Second Encirclement Campaign against Jiangxi Soviet
Encyclopedia
The Second Encirclement Campaign against Jiangxi Soviet
was a series of battles launched by the Chinese Nationalist Government in the hope of encircling and destroying the Jiangxi Soviet
after the previous campaign had failed. The Red Army repelled the encirclement by launching their Second Counter-Encirclement Campaign , also called by the communists as the Second Counter-Encirclement Campaign at Central Revolutionary Base , in which the local Chinese Red Army successfully defended the Jiangxi Soviet
against the Nationalist
attacks from April 1, 1931 to May 31, 1931.
After the defeat of the first encirclement campaign, the nationalists quickly regrouped and prepared for the second encirclement campaign against the Jiangxi Soviet
. In February 1931, Chiang Kai-shek
named He Yingqing the acting commander-in-chief and deployed nineteen divisions totaling over 200,000 troops for the second encirclement. The nationalists completed their planned deployment by late March 1931.
In contrast, the communists were slow to develop their own strategies because of internal power struggles. Wang Ming
’s protégé Xiang Ying
had reached the Jiangxi Soviet
after the third planetary session of the sixth national conference of the Communist Party of China
, and on January 15, 1931, the communist Jiangxi Soviet
(Communist) Central Bureau for political administration and the Central Military Commission were formed. Xiang Ying
became the head of both organizations, as party secretary of the bureau and chairman of the commission.
Zhu De
and Mao Zedong
lost power, as both were only named as deputy chairmen of the commission - though Zhu was named as the commander-in-chief and Mao was named as the political commissar of the 1st Front Army of the Chinese Red Army. Mao was also named as the director of the general political directorate. Xiang Ying
’s power was further strengthened in April, 1931, when Wang Ming
’s delegation reached the Jiangxi Soviet
to assist him to lead. As a result, the communists disagreed on the strategies that should be taken in countering the upcoming nationalist encirclement campaign. The communist leadership dominated by Wang Ming
and represented by Xiang Ying
decided on strategies consisted of following principles:
Given the strength of the communist force at the time, this impractical strategy was obvious out of touch with reality and faced strong opposition. Some members of Wang Ming
’s own camp even disagreed, and suggested the alternative strategy of separating the communist force to defeat enemy at the multiple fronts. Obviously, this alternative strategy was equally out of touch with reality and at the conference of the communist Central Bureau held from March to April, 1931, it could not be decided whether to engage the nationalist 19th Route Army first, or the nationalist 6th Route Army first.
With the support of most commanders, Mao Zedong
opposed both impractical strategies developed by the newly arrived protégés of Wang Ming
. Mao reasoned the nationalist 6th Army, 19th Army and 26th Army were all strongest armies among nationalist forces, and thus were difficult targets. In contrast, the 43rd Division, 47th Division, and 54th Division of the nationalist 5th Army were just newly arrived from north, while the 28th Division and 77th Division of the nationalist 5th Army were previously defeated by the communists in the last encirclement campaign, thus they were weak and less enthusiastic in actively engaging communist forces, hence should be engaged first by the communists. In the meantime, if the communists were to strike westward from the east, the Gan River would be a limit. If the communists were to strike eastward from Rich Field (Futian, 富田) in the west, then not only there would not be any geographic limits, but regions in the border of Fujian
and Jiangxi
including Lichuan (黎川), Taining, (泰宁), Jianning, (建宁) would likely to fall into communist hands more easily, resulting in expanding the communist base. Therefore, communists should adopt the same successful strategies proven in the last encirclement campaign, and Mao’s idea was accepted by everyone after lengthy debates. On March 23, 1931, communist force withdrew to regions including Eternal Abundance, (Yongfeng, 永丰), Yue’an, (乐安), Yihuang (宜黄) and Nanfeng
, at the northern border of the Jiangxi Soviet
to regions in the south, including Guangchang (广昌), Shicheng, Ningdu and Ruijin
. Massive mobilization efforts were conducted to mobilize local population to defend the communist base.
order of battle (200,000+ total)
Communist order of battle
: (30,000+ total)
formally begun as the nationalists attacked in four fronts and by April 23, they had taken regions abandoned by the communists, including Riverine Back Cave (Jiangbeidong, 江背洞), Dragon’s Hill Head (Longgangtou, 龙冈头), Richfield (Futian, 富田), Water South (Shuinan, 水南), Yanfang (严坊), Zhaoxie (招携) and Guangchang (广昌). In the meantime, communist force withdrew to regions including Dragon’s Hill (Longgang, 龙冈), Upper Solid (Shanggu, 上固) and Eastern Solid (Donggu, 东固) to wait for the opportunity to pounce on the nationalists, and secretly gathered right next to the nationalist force in Eastern Solid (Donggu, 东固) region without being detected for twenty-five days.
