Chapter 4 Chapter 3 Prelude to the Decisive Battle
From the end of 1945 when the Kuomintang army successively occupied Shanhaiguan, Suizhong, Jinzhou, and Jinxi, and the Northeast Democratic Allied Forces withdrew from Shenyang, until the decisive battle of Liaoshen, it took more than two years. In a series of battles, the Northeast Democratic Coalition Army wiped out more than 570,000 people from the Northeast Kuomintang Army, and forced Chiang Kai-shek to change the Northeast commander three times. Our army has grown from tens of thousands of people at the beginning to more than 1 million. There are more than 2370 kinds of artillery.These have laid a good foundation for the final decisive battle.And this series of battles is actually the prelude to the decisive battle of Liaoshen.
On January 5, 1946, the Kuomintang and the Communist Party reached an agreement to stop the military conflict. On the 10th, Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong issued armistice orders to their respective armies.
At this time, Lin Biao held Liang Xingchu's division and Peng Mingzhi's brigade in the Zhangwu area, and paid close attention to the evolution of the war situation after the New Year in 1946. On January 3, he received a telegram from the central government:
Marshall will participate in the Kuomintang-Communist negotiations in Chongqing.Regarding the immediate cessation of the civil war, it is possible to achieve it in the near future.The Kuomintang attempted to occupy Jehol before the armistice, so the fate of Jehol may be decided in the near future.If we can deal a blow to Jiang's army, delay Jiang's advance, keep Chengde and other key points in my hands, then I can still have an advantage in Rehe; if I can't keep Chengde, then I can only occupy the countryside in Rehe .Therefore, the last few weeks are a critical moment for determining the fate of Jehol. Whether I can control Jehol has a great relationship with the strategic significance of the country and the status of our party in the country.I hope that you will quickly concentrate the main force of Redong, Yang, Su and others, and resolutely attack the Jiang army attacking Rehe at all sacrifices, and defend Chengde.As long as you can support it for a few weeks, it will have a great impact on the Chongqing negotiations, and I hope you will make every effort to achieve the task.
This telegram puzzled Lin Biao. Mao Zedong instructed in the telegram not long ago (December 8) that it would take three or four years of hard work to establish a solid base in Northeast China. At present, such areas should be identified in order to deploy forces and guide the whole party toward this goal.” In fact, before Mao Zedong sent this telegram, Lin Biao was deploying according to the idea of “dispersing forces to create base areas” Forced.Mao Zedong's instructions were determined based on the opinions of Lin Biao, Chen Yun, Luo Ronghuan, Huang Kecheng and others.
Unexpectedly, when Marshall shook the olive branch in Chongqing, everything changed.Will Chiang Kai-shek accept peace?Lin Biao thought this was impossible.Therefore, as soon as the Central Committee's telegram on January 3 came, Lin Biao expressed doubts. On January 5, he called the central government:
Is domestic peace entirely secure?If it is completely reliable, then my troops in the Northeast should now concentrate their forces for the final battle.If it is unreliable, base areas should still be scattered to prepare for the enemy's attack next year.Hope to reply.
At this time, Mao Zedong's condition has improved, but he is still in a state of half working and half resting. The daily work of the central government is presided over by Liu Shaoqi.Seeing that Lin Biao expressed doubts about the telegram on January 3, Liu Shaoqi replied on January 6:
Lin Biao also told the Northeast Bureau:
There is hope for domestic peace, and the battle to defend Jehol is decisive, and at this stage it may be the last battle.Cheng (Zihua) and Xiao (Ke) troops will be in charge of the decisive battle. Although you will play a restraining role in Fuxin and Yixian, you are required to do a strong restraint.For this reason, you should concentrate appropriate forces (two brigades can be arranged) to actively move towards Yixian County and Fuxin, so as to eliminate part of the enemy and prevent the enemy from advancing westward boldly, so as to help Cheng and Xiao fight for time to concentrate their forces Hit the enemy.Other forces in the Northeast are still carrying out the task of establishing base areas in a dispersed manner.
Reports from "Liberation Daily" and "Xinhua Daily" on January 10, 1946, when the Kuomintang and the Communist Party issued an armistice order
The tone of the central telegram was so firm that Lin Biao could not have the slightest doubt, so he had to gather troops to prepare for the "last battle."
While Lin Biao was actively preparing for the war, the Kuomintang and the Communist Party signed an armistice order in Chongqing on January 10, which came into effect at midnight on January 13.However, Chiang Kai-shek secretly ordered Du Yuming: "The truce will come into effect at midnight on the 13th, and all generals and supervisors will be ordered to lead their troops to attack at night" in order to strive to win more strategic points before the focus.
Du Yuming put all his eggs in one basket, scattered all the six divisions in his hands, and divided his troops to advance aggressively.When the Soviet army agreed to take over Shenyang on January 15, Du Yuming had no troops to go to Shenyang, so he had to transfer the troops occupying Yingkou to Shenyang in the early morning of the 13th. In this way, only one reinforced battalion remained in Yingkou.
Wu Kehua's Department of the Northeast People's Autonomous Army immediately launched a counterattack.At 24:00 midnight, Wu Kehua ceased fire according to the instructions of his superiors.At this time, Jiang Jun had only 3 strongholds left in the urban area of Yingkou, which was surrounded by heavy siege.Jiang Jun took this opportunity to use a sudden attack to break out of the siege, so he was doomed to be wiped out.By 5 a.m. on the 14th, the gunfire in the urban area of Yingkou fell silent, and this important port city in the Liaodong region returned to the hands of the people.
Du Yuming divided his troops and advanced aggressively to make his troops weak everywhere. This was the situation that Lin Biao had long hoped for.In a small farmyard near Zhangwu, Lin Biao meditated facing the wall again, facing the military map on the wall and contemplating it was his daily homework.Du Yuming was full of loopholes, and the fighter plane was indeed too tempting. For Lin Biao, who had been holding up the "free battle card", it was like a spring pressed to the limit and full of desire to rebound.But at this moment, the truce order was issued, and it seemed that he was suddenly put on a magic spell and felt extremely painful.The telegram from the Central Committee at 18:00 on the 13th made him even more painful. The telegram said, "The Kuomintang refused to negotiate with me on the Northeast issue. It is inevitable that the Kuomintang army will attack us after entering the Northeast..." Lin Biao felt that the truce was played by Chiang Kai-shek. Conspiracy, according to the armistice order, Jiang Jun can still take over sovereignty and transfer to the Northeast, while the Democratic Alliance Army can neither take the initiative to attack nor disrupt traffic. Once the Jiang Jun has accumulated enough strength in the Northeast, it can provoke war at any time. By then it will be too late.
