Chapter 9 8. There is a "pocket" on the flat door

In mid-September, the battle in the second theater under the command of Yan Xishan was urgent.Yan Xishan was under great pressure under the Japanese offensive, and he immediately asked the Eighth Route Army to help defend Pingxingguan.Zhou Enlai and Peng Dehuai agreed. On the 23rd, the Eighth Route Army headquarters then ordered Lin Biao and Nie Rongzhen to lead the main force of the 115th division to flank the enemy who was advancing towards Pingxingguan. Lin Biao (1906-1971), born in Huanggang, Hubei. Joined the Communist Youth League in June 1923 and joined the Communist Party in 1925.Graduated from the fourth infantry department of Whampoa Military Academy. In the autumn of 1926, he served as the platoon leader of the Ye Ting Independent Regiment of the National Revolutionary Army.Participate in the Northern Expedition. In April 1927, he served as company commander and participated in the Second Northern Expedition.After the failure of the Great Revolution, he participated in the Nanchang Uprising and the Shonan Uprising.He served as the commander of the 2nd Company of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Division of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army. In April 1928, he went to Jinggangshan with the troops and served as the commander of the 1st Battalion of the 28th Regiment of the 10th Division of the 4th Red Army and the commander of the 28th Regiment. In 1929, he moved to southern Jiangxi and western Fujian with the main force of the 4th Red Army, and served as the commander of the first column and member of the Front Enemy Committee of the 4th Red Army of the Communist Party of China. In June 1930, he served as the commander of the 4th Red Army. In March 1932, he served as the commander-in-chief of the Red 1st Corps (later renamed the Corps Commander).He led his troops to participate in the first to fifth anti-"encirclement and suppression" operations and the Long March in the Central Revolutionary Base Area. In September 1935, he served as the deputy commander of the Shaanxi-Gansu Detachment of the Red Army and the commander of the first column; after arriving in northern Shaanxi in October, he was still the commander of the 1st Red Army. In May 1936, he served as the president and political commissar of the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese Military and Political University.After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, he served as the commander of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army.

Nie Rongzhen (1899-1992), born in Jiangjin, Sichuan. He joined the Communist Youth League in August 1922 and joined the Communist Party in the spring of 1923.During the May 4th Movement, he actively participated in the patriotic struggle of local students. In August 1925, he returned from the Soviet Union and served as secretary and political instructor of the Political Department of Whampoa Military Academy. After the beginning of the Northern Expedition in the autumn of 1926, he served as a special commissioner of the Military Commission of the Guangdong District Committee of the Communist Party of China and marched into Wuhan with the Ye Ting Independent Regiment of the Northern Expedition Army. In 1927, he participated in leading the Nanchang Uprising and the Guangzhou Uprising. In December 1931, he entered the Central Revolutionary Base and served as the deputy director of the General Political Department of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission. In March 1932, he served as a political commissar of the 1st Red Army, and led his troops to participate in the fourth and fifth anti-"encirclement and suppression" campaigns and the Long March in the Central Revolutionary Base.After arriving in northern Shaanxi, he served as a political commissar of the 1st Red Army.After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, he served as the deputy commander and political commissar of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army.

After receiving the telegram, Nie Rongzhen immediately led his troops to Shangzhai to join the first echelon led by Lin Biao.After dinner, Lin Biao and Nie Rongzhen spread out military maps under the oil lamp. While studying the combat plan, they sent people to reconnaissance the terrain of Pingxingguan and the enemy's situation.Lin Biao seemed to be hesitating. He knew that the troops were about to encounter a fierce enemy, and the battle of Pingxingguan would be a tough and vicious battle.However, on September 1, Mao Zedong called to ask the Eighth Route Army to launch independent mountain guerrilla warfare, "adhere to the principle of relying on the mountains and not fighting tough battles", so he had doubts.

So Lin Biao asked Nie Rongzhen: "Should we fight this battle?" Of course, Nie Rongzhen had to consider the opinions of the central government.However, he believed that under the ferocious attacks of the Japanese invaders, the spirit of the friendly army was lost, and the enemy was full of arrogance. This battle has a bearing on the prestige of the army and the hearts of the people. Although we insist on guerrilla warfare, we can also fight mobile warfare when conditions are favorable. 21 Didn't the Central Committee of the Japanese Communist Party send a telegram ordering: "We should use flexible and flexible attacks to eliminate small enemy units"?

