Chapter 25 Chapter 24 Mao Zedong used troops on Jiangshan Island, and told Chiang Kai-shek not to think that after signing the US-Chiang treaty, he would have a magic talisman

Mao Zedong used troops on Jiangshan Island to tell Chiang Kai-shek that we can fight if we want, and don't think that after signing the US-Chiang treaty, there will be a magic charm. (Eastern Zhejiang Front, December 1954-February 1955) On November 1, 1954, the six torpedo boats of the 31st Brigade of the People's Navy were towed by four escort boats and went south first under the cover.In order to find favorable fighters, the torpedo boats stayed hidden at sea for 13 days and nights.At 00:50 on the 14th, the radar at Takashima Kantong Station found the target, and the command post identified the enemy "Taiping" warship, and immediately ordered the 155, 156, 157, and 158 torpedo boats to set sail.

The "Taiping" was originally the Navy's "Decker" frigate, which was "gifted" to the Kuomintang Navy in 1946.The ship has a displacement of 1,430 tons and is equipped with four 76.2 and 40mm guns and ten 20mm cannons. It is one of the capital ships of the Kuomintang Navy. At 00:52, four torpedo boats approached the enemy ship under the guidance of shore radar.At 1:28, 155 gun artillery boats spotted the lights of the enemy ship, and the maritime commander Tie Jianghai immediately ordered the boats to correct their course and speed up.When the distance from the enemy ship is 20-30 chains, the 155 and 156 two boats will serve as the main attack, and the 157 and 158 two boats will support and block the attack, forming a left echelon to meet the enemy.At 1:35, the four boats fired torpedoes at the enemy ship one after another, and saw a water column explode at the bow of the enemy ship.After being hit by a mine, the enemy ship panicked and fired blindly into the air.The lost power frigate sank at 07:42 at a distance of 140 degrees and a distance of 18 nautical miles from Takashima.

The sinking of the "Taiping" was the first combat victory of the People's Navy's torpedo boat force since its formation.It was a heavy blow to the Kuomintang Navy.Senior officials of the Taiwan authorities held two emergency meetings within 24 hours to discuss countermeasures.The American press also exclaimed: "The Taiping" was sunk, "proving that Communist China now possesses great naval power." ——Excerpt from "Naval History" of the People's Liberation Army The Pacific ship had already been hit by two torpedoes before realizing the enemy's sudden attack. Captain Tang Tingxiang ordered the entire ship to mobilize for an emergency response.However, the naval battle was carried out too fast, and before the other two destroyers of the national army cruised in the nearby waters had time to rush to the rescue, the Taiping was already on fire, and then the hull tilted and lost its endurance.The CCP's hit-and-run tactics worked, and the torpedo boat was immediately ordered to retreat. Only the Pacific ship was left struggling alone in the Dachen sea area, and puffs of thick smoke rose from the ship.Seventeen hours later, amidst continuous explosions, this destroyer, which ranks seventh in the navy in terms of firepower and tonnage, took its deputy captain, Lieutenant Colonel Song Jixiong, and 27 officers and men on board because of excessive water ingress. It sank off the coast of Dachen at 7:15 in the morning.

In the five years since the CCP seized power, the Kuomintang and Communist naval battles have always been an absolute advantage for the national army. The Taiping incident is the biggest naval victory since the establishment of the CCP regime.On November 14, after the sinking of the Dachen Taiping, the whole country was shocked. ——Excerpt from Taiwan Fengyun Book Series "Strait Beacon" Since the establishment of the East Zhejiang Frontline Command and the bombardment of Kinmen by the Fujian Frontline in September, Zhang Aiping commanded the participating troops to launch an attack on the island in East Zhejiang as planned.The sea and air attack on the Dachen area officially began on November 1, 1954.After dozens of days of fighting, the navy dispatched ships to continuously attack the Kuomintang warships on Dachen Island, and the air force continuously bombed the Kuomintang defenders and ships on Dachen Island. The goal of Jiangshan Island is approaching.

