Chapter 49 5. Seven battles and seven victories

On the evening of July 13, the Battle of Central Soviet Union started!Unexpectedly, this battle lasted for nearly one and a half months, with a total of 7 battles, and each battle was victorious. The first battle Xuantai: On July 13, under the command of Tao Yong, our 1st Division arrived in the Xuanjiapu area from Rugao.At dusk, the battle started. After a day and a night of fierce fighting, when the morning star hung high in the sky the next day, a message came from the phone of Su Yu's headquarters: "The enemy in Xuanjiabao has been wiped out." In the Xuantai battle, the main task assigned to the 6th Division was to conquer Taixing, and cooperate with friendly and neighboring troops to block the enemy who might come to aid from Jingjiang and the port.

At 21:00 on the 13th, the battle to attack Taixing started.The sudden attack of our army caught the enemy by surprise and panicked them.On the morning of the 14th, our 6th Division cleared the periphery and approached the city wall.The enemies in the city relied on the city walls to resist stubbornly. Cannons and machine guns bombarded and strafed our army violently from the top of the city.After a day of intense work, all regiments have completed their siege preparations. The heads of the 6th Division Wang Bicheng and Jiang Weiqing immediately issued an order to attack the city at 18:00 that day.

In the evening, Taixing City looked unusually peaceful. At 17:30, our artillery suddenly opened fire, and rows of artillery shells roared and poured on the enemy's position, and the whole earth trembled.After fierce fighting, by the afternoon of the 15th, a regiment of the enemy in Taixing was basically wiped out by our army.Only one or two hundred remnants of the regiment headquarters retreated to Qingyun Temple to resist stubbornly. At this time, the enemy has determined that our main force is in Taixing and Xuanjiapu, and immediately ordered its main force to attack Taixing and Rugao.

The Central China Field Army first learned of this situation, and in view of the fact that Xuanjiapu and Taixing defended the enemy were basically wiped out, and decisively decided: the 6th Division left a small number of troops to continue to besiege the remnant enemy in Taixing, causing the enemy to misunderstand that the main force of our army is still there. In Taixing, the main force immediately moved eastward and selected another fighter plane to destroy the enemy. So far, the Xuantai battle has ended victoriously, and more than 3,000 enemies have been wiped out. The Xuanjiapu and Taixing battles were carried out by our army on the eve of the enemy's attack and when they were negligently on guard. They destroyed the enemy's middle road, expanded our army's room for maneuver, and created conditions for the transfer of troops and continuous operations.

World War II Runan (Southeast of Rugao): After the enemy Li Mo'an discovered that the main force of Huaye was on the front line of Taixing and Xuanjiapu, he ordered the 160th and 187th Brigades of the 65th Division and the 99th Brigade of the 69th Division to cross the river for reinforcements on the 15th and invade Huangqiao in the north; The enemy's 49th Division also attacked Linzi to the north at the same time, attempting to divide the troops into two groups and take advantage of the gap to occupy our city of Rugao.The enemy's 25th Division and 83rd Division in Taizhou each used a part of the East to cooperate with the attack.In this way, the main force of the multi-way attack on our Huaye is in the triangle area between the Ru (Gao) Huang (Qiao) Highway, the Tong (Nantong) Ru (Gao) Highway and the Yangtze River.

The head of the Central China Field Army judged: the enemy attacking Rugao is in motion and has no fortifications to rely on; the enemy's 49th Division is a miscellaneous army, which can be regarded as a weak enemy; For more than 100 miles, the enemy is paralyzed and careless, which is an opportunity to take advantage of.So he decided to fight continuously, and ordered the 1st and 6th divisions to transfer troops immediately, travel day and night, move eastward quickly, and annihilate the enemy in the southeast of Rugao City. Without further ado, the troops of the 1st Division set off immediately after dinner.

Just after dawn, the 2nd Regiment of my 1st Brigade inserted into Sanlilou on Tongru Highway, cutting off the enemy's 49th Division's retreat.Coincidentally, the enemy's mountain artillery battalion came over the road, and the dust was billowing, and it was swaggering northward, preparing to bombard Rugao City.So the 2nd regiment came and accepted all orders.At the same time, the 1st Regiment of the 1st Brigade also surrounded Ding Kan and lifted the enemy's right-wing barrier. Wang Tiehan, the commander of the enemy's 69th Division, who was dreaming of taking advantage of the void, was still ordering to "send as many small troops as possible to advance to Rugao City and occupy it." He and his division headquarters and the 26th Brigade had already been captured. My 7th vertical and 1st division were tightly clamped.

