Chapter 15 Chapter 14 Pursuing and Annihilating the Yu Hanmou Group

After the launch of the Guangdong Campaign, our army advanced step by step, while the enemy fled.So, where will the enemy in Guangdong flee?Will he flee to Guangxi with Bai Chongxi's Guangxi troops?This is a question that Mao Zedong was very concerned about. On October 13, when the 15th Corps was about to invade Guangzhou, Mao Zedong called Lin, Deng, Ye, and Chen to remind them: "According to Hong Kong's telegram on October 10, '(1) According to the senior personnel of the Air Force, He said that he would not interfere with Li Bai's actions in the future. (2) According to people familiar with the Guangxi faction, if the remnant troops of Guizhou retreated into the territory of Guangxi, most of them would flee and disperse. Lost combat power. Now the white bandits are selling a large number of cheap guns to the landlords, planning to organize a large number of local reactionary forces, and practice in eastern Guangxi to fortify the walls and clear the fields, and even the grain seeds will be destroyed' and other words. Please be careful not to let the Cantonese enemies escape into Guangxi .”

On October 14, the enemy troops in Guangzhou had withdrawn and fled, but it is still unclear where they fled.The situation at that time, as Commander Chen Geng said: "The rapid occupation of Guangzhou is of great significance for the next step of operations and the restoration of the national economy as soon as possible, but it is also necessary to wipe out the fleeing enemies to avoid future troubles. At that time, the three corps of Yu Hanmou Except for the 12th and 13th Corps that have wiped out one part for us, the 21st Corps, the main force, has not been hit. It is necessary to quickly identify the fleeing direction of these enemies and wipe them out." Therefore, the 15th Corps arrived in the suburbs of Guangzhou At the same time, Chen Geng ordered the 4th Corps not to enter Guangzhou City, and traveled day and night to pursue the enemy.

On the morning of the 15th, Chen Geng, Guo Tianmin, and Liu Zhijian commanded the troops to pursue, and at the same time telegraphed the Military Commission, Lin, and Deng: 1. The Guangzhou enemy has retreated to the south and southwest.My Left Route Army entered Guangzhou at 19:30 p.m. yesterday (14th).In order to avoid confusion, the Right Route Army (Fourth Corps) did not enter Guangzhou City, and continued to pursue south and southwest.Now the Fifteenth Army has surpassed Guangzhou, and one division of the Fourteenth Army has occupied Sanshui and is continuing to pursue. 2. The troops in this operation were very active, advancing at a distance of more than 130 miles every day.However, due to the high mountains and dangerous roads, it is difficult to move round and round. Only the right army fell to the death of more than 200 animals. In addition, the enemy planned to retreat. At 19:30 p.m. on the 14th, they retreated in Guangzhou. However, the goal of completely annihilating the enemy in Guangzhou was not achieved.

3. According to incomplete statistics, I captured more than 7,000 enemies in the north of Guangzhou. After receiving this report, the chiefs of the Four Fields immediately analyzed the enemy's situation in Guangdong.They considered that if they calculated the distance, the enemy set off a few days before us, and their vanguard troops had already fled hundreds of miles away, and they had cars, ships and other means of transportation that were far faster than our army. The possibility of catching up with the enemy and annihilating them is not very high.Therefore, they sent a telegram to Chen, Guo, and Liu at 24:00 on the same day and reported to the Central Military Commission: "If you can no longer catch up with the enemy, you should stop the pursuit. Regarding the Guangxi operation, you must make overall deployment and coordination, and then act in unison."

