Chapter 6 (2) Battle of Ganzhou

Before coming to the Central Soviet Area, Zhou Enlai advocated attacking Ganzhou.He believes that Ganzhou is surrounded by the Soviet area, and capturing it can connect the Central Soviet Area and the Hunan-Jiangxi Soviet Area into one piece.However, neither Mao Zedong nor Zhu De agreed to attack Ganzhou.The strongest opposition was Mao Zedong.His point of view is that Ganzhou is located at the confluence of the Zhang and Jiangxi rivers, surrounded by water on three sides, only the south is land, and the city wall is as high as three feet. It is known as "Iron Ganzhou", which is easy to defend and difficult to attack; In the economic, political and military center of southern Ganzhou, the enemy will not give up easily. Once a war starts, a large number of enemy reinforcements will arrive soon, and our army cannot take the initiative; third, the enemy's strength in Ganzhou City is unknown.

After coming to the Soviet area to listen to Mao Zedong’s exposition of his views, Zhou Enlai proposed in a tentative tone that on January 9, the provisional central government had just passed the "Resolution on Striving for the First Victory of the Revolution in One Province or Several Provinces". Confrontation?Mao Zedong believed that Zhou Enlai had always been in charge of the military in the central government, and no one in Shanghai knew more about military affairs than him, and suggested that he report the actual situation in the Soviet area to the central government.In fact, they coincided with each other.In the past few days in the Soviet area, he has been discussing these matters with Zhu De.

Zhou Enlai immediately called the Provisional Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and made it clear that it would be difficult to attack the central city.However, the interim central government quickly replied, demanding that at least one city be selected among Fuzhou, Ji'an, and Ganzhou to attack.There was no other way, Zhou Enlai could only preside over the plenary meeting of the Central Bureau of the Soviet Area of ​​the Communist Party of China, implement the interim instructions of the central government to resume telegrams, and discuss the issue of attacking the three cities of Fuzhou, Ji'an, and Ganzhou.

At the meeting, most people believed that comparing the three cities, attacking Ganzhou could penetrate the Hunan, Jiangxi, and Jiangxi Soviet areas, resulting in a vast territory with Ganzhou as the center connected to Hunan, Jiangxi, and Fujian and Jiangxi. It is even more pressing for the prospect of winning the first victory in one province or several provinces.At that time, it was estimated that there were 8,000 people defending the enemy in Ganzhou, and it was believed that it was entirely possible to conquer Ganzhou. The participants spoke very enthusiastically and the atmosphere was very enthusiastic.Only Mao Zedong said nothing.He just kept puffing on his cigarette, occasionally glanced at the speaker, and spent most of the time in deep thought.Seeing that so many people are in favor of attacking Ganzhou, and with the reply from the temporary central government, it seems that the attack on Ganzhou is a foregone conclusion.In this case, even if he tried his best to oppose it, would he be able to reverse the situation?His face was full of clouds, and he was obviously very irritable, but he restrained himself.Zhou Enlai had long noticed Mao Zedong's emotions. After all the participants had spoken, he asked Mao Zedong to talk about his views on the attack on Ganzhou.

Mao Zedong knew in his heart that it was a bit inappropriate to come to sing a different tune at this time.But Zhou Enlai insisted that he speak, which naturally cannot be refused.He still did not agree to attack Ganzhou.If it is necessary to fight, the main force should not be put on the siege, but the method of besieging the city and fighting for reinforcements should be adopted. Before Mao Zedong could finish speaking, Xiang Ying interrupted him.He pointed out that Ganzhou is now bound to be attacked, and no matter what the method is, we can only think about the siege, otherwise, it will be against the decision of the central government.

Mao Zedong retorted, does the inevitable attack mean the inevitable victory?What is the terrain of Ganzhou? You can know it at a glance.It is said that there are 8,000 troops defending the enemy in Ganzhou. This is only an estimate. The actual number of troops defending the enemy is not completely clear.Another point, and the most important point, is that Ganzhou is an important strategic town in southern Gansu, and the enemy will never give up easily. Xiang Ying said that this is not a reason to change the attack on Ganzhou into a siege and aid, nor is it enough to change the central government's decision to attack Ganzhou.

