Chapter 11 Chapter 10 Creates Fighter Opportunities, "Ace Army" Destroys Meng Lianggu

On February 26, 1947, at a meeting of military generals in Nanjing, Chiang Kai-shek said earnestly to his senior generals: "We will change our strategic approach from an all-out attack on the communist army to a focused attack. The national army occupies a large area, and the strength of the army will be more divided. Instead, it will be pinned down by the bandit army and become passive. However, the bandit army can concentrate its forces from time to time. Take the initiative, be active in front of me, and defeat us one by one. Therefore, I decided to adopt "hollow tactics", leaving only 3 regular troops in the rear, and transferred most of the main force to the front line, and heavily attacked northern Shaanxi and Shandong .”

Speaking of this, Chiang Kai-shek walked to a map and pointed at the Shandong area fiercely with his hand, "Shandong is the main battlefield of the bandit army and our army at present. The main force of the bandit army is concentrated in Shandong. At the same time, Shandong is an important place with convenient transportation. There is Haikou transportation. If we can wipe out the main force in the Shandong Theater, other battlefields will be cleared easily. But if we can concentrate our forces desperately and deal with this Communist army first, there is still time. Listen to the command of the commander-in-chief, do your own thing, let him go east and west, break through each other, and you will all die in two or three months. Because of Chen Yi's ability to organize the people, his ability to train the army, and his flexibility in combat, the people in front of us It can be said that few senior generals can compare with him..."

Chiang Kai-shek said these words from the heart.After fierce battles on various battlefields from November 1946 to February 1947, more than 414,900 Kuomintang troops were wiped out.The CCP gave up 87 cities and liberated 87 cities at the same time.In addition to the battle between July and November 1946, the Kuomintang army was wiped out up to 710,000 people. Such a heavy price forced Chiang Kai-shek to change his strategy from an all-out attack to a focused attack.The key offensive areas are the two liberated areas of Shandong and northern Shaanxi. Chiang Kai-shek's general strategic policy is: occupy all important communication points, approach them step by step, force them to fight decisively, and then annihilate them all.Its specific deployment is:

The first step is to occupy Dawenkou and Tai'an on the Jinpu line first, and form a horizontal line to Linyi in the middle of Luzhong, so that Chen Yi's troops cannot rush to the area west of Jinpu Road. The second step is to place forces in three directions in the area south of the Jiaoji line and east of the Jinpu line to besiege Chen Yi's East China Liberation Army. Chiang Kai-shek ordered the Kuomintang army to actively prepare for key attacks on the Shandong Liberated Area, abolished the Xuzhou and Zhengzhou Appeasement Offices, and established the Xuzhou Command, which was personally presided over by Army Commander-in-Chief Gu Zhutong. Wang Jingjiu's troops on the Luyu battlefield and the reorganized 9th Division in Wuhan were transferred to Shandong.

At this time, the strength of the mobile corps of the Kuomintang Army in Shandong, plus the troops of the 2nd Sui District with Wang Yaowu as the commander and the 3rd Sui District with Feng Zhian as the commander, amounted to a total of 24 reorganized divisions (army ) 60 brigades (divisions) with 450,000 people accounted for 27% of its total attack force in the liberated areas of the country and 67% of its key offensive force. After accepting the lesson that the previous split attack was often divided and annihilated, the Kuomintang army decided to adopt a new combat policy of "intensive approach, strengthening ties, steady and steady progress, and gradual advancement" in order to increase the density of troops and advance in groups so that the PLA cannot be separated or separated. smash.

Its offensive deployment is: 24 reorganized divisions under the command of Gu Zhutong, in addition to 7 reorganized divisions with about 200,000 people serving as defenses on important point lines and supporting the assault corps, 17 reorganized divisions with about 255,000 people, With the 74th Reorganized Division, the 11th Reorganized Division, and the 5th Army among the "Five Main Forces" as the backbone, three mobile corps were formed. Tang Enbo, Wang Jingjiu, and Ou Zhen served as the commanders of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd corps respectively. Assault mission, after opening the Xuji section of Jinpu Road and the Kezhou-Linyi highway and occupying the southwestern part of Shandong, they simultaneously attacked the Yimeng Mountains.Tang Enbo's corps went north from Linyi, Ouzhen's corps went northeast from Surabaya, and Wang Jingjiu's corps went east from Tai'an, forming an arc-shaped encirclement of the main force of Huaye.

Facing the serious situation of the overwhelming army and the gathering of powerful enemies, Chen Yi and Su Yu faced the challenge calmly. Chen Yi, Zhang Dingcheng, and Deng Zihui, who had already arrived on the southern line, called Su and Tan together, and reported to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Mao Zedong: It is proposed that Huaye rest on Jiaoji Road. If it can come to an end, please consider new actions.If the enemy's 5th Army and other units have arrived at the southern line of Jinan in early April to concentrate their efforts on repairing the Jinpu Road, and the enemy in Jinan plans to reoccupy the Jiaoji line, our army may consider assaulting Linyi, Donghai, and Xin'an.

