A Certain Brigade's "Engineer Red First Company" of the 72nd Group Army: Forever the Pathfinding Vanguard That Follows the Party

A Certain Brigade's "Engineer Red First Company" of the 72nd Group Army——

Forever the Pathfinding Vanguard That Follows the Party

■ Tao Lintao, PLA Daily Special Correspondents Tong Zujing and Lu Dongyu

Company Profile

Founded personally by Mao Zedong and Zhu De on October 7, 1930, in Ji'an, Jiangxi, on the basis of 148 Anyuan coal miners, this is our military's first engineer company. It was praised by Mao Zedong as the "Revolutionary White Dragon Horse." During the Long March, the company was tasked with clearing the way and building bridges—on the banks of the Yudu River, the Chishui River, the Dadu River—their figures could be seen everywhere. In 1979, the company was awarded the honorary title "Pathfinding Vanguard Company" by the former Guangzhou Military Region. Since the new era, the company has successively completed multiple major exercise and training missions, demonstrating through concrete action the "White Dragon Horse Spirit (白龙马精神)" of "fearing no hardship, remaining absolutely loyal and trustworthy, persevering through every setback, pressing ever forward, and carrying the revolution to victory."

The "Engineer Red First Company" organizes officers and soldiers to conduct a themed Party Day activity in front of the "White Dragon Horse" sculpture. Photo by Qin Xingfeng.

Light of Victory · Front-Line Visits

In the blazing summer heat, waves of scorching air rolled across a southeastern training ground.

On a tidal flat beside a great river, officers and soldiers of the "Engineer Red First Company" of a certain brigade of the 72nd Group Army were conducting training. The mud was soft and waterlogged; heavy equipment had no footing. Officers and soldiers sank their feet into the mud, laying stone fill and iron plates, fighting to open a path forward.

Looking at the map and tracing upstream for a thousand li, a name comes into view—the Yudu River.

In October 1934, the curtain rose on the Central Red Army's strategic withdrawal from this very place.

"It was our company's forebears who built the first bridge of the Long March across the Yudu River," said Liu Wei, the company's 55th political instructor.

More than 90 years ago, their forebears set out on the long road of the Long March, sustained by an unwavering conviction to follow the Party.

For more than 90 years, generation after generation of the company's officers and soldiers have steadfastly followed the Party, always serving as that White Dragon Horse straining forward on the revolutionary road—carrying the mission, carrying victory, never veering from the course by a single step.

Officers and soldiers of the company conduct engineering surveys using simple observation equipment. Photo by Pan Guangbo.

"The Party Says Build a Bridge, We Build a Bridge; the Party Says Lay a Road, We Lay a Road"

During a training break, this reporter witnessed a special video call.

Pingxiang, Jiangxi. Anyuan Coal Mine Square. A bronze statue stands quietly: a young Mao Zedong holds an oiled-paper umbrella, his gaze fixed on the distance.

"In the autumn of 1930, right here, 148 miners answered the Party's call, shouldered a hundred loads of explosives, joined the Red Army, and formed the Red Army's first engineer company." On the other end of the video, a docent slowly recounted how the company's officers and soldiers followed the Central Red Army across ten thousand li—opening roads through mountains, building bridges over rivers—and won illustrious battle honors.

The officers and soldiers listened in silence. Many had reddened eyes.

In October 1934, tens of thousands of Central Red Army soldiers assembled on the banks of the Yudu River.

On the ground were the Nationalist pursuing troops; in the sky were aircraft conducting constant reconnaissance. The fate of the Central Red Army hung on this one river.

Wang Yaonan—the "Engineer Red First Company's" first company commander and then-commander of the Red Army engineer detachment—received an urgent order: within five days, build five pontoon bridges across the Yudu River to ensure the entire army could cross.

For an engineer company of barely a hundred men, this was a nearly impossible task.

—The river was 600 meters wide; each pontoon bridge required 240 planks, 1,200 lashing points, and 360 stone anchors. There was no specialized equipment, no ready-cut timber. If any single point snapped, the bridge would no longer be a bridge.

—Enemy aircraft circled overhead. To avoid detection, the bridges could only be built after dark and had to be dismantled before dawn.