Lin Biao called the Central and Northeast Bureaus on January 15:
According to the Central Committee's telegram at 18:00 on the 13th, the essence of this peace agreement is one of Chiang's major plots.This conspiracy is to adopt the policy of avoiding the real and defeating the false one by one against our party's forces.At present, it is deceiving the people of the whole country with verbal democratic promises, and replacing its army with nominal peace talk to restrain my real power in North China, so as to tie my hands and feet, and prevent the other side from fighting with us in the invincible mass battlefield created by me for 8 years. In order to draw out the main force, I will first attack one of my weakest links - the northeast.Then, relying on the northeast, we will attack our North China base from north to south.From what I now know, my prospects for this peace are worse than for my continuation of the war.Our troops entering the Northeast are currently in a completely baseless situation, which is roughly the same as our army's situation after leaving the Central Soviet Area and before going to northern Shaanxi (referring to the baseless conditions). unfavorable.Therefore, I mean that we must insist that he does not stop fighting in Northeast China, and I will not stop fighting in North China and Central China.We must firmly believe and think concretely that no matter how much the enemy enters our north and central China, if our militiamen lay mines everywhere to block and disturb us, and then use the main force to launch an active and prepared attack, the enemy will definitely be wiped out no matter what.Under our new technical conditions, the fortress can already be broken. Therefore, North China and Central China will become my big meat-cutting machines to eliminate Jiang's army. If we cease fighting in this area and let the enemy freely attack the Northeast, the consequences for our party will be very bad. Yes, the temporary security situation in North China will never last long, so we must soberly consider the actual gains from the so-called peace now.
After Lin Biao sent this telegram, he immediately issued an order to all the troops: the current situation is still in turmoil, and all ministries must strictly prepare for combat. Only war can win peace.
After a whole day of thinking, he believed that the truce was limited to the inside of the pass, and it was impossible to be peaceful outside the pass.If the Kuomintang army wants to take over all parts of the Northeast, it will inevitably clash with the local CCP forces.He was afraid that the peaceful air would paralyze the will of the officers and soldiers, and three hours after the previous telegram was sent out, he issued the following instructions to all ministries: Regarding peace issues, do not spread peaceful air to lower-level commanders and fighters, so as not to disarm the spirit and scatter the morale of the army and the people. Therefore, we should only encourage fighting for peace and fighting to stop the enemy's attack.
The next day, the Central Committee replied to Lin Biao’s telegram on the 15th as follows:
It is beneficial for us to deal a heavy blow to Du at the beginning of the month and before, promote a nationwide truce, ensure peace, and improve our status in the Northeast and at home and abroad.However, the situation changed after the announcement of the truce order. Du Yuming's troops did not continue to attack Chengde. If I took the initiative to attack Du's troops, I would be severely criticized by domestic and foreign public opinion.The responsibility for Chiang Kai-shek's civil war will be pushed on our shoulders, and it will not be easy for the people to understand, which is not good for me.Therefore, it is possible to achieve partial military victory at the moment (you said in your call that Du's division is dispersed), and we have to temporarily give up not attacking Du's division in order to obey the current overall political situation.
When Lin Biao received this telegram, he had no choice but to give up his plan to actively attack Du Yuming. On January 17, he moved his front finger to Xiushuihezi. He rode his horse slowly in the ice and snow, still looking so calm.At this time, some people in the army were already spreading the rumor that "Mr. Lin is afraid of fighting".No one knew how much perseverance he needed to restrain the warlike bird of prey in his heart.Since the two victories in Pingxingguan and Guangyang in 1937, he has not tasted the taste of winning a battle for 8 years.
Now he can only wait for Du Yuming's new round of attack, so as to create a fighting opportunity for him, in the self-defense counterattack, indulge the restless raptor in the sky.
Chiang Kai-shek took advantage of the truce to step up the deployment of troops to the northeast. In early February 1946, the newly formed Sixth Army, known as one of the five main forces of the Kuomintang, landed in Qinhuangdao, and then arrived in Jinzhou via Beining Road.Du Yuming, who was unable to straighten his waist due to the pain of kidney disease, was inspired and decided to resume the offensive that had been suspended for more than 20 days.
On February 9, Jiang Junbing divided into three groups to attack the democratic coalition forces in the areas on both sides of Beining Road.Among them, the 22nd Division of the New Sixth Army of the South Road "mopping up" team "mopped up" counties such as Panshan, Tai'an, and Liaozhong; The 89th Division of the 13th Army of the "mopping up" team "mopped up" in Gongzhutun, Xiushuihezi, and Wuhuanchi.
At this time, Lin Biao led the Liang Division and Peng Brigade to rest and train in the Xiushuihezi area. The news of the enemy's call made the always quiet commander of the Democratic Alliance Army no longer restrain his inner excitement.When Li Zuopeng, the chief of operations, marked the enemy's situation on the map on the wall, Lin Biao showed an imperceptible smile on his face, and almost blurted out a proverb:
"Meat buns beat dogs - never come back!"
Du Yuming was really dazzled by the victory. He actually used 5 battalions of troops, far away from the main force, to venture into the Xiushuihezi area alone, in an attempt to "sweep" all the democratic coalition forces here.Lin Biao chewed the fried soybeans loudly.
Lin Biao was determined to seize this favorable opportunity, and concentrated the forces of the 1st Division of the Shandong Military Region, the 7th Brigade of the 3rd Division of the New Fourth Army, and the 1st Regiment of the First Security Brigade, located north and south of Xiushuihezi. This Kuomintang army is advancing alone.
Xiushuihezi is a small town with only more than 500 households. The Zhang (Wu) Fa (Ku) highway that runs from east to west divides the town into two halves, the north and the south.Most of the houses in the town are independent courtyards surrounded by earthen walls.The terrain is flat in the southeast and undulating in the northwest, and the Xiushui River flows through the south of the town named after the river.After the Reinforced Regiment of the 89th Division of the Thirteenth Army occupied Xiushuihezi, a battalion entered Tuanshanzi, 20 miles east of Xiushuihezi, as an outpost guard position, and the main force of the regiment gathered in Xiushuihezi Town.
This was the first large-scale offensive and defensive battle with the main force of the Kuomintang army since the Northeast Democratic Allied Forces left the customs. Lin Biao went to the front to watch the battle in person, and appointed Peng Mingzhi, commander of the seventh brigade of the third division of the New Fourth Army, and Liang Xingchu, commander of the first division of the Shandong Military Region, as The principal and deputy commander of this battle.After research, Peng Mingzhi and Liang Xingchu decided to eliminate the enemy troops in Tuanshanzi first.They ordered the 19th Regiment of the 7th Brigade to attack Tuanshanzi from the front, and the 20th Regiment to detour to the west of Tuanshanzi to cut off the enemy's retreat to Xiushuihezi.
