Chapter 5 Chapter 05

Nianzhuangwei is located in the north of Longhai Road, west of the canal, surrounded by a group of large and small villages.In order to prevent flooding, the houses in each village are built on earth platforms 2 to 3 meters above the ground, and there are many depressions and ponds between the platforms.Large villages also have deep circular ditches, while the outside of the village is flat and open land.This terrain is good for defense but not good for attack. After Huang Baitao was besieged, although he occupied a favorable terrain, his heart was heavy and confused, as if there was a thick fog in front of him.As for when he would be able to break out of the encirclement, he himself had no idea.

As the saying goes, "A general without talent will exhaust the entire army to death".Liu Zhi, the commander-in-chief of Xuzhou's "Suppression General" army, is worried all day long. He doesn't think about anything else. He racks his brains to figure out how to leave office earlier, or find a substitute to be the deputy commander and front-line commander. The director of the department has full command in Xuzhou, so he can find a reason to move his headquarters to Bengbu.Liu Zhi had no intention of fighting at all.Later, Liu Zhi proposed to Gu Zhutong to set up the headquarters in Bengbu. Gu Zhutong said that it would be fine to set up a command post in Bengbu, but rejected Liu Zhi's request on the grounds that the impact of moving the headquarters would not be good.

Chiang Kai-shek was also frowning at this time. On October 30, he learned in Beiping that the Liao Yaoxiang Corps in the Northeast had been wiped out and that Shenyang was in danger. He knew that the Northeast battlefield was hopeless.And the Huaihai War will break out again, Liu Zhi is confused and difficult to appoint a big responsibility, and currently there is a great need for someone to command the overall battle.When Chiang Kai-shek weighed repeatedly, he suddenly remembered that he had set foot in Huaihai and was called to the northeast by him. At this time, Du Yuming, who was commanding the retreat of the troops in Huludao, was still a "good candidate".Chiang Kai-shek immediately decided to make Du Yuming the deputy commander-in-chief of Xuzhou's "Suppression General".After Chiang Kai-shek instructed the Ministry of National Defense of the Kuomintang government to draw up the "Xu Bang Battle" plan to concentrate its forces near Bengbu to defeat the offensive of the People's Liberation Army, Xu Langxuan, deputy director of the Third Department of the Ministry of National Defense, was immediately dispatched to take a special plane on November 3. Fly to Huludao to seek Du Yuming's advice.For this reason, he also wrote a personal letter to Du Yuming, which said:

"If my younger brother agrees to this plan, Xi will go to Bengbu to take command." It can be seen from this that the Kuomintang obviously paid more attention to the preparations for the Xu Bang battle than to commanding the Huludao troops to retreat.Liu Zhi was overjoyed when he got the news: "God help me too!" When the war was imminent, Liu Zhi was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, and repeatedly called the Ministry of National Defense, urging Du Yuming to come to Xuzhou as soon as possible. At 9:30 am on November 10th, at the official residence of the Presidential Palace in Nanjing, Chiang Kai-shek was holding a battle meeting to study the battle in Xuzhou.His complexion was very ugly, especially Liu Zhi's inability to command the battle in Xuzhou, which made him very troubled.In addition to making a decision to let Du Yuming take full charge of commanding the operations in Xuzhou in the name of the deputy commander-in-chief, he also made deployments for the "suppression of the general" in Xuzhou according to his intention: first, he must concentrate on "annihilating" the "communist army" west of the canal. "The troops delayed to prevent the 3rd, 8th, and 10th columns of the "Communist Army" from crossing the southern section of Jinpu from west to east (actually the 3rd Column of the East China Field Army, the Guangdong-Guangzhou Column, and the two brigades of the Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region, Qiu Qingquan intentionally lied) Huang Baitao stood firm and waited for reinforcements, while the main force of Qiu Qingquan's corps and Li Mi's corps drew a corps to assist Huang Baitao's corps in launching an attack.

After Liu Zhi got the news that Du Yuming was coming, he impatiently urged Du Yuming to Nanjing to go to the Xuzhou battlefield as soon as possible to preside over the overall situation. Besides, Du Yuming, after he received a telegram from Chiang Kai-shek asking him to go to Bengbu to command the battle, he had unspeakable difficulties.He was afraid that he would be charged with "abandoning Xuzhou" and that he would be attacked by public opinion in the future, which would be bad for him, so he wanted to take advantage of the timing of Huludao's retreat to delay for a while, and then go to Bengbu to take command, so that he could push back the idea of ​​abandoning Xuzhou responsibility.Du Yuming had an idea and came up with an idea. He immediately replied to Chiang Kai-shek and said: "I agree to gather the main force near Bengbu, but we must wait for the Huludao troops to retreat before going to Bengbu." If you retreat quickly, you may be held back by the People's Liberation Army and cannot retreat. He pointed out this point in his letter with extraordinary vision, and asked Chiang Kai-shek to deploy and implement this plan as soon as possible.But Chiang Kai-shek lingered in his heart for a long time and did not settle down.Until November 4th, the ministries began to act, but the opportunity has been missed.

On the evening of November 9th, Du Yuming flew from Beiping to Nanjing.At that time, he was eager to learn about the battle situation in Xuzhou. When he got off the plane, he rushed to the home of Gu Zhutong, his tactical instructor at the Whampoa Military Academy and the current chief of staff. Gu Zhutong was on the phone with Liu Zhi, the commander-in-chief of Xuzhou's "Suppression General" at this time: "Tell Huang Baitao to stand by at Nianzhuangwei, and I will notify you after the report from the official residence tomorrow afternoon." Gu Zhutong looked at Du Yuming, and said, "Guang Ting is here, are you talking to him?" Gu handed the phone to Du, only to hear Liu Zhi say on the phone, "Guang Ting , come quickly! We are waiting for you!" Du Yuming said that he would wait until he met Chiang Kai-shek. He asked Liu Zhi: "How is Huang Baitao's situation?" Liu Zhi said: "Now Huang Baitao's main force has retreated to Nianzhuangwei. The army has reached the east of the canal, and Huang Baitao's corps has suffered a lot when crossing the canal, and now it is more stable..." Du Yuming immediately felt a lot easier after hearing this.In fact, the People's Liberation Army had already crossed the canal and the Bulao River that night, and surrounded Huang Baitao's regiment heavily, but Liu Zhi and Gu Zhutong didn't know it.

