Third Encirclement Campaign against Shaanxi-Gansu Soviet
Encyclopedia
The Third Encirclement Campaign
against Shaanxi
–Gansu
Soviet was an encirclement campaign
launched by the Chinese Nationalist Government that was intended to destroy communist
Shaanxi
–Gansu
Soviet and its Chinese Red Army in the local region. It was responded by the Communists’ Third Counter-Encirclement Campaign
at Shaanxi
–Gansu
Soviet , also called by the communists as the Third Counter-Encirclement Campaign
at Shaanxi
–Gansu
Revolutionary Base , in which the local Chinese Red Army successfully defended their soviet republic in the border region of Shaanxi
and Gansu
provinces against the Nationalist
attacks from August 1935 to October 25, 1935. Some Chinese communist historians also consider the Zhiluozhen Campaign fought a month later as part of this 3rd Counter-Encirclement Campaign
at Shaanxi
–Gansu
Soviet.
once again immediately mobilized more than 100,000 troops of warlords
of Northeast China
, Shaanxi
, Shanxi
, Suiyuan, Ningxia
and Gansu
to launch the Third Encirclement Campaign
against Shaanxi
–Gansu
Soviet aimed to eradicate the local communists. Chiang believed that launching another round of attack on the numerically and technically inferior enemy would prevent them from regrouping and rest, and when the enemy was still weak from last campaign, it would be easier to defeat because the communists had no other troops to rotate, while the nationalists could deploy their own fresh troops to overwhelm the enemy, resulting in final victory.
However, the nationalist effort was seriously hampered by the fact that all troops deployed were warlord troops, and all of them were weary of each other, as well as Chiang himself. Every warlord was worried that others (including Chiang) would sacrifice his troops to save their own. As a result, there was not much coordination and cooperation between nationalists themselves, and this weakness was exploited by the Communists to the maximum.
Communist high command of the Shaanxi
–Gansu
Soviet had correctly deduced the lack of trust among warlords, as well as the lack of coordination and cooperation that resulted from the lack of trust among them. It was decided to first annihilate the nationalist force in the east (consisted of troops of Shanxi
and Suiyuan warlords), and then to strike the nationalist 67th Army of the Northeast China in the south. Once this main force of the nationalist forces was defeated, the warlords would retreat.
Communists: 7,000+ troops and 7,000+ guerrillas and militias, Red Army regulars included:
against Shaanxi
–Gansu
Soviet was fired when both sides made contact. Communist troops consisted of soldiers from the 26th Army, 27th Army of the Chinese Red Army and guerrillas totaling five regiments, launched their surprise attack at the eastern front in the regions of Mu Family's Plain (Mujiayuan, 慕家塬) of Wubao County, and Dingxianyan (定仙墕) of Suide County
, against the unsuspecting nationalist troops consisted of troops of Shanxi
and Suiyuan warlords. After suffering several hundred fatalities and over eighteen hundred being captured alive by the enemy within a single day of fighting, Shanxi
and Suiyuan warlords withdrew their troops back to the eastern bank of the Yellow River
on August 21, 1935, and never attempt to engage the enemy again for the rest of the campaign, and the communists’ eastern front was thus secured. The first and the only nationalist force that dared to venture into the communist base at the early stage of the campaign was driven out of the communist base and knocked out of action for good. Despite suffering very minor casualties, the political commissar
of the communist 27th Army Wu Huanfa (吴焕发, 1907–1935) was killed in the battle, the communist with the highest ranking killed in the entire campaign.
The very first battle resulting in decisive nationalist defeat had serious undermined the nationalist morale, and the actions of nationalist forces of Shanxi and Suiyuan had provided other warlords an excuse to follow: by claiming taking a much more prudent approach, all nationalist forces took a defensive posture, stationed them outside the communist base without make any daring moves to attack the enemy. Chiang Kai-shek, the nationalist commander-in-chief who was thousands miles away was powerless to do anything about the situation for the time being, since he had to take up the command despite being far away from the battlefield, due to the fact none of the warlords allied with him trusted each other and would take orders from each other, letting along cooperating and helping each other. A stalemate was reached and lasted nearly a month, providing ample time for the communists to rest and regroup. By mid-September, 1935, the 25th Army of the Chinese Red Army reached the communist base, joining their comrades to further boost their strength. The Chinese Red Army was reorganized as the 15th Legion, consisted of the 25th, 26th, and 27th armies, totaling more than seven thousands regulars. Xu Haidong
became the commander-in-chief of the legion, while Liu Zhidan (刘志丹) became the deputy commander-in-chief, while Cheng Zihua (程子华) became its political commissar. This newly formed 15th Legion of the Chinese Red Army was supported by the local communist guerrillas and militia that also totaled more than seven thousands, and both sides were ready for the next stage.
