Chapter 4 The third chapter strikes back, Xiushui Hezi regains his might

Stalin tapped the remaining embers in his pipe: stop aid to the Chinese Communist Party and hand over the major cities directly to Chiang Kai-shek.The Americans held up another olive branch.The Northeast People's Autonomous Army was renamed the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army to express the desire for peace.Where did Chiang Kai-shek's secret order Du Yuming find peace, attack!Huang Kecheng, who had retreated to the edge of the desert, sent a strongly worded telegram to the central government. Lin Biao got on his horse, and Xiushui Heyu suddenly shot out. Lin Biao lost all the way in Shanhaiguan, lost the whole of western Liaoning, and withdrew to Fuxin area!

Mao Zedong frowned, and stood in front of the map for a long time in that quiet office in Wangjiaping, Yan'an: It seems that we don't have enough strength to fight against Chiang Kai-shek in the Northeast. "Mao Zedong is no match for Chiang Kai-shek in the Northeast!" It was Stalin who said this.He stood at the big conference table in the Kremlin, and through the window he could hear the cold wind blowing through Red Square. "We cannot make wrong decisions because they are also the Communist Party. Now, Chiang Kai-shek and the Americans are very dissatisfied with us. According to the latest news, how many troops does Mao Zedong have in the Northeast? Where are they distributed?" Stalin added to his pipe Tobacco, he asked.

An official of the General Staff immediately opened a document: "According to our military reconnaissance, as of November 1945, the specific distribution of Mao Zedong's troops in the Northeast is as follows: 3,500 people from the Binhai Detachment of the Shandong Military Region led by Wan Yi were in Jilin. Panshi, Hailong, and Xifeng areas; Xiao Hua's 1st Division penetrated into the Ji'an and Tonghua areas, and Xiao Hua himself led the Shandong Military Region to the Andong area; Many people were in the Liaoyang and Anshan areas; Wu Kehua and Peng Jiaqing led more than 8,000 people from the 5th and 6th Divisions of the Jiaodong Military Region to land in southern Liaoning and stayed in Yingkou, Haicheng, and Gaixian to open up base areas; Cheng Shicai, Zeng Kelin, Tang The activities of Kai's Department are between Shenyang, Fushun, and Benxi; about 8,000 people in Zhoubao's Central Division are distributed in Jilin, Dunhua, Wuchang, and Yanji. Zhou Baozhong himself, as a leading member of the Northeast Bureau, works in Changchun City; Chen Yun , Gao Gang was appointed by the Northeast Bureau, led more than 200 cadres, and was active in Harbin; 1,000 people from the Tiansong Detachment of the Shandong Military Region went north to the Mudanjiang area after landing on the Liaodong Peninsula; After Liaoyang, some troops crossed Jilin to go to North Manchuria; Liu Xiwu's troops totaled 6,000 people scattered in Nenjiang and Tao'an areas. Mao Zedong's total number of troops in the Northeast was more than 100,000, but they were relatively scattered."

"Oh," Stalin took a puff of the pipe, and held it in his hand, "I think Mao Zedong's troops with such a small force can't occupy big cities at all. Sooner or later, the Northeast will fall into Chiang Kai-shek's hands. Now Chiang Kai-shek They keep sending us diplomatic notes, and the United States and the United Kingdom are also fully supporting him. If we blindly support Mao Zedong, I am afraid that not only will we get nothing in China in the end, but at the same time, we may be branded as not having international credibility by all countries in the world."

Stalin knocked on the remaining embers in his pipe and said without raising his head: "Tell the Soviet Army Command in Northeast China to stop supporting the Chinese Communist Party and fully support Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang government." In the northeast in mid-November, the weather changed suddenly, the temperature dropped sharply, the cold wind roared, and the dead leaves flew around.The friendly Soviet soldiers who were still smiling yesterday suddenly turned frosty: "Moscow has an order that all Chinese Communists must withdraw from major cities immediately."

Shenyang, where the Northeast Bureau is located, became the first city to fall into chaos.Without further ado, a group of Soviet soldiers broke into the "Marshal's Mansion", threw all the office items into a mess, and then put a seal on every door. Peng Zhen and others were inexplicably driven into the howling cold wind.This day is November 26th. Difficulties were imminent, and the leaders of the Northeast Bureau were unable to take care of them, and several people separated from each other.Peng Zhen and Lin Feng took Luo Ronghuan, who was seriously ill, and led the Northeast Bureau to Benxi; Gao Gang and Zhang Wentian decided to drive to North Manchuria to join Chen Yun; Tao Zhu and Deng Hua took the Liaoning Provincial Party Committee and the military region to the nearest Faku County to open up a base area.

Shenyang changed, and other major cities also changed one after another.The Soviets suddenly changed their attitude towards the Chinese Communist Party, causing rapid social turmoil in Northeast China. The hidden Kuomintang agents and former Puppet Manchukuo personnel took off their sheepskins one after another, revealing their ferocious faces. A large number of Communist Party cadres were attacked or assassinated. The originally developed local forces also rebelled one after another, holding weapons issued by the Communist Party against the armed forces of the Communist Party.All of a sudden, across the Northeast, the wind was blowing.

