Chapter 132 Chapter 15 Qinghuabian, Yangmahe, and Panlong Battles: Three Battles and Three Victories

The days and nights of the Yan'an Defense War were extremely difficult times on the Northwest battlefield.Hu Zongnan's hundreds of thousands of troops, using their superior equipment, rushed towards the border area aggressively.By March 16, 1947, the first-line position of our defense forces had been broken through.Yan'an is in a critical situation where the enemy is heavily suppressing the territory.To hold back the Hu Zongnan Group, defend the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, and then liberate the Northwest, a powerful and prestigious commander is needed to lead the troops in the Border Region.Mao Zedong selected Peng Dehuai.

On March 16, the Central Military Commission issued an order: All corps and all troops in the border area, "beginning on March 17, will be under the command of Comrades Peng Dehuai and Xi Zhongxun."Peng Dehuai served as the commander-in-chief of the Northwest Field Corps, directly commanding the field troops on the Northwest battlefield to fight. According to the order of the Military Commission, Zhang Zongxun, Liao Hansheng's 1st column, Wang Zhen's 2nd column, Luo Yuanfa's teaching brigade, and Zhang Xianyue's new 4th brigade formed the Northwest Field Corps (named Northwest Field Army on July 31).Peng Dehuai was the commander and political commissar, and Xi Zhongxun was the deputy political commissar.Xi Zhongxun, who was ordered together with Peng Dehuai, was then secretary of the Northwest Bureau of the Communist Party of China.He has worked in Northwest China for a long time, is well versed in the geography and people's conditions of Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia, and has close ties with cadres and the masses in the border areas.

On March 18, Hu Zong's southern troops approached the city of Yan'an.Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and other central leaders are still in Wangjiaping. In the afternoon of the same day, some members of the Central Committee and the Northwest Bureau of the Communist Party of China met in the cave dwelling where Mao Zedong lived in Wangjiaping to study the work after the withdrawal from Yan'an and the combat deployment of the Northwest Field Corps. After the meeting, Peng Dehuai, Xi Zhongxun and others repeatedly urged Mao Zedong to set off.It was not until dusk that Mao Zedong walked out of the cave and said to Peng Dehuai: "Hu Zongnan's occupation of Yan'an will not save Chiang Kai-shek's fate." He pointed a finger at Peng Dehuai and said: "You only need one month to wipe out one regiment of the enemy. You can regain Yan’an in less than three years.” Afterwards, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and others left Wangjiaping, passed the airport, Qiao’ergou, and Guaimao by car, and moved northeast along the Xian (Yang) Yu (Lin) Highway.

Peng Dehuai and Xi Zhongxun sent Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai away and returned to Wangjiaping's residence. Zhang Zongxun, commander of the first column, and Liao Hansheng, political commissar, were waiting to report the situation and accept the task.Peng Dehuai said to the heavy-hearted and anxious commanders: We must tell our cadres and soldiers that abandoning Yan'an is the decision of the Central Committee and Chairman Mao, and it is temporary.Our commanders and fighters have deep feelings for the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao, so they should listen to Chairman Mao's words, and don't care about gains or losses in one city or one place.Putting Hu Zongnan in is precisely to eliminate Hu Zongnan.

Peng Dehuai sent people to continue to understand the evacuation and transfer of Yan'an organs and the masses, and went to Yangjialing and other places to inspect in person.In accordance with the intentions of the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao, he "conversed with the heads of the front troops on the phone, stipulated the retreat route, and informed the intention and time of retreat." ("Peng Dehuai's Self-Report", People's Publishing House, December 1981 edition, p. 246) At this time, the enemy was getting closer and closer to Yan'an, and the sound of gunfire was clearly audible, but the veteran in the battlefield remained calm and composed.Chief of Staff Zhang Wenzhou said: "Take the call!" Peng Dehuai replied: "No rush! If our high-level organs withdraw early, the lower ones will also withdraw early. This is not good for monitoring the enemy."

At night, the gunfire became more and more intense, and the enemy's shells had already landed on the airport in the east of Yan'an City. It was already very difficult to retreat eastward from Wangjiaping along the main road.The people around were anxiously urging again.Peng Dehuai looked around at the people around him, and said: "Don't rush, Yan'an is not an ordinary place. This retreat will have a great impact on the troops and the masses. Our command organization must persist until the end, so that everyone can feel at ease. ” Until dawn on the 19th, after all the deployments were completed, Peng Dehuai walked around the cave, reached out and touched the table, chairs and bed boards, then waved his hands and said, “Let’s go!” The commanding authority turned over the hill from a small road in the back ditch of Wangjiaping, and walked northeast.This small path was discovered by Peng Dehuai during his usual walks.It can be said that it has become his habit to pay attention to the observation of terrain and roads at all times.

The majestic Pagoda Mountain and the cool water of the Yanhe River are engraved with the deep feelings of revolution.The rows of cave dwellings have left behind countless revolutionaries' hard work, sweat and footprints.Who doesn't have a heavy heart once you leave it!Along the way, Peng Dehuai found that some cadres were very sad, some were silent, and some looked back frequently, looking at the dim pagoda.Peng Dehuai was meditating while walking, and said to everyone from time to time: "Yan'an retreated well, and Hu Zongnan was brought in. Although our place is a little bit bitter, Jinnan Chen Geng has lightened the burden and can develop freely." "Hu Zongnan is a great talent! Don't look at him It was so crazy that we lost our hometown and had to walk at night. The enemy’s occupation of Yan’an is no big deal, and we will come back.” “Yan’an is ours, and no one can move it; soon all of China will be ours .” His words roused everyone’s emotions.

At noon on the 20th, Peng Dehuai led the command organization to Liangcun in the northwest of Qinghuabian.He convened a meeting of all personnel of the headquarters here, and formally formed the command organization of the Northwest Field Corps. Zhang Wenzhou and Wang Zhengzhu served as chief and deputy chiefs of staff, Xu Liqing served as director of the Political Department, and Liu Jingfan, vice chairman of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region Government, served as the logistics commander of the Field Corps.There are fifty or sixty staff members in the headquarters.