Chapter 39 2. Holding the letter of appointment in hand, Ma Bufang proudly said, I have accomplished what my predecessors failed to do

There are also obvious contradictions between the two horses. Since Zhang Zhizhong stayed in Beijing to participate in the peace talks, the position of military and political chief in the Northwest has become the main goal of their competition.It was at this moment that the First Field Army attacked the Northwest. In a sense, the struggle between the two of them was objectively beneficial to the People's Liberation Army. Originally, Chiang Kai-shek did not appreciate the Northwest Erma, but at this point, in order to let them work for the reactionary government, he still planned to hand over the power of the Northwest to them.

Chiang Kai-shek was hesitant about who to be the military and political chief, and the two horses moved after hearing the news, asking people to beat their joints everywhere.As far as the actual situation at that time is concerned, each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Ma Hongkui is an old man, good at official communication, and very popular.Ma Bufang is a strong horse, cunning and stronger than Ma Hongkui in military strength. Chiang Kai-shek considered again and again, and gave the military and political chief to Ma Bufang. In order to stabilize Ma Hongkui, he appointed him as the deputy chief and the chairman of Gansu Province. The chief executive's office was in Lanzhou.

When Ma Bufang defeated Ma Hongkui and proudly came to Lanzhou Sanaitang to take the oath of office, he held a letter of appointment and proudly said to the people: "I have accomplished what my predecessors failed to do!" The joy was beyond words, but Ma Hongkui did not come to support him. Ma Hongkui knew that the chairman of Gansu Province was just a vain job, and everything was still in Ma Bufang's hands. Ma Bufang said to his son: "Remember, our rank is fished out of blood!" The Battle of Fumei began. The various armies commanded by Peng Dehuai launched a full-line attack on Hu Zongnan and Ma's army.Yang Dezhi's corps pretended to attack Ma's army in Qianxian County and Liquan area. In order to preserve his strength, Ma Bufang confessed to his son:

"To prevent the communist army from attacking Lanzhou, you can't fight them head-on. You should push Hu Zongnan to the main battlefield. You must preserve your strength. If you can't hold on, retreat back. It's important to defend your hometown!" Ma Jiyuan said: "I understand what you mean. But our strength is too weak. When will Ma Hongkui's reinforcements arrive?" "Damn it, this old guy is very conservative. I sent telegrams to remind him many times before I agreed to call Lu Zhongliang's troops out for reinforcements. His actions are very slow. In my opinion, we should not rely on him."

"Then how?" "Don't you have long legs?" Ma Jiyuan fully understood Lao Tzu's intention. Hu Zongnan is also stepping up his strategy. But it was too late, Xu Guangda's corps had already detoured to his side. The Zhou Shidi Corps has been inserted directly along the Xianyang line of the Longhai Railway. Wang Zhen's corps has moved westward along the Weihe River. The main target of this attack was Hu Zongnan, but he didn't realize the seriousness of the problem. When the flames of war were ignited, he understood Peng Dehuai's true intentions, but it was too late to adjust his forces.

Hu Zongnan, who was in Hanzhong, gave an order to Pei Changhui, commander of the 5th Corps: "No matter what, the position cannot be lost, and the pass must be defended." Pei Changhui cried while holding the phone amidst the roaring cannons.He reported to Hu Zongnan: "Our army is now under heavy siege by the communist army, and it is very difficult to break through!" "Can Peng Dehuai move so fast?" Hu Zongnan asked. "It's true, I didn't expect..." "You command the troops to break through immediately, you can't give all of them to Peng Dehuai."

"It's difficult!" "why?" "Our army is fighting Peng Dehuai. As long as we are surrounded, not many people can escape!" "Don't talk nonsense, you have to try to break through." "Why do I suddenly? It's okay if someone supports me, but it's useless now!" "Where's Ma Jiajun?" "Ma Jiyuan fired a few shots and ran away with the team." "Where did you go?" "Back to Pingliang." "This Ma Bufang is really nothing." Hu Zongnan put down the phone with a nervous expression.He said to the staff around him: "Send a report to the chairman in my name, asking him to strictly order Ma Bufang's 82nd Army and Ma Hongkui's 128th Army to march to the Fumei area quickly to assist Pei Changhui's breakout."

Ma Bufang is still sitting on the mountain watching the tigers fight, Hu Zongnan is remotely controlling in Hanzhong, Pei Changhui will become a victim. The Battle of Fumei ended, and Hu Zongnan's four armies were eaten by Peng Dehuai. In July 1949, the city of Beiping was scorching hot. Peng Dehuai commanded the battle of supporting eyebrows and won a complete victory. Erye and Siye succeeded in crossing the river, and the Kuomintang government was facing the tragic situation of total collapse. Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai are studying the battle plan. Beiping in July is extremely hot.

At this moment, Commander-in-Chief Zhu walked in, shaking his fan. Zhou Enlai took a telegram and said: "Commander-in-Chief, Mr. Peng's first battle after entering the Northwest is over." Zhu De smiled and said, "Is it the Battle of Fumei?" "yes." "Very good, this shows that Hu and Ma have got into our pockets." Mao Zedong handed a big peach to Zhu De, took a bite of one himself, and said: "Recently, I am very happy to receive good news from President Peng one after another. Hu Zongnan's escape from the Qinling Mountains is exactly what we want!"