Du Yuming put down the phone, and Gu Zhutong talked to Du about the "rebellion" of He Jifeng and Zhang Kexia. Xuzhou was almost taken advantage of by the People's Liberation Army. The Corps fought and retreated to Xuzhou for concentration.After Gu finished speaking, Du asked in a surprised tone: "Why didn't our main force near Xuzhou retreat to Bengbu as soon as possible according to the 'Battle of Xubeng' plan?" Gu thought Du was questioning him, and said angrily: "You are right. Well, time is too late! Before Li Yannian's corps withdrew, the communist army launched an offensive." Du felt uncomfortable asking any more questions, so he changed the subject.During the conversation, Gu once again tactfully advised Du to go to Xuzhou to command after attending the report at the presidential residence the next day.Du replied, "Let's talk about it tomorrow," and went back to the Zhongshan North Road office.

After Du Yuming understood the above situation, he couldn't help being upset, and a burst of sadness welled up in his heart. Before he went to the Northeast, according to his idea, with the main force of the four major corps, marching into Shandong and attacking our East China Field Army should have a good chance of winning. Unexpectedly, Huang Baitao's 7th Corps was soon surrounded and the future of Xuzhou was uncertain, which surprised him.He thought, Jiang's plan to transfer the main force to a decisive battle near Bengbu, why hasn't it been implemented yet?In this way, the "Battle of Xu Bang" plan has actually come to naught.Seeing that the general situation was over, a sense of fear hit Du Yuming's heart directly, making him feel that the Xuzhou battlefield was like a "execution ground". When he got there, he would either be beaten to death or captured.I wanted to claim my illness and go to the hospital, but I was afraid that I would lose my promise to Jiang, and I was afraid that others would laugh at him for being timid and avoiding the war.But I also thought that Xuzhou had already formed a situation of collapse before fighting, and going to it would be nothing but death, so it was better not to go.After much deliberation, I couldn't think of a clever plan to get out. I just hoped that my wife could rush from Shanghai to Nanjing tonight, and let her come out to cover tomorrow, saying that my waist and legs hurt and I couldn't get out of bed, so I couldn't go to Xuzhou.

As soon as Du Yuming arrived at the office, he asked his younger brother Du Zifeng, "When will Xiuqing arrive?" Zifeng said, "The third sister-in-law said she won't come." Du Yuming was disappointed and sad, and sat on the sofa without saying a word.Zifeng said again: "I heard that Mr. Zhang Zhizhong came to Nanjing and advocated peace talks with the Communist Party with Mr. Shao Lizi. You can go see Mr. Zhang tomorrow to find out the situation." I'll go after a good time." On the 10th, Du Yuming met with Defense Minister He Yingqin in the morning, and talked about the fall of Jiang's army in the Northeast as a result of Jiang's willful actions.He Yingqin was also deeply moved by this, but still persuaded Du Yuming to command in Xuzhou, and expressed his support for Du Yuming's combat proposition.Due to the fact that He Yingqin was the chief instructor of the Whampoa Military Academy in his early years and had a personal relationship with him all the time, Du Yuming no longer shied away, and only asked He Yingqin to allocate him a new jeep for commanding on the battlefield.He Yingqin immediately agreed generously and even gave Du Yuming his car.

In the afternoon, Du Yuming met with General Zhang Zhizhong and stated the disastrous defeat of the Kuomintang in the Northeast. Xuzhou was also in great chaos and could no longer fight.Zhang Zhizhong also believed that there should be no more wars.Du Yuming asked Zhang Zhizhong: "I heard that the teacher (Zhang Zhizhong was the head of the officer corps of the Whampoa Military Academy) and Mr. Shao advocated peace talks. I don't know if there is any clue?" Zhang Zhizhong said: "Mr. Shao and I talked about this issue with Jiang and analyzed it. According to the situation in various aspects, it is time for peace talks. But Jiang said, then it is time for me to step down. When we see this situation, we can no longer talk." Du Yuming said: "We can neither fight nor want to fight. And, what should we do?" Zhang Zhizhong said angrily, "He's going to fight!" Du Yuming's hopes fell through again, and he said goodbye to Zhang Zhizhong.

Along the way, Du Yuming had only one thought tossed and turned in his mind: Why did the situation on the Xuzhou battlefield change so quickly. Facing the critical situation, Du Yuming repeatedly shied away, really not wanting to take over this mess, but the Kuomintang headquarters, Chiang Kai-shek, He Yingqin and others resolutely refused. They pinned all their hopes on Du Yuming, hoping that he would be able to turn the tide.In the end, Du Yuming had no choice but to embark on a trip to Xuzhou. The enemy is now, and the always "loyal and reliable" Xuzhou "suppression general" coach General Liu Zhi has shown a rare disobedience this time. Chiang Kai-shek said: "The Communist army west of Xuzhou is still very strong. Their combat attempt is only to contain the Qiu Corps and support the Eastern Corps. We should adopt offensive defense, consolidate Xuzhou first, and use strong troops to achieve limited goals. Mobile attack, support Huang Baitao's corps to fight, buy time, gather troops, and defeat the Communist army on one side." But he was immediately reprimanded by Chiang Kai-shek: the combat policy presented was too negative, and he must follow the policy stated by the Ministry of National Defense. Concentrate on quickly defeating the "communist army" west of the canal, lest the 7th Corps be defeated