At this time, Zhang Aiping faced a new problem. The plan to capture Yijiangshan Island, which was originally scheduled to be around December 20, had to be postponed. In mid-December, the commanders of the participating troops came to Zhang Aiping one after another, and anxiously reported the fluctuations in the soldiers' thinking before the battle.On December 16, the State Council promulgated the new Military Service Law, and formally researched and passed the first military officer service regulations. Soldiers changed from voluntary military service to compulsory military service.At that time, most of the soldiers in the army voluntarily joined the army before and after liberation. According to regulations, most of them had to be discharged before the old calendar year. Many veterans naturally had various ideas about joining the war.

Zhang Aiping did not appear anxious after hearing this.He is not mainly worried about the thoughts and emotions of the troops.He joined the revolution at the age of fourteen and spent half his life in the army. Although he is in his forties, he has led the army through life and death. He has experienced hundreds of battles. He is full of confidence in the cadres and soldiers of his army.He said: "I believe in the consciousness of our soldiers. Ideological fluctuations can be transformed into ideological motivation! What distinguishes our army from any other army in the world is that our army has 'babies' for ideological and political work. Commanders must dig out their hearts. Come out, explain the truth clearly, do your job well, and solve the specific problems of the soldiers: this is the last battle before leaving the army, and it is still a good fight!"

Zhang Aiping was mainly troubled by the development and changes of the international situation, which brought twists and turns to the cross-sea operations. On December 2, the U.S. and Taiwan authorities finally signed the Mutual Defense Treaty.This led to a sudden change in the situation. The treaty declared that the United States and the Taiwan authorities had a "joint determination to resist foreign armed attacks for self-defense." If Taiwan was attacked, the United States would take immediate action.The treaty also stipulates that the United States has "the right to deploy U.S. land, sea, and air forces in Taiwan, Penghu and their vicinity."This treaty is an aggressive treaty that interferes in China's internal affairs and legalizes the US sending troops to invade Taiwan.Since the signing of the treaty in early December, the activities of the US Navy and Air Force in the Taiwan Strait have intensified.The first batch of F-86 fighter jets supplied by the United States to Taiwan was also shipped to Taiwan.Dulles also gave a speech in Chicago, claiming that the United States must respond strongly to the Chinese Communist Party's provocations in the coastal islands.

When the People's Liberation Army attacks Dachen, will the U.S. military really send out a defense according to the treaty?This was an unknown at the time. So, to fight or not to fight Da Chen?When exactly?It cannot but cause decision makers to reconsider. Mao Zedong and the Central Military Commission considered that the United States would not change its original attitude after signing the "Mutual Defense Treaty" and would not fight another war with New China after the contest in North Korea just because of a few islands off the coast of the mainland. There is no need to be afraid or show weakness in showing off force against the United States.

As Jiangnan commented in "The Biography of Jiang Jingguo": Mao Zedong immediately used troops shortly after the signing of the agreement. On the one hand, he tested the true intentions of the United States. On the other hand, he slapped Chiang fiercely and told the soldiers and civilians in Taiwan that with this agreement, the People's Liberation Army can fight whenever they want. Don't think that this agreement is a panacea. After Mao Zedong reaffirmed his determination to attack Dachen, he asked the Central Military Commission to instruct the Zhedong Frontline Command to resolutely attack Dachen and Yijiangshan Island on the premise of avoiding conflict with the US military. The attack time was postponed to January of the following year, and the attack target was not limited to a Jiangshan Island, as long as I find an island with weak fortifications, I am absolutely sure to capture it, and I can capture it in one fell swoop.

After clarifying the instructions of the Central Military Commission, Zhang Aiping's "Zhedong Front Finger" became tense, active, and busy again. In order to ensure the control of the sea and the air during the sea-crossing operations, and also to conceal the combat intention, Zhang Aiping deployed the air force to continuously bomb the upper and lower Dachen islands.According to statistics, in the 20 days from December 21 to January 10 of the following year, the East China Air Force dispatched a total of 28 air force bomber sorties, 46 attack aircraft sorties, 70 fighter sorties, and five bombing raids against Dachen. island.Especially on January 10, there was a strong wind blowing along the coast of eastern Zhejiang, with a wind speed of 15 meters per second.The Air Force previously pointed out that the Kuomintang ships would not go to sea and could only berth in Dachen Port.Given a rare opportunity, Commander Nie Fengzhi decisively decided to take off against the wind and concentrate his forces to attack the warships in Dachen Port.From 6:38 to 16:43, 130 sorties of various types of aircraft were dispatched, and a record of damage and sinking of five Kuomintang warships was achieved. Among them, the tank landing ship "Zhongquan" was destroyed. It sank.That night, the torpedo boat of the East China Navy sank the gunboat "Dongting" of the Kuomintang Navy in the southwest of Dachen.Since then, the ships of the Kuomintang Navy generally dare not enter the Dachen Sea again.

