Chapter 5 Chapter 4 Raising troops to fight against rebellion, creating a battlefield for self-defense and counterattack

One day in January 1946, Chongqing was cloudy and rainy. Chiang Kai-shek stood by the window, looking at the cloud-covered sky, frowning. After the "Double Ten Agreement" was signed, Chiang Kai-shek immediately issued an offensive order to the northern theaters in an attempt to annihilate the liberated areas, the Eighth Route Army, and the New Fourth Army.The two-month war process gave Chiang Kai-shek a head-on blow. The progress on Jinpu Road was slow, and the occupation of Beiping and Tianjin had to rely on air and sea troops.The Communist Party's army has been moving around in the Northeast, while the Kuomintang army is still slowly advancing on the Beining Line.The Kuomintang army attacking the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Liberated Area was defeated by Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping, Ma Fawu was captured, and Gao Shuxun rebelled.

Chiang Kai-shek felt that it would take some time to prepare for the deployment of troops and generals for a real contest with the Communist Party.The calls for peace at home and abroad have been louder and louder, and the United States has also put pressure on him, recalling Hurley and sending Marshall. How to do it?It seemed that the implementation of the civil war plan had to be postponed and the proposal made by the Communist delegation be accepted. On January 10, 1946, Zhang Qun and Zhou Enlai signed the "Order and Statement on Stopping Domestic Military Conflicts and Resuming Traffic" in Chongqing on behalf of the Nationalist Government and the Communist Party of China respectively.It was announced at the same time as the "Agreement on Cessation of Domestic Military Conflict" reached on January 5.The two sides agreed that the truce will come into effect at 12:00 pm on the 13th of this month.The Executive Department of the Military Mediation Office headed by Zhou Enlai, Zhang Zhizhong, and Marshall was established in Beiping to supervise the ceasefire and resolve military conflicts between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.

The Chinese Communists sincerely hope for peace.Mao Zedong pointed out in the truce order: "All armies under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, including the regular army, militia, irregular army and guerrillas, as well as governments at all levels in the liberated areas and committees at all levels of the Communist Party, must strictly abide by it, and there must be no mistakes. After defeating the Japanese aggressors, the efforts of the entire Chinese people to establish a domestic peaceful situation have achieved important results. A new stage of peace and democracy in China will begin soon."

Chiang Kai-shek did not want peace.Just a few days after the truce was announced, he sent an urgent telegram to Changsha, asking Wang Yaowu, commander of the Kuomintang Fourth Front Army, to come to Chongqing to meet him immediately. Wang Yaowu is a native of Tai'an, Shandong. He was born in a poor family and graduated from the third phase of Whampoa.During the Anti-Japanese War, he participated in major battles such as the "August 13" Songhu Anti-Japanese War and the Changsha Battle.In the spring of 1941, in the battle of Shanggao in Jiangxi, he commanded the 74th Army to severely injure the Japanese army, was commended by Chiang Kai-shek, and was soon promoted to the commander of the front army.Among the generals of the Kuomintang, Wang Yaowu is considered to be a more intelligent general who is good at fighting.

Wang Yaowu hurried from Changsha to Hankou, then took a flight to Chongqing.When Chiang Kai-shek saw Wang Yaowu, he smiled and encouraged him, and then said to Wang Yaowu with a serious expression: "I advocate the nationalization of the military and the complete reunification of the country. But the Communist Party refuses to turn their troops into national troops, and they will not give up their attempts to destroy the Kuomintang and subvert the country. There is no hope for a peaceful solution to state affairs. Shandong is geographically It is very important, because the Communist Army has already established a base in the province. We must strengthen our forces to occupy Shandong. Controlling Shandong can support North China and Northeast China, and the task is heavy. It is not Li Yannian. I want to transfer Li Yannian, the commander of the 11th theater Deputy Director of the Xuzhou Appeasement Office, change the 4th Front Army Command and directly subordinate troops to the 2nd Appeasement District Command and directly subordinate troops, with you as the commander and the headquarters in Jinan."

Of course Wang Yaowu would like to return to his hometown to be the commander-in-chief, but considering that he would fight against the "communist army", he might be charged with launching a civil war.Feeling conflicted, he suggested: "After the eight-year war of resistance, the morale of the army is too bad and needs to be reorganized. It is not suitable to fight against the Communist Party. In addition, the officers, soldiers and ordinary people are war-weary and want to live in peace. I think it is impossible for the Communist Party to give up its base areas. It is best Being able to assign them a region can reduce conflicts and help the Kuomintang to consolidate local rule.”

