Chapter 16 3. Zhou Enlai formulated a battle plan in turn

After the third campaign of the Chinese People’s Volunteers, when the U.S. authorities were at a loss on the North Korean issue, the United Nations “Troika Korean Ceasefire Group” proposed to the UN General Assembly a five-step plan to reach a Korean ceasefire and peacefully resolve the Far East issue. That is, first, to immediately arrange for a cease-fire in Korea; second, once the cease-fire has been achieved, it should be used in order to consider further steps to be taken to restore peace; and the resolution of the democratic North Korean government (although the U.S. authorities decided to invade North Korea by crossing the 38th Parallel after the successful landing in Incheon, but formally, the U.S. authorities have always emphasized that the U.S. military came to the 38th Parallel to realize the resolution of the United Nations. line), all non-Korean troops will be withdrawn from North Korea in appropriate stages, and appropriate measures will be established in accordance with relevant United Nations principles, so that the Korean people can express their free will to their future government; 4. Before completing the third step, in accordance with The United Nations formulates appropriate measures in principle to manage North Korea and maintain its peace and security; 5. Once a ceasefire agreement is obtained, the United Nations General Assembly will set up an appropriate organization including representatives of the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China to seek solutions to the Far East issue. These include the issue of Taiwan and China's representation at the United Nations. On January 13, 1951, the United Nations General Assembly passed the resolution, and the United States voted in favor of it.

From the content of this five-step plan, it more or less accepted certain conditions proposed by Zhou Enlai on behalf of the Chinese government on December 22, 1950, but the premise of the plan was still to achieve a ceasefire first, before considering other issues.Nevertheless, if the United States can really solve the problem according to this five-step plan, it will certainly be beneficial to China.However, the intention of the U.S. authorities is to only consider a ceasefire, and no matter whether China accepts or rejects this proposal, the U.S. will not consider the other four steps other than a ceasefire.

According to Acheson, the U.S. authorities were in a dilemma about the five-step plan.On the one hand, the United States wants an immediate ceasefire, which would benefit their military situation in North Korea; , in the communiqué of the talks between the leaders of the United States and Britain in early December 1950, the United States has stated); if it agrees to this five-step plan, it will cause an uproar in American public opinion, and if it is rejected, it will lose support in the United Nations.However, because the first step of the five-step plan was to achieve a ceasefire, and Acheson estimated that the Chinese side might reject the five-step plan for the same reason that they did not accept the resolution of the UN General Assembly on December 14, 1950.Therefore, the US authorities have chosen to support this five-step plan.At the same time, the United States is organizing its allies in the United Nations to vote to condemn China as an "aggressor". Once the five-step plan is rejected by China, it will ask the UN General Assembly to pass a resolution on China as an "aggressor".

The Chinese government has seen this clearly.Long before the United Nations General Assembly adopted the "Five-Step Plan" proposed by the "Three-member Korean Ceasefire Group", the Indian government notified the Chinese government of the contents of the "Five-Step Plan".The Chinese government believes that as long as the United Nations passes this resolution, the United States may use the truce to preserve its strength, maintain certain areas in South Korea, and arm Japan, while negotiations can be postponed indefinitely.Therefore, if the United Nations adopts this proposal of ceasefire first and then negotiations, China will reject it and put forward its own proposition, namely:

A. On the basis of agreeing to withdraw all foreign troops from Korea and to settle Korea's internal affairs by the Korean people themselves, hold negotiations among the countries concerned to end the Korean War. B. The content of the negotiations must include the withdrawal of the US armed forces from Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait and related issues in the Far East. C. The countries holding negotiations shall include the People's Republic of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, India and Egypt.The legal status of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations is determined from the holding of the Seven-Nation Conference.

