Chapter 6 Chapter 5 The counterattack in northern Henan, the soldiers headed straight for the "dumbbell handle"
"Looking back on the battle for more than half a year, it is unsatisfactory, very unsatisfactory!" At the military review meeting held in Nanjing, Chiang Kai-shek slapped the table.A glass of boiled water that had just been filled, fell to the ground with a "crack!", which shocked everyone.This was the first time that Chiang Kai-shek admitted that the war situation had turned in an unfavorable direction. The people attending the meeting didn't know who he would take his anger on, and all of them lowered their brows and lowered their eyes, and they didn't dare to express their anger.
Chiang Kai-shek glanced at the expressions of the crowd, and became even more annoyed: "Failing to defeat the Communist Army is a failure and a great shame!...Why did the expected plan not be realized? There are many reasons, and the underestimation of the enemy is the result of An important reason for many mistakes. First, underestimating the enemy, then overestimating the enemy after being frustrated, and panicking from underestimating the enemy. You must know that no matter whether you underestimate or overestimate, you will be punished!"
When he said these words, Chiang Kai-shek felt his heart was bleeding.Once upon a time, he vowed to wipe out the communist army in the pass within three to six months.Three months have passed, six months have passed, and eight months have passed. Instead of being wiped out, the Communist Army in the pass has fought more and more, and the more they fight, the stronger they become...
Chiang Kai-shek had great expectations for the "Southern Shandong Great Battle" that started last month.Before the start of the war, he told Chen Cheng: "The Great Battle of Southern Shandong is not just a regional battle. Capture Linyi, annihilate Chen Yi's main force, open the Yimeng Passage, and the Shandong problem will be solved. Not only the Shandong problem, but also the Jiangsu-Anhui problem will be solved. In this way, the powerful corps of Xuzhou and Jinan can be transferred to the Central Plains together with the five armies of Zhengzhou, Xi'an, and Wuhan. First, Liu Deng will be wiped out and North China will be swept away. Then the communist army hanging outside the customs will come to an end. So, This battle is related to the fate of the party and the country, only success is allowed, and failure is not allowed!"
Unexpectedly, before the deployment of the Battle of Southern Shandong began, Liu Bocheng launched the Battle of Henan and Anhui Provinces first, and killed nearly 10,000 defenders in more than a dozen towns in one fell swoop. In addition, Chen Yi concentrated his forces in Shandong to deal with the troops of the Suizhou Department in Xuzhou. As a result, Li Xianzhou, the deputy commander of the 2nd Suijing District in the Laiwu Battle, was captured. Seven reorganized divisions, including the 46th Division, 73rd Army, and 12th Army, had more than 50,000 people. The army was wiped out.
When the news came, the military and political circles were in an uproar, asking Chen Cheng to take the blame and resign.Chiang Kai-shek ordered the abolition of the Xuzhou and Zhengzhou Appeasement Offices, and the establishment of the Xuzhou Command of the Army General Command, which also took charge of the Zhengzhou Command Post. Gu Zhutong was in charge of Xuzhou.
The organization and command system have been adjusted, how will the next battle be fought?Chiang Kai-shek lost his temper, announced a bunch of appointment and dismissal orders, and raised this issue.
Those who should be scolded will be scolded, and those who should be spared will be spared. Everyone is relieved.Especially since the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Defense Minister Bai Chongxi, who had lost his military title and lost his military power, could not help but feel a little happy when he saw that Chen Cheng, who had always been favored, had finally suffered a loss.At this moment, he stood up and said: "I think the most important issue at present is to re-evaluate the enemy's combat power. From this point of view, evaluate whether our all-out offensive strategy is realistic and whether it needs to be changed."
Bai Chongxi's words were astonishing, and he aimed his sharp edge at the comprehensive offensive strategy formulated by Chiang Kai-shek, which really made the people attending the meeting break out in a cold sweat.The strange thing is that Chiang Kai-shek didn't get angry but asked calmly: "Jiansheng, what do you think?"
"Make some minor adjustments." Bai Chongxi pushed his golden glasses, "Change from a comprehensive attack to a focused attack. Of course, the whole country has a national focus, and each war zone has its own focus, so we can't generalize it." Bai Chongxi kept a secret, waiting for Chiang Kai-shek's response.