At this time, the Soviet Red Army was working hard to restore and maintain normal order in various places on the one hand, and on the other hand, it sent troops to protect Kuomintang officials to take over major cities. "The Soviets are simply insane. We want to take back Shenyang and Changchun by force!" Peng Zhen roared angrily.He then reported his opinion directly to the Central Military Commission. Lin Biao took the copy of Peng Zhen's telegram to the Central Committee and read it for a long time without saying a word.Finally shook his head. "It won't work," he said flatly.

On December 25, Lin Biao sent a telegram to the central government: At present, our armed forces are not strong enough. The main task should be to establish base areas. Most of our troops should strictly leave the cities, live in the countryside, and mobilize the masses in peripheral areas. Mao Zedong kept nodding.In the office in Yan'an that was far away from gunpowder smoke but was permanently shrouded in gunpowder smoke, he read Lin Biao's telegrams over and over again: "Lin Biao is right. The struggle in the Northeast must be planned for a long time. You can't act on your whim."

On December 28, Mao Zedong drafted instructions to the Northeast Bureau for the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.This is the famous article that was later included in "Selected Works of Mao Zedong" - "Establishing a Solid Northeast Base Area". Chiang Kai-shek was undoubtedly excited for a long time that the Chinese Communist Party did not "compete with the KMT" for "jealousy".In this way, the Kuomintang launched a large-scale reception work without being interfered by the Communist Party's armed forces, and continued to airlift troops to Shenyang, Changchun and other places.

But Chiang Kai-shek still had no idea. He worried that after the withdrawal of the Soviet army, if he could not gain a firm foothold, he would be attacked by the Communist Party, so he asked the Soviet Union to delay the withdrawal.For this, Stalin couldn't wait for it, and was worried about how to find an excuse to make more money in China. After receiving the request from the Kuomintang, Stalin readily agreed to temporarily postpone it for one month, and then leave in January 1946. Chiang Kai-shek was happy with the Soviet Union's delay in withdrawing troops, and so was Stalin.But Americans are not happy at this time.The United States is afraid that the civil war in China will continue, and the Soviet army will take the opportunity to rely on the Northeast, which will seriously affect the interests of the United States in China. On December 15, U.S. President Truman publicly issued a policy statement on China, hoping that China would stop armed conflicts, negotiate to resolve internal differences, and expand the government's foundation. On the 16th, the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union held a meeting of the foreign ministers of the three countries in Moscow, expressing unanimous support for China's unity and democracy.The United States and the Soviet Union agreed: After the armies of both sides have completed their respective tasks, they will withdraw from China as soon as possible. It seems that the United States is really in a hurry. It not only shouted hoarsely that China should stop the civil war, but more importantly, it also specially appointed the five-star general Marshall as the special envoy to China, waving an olive branch, and came to China in a hurry. Welcome to peace, this is our consistent stand!Yan'an took the lead in responding. Marshall flew to Chongqing, and the Kuomintang once again opened the negotiating table. On December 16, Zhou Enlai and Ye Jianying visited the mountain city in person and formed a delegation of the Communist Party of China with Dong Biwu and Wang Ruofei stationed in Chongqing.The Kuomintang-Communist peace talks reopened. Chiang Kai-shek had a smirk on his face: The Americans really don't know how to seize the opportunity. Now that I am victorious in the Northeast, the Soviet Union is also surrendering major cities. Under this premise, what kind of negotiations are there? In private, he urgently ordered Du Yuming: Don't worry about negotiating, stepping up the attack is crucial. On December 24, after Du Yuming received Chiang Kai-shek's secret order, he immediately commanded the main force of the 52nd Army to attack Beizhen and Montenegro despite the heavy snow.The local autonomous army retreated again. On December 28, the main force of the 13th Army of the Kuomintang took advantage of the victory and went northward, attacking Yixian along the railway line.Lin Biao and Liang Xingchu, who were resting in that area, resisted for only one day due to lack of preparation. The 13th Army continued to advance and reached Fuxin on December 30.Lin Biao had no choice but to lead Liang Xingchu's division and Huang Kecheng's Peng Mingzhi brigade to retreat to Zhangwu and Faku, while Huang Kecheng led the rest of the 3rd division to retreat to Tongliao.In this way, the Kuomintang army took control of the railway line between Rehe and Shenyang in one fell swoop, cutting off the connection between the liberated areas in Guannei and the Northeast.Subsequently, Du Yuming ordered the troops to divide into two groups. The 52nd Army went south to attack Yingkou, while the 13th Army attacked Chaoyang and Rehe westward along the railway from Fuxin. The northeast is full of snow, but Chongqing is full of green mountains and green bamboos. Marshall insisted on calling for a truce between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, so Chiang Kai-shek had to make superficial articles. In exchange for temporary peace and the establishment