Chapter 18 Chapter Eighteen

It seems that God intends to clean the yellow dust-filled plateau in northern Shaanxi, and it rained for no reason.In a blink of an eye, the Dachuan and Xiaogou roared in unison, and the turbid waves were so loud that the roar of the Wuding River a few hundred meters away could be heard clearly on the small mountain ridge on the east side of Zhenchuan Fort. This added a bit of pride to Zhong Songping, the commander of the 36th Division.He struggled to break free from the support of the guards, and stood stubbornly in the rain, ignoring the strings of water droplets rolling down the brim of his hat.

Ever since Peng Dehuai ordered the voluntary withdrawal from Yulin, and Zhong Song was able to "break the siege of Yulin without a fight", and was thus intoxicated by Deng Baoshan's ecstasy soup in Yulin City, this little brother of Hu Zongnan kept boasting, It is up to him to personally complete Mr. Hu's "great cause" and "end the northern Shaanxi issue".If the weather is good, starting from Zhenchuan Fort, Zhong Song should gain something.Going on like this all the way, not to mention the small Xi'an Sui Department, it is President Jiang's Nanjing Ministry of National Defense Hall, I am afraid that there will be a day when someone like me, Zhong, will sing his voice!

Yes, since bidding farewell to Yulin, Zhong Song's good mood has been out of control.He couldn't help being excited.At the same time that the 36th Division arrived at Zhenchuan Fort, the two teams of Dong Zhao and Liu Kan had joined forces in Suide. According to Hu Zongnan's report, the main force of the People's Liberation Army has been compressed to the north of Mizhi County, south of the Great Wall, west of the Yellow River, and east of the Wuding River. Suide and Mizhi had been guarded firmly, and Liu Suo led five reorganized brigades to go straight to Jiaxian County by the Yellow River.

Now, the large and small ferries along the Yellow River are under control.At such a time, the 36th Division sent troops to the south and wiped out the main force of the Communist army in one fell swoop.Brother Zongnan, sit down and wait for the good news! In fact, Master Zhong's current situation is not very good.As early as before departure from Yulin, Hu Zongnan telegraphed that he would send a plane to Yulin Airport the next morning to drop cooked food and supplies, which caused Zhong Song to leave all the transport troops of the brigades and regiments in Yulin to meet the dreamer. "pies" in order to chase troops ahead.As a result, it was not until after 9 o'clock in the morning on the 14th that the four transport planes sent from Xi'an dropped a batch of fermented pancakes with a somewhat stinky smell. to a piece.

A drop in the bucket, Master Zhong had no choice but to go on the road.At noon on the first day, the first one, two and three brigades met the People's Liberation Army near Guide Fort. The two sides fought all afternoon, and it was almost dark, and the People's Liberation Army disappeared without a trace for no reason.Master Zhong didn't know how many troops the opponent had and where they were going.The enemy's situation is unknown, the terrain is unfamiliar, the people's sentiments are not up to date, and the troops are hungry. Zhong Song has taken all the taboos of the military strategists!However, two days later, two incidents in succession made Zhong Song, who was blind and blind, open his arms again.One is that when the 1st, 23rd Brigade was approaching Zhenchuan Fort, they fought a battle with the local martial arts team, got a bargain, and entered the fort and bumped into a local grain depot that was not finished.With his own ability to get a batch of grain, can Zhong Song not be elated?The second thing is that he and Liu Kan finally got in touch.That is to say, victory is indeed like a moon that can be plucked away!

Zhong Song's mood infected a large group of teal-like soldiers in front of him.They all puffed out their chests and stretched their necks pretentiously, with their heels resting stiffly on one point, with solemn and serious expressions on their faces, as if they were betting against the wind and rain in front of them.Of course, these three stand out among them: Xu Bao, commander of the 28th Brigade, Li Riji, commander of the 165th Brigade, and Liu Ziqi, commander of the 123rd Brigade.During nearly half an hour when Zhang Xianjue, the chief of staff of the division, reported the military situation of the Yulin battle, such as "the Communist army fled in a hurry", the three lieutenant generals or major generals and brigade commanders remained motionless like stones from beginning to end.This sense of satisfaction greatly benefited Zhong Song.On the contrary, he felt that Zhang Xianjue's statement was too long-winded, and his military language was not standard enough, especially when describing the actions of Dong Zhao and Liu Kan's troops going northward, the wording was inappropriate and exaggerated.

Zhang Xianjue didn't care about this, and just kept talking: "After the troops led by the army captured Jia County, they blocked the Yellow River Ferry in the east and the Xianyu Highway in the west with lightning speed. Head out from the Ministry, move closer to our Ministry along the Oolong River, and respond to..." The word "response" obviously has color, which constitutes a stimulus to Zhong Song.Zhong Song couldn't bear it any longer, and interrupted rudely: "Chief of Staff, those old-fashioned intelligence, ignore it, ignore it!" Hearing "overlook", Zhang Xianjue felt relieved, and simply ended the conversation hastily, shut his mouth tightly, said.

Zhong Song resumed his starring role, immediately cleared his throat shortly and forcefully, and raised his hands: "Everyone," he focused his gaze on the faces of the three brigade commanders, "at this moment, isn't it just oppressing the communist army in Mizhi, Jia? Is it a good opportunity to encircle and annihilate the small area of ​​the county in one fell swoop?" Throwing such a sentence, Zhong Song stopped abruptly, walked up to Liu Ziqi with big strides, stared at him fieryly, and his eyes were full of excitement that could not be concealed.After a while, Zhong Cai whispered earnestly, "It's a once in a thousand years, Ziqi!"

Liu Ziqi couldn't help being encouraged and nodded knowingly.But he didn't dare to look at Zhong Song.He only felt that the passionate boss in front of him was as dangerous as a blockbuster.The chest that would expand anytime and anywhere was tightly locked by a row of dazzling golden brass buttons.The majestic tawny cloak was soaked, and it was too heavy to float in the wind.This inadvertent little feeling accompanied Liu Ziqi through a restless afternoon.That night, he made up his mind to touch Zhong Song's headquarters in the rain, and asked with a confused expression: "Master, Ziqi has something to say, and he has been holding it in for a long time. I don't know if I should say it or not?"

This is a matter of personal friendship. Zhong Song changed his prestige and approached Liu Ziqi in a very plain manner, while pretending to listen attentively and complaining: "Hey, you and I have been brothers for many years, what is there to say? Gods and ghosts !” As he spoke, he put his hand on Liu Ziqi’s wrist.This made Liu Ziqi feel very warm, but he didn't lose his composure. He just took out a "Platinum Dragon" cigarette, put it on the nail of his thumb, and gently played with it. Spit out slowly, "Master, do you remember that there is such a good saying in "Sun Tzu's Art of War" called 'Victory can be known but not done'."

