Chapter 16 Chapter Sixteen: Living to Death

November to December 1947 Nanjing Huaiyang Wuhan Southern Henan, Dabie Mountains The Dabie Mountain Operation Conference was held until the second day. Chiang Kai-shek sat on a special chair in the middle of the top of the conference table. The back of this chair was much higher than other chairs——Ten years ago, Chiang Kai-shek broke his waist in the Xi'an Incident, and Chen Ji fell down and sat on a high-back chair. It will not cause back pain.Compared with yesterday, Chiang Kai-shek seemed to be a different person, the expression on his face was no longer so angry, and he was as calm as the newly changed snow-white tablecloth on the conference table.

Sitting on the right of Chiang Kai-shek, Bai Chongxi was completely different from yesterday's laziness and indifference. His eyes were hidden behind elegant gold-rimmed glasses, revealing an indescribable reserve. At nine o'clock sharp, the meeting officially began. First, Guo Rugui, Chief of Staff of the Army Command, explained the proposed plan one by one: "It is proposed that the 7th, 48th, 28th, and 54th divisions will be commanded by Xia Wei and enter the Dabie Mountains in two routes. The 10th and 55th divisions will advance from Macheng to the east and attack together. At the same time, they should also cooperate in operations in Luzhong, Lunan, Jiaodong, and Yellow Flooded Areas. Order the reorganization of the 11th Division to sweep the Yellow Flooded Areas and the south bank of Shahe River. With Fuyang and Taihe as the center, we can control Kuohe and Mengcheng in the east and Sanhejian in the west; and then use the Fifth Army to cooperate with the 84th Division to attack Luxi. In this way, we can make Luzhong, Luxi, Luxi Chen Yi's troops in Jiaodong and the Yellow River Flooding Area could not prevent the Dabie Mountains from fighting..."

Guo Rugui talked eloquently.Chiang Kai-shek looked at the military map directly in front of him: "Okay, okay. In this way, I can take the initiative in the overall situation. Well, this military command team has used their brains." Next, the military and political group reported on the command issues related to the operation.The convener of the military and political group, Luo Zelu, director of the third department, expected that many people present would be surprised, so his tone was almost artificial: "According to the current battle situation and our army's upcoming deployment in the Dabie Mountains, the military and political group will discuss and recommend. Minister Bai of the Ministry of National Defense set up a headquarters in Jiujiang to directly command."

Everyone in the seat sweated secretly for Luo Zelu, why are you so confused that you can't open which pot and which pot to carry?The Jiang family and the Guangxi family are at odds.The Guangxi family overthrew Chiang twice, and Bai Chongxi was a prominent figure.When the military organization was reorganized, Chiang Kai-shek put the high hat of the first Minister of Defense on Bai Chongxi's head in a grand manner, but actually sent an empty chair to him, depriving Bai of his military power decently.From then on, Jiang never asked Bai Guo to ask about important military affairs, and commanded battles depended on two "reports from the official residence" every morning and evening.The official residence is less than 100 meters away from the office of the Ministry of National Defense, but Chiang Kai-shek alone does not allow Bai Chongxi to participate...

Everyone glanced at Chiang Kai-shek carefully. Chiang Kai-shek was not annoyed, but seemed calmer.Everyone turned to think, even if Chiang Kai-shek had no objection, whether Bai Chongxi would like to do it or not is another matter.After being "flashed" with an empty title for such a long time, the section in front of the Dabie Mountain was beaten up in a mess, and if there was trouble, there would be a "debt".Will Bai Chongxi take over this loss-making job? Regarding Luo Zelu's plan, Chiang Kai-shek asked Bai Chongxi: "Brother Jiansheng, what do you think?"

"It's up to the chairman to decide. I will obey the order." Bai Chongxi was unexpectedly indifferent.Many people only figured out the real inside story about this scene after the fact.In fact, Chiang Kai-shek did it as a last resort.After repeated defeats in the Dabie Mountains, especially after the disastrous defeat at Gaoshanpu, he thought over and over again, and finally noticed the shortcomings of the command system.Commander-in-chief Xuzhou Lu commanded the Dabie Mountains to fight. First, it was beyond the reach of the whip; moreover, most of the troops stationed in Hubei, Henan and Anhui were Guangxi troops, and Gu Zhutong could not command them.It would be more convenient if Wuhan Xingyuan commanded it according to the reason, but Cheng Qian, the director of Xingyuan, is the head of the Hunan Department.In the early years, the two factions of Hunan and Guangxi merged and separated suddenly, and finally fell out. Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi put Cheng Qian under house arrest in Wuhan, and they turned against each other ever since.Chiang Kai-shek took advantage of this contradiction to send Cheng Qian to Wuhan to rule the Guangxi faction, and Cheng Qian did not have the Hunan Army under his command, which happened to achieve the goal of killing two birds with one stone.But now that there is going to be a war, Cheng Qian is naturally even more ineffective in commanding.After thinking about it, Chiang Kai-shek cramped his feet temporarily and came up with such a helpless way to let Bai Chongxi play.

Bai Chongxi was not one to wait for nothing, he weighed the pros and cons, and felt that releasing Jiujiang would not only keep the title of Minister of Defense, but also take the opportunity to regain military power, which would be a good deal.But he also knew that fighting for Chiang Kai-shek was not an easy task.If you win a battle, you don't necessarily get the credit for it; if you lose a battle, it's not uncommon to "borrow someone's head".Especially in the face of Liu Bocheng's opponent and the continuous failure of Dabie Mountain, his heart was very empty, and he felt like he was ordered in danger.Therefore, from the moment he got the news, he weighed over and over again: going to Jiujiang is too risky; staying in Nanjing is not willing to be a "puppet official".After all, he was a "little Zhuge", so he still came up with a plan to achieve both ends: on the one hand, he agreed to take up the post of "Jiujiang Command", and on the other hand, he asked Chiang Kai-shek a series of difficult questions.

Bai Chongxi said: "The Dabie Mountain theater is under the jurisdiction of Wuhan Xingyuan, and it is only logical that Cheng Songyun manages it. Besides, the Dabie Mountain theater spans several provinces. How does a Jiujiang command exercise its power? Where will it deploy troops? Who will replenish the troops and transport food and fodder? The headquarters What is the relationship with the camp in Wuhan?" Chiang Kai-shek replied simply: "Jiujiang Command is the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense. It exercises the power of the Ministry of National Defense and coordinates the military and political affairs of the five provinces of Hubei, Henan, Anhui, Hunan and Jiangxi. Any problem can be solved."

