Chapter 30: A Clever Crossing of the Wujiang River and the Defensive Battle at Shiban River

Chapter 30: The Ingenious Crossing of the Wujiang River and the Battle of Shibanhe

In April 1935, the spring season permeated the towering mountains and deep ridges of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. Having completed the strategic maneuvering of the Four Crossings of the Chishui River, the Central Red Army turned like a sharp, curved blade toward the southwest, thrusting directly into the heart of Yunnan. Although the Red Army’s strength had been reduced from the 86,000 soldiers present at the start of the Long March to just over 30,000, the troops had become more elite following the Zunyi Conference and the Zhaxi reorganization. In the "Directive on the Field Army’s Rapid Crossing of the Jinsha River to Enter Western Sichuan and Establish a Soviet Area," issued by the Central Revolutionary Military Commission at Lukoushao, Xun-dian, it was clearly stated: "Due to the maneuvers of the past two months, our field army has secured favorable conditions for a westward advance. Generally, the pursuing enemy is now to our flank and rear, but the enemy has concentrated over seventy regiments to pursue us. Currently, both banks of the Jinsha River are sparsely defended; therefore, the Political Bureau has decided that our field army should utilize this favorable opportunity to strive for a rapid crossing of the Jinsha River."

Twelve days and nights of rapid mountain marching became the defining characteristic of this phase. The Red Army split into three columns to push into the Yunnan heartland: the First Army Corps, as the left column, moved via Fuyuan, Zhanyi, and Qujing toward Songming; the Third Army Corps, as the right column, advanced along the Huangni River and Baishui Town toward Malong; the Military Commission Column and the Fifth Army Corps formed the center, trekking through the mountainous regions of Xundian. On the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, which averages 1,800 meters in altitude, Red Army soldiers marched over 50 kilometers daily through the karst peaks and trenches. Many sections were narrow, winding mountain paths where a single misstep meant plunging into a deep valley. The cooks of the rear-guard units invented a "copper pot hanging around the neck" method, tying iron pots to their chests with hemp ropes, using walking sticks to climb, and even crawling through the steepest sections.

The dramatic incident of Long Yun "offering the maps" provided a critical boost to the Red Army. On April 27, the Military Commission’s reconnaissance team intercepted an enemy truck traveling from Kunming to Guiyang in the West Mountain township of Qujing. Beyond supplies like Yunnan Baiyao and Xuanwei ham, the vehicle contained over 20 military maps of Yunnan at a scale of 1:100,000. These top-secret documents, marked with Jinsha River ferry crossings and Yunnan army defensive positions, were a godsend to an army that had previously relied solely on questioning local guides. While examining the maps, the Chairman exclaimed excitedly, "This truly solves an urgent need! With these, we can follow the trail and strike directly at the Jinsha River."

On the morning of April 29, the vanguard of the First Army Corps arrived at Pusha River, on the eastern outskirts of Songming County. This ancient town in central Yunnan, located only 50 kilometers northeast of Kunming, was a vital barrier protecting the provincial capital. After observing the terrain, Yang Dezhi, commander of the Second Regiment of the First Division, decided to employ a "feint to the east and attack to the west" tactic: one company would feint an attack on the East Gate to draw the defenders' attention, while the main force moved stealthily to Huanglong Mountain in the north. At 10:00 AM, as three signal flares rose, the Third Battalion—tasked with the main assault—approached the city wall under the cover of machine-gun fire, using human ladders to scale the unfinished section of the new wall. The defenders, consisting only of a security regiment, disintegrated under the surprise attack, and the county magistrate, Gu Zhen, fled by jumping from the West Gate. The Red Army captured the city in just one hour, seizing 95 rifles, over 20,000 rounds of ammunition, and a quantity of grain.

The clever capture of the Yanglin supply station further highlighted the Red Army’s flexible tactical style. That same afternoon, the Sixth Regiment of the Second Division, disguised as Nationalist Central Army troops, marched brazenly to Bailong Bridge outside Yanglin Town. The town mayor, Ji Tianzu, led the local gentry in a welcoming formation and was promptly captured by the Red Army. This key supply station for the Yunnan army held nearly 10,000 kilograms of grain and a large cache of military supplies, all taken without firing a single shot. The Sixth Regiment's political commissar, Deng Hua, immediately had slogans posted throughout the town, such as "Down with the Yunnan Warlord Long Yun" and "March to Kunming and Capture Long Yun Alive," while questioning the locals about routes to Kunming, creating a powerful illusion of an imminent siege.