It turned out to be such a sentence!Zhong Song sneered, and walked away in relief.His face was pale, he squinted his eyes hard, and replied word by word: "If you know it well and don't do it, why bother to send troops thousands of miles away to conquer? Besides, the opponent right now is a bird in a cage. I'm afraid Is it because the grandson didn't expect it?" Zhong Song tried his best to speak up and down, and tried to make a little bit of pedantry, not only to taste Liu Ziqi's words, but also to comment on his own state of mind. Liu Ziqi understood, his face became cloudy for a moment, and he immediately became alive, saying "Yes yes yes, Master is wise, Master is wise", saying that he was about to say goodbye.As soon as his footsteps retreated to the door, Zhong Song roared majestically: "Slow!" Liu Ziqi was so frightened that he trembled all over.When he looked up, Liu Ziqi was dumbfounded, and the "master seat" style had returned to the burly man in front of him.The soles of Liu Ziqi's feet took root like a conditioned reflex, and his body suddenly turned into a wooden stake, poking there upright, waiting for his superiors to deal with it. Zhong Song folded his hands behind his back, walked slowly to the military wall chart that was as tall as a person, and spoke loudly: "I have made up my mind, the main force of the division will quickly advance along the Jinji River towards Shajiadian, and I order you to lead your troops and a The Sun Tieying Regiment of the 6th and 5th Brigade attacked from the right flank, and must advance to occupy Wulongpu before tomorrow evening, and meet the vanguard troops sent by Jia County." At this point, Zhong Song paused, staring at the high place defiantly, for a long time, Talking to himself, he said: "Success can be known, and it can be done!" Then he asked Liu Ziqi: "Do you want to know which famous saying is this?" "Who is it?" Liu Ziqi's eyes widened in surprise, and he really asked.Zhong Song snickered at the silly appearance of his cute and silly brigade commander.He casually replied as if throwing a pebble: "This statement is from Lao Tzu. Lao Tzu, do you understand?!" How could Liu Ziqi not understand?He is playing dumb!In front of this lame charade, the two were stunned at the same time, and then laughed together. At that time, it was raining heavily outside the tent.Autumn has already entered northern Shaanxi, and the temperature at night is already low, but after the wind and rain, it is even colder.On a goat road by the plateau on the east side of Wulongpu, Jiaxian County, a small team is driving mules and horses, stepping on the mud, groping forward with wind and rain; this is commanding the world's largest The smallest headquarters of the People's War of Liberation.Since Mao Zedong made the decision of "not crossing the Yellow River eastward: stay in northern Shaanxi to attract the enemy", they have been soaked in muddy water for days and nights.Tonight, their destination is Caojiazhuang, which is less than 20 miles away from the oolong shop that Zhong Song ordered Liu Ziqi to occupy.This is a mysterious place that even Zhou Enlai doesn't know much about.Its mystery lies in the fact that its small circle is not on the maps of both the enemy and the enemy.It was pointed out by an old shepherd with a white sheep belly handkerchief on his head. Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Ren Bishi and several other leading comrades, whose alias was "Li Desheng", were caught in the middle of the team back and forth.The poncho is tied around the body, but it is still blown up high by the wind. It is said to be a shelter from the rain, but in fact it is only a symbolic meaning.The drenched singlet clings to the fur of the mount, and the rain is splashing.The guards and soldiers were really busy. When encountering uphill and downhill, they ran before and after, lest they accidentally fall down on the leading comrades.In this way, after walking for almost midnight, the team gradually approached a small mountain depression.The wind and rain become tight and loose.After a while of relaxation, the voices of the soldiers yelling at the animals could be vaguely heard.They didn't speak in the middle of the night, and the leading comrades were a little panicked, so they took advantage of the short wind and rain to talk a few words. "Comrade Li Desheng." Zhou Enlai stretched out his hand to wipe his face, and shouted to Mao Zedong in front of him.He had already pronounced his pseudonym very easily, but Mao Zedong sounded unaccustomed.Whether it was because he didn't hear it or because he was thinking about something, in short, Mao Zedong didn't respond.The guard soldiers under the horse reminded in a low voice: "Chairman, Vice Chairman Zhou is calling you!" Mao Zedong seemed to be awakened, but he just oh, but there was still no answer.Zhou Enlai was a little bored, and he recited two lines of poems by Gao Shi, a frontier poet of the Tang Dynasty: "The mountains and rivers are desolate and the extreme frontier soil, Hu Qi relies on the mausoleum to mix with wind and rain." He sighed, "Eight hundred heroes, how to deal with countless The master of tigers and wolves, the white wolf with empty gloves, there is no one before..." The following words were swept away by the wind. "Why not?" Mao Zedong suddenly interrupted, "Mr. Zhuge is the only one! Sima Yi's 100,000 soldiers retreated from an empty city..." He twisted his body with difficulty, and tried his best to get the words in front of Zhou Enlai.This made Zhou very excited: "Comrade Li Desheng really knows how to be humorous. But it was the era of cold weapons, which is not the same as today..." Hearing the conversation between