By the time of the week, it was already the morning of the 27th. The troops halted their advance and camped on the spot.

Liu Yimin ordered the radio to be turned on and contacted the 12th Division, the 13th Division, and the Only Division.

Liu Jianli of the 12th Division reported that according to investigation, after our army withdrew from Guyuan, Ma Hongbin's 35th Division and the 35th Division occupied Guyuan last night, and the vanguard was rushing to Pingliang. The main force of Ma Hongkui's Seventh Division, which was originally confronting our army in Pingliang, suddenly withdrew last night. After interrogating the captured prisoners, Ma Hongkui's main force was ordered to rush to Tianshui and attack Tianshui with Ma Bufang's main force. It is expected that Ma Hongbin's troops will move south from Guyuan to take over the defense line of Ma Hongkui's troops and monitor our army.

Liu Jianli of the 13th Division reported that after investigation, Ma Bufang had set up a command post in Gangu, and his main force of the 100th Division and the 5th Ma Buqing Cavalry Division were in place, and there was an unknown number of security regiments with a strength of about 70,000 troops. The 37th Regiment has been ordered to deploy defenses at Taijing, Lijiataizi, Xunwoshan, and Zhongliang branches, planning to resist step by step and lead the enemy to the county seat. The 38th Regiment, the 39th Regiment and the troops directly under the division were ordered to hold the county seat and use the existing positions in the county seat to kill and wound the enemy.

When Liu Yimin saw Li Qing's report, he was taken aback. Li Qing underestimated the enemy, he had no experience in fighting with large-scale cavalry, and he didn't know the terrible charge of the cavalry group, so he let the most elite 37th Regiment defend and resist step by step, which was simply to give the 37th Regiment to the Ma Jiajun. The Qingma troops have a strong sense of religion and do not want to die in a fight, even if the 37th Regiment can inflict heavy damage on the enemy, I am afraid that it will be overwhelmed by the enemy's crowd.

Liu Yimin did not dare to hesitate, and immediately sent a telegram, strictly ordering Li Qing to immediately withdraw the 37th Regiment and hold on to the county seat, and to build a network of solid positions in Tianshui County and on the crater behind the county seat in accordance with the provisions of the Red Army's infantry training program.

Liu Yimin also told Li Qing the tactics used by Qingma, one is the tactics of crowds, and the other is to use a small force to retreat to lure the opponent into pursuit, and then use cavalry to outflank and strangle from both flanks. Therefore, Liu Yimin strictly ordered Li Qing to reconnoiter the enemy situation with a small force of cavalry after withdrawing the 37th Regiment, and if the enemy came to attack, he would quickly withdraw to avoid unnecessary sacrifices. All troops must hold their positions and must not leave their positions to pursue the enemy. All automatic firearms must be equipped with a line to wear down the enemy with positional warfare and powerful firepower. When charging with the enemy's cavalry group, concentrate firepower, first hit the horse and then the master, and never let the cavalry break into the position and carry out a white-handed kill.

After sending a telegram to Li Qing, Liu Yimin sent a telegram to the only division, strictly ordering Feng Dafei to speed up the march and be sure to rush to the Tianshui line before 7 o'clock in the morning of the 28th to reinforce the 13th division.

Then, Liu Yimin ordered Liu Jianli, the 12th Division, to evacuate Pingliang on the night of the 27th, disguise the enemy as much as possible, cross Liupan Mountain, go south to Tianshui, and wait for the enemy Ma Hongkui to cross the Wei River and join the Tianshui attack, quickly establish a blocking position and close the retreat of Ma Hongkui's army.

Calculating the time and distance, Liu Yimin ordered the 11th Division, which had arrived in Baoji, and the 4th Division, which was stationed in Baoji, to begin to advance covertly towards Tianshui on the night of the 27th, and to wait for concealment near Yuanlong, so as not to let the enemy discover the whereabouts of the troops.

Liu Yimin was not at ease, and was afraid that Liu Jianli, Gao Yuan, Feng Dafei, and Chen Dayong would be as light as Li Qing, so he forwarded the telegram to Li Qing and demanded that they must strictly implement it.

