Chapter 13 Chapter 12 Fighting Jiangnan

The news that the advance corps broke through the Yangtze River defense line and occupied Wuhan spread to Kaifeng. The staff officers of the Siye Command were very excited. They thought there would be a fierce "Crossing the River Battle", but they did not expect to cross the Yangtze River so smoothly. As the commander-in-chief of an army of one million, Lin Biao was devastated by the food problem. On June 1, he called the Central Committee and asked the East China Bureau to help solve 65 million catties of grain.The next day, he ordered all corps and armies to stop going south and rest in designated areas for ten days.

On June 14, Lin Biao and Xiao Ke led wild drivers to set off from Kaifeng and arrived in Wuhan on the 18th. At this time, Shino's troops were plagued by food shortages and were unable to organize a new large-scale offensive. After Bai Chongxi fled to Guangzhou, Premier He Yingqin immediately asked this "little Zhuge" for advice: how to solve the money and food problem of the Guangzhou government? At this time, Chiang Kai-shek went to the Zhoushan Islands to "retire from the world" and let go of Li Zongren and He Yingqin.As soon as Chiang Kai-shek let go, Li and He couldn't help it. They didn't know who to ask for the gold and silver, foreign exchange and American weapons stored in Taiwan.At that time, Chen Cheng was the chairman of Taiwan Province. Chen declared that he had never heard of any treasures or arms arriving in Taiwan.

The Guangzhou government fell into a serious financial crisis. Not to mention the lack of pay for its troops, more importantly, the lack of food. Who would protect half of the Kuomintang if the army was hungry? Bai Chongxi moved out the so-called "land tax collection and borrowing method" he practiced in Guangxi.Upon hearing this, He Yingqin felt that the solution was good, and praised: "This is a feasible measure to solve the current economic self-sufficiency." On May 16, the Executive Yuan held a financial and food meeting. He Yingqin vigorously touted the "Guangxi experience" and said: "If the southwestern provinces can implement the collection of realities and loans, the problem of military realities can be solved."

Sichuan Provincial Chairman Wang Lingji and Guizhou Provincial Chairman Gu Zhenglun both expressed dissent, saying: "The method in Guangxi will not work in Sichuan and Guizhou provinces." Bai Chongxi offered another strategy at the meeting, saying: "The government can issue 'grain coupons' to purchase private surplus grain." The provincial chairmen also objected unanimously, saying that the gold coupons have become waste paper, let alone food coupons! He Yingqin could not solve the problem of money and food, so he had to resign.Li Zongren proposed that Juzheng form a cabinet, and the CC elements under the covert manipulation of Chiang Kai-shek urged Yan Xishan to form a cabinet.Li Zongren had no choice but to mention Yan Zuoge instead.

On June 2, Yan Xishan was appointed as the Premier. He understood that the only way to solve the financial problem was to find Chiang Kai-shek.The next day, Yan Xishan flew to Taipei. Chiang Kai-shek "wandered" from Zhoushan to Taiwan.Yan Xishan asked Lao Jiang to help solve financial problems, and Jiang took the opportunity to intervene in Yan's cabinet formation.Yan suggested that Bai Chongxi be the Minister of Defense, Li Hanhun the Minister of the Interior, Liu Hangchen the Minister of Economy, and Zhang Fakui the Chairman of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee.Backed by "money", Chiang Kai-shek vetoed Bai Chongxi and Zhang Fakui from entering the cabinet.

Yan Xishan obeyed Jiang Yan and completely forgot Li Zongren's words.From then on, Jiang and Yan merged, and Li and Bai's life became even more difficult. On June 12, Liu Fei, the domestic peace negotiator, secretly arrived in Guangzhou. He handed over a letter from Zhang Shizhao and Shao Lizi to Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi.This was the CCP's last fight for Li and Bai. Liu Fei suggested: "Mr. De can inform the world of the fact that Chiang sabotaged the peace talks behind the scenes, and then hand over the situation in the Southwest to Jiansheng. If Jiansheng makes peace with the CCP, the Southwest will be saved from the disaster of war."

Bai Chongxi categorically rejected the proposal for peace talks, saying: "I just want to be responsible for history, and I would rather be a relic of the previous dynasty than vote for the Communist Party!" The political situation in Guangzhou was changing, politicians were busy intrigues, and the military situation did not allow Bai Chongxi to stay in Guangzhou for a long time, so he flew to Changsha in mid-June to deploy a new front to prevent the four-field army from going south. When the four wild troops were trapped by food shortages, Song Xilian's troops of the Kuomintang army also fell into a food crisis.Song Xilian's group was on the left wing of Bai Chongxi's new defense line, with a force of more than 100,000 people, defending the section from Badong to Yueyang of the Yangtze River.

Song Xilian is a general of Chiang Kai-shek's direct line, a first-year student of Huangpu, who participated in the expeditionary force to fight in Burma, and is also a famous anti-Japanese general. He has won the Blue Sky and White Sun Medal and the Palm Leaf Medal of Freedom issued by the US government. At that time, the food supply in the Song Dynasty was extremely tight, and he had a deep conflict with Bai Chongxi. Naturally, Bai Chongxi would not try his best to help him solve it.In order to solve the problem of food for the troops, Song Xilian racked his brains. When he was at a loss, the Yichang Commissioner's Office reported that there were more than 100,000 stones of accumulated grain near Dangyang City, and there was also a considerable amount of grain in Yuan'an.

Song Xilian saw that the 13th Corps of Siye was resting north of the Hanshui River, and was still some distance away from Dangyang and Yuan'an, so he ordered the 2nd Army stationed in Gubei to cross the Yangtze River and join the five divisions in Jiangbei to Jingmen, Dangyang, and Yuan'an Wait for the attack.The purpose of the operation is to rush to transport food and collect intelligence on the People's Liberation Army. When the Kuomintang troops fled south one after another, Song Xilian's troops crossed the river and attacked north instead. His move immediately attracted the attention of Lin Biao, Deng Zihui and Xiao Ke.

Lin Biao and other leaders of the four fields believed that this was a "partial counter-offensive in central China" instigated by Bai Chongxi, and immediately ordered the 13th Corps to launch the Yisha Battle, encircling and annihilating the main force of the Song Dynasty to the north of the Yangtze River with the tactics of roundabout encirclement, and took advantage of the situation to cross the south and advance directly to Changde The lair of the Song Dynasty. In July in western Hubei, the weather was very hot. Sometimes the sun was scorching hot, and sometimes it was raining heavily.The non-combat attrition of the troops was very serious. They marched in the daytime and were exposed to the sun and rain, and camped at night to be bitten by mosquitoes. Heatstroke, malaria and dysentery were common.

