Chapter 7 Chapter 7

The military situation in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei border area gradually developed in a favorable direction. The Yilai, Mancheng, and Baonan campaigns were successively launched, and more than 20,000 enemies were wiped out flexibly, and 8 regiments and 4 battalions of the enemy were wiped out in an organized manner.In the past 8 months, more than 80,000 enemies have been wiped out.However, the entire division and army have not yet been wiped out of the enemy.Or in other words, it has not yet taken the initiative in the entire war situation, and the entire military situation has not undergone fundamental changes.In this regard, the Central Military Commission and Chairman Mao Zedong analyzed the situation of the enemy and ourselves in the North China battlefield in the spring of 1947, and on the basis of summarizing the previous combat experience, they gave many important instructions to the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region on the issue of operational policy.Commanders at all levels are required to establish the determination to fight a war of annihilation.The Central Military Commission also put forward two conditions for fighting a large-scale annihilation war. One is to use a small number of troops to clamp down on the other parts of the enemy, and to concentrate an absolutely superior force to fight an enemy.Never attack two enemies at the same time, nor use a large number of troops to restrain them.The second is to use one to fight the front, and use the main force to fight in a detour.It is absolutely impossible to use the main force to fight head-on, and use one to fight in a detour.Regarding the choice of combat direction, the Central Military Commission pointed out that independent combat should be based on concentrating our superior forces and annihilating the enemy in motion.No matter where you fight, as long as you can annihilate the enemy, it is cooperation with other areas.

At the end of March, the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Central Bureau of the Communist Party of China held an enlarged meeting in Anguo, and seriously studied how to gain the initiative and wipe out the enemy in large numbers.The meeting held that: it is necessary to resolutely advance and retreat in great strides, attack the weak enemy first, and then attack the strong enemy; take the initiative to attack the enemy's weakly defended points and lines, seek to mobilize the enemy, concentrate the absolute superior force, and annihilate the enemy one by one during the movement.At the same time, our combat steps should be based on the overall battle situation and overall planning, not to be swayed by the local actions of the enemy in front of us.

At this time, the enemies around the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei border area were also exhausted, and their main force retreated to big cities and along the railway line for consolidation and replenishment, and attempted to support the defenders stationed in Baoding and Zhuoxian areas to invade the Hebei area of ​​​​the Qing Dynasty.At this time, the Jinpu line in the east and the Zhengtai line in the south are the enemy's weak points.The Jinchaji Military Region decided to launch the Zhengtai Campaign.The attempt of the campaign was to attack and annihilate the outskirts of Shijiazhuang and along the Zhengtai Road with the entire field army and a part of the local army. Our army marched towards the ancient city of Zhengding to defend the enemy, isolate Shijiazhuang, and strive to annihilate the enemy who came to aid during the movement.As for the enemy's attack in the Hebei Province of the Qing Dynasty, the troops from the 7th Independent Brigade and the 10th Military Division of the Jizhong Military Region met it.The battle was carried out in two steps: first, attack and annihilate the enemies on the outskirts of Shijiazhuang with all our strength, and if the enemies from the north come to help, they will attack first.If you don't come to help, go to the second step and seize the Zhengtai line.Attack and annihilate the enemies of Huolu, Jingxing, Pingding, Yangquan, and Shouyang, attract the enemy to aid, and annihilate them.

Fighting for three days and nights, the scheduled first phase of the battle plan was successfully realized.The enemies in Pingjinbao in the north took advantage of the fact that our main force was concentrated on the southern line, and dispatched the main force of 4 divisions to attack North Daqing.However, I only dealt with the enemy with the troops of the Jizhong Military Region and a few militias, and the main force still carried out the second step of the plan, launching an attack on Zhengtai Road.Mao Zedong said in a telegram to the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region: "You have already taken the initiative. If the enemy comes to the south, you should ignore him and concentrate on completing the Zhengtai Campaign so that the enemy will be completely passive. This is a very correct policy. "Finally, the battle of Zhengtai, which lasted for a month, fully realized the scheduled plan and opened up the connection between the two liberated areas of Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei and Shanxi-Hebei-Luyu. Created conditions for the capture of Shijiazhuang in the future.

