Chapter 9 Chapter 8 Qingqiu deep lock, Jinglei Dunzhi transported troops to the west of Liaoxi

The Kuomintang has only a few isolated cities left in the Northeast.Mao Zedong ordered Lin Biao to go to Jinzhou quickly, close the door and beat the dog.Lin Biao hesitated several times, and finally went west secretly.The Liaoshen Campaign kicked off.With tears in his eyes, Chiang Kai-shek kissed Hou Jingru and Liao Yaoxiang to form two corps, marching east and west.Luo Ronghuan persuaded Lin Biao at night.Wu Kehua stood proudly on the Tashan Mountain for six days and nights, and the 100,000 troops in North China were unable to advance an inch. The spring of 1948 was broken. Chiang Kai-shek hurried back to Nanjing from Mount Lu.Sitting in front of the map, he thought in a trance that the entire Northeast China was like a gold and jade cup exuding jewels, but Lin Biao's several years of side-talking turned it into a few scattered fragments.Zheng Dongguo went to Changchun, but can Changchun be kept because of this?cannot.No one can keep it if they go, not only Changchun, but also Shenyang.Sooner or later.A city can be lost, but soldiers must never be lost.

Thinking of this, Chiang Kai-shek suddenly felt angry: "That Wei Lihuang who never knew what an order is!" A telegram was sent directly from Nanjing to Shenyang. At the beginning of April in this spring breeze, Wei Lihuang flew to Nanjing in accordance with Chiang Kai-shek's order. Chiang Kai-shek suppressed the anger in his heart, and said as calmly as possible: "Now, the traffic between Changchun and Shenyang has been cut off, and air transportation alone cannot last long. Under such circumstances, it is the best policy to withdraw the main force to Jinzhou as soon as possible. As for Shenyang And Changchun, as long as a small number of troops are left for defense."

Wei Lihuang stood up immediately: "Currently, the army training in various places has not yet been completed. Our main force is simply not capable of reaching Jinzhou. It is very likely that we will be eaten by the Communist army halfway." The dispute resumed.After several quarrels, Chiang Kai-shek suddenly sneered and said: "At present, the supply of materials in Shenyang, Changchun and other places cannot be guaranteed for a long time." Unexpectedly, Wei Lihuang was unhurried: "Material supply is not a problem. We can discuss it with the US military advisory group, and I believe it will be effectively resolved."

Chiang Kai-shek originally wanted to threaten Wei Lihuang to withdraw from Jinzhou with supplies, but he didn't want Wei Lihuang to have other countermeasures, so he flicked his sleeves angrily: "Then you can solve it yourself." The two parted ways again. Wei Lihuang was indeed a persistent person. After leaving the presidential palace, he immediately found the US military advisory group. In May, representatives of the US military advisory group flew to Shenyang under the leadership of the head of the group, Badawi.They inspected the situation inside and outside Shenyang City, and watched the joint exercise of various arms of the Kuomintang army.Later, Badawi made a wish to Wei Lihuang: agreeing to allocate additional weapons and equipment to 10 divisions of the Kuomintang Army.

Since then, U.S. military transport planes have continuously transported military equipment, food, ammunition, etc. to Shenyang and Jinzhou. Chiang Kai-shek kept looking for Wei Lihuang to coordinate opinions, but Mao Zedong was worried about the situation in the Northeast. Mao Zedong worried that once Chiang Kai-shek persuaded Wei Lihuang, he would destroy his strategic vision.He hoped that all the Kuomintang troops in the Northeast could be kept out of the customs and wiped out on the spot.Otherwise, if it is allowed to withdraw into North China, it will not only increase the strength of the Kuomintang in the Central Plains, but it will also be difficult to find an opportunity to annihilate it.Therefore, from February 1948, Mao Zedong instructed Lin Biao: For the strategic interests of our army, it is beneficial to close the Kuomintang army and wipe it out in the northeast. It is very important to capture Jinzhou to realize "close the door and beat the dog".

However, Lin Biao had other ideas at this time, facing the map all day long, thinking hard.Mao Zedong urged him many times to make up his mind to attack Jinzhou early, and Luo Ronghuan and Liu Yalou beside him were also anxious.But Lin Biao was unmoved. A few days later, he sent a lengthy telegram to Mao Zedong, arguing that the fortifications of Jinzhou City were strong and that there were 150,000 Kuomintang heavy troops guarding them. Swarm to cause passive.In addition, to attack Jinzhou, which is fortified by 150,000 people, there must be large-scale heavy weapons and a logistics supply of 600,000 to 700,000 people. Such a huge supply requires a lot of cars and fuel. If the fuel is exhausted or it is attacked by air, a large number of mechanized All the equipment will be lost to the enemy, and it will be difficult for the PLA to safely evacuate the battlefield, and it will only fall into danger.In contrast, Changchun is the closest to the logistics base of the People's Liberation Army, and the defense of the enemy is the weakest, and it is difficult to receive aid. It is the best policy to attack Changchun right now.

When the telegram arrived in Xibaipo, Mao Zedong took the case and became furious: "This Lin Biao, I think he is too timid. I told him to go south to the Beining line in February. After two months, he still hasn't moved. We have to go to Changchun first, otherwise, I will go to the northeast to lead troops!" Seeing that Mao Zedong was angry, Zhou Enlai hurried forward to persuade him: "Chairman, Lin Biao seems to have his own concerns. Since he wants to fight Changchun, let him try. At the same time, more importantly, we need to make more declarations. The importance of going south to Beining line , let him make up his mind as soon as possible."