Chiang Kai-shek categorically rejected Wang Yaowu's suggestion. He said: "For the sake of the unity of the country, no more separatism is allowed. You must know that the Communist Party will not give us time to rectify. If you don't beat him, he will beat you. He will not allow us to rest. Don't relax your preparations because of the peace talks. If we are defeated by them, we will die without a place to die. Shandong is very important, and Qingdao is the US naval base, we must control it." Then, he gave an opportunity to Wang Yaowu face-to-face: "Now that Jinpu and Jiaoji Road are cut off by the Communist Army, I ordered the Air Force to transport your headquarters and troops to Jinan. Judging from the current situation in Shandong, Jiaoji Road is more important than Jinpu Road. After you arrive in Jinan, you should try your best to get through the Jiaoji Road. After our army has occupied the important urban traffic lines, we will expand them from dotted lines to areas.”

It seems that Chiang Kai-shek is determined to fight a civil war and has a specific plan.Wang Yaowu, as Chiang's direct descendant, of course resolutely carried it out.How difficult it would be to airlift so many troops to Jinan without exposing the target.Wang Yaowu and Li Yannian, who arrived in Jinan first, agreed that when the plane transported the troops, the airport would be under martial law, and the troops would be pulled to the vacant factories by covered trucks.Not allowed to meet with the common people.It is said to the outside world that it is Li Yannian's 12th Army.In this way, during the armistice in February 1946, troops of the 4th Front Army of the Kuomintang took off from Wuhan Airport and transported them to Jinan one after another.

After Wang Yaowu arrived in Jinan, he found that the situation was indeed very unfavorable to him.The Communist Party has an absolute advantage in Shandong. Except for the big cities along the Jinpu and Jiaoji railway lines, the county towns and vast villages are the bases of the Communist Party.Since traffic has not yet resumed, food and supplies in the city are extremely scarce, and people are in turmoil.Jinan, a famous historical city, used to be praised as "lotus on all sides and willows on three sides, one city with mountains and half city lake", but now it is "three sides, eight roads and one side bandits, one city commander and half city soldiers".

He Yingqin came to Jinan for an inspection, and at night he heard the sound of machine guns and mortars in the southern suburbs of the city, and felt frightened.When I woke up in the morning, I asked Wang Yaowu: "There was gunfire last night, did you hear that?" Wang Yaowu replied: "I heard it." He Yingqin said worriedly: "There are communist army activities in the suburbs of Jinan. If they shoot at the city with artillery, they can hit them. This is too much of a threat to us, so we need to fight them far away." Wang Yaowu replied with a wry smile: "Yes!"

