Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Huaibei Fierce Soldier

November 1948 Linhuan Collection Mengcheng Nanping Collection Mao Zedong's determination was once again in front of Chiang Kai-shek.When the smoke of the Battle of Suxian had not yet dissipated, and the planes of the Kuomintang Air Force were still in a daze to drop "gifts" there, the Central Military Commission considered the future development of the national war situation from a macro perspective. The situation has been formed, and corresponding major decisions have been made: it was decided to establish the General Front Committee of the Huaihai Campaign, to unify the command of the Central Plains and East China field armies, to unify the leadership of the front support work and logistical support in the theater, and to give the General Front Committee the power to deal with everything on the fly.

A telegram of great significance travels through distant space. During the time when Chiang Kai-shek held the "Official Residence Report", he flew from Xibaipo in Hebei to Linhuanji in Anhui—— The armies of the Central Plains and Eastern China must fight in the present area for three to five months (including rest periods).The number of people eating, including prisoners, will reach about 800,000. You must coordinate with the East China Bureau, the Northern Jiangsu Working Committee, the Central Plains Bureau, the Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu Branches, and the Party Committee of Hebei, Shandong and Henan.Victory in this battle will not only stabilize the situation in the north of the Yangtze River, but also basically resolve the situation in the whole country.It is hoped that everything will be coordinated from this point of view.The overall planning leadership consists of five comrades Liu Bocheng, Chen Yi, Deng Xiaoping, Su Yu, and Tan Zhenlin forming a general front committee; when possible, a five-member meeting is held to discuss important issues; Liu Bocheng, Chen Yi, and Deng Xiaoping are often three members of the standing committee to deal with everything on the fly; Comrade Xiaoping Secretary of the General Front Committee.

A strong leadership core and a capable command center were born in that humble Huaibei town——Linhuanji.It is like the central computer of a modern large-scale computer network. It uses its small keyboard to type out precise instructions one by one, driving every branch, every corner, and even millions of people covering hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of the Huaihai battlefield. Everyone in the army and migrant workers united in step and acted in unison, playing a magnificent and unprecedented war symphony. This is the headquarters commanding the largest battle in Chinese history, and it is also the smallest command center in the world's military history, so small that it can be compared to "pocket".Three members of the Standing Committee, a confidential division chief, a combat section chief, and a handful of staff members were tasked with commanding an unprecedented decisive battle 24 hours a day.Often due to taking turns on duty and taking breaks, the Wenchang Palace, which was originally small, seemed empty except for the constant ticking of the radio station.

Zhang Shenghua, chief of the operations section, wanted to raise the issue of increasing personnel several times, and his reasons were also very good: there were only a dozen or so staff officers in Corey, and after the Zhengzhou campaign, the troops were divided, and the chief of operations took several people to follow Chief of Staff Li Da to the west of Henan but now it is the task of the joint operations of the two major field armies, and the pressure is too great.But when he got to his lips several times, he swallowed it back several times.He dared not open his mouth. Not long ago, Deng Xiaoping approached Zhang Shenghua and asked, "Zhang Shenghua, I heard that you still want to add more people to the combat department?" Zhang Shenghua didn't know how Deng's political commissar knew what he was thinking, so he nodded.

Deng Xiaoping said: "I think you have enough people in the combat department now. In the Hebei-Shandong-Henan and northern Henan battlefields, there were only three or four people in your department. At that time, there were few people, a lot of work, and heavy burdens, forcing you to work hard, unite and work hard. , Work hard. 'Soldiers are valuable, and people are valuable'. Now we still need to improve the quality of personnel, improve working methods, and improve work efficiency to solve the problem, and we can't add more people..." Think about it for so many years, the headquarters of the field army has insisted on not setting up a secretarial department, and the chiefs Liu and Deng insisted on not having a secretary, and doing everything by themselves.Even Chen Yi was deeply moved when he saw this situation after he came, and sent away the secretary who had been with him for many years brought from Huaye.What else does Zhang Shenghua have to say?Moreover, Zhang Shenghua also saw with his own eyes how the three chiefs, Liu, Deng, and Chen, improved their working methods and increased their work efficiency.

After receiving the telegram from the Military Commission about the establishment of the General Front Committee, the telegram was passed from Deng Xiaoping to Liu Bocheng, and then from Liu Bocheng to Chen Yi. From the expressions of the chiefs, Zhang Shenghua felt the weight on their shoulders.In previous battles, when making decisions, the chiefs studied together. After the order was issued, Li Da was usually on duty to keep abreast of the situation of the troops, and to ask for instructions when encountering difficult problems.But now, Chief of Staff Li Da has another important task, thousands of miles away, who will share the burden of the three heads of the General Front Committee?

Deng Xiaoping said: "Su Yu and Tan Zhenlin are on the eastern front to deal with Huang Baitao. At present, only the three of us are here in the General Front Committee. My opinion is that from now on, the three of us will implement the system of taking turns on duty to ensure that one of us will be on duty within 24 hours. The individual is in control of the situation.” The proposal was approved.Liu Bocheng seemed to know that Deng Xiaoping still had something to say, so he preemptively said: "I will say what I said first-the three people are treated equally, and they are on duty day and night, and they are treated equally." Deng Xiaoping and Chen Yi immediately voted against it. The motion that Liu Bocheng be on the night shift was rejected; only the "treatment" that he could be called up at night to discuss together in case of special and serious circumstances was retained.

Liu Bocheng shook his head helplessly: "If I have to be taken care of when I get older, then I must be born a few years later than you in the next life." Deng Xiaoping said: "I am in the best health, so I should try my best to work the night shift." Chen Yi quit again: "That won't work! We share the right to be on the night shift!" Deng Xiaoping continued humorously: "Your Commander Chen's attitude is not as good as Commander Liu's. I am also a few years younger than you, and my health is worse than yours. I should be worth more!" Chen Yi laughed loudly, and said to Liu Bocheng: "Okay, okay. We must do our best and fulfill our duties, and we must also respect the opinions of the political commissar."

