Chapter 55 2. Mao Zedong telegraphed Liu Deng to prepare for a big battle

Just after the Battle of Longhai, the Kuomintang army invaded with heavy troops, and the situation was extremely unfavorable to our army.The three columns in Liu Deng's hands originally had only 42,000 people, and more than 5,000 people were killed or injured in the Longhai battle. The troops were very tired and had not had time to rest and replenish.Ammunition is also in short supply and urgently needs to be supplemented by the Shandong Liberated Area.There is less than one battalion of mountain artillery in each column, and there is a shortage of shells.The total number of mortars is less than 100, and each column of engineers has only one company.Continuous fighting has the danger of damaging the vitality and backbone of the troops, but if you don't fight, you won't be able to keep the liberated areas of Heze and Yuncheng, and you will be forced by the enemy to go north of the Yellow River.

To fight or not to fight is a difficult decision. Liu Bocheng recalled: "The army dispatched to fight on the southern front, cutting off the Longhai Road is of great significance. The enemies from the Central Plains (3rd Division, 47th Division, 41st Division) and East China (5th Army, 11th Division, 88th Division) have all come. The burden with East China has been lightened, and it is very important to play a game of chess across the country." Someone asked: "Why didn't we develop southward after the Longhai line was hit?" Liu Bocheng said: "No, we can't go south, we are not strong enough. The problem is Li Xiannian The strength was not good. Chen Yi did not fight well in Si County because of the rain, so he needed to rest. Then the enemy came, and he considered whether to fight. At that time, he couldn’t do it. It is necessary to fight desperately to win. During the defensive period, I started to be very nervous."

On August 22, after Mao Zedong learned that Liu Deng had finished his attack on Longhai Road, he telegraphed them: "I hope to concentrate at least 18 regiments in the north of the road to rest and reorganize, and to fight seven or eight major battles in the future. All supplementary rest and reorganization should be aimed at this." "Don't fight any battles you are not sure of, you will win if you fight; when you fight against a recalcitrant regular army, you must use superior forces to the enemy in each battle, and the ratio is preferably four to one (4000 against 1000, 40000 against 1 10,000 people), at least three to one, annihilating one part, then another, and then a third, defeating each one. I hope this will educate the cadres to overcome the problem of uniform force in campaigns and battles, and the general pursuit of victory. The concept of underestimating the enemy (this concept exists among many cadres)." ("Don't Use Troops Evenly in Battle" August 22, 1946, "Mao Zedong Military Collection" Volume 3, p. 422) Supplement recruits to benefit Fight again.When the battle begins, you must be prepared to follow this instruction in three or four months. The Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army then voluntarily withdrew from the battle on the 22nd, and called the Central Military Commission on the 23rd: "I will gather the 3rd and 6th columns in the north of the road. Take a break and go south on the 24th to carry out the task of developing Huaibei." (On August 23, 1946, Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping reported to the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, Chen Yi, and Song Shilun on the issue of the 3rd and 6th columns resting and reorganizing the 7th column going southward)