Chapter 15 1. Separate but not surround

According to the overall plan of Mao Zedong and the Central Military Commission, for Fu Zuoyi's long snake formation, our army will first make a fuss in the west, first encircle Zhangjiakou, and then encircle Xinbaoan.From the time when Yang Chengwu led his troops to Zhangjiakou until the liberation of Zhangjiakou, our army surrounded Zhangjiakou for almost a month.For the enemy of Xinbaoan, our army also surrounded for half a month. Why do we have to be around for a long time instead of fighting quickly?This is out of the central government's overall consideration of the North China battlefield, and the policy of "surrounding but not fighting" on the western front is aimed at detaining Fu Zuoyi, making him unable to make up his mind to flee south, and allowing the 600,000 troops under his command to stay. in North China.For the Beiping, Tianjin, and Tanggu areas on the Eastern Front, the policy of "separation without encirclement" was adopted, that is, after the Eastern Army entered the pass, they were only quickly inserted between several large cities to isolate the enemy's forces. Divide up, don't encircle, don't attack, so that they can neither concentrate their operations nor arrange to flee south. The purpose is still to keep Fu Zuoyi's troops in North China. After gaining a complete grasp of cutting off the enemy's southward escape route, we will launch an annihilating strike against the enemy.

This plan is the basic arrangement of the Central Military Commission for the initial operations of the North China battlefield, and it has been gradually implemented and improved from the beginning.The most complete statement can be found in Mao Zedong's "Battle Policy on the Battle of Pingjin" formulated by the Central Military Commission.This important document was originally a telegram from the Central Military Commission drafted by Mao Zedong to Lin Biao, Luo Ronghuan and Liu Yalou on December 11, 1948.This telegram made important and specific arrangements for several important issues in the North China battlefield at that time and in the future. It was the most important plan and arrangement of the Central Military Commission for the decisive battle in Pingjin, and it was fully realized in subsequent operations.Therefore, when it was included in the fourth volume of "Selected Works of Mao Zedong", it was named "Operation Policy on the Battle of Pingjin".The full text of the telegram is as follows:

(1) The enemies in Zhangjiakou, Xinbaoan, Huailai and the whole of Peiping, Tianjing, Tanggu and Tangshan, except for certain units such as the 35th Army, the 62nd Army and the 94th Army; In addition to relying on fortifications to be conservative and have strong combat effectiveness, the offensive spirit is very poor, and you have become frightened, especially after you enter the customs.Never overestimate the enemy's combat power.Some of our comrades have suffered from overestimating the enemy's combat power in the past, and after being criticized, they have already understood.Now that Zhangjiakou and Xinbaoan are indeed surrounded, it is generally difficult to break out and escape.About half of the Sixteenth Army was quickly wiped out.The Huailai enemy 104th Army fled south in a hurry, and it is estimated that it may be wiped out today or tomorrow.After the enemy is wiped out, you plan to use four vertical lines from southwest to northeast to cut off the connection between Nankou and Beiping.It is estimated that this move will not be easy to achieve. Either the 94th Army and the remnants of the 16th Army will withdraw to Beiping, or the 94th Army, 16th Army, and 92nd Army will gather together for defense in Nankou, Changping, and Shahe Township.But Si Zong's move directly threatened the northwestern and northern suburbs of Beiping, and could restrain these enemies from moving.If these enemies dare to advance westward to receive reinforcements from the Thirty-Fifth Army, they can directly cut off their rear or directly attack Beiping. Therefore, these enemies probably dare not advance westward again.Our North China Yang, Luo, and Geng corps surrounded the three divisions of the 35th Army with nine divisions, which is an absolute advantage.They proposed to annihilate the enemy as soon as possible, and we intend to ask them not to fight for the time being, so as to attract the enemy in Pingjin to not make up his mind to escape from the sea.This time they surrounded the 35th Army with two columns and blocked the 104th Army with one column. Both enemies were repelled.

(2) We now agree with you to immediately go to the vicinity of Nankou with the Five Columns and threaten the enemies of Peiping, Nankou and Huairou from the northeast.In the future, this column will be located in this area so that in the future (about 10 or 15 days later, after the North China Yang, Luo, and Geng corps wiped out the 35th Army), the four columns will be freed for use in the east.In this case, please order the five verticals to continue westward today. (3) The third column will never go to Nankou. According to our telegram on the 9th, the column can be opened to the east of Beiping and the south of Tongxian County, threatening Peiping from the east, and forming a defense against Beiping with the fourth, eleventh, and fifth columns. surrounded.