Bai Chongxi also said: "As the Commissioner has shown, the battle of the Dabie Mountains must not be delayed for a long time. It is better to make the other battlefields suffer temporarily and be more passive, and should concentrate heavily on the Dabie Mountains. Only in this way can the temporary passivity be exchanged for the fundamental initiative. We can no longer repeat the mistakes of the past, losing because of underestimating the enemy, and increasing our troops one after another because of the defeat, and the battle that could have been settled quickly turned out to be protracted."

Knowing that he was going around in circles, Chiang Kai-shek asked, "What do you think?" Bai Chongxi: "To solve the Dabie Mountains, the number of troops must be increased to at least forty brigades." As the Minister of Defense, Bai Chongxi certainly knew that this asking price was impossible to fulfill, but he insisted that it should not be less, so that he would have something to say if he could not win the battle in the future.Unexpectedly, Chiang Kai-shek agreed without hesitation, and immediately asked Gu Zhutong to arrange. A deal was thus negotiated.Bai Chongxi immediately started to organize a team, and recruited all his cronies Xu Zuyi, Zhao Yuan and others into the "Jiujiang Command".

Chiang Kai-shek was also uncharacteristically, and specially sent a car to take Bai Chongxi to his official residence on Huangpu Road, and had a heart-to-heart conversation with Bai.Chiang Kai-shek seemed very affectionate: "Brother Jiansheng, it is very important to go to Jiujiang to command the battle this time. The troops of Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping are a great threat to us and must be completely eliminated. This matter is related to the survival of the party and the country!" Bai Chongxi nodded again and again: "Please rest assured, Chairman, I will definitely do my best and never disappoint." A temporary platform was erected on the Huaiyang River dam. Thousands of commanders and fighters of the 12th Column of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army sat on the ground. Applause started.Accompanied by Li Xiannian, Chen Yi strode to the square table on the stage. Chen Yi waved his hand, trying to suppress the applause, but it aroused even warmer applause. Chen Yi: "Comrades, I used to be the commander of the New Fourth Army; most of you belong to the Fifth Division of the New Fourth Army. However, during the eight years of the Anti-Japanese War, we were thousands of miles apart, and we had never met. Today, we meet here. Comrades, we are fellow villagers, and our eyes are full of tears; you have not made a fortune, and I have no official salary..." Thousands of people laughed. During the eight-year Anti-Japanese War, although the Fifth Division belonged to the New Fourth Army, it was directly under the command of the central government and had been fighting in the Dabie Mountains.After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the Kuomintang openly provoked a civil war, and first aimed its guns at the Fifth Division.Li Xiannian led his troops to fight against the enemy rationally, forcefully, and disciplinedly. He persisted in the Dabie Mountains for half a year, and finally broke through the encirclement of the enemy at the price of blood.From the fifth division of the New Fourth Army to the twelfth column in Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong and Henan, from breaking out of the Central Plains to accepting new tasks today, they have traveled a long and arduous road. Recalling the past and looking forward to the present, after the laughter, the audience sighed. Chen Yi was moved, grabbed the cigarette on the table, lit a match, and took a few deep breaths: "Comrades, I am here to see you off. At present, Chiang Kai-shek is laying out a new and larger-scale project for the Dabie Mountains." In order to push forward the strategic offensive, to consolidate the Dabie Mountains base, and to strengthen our army's combat strength before the enemy's "clearance and suppression" plan is implemented, Chairman Mao and the Party Central Committee sent you to join Liu Deng with the Ten Columns Your subordinates. This is trust in you, it is an honor! As for us, we had no choice but to meet and part. Even though we have thousands of words to say, we don’t know where to start. In my opinion, let’s save more words for later. I wish you many victories after returning to the Dabie Mountains, and under the command of Liu Deng, drag down and eliminate the enemy. One day we will meet again, that is when Chiang Kai-shek is overthrown and the whole of China is liberated..." Amid the applause, Chen Yi and Li Xiannian shook hands tightly. On November 6th, the 12th Column of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army, led by Li Xiannian, the deputy commander of the field army, joined the 10th Column that had arrived earlier the next day, and arrived in the Dabie Mountains before Bai Chongxi's Jiujiang Headquarters was formally established. . The "Air Bawang" special plane circled for a week over the three towns of Wuhan and landed slowly at Wangjiadun Airport.Bai Chongxi, dressed in military uniform, stepped out of the cabin, inspected the people who came to welcome him with a majestic expression, stepped down the gangway, raised his hands in white gauze gloves and waved them frequently. The convoy drove into the downtown area of ​​Hankou, and Bai Chongxi looked at the bustling street with great interest, like an old friend returning after a long absence.This is his third visit to Wuhan.The first time was in 1927 when he was appointed by the Nationalist Government to lead the Western Expeditionary Army; the second time was when he took command of the defense of Wuhan in the early days of the Anti-Japanese War, which was a glory he was proud of; it is good.Since the Jiujiang Headquarters officially