Chapter 8 Chapter 7

After the 2nd North China Corps surrounded Xinbao, the majority of commanders and fighters strongly demanded to conquer Xinbao as soon as possible and annihilate the old enemy of the 35th Army. On December 10, Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao called the central government to suggest: without hindering the implementation of the entire combat policy, it is better to wipe out the enemy's 35th Army first after the artillery and ammunition reinforcements of the 4th Column of the Northeast Field Army arrive. On the 11th, Cheng Zihua and Huang Zhiyong also suggested to the Central Military Commission that after the end of the Huailai pursuit and annihilation battle, the main force of the Corps would participate in the annihilation of the 35th Army.

The Central Military Commission decided to "encircle but not attack" Xinbaoan from the overall consideration of keeping and annihilating the Fu Zuoyi Group in the Pingjin area, and emphasized: "At present, we are doing our best to prevent the enemy from breaking through, and it will take about ten days before we can attack and annihilate the enemy. It is all right for you to prepare for an attack, but do not carry out the attack." Zeng Siyu, commander of the 4th North China Column, said: "Fu Zuoyi's 35th Army is the enemy of my North China Army. It has fought against me many times in the past. This time I caught it, and I can't wait to eat it right away. Comrades This kind of mood is understandable, but there is a problem of the relationship between the overall situation and the local area. The complete annihilation of the enemy in the North China battlefield is the fundamental purpose of the Pingjin Campaign, and it is Comrade Mao Zedong's strategic decision on the Pingjin Campaign. The new security is only a part, a part The overall situation must be obeyed. Before the entire deployment of the campaign is ready, the purpose of guarding Xinbao without fighting is to prevent the Zhangjiakou Heping, Tianjin, and Tang enemies from fleeing westward and southward, and to wipe out the enemy in North China on the spot. In order to achieve the goal of the campaign The general intention, Comrade Mao Zedong specifically stipulated that the enemy in Xinbaoan and other places should be surrounded without fighting within two weeks."

One day, Zeng Siyu came to inspect the forward position. As soon as the soldiers saw him, they surrounded him and said, "Commander, hurry up and order to attack the city and destroy the 35th Army!" "You guys are in a bit of a hurry! It's easy to wipe out the 35th Army. Now it's encircling but not fighting. This move is Chairman Mao's general Fu Zuoyi's army. We lead him by the nose and fight whenever we want. He It’s like a monkey taking chili peppers. It can’t be eaten, it can’t be thrown away, it has no capital to run, and it has no strength to defend. After I am deployed, I will eat it in one bite. At that time, Chiang Kai-shek’s heavy army group on the North China battlefield will be wiped out by me on the spot. Annihilation. Which one do you think is better?"

After hearing the commander's explanation, the soldiers laughed heartily, and replied in unison: "It's wonderful!" Yang Dezhi said that the decision to encircle and not fight is indeed very wise, but it takes a lot of work for the majority of grassroots commanders and fighters to understand Chairman Mao's decision in a short period of time.For this reason, Luo Ruiqing personally organized political cadres to tell the troops the great strategic significance of temporarily "surrounding but not fighting" and obeying the overall situation.After explaining Chairman Mao's strategic intentions, everyone raised their awareness, became more excited, and overcame their impatience.

According to the instructions of the Central Military Commission, Yang Dezhi adjusted his deployment, focusing on preventing the 35th Army from breaking through to the east.With 3 vertical main forces located in the southeast of Xinbaoan, Qiaojiaying, Dongxishuiquan, Songjiaying, Shangxiabazi, and Ertaizi, with 1 brigade located in the south of Xinbaoan, Lijiafang, Wangjiafang, Wujiabao, Zhujiatun, Jiantan, and Maquan , Xiaotun-line; Line 4 is located in the east of Xinbaoan, Yong'an Village, Shanqingdian, Shangxiabali, Zaokou in the northeast, and Dongbali, Datun, Majiatai, and Xinzhuang lines in the southeast;

The 8th vertical main force is located in the west of Xinbaoan and southwest of Yanjiafang, Jintangfang, Hanjiafang, Xihuangzhuang, Liangzhuang and Jimingyi in the northwest. After the troops occupied the positions, they built layers of fortifications and carried out targeted field training activities.At the same time, launch a political offensive to disintegrate the enemy. Xinbaoan is a castle with only a thousand families on the Pingzhang Highway. It is located between Xiahuayuan and Shacheng.It is the former town of Zhangyuan (Zhangjiakou) and the back of Gyeonggi. It is known as the "Land of Keys".

It is said that this castle was set up in the Ming Dynasty as a support point from Xuanhua to Huailai to fight against Mongolian cavalry.It covers an area of ​​about 1 square kilometer and is surrounded by city walls. The wall is 12 meters high and the top is 6 meters wide. , is the commanding heights of the city.Out of the need to prevent the Mongolian cavalry from the north from going south, Xinbao has never had a north gate. There is another allusion to the origin of the name Xinbaoan. In 1900, when the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing, Cixi fled in a hurry and settled here.The old queen mother was dizzy from hunger, and the eunuch brought a bowl of gruel, and the queen mother was safe after drinking it, so she was named the new security guard.