Liu Bocheng held his glasses and sighed: "In our lifetime, there will not be many such battles and decisive battles! We should work hard and complete the task with all our might!" Deng Xiaoping said very sincerely: "For major decision-making and command, we still rely on the two commanders and our three 'cobblers'; it's just that I will do more specific work." After the meeting, Deng Xiaoping announced to all the staff of the headquarters: During the campaign, he will concurrently serve as the chief of staff.All work within the scope of the chief of staff's duties shall be reported directly to him; important matters shall be reported to three people at the same time.Then he called Zhang Shenghua again, and said earnestly: "Comrade Shenghua, you, the Chief of the Operations Section, must do your best. We will strive to cooperate with the comrades in the headquarters without the Chief of Staff and the Chief of Operations." Together, we will do a good job at the headquarters and ensure victory in the battle.”

The situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly. At the beginning of the establishment of the General Front Committee, the important problem that needs to be solved urgently is the direction of the campaign after the capture of Su County. At this time, Huaye's battle to annihilate Huang Baitao's corps was still going on arduously.Another force of Huaye is using the tactics of "attacking aid and fighting aid" to desperately resist the corps of Qiu Qingquan and Li Mi sent by Xuzhou.On the southern front, Li Yannian and Liu Ruming's corps were approaching Suxian from Bengbu and Guzhen; Huangwei's corps also entered Mengcheng from Fuyang and approached Jinpu Road in an attempt to join Li and Liu's corps to reoccupy Suxian and rush to aid Xuzhou.

In the just-concluded Suxian Campaign, although the strategy of dividing the enemy was realized and a situation of "close the door and beat the dog" was formed; however, how to further divide and encircle and wipe out the enemy one by one has become the key to the overall situation of the Huaihai Campaign.If the decision-making is correct and the strategy is used properly, there will be successive victories in successive battles; if there is a mistake, the encirclement cannot be achieved, or a stalemate is reached, or even the enemy reinforcements pass through the blocking line, the enemy will be attacked, and the battlefield will be withdrawn in a hurry, which will ruin the entire Huaihai Campaign. Danger of the Annihilation Plan! At this crucial moment when the battle was complicated, Mao Zedong and the main leaders of the Huaihai battlefield were thinking hard about this issue. At the beginning, Mao Zedong had been planning to cut and wipe out Qiu Qingquan and Li Mi's corps.He judged that Huang Baitao's corps could be resolved within a few days, and believed that "now is a good opportunity to continue to annihilate Qiu's corps." "Only after the Huangsun Corps are wiped out, our army can besiege Xuzhou, and prepare to annihilate the Qiu Qingquan and Li Mi Corps in the second step, win the victory and take Xuzhou." Huaye, who was fighting fiercely in Xuzhou and Nianzhuang, also wanted to take the annihilation of the Qiu and Li corps as the basic task of the second phase of the Huaihai Campaign, and made various preparations and actions for it.On the day when Zhongye captured Su County, according to the instructions of the Central Military Commission, they deliberately retreated the blocking troops to lure the two enemies Qiu and Li to boldly advance eastward, and prepared to isolate and surround them when they left Xuzhou.However, because Qiu and Li Bingtuan were suspicious and fearful, buttocks still refused to leave Xuzhou, so this lure and annihilation plan failed to materialize. Faced with the reality that Huaye's hundreds of thousands of troops have been stalemate with Huang Baitao's corps on the Xudong battlefield for more than ten days, and the difficult situation of the central field blocking Huang Wei in the west, and the south resisting Li Yannian and Liu Ruming, Liu Bocheng, Chen Yi, and Deng Xiaoping were very worried. On the morning of November 19th, after repeated consideration, they decided that it seemed to be the best policy to strike Huang Wei first on the southern front, and at 9 o'clock they sent a telegram to the Military Commission, explaining the reasons in detail. In the evening, they seemed to feel that just stating the reasons could not reflect their determination, so they sat down together again, and Deng Xiaoping sent a second telegram to the Military Commission in a straightforward manner. Telegram from the Huangwei Corps to the Central Military Commission"—— At this time, in the area of ​​Mengcheng and Banqiao, the battle between the middle field and the Huangwei Corps was going on fiercely. Yang Yong was standing by the bank of Feishui, tearing up the paper again.Whenever he needs to use his brain and make up his mind before the launch of a major event or a major battle, he is always tearing up the paper, as if he wants to organize the complicated issues, and then reorganize and arrange them. The water of the Fei River didn't know that the war was coming, and it still flowed unhurriedly and very slowly.In early winter, the river is not wide and the water is shallow, and fish can be seen swimming.The fish was a little flustered, rushing here and there as if frightened.Perhaps, it is a living being after all, and it has some insights; or