Former Site of the Anti-Encirclement Battle at Shangshipantan

Former Site of the Anti-Encirclement Battle at Shangshipantan

The former site of the anti-encirclement battle at Shangshipantan is a classic destination on China’s red tourism routes.

The former site of the anti-encirclement battle at Shangshipantan is located at Shangshipantanwu, Huxi Village, Dahudown Town, Lianping County.

In 1948, peasant associations, women’s groups, and militia units rapidly emerged in the Dahudown area, and the enemy stepped up its encirclement and suppression efforts in the Jiulian region. On April 1, 1948, Xie Yuechen, commander of the Lianping County “bandit suppression” brigade, along with Huang Guoxiong of the Zhongxin Militia Defense Team, led over 100 enemy troops in an attempt to eliminate the Shangshipantan militia organization.

At around 7:00 a.m. that day, the enemy forces advanced aggressively toward Shangshipantanwu. Upon receiving the intelligence, Zeng Songfa, captain of the Shangshipantan militia, quickly gathered his forces to strategize and prepare to repel the attackers. Around 9:00 a.m., the enemy surrounded Shangshipantanwu from all sides. The local militia coordinated their efforts to fight back. At the time, the Shangshipantan militia were poorly equipped — each person had only about 100 rounds of ammunition, and most of their weapons were homemade. However, they showed no fear in the face of the enemy and skillfully engaged them in battle. The fighting was intense. Around 6:00 p.m., just as the militia and the enemy were locked in fierce combat, Ouyang Zhen arrived with dozens of soldiers from the Guilin Unit to provide support. Seeing the situation turn against them, the enemy hastily retreated back to Zhongxin. The battle resulted in the deaths of two enemy soldiers, injuries to more than ten others, and the sacrifice of one of our own militiamen. That evening, the underground party organization held a meeting to commend the Shangshipantan militia for their fearless and courageous stand against the enemy. The next day, underground party leaders Deng Ji, Zeng Wenru, and others visited the home of the fallen militiaman Zeng Yushi to offer condolences.

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