On the evening of February 11, the Kuomintang army occupying Tuanshanzi immediately retreated along the Zhangfa Highway to Xiushuihezi after discovering that the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army was attacking it. Because the roundabout 20th regiment failed to cut off the road in time, the Kuomintang army escape.Subsequently, Peng Mingzhi and Liang Xingchu commanded troops to surround Xiushuihezi.
At noon on February 12, the Kuomintang army surrounded by Xiushuihezi launched an attack on the 21st Regiment of the 7th Brigade on the East and West Bajiazi and Lalatun lines east of Xiushuihezi with two battalions. .The 21st Regiment stood firm and attracted the enemy troops of the two battalions. At dusk, the 19th and 20th Regiments took the opportunity to attack Xiushuihezi Town.Due to the open terrain around Xiushuihezi, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, the attacking troops were blocked by the intensive firepower of the Kuomintang army. The attack failed and was forced to withdraw from the battle.
At 22:00 on the 13th, the moonlight shone on the white snow, and the enemy positions in Xiushuihezi were clearly defined.The commander of the 7th Brigade of the 3rd Division of the New Fourth Army, Peng Mingzhi, Liang Xingchu, Liang Biye, and Li Zuopeng looked away from the alarm clock. The fire flashed from the artillery position, and then there was a rumbling sound, and the enemy's position in Xiushuihezi suddenly burst into flames. .After the shelling, the soldiers of the Democratic Alliance Army launched a charge with the sound of bugles.
As soon as the battle started, Lin Biao got out of the command post and used a telescope to observe the battle situation.This was the first time in several months that he fought willingly. The troops of Peng Lu and Liang Division fought very bravely and were very experienced, which reminded him of the 115th Division and the Red 1st Army in the past.His troops have been the elite of the main force since Jinggangshan.
The Kuomintang army equipped with American equipment was also very tenacious. They relied on their firepower superiority to resist desperately and continuously fired flares into the night sky. Modern warfare has changed the concept of day and night.Lin Biao was thinking about night battle tactics based on the new technology, when he suddenly found that balls of fire exploded in the charge formation, and many soldiers turned into fire men, screaming and rolling on the snow.
"What's going on here?" Lin Biao asked in surprise.
A staff officer took it for granted: "The new weapon is probably a rocket launcher."
Lin Biao had seen the Soviet Katyusha rocket launcher, which was not the case at all.After the war, he learned from the prisoners that it was an incendiary bomb fired by a 120mm mortar.The prisoner also said that there was a more powerful weapon called a flamethrower, but their Thirteenth Army did not have it.Lin Biao asked in detail about the power and performance of the flamethrower, and which troops were equipped with this weapon.The prisoner said that the details are not clear, and it is estimated that the New Sixth Army has.
Lin Biao quickly asked Li Zuopeng to beware of flamethrowers when fighting the New Sixth Army.
The battle continued until 7:00 am on the 14th, and the 1,500 defending enemies in Xiushuihezi were wiped out.This is the first victory of the war of annihilation achieved by the Democratic Alliance Army.
It was dawn, and the gunfire gradually died down.Lin Biao got up from the snow and slapped the snow flakes on his body vigorously. "It's so cold!" He let out a long breath.
At 10 o'clock in the morning, Lin Biao listened to Li Zuopeng's report on the results of the battle amidst a large pile of spoils:
"Mr. Lin, more than 500 enemies were killed and injured in this battle, and more than 800 enemies were captured; 38 artillery pieces, more than 890 guns of various types, more than 70,000 rounds of ammunition, 32 vehicles, and 2 radio stations were seized. I suffered 771 casualties .”
After listening to the report, Lin Biao murmured in his heart, "An ancient saying goes: if the enemy dies three thousand, we will win the battle if we lose eight hundred; now that I have lost nearly eight hundred, and the enemy has only wiped out a thousand, it seems that this battle is only a small victory."
Lin Biao thought about it again, and felt that the Battle of Xiushuihezi was of great significance. For several months, many people did not understand his strategic thinking, and believed that his "blind avoidance of battle" was "an expression of fear of the enemy."As he scanned the dozens of captured cars and the cannon slung behind them, he thought his doubters would have nothing to say.
He understood that Du Yuming would never be reconciled and would definitely come to take revenge, so he ordered to leave the battlefield immediately.He and Li Zuopeng left Xiushuihezi excitedly in an American jeep.In the car, Lin Biao dictated a telegram to the Central Committee and the Northeast Bureau:
... In this battle, the doubts in strategic and tactical thinking for several months have all reached the same consensus. It proves that in the past when the enemy concentrated its forces to attack Jinzhou and Fuxin, it was an invisible and major victory for me not to fight the enemy. Otherwise, the situation today would be very embarrassing In combat, the principle of waiting for the enemy to disperse and win the few is further confirmed, and in tactics, the principle of night battles is further confirmed.However, after this victory, the morale of the enemy has declined and my own conditions have gradually improved. Therefore, I can let go of fighting in the future compared with the past. At the same time, I should let go of fighting methods against non-American mechanic and weaker troops, but at the current stage Steady play is still the main thing.Lessons learned from the above are to be reported.
Lin Biao thought that the battle of Xiushuihezi would be enough to dispel people's doubts about him, but in fact it was not that simple.Because there are countless generals who have won great battles under his command, the battle of Xiushuihezi really seemed "too stingy" in comparison.
Later, someone complained: Mr. Lin has eaten foreign bread for several years, and he can't even fight a war.
During the Anti-Japanese War, Lin Biao had only half a year of combat experience, while most of the generals of the Democratic Alliance Army had a full eight years of actual combat experience, and many of them had commanded large-scale counterattacks against Japan and large-scale anti-stubborn operations.Lin Biao still has a long way to go to convince those famous generals who have experienced many battles.
Du Yuming was lying on a hospital bed in Jinzhou and reading the battle report of the Thirteenth Army. When he learned that a whole regiment had been wiped out in the Xiushuihezi area, he broke out in a cold sweat.He said to Zhao Jiaxiang: "The Thirteenth Army's combat effectiveness is weak, and the commander's command is incompetent, allowing the Communist Army to take advantage of the loophole."
Zhao Jiaxiang said rather worriedly: "It is not a good sign that an entire regiment is wiped out. It is not easy for our army to control the current area. If we want to take over the entire Northeast, we must deploy heavy troops."
Du Yuming nodded and said, "Prepare a telegram and explain to the committee. Judging from the Battle of Xiushuihezi, the communist army is getting stronger and stronger, and its strategy and tactics are very flexible. It is absolutely necessary to increase its strength..."