maybe it heard the sound of guns from the Wohe River not far from here two days ago, and smelled the smell of blood in the air. On November 16th, under the leadership of Wu Zhong, the 20th Brigade was ordered to rush to Mengcheng, the assembly place of Yizong, after successfully completing the Yinghe blockade mission.Only then did Wu Zhong know that it was because of their tenacious resistance in the previous three days that the entire column was able to gather in Mengcheng, and it also enabled the second and sixth columns of the Huangwei Corps from western Henan to pursue them in parallel. At this time, Mengcheng is already heavily fortified, with fortifications all over the outlying villages on the north bank of the Wo River. When Wu Zhong saw Yang Yong, Yang Yong, political commissar Su Zhenhua, and chief of staff Pan Yan led the brigade and regiment cadres to inspect the terrain and assign tasks.Yang Yong and Wu Zhong shook hands, and continued his combat deployment: "The second brigade, Yin Xianbing and Dai Runsheng, will implement a wide frontal first-line defense on the north bank of the Wo River, which is 15 kilometers away from Mengcheng and Shuangjian." Pan Yan went on to say: "Attention should be paid to guarding the key points and controlling the surface with points; at the same time, strengthen the reconnaissance and vigilance of the two wings to prevent the enemy from detours and smuggling." Yang Yong pointed to the villages and towns in the distance, and said like a few treasures: "Yang Junsheng and Deng Cunlun of the First Brigade, your task is to organize the second line of defense in Chenjia, Banqiao, Wangdianzi, and Litulou in Hetao, and be ready to support at any time. The first line of resistance. The 20th Brigade Wuzhong and Liu Zhenguo's troops entered the Chendazhuang area as a reserve team for the battle." On the 18th, under the leadership of political commissar Wang Weigang and chief of staff Fan Chaoli, the Second Column moved eastward from Guoyang and surpassed the Huangwei Corps in parallel.The 4th Brigade of the vanguard has arrived in the Xiaojianhe and Jianshan areas, connecting with Yizong to form a defensive position on the eastern front. At dusk, along with the hustle and bustle, the Huangwei Corps approached Mengcheng.Due to the fall of Suxian County, Huang Baitao was on the verge of extinction. Chiang Kai-shek rushed to urge him, and he lost three days when he was blocked in the Yinghe River. Without waiting for a rest, the artillery was immediately set up and bombarded the north bank of the Vortex River.Then, the infantry with the 11th Division of the 18th Army as the vanguard, supported by powerful artillery fire, forcibly crossed the Wohe River in multiple places, and assaulted the first-line and second-line positions in the middle field. A fierce battle began. The enemy seemed to have learned the lesson of Yinghe's setback, and instead of focusing on strong attacks, they made surprise attacks from multiple fronts, turning the Wohe River, which is more than ten miles long, into a fire dragon. The Houjia, Chenjia, and Huangjia positions defended by the Eighth Regiment were particularly fierce.The two sides fought repeatedly and fought desperately. The Huang family village alone changed hands as many as seven or eight times.During the competition, numerous cadres and soldiers of the Eighth Regiment were killed and injured. The head of the regiment, Zhang Shilin, was killed by a shot, and the political commissar of Lulin died unfortunately while organizing the rescue of the wounded.The Eighth Regiment, which lost its regiment leader and political commissar, did not lose its footing because of this.The combat staff officer of the regiment headquarters took off his shirt, covered the regiment commander's body, stood up in tears, and assumed command responsibility.Holding a bayonet, he led the troops to capture most of the village, blocked the main crossings in the village, and captured more than 400 enemies. The fighting was fierce, and the prisoners could not be evacuated, so they had to be locked in a compound. The enemy was hit hard, and immediately fought back like a wild beast, using flamethrowers to sweep towards the lost village.All of a sudden, the Huang family was in flames, all the buildings shot up into the sky, and even the 400 captives locked in the compound were reduced to ashes in an instant. The Eighth Regiment suffered more and more casualties, and the commanders and fighters still used the remaining broken walls and corners to resist desperately.All the cadres in the company were killed. The health worker Guo Min stepped forward and shouted: "The cadres have died. We must persist in fighting and avenge them! Comrades, follow my command and destroy the enemy's flamethrowers. Go!" After two days of fierce fighting, the villages several miles around Huang's house were razed to the ground, leaving no tiles left; the thick black smoke cloud wrapped in the smell of burnt corpses permeated the sky above Guohe River, and lingered for a long time. The note in Yang Yong's hand has been torn to pieces and is still being torn. He cannot forgive himself.Although he didn't know in advance that the Huangwei Corps was equipped with such a powerful flame-throwing unit, as a column commander, he should have thought of this.If he had thought about it, he would not have placed the blocking position in a densely populated village.If he had placed his position in the wilderness, his troops