The Former Site of the Raid on the Pengzhai Township Office

The Former Site of the Raid on the Pengzhai Township Office

The Former Site of the Raid on the Pengzhai Township Office is located in Pengzhai Town, Heping County, specifically on the old street of Pengzhai.

Pengzhai is the economic center of the lower half of Heping County, and the Pengzhai Street area serves as a distribution hub for agricultural and sideline products. The land taxes (in grain) collected by the Nationalist county government from Pengzhai, Anyao, Guzhai, and Beidun were all consolidated at Pengzhai Street for storage in warehouses. Furthermore, the rent grain exploited from peasants by local landlords and gentry in surrounding townships was also transported to Pengzhai for warehousing and subsequent redistribution. Pengzhai Street was the township within the county that stored the most grain.

On May 23, 1947, market day in Pengzhai Street. Led by Ye Riping, eight guerrilla fighters set out early in the morning from Mingfeng Trail in Guzhai, disguised as ordinary civilians and mingling with the crowd heading to the market. Zhuang Jiu was responsible for leading a squad, lying in ambush on the hill east of Pengzhai Street to provide support. At 11 a.m., the battle began. Ye Riping and his comrades first apprehended the two enemy sentries guarding the township office. At that moment, the squad leader Wang Yuanduan charged toward the entrance with a gun, but was shot and killed by Ye Riping. Immediately after, Ye Riping, along with fighters Li Yun, Huang Zhenlin, and others, swiftly stormed into the enemy barracks. “Stop, surrender your weapons and you won’t be harmed!” they shouted, causing the enemies to surrender without resistance. The squad fighters, following pre-battle arrangements, launched an assault on the enemy’s grain warehouse, while the guerrilla unit concentrated their firepower on the guards protecting the grain. Realizing that the situation was hopeless, the guards protecting the grain surrendered with raised hands.

During this battle, 23 enemies were captured, including the township head Huang Mingchu and the police station chief Huang Huatian. Over 20 guns, 2 revolvers, 12 grenades, more than 1,000 bullets, over 2,000 dan (a traditional unit, approximately 50 kilograms per dan) of rice, and a batch of military supplies were seized. This marked the first time grain was raided and distributed from a warehouse since the restoration of armed struggle in the Jiulian region, and also one of the larger such operations in scale.

In January 2012, it was included in the Heping County Immovable Cultural Heritage Protection List.

Pengzhai Town: Located in the southeastern part of Heping County, Pengzhai Town covers an area of 188.7 square kilometers. In 2003, Anyao Town was merged into Pengzhai. The town administers 35 administrative villages and 1 neighborhood committee, with a population of 65,211, making it the second-largest central town in Heping County. In 2003, the total agricultural output value reached 90.79 million yuan (current price). The town is 27 kilometers away from the county seat and serves as a transportation hub and economic trade center for the lower half of Heping County. Public infrastructure such as transportation, energy, communication, education, healthcare, and commercial services in the area is relatively well-developed. It boasts the largest central market in the county, covering a construction area of over 8,000 square meters, as well as a granary with a capacity of 3... More detailed information about Pengzhai Town++