Chapter 28 Chapter 28: Blood Splattered on Gaolan Iron Bridge
Liu Menglian is the most inconspicuous, but he can make up stories.
On an evening suitable for storytelling, Liu Menglian sat in front of Hu Zongnan and narrated everything.According to the clues of time, he talked about the origin of encountering the Communist army bit by bit, including how Pei Changhui couldn't be found on the phone, how arrogant the phone soldiers were, including Li Zhen's indecision, Wang Zhiqi's panic, Li Zhenxi's impatience, including Mu Zhongyue's simple mind, Guo Baoxian's lack of integrity, Zeng Ying's incompetence, Cao Weihan's recklessness... and Jiang Yuntai, Liu Menglian said he did not see Jiang Yuntai.In fact, on the night of July 12th, Jiang received Li Zhenxi, Liu Menglian, and Cao Weihan who had fled for their lives at the campsite.Jiang also asked the guards to pick three good horses for them, and allocated dozens of entourages to escort them, so people later said that Jiang Yuntai was extremely smart, and he left himself with infinite prospects with just a little effort.Liu Menglian mentioned many times before and after: "Jiang Yuntai still has his way." Everyone knows how valuable Liu Menglian's words are!
Hu Zongnan sighed and decided that no one should be held accountable.
Liu Menglian was quite disappointed.How could he guess what Hu Zongnan was thinking!
At this time, the "two horses of Ning and Qing" are pregnant with each other.Mao Zedong, who was immersed in "very comfort" because of his eyebrow-raising victory, resolutely approved the decision of a family to "block the horse and fight the horse".Hu Zongnan watched as Peng Dehuai marched northward to break through the mountain gate.In the battle of Guguan, Lanzhou has been fully exposed.
If there is another accident in Lanzhou, the overall situation in the Northwest will be clear, but the Military and Political Executive Office in the Northwest is still in chaos.What choice should the former "King of the Northwest" make?He is determined to stick to a corner and sit and watch the dragon and the tiger.
Ma Bufang also wanted to sit and watch.He ran from Lanzhou to Xining and handed over a major event to his son Ma Jiyuan.However, no matter what, he couldn't stay out of it. The cunning and eccentric Ma Hongkui and the "central faction" Liu Ren and the like would push him out of the limelight no matter what.
The Dingxi meeting was more or less like a "Sanchakou", and it was full of swords and swords from the very beginning.
The focus is why we should stick to Lanzhou.Liu Ren announced the reason: Lanzhou has a wide Yellow River in the north and steep Gaolan Mountain in the south. It is a natural barrier that is easy to defend and difficult to attack; Lanzhou is also a transportation hub in the northwest, connected with highways in Qinghai, Xinjiang, and Ningxia. The relief is convenient, and Lanzhou's material reserves are superior...
Everyone knew in their hearts that this was all Ma Bufang's intention, and Liu Ren was pretending to be a parrot.
The venue froze for half an hour.
Ma Wending, chief of staff of the 82nd Army, finally couldn't stand it any longer, stood up to break the deadlock, and said: "Lanzhou's defense has both advantages and disadvantages. Although it has Gaolan Mountain as a barrier and its back is against the Yellow River, it may not be appropriate to win a defensive battle like a large corps. In the overlapping mountains, mobile troops cannot carry out counterattacks, and the results of the battle are limited; in defeat, there is only one iron bridge, and it is not easy to retreat, and there is a danger of being passively beaten and destroyed!"
Ma Wending proposed a new plan called "River Defense".He advocated placing the large corps on the north bank of the Yellow River outside the city of Lanzhou, relying on the support of Ningxia, Hexi, Qinghai and other vast areas to support the defense, and leaving Lanzhou city empty, and on the south bank close to the city's Gaolan Mountain, Shenjialing, and Gouwa Mountain And other dangerous areas, only send a small number of troops to block the attack according to the danger.After a period of time, the attrition task was completed, Lanzhou was voluntarily abandoned, and it was withdrawn to Hebei.In other words, Lanzhou City on the south bank is only used as an outpost.Let the People's Liberation Army easily obtain an empty city, and in the end, together with the 200,000 residents of Lanzhou, there was a food shortage, and they retreated without a fight.
This Arabian Nights-like plan, apart from opening everyone's eyes, has almost no supporters.However, the venue was disturbed, the speakers were enthusiastic, and the opinions were one-sided: they advocated the defense of Lanzhou.
His eyes began to focus on one person, and that was Ma Jiyuan.
Perhaps in consideration of his father's fate, and perhaps smelling something else, Ma Jiyuan unexpectedly remained silent for a long time at this meeting.This embarrasses Liu Ren, who is in control of the heat.He knew that this vote was important enough to overwhelm the swarm of chirping sparrows.So, he knocked on the table gently to signal the venue to be quiet, and said, "Let's invite Commander Ma of the 82nd Army to talk about his ideas!"
This sentence drove Ma Jiyuan to a dead end.He took off his military cap, scratched his forehead vigorously with five fingers, and decided that no matter what, he would give an opinion on the defense of Dingxi, and persist to the end, defeating everyone—including his father!
Just when Ma Jiyuan was about to open his mouth to speak, Shi Zaizhong, Colonel of the 82nd Army, came up to him and whispered: Someone is looking for the outside room, claiming that it is urgent!Ma Jiyuan was stunned for a moment, not knowing how deep it was, so he pushed away the pile of documents in front of him, got up and walked with Shi Zaizhong.
This is a sudden episode.Ma Jiyuan got up and left without saying hello to anyone - he never had this habit, which made Liu Ren unprepared.Ma Jiyuan went out, and the venue was quiet, like a sudden stop in the middle of a piece of music.
"Crack!" Someone threw the stool down.
Liu Ren took out his pocket watch: "Hey, it's almost 12 o'clock!" After he screamed in a low voice, he announced the adjournment.
Liu Ren was the last one to walk out of the venue with his stomach straight and his hands behind his back, and met Wang Zhiqi, commander of the 119th Army, head-on.Since the battle of Fumei, Wang has kept his head down everywhere, and when he meets Shangfeng, he hides as much as he can.Seeing that Wang was looking for someone like a headless fly, Liu Ren asked, "Commander Wang, who are you looking for?"
"I, I..." Wang Zhiqi faltered in a panic.Suddenly stretched his hands to his waist: "I'm afraid I'm having a stomachache!"
Liu Ren was skeptical, but his words went smoothly: "You need to take medicine! Ask my medical officer to show you."
Wang Zhiqi said "no, no", waved his hands and went into a toilet not far away.
Liu Ren passed by indifferently.He wanted to find Peng Mingding urgently to ask about Ma Jiyuan's whereabouts.Coincidentally, Peng was also looking for him in a hurry.Peng told Liu that there was someone from Xining, and it was Ye Chengrong, the Minister of Finance of Qinghai Province.This person shouldered the mission of Ma Bufang, and dragged Ma Jiyuan to a small forest outside the city for a secret talk.Of course, this is not bad news, Liu Ren couldn't restrain his complacency.
