Chapter 32 Chapter Thirty-Two
Another downpour turned the evening upside down.
Ma Weihua, the commander of the 192nd Division of the 64th Army, had just stabilized his troops on both sides of the road north of Jinji, when he suddenly received a report from the 574th Regiment that the enemy camp in front of the regiment was in disarray, and there were signs that they wanted to escape.Ma Weihua asked urgently: "Which direction is the enemy running?"how many people?The answer is that most of them fled in the direction of Yinchuan, and some of them crossed the Yellow River by boat or raft.
Ningma's call for peace has been sent, should I pursue it or not?Ma Weihua asked Wang Haiting's political commissar for his opinion.
Chief of Staff He You interjected in a hurry: "Of course we have to chase them. None of these guys have disarmed. Sending a telegram is useless! Once they break up, Ningxia will never be safe in the future. Especially the Helan Army, many of them originally It’s just the local bandits, who have become a habit of running rampant, and dogs can’t change eating shit, why don’t they take this opportunity to resume their old business and take over the mountain as king?”
Political Commissar Wang said cautiously: "Should I ask for instructions according to the level? There is a policy issue here!"
Everyone was discussing, and then received a report from the 575th regiment: "They stopped about one battalion of enemy troops on the road from Jinji to Wuzhong. The two sides started shooting, and there were casualties. Wu Youfu, the commander of the Seventh Company, died. In addition, the enemy broke the embankment to release water in the upstream area, and the farmland and roads were soaked in the water. It was a vast expanse of whiteness, and some companies exchanged fire with the enemy in chest-deep water. At present, the troops are still To pursue this stubborn enemy, I hope the division chief will give a clear instruction, to fight or not to fight. To fight, they will organize reinforcements to wipe out the stubborn enemy; if not to fight, let him forget it and withdraw the troops from the water.”
"Fight!" Master Ma waved decisively, "Tell the Fifth Regiment that we must control the situation. If the enemy does not obey the rules, we will resolutely eliminate them. Don't hesitate!"
This order is really good news to the Third Battalion of the 575th Regiment.Because of the electrification to seek peace, the third battalion was ordered to stop shooting at the enemy in the face from noon and stick to the existing position.Unexpectedly, when it was almost dusk, after the heavy rain started, there was a sudden burst of gunfire on the enemy's position, and then a large number of enemies fled in the direction of Wuzhong.Deputy Battalion Commander Wang Dequan took the seventh company to chase, and ordered: only chase and not fight, or not actively shoot.As a result, they were attacked by the enemy back and forth, and the troops were trapped in the water again, which suffered a great loss.
As soon as Commander Ma Weihua's order was issued, Liu Qingmin, the commander of the third battalion, immediately adjusted his deployment and pressed the enemy with intensive firepower.The enemy bombed the battalion and began to abandon the formation and flee (in fact, some enemy soldiers had already fled back).Battalion Commander Liu led his troops in hot pursuit and did not catch up to Wuzhong Fort until noon the next day.
Another dusk fell, the rain continued, and both the enemy and us were drenched like soaked rats.Especially my 3rd Battalion and 7th Company. The soldiers just climbed out of the water, and they walked all over with rattling noises. All the grain bags were "swollen" and weighed several times!The troops searched Wuzhong Fort non-stop. The fast-legged enemies were still running, and those who couldn't run raised their hands.The gunshots began to fade away, and the enemy and the enemy mixed together in a mess.At this time, several soldiers caught a man who looked like an officer in a private house on the side of the road.He himself claimed to be Ma Quanliang, the commander of the Helan Army, who came from Yinchuan to prevent the troops from fleeing.As a result, the troops did not listen to his command at all.Not only that, he was chased and beaten by a company commander with dozens of people, and he had to hide in a private house as a last resort.
The situation was reported to the Corps headquarters level by level, which surprised Yang Dezhi, who had just signed a peace agreement with the Ningma representative, and hurriedly ordered Lu Zhongliang and the other three to be intercepted.Yang Dezhi informed Lu and others of Ma Quanliang's beating, and said: "The Ningxia army is fleeing on Ningshuo Road. I'm afraid it's not safe for you to go there like this. It's better to go back by Wuzhong Fort, which has been occupied by our army."
The three of Lu Zhongliang looked at each other in blank dismay, helpless at another false alarm in front of them.Ma Tingxiu said: "When we came, we also saw broken troops. We persuaded them, but they didn't listen... I guess they won't all break up!" He worried that if all the troops broke up, it would affect the entry into force of the peace treaty.
Yang Dezhi said: "According to our investigation, the Helan Army and the 11th Army have almost run away. This is also good, saving us a lot of travel expenses." He turned to Lu Zhongliang, "Your 128th Army is okay, basically No move. We will follow the preferential treatment policy of our army, as long as we put down our weapons, are willing to go home, and pay enough travel expenses..."
However, what happened next was not as Yang Dezhi said.Under the influence of the Eleventh Army and the Helan Army, Lu Zhongliang's 128th Army also quickly collapsed.For a while, the rout soldiers fled everywhere, doing all kinds of evil. Before dawn on September 23, Ma Hongbin sent an emergency call to Peng Dehuai: "Ningxia's army is on the verge of collapse. Officials can't control the troops, and robberies are happening everywhere. Please order Commander Yang to send troops to Ningxia to calm people's hearts."
In this "earthquake" of the rout, Ma Guangzong's 11th Army stationed in Yinchuan was the worst.After the "Five-acre House" meeting on September 22, when the head of the military headquarters baselessly announced "wait for the PLA to reorganize, and then go to Sichuan with the PLA", the 186th Division of Xincheng immediately dispersed.Who would want to go to Sichuan to die for these Ningxia soldiers?The next day, the 189th Division also abandoned their armor and went out of the city. In just one hour, nearly ten thousand people were defeated without any attack!When Ma Quanliang heard the news and heard that someone was going to assassinate him, he ran to Wuzhong Fort with Wang Boxiang, the deputy army commander, under the pretext of taking in stragglers.The result was such a farce.He was taken to the headquarters of the Sixty-Fourth Army, and when he saw Commander Zeng Siyu, he cried and complained about the tragedy in Yinchuan with tears and snot, saying: "The Helan Army has dispersed, the Eleventh Army is dispersing, and the situation is out of control. Please hurry up and station the People's Liberation Army." Yinchuan."
In this way, the agreement signed by the two parties is meaningless.
Yang Dezhi and Li Zhimin immediately revoked their original decision to publish the full text of the agreement on Xinhua News Agency, and ordered: the 572nd Regiment of the 191st Division of the 64th Army should be stationed in Yinchuan overnight!This saved Ma Hongbin's life.He hastily mobilized 40 large trucks and took them to Renchundu.
It was rainy and stormy again that night.As soon as Gou Yaode, the deputy head of the May 72nd Regiment, led his troops to Yinchuan, he immediately occupied the commanding heights of the four city gate towers, the Bell and Drum Tower, and the Yuhuang Pavilion, and took control of the command center of Ma Hongkui's mansion, and relieved the 11th Army of the Kuomintang. The armed forces of the remnants of the 186th Division.