Ren Bishi echoed Xiang Ying's words, emphasizing that now we should concentrate on discussing how to attack Ganzhou, and arguing about other issues is a waste of time.Wang Jiaxiang also pointed out that it is not possible to contradict the central government. Zhou Enlai looked at Zhu De who hadn't said much since the meeting, and said, "Boss Zhu, what's your opinion?" Zhu De said with a heavy heart: "I personally do not agree to attack Ganzhou. But most comrades are determined to fight, and I express my obedience." Zhou Enlai also asked Peng Dehuai, vice chairman of the Military Commission and head of the Red 3rd Army, who was present at the meeting, to give his opinions.Peng Dehuai bluntly stated that there would be no problem in attacking Ganzhou at this time.Zhou Enlai stared at Peng Dehuai, and asked emphatically, "Are you so sure?"

Peng Dehuai said in a relaxed tone: "It's on me. I promise to take Ganzhou within 20 days!" Zhou Enlai said again: "There is no joke in the army!" Peng Dehuai said: "I, Peng Dehuai, will do what I say." Since the central government insisted on attacking Ganzhou, and the frontline commanders were confident, Zhou Enlai could only obey the majority and gave the order to attack Ganzhou.Those who want to fight this battle have waited a long, long time.Now Zhou Enlai has made a decision to fight, and if he really wants to fight, he will fight vigorously and resolutely.

Under the city walls of Ganzhou, gunfire raged and smoke billowed. The frontline command post of the Red Army is located on a relatively high mound in the east of Ganzhou City.Peng Dehuai, the former commander-in-chief of the enemy, was in a very irritable mood. Sometimes he stood on the trench to observe the battle situation with binoculars, and sometimes he ran into the concealed body to make a phone call.The siege battle has been going on for several days, but the city of Ganzhou is still under the steadfastness of the enemy, standing still.It was originally estimated that there were no more than 8,000 people defending the enemy in Ganzhou. In fact, the enemy's strength in Ganzhou City was 18,000, while Peng Dehuai's Red 3rd Army had only 14,000!

Peng Dehuai yelled into the phone, and asked Hou Zhongying, the commander of the Red 1st Division, how many days it would take to dig the tunnel to reach the city wall.The answer from the other party was that the explosives were being loaded and could be exploded immediately.Peng Dehuai asked them to carry out the blasting as soon as possible.As soon as he put down the phone, the staff officer reported to Peng Dehuai that there was a wave of enemies rushing to help Ganzhou from the direction of Ji'an!Peng Dehuai asked the staff to immediately find out which unit and how many troops it was, and told Lin Biao, commander of the 4th Army, to pay attention to the vigilance of the Ganjiang River.