Our artillery is hidden outside Zhengding City. In the late spring and early summer of 1947, the People's Liberation Army won major victories in various battlefields across the country. The enemy's key attacks on northern Shaanxi and Shandong have failed.The powerful summer offensive of the Northeast Field Army completely broke the division of the Northeast Liberated Area, and the enemy was forced to abandon the vast area north of Shenyang.Chiang Kai-shek ordered Beipingyuan to increase troops to the northeast.Accordingly, the Central Military Commission instructed the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region to coordinate operations in the Northeast and prevent the enemy from sending reinforcements to the Northeast.

Therefore, in June, in order to cooperate with the Northeast People's Liberation Army's summer offensive, Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei launched the Battle of Qingcang, which focused on destroying the enemy's railways.In this way, Tianjin was threatened and the enemy's main force was held back.Then, in view of the fact that the main force of the enemy is concentrated in Tianjin and the areas south of it, it is unlikely to lure the enemy south, and the north of Baoding is relatively empty, so it is determined to launch the Baobei Campaign suddenly before the rainy season. At this time, it was only 3 days before the end of the Battle of Qingcang.

The Battle of Qingcang and the Battle of Baobei wiped out more than 20,000 enemies.The reason for victory, "The History of the Third Civil Revolutionary War in North China" said: the main reason is to concentrate superior forces, attack weak enemies, and make quick decisions. The campaign guidance is relatively flexible. Being in an active position, moving from east to west, making it difficult for the enemy to defend against.The troops crossed the old liberated areas in central Jizhong twice, without revealing any news.There was only a short period of rest between the two battles, striving for the suddenness of the war.During the battle, the encirclement is tight, the deployment is careful, and the direction of the enemy's possible breakout is taken into account to prevent it. Except for individual battles, every battle has achieved a clean and thorough elimination of the enemy.New progress has also been made in the tactical and technical aspects of attacking key points. Most of the troops and cadres at all levels can plan carefully, organize and coordinate closely, use troops and firepower in a concentrated manner, have better coordination with infantry and artillery, and have significantly improved blasting technology.

After that, hitting Shijiazhuang was nothing more than a natural thing. This should be attributed to the Central Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Anguo Conference in March 1947, which further clarified the idea of ​​mobile warfare, resolutely implemented strides forward and retreated, and wiped out the enemy during the movement. It wasn't until then that he was free.Go south to Zhengtai, take Qingcang to the east, and fight Baobei again.After three battles and three victories, Shijiazhuang has become an isolated island on land. And all of this started from the battle of Zhengtai. The Battle of Zhengtai lasted for a month, eliminated 35,000 enemies, controlled more than 150 kilometers of railway lines on Zhengtai Road and 50 kilometers on Pinghan Road, cut off the enemy's north-south connection, and isolated Shijiazhuang, a strategic point.

Mao Zedong once said wittily in the past: Jinchaji is as good as it is, and it is a blockbuster. Our army's engineers cut off the Zhengtai Railway. The Zhengtai campaign was prepared in two steps.In the first step, the second, third, and fourth verticals will attack and clear the periphery of Shijiazhuang, including the Zhengding enemy at the east end of Zhengtai Road, to further isolate Shijiazhuang and attract the enemy from the north to come to help.If the enemy does not help, then proceed to the second step, and the main force will turn westward, attack along the Zhengtai Road, and control the Zhengtai Railway.On the outskirts of Shijiazhuang, there is still a relatively large area belonging to the enemy, Huolu in the west, Yuanshi and Zanhuang in the south, Luancheng in the east, and Zhengding in the north.In the first step of the battle plan, except for Yuanshi who was not defeated, the rest of the counties were liberated.In order not to affect the next step of the battle plan, Yuanshi did not fight again, but surrounded it, and did not take down Yuanshi until Shijiazhuang was liberated.