After the 35th Army was besieged by Xinbaoan: it broke through several times but was repelled.Guo Jingyun felt that there was no hope of breaking out of the siege, so he turned to building fortifications in the city day and night, trying to stick to it and wait for help. On the one hand, Fu Zuoyi sent a telegram to Guo Jingyun to "encourage the officers and soldiers to carry forward the fine tradition of defending Zhuozhou and defending Guisui" and stick to it desperately to wait for changes in the current situation; In order to rescue his "ace army", Fu Zuoyi dispatched almost all available aircraft in Beiping City, either to help the 35th Army in combat, or to deliver grain bombs to the new security guards.However, for fear of being shot down, the planes delivering food bombs did not dare to fly at ultra-low altitudes, and just dropped them at high altitudes.In the cold winter, the north wind howled, and most of the food and ammunition dropped were blown to the positions of the People's Liberation Army.The officers and soldiers of the 35th Army in Xinbaoan City looked at the planes shuttling in the sky and watched the airborne items fall on the PLA positions, and they couldn't help feeling bitter.

In order to encourage his subordinates to work for him, Guo Jingyun summoned cadres above the battalion to give a lecture at the Town God's Temple: "Our 35th Army has a tradition of defending the city with Commander Fu. We fought against Feng in the Zhifeng Lianyan, and we defended Tianjin; we defended Zhuozhou during the Northern Expedition; We defended Taiyuan in the War of Resistance Against Japan; we defended Suibao in the War of Suppressing the Communist Party. It can be said that there was no victory in the four defenses of the city; now we are defending a new security guard, so what is there to say!"

The army commander who was born as a salt worker became more and more proud as he talked: "Today we guard Xinbao, the place name is very auspicious. I am from Chang'an, and my son is called Yong'an. Chang'an, Yong'an, and Bao'an, with these three security, we are guaranteed 35 The army returned to Peiping safely!" After the 35th Army decided to "stand firm and wait for help", they rushed to work day and night, built street warfare fortifications, used hundreds of cars as fortifications, blocked the streets and alleys, and repaired the Bell and Drum Tower in the center of the city as a defense and command center: Outside the new Baoan City, there are outer moats, bunkers, deer villages, and support points, especially in the Dongguan area, which can echo the firepower points on the city and form a barrier for city defense.

Guo Jingyun was divided into east and west defense zones by the north-south line of Xinbaoan. The east defense zone was defended by the 267th Division's security regiment and a mountain artillery company. Among them, the 801st regiment defended the southeast of the city, and the 800th regiment defended the northeast of the city. The regiment defends Dongguan, and the 799th regiment is the reserve team.The western defense area was defended by the 101st Division with a mountain artillery company attached to it, focusing on the outside of the west gate. Among them, the 303rd regiment defended the north of the west gate, the 301st regiment defended the south of the west gate, and the 302nd regiment was the reserve team. General Guo Jingyun's headquarters was located near the Bell and Drum Tower.The artillery positions of the army were deployed in the western defense area; in order to make all departments work together to defend, Guo Jingyun also established a new security defense command, with Feng Zi, commander of the 101st Division, as the defensive commander, and Wen Hanmin, commander of the 267th Division, as the deputy commander. However, over time.The defenders of the city were suffering from hunger and cold, the morale of the army was unstable, and those who had no fighting spirit, and many officers at all levels felt that a catastrophe was imminent, and they could not stop talking in panic. Since the Central Military Commission issued the order to encircle and not attack, Yang Dezhi's 2nd Corps stepped up training and prepared for an attack within half a month. In the new security in December, it was minus 30 degrees cold.The soldiers of the 2nd North China Corps surrounded outside the city spent every day in the ice and snow, building fortifications and training on the battlefield.Although the weather is bitterly cold, the mood is boiling hot. In order to stimulate the fighting enthusiasm of the commanders and fighters, the 2nd Corps carried out extensive political mobilization and put forward a resounding battle slogan: "Two and a half years of hard work, revenge and meritorious deeds are today, destroy the lifeline of Fu Jun, and capture Guo Jingyun alive." The units of the 2nd Corps overcame the difficulties of the freezing weather and dug cobweb-like trenches and traffic ditches around the new security guards.The 22nd and 23rd Brigades of the 8th Column dug more than 20,000 meters of traffic trenches, and the traffic trenches dug by the 7th Brigade of the 3rd Column and the "Brigade of the 4th Column" reached tens of meters from the front of the position, opening up a favorable vantage point for the assault troops. Offensive channel: The troops responsible for the assault mission carried out targeted field training, especially the main attack battalion and regiment carefully trained the "sharp knife company".Commanders at all levels repeatedly surveyed the terrain, selected breakthroughs, clarified tasks on the spot, and studied coordination methods. The 2nd Corps formulated a careful siege plan: The main force