Chapter 13 Chapter 12: First Battle at Huaihai

In the early morning of September 24, 1948, Su Yu, who had not slept all night, was still sleepless, and had no intention of leaving the war room to take a rest. This is the war room of Huaye Headquarters in Dabaiji, Ningyang.Staff officers blew out the candles for lighting, opened the curtains, and ushered in the first ray of sunlight.At this moment, Chen Shiju, Zhang Zhen and other Huaye leaders were all excited. Obviously, they stayed up all night with Su Yu.They no longer think hard and rack their brains about breaking through the inner city.Now that it has broken into the inner city, the battle situation in Jinan is set.

Wang Yaowu's army is about to be annihilated, which seems to be expected, and it can be called a big victory.But Su Yu seemed unwilling. It turned out that before the battle, Su Yu had envisaged that while attacking the city, he could also send reinforcements, annihilating the Northern Aid Qiu Qingquan Corps or Huang Baitao Corps.But because the aid enemy was timid, his plan was only half realized.Now, a new idea popped up in his mind, although Qiu Qingquan and Huang Baitao were cunning, there was always a time to catch them.They survived the first day of junior high school, but they may not survive the fifteenth day.Why not take advantage of the remaining prestige of the Jinan Battle and march south to compete with these enemies?In fact, this is not entirely a new idea. As early as August 23 of this year, in a telegram to the Central Military Commission and to Guan Wenwei, Chen Pixian, Wei Guoqing, and Ji Luo, he had imagined that "in two months, we will be able to hold the Go south along the canal and Jinpu with all your strength, and capture the Lianghuai, Gao and Bao with one corps, and the situation in northern Jiangsu will be greatly expanded."

Chen Tuju also agreed to send his troops south to fight against the enemy in Lianghuai, Gao and Bao areas. Zhang Zhen also said: "We prepared a banquet for the enemy, but they didn't come. If they don't come, we will send it to their door. This time, we have to do nothing and never stop. If we want to fight, we will fight hard. Fight a battle like the Battle of Eastern Henan, The Battle of Jinan will be an even bigger battle. I suggest going south from Lunan and Southwest Shandong, going straight to Xin'an Town, annihilating Huang Baitao, and then fighting Lianghuai, Gao, and Bao, and connecting northern Jiangsu and Shandong!"

They did what they said, and immediately drafted a telegram to the Central Military Commission and reported it to the East China Bureau and the Central Plains Bureau. An eloquent manuscript, which Su Yu had combed through countless times in Su Yu's mind, was written by him in one go.In this telegram, Su Yu made the following suggestions on the next move of the East China Field Army: (1) In order to better improve the battle situation in the Central Plains, isolate the Jinpu line and force the enemy to retreat (or at least strengthen) the riverside and along the Jinpu line to reduce their mobile forces so that we can resume work on the riverside and create favorable conditions for crossing the river in the future , At the same time, it will be convenient for the whole Huaye army to enter the south of Longhai Road to fight in the future, to obtain the convenience of transportation and supply, and to win the support of human and material resources in Central China for the war. It is recommended to carry out the Huaihai Campaign.The campaign can be divided into two phases: in the first phase, the Northern Subei Corps (a column must be strengthened) captured the Lianghuai River, and took advantage of the victory to recover Baoying and Gaoyou.At the same time, the main force of the whole army is located on both sides of the line from Suqian to the canal station to annihilate the enemy who may come to help.If the enemy does not help or is blocked, and instead passes through Pukou and the Yangtze River to aid from Yangzhou to the north, we will proceed to the second step of the campaign around the end of the Huaihe River and the Huaihe River—taking Haizhou and Lianyungang with three columns, ending the Huaihai Campaign, and then all The army was transferred to rest.

(2) Only carry out Haizhou operations, only for the purpose of capturing Haizhou, Xinpu, Lianyungang and other places, and use the main force to control Xin'an Town, the north and south of Yunhe Station and the Yizao Line, and rest in preparation for war.This case is more important to the rest of the troops (only the siege troops need to rest for a while. As of yesterday evening, the 6 columns of the siege troops had only suffered more than 8,000 casualties, and the casualties of last night and this morning were not included, so the casualties are not large) It is convenient, but it will also increase the difficulty of capturing the two Huaihe Rivers in the future (the enemy may increase their troops).

(3) Use all your strength to seek reinforcements from the south and wipe out part of the enemy, but now that Jinan has been conquered, the enemy will be more vigilant and may retreat.I'm afraid it's not easy to fight. (4) The whole army will enter rest and reorganization.This is good for the troops, but it is easy to lose the cool autumn climate suitable for combat and the opportunity to impose great mental pressure on the enemy after the fall of Jinan. At this time, Deng Xiaoping, secretary of the Central Plains Bureau, did not return to the Central Work Conference, and other leaders of the Central Plains Bureau fully supported Su Yu's proposal. At noon on September 25th, Liu Bocheng, Chen Yi, and Li Da called the Central Military Commission and told Su Yu: "The first plan is to attack the two Huaihe Rivers and attract the enemy to help the enemy. They agree to take advantage of the victory to carry out the Huaihai Campaign."

At 19:00 on September 25, Mao Zedong drafted a reply for the Central Military Commission: "We believe that it is very necessary to hold the Huaihai Campaign. There is no need for a major rest at present, and there will be another rest after the Huaihai Campaign." At the same time, he clearly pointed out, "It is estimated that soon The Qiu Corps will return to the Shangdang area, and the Yellow Corps will return to Xin'an Town and the Canal Station area. Your first battle should aim to annihilate the Yellow Corps at Xin'an and the line of the Canal." "The second is to wipe out the enemies of Lianghuai Gaobao The first battle." "Annihilate the enemies in Haizhou, Lianyungang, and Guanyun areas, and fight for the third. These three battles are big battles. If you fight well, you can wipe out more than a dozen enemy brigades, and you can open up Shandong and northern Jiangsu. This connection can force the enemy to disperse part of their forces to defend the Yangtze River, which will benefit your next battle on the Xuzhou and Pukou lines. Therefore, you should make sufficient preparations for this campaign before Youhui (October 10). For preparations, we need to hold a cadre meeting like the Qufu meeting last month to unify the will to fight and adjust internal relations."