At noon the next day (September 24), the main force of the 191st Division entered Yinchuan.At this point, Ma Guangzong's 11th Army still had a reinforced company that secretly fled in the direction of Helan Mountain.Xie Zhengrong, commander of the 191st Division, ordered the pursuit: "Fix them on the spot, leave no one behind!"
The People's Liberation Army's entry ceremony is scheduled for the 26th, two days later.Naturally, there are floats, slogans, firecrackers, gongs and drums, as well as the confessions of the poor and the emotions of celebrities.When the convertible car of Yang Dezhi and other leaders of the 19th Corps drove slowly into Xincheng Street in downtown Yinchuan, Ma Hongbin said to the old Ningma people around him with tears in his eyes: "Everyone has worked here for many years, and it is inevitable that we have felt sorry for the people. Now we are liberated If you have a family in Yinchuan, you can stay; if you want to go back to Lanzhou and Linxia, you can leave here to avoid accidents and troubles."
This is actually what Yang Dezhi meant.The Ningma rule has come to an end, but the situation in Ningxia is still very complicated.
After a busy day, Ma Tingxiu returned to the temporary apartment, looking at the black shadows climbing up the wall bit by bit, feeling extremely melancholy.His family has already returned to Lanzhou, and Yinchuan has neither relatives nor real estate.Although the immediate victory is sweet, there is more or less a little bit of my own hard work in it.But I don't know why, that old clothes always seem to be unable to take off.At a time like this, his only hope was to return to his wife and children, close the door, and get a good night's sleep.
Under Yang Dezhi's care, Ma Tingxiu got his wish.On the second day after arriving in Lanzhou, he brought Yang's letter of introduction to see Peng Dehuai.
The founding ceremony is just a few days away, and Peng Dehuai is busy!But Ma Tingxiu can't miss it.Peng Dehuai said: "This person has played a good role in peacefully resolving the Ningxia issue. Treat him to a meal and ask Deputy Commander Zhang to sit down with him."
Deputy Commander Zhang Zongxun was specifically responsible for the work of the enemy army, so he was extra careful during the meal and called all the comrades in charge of the Liaison Department.Everyone talked about current affairs while talking about the lamp.Looking to the future, my emotions are hard to calm down, and my eloquence is very vigorous.Zhang Zongxun said to Ma Tingxiu: "You have a better understanding of the ethnic policy of our party and our army. There are many acquaintances in the Northwest. Let's play a little role. Write letters and win relatives, friends and colleagues who ran out of Lanzhou, Ningxia and Qinghai. Come back, in terms of property, you can appraise it, and we will return what should be returned."
Ma Tingxiu said: "I have some relatives, friends and colleagues in Hexi. This job is within my capabilities and can be done."
Zhang Zongxun laughed: "There is no need to work in Hexi, even Jiuquan and Yumen have been peacefully liberated!"
"Really?" Ma Tingxiu was still in the dark, and beat his forehead vigorously, "Look, you see, we people are in a corner of Yinchuan, and we are really frogs at the bottom of a well!"
Zhang Zongxun said: "It's no wonder, it happened a few days ago, about the same time as Yinchuan was liberated. Now my main force will march into Xinjiang. In two days, our Chairman Mao will preside over the founding ceremony on the Tiananmen Gate in Beiping!"
Ma Tingxiu said with emotion: "It's unexpected that the situation has developed so fast. To tell the truth, General Zhang, I thought that the Northwest might be enough for the noble army to chew on for a while. After the liberation of Lanzhou, Xining and Ningxia were no problem at all. What I am most worried about is the Hexi Corridor. In the south of this place, there is a long stretch of Qilian, covered with snow and uninhabited; The People's Liberation Army traveled far away, unfamiliar with the terrain and the people's conditions, when the army went north to fight against the Japanese..." Ma Tingxiu suddenly realized that he had slipped his tongue, afraid that mentioning the past events of the West Route Army's disastrous defeat would affect the atmosphere and spoil everyone's happiness.So I suddenly cut off the conversation and started haha.
But this has already ignited Zhang Zongxun.These days, from the Second Army led by Wang Zhen and the armies of Xu Guangda's Second Army, there have been many stories about veterans of the West Route Army living among the people, which often made him very excited.People have feelings, and his expression couldn't help becoming serious, and he said solemnly: "The tragedy of history will never repeat itself again!"
If you imagine the Hexi Corridor as a "passage", you are wrong.The Hexi Corridor is actually a wall.You only need to start from Lanzhou and walk to Wushao Ridge to understand this point.
In Longzhong, a highland like Wushao Ridge is really nothing.If you don't pay attention, you can't see it on the map.You only have to go to the field, suddenly raise your head and drop your hat, lower your head and break out in a cold sweat, and then ask the Tibetan compatriots who have lived nearby for generations, they will tell you that this is Wushao Ridge.Therefore, an inconspicuous place name will be engraved in memory.
Wushao Ridge is the first ghost gate on the way to the west, and climbing over it is like eating a killing stick.Many veterans of the West Route Army of the Red Army were unable to enter or exit here, leaving behind many bones and stories of life.
Xu Guangda's Second Corps has also come to the foot of Wushao Ridge now.
On September 13, the third and fourth armies of the Second Corps advanced along the Gansu-Xinjiang Highway, while the Sixth Army was on the east side of the highway, aiming at Tianjing and Tumen near the Great Wall.Three days later, the troops unknowingly felt that the mountain was getting steeper, the road was getting more difficult, the air was getting thinner, the temperature was getting lower and lower, and the chest seemed to be blocked by a cork. trembling.The heart is like a machine that will stop at any time, and it is dangerous to sit down and rest.
This is the man-eating Wushao Ridge, and this is the man-eating Qilian Mountains.According to a Tibetan man named Tashi: "Wear sheets at the foot of the mountain, and cotton at the top of the mountain; when clouds pass over the mountain, there will be a snowfall! Qilian Mountain is a lunatic..."
Tashi is a middle-aged man who spent most of his life in the Wushaoling area of the Qilian Mountains.He is not tall, but as strong as a yak.He has a red face with thick eyebrows and thick lips, and he can speak fluent Chinese.When meeting Xu Guangda for the first time at the foot of the mountain, Tashi said: "We Han and Tibetans are brothers!" He offered to lead the way for the PLA.
Xu Guangda really liked this guy, patted his hand and said: "After liberation, people of all ethnic groups are one family. The Ma family army does not represent the poor people of the Hui nationality."
Tashi was very moved, but also asked inexplicably: "How many Han people have been killed by Hui people in our place in the past three years, but you say they are also a family?"
