Chapter 10 Chapter Ten Prologue on the Eve

In the evening, Hu Zongnan's jeep swayed out of Xi'an and headed straight for Sanyuan.That was the headquarters of Liu Kan's 29th Army. Hu Zongnan chose this place to hold his "imperial meeting" in the army. The purpose was to allow the participants to smell a little gunpowder in the "sac-shaped zone" for themselves. In the first round with the Communist Party in Guanzhong, they had already ended in failure.More than 930 members of Liu Ziqi's 1st, 2nd, 3rd Brigade, 368th Regiment and two battalions were erased from the roster by the Communist army, but Liu Ziqi himself seemed indifferent, which made Hu Zongnan very angry.Thinking about the coming of 1947 bit by bit, Hu Zongnan's heart became more and more congested, just like the messy road outside the car window - a team mixed with wounded soldiers and officers' families, walking in single file in the dust rolled up by the wheels, separated by Even through the car window, I could vaguely hear those rough shouts and curses.

Hu Zongnan glanced out of the window in disgust, even more upset.He closed his eyes slightly, and Wang Chengzhao, chief of staff of the Sui Department, who was in the same car, was already snoring, and his unscrupulous roar almost annoyed Hu Zongnan, but he finally didn't attack.He understands that he needs to be introverted, and he feels that he is in control of the overall situation and has a great responsibility, and there is a heavy stone on his heart. Hu Zongnan unconsciously thought of Xiong Xianghui.At times like this, he hoped that there would be someone who could confide in him and talk to him by his side.Apart from Xiong Xianghui, he couldn't think of another person for this person.In the past, there was a Dai Yunong who called it "cutting the head and changing the neck", but in fact there is a limit.Now, Dai Yunong died in the air crash, leaving only Xiong Xianghui, a late student.Xiong is young and promising, and Hu feels that he is responsible for cultivation.Therefore, Hu had to bear the pain and let him go to the other side of the ocean with a group of promising young people to study for a master's degree or a doctoral degree, in order to be more beneficial to his career after completing his studies in the future.

A few days ago, when Hu Zongnan heard that Xiong Xianghui was arranging a wedding in Nanjing, he invited Jiang Jingguo out to be a witness in a long robe and mandarin jacket. Chen Yuan, Xiao Jiang's chief secretary, arranged everything, and it was quite decent in the lobby of the Lizhi Club.This not only shows Xiong Xianghui's ability, but also shows Hu Zongnan's face.The former shows Hu Hui's eyes and knowledge of pearls, and the latter shows Hu's deep roots.Hu Zongnan thought happily, Xiong Xianghui's wedding was actually a signboard for me, Hu Zongnan!Thinking of this, he felt a lot more at ease.

More than 20 people participated in this "imperial meeting".Commander Pei Changhui and Deputy Chief of Staff Xue Minquan arrived at the venue before Hu Zongnan. The officers of all brigades and above who participated in the war in the "capsular zone" were ordered to arrive at Sanyuan in the early morning of February 9.Among them are Zhong Song, Commander of the 36th Reorganized Division, Liao Ang, Commander of the 76th Reorganized Division, Chen Zigan, Commander of the 12th Reorganized Brigade, Zhang Xin, Commander of the Reorganized 24th Brigade, and Liao Ang, Commander of the Reorganized 48th Brigade. He Qi, commander, and Liu Ziqi, commander of the reorganized 1st, 23rd brigade, etc.Of course, there were some high-level staff members like Wang Chengzhao, who made Liu Kan, the commander of the 29th Army, and Wen Yu, the chief of staff of the host country, greet and exchange greetings in a hurry.

When Hu Zongnan was swarmed into the venue by the stars, Wen Yuyi stood up first, and everyone burst into applause.This made Hu Zongnan feel both vulgar and comfortable.He waved to everyone as casually as possible, letting everyone sit down, but he didn't sit down, pacing back and forth in the same place.This is Hu Zongnan's practice. He puts on a posture first, brings people's thoughts into the situation, and then makes a speech.The people present were not surprised by this, and they all made preparations to listen attentively in response to Chief Hu's behavior. Hu Zongnan walked back and forth, cleared his voice and said: "Everyone, to destroy the Communist Party, you must destroy its armed forces, and to achieve this goal, you must first destroy its leadership." Again: "The committee has made it clear that we need to take Yan'an as soon as possible! This time, there is no need to make small troubles. I believe that the military issues in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region can be resolved within two months, and all The communist army fundamentally solves the country’s military problem of fighting against the communist army!” The resounding words made everyone look at each other in blank dismay, both excited and worried.

Liu Kan turned around and whispered to Pei Changhui next to him, not knowing what to whisper. The order of the whole venue was slightly chaotic.Seeing that Hu Zongnan frowned imperceptibly, Xue Minquan clapped his hands and said, "Be quiet, everyone, and let Chief Hu finish speaking!" Hu Zongnan's tone became tough: "The 'capsular zone' is related to our army's grand plan to attack Yan'an. It can only be successful, not defeated! In the past more than a month, all ministries have worked hard to coordinate. Although they failed to defeat the enemy in the end, they still dealt heavy losses to the Communist army. But... ..." Hu Zongnan's eyes were full of fierceness, and he suddenly looked directly at Liu Ziqi: "Some troops are ineffective in combat command, dead and lost, and the commander doesn't care! Let me ask you Liu Ziqi, where is your 368th regiment? How did that battle in Zhuang go?!" Liu Ziqi's eyelids drooped, his neck was still stiff, and the two of them just held each other in a neutral manner.After a long time, Hu Zongnan sighed, and found a way for himself: "Everyone doesn't know something, but the committee has placed great hopes on us! From now on, everyone must do their best to complete the task, otherwise, how will we explain before the committee?" At this point, the prestige has also arrived, and the love has also arrived. Hu Zongnan decided to end it.He raised his chin to Wen Yuyi, Chief of Staff of the Reorganized 29th Army, and said, "Chief of Staff Wen, come and report the next battle plan!"

