Site of the Red Army Chixi River Battle

Site of the Red Army Chixi River Battle

The Site of the Red Army Chixi River Battle is a cultural tourism attraction and a classic red tourism destination.

Site of the Red Army Chixi River Battle

It is located in Chixi Village, Lifuta Town, Sangzhi County, Hunan Province.

After the Nancha Battle, the enemy, unwilling to accept defeat, clamored to massacre Sangzhi. Xiang Ziyun, commander of the enemy’s Third Infantry Regiment, led over two thousand troops in an offensive against Sangzhi. On the evening of July 13, 1929, He Long withdrew all forces of the Fourth Red Army from the county town and set up an ambush in Baijiachong, Badouxī, Meijiashan, Xijie, and other areas, ingeniously deploying the “Empty City Strategy” to lure the enemy in, cut off their retreat, and then “close the door to beat the dog.” On July 14, the enemy troops had all crossed the Chixi River. Seeing a small group of Red Army soldiers “retreating” toward the county town and encountering no resistance from the main Red Army forces, Xiang Ziyun’s brigade quickly occupied the city. Watching from his command post on Meijiashan as the enemy entered the city, He Long, taking advantage of their unsettled position, immediately ordered the ignition of palm tree signal flares and commanded Zhong Weicheng to sound the charge, giving the order to counterattack. Instantly, red flags waved atop the hills, and battle cries erupted. Guided by the red flags, the Red Army charged fiercely toward the east and north gates. The assault on the east gate was led by the Fourth Red Regiment, which had emerged from Baijiachong. This regiment was originally the “Divine Soldiers” unit reorganized by the Red Army in Wuyangguan, Hubei. Its soldiers had their heads wrapped in red cloth, wore red clothing, and had red cloth hanging from their blades, spears, and guns, presenting a striking and imposing red formation. Led by Captain Chen Zongyu, they bravely advanced along the east gate and stormed the enemy’s city gate guards. The sight terrified the enemy soldiers, who abandoned the gate without firing a single shot from their two machine guns. The assault on the north gate was carried out by the First Red Regiment, led by Wang Bingnan and He Guiru, who charged fiercely from Badouxī and Caijiayu. At the same time, He Long’s guard battalion, led by He Peiqing, also entered the fray. With the cooperation of personnel left inside the city as insiders, the two Red Army forces inflicted heavy casualties within the city, killing the majority of the enemy. The remaining enemy soldiers, panicked and disoriented, abandoned their artillery and ammunition and fled toward the Chixi River under the command of Xiang Ziyun through the south gate. To completely annihilate the enemy, the Red Army fought bravely in pursuit. Wang Bingnan stripped down to shorts only and led the charge; He Peiqing, being overweight, even waved a palm-leaf fan as he charged toward the Chixi River. When Xiang Ziyun retreated with his remaining troops to the Chixi River crossing, they were met with a sudden mountain flood. The previously erected pontoon bridge had been removed by the Red Army in advance, making the river impassable. Under these circumstances, Xiang Ziyun forcibly ordered his soldiers to swim across, and he himself grabbed a mule’s tail to cross the river, but was engulfed by the floodwaters midway. Seizing the moment, the Fourth Red Army launched a fierce tiger-like charge against the enemy, annihilating them entirely and capturing over a thousand rifles. This battle marked the first major victory for the Fourth Red Army after its establishment and shook the entire western Hunan region.