With a lot of question marks, Tashi went to the 20th Regiment of the Ninth Division.Kang Shien, director of the political department of the division, was also in this regiment, so the two set up a dragon gate formation while climbing the mountain.Kang Shien talked with him about class exploitation, chieftains and commoners, slave owners and slaves, all these were so familiar to Tashi, yet so novel.For the first time in his life, he lived so relaxed and happy on Wushao Ridge, laughing like thunder from time to time.
However, Kang Shien was out of breath.The weather is changeable. When we set off, it was raining continuously at the foot of the mountain, but when we arrived halfway up the mountain, there was a clear sky. Before we had time to be happy, as soon as it got dark, heavy snow fell.Looking at the heavy snow flying all over the sky, it seems that the season has entered the depths of winter.Tashi said that Qi Lianshan was a "lunatic", which was true.
Everyone in the team was fighting their teeth, and they were sifting chaff all over their bodies.
Wang Lanlin, chief of staff of the division, called out to the avant-garde regiment on the radio: "How far is it to go down the mountain?"
"It's not far," Tashi said. "There is a village within three or two steps, where you can eat and drink."
Wang Lanlin panted and asked, "How far is your three or two steps?"
Tashi said: "At least ten miles to go! Don't stop, if you stop, you will die!"
At this time, the troops had already sacrificed a lot of people. Seven soldiers from the first battalion of the 26th Regiment of the Vanguard gasped for breath by the side of the road and fell on the snow.More people fell ill, and the prepared stretchers were not enough.
The team dressed in white became dull.The village that Tashi predicted never appeared.Ask him, he always said "not far, not far", but how far, no one knows.
As dusk gradually approached, someone suddenly shouted: "Village!"
Sure enough, wisps of cooking smoke could be faintly seen in the corners at the foot of the mountain.The speed of the troops going down the mountain was obviously accelerated, and many soldiers were rolling and climbing. Although the team was a bit chaotic, everyone's hearts were closer.The comrades-in-arms hugged each other, thankful that they had passed another ghost gate.
Finally, a few thatched huts or yurts appeared crookedly on the side of the road.A few snot-nosed dolls ran forward with their dogs almost naked to see what was new.The dog barked "Wow, woof", but the dolls who couldn't distinguish between men and women stared blankly without saying a word.
Maybe the barking of the dog alarmed the adults, and soon, more and more people watched the excitement.It can be seen from the clothes and faces that most of them are Tibetans, and there are a small number of Han people.Regardless of whether they are Tibetans or Han Chinese, all eyes are dull and full of deep doubts.
The soldiers were so excited that they waved their hands warmly to greet them as if they had forgotten the terror and fatigue of the past.Some of them grinned, some waved their arms in a friendly and rough manner, and slowly approached the side of the road, and some walked forward with the troops, chattering to the soldiers. .Although the soldiers couldn't understand a word, they could understand the passionate emotions and loud laughter.
At this time, the front team sounded the "tick-tick" bugle sound, and the troops rested on the spot.The soldiers took off their backpacks and sat neatly on the side of the road.
Suddenly, a few women with disheveled hair and ragged clothes ran over from the village and opened their mouths to speak Chinese: "We dare to ask, whose team is this and where are you going?"
The soldiers were overjoyed when they heard the Chinese dialect, and quickly replied with a smile: "We are Chairman Mao's team, and we are going to liberate the Northwest!"
"Chairman Mao's team?!" The women were so excited that they looked at me and you for a long time, tears streaming from their eyes.One of them choked up and shouted, "Comrade..." Weeping uncontrollably: "We are looking forward to your return! Chairman Mao's Red Army has finally returned!"
This action alarmed the troops, and dozens of people surrounded by one guy.
While arranging their sackcloth-like clothes and brushing their messy and knotted hair, the women cried and said, "Comrades, do you know that we are also soldiers of the Red Army! We are the women's regiment of the Fourth Front Army of the Red Army. Our regimental commander is Zhang Qinqiu, battalion commander is Guan Guizhi, they died here..."
Hu Qinghai, the instructor of the Third Battalion, squeezed in from the crowd.Instructor Hu leaned down, with tears streaming down his face, and his voice trembling: "Comrades, you have worked hard! I know about the women's regiment, and your comrades in the West Route Army are in great trouble! I know, I know, I am also from the Red Army, and we It's the Second Red Army..."
That kindness!Several veterans of the women's regiment, regardless of their care, hugged Instructor Hu, unable to utter a thousand words, and could only cry loudly.
An older woman finally let go of her hand, and narrated while sobbing: "...we were trapped here for ten days and ten nights. We couldn't get out of Qilian Mountain after walking all over the place. The horses have no grass to eat, and they still insist on fighting with the Majia soldiers of Gan, Qing, and Ning. In the battle of Gulang, our West Route Army suffered two-thirds of the casualties; in the battle of Gaotai, we lost a lot of men and guns. There were less than 2,000 people, some turned around and headed north, and most of them collapsed. Just below the Qilian Mountains, in twos and threes, they fend for themselves... The most difficult thing is our women's group sisters. Most of us are from Sichuan, around 1934 Those who participated in the revolution did not come from bitter backgrounds! We followed the Red Army on the long march across grasslands and climbed snow-capped mountains, and we did not know how many vicious battles we fought against the white bandits along the way. We don’t know who the women’s regiment is...but the troops broke up, here Two people, no clothes, no food in their stomachs, three or five sisters working together, still fighting with horse bandits! I saw a big sister with my own eyes, the enemy caught her, and she bit the enemy's arm with her teeth, As a result, the enemy chopped off his head, what a tragedy... Some comrades in our regiment were killed, and some were seriously injured. We are the last batch of the women's regiment, and we ran out of ammunition and food. Surrounded. Evil enemies, more ruthless than wild beasts, rape our sisters one by one, whoever refuses will be shot, and some young sisters are dragged into children by them..." This old Red Army soldier Can't go on.
The soldiers scrambled to stretch out their water bottles: "Drink some water... drink mine, drink mine..."
Another female Red Army soldier took the water bottle, took a sip skillfully, and continued: "We escaped secretly in the middle of the night, got into the house of a fellow Tibetan, and begged him to save his life. The poor in the world are one family. , the Tibetan compatriots are good people, they united with one heart and hid us. We want to survive and find our own team, so we married Tibetans, we all gave birth to children, we are lucky! Some sisters were forced into marriage by those Ma family bandits, living a life that is worse than cattle and horses, what a crime!"
A veteran of the women's regiment passed out on the side of the road crying.The soldiers rushed to call the hygienist to give her medicine and water. Everyone was crying and listening to these stories. Some people raised their arms and shouted slogans:
"Revenge for the comrades of the Women's League!"
"Eliminate the Ma family army and liberate the Northwest!"
Some people took off their clothes and put them on for the veterans, some untied their dry food bags, and more people gave them all the little money they had saved and daily necessities such as soap and towels.
The news spread ten or ten times, and within a few days, nearly a hundred old soldiers from the women's regiment who were wandering in all directions came to the army.The third, fourth, and sixth armies of the Second Corps and the Second Army of the First Corps have all received such veterans.Later, when everyone reported these stories to Peng Dehuai, the boss's tears could not stop rolling in his eyes.
