Site of He Shidao's Martyrdom

Site of He Shidao's Martyrdom

Site of He Shidao's Martyrdom

Located in Pengjiaya Group, Zhuye Village, Zhuye Township, Sangzhi County, Hunan Province.

In the spring of 1920, in order to expand his armed forces, He Long sought assistance through his uncle He Xunchen, who was close to Wang Zibin, and requested the Lizhou authorities to allocate three hundred rifles and three hundred crates of ammunition. Although Wang Zibin outwardly agreed, he was inwardly hesitant. While He Long wrote letters to express his sincerity, he also sent his adjutant He Zhiqing with valuable gifts. His father, He Shidao, and younger brother, He Wen Zhang, went specially to apply for the firearms. For safety, several armed guards were assigned to escort them, along with dozens of merchants traveling together.

Although the mission was kept secret, it was discovered by bandits such as Bai Jia Bai and Chen Jizhi from Ye Jia Qiao, who bore a grudge against He Long.

One day in May, He Zhiqing and He Shidao’s group of dozens arrived at Xianchiyu for the night. Bai Jia Hou and Chen Jizhi gathered over a hundred men and sneaked to the strategic gorge—San Sheng Tan (Three Sounds Pool)—on the route that He Shidao’s party was bound to take, setting up an ambush to intercept and rob them of their guns and kill them the next day. The following morning, when He Shidao’s party entered the gloomy San Sheng Tan, a strange shout came from the mouth of the pool: “Hey–– ! Cattle eating seedlings–– !”

With a yell, a group of bandits dressed in assorted short garments emerged from the dense woods, crevices, and caves. This was the ragtag mob led by Bai Jia Hou and Chen Jizhi, wielding both long and short firearms as they charged toward He Shidao’s group.

He Shidao, riding a black horse and carrying a carbine, fired a warning shot. The bandits responded with a chaotic volley, and He Shidao was unfortunately shot in the waist and fell from his horse. Immediately, the bandits erupted in shouts and screams. The guards quickly carried He Shidao away while breaking through the encirclement. When they hurried to Maojiadong, another group of bandits blocked their path. Seeing this, He Shidao ordered the guards to escape cleverly, while he himself, enduring the pain, jumped into the river to swim across. As he climbed up the opposite bank and grasped a tree or rock, a bandit struck him on the head with a blade, causing him to fall into the river and be swept away by the relentless, turbulent current.

At the same time, He Zhiqing and He Wen Zhang, who were walking ahead, saw bandits chasing from behind and began to run forward. Unexpectedly, dozens of cotton porters coming from Jiangya direction, hearing the gunshots, crowded together and blocked the way. He Wen Zhang could not move fast enough and was captured by the bandits. They took him to Yangqi Mountain, tied him up with ropes, and boiled him alive in a steamer. He was only fifteen years old when he died. He Zhiqing spat blood and fought his way to escape. The merchants who had joined the trip to Lizhou and the cotton porters coming in the opposite direction were robbed of everything, and some were beaten so badly they were left disabled.