On February 16th, on the night of the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, more than 2,000 people from the first part of the 22nd Division of the New Sixth Army who went to Shaling to "sweep" suddenly fell into a tight siege.Wu Kehua, the fourth column of the Democratic Alliance Army, launched a fierce offensive on the snow.The New Sixth Army is one of the five trump cards in Chiang Kai-shek's hands. It has a full set of American equipment and has participated in expeditionary forces during the Anti-Japanese War. It has strong combat effectiveness and rich practical experience.
Facing the powerful offensive of the Democratic Alliance Army, the New Sixth Army used its superior firepower to resist tenaciously while building fortifications.After the fortifications were completed, they huddled together and waited for help.The battle continued until late at night on the 18th, and the Democratic Alliance Army just couldn't chew this hard bone.The next morning, when enemy reinforcements arrived, Wu Kehua had to order a retreat.
In this battle, more than 500 enemy soldiers were killed and wounded, and more than 900 enemy officers and soldiers were captured.
The Battle of Xiushuihezi was a clean and neat battle of annihilation carefully planned by the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army under the unfavorable situation of retreating steadily, taking advantage of the enemy's underestimation of the enemy.
Siping, located in the hinterland of the Northeast Plain, between Shenyang and Changchun, is the intersection point of the Zhongchang, Pingqi, and Simei railways, and is at the crossroads of East, West, South, and North Manchuria. Food distribution center.
Siping, a battleground for military strategists!
"To control the Northeast, Siping must be controlled!" Mao Zedong saw it this way.
"Without Siping, there would be no Northeast!" Chiang Kai-shek said.
Siping City is flat and has no defensive walls.The railway passes through the city center and divides the city into Daodong and Daoxi districts.There is an airport in the west of the city, the Hongzui River, a tributary of the Xiliao River, in the north of the city, and rolling hills 30 miles away in the east, south, and north of the city. Judging from the terrain, Siping has no danger at all.
On January 8, 1946, Liu Handong, the "receiver" of the Kuomintang, quickly entered Siping with more than 100 officials, established the Kuomintang Liaobei Provincial Government and Siping City Government, and Liu Handong served as the chairman of the provincial government.
The headquarters of the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army decided to liberate Siping after the withdrawal of the Soviet army. On March 17, the two regiments of the Seventh Column of the Democratic Alliance Army and the First Security Brigade and other troops, after careful deployment, attacked Siping from three directions: west, east, and north.
After more than 10 hours of fierce fighting, more than 200 of the 3,000 defending enemies escaped, and the rest were all wiped out.Chairman Liu Handong of Northern Liaoning Province, Security Commander Zhang Kai, and bandit leaders Wang Dahua and Wang Yaodong were captured alive by our army.
The liberation of Siping added weight to the CCP delegation that was participating in the negotiations between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.
The headquarters of the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army immediately moved into Siping City.And Chiang Kai-shek said he would recapture Siping.
On April 7, the battle outside Siping started.Liang Huasheng, deputy commander of Northeast Security of the Kuomintang, led the new army from Changtu along the road to the Xinglong area in the northwest.At this time, the 12 regiments of Liang Xingchu's first division of the Democratic Alliance Army, Huang Kecheng's third division and eighth brigade, and Wan Yi's column had assembled in Siping and were ready for the battle.
On April 10, Zheng Dongguo, deputy commander of Northeast Security, was ordered to rush to the front line of Kaiyuan.He found that the offensive of the Democratic Alliance Army in front of the New First Army was not fierce, so he judged that Lin Biao was feigning an attack, which was a bluff, and ordered the army to continue to attack Siping.
On April 17, the 30th Division of the New First Army of the enemy occupied the mountains south of Siping.The next morning, the enemy's 38th Division entered Lao Siping and occupied Quanyan Station in the afternoon.In this way, Zheng Dongguo formed an arc-shaped encirclement of Siping City.
On April 18, the battle for Siping City officially started.
On the 18th, under the cover of fierce artillery fire, the enemy's new army, known as the "No. 1 Army in the World", launched a fierce attack on positions such as Haifangtun, Boluolinzi, and Yahupao in the suburbs of Siping!
Lin Biao deployed 6 divisions (brigades) on the Baili defense line to resist tenaciously and confront Zheng Dongguo.
The Democratic Alliance Army fought fiercely with the enemy for one day, defeating the attack of the 30th Division of the 1st Army of the enemy and stopping the attack at dusk.
The next day, Zheng Dongguo adjusted his deployment and divided his troops into two groups, one pointing directly to the west of the railway, and the other continuing to attack Yahupao.The enemy's bombs were like water, and most of our positions were destroyed by their artillery fire. However, when the enemy retreated at dusk, they only occupied one position in Yahupao.
On the same day, Lin Biao called the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Northeast Bureau, saying that he would "fight to the last man" in Siping!
On the 20th, the main force of the enemy's 38th Division slammed into the Beishan position.My Beishan defenders fought bloody for a day and held their positions, but paid a heavy price in casualties.
On the 22nd, Mao Zedong called Lin Biao again:
Hope to stick to Siping, fight for every inch of land, defeat the enemy's spirit, and strive for a better situation in the war.
On the 24th, the Kuomintang reinforcements headed for Siping; at the same time, after the liberation of Changchun, the main force of the East Manchurian Military Region traveled southward to Siping. The "Eastern General" dispatched a large number of troops from the military regions of South Manchuria and West Manchuria to the south of Siping to meet the enemy.
On the 25th, Zheng Dongguo personally supervised and led the enemy's new army, with the cooperation of planes and tanks, to attack the three forests and Beishan positions.
Our army's position was under enemy artillery fire, with an average of more than 400 shells falling every minute.Two-thirds of the commanders and fighters of the company of the Seventh Brigade Special Service Battalion were killed or injured by artillery fire.
The enemy launched 9 consecutive charges to the Beishan position, all of which were repelled by the spy battalion.By night, there were only 3 people left in my position!
That night, the reserve team of the Seventh Brigade harassed the enemy all night, forcing them to stay up all night, unable to organize a new offensive after dawn.
After 9 days of fierce fighting, until the 26th, due to heavy casualties, Zheng Dongguo was unable to attack for a long time, and the Democratic Alliance Army continued to counterattack, so there was not enough troops, so he turned from offense to defense and built fortifications in front of our army.
Lin Biao and Zheng Dongguo formed a confrontation in Siping.
On the 27th, Mao Zedong and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China called Lin Biao:
(1) The Siping defenders are very brave, and I hope to reward them with orders;
(2) Please consider adding a part of the defenders (for example, 1 to 2 regiments), and turn Siping into Madrid.
Lin Biao immediately redeployed the defenders, increasing the strength of three regiments inside the city and increasing the defensive force outside the city.In this way, the total force inside and outside the city reached 14 divisions (brigades).
Zheng Dongguo asked Du Yuming to quickly send troops to reinforce Siping, but Du Yuming quietly ordered Zheng Dongguo to stand by and wait for his amazing move to turn the tide of the war.