Changing from a full-scale attack to a focused attack, and moving the whole body by pulling a trigger, this small adjustment is simply a major operation. Can Chiang Kai-shek accept it?
Chiang Kai-shek was surprisingly calm: "Go on. What do you think is the focus of the whole country?"
Bai Chongxi opened the conversation: "I think that an important reason why Chen Yi was not eliminated in the first two stages of the Lunan Battle was that Liu Bocheng supported him in the Central Plains. This is the first. Second, since ancient times, the Central Plains has been a battleground for military strategists. Land, which is the so-called "he who wins the Central Plains wins the world", so the focus of the whole country should be on the Central Plains."
"Okay, okay. The Central Plains is the focus of our struggle. It's not bad at all." Chiang Kai-shek kept nodding, but then changed the topic, "However, the focus of our immediate attack is not the Central Plains. The defeat in the Battle of Southern Shandong is of course Liu Bocheng was supporting in the Central Plains. On the other hand, Liu Bocheng’s little force was able to scurry around because of the support of the two wings. When Liu Bocheng moved, Chen Yi in Shandong was ready to move, and Peng Dehuai in northern Shaanxi restrained Hu Zongnan and could not attack Liu Bocheng. It can be seen that by cutting off the two wings and isolating Liu Bocheng from the Central Plains, he will not be able to fly even if he wants to. Therefore, our next attack should focus on the two wings of the Central Plains—Shandong and Northern Shaanxi, especially to destroy the nerves of the Communist Party Central Yan'an!"
This year's Huangmei came early, the whole month was rainy, and the streets were full of mud.In June, the fog clears and the sycamore trees in the streets and alleys are in new green, which is pleasing to the eye.Under the clear sky, the Ministry of National Defense of the Kuomintang government looks quite dignified. Although the gray gate is not very tall, it is majestic and solemn.
The "celebration banquet" hosted by Defense Minister Bai Chongxi is being held here.The military and political officials of the Kuomintang gathered together and were waiting to toast and drink.
However, a severe reprimand from Chiang Kai-shek, who arrived at the end, brought the banquet to a hasty end, and everyone broke up unhappy.
Gu Zhutong, the commander-in-chief of the army, had just left the banquet hall when Chen Cheng, the chief of staff, stopped him: "Mo San, go to the president. The president summoned him."
The president's office is not spacious, and the furnishings are extremely clean and simple.A bulky desk takes up 1/3 of the room, making it look more cramped.
Chiang Kai-shek asked: "Mo San, have you read the articles written by Liu Bocheng?"
Gu Zhutong understood that Chiang Kai-shek was referring to Liu Bocheng's "On the Achilles' heel of Jiang's army" and "Re-discussing the Achilles' heel of Jiang's army".Liu Bocheng argued: "No matter which military theory, the garrison force must be much smaller than the mobile force. Jiang's army is currently using too much force for garrison. It is necessary to attack new areas with existing forces and defend occupied cities and towns to protect the long-term Supply line. Bear's paw and fish can't have both, one must lose sight of the other...
"It was Chiang Kai-shek's erroneous strategy that enabled our Shanxi-Hebei-Luyu Military Region to enter a new stage in advance and take the initiative. Now Chiang Kai-shek's troops are even weaker, and the garrison troops are all in a passive position, and no one can take care of them." Who. If you want to draw troops from other battlefields for rescue, you can only gouge out the flesh and mend the sores. And our Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region can cooperate with each other to support each other. North Henan, Southeast Shanxi, Southwest Shanxi, both sides of the Yellow River, Hebei-Shandong-Henan, wherever you want After a while, Jiang Jun was overwhelmed and panicked. Now, they seem to be nailed to a cross (referring to the cross-shaped area formed by Pinghan Road, Jinpu Road and Longhai Road) and cannot move."
Gu Zhutong pondered for a moment, then replied, "I've read them all, Principal."
"What do you think he intends?"