The next day, Su, Tan, and Chief of Staff Chen Shiju reported that they planned to use the second, seventh, and eighth columns with 82,000 troops to attack Tancheng, Matou, and Xin'an towns, expand westward to occupy the canal line after reaching Xin'an town, and then cross the canal to advance westward. , Threatening the situation in the southern section of Jinpu, luring the enemy's 74th and 83rd divisions to the south, and then depending on the situation.Gather the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 9th columns of the main force in the southeast of Mengyin and northwest of Linyi to annihilate the 74th and 83rd divisions on the southern front, or annihilate the 11th division from Surabaya to the southeast for reinforcements, or annihilate the Dawenkou direction. The 5th Army for the eastward invasion, the above-mentioned deployments began to move on April 1st, and it will start around the 14th.

Chen Yi fully agrees with Su Yu's plan.They originally planned to attack the reorganized 74th Division of Tang Enbo's Corps, which was advancing northward from the Longhai Line, and send three columns southward to the eastern section of Longhai Road. Tang Enbo was aware of Huaye's intentions, not only did not send troops back to aid, but instead transferred the two armies to Linyi and moved them closer together so that Huaye's troops could not divide and wipe out the enemy.Chen and Su immediately changed their plan, went around to the side of Wang Jingjiu's corps that had just been transferred to Shandong, seized the weak link of his left wing, and attacked the reorganized 72nd Division occupying Tai'an.

The reorganized 72nd Division is the main force of the Sichuan Army with decades of history, mixed Japanese and American equipment, and has experience in mountain combat, but it is not directly related to Chiang Kai-shek.The terrain it occupies has both advantages and disadvantages: Tai'an's terrain and fortifications are conducive to sticking to it, but it is separated by Mount Tai in the north and Mount Culai in the south, which is not conducive to mutual support with Wang Yaowu in Jinan and Qiu Qingquan in Qufu, but is beneficial to Huaye. Carry out division and encirclement and annihilation.

Seizing this opportunity, Chen and Su quickly made up their minds to encircle Tai'an (An) and fight for aid. They launched the Tai-Mongolian Campaign on April 20, encircling and annihilating the reorganized 72nd Division of Tai'an with 3 columns, and annihilating the reorganized 72nd Division with 4 columns waiting to annihilate it. enemy. On April 24, the siege of Tai'an City was completed. Su Yu specially sent Chen Ruiting to lead the howitzer regiment of the special forces column to the front line of Tai'an to participate in the battle for actual combat training.The newly formed howitzer regiment showed great power. In the battle to besiege the commanding height of Songli Mountain, it cooperated closely with the third column and quickly defeated and wiped out a battalion defending Songli Mountain.Yang Wenquan, commander of the Reorganized 72nd Division, said after being captured: "You have so many cannons, which is completely beyond our expectations. Your artillery firepower is so well organized, and the infantry and artillery coordination is so good, we did not expect it." During the battle, Yang Wenquan begged for reinforcements several times, and Jiang's troops from all walks of life near Tai'an refused to save him. The Reorganized 75th Division and the Reorganized 85th Division, which were only 1 day away from Tai'an, have been standing still. After 3 days of fierce fighting, the Huaye troops conquered Tai'an City, wiped out the headquarters of the reorganized 72nd Division and two brigades, and captured Lieutenant General Yang Wenquan alive. victory. Chen, Su and the first, third, and sixth columns went south along both sides of Jinpu Road, attacked Ningyang, threatened the enemy's supply base Yanzhou, and mobilized the enemy's 5th Army and other western aid. The main force of the field army voluntarily abandoned Xintai and Mengyin. Turn to the east of Linyi and Mengyin highways, and wait to wipe out the enemy. On the 28th, the enemy took the lead in occupying Mengyin.Chen and Su took advantage of the fact that the main force of the 1st Corps was scattered on the Linmeng Highway and had an unstable foothold. On the 29th, they assaulted the Taoxu and Qingtuosi sections with 4 columns.But the enemy was very vigilant, and retreated to the mountainous area south of the highway as soon as they came into contact, only annihilating one and a half regiments of the enemy's 83rd Division.After that, there were two more fighter planes, either because the main force was not able to transfer in time, or because the enemy's aid was approaching, but they were unsuccessful. The entire Taimeng campaign ended in victory by annihilating more than 28,000 enemies. For more than a month from the beginning of April to the beginning of May, Chen and Su commanded 10 Huaye columns, taking advantage of the favorable conditions for fighting in the hinterland of the liberated area, and dealing with the enemy in the south of Shandong and the Yimeng mountainous area, sometimes south, sometimes north, and sometimes east. Hurry to the west, play hard to capture, avoid the real and attack the weak, fight when it is beneficial, and retreat when it is not, and always gather the main force in a position that is convenient for maneuvering operations, and be in an active position.Chen Yi likened this method of warfare to "playing dragon lanterns": Our army waved colored balls to tease, while the enemy