Mao Zedong walked back and forth two times in great displeasure, and waved his hands: "Forget it, let him try first, if he doesn't try, he won't make up his mind." On April 22, Lin Biao's plan was barely approved.Mao Zedong said in the telegram in a rare critical tone: "We agree that the reason why you attack Changchun first is that it is more advantageous to attack Changchun first than to attack other places first, but it is by no means because it is particularly disadvantageous or insurmountable to attack other places first. Some of the difficulties you mentioned about attacking the vicinity of Shenyang, the vicinity of Jinzhou, the difficulty of attacking the Jinyu section, and the difficulty of entering the pass are only imaginary difficulties, and they may not necessarily exist in fact. Some are actual difficulties. , you will encounter it when you capture Changchun and go south to fight. Especially if Changchun cannot be conquered. Therefore, you yourself, especially among the cadres, should only say that you should fight first under the current circumstances. Changchun is more favorable, and you should not emphasize the difficulty of going south to fight, lest you and your cadres will be mentally passive."

Lin Biao watched the telegram in silence.After a long time, he gave the order weakly: "Siege Changchun!" The Northeast People's Liberation Army quickly gathered outside Changchun City, awakening Zheng Dongguo who was sitting on the top of the city.He has nowhere to ask for help now, and the cities occupied by the Kuomintang army have long been cut off by the People's Liberation Army.Zheng Dongguo is like a trapped beast, patrolling around the top of the city. "Instead of sitting and being beaten, it is better to take the initiative!" On May 21, Zheng Dongguo ordered the main force of the New 38th Division of the New 7th Army and the Temporary 61st Division to rush out of the west gate and occupy a small town 30 kilometers northwest of Changchun.Seeing that Zheng Dongguo was the first to fight, Lin Biao immediately ordered Yizong and Liuzong to meet the enemy.Unexpectedly, as soon as he made a move, he hit a hard nail, and a fierce battle lasted until May 24 before the Kuomintang army was beaten back to the city.

Lin Biao frowned thickly.Changchun's defense against the enemy is far from being as vulnerable as he imagined. For the first time in the battle, it has been found that their strength is still strong, and there is no absolute certainty in attacking Changchun. On May 29, Lin Biao called the central government: I underestimated the enemy in Changchun. Zheng Dongguo not only resisted resolutely, but also had complete fortifications. If he attacked and liberated Changchun, even if he paid the most heavy casualties, the battle might not be resolved in the end.This kind of battle cannot be won by a fierce attack, but must be won from house to house.Therefore, it is suggested that Changchun be besieged and besieged for a long time with a part of the force instead of a hard attack.

Mao Zedong carefully read the contents of the telegram, and asked Lin Biao for the specific situation many times, and finally agreed on the plan to siege Changchun on June 7.But he also pointed out that the siege of Changchun should be based on fighting, rather than besieging without attacking.At the same time, the more important task of the Northeast People's Liberation Army is to complete the preparations for the next step of entering the customs or fighting in the eastern Hebei and Jinzhou areas as soon as possible. But Lin Biao didn't listen to Mao Zedong's reminder, and was still calculating Changchun's offensive and defensive strength.Until July 20, he couldn't figure out a sure attack plan, and finally spread out the map and called back to the central government: "Give up the attack on Changchun, and agree to the army going south." Mao Zedong breathed a sigh of relief: "It's really not easy for Lin Biao to turn a corner!" He immediately sent a reply: hurry up and try to start the battle on the Beining Line and Chengde in August. But Mao Zedong was wrong, and Lin Biao still hadn't completely turned around.Although he agreed to go south to fight, he still had different ideas on the overall strategic intention.His intention is to only attack a few small cities on the Beining line of the Liaoxi Corridor, and let go of Jinzhou and other places first. Over the past few years, the continuous attacks on Siping and Changchun have gradually made Lin Biao feel fearful of the tough battle. Mao Zedong saw Lin Biao's chronic illness, and made it clear to him: "As a senior military general, you must have the confidence and courage to dare to fight a big battle with the Kuomintang army. The primary targets of this southward battle are Jinzhou and Tangshan." Mao Zedong's clear instruction was like a blow to Lin Biao, and he sat silent.He stayed silent for a few days with a straight face, and sent several telegrams to Mao Zedong in a row. First, he suggested that the Yang Dezhi and Yang Chengwu corps in North China be dispatched to cooperate, and then he said that his food was not ready yet, and the bridge was broken on the way south, etc. Mao Zedong finally became angry again: "The difficulties raised by Lin Biao are all excuses. Call Lin Biao quickly and keep the original words unchanged." On August 12, Lin Biao, Luo Ronghuan, and Liu Yalou received Mao Zedong's telegram and looked