Chapter 36 9. Proud Iron Man - Lieutenant General Zhou Xihan

Among the generals of the 2nd Field Army, there is such a one, from the soldier to the commander, the position he held did not have the word "deputy" (he only served as the deputy commander of the division once, but he was not qualified as the commander. official power).This person is not a deputy, in addition to his superhuman ability, it is also related to his aloof character. He has to make decisions on major matters within his power, and he has to keep his word. For his arrogance, the leaders have criticized him face to face and beat him in private, but with little success.There is a saying that the country is easy to change, but the character is hard to change. Over time, the upper and lower levels have recognized his style.

Because of his arrogance and stubbornness, he often causes some troubles and even brings life danger.When he was 19 years old, he served as a staff officer at the headquarters of the Red 4th Front Army.One day camping, for the convenience of work, he arranged a large local tyrant's manor for Zhang Guotao, a representative of the Party Central Committee. Zhang Guotao, who was suspicious by nature, saw that there were no other buildings around the house, and felt that the target was too big to be attacked by planes. Is deliberately framed.After reprimanding him, he became angry, his eyes widened and he argued hard, refusing to admit his mistake.Zhang Guotao immediately ordered that his head be beheaded.

When he was escorted to the execution ground, Xu Xiangqian, the military commander of the 4th Front Army of the Red Army, happened to pass by and rescued him. His neck was still stiff when he was untied, and he was still muttering angrily. When he was 20 years old, he served as the combat section chief of the 9th Red Army.In one battle, He Wei, the commander of the 9th Red Army who was a former warlord, insisted on pushing his command mistakes to the young combat section chief.His stubbornness came up, and he insisted on discussing right and wrong with the army commander.He Wei was so angry that he pulled out his pistol angrily and aimed at him several times.

I don't know if it's He Wei's inaccurate marksmanship or his fate, but He Wei fired several shots in a row and failed to hit him. After the gunshots fell, he was still making his case with his neck stuck.On the contrary, He Wei, the army commander, was sweating profusely, collapsed on the chair and could not swear anymore. He is stubborn, he is proud, but he often wins battles, so he has the reputation of "ever victorious general". This person's name is Zhou Xihan. In September 1946, the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan People's Liberation Army won consecutive victories in the Wenxia and Tongpu battles, and severely taught the Kuomintang troops who invaded the liberated areas.Unwilling to fail, Hu Zongnan's group assembled another 11 brigades, and once again invaded southern Shanxi.The main force of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan People's Liberation Army quietly hid in the southeast of Hongdong, and set up pockets around Fushan, waiting for the Kuomintang army to drill in.

On September 22, the 27th and 167th Brigades of the Kuomintang Army got into this "pocket". As soon as Hu Zongnan saw that Fushan was in a hurry, he ordered his 1st Brigade of the 1st Army to go to the rescue, which happened to be our army's strategy of "surrounding the spot to fight for aid". Zhou Xihan's 10th Brigade is responsible for the main task of fighting aid. Hu Zongnan's 1st Brigade of the 1st Army, self-proclaimed "The First Brigade in the World", was adapted from the original 1st Division.The first commander-in-chief of the Ministry was Hu Zongnan.It is the capital of Hu Zongnan's fortune, so it is very popular.No matter how expensive foreign weapons and equipment are, as long as Chiang Kai-shek can get them into the country, he must first do his best.The brigade commander Huang Zhengcheng was not only Chiang Kai-shek's favorite student, but also studied in Germany and attended Hitler's military school.His relationship with Jiang and Hu was extraordinary. One brigade commander was awarded the rank of lieutenant general, and the two deputy brigade commanders and even the regimental commander were also major generals.This is unique in the Kuomintang army.There are a lot of veterans in this brigade, they are well-trained, and their combat effectiveness is indeed outstanding in the Kuomintang army.

As soon as Huang Zhengcheng's 2nd Qianwei Regiment arrived at Guanque Village, they were immediately surrounded by the 11th Brigade of Chen Guang's Corps.Huang Zhengcheng was annoyed, and rushed up with his first regiment. After all, it was the "No. 1 Brigade in the World" with a high degree of mechanization. Just after noon, Huang Zhengcheng led the 1st regiment over Chenyan.After passing Chenyan, the road turned a small bend, and then went uphill all the way, with a wide view. From a distance, there are small ridges on the left and right in front of the road, like a natural pass.After passing this pass, you can see Guanque Village.

Seeing that the vanguard is about to pass through the pass at the top of the slope.Looking at the top of the slope, Huang Zhengcheng thought to himself, you, Chen Geng, are nothing more than that!If I were Huang, I wouldn't go to that damned place of Guanque, I'd just gather here to fight for aid. When Huang Zhengcheng was complacent, "Boom! Boom!" A few thunderclaps broke Huang Zhengcheng's thoughts, and he hurriedly looked up, only to see his leading soldiers being blown upside down on the top of the slope. Huang Zhengcheng hurriedly got out of the car, leaned on the small slope beside the road, and raised his binoculars to observe the situation at the pass.However, in the blink of an eye, the pass became quiet again. There was no usual fire pursuit, and no moving figures. There were only sparse trees and scattered rocks on the hill, as if everything that happened just now was just an illusion.However, the bombed equipment was still emitting thick smoke, the bodies of the soldiers who were killed were lying on the road, and the wounded soldiers who were carried back were groaning in pain.All this clearly told Huang Zhengcheng that his way was blocked, and it would not be easy to rush over.

