Hongjun Town

　　Sichuan Province’s northern region and Hanzhong City in Shaanxi Province bordering each other, Wangcang County served as the revolutionary base for the Fourth Red Army from 1932 to 1934. At that time, the approximately two-square-kilometer old town of Wangcang, where the Sichuan-Shaanxi Provincial Committee, the Sichuan-Shaanxi Soviet Government, the Northwestern Military Commission, and the headquarters of the Fourth Red Army were located, became China’s second-largest political, military, and cultural center of the proletarian revolution. It was known domestically and internationally as Hongjun Town.

　　In December 1932, the Fourth Red Army entered Wangcang from Nanjiang and Bazhong, launching large-scale revolutionary struggles such as overthrowing local tyrants and redistributing land, which won the support of the people who had long suffered under the oppression of warlords and landlords. After dozens of battles, both large and small, they defeated the encirclement campaigns by reactionary forces and local warlords. The Red Army forces expanded from the four regiments totaling 15,000 troops when they first entered Sichuan to five armies with over 80,000 soldiers, establishing the Sichuan-Shaanxi Soviet Revolutionary Base centered around Wangcang. This base became the command center of the second-largest region of China’s proletarian revolutionary movement. During their more than two years in Wangcang, the Red Army, under the command of the Northwestern Military Commission and the headquarters of the Fourth Red Army located in the county town, fought famous battles against the three-route siege, including the Intelligent Capture of Mumen Town, the Blocking Battle at Qinglongzhai, and the Battle of Sanjiangba. They also engaged in effective operations against the six-route siege, such as the Battle of Kuaileling and the Pursuit and Annihilation at Wangcangba. In these battles, the Red Army eliminated 30,000 enemy troops, captured one enemy brigade commander, killed two others, and took down countless lower-ranking officers, dealing a heavy blow to the reactionary rule of the Kuomintang and the Sichuan warlords. This helped recover and expand the Sichuan-Shaanxi Soviet Revolutionary Base.

　　When you get off at the bus station in Wangcang’s new town, walk along the streets of the new town for about twenty minutes, cross the bridge over the Donghe River that connects the new and old towns, and follow the narrow streets of the old town—you’ll find yourself in Hongjun Town, filled with landmarks of the Red Army’s revolutionary history. Walking along the streets lined with low wooden storefronts and tiled eaves feels like stepping into a time tunnel. That street, barely five meters wide, once echoed with the hurried footsteps of thousands of soldiers. On those narrow streets, no matter whether you head from north to south or east to west, signs marking revolutionary sites of the Red Army can be seen everywhere. Signs such as “Former Site of the Northwestern Revolutionary Military Commission,” “Former Site of the Fourth Red Army Headquarters,” “Former Site of the Political Department of the Northwestern Military Region,” “Former Site of the General Political Department of the Fourth Red Army,” “Former Site of the Fourth Red Army General Hospital,” “Former Site of the 31st Red Army Headquarters,” “Former Site of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Provincial Committee,” and “Former Site of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Soviet Government” frequently catch your eye. In the revolutionary struggle of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army, not only can you see the former sites of military and political organs on Wenchang Street and Longtan Street in Wangcang, but also the former sites of economic organizations of the revolutionary regime such as the “Revolutionary Tribunal,” “Soviet Workers’ and Peasants’ Bank,” “Soviet Government Finance Committee,” “Soviet Post Office,” “Executive Committee of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Provincial Trade Union,” “Guangyuan County Soviet Economic Commune,” and “Second Regiment of the Women’s Independent Division.” These low, damp, and dimly lit rooms once housed important figures in China’s revolutionary history such as Zhang Guotao, Xu Xiangqian, Chen Changhao, Zeng Zhongsheng, Wang Shusheng, and Xu Guangda. These places led famous battles that were critical to the success or failure of the revolutionary cause, especially the economic organizations of the Red Army period, which raised funds and managed the economic lifelines of the revolutionary regime—truly remarkable sights of the Red Capital.

　　The Wang Family Courtyard at No. 168 Wenchang Street was where Xu Xiangqian once lived. In this very ordinary siheyuan with wooden doors, tiled roofs, the central courtyard is only about ten square meters. The windows of the house are small, and the interior is dimly lit. One can imagine how Commander-in-Chief Xu Xiangqian, in this tiny space, strategized and commanded the famous “Guangzhao Campaign,” “Southern Shaanxi Campaign,” and “Crossing the Jialing River Campaign” against the reactionary Kuomintang and warlord forces. These battles annihilated tens of thousands of enemies and paved the way for the Fourth Red Army’s Long March. The harsh conditions and brutal environment at the time, and the fearless revolutionary spirit of the revolutionary predecessors who were unafraid of bloodshed and sacrifice, serve as a source of inspiration for us in building a modern socialist powerhouse today.