at each other. They had never seen Mao Zedong's telegram in such a tone, and they dared not say anything. They could only euphemistically explain the specific situation, and at the same time clearly stated: immediately go south. In order to meet the new battle, Lin, Luo and Liu decided to go south with the army. On August 14, the Northeast People's Liberation Army officially separated the Northeast Military Region and the Northeast Field Army. Gao Gang, Chen Yun, Li Fuchun, and Wu Xiuquan were in charge of the military region work, while Lin, Luo, and Liu were in charge of front-line combat command. After intense food preparations and road repairs, Lin Biao issued a combat mobilization order to each column on August 29. From September 10, 1948, the Northeast Field Army secretly boarded trains from various railway stations.The trains transporting troops all use boxcars, and the doors are locked and sealed before driving.When the train was running, no soldiers could be seen, no voices could be heard, and even the railway employees didn't know what was being transported.In just 9 days, 100,000 troops were safely, quickly, and secretly transported to western Liaoning. The intelligence agencies of the Kuomintang army knew nothing about this, but the prelude to the decisive battle between Liaoshen and Shenyang has quietly opened. On September 3, 1948, Lin Biao sent the newly formulated Northeast Field Army combat plan to Xibaipo. Holding this plan in hand, Mao Zedong strode forward, frowned again, and said: "Lin Biao still doesn't want to fight a tough battle. Look at this plan. He puts the focus of the deployment of troops between Jinzhou and Shenyang. This is still a preparation. When fighting for aid, the key point is to eliminate the aid enemies from Shenyang, and we don’t want to fight Jinzhou with all our strength.” Mao Zedong walked up and down, he held up the telegram and turned to Zhou Enlai: "He looks like this..." Zhou Enlai took over the words and said: "Why don't we formulate a new combat policy and send it to Lin Biao directly." On September 7, Mao Zedong officially instructed the Northeast Field Army: You should use the main force to attack the front line of Jinzhou, and be ready to annihilate the reinforcements from Changchun and Shenyang.If you focus on attacking and aiding the enemy, the enemies in Changchun and Shenyang may not dare to move because your threat is too great.At the same time, the scattered enemy troops on the front line of Jinzhou will also take the opportunity to shrink to Jinzhou and Tangshan, so that Jinzhou will be even more difficult to fight.Therefore, you must establish two determinations. First, you must establish the determination to capture Jin, Yu, and Tang points and fully control the line; Dare to fight him. Mao Zedong made a final decision, and Lin Biao could no longer think about it. "According to the new operational policy, fully deploy." He said blankly. Since then, various railway lines in the Northeast have been busy, and soldiers and supplies have been transferred to various strategic locations.In order to conceal strategic goals, all railway transportation is carried out in the form of full trains at night and empty trains during the day. During this period, the Kuomintang Air Force has discovered that the railways in western Liaoning are busy at night, and there are also a large number of people moving during the day.But it failed to arouse the vigilance of the top KMT officials.Chiang Kai-shek was busy dealing with the Northwest and Shandong battlefields, while Wei Lihuang was busy trying to solve the Changchun issue.The Northeast Field Army besieged Changchun impenetrably. There was a shortage of food in the city and the morale of the troops was unstable.But no one thought of the danger in Jinzhou, even Fan Hanjie who was stationed in Jinzhou felt at ease. At the end of August, Fan Hanjie went to Nanjing for a meeting. Chiang Kai-shek told him very worriedly that he must be vigilant against the People’s Liberation Army’s attack on Jinzhou, but Fan Hanjie didn’t take it seriously. , plan to live forever.Under his influence, the city of Jinzhou was peaceful, and even wealthy people from Shenyang and other places moved there one after another. They never expected that as early as September 10, Lin Biao and Luo Ronghuan had drawn up the first step of the battle plan based on the combat policy formulated by Mao Zedong: three, four, seven, eight, nine, eleven, and two verticals The 5th division, the main force of the artillery column, the independent 4th, 6th, and 8th divisions of the Jireliaocha Military Region, and the cavalry division attacked the Jinzhou-Tangshan section of the Beining Railway to cut off the connection between the Northeast KMT Army and Guannei; He and the independent 2nd division assembled in Zhangwu and Xinlitun areas, preparing to intercept the enemy of Shenyang's western aid.The twelve verticals and five independent divisions continued to besiege Changchun. A bloody battle aimed at closing the northeast gate is about to begin! In the early autumn of 1948, there was a gust of golden wind in western Liaoning, and grass and insects sang loudly.Suddenly, there was a burst of gunshots. On September 12, Cheng Zihua, commander of the 2nd Corps of the Northeast Field Army, and Huang Kecheng, political commissar, commanded the 11th Column, three independent divisions, and a cavalry division to set off