Chapter 11 Chapter 10 Fighting in the Northwest

Under the city of Lanzhou, Ma Jiajun wanted to compete with Peng Dehuai.The first attack was frustrated, and our army failed to tear a hole on the tens of miles long front.Peng Dehuai admitted that the troops underestimated the enemy.Mr. Peng sent a telegram to the central government to ask for instructions to attack Lanzhou again as soon as possible. The Shenjialing bloody battle involved 3,000 of our warriors blood-stained.In the Battle of Lanzhou, our army won the decisive battle on the Northwest battlefield. Lanzhou, known as "Golden City" in ancient times, got its name because of its danger of "Golden City Tangchi".In the sixth year of the Han Dynasty, Jincheng County was established.In the first year of Emperor Kaihuang of the Sui Dynasty, Lanzhou General Manager's Mansion was established, and it was called Lanzhou. In 1666, that is, the fifth year of Kangxi, Gansu Xunfu moved to Lanzhou, which belonged to Gaolan County. Lanzhou City was established in 1941.Around it, the beautiful Gansu pastures border the Tibetan Plateau, the magical and long Hexi Corridor connects the oases of Xinjiang, the rich ancient Liangzhou Plain connects Ningxia with cattle and sheep, and the Longdong of the Loess Plateau connects with Shaanxi. Eight hundred miles away from Qinchuan.It is located in the northwest of the motherland, and it is the hub from the mainland to Qinghai, Tibet, Xinjiang and Ningxia.

Today's Lanzhou is protected by towering ancient trees in the north and south, and mountains with overlapping peaks. It is a peaceful and beautiful scene.But only the surging Yellow River, slapping the red stone cliffs on both sides day and night, making a thick and rough sound, passing through the city center, like an old man who has gone through vicissitudes, telling people a majestic and tragic history story. After the Battle of Fumei, Hu Zongnan's group was seriously injured and retreated into the Qinling Mountains.The alliance between the direct line of the Kuomintang Central Army and the Northwest Erma was shattered.Frightened by the prestige of our army, the two horses Qing and Ning retreated all the way west and went straight back to their lair.

The decisive battle in Pingliang, which Mao Zedong and Peng Dehuai had placed high hopes on to resolve the Northwest issue, was delayed.It was something Peng Dehuai didn't want to but had no choice for the two horses of Qing and Ning to put the decisive battle in Lanzhou. The ancient city of Lanzhou is destined to undergo the baptism of blood and fire. The atmosphere before the war was very tense. After the soldiers of the People's Liberation Army approached the city of Lanzhou, they hurriedly repaired the fortifications, raised food and grass, and stockpiled ammunition. Because the army drove straight in, and this was not a base area, and there was no support in the rear, it was more difficult to fight the enemy in Lanzhou. Peng Dehuai, Wang Zhen, Xu Guangda, Yang Dezhi and other senior generals fully considered this feature and decided not to attack blindly. Attack when everything is ready.

For the Ma's army, in addition to strengthening some of the original fortifications, they rushed to repair many new bunkers.Lanzhou was originally a city that was easy to defend and difficult to attack. It faces the Yellow River in the north and is surrounded by mountains on three sides.There are a large number of permanent fortifications built on the mountain, and densely packed bunkers are built in the main positions. The most difficult ones are probably Donggangpo in the east, Gaolan Mountain in the south, Shenjialing and Gouwa Mountain in the west.These mountains have few paths, steep mountains, and dense bunkers. The People's Liberation Army can only attack from low to high to attack Lanzhou. To capture Lanzhou, you must take down the outer positions one by one. There is no other way.

