Chapter 8 Chapter 7 The golden cicada escapes its shell and leaps thousands of miles into the Dabie Mountains

In less than a month, nine and a half brigades of the Southwest KMT were wiped out.Chiang Kai-shek, who was sitting in Kaifeng, was furious when he heard the news. He picked up the phone, scolded Wang Jingjiu, the commander-in-chief of the Southwest Front Group, and announced to Wang: "You have been dismissed, and I will send you to a military court!" Unwilling to fail, Chiang Kai-shek appointed Wang Zhonglian as the commander-in-chief of the southwestern front line. He assembled a huge force of 30 brigades from southwestern Shandong and newly transferred troops to form five groups, and divided them into Yuncheng and Juye areas by five routes. The joint attack was an attempt to annihilate the main force of Liu Deng's army between Longhai Road and the Yellow River, or drive it back to the north of the Yellow River, so as to close the strategic gap opened by Liu and Deng's army.

Chiang Kai-shek took this division into a joint attack very seriously.If nearly 200,000 people still cannot wipe out Liu Deng's army, he said that he must withdraw from the stage of history and never deal with political affairs, but military affairs. After he deployed 30 brigades with about 200,000 soldiers to attack Liu Deng's army, Chiang Kai-shek uncharacteristically attended the Chinese and foreign press conferences in Kaifeng. Chiang Kai-shek stretched out two withered fingers and said to the reporters: "Victory is in sight, and the military opportunity is in hand. The frontline commanders of Jilu will use a general battle to completely annihilate Liu Deng's army. Victory is just around the corner! In a few days, don't be restless."

The literary courtier of the "president", Chen Bulei, went on to say: "The president means what he says, please report on it then!" After the press conference, Chiang Kai-shek left Air Force Commander Zhou Zhirou, Director of the Second Department of the Ministry of National Defense Hou Teng, frontline commander Wang Zhonglian, and Director of the Third Department of the Ministry of National Defense Guo Rugui, and plotted until late at night. "Fight against the communist army... What you can't get on the battlefield, you can get at the negotiating table. You can think about what you can't get at the negotiating table. Is there any other way to get it?" Chiang Kai-shek said from A glass of lemonade was poured out of the glass, and he drank it all in one gulp, then asked rashly, "Has that article been published? Will it appear in the newspaper tomorrow or the day after tomorrow?"

Chen Bulei said: "Yes. They said the day after tomorrow at the latest." "The Return of the Yellow River Is Imperative" is a signed article by a water conservancy expert on the Yellow River...it will appear in the newspaper the day after tomorrow." Guo Rugui said. "Report to me the water level of the Yellow River, dangers, and the movement of the Communist Army...every day!" Chiang Kai-shek called Gu Zhutong, Zhou Zhirou, Hou Teng, and Guo Rugui over, and they bowed down on the sand table of the Yellow River and its old course. Come on, plotting together...

Although Chiang Kai-shek had assembled 200,000 troops around Liu and Deng's army, he was not at ease, and secretly formulated a plot to blow up the Yellow River ferry and flood Liu and Deng's army to the south of the Yellow River. "What is 'the return of the Yellow River is imperative'? What experts on water conservancy of the Yellow River!" Deng Xiaoping threw a newly published Kuomintang newspaper on the table and said angrily, "This is the Kuomintang army trying to open the embankment of the Yellow River again. Flooding our army. This report is nothing more than a balloon released by the enemy to detect world opinion. The person who wrote the article is not an expert on water conservancy. The so-called expert on water conservancy is none other than Chiang Kai-shek himself!"

"It's like this, that's right! War is about timing and location, time factors, and geographical conditions on the battlefield. It has been raining heavily for days, and the water level of the Yellow River has soared. Our army is fighting on the banks of the Yellow River. Of course Chiang Kai-shek wants to Use his Yellow River water, which is equivalent to 400,000 troops, to participate in the battle! This requires us to deal with it seriously." Liu Bocheng said immediately. The heavy rain is still falling, and the river is full of ditch.The embankment of the Yellow River from Acheng to Dongming is very dangerous in some places, and the water level is extremely high. The embankment is much higher than the ridge of the village.Flood peaks came one after another, and the embankment was precarious.

Chiang Kai-shek, who had suffered a defeat, may drop bombs from planes at any time and burst the embankment to release water. Liu Bocheng asked Li Da to look for the nearest highlands on the map. Once the embankment was dug, the army would cover the masses to escape to the highlands.On the one hand, another "water sentry" was sent out, and the sentinel passed on step by step until the sentinel was placed on the bank of the Yellow River.Sentinels monitor the water conditions and report changes in the water level of the Yellow River to the headquarters at any time. The military situation is like fire.In order to personally grasp the water regime, Liu Bocheng sat on a wicker ring Taishi chair, a few green bricks were erected at the door, and scales were engraved on the bricks to observe the water level changes in person.

Deng Xiaoping rolled up his trousers and put his legs in the half-foot-deep floodwater.He was lying on an old square table, carefully revising the manuscript that exposed Chiang Kai-shek's heinous crime of attempting to break the Yellow River embankment and drown our soldiers and civilians in Hebei, Shandong and Henan. Liu Bocheng kept staring at the engraved lines on the blue bricks.But the stagnant water in the yard is still rising from time to time... It was raining heavily, and Liu Deng was very worried.Once the Yellow River breaks its embankment, how will the millions of people in the south of the embankment be saved?Once the embankment collapses, where will the tens of thousands of troops move?

Thinking of this, Liu Bocheng left the armchair, and Deng Xiaoping also stood up from the old table.These two commanders who shoulder the great trust of the party and the people, with rain dripping on their bodies and muddy water soaking their feet, are discussing urgently... This is already an old habit and tradition. Everyone around Liu Deng knows that whether it is a major strategic operation or an important meeting, it is either in their living room, on a field path, or in the In the small courtyards of ordinary farmhouses, as long as they saw Liu and Deng nervously discussing each other, exchanging ideas and discussing problems from time to time, people were secretly happy, knowing that there was another good battle to fight, or important work to do.At this moment, Liu Deng dragged the muddy water around the house, and he could guess without asking, that there was a new strategic move coming.