first. In fact, people only see Liu Zhi as a mediocre person but not his wisdom.His mediocrity is that he only cares about the present and ignores the overall situation. Wherever he is asked to guard, he will firmly hold the soldiers and not let them go far away.His wisdom lies in being good at internal struggles, and he can advance and retreat freely in the officialdom, and no one can do anything about him. Liu Zhi is very good at making use of strengths and avoiding weaknesses. He is good at using slowness to control haste, slowness to control quickness, and ignorance to control wisdom. It seems vague, but in fact, no matter how clear you are, you can't explain it clearly in front of him.When you ask him for a gun, he pretends to be confused; when you negotiate with him, it takes at least half an hour to finish talking to you on the phone until all your legitimate reasons are drowned in nonsense.As long as he doesn't want to do something, he will make a fuss about the work procedure, reverse the order, and put the priority in the wrong place until it gets messed up, and no one can intervene.If you criticize him, he doesn't care, and he accepts it humbly: "I am a man, you know it, if there is something wrong, just point it out, I will correct my mistakes, and I will correct them..." He The laughter there is loud and loud, so you have no tricks at all.He never loses his temper, and he remains the same afterwards. Du Yuming came to Xuzhou with a heavy heart, and immediately started planning Dongyuan's plan to rescue Huang Baitao.Liu Zhi excitedly picked up Du Yuming, and as soon as he saw him, he informed him of the current battle situation.Du Yuming had no choice but to comfort Liu Zhi and said: "Teacher Liu, please rest assured, I will definitely assist you in rescuing Huang Baitao's 7th Corps." Liu Zhi replied, "Guangting, I am relieved when you come." In the military academy, Liu Zhi used to be an instructor in the Whampoa Military Academy, so Du Yuming called him a teacher. Liu Zhi and Bai Chongxi have always had difficulty coordinating with each other, so he said in front of others that he and Du Yuming would definitely cooperate well.When Du Yuming heard the news that Huang Baitao's corps was trapped but the main force was still alive, he felt a lot more at ease. On the 12th, Du Yuming launched an attack eastward with the 8th Army of the 13th Corps, the 5th Army of the 2nd Corps, and the 57th Army. Chiang Kai-shek was very concerned about the situation of Huang Baitao's corps, almost to the point that he had no time for others. On the 15th, Gu Zhutong and Guo Rugui flew to Xuzhou under the order of Chiang Kai-shek to urge Du Yuming to move eastward to relieve Huang Baitao's siege.When Gu Zhutong and Guo Rugui came to Xuzhou, they immediately summoned Du Yuming and Liu Zhi and conveyed Chiang Kai-shek's order to them.However, Du Yuming calmly said to Gu, Guo and others: "At present, I have three strategies in Xuzhou's battle: top, middle and bottom. The best strategy is to keep Xuzhou and rescue the 7th Corps; the middle strategy is to Sacrifice the 7th Corps to keep Xuzhou; the worst strategy is that if the 7th Corps can’t be rescued, Xuzhou can’t be saved.” In fact, he deliberately went around in circles, and what he wanted to say was that going east to rescue Huang Baitao’s Corps was the worst strategy, and his so-called best strategy was actually No, it was just proposed as a foil to oppose the eastward attack. Liu Zhi also complained blindly, he said that he would save Huang Baitao's corps unless he did his best in Xuzhou.In this regard, Gu Zhutong and Guo Rugui agreed, but Du Yuming remained silent.He knew very well in his heart that if he really acted according to this opinion, it is very likely that his good policy would turn into a bad policy, neither keeping Xuzhou nor saving Huang Baitao's corps.The exhaustion of the past few days made Du Yu obviously very tired, his eyes were bloodshot, and his mood was very low. Under the pressure of the Nanjing Ministry of National Defense, Du Yuming had no choice but to order the corps of Qiu Qingquan, Li Mi, and Sun Yuanliang to go all out to attack our army's positions. On November 12, five columns of our East China Field Army (the 4th, 6th, 8th, 9th, and 13th columns) formed an assault group and began to besiege Huang Baitao's corps in the Nianzhuangwei area.Wang Jian'an and Tan Zhenlin commanded the 7th, 10th, and 11th columns to carry out frontal defense from Houji, Lin Tongshan to the Daxujia area. Commanded by Ji Luo, they approached the southeast of Xuzhou and flanked the Qiu Qingquan and Li Mi corps aided by the East; the 1st column was located in the Shanji area as a reserve team. Just when Huang Baitao's corps was grinding Zhuangwei, Su Yu led hundreds of thousands of soldiers from the East China Field Army, crossed the canal, and came in hot pursuit. Liu Bocheng and his 2nd, 6th, 1st and 12th Brigades of the Central Plains Field Army were holding down the Huangwei Corps. Liu Zhi, the commander of Xuzhou's "Suppression General", was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, and was in panic all day long. On November 5, 1948, Mao Zedong drafted a telegram for the Central Military Commission, calling Chen Yi and Deng Xiaoping of the Central Plains Field Army, asking where are you now?The enemy already knows the importance of Mengcheng. On November 4th, Sun Yuanliang led the Corps Headquarters from Su County to Banqiaoji, and it was estimated that they would arrive in Mengcheng on November 5th.Sun Bingtuan's 99th Army (i.e. the original 69th Division) had arrived in Bengbu to take over the defense, and the army originally stationed in Bengbu (i.e. the remnant of the original 45th Division) moved eastward from Bengbu to Huaiguan.Of the 41st Army and 47th Army of