Zhou Enlai asked: "Chairman, after Hu Zongnan's several armies suffered heavy losses, some of them reached Fengxian County and Shuangshipu in the Qinling Mountains, and the Longnan Corps is still on the Tianshui line. President Peng asked whether to pursue it." Mao Zedong pointed to Zhu De and said: "You should ask our commander-in-chief first, the troops are all under his command." After Mao Zedong finished speaking, he looked at Zhu De and smiled. "It's up to the chairman and En to decide." Zhou Enlai asked again: "What does the commander-in-chief mean?"

"I think it is better to carry out the past plan, and we should concentrate our forces to wipe out the two horses first." "Yes, let's do it like this." Mao Zedong started smoking again, "It's a good time to separate Huma now." Zhou Enlai asked, "Do you want to call Mr. Peng back?" "If you want to send it, I will dictate it, and you will write it, and Boss Zhu will check it." Zhou Enlai picked up the pen and looked at the chairman's record-the victory in beating Hu was great, and he was very relieved.Regardless of the heat, it is good to take advantage of the victory to hold a horse fighting battle. Zhou Enlai handed the telegram to the chairman for signature. Mao Zedong picked up his pen, turned around and asked Zhu De: "What else does the commander-in-chief have to say?" "No, totally agree." "Okay, send it out immediately." At this time Chiang Kai-shek was very anxious. The retired man couldn't sit still any longer, and hurried out and ran to Chongqing to command the army again. Since the liberation of Nanjing, Li Zongren, acting president, has run back to Guangxi and never showed up again. Chiang Kai-shek called Chen Cheng, Bai Chongxi, and Yan Xishan together and lost his temper: "Li Delin is incompetent. He gave our Nanjing to the Communist Party, but he left. We are ashamed of the Prime Minister!" Bai Chongxi explained: "There are also difficulties in being a good neighbor." "What's the problem? He's the acting president of the Republic of China government!" "The president understands that for the past six months, our national army has been defeated everywhere. It's not because the PLA is strong and our national army is incompetent. It's because Dai President Li can't mobilize the army, and various groups go their own way." Chiang Kai-shek was very upset: "You guys are also incompetent and responsible." The atmosphere suddenly became tense. People looked at each other in blank dismay, not daring to speak, and lowered their heads to smoke. Chiang Kai-shek also said: "Hu Zongnan is also incompetent, and an army of hundreds of thousands cannot deal with Peng Dehuai's three corps." Yan Xishan said: "Hu Zongnan's defeat has something to do with the two horses. They are very conservative, so they don't want to save them." "I heard that Ma Bufang is okay. His son's army is still on the front line in Pingliang, but Ma Hongkui is not mean, he is old and cunning, and he dared to order Lu Zhongliang's army to retreat. This is simply lawless!" Chiang Kai-shek was still swearing, his His complexion became more and more ugly. Bai Chongxi stood up and spoke for Ma Hongkui: "Ma Bufang is also very domineering. He wants to monopolize the power in the Northwest. He has no respect for Ma Hongkui. Of course he will not listen to him." Chiang Kai-shek did not speak.Yan Xishan said: "I said earlier that it is difficult to tie two horses to one trough." Chen Cheng went on to say: "Now is the time when the life and death of the party and the country are at stake. We must make the best use of the two horses in the Northwest. You don't need to mention the military law. The president still tries to keep them together. Most of the rivers and mountains in the south of the Yangtze River have lost. It is also our hope to keep the Northwest safe!" "I know this well." Chiang Kai-shek said: "Now we can pull out to fight with the communist army, and there are only these two horses. As long as they work together, it will be very difficult for the communist army to attack Lanzhou, Xining, Yinchuan and other places." Yan Xishan asked, "What about Hu Zongnan?" "Where is his main force now?" "It has retreated to the front line of Baoji." "Tell him that he can't retreat anymore, and try to cooperate with Ma Jiyuan, and try to inflict heavy damage on Yang Dezhi's regiment in Pingliang. If they retreat, Ma Bufang will definitely retreat, and the Communist army will chase after him." Chiang Kai-shek was very unhappy with Hu Zongnan's defeat in the battle. satisfy. Although he was a high-achieving student in the first phase of Whampoa, his reputation has been higher than his classmates for decades, but he has suffered defeats. In Chiang Kai-shek's words: He has failed my expectations. Hu Zongnan was very unconvinced after being accused, and immediately rushed from Hanzhong to Shuangshipu in the Qinling Mountains to call a meeting of dozens of high-ranking defeated generals who broke out. The meeting was still presided over by Pei Changhui. When people saw Hu Zongnan, they were very worried. After all, he was the one who lost the army. He walked to the seat that belonged to him, glanced at everyone, and motioned