As expected by Liu Ren, Ma Bufang changed Ma Jiyuan.In addition to reiterating that Lanzhou's superior conditions are conducive to internal defensive battles, Ye Chengrong also particularly emphasized the security issues in Qinghai.Said: In the past, the Qinghai Navy fought Sun Dianying in Ningxia, the Tibetan soldiers fought on the Qinghai-Tibet border, and the Communist Party’s Red Fourth Front Army fought in Hexi, Gansu. This time, no matter what, the flames of war cannot reach Qinghai. After all, Qinghai is where Ma Bufang lives. .
This meaning aroused Ma Jiyuan's complicated emotions, and he decided to give in.
When Liu Ren announced the continuation of the meeting, sticking to Lanzhou had actually become a conclusion.Ma Jiyuan immediately ordered the three infantry divisions belonging to the 82nd Army to go to Lanzhou as soon as possible to prepare fortifications; the 129th Army and the 8th Cavalry Brigade were in the rear.The 14th Cavalry Brigade, which had basically been wiped out in Guguan, was replenished and ordered to station in Lanzhou.Then, the headquarters at all levels plotted combat maps and set up command posts, and they were extremely busy.
Ma Jiyuan was about to pounce on himself this time. That night, together with Ma Buluan, commander of the 29th Army, Han Youlu, commander of the 248th Division of the 82nd Army, and Ma Zhenwu, the "hero" who was full of vigor, took the people inside and outside Lanzhou city. After studying the terrain over and over all night, I found that the two mountain ridges of Shenjialing and Gouwa Mountain are very important.They are about ten miles southwest of Lanzhou. The two mountains are connected, high in the east and low in the west. Shenjialing is in the east and Gouwa Mountain in the west. Go to Agan Town.The highway extends along the river, which is called Leitan River.On the east side of the two mountains is Gaolan Mountain.Hold these positions and lock Lanzhou City!
Early the next morning, Ma Jiyuan took the original team to climb Gaolan Mountain, Shenjialing and Gouwa Mountain, as well as Doujia Mountain, Guchengling, Majia Mountain to the east of Gaolan Mountain, and Shili Mountain to the north of Xilan Highway. , ran through it all.It was already dark when he returned to the headquarters, and Ma Jiyuan ordered to prepare food and drinks, and he wanted to relieve his fatigue.
At this time, Shi Zaizhong and Gao Shen came over, hesitantly took out a telegram and handed it to Ma Jiyuan.The telegram was sent by Wang Zhiqi, who had already returned to the Lixian County and Xigu Defense Area in Longnan. The general idea was: defending Lanzhou is not good for the host.
After reading the telegram, Ma Jiyuan scolded softly: "Fart!" He lumped up the telegram and stuffed it into his breeches pocket.Then, he yelled at the guards as if nothing had happened: "Add enough food and wine to make everyone feel better!"
This dinner made sense.According to the members of the established Lanzhou campaign headquarters, except for Liu Ren and Lu Zhongliang who were not there, the rest were there. People like Ma Buluan, Zhao Sui, and Ma Wending were all friends of Ma Jiyuan who wore a pair of pants.Therefore, Ma Jiyuan let go of drinking.Holding a large wine cup, he told Tan Chengxiang, the commander of the 100th Division, Han Youlu, the commander of the 248th Division, and Ma Zhenwu, the commander of the 190th Division, the several mountains he had seen during the day. , Repair and cut walls, and reinforce fortifications.He felt that this way of implementing military orders was very interesting, and said: "It would be better not to have those 'tofu troops', lest they fight ineffectively, get in the way, and affect the morale of our army!"
Then talking about the Communist army, Ma Jiyuan looked indifferent, and said: "What is the Communist army? It's not the defeated soldiers of Lao Tzu! Lanzhou is no better than Guanzhong, and I, Ma Jiyuan, am not Hu Zongnan. As long as Peng Dehuai dares to come, he will be attractive!"
Ma Jiyuan brags that he never writes drafts, he just opens his mouth.Coming all the way from Guanzhong, he fought and lost every battle, but it didn't affect him in the slightest to regard the Communist army as his "defeated soldiers".After Peng Dehuai learned about it, he smiled lightly: "I think this person is very naive. Naivety is not a bad thing, but naivety is not enough to fight a war."
Among the commanders and fighters of the field army, some people worried about Ma Jiyuan's bullshit, and asked: "Mr. Peng, Lanzhou has such a big obstacle as the Yellow River, and it is also the old nest of Ma's army. If the enemy really sticks to it, should we turn around and fight?" Hu Zongnan?"
"Defend Lanzhou? That's great!" Peng Dehuai said: "I'm just afraid that he will run away. If he doesn't run away, stay in Lanzhou, and we will have a solution! It is a hard task to beat Ma's army, especially Qingma, no matter how difficult it is We must also fight, this is the first step in liberating the people of the Northwest."
Peng Dehuai said this during the decisive battle in Pingliang, and he said it again and again during the battle at Guguan, and his attitude was more earnest and his tone more resolute.
It was noon on the day when the Battle of Guguan ended. Mr. Peng and Wang Zhen went down from a high ground not far from Guguan to the foot of the mountain. There happened to be a small mountain village next to it. There were dozens of dilapidated cave dwellings scattered on the side of the road, silently. , without a trace of vitality.It was almost noon, and there was no smoke from the kitchen. Only one or two figures occasionally appeared, which made people see the meaning of the village.Peng Dehuai and Wang Zhen randomly pushed open a kiln door made of twigs, stretched their heads to look, and hurriedly backed out in fright. It turned out that the five members of the family, including a teenage girl, were all naked.After some investigation, I found out that their family only had one pair of trousers for going out. Once outsiders came, they had to get into the torn cotton wool or curl up in a corner... Peng Dehuai and Wang Zhen stood on the side of the road and sighed for a long time. Could not bear to leave this village.Peng Dehuai said: "It is said that the people in the Northwest are poor, but how can they be so poor! It's terrible to be hungry. I was afraid of being hungry when I was young, and I know what it tastes like. But today I saw a food that was more terrifying than what I experienced in my childhood. It can be seen that the dark rule of the two horses in Qingning and Ningxia has brought great disasters to the people of the Northwest! If the two horses are not eliminated, there is no hope for the Northwest!"
Wang Zhen gritted his teeth loudly, and kept saying how miserable it was!That's horrible!Said: "If Ma Bufang is not eliminated, what kind of people's team are we called!"
Peng Dehuai strongly agrees with this sentence.A battle plan to wipe out Ma Bufang's main force in Lanzhou gradually became clear.
On August 4, Peng Dehuai issued an order: to surround and attack Lanzhou with three armies of the Second Corps and two armies of the Nineteenth Corps; , Lintao, occupied Linxia, broke through the enemy's right flank, entered the southeast of Qinghai, and launched an offensive in a detour to Xining to shake its army's morale, and intercepted and wiped out the enemy fleeing from Lanzhou, then crossed the Yellow River westward and took Xining directly.In addition, the main force of the 18th Corps (owed to the 62nd Army) and the 7th Army were used to restrain Hu Zongnan in Tianshui and Baoji.With the Sixty-Fourth Army in the Guyuan area, contain the Ningma reinforcements and the two armies of Jingyuan and Jingtai Jiang, so that they dare not cooperate with Qingma in combat...