(4) But our real aim is not to encircle Peiping first, but to encircle Tianjin, Tanggu, Lutai and Tangshan first. (5) According to our estimates, around December 15, your ten verticals, nine verticals, six verticals, eight verticals, Pao verticals, and seven verticals will be concentrated in the area centered on Yutian. We propose that within a few days from December 20th to December 25th, we will take rapid actions to encircle Tianjin with six columns: three columns (from the eastern suburbs of Beiping), six columns, seven columns, eight columns, nine columns, and ten columns. , Tanggu, Lutai, and Tangshan, if the enemies at all points were still roughly in the same state as they are now.The method is to place two columns in the area centered on Wuqing, namely Langfang, Hexiwu, and Yangcun, and insert five columns between Tianjin, Tanggu, Lutai, Tangshan, and Guye to separate the Enemy contact.

Each column must build a two-sided blocking position to prevent the enemy from escaping, then rest the troops to recover from fatigue, and then attack and wipe out a few smaller enemies.At this time, the four verticals should be moved from Pingxibei to Pingdong.Our North China Yang, Luo, and Geng corps should wipe out the enemies of Xinbaoan before the four vertical movements.In the east, according to the situation, we should strive to wipe out the enemy in Tanggu first and control Haikou.As long as Tanggu (the most important) and Xinbao are conquered, the overall situation will come alive.The above-mentioned works actually refer to Zhangjiakou, Xinbaoan, Nankou, Beiping, Huairou, Shunyi, Tongxian, Wanping (Zhuoxian and Liangxiang have been occupied by me), Fengtai, Tianjin, Tanggu, Lutai, Tangshan, Kaiping The enemies at all points are surrounded.

(6) This method is basically the method you used during the battles on the Yixian, Jinzhou, Jinxi, Xingcheng, Suizhong, Yuguan, and Luanxian lines (Note: During the decisive battle in Liaoshen, Dongye In order not to shrink and concentrate the enemies on the Beining line, the method of dividing and encircling the enemies in each stronghold was adopted first, and then annihilating them one by one). (7) Within two weeks from today (December 11 to December 25), the basic principle is to encircle and not fight (such as Zhangjiakou and Xinbaoan), and some are to divide but not encircle (that is, only strategic encirclement and partition All the enemies should contact each other instead of encircling them in a campaign (for example, against Ping, Tianjin, and Tongzhou), so as to wipe out each enemy after the deployment is completed.In particular, the enemies in Zhangjiakou, Xinbaoan, and Nankou must not be wiped out. This will force the enemies in the east to make quick decisions and run wildly. Please understand this point.

(8) In order to prevent Chiang Kai-shek from making a quick decision to transport all the enemies from Pingjin to the south by sea, we are going to order Liu Bocheng, Deng Xiaoping, Chen Yi, and Su Yu to annihilate the Huangwei Corps, leaving the Qiu Qingquan, Li Mi, and Sun Yuanliang Corps under the command of Du Yuming (which have already been wiped out) About half of the troops), the rest will not be deployed for final annihilation within two weeks. (9) In order to prevent the enemy from fleeing to Tsingtao, we are going to order Shandong to concentrate some troops to control a section of the Yellow River near Tsinan, and to make preparations on the Kyo-Jinan line.

(10) It is impossible or very unlikely for the enemy to flee to Xuzhou, Zhengzhou, Xi'an, and Suiyuan. (11) The only or main concern is the fear of the enemy fleeing by sea.Therefore, in the current two weeks, the method of encircling without fighting or separating without encircling should generally be adopted. (12) This kind of plan is not hostile, and it will be difficult for the enemy to detect it until you have completed your final deployment.The enemy may now estimate that you will attack Peiping. (13) The enemy always underestimates the enthusiasm of our army and always overestimates his own strength, although at the same time they are frightened.The enemies of Pingjin never expect that you will be able to complete the above deployment before December 25th.

