Chapter 343 2. Mao Zedong and Peng Dehuai also took a fancy to Pingliang

Pingliang in the northwest is located at the "Fengyao" in the east of Gansu Province and at the foot of Liupan Mountain, on the upper reaches of the Jing River. It leads to Xinjiang in the west and controls the key points of the western frontier.Because of its unique geographical location of "blocking Heshuo outside, Longkou inside, Qinliang on the front, and Jifu on the front", "the stability of Guanzhong is tied here".Therefore, Pingliang was also known as Anding in history. Mao Zedong and Peng Dehuai had long taken a fancy to Pingliang, and decided to choose the Pingliang area for the battle against Qingning Erma.Because Pingliang is an important throat to control Gansu and Ningxia provinces, if our army can occupy it, it will be able to directly attack Lanzhou and Yinchuan.However, the attack on Pingliang also has disadvantages for the First Field Army, which is that it is far away from the rear, and supply is more difficult; while the second horse is supported by Lanzhou and Yinchuan, the supply is quite convenient.In addition, the two horses of Qingning and Ningxia have not yet been severely hit, and they will definitely resist desperately by relying on the natural dangers in the Pingliang area.

Therefore, on July 19, the First Field Army held a meeting of cadres above the army in the main hall of a dilapidated temple in Wenguang Village, north of Guo Town, Baoji, to summarize the experience of the Fumei Campaign and determine the goal of the next campaign.Peng Dehuai presided over the meeting. The meeting believed that the two horses of Qingning and Ningxia were preparing for the decisive battle in Pingliang. This was an excellent opportunity for the First Field Army to gather and wipe out the main force of the two horses of Qingning and Ningxia.Peng Dehuai made an important speech at the meeting.He said that the Battle of Fumei was the first round of our decisive battle with the Hu and Ma groups, and the second round was the Battle of Pingliang.

After the Battle of Fumei, although Hu Zongnan still had more than 100,000 troops, they were scattered in Dongjiangkou and Foping in the Qinling Mountains in the east, Huixian, Chengxian, and Wudu in the west, and Ankang and Hanzhong in the south. , there is no ability to attack Guanzhong in the short term.After the two horses of Qingning and Ningxia retreated to the Longdong area, if they continued to retreat, they would lose Pingliang, the throat of Gansu and Ningxia, and this would cause our army to go straight to Lanzhou and Yinchuan. In the event of an attack, they will resist in the Liupanshan area of ​​Pingliang according to the natural danger.

Peng Dehuai also emphasized that the rainy season in the northwest is approaching, the north and south mountains of Longxian County are high and dangerous, and the roads are sparsely populated. This requires that our campaign operations should be as early as possible, and it will be more difficult to delay. The meeting decided to take advantage of the distance between Hu and Ma to carry out the Battle of Pingliang (the pursuit of Longdong).Adopting the combat policy of "leading the horses and fighting the horses", they wiped out the main forces of the two horses in Pingliang and Jingchuan areas, and opened the way for the subsequent march to Lanzhou and the liberation of the Northwest.Then, a specific combat deployment was made: except that the 18th Corps (less than the 62nd Army) took an active defensive posture, located in Xi'an (2 divisions) and Baoji (4 divisions) to clamp down on the south of Hu Zong, concentrate the 1st, 2nd, The 19th Corps and the 62nd Army, with a total of 10 superior forces, divided into three groups to attack Pingliang.

After several days of intense preparations, Peng Dehuai commanded the 300,000 troops of the 19th, 1st, and 2nd Corps to march westward, and quickly pressed against the troops of the Qingning Erma. However, due to the discord between the two horses of Qingning and Ningxia, they abandoned Pingliang City and retreated.Therefore, the First Field Army regained Pingliang City without fighting, and the plan for the Pingliang Campaign was aborted. Afterwards, Peng Dehuai immediately revised the original combat plan, changing the main force of chasing and annihilating the two horses of Qingning and Ningxia to dividing the two horses and defeating them one by one.

On July 27, Peng Dehuai, Zhang Zongxun, and Yan Kui wanted to point out in a telegram to the 19th Corps: "According to the current situation, Ningma seems to be backed by Guyuan, and Qinghai's Ma Jiyuan is backed by Lanzhou. We will fight against each other and delay our army's advance." Therefore, the First Field Army is determined to continue the pursuit mission and wipe out the two horses of Qingning and Ningxia one by one.Simultaneously command: ——The 19th Corps attacked Jingchuan and Pingliang, and after occupying Pingliang, moved towards Guyuan and Haiyuan, chasing and annihilating Ningma;

——The 1st Corps "attacked Zhangjiachuan from Long County via Guguan Town and Malu Town" on July 28, annihilating the 14th Brigade of Qingma Cavalry and the 8th Brigade of Cavalry, and preparing to attack Youjingning and Tongwei The enemy who may come to help in the direction of the direction, after succeeding, "go out of Qin'an and Tianshui, and prepare to enter and occupy Longxi"; ——After part of the 2nd Corps wiped out the enemies in Shangguan Town, the 1st Corps marched along Zhangjiachuan to attack Longshan Town and Lianhua Town, and cooperated with the 1st Corps to wipe out the above-mentioned enemies and prepare to leave Tongwei and Maying Towns.

After the order was issued, the three corps were like three sharp arrows, and quickly shot at the Qingning Erma who were retreating. During the pursuit of the two horses of Qingning and Ningxia, all units of the First Field Army were prepared for hardships and dangers.The 1st Corps headed westward towards the Shaanxi-Gansu border. There were many mountains along the way, and there was a big black mountain with undulating peaks and valleys, which made people feel chilling.The mountains are layered on top of each other, the steep stone walls go straight into the sky, and the mountain roads are rugged, making it difficult to walk.It is the rainy season, and the climate in the Northwest Plateau is changing rapidly, often encountering violent storms.Troops often sit and spend the night on the wetlands in the forests of barren mountains.

After more than 20 days of westward pursuit operations, the First Field Army not only liberated more than 20 county towns, swept away scattered enemy troops and local armed forces along the way, but also wiped out the main force of the Qingning Erma in Guguan and other places.