would not have suffered so much loss; the place where he stands today should be the Wohe River, not the Feihe River. The water of the Fei River gurgled with fine waves, as if telling him a long past.In 383 A.D., Qin King Fu Jian led an army of 900,000 in person to conquer the Jianghuai River and destroy the Eastern Jin Dynasty.Xie Xuan, a famous general of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, led a mere 80,000 troops to fight on the bank of Feishui.As a result, the Qin army, which relied on its strength and arrogantly yelled that "throwing a whip into the river" could also "block its flow", was defeated by the Jin army which was only one-tenth of its own strength, causing the former Qin Dynasty Disintegrates quickly. Yang Yong knew this story from Mao Zedong's "On Protracted War" during the Anti-Japanese War.At that time, he was quite shocked, thinking that the Jin army defeated the Qin army with outnumbered enemies, relying on knowing themselves and the enemy, and cleverly setting up doubts, so that "on Bagong Mountain, all the grass and trees are soldiers."In future battles, I will learn from Xie Xuan and never be Fu Jian.Today, he was allowed to stand on the bank of Feishui to face the Huangwei Corps, which was ten times stronger than him. He was once again shocked by this historical coincidence. Yang Yong silently opened his hands.The fine pieces of paper were blown by the wind, some floated into the water, and some flew into the air, like "spreading beans into soldiers". Chief of Staff Pan Yan saw Yang Yong's action and knew that he had already considered it maturely, so he asked, "Commander, should we focus our blocking on the vicinity of Banqiao?" Yang Yong nodded: "Yes. There is the only way for Huang Wei to pass through. Put a battalion to guard it. Note that the fortifications must be placed in the fields outside the town, and traffic ditches must be dug to connect the various bunkers. The single-man foxholes extend radially so that the points of fire intersect each other for mutual support." "Okay." Pan Yan agreed, "This way we can concentrate our firepower to kill the enemy, and stop the resistance in the field outside the town, which can also reduce my casualties and prevent things like Guohe from happening again." After finishing speaking, Pan Yan felt a little regretful. , why bring up the matter of Guohe again? After hearing this, Yang Yong said: "I will remember the lesson of Guohe for a lifetime." On the morning of the 21st, the Huangwei Corps really rushed to Banqiaoji.At 6 o'clock, under the cover of artillery fire, the 253rd Regiment of the 85th Division of the enemy launched a fierce attack on the position of the 1st Battalion and 1st Battalion of the 2nd Brigade and 7th Regiment of Banqiao Group in two directions.Relying on the fortifications, the commanders and fighters of the first battalion rose up to resist and repelled them, killing and wounding more than 700 enemies in one fell swoop, leaving more than 200 enemy corpses in front of the company's position alone. At ten o'clock, the enemy bombarded the Banqiao position again with air and artillery fire, and then attacked the first battalion with two battalions along both sides of the road.Most of the fortifications in a company were destroyed by artillery fire.The company commander Sang Jinqiu, known as the "Hero of the Four Wars", suffered serious head injuries and continued to command the troops to attack the enemy's right flank, causing the enemy to drop more than a hundred corpses and retreat in a hurry. At twelve o'clock, the enemy made an appointment with a regiment, used reeds to covertly smuggle in, and made a surprise attack on the Wangzhuang position in Qiaodong, which was guarded by a company.The first company commander, Sang Jinqiu, was bleeding profusely from his head, but he still couldn't get out of the line of fire, and organized fire again to repel the enemy. At fifteen o'clock, two battalions of the enemy crossed the Fei River and attacked Wangzhuang and Wuji from the east.Sang Jinqiu, the company commander, bled so much that he was unable to stand up; he was still leaning in the trench to direct the battle, deploying firepower to shoot fiercely from both wings, and defeated the enemy. At about 16 o'clock, the enemy launched another attack with two battalions.On the Wangzhuang battlefield, the company commander Sang Jinqiu sometimes woke up from time to time.The head of the battalion advised him to evacuate many times, but he firmly refused.It wasn't until he was speechless that he dipped his fingers in the blood that flowed from his head to his chest, and intermittently wrote the name of the agent—Yuan Qifeng, who passed out again and was forcibly carried on a stretcher... From the dusk of the 18th to the dusk of the 21st, the 1st and 2nd Nakano Columns defended the two blocking positions of Guohe and Feihe for three days and three nights, killing and wounding more than 2,000 enemies with 700 casualties. , Effectively stagnated the Huangwei Corps' eager eastward and northward aid. "Comrades, I have a very good news for you!" The war room of the General Front Committee was brightly lit.Dozens of candles were lit together, like a candlelight celebration, or a torch swearing-in meeting.The commanders and political commissars of the central and wild divisions sat on both sides of the conference table, looking excitedly at Chen Yi whose face was flushed by the candlelight. "Today, that is, in the afternoon of November 