Chapter 10 Chapter 9 Panlong's attack, the battle situation in northern Shaanxi is initially stable

In mid-April, Yan'an is warm and cold, and spring is revealed.But at this time, Hu Zongnan's heart still hadn't thawed, and the severe winter seemed to never end.He was the first to learn that the 135th Brigade was completely wiped out in Yangmahe.He really didn't know what kind of "blindfolding" Peng Dehuai used to blindfold him and quietly placed the main force in Yangmahe, and he didn't understand why the whole 1st Army, 29th Army and 9th Brigade couldn't break through the two brigades of the People's Liberation Army. position! It has been Hu Zongnan's habit for many years to dance and dance after a big victory, and to be silent after a big defeat.Now he was pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back, as he usually did when he lost a battle.If more than 2,900 people from the 31st Brigade were annihilated in Qinghuabian because their command was too careless, then the annihilation of the entire 135th Brigade in Yangmahe deserves serious reflection.The terrain is unfamiliar, the masses have been reddened, the teachers are far away, and it is difficult to replenish ammunition and food. This is a congenital deficiency.Is there anything else?Command art, combat technology, morale, etc., seem to be inferior to the People's Liberation Army.In any case, the inability of the entire 1st Army, 29th Army and 9th Brigade to break through the positions of the two brigades of the People's Liberation Army is enough to explain the problem.

After the two battles, although the loss was less than 10,000 people, it only accounted for one-twentieth of Hu Zongnan's troops.But this is a net loss in less than a month. At this rate, 10,000 people a month will be completely wiped out in almost two years.Thinking of this, Hu Zongnan broke out in a cold sweat. He suddenly remembered the note Mao Zedong left him: "You can't advance if you advance, and you can't retreat if you retreat." He read it in a low voice, and suddenly laughed wildly after reading.He knew that he had fallen into a quagmire where he could not advance or retreat.

Of course, not only Hu Zongnan fell into the quagmire, but even the entire Kuomintang government fell into the quagmire.On the battlefield, the Kuomintang is throwing away its helmets and armor everywhere, losing troops and generals; while in the rear, prices are soaring, businesses are closing down, workers are unemployed, students are on strike, and all kinds of symptoms defined by economics as "the government is about to collapse" are coming like a tide. , even if Chiang Kai-shek has 18 kinds of martial arts, he will be a little overwhelmed.Now Chiang Kai-shek is like a "firefighting captain" flying around the country to "fight fires". On April 13, he convened a meeting of party and government officials and financial giants in Shanghai to discuss ways to deal with soaring prices.In less than three days, he returned to Nanjing to preside over a meeting of the Central Standing Committee of the Kuomintang to prepare for the implementation of the "New Government Policy".Then, on April 18, the 20th anniversary of the founding of the capital of Nanjing by the Kuomintang government, it announced the "reorganization of the government" and the establishment of a "government between political training and constitutionalism."Chiang Kai-shek is the chairman himself, Sun Ke is the vice-chairman, Zhang Qun is the president of the Executive Yuan, social sage Wang Yunwu is the vice-president, and Zeng Qi and Zuo Shunsheng from the Youth Party are members of the government. Chiang Kai-shek said that this government is "three Party government" gathered "a large group of liberals with progressive ideas".

Chiang Kai-shek hoped to use the method of reorganizing the government to ease the contradictions caused by military failure and economic collapse, but he did not know that the legal and stable existence of a government depends on the economy as the foundation, the military as the pillar, and the support of the people as the decisive factor .Chiang Kai-shek did not possess these three, which determined that such a government reorganization was just a castle on the beach, and its collapse was inevitable. At this time, Hu Zongnan didn't care about these illusory government reorganization actions. He had been thinking hard for the past few days.He has lost confidence in a decisive battle with the main force of the People's Liberation Army.Twenty days of practice proved that in the vast mountains of northern Shaanxi, he could not find the main force of the Communist army at all, and even if he found the main force of the Communist army, it might be the beginning of stepping into the trap again.

It is not an exaggeration to describe Hu Zongnan at this time as devastated and helpless.He turned to Xue Minquan and asked, "How's the situation in Shanxi?" Xue Minquan was going to report to him about the situation in Shanxi, but seeing Hu Zongnan's gloomy face, he didn't open his mouth to avoid another burst of rage.Now that Hu Zongnan has asked, he has nothing to worry about.Xue Minquan paused and said straight to the point: "The situation is quite bad." Hu Zongnan twitched all over, and the corners of his mouth moved, trying to say something, but he didn't say it.Xue Minquan continued: "Since April 4, the troops of the Communist Army Chen Geng and Xie Fuzhi, together with the troops of the Taiyue Military Region, have conquered five cities including Xinjiang, Jishan, and Hejin. After the battle of Yangmahe, they captured Jiangxian and other Sweeping across the southern Shanxi triangle area, it seriously threatens my safety." Hu Zongnan said "Oh", obviously feeling the seriousness of the situation, and continued to ask: "How is the current situation of Dong Zhao and Liu Kan's troops?" "The situation is not ideal either. The main force of the communist army was not found in the rapid march a few days ago. Yesterday, when retreating southward, the 165th brigade of the 36th division of the 29th army was ambushed again, killing and injuring more than 2,000 people..."