's 67th Army from northeastern China in the south begun their attack toward the enemy's heartland. The 107th Division of the 67th Army advanced to Luochuan County
, while sending out one of the battalion of its 619th Regiment to guard Goat's Spring (Yangquan, 羊泉). The 110th Division and the 129th Division of the 67th Army were deployed from Yanchuan County
to Yan'an
along the highway, with the exception of the 685th Regiment of the 129th Division, which was stationed at Ganquan County
. The communists realized that the nationalists had overstretched themselves in the rugged terrain and decided to send a portion of their force to besiege the town of Ganquan, in order to lure the nationalists to the rescue. Once the nationalist reinforcement was out of the protection of the city walls and their fortifications to save their communication lines, it would be ambushed by the communist main force waiting in the regions of the Greater Labor Mountain (Dalaoshan, 大劳山) and the Lesser Labor Mountain (Xiaolaoshan, 小劳山). On September 21, 1935, communist 15th Legion marched from Eternal Plot (Yongping, 永坪) region of Yanchuan County
, and two days later, they reached Wang Family's Plot (Wangjiaping, 王家坪), a region to the northwest of Ganquan County
, and was ready for the next deployment.
On September 28, 1935, with the help of local communist guerrillas and militias, the 243rd Regiment of the communist 81st Division besieged the town of Ganquan, the capital of Ganquan County. At the dawn of September 29, 1935, the communist main force was deployed in the designated regions for the upcoming ambush. In the morning of October 1, 1935, the 110th Division of the nationalist 67th Army marched from Yan'an
toward Ganquan, attempted to rescue the besieged town, exactly as the communists had predicted. When the nationalist reinforcement reached the region of Forty-Mile Motel, (Sishilipu, 四十里铺), one regiment was left behind to secure the rear and the rest of the 110th Division of the nationalist 67th Army sped up toward Ganquan. At 2:00 PM on October 1, 1935, the nationalist reinforcement walked directly into the ambush the communists had set up for them. The 241st Regiment of the communist 81st Division launched a head-on surprise attack, while the cavalry regiment of the communist 78th Division struck from behind, cutting off the nationalists’ escaping route. Meanwhile, the communist 75th Division and the communist 78th Division attacked simultaneously from both flanks. The unsuspecting nationalist reinforcement was cutoff and isolated in two separate regions: in the Lesser Labor Mountain Hamlet (Xiaolaoshan Cun, 小劳山村) to the southwest of the Greater Labor Mountain, and the region of Elm Valley. After five hours of fierce fighting, the trapped 110th Division of the nationalist 67th Army was annihilated, suffering over a thousand fatalities, with every officer of brigade level and above killed, including the divisional commander He Lizhong (何立中). The rest thirty-seven hundred nationalist troops were captured alive by the enemy, along with over three thousand rifles, over a hundred eighty machine guns, and twelve artillery pieces, and over three hundred military horses.
, and nationalist forces in the north, east and west stopped their advance completely and dug in at the border of the communist base, while nationalist force in the south adopted a gradual push northward, in an attempt to tighten the stranglehold on the enemy by eventually squeezing the enemy into annihilation. As the nationalists took a defensive posture once again, the communists decided to strikeout and break the blockade. On October 20, 1935, the vanguard of the 107th Division of the nationalist 67th Army gradually advanced to the region of Elm Grove Bridge (Yulinqiao, 榆林桥) to the south of Ganquan County
, but before the nationalists could consolidate their gain and fortify their position, they were suddenly attacked by the enemy at the dawn of October 25, 1935. By the afternoon, everything was over, the nationalists suffered several hundred fatalities and over eighteen hundred were captured alive by the enemy, including Zhang Xueliang
's favorite, Gao Fuyuan (高福源), one the most capable regimental commander of the nationalist crack unit, the 119th Regiment of the 107th Division of the nationalist 67th Army.
The last defeat on October 25, 1935 proved to be the last draw for the nationalists, and marked the end of the campaign. Witnessing the disastrous defeat of their comrades-in-arms, other nationalist warlords no longer wanted to continue the carry on the fight and exhausting their troops against the communist base. They would rather preserve their troops to protect their own turfs instead of sacrificing them for Chiang, so one by one, they withdrew their forces back to their own territory and the 3rd encirclement campaign against Shaanxi
–Gansu
Soviet resulted in nationalist failure, and the communist base would survive and became the base from where the communists eventually succeeded in taking over entire China one and half a decade later.