"Do they have any requests?" Mr. Peng asked with concern.
"It's very simple, they asked to return to the team."
"I'm afraid it will be difficult. Have we done the work?" Peng Dehuai looked out the window helplessly.
"The work has been done. They are also very reasonable, knowing that it is indeed difficult to return to the team now."
"How are they doing?"
"Difficult, very difficult!"
"Let's help! Did you help?"
"There are only some clothes and rations, and the soldiers also automatically send some items."
"How many of them are there?"
"A total of more than 100 troops have been found. It is said that there may be nearly 200 people in this area, but they are all scattered and cannot be contacted with each other."
Peng Dehuai opened the window, letting the piercing cold wind and snow foam hit his face.For a long time, he said: "The Political Department of the Field Army selects a few comrades, go down and find out carefully, figure out the figures, squeeze out some funds, and give some subsidies as much as possible..." He wiped his face vigorously with both hands, "Qianshan It is hard to break the comradeship! Loyal bones are buried everywhere in China. How many good comrades we have, men, women, old and young, have endured all the hardships of the world for the liberation of the working people, and shed sad tears. Precious lives were lost!... The women's regiment is a brave and tenacious iron army, and it is the glory of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. Because of the mistakes at that time, it took them on a tragic road and ruined them! What we do today is right Yes, after the establishment of the regime, we must arrange them well, recognize their past glorious history, treat them as old comrades who are alive, and treat them as martyrs who are dead. We must not forget them, we should care about them. They are our comrades, our sisters, our relatives..."
Having said that, Peng Dehuai burst into tears.
Zhang Zongxun gritted his teeth and patted the table and said: "...the only thing we can do is to speed up the pace of marching and speed up the construction of the regime!"
At this time, the Sixth Army of the Second Corps had liberated Dajing, rested in Dajing for three days, and was preparing to attack Tumen; the third and fourth armies had liberated Gulang; The Qilian Mountains, where the wind and snow were blowing, liberated Minle, and fought two consecutive victories in Sansanlipu, Zhangye, annihilating more than 300 people from the garrison regiment of the Northwest Chief Office of the enemy.The next day, they wiped out most of the 739th Regiment of the 245th Division of the enemy again. The cavalry regiment of the 173rd Division of the enemy saw that the limelight was wrong, so they raised their hands and disarmed with interest.Zhangye declared liberation.
This was September 19, 1949. The Northwest Military and Political Chief’s Office, who was defeated and fled to Jiuquan, seemed to have worked hard enough.
Ever since Ma Jiyuan disappeared in Yongdeng, Peng Mingding began to add more firewood to cook this pot of porridge.Tao Jinchu, chief of staff of the Xinjiang Garrison Command, once gave him eight words: Master the troops and wait for the opportunity.What are you waiting for now?Peng Mingding felt that we should start with powerful people first, try the stuffing like eating glutinous rice balls, and eat one bite at a time.
After the Battle of Lanzhou, the so-called "powerful figures" on Hexi Road were nothing more than three people: one was Huang Zuxun, the commander of the 91st Army who had not had time to replace him; the other was Zhou Jiabin, the commander of the 120th Army; and the other was the one who almost replaced Huang Zuxun Zeng Zhenwu, Commander of the Eighth Supply Zone.Everyone else is trivial, even Liu Ren, who bears the sign of "Deputy Chief of the Northwest Military and Political Chief Office", is no exception.
Peng Mingding weighed Huang, Zhou, Zeng and even Liu Ren in his palm: Zeng Zhenwu was a confidant, he was a member of Tao Zhiyue's line back then, no problem, he could be trusted; Huang Zuxun belonged to Chiang Kai-shek. People, when Chiang Kai-shek's name was mentioned on this page, he still pretended to lean his legs together, and kept talking about the leader; Zhou Jiabin's background is there, just because he has an old Taishan like Zhang Zhizhong, he may be out of shape. Can't go anywhere.As for Liu Ren, he is just a police dog of the Guangxi faction in the northwest. Listening to his words and watching his actions, it seems impossible to ask him to surrender to the Communist Party.
Weighing and weighing, it seems that Peng Mingding's tricks can only be carried out between Zhou Jiabin and Huang Zuxun.
Zhou Jiabin is a very smart guy, he already knew that Peng Mingding would look for him, and he had a lot of ideas in his stomach.He expressed to Peng that he "very much agrees with the uprising", but, "Huang Zuxun has been following me every step of the way, staring at me. It is clearly a surveillance. If you don't kill him, it will be a disaster. You have to kill him!" Zhou Jiabin thought, Peng Mingding has borrowed this knife!
Peng Mingding smiled coldly: "Is he staring at you? It's not your troops! As the saying goes, there is a wrong and a debt. Remember my words."
Just as Zhou Jiabin was pondering Peng Mingding's words, Peng went to Huang Zuxun's place again, and offered Huang Zuxun some advice: "Brother Huang, the situation is so serious, what should we do?"
Huang Zuxun's neck was very stiff, and he replied decisively: "What should I do? Surrender to the Communist Party? I can't afford to lose that person. I will never surrender!"
"Of course." Peng Mingding wiped his face and said with pride, "Oh, my opinion is how to control the troops well, get in touch with Hu, cooperate closely with Xinjiang, unite and fight against the enemy together, and face the more difficult future. day, and be prepared for a long battle, how can you speak of surrender?!"
Huang Zuxun laughed loudly: "That's what I am! Don't mind if you speak straight to the point."
Peng Mingding said: "I'm not the chief or deputy chief of the office, don't worry about it, don't mind, you don't have to be afraid."
Huang Zuxun was afraid that people would say he was "scared", so he ignored his identity, and immediately shouted: "It's a good thing you're not that thing, if you were, I wouldn't bother to talk to you, I'm afraid of a bird!"
The gossip immediately spread to Liu Ren, and he was very annoyed when he thought of some details of Huang Zai Gulang's orders and prohibitions. "It's not bad! The enemy is currently in the public office, and he doesn't look down on him. If something happens in the future, it won't be a disaster!" Liu Renren didn't have a place to vent his anger, but he just blew it out in front of Peng Mingding .
Peng Mingding entered the role of the deputy chief of staff of the office again, and took the opportunity to say to Liu Jin: "Hexi will rely on this army in the future. You are the highest person in charge of Hexi now. If Huang Zuxun doesn't listen to you like this, how can you do it! You should move this area as soon as possible. Stone, avoid disaster."
"It's such a mess right now, who will replace him? Zeng Zhenwu can't be touched anymore!" Liu Renming asked the spy.
Peng Mingding couldn't care too much, and went straight to the point: "There are many candidates, Liu Mantian, the commander of the 245th Division... this person is not bad!"
It is well known that Liu Mantian and Zhou Jiabin wear a pair of trousers.Liu Ren's eyebrows twitched, and he agreed with "uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"So, keeping his face on the surface, he secretly placed several people beside Peng, keeping an eye on him day and night.Since then, Peng's words and deeds have all been under Liu's control.