22, 1948, our Huaye columns captured Nianzhuang, wiped out Huang Baitao's corps, and won a great victory in the first stage of the Huaihai Campaign!" As soon as Chen Yi finished speaking, there was thunderous applause in the war room, causing the candles to burst into flames one after another.Liu Bocheng stood up, raised his hand as a signal, and said, "Comrades, Huaye has won a big victory. Next, it's up to us!" Speaking of this, Liu Bocheng paused for a while, using his one eye to inspect his generals.Yang Yong, Wang Weigang, Chen Xilian, Chen Geng, Wang Jinshan, Qin Jiwei, Wang Bingzhang, Zhang Guohua... These generals who have fought under Liu Bocheng for many years turned their eyes to their commander. Liu Bocheng straightened his glasses, and continued with his unique cadence and humorous Sichuan accent: "To take down the Huangwei Corps and win the second victory in the Huaihai Campaign is a military order issued by our General Front Committee to Chairman Mao. But I also need to point out here that some of our comrades lack confidence and worry that we won’t be able to chew Huang Wei’s hard walnut. It’s just playing the piano!... Yes, we have just come out of the Dabie Mountains, and the current situation is really thin and long! But , if the skinny dog ​​dares to shit hard, it depends on whether he has the courage!" In fact, Liu Bocheng did not doubt the courage of these generals present, let alone the determination with which these people carried out their orders.They are all loyal subordinates who have followed him on the battlefield for more than ten or even twenty years, and they are all good at fighting and brave.But he had to say this, because their loyalty and bravery alone were not enough for such a decisive battle. He had to keep the tens of thousands of officers and soldiers of the entire Central Plains Field Army in a unified pace and will.What's more, the harsh reality forced him to use higher standards to demand his generals, and through them to demand his 100,000 troops. The reality is indeed quite grim, and what Nakano is facing is a powerful enemy that he has never encountered before. Composed of four armies, eleven divisions and one fast column, the Huangwei Corps is not only Chiang Kai-shek's "direct descendant", but also a well-known "trump card" among the millions of Kuomintang troops.This point can be clearly seen from its establishment quantity and equipment quality—— The Tenth Army has jurisdiction over the 114th, 18th, and 75th Divisions, including nine regiments of troops, all equipped with Japanese equipment; the Fourteenth Army has jurisdiction over the Tenth, Eighty-fifth, and six regiments. Troop strength, one color of national equipment; Eighteenth Army, governing the Eleventh Division, Forty-Ninth Division, and 118th Division, including nine regiments of troops, one color of American equipment; Eighty-fifth Army, governing the 23rd Division , 110 Division, 216 Division, including nine regiments, equipped with mixed equipment from China, Japan and the United States. It can be said that this is a steel army of 120,000 soldiers packed with the most advanced weapons from China, Japan, and the United States.In the words of Nakano Chief of Staff Li Da later said: "The enemy encountered in this battle is the Huangwei Corps, the first-class elite unit of Jiang's army. Its strength is large, its equipment is modern, and its fortifications are strong. The resoluteness of resistance is the first time Nakano has encountered it." There is a harsher reality than this, and that is, Nakano has never been so "skinny".Numbers can also prove the extent of its "skinny" - The first vertical governs the first, second, and twentieth brigades. The strength of the three brigades is 17,915 people; the second vertical governs the fourth and sixth brigades. The strength of the two brigades is 15,000. Five hundred and twenty-one people; the third vertical governs the seventh, eighth, and ninth brigades, and the strength of the three brigades is 17,724 people; the fourth vertical governs the tenth, eleventh, thirteenth, and twenty The strength of the four brigades of the second brigade is 16,815 people; the strength of the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth brigades under the sixth vertical is 21,644 people; the Ninth Column governs the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh brigades, and the strength of the two brigades is 20,775 people. On the surface, the total strength of the Central Plains is 124,275, which is comparable to that of the Huangwei Corps. In fact, the phenomenon of being full and dissatisfied is very serious.Many cadres and soldiers, especially some well-tested generals at the column, brigade, and regiment levels, and political work cadres were transferred to local troops and government work.Moreover, a considerable part of the 120,000 troops had to be allocated to deal with Li Yannian and Liu Ruming on the southern front, and only less than two-thirds of the troops actually fought against the Huangwei Corps.Weapons are even more incomparable.As far as cannons are concerned, only Chen Geng’s four columns have two field cannons; mountain cannons, a total of forty-three in six columns, and more than two hundred shells; four infantry cannons, only a dozen shells; There are eight cannons with only forty-five rounds of shells; there are more mortars, 207 in total, with only over 300 shells, and each cannon can only hear one sound on average; there are quite a few rifles, light