Third Encirclement Campaign
The 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...
against Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
–Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Soviet was an 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...
launched by the Chinese Nationalist Government that was intended to destroy 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...
Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
–Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Soviet and its Chinese Red Army in the local region. It was responded by the Communists’ Third Counter-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...
at Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
–Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Soviet , also called by the communists as the Third Counter-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...
at Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
–Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Revolutionary Base , in which the local Chinese Red Army successfully defended their soviet republic in the border region of Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
and Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
provinces 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 August 1935 to October 25, 1935. Some Chinese communist historians also consider the Zhiluozhen Campaign fought a month later as part of this 3rd Counter-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...
at Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
–Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Soviet.
Prelude
After the failed Second Encirclement Campaign against Shaanxi–Gansu Soviet in July, 1935, Chiang Kai-shekChiang 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....
once again immediately mobilized more than 100,000 troops of warlords
Warlord era
The Chinese Warlord Era was the period in the history of the Republic of China, from 1916 to 1928, when the country was divided among military cliques, a division that continued until the fall of the Nationalist government in the mainland China regions of Sichuan, Shanxi, Qinghai, Ningxia,...
of Northeast China
Northeast China
Northeast China, historically known in English as Manchuria, is a geographical region of China, consisting of the three provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. The region is sometimes called the Three Northeast Provinces...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
, Suiyuan, Ningxia
Ningxia
Ningxia, formerly transliterated as Ningsia, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Located in Northwest China, on the Loess Plateau, the Yellow River flows through this vast area of land. The Great Wall of China runs along its northeastern boundary...
and Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
to launch the Third Encirclement Campaign
Third Encirclement Campaign
The 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...
against Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
–Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Soviet aimed to eradicate the local communists. Chiang believed that launching another round of attack on the numerically and technically inferior enemy would prevent them from regrouping and rest, and when the enemy was still weak from last campaign, it would be easier to defeat because the communists had no other troops to rotate, while the nationalists could deploy their own fresh troops to overwhelm the enemy, resulting in final victory.
However, the nationalist effort was seriously hampered by the fact that all troops deployed were warlord troops, and all of them were weary of each other, as well as Chiang himself. Every warlord was worried that others (including Chiang) would sacrifice his troops to save their own. As a result, there was not much coordination and cooperation between nationalists themselves, and this weakness was exploited by the Communists to the maximum.
Strategies
The nationalist strategy was to attack the communist base from three sides. At the southern front, nationalist troops would push northward slowly but steadily, while nationalist forces in the eastern and western fronts would strike simultaneously, squeezing the enemy to its eventual eradication. Nationalist force at the northern front would take a defensive position, fighting a blocking action to prevent enemy from escape.Communist high command of the Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
–Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Soviet had correctly deduced the lack of trust among warlords, as well as the lack of coordination and cooperation that resulted from the lack of trust among them. It was decided to first annihilate the nationalist force in the east (consisted of troops of Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
and Suiyuan warlords), and then to strike the nationalist 67th Army of the Northeast China in the south. Once this main force of the nationalist forces was defeated, the warlords would retreat.
Order of battle
Nationalists: 100,000+ troops in 5 armies totaling 15 divisions, with the main attack force as:- 67th Army
- 107th Division
- 110th Division
- 129th Division
Communists: 7,000+ troops and 7,000+ guerrillas and militias, Red Army regulars included:
- 15th Legion
- 25th Army
- 26th Army
- 27th Army
1st Stage
On August 20, 1935, the first shot of the Third Encirclement CampaignThird Encirclement Campaign
The 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...
against Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
–Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Soviet was fired when both sides made contact. Communist troops consisted of soldiers from the 26th Army, 27th Army of the Chinese Red Army and guerrillas totaling five regiments, launched their surprise attack at the eastern front in the regions of Mu Family's Plain (Mujiayuan, 慕家塬) of Wubao County, and Dingxianyan (定仙墕) of Suide County
Suide County
Suide County is a county of Yulin, Shaanxi, China.-Transportation:*China National Highway 210*China National Highway 307*Wuding Expressway*Taizhongyin Railway*Shenyan Railway-Notes and references:...