Wen Yu stood up abruptly, turned his straight back to the south of Hu Zong, nodded in agreement, and then walked towards the map by the wall with military steps.He is confident that he has won Hu Zongnan's favor with his good military posture, and is determined to develop this favor, so he sees, hands, and heart, and the military language on his mouth is also extremely concise: "In order to achieve the complete annihilation of the 'capsular zone' The purpose of the communist army is to encircle them on all sides, and use the 24th and 48th brigades, respectively from the northwest of Yijun and the southeast of Zhengning, to decisively and quickly seal the pockets, blocking the rescue of the south and the communist troops fleeing north from the pocket. At the same time, control the main road leading to Yan'an from the north of Malan, and intercept the Communist army at any time. The main force of the army advances from the east, west, and south, and quickly surrounds the Communist army, gathers and annihilates them. The army reserve team gathers near Yijun , Mobile reinforcements. All ministries cooperate closely in order to win a complete victory in one fell swoop..." Wen Yuyi reported the battle plan, watched Hu Zongnan stand at attention, and then stepped forward to return to his position.

Next is free expression.Xue Minquan was the first to speak.As the deputy chief of staff of the Sui Department, he is responsible for organizing and commanding the "capsular zone" operations, and there is no procedure for consulting with him in advance about the combat plan of the 29th Army.Of course, maybe Hu Zongnan and Chief of Staff Sheng Wen had the opportunity to participate in the opinion, and Xue Minquan was the only one with deaf ears. If that was the case, why dragged himself to such a military meeting?Xue Minquan felt that it was better to say something than not to say it, and it was better to say it first than to say it later.He thinks that since this battle is encircled and wiped out from the east, west, and south, is it necessary to separate the troops to seal the pocket?

"The lesson of the past is that the troops were divided into multiple routes. As a result, they lost control repeatedly, allowing the Communist army to take advantage of loopholes." Xue Minquan expressed his worries meaningfully.As soon as this remark came out, everyone was immediately activated. Wen Yuyi immediately stood up and explained: "The fundamental purpose of this battle is to annihilate the vital forces of the Communist army, and then to seize the strategically important "sac-shaped zone". Front, cut off the retreat first. Otherwise, even if the territory is seized, it will be an unreliable victory."

These words made Xue Minquan feel a little choked.Although I don't advocate the division of troops, I also didn't say that I would give up annihilating the vital forces of the Communist army!Who can not understand the simple truth of "annihilating the enemy" and "seizing the land", and I have to let you Wen Yuyi teach it!Thinking of this, Xue Minquan turned his voice up and shouted: "In my opinion, the fundamental purpose of this operation is to quickly seize the 'capsular zone' and clear obstacles for the next attack on Yan'an, rather than annihilating the enemy's vital force..."

Wen Yuyi couldn't take it anymore, but he kept gaining confidence from Hu Zongnan's face, determined not to be outdone.Before Xue Minquan finished speaking, he stood up and interrupted the other party: "The attack on Yan'an is not to destroy the Communist army..." He wanted to say something, but Zhong Song, the commander of the 36th Division, snatched the conversation away.Zhong Song's opinion leans towards Wen Yuyi, which makes Xue Minquan eager to find an ally.All of a sudden, the audience was full of whispers, and the ups and downs of disputes poured into Hu Zongnan's ears. Hu Zongnan has become accustomed to arguing with his subordinates.Hu Jun's internal relations are notoriously complicated.Although Hu Zongnan has worked hard over the years to carry out a major transformation with the Whampoa lineage as the anchor, the officers basically consist of four series of backgrounds: Whampoa, Luda, Zhejiang, and the First Division. , the big Lu brand is full, and if you get a master, you have a backer, and the miscellaneous brand will get out sooner or later." These four songs clearly reveal Hu Zongnan's intention to draw the line.Of course, Hu knew the disasters brought about by this, and someone else had already sung the ballad into his ears. Has a big temper and makes a fool of himself” and so on.Hu Zongnan did not turn a blind eye and let it go. As the boss of this "Whampoa family", he tried his best to adjust all these things, such as setting up a "seventh branch school" to train officers in rotation, and calling for secret talks individually. Not to mention all the painstaking efforts between rising and falling.However, in the affairs of the world, if there is a benefit, there will be a disadvantage, and it is impossible to absolutely seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.Hu himself has a ghost in his heart, how can he stop the gloomy wind? Factional disputes and discord between the old and the new have become a foregone conclusion within Hu Jun. Therefore, if there are too many debts, he will not worry about it, and if there are too many lice, he will not itch. In the palm of