Mao and Zhou, Ren Bishi came over with a few shredded tobacco in his mouth. .He disagreed with what Zhou Enlai said, saying: "Anyway, there is no such wonderful record in the history of the CPSU!" What did not exist in the history of the CPSU does not mean that the history of the CCP cannot exist. Mao Zedong has never believed in evil. He said: "Russia is Russia, and China is China. There have been examples of great oddities and great ingenuities in ancient times! Hu Zongnan occupied Yan'an and forced us to cross the Yellow River. But when we got to the ferry, he refused to let us cross. Well, let's just let it go, Let's see what he can do to me!" Zhou Enlai: "We didn't think about it. If we did, he couldn't stop it." These words encouraged the little soldier next to him, and the little soldier followed up and said in a childish voice: "Anyway, it's a fight. The chairman and the Party Central Committee are here, so we are not afraid of anything!" Mao Zedong couldn't help laughing: "Oh? Brat..." At this moment, the soles of the animal's feet slipped suddenly, and it staggered forward, which surprised Mao Zedong on the horse .The body flickered, and the laughter was interrupted. He reined in the reins, bowed his head and told the guards: "Little devil, I have to climb the slope again, watch out for my books!" Box of books.The little soldier was a little angry: "Just memorize the book, just now almost..." Mao Zedong said: "Books are indispensable." The little soldier imitated Mao Zedong's tone: "Braised pork is also indispensable!"This time the skating was more quality than the last time, and Mao Zedong’s laughter stopped abruptly. Several young soldiers came up to support Mao Zedong’s waist and legs in fright. One of them said angrily: “Look at you, it’s so dangerous!” Mao Zedong fell silent, thought slowly, and said: "Don't ride a horse if you are afraid of danger..." As he spoke, the road under his feet rose steadily, and it became more slippery than before.Everyone stopped talking and stared at their feet with wide eyes.After walking like this for a while, it seemed that the feet were a little flatter, and the little guard soldier suddenly thought of a question: "Comrade Li Desheng, tell me, will someone write about what happened today in the book in the future?" Mao Zedong thought about it. I want to tell him that there will definitely be, and "there are plenty of people."The little soldier sighed happily.Mao Zedong further told him that history is written by people, and if people don't struggle, there can't be history.The little soldier listened quietly, half understanding. At this time, the path was close to the top of the depression, and it became too steep to climb up. The horse's back was raised high, and the guards and soldiers began to push the horse's butt on their shoulders again.The team yelled at the animals, "Duk! Duck! Duck..." Hearing this sound made people feel nervous.Zhou Enlai jumped off his horse first, and hurried a few steps to the side of Mao Zedong's mount, helping the guards pull the horse together. Mao Zedong yelled: "Don't push or pull, I will get off the horse!" The guards and soldiers firmly refused.Mao Zedong couldn't help saying, he lifted his right leg and stepped down. The soldiers were in a hurry, so they had to ask for help from Zhou Enlai who came in a hurry: "Vice Chairman Zhou, look..." It is generally recognized that Zhou Enlai is a master of Mao Zedong's work, especially when Mao Zedong's temper can't be persuaded by anyone, Zhou Enlai always has a way to make it work.At this time, I heard him say calmly: "Comrade Li Desheng, I think you are still a minority obeying the majority. There must be someone in charge of the revolution! Come on, you call the chant, and we all work hard together, one, two, three... "He called first himself.Mao Zedong didn't fall into the trap, and said: "You can call me the same song, and I don't need my own feet to cross the mountain pass. I'm afraid I won't be able to pass." He held the shoulders of the guard soldiers, turned over and jumped, and his feet landed on the ground. On the muddy ground.While everyone was scrambling to carry the horse's butt, no one paid attention to two figures groping over in the dark. One of them was Mao Zedong's security staff officer, and the other was Mao Zedong's confidential staff officer. At this time, Liu Kan, the commander of the 29th Army, was eating supper in Jiaxian County on the west bank of the Yellow River.In this battle going north, Hu Zongnan asked him to play the leading role, while demoting Dong Zhao to a supporting role, which satisfied his vanity; It can be called no small achievement. The days of running around finally had some results, and Liu Kan, who was exhausted, felt somewhat at ease.He can calmly send a report to Hu Zongnan to ask for credit, and at the same time sort out the Yellow River ferry on the line from Shamaotou to Luoliyu on the map! It was Liu Kan who issued a military order in front of Hu Zongnan to "solve" the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China at the Yellow River Ferry in one fell swoop.Now, with the deployment of troops, what he longs for is to find out the specific location of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China as soon as possible.He felt that a certain historic moment was coming, and the closer he was to that goal, the more unusual it was—attractive and hot, just like the white pastry he was enjoying just out of the cage. After supper, Liu Kan started a new job, planning everything around maps and telegrams.He has always had two confidences: one is that he is more loyal to the party-state than anyone else, and the other is that he