, against the unsuspecting nationalist troops consisted of troops of Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
and Suiyuan warlords. After suffering several hundred fatalities and over eighteen hundred being captured alive by the enemy within a single day of fighting, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
and Suiyuan warlords withdrew their troops back to the eastern bank of the Yellow River
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
on August 21, 1935, and never attempt to engage the enemy again for the rest of the campaign, and the communists’ eastern front was thus secured. The first and the only nationalist force that dared to venture into the communist base at the early stage of the campaign was driven out of the communist base and knocked out of action for good. Despite suffering very minor casualties, the political commissar
Political commissar
The political commissar is the supervisory political officer responsible for the political education and organisation, and loyalty to the government of the military...
of the communist 27th Army Wu Huanfa (吴焕发, 1907–1935) was killed in the battle, the communist with the highest ranking killed in the entire campaign.
The very first battle resulting in decisive nationalist defeat had serious undermined the nationalist morale, and the actions of nationalist forces of Shanxi and Suiyuan had provided other warlords an excuse to follow: by claiming taking a much more prudent approach, all nationalist forces took a defensive posture, stationed them outside the communist base without make any daring moves to attack the enemy. Chiang Kai-shek, the nationalist commander-in-chief who was thousands miles away was powerless to do anything about the situation for the time being, since he had to take up the command despite being far away from the battlefield, due to the fact none of the warlords allied with him trusted each other and would take orders from each other, letting along cooperating and helping each other. A stalemate was reached and lasted nearly a month, providing ample time for the communists to rest and regroup. By mid-September, 1935, the 25th Army of the Chinese Red Army reached the communist base, joining their comrades to further boost their strength. The Chinese Red Army was reorganized as the 15th Legion, consisted of the 25th, 26th, and 27th armies, totaling more than seven thousands regulars. Xu Haidong
Xu Haidong
Xu Haidong was a Grand General in the People's Liberation Army of China.Xu was born in Huangpi , Hubei, China. He was the six kid of his parents, who had a total of 10 children. His father was Xue Zhongben and his mother is only remembered by her last name, Wu...
became the commander-in-chief of the legion, while Liu Zhidan (刘志丹) became the deputy commander-in-chief, while Cheng Zihua (程子华) became its political commissar. This newly formed 15th Legion of the Chinese Red Army was supported by the local communist guerrillas and militia that also totaled more than seven thousands, and both sides were ready for the next stage.
2nd Stage
Realizing the enemy was getting larger and stronger, thus more difficult to eradicate, nationalist forces switched to an offensive mode. While nationalists at in the north, east and west still took a defensive posture to prevent enemy from escaping, nationalist force consisted of Zhang XueliangZhang Xueliang
Zhang Xueliang or Chang Hsüeh-liang , occasionally called Peter Hsueh Liang Chang in English, nicknamed the Young Marshal , was the effective ruler of Manchuria and much of North China after the assassination of his father, Zhang Zuolin, by the Japanese on 4 June 1928...
's 67th Army from northeastern China in the south begun their attack toward the enemy's heartland. The 107th Division of the 67th Army advanced to Luochuan County
Luochuan County
Luochuan County is a county of Yan'an, Shaanxi, China.-Transportation:*China National Highway 210...
, while sending out one of the battalion of its 619th Regiment to guard Goat's Spring (Yangquan, 羊泉). The 110th Division and the 129th Division of the 67th Army were deployed from Yanchuan County
Yanchuan County
Yanchuan County is a county in Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province of China.Total area: 1941 km2. Total population is 180,000 in 2002.-External links:*...
to Yan'an
Yan'an
Yan'an , is a prefecture-level city in the Shanbei region of Shaanxi province in China, administering several counties, including Zhidan County , which served as the Chinese communist capital before the city of Yan'an proper took that role....
along the highway, with the exception of the 685th Regiment of the 129th Division, which was stationed at Ganquan County
Ganquan County
Ganquan County is a county of Yan'an, Shaanxi, China.-Transportation:*China National Highway 210...
. The communists realized that the nationalists had overstretched themselves in the rugged terrain and decided to send a portion of their force to besiege the town of Ganquan, in order to lure the nationalists to the rescue. Once the nationalist reinforcement was out of the protection of the city walls and their fortifications to save their communication lines, it would be ambushed by the communist main force waiting in the regions of the Greater Labor Mountain (Dalaoshan, 大劳山) and the Lesser Labor Mountain (Xiaolaoshan, 小劳山). On September 21, 1935, communist 15th Legion marched from Eternal Plot (Yongping, 永坪) region of Yanchuan County
Yanchuan County
Yanchuan County is a county in Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province of China.Total area: 1941 km2. Total population is 180,000 in 2002.-External links:*...