(14) In order to complete the above-mentioned deployment before December 25, you should encourage the troops not to worry about fatigue, downsizing, cold or hunger within two weeks. Take it easy. (15) The approximate order of attack is: first Tanglu District, second Xinbaoan, third Tangshan District, fourth Tianjin and Zhangjiakou Districts, and finally Beiping District. (16) What are your opinions on the above plan?What are the disadvantages of this plan? What are the difficulties in implementing it?Hope to consider the telegram. This very detailed combat policy is easy to understand after we have understood the previous combat situation in North China. As for why the western front had to "siege" Xinbaoan and Zhangjiakou for half a month to one month It will be easier to understand the "separation but not encirclement" of several cities on the eastern route.

In order to achieve the purpose of keeping Fu Zuoyi's army in North China instead of withdrawing to the south, and at the same time, to focus Fu Zuoyi's attention on the western front and transfer the main force in the Beiping area to the western front, in order to achieve the purpose of covering the entry of our army from the east and the wilderness, Mao Zedong The advance corps commanding the North China Military Region and Dongye to enter the customs first carried out a series of battles of ghosts and ghosts, echoing from east to west.Here is a concise timetable: On November 23, Dongye's 800,000 troops entered the customs in three routes from Shenyang, Jinzhou and Yingkou. On November 24, our North China Three Corps began to dispatch and launched an attack on Zhangjiakou. On November 29, the North China Three Corps launched an attack on Zhangjiakou, and the Pingjin Campaign officially began. On December 2, the North China Second Corps and the Dongye Advance Corps, which entered the pass first, launched an offensive on the Pingsui Line. On December 2, 3, and 4, Fu Zuoyi flew to Zhangjiakou for three consecutive days to direct the war on the western front. On December 7, Lin Biao, Luo Ronghuan, and Liu Yalou arrived at Mengjialou in Jixian County. On December 9, the Second North China Corps completed the encirclement of the 35th Army in Xinbaoan. On December 10, the four columns of the Dongye Advance Corps captured Kangzhuang, an important military town in the northwest of Beiping, and wiped out the enemy's 16th army. On December 11, the Four Columns annihilated the enemy's 104th Army that had withdrawn from Huailai to Peiping. On December 11, Fu Zuoyi urgently transferred the 62nd Army, 92nd Army, and 94th Army in the Tianjin and Tang areas to reinforce Beiping. Because our army carried out coordinated operations from east to west, and "surrounded but did not fight" on the western front, it successfully completed the goal of keeping Fu Zuoyi in North China, and at the same time covered the entry of the Dongye army.According to relevant information, Fu Zuoyi did not know for sure that Dongye had entered the border until December 5th when Dongye 11th Zong captured Miyun County.In fact, the Eleventh Column that attacked Miyun was the advance corps of Dongye, that is, the Second Corps. As we have said before, it was the Central Military Commission who entered the pass from the northeast in order to repel Fu Zuoyi's surprise attack on Shijiazhuang and Xibaipo. They entered the pass as early as November On the 14th, he had already arrived in the Jixian area. Of course, it is impossible for Fu Zuoyi to know that Dongye's 12 columns of 800,000 troops have already entered the pass, and the five columns, three columns, ten columns, and nine columns have already reached the eastern Jibei area on December 8.It is even more impossible for him to know that Lin Biao had already arrived at Mengjialou in Jixian County, which is only 90 kilometers away from Beiping, on December 7. If the Eleventh Zong did not fight Miyun, Fu Zuoyi might not know the news of Dongye's entry until later.The attack on Miyun on the 11th was an action that had not been planned.The situation at the time was like this: According to the order of the Central Military Commission, the Dongye Second Corps set off from the Sanhe and Jixian areas on December 2, marched westward from the north of Beiping, inserted directly into the Huailai and Zhuolu areas on the Pingsui line, and entered the Pingsui line in the west to support The battle between the North China Second Corps and the Third Corps on the Western Front.When the troops were approaching Miyun, Commander Cheng Zihua felt that this county in the northeast of Beiping was an important outlying stronghold, controlling both the Pingcheng Railway going northeast and the Pingsui Railway going northwest. Moving westward is a nail that directly threatens the westward movement of the troops.According to reconnaissance, there are not many defenders in the city, only a security regiment and some policemen, so this nail can be easily pulled out. Therefore, in order to eliminate this threat, he ordered He