Chapter 265 2. Xu Xiangqian asked for orders to attack Taiyuan

In the Battle of Jinzhong, like a storm sweeping across the Jinzhong Plain, Xu Xiangqian's Corps annihilated more than 100,000 Yan Xishan's troops in one fell swoop. Within one month, 14 county towns changed their lives.Taking advantage of the victory, the People's Liberation Army approached Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province from all directions.The people excitedly chanted: "Xu Xiangqian's team is going to attack Taiyuan!" "Emperor Yan Xishan can hardly sit still!" Therefore, after the victory of the Battle of Jinzhong, Xu Xiangqian turned his attention to Taiyuan.

Due to the long-term continuous combat, our army has consumed a lot, and the troops are very tired and need to rest and replenish.Under such circumstances, in order to make full preparations and ensure the victory of the Taiyuan Battle, on July 21, 1948, Xu Xiangqian reported to the Military Commission and the North China Bureau on the situation of the enemy and us, as well as the operational principles for capturing Taiyuan: Except for the main force of Yan Bandits who annihilated more than 55,000 people this time (referring to the Battle of Jinzhong), the remaining troops include all 49th Divisions, 45th Divisions, and 69th Divisions, 68th Divisions, 40th Divisions, the remnants of the 8th Corps, and part or all of the 38th Divisions ( In the process of being transported by air), there are at least 60,000 people in the troops directly under Yan Bandit and 12 security regiments.In addition, more than 10,000 people from the Taiyuan Civil Guard were brought from other counties.The first part of the 38th Army that was airlifted from Xi'an to Taiyuan and the 39th Division that went south from Xinxian County are not included.In addition, after the implementation of Yan Bandit Bing-Nong Heyi, each division has a new corps, which can recruit new soldiers in time.

Now the biggest problem in each of our verticals is that the number of soldiers is not sufficient. The 8th vertical 65th, 66th, 68th, 70th, and 72nd regiments had only about 800 fighters, and each regiment had only a hundred riflemen; the 15th vertical 129th regiment had 3 companies, and each company had only 6 riflemen.There are only 2 regiments with more than 1,000 people in the whole corps.Cadres suffered heavy casualties. In the 8th, 23rd Brigade and 67th Regiment, there are only 3 company-level military and political cadres left in the whole regiment, and only 1 battalion-level cadre left; all the 68 regiments are injured; the 69th regiment has only 4 people left; it must be supplemented and rested before continuing to fight...

The operational principles for the capture of Taiyuan are drawn up as follows: earnestly complete the siege of Taiyuan City, control the north and south airports and some peripheral factories and mines, cut off foreign aid, food, ammunition, and fuel supplies, gradually capture necessary peripheral strongholds, eliminate their vital forces, and disintegrate and shake the enemy. In order to create favorable conditions for the siege, open up the siege road, complete the siege preparations, and then attack it in one fell swoop. The Military Commission agreed to the above-mentioned operational policy and plan, and ordered the Corps to form the Front Enemy Committee, Secretary Xu Xiangqian, and Deputy Secretary Zhou Shidi to uniformly command the 1st North China Corps, the 7th Column of Northwest Shanxi, the troops of the Jinzhong Military Region, and the 1st North China Artillery Brigade.