Panic instantly gripped Kunming. The "King of Yunnan," Long Yun, held an emergency military meeting at the provincial government building on Wuhua Mountain. Facing only two remaining regiments of regular troops, he ordered, "Mobilize the militias from the 10 counties near Kunming to enter the city overnight, reinforce the city defenses, and hold the airfield at all costs!" Simultaneously, he sent an urgent telegram to the Sun Du Column of the Yunnan army in Qujing: "The Communist Army is approaching Kunming; return with your troops to reinforce us immediately!" Upon receiving the message, Sun Du abandoned the pursuit of the Red Army and turned back toward Kunming, his vanguard setting a record of a 500-li forced march in three days.

At dawn on May 1, just as Long Yun was stepping up defenses in Kunming, the main force of the Red Army suddenly turned northwest. The First Army Corps departed from Songming, entering Fumin County via Aziying and Kuanzhuang; the Third Army Corps advanced rapidly from Xundian’s Jijie toward Luquan; the Military Commission Column arrived that day at Dangui Village in Kedu Town. This Yi village, located on the south bank of the Jinsha River, became the final command hub before the Red Army crossed the river.

In May, the Jinsha River roared as it broke free from the deep valleys of the Hengduan Mountains. The muddy water, carrying immense force, crashed against the jagged reefs on both banks, emitting a deafening thunder. The river wind, carrying the unique chill of the plateau and the damp, fishy scent of the water, blew against the weather-beaten faces of the Independent Regiment’s soldiers. They—the "Iron-Blooded Rear-Guard Tiger Regiment" that had crawled out of the carnage at the Xiang River, fought through the mountains of Guizhou, and achieved repeated feats—now stood solemnly in the Shibanhe area on the east bank of the Jinsha River. Their eyes crossed the rushing torrents, locked onto the faint dust of the pursuing army visible on the west bank.

At Jiaoping Ferry, the main force of the Red Army was racing against time to cross the river. With a narrow crossing and limited ferry boats, every minute seemed agonizingly long for an army of tens of thousands. The Fifth Army Corps, the steel unit known for its rear-guard duty, once again shouldered the most arduous task: building a wall of flesh and blood along the Shibanhe line to win precious time for the main force. Dong Zhentang, the corps commander, placed the responsibility for the most forward and dangerous area of Kanding Village on the shoulders of Wang Lin’s Independent Regiment.

"Wang Lin!" Dong Zhentang’s voice carried over the howling river wind, heavy with unprecedented gravity. He pointed to the interlocking mountain passes around Kanding Village in Shibanhe on the map. "This is the floodgate! It will take at least eight to ten days for the main force to completely cross the river! Zhou Hunyuan and Wu Qiwei’s pursuers are biting hard; their vanguard is no more than three days away! Your Independent Regiment is the first line of defense, the 39th Regiment is the second, and the 38th is the third. You must hold here like a nail driven into the earth! There is no order for retreat! Do you have the confidence to hold until the last man?"

Wang Lin straightened his spine, his gaze sweeping over the familiar, resolute faces behind him: the bandage on Chen Ahai’s arm was still fresh, but his eyes were sharp as a hawk’s; Huang Mu-sheng was silently wiping his beloved Czech-made light machine gun; Zhou Zhiming stood with the backbone of the Third Battalion, steady as a mountain; Political Commissar Wang Guangdao’s eyes held the resolve of someone ready to face death; Zhong Guangbang was busily directing the supply battalion to unload precious ammunition and supplies; and the six hundred-plus supply soldiers "liberated" at Gulin, though still possessing the nervousness of new recruits, had eyes now tempered by the furnace of the Red Army.

"Yes!" Wang Lin’s voice was resolute, cutting through the river’s roar. "Please rest assured, Corps Commander! As long as the Independent Regiment exists, the position remains! The main force will not retreat a single step until the crossing is complete!"

"Good!" Dong Zhentang patted Wang Lin’s shoulder heavily. "I have concentrated all the mortars of the Fifth Army Corps for you! Twenty of them! You will have priority on ammunition! The 39th Regiment will build a second line of defense behind you for final support. Remember, your mission is not to annihilate the enemy, but to hold them! To exhaust them! To buy time! Trade space for time, and trade your lives for the lives of the main force!"

The order was as immovable as a mountain! Under Wang Lin’s command, the Independent Regiment, a precise war machine, began operating at astonishing efficiency in the Kanding Village area. There was no time for rest; the battle began the moment they arrived—building fortifications!