the hand.This move is also roughly learned from Lao Jiang, but the size of the plate is the same, and the principle is the same. Just wait for a word at a critical moment, and you can firmly grasp the initiative and settle on one. For example, at this moment, Hu Zongnan glanced at the venue to see that the controversy was getting out of hand, so he raised his hand calmly.Suddenly, the audience was silent.Hu Zongnan said sternly: "Deputy Chief of Staff Xue makes sense, and I agree with him. The army reserve team is deployed near Sanyuan, and all troops participating in the war are under the command of Commander Liu. The attack will begin at dawn on the 14th. The meeting will be adjourned!" Everyone felt fooled again.After much deliberation, the authority is still powerful, and tactics are nothing!The rest can only be walked out while carefully smacking the mind of the big boss.But the only one who can understand Hu Zongnan's original intention is Liu Kan, who never said a word from the beginning to the end. After the crowd dispersed, Liu Kan saw that Chief of Staff Wen Yuyi was still standing blankly in front of the map in a daze, so he walked over and patted his hand, saying, "Brother, don't think about it, let's fight, the military order is like a mountain!" Wen Yuyi frowned unwillingly: "Junzao, why did Mr. Hu..." Liu Kan raised his hand to stop the following words.Liu Kan walked towards the window in a magnanimous manner, with his back turned to Wen Yuyi who was obsessed with obsession, and after a long time he said slowly: "If you only know military affairs but don't understand politics, you will never be successful. Mr. Hu has lofty aspirations, but you and I are only in Haozhong. It's just a sparrow..." As soon as Wen Yu heard these words, he started to play with it, and gradually melted away the snot.He walked behind Liu Kan, and said with joy and worry: "Junzuo, you mean that Mr. Hu is going to take a long time... I finally understand!" In fact, he didn't understand.The reason why Hu Zongnan disagreed with the combat plan for the reorganization of the 29th Army was not only out of consideration of preserving strength, but also deliberately opened his mouth to attract the attention of the CCP's Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia troops.He wants to move the whole body of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region with one shot in the "sac-shaped zone". When the CCP has taken all the troops in northern Shaanxi to Guanzhong, he can take advantage of the false attack to capture Yan'an and drive the Communist Party troops in northern Shaanxi over in one go. Go to the Yellow River.This is the meaning of the drunkard! Five days later, what Hu Zongnan couldn't believe was that the troops commanded by Liu Kan had easily occupied the "sac-shaped zone"!It was a strategic location that made Hu Zongnan restless for several years. How did the Communist army deliver it so happily?Although the documents submitted by the 29th Army stately stated that there were "fierce battles" here and "fierce battles" there, but those secret "vertical news" confirmed that the new fourth brigade of the CCP's Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia troops stationed in the area was completely It was an organized and active northward retreat.Except for Chen Ziqian's entire 12th Brigade individual regiment and the communist army covering the retreating squad, and occasionally encountering fire in the direction of Yetailing, there has never been a confrontation in other places, let alone a "fierce" battle.Hu Zongnan was like hitting a cotton basket with his fist, very uncomfortable.He almost didn't think about it, and immediately sent a report to Liao Ang, the commander of the 76th Division.It is his consistent style to stick to the end in combat command.At such a time, Hu Zongnan's mind was full of Liao Ang's bravery, and the emotions of Liu Kan and others had long been thrown into Java! "Master Liao Ang, I order you to lead your troops to attack Qingyang, Heshui, and Hu Zongnan." Liao Ang read the telegram and judged that Hu Zongnan was trying to attract the Communist army to move westward to Longdong, and then concentrate the main force to attack Yan'an, so he was responsible for this action. Not light.That afternoon, he summoned the officers above the regiment and gave them a serious lecture. Then he divided his troops into two groups, attacking Qingyang with the 21st Brigade, and Heshui with the 48th Brigade.At that time, the "suo department" commanded by Liao Angneng actually consisted of the 76th Division (owing to the 144th Brigade) and the 48th Brigade belonging to the 17th Division (owing to the 144th Regiment).This can be regarded as Hu Zongnan's "elite", and Hu had high expectations for this "elite" with more than 15,000 people from the very beginning.Now, good steel should be used on the blade!After finishing everything, Hu Zongnan happily ordered the orderly to bring a glass of whiskey, and sipped it to his heart's content.He planned to make a special trip to Nanjing to report to Chiang Kai-shek face to face as soon as there was good news from Longdong.Unexpectedly, as soon as Liao Ang's troops moved, an urgent telegram from the Nanjing Ministry of National Defense arrived, and Chiang Kai-shek wanted to summon Hu.This made Hu Zongnan feel a little regret mixed with his surprise. It's cold in spring, and the morning