the Corps, it is estimated that one army followed Sun to Mengcheng, and the other army stayed in the county.Because Qiu Qingquan's corps is now all located between Dangshan, Xuzhou (not including) and Fengxian County, Liu Ruming moved to Dangshan and its west. It was said that Qiu Qingquan's corps opened Suxian County with one division. If this is the case, Sun Yuanliang's corps must have one Resident County.Whether this is the case, I hope you will quickly find out. In order to cooperate with the East China Field Army to wipe out Huang Baitao's Corps, the Central Military Commission requested the Central Plains Field Army Liu, Chen, and Deng to use Du Yuming to go all out to support Huang Baitao's Corps, and had no time to take into account the defense of Su County. line, threatening Xuzhou from the south. In the military history of our army, there have been many cases of "siege and aid", and every time the enemy must be rescued, the enemy is honestly led by the nose by our army. The Jinpu line was called the "lifeline" on the Huaihai battlefield by Chiang Kai-shek.The Xubang Line is the section from Xuzhou to Bengbu on this "lifeline". It is the traffic artery that runs through the Huanghuai Plain, and is also the lifeblood of the Xuzhou Kuomintang corps for supplies. Before the outbreak of the Huaihai Campaign, the Kuomintang had planned to withdraw the Xuzhou defenders from the Xubeng line to the south of the Huaihe River.The Kuomintang High Command has always regarded the Xu Bang Line as the focus of defense, because the Xu Bang Line has been defended, and it can be attacked when advancing and defended when retreating. On the Xubeng line, there are several very important strategic points, the first of which is Su County, not far from Xuzhou, which is the first important town from Xuzhou to the south. Su County is an ancient city, known as "South Xuzhou". It is located in the south of Xuzhou and north of Bengbu.If Su County is captured, our army can not only cut off the enemy of Xubeng and the rear supply line of the enemy of Xuzhou, but also intimidate Xuzhou from the south, make Xuzhou isolated, and first threaten the enemy of Xuzhou psychologically. .In this way, the enemies of Xuzhou not only cannot give all their strength to support Huang Baitao, but also cannot protect themselves.Therefore, capturing Su County became a decisive move in the Huaihai Campaign. Xibaipo. The war was imminent, and Mao Zedong had not slept for several nights. For several days, Mao Zedong had been looking at a map of the Huaihai area.On the map, Su County has been drawn with a big red circle by Mao Zedong.He didn't even notice that Zhou Enlai opened the door and came in. On November 10, Mao Zedong sent a telegram to Chen and Deng: "Has your main force reached the vicinity of Suxian County and started to attack Suxian County? You must desperately gather four columns to attack Suxian County with all your strength, annihilate Sun Yuanliang and other troops, and cut off Xubeng Road. The three columns of the East China Field Army should also be used to attack Xu Suduan, I must look forward to it." Chen Yi read Mao Zedong's telegram at the Central Plains Field Army Command Post, and laughed heartily: "If the chairman has time to play Go, he will definitely win. Originally, Lao Jiang only had the Xubang line as the only supply line, so he should make up his chess here. He didn't Supplement, of course we did our part and entered in this vital position. The chairman and the Military Commission’s move is good! I completely agree.” After Deng Xiaoping finished reading the telegram, a smile appeared on his face, which had been tense for several days.He handed the telegram to Chen Geng who was standing aside, and said to Chen Yi: "I don't know chess, but from the point of view of playing cards, we are one trick short of this deck. How can we get this trick? According to the play of the chairman and the Military Commission The method is to squeeze the cards, so that the enemy can't look at each other from head to tail, and squeeze out Chiang Kai-shek's winning cards. It seems that we can win this deck of cards again." Chen Geng said happily: "Boss, it seems that you have to gnaw Liu Zhi's bone!" Deng Xiaohu said: "When the Liu Zhi Group is completely wiped out, you will compare who will gnaw bones. Chen Geng, you are in charge of organizing the withdrawal of Huangkou's troops blocking Qiu Qingquan's corps. Make a little preparation, pack lightly and quickly, and immediately head to Su County .” Chen Geng replied loudly: "Yes!" He immediately ran out of the command post. On November 10, Liu Bocheng led the Central Plains Field Army Frontline Headquarters to march eastward from west Henan, rushed to the Huaihai frontline overnight, and joined Chen Yi and Deng Xiaoping in Tuocheng, Henan Province.As soon as they met, they simply greeted each other, and began to study and deploy combat operations to attack Su County and isolate Xuzhou together, and discussed to continue to contain the Huangwei Corps' east aid.After repeated scrutiny, Liu Bocheng, Chen Yi and Deng Xiaoping issued a combat order the next day, requiring all parties to attack Su County and cut off the enemy's connection with Xu Bang, and decided to launch the Xu Bang Battle on the 12th. In order to unify combat operations and deploy specific combat plans, Liu Bocheng, Chen Yi, and Deng Xiaoping called the leaders of each column to a meeting.Deng Xiaoping was the first to speak, and he said succinctly: "Cutting off the Xubang line and occupying Suxian can block Xuzhou from the north and block the back route for the enemies of Xuzhou to flee south; they can block Bengbu from the south and cut off the transportation of the enemy on the south line to the north." Stop Sun Yuanliang's corps from aiding the east