Chapter 6 2. In the three rounds of "decisive battle", Peng Dehuai was devastated

After the excitement of Xunkou's great victory, Bogu became worried again, because Li Chuan was still in the hands of the enemy. He discussed this issue with Li De and Xiang Ying, acting chairman of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission.Seeing him anxious, Li De said, "The north gate of the Soviet District is very important, and we must take it back!" Bogu wanted to hear such words very much, and Xiang Ying nodded in approval.Bogu said firmly: "The Red Army must keep attacking, and cannot give the enemy a chance to breathe." "Recover the Scarlet Lichuan", that's how it was decided.

Bogu doesn't know how to fight. Although Xiang Ying is the acting chairman of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission, he has almost no power. The power of the Military Commission actually falls into Li De's hands.The major battle plans for the fifth campaign against "encirclement and suppression" were all drawn up by Li De based on his imagination in the "independent house".In his plan, it seemed that the soldiers were not to eat, not to sleep, not to rest.He ordered the troops to arrive at the designated combat location, never considering whether there were mountains, rivers and rivers in front of him, or the speed at which soldiers marched on two legs.Two hundred miles away, if you arrive in one day, you must arrive in one day.As for whether he can still fight after a day's journey, he doesn't care.No wonder the Red Army commander called him "blind command".

In order to regain Lichuan, the Central Revolutionary Military Commission decided to attack its outlying strongholds of saltpeter and Zixi bridge first. Saltpeter is located between Lichuan and Nancheng, and the transportation hub between Lichuan and Nancheng. Its strategic position is very important.Zixi Bridge is located in the southeast of Nitre and north of Lichuan.After the enemy occupied Lichuan, in order to prevent the Red Army from counterattacking, they immediately built a large number of fortresses in the area of ​​saltpeter, Zixi bridge and Lichuan.At that time, saltpeter was stationed in Xu Kexiang's department of the 24th Division of the enemy.There are three enemy divisions in Lichuan on the right side of Xu's troops, and four enemy divisions in Nancheng and Nanfeng on the left side.

Eager to regain Lichuan, and before the Battle of Xunkou was completely over, the Central Revolutionary Military Commission sent a telegram on October 8 to order Peng Dehuai to lead the Eastern Army to attack Nitre. The Eastern Army moved thousands of miles and rushed back to Jiangxi from Fujian.On the first day of entering Jiangxi, there was an encounter. Now that the battle is not completely over, the troops have not been able to rest and have been ordered to fight saltpeter, exhausted.Peng Dehuai got angry and said to political commissar Teng Daiyuan: "What's wrong with the superiors, the telegrams are sent one after another, like a ghost. If you fight like this, the soldiers will die of exhaustion."

Mao Zedong's idea is to take a break after fighting a battle, recharge your batteries, concentrate your strength, and fight a second battle. Bogu and Li De didn't think about this, and wished they could recapture Lichuan overnight, and then spread their troops outside the Soviet area to fight decisively with the enemy and quickly break the enemy's "encirclement and suppression". At 12:00 on October 9, Zhang Xilong, the commander of the Fourth Division of the Eastern Army, Peng Xuefeng, the political commissar, Xun Huaizhou, the commander of the Fifth Division, and Le Shaohua, the political commissar, led their troops to attack saltpeter from the north; Su Yu's Department of the Tenth Division attacked from the east.However, due to the stubborn resistance of the enemy with strong fortifications, the various attacks of the Eastern Army failed.

This is one of the characteristics of Chiang Kai-shek's fortress tactics: defend the fortifications and let the Red Army attack the fortifications, consuming the strength of the Red Army.During the day, under the cover of aircraft, artillery and new armored vehicles, they stormed the Red Army, and at night they huddled motionless in the fortress. Peng Dehuai stationed more than 10,000 troops at the front of the saltpetre fortress for two days and two nights. He was bombed by planes during the day and slept in the wilderness at night, making him exhausted.Peng Dehuai was annoyed, and said: "If you fight like this, you will lose all your money." Before the Military Commission agreed, Peng Dehuai ordered the main force to withdraw from the attacking position.