"What? Ambushed again? Didn't they tell them to march as a whole team according to the 'square tactics'?" Hu Zongnan's eyes were red with anxiety, and he jumped up from the low stool angrily.Now Hu Zongnan is like a raging lion, and like a bird that has been bowed and arrowed, he is both hateful and pitiful.When he first occupied Yan'an, he always talked about a decisive battle with the main force of the communist army. Now let alone a decisive battle with the main force of the communist army, he was a little terrified even if he mentioned the communist army.He waved his hands weakly, and said weakly: "Tell those two idiots to replenish and rest in the Panlong area, and send a small number of reconnaissance troops to scout the actions of the Communist army every day. The large troops are not allowed to act rashly without orders. In addition, inform the Air Force to send more planes." Conduct reconnaissance and report any situation at any time."

Xue Minquan gave an "um" and turned around to deliver the order. When it was still in Qingyangcha, the central authority organized four brigades according to the military establishment, code-named "Three Detachments", Ren Bi was the commander at that time, and Lu Dingyi was the political commissar.Zhou Enlai suggested that in order to keep secret, everyone should have a code name.Mao Zedong said: "This opinion is good. We must win, and I will be called Li Desheng." Zhou Enlai said: "The revolutionary cause will surely succeed, so my name will be Hu Bicheng." Ren Bishi said: "Then what will I be called?" With a smile: "If you are the commander, you should be called Shi Lin; if Comrade Dingyi is the political commissar, you should be called Zheng Wei." After speaking, Mao Zedong stipulated that all future titles should be called by code names, and the use of titles with previous positions is prohibited.From then on, this mysterious team code-named "Three Detachments" has been frequently active in various villages in northern Shaanxi.Sometimes they live in fellow villagers' homes for several days, and when it's time to leave, the landlord doesn't know who they are, let alone what they do.

When Peng Dehuai received Yangmahe's victory telegram, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Ren Bishi had already moved to Wangjiawan in the northwest of Jingbian County.This is a very small mountain village, with about 20 families living in a few rows of simple cave dwellings on the half slope.Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Ren Bishi lived in the two-and-a-half-hole cave dwelling vacated by the poor peasant Xue Ruxian. Mao Zedong lived in the inner one, and Zhou Enlai and Ren Bishi shared the outer one.This was the worst time for accommodation since the transition to northern Shaanxi. There was nothing in the cave except an earthen kang and a wicker wooden table. Mao Zedong and others lived here for the longest time during the transition to northern Shaanxi. 57 days.

Holding Peng Dehuai's telegram, Zhou Enlai couldn't restrain the excitement in his heart, and shouted to Mao Zedong: "Comrade Li Desheng, Lao Peng has another victory!" Mao Zedong was immersed in drafting the telegram. "Talk about it." "Lao Peng wiped out more than 4,700 people from the enemy's 135th brigade in Yangmahe, while our army had only 479 casualties. The acting brigade commander Mai Zhongyu, chief of staff Zhu Zushu, director of the political department Wang Wenzhi, and the enemy Cheng Yaohuang, Colonel of the 404th Regiment, and Chen Jian, Colonel of the 405th Regiment." "Let me tell you, our General Peng can hit a knife!" Mao Zedong said as he threw down his pen and took out a "Xue Rengui" from his pocket. He took a good sniff of the brand cigarettes, which were the spoils sent by Peng Dehuai after the last Qinghuabian battle.

After lighting the cigarette and taking a deep breath, Mao Zedong said humorously: "It seems that Mr. Peng is going to give us the spoils again!" He walked out of the cave, stretched his waist, and looked at the greenery in the distance. On the hillside, I was writing in my heart to inform the whole army of the plan of the Yangmahe battle: this victory dealt a major blow to Hu Zongnan's invading army and laid the foundation for the complete crushing of Hu's army.This victory proved that the Hu army can be gradually eliminated by using only the existing troops in the border area without any foreign aid.

