi (贵溪), and Yujiang (余江), and then continued their offensives in northern Fujian
, annihilating several thousands nationalist troops in the process. After their eleven consecutive victories in northern Fujian
, the communist main force returned in May 1931 and expanded the communist base further. Despite their victories, the communists had failed to distract the nationalists from redeploying any of their troops away from the Jiangxi Soviet.
prevailed in the power struggles against Mao Zedong
, Mao’s proven effective strategies and tactics were abolished as well when Mao’s power and influence dropped, and the Jiangxi Soviet was one of the first place that reflected the rise of Wang Ming and the decline of Mao Zedong, despite the fact Mao was still very much in power elsewhere, such as in the Jiangxi Soviet. However, as the military doctrines of Wang Ming and his supporters were adopted and put in use, they were proven to be completely unsuited for defending the communist base. As a result, the communist force was annihilated and the communist base of Jiangxi Soviet was reduced to a tiny fraction of its original size centered at Geyuan
.
Although the communist base was not fully destroyed until March 1943 when the last of its communist guerrillas were finally eliminated and the communist commander Yang Wenhan (杨文翰) captured, (who was subsequently executed by the nationalist
s seven months later in October in the region of Goose' Beak (E'zui 鹅嘴) at the northern gate of the city of Yiyang (弋阳)), it was no longer a threat to the nationalists like once it was. The nationalists did not even bother to continue any follow-up campaigns after the annihilation of their communist enemy in July 1931, except a single eradication campaign at the end of 1938 in which over 17,000 nationalist troops were deployed. The surviving communist base and communist force were insignificant enough for the nationalists to declare a victory and redeploy their forces against communists elsewhere. As for the communists, the destruction of its Jiangxi Soviet meant that the important right flank of Jiangxi Soviet was lost, and more nationalist forces were available to insert greater pressures on communist forces and bases elsewhere. Unfortunately, the communists had not learned from their debacle, which inevitably led to further defeats elsewhere.
Encirclement Campaigns
Encirclement Campaigns is a term used to describe several different campaigns launched by forces of the Chinese Nationalist Government against forces of the Communist Party of China during the Chinese Civil War. The campaigns were launched between the late 1920s to the mid-1930s with the goal of...
against the Northeastern Jiangxi Soviet
Northeastern Jiangxi Soviet
The North-eastern Jiangxi Soviet was a constituent part of the Chinese Soviet Republic . Any military threat it posed to the Nationalist Party-controlled Chinese State had been roundly neutered by an early 1931 campaign The North-eastern Jiangxi Soviet (赣东北苏维埃, Gandongbei Suweiai) was a...
was a campaign launched by the Chinese Nationalist Government intended to destroy the communist
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
Chinese Soviet Republic and its local military forces. It was met by the Communists' Counter-Encirclement Campaign at Northeastern Jiangxi Soviet ' onMouseout='HidePop("88726")' href="/topics/Jiangxi">Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
Revolutionary Base ). The Nationalist campaign lasted from December 1930 to July 1931, and resulted in the destruction of the target base area.
The base area
The Jiangxi Soviet was a communist base in the northeastern part of JiangxiJiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
guarded by the 10th Army of the Chinese Red Army, and it was the right flank of the Jiangxi Soviet. In comparison to the major communist base in southern Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
, the Jiangxi Soviet, this communist base was much closer to the nationalist strongholds and it was at the forefront of the nationalist controlled regions, and consequently, it had become a main target the nationalists marked for destruction. The encirclement campaign
Encirclement Campaigns
Encirclement Campaigns is a term used to describe several different campaigns launched by forces of the Chinese Nationalist Government against forces of the Communist Party of China during the Chinese Civil War. The campaigns were launched between the late 1920s to the mid-1930s with the goal of...
against Jiangxi Soviet begun in December, 1930, shortly after the First Encirclement Campaign against Jiangxi Soviet
First Encirclement Campaign against Jiangxi Soviet
The First Encirclement Campaign against Jiangxi Soviet was a series of battles launched by the Chinese Nationalist Government intended to annihilate the Chinese Red Army, and destroy the Chinese Soviet Republic...
. However, due to the allocation of available troops and other resources to the top priority target, the Jiangxi Soviet, the encirclement campaign against the Jiangxi Soviet was protracted, and was not over until July 1931 after the Third Encirclement Campaign against Jiangxi Soviet
Third Encirclement Campaign against Jiangxi Soviet
The Third Encirclement Campaign against Jiangxi Soviet was the third campaign launched by the Chinese Nationalist Government in hope to destroy the Red Army in Jiangxi. It was launched less than a month after the previous campaign have failed...
had already started.