At this time, Gu Zhutong, the commander-in-chief of the enemy's North Route Army, ordered the 9th, 10th, 14th, and 94th divisions of Nancheng and one division in Lichuan to send reinforcements to Nitpeter in three routes, in an attempt to use Nitpeter to attack Xu Kexiang's troops. Contain the Eastern Army, and when the reinforcements arrive, they will fight the exhausted Red Army. According to Peng Dehuai and Teng Daiyuan's analysis, one of the enemy's reinforcements in Nancheng may go through Huangsha, Shangtongzao, and Hejiabian to reinforce saltpeter.Therefore, gather the main force to prepare for reinforcements, and annihilate the enemy during the movement.Saltpeter only leaves a small force to confuse the enemy.

However, due to this misjudgment, Peng Dehuai led the main force to wait in the Huangsha area for two days, but there was no sign of the enemy.It turned out that the enemy did not go through the yellow sand, but went directly to saltpeter via Baofang and Zhangjiazhuang. When the reinforcements failed, saltpeter gathered the five divisions of the enemy Xue Yue and Zhou Hunyuan at once. Peng Dehuai immediately reported this enemy situation to the Military Commission, and said: "It is not appropriate to fight again with saltpeter." Bogu and Li De, who were guarding the war room of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission, only wanted to fight the enemy decisively.Bo Gu said: "If you don't fight saltpeter, you will hit Zixi Bridge. Zixi Bridge must be taken down no matter what."

Without taking any rest, Peng Dehuai received another telegram from the Central Revolutionary Military Commission: Attack Zixi Bridge. Chen Cheng, the commander-in-chief of the enemy's North Route Army, also wanted to fight a decisive battle with the main force of the Red Army at this time.On the one hand, it was the disgrace of the disastrous defeat of the fourth "encirclement and suppression campaign", and on the other hand, it lived up to the reputation of "the son of heaven".Seeing that the Red Army had withdrawn from the saltpeter, he immediately ordered Luo Zhuoying's four divisions of the fifth column to march towards Zixi Bridge; he ordered Zhou Hunyuan's three divisions of the eighth column to approach Zixi Bridge from Lichuan. Nearly 80,000 people from the seven divisions of the eighth column gathered in the Xiqiao area, and started a decisive battle with the Red Army.

Bo Gu and Li De were overjoyed when they learned that Chen Cheng had dispatched troops.Li De said: "If you want to fight, let's fight a big one, and call Lin Biao's First Army." Bogu was also very excited, and said: "The First, Third, and Fifth Armys add up to ten divisions, and they are evenly matched. It's settled." On October 18, Lin Biao and Nie Rongzhen led the First Red Army Corps to move southeast of Lichuan, and commanded the newly established 34th Division of the Ninth Red Army Corps and the Independent First and Fourth Regiments. The 19th and 20th Divisions of the Red Seventh Army and the Independent Regiment of the Red Tenth Army went south to fight a decisive battle with Xue Yue and Zhou Hunyuan's column at the narrow Zixi Bridge.