army twirled and rolled like a long dragon.Use this method to mobilize and confuse the enemy and create favorable opportunities for combat. In order to further mobilize and disperse the enemy, Chen and Su decided to go south to southern Shandong with the first and sixth columns, and the seventh column to go to northern Jiangsu. On May 3, they reported this idea to the Central Military Commission. On May 6, the Central Military Commission telegraphed: "In the current situation, the enemy should be in a hurry, but our side should not be in a hurry. In view of the lessons learned from Qingtuo Temple, it is especially inappropriate to divide the troops. It seems advisable to stay in the Binhai area for a month or so, as a restraint, and then go south after a month depending on the situation. Therefore, in May, June, and February, you are divided by seven verticals located outside the Binhai area, and the rest may be concentrated in Laiwu and Yishui areas for rest and recuperation Stand by, wait for the enemy to advance or have other changes, and then take the opportunity to annihilate. First, don’t be impatient, and second, don’t divide your troops. As long as the main force is in hand, there is always a chance to annihilate the enemy.” According to the instructions of the Central Military Commission, Chen and Su immediately decided to abandon the plan to use the seventh column to go south to the north of Jiangsu and the first column to the south of Shandong; ordered the sixth column, which was already located west of Xintai, to go south to the area south of Pingyi, no longer The main task is to contain the enemy, not to take active actions, but to hide behind the enemy in southern Shandong and stand by. If necessary, it can be used as a surprise soldier.The main force took a step back and gathered in the areas east of Laiwu, Xintai, and Mengyin to wait. Chiang Kai-shek and Gu Zhutong learned that Huaye's main force moved eastward, and they occupied the front lines of Linyi, Xintai, and Laiwu without serious fighting. Tanbu, Yishui, and Juxian retreated.So it was decided to "follow the advance and suppress", and changed the tactics of "steady and steady" to "steady and fierce", and the three corps simultaneously advanced to Juxian, Yishui, Yuezhuang, and Zibo in an attempt to encircle and wipe out the main force of Huaye in Yimeng Mountainous areas, or drive the main force of Huaye across the Yellow River. The Kuomintang's "Central Daily" shouted wildly for this: "The great army points to the north, swallowing Yimeng!" As a result, the situation of the Kuomintang army's dense approach quickly changed.The fighter that is beneficial to Huaye finally appeared. On the night of May 10, the Huaye Headquarters reconnaissance learned that the 7th Army of Tang Enbo Corps and the vanguard of the reorganized 48th Division had entered Miaojiazhuang and Jiehu, north of Heyang, and there were signs of continuing to invade Yishui.These two units are located on the enemy's right flank and are relatively exposed.Chen and Su immediately decided to annihilate the enemy in the Yishui and Sucun areas first.On the one hand, they ordered the participating troops to march to the predetermined battlefield, and on the other hand, they reported to the Central Military Commission. On the 11th, various ministries acted nervously.In the evening, the front echelon of Yesi began to set off, moving towards Yishui.Just when it was dark, the technical reconnaissance department received an order from Tang Enbo to his ministries, asking his ministries to attack Tanbu first on May 11. Among them, the 74th Division and the 25th Division were used as attacking troops. In addition to controlling the main points of Menglianggu and Beitaoxu, the main force captured Sanjiao Mountain, Shuitang Gu, Yangjiazhai, Huangluzhai, Huangdouding Mountain, and Luzhou on the 11th. The highlands of Jiashanpo and Fenghuangshan were captured and secured on the 12th; the 65th Division still consolidated the defense of Mengyin. After receiving this telegram, Su Yu judged based on the intelligence of all parties. Although the enemy's actions have not yet been fully understood, the enemy's new offensive across the board is certain.The purpose of the enemy's attack this time is to make a breakthrough in the middle, attack the command center of Huaye in the Tanbu area in one fell swoop, and then gather and annihilate them; A corner of Jiaodong may overtake the Yellow River. Su Yu believed that this was a rare and favorable opportunity, and immediately proposed a new combat plan: Instead of attacking the 7th Army and the reorganized 48th Division, instead of attacking the strong enemy in the middle, the reorganized 74th Division quickly mobilized several powerful troops nearby, With the "tiger's heart out" tactics, use the central breakthrough to deal with the enemy's central breakthrough, wedge in from the center of the enemy's battle formation, and cut off the connection between the 74th Pioneer Reorganized Division, which is the most threatening to us, and its friends and neighbors. The divisions were all wiped out cleanly. After he made up his mind, he told Chen Yi about his views and grounds.Chen Yi listened very carefully, and emphasized and supplemented some key points.After listening to Su Yu's opinion, he said with certainty: "Okay, we just need to have the courage to take the head of a general from a million troops!" Then he took off his hat and threw it on the table: "Don't go Already!" Immediately made up his mind to fight. Chen Yi and Su Yu made campaign deployments, preparing to use 5 columns to take on the task of siege and 4 columns