for everyone to sit down. Pei Changhui said tremblingly: "The meeting is now officially underway. Director Hu will be invited to speak. Everyone is welcome." Hu Zongnan interrupted the applause as soon as it started. He slapped the table and said, "What do you want me to say? In the battle of Fumei, you lost all my people and lost forty to fifty thousand people in vain. Who will bear the responsibility?" People are afraid to speak.The venue was full of murderous intent, especially the bare army commanders and division commanders who had just withdrawn from the front line, their calves were trembling, and their faces were covered with sweat. As the commander of the corps, Pei Changhui had no choice but to stand up and take responsibility. Hu Zongnan reprimanded: "You are all idiots. Is the Communist Army really that powerful? I don't think so. Our soldiers fled the battle, the officers at all levels were ineffective in command, and they were greedy for life and afraid of death, which led to the failure." Pei Changhui said, "It's my dereliction of duty." "Those army commanders of yours retreated without fighting, and should be dealt with by military law." Although Hu Zongnan said this, he did not deal with his subordinates in any way. After losing his temper, he ordered some remnants to retreat to Longnan, and some troops capable of fighting stayed put to prevent the PLA from entering Hanzhong. After Hu Zongnan was hit hard, Ma Bufang, who became the military and political chief of the Northwest, naturally had to show some performance.In order to prevent the People's Liberation Army from advancing towards Lanzhou, he held a so-called joint military meeting in Jingning, Gansu on July 24 in an attempt to hold a decisive battle with Peng Dehuai's troops. Ma Hongkui naturally did not buy his account. His son Ma Dunjing, commander of the Ningxia Corps, took Ma Bufang's telegram and said to his father: "Father, they are preparing for a decisive battle with the communist army in Pingliang, please invite us to attend the military meeting." Ma Hongkui, who was smoking opium, moved most of his obese body out of the bed, took the sponge cushion handed over by his fourth aunt, put it on his back, and said to his son sideways: "He Zixiang (Ma Bufang's brand name) is showing off again, and he has played all the people, so what do you want me to do?" "Then what shall we do?" "I'm not going, and neither are you." "It's not good to be afraid..." "Zixiang and his son didn't take us seriously at all. They clung to the chairman's thigh and did it by themselves if they wanted to make meritorious service. He is capable every day. In my opinion, this Peng Dehuai is not easy to mess with. Now The Chinese Communist Army is not the Red Army of more than ten years ago, and troubles are yet to come!" "If we don't get rid of him, what if he speaks bad things in front of Generalissimo Jiang?" The fourth concubine, Liu Muxia, is not only young and beautiful, but also very intelligent, and is deeply loved by Ma Hongkui.At this time, she stopped beating her back, put a pair of small hands like green bamboo shoots on Ma Hongkui's round shoulders, and murmured: "The way I see it, we've got to go." Ma Hongkui said sadly: "Zixiang is really outrageous. The seat in the Chief Executive's Office was originally mine. I let him snatch it. It's fine, but now he is working behind the scenes, trying to make his son Ma Jiyuan the chairman of Gansu Province." , trying to squeeze me out, stretching my hand too far." Liu Muxia comforted, "There's nothing special about that rotten officer, just let him be." "I can't get enough of it!" Ma Dunjing said, "Send me?" Ma Hongkui waved his hand: "You know how their father and son are. I can't go, and you can't go either. What should I do if I can't come back?" "then what should we do?" "He wants to set a trap for me, it's not that easy." "What does dad mean?" "Is the decisive battle with the communist army so easy? If the two of us go, he will probably keep us in Lanzhou and force our Ningxia Corps to take the lead." "Yes, very likely." "You have to know what to do when you deal with them, otherwise you will suffer a lot." "Then shall we go to the meeting?" Ma Hongkui squinted his eyes, smoked a cigarette, and said, "Go, let Commander Lu Zhongliang go represent us and see what they have to say." Lu Zhongliang, commander of the 128th Army, was ordered to rush to Jingning. The meeting was very special, Ma Bufang was not present, and all major events were controlled by his son. Ma Jiyuan said proudly: "The meeting is now underway, let Deputy Chief Liu speak first." Amid the applause, Liu Ren stood up and said to everyone very seriously: "First of all, I want to report good news to everyone. The central government has decided to issue a pension of 30,000 yuan to Dayang, Ma Desheng, the commander of the army stationed in Shaanxi, General Ma Jiyuan." People couldn't believe it, but Liu Ren added that it was 30,000. It should be said that this is the largest pension issued by the Kuomintang government since the Anti-Japanese War.It is clear what Chiang Kai-shek's intentions are. At this time, he was very generous, trying to use money to