of the 3rd Column attacked eastward from the Xinzhuang area in the southwest of Xinbaoan. The breakthrough point was the northwest corner of Ximen Wengcheng. The 8th Brigade of the column was located in the Wujiabao area south of Xinbaoan to contain and block the defenders' southward attack; The main force of the 4th column attacked westward from the east of Xinbaoan and the Shangxiarenli and Zaokou areas in the northeast. It first cleared the defenders at Dongguan and the station, and then used the east gate as a breakthrough. The 12th Brigade of the column was located in Dongbali, southeast of Xinbaoan , Datun area, for the siege reserve team and the defense army East Turkistan; The main force of the 8th Column attacked the northwest corner of Xinbaoan from the Jimingyi and Shuiquan areas in the northwest of Xinbao. On December 19, the 4th Column of the Northeast Field Army crossed Xinbaoan and marched towards the Zhangjiakou area, strengthening the defense forces in this area. On the same day, Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao reported to Lin Biao, Luo Ronghuan, and Liu Yalou that all the preparations and work for our Corps to attack and wipe out the 35th Army of Xinbaoan had been completed. On the same day, Yang Dezhi and Luo Ruiqing issued an emergency surrender letter to the 35th Army. "Commander Guo Jingyun and all officers and soldiers of the 35th Army: "You are surrounded in the isolated city of Xinbaoan, lacking both food and ammunition, and no hope of reinforcements. You are completely in a desperate situation, waiting for the fate of being wiped out. "Fu Zuoyi's general situation is gone. Nankou, Tongxian, Shahe, Liangxiang, Lugouqiao, Fengtai, Mentougou, Shijingshan, Nanyuan, Langfang, Tangshan and other important military and economic areas have been lost. Seeing that Beiping and Tianjin can't be kept, the whole army will be wiped out. Most of the 104th Army and 16th Army were wiped out between Huailai and Kangzhuang, and the 105th Army was also surrounded by me in Zhangjiakou. Just like you, they could not escape. Since Fu Zuoyi could not save the 104th Army, 16th Army, and 105th Army, How can you be saved? Since you can’t save Beiping and Tianjin, how can you save Xinbaoan and Zhangjiakou? Therefore, don’t think about any reinforcements. Didn’t you fall into a tight siege because of the reinforcements in Zhangjiakou? Isn’t it the 104th Army and the 16th Army? Were you wiped out because of your reinforcements? Don’t imagine that you were lucky enough to break out of the siege. Our army surrounded you like an iron barrel, and the People’s Liberation Army was everywhere along the way from Beiping in the east to Zhangjiakou in the west. Don’t say that you don’t have wings. Even if you have wings, you can’t fly out. Don’t imagine that the fortifications you have built can hold fast. May I ask how the fortifications in Xinbao are compared with those in Shijiazhuang, Linfen, Baoding, etc.? Not to mention Jinan, Jinzhou, Changchun, Shenyang, Luoyang, Kaifeng, Zhengzhou, Xuzhou, etc. With the overwhelming firepower of our army, as long as we concentrate bombardment on you for a few hours, or a little longer, your entire army will be wiped out immediately. "In order to remember the more than 20,000 of you and not to make unnecessary sacrifices, our army hereby proposes to you: Disarm our army and surrender immediately, follow the example of Changchun Zheng Dongguo and the New 7th Army, and our army should guarantee the safety of all your officers and soldiers and you The belongings you carry with you will not be confiscated. What our army asks you, as long as you don’t destroy your weapons, cars, all military assets, and all documents when you surrender. If you dare to refuse this advice from our army, our army will submit to you You launch an attack and wipe out all of you quickly and cleanly. Those who know the current affairs are heroes. At this critical juncture, I forgive you for being smart. Time will not wait for you too much, so make a quick decision on where to go. As you wish Accept the army's suggestion, and immediately send responsible representatives out of the city to negotiate with the army headquarters." However, the persuasion to surrender was rejected, and the 35th Army was on a dead end. On December 20, the deployment of the Northeast Field Army to Beiping, Tianjin and other places was completed 5 days ahead of schedule.Lin Biao, Luo Ronghuan, and Liu Yalou approved the combat plan of the 2nd Corps after consulting the Central Military Commission for instructions. At 4:00 pm on the 21st, three columns of the 2nd North China Corps and an artillery regiment of the 4th Column of the Northeast Field Army began to attack Xinbao under a unified order.After a night of fierce fighting, the outer positions have been cleared. At 7:10 on the 22nd, Yang Dezhi, commander of the Second North China Corps, issued an order for a general offensive.The signal flare that flew from the regiment headquarters drew a green arc in the gray sky, and floated leisurely over Xinbaoan. In an instant, 156 cannons were fired from Xinbaoan Dongguan, and the shells rained down on the position with a radius of about 100 meters. More than 8,000 shells were fired in 5 minutes.Shells exploded on the walls, shaking the frozen ground.After a full hour of shelling, the fortress on the new security wall was destroyed, the firepower point was shattered, and a gap was blasted into the city wall. When the 2nd Corps was actively preparing to attack Xinbao, Mao Zedong worked day and night, strategized, and commanded our army, and basically cut Fu Zuoyi's "long snake formation" into several sections: the two military headquarters of the enemy