In the exhibition hall on the site of the military headquarters of the New Fourth Army in Nanchang, there is a bamboo basket on display. It looks ordinary, even a bit damaged, but it has an extraordinary meaning behind it. This basket was used during the three-year guerrilla war, Zhou Basket, a secret female traffic officer of the guerrilla.
In October 1934, after the main Red Army's Long March, Chen Yi who persisted in guerrilla war was left behind to break through to the Youshan area. Pengkeng where Zhou Lan is located is at the foot of Youshan. Enthusiastic, shrewd and capable, she served as a secret trafficker for the guerrillas. At that time, Zhou Lan was carrying it, delivering food, supplies, and investigating the enemy's situation under the eyes of the enemy. Moreover, the name Zhou Basket also has a great connection with this basket.
It was the Dragon Boat Festival of one year, and Zhou Lan braved the heavy rain, carrying a basket full of rice dumplings, to the hut where she often went, and sending them to Chen Yi and the others. Chen Yi looked at the fragrant rice dumplings in front of him, and then at Zhou Lan, whose clothes were soaked in the heavy rain. Excitedly said: "Sister-in-law, how can we thank you!" Zhou Lan wiped the rain off his face and said with a smile: "Look at what you said, if it wasn't for our poor people to fall out, please don't Come to you to come to this poor mountain pit!" Chen Yi asked with a smile: "Sister-in-law, do we still know your name?" Zhou Lan sighed: "I was born in a poor family and was sold at the age of three. I’m a child bride here. Everyone calls me Sandi, so do you guys!” Chen Yi said wittily, “Revolution, equality between men and women, you should have a name!” Chen Yi thought for a while, “Yes! We deliver food, buy things, and we have a basket in hand, so let's call it Zhou Lan!" Since then, the guerrillas have kindly called her Zhou Lansao.
At that time, Chen Yi was injured in his leg and the wound became very inflamed and infected. The dampness and coldness on the mountain are not good for the wound, so Zhou Lan took Chen Yi home. Without medicine, she collected herbs from the mountains, boiled them into potions, washed the wounds for Chen Yi, and then applied the herbs externally. In this way, after several treatments, the leg injury gradually recovered.
While Chen Yi was recovering from his injuries, the Kuomintang army often went into the mountains to search and suppress. One evening, Chen Yi was sitting under a paulownia tree at the back of the house, reading a book, Zhou Lan was washing clothes in front of the room, and suddenly discovered that a group of Kuomintang soldiers were almost at the door of the house. The situation was extremely critical. What should I do! Go home to inform, it is too late. At this time, Zhou Lan saw a pig in front of the house. She was so anxious that she hit the pig with stones and yelled at the same time: "You piglet, don’t go home quickly, so many soldiers will come and beat you. Dead." Chen Yi listened and quickly moved to the mountains. The Kuomintang soldiers searched Zhou Lan's home, but found nothing.
In 1937, Japan launched a full-scale war of aggression against China. The KMT and the Communist Party began to cooperate, and after negotiations, the Southern Red Army guerrillas were reorganized into the New Fourth Army. After receiving this news, the guerrillas responded to the call and went down the mountain to assemble and reorganize. Chen Yi is gone, the guerrillas are gone. But Chen Yi never forgot the arduous three-year guerrilla warfare, nor did he forget Zhou Lan, the simple peasant revolutionary sister-in-law.
He wrote in "Gannan Guerrilla Ci": It will be noon in the sky, hungry is like a drum. The grain was blocked for three months, and there was plenty of rice in the bag. Wild vegetables and boiled. Rely on the people and never forget the support. He is the born-again parents, and I am a good son Lang. The revolution is strong and strong.
Today, more than 80 years later, in Pengkeng, we can still see the old house where Zhou Lan healed Chen Yi's leg injury. In the woods on the mountain, we can also see the path where Zhou Lan's wife was carrying a basket and delivering food to the guerrillas. These have become the best proof of the love between the military and civilians.
(Information provided by Nanchang New Fourth Army Military Site Exhibition Hall)