- Jiaodong Hero Army

Author: Yan Qingjie / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-12-01
Features: The Spark of Fire Ignited in the Shandong Peninsula
The Shandong Peninsula, undoubtedly a fertile land blessed with abundant natural resources and outstanding talent, gave birth to the resilient, simple, and brave soldiers of the Shandong people. It has been said that the Shandong mothers bore four sons who were loyal to the Party and the people, strong in body, and fearless in battle: the eldest brother was the 41st Army, the second was the 27th Army, the third was the 31st Army, and the fourth was the 32nd Army. They fought south and north, achieving glorious victories, defeating over 500,000 enemy soldiers, and producing hundreds of battle heroes and generals, renowned both domestically and internationally. Nearly 500,000 young and middle-aged men from Shandong joined the army during the Anti-Japanese War and the War of Liberation, with over 80,000 sacrificing their lives heroically and hundreds of thousands injured. They contributed immensely to the establishment of New China. When the army advanced southward in spring 1949, there were over 2.6 million young and middle-aged men from Shandong supporting the war effort, leaving only the elderly, women, and children to continue agricultural production. As the veteran Red Army comrade and former Deputy Political Commissar of the Shandong Military Area Political Department and Political Commissar of the 41st Army, General Ouyang Wen, wrote: "Glorious Battles, Awe-Inspiring throughout the Nation." This was a high praise for the soldiers of Shandong. General Chang Yong, a veteran of the Long March, wrote: "I am the son of the people of Shandong, and we are proud and honored by the great achievements of the people of Shandong and their sons in the revolutionary wars in our country." Indeed, in the old units of the Shandong soldiers, hero units such as the "Weifang Brigade," the "Jinan Brigade," the "Second Jinan Brigade," the "Taishan Hero Brigade," the "Defense Hero Brigade," the "Baitai Mountain Hero Brigade," and the "Enemy-Terrifying Artillery Brigade" emerged, and the fame of the Shandong soldiers spread far and wide!
(1) The Shandong Peninsula is surrounded by the sea on three sides and faces the Liaodong Peninsula across the bay, guarding the gates of Beijing and Tianjin, forming a mutually supporting strategic position. The Miaodao Archipelago stands tall in the Bohai Gulf, serving as a natural barrier and fortress, with extremely important strategic significance. The Shandong Peninsula has long been a contested battleground. General Wu Kehua, former Deputy Commander of the Shandong Military Area and Commander of the 41st Army, as well as former Commander of the Guangzhou Military Region, once recalled: "Shandong is a very prosperous peninsula, nestled between the Bohai and Yellow Seas. On a military map, it resembles a half-reclining yellow ox. The east is the ox's head, Kunshan Mountain is the neck, and the areas of Qixia and Laiyang are the heart. The mountains of Ya and Ai are the spine, and Dazeshan is the buttocks of the ox. Militarily speaking, it is a strategic stronghold." "More importantly, it has 8 million honest, upright, hardworking, and brave people who have made tremendous contributions to the nation's Anti-Japanese War and the War of Liberation." "It is the straightforward, sincere, and bold nature of the Shandong people that has given me invisible strength in my long-term work and struggles."
In ancient times, Shandong was part of the former state of Qi, with a long history, advanced culture, and thriving trade. During the Shang Dynasty, it was known as the "State of Lai." In the 11th century BC, Taigong Wang (Jiang Shang) established the state of Qi. In 690 BC, the territory of Qi expanded eastward to Shandong, and Duke Huan of Qi became the among the seven warring states. In 392 BC, the Tian family rose to power, replacing the Jiang family, ruling for 171 years before its decline. In 285 BC, the state of Yan, under the command of the general Yue Yi, seized over 70 cities in Shandong in a battle unprecedented in the peninsula. However, six years later (in 279 BC), Tian Dan defeated the Yan army with the "Fire Ox Formation," recaptured the lost territory of Qi, turning defeat into victory, and creating a glorious page in the annals of war. In 219 BC, after Qin Shi Huang conquered Qi, he established the Jiaodong Commandery and traveled eastward to the eastern tip of the Shandong Peninsula—the Chengshan Head—where he gazed at the vast East Sea and had a stele erected by Li Si, leaving behind the "Qin Bridge Ruins." In 210 BC, the alchemist Xu Fu of Xuxiang (now Longkou) led a large fleet of over 3,000 people across the sea to Japan, becoming one of the earliest long-distance navigators in ancient times. This journey, spanning over 2,000 years, remains unparalleled in the world! In 204 BC, the Han general Han Xin attacked Qi, set up camp by the Weishui River, and decisively defeated the joint forces of Qi and Chu, capturing the state of Qi and setting a precedent in military history for victories achieved with fewer forces and unexpected tactics. In 179 BC (the first year of Emperor Wen of Han), the states of Jiaodong and Jiaoxi were established. In 104 BC (the first year of Emperor Taichu of Han), they were merged into the state of Jiaodong. During the Ming Dynasty's Yongle era, three major camps—Penglai, Wending, and Jimo—were established, with 11 garrisons deployed in Shandong to strengthen coastal defense. In the 32nd year of the Jiajing era (1553 AD), the renowned general Qi Jiguang led his army to resist Japanese invasions, achieving numerous victories and suppressing the banditry of coastal Japanese pirates. In June 1860 (the 10th year of the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty), the Qing government, isolated and declining, allowed British and French fleets to invade Yantai, Weihai, Qingdao, and Dalian, using these bases to blockade the Bohai Gulf. Later, in August, they attacked Tianjin and Tanggu, marking the "Second Opium War." The Qing government was forced to cede territory and pay indemnities, suffering national humiliation. In 1862, Yantai was opened as the earliest foreign trading port in Shandong, becoming a base for imperialist powers to exploit China and expand their military aggression. In July 25, 1894 (the 20th year of the Guangxu era), the Sino-Japanese War broke out. The Beiyang Fleet of the Qing Dynasty held the line from Lushun to Weihaiwei, but on September 17, the Japanese navy attacked the Beiyang Fleet, marking the first large-scale naval battle in the Yellow Sea to use "ironclad fleets." On October 25, Lushun fell to the Japanese. The following year, on February 17, the Japanese controlled the Liaodong Peninsula and launched a joint land and naval attack on Weihaiwei, ultimately destroying the entire Beiyang Fleet. In November 14, 1897 (the 23rd year of the Guangxu era), Germany, citing the Juye Incident, sent four warships to invade Jiaozhou Bay. The following year, Germany forced the Qing Dynasty to "lease" Qingdao for 99 years; the U.S. Navy then invaded Weihaiwei in 1899, forcing a 25-year "lease" and granting privileges to build fortresses and station troops in Yantai and "borrow" Liu Gong Island for summer retreats. In May 23, 1900 (the 26th year of the Guangxu era), the Eight-Nation Alliance fleet advanced from the Bohai Gulf, captured Dagu, and seized Tianjin on June 17. On July 19, they took Tongzhou and occupied Beijing. At this time, both the Liaodong and Shandong peninsulas lost their defensive roles.