and trap Huang Wei's corps to go north. Huang Baitao's corps can only wait to be wiped out, and the Jinpu Railway, which Chiang Kai-shek called the lifeline, will be cut off!" Liu Bocheng followed Deng Xiaoping's speech and said figuratively: "Cutting off the Xubang line is what we need to close the door and fight dogs. The current goal is to cut off the rear supply line of the enemy's Xuzhou group and attract the enemy's attention to the south of Xuzhou. To reduce the pressure on Huang Baitao's corps, the main force to aid the east. The ultimate goal is to cut off the connection between the Xuzhou battlefield and the Kuomintang's Nanjing base camp, and completely isolate the enemy so that they can be annihilated one by one." After Liu Bocheng finished speaking, Deng Xiaoping raised his voice a little, and said sonorously: "As long as the main force of the enemy army on the southern front is wiped out, the Central Plains Field Army will be wiped out, and the People's Liberation Army from all walks of life will still be able to win the country's victory. The price is worth it." !” At that time, the venue was quiet, and everyone felt the weight of these words in their hearts.As soon as the words fell, the leaders of each column expressed that they would definitely complete the task. Although Deng Xiaoping's words were not long, they were very inspiring and made people's blood boil after listening to them. On November 12, the participating troops began to operate according to the scheduled plan: the 4th Column of the Central Plains Field Army, the 3rd Column of the East China Field Army, and the Guangdong-Guangzhou Column attacked eastward and northward along the Suxian and Xuzhou sections of the Jinpu Line to restrain Qiu Qingquan and the Li Mi Corps' east aid; Our 3rd Column and part of the 9th Column captured the county seat of Su County; the main force of the 9th Column and the Independent Brigade of the Henan-Wansu Military Region advanced southward along the Guzhen Bengbu Section of the Jinpu Line to block the northern aid of the Li Yannian and Liu Ruming Corps; the 1st Column was located in the northwest of Su County as a reserve team .Each column acts in unison under orders. At this time, Mao Zedong in Xibaipo was strategizing and winning a decisive victory thousands of miles away. According to his established policy, the East China Field Army and the Central Plains Field Army galloped across the battlefield. Attack, and attack. Suxian, a small place, is an important military town on the Xubang line.For such a strategic location, no defender will take it lightly, let alone give up easily. The supreme commander of the enemy defense in Su County is Zhang Jiwu, the deputy commander of the Jinpu Road Guard Command. The main force of the defense in the city is the 148th Division of the 25th Army. .The army also has heavy weapons such as armored trains and armored vehicles. The total strength of the city is almost 13,000, and its strength should not be underestimated. It is said that Zhang Jiwu once assured Chiang Kai-shek: "The communist army has suffered setbacks in repeated attacks, and Nansuzhou can be safe." Although the enemy likes to talk big, the battle of Suxian is undoubtedly an extremely difficult and fierce battle. Attacking Su County will be a severe test for our army. On November 12, the battle on the Xubeng line started, and the 4th column of the Central Plains Field Army went straight to Suxian County. Chen Geng led his troops to the north of Suxian County, and wiped out the 41st Army of Sun Yuanliang's guard force that was approaching Xuzhou like the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves. More than 3,400 people from the military headquarters and the 122nd Division, then marched non-stop to Cao Village in Xunan, threatening Xuzhou City.Liu Zhi, who was defending the enemy in Xuzhou, suddenly felt like a thorn in his back. After the Central Plains Field Army advanced to the south of Xuzhou, Liu Zhi quickly mobilized two divisions from Qiu Qingquan's 2nd Corps, and while Chen Geng's foothold was not stable, he launched an attack from the south of Xuzhou, and fought against Chen Geng's 4th Column. In full swing. After the 3rd column of the Central Plains Field Army accepted the task of attacking Su County, the deputy commander Liu Changyi conveyed to the troops the requirements of the heads of Liu Bocheng, Chen Yi, and Deng Xiaoping: attack, attack must be conquered; defend, defend must be solid! Chen Yi made a special phone call to inquire about Liu Changyi's siege deployment in detail: "Are there enough troops?" "Enough." Liu Changyi replied. "Should we increase our troops?" Chen Yi asked. "No more." Liu Changyi replied firmly. "What else do you need? Do you want guns?" Chen Yi asked again. Liu Changyi paused at this moment, of course he wanted it.The ancient city of Su County looks dark and dense, and the solid city walls are daunting. Liu Changyi hesitated for a moment, and said without hope: "Commander, if there are cannons, it would be good to give them a few." Liu Changyi knew very well how many artillerymen the Central Plains Field Army had. Chen Yi put down the phone and called the Chief of Operations of the Central Plains Field Army: "Zhang Shenghua!" When the cannons came rumbling, Liu Changyi was overjoyed. He never dreamed that there would be so many cannons.It turned out that the artillery was transferred by Chen Yi from the East China Field Army to help out. Seeing this, Liu Changyi was so happy that he couldn't help laughing all the time, but his lip was injured after breaking out in the Central Plains, and he had a few more stitches, so he hummed in pain when he laughed.With the cannon, he was really happy. All preparations have been completed.The 3rd and 9th Columns of the East China Field