Zhengding in the north of Shijiazhuang was surrounded by Chen Zhengxiang's Second Column and Zheng Weishan's Three Columns. While surrounding Zhengding, they controlled the Hutuo River Railway Bridge in the south of the county, cutting off the enemy's escape route to Shijiazhuang.Zhengding City is not far from Shijiazhuang, across the Hutuo River, which is the northern barrier of Shijiazhuang.The battle went smoothly, and more than 90 strongholds around Zhengding County were wiped out, and the attack on Zhengding County soon began. The top KMT officer guarding Zhengding is Liu Haidong, the deputy commander of the 7th Division of the Third Army who has just arrived in Zhengding for only one month.He said that Luo Lirong had informed him by phone to set up a command post at Xin'an Station to scout out the actions of the PLA. at his command.The seventh division is mainly for peripheral security, plus the defense area of ​​the fifth column reorganized by the puppet army extends to Gaocheng in the east, Jingxing in the west, Yuanshi in the south, and Wangdu along Pinghan Road in the north, and also protects the road.The division headquarters and the 21st regiment were stationed in Huolu.Because the Seventh Division is Luo Lirong's direct descendant, it was soon moved to Zhengding and placed under the direct command of the military headquarters, in order to strengthen the troops protecting the Pinghan Road.Luo Lirong thought that Pinghan Road would be open to traffic in this way.Unexpectedly, the Xin'an Railway Bridge was destroyed soon, and the Kuomintang troops stationed along the line were in fear, worrying about being annihilated at any time.Luo Lirong also changed the deployment of troops. The Seventh Division left a regiment to guard Zhengding to ensure that the Hutuo River Railway Bridge would not be damaged, and sent some troops to station at Xin'an Station, 12 kilometers away from Zhengding.At this time, it was rumored that the 100,000 troops of the People's Liberation Army were going to attack Shijiazhuang. Luo Lirong panicked and hurriedly moved the main force of the Seventh Division to Shijiazhuang to stabilize himself.He also sent Liu Haidong, the deputy commander of the Seventh Division, to Xin'an Station. Liu Haidong didn't have much to say. Soldiers take obeying orders as their bounden duty.