from Jianchang, and first launched an offensive battle on the Beining Line. Conquer Changli and Beidaihe on the 17th, conquer Suizhong on the 28th and encircle Xingcheng.The connection between Qinhuangdao Port and Jinzhou was immediately cut off. Under the help of the Qinhuangdao defenders, the Jinxi Kuomintang 54th Army had to send troops to the south for reinforcements.The Fourth Column and the Nine Columns of the Field Army departed from Tai'an and Beizhen respectively, and surrounded Yixian County, an important military town north of Jinzhou, on the 16th.A few days later, the main forces of the 3rd, 2nd and 5th Divisions and Paozong also reached the outskirts of Yixian County, while the 4th and 9th Columns continued southward, entered the outskirts of Jinzhou, and attacked Maoer Mountain. Maoer Mountain is a very isolated high mountain in the northeast of Jinzhou. At the foot of the mountain is a small village called Maoshantun.The terrain of Maoer Mountain is dangerous. It can not only observe the activities of the Jinzhou-Yixian Highway, but also overlook the Jinzhou Airport.When the Nine Columns arrived, the two engineering battalions of the 93rd Army were building fortifications there. On the night of September 24, Nine Columns launched a surprise attack and captured Maoshantun.Zhao Jinggao, the temporary deputy commander of the 20th Division who was directing the repair work at Maoershan, saw that the situation was not good, and fled to Jinzhou in embarrassment. The field army immediately occupied Liangjiashan, Baihutun and other places in the north of Jinzhou. The Northeast Field Army suddenly attacked the outskirts of Jinzhou! This news made Wei Lihuang pale with fright, and he immediately ordered Fan Hanjie and Sheng Jiaxing, the commander of the 93rd Army, to retake Maoshantun.Fan Hanjie's voice trembled when he heard the commander-in-chief's instructions, and he did not dare to neglect at all. He urgently mobilized the 184th Division to cooperate with the Temporary 20th Division to launch a counterattack to Maoshantun, Liangjiashan and Baihuhutun at the same time.The Kuomintang and the Communist Party fought hard all day on September 26. Fan Hanjie was unable to win and was afraid that Jinzhou would be empty and would be attacked by surprise, so he had to order a retreat.The heroic company of the field army that sticks to the White Tiger Tun won the two banners of "White Tiger Company" and "Death Fighting" for its tenacious resistance. The war near Jinzhou has started, and the Kuomintang has just woken up like a dream. It turns out that the People's Liberation Army is attacking Jinzhou. On September 26, the panicked Chiang Kai-shek sent Gu Zhutong, chief of staff, to fly to Shenyang in person and ordered Wei Lihuang and Liao Yaoxiang to immediately airlift the 49th Army to reinforce Jinzhou; at the same time, Shenyang sent a powerful corps to attack Jinzhou to break the siege of Jinzhou. Wei Lihuang wandered back and forth. "I agree to airlift the 49th Army to aid Jin. But it is absolutely impossible to send troops from Shenyang to the west." He told Gu Zhutong: "Based on the situation, the main force of the Communist Army is currently in Zhangwu and Xinlitun in the Liaoxi Corridor. The area has already assembled. If Shenyang sends troops, it will be destroyed halfway, which will hit the Communist army's strategy of besieging the city and fighting for aid. At the same time, it will also leave Shenyang empty. We hope that North China will increase troops to Huludao, and Jinxi will reinforce Jinzhou. This is a good strategy. .” Gu Zhutong waved his hand and refused: "The president's order is not about keeping Shenyang, but for you to send troops to the west of Liaoxi to attack Jinzhou from east to west." When Liao Yaoxiang heard this, he immediately interjected: "But the main force of Shenyang sent troops to Liaoxi alone, and there are three big rivers in the middle. Seeing that the two did not listen, Gu Zhutong didn't say much: "I'm just here to give the president's order. How about it, I'll ask the president for his opinion again." On the afternoon of September 27, Chiang Kai-shek called back: the original order must be acted upon. Wei Lihuang grabbed the telegram, threw it to the ground, and shouted furiously: "I would rather not do it than let the main force of Shenyang send troops to Liaoxi alone again." A quarrel inevitably broke out. Wei Lihuang and Liao Yaoxiang fought against Gu Zhutong together. Depending on the situation, decide on the next step. As everyone knows, this quarrel has been delayed for most of the day.Because Wei Lihuang refused to help, the Eighth and Ninth Columns of the Northeast Field Army had already approached Jinzhou Airport. The connection between the second vertical and the fifth division, the third vertical and the main artillery vertical completed the encirclement of Yi County. On the 29th, Sizong bypassed Jinzhou and conquered Xingcheng.Since Jinzhou Airport was blocked by artillery fire from the field army, the 49th Army, which was about to come for reinforcements, only transported two regiments by air, and could no longer land.So far, Lin Biao's encirclement and blockade of Jinzhou's outskirts has been basically completed. On October 1, Lin Biao ordered the first attack on Yi County, about 50 kilometers north of Jinzhou.The commander of the Three Columns, Han Xianchu, served as the commander-in-chief, leading the