Chapter 5 Chapter 04

The troops acted according to the strategic deployment of Mao Zedong, chairman of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, and indeed mobilized the enemy.The enemy's 35th Army near Peiping and the 258th Division of the 104th Army (temporary 3rd Army) in Huailai reinforced Zhangjiakou by train and car on the 30th, and counterattacked against Wanquan; the enemy's 310th Division in Huailai Reinforce Xuanhua. In this way, the enemy concentrated 1 corps, 2 armies, 6 infantry divisions, 2 cavalry brigades, and 2 security regiments in Zhangjiakou; in Xuanhua, there were 2 divisions and 1 security regiment.

The above-mentioned situation quickly spread to the seat of the Xibaipo Party Central Committee through red radio waves.Mao Zedong learned that our army's actions had achieved the goal of attracting the enemy from Pingjin to the west, and he was very happy. On December 1 and 2, 1948, he sent a telegram to the 3rd Corps to encircle all the enemies, step up the construction of fortifications, and put the enemy Surround them, don't let them run away. Yang Chengwu, commander of the 3rd Corps, acted according to the order, and most of Fu's direct descendants were surrounded and contained by our army in the Zhangjiakou area.

My 3rd Corps has 3 columns and 8 brigades, surrounded by so many enemies; it's like making buns with thin skin and big stuffing.The encirclement and anti-encirclement of the enemy and ourselves will be a fierce and severe contest.Before Yang Chengwu, the first thing is how to firmly grasp the enemy. At this time, the main force of the 2nd North China Corps was still in the area of ​​Yi County and Tang County. Mao Zedong ordered them to rush to Yihua and Xiahuayuan via Zijingguan and Zhuolu, so as to cooperate with the 3rd Corps to complete the task of encircling and cutting off the main force of Fu. .

The 13th Corps of the Northeast Army was the first to enter the pass. At this time, it was hundreds of miles away in Ji County, east of Beiping.Mao Zedong ordered them to rush forward through Miyun to Huairou and Nankou, preparing to repel the enemy reinforcements from Peiping to the west. The 3rd North China Corps marched from Jining area to Zhangjiakou At that time, on the east side of the 3rd Corps, troops from the Jirecha Military Region occupied Shacheng and Tumu, and destroyed the railway from Xiahuayuan to Huailai; the 12th Brigade of the 4th Column occupied Xinbaoan. At this tense moment, our army in the northeast crossed the Great Wall via Lengkou and Xifengkou, entered the pass one after another, and advanced rapidly towards Ping and Tianjin.

On this day, the enemy launched an attack on various departments of our 3rd Corps.The two armies fought fiercely all day long, and the gunfire from three sides gradually stopped when the night was dark. The enemy suffered thousands of heavy casualties and only occupied a few points, but still failed to break free from the encirclement. Yang Chengwu rode on his horse and returned to the command post of the Corps from the front.In Zhangjiakou in early winter, dripping water has turned into ice, and the north wind is blowing, with the whistling air and the strong smell of gunpowder smoke. Yang Chengwu walks slowly holding the reins, planning for an even more intense battle tomorrow.

The enemy's 35th Army is the direct descendant of Fu Zuoyi's "trump card" that Fu Zuoyi relies on to watch the house, and its combat effectiveness is quite strong. At 8 o'clock on November 2, the 267th Division of the 35th Army of Zhangjiakou's enemy and a regiment of the 271st Division of Xuanhua, supported by armored trains, attacked our 1st Brigade from Zhangjiakou and Xuanhua at the same time. Get in touch and retreat eastward together. Commander Tang Yanjie of the 1st Column of the 3rd North China Corps judged that the attacking enemy's strength was small, and that he might be trying to expel our army and restore traffic between Zhangjiakou and Xuanhua. He immediately ordered the 1st Brigade to resolutely block the attacking enemy and ensure "cutting off results." At 8:40, the 2nd Regiment of the 1st Brigade fought fiercely with the enemy in the Qujiazhuang and Taishiwan areas.When the enemy's firepower was superior, the commanders and fighters of the 2nd Regiment fought hard and continued to fight fiercely with the enemy by means of counter-impact.The 4th, 8th, and 9th companies of the regiment repelled 5 attacks from 2 enemy regiments in a row and held their positions.

Fighting until 4 pm, in order to strengthen the defensive force, the 1st column ordered the 2nd brigade to cross the Yanghe River at dusk, occupy the upper and lower Balizhuang, Zhujiazhuang, and Chenjiazhuang areas, backed by the 1st brigade, facing southeast, forming a circular defense.The 8th Regiment of the 3rd Brigade entered the position between the upper and lower Balizhuang that night, further strengthening the stability of the defense. The enemy failed to get in touch. Guo Jingyun of the 35th Army was in a hurry. Regardless of the freezing cold in the early morning, at 6:00 on November 3, he commanded the 35th Army and most of the 5th Cavalry Brigade, with the support of artillery and air force. The position of the 1st column launched a fierce attack again.