The Central Revolutionary Military Commission appointed: Peng Dehuai as the commander-in-chief of the front line. On October 22, Peng Dehuai ordered the attack.At 4 o'clock in the afternoon, Chen Bojun and Song Renqiong led the 13th Division of the Fifth Red Army Corps to attack the enemy fiercely from Suyuankeng north of Zixi Bridge.The Fifteenth Division and the Third Division also actively attacked the enemy.But they all retreated because of the strong enemy fortress. This battle is like saltpeter again.Xue Yue and Zhou Hunyuan led their troops to stick to the fortifications and did not take the initiative to attack, allowing the Red Army to attack. After three days and nights of fierce fighting, the positions of both sides remained the same.The Red Army fought bloody battles at the front of the fortress and suffered heavy losses. One telegram after another from the Central Revolutionary Military Commission flew to Peng Dehuai's headquarters, urging him to inquire about the progress of the frontline offensive. Peng Dehuai's head was numb.It took two days to attack the fortifications with saltpeter, and another three days to attack the Zixi bridge. Not a few fortresses were knocked down, but the losses were not small.More importantly, this huge and fierce offensive failed to affect the enemy at all, let alone achieve the expected goal of "annihilating the enemy when they start moving in the wilderness or moving eastward and northward from Zixi Bridge".In the past wars, striding forward and retreating, moving freely, having a good time.Today, let people be targeted, tied firmly in front of the fortress to be bombed by planes, and passively useless. The lessons of saltpeter and Zixi Bridge made Peng Dehuai and Teng Daiyuan realize that they could no longer fight like this, and they should jump out of the fortress and seek outside battles in areas without fortresses. At 11 o'clock on October 23, Peng Dehuai and Teng Daiyuan called the Central Revolutionary Military Commission, requesting that according to the characteristics of the enemy, they should use concentrated forces and cooperate with local armed forces to prevent the enemy from extending. The Central Committee and the Military Commission did not respond to such a strategic proposal. On the night when Peng Dehuai and Teng Daiyuan suggested to the Military Commission, the 79th Division of the enemy was marching eastward from Jinxi through Nancheng in an attempt to reinforce Zixi Bridge.According to this situation, Peng Dehuai and Teng Daiyuan sent a telegram to the Military Commission the next day: The above suggestions of Peng Teng, Peng Dehuai and Teng Daiyuan are based on reality and are feasible. If adopted, it will be of great significance to the Red Army's fifth "encirclement and suppression" struggle to crush the enemy.However, the leaders of "Left" adventurism believed that Peng and Teng's proposals did not conform to their established policies, so they rejected them. At 6:00 p.m. on October 24, the Central Revolutionary Military Commission called Zhu De, Zhou Enlai, and transferred Peng Dehuai and Teng Daiyuan, saying: "The Military Commission firmly believes that the motive proposed by Peng and Teng in their call at 11:00 on the 23rd cannot be implemented at present." Bo Gu, Li De, and Xiang Ying were worried that once the main force was dispatched to seek outside battles, the Guangchang, Jianning, and Taining areas had no cover, and the enemy would be able to rush into the hinterland of the Central Soviet Area at any time, endangering Ruijin, the red capital. From the Central Revolutionary Military Commission's telegram, Peng and Teng realized that the high command had many concerns. They called the Central Revolutionary Military Commission again on the 25th to further explain the suggestion of the main force of the Red Army jumping to the outer line for mobile operations. Some adjustments were made, and it was proposed that the first and third armies should conduct separate operations under the condition of full existing troops. Peng and Teng especially emphasized that the prerequisite for the separation of the First and Third Army Corps is to increase their strength, otherwise they should not be separated. They implore the Military Commission to "consider carefully with a long-term perspective." However, Bo Gu and Li De were indifferent to Peng and Teng's earnest suggestions again and again. On October 27, in the name of Xiang Ying, acting chairman of the Military Commission, they sent a telegram to Zhu De and Zhou Enlai who were in front: "The Military Commission has decided on the issue of the campaign. Please pass it on to Peng and Teng to stop making suggestions." The Battle of Zixi Bridge lasted for 18 days from October 8th to 26th, and the defending enemy was never pulled out. The main force of the Red Army was placed between the enemy's fortresses, unable to perform, exhausted, beaten and bombed, and very passive. On October 