Army followed the deployment and ordered the brigades to march towards the Su County area. At dawn on the 13th, the 9th Brigade completed the encirclement of Suxian County from the west and south; the 8th Brigade completed the encirclement of Suxian County from the east and north. On November 8, the 7th Brigade cooperated with the 1st Column to wipe out the 181st Division in the Zhanggongdian area and the 543rd Regiment in Zhangge. fighting.At this time, the connection between Xuzhou and Su County has been cut off by me. On the 14th, the 3rd Vertical held a meeting of cadres above the battalion in Dongguan, analyzed the current situation of the enemy and ourselves, and repeatedly emphasized that the capture of Su County was related to the overall situation of the campaign, and called on the troops to go all out. Autumn has no crimes, and strives for both military and political victories! In the afternoon of the same day, Chen Xilian, the commander of the 3rd column, and the leaders of the brigades conducted a survey on the spot, further studied the tactics, selected a breakthrough point, and clarified the tasks of each brigade again; deploy. On the evening of the 14th, the 7th and 8th brigades first launched an attack from the east of the city. With the support of artillery fire, they broke through the enemy's defense in Dongguan with lightning speed.The enemy infantry counterattacked me with the support of 6 armored vehicles and artillery fire in the city.At this time, the enemy on the city wall blocked Dongguan Avenue and the moat with machine guns, and two armored vehicles shot at me across the bridge, and the enemy defending the bridgehead also blocked our troops with intensive firepower.But it didn't take long for the enemy's fortress to be blown up, and the armored vehicles also fled in panic.Before the enemy had time to completely destroy the bridge, our army had captured the East, West, South, and North Passes, and met at the west end of the pass at 4 o'clock at night.The enemy defenders in Suxian fell into a tight encirclement. After the fierce battle, the sound of the guns gradually died down, and Suxian City fell into an unbearable silence again.Then there are the shouts of our army, the voices of our army's policies and the victories of various battlefields, and propaganda bombs fly from outside the city to the city from time to time. At 17:00 on November 15, Chen Xilian commanded the 3rd Column of the Central Plains Field Army to launch a general attack on Su County.In order to confuse the enemy, the troops responsible for the feint attack at the South and North Passes started their operations 15 minutes in advance.Then, our artillery unit began to show its might. The siege troops of Dongguan and Xiguan began to prepare for half an hour of firepower. The city was shaken, and the enemy's position was covered in flames. In this way, Liu Changyi still felt that it was not enough, and organized the engineering troops to blast four times in a row, and finally sent 50 kilograms of explosives to blow up a big gap in Xiaodongmen.Our assault force quickly rushed to the breakthrough, and it took only 40 minutes from firepower preparation to breaking through the city wall. After some fierce street fighting, a large number of enemies were wiped out, and only some remnants retreated to the high ground and bunkers to resist. In the end, only the enemy's top commander, Zhang Jiwu, and his headquarters were left. There were only more than 300 people in total, and they were trapped in the Gospel Church in the southwest corner of the city to resist.They used 4 armored vehicles in an attempt to block my attack road.After one was blown up by our engineers, the other three fell into the ditch when they turned around and ran for their lives in a hurry.The troops captured the enemy's armored vehicles, and immediately turned the firearms on the armored vehicles to shoot at the enemy.Zhang Jiwu fled to the south gate with two squadrons, but was stopped after running not far.The enemy got into two nearby courtyards in a panic.Our assault force rushed in immediately and captured more than 40 enemy officers and soldiers.The rest of the enemy counterattacked again, and our soldiers hit them back with grenades, and the enemy was in a mess.While fighting, the soldiers shouted "Pay your guns and don't kill!"The enemy gradually became overwhelmed, and the remaining 150 people in the two squadrons raised their hands. Among them was Zhang Jiwu, whose face was smeared with pot ashes. At 3 o'clock on the 16th, the battle ended victoriously, and the enemy defenders in Su County were wiped out.In addition to the killed enemy, more than 10,000 officers and soldiers under Zhang Jiwu, commander of the enemy's Jinpu Road guard and the supreme commander of Su County, were counted and captured, and a large number of weapons and military supplies were seized.The soldiers and civilians in the city rejoiced. While our 3rd Column was attacking Su County, the 4th Column of the Central Plains Field Army, the 3rd Column of the East China Field Army, and the Guangdong-Guangzhou Column captured Jiagou north of Suxian County. Intimidated Bengbu, broke the 100-kilometer railway between Caocun and Guzhen, and controlled vast areas on both sides of the line.The victory of these three troops made the Jinpu Railway south of Xuzhou and north of Bengbu completely under my control, completing the strategic encirclement of Xuzhou.The Kuomintang army in Xuzhou was cut into two sections, the north and the south, and had already cut off their retreat. Nanjing.Chiang Kai-shek's official residence. Chiang Kai-shek paced restlessly around his palatial house. At this time, Gu Zhutong came in and reported to Chiang Kai-shek: "On the 13th, 14th, and 15th, Jiagou, Suxian, and Guzhen fell one after