After nearly 10 days of close reconnaissance, Du Yuming learned that the Communist Army in Benxi and Siping had more than 100,000 troops, but the Communist Army in Siping was far superior to Benxi in terms of firepower and combat effectiveness, and Lin Biao himself was in command of Siping. .
Du Yuming decided to concentrate his superior forces, first resolve the war in Benxi, and then deal with the communist army in Siping with all his strength.
On the one hand, he ordered Zheng Dongguo to stand firm in Siping and not to attack easily, so as to hold back Lin Biao's main force;
In order to confuse Lin Biao, he posted a message in the newspaper, claiming that he had gone to the Siping front to supervise the battle.
Due to the fierce fighting in Siping, heavy casualties, and the setback of the enemy's attack, they were forced to switch from offensive to defensive. Therefore, Lin Biao judged that Du Yuming would quickly dispatch troops to the north for reinforcements, so he ordered to guard the three verticals of Benxi, and went north to Chang on the right wing of Siping. Map, Kaiyuan area, build fortifications to prevent Liao Yaoxiang's New Sixth Army from going north to Siping.
On the 27th, Du Yuming ordered Liao Yaoxiang to lead the enemy's New Sixth Army and Zhao Gongwu to lead the enemy's 52nd Army to attack Benxi in two groups.
Due to the retreat of the three verticals, the Benxi defenders suddenly felt weak.
On May 3, Benxi was captured.
Du Yuming immediately transferred the enemy's New Sixth Army, Fifty-second Army, and Seventy-first Army 88th Division to Siping, increasing the number of troops attacking Siping to 10 divisions.
The strength of the enemy troops in Siping has doubled sharply!
From May 14th, under the cover of planes, tanks, and artillery, the enemy launched fierce attacks against the Siping Democratic Coalition.
The earth-shattering gunfire shook Lishu Village in the suburbs of Siping.Staff officers, sending and receiving personnel, and scouts made this small village noisy.The only quiet place is a civilian house with military maps hanging on the walls.
Lin Biao sat on a wooden chair, leaning his elbows on the back of the chair, staring at the map on the wall, meditating.This is the "homework" he must do every day.Secretary Ji Zhongquan sat behind him.Lin Biao shook his sore arm and read:
"The 359th Brigade rushed south to reinforce the 3rd Column, and built solid fortifications in the Changtu and Kaiyuan areas. We must prevent the enemy's New Sixth Army from going north."
Ji Zhongquan quickly drafted the telegram and handed it to Lin Biao for review.Lin Biao waved his hand and said, "Take it and send it. The key lies in this move. If you miscalculate, you will lose everything."
Ji Zhongquan understood the weight of this telegram and ran out quickly.
Cheng Shicai led the three vertical seven brigades, the eighth brigade and the three fifth nine brigades to rush to repair the fortifications and strictly wait for the New Sixth Army.
By April 27, after repeated tug-of-war, the two sides formed a stalemate.
During the fierce battle in Siping, Huang Kecheng sent a telegram from Ximan to Lin Biao, suggesting that enough is enough and not to fight the enemy head-on.The reason is: "When the enemy starts to attack, it is permissible to hit him all at once to defeat the enemy's spirit. The current situation is that the enemy is out in force to fight us decisively, and our army does not yet have all the conditions for a decisive battle. Therefore, we should let the big cities out and let the enemy in. We should go to small and medium-sized cities and vast villages to establish base areas and accumulate strength. When the burden on the enemy's back is too heavy to move, we will go back and destroy them. , then we took the initiative.”
Huang Kecheng sent Lin Biao several telegrams in succession, advising him to retreat from Siping.But Lin Biao neither responded to the call nor withdrew his troops.Huang Kecheng had no choice but to send a telegram to the central government, raising objections to sticking to Siping.The center also refused to answer.
Huang Kecheng felt very strange about the attitude of Lin Biao and the Central Committee.The mystery was not solved until 14 years later.During the Lushan meeting, Mao Zedong chatted with Huang Kecheng.Huang Kecheng talked about Lin Biao's decision-making mistakes in the defense of Siping.Mao Zedong asked: "Could it be that the defense of Siping was wrong?"
Huang Kecheng explained: "At first the enemy advanced towards Siping, and we hit him for a while. This is not bad. But later, when the enemy gathered heavy troops to find our main force for a decisive battle, we should not stick to Siping."
Mao Zedong said: "I decided to stick to Siping at that time." Only then did Huang Kecheng know that Lin Biao's failure to call back was unspeakable.
In fact, Lin Biao did not want to stick to Siping.Starting from Jinzhou, he tried his best to avoid a decisive battle with the superior forces of the Kuomintang. His slogan was "retreat, retreat, retreat".However, the central government did not agree to retreat.During the Siping defense war, the central government sent telegrams many times: "The current situation is changing. If you want to defend Siping to the death, you must fight for every inch of land", "We must fight until the enemy is exhausted."
On May 15, Du Yuming concentrated the strength of 10 divisions and formed three attack groups to launch a full-scale attack on the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army position in the Siping Street area.
Under the cover of planes, tanks, and artillery, the vanguard of the enemy's New Sixth Army attacked the Seventh Brigade's position.Liao Yaoxiang personally supervised the front line, commanded and supervised the team, and used American submachine guns to force the retreating vanguard group back to the front line.
When the 7th Brigade was inextricably fighting with the enemy's vanguard regiment, Liao Yaoxiang cunningly placed a large force at the junction of our 7th and 8th Brigade positions, and used 600 vehicles to load the troops through forcibly.
The artillery firepower of the third column was attracted by the position of the seventh brigade. When they discovered the main force of the new sixth army, they hurriedly diverted the artillery fire, but the enemy's convoy was already out of range and broke through the defense line of the third column!
The New Sixth Army occupied Harvar Station that night.At dawn the next day, Army Commander Liao Yaoxiang received a call from Du Yuming:
"Taking Tazi Mountain and the three forests in one go! I have ordered the air force to take off, and I will support you immediately."
Liao Yaoxiang passed down an order: the first person to rush up Tazi Mountain will be rewarded with 100,000 cash!
Tazi Mountain is 20 miles away from Siping, choking the throat of Siping's defense, overlooking all the positions in the northeast of Siping.Although the area of this mountain is less than 100 square meters, its gains and losses are related to the safety of the Siping overall situation.
On May 17, the Sixth Army of the enemy and the New Army launched a fierce attack on Tazi Mountain.
Lin Biao kept pacing back and forth in the command post in Lishu Village.
"Order the three divisions and ten brigades to move east quickly to reinforce Tazi Mountain." He dictated the mission to the secretary.