After all, Siye is Siye, and no difficulty can stop this iron-clad army. Cheng Zihua led the 13th Corps across the Han River to the north bank of the Yangtze River between Yichang and Shashi. Chen Kefei, commander of the 2nd Army of the Song Dynasty, discovered that the main force of the People's Liberation Army was pressing southward, and was so frightened that he quickly ordered a southward retreat.His tail retreated too late to be eaten by the vanguard of the People's Liberation Army.While Chen Kefei organized troops to scramble to transport food, he used the permanent fortifications built during the Anti-Japanese War to block the PLA's attack. At this time, there were nearly 70,000 people in the Song Dynasty on the north bank of the Yangtze River. Except for the second army with strong combat effectiveness, most of these troops were newly formed new troops. How could they be the opponents of Siye?Song Xilian received an urgent call from Chen Kefei at the Changde headquarters, and hurried to the front line to command by car. Song Xilian rushed to Jinshi, hurriedly boarded a small steamer and went up the river. On the morning of July 15, he changed to a warship at Zhijiang and continued to sail.At this time, the north bank of the Yangtze River in the Gubei area had been occupied by the People's Liberation Army. Mortar shells continued to fly in with a sharp howling sound, hitting high water columns around the warship, and machine gun bullets rained down on the deck.Song Xilian hid behind a steel plate six to seven centimeters thick, which was rattled and rattled.He said to the captain beside him: "Fortunately, the communist army does not have flat-firing guns, otherwise, we would be buried in the belly of fish today." At noon that day, the warship arrived in Yichang, and Song Xilian went ashore to listen to a report on the battle situation by Luo Kaijia, deputy chief of staff of the Sichuan, Hubei and Hunan Appeasement Office. "Because there is a strong defensive position near Yichang, the fighting is not very fierce. The main attack direction of the communist army is at Nanjinguan in the upper reaches. The 60th Division fought bravely at Nanjinguan. Both sides suffered heavy casualties. Several hills have been occupied by the communist army. Now There are only a few data points near the river. If Nanjin Pass is lost, ships will not be able to sail.” Song Xilian stared at the map, while listening to Luo Kaijia's report, while meditating silently. "The communist army has successfully crossed the river at Gubei this morning. The troops on the south bank are the 15th army. If they cannot withstand the offensive of the communist army, the communist army will detour to the south bank of Yichang and cut off our main force's southward retreat." Song Xilian recalled the scene of the warship being shot by guns on the shore in the ancient back, and couldn't help sighing, saying: "Yichang can't be kept, let's withdraw!" Song Xilian ordered: The main force of the 2nd Army retreated to the line of Badong and Yeerguan, and a part of it guarded the mountainous area around Erdouping to take the responsibility of covering.The 60th Division of the 124th Army retreated westward from the north bank of the Yangtze River and approached the 223rd Division stationed in Zigui. The 14th Corps of the Song Dynasty in the Shashi and Jingzhou areas were also ordered to retreat. After Song Xilian issued the order to retreat across the board, he boarded the seven warships of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River Fleet with the staff of the command post and sailed up one file at a time.When passing through the Nanjinguan River, the People's Liberation Army on the hills on the north bank fired at the fleet with machine guns and artillery fire, and the fleet also fired back with artillery fire. It was the flood season of the Yangtze River at this time, and the turbulent waves and fierce war were intertwined into a thrilling scene. All the officers of the Song Command Command Post were ashamed and prayed secretly in their hearts. After half an hour of fierce fighting, Song Xilian breathed a sigh of relief when the fleet passed through Nanjin Pass safely. The 13th Corps of the Four Fields turned to pursue the retreating enemy. By July 29, the Yisha Battle came to an end.After 28 days of fighting, more than 15,000 enemies were wiped out, 17 counties and cities in Hubei and Hunan provinces were liberated, and the connection between Song Xilian's department and Bai Chongxi's department was severed. Since then, Bai Chongxi, a cunning bird of prey, broke his left wing.Although Song Xilian Group lost more than 10,000 people, its main force was basically intact, and what made him even more happy was that it got rid of the control of the Guangxi faction.His troops retreated to the Badong line in western Hubei, broke away from the Central China camp, and incorporated Zhang Qun's Southwest camp.The Southwest is the strategic rear that Chiang Kai-shek has been operating for many years. When the People's Liberation Army advanced to East and Central China, the Southwest was not directly threatened for the time being, and Song Xilian got the chance to survive. Song Xilian's troops retreated westward to seek peace for a while (he did not escape the fate of being defeated and captured in the end). His move turned the south of Shashi into a vacuum zone, and the Cheng Zihua Corps was able to go straight to Xiangxi along the Shachang Highway. Seriously threatened the security of Bai Chongxi's left wing. While Song Xilian's group went north to grab grain, Bai Chongxi formulated a combat plan to counterattack the 43rd Army of the Four Fields.The 43rd Army led by Hong Xuezhi originally belonged to Xiao Jinguang's advance corps. After crossing the river from the Huangshi area, the formation of the advance corps was revoked, and it is now under the direct command of the wild division.The army was located on the left wing of Siye. After crossing the river, it liberated large