in Tianjin in the eastern section, 11 divisions and 1 corps headquarters, 1 military headquarters, and 5 divisions for the enemies of Tanggu and Dagu; the North China "Suppression General" and 2 corps headquarters, 8 military headquarters, and 25 divisions for the enemy in Beiping in the middle section; The enemy of Zhangjiakou had 1 corps headquarters, 1 military headquarters, and 7 divisions.Completed the division and encirclement of the Ping, Tianjin, and Zhang enemy forces. Mao Zedong estimated that when the 2nd North China Corps attacked Xinbao, the Zhangjiakou defenders might take the opportunity to break through and flee westward. Therefore, he ordered the 4th Column of the Northeast Field Army to move westward from Nankou on the 17th to strengthen the siege of Zhangjiakou. On December 19, 1948, Mao Zedong clearly telegraphed the 2nd Corps that after the 4th Northeast Column and the 3rd North China Corps completed the attack deployment on Zhangjiakou, the 2nd Corps would launch an attack on Xinbaoan. After receiving Mao Zedong's telegram, Yang Dezhi, the commander of the 2nd Corps, was extremely excited. Since the day he surrounded the 35th Army, he had survived 11 severe cold days and nights, and the time to attack the enemy's "ace army" finally came.The command post of the 2nd Corps immediately moved forward to a place 1,500 kilometers away from the city, and the new security could be seen without binoculars.Yang Dezhi and the others considered that this was the first battle of "defeating" the enemy army in the Pingjin Campaign, and decided to concentrate all their troops to participate in the battle. At 7 o'clock on December 22, our army's siege began.Over the 2nd Corps headquarters station, a few signal flares pierced the silence of dawn.All of a sudden, our army fired tens of thousands of guns, rain of bullets poured out, and dense fire nets shot at Xinbao from all directions. The sound of guns, guns, shouts, and explosions of explosives were intertwined, shaking the mountains. Under the cover of artillery fire, the officers and soldiers jumped out of the fortifications like an arrow, and quickly approached the city wall by using the terrain and features. Throughout the new security guards, the sound of guns, guns, explosions, and bugles constituted a symphony of bravely destroying the enemy. Due to the rapid and violent movements of our army, the enemy on the city wall is still in the hidden department, and even people with cannons have become prisoners.The defending enemy saw that the city wall was breached, and fought back desperately. Our sharp knife troops fought fiercely with the enemy for an hour and a half on the breakthrough, repulsed the enemy's counterattacks one after another, and finally consolidated the breakthrough. Soon, the surrounding area of ​​the castle was broken by our army, and the sound of crisp guns and the sound of charging horns resounded through the sky.Our army poured into the city like a wave, and the encirclement of the enemy became smaller and smaller. At about 9 o'clock, the 4th and 11th Brigade first entered the city from the gap opened by artillery fire in the southeast, and then the 10th Brigade blasted open the east gate with group blasting and entered one after another.The battle flag was raised at the breakthrough where the gunpowder was billowing. The third column failed to break through from the east of the west gate and south gate, so they attacked the city from the breakthrough of the fourth column.The 8th Column attacked from the northwest corner of the city and the north of the city, but was blocked by the firepower of the defenders' bunkers, failed to break through consecutively, and was in a stalemate with the defenders. Now that the breakthrough has been consolidated, the artillery units immediately extended their shots into the city.The shells that fell in the city destroyed the barricades of the 35th Army and blew up the sand-filled cars they used for street fighting fortifications.For a while, the smoke rose into the sky and the flames of war filled the air.The follow-up attacking troops were like an irresistible torrent, pouring into the city continuously, bravely interspersed, dividing the enemy piece by piece, and eating them one by one. Street fighting intensified. The command and defense core of the 35th Army is the Bell and Drum Tower in the central area.The units of the first echelon of the People's Liberation Army attacking the city were divided and interspersed, approaching the core. The 35th Army stood firm and resisted, and continued to counterattack with a small force.The battle was fierce.From the time when they burst into the city at 9:00 in the morning, until 4:00 in the afternoon, various attacking forces began to attack Guo Jingyun's 35th Army headquarters. At this time, the sound of guns and shouts of killing shook half of the urban area where Guo Jingyun's military headquarters was located.The usual arrogant Guo Jingyun was at his wit's end, and nervously sent a telegram to the Peking headquarters in the military headquarters, expressing that he would fight to the death of the new security guard. Before the telegram was sent, a PLA soldier had already climbed onto the roof of Guo Jingyun's military headquarters, and a bullet knocked out the radio antenna. Seeing that the situation was over, Guo Jingyun ordered the adjutant angrily: "Quick! Quick! Go and push the gasoline barrel! Push it to the shelter and ignite it." He planned to burn himself, deputy army commander Wang Leizhen, and chief of staff Tian Shiji to death in the shelter.However, others were unwilling to be his funeral objects. Guo Jingyun saw that he had betrayed his relatives, so he took out