Huang Zhengcheng cursed fiercely, and waved his hand to signal the 1st regiment to charge forward. To his surprise, with all the American equipment and the cooperation of the aircraft and cannon, he launched two consecutive attacks, but he failed to move forward. Huang Zhengcheng knew that he had met a formidable opponent. At this time, Zhou Xihan was sitting under a tree not far from the command post, observing the situation on the battlefield condescendingly.He had a calm face, even a little leisurely in his calm.It's like stopping to watch chess, and it's like climbing a height to see the scenery.It's so close to the battlefield that you can almost see everything without binoculars.

But Zhou Xihan still raised his binoculars, he wanted to find Huang Zhengcheng in a certain corner, and take a look at what the lieutenant general and brigade commander of the "No. 1 Brigade in the World" looked like. He has laid a pocket for his opponent.The 29th Regiment ambushed at the entrance of Chenyan Village on the Linfu Highway, cutting off Huang Zhengcheng's retreat; the 28th Regiment ambushed on the north side of Chenyan Village; the 30th Regiment, which has always been good at defending, blocked the front. Based on years of combat experience, Zhou Xihan knew that the "big fish" caught this time would basically be unable to escape.

Zhou Xihan was very unconvinced by Huang Zhengcheng, and what was unconvinced was the title of "No. 1 Brigade in the World".Are you number one in the world?Who sealed it?If the prestige gained on the battlefield is recognized by all parties, no one can say anything, but if you call yourself the number one in the world, then you are too arrogant.You are the first, what am I?Zhou Xihan is determined to seize this opportunity to compete with Huang Zhengcheng alone. Zhou Xihan, who was originally very meticulous in his work, made every effort to make the deployment of this battle even more impeccable.He told Lu Xianyang, member of the 30th Regiment, that this "No. 1 Brigade in the World" was no ordinary opponent.This time we don't want to fight fiercely with it, and we don't want to do much damage to it when blocking it. If we block its way, we will win.

