Chapter 41 4. Lanzhou City was in turmoil

Ma Bufang handed over all the power to his son. It was August, and the city of Lanzhou was even more turbulent.The defeated Ma's army captured strong men everywhere in the city to build city fortifications. Soldiers rampaged on the streets, and incidents of looting people's property occurred from time to time. When the war is approaching, it will be quite difficult for Ma Bufang to maintain this mess. Influenced by the reactionary propaganda of the Kuomintang authorities for a long time, many citizens were afraid when they heard that the People's Liberation Army was coming. According to Ma Bufang's propaganda, the communist army killed people like hemp, refused to recognize their relatives, and wanted communism and wives.

Some local gentlemen with assets came to Ma Bufang's mansion to ask for protection. Ma Bufang did not dare to offend these people. They all represent a kind of local evil force, or have monopolized the economic lifeline of Gansu Province for a long time.Of course money is needed to fight the war, and the national government has existed in name only. These people are exactly the people Ma Bufang relies on.He understood that if they lost their support, the hundreds of thousands of Ma's troops would be in a desperate situation in Lanzhou. So Ma Bufang said to them: "Peng Dehuai has come to the door. In order to protect the safety of my hometown, I am obliged to resist. The fortifications of Lanzhou City are very strong. According to the information we have, even if the Communist army has three heads and six arms, it is impossible to attack them." If we go into the city, we can persist here for at least half a year, and then World War III will break out, and the United States will send troops to support us."

These gentlemen are not interested in Ma Bufang's big talk. Someone once asked: "If the Communist army breaks in, won't all our property be destroyed? You should be responsible for our safety!" With a big wave of his hand, Ma Bufang said to them, "My official and everyone's fate are linked together. If you are not at ease now, I can only send troops to escort you to Qinghai, and all property will be transferred there." Another person asked, "Is it okay to go to Hong Kong?" "Hong Kong is far away, and it is difficult to move without planes. Besides, the Communist Army has blocked the air routes over the northwest. Qinghai is the safest. Please don't worry."

After he sent these people away, Ma Bufang, led by his son, inspected the terrain on several hills outside Lanzhou City. At this time, all the mountains on both sides of the Yellow River were full of soldiers and laborers who were building fortifications. It can be said that Ma Bufang has made the final determination to fight the People's Liberation Army in Lanzhou. The circular fortifications on various hilltops are scattered all over the place, and the migrant workers are working day and night. The officers with horsewhips will whip and kick if they find someone cheating. Some were arrested and shot dead on the spot.

In Ma Jiyuan's words: "These people are all the scum of our Gansu people. The enemy is not contributing to the security of his hometown at present, but wants to collude with bandits. What's the use of staying?" This is their gangster logic of killing innocent people. Later, when the People's Liberation Army invaded the city, some people in Lanzhou said that the reason why Ma's army failed was because of their own problems, mainly because their actions were unpopular. Ma Bufang made plans to escape a few days before the war.He said to his son when he left Lanzhou:

"I have to go back to Qinghai to take care of the affairs. You will be responsible for the decisive battle in Lanzhou. At critical moments, you must be cautious in everything. You must discuss with Liu Ren more, and you should not be arrogant when sending troops." "Dad, don't worry, I've already set up a net, waiting for Peng Dehuai to drill it. I'm not boasting. Lanzhou is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and its defense system is very strong. Don't talk about the 300,000 army of the Communist Army, even if there are another 300,000, it will not be enough." It must be conquered."

"You still have to be careful. Peng Dehuai uses his troops to hide and disappear. You are no match for this man. If you can't hold it, retreat to Qinghai!" Ma Bufang has realized that this battle will be his end. When they left Lanzhou, the father and son cried. Liu Ren came to see him off, and Ma Bufang took his hand and said, "Deputy Chief Liu, I only have one son, and I will leave it to you now. He has a strong personality and is not calm in dealing with problems. You should take care of him. I After returning to Qinghai to deal with the matter, I will definitely come back to join you in the national calamity, and you must try to transfer the two central armies in Longnan, our Qinghai Corps alone is not enough."