Deng Xiaoping stood still and suggested to Liu Bocheng: "Can we talk to a few more people and brainstorm!" Liu Bocheng fully agreed with Deng Xiaoping's opinion, and immediately said: "Go and invite Deputy Political Commissar Zhang and Chief of Staff Li Da to come, and have a meeting in the war room. The chief of operations, the chief of the section, and the staff are all called." The head of the guard repeated Tongzhi: "No. 4, No. 5... are located in the war room, and the director, section chief and staff of the combat department are all present at the meeting."

After a while, the Operations Department of the headquarters, section chiefs and staff officers all arrived, No. 1, 3, 4, and 5 (at that time, the front line was under strict secrecy, and Liu, Deng, Zhang, and Li used the above code names respectively) All have been seated one after another. At the meeting, everyone once again carefully analyzed the enemy's situation, our situation and tasks. Deng Xiaoping said: "What should we do? We need to fully promote military democracy, brainstorm and carefully consider. Please speak freely and express your opinions." The meeting was brief and heated, Liu Deng did not interrupt, but just listened quietly. At the end of the meeting, Liu Bocheng said: "Everyone spoke enthusiastically and expressed their opinions. Let us study it and then tell you our thoughts." Deng Xiaoping was going to visit the troops, but Liu Bocheng remained in the war room.When Deng Xiaoping was about to leave, he told the director of operations as if he had a premonition: "You must base yourself on the word 'early', and you must make all preparations before marching!" When returning to the war room, Liu Bocheng came to the battle map again to check the recent changes in the enemy's situation on Longhai Road.He carefully measured the marching route and asked about the conditions of the rivers and mountains on the way.After a while, Liu Bocheng put down the magnifying glass and muttered to himself: "It's time to act." He immediately ordered the Chief of Operations: "Go and invite Political Commissar Deng, and prepare to act immediately." Deng Xiaoping quickly returned to the war room. Liu Bocheng couldn't wait to say: "I'm thinking about acting now..." Deng Xiaoping said: "If you leave early suddenly, the enemy will be caught off guard!" Liu Bocheng said: "It is for this reason that we took advantage of the failure of the enemy's joint attack." Deng Xiaoping said: "The march itself can smash the enemy's combined attack, and has no effect on the overall situation. More mobilization and attraction of the enemy will reverse the entire battle situation!" Liu Bocheng went on to say: "That's exactly the reason! I suggest that you stop resting and take immediate action." Deng Xiaoping said: "Send a report immediately to ask for instructions." Only 3 hours after the telegram was sent, the Central Military Commission replied that it fully agreed with Liu Deng's opinion. The rain was still falling, and the water level of the Yellow River increased time after time. In the conference room, Liu Bocheng raised his hand, then slammed it down again.He said: "...I just studied it with Comrade Xiaoping, and the battle should be fought like this." Deputy Political Commissar Zhang Jichun, Chief of Staff Li Da, and Chief of Operations all listened with bated breath: "We originally planned to go south and prepare to fight a few more battles before August 15. Now the battle is not here, and we are going to start immediately. Get out of the Dabie Mountains!" Deng Xiaoping also said decisively: "The enemy is preparing to burst the embankment of the Yellow River, which will have a great impact on the army and the people. Chiang Kai-shek can do anything. We should make a decision in advance. The battle will not be fought by the river, and we will go south immediately in advance!" "The Huaye West Advance Corps has arrived. You were originally scheduled to meet with the two chiefs, Chen and Xie?" Chen Heqiao, head of the Organization Department of the Political Department, came to ask Liu and Deng for instructions. Deng Xiaoping waved his hand and said, "It's too late, Commander Liu, please call them personally, the troops will leave immediately!" "We're on the horse!" Commander Liu, holding the last wire to be removed, was talking to Chen Shiju of the Huaye West Advance Corps. Liu Bocheng's first sentence was "I'm going to mount a horse", which means that our army is going to leap forward thousands of miles and go south to the Dabie Mountains. Chen Shiju immediately asked: "How should I play, please give me instructions." "You play a goose card." Liu Bocheng gave instructions vividly in simple terms.In the sign language, there is a goose card with one point at one end and three points at the other end. The westward marching corps has four columns. Playing a goose card means that the westward marching corps will launch an offensive in the north of Longhai Road and use one column to cover it. Liu Deng's army marched southward to confuse and restrain the enemy. They used three columns to concentrate their forces and looked for opportunities to wipe out the enemy. Hundreds of thousands of troops started to act secretly and quickly, and the troops moved like a rush... In this way, Liu Deng's army did not start this operation on August 15, but started the feat of leaping thousands of miles into the Dabie Mountains on August 7 in advance. On August 9th, which was the weekend, Chiang Kai-shek returned to Xingyuan after finishing morning prayers in the small church in Kaifeng. He called the commander of the Air Force and ordered the B-29 strategic bomber fleet to take off, preparing