With the help of binoculars, Zhou Xihan couldn't find Huang Zhengcheng.But he saw that the enemy was not stunned by the sudden blow, and quickly organized a countercharge.The formation of the skirmisher line is a bit special, neither as fierce as the Japanese army, nor as loose and loose as other Kuomintang troops.This formation is very unfavorable for blocking troops to exert their firepower.He couldn't help sighing secretly: "If we didn't occupy favorable terrain, it would be really not easy to stop them." After being frustrated by consecutive shocks, Huang Zhengcheng put down the binoculars and let out a breath of anxiety.The power of artillery is difficult to play.He felt that the hills at the pass and on both sides of the road were growing taller, and the land under his feet was gradually sinking.The sunny day at noon just now suddenly turned gray. He couldn't help scolding Wang Yawu, the head of the 2nd regiment who was besieged in Guanque: "You bastard, you lied about the military situation. Which country did you meet Chen Geng? This is Chen Geng here! The general of the Central Plains Communist Army , besides Chen Geng, who would do this?!" Who will have this hand?The brave generals under Chen Geng will all be there.Huang Zhengcheng may not know that when Chen Geng was the brigade commander, Zhou Xihan was the brigade chief of staff, and Zhou Xihan was the first to draw up many combat plans. After a day of fierce fighting, the "No. 1 Brigade in the World" still couldn't make it through the pass. Seeing that it was getting dark, Huang Zhengcheng had no choice but to withdraw his troops into Chenyan, trying to wait until dawn to find a solution. The warplane is here.Zhou Xihan immediately transferred back to Wu Xiaomin, the head of the 29th regiment.Order the 28th and 30th regiments to press down on Chenyan Village in the dark of night.Chenyan Village was bound like an iron barrel. Zhou Xihan didn't give the enemy a chance to breathe. As soon as the encirclement circle was formed, he launched an attack in a timely manner.However, although his offensive momentum is large and there are many attack points, he is not in a hurry to break through, but only forces the enemy to fail to set up defensive points.He used this method to continue to consume the enemy's vigor and minimize his own casualties. At this time, the 11th Brigade of Guanquexiang had wiped out Huang Zhengcheng's 2nd Regiment, and Chen Geng immediately told Zhou Xihan the good news. "Xihan, Cheng Fang's case has already been resolved, and we are taking the initiative. You must catch Huang Zhengcheng before dawn." Zhou Xihan replied: "I can't wait that long, I will catch Huang Zhengcheng after a while!" Zhou Xihan's 29th Regiment has broken into Chenyan Village and is attacking the location of the enemy headquarters. The "No. 1 Brigade in the World" is after all the "Forest Army" of the Jiang family, and they refused to give in easily. Relying on beautiful equipment, they used light and heavy machine guns as cover, and submachine guns to open the way, and counterattacked our army.Seven or eight counterattacks in a row were defeated before retreating into the house. After entering the house, they set up a row of machine guns on the roof, concentrated their firepower to resist, and competed with our army room by room and wall by wall.Some diehards refused to hand in their guns even though they were strangled.Liu Wushu, the head of the bandit, swung the box with both hands, like a wild beast, jumping around on a room, screaming desperately, and finally fell down when he was chased by our soldiers with nowhere to escape. After he was captured alive, he still jumped up and down, with a brutal and fierce light in his eyes, and said through gritted teeth, "You guys are going to kill me! I am the Kuomintang, and you are the Communist Party. We are utterly irreconcilable. You catch me." , count me unlucky. It is delusional to destroy the 'First Brigade in the World' with your rotten guns!" After Zhou Xihan heard the news, he slapped the table and said sharply, "Hit me hard, and let him see for himself what happens to the 'No. 1 Brigade in the World'!" In the middle of the night, there was a fierce rushing sound, one after another.The enemy desperately resisted, and our army used explosives and grenades to open the way.Many soldiers were injured many times and couldn't make it to the front line.Some soldiers bent their bayonets, and some ran out of grenades, but continued to fight.No matter how frantically the enemy counterattacks, our troops are still approaching the enemy's core position step by step. Zhou Xihan called Wu Xiaomin, the head of the 29th Regiment: "Huang Zhengcheng was still bragging to his superiors on the radio. He said that he would definitely last until dawn. We must deal with the enemy before dawn!" "Make sure the battle is resolved before dawn!" Ji Xiaomin replied. At this time, Jiang Jun's corpses were scattered everywhere in Chenyan Village, and traces of fierce fighting were everywhere.Walking into a courtyard, I saw many soldiers of our army covered in dust, some with bandages on their heads and hands, and they were still digging walls and digging traffic trenches. After Wu Xiaomin adjusted his troops, he coordinated with the 28th regiment attacking from the east gate and launched a final attack on the enemy.Under the cover of fierce machine gun fire, our army's blasters blasted the courtyard wall one after another, destroying the last enemy position. Huang Zhengcheng's brigade headquarters was completely smashed, and his deputy brigade commander and chief of staff were all taken prisoner. Wu Xiaomin reported the victory to Zhou Xihan. Zhou Xihan asked, "Have you caught Huang Zhengcheng?" Wu Xiaomin replied: "No, the prisoner said: he may have been killed by the bomb." Zhou Xihan said: "Impossible. When your cannons and explosives went off just now, I heard Huang Zhengcheng yelling on the intercom! Search hard, if you want to see people, if you want to see dead bodies." The soldiers searched again, and checked all the captives who wore riding boots and looked like senior officials, but there was still no sign of Huang Zhengcheng. The east was bright, and the troops withdrew from the battlefield.Wu Xiaomin took several staff officers to a forest where the captives were concentrated. The officers and soldiers of the "No. 1 Brigade in the World" were unkempt, sitting under the trees timidly, and some of them were still staring blankly at Chenyan Village. Wu Xiaomin looked around the group of prisoners. Suddenly, he found a man wearing soldier clothes, woolen trousers, and leather boots. He also had a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose.When he saw Wu Xiaomin, he immediately lowered his head and moved behind another prisoner with a very confused expression. Wu Xiaomin walked over, pointed at him and asked, "What do you do?" "The clerk, I am the clerk." When he found Wu Xiaomin's eyes on his woolen trousers and leather boots, he quickly explained: "I am indeed a clerk. These trousers and leather boots were given by my friends when I got married in Xi'an last year." The more you explain, the more flaws you have.Wu Xiaomin dragged the prisoner next to him, and after questioning, he found that the man wearing the gold-rimmed glasses was the Lieutenant General Huang Zhengcheng of the "No. 1 Brigade in the World". Huang Zhengcheng was taken to the 10th Brigade Headquarters and brought before Zhou Xihan. Under the oil lamp, the two brigade commanders stood facing each other.Zhou Xihan was tall and thin, and Huang Zhengcheng was solid. One was wearing a homemade military uniform and the other was wearing woolen military trousers. After a long time, Huang Zhengcheng turned around angrily: "You are not Chen Geng!" Zhou Xihan understood that it was not him that Huang Zhengcheng wanted to see.Zhou Xihan was irritated by the other party's arrogance, and said coldly: "I am Zhou Xihan!" Huang Zhengcheng looked Zhou Xihan up and down again, and said, "I want to see Chen Geng, why didn't he see me?" Zhou Xihan pulled the chair over and sat down. He glanced at Huang Zhengcheng: "How can you kill a chicken with a sledgehammer? I, Zhou Xihan, are enough to catch you."