Liu Ren was also a staunch anti-communist. After Ma Bufang took office, he tried his best to please him in order to keep his official position. He often pretended to be modest and became a loyal general under Ma Bufang. At this time, he said to Ma Bufang: "Don't worry, sir, I will definitely control the two central armies, but Ningxia is not easy to deal with. Ma Hongkui promised to send troops, but there has been no movement so far. I am worried that if there is a fight, they will not cooperate. what!" "It is difficult to send troops to Ningxia. Ma Hongkui is narrow-minded. Since I became the chief, he has not been convinced. But he cannot stay still. If the communist army breaks through Lanzhou, it will inevitably march to Ningxia. His little army is not the communist army. opponent."

"Please send someone to Ningxia to urge you!" "I will definitely send someone there." Ma Bufang left Lanzhou by special plane. At the same time, he ordered several large factories in Lanzhou City to transfer all supplies to Qinghai. As soon as Ma Bufang left, his son couldn't hold back at all, and the PLA's offensive preparations slowed down.Ma Jiyuan, accompanied by several confidantes, checks the defense situation at the forward position almost every day. Lanzhou city is getting more and more chaotic. Many wealthy families fled with their families, and those who remained were all proletarians.

The army is on the move, and so are the people.At that time, the only way to get out of Lanzhou City was the iron chain bridge over the Yellow River. The army and civilians were mixed together, and the iron bridge was extremely crowded.Ma Jiyuan saw that the vehicles transporting the ammunition could not move forward, so furious, he ordered all the people to stop their movements and voluntarily gave way to the army.However, not many people listened to it. There were incidents between the military and the civilians, and bloody incidents occurred from time to time. Those respectable gentry said confidently: "Mr. Ma asked us to move to Qinghai, but you didn't allow us to move. Who is the one who has the final say here!"

The soldiers reported the details to Ma Jiyuan. Ma Jiyuan shook his head and said, "My father is really confused! The Communist army didn't break in. Why should these gentry be transferred? This will shake the morale of the army and the people." Liu Ren explained: "The old chief has his own reasons for doing so." "I don't care what the reason is. From now on, the iron bridge will be under military control. Without my warrant, the common people will not let it go. If anyone dares to disobey, it will destroy the decisive battle plan and be shot!" Ma Jiyuan was the commander-in-chief of the decisive battle in Lanzhou. No one dared to disobey his orders, and Tieqiao was soon put under military control.But the common people had their own way, and they used sheepskin rafts to cross the river.Seeing an opportunity, the soldiers plundered the people's money for various reasons, and gunfire broke out everywhere. Because of the uneven distribution of spoils, the lower-level officers inside often used knives and guns.So far, the banditry characteristics of Ma's army have been fully exposed, and the relationship between the army and the people is still deteriorating. Ma Jiyuan stood on Gouwa Mountain, looking at this scene, he was furious. Liu Ren said: "You have seen it all. The communist army has not come yet. We are preparing for war, but they fled first. The situation is so chaotic. If the plainclothes troops of the communist army take the opportunity to sneak into the city, the consequences will be disastrous..." Ma Jiyuan said: "It's easy to do. Send troops to seal off all the ports of the Yellow River in Lanzhou City. You can mobilize the people to go back. If someone doesn't listen, they will beat everyone who sees a sheepskin raft. I don't believe that these bastards are not afraid of guns. " In just a dozen days, Ma Jiyuan had deployed all his troops on various hills outside Lanzhou City. The northwest heat in August is steaming. On the Loess Plateau in August, the smell of war is everywhere. Seeing that a big war is about to break out. Ma Jiyuan returned to the chief executive's office and confidently said to the senior officer: "Our fortifications in Lanzhou are so strong, we don't send troops, let Peng Dehuai send troops to attack, we may not be able to take it in two or three months, not to mention we still have so many elite soldiers, the opportunity to make contributions to the party and the country has come... " This group of miscellaneous troops did all sorts of crimes, and before the liberation army arrived, officers above general Ma Jiyuan