Peng Dehuai hid all his joy and confidence in his heart. When he received the report from the Military Commission, his wrinkled face was still as serious as ever.He said to Xi Zhongxun: "We only have 6 brigades, less than 30,000 troops, and Hu Zongnan's dozen or so reorganized brigades have more than 200,000 people! Adding Ma Hongkui, Ma Bufang, Deng Baoshan and Yan Xishan will be even more serious. The Military Commission The briefing is strategic, but we are tactical, so we must be cautious and not cock our tails!" Xi Zhongxun nodded and answered "yes" repeatedly. Peng Dehuai glanced at him, and said: "After the Qinghuabian battle last time, some pride appeared in the team. After some education, it got better. This time the victory is even greater. I see, the comrades have lost their tails again. It’s inevitable that you’ll be raised!” Peng Dehuai turned around, looked at Xi Zhongxun, and said, “If you’re doing political work, you must pay close attention to this kind of juncture, and you must not become proud!” Xi Zhongxun said with a smile: "Boss, don't worry, it won't happen. I sent out the education plan yesterday. I'm afraid I'm just doing education today!" "Okay, this is good, very timely!" Peng Dehuai turned his head and said: "Hu Zongnan can lose once or twice, and can lose thousands or tens of thousands of people, but we can't lose a single battle, and we can't lose a company or a battalion. I really can't afford to lose some property!... Another notice is issued, education starts with rectifying battlefield discipline, and goes through one by one, and then checks for pride and underestimation of the enemy. Everyone must check against each other, especially the commander. Check!" After explaining this, Peng Dehuai was still a little worried, and called the guards to go down to the company. Peng Dehuai went around the various positions, talking all the way, the topic cannot be separated from "proud soldiers must be defeated, mourning soldiers must win".Especially when teaching brigade, I talked to Chen Haihan for more than two hours.Peng Dehuai started from Patton leading the troops, then talked about why Li Zicheng failed, and finally the topic fell on the Northwest Field Army.Peng Dehuai said: "Which army doesn't want to win a battle? The more victories the better! But after winning a battle, you can't be satisfied, and you have to strive for another victory. As commanders, we must keep a clear head from beginning to end. When a battle is won, the tail will stand up; when a battle is lost, the head will hang down. What kind of commander is this! This is incompetent and stupid!" Chen Haihan listened quietly beside Peng Dehuai, only feeling the heart of every sentence , every word is piercing.A few years later, when he recalled this scene, he said: "Anyone who has been in contact with Mr. Peng knows that whether he is furious, yelling, or patiently reasoning, he can make you feel his true feelings and make you feel that he is indeed Caring and loving people from the heart and empathy, so that you will be ashamed and you will never forget!" Chiang Kai-shek is very busy here. After announcing the reorganization of the government on April 18, they met with the American ambassador, Mr. Leighton Stuart, and held a press conference. On the 24th, they rushed to the Nanjing Officer Training Corps, which had started training on the 15th, to give a speech. The establishment of the officer training corps was a matter appointed by Chiang Kai-shek. When the national war situation was becoming increasingly tense, it was of great significance to call in batches of senior generals from the front line to train for two weeks.In the speech that day, Chiang Kai-shek made it very clear: The purpose of my summoning the generals from the front to our regiment for training this time is not only to train your generals, but also to convene the divisions, brigades and regiments under your command after you return to the army in the future. Officers at all levels are given the same training, and pass on to them the spirit of the regiment's training and the experience you have gained from training in the regiment. The generals kept their eyes wide open, but very few listened.Chiang Kai-shek still boldly announced his timetable for solving the CCP. He said: "Before October this year, the CCP will definitely be defeated." Starting this officer training corps at such a time and announcing such an unrealistic timetable just shows that Chiang Kai-shek is going downhill militarily. At this time, after Mao Zedong in Wangjiawan issued a notification of the Yangmahe battle to the whole party and the army, he issued instructions on "mushroom" tactics to Peng Dehuai and Xi Zhongxun.Mao Zedong said: "The enemy is already quite tired, but not very tired; the enemy's food is already quite difficult, but not extremely difficult... My policy is to continue the previous method and deal with the enemy in the current area for a period of time (about a month), with the purpose of Make the enemy extremely tired and lack food and then look for opportunities to annihilate them... This method is called the "mushroom" tactic." On the 17th, Mao Zedong felt that the Xinhua News Agency's manuscript "The Turning Point of the War Situation-Comment on the Annihilation of Jiang Jun's 135th Brigade "The writing was not satisfying, so I added two more sentences at the end.The first sentence