to drop bombs and blow up embankments in the most dangerous places.Suddenly, Zhou Zhirou and Wang Shuming sent a reconnaissance plane back to report that the communist army had left the embankment and their whereabouts were unknown... "Who dares to lie about the military situation, I will punish him on the spot." Chiang Kai-shek was furious when he heard the report, and cursed repeatedly: "The communist army is full of vigor. They just crossed the Yellow River. How could they disappear and go missing?" Chiang Kai-shek was furious, so frightened that Zhou and Wang had nothing to say for a while, and hurriedly ordered to go to reconnaissance.The reconnaissance plane flew back along the embankment, and after turning around twice, it still reported: "The Communist Army Liu Deng's headquarters is indeed missing. The south bank of the Yellow River from Acheng to Dongming is full of muddy water..." Liu and Dengbu suddenly disappeared, and there was muddy water everywhere from Acheng to Dongming.From this, Chiang Kai-shek judged that Liu Deng's army had fled, so he relaxed a little after being nervous for a few days.The frontline situation improved, and Chiang Kai-shek was going back to Nanjing to meet with General Wedemeyer, the special representative of the US President.Before boarding the plane, Chiang Kai-shek was full of confidence in his judgment. He delivered a speech at the airport: "Although Liu and Deng have crossed the Yellow River, the national army fought bravely to wipe out the enemy, and our brave air force also took off to help the battle. The Communist army has disappeared all over the world." No, the south bank of the Yellow River between Acheng and Dongming is a piece of muddy water..." Liu Deng, who was on his way to the army, received this telegram and leaned forward with a smile... Liu Bocheng managed to stop his laughter and said: "Chiang Kai-shek is such a wonderful man, the national army is brave, the air force is brave, and the Communist army has disappeared. Are they all killed, or are they all drowned?" Deng Xiaoping said lightly: "It is true that there is muddy water, but it is not the achievements of his brave air force, but the rain from the old world!" Just as Chiang Kai-shek was flying to Nanjing, on the night of August 8, Liu Deng's army formed a three-way formation, crossed Longhai Road, divided into three groups, and rushed southward, heading straight for the hinterland of the Dabie Mountains.The third column is the east road on the left, along the lines of Chengwu, Yucheng, Luyi, and Jieshou, and goes straight to the Gushi, Jinzhai, Lu'an, and Huoshan areas of the Dabie Mountains; the first column also commands the Central Plains Independent Brigade and is on the right. West Road, along the Caoxian, Ningling, Tuocheng, Xiangcheng, and Shangcai lines, and went straight to the Luoshan, Xuanhuadian, and Huangpi areas; The county is moving forward. In order to conceal the sudden leap forward of the main force, Liu and Deng ordered Yizong and the troops of the various military regions to be active in the southwestern area of ​​Shandong, and to feign movement at the Yellow River ferry, causing the momentum of our army to cross the Hebei, to confuse and attract the tired enemy, so that the enemy continued to attack the Yellow River. Surround on the edge. After days of heavy rain, the river surged. Liu and Deng Zongma came to the northern end of the Yellow Flood Area, and the desolate scene was displayed in front of them and the commanders and fighters of the whole army, which was too horrible to bear... "The soup is like a flood, and it is so vast that it is full of mountains and Xiangling." This is the time of the universe in the ancient times described by Sima Qian in the Records of the History. At that time, the chaos was first opened, and floods were everywhere.The yellow flood area in front of me is also the same scene, with floods everywhere, luxuriant vegetation, white bones exposed in the wild, and no chickens crowing for thousands of miles.In this desolate land for thousands of miles, there is not a single person or house in sight, and the surrounding fields are as deadly silent.The wild geese wailed occasionally and flew up from the depths of the water plants, and the earth returned to calm. The wilderness became more and more desolate. The desolate scene made many officers and soldiers burst into tears... In the past, it used to be a place full of laughter and crowds, with dense villages and towns, beautiful countryside, neighboring villages facing each other, the sounds of chickens and dogs heard from each other, and people recuperating by the Yellow River. In 1938, Chiang Kai-shek dug up the embankment and buried millions of people under the water... That was on June 6, 1938, when the Japanese army attacked the Central Plains.Because of the failure of the Xuzhou battle, Chiang Kai-shek ordered the Yellow River embankment to be broken at Huayuankou, hoping that the flood would help him and stop the Japanese army from advancing.As a result, the Japanese army's march to the south was not stopped, but 12 million people in 44 counties in Henan, Anhui, and Jiangsu provinces were pushed into the flood, resulting in the death of 890,000 people and hundreds of thousands of people who were displaced and left their homes.The fertile and fertile fields have turned into a swamp country. Like all the commanders and fighters, Liu Bocheng felt heavy at this moment. Looking at the desolate yellow flooded area, he said to the staff around him: "The reactionary rule of the Kuomintang has caused a tragic massacre! Everyone knows that the soldiers should come to stop them. When the water