Jinnian, the commander of the 11th Column, and Chen Renqi, the political commissar, to remove Miyun. After the Eleventh Column accepted the order, it immediately organized troops to attack.He Jinnian arranged for the 31st Division and the 32nd Division to attack the city from different directions, and the 33rd Division monitored the enemies in the Changping and Huairou directions.But I didn't expect that the attack was very difficult.It turned out that the enemy's reconnaissance was not accurate enough, and the enemy's deployment had changed a lot. The 155th Division of the Thirteenth Army retreated from Shixia and Gubeikou, and entered Miyun. The enemy in the city was not just a regiment, but It is four groups.In addition, as Miyun is an important town near Gyeonggi, the city defense fortifications are also quite strong.In this way, the attack on Miyun changed from the original estimate of "taking advantage of the sheep" to "gnawing hard bones".Therefore, the 11th Zong fought for a whole day before taking down a county.Although more than 6,700 enemies were eliminated, Fu Zuoyi in Beiping City was alarmed after a not too small battle.That's why Fu Zuoyi hastily ordered that the 35th Army, which was going to support Zhangjiakou, return to Beiping at night. Because of the attack on Miyun, and because our army's large-scale operations were discovered by the enemy, there is no secret to keep Dongye's entry. On December 7, Lin Biao sent the following telegram to the Central Military Commission: Due to the sparsely populated mountains to the north of Shanhaiguan and the road from Pingquan to Zunhua, too many troops passed by. At the same time, a large number of our troops marched southward for a long distance.Yesterday I ordered the last three armies (Note: The Central Military Commission issued a general order on November 1st to unify the numbers of the whole army, stipulating that the numbers of the columns and brigades of the whole army should be changed to army and division, and the number of the whole army Unified organization. According to the unified organization of the Military Commission, the field corps of the whole army is organized into four field armies, namely, the first field to the fourth field. The Ninth Army. However, in telegrams and oral reports during this period, the old and new designations were used together from the central government to the localities, and the old designations were used more often. Therefore, we still use the old designations in the narration of this book. Here The three armies mentioned refer to the 39th Army, 49th Army and 44th Army of the Four Fields, that is, the Second Column, the Twelve Columns and the Seventh Column of the East Field) advancing through Xingcheng, Suizhong, and Shanhaiguan. That is to say, since most of the troops had entered the pass and the enemy already knew about it, the three columns no longer carried out secret operations, and simply advanced openly on the road at full speed.By December 12, Dongye's large forces had assembled in Jixian, Yutian, and Fengrun areas in eastern Hebei. The entry of the Dongye army caused a great shock in the places where the troops passed and where they were camped, and they were warmly welcomed.At this time, most of the rural areas in North China were already liberated areas under the leadership of our party, and Jidong, where the Dongye headquarters is located, was an old liberated area since the War of Resistance Against Japan. The logistics supply has done as much support as possible.When the Dongye headquarters arrived in Zunhua, Pan Feng, the commander of the Eastern Jidong Military Region, and Wu De, the political commissar and secretary of the Party Committee of the eastern Jidong region, were called to report and accept the task.According to Luo Ronghuan's instructions, the Jidong military region followed the Dongye headquarters and moved to the vicinity of Mengjialou in Jixian County in order to better arrange various logistics support and support work, and command local troops to cooperate with the actions of the Dongye army. What is the first task after Higashino enters the customs?It is what Mao Zedong clearly pointed out in "The Combat Policy on the Battle of Pingjin" that it is not to attack any city, but to "separate but not encircle, that is, only conduct strategic encirclement, cut off the contact of all enemies, and do not conduct campaign encirclement, waiting for deployment After finishing, wipe out the enemies one by one."To be more specific, "Two columns are located in the area centered on Wuqing, namely Langfang, Hexiwu, and Yangcun, and five columns are inserted between Tianjin, Tanggu, Lutai, Tangshan, and Guye. To cut off the connection between the enemies, each column must build a blocking position on both sides, so that the enemy cannot run away."According to Mao Zedong's deployment, after entering the customs, the Dongye army had no time to rest, and soon engaged in the battle of "separating but not encircling" the strongholds in the Pingjin area.