On May 13, 1931, the communists got the opportunity they had been waiting for when the nationalist 28th Division and a brigade of the nationalist 47th Division begun to move toward from Eastern Solid (Donggu, 东固) from Rich Field (Futian, 富田). The communists ambushed the unsuspecting nationalists and after two days of fighting that lasted from May 15 to May 17, 1931, the ambushed nationalist force was completely destroyed in the regions of Middle Cave (Zhongdong, 中洞), Nine Inches Ridge (Jiucunling, 九寸岭). Continue their counteroffensives, the communists badly mauled the nationalist 43rd Division on May 19 in the region of White Sand (Baisha, 白沙), the nationalist survivors were forced to flee to the region of Eternal Abundance (Yongfeng, 永丰). Unaware that their comrades-in-arms had already been defeated, nationalist 27th Division went out to reinforce their besieged comrades-in-arms and was ambushed in the region of Middle Village (Zhongcun, 中村) on May 22, with an entire brigade acting as a vanguard was lost. Unable to rescue its vanguard, the rest of the nationalist 27th Division wisely chose to abandon the fight and withdrew safely.
On May 27, 1931, the communist counteroffensive led their victory at Guangchang (广昌), retaking the city and badly mauling the nationalist 5th Division in the process, including severely wounding its commander Hu Zuyu (胡祖玉), who eventually died of his wound in the campaign. On May 31, 1931, the communists attacked Jianning (建宁), badly mauling the nationalist 56th Division, which lost an entire brigade. After five consecutive defeats in sixteen days and being pushed back near four hundred kilometers thus losing all of the newly gained territory, the nationalists have had enough and decided to end the campaign by withdrawing. The communists subsequently declared a victory.
After the nationalist withdraw, each nationalist prisoner was given two silver dollars to go home. Gong Bingpan (公秉藩) carefully waited all the way in the back of the crowd to avoid being identified and recognized, but as he was called to receive his money, there was only one silver dollar left. Communists in charge wanted Gong Bingpan (公秉藩) to wait so that they could get another silver dollar for him but this delay would only provide more chances for him to be recognized. Gong Bingpan (公秉藩) cleverly told the communists:”Comrades, I have friends in Ji'an
who could provide me financial assistance, and I would only need a single silver dollar, there is no need to get another one”. The communists were of course very happy in saving a silver dollar and thus let him go with only one silver dollar. Gong Bingpan (公秉藩)’s experience was important because it would later help other high ranking nationalist commanders captured in later encirclement campaigns to successfully escape, thus avoiding certain jail time or even possible execution.
Capitalizing on their victory, the communists launched a series of offensive against the nationalists, taking several counties in eastern Jiangxi
and western Fujian
, including Lichuan (黎川), Nanfeng, (南丰), Jianning, (建宁), Taining, (泰宁), Ninghua, (宁化) and Changding (长汀), further expanding the Jiangxi Soviet
.
Jiangxi Soviet
The Chinese Soviet Republic , also translated as the Soviet Republic of China or the China Soviet Republic, and often referred to in historical literature as the Jiangxi Soviet , was a state established in November 1931 by the future Communist Party of China leader Mao...
was a series of battles launched by the Chinese Nationalist Government in the hope of encircling and destroying the Jiangxi Soviet
Jiangxi Soviet
The Chinese Soviet Republic , also translated as the Soviet Republic of China or the China Soviet Republic, and often referred to in historical literature as the Jiangxi Soviet , was a state established in November 1931 by the future Communist Party of China leader Mao...
after the previous campaign had failed. The Red Army repelled the encirclement by launching their Second Counter-Encirclement Campaign , also called by the communists as the Second Counter-Encirclement Campaign at Central Revolutionary Base , in which the local Chinese Red Army successfully defended the Jiangxi Soviet
Jiangxi Soviet
The Chinese Soviet Republic , also translated as the Soviet Republic of China or the China Soviet Republic, and often referred to in historical literature as the Jiangxi Soviet , was a state established in November 1931 by the future Communist Party of China leader Mao...
against 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...
attacks from April 1, 1931 to May 31, 1931.