After sending the telegram, Luo Ronghuan urged Liu Yimin to rest quickly. Liu Yimin said to Luo Ronghuan with a smile: "Political commissar, if this battle is over, Qinghai, Gansu, and Ningxia will all be ours." The strategic space of our army has suddenly opened up. Whoever it is, it will never be possible to destroy our Red Army again. If Chiang Kai-shek still dares to fight, hehe, political commissar, when the main force of our army returns to Weinan, I estimate that even Chiang Kai-shek himself swept behind with a machine gun, and he would not be able to stop his soldiers from escaping. ”

Luo Ronghuan nodded, and then urged him to rest.

After the camp, it was already 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and Liu Yimin ordered the troops to set off immediately and be sure to rush to Baoji on the morning of the 28th.

As soon as he came out of Zhouzhi, Liu Yimin saw Zhao Xiaoman and Jingjing leading several female soldiers of the art troupe to stand on the side of the road, shouting while playing bamboo boards: "Hey, hey, say the Red Army, say the Red Army, the Red Army save our suffering." Strive for liberation together, turn over and be the master of the house. ”

Seeing the corps commander and political commissar coming up, Zhao Xiaoman's bamboo board hit even louder: "Hey, hey, talking about the Red Army, talking about the Red Army, who are the heroes of the Red Army counting?" The reputation of the Red Seventh Legion frightened the enemy into daring! Speaking of the Red Army, the Red Army, the Red Seventh Army is amazing. Xiaoshui and Xikou fought He Jian, and Qingxi eliminated the Central Army. Speaking of the Red Army, the Red Army, the Red Seventh Army Corps is like flying. Thousands of miles to attack Chengdu, Xue Yue and Liu Xiang scared their souls. ”

It's spring, and the roadside is full of flowers and green grass. Zhao Xiaoman and Jingjing were originally first-class beauties, and when they stood in military uniforms among the flowers on the side of the road, they looked more and more heroic. In addition, the more he sang, the more energetic he became, the beads of sweat dripped down from the ends of his hair, and his face was red. If you meet a poet who shakes his head, he will definitely say that the painting is in the spring breeze, and the person comes from the painting. The peach blossoms cover the tender face, and the eyes are like spring water.

The soldiers who walked by one after another, glanced at the Mulan in the army, and then listened to the inspiring bamboo board words that boasted of the achievements of their troops, and the morale rushed straight up, and the steps of walking couldn't help but be much brisker.

Seeing the regiment commander and the political commissar standing still in front of them, the girls stopped beating the bamboo planks. Luo Ronghuan said with a smile: "Comrade Zhao Xiaoman, Comrade Jingjing, everyone has worked hard. Before the battle of Tianshui began, you have made meritorious contributions. Good job! ”

Zhao Xiaoman saluted excitedly and said, "Thank you, political commissar!" After speaking, he glanced at Liu Yimin out of the corner of his eye.

Liu Yimin was annoyed, this was to fight with the bandits, and specially explained that the art troupe and the newspaper would stay in Xi'an and act with the baggage regiment, but I didn't expect these two girls to sneak out. If something goes wrong and falls into the hands of the Green Horse Army, then the fate of this flower-like girl will be reversed, and I am afraid that I will see a smile on their faces again in the future, unless the sun comes out of the west.

Thinking about what happened to the female soldiers of the Western Route Army in history, Liu Yimin's tone was very stern: "Who asked you to come?" Didn't you receive the order from the legion to move with the baggage? ”

Zhao Xiaoman and Jingjing were afraid that someone would investigate them for not carrying out their orders. Seeing that Liu Yimin's face was wrong, Zhao Xiaoman had no choice but to report head-on: "Report to the corps commander, our art troupe is also a member of the Seventh Legion, and the whole legion is going to fight a big battle, and we should also go to the front line." You often say that political and ideological work should follow the soldiers, and we are implementing your instructions. ”

When Liu Yimin heard it, this girl still dared to quibble! His eyes turned to Jingjing: "Comrade Jingjing, the legion has clearly ordered you to stay in Xi'an and act with the baggage regiment, how dare you disobey the military order?" ”

Jingjing thought, both horizontally and vertically, it was a batch, and it was out! With a raised face, he said: "Report to the Legion Commander, the Legion's order itself is wrong!" Our regimental newspaper should report the deeds of the soldiers who bravely killed the enemy in a timely manner, and if we do not go to the battlefield, where can we have real materials? Therefore, if the legion newspaper stays in Xi'an and does not go to the battlefield, it is a mistake. Going to the battlefield is what the Legion should do! ”

Liu Yimin didn't talk to them, so he turned around and ordered Li Chengyi to send a platoon to escort them back to Xi'an. After saying that, he will fight the horse and leave.