his pistol and shouted to the north: "I, Guo Jingyun, am sorry for you, Commander-in-Chief." Aiming at the temple, with a bang, he fell to the ground and died. The remaining deputy army commander Wang Leizhen, chief of staff Tian Shiji, and nearly 20,000 people under the two division commanders were all taken prisoners. The 35th Army disappeared in an instant. Our army took advantage of the momentum to launch a propaganda in front of the enemy: "Hand in your guns, don't give your life to Chiang Kai-shek" Some newly liberated fighters also testified: "Brothers, I came from the 35th Army a few hours ago. We are all poor people. Our lives belong to ourselves, and the gun belongs to Lao Jiang. Don't try your best, surrender quickly, prisoners are treated leniently here." In this way, the enemy became prisoners like a flock of sheep. The 68th Regiment alone captured more than 1,000 people. The 11th Brigade and 10th Brigade of the 4th Column of our army entered the city and expanded rapidly. It took only 5 hours to occupy the commanding heights of the enemy's core fortification, the Bell and Drum Tower, captured the 35th Army headquarters, and captured the enemy's deputy major general Wang Leizhen.Then cooperate with the 3rd column and the 8th column to fight against the enemy house by house, and wipe out the enemy's bunkers one by one.Before dusk, after 9 hours of siege, Xinbaoan has been completely occupied by our army.When our soldiers attacked the compound of the enemy's command post in Banjie Lane, Chengbei Street, Guo Jingyun, commander of the enemy's 35th Army, committed suicide inside the house!The fall of the "Ace Army" of the Fu family shocked Fu Zuoyi and the Fu family. Our 2nd Corps quickly reported the battle situation to Mao Zedong. At 22:00 that night, Mao Zedong replied: It is very comforting to wipe out the enemies of Xinbao. The tactical policy is to immediately add the largest part of the prisoners to the army and quickly dissolve them. At dawn on the 23rd, Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, Geng Biao and others braved the smoke after the fierce battle and came to the battlefield to inspect. There was billowing smoke.Guns, vehicles, supplies and ammunition are everywhere.In such a terrain, more than 400 large vehicles of the 35th Army are crowded in the streets and alleys. Even if our army allows them to drive, they will not be able to drive out in a short time.Many people were looking for their own things in the fortifications. They said: "The 35th Army even snatched our cutting boards to repair the fortifications. These damned guys." After hearing the narration of the people, Xiao Duan, Yang Dezhi's guard, was furious. Seeing the crowd of prisoners, he drew out his gun angrily, but was stopped by Yang Dezhi. Yang Dezhi strolled to Guo Jingyun's command post. He wanted to see the embarrassment of his old opponent who had been fighting with him for several years before he died.The relatively spacious courtyard is messy and messy, and there are several gasoline barrels piled up outside the door. It is said that Guo Jingyun planned to set himself on fire with cadres above the battalion after our military city, but even his deputy army commander did not listen. On his orders, he alone committed suicide. In the battle of Xinbaoan, a total of 12,485 enemies were captured, 3,000 were killed, a total of 15,485, and a large number of spoils were seized.This was the first major battle in the Battle of Pingjin, and the 35th Army of the enemy's "Ace Army" was eliminated.The housekeeping capital that Fu Zuoyi relied on to get started is gone. While the 2nd North China Corps was besieging Xinbao, the 3rd Corps led by Yang Chengwu and Li Tianhuan of our army was also besieging the Kuomintang defenders in Zhangjiakou. According to the tasks assigned by the Central Military Commission, the 3rd North China Corps surrounded Zhangjiakou with all its strength to prevent the enemy from escaping.Its specific deployment is: Deploy 1 vertically to the south, east, and northeast of Zhangjiakou, controlling the front lines of Shajiafang, Shalingzi, Yulinbao, Ulahada, Chaotianwa, and Xidianzi; 2 Longitudinal deployment in the southwest area of ​​Zhangjiakou, controlling the front lines of Ningyuan Fort, Beixin Fort, Beixinqu, Kongjiazhuang, and Guoleizhuang; 6 Deploy defenses in the areas west and north of Zhangjiakou, controlling Nantianmen, Hannuoba, Shuiguantai, Zhengbeigou, Sujiaqiao, and Wanquan. The leaders of the Corps asked each column to build three to four blocking positions and closely monitor the enemy day and night.According to the deployment, each column entered the designated position, quickly built fortifications, cut off all roads outside Zhangjiakou, and completed the first encirclement of Zhangjiakou by 10 days ago. The Front Committee of the 3rd Corps also issued a political mobilization order, requiring the entire army to strictly implement the order, overcome all difficulties, not be afraid of any sacrifice, not underestimate the enemy, not be negligent, and not let an enemy run away.Whoever escapes the enemy from his position shall bear full responsibility. On the 15th, various columns successively occupied Jiaodingshan, Xidianzi, Shisanli barracks and other outlying strongholds, further shrinking the encirclement of Zhangjiakou. On the same day, the troops of the Beiyue Military Region and the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Cavalry Divisions liberated Zhangbei County, and immediately liberated Kangbao, Shangdu and other places, forming a second encirclement. At the same time, the Jinsui 8th Column and the local armed forces of the Jinsui Military Region formed a third encirclement on the