were summoned to the mansion and equipped with one or two prostitutes each for fun. However, the soldiers stationed on the hill were panicked, and everyone was afraid of dying in this battle. Peng Dehuai's three-way army rushed towards Lanzhou after a rest. There are many difficulties in marching in such bad weather. The Northwest Loess Plateau is sparsely populated, and the most difficult problem to solve when large troops are marching is the problem of drinking water.From above Tianshui, it is very difficult for the local people to drink water, but our liberation army continues to advance.The most touching thing is that everyone from Peng Dehuai himself to the commander of the Corps walked with the soldiers. The difficulty of this march is like the second Long March. Time is victory, and Peng Dehuai was impatient. He gave the troops a hard target of marching one hundred miles a day. In the northwest in August, the weather is extremely hot.Under the scorching sun, our commanders and fighters trekked hard with weapons on their backs and ammunition on their shoulders.Many people fainted while walking. They got up again and helped each other to move forward. People's faces were as pale as paper, and due to the severe lack of water, almost everyone from generals to soldiers had blood scabs on the corners of their mouths. Walking in the middle of the line, Peng Dehuai leaned on a peach stick, stopped in front of a sandbag, and watched the soldiers behind him waving. The soldiers were sweating profusely, and the water hyacinths hanging around their waists were swinging back and forth, which indicated that the water in the gourds had already there is none left. Peng Dehuai said very sadly: "Comrades, work harder, and when you climb over the mountain in front, you will have water to drink." Some soldiers shook their gourds and said, "Commander-in-Chief, our gourds are already empty." "The gourd is empty, which means we are almost arriving in Lanzhou." Hearing the word Lanzhou, everyone's emotions rose again, and the marching speed was obviously faster. After walking for a while, many thirsty soldiers finally fell behind, sitting on the ground unwilling to get up.The platoon cadres who were walking behind urged them to leave quickly. The soldiers who fell behind had objections and said: "It's been almost a day, and I haven't even drank a sip of water, how can I walk?" At this time Peng Dehuai came up and asked his guards to bring the water bottle for these soldiers to drink. The guard was very unhappy, shaking the kettle and said, "That's all, let them drink it up, what do you drink?" Peng Dehuai said with a smile: "Let's talk after drinking it all!" The soldier drinks from his water jug. Peng Dehuai looked at them and smiled. The guard said to him, "You haven't drunk water for a long time, your lips are swollen!" Peng Dehuai smiled and said, "You've been with me all day, didn't you notice that I already have thick lips? How can you say they're swollen?" The guard couldn't help laughing. The soldiers who drank Peng Dehuai's pot of water got up from the ground, talked and laughed and walked forward. At this time, the 19th Corps led by Yang Dezhi and Li Zhimin had given up their plan to pursue Ma Hongkui, and rushed over Liupan Mountain to the east of Lanzhou. Looking at the majestic Liupan Mountain, Yang Dezhi was full of thoughts. He said to Li Zhimin, the political commissar of the Corps: "I remember that 14 years ago, when our Red Army passed by here, it was also the season, but at that time we were the ones being chased. Many comrades who got along day and night were left behind due to poor physical strength, and were finally killed by Ma's army. Today As a veteran of mine, it was very difficult for me to calm down when I climbed Liupan Mountain. I remember that some of us said: We are going to fight back! Now we are finally fighting back.” Li Zhimin said: "Yes, we are back, and we have come back victorious." "It's a pity that our comrades-in-arms who died here will no longer be seen. I remember that there was a surveyor named Huang in our red regiment. I can't remember his name. He was from Ji'an, Jiangxi, and he disappeared in this area. Only At the age of 17, he was a scholar of our regiment, and he drew all the maps that our army fought at that time. Although it was rough, it was of great help to our marching and fighting.” "We have sacrificed many comrades in the past, and now the revolution is finally about to succeed. Thinking about it, their blood was not in vain. We can only fight a beautiful battle in Lanzhou to comfort the heroes who are buried here." On August 20, Yang Dezhi's corps finally joined forces with Xu Guangda's corps