exercised power on the 27th of last month, the "clearance and suppression" campaign in the Dabie Mountains has been carried out smoothly according to his expectations. That day, when Chiang Kai-shek's summons ended, Bai Chongxi felt uneasy, and after returning to the Bai Mansion, he summoned the chief and deputy chiefs of staff of the Jiujiang Command to discuss. A few days after Chiang Kai-shek summoned him, Bai Chongxi thanked guests behind closed doors and devoted himself to planning. It was not until 10:00 am on November 23 that Xu Zuyi, the chief of staff, was allowed to take 242 officials at all levels to ride in the "Forever The two ships "Slow" and "Yongyi" left Nanjing and set off for Jiujiang.He himself rushed from Nanjing to Hefei, convening the Third Corps (under the jurisdiction of the Reorganized Seventh Division and the Reorganized Forty-eighth Division), the Eighth "Appeasement Area" (including the Reorganized Forty-sixth Division and the Anhui Provincial Security Command) Staff above the regiment hold a combat preparation meeting.He was busy both at the meeting and at the meeting. He listened to the reports and opinions of the division, brigade, and regimental leaders, and personally interviewed individual personnel. He repeatedly warned his subordinates: "Don't underestimate the enemy, and don't disperse your forces. Two divisions are needed. Close together, rescue each other like right and left hands. If one regiment or one battalion is isolated, it is necessary to build a strong stronghold fortifications to stand firm and wait for help." Bai Chongxi, who "Zhuge is only cautious in his life", felt that everything was prepared impeccably, so he flew to Jiujiang on November 27, activated the customs defense, mobilized the superior force of 33 brigades, and used the Jiang defense fleet and air force in large numbers. The planes coordinated, divided into joint attacks, and attacked from the north and the south, and began to "clear and suppress" the Dabie Mountains. The development of the situation really lived up to Bai Chongxi's painstaking efforts.In just one week, the attacking corps composed of the 10th and 11th divisions had entered the front line of Zhanghudian and Zhuganpu; the 28th division captured Guangji and advanced to Xishui; the main force of the 58th division advanced from Huoshan , regained Lihuang; the 48th Division developed from Gushi to the direction of the mall; the 25th Division took control of Lu'an and Huoshan; Under the offensive, Liu Bocheng led the main force across Liuzigang and retreated to the Popi River area of ​​Fufu and Guangshan in the northwest. As the front moved westward, Bai Chongxi felt that Jiujiang was far away from the center of the battlefield and it was inconvenient to command, so he led a large number of troops into Wuhan. The convoy drove majestically all the way and stopped in front of a garden house in Sanyuanli.This place was originally the villa of the commander-in-chief of Central China of the Japanese army when Wuhan was occupied. It is far away from the busy city and very quiet.After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, it was the residence where Chiang Kai-shek stayed.Bai Chongxi chose this house as the forward command post of the Jiujiang Command, and there are probably not many people with such courage and style. Bai Chongxi got out of the car and went straight to the battle command room that had been set up. Deputy Chief of Staff Zhao Yuan opened the map curtain and reported the second phase of the "clearance and suppression" plan for the Dabie Mountains: "Our initial plan is as follows: in order to take advantage of the victory and pursue, wipe out Liu Bocheng's main force in the Luo, Li, Jing, and Guang areas. The Tenth Division attacked the Tanjiahe, Xishuanghe, and Lijiawan areas to prevent the bandits from fleeing west or northwest; ordered the Tenth Division to pursue the bandits in the direction of Liulin and wiped out the bandits together with the 20th Division; Attacking from the south, cameras and the 20th and 10th divisions encircled and wiped out the bandits fleeing west; used the 52nd division and the 9th brigade of the 9th division to strengthen the security of Wushengguan and Huayuan, and took part in the Liulin battle; Order 2 The 18th and 85th Divisions attacked Songbu, the 7th Division attacked Macheng, and the 58th and 48th Divisions attacked Gushi from Shangcheng. "In addition, the communist bandits are accustomed to using cunning methods such as propaganda, intelligence, and organization to confuse the public and incite people. They can often achieve goals that cannot be achieved in the military. Based on this, we plan to fight tit for tat and take the following measures while clearing the Dabie Mountains: First, use the Iron Curtain to face the Iron Curtain, and strictly block all news; second, use rectification to face rectification, and thoroughly wipe out hidden elements; The people are dissatisfied with the bandits; fifth, use dissension to dissent, implement the division of bandits; sixth, use rumors to fight rumors, launch a political offensive, and seventh..." Bai Chongxi listened, and interrupted: "It's blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Only by working together can the banditry be completely eradicated. To put it simply, the principles and guidelines for the Dabie Mountains’ suppression can be summed up in three words—” Bai Chongxi stopped talking.The pendulum of the floor clock in the corner of the command post swung slowly.There seemed to be a hint of a smile on the corner of his mouth, and he said lightly: "These three words are—the overall battle." Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping braved the rain and snow and walked side by side on the muddy mountain road at Huangpi Station in Lishan County. We are breaking up. In the face of the enemy's 33 brigades "clearing and suppressing", according to the general tactics, it seems that we should concentrate our forces to wipe out one part of the enemy, and then wipe out one by one;However, Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping were once again extraordinary.Based on the vast territory of the Dabie Mountains, Bai Chongxi mobilized a large number of troops to carry out the centripetal "encirclement and suppression" and other characteristics, and proposed the lawless method of the ancestors, that is, "the enemy faces inward, and we face outward; the enemy faces us, and we also face outward." Deployment and redeployment of troops in due course.At the beginning of the month, the tenth and twelfth columns, which had just arrived in the Dabie Mountains, were sent to the west to cross the Pinghan Road to open up the Jianghan and Tongbai base areas, together with the established Western Anhui and Hubei-Henan military regions, to expand the sphere of influence of our army.Afterwards, the Field Army Command was divided into two—"Houzhi" led the first column to cross the Huaihe River north, contracted Chen Su and Chen Xie to contain the enemy, and opened up the Central Plains battlefield; "Front Zhi" led the second, third, and sixth column The column stayed in the Dabie Mountains, looking for opportunities to wipe out the enemy and consolidate the base. Liu Bocheng wanted to stay, but Deng Xiaoping said: "Moving the 'back finger' to Huaixi is conducive to commanding the overall battle; the 'front finger' stays in the Dabie Mountains to deal with the enemy, which can hold back more enemies for a longer time. It is also conducive to the development of the overall situation. As far as the two burdens are concerned, neither is lighter. What's more, I am younger than you and in good health, so I am suitable to stay in Dabie Mountains. You go to Huaixi to command the overall situation. This is also based on reality.” Liu Bocheng no longer insisted, and said: "You will leave the guard regiment, and I will take a platoon. You are active in Dabie Mountains, and I will take the radio station to provide you with enemy information in Huaixi." Walking to the fork in the road, Liu Deng Yiyi said goodbye.During the journey hand in hand, they have never been separated for such a long time.Liu Bocheng stood down: "Political Commissar Deng, see you off after thousands of miles, and there will be a farewell. If you send him off again, you will have to cross the Huaihe River." Deng Xiaoping nodded, turned around and said to Zhang Jichun, "Take care of the commander, you have to work harder." Zhang Jichun: "Don't worry." Deng Xiaoping: "Pretty much all the guards are left behind, let the first column send troops to ensure the safety of Commander Liu." Zhang Jichun: "Good!" Deng Xiaoping took a few steps forward and gave instructions to the guard unit. Liu Bocheng turned to Li Xiannian: "Please assist Political Commissar Deng in commanding the troops." Li Xiannian: "Definitely!" Liu Bocheng said to Li Da: "Also, you have to take full responsibility for the safety of the political commissar; you have to intervene in the security of the guards." Li Da: "Do it!" Liu Bocheng warned again: "What's wrong with the political commissar, I'm asking you!" Li Da nodded. Deng Xiaoping turned back and shook hands with Liu Bocheng: "That's it. Goodbye!" "goodbye!" Deng Xiaoping, Li Xiannian and Li Da left with the troops. Liu Bocheng and Zhang Jichun stood there for a long time. Deng Xiaoping had already walked up the mountain, but Liu Bocheng was still watching. The chief guard reminded Liu Bocheng: "No. 1 and No. 2 are gone." Liu Bocheng got on his horse and faced all the commanders and fighters of "Houzhi": "The situation is serious. In case of being dispersed by the enemy, each go to Deng's political commissar to gather. The secret code for the joint - Wenshu Temple!" After marching through the wind and snow for a whole day and night, "Houzhi" arrived at Yinjiapeng, fifteen miles away from Sujiahe in Guangshan County.Wu Zhong, the deputy brigade commander of the 20th brigade in charge of the security work, sent a map of the camp ahead. Yang Guoyu first marked the location of the headquarters, and then wrote down the location of the directly subordinate team.As shown in the picture, the camps of Wu Zhong's regiment headquarters and battalion headquarters guarded the "back finger" tightly.He handed over the camping map to Liu Bocheng for review. Liu Bocheng read it and said: "Act according to the plan." With the camp map and team guards, Yang Guoyu felt relieved.In the night, a few men with carbines joined the team. Yang Guoyu asked, "Which army is it?" "The Eighteenth Brigade." Liu Bocheng asked suspiciously: "Why did the Sixth Column come here?" "Falling behind." At dawn, the fog filled the air, and the direct subordinate team entered the camp separately. The headquarters was located in the designated He Xiaozhai Village. Yang Guoyu inspected it and sighed secretly that this place was chosen too well-the village has few people and many trees, surrounded by water, and only has a wooden bridge on the west side. When Yang Guoyu turned back, Kang Li, the chief guard, hadn't selected a room yet, and the exhausted Liu Bocheng had already fallen asleep lying on the pile of straw.Yang Guoyu couldn't bear to wake him up, so he just tucked the thin quilt over his body for him. The phone that had just been connected in the command room rang, and Yang Guoyu picked up the receiver, his expression changed drastically.The call came from Yang Zhihong, the political commissar of the Second Bureau: "Director Yang, the situation is not good, there are enemies in this area! We have already caught several people carrying carbines." Then, the Political Department of the "Rear Finger" also called to report that they had spotted the enemy and that there had been sporadic gunshots. Zhang Tao, the head of the queue section, brought a local