comes to Tutun, how can soldiers come to block the water? Can the water block the soldiers?" "If the strategy is miscalculated, it is worse than anything! What is the Ten Days in Yangzhou, the Three Massacres in Jiading, what is the Nanjing Massacre in December 1937, what is the Hiroshima atomic bombing in August 1945, an atomic bomb destroyed 130,000 residents... and the garden 890,000 people died when the embankment burst, and only the murder of Jews by German fascists in the world can be compared with the bursting of the Huayuankou embankment..." After finishing speaking, Liu Bocheng said firmly to the commanders and fighters around him while rolling his trousers: "In order to end this human tragedy and liberate the people of the Central Plains, we must go to the Dabie Mountains and win the victory." Deng Xiaoping came to Liu Bocheng's side and said: "Chiang Kai-shek used the 'Yellow River Strategy' twice. The first time he caused such a big loss, the second time he also failed. His strategic failure is our strategic victory!" There was mud and water everywhere, so Deng Xiaoping didn't even roll up his trousers, he took Liu Bocheng's arm and said firmly: "We will definitely be able to wade through the yellow flood zone, and we will definitely be able to reach the Dabie Mountains as soon as possible." The two chiefs, Liu and Deng, practiced themselves, supported each other, took the lead in jumping into the muddy water, and walked at the forefront of the army. Everyone was moved and rushed to jump into the muddy water, ignoring the bombing and strafing of the enemy planes. An incomparably magnificent long rainbow on the water is rapidly extending southward... "Hurry up, keep up, don't distance yourself!" Liu Deng Zhonglu followed by hundreds of thousands of pursuers—the 18th Brigade of the Sixth Column of the advance team galloped towards Ruhe.The brigade commander Xiao Yongyin kept urging his troops, and thousands of feet bravely stepped forward on the yellow sand.The only thing they are looking forward to now is to reach Ruhe as soon as possible.From time to time someone in the team asked: "How far is the Ru River?" They don't know what is waiting for them in Ruhe. The brigade commander Xiao Yongyin also did not expect that Ruhe is hard to find on ordinary maps, and it is only a thin line on the 1:50,000 military map.It is 60 meters wide, and the current is not too fast, but the river channel is deep, the embankment is steep, and the water is more than ten feet deep, so it is impossible to wade in vain.Compared with the famous rivers and rivers, the Ru River is really insignificant.Ru River has no intention of going down in history, but it was suddenly chosen by the war, and the flames of war once changed its clear color. The 18th Brigade reached the north bank of the Ru River.Seeing the sparkling Ru River, many people shouted excitedly: "Dabie Mountain, Dabie Mountain! Cross this Ru River, and you will not be far away!" Fatigue, thirst, and hunger hit the troops like a tide. Some sat down on the ground, some collapsed on the ground scorched by the sun, stretched their arms, legs and feet, and relaxed their creaking muscles and bones.Someone went down the steep embankment, stuck his head into the water, and drank endlessly. As the commander of the advance team, the first thing Xiao Yongyin has to do is to survey the terrain, and then organize the troops to open roads in the mountains, build bridges in the water, occupy the best positions, and ensure the smooth passage of large troops. Although the Ru River is not wide, the river is so fast that it cannot pass without a ferry.Xiao Yongyin immediately sent people to search for boats and various flotation devices along the river. The guard brought Xiao Yongyin a bowl of water scooped from the river. Xiao Yongyin raised his neck, poured a few mouthfuls into his stomach, yelled "happy" a few times, and then raised the binoculars. The two banks of the Ru River are shallow hilly areas with a relatively flat terrain and a wide view. Only a prominent highland on the south bank is an excellent commanding height.Xiao Yongyin was thinking of setting up the brigade headquarters there after crossing the river.At this moment, there was a strange sound.what is itXiao Yongyin shook his shoulders vigilantly.There is indeed a sound, like the slow movement of the earth's crust. "Hear what?" He asked left and right. The staff officers all shook their heads: "What! Nothing?" Xiao Yongyin lay on the ground with his ears pressed to the ground. "wrong!" Xiao Yongyin jumped up, raised his binoculars, and searched carefully. Suddenly, a strange scene appeared in his field of vision.First, the flying dust appeared in the telescope, followed by a mighty team, infantry, artillery, cars, carriages... "The enemy is blocking from the south bank!" Xiao Yongyin blurted out. The situation is grim.The advance team should be taken across the river immediately, occupy the commanding heights, and stick to the south bank like a nail to stop the encircling enemy.But when the team looking for the boat returned, they only found a small boat that could carry more than a dozen people. "Build a pontoon bridge!" Xiao Yongyin ordered decisively.While the enemy's foothold is not stable, send a troop across the river in the shortest time, even a platoon, and build a bridgehead first to cover the bridge for the engineers. The enemy on the other side also spotted the troops on the north bank, and the marching troops of our army immediately became in a fighting state, rushing towards the highlands and several villages.Then the cannons and machine guns opened fire. The advance team of our army began to cross by