and heavy machine guns , but the number of bullets is less than one base... Faced with these pitiful figures, what else should Nakano rely on besides loyalty and courage to win the largest, strongest, and most intense battle since the War of Liberation? Liu Bocheng's standing body was projected by candlelight and magnified onto the wall, like a majestic mountain: "Comrades, you can't be called a man without courage! This time, we will have a showdown with the old enemy Huang Wei Corps , I advise everyone to touch their crotch to see if they are a man and if they have eggs!" Deng Xiaoping stood up.Compared with the previous days, Deng Xiaoping looked even leaner.The high cheekbones and deep-set eye sockets made his eyes look like lightning from the distant sky, and like the sun suddenly appearing through a tunnel, emitting a scorching and compelling light.He was so busy and tired that he didn't even bother to shave his beard. The beard under his lip and chin had already protruded an inch long.In Deng Xiaoping's life, growing a beard was probably the only time for him, who always pays attention to his appearance and pays attention to his well-dressed clothes.No wonder his daughter Maomao was surprised when she saw his photos of this period, and asked him what he felt most about the Battle of Huaihai, and he only answered one word—busy. Like Liu Bocheng, Deng Xiaoping first used his sharp eyes to look one by one at the field army elites who came out of the smoke of the Taihang Mountains and then went through the difficult transition to the Dabie Mountains.When familiar faces passed by his eyes one by one, a strange emotion surged in his heart.All the generals here, including the soldiers of the field army, who have experienced the test of that period of battle, are all worth money!However, what price will this once heroic and suffering force pay in the coming fierce battle? On Deng Xiaoping's sharp-edged cheeks, the two muscles were squeezed further by the clenched jaw.He coughed lightly, and his slightly moist eyes were suddenly illuminated by the strong light from his pupils. "Comrades," Deng Xiaoping's usual calm tone was high-pitched due to excitement, "just now the teacher said that to destroy the enemy, there is no way to do without the spirit of sacrifice! This Huaihai campaign is a battle for the Chinese revolution to pass, and the elimination of Huang Wei The Corps is another turning point for passing the border, so we must do our best to kill the Huangwei Corps! As long as the main enemy forces on the southern front are wiped out, the middle and wild forces will be wiped out, and the People's Liberation Army from all walks of life across the country can still cross the river! The Chinese revolution can still win! So it's worth the price!" "Political Commissar Deng!" Chen Geng, the commander of the Four Columns, stood up fiercely, "Our Four Columns is determined to take on the most difficult task at all sacrifices. Even if there is only one squad left, I, Chen Geng, am willing to be the squad leader and will persist until Victory at last!" Before the words were finished, Yang Yong stood up, and Chen Xilian stood up.Then, Qin Jiwei, Wang Jinshan, Wang Weigang, Wang Bingzhang, Zhang Guohua... stood up one by one! Candlelight was shining, and Chen Yi, who was standing side by side with Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping, saw that the surrounding walls of the war room projected the surrounding rolling mountains. "Okay! After each column goes back, the spirit and deployment of the meeting must be communicated to every company, every squad, and everyone!" Liu Bocheng waved his arms vigorously.On the top of the rolling hills, a battle cloud wrapped in thunder and lightning was rolling. Thunder and lightning quickly spread across every corner of the battlefield. On the Yizong position, the company took the oath on the battlefield. "Don't be afraid of suffering, don't be afraid of casualties, and don't be afraid of being scattered! Only advance, not retreat, wipe out the enemy in Jiangbei" The voice is so loud that it can be heard for miles. Nine Zong's letter of determination and call for war flew into Qin Jiwei's hands like snowflakes: ... We will overcome difficulties and complete the task with the confidence to win!Never complain, never complain, willing to be the last batch of victims before victory! Liuzong has always had the reputation of being brave enough to "burn the grass", and this time they burned the "grass" ahead of time.Wang Jinshan’s combat mobilization was full of gunpowder: “We must be prepared to be like in the Battle of Dayang Lake. Even if there is only one person left, we must be nailed to the position like a nail. Any regiment that does not fight well will be disbanded. Go to the well-fighting regiment! Anyone who is greedy for life and afraid of death, regardless of cadres and soldiers, will be shot!" Du Yide, political commissar of the column, said: "We are only allowed to win, not to lose; we are only allowed to fight well, not to destroy! China will solve the problem after fighting this battle, and our column must not fall behind!" You Taizhong, commander of the 16th brigade, stated: "I promise to command well, and try not to dismantle the 16th brigade! I am personally prepared to sacrifice, and I will be satisfied if the party committee of the column gives me a good appraisal!" Li Desheng, commander of the 17th brigade, said: "Please give the task of assault to our column! I