to take on the task of blocking aid. The specific deployment is: use the first and eighth columns to wedge themselves into the junction of the reorganized 74th Division and its left and right neighbors, capture Huangdouding Mountain, Tianma Mountain, Jiepai and Yiwenzhuang, Leishi Mountain, and Wanquan Mountain, and split the The Reorganized 74th Division and its left and right neighbors, and together with the sixth column from the south of Shandong and the northward, seized Duozhuang and Lushan, cut off the retreat of the 74th Division, encircled the 74th Division; attacked from the front with the 4th and 9th Columns , 5 columns coordinated to encircle and annihilate the reorganized 74th Division. The specific tasks are: the first column (attached with an independent division) uses one division to capture the favorable positions in the north and south of Caozhuang, and block the 65th Division of the Kuomintang Army. The main force wedges in from the junction of the 74th Division and the 25th Division. The two divisions contacted to block the reorganized 25th division, and cooperated with the sixth column of Youlin to capture Duozhuang, cut off the retreat of the reorganized 74th division, and attacked from the left side; the main force of the eighth column quickly captured Leishi Mountain and Wanquan Mountain, Communicate with the first column, cooperate with friends and neighbors to attack the reorganized 74th Division from the right; the fourth column controls the mountain area north of the North Tower with one part, and the main force attacks from north to south to capture Menglianggu, and cooperate with the ninth and second columns Capture Lushan and Duozhuang, and attack the reorganized 74th Division; the ninth column controls Tanbu and its southwest area with one division, resolutely resists the attack of the reorganized 74th Division, and the main force controls the southeast area of ​​Tanbu. Attacked from the southwest, captured Diaowo, cooperated with the fourth column to capture Lushan, and annihilated the reorganized 74th division; the sixth column, which was hidden behind the Kuomintang army in southern Shandong, took a shortcut to go north, rushed to the line from Qingtuo Temple to Duozhuang, and broke the reorganized 74th division. The 74th Division retreated and cooperated with the frontal forces to attack and annihilate the reorganized 74th Division; the seventh, third, and tenth columns blocked the 7th Army of the Kuomintang Army in Heyang, Xintai, and Laiwu, the Reorganized 48th Division, the Reorganized 11th Division, The 5th Army used the second column to ensure the safety of the left wing of the eighth column, and supported the seventh column to fight; the special forces column assembled in the east of Tanbu and stood by; Invaded the suburbs of Linyi and contained the Kuomintang army in Linyi. At the combat meeting, Chen Yi emphasized: "Concentrating superior forces and attacking isolated enemies first is Chairman Mao's consistent military thinking. When the enemy's powerful corps launches an attack, it is usually beneficial to strike the enemy's flank, but when the enemy is continuously attacked This kind of attack is closely guarded and extremely cautious. At the same time, the enemy in the center is relatively negligent and turned to the fore, and our army has gathered a considerable force in the vicinity of it. The tactic of storming the enemy in the center can also achieve the purpose of the campaign. This time we encircled and wiped out the 74th Division, this is the way of fighting, called taking the head of a general from a million troops." On May 12, Mao Zedong drafted a telegram to Chen Yi and Su Yu for the Central Military Commission, instructing: "The enemy's 5th Army, 11th Division, and 74th Division have all advanced. You must concentrate on choosing a better way to fight, and seize the opportunity to launch annihilation. What to fight? The best way is for you to make decisions immediately and implement them immediately, we will not control them remotely." That morning, the 1st Corps of the Kuomintang Army that invaded Tanbu attacked the East China Field Army violently. Zhang Lingfu believed that the reorganized 74th Division was the trump card army with excellent equipment. Wait for it.The reorganized 25th Division entered the vicinity of Jiuzhai, and the reorganized 83rd Division captured Yezhuwang. On the 13th, the Kuomintang army continued to attack the positions of the East China Field Army south of Tanbu in three groups. They were stubbornly resisted by the fourth and ninth columns of the East China Field Army. . The Battle of Menglianggu was launched on the evening of May 13 according to the scheduled plan.Su Yu went to the front to command operations and set up his command post in a stone cave at the foot of Mount Ai, west of Tanbu.The local people called this cave "Laojun Cave", and it was renamed "Jiangjun Cave" after the war.From here to the south, until Menglianggu, there is an open mountain plain, which is also the battlefield where Huaye blocked Jiang's army head-on.Standing at the southern foot of Mount Ai, you can directly observe the battlefield with binoculars. Huaye's various columns have accomplished their tasks brilliantly.From the evening of the 13th to the morning of the 14th, a situation of encircling the reorganized 74th Division was roughly formed. On the evening of the 13th, Yizong took advantage of the enemy's mentality of seeking self-protection and launched an attack on the enemy's 25th Division with a small force, making the enemy mistakenly think that he was under attack and had no time to care about him.The