understands the Communist Party better than anyone else.In view of the first point, besides preparing to make the Yellow River Ferry into a unparalleled slaughterhouse at any time, he also stretched out a hand in the direction of Oolongpu, and made a plan for Zhong Song, a cowhide subordinate who was far away in Zhenchuan Fort. A graceful gesture.In view of the second point, he racked his brains to figure out: If I, Liu Kan, were Peng Dehuai, what should I do now? According to various people's Mingbao, secret reports, and Hu Zongnan's military secrets every few hours, Liu Kan vaguely saw Zhong Song's bad luck.The Thirty-Sixth Division in Zhong Song's hands is known as one of Hu Zongnan's three main forces.But at the moment, this "main force" has become a tired toad because of the long-distance travel and severe staff reduction.Liu Kan was also well aware of Zhong Song's self-willed and self-serving and self-consciousness... Liu Kan couldn't help but feel a wave of excitement or depression in his heart.In this turmoil, there is both subtlety towards Zhong Song and admiration for Peng Dehuai.He began to speculate on Peng Dehuai's actions step by step with the mood of a professional soldier. Liu Kan did not expect that Peng Dehuai was so close to him at this moment, let alone that Peng was sweating profusely reading such an urgent telegram: "The central government has decided not to cross the Yellow River, and will continue to stay in northern Shaanxi. The current situation is difficult..." The telegram was sent in the personal name of Zhou Enlai, Vice Chairman of the Military Commission.At that time, Zhou Enlai received a report from the enemy, saying that Caojiazhuang, where the central government was going, had been occupied by the enemy, and the old man who had brought him to lead the way had died again. .Zhou Enlai asked the security staff to spread the rain cloth with one hand and turn on the flashlight with the other. He and the confidential staff got under the rain cloth and spread out a newspaper.Originally, Mao Zedong asked Zhou Yao to tell Peng that "Comrade Li Desheng is safe and sound, and the original combat plan remains unchanged, and the deployment should be accelerated." However, Zhou Enlai's telegram not only did not say "safe and sound", but also insisted on marking "AAAAC" on the rank code. These letters mean "Express".He wanted Peng Dehuai to know the real situation, thinking it was his responsibility. It is conceivable what such a "AAAAC" brought to Peng Dehuai.He slapped the telegram on the map, startling Xu Liqing, director of the political department of the field army, and Zhang Wenzhou, chief of staff, who were concentrating on it.Peng Dehuai didn't pay attention to everyone's emotions, so he pointed at the map with his thick fingers, then straightened his back, and said nothing with a stern face.For more than ten minutes, he sat and stood, thinking about the map.Everyone in the command center of the field army did not dare to make a sound. After an unknown period of time, Xu Liqing and Zhang Wenzhou exchanged glances, and the staff officers began to whisper, and the inside and outside of the cave in the command center suddenly boiled.Peng Dehuai's eyes were burning like fire, and big beads of sweat dripped down his forehead. Everyone was waiting for him, including Zhang Wenzhou, Xu Liqing, and the deputy commander Zhang Zongxun who had just entered the room gently from the outside. , everyone subconsciously grabbed a pen and paper, ready to record every word he was about to dictate. "Respond to the central government!" Peng Dehuai finally dictated the telegram word by word, and there was not a single noise in the cave except for the rustling of writing.The contents of the telegram had already been well thought out in Peng Dehuai's mind, "It is recommended that the central authorities quickly move to the northwest of Jia County, close to the main force of the field army. To ensure nothing goes wrong, I will send..." He walked around on the spot, pondered for a while, and turned around abruptly In the meantime, he resolutely continued, "I will send Xu Guangda to lead the third column and rush to Wulongpu and Caojiazhuang as quickly as possible to meet and cover the transfer of the central government. Peng Dehuai. August 16 at 0:37." Then, Peng Dehuai sent reports to the three columns respectively.First there are three verticals, then two verticals, and finally one vertical.A column of troops is advancing from Laohugeta to the designated area in the Shajiadian area.In comparison, their speed has been very good, Peng Dehuai is satisfied.Of course, with such a heavy rain in the sky, it is also difficult to march day and night.Weapons, livestock, and personnel were all lying on the loess slope with sparse vegetation and piles of mud, which was very uncomfortable.The soldiers felt sorry for the gun and held it tightly in their arms.When it rained hard, people couldn't keep their eyes open, so they had to sit back to back in the muddy water and wait before leaving.The machine gunner was in a difficult situation. Such a big guy couldn't hold it in his arms, and he couldn't block it. He simply took off his shirt and wrapped the machine gun in his military uniform.There are flash floods everywhere, the roads are washed away, and there are many cases of crawling around in the water.When the rain is lighter, the breeze is faint, and the soldiers' single clothes stick to their bodies, and their teeth chatter uncontrollably... At this time, Yu Qiuli, the political commissar of the 358th Brigade, walked along the team walking on rubber shoes filled with rainwater.I don’t know which little soldier hummed the marching