And the defender in Lanzhou is the arrogant Ma Jiyuan.This person is the only one among Ma Bufang's sons who has a heavy army and is the most arrogant. When the Kuomintang army fled everywhere in 1949, he was the only one who clamored to touch the PLA all day long.Before the war, he defended Lanzhou City with the 82nd Army and the 129th Army, which had the strongest combat effectiveness. These two armies had about 50,000 soldiers. The Eighty-first Army has more than 20,000 people on the left wing, and the newly formed cavalry army has about 20,000 people on the right wing.After finishing the arrangement, Ma Jiyuan looked up to the sky and shouted: "Peng Dehuai, come quickly! I miss you so much!"

Ma Jiyuan even brazenly boasted in Haikou: "Victory over Lanzhou, and then take Xi'an in one fell swoop, break out of Tongguan, arrive at the Central Plains, occupy the whole country, let the Ma family rule the world!" In 1949, Ma Jiyuan was probably the only one who could say such a thing. Ma Jiyuan also wrote two banners and hung them on the wall: "Turn the tide in the past", and "Set the universe in the northwest".Compared with those senior Kuomintang generals who were frightened by the People's Liberation Army, Ma Jiyuan was a bit promising.It's just that he is too arrogant and has reached the point of being neurotic.

The period in the first ten days of August was very difficult for Peng Dehuai. Except for sleeping, his mind was full of thoughts about how to fight for youth and win the second horse. Where to start?The terrain in Lanzhou is very special, and the opponent is currently the most effective unit of the Kuomintang army. The fanatical religious sentiment and aggressive character make the Ma family army very arrogant. If they really let them fight smoothly and go crazy, this battle will be difficult to fight up. Standing in front of the military map, Peng Dehuai weighed it over and over again, and decided to take the Nanshan position and the Yellow River iron bridge to the north first at all costs.By capturing the Nanshan position, you can grasp the commanding heights, condescending, and sweep the Ma's army.Occupying the Yellow River Iron Bridge is tantamount to cutting off the defenders' only retreat.These two points are the key to winning the Battle of Lanzhou.

Peng Dehuai's combat deployment based on this is: Xu Guangda's Second Corps: Attack Yingpanling, Shenjialing and Qilihe, and then attack Xiguan and Nanguan in Lanzhou City. One part will go eastward along the south bank of the Yellow River to capture the Yellow River Iron Bridge, and the other part will cross the Yellow River north from the Qilihe area. Annihilate the enemies on the North Shore. Yang Dezhi's 19th Corps: Along the Xilan Highway, first captured 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.

This deployment is concise and to the point, in line with Peng Dehuai's usual style, just like his personality. Many old people who fought against Peng Dehuai recalled that Mr. Peng was very cautious when fighting Lanzhou. He knew that this was the last big battle in the Northwest. Even on the battlefields across the country, there are not many tough battles like this.In central and southern China, the Kuomintang army basically lost its fighting spirit, like a frightened bird.However, Ma Bufang and his son are known for their cruelty. Before that, they had basically never fought a big battle with the People's Liberation Army. The army is relatively complete. They also understand that this is their last chance. If they fail, they will be benevolent. It is impossible for them to lay down their weapons of.Mao Zedong, Peng Dehuai and others did not expect the Ma family father and son to surrender at all. If they don't beat them to pieces, they won't admit defeat...

Some old people also said that during the attack on Lanzhou, Mr. Peng had a very violent temper and would scold people at every turn. Not only regiment commanders and division commanders were scolded, but even army commanders and corps commanders were scolded. Maybe I couldn’t figure it out at the time, but I figured it out later, Mr. Peng has that kind of straight temper, it’s okay to scold you a few words, and Mr. Peng scolded you as soon as he scolded you. suffer... Some old people even recalled emotionally that on the eve of the war, Mr. Peng set up the headquarters of the field army in Qiaojiawan in the southeast of Lanzhou.Mr. Peng is used to moving the headquarters forward. He often said that relying on maps and telephones to command wars is not effective. Therefore, he also has a habit of running to the battlefield every time there is a big war, and he will come as soon as he says he wants without prior notice. The teachers and regiment leaders were at a loss.When fighting Lanzhou, Mr. Peng ran the most times to the front positions, almost all the front positions...

