Chapter 180 2. Chiang Kai-shek went to Yan'an to deploy reinforcements to Yulin

At the Xiaohe meeting, Mao Zedong pointed out that we cannot wait until the enemy's offensive is smashed and the People's Liberation Army surpasses the enemy in numbers and equipment before launching a strategic counter-offensive.We must immediately turn to the offensive, and the main force must go to the outer lines to lead the war to the Kuomintang-ruled areas.And made a strategic deployment of "coordination between the three armed forces and containment by two wings".According to the deployment, the Northwest Field Army attacked Yulin, lured the enemy northward, dragged Hu Zongnan to exhaustion, and then looked for an opportunity to annihilate part of it, so as to ensure that the Chen (Geng) Xie (Fuzhi) group could cross the river smoothly and advance into western Henan.

In accordance with the strategic deployment formulated by the Xiaohe Conference, Peng Dehuai commanded 8 brigades of the Northwest Field Army and the 4th and 6th Service Regiments of the Suide Division to attack Yulin on August 6. Yulin, formerly known as Yuyang, also known as Tuocheng, is close to Wuding River and Yu River.The terrain here is flat, the land is fertile, and the products are rich.Because it is adjacent to the Great Wall in the north, Wuyan in the south, and adjacent to Ningxia in the northwest, it is located in the hub of Shanxi, Shanxi, Suining, and it has been a battleground for military strategists of all dynasties.

The 22nd Army under the command of Deng Baoshan was stationed in Yulin.Mao Zedong's policy for the Northwest Field Army is: Attack if you can, retreat if you can't, and then look for opportunities to wipe out the enemy. Peng Dehuai commanded the troops, and within two days, most of the Yulin defenders' outlying strongholds on the more than 200-mile defense line from Shenmu Gaojiabao to Hengshan Xiangshuibao were cleared, and the army was approaching the Yulin city. Chiang Kai-shek was very surprised when he learned that the Northwest Field Army had besieged Yulin.He felt that if Yulin was not protected, Ningxia would be isolated. Once Hu Zongnan lost the combat cooperation in the north, it would definitely affect the entire northwest war situation.Therefore, the gains and losses of Yulin have a great bearing on the entire situation in the Northwest War, and should not be taken lightly.On the morning of August 7, he hurriedly flew from Nanjing to Yan'an via Xi'an with the director of the Department of Defense Operations Department and the deputy commander-in-chief of the Air Force Wang Shuming.

At 5 o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, Chiang Kai-shek personally presided over a combat meeting attended by officers above the brigade in Yan'an to study the issue of reinforcements in Yulin.Hu Zongnan, Pei Changhui, Xue Minquan, Dong Zhao, Liu Kan, and Wang Shuming attended the battle meeting.The meeting proposed a combat plan for defending Yulin, the main points of which are: "First, the defenders of Yulin must hold firm until the arrival of reinforcements; second, the entire 36th Division will rush to help Yulin; Straight, avoiding the resistance of bandits in front of Suide and Hengshan, changing to Baoan and Jingbian, leaving the Great Wall, advancing along the southern edge of Yimeng, and entering and exiting Yulin in one fell swoop, out of the enemy's surprise; The friendly forces in the city cut contact and joined forces inside and outside to attack and capture and wipe them out; the fifth and the entire 36th Division will be supplied with food and ammunition every day when they advance." And the reorganized 36th Division was ordered to arrive in Yulin on the 11th.

After the combat conference, on the evening of August 7, Chiang Kai-shek called Hu Zongnan to discuss the battle situation in Yulin again.Hu Zongnan said: "Now the Communist army is besieging Yulin, trying to lure us to break the siege of Yulin, and set up an ambush in the area north of Mizhi to destroy our army. This time, we will not be fooled by them again." After hearing what Hu Zongnan said, Chiang Kai-shek immediately instructed: In the future, when fighting in northern Shaanxi, it is no longer necessary to fight steadily, but to use aggressive tactics to make up for the shortcomings of the past.This time to break the siege of Yulin, the main force can slowly go northward along the Xianyu Highway; and Zhong Song's reorganized 36th Division will set off from Yongningzhai southwest of Ansai, advance rapidly from the left wing, pass Jingbian, exit Hengshan, and follow the The Great Wall moved eastward from the north and flanked the Communist army near Yulin.After breaking the siege of Yulin, when the communist army was retreating, they immediately went out of Yulin and went south, coordinated with the main force going north, attacked from north to south, and fought decisively with the communist army between Yulin and Mizhi, annihilating the communist army or driving the communist army to the east of the Yellow River.Hu Zongnan proposed that all the main forces of his department go north for a decisive battle, and the rear communication lines will lack cover troops.At the same time, it is the rainy season, and the supply of troops will also become a big problem.Chiang Kai-shek said that the supply problem can be solved by airdrops by the air force and food grabs along the way.Then, they discussed and wrote letters to Deng Baoshan, Zuo Shiyun, commander of the 22nd Army, and Xu Bao, commander of the 28th Brigade, and dropped them in Yulin the next day.

Chiang Kai-shek attached great importance to this combat operation. When he received the officers of the reorganized 27th Division, he said: "Northern Shaanxi is the main battlefield and the head of the bandit. If it is not cleared, there will be endless troubles. This order will be cleared at the end of July, and it is now extended One month, at the end of August, it must be cleared." (Taiwan: "Republic of China General Hu Zongnan Chronicle") After everything was arranged, Chiang Kai-shek flew back to Nanjing.This was the first and last time Chiang Kai-shek visited Yan'an in his life, and the total time was only one day and night.