Chapter 16 Chapter 15 Sweeping Guangxi

On October 26, 1949, when Liu Anqi's corps was wiped out in the Yangjiang area, Bai Chongxi held an emergency military meeting in Ronghu Mansion, Guilin. With the momentum of the autumn wind sweeping away the fallen leaves, the PLA swept across most of Guangdong in an instant, and the so-called "Guangdong-Guangxi joint defense line" suddenly fell apart.The lips were dead, the teeth were cold, the rabbit died and the fox was sad. The disastrous defeat of the Guangdong Army made the generals of the Guangxi Army feel like mourning, shrouded in an atmosphere of pessimism and despair.

Chief of Staff Xu Zuyi pulled back the black curtain in front of the map. The generals looked at the new two-color symbols and talked about them. Only Li Benyi, the commander of the 7th Army, sat timidly at the bottom seat without saying a word.Most of the 7th Army was wiped out in the Battle of Hengbao. He escaped alone and hid in his home in the countryside without daring to show his face.Bai Chongxi initially threatened to shoot him, but Zhang Gan, the commander of the 3rd Corps, dissuaded him: "He should be mainly responsible for the heavy losses of the 7th Army. We are also responsible for not making the army retreat earlier. When it is time to employ people, it is imperative to restore and replenish the 7th Army as soon as possible, it is better to let him take the blame and make meritorious service."

Bai Chongxi sighed: "Okay, I've missed him and me for decades, so let him go for now." As soon as Li Ben received the "amnesty", he quickly pleaded guilty.Bai Chongxi scolded him badly, and almost wanted to beat him up when he was agitated. After "Little Zhuge" got angry, he pointed to Li Benyi's head and said: "This head is temporarily placed on your neck, you go back immediately and replenish the 7th Army, and restore combat effectiveness as soon as possible. Take off your head at any time!" Li Benyi escaped the disaster of killing himself, and continued to be the commander of the 7th Army. He burst into tears immediately, and vowed: "Thank you, sir, for the kindness of rebirth. Benyi is willing to take his sins and do the work of dogs and horses!"

Bai Chongxi processed several urgent documents amidst the generals' discussions, then closed the document folder, and began to speak: "The current situation is not optimistic, and everyone knows it well. The enemy is coming to our door, and we have no way to retreat. Unless tigers and wolves are allowed to enter the house and ravage my homeland!" Bai Chongxi moved out of the German military strategist Ludendorff's "total war", called for a general mobilization of the whole people, divided the province into five military and administrative regions, and rapidly expanded the army.Each military and administrative district is given a designation for a newly formed army. The commissioner also serves as the division commander, and the county magistrate also serves as the regimental commander. "One armor, one soldier, one gun" is implemented.

Bai Chongxi's plan was approved by Huang Xuchu, chairman of Guangxi Province, and none of the generals present had any objections.Then discuss future strategic issues, the results of different opinions, no consensus.Some believe that the connection with Yunnan and Guizhou provinces should be ensured, and if necessary, retreat to the southwest; some believe that the channel with Leizhou Peninsula should be ensured, and if necessary, retreat to Hainan Island. In addition to the above two main strategic directions, there are also people who advocate attacking as defense, first go out to northern Guangdong, cut off the connection between the Hunan and Guangdong Liberation Army, and then concentrate their forces to attack Chen Geng's troops in Yangchun and Yangjiang, and occupy the Binhai area to seek US aid. , Then transfer troops to the north to deal with Lin Biao's main force.

Bai Chongxi analyzed the pros and cons of various opinions, but he has not considered maturely, and the final strategic plan cannot be determined, let alone the specific deployment. "Little Zhuge" has not yet sorted out this mess, and Guangxi's military strategy has been disrupted by political disputes. The next day, Li Zongren sent an urgent call, inviting Bai Chongxi to go to Chongqing to discuss the state affairs.Bai Chongxi flew to Chongqing that day. Li Zongren said with a sad face: "Wu Zhongxin came from Taipei. He said that the situation in the Southwest is critical. He suggested that I invite President Jiang to come to Chongqing to sit down."

Bai Chongxi said: "He is Jiang's lobbyist." "Mr. Jiang flies around and never asks anyone to invite him." Li Zongren said, "That's not what Wu Zhongxin meant, but he wanted me to persuade Jiang to return. When Jiang wanted to retire, Wu Zhongxin and his gang persuaded me to come out and take charge. I didn’t want to at first, but I couldn’t stand their hard work and had to reluctantly do so. Later, Lao Jiang manipulated behind the scenes and brought the situation down. Wu Zhongxin came out at this time and asked me to persuade Jiang to return to his post. Is it really unreasonable?”

Bai Chongxi asked, "How did you answer?" Li Zongren said angrily: "He wants to be reinstated, just reinstate him, I don't have the face to 'persuade him'!" Bai Chongxi exchanged views with Zhang Qun, Zhu Jiahua, etc. in Chongqing, and found out that Chiang Kai-shek was determined to return to his post. He remembered the scene of the secret talk in Huangpu, and was determined to fulfill Chiang Kai-shek's heart to restore, so as to ease the internal contradictions of the Kuomintang, and jointly save the crisis. . On November 2, Bai Chongxi suggested to Li Zongren: "Have a meeting here tonight to discuss the advancement and retreat of De Gong and Jiang."

That night, Li Zongren called Li Hanhun, Liu Shiyi, Qiu Changwei and other Guangxi people to a meeting at the official residence of Shangqing Temple.It just so happened that Cheng Siyuan flew to Chongqing from Hong Kong and also attended the meeting. Li Zongren asked: "What's new in Hong Kong, please tell Siyuan first." Cheng Siyuan said: "Jiang Tingfu, chief representative of the United Nations, recently wrote a letter to Gu Mengyu, inviting him to jointly form the China Democracy Party." Bai Chongxi interjected: "Maybe there is an American background, has there been any change in American policy?"

"Last month, Washington held a roundtable meeting to discuss policy toward China. The meeting was presided over by Gisep, who was in charge of drafting the White Paper on Sino-US Relations. There were two opinions at the meeting: one was to recognize the new CCP regime, and Luo Shen The second is not to rush to recognize the CCP regime, but to wait and see for a period of time, with Stason as the representative.” Cheng Siyuan continued, “Secretary of State Acheson asked Leighton Stuart for his opinion on the Taiwan issue. Leighton Stuart suggested , continue to maintain the policy of not aiding Chiang, with Wu Guozhen replacing Chen Cheng in power, the United States aiding Wu, and not aiding Chiang and Chen. This is the background for Jiang Tingfu to form the Democratic Party, and he hopes to replace the Kuomintang with the Democratic Party.”