D. The location of the G7 meeting is proposed to be in China. On January 11 and 14, the above proposals were sent to Stalin and Kim Il Sung successively, and their consent was obtained.After the UN General Assembly passed the resolution on the five-step plan, on January 17 Zhou Enlai called the Chairman of the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in the name of Foreign Minister Zhou Enlai, saying that the Chinese government could not agree to the principle of ceasefire before negotiation. "The principle of ceasefire before negotiation only facilitates Sustaining and expanding aggression against the United States will never lead to real peace, and therefore the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China cannot agree to it."At the same time, in order to truly resolve the Korean issue and important Asian issues peacefully, the Chinese government once again put forward the above four propositions.And pointed out: "If the above proposal is approved by the United Nations and relevant countries, we believe that early negotiations will be beneficial to the rapid end of the Korean War."

At the request of the Chargé d’affaires of the United Kingdom to China and the Indian Ambassador to China, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs made clear explanations of these propositions on January 21 and 22, namely, “First, as long as the principle of withdrawal of all foreign troops from North Korea is accepted, and Putting it into practice, the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China will be responsible for persuading the Chinese People's Volunteers to return to their home country. Second, we believe that the cessation of the Korean War and the peaceful mediation of the Korean issue can be carried out in two steps. The first step can be carried out in In the first session of the Seven-Nation Conference, a limited period of ceasefire was agreed and put into practice in order to continue the negotiations; in the second step, in order to achieve a complete end to the Korean War and ensure peace in East Asia, all conditions for the truce must be discussed in connection with political issues , Agreed on: the steps and methods for withdrawing all foreign troops from North Korea; recommending to the Korean people how to carry out the steps and methods for the Korean people to resolve the internal affairs of North Korea by themselves; in accordance with the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, the withdrawal of U.S. armed forces from Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait; and Issues related to the Far East. Third, the determination of the legal status of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations must be guaranteed."In view of this, the British government advocates making further efforts to peacefully resolve the North Korean issue, and not adopting the plan of China as an "aggressor" (although Britain is in favor of this plan).Representatives of the Soviet Union and 12 Asian and African countries participating in the UN meeting also advocated the peaceful settlement of the Korean issue in accordance with China's two-step plan.

However, the United States firmly opposes it and cannot wait to manipulate the United Nations General Assembly to pass a resolution proposed by the United States and other countries to slander China as an "aggressor" on February 1.Acheson admitted that "our allies ... somewhat reluctantly passed the condemnation of Chinese aggression with us on February 1". Regarding the resolution adopted by the United Nations on February 1, Foreign Minister Zhou Enlai issued a statement on February 2 on behalf of the Chinese government, stating that the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly "is illegal, defamatory, and invalid, and the Chinese people firmly oppose it." The government created the North Korea incident, interfered with and invaded North Korea, and interfered with and invaded China’s Taiwan, while the U.S. proposal countered that the Chinese Communist Party was interfering in North Korea, and the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China was invading North Korea.”The real intention of the United States is to "continue to occupy North Korea and Taiwan." The resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on February 1 "proves most bluntly to peace-loving people and countries all over the world that the US government and its accomplices want war instead of peace, and have blocked the way to a peaceful solution." From then on, you will have a clearer understanding of the aggressive ambitions of U.S. imperialism, and you will know better how to take all necessary measures to deal with U.S. imperialism and its accomplices’ attempts to expand the war.” The resolution of the United Nations on February 1 was also rejected by the Soviet Union. , India and other countries are firmly opposed.

On the battlefield, although the Washington authorities were still hesitant about whether and when the U.S. Eighth Army would withdraw from North Korea after the third battle of the Volunteers, Li Qiwei reorganized his troops and replaced the U.S. troops. 5 division commanders out of 7 divisions, eliminate the feeling of defeat in the troops.As early as when he took office, he stated that once the troops were assembled, they would turn to the offensive.Beginning on January 15, 1951, he conducted exploratory attacks to ascertain the strength and deployment of the Chinese and North Korean troops.He also flew over the Chinese and North Korean troops by plane to conduct reconnaissance in person.Li Qiwei believed that the logistical supplies of the Volunteers were difficult, and each attack could only last for a week. After crossing the 38th parallel, the transportation line was extended and supplies were more difficult, making it impossible to carry out effective operations.Li Qiwei judged that the first-line troops of the Volunteer Army and the People's Army were insufficient through probing attacks and aerial reconnaissance, and would not launch an attack in a short time.Therefore, he believes that the U.S. military can persist in North Korea.