About 1 enemy division launched a fierce attack on our 3rd Regiment's position defending the Ertaizi area. The enemy is an "ace" division with excellent equipment and top-notch tactics. The positions of the 3rd Battalion were breached one after another, and the enemy cavalry detoured along the Qingshui River to Hutudi.The 1st Battalion defending Hutudi was forced to withdraw from the battle due to being attacked on three sides and the fortifications were not strong.Due to the loss of the 3rd regiment's position, the left wing of the 1st brigade was exposed. At 13:00, a regiment and more than 500 cavalry of the enemy of Yulin Fort attacked the position of the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Regiment of the 1st Brigade.In the fierce battle until 16:00, more than half of the battalion suffered casualties, and the position was lost.

At this time, the 1st Brigade was already in an unfavorable situation of being attacked on three sides and fighting against the water. The two regiments of the enemy of Xuanhua, in response to the attack of the enemy in the north, attacked the upper and lower Balizhuang positions of the 5th Regiment of the 2nd Brigade in two directions at 10:00 am.The regiment fought tenaciously and fought until 3:30 pm, repelling the enemy and holding the position.At the same time, the 8th Regiment of the 3rd Brigade has entered the Santaizi and Dawangzhuang areas, carrying out sabotage raids on the railways and highways in the Xuanhua and Xinzhuang sections. At 17:00, most of the enemy withdrew to Zhangjiakou and Xuanhua.

The 1st Column of our North China 3rd Corps attacked Shalingzi on December 1, cut off the enemy's connection between Zhangjiakou and Xuanhua, fought for 3 days, and repelled multiple attacks by the enemy's 3 divisions.The enemy paid a high price and only captured a few positions, but failed to realize their attempt to connect Zhangjiakou and Xuanhua. After 3 days of fighting, my 1st column suffered heavy casualties, and with the consent of the Corps, the deployment was adjusted.The 1st Brigade withdrew to the south bank of the Yanghe River, the 2nd Brigade continued to monitor the enemy at Wangshan in the southeast, and the 3rd Brigade was on standby in the Nanxishuying and Jiangjiatun areas of Xuanhua.

The enemy couldn't attack the position of our first column, and moved the main breakthrough area, and attacked Shalingzi on December 4. They fought fiercely from morning to dusk for a whole day, and only occupied part of our army's positions. The 35th Army could not retreat and Beiping was in critical condition. Fu Zuoyi could no longer hold his breath, and hurried to Zhangjiakou to hold a meeting of senior generals to encourage his generals, adjust their deployment, and order them to break through.After the meeting, Fu Zuoyi returned to Peking on the same day. However, on the second day, our Northeast Advance Corps captured Miyun and moved towards the Pingzhang Line.This time, Fu Zuoyi became even more panicked, and once again urgently ordered the 35th Army to immediately withdraw to Peiping. At dawn on December 5, our 1st Brigade withdrew its troops to both sides of the Shalingzi Railway. When it snowed, the north wind howled, and the snowflakes were flying all over the sky. The strong wind rolled up the snow on the ground again. It was full of trees, and the branches were covered with snowflakes, and it was so white that you could neither see nor hear anything.Under the support of the supporting troops, the two divisions of the enemy's 35th Army took the opportunity to flee eastward in 400 vehicles in the early morning of the 6th, and arrived at the Xiahuayuan area in the evening of the same day. Continue eastward on the 7th. In order to rescue the 35th Army, Fu Zuoyi ordered the 104th Army and the 16th Army to go west.When it was only 4 kilometers away from the 35th Army, the enemy's 35th Army was stopped by our Jirecha troops and the 12th Brigade of the 4th Column of the Second North China Corps in the area near Xinbaoan. At dawn on the 8th, the 3rd and 4th columns of the 2nd North China Corps, which had just arrived in the Xinbaoan area after overcoming hunger and cold, went into battle. On the 9th, in the area east of Xinbaoan, the enemy's 35th Army, which was fleeing east, was blocked, and at the same time, the enemy's 104th Army, which was aided from the west, was blocked, so that the two enemies could not meet at a distance of only 4 kilometers, and the 35th Army was forced to retreat to Xinbao. Security, the 104th Army returned to Huailai. On the 9th, at the moment when the main force of our 2nd North China Corps was flanked by the enemy's 35th Army and 104th Army in the area east of Xinbaoan, the 13th Corps of our Northeast Army rushed to the Pingsui Line and launched an attack on the enemy. Kangzhuang and Chadao wiped out the headquarters of the 16th Army, the 109th Division, and a part of the 22nd Division; the 104th Army ignored the 35th Army when they saw that their rear was intercepted, turned around and fled eastward, and was annihilated by our army on the way . However, the 35th Army, the enemy's main force, escaped from Zhangjiakou by chance, and was surrounded by our 2nd North China Corps in Xinbaoan. In the strategic deployment of the Pingjin Campaign designed by Mao Zedong, holding back the enemy's 35th Army was an important part, but something went wrong with this part at this time.Mao Zedong was very angry when he got the news, and took severe measures. On December 7, he sent a telegram to criticize the leaders of the 3rd North China Corps and the 1st Column, and should not allow the enemy's 35th Army to