Therefore, Nie Rongzhen said decisively: "Fight! Why not fight? It is very cheap to use such a good terrain, condescending, and ambush the arrogant enemy. Now it is not a question of whether to fight, but to fight In the first confrontation of the Japanese invading army, the majesty of the Eighth Route Army was displayed, and the anti-Japanese sentiment of the people of the whole country was inspired!" After listening to Lin Biao's introduction to the terrain of Pingxingguan, Nie Rongzhen and Lin Biao agreed to immediately convene a meeting of cadres above the division and company for pre-war mobilization.At noon, all the cadres above the division, except those who stayed on duty, gathered in Shangzhai Primary School, 10 kilometers southeast of Pingxingguan, for a meeting.

As soon as the mobilization meeting was over, Lin Biao and Nie Rongzhen led the commanders to the ambush point to learn about the terrain of the battlefield. They climbed up the mountain ridges around Pingxingguan, looked around, and looked for a favorable terrain to use their troops.There are many mountains in this area, but the mountains are not too steep.Looking around for a week, there are mountains and mountains, peaks and peaks, and thousands of people can hide without showing a trace.The ancient and majestic Great Wall winds among the mountains.Pingxingguan, the dangerous pass of the Great Wall, is located between the mountains and ridges.

Going forward, Lin Biao and Nie Rongzhen became excited. The narrow strip marked on the map is here!This is a narrow ancient road extending from northeast to southwest. It leads from Pingxingguan Pass to Donghe Town in Lingqiu County.About ten kilometers in the middle of the ancient road, the terrain is the most dangerous. It is only three to five meters wide, and only one truck can pass through it.On both sides of the ancient road in the 10-100-meter-deep valley, there are relatively gentle banks.What a great place to ambush! The commanders smiled knowingly: Just open your pockets here, lay down a net, and beat the Japanese invaders hard!

Returning to the camp, Lin Biao and Nie Rongzhen received reports from scouts that the Japanese army had advanced to the east of Caijiayu and planned to attack Pingxingguan tomorrow.After careful analysis and research, they determined that the enemy must go to the place they chose to set up an ambush, and then ordered: The 343 brigade will set off at 24:00 this evening, and enter an ambush at Baiyatai, which is only two or three miles away from the enemy's car route. The 344th Brigade then moved in. As soon as the time came, the main force of the 115th Division set up camp from Shangzhai and Xiaguan, and rushed to the Ranzhuang area, more than 30 miles away from Pingxingguan, to gather and hide.As soon as the army set out, the weather changed suddenly. There was a rare torrential rain, the temperature dropped sharply, and the autumn cold hit people.God seems to want to test the will of the officers and soldiers of the 115th Division.

Lin Biao and Nie Rongzhen issued an order: March urgently, do not fall behind.The soldiers understand that fighter planes are hard-won, and they have to attack as usual even with knives! So, in the wind and rain, this strong team walked through the muddy ravine with one foot deep and one foot shallow.Flash floods broke out and the water level soared. Everyone held hands or dragged their ponytails through the waist-deep rapids. The 343rd Brigade went first, and when the team arrived at the destination on schedule, it was raining and the sun was shining. On the morning of September 25, Lin Biao and Nie Rongzhen set up a headquarters on an unobtrusive and unnamed hill in Pingxingguan.

Now, the "pockets" of Lin Biao and Nie Rongzhen have been firmly laid out: the 685th regiment of the 343rd brigade is led by Yang Dezhi, the 686th regiment is led by Yang Yong and is ambushing in Shili Changgou, and the 685th regiment is lying in ambush west of Baiyatai to eliminate Guangou. The Japanese invaders of Laoye Temple, the 686th regiment, lay on the right side, preparing to wipe out the enemies from Laoyemiao to Caijiayu; the 687th regiment of Xu Haidong's 344th Brigade was ordered to occupy the high ground north of Donghe River, preparing to cut off the enemy's rear; The reserve team has not yet entered the position; Yang Chengwu led the independent regiment, and Liu Yunbiao led the cavalry battalion also quietly marched into the northeast and east of Pingxingguan, preparing to cooperate with the main force.