Seeing Wang Yaowu's helpless expression, He Yingqin could only sigh and said, "The Communist Army in Shandong is stronger than us. Jinan is besieged on all sides and is in an isolated state. If we don't increase our troops and expand outward, the future is not optimistic." On February 2, 1946, Major Lake, the American side of the Jinan executive team, flew to Linyi and met with Chen Yi for two days.Chen Yi first exposed the fact of the Kuomintang's attack, and then made some restraint and concessions; he stated his position according to the facts and reasoned across the world, without losing humor, and finally reached several oral agreements with Lake. On the plane back, Lake said to his companions: "This is the first time I have seen a Chinese military general as talented as General Chen Yi." After that, Lake, Colonel Harris, the US representative of the Xuzhou executive team, and General Clement, the commander of the US military stationed in Qingdao, visited Chen Yi in Linyi several times. Once, Clement advised Chen Yi: "The Communist Party should compromise to take a seat in the government, because Gu Zhutong has 300,000 troops in Xuzhou, and the Communist Party is powerless to resist." Chen Yi replied unceremoniously: "He only needs 50,000 troops to occupy my Linyi. But it is easy for 10 divisions to enter, but it is difficult for 1 division to go out." General Clement, who was born in the United States Military Academy at West Point, was dumbfounded.Chen Yi talked eloquently, from military dialectics, the American War of Independence to pancakes and scallions in the liberated areas. He made full use of this opportunity to analyze the situation and clarify the truth, which deeply impressed Clement. On March 1, the spring in Shandong was cold and cold. Chen Yi, Li Yu and others arrived in Jinan from Linyi by plane, preparing to welcome the military trio—Marshall, Zhou Enlai, and Zhang Zhizhong—to Jinan and Xuzhou to inspect the military mediation office. During the day of waiting in Jinan, Chen Yi met Wang Yaowu, commander of the Kuomintang's second appeasement zone.Chen Yi asked straight to the point: "Your newspaper said, 'Shandong National Army is like a storm sweeping away the Communist Army, and the autumn wind sweeps away fallen leaves'. Is it true?" "That's newspaper nonsense." Wang Yaowu said in embarrassment. "Really? But you can try to find out who is involved! You should study the Communist Party. We know you very well. We recognize your strengths, your advanced weapons and equipment. But your newspapers always say what's going on." The bandits are long and the bandits are short, all of which Wang Po sells melons." Chen Yi said dissatisfied. "You're so frank. You're right, that's what we are. You have three great advantages." "Which three benefits?" Chen Yi asked with interest. "One is that the Communist Party is good at studying and researching knowledge. I often see your senior officials writing articles in newspapers and discussing issues. Where is anyone in the Kuomintang studying? If they have time, they go to bragging. Second, the relationship between the Communist Party and the masses is good..." "Didn't you talk about the Communist Party killing people and setting them on fire?" Chen Yi interrupted him humorously. "That's propaganda. Third, the morale of your army is high, and the Kuomintang is not as good as yours." Then, Wang Yaowu changed the subject: "There have been many years of civil wars. As a soldier, he is willing to be peaceful and unwilling to fight." After hearing this, Chen Yi naturally understood.In Wang Yaowu's words, there is some sincerity, some difficulties, but there are also some pretentious gestures.He said: "We also have shortcomings: one is that there is no end to reading; the other is that the relationship with the common people is not good, and the relationship with the landlords is not good; the third is that our army is poorly equipped." In the afternoon of the same day, Chen Yi flew to Xuzhou with Zhang, Zhou and Marshall.Here, it is mainly to negotiate the issue of friction between the KMT and the Communist Party in the Huaiyin area of ​​northern Jiangsu and the friction between the Suyu Department and the Gu Zhutong Department. The next day, Zhou Enlai, Zhang Zhizhong, and Marshall flew to Jinan.Chen Yi, Li Yu, Wang Yaowu and He Siyuan, chairman of the Kuomintang Shandong Province, waited to greet them at the airport, and then went to the Kuomintang Provincial Party Headquarters building for a meeting together.People in Jinan hung colorful flags, posted slogans, and lined the road to welcome the "Messengers of Peace". During the meeting, Zhou Enlai introduced Chen Yi to represent himself.Facing American five-star general Marshall, Chen Yi wore a cotton uniform made by the New Fourth Army, with a calm and confident demeanor, neither humble nor overbearing.He listed the facts, stated the reasons, and formally proposed that it is necessary to send a new team to the central Soviet Union where the New Fourth Army is located to conduct on-the-spot investigations in order to stop the provocative attacks of the local Kuomintang troops and other issues. After the three-person group listened to the reports made by the representatives of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, a group of "students" gathered in the compound of the Provincial Party Headquarters."We're going to eat," "We're going home," they chanted.A middle-aged man mixed among them and whispered: "You must ask Zhou Enlai to speak out, and your attitude must be tough." Zhou Enlai appeared on the podium, and he calmly spoke to everyone: "Gentlemen, Generals Ma and Zhang and I have received a warm welcome here, and I am very grateful. Your hope is very clear, that is, for peace. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, what Generals Ma and Zhang and I have worked hard for is to bring peace to the whole country. Realize peace. During the eight years of the Anti-Japanese War, Shandong suffered a lot under the cruel rule of the enemy. Now I come to condolences to Mr. Zhu. Now the village and the city should no longer be separated, and the transportation should be resumed. The elders in the city need food, and the village The elders need goods, and we should ensure that these requirements are fulfilled. I saw General Wang Yaowu and General Chen Yi shaking hands and talking happily. I am very happy that Shandong can now achieve peace. This time the three of us are here, and the peace, democracy, and unity you hope for must be Made it!" After listening to Zhou Enlai's speech, everyone smiled, applauded and then dispersed. The so-called anti-communist scene that some people were looking forward to did not happen. During the armistice negotiations, the Communist Party and the democratic government conscientiously implemented the agreement and actively cooperated with the armistice negotiations.Each military division provided detailed materials to the execution team, indicating the numbers, locations, and numbers of each unit of our army, and introduced the locations and specific conditions of the Japanese and puppet troops waiting to return home, so as to facilitate the execution team to demarcate and mediate.During the activities of the executive team in the liberated area, we gave a warm reception.The Kuomintang has repeatedly played tricks and used various means to provoke.When the executive team went to inspect places, they often encountered rioters shouting slogans slandering the Communist Party, detaining and beating representatives and staff of the Communist Party. Chiang Kai-shek seized the time to reorganize the army, dispatch troops and generals, and complete preparations for launching a full-scale civil war. On March 18, he held a "demobilization and reorganization of the army" meeting in Nanjing, called the reduction of the army, which was actually to rectify the quality of the army and mobilize for war. Chiang Kai-shek said at the meeting: "We are confident in politics, economy, and diplomacy, and we are sure to win. The problem is in military affairs, that is, you senior generals. Are you sure to command your troops to defeat the Communist army? You You must really control your army, don't be corrupt, and work hard to complete the task." After a period of reorganization, the Kuomintang army changed the original army into a reorganized division.For example, the 74th Army of Wang Yaowu's old army was changed to the reorganized 74th Division, with Zhang Lingfu as the commander.The original division was reorganized into two regiment-organized brigades, and one regiment was dismantled to supplement the other regiments to make them full.The redundant officers were transferred to the rear, and a large number of young students were recruited into the army for training.The troops were equipped with weapons captured by the surrender of the Japanese army and weapons provided by the United States, focusing on equipping several direct-line troops.In this way, on the surface, it seems that the Kuomintang army has fewer establishments, but its combat effectiveness has actually been strengthened a lot.The reorganized troops were successively transferred to strategic locations close to the liberated areas in order to concentrate superior forces to launch a surprise attack on the liberated areas. East China was the focus of Chiang Kai-shek's offensive. When the armistice came into effect in January 1946, the KMT's total strength was 17 regular troops and 47 divisions. However, by June, it had secretly added 7 troops and 19 divisions. The deployed troops amounted to 23 armies and 66 divisions, about 520,000 people.Its southern army was reorganized: it strengthened its equipment with weapons received from 1 million Japanese troops and aided by the United States; further strengthened and reorganized the puppet army, and organized a large number of "returning regiments"; It has reached 977 times, occupying more than 400 towns and villages in liberated areas.In short, the offensive deployment is almost complete, and the war is imminent. Through negotiations with the Kuomintang, Chen Yi clearly realized that peace and war ultimately depend not on the Communist Party, but on the Kuomintang.Therefore, on the one hand, Chen Yi participated in and directed the armistice negotiation struggle in East China, on the other hand, he always paid close attention to the reorganization and training of troops, and implemented the land reform movement of "land to the tiller" in the liberated areas.Regarding the arrival of the "new stage of peace and democracy", there are many confused thoughts in the army, and the possibility of war breaking out again in the short term is generally underestimated. Therefore, the "100-day military and political training campaign" has been arranged and carried out since February. . On May 1, on the basis of the "Hundred Days of Troop Training", the second phase of troop training instructions focusing on military training was promulgated to further improve the tactical and technical level of commanders and fighters.After that, the Kuomintang's war attempt was gradually exposed, and its encroachment activities in the liberated areas became increasingly intensified.Chen Yi and the leaders of the party, government and army in East China further strengthened their combat readiness and mobilization, criticized peaceful paralysis and various pleasure-seeking corrupt ideas and individualistic plans, strengthened and expanded field troops, and asked local governments to step up land reform. Support land reform.In this way, the situation has been improved. On June 6, Chen Yi sent a note to the Nanjing Three-member Committee and the Executive Department of the Beiping Military Mediation Office: "...the two most serious facts are the 77th Division of the 73rd Army of the Kuomintang, the 138th Division of the 84th Army, the 173rd Division and part of the 172nd Division of the 7th Army that were originally stationed in the southern section of Jinpu (Huainan), And the independent 2nd and 3rd regiments of the Anhui Special Administration began to attack the liberated area centered on the county seat in the west of Jinpu Road, Huainan on May 11. By the 15th, more than 40 million people in the old liberated area that had been fighting for eight years had been captured. The invasion and