troops of the Third Column, the 5th Division of the Second Column, the Paozong, and the Rehe Independent Division, shouting to kill and rushing out of the position.A tough battle started from this. Yixian County is the barrier to the north of Jinzhou, and it is also the place where the field army must pass when going south to Jinzhou. Although the county seat is small, it has high walls and thick walls.The 20th Division of the 93rd Army staying here, under the command of the division commander Wang Shigao, relied on its defensive advantages and stood by for help.Han Xianchu used artillery firepower to continuously destroy various bunkers in Yixian County.Artillery Commander Zhu Rui showed great power in the attack. He gave an order, and more than 100 cannons roared in unison, and soon burned Yixian into a sea of ​​flames.The soldiers of the three columns marched bravely and rushed into the city. After 4 hours of street fighting, the battle ended, and the enemy commander Wang Shigao was captured.But at the end of the battle, Commander Zhu Rui was struck by a mine on the edge of the city and died heroically. This was the highest-ranking commander of the People's Liberation Army killed in the Liaoshen Battle. After hearing the news, Mao Zedong sent a special message of condolences. On October 2, Lin Biao, Luo Ronghuan, Liu Yalou, Tan Zheng and others led the frontline headquarters to arrive at Zhengjiatun in Shuangliao, Jilin on the way to Jinzhou by train.It was here that Lin Biao received a telegram that the Kuomintang army was increasing its troops in Huludao. It turned out that Chiang Kai-shek had brought Air Force Commander Zhou Zhirou and Navy Commander Gui Yongqing to Peiping on September 30 because he saw the danger in the Northeast. As soon as he saw Fu Zuoyi, he hurriedly said: "Now the Northeast is in an emergency, and the 17th Corps in North China must be transferred immediately." Commander Hou Jingru commanded the 62nd Army, one division of the 92nd Army, and the independent 95th Division to go northward by sea from Tanggu. The divisions formed the "Eastward Corps", and with the cooperation of the navy and air force, they landed from Jinxi and went east to reinforce Jinzhou." On October 2, Chiang Kai-shek left Peiping in a hurry and arrived in Shenyang. He held a meeting of officers above the division and tearfully called on officers at all levels to cherish the opportunity and go west with all their strength. "This is the critical moment for us to save the country," he waved his white gloves. "If it is not good, we have to see you in the next life!" The meeting ended with a burst of sobs from Chiang Kai-shek. After the meeting, Chiang Kai-shek summoned Liao Yaoxiang alone, and immediately lost his temper and said: "You are my student, why don't you obey my orders! This time, the Shenyang army sent troops to the west of Liaoxi to relieve the siege of Jinzhou, and you are completely in charge. If there is any delay, you are the only one to ask!" Chiang Kai-shek ignored Wei Lihuang, and directly ordered the main forces of the New 1st Army, New 3rd Army, New 6th Army, 71st and 49th Army and 3 cavalry brigades to form the "Westward Corps", commanded by Liao Yaoxiang, to Zhangwu and Xinlitun Advance, first cut off the logistics supply line of the People's Liberation Army, and then attack Jinzhou with the North China Corps. Chiang Kai-shek is personally deploying a strategic plan to advance from east to west and save Jinzhou. Lin Biao just received the news that a large number of Kuomintang troops had entered Huludao from North China in Zhengjiatun.A sense of fear surged into his heart again. Lin Biao was worried that Fu Zuoyi's North China troops would go northward in large numbers, which would make it difficult for the field army to attack Jinzhou. If Jinzhou could not be defeated, the field army would be trapped in western Liaoning and would not be able to retreat. Thinking of this, Lin Biao tossed and turned and couldn't make up his mind to continue attacking Jinzhou. At 22 o'clock at night, Lin Biao finally sent a telegram to the central government: "Because the enemy forces in North China are increasing their troops to Huludao, we are currently considering two options: one is to attack Jinzhou, but the battle in Jinzhou will take a long time to be completely resolved, and if Huludao The enemy on the island is dispatched, and our reinforcements may not be able to stop it; the other is to attack Changchun, because Changchun has been besieged for several months, and morale will be low, and our army's strength has been greatly strengthened, and the chance of victory has been greatly increased." Due to the urgency of the matter, Luo Ronghuan and Liu Yalou quickly read the telegram and sent it overnight. Everyone rests. The night was so quiet, Luo Ronghuan opened the door and looked at the stars all over the sky, bursts of air filled with the unique fragrance of ripe crops rushed towards his face.The telegram just sent was still flashing in his mind. "It's not right!" Luo Ronghuan yelled secretly.After all, this is a decisive battle that concerns the entire Northeast. The attack plan has been approved by the Central Military Commission, and the southern offensive has also been fully launched. If the plan is temporarily changed, it will not only violate the intention of the Military Commission, but also cause chaos when large troops return. Thinking of this, Luo