The battle of Lanzhou is related to the war situation in the entire Northwest! Peng Dehuai said: "Ma Jiyuan will not give up Lanzhou. He wants to stick to his lair in Lanzhou and fight our army here to the death. Then, let him be fulfilled this time!" He also said: "This Ma Bufang is really arrogant, he wants to eat us in Lanzhou, well, let's wait and see!" Ma Jiyuan said that he wanted to let Peng Dehuai know that "the Lord Ma has eyes", and that he "arrived in the Central Plains, occupied the whole country, and let the Ma family rule the world". Anyone would find these words very ridiculous.And Peng Dehuai didn't say big things, he was telling the truth, let's see who laughs last. In terms of level, Peng Dehuai is more than ten times stronger than Ma Jiyuan. Peng Dehuai has fully estimated the difficulty of the Battle of Lanzhou. On August 21, before the general offensive was launched, he dictated a telegram to Wang Zhen, the beloved general who led the First Corps to detour to Qinghai from the left wing, pointing out: The Qingma Bandit Army is determined to stick to Lanzhou. After our Left Corps enters Linxia, It may shake its determination to stick to it, but it may also urge it to resolutely defend it regardless of everything, or even abandon Xining, withdraw to the east bank of the Datong River, Xiangtang, Xincheng, and the north bank of the Huangshui River to protect the retreat to the west of Hexi.When our army fails to attack Lanzhou for six or seven days, the main force of Ningma may take the opportunity to reinforce Lanzhou.There are more than 2,000 vehicles in the two horses of Qinghai and Ningxia. It is necessary to fully estimate the possibility of transporting the main vehicles of Ningma and Ningma to Lanzhou.If this happens, the First Corps can detour to the north of Lanzhou, and our army will concentrate 3 Corps to fight in Lanzhou.The Wang Zhen Corps should be fully prepared for this type of battle. At the same time, in order to prevent Hu Zongnan from reinforcing Lanzhou, Peng Dehuai also decided to let the Zhou Shidi Corps contain Hu Zongnan's remnant. On the same day, Peng Dehuai, in the name of the First Field Army Command, issued a tactical instruction to attack Lanzhou, pointing out: The Qingma bandit army is the most effective force among the enemy forces today, and there are also countless stubborn enemies in the country. We must have enough for him. estimate, and make full mental preparations, and refrain from underestimating the enemy's pride. Here, Peng Dehuai once again warned the troops to prevent arrogance and underestimation of the enemy. In fact, there is indeed blind pride and complacency in the army. Some regiment leaders even patted their chests and said: "No problem, give me the main attack task. I have two hours, and I promise to take it down!" Some said: "The current situation across the country is that the autumn wind sweeps away the fallen leaves, and the enemy is preparing to flee. Ma Bufang and his son will not stick to Lanzhou. Maybe they will slip away as soon as the fighting starts." This kind of wishful thinking really laid the seeds of disaster for the subsequent battle. Thinking about it, it is no wonder that the cadres and soldiers have the idea of ​​​​underestimating the enemy. In the past six months or so, the situation has developed too fast. The three major battles knocked out more than 1.5 million Kuomintang troops, and the Battle of Crossing the River immediately occupied Nanjing, the capital of the Kuomintang. , Soon Shanghai also declared its liberation, and the red flag was planted in Taiyuan City.In the south of the Yangtze River, the second, third, and fourth field armies of more than 2 million troops chased the remnants of the Kuomintang until they were out of breath. Those who surrendered and the uprisings collapsed at the first touch. hit.What can these small warlords in the Northwest do in the face of the mighty First Field Army? The problem lies precisely here. The Ma Jiajun under the command of Ma Bufang and Ma Jiyuan is by no means a bone to chew. The specific situation before the battle of Lanzhou was as follows: Lanzhou was surrounded by the People's Liberation Army regiments on the east, south, and west sides, and the Iron Bridge of the Yellow River to the north was still in the hands of the Ma Jiajun. blocked.This is the biggest difference from the Battle of Taiyuan. Peng