areas in eastern Hubei and western Jiangxi. Because the main force in the center was resting in Wuhan, and the 13th Corps on the right was resting in the Han River Basin, the 43rd Army was the most prominent on the Siye front. Bai Chongxi saw that the "adventurously advancing alone" 43rd Army was about to launch a counterattack and eat the piece of fat delivered to his mouth.As soon as his battle plan was announced, Lin Biao learned of this important information through the spy network.Lin and Xiao immediately ordered the 43rd Army, which had advanced south to the front line of De'an and Yongxiu, to stop advancing.Bai Chongxi opened his mouth wide, but the piece of fat was hanging in the air—out of reach.He didn't dare to take the risk of approaching the "prey" northward, so he had to wait for the prey to come to his door by himself. In the history of the War of Liberation, commanders at all levels of the Kuomintang army were far behind their opponents in terms of command art and strategic use. One important reason was that they suffered a lot in the intelligence war. newspapers can be read every day. Obviously, Lin Biao made a wrong judgment when studying the information. He believed that Song Xilian's northward attack and Bai Chongxi's plan to counterattack the 43rd Army were two interrelated military operations in the same campaign. ". In fact, although the military operations of Song and Bai were almost synchronized in time, their combat intentions were not consistent. Song Xilian's intention was to go west to Badong, defend Sichuan, and get close to Hu Zongnan, another direct descendant of Chiang Kai-shek, to jointly operate the Chuankang rear base.Bai Chongxi's intentions were more complicated. In fact, he just turned around and set a trap to catch the "prey", and did not attack north.His gesture was actually a cover-up, used to confuse his opponent and cover up his attempt to flee south. "Little Zhuge" had no intention of fighting his opponent in Xiangbei at all.Although he has 300,000 horses in his hands, only the three armies of the Guangxi faction have real combat effectiveness. The other troops can't be counted on.Bai Chongxi only had the capital of three armies. Even though he thought he was much better than Lin Biao, he did not dare to take the risk of fighting Lin Biao easily, because Lin Biao had millions of troops!Bai Chongxi had only one real intention, and that was to go south to Guangdong and Guangxi.At that time, Bai Jier, commander of the US 7th Fleet, had a secret radio station in Bai Chongxi's headquarters, and the two sides often communicated secretly.Bai Jier asked Bai Chongxi to go south to Guangdong, saying that he had a batch of munitions worth 17 million US dollars in his hand, and as long as Bai Bu arrived in Guangdong, he would hand over all the munitions to him. What "Little Zhuge" dreamed of was to obtain that batch of munitions, which would rapidly expand his army of hundreds of thousands who lacked equipment. Only then would he have the strength to fight Lin Biao to the death. In mid-June, at the military meeting in Guangzhou, Xiao Yisu, Ma Chaojun and other generals believed that "to defend Guangdong, we can only rely on the three armies of the Guangxi army under Chief Bai Chongxi", and they asked the Bai troops to enter Guangdong. Yan Xishan served concurrently as the Minister of Defense, and Gu Zhutong was the Chief of Staff. These two men followed President Chiang's lead and strongly opposed the Whites' entry into Guangdong. At the end of June, Bai Chongxi called Cheng Siyuan, Li Hanhun, Qiu Changpu, Li Pinxian, and Huang Xuchu to Changsha to discuss the issue of "defending Guangdong". Bai Chongxi said: "To keep Guangzhou, the political center, only the troops from central China can enter Guangdong. The Guangxi army must have the order of the Ministry of Defense to enter Guangdong. Therefore, it is necessary for us to control the Ministry of Defense." Li Pinxian said: "Only when Duke Jian takes charge of national defense again, can the central China troops be transferred south to Guangdong." At the behest of Bai Chongxi, the civil servants and military generals of the Guangxi family began to split up their activities, intending to promote Bai Chongxi to the throne of Minister of Defense.But Yan Xishan refused to hand over the military amulet of the Minister of Defense. He said: "It is the decision of the president that I am also in charge of national defense. Without the approval of the president, I dare not make any changes." Yan Laoxi refused to accommodate, so "Little Zhuge" had to find another way. Since Lin Biao regarded the actions of Song and Bai as a battle, of course he had to retaliate at the same time.While ordering Cheng Zihua's corps to encircle and wipe out Song Xilian's main force, he formulated a battle plan to encircle and wipe out Bai Chongxi's main force. Lin Biao, Deng Zihui, and Xiao Ke issued an order to launch the Hunan-Jiangxi Campaign at the end of June. They planned to use the 12th Corps, the 15th Corps, and the Second Field 4th Corps, a total of 10 armies with 430,000 people, to encircle and wipe out the main force of the 3rd Corps of Bai Chongxi. , Yichun area. The specific deployment is: the 43rd Army rushed to surround Fengxin and Gao'an, seized one or two divisions of the enemy, lured the enemy to reinforce them, and restrained the enemies in other places from retreating decisively; detoured with the wings of the 12th Corps and the 4th Corps of the Second Field, Encircle and annihilate the enemy. On July 4, the 43rd Army began to attack Gao'an as planned, and on the 8th it attacked Fengxin.As soon as Siye's troops were dispatched, those Guangxi soldiers in shorts began to abandon the formation and run wildly.The tigers of the 43rd Army pounced on the food, but they were all in vain. On July 9, Bai Chongxi noticed that two large armies were turning around to his flank, and quickly ordered a southward withdrawal. The main force escaped Lin Biao's encirclement without any