"The Communist Party is used to it. One is to boost morale internally, and the other is to engage in psychological offensives against me. As for what is nailed to the 'cross', what is chopped off in the middle, it's just talk, he can't cut it." Gu Zhu Tong's words are full of confidence, without any signs of cowardice.There are not many senior Kuomintang generals who can have such a demeanor in front of Chiang Kai-shek.
Gu Zhutong, who graduated from Baoding Army Academy, got acquainted with Chiang Kai-shek when he defected to Sun Yat-sen in 1922. After the establishment of the Whampoa Military Academy in 1924, Chiang Kai-shek was the principal and Gu was the tactical instructor.Since then, whether it was the Jianggui War or the Xi'an Incident, Gu Zhutong has attracted Chiang Kai-shek's attention for his goodness, loyalty and bravery. In 1940, Chiang Kai-shek personally granted Gu Zhutong a secret order, creating the "Southern Anhui Incident" that shocked China and the world. In May 1946, the Kuomintang government returned to Nanjing, and Chiang Kai-shek replaced He Yingqin with Gu Zhutong as the commander-in-chief of the army.After the civil war broke out, Chiang Kai-shek dismissed Liu Zhi, who had been defeated in a row, in a rage, and put Gu Zhutong in Zhengzhou as the director of Zhengzhou's "Sui Department".At the beginning of the key attack on Shandong, Chiang Kai-shek appointed Gu to sit in Xuzhou and established the Xuzhou Command Post of the Army General Command to uniformly command the troops of the two "appeasement" offices in Xuzhou and Zhengzhou.
Although Gu Zhutong was favored, he was not surprised.He is famous for being "loose" and "magnanimous" to his subordinates.When he was the commander of the 2nd Division, his troops couldn't help but gamble, as long as they were brave in combat.In the name of a meeting every month, officers above the battalion are invited to a banquet.The company commander ate a few vacancies secretly, but he never pursued it.Officers and soldiers who violate discipline are not afraid of death as long as they are fighting, and they will be punished lightly.Dead and disabled officers can also receive super-stipulated pensions.Even if it is difficult for officers and soldiers who have retired for many years to find them, it will prevent them from returning empty-handed.Therefore, Gu Zhutong was widely supported by officers and soldiers.
Chiang Kai-shek admired Gu Zhutong, and nodded after hearing what he said.
Gu Zhutong thought that the strategy of focusing on the offensive led to the weak deployment of troops in the Central Plains. The president was probably worried about this, so he said: "Principal, Liu Bocheng launched an offensive in the north of Henan and suffered heavy casualties. Judging from the situation, it seems that the eastward advance cannot be made, so we changed to the westward." run away."
Chiang Kai-shek was pacing, he stamped his feet and asked, "Is it eastward or westward?"
When asked by Chiang Kai-shek, Gu Zhutong felt nervous and did not dare to speak rashly.
Gu Zhutong knows well that Liu Bocheng, who is familiar with the art of war, is good at maneuvering, is good at waiting for opportunities, and is skillful in using troops.Liu Zhi, who had suffered so much from him, once sighed with emotion: "Liu Deng's troops can hide under the nine grounds and attack above the nine heavens. It's a clever plan!" Gu Zhutong naturally treated it cautiously. heart disease.
After pondering for a moment, Gu Zhutong said, "Liu Bocheng may have gone west instead of east."
"Go on."
"Liu and Deng are used to large and mobile mobile warfare. Since the Yellow River returned to its old course on March 9, the 150-kilometer section from Dongming to Acheng where they often haunt is steep and has formed an insurmountable line of defense. In this way, they marched eastward. There is no room for maneuver, and according to Liu Deng's usual way of using troops, the possibility of fleeing westward is the greatest."
"What you said makes sense. The Yellow River..." Chiang Kai-shek had complicated facial expressions when he mentioned the Yellow River.In order to ensure the key offensive, Chiang Kai-shek took great pains to let the Yellow River "join the war" and implemented the so-called "Yellow River Strategy", that is, to lead the Yellow River into its old course and form a "Yellow River Defense Line" that is 2,000 miles long from Fenglingdu in Shanxi to Jinan in Shandong.For this reason, Chiang Kai-shek was very excited, and he would say to everyone that "the Yellow River defense line can reach 400,000 troops."