win Ma Bufang's allegiance to him. Liu Ren said: "The money will be sent by the President's Office, and it will arrive in a few days. Commander Ma, please pass it on to Ma Desheng's family. This is the government's preferential treatment for your troops. I hope you will not disappoint the president's expectations and work together. Drive Peng Dehuai's troops out of the northwest." Ma Jiyuan stood up and said proudly: "General Liu, please tell the Central Committee that our Qinghai Corps is determined to defend the Party and the country to the death, and is determined to fight the Communist Army to the death and serve the Party and the country." Liu Ren went on to say: "It is the government's decision to reward meritorious service. I hope that everyone will make meritorious deeds and everyone will get rich." People start clapping. Liu Ren also said: "The president is very dissatisfied with your defeat on the battlefield in the previous stage. Let me investigate the responsibility. What did Commander Ma say is the problem?" Ma Jiyuan began to shirk responsibility.He said: "Our troops did not lose much, but there were many problems. The main reason was that the Ningxia Corps did not obey the command and ran away without a few shots. This responsibility must be borne by Army Commander Lu Zhongliang. He is the army commander!" Lu Zhongliang stood up and said: "I followed the order. You asked me to approach the Pingliang line, so I moved forward, but the Yang Dezhi Corps of the Communist Army blocked the way, and you didn't fight hard. How can I move forward? " "Why are you so slow?" "How can an army move quickly? What's more, no one is in charge of our supply. We can't let us go back to Yinchuan to replenish it?" Ma Jiyuan naturally felt guilty when he mentioned the army's supplies. The combat expenses allocated by the government were all taken by his father and son. Ma Hongkui's troops didn't even get a penny, so of course they wouldn't work hard on the battlefield. The two army commanders quarreled. There was a stalemate in the meeting place, Liu Ren waved impatiently and said: "Don't argue, generally speaking, you fought bravely and did not lose many positions. Some people almost lost an army. The deputy commander of the 111th Army Jiang Yuntai stand up!" No one stood up. The army commander Wang Zhiqi stood up and said, "He went to Huixian and Liangdang to take in troops." Liu Ren asked, "Have you informed him of the meeting?" Ma Jiyuan said, "I've been notified, but he just won't come!" "In the face of the great enemy, as the deputy army commander but not carrying out the order, it's too shameful." Wang Zhiqi said: "I will definitely criticize him when I go back." Liu Ren said: "Your army lost so many troops in the battle of Fumei, and Jiang Yuntai ran the fastest. It should be investigated by military law." Wang Zhiqi stood up again and took responsibility: "I am responsible." Liu Ren said: "You tell Jiang Yuntai that I was ordered by the president to come to hold a military meeting, but he didn't show up for the meeting. You just say that I asked him how many heads he has grown?" People no longer dare to speak up. Liu Ren looked at everyone and said: "Now that Hu Zongnan's main force has retreated to Hanzhong, you are the only ones to shoulder the heavy responsibility on the northwest battlefield. What do you guys think about future battles?" Ma Jiyuan stood up and said: "The situation in the Northwest War is still beneficial to us. Although Xi'an has fallen, everything above Lanzhou is our territory. It is not easy for the Communist Army to operate here. If you can help us with time and assistance, There is no problem in keeping Peng Dehuai's army out of Lanzhou, if you want to protect Lanzhou, you can only fight a decisive battle with the communist army in the Pingliang area, otherwise there will be endless troubles." Liu Ren agreed with him: "This opinion is correct. The Communist Army is not terrible. Now the Communist Army may focus on Hu Zongnan. Why? It's very simple. Hu will retreat to Chengdu. This is the land of abundance, and the Communist Army is also They want to occupy this place, so it is impossible for them to attack above Lanzhou. We can only give the Communist Army a little color on the front line of Longdong, and they will retreat completely. This way, it is impossible to pose a threat to us. As long as we gain time, the government air force will Come for reinforcements, the Northwest can be protected." Ma Jiyuan was very proud. He said: "Mr. Liu has a good opinion. Our Longdong Corps is willing to compete with Yang Dezhi again in Pingliang." Then some people raised different opinions, but because Liu Ren and Ma Jiyuan insisted, they still made a plan for a decisive battle with the People's Liberation Army below Lanzhou, and decided: The Ningxia Corps focuses on the Haiyuan and Guyuan areas; the Longdong Corps maintains its main force in the Jingning and Zhuanglang areas; the Longnan Corps controls the vicinity of Qingshui and Tianshui; It passed through the narrow road and fought decisively near Sanguan; if the main force of the People's Liberation Army marched westward along the South Road and