The defenders of Tazi Mountain fought bloody battles for more than ten hours, killing and injuring a large number of enemies, but they gradually failed due to the disparity in the strength of the enemy and ourselves.The enemy and the New Sixth Army fought from dawn to dusk, and from dusk to late night, and the offensive became more and more fierce every time.
An emergency telex was sent to Lin Biao.He had a premonition that Siping was about to fall into the enemy's hands.In order to mitigate the catastrophic consequences of the fall of Siping, he had to plan early.
At this time, it was the early morning of May 18, and the sky was about to dawn.
The positions around Tazi Mountain were basically lost to the "invincible" enemy and New Sixth Army, and the fierce battle was still going on.
Lin Biao thought about the map.He predicted that the enemy would capture Tazi Mountain the next day. At that time, Liao Yaoxiang would turn around from the back and block the retreat of the Siping defenders. The tens of thousands of troops under his direct command would be in danger of being surrounded by the enemy!
Lin Biao disregarded the central telegram and decided to retreat.He called Chen Zhengren, director of the General Political Department of the rear, and Chen Yi, deputy director of the political department of the field forces, to the headquarters, and dictated the main points of the "Report to the Whole Army for the Retreat of Siping".His mood was very complicated, and he said: "It is estimated that the enemy will occupy Tazi Mountain tomorrow. Liao Yaoxiang (the commander of the New Sixth Army) must attack Tazi Mountain with all his strength. If Tazi Mountain is lost, the enemy can detour from behind me and seal Siping Our army's retreat, then we will be completely passive and in danger of being wiped out."
For this battle, Lin Biao described it as "tenacious": "We have consumed a lot of the enemy and won time. Our defensive battle is tenacious, especially each of our troops has been tempered to a certain extent. "Speaking of this, he couldn't help but sighed, and said: "It's a pity that we didn't cherish and make good use of this time later." He said meaningfully to everyone standing in front of him: "Peace Air, in our day The Northeast is the most harmful. We still underestimated all the enemies equipped with American equipment, and the three vertical lines of defense were quickly broken through by the New Sixth Army, which affected the overall situation of the defense battle. This is the biggest lesson."
Lin Biao personally drafted the telegram and proposed to the central government to abandon Siping. On May 19, the central government finally issued a retreat order to Lin Biao: "If you feel that it is impossible to continue to defend Siping, you should take the initiative to give up Siping, use one to delay the enemy below, and withdraw the main force to the two wings to rest and prepare for the Positional warfare has been transformed into mobile warfare."
Lin Biao made a decisive decision and called the Chief of Operations, "Order the Seventh Division to be on the North Mountain of Sandaolinzi, and the Seventh Brigade to be on the southeast highland of Siping, to cover the retreat of our army across the board."
From midnight on May 18 to early morning on May 19, Lin Biao led the democratic coalition forces defending Siping. Under the cover of night, they quietly withdrew from Siping one after another.