of base areas as soon as possible, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China agreed not to completely deny the Kuomintang from entering the Northeast, but demanded democracy and local autonomy, the establishment of a local coalition government, and the Communist Party's army also had the right to station in the Northeast.Under the pressure of Marshall, Chiang Kai-shek had no choice but to nod in agreement: it can be agreed, the specific details will continue to be discussed, and an armistice agreement will be reached in mid-January. Chiang Kai-shek finally let go of the big principle.Yan'an vaguely felt a gust of warm wind blowing. Under the current situation, we should vigorously advocate peace.Yan'an side thinks. At the beginning of January 1946, under the direction of the Central Committee, the Northeast Bureau renamed the Northeast People's Autonomous Army as the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army, in order to reflect the will of the KMT to manage the Northeast.According to the new adjustment, under the jurisdiction of the Democratic Alliance Army Headquarters, four major military regions, East Manchuria, South Manchuria, West Manchuria, and North Manchuria, were established.Lin Biao placed the two old troops with the strongest combat effectiveness, the 1st Shandong Division (Liang Xingchu Division) and the 7th Brigade of the 3rd Division of the New Fourth Army (Peng Mingzhi Division), under the direct control of the headquarters, and the other units were placed under the leadership of the military region according to their location. The Northern Manchurian Military Region is composed of Gao Gang as the commander and Chen Yun as the political commissar. It has jurisdiction over the Shandong 7th Division (Yang Guofu's Department), the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia 359th Brigade (Liu Zhuanlian Department) and 5 military regions in Songjiang, Hejiang, Bei'an, Mudanjiang, and Nenjiang. ; Political commissar Cheng Shicai Xiao Hua, commander of the South Manchuria Military Region, has jurisdiction over the third column (Wu Kehua's Department), the fourth column (Hu Qicai Department) and three military regions in Liaoning, Andong, and Southern Liaoning; the commander of the East Manchuria Military Region is Zhou Baozhong, political commissar Lin Feng, under the jurisdiction of Shandong 2nd Division (Chen Guang Department), Seventh Column (Wan Yi Department) and 3 military regions of Tonghua, Jidong, and Liaobei; the commander of Ximan Military Region is Lu Zhengcao (later Huang Kecheng), political commissar Li Fuchun, and has jurisdiction over the 3rd Division of the New Fourth Army (Huang Kecheng's Department) and the two military regions of Nennan and Liaoxi. In order to seize the coming opportunity for peace, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China ordered the above-mentioned troops to disperse one after another, away from the hustle and bustle of big cities, and go to various mountain villages and towns to mobilize the masses and establish base areas. But Chiang Kai-shek knew best in his heart: where is the opportunity for peace?He hurriedly ordered Du Yuming: As long as the truce order has not been announced, he must not give up the attack at all, and strive to capture Rehe as soon as possible, and completely cut off the connection between the Communist-occupied area in the pass and the Northeast. Under this order, Du Yuming commanded the main force of the 13th Army and the 195th Division of the 52nd Army to quickly set off from Yixian, and occupied Chaoyang on January 5, 1946, Yebaishou on the 9th, Lingyuan on the 10th, and Pingquan on the 13th. When he arrived in Hiraizumi, Du Yuming did not move.Because on this day, that is, January 13, the KMT-CCP ​​armistice order came into effect. Marshall stared at the northeast, and Chiang Kai-shek did not dare to act rashly.Peace has finally come! But is this really peace? Lin Biao was the first to stand up and appeal to the central government: "The essence of this peace agreement is actually one of Chiang's major conspiracy. This conspiracy is to adopt the policy of avoiding the truth and defeating the truth and defeating our party's forces one by one." "From what we have seen so far Judging from the known conditions, our prospects for peace this time are worse than our prospects for continuing the war. Our troops entering the Northeast are currently in a completely baseless state, which is roughly the same as our army's situation before leaving the Central Soviet Area and going to northern Shaanxi. If the enemy deploys troops from all over the country to attack us everywhere, it will be very disadvantageous to us." Without waiting for a reply from the central government, he issued two orders to all the troops under his command on January 15: first, the situation is still in turmoil, and all ministries must strictly prepare for combat, and only war can achieve peace; Spread the air of peace so as not to disarm the spirit.Only the fight for peace, the fight to stop the enemy's attack, should be encouraged. The situation was as Lin Biao expected.After the armistice came into effect, Chiang Kai-shek took the opportunity to increase his troops to the northeast.The 7th Fleet of the U.S. Navy gathered all the transport ships and successively transported the Kuomintang New 1st Army, New 6th Army, 60th Army, 71st Army, and 93rd Army from Shanghai, Guangzhou, Vietnam and other places to Qinhuangdao and Huludao for landing.Without any hindrance, Du Yuming expanded around. On January 15, the 25th Division of the 52nd Army arrived in Shenyang. On January 26, the 89th Division of the 13th Army received Xinmin and Zhangwu. According