old man into the command room. The old man rubbed his hands: "Why do you live here?! The central army is all around here! How do you live here!?" Yang Guoyu also panicked, and immediately ran out to push Liu Bocheng who was sleeping on the haystack to wake up. Liu Bocheng turned over and sat up: "Take me to ask that fellow." Yang Guoyu said anxiously: "I have already asked." "It's your business that you asked, and it's my responsibility for me to ask!" After finding the old man, Liu Bocheng said, "How do you know that the Central Army lives in this area?" The old man said: "Your troops don't bring saws or axes, and they don't saw trees wherever they are stationed. Before, Li Xiannian's troops were active in this area. I have never seen them saw the trees of ordinary people and surround the village with branches." Liu Bocheng asked again: "What clothes are they wearing?" "It's about the same as you, but neater than you." Yang Guoyu couldn't wait to see Liu Bocheng criticize him, so he interjected, "Don't ask, our troops never saw trees to encircle Luzhai." Liu Bocheng glared at him: "Which one said that? Yang Yong's engineering troops have saws and axes. They fight on the plains, and sometimes saw trees to besiege the city." Yang Guoyu knew that it was useless to argue, so he hurriedly urged Liu Bocheng to get on his horse and get out of danger as soon as possible. Instead, Liu Bocheng sat down: "Don't panic, quickly send someone to find Wu Zhong, and find out the enemy's situation first. Order the team directly under you, don't take off your clothes, don't unmount your saddle, stay where you are!" Wang Wenzhen, the staff officer sent to find Wu Zhong, came back with the injured correspondent.They went straight to the Wuzhong Regiment Headquarters according to the camping plan, but unexpectedly the enemy had already stationed there, and the correspondent was injured by bullets.Wang Wenzhen was still explaining the details when there was sudden gunshots all around.With sharp eyes and quick hands, Kang Li took the horse and helped Liu Bocheng mount it. Immediately, Liu Bocheng handed Yang Guoyu an old compass and ordered: "Take a 180-degree bearing, there is a bridge over there." According to the direction indicated by the compass, the troops headed west and found the only wooden bridge in this area.After crossing the bridge, the danger eased a little, and Yang Guoyu let go of his hanging heart. He couldn't help admiring Liu Bocheng's calmness in times of crisis and his knowledge of the station. Liu Bocheng jumped off his horse: "Where is Zhang Jichun? Where is Li Xuefeng? Where is the second round now? I won't leave until I wait for them." Yang Guoyu was in a hurry again, but with the previous "lesson", he didn't dare to show color on his face, and answered one by one patiently. "Do they know the emergency assembly point?" "A notification has been sent." "Where did the Central Plains Bureau go?" "Zhang Tao, head of the queue, I assure you that there will be no problem." The sound of machine guns and cannons in the north became fierce, and it was impossible to judge how many enemies there were.Yang Guoyu didn't care about being scolded and criticized, and together with several others forced Liu Bocheng onto the horse, whipped and ran towards the assembly point. When Liu Bocheng arrived, the "Houzhi" Political Department and the divisional teams directly under it had already arrived at the assembly point.Liu Bocheng pulled the reins and looked at "Houzhi" and the leading comrades of the Central Plains Bureau one by one. The troops captured prisoners during the transfer, and there were quite a few of them, sitting on the ground in rows. "Which unit are you from?" Liu Bocheng asked. "From the 18th Brigade." Sure enough, it was the same number as that of the Sixth Column. The sound of gunfire was getting closer and closer, and stray bullets had already passed by.There was a lot of fog, and hearing the sound of gunfire, the main force of the first column had already made contact with the enemy. Liu Bocheng proposed to let Zhang Jichun and Li Xuefeng act together with him.Yang Guoyu firmly disagreed. Li Da had already told him not to let several chiefs go together.Although Liu Bocheng is the supreme commander of the field army, he is an ordinary member in the battle formation.He has the final say on major actions, but he has to listen to Yang Guoyu and the others for specific actions in the battle formation.Liu Bocheng was very disciplined, listened to the explanation, and never brought up the matter again. The troops marched in the fog, and the sound of engines roaring from the fleet came from the sky.The enemy probably discovered the movement of Liu Deng's headquarters, and the air and ground swept in together. A thick fog enveloped the sky and the earth. Liu Bocheng rode on the horse and said with a laugh: "What a fog! What a fog! When Tang Seng went to the west to learn Buddhist scriptures, whenever he was in desperate situation, there was often a heavy fog from the sky. Today it is full of fog again. , the enemy is chasing blindly, the plane is flying blindly, God help me!" Everyone laughed.Liu Bocheng reined in the horse suddenly: "Where is Political Commissar Deng?" Yang Guoyu was stunned for a moment, wondering if Liu Bocheng still couldn't adapt to the reality that he had separated from Political Commissar Deng, or he missed his close comrades who had separated.He was overwhelmed by the depth of emotion. When Yang Guoyu talked about this past event with the author, he said a blunt sentence with enthusiasm: "They are a pair of brothers who are closer than brothers!" He talked about another thing. In the first "big sweep", Deng Xiaoping left the headquarters of the 129th Division to inspect the work in Taiyue and commanded Chen Geng's troops to counter the sweep.When passing through the Japanese blockade, Liu Bocheng stayed up all night, either in