Wang Lin gathered all battalion and company cadres. Combining his mental 3D terrain maps with the system’s "tactical simulation analysis" function, he presented a core defensive concept, inviting everyone to discuss and optimize the details. Ultimately, a "Jinsha Iron Wall" defensive plan—fusing collective wisdom, Wang Lin’s "past-life" knowledge, the Red Army’s tenacious traditions, and system optimizations—quickly took shape:

"Foxhole + Communication Trench" network: This was the foundation of the defense. Soldiers brandished engineering shovels, pickaxes, and even bayonets, digging frantically into the hillsides and passes facing the potential enemy advance. Foxholes were dug deep and reinforced at the top to withstand mortar and machine-gun shrapnel. Connecting them were not straight trenches, but dense "Z-shaped" or zigzag communication trenches! Wang Lin personally demonstrated, emphasizing that corners must be sharp and trenches long enough. "This will minimize the lethality of the enemy’s direct fire and shell fragments! It’s based on... well, a very effective trench experience!" Every mountain and pass was turned into an independent strongpoint with interlocking fire, ensuring that if one point was breached, others could continue to resist.

"Fire Wall Pass": The reconnaissance company and local guides quickly mapped the surrounding environment. Wang Lin immediately ordered that large piles of dry firewood, pine branches, and pine resin oil—"purchased" (with silver dollars) from the locals—be stacked behind the narrowest passes where the enemy was most likely to launch massed charges. Behind each pass, several sharpshooters were ambushed with special "rockets" (made from captured signal flares or arrows tipped with oil-soaked cloth). "When the bastards crowd into the pass, the moment the bugle sounds, light it up! Burn these turtles! Even if it doesn't kill them, the wall of fire will block them and buy me time to reload and relocate!"

"Three-Three" shooting discipline: Wang Lin repeatedly emphasized this in pre-battle mobilization and training, incorporating it into company and platoon orders. "Each squad is divided into three groups! In each group, only one person is allowed to fire at any given time! The other two: one reloads, the other observes the enemy, finds targets, and prepares to rotate at any moment! Listen! This isn't about cowardice! This is so we can pour a continuous stream of bullets onto the enemy’s heads! If any damn fool fires blindly and runs out of ammo, I’ll execute him myself!" This concept of efficient, sustained firepower, derived from a later era, was forcibly instilled into the troops, which was vital given the relative scarcity of ammunition.

"Ghost Artillery": The thirty mortars gathered (including the regiment’s own and those reinforced by the corps) were the "heavy hammer" in Wang Lin’s hand. However, he did not deploy them in fixed positions. Liu Gensheng’s artillery company was broken into several mobile squads, each equipped with 2-3 mortars. "Fight a guerrilla war!" Wang Lin ordered. "Pre-set several firing positions on every hill! A squad can fire no more than three rounds from one position! Move immediately after firing! Even if you only fire one shot, if you feel exposed, move! Keep the enemy guessing about how many guns we have and where they are! Create the illusion of 'artillery everywhere'!"

"Continuous Rotation": In the face of an inevitably cruel war of attrition, maintaining the troops’ morale was key. Wang Lin split the three main battalions into six company-level combat groups. Each group was responsible for a core support point. "Each group holds the front line for four hours! After four hours, no matter the casualties, they pull back immediately! Go to the rear-line rest points to eat, drink, dress wounds, and catch a breath! The reserves (consisting of regimental headquarters and rotated groups) will step up immediately! Remember, pulling back isn't for rest; it's for survival! It’s so you can keep fighting later! The supply battalion is ready to replenish losses for the units that pull back." This rotation mechanism functioned like precise clockwork, striving to maintain combat effectiveness under extreme pressure.

"Furnace of Blood and Fire": The supply battalion’s task was unprecedentedly heavy. They not only handled emergency triage and evacuation of the wounded (using Kanding Village and simple huts in the rear as temporary aid stations) but also bore the heavy burden of "blood transfusion" for the battlefield. "Zhong Guangbang! The integration of the veteran and new Red Army soldiers will happen right here on this battlefield! When a combat group pulls back and is short-handed, immediately fill it with strong, capable men from the supply battalion! Teach them while they fight! Tell them, if you want to live and become a real Red Army soldier, you learn it here on the front line! Let the veterans lead the new recruits; carve the soul of our 'Tiger Regiment' into their bones with bayonets and bullets!"