to the Sino-Soviet Treaty and the Kuomintang-Communist Armistice Agreement, the Kuomintang army easily occupied a large area west of Shenyang and the Liaodong Peninsula without firing a single shot. All large and medium-sized cities are occupied by the Kuomintang army, and all nearby villages are under threat. How many bases can the Democratic Alliance Army develop?But the central government still requires the Northeast troops to focus on peace. The democratic coalition forces retreating step by step have almost reached the point where they have nowhere to go!Huang Kecheng, who had just occupied Tongliao, couldn't bear it anymore after learning that Du Yuming had entered Xinmin and Zhangwu.He directly sent a telegram to the central government: The Kuomintang army is approaching Tongliao, and if we withdraw from Tongliao, we can only enter the Mongolian desert.In order to survive, we decided to fight to the death here. Even if the Soviet army came, we would resolutely resist, and we would all die in battle! It was a cry with strong words but full of passion. This cry shocked Liu Shaoqi deeply.He has repeatedly instructed the Northeast Bureau: "Our party's current policy for the Northeast should be to strive for a peaceful solution, and strive to cooperate with the Kuomintang to carry out democratic reforms and peacefully build the Northeast under the condition that the Kuomintang recognizes our party's certain legal status in the Northeast. In the current international Under the domestic situation, only this policy is correct and feasible. Therefore, it is not correct to attempt to monopolize the Northeast and refuse to cooperate with the Kuomintang." "If we adopt the policy of civil war against the Kuomintang, we will fail." But after receiving Huang Kecheng's telegram, Liu Shaoqi had to start rethinking the situation in the Northeast: It seemed that an arduous struggle was still needed for Chiang Kai-shek to recognize the legal status of our party in the Northeast. On January 26, Liu Shaoqi issued new instructions to the Northeast Bureau: Our army must "strive to consolidate itself militarily, establish a solid base, lay a long-term foundation, and strive to fight one or two large Victory." The next day, January 27, Liu Shaoqi gave further instructions: "If the Kuomintang attacks our army without negotiating with me, if the friendly side does not resolutely oppose it, I can give the offensive stubbornness with firmness under the condition that the complete defense is reasonable. A blow of complete annihilation. To this end, it is necessary to boost morale, prepare carefully, do not fight too much, and must win one battle, so as to put down the prestige of the recalcitrant army in the northeast." "For this reason, Lin Biao should try to command the main battle." After Peng Zhen received the telegram from Liu Shaoqi, he read it several times in a row, and couldn't help sighing: "We finally don't have to keep swallowing our anger." While ordering that the telegram be sent to Lin Biao immediately, he opened the door to let in some air. He saw the land of the northern country, covered with thick white snow, shining brightly under the sun. When he received the telegram from the Central Committee, Lin Biao was leading Liang Xingchu and Peng Mingzhi to station in Xiushuihezi, west of Faku, to vigorously carry out mass movements.Seeing the latest instructions, he couldn't help but feel refreshed.Since entering the Northeast, under Du Yuming's pressing attack, he has been defeated all the way. Although his subordinates all call "Commander-in-Chief" when they meet each other, how many people secretly call him a commander who can only retreat? . Lin Biao did overhear the discussions of his subordinates many times.Anyone who really knows him knows that he joined the Communist Party of China at the age of 18 and entered the Whampoa Military Academy to study. Later, he participated in the Northern Expedition, the Nanchang Uprising, went to Jinggang Mountain, and participated in the Long March. The commander of the 4th Army, at the age of 30, commanded the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army to defeat the Japanese army at Pingxingguan, and was famous both at home and abroad.Could he be a commander who only retreats? Harrison Salisbury described Lin Biao during the Long March in his famous book "The Long March—The Unheard Story": "He was a young eagle in the Red Army. In the bright 1935 In the spring of the Communist Party of China, the fields in Yunnan were full of purples and reds, and there were snow-white, pink, and lavender poppies everywhere, swaying in the wind in the sun. In the galaxy of the Red Army, there is no more brilliant star than Lin Biao." Today, this "brilliant star" is riding on a horse, slowly marching in the ice and snow.He carefully observed the terrain of Xiushuihezi, waiting for the opportunity to fight. Since the first battle at Pingxingguan, Lin Biao has not tasted the taste of winning a battle for eight years.He is patiently biding his time. And this time is coming quietly. On February 9, 1946, the New Army of the Kuomintang under the leadership of Liao Yaoxiang successfully landed in Qinhuangdao, and then advanced to Jinzhou.This is a well-known main trump card army of the Kuomintang. Du Yuming was immediately rejoiced, and ordered the troops to divide into three groups and launch a new round of attack along the railway line.Therefore, the 22nd Division of the New Army of the South Road rushed to Panshan, Tai'an, Liaozhong and other places; the 2nd Division of the 52nd Army of the Middle Road rushed to the area east of Xinmin; pool etc. The fish has come, it is time to cast the net. The 89th