escape from Zhangjiakou. For this mistake, the leaders of the Corps took responsibility and made a review to the Central Military Commission.Regarding this matter, the Corps conducted serious criticism and education on the troops, and punished the main responsible cadres of the 1st Regiment of the brigade. This mistake is a bad thing, but it is also a good thing.It reminded Yang Chengwu that no matter how bad the weather was, he must block the enemy and not allow other enemy troops in Zhangjiakou to escape.A death order was given to all the troops, and the enemy must not be allowed to break out of the siege. Wherever the breakout comes from, they must bear full responsibility.The entire army heard that Chairman Mao had directly called to criticize, and immediately understood the importance of their positions. All the officers and soldiers were enthusiastic and determined to fight this battle well, to win glory for the army, and to reassure Chairman Mao. Various troops repaired fortifications one after another, adjusted their deployment, and tightened the encirclement. The 1st Column of our army completely occupied Shalingzi and the airport on the evening of December 6, completely cutting off the Zhangjiakou and Xuanhua roads.Annihilated the enemy's 271st Division in one fell swoop, captured the commander of the division, took advantage of the victory to liberate Xuanhua, and forced the enemy's 103rd Division to flee to Zhangjiakou. The 1st Column was awarded by a telegram from the Military Commission.The 2nd and 6th columns also tightened the encirclement.Subsequently, the columns occupied Jiaoding Mountain, Xidianzi, Shisanli Yingfang and other outlying strongholds.The troops of the Beiyue Military Region and the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Cavalry Divisions liberated Zhangbei.The 8th Column led by Li Jingquan was on standby in Jining. In this way, the first column, the second column, and the sixth column formed the first encirclement; the cavalry divisions and the local armed forces of the Beiyue Military Region led by Wang Pingdu formed the second encirclement; Local armed forces formed a third encirclement circle. The enemy in Zhangjiakou was tightly surrounded by our army.The enemy tried to break out of the siege many times, but was repelled by our army. In order to tightly surround the enemy of Zhangjiakou and prevent the enemy of Xuanhua from shrinking towards Zhangjiakou, the 1st Column of the 3rd Corps once again cut off the connection between Zhangjiakou and Yihua. At 22:00 on the 6th, the 2nd Regiment of the 1st Brigade wiped out a mortar company of the 271st Division near Qujiazhuang.During the interrogation of the prisoners, it was learned that the 271st Division was all gathering towards Zhangjiakou. It originally planned to go to Zhangjiakou via the airport, but because our army blocked it, it detoured to Qujiazhuang and Taishizhuang. The overall situation of the enemy's 271st Division shrinking towards Zhangjiakou was not very clear to the leaders of the 1st Column, and they only learned about it after the 1st Brigade and the 3rd Brigade encountered the enemy.As a campaign-level commander, the column leader enhanced his strategic awareness after Mao Zedong's criticism, and further understood the strategic intentions of the Central Military Commission and Mao Zedong. According to research, the 271st Division cannot be allowed to shrink to Zhangjiakou. Seize the key points, split the enemy, make quick decisions, and annihilate the enemy in motion. At 10 o'clock on the 9th, under the unified order of the column, each brigade launched a general attack on the surrounded enemy. Tens of thousands of troops, like an overwhelming force, rushed towards the enemy together. At 12 o'clock in the battle, all of the besieged enemies were wiped out by our army except for more than 500 who fled north. The enemy division commander Zhang Jinxiu and deputy division commander Liang Chao were captured alive by our army. By December 13, our 3rd Corps had annihilated 2 enemy armies and 5 divisions on the Kuisui line.The enemy's 11th Corps, the 105th Corps and 7 divisions (brigades) were surrounded by our 3rd Corps in Zhangjiakou.Mao Zedong's severe criticism turned into a huge fighting force. At this time, the 35th Army headquarters and 2 divisions were surrounded by the 2nd Corps in Xinbaoan.Our army has controlled the important areas of Nankou and Badaling.This forced the enemy to transfer the 92nd Army, the 94th Army (2 divisions) and the 157th Division of the 62nd Army in the Tianjin and Tanggu areas to deploy their defenses west of Beiping. So far, a favorable situation has been formed for our army to divide and encircle the enemies in Beiping, Tianjin, and Tanggu areas. At this time, Mao Zedong, who had a profound strategy, instructed the 2nd and 3rd Corps of North China to suspend the attack on Zhangjiakou and Xinbaoan, and asked them to "encircle without fighting" and "separate without encirclement" within two weeks, one by one from west to east. The enemy seized.Because at this time, our army in the Northeast is advancing in a campaign, and has not completely divided and encircled the enemies in Beiping, Tianjin, and Tanggu. If we wipe out the enemies in Xinbaoan first, not only will the enemies in Zhangjiakou break out westward, but it will also make the enemy in Nankou and beyond. Dong's enemies quickly decided to flee.In order to prevent this possibility, Mao Zedong not only instructed the troops on the western front to "encircle but not fight", but also instructed the Northeast Field Army to "separate but not encircle" the enemies in Beiping, Tianjin, and