Commencement
The initial stage of the campaign resulted in communist victory, with the Nationalists suffering three consecutive defeats immediately after the start of their Encirclement Campaign in the regions of ShangraoShangrao
Shangrao is a medium-sized prefecture-level city located in the northeast of China's Jiangxi province. According to the 2010 Census, Shangrao has a population of 6,579,714 inhabitants....
prefectural centre, Zhushanqiao (珠山桥, Pearl Mountain Bridge), and Hekou
Yanshan County, Shangrao
Yanshan is a county in Shangrao Municipality, in north-eastern Jiangxi province.-Situation:It borders Hengfeng County to the north, Shangrao County to the east, Wannian County and Guixi City to the west and Wuyishan City and Guangze County to the south.-Waterways:Hekou town sits on the Xinjiang...
(河口, River mouth), losing more than 1,500 troops in the process. A stalemate was reached as result, and the nationalists stopped their offensives. However, the huge number of the nationalist troops surrounding the Jiangxi Soviet still posed a major threat, and the nationalists could have struck at any time. To distract the enemy, the communist 10th Army of the Chinese Red Army launched diversion offensives in late March 1931 in the regions of Guixi (贵溪), and Yujiang (余江), and then continued their offensives in northern Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
, annihilating several thousands nationalist troops in the process. After their eleven consecutive victories in northern Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
, the communist main force returned in May 1931 and expanded the communist base further. Despite their victories, the communists had failed to distract the nationalists from redeploying any of their troops away from the Jiangxi Soviet.
Completion
The final blow finally arrived when the much anticipated nationalist all-front offensive begun in July 1931, which was unexpectedly helped by a highly unlikely source: the communists themselves. As Wang MingWang Ming
Wang Ming was a senior leader of the early Chinese Communist Party and the mastermind of the famous 28 Bolsheviks group. Wang was also a major political rival of Mao Zedong during the 1930s, opposing Mao's nationalist deviation from the Comintern and orthodox Marxism and Leninism lines...
prevailed in the power struggles against Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
, Mao’s proven effective strategies and tactics were abolished as well when Mao’s power and influence dropped, and the Jiangxi Soviet was one of the first place that reflected the rise of Wang Ming and the decline of Mao Zedong, despite the fact Mao was still very much in power elsewhere, such as in the Jiangxi Soviet. However, as the military doctrines of Wang Ming and his supporters were adopted and put in use, they were proven to be completely unsuited for defending the communist base. As a result, the communist force was annihilated and the communist base of Jiangxi Soviet was reduced to a tiny fraction of its original size centered at Geyuan
Geyuan
Geyuan is a town in Hengfeng County, Shangrao municipality, JX.-Imperial:The meaning of the town's name is the headstream of kudzu ....
.
Although the communist base was not fully destroyed until March 1943 when the last of its communist guerrillas were finally eliminated and the communist commander Yang Wenhan (杨文翰) captured, (who was subsequently executed by the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
s seven months later in October in the region of Goose' Beak (E'zui 鹅嘴) at the northern gate of the city of Yiyang (弋阳)), it was no longer a threat to the nationalists like once it was. The nationalists did not even bother to continue any follow-up campaigns after the annihilation of their communist enemy in July 1931, except a single eradication campaign at the end of 1938 in which over 17,000 nationalist troops were deployed. The surviving communist base and communist force were insignificant enough for the nationalists to declare a victory and redeploy their forces against communists elsewhere. As for the communists, the destruction of its Jiangxi Soviet meant that the important right flank of Jiangxi Soviet was lost, and more nationalist forces were available to insert greater pressures on communist forces and bases elsewhere. Unfortunately, the communists had not learned from their debacle, which inevitably led to further defeats elsewhere.
See also
- List of battles of the Chinese Civil War
- National Revolutionary ArmyNational Revolutionary ArmyThe National Revolutionary Army , pre-1928 sometimes shortened to 革命軍 or Revolutionary Army and between 1928-1947 as 國軍 or National Army was the Military Arm of the Kuomintang from 1925 until 1947, as well as the national army of the Republic of China during the KMT's period of party rule...
- History of the People's Liberation ArmyHistory of the People's Liberation ArmyThe history of the People's Liberation Army began in 1927 with the start of the Chinese Civil War and spans to the present, having developed from a peasant guerrilla force into the largest armed force in the world.-Historical background:...
- Chinese Civil WarChinese Civil WarThe Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...