However, the 4th Corps at this time is like an arrow that leaves the string, and it can't stop even if it wants to. On the 14th, after the 14th Army liberated Qingyuan City, Commander Li Chengfang saw that there were many ships on the bank of the Beijiang River in Qingyuan, and immediately ordered the 40th Division Commander Liu Feng and Political Commissar Hou Liangfu to lead the troops to take a boat and go straight to Sanshui Southwest Town; Wang Yanquan, deputy division commander, led the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 118th Regiment and the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 119th Regiment to set off by boat. They were not allowed to be restrained by the enemies on both sides of the strait. Block the enemy fleeing west.It is very bold for Li Chengfang to dare to make such a determination when there are still enemy 13th Corps, 39th Army, and 63rd Army on both sides of the strait. The first four battalions of the 40th Division boarded the ship on the evening of the 14th, and went straight down the Beijiang River to three small counties, advancing more than 120 miles overnight. Before dawn on the 15th, about 30 miles north of Sanshui, he overtook the rear guard of the enemy's 39th Army and 91st Division, and immediately abandoned the ship and went ashore. The 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 118th Regiment attacked the 91st Division of the enemy in Sanshui and captured more than 150 enemies. The 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 119th Regiment rushed towards Southwest Town. At around 9 am, they attacked the enemy's 103rd Division and captured more than 360 enemies. The channel for the enemy to flee west created favorable conditions for the next pursuit operation.At the same time, the 42nd Division went straight into Sihui City, annihilated the defending enemy, and continued to chase and annihilate the fleeing enemy in the direction of Gaoyao.

For the heroic and swift action of the 14th Army and the witty and courageous command of Commander Li Chengfang, Commander Chen Geng was full of praise many years later: "Before the liberation of Guangzhou, we estimated that there were two directions for the enemy to escape from Guangzhou: one is Follow the West River to the west and flee to Guangxi; the second is to flee to the Leizhou Peninsula and Hainan Island along the coast of Guangdong. Therefore, when all the units of our army broke through the enemy's defenses on the front line of Qingyuan and Yuantan, the main force of one army of our corps was Boldly, when there were still enemies on both sides of the bank, we took a boat southward along the Beijiang River, traveled 160 li overnight, and went straight to Sanshui, Gaoyao, etc. in the west of Guangzhou. This move is very important. Because of this move, we The confluence of the Beijiang River and the two rivers was blocked, and the main road from Guangzhou to Guangxi was controlled; and in the battles of occupying Sanshui and Gaoyao, two enemy divisions were annihilated, and the enemy's 21st Corps and other departments were identified. We are fleeing to the Leizhou Peninsula. In this way, we not only gained a favorable position to pursue and destroy the fleeing enemy, but also found out the whereabouts of the fleeing enemy.”

On October 16, the battle report from the front increased the confidence of Chen Geng and others: Zeng Sanyuan, commander of the 103rd Division of the 39th Army of the Kuomintang Army, was forced by the power of our army and led more than 4,000 troops to declare that he would accept our army's peace. adaptation.On the same day, our army defeated the 4th Corps of the Kuomintang Army in Sihui and captured more than 500 enemies.The front commanders unanimously reported that during the battle, the enemy had no fighting spirit and their morale was astonishingly low. There were even 13 propaganda members of our army who captured dozens of prisoners with their bare hands. An example of enemy surrender.This shows that as long as our army puts more effort, it is entirely possible to catch up and annihilate the enemy. At 19:00 on the 16th, Chen Geng and others reported the above situation to the Military Commission, Siye, and Erye.

On the issue of whether the 4th Corps should pursue or not, Mao Zedong once again showed the foresight of a great military strategist.On the basis of a comprehensive analysis of various aspects, he called Lin Biao on the 17th and told Ye Jianying and Chen Geng: "The enemy from Guangzhou is fleeing from west to Guangxi or from southwest to Hainan Island. It seems that our Fourth Corps should take advantage of the victory and pursue until they occupy the high ground." Yao, Deqing, Fengchuan, Gaoming, Xinxing, Yunfu, Yunan, Luoding and other counties, if necessary, occupy Wuzhou, and then stop to rest and wait for your unified deployment to fight in Guangxi. Because the occupation of the above counties, one Then it is possible to wipe out part or most of the fleeing enemy, so that the Fifteenth Corps can easily capture Hainan Island, wipe out the remnants of the enemy, and pacify the whole of Guangdong; the second is to complete the deployment of troops for the battle into Guangxi. Whether this can be done, please consider according to the situation Certainly."