Longxian, the Longdong and Longnan West Corps would work together to take it through the dangerous road and fight decisively at Guguan and Red Deer Town. Although Ma Hongkui said he was unwilling to participate in the military meeting, he was still very concerned about the content of the meeting. Ma Bufang remotely controlled his deputy chief Liu Ren and his son behind his back, so naturally he would not come to the venue in person. If Ma Hongkui did not come and Lu Zhongliang was sent as a representative, Ma Jiyuan would not be able to say anything, but he had a lot of opinions on Ma Dunjing not coming, but only You can complain in private. It is said that when Lu Zhongliang returned to Yinchuan, it was a scorching noon, and he went straight to Ma Hongkui's mansion without going home for dinner. At that time, a so-called unmarried female secretary was telling Ma Hongkui news from southern newspapers. This female secretary has a peach face, with curved eyebrows, and she is quite pretty.She sat opposite to Ma Hongkui, very close to each other, and looked very close.An eye-catching big braid was thrown on Ma Hongkui's thigh and coiled several times. It is said that she is still a college student, not a native of Jinling, but a lady from a great family. A year ago, Ma Hongkui was ordered to go on business in Nanjing, and she met her at a speculator's dinner table. Under the colorful lights, Ma Hongkui was dragged by this bosom friend to the butt-sized dance floor, singing and dancing for an hour to a piece of Jiangnan folk music, and then the beautiful braid followed Ma Hongkui into a famous restaurant. restaurant. Finally, she came to the Northwest Plateau. "What are you doing?" The secretary with big braids suddenly took back the big braids from Ma Hongkui's lap, and looked back at Lu Zhongliang, "I just started telling the news to the chief, what are you doing here?" The action of shaking the braid seemed to have woken Ma Hongkui up. He opened his eyes and looked at Lu Zhongliang who had already walked in, and said, "Commander Lu is back, let's sit down and talk." Lu Zhongliang was still reminiscing about the female secretary's braid-flicking action just now. Indeed, her movements are graceful from a distance and suggest many things. The female secretary asked delicately: "Then shall I step down first?" Ma Hongkui squeezed her delicate little hands and said, "They are all our own people, so what are you going to do when you retire? You can just sit here." Lu Zhongliang sat down. The secretary got up and sat down again. Ma Hongkui asked: "How was the meeting going? How would Zixiang react to my absence?" Lu Zhongliang took a hot towel from the female secretary, wiped the sweat off his forehead, and said, "He didn't show up, it was prescribed by his son and Liu Ren." "This Liu Ren is in the limelight again." "Yes, Ma Jiyuan is also very arrogant." "This is his characteristic!" "In my opinion, this person will laugh first and cry later." "What's wrong?" "He clamored for a decisive battle with the communist army." "Okay! Just let him suffer as a bachelor." "Liu Ren thought that the communist army might pursue Hu Zongnan, so let us fight the communist army in the east of Longdong." "Is there a plan?" "A guidance plan for the Battle of Guanshan was passed, with a total of three proposals." Lu Zhongliang took out a document from his purse and handed it to Ma Hongkui. "Go, get a bowl of cold milk for Commander Lu." The female secretary obeyed Ma Hongkui's instructions and stood up twisting her waist and walking away. Outdoors is a dazzling sun. no wind.With the windows open, it was still a little hot. Lu Zhongliang simply took off his shirt and only wore a very old gray shirt. Ma Hongkui flipped through the document casually, handed it to him again and said, "My eyesight is not good, you should read it to me." Lu Zhongliang took the document and began to read the battle plan—— Case 1: Concentrate superior forces and use the Longnan Corps to occupy positions in Tianshui and Qin'an. The Longdong Corps commanded by Ma Jiyuan guarded Liupan Mountain.The Ningxia Corps commanded by Ma Dunjing took advantage of the favorable terrain in Guyuan to prevent the enemy from invading westward.In order to maintain the initiative and avoid decisive battles, each department adopts successive resistance methods, lures the enemy to penetrate deep, consumes the enemy, seizes the opportunity, switches from defense to offense at the camera, and wins by flanking. Case 2: In order to maintain the main force and avoid stalemate, turn to Linxia, ​​Dingxi, and Tongxin if necessary.Take Huajialing as the axis, occupy positions on this line, wait for work at leisure, attack in turn, and annihilate the enemy. Case 3: If the enemy ventures westward and it is not good for us, our army will continue to move towards Lanzhou in order to lure the enemy to go deep, occupy the positions around Gaolan Mountain, control a strong reserve team, cooperate with friendly forces, surround and annihilate the enemy army, and ensure Lanzhou . Ma Hongkui dismissed this plan. He smiled and said: "Joke, they are singing high-profile again." The female secretary does not carry the plate but