"Boom" a loud noise, earth-shattering.As the clouds of gunpowder smoke rose into the sky, a large gap of more than twenty feet was blasted into the high city wall.In an instant, the sound of killing in front of the blasted city wall shook the sky.The Red Army soldiers bravely rushed to the gap in the city wall. The original fierce gunshots on the city wall became silent at this time.However, when hordes of Red Army soldiers rushed to the gap in the city wall, gunshots on the city wall suddenly rang out like a rainstorm.The strong charging momentum of the Red Army soldiers was suppressed. Peng Dehuai thought it was because he was dazzled, his hands trembled a little as the telescope weighed a thousand catties.When he saw clearly that the team rushing to the gap in the city wall was in a dilemma under the pressure of the enemy's dense firepower, he patted his thigh violently, turned around and returned to the invisible body.He grabbed the phone and wanted to call Mr. Hou, and asked loudly, "Mr. Hou, what did you do?" The other party replied: "The enemy's firepower is too fierce, we can't rush in!" "Organize a death squad immediately, and rush into the city within half an hour!" Peng Dehuai dropped the phone receiver, still cursing, pacing angrily with his hands behind his back. When a staff officer answered a phone call, his face turned pale with fright.It turned out that the two regiments of the enemy Chen Cheng's department had sneaked across the Ganjiang River and entered the city of Ganzhou while our vigilance was not strict.Peng Dehuai's expression changed drastically, and he stood there blankly, as if frozen.After being dazed for a long time, he ran out of the invisible body, stood on the trench, and raised his binoculars to observe the situation on the other side of the city wall.Through the binoculars, he saw the gap where the city wall was blasted, and the fierce firepower of the Jiang army crushed the Red Army soldiers so that they could not move.He put down the binoculars, looked up at the cloudy sky, and let out a long sigh.He ordered the staff to send a report to Ruijin immediately and report the situation here to the Central Bureau. In Ruijin, after Zhou Enlai received a telegram from Peng Dehuai, he immediately called a meeting of members of the Central Bureau of the Soviet Area to discuss countermeasures.At this time, it was raining, and thunder rumbled outside the window.Mao Zedong lived in Donghua Mountain on the outskirts of Ruijin, and was the last one to attend the meeting despite the rain. As soon as Mao Zedong entered the meeting room, Zhou Enlai handed him the telegram that Peng Dehuai had taken from the front line in Ganzhou.At this time, the atmosphere in the conference room was serious and tense.While Mao Zedong was reading the telegram, Xiang Ying, Ren Bishi, Wang Jiaxiang and others looked at each other with sullen faces and remained silent. Mao Zedong read the telegram carefully, and read it again.He watched and thought.He put down the telegram and suggested that the attack on Ganzhou should be stopped immediately.Zhou Enlai agreed with his point of view. The situation is indeed extremely critical now. The Red 3rd Army has been surrounded by the enemy outside the east gate of Ganzhou City.Among them, the troops of the Red 1st Division digging tunnels between the river and the city wall were cut in half by the enemy, and the division commander Hou Zhongying was captured!Now, apart from the two regiments of Chen Cheng's 11th Division breaking into the city, his 14th Division also arrived later.These two divisions totaled 20,000 men.The Red Army is now under attack! Mao Zedong hurried to the map, staring at the location of Ganzhou, thinking about it.After some thought, he proposed to Zhou Enlai that the reserve Red 5th Army should be sent in from the enemy's encirclement to rescue the siege troops at the south gate and east gate.Zhou Enlai accepted Mao Zedong's opinion. Xiang Ying and others objected, thinking that it is too early to raise the issue of withdrawing from the siege of Ganzhou.After all, Chen Cheng's 14th Division is still halfway there, so there's no need to be scared like this.The siege of the Central Bureau of the Ganzhou Soviet Area was a guarantee to the Provisional Central Committee in Shanghai that the siege could not be easily withdrawn unless it was absolutely necessary. For this reason, Mao Zedong argued with Xiang Ying and others.He even said fiercely that unless Ganzhou can be captured within a day, the siege troops will be completely wiped out!Xiang Ying is always retreating in front of the enemy, how can he carry out the central offensive line?We cannot only look at this issue from the perspective of one city and one battle, but must look at this issue from an overall strategic height.The highest principle is to resolutely implement the center's offensive line, not resist it.Mao Zedong was crying and laughing, the siege troops are now facing enemies outside Ganzhou City, how to relieve the crisis?This is the top priority ahead! Xiang Ying and others insisted that relieving the crisis does not mean withdrawing from the siege.Does it have to be withdrawn if the siege is cleared?What does withdrawal mean?It is impossible to declare the failure of the attack on Ganzhou with actual actions, and the failure of the implementation of the central offensive line.This is not just a question of whether to fight Ganzhou or not! Mao Zedong retorted that the reason for withdrawing the siege now is to capture it in the future.When the enemy is strong and we are weak, how can we preserve our vitality if we don't avoid the strong enemy?Fighting against a strong enemy for consumption, the Red Army can't afford it now. Xiang Ying and others took a tough attitude. In any case, the Red Army should grow through continuous attack, not through continuous retreat and escape.The campaign to attack Ganzhou was approved by the central government. The strategic significance of this campaign is clear to everyone, and we cannot easily back down. The two sides refused to give in to each other, and the more the debate became more intense. Zhou Enlai told everyone to stop arguing. According to the analysis of the current situation, Peng Dehuai said that he was sure to take Ganzhou within 20 days. Now he has attacked for more than a month. Not only did he not take Ganzhou, but he was surrounded by the enemy under the city of Ganzhou.The attack on Ganzhou was insufficiently prepared at the beginning, and the enemy's strength was underestimated.Troop casualties are now calculated every minute and every second! Xiang Ying and others were very upset when they heard what Zhou Enlai said, but they had nothing to say. Zhou Enlai saw that Xiang Ying and the others had a slight intention of retreating, and said decisively: "It is not too late, let's withdraw the siege first, and we will talk about the situation."