Ronghuan put on his overcoat, pulled up Liu Yalou and went to find Lin Biao together. Lin Biao did not sleep.After sending the telegram, his heart was beating drums. On the issue of Gongjin, Mao Zedong had criticized him many times. Now that the battle has begun, isn't it too inappropriate to send such a telegram at this time? Seeing that Luo Ronghuan and Liu Yalou came here just for this telegram, Lin Biao was even more shaken.My momentary ignorance has turned into a mistake, and now that the telegram has been sent, it cannot be recovered. Luo Ronghuan pondered for a while: "I suggest not to wait for the Military Commission to call back. Let's draft a new telegram immediately, expressing our determination to attack Jinzhou." Lin Biao nodded in agreement.The sky gradually brightened. At 9 o'clock on October 3, Lin Biao sent a second telegram.Almost at this time, the first telegram sent by Lin Biao had already reached Mao Zedong. Sure enough, Mao Zedong became angry again: "Lin Biao wants to fight Changchun again! It's such a critical time, why do you want to back down?" He sent two telegrams to Lin Biao at 17:00 and 19:00: now we must not think about the matter of Changchun. , We must attack Jinzhou with all our strength! Not long after the two telegrams were sent, at 20:15 in the evening, Lin Biao's second telegram was also delivered to Mao Zedong.At this time, Mao Zedong turned his anger into joy, and replied in the early morning of the 4th: "It is very good and comforting that you are determined to attack Jin." "You have just focused your operations on Jinzhou and Jinxi." You boldly let go and implement resolutely, strive to conquer Jinzhou first, and then attack Jinxi." In the early morning of the 4th when Mao Zedong sent his reply, the frontline headquarters led by Lin Biao arrived at Fuxin, the terminal of the railway.Since the railway in front has not yet been repaired, the next trip to Jinzhou can only be done by car. The next day, Lin Biao, who had just stepped out of the car, climbed Mao'er Mountain himself.He raised his binoculars and carefully observed the Jinzhou position. After watching for a long time, he called Luo Ronghuan and Liu Yalou with a heavy heart: "Now, on both sides of Jinzhou, the two corps from the east and the west are moving towards each other. Liao Yaoxiang in the east is still far away. It does not pose a threat for the time being, but Hou Jingru in the west is very close to Jinzhou. The most important guarantee for attacking Jinzhou is to block the enemy forces in the west of Jinzhou. Tashan is the only place for Hou Jingru to rescue Jinzhou. The position more than 30 kilometers west to Hongluoxian must be defended." On the afternoon of October 5, 1948, Wu Kehua, the commander of the Fourth Column, who was resting in Xingcheng, suddenly received a combat order from Lin Biao: the two independent divisions of the Fourth Column, the Eleventh Column, and Rehe are now ordered to jointly block the attack from Jinxi to the south. The enemy of Jinzhou reinforcements.Please Si Zong go to Tashan and Gaoqiao immediately to set up defenses. Wu Kehua led the three divisions of the whole column to set off immediately, marched overnight, and arrived in Tashan on the morning of October 6. After preliminary reconnaissance, Wu Kehua found that Tashan was just an ordinary seaside village. The village is located on the Beining railway line between Jinzhou and Jinxi. Domi.So Wu Kehua sent Jiang Xieyuan's 12th Division to Tashan Village. Jiang Xieyuan sent the 34th, 35th, and 36th regiments to guard Tashan Village, Baitai Mountain, and nearby Panjiatun.Because of the four vertical and horizontal directions in southern Manchuria, and repeated battles, it is a bit reluctant to guard such a safe and flat seaside land at this time.The enthusiasm for building fortifications is not high. "Others went to fight, but we dug a pit under such a small hill." Some soldiers muttered. But none of them thought that just under this small hill of more than 200 meters, what was about to come was a "Tashan blocking battle" that shocked history! When Wu Kehua first arrived in Tashan, he didn't pay much attention to this humble place.The soldiers in charge of defending there were also full of complaints. But in Lin Biao's heart, Tashan is already a place of life and death that concerns the overall situation.Whether Hou Jingru's Eastward Corps can save the siege of Jinzhou depends entirely on this.Therefore, he again telegraphed Cheng Zihua, commander of the 2nd Corps, and Wu Kehua, commander of the Fourth Column: "Da and Xiao Dongshan to the north of Jinxi, and Songshan Street to the south of Jinzhou are enemy positions. The distance between the two enemies is only 15 kilometers. Our army must absolutely not adopt mobile defensive methods. It must carry out heroic and tenacious defensive battles in the Tashan and Gaoqiao areas. Oppose guerrilla habits, don't count your victory by your own casualties and captures, and resolutely stop the enemy." On October 8, after receiving the telegram, Cheng Zihua and Wu Kehua immediately rushed to the Tashan position to personally inspect the deployment of the 12th Division.Later, Lin Biao sent Su Jing, the chief of staff around him, to Tashan, emphasizing that no matter how many casualties you pay, you must resolutely block the enemy. At this time, Jiang Xieyuan felt that the task was arduous, so he quickly mobilized for combat, put