At the end of August 1927, under the command of Zhu De and He Long, the forces of the Nanchang Uprising captured Ruijin after a night-long fierce attack, achieving their first victory in a city battle after the Nanchang Uprising. This small town in southern Jiangxi mountainous area was thus closely linked with the Chinese revolution.
Ye Miaoji "Lured" the Enemy Southward
The Nanchang Uprising on August 1, 1927 shocked Chiang Kai-shek and Wang Jingwei. They immediately mobilized hundreds of thousands of troops from Jiangsu, Anhui, and Hubei to counterattack Nanchang. Given the significant disparity in strength between the opposing sides, the uprising forces began to withdraw from Nanchang on August 3 and advanced southward. However, for more than 20 days after leaving Nanchang, the uprising forces encountered no resistance and smoothly passed through Lincuan, Yihuang, Guangchang, and Ningdu.
After the outbreak of the Nanchang Uprising, Zhang Fakui, the commander-in-chief of the National Revolutionary Army's Second Front Army, held an emergency meeting. At that time, Ye, a Communist underground party member serving as chief staff officer of the Fourth Army of the Second Front Army, took advantage of internal conflicts within the reactionary camp and advised Zhang not to pursue the uprising forces, allowing them to head south and fight with the Guangdong warlord Chen Jitang. This strategy suited Zhang's wishes. As a result, the uprising forces did not face any pursuit after leaving Nanchang, gaining valuable breathing space and safely reaching the gates of Ruijin.
On the afternoon of August 25, 1927, under the command of Zhu De and He Long, the uprising forces launched their first city battle at RenTian Town in the north of Ruijin. Chen Shang told the reporter that the main force attacking Ruijin was the First and Second Divisions led by He Long, while the Third Division led by Zhou Yiqun served as the reserve force. After a night-long fierce battle, the five battalions of the enemy "Anti-Communist Eighth Route Army" under the command of Qian Dajun were defeated and fled towards Huichang. On the morning of August 26, the uprising forces occupied Ruijin City. This was the first city captured by the Nanchang Uprising forces. However, this victory came at a heavy cost: Ruan Guoping, the chief staff officer of the Ninth Army, and Yu Yuanshu, the regimental commander of the Third Regiment of the First Division of the Twentieth Army, were martyred, and hundreds of soldiers were wounded or killed.
He Kuo Mo Ruoyu Joined the Party in Ruijin
After Chiang Kai-shek and Wang Jingwei betrayed the revolution successively in 1927, He, who had become the commander of the 20th Army of the National Revolutionary Army, resolutely abandoned his high-ranking position in the Kuomintang and ignored the threats and temptations of the reactionary forces, leading his troops to join the Nanchang Uprising. Before and during the uprising, he repeatedly expressed to Zhou Yiqun, the political director of the 20th Army and a Communist Party member, his desire to join the Communist Party. Zhou relayed this request to the front committee secretary Zhou. On August 26, after the uprising forces captured Ruijin, Zhou convened a front committee meeting, and all members unanimously approved He's application to join the Party. Subsequently, an oath-taking ceremony was held at Ruijin Mianjiang Middle School, where He, Guo Moruo, and Peng Zemin joined the Party. He said emotionally, "The Party has tested and cultivated me for three years. It was only after the 'August 1st' uprising that the Party finally allowed me to join. This shows that becoming a member of the Communist Party of China is not easy; it requires enduring tests. Once you join the Party, you must continue to endure long-term tests by the Party. It is not the case that once you join the Party, everything is done and you are no longer subject to further tests. From now on, I will follow the Party's instructions, and even if I have to sacrifice my life, I will never betray the Party!" History has proven that Comrade He faithfully fulfilled this pledge until his last breath.
The "August 1st" Army Day Was Born Here
On July 11, 1933, the temporary central government of the Chinese Soviet Republic decided to set August 1 as the anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. Since then, every August 1 has been the Army Day of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army and later the People's Liberation Army of China. On August 1 of the same year, the first historical "August 1st" commemorative event was held at the Red Army Square in Yeping, Ruijin. From then on, August 1 officially became the Army Day of the people's army. Therefore, it can be said that Nanchang is the place where the military flag was raised, and Ruijin is the birthplace of the "August 1st" Army Day.
