Former Site of the Hexinwu Battle

Former Site of the Hexinwu Battle

The former site of the Hexinwu Battle is a classic destination for red tourism.

The former site of the Hexinwu Battle is located in Hexinwu, Youcun Village, Dahuzhen Town, Lianping County.

At that time, Hexinwu covered a total area of about 6,000 square meters, with a population of approximately 500 residents. It was surrounded by 7-meter-high walls, with 12-meter-high watchtowers on all four sides and extremely sturdy gates. Once the gates were closed, enemies without heavy weaponry would find it difficult to enter. Hexinwu was situated close to the road, making passing enemies easy targets for ambush. On March 30, 1948, after being strongly repelled by our forces at Yangtanggang, the enemy dared not engage further and fled desperately toward Hexinwu. Upon learning the news, He Enshou, head of the local farmers’ association, quickly assembled the militia to set up defenses. The militiamen were full of confidence and fearless, firmly holding their battle positions as they waited for the enemy to pass by and sought an opportunity to strike. As the enemy passed through Hexinwu, militiamen He Niangjian and He Niangzhen, stationed at the dog hole of the east gate, used a large locally made cannon—over two meters long with a four-centimeter caliber—that had been fully loaded with dozens of finger-sized iron pellets and fragments from broken pots. They fired the first shot, instantly killing one enemy. The enemy immediately scattered and returned fire with both light and heavy machine guns, aiming at the windows of the watchtower and the dog hole from which the shot had been fired. Both walls of the east gate watchtower were riddled with bullet marks, yet the enemy was unable to breach the sturdy walls. The battle continued until nightfall. Later, the enemy fetched a 60mm mortar from Zhongxin and fired three consecutive shells at the east gate. He Niangjian and He Niangzhen, who were stationed at the dog hole, were hit by shrapnel. A large barrel nearby also exploded, and militiamen He Niangzhen and He Niangjian heroically sacrificed their lives. With their ammunition exhausted, the militiamen quietly withdrew through the west gate before dawn. This battle resulted in the deaths of multiple enemy soldiers, including a platoon leader, and fully demonstrated the revolutionary spirit of unity and resistance of the Dahuzhen military and civilians.

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