Li Zongren said angrily: "The United States has lost confidence in the party controlled by President Jiang, so some people want to build a new party. However, in terms of the current situation, the United States is not reliable." Cheng Siyuan said: "There is another situation. Recently, President Jiang wanted to reinstate his post. He invited Hu Shi to Taipei to speculate on the possible reaction of the United States to his reinstatement." Li Zongren said: "Chiang Kai-shek's reinstatement is up to him. I insist on not 'persuading him'." Bai Chongxi said in a gentle tone: "In the past ten months since Chiang Kai-shek went to the wild, nominally the government was ruled by a princess of Germany, but in fact the government was dominated by many leaders. The situation is getting worse and worse. Jiang will not delegate power after all. If this stalemate continues, we will all die without burial. Land. The communist army has come to the gate of Guangxi. For the sake of the elders of Sangui, the dispute between Jiang and Gui should be over now! I suggest that Degong go to Kunming temporarily, and I will come forward to mediate." Li Zongren wanted to throw away the hot potato for a long time, but he held his breath in his heart and held a grudge against Chiang Kai-shek.He agreed with Bai Chongxi's suggestion and flew to Kunming the next day. Bai Chongxi and Wu Zhongxin reached an agreement in Shenxiandong Bai Mansion: 1. Chiang Kai-shek's reinstatement; 2. Li Zongren went abroad; 3. Bai Chongxi replaced Yan Xishan as Premier and Minister of Defense. On November 4, Wu Zhongxin returned to Taipei with the agreement documents.Chiang Kai-shek saw Bai Chongxi's plan and sneered: "It's okay for Bai Jiansheng to be the executive president, but it can't be written into the agreement as a condition. Li Zongren can't go abroad either. There are enough people who are conspiring abroad. It's just that they are corrupt. ruined the reputation of someone like me, Jiang." Li Zongren in Kunming learned of the situation of Bai Chongxi's mediation, and expressed emotion to Cheng Siyuan: "Jiansheng's approach is too naive, and he still expects to cooperate with Lao Jiang. I have long given up any illusions about Lao Jiang. I know him too well. Chiang Kai-shek has no sincerity towards people. When he uses you, he does not hesitate to call you a brother and brother, and blood is an alliance. He seized the military power. He secretly ordered Liu Xing: "If you catch Bai Jiansheng, kill him." How vicious! I will not go to Taiwan, and now I only want to go to the United States for medical treatment." At the critical moment when the situation was changing rapidly, Bai Chongxi stayed in Chongqing for seven days, with no political results, but a precious week was wasted in the military. On November 5, Bai Chongxi once again convened a military meeting in Guilin to continue discussing unresolved military strategy issues.Attending the meeting were Li Pinxian and Xia Wei, deputy chiefs of the Central China Military and Political Office, Xu Zuyi, chief of staff, Lai Guangda, deputy chief of staff, Huang Jie, commander of the 1st Corps, Zhang Gan, commander of the 3rd Corps, Xu Qiming, commander of the 10th Corps, and commander of the 11th Corps Lu Daoyuan and others. Li Pinxian and Huang Jie advocated gathering in Longzhou and Baise, and turning west to Yunnan, while most generals advocated going from Leizhou Peninsula to Hainan Island. The two sides argued for a long time, and no one could convince the other. Finally, Bai Chongxi made a final decision. "The Liu Bocheng Department of the Communist Army has already entered Sichuan, and sooner or later the southwest will not be guaranteed." Bai Chongxi paused for a moment, then said, "The recent attack by the Chen Yi Department of the Communist Army has suffered heavy losses in the attack on Jinmen Island, which shows that they do not have the technical conditions for crossing the sea and landing operations. There is no place on the mainland. It is safe, so I decided to adopt the plan of retreating to Hainan Island. President Jiang operates Taiwan Island, and we can also operate Hainan Island. Once World War III breaks out, we will be able to return to our hometown in Guangxi soon.” After the Guangdong campaign ended, Lin Biao couldn't sit still in Wuhan.His command must be guaranteed by reliable intelligence, and Shino's telecommunications reconnaissance methods can be described as superb.However, as the enemy gradually moved south, the distance was too far, and the enemy's telegraph signal was too weak, and it was very difficult to receive it.One of the characteristics of Lin Biao's combat is that he likes to leapfrog command, often skipping the two levels of corps and army, and directly commanding divisions to fight.Commanding the 135th Division alone in the Battle of Hengbao is a typical example.The divisions on the front line were advancing, and it was difficult for the signals of low-power radio stations to reach Wuhan. In this way, it was difficult for Lin Biao to grasp the activities of the divisions. He said to Xiao Ke: "We have been in Wuhan for a long time, and it is difficult to know ourselves and the enemy. Let's move the command post!" Xiao Ke asked: "Move to Changsha? The chairman once said that the Central China Military and Political Committee may be located in Changsha in the future." "No, it's farther away." Lin Biao pointed to Hengyang on the map, "It's located here, where Bai Chongxi's Central China Military and Political Executive Office was located a month ago. As for the political center of Central China, I think it's better to set it up in Wuhan. The thoroughfare of nine provinces!" The front committee of the Four Fields held a meeting on November 28 and decided to split the command organization into two. Deng Zihui, Zhao Erlu, and Chen Guang stayed in Wuhan, while Lin Biao, Tan Zheng, and Xiao Ke went to Hengyang.On the same day, the Military Commission was telegraphed: It is