26, at the firm request of Peng Dehuai, the Military Commission decided to abandon its intention to fight the enemy at Zixi Bridge.As a last resort, the decisive battle at Zixi Bridge came to an end. Bogu and Li De wanted to fight decisively, but plans for decisive battles such as saltpeter and Zixi bridge failed again and again. According to the order of the Military Commission, the Red Seventh Army under the command of Peng Dehuai's Eastern Army Xun Huaizhou and Xiao Jinguang led their troops to attack Huwan on November 11. Huwan is located in the north of Nancheng where the enemy's Third Route Army headquarters is stationed, in the east of Fuzhou where the enemy's North Route Army general headquarters is stationed, and in the west of the enemy's 85th Division station. kilometer. In order to cut off the connection between the Central Soviet Area and the Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi Soviet Areas, since late October, Chen Cheng has successively transferred the 36th, 4th, and 85th Divisions to the Fuzhou, Huwan, and Jinxi areas, and built a military base on this line. Fortresses and strong fortifications. After the Battle of Huwan started, the Central Revolutionary Military Commission urgently ordered Peng Dehuai and Teng Daiyuan to lead the fourth and fifth divisions of the main force, and traveled 80 miles in the starry night to rush to Huwan to participate in the war. In the past few days, Peng Dehuai was overworked and fell ill. The troops were commanded by Peng Xuefeng. The heels were not stable, and the three armies immediately came into contact with the enemy's fourth division.Peng Xuefeng failed to get in touch with Xun Huaizhou and Xiao Jinguang, so he organized troops to attack.In one night, they attacked four times in a row, all of which were frustrated in front of the enemy's strong fortifications. The Red Seventh Army heard the sudden sound of guns and guns. It was estimated that the main force of the Three Armys had arrived, and they also launched a fierce attack, but also failed. While competing, the Eastern Army received a telegram from the headquarters at 22:00: "The battle must be resolved tonight, and we will prepare for a new battle on the morning of the 13th." Military orders are hard to break.Peng Dehuai commanded while sick, changed the general attack plan, and was determined to completely resolve the battle before dawn. At 3:30 on the 13th, the Eastern Army attacked across the board.The Fifth Red Division broke into the enemy's position and fought hand-to-hand with the enemy until 5 o'clock in the morning, but finally retreated due to insufficient backup. At 8 o'clock in the morning, the enemy dispatched 13 planes to support the ground troops, bombarding and strafing the Eastern Army at low altitude.In the open and unsheltered positions, the Red Army commanders and fighters had nowhere to hide.The fourth division of the trapped enemy also took the opportunity to counterattack to the Bajiao Pavilion, the position of the Seventh Red Army.In the command post, Peng Dehuai saw the heroic soldiers collapsed in groups, hiding in disorder, and stomped his feet and scolded their mothers in anger. In this battle, Peng Dehuai was in a rage!In three days, 520 enemies were killed and wounded, and only 7 were captured; while the Eastern Army suffered 1,095 casualties and missing, and 309 were killed.Peng Xuefeng, political commissar of the fourth division, was injured, Wu Zongtai, political commissar of the eleventh regiment of the fourth division, died, and Gan Weihan, director of the political department of the eleventh regiment, was injured. After Peng Xuefeng was injured, Huang Kecheng succeeded as the political commissar of the Fourth Red Division.He recalled: "From the command of the two battles of saltpetre and Huwan, I clearly had a premonition that the future of the Red Army was not good. In the past, when the Red Army fought, the frontline troops had great mobility and mobility. They fought as soon as they won. If you can’t win, you will leave. You know you will suffer a loss, so you will never act recklessly. But now it is different, no matter whether it is a big or small battle, all the battle plans are formulated by the top. Specific combat orders are issued, and the troops are not allowed to have the slightest maneuver in the execution. Originally acted according to the orders of the superiors, but when the battle was not successful, the comrades below should be held accountable. It is really strange. Li De commanded the army to completely copy the German military science, regardless of the specific situation of the Red Army at the time, and fought How could the Red Army be able to bear the burden of fighting against the enemy? One day Li De ordered the troops to attack here, and the next day he ordered the troops to attack there, and he did not concentrate on using his troops. As a result, they couldn’t eat anywhere, and the troops were exhausted in vain.”