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First encirclement campaign against the Hubei–Henan–Shaanxi Soviet
Part of the Chinese Civil War
Date January, 1935 - February 5, 1935 Location Border region of Hubei, Henan, and Shaanxi provinces, China Result Communist victory
Belligerents
National Revolutionary Army	Chinese Red Army
Commanders and leaders
Liu Yanbiao	Xu Haidong
Strength
>6,700	2,500
Casualties and losses
1,200	Low

The first encirclement campaign against the Hubei–Henan–Shaanxi Soviet was an encirclement campaign launched by the Nationalist Government of China against the Communist Party's Hubei–Henan–Shaanxi Soviet and its local Red Army. The Red Army successfully defended the Soviet against Nationalist attacks from January to February 5, 1935.

Order of battle

• National Revolutionary Army (NRA): (6,500 total):
  • 116th Brigade
  • 126th Brigade
  • 2nd Garrison Brigade
• Chinese Red Army: (2,500 total):
  • 25th Army

Situation

In late January, 1935, the Nationalist 126th Brigade and the 2nd Garrison Brigade occupied regions to the east and to the south of Zhen'an County as they began their encirclement campaign against the local Communists. The 25th Army of the Chinese Red Army only number around 2,500 and simply could not face an enemy almost twice its strength. The Communists decided to trick the enemy into dispersing its forces and then destroy them by concentrating their own forces. To do so, the Communists deployed their forces to the region of the Yuanjiagoukou (袁家沟口) by marching northward from the border region of Shanyang and Yunxi. The Communist force subsequently moved to the region of Fenghuangzui, suddenly appearing directly behind the enemy line.

On January 31, 1935, the town of Zuoshui fell into Communist hands, forcing the Nationalist 2nd Garrison Brigade to move westward to reinforce the region, thus the Communists had successfully achieved their objective of dispersing the enemy. On February 1, 1935, as the 252nd Regiment of the Nationalist 116th Brigade reached the region of Caiyuyao, it was ambushed by the waiting enemy and one battalion of the 252nd Regiment of the Nationalist 116th Brigade completely annihilated while the other two were badly mauled. The Communists subsequently withdrew to Gepai Town to rest and regroup.

On February 5, 1935, the Nationalist commander-in-chief Liu Yanbiao, the commander of the Nationalist 116th Brigade, personally led the 251st Regiment and 248th Regiment of the Nationalist 116th Brigade to attack Gepai Town, in attempt to avenge the previous annihilation of the 252nd Regiment of the 116th Brigade. The Communists first checked the Nationalist advance at the Wengo Ridge by taking advantage of the terrain, and then launched their counterassault on the front and left flank. After two battalions were completely annihilated by the Communist onslaught, the Nationalist morale collapsed and the Nationalist troops fled southward. This final Nationalist defeat marked the end of the first encirclement campaign against Hubei–Henan–Sichuan Soviet.

The Nationalist defeat in the campaign cost them over 1,200 casualties and in addition, five counties in southern Shaanxi that were originally plagued heavily with Communist guerrilla activities had since become communist bases, resulting in the expansion of the Hubei–Henan–Sichuan Soviet.

See also

• Outline of the Chinese Civil War
• National Revolutionary Army
• History of the People's Liberation Army

v t e Chinese Civil War
Principal belligerents and campaigns Nationalist Party / National Government ( National Revolutionary Army) → Constitutional ROC Government (ROC Armed Forces) → Republic of China on Taiwan Communist Party / Soviet Republic ( Red Army) → Liberated Area ( 8th Route Army, New Fourth Army, etc. → People's Liberation Army) →  People's Republic of China
Pre-1945 Post-1945 1923 Sun–Joffe Manifesto 1924 First United Front 1926 Canton Coup 1927–1949 Chinese Communist Revolution 1927 Nanking incident Shanghai Commune Shanghai massacre Nanjing–Wuhan split 715 Incident Little Long March Nanchang uprising Autumn Harvest Uprising Guangzhou Uprising 1930–1934 Encirclement campaigns 1931–1934 Chinese Soviet Republic 1933–1934 Fujian People's Government 1934–1936 Long March 1936 Xi'an Incident 1937–1946 Second United Front (Wartime perception of the Chinese Communists) 1941 New Fourth Army incident 1944 Dixie Mission 1945 Chongqing Negotiations Double Tenth Agreement Retrocession of Taiwan 1946 Jiaochangkou Incident Peiping rape case 1945–1947 Marshall Mission 1945–1949 Operation Beleaguer 1947 Yu Zisan Incident 1948 SS Kiangya incident Liaoshen campaign 1948–1949 Huaihai campaign Pingjin campaign 1949 Taiping Steamer Incident Yangtze River Crossing campaign Amethyst Incident ROC Government retreat to Taiwan PRC incorporation of Xinjiang 1949–1953 Bombing of Shanghai 1950 Hainan Island campaign Wanshan Archipelago Campaign 1950–1958 Kuomintang Islamic insurgency 1961–1972 Project National Glory

• Campaigns of the Chinese Civil War
• Conflicts in 1935
• 1935 in China
• Military history of Henan
• Military history of Hubei
• Military history of Shaanxi