鮑志成

早秋時(shí)節(jié)的9月22日，我們沿著絲綢之路來(lái)到被稱(chēng)為“塞外江南、北涼古都”的甘肅高臺(tái)。車(chē)行處，看見(jiàn)中國(guó)工農(nóng)紅軍西路軍紀(jì)念館的指路牌。雖然此行重在考察絲路古跡，但我還是對(duì)當(dāng)?shù)亟哟藛T提出了參觀(guān)的要求。

紀(jì)念館門(mén)口有一方橫碑，毛體的館名在夕暉映照下熠熠生輝；底座由花崗巖澆砌，似乎滲透了西路軍將士殷紅的鮮血。仰面是高高聳立的紀(jì)念碑，形制和氣勢(shì)與天安門(mén)廣場(chǎng)的人民英雄紀(jì)念碑相仿。紀(jì)念館的工作人員引領(lǐng)大家列隊(duì)緩步來(lái)到碑前，敬獻(xiàn)花圈，鞠躬致敬。高天中蒼茫的暮色漸濃，沒(méi)有哀樂(lè)，也沒(méi)有軍歌，有的是西北大地夾雜著絲絲寒意的晚風(fēng)，還有沉默中凝重的呼吸聲。

紀(jì)念館前身為高臺(tái)烈士陵園，是為紀(jì)念當(dāng)年征戰(zhàn)河西、為國(guó)捐軀的紅軍西路軍將士于1957年修建的，2009年建軍節(jié)前夕，改擴(kuò)建竣工后更名為“中國(guó)工農(nóng)紅軍西路軍紀(jì)念館”。紀(jì)念館合烈士公墓、展陳館、紀(jì)念陵園于一體，陸續(xù)收埋了3000多西路軍將士的遺骸忠骨。

憶往昔，崢嶸歲月稠。1936年10月，中國(guó)工農(nóng)紅軍一、二、四方面軍在甘肅會(huì)寧勝利會(huì)師后，紅四方面軍總部奉中共中央和中革軍委之命，率兩萬(wàn)余人西渡黃河準(zhǔn)備執(zhí)行寧夏戰(zhàn)役計(jì)劃。但由于時(shí)局變化，渡河部隊(duì)又奉命組成西路軍，準(zhǔn)備建立根據(jù)地，打通國(guó)際通道。西路軍將士浴血奮戰(zhàn)半年之久，殲敵數(shù)萬(wàn)，最終兵殤河西走廊。西路軍的歷程在中國(guó)革命史上留下了可歌可泣的篇章，而高臺(tái)攻防戰(zhàn)是其中最驚天動(dòng)地、悲壯慘烈的一頁(yè)。

1937年1月1日，紅五軍攻克高臺(tái)。此時(shí)，西路軍總部及紅九軍到達(dá)臨澤、沙河一線(xiàn)，紅三十軍到達(dá)倪家營(yíng)子。西北軍閥的馬家軍集中九萬(wàn)部隊(duì)，除一部分在倪家營(yíng)子和沙河、臨澤作鉗制外，優(yōu)勢(shì)兵力圍攻高臺(tái)。紅五軍從1月12日一直打到1月20日，終因寡不敵眾，彈盡糧絕，失守高臺(tái)，軍長(zhǎng)董振堂、政治部主任楊克明及三千多名戰(zhàn)士犧牲。奉命增援的騎兵師途中遇敵，師長(zhǎng)董彥俊、政治委員秦賢道及以下大部捐軀。之后，敵軍又攻臨澤，紅九軍撤離沙河堡，與紅三十軍集結(jié)在倪家營(yíng)子一帶。1月21日，西路軍突圍，紅三十軍回戈擊潰圍追的敵騎兵旅。2月26日，西路軍返回倪家營(yíng)子，重新陷入敵軍的重兵圍攻中。3月11日，西路軍突圍進(jìn)入梨園口，紅九軍最后的千余人基本拼光，西路軍總指揮部能夠直接掌握的僅有紅三十軍的一兩千戰(zhàn)斗人員。3月15日，西路軍軍政委員會(huì)主席陳昌浩宣布決定，殘部分成三個(gè)支隊(duì)就地游擊。后來(lái)，王樹(shù)聲支隊(duì)、張榮支隊(duì)潰散，李先念支隊(duì)沿祁連山西進(jìn)，40多天后抵達(dá)新疆迪化（今烏魯木齊），僅存400多人，受到中央代表陳云、滕代遠(yuǎn)的迎接和慰問(wèn)；在接受了蘇聯(lián)的部分軍援物資后，回到延安。