While carefully deploying the battle, Zhang Aiping also took time to personally do the ideological work of the retired veterans.During the New Year's Eve in 1955, Zhang Aiping found three combat backbones of the landing force, and chatted like a family.The commander's approachable attitude made the soldiers open their hearts.The soldiers poured out their heartfelt words to the commander, and the commander also poured out his heartfelt words as the commander-in-chief of the campaign to the soldiers.The general's heartfelt words touched the hearts of the three soldiers.They saw the situation and the responsibility on their shoulders, and understood that the battle must not be left to untrained new comrades.So they scrambled to tell the commander: I will never go home until Dachen Island is liberated. Zhang Aiping was very happy, and immediately held an ideological mobilization meeting for cadres and soldiers of the three armed forces in Ningbo on January 2.At the meeting, Zhang Aiping first invited the three fighters to come to the stage to speak to everyone, and then he personally made a mobilization report.The commanders and fighters became emotional, and many of them wrote letters of invitation on the spot on their knees.After the meeting, the army's fighting spirit further increased.Veterans have asked for a delay in demobilization. Treating the Army as the Marine Corps and landing operations, pre-war training is extremely important.In addition, the People's Liberation Army has no precedent for the navy, land, and air forces to cooperate in operations, so Zhang Aiping has carried out the special training of joint operations very carefully and rigorously.The training is divided into two stages: the first stage is for each service and arm to train separately, focusing on improving the techniques and tactics of the unit's landing operations, as well as the internal coordination of the army and arms.The infantry mainly conducts training such as loading, sailing, landing assault and deep combat of infantry platoons and companies; the artillery mainly trains shooting at sea and shooting across the sea; The impact action of the troops; the Air Force mainly conducts training on bombing, diving, bombing and fighter air combat against point targets on the sea.The second stage is the joint training of various services and arms.At this stage, the Big and Little Mao Mountains, which are similar to Yijiang Mountain in terrain, were selected as the exercise site. Under the command of the joint exercise headquarters established on Daxie Island, three consecutive battalion-scale landing joint exercises were carried out. This training is quite tough.In the winter of this year, it was raining continuously in eastern Zhejiang, and the cold wind was like a knife. The training was carried out on muddy beaches and Shitou Guangshan, which is similar to a river and a mountain island.The fighters also jumped from the boat into the chest-deep sea water to rush to the beach.Zhang Aiping also rushed to the beach, boarded the boat, and climbed the mountain with the commanders and fighters.He participated in the three exercises from beginning to end, and sometimes rushed to the commanding heights of the mountain with the main attacking force. The third exercise is over.Wang De, chief of staff of the landing force, invited Zhang Aiping to speak. Zhang Aiping said: "It's cold, comrades are all wet, don't talk about it." Wang Kun said: "The soldiers will be upset if the chief doesn't speak after watching the exercise." Zhang Aiping said: "Let's talk about it briefly. I am very satisfied with the exercise. The comrades have been tempered in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and have fought many battles along the coast of eastern Zhejiang. I think we can fight this battle!" As soon as the words fell, the troops applauded thunderously. "During World War II, the Normandy landing codenamed Operation Overlord launched by the Allied Forces was by far the largest amphibious landing campaign in the history of warfare. The suddenness of the landing is one of the most important conditions for its success. .” When deploying the Yijiangshan Island campaign, Zhang Aiping once said so. In order to realize the suddenness of the landing attack, he always emphasized the strict concealment of the campaign intention.After the Ningbo Luqiao Airport was built, aviation troops quietly entered.The mobilization of troops was silent.There are only a handful of people who know about raising and refitting ships and installing multiple rocket launchers on steamers.The mobilization of the troops only explained the release of the coastal islands occupied by the enemy, and did not mention what to attack first, concealing the truth and showing the false, taking Pishan Island as a hypothetical attack target, causing errors in judgment to the enemy.The