Therefore, after preparations, starting on January 25, all the ground troops of the "United Nations Army" under his command were concentrated, and with the support of the air force, they launched a counterattack across the board.The offensive deployment this time is completely different from the previous defense on the 38th parallel. The U.S. Army and the South Korean Army are mixed, increasing the density of troops and deepening the deployment. Collins, the special envoy sent by Truman, reported Ridgway's judgment and actions to Washington on January 17, making the White House and the Pentagon feel relieved for the first time since November 1950.Bradley later said, "You could almost hear a sigh of relief that day as the news got out in upper circles." Washington saw the report from Collins as "a sign that . . . A turning point in the perception of the Korean War".Collins also said: "For the first time since last November, those in Washington are no longer pessimistic that we are being driven out of North Korea, and while acknowledging that we have tough times ahead, they are no longer concerned about withdrawal. There are more comments on the issue. No more worrying about whether to withdraw from North Korea."

When the Volunteers were resting, they had fully estimated that the United States would not be reconciled to defeat on the battlefield. After several intense and large-scale battles, the U.S. military would not withdraw from North Korea, and they would even destroy our rest and reorganization. Preparations for the spring offensive.However, there is a lack of sufficient estimates for the US military's rapid transition to a large-scale counterattack.After Peng Dehuai found out Li Qiwei's attempt, on January 27, he immediately ordered all ministries to stop rest and prepare for combat. At this time, the frontline armies of the Volunteer Army did not receive any supplements, and the difficult situation of supplies did not improve. The 9th Corps was still resting in the Hamhung and Wonsan areas due to frostbite in the second battle. If they cannot be put into combat, the total strength of the first-line troops has little advantage compared with Li Qiwei's ground troops.The 19th Corps, as a follow-up unit, has not yet completed preparations for entering North Korea in the country, and cannot drive to the front line for a while.Therefore, the front-line armies are facing great difficulties. In view of this, Peng Dehuai called Mao Zedong at 24:00 on the same day, pointing out: "The enemy has three regiments (the follow-up troops are unknown), divided into three routes, Yuejin Liangchangli, and Suwon Line, a few miles north, and there are cameras capturing the bridgehead position on the north bank of the Han City River. It is an attempt to stabilize the current serious chaos within the United Nations. The enemy continues to invade the north. If we do not attack with all our strength and destroy more than one division, it will be very difficult to maintain the bridgehead position; if we go out, we will destroy the training plan, postpone the spring offensive, and we are currently out of ammunition and food. In addition, it will be the first ten days of next month at the earliest. Now the 125th Division is attacking Changhuyuanli and Yuanzhou, and the 112th Division is attacking the southwestern area of ​​Icheon, seeking to annihilate part of the puppet army. Whether to contain the enemy's northward advance. If it is possible to stop the enemy's northward advance, and politically it is not allowed to abandon Seoul and Incheon, then we must be forced to deploy a counterattack, but considering all aspects, it is very reluctant." Therefore, Peng Dehuai proposed in the telegram, "" In order to increase the contradictions in the imperialist camp, can the Chinese and North Korean armies support a truce within a time limit, and the People's Army and the Volunteer Army will withdraw 15 to 30 kilometers northward from the Osan, Taipingli, and Danqiuli (South Yuanzhou) lines? If you agree, Please broadcast it from Beijing. I temporarily give up Incheon and the bridgehead position, whether the political situation at home and abroad is allowed." "Which one is right, I look forward to reply." It is completely understandable for Peng Dehuai to make suggestions based on the fact that the Volunteer Army has fought three battles in a row and needs to rest and supplement, and in consideration of preparing for the spring offensive.But the front at this time was in the area south of Seoul close to the 37th parallel.The United States has not given up on the goal of the Yalu River, at least the 38th parallel. Therefore, even if the Volunteer Army and the People’s Army retreated 15 to 30 kilometers to declare a temporary ceasefire according to Peng Dehuai’s suggestion, the battle line is still south of