At this time, the Central Military Commission was busy commanding the Liaoshen Campaign, especially spending a lot of energy in persuading Lin Biao to recognize the importance of capturing Jinzhou in the northeast, but still paid special attention to the preparations for the Huaihai Campaign. On September 28, Mao Zedong drafted a telegram for the Central Military Commission, sent to Rao Shushi, Su Yu, Tan Zhenlin, and reported to Liu Bocheng, Chen Yi, and the East China Bureau: "The news that the Huang Corps was transferred back to the Xin'an Town area has been confirmed. You are in The first battle in the Battle of Huaihai, and the most important battle-to suppress the Qiu and Li corps and annihilate the Huang corps. Xin'an Town is very close to Xuzhou, and the Qiu and Li corps rushed to the aid very quickly. This battle must be better than Jinan The scale of the campaign is larger, possibly even larger than that of the Battle of Suiqi. Therefore, you must have a fairly long period of time for the offensive and relief corps to be rested and replenished, and you must have sufficient support for the entire army's operational needs, including all logistical work. Prepare before you can start action." "The Ninth Column and the Thirteenth Column, which suffered the most casualties, should be replenished quickly. If possible, if a number of local organic units can be transferred to the two columns—especially the Seventy-three The 109th Regiment and the 109th Regiment are necessary. When carrying out the Huaihai Campaign, these two columns should be used as reserve forces in the first phase of the battle."

Up to this point, the idea of ​​the Battle of Huaihai had been concretized, but it could still only be regarded as a plan for the "Little Huaihai Battle", with the goal limited to the annihilation of Huang Baitao's corps and the annihilation of the enemies in the Lianghuai, Gao, Bao, and Haizhou areas. The Central Military Commission's far-sightedness, assessment of the situation, and strategic will to achieve national victory at an early date are all promoting the gradual formation of the "Great Huaihai Campaign" plan. On October 11, the Central Military Commission's telegram "On the Operational Policy of the Huaihai Campaign" drafted by Mao Zedong was sent to the East China Bureau and the Central Plains Bureau at the same time.The telegram pointed out: "The focus of the first stage of this campaign is to concentrate our forces to wipe out Huang Baitao's corps." It is conceivable to fight on the two Huaihe Rivers."

At this time, most of the East China Field Army was assembled on both sides of Jinpu Road between Xuzhou and Jinan, and one part was located in northern Jiangsu.While resting and reorganizing, the troops were actively preparing for battle, preparing to participate in the Huaihai Campaign. In accordance with the instructions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Central Military Commission, the Huaye Front Committee held an enlarged meeting centered on strengthening discipline in Qufu, Shandong Province from October 5 to 24.Attending the meeting were members of the Huaye Front Committee and the main responsible cadres above the corps and column divisions.The meeting communicated and learned the spirit of the "September Meeting" of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and discussed the strategic task of "moving the army forward, growing an inch in production, strengthening discipline, and invincible revolution" proposed by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Contrary to self-criticism, on the one hand, make a proper evaluation of past achievements, and on the other hand, conduct a serious and serious inspection of some phenomena of lack of discipline and anarchy.Through study, you can see that in the past two years of war, the Huaye troops have completed their combat tasks well, the number of troops has grown greatly, the political awareness of officers and soldiers has been continuously improved, and their combat effectiveness has been increasing day by day.Especially after the new army movement, the army has taken on a new look.But there are also many problems, and the state of disorder and anarchy has appeared from time to time.Some do not seriously implement the reporting system stipulated by the central government, do not ask for instructions in advance, do not report afterwards, and report good news but not bad news.Some committed egoism, did not turn in the seized materials or turned them in less, and discounted the implementation of unified regulations.Some Yelang are arrogant, conceited, disrespectful of leaders, uncaring of their neighbors, proud of victories, discouraged after setbacks, only like to listen to good things, not to listen to criticism, and so on.The participants carefully analyzed the causes and harms of these problems, and unanimously adopted the "Resolution on Strengthening Discipline and Overcoming Indiscipline and Anarchy within the Party."

In the various units of Huaye, an educational campaign to strengthen discipline centered on implementing the spirit of the Qufu Conference was soon set off.The organization and discipline, the spirit of unity and cooperation, and the concept of taking the overall situation into account have been significantly enhanced in the East China Field Army, and the policy level has also been greatly improved.This is undoubtedly an important preparation for the upcoming Huaihai Campaign. During the Qufu Conference, the Huaye Front Committee held several combat conferences attended by major leading cadres above the column level, conducted in-depth analysis of the situation between the enemy and ourselves, and constantly revised the combat plan.Participants saw that the target of the operation was the 4 corps and 3 appeasement areas under the command of Liu Zhi, commander-in-chief of the KMT's Xuzhou "Suppression General". More than 800,000.Among them, the Fifth Army of the Qiu Qingquan Corps and the Eighteenth Army of