Jining, Fengzhen, and Zhuozishan lines.In this way, the Zhangjiakou defenders have been surrounded by layers of the People's Liberation Army. However, despite encircling Zhangjiakou, the People's Liberation Army does not have an advantage in terms of military strength. At that time, the Zhangjiakou garrison had 1 corps headquarters, 1 military headquarters, 7 divisions and brigades with a total of more than 54,000 people, and the 3rd North China Corps had 8 brigades, and the local troops were less than 60,000 people. Therefore, the Central Military Commission sent a telegram to Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, Yang Chengwu, and Li Tianhuan on December 15, pointing out that the 2nd North China Corps would use 9 brigades to deal with 2 divisions and a miscellaneous army of the 35th Army, which would guarantee victory.However, once the 35th Army is wiped out, the Zhangjiakou defenders may escape. The 3rd North China Corps will surround the Zhangjiakou defenders with 8 brigades, 5 infantry divisions and 2 cavalry brigades. The 4th Column dispatched part of its troops to increase the troops of the 3rd North China Corps to encircle and chase after the defenders in Zhangjiakou in case they escaped. Please Yang Luogeng and Yang Li consider telegrams. At 12:30 on the 15th, Yang Chengwu and Li Tianhuan replied to the Central Military Commission: The Zhangjiakou defenders still have more than 50,000 troops, and I do not have an advantage in numbers.We estimate that when the 2nd North China Corps begins to attack and wipe out the 35th Army or the 35th Army has been wiped out, the Zhangjiakou defenders are very likely to break out and escape. The direction of escape is basically westward, and the possibility of eastward is extremely small, and the greatest possibility is to concentrate their forces. In the south and north of Zhangjiakou and Wanquan Highway, and west of Qingshui River, they broke through to the west under the cover of aircraft and the support of the Guisui garrison.It would be more appropriate if the Northeast Field Army in the east or the 2nd North China Corps can draw out a force to strengthen the outskirts of Zhangjiakou and prevent the enemy from breaking through. At 18:00 on the same day, Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao also replied to the Central Military Commission: It would be best to transfer the 4th Northeast Column to strengthen Zhangjiakou. At 8 o'clock on the 16th, the Central Military Commission telegraphed Lin Biao, Luo Ronghuan, and Liu Yalou: Zhangjiakou's more than 50,000 defenders should not allow them to escape anyway, and should increase their troops before the 2nd North China Corps attacks and wipes out the 35th Army. The main 3 divisions of the 4th Column of the Field Army were strengthened to Zhangjiakou. At 16:00 on the same day, the leader of the Northeast Field Army replied that: the 4th column can fully open Zhangjiakou under the command of Yang Chengwu and Li Tianhuan, and cooperate with the 3rd North China Corps to encircle Zhangjiakou. On the 17th, more than 40,000 people from three divisions of the 4th Column of the Northeast Field Army set off from Nankou and arrived in Xuanhua and Zhangjiakou on the 20th. In this way, the strength of the People's Liberation Army surrounding the Zhangjiakou area increased to nearly 100,000, and the Zhangjiakou defenders could not escape the fate of being wiped out, whether they stood firm or broke through and escaped. By mid-December, the People's Liberation Army of Northeast China and North China had cut off the sea retreat of the enemies of Pingzhang Line after completing the encirclement of the enemy along the Pingzhang Line.Fu Zuoyi's one-character long snake formation has been cut into five sections by the People's Liberation Army: Zhangjiakou, Xinbaoan, Beiping, Tianjin, and Tanggu.Fu Zuoyi's group suddenly became unable to accept it, and there was no way to escape. In December outside the Great Wall, there is a vast expanse of white snow everywhere, and the climate is often more than 20 degrees below zero.The wind and snow particles hit the face like a needle prick, and the northwest wind pierced into the bone marrow like a small awl.The ground was frozen hard, and the soldiers built fortifications. The pickaxe went down and jumped so high, and within a few times, the hand was shattered, and the blood flowed to the pickaxe handle. After a short pause, the hand and the pickaxe handle were frozen. Together. The fortifications could not be built, and the cadres and soldiers came up with a wonderful idea by holding a Zhuge Liang meeting: first use stones to build various fortifications, and then pour water; the water and stones freeze together, which is stronger than reinforced concrete.Using this method, our army built several barrier walls more than 300 meters long, 2 meters high and 3 meters thick on the river beach.The soldiers boldly wrote on the barrier wall: "The copper wall and the iron wall are firmly built, and the enemy can't escape even if they want to!" "Surround but not fight".Day by day, the enemy does not flee, and our army does not attack.Some impatient soldiers had itchy hands and kept shouting: "It's like a cat watching a mouse all day long, just surrounding it without fighting, what kind of war is this?" Leaders at all levels do work for the soldiers: "Let's surround Zhangjiakou without fighting, and catch a big fish from Beiping. The 35th Army. The 35th Army came to rescue Zhangjiakou like burning its buttocks. Our army captured Miyun again and threatened Beiping. The 35th Army pulled its legs and retreated." Run. But only ran to Xinbaoan, and was surrounded again. Just transferred in this way, the enemy's