Peng Mingding never took his eyes off Huang Zuxun.It seems that Zhou Jiabin will naturally follow after Huang Zuxun is overthrown, but he doesn't care about whether there is "the oriole behind".
When meeting Liu Mantian that day, Peng Mingding routinely asked him a question: "How is the team?"
"The restraint of the headquarters is acceptable," Liu Mantian said, "I can't say anything about other subordinates." Who are the "other subordinates"?Of course, it refers to Huang Zuxun's 91st Army, not the "Headquarters" 120th Army.Peng Mingding heard that there was something in the words, and pretended to be surprised: "Let me listen to what you have to say!"
Liu Mantian said: "Since the order to advance to Wuwei was issued, the Ninety-one Army was defeated along the way! Especially the 246th Division of Shen Zhisheng, officers and soldiers mixed with refugees, scattered and fled with cattle and sheep , Shen Zhisheng also let it go. After all, there is no way to control those soldiers!"
"I heard that Shen Zhisheng and Huang Zuxun are very close?" Peng Mingding asked with great interest.
Liu Mantian said: "Maybe. At a time like this, it's just pity for each other!"
Peng Mingding sighed in disappointment.This made Liu Mantian feel quite guilty.Liu is a person who values friendship, and he already knew that Peng Mingding secretly wanted to flatter him.No matter what the purpose is, in the situation where the parents are dead and the mother is married, just thinking about it is enough to make people feel grateful.However, there is indeed no personal dispute between Liu and Huang Zuxun.The team is chaotic, that is true.Meeting Shen Zhisheng immediately was purely by chance.Everyone is embarrassed and sad about each other.Shen asked, Lao Liu, what should I do?Liu Mantian said, quickly polish the army, it's easy to handle alone.Going to Chongqing is the best policy, and going to Xinjiang is the worst policy. There are no other roads.
This is not only a joke, but also a bright saying that everyone is talking about at that time.Unexpectedly, Shen Zhisheng said: "I am completely opposite to you. You can't go to Chongqing, but you can go to Xinjiang." Although this statement sounds contrary to the mainstream meaning, it also has a bit of a sense of ridicule.
Liu Mantian was not sure about Shen's sincerity, so he pushed the boat along the water and said with humor: "Yes, you are from Hunan, so there is a possibility." Tao Zhiyue is from Ningxiang, Hunan, and this statement is half true and half false.
Then, the conversation between Shen and Liu ended, they smiled wryly, and shook hands to say goodbye to each other.Liu Mantian thought, is it worth talking to Peng Mingding about such a little bit of sesame millet?Thinking of this, I put my mind at ease.
But he didn't expect that it was such a "little bit of sesame millet" that caused waves in Shen Zhisheng's heart, so much so that it affected Shen's life choices.
Watching Liu Mantian's back gradually go away, Shen Zhi felt a sense of loneliness that he had never felt before.He knew that Liu Mantian was a person of great background, even though he was the same teacher as himself, ten fingers could be stretched out differently!He has many friends in the Ministry of National Defense and the General Staff Headquarters, and he has money in his hands. Of course, the best policy is to go to Chongqing.And what about myself?Liu Mantian is right, there may be this "possibility" to go to Xinjiang.At any rate, I have worked there for more than a year, and I know a few army and division commanders. Besides, Tao Zhiyue is an old officer and a member of the Xianghu Township Party.
The most difficult thing for Shen Zhisheng was his understanding of the Communist Party.For a long time, the Kuomintang propaganda has always said that the Communist Party does not want parents, communists and wives, and bury the Kuomintang members alive.Later, when I listened to the CCP radio stations in Shenyang and Handan, Hebei, I felt suspicious again.There are so many uprisings and correspondence between captured persons and their friends, classmates, lovers, and parents, which shows that no one was buried alive!Especially when I heard my old friend Li Zeyao broadcast an article to his wife in Xi'an on the Handan radio station, he really said that he was not discriminated against by the Communist Party.There are also many Whampoa Tonglian classmates who have become the Communist Party, and they often have letters from home, and they also want parents and brothers!Zeng Zesheng from the Northeast Uprising, Zheng Dongguo who surrendered, Liao Yaoxiang who was captured, Fan Hanjie from Jinzhou, Fu Zuoyi from Beiping, Chen Changjie from Tianjin, Du Yuming from Huaihai, etc. Which one was killed?They had all spoken on the radio, and Shen Zhisheng clearly recognized their own voices.Then, uprising, surrender, and being a prisoner cannot be said to be a feasible way of life.
Shen Zhisheng followed behind the team just thinking about it like this, and came to the vicinity of Tumen Town before he knew it.At this time, the executive office marked by Liu Ren had arrived in Wuwei.The cavalry regiment that Shen Shi had just returned to was stationed outside the Xiguan of the city.Shen Zhisheng flexed his fingers and calculated that he still had more than 5,000 troops in his hands.
This is capital!Shen Zhisheng began to clearly realize this.
The air in the barracks was extremely dull.Shen Zhisheng lives in a small mountain village near Tumen Town, with a gloomy face and cloudy clouds every day.When subordinates and colleagues meet, they ask where the Communist army is?Why don't we go yet?What are you doing here?
"This is a matter from above, so there's no need to ask too much!" Shen Zhisheng responded to all changes without change, and said this from morning till night.However, Shen Bi knew exactly what the "above" was doing.
Almost every day before dusk, Shen Zhisheng would go to the military headquarters.The routine program is to chat with the army commander Huang Zuxun and the chief of staff Zheng Zhuanghuai endlessly with Erlang legs crossed to relieve boredom.Huang Zuxun has 10,000 regrets, should he have 1,000 regrets, his mouth has never been guarded, why did he go to Longnan, why did he get together with the Ma family, why did he fight the Lanzhou battle... now it's done, it's too late up!Therefore, the only thing to do is to hold a national postal map and daydream!
Huang Zuxun's daydream was to bring enough staff officers, adjutants and guards along the northern foothills of Qilian Mountains, along the Qinghai and Tibet borders to Xikang, go to Myanmar via Yunnan, and flee to Taiwan.Or go to Hetian in southern Xinjiang, go to India via Tibet... This is very different from the inner world of Shen Zhisheng and others.Therefore, Huang's macro theories often overshadow the few.Huang was very distressed by this, and often asked Zheng Zhuanghuai: "Which people do you think will be willing to go with us?"
Zheng Zhuanghuai himself had no such plan, how could he answer this question?So he laughed and said, "It's better than their 120th Army anyway. Do you know what Commander Zhou is busy with?"
"What are you busy with? Busy resisting the Communist army! In Gulang, I saw him scold Chen Dingxing, the acting commander of the 173rd Division, scolding Chen for not contacting him on the radio for a few days, which made him feel anxious. He also said that Xinjiang Tao Zhiyue's troops have already been shut down, and they are determined to continue fighting!"