Ma Bufang and his son lived in Yelang for a long time, how could they have imagined that the Battle of Lanzhou would sweep across the land in such a way.They are still there dreaming of "luting the enemy to go deep", saying that "this department will lure the enemy to a decisive battle with favorable terrain, rely on the construction of natural barriers, and deploy it tightly. ", and threatened that Lanzhou was an "impregnable iron city", and he kept cheering up the Ma's army, making the officers and soldiers fascinated.Only Ma Hongkui was not confused, and after hearing the news, he exclaimed: "It's over, Lanzhou is over!"
It is Ma Bufang's wishful thinking that the Ningxia Corps serves as the general reserve team for the Lanzhou Campaign.
Although Lu Zhongliang was a member of the Lanzhou Campaign Command, he did not participate in the military conference in Dingxi, nor did he go to Lanzhou to receive combat missions.Ma Dunjing, Ma Hongkui's son, made public appearances for all major events.Ma Dunjing's identity is the commander of the Ningxia Corps, who can give Lu Zhongliang orders.No matter how great Lu Zhongliang's combat exploits are, he will eventually bow down to others.He can only manage everything according to his master's will. He is called "Housekeeper" but is actually a "Household Slave". Only Lu Zhongliang's toes know how tight these shoes are.
Now is an extraordinary period, Lu Zhongliang has no choice but to wait quietly in Ningxia, waiting for Ma Hongkui to bring back the news of the World War from Guangzhou.
Ma Hongkui stayed in Guangzhou until August 19 before flying back to Ningxia.He not only brought back news of the World War to Lu Zhongliang, but also brought back a copy of the Communist Party's verdict—he himself had been declared a war criminal by the Chinese Communist Party.It is precisely because of this that he is even more eager for the outbreak of World War III earlier.As soon as he met Lu Zhongliang, he declared dreamily: "The United States is so powerful. The atomic bombs, big and small, are all ready. The big ones will be released in big places, and the small ones will be released in small places. A world war is about to start!"
Lanzhou is irretrievable, but Ningxia has to wait quietly. This is the most basic reality before Ma Hongkui.Ma Hongkui knew the price to be paid for this "waiting", so the only thing he could do was to prepare for the battle.He reorganized all the security corps and security divisions, and all of them belonged to the regular army.In this way, on the basis of the original two armies, a "Helan Army" was squeezed out.It takes the meaning of "breaking through the Helan Mountain" in Yue Fei's "Manjianghong".He said: "In case of failure, I will pull the team to Helan Mountain to fight guerrillas!"
On August 20, Ma Hongkui gave up the last chance in his life.On this day, he received a call from Fu Zuoyi.
"Brother Shaoyun, do you still remember what you asked someone to talk to me about last time? The general trend of the world is here, what will happen if you don't raise it at this time?" Fu Zuoyi hopes that Ma Hongkui can recall for himself what he once asked someone to tell Fu. of sincerity.His voice was crisp and clear, obviously entrusted by the Chinese Communist Party, and he had a distinct and powerful background.
Ma Hongkui coughed dryly twice, and said, "At this time, at that time, I am now a war criminal of the Communist Party..."
Fu Zuoyi said: "War criminals are not war criminals, it depends on your own performance. If you lay down your arms and accept the new regime, the people will forgive you."
"Joke! Whose forgiveness do I want? I, Ma Hongkui, ask myself, I am worthy of the elders in Northwest China." Ma Hongkui's words were hard, like throwing a stone, "I was born into a party state, and I will die without regrets!"
Fu Zuoyi asked: "You talk so hard, what advantage did Chiang Kai-shek give you? You have to work for him, you have to fight?"
Ma Hongkui pondered for a long while, then turned around and replied: "Soldiers are responsible for guarding the land. I just do my duty as a soldier, and I must fight. Every shot hits every shot! Every bullet hits every bullet!"
"What if you can't fight?"
"Let's go!"
"Are you going to leave or not?"
"Then I will die!"
Fu Zuoyi sighed: "I didn't expect you to be so confused! I have nothing to say. Then, you can do it yourself..."
"Everyone has his own aspirations, so you can do it yourself..." Ma Hongkui was the first to put down the phone.
On this day, the Xu Guangda Division of the Second Corps of the People's Liberation Army and the Yang Dezhi Division of the Nineteenth Corps had successfully reached the outskirts of Lanzhou and surrounded Lanzhou from the east, west, and south.
What stood in front of Xu Guangda and Yang Dezhi was indeed a solid fortress.As the hub of the four provinces of Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, and Xinjiang, the foundation of Lanzhou's fortifications has a long history. By the time of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Kuomintang built and reinforced them on a large scale. group.On the outer slope of the position, there are one or two circular artificially cut walls, the walls are six to ten meters high.Because the foothold below is narrow, and there are one or two layers of outer trenches three to six meters deep, and there are hidden trenches and field fortifications between the trenches, it is extremely difficult to climb the wall, let alone halfway up the wall. , There is also a side-firing machine gun firepower hidden!In addition, the landmines and barbed wire fences at the front of the position are also densely laid. In the words of Qingma soldiers, "mosquitoes can't even fly in."Ma Bufang dared to withdraw his troops to Lanzhou for fortification in a short period of time, and dared to brag that Lanzhou is an "iron city", mostly relying on these fortifications.
Of course, there are also terrain conditions.Lanzhou has Gaolan Mountain in the south, Baita Mountain in the north, and the Yellow River in between. There are many pass and fortresses that can be called "lock keys" by ancient military strategists.This makes the city of Lanzhou a defensive posture even if it is lying down and sleeping soundly.
The most serious thing is the Majiajun itself.This is a feudal military group characterized by family hereditary rule and religious control. The soldiers were originally wanderers in the frontier.Secluded and barbaric, idle bandits are narrow-minded, illiterate, fighting and killing.Coupled with the long-term anti-communist education and the so-called "Han communist army beating Hui people" and the incitement of national hatred, as well as the influence of religious superstition that "killing a communist army will ascend to heaven after death", the mind is confused, the original barbarism and cruelty There is no restraint.Its ferocity and combat power are unimaginable.In the past, the West Route Army of the Red Army suffered from their losses; they got a little advantage in the Battle of Xifu, so the arrogance started from Ma Jiyuan, and it was out of control, and they did not take the Communist army seriously.
The tension in Lanzhou is closely connected with the heart of Guangzhou.The surviving Kuomintang government watched this fight with great excitement.How worried they were that the main force of the First Field Army would cross the Qinling Mountains and Bashan Mountains in the south and march towards Sichuan!Now, a "two horses" stepped forward to provoke the burden of a decisive battle and dragged Peng Dehuai's hundreds of thousands of troops to the northwest. It was a godsend!