said: "It can be expected that within two or three months after the beginning of April, Jiang's army will change from offensive to defensive, and the People's Liberation Army will change from defensive to offensive." The second sentence says: "The development of historical events shows that Unexpectedly, Chiang Kai-shek's occupation of Yan'an marked the demise of Chiang Kai-shek, and the abandonment of Yan'an by the People's Liberation Army marked the victory of the Chinese people." Chiang Kai-shek did not feel that the occupation of Yan'an marked his own failure, but Hu Zongnan in Yan'an felt it.When I first occupied Yan'an, the earthen streets of Yan'an, the cave dwellings in Yan'an, the mountains and rivers in Yan'an, everything was so fresh and gave me a sense of accomplishment.But now Hu Zongnan feels depressed and uncomfortable when he sees these things.In those days, if it wasn't for Ye Xiadi's phone calls a day, Hu Zongnan wouldn't be able to stay in Yan'an.Ye Xiadi had indeed spent a very depressing time with Hu Zongnan.As soon as he heard Ye Xiadi's wind chime-like voice, all Hu Zongnan's worries disappeared.At this time, Hu Zongnan felt for the first time how important women are to men.It is said that women are disasters, but Ye Xiadi is clearly her own harbor!At this time, he really thanked Dai Li, an old friend, for sending him a forget you grass.It's a pity that brother Dai was hit by a lack of water. On March 17, a year ago, he was killed in a plane crash in Jiangning County on March 17 in heavy rain, and he couldn't drink his wedding wine. At this time, Hu Zongnan still wanted to fight the communist army to the death, or drive the communist army across the Yellow River to end the war in northern Shaanxi as soon as possible. He couldn't stand being stuck in this quagmire. On March 25th, the Air Force found that the crossings of the Yellow River east of Suide and Mizhi were full of boats, and there were also multiple teams sailing from the direction of Suide and Mizhi to the edge of the Yellow River. It seems that the main force of the Communist Army We are going to cross the Yellow River.When Chiang Kai-shek got the report, he immediately ordered Hu Zongnan to march north along the Xianyu Highway with his main force, and ordered Yulin Deng Baoshan's 22nd Army to go south to cooperate, attacking from north to south, and annihilating the communist army in Jiaxian and Wubao areas. At this moment, Hu Zongnan was itching in his heart. The troops had rested near Panlong for a week, their stomachs were full, and they slept well. It was time to attack.He quickly made deployments. The 167th Brigade Headquarters of the Reorganized 1st Division led the 499th Regiment and the 3rd Shaanxi Security Corps to guard Panlong; Zhao led two and a half brigades of the 1st Division, one brigade of the 27th Division, two brigades of the 90th Division, and one brigade of the 38th Division. The two brigades of the 36th Division (less than one regiment), a total of two and a half brigades were on the right, and entered Suide from Panlong and Yongping north on April 26.After issuing the order, Hu Zongnan boasted again, vowing to open up the Yanyu Highway, and boasted that he would meet Chinese and foreign journalists in Suide in May, announcing the official end of the war in northern Shaanxi.That being said, Hu Zongnan's heartbeat was faster than ever at this time, and he didn't know what the outcome of this battle would be. Facts have proved that Chiang Kai-shek's judgment was wrong.At that time, the crossings of the Yellow River to the east of Suide and Mizhi were indeed filled with tools for crossing the river, but the huge central government agencies that had withdrawn from Yan'an were going to cross the river. They wanted to cross the Yellow River and retreat to Shanxi. The main force of the field troops is waiting in cover in the northwest of Wayaobao and on the south side of Waqing (Wayaobao to Qingjian) Avenue.It was Mao Zedong's arrangement to cross the river so exposed.As everyone knows, Chiang Kai-shek really fell into the trap. Peng Dehuai has been quietly watching Hu Zongnan's whereabouts for the past few days. Just after breakfast on April 26, the reconnaissance team reported that a large Kuomintang army had assembled in the Panlong area, and one of them had already entered the Xianyu Highway and was heading north.As soon as Hu Zongnan started to move, Peng Dehuai regained his energy immediately, and immediately ordered: "Continue to investigate and report at any time." Sitting in the jeep, Dong Zhao was in high spirits, and led the six and a half brigades of his troops to the north along the Xianyu Highway.By 3 pm on the 27th, the troops had entered Wayaobao.After Dong Zhao "inspected" Wayaobao in a jeep, he ordered the troops to advance in the direction of Suide.Peng Dehuai was standing on a hill to the southeast of Wayaobao, holding up his binoculars, watching Dong Zhao "inspect" Wayaobao, and watching Dong Zhao order the troops to move eastward.At the moment when he saw Dong Zhao, Peng Dehuai had already made up his mind to fight: after Dong Zhao went north to Suide, he would encircle and wipe out the enemies of Panlong. This time Peng Dehuai's appetite is bigger, he wants to swallow the fat of Panlong in one gulp! Panlong was Hu Zongnan's strategic supply station on the battlefield in northern Shaanxi. Every time the Dong and Liu corps held an "armed parade", they would return to Panlong to eat and drink. "Parade" everywhere.At that time, Panlong had more than 40,000 bags of flour, more than 50,000 sets of military uniforms, and countless firearms and ammunition that had just been raised from Xi'an and other places.If Panlong is captured, our army's northwest field troops will not have to worry about eating and drinking, nor will they have to worry about guns and ammunition. Mao Zedong and others received Peng Dehuai's determination telegram at 6 am on the 28th.Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Ren Bishi were all inspired by Peng Dehuai's "appetite".Mao Zedong immediately called back: The plan is very good, let the enemy enter Suide in the north or Qingjian in the east, and then attack the enemies in Panlong and other places.After Mao Zedong drafted the telegram, Zhou Enlai said humorously: "Old Peng should help Hu Zongnan. Hu Zongnan doesn't know the way, so you can send a few people to lead him and take him to Suide!" Ren Bishi added later: "The person who leads the way If it’s less, it’s not enough, if it’s less, I’m afraid that Hu Zongnan will say that we are liars, and if he doesn’t go with us, he will feel more at ease.” After speaking, several people burst into laughter, and the laughter was rippling in the peaceful morning air of Wangjiawan. Peng Dehuai handed over the task of "leading the way" for Hu Zongnan to the 359th Brigade of our army and the 4th and 6th regiments of the Suide Army Division.Peng Dehuai said to Guo Peng, the brigade commander of the 359th brigade: "Your task is to walk in a big way. If you bring Dong Zhao to Suide, you will complete the task." Guo Peng said: "This is easy to handle. The weather is getting hotter. Throw the useless ragged jackets and trousers on the road, dig a few holes on the side of the road, and burn a few fires to complete the task." Such a simple method actually convinced Dong Zhao that the People's Liberation Army had fled towards Suide. With several brigades of troops, he marched toward Suide along the "signposts" made by the field troops. At that time, I was still afraid that I would not be able to catch up with the People's Liberation Army, and I kept ordering the troops to speed up the pace of march. Watching Dong Zhao lead his army away, Peng Dehuai ordered all the ministries to start moving towards Panlong Town.In less than a day, the troops from all walks of life have been assembled at the designated locations. On April 30, the weather was a bit gloomy. Although it was late spring, there was still a slight chill in the wind.Peng Dehuai took the heads of various verticals and brigades to a hill northeast of Panlong to scout the terrain.Over the years, Peng Dehuai has developed a habit, that is, as long as conditions permit, he must conduct on-the-spot reconnaissance of the terrain in advance of each battle. This is where he is completely different from Hu Zongnan.Hu Zongnan became a company commander when he came out of the military academy. Within two years, his position soared from company commander to army commander. He did not have a personal experience of the life of the army at the grassroots level. In combat, he was used to map operations and subjective guesswork. Scouting units and subordinates.Peng Dehuai was different.Peng Dehuai was a soldier, and he was promoted after outstanding performance. He became a company commander, and later was admitted to the Hunan Army Lecture Hall. After graduation, he started as a platoon leader.Peng Dehuai's combat experience at the grassroots level has cultivated his down-to-earth work style. Before the battle, he felt unable to issue combat orders if he did not survey the terrain on the ground. When it was almost noon, the sun came out and the clouds gradually dispersed.Peng Dehuai was a little enthusiastic, unbuttoned a few buttons, and watched while walking with the heads of various columns and brigades.Standing on the top of the hill, you can have a panoramic view of Panlong Town, and the soldiers of the 167th Brigade can clearly see it during their drills.The combat staff officers were busy for a while, marking every highland, every valley and every trail that Peng Dehuai pointed out clearly on the combat map. When we returned to Xuejiagou, where the headquarters is located, it was already 2 p.m., and after a quick bite of food, a combat meeting was held.Peng Dehuai was still so straightforward, without any opening remarks, he began to assign combat tasks when he came up: "The first vertical took the Tianziyuan, Miaoliang, and Mopanshan enemy positions from the northwest to the southeast from the north and south highlands of Hetaoping, and the second vertical and independent 4th brigade was led by He Jiamaozi. Seize the Jiyumao position from the southeast to the northwest. The New 4th Brigade moves from Wohugou and Liujiaping to the southwest and south from the northeast and north, and cooperates with the Independent 4th Brigade to capture the main enemy positions in the Jiyumao area. The enemy." The heads of the various verticals and brigades quickly remembered, and Peng Dehuai continued: "It takes about 7 days from Panlong to Suide and Qingjian, that is to say, after we launched the attack, the time for Dong Zhao and Liu Kan to return to aid It is also 7 days. When the war starts, the situation is urgent, and they must march in a hurry. If