escape. This is the first round of confrontation between Lin Biao and Bai Chongxi.Lin Biao mobilized 430,000 horses, but achieved little success, only annihilating 4,300 enemies.For Lin Biao, who was good at precise calculations before the battle, it must be said that it was a miscalculated battle.He finally understood that Bai Chongxi was by no means in vain, he was a guy who was more difficult to deal with than any previous opponent. The situation of the Hunan-Jiangxi Campaign was reported to Mao Zedong's desk at Shuangqing Villa in Xiangshan. Mao Zedong shook his head again and again. He was obviously dissatisfied with the results of the battle.It is impossible to deal with Bai Chongxi without a good strategy. Before Siye went south, he warned Lin Biao and others that Bai Chongxi is the most cunning warlord in China! Mao Zedong had to provide strategic guidance to Lin Biao. On July 16, he called Lin, Deng, and Xiao: This is the first time that Mao Zedong proposed the strategic policy of "long-distance encirclement and detour" against Bai Chongxi's troops. He also put forward specific opinions on the use of troops by the Siye and Erye Chen Geng Corps.It is relatively rare for Mao Zedong to personally arrange troops for the front-line generals on his behalf. He usually only gives guidance on strategy, and has always let the front-line generals make independent decisions on battle tactics. Lin Biao was not an ordinary general. He was one of Mao Zedong's most important people at that time.Mao Zedong respected Lin Biao's opinion.At the end of this telegram, Mao Zedong added this sentence: "Whether the above is appropriate, please consider and give your opinions." After this telegram was sent, Mao Zedong called Lin, Deng, and Xiao again on the 17th after a day of thinking: Mao Zedong proposed a more detailed plan for the deployment of troops than the previous one, and its main spirit was to wipe out the Whites in Guangxi. He reminded Lin Biao and others again: After the Hunan-Jiangxi campaign, it has entered the dog days of summer. The hot climate in the south of the Yangtze River has made the four-field troops who had been majestic in the snowy fields of the northeast suffer a lot. Many soldiers fell ill due to acclimatization.The mules and horses that pulled carts and cannons died in large numbers.When the incident spread to Tianjin, Luo Ronghuan, who was recuperating in Tianjin, was heartbroken.The total number of those mules and horses is more than 100,000. They are livestock from the hometown in the Northeast. They made great contributions in the Liaoshen and Pingjin battles.Under Luo Ronghuan's suggestion, a large number of mules and horses were transported back to the Northeast. Gao Gang, the "King of the Northeast", slapped his legs and laughed, saying, "It is a great contribution to the agricultural production in the Northeast!" Without mules and horses, large-caliber artillery could not move, and heavy equipment such as tanks, armored vehicles, and automobiles could not move forward due to the rugged roads and water networks in the south.Most of Shino's powerful American heavy weapons remained in Hubei. Lin Biao had to order the troops to rest during the dog days, while adjusting the system, so that after the dog days, they would march southward lightly, and compare their foot strength with those Guangxi soldiers in shorts and straw sandals to see who ran faster. Bai Chongxi was dreaming of "entering Guangdong". He hadn't realized that he was sitting on the powder keg of Changsha—the Hunan Uprising conspired by Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren had entered the countdown. At this time, Chiang Kai-shek could no longer sit still in Taiwan. He put away the pretense of "retiring from the world and attracting far away", and finally stepped onto the stage from behind the scenes. On July 14, Chiang Kai-shek, Jiang Jingguo, Huang Shaogu, Gu Zhenggang and others flew to Guangzhou.He has a very clear purpose in personally going out this time, which is to prevent Bai Chongxi from entering Guangdong. After two days of behind-the-scenes activities, Chiang Kai-shek proposed the establishment of a "Central Extraordinary Committee" at the "Central Regular Meeting" on the morning of the 16th, as the highest decision-making body, with Chiang himself as the chairman and Li Zongren as the deputy.Li Zongren's "head of state" dream has come to an end so far. In the afternoon of the same day, Chiang Kai-shek presided over the first "Central Extraordinary Committee" meeting, and decided to set up two branches in the southwest and southeast, with Zhang Qun and Chen Cheng serving as the chairmen of the branches respectively.Lao Jiang suggested that his favorite student Chen Cheng be the military and political chief of the southeast, and put Guangdong and Hainan Island under Chen Cheng's jurisdiction.Chen Cheng and Bai Chongxi have always been at odds, and Lao Jiang's move is very obvious, just to prevent Bai Chongxi from getting involved in Guangdong. Chiang Kai-shek understood that only Bai Chongxi's Guangxi troops still had the strength to fight the four fields for a few rounds. He could not tolerate Bai Chongxi retreating again and again in order to preserve his strength, and not letting the Bai troops enter Guangdong was to cut off Bai's retreat.In this way, "Little Zhuge" had to do his best to fight Lin Biao on the Hunan-Guangxi front. Bai Chongxi's Guangxi army will definitely lose all casualties in the fight with the army of the four fields. Using the corpses of the Guangxi army to block Lin Biao's horseshoes will buy time for the Jiang army to revive its armaments. This is Chiang Kai-shek's wishful thinking. After Chiang Kai-shek flew back to Taiwan, the civil and military officials of the Guangxi faction urged Li Zongren to intercede with Chiang Kai-shek for Bai Chongxi's appointment as Minister of Defense.The Guangxi faction was circling around in Guangzhou and was at a loss. In the end, Li Zongren had to fly to Taipei in person