another." When Chiang Kai-shek heard this, his face, which was not smiling at all, became even more gloomy.Su County fell, and the Xu Bang line was cut off, which was beyond his expectation. He said angrily: "To regain Su County, order Huang Wei to advance to Su County quickly." Gu Zhutong immediately stood up and said, "I will go to Xuzhou myself." Chiang Kai-shek softened his tone a little, and said: "Okay, if Huang Baitao is rescued, the overall situation will take the initiative... I don't believe that three corps and nine armies can't take Su County back. I want to defeat Liu Bocheng here." But it was too late at this moment, and the enemy defenders in Su County had been wiped out. The Central Military Commission and Chairman Mao spoke highly of the capture of Su County and the interception of Xu Bang. Coordinating the overall situation is an important prerequisite for winning the battle.After the great victory in the battle, in order to unify the command and operations, on November 16, Mao Zedong and the Central Military Commission said in a telegram: The armies of the Central Plains and East China must prepare to fight in the present area for three to five months (including the rest period). The number of people who will eat food, including prisoners, will reach about 800,000. You must cooperate with the East China Bureau and the Soviet Union The Northern Working Committee, the Central Plains Bureau, the Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu Branches, and the party committees of the Hebei, Shandong and Henan regions made overall plans to solve the problem.Victory in this battle will not only stabilize the situation in the north of the Yangtze River, but also basically resolve the situation in the whole country. It is hoped that everything will be coordinated from this point of view.The overall planning leadership consists of 5 Comrades Liu Bocheng, Chen Yi, Deng Xiaoping, Su Yu, and Tan Zhenlin forming a General Front Committee. When possible, a 5-member meeting is held to discuss important issues.Liu Bocheng, Chen Yi, and Deng Xiaoping are three members of the Standing Committee, who deal with everything on the fly, and Xiaoping is the secretary of the General Front Committee. The establishment of the General Front Committee played a crucial role in strengthening the organization and leadership for the Central Plains Field Army and the East China Field Army to win the Huaihai Campaign. For several days, Chiang Kai-shek's face was always gloomy, and he lost his temper from time to time.The People's Liberation Army conquered Su County and cut off the Xubeng line, which made him lose his only supply line on land in the Xuzhou area, and even his base camp was cut off from the land connection with the Xuzhou Group.At the official residence on Huangpu Road in Nanjing, Chiang Kai-shek convened another military meeting, accused Liu Zhi of being incompetent, and then hastily formulated a battle plan to rescue Huang Baitao. In order to keep Xu Bang and rescue Huang Baitao, Chiang Kai-shek spared no effort to mobilize the 39th, 54th, and 98th Army of the Kuomintang and the Huangwei Corps in Central China. After the meeting, Chiang Kai-shek summoned Du Yuming again at the official residence on Huangpu Road, appointed Du Yuming as the deputy commander-in-chief of Xuzhou's "suppression general" and the director of the front-line headquarters, with full authority to command all the corps in Xuzhou, and ordered Du Yuming to rush to Xuzhou immediately, leading Qiu Qingquan, Li Mi The two corps came to the east to join forces with Huang Baitao's corps within 10 days; sent Gu Zhutong to Xuzhou to supervise the battle, and sent an airplane to the sky over the Nianzhuangwei area to airdrop Huang Baitao and the commanders of the armies with handwritten letters: "The Xuzhou battle is related to the survival of the party and the country. Only success is allowed, and failure is not allowed. I am superior in terrain, fortifications, and military strength. I am sure of victory. I hope to inspire the soldiers to do their best." Chiang Kai-shek made a desperate attempt to break the bank, but Mao Zedong was far-sighted and confident. Xibaipo.Mao Zedong and other leaders of the Central Military Commission were deliberating. They had already realized that the scale of the war would expand, and Huaihai would be a decisive battle across the board. On November 14, according to the changes in the battle situation, our East China Field Army also made new adjustments and deployments: Tan Zhenlin and Wang Jianan commanded the 4th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 13th and special columns, a total of 6 The column attacked Huang Baitao's corps located in Nianzhuangwei; the 7th, 10th, and 11th columns were commanded by Song Shilun, the commander of the 10th column, and Liu Peishan, the political commissar, to block the enemy from the east of Xuzhou; the 2nd and 12th columns, commanded by Wei Guoqing, and the Central Plains The 11th Column of the Field Army and the Luzhong South Column cut off the enemy's rear in the south of Xuzhou; the 1st Column of the East China Field Army was used as a reserve team and stood by in a single set; the two brigades of the Jianghuai Military Region went south to surround Lingbi. In this way, the Central Plains Field Army and the East China Field Army attacked across the board, and Xuzhou's "suppression generals" panicked and were troubled.Before the start of the battle, our army's combat operations around Xuzhou once made Liu Zhi mistakenly believe that I was going to attack Xuzhou, and desperately concentrated our troops on Xuzhou.When it was discovered that Huang Baitao's corps was surrounded, Chiang Kai-shek ordered Liu Zhi to give full support to rescue the siege, so Liu Zhi decided to transfer the 2nd and 13th corps on the afternoon of the 11th. A total of 5 armies and 12 divisions attacked Xudong in an attempt to rescue Huang Baitao. corps. In order to complete Xu Dong's blocking mission, Commander Song Shilun convened the 7th, 10th, and 11th verticals to hold a temporary combat meeting.