breeze on the plateau pulls meat like a knife.However, the fast horses of Peng Dehuai and others ran with steam all over their bodies.They received an urgent telegram from the Military Commission on the way to inspect and returned to Yan'an quickly.After walking around the Jinpen Bay area, Peng Dehuai's heart became more and more heavy.Last night, he was lying in the war room of the teaching brigade - an abandoned cave dwelling near the front, and he could hardly sleep all night.Over the past few days, all kinds of combat maps marked by the brigade were clearly presented in his mind, every terrain, every settlement... He couldn't drive them away even if he wanted to. This is an unforgettable night before the Battle of Yan'an.The sound of a rooster crowing was faintly heard in the distance. The guards came back on tiptoe after feeding the animals. Peng Dehuai was still looking at the roof of the kiln with his head on his hands. Wang Zhengzhu turned over and found that Peng Dehuai was still awake, so he asked in surprise: "Mr. Peng, are you still asleep?" Peng Dehuai hummed, and then blurted out: "There are too few troops in the defense line of more than one hundred miles!" Knowing that Peng Dehuai was still thinking about defense matters, Wang Zhengzhu leaned forward and said, "There is not enough ammunition and manpower to repair fortifications. This is a universal problem." Peng Dehuai sighed, and simply sat up: "Director Wang, you have to remember that you have to be responsible for the implementation of the migrant workers you promised to allocate to them. There must be no one left. They must arrive immediately, and they must be strong. Be their stretcher team. Also, they reported a lack of cotton-padded clothes. They were all made in Yan'an, and they hadn't been shipped yet. They had to be handed over to the logistics, and they would all be shipped within five days. To give them a rich number, it was just so-so. Once the stretcher team arrives and the prisoners are replenished, what will you wear?" At this time, Chen Haihan, chief of staff of the teaching brigade, came over with a lantern and said, "Mr. Peng, if you want to talk, may I give you the lantern?" Peng Dehuai waved his hand, and suddenly asked: "Have you found out about the Kuomintang jeep that your reconnaissance company got?" Chen Haihan said: "It's clear, the two guys sitting in the car, one is the division chief of staff, named Guo Yaozhong; the other is the deputy brigade commander, named Dai Kezai." Peng Dehuai was surprised: "Oh! Where's the person?" "One was shot dead on the spot, and the other escaped!" "Hey, what happened!" Peng Dehuai was very angry. "However, when the soldiers searched the car, they found a lot of documents, including a topographical survey map of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia army..." Before Chen Haihan could finish his sentence, he saw Peng Dehuai standing up, and eagerly said: "My son's picture, quickly bring me to see!" This precious survey map was brought to the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China.Mao Zedong had just reported the military situation in Longdong, and suddenly this survey map popped up, everyone's thinking was opened, and everyone excitedly expressed their opinions. Mao Zedong was smoking, listening intently to this and that, but Peng Dehuai couldn't speak, so he got up and waved to everyone: "Let's listen to what Lao Peng has to say." Peng Dehuai also stood up: "There is nothing to say, Hu Zongnan is going to attack Yan'an. Now, it depends on how he fights. The frontal situation is like this. There is a 25-kilometer dense forest area in the middle of the entire defense line. I thought, this area The place is overgrown with thorns and deserted, which is not conducive to the action of the enemy's mechanized troops. There are only two possible routes for the enemy to attack Yan'an. One is to go north along the simple road along the line of Linzhen, Madongchuan, Jinpenwan, and Songshuling. One is along Fuxian, Ganquan, Laoshan, that is, the Xianyu Highway northward. From this survey map, the most detailed part of the enemy's records happens to be the dense forest area in the middle! I touched it, and the dense forest is deep. There is a place called Biaojiatai. It is said that it was a bodyguard station in the Qing Dynasty, and it was very prosperous. Now there are more than ten families living here, and there are more than ten small roads in and out. From here, pass through Lijiaping and cross two rows of mountains. Nanshan in Penwan! Therefore, urgent measures must be taken to adjust the deployment of troops. I have already arranged this, and the top priority is Longdong..." Mao Zedong said: "It's Longdong and Jinpen Bay again. Hu Zongnan's wings are hardened and his appetite is getting bigger. I'm considering whether to deploy it as a whole, to unify the combat command, and improve the combat capabilities of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia troops. Lao Peng, it's up to you Take more responsibility." On February 10, the Central Military Commission issued an order in the name of Chairman Mao Zedong, Commander-in-Chief Zhu De, and Liu Shaoqi, Director of the General Political Department: the first column of the Shanxi-Sui Military Region stationed in the Shanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region and the new fourth column of the Shanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Joint Defense Force The Brigade, the Teaching Brigade, the First Garrison Brigade, and the Third Garrison Brigade were jointly compiled to form the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Field Army.This 28,000-strong team is directly commanded by the Central Military Commission and undertakes the combat mission of defending the border area and defending Yan'an.The field army commander is Zhang Zongxun, Xi Zhongxun is the political commissar, Wang Shitai is the deputy commander, Liao Hansheng is the deputy political commissar, Yan Kuiyao is the chief of staff, and Xu Liqing is the director of the Political Department. As soon as the order was announced, the team immediately put into operation, and quickly made up their minds: to divide the teaching brigade, the 7th garrison regiment, and the independent regiment of the Yan'an sub-district to guard the Fuxian and Linzhen areas west of the Yellow River and east of the Xianyu Highway to protect the southern Yan'an line Safety, the first garrison brigade regained the Guanzhong area and persisted in the struggle. The group army command led the 358th brigade, the only brigade, the new fourth brigade and a part of the third garrison brigade to attack Longdong and face Liao Ang's "unit". However, He Qi, the commander of the 48th Brigade of the 17th Division of the Kuomintang, went northward for several days under the name of Liao Ang, the commander of the 76th Division. On March 1, He You led his troops to Daban Bridge non-stop. Fortunately, he did not encounter any Communist troops along the way, and nothing happened.He Qi thought: let the brothers sleep well tonight!Unexpectedly, just as they were about to camp, an urgent telegram from Liao Ang arrived, asking them to go to Heshui overnight.He Qi was so angry that he threw the telegram group in his hand and threw it in front of the translator.After thinking about it, he still swallowed his anger and started on the road. It was a cold night, He Qi's officers and soldiers were all too tired to keep their eyes open, yawned and couldn't lift their spirits on the march. As a result, when crossing the Malian River, dozens of people fell down at once, and none of them climbed ashore.The icy river water woke up the drowsy He Qi!After crossing the river, he led the team to climb up the plateau desperately along the ravine. However, there were narrow trails everywhere, deep ditches and steep walls, and the officers and soldiers ran around like monkeys. Just found Heshui. Heshui is actually a ghost city.When He Qi's team arrived, they saw a machine gun sweeping the mountains in the northeast corner for a while, and when He Qi was about to face the enemy and opened up the battle, the machine gun suddenly disappeared.He Qi ordered his troops to search the whole city for a long time, but found nothing but an old man with a goat.He Qi sighed and decided that the troops would camp in Heshui that night. Immediately, the city was full of smoke, and the team was busy boiling water, making food, breaking down doors and building houses, and some people were digging three feet to find gold and silver treasures.Unexpectedly, at dusk, a sudden explosion resounded through the sky, and the direction was unclear. He Qi was so frightened that he didn't even have time to pick up his pants, and hurriedly ordered the troops to seize the position. The whole army was like a frightened bird, and it was a mess.The officers and soldiers waited in fear for more than an hour before they realized it was a false alarm.It turned out that a few soldiers accidentally triggered a series of landmines while searching for extra money.He Qi was so angry that he immediately called the company commander and scolded him like a dog. Seeing that it was getting dark, He Qi's mouth was dry, he drank saliva to calm himself, and shouted at the company commander who was being scolded: "Get out!" Then he yawned and prepared to sleep with his feet scalded.The orderly had just brought up the hot water and took off a boot and sock for him, when someone came running outside to report: "A new telegram came from the military seat, ordering the 48th Brigade to return to Ning County by the same route after capturing Heshui." With one bare foot and one boot on, He Qi stood there in a daze. After a while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Mum, call me Chief of Staff!" His feet couldn't be burned anymore, so he had to put on his boots and socks again. , Convene a group of thinkers from the brigade to discuss the withdrawal route. He Qi is also one of the most "senior military talents" under Hu Zongnan. Relying on the high title of graduating from the Japanese Non-commissioned Officer Artillery Division, he rarely pays attention to his colleagues. He has always been proud and arrogant. It's a joke, so he earned the nickname "He Dapao".Under normal circumstances, He Qi doesn't care about anyone's suggestion, but what is clearly in front of him is that he can take a shortcut to Ningxian County via Xihuachi, and he can reach Ningxian County by day and night, but this road is calm for two cities in a row. What about Huachi's unexpected events?For some reason, He Qi always felt flustered and uneasy. The result of the deliberations was one-sided opinion.No one can control so much, the pommel horse is exhausted for several days, who doesn't want to find a place to drink it as