forward the slogan "Swear to live and die with Tashan", and strengthened the construction of fortifications overnight. At this time, Chiang Kai-shek was actively mobilizing aid troops. On October 6, Chiang Kai-shek arrived in Huludao and asked the Dongjin Corps to set off as soon as possible. He also ordered Hou Jingru to go to Tangshan to mobilize troops. The front line of Tashan was commanded by Que Hanqian, commander of the 54th Army, and Gui Yongqing, commander of the navy, and Ma Jizhuang, commander of the third fleet. The warship bombarded the Tashan position with heavy artillery. At 4 o'clock in the morning on the 10th, Que Hanqian ordered the 62nd Division to dispatch three battalions to sneak across the beach at low tide and take the lead in attacking the Tashan position.Jiang Xieyuan commanded two cannons to fight back, repelling them in the first round. When it was getting dark, Que Hanqian had dispatched more than 40 heavy artillery pieces to bombard the front of Tashan and Baitai Mountains.The fortifications of the field army were damaged, the bunkers were torn down, the bunkers were blown down, the rails flew into the sky, and the sleepers were broken into pieces.Seeing that the bombardment had achieved great results, Que Hanqian ordered three divisions to charge towards Tashan Village, Railway Bridge and Baitai Mountain separately. Throughout the morning, Que Hanqian launched 6 consecutive attacks on Tashan, all of which were repelled by the four vertical troops.In the afternoon, Que Hanqian made another plan and mobilized a large number of planes to dive and straf the Tashan position. After suppressing the artillery fire, he launched three more attacks, but they still failed. After the battle on the first day, Si Zong deeply felt that the fortifications built in the past few days were unsuccessful, so they exchanged experiences, researched and discussed with each other, especially some newcomers who used to dig fortifications in the Kuomintang army and were liberated. Soldiers study, fight during the day, and repair fortifications at night, so that the field troops of the Four Columns, which have never fought defensive battles, have effectively strengthened their defense capabilities. Seeing that the offensive on the first day was not good, Que Hanqian added another division on the 11th and dispatched 4 divisions to launch a new attack on Tashan.The two sides fought fiercely. In order to hold their positions, some companies fought from a team of nearly 200 people to only a few people. The small Tashan area was littered with corpses and blood.But until dark, the positions were still firmly in the hands of the People's Liberation Army. After two days of attack, Que Hanqian paid the price of 2,500 people, but got nothing, and suddenly became a little dejected. On the afternoon of the 11th, Hou Jingru led a division from Tangshan to Huludao.Before and after this, the Independent 95th Division in North China, the 62nd Army in Tanggu, and the 39th Army in Yantai also arrived successively.Hou Jingru immediately convened a meeting of military officers to study the next action plan. Due to repeated defeats, Que Hanqian immediately proposed to change the combat plan and use the main force to attack the mountainous area to the west of Baitai Mountain. The terrain there is vast and the fortifications are scarce, so it is easy to break through. From this, he can go back to the back of Tashan Mountain and break through the defense of the People's Liberation Army.However, Zhang Boquan, the chief of staff of the Dongjin Corps, proposed under Hou Jingru's secret instruction: still follow the previous two days of fighting, under the cover of artillery fire, advance from the front, and rely on the current superior force to capture Tashan. In fact, Hou Jingru didn't really want to go to rescue Jinzhou. He once said privately: "According to our current situation, we cannot enter Tashan and Jinzhou. It can last for a few more days." Seeing that Que Hanqian's proposal was indeed feasible, he immediately asked Zhang Boquan to stick to the status quo.Just as he was thinking about how to reject Que Hanqian's proposal, Roach, the war inspector who had just arrived, said: "There is no need to change the style of play, stick to the frontal attack, and take down Tashan. This is the basic spirit of the president's instructions. If you want to change it, you must You have to ask for instructions first, otherwise no one can afford this responsibility." Since Luo Qi was the war supervisor sent by Chiang Kai-shek, he himself immediately volunteered to lead the old army—the independent 95th Division known as the "North China Zhao Zilong Division" as the main attack, so no one objected and let it go. On the 12th, Roach announced a one-day truce, and he wanted to check the terrain of the battlefield in person.At dawn the next day, Luo Qi personally commanded the 95th Independent Division to launch a new charge towards Tashan with the cooperation of the 8th Division of the 54th Army and the 62nd Army of Lin Weichou. Before the charge, Roach made it clear that all the troops and individuals who captured Tashan would be rewarded with "gold dollar coupons" plus three months' salary.Under this order, the independent 95th Division is indeed not weak in combat effectiveness. They use the "wave" shock tactics, divide the regiment into three waves, and each battalion forms a wave. The light and