Division of the 13th Army had the strength of two regiments, and it rushed forward alone, rushing towards Xiushuihezi.Lin Biao couldn't help being excited, and immediately started the pre-war deployment. On February 10, he sent a telegram to Liang Xingchu and Peng Mingzhi at the Faku headquarters: "This battle is of great importance. It must be fought very artistically and resolutely. It must not be reckless. It is necessary to closely understand the enemy's situation, and the cadres must personally scout the terrain. , choose the attack point and arrange firepower, explain the task in detail face to face, make good communication, and stipulate a unified action time. After everything is arranged, the fierce attack will begin." Lin Biao was rarely so wordy. On February 11, the 266th Regiment of the 89th Division of the 13th Army stepped on the white snow, entered Xiushuihezi, and joined the 265th Regiment, a total of 4 battalions.Lin Biao immediately ordered Liang Xingchu's 1st Division and Peng Mingzhi's 7th Brigade to take official action, wrapping the 4 battalions tightly like dumplings. By the 13th, the affiliated ministries reported one after another: all arrived at the scheduled location. "Okay!" Lin Biao slapped the table, "Launch a general attack at 22 o'clock tonight!" Winter nights in the Northeast are long and cold.After night fell, there was a silence between heaven and earth. At 22:00, the signal flare rose into the air with a flashing light, piercing the dead night.Suddenly, gunshots erupted.Liang Xingchu led the 1st Division to open fire in an all-round way, and Peng Mingzhi, who was ambushing on the other side, led the 7th Brigade to fire the mountain artillery in time. The Kuomintang soldiers woke up like a dream at this time, and it turned out that they had already been caught in the net of death.Reluctantly, he was attacked by Lin Biao on both sides at this time. He didn't know how to fight in a hurry, and retreated to a nearby small village in a panic. Democratic coalition forces poured in from all directions, and the bayonets on their rifles shone brightly in the cold night. The hand-to-hand street fighting continued until the early morning of the 14th. It was already dawn, and the battle of Xiushuihezi was over victoriously. This was Lin Biao's first victory since entering the Northeast. At the cost of 771 casualties, more than 500 Kuomintang troops were killed and wounded, more than 900 were captured, and 38 artillery pieces, 98 light and heavy machine guns, and rifles were seized. 790 pieces, more than 70,000 rounds of ammunition, 32 vehicles, and 2 radio stations.There are also other spoils such as quilts. The entire 4 battalions of the Kuomintang Army were annihilated in Xiushuihezi.At this time, Du Yuming was lying on a hospital bed in Jinzhou, and his chronic kidney disease had relapsed.But when he heard the news, he broke out in a cold sweat. "I'm afraid this is not a good sign." After pondering for a while, he continued, "It is not easy for our army to control the current area, but it has suffered such a disastrous defeat. It seems that if we want to take over the entire Northeast, we must deploy more troops." Du Yuming fell ill again, and within two days, he received another report: The 22nd Division of the New Army was ambushed in the Shaling area, with a total of 674 casualties. "What? That's my ace army!" Du Yuming sat up abruptly, and lay down slowly again without saying a word for a long time.He just dropped a sentence softly: "This Lin Biao should not be underestimated." But Du Yuming didn't know that Lin Biao was even more distressed than him at this time. The Battle of Sand Ridge was something Lin Biao never thought of.This battle took place on February 16, the third day after the Battle of Xiushuihezi ended.At that time, it was the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, and the 22nd Division of the New Army of the Kuomintang South Road drove from Goubangzi and Panshan to Shaling.Entered the range of activities of Wu Kehua in the Liaodong area. When Wu Kehua learned that the enemy's 22nd Division's 66th Regiment and the division's teaching battalion had nearly 3,000 people stationed in Shaling Village, he immediately mobilized the main force of the six regiments and dragged more than a dozen mountain artillery and field artillery into Shaling.After implementing the outflanking deployment, the attack was launched at dusk that day.However, Liao Yaoxiang's New Army is one of Chiang Kai-shek's trump cards. It is known as "invincible in the country" and has a full set of American equipment. Most of the soldiers have three to five to seven or eight years of military experience. They participated in expeditions during the Anti-Japanese War Army, has been on the battlefield many times, has strong combat effectiveness and rich actual combat experience.When Wu Kehua's troops exchanged fire with Chu Yi, they were at a disadvantage. Subsequently, the New Army used its superior firepower to block the attack tenaciously, while building fortifications, and could not hold on until the early morning of the 19th, when the Kuomintang troops reinforced from Panshan gradually approached.Wu Kehua saw that his subordinates were exhausted from fighting and had no intention of fighting any more, so he ordered to withdraw. In this battle, the New Army had a total of 674 casualties, while Wu Kehua's troops had 2,159 casualties, which was a serious blow to their vitality. Lin Biao frowned after hearing the result of the battle, sullen.Originally, the battle of Xiushuihezi could only be regarded as a small victory, but the battle of Shaling was a real defeat. But whether it was a victory or a defeat, Du Yuming was hit