The enemy is like a sugar cane, lying in the area of ​​Guitou Street, more than 20 miles southeast of Rugao.My 9th Regiment of the 3rd Brigade and the 3rd Regiment of the 1st Brigade gnawed along Guitou Street and Gaojiaan section by section. On Guitou Street, our army seized a telephony machine.The head of the division immediately ordered someone to remove the sending system on the machine, and sent a secretary to listen to the enemy's situation.As soon as the wavelength met, he heard Wang Tiehan giving combat orders to his subordinates.This is really a convenience: if he transfers the troops to the east, our army will fight the east; if he transfers the troops to the west, our army will fight the west...

There is no reason for such a style of play. At dusk, our 1st Division used the 7th Regiment, the main force, to go straight to the field belly where the enemy's division headquarters was stationed, forcing the enemy to shrink their troops.Wang Tiehan desperately called the 79th Brigade on the left to move closer.At the same time, the 6th Division was ordered to move eastward on the evening of the 15th. The main force was to meet the enemy's 79th Brigade on the left side of the 49th Division in the Yanghuaqiao and Songjiaqiao areas. The 65th Division and the 99th Brigade of the 69th Division.

On the 18th, while the 1st Division surrounded the headquarters of the enemy's reorganized 49th Division and the 26th Brigade in the Guitou Street and Tianduli areas, the 54th Regiment of the 18th Brigade of the 6th Division and the 46th Regiment of the 16th Brigade were in the local area. With the cooperation of the armed forces, the enemy's 79th Brigade was surrounded in the Yanghuaqiao and Songjiaqiao areas. On the 19th and 20th, our army launched consecutive attacks, dealing devastating blows to the enemy.At this time, the enemy's 65th Division and the 99th Brigade of the 69th Division were approaching the combat area, and the 6th Division was ordered to stop the attack and withdraw from the battle.