outside Lanzhou City. Ma Jiyuan was like an ant on a hot pot, and immediately ordered all troops to prepare for the battle. Peng Dehuai's mood is also very complicated. He understands that Lanzhou is not a good bone to chew on. Qingma has placed all his bets here. After observing Ma Jiyuan's defensive position, he immediately called Yang Dezhi and Xu Guangda to the command post to study the combat plan. . He asked his staff to hang the map on the wall, studied it repeatedly for a while, and said to them: "It seems that the enemy's fortifications on the periphery of Lanzhou are very strong. To break through the Majiyuan defense line, you must first take down the east, south, and west sides. a position on a high mountain.” Yang Dezhi said: "I have investigated, and Ma Jiyuan's main force is all on Nanshan Mountain. There are layers of defenses here, so it is not easy to break through. But if we don't attack here first, our main force will not be able to approach Lanzhou City. I think we should try to use our forces first. Attack the Nanshan position." Peng Dehuai said: "Whether the Battle of Lanzhou can end in a short period of time depends on two key points. One is to take the Nanshan position as soon as possible, and the other is to seize the Yellow River Iron Bridge and cut off the enemy's retreat. The enemy is most afraid of losing these two places. So we will attack here first, and before the general offensive is launched, the 19th Corps can concentrate a few regiments for a trial attack." Yang Dezhi said: "Okay, we are going to make a trial attack." Peng Dehuai was also very cautious in using troops, and finally he made the following arrangements for the two corps: The task of Xu Guangda's 2nd Corps is to attack Yingpanling, Shenjialing and Qilihe, and then launch an attack on Xiguan and Nanguan of Lanzhou City. Cross the Yellow River and wipe out the enemies on the north bank. The mission of Yang Dezhi's 19th Corps was to first capture Majia Mountain, Gucheng Ridge in the south of the road, and Shili Mountain in the north of Doujia Mountain along the Xilan Highway, and then launch an attack on Lanzhou Dongguan. The two corps' attack on Lanzhou was a little weaker in terms of strength, but Peng Dehuai deployed his strength from the entire northwest battle situation.Although Hu Zongnan retreated to Hanzhong, he still has an army distributed in Fengxian County, Huixian County, Wudu County, Chengxian County and other places below Tianshui, and it is possible to march westward at any time to support Ma Bufang. Instead of driving into Lanzhou, they stayed near Tianshui to contain Hu's troops. At this time, the main force of Wang Zhen's Corps had successfully entered Linxia. Before the general offensive was launched, Peng Dehuai gave specific instructions to General Wang Zhen of the 1st Corps. The contents of the telegram were as follows: The Qingma bandit army is now determined to stick to Lanzhou. After our left corps enters Linxia, ​​it may shake its determination to stick to it, but it may also prompt it to recklessly decide to stick to it, and even abandon Xining and withdraw to the east bank of the Datong River, Xiangtang, Xincheng, and the north bank of Huangshui River. , to ensure the retreat to Hexi.When our army fails to capture Lanzhou for six or seven days, the main force of Ningma may take the opportunity to reinforce Lanzhou.There are more than 2,000 vehicles in the two horses of Qinghai and Ningxia. It is necessary to fully estimate the possibility of transporting the main vehicles of Ningma and Ningma to Lanzhou.If this happens, the 1st Corps can detour to the north of Lanzhou, and our army will concentrate 3 Corps to fight in Lanzhou.The Wang Zhen Corps should be fully prepared for this type of battle. How to attack Lanzhou, Peng Dehuai considered very carefully. When mobilizing the troops, he emphasized: The Qingma bandit army is the most effective unit in the enemy army today, and it is also one of the most stubborn enemies in the whole country. We must have sufficient estimates of them and make sufficient mental preparations to guard against the pride of underestimating the enemy. Ministries need careful reconnaissance, precise planning, and full preparation when attacking. ... It is necessary to concentrate superior forces, firepower, and technology, and wipe out the enemy one by one on the hills, houses, and positions.If you don't attack, you have already, and the attack will work. During the attack, it is necessary to fully annihilate the enemy's counterattack troops and organize the elimination of counterattack firepower.Construct fortifications against counterattacks. Close infantry coordination.Artillery must