hard. Du Yuming, who was ill, did not want to stay in the Northeast anymore. In just three days, he was ambushed by Lin Biao in Xiushuihezi, as if he had been hit in the head, and then he was punched hard in Shaling, and he felt even more uncomfortable all over. The winter in the Northeast is cold.He listened to the roar of the wind outside the window and thought silently. In the past few days, Du Yuming's kidney disease worsened, and he had to go to Peking for surgery.Therefore, he telegraphed Chiang Kai-shek: The current Kuomintang troops in the Northeast are far from enough, and they must be increased again. At the same time, because he is seriously ill, he recommended Zheng Dongguo as the deputy commander of the Northeast Security Command to temporarily replace him. Du Yuming left the Northeast due to illness.The Kuomintang army did not dare to act rashly.The New Army stayed in the Panshan and Liaozhong areas, the 52nd Army was in Xinmin and the western suburbs of Shenyang, and the 13th Army went to Lingyuan and Pingquan in the Rehe area.Chiang Kai-shek hurriedly used American warships to continue to transport the New 1st Army, the 71st Army, the 60th Army, and the 93rd Army from Shanghai, Guangzhou, Vietnam and other ports to Qinhuangdao in preparation for a large-scale attack on the northeast. In this windy and snowy winter, a temporary calm appeared in the Northeast.The Democratic Alliance Army is resting, and the Kuomintang Army is also resting, but the Soviet soldiers are busy. It's halfway through February.Didn't the Soviet army say they would withdraw by the end of January?Why haven't you left yet? The common people are asking, and the US and British governments are also asking.Chiang Kai-shek couldn't sit still. Originally, Chiang Kai-shek was afraid that the Soviet Red Army would withdraw suddenly, and his own strength would be insufficient, and the Communist army would take the opportunity to enter, so he begged the Soviet army to delay the withdrawal.But now his own troops are constantly in place, and the Soviet army has exceeded the deadline even if it is postponed.Why do they still have no intention of leaving? The U.S. and British governments continued to electrify Chiang Kai-shek: the Soviet Union was taking advantage of the extended garrison time to transport industrial raw materials and various industrial equipment in the Northeast, as well as the bank reserves of the Manchukuo government back home day and night.If it is not stopped, the Northeast will become a ruin, and no one will benefit.Now we must find a way to drive the Soviets away. On February 11, 1946, the first anniversary of the Yalta Conference, the full text of the Yalta Secret Agreement was published.This secret agreement was an agreement to regulate the division of the world among the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union, but now it immediately became the fire that ignited the anger of the Chinese.Until this time, none of the Chinese representatives who participated in the meeting knew that there was a clause in the agreement that "the Soviet Union should restore the rights of the former Russian Empire"! Protest, protest, still protest.Conscientious citizens all over China raised their flags and shouted. The Kuomintang struck while the iron was hot, and then announced the "Zhang Xinfu Incident".Zhang Shenfu was a member of the Northeast Xingyuan Economic Committee of the Kuomintang. On January 7, he had a conflict with the Soviets when he took over the Fushun coal mine. He was killed under the escort of the Soviet army on the way back to Shenyang on the 16th.Although the murderer has become a historical mystery, many people unanimously speculated that it was the Soviet Red Army.Therefore, calls for the withdrawal of the Soviet army from all over the country have reached a climax again. On February 22, the Kuomintang officials came forward and organized an anti-Soviet parade with more than 20,000 participants. On February 23, more than 100 well-known professors including Wang Li, Zhu Ziqing, Shen Congwen, Yu Guanying, Feng Youlan, and Pan Guangdan from the Southwest Associated University issued a declaration on the Northeast issue, demanding that the KMT government "disclose all the issues related to the Northeast issue since the signing of the treaty between China and the Soviet Union." Negotiations have passed, and we refuse to conduct any further negotiations that impair sovereignty”; at the same time, we strongly demand that “the Soviet Union withdraw its troops stationed in Northeast China as soon as possible, and return all factories, equipment and resources. There must be no actions or measures beyond the scope of the Sino-Soviet treaty.” In the face of the Chinese people's glaring and common criticism, Stalin was speechless. He did not want to lose the "international reputation" he had tried to build by abandoning the Chinese Communist Party.In the midst of strong protests and opposition, the Soviet army could not gain a foothold, so they packed up their bags and began to withdraw in early March 1946. The withdrawal of the Soviet army was also withdrawn with anger.They knew that with this withdrawal, they would no longer be able to take advantage of the Northeast.Therefore, they did not cooperate with the Kuomintang, and quickly moved away without saying a word. Withdrew from Shenyang on March 12 and Siping on the 13th.Zheng Dongguo, who had just arrived in Shenyang, commanded various ministries to step up the reception, but because the Soviet army moved too fast and did not notify in advance, there was a huge time gap between the Kuomintang's reception and the withdrawal of the Soviet army. This is a rare opportunity for