estimated that the operations in Guangxi will mostly be mobile warfare of the pursuit nature. This kind of warfare especially requires timely understanding of the movement situation and the ability to directly command the actions of the leaders of various combat troops.We are in Wuhan, because it is too far away from Guangxi, so it is difficult to listen to the enemy's secret information.It is not easy to hear the communication between Yesi and the small radio stations of each division.In order to facilitate listening to secret information and contacting the division's radio station, the Shino command agency pushed forward to Hengyang. The next day, Lin Biao led the army to set off from Wuhan and arrived at Wuguiling in Hengyang on November 1.Lin Biao's office and bedroom are connected to the war room, and a 1:500,000 military map is pasted all over the wall.The staff worked intensively day and night to accurately mark the latest detected enemy situation on the map.Lin Biao half-lyed on a reclining chair, with a yellow woolen military uniform covering his abdomen, staring at the map intently, resting his chin from time to time and lost in thought. On the morning of November 4, when Bai Chongxi was still mediating the dispute between Chiang and Li with Wu Zhongxin in Shenxiandong, Chongqing, Lin Biao's Guangxi campaign plan had already been released.At 12 noon, Lin, Tan, and Xiao called the Military Commission: On November 6, Mao Zedong replied to Lin Biao and others: "I agree with your combat deployment at 12 o'clock on the 4th. This plan is very good." The plan formulated by Lin Biao on November 4 was that the Cheng Zihua Corps would first cut off the route for the Baibu to flee westward to Yunnan, and the Chen Geng Corps would cut off the route for the Baibu to flee to Leizhou Peninsula and Hainan Island from the south, and block the Baibu from the west, south, and north. Gather and annihilate them in Guangxi.At this time, Bai Chongxi was still in Chongqing, and the plan to flee west to Yunnan and south to Hainan Island had not yet been determined.Lin Biao's plan took Bai Chongxi's two possibilities into consideration, but did not highlight the key points. On November 5, Bai Chongxi determined the plan of fleeing south to Hainan Island. In order to implement this combat goal, he formulated a plan to attack Chen Geng's Corps first.Order the 3rd Corps and the 11th Corps to secretly move southward, preparing to launch the so-called "Southern Offensive". Hainan Island was an almost barren island at that time, and supplies were extremely scarce. After the remnants of the Cantonese Army fled to the island, the food shortage situation was further exacerbated.At that time, Bai Chongxi's troops had 200,000 regular troops and 100,000 local troops. When he wanted to lead his troops to the island, he was first opposed by Yu Hanmou and Xue Yue.Chiang Kai-shek was only dreaming of a southwestern province, so naturally he would not agree with the Guangxi clique to manage Hainan Island.Otherwise, the door of Guangxi will be opened, and the provinces of Guizhou and Yunnan will not be able to keep. On November 6, the People's Liberation Army on the West Road began to move south.The factional disputes within the Kuomintang caused Bai Chongxi to burn out. Although his military strategy had been finalized, it was still difficult to implement because of the obstruction of the generals of the Cantonese faction.The Cantonese faction was backed by Chiang Kai-shek, and Bai Chongxi had to concentrate on resolving the conflict between Chiang Kai-shek and Li Zongren. On November 11, Li Zongren flew from Kunming to Guilin and stayed at his private residence at No. 130 Wenming Road.The next day, civil and military members of the Guangxi Clan discussed the advancement and retreat of Acting President Li. Bai Chongxi proposed two proposals: A. Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and Hainan Island are connected together, forming a situation of their own, and fighting against Chiang Kai-shek; B. Li Zongren went abroad, and the situation in the southwest was settled by Bai Chongxi. The elites of the Guangxi Clique have discussed the above two plans for a long time, and they think that neither is a good plan. "Little Zhuge" can't come up with a good solution, and the others can't help it. On November 13th, the meeting continued to discuss. Li Zongren saw that there was no one who could be ugly, so he said anxiously: "The situation is so urgent that we don't allow us to waste time here. Don't talk about it! The morale of the people in the Southwest has collapsed. The number and quality of troops Far from being an opponent of the Communist Army. The so-called "self-reliance" is not enough, so Case A is unrealistic. I am determined to go to the United States for medical treatment, and Guangxi will be supported by Jiansheng alone, and I will act cheaply." Li Zongren has made up his mind to go, and it is useless for others to persuade him.Bai Chongxi said: "Mr. De insists on going abroad. We are inconvenient to object. We just ask to fly to Haikou to say goodbye to Chen Jitang, Yu Hanmou, and Xue Yue before going to Hong Kong. They originally opposed our going to Hainan Island, but now they take a step back and let us guard the Leizhou Peninsula." The next day, Chiang Kai-shek flew to Chongqing from Taipei and called Bai Chongxi: "Yesterday I heard that Guiyang is in danger and that eastern Sichuan is in a tight spot. I have already flown to Chongqing today. I really hope that Delin will fly to Chongqing to plan the overall situation. Please hurry up." Li Zongren was revisiting his hometown in Nanning that day, saying goodbye to his old relatives. He had a premonition that this trip abroad might not last for a while.Bai Chongxi called from Guilin and said: "President Jiang has arrived in Chongqing, please call to ask Mr. De to go to Chongqing to discuss state affairs today." Li Zongren resolutely refused: "I don't want to see him