repeatedly and accurately reconnoite the enemy's firepower and firepower equipment, conduct well-organized battlefield observation, and avoid blind shooting.It should be noted that superior artillery fire is not omnipotent in the face of a stubborn enemy. To overcome the enemy's outer trenches and steep walls, it is necessary to approach by digging trenches and modifying the terrain, and destroy them with explosives.Due to the difficulty of transporting ammunition, shelling could only be auxiliary. It can be seen that Peng Dehuai's brain was in a high state of operation before the launch of the Lanzhou Campaign. He did not close his eyes for several days, and the commanders of other arms were also like this.Facing the Ma Jiyuan troops scattered on various hills, our army's three-way attack was not easy. August 21. The first trial attack began.Our army shared the strength of 9 regiments this time, and the attack route was as follows: The 63rd Army and the 65th Army used a total of 5 regiments to attack the first-line positions of Doujiashan, Guchengling and Shilishan. The 4th Army attacked Shenjialing with two regiments. The 6th Army attacked the Panling position on the main peak of Gaolan Mountain with two regiments. After the general offensive was launched, the enemy stubbornly resisted with solid fortifications. On the attack front for more than ten miles, the sound of artillery was loud, and the shouts of killing were louder and louder. However, the progress was very slow. The enemy fired crossfire, and the smoke billowed , Seeing the soldiers of the People's Liberation Army who rushed forward fell down one by one like sheaves of wheat. Ma Jiyuan's troops were red-eyed and showed strong combat effectiveness. Ma Jiyuan placed his three elite divisions on the main position. The 100th Division is defending the front lines of Doujiashan, Guchengling and Shilishan. It is the 248th Division that defends Yingpan Ridge. Shenjialing and Gouwa Mountain were guarded by the 190th Division. In addition, two divisions were placed in the Xiguan area of ​​Lanzhou as a reserve team. Ma Jiyuan's total force for the decisive battle was about 50,000 people. It stands to reason that Peng Dehuai's two corps could easily deal with these 50,000 people, but because the enemy was in a defensive position and the fortifications were strong, it posed a great threat to the siege troops. The enemy and us have been fighting fiercely for a whole day, and a situation of confrontation between the two armies has formed. When Peng Dehuai learned that the nine regiments had failed to attack across the board, he felt very sad. The casualties of the troops were so heavy, if they continued to attack, the losses would be even greater. At this time, he had no choice but to give orders to the troops to stop the attack and withdraw the troops to the original place to rest. This trial attack also fully demonstrated the harshness of the decisive battle in Lanzhou. A veteran fighter who took part in the attack later recalled: That trial attack was intense!The enemy's firepower is too fierce. There are more bunkers than rat holes on the hills, and it is impossible to defend against it.Their positions responded to each other, their firepower was crossed, and the bullets were densely packed, not to mention people, even flies could not fly past.Our artillery fire only destroyed their exposed targets, and those bunkers were the most powerful. Our demolition team can't rely on it at all, it can't get close.I remember that the Demoman sacrificed a lot that day!The brothers are really tenacious enough, knowing that they can't charge up, they gritted their teeth and charged up, but were repulsed by the enemy.We retreated, and the enemy came out of the fortifications again and organized a counterattack. The failure of this trial attack put a lot of pressure on the commanders at all levels. Leaders of the Military Commission, such as Mao Zedong, Zhu De, and Zhou Enlai, who were far away in Beiping, have always been very concerned about the progress of Lanzhou.After repeated consideration, Peng Dehuai truthfully reported the setbacks of the troops' test attack to the Central Military Commission. When the War Room of the Military Commission forwarded the telegram to Mao Zedong, Mao Zedong was checking the Northwest Operational Map, and the confidential staff reported softly: "Chairman, Lanzhou is calling." Mao Zedong hastily put down the half of the cigarette in his hand, and turned around to ask: "Really, how is the battle going with Mr. Peng? I'm waiting for his good news." It was difficult for the staff officer to say anything. He knew very well that since the First Field Army entered the