the Democratic Alliance Army. As early as March 6th to 8th, the Northeast Bureau of the Communist Party of China held a leadership meeting in Fushun in order to solve the issue of the next step in the Northeast.Peng Zhen, Lin Biao, Lin Feng, Luo Ronghuan, Lu Zhengcao, Xiao Jinguang, Wu Xiuquan and others all attended the meeting.Luo Ronghuan, who suffers from severe kidney disease, said earnestly at the meeting: Don't overestimate the possibility of peace, and make preparations for the Northeast War for a long time. Peace?Why did Luo Ronghuan still mention the issue of peace at this time?Because the US special envoy Marshall is launching a new round of work to urge the Kuomintang and the Communist Party to cease the war. On March 4, Marshall visited Yan'an in person, blowing the wind of peace.But after returning to Chongqing, Chiang Kai-shek ignored his propositions, even at the expense of destroying the recently reached CPPCC resolution, and stepped up the increase of troops in the Northeast.In a fit of anger, Mao Zedong recalled Zhou Enlai to Yan'an, and decided that the Communist Party refused to continue to attend the CPPCC meeting in protest.For this reason, Marshall asked Chiang Kai-shek to take action to alleviate the war crisis in the Northeast, and a military mediation executive team composed of three parties should be quickly established to enter the Northeast. This is why Luo Ronghuan reminded everyone to be careful of the peace trap. The same is true.Chiang Kai-shek didn't even give Marshall a smirk this time: The Northeast is already under the control of the Kuomintang, so why talk about peace with the Communist Party? On March 11, Marshall was unable to recover, "Zhu Bajie threw a rake", and returned home with a shake of his hands. "This Chiang Kai-shek is too arrogant!" Mao Zedong stood with his hands behind his back in Yan'an, a cigarette hissing between his fingers. Completely annihilate the Kuomintang attacking troops. The more the better, no hesitation in heavy casualties, such as 10,000 to 20,000, to achieve a big victory, so as to facilitate negotiations and the future." At this time, the Northeast Bureau was set up in Fushun, and Lin Biao faced the wall for three days, so he issued a new combat deployment order to the troops on March 26: the main force of the Ximan Military Region will go to Siping in advance, and he will personally command it at that time; Luo Huasheng of the Jiliao Military Region The four brigades, He Qingji, Deng Keming, and Cao Lihuai, assembled in Changchun and prepared to capture Changchun under the command of Zhou Baozhong; the Northern Manchurians dispatched Yang Guofu's division to go south to Siping, and the 359th Brigade prepared to attack Harbin; the Southern Manchurian troops focused on cooperating with the operations north of Shenyang.I hope that the whole party and the whole army will strive for a decisive victory in this battle with the greatest determination and at any sacrifice. Subsequently, Lin Biao left Fushun and hurried to Siping. It is early spring in Northeast China at this time, the occasional warm wind gently blows away a layer of permafrost, and one or two apricot trees with flower buds protruding in early spring are dotted on this vast Songliao Plain.Siping is just located in the middle of the Songliao Plain, with Shenyang in the south and Changchun in the north, where the three railways meet and is the transportation link in the Northeast. It was April 4 when Lin Biao arrived in Siping.He bounced off the wind and dust all the way, inspected around, and decided to live in Lishu Town, Lishu County, in the northwest suburb of Siping. Long before Lin Biao's arrival, Siping had been captured by the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army. On March 13, when the Soviet army withdrew from Siping, Huang Kecheng, who was stationed in the Ximan area, led the main force of the 3rd division to quickly go northward, from Faku to Siping, and captured Siping Xijiao Airport on March 15. On the evening of the 16th, the formation of the The city was besieged on three sides, northeast and west. At 2 o'clock in the morning on the 17th, the siege battle started, and the battle continued until noon. Except for more than 200 defenders who fled, the remaining more than 3,000 defenders and government officials were all wiped out.Chairman Liu Handong of Northern Liaoning Province appointed by Chiang Kai-shek, security commander Zhang Kai, and bandit leaders Wang Dahua and Wang Yaodong were all captured alive.This is the one battle and four draws in the history of the so-called "Four Wars and Four Draws". Why was the Siping Kuomintang army caught off guard?Because at this time, Xiong Shihui, Zheng Dongguo and others, as well as the Northeast Xingyuan and Northeast Security Command were busy entering Shenyang from Jinzhou.It was not until March 18 that the ministries of the Kuomintang were basically in place. Subsequently, the New 6th Army, the 52nd Army, and the New 1st Army launched offensives from the east, south, and north respectively. They split up and took down the three important towns of Liaoyang, Fushun, and Tieling before March 21.So far, among the important cities on the outskirts of Shenyang, only Benxi is still under the control of the Democratic Alliance Army.The situation in the Northeast suddenly became tense. On March 24, 1946, Mao Zedong called the Northeast Bureau: After the Kuomintang army consolidated its position in Liaoyang, Fushun and other places, it will send troops northward to Siping and Changchun. troops to defend the Liberated Areas of South Manchuria.Recently, due to the relationship between the Soviet Union and the United States, the United States