Mao Zedong's instructions greatly encouraged and strengthened the determination of the commanders of the 4th Corps.At the same time, the problem of the escape direction of the enemy in Guangzhou was finally clarified.It turned out that on the 17th, our army continued to pursue and achieved many victories: annihilating all of the 441st Regiment of the 147th Division of the 39th Army of the Kuomintang Army in Songbaikeng, Gaoming County; In Zhaiwuxu, Heshan County, Liu Tiren, commander of the 91st Division of the 39th Army, led more than 2,700 people to accept peaceful reorganization.Li Chengfang, who was ordered by Chen Geng to command the six divisions of the 14th, 13th, and 15th armies in pursuit of the battle, collected the information provided by the officers of the Kuomintang army who revolted, surrendered, and were captured in the battle that day, and judged that: the enemy in the Guangzhou area, except Part of it fled westward outside the border of Guangdong and Guangxi, and its main force, the 21st Corps, retreated towards Yangjiang and Zhanjiang via Foshan; except for a part of the enemy's 13th Corps, which fled westward, the main force fled towards Yangchun and Zhanjiang via Gaoyao; Fleeing in the direction of Yangjiang and Zhanjiang, Yu Hanmou fled to Zhanjiang on the 13th.Therefore, the main escape direction of the Guangdong enemy is undoubtedly the Leizhou Peninsula and Hainan Island.At present, my pursuit troops are about two days away from the enemy's main force.Immediately, Li Chengfang reported the above situation to Chen Geng, and proposed to pursue the enemy.

At 12 o'clock on October 18, Lin Deng, Tan Xiaozhao called Ye Jianying and Chen Geng and reported to the Military Commission: "The Fourth Corps' action is expected to be carried out in accordance with Chairman Mao's 17th message. If it can catch up with the enemy, it will continue to chase and wipe out the enemy. If it is indeed If there is no possibility of catching up, do not pursue, lest the main force of the Cantonese enemy will easily retreat to Nanning and Yunnan (a part of the Cantonese enemy will retreat to Hainan Island)." The commander of the 4th Corps held a combat meeting in time according to the spirit of the telegram from the Central Military Commission and the Shino headquarters.Everyone agrees that if the Guangdong operation can continue to wipe out the Guangdong-based enemy forces, it will have important strategic significance for our army's future operations. It will not only quickly pacify the whole of Guangdong, but also make the Guangxi-based troops more isolated.At the same time, the three armies of our corps were maintaining the mobile momentum in the southwestern periphery of Guangzhou, and the pursuit and annihilation of the above-mentioned fleeing enemies was basically the same as the battle in Guangxi.Although the enemy has fled 100 kilometers away, the remnants of Yu Hanmou are the fleeing enemy, with chaotic organizational structure and low morale. Therefore, the timing is extremely favorable for us to wipe out the fleeing enemy in the Yangjiang and Yangchun areas.

On the 18th, according to Li Chengfang's suggestion, Chen Geng and Guo Tianmin decided to launch the Yangjiang and Yangchun campaigns based on the current situation with the first six divisions. On the right, cross the Xijiang River from Gaoyao to the south, and pursue in the direction of Yangchun through Yaogu and Xinxing; take the 41st Division and the 118th Regiment of the 40th Division as the middle road, start from Gaoming and the southwest area, and pursue in the direction of Yangchun through Xinxing and Tiantang ; Take the 43rd and 44th Divisions of the 15th Army as the left road, start from the southwest region, and pursue in the direction of Yangjiang through Heshan and Danshuikou.In addition, with the 38th Division of the 13th Army as the second echelon, they sailed from Qingyuan to Sanshui by boat, and then maneuvered towards Enping via Gaoming.The above forces are unified under the command of the 14th Army. The characteristic of this deployment is that the troops are not used according to the original organizational system, but organized according to the current situation of the troops and the characteristics of each unit. Although the troops are uneven and the organizational system is incomplete, the speed is fast, which is convenient for gaining time and easy for adjustment while chasing. deploy.Chen Geng's combat intention is very clear: that is to use a combination of parallel pursuit and advanced blocking to form an encirclement against the enemy south of Yangchun, trap the enemy in the desperate situation of Yangchun and Yangjiang, and then annihilate them in one fell swoop. The pursuit and annihilation battle in Liangyang began. Under the command of Li Chengfang, all the pursuit troops chased the fleeing enemy like a tiger down the mountain.Xiang Shouzhi, who was the commander and political commissar of the 44th Division of the 15th Army at the time, recalled: "After the troops