Northwest, Mao Zedong told them: "The Northwest Campaign is of great importance. If President Peng calls, he must report to me in time without delay." Chairman Mao Zedong wanted to get good news, but the first attack on Lanzhou was very unsatisfactory. He read Peng Dehuai's telegram several times, and finally said to the staff: "It seems that the enemy is defending Lanzhou to the death. Once, until it is conquered, I don't believe that Ma Bufang's Lanzhou is impenetrable!" That night he called Peng Dehuai back and instructed: Ma Bufang's determination to defend Lanzhou will help our army wipe out the enemy.In order to annihilate this enemy, it seems necessary to concentrate 3 corps to attack Lanzhou.After Wang Zhen's corps crossed the river from the upper reaches, it seemed appropriate to detour behind Lanzhou, that is, to cut off the roads leading to Qinghai and Xinjiang from Lanzhou and participate in the attack.Before the attack, there must be a week or more for the troops to recover from fatigue, to reconnaissance the enemy's situation, terrain and morale in detail, and to make full preparations for combat.And we must be prepared to use two or three attacks to wipe out the horse enemies and capture Lanzhou if we can't open it once. The 19th Corps was very unconvinced that the attack was blocked. Yang Dezhi said when summing up the lessons at the meeting of cadres above the army: "This time our corps invested five regiments to participate in the attack. Not only did it fail to break through a gap, but it lost so many comrades. What is the problem? In my opinion, apart from our lack of preparation, there is also the idea of ​​underestimating the enemy." Li Zhimin was in the same mood as Yang Dezhi. He stood up and said: "Two days of trial attack, without capturing a single position, this is rare in previous battles. This shows that Ma Bufang's troops do have certain combat effectiveness. It's not enough, but the soldiers are still brave and tenacious, let's study it, how to attack next..." The former finger meeting was in progress, but Peng Dehuai suddenly came. Li Zhimin looked at Peng Dehuai in surprise and said, "Mr. Peng, why did you come here? This place is the closest to the enemy's artillery. It's too dangerous." Peng Dehuai laughed and said: "Aren't you all here? I, Peng Dehuai, have the same fate as everyone else. As the commander-in-chief, I can't grasp the enemy's situation in the front line. How can I command everyone? Besides, isn't Ma Jiyuan clamoring all day to arrest me... ..." Yang Dezhi said: "Boss Peng personally came to the command post of our Corps to give instructions to the commanders of our Corps, but you are the commander-in-chief of the Lanzhou Campaign, so you should not go too deep into the forward positions. If there is a mistake, how can we explain it to Chairman Mao?" Woolen cloth?" "I, Peng Dehuai, thank you for your Corps' concern. I will go back after a round." Yang Dezhi let Peng Dehuai into the tunnel of the command post. Before he could speak, Peng Dehuai said first: "This trial failed, what do you think?" Yang Dezhi's heart was very heavy. He said: "Boss Peng, our 19th Corps has never encountered such a situation. The army, division, and regiment cadres are very breathless, and they urgently want to continue the attack. They must express their anger!" Peng Dehuai did not express his position, and Li Zhimin, who was standing aside, went on to say: "Chairman Mao has repeatedly instructed us not to underestimate the two horses, otherwise we will suffer losses. Although we often sound the alarm for ourselves and educate the troops again and again, this problem has not really been solved. , Sure enough, I suffered the loss of underestimating the enemy. The battle was not fought well, and the main responsibility lies with the leaders of the Corps.” Peng Dehuai looked at them and said: "This trial attack was decided by me. The time was short and the preparations were insufficient. However, I think the main reason for the obstruction is that we underestimate the enemy, and the secondary reason is that the enemy is stubborn and the fortifications are strong. The most effective unit in the army is also one of the few stubborn enemies in the country. We learned about the enemy through this trial attack, which is the biggest gain. Tell the troops to calm down, sum up the experience and lessons carefully, and carefully study the enemy's defense characteristics, and make solid preparations. Stand by to launch a general attack.” Yang Dezhi asked: "When will the general attack be?" Peng Dehuai replied: "Just recently." Yang Dezhi said: "Now we are very close to Ma Bufang's defensive force. After the general offensive