Strategies
TIME magazine reported that on Jan. 26, 1931, Chinag Kai-shek ordered an offensive launched on January 19 by the 18th army division, when the Red Army managed to encircle it, they gave up their weapons along with the defection of the entire division to the Communist side. 100,000 were reported killed by the Communists. The communists demanded that 2 Million Mexican dollars be paid for the release of the divisional Commander Chang Chi-tsan, Chiang responded with a renewed 4 division offensiveAfter the defeat of the first encirclement campaign, the nationalists quickly regrouped and prepared for the second encirclement campaign against the Jiangxi Soviet
Jiangxi Soviet
The Chinese Soviet Republic , also translated as the Soviet Republic of China or the China Soviet Republic, and often referred to in historical literature as the Jiangxi Soviet , was a state established in November 1931 by the future Communist Party of China leader Mao...
. In February 1931, Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
named He Yingqing the acting commander-in-chief and deployed nineteen divisions totaling over 200,000 troops for the second encirclement. The nationalists completed their planned deployment by late March 1931.
In contrast, the communists were slow to develop their own strategies because of internal power struggles. Wang Ming
Wang 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...
’s protégé Xiang Ying
Xiang Ying
Xiang Ying was a war-time Chinese communist leader reaching the rank of political chief of staff of the New Fourth Army during World War II until his assassination by a member of his staff in 1941.- Biography :...
had reached the Jiangxi Soviet
Jiangxi Soviet
The Chinese Soviet Republic , also translated as the Soviet Republic of China or the China Soviet Republic, and often referred to in historical literature as the Jiangxi Soviet , was a state established in November 1931 by the future Communist Party of China leader Mao...
after the third planetary session of the sixth national conference of the Communist Party of China
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...
, and on January 15, 1931, the communist Jiangxi Soviet
Jiangxi Soviet
The Chinese Soviet Republic , also translated as the Soviet Republic of China or the China Soviet Republic, and often referred to in historical literature as the Jiangxi Soviet , was a state established in November 1931 by the future Communist Party of China leader Mao...
(Communist) Central Bureau for political administration and the Central Military Commission were formed. Xiang Ying
Xiang Ying
Xiang Ying was a war-time Chinese communist leader reaching the rank of political chief of staff of the New Fourth Army during World War II until his assassination by a member of his staff in 1941.- Biography :...
became the head of both organizations, as party secretary of the bureau and chairman of the commission.
Zhu De
Zhu De
Zhu De was a Chinese militarist, politician, revolutionary, and one of the pioneers of the Chinese Communist Party. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, in 1955 Zhu became one of the Ten Marshals of the People's Liberation Army, of which he is regarded as the founder.-Early...
and 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...
lost power, as both were only named as deputy chairmen of the commission - though Zhu was named as the commander-in-chief and Mao was named as the political commissar of the 1st Front Army of the Chinese Red Army. Mao was also named as the director of the general political directorate. Xiang Ying
Xiang Ying
Xiang Ying was a war-time Chinese communist leader reaching the rank of political chief of staff of the New Fourth Army during World War II until his assassination by a member of his staff in 1941.- Biography :...
’s power was further strengthened in April, 1931, when Wang Ming
Wang 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...
’s delegation reached the Jiangxi Soviet
Jiangxi Soviet
The Chinese Soviet Republic , also translated as the Soviet Republic of China or the China Soviet Republic, and often referred to in historical literature as the Jiangxi Soviet , was a state established in November 1931 by the future Communist Party of China leader Mao...
to assist him to lead. As a result, the communists disagreed on the strategies that should be taken in countering the upcoming nationalist encirclement campaign. The communist leadership dominated by Wang Ming
Wang 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...
and represented by Xiang Ying
Xiang Ying
Xiang Ying was a war-time Chinese communist leader reaching the rank of political chief of staff of the New Fourth Army during World War II until his assassination by a member of his staff in 1941.- Biography :...
decided on strategies consisted of following principles:
- Concentrate numerically superior force to destroy the enemy before they grouped together.
- Luring the enemy deep into the communist base was a strategy that only applied to the early stages, and communist force should attack the nationalist dominated regions to destroy the enemy instead.
- When necessary, Jiangxi SovietJiangxi SovietThe Chinese Soviet Republic , also translated as the Soviet Republic of China or the China Soviet Republic, and often referred to in historical literature as the Jiangxi Soviet , was a state established in November 1931 by the future Communist Party of China leader Mao...
should be abandoned in an attempt to establish new communist bases elsewhere.