Second Vertical Independent Division took advantage of the situation and took advantage of the mountainous terrain to make a detour, and penetrated deeply from the junction of the enemy's 25th and 74th Divisions to occupy the commanding heights.In the morning of the next day, the 2nd division of the vertical approached Mengyin City, stepped up to build positions, and blocked the enemy's reinforcements; the 1st and 2nd divisions captured the key points such as Hamagu, Tianma Mountain, and Jiepai, and forced the enemy's 25th and 74th divisions to the east and west respectively. shrink. After the Eighth Column launched an attack on the evening of the 13th, it drove back part of the enemy's 83rd Division that had invaded Yiwenzhuang and the area south of it, and wiped out one of its search battalions. On the morning of the 14th, the 22nd Division went straight to Qingtuo Temple and Shuanghou Town along the east side of Wanquan, and occupied Taohua Mountain, Leishi Mountain, Bizi Mountain and other important places, dividing the connection between the enemy's 74th Division and the 83rd Division. Zhang Lingfu, the commander of the enemy's 74th Division, didn't care about the offensive launched by the Huaye troops. He told his subordinates not to make a fuss, and even said: "The Communist Army wants to eat up the 74th Division. Not only do they dare not do it, they may not even dare to think about it!" Order the troops Carry out the plan to attack Tanbu on the 14th as usual. At 22:00 on the 14th, Zhang Lingfu learned that the Huaye troops had captured Tianma Mountain, Leishi Mountain and other important places, and were advancing towards Duozhuang and Wanquan Mountain. Marching northward, they quickly retreated towards Menglianggu (now southeast of Mengyin, Shandong) and Duozhuang, and desperately counterattacked the Huaye First Column, trying to open the passage back to Duozhuang and communicate with the 25th Division. Along the way, they were constantly chased and harassed by the East China Field Army, causing heavy casualties. When they retreated to the Menglianggu area, Zhang Lingfu saw that the terrain was complex and easy to defend but difficult to attack, so he wanted the troops to stick to the place and wait for work.Seeing the harsh terrain here, Wei Zhencheng, chief of staff of the division, became suspicious and reminded: "This place is a lonely mountain. It is a big taboo for soldiers, and it is not easy to be trapped." Li Yunliang, the deputy chief of staff of the division, suggested: "Military seat, although this is a lonely mountain, the terrain is dangerous. We have to put it to death and survive." Zhang Lingfu, who has always been headstrong, insisted on his own opinion, and immediately ordered the troops to set up camp in Menglianggu, which was surrounded by mountains and mountains. Menglianggu is located at the peak of Lushan Mountain in the southeast of Mengyin, with an altitude of more than 500 meters.The peaks in the Yimeng Mountains are strange, with steep sides, shaped like columns, and flat tops, which can be used for farming. The locals call them Gu.Gu Gu is connected, and it is said that there are 72 Gu Gu.Zhang Lingfu's reorganized 74th Division was stationed in Lushan, Menglianggu, Daguding, several hills and several valleys. Under such circumstances, it became very urgent and even more important for the Huaye troops to seize Duozhuang, cut off the enemy's retreat, and close the encirclement. At this juncture, Huaye Liuzong, who is good at long-distance raids, suddenly rushed out from behind the enemy's 74th Division like a magic soldier. The commander of the Sixth Column Wang Bicheng received a telegram signed by Chen and Su at 16:00 on May 12, ordering the Sixth Column to travel day and night and go north to participate in the war. With a rapid march of 120 kilometers in 48 hours, he seized Duozhuang, an important town on the Yimeng Highway, and cut off the 74th Division. Participated in the battle to encircle and wipe out the 74th Division. Upon receiving the order, Wang Bicheng immediately led more than 20,000 commanders and fighters of the six columns to march 130 kilometers per day and night, and the flying troops advanced quickly. The vanguard arrived at the south of Duozhuang 8 hours ahead of schedule, and captured it with the assistance of the first column in the early morning of the 15th. Duozhuang, wipe out a combat supply company defending the enemy.Tang Enbo ordered Zhang Lingfu to send heavy troops to guard Duozhuang to protect the passage.However, when the troops sent by Zhang Lingfu arrived, Duozhuang had already been captured by Huaye troops in advance.Zhang Lingfu had to withdraw his troops and retreat to the Menglianggu and Lushan areas, trying to resist stubbornly and wait for the arrival of reinforcements. While the sixth column captured Duozhuang, the first column recaptured the 330 and 285 highlands; the eighth column captured Wanquan Mountain, the southeast gateway of Menglianggu, wiped out one regiment of the enemy, opened up contact with the sixth column, closed the inner encirclement, and formed a blocking enemy 25, 83 The division's strong external frontal defense.Fourth, the ninth vertical has advanced to the Tangjiayuzi and Dangyang areas. At this time, the reorganized 74th Division had been surrounded by five columns and regiments of the East China Field Army in Menglianggu and the narrow area to the north. After the reorganized 74th Division was besieged, it was completely under the fire control of the East China Field Army, and its retreat and logistical supplies were cut off. At this time, it was early summer, and the weather