the war room or in the confidential room, waiting for Chen Geng's call... Yang Guoyu in the thick fog didn't know that Deng Xiaoping was also extremely anxious at the moment.Hearing the fierce gunfire in the direction of Beixiangdian, Deng Xiaoping immediately put down the breakfast in his hand and ordered the sixth column to send troops for reconnaissance and reinforcements.Deng Xiaoping said: "No matter what, we must help the 'back finger' break out of the siege. If it doesn't work, we must carry Commander Liu back!" Wu Zhong led a group of cavalry to gallop there at high speed. The men and horses were all wet, as if they had been fished out of the water.Wu Zhong looked guilty: "The commander is frightened. The Second Brigade is blocking the front." Liu Bocheng seemed to be criticizing and joking, and said: "Wu Zhong, you Li Kui, you carried my mother up the mountain and looked for water with good intentions, but almost let the tiger eat her!" Wu Zhong still wanted to check, but Liu Bocheng said: "Don't check. We met unexpectedly and saved the day. Let's set off quickly and break through the enemy's blockade." Wu Zhong stopped in front of the horse: "No way. This place is only a few hundred meters away from the Second Brigade's blocking position. It's too dangerous! Commander Yang Yong suggests that you and 'Yezhi' move back." Liu Bocheng grabbed the reins: "The soldiers in front are desperate, and I will never retreat. You go and tell the second brigade that I am behind them. Liu Bocheng believes that they will be able to hold their positions!" The Fourth Regiment of the Second Brigade is blocking the enemy. In front of them is the reorganized 11th Division, which has been trained by the US Military Advisory Group and is fully equipped with American equipment. It is known as one of the "Five Trump Cards" of the Kuomintang; Bureau leadership. Yang Yong's phone call to the command post of the Fourth Regiment: "Jin Shilin, my command post is here, a hundred and ten meters away from your front, and later is 'Old Man' (the secret code name given to Liu Bocheng during the war). There is no room for maneuver, you must firmly hold your position, and you are not allowed to take a step back. The 'old man' said that he believes that you will be able to hold on!" Dai Runsheng, the brigade commander of the second brigade, called Jin Shilin: "Commander Jin, no matter how many enemies come up, you must stand up, even if you are left alone!" Shi Xin'an, the political commissar of the second brigade, gave instructions to Booker, the political commissar of the fourth regiment: "Today's battle is extraordinary, and we must tell all the commanders and fighters the special significance of today's battle!" The enemy launched a counterattack again. The unnamed high ground of the third battalion at the forefront of the battle was filled with gunpowder and smoke, most of the hastily built fortifications were destroyed, and each company of the third battalion suffered heavy casualties.Li Chaotong, the commander of the 10th company, was shot and fell to the ground, the blood on his chest flowed into a river; the commander of the 12th company was seriously injured and fell into a coma. The position was broken by the enemy, and the instructors of the two companies, Bai Yu and Wang Fuqin, led the second echelon into battle.Twenty minutes later, the regained position was broken through again. The position was breached, the defense line of the people's hearts did not collapse, and the last reserve team was used.The enemy attacked one by one in separate echelons of a regiment, and the fierce artillery fire almost aimlessly and indiscriminately bombed, trying to prevent the reinforcements from counterattacking with superior troops and firepower. The reserve team is full of hygienists, cooks, correspondents, and trumpeters. They use bayonets, grenades, shovels, poles, and stones to fight hand-to-hand with the enemy.For a moment, the cold light shone, and the killing sound shook the sky.When my right arm was broken, I threw grenades with my left hand; when my legs were injured, I kneeled and shot; when my eyes were blown out, I bit the enemy with my teeth... The position was actually recaptured by such soldiers. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the enemy concentrated a large number of troops again. Under the cover of fierce artillery fire and the threat of the officers supervising the battle, the tide rushed to the position of the third battalion. The situation has reached the most critical moment, brigade commander Dai Runsheng ruthlessly grabbed the phone to the fourth regiment: "Comrade Jin Shilin, no matter how serious the situation is, the task I entrusted to you is only two words - hold on! No! Take a step back. Otherwise, proceed according to military law. Tell all commanders and fighters that it is only three hours before dark. When it gets dark, it will be our world, and victory will be ours!" The telephone communication of the first battalion and the second battalion was normal, but the line of the third battalion was bombed and could not be contacted.Jin Shilin sent a messenger to convey the order. The artillery fire had already deafened Zhang Shenming, the deputy commander of the third battalion.Correspondents from the regiment headquarters came up one after another, and what he heard vaguely were always the words: "Battle Commander Zhang, you can't retreat!" "Battle Commander Zhang, the remaining one must fight!" , can’t hold the position, kill the head! Kill the head!!” How to fight this battle, how to defend the position?In a battalion of more than 500 people, there are only less than a hundred people left; but the enemy who rushed up is the whole battalion and the whole regiment.Zhang Shenming inspected the bloody faces of the soldiers, and suddenly found that five buglers were still alive, and shouted: "Okay!" Arrived, "I have nothing to