heavy machine guns concentrate their firepower to cover the advance of the infantry company.The first wave was frustrated, and the second wave followed. It was even more rare that their battalion and regiment officers rushed ahead of the team. On the Tashan position, the sky was darkened, and flesh and blood flew all over the place.The whole battle is almost carried out in the process of people falling down on the position and making up outside the position. October 13th became the cruelest day in the Tashan blockade. Fighting until dark, the positions of the four columns were still intact. The enemy was wiped out 1,245 people, and Wu Kehua's troops also suffered 1,048 casualties. In the end, there were only a few people left in the unit. Knowing this situation, Lin Biao sent a congratulatory message to the four columns on the Tashan position overnight, and when the Jinzhou general offensive was about to start, he resolutely ordered Li Tianyou to lead the most combat-effective column to Gaoqiao and Xingshan. As the reserve team of the four columns.When Wu Kehua heard Li Tianyou say on the phone, "We are ordered by the head of the field army to be your reserve team. We are now in the Gaoqiao area. As long as you need us, we can go to battle at any time." He couldn't help crying and was very excited. That night, Roach, who was severely frustrated, convened a meeting of officers above the division full of anger.The division commanders were dejected and complained to each other. Roach severely criticized these officers, and then, in spite of everyone's opposition, asked the independent 95th Division to launch a nighttime sneak attack before dawn. In the early morning of the 14th, the world was still dark, and the 95th Division sent two battalions to creep into the Tashan position after a long distance.The field army soldiers who had dug fortifications all night were resting, when they heard the sound, they started to fight.The two sides fought hand to hand, catching each other and fighting in various places in the trenches.Subsequently, the follow-up troops of the Kuomintang army also came one after another, and the two sides started a tug-of-war.Before dawn, the independent 95th Division once occupied the position near the railway bridge. When Luo Qi was happy, the field army suddenly launched an artillery attack. The 95th Division suffered heavy casualties and asked the 21st Division of the 62nd Army to go to the rescue. Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, Lin Weichou, the commander of the 62nd Army, did not want to spend in vain, so he ordered the 21st Division to stand by and instead ordered the other two divisions to attack Tashan Village.The fighting lasted until dusk, and the field army guarding the Tashan position did not lose an inch. After two days of fighting on the 13th and 14th, Roach's independent 95th Division suffered heavy losses, with only 3 battalions remaining from the 3 regiments, basically losing their combat effectiveness.But Roach still did not give up at this time. On the evening of the 14th, a batch of tanks from the Kuomintang army was shipped to Huludao.Luo Qi was overjoyed and suggested a one-day truce on the 15th, and then dispatched tanks to capture Tashan on the 16th.However, it was too late. On the 15th, a Kuomintang officer defending Jinzhou fled to Tashan and reported to Luo Qi: Jinzhou has fallen, and the entire Fan Hanjie Group has been destroyed! 罗奇立即呆坐无言。这时，旁边有位军官悄声说道：“那我们明天还打塔山吗？” 侯镜如闻听，高声吼道：“还打什么塔山？共军下一个目标说不定就是我们了，马上命令各部队退回原地，加强阵地建设，要力保锦西和葫芦岛不失。” 罗奇和侯镜如都没想到，林彪竟然如此迅速地打下了锦州。 事实上，早在10月7日，林彪就已亲临帽儿山仔细观察了锦州地形。经过毛泽东的多次电报批评与解释，林彪此刻已下定决心一定要攻下这座素有“山海要冲、边关锁匙”的战略重城。但林彪同时也没有忘记，锦州城中驻扎着卢浚泉第6兵团所属93军、新8军等7个师，加上冀热辽国民党地方武装共有十万之众，范汉杰亲自在此坐镇。相比之下，无论从兵力和防御的坚固性来看，锦州都远远超过四平。因此，如何顺利打下锦州，需要费一番脑筋多加思考。 回到指挥部后，林彪不发一语，静坐沉思。忽然他想到了刚刚结束的义县攻坚战，战士们大挖战壕、交通沟，不仅可以快速接近敌方阵地，而且极为有效地减少了伤亡。想到此，林彪立即命令各围城纵队：以师为单位，每个师派出2/3的兵力，全部用于挖交通沟；每个师要挖五条或三条，每条沟须高宽各一米五；要不怕伤亡、不怕疲劳，每条沟要大胆挖至距敌五六十米处。 10月8日早，林彪召集二纵刘震、三纵韩先楚、七纵邓华、八纵邱会作、九纵詹才芳共商攻城大计。他命令韩先楚负责总指挥，二纵和三纵进攻城北，是这次战斗的重点；七纵进攻城南，九纵配合七纵。韩先楚接令后，立即开始对锦州外围进行进一步的清扫。 范汉杰坐于城中，见解放军攻城在即，慌张不已，早在10月6日，他就向沈阳发电，准备弃城而逃，受到了卫立煌的严厉斥责。到了10月10日，塔山方向炮声震天，范汉杰这才略有安稳，日夜盼着援军到来。哪想到，侯镜如的10万援军却被四纵阻在塔山，寸步难进。 到10月13日，韩先楚经过几天的艰苦作战，已将锦州外围打扫干净，所有守敌全部退入城中。 10月14日上午10时，8颗信号弹升入半空，韩先楚下达总攻令。近千门大小火炮同时怒吼，锦州城内顿时变成一片火海。城墙、碉堡纷纷崩塌，野战军特种兵战车团甚至开出了15辆坦克，带着哗哗的履带声响也冲过了城墙。各纵队主力沿着早已挖好的交通沟奔向敌军阵地，国民党军对着交通沟无能为力，只听人说话，却不见人影子。 当天中午，野战军各路大军相继攻入市区，展开巷战。战斗打到天色已暗，林彪直接下达命令：各纵队通夜作战，不给敌人任何机会重整部署！ 在野战军的猛烈进攻下，范汉杰已被打得晕头转向，见到锦州大势已去，侯镜如、廖耀湘谁也不来救援，便于16时左右，带着老婆子女、参谋长和亲信随从来到卢浚泉的指挥所：“赶快突围吧，晚了就来不及了。” 由于国民党高级指挥官纷纷独自逃命，其他敌人已乱成一团。战斗到15日拂晓，野战军攻城各部队在锦州市内胜利会师。到晚上18时，锦州城内的所有残敌全被清剿，锦州攻坚战胜利结束。 此时，范汉杰已逃出了锦州城，但身边的人失散殆尽，只剩下了侍从副官、卫士和女秘书。当夜，他们跑到城外东南的一户老百姓家中，换上了破旧衣服，于16日晨继续潜逃。当行到一个叫做谷家窝棚的地方时，被九纵的后方部队拦住。 当时范汉杰头戴一顶烂毡帽，穿了一件露棉花的破棉袄和一条不合身的小棉裤，肩上搭着一条破麻袋，边走还边啃着一根萝卜。后面跟着两男一女也穿得破破烂烂。 九纵人员见这几个人形迹可疑，便上前盘问。一听却是广东口音，必是从锦州逃出的国民党军无疑。带回去一审，范汉杰立即承认了自己的身份。九纵人员不敢耽搁，立即将此四人交送给林彪指挥部。待见了林彪，范汉杰才知道，原来自己的家属以及卢浚泉等人无一幸免，全已被俘。 10月16日，蒋介石带着满脸的震惊和沮丧飞临葫芦岛，一进东进兵团会议室，就痛斥罗奇连小小的塔山都冲不过，实在无用。罗奇忙解释说解放军的塔山阵地坚固，独立95师已打得只剩3个营，仍然未见进展。蒋介石转而大骂阙汉骞：“塔山如此靠近，共军修建了这么多的坚固工事和障碍物，你身在葫芦岛，却不闻不问，不加破坏！你还是黄埔学生吗？我看不是，你是蝗虫！”蒋介石气急败坏，已语不择言，并高叫要枪毙了阙汉骞，吓得在场众将谁也不敢说话了。 蒋介石无论如何也不愿相信，他的十万大军拥有11个师的兵力居然被一个200多米的小山包阻止不前。可他当时更不知道，阻住他这支大军的四纵却只有三个师的兵力。 吴克华带领四纵在塔山地区浴血奋战了6昼夜，使得四纵从此名声大振。战后，四纵的12师34团被授予“塔山英雄团”称号，36团被授予“白台山守备英雄团”称号，10师28团被授予“守备英雄团”称号，四纵炮兵团被授予“威震敌胆”锦旗，仅12师就有2，026人立功。塔山阻击战成为中国解放战争史中一个不可或缺的光辉战例；而锦州攻坚战也是辽沈之战中我军进行的规模最大、最成功的一次战役。锦州被攻克后，东北国民党军队进出的大门已被彻底地关上了，所有东北残余守军都已成了瓮中之鳖。