the Huangwei Corps are both the ace troops that the Kuomintang Army is proud of, and they are relatively effective.The People's Liberation Army has 16 columns of the East China Field Army, 7 columns of the Central Plains Field Army, and some local troops of the East China Military Region and the Central Plains Military Region, with a total strength of about 600,000.The People's Liberation Army is far inferior to the opponent in terms of numbers, equipment, and transportation conditions, but it greatly exceeds the opponent in terms of politics and morale.The "September Meeting" of the Central Committee proposed to build a 5 million People's Liberation Army, and to achieve the general task of fundamentally overthrowing the Kuomintang regime within five years.It is stipulated that the whole army wipes out 100 brigades of the enemy's regular army every year.Huaye was required to wipe out 40 enemy brigades and capture Jinan, northern Jiangsu, eastern Henan, northern Anhui and other places.Now, the task of capturing Jinan has been achieved, and the officers and soldiers of the whole army have long been looking forward to fighting a bigger battle. At this time, the Kuomintang is also stepping up preparations for war, dispatching troops and generals.Chiang Kai-shek once attempted to hand over the command of Wuhan and Xuzhou to Bai Chongxi, and withdrew his direct line to the south of the Yangtze River to support himself.However, due to the deep factional conflicts and their own plans, Chiang Kai-shek dared not hand over the military power to command the two major theaters to Bai Chongxi, and Bai Chongxi was unwilling to take advantage of others' fire, so the matter was left alone.After some debates, the opinion that "to defend the Yangtze River (Yangtze River) must be firmly established on the Huai River (Huaihe River), and to guard the Huai River, Xuzhou cannot be let go" finally prevailed, and the policy of still sticking to Xuzhou with the Liu Zhi Group was determined.Xuzhou is located at the junction of the four provinces of Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan, and Anhui. It is the transportation hub of North China and Central China. It has always been a "place for military strategists".They regarded Xuzhou as "the barrier between Beijing (Nanjing) and Shanghai", and adopted the defensive measures of "one point and two lines" - with Xuzhou as the center point, plus the two railway lines of Longhai and Jinpu, it happened to be a cross.The specific deployment is: "General Suppression" is stationed in Xuzhou, the four armies of Qiu Qingquan's Second Corps are located on the Dangshan and Xuzhou lines, the three armies of Huang Baitao's Seventh Corps are located in Xin'an Town and the Ahu area, and the three armies of Li Mi's Thirteenth Corps Located in Xuzhou and Paoche sections, Feng Zhian's two armies in the 3rd Sui District were located in Jiawang, Taierzhuang, and Lincheng areas, and Li Yannian's 9th Sui District Army was located in the Xinhailian area.Its task is to prevent the People's Liberation Army from going southward from South Shandong and Southwest Shandong to Central China, so as to ensure the safety of Xuzhou and Longhai Road.The three armies of Sun Yuanliang's 16th Corps and the two armies of Liu Ruming's Fourth Sui District planned to transfer from Kaifeng and Shangqiu to Yongcheng, Mengcheng, Suxian, and Bengbu in order to prevent the PLA from advancing eastward and ensure the safety of the west side of Jinpu Road.The four armies of Zhou Yan's First Sui District were stationed in Huaiyin, Yangzhou, and Nantong, and the 96th Army was stationed in Bengbu.In order to strengthen the defense force of the Xuzhou Group, Chiang Kai-shek ordered the four armies of Huang Wei's 12th Corps, which originally belonged to the Bai Chongxi Group in Wuhan, to gather at Queshan and Zhumashan on the Pinghan Line, and prepare to be transferred eastward to Guoyang and Mengcheng if necessary maneuver.It was also reported that Chiang Kai-shek planned to transfer the two armies from Huludao in the northeast and Qingdao in Shandong to Bengbu. On October 12, the evening of the evening when the Central Military Commission received the telegram "Concerning the Operational Policy of the Huaihai Campaign" on October 11th, the Huaye Front Committee reported to the Central Military Commission that it had recently summoned key cadres from all verticals to study the operational plan. And reported to the East China Bureau.According to the telegram, based on the situation that the enemy's "main force is concentrated along the Longhai line, it seems to prevent our next move, and it is convenient to use the railway transportation maneuver", three plans are proposed.The first plan, "first aim to seize the two Huaihe Rivers, attack and aid the enemy, and then take down Xinpu, Haizhou, and Lianyungang." One step seems to be more difficult to achieve." The second plan, "First attack Xinpu, Haizhou, and Lianyungang with one unit, transfer the Yellow Army to the east to aid, and wipe out the enemy in the movement between Xinpu and Xin'an towns." The third plan, "Considering the current situation of the enemy's Huang Baitao Corps, with Xin'an Town as the center, four brigades (including Wayao, Gaotangou, and Honghuabu) and three division headquarters have been assembled nearby. One brigade in Tancheng, one in Yunhe Station, and one in Zhaodun The advantage of this case is that the enemy's situation is clear, and I can carry out concealed assembly and sudden action according to the plan. Although the enemy has strong fortifications, our artillery fire can be deployed, and the rear supply is convenient. For the verticals that have been resting for a long time, it is easier to attack the Yellow Corps first, which is more effective. But the disadvantage is that it is close to Xuzhou, and it is not easy for us to control the west of the canal. There is water in Pi County, and it is difficult to deploy a large force." The telegram also said, "Everyone