mobilize. Holding the position may be death, and losing the position is like turning around! Damn it, the guy is up, we are all going to fight! Count and concentrate the weapons. Wait for my order, you five Let me blow the trumpet to break the sky together!" When the horn sounded, Shi Potian was startled, the sound of killing suddenly rose, and ghosts and gods howled.The third battalion launched the final counterattack... Calm was restored to the position, and it got dark. The battle in Beixiangdian lasted fifteen hours from six o'clock in the morning to nine o'clock in the evening.The fourth regiment withstood the impact of the enemy's three regiments, and the second brigade resisted dozens of attacks by the enemy's three brigades.The price paid was heavy, with the fourth, fifth, and sixth regiments totaling nearly 1,000 casualties; but the victory won was also huge-more than 3,000 officers and soldiers of the Kuomintang Reorganized 11th Division, known as the "trump card", were killed and wounded.The greater significance of this battle is to ensure that the strategy of Liu Deng's army will be launched again, and Liu Bocheng, "Hou Zhi" and the Central Plains Bureau will be successfully reached Huaixi. In the middle of the night on the 17th, Liu Bocheng led his troops across the Huai River to the north to open up a new strategic area. The harsh winter has arrived. Although the dispatch of the field army and the establishment of the Tongbai and Jianghan base areas mobilized the enemy and attracted three reorganized divisions and one brigade, Bai Chongxi still concentrated the main force and adopted a combination of military and politics to besiege and "clean up and suppress the enemy". "Combined general warfare - recruiting landlords and bullies, developing spy organizations, restoring the Baojia system, establishing a "blockhouse network" and "highway network", cooperating with regular troops to destroy the Communist Party's local regime and armed forces; "Policy, plundering food, killing Communist Party cadres, creating no man's land. In order to preserve strength and find opportunities to wipe out the enemy, the main force of the field army who insisted on fighting on the inner line made great strides in dispatching and mobilizing the enemy to smash the enemy's joint attack formation;Local organizations at all levels turned to semi-underground activities, "the county never leaves the county, the district never leaves the district, and the township never leaves the village", dealing with the enemy in the area. Circling in the "encirclement and suppression" where the strength of the enemy and ourselves is extremely different, they are always in the midst of hardships and thrills. After Yu Qiao and the others entered the Dabie Mountains, they were ordered to go to Tengjiabao, where they settled down and continued to map.When the Seventh Division, the main force of the enemy's Guangxi clique, "cleared and suppressed" came here, they immediately went semi-underground and dispersed their activities. They hide in the mountains.The Dabie Mountains are full of forests and seas, and the masson pine does not shed its leaves all the year round, and there are caves and stone depressions everywhere.The small security teams from Soushan came one by one, and the regular army of "clearing and suppressing" also came and went from time to time.As soon as there was any disturbance, they moved quickly, changing places four or five times a day, and turning over several hills.When it was dark, I quietly went down the mountain, entered the village in the dark, and got some food at the fellow's house.Not wanting to disturb the common people, they sleep in the firewood pile or in the stables or cowsheds with their clothes on.Hearing the villagers call "comrades women" (the local villagers call them), they quickly got up and moved. Yu Qiao's "menstrual disease" from crossing the yellow flood zone has not recovered, and her face has become paler due to extreme anemia. At the beginning of the "clearance campaign", it was common for her not to eat a grain of rice for a few days, so she simply became "amenorrhea".She smiled at Chen Xiaojing: "Bai Chongxi never imagined that he actually cured my gynecological disease." Chen Xiaojing no longer had the energy to make jokes, her already thin body was now like a thin willow branch, as if it could be blown down by a gust of wind.The most difficult thing is Riemann, who is seven months pregnant. This turbulent and harsh environment is really worse for her.Climb mountains, drill holes, run, divert.There was a gap just now, she hugged her bumpy abdomen with both hands, the painful panting hadn't subsided yet, suddenly there was a cold shot, and then she started to shift again. "Please, leave me alone, let's go!" Riemann didn't want to drag Joe and the others down.Her waist was bent, her stomach hurt, and she closed her eyes as if she was on the verge of death. Yu Qiao and Chen Xiaojing lifted Riemann and moved him to a cave not far away.Just after camouflaging the entrance of the cave, the top of the cave has been trampled by the enemy soldiers who searched the mountain, and the gravel is rolling. Blood drenched Riemann's cotton trousers, showing signs of premature birth.Riemann can no longer suffer.That night, they sent Riemann into the village.When it got dark the next day, they went into the village to visit Riemann.No one was seen, but there was bad news: Riemann was confessed by the small security team, and she was carried away with a door panel.Yu Qiao and Chen Xiaojing cried, but they didn't dare to stay in the village for a long time, so they hurriedly withdrew again. Walking to a village a few miles away, a sister-in-law in her forties gave them two vegetable dumplings and placed them in a haystack in a stable.There was also a wounded man from the sixth column hiding in the stable. He was seriously injured, with maggots in the corners of his eyes and nose.The sister-in-law washed his wound bit by bit with salt water, and carefully picked up the maggots with tweezers.The wounded was from Shandong, and everyone was called "Second Brother". When they saw Yu Qiao and the others, they couldn't help kissing: "Second Brother, I want to die comrades!" Chen Xiaojing turned her face away and wiped her tears.He was very optimistic, with a smile on the corner of his mouth, and asked: "Have you encountered our large army? Have you won the battle?" Yu Qiao said: "I have met it. The six of you fought a big victory in Songbu and wiped out eight squadrons of the security regiment, with 2,400 people." 