song of the People’s Liberation Army softly, "...we are an invincible force with our feet on the land of the motherland and the hope of the nation..." The singing attracted Yu Qiuli, and he followed the sound, Shouting to everyone: "Hey, comrades, come closer! Where are the mules and horses? It will be warmer if you are close to the mules and horses!" Hearing this familiar voice, the soldiers leaned over one after another.Yu Qiuli noticed that there was not a single mule or horse in the hundreds of meters of the team!The old soldiers immediately understood in their hearts that the cadres and soldiers were starving! "Political Commissar Yu, take a break too!" The little soldier humming the march wiped off the rain, then got up with difficulty and greeted Yu Qiuli.Yu Qiuli said, "Let's take a rest for a while." As he said that, he approached the machine gunner next to him, "Look, you are naked and your lips are purple. What should you do if you catch a cold..." He took off his clothes as he spoke. coat on the body.Seeing this, the machine gunner became anxious, and grabbed Yu Qiuli's empty sleeve: "Chief, how can this be done? I am young, and my firepower is strong!" Political Commissar Yu lay down in the muddy water and chattered. Coincidentally, this is the third battalion of the 715th Regiment.In the Battle of Yulin, after the Ninth Company was wiped out, some liberation fighters were added and regrouped. The organization has not changed, but the shelf is empty.Everyone chattered and chattered about Yulin Siege.A soldier grumbled angrily, "Damn it, so many people died in this bird battle, and not a single city gate was broken, what a waste!" Someone said that it would be fine if they fought for another day, why did they withdraw in such a hurry? ?Yu Qiuli smiled and listened quietly to everyone's opinions, and finally said: "There is nothing wrong with the battle. You are very brave and resourceful. Blood will not be shed in vain!" He told the cadres and soldiers , Now we must concentrate on dealing with Zhong Song's 36th Division.Division Zhong is the elite of the Hu army. It has three reorganized brigades, and each brigade has three regiments under its jurisdiction. Together with the division and brigade two-level headquarters and directly subordinate units such as artillery, engineering, supply, communications, and health, they are all semi-American mechanized equipment. Therefore, the tail is raised. When it comes to Master Zhong, cadres and soldiers are no strangers.In the past six months, Hu Zongnan's "Parade in Northern Shaanxi" was the first to promote the 36th Division.This army is notoriously poor in discipline. They robbed people's livestock, food and eldest daughters all the way, and even demolished houses for firewood.When the villagers in northern Shaanxi heard about the 36th Division of the Kuomintang, all the people, old and young, gritted their teeth.Especially in the southwestern area of ​​Yan'an, the 36th Division was ordered by Hu Zongnan to carry out the "three light policy" there to create no-man's land.They wanted to cut off the military-civilian relationship between the Communist Party and the common people, and they made themselves notorious as a result.Yu Qiuli said: "Right now the Thirty-Sixth Division is taking credit for its pride, and its head is in a daze! I picked up a bargain in Yulin, and I am not willing to let it go. The 493rd Regiment of the 5th Brigade rushed to Wulongpu, trying to encircle our central office with Liu Kan. Comrades, do you agree or not?" Everyone said no. Yu said: "Yes! We want to keep an eye on the division headquarters and the 165th Brigade he left behind. Mr. Peng wants us to give him a..." Yu Qiuli made a neck-stretching gesture, "We must Work harder, comrades, the troops of the Second Column Brothers have pressed on Shajiadian from the east and west, we must hurry up and go around to the southwest of Shajiadian, and fight together..." "Then what if Zhong Song doesn't go to Shajiadian?" A little soldier asked naively.The machine gunner next to him immediately retorted: "Hey, how dare the Kuomintang not listen to Mr. Peng's words? Last time in Qinghuabian, we lay down on the mountain ridge for two days. How is it going? Li Jiyun is still not obedient Get into our ambush circle? Then you will fight with all your strength!" Another soldier asked with concern: "What if Liu Kan is here?" Yu Qiuli continued: "Okay, good question! "At this moment, he found the company commander and instructor behind the soldiers, and nodded because they were familiar, and said: "Look, how careful the soldiers are, all of them are family members!" : "Don't worry, brother, the comrades-in-arms of the Third Zong and the Fourth Police Regiment and the Sixth Police Regiment of the Suide Military Division have already cast a net! Liu Kan, he is a greedy cat looking at the bacon on the beams, and he is drooling!" The wind has subsided, the rain has stopped, and the troops will move forward again.The soldiers grinned and reluctantly returned to the marching team.Yu Qiuli saw bitterness hidden in everyone's smiles, and some soldiers simply clutched their stomachs, feeling really uncomfortable.He asked the company commander and the instructor in a low voice: "Have you run out of food?" It's an empty city plan!" Yu Qiuli frowned, he was about to go into battle, and he couldn't do it without a grain of food!Seeing that the political commissar was in a panic, the instructor sneaked up on him and told him, "Don't worry, Chief, there are two meals of black beans and cooked horse meat. Let's save it until before going into battle..." Yu Qiuli couldn't help laughing: "All the mules and horses were