soon as possible and have a good sleep!As long as the road is short and saves time and effort, it will be done. "Okay," He Qi finally agreed with everyone's opinion, "Send a report to the military seat, I decided to go south via Xihuachi!" After the team set off, He Qi thought while walking on horseback. There is no Communist army in Chicheng Town, and there is no Communist army in Heshui. Could it be that there is a Communist army in Xihuachi?He became stubborn: Mom, I don't believe that things can be so coincidental! He Qi would never have imagined that ever since his entire 48th Brigade left Heshui City and embarked on the mountain road going south, it was completely under the sight of the 358th Brigade of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Field Army. It was already the morning of March 3. Huang Xinting, the brigade commander of the 358th Brigade, looked at He Qi's team dragging forward in the ravine under his nose, feeling extremely itchy.At that time, the troops of the 358th Brigade were hiding in the mountains on both sides of the road. If they raised their guns to shoot at the enemies in the ditch, it would be like a roll call.The front and back ditches are narrow and the roads are narrow, and when the two ends are tied to death, He Qi's men and horses cannot fly.Why can't you just hit him in an ambush?Huang Xinting couldn't help pleading with the headquarters.The chief of the group army weighed it over and over again, but did not agree.Therefore, He Qi's entire 48th brigade swaggered from under the guns of the 358th brigade and entered Xihuachi safely. Xihuachi is a small town in the southern plateau of Heshui. Like other towns in eastern Longdong, it has the characteristics of being close to the plateau and ravines.There are big ditches running north-south on the east and west sides of the town. The town on the bank of the plateau is obviously easy to defend and difficult to attack.There are about 1,000 businesses and residents in the town, and a north-south street about two miles long is built. Therefore, it is not only a traffic artery connecting Longdong in the north and Guanzhong in the south, but also an important channel for the transportation of goods from Shaanxi and Gansu provinces in this area. As a hub of distribution, the market is prosperous and materials are abundant throughout the year. It was already afternoon when He Qi's avant-garde 142nd regiment arrived at Xihuachi, and the market was still very lively. Ziruo, this is in stark contrast to Chicheng Town and Heshui that the 48th Brigade had just "captured". Chen Dingxing, the head of the 142nd Regiment, was surprised by this situation, and hurriedly reported to He Qi, saying: "Traveler, this place is a paradise on earth, and there is no shadow of the Communist army. The common people eat and urinate, and do whatever they want." Come here and take a rest!" This undoubtedly gave He Qi a reassurance. The fatigue of the past few days was completely wiped out. He rushed all night with all his strength and went to Xihuachi to see that everything was fine. , full of joy, was caught in the crowd and patrolled around.This was not enough, he also invited several regiment leaders and a group of brigade staff to a restaurant: "Come on, brothers, you have worked hard these days, my brigade commander is the host today, and I have a good meal with you all." Full!" The officer said, needless to say, battalion commanders and company commanders, nine out of ten go to restaurants.Of course, those little soldiers who also saved a few steel coins in their pockets were not far behind. Huang Xinting knows all of this well.He once again asked the group army headquarters to attack the enemy's forty-eighth brigade without losing a fighter.However, no consent was obtained. Huang Xinting stomped his feet anxiously: "The enemy's foothold is not stable, and they are unsuspecting. What a great opportunity. If he suddenly comes at this time..." At this moment, He Qi was drinking so much that his face was flushed red, and if someone proposed a guessing game, he had no choice but to follow suit. Wang Guoheng, the chief of the brigade's operations section, stood up and said to He Qi with a lot of thoughts: "Brigade, brother has an idea, and I'm afraid it will ruin everyone's happiness if I say it." He Qi had always had a good impression of this man, so he shouted cheerfully: "Let's talk!" Wang Guoheng said: "Five days before and after my department entered Longdong from Guanzhong, almost all the towns and villages we visited were empty houses. Why is this Xihuachi indifferent? I went to several shops and left. Let's go, those bosses and clerks all have sinister smiles on their faces, and their hospitality is suspicious. Traveler, according to my brother's opinion, there must be a reason..." Chen Dingxing, head of the 142nd Regiment, laughed loudly: "Section Chief Wang is too nervous! Do you know that Xihuachi is an important market and trade town in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, where businessmen run a lot, and gentry and common people travel all over the world? How can someone who has seen the world compare with places like Chicheng and Heshui?" Wang Guoheng wanted to argue with reason, but was stopped by He Qi.He Qi asked: "Wang Guoheng, in your opinion, how should the brigade commander make a decision?" Wang Guoheng did not hesitate: "The situation is abnormal and the