using a raft made of several tires.Soldiers with a little water ability threw themselves into the river and swam desperately to the opposite bank.Some simply hugged a log and jumped into the water. Shells and bullets are getting denser and denser.Just after crossing a small group, another enemy plane appeared in the sky. The clear Ruhe River became turbid, and strands of bright red blood flowed into the torrent. The 1st Battalion of my 52nd Regiment, who was crossing the river, braved the bombardment of artillery and the dive and strafing of aircraft, and rushed towards the enemy like lightning.The enemy didn't know how many communist troops had come, so they immediately abandoned the village and fled. After running for a mile, they regained consciousness, turned around and fought back.The battalion commander of the 1st Battalion of the 52nd Regiment commanded the operation while dispatching troops to build a pontoon bridge under the enemy's artillery fire.Before crossing the river, Xiao Yongyin gave him a death order: build a pontoon bridge at all costs. What a bridge means, everyone from Xiao Yongyin to every soldier understands it very well.There are blocking enemies in front, and chasing troops in the back. A large army of tens of thousands of horses and horses will arrive later. Without a bridge, it is tantamount to waiting to die.Yang Yong's army on the right and Chen Xilian's army on the left have crossed the Ru River to the vicinity of the Huai River.Following them, Chief Liu Deng and the headquarters will arrive here soon. If there is no bridge to cross the river, the entire southward army will lose its command center and fall into the danger of no leader.The bridge has become an intermediate link connecting the success and failure of the southward strategy, a fragile but tenacious link. Build a bridge, everything is for building a bridge!The water jet from the shells hit their heads and faces, and the engineers and soldiers shook their shoulders and heads, and they did it!A row of fighters fell, and immediately new fighters rushed up. The enemy's understanding of bridge building is not inferior to that of our army.Bridges were built, bridges were reversed, and the originally sparkling Ru River suddenly became bloody and full of gunpowder. After a life-and-death battle, the advance team did not set up a pontoon bridge until the sun was westward.In just ten minutes or so, the bombs dropped by the planes almost touching the river surface knocked down the pontoon bridge.Engineers and soldiers brought door panels, reeds, etc. from nearby villages, and then built the bridge, bombed it, and built it again after the bombing.When it was dark, the enemy plane flew away, and a pontoon bridge finally appeared steadily on the dark red water of the Ru River.On the downstream side of the pontoon bridge, the corpses of the sacrificed soldiers went downstream... On the south bank of the river is the Wu Shaozhou Department of the 85th Division of the Kuomintang. The whole division is laid out like a big mountain, blocking the way to Dabie Mountain. The superior ordered Liu Deng to be blocked on the north bank of the Ruhe River and wiped out on the spot. It was completely dark, Xiao Yongyin stood in the night wind, his face was reddened by the flames from the opposite bank.On the other side of the Nan'an River, the flames blazed in the sky, and the sound of guns rumbled. It stretched for more than 15 kilometers. Villages and villages were set on fire, and houses and haystacks were burning.All the trees around the village were cut down and a deer village was erected. Wu Shaozhou was about to die. What's next?The new enemy situation has been reported, but no instructions have been received.call over?Can't figure out the bottom of the enemy.Wait?If the enemy continues to increase troops and deploy defenses, the situation will be even more dangerous at dawn.Could it be that the army going south was blocked in this way? The time passed by every minute and every second, and it was close to 12 o'clock in the middle of the night.The summer night is short, and after a while, the sky will be bright.In Xiao Yongyin's 30 years of memory, there is no more urgent time than now.What weighed on his shoulders was not a brigade or a column, but the fate of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army. Suddenly, someone exclaimed: "Chief Liu Deng is here!" Xiao Yongyin turned around suddenly and saw Liu Bocheng's burly figure appearing in the night, with Deng Xiaoping and Li Da beside him. Xiao Yongyin felt the punch's blood pressure suddenly drop. Liu Bocheng, Deng Xiaoping, Li Da, and the heads of the column, the 18th Brigade, and the 16th Brigade crowded into the command post of the 18th Brigade 100 meters away from the Ru River.It was a small, low thatched house with dimly lit oil lamps flickering.Outside the thin grass wall, gunshots and shells roared. "How's the situation?" Liu Bocheng looked at Xiao Yongyin. Xiao Yongyin made a brief report. Deng Xiaoping said to Li Da: "Open the map and tell them the general situation first." The map unfolded under the oil lamp. After listening to Chief of Staff Li Da's introduction, everyone became more aware of the seriousness of the enemy's situation.The enemy is chasing me from behind with more than a dozen divisions.Now, the enemy's 58th Division, 48th Division and other three reorganized divisions are only 25 kilometers away from us, and they will arrive before 8:00 tomorrow morning; our army has the enemy's 85th Division blocking the way.The enemy's attempt is to hold back the main force of our army and fight me decisively between Honghe and Ruhe.The current situation is that there