this is the case, it may be possible to arrive in 4 days or more. Then our battle must end within 4 days!" After winning Panlong within 4 days, the heads of all verticals and brigades felt the pressure. Although Panlong is a piece of fat, eating this piece of fat is completely different from eating 31 brigades in Qinghuabian and 135 brigades in Yangmahe, because there are Bones, or rather, Beaulieu Town is a tough bone. Panlong Town is surrounded by mountains on all sides, and there are three narrow roads, reaching Yongping and Qingjian in the east, Yan'an in the south, Wayaobao and Suide in the north, making it difficult to attack and easy to defend.Hu Zongnan chose this place as his strategic supply station, that is, he took a fancy to Panlong's dangerous terrain.The highlands around Beaulieu were guarded by heavy soldiers, and solid fortifications were built, including bunkers, barbed wire, and trenches outside, and countless landmines were buried in the trenches.The Jiyumao highland in the north of the town can control the three defiles entering and exiting Panlong and a considerable range of surrounding areas with firepower, and the fortifications there are even more impenetrable.Guarding Panlong is the 167th Brigade, an elite unit of Chiang Kai-shek's 1st Division. Although one regiment is missing, the total strength is nearly 7,000, all equipped with American equipment.Brigadier Li Kungang was Chiang Kai-shek's staff officer and Hu Zongnan's chief of staff. He was good at talking about military affairs. There are still so many hits.However, the 167th Brigade guarded Panlong alone. As long as they can concentrate their efforts to pull out one of its strongholds, there is hope for breaking into the city.Peng Dehuai finally cheered everyone up: "The weather is hot now, we still wear cotton-padded jackets and trousers, and lay down Panlong to change into summer clothes!"All of a sudden, "defeat Beaulieu for summer clothes" became the most powerful slogan in this battle against Beaulieu! According to Peng Dehuai's instructions that "you can only lose, not win", Guo Peng led the "leading" troops to fight and retreat, and brought Dong Zhao to Suide City on May 2.Dong Zhao easily occupied Suide City, and initially realized Hu Zongnan's campaign intention. Hu Zongnan's wish to hold a press conference in Suide in May could be realized.At this time, Liu Kan, who set off from Yongping Town at the same time as him, was still on the way.The last time he occupied Yan'an, he was one step ahead of Liu Kan, but Liu Kan did not perform very well in the two battles of Qinghuabian and Yangmahe. Now he is one step ahead to occupy Suide, Dong Zhao is quite proud. He believed himself to be meritorious, but he had no specific record, so he had to send an ambiguous telegram to Hu Zongnan: "The 1st Army occupied Suide City on May 2, killing many enemies, and the remnants fled to the northeast in embarrassment." "Many enemies have been killed!" Hu Zongnan knew it was a fake at a glance.But as for how many there are, Hu Zongnan didn't bother to ask, didn't he also deceive Chiang Kai-shek in the same way?At this time, according to Dong Zhao's telegram, he had concluded that Dong Zhao's killing of the enemy was mostly false, but it was true that the remnants of the enemy fled in embarrassment to the northeast. Occupying Suide, Dong Zhao was happy, Hu Zongnan was also happy, but Li Kungang was not happy.When Hu Zongnan ordered Dong Zhao to lead the main force to go north to Suide, he felt very uneasy.Panlong is such an important place, but less than 7,000 people were sent to guard it. If there is a mistake, it can be said that the defeat of the national army in the northern Shaanxi battlefield is basically determined.At that time, Li Kungang disagreed with all the main forces going north. According to his opinion, at least one more brigade should be added to stay behind in Panlong.But Dong Zhao was eager to seek merit, and he didn't take Li Kungang's opinion to heart at all, and insisted on leading his army northward to join forces with Deng Baoshan.Li Kungang turned to deputy brigade commander Tu Jian and chief of staff Liu Jichun and said: "Unless there is nothing wrong, we will all be finished if something happens." Both Tu Jian and Liu Jichun felt the same, but they were helpless. After Dong Zhao led the main force of the 1st Army to go northward, Li Kungang strengthened the guard around Panlong Town. On the 30th, when Peng Dehuai led the heads of the various columns and brigades to check the terrain, the reconnaissance troops of the 167th Brigade detected some situations and captured a messenger of the field troops.Li Kungang's eyelids twitched a few times, feeling that the general situation was not good, so he immediately reported directly to Hu Zongnan.Hu Zongnan was lazily waiting for Dong Zhao's victory, not only did not believe Li Kungang, but also reprimanded him for intentionally exaggerating the enemy's situation.Li Kungang took Hu Zongnan's reply and lamented a few times, wanting to cry without tears, and stayed with Tu Jian and Liu Jichun in trepidation until the night of May 2. As expected, the gunfire of the People's Liberation Army's siege of Panlong started. Originally, Li Kungang's bad luck was coming on May 1st.Because of the pattering rain that day, Peng Dehuai had to postpone the attack time. On May 2, the pattering rain finally stopped.The clouds