The Runan battle was the second battle of the Central Soviet Union Campaign. It wiped out the headquarters of the enemy's reorganized 49th Division, all of the 26th Brigade, and most of the 79th Brigade, achieving the expected combat goal. Three World War Hai'an: After the two battles of Xuantai and Runan, the enemy wiped out two and a half brigades and lost more than 13,000 people. They only got an empty city in Rugao, and mistakenly believed that occupying the liberated area was a "victory".Chen Cheng, chief of staff of the Kuomintang army, arrived in Nantong in person, dispatched troops and generals, and organized 6 brigades to launch a new attack and jointly attack Hai'an.The forces of the enemy's six brigades were almost completely close together. The entire frontal battlefield was less than 30 miles wide and only 20 miles deep, making it difficult to divide and encircle. In the face of the enemy's situation, Su Yu carried out careful planning: first, a small group of troops was used to implement a mobile defense around Hai'an, killing a large number of people and consuming the enemy's vital forces; the 1st and 6th divisions used the time for a short-term rest and waited to wipe out the enemy.He went to Huai'an in person to discuss with the comrades in charge of the Central China Branch and the Central China Military Region. After the specific deployment was reported to the Central Military Commission, it was approved. The glorious and arduous task of guarding Hai'an was entrusted to all the commanders and fighters of my 7th column. 7 Zong only had more than 4,000 people at this time, and it really required great courage and courage to resist the successive attacks of more than 50,000 enemies. 7 Zong's commanders and fighters deeply felt the arduous and arduous task, and were determined to fight this battle well. Before the war, the commander of the column, Guan Wenwei, convened a meeting of cadres, carried out ideological mobilization, and made serious arrangements for the regiments under his command. On the morning of July 30, under the alternate cover of planes and artillery, the enemy advanced across the board towards Hai'an.I resisted with all my strength for 4 days in the 7th column, and retreated to the urban area after the evening of August 2nd.At this time, Su Yu believed that the "proud enemy" had matured, and our 7th column immediately withdrew from Hai'an, so as to further create the enemy's illusion that "our army was forced to abandon the strategic location".At 11 o'clock that night, the 7th Column withdrew from Hai'an in an orderly manner after successfully completing the scheduled combat mission.In this battle, the 7 verticals fought for 4 days and nights, killing more than 3,000 enemies, and only more than 200 people were killed or injured. Su Yu's strategy of arrogating the enemy really succeeded.However, in order for the enemy to claim credit from above, the KMT's 1st Sui District Command actually "reported victory" to Chiang Kai-shek by annihilating 20,000 to 30,000 of us, and arrogantly declared that "the general situation of the Communist Army in northern Jiangsu is over." Immediately divide the troops to "clear and suppress" in order to consolidate the occupied areas. The Central Military Commission and Mao Zedong paid close attention to the Central Soviet battlefield. On August 9, they sent a telegram to the Central China Field Army Command: "This is a good opportunity to wipe out the enemy." Thus, the Battle of Fort Lee began again. Four Battles at Fort Lee: After our army withdrew from Hai'an, the enemy triumphantly divided their troops wantonly and occupied Jiangyan, Xichang, Dingjiasuo, and Libao in an attempt to consolidate the occupied areas in central and southern Jiangsu.As a result, the Kuomintang army set up a long snake formation on the 300-mile section from Yangzhou in the west to the sea in the east, so that our army can defeat them one by one.As for our army, because Tan Zhenlin, political commissar of the Central China Field Army, led the 5th brigade to central Jiangsu, it has increased its vitality. Now let's see when and where the next battle will be played. Where will the next battle be fought?Su Yu chose Libao Town. On August 10th, the 1st Division received an order for action. The troops set out from the Sancang River, avoided the main road and took trails, crossed dozens of river ditches in a row, marched more than 50 miles in a hurry, and arrived at the outskirts of Fort Lee that night. Libao Town is located at the eastern end of the enemy's long snake formation, with no support in the northeast, and the enemy put a regiment there alone.Moreover, on this day, the enemy changed defense—the new 7th brigade deputy brigade commander Tian Congyun led the 19th regiment to take over the defense and the handover was not completed. The 65th Division of the Guangdong Army defeated Fort Li and left, and handed it over to the 49th Division of the Northeast Army ; Then the new 7th brigade was allocated to the 49th division to command, and the division quickly sent its 105th brigade to Hai'an, asking the Sichuan army to take the lead outside.Tossed and tossed, messed up. In this service, our army captured more than 5,000 enemies and killed and wounded more than 3,000 enemies, which dealt a heavy blow to the enemy and further lowered their morale.Li Mo'an was furious, and blamed all the responsibility for the defeat of the battle on the head of the New 7th Brigade, and threatened to punish Huang Boguang, the brigade commander. On August 15, he personally went to Rugao to inquire about the crime, and scolded the commander of the new 7th brigade to the point of blood.But in the end, it was only a group leader who was arrested as a scapegoat. After the above four battles, the Kuomintang army lost troops and lost more than 30,000 people. Therefore, it had to re-adjust and deploy troops from the south of the Yangtze River to organize new attacks; Small-scale "clearance and suppression" in the southern area.However, our army's equipment has been improved, its troops have been