Dehuai decided to attack the entire line of the Lanzhou defenders with the strength of 9 regiments. The People's Liberation Army attacking Lanzhou consisted of five armies, namely the Fourth Army, the Sixth Army, the Sixty-third Army, and the Sixty-fifth Army; the Third Army was the general reserve.The first nine regiments to attack were drawn from the first four armies. The specific deployment is: the 63rd Army and the 65th Army will attack the Doujiashan, Guchengling and Shilishan first-line positions with a total of 5 regiments; the Fourth Army will attack the Shenjialing position with 2 regiments; The Sixth Army attacked Panling, the main peak of Gaolan Mountain, with two regiments. The curtain of attacking Lanzhou has been quietly opened.The 63rd Army and 65th Army of the North China Field Army went into battle as vanguards. The deployment of these main positions in Majiyuanzhuang is: the 100th Division sticks to Majia Mountain, Doujia Mountain, Gucheng Ridge and Shili Mountain; the 248th Division sticks to Yingpan Ridge; the 190th Division sticks to Shenjialing and Gouwa Mountain line.These three divisions are the most effective units in the hands of Ma Jiyuan.In addition, in other positions, there are the 129th Army and security forces.There are about 50,000 defenders in the city.Judging from the comparison of military strength, the People's Liberation Army has an absolute advantage. The Kuomintang army still has three armies on the outskirts of Lanzhou. These troops basically do not listen to Ma Jiyuan's dispatch, so the People's Liberation Army may not consider it for the time being.Although Ma Ji's reinforcements were not many, their positions were solid.He believes that some positions can be worth 100,000 soldiers.In everything, offense and defense are always a pair of contradictions.As the defender, due to the good terrain and solid fortifications, it is equivalent to increasing one's own yardage. In the middle of the night on August 20, the nine regiments participating in the first attack quietly entered the position, and the soldiers squatted in the wet trenches waiting for the order to attack. At dawn on August 21, Peng Dehuai stood in his command post and waved his right hand vigorously: "Start!" Following Peng Dehuai's order, thousands of various types of artillery on the outskirts of the People's Liberation Army fired at the same time. All of a sudden, thousands of guns fired together, and the sound of explosions rumbled into one piece. The ancient city of Lanzhou ushered in another dawn in the trembling. 3 signal bombs went up into the sky, and nearly 10,000 soldiers from 9 regiments responsible for the attack, from different directions and different places, under the cover of various light and heavy firearms, rushed to the defenders' positions... The ones in front fell, and the ones behind came up again; fell down, and came up... From the beginning of the battle, it entered a white-hot state. All the troops reported one after another that the attack had been thwarted, and the casualties were too high. In the army, corps, and even the command post of the wild division, the telephones kept ringing, and no one reported good news, all were bad news.What's the matter with this battle?what happened?Commanders at all levels kept shaking their heads, wondering. After more than 40 years, we found some old soldiers who participated in the Lanzhou Campaign. When talking about the setback of the first attack, they were silent for a while, and then introduced: "That battle was really difficult to fight! The enemy The firepower is too fierce. There are more bunkers than rat holes on every hill, and they are hard to defend. Their positions echo each other, their firepower is crossed, and the bullets are densely packed. Not to mention people, even flies cannot fly through. Our artillery fire only destroyed them. The fortifications at the forefront, and those bunkers, are the most powerful and deadly! Our demolition team cannot be relied on at all, and cannot be approached. I don’t know how many blasters died that day... Comrades are really tenacious Yes, I knew I couldn't attack, but I still gritted my teeth and rushed forward. The enemy was repulsed, and I organized my strength again. The enemy is also rampant enough. As soon as we retreated, they came out of the underground fortifications, organized a counterattack, and fought back. Shouting