Battle Site of the Pingkeng Battle

Battle Site of the Pingkeng Battle

The Battle Site of the Pingkeng Battle is a classic red tourism destination.

The Battle Site of the Pingkeng Battle is located in Pingkeng Natural Village, Qiaotou Village, Heping Township, Yunxiao County.

On January 7, 1948, the Wushan District Party Committee office received a secret report from local people in Shuijingping, learning that the enemy intended to move the headquarters of the 2nd Battalion and the 5th Company of the 2nd Security Regiment stationed in Shuijingping to Gongtian the following day. They would then link up with the Gongtian-based garrison troops to “suppress” the guerrillas active in the Baxian Mountain area. Upon receiving this intelligence, leaders including Lu Dao, Chen Wenping, Li Zhongxian, and Wang Hanjie analyzed the situation and deemed the information reliable. They immediately formulated an ambush plan, deciding that the Yunhezhao guerrilla unit would collaborate with the Southern Fujian Detachment to set up an ambush on the road behind Pingkeng Village against the enemy. Meanwhile, over 60 militiamen were organized to pin down the security regiment headquarters stationed in Gongtian, preventing them from sending reinforcements. To ensure a complete victory, Lu Dao and other leaders made meticulous arrangements. The Southern Fujian Detachment and the District Party Committee’s Li Zhongxian led their forces to hide beside a weed-covered ditch on the left side of the road. Their mission was to directly confront and strike the enemy head-on, seizing their weaponry and documents. The second assault team concealed themselves in the woods on the right side of the road, tasked with launching homemade explosive grenades at the enemy column. The third assault team hid at the foot of a small hill ahead of the first and second squads; upon spotting the enemy, they would wave handkerchiefs as a signal to initiate the attack. Before departure, the three assault teams agreed on combat signals. Lu Dao and Wang Hanjie, accompanied by a bugler, took position on the mountain opposite Pingkeng Village to command the battle. With everything in place, at 11:05 PM that night, the troops moved stealthily to their designated hiding spots and waited for the enemy to walk into the trap. At around 9:00 AM on January 8, the enemy began marching from Kenwei Village toward Pingkeng Village. Their formation was loose, comprising a total of 63 individuals, including porters. Observing from the mountain, the Southern Fujian Detachment command noted that both the enemy’s advance scouts and rear guards were within the range of the guerrilla forces’ gunfire. At 10:20 AM, the enemy reached the grassy area near Pingkeng Village and entered the guerrillas’ kill zone. Some were urinating toward the woods, others taking off their cotton-padded coats—all their luggage had been placed on the ground. At this moment, Lu Dao, commanding from the mountaintop, decided to catch the enemy off guard by striking first. He decisively ordered the bugler to sound the charge. Immediately, the squad hidden in the woods hurled homemade explosive grenades at the densely packed enemies on the grass, throwing them into chaos. The squad lying in wait by the ditch, like tigers descending from the mountain, leaped into action. Before the enemy could figure out what was happening, 20 of them had been captured. While the guerrillas were clearing the battlefield, dealing with captives, and collecting spoils, the enemies who had taken refuge inside a building in Pingkeng Village began firing. It turned out that during the chaos of the ambush, seven or eight enemies carrying a light machine gun had dashed into a building in the village, locked the doors, and attempted to hold out. To avoid harming local villagers inside, the guerrillas shouted outside the building: “Prisoners will be treated well—surrender your weapons and you won’t be killed!” But the enemies ignored the warnings and continued firing. The guerrillas had no choice but to return fire, using the newly captured light machine gun to engage. Several soldiers crawled forward to the walls, dragging bundles of firewood to feign burning the house, while a group of strong fighters stormed the front gate for a direct assault. Once the gate was forced open, grenades were thrown inside, terrifying the enemies into surrendering. By 10:50 AM, the battle was over. In this ambush, 27 enemy soldiers, including Major Deputy Commander Zheng Ruqin of the 2nd Battalion of the Provincial Security Regiment, were captured, 7 were killed, and the guerrillas seized 3 Czech-made light machine guns, 27 rifles, 21 handguns, over 5,000 rounds of ammunition, as well as dozens of loads of military supplies and gear. The Southern Fujian Detachment suffered no casualties, marking a successful and well-executed ambush.

The site of the Pingkeng Battle has now been converted into farmland and orchards. A memorial stele has been erected at the original location, standing 1.5 meters high and 1.2 meters wide, with the inscription “Battle of Pingkeng Ambush” on the front.

Source: Zhangzhou Municipal Party History Research Office

Heping Township: Heping Township (also a Farm) is located in the northwest of Yunxiao County. It borders Pumei Town to the east via General Mountain, neighbors Gongtian in Hongxing Township, Zhao’an County across the Wushan Mountain Range to the west, connects to the Changshan Economic Development Zone to the south, and adjoins Xihe Township of the same county to the north. Provincial Highway Yun-Tai runs diagonally through the township, linking Yunxiao and Zhao’an. The township (farm) covers an area of 111 square kilometers, governs 13 villages and 12 work zones, encompassing 77 natural villages, with a total population of 28,000, 795 Party members, and is recognized as an old revolutionary base and impoverished township of the county.

Heping Township (Farm) has a glorious revolutionary history. As early as 1935, … More details about Heping Township ++