to intercede with Chiang Kai-shek face to face: "Jiansheng was forced to take charge of the Ministry of National Defense. Clearly." Chiang Kai-shek paced the room carelessly with his hands behind his back. He said to Li Zongren: "Bai Jiansheng, 'Little Zhuge', is a rare talent. I also hope that he will be in charge of the Ministry of Defense, but he has offended many people. Hu Zongnan and Song Xilian are against him. To be the Minister of National Defense. Southwest defense focuses on Shouchuan, and Hu and Song are the only forces we can rely on in Shouchuan. Considering the overall situation, it is better for Bai Jiansheng not to be the Minister of National Defense.” Li Zongren returned without success. Under the pressure of the CCP, Baijier's 7th Fleet had to withdraw from the Qingdao base, and a large number of munitions loaded on the transport ship could only drift at sea.The U.S. government has abandoned Chiang Kai-shek, and the Americans stationed in China represented by Leighton Stuart have also despaired of the Guangxi clique.Due to his close personal relationship with Bai Chongxi, Bai Jier still planned to hand over the military fire to Bai Chongxi.He kept urging the Baibu to enter Guangdong through the secret radio station. For this reason, the Guangxi faction was in a hurry but there was nothing they could do. While Bai Chongxi was working hard on the issue of entering Guangdong, his subordinates kept reminding him: Cheng Qian was unreliable and showed signs of voting for the Communist Party!Only then did Bai Chongxi become alert. At this time, the Guangxi army retreated along the Guangdong-Han line to the Hengyang line south of Changsha, and the defense north of Changsha was handed over to Chen Mingren's 1st Corps. Since Chen Mingren went to Nanjing to receive an award after the Siping War, he was dismissed and began to hold a grudge against "Principal Jiang".Generals who were not direct descendants complained that Chiang Kai-shek only reused "Whampoa students", while Huangpu students complained that the principal only reused Chen Cheng, Hu Zongnan, Tang Enbo and other Zhejiang fellows.Chen Mingren served as a military councilor in Nanjing for a year. He had nothing to do all day long, so he had to drink to relieve his worries.In the second half of 1948, those students reused by the "principal" were all defeated in various battlefields across the country. He finally remembered that there was a "famous general" named Chen Mingren by his side, so he decided to let Chen Mingren go into battle again. Initially, Chiang Kai-shek wanted Chen Mingren to go to the northwest to serve as Hu Zongnan's chief of staff.Chen Mingren had been dissatisfied with the "Zhejiang Gang" for a long time, and the chief of staff was an errand with no authority. When he was hesitating, Bai Chongxi came to his door and asked him to go to central China to serve as the commander of the Wuhan garrison and the commander of the 29th Army. So Chen Mingren transferred from Jiang's direct line to the Gui line.When Bai Chongxi entered Central China, Chiang Kai-shek could not just watch the Guangxi faction grow up in Central China, and spent a lot of effort in personnel arrangements to weaken Bai's power.The intention of letting Chen Mingren serve in central China was to "mix sand". Chen Mingren was a general of Huangpu and had no connection with the Guangxi family. Bai Chongxi saw through Jiang's attempt at a glance.However, he still boldly reused Chen Mingren. In the eyes of "little Zhuge", although Chen was born in Huangpu and was once Jiang's "love general", after drinking Jinling, he had already become "red-eyed" to Jiang, not to mention Bai There is also a common enemy with Chen-Chen Cheng. Chen Mingren worked in Wuhan in October 1948.Two months later, Bai Chongxi restored the organizational system of the 71st Army in order to strengthen the power in Central China and also to further win over Chen Mingren. The 71st Army is the foundation of Chen Mingren's fortune, and it has been wiped out by Lin Biao in the northeast.Chen Mingren was very grateful for the restoration of the organizational system of the 71st Army.Bai Chongxi followed suit to the end, and simply merged the 71st Army and the 29th Army into the 1st Corps, and recommended Chen Mingren as the commander of the Corps. Chen Mingren was the commander of the army before he was dismissed and investigated. He was promoted to the commander of the corps only two months after his comeback. "Little Zhuge" thought that Chen Mingren should be grateful to him, so he transferred the 1st Corps to Hunan to supervise an "old enemy" of the Guangxi clique—Cheng Qian, chairman of Hunan Province. Cheng Qian is a veteran of the Kuomintang. He followed Sun Yat-sen to join the Tongmenghui in his early years. During the Revolution of 1911, he assisted Huang Xing in commanding the Wuhan Revolutionary Army to fight.After Song Jiaoren was assassinated, Cheng Qian in Hunan announced that he would ask Yuan to participate in the war of protecting the law.After Yuan Shikai proclaimed himself emperor, Cheng Qian was appointed by Cai E as the "Hunan Recruitment Envoy of the National Defense Army". He led a battalion of troops back to Hunan to challenge Yuan.This battle against Yuan established Cheng Qian's high reputation among people from all walks of life in Hunan.During the period when Duan Qirui was in charge of the Beiyang regime, Sun Yat-sen established the French military government in Guangzhou. Cheng Qian was appointed by Mr. Sun Yat-sen to return to Hunan to lead the French army to fight against the Beiyang army. In November 1917, he regained Changsha and defeated the Beiyang army. Excellent military talent. In 1920, Sun Yat-sen once again established a military government in Guangzhou, and Cheng Qian successively served as the deputy chief of the army and the chief of the army.After Chen Jiongming's rebellion, Cheng Qian and Sun Yat-sen sailed to Hong Kong together. In 1923, Sun Yat-sen returned to Guangzhou to rebuild