three joint exercises were also arranged to be conducted in the north far away from the theater of operations.According to the climate characteristics of the eastern Zhejiang coast, there are many typhoons in July and August, which are not suitable for combat; September, October, and November are the best time for landing operations; Without mental preparation, there will be suddenness in winter. However, mastering the cloud weather is very important.The clouds were too thick, and the plane was blocked; the wind was too strong, which affected shooting and bombing was not accurate.Zhang Aiping needs a good weather! After long-term preparations, Xu Jie, chief of the Meteorological Section of the Air Force Frontline Command, collected, synthesized, and analyzed meteorological data for the past twelve years, and summed up the forecast method for the L-shaped high-pressure weather situation that is conducive to continuous good weather, and accurately grasped the weather conditions in January. There are reports of continuous fine weather with few clouds and little wind.Zhang Aiping personally summoned Xu Jie three times. Xu Jie reported on the morning of January 16: The weather will be fine from the 17th to the 19th, with few clouds and a wind force of 3-4.The weather with little wind and few clouds generally does not last long.The weather may turn bad after the 19th.Zhang Aiping pondered for a while and did not speak. Xu Jie patted his chest and said: "Ensure that the weather conditions can meet the requirements for landing operations." Zhang Aiping smiled: "That's reassuring. However, we have to issue a military order with the Central Committee!" On the 17th, the landing force moved to the ground before dawn. Shipu Port is on standby.Early in the morning, Zhang Aiping and Chief of Staff Wang De set off from Ningbo Zhedong Qianzhi by car to the front-line command post on Toumenshan Island.Toumen Mountain Island is located in the north of Yijiang Mountain, and it is the closest island occupied by the People's Liberation Army. When the car arrived at Linhai, Zhang Aiping received a call from the General Staff.The General Staff believed that it was too early to launch an attack on January 18, and worried that the early launch of the attack would have adverse effects if it was frustrated, and asked to consider postponing it.It can even be postponed for two or three months. Faced with the choice of fighting or not fighting, after careful consideration and exchanging opinions with Chief of Staff Wang De, Zhang Aiping called Chen Zhi, the deputy chief of staff of the General Staff in charge of combat, expressing his determination and opinion that the time for launching the campaign would remain unchanged.Immediately, Peng Dehuai reported to Mao Zedong.Mao Zedong authorized President Peng to issue orders.Peng Dehuai agreed with Zhang Aiping's determination and opinion. However, at dusk, there was a strong wind.Frontier report: There are 6-7 strong winds at sea, and many shelters of the landing troops were blown away by the wind.The atmosphere suddenly became tense.After intensive weather analysis and discussion with the Shanghai Meteorological Observatory, Xu Jie concluded that the strong wind was a local weather phenomenon. That night, Zhang Aiping couldn't sleep all night on Toumen Island. Dawn on the eighteenth of January. Meteorological conditions in the theater: cloud cover 0-3, cloud height 3,500 meters, wind direction north to northwest before noon, east wind in the afternoon, wind speed 3-4 meters per second, visibility 10 kilometers.The weather is calm and the sky is clear.Rarely good weather.Toumen Mountain landed at the command post, and the radio station was ticking, and the rapid sound came out of the command post.The first battle of the three armies on Yijiangshan Island, as a famous battle in the history of the People's Liberation Army, has long been wonderfully recorded—— Air artillery fire violent assault At 8:00 a.m., dozens of war eagles flew over the Yijiang and Dachen waters, playing the prelude to the People's Liberation Army's first land, sea and air joint cross-sea landing operation.Sixty Il-28 bombers from three bomber brigades dropped more than 120 tons of bombs on Yijiangshan Island under the cover of two attack aircraft brigades.Immediately, the entire Yijiangshan Island was submerged in gunpowder smoke and dust. Before the Kuomintang defenders woke up from the bombing of our air force, hundreds of various coastal long-range cannons fired in unison, and 12,000 rounds of shells were accurately fired at Yijiangshan Island.The black and white smoke and soil stirred up by the shells turned Yijiangshan Island into an island of fog on the sea. The powerful air and artillery fire turned the three-column pile barbed wire fence set up by the Kuomintang defenders into a few feet long wire. Many