the bowl, one in the left hand and one in the right. "Come on, have a drink first." Ma Hongkui said. The female secretary sat next to Ma Hongkui again. Lu Zhongliang asked: "Sir's opinion?" "Our Ningxia Corps can't move around, let them fight first!" "Sir, Ma Jiyuan was very dissatisfied with the last retreat of my 128th Army from Pingliang." "What can he do? Don't bother with them, it's me." "I'm not afraid of Ma Jiyuan, I'm worried that Ma Bufang will punish us in the future." "Zixiang is really nothing!" Ma Hongkui hated Ma Bufang very much. When Lu Zhongliang mentioned this, he couldn't help but think of the inside story of the competition for the military and political chief of the Northwest that happened a few months ago... We have to start with Zhang Zhizhong's participation in the peace talks.At that time, the military and political power in the Northwest was temporarily handed over to Guo Jiqiao, chairman of Gansu Province, but the situation was unpredictable. A few months later, the Nanjing government fled to Guangzhou. The hope of saving the reactionary government rests on the Great Northwest, but Guo Jiqiao is unable to command the two horses in the Northwest at all, and a power struggle begins. To a certain extent, Ma Bufang and Ma Hongkui had the same interests. They did not want others to get involved in the Northwest. They had long wanted to squeeze out the important officials sent by the Nanjing government, but the time was not yet ripe.Hu Zongnan was in an emergency in Xi'an, and the two horses, especially Ma Bufang, were very happy, thinking that the time had come, so they transferred his son to Longdong to cooperate with Hu Zongnan in fighting in order to control the power in the Northwest.Ma Hongkui was far away in Ningxia. Although he had this intention, he was more cautious and not as fanatical as Ma Bufang. Hu Zongnan's defeat was related to Erma's preservation of strength. At this time, Chiang Kai-shek instructed Yan Xishan, who had become the executive president: "The situation in the northwest is not easy to control. We should use the strength of Erma. Guo Jiqiao can't control them. Leave the matter to Erma!" Yan Xishan said: "That's the only way to go. But these two horses are hard to control!" "Don't be afraid. I understand that they have a strong sense of localism. When the Communist army enters their hometown, they can't just stand by and do nothing. They just want to take power, so they can only use them." "These two horses have their own advantages and disadvantages. Who is the right one to hand over to the military and political chief of the Northwest?" "In terms of seniority, of course it is Ma Hongkui. He is very capable in handling affairs. However, his military strength is not comparable to that of Ma Bufang, so it is appropriate for Ma Bufang to be in charge." "What does the president mean?" "Don't make a statement yet, you can send a telegram to ask for the opinions of the two horses. It is best for them to recommend candidates and be appointed by the central government. This is an extraordinary period. If our government arranges it, no matter which of the two is appointed as the chief executive , if one party has an opinion, it will be difficult to deal with the matter. But we have to know what we know and go through the motions." Yan Xishan sent reports to the two horses respectively, asking them to recommend the highest officials. Ma Bufang was very happy. While sending people to Guangzhou to carry out secret activities, he made a positive gesture and drove one of his son's troops to the front line, assuming a decisive battle with the communist army. It was Chiang Kai-shek's original intention to let Ma Hongkui be the military and political chief of the Northwest. He once called Ma Hongkui to Xikou for an interview, but Ma Hongkui did not go because the People's Liberation Army had gone south at that time and the situation was unstable. Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi supported Ma Bufang's appointment as the military and political chief of the Northwest. Ma Hongkui learned that Ma Bufang had succeeded in his activities, so he had to give up the competition plan and decided to reconcile with Ma Bufang.He invited Ma Bufang to Xiangtang Garrison Command for talks. The main topic of the talks is the post of military and political chief. The confident Ma Bufang pretended to be honest this time, and she respected Ma Hongkui very much.Ma Hongkui said bluntly, "Zixiang, now we have to think about ourselves." Ma Bufang deliberately asked: "What's wrong?" "We, Gan Qingning, are originally a family, and we are all from our hometown. We are either relatives or old friends. The relationship is very deep, don't you think?" "correct." "Nowadays, we don't care about things in our hometown, who should take care of them?" "I'm also thinking about this issue. We can't let outsiders meddle in our northwest." "Very well, we should unite with sincerity and unite to defend the Northwest." "Good day, sir." "Hey! I'm old. When you are doing something, I would like to help you as a staff officer. I hope you will take care of the Northwest affairs." "This is not good. You should lead