Liu Haidong said that in February 1947, Luo Lirong received information that Nie Rongzhen was planning to attack Shijiazhuang, so he asked Sun Lianzhong in Peking to send troops to support him.In this way, a group was transported to Shijiazhuang by air.Sun Lianzhong also sent four or five divisions to attack Hebei in the Qing Dynasty to attract the liberation of Liangcun, Gaocheng County. , to solve the siege of Shijiazhuang.At the same time, the 53rd Army was sent to attack the Fangshunqiao and Wangdu areas in an attempt to attack the PLA's rear.After taking so many measures, Luo Lirong still felt that Shijiazhuang's troops were not strong enough. It was always unsafe to defend such a large area with just this little defense.Once a war occurs, there is a danger of being broken through at any time, and the responsibility is heavy.So he ordered the withdrawal of the defenses in Jingxing and Huolu counties to reinforce Shijiazhuang's defense, and transferred more than 2,000 people from Hou Ruyong's department to Zhengding for training.In this way, apart from Zhengding and Xin'an stations, Shijiazhuang actually has no outlying strongholds. The Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region ignored the enemy's invasion in Hebei Province of the Qing Dynasty, but resolutely implemented the second-step combat plan.After Nie Rongzhen reported this opinion to the Central Military Commission, Mao Zedong, the Eighth Company of the 19th Regiment of the 3rd Vertical, 7th Brigade, and 19th Regiment sent a telegram agreeing to attack the Jiacun stronghold outside Zhengding. Looking at the overall situation, the Zhengtai Campaign cooperated with the self-defense war in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, and hit Hu Zongnan from the east.From the perspective of Jinchaji, the Battle of Zhengtai created good conditions for the liberation of Shijiazhuang in the future.So, this is a strategic battle. After Major General Liu Haidong arrived at Xin'an Station, he started working in a command post with a staff officer and an adjutant.He redistributed his forces.The security team of more than 100 people in Xin'an served as the guard in the north of Xin'an, and at the same time searched for the enemy's situation in the north of Ding County; the security team in Gaocheng had more than 200 people, and served as the guard in the east of Pinghan Road.There are more than 100 security guards in Quyang County, who are in charge of guarding the west of Pinghan Road.The main force of the Mao battalion of the Seventh Division was stationed in Lijiabao to build fortifications, and one of the companies served as a guard at Xin'an Station.Just one month after arriving at Xin'an Station, Liu Haidong received intelligence that Nie Rongzhen's troops were moving from north to south, and the intention was unknown.Liu Haidong thought, isn't it obvious that there are only Zhengding and Xin'an stations outside Shijiazhuang, and they have no other goals, and a battle may break out. While reporting to the military headquarters, he ordered the third battalion to prepare for battle quickly, and at the same time notified the garrison troops in various regions to reconnaissance and report the situation face-to-face to the command post.Soon Xinle County fell, and the Kuomintang personnel in the county fled to Xin'an Station.By the afternoon, all strongholds near Xin'an were surrounded by the People's Liberation Army.All wired telephones were cut off, and Shijiazhuang no longer knew about Zhengding. The train drove to Zhengding and turned back. At dawn on April 7th, when Liu Haidong heard the sound of artillery from far to near, from sparse to dense, he ordered the troops guarding each stronghold to retreat to the bunkers.After fighting for a whole morning, the sound of artillery stopped, and the besieging People's Liberation Army was digging fortifications. Liu Haidong also took the opportunity to adjust his troops and temporarily accommodate the wounded at Xin'an Station.At this time, Li Yongzhang, the commander of the 7th Division, sent a wireless telegram, saying that Ke Minsheng, the commander of the 19th Regiment, and a battalion from the 20th Regiment had been ordered to come for reinforcements.However, Liu Haidong waited eagerly for a long time, but there was no sign of reinforcements. It turned out that the reinforcements were ambushed near Licun Town, north of Zhengding, and suffered heavy casualties, making it impossible to move forward.At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Li Yongzhang called again, asking Liu Haidong to prepare to break out, saying that the 19th Regiment would meet him north of Zhengding.Liu Haidong considered that the reinforcements were desperate, and the casualties were even greater. Although it was difficult to break through, the wounded could not be transported, and new wounded had to be added. .Liu Haidong called the battalion commander Mao Ying and other local officials to inform them of the current situation, announcing that the destination of the breakout was Zhengding County, and asked Mao Ying to send a company of breakout troops to prepare to break out before dark. The signal to break out of the siege is to launch two green signal flares northward at the station, and all troops break out of the siege at the same time.At 6:00 p.m., the People's Liberation Army began a full-scale attack, gradually approaching the station, the shells hit the command post, and the Xin'an station collapsed.At about 8 o'clock, before the People's Liberation Army rushed up, Liu Haidong gave the order to break out to the south.Although there were obstacles along the way, the Great Plains were surrounded by roads in all directions, and it was getting dark again, so it was easy to disperse and escape.When Liu Haidong arrived in Licun Town, he didn't meet the 19th Regiment who was meeting him along the way. The 19th Regiment who was supposed to meet him in Licun Town had already returned to Shijiazhuang.Fortunately, it was out of the encirclement at this time. It took Liu Haidong more than 4 hours to climb and walk the 12-kilometer road, and he arrived in Zhengding County at 2 pm the next day.After counting the number of people, there were only half of the Mao battalion left, basically losing their fighting power, and the battalion commander Mao also left his troops and fled to Shijiazhuang.Before