Given the strength of the communist force at the time, this impractical strategy was obvious out of touch with reality and faced strong opposition. Some members of Wang Ming
Wang 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...
’s own camp even disagreed, and suggested the alternative strategy of separating the communist force to defeat enemy at the multiple fronts. Obviously, this alternative strategy was equally out of touch with reality and at the conference of the communist Central Bureau held from March to April, 1931, it could not be decided whether to engage the nationalist 19th Route Army first, or the nationalist 6th Route Army first.
With the support of most commanders, 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...
opposed both impractical strategies developed by the newly arrived protégés of Wang Ming
Wang 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...
. Mao reasoned the nationalist 6th Army, 19th Army and 26th Army were all strongest armies among nationalist forces, and thus were difficult targets. In contrast, the 43rd Division, 47th Division, and 54th Division of the nationalist 5th Army were just newly arrived from north, while the 28th Division and 77th Division of the nationalist 5th Army were previously defeated by the communists in the last encirclement campaign, thus they were weak and less enthusiastic in actively engaging communist forces, hence should be engaged first by the communists. In the meantime, if the communists were to strike westward from the east, the Gan River would be a limit. If the communists were to strike eastward from Rich Field (Futian, 富田) in the west, then not only there would not be any geographic limits, but regions in the border of 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...
and 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...
including Lichuan (黎川), Taining, (泰宁), Jianning, (建宁) would likely to fall into communist hands more easily, resulting in expanding the communist base. Therefore, communists should adopt the same successful strategies proven in the last encirclement campaign, and Mao’s idea was accepted by everyone after lengthy debates. On March 23, 1931, communist force withdrew to regions including Eternal Abundance, (Yongfeng, 永丰), Yue’an, (乐安), Yihuang (宜黄) and Nanfeng
Nanfeng County
Nanfeng County is a county in Fuzhou, Jiangxi province in China.-External links:*...
, at the northern border of the Jiangxi Soviet
Jiangxi Soviet
The Chinese Soviet Republic , also translated as the Soviet Republic of China or the China Soviet Republic, and often referred to in historical literature as the Jiangxi Soviet , was a state established in November 1931 by the future Communist Party of China leader Mao...
to regions in the south, including Guangchang (广昌), Shicheng, Ningdu and Ruijin
Ruijin
Ruijin is a county-level city of Ganzhou in the mountains bordering Fujian Province in south-eastern Jiangxi.The name derives from the ancient God, Rui Jin. It is most famous as one of the earliest centers of Chinese communist activity...
. Massive mobilization efforts were conducted to mobilize local population to defend the communist base.
Order of battle
NationalistKuomintang
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...
order of battle (200,000+ total)
- 5th Route Army commanded by Wang Jingyu (王金钰) would attack Donggu (东固) and Tengtian (藤田) from Ji’an (吉安), Taihe (泰和), Jishui (吉水), and Yongfeng (永丰)
- 28th Division commanded by Gong Bingpan (公秉藩)
- 43rd Division commanded by Guo Huazong (郭华宗)
- 47th Division commanded by Shangguan YunxiangShangguan YunxiangShangguan Yunxiang was a Kuomintang general from Shandong....
(上官云相) - 54th Division commanded by Hao MenglingHao MenglingHao Mengling was a Chinese general who distinguished himself first in the Northern Expedition and then in the Battle of Xinkou. Born on 18 February 1892 into a family of poor farmers, Hao ran away from his apprenticeship at a grocery shop to join the army when he was just a child...
- 77th Division commanded by Luo Lin (罗霖)
- 6th Route Army commanded by Zhu ShaoliangZhu ShaoliangChu Shao-liang was a general in the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China.In 1935, he was hand picked by Chiang Kai-shek as the commander-in-chief of the Third Route Army for exterminating the bandits...
would attack Guangchang (广昌) and Huangbo (黄陂) from Nanfeng (南丰) and Badu (八都).- 5th Division commanded by Hu Zuyu (胡祖玉)
- 8th Division commanded by Mao Bingwen (毛炳文)
- Newly Organized 13th Division commanded by Lu Xiaochen (路孝忱)
- 24th Division commanded by Xu Kexiang (许克祥)
- 56th Division commanded by Liu Heding (刘和鼎) had a mission different than the rest of divisions of the 6th Route Army in that it was tasked to attack from An’yuan (安远) to prevent the communists from fleeing southeastward.