expanded, and it has become stronger with each battle. The victory in the Battle of Fort Lee shattered the enemy's attempt to fight our army in Hai'an, complete the east-west blockade and consolidate the occupied area. Five Wars Dingyan: After the Battle of Fort Li, the Central Military Commission and Mao Zedong instructed Huaye: "The scattered enemies in the central Soviet Union will help us to defeat them individually. I hope to organize several more battles...Anyone who can be wiped out will be wiped out." He also earnestly expects and encourages our Central China troops: "It will have a great impact on the overall situation if we can completely smash the attack of the Jiang army in the central Soviet Union." After receiving the telegram from the Military Commission, Su Yu was extremely excited and determined to show his skills again.He and his old partner Tan Zhenlin issued a series of general orders. On August 21, the main forces of Huaye rushed southwest from Fort Li, penetrated into the enemy's rear, and entered its second line: my 6th Division attacked Linzi, and the newcomers The 5th Brigade attacked Dongchen, and the 1st Division attacked Dingyan. The three steel knives of our army slashed at the waist of the snake together. There are 4 brigades of the traffic police force stationed in Dingyan Town, with more than 1,500 people, belonging to the special forces commanded by the Kuomintang spy chief Dai Li.Our 1st Division went into battle with the 7th and 8th regiments of the 3rd brigade, and fought fiercely overnight to wipe out the enemy. Linzi, 8 kilometers north of Dingyan, is a town on the (south)-Ru (Gao) Highway.At this time, the enemy has been surrounded by our 6th division, unable to defend, no way to escape, no way to ask for help, and has become a turtle in a urn.Our attacking team immediately began to shout on the battlefield and carried out political offensives. The enemies surrendered one after another, and a few remnants jumped into the river to escape. They were all shot to death in Hanoi by our army.At 16 o'clock in the battle, more than 2,200 people from 2 enemy traffic police brigades and 1 security regiment were all wiped out. Six battles like yellow: Annihilated the spies and gangsters, opened the gap to attack the enemy's rear, and threatened Rugao City.Li Mo'an increased his troops in Rugao, and at the same time ordered the enemy's reorganized 25th Division, which had long been deployed in the west, to attack Shao Bo.Since Li Mo'an can be the commander of the Sui District, he is not a fool. His wishful thinking is well planned: the main force of our army is far southeast of Rugao. If we go north to Dongtai and Xinghua for reinforcements, it will take time. We can defeat Shao Bo, go upstream, occupy Gaoyou, and go straight to Huaiyin, the capital of central China.In this way, they not only saved Dongtou, but also picked up Xitou, and the east and west echoed, killing two birds with one stone. Li Mo'an's trick was quickly seen through by Su Yu.For the safety of Shaobo, Gaoyou, and Huaiyin, Su Yu, who is familiar with the art of war, decided to use the strategy of "surrounding Wei and saving Zhao" and adopting the tactics of "attacking the Yellow (bridge) to save Shao (Bo)" to mobilize the enemy and annihilate them during the campaign. .In order to achieve this determination, the 1st Division, 6th Division, 5th Brigade, and Special Task Force were ordered to move westward quickly. At this moment, Yesi obtained reliable information: the enemy transferred the 99th Brigade from Huangqiao to the north along the Ruhuang Road to increase the defense of Rugao; .Calculating the time, it happened to be full of my 1st division. How can I not accept the gift delivered to my door?Su Yu made a decisive decision and urgently ordered the 1st Division: Stop on the spot and wipe out this group of enemies. Three hits in one fell swoop!It can be said that it is a flexible and bold decision that the enemy changes and we change.Tao Yong said with great admiration: "It's hard to find this work without a big hand." On the afternoon of August 23, the 6th Division fought with the enemy's 99th Brigade in the southern demarcation area.Soon, the 3rd Brigade of our 1st Division also encountered the enemy from Rugao in the north. The Ruhuang battle, through the joint efforts of our central Soviet troops, with the full support of the local party, government agencies and folks, ended at 5 pm on the 27th.The enemy's 187th Brigade, 1 regiment of the 79th Brigade, and 1 battalion of the 99th Brigade were wiped out except for a few scattered escapes.I also shot down an enemy plane and seized a large number of weapons and ammunition. Seven Wars Shao Bo: During the Battle of Central Soviet Union, our 10th Column was ordered to move southward from Gaoyou to the Shaobo line to secure the canal line so that the main force could look for fighter planes on the eastern front and annihilate the enemy with camera. On August 23, the enemy's reorganized 25th Division attacked Shaobo, Qiaoshu and Dinggou in three ways.Fighting until night, the enemy of Dinggou was repelled by our army.Qiaoshu Henan Street was captured by the enemy, and our army retreated to Qiaoshu Hebei.The enemy who attacked Shaobo attacked several times, but our army repelled them all. Only the highway bridge 3 miles east of Shaobo was the enemy's breakthrough. The command post ordered the 82nd regiment to reinforce and counterattack, and quickly regained it. The battle situation is becoming more tense and fierce day by day. On the 24th, 25th, and 26th, the enemy successively launched fierce attacks on Shaobo and Qiaoshu, causing heavy casualties, but our army's position remained unchanged.In addition, victories in battles on the Eastern Front, such as the Yellow Road, also threatened the enemy's rear.Therefore, by the evening of the 26th, the enemy retreated across the board to the Xiannv Temple and Yiling.Shao Bo's defense battle ended in victory.In this battle, more than 2,000 enemies were wiped out, and our army also suffered more than 1,000 casualties.