Yet once the order was issued, no one in the company raised any conditions. Wang Yaonan took the lead and plunged into the icy river.

Five days and four nights—bridges built, dismantled, built again. The ropes cut bloody gashes into the officers' and soldiers' hands; soaking in the cold water, no one cried out in pain, no one took a single step back. In the end, they ensured the Central Red Army's successful crossing.

"No matter how great the difficulties, this company has always listened to the Party and followed the Party." Liu Wei produced a map of the company's campaign route—the Yudu River, the Xiang River, the Wu River, the Chishui River, the Dadu River—wherever the Party Central Committee went, the company followed.

When Mao Zedong visited the engineer troops, he was deeply moved. At an emotional moment, he told them the story of the "White Dragon Horse" from Journey to the West: "The White Dragon Horse's spirit of seeking neither fame nor gain and working with quiet dedication is worth learning from. In my view, you engineers should also be a fine steed for the Red Army—carrying the revolution to victory."

"Listen to the Party, follow the Party, do whatever the Party asks"—this became a conviction fused into the very blood of the company's officers and soldiers.

In the early twenty-first century, in response to the needs of military development, the company was converted from road and bridge engineering to obstacle-breaching. Though still engineers, they went overnight from "earth engineers" who laid roads and built bridges to "fire engineers" who opened fire and operated guns.

Then in 2017, military restructuring and reform converted the company back from obstacle-breaching to road engineering. Many officers and soldiers were troubled: "We finally got to be the 'main act'—why are we back behind the scenes laying roads again?"

The political instructor at the time did not lecture them with grand principles. Instead, he brought the entire company to the company history museum: "According to records, by the time the Long March ended, of the company's 148 officers and soldiers, only around 20 survived. All they thought about was getting the main force across the river, getting the revolution to victory. We are the 'White Dragon Horse'—seeking neither fame nor gain, working with quiet dedication. When have we ever grabbed the spotlight? When have we ever picked and chosen our tasks?"

A revolutionary soldier is like a brick—to be placed wherever needed. With no ready-made equipment, they borrowed old equipment from sister units to train with. With no technical backbone, everyone learned the skills and became instructors. With study rooms too few, they set up study rooms on every floor, veterans and new soldiers alike studying together deep into the night.

In just one year, the company passed its combat capability assessment. Multiple subjects—including mountain excavator operations and combat grouping—were demonstrated at the Army's engineering and CBRN defense standardization training, and their experience was promoted across the entire Army.

"The Party says build a bridge, we build a bridge; the Party says lay a road, we lay a road." Liu Wei said: that is our "White Dragon Horse Spirit."

"When Party Member Cadres Charge to the Front, the Soldiers Who Follow Them Step More Firmly"

"A nearly 40-degree slope, a vertical drop of more than 20 meters, a construction access road less than two fingers wider than the excavator's tracks—one moment of inattention and man and machine would roll down together." Two years on, recalling that exercise still makes Squad Leader Zhang Jing's heart race.

"The exercise had entered a critical phase; every minute of delay would hold up the follow-on forces. Backbone personnel from sister units looked at the steep slope with its crumbling loose soil and hesitated. The wind was sending pebbles rolling down. No one dared to be the first to drive an excavator up."

"I'll go!" Zhang Jing rolled up his sleeve and jumped into the excavator.

Maneuvering several tons of iron suspended on the slope, the tracks grinding through loose soil and sliding downward, Zhang Jing inside the cab was calm as still water, pushing the earthwork forward meter by meter. After a full two hours, a level platform had been cut out, clean and even. The bridge-laying vehicle drove up and completed the bridge in a single attempt; the route was opened on time.

Where does this blood-and-guts courage—this willingness to take responsibility and tackle the hardest problems—come from? This reporter found the answer in the roster of company commanders and political instructors in the company's honor room: from 1935 to 1936, due to combat casualties, the company went through four commanding officers.

"When building bridges, we are at the very front; after the troops have crossed, we cover the rear—we cannot leave until the bridge is dismantled. Our casualty rate was even higher than that of front-line infantry companies." Liu Wei said: "Precisely because of that, Party member cadres must shoulder the heaviest burdens and gnaw on the hardest bones. That is the rule left by the old company commander Wang Yaonan."