- 19th Route Army commanded by Cai Tingkai would attack Longgangtou (龙冈头) and Ningdu from Xingguo
- 34th Brigade of the 12th Division commanded by Ma Kun (马昆)
- 60th Division commanded by Cai Tingkai
- 61st Division commanded by Dai Ji (戴戟)
- 26th Route Army commanded by Sun LianzhongSun LianzhongSun Lianzhong Sun Lianzhong Sun Lianzhong (Traditional Chinese: 孫連仲 ; Simplified Chinese: 孙连仲 ; pinyin: Sun Lianzhong; Wade-Giles: Sun Lian-chung (1893–1990) General during the Warlord Era, Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War...
would attack Dongshao (东韶) and Xiaobu (小布) from Yue’an (乐安) and (宜黄)- 25th Division commanded by Sun LianzhongSun LianzhongSun Lianzhong Sun Lianzhong Sun Lianzhong (Traditional Chinese: 孫連仲 ; Simplified Chinese: 孙连仲 ; pinyin: Sun Lianzhong; Wade-Giles: Sun Lian-chung (1893–1990) General during the Warlord Era, Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War...
- 27th Division commanded by Gao ShuxunGao ShuxunGao Shuxun sometimes written Kao Shu-hsun, was a KMT general from Zhili.Gao Shuxun took over the leadership of the 39th Army Group after kidnapping and killing the previous leader , Shi Yousan - who had planned to defect to the Japanese.-References:...
(高树勋) - 1st Cavalry Division commanded by Guan Shuren (关树人)
- 25th Division commanded by Sun Lianzhong
- Following nationalist units were tasked to prevent communists from fleeing southeastward:
- 49th Division commanded by Zhang Zhen (张贞) would strike from Shanghang (上杭) and Wuping (武平)
- 62nd Division commanded by Xiang Hanping (香翰屏) would strike from (蕉岭)
- Newly Organized 14th Brigade commanded by Zhou Zhiqun (周志群) would strike from Ninghua (宁化).
- Independent 32nd Brigade commanded by Lu Xingbang (卢兴邦) would strike from Liancheng (连城) and Changding (长汀)
- 52nd Division commanded by Han DeqinHan DeqinHan Deqin was a KMT general from Jiangsu. Han Deqin Commanded Nationalist forces involved in the New Fourth Army Incident during the Second Sino-Japanese War....
was tasked to protect the riverine transportation line of Gan River. - 3 wingsWing (air force unit)Wing is a term used by different military aviation forces for a unit of command. The terms wing, group or Staffel are used for different-sized units from one country or service to another....
of RoCAFRepublic of China Air ForceThe Republic of China Air Force is the aviation branch of the Republic of China Armed Forces. The ROCAF's primary mission is the defense of the airspace over and around Taiwan...
were tasked with bombing and reconnaissance missions.
Communist order of battle
Order of battle
In modern use, the order of battle is the identification, command structure, strength, and disposition of personnel, equipment, and units of an armed force participating in field operations. Various abbreviations are in use, including OOB, O/B, or OB, while ORBAT remains the most common in the...
: (30,000+ total)
- First Front Army of Chinese Red Army
Campaign
On April 1, 1931, the fourth encirclement campaign against Jiangxi SovietJiangxi Soviet
The Chinese Soviet Republic , also translated as the Soviet Republic of China or the China Soviet Republic, and often referred to in historical literature as the Jiangxi Soviet , was a state established in November 1931 by the future Communist Party of China leader Mao...
formally begun as the nationalists attacked in four fronts and by April 23, they had taken regions abandoned by the communists, including Riverine Back Cave (Jiangbeidong, 江背洞), Dragon’s Hill Head (Longgangtou, 龙冈头), Richfield (Futian, 富田), Water South (Shuinan, 水南), Yanfang (严坊), Zhaoxie (招携) and Guangchang (广昌). In the meantime, communist force withdrew to regions including Dragon’s Hill (Longgang, 龙冈), Upper Solid (Shanggu, 上固) and Eastern Solid (Donggu, 东固) to wait for the opportunity to pounce on the nationalists, and secretly gathered right next to the nationalist force in Eastern Solid (Donggu, 东固) region without being detected for twenty-five days.