again!" On November 15, Li Zongren flew to Hainan Island on the "Tianxiong" special plane. The sky over Haikou was overcast and the plane could not land, so he had to turn back. On November 16, Li Zongren flew to Haikou to bid farewell to Yu Hanmou, Xue Yue and others.On the same day, Chiang Kai-shek summoned Huang Jie to Chongqing and ordered him to lead the 1st Corps to assist Guizhou.Huang Jie sent an urgent message to Bai Chongxi: "The president ordered the staff department to respond to the friendly forces in Guizhou, and first take a shortcut to Yishan and Nandan with a strong one." President Jiang came to disrupt the situation again. He wanted to take care of Southwest, while Bai Chongxi was staring at Hainan Island.Huang Jie himself is a general of Chiang Kai-shek's direct line, but the 1st Corps was created by Bai Chongxi. It was first formed in Wuhan, and then went to Hunan with Chen Mingren. Then hand it over to Huang Jie.Originally, Huang Jie and Li Pinxian insisted on retreating to the southwest, but Bai Chongxi followed the opinion of the majority to go to Hainan Island. Now that Chiang Kai-shek is directly commanding Huang Jie, Bai Chongxi can't be hard-pressed, so he had to agree to send a unit from the 1st Corps to assist Guizhou.Later, the reinforcements heard that Guiyang had fallen halfway and had to return. Bai Chongxi deployed the "Southern Offensive" under such internal and external difficulties. He focused a lot of energy on dealing with the conflicts between Jiang and Li, but often did not consider military issues well. On November 19th, Bai Chongxi went to Nanning and asked Li Zongren to suspend his trip abroad. He said: "You are still the acting president, sent by the center of gravity, can you make some political arrangements first, and then go abroad?" "There is no need for this." Li Zongren said, "According to the Constitution, when the President leaves office, the Executive Yuan can act on his behalf. After I arrive in Hong Kong, I will telegraph Yan Baichuan of this intention." Bai Chongxi still has political ambitions so far. Although more than half of the Kuomintang's world has collapsed, he still has the desire to climb up.It's not that Li Zongren didn't see this. He thought that "Little Zhuge" was too naive, and it would be futile for him, the acting president who was about to hang his seal, to authorize him. The next day, Li Zongren boarded the plane and left Guangxi. It was 20 years before he returned home again.From then on, Li and Bai Tian each sided and never met again.The once popular "Li Bai Lantern Riddles" has gradually become less known. On the day Li Zongren was sent away, Bai Chongxi flew to Chongqing to report to Chiang Kai-shek.Chiang Kai-shek said in amazement: "Li Delin actually did this!" The two plotted how to deal with the aftermath of Li Zongren's departure, in an attempt to eliminate the adverse effects of the matter. That night, Bai Chongxi delivered a speech through the radio station to "clarify" the "truth" about Lee's departure: Li Zongren's departure caused a public outcry, and people at home and abroad generally believed that this matter had something to do with Chiang Kai-shek.Chiang Kai-shek decided to send Juzheng, Zhu Jiahua and others to Hong Kong to "retain", but Li Zongren refused to resign.Bai Chongxi was involved in this political turmoil and couldn't escape for a while. When he left Chongqing and returned to Guilin on the 24th, Guilin had already fallen. His plane landed at Liuzhou Airport and was almost captured. The situation in Guangxi has taken a turn for the worse, and it is irreversible. The 3rd Corps and 11th Corps, the main force of the Baibu, moved southward, which made Lin Biao immediately make an accurate judgment: Bai Chongxi was either trying to block and attack Chen Geng's Corps, or he was preparing to flee to Leizhou Peninsula and Hainan Island. On November 12, Lin Biao sent a telegram to Chen Geng and others: The next day, Lin Biao quickly adjusted his combat deployment according to changes in the enemy's situation: A part of the West Route Army continued to advance towards Guode and Baise along the border of Guizhou and Guangxi, in order to cut off the road of the white army fleeing westward to Yunnan; a part of the army went eastward to the heart of Guangxi and captured Liuzhou. The North Route Army moved south quickly, and the main force went straight to Guilin along the Hunan-Guizhou Railway. The 40th Army went straight to Wuzhou to support the South Route Army. The main force of the 4th Corps of the South Route Army immediately assembled in Xinyi and Maoming areas, and a division of the 13th Army built fortifications in Lianjiang as a blocking force; the 43rd Corps of the 15th Corps secretly marched westward at night and assembled in the northeast of Xinyi. The main force of the Guangxi army moved southward, and the west and north routes were mainly pursuit battles, while the south will form a decisive battle on the border of Guangdong and Guangxi.The Guangxi campaign was soon in full swing. The West Route Army occupied Jingxian and Tongdao on November 10, and the 17th Corps of the defending army abandoned the formation and fled south;Subsequently, the 38th Army continued to advance southward, chasing and annihilating the 17th Corps; the 39th Army turned southeast and took Liuzhou directly. The 40th Army of the Northern Route Army went south on November 15 and rushed to Wuzhou for a long distance to join the battle of the Southern Route Army to encircle and wipe out the main force of the Guangxi Army.The 41st Army and the 45th Army set off on November 18 and traveled south along the Xianggui Road. The 123rd Division, the vanguard of the 41st Army, advanced southward at a speed of 120 miles per day.The next day, the division broke through the defense line north of Xing'an in one fell swoop.The 14th Army, 46th Army, 71st Army, and 97th Army of the Gui Army fled in a hurry.The People's Liberation Army drove straight in and