他说：“我们和国民党军打了20多年的仗，现在要进行最后决战了。蒋介石眼看黄百韬兵团被围，急令徐州'剿总'派邱(清泉)、李(弥)兵团拼死东援。根据中央军委和毛主席的指示，华东野战军前委以8个纵队在徐州东面和东南面打援。”刘培善政委接着说：“消灭黄百韬兵团要用两个拳头：一个在碾庄圩地区，一个在我们这里，少了哪个都是不行的。打援这个拳头关系到全局。”听到这里，大家的心情既兴奋，又紧张。打阻击，尤其是对付像邱清泉、李弥这样具有现代化装备的国民党军主力兵团，困难是很大的。同时，纵队领导要大家以最快的速度抢占有利地形，抢修工事，准备以阵地防御与运动防御相结合，坚决挡住敌人，保障我主力全歼黄百韬兵团。 在场的各纵领导纷纷表态，坚决阻住东援之敌，确保主力部队消灭黄百韬兵团。 11月11日，10纵28师首先抢占徐州以东胡山、大庙山、前柳庄、寺山口、侯庄一线长达10多公里的阵地。同时，7纵在10纵左邻，以已占阵地为第一线，以单集以北、大许家、刘芦家、麻谷子及其以东地区为第二线，在纵深约17公里、正面近10公里的地带也拉开了阵势。徐东地区除有几座不大的山头外，都是无险可守的开阔地，经过一天的抢修工事，一条条堑壕就挖出来了，一个个掩体修起来了。11月13日，原属中原野战军的第11纵兼程抵达双沟镇、大王集，占据了7纵左邻阵地。阵地地形情况与7纵、10纵大致相同，同样无险可守，且纵深不长。 11月12日，邱清泉、李弥兵团5个师向东推进，先用两个团的兵力，以6辆坦克引导，向我寺山口阵地猛攻。寺山口处在寺山的中间凹部，是通往碾庄圩的必经之路，而寺山是一座光秃秃的小山，因为山梁上到处都是岩石，所以很难在这里修筑工事，给防守造成了很大困难。我84团在这里奋起阻击。坚守在寺山口正面的2营，在一天中连续10余次打退敌人整连、整营、整团的攻击，为兄弟部队修筑主阵地工事赢得了时间。坚守在南山坡的“苗树柏班”，接连打退了敌人4次攻击。在人员伤亡、弹药减少的情况下，面对凶恶的敌人，班长苗树柏端起刺刀大声喊道：“同志们，没有弹药，我们用刺刀、枪托、石头，坚决把敌人挡在寺山口外！”第一个冲入敌群。战士们挥着铁锹、小镐，举着石头，端着刺刀冲向敌人。敌人的进攻又被打退了。 13日上午9时左右，敌机向83团阵地轰炸，接着是重炮轰击，敌人开始向我全线进攻。转跟间，我团山、马山一线阵地和村庄成了一片火海。这时，敌人冲上来了，在敌人接近我阵地50米左右时，反冲击的第一枪打响了。 霎时间，排子枪、轻重机枪、手榴弹、追击炮弹纷纷射向敌群，敌死伤过半。不久，敌出动更多的兵力，第二次向我进攻。我军阵地几度出现险情，连续4次打退了敌人的进攻。后来，打红了眼的敌5军200师一部竞动用了23辆坦克，向我82团马庄、姚庄、大庙阵地疯狂进攻。当敌人接近前沿时，全团指战员一齐跳出工事冲入敌群，展开搏斗。经过两个小时的激战，敌人丢下被炸毁的4辆坦克和遍地的尸体溃退了。 此时，转移到小辛庄、解台子一带的我28师一部，正准备同敌人进行再次较量。14日拂晓，宋时轮司令员打电话给坚守在解台子阵地的82团1营宋营长：“宋家烈同志，你们当面敌人是第8军，你们这个阵地十分重要，你们的任务是艰巨的，也是光荣的。你们要人在阵地在，坚决与敌人寸土必争，只要还有一个人，只要还有一口气，就不能丢了阵地！”宋营长放下电话，立即向全营同志传达，阵地上响起了“人与阵地共存亡，坚决堵住第8军”的响亮口号。上午8时，敌人向我军发起了攻击，无数枚炮弹在我军阵地上爆炸，敌机也在我军阵地上空盘旋扫射。数倍于我的敌人向我解台子阵地冲来，妄图一举突破我军防线。1营指战员用机枪、步枪、冲锋枪向敌人射击，手榴弹接连在敌群中开花，连续打退了敌人10余次的冲击，歼敌千余人。 14日，敌5军200师、8军42师、9军166师在20辆坦克和飞机大炮的掩护下，分三路向我前后场、冯庄、太平庄阵地进犯，我各部奋勇阻击，与敌人反复争夺，硬是把敌人挡在阵地之前。 17日，第10纵队主力移至彭楼、石沟、吴窑一线，敌人也尾随而来，企图迂回我军彭楼阵地，趁夜偷袭，但很快又被击溃了。 在此期间，7纵、11纵也通过顽强阻击和不断反击，给东援之敌以沉重的打击。在这一阶段的作战中，在仅有几座乱石山的开阔地带，面对仅仅相距40公里增援之敌和被围之敌的两个兵团，10纵在7纵、11纵的配合下，把徐州东援之敌阻挡在大许家以西地区，保障了主攻部队围歼黄百韬兵团的胜利。从徐州到碾庄圩，邱清泉、李弥或是黄百韬若驱车而行，不过区区1个小时的车程，若同时出发相向而行，最多过半个小时即可会合。然后在这11天中，我军宋时轮兵团令他们付出了1万余人、30辆坦克、12万余发炮弹的代价，而敌军仅仅才前进了不足20公里。 Timing is victory.赢得了时间，就是赢得了胜利。 支援的邱清泉、李弥兵团没有任何进展，蒋介石气急败坏地在电报中严词训斥邱清泉：“共军不过两三个纵队，为什么你们两个兵团都打不动？”实际上，我军有5、6个纵队，见此形势，蒋介石不得不派顾祝同、郭汝瑰前往徐州督战。 根据华野首长命令，我8纵的作战任务是：和兄弟纵队南北对进突击陇海路上炮车、运河车站守敌；西抗援敌，东阻黄百韬兵团西逃，保障兄弟部队对其围歼。在战役发起时间上，中央军委要求北起临城(今薛城)南至淮河，西自商丘东到海州几百里的战场上同时打响，使各处之敌都受到攻击，不能互相照顾，便于我对黄百韬兵团的合围。 8日，我8纵于郯城以西地区，徒涉水深及腰、寒冷刺骨的沂河、白马河，向作战地域开进。9日拂晓，纵队侦察营于纪集、董庄勇敢机智地歼灭了“地头蛇”王洪九的保安2团1500余人，我全营无一伤亡。 9日上午，行军途中接到上级要8纵火速歼灭运河车站守敌、抢占运河桥的命令。这时，8纵部队已有20几个小时没有埋锅做饭了。69团离运河车站最近，也还有40多公里路。纵队张仁初司令员、王一平政委感到时间紧，路程远，部队疲劳，任务艰巨。纵队几位领导研究决定，要23师坚决完成抢占运河桥的任务，并令69团为先遣团，排除沿途敌人干扰，争取早一分钟拿下运河桥。同时纵队领导也分头到部队进行指导。 当王一平政委下午赶到69团的时候，部队早已开始了急行军。团政委孙芳圃边走边传达前委的号召，强调搞好团结互助。部队虽然饿着肚子行军，听说是先遣团，首先打响第一仗，士气大振。1营教导员李春亭腿上负伤坚持行军。全团没有一个掉队的。有的战士俏皮地说：“肚子空空行军方便，免得拉屎撤尿耽误时间。”团长于步血向王一平政委汇报说，团营干部分头下到连队，便于当机立断处理情况，遇到小股敌人就歼灭，遇到大股敌人就派小部队包围监视，绝不动摇猛追直插运河桥的决心。 在我军前进行列里，除了宣传员的鼓动声，就是嗖嗖的脚步声。在这样忍受疲劳饥饿而又斗志昂扬的战士面前，又有什么样的敌人能逃脱被歼的命运？ 69团在急行军途中歼灭了几股逃敌，从俘虏的1个副营长口中，得知黄兵团所属的5个军及兵团部，除63军在窑湾企图西渡外，其他都已撤过运河桥，只有100军44师的2个团因桥梁被炸仍滞留桥东。当晚9时，69团1营追到运河车站。乘敌不备，先后解除了3股敌人的武装。 这时，我1营发现铁路两侧集团堡垒里的敌人有3个团的番号，守敌虽众，但是兵无斗志，有的团长、营长已过河西逃，敌军失去指挥。1营抓住战机，不等后续部队，马上向守敌发起猛攻。10日上午9时，在收拢部队的嘹亮号声中，整个战斗胜利结束，歼敌100军44师130团全部及131团、132团各一部，共毙伤俘敌2700多人。我军仅伤亡百余人。 在突破敌人运河防线以后，我8纵22师和23师即于10日挥戈西进，与兄弟部队一起在边追边侦察边打中很快形成对黄百韬兵团的合围。 中原野战军某部突击队进入冲锋出发地点后，政治干部在进行战场鼓动工作从10日晚至14日晨，8纵奉命从碾庄圩以东及东南方向协同兄弟部队压缩包围，杀伤消耗敌人，以利最后聚歼。8纵8个团在前后阎子桥、大小王家庄、唐家楼、火烧房子等10多个村庄，与守敌64军和44军一部展开了逐堡逐村的争夺战。 这是一场“砸烂硬核桃”、“虎口拔牙”的硬仗。战斗进行得十分激烈、艰苦。特别是22师65、66两个团合力夺取敌64军“精锐”475团防守的唐家楼的战斗，打得更为艰巨而出色。敌人工事的射击孔大都紧贴地皮，很难发现。就是匍匐前进，也多遭杀伤。有几处工事，敌人构成夹墙式，我军冲过去，敌人却从我背后开火。经过一夜激战，攻下半个村庄。这2个团均遭重大伤亡。66团政委李树桐在反复冲杀中，身先士卒，光荣捐躯。65团的3连，全连仅剩下5个人仍和敌人搏斗。就这样，英雄们以我军的顽强压倒了敌人的顽抗，终于在13日消灭了敌475团大部和前来增援的7个班，拿下了唐家楼。 在外围村落战中，各团英勇作战，都取得一些成绩，也程度不同地受到一些挫折。主要原因是部队从运动中猛追猛打突然转入村落攻坚，对敌人工事和守备特点没有搞清，从上到下存在着轻敌思想。 14日晚，华野首长召集围歼黄百韬兵团的6个纵队的负责人开会，总结几天来攻坚作战的经验教训，确定了“先打弱敌、孤立强敌，打其首脑，乱其部署，尔后聚歼”的战法，提出了一系列攻坚的具体措施。同时决定由华野副政委兼山东兵团政委谭震林和副司令员王建安统一指挥对黄兵团的围歼。 根据这次会议精神和我8纵实际情况。张仁初和王一平召开了纵队党委会，提出既要经得起胜利的考验，也要经得住挫折的考验，保持清醒的头脑；同时分析了敌人外援无望、内缺粮弹的处境和基层官兵恐惧、厌战的心理，强调配合强大的军事打击开展政治攻势，瓦解敌人的士气。要求各师在普遍战评的基础上，研究如何发挥我军夜战近战特长，加强土工作业，特别是敌火力下的作业，隐蔽地接近敌人，插入敌人据守的各村之间，割断敌人的联系，为聚歼敌人创造条件。 从25日到18日，我8纵除以一部分兵力监视碾庄圩以东大小院上一带的敌人以外，主力分别由火烧房子西北、大院上西南向碾庄圩等处守敌进逼，紧缩了对碾庄圩的包围。纵队组织了炮兵群，压制、摧毁敌人的地堡工事。 19日晚，我军对碾庄圩守敌黄百韬兵团部、25军军部及其直属部队发起总攻。我8纵和9纵从东南和正南方向担任主攻。 这个由于淮海决战而闻名中外的碾庄圩，是座落在淮海平原上不足200户人家的村庄。在我8纵主攻方向上，第一道围墙内有敌15军40师1个营的兵力在固守。 临战前，纵队发出动员令，要求主攻部队的干部和全体党员在紧要关头“挺身而出，成为胜利的旗帜！”“要勇猛杀敌当英雄，执行政策立双功”。要“彻底消灭25军，打掉皖南事变刽子手顾祝同的打手，为在皖南事变中牺牲的同志报仇。” 8纵围攻碾庄圩的先锋团，由23师67团担任。和先锋团并肩作战的是9纵的“济南第1团”。这两个主攻团为了完成共同的任务，团结协调，亲密无间。两个指挥所架通电话，相互通报敌情和作战部署。总攻开始，电话线被敌炮火打断，就互派参谋人员加强联系。 曾被誉为“战争之神”的大炮，在围攻碾庄圩中大显神威，在步兵冲击前，我8纵集中57门大炮，分4个炮群，一声令下，巨响震天，无数条火龙，划破夜空，飞向碾庄圩，仅3刻钟就发射4600发炮弹，摧毁敌大批防御工事和杀伤敌大量有生力量，为步兵冲击开辟了通路。 这时，先锋团的尖——9连，正隐蔽在一条蛇形的交通壕里。交通壕是他们利用夜间在敌火力下筑成的，离敌人前沿阵地只有60米。19日22时，当炮火刚刚向前延伸，9连便在副营长李浩的带领下，分3路向碾庄圩东南角扑去。淮海平原的初冬，已是天寒地冻，北风凛冽，而夜间壕水更是冰冷刺骨。为了争取时间，突击队的干部战士跳下水深齐腰的壕沟涉水前进，有的同志干脆脱掉棉衣，光背赤足涉水而过。壕壁、围墙陡直难攀，战士们三番五次爬上去摔下来。 被我炮火震昏了的敌人，如恶梦刚醒，机枪、手榴弹一齐打来。战士们一面还击，压制敌人火力，一面“叠罗汉”向上爬，相互鼓励：“冲过水壕，翻过围墙就是胜利！”干部、党员哪里任务艰巨就到哪里，哪里有困难就出现在哪里。共产党员、1排长孙向银头部负伤，鲜血直流，仍指挥全排涉过水壕爬上围墙。仅用半小时，碾庄圩第一道围墙的突破口就被9连撕开了，首先升起红色信号弹。67团、68团、64团等后续部队随后跟进。 人民解放军某部六十七团九连突击队冒着严寒，涉过五丈宽、三尺多深的水沟，向国民常政府军队发起冲击 经过一番搏斗，我军将守敌1个营消灭在地堡密布、壕沟纵横的阵地上。突击连和后续部队占领几所院落站稳脚跟后，立即支援“济南第1团”的突击方向，向那里的守敌压过去。这时，两个主攻的拳头会合了，共同打退了敌人“青年突击队”的疯狂反扑，向前进攻。 为了抵近射击，打死角，由8纵参谋长陈宏67团指战员研究出的炮打炸药包的技术，给敌人很大杀伤。俘虏兵讲：这种“炮弹”，会飞到墙上爆炸，没法躲。后来，华野首长称赞炮打炸药包是一大创造。 我8纵部队和9纵“济南第1团”在第二道围墙的南门外会合后，一齐向里发展。部队在接近黄百韬兵团部的时候，同垂死挣扎的敌人展开逐屋、逐点的争夺，一直激战到20日清晨5时50分，攻打敌人兵团部和25军军部的各部队会师了。当特务团团长董玉湘进到黄百韬住址时，发现黄睡的毛毯上遗弃下1支手枪和1瓶安眠药。黄百韬狼狈地带着残部逃向64军据守的大院上村。 接着，8纵又奉命向盘踞小院上、小费庄等5个村庄的敌64军、25军残部发起攻击，战斗到22日晚上，守敌大部被歼。黄百韬从大院上向西北逃跑时毙命，刘镇湘被生俘。经过10天鏖战，我8纵共毙伤、俘敌1 25万余人。部队经受了拼强敌，打硬仗的严峻考验。