Liu Haidong was glad that he had recovered his life, Luo Lirong sent him a telegram through Hou Ruyong, asking him to temporarily return to the command of Hou Ruyong, who was guarding Zhengding, and assist the department in defending the city. Liu Haidong is so angry, last time he went to Xin'an without saying anything, he finally escaped with his life, broke through to Zhengding, and hadn't caught his breath yet, and he had to help defend the city, let me do all the desperate things, you guys Where can there be such a good thing like eating delicious food and drinking spicy food?From then on, he just slept in and dawdled every day. On April 8, 1947, our thirty-two regiment conquered Gangshang Town. In April 1947, Zhengding City was not very quiet. The enemy guarding the city found that the local militiamen were watching around the city, and there were sparse rifle shots from time to time. It was estimated that Zhengding County was not safe, so they ordered troops outside the city to attack. Withdrew to the city and closed the four city gates, and all people entering and leaving the city walked through the traffic trenches to prevent the People's Liberation Army from entering the city. Liu Haidong's estimate was correct. Zhengding County was surrounded at 5:00 p.m. the day after Xin'an Station was liberated.That night, the People's Liberation Army began to attack the city and fought fiercely all night.The next day, the People's Liberation Army concentrated its superior artillery fire on the northeast corner of the city, collapsing the city wall.The ammunition of the defending troops was also gone. By 11:00 noon, the east gate and west gate were breached, and the Kuomintang soldiers defending the city were running wild in the city. Hou Ruyong also lost his command ability at this time. Break out and let nature take its course.Maybe he felt that it would be futile to toss any more. When the People's Liberation Army attacked the city gate, Hou Ruyong called and wanted to ask Liu Haidong to transfer the Maoying camp to counterattack the west gate. He counterattacked our army and broke through the east gate of Zhengding city wall.At this time, Liu Haidong was tired of fighting, and he didn't want to repeat the embarrassment at Xin'an Station, but he also didn't want to surrender, let alone flee back to Shijiazhuang.Originally, he was a deputy division commander in name only, and was kicked around. This time he was defeated and returned to Shijiazhuang, not to mention his good performance, so he was still a prisoner.He had seen the "Xinhua Daily" in front of him, and knew that the People's Liberation Army treated the prisoners preferentially. Although he was dubious, he finally let go of his fear.So, that night, he still fell asleep peacefully.When the resistance stopped at dawn and his 6,000 guarding brothers were taken prisoner, he was still asleep, and he did not wake up until he himself was taken prisoner.However, he didn't reveal his identity as the major general's deputy division commander, and the people around him didn't betray him, maybe because he came here for too short a time.Three days later, he was moved by the PLA's captive policy and admitted that he was the deputy division commander.Liu Haidong felt happier during his time as a prisoner than when he was the deputy division commander. My "merit department" conveyed the victory in the battle of Songying in Zhengding County much faster in the trenches. A warm welcome from Yuan Xuezu.Later, he went to study in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region, and was warmly welcomed by Kang Jiansheng, the Liaison Minister of the Military Region, and Hua Lei, the Director of Training. On the night of Shijiazhuang's liberation, Liu Haidong and Yuan Xuezu rushed to Shijiazhuang to start working in Zhengtai Hotel.Liu Haidong met Liu Ying who was also a prisoner in a room. Although they parted not long ago, Liu Ying no longer knew Liu Haidong.Maybe it's not that Liu Ying doesn't know Liu Haidong, but that Liu Ying didn't expect that he could meet Liu Haidong under such circumstances.At this time, Liu Ying was exhausted and her complexion was extremely abnormal. She hung her head and said nothing. Liu Haidong introduced himself, and Liu Ying remembered that the division commander and deputy division commander are always at the same level. Liu Ying's face began to blush a little, her mood improved, and she began to speak.The two talked about Zhengding and Qingfengdian. Liu Haidong talked about himself, and also talked about the leniency Luo Lirong received after being captured.Luo Lirong is like this, let alone Liu Ying? Liu Haidong said: When fighting the PLA, you are an enemy when you take up arms, and you are friends when you lay down your arms.As long as you lay down your weapons, you will not fight or kill, insult, or search you. Those who come are welcome and those who leave are sent off. The liberated senior officers will not be questioned about their crimes. Life safety and personal freedom are completely guaranteed... Liu Ying asked: How soon can you go back? Liu Haidong said: I haven't considered this issue yet, if I ask, I will definitely be released. Liu Ying asked: Can I go back? Liu Haidong said: Don't think about this issue for now, just rest here and read more books and newspapers.You have to believe in the Communist Party's lenient policy of "Welcome those who stay and send away those who leave." When the time comes in the future, they will definitely let you go back. After taking this reassurance pill, Liu Ying felt at ease.Liu Ying did not leave after that. According to Zhong Ying, a former staff officer in the Military Training Department of the General Staff, Liu Ying stayed in the Military Training Department of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army as a senior staff officer.Interestingly, Zhong Ying was the head of the 24th Regiment of the 3rd Vertical and 8th Brigade when he hit Shijiazhuang, and now he and Liu Ying have become colleagues.Liu Haidong did not stay and left. He participated in the resettlement of Jiang Jun soldiers and the aftermath of Shijiazhuang, and then went to the training department of the military region to study for half a year. , And sent cadres to escort him to the defense line of the Kuomintang army near Baoding, and then shook hands with him to say goodbye.