agrees that it is better to implement the third plan", and the combat deployment has been drawn up according to the third plan.He also specifically stated, "Our first step is to move to the south of Linyi and the west of Tancheng to command." Interestingly, the third plan unanimously affirmed by the Huaye Front Committee coincided with the Central Military Commission's proposition that "the focus of the first phase of this campaign is to concentrate forces to annihilate the Yellow Corps and complete the central breakthrough."This also shows that the commanders of the theater and the leaders of the Supreme Command thought together, and their thoughts are interlinked. They have obtained the same understanding through in-depth analysis of the situation between the enemy and ourselves and the subjective and objective conditions.This is undoubtedly of great benefit to unifying the thoughts and actions of the officers and soldiers of the army. On October 14, the Central Military Commission called Rao Shushi, Su Yu, and Tan Zhenlin, and reported to the Central Plains Bureau: It reiterated the plan reported by the Huaye Front Committee on October 12, emphasizing that the troops responsible for the aid mission should be placed on the side of the aid enemy , that is, located in the north, northwest, and south of Xuzhou, resulting in a situation of besieging Xuzhou, so that the enemy of Xuzhou "The first feeling is that our army seems to intend to capture Xuzhou, but it cannot be determined that our army did not capture Xuzhou, but annihilated the Huang Corps ".When our army decided to reinforce the urgent attack on the Yellow Army, we found that it would be difficult to send reinforcements if the threat from the north and the south was not eliminated.This will give our army enough time to wipe out the Yellow Army.At the same time, it was also decided that "the first, third, fourth, and ninth main forces of the Central Plains Field Army will start attacking Zhengzhou in the next few days, and after they succeed, they will head eastward to threaten Kaifeng and attract Liu Ruming's entire army and Sun Yuanliang's army to go west." It is worth mentioning that in the calls from the Central Military Commission on October 11 and 14, they both clearly mentioned the Central Plains Field Army’s deployment to attack the Zhengxu Line, contain Sun Yuanliang’s corps, and attack Kaifeng eastward after successfully attacking Zhengzhou. It is not in the combat plan proposed by the wild.On the basis of the original Huaye combat plan, coupled with the support and cooperation of Zhongye on the western front of Xuzhou, this greatly expanded the originally envisioned scope of operations and prepared the conditions for the formation of the "Great Huaihai Campaign". At this time, Deng Xiaoping had returned to the Central Plains.Central Plains Military Region and Central Plains Field Army Commander Liu Bocheng, Political Commissar Deng Xiaoping, First Deputy Commander Chen Yi and other leaders took a very positive attitude towards the joint operations of the two field armies, resolutely implemented the instructions of the Central Military Commission, and actively considered issues from the perspective of strategic cooperation.In order to cooperate with Huaye's first annihilation of Huang Baitao, they deliberately drew the enemy's attention to their side.Liu Bocheng was stationed in the west of Henan, and commanded the second and sixth columns of the middle field and the local armed forces to disperse and wipe out the enemy, and attracted the Kuomintang army Huang Wei, Zhang Gan and other corps to Jianghan, Tongbai and other areas; Chen Yi and Deng Xiaoping led the main force of the middle field to point directly at Zhengzhou, seeking to attract All of Sun Yuanliang's corps and part of Qiu Qingquan's corps headed west to relieve the pressure on Huaye on the eastern front. On October 22, more than 10,000 defenders of Zhengzhou abandoned the city and fled, wiped out for the Nakano.Chen Yi and Deng Xiaoping immediately reported to the Central Military Commission: After Kaifeng was conquered, they would "go out of Shangqiu or go straight out of Xubeng...to cooperate with Huaye to fight". On the 24th, our army recovered Kaifeng.The next day, Chen Yi and Deng Xiaoping suggested to the Central Military Commission that the troops should not go to Huainan in the next step, but gather in the Yongcheng and Bozhou areas. The Central Military Commission agreed with Chen and Deng's proposal, and on October 30, instructed Chen and Deng's troops to enter the Xiaoxian area and take action against Xusu (county) and Xudang (mountain). So far, the two field armies of Nakano and Huaye have actually begun to cooperate in battle, and the role of the two armies in strategically coordinated operations has also begun to emerge.Nakano Chief of Staff Li Da once said: "Since the battle of Zhengzhou, the Battle of Huaihai has become a task jointly carried out by the Huaye and Nakano armies. Just as Deng Xiaoping's political commissar quoted Chairman Mao Zedong said: 'The two field armies unite together, It’s not doubling your strength, it’s multiplying your strength several times.'” On the day when Zhengzhou was conquered, the Central Military Commission asked Chen Yi and Deng Xiaoping's troops to "use the main force to fight in Xubeng when Qiu and Li's two corps were aiding the east in large numbers, take Suxian and Bengbu at random, and destroy Jinpu resolutely, thoroughly, cleanly and completely. The road cut off the enemy's traffic, and Liu Zhi's entire army was isolated."The next day, the Central Military Commission called Chen Yi, Deng Xiaoping, Rao Shushi, Su Yu, and Tan Zhenlin: "Please ask Su Tan to order the Sanzong, Guangzong, and Southwest Shandong Corps to advance to the north of Shang and Dang on time at the end of the month, and be under the command of Chen Deng." ""After Chen Dengdong joined forces with the Three Columns and Guangzong, the first goal was to destroy Sun