received the order to chase and wipe out the fleeing enemy, the majority of commanders and fighters decided to resolutely complete the task at all costs. However, the senior commanders knew that there were many difficulties in this battle. It is very big. One is that the enemy is more than 200 miles away from me, and the other is that time is very tight. In order not to lose the opportunity to fight, all levels of action, deployment, and mobilization are running at the fastest speed day and night. Pursuing operations is very difficult. Yes, the enemy retreated hastily, but we raced against the enemy with only two legs, and had to overtake them. The weather was not beautiful at that time, and the autumn rain was heavy, which made the march and combat more difficult. The political awareness of the majority of commanders and fighters was very high. Putting personal life and death aside, forgetting to eat and sleep, forgetting the interval between day and day, night and night, and only thinking about chasing and annihilating the enemy as soon as possible. The commanders and fighters deeply understand that only from hardship to hardship can they go from victory to victory. Victory, victory is built on your own feet. Everyone thinks this way, and the bitterness and tiredness are diluted by the good news of the pursuit of victory." The right-hand army marched toward Yangchun along the Gaoyao and Xinxing lines, and the 1st Battalion of the 120th Regiment of the 40th Division served as the vanguard. At dawn on the 20th, when Battalion Commander Zhao Ruilai led the team to the river cave about 3 kilometers away from Yaoguxu, he learned that a regiment of the third column of the enemy's Guangzhou Sui Department stayed at Yaoguxu last night.Zhao Ruilai made a decisive decision, determined not to wait for the main force of the regiment to arrive, but to take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness, and immediately launch an attack to eat the fat that was brought to his mouth.Battalion Commander Zhao is an experienced commander. He and his instructor Wang Zuoren summoned the commanders of the companies, arranged tasks in detail, and specifically explained: Our army came so quickly that the enemy was unpredictable. In order to deceive the enemy, We can pretend to be the 70th Army of the Shen Fazao Corps, try our best to get as close as possible to the enemy, catch them unprepared, and win by surprise.This battle is the first since my battalion entered Guangdong, and it can only succeed, not fail.Comrades in the entire battalion are required to move quickly after the battle starts, rush fiercely, and chase closely, and must not give the enemy any chance to breathe. The situation was exactly as Battalion Commander Zhao analyzed. The enemy did not expect our army to come so quickly.After being attacked suddenly by our army, many people became captives before they knew whether they were enemies or friends. Some sneaked into the homes of ordinary people to hide, and some fled to the outside of the village.Zhao Ruilai immediately ordered the 1st and 2nd companies to follow the fleeing enemy and catch up.The two companies cooperated closely, pressing up and down, forcing the fleeing enemy into a depression.Zhao Ruilai also dispatched a machine gun company to shoot fiercely at the enemy with heavy machine guns and 60 guns.At this time, the main force of the regiment arrived in time, surrounded the enemy, and launched a political offensive against the desperate enemy.Through shouting, the remnant enemy finally put down his weapons and surrendered to our army.In this battle, the 120th regiment wiped out more than 1,000 people from the third column of the Kuomintang Guangzhou Sui Department who stayed in Yaoguxu, and was awarded by the commander of the 14th Army. The other two routes of our army are progressing equally well.The Central Route Army liberated Xinxing on the 19th, wiped out part of the 63rd Army in the southeast of Xinxing on the 20th, and captured more than 1,000 enemies. On the same day, the Left Route Army arrived in Heshan County. On the evening of the 20th, our army intercepted the call of Liu Anqi, the commander of the enemy's 21st Corps, and learned that the enemy army was walking slowly due to narrow roads. It was still crowded in Kaiping and Enping areas and was moving toward Yangjiang.In this way, the fleeing enemy and our middle and left troops have become parallel.Although the distance is not too far, to form an encirclement and wipe out the enemy, our army must increase its marching speed and stop the enemy ahead.Therefore, Chen Geng and Li Chengfang immediately ordered all armies to overcome all difficulties and try their best to catch up with the enemy. On the 21st, Chen Geng also strictly ordered the right army that entered the Tiantangwei and Wanbianwei areas south of Xinxing to chase after them bravely, go straight out of Yangchun and Yangjiang, form an encirclement of the fleeing enemy, and cooperate with the middle and left army to encircle and