is eager to cease the war, and Chiang was forced to cease the war.Therefore, the United States has sent a special plane to pick up Zhou Enlai and go to Chongqing for negotiations. I hope you will prepare everything, especially to fight one or two big victories without hesitating sacrifices. Mao Zedong wanted to win a few big battles before negotiating, and Chiang Kai-shek also wanted to win battles. Only by winning a battle can the negotiator's voice at the negotiating table be strengthened. In late March, the Kuomintang concentrated the 22nd and 14th Divisions of the New Sixth Army, the 88th Division of the 71st Army, the 5th Division of the 94th Army, the 2nd Division of the 52nd Army, and the 25th Division. Base, launched a large-scale attack on South Manchuria.The New 1st Army swept northward, hoping to overcome Siping after the situation in South Manchuria stabilized. If you want to attack Siping, you must wait for Nanman to be pacified; if you want to pacify Nanman, you must wait for Benxi to be conquered.Because in South Manchuria, there is only one isolated city, Benxi, still under the control of the Democratic Alliance Army. On April 1, the 25th Division and the 14th Division of the Kuomintang attacked Benxi from Fushun and Liaoyang at the same time, forming a two-pronged attack.The third column of the Democratic Alliance Army guarding Benxi used the strategy of splitting up to meet the enemy and defeating each one. On the 2nd, more than 700 people from the 25th Division of the enemy were killed and wounded in Lime Factory, Sanrengou, and Dadianzi, and they were repelled to the front line of Shanchengzi.Subsequently, another Democratic Alliance Army wiped out more than 1,000 people from the 14th Division near Huazigou.Although under the fierce artillery fire of the Kuomintang army, the frontier positions of the Democratic Alliance Army were threatened several times, in the end the Kuomintang army still failed to cross the line of defense.During the stalemate, the other side of the Democratic Alliance Army evaded the attack of the Kuomintang army and suddenly launched a night attack on the enemy in Sujiatun. The enemy army was in chaos in the rear and was forced to retreat. The first attack on Benxi was declared a failure. The failure to attack Benxi surprised Xiong Shihui and Zheng Dongguo.The two didn't take Benxi seriously, thinking that success would be achieved immediately, and then they could attack Siping with all their strength, not wanting to be disadvantaged in the first battle.Xiong Shihui became angry, so he ordered again on April 7: the troops were divided into three groups and then attacked Benxi, and Zhao Gongwu, the commander of the 52nd Army, went to the front to command the battle in person. On the 8th, the 25th Division of the 52nd Army on the Left of the Kuomintang Army went straight from the southwest of Fushun to the northern end of Benxi, and fought fiercely with the two brigades of the 3rd Column of the Democratic Alliance Army on the east mountain of Datianjiatun and the north of Taiping Mountain. A company of the 7th Brigade of the 3rd Column of the Democratic Alliance Army was guarding the east mountain of Jiatun in Datian. After a bloody battle, the 25th Division of the Kuomintang had to change direction and attack Taiping Mountain at the cost of 71 casualties in the entire company. The defense in the north of Taiping Mountain is a company of the 9th Brigade of the Third Column.Since the start of the battle, this company has repeatedly repulsed eight charges of the 25th Division, and the position has become scorched earth.Both the company commander and the instructor were seriously injured. By the afternoon, there was not even a squad in the position, but it was still difficult for the Kuomintang troops to advance half a step. At dusk, the large forces of the three columns of the Democratic Alliance Army concentrated the main forces of the 7th and 9th brigades, and after a long detour, they finally surrounded a regiment of the enemy's 25th Division.经过勇猛冲杀，除一部集体投降外，该团全部被歼。在随后的追歼战中，国民党第25师师长刘世懋被打伤，另有1，800余敌军被消灭，52军军长赵公武差点被活捉。侥幸漏网后，赵公武不敢再战，仓皇带着余众逃出战区。 这个时候，正从右路发起进攻的国民党军新6军第14师得知第25师被追击后，急速北进，企图迂回到民主联军侧后，为第25师解围。 得知此情后，三纵部队抢先埋伏在大英守屯地区。由于新6军14师一路急奔，抵大英守屯时已是疲惫不堪，当时正是黄昏时分，太阳刚刚落山，余霞穿过云层洒满大英守屯的北山坡上。 14师正欲休息，突然四处枪声大作，三纵主力从四面杀了出来。14师仓促应战，死伤惨重，只得慌忙溃逃。逃到长岭地区，再遭民主联军重创，14师师部及一个团先后被消灭，师长龙天武受伤，副师长以下共伤亡1，380多人，另有600多人被俘。 见到左右两路皆遭惨败，从中路进攻的国民党第60军182师推进到马家寨等地，不敢继续前进。民主联军获得了第二次保卫本溪的胜利。全部战斗共历时四昼夜，歼灭国民党军4，000余人，致使新6军第14师损失1/3，第52军第25师损失近半。 而本溪，仍像一根铁钉一样，牢牢地钉在南满的大地上。 南边的战斗打响后，北边的战斗也打响了。 坐镇四平的林彪绝不会呆坐着等待新1军的进攻。他率先向稳步推进的新1军发起了进攻。 4月8日晚，林彪指挥东北民主联军12个团的兵力在兴隆泉、柳条沟、兴隆岭一带盯住了新1军的新38师。在这个湿暖的南风徐徐吹起的月夜，林彪利用我军善于夜战的特点，聚歼了新38师的4个整连，使得一向以“天下第一军”自诩的新1军首遭重创。 林彪这里枪声未息，黄克诚带领部下在四平以南的泉头车站一带却是激战正酣。向泉头车站发起进攻的是国民党新1军的第50师，黄克诚于4月5日在那里投入战斗，面对来势汹汹的第50师，民主联军迎头痛击，直战了7天7夜才退出战斗。 新1军刚被林彪狠咬了几口后，陈明仁带着第71军就紧跟着冲了过来。 刚进入东北的陈明仁奉了郑洞国之命，想从侧面迂回到四平外围，以配合新1军攻城。一路上，该军所属的第87师、第91师顺利占领法库县城后，争先恐后向北开进，渐渐地拉开了距离。陈明仁未入东北就得知林彪不太好惹，不想一路北上，却连林彪的影子都没见到，不禁放松了警惕。 未料此时，林彪却正在暗中打量着他呢。 陈明仁的两个师一拉开距离，林彪就立即下令民主联军独立旅从金家屯地区开始，对87师节节抗击，诱敌深入。孤军深入的87师果然中计，带着胜利的喜悦，径直推进到大洼、金山堡地区。丝毫未曾察觉一张大网正悬在他们的头上。 4月15日下午17时，林彪一声令下，集中了14个团，由西北、东面、西南三个方向同时向金山堡一带发起了突击。黄昏时分，87师的一个先头团即被歼灭。随后，黄克诚一部赶赴大洼地区，拦住正在前来救援的91师，其余部队将87师陆续赶到的部队分割压制在大洼以南金山堡周围十余个村落之内，逐个歼击。经整夜激战，至4月16日上午7时，国民党军第87师主力所剩无几，师长黄炎落荒而逃。前来增援的第91师紧接着亦被击溃。 此一战，国民党军800余人被消灭，1，669人受伤，2，000余人被俘，刚进入东北的国民党第71军受此重创，陈明仁心痛不已，再也不敢大意。 郑洞国本想先取本溪，再克四平，不想反而兵力分散，两处作战。正在一筹莫展之时，长春又响起了震天的枪炮声。 彭真调动其余部队，乘国民党军队两处被牵之机，展开了夺取长春、齐齐哈尔和哈尔滨三城的战斗。 4月14日下午14时，在彭真的统一安排下，东满军区司令员周保中、政治委员林枫指挥杨国夫、曹里怀、贺庆积三路人马共两万余人首先打响了夺取长春的战斗。经过4天的奋战，于18日晚19时胜利攻取了长春。共毙伤敌军2，000余人，俘获16，000人。长春解放后，民主联军于4月25日攻下齐齐哈尔，4月28日夺取了哈尔滨。 长春、齐齐哈尔和哈尔滨相继解放后，民主联军少了后顾之忧，主力部队纷纷奔赴四平。 小小四平城骤然成为东北的焦点所在，国共双方的兵力正在从四面八方聚来。 一场血战在所难免。