Yuanliang's corps, and the second goal was to capture Subeng." On October 31, Huaye’s preparations for launching the Huaihai Campaign were ready. Su Yu reported to the Central Military Commission, Chen Deng, the East China Bureau, and the Central Plains Bureau, and proposed that "the Huaihai Campaign should be launched at the same time on the evening of November 8 as ordered." "The scale of this battle is very large, please Commander Chen and Political Commissar Deng to take unified command." The Central Military Commission reiterated on November 1: "The entire campaign is under the unified command of Chen Deng." After Chen Yi and Deng Xiaoping received the call from the Central Military Commission, they immediately replied: "We are in charge of commanding this battle. However, the communication tools are too weak, so please ask the Military Commission to direct more direction to Su and Tan." This defines the leadership relationship organizationally.It is unimaginable for the two major field armies to cooperate in battle on the same battlefield without a strong and authoritative leader. At the same time, it can be seen that they have a harmonious relationship, mutual trust, and appropriate handling. A strong leadership core has been formed, which is an important condition for the Huaihai Campaign to evolve into a decisive battle on the southern front. On November 2, the Liaoshen Campaign ended in victory.The Northeast Field Army wiped out more than 470,000 enemies and liberated the entire Northeast, which fundamentally changed the balance of forces between the enemy and ourselves.The victory of the Liaoshen Campaign gave great encouragement to the Huaye and Zhongye officers and soldiers, and made them dare to make up their minds to fight the Kuomintang army on the southern front in a strategic decisive battle. On November 3, Liu Bocheng, Deng Zihui, and Li Da formally suggested to the Central Military Commission: cut off the railway line between Xu and Su, causing the People's Liberation Army to attack Xuzhou.Su Yu, Zhang Zhen, etc. also called the Central Military Commission, Chen Yi, and Deng Xiaoping on the 7th and 8th, suggesting that the Xubeng section should be destroyed in the first stage of the campaign, "isolate Xuzhou", "detain the enemy in Xuzhou and its surroundings", "delay the The enemy retreats south" in order to wipe out the main force of the enemy in large numbers north of the Yangtze River. On November 9, the Central Military Commission re-informed Su Yu and Zhang Zhen, and told Chen Deng, the East China Bureau, and the Central Plains Bureau: "We should try our best to annihilate the enemy's main force near Xuzhou, and prevent them from fleeing south. East China, North China, and Central Plains should use all their strength. Guarantee the supply of our army." What a hero sees the same thing. Su Yu attached great importance to this telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Central Military Commission.He believed that although the telegram was not written in many words, it was really important, indicating that the central government had made up its mind to wipe out the Liu Zhi Group on the spot, and the Huaihai Campaign had logically become a decisive battle on the southern front. On November 4th, Su Yu issued the East China Field Army's "Huaihai Campaign Attack Order", requiring all Huaye troops to march from their garrison on the evening of November 6th and launch a unified battle on the evening of the 8th. The Central Military Commission replied on November 7th, agreeing with Huaye's attack deployment and asking them to resolutely implement it. It also instructed: "Unless there are particularly major changes, do not change the plan. The more determined you are, the more victorious you will be. Under this policy, it is up to you to decide." Do not ask for instructions on everything, but report the battle situation and opinions every day, every two days, or every three days." At this time, the Supreme Command of the Kuomintang discovered that the Central Plains Field Army and the East China Field Army were acting abnormally, and judged that the PLA would make a major move. It might directly capture Xuzhou, or it might aim to capture Bengbu, isolate Xuzhou, and push Jianghuai.In view of the painful lessons of the failure in the Northeast, in order to prevent the recurrence of historical tragedies, Chiang Kai-shek decided to go to Xuzhou to arrange the war in person. However, before leaving, he encountered trouble.The eldest son Jiang Jingguo caused trouble in cleaning up the economic order in Shanghai as a supervisor in early October. He hit the "economic tiger" on the head of Kong Xiangxi's son Kong Lingkan, and his wife Song Meiling flew to Shanghai to intervene.Due to many reasons such as Premier Weng Wenhao's resignation and Finance Minister Wang Yunwu's resignation, Chiang Kai-shek temporarily reassigned Chief of Staff Gu Zhutong to Xuzhou to deal with major military issues. When Gu Zhutong arrived in Xuzhou, he held an emergency military meeting. The chief officials of Xuzhou's "Suppression General", the Corps, and the chief officials of the "Appeasement" district attended. At the meeting, Huang Baitao said that the communist army Liu Bocheng and Chen Yi joined together, and Chen Yi's main force was heading south from Linyi, aiming to defeat the Seventh Corps.It is recommended that the Seventh Corps move closer to Xuzhou immediately. Qiu Qingquan said that they captured the scouts of the Third Huaye Column of the Communist Army in the west of Xuzhou, and confirmed that Liu Bocheng and Chen Yi's Zhongye and Huaye Communist Army were mainly fighting against them. Sun Yuanliang, Li Mi, and Li Yannian all said that they were under pressure from the communist army, and war would break out immediately. Feng Zhi'an and Liu Ruming knew that they were motley troops, and they did not compete with those generals of the Kuomintang. They only told the truth about the severe situation they were facing, and