us. We will do whatever you say." "It's better for you to be the officer." "I'm afraid I can't." "Don't refuse. Dean Yan called to ask for my opinion. I am going to recommend you. If you refuse again, the matter will be delayed." "What about you?" "I am the deputy chief and the chairman of Gansu Province. I can help nearby. I have to get rid of that Guo as soon as possible." "We thought of going together. I'm here to recommend you to be the chairman of Gan Province. In the future, we will work together to carry forward the foundation of our ancestors in Hezhou and hold the flagpole high." The two held the Koran in their arms and swore in accordance with the Islamic rules. Ma Hongkui meant what he said, and when he returned to Yinchuan, he immediately recommended Ma Bufang to Yan Xishan as the military and political chief of the Northwest.Government appointments came down quickly. Ma Bufang became the military and political chief of the Northwest, and Ma Hongkui became the deputy chief. Because Guo Jiqiao was not dismissed, Ma Hongkui's wish to become the chairman of Gansu Province has not yet been realized. However, Ma Bufang was uncharacteristically, and never mentioned Ma Hongkui as the chairman of Gan Province after he took office in Lanzhou. Instead, he secretly planned to hand over this position to his son Ma Jiyuan. Ma Hongkui was very angry and never came to Lanzhou to be the deputy chief. One month later, he became even more dissatisfied with Ma Bufang's actions. When he came to Lanzhou, Ma Bufang treated him coldly, and he was very sad.But I couldn't control him, so I had to sulk. He once said to Ma Yuanhai: "This Zixiang is illiterate. I recommended it at the beginning, but now he spends all day fooling around with girls from the troupe and forgets about important matters. How can this work!" Ma Hongkui's life in Lanzhou became more and more difficult, and he was angry with Ma Bufang everywhere, so he lived for a while and then returned to Yinchuan.The relationship between the two horses became more and more tense, so Li Zongren had no choice but to instruct Yan Xishan to issue Ma Hongkui's letter of appointment as the chairman of Gansu Province. Under such circumstances, Peng Dehuai led his troops to fight. How could Ma Hongkui, who was far away in Ningxia, send his troops to Longdong to obey the command of Ma Bufang and his son? When Lu Zhongliang left, Ma Hongkui repeatedly said, let them enjoy the scenery ahead, we are not in a hurry, and no one is allowed to move in our Ningxia Corps without my order. Peng Dehuai knew everything about the enemy's military meeting in Jingning. Since the Battle of Fumei, the First Field Army has followed the Central Military Commission's instructions not to occupy Hanzhong for the time being, and decided to concentrate its forces to wipe out the two horses first.In Baoji, Shaanxi, Peng Dehuai said at a meeting of senior cadres above the military level: "Everyone wants to encircle and wipe out Hu Zongnan in Hanzhong. It's understandable, but the central government's orders must be carried out. At present, our military strength is superior. If we can seize the opportunity to fight the Majia army in the Pingliang area, it will be very beneficial to us. As long as After destroying their main force, it will be easy to attack Lanzhou in the future." He took a sip of water, looked at everyone and continued: "Everyone fought well in the Battle of Fumei, but it was a small victory. The two horses in the Northwest Battlefield, especially Ma Bufang and his son, are hard bones. We will target them. , and strive to enter Lanzhou in one go, completely, thoroughly, and cleanly wipe out these bandits, and liberate the Northwest." General Wang Zhen asked: "I heard that the two horses are ready to fight our army on the front line of Pingliang?" Peng Dehuai nodded: "Yes. They have formulated a battle plan, and we will wait here for them to come. Do you have confidence?" The participants all said: "Yes! The main force of the two horses must be wiped out on the front line in Pingliang." People rarely see Peng Dehuai smiling.But this time he smiled and said, "I'm also full of confidence!" Yang Dezhi was young and energetic, and hurriedly asked: "The commander-in-chief should make up his mind early on how our corps and Ma's army will act recently!" Peng Dehuai said: "The decisive battle in Pingliang must be fought well. Don't worry. Now Hu Zongnan basically has no threat to us. Although he still has 100,000 troops, they are all defeated soldiers, and they are mainly scattered in the east of the Qinling Mountains. Jiangkou in Jiangkou, Huixian, Liangdang, Chengxian and other areas west of Foping. The Erma Corps in the east of Longdong is arrogant and has great combat effectiveness. It is the biggest obstacle for us to continue to advance to the northwest in the future, and we must wipe it out." Zhou Shidi, the commander of the 18th Corps, stood up and said: "After the liberation of Taiyuan, our Corps followed Boss Peng to the Great Northwest Battlefield to cooperate with the Big Brother's troops to wipe out horses and horses. The soldiers were very emotional. I request that our Corps be sent to Let's