while charging, I will kill all of you communist bandits..." After attacking for a whole day, the whole line suffered setbacks. The 9 regiments engaged in the main attack all suffered heavy casualties, and some companies lost all their grassroots cadres.The most frustrating thing is that on the tens of miles long front, the enemy has not even opened a hole! In Peng Dehuai's decades of military career, this situation is unprecedented.His rationality told him: it is impossible to fight like this.At dusk, Peng Dehuai ordered: Stop attacking across the board. Peng Dehuai was very disturbed. On August 21, he spent another sleepless night, thinking hard about the specific reasons for the setback in the first attack.There are many reasons, and he believes that the main one is to underestimate the enemy subjectively. Mao Zedong, who was far away in Xibaipo, was also surprised when he heard the news.Mao Zedong pinned his hopes for the complete liberation of the Northwest on the battle of Lanzhou. If Lanzhou cannot be captured for a while, it will definitely affect the situation of the entire Northwest.Mao Zedong personally drafted the telegram: and ordered the staff on duty to send it to Peng Dehuai immediately: Ma Bufang is determined to defend Lanzhou, which will help our army wipe out the enemy.In order to annihilate the enemy, it is necessary to concentrate 3 corps to attack Lanzhou.After Wang Zhen's corps crossed the river from the upper reaches, it seemed appropriate to detour behind Lanzhou, that is, to cut off the roads leading to Qinghai and Xinjiang from Lanzhou and participate in the attack.Before the attack, it seems that a week or more is required to restore the fatigue of the troops, to reconnaissance the enemy's situation, terrain and morale in detail, and to make full preparations for battle.And we must be prepared to use two or three attacks to wipe out the horse enemy and capture Lanzhou if we can't open it once. Mao Zedong's consistent guiding ideology is not to fight uncertain battles. From this telegram, it can be seen that he instructed Peng Dehuai to increase his troops and make full preparations.There was no sense of blame in the telegram.In war, winning or losing is a common thing, and one learns one's wisdom through a fall, and just fight the next battle well. Similarly, Peng Dehuai did not blame his subordinates. Although the main leaders of the various regiments, divisions, armies, and even the corps that participated in the battle met him and made self-criticism, Peng Dehuai did not blame them a word, but warned everyone, summed up carefully, and found Learn a lesson so that we can fight again. Peng Dehuai was impatient. He believed that the preparation time proposed in Mao Zedong's telegram was too long. Therefore, on August 24, he sent a telegram to Xibaipo, emphasizing the reason why he was busy launching another offensive: Ningma dispatched three troops to pass through the Yellow River There is a great possibility that the left bank will reinforce Lanzhou.If the two horses gather in Lanzhou, together with Zhou Jiabin (120th Army) and Huang Zuxun (91st Army), a total of 130,000 soldiers will be stationed in Jiancheng. Food is very difficult, the transportation line is long, there are few means of transportation, and ammunition cannot be fully supplied, and it is even more impossible to transport food.Therefore, it was decided to besiege Lanzhou before Ma Hongkui arrived, in order to solve the main force of Qingma first.Now that the Second Corps and the Nineteenth Corps are ready to attack the city, fatigue has not yet recovered, food is insufficient, oil and vegetables are more difficult to solve, and the Qingma bandits continue to attack, so it is difficult to get a rest.Judging from the current preparations, the siege of the city is 70% to 80% sure, so it is decided to start the attack on the morning of the 25th.If Qingma is not resolved, and Ningma reinforcements are approaching, Lanzhou will be besieged with 4 armies, and 5 armies will be assembled to attack Ningma. As soon as Peng Dehuai's telegram was sent to Xibaipo, Mao Zedong frowned. Mao Zedong kept smoking, and said to Zhou Enlai, Zhu De and others: "Is Peng Dehuai too eager and overconfident? The troops invested are not enough, and the general offensive was launched on the 25th. Isn't the time too hasty?" Zhou Enlai said: "There is this problem. Lanzhou