In 1935: "The Luding Bridge spans the river, its iron chains cold." When the Central Red Army arrived, the planks of the Luding Bridge had been stripped bare by the enemy; only smooth iron chains hung over the rushing current.

Twenty-two assault team members grabbed the chains and charged toward the far bank. Wang Yaonan hoisted a plank and followed close behind. Soldiers scrambled to take it from him; he turned and roared: "The first plank on the engineer company's bridge—the company commander must lay it!"

Tracing through the company's history, the image of Party member backbone personnel charging to the front appears everywhere—

On the banks of the Xiang River, they built pontoon bridges under enemy air bombardment; bombs detonated beside them, sending water columns several meters high, yet the Party member backbone personnel gripped the bridge piles and not one of them took cover. During operations to defend the motherland's frontier, Party member backbone personnel took the lead in clearing mines and breaching obstacles at cliff passes to open the route of advance.

Liu Wei told this reporter that the spiritual qualities forged in the years of war have been passed down from generation to generation among the officers and soldiers. Today, it has become the norm for Party member backbone personnel to charge to the front line, shoulder heavy burdens, and solve difficult problems.

During one exercise and training event, the exercise control group set up special situations including "enemy fire blockade" and "road section destroyed." The company Party branch committee member was the first to drive an engineering vehicle through the blockade line; the Party member assault team followed. They opened the route one-third ahead of the prescribed time. When new equipment was fielded, the Party member research team spent months on end at the training ground, mastering the extreme performance limits of the new equipment and compiling a thick volume of practical operating manuals.

"Visible in ordinary times, able to step forward at critical moments, willing to give everything at moments of crisis." Liu Wei said: "When Party member cadres charge to the front, the soldiers who follow them step more firmly."

"Loyalty Requires the Nourishment of Conviction—and Even More, the Support of Capability"

In the company's honor room, a horse lantern sits quietly. Its iron casing has rusted; the glass chimney has worn to a frosted edge; the wick still bears the black char of burning.

"On the eve of the Long March's departure, it was by the light of this horse lantern—under strict blackout conditions—that the company built the pontoon bridge spanning both banks of the Yudu River." Liu Wei told this reporter that the greatest challenge when building the pontoon bridge at that time was fear of detection by enemy aircraft. But on the pitch-black river surface, it was extremely difficult to keep the pontoon bridge aligned.

Wang Yaonan found a solution: hang a horse lantern in the middle of each boat; the faint light, connected in a line, marked the bridge's axis perfectly straight. The principle of this "horse lantern axis-marking method (马灯标定轴线法)" remains a required course for pontoon bridge units to this day.

From two historical documents—the "Field Army Plan for Crossing the Gong River Southward" and the "Field Army Action Schedule from October 10 to 20"—this reporter could see detailed notations of bridge-building positions, operational sequences, and force deployments, reflecting throughout the outstanding skill and professional competence of the engineer forebears.

"Loyalty requires the nourishment of conviction—and even more, the support of capability." Wang Tao, who once served as the company's 44th company commander, said: each generation has its own Long March; each generation has its own examination paper.

Entering the new era, Chairman Xi's "question of winning wars (胜战之问)" rang out like a thunderclap, and a wave of combat-realistic exercises and training swept through the entire military.

The commander's orders are the direction of troop training. Over the years, the company has trained against the performance boundaries of its equipment, independently organized effectiveness trials, measured more than 300 sets of live-equipment data from start to finish, and mastered the potential of every type of equipment. Officers and soldiers have carried out technical innovations in connection with their missions; one "golden idea" after another has been converted into real, tangible combat power.

During one exercise and training event, the road surface had been soaked soft by heavy rain; the bends were sharp and the slopes steep, and heavy equipment wheels would spin and sink the moment they slipped. Senior Sergeant Second Class He Zhongping crouched by the roadside and studied the situation for a long time. The training manual clearly stated that mechanized road surfaces could only be laid in straight lines—but this road twisted and turned; laying it straight simply could not reach the position.