However, at this time, he didn't seem excited when he mentioned the Yellow River.
Gu Zhutong is a bold and thoughtful person.Although Chiang Kai-shek had the theory that "the Yellow River can reach 400,000 troops", he still specially visited the river section where Liu and Deng often communicated, and inquired about the water conditions in the upper reaches.Gu Zhutong's heart was relieved by the majestic and terrifying water.
"Principal, it's the flood season and the Yellow River is rising. We took advantage of the time and place. Liu Bocheng can still survive for a while if he crosses the river, he will be submerged and his demise will be accelerated."
"Mo San, you first strictly order Liu Ruming to strengthen the defense of the Yellow River, and then put some pressure on Uncle Liu to urge him to rush westward, and if you squeeze him, you will squeeze him to the Taihang Mountains!"
In terms of military affairs, Chiang Kai-shek changed his focus from an all-out offensive, focusing on northern Shaanxi and the Shandong Liberated Areas, in a vain attempt to drive the Northern Shaanxi Liberation Army and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to the east of the Yellow River, and the Shandong Liberation Army to the north of the Yellow River.They concentrated 60 brigades with 450,000 people in Shandong, and 34 brigades with 230,000 people in Shaanxi.At the same time, the long-planned "Yellow River Strategy" was implemented against the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Liberation Army. On March 9, they brazenly led the Yellow River back to its old ways.They believe that the Yellow River defense line can reach "400,000 troops", and block the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army to the north of the Yellow River in order to deploy troops to strengthen the key offensives on its two wings, thus forming a "dumbbell" strategic situation.
At this time, the enemy still had 31 brigades in the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan area, together with the local team a total of more than 300,000 people, relying on the "Yellow River Defense Line" and various traffic arteries for defense.With Wang Zhonglian's 4 reorganized divisions, Sun Zhen's 2 reorganized divisions, and local teams totaling about 100,000 people, they defended northern Henan along the Ping-Han and Daoqing lines; Hu Zongnan's 4 brigades, together with Yan Xishan's troops, totaled about 30,000 people, defending southern Shanxi along Tongpu Road; defending southwestern Shandong along the south bank of the Yellow River and Longhai Road with Liu Ruming's 2 reorganized divisions and 1 Xuzhou Suiyuan's reorganized division plus local troops; One reorganized division and 20 local troops were deployed to encircle the Henan, Anhui and Soviet military regions.In addition, with Wang Jingjiu's four reorganized divisions, about 80,000 people fought across the Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Henan and Shandong areas.
Facing the enemy's deployment, Liu Deng was determined to use the main force of the field army and Taihang, the main force of the Southern Hebei Military Region, and the Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region to carry out the Northern Henan Campaign.At the same time, the fourth column and the main force of the Taiyue Military Region held the Battle of Jinnan.In order to concentrate his forces to fight this battle well, Liu Deng mixed his troops into 4 groups.The first column and the first part of the Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region are the first group, and the second column and the two independent brigades of the Southern Hebei Military Region are the second group.The third and sixth columns are the third group.The two independent brigades and the 17th division of the Taihang Military Region are the 4th group.A total of about 60 regiments, more than 100,000 militiamen, and 200,000 people participated in the battle.
The groups started their operations on March 22. By the 28th, they had liberated Puyang, Fengqiu, Yanjin, Yuanwu, Yangwu and other enemy-occupied points, and wiped out a part of the enemy's local corps. On the night of the 29th, the 1st group of our army planned to attack the Iron Bridge of the Yellow River. Due to strong winds, flying sand and rocks, breaking trees, it was difficult for people and horses to move forward, delaying time, and the attack failed.At this time, the insider reported that the 32nd Division defending the enemy in Ji County, under the support of our army's offensive, there was a possibility of an uprising in part or all.
At this time, the enemy's 66th Division and 9th Division had come to aid from Henan, and Wang Zhonglian retreated to Xinxiang.
Liu Bocheng resolutely changed his mind, and first besieged the 32nd Division of the enemy in Ji County.