was relatively hot. The officers and soldiers of the Kuomintang army were hungry and thirsty, and their morale was low.Zhang Lingfu urgently called Chiang Kai-shek for help. Chiang Kai-shek and others believed that the reorganized 74th Division had strong combat effectiveness, occupied a favorable commanding height that was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and there were strong reinforcements nearby, which was a good opportunity for a decisive battle with the East China Field Army. In order to attract the main force of the East China Field Army, the 11th Reorganized Division of Xintai, the 65th Reorganized Division of Mengyin, the 25th Reorganized Division of Taoxu, the 83rd Reorganized Division of Qingtuosi, the 7th Army of Heyang, and the The Reorganized 48th Division quickly moved closer to the Reorganized 74th Division, and hurriedly ordered the Laiwu 5th Army to go south, the Lunan Reorganized 64th Division and the Reorganized 20th Division advanced to Duozhuang and Qingtuo Temple, Lou De's Reorganized 9th Division Reinforcement to Mengyin, in an attempt to use 11 reorganized divisions (armies) to attack internally and externally, annihilate the main force of the East China Field Army, and relieve the siege of the reorganized 74th Division. Then, the Nanjing side airdropped supplies to Meng Lianggu, but most of the steamed buns, rice, ammunition and water transported by planes from Xuzhou and Nanjing fell to the positions of the East China Field Army.Under Chiang Kai-shek's persecution, the peripheral reinforcements repeatedly tried to rescue the reorganized 74th Division, but they were strongly blocked by the East China Field Army and were unable to move an inch. Faced with this situation, Zhang Lingfu used the telephone to call for help frequently, and shouted to Li Tianxia: "Come closer to me!" Zhang Lingfu, who had always been aloof and arrogant, swept away his former prestige and frequently begged for help from his friends and neighbors. However, although Li Tianxia was close to Zhang Bu, there was a gap between them, so he only sent an assault company to make a symbolic rescue. In view of the fact that the Kuomintang army has mobilized a huge force to reinforce Meng Lianggu, the distance is less than 10 kilometers, and the distance is only 1-2 days away. The situation on the battlefield is very severe. The main attacking force accelerated the fierce attack on the besieged 74th Division. At all costs, it must completely annihilate the 74th Division before the Kuomintang reinforcements from all walks of life arrived. At the decisive battle mobilization meeting, facing the crazy enemy, Commander Chen Yi said angrily: "Chiang Kai-shek thought that with the backing of American imperialism, airplanes and cannons, he would be invincible and could ride on the heads of the people for the rest of his life. Dreaming! Didn’t Chiang Kai-shek think that we have no way to deal with the 74th Division? We must destroy the 74th Division! We must wipe out all his millions of troops and liberate the whole of China! As long as Chiang Kai-shek is willing to fight, we will accompany him to the end.” Chen Yi stayed at the headquarters all night long.He picked up the phone and asked: "Ye Fei? The Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao have come to give instructions again, saying not to be greedy for more, and to annihilate the 74th Division first. Now the enemy's 10 reorganized divisions are surrounding us. Your main task now It is to cooperate with the brother column to knock off the axis of the 74th Division. In this way, the enemy will have no hope. We will also avoid fighting on two fronts. If the delay continues, the reversal of the situation is predictable." Then, he called Nine Columns again: "Commander Xu? Now that reinforcements from all walks of life are approaching, the troops fighting to rescue and block them are fighting very hard and tenaciously. Gathering and annihilating the 74th Division, success or failure depends on one action. We can win Time is running out, you must take Meng Lianggu down as soon as possible!" All the commanders of the column gave categorical answers, and then immediately communicated this will to the division commanders by phone. On May 15, Huaye launched a general attack on the reorganized 74th Division.The East China Field Army assaulted the reorganized 74th Division from all directions, and the reorganized 74th Division tried its best to resist.The two sides fought repeatedly for important positions such as Da Nian, Diaowo, and the northeast highlands of Menglianggu. The enemy's firepower counterattacked in an organized way. Grenades rained down on our commando team, heavy mortars and mountain artillery hit the mountainside, machine gun bullets hit the rocks, and sparks shot out. Before dawn, two enemy planes circled the top of the mountain. The enemy attempted to counterattack and knock the PLA down the mountain. The charge was still going on, and all seven charges were suppressed.But in the end, the troops rushed to the high grounds and completely wiped out the defending enemies. From the war to the 16th, the East China Field Army captured Danian, Diaowo, Highland 520 and Highland 540, and compressed the reorganized 74th Division into a small area along the line of Menglianggu, Lushan, and Highland 600. The positions of the reorganized 74th Division were all rocky and mountainous, and it was impossible to build fortifications. The personnel and weapons were exposed to the dense fire net of the East China Field Army, and most of the food bombs dropped by air fell outside the positions. The morale of the army was