如果西路軍的西征是成功的、勝利的，后人會(huì)把它看作中國(guó)革命戰(zhàn)略大轉(zhuǎn)移、北上抗日的長(zhǎng)征的繼續(xù)嗎？西路軍西征計(jì)劃曾經(jīng)共產(chǎn)國(guó)際的同意，肩負(fù)策應(yīng)河?xùn)|紅軍的意圖和鑿空蘇聯(lián)援助道路的構(gòu)想，也許此后會(huì)匯入中國(guó)抗戰(zhàn)和全世界反法西斯戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的歷史洪流，但是失敗了。不過(guò)，西路軍所表現(xiàn)出的堅(jiān)持革命、不畏艱險(xiǎn)的英雄主義氣概，為黨為人民英勇獻(xiàn)身的精神，是永遠(yuǎn)值得人們尊敬和紀(jì)念的。由高臺(tái)烈士陵園到中國(guó)工農(nóng)紅軍西路軍紀(jì)念館的變遷，說(shuō)明了這一切。

陵園的大型花崗巖英雄群雕“血戰(zhàn)高臺(tái)”，藝術(shù)地再現(xiàn)了80年前西路軍將士們“理想高于天、熱血鑄祁連”的豪邁氣概和英勇壯舉。這座雕塑是雕塑家何鄂女士于1995年設(shè)計(jì)并制作的，高5.8米，采取立體旋轉(zhuǎn)形式，有七名西路軍指戰(zhàn)員的形象，面向四周，每一個(gè)側(cè)面都是一個(gè)戰(zhàn)斗的場(chǎng)景。其中，有紅五軍軍長(zhǎng)董振堂，有揮舞大刀與敵人拼死搏殺的指戰(zhàn)員，有拉響手榴彈與敵人同歸于盡的傷病員，有冒著生命危險(xiǎn)營(yíng)救西路軍將士的群眾，有救死扶傷的女衛(wèi)生員，有吹響沖鋒號(hào)的紅軍小號(hào)兵等。整個(gè)群雕頌揚(yáng)了當(dāng)年西路軍視死如歸的大無(wú)畏革命精神，謳歌了先烈們的精神與日月星辰、天地山河永生不滅！

展陳館的樣式創(chuàng)意采自古烽火臺(tái)造型，體現(xiàn)了西路軍的精神火焰永不熄滅。展陳館的陳列根據(jù)西路軍作戰(zhàn)計(jì)劃和戰(zhàn)斗歷程，分“序廳”“西渡黃河，執(zhí)行寧夏戰(zhàn)役計(jì)劃”“策應(yīng)河?xùn)|，建立永昌山丹根據(jù)地”“血戰(zhàn)臨高，呼應(yīng)西安事變后的局勢(shì)”“石窩分兵，西行支隊(duì)進(jìn)入新疆”“全力營(yíng)救，保存革命火種”“忠心耿耿，西路軍將士鐵骨錚錚”“光照千秋，西路軍精神永載史冊(cè)”八個(gè)展廳。

展陳館有英烈廳，以作吊唁之用。另有影視廳，用來(lái)真實(shí)、準(zhǔn)確、完整地再現(xiàn)西路軍西征史和戰(zhàn)斗場(chǎng)景，傳達(dá)革命精神和英雄氣概。

整個(gè)展陳以詳實(shí)的史料、圖片、實(shí)物、藝術(shù)品、沙盤(pán)、雕塑為主體，以電動(dòng)圖表、觸摸屏和聲光電多媒體技術(shù)為手段。展陳注重將西路軍的歷史性與現(xiàn)實(shí)性、思想性與藝術(shù)性、時(shí)代性與互動(dòng)性融為一體，成為河西走廊絲路古道上一處難得的愛(ài)國(guó)主義革命傳統(tǒng)教育基地和紅色旅游目的地。