bunkers were knocked down, and piles of shells were also hit and exploded on the spot. The sound of the explosion resounded through the sky. .The officers and soldiers of the Jiang army who were captured later talked about the scene when they were bombed with fear.Cui Dianchen, deputy of the Fourth Squadron of the Jiang Army's Second Assault Brigade, said: "We have never seen such powerful firepower. The violent bombardment of planes and artillery made our hearts thump and pound." Battleships at sea While bombarding Yijiangshan Island with air and artillery fire, a fleet composed of two destroyers and four patrol ships of the navy also quickly blocked the sea area between Yijiangshan Island and Dachen Island, and launched a fierce fire net. Block Jiang's reinforcements from a few nautical miles away.Afterwards, nearly a hundred warships, gunboats, gunboats, and landing craft also quickly assembled to the predetermined sea area, waiting for the final attack order... At this time, General Zhang Aiping, the front-line commander who carefully planned the operation, came to the high ground at the bay, inspected and inspected the entire battle sequence at sea with binoculars again, and when everything was ready, he said to the reporters with satisfaction: "Wait a little longer." After a while, even the Dragon King in the sea will not be at peace today!" The appointed moment has come.At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, with the support of shore artillery, naval artillery and fighter jets, the landing troops formed a wave formation, divided into three directions, and flew towards Yijiangshan Island with the momentum of breaking bamboo... Assault landing liberates Yijiang At 14:29, the 2nd Battalion of the 178th Infantry Regiment first landed on Yijiangshan Island in Yueqing Jiao and Beishan Bay, quickly occupied the first-line positions of the Jiang army, and then developed in depth.At 14:32, the first echelon of the 2nd Battalion of the 180th Infantry Regiment landed on the west side of Shengli Village and Tian'ao Bay, quickly captured the first-line position, and immediately developed in depth.Immediately afterwards, the second echelon of each battalion also successfully landed, and immediately supported the first echelon to launch an attack in depth. During the in-depth attack stage, although the Jiang army relied on the favorable terrain and solid fortifications to resist stubbornly, the landing troops of the People's Liberation Army, with the close coordination and strong support of the air and navy, fought bravely and tenaciously, and took control of the entire area in just over two hours. Yijiangshan Island.Before 2 o'clock on the 19th, all the landing troops cleared Jiang Shoujun and liberated Yijiangshan Island.In this battle, a total of 519 enemies were killed and 567 were captured. None of Jiang's troops on the island slipped through the net. The war history of the Kuomintang army is also recorded: "In the battle of Yijiangshan, the communist army first fought a typical three-army joint shore-to-shore landing operation." During the whole battle, Colonel Walton, the chief adviser of the U.S. Advisory Group stationed in Dachen, and Colonel McCredon, who came to replace him, observed on the hilltop of Shangdachen Island for several days.According to them, "The communist army attacked Yijiangshan and used more firepower on this small island than in the Korean War." Colonel Walton said more clearly: "In the future, Dachen's defense cannot be guaranteed. I will suggest to my superiors to retreat from Dachen." After Colonel Walton returned to Taipei, he immediately informed General Chase, the head of the U.S. Army Advisory Group, and Washington about the details, and proposed to withdraw from the Dachen Island. After the People's Liberation Army captured Yijiangshan Island, the range of artillery can cover Dachen Island. Coupled with the advantage of air force bombing, Dachen is already within reach.Defense Minister Yu Dawei of the Taiwan authorities paid an urgent visit to Ambassador Rankin of the United States in Taipei, asking the Seventh Fleet to intervene in the Dachen battle, and also asked the U.S. Air Force to provide air support to the defenders of Dachen Island.President Eisenhower asked Chiang Kai-shek to abandon Dachen and other islands, and the United States provided sea and air cover to allow Dachen defenders to retreat.In order to avoid a military conflict between China and the United States, Dulles notified the Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov of the matter, hoping that he could persuade the CCP not to attack the Kuomintang army when it retreated. Zhang Aiping is gearing up, strengthening deployment, and preparing to strike when the Kuomintang army retreats. Peng Dehuai called: This matter involves international relations, so let them retreat.