currently has 5 armies defending the enemy, and our army also uses 5 armies to fight. The strength is too close!" Mao Zedong lit another cigarette and took a few puffs: "I think I can send a telegram to Comrade Dehuai to point out this point. It is necessary to send Wang Zhen's corps into the battle in the direction of Lanzhou!" Zhu De didn't make a statement for a while, and said after a long time: "We understand Comrade Dehuai. Since he has made up his mind, it shows that he is sure of it. He will not fight a battle that is not sure. We should trust him!" Zhou Enlai hesitated for a while, and then said: "Boss Zhu agrees with Comrade Dehuai's opinion. I think since I am 70% to 80% sure, a general attack on the 25th is not a bad idea." Mao Zedong walked around for a while, threw away the cigarette butt, and said emphatically: "Okay, since you all agree, and I agree, let's follow Comrade Dehuai's opinion!" After some discussion, Peng Dehuai's plan was finally passed. After repelling the attack of the People's Liberation Army on August 21, Ma Jiyuan ordered to send a report to Chongqing immediately (Chiang Kai-shek was in Chongqing at this time).The telegram is roughly: In the battle of Lanzhou, the first battle was won, repelling dozens of charges by the communist army, killing and injuring more than 10,000 communist troops, and the results are brilliant! Then, Ma Jiyuan summoned generals above the division commander for a meeting.He said: In the decisive battle in Lanzhou, you can only win, not lose. The whole army must fight the enemy bravely, not afraid of bloodshed, not afraid of sacrifice, and live and die with Lanzhou!Tell the troops to catch more prisoners and live ones, especially Peng Dehuai, and make sure not to let him escape!Those who capture Peng Dehuai alive will be rewarded with 1,000 taels of gold! Ma Jiyuan uttered wild words, beyond his control.He does not lack courage, but he has no strategy. Everything has its two sides.The People's Liberation Army's first siege failed, but it also took the opportunity to find out the deployment of troops and firepower of the defenders, paving the way for the next larger-scale battle. According to the scheduled plan, on August 25, the People's Liberation Army will launch a general attack on Lanzhou.At dawn on this day, the breeze was blowing, and the earth was silent. At this time, Lanzhou was already deeply chilled.In the tranquility there is a violent outburst.At dawn, three red flares pierced the darkness before dawn, and the most intense battle in Lanzhou's history began! First came the bombardment.In a stretch of several tens of miles in the southeast, west and east of Lanzhou, at the same time, hundreds of cannons spit out ferocious tongues of flames.The artillery battle lasted about half an hour. A tidal wave of attacks began.Countless names that were not well-known in the past entered the hero list. Zhou Wanshun, a soldier of the third company of the fifth regiment of the sixty-second army. The 63rd Army's attack target was the main position of the Doujiashan Majia Army.After the troops launched a general offensive, the third company rushed to the forefront as a commando.Zhou Wanshun is the flag of this commando. He has participated in dozens of battles, large and small, and has repeatedly made military exploits.He understands the mission of a flag bearer, especially when the troops are charging, the flag is a symbol of victory. Now, Zhou Wanshun is carrying the red banner of "contributing to Taiyuan", braving artillery fire, and rushing to the front with the commando. The hunting red flag is so eye-catching on the battlefield where the fighting is endless, and it keeps flying towards the defender's position on the hill. The instructor told Zhou Wanshun loudly, saying: Wherever the red flag goes, the soldiers will fight there. Hold the red flag in front of you to boost morale, guide the target, and deter the enemy!Zhou Wanshun understood all of this. The defenders took aim at Zhou Wanshun's red flag, which was already full of bullet holes, like angry eyes.The defending officer in the bunker yelled at his subordinates: "Brothers, hit the flag only, knock down the flag, and then aim at the officers of the Communist Army!" The troops continued to charge, and the soldiers fell in rows. At some point, Zhou Wanshun was hit by a bullet in his right arm. He shook, and so did the red flag. Then, his