fight the two horses on the frontal battlefield." At this time, Wang Zhen, Yang Dezhi, and Xu Guangda also called for the fight. Peng Dehuai said to them: "There are some big battles for everyone to fight. Today we are mainly studying how to deal with the counterattack plan of Erma in Longdong. Comrades, please express your opinions!" The commanders and army commanders of each corps have proposed combat plans to deal with the two horses. Some people advocate the simultaneous development of two horses and an attack across the board. Some people suggested that Ma Bufang be the first, followed by Ma Hongkui, and then advance to the three provinces of Qinghai, Ningxia, and New Zealand. Peng Dehuai was not in a hurry to make a statement. He wanted to say to Chief of Staff Yan Kui: "The chairman has specific instructions to liberate the Northwest. Please tell everyone." Yan Kui, chief of staff of the First Field Army, would like to say: "The Central Military Commission and Chairman Mao gave instructions to us in the recent call from the Liberation of the Great Northwest to attack Ma Bufang first, and then deal with Ma Hongkui. Ma Bufang is anti-communist and has a strong military strength. If its main force is wiped out, the problem in the Northwest will be easily resolved." Wang Zhen asked: "Ma Hongkui's troops have also come to fight, what shall we do?" Chief of Staff Yan said: "There is a deep conflict between the two horses. Ma Hongkui sent troops to Longdong to fight the current situation. He couldn't fight hard. This man has always been very cautious in fighting. The Battle of Mei is an example. In addition, the chairman also clearly instructed that to deal with Ma Hongkui, we should use the existing conflicts with Ma Bufang, and try to use political methods to resolve it under the premise of military strikes.” Yang Dezhi said: "This person is a veteran warlord and has a close relationship with Chiang Kai-shek. It may not be easy for him to go to the light." Peng Dehuai explained: "We can beat him according to his actual actions, and we can take a long-term plan." The meeting lasted for more than 3 hours, and finally passed the battle plan for the decisive battle with the two horses in Pingliang: Use the two armies of Zhoushi's 18th Corps to restrain Hu Zongnan's troops to ensure the safety of the rear of the main force of the People's Liberation Army. Wang Zhen's 1st Corps, Xu Guangda's 2nd Corps, Yang Dezhi's 19th Corps, and the 18th Corps, a total of 10 main forces, assembled and marched towards Longdong, striving to wipe out the main forces of the two horses in the Pingliang area. Zhou Enlai walked into Mao Zedong's study with Peng Dehuai's call. After reading this battle plan, Mao Zedong said happily: "I agree with Mr. Peng. If we can attract the main force of the two horses in Pingliang outside Lanzhou and hit them hard, the battle in the northwest will be beneficial to us. Once Ma Bufang's troops are lost, we will be General Peng in the future. Just walk to take over Gan, Ning, Qing and Xin." Zhou Enlai said: "The key to the Northwest is Ma Bufang. He has the greatest strength. As long as he is severely injured, Ma Hongkui will save his strength and return to Yinchuan. The remaining horses will fight alone, and they will be defeated." "I heard that Fu Zuoyi sent someone to do Ma Hongkui's job. What's the progress?" “报告主席，傅先生秘密派到宁夏的人已回来了，据说马鸿逵举棋不定，有和平的意向，但因绥远与他们接近，他说看看董其武的行动再说。” “是这样？就是说他的态度还不明确嘛。” “是的。此人与蒋介石很亲近，想让他下这个决心，也许还有一定难度。” “先不忙嘛，允许人家观望。” “是否现在就给彭总回电？” “回，现将要进入雨季了，西北的天气虽说比江南好，但下起雨来对我们大军行动也不利，要让他们抓紧准备，争取早日打响。” “主席还有何指示？” “你再告诉德怀，这次打马是一个较为严重的战役，要准备付出较大代价。千万不可轻敌啊！” 党中央和彭德怀为什么在当时要把打马的地点选在平凉呢？ 当年参加过这次战役的第19兵团司令员杨得志在回忆录中曾这样解释说： “毛主席和彭总把打马战役的地点选在了平凉地区。平凉是扼制甘、宁的咽喉，我能占领，即可形成大军直捣兰州、银川之势。平凉一线深壑峭壁，关山险要，人烟稀少，气候多变，攻打平凉对我来说，远离后方，供应较为困难。而敌人后有兰州、银川为依托，补给相当方便。青、宁二马尚未受到严重打击。必将凭借平凉一带的天险进行抵抗。因此，彭总决心以18兵团两个军钳制胡宗南，保障我后方安全，集中1、2、19兵团和18兵团的一个军。追击二马，力争歼其主力于平凉地区。……” 可以看出这次战役在今后西北整个战役中有着很重要的意义。 马继援在前线蠢蠢欲动。 马步芳不停地向宁夏的马鸿逵发电，指示他出兵。 他们没有想到已进了彭总设下的圈套。 7月的西北高原，烈日当空。 杨得志兵团迅速从乾县一带朝平凉开进，其余各部也都进入了指定位置。大兵压境，陇东高原已响起了零星的枪声，大军在群众的帮助下，已将马家军赶到了山沟里。 此时，马继援才如梦初醒，深感他们不是彭德怀的对手。 当马家军眼瞅着杨得志兵团的开道队在几十辆坦克和装甲车的掩护下向前推进时，他们心惊胆战，抱着长枪往后退缩。 这些军队虽说有一定的作战能力，但长期闲守塞外，对这些机动性很强的坦克和装甲车根本没有见过，一听到轰轰巨响，就害怕，认为是神兵来了。 小规模战斗打响了。 山沟里顿时一片混乱，马继援接到前线的告急电报后，一边命令各师团顶住，不能后撤，一边拍着桌子大骂宁夏兵团的总指挥卢忠良。 卢忠良是马鸿逵的亲信，虽说勉强将部队开下六盘山，摆出了配合马继援的姿态，但他仍听命于马鸿逵，不可能很痛快地将队伍拉上去。 出发前马鸿逵就对这个所谓的会战计划不屑一顾。 这时他与马步芳父子的矛盾已相当尖锐。他对卢忠良说：“解放军不好惹，要好对付，我们国民党在江西那块巴掌大的地方就将他们消灭干净了，何必留到现在呢？” 他的儿子马敦静是一个好战分子，反共非常积极。他说：“依我看共军也没有什么可怕的，我们宁夏兵团这次还是动一下为好。” 马鸿逵不高兴：“你懂个屁！子香父子想让我们宁夏兵团打头阵，借共军的手削弱我们的实力，你们得小心才是。” 卢忠良问：“长官，我们怎么办？” “怎么办？会战我们支持，如能将共军堵在兰州以下，我们宁夏也就平安无事了，可是现在不能硬拼，你带一个军去，但要灵活机动。” 卢忠良的部队没有与解放军正面交手，还没有进入平凉战区，马鸿逵就向他们发来了密电，命令要保守实力，立即退守宁夏。 马继援的两个团被解放军打散了。 马步芳只好电令卢忠良出击，可是卢忠良却公开违抗，反而利用晚上时间偷偷将宁夏兵团从平凉撤出来，开到了固原东南部的山区，做出了向宁夏退逃的准备。杨得志兵团的一个师乘胜追击，卢忠良象征性地抵抗了几下，又继续朝后撤退。此时，马继援的几个步兵团已陷入重重包围之中。 他在报话机里向老子求救。 “我们已被彭德怀堵住了，请你再派一个军来。” 马步芳问：“卢忠良的宁夏兵团在哪里？” “兔崽子从平凉退回去了。” “没想到这个马少云真不讲信用。破坏了我们平凉会战的全盘计划，共军现在一共来了多少人？” “估计有30多万。” “这仗不能再打了，你不能硬打，应立即朝兰州一带撤退。” “怕什么？没有卢忠良，我们照打不误。” “你靠什么打？难道还想给共军送礼？两个团都赔进去了啊！” 马继援刚愎自用，根本不听老子劝告，仍不愿后退一步。 报话机里又传来了马步芳沙哑的声音： “我的冷娃！彭德怀这次来者不善，我们还是保存实力，先退回来再说。” “退下来怎么办？彭德怀会追上来的。” “先退，如何打根据情况变化再说。” 枪声四起。马家军不战而退，丢失的战马在山沟里奔跑，马继援拿着望远镜，望着这种场面，只好命令部队突围。