believed that the Communist Army was aggressive and the situation was not optimistic. Liu Zhi firmly insisted that the communist army's offensive target was Xuzhou—the communist army's "Xuji Operation Plan" had only half completed the attack on Jinan, and now it was its turn to attack Xuzhou.He advocated that the troops should be reduced to Xuzhou, and that the heavy troops be placed at the center point where the two lines of Longhai and Jinpu intersect, and he clearly supported Huang Baitao's view that the Seventh Corps should move closer to Xuzhou. Because they insisted on their own opinions, it was ultimately impossible to figure out where the main attack direction of the PLA was, nor did they have a unified understanding on the issue of deployment. Guo Rugui, director of the Ministry of National Defense Operations Department who accompanied Gu Zhutong to Xuzhou, announced at the meeting the absolutely confidential "Xu Bang Battle Plan": the Seventh Corps would withdraw from Xin'an Town to the west of the canal and move closer to Xuzhou.Li Yannian's Ninth Sui District withdrew from Xinpu and Haizhou.The 44th Army withdrew south by sea.The 100th Army, which originally planned to strengthen the defense of Haizhou, turned back halfway and was also included in the sequence of the Seventh Corps.The Thirteenth Corps assembled in Lingbi and Sixian areas to maneuver.The Second Corps assembled around Yongcheng and Dangshan.The Sixteenth Corps gathered around Mengcheng.The Ninth Sui District and the Fourth Sui District, which was relocated to Linhuaiguan, formed another new corps.The Third Sui District is still stationed in the original defense unchanged.The Xuzhou garrison should effectively strengthen the fortifications to ensure a solid defense.Guo Rugui repeatedly warned that the confidentiality must be strictly kept and not leaked. It's a happy-go-lucky plan.The corps moved closer to Xuzhou, like stars holding the moon, and could play the role of defending Xuzhou.Liu Zhi can sit back and relax.Qiu Qingquan couldn't help but secretly rejoice that now he can leave Shangqiu in a grand manner.Although this person went to Shanghai University through part-time work and part-time study, and was admitted to the German Engineering Academy and Berlin Army University for further studies with excellent grades, he believed that Shangqiu was "Shangqiu", which was quite unlucky for him. brooding.Huang Baitao was naturally very happy. After the meeting ended, he even declined the banquet of "Suppressing the President", and immediately hurried back to Xin'an Town to deploy the defense. Huang Baitao's movements were not slow.Just as the entire Corps was about to hit the road in the early morning of November 6, Liu Zhi ordered them to cover the troops withdrawn from Xinpu and Haizhou.Due to the difficulty in raising ships, the 44th Army moved by land and was placed under the command of the Seventh Corps. Huang Baitao had to wait until Li Yannian and the 44th Army arrived before setting off.In fact, this is only a high-sounding side, and there is another side that is shady.Liu Zhi has a large salt business in Xinpu, which is one of his important personal sources of income.He has secretly disclosed the news of his decision to give up Sinpo and Haizhou to his agents, asking them to bring money and act together with Li Yannian.It was not easy to collect the scattered money, which made the withdrawal of Huang Baitao's corps from Xin'an Town almost two days late. On November 6, as night fell, 23 columns of the East China Field Army and the Central Plains Field Army, in accordance with the unified deployment of the Central Military Commission, approached Xuzhou and the east and west sections of Longhai Road, causing enemy troops everywhere to panic at the same time and call for help. The 13 columns of Huaye marched southward from Shandong and swept across the Kuomintang army positions in a 150-kilometer-wide area on the north side of the eastern section of the Longhai Railway.The three columns of the Subei Corps attacked from the southeast to the northwest of Xuzhou. On the evening of the 6th, the Lu Zhongnan Column surrounded Tancheng and launched an attack on the local snake, the No. 1 Brigade of Shandong Security, Wang Hong's Ninth Division. By dawn on the 8th, more than 5,000 of the enemy's troops were wiped out.The Sixth Division launched an attack on the enemy in the Matou Town area and captured Matou Town.The troops of the Sixth Division of the Subei Military Region approached Xinpu and Haizhou.The first column, the sixth column, the ninth column, the Luzhongnan column and the special forces column went south in separate routes and went straight to Xin'an Town.The Fourth Column, Eighth Column, and part of the Special Forces Column, which were tasked with blocking aid and intercepting, pointed directly at Pixian County, preparing to resolutely cut off Huang Baitao's retreat.The 2nd, 12th, and 11th Columns of the North Subei Corps decisively crossed the Longhai Road, intending to encircle the Yellow Corps in a roundabout manner.The 11th Column and the Jianghuai Military Region troops, originally active in Suqian and Suining, branched out along the canal to the north, and their forwards pointed directly at the canal station.The Seventh, Tenth, and Thirteenth Columns commanded by the Shandong Corps successively captured Yixian, Zaozhuang, Lincheng, Hanzhuang, Wannianzha and other places, surrounded Taierzhuang, and approached Xuzhou from the northeast.The Third Column, the Guangdong-Guangzhou Column, and the two independent brigades of the Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region, under the unified command of Nakano, approached Xuzhou from the northwest, and cooperated with Nakano Yizong to annihilate the 55th Army of the Kuomintang Army in one fell swoop in the Zhanggongdian area west of Dangshan. a division.Chen Yi and Deng Xiaoping led the main force of the middle and wild forces into the Yongcheng area, threatening Xuzhou from the