The first credit should be Liu Ren.After Liu Ren unscrupulously facilitated the defense of Lanzhou by Ma Bufang and his son, he led this line to Guangzhou, busy running back and forth to recruit the "two horses" and Hu Zongnan to Guangzhou's "Ministry of Defense of the Central Government" to hold the "Northwest Joint Defense Conference". , to further plan the "Lanzhou Decisive Battle Plan".Chiang Kai-shek wanted Qingma to defend Lanzhou to the death in order to attract and consume the main force of Peng Dehuai's First Field Army, and then let Ningma and Hu Zongnan's remnants attack from the side, thus annihilating the First Field Army in one fell swoop; and Hu Zongnan and the "two horses" were also desperately fighting at this time Hug Lao Jiang's thigh so as not to sink the northwest land into the red ocean.
All of this implies that Lanzhou's confrontation is by no means easy.It is a pity that people in August 1949, in embracing the new dawn, also embraced too much can't help it.This is why in all the reminiscence articles and archive records, the same words are annotated as "some officers and soldiers in the field have developed a smooth pursuit of Longdong, so they have a paralyzed thought of underestimating the enemy" and "they think that the enemy may abandon Lanzhou, and they are worried about losing and annihilating the Majia army. The origin of the two reasons for the favorable fighters.Its result is: "On the second day after a field force arrived at the outskirts of Lanzhou, they launched a trial attack on several outlying positions in Lanzhou, such as Gucheng Ridge, Yingpan Ridge, and Gouwa Mountain. The siege troops of the First Field Army suffered setbacks in their peripheral attacks and suffered considerable casualties."
Peng Dehuai never gave an attack order hastily, let alone facing a prepared city like Lanzhou.Before the final attack order was issued, he personally went to the outer positions of Lanzhou to observe several times as usual, and spent a lot of time thinking about the choice of the breakthrough point. It is difficult to reduce the casualties of the troops and break through the enemy's defense line!
There are two determinations in general: one is to conquer the Gaolan Mountain position and open the big iron lock on the gate of Lanzhou; the other is to occupy the Yellow River Iron Bridge and cut off the enemy's only retreat.The Second Corps first attacked the key points of Yingpanling, Shenjialing and Qilihe, and then developed an attack on Xiguan and Nanguan, and divided them into two parts. One marched along the south bank of the Yellow River and captured the Yellow River Bridge; the other crossed north from Qilihe District. Yellow River, wipe out the enemy on the north bank.Along the Xilan Highway, the Nineteenth Corps first took down the positions of Majia Mountain, Guchengling, Doujia Mountain in the south of the road and Shili Mountain in the north of the road, and then launched an attack on Lanzhou Dongguan.
Is this deployed properly?Peng Dehuai didn't know what to do.
The battlefield extended to Lanzhou and penetrated deep into the enemy's hinterland, which was quite different from northern Shaanxi and Guanzhong.There is no mass base, and there is no underground internal line. Without these two, Peng Dehuai can be at ease in his heart just by going to the front and looking at it with a telescope to make up his mind and deploy troops!
In fact, at this time, Peng Dehuai's strength in defending the enemy in Lanzhou is still uncertain.When the troops approached the outskirts of Lanzhou, he received two pieces of information. One said that the enemy's 91st Army and 120th Army had withdrawn from Lanzhou to the north and were preparing to retreat to Jiuquan with the Kuomintang Gansu Provincial Government, and there were still a large amount of supplies. It is being transported from Lanzhou to Xining. Lanzhou's defenders are preparing to blow up factories, dismantle power lines, and destroy the iron bridge of the Yellow River. Obviously, they will flee with their tails between their legs at any time; another intelligence report is just the opposite, saying that Chiang Kai-shek sends planes to Lanzhou every day to deliver food. Later, Ma's army was also rushing to transport food and a large number of millstones into the city. Ma Jiyuan's 82nd Army was repairing fortifications on the Nanshan line of Lanzhou. Ma Hongkui of Ningxia also prepared six divisions to attack at any time to reinforce Qingma to defend Lanzhou.
Which statement is closer to the truth?Peng Dehuai would rather believe the latter.But can it be definitively denied that the enemy will not flee?cannot.
Did the Battle of Lanzhou start like this?cannot!With Peng Dehuai's consistent style of using troops, it is absolutely not allowed to attack rashly when the troops are "insufficiently prepared".
Peng Dehuai still has his usual style.In a situation that he thought was very uncertain, the only way that reality allowed him was to pay the price in blood!
This is an extremely helpless (and very painful) decision: first use the strength of nine regiments to conduct a tentative attack on the enemy!It is a provocative and completely ignorant quest for directions, and naturally, it expects the full play of the enemy's fire with a purposeful eye, that is to say, expects the expected failure and sacrifice.If it succeeds in one fell swoop, the battle will go on smoothly; if it "loses for the first time", such a conclusion can indeed sound a resounding alarm for the "ideology of underestimating the enemy" common in the entire army.
Perhaps this is the true explanation for the urgent timing of the attack; perhaps, we can also see another side of Peng Dehuai from it: daring to sacrifice and being good at sacrifice.
The Yesi temporary command post was set up in a small village called Qiaojiawan.Peng Dehuai expected that the sound of guns and artillery from the front could be heard clearly in this place, which was a necessary condition for him to carry out command.
The nine regiments participating in the trial attack were sent by the Fourth Army, the Sixth Army, the Sixty-third Army and the Sixty-fifth Army.
At that time, Zhang Dazhi, the commander of the Fourth Army, was still on his way to Lanzhou, and Qiu Wei, the commander of the Sixty-fifth Army, was also unable to command the battle due to illness.However, Peng Dehuai decided that the attack order could not be delayed, and it was still issued on time on August 21.
This is the most nervous period for Peng Dehuai.He must open the pores of his body, watch and feel every breath of the city in front of him.
Peng Dehuai took out his pocket watch and stared at the second hand briskly moving towards a certain established scale.In an instant, the front cannons rang suddenly, followed by intensive gunfire.He walked out the door anxiously, the sky was still not very clear, and the stars had not yet receded.He listened intently for a while, carefully distinguishing each position, where are Doujia Mountain, Gucheng Ridge, and Shili Mountain, where are the five regiments of the 63rd Army and the 65th Army; In the direction, where are the four regiments of the Fourth Army and the Sixth Army.He could discern various tactical actions of the frontline troops from the sound of guns and guns.
After standing outside the door for an unknown amount of time, Peng Dehuai suddenly decided to go to the front.The staff officers were not surprised at all. Everyone knew the practice of "When the cannon stopped, Mr. Peng went out". It was strange that Mr. Peng just stayed in the command post and listened to the sound in such a surprise operation!
Of course, go to the Sixth Army.The direction of the Sixth Army's assault was Yingpan Ridge in the center of Gaolan Mountain.It is connected to Shenjialing in the west and Majia Mountain in the east, and relies on each other. It is the highest, most prominent and strongest part of Ma Jiyuan's "defense fortification" system.The success or failure of the Sixth Army is related to the entire campaign.Peng Dehuai was worried.