On the night of April 1st, the siege of Ji County began, and on the night of the 2nd, Dongguan and many peripheral strongholds were occupied.The enemy fought steadily and retreated to the city, waiting for reinforcements.At the same time, Wang Zhonglian urgently mobilized five reorganization divisions including the 66th Division, the 9th Division, the 3rd Division, and the 41st Division to the Xinxiang area to reinforce Ji County.
Under such circumstances, Liu Bocheng immediately ordered to stop fighting in order to avoid the superior enemy and find another opportunity.
On the night of April 3rd, Liu Bocheng ordered the various groups to divide their routes and quickly march northward. Lian Keqi County, Huilong, Chuwang, Yigou, Hebi and other places annihilated the local armed forces controlled by the 2nd Henan Special Agency of the Kuomintang and completely destroyed Anyang, On the Ping-Han Railway in Jixian County, the main force approached Anyang, creating a situation of besieging Tangyin and attracting the enemy to help.
Sure enough, Wang Zhonglian led two brigades of the 66th Division, one brigade of the 41st Division, one regiment of the 40th Division, and the second fast column to support.After Wang Zhonglian led his troops into Yigou, he found Liu Deng's main force and immediately withdrew.
Liu Bocheng judged: In the case of continuing to besiege Tangyin and threaten Anyang, the enemy may still come to help.Instead, a brigade from the sixth column and two independent brigades from the Southern Hebei Military Region stepped up their attack on Tangyin, and the main force concentrated on preparing for reinforcements.The main forces of the 1st and 2nd groups were combined into the Ludong Group, and the main forces of the 3rd and 4th groups were combined into the Luxi Group for unified command.
On the 13th, Gu Zhutong, the commander-in-chief of the Kuomintang army, strictly ordered Wang Zhonglian to lead 4 and a half brigades as the first echelon, and divided into 3 routes to the north to assist Tangyin; the 32nd division was the second echelon to cover on the bank of the Wei River.
Liu Bocheng used small troops as a mobile defense to lure the enemy forward. On the 15th, the enemy was lured to the Yigou and Tunzishan areas. On the night of the 16th, the main force was concentrated to attack on both sides, splitting the enemy's first and second echelons, and encircling the first echelon in the area north of the Wei River and east of the Qi River.After two days and nights of fierce fighting on the 16th and 17th, all the second fast column, one part of the 41st and one part of the 66th divisions were wiped out, and Li Shouzheng, the commander of the fast column, and more than 9,000 of his subordinates were captured.
After Wang Zhonglian suffered this devastating blow, he withdrew to his hometown and vomited blood in anger.The enemies of Tangyin became more isolated and panicked.Liu Bocheng is determined to attack Tangyin with the third group. In late April, the troops of the 3rd Group cleared the outlying strongholds of Tangyin, and launched a general offensive on May 1. After fierce fighting all night, nearly 10,000 defending enemies were wiped out on the morning of May 2, and Sun Dianying, commander of the Kuomintang's temporary third column, was captured More than 7,000 people.
In order to expand the results of the battle, we took advantage of capturing Anyang and then annihilated and aided the enemy. On May 9, our army launched a siege of Anyang's outlying strongholds.After 16 days of fierce fighting, many strongholds were conquered, and two regiments of the enemy's 40th Division were wiped out.
So far, the counter-offensive campaign in northern Henan and southern Hebei has ended.The main force of the field army was transferred to rest.
After the successful counter-offensives in northern Henan and southern Shanxi, the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region further developed and expanded.The total number of troops in the Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong and Henan regions has grown from 270,000 in the early days of the Liberation War to 420,000, of which the field army has tripled and a half, from 80,000 to 280,000.In addition to the original first (including the seventh column), the second, third, fourth, and sixth columns of the field column, the eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth columns were newly built , also expanded the 38th Army.The equipment of the troops in the whole region has been greatly improved, and artillery units and engineering units have been established.
Regarding this situation, Liu Bocheng concluded: "We are the hands of blacksmiths, and the more we beat, the harder it is. For more than three months, we have exchanged 17 empty cities in Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong and Henan for so many people from Chiang Kai-shek. It is said that Chiang Kai-shek thinks this is a good deal. , but we must continue to do it. Well, let him continue to do it, and it won’t be long before he will be able to calculate the general account of the world’s peace!”