the Grand Marshal's Mansion, and appointed Cheng Qian as the Minister of Military and Political Affairs of the base camp.Cheng Qian made many military exploits in the Eastern Expedition and Northern Expedition.During the Northern Expedition, Cheng Qian served as the commander of the Sixth Army and led his troops to conquer Nanchang, Nanjing and other cities.In the unpredictable turmoil of 1927, his Sixth Army was disarmed and disbanded by Chiang Kai-shek in Nanjing.After Cheng Qian fled to Wuhan, the Wuhan Nationalist Government conquered Chiang, appointed him as the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Expedition Army Jiang You, and forced Chiang Kai-shek to step down.Since then, Cheng Qian and Chiang Kai-shek have forged an indissoluble hatred.After Chiang Kai-shek came back, Liangui went back. On May 21, 1928, Li Zongren tricked Cheng Qian from Changsha to Wuhan under the pretext of calling a meeting, and detained him.Cheng Qian's troops were leaderless and were all wiped out in Hunan by Chiang Kai-shek.Since then, Cheng Qian has formed a deep hatred with the Gui family. In August 1948, Cheng Qian returned to Hunan to serve as the chairman of Hunan Province. This personnel arrangement was also a "wonderful move" by Chiang Kai-shek to weaken the power of the Guangxi clique.Jiang's purpose was to prevent Bai Chongxi from linking Central China and Guangxi's lair together. At the last moment when the Kuomintang regime was about to collapse, the strife among various factions intensified. They all forgot the old adage that "when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits." Cheng Qian will never be willing to be a victim in the struggle between Jiang and Gui. He has his own plans.Since he is a loyal believer of Mr. Zhongshan, he naturally wants to take the path of "Alliance with the Communist Party". Bai Chongxi plotted against others all his life, but Cheng Qian plotted against him in this matter. In fact, Chen Mingren led the 1st Corps into Hunan as a result of Cheng Qian's secret operations.Chen Mingren and Cheng Qian have a deep relationship. They are from Liling, and they have a teacher-student friendship.Cheng Qian had long been in contact with the CCP's underground organization. He wanted to revolt in Hunan without certain military strength, so he decided to "poach" Chen Mingren from Wuhan.It was not easy to do this. Unexpectedly, Bai Chongxi was so smart that he was confused for a while, and he thought that Chen Mingren had a "favor" to Chen Mingren, and Chen would loyally monitor Cheng Qian for him. What is even more ridiculous is that Chiang Kai-shek, thinking that Chen Mingren would still be loyal to him as the "principal", actually called Chen Mingren when the 1st Corps moved to Hunan and secretly ordered him to monitor Cheng Qian. As soon as Chen Mingren arrived in Changsha, he handed over Chiang Kai-shek's secret telegram to Cheng Qian.The two looked at each other and laughed, raised their glasses and scolded Jiang and Bai for being "too rascals". From then on, in Changsha, Cheng and Chen sang the red face and the other sang the bad face, and acted for the world to see, which really confused many people. Cheng Qianqian chanted peace in public to send a signal to the CCP; Chen Mingren was "resolutely anti-communist" to reassure Jiang and Bai.In Jiang and Bai's view, Cheng Qiankong's call for peace is nothing to worry about, because the military power in Hunan is in the hands of Chen Mingren. After Bai Chongxi led his troops to retreat from Hubei to Hunan, Cheng Qian submitted a "Memorandum" to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China under the instigation of the CCP's underground organization: Based on the consistent attitude of anti-Chiang, anti-Guangxi faction, anti-war, and anti-false peace, it is decided to seek peace in Hunan in accordance with the principles of the eight articles and 24 items of the peace talks announced by your side. Set up a military team to make detailed decisions and closely cooperate with operations.As far as the current military situation in this province is concerned, most of the troops stationed in the province, except for the Guangxi Army, can be effectively grasped, and a detailed table is attached for future reference.Most of the troops that can be controlled have been concentrated near Changsha, and most of the Guangxi troops have gone to southern Hunan and western Jiangxi (about one regiment stayed in Changsha).Although the number of troops in this province is not less than that of the Gui army, its combat effectiveness is far inferior to that of the Gui army. We have to try our best to deal with the Gui army. The twenty-fourth paragraph is based on peace, against the remaining reactionary forces of Jiang and Bai. After revealing the proposition, it seems necessary to set up a joint command organization in the short term. One is to reorganize the existing armed forces in this province, and the other is to cooperate with your army for further military operations. All these can be implemented through the joint command organization. There are many designations, the content is not true, and the command is not unified. This is all Jiang's messy style.It is really impossible to adjust the claims before the province reveals them. Once the claims are revealed, I hope that you will completely reorganize them. And among the cadres, there are many wise people who secretly support Qian's idea, and it is not without trivial work. If we can weed out the weak and retain the strong, and give more education, then the local pacification work and even the sweeping of the southwest can still be of service by using the aboriginal relationship. On June 30, after Mao Zedong read Cheng Qian's "Memorandum", he immediately ordered Siye Chen Bing to go to the Hunan-Hubei border, and at the same time sent Yuan Renyuan and Li Minghao to Wuhan to promote the peaceful liberation of Hunan.Yuan and Li are both from Hunan, especially Li Minghao has deep friendship with Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren.During the Northern Expedition, when Cheng Qian was the commander of the Sixth Army, Li Minghao served as the division commander of the army. In 1923, Chen Mingren went to Guangzhou to apply for the Whampoa Military Academy, which was already overdue. Li Minghao was the dean of education at the time, thinking of his fellowship, he admitted Chen exceptionally. On July 4, Mao Zedong called Lin Biao, Deng Zihui, Wang Shoudao, and Xiao Jinguang: In principle, Cheng Qian's three requests for a military group, a joint organization, and the retention of its troops and cadres for reorganization and education can all be approved, and a military group will be established immediately to agree on specific methods.Our army's action is imminent, and this matter must be carried out quickly. In order to properly receive the whole province of Hunan and solve our army's supply, in addition to establishing a joint organization, Lin Deng was asked to consider temporarily retaining Cheng Qian's current military and political party positions, and use Cheng Qian's name to issue orders in order to receive the whole province and raise supplies.Because the joint organization is to deal with matters such as the formation of the army, it is composed of personnel sent by both sides. Cheng Qian may not participate in it. It is better to retain Cheng Qian's position and manage civil and military affairs in areas where our army has not yet reached, so as not to fall into anarchy.Whether this is feasible or not, please call Lin Deng for consideration. If Cheng Qian issued a statement anti-American, anti-Chiang, and anti-Guangxi, it seems that he should be given the treatment of leading an uprising, so that Cheng Qian can play a role in influencing the southern provinces.We can also consider giving Cheng Qian a high-ranking name, such as the Southern Recruitment Envoy. Once the southern provinces are pacified, Cheng Qian will come to the central government to work.Cheng Qian is an old cadre of Sun Yat-sen, and he has a very high status in the Kuomintang. In recent years, the measures to govern Hunan have shown progress. If Cheng Qian really stands on our side, it will be of great benefit.Please also consider this point. Has Li Minghao arrived yet? After the telegram was sent, Mao Zedong replied to Cheng Qian in his own handwriting: The telegram was sent to Siye, Lin Biao and Deng Zihui immediately discussed with Li Minghao how to hand it over to Cheng Qian. Li Minghao said: "Chen Dahuan can take this position. He is the director of Hankou Dagong Battery Factory. He knows many people around Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren." After listening to Li Minghao's introduction, Lin Biao and Deng Zihui agreed that Chen Dahuan was a suitable candidate.That night, Lin Biao hosted a banquet for Li Minghao and Chen Dahuan at the Xuangong Hotel in Hankou, and assigned tasks in person. On July 5, Chen Dahuan and Liu Mengxi, the special representative of Siye, boarded a ship and headed for Changsha.Before leaving, Li Minghao wrote a letter to Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren in cryptic language, advising them to "don't miss this opportunity and talk to Mr. Chen about everything". At 9 a.m. on the 11th, Chen Dahuan took out a flashlight at Chengqian's apartment in Changsha, took out the battery, and then tore off the battery's label paper and moisture-proof oiled paper, revealing a piece of message paper folded as high as the battery's zinc cylinder. Chen Dahuan carefully handed over the telegram to Cheng Qian: "This is a letter from Chairman Mao to your old man." Cheng Qian read Mao Zedong's letter with both hands, excited, read it several times in a row, and muttered to himself: "The problem in Hunan was brewing last year. Since Chairman Mao's instruction was not received, the treasure box has not been opened yet. I have a lot of worries, and now that I have this letter, it is really good news for the people of Hunan!" Cheng Qian held Chen Dahuan's hand and thanked him repeatedly.The old man couldn't help walking to the window, looking at the land of Xiaoxiang under the scorching sun, and said excitedly: "With this instruction, not only will I not have to worry about my personal origin, but the entire Hunan problem will be resolved satisfactorily." Bai Chongxi has withdrawn the main force of the Guangxi faction to the front line of Hengyang. He himself is planning to move to Hengyang with the headquarters, but Cheng Qian makes him quite worried. He must first solve the "old guy" problem before he can leave Changsha with confidence. Bai Chongxi resorted to a tactic to divert the tiger away from the mountain. He sent people to Guangzhou for activities. Both the Jiang and Guangxi factions became alert to Cheng Qian. Cheng Qian has received Mao Zedong's reply, and the uprising has been determined, and he refuses to go to Guangzhou to serve as the president of the Examination Institute. At this time, the three armies of Siye made new moves. The 13th Corps of the West Route had arrived in Changde, and the 12th Corps of the Central Route had also advanced into Hunan, especially the 15th Corps of the East Route.The 15th Corps launched the Southwest Jiangxi Campaign in mid-July, and launched a swift pursuit of Fang Tian's troops under the Jiangxi Appeasement Administration. Under the pressure of three red arrows, Changsha was about to be surrounded on three sides, and Bai Chongxi began to deploy and retreat.He decided that Chen Mingren would stay in Changsha for the time being, and Cheng Qian would withdraw the troops from Hunan to Guangxi. Cheng Qian didn't even want to go to Guangzhou, so why would he go to Guangxi, the hometown of the Guangxi Clan?He sent Tang Xing, deputy director of the Changsha Sui Department, to persuade Bai Chongxi. "Chen Mingren has few troops and is unable to defend the vast areas of central and western Hunan. The local troops from Hunan are withdrawing to Guangxi, and these places must be in chaos. What's more, these troops are all going to Guangxi, and the traffic congestion will cause chaos. Hunan soldiers are unwilling to leave their homes. I'm afraid Most of them fled before going to Guangxi. In addition to the shortage of supplies in Guangxi, so many of us went, can you afford it?" When Bai Chongxi heard that he was going to be responsible for the supplies of the Hunan Army, he frowned, and asked Tang Xing what good strategy he had. "Xiangxi is a good place. The Zhijiang River has highways leading to the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan. If Chief Bai can't stand the battle in Hunan and Guangxi, we can join forces in Guizhou." 