Ambush
On January 5, the Communist forces were surrounded in Maolin Township by a Nationalist force of 80,000 led by Shangguan Yunxiang and attacked days later. After days of fighting, heavy losses — including many civilian workers who staffed the army's political headquarters — were inflicted on the New Fourth Army due to the overwhelming numbers of Nationalist troops. On January 13, Ye Ting, wanting to save his men, went to Shangguan Yunxiang's headquarters to negotiate terms. Upon arrival, Ye was detained. The New Fourth Army's political commissar Xiang Ying was killed, and only 2,000 people, led by Huang Huoxing and Fu Qiutao, were able to break out.
Read more about this topic: New Fourth Army Incident
Famous quotes containing the word ambush:
“War is not a life: it is a situation,
One which may neither be ignored nor accepted,
A problem to be met with ambush and stratagem,
Enveloped or scattered.”
—T.S. (Thomas Stearns)
“Some fell by laudanum, and some by steel,
And death in ambush lay in every pill.”
—Samuel, Sir Garth (1661–1719)
“Remember then our only shape is death
When mask and face are nailed apart at last.
Range-finding laughter, and ambush of tears,
Machine-gun practice on the heart’s desires....”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)