Northwest Years 西北岁月 Episode 21

Just as Xi Zhongxun was looking at the map and was in trouble, Zhao Boping came to reveal the situation he had grasped, ensuring that the 359th Brigade was very likely to continue westward, so Xi Zhongxun sent Li Sanwa to rush to deliver the message to Liu Maogong. After Liu Maogong learned the news, he asked Li Sanwa to return quickly. Li Sanwa decided to follow the team and make great achievements before going back to apprentice with Zhongxun.

On the other hand, Hu Zongnan received information that Wang Zhen's troops had broken through the Sichuan-Shaanxi Highway in Feng County, and guessed that they were going to advance to Longdong and then turn to Yan'an. Mao Zedong wrote to Xi Zhongxun again, telling him to send people to prepare to respond to Wang Zhen. In addition to dispatching three police brigades, Xi Zhongxun also mobilized all county brigades, district squads, and guerrilla detachments in Longdong to harass the Kuomintang troops.

When Wang Zhen learned that the Northwest Bureau had sent cadres and troops to respond, he decided to return to Yan'an via the Xilan Highway. However, the Kuomintang army dispatched two regiments to pursue them. Liu Maogong learned the direction of Wang Zhen's troops and immediately went to support him. As a result, in this fierce battle, Li Sanwa was shot and died, and everyone rushed out of the siege bloody.

In September 1946, Wang Zhen led the 359th Brigade to Longdong for rest and recuperation. Xi Zhongxun personally led the Longdong party, government and army to warmly welcome everyone back. Xi Zhongxun and Wang Zhen lamented that in order to support the 359th Brigade, Mao Zedong wrote nine letters in two months. Wang Zhen was received by Mao Zedong with tears in his eyes.

Mao Zedong told Wang Zhen that the Central Plains troops had a hard time breaking through, but they effectively contained Chiang Kai-shek's forces in Zhengzhou and Xi'an. Chiang Kai-shek's idea of ​​​​attacking all over the country and fully blossoming could only become a sweet dream. Then Mao Zedong entertained Wang Zhen, and took out his own fine wine and asked Xi Zhongxun to toast the comrades for him.

Xi Zhongxun came to the grave of guard Li Sanwa and recalled every detail of Li Laoshuan's family. The words in Li Sanwa's diary made him deeply sad. Liu Qiaocui stood in front of the grave, thinking about the past of her acquaintance with Li Sanwa, and sang his favorite play with tears in her eyes. Li Laoshuan and his wife were even more heartbroken.

Now that Wang Zhen has withdrawn to Yan'an and Su Yu has won seven battles and seven victories in East China and Central Jiangsu, Chiang Kai-shek's plan to "encircle and suppress" the Communist army in the Central Plains has become a piece of paper. Because Yan'an is the center of the Communist Party, and Yulin is an important area, Hu Jingtong and his younger brother Hu Jingduo both knew in their hearts that they were going to fight the Communists. Xu Zhijia, the new commander of the 22nd Army, and Wei Hai, a former reconnaissance agent sent by Hu Zongnan, were all keeping an eye on the Hu brothers. Hu Jingtong was very dissatisfied with this.

Mao Zedong knew that Xi Zhongxun and the Hu brothers had been classmates, so he asked him about the situation of the security forces in northern Shaanxi where they were located. The eldest brother of the Hu family, General Hu Jingyi, was also a revolutionary and a fellow traveler of the Communist Party. Therefore, Mao Zedong intended to develop the Hu family brothers in Yulin and approached Xi Zhongxun to discuss the Hengshan Uprising. This not only had military significance, but also political significance.

Because of this, Xi Zhongxun took the initiative to find Shi Yuan, deputy minister of the United Front Work Department, made him a bowl of noodles, and told him that the central government had instructed him to concentrate on organizing the northern front campaign before Hu Zongnan took major actions. He must first find a way to instigate it. The Hengshan Uprising liberated the Yuheng area.

Shi Yuan revealed to Xi Zhongxun that Xu Zhijia was a close associate of Chiang Kai-shek and Hu Zongnan. The reason why he was assigned to the Yulin area was to keep an eye on the Hu family. Xi Zhongxun thought that this should be a breakthrough point, so he asked Shi Yuan to go over as the border negotiator of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region and contact Hu Jingduo himself as soon as possible.

On the other side, Wei Hai came to the Yulin area and met Hu Jingduo for the first time, insinuating about his friendship with Xi Zhongxun as classmates and whether they still had contact in recent years. Hu Jingduo felt relieved and directly prevaricated, but Wei Hai did not dispel his suspicion. He sent Staff Officer Lei to keep an eye on the situation of Hu Jingduo's family. Staff Lei noticed that Shi Yuan, disguised as a businessman, met with Hu Jingduo and hurriedly reported it to Wei Hai.