Whether it was Huang Zuxun's words that set the ambush, or Zhou Jiabin's actions, Zheng Zhuanghuai was a bit of a monk.但他可以肯定，所谓“新疆部队已经入关”的话不足信，如果不是讹传，那也是陶峙岳为敷衍蒋介石和西北军政长官公署而玩的花招。当然，郑壮怀更知道周嘉彬正在武威城里与彭铭鼎做交易呢！
彭铭鼎之所以要答应周嘉彬去掉黄祖埙这样一个慢工细活，是基于他自己的错误判断。他总以为兰州战役之后，解放军会转锋南下，先解决西南问题，然后再慢条斯理地来和平解决河西与新疆。那么，河西这个小朝廷存在半年是没有问题的。因而前哨位置也就可能停留在乌鞘岭。谁知，许光达的二兵团打完兰州紧接着就进逼乌鞘岭。彭又想，大概是把乌鞘岭当作兰州外围吧！结果一错再错，事实完全超出了他的主观想象，解放军越过乌鞘岭，滔滔北上，其势头难以预料。
只好给新疆警备司令部挂电话。
陶晋初说：“你直接跟共产党方面取得联系吧！”
这不啻是一声闷雷，彭铭鼎傻了。他开始手忙脚乱，有点控制不住火候必定要煮夹生饭的担忧。一到武威，赶紧把周嘉彬找来问计。周嘉彬还是那句话：“就怕黄祖埙……”
“黄祖埙有什么可怕的？他一个军，你不也是一个军吗？”彭铭鼎面带愠怒。
周嘉彬冷笑：“怎么能一样！他一个师看我一个团，后面还有刘副长官撑腰，每天都把枪口对着我的后脑勺，这些你都知道吗！”
这一点，彭铭鼎的确不知道。他呆若木鸡，愣在那里半天说不出话。what to do?他不得不抓起电话，要通已在张掖的曾震五。刚说上两句话，就听卫兵在门口大声报告：“刘副长官到！”
秋天的太阳不比春天的太阳逊色，曾震五的午觉总是睡不够。
张掖被认为是塞上江南，酒泉也差不了多少，连当年左宗棠都热爱这地方呢！所以，过去一直是国民党西北战略补给线上的绝妙下处。曾震五在这里有个不错的家。兰州战役后，人人都在逃难，曾震五却躲在酒泉他的卫生街二十一号效法卧龙先生。这没办法，补给区的司令官嘛，命中注定吃香喝辣，谁也没法红眼。
接到彭铭鼎的电话，曾震五一刹那变了个人。他一阵风似的赶到武威与彭“相商要事”。彭的口气比命令还命令，而且包含着巨大的秘密性。这样的命令是不能拖延的。曾震五懂得行伍规矩。
果然跟想象分毫不差，彭铭鼎要曾震五赶去新疆，向陶峙岳报告河西情况，并特别强调起义的时间，最迟在队伍退到酒泉时就得动手，绝不会再向西多退一步。因此，请陶峙岳在新疆早点作好相应的准备，免得到时候让彭陷入前后夹击的境地。
这就是说，彭铭鼎缺乏自信心。新疆境内他最担心的是整编骑一师会添麻烦，而在河西这堆人马中，他简直就没法料想将会有什么事情发生。刘任死不投降，黄祖埙铁杆到底，周嘉彬讨价还价，连那个他想竭力保举的刘漫天，也在四处张扬“去重庆是上策”。他唯一希望就放在曾震五身上了。
其实，彭铭鼎手里还是有牌可打的。曾震五到武威受领任务后，连夜就去玉门油矿见了一个人，此人就是当初深夜把彭铭鼎送出兰州的贺新民。身为骆驼团团长，贺本没有什么可骄傲的地方。但就眼下而言，在甘肃的部队中没有参战的完整战斗兵团，只有他与毛熙筠的新疆警备团，而这两个团又担负着特殊任务——保卫玉门油田的安全。
曾震五对贺新民说：“我要去新疆，你准备得如何？”
贺新民一口回答：“兰州一完我就准备好了，还到今天！你放心去吧，我随时听从彭介夫（彭铭鼎）的调遣。”
曾说：“是时候了，大势已去，仗实在没有打头，日子一天也拖不得。'天津榜样'是死路，走不得；只有'北平方式''绥远办法'，赶快跟共产党直接谈判，新疆宣布脱离国民党独立，才能解决问题。”
这想法很大胆，让贺新民听来有点吃惊。便问道：“蒋介石不是承诺给新疆100万元经费，建立什么'基地'吗？你这一'独立'不就一笔勾销啦！”
“唉，你真是天真，蒋介石的话也能信？等了那么久，一个铜板也没见，却把和谈拖到今天！”曾震五胸有成竹地说，“今后，凡新疆军政机关部队的供给，一律自给自足，经费不要共产党管。”
贺新民说：“想不到你在张掖不吭不哈想了这么多，不像那些家伙，一路吵吵嚷嚷，各扫门前雪。搞得彭介夫没头的苍蝇一样。”
曾震五说：“现在，谈部队是笑话了！周、黄两军那还叫部队吗？早已七零八落，只剩下玉门油矿这点政治资本。这是我们和共产党交换的条件之一。你要用一切力量，重新严密组织部队，团结官兵，负起油矿的安全责任，维持关外秩序……”
两人认识以来，这恐怕是一次最彻底的谈话。天快亮时，曾震五与贺新民重新约定了电台呼号波长和密码，才离开油矿，爬上去往迪化（乌鲁木齐）的飞机。
第二天，贺新民急不可耐地行动起来，立刻召集各团、各单位主管干部开会。为了像曾震五所交代的那样“团结官兵”，他还在骆驼团内部搞了一个所谓“新生会”。那时，他并不知道玉门油矿早已是个舞台，他自己也早已登上了这个舞台，舞之蹈之在表演。而台下看戏的，既有国民党河西警备总司令部第二处的特务们，也有中共打进油矿的地下党员。
此时刘任和彭铭鼎等人主持的流亡公署，已经乱云般地飘到了张掖。因为张掖是“塞上江南”，如彭铭鼎回忆所说：“虽时已初秋，却尚有春意。久别故乡的湖湘子弟，走到这里，自然不愿意离去，幻想着共产党军队因塞上早寒而暂停西进，则我们也可趁此喘息，在张掖苟安一时。”没想到这个可怜兮兮的美梦，被王震一榔头砸个粉碎。
溃逃的敌军始终把眼睛盯着屁股后面许光达二兵团。许兵团虽然也隔三差五赶上来吃一口，但总体上还是在“赶鸭子”。因而自乌鞘岭以来，周、黄两军各部队都摸到一个规律：只要两条腿跑得快，不要拉在后面，一般就没有太大的危险。他们都知道，右边是戈壁大沙漠，左边有几乎可以触到天公的祁连山，用不着有任何安全上的担心。
