Battle Site of the River Mingliang Engagement

Battle Site of the River Mingliang Engagement

The Battle Site of the River Mingliang Engagement is located along the River Mingliang Bridge section in Bedeng Town, Heping County.

On April 15, 1949, Commander Zheng Qun of the Second Eastern Detachment led the 3rd and 6th Regiments to engage in an annihilation battle at River Mingliang in Bedeng Town, Heping County. This was another major victory after advancing into eastern Heping following the five consecutive triumphs along the Dongjiang River.

At noon on the 14th, the 3rd Regiment arrived at Guzhai Zhanxia and joined forces with the 6th Regiment. At dusk, the Pearl River Squad of the 3rd Regiment, one squadron of the 6th Regiment, and some local militiamen from eastern Heping surrounded the Pengzhai Township Office as planned, launching a feint attack on Pengzhai. The puppet county magistrate Huang Mengzhou immediately ordered the Ye Peigen Squadron of the county police, who were then requisitioning grain in Yousheng, to march toward Pengzhai for reinforcement. The Second Eastern Detachment then instructed the 6th Regiment to continue the feint attack on Pengzhai to lure the enemy for rescue. The Pearl River Squad, which had withdrawn from the siege of Pengzhai, along with the concealed Jiujiang, Yunnan, and Guilin Squads that were standing by, advanced overnight to River Mingliang to set up an ambush. At dawn on the 15th, just as the troops had finished their ambush deployment, the Ye Peigen Squadron approached along the stone steps from Yuxikou. When most of the enemy soldiers had crossed the small stone bridge, soldiers stationed on both sides of the valley opened fierce gunfire on the enemy. Among them, soldiers from the Pearl River and Jiujiang Squads charged across the small stone bridge to encircle and pursue the enemy. Fighters lying in ambush on the mountain charged downhill, engaging the enemy in hand-to-hand combat with bayonets. The enemy retreated to the River Mingliang teahouse to make a last stand but were fiercely struck by the Pearl River Squad and ultimately surrendered. In this ambush battle, 31 enemies were killed including Squadron Leader Ye Peigen, 15 were wounded, and 13 were captured. The troops seized one light machine gun, 27 rifles, one pistol, and over 2,000 rounds of various ammunition.

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

Bedeng Town: Located in the eastern part of Heping County, Bedeng Town borders Longchuan County to the east and features a subtropical monsoon climate. The town is rich in hydropower resources, with three medium-sized hydroelectric power stations under county jurisdiction — Lao Yuan, Beng Xiong, and Nie Zi Shi — equipped with 10 generating units and a total capacity of 8,000 kilowatts, generating over 40 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. There are more than 30 hot springs in the town, with temperatures ranging between 80–93°C. The area also has abundant rare earth and zeolite resources. The town has 17 administrative villages and one neighborhood committee, with a population of 27,942, over 80% of whom are engaged in agriculture. In 2003, the total agricultural output value was 47.47 million yuan (current prices). …… More detailed information about Bedeng Town ++