Tanggu. , without encircling the battle.This is mainly to stabilize the enemy before completing the deployment of the campaign, so that it is difficult for the enemy to detect the real strategic intention of our army.In addition, in order to paralyze the enemy and prevent the enemy from fleeing south, Mao Zedong also ordered the Central Plains and East China Field Army not to make final deployments to wipe out the enemy on the Huaihai battlefield for two weeks, which made it difficult for Chiang Kai-shek to make up his mind to withdraw the Peiping and Tianjin troops from the sea.At the same time, we ordered our army in Shandong to concentrate a certain number of troops to control a section of the Yellow River near Jinan, and to make preparations on the Jiaoji Road to prevent the enemy from fleeing in the direction of Yantai and Qingdao in Shandong. According to Mao Zedong's instructions, the troops and militia of the Central Hebei, Southern Hebei, Beiyue, and Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Regions respectively set up several blocking positions in the eastern and western regions of Jinnan, Pingnan, Cangxian, Baoding, Dezhou, and Shijiazhuang to prevent the enemy from entering the south and south of the land. escape. In this way, Mao Zedong, who is like a god of soldiers, laid a net of heaven and earth, so that Fu Zuoyi's troops fell into the control of our army without knowing it. "Surround and not fight" means not fighting immediately, but not letting the enemy run away.This is really a special kind of battle, and every commander and fighter must be extra vigilant.The 3rd Corps completed this special task and achieved results.At this time, Mao Zedong enthusiastically sent a telegram to commend them. On December 10th, the telegram stated: "My Yang-Li Corps (1st Column) wiped out a large part of the enemy's division between Zhangjiakou and Xuanhua a few days ago and occupied Xuanhua. Make sure you encircle the position (2 verticals)." On December 11, the telegram stated: "You repelled the enemy's attack again yesterday, which is very comforting." On December 17, the telegram stated: "It is very comforting to conquer Zhangbei." Mao Zedong commanded the army with strict rewards and punishments, rewards for meritorious deeds, and punishments for demerits, and all commanders and fighters were sincerely convinced. On the big chessboard of the North China battlefield, in order to hold back Fu Zuoyi, Mao Zedong had been waving another powerful chess piece with confidence, which was the Second North China Corps. On November 18, 1948, Yang Dezhi, commander of the 2nd Corps, Luo Ruiqing, political commissar, and Geng Biao, chief of staff, received telegrams from the Central Military Commission and Chairman Mao Zedong.The telegram said: The units of Yang, Luo, and Geng were on standby in Fuping and were ready to dispatch to the vicinity of Zhangjiakou at any time to cooperate with Yang, Li, and Li to prevent the enemy from escaping. This is an important deployment made by Mao Zedong to prevent the enemy troops from Beiping, Tianjin, Zhangjiakou and Tangshan from escaping westward. This is the first telegram received by the North China Military Region about the Battle of Pingjin."Yang, Luo, and Geng" in the message refer to Commander Yang Dezhi, Political Commissar Luo Ruiqing, and Chief of Staff Geng Biao of the 2nd North China Corps, and "Yang, Li, Li" refer to Yang Chengwu, Li Jingquan, and Li Tianhuan of the 3rd North China Corps. On November 20, Yang Dezhi and Luo Ruiqing received a telegram from Mao Zedong to Lin Biao and others, pointing out that the two columns of Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao could not only encircle Zhangjiakou and prevent Fu from retreating westward, but also Cut off the missions of Beiping and Tianjin.It is not difficult to see that Mao Zedong used them as an important mobile force. At midnight on November 24, Yang Dezhi and Luo Ruiqing received another telegram from Mao Zedong to the 3rd Corps and relayed it to them.This telegram ordered the 3rd Corps to withdraw from the encirclement and return to Sui, and secretly advance eastward, and enter the Zhangjiakou and Xuanhua areas by means of surprise raids, so as not to let the enemy run away eastward, and wait for the main force of the Northeast to enter the customs.He also ordered the 1st Corps to stop attacking Taiyuan so as not to scare Fu Zuoyi away. In this way, the Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao Corps entered the torrent of the Pingjin Campaign. Mao Zedong assigned Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao Corps the first "most important task", which was to block the 35th Army of Fu Zuoyi's "Ace" Army. This task was related to the overall situation of the Pingjin Campaign. On the night of November 30, the Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao corps marched continuously for several days and arrived at the Zijingguan area designated by Mao Zedong to hide and stand by. The next day, when Yang Dezhi and Luo Ruiqing learned that the 3rd Corps had suddenly launched an attack on the enemies outside Zhangjiakou, the 35th Army of Fu Zuoyi's "Ace" Army stationed in Beiping and the 104th Army stationed in Huailai obeyed Fu Zuoyi's orders and took trains and When the car went west for reinforcements, it immediately realized that the surprise soldier of the 2nd Corps should be dispatched.The 3rd Corps attacked Zhangjiakou and achieved the purpose of attracting the main force of the Fu family to the Pingsui line.This is a good move made by Mao Zedong in order to mobilize the enemies in Peiping.Now that the enemy has been