He did not confine himself to the manual. A few people crouched in the mud and held a brief meeting, tried removing one end's fastener, and used dual-plank traction to link sections progressively. They managed to lay a smooth, even route through the sharp bend, and the equipment behind them drove through one vehicle after another without incident.

During another exercise and training event, the tidal flat was so soft that stepping on it sank you half a leg deep; conventional methods simply could not lay a road. Squad Leader Yuan Bo led his people, soaking in the mud, and tested more than ten types of fill material. They mastered the load-bearing range of the silt and worked out a method of "layered compaction and progressive advance (分层垫压、逐段推进)." The surface they constructed was hard enough to support helicopter takeoffs and landings.

In recent years, 15 personnel from the company have won gold and silver at higher-level skills competitions. In 2024, the company was commended by the Theater Army as an "Advanced Unit in Combat Readiness Training (练兵备战先进单位)." In 2025, it was commended by the Theater Army as a "Model Unit in Implementing the Goal of Strengthening the Military (践行强军目标标兵单位)" and was awarded a collective second-class merit citation.

At the close of the interview, as this reporter left the company's training ground, the words at the company's entrance—"Success need not be achieved by me, but success will surely be achieved with me (功成不必在我，功成必定有我)"—shone brilliantly in the light of the setting sun.

Voices from the Heart

On the Eve of an Exercise, Reflections on "What Changes and What Does Not"

■ "Engineer Red First Company" Senior Sergeant Second Class He Zhongping

In those years, our company's forebears opened the first crossing of the Long March, building pontoon bridges through the night with simple equipment to open the route of advance for the Long March army. Now, with an exercise imminent, facing entirely new equipment and complex terrain conditions, we must work in concert to master the key points of operation and complete road-surface laying and recovery operations to a high standard, ensuring the smooth movement of the follow-on main force. From crossing rivers and building bridges in those days to overcoming every difficulty today—equipment changes with each passing day, but what does not change is the responsibility of the pathfinding vanguard. I will lead my squad's comrades in carrying forward the company's fine traditions and continuing the red bloodline through concrete action.

Carrying Forward the Company Spirit on the Road to a Stronger Military

■ "Engineer Red First Company" Senior Sergeant Second Class Qin Xiang

In October 1934, following the failure of the Fifth Counter-Encirclement Campaign, the Red Army was compelled to undertake a strategic withdrawal. Our company's forebears received an urgent order, ensured the Red Army's successful river crossing, and set out on the 25,000-li Long March. The road ahead was uncertain, dangers loomed on all sides, yet no one retreated. Because in their hearts there was only one conviction: follow the Party, and there is hope! Reflecting on the past and looking at the present, how fortunate we are—the nation is strong, our equipment is excellent. This "fortune" was bought by our forebears with their blood and sacrifice. Pressing forward on the road to a stronger military, we must resolutely listen to the Party and follow the Party, carry forward the "White Dragon Horse Spirit" of "fearing no hardship, remaining absolutely loyal and trustworthy, persevering through every setback, pressing ever forward, and carrying the revolution to victory," and contribute our strength to achieving the centenary goal of army-building on schedule.

Narrating · My War History Lesson

The First Plank on the Bridge or Road—Party Member Cadres Must Lay It

■ "Engineer Red First Company" Political Instructor Liu Wei

[Photo caption: Archival photograph]

In our engineer company, there is an iron rule: the first plank on any bridge or road—Party member cadres must lay it.

This was established by the first company commander, Wang Yaonan. On the Long March, more than 20 rivers and more than a hundred bridges—most of them bear the traces of his footsteps. In his later years, someone asked him: "After a lifetime of building bridges, which one is most unforgettable?" He was silent for a long time, then said: "The Luding Bridge."

On May 28, 1935, the 4th Red Regiment received a life-or-death order: march 240 li day and night and seize the Luding Bridge. The engineer company's mission was two words: keep it open.

At dawn on the 29th, when the troops seized the western bridgehead position at the Luding Bridge, only 13 iron chains remained. At four o'clock in the afternoon, the general assault signal sounded. Twenty-two assault team members climbed onto the iron chains; the old company commander also hoisted the first door plank. Soldiers scrambled to go up; he turned sharply and said with iron resolve: "The first plank on the engineer company's bridge—the company commander must lay it!"