Zhao Xiaoman was in a hurry, rushed up in one step, pulled Liu Yimin's reins, and shouted loudly: "I won't go back to Xi'an, I want to go to the front line!" ”

Liu Yimin had to say patiently: "Comrade Zhao Xiaoman, when you go to the front, you have to send soldiers to protect you and affect the combat of the troops. Execute the order, and when the battle is over, we will return to Xi'an, and ask you to put on a show for the soldiers. I'm leaving, let go! ”

Zhao Xiaoman said stubbornly: "No! Unless you give us permission to go to the front, I won't go back. ”

Liu Yimin saw Zhao Xiaoman's resolute face, and was about to order Li Chengyi to take her away, when he heard Jingjing say: "Commander, I feel that you are a bully." If it were someone else, would you still rush like this? ”

Liu Yimin is angry and just wants to whip someone, not to mention that he doesn't enforce discipline, and there are a lot of crooked reasons, and it sounds so harsh. It seems that these female comrades must leave the corps headquarters as soon as possible, otherwise, I don't know what else to say in the future!

Calm down, Liu Yimin tried his best to suppress his anger, and said in a calm tone: "Comrade Zhao Xiaoman, Comrade Jingjing." You are all Red Army soldiers, obey orders and listen to commands. It is for your own good to let you go back to Xi'an. Get out of the way, I'm leaving! ”

Zhao Xiaoman saw that the guards and soldiers had surrounded him, and he might take them away forcibly immediately, tears came out, he didn't care about anything, and the grievances in his heart suddenly welled up: "If you still have a little conscience, it's really good for me, take me with you." Otherwise, I will hate you to death for the rest of my life! ”

Luo Ronghuan saw that the problem of whether to carry out orders or not might evolve into hatred among his children, so he said, "Okay, I approve you to go to the front." Hurry up and keep up with the team. ”

Liu Yimin said: "Political commissar, if you don't understand the situation, don't approve it indiscriminately, the Qingma troops are a hundred times more vicious than the bandits, and it is too dangerous for female comrades to go to the front." ”

Luo Ronghuan said: "That's it, just let them act with the army headquarters." Could it be that the Ma family army still has the ability to take our legion headquarters? Rest assured! ”

Liu Yimin stopped talking, beat his horse and hurried forward. After walking for a while, I turned around and saw that Zhao Xiaoman, Jingjing and the female warriors did not follow. Just stop and wait on the side of the road. After waiting for a long time, Zhao Xiaoman and Jingjing led a few female warriors to follow the guards behind the palace.

Seeing that Zhao Xiaoman and Jingjing were both tears, several female warriors were also unhappy. Liu Yimin asked where are your war horses?

Zhao Xiaoman said that he came up secretly, and he didn't dare to go to the logistics to lead the horse.

Liu Yimin saw that the trouble had been caused, so he had to order Li Chengyi to catch up with the cavalry regiment quickly, and let them bring a few spare horses over and give them to the female warriors to ride. Thinking about it, he didn't feel at ease, so he asked the guard Huang Wenhu to take out a few pistols that he had spare, and let Zhao Xiaoman be responsible for teaching a few female soldiers to use them. In the end, Liu Yimin once again explained to Zhao Xiaoman and Jingjing that they must act with the corps headquarters and must not leave the guard circle of the first battalion of guards. Especially Jingjing, Liu Yimin felt that this girl looked gentle and elegant, but she was actually very bold. Recently, I may know that I am about to marry Tang Xingying, and I am in a bad mood, every time I speak, I look like I want to find fault, open and close my mouth to be biased, and it is unfair. I don't know what this girl thinks, what's unfair about love! I still feel that God is unfair, and I have nowhere to say it! Afraid that if she couldn't think about it and take risks, Liu Yimin gave her a death order, and she was not allowed to leave the first guard battalion defense area under any pretext without the approval of the corps commander himself. Otherwise, she will be confined directly.

After the explanation, Liu Yimin left with confidence.

On the morning of the 28th, the headquarters of the Red Seventh Army and the troops directly under it rushed to Baoji, which was still more than 300 miles away from Tianshui, and the troops continued to advance after a short rest, rushing to Yuanlong to join the 11th Division and the Fourth Division.

At 4 o'clock in the morning on the 29th, after Ma Bufang got up on time, he felt energetic. After breakfast, he sent a telegram to Ma Hongkui, agreeing that the Seventh Division would continue to march towards Tianshui, cross the Wei River, and attack Tianshui from Weinan Town.