The call was immediately notified to the headquarters of the Sixth Army, which shocked Commander Luo Yuanfa.Everyone knows that Boss Peng doesn't listen to greetings when he goes to the front line, and he doesn't care if it's dangerous or not.Luo Yuanfa immediately greeted political commissar Zhang Xianyue, deputy political commissar Rao Zhengxi, and chief of staff Chen Haihan: "Hey, guys, let's meet at the entrance of the village!"
The village where the Sixth Army headquarters is located is called Gaojiaquan, and the road to the entrance of the village is not too difficult to find.Luo Yuanfa and the others ran to the entrance of the village and squatted for a while, but they didn't see Mr. Peng, so they hurriedly called and asked around, only then did they know that Peng Dehuai didn't even say hello, and went directly to the position at the southern foot of Gaolan Mountain.
Luo Yuanfa patted his buttocks and ordered: "Quickly, ask the headquarters to notify the troops in front, improve the security, and absolutely guarantee Mr. Peng's safety." Then, he notified the main leading cadres above the regiment and rushed to Mr. Peng's climb as quickly as possible. Go up to the top of the mountain and listen to Mr. Peng's instructions.
"My son's instructions, I've just arrived, so I'll do my son's instructions after ten minutes of observation!" Peng Dehuai was in a good mood, and shook hands with everyone while complaining cordially.
The 46th Regiment of the 16th Division of the Sixth Army, which was responsible for the tentative attack, fought very tenaciously.Although the sacrifice was not small and the effort was not made, but after all, all the light and dark firepower of the enemy were attracted.Peng Dehuai enjoyed watching it very much. He expected that Ma Jiyuan was a real defender of the city, and he would not run away unless it was absolutely necessary.In this way, Mr. Peng's determination will not be difficult.
Luo Yuanfa reported that all cadres above the entire army had arrived, and he asked Mr. Peng again to give you a few instructions.
Peng Dehuai waved his hand and said, "Look first, and then explain after you understand."
So, everyone observed carefully.
"Look, comrades, that's Yingpan Ridge," Mr. Peng pointed to a high ground in front of him, and introduced to the cadres, "Yingpan Ridge is connected to three hills. Yingzi', the lowest level is 'Sanyingzi'. The enemy has cut each of the Yingzi's cliffs into cliffs. You can see that they are three or four feet high! The east and west sides of the main position are cliffs, and there are double-sided trenches on them. , there is a barbed wire fence under mines, and it seems that it can only be broken through from the front on the south side. This is a horse bone, very hard, and it will not move if you don’t have a good set of teeth!”
The cadres all said, don't worry, the boss, the soldiers have hated the horse bandits for a long time, and they are extremely jealous when they meet each other. Not to mention horse bones, even iron hammers will bite.
While talking, Peng Dehuai led everyone to a flat ground behind the mountain, and asked everyone to sit down, promote military democracy, express their opinions, and see how the battle before us should be fought.Said: "Despise the enemy strategically, this is the enemy. We must pay attention to the enemy tactically. Ma Bufang still has a lot of strength! The so-called trapped beast will fight, we must not take it lightly."
These remarks shocked those comrades who thought that the Ma family's army had been defeated and vulnerable, and they became much more cautious in their speeches about the next step.But Peng Dehuai never lets people restrain himself in front of him, especially the grassroots cadres. He can always leave a space for people just right, and combine the truth of "an arrogant soldier must be defeated since ancient times" into specific tactical topics. It makes people feel that the spring breeze is blowing on their faces, but it is hot, and they can't stop talking, and sometimes they want Mr. Peng to criticize him.
The more you are criticized, the more you want to talk.This feeling can only be felt in front of Peng Dehuai.A lot of insights are expressed bit by bit in this way.
According to the terrain characteristics of Gaolan Mountain and the enemy's firepower configuration, everyone agreed that it would be ideal to attack from the south of Yingpanling.Not far to the south of the "Sanyingzi" on the lowest level, there is a "Jiutiao intersection", which can be used as a starting point for the attack.With the support of Yesi's artillery fire, the troops launched an attack from "Jiutiaolukou" to "Sanyingzi", and at the same time assisted with a small number of troops on the east and west sides to attract the enemy's firepower.
Peng Dehuai was satisfied, but he didn't show it on his face.That potential worry always lingered in his mind.
"Ma Bufang and his son are old rivals of your Sixth Army!" Peng Dehuai said.
Although this sentence is quiet, it carries a lot of weight.None of the cadres of the Sixth Army can forget the scene of being besieged by Qingma in Tunzi Town during the Battle of Xifu.After the troops broke out, Luo Yuanfa couldn't help but burst into tears when he saw Mr. Peng... Peng Dehuai's revealing of this scar was very meaningful.Everyone lowered their heads in heartache, speechless.
Peng Dehuai said: "Ma Bufang, an old guy, is not going to die when he arrives at the Yellow River. He has his wishful thinking, thinking that our army has traveled long distances, lacking men and horses, coupled with difficulties in supplying the rear, and has no combat effectiveness; while they are sitting in Lanzhou, waiting for work at leisure, and going north With the natural danger of the Yellow River, the high mountain barriers in the south, and the strong fortifications, he thinks that he is solid. He wants to defend Lanzhou and put all his eggs in one basket! As for us, first, we are not afraid; second, we must take it seriously. Comrades, the ancients said: A hundred battles are never imperiled, you must always remember this saying!"
Several army leaders including Luo Yuanfa and Zhang Xianyue looked at each other in blank dismay.They understood Mr. Peng's worries, and immediately decided to expose the scars in the entire army, and use Mr. Peng's speech to educate the troops, and they must eliminate the idea of underestimating the enemy.
After the decision was made, Luo Yuanfa asked Peng Dehuai inquiringly: "Boss, do you think this will work?"
Peng Dehuai said: "Don't put on airs, let the cadres and soldiers really face the reality and recognize the combat effectiveness of the Ma family army..."
This meaning was specially emphasized in the combat instructions issued by the Nose to each corps on the same day.He wrote: "The Qingma bandit army is the most effective unit in the enemy army today, and it is also one of the most stubborn enemies in the country. We must have sufficient estimates of him, and make full mental preparations, and refrain from underestimating the enemy and advancing arrogantly. When attacking , Careful reconnaissance, precise planning, and full preparation are required. For a formal attack, any negligence and luck are wrong."
Peng Dehuai's painstaking efforts can be seen.His series of "braking" measures finally paid off because of the "failure of the first attack".For this bloody price, Xu Guangda and Yang Dezhi were warned from top to bottom.However, another person floated into the clouds because of this.This is Ma Jiyuan who is playing a big role in Lanzhou Sanaitang.
Deputy Chief Liu Ren sent the battle report of his victory in the first battle to Xining on the same day.Ma Bufang was lying on the grand master's chair, dictating a telegram to the Guangzhou side, and at the same time sketching a military map showing several cases.After talking about the good news, he confidently proposed to the central government that, first, he should credit Ma Jiyuan and all combatants with meritorious service and pay rewards; .He said: "There must be at least 10 sorties per day, otherwise..." Ma Bufang squinted his eyes, thinking about what wording should be more appropriate.