So far, the Siping defense war that shocked China and foreign countries is over, which lasted 32 days.
Although the Siping defense battle was not won, it has far-reaching significance.
On the morning of May 19, Mao Zedong sent a telegram to Lin Biao, affirming the defense of Siping:
"(1) Our army held on to Siping for one month and fought against 10 enemy divisions, showing the high tenacity and heroism of the people's army. This struggle is of historical significance.
(2) If you feel that it is impossible to continue defending Siping, you should take the initiative to give up Siping, use one part to delay the enemy in the front, withdraw the main force to the two wings to rest, and prepare to change from positional warfare to mobile warfare.
(3) If this policy is adopted, our army will surely be able to change from the current passive and disadvantaged position to an active and advantageous position, while the enemy will become more dispersed as he advances, and his food and ammunition will become more difficult, and his strength will be weakened.
（四）长春以南铁路应迅速彻底破坏。 "
多年之后，韩先楚上将对四平战役作了客观和详细的分析：“四平保卫战，是在特定历史条件下形成的城市防御战，虽然取得了毙伤敌人1万余的战果，阻滞了敌人的进攻，但在我军处于劣势情况下，过多地看重一城一地的得失，与敌进行不利条件下的作战，在战略上是失策的。我军动用不少兵力，以浅近的防御纵深，在兵力、火力并不得心应手的状态下，在那样长的战线上，打那样长的时间，部队打得相当苦，有的甚至丧失了元气。我军虽然打得很英勇，也取得了作战的经验和教训，但付出了8000多战斗骨干伤亡的代价。由于我军果断地撤退，摆脱了战略上的被动，又一次避免了不利条件下的决战，保存了有生力量。经过四平保卫战和大撤退的反面教育，彻底消除了和平幻想，对东北全党全军在和战问题、根据地建设问题上统一思想，产生了积极影响。”
5月18日夜，当四平已成一座空城时，郑洞国丝毫不知，仍命令炮兵对城区工事彻夜狂轰滥炸。
当晚，敌新一军军长孙立人，这位刚从英美大出风头归国的将军，正式抵四平前线到任。
19日清晨，孙立人亲自驾驶一辆坦克，率先冲向民主联军阵地，却未遇任何抵抗。密如蛛网的战壕里，没有一个共军。
此时，廖耀湘收到郑洞国电报，获悉林彪已率大军撤离。
当林彪的总部撤到四平以北的梨树村时，总部的一作战科长携实力统计、撤退计划叛逃，投向敌新六军。
据国民党《东北保安司令部接收东北周年纪念册》第十章中记载：“王继芳，四川巴中县人，现年27岁，自幼即随林彪至今十余年，曾参加共军的二万五千里长征，嗣在延安抗大毕业，曾任教官，随林彪抵东北后，升任共军民主联军作战科长，为林彪新近重要部属。于5月19日国军进驻四平街时……向我军投诚来归。”
王继芳对国民党军来说可是个宝贝，他的脑袋和挎包里装满了共军的机密，包括共军的全部撤退计划。他向国民党方面交代了共军各部队的实际情况，杜聿明这才了解到，共军在四平之战后，主力受到很大损失，许多部队减员半数以上并失去战斗力，目前正在向松花江以北撤退。
杜聿明一改以往谨慎的做法，命令新六军等以机械化部队为先导，大胆分兵冒进，紧追不舍。
于是，国民党军不再像以前那样集中兵力，步步为营，而是以多路平行纵队，坐着汽车开着坦克对撤退中的联军进行迂回包抄，有时甚至跑到联军的前面。国民党军空军也飞来助阵，在空中不停地扫射。民主联军此时被追击得疲惫不堪，顾不上夜行军，只要脚底跑得快，不让国民党军追上就行。有的部队被打散了，团不成团，连不成连；有的部队被分割成几段，与上级失去联系；有的部队边撤边打，几天几夜不得休息。
大家都很奇怪，为什么国民党军一反常态，猛追猛打，无所顾忌？后来才知道是作战科长王继芳叛变出卖了部队。国民党当局为了表示对王继芳的奖赏，授予他少将军衔，安排到军统特务机关工作。
这个叛徒并没有得到好的下场，1949年，在国民党撤离大陆去台湾时，毛人凤将他丢在了大陆，不许他去台湾，王继芳只得隐匿下来。重庆解放后，他被人民政府捕获，专程送到四野总部驻地武汉，公审后枪决。
5月19日，彭真与罗荣桓赶到前总，找到林彪，随后在公主岭附近的范家屯开会，讨论下一步行动计划和作战方针。会上，出现了两种尖锐对立的意见。一种主张坚守长春，不能再退了；另一种主张果断弃守长春，大踏步后撤，撤至松花江以北。
“固守长春，无异于画地为牢。”林彪从军事上举出了一大堆理由：“长春人口90万，防线百余里，需要大量的守军。如果敌人先围城，同时集中飞机、大炮、坦克掩护步兵攻击一点，我军则既不可能守住城市，又要丧失运动战的机会。所以今后主力仍以打运动战为好。”
林彪的意见没有得到大家热烈响应。四平血战中，联军虽然歼敌万人，但自己损失也达8千余人之多。撤退中，联军又遭到国民党军机械化部队的追击，继续受损，其中有1个师1个旅暂时失去作战能力。各级指挥员中弥漫着一种不满情绪。彭真也不主张撤退过猛。
关键时刻，罗荣恒挺身而出，旗帜鲜明地支持林彪的意见。他说：“长春、吉林都是大城市，不利于防守，防线又宽，现在部队打得很疲劳，如果守长春，敌人从梅河口沿奉吉线插到吉林，就会把我们的后方打个稀烂。到那时，不但长春防不住，非退到西满和蒙古大沙漠不可。我赞成撤出长春，一直退到松花江以北。”
这种大规模的撤兵与中央当时指示的寸土必争的指导思想大相径庭。林彪于5月20日和27日，连续两次发电报告中央，陈述自己的主张及其理由。他在电报中，特地提到罗荣桓已回到前线参与指挥，也同意他的意见。
撤兵的决定下达后，部队许多干部，包括高级干部想不通，有怨言。罗荣桓逐个找干部交换意见，要求他们服从林总的决策。
在罗荣桓的协助下，林彪处变不惊，应乱不慌，在15天内，硬着头皮把20万联军带过了松花江，撤退到哈尔滨，成功地摆脱了国民党军队的追击。这15天，是东北联军生死攸关、极为被动的日子。
“打了这么多年的仗，还从来没有这样被动过。我们一个劲儿地撤，敌人一直在屁股后面追，就像拖了个尾巴。”罗荣桓不无忧虑地对林彪说。
林彪信心十足：“被动过后就会主动。过了江就主动了。”
“这仗打输了。”林彪愤愤地说。作为负责前方指挥的一号首长，林彪感到深深的羞愧与屈辱。他把“白崇禧”和“四平街”几个字刻进了脑海里。不久，当林彪得知白崇禧已经功成回南京述职，心中更加气愤。“恨无时间，遂使竖子成名。”林彪发誓雪耻复仇。
得胜回朝的白崇禧胸中也涌动着遗憾和愤怒。同样是愤懑不平，内容却截然相反。20年后，白崇禧在他的回忆录中详细追述了这件终身憾事：
