Battle of Chishui River | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the Chinese Civil War and the Long March | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Republic of China (Nationalists)
| |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Strength | |||||||
400,000 | 30,000 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
30,000 casualties 3,600 captured | Unknown |
The Battle of Chishui River (simplified Chinese: 赤水战役; traditional Chinese: 赤水戰役), popularly known in mainland China as the Four Crossings of the Chishui River or "Crossing the Chishui River Four Times" (四渡赤水), was a major battle between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in 1935. It was the first major battle commanded by Mao Zedong during the Long March, and it is regarded as one of the most representative battles under Mao's command. This battle was a turning point in the first phase of Chinese Civil War. The Chinese Red Army jumped out of the encirclement of Kuomintang by unexpectedly crossing the Chishui River four times, and eventually survived the anti-communist military campaign of Chiang Kai-shek.