At this time, the relationship between Ma Bufang and the "central government" was extremely delicate.The Southwest is at stake, and senior KMT generals have frequently defected. Even people like Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren have responded to the Communist Party's "peace proposal." 30,000 people today and 50,000 people tomorrow will lead troops to the Communist Party.Bai Chongxikong has a passion for it, and the ambitious Yangtze River defense plan has long since come to naught. He even gave up Changsha on August 4!
At this point in the current situation, there are still quarrels in Guangzhou.Chiang Kai-shek only said to Lin Biao's 29th Army in Hunan and Bai Chongxi's battle against Bai Chongxi, and Yu Hanmou, chairman of Guangdong Province, dared to slap the old Jiang on the table.Why is he a little Yu Hanmou so bold?It's not that there are 50,000 regular troops in hand! A team of 50,000 people is nothing more than a piece of cake in the eyes of Ma Bufang, but Yu Hanmou relied on this piece of cake to keep the once-prominent Bai Chongxi out of Guangdong Province, and let Chen Cheng bring the troops from Taiwan to Xiamen, and then withdraw from Xiamen to the mainland. Drift around without roots or trips at sea!
The general trend of the world is nothing more than that.The more Ma Bufang thought about it, the more she felt that the situation was going well, and she felt happy.
马步芳的兴奋反馈到兰州，经刘任蓄意地一放大，就成了满世界的春风，连最普通的市民都受到影响。前些日子听说共产党要攻城，许多大户人家忙着往外转运财宝细软，弄得黄河铁桥不堪重负，阻塞了军运。马继援不得不下令卡死这条唯一的通道。结果，堵得住道堵不住心，有钱人家就到处雇船摆渡，有的人干脆暗暗地挖地窖，闹得全城军民奔跑，一片恐慌。现在好了，刘任的话像一帖药那么见效，他说：“共产党军队在城外被国军打得尸积如山，早吓坏了，过不了几天就要开走，马长官也要回来主政，一切如常，买卖照做……”
街面上略显平静。整个三爱堂也像是被自己吹出去的仙气迷住魂灵似的，人人脸上出现少有的喜悦。唯有彭铭鼎例外。他对一切冷眼旁观，心中另有主意。
“中央派”派内有派，刘任和彭铭鼎各怀春秋。
刘任位居长官公署副长官，是西北局面情境中人，当然面子大、口气大，在派内说话有点儿“我就是党国、党国就是我”的味道。他脑后的那根线是由广州方面牵着的。因发迹于广西，属于桂系，不能不做李代总统得天下的梦，一心要让马步芳跟共产党在西北搞龙虎斗，以减轻西南的压力。
彭铭鼎不同，他当了参谋长还是“副”的，依这样一个位置说话，即便是金嗓子也得低八度。在彭德怀大军西进这段时间里，他除了服从刘任的统一指挥、完成“分内之事”，似乎没有大的作为。但是，他在骨子里就不是一个“主战派”，一直希望能借鉴傅作义和邓宝珊的做法，偃旗息鼓，与共产党坐下来“商量着办”，以解决西北问题。
彭铭鼎这根线也有人牵着。这人就是曾任西北军政长官公署副长官的陶峙岳。陶现在已经是新疆警备总司令了，西北长官公署这边的事，他不好多问，只有靠彭铭鼎这样一批比较投缘的旧部（或者说亲信）来间接办理。
陶峙岳身为新疆警备司令并兼河西警备司令，驻地偏远，似乎心地也宁静得多。时局变化，物是人非，反省一生戎马生涯，颇多感伤，早有脱离蒋介石集团重敲锣鼓另开张的打算。
这想法通过新疆警备司令部参谋长陶晋初传达给彭铭鼎。以彭铭鼎的聪明，他自然而然要考虑得更多。陶峙岳手下多少有三个整编师加两个骑兵旅的队伍，而他彭铭鼎有什么？这是最切实的一个问题。他得向共产党证明自己的功绩与地位，尽可能为以后的道路做点铺垫。
皋兰山的炮声一响，彭铭鼎寝食难安。
这一天，彭铭鼎碰到相处不错的骆驼团团长贺新民。两人找个小间，温一壶酒，炒几碟菜，交谈起来。贺叹道：“这仗一打，几时是个头，兰州这么大的地方，共产党军队几十万大军，恐怕……”
彭铭鼎忙将话头掐住，压低声喊一声老弟，说：“这种话，当讲处讲，不当讲处可不敢胡言乱语啊！”
贺新民哈哈一笑：“这真是官小胆大，官大胆小，咱小鬼都不怕，你当阎王的怕什么！”
“当真不怕？”彭铭鼎正色发问。
“怕什么呀！大不了回家拉骆驼去，谁稀罕这个芝麻团长，整天提心吊胆，给人倒尿壶当奴才！”
彭铭鼎叹口气，压低声：“是啊，自古英豪，识时务者为俊杰。明摆着的，国民党气数已尽，大势已去，共产党得天下是迟早的事。”