gradually dispersed, the sun poured down, and it still felt a little hot.Panlong Town, which has just been washed by the rain, looks particularly fresh and eye-catching. The people have fortified the walls and cleared the fields, and the town no longer has the bustling and prosperous scene of the past.On an open field at the east end of the town, there are piles of materials that have not yet been put into storage, covered with butter cloth, piles of undulating piles, which make the soldiers of the field army itch.In the afternoon, Peng Dehuai paced around the headquarters, still wondering if there was something he hadn't thought through, and then made a phone call with the commanders of the front vertical and brigade. Dozed off on the kang.At dusk, when everything was ready, Peng Dehuai issued an order to attack Panlong. The Northwest Field Force of our army began to rest and reorganize for 8 days starting from April 20.Now, the soldiers are full of energy and fighting spirit, especially attacking the "treasure house of resources" of Panlong, and "defeat Panlong for summer clothes" has become a very appealing battle cry.As soon as the battle started, all the troops launched a forcible attack on Panlong Town from all sides according to the predetermined attack route. The task of the 358th brigade is to capture the enemy's Tianziyuan position.The position is in the northwest of Panlong, with high terrain, many bunkers, and narrow terrain, making it difficult to attack.The field troops did not have heavy artillery. On May 1, taking advantage of the delay of the offensive, Huang Xinting and Yu Qiuli specially asked the whole brigade to hold a "Zhuge Liang meeting" to study how to take down the enemy's strong bunker built on the cliff. question.The soldiers made suggestions and expressed their opinions, and invented a "plaster tactic", that is, put explosives in rice bags, and each soldier carried one on his back. After touching the bottom of the enemy's bunker, he hung the bag on the bunker, and detonated them together when the explosives were enough. . At 9 pm on May 2, the 716th Regiment of the 358th Brigade of our army attacked Tianziyuan.But the stockade was very high, and the enemy's artillery fire was very intensive. They attacked twice and sacrificed a lot, but they failed to attack. Wang Youcai, the squad leader of Class 2 of the 7th Company, was in a hurry.He gritted his teeth, looked at the flames spewing out from the bunker, rolled up his sleeves, jumped up from the position, and led the whole squad of soldiers to the bottom of the stockade in one breath by night.The soldiers threw all the grenades they brought over, blowing up the enemy.Wang Youcai quickly set up the ladder and attacked into the village in one fell swoop.At this time, the 7th company and the whole company followed, and after 3 hours of fighting, they all attacked the stockade.Tianziyuan defended the enemy and retreated steadily, and the 7th company attacked the enemy's main position in the north of Panlong. When the 358th Brigade of our army launched an attack on Tianziyuan, the Independent 4th Brigade and the New 4th Brigade also launched an attack on the enemy's Jiyumao position in the southeast of Panlong, and occupied the outer security position of the Jiyumao position. Peng Dehuai continued to receive reports from the frontline columns and brigades that the enemy's fortifications were too strong and the firepower was too fierce, making it difficult to advance; and Li Kungang also received reports from various positions that the People's Liberation Army was attacking on all sides of Panlong Town, with heavy artillery fire, approaching the main position . Li Kungang was anxious in the brigade command post. Although he could resist for a while relying on strong fortifications, he knew in his heart that it was almost impossible to repel the PLA's attack.He estimated that the People's Liberation Army has concentrated about 5 brigades of troops, which is several times superior to itself. Seeing that the outer positions of the main position have fallen into the hands of the People's Liberation Army one by one, he does not know how to deal with this situation next.When the battle just started, an emergency telegram was sent to Hu Zongnan, claiming that the People's Liberation Army had concentrated 9 brigades to besiege Panlong Town, and had lost many outlying positions due to being outnumbered. Hu Zongnan just saw Dong Zhao's "Suide Great Victory" telegram in the morning. Dong Zhao clearly said that the communist army had fled to the northeast. Why did nine brigades of the People's Liberation Army appear in Panlong?Hu Zongnan was in a state of confusion for a while, not knowing who to trust.But Panlong Town's strategic position is too important, it is his lifeblood, 10 Suides are incomparable, and Li Kungang's emergency call is convincing.It is better to believe in what is there than to believe in what is not.So no matter what happens, Hu Zongnan sent an emergency call to Dong Zhao and Liu Kan that night: Panlong is in a hurry, and starry night rushes to help! Dong Zhao was still eating the "Suide Great Victory" celebration banquet, when he received an urgent call from Hu Zongnan, he couldn't help but turn pale with shock.And Chen Wu, who was at the side, was in a cold sweat when he thought of the scene a few days ago. It was still on the evening of April 27th. Chen