1934, the Central Red Army launched its first major battle on the Xiangjiang River since the Long March. The first, third, fifth, eighth and ninth legions of the Central Red Army and the first and second field armies of the Central Red Army, with 86,000 men, evacuated from Ruijin Soviet Area in Jiangxi, broke through three enemy blockade lines in succession, and reached the border of Hunan and Guangxi in the last ten days of 1934+0 1.
After the Red Army vanguard troops arrived in Xiangjiang River, they successfully took control of the ferry. However, because the team carried too much trench and moved slowly, it was attacked by the enemy before the big troops crossed the river.
The "Central Army" and the warlords of Hunan, Guangxi and Guangdong concentrated 300,000 people and laid the fourth blockade of the "Iron Triangle" to the east of Xiangjiang River. In the face of life and death, the Red Army soldiers fought for seven days and seven nights without hesitation, and finally broke through the Xiangjiang blockade at a painful cost of more than half.
After a few days of bloody fighting, the Red Army lost more than half of its strength, and the number of Central Red Army decreased sharply from 86,000 at the time of departure to 30,000, and the Xiangjiang River was dyed red with blood. Since then, local people have said that they will not drink Xiangjiang water for three years and will not eat Xiangjiang fish for ten years.
War assessment:
Although the Xiangjiang Campaign shattered the Kuomintang army's attempt to surround the Red Army to the east of Xiangjiang, it was also the biggest loss of the Central Red Army after the Long March. Coupled with the losses caused by the previous three blockades (including non-combat downsizing), the number of the Central Red Army crossing the Xiangjiang River dropped sharply from more than 86,000 at the beginning of the Long March to more than 30,000.
The leaders of the "Left" adventurism did not give full play to the strengths of the Red Army, and the troops still had to move forward "jar jar jar jar jar jar" in action, which was slow and there were serious mistakes in strategic and tactical guidance.
Xiangjiang Campaign laid the most important ideological foundation for convening Zunyi Conference and establishing Mao Zedong's leading position in the CPC Central Committee and the Red Army.
In a word, Xiangjiang Campaign is a life-and-death battle of the Central Red Army, and a battle of fate that determines the future of the Long March. The Xiangjiang Campaign was tragic, but it was of great historical significance.