are blocking troops in front and chasing troops in the back. It is very dangerous and dangerous. The staff officer came in and reported: "The enemy's advance team chasing after us has already received fire from our rearguard." The lamp seedling jumped suddenly. Liu Bocheng raised his head, adjusted his glasses, and said slowly: "The situation is like this. If the enemy behind catches up and puts us in the middle, it will not only affect the entire action plan, but also put our army at a disadvantage. We have to take The means of attack, from here... make a path." When Liu Bocheng said this, he slashed fiercely on the map with his hand, and scanned every commander in the room one by one, with a rare sternness on his face: "From now on, no matter day or night, no matter the enemy No matter how many aircraft and artillery there are, we must use offensive means to deal with the attacking enemy, and open a bloody path from here. History must never be reversed, and the strategic decision of the army to go south will never change!" The cannonballs burst by the Ruhe River, and the small thatched cottage was silent. "We will go with you." Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaomian made the final decision. This suddenly made the atmosphere in the thatched cottage tense again. Xiao Yongyin hurriedly said: "No! It's too dangerous! The passage is open and within the range of the enemy. I hope the chief will cross the river from the 17th Brigade, where it is relatively safe..." Xiao Yongyin wanted to continue talking, but Deng Xiaoping interrupted him: "Leave us alone, you just have to fight a good battle!" The situation is urgent, without further delay.Du Yide, the political commissar of the sixth column, immediately assigned tasks: Xiao Brigade carried out a surprise advance, opened a channel, and let the large troops break out of the encirclement; You Brigade (You Taizhong's 16th Brigade) took over from Xiao Brigade, and guarded the important area on the south bank of the Ru River. Protect the pontoon bridge, fight against the enemy, and cover the army to cross the river safely. "Wait a minute," the commanders raised their feet and were about to leave, when Liu Bocheng suddenly raised his voice, and said solemnly, "Remember! Now it's 'meeting on a narrow road, the brave wins', be brave, be fierce, understand? " Commanders at all levels conveyed the orders of Chief Liu and Deng down to each soldier.Immediately cheered up on the river bank. "Commander Liu is here!" "Commissioner Deng is here!" "When you meet on a narrow road, the brave wins!" "Resolutely cross the Ru River!" "Defend Chief Liu and Deng!" Xiao Yongyin went down to the battalion and took command in place of the battalion commander himself.The regimental commander went down to the company, every rifle was fitted with a bayonet, and every grenade was uncapped. Luminous flares and signal flares flew by one after another. The dark night sky was illuminated by the flames of war.The team that stepped on the pontoon bridge rushed to the enemy's position, like molten steel of thousands of degrees pouring out of the furnace.Countless figures of soldiers flashed past in the flames.Regiment commanders, battalion commanders, and company commanders, like them, held bayonet-mounted rifles to engage in close combat with the enemy.After laying down a village, they rushed to another village.When you encounter an enemy, you will fight, and if you eliminate it, move forward.Now the telephone operators were too busy, they kept taking up and setting up the lines.The phone calls kept coming in with reports as the fronts went on: "Occupy Wangzhuang!" "Donghuan Village has been defeated!" "Enter Little Zhang Village!" ... The east was slightly gray and bright, and our army commando opened a passage 5 kilometers long and 4 kilometers wide. Xiao Yongyin adjusted the deployment and ordered the 52nd and 53rd regiments to deploy on both sides of the passage, like a strong dam, resolutely resist the counterattack of the enemies on both sides, and ensure the safety and smoothness of the passage.At the same time, the 54th regiment was transferred up, changed from a guard to a forward, led by him personally, and swept forward. Liu Bocheng used a broken piece of wood as a crutch, and followed the charging fighters onto the pontoon bridge.Deng Xiaoping stood next to him, helping him from time to time. The pontoon rises and falls against the water.Liu Deng strode across the pontoon bridge, facing the whistling bullets, and walked forward. Many soldiers found Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping standing behind them, and they were so surprised that they couldn't believe it.One to ten, ten to a hundred, a hundred to a thousand, a thousand to a thousand, forming an incomparable combat power. The north bank of the Ruhe River is completely silent.The troops crossing the river received strict orders: no sparks are allowed.It's just a pontoon bridge, just a way of life. The front can't walk anymore, and the ones behind can only stand by the river. The enemy's pursuers have already caught up, and the rear guard is desperately blocking.There are flaming guns in front and flaming guns in the back. There are still tens of thousands of people who have not crossed the river. Yang Guoyu, who was in charge of commanding the team directly under the Field Army, received an unsigned letter, and he knew it was written by Deng Xiaoping as soon as he saw the familiar handwriting. (1) All departments should immediately burn all confidential documents to avoid loss. (2) The blocking enemy at the bridgehead has been compressed into the village by us, and the directly subordinate