, and two days later, they reached Wang Family's Plot (Wangjiaping, 王家坪), a region to the northwest of Ganquan County
Ganquan County
Ganquan County is a county of Yan'an, Shaanxi, China.-Transportation:*China National Highway 210...
, and was ready for the next deployment.
On September 28, 1935, with the help of local communist guerrillas and militias, the 243rd Regiment of the communist 81st Division besieged the town of Ganquan, the capital of Ganquan County. At the dawn of September 29, 1935, the communist main force was deployed in the designated regions for the upcoming ambush. In the morning of October 1, 1935, the 110th Division of the nationalist 67th Army marched from Yan'an
Yan'an
Yan'an , is a prefecture-level city in the Shanbei region of Shaanxi province in China, administering several counties, including Zhidan County , which served as the Chinese communist capital before the city of Yan'an proper took that role....
toward Ganquan, attempted to rescue the besieged town, exactly as the communists had predicted. When the nationalist reinforcement reached the region of Forty-Mile Motel, (Sishilipu, 四十里铺), one regiment was left behind to secure the rear and the rest of the 110th Division of the nationalist 67th Army sped up toward Ganquan. At 2:00 PM on October 1, 1935, the nationalist reinforcement walked directly into the ambush the communists had set up for them. The 241st Regiment of the communist 81st Division launched a head-on surprise attack, while the cavalry regiment of the communist 78th Division struck from behind, cutting off the nationalists’ escaping route. Meanwhile, the communist 75th Division and the communist 78th Division attacked simultaneously from both flanks. The unsuspecting nationalist reinforcement was cutoff and isolated in two separate regions: in the Lesser Labor Mountain Hamlet (Xiaolaoshan Cun, 小劳山村) to the southwest of the Greater Labor Mountain, and the region of Elm Valley. After five hours of fierce fighting, the trapped 110th Division of the nationalist 67th Army was annihilated, suffering over a thousand fatalities, with every officer of brigade level and above killed, including the divisional commander He Lizhong (何立中). The rest thirty-seven hundred nationalist troops were captured alive by the enemy, along with over three thousand rifles, over a hundred eighty machine guns, and twelve artillery pieces, and over three hundred military horses.
3rd Stage
After suffering the huge defeat with nearly a division completely annihilated, the nationalists were forced to change their battle plan by adopting the once successfully blockade strategy used against the main communist base in JiangxiFifth Encirclement Campaign against Jiangxi Soviet
The Fifth Encirclement Campaign against Jiangxi Soviet was a series of battles fought during the Chinese Civil War from September 25, 1933 to October 1934 between Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang and the Chinese communists...
, and nationalist forces in the north, east and west stopped their advance completely and dug in at the border of the communist base, while nationalist force in the south adopted a gradual push northward, in an attempt to tighten the stranglehold on the enemy by eventually squeezing the enemy into annihilation. As the nationalists took a defensive posture once again, the communists decided to strikeout and break the blockade. On October 20, 1935, the vanguard of the 107th Division of the nationalist 67th Army gradually advanced to the region of Elm Grove Bridge (Yulinqiao, 榆林桥) to the south of Ganquan County
Ganquan County
Ganquan County is a county of Yan'an, Shaanxi, China.-Transportation:*China National Highway 210...
, but before the nationalists could consolidate their gain and fortify their position, they were suddenly attacked by the enemy at the dawn of October 25, 1935. By the afternoon, everything was over, the nationalists suffered several hundred fatalities and over eighteen hundred were captured alive by the enemy, including Zhang Xueliang
Zhang Xueliang
Zhang Xueliang or Chang Hsüeh-liang , occasionally called Peter Hsueh Liang Chang in English, nicknamed the Young Marshal , was the effective ruler of Manchuria and much of North China after the assassination of his father, Zhang Zuolin, by the Japanese on 4 June 1928...
's favorite, Gao Fuyuan (高福源), one the most capable regimental commander of the nationalist crack unit, the 119th Regiment of the 107th Division of the nationalist 67th Army.
The last defeat on October 25, 1935 proved to be the last draw for the nationalists, and marked the end of the campaign. Witnessing the disastrous defeat of their comrades-in-arms, other nationalist warlords no longer wanted to continue the carry on the fight and exhausting their troops against the communist base. They would rather preserve their troops to protect their own turfs instead of sacrificing them for Chiang, so one by one, they withdrew their forces back to their own territory and the 3rd encirclement campaign against Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
–Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Soviet resulted in nationalist failure, and the communist base would survive and became the base from where the communists eventually succeeded in taking over entire China one and half a decade later.
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...