six divisions have been finished. Now, the enemies in Zhangjiakou, Xinbaoan, Beiping, and Tianjin have all become caged birds and urns. It is impossible for a soft-shelled turtle to fly if it has wings, and it is impossible to escape if it has legs. Our task is to make all preparations, and wait for Chairman Mao's order. Attacks must be overcome, and battles must be won." Everyone's hearts are brightened, and they are more energetic in training and repairing fortifications. At 5 p.m. on December 22, after Xinbao'an's 35th Army was wiped out, Yang Chengwu judged that the enemies surrounded in Zhangjiakou would quickly choose a way to break through in order to escape the fate of extinction.The breakout time is estimated to be before dawn, when the group pounces.The direction of the breakout is estimated to be westward, because the terrain in the west is open, but the possibility of breaking out to the north cannot be ruled out. There is a road in the north leading to Zhangbei. In October 1946, when the enemy attacked Zhangjiakou, it was from this road. from the road. It is extremely important to make a judgment on the direction the enemy will choose to break out of the encirclement, because our army cannot generally widen the net now, and must focus on deploying troops based on this judgment, so that when the enemy breaks through the encirclement in a large scale, it will be wiped out in one fell swoop. Based on the above judgment, Yang Chengwu drew up a plan of action: to the west and southwest, he deployed blocking forces; in the north, he ordered the troops to rely on the mountains to take advantage of the danger, and make preparations to block the charge of the enemy group.In addition to strengthening deployment in these two directions, arrangements have also been made for the corresponding actions of the remaining troops.In order to facilitate the command, without losing the opportunity, and without wasting time, Yang Chengwu decided to immediately set up a command post for the Corps on the West Taiping Mountain in Zhangjiakou. Yang Chengwu is a master at predicting the enemy. As early as in the battle of Huangtuling in the War of Resistance Against Japan, he accurately predicted the enemy and set up an ambush skillfully, annihilating 1500 enemies and killing the head of the enemy's lieutenant general.This time, as he expected, when the 35th Army of Xinbaoan was wiped out, the 11th Corps of Zhangjiakou had deployed to break through: the infantry went out of Dajingmen and headed north; the cavalry crossed the Dayang River and turned southwest to west. , to cover the actions of the infantry.The enemy cavalry found that I had gathered heavy troops and had strong fortifications on the front line of Kongjiazhuang, and also found out that their boss's breakout plan was to sacrifice cavalry to cover the infantry, so they simply turned back to Dajingmen.In this way, the enemy has only one direction to break out to the north. Yang Chengwu expected the enemy to break through at dawn, and it was indeed not bad. At dawn on December 23, the sound of the enemy's rumbling cannons came from the foot of the mountain.The Zhangjiakou defenders began to move north of the city. The shells exploded in the positions of our 3rd Brigade in Xidianzi and Chaotianwa, and some shells directly hit the fortifications, but those fortifications stood still, solid as a rock.How well the fortifications are done!These fortifications made of stones and then poured with water to freeze are hard for shells. Yang Chengwu stood in the forward command post of the Corps on the mountain, and turned his binoculars to the command post of Zhang Kaijing, commander of the 3rd Brigade. The command post of our army's Zhang Kaijing was set up on the hill next to Chaotianwa. The dense shells exploded on the hill. After only a few tens of seconds, the black smoke was connected into one piece, completely covering the area. Yang Chengwu looked at the river beach again.The distance is so close, it seems to be right under the nose, and it can be seen clearly without a telescope.The enemy is really desperate and desperate.From Dajingmen to the outside, along the river beach and highway, there are people everywhere.Cavalry, infantry, artillery, camel teams, luggage, and horses all crowded together like they were going to a temple fair.The whole army of the enemy has come here.The attacking enemy, led by several Kuomintang flags, was driven by the supervisory team wielding big knives, and rushed towards the position of our 3rd brigade in dense numbers. It is not difficult to see that the enemy has made up his mind and must kill a bloody path, because this is a matter of life and death! , In response to this enemy situation, according to the pre-judgment and determination of the Corps leaders, Yang Chengwu immediately issued an order to encircle and wipe out the enemy on the morning of the 23rd: The 3rd Brigade of our army sticks to the positions of Xidianzi and Chaotianwa.The 2nd Column, 1 Brigade of the 1st Column and the main force of the 4th Column of the Northeast Field Army attacked Dajingmen from the area south of Zhangjiakou in Huangtuling; Hada line, blocked from the north; 1 brigade of the 1st column and the troops of the Beiyue Military Region, Inner Mongolia Military Region, and Jirecha Military Region used the main force of 2 cavalry divisions to penetrate into Wujiazi-, Madiyingzi, Hannuoba, and Xun At the gate, Huangtuba and its southeast area, a roundabout attack was carried out from the northwest to form the second and third block attack lines; a division of the 4th column in the northeast inserted into Chaotianwa and southeast of Xidianzi, and formed a rainstorm with the 6th