pursued swiftly.At that time, it was raining heavily, and the 123rd Division took shortcuts in order to buy time, crossing mountains and ridges along the way, interspersed towards Darongjiang and Guilin. The Gui army fled all the way south, leaving only the temporary 1st division to cover after the breakup. The temporary 1st division was a newly formed local army and had no intention of fighting. In the middle of the night on November 20, the remnants of the 1st Temporary Division retreated along the east side of the railway to the Darongjiang River. It rained heavily. Many people wore raincoats or coir raincoats and marched forward in the darkness.On the west side of the railway, a group of people soon came from behind.The two teams walked together for more than ten miles across the railroad tracks, not knowing each other.A major battalion commander became addicted to cigarettes. He struck matches to light his cigarettes while walking, but after striking a few matches they failed to ignite, and finally he lit them. "Don't get me wrong! One of my own." The troops on the west side opened fire and crossed the railway, shouting "Give up your guns and don't kill me!" all in northern accents. Walking together for more than ten miles, it turned out to be the People's Liberation Army. The Gui Army was confused by the sudden attack, and a regiment was reimbursed in a short time. On the same day, the 123rd Division crossed the Darong River and caught up with the rear of the 71st Army of the Gui Army.The 71st Army quickly abandoned its formation and fled towards Lingchuan.The People's Liberation Army pursued and fought all the way, captured Lingchuan County in the early morning of November 21, and broke through Gantangdu, the last line of defense in northern Guangxi at noon. "Guilin's landscape is the best in the world", this fairyland-like beautiful city is shrouded in misty rain.Huang Jie's 1st Corps was like locusts crossing the border, and every place they inhabited would be ruined.Areas on both sides of railways and highways implemented "empty rooms and clearing fields", food was looted, and poultry and livestock were all robbed.Important targets such as stations, docks, bridges, warehouses, barracks, power plants, and telecommunications bureaus were all destroyed. In order to protect the central city of Guilin, Bai Chongxi set up three lines of defense. The main force went to launch the "Southern Offensive". As soon as the sound was heard, they rushed to the south and flew south, and the three lines of defense were useless.The People's Liberation Army on the North Road conquered Guilin, a famous city in Guangxi, in just four days. On November 21, Bai Chongxi telegraphed Li Pinxian in Chongqing to issue the "Southern Offensive" combat order as originally planned.On the same day and night, the Nanning Huazhong Military and Political Chief's Office, in the name of Bai Chongxi, ordered all ministries: Bai Chongxi added at the end of this order: "This attack on the South Road is the key to my life and death. If I win, I will receive a large amount of US aid immediately, and if I lose, it will be wiped out." The so-called "US aid" refers to the batch of munitions worth 17 million U.S. dollars in Baijier. At that time, the transport ship of the 7th Fleet was anchored in Hong Kong.After Guangzhou was occupied by the People's Liberation Army, Baijier sent people to Nanning, demanding that the Guangxi army occupy the coastal area along the border of Guangdong and Guangxi, and that the US ships could unload at Zhanjiang and other major ports.This is also an important reason why Bai Chongxi is determined to go south to the Leizhou Peninsula. The batch of arms from the United States made Bai Chongxi stay on the front line of Hengbao for 3 months, and now they fished him to the coastal area near Guangdong and Guangxi by a strange coincidence. The reason why "Little Zhuge"'s strategic performance fell short has a lot to do with that batch of arms. Not long after the combat order for the "Southern Offensive" was issued, this top-secret information was completely placed on Lin Biao's desk.After meditating all night, Lin Biao was already dizzy. He opened the window, and the morning breeze blew in his face. Wuguiling was covered with withered yellow leaves. The autumn scenery and fresh air refreshed his spirit. After Tan Zheng and Xiao Ke hurriedly finished their breakfast, they came to the war room and saw Lin Biao reviewing the telegram. "Boss Lin, have you eaten yet?" Tan Zheng asked kindly. Lin Biao nodded, pushed the telegram forward, and said, "What's your opinion?" Tan Zheng picked up the telegram and read softly: "The enemy began to attack from the line of Rong County and Yulin to the line of Xinyi, Maoming, Huaxian, and Lianjiang in the morning in an attempt to oppress our army on the seashore and take advantage of the momentum to break through to the south. ...The troops of the Guangxi clique are capable of fighting, and should not be underestimated. The enemy's operation is a life-and-death struggle for him, and he must be determined to fight to the death. The number of troops the enemy has concentrated is not far from the number of troops that our army can currently participate in the battle. There are many troops and few enemies... This is the final and most important battle. All ministries must immediately carry out full political mobilization, exert the highest degree of enthusiasm, courage, and determination, and strictly guard against underestimating the enemy. As long as the enemy is wiped out, the liberation Qiongya, Taiwan, and Yunnan are all easy things to do, otherwise the enemy will retreat to Qiongya, Taiwan, or Yunnan, and it will be more difficult for subsequent operations. Therefore, all our commanders and fighters must fight bravely, and commanders at all levels must organize battles carefully and carefully. Take advantage of this opportunity." Tan Zheng and Xiao Ke agreed with the telegram, and at 10 am, the