Enemy bullets struck the iron chains and struck sparks. Soldier Zhang Jinyuan—the youngest man in the company—missed his footing and fell. Squad Leader Li Wenbin saw this and grabbed Zhang Jinyuan's wrist; but the enormous momentum pulled both men downward together. At the critical moment, Platoon Leader Chen Yimin lunged forward and grabbed Li Wenbin's belt in time, linking the three into a chain. But the plank that Chen Yimin's left hand was gripping was too old and cracked; it could not bear the weight of three people. Zhang Jinyuan's face turned purple; he looked at his two comrades, then at the old company commander, and called out: "Company Commander—the road ahead, everyone will have to lay it for us!" Chen Yimin gritted his teeth; blood seeped from the corner of his mouth: "Hold—hold on—" Before he could finish, a bullet struck Chen Yimin; his fingers loosened, and all three fell together into the Dadu River.

The old company commander turned back in grief, forcing out one word at a time: "Grip the chains, reinforce the planks—no one stops!" The soldiers, eyes red, buried their heads and worked; their fingertips wore through and bled freely, yet not one person stopped. Seeing the Red Army drawing ever closer, the enemy set fire to the eastern end of the bridge. Waves of heat and thick smoke came surging. The old company commander turned to look—and what he saw moved him deeply: one man had been shot in the lower leg, kneeling on one knee, one hand propping up his body, the other still tying hemp rope; another man's hands were a mass of bloody flesh, yet he was using his forearms to clamp a plank and inch forward. He later recalled: "The fire had turned the iron chains red; the blood flowing from our hands was also red—you couldn't tell them apart."

The bridge was taken! The route was opened! After two o'clock in the early morning of the 30th, Red Army Chief of Staff Liu Bocheng walked onto the bridge. He walked from one end to the other, then to the very middle, and stamped three heavy times. He let out a long breath; his voice carried a catch: "Luding Bridge—we have won!"

Many years later, the old company commander Wang Yaonan returned to the Luding Bridge. He said nothing, wrote nothing—only stood at the bridgehead, facing the Dadu River, and raised a salute.

The river still flows; the iron chains still sway. But the planks laid that night have long since become the open road of an army pressing forward.

Looking Back · My View of the Long March

Willing to Be the "Paving Stone" for a Stronger Military

■ PLA Daily Reporter Kang Zizhan

"The Red Army fears not the trials of the Long March, treating a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers as nothing"—there are the heroic deeds of those who charged into battle, and there is also the silent, tenacious act of bearing others up.

On the Long March, the "Engineer Red First Company's" officers and soldiers always fought at the front and bore the pressure at the front. On the banks of the Yudu River, their forebears used the faint light of a horse lantern to mark the bridge axis, built pontoon bridges through the night, and laid a passage for the Central Red Army's covert breakout. On the banks of the Chishui River, they repeatedly built bridges and opened routes at key crossings, creating the miracle of troops appearing as if from heaven. On the Dadu River, under a hail of bullets, they laid bridge planks and opened a lifeline for the follow-on forces.

Generation after generation of red engineers sought no fame or credit; they carried an extraordinary mission from an ordinary post, supported the overall victory through silent perseverance, and vividly embodied the fine conduct of revolutionary soldiers—taking the overall situation into account, making selfless contributions, and daring to fight and win.

The smoke of battle has cleared, but the flame is unextinguished. Though the new-era journey to strengthen the military holds none of the life-or-death extremity of the snow mountains and grasslands, it remains full of risks, challenges, hardships, and obstacles. To carry forward the great Long March Spirit, what matters most is holding fast to the original aspiration and taking root in one's combat post—to be like the "Engineer Red First Company," continuing the "White Dragon Horse Spirit" of "fearing no hardship, remaining absolutely loyal and trustworthy, persevering through every setback, pressing ever forward, and carrying the revolution to victory," willingly serving as the "paving stone" for a stronger military, and walking well the Long March that belongs to our generation.

Layout Design: Fang Han, Yang Lei Illustration: Yang Lei