shaken. On the morning of the 16th, Chiang Kai-shek personally issued an order to the reinforcements from all walks of life, saying: "The main force of the Communist bandits in Shandong is now attacking our army. This is the only good opportunity for our army to wipe out the Communist bandits and complete the revolution. All our soldiers should do their best to seize the opportunity." This fighter is united as one, united, closely connected, and marching forward together. We will attack the bandits in front of us and annihilate the bandits in order to comfort the prime minister and the souls of the fallen soldiers. , so that the friendly army is in danger, and the bandit army slips through the net to escape, they will definitely avoid the war by fearing the bandit, and even let the bandit harm the country and delay the battle. In the afternoon of the same day, Tang Enbo also sent a telegram to all the units of the 1st Corps to rescue and reorganize the 74th Division, saying: "I, Zhang Lingfu, have been defending Menglianggu for days. , Break the siege of the bandit army, save the robes from danger, so as to carry forward the dear and sincere martial arts and honor of our revolutionary army. Those who hesitate to go forward and fail to rescue them in the face of danger are definitely not tolerated by my compatriots, and are also tolerated by Enbo I can't bear to say it." Under the strict supervision of Jiang and Tang, the reinforcements of the Kuomintang army from all walks of life accelerated their advance to the Menglianggu area.Although the 10 divisions (armies) of the Kuomintang Army adjacent to the reorganized 74th Division were only a few kilometers apart, they were all firmly clamped down by the East China Field Army's blocking forces. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, the divisions, brigades, regiments, and battalions of the reorganized 74th Division all lost communication and collapsed across the board, waiting to die. Pi Dingjun, deputy commander of Huaye Sixth Column, issued an order to He Fengshan, head of the special task force: "Your first task is to take down the hill at the bottom of Menglianggu, to have a foothold; the second task is to fight upwards from there, which will be very difficult; the last task is to fight to the top of Menglianggu mountain, and go straight to the command post of the 74th Division , capture Zhang Lingfu alive." He Fengshan's Sixth Column Special Agent Regiment is mostly technical arms, with only 1 guard battalion and 3 companies.He Fengshan led the troops to set off to the hill at the foot of Menglianggu Mountain, and occupied the hill in a short while. With fire support, the guard battalion attacked Meng Lianggu from the hilltop.Because Menglianggu Mountain was bare and steep, the enemy's firepower was strong, and the troops moved slowly. In order to reduce casualties, He Fengshan adopted the tactics of light front and heavy rear, forcing the enemy's firepower to be exposed, and then tried to eliminate these firepower. In this way, while destroying the enemy's firepower, the special task force advanced towards the top of the mountain with difficulty, and the troops finally approached the top of the mountain. Suddenly, a team rushed down from the mountain and mixed with the secret service group.It turned out that Wei Zhencheng, the chief of staff of the 74th Division, led the division staff in an attempt to break through, and this group of enemies was quickly captured by the spy group.Wei Zhencheng told He Fengshan that Zhang Lingfu was in the cave on the top. Meng Lianggu's roof was mushroom-shaped, making it difficult to attack. He Fengshan organized soldiers to build a ladder and march towards the cave. In the cave, Zhang Lingfu was hoarsely calling to Nanjing: "Nanjing, Mr. Jiang!" "Who are you?" Chiang Kai-shek replied. "I am Zhang Lingfu. Huang Baitao will not rescue me, and Li Tianxia will not rescue me. Now we have reached the pinnacle of difficulty. There is no need to send a plane to rescue me. All the ammunition has fallen into the hands of the Communist Army. I have reached the time to 'serve the country with all my loyalty', and I have written it." made a will..." At this moment, Cai Renjie, the deputy commander of the 74th Division, and Lu Xing, the commander of the 538th Brigade, took out photos of their wives and children, and cried at each other, refusing to point their guns at their own heads and pull the trigger. Yan Yunliang, the deputy chief of staff of the 74th Division, ran to the entrance of the cave, and shot his cheeks at the entrance of the cave, making his face bloody, and pretended to be dead at the entrance of the cave.After such a commotion, no one wanted to die.Moreover, the chance of collective success has been lost, and the grenades and bullets outside the cave have already entered the cave. "Stop beating, our teachers have been beaten to death by you!" The man in the cave shouted loudly. The gunfire stopped, but louder voices followed. At this time, the wind was strong, thunder roared, flying sand and rocks, blowing to the southeast of Menglianggu, and then heavy rain fell from the sky.It's God's will, if the storm comes a few days earlier, the 74th Division will not cut off the water. The commander of the 3rd company was the first to rush into the cave. "This is our teacher." The telegraph operator pointed to a corpse and said. The corpse was lying on the ground. A soldier turned over the corpse and took off the chest amulet, which read Lieutenant General Zhang Lingfu. Chiang Kai-shek never dreamed that his "Guardian Army" would be completely wiped out so quickly, just like a