他那混沌的双眼在月光下兴奋地转动，一把抓住于乔的手：“二哥，替俺写封信吧。俺是打定陶解放的，俺娘还不知道俺当了解放军。告诉她，俺是打老蒋光荣的，叫她别哭。” “信一定替你写。但是，大嫂冒死把你藏在家里，你也一定要安心养伤。别想着死，伤好了，还要回部队呢！” 陈晓静喂他喝了几口水：“伤口很疼吧？” 他摇摇头，嘴角浮起一丝孩子气的笑：“就想吃碗面条……” 天没亮，他就咽气了。 于乔和陈晓静白天还是满山钻，碰到自己的部队在本区打仗，就跟着转几天；部队到外区执行任务，她们就再单独行动。漫天风雪，她们像羚羊一样在大山里出没，不敢有一点大意。前几天，文工团的四个女团员被敌人抓住，集体轮奸后，把她们吊死在树上。恶劣的环境把于乔和陈晓静的各种器官的灵敏度训练得极高，一里外的一声鸟叫她们也能捕捉到。 村子里这几天风声紧，敌人来来往往。于乔和陈晓静不敢进村，弄不到一点吃的，头晕眼黑，一站起来就往地上栽。 “晓静，咱们不能这样等着饿死……” 两个人一点一点往山下爬，折腾到天亮，弄来了小半碗稻谷。陈晓静抓起一把就往嘴里塞，于乔拉住：“咱这副肠子，快成破烂的空口袋啦，被稻壳一扎，非断不可。” 于乔找来两块石头，一点一点搓稻壳，搓一小撮，放嘴里嚼一点儿——真香啊！反复嚼，舍不得咽下去。 突然，陈晓静示意于乔住手，指着前面，悄声道：“有动静！” 两个人没来得及站起，树丛里钻出一个人不人鬼不鬼的“东西”。于乔摸出手榴弹。“同志！”接着是男人低沉悲恸的哭声。 于乔小心翼翼地走近。那男人头发长而乱，和脸上的胡子连成一片；冰天雪地，身上的单衣碎得一缕一条；赤着脚，野人似的。 “同志……听你们是北方口音，一定是自己人，我才……” “你是哪个部队的？怎么成了这个样子？” “六纵十六旅的……过汝河掩护大部队，我们最后撤退，打散了，一直找部队……腿受了伤，走走爬爬，到大别山时已经开始下雪，到处是敌人的部队……” “你是……”于乔突然觉得眼熟，再靠近，“你是大刘？” 于乔在抗大第六分校学习时，打靶成绩优秀。男生队里有个刘大个儿，是百发百中的神枪手。于乔常跟他切磋射击技巧。于乔篮球打得好，也得益于大刘的指导，所以于乔常常称他“刘指导”。见眼前的这个人愣神，于乔又喊：“刘指导！” “于乔？”大刘终于认出了于乔。他也无法把眼前这个人跟两年前那个漂亮的北平洋学生联系在一起，热泪流满了脸。 “大刘……你吃苦了！” “找到自己人就好……我一直相信会找到的。” 陈晓静将一把稻米递给大刘：“快吃吧，就着地上的雪。” 从此，常常在这一带转的两个女兵中又多了一个男兵。 他们在山上转了两天，没有找到部队，大刘很着急。于乔说，已经摸准了部队的活动规律，肯定能找到。果然，一天傍晚，他们找到了第六纵队第十七旅。 刚跟部队走了二十多里，在红山铺又与敌人遭遇，大刘随着部队上去了。一仗下来，伤员不少，于乔和陈晓静帮着包扎。一个战士被打中脖子，血流不止，卫生所所长喊：“谁是O型血？” “我！”于乔跑过去，脱下棉衣。大针头扎下去，一次又一次，血管细得扎不着。抽了200CC，于乔直觉得口渴得厉害，想去找口水，一起身，天旋地转，金花四溅，直愣愣栽在地上。 部队最怕出现伤员、病号——没有后方医院，抬着走影响部队转移、作战；放在老乡家里不但不安全，还会危及老乡的身家性命。 王自阁老人对笔者谈起他当年负伤后的情形：“我的腿负伤后住在童大爷家里。区长说，敌人'扫荡'很紧，七师离这里只有二十里，那些逃亡在外的土豪劣绅、伪乡保长也组成'清乡队'回来了。为了安全，区里决定把我安置在山上。那里有个老虎洞，虽远近有名，但没人敢去，最安全。区长说去年打游击时，他住过，没见到老虎，里面也很干燥，问我去不去。童大爷、童大娘都不同意，说咋能住老虎洞呢？我很坚决，执意要去。我不能连累童大爷一家。 “我被抬到老虎洞，每天晚上童大爷的儿子给我送饭。头一天平安过去了。第二天黄昏，我口渴得像火在燎喉咙，想试着爬到洞口抓把雪吃。还没翻身，左腿就疼得像断了，忙仰身躺下。洞里已黑得什么也看不清了。忽然，洞口传来呼哧呼哧的声响。敌人？不像！莫非是老虎？我屏住呼吸，摸出童大爷给我的火柴。 “他告诉过我，万一野东西来了，擦根火柴就能吓走它。 “呼哧呼哧的声音越来越响，我的手指头偏偏紧张得不听使唤。好不容易唰的一声，火柴亮了。透过黯淡的黄光，见一个东西停在洞口。它头上有黑一块、白一块的花纹，眼里放着绿光，一闪一闪地盯着我。真是只老虎。我一急，抓着几根火柴一齐划，'嚓——'一束大火苗亮起来。花斑虎大吼'嗥——'，跟我对视了几秒钟，掉头跑掉了。火柴也灭了，我在黑暗里听到心口像在擂大鼓。才几分钟，棉衣里外已经湿透了，一身冰冷的汗。” 那些“清乡队”“小保队”惨无人道，他们抓住暗藏解放军伤员的老百姓，就吊打、割耳朵、挖眼睛。张庙一位老汉被他们抓住后，面朝下被枪托子砸在地上，又被四根钉棺材的半尺长大铁钉钉住了双手、双脚。敌人钉一根大铁钉就问一句：“还藏不藏共匪？还闹不闹翻身？” 这也吓不倒大别山的老百姓。当年的区长肖明说，有一天他到各村布置工作，被敌人盯上了，一时无法脱身，就跑到殷棚庙湾。一个叫肖本银的汉子把他藏在家里，刚藏好，尾追的敌人进了村。肖本银的妻子为把敌人引开，不顾自己五个月的身孕，扭头就往山上跑。她在山里跟敌人兜了一天圈子。肖明脱险了，她却流产了。 当时任麻城东木区副书记兼武工队队长的赵金良说，有一天他正在布置工作，敌人进村了。鸡飞狗跳墙，村子大乱。为了掩护同志们转移，他拔脚朝村外跑。上百敌人追出村。赵金良一口气跑到李家榜，敌人跟着也进了村。赵金良越墙、跳房，跑了半个村子也没找到合适的藏身之处。敌人堵住了所有出村的路口。他忽然看到一家门口贴着大红喜字，就抬脚闯了进去。正房中间坐着一圈人，正举杯为新郎官祝酒。满屋子人大眼瞪小眼，惊呆了。赵金良说：“打扰了！”三两步跨进洞房。洞房里新娘一个人坐在床上，见慌慌张张进来个陌生人，又羞又怕，浑身哆嗦。赵金良明言快语亮出自己的身份，说实在无奈才来此暂避，叫她不要怕：若敌人进房搜索，就说新郎不胜酒力，休息在床。 赵金良脱了棉衣，刚钻进新人的被窝，敌人就闯进外屋：“刚才有个人跑到你们家里来了吗？” 老百姓七嘴八舌：“没有哇。老总辛苦了，喝杯喜酒暖暖。”“老总，赶上了，让弟兄们来喝一盅吧。”“喜酒，大吉大利……” 门帘被挑开：“床上睡的什么人？！” 新娘道：“我男人，酒喝多了，睡着了。” 敌人信以为真，退去了。天黑后，这家大爷到村子周围看看确实没有情况，才送赵金良出了村。 许多老人说：“一九四七年，那个冷啊！大别山从来没那么冷过。” 县、区党组织遭到破坏，许多优秀的干部惨遭杀害。金寨县县委书记白涛被枪杀后暴尸城关，敌人扬言：“谁敢收尸，与白涛同罪！”贫农吕绍先夫妇在群众的协助下，冒死收尸，安葬了白涛。 新洲县县长刘天元被捕后，敌营长连夜提审。刘天元说：“你不够资格审我，往上解好了。” 无论怎样软硬兼施，刘天元均置之不理。敌人无奈，只得上解宋埠敌兵司令部。行至夫子村，敌人企图趁机诱捕共产党员，便给刘天元松绑，让他骑马，前后左右却安排了便衣。刘天元就在马上故意“骂”给群众听：“老子被捕了，有什么好看的！”在宋埠，刘天元依然只字不露。敌人竟惨无人道地用两辆汽车肢解了刘天元。 晋冀鲁豫野战军第十二纵队团政治部主任刘吉祥病重隐蔽在山上，被“小保队”抓走，关押在麻城县牢房。敌人动用各种刑具，都没能让刘吉祥开口。终于在一天上午，敌人把遍体伤痕的刘吉祥抬到县城十字街头。刽子手说：“刘吉祥，你该死了！” 刘吉祥艰难地站起来：“解放军不怕死！”又转过身，面对围观的群众说，“乡亲们，你们记住，我是麻城乘马冈细冲凹人，一九三二年参加红军，身上有九个伤疤。刽子手今天要杀我，这没什么。中国革命很快就要胜利了，会有人跟他们算账的！” The gun went off.只有十米远，几十发子弹竟没打中。敌执行官急了，将一把大洋掼到地上：“给我打，谁打中钱就归谁！” 坚持在大别山区的野战部队和地方部队按既定方针与敌周旋，千转万移就是不离大别山，而且在转战中寻机歼敌。十二月十五日，分遣到桐柏军区的第十纵队攻占桐柏县城，全歼守敌七百余人；二十日，汉江军区的第十纵队解放天门、京山两座县城，进而奔袭钟祥，歼敌湖北保安第二总队及县保安大队一千三百余人；二十三日，鄂豫四分区部队在黄冈上巴河地区歼敌四个保安中队及七个乡公所；二十四日，在内线作战的第六纵队第十六旅奔袭二百余里，第三次打开广济县城，歼敌青年军第二零三师第二旅第六团一千八百余人…… 每一仗都是在数倍于己的敌人围追、包抄中进行的。弹药缺乏，没有后勤供应，部队常常是一天辗转百余里，饿着肚子打仗。 部队开始杀马充饥。战马随部队南北转战，与战士们结下生死之情。杀马前，战士们呜呜地哭，紧紧抱住马头不放手。 军分区政委卢青田的黑驼马三次救过他的命。他把管理员叫来，说：“把我那匹牲口取消。” “杀黑驼马？你不如把我杀了！”管理员蹲下来抱着头哭。 “不杀就放了它。人都没吃的，哪有粮食喂它？” 第二天，卢青田又见到黑驼马，他火了：“为什么不执行命令？” “我执行了。老百姓都不要，敌人成天来，养在家怕出麻烦。” “把缰绳解了，赶到树林子里去，让它自谋出路。” 部队一个月里转战几百里，一天在青蛇湾驻扎，卢青田脚受了伤，坐在村口看地形。忽听一阵马蹄声，他警觉地一跃而起。警卫员惊异地叫道：“嘿！黑驼马！” 黑驼马尾随部队几百里，跟到了青蛇湾。仗打得再苦，卢青田也是不流泪的，这时他却再也控制不住了，泪水哗哗地淌。黑驼马仰起头，前蹄跃起，三尺长的马尾甩来甩去。卢青田抱住黑驼马的脖子，用手轻轻地拍打。黑驼马像受了莫大的委屈，两只光滑的尖耳朵一抖一抖，后蹄不停地踢踏。渐渐它安静下来，卢青田检查它的四蹄，又拍拍它干瘪下去的肚子，后来在臂部发现了一块粘着泥土的伤口：“啊呀！你负伤啦。” 黑驼马有灵性，尖耳朵一抖，后蹄又跳起来。 管理员闻声跑来，仿佛重逢被自己亲手抛弃的孩子，扑过来抱住黑驼马的脖子，呜咽道：“政委，可不能再把它扔了啊！” 卢青田：“唉，这是什么时候啦，战士们都没有吃的了。” 司令员来了，也动了情：“政委，我们分区只有这一匹马了，留下吧，让伤员、病号轮流骑。” 黑驼马终于幸存，随着它的主人日夜奔袭。一个月里，分区部队收复县城十二座。 多少支这样的部队在大别山内外出击、转战。据不完全统计，刘邓大军主力在大别山反“清剿”及在桐柏、江汉、淮西展开的作战中，共歼敌一万七千人。 冬雨淅淅沥沥。天黑下来，枪声也停止了。 陈粟、陈谢兵团的一线部队在完成了对豫南重镇祝王寨、金刚寺的包围之后，偃旗息鼓，开始做总攻的准备。被围的敌人也趁机巩固工事，准备死守待援。双方的阵地显得异常寂静。 按照指定位置，各部队已分别进入前沿村庄。每个村庄都是静悄悄的，没有一星火光，也很少听到人声，使人难以相信这是一个集中了数万部队的大战场；只有走进这些庄子，才会发觉这里的空气紧张得嗤着火星。庄内庄外挤满了部队，有的还在运动，低声传达着口令。 早在十二月十三日，也就是刘邓分手后刘伯承遇险的那一天，陈粟大军第一、三、四纵队和陈谢兵团为调动和分散大别山的敌人，只用几天时间就破坏了陇海路郑州到民权段、平汉路郑州到许昌段的四百二十多公里的铁路；同时攻克许昌、漯河、驻马店等重要基地和兰封、民权、长葛、遂平等二十三座县城，歼二万余人。 此次包围的是敌第五兵团兵团部及属下整编第三师。 寒冷的冬雨已经转为雪花，纷纷扬扬，迷迷茫茫，好大的雪。雪遮盖了金刚寺的地堡和掩体，道路也被埋没，仿佛世界一下子变得干净起来。 沉寂的战场是被炸醒的。神不知鬼不觉地埋在碉堡、鹿砦下的炸药几乎同时爆响，那声响惊天动地，十几里外都能听到。浓浓的硝烟中，金刚寺圩门哗哗啦啦地倒塌。埋伏在雪地里的突击队一跃而起，疾速冲进敌阵。 后续部队如同一桶桶滚开的水，向金刚寺的两侧泼过去。 金刚寺西面的陈赓兵团张姚营攻入孙庄据点，把一个营的敌人逼进三个大院里。敌人反扑无望，全部投降。从金刚寺方向败撤的敌人迎头撞上士气正旺的张姚营，又掉头往回跑，结果两头受击，溃不成军，又是全部缴械。 随即，陈粟、陈谢兵团发起对祝王寨的总攻。 在此之前，驻守外围枣子牙的敌第三师第八团已无条件向陈赓兵团第二十六旅投降。总攻开始后，军心动摇的祝王寨守敌整编第三师丧失抵抗意志，慌乱夺路向西、南突围。 向西逃窜的敌人被第十旅第二十八、三十团前截后追打垮了；向南溃退的敌人在第二十九团的追击下全部被歼；残留的敌人被突入祝王寨的第二十六旅肃清。不到一个小时，敌第五兵团兵团部及整编第三师全军覆没，第五兵团参谋长李英才、副参谋长邹炎、整编第三师师长路可贞、第三旅参谋长饶亚伯、第二十旅参谋长沈炳宏被生擒，第三旅旅长雷自修、第二十旅旅长谭嘉范被击毙。该部高级将领中仅漏网一人，即兵团司令长官李铁军。 战后的祝王寨、金刚寺一带，数万将士全都拥到