want to use my brain to command more. I am not afraid of sacrifice, but it is worthwhile to strive for sacrifice!" Xiao Yongyin, commander of the 18th Brigade, is trying his best to find new vocabulary: "I promise not to be afraid of any casualties, and fight well! I have participated in the revolution for almost 20 years, and I must use a new word in this big battle..." , It’s called fighting for honor! Because from the day I joined the army, I burned down the grass!” And Si Zong fulfilled their promise with their blood and lives that day. On this day, calls from Nanziji's four vertical blocking positions almost "occupied" the switchboard line of the General Front Committee.Liu Bocheng, Deng Xiaoping, and Chen Yi kept paying attention to the place that would play a key role in the development of the war situation. At 9:00 in the morning, Chen Geng made the first call: "Under the cover of aircraft artillery fire, the enemy has begun to attack Nanpingji, and the attack is very fierce!" Liu Bocheng smiled into the microphone and said: "Huang Wei is doing the right thing. Chen Geng, all the verticals are currently moving to the designated position according to the deployment. You must attract Huang Wei no matter what! Hold on! Never let him cross the Weihe River !" "Please don't worry, chiefs! With me here, Nanpingji's surname will be Chen, and it will never be Huang!" At noon, Chen Geng reported on the phone: "The enemy's seventh charge has begun, and the artillery fire is getting more and more fierce. All the houses in Nanpingji have been blown up!" Deng Xiaoping asked on the phone: "How about the casualties of the troops?" Chen Geng replied: "Some companies have less than ten people left." Deng Xiaoping: "Do you want to send reinforcements?" Chen Geng: "No need. I still have a reserve team." Deng Xiaoping: "Okay. Tell the troops to persevere no matter what! Whether we can catch Huang Wei, a big fish, depends on your dam!" Chen Yi took the microphone: "Be sure to pay attention, the Weihe River is behind you! Fight against the water, and prevent Huang Wei from crossing the river prematurely!" Chen Geng's voice was full of confidence: "Huang Wei and I are classmates. I know that rigid teacher. He will not break the rules. In his view, it is against the art of war not to attack Nanpingji first. But wait until he can't attack After waking up and taking a nap, we have already won time." The phone calls came one after another, the sound of guns and guns coming from the handset and Chen Geng's hoarse voice, we can imagine the brutality of the battle. At night, Chen Geng called again: "Huang Wei's nap has woken up, and two regiments have been sent to cross the river from the left and right flanks. Please give instructions, should we block it?" Liu Bocheng did not answer immediately, but connected the phone to each column. "One column has arrived at the designated position!" "All six columns have entered the position!" "All preparations for the nine columns are complete!" Liu Bocheng exchanged glances with Deng Xiaoping and Chen Yi, and picked up the microphone again: "Comrade Chen Geng, you have completed the blocking mission very well. Order the troops, abandon Nanpingji, and let Huang Wei cross the river boldly!" A very favorable opportunity Created with great intellect, and captured with keenness!In the middle of the night of the same day, Liu, Chen, and Deng jointly wrote an urgent letter and reported to the Military Commission—— 1. Today (stem) the Japanese Eighteenth Army, under the cover of more than 20 tanks, stormed our Nanzi set up position from 9:00 a.m. to dusk.During the day, although I suffered heavy casualties, I did not give up a single position.Another enemy regiment crossed the Weihe River ten miles east of Nanpingji in the afternoon. 2. I am determined to abandon Nanpingji, and then shrink to more than ten miles away from Nanpingji to set up a bag-shaped position to attract the 18th Army to cross the river and spread out; and to absorb the enemy with the 4th and 9th verticals, and use the Weihe River to separate them. The connection with the three armies on the south bank; at the same time, in the Ming (Jing) night, the first, second, third, and sixth verticals and Wang Zhang's eleventh vertical attack the enemy on the south bank of the river... three,…… 4. The time to annihilate Huang Wei is very good, because Li Yannian and Liu Ruming are still delayed.Therefore, in addition to Wang Zhang's eleventh column, we suggest that Su, Chen, and Zhang defend Li and Liu with two or three columns, and at least four columns participate in the battle to annihilate Huang Wei.As long as all or most of Huang Wei is wiped out, it will be more advantageous than killing Li and Liu.If the Military Commission approves, we will implement it accordingly.Su, Chen, and Zhang's opinions should also be reported quickly. Only a dozen hours later, a telegram from Mao Zedong and the Central Military Commission flew back to the Huaibei battlefield—— Telegram at 22:00 on the 23rd. (1) Fully agree to attack Huang Wei first; (2) Wang Su, Chen, Zhang follow the deployment of Liu, Deng, and Chen, and send necessary troops to participate in the attack on Huang Wei; (3) When the situation is urgent, everything will be done by Liu, Chen, and Deng at the same time. Dispose of it, don't ask for instructions. As soon as Huang Wei stepped on the scorched earth and rubble-strewn Nanpingji, his tense mood over the past few days turned into joy.Yesterday, the