telegram was sent to the 4th Corps and 43rd Army at the same time. Lin, Tan, and Xiao discussed the specific combat plan for more than two hours in front of the map. Lin Biao said: "These two corps of the Guangxi faction have more than 100,000 troops, which are comparable to our troops in the south. The Deng Hua corps must retain an army to consolidate the front line in Guangzhou. The Cantonese army still has tens of thousands of people in the Pearl River Delta. Guangzhou must be guarded against. Li Zuopeng’s 43rd Army can be drawn westward. In terms of combat order, first concentrate 3 armies to defeat the weaker Lu Daoyuan Corps, and finally deal with the Guangxi Clan’s elite Zhang Gan Corps.” According to Lin Biao's overall combat intention, Xiao Ke proposed a specific combat plan. Chen Geng's Corps used one army to contain the enemy's Zhang Gan Corps, and the other two armies joined forces with the 43rd Army of Siye to annihilate Lu Daoyuan's Corps. During the days when Bai Chongxi was dealing with politicians in Chongqing, wars were raging everywhere in Guangxi, and the battle situation took a turn for the worse, with emergencies flying like snowflakes. On November 24, he hurriedly boarded the plane and left the smoky city.At this time, the People's Liberation Army's Central Route Army had swept through northern Guangxi and captured Guilin; a part of the West Route Army was also approaching the city of Liuzhou.Bai Chongxi's plane landed at Liuzhou Airport. As soon as he got off the plane, he realized that something was wrong. The sound of gunfire from the northwest direction could be faintly heard, and the airport seemed deserted. It turned out that Liuzhou was already an empty city, and the defenders had already retreated. "Little Zhuge" was very surprised, and quickly got into the plane and flew to Nanning. The situation was much worse than he expected, Bai Chongxi was in chaos, and he didn't know how to fight the battle.He began to worry about Zhang Gan and Lu Daoyuan, and lost all confidence in the "Southern Offensive". Zhang Gan is approaching his sixtieth year, and has been a lieutenant general for 18 years. He was once a member of the Guangxi camp.Today is not what it used to be, and his courage is lost as the snow stains his temples.The despondent veteran Zhang Gan convened a pre-war military meeting in Yulin County on November 26, and formally issued an order for the "Southern Offensive".This is three days later than Bai Chongxi's plan.In the past three days, the Chen Geng Corps has completed the battle. Attending the Yulin Military Conference were: Long Yanwu, Chief of Staff of the Corps, Xia Fuguang, Deputy Chief of Staff, Li Benyi, Commander of the 7th Army, Zhang Wenhong, Commander of the 48th Army, Zhang Xiangze, Commander of the 126th Army, Luo Huo, Commander of the Southern Guangxi Military and Political Region, etc. . Standing in front of a 1:300,000 map of the military situation in Guangdong and Guangxi, Zhang Gan said slowly: "Guilin and Liuzhou fell one after another, and the situation in northern and central Guangxi was out of control. The main force of our army was forced to withdraw southward, and the rest were scattered in the mountains. The main force of the army has not been damaged. Chief Bai put his hope on the "Southern Road Offensive" and ordered our corps to attack the Maoming Chen Geng bandits. This is a battle of life and death. If the victory is won, the 200,000 Guangxi army will be able to retreat to the Leizhou Peninsula, leaving the green hills. Without firewood, we can make a comeback at any time to clean up the old rivers and mountains. If we fail, the whole army will be wiped out. Not only will your future be ruined, but your family and life will also be difficult to preserve. You must do your best, burn the boat, and lead the headquarters to fight against the water to survive from death The tactics used in this 'Southern Offensive'..." Zhang Gan beat the general with his fists, but he broke out in a weak sweat. He took out a handkerchief and wiped the fine beads of sweat on his forehead, and said weakly to the chief of staff, "Give out the combat order, I'm done." The general looked at Zhang Gan, who was slumped on the chair, and felt guilty and panicked.Sure enough, the so-called plan to "attack Chen Geng's bandits" was a bluff.He ordered the 7th Army and the 48th Army to be the attacking troops to attack Maoming from Beiliu through Baoxu and Luchuan through Wushi respectively, and the 126th Army was the reserve force.This plan, in name, was to attack Maoming, but in fact it was to flee to Leizhou Peninsula. He meant that the regiment should flee first. As for Lu Daoyuan and other ministries in the north, he could not care so much. However, Zhang Gan made a fatal mistake in arranging troops. The 126th Army is located at the southernmost point. This is a newly formed army with the worst combat effectiveness. After the meeting, the armies "attacked" as planned.On the same day, the three armies met fire with the outposts of the People's Liberation Army at the same time.The People's Liberation Army fought and retreated, and the fighting was not too intense. Chen Geng originally planned to fight Zhang Gan first and then Lu Daoyuan, but he didn't expect the situation to change as soon as the battle started.Lu Daoyuan's corps was defeated first. On the evening of November 26, Li Zuopeng's 43rd Army marched rapidly for several days. The 127th Forward Division arrived at Qiaotoupu, north of Xinyi, and happened to meet the 58th Forward Army of Lu Daoyuan's Corps. A fierce battle broke out between the two sides.The forward of the Lu Corps was discounted at the first move, and the follow-up troops hurriedly turned around and rushed back.The People's Liberation Army did not allow the enemy to take a breath for a moment, and then launched a swift pursuit of the enemy. The various units of the Lu Corps were chased to pieces on the way back, and soon fell apart.At first there