Crash Site of the Battle to Force Xie Yuechen’s Surrender

Crash Site of the Battle to Force Xie Yuechen’s Surrender

The crash site of the battle to force Xie Yuechen’s surrender is a classic red tourism destination.

The crash site of the battle to force Xie Yuechen’s surrender is located at Maxizitouxiawu, Jinzhong Village, Potou Town, Lianping County.

After the liberation of Lianping County, Huang Boqiang, the Kuomintang county magistrate of Lianping, along with Xie Yuechen, leader of the “bandit suppression” brigade, and over 300 others fled to Potou, intending to escape to Taiwan or Hong Kong with the retreating Kuomintang forces. In mid-September 1949, a part of the 13th Corps of the People’s Liberation Army advancing southward, as well as the Independent Second Battalion of the First Detachment of the North River under the command of Yang Ke from the Guangdong–Jiangxi–Hunan Border Column, and the First Battalion of the Fifth Regiment of the Second Detachment of the East River under the command of Zeng Kunyi from the same column, marched into Potou. Seeing the situation deteriorate, Huang Boqiang abandoned the accompanying military and government personnel and fled to Hong Kong with just over ten trusted aides. Meanwhile, Xie Yuechen led his remaining 300 troops up to Huan Mountain behind his residence to put up stubborn resistance.

At the time, the tasks of liberating Guangzhou and Hainan Island were pressing, so the 13th Corps could not stay in Potou for long. They decided to leave behind one artillery platoon to assist the border column troops in encircling and annihilating Xie Yuechen’s forces. Our army quickly surrounded the area around Huan Mountain. On September 15, the unit led by Zeng Kunyi of the First Battalion of the Fifth Regiment of the East Second Detachment tracked and pursued the fleeing bandits, encountering Xie Yuechen’s remaining forces at Huangmeixie in Guanling Village, Potou. The battle lasted from morning until dusk, and the remnants fled in panic, abandoning their posts. During this battle, four soldiers from our side were killed.

After analyzing the enemy situation, Yang Ke and Zeng Kunyi agreed that the conditions were not yet right for a quick assault to defeat the enemy, so they decided to employ strategy instead. The first step was to detain Xie Yuechen’s family, explain the situation and policy, and urge Xie to surrender. The second step involved using Xie Yutian, a local enlightened gentry, as an intermediary to negotiate with Xie Yuechen and communicate our party’s policies. After some effort, Xie Yuechen expressed willingness to capitulate. On the afternoon of the 16th, Yang Ke deployed troops around the area and then entered the four-corner tower at Maxizitouxiawu, Jinzhong Village, with only six men to negotiate with Xie Yuechen. One hour later, all 300+ of Xie Yuechen’s remaining troops came down the mountain to surrender.

The liberation of Potou Town marked the full liberation of Lianping County.

Jinzhong Village: Jinzhong Village... Detailed information about Jinzhong Village++