On September 2, 1914, taking advantage of the European powers' focus on World War I, Japan's naval fleet of 68 ships carried 50,000 naval marines and soldiers, landing in Longkou, Shandong, and dividing forces to occupy the Jinzicheng Railway. On September 18, a second batch of troops landed in Laoshan Bay, and on September 23, a British army detachment also landed in the same area. On October 31, the Japanese and British launched a general attack on the German forces occupying Qingdao, forcing them to surrender on November 7, and Japan occupied Qingdao (until 1922 when it was returned to China). From 1840 to 1940, over 100 years, the narrow strip of land on the Shandong Peninsula experienced major military events such as imperialist invasions, peasant uprisings against the Qing Dynasty, the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, the Wuchang Uprising, and warlord conflicts. The people of Shandong suffered greatly from war plunder, long-term poverty, and the humiliation of being semi-colonial! Peasant uprisings in Shandong flared up frequently in various dynasties, with intense struggles recorded in history books. In 1648 (the third year of the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty), Yu Qi rebelled in Qixia, relying on Ya Mountain, capturing Ninghai, attacking Fushan, and fighting for 15 years,ing Shandong. In 1867 (the sixth year of the Shunzhi era), the Liang Wen Guang-led Taiping rebels reached Shandong, engaging in fierce battles with Qing and Anglo-French forces, supported by Shandong peasants, but were eventually defeated due to insufficient strength. Later, peasant organizations such as the "Wujide," "Da Dao," and "Hongqiang" in Laiyang, Zhaoyuan, Qixia, Ye County, and Mouping County fought against the rulers multiple times. In 1911 (the third year of the Xuantong era of the Qing Dynasty), revolutionaries in Yantai launched an uprising, declaring the establishment of the Shandong Military Government of the Republic of China on November 13, with Wang Chuanjiong, former commander of the Qing Navy's "Wufeng" ship, appointed as the Military Governor. Simultaneously, Sun Baoqi declared the establishment of the Shandong Military Government in Jinan, making Yantai a military and political sub-governorate. On November 15, troops from the United States, Russia, Japan, and other countries landed in Yantai, citing the protection of consulates. On January 20, 1912, revolutionaries such as Xu Jingxin, Luan Xinghe, and Xie Hongtao went to Nanjing to meet Sun Yat-sen, and Chen Qimei of Shanghai sent 3,000 Shanghai troops to Yantai, driving out Wang Chuanjiong (a restorationist leader) and restoring the Yantai Military and Political Sub-governorate to the Shandong Military Government. On March 10, Yuan Shikai took office as the Provisional President of the Republic of China and established the Shandong Military Governorship in Jinan, forcing the military governments in Yantai and other areas to dissolve. On August 29, 1913, the Beiyang Warlord Government established the Yantai Garrison Command, with Nie Xianfan appointed as the Commander, overseeing about 2,000 soldiers in a division. In May 1916, Sun Yat-sen, Cai E, and others launched the anti-Yuan Xuantong movement, with the Shandong Republic Army and the Guowang Army led by Ju Zheng and Wu Dazhou occupying counties such as Jimo and Pingdu. In September 1924, the Second Zhili-Fengtian War broke out, and Yantai Port was placed under martial law, with all ships in the port seized by Wu Peifu's forces. In November, the Zhili warlord forces were defeated, and Wu Peifu, with 3,000 men, escaped to Yantai waters from Dagu by ship but failed to land. Later, from 1925 to 1933, warlord Zhang Zongchang of the Zhili-Fengtian forces, warlord Liu Zhenian, and the Shandong Provincial Chairman of the Kuomintang, Han Fuqi, engaged in conflicts, with Han's 85th and 87th divisions stationed in Yantai (later replaced by the 81st Division), ruling the Shandong region for over a decade.
The people of Shandong have a glorious tradition of resisting oppressive governments and foreign invasions, and they have continuously awakened through long-term struggles. P1-5