the 38th parallel, south of the Han River , the U.S. authorities will not accept it anyway.Furthermore, as early as 10 days ago, on January 17, the Chinese government had already expressed its rejection of the resolution adopted by the United Nations to cease fire first and then negotiate. In addition, the central government at this time had a relatively optimistic overall estimate of the war situation.Therefore, after receiving Peng Dehuai's telegram, Mao Zedong replied to Peng Dehuai at 19:00 on the 28th, and gave the following reply: (1) The telegram sent to me at 24:00 on January 27 and the order to all armies to prepare for battle have been received. (2) Our army must immediately prepare to launch the fourth campaign, with the goal of annihilating 20,000 to 30,000 U.S. and Li troops and occupying the area north of the Daejeon and Andong lines. (3) During the preparations for the campaign, Incheon and the south bank of the Han River must be maintained.In order to secure Seoul and attract the main force of the enemy in the Suwon and Icheon areas, when the battle started, the main forces of the Chinese and North Korean armies should break through Wonju and develop directly to Rongju and Andong. (4) It is inappropriate for the Chinese and North Korean armies to withdraw 15 to 30 kilometers north to publish news in support of a truce for a limited period.The enemy wants our army to retreat for a certain area. (5) After the fourth battle, the enemy may conduct peaceful negotiations with us to resolve the Korean issue. At that time, the negotiations will be beneficial to both China and North Korea. However, the enemy wants to restore the bridgeheads on the south bank of Incheon and Seoul at present, block the Han River, and put Seoul at a disadvantage. Under the threat of enemy fire, they will cease war with us and negotiate a peace, which will put China and North Korea in a disadvantageous position, and we must not allow this. (6) Our army has no reinforcements and lacks ammunition. It is indeed very difficult, but we still have the strength to concentrate our main force on Wonju and Rongju and wipe out some American troops and four or five South Korean divisions. It was explained at this high-level meeting that this guideline should be used as a meeting to mobilize the fourth campaign. (7) After the Chinese and Korean armies occupy the area north of the enemy forces in Daejeon and Andong, they will have to prepare for another two to three months before launching the fifth battle of a final character. In all respects, it is very important. more favorable. (8) The Song Shilun Corps should immediately move to the Pyongyang, Seoul, Incheon, and Suwon areas to rest and reorganize, and take charge of consolidating these areas to prevent the enemy from landing in Incheon and Jinnampo.In the fifth battle in the future, the Corps will be responsible for the operations on the Western Front. (9) When carrying out the fourth battle, please consider dividing the main force of the Chinese and North Korean armies into two echelons, each with five days of dry food and vegetables, one echelon is responsible for breakthrough and one stage of pursuit, and the second echelon is responsible for another stage of pursuit, so as to be able to Make the battle last ten to twelve days and destroy more enemies. On the same day, Mao Zedong also sent this telegram to Stalin for his opinion.Stalin replied on the 30th, agreeing with Mao Zedong's telegram to Peng Dehuai on the 28th. He pointed out: "From an international point of view, it is completely appropriate to prevent the enemy from occupying Incheon and Seoul so that the Chinese and North Korean troops can deal a major blow to the enemy's attacking forces. of." Although the Volunteer Army and the People's Army are facing great difficulties, the situation does not allow any further rest.According to Mao Zedong's telegram at 19:00 on the 28th, Peng Dehuai deployed the fourth campaign.In view of Li Qiwei's deployment characteristics, Peng Dehuai decided to form 3 combat groups with 6 armies on the western front of the Volunteer Army and 4 corps of the People's Army, and adopt the policy of fighting against the east from the west to repel the enemy's attack.Han Xianchu, the deputy commander of the Volunteer Army, commanded the 38th and 50th Corps of the Volunteer Army and a corps of the People's Army to block the attack on the western front, contain the main force of the US military, and cover the advance and counterattack on the eastern front; 40. The 42nd and 66th armies, looking for opportunities to counterattack and annihilate the enemy on the eastern front; Jin Xiong, the front-line commander-in-chief of the People's Army, commanded the 3 legions of the People's Army to implement a roundabout campaign on the eastern front, cut off the enemy's retreat, and