mobilized, the 2nd Corps must have a good fight to fight. Luo Ruiqing was thinking about the movements of the enemy's 35th Army. He asked Yang Dezhi and Geng Biao: "How about Guo Jingyun? What are the characteristics of fighting?" "I heard that he has a lot of 'ideas'," Yang Dezhi said humorously, "but in front of us, these 'ideas' of his didn't work much. " Guo Jingyun, commander of the 35th Army of the Kuomintang, was nicknamed Guo Mazi.Among the many generals under Fu Zuoyi's command, Guo Jingyun is among the best.The 35th Army was created by Fu Zuoyi's painstaking efforts for many years, and it is Fu Zuoyi's elite journey.Fu Zuoyi dared to hand over the "ace" army to Guo Jingyun, a Shaanxi native, which shows how much he attaches importance to Guo Jingyun. When the commanders and fighters learned that the enemy's 35th Army was "transferred out of Peiping", they generally uttered the cry of "settle the old score with the 35th Army".In recent years, the troops belonging to the 2nd Corps have fought against the 35th Army several times. When everyone was eager to fight, in order to take care of the overall situation, Mao Zedong ordered the 3rd Corps surrounding Zhangjiakou to "surround and not fight", which tied the 35th Army of Western Aid. While looking at the map, Luo Ruiqing said to Yang Dezhi: "Chairman Mao used his troops like a god, and the enemy obediently obeyed his orders. Call out the enemy in Beiping and divide the enemy army so that we can eat them individually. This is a wise move." Yang Dezhi also felt the same way, saying: "This 'article' is very big! The more it goes on, the better the show will be. Chairman Mao has set the stage for us." On December 2, the Military Commission ordered the Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao corps to leave the Zijing Pass and approach the Zhuolu area. When Guo Jingyun left Beijing, he was completely "successful". He just said to Fu Zuoyi and related personnel easily, "Go and come back."It seems that he is not going to fight, but to go to the temple fair. The 35th Army of the Kuomintang went smoothly and arrived in Zhangjiakou soon. Mao Zedong saw through Fu Zuoyi's psychology, and believed that although Fu Zuoyi had two options of fleeing west or fleeing south, his old nest was in Suiyuan, and the possibility of fleeing west was unlikely.Fu Zuoyi dispatched the 35th Army to relieve the siege of Zhangjiakou because he considered that Lin Biao's troops in the northeast could not enter the pass for the time being, and Nie Rongzhen's corps in North China could do nothing for him.When Fu Zuoyi learned that the Northeast Field Army had begun to enter the pass, and the Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao corps in North China had already left the Bauhinia Pass, he felt that the situation was serious, so he immediately ordered Guo Jingyun to return to Peiping as soon as possible.He was unwilling to keep his "ace" army outside Peiping. Mao Zedong estimated that Fu Zuoyi would lose his pawns and save the car, and would rather lose Zhangjiakou than the 35th Army to surrender to Peiping, because this is related to whether the Pingjin Campaign can develop smoothly. The military situation is urgent and cannot be delayed. On December 4, Mao Zedong sent three consecutive telegrams to Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao within one day. At that time, the commanders and fighters of the 2nd Corps were rushing northward together.The military order is like a mountain, and this day is really urgent. The telegrams sent by Mao Zedong became more urgent one by one. The first telegram was sent at 2 am on the 4th.The telegram said: It is estimated that the Third Temporary Army is still in Huailai and the area east of it.I, Yang, Luo, and Geng should use the fastest means to capture the front line of the Xiahuayuan area and cut off the connection between the temporary 3rd Army and the Zhang (Jiakou) and Xuan (Hua) enemies.And emphatically pointed out: to capture the Xiahuayuan area, it is most important to firmly cut off the connection between the eastern and western enemies. The second telegram was sent at 4 pm on the 4th.Text command: Yang, Luo, and Geng Wu acted quickly, surrounded the enemies at Xuanhua and Xiahuayuan with the main force, and wiped them out at will (first wipe out the enemies at Xiahuayuan).By effectively cutting off the connection between Huailai and Xiahuayuan, we can indeed prevent Huailai and its enemies to the east from sending reinforcements to the west.And asked to report the military situation to the Military Commission every day. The stakes are high in this fight.After Luo Ruiqing and others saw these telegrams, they ordered the troops to rush towards Xiahuayuan and Xuanhua at full speed regardless of anything!At that time, the 2nd Corps marched on two legs.During the march, the propagandists of each unit shouted loudly, allegro and slogans, shouting desperately: "Seize the 35th Army!" "Block the 35th Army!" "Catch up with the 35th Army!" "Catch the 35th Army!" After several years of war, the commanders and fighters have forged a pair of "iron feet".In the past few days, I marched forty or fifty kilometers every day.Today is a forced march. At 9 o'clock on the night of the 4th, Mao Zedong sent a third telegram, emphasizing that: Yang, Luo, and Geng Wu will use all their strength to control the section of Xuanhua (not included) and Huailai (not included) on Ming (Friday), and immediately start to build the The most important task is to build strong blocking fortifications in the east and west so that the enemy in Zhangjiakou cannot retreat eastward.And asked Yang, Luo, and Geng to