Wu led the 90th Division to march towards Suide. When Deng Zhongmei, the head of the 61st Brigade, led his troops through Wangjiawan, he saw a large army of the People's Liberation Army on the other side of the mountain. Drive south.Deng Zhongmei stared at it with wide eyes for a long time, puzzled.Didn't it mean that the main force of the People's Liberation Army has all gone north?How could so many PLA troops move south all of a sudden!He immediately reported to the division commander Chen Wu.Chen Wu hurriedly climbed to the top of the mountain, raised his binoculars, and saw an orderly and well-organized People's Liberation Army team heading south.Chen Wu was also at a loss, thinking of the same question as Deng Zhongmei.But he still pretended to be calm, and said unhurriedly: "This is Peng Dehuai's trick. This army is pretending to shake our determination to go north. Soldiers, tricks!" One side was skeptical, rubbed his chin and said: "The teacher's judgment is very good. But I always feel that the troops of the People's Liberation Army going north are making feints, and this is the real main force. The goal is Pan..." Chen Wu immediately turned his head and pulled his face down. Said: "Nonsense! Is Mr. Hu's judgment still wrong? Soldiers take the execution of orders as their bounden duty! Go, keep going!" Deng Zhongmei couldn't say anything more, turned around and led the troops to move on.But after walking for ten minutes or so, I still felt uneasy, so I turned around and said to Chen Wu: "Master, what if this is the main force of the People's Liberation Army, what should we do if we go to attack Panlong Town? Panlong is a military center! We should report to the military seat Let's go!" Chen Wu swayed in the jeep, and said after a long while: "It's okay to fight Panlong, there is the 167th Brigade of the 1st Division, and Mr. Hu's 'King Kong-level' general Li Kungang. What are you afraid of! Shi Yan'an can be taken down, so guarding Panlong is naturally not a problem! Our current task is to carry out Mr. Hu's order to go north to Suide, and we don't care about the rest, and we can't control it!" When it came to the occupation of Yan'an, the fire of anger in Deng Zhongmei's heart was rekindled.Among all Hu Zongnan's troops at that time, the 61st Brigade led by Deng Zhongmei was at the forefront. On the evening of March 18, it had already arrived at Qilipu, the last cover position of the People's Liberation Army guarded by the teaching brigade, a full 7.5 kilometers ahead of the vanguard of the 1st Division.After camping that night, all the officers and soldiers of the brigade were waiting to receive the reward, but Hu Zongnan ordered that the previous efforts of the entire brigade officers and soldiers came to naught. "The entire 1st Division is a heroic unit. Now the Panlong guarded by the 167th Brigade of the 1st Division must be solid. What are you doing with your leisure?" Thinking of this, Deng Zhongmei felt a little bit of pleasure, and stopped talking, leading the troops Chao Suide rushed all the way. Now Panlong being besieged has become a fact, but neither Chen Wu nor Deng Zhongmei are happy, the previous gloating has long since disappeared.After all, no matter the 90th Division or the 61st Brigade of the 90th Division, the relationship with the 1st Division and the 167th Brigade of the 1st Division is a bitter relationship!With Panlong gone, where would the supplies for his entire division and brigade come from? 为避免解放军的埋伏，董钊、刘戡选择了一条小小的山路作为行军路线。九旅之众按一路排开，先行的部队已走得有气无力，而后面的还没有出发。本来，董钊、刘戡是可以走大道的，因为西北野战部队所有部队已兵分三路，一路以王尚荣带队作佯动，一部以阎揆要率领深入敌后破袭延安以南的公路，另外主力正在围攻蟠龙镇，只是以少部分兵力在蟠龙东北的山区作了机动防御，根本没有兵力在大道边上设伏。但此时的董、刘两人已如惊弓之鸟，偏偏就选择了那么一条羊肠小道。 5月3日清晨，解放军停止了进攻。胡宗南却感到更加的恐惧，因为与解放军交手这么多年来，他深知解放军打仗的习惯，通常是昼伏夜出，一轮攻击停止后，接着而来的是又一轮更加猛烈的进攻。 果然不错，到5月3日傍晚，彭德怀指挥西北野战部队对蟠龙发起了第二轮进攻。5月3日一整天，野战部队都在开“战时诸葛亮会”，讨论夜间进攻的问题。讨论中几乎所有的人都认为，对壕作业是抵近敌人碉堡的唯一办法。 所谓对壕作业，就是把壕沟一直开到敌人阵地的碉堡下，靠壕沟的掩护冲到敌人的阵地上去。在5月2日晚上第一轮进攻的时候，358旅就采取了“对壕作业”的战法，效果比较明显。 5月3日晚间战斗一打响，我军的每个连每个排都安排了大量的对壕作业部队拼命地挖啊掏啊，到5月4日清晨，一条条壕沟弯弯曲曲伸向了167旅的每一个阵地。野战部队从壕沟里不断冲向敌阵，嘶杀声、喊杀声、枪炮声响成一片。 167旅的主阵地在集玉峁高地，理所当然这就成了野战部队的主要攻击阵地。守这个高地的是敌499团2营5连，3日晚间，敌5连连长在乱枪中毙命，阵地群龙无首，一时乱作一团。我军新4旅突击队一拥而上，当即拿下了阵地。 集玉峁被攻，李昆岗不得不把紧靠集玉峁的旅指挥所向后撤退。这一撤不要紧，守备集玉峁附近几个阵地的部队也跟着撤了下来。不到几个小时，李昆岗丢失了蟠龙东山的全部阵地。 3日战斗再次打响的时候，胡宗南隐约感到了灾难正在降临。他一再电令李昆岗必须坚守待援，但事实上，胡宗南手上并没有机动应急部队可供支援李昆岗。董、刘两军正在山间小道里疲于奔命，金盆湾一带的陕西保安部队被阎揆要咬得死死的，一个兵也抽不动。他只好按惯例派了一些飞机去助战。但谁都知道，在两军短兵相接的战场上，飞机是没有任何用处的，仅仅能壮大声威而已。派到蟠龙去助战的飞机除了胡扔一气炸弹，没有起到任何实际作用。 望着解放军部队一步步攻进镇内，李昆岗除了一次次向胡宗南哀求，没有任何作为。到4日晨，胡宗南不得已，把留守延安的一个旅也投了过来。但那个旅一动，阎揆要就摆出一副要进攻延安的架势。这个时候的胡宗南才感觉到，自己指挥的陕北战场已如一只破船，到处漏水。董、刘部队迟迟未到，从延安派来助战的部队担心后院起火又不敢进。李昆岗已感到大势已去。 4日傍晚，彭德怀已有足够的把握于当晚结束蟠龙战斗。他给军委的电报说：3日黄昏前后，我用坑道爆破，夺取蟠龙东南与西南高地。蟠龙战斗今晚可解决，此刻已攻占蟠龙镇一半。 彭德怀给军委发完电报，立即下达了总攻令。我西北野战部队4个主力旅从蟠龙四周的制高点上排山倒海般冲杀下来，李昆岗的最后防线随之崩溃。经过三天三夜的激战，被李昆岗包装得像“铁桶”般的蟠龙镇被西北野战部队的优势兵力一举攻破。蒋介石嫡系整编第1军第1师第167旅旅部及第499团6，700多人被俘，300多人被打死。我军生俘167旅少将旅长李昆岗、少将副旅长涂建、少将参谋长柳届春和旅政治部主任陈献金。 看到那些堆成小山的军用物资，我军战士像阿里巴巴闯进了大盗的藏金库，换掉自己的烂棉袄，个个欢天喜地，一个劲儿地感谢胡宗南这个“运输队长”。 李昆岗把自己化妆成一个伙夫，灰头土脸混在士兵里。做过蒋介石的侍从参谋，当过胡宗南的参谋长，如今成了解放军的阶下囚，这样的身份转变他是怎么也接受不了的。他梗着脖子直嚷要见彭德怀，他要看看彭德怀是怎样一个不同凡响的人物。但当彭德怀一身灰尘出现在他面前时，他怎么也不敢相信，捉了李纪云，捉了麦忠禹，今天又捉了自己的彭德怀居然是这样的相貌平平！ 西北野战部队得胜而归，董、刘两军才姗姗迟来。看到昔日物资堆积如山的蟠龙此时已人去物空，整1师师长罗列无限感叹，向胡宗南发电说：竟日行军，每于拂晓出发，黄昏入暮始克到达。夜则露营，构工戒备，毫无休息。是以人则疲劳，马则困顿。伤落倒毙日渐增多，战力消耗极剧。人马时致枵腹，故不特军纪日衰，且士气亦远非昔比。临履实境，时切心痛。 拿到罗列的电报，胡宗南眼中无光，面无表情。他已经好几天不见客、不理公事、也不刮胡子了。整天整天的沉默，不说话，精神恍惚，思维几乎陷于停顿。他已经感觉到，自己正一步步跌入深渊，他在给蒋介石的报告里写道：“当前战场我军均处于劣势，危机之深，甚于抗战。”