thigh was hit again. The point of the red flag attracts the commandos who risk their lives to charge, and at the same time indicates the target for the artillery of the People's Liberation Army. shooting. Zhou Wanshun and his red flag became the targets of heavy enemy fire. Zhou Wanshun had been shot many times, and even he himself didn't know how many. He became a bloody man, the same color as the red flag! Another shell flew over and exploded beside Zhou Wanshun. The shrapnel cut off the flagpole. Zhou Wanshun yelled and picked up the half attached to the red cloth. On the battlefield, in this way, even if you fall down, the red flag will still fly. Another string of bullets hit him, and with the last of his strength, he slammed the red flag into the ground mixed with blood and shrapnel! In this way, the flag bearer Zhou Wanshun half-kneeled on the ground, the upper half of his body was tightly connected to the flagpole. The red flag is still flying, like an immortal soul... Zhou Wanshun swallowed his last breath. His body was beaten into a beetle's nest, and he was already inhuman, but the red flag in his arms would not fall no matter how the defenders shot it! Hongqi accompanied Zhou Wanshun through his short life, and this scene will remain in people's memory forever.Zhou Wanshun was just an ordinary member of the 19th Corps, but he won the honor of a hero for the North China Field Army. At the same time, in Yingpanling, Shenjialing, Majiashan, Doujiashan, Guchengling and other positions, our army won the victory step by step at the cost of great sacrifices.Ma's army finally appreciated the resilience and invincible attack power of our army. The Battle of Lanzhou was won, but the victory was soaked in blood.In the attack on Shenjialing alone, our army suffered heavy casualties of more than 3,000 officers and soldiers under regimental commander Wang Xueli, regiment political commissar Li Xigui, and deputy regimental commander Ma Kezhong. The Battle of Lanzhou completely defeated the majestic Ma's army and established the victory in the Northwest. On August 30, 1949, Lanzhou City was exchanged for the blood of 9,000 sacrificed and wounded officers and soldiers of our army. The smoke of the war had just cleared, and the morning sun greeted the victorious army with gentle light.After the battle review and rest, the athletes of our army washed the blood-stained military uniforms from fighting with the horse bandits, mended the worn-out cloth shoes in the thousand-mile pursuit battle, wiped their weapons, and with the joy of victory, they lined up. The majestic team, with neat steps, held the ceremony of Lanzhou's liberation into the city. On the mountain outside the city, Peng Dehuai heard someone say softly: "Mr. Peng, the ceremony of entering the city is about to begin, please go down the mountain." Peng Dehuai rubbed his eyes, and said to several corps leaders behind him: "We must erect a monument here and build a decent martyr's cemetery so that these martyrs have a place to rest. Let future generations remember, They sacrificed for the liberation of Lanzhou and the liberation of the Great Northwest!" After Peng Dehuai finished speaking, facing the countless corpses, he bowed deeply, and then got on his horse and walked slowly down the mountain. The Yellow River in the north is roaring, lamenting like a tide... Lanzhou was liberated, and the First Field Army held a grand entry ceremony. Lanzhou has changed to a new world. General Yang Dezhi, the commander of the Nineteenth Corps at the time, later recalled: "Lanzhou was liberated, and the Qingma main force, the most powerful enemy army in the northwest region, was annihilated, and the victory of the decisive battle in the northwest battlefield was declared. Since then, the enemy in the northwest region has lost The ability to organize any battle, while our army can freely sweep the remnants of the enemy. As Chairman Mao predicted, there was no serious battle in the Northwest battlefield, and our army continued to complete the task of liberating the entire Northwest, basically just walking and taking over The problem." After the Battle of Lanzhou, Peng Dehuai issued orders to liberate Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang: Wang Zhen's First Corps marched to Qinghai; Xu Guangda's Second Corps marched to Gansu's Hexi Corridor; Yang Dezhi's Nineteenth Corps marched to Ningxia.