slaughtered?" The company commander lowered his head and muttered, saying that they were all slaughtered. "If you open your belly for everyone to eat, you should stop three days ago. When marching and fighting, you are always hungry. Those who fall behind can't control it. They feel weak and faint. More and more people fall down. Non-combat reduction Straight up..." The company commander felt aggrieved in front of Yu Qiuli.Yu pondered for a long time, and slowly said: "You shouldn't kill horses! No matter how difficult it is, you shouldn't kill horses! The Long March was so difficult, and the company tried to keep a horse... Leading troops is not easy. I understand your difficulties. I am not criticizing you. This task is too heavy, and the latter part of the battle relies on two legs. Without horses, what should we do with the follow-up tasks?” Unknowingly, the team has walked several miles, and the sky has darkened.At this time, a fast horse behind him was catching up with splashes of mud. Yu Qiuli looked back and recognized the correspondent of the brigade headquarters.The messenger skillfully reined in the horse's head, turned over and jumped off before the horse stopped, and rushed to Yu Qiuli in three steps at a time. After saluting, he reported breathlessly: "Brigade Commander Huang asked me to pick him up." you……" The front committee opened for half an hour, but Peng Dehuai thought it was too long.Before the crowd left, he impatiently waved his hands to ask Chief of Staff Zhang Wenzhou to communicate with each other.All his attention is now on Xu Guangda.Because Xu Guangda's success or failure in the next few hours may be related to the fate of the entire Chinese revolution.It wasn't too hot in the cave at night, but Peng Dehuai's face was still dripping with sweat.He took off his military cap and put it on the table, sometimes looking at the map carefully, sometimes pacing back and forth. "The security of the Party Central Committee is above all else! The security of the Party Central Committee must be effectively guaranteed, and we must do our best to give the Central Committee a sense of security!" He repeated to Zhang Wenzhou what he had just stated at the front committee. Since the approval of the Central Military Commission on July 31, Peng Dehuai, Xi Zhongxun, Zhang Zongxun, Wang Zhen, Liu Jingfan and other five members formed the Northwest Field Army Front Committee of the Communist Party of China. For all major military command decisions, Peng Dehuai must first listen to the collective opinions of the front committee. .It is a special case to mobilize the three verticals to go south this time to cover the transfer of the central government.Peng considered both the dangerous situation of the central government at that time and the ongoing deployment of the campaign, so time was really urgent.In any case, he could not allow the 123rd Brigade of the 36th Division of the enemy to come into contact with Liu Kan's "response" troops.If this strike is not successful, the plan to wipe out the enemy in the Shajiadian area is likely to come to naught. The entire main force of the West Field and the "three detachments" of 800 people from the central government will all become Hu Jun's lunch along the Wuding River.Even so, after the order was issued, Peng Dehuai still made up for the work of the former committee meeting.After extensively listening to opinions, he is even more convinced that the choice of the three verticals is absolutely true. The first battle of Sanzong after crossing the Yellow River westward in late July was quite beautiful.No matter how the whole operation of the Yulin siege was dismissed, the battle of the three verticals to capture Gaojiabao on the periphery was impressive.This stronghold is easy to defend and difficult to attack. The 256th Regiment of the enemy's 86th Division and a supplementary training camp are stationed in the fort. The fortifications are strong and the ammunition is sufficient. Especially the terrain is very unusual. Tight fire protection.Not to mention the city walls that have been built up over the years, which are thick, steep and slippery, with gun towers at all four corners.Tang Jinlong, the brigade commander of the Solitary Second Brigade who was in charge of the attack, took a deep breath after seeing the terrain, and immediately called the three regimental leaders over to explain: "This hard bone is tough enough! I mean three commanding heights, one for each of you, which is the front tooth If it collapses, you will eat it! The first battle in northern Shaanxi, don't embarrass Commander Xu!" Sure enough, after a charge was defeated, the defending enemy was frightened, and a battalion commander was hurriedly sent out with a white flag to negotiate "negotiations ".It turned out that the family of Major General Zhang Ziying, Deng Baoshan's deputy commander, lived in this fort.When the fort was attacked, Zhang happened to be at home. When the guns fired, the whole family became ants on the hot pot. Tang Jinlong wiped his face when he heard the enemy battalion commander proposed "negotiation", "Negotiation? What kind of negotiation? Surrender unconditionally!" This old Red Army who participated in the revolution in 1931 was from Hanchuan, Hubei.When the Red Second Front Army climbed the snow-capped mountains and crossed the grassland, he was the head of the 15th Regiment of the Fifth Division. During the Anti-Japanese War, he was organized into the 120th Division and served as the deputy head of the 715th Regiment of the 358th Brigade. Head of the Fourth Brigade.In the position of head of the regiment for more than ten years, he has developed a solid style of work, and he