这话正对贺新民的心坎子，忙凑过来：“我看兰州守不住，你没瞧见，马继援那小子狂得什么似的，指望不了他……唉，我们还得早作打算啊！”
“可不是说么，”彭铭鼎沉吟半晌，“对我们来说，无论如何得攒足资本，将来也好跟共产党讨价还价……”
“老哥，咱信得过你，这节骨眼上的，你若有什么吩咐，就只对我说，曾司令给丢过话！”
“曾司令”便是国民党设在兰州的第八补给区司令曾震五，是贺新民的顶头上司，与陶峙岳旧谊很深，也可以说是彭铭鼎一条线上的人。
“好，你听我的，不要慌，稳住队伍，还得多联络一些弟兄，队伍拉得越多越好！”
彭铭鼎拉队伍，刘任也在拉队伍，两人的目的不同，但焦点都放在陇南兵团。
陇南兵团总共三个军，一一九军军长王治岐借配属第五兵团，缩到武都，坐观成败，再也不打照面；一二〇军军长周嘉彬是张治中的女婿，早不想在兰州待了，要去汉中投奔胡宗南。幸亏刘任手上抓着他的夫人，硬逼着她给周嘉彬打电话，这才勉勉强强把周拉住了；剩下九十一军最令刘任头痛，军长黄祖埙是蒋介石的嫡系，一向腿粗腰壮，像块茅坑里的石头，别说对刘任，就是西北军政长官公署的命令，他也当作儿戏。于是，刘任决定拿这个丧门星开刀。
这正好暗合了彭铭鼎的意。他知道黄祖埙跟胡宗南一样，对蒋介石忠心不二，是不大可能引为同路人的。既然刘任打算开这个杀戒，为何不趁机除掉心患而抓住九十一军呢？
彭铭鼎决定推波助澜。
终于来了一个机会。刘任下令黄祖埙派部分兵力防守黄河铁路北岸，黄不理不睬，弄得刘下不来台，一筹莫展。恰在这时，彭铭鼎来见刘任。
刘任一肚子恼火，嗓门冲破天：“你看这个黄祖埙，居然抗令不遵！”
“不像话！”彭铭鼎附和着刘，表现出适度的义愤，“大敌当前，内部搞成这样，军人的起码常识都不懂嘛！如此欺人太甚，万万不可姑息，否则贻误战机，必然要坏大事！”
刘任深有同感：“不惩办不足以稳定军心。你说说看，有什么办法没有？”
“办法嘛……”彭铭鼎故作沉吟，“只怕……”
“怕什么？你是谁，我是谁？但说无妨！”
彭铭鼎没想到事情发展得这么快、这么顺利，抑制不住心花怒放。但他努力克制住自己，沉稳地说：“要想切实控制九十一军，最理想的办法，莫过于……”他将彼此面前的茶杯盖调换了一个位置。
刘任心有灵犀地“唔”一声，知道彭铭鼎和自己想在一个点上，是要撤换黄祖埙，颇觉慰藉。他把持心绪，不露心迹，问：“以你看来，由谁接替比较合适呢？”
彭铭鼎装模作样地“思索”了一会儿，才说：“最合适的人选，只能是曾震五。”
曾震五与彭铭鼎之间的交情，刘心中明镜似的。但他当时还没有想到彭的另一番心机。为了撤换不听话的黄祖埙，曾震五就曾震五吧！刘任痛快地点点头。
非常时期，想撤换一个军长可不是件轻而易举的事。丢开九十一军三个师长掣肘的因素不说，马家军这一关如何过得？弄不好，让老谋深算的马步芳插上一手，坐收渔人之利，换上一个姓马的，把九十一军揽进青马怀中也未可知。
好在彭铭鼎对马继援颇有影响。这件事，他不想给自己留退路，要一不做二不休壮着胆子干到底。
彭铭鼎顺着兰州防守一盘棋的思路，对用作预备队“掩护侧背”的陇南兵团，提出担忧，特别指出人事上的毛病：“比如黄祖埙，是胡宗南的嫡系，不能尽心尽职忠于马长官的事业，专横跋扈，不听指挥，若不及早处置，恐贻后患……”
这话正触在马继援的隐衷，当即拍板：“奶奶的，换！”
换谁呢？彭铭鼎自有主意。他说第八补给区的家当不小，建议马继援应派亲信执掌，同时把原司令官曾震五保举到九十一军补缺，这样，曾又会感恩图报，为马长官效忠尽力。
天底下哪有这么漂亮的万全之策！马继援连声“高见！高见！”立即把电话打到西宁。
此时，西宁依然静如处子。马步芳尽情享受着在大后方当太上皇的感觉。不管怎么说，撤换一个“中央派”的人，以进一步控制陇南兵团，同时掌握补给大权，培植亲信，这没有什么不好。他当即点头，并敦促儿子抓紧去办。顺便，马步芳又问起兰州的形势——这是父子俩每天在电话上必做的功课。
马继援说：“共产党军队遭到打击，两天都没动静，大概是不敢再攻了吧！”
“难说哩，”马步芳心里不踏实，“共产党眼下正在势头上，咋就这么认输了？”
“不认输又怎的？！”马继援神气十足。
马步芳在电话那头沉默片刻，说：“彭德怀的计谋……料不准的。”
这个“料不准”包含着很丰富的内容，其中有对西宁自身安全的担忧。一天前，西宁就有人风传马家军老窝临夏发现了共产党军队的消息虽说模糊不清，可马步芳很上心。万一是真的，彭德怀的矛头所指不是西宁又是哪里！马步芳话到嘴边，还是没把这个意思说出口。他是担心增加马继援的精神负担、动摇兰州防务。
无风不起浪，马步芳的嗅觉是灵敏的。在解放军二兵团和十九兵团强攻兰州的同时，王震所率一兵团附十八兵团第六十二军作为兰州战役的左路军，由秦安、武山经陇西、渭源、临洮、临夏，北渡黄河直取西宁，把兰州守敌的退路彻底掐断，给马步芳来个连锅端。
王震接受任务之后，就觉得这是一次潜水。他要一个猛子扎到西宁，中途憋足一口气，偌大的兵团必须保持“肃静”，不留痕迹，以免打草惊蛇。
8月21日，部队渡过了洮河。二军在前、一军在后，七军和六十二军陆续跟上来。王震刚爬上岸抹着大汗，准备给部队加大马力，吩咐作战参谋拟份电报，要求各军乘胜奔袭，一鼓作气进占临夏！
临夏可不是个简单的地方，它是马步芳和马鸿逵的出生地，也是他们拉队伍立山头起家“建业”的地方。当地有句老话，说：“早上学会河州话，晚上就把洋刀挎！”所谓“挎洋刀”，当然就是当官领兵、出人头地了。由此可见，临夏（古称河州）在青宁二马小朝廷里处于一个什么样的特殊地位。
王震和作战参谋正趴在弹药箱上拟写电报，通信参谋气喘吁吁地跑上来报告，说野司有电报指示，内容与兵团下一步行动有关，译电员预告，10分钟报文就出来了。
“有这么重要？”王震急性子起来了，拉着两个参谋就跑，“走，到电台那边去等！”
电报是彭德怀给王震的：“青马匪军现决心固守兰州，工事又相当坚固，夹河而阵，地形亦有利于守，在左兵团进占临夏后，可能动摇其固守决心，但亦可能促进其不顾一切决心死守，甚至放弃西宁撤守大通河东岸及享堂新城湟水北岸保障凉、甘、肃州退路。在我攻兰州六七天不得手时，宁马主力可能车运增援兰州（青宁二马汽车据说两千辆以上），似此我将集中三个兵团于兰州会战。你们占领临夏、永靖两城后，须休息两天补充粮食，弄清情况，再定行动。”
彭德怀咬紧牙关给部队留了三天时间。
这是“首攻失利”之后的三天，比金子还要贵呢！全军上下展开总结，为什么会失利？许光达的结论还是那两个字：“轻敌！”