After sending the telegram, Ma Bufang walked to the courtyard and looked at the sky, the clouds were clear and refreshing. Looking at the flowers and trees in the yard, I feel that spring and scenery are bright, and the trees are verdant. It's a good day!

Yesterday evening, Ma Bufang had received a report from Ma Hongkui that the Seventh Division had arrived in Qin'an. For the sake of prudence, Ma Bufang sent a report to Ma Hongbin again, asking if there was any movement of the Pingliang Red Bandits. This Ma Hongbin is a weak horse in the four horses in the northwest, at this time the strength of the army is only 20,000 people, taking advantage of the withdrawal of the Red 12th Division from Guyuan, it is already a fluke to recover the lost ground, then dare to attack the Red Army to occupy Pingliang! He also only sent a small force to take over Ma Hongkui's position and monitor the Red Army. When the Red 12th Division withdrew, there were small units left to camouflage the main force, so Ma Hongbin naturally informed Ma Bufang that everything was normal, and the Red Bandits did not move.

Ma Bufang was not at ease, and sent a number of cavalry to reconnoiter within a radius of 30 miles around Tianshui with torches, and found no signs of reinforcements from the main force of the red bandits. It seems that Tianshui is already a dead city, an ancient city.

At this time, Ma Bufang was relieved and sent a report directly to Chiang Kai-shek, saying that a total of 70,000 elites of the New 2nd Army, the Fifth Cavalry Division and the Qinghai Security Regiment had been deployed in place, and Ma Hongkui's 7th Division had also moved south. The plan is to attack the sky and water tomorrow. The small forces scattered by the red bandits in the townships of Tianshui were crushed at the first touch, and all of them shrank into Tianshui City. I would like to ask Chairman Chiang for his approval to start a war tomorrow.

Chiang Kai-shek soon telegraphed back, asking Ma Bufang to fight with confidence, the central government and the red bandits were in a period of armistice, and the red bandits did not dare to send reinforcements. Otherwise, they will start the war lightly and destroy the peace, and the central army is about to use this as an excuse to eliminate the red bandits!

The helper came, the backing was there, and Ma Bufang's excitement also came, and he went to bed on time at 10 o'clock and collected a pair of sisters brought from Xining. The two girls are tall, short, fat and thin, there is basically no difference between their eyebrows and eyes, they are young and delicate, and it is the first night, which is so exciting that Ma Bufangxiong blows frequently. Touching and biting, he tried all means to torture the two girls all over her body, and she cried coquettishly. Ma Bufang himself had a good night's sleep, and in his dreams he was still comparing which of the two sisters had smoother skin, which laughter was more brittle, and which moaned softer.

Ma Bufang, who is in a good mood, feels that this spring is simply his Ma Bufang's. Yes, think about it in three or three years, he fought the Qinghai-Tibet War, and in the spring of three or four years, he united with the rest of the three horses to fight the war against Sun, and beat Sun Dianying and fled back to Henan. As soon as the spring of the past three or five years came, the red bandits came. It seems that the troops can be expanded again.

In recent years, Ma Bufang has thoroughly understood that only by fighting can he expand his territory, increase taxes, and expand the army. After the Qinghai-Tibet Campaign, his provisional Ninth Division was expanded to 100 divisions; After fighting the Battle of Rejecting Sun, he spent some money, and as soon as he went to He Yingqin and Zhu Shaoliang to do his activities, his 100th division became the new Second Army, with one division and two cavalry brigades, and the strength was as high as 25,000 people. If the Red Bandits are defeated again, should their troops be organized into two or three divisions?

Anyway, now that he has a strong army, in addition to his new second army and his brother Ma Buqing's Fifth Cavalry Division, he also brought a part of the security regiment. The combat effectiveness of these security regiments is not bad at all, but they don't have numbers. Counting his main force plus the security regiment, there are already 70,000 troops, plus Ma Hongkui's seventh division, there are almost 90,000 troops. With such a huge force killing the red bandits, how dare the red bandits parry?

I heard that many of the female bandits in the Red Bandit team joined the Red Bandit after they were tempted by the idea of the Communist Party after the rich lady from the mainland went to school. Some of them are still foreign students, not only beautiful, but also proficient in playing the piano and singing.

This red bandit must be beaten!