On May 13, 1931, the communists got the opportunity they had been waiting for when the nationalist 28th Division and a brigade of the nationalist 47th Division begun to move toward from Eastern Solid (Donggu, 东固) from Rich Field (Futian, 富田). The communists ambushed the unsuspecting nationalists and after two days of fighting that lasted from May 15 to May 17, 1931, the ambushed nationalist force was completely destroyed in the regions of Middle Cave (Zhongdong, 中洞), Nine Inches Ridge (Jiucunling, 九寸岭). Continue their counteroffensives, the communists badly mauled the nationalist 43rd Division on May 19 in the region of White Sand (Baisha, 白沙), the nationalist survivors were forced to flee to the region of Eternal Abundance (Yongfeng, 永丰). Unaware that their comrades-in-arms had already been defeated, nationalist 27th Division went out to reinforce their besieged comrades-in-arms and was ambushed in the region of Middle Village (Zhongcun, 中村) on May 22, with an entire brigade acting as a vanguard was lost. Unable to rescue its vanguard, the rest of the nationalist 27th Division wisely chose to abandon the fight and withdrew safely.
On May 27, 1931, the communist counteroffensive led their victory at Guangchang (广昌), retaking the city and badly mauling the nationalist 5th Division in the process, including severely wounding its commander Hu Zuyu (胡祖玉), who eventually died of his wound in the campaign. On May 31, 1931, the communists attacked Jianning (建宁), badly mauling the nationalist 56th Division, which lost an entire brigade. After five consecutive defeats in sixteen days and being pushed back near four hundred kilometers thus losing all of the newly gained territory, the nationalists have had enough and decided to end the campaign by withdrawing. The communists subsequently declared a victory.
Aftermath
The communists managed to annihilate over thirty thousands nationalist troops and capturing over twenty thousands guns, and Gong Bingpan (公秉藩), the commander of the nationalist 28th Division was captured alive by the communists, the highest ranking nationalist captured in the campaign, but he cleverly escaped by avoiding being recognized by the communists:After the nationalist withdraw, each nationalist prisoner was given two silver dollars to go home. Gong Bingpan (公秉藩) carefully waited all the way in the back of the crowd to avoid being identified and recognized, but as he was called to receive his money, there was only one silver dollar left. Communists in charge wanted Gong Bingpan (公秉藩) to wait so that they could get another silver dollar for him but this delay would only provide more chances for him to be recognized. Gong Bingpan (公秉藩) cleverly told the communists:”Comrades, I have friends in Ji'an
Ji'an
- External links :* *...
who could provide me financial assistance, and I would only need a single silver dollar, there is no need to get another one”. The communists were of course very happy in saving a silver dollar and thus let him go with only one silver dollar. Gong Bingpan (公秉藩)’s experience was important because it would later help other high ranking nationalist commanders captured in later encirclement campaigns to successfully escape, thus avoiding certain jail time or even possible execution.
Capitalizing on their victory, the communists launched a series of offensive against the nationalists, taking several counties in eastern 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...
and western 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...
, including Lichuan (黎川), Nanfeng, (南丰), Jianning, (建宁), Taining, (泰宁), Ninghua, (宁化) and Changding (长汀), further expanding the Jiangxi Soviet
Jiangxi Soviet
The Chinese Soviet Republic , also translated as the Soviet Republic of China or the China Soviet Republic, and often referred to in historical literature as the Jiangxi Soviet , was a state established in November 1931 by the future Communist Party of China leader Mao...
.
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...
- First Encirclement CampaignFirst Encirclement CampaignThe First Encirclement Campaign is an abbreviated name used for several different encirclement campaigns launched by the Nationalist Government with the goal of destroying the developing Chinese Red Army and its communist bases in several separate locations in China during the early stage of...
- Third Encirclement CampaignThird Encirclement CampaignThe Third Encirclement Campaigns is an abbreviated name used for several different encirclement campaigns launched by the Nationalist Government with the goal of destroying the developing Chinese Red Army and its communist bases in several separate locations in China during the early stage of...
- Fourth Encirclement CampaignFourth Encirclement CampaignThe Fourth Encirclement Campaign is an abbreviated name used for several different encirclement campaigns launched by the Nationalist Government with the goal of destroying the developing Chinese Red Army and its communist bases. The battles took place in several separate locations in China during...
- Fifth Encirclement CampaignFifth Encirclement CampaignThe Fifth Encirclement Campaign is an abbreviated name used for several different encirclement campaigns launched by the Nationalist Government with the goal of destroying the developing Chinese Red Army and its communist bases in several separate locations in China during the early stage of...