team follows the "Huaihe" (the code name of the sixth column) and crosses the river at the end.Regardless of aircraft bombing and enemy fire blockade, we must urge all units to keep up and get through quickly, so as not to be forced to fight against the enemy. (3) The scheduled campsite is in the area of ​​Pengdian. After crossing the river, a unit will immediately designate a special person to take it away to avoid air raids. Yang Guoyu immediately summoned the heads of all units, conveyed Deng Xiaoping's instructions, divided temporary rest areas, and was ready to cross the river at any time.After completing the deployment, Yang Guoyu went down to check again.Those mules and horses that could not be taken away were given to "Tudu" by the machine gun, and his heart was "tightened" by "Tudu", he muttered to himself: "It's a pity, I'm really sorry, there is nothing I can do..." The secret room began to burn confidential documents.Piles of fires were burning, and black and gray confetti floated in mid-air. The team directly under the Field Army finally received the order to cross the river. The steep north and south river banks have been opened up by engineers into slopes that can pass large troops and baggage.As soon as a small part of the direct team passed by, enemy planes and flares all came.The surface of the river is like daytime, and people's bodies are reflected in red and green.The enemy planes bombed and strafed, and the shouts of people on the pontoon mixed with the neighing of horses... Li Da covered his head with willow branches as a camouflage, and stood at the south bank of the bridge, waving his arms and shouting in a hoarse voice: "Come on! Come on! Don't stay!" Several sections of the pontoon bridge were bombed and collapsed, and the dangerous situation did not allow re-bundling and reinforcement.Lines of men then jumped into the river and lifted the door panels on their shoulders to let the troops pass.People, horses, and vehicles stepped on these bridges supported by their bodies one after another. At 3 o'clock in the morning, the 16th brigade commander You Taizhong led his troops to Daleigang on the south bank of the Ruhe River to take over Xiao Brigade's cover to cross the river. The two brigade commanders did not shake hands, looked at each other silently for a few seconds and parted ways. Daleigang is a place of fierce competition between the enemy and ourselves.Just in case, You Taizhong set his own position and that of the brigade political commissar at two places 100 meters apart, so that if one of the two was injured or injured, the command would not be interrupted. You Taizhong's command post is located in a stable.You Taizhong is a tough guy, with huge bones all over his body, his face is angular and sharp, he is very devoted to thinking, and there is a deep vertical knife line between his brows.This made the sharp-edged face more powerful, even a bit fierce. There were many footsteps and bullets flying across the open ground outside the stable.You Taizhong used the light of the fire to see Leigang and Dongxiwangzhuang facing the pontoon bridge, forming a horseshoe-shaped encirclement.He judged that the enemy must fight back desperately at dawn, and a fierce battle is inevitable.And one of his regiments has been transferred to Li Desheng's brigade, and there are only 6 battalions on hand.According to the terrain analysis, the enemy will attack Xiaoleigang first.The village is close to the embankment and very close to the bridgehead.If Xiaoleigang is lost, our army will lose support, and the bridgehead will be difficult to hold. You Taizhong walked out of the stables, personally went to the embankment to arrange side fire, and ordered the Xiaoleigang troops to speed up the storage of ammunition and rush to repair the fortifications. At around 5 o'clock in the morning, Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping appeared at the Youlv command post.You Taizhong was taken aback, and ran out of the stable, his tone full of unease and anxiety: "Chief! This place is only a mile or two away from the enemy, and it is the center of intense fighting. Why do you..." Liu Bocheng looked around and asked, "Which regiment is attacking Xiaoleigang?" "The 48th Regiment. Commander, let's go into the bunker?" "Little Leigang must be defended no matter what." "Yes! I've made the arrangements." Deng Xiaoping: "Where's the political commissar?" "The two of us command separately, and he is by the side, so that if something happens, the command will not be interrupted." A shell roared towards him, and with a "boom", a wall fell down, and the air wave blasted You Taizhong's hat away.You Taizhong waved his hand and yelled: "Help the leader and enter the command post!" In the stable, You Taizhong was still in a state of anxiety: "Chief, get out of here quickly." Liu Bocheng: "There is a huge disparity in the strength of the enemy and ourselves, and your burden is heavy." "yes!" "Be sure to hold on until night, and wait for all the troops to pass." "yes!" Deng Xiaoping: "After all the troops have passed, the pontoon bridge will be dismantled." "Yes!... Chief, it's not safe here." Liu Bocheng: "Is there any request?" You Taizhong was extremely disturbed, and replied without hearing clearly, "Yes!" This made everyone laugh. Deng Xiaoping hurriedly said, "The commander asked you what you want." You Taizhong woke up: "Please leave us a battalion of the 18th Brigade." "Okay. Political Commissar Deng, you... you better go." At 6 o'clock, the enemy began to bombard Xiaoleigang.Dust several feet high was raised on the position, sand and stones flew, and the smoke filled the air, and even the front position