cooperate with the Deng Hua Group to annihilate the enemy; The 26th Army of the 9th Corps of the Volunteer Army marched south to the Uijeongbu area north of Seoul as a reserve team. On February 4, Peng Dehuai went to Kim Il Sung's place to discuss the issue of the fourth battle. The two agreed that "after the three battles, everyone underestimated the enemy and underestimated the enemy, thinking that the enemy was impossible." Attack me so fast."He also believed that adequate preparations should still be made, and the enemy should not be underestimated. He determined that the fourth battle "strive to stop the enemy's advance, steadily open the battle situation, and step up preparations from all aspects, and still make long-term plans."If the fourth battle cannot reach the front lines of Daejeon and Andong, it is also good if we can hold the front line positions on the south bank of the Han River. After the air force and the airport are ready, we can launch a general offensive in May.Kim Il Sung also proposed that after the battle, he asked Peng Dehuai to go to Beijing to discuss the war issue. On the 5th, Peng Dehuai telegraphed the meeting with Kim Il Sung to Mao Zedong. At the beginning of February, the counterattack of the "United Nations Army" became more violent, and large-scale forces were launched on both the western and central lines.With its superior artillery, tank, and aviation firepower, it implemented the so-called "sea of ​​fire tactics" against the positions of the Volunteer Army and the People's Army, and carried out fierce firepower attacks.The rapid changes in the battlefield situation have also caused the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Central Military Commission to think calmly.From then on, Mao Zedong turned his main energy to domestic construction and restoration. Mao Zedong entrusted Zhou Enlai to intervene and deal with the Central Military Commission's guidance on the battlefield. On February 4, the Central Military Commission drafted by Zhou Enlai pointed out in a telegram to Peng Dehuai: "If I can annihilate one or two enemy divisions on the eastern front and open a gap in the fourth campaign, the enemy's advance on the western front may be stopped, but It must also be imagined that after the enemy invades and occupies Seoul, it detects that our frontal strength on the western front is weak, and there is still a possibility of continuing to advance and forcing us to retreat on the eastern front.” "If my attack is blocked, the enemy on the western front is approaching the 38th parallel and I have no fighters to find on the eastern front, our Deng Group can consider giving up the Hongcheon and Chuncheon areas, and fight again in the future." At 21:00 on the 9th, Peng Dehuai telegraphed The Central Military Commission: "Our Deng and Jin Group is scheduled to launch a counterattack on the 11th to the 12th at the latest. If we can successfully wipe out 10,000 to 20,000 enemies, it will be possible to smash the enemy's invasion attempt and regain the area north of the 37th parallel. This campaign is over. Afterwards, the main force will replenish the area north of the Pyeongchang, Wonju, Icheon, and Suwon lines, and prepare for another battle at the end of March and early April. If the counterattack fails, the enemy may take advantage of the victory to enter and exit the 38th parallel, and I must also Take advantage of the enemy's exhaustion to counterattack and knock down his arrogance. In order not to lose the opportunity to deal with the above two possible situations, it is recommended that the 19th Corps be divided into three routes to enter the court." After the Central Military Commission received this telegram, Zhou Enlai drafted a reply and sent it on 2 On the morning of March 11, it was sent to Peng Dehuai stating: "In this battle, if I fail to counterattack, the enemy may indeed enter and exit the 38th parallel. However, if the enemy advances aggressively by taking advantage of the victory, they will reach the Jinchuan and Cheorwon lines by the end of February. However, our 19th Corps could not reach the lines of Ruixing, Jinchuan, and Cheorwon at the same time, regardless of whether it was transported by vehicle or on foot. If the enemy waited and watched after reaching the 38th parallel and organized it for a period of time before advancing northward, our 19th Corps should be able to reach the line at the same time. Starting to reach the above designated line from March 10. Judging from the current situation, the latter is more likely. However, the U.S. imperialists, like Chiang Kai-shek, have different market prices sooner or later, and may rush forward when they think they have won a big victory. If so , we must consider counterattacks in areas south of the Pyongyang and Wonsan lines, and it is impossible to prepare