暮色苍茫吊英魂

鲍志成

早秋时节的9月22日，我们沿着丝绸之路来到被称为“塞外江南、北凉古都”的甘肃高台。车行处，看见中国工农红军西路军纪念馆的指路牌。虽然此行重在考察丝路古迹，但我还是对当地接待人员提出了参观的要求。

纪念馆门口有一方横碑，毛体的馆名在夕晖映照下熠熠生辉；底座由花岗岩浇砌，似乎渗透了西路军将士殷红的鲜血。仰面是高高耸立的纪念碑，形制和气势与天安门广场的人民英雄纪念碑相仿。纪念馆的工作人员引领大家列队缓步来到碑前，敬献花圈，鞠躬致敬。高天中苍茫的暮色渐浓，没有哀乐，也没有军歌，有的是西北大地夹杂着丝丝寒意的晚风，还有沉默中凝重的呼吸声。

纪念馆前身为高台烈士陵园，是为纪念当年征战河西、为国捐躯的红军西路军将士于1957年修建的，2009年建军节前夕，改扩建竣工后更名为“中国工农红军西路军纪念馆”。纪念馆合烈士公墓、展陈馆、纪念陵园于一体，陆续收埋了3000多西路军将士的遗骸忠骨。

忆往昔，峥嵘岁月稠。1936年10月，中国工农红军一、二、四方面军在甘肃会宁胜利会师后，红四方面军总部奉中共中央和中革军委之命，率两万余人西渡黄河准备执行宁夏战役计划。但由于时局变化，渡河部队又奉命组成西路军，准备建立根据地，打通国际通道。西路军将士浴血奋战半年之久，歼敌数万，最终兵殇河西走廊。西路军的历程在中国革命史上留下了可歌可泣的篇章，而高台攻防战是其中最惊天动地、悲壮惨烈的一页。

1937年1月1日，红五军攻克高台。此时，西路军总部及红九军到达临泽、沙河一线，红三十军到达倪家营子。西北军阀的马家军集中九万部队，除一部分在倪家营子和沙河、临泽作钳制外，优势兵力围攻高台。红五军从1月12日一直打到1月20日，终因寡不敌众，弹尽粮绝，失守高台，军长董振堂、政治部主任杨克明及三千多名战士牺牲。奉命增援的骑兵师途中遇敌，师长董彦俊、政治委员秦贤道及以下大部捐躯。之后，敌军又攻临泽，红九军撤离沙河堡，与红三十军集结在倪家营子一带。1月21日，西路军突围，红三十军回戈击溃围追的敌骑兵旅。2月26日，西路军返回倪家营子，重新陷入敌军的重兵围攻中。3月11日，西路军突围进入梨园口，红九军最后的千余人基本拼光，西路军总指挥部能够直接掌握的仅有红三十军的一两千战斗人员。3月15日，西路军军政委员会主席陈昌浩宣布决定，残部分成三个支队就地游击。后来，王树声支队、张荣支队溃散，李先念支队沿祁连山西进，40多天后抵达新疆迪化（今乌鲁木齐），仅存400多人，受到中央代表陈云、滕代远的迎接和慰问；在接受了苏联的部分军援物资后，回到延安。

如果西路军的西征是成功的、胜利的，后人会把它看作中国革命战略大转移、北上抗日的长征的继续吗？西路军西征计划曾经共产国际的同意，肩负策应河东红军的意图和凿空苏联援助道路的构想，也许此后会汇入中国抗战和全世界反法西斯战争的历史洪流，但是失败了。不过，西路军所表现出的坚持革命、不畏艰险的英雄主义气概，为党为人民英勇献身的精神，是永远值得人们尊敬和纪念的。由高台烈士陵园到中国工农红军西路军纪念馆的变迁，说明了这一切。

陵园的大型花岗岩英雄群雕“血战高台”，艺术地再现了80年前西路军将士们“理想高于天、热血铸祁连”的豪迈气概和英勇壮举。这座雕塑是雕塑家何鄂女士于1995年设计并制作的，高5.8米，采取立体旋转形式，有七名西路军指战员的形象，面向四周，每一个侧面都是一个战斗的场景。其中，有红五军军长董振堂，有挥舞大刀与敌人拼死搏杀的指战员，有拉响手榴弹与敌人同归于尽的伤病员，有冒着生命危险营救西路军将士的群众，有救死扶伤的女卫生员，有吹响冲锋号的红军小号兵等。整个群雕颂扬了当年西路军视死如归的大无畏革命精神，讴歌了先烈们的精神与日月星辰、天地山河永生不灭！

展陈馆的样式创意采自古烽火台造型，体现了西路军的精神火焰永不熄灭。展陈馆的陈列根据西路军作战计划和战斗历程，分“序厅”“西渡黄河，执行宁夏战役计划”“策应河东，建立永昌山丹根据地”“血战临高，呼应西安事变后的局势”“石窝分兵，西行支队进入新疆”“全力营救，保存革命火种”“忠心耿耿，西路军将士铁骨铮铮”“光照千秋，西路军精神永载史册”八个展厅。

展陈馆有英烈厅，以作吊唁之用。另有影视厅，用来真实、准确、完整地再现西路军西征史和战斗场景，传达革命精神和英雄气概。

整个展陈以详实的史料、图片、实物、艺术品、沙盘、雕塑为主体，以电动图表、触摸屏和声光电多媒体技术为手段。展陈注重将西路军的历史性与现实性、思想性与艺术性、时代性与互动性融为一体，成为河西走廊丝路古道上一处难得的爱国主义革命传统教育基地和红色旅游目的地。

一张张发黄模糊的历史照片，一把把锈迹斑驳的大刀长枪，一件件简陋粗劣的生活用品，叙说着西路军战士壮怀激烈的英勇故事……一座座英气逼人的浮雕群像，一幕幕刀光剑影的战斗场景，一句句感人肺腑的豪言壮语，讴歌着西路军将士抗争到底的不屈精神……

走出纪念馆，天色已暗，巨大的纪念碑镶嵌在夜幕中。我想，那是宛如大柱的西路军将士的雄伟身姿，挺立时空！

（本文图片由作者拍摄、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.