In the past two days, the small troops sent out one after another have gained a lot, and the red bandits were crushed at the touch of a button, and all the turtles retreated into Tianshui City. Okay, let Lao Tzu enter Tianshui City and capture the red bandits in one fell swoop!

At nine o'clock in the morning, Ma Bufang held a swearing-in ceremony in Gangu County, cut off the heads of nine ordinary people to sacrifice the flag, and then waved the army to Tianshui to kill.

After receiving Liu Yimin's telegram on the morning of the 27th, Li Qing thought about it carefully and knew that he had indeed underestimated the enemy, so he quickly ordered the 37th Regiment to withdraw to the county seat, readjust the deployment in accordance with Liu Yimin's instructions, and build a position. At about 6 o'clock in the morning of the 28th, Feng Dafei led the only division to arrive, Li Qing was overjoyed, strengthened the firepower and ammunition of the second and third regiments, and deployed them on the two flanks of the arc-shaped mountain behind Tianshui City to strengthen the flank protection. The 37th Regiment and the only regiment were selected as assault corps, and it was planned to carry out a surprise attack when the enemy retreated. The deployment is then reported to the corps commander, and after approval, it is carried out according to the deployment.

It was only eighty or ninety miles from Gangu to Tianshui, and the cavalry was fast, and they arrived in a few hours. At noon, Ma Yuanhai, the former commander-in-chief of the enemy, and Ma Tingxiang, the chief of staff of the Fifth Cavalry Division, appointed by Ma Bufang, went to the outside of Tianshui City, holding binoculars to observe at close range.

History always has its inevitable sameness. Historically, when Ma Jiajun fought the Western Route Army, the former enemy commander-in-chief and deputy commander-in-chief appointed by Ma Bufang were these two people. Later, Ma Tingxiang was killed by the Red Army, but Ma Yuanhai commanded the troops and defeated the Western Route Army. [***] was broad-minded, and after Ma Yuanhai surrendered, he did not shoot him, allowing him to return to Xining safely, and died of illness at home after liberation.

From the telescope, Tianshui City is very quiet, and the hillside behind the city is also very quiet, so there is nothing unusual to see. Ma Yuanhai was surprised, could it be that the red bandits ran away?

It was the first time for Ma Yuanhai to fight the Red Seventh Army, so he naturally didn't know that the positions of the Red Seventh Army were all camouflaged, and they naturally couldn't be seen from a distance.

After the defeat of the Western Route Army in history, Sun Yuqing, the commander of the Red Ninth Army, was captured. Sun Yuqing said at the time that Ma Jiajun was swarming up in the war, and there was no discipline. The Western Route Army suffered from the lack of replenishment, otherwise, Ma Jiajun was not an opponent.

Ma Yuanhai is Ma Bufang's cousin, he is very tall, with a red face and black beard, and he looks very powerful. However, he was illiterate and did not understand the military code. But Ma Bufang thinks he is very good at commanding. In peacetime, he had no soldiers under his command, and in wartime he always served as the commander of the former enemy. This person has been practicing martial arts and guns since he was a child, has good marksmanship, and is extremely cruel. It is said that during the Qinghai-Tibet Campaign, he single-handedly slaughtered more than 80 Tibetans in one day.

At this time, Ma Yuanhai and Ma Tingxiang both had the idea of entering Tianshui City first. The reason is very simple, Ma Yuanhai is from the New Second Army, Ma Tingxiang is from the Fifth Division, one is Ma Bufang's person, and the other is Ma Buqing's person. At this time, the two horses were only fighting together, and Ma Bufang had not really taken Ma Buqing's Fifth Cavalry Division into his hands.

Ma Yuanhai decided to send a cavalry platoon into the city to observe.

The commander of the cavalry platoon, who had been selected, shouted in high spirits and rushed towards the city gate with a group of brothers.

Ma Yuanhai watched the cavalry platoon enter the city unharmed in the binoculars, and couldn't wait for the return. Immediately let the Ma Buluan cavalry regiment enter the city from the front, and the Ma Zhongyi cavalry regiment enter the city from the south. The other units are on standby, and the tasks will be determined when the infantry units come up.

Ma Tingxiang immediately asked a cavalry regiment of the 5th Cavalry Division to enter the city from the north.

Ma Yuanhai thought about it and agreed. As a result, the three cavalry regiments roared towards Tianshui City.