signs are suspicious. I would rather believe it than believe it. Brother thinks that we should be more vigilant. It is best to leave immediately to avoid accidents!" Wang Guoheng's opinion had no influence on He Qi.He weighed it cautiously, thinking: If the Communist army wants to attack our 48th Brigade, wouldn't there still be many opportunities in Chicheng Town and Heshui?Why wait until Xihuachi?This is the first; second, it is near dusk, about two hours before dark, even if you withdraw from Xihuachi immediately, you will not be able to cross the border military blockade before dark; third, there are tens of miles around Xihuachi. It is even more unsafe for the troops to move to camp outside the city on the plateau and deep ditch.Besides, the officers and soldiers have been exhausted after days of toil, and they have moved rashly, and the morale of the army is unstable; Yes, there is no joke in the army, and once the military order is issued, it must not be changed easily.How will a commander who changes his orders day and night command the armed forces in the future? Thinking so, He Qi was still on the defensive.He decided to order Chen Dingxing to lead the 142nd regiment to evacuate Xihuachi immediately and continue to camp at Qilidian. The rest of the troops stayed in Xihuachi for one night as originally planned, and set off to retreat south after dawn.He also ordered that all ministries should quickly recruit personnel, set up camp as soon as possible, add more small guards around Xihuachi, and send reconnaissance teams to search strictly inside and outside the town. He Qi was deploying the camp. When the situation came out, the intelligence agent of the 142nd Regiment ran profusely to report to the head of the regiment. He said that he heard an old man who had just returned from his relatives muttering about 20 miles northeast of Xihuachi. On the edge of the plateau, I met the People's Liberation Army brigade.The People's Liberation Army told the old man not to flee, and they will fight back soon! Is this news reliable?He Qi lost his mind for a moment, and said: "Impossible." But he was a little guilty in his heart. The deputy brigade commander Wan Youlin couldn't hold back any longer, and shouted at He Qi: "What's impossible? There is a problem, if you want me to tell you, it is better to be careful!" Originally, He Qi didn't want to bite the bullet and insist on something, but after being stimulated by Wan Youlin's a little pretentious words, he turned his temper.He pretended to be nonchalant and said: "The Longdong Communist Army only has the 358th Brigade and a few local troops. How can there be so many "sneakers and ghosts"! If there are more troops, it is very likely that they came from Yan'an to help. Is it what we want to achieve by smacking around?" Wan Youlin succumbed to others and didn't want to say much, but secretly told Chen Dingxing: "He Dapao is headstrong, you must not be careless when stationed outside the city, otherwise I will accompany him to death!" Dusk came as expected.After the deployment of the 48th Brigade's camp was ready, He Qi fell onto the kang exhausted, and fell into a dream in a moment.Suddenly, the phone rang loudly at the top of the kang, so frightened that he jumped up from the kang like a carp, grabbing the phone for no reason and wanting to curse. The voice in the microphone was urgent and uneasy: "Brigade Commander He, I am Yan Jinjie, the commander of the brigade's anti-aircraft artillery company. I have a suspicious situation to report to you. I even brought a few soldiers to the east of the town. Ma Cao found out that the people on Goudong Road were constantly coming and going, and there were rumors from fellow villagers that the Communist army was cooking and eating in Jiulongchuan, 8 miles away from Goudong, and came to Xihuachi after dinner..." He Qi didn't have the patience to listen, and cursed "crazy", and hung up the phone resentfully.Thinking about it, I felt something was wrong, so I quickly called someone to call for Wang Guoheng, the Chief of Operations Section: "Take a few staff officers and go to the Zhendong ditch to do a reconnaissance in person!" The bewildering dusk of Xihuachi did not affect Hu Zongnan, who was enjoying the spring breeze at the Nanjing Ministry of National Defense in the slightest.Since entering Beijing, Hu Zongnan has been summoned by Chiang Kai-shek every day, and the attack in Longdong is a topic that must be repeated every time he meets Chiang Kai-shek.The so-called "strike the east and attack the west"-Chiang Kai-shek has clearly taught all the combat strategies of "sweeping holes in the courtyard" and personally set the specific time for attacking Yan'an on March 10.On this day, the foreign ministers of the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain and France will gather in Moscow for a meeting.Lao Jiang wants to use a resounding fact to make the foreign ministers of the four big countries stare at Moscow! Chiang Kai-shek taught Hu Zongnan: "I have been suppressing the Communist Party for more than ten years, and I have an important experience, that is, to deal with the Communist Party, not only must use military brains, but also political brains. This time, the Communist Party must be persisted" Three parts military, seven parts politics' creed, military attack and political attack go on at the same time!" Hu Zongnan and Chief of Staff Sheng