许光达把二兵团师以上干部组织在一起，硬是打着哈欠检讨了一整夜。
“不是轻敌是什么呢，”许光达向彭德怀汇报说：“头天看过地形回指挥部，大家的那个情绪就不大对劲，不知为什么，都把压包袱底的那套新军装换上了，又刮胡子又洗脸的，个个搞得像上海的小开一样，哪像开作战会议呀，分明是看戏看节目嘛！有人说，打到兰州，解放战争就打到头了，一仗定乾坤，以后想打仗也打不到；又有人说，北京的政协会议都开了，新中国就要成立，马家军还敢不知死活？这一仗不过摆摆姿势，打一打留下纪念；有的同志简直被胜利冲昏了头脑，了不得了，扶眉吃掉胡宗南四五万人，平凉又胜、固关又胜、三关口也胜，到处传捷报，他马步芳算老几……责任在我们兵团领导，下面轻敌是我们感染的，我们向野司老老实实做检讨！”
彭德怀说：“要谈责任，首先在我。部队上下能警觉起来，血就没有白流。我到你们六军十七师的五〇团看了看，部队战斗热情还不错。检讨归检讨，还要树立必胜的信心。我就很有信心。这一仗志在必得，军委决心很大。”
军委的决心体现在8月23日给一野的一份电报上。这份电报明确提出要“集中三个兵团全力于攻兰战役”，指示渡河后的王震要“切断兰州通青海及新疆的道路并参加攻击”，特别是不让马步芳退至新疆为害。电报强调：“攻击前似须有一星期或更多时间使部队消除疲劳，详细侦察敌情、地形和鼓动士气，做充分的战斗准备，并须准备一次打不开而用二次、三次攻击去歼灭马敌和攻占兰州。”
落实到许光达那里，变成了三十八个字：“深入进行动员，反复侦察敌情，摸清地形道路，组织沙盘作业，开展军事民主，制定具体作战计划。”
这可以看作许光达战役指挥实际操作的经典。每个字都突出了“重敌”之意。
以许光达的老脾气，当然不会抛出几句“指示”了事。他拉着兵团参谋长张文舟，一头扎到四军，同张达志军长、张仲良政委一起，泡在师团营连各级，甚至班长和战士，一点一滴抠那个失误的21日。
“不抠到血淋淋的不放！”许光达的话总让大家汗毛直竖，但是，能治病。
与此同时，设在猎嘴岭的十九兵团司令部又有一番别样的情形。杨得志冲着不请自到的彭德怀气呼呼地说：“十九兵团历史上没遇过这样的情况，攻敌几个阵地，一天多没有拿下一个，真丢人，干部们都很憋气。这口气非出不可！”
彭德怀说：“打仗不是赌气！部队试攻受阻，主要原因是轻敌，次要原因是敌工事坚固，敌人顽强。这次试攻是我决定的，时间仓促，部队准备不够，不过通过这次试攻也达到了了解敌人的目的。你们要沉住气……”
这股“气”要真正“沉”下去，不容易。
部队远道而来，驻在兰州外围，多半寸草不生、光秃秃的山梁，肚子问题成为决策战役的重要参考条件。像军委要求的那样，花“一星期或更多的时间”来作战斗准备，显然是不允许的，更谈不上“一次打不开而用二次、三次”。所幸的是，胡宗南在汉中还算知趣，没有来解兰州之围的意思；马鸿逵说要“援兰”，还组织了什么“宁夏援兰兵团”，但虚晃一枪，光打雷不下雨。当然，这与十八兵团六十四军的“钳制”也许有关，马鸿逵在海原按兵不动，理由充足，马步芳说不出什么所以然。
总之，马继援实际上是孤军困守兰州。
部队作了三天检讨，彭德怀静观了三天，8月24日的晚上9点钟，他给中央军委发去一份报告：“二兵团、十九兵团攻城准备工作已妥。疲劳尚未恢复，粮食不足，油、菜更难解决。青马军不断反袭，故很难得到休息。以现在的准备工作看，攻占兰州有六七成把握，故决定在25日晨开始攻击。”
这份电报实际上就是彭德怀的军令状，只不过没有豪言壮语，没有把话说满、说绝对而已。如果声称“攻占兰州已有十成把握”，那就不是彭德怀了。
激战如期，号令依旧。不过这一次的攻势可是翻天覆地的。皋兰山一线的青马守军哪想到这几天解放军不声不响，已经神鬼莫测地接近了所有前沿阵地，并在堑壕底下埋下了成吨的炸药！
随着凌晨2点两发红色信号弹直升天空，震天动地的巨响同时在皋兰山两侧各个阵地前沿，一连串地天崩地裂。那些带着温热的土石坷垃像雨点一般降落时，四面群山又有万炮齐鸣，仿佛周围整个世界都在怒吼，只有可怜的皋兰山孤岛似的夹在中间，瑟瑟发抖。
霎时，天光流曳，眼前的山川一如白昼；耳畔呼啸轰鸣，像惊雷出峡、长风穿云。炮弹密密麻麻砸向皋兰山，爆炸声煮开了一锅粥。青马守军借着闪亮眼睁睁地看到前沿阵地亮开一个一个大缺口，而他们只能抱着脑袋、缩紧脖子，无法修补那些致命的缺口。很快，炮火明显向阵地纵深延伸，解放军前沿冲击部队从冒着热气的大缺口蜂拥而至……
这场出其不意的攻击，使青马守军在最初10分钟内一片呆傻，完全措手不及，待那些抱着机关枪或抡着大刀督战的指挥官们号叫声起，士兵才如梦方醒，一下子发现手中所握的不是烧火棍，而是可以射击的家伙。于是，闭着眼睛举枪就打，阵地又一度陷入混乱。好一阵冲杀之后，才慢慢稳定下来。这时，天已微明，双方形成尖锐的对峙，互相射击的枪弹犹如疾雨。青马守军一面对阵前的缺口一筹莫展，一面又发觉解放军在正面攻击的同时，还在向东西两翼迂回，所有阵地正在进入一个大的包围圈，顿时，恐慌一团。
旭日东升，阳光灿烂，老天爷公正地奉出一个万里无云的秋天，山上山下能见度极佳。在这样的条件下射击，几乎就是百发百中。所以，敌我双方的伤亡都在成倍地增长。也许地面上的搏命过于残酷，人们已经无暇顾及天上不知什么时候出现的一架国民党飞机。它无动于衷地盘旋，不但没有像青马官兵所期待的那样给他们“助助威”，反而宣判了一个无情的事实。似乎从这一刻起，皋兰山不知不觉动摇了。
所有阵地一个个被解放军突破。四军首战沈家岭主阵地上下狗娃山，下午，六军又攻克了南北最高峰营盘岭下面的主阵地三营子。与此同时，六十三军也攻克了敌人另一主阵地豆家山。六十五军于黄昏占领古城岭、马架山。
至此，兰州的“锁钥”已全部掌握在彭德怀的手中。
血色黄昏在暮霭中徐徐张开双臂，新一轮的拼杀又开始了。往往一条壕沟、一道峭壁、一个小阵地，都须反反复复地拼夺。白刃格斗，刺刀见红，短促的杀声，惨烈的号叫，以及带血的刃面在夕阳余晖中闪烁灼灼光芒……生命的火焰跳动、激荡、熄灭。
在硝烟弥漫中，青马守军的地盘越缩越小，预备队早已经用光了，援兵毫无希望——马继援已打算弃守，不再向山上增补一兵一卒。
激烈的战斗集中到皋兰山主峰营盘岭——皋兰山阵地之母。打头阵的便是彭德怀战前亲临过的六军十七师五〇团。当主攻营冲到第一道峭壁时，因为炸药药量不够，突破口没有炸开，全营堵在阵地外边过不去。这时，敌人的一处暗堡突然响起机枪，枪弹如雨向毫无防备的主攻营扫过来，当场倒下一大片。营长哑