counterattacks when the enemy enters and exits the 38th parallel." At this time, the Volunteer Army's troops fighting in North Korea had fought four consecutive battles without rest and replenishment, while the "United Nations Army" relied on its superior weapons and equipment to organize a quick retreat when attacked by the Volunteers. The organization counterattack is also fast, and the volunteers are not allowed to rest for a long time on the battlefield.In this way, how to solve the problem of resting and supplementing the Volunteer Army has become a major strategic issue for whether we can persist in long-term operations. Long before the formation of the Volunteer Army, Zhou Enlai, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, when inspecting the combat preparations of the Northeast Frontier Army, had imagined that the supplementary issue after the frontier army was dispatched to participate in the war, "One is to draw 100,000 people from each army to supplement, and the other is to The latter method is better. The other method is to use the method of changing shifts to supplement, that is, to prepare the second-line troops as a reserve. When the first-line troops need to be replenished after a corps or division has fought, they can start The second line should be replenished, and one army or one division from the second line should be transferred to the front to fight at the front. This method is the best method of replenishment.”After the end of the first battle, Li Fuchun, deputy political commissar of the Northeast Military Region, also proposed to adopt the method of taking turns to fight with corps, armies or divisions.But the second-line troops in the rear were not yet ready to dispatch.After three battles, especially after the start of the fourth battle, the battlefield situation shows that it is imperative to take turns to fight. On February 7, Zhou Enlai began to draft a telegram from the Military Commission to the Volunteer Army and various military regions on the issue of the rotation combat plan, and decided to form three combat units to take turns to fight and take turns to rest.On the same day, Mao Zedong put forward specific opinions on the troops used in each battle.The telegram from the Military Commission was drafted on the 8th, and Mao Zedong wholesaled the telegram on the 9th.The telegram pointed out: "From the ongoing battles on the Korean battlefield, it can be seen that the enemy will not withdraw from North Korea unless most of them are wiped out. Looking for opportunities to counterattack forward, on the one hand, it can expand its occupied area, and on the other hand, it will not allow me to take a long-term rest on the front line. In order to smash the enemy's intentions and insist on long-term combat, in order to achieve the goal of destroying the enemy in large numbers and completely solving the North Korean problem, it was decided to adopt the policy of taking turns fighting in North Korea." This will not only avoid being passive, but also maintain strong mobility and persistence, and enable more troops to learn to fight against the U.S. aggressor army.”The telegram specifically stipulated the troops for each battle, the time when they arrived in North Korea to take over the battle, and the organization of specific rotations and rest. In mid-February, some adjustments were made to the rotation battle plan, and the finalized rotation battle plan was as follows: Take the 30 divisions of the 9 armies that are fighting in North Korea as the first battle force; the 9th Corps of the first battalion, and the 19th Corps (under the jurisdiction of the 63rd, 64th, and 65th armies) that are going to be transferred to North Korea from China 3 armies, 3 armies drawn from the Southwest Military Region (the 12th, 15th, and 60th armies, before entering the court, the 3 armies were organized into the 3rd Corps), a total of 9 armies and 27 divisions (the 3rd Corps of the 9th Corps Each army was reorganized from 4 divisions into 3 divisions) as the second combat unit, which arrived at the 38th parallel area around the first ten days of April, and took over the first combat unit; 4 of the other 6 armies of the first combat unit 1 army (the other 2 armies returned to China), the 47th army, the 20th Corps (2 armies under the jurisdiction of the 67th and 68th armies) and the second batch of 3 armies from the Southwest Military Region to North Korea. 30 divisions of 10 armies are the third combat force, which will take over from the second force around mid-June. Since then, the Central Military Commission and the Volunteer Army have given up the idea of ​​the original spring offensive with a final nature. The various preparations originally planned in the country continued, but it was not for the spring offensive, but for the persistence of long-term operations.