Ministry of National Defense sent a telegram: The President would like to ask Commander Huang, how big is Nanpingji?When can we cross the river?Words are spicy enough.Huang Wei did not call back. He wanted to tell the Ministry of National Defense that although Nanziji was not big, the obstacles he encountered could not be described in geographical terms. In any case, after a day of fierce fighting, the Eighteenth Army crossed the Kai River at night, and the Tenth Army also crossed the river near Sun Tuan.Although there are still sporadic contacts with the Communist Army, it is not a big problem.The 14th Army is assembled in the area south of Nanpingji, and is approaching the Corps headquarters; the 85th Army led by Wu Shaozhou and the 49th Division of the 18th Army have also followed up from Mengcheng and have crossed the The Fei River reaches Zhaojiaji on the south bank of the Hui River, more than 30 miles away from Nanpingji—only half a day away. Now, he finally stood on the small piece of land in Nanziji and watched the troops advance.南子集到宿县不过五十里，按照大兵团行进计算，包括可以预想的作战，最多还有三天的行程。他突然感到，有的时候，明知不可为而为之，反而能够达到目的。 十七日到达蒙城那天，黄维召开了东进以来的第一次作战会议。没想到，黄维刚刚把他所了解的徐蚌会战进展情况作了介绍，军师长们就把憋了一路的牢骚发了出来。 有的说：“没想到徐蚌会战开战仅仅十二天，竟被动到这种地步，简直不可思议！” 有的说：“徐州到碾庄不过一百多里，三个兵团不去救援，反要我们千里迢迢去解围，这究竟出于什么战略考虑？！” 更有人说：“这哪还有什么战略可言？！既然决定会战徐蚌，怎么可以随便丢掉宿县？丢了宿县还让我们走宿县，究竟是让我们援徐州还是打宿县？！” 黄维对这些看法虽有同感，但作为兵团司令，特别是一贯恪守“师道尊严”的他却不能这样讲，他得维护校长兼总裁的威信。只不过刚刚在阜阳经历的一场反阻击战，使他觉得这样浩浩荡荡千里赴援，很容易落入共军的陷阱，于是规劝大家，先谈实际问题，研究研究兵团下一步的作战方针。 十八军军长杨伯涛首先站了起来：“我认为，自进入徐海地区以来，发现共军的作战方式与以往截然不同，值得我们重视和警惕。第一，过去中野和华野是各自为战，现在两大兵团靠拢在一起，很明显，其企图一定不小。第二，过去共军一贯采用侧击、尾击、袭击等变化多端的运动战术，这次对我十二兵团却改用了设置坚固防御阵地，利用河川地形构筑工事迎头堵击的战法，似乎有大打硬打之势。第三，这次共军动员和组织群众的工作，其规模空前广阔。过去很少看到大批的、公开的宣传文件，这次却如火如荼，到了大张声势、无所顾忌的程度，说明共军决战的气势和能力已经相当具备。根据上述情况，我个人认为，十二兵团面临的局面非常严峻，必须慎重考虑，重新部署。” 兵团参谋长萧锐立刻表示赞同。 经过研究，大家一致认为，目前粟裕重兵钳制徐州；陈毅、邓小平抢占宿县；豫西的刘伯承又紧追不放，并且在同一个方向上抢先渡过涡河，看来确有大的图谋。在这种情势下，如果宿县在我手中，不妨继续走下去；宿县既然已经丢了，就应该改变路线，沿公路走怀远、固镇，与李延年、刘汝明兵团会合。那时无论打宿县援徐州或是依托淮河守南京，对整个战局都有意义；否则不但一事无成，还会把好端端的一个十二兵团白搭进去。 黄维考虑了很久，接受了众人的建议，决定迅速调整部署，并制定了一个以蒙城为核心的作战计划上报国防部呈蒋介石—— 一、……鉴于当面情势严重，请求准许第十二兵团延缓北进徐州，暂驻蒙城集结，等候第二梯队吴绍周部到来。其间，就近蚌埠补给充分粮弹燃料，以备非常之需。 二、以蒙城为核心，采用“核心机动”战法，构筑工事，囤积粮弹；并将触角远伸，与共军保持接触，一旦看准目标，即全力出击。再前进时，仍先占据有利地势，作为下一步之核心阵地。如此逐步跃进，稳扎稳打。 三、…… 国防部接到电报是在十一月二十日，顾祝同认为可取，但他做不了主。这几天蒋介石总是冷冷地问：“黄维兵团现在什么地方？”战报一日三送，顾祝同知道蒋介石是明知故问。而这种压着火气的明知故问，比发脾气骂人还令人生畏。每当顾祝同如实重复一遍黄维兵团的位置，蒋介石就会脸一沉说道：“一路上都没有强敌阻拦，为什么进展这么慢？这还有什么战机可言？！”在这种情况下，顾祝同怎么敢把黄维的报告直接递上去？可他又不能将报告压在自己手里，于是灵机一动，送给了总统府参军罗泽闾，请他阅后转呈总统。罗泽闽是极力主张黄维兵团走捷径的。黄维兵团路上延误，他甚至比蒋介石还要不满，说黄维是有意拖延。见到报告，更有佐证，他便言辞犀利地对蒋介石说：“害怕共军在蒙（城）宿（县）之间设障，谁又能断定共军不在蒙（城）怀（远）间设障？改道之后碰上敌人怎么办，还向哪里改道？碾庄情势急如星火，一些人还在玩文字游戏，多少战机也错过了！”话虽偏激，甚至有些强词夺理，但蒋介石却听着入耳，提笔批道：第十二兵团本应于十六日前过宿县抵徐州。见电兼程疾进，攻取宿县北上徐州，将功补过，不得迟误！ 接到电报，黄维为难了。他明知此去宿县凶多吉少，但又不敢违抗蒋介石的命令，只得重新通知部队，继续东进。参谋长萧锐是胡琏的老搭档，跟着胡琏从十八师师长、十八军参谋长当到兵团参谋长，熟悉胡琏的战法，对解放军的一套也有一定认识，如今见黄维优柔寡断，朝令夕改，毫无主见，便颇为不满地问黄维，为什么放弃蒙城作战计划。黄维只能苦苦一笑，摇头作答。萧锐何等聪明的一个人，见此情况，称急性盲肠炎发作，请假要求去蚌埠治病，体面地让黄维一个人往共军的网里钻了。萧锐一走，留下个副参谋长韦镇福，算是黄维的亲信。可他初次临阵；毫无作战指挥经验，更无从替黄维出谋划策；倒是十分忠实地跟在他的黄司令官的身后，一步一步迈向深渊。 但此时此刻，站在南平集上的黄维却大有从此踏上坦途的自信和愉悦。 一阵风从刚刚激战过的共军阵地上吹来，卷着几张红红绿绿的纸片儿飘飘飞飞，落到黄维的脚下。黄维很有兴趣地弯腰捡起，只见上面写着“打垮蒋介石，解放全中国”“看你黄维哪里逃”。他的嘴角翘了翘，很大度也很绅士地把那些纸片送回风里。共军不过尔尔，一番番虚张声势过后，到底经受不住强大的炮火，一次次逃之夭夭。他想起了驻马店出征时的雄壮场景和激烈壮怀，千里东进，洪河、颍河、涡河、淝河、浍河，一条条大江大河都闯过来了；此去宿县，区区五十里的一马平川，还有什么过不去的沟坎？ ! 他的心境好了，右手架在胸前，左手就很自然地支在上面，颇为乐观地托住下巴。这时他才发现，仅仅不到半月的时间，他那张颇具威严的国字脸脱形了：方圆的下颌变尖了，胡须也已荒草一般布满双腮。他唤来卫士，指了指脸上的胡须，而后十分舒服地躺在行军用的帆布躺椅上。 一块热毛巾焐上了他的脸，他感到从未有过的惬意和妥帖，整个身子仿佛羽化了一般飘飘欲仙…… 当锋利的剃刀刚刚接触到他的面颊时，这一切美好的感觉突然间化为乌有、荡然无存了。 先是第十八军派出的便衣报告，在宿蒙公路两侧发现大批共军在运动，据侦察，约有七个纵队的番号。接着，第十四军发来急电：十四军指挥部遭共军袭击，激战中，参谋长梁岱失踪，估计已经阵亡。 最令人不安的是后续部队第八十五军带来的消息：八十五军离开蒙城时留下一批伤员，刚才有几个死里逃生的伤员追上队伍报告，蒙城已被共军占领。 黄维的胡子刮不成了，抓下围巾抹掉脸上的泡沫，命人展开地图，将各方面来的情报一一标在图上。 一幅“挂”阵图！黄维不由心中一沉。 孙子兵法中，将作战地形分为“通”“挂”“支”“隘”“险”“远”六种。何为“挂”？孙子曰：“可以往，难以返，曰挂。”即可以前出、难以返回的城域称为“挂阵”。“挂阵”也不是完全不可前出，孙子又曰：“挂形者，敌无备，出而胜之；敌若有备，出而不胜，难返，不利。”而黄维面临的正是刘伯承、邓小平和陈毅布好的“挂阵”，并且他已经钻进了那个口袋。 对兵法并不陌生的黄维意识到情况的严重，当面之敌已经不是前几次遭遇的一两个旅或纵队，而是一个庞大的野战军。更加严重的是共军已经占领了蒙城，断了他的退路。可见共军绝不是小打小闹地阻击，而是有着很大的胃口。 黄维不敢再耽搁，立刻召开第二次作战会议，研究对策。 这一次，军师长们连发牢骚的情绪都没有了，他们在想念胡琏。如果是胡琏担任司令官，十二兵团绝不会执行蒋介石的那个命令；如果坚持在蒙城实行核心机动，十二兵团绝不会落到如此地步。 没有人说话，空气就格外地紧张沉闷，令人感到窒息。 又是杨伯涛憋不住了，炸雷似的站起来说道：“过去的事再提也是废话了！我只说当时情况。刘伯承布下口袋，截断后路，很明显是要把我们引进陷阱。现在兵团已经陷入圈套，但还没有四面受围。唯今之计，只有趁东南方向未发现共军主力，星夜转移到固镇。此去固镇只有八十余里，急行军一气就能赶到。这样，一方面取得后方补给，一方面与李延年兵团会合后，再沿津浦路往北打，照样能够执行预定任务，并且立于不败之地。” 向来少言寡语的吴绍周，这回头一个表示同意杨伯涛的建议。副参谋长韦镇福才临战就遇上盘险阵残局，更是乱了方寸，难置可否，只是用胆怯的眼光望着黄维，等待他的决断。其他人一是心里有气，再则资历较浅，也都缄口不语，但眼神却透着逼迫，直直地对着黄维。黄维下不了决心，他要承担的责任太大了。蒋介石的命令是攻取宿县，打通津浦路，驰援徐州，他不能违抗。但他又觉得杨伯涛的建议提得很有道理，眼下去打宿县已经根本不可能，驰援徐州更无从谈起，他首先应该考虑的是如何令兵团摆脱险境。 陷入两难境地的黄维紧锁双眉，来回踱步，每一步都迈得相当谨慎，仿佛无论哪一只脚踩下去，都会踏上地雷。终于，他把两只脚站定了，以从未有过的果断回转身命令道：“第十八军、八十五军立刻撤回浍河南岸。撤回后，以第十军掩护第十八军，十四军掩护兵团本部，八十五军掩护第十军，依次撤退，到达双堆集集结！” 说完，他又补充一句：“到达双堆集后，听我的命令再行动！” 黄维命令各军相继掩护，迭次撤离战场的部署似乎十分缜密，可刚一下达就引起怨怒：“让第十军掩护十八军，而后八十五军再掩护第十军，这不明摆着偏袒'土木系'，让杂牌军殿后挨打吗？！”于是，兵马粮草未动，牢骚内讧先起，撤退的秩序先自乱了。加上当时的情势已经时不我待，第十八军和第十军已和解放军胶着激战，难解难分；第十四军和八十五军本可以及早脱离战场，但黄维迭次掩护、逐步东移的部署却使他们移动不得，反给解放军留下了时机，使中野部队立即沿着浍河横插下来，截住十四军的后路。亏得第十八军在杨伯涛的指挥下，且战且退，与十四军合成一股，又与解放军混战了一夜，才免了被分割歼灭的危险。 杨伯涛拂晓率部到达双堆集后，立即收拢起人马，部署向固镇转移；并派了骑兵团先期出发，担负搜索敌情和与固镇友军联络的任务。安排完这一切，杨伯涛本可以拉起队伍撤离了，可黄维有话在先，没有他的命令不准行动，因此只好匆匆赶往兵团部请示黄维。 火急火燎的杨伯涛见了黄维，得到的仍是那句话：“要等我的命令才能行动。” 杨伯涛有些恼了，问道：“为什么？难道又要改变脱离战场的决心？” 黄维也有些急：“兵团转移的命令让一个参谋给八十五军送去，但这个参谋和吉普车都失踪了，正在派人查找。等一等再说。” 杨伯涛听了，觉得事关重大，不便再问，只好在兵团部坐下来等。时间一分一秒地过去，四周的枪声时断时续，一阵紧似一阵。黄维只是焦灼不语，既不言进，也不言退。于是，整个兵团十几万人虽已“整装”，却久久不能发。 从早晨到中午，杨伯涛不停地看表，几次向黄维请示行动；黄维都踌踌躇躇，避而不答，急得杨伯涛屋里屋外团团转。 各军驻地与解放军接触的枪炮声越来越激烈，黄维仍在踌躇之中。杨伯涛又看了一次手表，已是下午四点多了，距离拂晓东撤的原定计划，已经耽搁了整整十一个钟头。如果以急行军的速度，至少可以走五十多里，此时离固镇也就不远了。 然而现实却是，中野第一、二、三、四、六、九、十一纵共七个纵队，已经从四面八方向双堆集地区合拢过来……