With the plan set, the three thousand soldiers of the Independent Regiment worked like tireless ants, turning the mountains of Kanding Village into a steel fortress of death traps amid the roar of the Jinsha River. When the elite vanguard of Zhou Hunyuan and Wu Qiwei’s Central Army, carrying the humiliation of being led by the nose in Guizhou and the fanaticism of a "decisive final blow," charged aggressively toward the Shibanhe line, they were met with the eerie, silent, yet lethal mountains around Kanding Village.

The enemy launched a probing attack with a battalion under artillery cover against one of the Independent Regiment’s forward hills. They quickly learned the power of the Z-shaped trenches and foxholes. Direct fire could not effectively harm the well-concealed Red Army soldiers, while the "Three-Three" shooting discipline acted like a precise viper, constantly reaping lives along the path of the charge. The first attack retreated in disarray after leaving dozens of corpses behind. Wang Lin ordered strictly: "No pursuit! Save ammunition!"

The enemy adjusted their tactics, concentrating forces to launch a fierce attack on a narrow pass. Swarms of soldiers, driven by their officers, howled as they crowded into the passage. "Light it!" Wang Lin, watching from an observation post, gave the decisive order. Several rockets shrieked into the stacked firewood! "Boom!" Flames erupted into the sky! The pine resin accelerated the combustion, instantly forming a wall of fire several meters high! The leading enemy soldiers screamed as they became human torches; the following troops were forced back by the intense heat and smoke, their formation collapsing. The pre-prepared machine-gun and rifle fire poured down like a deluge, and the ground before the pass was soon littered with corpses. The enemy’s first large-scale offensive ended in disaster.

Enraged, the enemy gathered heavy artillery for a massive bombardment of the Independent Regiment’s positions. However, the foxholes played a huge role, and casualties were effectively controlled. What drove the enemy commanders even crazier was the Red Army’s counter-battery fire. Just as shells landed on one hill, more would come from another; just as they turned their artillery to suppress a position, the firing would stop. Liu Gensheng’s "Ghost Artillery" squads moved like phantoms; while their lethality was limited, they greatly harassed and delayed the enemy’s offensive rhythm, preventing them from concentrating their power to achieve a breakthrough.

Continuous high-intensity attacks left both sides exhausted. But the Independent Regiment’s "continuous rotation" mechanism proved miraculous. When the enemy’s offensive slowed due to fatigue and casualties, the Independent Regiment’s combat groups—which had just pulled back, rested for a few hours, and been replenished (with the supply battalion constantly feeding in newly tempered recruits)—returned to the front line like a wound-up spring. The enemy, however, suffered from continuous exhaustion and dwindling morale. As one side waned and the other waxed, the position remained as solid as a rock. Zhong Guangbang’s aid station was packed but orderly. Lightly wounded soldiers were bandaged, rested briefly, and sent back to their companies, while the seriously wounded were moved to the rear through secret paths. The newly supplemented soldiers, under the hoarse roars of the veterans and the brutal environment of the battlefield, shed their inexperience with astonishing speed, their eyes becoming fierce and resolute.

The enemy’s offensive became desperate. Zhou Hunyuan and Wu Qiwei arrived at the front line to supervise, and with heavy rewards offered, the enemy launched the fiercest mass charge since the start of the battle. Shells plowed through the Independent Regiment’s forward positions. Countless enemy soldiers stepped over their comrades' bodies, howling as they surged toward the crumbling defensive line. Every support point fell into fierce hand-to-hand combat and repeated struggle. The foxholes were filled with the wounded and the remains of martyrs. Communication trenches were collapsed in many places. The sound of "Three-Three" gunfire became sparse—ammunition was running out! The reserves were almost spent! Battalion commanders Chen Ahai, Huang Musheng, and Zhou Zhiming all picked up bayonets themselves! Political Commissar Wang Guangdao moved through the trenches with a pistol, boosting morale. Wang Lin threw his final guard company into the most critical gap, the barrel of the Mauser in his hand burning hot. The sunset was like blood, reflecting on the land soaked in gore; every inch of the position was burning, shouting, and using life to fulfill the vow of "not retreating one step!"

Just as the Independent Regiment had suffered nearly fifty percent casualties and the line was on the verge of collapse, a fast horse broke through the smoke and fire, bringing the long-awaited order!

"Independent Regiment Commander Wang Lin! The main force has all safely crossed the Jinsha River! Corps order: Your unit is to immediately withdraw from the battle! The 39th Regiment will take over the defense and cover you! Move rapidly toward Jiaoping Ferry!"

The order was brief but weighed heavier than a thousand tons.

Wang Lin wiped the blood and smoke from his face and roared with a hoarse throat: "Pass the order! Each combat group, cover each other, follow the pre-planned route, and withdraw!"

