Bright Sword: Construction starts from southeastern Shanxi

In September 1930, he was dispatched to the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Soviet Area as a special commissioner of the CPC Central Committee, serving as Secretary of the CPC Hubei-Henan-Anhui Special Committee and Chairman of the Military Commission. He arrived in Huangan, Hubei on November 28, just as the Kuomintang army launched its first "encirclement and suppression" campaign from the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area. Facing the Kuomintang offensive, the main force of the Red Army's 1st Army had already moved eastward into western Anhui. In this critical moment, he calmly and decisively established the CPC Provisional Special Committee and Provisional Military Commission to unify the command of the anti-encirclement and suppression struggle. Under the command of Zeng Zhongsheng, three command posts were formed, based on six special forces and six training teams along the Hubei-Henan border, totaling over 300 men, as well as numerous Red supplementary divisions. Working in coordination with the 15th and 1st Armies, they mobilized the masses and waged guerrilla warfare, forcing the "encirclement and suppression" forces to retreat and disperse. On the eastern front in western Anhui, the 1st Red Army captured Jinjiazhai, annihilating 1000 Kuomintang troops. Furthermore, in the Xianghuoling area east of Mabu, they annihilated three Kuomintang regiments and routed three. Over 3000 men, including the regimental commander, were captured, achieving successive victories. Zeng Zhongsheng commanded three command posts to wage guerrilla warfare against the Kuomintang troops invading the central region of the Hubei-Henan border, carrying out harassment and siege operations. This terrorized the "encirclement and suppression" forces, slowing their progress. The 15th Red Army, arriving shortly thereafter from Shangnan, focused on attacking their weaknesses, overwhelming them and forcing them to retreat to their strongholds in various towns and cities, adopting a defensive stance. On January 3, 1931, the 1st Red Army, returning westward from western Anhui, annihilated another regiment of the "encirclement and suppression" forces in the Sigudun area of ​​Shangcheng. Thus, the Kuomintang's first "encirclement and suppression" campaign was broken, and the Red Army secured victory in its counter-campaign. Zeng Zhongsheng subsequently oversaw the formulation of policies for base area construction, established military and political schools, and reorganized the main Red Army forces, merging the 1st and 15th Red Armies into the 4th Red Army. In view of the fact that the "encirclement and suppression" army had taken a defensive position, it was decided to launch an offensive operation and cooperate with local armed forces to eliminate the isolated strongholds of the Kuomintang army in the base area, so that the Red Army and the base area could develop rapidly.

In April of the same year, the Kuomintang assembled 11 divisions and launched a second "encirclement and suppression" campaign against the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area. Zeng Zhongsheng continued to lead the military and civilians in the base area in the fight against this campaign. In the Battle of Dushan, over 2000 Kuomintang troops were annihilated; in the Battle of Huwan, nearly 1,000 Kuomintang troops were annihilated; and in the Battle of Taohua, nearly two Kuomintang battalions were annihilated. By the end of May, the Kuomintang's second "encirclement and suppression" campaign against the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area was crushed. Meanwhile, Zhang arrived in the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area, abolished the former Hubei-Henan-Anhui Special Committee of the Communist Party of China, and established the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Branch of the Communist Party of China, with Zhang as secretary. Zeng Zhongsheng was transferred to the position of Political Commissar of the Red Army's 4th Army. He firmly opposed Zhang's erroneous military policy, and for this, he was repeatedly attacked. Zhang dismissed him from his position as Political Commissar of the 4th Red Army and demoted him to Commander of the 1st Independent Division. In December, the Kuomintang's 69th Division, taking advantage of the Red Army's main siege of Macheng, invaded the Gaoqiao area of ​​Huang'an. Zeng Zhongsheng commanded the 1st Independent Division to fight back and cooperate with the main force of the Red Army, forcing the 69th Division to flee in panic and be completely defeated.

On June 10, 1900, Zeng Zhongsheng was born in Qianniuao, Dongxiang, Xingning, Hunan (now Mensi Township, Zixing Prefecture).

In 1925, Zeng Zhongsheng was admitted to the 4th class of the Whampoa Military Academy and joined the Chinese Communist Party in the same year.

In 1926, Zeng Zhongsheng participated in the Northern Expedition and served as the head of the Organization Department of the Political Department of the 8th Army Front Command of the National Revolutionary Army. He participated in the establishment of political organs in his unit, secretly developed the Communist Party of China organization, and carried out political work in the troops.

In September 1927, Zeng Zhongsheng went to the Soviet Union and studied at Sun Yat-sen University in Moscow.

In June 1928, Zeng Zhongsheng attended the Sixth National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Moscow. That winter, he returned to China and served as Chief of the Staff Section of the Central Military Department of the Communist Party of China in Shanghai. He was soon transferred to become Secretary of the Nanjing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, where he led the military mobilization work.

In September 1930, Zeng Zhongsheng was sent to the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Soviet Area as a special envoy of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. At the critical moment when the Kuomintang army launched the first "encirclement and suppression" against the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Soviet Area, he decisively formed the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Provisional Special Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Provisional Revolutionary Military Commission, unified the command of the anti-"encirclement and suppression" struggle and won victory.

In February 1931, Zeng Zhongsheng was appointed Secretary of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Special Committee of the Communist Party of China and Chairman of the Military Commission. He led the battles of Mojiaolou, Xinji, and Shuangqiao Town, winning victories and defeating the Kuomintang army's second "encirclement and suppression" campaign.

In April 1931, Zeng Zhongsheng served as a member of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Central Bureau of the Communist Party of China, Vice Chairman of the Military Commission, and Political Commissar of the 4th Army. He and Army Commander Xu led their troops southward, capturing the county towns of Yingshan, Qishui, Luotian, and Guangji, and winning battles at Caohe Town and Ximafan. He led his troops in the fourth anti-encirclement and suppression campaign and was wounded in the battle of Qiliping.

In October 1932, Zeng Zhongsheng withdrew from the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Soviet Area with the main force of the Red Fourth Front Army. In December, he served as Chief of Staff of the Northwest Revolutionary Military Commission and participated in the struggle to establish the Sichuan-Shaanxi Soviet Area. In February 1933, he was elected a member of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China. He authored works such as "Key Points in Fighting the Sichuan Army," "Key Points in Guerrilla Warfare," and "Key Points in Fighting the 'Red Suppression Army,'" which were distributed to troops by the Northwest Revolutionary Military Commission as textbooks for studying military theory. During his time in Sichuan and Shaanxi and during the Long March, he continued to fight unyieldingly against the mistakes of the Communist Party of China.

Zeng Zhongsheng was imprisoned in August 1933 and secretly killed in Zhuokeji, Lifan County, Sichuan (now Ma'erkang) in August 1935.