has always done things quickly and simply, never procrastinating.The three regiments under him were also unambiguous, especially Min Hongyou, the leader of the 17th regiment, even if he frowned, ten old cows would not be able to pull back.Seeing this posture, the enemy battalion commander hurriedly said, "Let me report to the summit", and then fled in desperation, and there was no news after he left.After the limited 12 o'clock noon, Tang Jinlong waved his hand and said, "Fight!" In less than three hours, Zhang Ziying, the deputy commander of the Major General of the Northern Shaanxi Garrison Command of the Kuomintang, and Li Hanfang, the head of the 256th Regiment, and more than 2,000 officers and soldiers under their command were on the scene. Several prisoners. Gaojiabao's "small victory" did not bring much satisfaction to Xu Guangda, on the contrary, it gave him a heavy blow.When Boss He saw him off in Jinsui, he emphasized and emphasized that "serving the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao's bodyguard", this preconceived concept made Xu Guangda feel a strong desire as soon as he crossed the Yellow River.In the battle of Gaojiabao, he handed over his "home" to Chief of Staff Li Fuke and Yang Shanggao, director of the Political Department, and went to the front line of Min Hongyou's Seventeenth Regiment to watch the battle with his own eyes.He always has a point of view: the sound of guns can nourish people, and if the commander hears less and sees less, there will be problems.He wanted to use the small Gaojiabao to warm up himself and the troops.Who knew that this "preheating" actually cost him a beloved team leader!The head of the regiment was Zhang Yeju. When Xu Guangda participated in the military transfer work, Zhang was always by his side, acting as his right-hand man, and they had a deep relationship with each other.Such a blow by Zhang Yeju's sacrifice is enough to offset the deputy commander, regiment commander, and thousands of enemy soldiers captured in the "Little Victory".Therefore, Xu Guangda's inner desire was even more unstoppable during the few days when he was on standby. Li Fuke and Xu Guangda are senior and subordinate.When Xu was the director of education of the Anti-Japanese University.Li is the chief of the military education section of the training department.Li Fuke was both nervous and excited when he received Peng Dehuai's order to adjust the three verticals to the south.Knowing what Xu Guangda was thinking, he immediately suggested that the troops start first and organize battles as they advance!Xu Guangda agreed without further ado.So, in the dark night, more than a dozen fast horses set off on the road.What organizes the fight?Xu Guangda asked everyone to say a word to the army: the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao are in danger, and the front of the army is the direction of the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao! Yang Jiarui, the brigade commander of the Solitary Third Brigade, is from Xingping, Shaanxi. He is used to climbing the ditch on the plateau, and it is convenient for him to talk to his fellow villagers.Xu Guangda said: "Jiarui, you take the lead, we follow, take a shortcut, and promise not to drag the team!" "Don't worry, Commander." Yang Jiarui is also an old comrade in 1930. Commander, and served as the head of the 120th Division Special Task Force, what world have you never seen?Within ten minutes before the troops set off, he had arranged all the miscellaneous matters such as the marching route and guides properly.Then hit the horse and go straight to the column headquarters, leading the way.It is no secret to the brigade and above cadres that the main force of the concentrated field army ate Zhong Song during the campaign, but the central government's "difficulty" is still only vaguely understood by everyone, and they don't know the depth.So, as soon as they came up, everyone surrounded Xu Guangda and asked: "The Party Central Committee, Chairman Mao and the others..." Xu Guangda just pointed to the following radio station.The words were too heavy for him to speak.于是，大家又都围住电台。电台的铁疙瘩里只有一片模糊不清的无线电噪音。它仿佛隐藏着陕北高原这个雨夜的全部秘密。敌情和前进方向，都只能作出大体上的交代，此外的一切，就指望这堆老掉牙的铁疙瘩与总部、野司“保持不间断的联系”。因为连日阴雨，到处都在流水，水裹挟着黄土，浓浓的，人和牲口投入其中的声音都显得那么浑浊与沉闷。马是不能骑了，许光达和旅团干部们已分头滚在队伍中。天是无底的深渊，又是无边的渴望，指战员们的心弦全都紧得不能再紧。当然，那时候他们还并不十分了解自己的双脚具体是在跟谁比赛，并不十分了解早一分钟赶到乌龙铺那个地方究竟有什么具体的意义。大家都在闭着眼睛爬、滚、摸，反正，解救党中央、毛主席，事不宜迟。 现在我们知道了，他们实际上主要是和国民党军一二三旅及一六五旅的四九三团在比赛。少将旅长刘子奇出发伊始，就试图强迫自己的心情保持在一个常态频率上。雨水使深沟峻岭间完全失去了驾驭车马的条件，他也只好随着队伍高一脚、低一脚地往前摸，大半夜过去了，好歹没有出什么岔子。天快亮时，天空又飘起一阵密雨，刘子奇淋在雨中，冷飕飕一个激灵，重重地打了个喷嚏。刚要挪步，脚底又是一滑，差点摔个仰八叉。自此，维持了大半夜的好心情荡然无存。一种不祥之兆直往上漂，按也按不住。 前后左右听不见一丝声响，唯有冷雨浸入肌肤，让人心头重煞煞地难耐。刘子奇信一点儿佛，口中默念阿弥陀佛。突然在黑暗中，参谋长罗秋佩叫道：“旅座，按照绥署电示，此时刘军长与我部相距当不足百里！”刘子奇明白，罗秋佩口中的刘军长，实际上是刘戡派出“接应”的七十六师一四四旅和十七师十二旅及三十八师五十旅部队，并不是刘戡的本队，因而也就不值得大惊小怪。他沉吟片刻，问：“那……共产党军队呢？” “共……”罗秋佩的答话还没出口，就听前方轰的一声巨响，接着枪声大作。罗秋佩顾不得刘子奇，转身直奔参谋部的电台车。刘子奇长长地嘘了口气，喊：“罗参——”不知是因为风雨，还是因为枪炮声，反正，罗秋佩没有听见，头也不回地隐没在黑暗中。但这并不妨碍刘子奇满心涌出的一股快活劲。多年征战经验告诉他，行军途中有点枪炮声要比毫无动静踏实得多。尤其是在黑夜，而且——他想起钟松临别时将一二三旅说成是“一把尖刀”的话。 刘子奇开始尽情体会“一把尖刀”的感觉，不曾想，罗秋佩又神色慌张地出现了。他报告说当面共产党军队有一个旅的兵力投入作战，双方打得相当激烈。尽管罗秋佩极其夸张，刘子奇仍旧不以为然。他一声“知道了”，让罗秋佩脚底生了根：“旅座，问题是……共产党军队怕是来者不善啊！”罗秋佩意犹未尽。什么叫“来者不善”，刘子奇哼了一声，踱近罗秋佩，问：“何以见得？”罗说：“据谢挺欧团长报告，共产党军队是且战且退！”难道“且战且退”就是“来者不善”？刘子奇脑子转了半天，没有转过弯来，便负气地咕哝一句：“荒唐！” 罗秋佩心里嘀咕：荒唐的是你不是我！他真想把怀疑共产党军队有诈的话说出来，可看到刘子奇这么个态度，话到嘴边，还是打消了念头。这时，正好有个参谋来报告，说电台收到了刘戡方面整五十五旅的信号，并断言，该旅与本部图上距离绝不超过25公里！刘子奇黑暗中在罗秋佩手心捏了捏，那意思很明白：你罗秋佩说出口和没说出口的疑虑，统统不攻自破！ 天色大亮时，刘子奇已经随队过了乌龙河。这一天，雨幕中的枪炮声乒乒乓乓响个不住，一直绵延到黄昏。夜幕低垂，天色渐渐灰暗，而刘子奇的心情却越打越亮堂。这时候，他已准确获知刘戡的整五十五旅就在他一二三旅右翼不到20公里的那座小山梁上。他亲自在电台旁边听通信参谋用报键与对方道了一声晚安，然后，不紧不慢地命令所属各部在山峁上搭帐篷，准备当晚的露营。他怎么会想象得到，此时此刻，中共中央机关就夹在他的一二三旅和刘戡派出接应的整五十五旅之间不足20公里的空间里呢！ 这是个历史的奇迹。