Former Site of the Red Army Command Headquarters during the Gaohutao Battle

Former Site of the Red Army Command Headquarters during the Gaohutao Battle

The former site of the Red Army command headquarters during the Gaohutao Battle is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province and a classic red tourism destination.

The former site of the Red Army command headquarters during the Gaohutao Battle is located between 25 and 45 kilometers south of Guangchang County and was one of the main battlegrounds during the Fifth Counter-Encirclement Campaign in the Central Soviet Area. The area covers over 100 square kilometers from south of Chishui Town to north of Yiqian Town. From July to August 1934, the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army under the command of Peng Dehuai and Yang Shangkun fought three large-scale and intense battles against the Nationalist forces—Dazhaitou Battle, Gaohutao Battle, and Wanianting Battle. Since all three battles took place within the Gaohutao region, they are collectively referred to as the “Gaohutao Campaign.” A total of more than 500 enemy troops were eliminated, buying time for the strategic relocation of the main Red Army forces and the central authorities. It was the final major battle before the Long March and the only campaign during the Fifth Counter-Encirclement in which the Red Army achieved an overall victory. To this day, the area still retains many remnants of trenches and fortifications dug by the Red Army, as well as shell craters and revolutionary slogans.

Dazhaitou is located at the junction of Chishui and Guanqiao, extending southward and connecting to the Gaohutao mountain range. It is a strategic passage to Yiqian and Shicheng, featuring treacherous terrain. In order to block the Nationalist army’s advance southward to Yiqian and Shicheng and ensure the smooth strategic relocation of the main Red Army forces and central authorities, in mid-July 1934, the 34th Division of the Red Third Army Corps and the 15th Division of the Red First Army Corps (also known as the Young Communist International Brigade) set up defenses here, leveraging the favorable terrain. At dawn on July 21, the main force of the enemy’s Tang Enbo Column—the 4th Division—launched an attack on the Red Army positions under the cover of aircraft and artillery. By 1:00 p.m., the Red Army withdrew toward Gaohutao.

Gaohutao, standing at an elevation of 406 meters and covering an area of 4 square kilometers, earned its name because its shape resembles a fierce tiger crouching with its head raised. Between July and August 1934, under the command of Peng Dehuai and Yang Shangkun, the Red Third Army Corps used the advantageous terrain of Gaohutao to repel attacks from Nationalist forces six times their size and with superior weaponry. They killed or wounded more than 4,000 enemy soldiers, including six regiment commanders, over ten battalion commanders, and more than 400 company and platoon leaders, thereby buying time for the strategic relocation of the Central Main Red Army forces and the provisional central authorities. Remnants of the trenches and fortifications dug by the Red Army can still be found today. Near the village of Gaohutao, in Zengjiapai, there was once the command post of the Red Third Army Corps, where Corps Commander Peng Dehuai and Political Commissar Yang Shangkun directed the battle.

Wanianting is an old pavilion located beside the mountain pass road at the southern foot of Gaohutao, nestled between hills. From August 5 to 7, 1934, Peng Dehuai commanded the Red Third Army Corps in a determined defense against over ten successive assaults by six divisions of the Nationalist army at Gaohutao. During the battle, Peng Dehuai’s frontline command post was set up in this ancient pavilion. The original Wanianting was destroyed in the battle by artillery fire, but a stone stele remains to this day, inscribed with “Former Site of the Red Third Army Corps Battle Command — Wanianting.”

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units in Jiangxi Province