Wen played with Chiang Kai-shek's words all night, and the more they smacked, the more they felt the lingering taste. "Three-point military", with hundreds of thousands of troops under his command, it is not difficult to play a few tricks.But what should this "seven-point politics" do?He decided to work hard to make a big article from scratch and draw up a careful "political strategy" plan. After thinking about it, he felt that Xiong Xianghui had to handle this matter.Back then, Xiong Xianghui was appreciated by Hu Zongnan precisely because he had an extraordinary political mind.Who else can connect Hu Zongnan's decades of arduous struggle with Mr. Sun Yat-sen's "Three People's Principles" revolutionary program?Now, the plan Hu Zongnan needs is "more revolutionary than the Communist Party"!Unfortunately, Xiong Xianghui took his new wife to Hangzhou for honeymoon, and his whereabouts are still unknown.Hu Zongnan was quite troubled by this. Sheng Wen said: "What's so difficult about this? Just say hello to Mao Renfeng! Is it possible that the dignified Bureau of Secrecy won't be able to find a groom official in Hangzhou?" When Hu Zongnan heard this, Mao Sai suddenly realized that he was about to connect with Mao Renfeng when he picked up the phone. Since the trip to the United States was confirmed, Xiong Xianghui's schedule has been tightly packed.During the eight or nine months of bidding farewell to Xi'an, he experienced too many things that Hu Zongnan could hardly imagine.Half a month ago, I finally booked the space on the "American President Line" liner from Shanghai to San Francisco. Seeing that the schedule was still early, I decided to go to the West Lake with my new wife Xie Xiaohua to spend the precious two weeks of honeymoon time.Then, the two went to Shanghai together, and the husband and wife saw off. Today is March 1st.近午时分，从灵隐寺返回大华饭店住处的熊向晖夫妻，一进门便被饭店经理拦住了：“请熊太太先回房休息，我找熊先生有点儿小事。”说着手一扬，客客气气道一声：“请！” 熊向晖不明就里跟到经理室，见一戴墨镜的中年汉子起身抱拳，“兄弟贱姓王，在保密局管点儿事，特来奉看熊先生，请先生到南京走一趟……” 保密局？那不是戴笠特务机构军统局的新牌子吗？熊向晖浑身一颤，半年前一宗悬而未决的密案，浮上心头。 的确，熊向晖是个非常人物。他是周恩来早在抗战初期便布下的一颗“闲棋冷子”，是1936年12月在清华大学秘密加入共产党的。熊向晖戏剧般打入胡宗南身边之后，一直按照周恩来的要求，充当一个白皮红心的天津萝卜。“耐心等待、甘于清冷，宁亢勿卑，随机应变”，这十六个字的秘诀，使他顺顺溜溜当上胡宗南的侍从副官和机要秘书，长时间包下胡宗南到军政院校和所属部队作“精神讲话”的起稿工作。 胡对这位新任亲信助手，始终抱着“疑人不用，用人不疑”的态度，甚至相约周恩来到西安谈判也让熊向晖作全权接待。至于熊向晖起草的那些既短又精、充满豪言壮语的讲话稿，也是最合胡宗南口味的一道点心，别人不能够轻易一字。 就这样，胡宗南对陕北延安任何大的举动，全都成了中共中央军委会议桌上毫不走样的大参考，连打算在西安晚宴上把周恩来灌醉这样一个小小阴谋，也不能得逞。 周恩来给熊向晖具体指示：“对党要忠诚，对敌要狡猾；有所为，有所不为；抓大不抓小，注意战略动向，主要着眼保卫党中央。” 半年多前，正是王震等人中原突围的紧要阶段，在南京卫巷32号家中的熊向晖，突然被周恩来秘书童小鹏接到梅园新村30号中共代表团驻地，说是他将记有熊向晖姓名地址的一个小本本，不慎丢在美国特使马歇尔的专机里。这件事所遗留下的漏洞，让周恩来付出十倍精力去弥补，熊向晖也万分不安地作好多种准备。 其间，熊向晖接到美国密西根大学研究院的入学许可证，并据此向外交部申请护照，向美国驻上海总领事馆申请签证。提心吊胆办完这一切之后，他郑重告诉恋人谢筱华：“一旦我出事，请你另找对象。” 然而，那件令他担心万般的“事”，却迟迟没有出。 熊向晖遵照周恩来的面示，办好留美手续之后，专程飞往西安看望了一次胡宗南，察言观色。而胡宗南除了为陕南堵不住王震、李先念，晋南丢失心肝宝贝第一旅懊丧不已外，看不出有任何异样反应。可是今天，保密局突如其来追到杭州，莫不是一记闷棍？熊向晖在按保密局特务指引返回南京前，给新娘子谢筱华留言道：“如五天之内收不到我的信，肯定凶多吉少……” 当天中午，熊向晖本该给妻子回复一封短信，告诉她事情真相，可那时胡宗南已将他单独反锁在盛文的住房里。胡宗南给他留下一个公文包，便赶去国防部开会。熊向晖打开公文包取出两份绝密文件，一份是经蒋介石核准的攻略延安方案，一份是陕北共产党军队兵力配置详细情况。 这是怎样的两份情报啊！熊向晖恨不能张开大口把那两摞厚厚的图表和文字，统统嚼烂后吞到肚子里去。但，他必须首先完成胡宗南交给自己的使命。他要在一个中午时间内，根据文件精神勾勒出一份草图，并拉出全部“政治攻略”纲目，以便下午胡宗南送给“总裁”参阅。 熊向晖急速转动脑子，将成堆成堆的革命字眼尽情垒起来，什么“实行民主政治，穷人当家做主”；什么“豁免田赋三年，实行耕者有其田”；什么“普及教育，村办小学，乡办中学，县办大学”；什么“不吃民粮、不住民房、不拉民夫、不征民车”等，激动得胡宗南直拍桌子：“小熊啊，你这个'三民主义施政纲领'比共产主义还共产主义嘛，怪不得有人怀疑你是共产党……” 话一出口，胡宗南意识到自己说漏了嘴，眼角不自觉地朝盛文瞥了瞥。熊向晖看在眼里，佯装不知。 三天后的大清早，阳光很好。胡宗南一边修面一边对熊向晖说：“你干得很出色，'总裁'昨晚足足夸了你十分钟！现在，你跟我和盛参谋长一块儿回西安，再帮我办三件事：其一，置备一台收音机，我要每天收听延安电台广播；其二，找几个人，专门给我抄延安新华社播发的陕北战况，消息、评论都要，随时送我参阅；其三，准备几部小说，什么啦、啦、啦、啦，仗打起来之后，我得有点儿事干。” 熊向晖表面上深解其意地连连点头，心里却想，到西安最重要的一件事，便是与中共地下电台联系。胡宗南怎么会想到，他手下的军长、师长们对所谓攻略延安的大计还都蒙在鼓里，而毛泽东和彭德怀已对照报文在地图上不慌不忙地画箭头了。 延安的从容不迫，还有另一条理由。中央军委已于3月2日电令陕甘宁野战集团军，要他们“集中全力歼敌一部”，认为这样“即可推迟敌进攻延安的计划”。 所谓“歼敌一部”，主要就是以三五八旅和新编第四旅“迅速消灭敌四十八旅”，与此同时，主力转向关中，全歼守备之敌。 此时此刻，陇东西华池已经开了锅。三五八旅接到攻击命令后，尽管觉得战机有点背，但还是争分夺秒调整部队。他们决定以八团配属山炮四门为主攻，七一五团为二梯队，在八团后跟进，七一六团为预备队。 就在敌四十八旅作战科长王国珩带着几个参谋跑到镇东疑神疑鬼盘问老百姓那会儿，三五八旅和新四旅已分头向西华池攻击前进。 午夜时分，黄新廷和余秋里带着部队进到西华池北侧地区，稍作准备即发起攻城。主攻八团首先以一营向西华池新街突击。据侦察，这里有个火力间隙，且建筑复杂，死角较多，便于突入。谁知该营二连刚发起攻击，就把地形搞错了，突击方向弄成了旧街。结果，因为对方城防工事较完备，火力密集，非但没有突进去，反而伤亡很大。 黄新廷急了眼：“不能拖延了，助攻分队上！” 八团立马让二营加入战斗，改从西华池的西北端向东突击。这个突击方向因有一片开阔地，城防火力配置得比较重，敌人又占据着街道两面房顶，居高临下，所以，先头分队五连第一个冲锋就牺牲了不少人。 这时，六连趁五连与敌激战之机，从侧面一个小缺口冲了进去。可是，由于房顶上敌火力比较密集，六连怎么也站不住脚跟。 要想站住脚就必须消灭房顶上的敌人，六连一排长马绍常急中生智，跟七班长王忠嘀咕几句，便飞快地朝两边屋顶上各投出几颗手榴弹，趁着敌混乱动摇的刹那间，王忠抱起一挺机关枪，借助旁边一孔破窑往房顶攀去。没想到快上窑顶时，因为天黑看不清路，一个虚脚摔了下来，腰摔坏了，胸部也被枪托顶出重伤，人站不起来了。 这种时候，当然不能有片刻的犹豫，王忠狠心一咬牙，不顾浑身撕裂般的疼痛，硬是爬上不远处一堵矮墙，并骑在墙头端起机枪向房顶敌人猛扫。敌人抬不起头的工夫，马绍常排长大吼一声，带着全排猛虎似的四处夺路，依托高低建筑物，控制住了房顶，全连因而一拥而上，占领了房顶和院子，敌人试图反扑了几次都没有成功。 第一个阵地总算巩固下来。在主力八团向纵深发展战果时，七一五团三营也从八团右翼突进西华池。一时间，镇子东西内外枪声大作，杀声震天。 早在主攻八团发起攻击之前的几分钟里，黄新廷便集中所有炮火给何奇来了个下马威。第一个目标是敌四十八旅战车防御炮连。炮声一响，该连后院的武器、器材就炸得一片狼藉，全连伤亡过半，排哨也打了个精光。那个叫阎进杰的连长在报话机里拖着哭腔向何奇千般哀告万般求救。 他哪里知道，何奇也被炮火压在房子里动弹不得。宿营在大街北段的一四三团被分割成几块，首尾难顾，连团长杨荫寰都找不着了。而先行到西华池8里之外的一四二团又被包围。镇里镇外两个团及各团的团营之间电话线全切断了。何奇泥菩萨过河，急得如同热锅上的蚂蚁，口口声声骂道：“妈的，共产党军队这打的是什么仗，一点章法也没有！” 还是副旅长万又麟比较沉得住气，说：“得想法子把战防炮连拖出来，只要炮能打得响，就能把局面扳回来！” 于是，何奇急令旅属通信连的一个步兵排去增援战防炮连，又令炮连主动向街西骑兵排驻守的堡子门转移，令辎重营和一四三团放弃街东地区，撤到街西地区固守待援。命令下达完了，何奇气喘吁吁地爬到旅部大院房顶上，要看各部行动情况。天那么黑，除了炮弹爆炸时的光焰，何奇什么也看不见，他又气得跺脚骂天咒地，正骂着，一颗流弹飞来，把他打个穿心透。 何奇一命呜呼，万又麟马上从后台跳到前台，指挥一切。他一面封锁消息，稳定军心，一面向胡宗南大肆呼救，直至第二天白天，呼来胡宗南的飞机，又呼来张新的整二十四旅，才获得一线生机。 那已是战斗打响后的第三个拂晓，三五八旅七一六团攻占了西华池新街一半，七一五团攻占旧城几处房院后，进展比较迟缓。野战集团军很着急，希望加快速度结束战斗，便下令独一旅三十五团一营加入战斗，协同七一五团向纵深发展。就在这个紧要关头，敌张新的二十四旅增援到南义井附近，显然，再打下去就得腹背受敌，陕甘宁野战集团军只好收兵。 到此为止，胡宗南也已眼皮直跳了。损失一个“尖子”旅和1500多号人马，嘴上再吹嘘“老虎头上拔了一根毛”，心里总是不那么轻松。但这并没有影响他的任何决策，尤其是没有影响他如期于1947年3月10日在洛川县城召开一个像样的军事会议。