column. North attack trend. In this way, a net of sky and earth is formed, putting the enemy in a desperate situation. However, it will take time for all the troops to gather at the designated location.The order stipulated that the interception and flanking troops from all walks of life should arrive at the designated location at 10:00 p.m. that day. From the time the order is issued until 10:00 p.m., the entire day will be spent. During this time, the 3rd Brigade, which is in the frontal attack, will bear all the pressure. As night fell, the outlines of mountains, forest belts, villages, rivers and other scenery became more and more blurred, and finally merged into one.This is the last night of the Battle of Zhangjiakou. The sky was full of snow, and the whole world turned into a piece of milky white, and the continuous mountains were soon covered with white.The ancient Great Wall stands on the steep rocks and ridges, facing the wind and snow, making it even more majestic and superior. The enemy used heavy troops from two divisions to frantically attack the position of our 3rd Brigade for 8 hours, only occupying Xidianzi Village, and failed to break through the rest of the positions.The enemy has never dared to fight at night, and with the end of the day, it is like a deflated ball, without any strength.The heroic 3rd Brigade is still full of morale and stands tall. In the early morning of the next day, after a night of heavy snow, all the surrounding peaks were dressed in silver, covered with plain white snow.After a day of fierce fighting, the snow melted, and the snow and blood mixed with it, and the surface was all maroon, like a giant robe, exuding a blood-stained demeanor. While the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Column of our army fought bravely against the enemy, the 2nd Column followed the orders of the Corps and advanced along several ravines on the west side of Zhangjiakou.At this time, most of the enemy troops had assembled in the ravines outside Dajingmen. The mountains on the east and west sides were mostly enemy stragglers who had been dismantled and enemy cavalry or security teams who fled up the mountains through small ravines. Turn around, seeing our army coming, I quickly knelt down and handed in my guns. For those who fled and resisted, the second column sent a small number of troops to destroy them. The enemy was defeated like a mountain, and our army was invincible and unstoppable. Wherever the pursuers arrived, the enemy surrendered one after another.The army sent a few soldiers to direct the prisoners to pile up weapons on the ground, and then send the prisoners to the prisoner camp in groups. In this way, after our army blocked and intercepted, tens of thousands of enemies were finally compressed and surrounded in a narrow ditch 10 kilometers long in Chaotianwa outside Dajingmen and inside Xidianzi.Enemy vehicles and horses scrambled for their lives, cavalry knocked down infantry, carts overturned into the crowd, a large row of cars that could not be taken away were burned, the flames shot up into the sky, people shouted and neighed, and there was a mess.Although the enemy is still rushing from east to west and struggling desperately, the organizational system has become chaotic, they have lost their combat effectiveness, and are in a desperate situation. Our army caught the turtle in the urn and quickly wiped out the main force of the enemy. Sun Lanfeng, commander of the enemy's 11th Corps, saw that the main force had been wiped out, so he ordered the rest to disperse and break out to Zhangbei to gather, and the remnants of the enemy fled in all directions.The cadres and soldiers of our army did not wait for orders from their superiors, and immediately separated to capture scattered enemies. Faced with this majestic picture of annihilating the enemy, Yang Chengwu, stationed on Mashan, couldn't help expressing emotion: Once upon a time, the enemy was still so rebellious and indomitable.Now here, it has fallen into a desperate situation of ambush from all sides. On December 24, our army launched a full-scale encirclement and annihilation campaign against the besieged enemies.Various troops inserted into the enemy group one after another, fighting vertically and horizontally.From Dajingmen to Xidianzi and Chaotianwa, there are enemy cavalry and infantry everywhere.The cavalry and infantry were mixed together, unable to use their advantages, and it became a mess.The war horses exploded and rushed around, blocking the enemy's own escape route. Dajingmen became the historical witness of this exhilarating war of annihilation. Dajingmen was an important pass of the Great Wall as early as the Ming Dynasty. On the gate, there are four characters "Dahao Heshan" written by Gao Weiyue, the governor of Chahar in the Qing Dynasty.Because the terrain is dangerous, it is a must for military strategists.大境门外，人称“口外”，九一八事变后，冯玉祥部爱国将领、共产党员吉鸿昌率领抗日健儿出大境门北进，浴血作战，收复多伦等失地，把日本侵略军赶出察哈尔全境。 1945年8月24日，我军从大境门人城，收复张家口，消灭了盘踞在古城的日军。 大境门，在漫长的历史长河中目击了人世沧桑，如今，它又看到几万敌军的覆灭。 敌人很快就被分割成无数小块。由于我军动作迅猛，敌人逃到哪里就打到哪里，使得敌人简直没有招架之力。我军的许多部队成百上千地俘虏了敌人，到下午3时，围歼战宣告胜利结束。 张家口战役，我军攻势勇猛，经30余小时激战，全歼敌第11兵团5个步兵师、2个骑兵旅，共54000余人，内生俘53900余人，毙伤敌3610余人。 连同外围作战在内，这次历时25天的战役，我华北第3兵团和东北野战军第4纵队等部队共歼灭敌人65000余人，自己仅伤亡2900余人，以极小的代价，打了个大歼灭战。 这样，整个大同以东，直到北平，全被我人民解放军控制，傅部向西突围已经不可能了。 当日，中央军委发电祝贺： 华北二、三兵团：庆祝你们在几天内歼灭新保安、张家口两处敌人，并收复张家口的伟大胜利。 望着胜利后红旗招展的张家口，杨成武不禁想起了聂荣臻司令员在1946年10月撤离张家口时说的话： “撤出来是暂时的，用不了多长时间，我们还要回来的。” 这句预言，仅仅两年多一点，就成了现实。 新保安一战，傅作义的嫡系部队已基本被歼。 22日18时，杨得志、罗瑞卿、耿飚向中央军委发电报捷：“战斗已解决，敌人全歼，战果待查，从总攻开始到结束，共十一小时。” The Central Military Commission replied: "It is very comforting to wipe out the enemy of Xinbaoan." 第35军的被歼，对傅作义是一个沉重打击。他得知消息，“心情坏极了”，“暴跳如雷”，对其左右“不是大声斥责，就是怒目而视”。