当刘子奇沿乌龙河盲牛瞎马向东摸索时，解放军新四旅和教导旅，在罗元发旅长带领下，冒着胡宗南的轰炸机，抢先到达乌龙铺西山。这才让刘子奇结结实实享受了一天的枪炮声。 刘子奇当初并没有意识到，如果不是这一天热火朝天的激战，他将会接近一个怎样的目标！他只把目光机械地盯着刘戡，仿佛他急急忙忙从镇川堡赶来，唯一目的就是一头投到“军座”的怀抱。因此，刘子奇并没有觉得在露营的这一夜，将会发生什么惊天动地的大事。 刘戡则不然。经过两天的咂摸，他不仅渐渐看透了沙家店，更发现在乌龙铺不远也存在着一个巨大战场。他几乎动用了所有侦察手段，并尽量做到精确控制部队，期望着有一个轰动世界的新闻在自己手上一举爆响，而对钟松那边每日数遍官样报告置若罔闻。这让钟松极为不满，但碍着战事，也不便发作。就在刘子奇与刘戡接上信号、情绪安定地准备露营山梁时，钟松的三十六师师部及一六五旅大部人马，也由镇川堡浩浩荡荡地开进了沙家店地区。 缓缓泊定的黄昏显得过于平静，让钟松心中生出些许恐慌。也许为了镇定自己——也许什么也不为，总之，钟松决定坐下来亲手给胡宗南拟发一份详细的宿营报告。每当这种时候，钟松都有许多难言的感慨。胡对钟有知遇之恩，钟一刻也不敢忘怀，他恨只恨盼不到一个“涌泉相报”的机会。为此，钟松一直都在努力，苍天可鉴。可是，胡宗南明白吗？ 如果说胡宗南还有什么成功之处，就得数上这一条。古往今来治军之道，有的以德，有的以法，唯有胡宗南很特别，他是靠心机来治军的。胡军上上下下，都把个人的忠诚看得高于一切，眼里掺不得一粒沙子。胡宗南为此算尽机关，他活得真是很累。有时候推己及人，胡宗南也想中共集团有没有什么类似的奥秘，比方说毛泽东、周恩来与彭德怀、王震、张宗逊、许光达等这些人之间，到底是个什么关系。他的研究总是毫无结果地被搁置起来，等待下一次的闲暇和兴趣。他不可能把这个问题真正琢磨透，就像他无法搞清眼前十几个日日夜夜，中共中央决策者们究竟怎样从自己数十万大军的围困中绝处逢生一样，这对于胡宗南是个永远也解不开的谜团。 最叫人不能理解的，是黄河岸边那一段。先是说中共中央要东渡，河边几个渡口人山人海，害得董钊大队人马蜂拥而至，费了九牛二虎之力，把螅蜊峪、桃花峪、木头峪等所有渡口都封起来，结果，一转眼就找不到中共过河的一兵一卒。胡宗南就是不相信，以刘戡、董钊几个师数万兵力压在河口，居然找不见中共中央机关区区几百人的行踪？难道毛泽东等人就不是肉身凡胎，而能够上天入地？这一大堆疑问，后来不知被谁传给了毛泽东，引得毛哈哈大笑：“天晓得哟，深更半夜下着雨，我在河里游水哩！” 毛泽东说的是强渡五女河。五女河是葭芦河的一条支流，说是“河”，还不如说是神仙用斧头在高山峻岭之间劈出的一条狭槽，河谷深邃、悠长，平常只有涓涓细流。狂风暴雨那晚，山洪暴发，情况大异，浪头有一米多高，卷起车马一般大的石块和连根拔起的庄稼棵子，咆哮着倾泻而去。中央机关800人的“三支队”当时刚从曹家庄折回头，接到彭总电报，要往西北方向去。尽量靠沂西野聿力，此前又发现原隐蔽在曹家庄的部分干部、家属和伤员远没来得及东渡，周恩来要顾东要顾西，急得团团转，一面指示廖志高找葭（今佳县）县县委书记张俊贤，要张负责在敌人未到之前抓紧把这批人渡过黄河去，一面要叶子龙沿五女河寻找渡船或是桥梁。 但来不及了，叶子龙报告说，三十六师先头部队一二三旅相距不足20里，如果溯河而上，肯定要碰头。what to do?周恩来和任弼时蹲在河边一块雨布底下商量，唯一的办法，只有自己架桥。人员立即分散到附近村庄去找群众搞木料和绳子，或者砍树，或者拆房。好不容易在山屹崂里发现一座小庙，大家犹豫着，要不要拆来架桥。江青跑过去大喊：“还愣个啥，架桥过河要紧呀！拆呀！”她的嗓门最大，黑夜伸手不见五指，人就听到她四处咋呼。这和周恩来不声不响地沉着指挥，形成鲜明对照。周恩来一会儿组织大家扛木料，一会儿对汪东兴小声叮嘱几句。汪负责毛泽东的安全。看看桥没搭成，身后枪声又越来越近，他简直不知怎么办才好，一遍一遍问毛泽东：“主席，你看……”毛泽东始终置身事外的样子。他被安置在一块大石头上，衣服全淋湿了，冷得浑身发抖，牙花打牙花。 手枪班长身上捆着几根椽子、带着一卷麻绳往河对岸游。游一次不成功，游两次又失败了。浪太急，人太轻，没法稳得住，更不用说在激流中打桩了。任弼时说：“再下去几个！”说着自己直挽裤腿准备下，被人拦住了。时间刻不容缓，没法等下去了！汪东兴提议打马下水，说马会凫水，当年长征过金沙江就是这样过的。他让毛泽东趴在马背上，由十几个水性好的战士护送过河。毛泽东坚决不肯，坚持让机要人员先过。“我着什么急呀，叫他们先过，文件、电台要保住！”他虽然说话打战，但显得很轻松，“敌人万一冲上来，我还会游水嘛，怕什么？”他不怕，别人可胆战心惊。事后，汪东兴说：“要是主席那天晚上有个三长两短，我这条命也不要了！” 总算马马虎虎搭起一座桥！那是什么桥啊，就是两根大木头并排放在一起。毛泽东一上“桥”，脚下就闪个不住，偏偏胡宗南的一架侦察机冒雨飞到头顶上，那低沉的嗡嗡声，更加剧了河边紧张的气氛。周恩来破天荒地吼了一嗓子，要大家灭掉所有的灯光！人们相继惊叫，吓着了毛泽东的坐骑，这家伙早不愣晚不愣，偏偏在河中央发了傻，站在那里不动弹。这回连毛泽东也急出一身汗，操起缰绳猛抽。结果，那马被打痛了，一时性起，蹄脚大乱。毛泽东差一点儿连人带马倒在河中…… 所幸的是，身后枪声虽越来越密集，却没继续迫近。当时他们隐约猜到可能是彭德怀的救兵上来了。事实的确如此，不远处密集的枪声正是三纵先头部队拦住了敌一二三旅，双方黑夜遭遇，都显得很仓促，都铆着一股劲，打得很猛，直到五女河的洪峰降下去了。中央机关大部人马过了河，枪声才渐渐稀疏下来。雨下得太大，双方胶着在那里，当然最重要的原因还是刘子奇马虎了。他口气软软地通知部队下营，陶醉在与整编五十五旅沟通了联络的幸福之中。 这是8月18日凌晨两点多钟。彭德怀接到报告，大大吐了口气。炊事班长不失时机地端来一碗小米粥，彭看了一眼，实在是饿了，便抓起碗喝了一口，眼睛还是没有离开地图。就这，已让旁边的炊事班长和参谋人员心里都乐开了花。连续几天，彭总几乎没有吃过什么东西，也很少睡眠，连打个盹还得叫别人看着时间。张文舟参谋长老是批评炊事班：“你们怎么搞的？做一点可口的嘛！”炊事班长挺委屈的，拿什么做呀，小米粥就是天字号美味佳肴啦！ 彭德怀喝了几口小米粥，突然想起什么，问一旁正乐着的炊事班长：“大家都喝了吗？”炊事班长一脸尴尬答不上来。彭德怀把碗一推，“哎呀，你这个同志，就晓得围着我转，给大家都弄一口嘛！”说罢，又匆忙转过脸口授电文去了。他命令各纵“以伏击姿态歼灭敌三十六师”，一、二纵部队加速占领预定地域，三纵（并指挥绥循军分区两个团）以一部兵力吸引钟松一梯队，主力抗击刘戡所部，阻止该敌与三十六师会合，并切实保证中央机关安全。彭的决心是，集中一、二纵队和教导旅、新四旅，首先把钟师师部及一六五旅大部的敌第二梯队彻底歼灭，再合力聚歼一二三旅及一六五旅四九三团敌第一梯队。目前为止，中央机关基本脱险，各部队进展顺利，彭德怀看看怀表，决定趴在图板上打一刻钟的盹。 18日黄昏，钟松给胡宗南报过平安之后感觉不大对劲。侦察分队连续报告说：沙家店地区多处发现共产党军队大部队在机动。根据时间和方位判断，不由得让人浑身冷汗淋漓：一张大网正在铺天盖地！到当晚1点多钟，电台已是一片嘈杂的混合信号，而四周常有稀疏的枪声传来。 此时，钟松所部先头分队与刘子奇尚距30多里，中间阻隔着多重山梁和深沟，大晴天没有敌情顾虑下，也要走七八个小时才能靠拢。一种不祥之感洪水般地淹没了钟松，他立刻电令刘子奇：“十万火急，向沙家店靠拢！” 刘子奇接到电报颇感奇怪，我在前面给你扫清了道路，你在后面还吃什么紧？隔几分钟，“十万火急”的电报又来了，刘子奇窝起一肚子火：“靠拢靠拢！深更半夜，路没有路、人没有人，叫我怎么靠拢？！”刘将电报撕碎，心想：说得轻巧，周围全是共产党军队，动一动就是灭顶之灾呀！刘子奇遂赌着气跟参谋长一说，连跟团长们商议都没有商议，就给一六五旅配属一二三旅行动的四九三团团长孙铁英打电话：“你团火速撤回沙家店，归还原建制！” 孙铁英深更半夜孤零零地去“靠拢”。再没有比这更显出亲疏有别的了！孙铁英当即反问刘子奇：“你们呢？难道师座电报单是调我四九三团吗？”刘子奇不管不顾：“执行命令，别的不用你管！”其实刘的心里早有盘算，自己的一二三旅部队最起码也得天明之后才行动。 说实在话，刘子奇并非存心跟孙铁英过不去，这样处理也是出于无奈。钟松有令，部队如按兵不动，就是违抗军令。然而，要皋闻风而动、连夜瞎闯，明摆着凶多吉少！刘子奇是个谙熟世故、圆通人情而又工于心计的人。他也给孙铁英抛一道军令，要孙团顺来路撤回归建，执行不执行由你去斟酌，反正一二三旅到天明行动。刘心存侥幸：天亮时，还不知战场情况是怎么回事呢！ 到19日早晨6点多钟，孙铁英才磨磨蹭蹭翻过一道山梁。刘子奇偷睡了一个黎明觉，醒来时，并没有出现他所期待的任何新情况，因而，他再不能坐等，便让一二三旅旅部和三六八团也打点启程，缓缓通过乌龙铺。而担任后卫的三六七团还在北山坡下打火造饭。 这时，沙家店方向的枪炮声愈来愈紧，刘子奇知道钟松已经没救了！他担不起“见死不救”的罪名，决定尽力驰援，一二三旅全旅离开孙铁英团行动，取捷径向钟师师部威胁最大的左侧翼急进。刘子奇当即令三六八团为先头团，并派一个营为先遣队，占领常高山北面的制高点，掩护旅主力进入常高山。 刘子奇哪里知道，解放军新四旅正在常高山等着他哩！刘的先遣队刚一进山，新四旅便从正前方和右侧方一齐射击，教导旅从刘子奇主力背后追杀出来，刘的一二三旅所有部队都落在一条狭长而又低矮的山梁上，预定夺取的制高点，全被解放军占领了。新四旅和教导旅很快形成合围之势，居高临下，任意打击。敌一二三旅先遣队冲一次垮一次，几门山炮毫无目标地放了几十发炮弹，一点效果也没有。 新四旅和教导旅边打边收缩包围圈。刘子奇指挥部队左冲右突没有希望，待想到撤退时，已经无路可退。况且他手下三六七、三六八两个团都怕吃亏，谁先谁后意见还不一致。刘子奇只有痛下决心：跟共产党军队拼个鱼死网破！说来也巧，就在节骨眼上，胡宗南的电报又给人带来一线希望。胡让刘固守待援，说是飞机十分钟内就来助战。 刘戡此时也做出仁义道德的样子，电告刘子奇，他已命令整五十五旅就近增援。这些天外馅饼，让饥不择食的刘子奇欲罢不能。谁知，不上不下地煎熬了几个小时，连个响屁也没等上。没指望了，一切都无法挽回，全军覆没的必然结局终于来临！黄昏中，刘子奇在一名解放军战士明晃晃的刺刀威逼下，无可奈何地举起脏兮兮的双手。 刘子奇被俘的消息，钟松是在十几天之后才知道的。19日黄昏后那段时间，在他脑子里已是一片模糊。当时，我一、二纵队包围圈疏而不漏，各部队均展开了强烈攻势。在一纵独一旅方向，三十五团进到沙家店以西的白家，一方面抗击镇川堡可能来援的敌人，另一方面堵敌西逃。担任主要突击任务的七一四团，立即向沙家店以南的均家沟之敌发起攻击。 敌人一见我军往上冲，急忙向前沿阵地开炮。拦阻射击一刻钟后，改为小间隔冷炮射击。炮打得很怪，像是长了眼睛。我军卧下去，炮火即刻停止；我军一抬头冲锋，炮弹又劈头盖脸往下落。显然，是由前沿指挥所直接指挥的。七一四团前卫一营打主攻的一连连长贾荣保急了：“这么干，啥时候能拿下敌人阵地呀？！”他把驳壳枪一挥，扯开嗓门，“同志们，他打他的炮，咱冲咱的锋，不怕死的跟我上，冲啊……” 敌前沿阵地守兵，一直以为有炮火拦阻共产党军队冲不上去。没想到我军硬是从雨点般的炮弹中冲了过去，炮弹爆炸的烟雾，反而使他们看不清我军兵力到底有多少，只觉得一睁眼，共产党军队已冲到面前。顿时，敌心慌意乱，防守的决心动摇了。而此刻，在一连左侧，二连已攻占敌人最看重的阵地——一座大庙建筑高地，守敌连长、排长及二十多名士兵正在那里举手投降。阵地上三挺机枪被二连战士扳过头就往一连正面敌阵地上猛扫；在一连右翼，三五八旅七一六团的六连，也已攻克沙家店以东高山阵地。三路并进，互相支援，敌兵败山倒，唯一选择就是举手，不到一个钟头，黑压压一大批俘虏被带下来。 沙家店的局势，让刘戡心头酸甜苦辣说不清是个什么滋味。人之将死，其言也善，钟松已不是往日的钟松，每电哀声切切，这比他过去那些高谈阔论更有力量，刘戡被击倒了！可是，任凭钟松嗓子喊冒了烟，刘戡的回话依然是那两句：“要坚持住！一定要坚持住！”钟松要是能坚持得住，还用得着对着报话机扮娘娘腔吗？这一点刘戡也明白，他何尝不想将面前这堵“墙”戳个窟窿！然而，事到如今他有这个心却没这个力，在解放军三纵阻击阵地面前，刘戡的几万兵力苦战多日非但寸功未收，有几次还让人家一个反冲击差点端了司令部！为此，胡宗南面前他已丢尽面子。而且不光是个“面子”问题，再这样下去，他必将受到军法制裁。 胡宗南已给他下了死令：“钟师不测，唯你是问！” 刘戡捧着这八个字，整天像丢了魂一样。他不是那种轻易认输的角色，有一个梦想始终没有放弃。他让参谋长刘振世秘密地组织了一支500人的手枪队，全部脱下军装，扮作老百姓，在葭芦河两岸撒出去。这一手是冲着中共中央机关来的。刘戡心想，灭了一个钟松算不得天下大事，而要是自己能亲手捉得中共首脑人物一个两个的，那可就天下闻名了！刘戡如意算盘打到这儿，并没有错。问题是，毛泽东及他的“三支队”早在两天前就脱离了葭芦河险境，来到一个叫梁家岔的地方。这里距西北野战军指挥部只一步之遥，刘戡的手枪队队员就是胆子长到头顶上，怕也是不敢飞蛾扑火。 又是一个日头顶中，沙家店地区出现了短暂的静默。解放军战士们的肚里空空如也冒着酸水。大家翻衣袋，盐水炒黑豆早吃光了！没有办法，只得将布缝里藏着的一两粒豆瓣，抠出来放到嘴里空荡荡地嚼个味。然而，瞌睡虫似乎比饥饿更加难以忍受。这时候，只要精神上稍微一松弛，眼皮立刻就撑不住。因此，战斗间隙事实上比激战时分更为难熬。 就在这个难熬的时刻，彭德怀电话来了。彭德