白崇禧思忖良久，认为唐星的主意不错。湖南的地方部队人数有十几万，却没有多大战斗力，他不愿背上这个大包袱，让他们先去湘西暂时可挡四野西路的“那支箭头”，不行再去贵州，可免广西遭“蝗虫过境之灾”。 白崇禧说：“好！就按你说的办，由你负责实施这个计划。” 唐星见这么容易就骗过了“小诸葛”，内心一阵狂喜，他不动声色地说：“要我去负责可以，但颂公（程潜，字颂云）不能走，我还要借这块牌子用用。我建议分两步走：第一步先撤到邵阳；第二步再到芷江。” 白崇禧不知是计，点头应允道：“好吧！你立即去办！” 7月21日上午8时，湖南省府大院停了20多辆大小汽车，程潜率省府大员和警卫团官兵准备向邵阳进发。他怕白崇禧变卦逼他去广西，说走就走了，甚至来不及通知陈明仁。他匆匆写了一个手令，对程星龄说：“我们去邵阳暂避一时，你立即把这个手令交给子良（陈明仁字子良）。” 程星龄走后，程潜集合省府人员训话，他长篇大论地回顾了一年来主持湘政的情况，最后说：“就守土有责之义而论，本主席本应坐镇长沙，唯以军情转变，前方军政之配合，后方应变之措施，均待及时调度，故本主席决定出巡邵阳，主席职务由陈司令官全权代理。” 此时，白崇禧驱车赶来，握着程潜的手假惺惺地说：“我来为颂公送行。” 程潜笑道：“多谢关照！”程潜钻进小车，令车队出发。 20多辆汽车先后驶出省府大院，白崇禧长嘘一口气，当日下午他就放心地离开了长沙，到衡阳设防去了。 程潜的小车驶出南门，停在路边，程星龄机警地从暗处闪出，钻进了小车。 当日下午，程潜抵达邵阳，住进了退役师长陈光中在郊外的住宅。陈光中是反共大恶霸，那所宅院筑有碉堡，便于警戒。 傍晚，白崇禧打电话给邵阳警备司令魏镇，查询程潜住在哪里。魏说住在陈光中家里，白崇禧一听果然就放松了警惕性。 岂料程潜虽住在反共大恶霸家里，却并未停止起义行动，他频繁召见湖南地方部队实力派人士，加紧进行起义的准备工作。 7月23日，中共湖南省工委派张立武赴邵阳，与程潜密商起义通电发表的时间、地点和邵阳部队的部署。 7月20日黄昏，四野的先头部队逼近黄花市。防守黄花市一带阵地的是陈明仁部的一个团，团长程杰是程潜的远房侄子。 程杰接到前线的报告，立即下令退出黄花，以避免与解放军接火。 早在五天前，程潜曾在省府当面对程杰作了六条指示： 一、共军进入湖南，分东、西两路向南挺进，西路走常德、桃源，东路出平江、浏阳，他们是企图追击、迂回歼灭白崇禧的桂系部队。白崇禧则想把共军吸引在长沙进行决战，而把他的部队拖到衡阳，他的如意算盘一定会落空。 二、共军东、西两路使用的兵力很多，因此，解放长沙还得稍缓一步，预计要到7月20日以后才能靠近长沙。东边的共军是由平江方面来的，首先将与你的部队在黄花市接近，你要切实注意掌握官兵，到时不能放一枪，免得造成误会。 三、共军将经黄花市、永安市进到株洲、渌口，切断长沙通往衡阳的交通线，构成对长沙的三面包围，这时我们在长沙宣布起义，长沙就变成共军的后方了。 四、当共军接近长沙时，将和我们进行联系，双方人员都经黄花市出入，你要注意保护这段路上的安全，使来往人员畅通无阻，但又不能向官兵公开。 五、白崇禧逼我离开长沙，我在近几天得去邵阳暂住，很快就会转回长沙。在这段时间内，你的一切行动更要仔细，一点也不能露出痕迹。尔后的行动陈子良对你会有具体指示。 六、陈子良现在还没有将起义的事对所属部队公开，因此，你对军、师长下达的命令，假事还得当真事做。这比真的作战还难，好在时间不会长了。 就在程杰率部赴前线设防的那天清晨，陈明仁乘吉普车来到程杰团，向即将赴黄花市和永安市的官兵训话，他说：“过去71军在东北的四平打仗，仗打胜了，却把四平好端端一座城市打得稀烂，使国家和人民蒙受巨大的损失。这次我们防守长沙要吸取教训，仗要打胜，但不能使长沙的百姓受到半点损失，这才算是真正保卫了长沙。打胜仗唯一的要诀，就是要绝对服从指挥官的命令。他命令你们打，就打；没有命令你们打，就一枪不放；命令你们前进，就进；命令你们后退，就退……” 陈明仁训完话，将程杰叫到吉普车上，开到一个无人的地方，两人下车爬上路旁的小山包，席地而坐。 “颂公昨晚对你有什么指示吗？”陈明仁递给程杰一支烟。 程杰如实将程潜的六条详细述说了一遍。 陈明仁虽然一再向程潜和中共地下组织表示，愿意追随程潜和平解放湖南，可他心里总有一个解不开的疙瘩，怕共产党跟他“算四平的老账”。 上月程星龄曾赴香港见到章士钊，章士钊说：“毛主席是中国历史上从未有过的杰出领袖，对颂公起义，期望甚殷。对陈明仁亦既往不咎，绝不会追究四平的问题。毛主席曾亲口对我说：'当日，陈明仁是坐在他们的船上，各划各的船，都想划赢，这是理所当然，我们会谅解，只要他站过来就是了，我们还要重用他。'这话你可传给陈明仁，请他不要有顾虑。” 程星龄将章士钊的话传给了陈明仁，虽然起了很大作用，但陈明仁的顾虑并未彻底消除。 陈明仁点燃烟，叹了一口气，说：“这是形势所迫，除了这条路没有别的路可走。八年抗战，湖南受了很大损失，老百姓厌恶战争。颂公谋求和平，我早就表示拥护。仗是没法打了，即使拼死一战，也不可能挽救整个局面。为了保全湖南一点元气，给我们官兵一条生路，只有和平一途。” 陈明仁叮嘱道：“现在我对各军、师、团长都没有公开，你要严守秘密。军部、师部对你下达的指示，还得相机应付，对团里的军官要切实掌握。你们团进入阵地后，仍应命令营、连长做防守工事。我会召集军、师长把事情公开，估计还得一两个星期。在没有公开的这段时间里，有什么问题，可写信派专人送给我。” 程杰有些为难了，虽然，程潜和陈明仁都要他假戏真演，可毕竟有区别。程潜叫他“一枪不放”，而陈明仁却令他“也得顶住”，听谁的呢？ 7月20日黄昏，解放军逼近黄花市，程杰一枪未放就撤走了。 次日，进占黄花市的解放军又向永安市逼进。各营、连报告“敌情严重”，前线部队丢一枚手榴弹就可打上对方，双方接火已到一触即发的地步。 程杰左右为难，打吧，会违抗程潜的指示；撤吧，会违抗陈明仁“也得顶住”的命令。好在他脑筋转得快，立即就想出了高招。他对上级搞假报告，对下级搞假命令，反正是演戏嘛！ 他将各营长召来，说：“我团防守阵地太宽，现阵地不利固守，决定向后转移阵地。” 程杰握着红蓝铅笔在地图上刷刷画了几笔，指示各营按地图上新标的阵地布防。这样各营又后撤了将近10里。 程杰又向师部和军部告急，说：“共军进攻猛烈，我团顶不住了。” 7月22日，军部调4门无坐力炮前来增援。炮营的胡营长不知黄花市已经弃守，按军部的命令开着拉炮的汽车到了黄花市，车未停稳就发现到处是戴五角星帽的解放军，吓得他连忙令司机掉头逃窜。可能是解放军方面也有不许开枪的命令，胡营长得以安全脱险。 军长杜鼎接到胡营长的报告，大发雷霆，要追究程杰擅自放弃阵地的责任。 此时，永安市方向有一个连尚未接到撤退的命令，就被解放军切断了退路。派去送命令的传令兵被解放军捉住，旋又被放回。那个传令兵将程杰拉到一边，神秘地说：“共军没把我当敌人，还招待我吃饭。他们首长知道您是程主席的侄子，有个纸条让我交给你。” 程杰接过纸条，展开一看，上面写着： 军长杜鼎和师长曾京正不断来电追究擅撤阵地之事，“共军”还要他撤，怎么办？ 程杰心一横，干脆命令电台停止与军部、师部联络，同时令第一营再次后撤几里。 程杰的行为首先引起了内部的惊慌，副团长和参谋们以及各营、连长都在议论纷纷：“团长在搞什么鬼？”“被共军包围的那个连居然能平安撤回？”“军部、师部都在追究团长的责任，说要军法从事，可团长却若无其事，到底是怎么回事”…… 程杰怕部队出乱子，于是召集各营长和团直属连长开会，他说：“司令官的训话精神你们领会了没有？你们只要绝对服从我就行了，一切责任均由我负。我对司令官负责，军、师长办不了我，你们放心好了。” 程杰团一撤再撤，长沙以东的防御阵线被撕开了一个缺口。程团左右两翼的部队受到威胁，纷纷向军部、师部告状。他感到压力太大，于是将几天来的情况写信派人送给陈明仁。 陈明仁于24日清晨派一名中校参谋到程团，他的指示就写在程杰那封信的背面：“老弟，你处置得对。军、师责难忍耐一下，有事我会解决。” 中校参谋还没走，师长曾京带着一个警卫连来了。 “你是怎么搞的？请解释清楚！”曾京怒气冲冲地质问。 程杰笑道：“野外的阵地战，主要是选择有利地形凭险固守。黄花市和永安市包括在阵地以内，正面太宽，无险可守，所以我根据实际情况作了调整。” 曾京望着程杰那张玩世不恭的脸，听了荒唐的解释，更加恼火，他将桌子一拍，大声吼道：“你一枪不放，就将东、西两个要镇丢给了敌人，擅自后撤十几里，敞开大门让敌人进来，使左右两翼友军受到威胁。你真是胆大包天，敢拿脑袋开玩笑！你同我一起到军部去讲清楚，你讲的这些歪理我没法向军长交差。你为什么对军部、师部的电报不作答复？” “电台坏了，送长沙修理去了。” “师部离这里只有十几里路，你为什么不派传令兵送报告？我急得两个晚上没合眼，你看起来好像什么事都没有。你现在就跟我到军部去自己销案。你的这个团也调下去，我命令范广鉴团接防。” 程杰团防守此一要冲是程潜和陈明仁有意安排的，现在要换防非打乱起义计划不可！程杰的脸立刻黑了，语气强硬地说：“敌人如果从我这里攻入长沙由我负责，别的没什么可说的。军部我也不会去的，我的这个团守在这里也不会动。军部、师部认为黄花市和永安市不能丢，我保证收复回来！” “你的几个鸟兵能虎口夺食？”曾京想到他是程潜的侄子，只好气冲冲地走了。 陈明仁派来的参谋躲在另一间房里听得真真切切，这时闪了出来。程杰说：“刚才的情况，你快回去向司令官报告。关于收复黄花市和永安市是一句空话，目的是打发曾师长走人。” 曾京到军部向杜鼎报告，杜鼎又跑到兵团部向陈明仁报告。杜军长又夸大事实，说程团后撤了几十里，而实际上只撤了十几里。 真实情况陈明仁了如指掌，他说：“兵团采取外线作战保卫长沙市，黄花市和永安市无死守的必要。程杰后撤几十里，这个情报不确实。小吴门到黄花市只有45里，依这个情报，程杰岂不是已进城了？为什么他的团指挥所还在浏阳河东岸？究竟情况怎样，我会派人去调查，程团不能撤换。” 杜鼎听了兵团司令的一席“高论”，对这位守四平的名将居然会附会程杰的“歪理”感到不可思议，于是，将这一情况越级向衡阳的华中军政长官公署报告了。 7月25日黄昏，军部和师部各派一名作战参谋来到程团，将转抄的白崇禧的电报交给程杰。白电大意为：查共军由黄花市、永安市进到团山镇，曾通过程杰团防守阵地，为何未发生战斗？命该团火速详细具报。 此时，团部附近正枪炮声大作，程杰说：“我们正在反击敌人，今晚就要把黄花市、永安市夺回来，明天一早上报。因电台坏了，不能发报，烦请二位向军长、师长报告，以免再发生误会。” 两名参谋将信将疑地回去了。 其实，那激烈的枪炮声是程团搞的实弹演习。程杰不断将演习当成真实的战况向上报告，并向师部和军部方向布置警戒，以阻止上级再派人来调查。 师部和军部听到连续几个晚上枪声大作，程团的战报又说得惊心动魄，于是来电询问伤亡情况，程杰胡乱编了一个数字报上去。从此，程杰每天都得编造伤亡数字。 这场戏一直唱到7月31日。 程潜离开长沙赴邵阳的消息曾一度引起长沙的混乱，因为程潜一贯主张和平，市民们也把和平的希望寄托在他的身上。主张和平的程颂公走了，留下来的是守四平的陈明仁！ 长沙即将化为“四平街第二”的议论沸沸扬扬，陈明仁守四平的绝招就是血腥的街垒巷战，市民们人心惶惶，都为长沙又将受到战火的浩劫而寝食难安。 有钱的人竞相逃难，引起交通混乱，舍不下家业和没钱的人只能听天由命，或在街上三五成群乱发议论。 陈明仁为了安定人心，在7月21日下午宣布任代省主席的就职典礼上，向各界人士信誓旦旦地说：“我是湖南人，祖宗坟墓所在，不会凭个人意气使长沙50万人民遭受浩劫，生命财产蒙受损失。这就是说，如果拿个人意气守长沙，就会使长沙变成四平街第二，可是我不能凭意气使长沙变成焦土，所以我要打，一定在外围打，不会在市内作战，而使人民生命财产有所损失。总之，要使长沙市人民听不到枪声。” 7月24日，程潜派往武汉与四野联络的代表刘纯正回到了长沙，陈明仁立即将其请入密室。刘纯正是黄埔四期生，与林彪是同期同学，这是程潜派他赴武汉的重要原因。 “你见到林彪没有？” “见到了。”刘纯正说，“四野的和谈代表团到了平江，李明灏也来了。” 陈明仁听说恩师李明灏来了，内心一阵激动，问：“代表团都有些什么人？” “金明为首席代表，唐天际、袁任远、解沛然、李明灏为代表。” 当晚，陈明仁打电话给邵阳的程星龄，他怕泄密，不敢在电话中细说，只说有要事相商，请他速返长沙。 7月25日，程星龄自邵阳出发，途中汽车出了故障，在湘潭住了一夜，26日到达长沙。这期间正是程杰在长沙东面“搞演习”的时候。 程星龄来到织机街陈明仁官邸，见了陈明仁，未及开口，桌上的电话铃就响了起来。电话是白崇禧从衡阳打来的，说是“据报程星龄潜返长沙图谋不轨，速将其逮捕查办”。 陈明仁放下电话，笑道：“白健生至此还信任我陈某。他知你已回长沙，要我逮捕你。”