Song Wenhu was a platoon commander of the first company of the fourth battalion of the 38th regiment. He was originally a platoon commander of the 24th Division of the Gui Army, was captured after the battle of Gulingtou, and joined the Red Army when the army was reorganized in the west. From then on, he participated in a series of battles from the 18th Regiment to the 7th Red Army Corps, and gradually grew into a cadre of the Red Army. At this moment, he took his platoon to hide behind the main gate of Tianshui County, waiting to kill the enemy cavalry platoon that entered the city first.

As for the Qingma troops, Song Wenhu knew when he was a soldier of the Gui Army that they were very fierce and fierce, and they were the more effective troops in the warlord army. Fortunately, before today's battle, the battalion commander conveyed the order of the division headquarters and the regiment headquarters: There is no need to be polite to Qingma. Song Wenhu knew that this was not to be polite, but there was no need to deliberately capture the prisoners.

Seeing that the last soldier of the Qingma cavalry platoon rushed into the city gate, Song Wenhu shouted: "Fight!" The submachine gun in his hand swept towards the Qingma soldiers.

The same platoon, the other was not on guard and rushed in. One is to rely on the fortifications and wait for the net. This is how the target relates to the targeter. A crisp round of gunfire rang out, and the soldiers of the Qingma platoon saw that the king of Hades had gone, and several soldiers quickly pulled the ownerless war horse and retreated.

Song Wenhu made a gesture, the whole platoon quickly went to the position, all the machine guns were pulled up, and the muzzle of the black hole pointed to the door hole of the city gate, and together with the comrades on the city wall, they formed a double firepower, waiting for the arrival of the enemy cavalry regiment.

At 2 o'clock at noon on March 29, 1935, with the fight of Song Wenhu, the Battle of Tianshui kicked off.

When he received Li Qing's report, Liu Yimin had just led the army headquarters to Yuanlong on a rapid march. As soon as he heard that Qingma was attacking, Liu Yimin ordered Li Qing and Feng Dafei to control the rhythm of the battle, and be sure to firmly attract the main forces of Qingma and Ningma to Tianshui City, so that they could not attack and stop, and they were completely stuck in the quagmire and could not withdraw.

Then, Liu Yimin sent a report to the headquarters, reporting that the main forces of Qingma and Ningma of about 90,000 people launched an attack on the 13th Red Division of Tianshui at 2 o'clock at noon on the 29th, and the Tianshui Battle officially began. At present, the corps headquarters led the troops directly under it, the Red 11th Division, and the 4th Independent Division have arrived at Yuanlong, and they plan to rest until the evening and advance in the direction of Tianshui. It is expected to arrive at the designated location tomorrow morning and wait for concealment. The Red 12th Division disguised the enemy, followed the main force of the 7th Ningma Division into Qin'an County, and closed its retreat after Ningma crossed the Wei River.

Then, Liu Yimin sent a telegram to Hong Chaoyuan and Wu Huanxian on the Tongguan front line and Zhang Hongtao and Liu Zhidan on the front line of Hefang, informing them of the situation in Tianshui and asking them to pay close attention to the movements of the Central Army and the Jinsui Army, and make serious preparations to guard against the enemy's surprise attack.

After sending the telegram, Liu Yimin ordered the troops to take a quick rest, hold an operational meeting at 7 p.m., and set off on time at 8 p.m.

After receiving Liu Yimin's report, [***]'s eyes immediately looked at northern and eastern Sichuan. Our army on the Tianshui side is tantamount to inviting you into the urn, northern Sichuan and eastern Sichuan are different, Xue Yuebu, Sichuan Army, and Northeast Army have not moved so far, and it is difficult to say whether Chiang Kai-shek will fight or not. Therefore, after discussing with Zhu De, and Liu Bocheng, it was decided that the first was to ask Vice Chairman Zhou to immediately meet with the Kuomintang negotiators to strongly protest that the Kuomintang had not declared war and that it must bear the responsibility for sabotaging the armistice. The second is to inform [***], Peng Dehuai, and Xu Xiangqian of the beginning of the Tianshui Campaign, and ask them to pay close attention to the enemy's situation, and if the enemy does not move, I will not move, and resolutely not fire the first shot. If the enemy attacks, they will proceed according to their respective battle plans.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Zhang Qun, Shao Lizi, Zhang Zhizhong, and Chen Cheng just sat down in the five halls, and Zhou Enlai, [***], Ye Jianying, and Dong Biwu hurriedly entered.