doggerel sung by the soldiers after the battle: In the Battle of Menglianggu, the East China Field Army completely smashed the "Luzhong Battle" plan of the Kuomintang Army Command, severely hit the Kuomintang Army's key attack on the Shandong Liberated Area, and greatly shook its interior. Chiang Kai-shek lamented: "If you don't hesitate to sacrifice yourself to ensure the safety of the overall situation, sacrifice your own army to meet the emergency of the friendly army, and you can die without surrender, sacrifice your life for righteousness, and reorganize all the officers and soldiers of the 74th Division for our army. The heroic martyrs in the Battle of the South are the most tragic and glorious epic since the national army suppressed the bandits." At the same time, Chiang Kai-shek believed that: the reorganized 74th Division was annihilated, "this is the most painful and regrettable episode since our army suppressed the bandits. thing". Tang Enbo, commander of the 1st Corps, was dismissed. Huang Baitao, commander of the reorganized 25th Division, and Li Tianxia, ​​commander of the reorganized 83rd Division, were also punished. At that time, Guo Rugui, director of the 3rd Department of the Ministry of National Defense of the Kuomintang government, believed that the reason for the failure of the reorganization of the 74th Division was the lack of coordination and poor combat effectiveness of the various units. On May 17, 1947, he wrote in his diary: "Knowing that the situation of the 74th Division in Menglianggu is unknown, Yu Yi felt that the failure was very strange from a purely military standpoint. The left and right flanks of the 74th Division were all five or six kilometers away. Why? How could reinforcements not be available for three days?" "The troops are so uncoordinated and their combat effectiveness is so poor, there is no other way but to fail. The troops with doctrines will definitely defeat the troops with no doctrines." Soon, the Kuomintang erected a stele commemorating the 74th Division in Xuanwu Lake, Nanjing. Chiang Kai-shek specially issued the No. 3 certificate of loyalty to Zhang Lingfu, and explicitly ordered Mengyin County in Shandong to be renamed Lingfu County, and a destroyer named "Lingfu". After Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan in 1949, Zhang Lingfu was listed as the first "martyr" in the "Soldier Soul" ancestral hall. The victory in the Battle of Menglianggu was the heaviest blow to the Kuomintang reactionaries and a great encouragement to the soldiers and civilians in the Liberated Areas. It quickly changed the situation in Shandong and promoted the development of the national war situation in a direction that is beneficial to the people. On May 22, the Yan'an Xinhua News Agency commented: "The East China People's Liberation Army and the people of the East China Liberated Area, in the patriotic self-defense war of the entire Chinese people, shouldered the most serious tasks and achieved the most glorious achievements." "This time The Mengyin victory is even more special in the history of the East China People's Liberation Army because: first, this is the most powerful and almost the only direction of attack against Chiang Kai-shek today; second, this is the most elite force that has struck Chiang Kai-shek; Third, this strike occurred on the eve of a full-scale counterattack in the liberated areas." "Chiang Kai-shek used nearly 100 brigades on the battlefield in East China to determine the outcome of the two armies. This subjective illusion is close to being finally shattered." After the war, Commander Chen Yi recited a poem affectionately, recording the great victory of this battle and the joy of the commanders and fighters of the whole army.The poem says: Meng Lianggu boarded the ghosts and gods, and the 74th division had nowhere to escape. The signals are flying and the stars are flying around, and the lighting is everywhere. Dao Cong rushed to fight for the top of the mountain, and blood rained down to wet his shirt. I'm glad to see that the thieves are all elite, and all our troops are heroes. Our army is all heroes, and the ace of the revolution can't escape. The violent Jiang Dynasty regretted his fate, and the desolate and beautiful emperor complained. The war situation in East China is changing dramatically, and the northern Shaanxi military is moving wonderfully. I prefer the rain to urge the wheat to ripen, and the success is getting closer and closer. On May 30, Chen, Su, and Tan reported to the Central Military Commission and Liu and Deng: "(1) According to the final investigation, Zhang Lingfu, the commander of the 74th Division, Cai Renjie, the deputy commander, and Lu Xing, the commander of the 58th Brigade, were shot dead on the spot by He Fengshan, the deputy commander of the Sixth Column Special Service Regiment when the battle was resolved at 2 pm on the 16th. When the Deputy Head of the Secret Service Regiment approached the cave where Zhang Lingfu and others were hiding, he was introduced as Zhang Lingfu and others by the adjutant of the division headquarters. It is still at the prisoner's office to prove it. “（二）另查出51旅旅长陈传钧、副旅长皮宣猷、57旅旅长陈嘘云、参谋长魏振铖、副参谋长李运良、58旅副旅长贺翊章、师新闻处副处长赵建功均被俘，现在野战俘官处生活。” 6月9日，孟良崮战役中放下武器的敌第74师将校举行时事座谈会，陈毅和到会者会见，一一握手并致慰问。当将校们谈到74师失败的原因时，陈毅说： “历来国民党军失败均归咎国防部，归咎陈诚，我在此替陈诚分辩几句。其实陈诚本人也很难作主，一切都有蒋介石老头子紧紧控制着。” 谈到蒋军失败的原因，陈毅说：“蒋介石自北伐中期叛变人民，走上法西斯独裁专政的道路。蒋介石的这一条反人民的错误的政治路线，必然产生错误的战略路线。在蒋介石独裁媚外的政策与战略的双重错误下，国民党军队之遭受失败是必然的。例如贵军在抗战中的战功表现很好，战斗力亦堪为国民党军队之冠。可是一到内战战场，仍然逃不脱被歼的命运。各位应深深研究其中的原因。” 陈毅又说：“对于各位此来，我应负责照料大家、爱护大家。贵师长张灵甫、副师长蔡仁杰之牺牲，毫无意义，应该惋惜。各位留在解放区内好好研究问题，重新认识问题，各位应视为平生最大幸事。我们能帮助你们的地方，一定尽量帮助你们，绝不为难。”