wipe out escape from the enemy.That night, the Central Route Army and the Left Route Army entered Shengtangwei and Kaiping in the northeast of Enping respectively, and both had contacted the rear troops behind the enemy.According to what our military reporters saw that day: "The bandits were chased by me day and night, and they were defeated. According to the confession of the prisoners, most of the chief officers of the bandit army had slipped away first, the officers could not control the soldiers, and the subordinates could not find the chief officer. During the period, there were also those who scrambled for the road, quarreled and beat each other, and even shot at each other. There were many carts abandoned by the fugitives on the Enping-Yangjiang Highway, and military luggage, clothes and belongings discarded along the way could be seen everywhere. Groups of stragglers Go into the corner of the house, into the bushes. Along the road from Yaogu to Yangchun, every village is surrounded by tattered military uniforms, torn documents and letters, and brand new bullets.” On the 22nd, according to the situation reported by the various armies, Chen Geng once again ordered the troops to gather and annihilate the fleeing enemies in the Yangjiang area.Strictly order the right-hand army to continue to pursue after occupying Yangchun on the 22nd, take shortcuts and go straight out of Chengcunwei, cut off the road from Yangjiang to Dianbai, implement advance blocking, and resolutely block the enemy fleeing west. One step is crucial to wipe out the fleeing enemy.Order the middle and left army to advance rapidly, and cooperate with the right army to encircle and wipe out the fleeing enemy.It is also stipulated that the radio stations between the divisions and the regiments should be strengthened, and the corps and the divisions can communicate directly through the radio in code words.Facts have proved that Chen Geng's deployment is very clever.Comrade Xiang Shouzhi later commented: This order from the head of the Corps was very timely, "Because during the pursuit, it is necessary to increase the speed and shorten the distance from the fleeing enemy as soon as possible. The heads of all levels must be proactive and make full use of all means to identify the enemy as soon as possible." And inform the troops, adjust the deployment, seize the key points, and cut off the enemy's retreat, in order to achieve the goal of completely annihilating the enemy." In accordance with Chen Geng's order, the chasing troops from all walks of life carried forward the independent fighting spirit of daring to win more with less and tenacity and wit, not to be confused by small groups of enemies, and firmly grasping the enemy's main force to pursue them.By the evening of the 22nd, the leading troops of the Central Route Army and the Left Route Army had bitten the rear of the enemy in Enping, Shengtangwei, and Xinchang areas respectively, annihilating one part of the 39th Army and one part of the 50th Army.The right-hand army marched at a speed of 75 kilometers a day to circumvent the enemy's right flank. After Yangchun was liberated that day, they immediately took a boat along the Moyang River and rushed towards Yangjiang. On the evening of the 23rd, the 120th and 125th Regiments of the Right Route Army entered the Shuangjiexu 30 miles northwest of Yangjiang, and learned from the prisoners that the enemy's 21st Corps and other troops had fled to Yangjiang and Baishaxu. Prepare to flee west along the road from Yangjiang to Dianbai.Without further ado!The commanders and fighters of the two regiments immediately abandoned the boat and went ashore, and the troops divided into two groups, advancing along the Baishawei and Chengcunwei highways.Before dawn, the 125th regiment entered about 20 miles west of Baishaxu. When the 3rd Battalion of the regiment was preparing to occupy the 50th highland beside the road, it first encountered the enemy. Our first 8 companies occupied the 50th highland before the enemy, and fought fiercely with the enemy .The enemy attacked our army continuously, but they were all repelled by the 3rd Battalion.Seeing that the enemy was in chaos, the head of the regiment ordered the 1st and 2nd Battalions and the 3rd Battalion of the 119th Regiment, which was reinforced to the regiment, to join the battle from both sides of the 3rd Battalion.After advancing seven or eight li in the direction of Baishawei, the regiment occupied positions and organized defenses on both sides of the Xinbei, Xincun, Dachashan, Lezhuyuan, and Fozigang roads.The 120th Regiment also advanced to Wayaotou in the northwest of Chengcunwei at dawn, and happened to meet 6 cars from the enemy's rear hospital, and was immediately captured by the 2nd Battalion of the regiment, and then captured more than 600 enemy people near Chengcunwei. At noon on the 24th, the two main battalions of the 120th Regiment were ordered to attack Hanhe Temple in the southeast direction, control the east-west road parallel to the road, and