Battle Site of the Red 19th Division’s Forced Crossing of the Shaxi River

Battle Site of the Red 19th Division’s Forced Crossing of the Shaxi River

The Battle Site of the Red 19th Division’s Forced Crossing of the Shaxi River is a classic red tourism attraction.

The Battle Site of the Red 19th Division’s Forced Crossing of the Shaxi River is located on the right side of the Meilie Gate in Lixi Village, Lixi Subdistrict, Meilie District.

On May 27, 1934, the 19th Division of the Red 7th Army Corps, under the command of Division Commander Zhou Jianping and Political Commissar Lü Zhenqiu, participated in the defense of Jianning. After Jianning fell, on May 25, the Red 19th Division marched from Shishan in Jianning via Taxia Mountain and Huangzhou Fort, traversing through Ninghua and Guiding (now Mingxi), covering over a hundred li to reach Lixi (present-day downtown) in Meilie District. At that time, to the south were the 239th Brigade of the Nationalist 80th Division stationed in Xinkou under Chen Mingren, and to the north were elements of the 238th Brigade stationed within Sha County, putting them at risk of being attacked from both the north and the south. To break out of this predicament and return to the main battlefield of the Central Soviet Area, the Red 19th Division had to force a crossing of the Shaxi River. By then, the opposite bank of the Shaxi River in Liedong was already guarded by two battalions of the Nationalist 80th Division and local militia. The Red 19th Division and local party branches mobilized the masses extensively, gathering over 40 boats, and launched a fierce assault on the eastern bank of the Shaxi River from four directions: Lixi, Wengdun, Baisha, and Chang’an (now the train station). After intense fighting, they captured the opposite bank, annihilating two battalions of enemy forces and the militia. During the battle, villagers such as Yan Shengdi bravely led the way, while boatmen like Nai Tao heroically sacrificed their lives. Under the strong offensive of the Red Army, the enemy forces were routed and fled in panic toward Chengguan and Xubi. Those fleeing toward Chengguan were mostly encircled and wiped out by the Red Army in Xiayang, while the rest escaped toward Xinkou. Just then, two battalions of engineers and artillery from the Nationalist 80th Division’s 238th Brigade, stationed in Sha County, arrived fully armed to reinforce the enemy. In Xubi, the Red Army engaged in another fierce battle with the arriving reinforcements. Thanks to the Red Army’s occupation of advantageous terrain such as Gaoyanfu Hill (now the Six Roads City Stadium), they ultimately defeated the enemy decisively. Together with those fleeing toward Xubi, apart from a few who escaped by swimming across the river, the majority were annihilated by the Red Army.

This forced crossing of the Shaxi River was a major victory for the Red Army on the eastern front during the Fifth Encirclement Campaign by the Central Soviet Area. The official newspaper of the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic, *Red China*, reported: “Two battalions (one artillery battalion and one engineer battalion) were completely annihilated by us, with 300–400 rifles, 5 light machine guns, over 90,000 rounds of ammunition, and over 300 officers above the rank of company commander captured. Enemy casualties and drownings exceeded 300, with the remaining forces fleeing toward Sha County.”

In July 2009, the People’s Government of Meilie District erected a monument here to commemorate the Red Army’s forced crossing of the Shaxi River. The monument consists of a base and a main body: the base is 60 cm high and 2.68 m wide, while the main body is 1.4 m high and 1.96 m wide. The panel material of the monument is Taiwanese red granite.

Source: Party History Research Office of the Sanming Municipal Committee

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