report whether they could reach the Xuanhuai line on the 5th. During the day on the 4th, Mao Zedong sent several telegrams to various theaters across the country, three of which were to Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao.Of course Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao understood that Mao Zedong commanded the battlefields across the country, and commanded the actions and operations of various strategies and campaign groups. However, they sent three urgent telegrams to their 2nd Corps in one day, which shows that the use of their forces, Mao Zedong How important it is.As campaign-level commanders, they understood Mao Zedong's intentions and were determined to implement Mao Zedong's strategic intentions desperately. When Mao Zedong asked in a telegram whether "Yang, Luo, and Geng Ming (whether) could reach the Xuan (Huai) Huai (Lai) line on the 5th, most of the troops of the 2nd Corps were still marching on the rugged mountain roads in the Taihang Mountains. There are only small trails in the mountains, which is not conducive to the multi-way action of large troops. However, in order to complete Mao Zedong’s strategic deployment, Luo Ruiqing personally ran to mobilize everyone to speed up and move forward at a fast marching speed. Because speed is victory at this time, and the enemy’s 35th Army is a mechanized force , The marching speed is fast. Mao Zedong sent another telegram at 7 a.m. on the 5th: Yang, Luo, and Geng should quickly control the Xuanhua and Huailai (not included) sections, complete the east-west blocking fortifications, prevent the Zhang and Xuan enemies from going east and the Huailai and Nankou enemies from going west, and annihilate the Xiahuayuan and Xinbaoan points by camera. enemy…… This time, Mao Zedong did not ask them if they arrived, but ordered them to quickly control Xuanhua and Huailai. This is an urgent order! Luo Ruiqing suddenly remembered the 12th Brigade of the 4th Column who stayed in Pingbei.When the main force went south, the brigade was intercepted by the enemy in the mean north.After discussing with Yang Dezhi and Geng Biao, Luo Ruiqing immediately sent a telegram to the 12th Brigade, requesting that the brigade "immediately occupy any key point east of Xiahuayuan. Try to hold back the enemy, buy time, and wait for the main force to arrive." This telegram is crucial. After a short rest, the troops marched in overnight. In the early morning, the Corps entered the south bank of the Dayang River.Luo Ruiqing came to the Dayang River together with Yang Dezhi and Geng Biao.There is no bridge on the river, and a layer of ice is formed on the surface of the river. Through the ice, you can still hear the sound of water flowing. ． The three people were discussing how to cross the river, and the staff sent another telegram.This telegram was sent by Mao Zedong to the 3rd Corps and forwarded to other leaders of the 2nd Corps on the Pingjin front. Mao Zedong's tone was very severe: We have sent you telegrams many times, be sure to firmly separate Zhang and Xuan so that the enemies of the two places cannot join together. If the 1 vertical is not enough, the 2 vertical should be added... You must understand that as long as the Xuanhua enemy If the four divisions (the 271st Division of the 101st Army, the 250th and 258th Divisions of the 104th Army, and the 310th Division of the 105th Army) cannot meet in Zhangjiakou, the enemy in Zhangjiakou will not flee west; We know that Zhangjiakou has 5 infantry divisions and 3 cavalry brigades), but not only does Zhangjiakou gather the enemy's 9 infantry divisions and 3 cavalry brigades, it will be difficult to destroy them afterwards, and there is a danger of concentrating and fleeing westward at any time.You only need to look at the enemy's efforts to open up the connection between Zhang and Xuan every day, and you can see that the enemy's isolation of the two places is not good, and this isolation is extremely beneficial to us.Because we can annihilate the four divisions in Xuanhua first, and then annihilate the five infantry divisions and three cavalry brigades in Zhangjiakou.Therefore, you must resolutely implement our previous telegrams, secure the positions in Shalingzi and Balizhuang in the 1st column, add part or all of the 2nd column if necessary, and adjust the deployment after Yang, Luo, and Geng arrive (you must first subject to our approval), must not be violated. To frontline generals, Mao Zedong rarely used this kind of tone. It seems that the military plane is urgent and there is no time to wait. After reading the telegram, Yang Dezhi waved his hand: "The situation is very urgent, we must organize the river crossing as soon as possible." Luo Ruiqing looked at the instructions: "The shorter the time to cross the river, the better. If you try for one minute, you will take the initiative for one more minute." A staff officer said: "There's no bridge around here." "Walking in vain! There is no time to build bridges." Luo Ruiqing ordered. Luo Ruiqing, Yang Dezhi and others jumped into the river first, and the soldiers followed closely. In just one hour, the troops crossed the Yanghe River.When the last few soldiers came ashore, the surface of the water that had just dripped was frozen silently again. Like the soldiers, Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao's cotton coats were all covered with ice. After crossing the Ocean River, the 2nd Corps once again received a telegram from Mao Zedong at 6 o'clock on the 6th.The task is more clearly defined.In the telegram, Mao Zedong ordered the 2nd Corps: After Yang, Luo, and Geng all arrived in the Xiahuayuan