were a few organized attacks, but later all the ministries fled, and the establishment was in chaos. There was hardly any fierce fighting, and a corps was scrapped in a daze. On November 27, facing the out-of-control rout, Lu Daoyuan ordered Hu Ruoyu, the deputy commander of the Corps who was supervising the battle on the front line, to set up defenses at Luojia to prevent the People's Liberation Army from continuing to pursue.Hu Ruoyu gathered two regiments to guard several hills.The pursuit troops of the 43rd Army rushed to Luojia, quickly circled and outflanked, and killed Hu Ruoyu with a burst of firepower.The defenders abandoned their formations and fled without a leader.The People's Liberation Army quickly flooded over the Gui army's position like a tide, and found the body of a fat man in a green tweed uniform on the mountain road.He asked the prisoner for questioning, and it turned out to be Lieutenant General Hu Ruoyu.In order to continue chasing and annihilating the fleeing enemy, the leading troops had no time to deal with Hu Ruoyu's body, so they wrote a note and pasted it on the bloated belly - "Hu Ruoyu, Deputy Commander of the 11th Corps of the Enemy". On November 28, the 127th Division followed the rout and chased into Rongxian County.The establishment of the Guangxi army was in chaos, and more than 300 prisoners actually had the designation of 5 divisions. Zhang Zibin, deputy head of the 385th Regiment of the 129th Division, found that the Second Battalion had seized 40 bicycles, and shouted: "Who can ride a bicycle? Come and chase the enemy with me!" Zhang Zibin led 40 people on bicycles and galloped along the road from Rongxian County to Beiliu to chase the enemy.Soon they caught up with a large group of defeated enemies. They chased and fought, and captured more than 300 enemy troops in one fell swoop.Zhang Zibin left 14 people to guard the prisoners, while the remaining 26 continued to pursue. They encountered many broken soldiers in twos and threes along the way, and Zhang Zibin ordered: "Don't shoot, don't talk, just pedal." Soon, it was dark, and the enemy soldiers on the road staggered and fled in the direction of Beiliu. The team is envious. Zhang Zibin's convoy entered Beiliu County from the north gate.Lu Daoyuan's Corps Headquarters and the 226th Division of the 58th Army are in the city. The 26 warriors were immediately divided into several combat groups, and a riot broke out in the city.Squad leader Ma Qinglu's team sneaked into Beiliu Middle School, first captured the enemy company commander, and then forced the company commander to order more than 100 people under him to put down their weapons.Zhang Zibin personally led several other teams to deal with the team directly under the enemy regiment at Beijiekou.More than 20 cars were parked at the intersection, and their bright lights illuminated the messy troops preparing to camp on the street. The four warriors each brought a machine gun to the side of the car and fired fiercely at the enemy group.The enemy army who was unpacking their backpacks was suddenly attacked, and the hornet's nest was blown up immediately, and they ran around in the street.Enemy troops in the distance immediately fired mortars and machine guns at the cars. The four warriors moved quickly, and the cars exploded one after another. The nearby houses and trees were ignited by the splashed gasoline, and North Street quickly turned into a sea of ​​flames. Taking advantage of the enemy's confusion, Zhang Zibin and Tian Guihua, the deputy instructor, deliberately bluffed and shouted: "The second battalion will turn around and block the enemy's retreat!" "The machine gun company and the mortar company are ready to fire!" Other warriors shouted from several directions at the same time: "You are surrounded! Hand in your guns and don't kill! Treat the prisoners leniently!" The dizzy Gui army thought that they were really surrounded. At that time, more than 300 people surrendered, and then the officers and soldiers in the houses on both sides of the street also came out to surrender voluntarily. The battle on Beijie ended in such a dramatic way, with 26 people capturing more than 500 people. That night, the follow-up troops of the People's Liberation Army came one after another and launched a large-scale capture battle inside and outside Beiliu City. By 7:00 am on the 29th, the battle was over.More than 4,000 people from the 11th Corps of the Guangxi Army and the 226th Division of the 58th Army were taken as prisoners. Lu Daoyuan took advantage of the chaos and absconded alone. At the same time, part of the 43rd Army conquered Yulin County and wiped out more than 2,000 enemies.Lu Daoyuan's corps disappeared within three days, almost without a decent battle, tens of thousands of people all collapsed on the way to escape.During this period, many unbelievable battles occurred, which is a great miracle in the history of war. The first company of the 381st Regiment of the 127th Division caught up to the two entire regiments of the Lu Corps at the Minwan Ferry in Beiliu. One person was injured. Huang Kebao, squad leader of the Eighth Company of the 379th Regiment of the 127th Division, captured more than 150 prisoners alone and became a famous lonely hero. When Lu Daoyuan's corps collapsed in Rongxian and Beiliu, Zhang Gan's corps was also in trouble.Chen Geng garrisoned Lianjiang with 1 division, and launched a counterattack against the 7th Army of the Gui Army with 5 divisions.Seeing that the way to flee south was blocked, Zhang Gan panicked and ordered all the troops to shrink their lines and prepare to flee back west, but he himself led the regiment to Bobai County. Zhang Gan set up the headquarters of the Corps in the library compound, and the route of fleeing south to Hainan Island was cut off. This 38-year-old veteran was in disarray and became superstitious. He placed a large compass in the room, and repeatedly Calculate the ominous fortune of the escape route over and over again.Master Yuan Tiangang, whom he admired, made a big joke for him. He was clearly besieged on all sides, but after all the calculations, all roads are auspicious.During Zhang Gan's life as a soldier, whenever he was in a critical situation, he would set up a compass and ask for good and bad luck. Nine out of ten times it came true, so he became very superstitious about this method. After finishing the hexagram, Zhang Gan regained his confidence.He originally planned to stay in Bobai for one night and leave, but he suddenly changed his mind the next morning. 