southwest. When Ye Chao, the deputy chief of staff of Huaye Nine Columns, led the column reconnaissance battalion into Xin'an Town, he couldn't help being surprised.As they passed the station, they found it dead silent.I saw the cold rails stretching into the distance, but I couldn't see the trains coming and going, and I couldn't see a figure.There is not a single soldier of the Kuomintang in the streets and alleys of the town.The first impression this empty Xin'an Town gave them was that the enemy had fled. The troops quickly obtained confirmation from the local people that hundreds of thousands of people from Huang Baitao's corps left Xin'an Town in the early morning of November 7.That day, in addition to hundreds of thousands of people from Huang Baitao's corps, there were also teams from Xinpu and Haizhou in the east, as well as local officials, businessmen, and military officers' families. Finish.An old man said that he saw with his own eyes the special forces of the Seventh Corps shot and killed four soldiers.People from the special agent company said that these four were scouts of the Communist Army. After receiving Ye Chao's report, Nie Fengzhi, the commander of the Nine Columns, immediately ordered his troops to cross the Longhai Road and head west, take a shortcut and pursue Huang Baitao, and at the same time reported to the Huaye Command. At this time, Yizong's intelligence investigators learned through radio interception that the Kuomintang Army Corps on Longhai Road on the east and west sides of Xuzhou had been ordered to shrink to Xuzhou.Huang Baitao's 7th Corps in Xin'an Town, east of the canal, originally planned to withdraw on November 5, but was later postponed because of Liu Zhi's order to cover Li Yannian's troops coming from the east.After waiting for more than a day, Li Yannian's bloated, sloppy troops of various people and the 44th Army arrived late.The order in which Huang Baitao's corps retreated westward was: the 100th Army, the 64th Army, the Corps Headquarters, the 25th Army, the 44th Army, and the 63rd Army serving as cover on the left wing. Ye Fei, the commander of Yizong, got kala-azar on the eve of the battle and stayed in Jinan for treatment.The combat command is jointly in charge of the column's deputy commander Liu Fei and the column's deputy commander and chief of staff Zhang Yixiang.The two deputy commanders, Liu and Zhang, saw that the situation was extremely urgent and extremely important, so they immediately deployed the pursuit and reported to the wild division. The field army command moved forward from the south of Linyi to Matou Town on the Yihe River in the northwest of Tancheng. Just after setting up the war room and setting up the radio station in several tall and bright tile-roofed houses, they received messages one after the other. Nine verticals and one vertical's enemy report. This sudden situation caught people off guard.In the entire war room, everyone held their breath, and the air seemed to freeze.The focus of the first phase of the campaign was to concentrate forces to wipe out the Yellow Army, complete a breakthrough in the middle, and occupy Xin'an Town, Canal Station and other places.Now that Huang Baitao has run away, Xin'an Town has become an empty city, what should be the next step in this battle?For a while, Su Yu was silent, just staring at the military map on the wall, motionless. Suddenly, Su Yu turned around and said emphatically: "Chasing, chasing, chasing Huang Baitao!" Afterwards, he expressed his thoughts to Chen Shiju and Zhang Zhen, and got their approval.Immediately afterwards, they reported the westward retreat of the Yellow Corps to the Central Military Commission, Chen Yi, and Deng Xiaoping. At the same time, they made deployments to the columns regarding the next strategic arrangement: the Seventh, Tenth, and Thirteenth Columns commanded by the Shandong Corps eliminated all difficulties and quickly To the east of Xuzhou, the Daxujia and Caobaji areas cut off the retreat route of the Yellow Corps to the west and separated its connection with Xuzhou; the 11th Column and the two brigades of the Jianghuai Military Region located in the Zaohe area south of Longhai Road passed through Tushan The town advances to Daxu's house, from south to north, and cooperates with the Shandong Corps to break the enemy's retreat; the first column, the sixth column, the ninth column, the Luzhongnan column, and the Nakano eleventh column run from Xin'an Town and the area west of it along the south side of Longhai Road to the west Pursue; the four verticals and eight verticals pursue westward along the north side of Longhai Road.Strictly order all the ministries to pursue Huang Baitao's army no matter what the cost. On November 9, the Huaye Front Committee issued the "Political Mobilization Order on the Complete Annihilation of Huang Baitao's Corps", requiring all officers and soldiers "not to be afraid of fatigue, not afraid of difficulties, not afraid of hunger and cold, not afraid of casualties, not afraid of disrupting the establishment, not being confused by small enemies, not Blocked by the river, no matter where the enemy goes, pursue them resolutely, annihilate the Huang Corps, and capture Huang Baitao alive!" Following the order from the Huaye headquarters on the morning of November 9, all columns of Huaye launched a massive, mighty and majestic pursuit of Huang Baitao's corps.For a moment, the north and south sides of Longhai Road were like two surging tides, rushing forward, overwhelming. "Chasing, chasing!" "Catch up with Huang Baitao!" "Catch up is victory!" Looking around, there are rolling streams of people everywhere, some in three-way columns, some in six-way columns.They advanced rapidly, sweeping westward at a rapid march speed of 60 to 70 kilometers a day, raising dust that covered the sky and the earth trembled.Slogans of mutual encouragement sounded from time to time in the queue.Everyone was scrambling to catch up, the only wish was to catch up with Huang