area, they moved to the area between Xuanhua and Zhangjiakou with a powerful column, and together with the 1st column, they controlled the positions in the Shalingzi and Balizhuang areas of Zhang Xuanjian, and sent as much as possible to Zhang Xuan. The two sides expanded to defeat all the enemy's attempts to break through Zhang and Xuan, so that Zhang and Xuan were isolated from each other, so as to facilitate their subsequent annihilation. Unexpectedly, Guo Jingyun's "ace" army gave full play to the role of mechanized equipment.When Luo Ruiqing and others rushed to Xiahuayuan, the rear tail of the enemy's 35th Army had just passed through Xiahuayuan, and only the rear guard troops did not pass through. Mao Zedong would never allow the enemy's 35th Army, which aided Zhangjiakou in the west, to rush back to Peiping, and once again sent a stern order to the 2nd Corps: We must intercept the enemy's 35th Army. At 20 o'clock on the 5th, 6 o'clock on the 6th, and 2 o'clock on the 7th, Mao Zedong sent telegrams to Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao three times in succession, asking them to do their best to chase down the enemies of Xuanhua in Zhangjiakou and to command the 3rd Corps action.At this time, Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao were ordered: Yang, Luo, and Geng should obey the Military Commission's multiple telegrams to prevent the enemy from fleeing eastward; "You must use the main force (at least two columns) in the direction of the enemy's escape, that is, the east, and part of it on the enemy's flank, so as to completely cut off the connection between the 35th Army and Huailai, and do not violate it." At this time, news came: "The 35th Army has crossed the lower garden and went straight to Xinbao." "What?" Luo Ruiqing was annoyed.When he learned that the rear guard troops of the 35th Army made slight contact with our army and fled eastward by car, he asked sharply, "How far is the Jiming Station between Xiahuayuan and Xinbaoan from Xiahuayuan?" "About 20 miles." Geng Biao said. "Send a telegram to Wang Zhao, telling the 12th Brigade to block the enemy's army no matter what." Yang Dezhi clapped his fists anxiously. Luo Ruiqing said to several staff officers: "Tell all the commanders and fighters that if the 35th Army is allowed to escape Xinbao, then our 2nd Corps will have a hard time explaining to the Central Military Commission and Chairman Mao!" "Then we will make a big mistake and affect the whole battle situation." Yang Dezhi said. The order has been given.Yang Dezhi and Luo Ruiqing felt uneasy.They thought that this wave of enemies could not be stopped, and they did not complete the tasks assigned by the Central Military Commission and Chairman Mao. Just then, a miracle happened. At dusk, Luo Ruiqing received a telegram. At this time, the 12th Brigade had occupied Xinbaoan before the enemy and stopped the enemy. The situation of the 2nd Corps has changed. Since the 12th Brigade occupied Xinbaoan, our main force, the 3rd and 4th columns, were divided into multiple lanes overnight and transferred from the south side of Xinbaoan to the east of Xinbaoan at the fastest speed, and then gave Xinbaoan to the enemy. , When the enemy enters the new security, I will surround it." After Luo Ruiqing, Yang Dezhi, Geng Biao and others led the troops of the 2nd Corps to the outskirts of Xinbao, they completely cut off the connection between the enemy's 104th Army and the 35th Army, completed the tasks ordered by Mao Zedong, and realized the intention of the Supreme Command .At the same time, Yang Chengwu's Corps has cut off the east-west roads of the enemy in Zhangjiakou, and tightly surrounded the enemy in Zhangjiakou. Under such circumstances, Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao once suggested that the enemies of Xinbao should be wiped out quickly, but Mao Zedong had other overall considerations.Mao Zedong ordered the 2nd and 3rd Corps of the North China Military Region at 20:00 on the 8th: Yang, Luo, and Geng, against the enemies of Xinbaoan, and Yang and Li against the enemies of Zhangjiakou, all adopted the policy of quickly building multiple layers of encircling positions, encircling them for a long time, and waiting for orders to attack.Yang, Luo, and Geng's deployment focuses on the east, and Yang and Li's deployment focuses on the northwest, so that the enemies cannot escape, so that our main force in the northeast can enter the pass one after another, and complete the deployment against the Ping, Tianjin, Tang, and Tang enemies. Mao Zedong's wonderful move of "surround but not fight" was really far-sighted. It can be said that when he took the first step, he had already taken care of the second and third steps. Luo Ruiqing and Yang Dezhi couldn't help admiring. Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao immediately adopted a series of new measures in accordance with the spirit of Mao Zedong's telegram. The first action was to issue orders to the commanders and political commissars of each column, asking them to effectively surround the enemy's 35th Army and cut off its connection with the enemy in Huailai.Luo Ruiqing and Yang Dezhi told them: "The Central Military Commission and Chairman Mao have severely criticized us for arriving too late, allowing the enemy's 35th Army to take the opportunity to break through to the east, which affected the entire combat plan. Now the central government has clearly stipulated that if this group of enemies is allowed to escape, the 2nd Corps will be responsible. The leaders of our corps have assumed responsibility to the Military Commission, so we also require all columns