prevent the enemy from fleeing west from the road.During the attack on Hanhe Temple, the regiment encountered successively the remnants of the 39th Army fleeing west in Longfangling and Daling, wiped out more than 1,000 enemies, and took control of Hanhe Temple before dusk.So far, the right army has cut off the two main roads for the enemy to escape to the Leizhou Peninsula, and completed the task assigned by Commander Chen Geng on the 22nd.At the same time, the Central Route Army has reached Heshanwei, the Left Route Army has reached the southwest of Nafuwei, and the 38th Division has advanced to the north of Yangchun.Our army is like a pair of big pliers with its mouth open, rushing straight towards the Kuomintang army in the Yangjiang area. It is unbelievable that Liu Anqi, the commander of the enemy's 21st Corps, was completely unaware of our army's encirclement and annihilation plan, and still thought that they were surrounded by "guerrillas".Therefore, on the one hand, he asked Yu Hanmou to send warships to Hailing Island, and they retreated from the sea, and on the other hand, he ordered the 50th Army to break out of the encirclement to the west of Yangjiang first, and open up a road to escape to the west.From dawn on the 24th, the 50th Army concentrated 3 divisions and devoted all their efforts to launching attacks again and again against the blocking positions of our 125th regiment.In the face of the overwhelming enemy, the commanders and fighters of the 125 regiment were not afraid and fought bravely. They killed hundreds of enemies within a day, captured more than 700 enemies, and firmly held their positions.After dusk, Commander Li Chengfang commended the 125th Regiment: "You fought very well today. I hope to mobilize all commanders and fighters to make persistent efforts to wipe out Liu Anqi's regiment and make every effort." It wasn't until this moment that Liu Anqi realized that she had been surrounded by the army commanded by Chen Geng, and she panicked. At midnight on the 24th, the enemy began to burn the baggage vehicles, discard all kinds of supplies, and prepared to flee to Liancun and Pinggangwei, south of Baishaxu.How did they know that at this time, our Central Route Army had already occupied Yangjiang, the Left Route Army had occupied Beijin Port by the sea, and the 38th Division had advanced to the south of Yangchun, closing all the channels for the enemy to flee south or retreat west in one fell swoop. Knowing that the encirclement circle of our army has been closed, Chen Geng and others adjusted the deployment of encircling and annihilating the enemy again on the evening of the 24th: with the 41st, 43rd, 44th Division and the 118th Regiment of the 40th Division as the Eastern Group, from the southeast and northeast direction Offensive: With the 40th and 42nd divisions as the west group, attack from the west and northwest, and the two groups will carry out a centripetal attack at the same time.At the same time, all ministries are required to vigorously launch political offensives to disintegrate the enemy. At 19:00, Chen Geng and Guo Tianmin reported to the Military Commission, Ye Jianying, Fang Fang, Lin Biao, and Deng Zihui: "Since the occupation of Guangzhou, our Fourth Corps has marched rapidly for ten days and nights, and endured the greatest fatigue and hunger (no food). The enemy has caught up, and our 40th Division has surpassed the enemy's vanguard (west of Yangjiang). Now the 107th and 270th Divisions of the 50th Army of the enemy, the 67th Division and the 151st Division of the 62nd Army, the 39th Division The 47th Division of the 1st Army, the two regiments of the 70th Army, the headquarters of the 23rd Army and two divisions, and the first part of the 32nd Army were all blocked by me in Enping and Yangjiang seaside areas. Tonight, a total of two All divisions can be assembled to form an encirclement, and tomorrow we will start gathering and annihilating." On the morning of October 25, the enemy concentrated its forces to break out from Baishawei to the west, and the battle of Liangyang's pursuit and annihilation reached the last moment.The Kuomintang army was eager to escape, and launched eight consecutive attacks on the positions held by our army's West Group, but they were all defeated by our army.In the afternoon, seeing that there was no hope of breaking through to the west, the Kuomintang army turned to the south, trying to escape by boat at Jiuqiang Port.Our east and west groups quickly attacked, while attacking key points on the coast, while blocking the port of Jiuqiang port with strong firepower, dozens of enemy ships were sunk, and about 10,000 Kuomintang troops were killed or drowned. Only a few people led by Liu Anqi fled by warship . At night, our army's follow-up troops arrived one after another, encircling all the enemies in a narrow area with a diameter of less than 75 kilometers north of Pinggangwei.In extreme panic and despair, the besieged Kuomintang army spent a difficult night. Zhang Junxian, the adjutant