Baitao. It was not only the combat troops of the various columns that were chasing westward, but also a large number of migrant workers—this was an even larger team.Countless former migrant workers, men and women, old and young, carrying stretchers and carts, closely followed the troops, sending food, ammunition and other military supplies needed by the troops to the front continuously.Their slogan is: "Where the People's Liberation Army goes, we will support it!" On the way of pursuit, along the way, I saw all the messy things left by the Kuomintang troops, such as clothes, hats, shoes and socks, quilts, guns and ammunition, etc., there are even whole boxes of bullets and shells, which obviously cannot be moved on the road. dropped.These things have become the most reliable signposts, telling the pursuit troops of the People's Liberation Army behind-the Kuomintang troops are ahead. The 27th Division of the Nine Columns passed through Xin'an Town and pursued westward along the south side of Longhai Road.Their superiors informed them that the 63rd Army, which was tasked with covering the left wing of Huang Baitao's corps, was right in front of them, and they must quickly catch up with this army and annihilate it.大家听说要打仗了，一个个显得无比兴奋，更是加快了步伐，恨不得一步撵上敌人。 前面响起了枪炮声，不时有嘶嘶的声音从天际划过。谁都清楚，这是炮弹飞出炮口以后同空气的摩擦声，打炮的地方肯定不远。敌人终于被他们追上了。队列里不时响起“快！快！快！”的口令声。 一条河流挡住了去路，九纵二十七师七十九团“潍县团”被迫拥挤在河滩上。炮弹在耳边呼啸着，不时在河面上炸起一根根水柱。子弹打得河边的芦秆沙沙作响。 眼前的河流是从山东流过来的沂河，对岸是埝头镇。因为事先知道河宽水深，不便徒涉，部队已经准备了必要的简便架桥器材。 “一营二连，架桥！”团里下达了架桥命令。 二连一排副排长范学福带领三班跑步来到河边，下水一看便傻眼了——带来的两架登城用的云梯，对接起来差不多可够到河对岸，可是做桥桩用的支架却短了一大截。what to do?前面的敌人等着他们去追赶，近处又找不到代用器材。情急之中，范学福扛起云梯就往河里奔。三班班长马选云、三班班副彭启榜，以及战士宋协国、杨玉艾、潘福全、杨学志、孙克潘、孙学赞、孙书贤也跟着跳进河水里，两人一组排好，用自己的肩膀当桥桩。还好，河水不算太深，云梯架在肩上，在水面还能露出一个头。 这就是有名的“十人桥”。就这样，几百双脚从他们肩上跨过，终于没误了追击敌人。在埝头镇的国民党第六十三军一五二师一部还没来得及撤走，就被九纵二十七师的部队堵住。 九纵二十七师在追击途中打的这一仗，干净利落，一举歼灭第六十三军一五二师四五四团和四五六团一个营及军部直属分队等2000余人。残敌向窑湾方向逃跑。 国民党第六十三军中将军长陈章带着全军人马来到运河东岸的窑湾时，尚未顾得上喘息，就被九纵二十五师和二十六师追上了。 对九纵来说，敌人立足未稳，喘息未定，背靠运河，没有退路——这无疑是一块到口的肥肉。 恰在这时，九纵前进指挥所里响起电话铃声，是华野司令部陈士榘参谋长打来的：“是老聂吗？你们动作很快，在窑湾抓住了六十三军，这很好。现在野司命令你们，不要管六十三军，立刻率领全纵队继续西进，尽快兜住黄百韬兵团，不准它跑掉！” “陈参谋长，野司的命令我们坚决执行！我们马上撤出窑湾，准备从窑湾下游到皂河之间渡过运河，然后继续西追，争取尽快截住黄百韬兵团！”聂凤智没有半点讨价还价，但也不无遗憾，“只可惜快要到嘴的肥肉没吃成，让刘飞、张翼翔他们沾光了！” “好，一言为定，等候你们追上黄百韬兵团的好消息！”陈士榘对聂凤智的态度非常满意，“你也不要难过，抓住了黄百韬兵团，那就不止是一块肉，而是一大碗，让你吃个够！” 在战场上，机会对敌我双方而言是均等的，就看你能否把握住。九纵没有同敌六十三军纠缠，从而赢得了追击黄百韬兵团的时间，终于同华野四纵、六纵、八纵等兄弟部队一起，在1948年11月11日将黄百韬兵团除六十三军外的四个军、七个师全部包围于以碾庄圩为中心的狭小地区。 陈士榘又给一纵刘飞副司令下命令，要他们去收拾敌六十三军。 11月9日，一纵一口气猛追40余公里，于太阳西坠时分，一举将敌六十三军在窑湾镇包围。 要九纵去对付黄百韬和要一纵去对付六十三军，其实都是粟裕的主意，可以说是知人善任，好钢用在刀刃上。九纵和黄百韬有“一箭之仇”。一年前的10月，他们在山东范家集战斗中，曾同黄百韬手中的王牌六十四军交过手。那一次虽然不分胜负，但对九纵来说，他们拼了消耗，付出了血的代价，却没能赢得战斗，实在是一种耻辱。他们心头早憋着一股气，要去找黄百韬算账。为什么用刘飞对付六十三军呢？原来窑湾四周是水网地区，刘飞是老新四军，熟悉水网地区作战，再就是他熟悉广东军，对付六十三军这样的广东军较有办法。 在奔往窑湾的路上，刘飞、张翼翔等一纵领导人已在考虑对付敌六十三军的办法，一到窑湾就带领三个师的领导看地形，制订作战方案。 窑湾西临运河，北靠沂河，位于两河交汇处，南、西、北三面临水，东面是一道高2到3米的围堤，堤外为开阔地。镇内有居民3000余户，镇外分布着零零散散的小村庄。六十三军取道窑湾过运河，一是担负黄百韬兵团左翼掩护任务，二是想讨个巧，避免全兵团都往仅有的一座运河铁桥上挤，而从窑湾渡过运河。他们到窑湾一看，傻眼了。哪有什么船？船不知道被老百姓藏到什么地方去了，后面解放军又追了上来，他们只得仓促占领窑湾，就地组织防御。 11月10日，一纵一师、二师、三师趁敌六十三军立足未稳，就对窑湾守敌发起攻击。一师师长廖政国、政委曾如清带领全师占领窑湾东面的几个小村庄。二师师长程业棠、政委张文碧带领全师官兵激战一天一夜，控制了窑湾东北外围几个村庄。窑湾东南外围的战斗极为激烈，一些村庄几易其手。三师师长陈挺、政委邱相田亲临第一线指挥，战至次日下午3时，终于扫清残敌。至此，敌六十三军窑湾外围阵地全部丧失，退回镇内利用日、伪时期遗留的碉堡、工事和该军到后临时突击修建的防御设施凭险据守。 11月11日下午5时，窑湾镇东、南、北三面上空升起一发发红色信号弹。数十门野炮、山炮、重迫击炮和榴弹炮怒吼起来。随着炮火延伸，以窑湾东门一师为主攻方向的二团一营二连很快突破敌人小东门前沿阵地，并乘胜向纵深发展。敌六十三军这支广东军，攻防技术较好，擅长巷战。他们利用碉堡、坚固房屋和一切可以藏身的地方顽强阻击，使突击部队一再受阻。二团团长方铭及时调二营、三营加入战斗。一营、二营合力向镇内天主教堂敌军指挥部发起攻击。经过反复冲杀，打到天主教堂附近时，二营五连伤亡过半，能继续战斗的只剩下20人。 我方对北门和南门的进攻一再受阻。纵队及时命令二师六团改由小东门进入镇内，然后直插北门，策应北门外的四团作战。在六团和四团的里应外合下，部队于当晚9时突破北门。三师主力当晚突破大东门，从东向西同敌人展开巷战。 一纵三个师从不同方向将镇内敌人分割成四小块，逐一进行围歼。 经过一夜的激战，窑湾镇内的枪声渐渐稀疏下来。到天明时打扫战场，我军已将窑湾镇内的敌人悉数歼灭，还抓到一大批俘虏，缴获了大量军用物资。敌六十三军军长陈章在泅渡运河逃跑时淹死了。有人看见他逃跑时慌不择路，可能腹部负了伤，走路时一瘸一拐的。到了运河边找不到船，他便一步步地向河心挪去，然后又向前游了一段，不知是没了力气，还是呛了水，只听见他野兽般号叫一声便没入水中，再也未探出头来。 敌六十三军1.3万多人被歼，成为淮海战役中第一个被解放军全歼的军，对国民党朝野震动很大——因为这个军属国民党元老余汉谋的粤军。为了安抚粤系，笼络人心，蒋介石在南京亲自为陈章主持公祭，并追授他上将军衔。 黄百韬为等李延年的第九绥区和第四十四军而丧失了宝贵的时间。在撤离新安镇时，他见到了随李延年同来的少将战地视察官李以勖。蒋介石从孟良崮张灵甫的惨败中悟出，他手下的将领常常弄虚作假，发假电报。这次他特地从参军处挑选了一批年轻能干的高参充当耳目，一人一本密码本，天马行空，可以随时越过国防部直接给他发电报。李以勖就是其中之一。黄百韬与李以勖曾是陆军大学同学，便向他透露了自己的忧虑，担心数十万人马仓促上路会有不测，担心他们还没到达徐州就被共军半路截住，或者钻进共军布置的大口袋。万一有不测，请他转告刘峙务必派别的兵团前来救援。李以勖一口应承。 在黄百韬的劝说下，李以勖没有随军行动，提早到达徐州。他不负所托，当天就向刘峙转达了黄百韬的忧虑和请求。 刘峙自知黄百韬兵团步入今天的困境，跟他有脱不掉的干系，于是对李以勖转达的要求回答得非常干脆。他说，他知道黄百韬带兵有办法，他们有数十万人马，装备精良，能征惯战，共军拿他们没有办法，“万一被包围，我一定倾全力救援，决不会视而不见。请老弟放心。” 就在刘峙等辈认为共军拿黄百韬兵团没有办法的时候，解放军各纵队正从四面八方向这个兵团逼近，并不断紧缩包围圈。 华东野战军主要突击集团沿陇海铁路南北两侧由东向西猛追。当一纵、六纵、九纵越过运河一线向碾庄地区迂回时，沿陇海铁路北侧追击的四纵、八纵也已赶到运河边，对正在过河西撤的黄百韬兵团构成巨大威胁。 黄百韬的西撤计划制订得虽然仓促，但确实动了一番脑筋，可以说是相当周密的：以二十五军一部占领牛山，掩护四十四军撤退；一零零军占领炮车，负责对北掩护而后跟进；六十三军负责对南掩护，而后由窑湾渡过运河向碾庄撤退；六十四军首先通过运河铁桥占领有利阵地，而后策应各军次第过河，兵团部随六十四军行动。计划规定各部到达碾庄后再向曹八集、大许家、徐州方向转进。 黄百韬万万没有想到，他的部队前脚刚走，解放军的大部队后脚就跟了上来，一路上撵得他屁滚尿流。可怕的消息接踵而来：六十三军在窑湾被围，华野山东兵团在韩庄、台儿庄一线运河上架浮桥，可能挥师南下。一旦陇海路被切断，向徐州靠拢的计划就将成为泡影。更可怕的是发生在运河桥头的自相残杀。正是士兵们所固有的求生本能，把黄百韬精心制订的西撤计划冲得乱七八糟。 运河桥头发生的事情触目惊心：十几万部队等着过河，还有大批马匹、车辆、火炮和堆积如山的物资也要运过河去，海州、新浦来的军不军民不民的乌合之众也要过河。大家你争我抢，各不相让。宽阔的运河上波光粼粼，却看不到一只船，唯有那座孤零零的铁桥可以过人、过车马——难怪有的人要先下手为强。最先通过运河铁桥的六十四军中将军长刘镇湘亲自在桥头督阵，虽然秩序有些混乱，队形不整，但总算顺利通过，没受到大的损失。接下来的几个军就不行了。这时，很多人都有一种恐慌心理，担心过河晚了会被共军截住，于是千方百计要抢先过桥，甚至不惜用机枪开道。这样一来，过桥秩序大为混乱，反而降低了过桥速度。国民党军还没过完桥，就听说解放军追到了桥边，一时间枪声大作，弹雨横飞，人喊马嘶，相互践踏。被踩死的，被推下河去的，被乱枪打中的，不计其数。所有的人都像发了疯一样，不计后果地一拨一拨往桥上拥去。Haste makes waste.桥面的空间毕竟有限，人一多就难免阻塞，一阻塞就谁也别想通过。 黄百韬乘车路过运河铁桥时，正好看到了这一失去约束的狂乱场面，听到了呼天抢地的惨叫。他倒显得极其平静。这能怪当兵的吗？真是将帅无能，累死三军呀！从古至今，大凡集团军事行动，从来都是兵马未动，粮草先行，逢山开道，遇水搭桥。不能要屙屎了才来挖茅坑，那样非一败涂地不可。这怪谁呢？一二十万人的大行动，就靠一座通过能力极其有限的铁路桥显然是不够的。他认为，自己也难辞其咎，作为一个兵团司令，应该有先见之明，应该催促“剿总”早办妥运输事宜。况且“剿总”已经答应派工兵团架桥，自己不催办，别人没有切身利害关系，哪会主动去管呢？后悔已经没有用了，当务之急是必须立即制止眼前的混乱局面。他的铁的原则是，不允许手下的任何人违抗他的命令，否则格杀勿论。争先恐后地过桥，就是置他的命令于不顾。因为他讲过要有次序地过河，争先恐后就是不按次序，所以是决不允许的。他下令调一个机枪连上来，在桥头一字排开，谁要是不按次序过桥，乱推乱挤，一律就地正法。 其实，从黄百韬出现的那一刻起，许多乱吵乱嚷的人就大大收敛了。现在看见黄百韬动了怒，搞不好要被机枪点名，哪有人敢随便乱动。 过桥秩序总算恢复正常。但由于运河河面宽阔，桥长而窄，过河速度极慢，再加上解放军不时打枪打炮，国民党部队不得不走走停停，直到11月9日才大部过完。 黄百韬兵团通过运河铁桥以后，为了阻止解放军继续追击，命令一个团2000多人扼守运河铁桥。 11月9日夕阳西坠时，解放军先头部队一个营到达运河桥头，不顾长途追击的劳累，当即向该敌发起攻击，经过一夜激战，终将该敌大部歼灭。残敌逃跑时，用事先准备的汽油把运河铁桥烧成一条火龙。 朝阳驱散了运河上的晨雾，那些刚刚放下手中武器的官兵又投入了新的战斗。他们用简陋工具扑灭桥上的火焰，用四处找来的木板、门板等临时替换烧焦的枕木。 经过紧张的突击抢修，一座完整的运河大桥重新屹立在运河上。