Zhou Enlai's face turned blue, and he didn't sit down, and said directly: "Delegates, at two o'clock just now, Ma Bufang, acting chairman of Qinghai Province and commander of the New Second Army, gathered the main force of Qingma and the security regiment to invade our Tianshui base and besiege our troops stationed in Tianshui in the city. Our army is in danger! I am entrusted by the [***] Central Committee and the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army to lodge a strong protest to you! This move by your side is purely an undeclared war and seriously undermines the armistice and peace talks! Therefore, all the consequences caused by the Tianshui incident must be borne by you. I ask you to immediately cease the civil war and withdraw the Tsing Ma troops. Otherwise, our army will carry out a resolute counterattack and destroy all the invading enemies. I want to hold a press conference to expose to the people of the whole country the Kuomintang's fake peace talks and real civil war! ”

Zhang Qun knew about Qingma's attack on Tianshui, so he behaved relatively calmly. Shao Lizi, Zhang Zhizhong, and Chen Cheng had not read the secret telegram that Chiang Kai-shek later sent to Zhang Qun, and they were all shocked by the news, and they all turned their eyes to Zhang Qun.

Zhang Qun said slowly: "Mr. Enlai, please control your anger." We have not received any news of our army going to war against your army. The National Government is determined not to provoke a civil war at this critical moment in the peace talks. As for the issue of Ma Bufang, you also know the situation in China, they are local forces, and sometimes the central government cannot restrain them. I don't think that's the case, so I won't hold the press conference yet, and I'll report to Nanjing immediately and ask about the situation. If Ma Bufang starts the war lightly, he can ask Chairman Jiang to reprimand. In any case, the scale of this conflict cannot be expanded. ”

Zhou Enlai sneered: "Mr. Yue Jun said it so lightly, let the chairman ask with words, so what if Ma Bufang doesn't listen?" Ma Bufang is a local force, so why did the national political axe appoint her as the acting chairman of Qinghai Province? If I remember correctly, it seems that the purpose of the Northern Expedition launched by the Kuomintang and the Communist Party was to eliminate the warlords, why did the Kuomintang not eliminate Ma Bufang but support him now? At this moment, thousands of officers and men of our Red Army in Tianshui are shedding blood and dying all the time, but you say that our army cannot expand the scale of the conflict. Is it only my Tianshui garrison that is completely wiped out? ”

Zhang Qun still said slowly: "Mr. Enlai, no matter what, this is completely a war launched by local forces for turf, and it has nothing to do with the central political axe. I don't know about the dispute between you and Qingma, but there must be a reason for it. If the two of you go to war and let the central government bear the notoriety of the civil war, this is not fair, I'm afraid the people of the world will not be convinced! ”

Ye Jianying sneered and said, "I don't dare to agree with Mr. Yue Jun's words, and I am afraid it is not too much to say that it is a deception. Without the support of Chairman Chiang, would Ma Bufang dare to attack the Red Army? Ma Bufang is the acting chairman of Qinghai Province, Tianshui is eight zhang away from him, when will it be the turn of the acting chairman of Qinghai to take care of Tianshui's affairs? Our army entered and occupied Tianshui because Tianshui was the station of the former Hu Zongnan's First Division, and it had nothing to do with Ma Bufang at all. The idea that this local forces are vying for territory is pure deception! A Ma Bufang is not terrible, our army will soon mobilize troops to reinforce Tianshui and completely repel Ma Bufang's rampant attack. However, I would like to warn the people of Nanjing, do not fight a civil war, do not play with fire, otherwise, you will inevitably bring humiliation on yourself! ”

As soon as Zhang Qun heard that the Red Army wanted to reinforce Tianshui, he immediately said: "The Red Army cannot expand the scale of the battle. Otherwise, it will provoke a civil war and sabotage peace talks. ”

Zhou Enlai laughed angrily, and after laughing, he said to Zhang Qun: "Mr. Yue Jun, is there such a thing in the world that you said?" It's okay for you to provoke a civil war, it's okay to encircle and suppress the Red Army, but if we fight back, we will provoke a civil war? Do you dare to say this attitude to the people of the world? ”

Zhang Qun was not in a hurry or angry: "Mr. Enlai, please consider the overall situation of the peace talks, and you can't reinforce Tianshui, otherwise, the national political axe will think that you are deliberately provoking a civil war." ”