The retreat was also a bloody battle. The surviving soldiers helped the wounded, carried the remains of the martyrs (taking them whenever possible), and utilized the cover of night and their familiarity with the terrain to disengage under the desperate cover of their brothers in the 39th Regiment, retreating toward the ferry.

When Wang Lin stepped onto the ferry with the last batch of rear-guard soldiers and looked back at the Shibanhe mountains that had swallowed countless loyal souls, the sound of gunfire still raged on the east bank—the brothers of the 39th Regiment were sacrificing their lives to buy them the final moments.

At Jiaoping Ferry, the corps commander personally stood on the bank to welcome this scarred yet upright unit. Looking at the soldiers who were almost all wounded and exhausted but still possessed sharp eyes, and at the "Iron-Blooded Rear-Guard Tiger Regiment" battle flag that was riddled with bullet holes but still fluttering proudly, Dong Zhentang’s eyes reddened. He gave a heavy, silent military salute to Wang Lin and all the surviving soldiers of the Independent Regiment.

On the east bank of the Shibanhe, looking at the mountains that they had failed to conquer despite paying a heavy price, and where only sporadic resistance from the Red Army rear-guard remained, Zhou Hunyuan and Wu Qiwei stood side by side, their faces ashen, their eyes filled with shock, frustration, and an indescribable awe.

"Solid as a rock, resilient as a reed..." Zhou Hunyuan sighed, breaking the suffocating silence. "Ancient times had the Yue Army that was hard to shake; today, there is... this 'Iron-Blooded Rear-Guard' Independent Regiment. They are truly hard to attack! Hard to attack indeed!"

Wu Qiwei remained silent, only gripping his riding crop tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. During these ten days of bloody battle by the Jinsha River, Wang Lin and his Independent Regiment had carved an indelible mark in their hearts with their iron will and superior wisdom.

The ferry slowly left the bank, carrying the broken bodies of heroes and their undying military souls toward the opposite shore. The raging waves of the Jinsha River rolled beneath the boat, as if playing a tragic and magnificent blood-stained song of victory for this unyielding unit. The journey ahead remained long and perilous, but the flag of the Independent Regiment would never fall.

{Historical Narration: On April 29, 1935, the Central Red Army decided to cross the Jinsha River into Sichuan in three columns:
The First Army Corps was to seize Longjie Ferry (north of Luquan County).
The Third Army Corps was to seize Hongmen Ferry (Yuanmou County).
The Fifth Army Corps was to seize Jiaoping Ferry (Jiaopingdu Town, Luquan County).
However, due to the wide river surface at Longjie Ferry and enemy aerial bombing, and the turbulent waters at Hongmen Ferry, the entire army ultimately shifted to cross at Jiaoping Ferry, which had only 6 wooden boats, requiring at least 9 days.

The Mission of the Fifth Army Corps:
As the "Iron-Blooded Rear-Guard" of the Long March, the Fifth Army Corps, under the command of Dong Zhentang, was ordered to build fortifications at Shibanhe, Luquan, to intercept the pursuing Zhou Hunyuan Column (Chiang Kai-shek’s elite troops) and Wan Yao-huang’s 13th Division, buying time for the main force to cross.
The Fifth Army Corps used the terrain for tenacious resistance, with the enemy advancing at most seven or eight li per day. At this point, two enemy columns were gathered at the foot of the mountains, and the situation was extremely critical. Amidst the towering mountains, the Fifth Army Corps fought tenaciously for several days and nights. Just as they were about to retreat to the final defensive line, Li Fuchun, acting director of the General Political Department, returned from the north bank to Shibanhe to convey the latest instruction from the Central Military Commission: the Fifth Army Corps was to hold for another three days and three nights. Faced with the danger of potential sacrifice, the Fifth Army Corps resolutely accepted the order.

The Battle of Shibanhe was a famous engagement during the Red Army’s Long March. Under extremely difficult conditions, the Fifth Army Corps held their positions for nine days and nine nights, successfully blocking tens of thousands of enemy troops outside of Shibanhe. This won time for the main Red Army to safely cross the treacherous Jinsha River and contributed significantly to the success of the Long March.

The rank-and-file soldiers of the Fifth Army Corps suffered massive casualties: toward the end of the battle, the front-line positions were "almost completely wiped out," with most squad leaders, platoon leaders, and company commanders "either sacrificed or wounded," forcing battalion and regimental-level cadres to lead communication and guard teams to fill the defensive gaps.}