The highest-ranking general who sacrificed during the Long March was only 27 years old!
February 1935
The Red Army achieved its first major victory since the Long March
Chief of Staff of the Red Third Army Corps, Deng Ping
was heroically sacrificed in the subsequent battle
He was the highest-ranking commander to die during the Long March
Faith's Spark
Igniting hope in the heart of a 14-year-old poor boy
Deng Ping
was born in Zigong, Sichuan
into a poor salt worker family
In 1922
Yun Daiying led a speaking group to southern Sichuan
to spread Marxism
In the heart of 14-year-old Deng Ping
it stirred up great waves
Four years later
Deng Ping was admitted to the Wuhan branch of the Whampoa Military Academy
During his time at school
he joined the Chinese Communist Youth League
and soon after joined the Communist Party of China
In 1928
Deng Ping, along with Peng Dehuai and others, led the Pingjiang Uprising
igniting the revolutionary sparks in Hunan, Hubei, and Jiangxi
and participated in the first to fifth counter-offensives against encirclement in the Central Soviet Area
By the time he followed the Central Red Army on the Long March
he had grown into
a highly experienced senior commander
“We must capture Zunyi before dawn tomorrow”
was his last order
In February 1935
27-year-old Deng Ping assisted Peng Dehuai
in leading his troops across the Chishui River for the second time
and launched an attack on the northern gate of Zunyi, the Laoshan Pass
The Red Army engaged in close combat with the enemy,
repeatedly fighting back and forth
and finally achieved a great victory at Laoshan Pass
Subsequently
Deng Ping and others led their troops directly to Zunyi City
On February 27, 1935
the enemy in the old city of Zunyi stubbornly resisted
the battle was intense
Chief of Staff of the Red Third Army Corps, Deng Ping
regardless of personal safety
along with Zhang Aiping, the political commissar of the 11th Regiment of the Red Third Army Corps at the time
stealthily approached the front line
to scout enemy conditions
Zhang Aiping recalled:
“Comrade Deng Ping
he was squatting up there
I was below
he was observing the enemy situation
at that moment
he suddenly fell
his head fell on me”
Deng Ping was hit by a bullet and heroically sacrificed
at the young age of 27
“We must capture Zunyi before dawn tomorrow”
was his last order
Ultimately, the Red Army
stormed into the old city of Zunyi in the early morning
A portrait
restores the spirit and demeanor of the martyr
At 97 years old, Xu Zuhua
is a veteran who experienced the flames of war
More than 40 years ago
she and her colleagues traveled extensively
visiting Deng Ping's comrades
to trace the heroic revolutionary footprints
Xu Zuhua said:
“When I hear about the martyr's deeds
I run faster than anyone else
I think about how he has no descendants
we who are alive should do this well”
The portrait organized by Xu Zuhua back then
accurately restored Deng Ping's spirit
and was personally approved by Zhang Aiping
This portrait became the first
widely circulated image of Deng Ping
Li Simin
from the inheriting unit of Deng Ping's former troops
on the eve of Qingming
retrace the battle path of martyr Deng Ping
At Deng Ping's grave
Li Simin said:
“Please rest assured
the heavy responsibility of guarding the mountains and rivers of the motherland
will be passed on to us”
Deng Ping, a high-ranking commander of the Red Army, was killed in action during an attack on Zunyi on February 27, 1935. He was 27 years old and had led his troops to a significant victory at Loushanguan before his death. Eyewitnesses reported that he was shot while observing enemy positions.
- Deng Ping was a high-ranking commander in the Red Army.
- He was killed in action at the age of 27 during the Long March.
- The Red Army achieved a significant victory at Loushanguan on February 27, 1935.
- Deng Ping's last order was to capture Zunyi before dawn.
- Eyewitness accounts confirm the circumstances of his death.