先是中共林彪为共军东北民主联军司令员，统率共军10万之众，于苏联红军撤出东北时，接收了关东军军械50万支，接着，乘国军未开到之前，袭占四平街，终与国军相持不下。当时，我奉令至四平街督战，并速将林部击退，继占长春、吉林，本可就此乘胜追至佳木斯和满洲里，将林部歼灭或驱出东北境外，以永绝祸根。而中央忽令军事归杜聿明指挥，且军队不准越过辽河。理由为长春有6000苏联便衣红军，若我军越过辽河，恐引起冲突。当我一到四平，下令继续追击时，杜聿明即出此命令予我。我说：“既是我下令追击，责任当由我负。”当时我一面去电向当局报告，同时乘飞机返京向蒋先生面陈云：“战胜则当进，或迫其退出国境，或予以歼灭，盖共军已仓皇撤退，全无斗志矣！”蒋先生道：“据报长春有6000着便衣的苏联红军，万一肇事起冲突，怎办？”我说：“共军已溃退，多6000苏联红军，亦不济事。”蒋问：“若红军再来。如何？“我答曰：“此非我一人之责任，按撤兵规定，红军应已撤回，若红军再来，此乃联合国之问题。”委座听罢，当场不置可否。
翌晨，我搭机将行，蒋先生因重视此事，亦欲同往，遂同乘马歇尔专机直飞沈阳转长春（当时国军已到长春）。委座一见前方军事进展顺利，极为愉快。当时我即建议继续追击，并表示说，若东北剿赤完毕，可以少数部队驻防，而先抽回5个美械装备师于华北助北平行营剿共，待事毕再行调回。蒋先生说：“6月1日国防部成立，你回去接事。你的意思，我交代杜聿明去做。”我说：“你在东北，我也在此！”他当即说：“你在此，若马歇尔问你是否继续追击，你不好说话。你回去，我在这里，可以推到我身上，所以你还是回去。”我只得返京就任国防部长。
此后，马歇尔八上庐山，压迫政府下停战命令。杜聿明于哈尔滨停顿攻势整编部队，予共军以喘息与反攻机会，大局遂逐渐于我不利，当时若长驱北进，直下东北，消灭林彪之大患，而后抽兵入关，如此于勘乱或稍可改观。
两位斗志正炽的“常胜将军”都把遗憾吞进肚中。他们都有一种预感，在已经拉开序幕的战争舞台上，他们还有再度交手的时候，也许会由他们来写最后的结尾。
北撤途中，国共两军形成平行并进，相互间不明情况，所以未出现大战。
5月22日，东北局撤出长春。
同日，蒋介石飞抵沈阳。
23日廖耀湘、陈明仁两军进占长春。
25日留在南满的四纵发起鞍（山）海（城）战役，包围了孤立无援的敌一八四师，迫其起义。四纵在南满的攻势，有力地牵制住了敌新一军、五十二军、六十军，使其无法北上。
林彪大军向松花江北撤退中，部队的建制一度出现混乱，战士找不到班长，连长找不到排长，暂时失去了战斗力。还有一些部队落在敌军后面，去向不明。部队极度疲劳，不断有人逃散，减员剧烈。
每到一地，林彪都要首先询问电台同中央及各部队联络的情况。到舒兰时，电台迟迟未到。林彪一查，原来是由于李作鹏占用了电台的吉普车的缘故。
他一言未发，叫秘书带他到李作鹏的住处。一进屋，看见李作鹏等正围在炕桌旁喝酒。他勃然大怒，一掌将酒桌掀翻在地，然后抄起一只挎包，去砸打李作鹏，经人劝阻，才没有打着。
林彪平时对一切都淡然处之，宠辱不惊，一向是泰然默然，但发起脾气来，也十分吓人。
6月3日，蒋介石亲赴长春慰劳有功将领，他发现拉法县城位于铁路和公路的交叉点上，认为是个战略要地，必须派一个加强团固守。
廖耀湘明知蒋介石这一招很不高明，但又不敢公开违抗“圣旨”，反正点子是老蒋出的，出了问题概不负责。
正处于困境中的林彪，终于抓住了一个难得的战机。他火速集结部队，突然包围了拉法。敌军一个加强团由于远离主力，孤军无援，很快就被一举全歼。
这是蒋介石亲自动手夹到林彪嘴边的一块肥肉，林彪当然毫不谦让，一口咬住，轻而易举就吞进了肚里。
林彪大军由此站稳了脚跟。
杜聿明进占长春、永吉后，被迫将大量兵力用来分守许多大中城市，加之受南满我军三纵、四纵的牵制，使他首尾不能兼顾，他的部队不得不在松花江以南停下来，再也无力北上哈尔滨了。这样，哈尔滨仍旧控制在东北局手里。
6月6日，蒋介石为了休整部队，巩固已占城市，同中共签署了停火15天的协议，6月7日生效。
东北局为了充分利用这15天的停火时间，紧急作出了3项部署：
第一，以拉法战斗为例，总结和推广“诱敌分散，各个击破”的作战经验。
第二，确定坚持东北斗争的方针和坚持南满的任务。
第三，剿灭土匪，巩固后方。
此时林彪仍在哈尔滨以南约100公里的五常地区。撤离四平、放弃长春以后，原以为哈尔滨、齐齐哈尔也可能失守，我军应向敌侧翼和后方运动，所以他留在五常，以便指挥大军。加之他北撤松花江时病倒，故没有北上哈尔滨。
6月16日，中共中央致电东北局：
目前东北形势严重，为了统一领导，决定以林彪为东北局书记、东北民主联军总司令兼政治委员，以彭真、罗荣桓、高岗、陈云4同志为东北局副书记兼政委，并以林、彭、罗、高、陈5人组成东北局常委。中央认为这种分工在目前情况下，不但有必要，而且有可能。中央相信诸同志必能和衷共济，在重新分工下团结一致，为克服困难争取胜利而奋斗。
东北局接到中央指示电后，派高岗、谭政前往五常，接林彪到哈尔滨。
集中共东北地区党、政、军大权于一身的林彪，一路咳嗽着来到哈尔滨。
7月上旬，中共中央东北局扩大会议在哈尔滨召开。会议讨论通过了由陈云起草、东北局党委已初步讨论的文件并形成决议，经中共中央修改批准，于7月7日正式公布，为《东北的形势与任务》，简称《七大决议》。
《七大决议》通过后不久，罗荣桓偕夫人林月琴和两个孩子，前往莫斯科治病。
罗荣桓夫妇行前，林彪给了一封信，请他们捎给在莫斯科的刘新民。他在信中告诉刘新民，他已经同叶群结婚了，有1女1子，劝刘新民另行择偶。
刘新民接到这封信后，十分吃惊，但事情到了如此地步，她无可奈何。
刘新民，别名叫张梅，陕北米脂人。米脂，是西北男人魂萦梦绕的地方。那里很穷，也很偏僻，但是却有一方好水土，是个盛出美女的“神仙福地”。米脂姑娘集江南秀媚与边塞健美于一身，皮肤白晳，面色红润，身材婀娜，体贴温柔，风情万种。从明代末年起，“米脂的婆姨绥德的汉”这句民谚就随李闯王的铁骑传遍天下。有一首“信天游”纯朴而又形象地描绘道：
蓝蓝的天空云铺的被，
红萝卜的胳膊白萝卜的腿；
弯弯的月亮风荡荡地吹，
清潭般的眼睛柳叶做的眉；
绿油油的麦叶黄灿灿的穗，
嫩生生的脸庞红嘟嘟的嘴；
尕妹妹一见没有法子睡，
揉碎了情哥哥的肝和肺。
张梅在米脂县是出类拔萃的美人，被公认为“陕北一枝花”。尽管林彪相貌平平，个头不高，也没有什么特别可爱的气质，但他以自己巨大的声威、名气摘取了这朵塞北名花。
1938年3月2日，林彪被阎锡山士兵误击受伤。这年冬天，林彪在新婚妻子张梅陪同下辗转抵达苏联首都莫斯科，受到莫洛托夫等苏联党政要人的隆重欢迎。热情的主人安排林彪夫妇住进库契诺庄园，一边疗养，一边接受治疗。
库契诺庄园，位于莫斯科近郊，十月革命前是全俄有名的大地主罗斯潘罗夫的私人别墅。整个庄园，占地数百公顷，有成片的山林、猎场和湖泊，风景秀丽，设备豪华，遐迩闻名。林彪到达时，正值隆冬，湖泊已经结冰，在阳光的映照下，熠熠闪亮，宛如一面巨大的镜子。白雪覆盖了树林，林中不时扑腾起一群群不知名的小鸟，尖叫着飞向天空。石径小道被打扫得干干净净，蜿蜒弯曲，隐入山间林野，夹道笔立的松树透发出一种类似薄荷的清香，一丝丝，一缕缕，沁人肺腑。最热闹的是围猎，人欢马嘶，兽突犬逐，歌声笑语，不绝于耳……呈现出一幅幅与国内战火横飞、满目疮痍完全不同的生活景象，引起张梅极大的兴趣。
与张梅欢喜雀跃、兴奋激动的感受相反，到苏联后，林彪更加缺言少语。看到苏联人民安详、幸福、和平建设和生活的情景，他不由地想到苦难深重的祖国，想到挣扎在日寇铁蹄下的同胞，想到艰苦转战中的战友和军队。就像一匹久经战阵的军马，他渴望重返沙场，聆听硝烟弥漫中嘹亮的号角声和白刃相格的厮杀声。加上伤势严重，手术医治情况不理想，子弹伤及脊椎神经，恢复过程缓慢，还留下许多后遗症，林彪心情更加沉郁。据当时与林彪夫妇住在一起的蹇先任回忆：“林彪来这里以后，表面上很平静，但在自己房子里经常发脾气。”
越是浮躁，林彪就越是不苟言笑，严肃得像个木雕，他把精力转向攻读英、法、德、俄等国着名军事家的着作，潜心研究军事理论。
1942年2月林彪伤愈回国，张梅留在莫斯科工作。随后，林彪收到中共中央的来电，催促他尽早返归抗日前线。
4年之后，刘新民收到了林彪托罗荣桓带来的婚姻