to strictly and effectively implement all our orders. If the enemy flees due to infirm execution of orders, we must be held accountable.” Unexpectedly, as soon as this telegram was sent out, Zheng Weishan, the commander of the 3rd column, led the two regiments of the 8th and 7th brigades from the outer periphery of Xinbaoan to the Shacheng and Jiantan areas in the southeast of the city to fight against the enemy's 104th army. After Luo Ruiqing, Yang Dezhi, and Geng Biao got the news, they were very angry, and immediately issued a stern order to the 3rd column, ordering Zheng Weishan to withdraw the troops, and asking Zheng Weishan to take full responsibility for the current actions. After receiving telegrams from Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao, Zheng Weishan not only refused to withdraw his troops, but also asked the head of the corps to send another regiment.He called back and said: "I am here to block the enemy of the Western Aid. The situation is serious. Please support me from the 4th column." Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao knew Zheng Weishan very well. They knew that Commander Zheng would not call for reinforcements unless it was absolutely necessary. After discussion, they ordered Tang Zian, chief of staff of the 4th column, to lead two battalions to reinforce the 3rd column. . It turned out that the enemy's 104th Army and 205th Division tried their best to approach Xinbaoan in an attempt to meet the 35th Army's breakout. Zheng Weishan led the troops to resolutely block the enemy's hope of breaking through the encirclement.Zheng Weishan creatively carried out the orders of his superiors. At the same time, the 3rd Column also repelled the 35th Army's sudden eastward assault several times on the 9th.Mao Zedong was very pleased when he learned of the situation, so he called Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao at 3 o'clock on the 10th, pointing out: "Yang, Luo, and Geng three and four vertically repelled the enemies from the east and the west yesterday (9th) to ensure their positions. , should be ordered to reward." On the 10th, Mao Zedong called Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao again, asking them to quickly build all necessary blocking positions so that the besieged enemies could not escape. The enemy commander, Guo Jingyun, has been restless since he entered the New Security City. He understands that this small area of ​​less than one square kilometer cannot be used against mechanized troops, and as long as the communist army's cannons are fired, he will be finished. .Therefore, every effort is made to highlight the new security guard.But he is gentle and stern, his face is still full of arrogance, and his mouth is very tough.Guo Jingyun boasted to his subordinates: "Our 35th Army grew up eating steel and iron, and defending the city is our housekeeping skill. When Zhifeng and Yan Xishan fought against Feng Yuxiang, we guarded Tianzhen. During the Northern Expedition, we guarded Zhuozhou. During the War of Resistance, we We have defended Taiyuan, and we have defended Guisui and Baotou in the "Bandit Suppression". Except for Taiyuan, we have won every time. Now what is it to guard a new security guard?" In order to boost morale, Guo Jingyun even used superstitious methods to confuse people: "The place name Xinbaoan is very auspicious to us. I am from Chang'an, my son is Guo Yongan, and now I come to Xinbaoan. Chang'an, Yongan, and Baoan are three 'an'. With this 'San'an', we can guarantee our first The 35th Army will safely return to Peiping within three days." However, the facts were not as simple as Guo Jingyun boasted. He broke through several times and was beaten back. After failing to break through several times, Guo Jingyun pinned his hopes on Fu Zuoyi's reinforcements.He thought to himself, not to mention the 35th Army, even the 400 "Da Daoji" vehicles equipped by the entire army, Fu Zuoyi can't ignore it. Fu Zuoyi really wanted to take Guo Jingyun's army back to Peiping. Not only did he send planes, but he also strictly ordered the 104th Army to move closer to Xinbao.Unexpectedly, the enemy's 104th Army attacked several times and could not get close to the 35th Army even after leaving corpses all over the mountains and plains. "General Ever Victory" really felt the terrible consequences. Luo Ruiqing was thinking, before the Central Military Commission ordered a general offensive, could it do some work to persuade the enemy to surrender? Yang Dezhi was also thinking.One day, Yang Dezhi looked at Xinbaoan City in the snowstorm, and said to Luo Ruiqing and Geng Biao: "Before launching the general attack, let's give Guo Jingyun some gifts first!" "What gift?" Geng Biao asked. “给郭景云送一封《紧急劝降书》，就以我们几个人的名义。” 罗瑞卿一听，兴奋地说： “好啊，先礼后兵，文武夹攻嘛！” 在罗瑞卿的组织下，给“郭景云军长暨第35军全体官兵”的《紧急劝降书》很快就写成，并用迫击炮打进了新保安城。 ． 这份《紧急劝降书》好似一颗重磅炸弹，在敌军官兵的心弦上产生了很大的震动。 当杨得志、罗瑞卿、耿飚把围困新保安的情况向毛泽东报告后，毛泽东表示满意，并于15日凌晨2时复电指出： 杨、罗、耿14时电悉。加紧完成对35军的攻击准备甚好。 实行攻击时间需待东北主力入关，确实完成北平、天津两地的包围之后，大约在20日。 毛泽东还要让杨得志、罗瑞卿、耿飚把敌第35军围下去，还要让他们去做“文章”。 “围而不打”，一篇多么高明而又吸引人的文章。 12月19日，罗瑞卿兴冲冲地对耿飚说： “告诉你一个好消息，东野4纵也到西线来了。我们可以动手吃掉第35军了。” 原来，军委想到敌第35军被歼以后，张家口之敌有可能向西突围，所以将已经在康庄集结的东北野战军第4纵队拨归华北军区第2兵团指挥，以加强对张家口的包围。耿飚一听说东北野战军第4纵队要来，分外高兴。第4纵队政委莫文骅是罗瑞卿和他在红军大学的老同学，老战友在前线相逢，别有一番情谊。 那天，罗瑞卿通知各部队要腾出最好的房子给东北野战军第4纵队的同志住。晚上，几个人边谈边吃。当罗瑞卿讲到他们已经给郭景云送去了《紧急劝降书》时，莫文骅连声说： “好，这件礼物送得好。” “我们还想再给他们准备一份礼物呢！”耿飚说，“但这件事还得请你出一把力。” 莫文骅两眼一亮，惊奇地问： “总不会要我到新保安去做郭景云的说客吧！” 耿飚摇摇头，笑着说： “把你们的炮兵团借给我们用用。” “打下新保安，马上要他们归建。”耿飚说，“放心吧，不会耽误你们打张家口的。” 莫文骅思考一下，微微点头。又说：“这件事我们还得向中央军委请示一下，同时也得请示东北野战军总部。”杨得志、罗瑞卿、耿飚要借炮兵团，东北野战军和中央军委都同意了。这无疑增加了第2兵团的攻击力量。新保安是平张线上的一个集镇，面积只有一平方公里，但有比较坚固的城墙，还筑有相当数量的防御工事，增加一个炮兵团，杨得志、罗瑞卿、耿飚心里踏实多了。