Chapter 195 Chapter 22 The Battle of Shijiazhuang: A Precedent for Seizing a Larger City

After the victory in the battle of Qingfengdian, Nie Rongzhen was not intoxicated by the sound of victory. He was thinking about where the next battle will start and where the next victory will come from. On the day when the Battle of Qingfengdian ended in victory, Nie Rongzhen carefully analyzed the situation of the enemy and us at that time.He felt that after the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei troops fought many times in the Baobei area, the connection between Shijiazhuang, Baoding and Taiyuan was severed, and Shijiazhuang, where the enemy was stationed, had become a land "isolated island" deeply trapped in our liberated area.

At that time, a report written by a reporter from Xinhua News Agency was titled "Shimen——The Crumbling Island".The article describes the grievances of a captured captain and adjutant of the 3rd Army: "Since April, we have stuck to Shijiazhuang, and we can't go five miles to the east or five miles to the west. To make a metaphor, we seem to be dead. Those who have not been buried are simply like the living dead!" In particular, the Battle of Qingfengdian wiped out the main force of the enemy's 3rd Army, and Shijiazhuang defended the enemy with only one division of the regular army, together with the local security team and the security teams of 19 counties around Shijiazhuang, etc. There are only 25,000 people, and the morale of the army is unstable.Therefore, taking advantage of the victory to seize Shijiazhuang is already a matter of course for the Jinchaji Field Army, and it is inevitable.

Thinking of this, Nie Rongzhen wrote a telegram to the Central Military Commission and the Central Working Committee of the Communist Party of China, formally putting forward the opinion of "taking advantage of the victory to seize Shijiazhuang".The telegram said: "At present, there are only three regular regiments and a miscellaneous army in Shimen. I plan to take advantage of the victory to seize Shimen. Please reply immediately if the Military Commission approves this policy." ("Nie Rongzhen Military Selected Works") Nie Rongzhen's opinion was first supported by the leaders of the Jinchaji Field Army.Luo Ruiqing said to Yang Dezhi: "The battle of Qingfengdian was very hard for the troops, but I don't think there will be long rest time. 'Fighting requires courage.' Commander Nie asked to win Shijiazhuang in one go, which is great. "Yang Dezhi said: "When Commander Nie asked for opinions, I said: fight, fight quickly!" Zhu De and Liu Shaoqi also agreed with Nie Rongzhen's opinion. On October 23, they jointly called the Central Military Commission, suggesting approval of Nie Rongzhen's proposal to seize Shijiazhuang.Telegram says:

Military Commission: Nie Liu, Huang Luo raised Dian Liangda, and our opinion is that it is also beneficial to hit Shimen.There is no city wall in Shimen, and there are only three regiments of guards. The surrounding front is forty miles long. The chief officer was captured, and the internal situation was shaken.Taking advantage of the victory to attack, it is possible to open up, and it may also cause the enemy in Ping and Bao to come to the south, and seek opportunities for large-scale mobile warfare between Bao and Shi.What do you think, please reply soon. Zhu (De) plans to visit Yang (Dezhi) and Yang (Chengwu) immediately.On the same day, Zhu De and Liu Shaoqi called Nie Rongzhen and others again, pointing out: "We agree to take advantage of the momentum to attack Shimen. It may be opened. Even if it cannot be opened, it may also cause the enemy's Li Wen, Yuan Pu and other troops to move south, and they may look for them in Shimen and Baojian. Large-scale mobile warfare is beneficial to me. Please prepare various supplements in advance. After the approval of the Military Commission, use all your strength to carry out this campaign."

At 12 o'clock on the 23rd, Mao Zedong personally replied to Nie Rongzhen and others in the name of the Central Military Commission and told Zhu De and Liu Shaoqi. The telegram said: Telegram at 12 o'clock on the 22nd. The victory of the Qingfengdian Annihilation Battle is of great significance to the further change of the fighting style in your district.At present, if the enemy from the north moves south, we should annihilate part of them. If the enemy from the north stops, our army should rest on the spot for about ten days, rectify the formation, recover from fatigue, scout Shimen, and complete all preparations for attacking Shimen. After that, we should not only concentrate our main force Nine brigades, and a few local brigades must be concentrated to attack Shimen with the attitude of attacking Shimen and fighting for reinforcements, focusing on the reinforcements.

On the 25th, Zhu De rushed to the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Field Army Command stationed in Nanguan, Anguo County, Hebei Province. Together with the leaders of the field army, he carried out intense pre-war mobilization and preparations for the attack.