could not be seen clearly.The fierce artillery fire caused communication to be interrupted from time to time, but this did not affect the battle. The company commander sacrificed the platoon leader and took the command automatically. It is firmly in the hands of the 16th Brigade of our army. At 8 o'clock, the enemy launched another attack.Heavy artillery, mortars, and light and heavy machine guns were like a flock of firebirds flying towards Xiao Leigang. The strong smell of gunpowder made You Taizhong cough profusely.Through the smoke, he picked up the binoculars and saw a man with a pistol in the anti-shock force at the south end of the village leading the bayonet team to kill left and right among the enemy groups.This momentum shocked the enemy, and the troops took advantage of the momentum and rushed out of the village, forcing the enemy back to a corner of the cemetery outside the village.Suddenly, the leader of the soldiers fell to the ground, apparently injured.He made gestures hastily, not to let the soldiers control him... A wave of heat surged in You Taizhong's heart immediately.He is proud and proud of his men. The enemy could not attack Xiaoleigang, and turned to Daleigang at 10 o'clock.All fire turned around.From the front of Daleigang to the depth, and from the depth to the front, more than 10 aircraft assisted in the battle, making the position so dark that no one could be seen 10 meters away.Six or seven shells fell around the stables, and the doors were knocked off.You Taizhong is very loyal and safe and sound.He shook the dust that fell on his body, and a smile appeared in the corner of his eyes: "You son of a bitch, you don't have the guts to blow me up!" This kind of battle will continue for a whole day.You Taizhong ordered the troops to put the enemy at the closest distance before fighting.第47团尖刀连是尤旅的骄傲，他们的阵地在村外几百米的开阔地上，只有临时挖的很浅的掩体和土坎作依托。敌人像黄蜂拥过来，又像砍倒的高粱一排排倒下去。终于，尖刀连还是被数倍于己的敌人包围了，随即开始了一场触目惊心的肉搏战，阵地失而复得。 敌人攻不动了。从报话机里可以听到敌人的指挥官在喊：“攻不动，共匪凶得很！” 激战一直进行到下午1点多钟，战斗才稍微缓解下来。 战斗之惨烈，连活着的人都不相信自己还活着。 一个战士说：“这一仗没打死，我等着抱孙子了。” 有个从羊山集战役解放过来的战士，身上还穿着国民党的军装。连续作战，他蒙头转向，问：“这是在哪儿？” “汝河啊！” “我咋觉得在阴间转了一圈儿，又到阳间来啦！我真没死？” 后面的机关人员、炊事员送来了饭和水，往后抬伤员。 一个伤员压着担架不让抬。 尤太忠问：“你有什么要求吗？” “旅长，咱们的大队人马都过来了吗？” 尤太忠看着他那只剩下一侧左膀、左腿残缺的身躯，喉头哽咽了，费了很大劲儿才说：“同志，你看，他们正在安全地前进呢！” 下午4时，中路南下部队全部渡过了汝河。 同刘邓大军狭路相逢的国民党第85师师长吴绍周两年后又和刘邓见面了。这时他已晋升为国民党军第12兵团副司令，但还是在淮海战役中成了俘虏。刘邓在战俘所里见到吴绍周。说起汝河相逢，吴绍周颇有感慨： “那天我们赶到汝河以南，不料你们先头部队已经到了河北岸。23日战斗打响，我举着高倍望远镜观察，一下子被弄糊涂了。这是什么兵种？说是步兵，有那么多的马匹；说是骑兵，又有众人在步行；说是辎重，又有战斗部队；说是战斗部队，又有不少人使用短枪。我自以为还真是能正确判断敌情的，但那回可难住了我。” “当时双方力量悬殊，又有汝河阻隔，空中还有飞机侦察、扫射，我想阻止你们渡汝，似乎是有十分把握的。” “我还派了一位副师长，到大雷岗村南任前敌指挥。这位前敌指挥官坐着吉普车，到了作战地点，下车后尚未坐稳，叫副官给自己刚斟上一杯水，还没有展开作战图，就见眼前山崩地裂，雷霆万钧，你们已经冲到他的面前了……” 刘邓大军强渡汝河后，风驰电掣般来到淮河边上。 淮河发源于河南南部的桐柏山，先经固礼寨再过桐柏城，在长台关与平汉路相交。淮河虽不及黄河和长江那样气势磅礴，但它流经河南、安徽、江苏三省，流域面积近19万平方公里，流域人口达8，000万，纳有颍河、洪河、涡河、渭河等十几条支流，河宽水湍，算得上中原地区的一条大河。 淮河，这是刘邓大军千里跃进、进入大别山前的最后一道险关。 当天下午，刚刚下过了一阵急雨，树上鸟鸣声声，岸边杂草丛生。为防止我军渡河，敌人已把渡船烧毁。我军赶到河边时，只有一条像小舢板似的小船横在河边。此时的情景，正如韦应物在《滁州西涧》诗中所写的：“独怜幽草涧边生，上有黄鹂深树鸣。春潮带雨晚来急，野渡无人舟自横。” 不过，当时谁也没有这般诗情画意。宽阔的大河摆在面前，千军万马集结在待渡地点，情况是万分紧急的。 淮河——这条中原大河，从5月到10月处于高水位期。水位大致情况是：5月平均水位是13到14米，7月是19米。9月稍有下降，基本上常年通航。人们用木船把大别山区的竹、木、茶、麻运往平汉路上，再把京广一带的杂货运进山区。可是，眼下既无舟楫，又无桥梁，前有阻兵，后有追敌。 8月26日，先头到达的第18旅政委李震派出部队寻找渡船。他焦急地站在大堤上，冀盼着出现奇迹。 当天下午6时，刘邓率领指挥部到达。 刘伯承走上河堤。邓小平在堤下用帽子扇着风，问李震：“有多少船？天亮前渡过淮河没问题吧？” 李震汇报了情况。 邓小平：“这些早应该想到，总不能指望用人马投鞭断流吧！” 刘伯承走下河堤：“吴绍周的85师已经到了彭店，离我们只有15公里。天亮过不了淮河，重兵一到，有可能使千里跃进功亏一篑！” 我第18旅刚结束汝河激战就攻打息县，拿下渡口，就是生出三头六臂，也难把一切都准备好。刘邓虽心急如焚，却没再说什么。 李达匆匆而至：“找到了一些船，夜半前必须渡河完毕。” 李震连忙跑到渡口，监督渡河。 部队拥挤在渡口，越急越挤，越挤行动越慢。李震重新调度、布局，整顿混乱的秩序，嗓子都喊哑了。旅里的干部都愁眉不展，这么多部队，就这些既小又破的船，无论如何在12点以前是渡不完的。 刘伯承和邓小平立即召开紧急会议。 邓小平说：“伯承同志先过河指挥部队，际春同志、李达同志留在这里指挥渡河。我负责断后。” 刘伯承说：“政委说了就是命令，立即行动。” 李震拦住走出屋的李达：“参谋长，12点以前我们旅无论如何渡不完。” 李达紧抿着嘴唇，沉思了片刻，很艰难地说：“两点钟前渡完，一分钟不能再延迟。” 第18旅只占渡河部队的1/7，李震不能再说什么。 刘伯承走出屋子，问李震：“河水真不能徒涉吗？” “河水很深，不行。” “别处也都不能徒涉吗？” “我们在村子里找了有经验的水手了解，他们都说淮河忽涨忽落，现在涨得很深，从来没人敢在这样的时候涉水渡河。” “你们实地侦察过没有？” “侦察过，先锋团和旅里干部都侦察过。” 刘伯承没有再问什么，而是径直前往渡口。在那里，他找了一根打枣杆似的长竹竿拿在手里。警卫员提着马灯，刘伯承登上一只小船，卫士长摇起长桨，船渐渐离去。朦胧中但见刘伯承不断晃动，岸边的人都猜测：“司令员在干什么？”“是啥东西掉河里了吧？” 忽然，河心传来刘伯承的呼唤：“李震同志，能架桥吗？我试了许多地方，河水都不太深！” 原来刘伯承在亲自测量水情，他还在水浅的地方插上了标杆。 怕岸边的人听不清楚，刘伯承又派人送来亲笔命令：“河水不深，流速甚缓，速告李参谋长可以架桥！” 李震乘船到了南岸。刘伯承一直站在堤上，翘首望着对岸。李震向刘伯承报告：参谋长已经接到他的命令。 刘伯承急急地问：“布置架桥没有？” “已经按照司令员命令行动了。” 刘伯承抬起手臂，那只大夜光表的秒针飞快地转动着。 “平时时间是金钱，战时时间是生命，是胜利！李震，以我的名义给参谋长写几句，要尽一切力量，坚决迅速架桥！” 李震写好后读给刘伯承听。 刘伯承说：“在字下面画上圈圈，要叫我们的干部注意才行！” 李震去组织渡过河的部队。一个团长报告说，有一处河水能徒涉。 “在哪里，你怎么知道？” “我们团有一个马夫掉了队徒涉过来了。” 李震高兴得差点抱住那个团长。 他急忙写字条向刘伯承报告。字条还没送出却带来了刘伯承的字条。字条上说他亲眼看见上游有人牵马过河，证明完全可以徒涉，让李震立即报告参谋长，不要架桥了，命令部队迅速从上游徒涉。 原来刘伯承还没有离开河岸。 拥挤在北岸的千军万马在李达的指挥下成多路纵队，浩浩荡荡从上游徒涉，渡过了南征途中的最后一道难关。 当后卫部队拔掉最后一个标杆，刚走出南岸五里多地，吴绍周的第85师便来到淮河北岸。既然共军能徒涉过淮，吴绍周立即命令他的部队也涉水追击。不料人马一下水，未到河心，河水突然暴涨，整个先遣队瞬间被冲的七零八落，葬身河底。 不是神话，胜似神话。哪能那么巧呢？偏偏刘邓大军一过河，上游便降了大雨，洪峰猝然而至。无奈之下，陆续到达的国民党追兵30多个旅齐刷刷摆在淮河北岸，望洋兴叹。吴绍周无奈地说道：“共产党有命，刚刚过去水就涨了。” 很快，淮河就有了脍炙人口的神话传说：刘邓大军为民除害，要过淮河水浅三尺；蒋军祸国殃民，即便紧接追赶，只落得淮河水深丈三。 刘邓大军从8月7日至27日，历时20余天，行程千里，涉过黄泛区，渡过涡河、沙河、汝河、淮河等重要河流，先后解放宁陵、亳县、上蔡、息县等11座县城，终于直驱国民党的后方，跃进到大别山一带。 刘邓大军的战略行动终于胜利了，全军欢欣鼓舞。第一纵队一名叫邢岳的宣传干事有感于此，专门写了一首歌。因为时间匆忙，来不及谱上合适的曲子。但这难不倒热情洋溢的指战员，他们用陕北民歌的调子传唱： 从此，“直插蒋介石的心里边”就成为刘邓大军挺进大别山的代名词。 在刘邓大军千里跃进大别山时，美国总统杜鲁门派魏德迈为总统特使，于1947年7月24日飞抵南京，对国民党的军事情况进行考察。魏德迈动身来华时，刘邓大军正好在强渡黄河后，打羊山战役；魏德迈离开时，刘邓正挺进中原，强渡汝河。 谁都清楚，抗战胜利后，魏德迈帮了蒋介石的大忙，使国民党夺取了不少胜利果实。蒋介石对魏德迈来华，抱有极大期望，希望他能拔刀相助或慷慨解囊。 8月24日，魏德迈即将离开中国，返回华盛顿。蒋介石特意在南京黄埔路官邸为他举行了有40多位国民党军政要员参加的欢送宴会，席间法国牛排、荷兰酱猪、中国的栗子鸡、美国的杜松子酒，真是应有尽有。 蒋介石和他的高级官员频频举杯，但魏德迈总是沉着脸一言不发。 最后，蒋介石请魏德迈即席发言。 魏德迈站起身来，开始讲话。他说：“总统6月30日决定我来中国，刘邓军是30日渡黄河，国民党军号称足抵'40万大军'的黄河防线，竟被人家不费多大力气一举攻破。世界上只有马奇诺防线可与它相比，可是马奇诺防线攻破，意味着什么呢？” “我是7月24日到南京的，你们说刘邓军正在'西窜'。结果一窜，窜掉国军9个半旅，你们说刘邓军已溃不成军，结果他们展开了战略进攻。” “你们每个月平均要花三千万银元的军费，竟被打得一败涂地！” 魏德迈最后说：“国民党政府贪污无能，中国复兴有待于富有感召力的人物！” 此言一出，举座皆惊。在场的国民党要员惊得嘴都合不拢了，手也垂得抬不起来。没有人敢给这位美国总统的特使拍巴掌。 蒋介石本人则脸色如死一般灰沉。魏德迈前脚离开宴会，蒋介石后脚便养病去了。