Encirclement Campaign against Hunan-Jiangxi Soviet

Part of the Chinese Civil War

Date	January 29, 1930 - March 24, 1930
Location	border region of Hunan & Jiangxi provinces, China
Result	Communist victory

Belligerents

National Revolutionary Army

Chinese Red Army

Commanders and leaders

Wang Jingyu 王金钰

Strength

35,000

2,000

Casualties and losses

3,500

The Encirclement Campaign against the Hunan-Jiangxi Soviet was a series of battles in the border region of Hunan and Jiangxi provinces initiated by the Chinese Kuomintang (Nationalist) Party / Government. The Encirclement Campaign was met by the Communists' Counter-Encirclement Campaign at Hunan-Jiangxi Soviet (Chinese: 湘赣苏区反围剿), also called Counter-Encirclement Campaign at Hunan-Jiangxi Revolutionary Base (湘赣革命根据地反围剿). The Hunan-Jiangxi Soviet successfully defended itself against the Nationalist attacks from January 29 to March 24, 1931.

In December 1930 the communist 16th Army stationed at the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi Soviet launched a preemptive strike against the Nationalist forces and annihilated an entire Nationalist regiment in Tongcheng (通城), Hubei - just before the Nationalists could begin the first attack of their Encirclement Campaign against Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi Soviet. The Nationalists had to withdraw temporarily to regroup. Reinforcement troops from other regions came to the Soviet area to avenge the defeat at Tongcheng, leaving these other regions vulnerable to Communist attacks. The Hunan-Jiangxi Soviet decided to aid the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi Soviet by striking the government in two fronts, in the west and in the southeast of Hunan.

From January 29 through February 9, 1931, the Eastern Hunan Chinese Red Army Independent Division succeeded in taking regions including Ling (酃) County, the town of Zixing and the town of Yongxing (永兴), and three Nationalist local security regiments guarding these towns and completely destroyed along with a regiment of the Nationalist 57th Brigade sent to reinforce these regions.

In early February, 1931, the Red 7th Army was forced to abandon its bases in Guangxi and traveled northward. The Independent Division of the Hunan-Jiangxi Soviet was tasked to link up with the 7th Army. So united, the force returned to Lotus Flower (Lianhua, 莲花) county. Capitalizing on their victory, the communists expanded their force and the Independent Division was renamed as the Southeastern Hunan Independent Division. With a new 2nd Regiment established, the division comprised three regiments, totaling more than 1500 troops.

...
Wikipedia