他对参谋长龙炎武说：“这些日子，我们跑得太辛苦，部队需要休整，索性多住一天，明天起程。” 龙炎武提醒道：“鲁道源兵团联系不上了，估计北面的情况不妙，如果共军从北面打过来，我们一点办法都没有。” “北面共军离我们至少有90公里，一天一夜是赶不到了。”张淦拍着龙炎武的肩膀，笑道，“即使共军打来了，也跑不过我们的吉普和卡车，老弟用不着愁眉苦脸。” 这天上午，张淦出席县政府召集的“民众大会”，大言不惭地吹嘘道：“我张某人统率十几万大军，打遍天南地北，有着不俗的战绩。陈赓不就是二野的吗？早在大别山时，连刘伯承都是我的手下败将，我怎么会把他放在眼里？有人说林彪的四野厉害，未免言过其实，没什么了不起的！我手里还有几个军，我的大炮不是哑巴，枪也有个洞口……” 张淦做梦都不会想到，就在这天晚上他会被人从床底下拖出来，赶进了俘虏的队伍。 11月29日黄昏，第43军后卫第128师第382团进抵苏立圩。团长张实杰见天色已晚，下令埋锅做饭，准备宿营。 此时，从博白方向来了一群逃难的人，其中有一位戴眼镜的中年人引起了张团长的注意：“你是哪里人？” 那中年人连忙停下，扶了一下眼镜，神色紧张地说：“我是博白人，县立第一小学教师。” 张团长继续问：“这么晚了，你们还到哪里去？” “长官……”中年人支支吾吾，不知如何回答。 “我们是解放军，穷人的队伍，都是同志，没有什么长官。” 中年人仔细打量了一下张团长，再看看附近的解放军战士，发现他们都在公路两旁休息，没有人进民房，于是神色大为缓和，说：“你们真是解放军，百闻不如一见，果然是仁义之师。白崇禧的第3兵团司令张淦在博白县城，他敲钱抓丁，搞得城里鸡犬不宁，谁还敢待在那里？所以我们到乡下投亲戚。” 张淦在博白县城，这个消息使张团长兴奋不已。几天来，由于第128师是第43军的后卫，一直没有捞着仗打。第127师、第129师都取得了重大战果，让他们羡慕不已。张团长的部队一口气走了六七个县，路上不断有兄弟部队振奋人心的消息传来，尤其是击毙胡若愚的消息反响特别大。 “我们一块肥肉都没碰上，兄弟部队可好，连副司令长官这样的大王八也吃掉了。” “听说白崇禧有车、马、炮三个兵团司令官，我们抓他一个，不比打死个副的强！” “活捉敌军司令官！”成为张团长激励部队的一句口号。 没料到机会真的来了，白崇禧那盘残棋中的“车”摆在眼前了！ 张团长立即送给中年教师一袋大米，以示谢意，随后与王政委商量，决定夜袭博白，活捉张淦。 战士们立即出发，奔赴博白。饭熟了的带上饭，边走边吃，没熟的就扔下不管了。部队起先还带着背包，最后全部扔掉了。二路纵队变成四路，四路变成八路，战士们争先恐后朝博白狂奔。 到达博白城下时正是深更半夜，上弦月西沉，伸手不见五指。第三营第七连最先进城，驻在北门兵营的哨兵发现突然窜来一大群人，以为是鲁道源兵团第58军的。 “他妈的！你们58军退到这里来干什么？” 七连副连长芦福山机智地说：“奉上级命令，协助你们到东边打共军。” 那哨兵是个老兵油子，边抽烟边说：“那好，你们快去吧！” 这时，正在房里值班的一伙士兵出来了：“深更半夜的，吵什么？” “兄弟是11兵团部传令兵，有紧急情况向张司令官报告。”芦福山掏出5块大洋，说，“请问张司令官在哪里？谁给带路，赏他5块大洋。” 那伙人见钱眼开，纷纷要求带路。芦福山看中一个小个子，说：“就劳你的大驾吧。” 小个子领着芦福山等人径直来到图书馆门前，站岗的哨兵喝问：“哪一部分的？” “兄弟是11兵团部传令兵，有急事要向张司令官报告。” 值班参谋闻声一看，顿时生疑，一个传令兵怎么会带这么多人来？突然大喊起来：“不好啦！共军进城啦！” 作战处长从屋里跑出来，说：“瞎嚷什么？共军从天上飞下来的？肯定是自己人，别误会。” 芦福山一个箭步冲上去揪住那作战处长的衣领。用枪抵住他的胸口：“没错，老子是从天上飞下来的，快带我去见张淦！” 解放军战士一拥而上，卸了哨兵和参谋的枪，随后冲进图书馆，将敌兵团部官兵大部分从床上揪了出来。此时，第382团主力及同时受命奔袭博白的第127师第379团已陆续赶到，城里城外同时响起激烈的枪声。 张淦住在图书馆的后院，枪声将他从睡梦中惊醒，他连忙下令向手下的三个军发电报，令他们回援兵团部。 芦福山带着七连包围张淦所住的院子，张淦的警卫队依仗围墙负隅顽抗，双方对峙了半个小时。张团长和王政委及时赶来，调来二具火箭筒。“轰、轰”两声巨响，大门被炸得粉碎。芦福山趁硝烟未散之际第一个冲进院子，很快就将警卫队解决了。 “张淦快投降！”芦福山一脚踹开张淦的卧室，只见桌上的罗盘还在旋转。 教导员刘梅村冲了进来，发现床下露出一双皮鞋，居然鞋尖朝下，于是对芦福山说：“你看那是什么？” 芦福山低头朝床下一看，嘿！一个大胖子在里面瑟瑟发抖。芦福山一把将他拖了出来。 “我就是张淦。”张淦头部被铺板擦伤了，正在淌血，“我与周恩来先生熟悉，希望你们把我送到他那里去。” 张淦被押到团指挥所，朝张团长恭恭敬敬地敬了个军礼：“兄弟有罪，请长官宽大饶恕！” “我军的政策是优待俘虏，只要放下武器一律宽大。”王政委转身吩咐卫生员为张淦包扎伤口。 “贵军真是神兵天降，我还以为你们三天内不会赶到，真是太出人意料啦！” 张淦十分担心他女儿的安全，请求查找她的下落。半小时后，解放军从俘虏中查出张淦的女儿，将她送到团部。张淦十分感动，连声说：“贵军如此仁义，我要将功赎罪，为你们效劳。” 王政委笑道：“你怎么效劳？” 张淦说：“白崇禧把他的三个兵团司令官比作车、马、炮，我就是车，车没了，棋就没法下啦！我现在电令各军向贵军投降。” 张兵团的3个军正在廉江、陆川一线与陈赓兵团激战，突然接到兵团部告急的电报，3个军几乎同时撤出了阵地，连夜向博白方向转移。几个小时后，他们接到张淦令其投降的电报，顿时军心动摇，降的降，逃的逃，白崇禧的第3兵团很快就土崩瓦解了。 12月1日上午，第43军与第14军、第15军对张淦兵团残部发起总攻，战至当日15时，除少数桂军漏网西逃外，其余全部被歼灭。 至此，桂系精锐部队丧失殆尽，一向拥兵自重的白崇禧突然被打折脊梁骨，再也硬不起来了。 鲁道源、张淦两兵团突然失去联系，白崇禧在南宁忧心如焚，他顿感“南路攻势”就像飞蛾扑火一样自取灭亡了。十几万大军竟如此不堪一击，这是他做梦都没有想到的。 此时，西路解放军连克思恩、金城江、河池、东兰，于12月1日占领万冈，完全切断了桂军残部向云南退却的路线。 白崇禧西窜云南和南逃雷州半岛的两个方案都落了空。此时，在宾阳至南宁一线尚有黄杰第1兵团、徐启明第10兵团等残部10余万人。 12月2日，黄杰报告从柳州南下的解放军已逼近宾阳。白崇禧令黄杰死守昆仑关，确保南宁的北大门，同时令徐启明掩护华中军政长官公署向钦州南撤，准备由龙门港逃往海南岛。 次日上午，白崇禧从南宁乘飞机前往海南岛去租借舰船，他对送行的李品仙说：“南宁危在旦夕，你马上坐飞机到防城去设指挥所。”白崇禧还想交代什么事，可是一想到此番离乡可能将要永别，不禁泪光闪烁，伤心得说不出话来。12天前李宗仁临别前，也是在这里泣不成声。 白崇禧下达南逃钦州的指令不久，四野前委就获得了这一重要情报。林彪迅速对三路大军作了新的调整： 第43军第128师自博白地区轻装强行军，自选道路向钦州疾进，该军主力随后跟进。 第13军第39师轻装强行军向钦州疾进，该军主力加速清剿公馆圩至北海一线残敌。 第39军第116师占领宾阳后，越过昆仑关向南宁进击。 第40军自玉林取捷径向灵山前进。 第14军向合浦、钦州前进。 第45军经横县向钦州前进。 林彪的三路大军以南宁至钦州一线为中心，开始向心合击。第二次粤桂边围歼战拉开了序幕，这是自南下以来，集结兵力最多的一次战役。 北路第45军兼程南下，一路势如破竹。12月3日，攻占贵县，歼敌1个师部；4日攻占横县，击沉2艘军舰；5日进至旧州附近歼敌千人；前卫第123师审问俘虏，得知敌人昼夜兼程，拼命向钦州逃跑。白崇禧电令各部须日行150里，迟到的不准登船。该师首长立即将这一情况上报军部，同时令部队扔掉行李跑步前进。7日深夜2时，前卫团有2个连抵达小董圩附近，华中军政长官公署正在圩里宿营。团政委焦红光即率2个连向敌发起攻击，敌人在睡梦中惊醒，动作慢的来不及起床就当了俘虏，动作快的在街上到处乱窜。敌军不知虚实，在一片“缴枪不杀”的喊声中纷纷投降。俘虏一批一批被押送到西北街口的一个大院里。天亮时一清点，居然有4000多人，其中将官9人，校官600多人，白崇禧的小卧车也成了战利品。 西路第39军于12月2日占领宾阳，3日越过昆仑关，4日占领南宁，5日渡邕江南下，6日进抵大塘圩一带俘敌4000余人，7日进抵那晓圩歼敌1000余人。 南路第43军于12月6日进抵大垌圩，与此同时第14军第40师、第40军第119师、第45军第123师等部纷纷赶至小董圩、钦州一带，将白部4万余人一举围歼。 白崇禧到达海口匆忙求见余汉谋，要求派舰船去钦州龙门港营救桂军残部。 余汉谋为难地说：“蒋总裁已任命薛岳为海南岛防卫总司令，节制岛内海、陆、空三军，我的部队都丢在了大陆，这里是薛将军的地盘，我做不了主。” 薛岳是蒋介石的嫡系将领，1949年2月调任广东省主席之前为总统府参军长，他曾在1948年纠集粤籍人士竭力支持孙科竞选副总统，与桂系矛盾甚深。白崇禧一个月前要求率部撤往海南岛，受到他的坚决反对，后经李宗仁出面做工作，勉强答应桂军退雷州半岛，以屏障海南岛的安全。那时白崇禧尚有二三十万大军，薛岳怕白崇禧喧宾夺主，将海南岛变成桂系的地盘。现在“小诸葛”损兵折将，上岛求情无异于寻求避难之所。薛岳不得不重新审视时局，考虑桂军上岛之事。 12月4日，薛岳召集军事会议商量营救之事，出席会议的有陈济棠、余汉谋、白崇禧和夏威等。 白崇禧红着眼睛，几乎用哀求的口气对薛岳说：“广西的局面已经不可收拾，当务之急是速派舰船赴龙门港接运徐启明兵团，请求各位援手相救。” 薛岳明白一俟大陆战事结束，海南岛必定成为林彪的下一个攻击目标，凭岛上现有兵力难以固守偌大一个岛屿，他也希望桂军残部上岛以充实防卫力量。但是这个绰号“老虎仔”的将军还有更狠的一手，那就是乘人之危，敲一笔竹杠。 白崇禧精明过人，除了会用兵之外，敛财也是高手。他坐镇武汉时，一是大肆搜刮民脂民膏，巧立名目，设“戡乱特捐税”，在国税之外附加25％；二是敲诈武汉商会现洋上百万元；三是以疏散战略物资为名，将大量棉纱、棉花、布匹、汽油、酒精、桐油、钢材、木材等纷纷运往广州变卖。白崇禧虽然手段隐蔽，但是要消化堆积如山的物资不可能不露蛛丝马迹。薛岳在广州看到“小诸葛”大发国难财，嫉妒不已。 薛岳故作为难状，慢条斯理地说：“岛上物资匮乏，舰船用油须高价从香港购入，我们没有资金购高价油，舰船大多泊于港湾无法起航。” 白崇禧心里明白这是在敲竹杠，眼下救人要紧，不能不忍气吞声，于是说：“我带来了一些金条，不妨算我们租借好了，多少钱你们开个价，我只有一个要求，至迟今晚必须起航。” 当日晚，白崇禧亲自带着一支庞大的舰队从海口出发，次日凌晨抵达龙门港。他在港口一直守候到12月9日，真是望眼欲穿，可是始终没有一支部队到达。这期间他多次登岸在港口打电话了解战况，噩耗竞相传来，徐启明兵团在半途被截为数段，全军溃散，已经不可能到达钦州了。 12月8日，白崇禧电令黄杰等： 白崇禧在龙门港空等了几天，此时钦州战火已经平息，解放军正向龙门港袭来。“小诸葛”绝望地登上军舰，舰队在汽笛声中缓缓离岸，他立在甲板上用无限依恋的目光注视着渐渐模糊的大陆，热泪夺眶而出，洇湿了胸前五颜六色的勋标。 李宗仁于1949年12月5日自香港飞赴美国就医，当时他还不知道桂军已经全军覆没，临行前亲笔致函白崇禧，让其将桂军撤往海南岛，待他从美国返回后再定大计。程思远持函来到海口，始知桂系的老本全部输光了。从此，李宗仁打消了回国的念头，长期旅居美国。蒋介石偏安台湾必须仰仗美国的庇护，为了牵制李宗仁在美国的“反蒋活动”，老蒋决定将白崇禧诱到台湾做“人质”。 1949年底，蒋介石派军需署长陈良携黄金万两前往海口，说是补发所欠华中部队的军饷。白崇禧望着那些灿烂的金砖苦笑道：“华中部队已经不存在了，军饷发给谁？”几天后，陆军副总司令罗奇携蒋介石的亲笔信来海口，邀白崇禧赴台北晤谈，并暗示蒋嘱意白出任行政院长。“小诸葛”不敢轻举妄动，乃派李品仙、徐祖贻赴台湾探听虚实。李品仙一上台岛就受到拉拢和收买，徐祖贻则被蒋的虚情假意所蒙蔽，二人致电白崇禧，认为蒋介石迭电邀白赴台，实属“至诚”。“小诸葛”想起黄埔密室中老蒋的“肺腑之言”，以为身负亡国之痛的老蒋自此当重用贤才，学勾践卧薪尝胆，于是在犹豫一个月之后，终于踏上了孤岛台湾，随即受到相当于软禁的待遇。每当李宗仁在海外有不利于老蒋的言行，白崇禧便被迫发表一通反李声明。直至李宗仁1965年夏返回大陆，白崇禧作为“人质”的使命才结束了。次年冬，白崇禧惨死于台北松江路家中，尸体呈铜绿色，衬衫被撕成碎片，浑身布满抓痕，他的死因至今仍是一个谜。 黄杰在左、右江地区接到白崇禧“化整为零”的电令，十分震惊，他认为数万人猥集于狭小地域，无法分散游击。第1兵团成分复杂，并非桂军嫡系，在广西没有根基且语言不通，很难生存下去。黄杰本是黄埔将领，当即去电