of the 50th Army's Shanpao Battalion, was captured and confessed: "On the 25th, the army retreated to Pinggang Wei, and the artillery fire of the People's Liberation Army approached in the afternoon. Now, Liu Anqi, the commander of the corps, didn't see things well, and took a small group of cronies and fled in a hurry by boat! At seven or eight o'clock in the evening, Hu Jiaji, the commander of the army, also slipped away quietly. The phone calls and telegrams could not be reached, and the troops flocked to the rice fields and did not leave. The command was chaotic, and some talked about going to Jiuqiang, and wanted to escape by boat from there, but the People's Liberation Army had already controlled Jiuqiang. Let's run, there is no boat, let's fight, no one fights, everyone can't make up their minds, so we have to wait to be captured!" In the early morning of October 26, our army launched a general offensive against the enemy.More than a dozen commandos alternately inserted into the heart of the enemy at Pinggangwei, splitting it into countless small pieces. The remnants of the enemy were like ants on a hot pot, running and shouting everywhere, chaotic, and thousands of them were captured alive by our army.Fight until 12:00 noon, all the besieged enemies will be wiped out.Chen Geng and Guo Tianmin immediately excitedly telegraphed the Military Commission, Lin Biao, Deng Zihui, Ye Jianying, and Fang Fang: "All of our Fourteenth Army, the Forty-Fourth Division and the Fourth and Third Division of the Fifteenth Army, and the Thirteenth Army's third and eighth divisions will flee from the south of Guangzhou." The main force of the enemy intercepted in the Yangjiang area. After days of fierce fighting, the enemy has been wiped out in the Nanpingfengwei and Baishawei areas of Yangjiang. On the outer line of the encircled area, the 15th, 13th and 14th armies each pursued the fleeing enemy. On the 27th, the 39th Division of the 13th Army occupied Yunfu, continued to occupy Luoding on the 29th, and chased and wiped out all the 637th Regiment of the 213th Division of the 23rd Army who fled to the west, and captured more than a thousand people.The two-yang pursuit and annihilation battle has ended victoriously. The Liangyang pursuit and annihilation battle is a glorious example in the history of the People's Liberation Army's pursuit and annihilation operations.At that time, the armies of the 4th Corps set out from the south of Jiangxi Province and had been fighting for half a month. They had marched more than 1,000 kilometers, and the troops were quite tired. According to conventional military theory, such troops could no longer undertake major combat tasks.However, after Chairman Mao's instruction to pursue the victory was conveyed, all the commanders and fighters continued to pursue with tenacious perseverance a journey of more than 150 miles a day, and carried out a five-day pursuit, finally at Yangjiang and Yangchun on the South China Sea of ​​Guangdong. The area caught up with the fleeing enemy, which cannot but be said to be an astonishing miracle.The post-war summary of the Siye Command wrote: "The enemy in Guangdong was ready to flee before our campaign was launched. Therefore, at the beginning of the campaign, the enemies everywhere fled after hearing the news, which made my attacking troops go everywhere. But in our Under tracking and pursuit, especially after the enemy fled westward in Guangzhou, I pursued for more than ten consecutive days and nights. I persisted in the pursuit. For example, I chased 160 miles in the first day and night, and finally caught up with the fleeing enemy by the sea. This experience proves that, For the pursuit of the fleeing enemy, as long as we can correctly understand and grasp the enemy's situation, and make persistent efforts to track and pursue, we will surely be able to successfully complete the task of chasing and destroying the fleeing enemy. This time, the chasing troops of our Fourth Corps endured hardship and continued to pursue , is the key to this victory!" After 40 years, General Xiang Shouzhi, who is already the commander of the Nanjing Military Region, said in the article "Recalling the Battle of Liangyang": "A comprehensive review of the pursuit battle shows that the troops must pursue at a high speed and wipe out the fleeing enemy quickly. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct uninterrupted political mobilization and strengthen the marching organization, so that the troops can maintain high spirits and establish a tenacious will to fight continuously without fear of fatigue; Gaining time and catching up with the fleeing enemy as soon as possible can allow the troops to have a short rest, wait for work, and protect the combat effectiveness of the troops. This experience is of great significance in guiding us to win future anti-aggression wars." In the Liangyang pursuit and annihilation battle, our army wiped out a total of more than 40,000 Kuomintang troops, including more than 30,000 prisoners, and wiped out the main force of the Yu Hanmou Group. On October 27, Lin Biao and Deng Zihui sent a congratulatory message to all the commanders and fighters of the 4th Corps, "Congratulations on your great victory in annihilating the main force of the enemy fleeing from Guangzhou to the southwest in Liangyang. This victory is of great significance for the liberation of Qiongya and Guangxi. I would like to commend you for your spirit of resolutely implementing Chairman Mao’s instructions, and for ten consecutive days and nights of pursuing and fighting hard.” By November 4th, the 13th Army of the 4th Corps took advantage of the victory to pursue and liberated Xinyi, Maoming (now Gaozhou), Huazhou, Lianjiang and other counties closed the road for the Bai Chongxi Group to retreat to Hainan Island via the Leizhou Peninsula. The victory of the two-yang pursuit and annihilation battle drew a successful conclusion to the Guangdong campaign. The Guangdong campaign lasted 34 days from October 2 to November 4, and liberated Qinzhou, Hepu (now part of Guangxi) and Hong Kong. Guangdong mainland beyond the river.Our army wiped out a total of 58,052 Kuomintang troops, of which 11,677 were killed or injured (including those who drowned in the sea), 35,655 were captured, 9,992 were defectors, and 728 were rebels.Surrendered and captured 17 enemy general-level officers, seized 328 guns, 318 heavy machine guns, 1,812 light machine guns, more than 20,000 other guns, more than 100,000 rounds of bullets, 142 cars, 247 mules and horses , and a large amount of military supplies, liberated 39 cities.In the Battle of Guangdong, our army suffered more than 1,700 casualties. The victory in the Guangdong campaign was achieved with the strong support of the people of Guangdong.Under the direct leadership of the South China Branch, the people in Guangdong, Guangxi and Hunan, Guangdong, Jiangxi and Hunan border areas, and central Guangdong actively supported the front, dispatched a large number of migrant workers to fight with the army, supplied sufficient grain, grass, vegetables, etc., and made contributions to ensure the progress of the battle. great contribution.Wherever the army went, it was warmly welcomed by the people.During the Battle of Liangyang, our army reporters wrote down such a touching story: "On October 20, a certain bandit army of Liu Anqi, who was chasing and annihilating from the south, arrived in Heshan County. Continue to move forward. I heard in advance that we have to cross three rivers. The sky is dark and the wind is blowing. Everyone is worried: "I don't know how long it will take to cross the river?" Lights, there is a row of street lamps in the mountain village for half a mile, and there are kerosene lamps everywhere in the city and at the corners. The original bridge was destroyed, and there is a winding path next to it through the grass that is one person deep, one step deeper and one step shallower. Without these I don’t know how many times I have to fall. When I walked to the river, I saw an old lady in her fifties holding a sesame oil lamp in both hands. She was talking to the soldiers on the spot while blocking the wind with her hands. The words touched all the soldiers. Later, when the troops arrived in Canghuali, they encountered a river at the head of the narrow and difficult bridge. Another young man held a lamp and stood in the river to illuminate the small river regardless of the cold water in early winter. The soldiers all moved and said: Even if the legs are swollen or the feet are collapsed, they must catch up with the enemy! Some said: I will never forget my old mother in my life, and I will never forget the trembling lanterns in the water People. Little correspondent Yi Heping told the instructor in surprise: "I also walked a lot in the Kuomintang army.But I have never seen such a thing, this is the first time, I can now fully understand the relationship between the People's Liberation Army and the people! " The Battle of Guangdong is an extremely important chapter in the history of the Central South Liberation War. As Commander Chen Geng pointed out: "The battle in Guangdong began with a brave attack and pursuit, and ended with a large-scale encirclement and annihilation. The first victory of the large encirclement and large annihilation campaign plan. During the battle, the commanders and fighters accepted the encouragement of Chairman Mao's instructions to pursue the victory, so they were able to overcome all difficulties and fought tenaciously for 26 consecutive days, finally annihilating the Yu Hanmou Group This victory not only destroyed the seaside lair where the Kuomintang bandits cruelly oppressed the people in South China, blocked a channel for U.S. imperialism to aid the Kuomintang bandits from the sea, wiped out the main force of the Yu Hanmou Group, and completed the dialogue with the Bai Chongxi Group in the southeast Encirclement from all sides is of great significance to the liberation of Hainan Island and the liberation of Guangxi."