正因如此，王震的打击对敌人的震动才显得惊天动地。刘任一听说民乐扁豆口出现了共产党军队，而且又是“大部队”，真是把胆都吓破了！三天前，曾经有个在这一带当过土匪的“高参”，带着十几乘轻骑从青海那边沿着王震他们走的这条路过来了，声称大部队插翅难飞，一再安慰大家放宽心吃饭睡觉，怎么一眨眼工夫共产党的“大部队”却偏偏就到了呢？而且，一下山就在民乐干掉一个骑兵旅，旅长被俘，副旅长被毙，武器弹药一扫而光。刘任见到的世面再大，也没有见过这种奇事！他结结巴巴地下令：“赶快把一七三师骑兵团拉到民乐挡一挡，汽车五团和其他所有汽车，不分建制，全部集中，装载部队往酒泉撤！”
部队大体有了着落，刘任毛里毛躁往汽车上爬。还是彭铭鼎冷静，不慌不忙跑过来叮嘱驾驶员：“听说这段路面不好，慢一点，稳一点。”
说是“慢一点、稳一点”，副长官坐在车上的情绪多多少少要给驾驶员一点传染。结果，车离开张掖走到距酒泉还有一半路程时，一家伙同对面开来的另一辆大卡车撞个满怀。
刘任眼前一黑，“哇”的一声大叫，以为这辈子结束了。直到酒泉醒来时，他还一口咬定说这不是真的，以至于大家都偷偷议论：刘副长官是不是脑子撞坏了？
其时，彭铭鼎正在黑水河畔的高台“调整部署，视察阵地”。王震指挥解放军第二军已经占领了张掖，正积极向临泽推进。临泽与高台之间相距的40公里，就是彼此交锋的“前线”。听说周嘉彬和黄祖埙都在高台“督战”，所以彭铭鼎就没去酒泉，直奔高台。
曾震五从迪化回来一下飞机，哪儿都不去，就到高台找彭铭鼎。见面就说：“一切商妥，陶要我们立即动手，不愿起义者听便，负责保护他们安全出境；愿意起义者听从指挥，不要乱来……”曾震五风尘仆仆，脸上泛着兴奋，一边说话一边掏出一大沓“武器”，其中有张治中从北京转来给军、师长们的电报，有陶峙岳给各军、师长的信件。
彭铭鼎即刻派人找军、师长，结果，既找不着黄祖埙，又找不着周嘉彬，师长们也大多不在，只有二四六师师长沈芝生还在位，彭铭鼎问沈：“见到你们军长了吗？”
沈芝生摇头哀叹：“人各有志……他从张掖过来，在高台停都没停，就去酒泉了！”
彭铭鼎低头不语，到大街上胡乱转了一圈，问了好几个团长、副团长，都没有见到周嘉彬，显然，他也可能“停都没停”就去了酒泉。干脆，去酒泉开个会，把张治中与陶峙岳的信、电报转给他们。于是他和曾震五商定，由曾即刻去兰州找解放军西北最高指挥官洽谈，“家”里的事由彭铭鼎一手操持。
跟曾震五道了别，转身就要上车，突然有个勤务兵跑过来报告，请彭铭鼎接电话。
“是我……”电话里传来一个低沉的男声，彭铭鼎听出是周嘉彬，气不打一处来，责问：“你、你是怎么搞的！”
周嘉彬说：“你别发火……我是向你告别，我马上就要起飞了！”
“起飞？你要走？为什么呢？你不能走！”
周嘉彬没有回答任何问题，便挂上电话。彭铭鼎仿佛听到飞机螺旋桨旋转起来的噪音……这声音越来越响，几乎撕开他的心肺！如果飞走的不是周嘉彬而是黄祖埙，彭的打击或许会好一点，但他却是周嘉彬！彭铭鼎开始怀疑自己的判断力。他决定，立即去酒泉集合军、师长开会。同时，让沈芝生师派个得力的参谋，与当面解放军王震部队取得联系，说明情由，请他们配合行动。
由高台去往酒泉的车上，彭铭鼎一路都在想：刘任这家伙真会惹麻烦，早不出车祸晚不出车祸偏到这个时候出个节目，把大事小情全都推到我彭铭鼎一个人身上！
彭铭鼎哪里知道，刘任也在那里大发脾气呢！他醒过来之后，一口咬定这场车祸绝非偶合，而是彭铭鼎在幕后操纵的预谋，“他妈的，想要老子死，有那么容易吗……”刘任一边哼哼唧唧，一边嘴上骂个不停。正骂着，彭铭鼎出现了。不管怎么说，彭还是维持着表面上的恭敬，一进门就说：“噢，醒来了就好，万幸万幸……感觉好点了吗？大家都吓坏了！”
刘任别过脸，哼了声：“吓什么，这不正合了你的意吗？”
彭铭鼎脸上莫名其妙，朝身后的随员左顾右盼：“刘副长官这是何意？”
“何意？你心里明白！”刘任翻着白眼，朝天花板瞪着，“我是个命大的人，阎王爷不收，谁都别想动脑子！”
彭铭鼎气得耳根都红了，把带来慰问的几听肉罐头朝刘任面前的矮桌上狠狠顿了一下，骂了一句：“胡扯八道！”转身离去。
回到公署，彭铭鼎仍气咻咻的不能平息。这时，值班参谋告诉他，有个姓刘的从“前线”打来电话找彭，没找着，就挂了电话。
“前线”姓刘的可能是谁呢？彭铭鼎暂且放下与刘任的不快，去琢磨这个问题。
当晚彭铭鼎住在曾震五的卫生街二十一号家里。吃过晚饭，弄了些热水，好好泡了个澡，想早点躺上床静静脑子。谁知刚挨着床板，电话就响了。是骆驼团团长贺新民打来的，告知二四五师师长刘漫天把部队撤到玉门，而且还要往后撤，打算撤到新疆哈密去！彭铭鼎愣了半天，觉得不可思议：“刘漫天怎么可以……”他还以为二四五师也在高台“前线”呢！
彭铭鼎急速地想了想对贺新民说：“你告诉刘漫天，就说是我讲的，大局为重，听从指挥。你还告诉他，新疆的陶司令有话，不准河西部队入疆。如敢擅入，一切后果自负！”
放下电话，彭嘘了口气，来不及转身，铃声又响。这次是“前线”的沈芝生师长。沈的声音有点喜气洋洋的味道，说派去与解放军接洽的那个参谋回来了，结果很理想，解放军王震司令员接见了他……
对彭铭鼎来说，这种消息未免太笼统。他期待着曾震五从兰州带回来一些具体的诸如讨价还价讲讲条件之类实质性意见。他扳着指头算一算手下部队，七七八八加起来，还有两万多人——九十一和一二〇两个残缺不齐的军部，相对完整的沈芝生师和刘漫天师；另外，第八补给区的骆驼兵团、两个警备团、两个机械化工兵营、三个汽车团、一个宪兵团、两个监护营、一个重炮营；此外几十门重炮、几百辆汽车，还有一个玉门油矿……