occupation of important towns, and the concentration of superior forces to repeatedly "clear and suppress" has not stopped, trying to wipe out all the soldiers and civilians in the area. Another fact is that the puppet army under the command of Wang Gang, the commander of the Kuomintang in Zaozhuang, Shandong, Wang Jimei, after the armistice Repeatedly shot at our army and tore up the withdrawal agreement on March 14. On May 21, more than 500 people disguised as plainclothes beat Gan Chongdou, the CCP representative of the 22nd Executive Group, and his entourage, and were dying..." In his note, Chen Yi solemnly requested the Nanjing Three-member Committee and the Executive Department of the Beiping Army to order the Kuomintang troops to immediately stop "clearing and suppressing" the Liberated Area of ​​Jinpu Road West in Huainan, withdraw from the occupied areas, and disband the Zaozhuang Puppet Army Wang Jimei Department. The notes from the New Fourth Army and the Shandong Military Region did not receive a response from the Nanjing Three-member Committee and the Executive Department of the Peking Army Mediation Office.Faced with this situation, the Communist army obviously could not endure endlessly without counterattacking, and decided to launch a campaign against rebellion. The first target of the attack was Wang Jimei, the puppet army in Zaozhuang. Zaozhuang, known as the largest village in Shandong, is located 75 kilometers northeast of Xuzhou and is the main point of the Longhai and Jinpu railways.It refers to the Silk Mountain in the north and the plain in the east. It is not only an important stronghold on the outskirts of Xuzhou, but also a base for advancing into the hinterland of Shandong. Wang Jimei, the leader of the puppet army entrenched in the coal mine in Zaozhuang, is a traitor who devoted allegiance to the Japanese invaders. He is a murderous devil well known to women and children in southern Shandong, and one of the important war criminals in Shandong.He was from Xiaoshu Village, Guoliji, Yixian County. He was 28 years old at the time, and he was a vicious gangster.In January 1940, he defected to the Japanese military police captain Matsumoto Caixi in Zaozhuang. He recognized the thief as his father and served as the captain of the secret service. In the area of ​​collection and tax collection, they are doing anything wrong.He sent money to expand his team, and was appreciated by the Japanese and puppets. He was successively promoted to the deputy of the third puppet brigade in Yixian County, the captain and district chief of the puppet police brigade, and the commander of the Yidong Communist Suppression. After Japan's defeat and surrender, the Kuomintang not only failed to clean up its crimes, but entrusted him with important positions.So Wang Jimei transformed himself into a major general commander of the Kuomintang, and became a high-sounding receiver. During the more than five years when Wang Jimei acted as an accomplice of the Japanese army, according to incomplete statistics, he commanded his subordinates to loot and burn more than 60 villages, causing 6,000 villagers and more than 140,000 people to be displaced and homeless; The village was robbed, killed, and burned by his subordinates, and became an uninhabited village with only random graves; 167 anti-Japanese soldiers and civilians were killed by him, 73 were seriously injured, and 196 were kidnapped; more than 2,000 people's livestock were also robbed head (horse), and the extorted money is no less than 500 million yuan (legal currency). After throwing himself into the embrace of the Kuomintang, he continued to be an enemy of the people.He closed the Zaozhuang Coal Mine and sold off the machinery and equipment, making all 20,000 miners unemployed and 100,000 people cut off their livelihoods.He built fortifications, planted landmines, set off poison gas, and attacked Chinese Communist Party negotiators.This is a villain who has done many evils, and his heinous crimes are too numerous to describe. The task of attacking Zaozhuang was personally commanded by Luo Binghui, the second deputy commander of the New Fourth Army and the deputy commander of the Shandong Military Region. At 7:00 p.m. on June 9, 1946, Luo Binghui was ill and commanded the 20th Brigade and a part of the 21st Brigade of the 7th Division, and a battalion of the 23rd Regiment and the 22nd Regiment of the 8th Division. attack. On June 10, Zaozhuang was liberated.Wang Jimei was shot dead.In this campaign, more than 2,300 enemies were wiped out, and 1,423 officers and soldiers under the deputy chief of staff Wang Gang and Commissioner Bao Guoliang of the 19th Army of the Kuomintang were captured. 95 light and heavy machine guns, 15 cannons, 5 vehicles, 2 rifles, 000 pieces, and a large number of military supplies. The liberation of Zaozhuang gave the Xuzhou Kuomintang army a head-on blow.Annihilated the heinous Wang Jimei bandits, brought 100,000 miners and residents back to life, and avenged justice for the tragic victims.The people of Zaozhuang cheered and celebrated the victory. In just one night, Wang Jimei's bandits were completely wiped out, which was completely unexpected by the Kuomintang authorities.Just on the morning of June 10, they sent planes to drop ammunition twice, which of course became trophies and were accepted by our army one by one. On June 21, the 11th day after the victory of the Zaozhuang Battle, General Luo Binghui went to the front line of Zaozhuang to deploy combat preparations. When he returned to Linyi and passed through Lanling, he died in the line of duty due to cerebral hemorrhage.This peasant boy who carried a gun to fight at the age of 16 has been in the army for 32 years and has devoted his whole life to the cause of people's liberation.Army Commander Chen Yi wrote a long poem in memory of Deputy Army Commander Luo Binghui.It is said in the poem: "The three armies are weeping in the rain, looking at the remains at the cave. There are five words in the oath: 'struggle and the same as the king'. The general's style and righteousness are called teachers and friends to me. Adversity is shared day and night, and Jinde is immortal."