一張張發(fā)黃模糊的歷史照片，一把把銹跡斑駁的大刀長(zhǎng)槍?zhuān)患?jiǎn)陋粗劣的生活用品，敘說(shuō)著西路軍戰(zhàn)士壯懷激烈的英勇故事……一座座英氣逼人的浮雕群像，一幕幕刀光劍影的戰(zhàn)斗場(chǎng)景，一句句感人肺腑的豪言壯語(yǔ)，謳歌著西路軍將士抗?fàn)幍降椎牟磺瘛?/p>

走出紀(jì)念館，天色已暗，巨大的紀(jì)念碑鑲嵌在夜幕中。我想，那是宛如大柱的西路軍將士的雄偉身姿，挺立時(shí)空！

（本文圖片由作者拍攝、提供）

During our “Silk Road” program in Gaotai， Gansu Province in the northewest of China earlier this year， I got a chance to visit the Chinese Workers and Peasants Red Army Memorial， built in 1957 in commemoration of the heroic deeds of the West-Road Army. Standing in the desolation of Chinas northwest wildness， I heard the breaths of the martyrs.

In October of 1936， the military retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Communist Party of China to evade the pursuit of the Kuomintang reached its first finishing line， with the 1st， 2nd and 4th front armies of the Workers and Peasants Red Army joining forces in Gansu Provinces Huining and victoriously completing the unprecedented 25，000- Long March. About 20，000 members of the fourth Red Army， however， advanced north to complete the Ningxia military mission. The situation worsened， forcing the army to reorganize into what is later referred to as the West-Road Army to break new grounds. Running out of ammunition and food supplies， the army lost the battle after half a years bitter struggle， leaving a tragic episode in the revolutionary history of China.

The battle to defend Gaotai was the bloodiest page in the 1937 episode. On January 1， 1937 witnessed the successful occupation of Gaotai by the Fifth Red Army. Seriously outnumbered， the soldiers lost a brutal battle that lasted eight days to the warlord army. More than 3，000 lives of the Fifth Red Army were lost. The fall of Gaotai was soon followed by a series of losses in Linze and Nijiayingzi. The demise came on March 11 in the battle at Liyuankou， where another one-thousand lives were lost. On March 15， chairman of the army committee had to switch to a new guerrilla strategy by joining the forces of less than 2，000 soldiers. The survivors advanced further north， and arrived in Dihua （todays Urumqi in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region） about 40 days later.

One question todays people may feel tempted to ask is： if the “Western March” of the West-Road Army were a success， will the expedition be considered a military strategic shift in the revolutionary course of China and the continuation of the Long March？ The “Western March” was a strategy approved by the Comintern to hopefully echo Chinas anti-Japanese endeavors and the worlds anti-Fascism War. The “March” failed for many reasons， but the resolution and dedication of the army will be forever in the memory of future generations of the Chinese people.

The granite sculptures in the cemetery presents the lofty feats of the West-road Army in a truly artistic way. Crafted by famous sculptor Ms He E in 1995， the 3-D rotational structure that stands 5.8 meters tall presents the image of seven West-road commanders all facing death unflinchingly. The heroism of the soldiers is powerfully encapsulated in every detail that shows the sculptors high artistry.

The design of the museum， that draws inspiration from beacon towers in the far-west frontier areas of ancient China， aims to symbolize the dauntless revolutionary spirit that will never be quenched. The presentation of the exhibits follows the military planning system of the army， vividly reproducing the historical scenes and milestones of the “Western March” 80 years ago.

The museums Heroes Hall is designed for condolence purposes. Visitors can also relive the armys soul-stirring past in the museums Movie Room.

The exhibition arrangement is an exciting multi-media montage of all historic materials including sand tables and sculptures， combining patriotism with a high level of artistic presentation and making the museum a rare “red tourism” destination on the Hexi Corridor.

The faint colored pictures， rusty spears and guns， and worn-out articles of daily use are the reminder of the unyielding “West-Road Army” spirit that still lingers in the air.