was launched, our force appeared to be a little weaker." Peng Dehuai told him: "I have also considered this issue. If the offensive and defensive forces are equal, the attacking side will have more difficulties. I will send other corps to reinforce. Now Wang Zhen's corps has successively occupied Linxia, ​​which is close to Qinghai, and cut off the army. The connection between Lanzhou and Xining, besides the first army in Ningxia area, I plan to send a few more regiments to stop Ningma, so that they cannot come to Lanzhou to reinforce Ma Bufang, Ma Bufang will not last for a few days without foreign aid." Peng Dehuai left the Corps Command Post and walked towards the forward positions of several other armies and divisions. This is his style. Every time he commands an operation, he must go to the forefront to observe the terrain and understand the thoughts of the commanders and fighters. The Lanzhou decisive battle will be a rather harsh battle. As far as the actual situation of our army was concerned at that time, five armies with more than 100,000 horses were very tired after a long-distance march, and they began to fight without recovery. There are also many. Some people say that the outskirts of Lanzhou are sparsely populated, so many troops have come to eat and drink, and the supply of food and grass is facing difficulties. It is better to take a rest first and launch an attack after everything is ready. Peng Dehuai came back from inspecting the frontier positions of the troops. After repeated studies, he believed that it is still necessary to seize the opportunity and launch a general offensive immediately. If it is delayed, it will not take a few days to conquer Lanzhou once Ma Hongkui's reinforcements arrive. Lanzhou on the plateau outside the Great Wall is the main traffic route leading to the provinces of Xining, Nanjing and Qinghai. Its strategic position has been very important since ancient times. It used to be a battleground for military strategists.When the Anti-Japanese War broke out, the Kuomintang government spent a lot of effort to build a large number of fortifications on three high mountains outside Lanzhou City. It basically formed a three-in-one defense posture. Under this special geographical condition surrounded by mountains on three sides and a river on one side, Lanzhou City has a strong defensive advantage. After the three major battles, Chiang Kai-shek's army retreated steadily. Leading the People's Liberation Army to liberate most of China in a stormy situation, the Kuomintang government bet the magic weapon of the final struggle in the Northwest. In Chiang Kai-shek's words, as long as the Northwest can persist for half a year, World War III will break out. With the support of the Americans, all the lost land in the mainland will be recovered.The vast territory of the Northwest has long been dominated by various local warlords. The Kuomintang government has no way to control it. It can only use them to rule the Northwest in order to achieve social peace. Taiyuan was liberated, Hu Zongnan was defeated, and Peng Dehuai's 300,000 troops marched westward. The strategic situation changed fundamentally. At this critical moment, the crumbling Kuomintang government could only hand over the power of the Northwest to local warlords such as Ma Bufang and Ma Hongkui. Ma Bufang became the highest officer in the Northwest, and forced hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians to the mountains outside Lanzhou City, and built various fortifications day and night. After three months, all the hills were criss-crossed with bright and dark fortresses, and they were almost bare. The mountain has been opened up, big holes and small holes are connected, and the fortifications of various shapes are all poured with reinforced concrete, and its firepower configuration is very strong.Standing on the Gouwa Mountain, Ma Jiyuan confidently declared that this place could hold back 100,000 soldiers. After the first attack was frustrated, Peng Dehuai was under a lot of ideological pressure. He had clearly realized that Lanzhou was different from Taiyuan and Xi'an, and that it was impossible to succeed quickly without paying a greater price. He told the commanders and fighters many times that the current two horses are not only stubborn, but also have the strongest combat effectiveness. The Battle of Lanzhou will be a harsh and arduous decisive battle. Returning from the forward position of the siege troops, Peng Dehuai frowned, standing in front of the battle map in deep thought. In Lanzhou in August, the sun is still extremely hot. The sky was high and the clouds were clear, and there was not much wind. It stands to reason