彭铭鼎算着算着，眼皮重耷耷的撑不住了，刚要熄灯入睡，有人敲门，是卫兵。他报告说，刘任刘副长官要彭铭鼎即刻去晤谈公务。
彭铭鼎赶到时，刘任正与政工处长上官业佑密谈。刘卧在床上，上官凑得很近，两人说话声音很低。当卫兵引导彭铭鼎一步跨入时，话音戛然而止。
刘任有点不自然。他比下午彭来探望时客气多了，边吩咐卫兵倒茶，边招呼说：“随便坐吧……我的手脚不能动，躁得慌，心情不好。”
这显然是为下午的事在开脱。彭铭鼎听到这句话，也就浮上笑容，寒暄起来。
两人开始七拉八扯。上官业佑趁这个机会满面讪笑地告辞。
刘任闲唠了几句，突然话锋一转：“老彭，空军有架飞机等在这里，我们一同飞重庆好不好？”
“这个……”彭铭鼎措手不及。但他立刻意识到这是个阴谋。一刹那间，彭的脑子里云海翻腾。还在武威时，彭与周嘉彬曾一块儿找上官业佑谈过一次话，希望共同促使新疆早日采取行动。另外，据郭寄峤在重庆打小报告时说，刘任认为是彭铭鼎反对他接替西北军政长官，致使这个位子空在那里。刘任称西北局面的恶化，是吃了彭的亏。此次车祸，刘任又认定事情与彭铭鼎有关系。新仇旧恨、老账新账，刘任要一笔清算。他是不是觉得这样一招一式和彭斗，自己不是彭的对手，而要把彭弄到重庆再借助国防部的力量来整治呢？
彭铭鼎是何许人也？他怎么会轻易就范！当即，彭镇定自若地答应道：“好啊，何时动身？”
“事不宜迟，趁天色不太晚，现在就走！”刘任窃喜。
“可以，我回去收拾一点简单行李，马上就来！”彭铭鼎匆匆辞出。
刘任一想，不对！姓彭的一贯老谋深算，鸡毛小事都要沉思再三才作决定，今天怎么对这样大的事，几乎想都没想就慨然应允呢？刘任越想越不对头，急唤躲在外屋的上官业佑：“快，通知空军那架飞机，准备起飞！”
“怎么，真的现在就走？”上官业佑慌张地问。
“对，就你和我，别人谁也不带！”
部队拖到这个时候，飞机对许多军官来说，简直就是起死回生的救命稻草，谁不想青云一上脱离苦海！可是，有几个人够这个级别、能得到这个机会呢？
黄祖埙当然没有问题，资格够、机会也有，但是……自从奸巧溜滑的周嘉彬不辞而别之后，黄就又紧张又懊悔，三番五次找到刘任要飞机，想和刘一起飞走。刘任故意心事重重地问，部队怎么办？油矿怎么办？又高唱什么忠于党国、不成功则成仁之类的高调，硬是用大道理把黄祖埙压住了，并且煞有介事，给黄拟发了一个委任状，让他担任“河西警备总司令部总司令”。
黄祖埙不是傻子，一面虚应刘任，一面留着自己的心眼。前两天见空军一架飞机在酒泉降落，就知道这是最后的机会了。为防止被刘任抛下，硬是把自己的铺盖卷搬到机场，日夜守候，苦苦盼着刘任及早出现。
刘任和上官业佑终于出现在机场。黄祖埙喜出望外地迎上去，让刘任吃了一惊。刘对这个妄自尊大的蒋系人物素怀不满，但从来没像此刻这么痛恨。他不得已露出笑脸，身子往上官业佑胳膊上倚得更紧，做出伤势很重的样子，说：“躺了几天，闷得慌，想出来透透气，正好碰到上官……”
黄祖埙说：“得了吧，都到这个时候了，你还跟我开玩笑！几时起飞？”
“起飞？起什么飞？我还没急着走呢，你身为警备司令，不画个句号就想走？”
黄祖埙理亏，只好苦笑着说：“句号有多种画法，有上上之策也有下下之策，你总不能让我在这里入土吧？”
刘任绷紧了脸说：“如果党国需要，有何不可！军人嘛，青山处处埋忠骨，何必马革裹尸还！我告诉你，我刘某不离开这里，你们谁也别想离开！等我伤好了再说吧。”说着，在上官业佑的搀扶下，又钻进汽车，一溜儿烟开回酒泉。
黄祖埙狗咬尿泡空欢喜，沮丧地耷着脑袋，想：都说这家伙出车祸把脑子撞出了毛病，还真是不假！薄暮已起，看看暮色中的那架飞机静静地躺着，黄祖埙灰心极了，越想越觉得自己窝囊。当晚，他悻悻地离开机场，把铺盖卷搬到城里去住。
第二天清早，四处传出消息，说刘任和上官处长飞往重庆去了。黄祖埙听到后觉得好笑，“胡扯，怎么会呢？”嘴上抢白人家，心里放不下，于是拨打彭铭鼎的电话。彭说：“这有什么大惊小怪，少了猪八戒，照样上西天！”
“那就是说，刘任真的飞走了？”黄祖埙急切地追问。
彭铭鼎把昨天傍晚发生的一切原原本本告诉了黄，把黄祖埙听呆了。
接下来黄的表现，在彭及多位当事人的回忆中都有描述。彭铭鼎记录得至为详备：“黄闻讯赶到机场，飞机已经升空，黄即晕倒在地，连爬带滚，抢天呼地，痛哭失声，骂不绝口，无奈之下，只好折回酒泉。一面派遣几股特务寻我谋杀；一面怂恿部属四处鸣枪放火，并亲自纵火把第九十一军仓库烧光。特务头子胡子萍唆使特务到处破坏设备，制造谣言，煽动反抗。顿时酒泉烟火四起，枪声大作，混乱不堪。”
这大概就是黄祖埙跟刘任所说的“下下之策”吧。
现在我们知道了，与刘任同机飞走的，除政工处长上官业佑之外，还有骑兵学校校长胡兢先。时间是凌晨6点整。而黄祖埙7点赶到机场，一直哭到下午4点左右。回城放完了火，带上一九一师副师长和几个参谋、副官、卫士等随从，骑着十多匹马，并以五六头骆驼驮着行李、粮食，向东南方向大摇大摆地走了，打算由青海，经西藏、西康，去云南；刘漫天的那个二四五师已远去安西；甘肃省政府各厅处、国民党中央在甘各机构以及四大银行人员的家属，一大串人马，由秘书长丁宜中领着，迎着风沙向新疆哈密逃去。
部队这下可真的散了，城内枪声、手榴弹爆炸声此起彼伏，城外散兵游勇三五成群，到处横行抢劫，老百姓村村寨寨鸡飞狗跳，一片哭喊哀告……
彭铭鼎已经欲哭无泪。他自兰州以来顶在头上的算盘珠子再也没法拨了，几个师之中，最满编的沈芝生师