Zhou Enlai glanced at Zhang Qun again and said, "I understand, what you mean is that Ma Bufang's attack on us is a local force grabbing territory, and our organization of troops to counterattack is to fight a civil war." We can only watch as the lone army in Tianshui is wiped out, but we cannot reinforce it, otherwise Chairman Chiang will have to mobilize a large army to continue to encircle and suppress the Red Army. Mr. Yue Jun, am I right? ”

Chen Cheng said: "Can you retreat!" ”

Ye Jianying immediately retorted: "Where to retreat?" There is an enemy siege on all sides, can you withdraw? General Chen, you are a soldier, you don't know that the battlefield situation is changing rapidly, right? Even if we can withdraw, what if the Ma family army pursues all the way. We're going to fight back, it's a civil war. His intention to attack is a dispute between local forces. Is there such a logic in the world? Besides, we withdrew to Baoji and he occupied Baoji. We withdrew to Xi'an, and he occupied Xi'an. Do you have to let him attack Huaqingchi and capture a few of us alive? It seems that you are bent on fighting a civil war, and you do not want to bear the charge of civil war. Think beautifully! I can tell you, it can't be done! ”

Ye Jianying said that when he was angry, he slapped the table with a slap, shaking the teacup to the ground and shattering it. With a thud, the five halls fell silent.

This morning, the talks between the two sides were still very pleasant, and the theme was the northern Sichuan issue. The Kuomintang demanded that the Red Army withdraw from northern Sichuan and defend Shaanxi; The [***] side insisted on taking the current Line of Actual Control between the two sides as the boundary. In the end, after arguing, [***] finally made a little concession and could withdraw from Mianyang and take the Fujiang River as the boundary. In the end, Zhou Enlai also promised that if the two sides could reach an agreement in the end, the northern Sichuan side would not be able to make major concessions. Zhang Qun was so happy that he clapped his hands to celebrate at noon. Seeing that he could take back northern Sichuan without a fight, who expected that the situation would change suddenly this afternoon, it didn't matter if Ma Bufang hit him, I was afraid that the matter of taking northern Sichuan for nothing would have twists and turns.

Zhang Qun was actually very conflicted in his heart at this time, he knew Chiang Kai-shek's hole card, if the Red Army of Tianshui was really wiped out by Ma Bufang, and let Ma Bufang take advantage of the situation to attack Shaanxi again, then Chairman Chiang would go on a killing spree, and the peace talks would break down. If Tianshui's Red Army could resist Ma Bufang, the two sides would be inseparable, and the main force of the Red Army would be attracted to reinforce and cause Shaanxi to be empty, and Chairman Chiang would still have entered Shaanxi. Only a quick defeat of Ma Bufang by the Red Army could make Commissar Chiang sit down honestly and negotiate. can see that Zhou Enlai, Ye Jianying and others are in a state of rapid depravity, it seems that the Tianshui Red Army is insufficient, and it seems that it has fallen into the siege of Ma Bufang. If this continues, this negotiation will be difficult!

Zhang Zhizhong knew a little bit about Ma Bufang's situation and knew that this person was fierce and cunning. If he threw all his strength into attacking Tianshui, Tianshui was afraid that he would not be able to hold it. Not to mention that the Red Army only has a few thousand people, even if it is two or three times more, I am afraid that it will not be able to hold it. He really wanted to tell Zhou Enlai that it was important to hurry up and order the Tianshui defenders to break through. But then I thought about it, most of the horses were cavalry, how could people outrun the horses? Besides, he was a negotiator of the Kuomintang, and his status was limited, so he could not say this.

Chen Cheng applauded in his heart at this time, Ma Bufang, the local warlord, really had a hand, and quietly surrounded Tianshui. It seems that the Red Army must have no hope of breaking through, and Zhou Enlai and Ye Jianying are so angry. The garrison of Tianshui must be the troops of Liu Yimin's Red Seventh Army, okay, it can finally avenge [***]. Thinking about it again, no, where is Ma Bufang so smart, how can he know that there are not many defenders in Tianshui, so he dares to go to the tiger's mouth to grab food? Is Liu Yimin's Seventh Army easy to mess with? It's not easy. Maybe it's really like Zhou Enlai said, it was commissioned to be dispatched in the center.

As soon as this thought came up, Chen Cheng pondered it carefully, and suddenly realized that it must be the commission that was deploying to suppress, Ma Bufang was just a move, maybe a more powerful killing move was still to come! This leader is superior to others, and his vision and opportunity at that time cannot help but make people surprised! High, high, just too high!

(To be continued)