that this is the season of the rainy season, but there is no sign of rain. Many soldiers are not used to the climate here. Whether to continue to attack the city has become his final decision. . He spent an entire afternoon thinking about it in this temporary command post, and finally decided to continue the attack, and it will start tomorrow. He is a very deep senior commander. No matter in the critical moment of the flames of war or during the easy march, his face is always tense, and it is difficult to see a smile, but he is very concerned about his subordinates. Whenever the battle goes wrong, he will take the responsibility on himself, never blame others, honest, strong character, deeply loved by officers and soldiers. In the early morning of August 24, he telegraphed his plan to attack Lanzhou to the Central Military Commission. He said in the telegram: Determined to attack Lanzhou with three corps, Wang Zhen's corps detoured from the upper reaches of Lanzhou to Lanbei.It is very likely that Ningma dispatched three armies to reinforce the left bank of the Yellow River.If the two horses gather in Lanzhou, together with Zhou Jiabin and Huang Zuxun, a total of 130,000 soldiers will defend Jiancheng. Even if our army gathers three corps, it will not be easy to capture in a short period of time. It is impossible to get enough relief, and it is even more impossible to transport food.Therefore, it was decided to besiege Lanzhou before Ma Hongkui arrived, in order to solve the main force of Qingma first.Now the 2nd Corps and the 19th Corps are ready to attack the city, fatigue has not yet recovered, food is insufficient, oil and vegetables are more difficult to solve, and the Qingma bandits continue to attack, so it is difficult to get a rest.Judging from the current preparations, the siege of the city is 70% to 80% sure, so it is decided to start the attack on the morning of the 25th.If Qingma is not resolved, and Ningma reinforcements are approaching, Lanzhou will be besieged with 4 armies, and 5 armies will be assembled to attack Ningma. After the telegram was sent, Peng Dehuai was very disturbed. He was worried that the Central Military Commission might not agree with his attack across the board.It is reasonable to have this kind of thinking, because Mao Zedong and other leaders of the Military Commission were very dissatisfied with the failure of the first attack two days ago, thinking that they had insufficient preparation. But Peng Dehuai had his own ideas. He believed that although he did not capture, he also knew the distribution of troops and the scale of firepower deployment in the enemy's defensive positions, which provided valuable information for the general attack. Mao Zedong was a little hesitant when he received the telegram. He said to Zhu De and Zhou En who were sitting across from each other: "Boss Peng asked to attack Lanzhou from all fronts tomorrow, isn't it too hasty?" Zhu De said: "The Lanzhou defenders are a staunch enemy. Boss Peng said in his call that it is better to strike early than late. In my opinion, he is sure to win." Mao Zedong paced back and forth indoors, smoking non-stop. After the trial attack of the Lanzhou Campaign was blocked, he was greatly shocked. The Northwest has not yet been taken, and preparations for the founding of the country are in progress. If the four northwest provinces are not liberated as soon as possible, it will have an impact on the establishment of the Central People's Government. He turned to Zhou Enlai again: "Enlai, tell me!" Zhou Enlai looked at him and said: "The situation in Lanzhou is not good for our army now. Mr. Peng said that if the siege lasts for a long time, the two horses will join hands to defend to the death. I agree to launch a general offensive tomorrow, but the enemy and our forces are equally matched. Fight It's going to be tough." Mao Zedong nodded: "Yes, five armies against five armies are equal in strength. I think Wang Zhen's corps should be transferred back and invested in the siege." Zhou Enlai: "This suggestion is very good." Mao Zedong lit another cigarette, sat down and said to Zhu De: "I'm going to attack Lanzhou tomorrow, and I'm still worried about my lack of preparation!" Zhu De said: "This is Boss Peng's determination, which shows that he is sure of winning." "Then you agree." "I agree." "Enlai also agrees, then call Dehuai immediately, he has a very temper, if he calls back late, he will scold his mother..." All three of them laughed. Then they called Peng Dehuai back in the name of the Central Military Commission and said: Concentrate your forces, make full preparations, continue to attack, conquer Lanzhou, and resolutely annihilate Qingma.