Chapter 4 Chapter Three

In order to prevent our army from crossing the south of the Yangtze River, the Kuomintang army deployed 115 divisions with about 700,000 troops along the Yangtze River, which stretched more than 1,800 kilometers from Yichang to Shanghai, by the beginning of April 1949. A division of about 450,000 people is deployed on a section of more than 800 kilometers from Hukou to Shanghai in Jiangxi; 40 divisions of the Bai Chongxi Division of the Central China Military and Political Chief Office have about 250,000 people, deployed on a section of nearly 1,000 kilometers from Hukou to Yichang.In addition, the Second Coastal Defense Fleet of the Navy and the Jiangfang Fleet have a total of 26 warships, 56 gunboats are stationed in Anqing, Wuhu, Nanjing, Zhenjiang, Shanghai and other places, and more than 40 ships of the Jiangfang Fleet are stationed in Yichang, Hankou, and Jiujiang. , patrolling along the river; the four air force brigades are based in Nanjing, Shanghai, and Wuhan to support the army in operations.At the same time, the ships of imperialist countries such as the United States and Britain are also anchored in Shanghai, and may carry out armed intervention in our army's operation across the river.

The Yangtze River is the largest river in my country, with the downstream river being 2 to 10 kilometers wide.The water level began to rise in April and May, especially during the flood season in May. Not only did the water level soar, but the wind and waves were as high as 50 centimeters.Most of the provinces along the river are paddy fields with water nets, and there are many rivers and lakes, which are not conducive to the actions of large corps. "Southern History · Kong Fan Biography" said: "The Yangtze River is a natural moat, which has been limited in ancient times. How can the barbarian army fly over!" The feeling of "quiet waves".Because of the difficult and insurmountable terrain of the Yangtze River, the Yangtze River Delta region, which has outstanding people and enjoys the reputation of "land of fish and rice" and "home of silk and tea", has become the place where some dynasties ruled the roost and the habitat of dynasties in trouble.Nanjing is the capital of the Tigers and Dragons, the Eastern Wu Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms period, the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen periods during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Southern Tang Dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, and the early Ming Dynasty.Hangzhou has a beautiful scenery. The Wuyue Dynasty of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms and the Southern Song Dynasty all established their capitals here.

The barrier of the natural moat has indeed objectively increased the difficulty for the heroes and heroes of the past dynasties to achieve the great cause of reunification, and some of them have spent their lives hating their defeat for this defeat.In 208 AD, after Cao Cao unified the north, he led an army of more than 200,000 to the south, but was defeated by the 50,000 coalition forces of Sun Quan and Liu Bei in Chibi and returned to the north.The Battle of Chibi established the situation of the three kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu.In 383 A.D., Fu Jian of the former Qin Dynasty led an army of 900,000 to the south in an attempt to wipe out the Eastern Jin Dynasty in one fell swoop, but was defeated by the 80,000 Jin army led by Xie Xuan in Feishui.Although the Battle of Feishui took place not by the Yangtze River but by the Huaihe River, if you defend the river, you must defend the Huaihe River. The purpose of this battle in the Eastern Jin Dynasty was obviously to secure the south of the Yangtze River.The result of the Battle of Feishui led to the formation of the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

Although the Yangtze River is difficult to cross, it is by no means an impassable gap. Although it is a certain unfavorable factor hindering China's reunification, it is not a decisive factor.Because of this, the Western Jin Dynasty destroyed Wu in 280 A.D. and unified the whole country; in 589 A.D., the Sui Dynasty destroyed Chen and ended the 169-year-long Southern and Northern Dynasties; Disputes between the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms broke out.In the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, China was soon unified.History shows people: in a specific historical period, although the Yangtze River maintained a natural barrier in the south of the Yangtze River for some feudal dynasties, it could not prevent the unification of China; from the perspective of the long river of history, the Yangtze River has never prevented the unification of China.

On the fourth day after Chiang Kai-shek "went down to the field" and returned to Xikou, on January 25, 1949, He Yingqin, Gu Zhutong, Tang Enbo, etc. were called to Xikou, and a small-scale military meeting was held to deploy the defense of the Yangtze River.This is a military meeting held behind the backs of Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi. Chiang Kai-shek said: "I have decided to divide the defense line of the Yangtze River into two major areas. The west of Hukou belongs to Bai Chongxi and the others. It has about 40 divisions, and the east of Hukou belongs to Tang Enbo. There are about 75 divisions and 450,000 people."

Jiang said to Gu Zhutong again: "Mo San, after the meeting, you send a special person to send the battle plan to Bai Chongxi, and order him to implement it. You don't need to tell them the battle plan east of Hukou." Jiang went on to say: "The combat policy of the Beijing-Shanghai-Hangzhou theater is roughly: take the Yangtze River defense line as the periphery, focus on the Shanghai-Hangzhou triangle area, take Songhu as the core, adopt a persistent defense policy, and finally stick to Songhu, echoing Taiwan. If necessary, use the superior navy and air force to support Songhu from Taiwan, and then wait for a counterattack."

Chiang Kai-shek faced Tang Enbo and said: "You are in the command post of the Xiaolingwei headquarters in Nanjing. You must always control one or two hundred trucks so that they can be used at any time. You must place the main force east of Zhenjiang to ensure Shanghai and Hangzhou." Jiang also said to Tang Enbo: "The cannons in Jiangning Fortress, you have to secretly dismantle them and transport them to Shanghai." When Jiang said this, his anger rose again, and he cursed the Guangxi faction, saying that the Communist Party only wanted my life, but the Guangxi faction wanted both my life and my money.

Finally, Chiang Kai-shek encouraged the participants and said: "We will fight for a year. MacArthur said that as long as we can support us for a year, they will definitely support us with all their strength. After one year, the international situation will definitely undergo major changes. The Third World War will fight." Several of Jiang's subordinates were uncertain about whether it would be possible to start a world war. They had doubts about supporting Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou for a year.But none of them dared to discuss different views in front of Chiang Kai-shek. In January 1949, before Chiang Kai-shek left the field, he appointed Tang Enbo as the commander-in-chief of the Beijing-Shanghai-Hangzhou garrison. All the armed forces in the Jiangnan region east of Jiujiang were under his control, and he was responsible for the defense of the Yangtze River and the maintenance of rear security.The jurisdiction includes:

Regular troops: 21 corps, 60 divisions, 177 infantry regiments, a corps artillery regiment and a corps cavalry regiment. Quasi-regular troops: 7 traffic police corps, 3 gendarmerie regiments, 3 high command secret service regiments, and 1 presidential palace guard regiment. Special forces: 1 armored vehicle regiment, 1 tank regiment. Fortress troops: Jiangyin, Jiangning, and Wusong 3 forts belong to a total of 3 fort artillery towers (each tower is equivalent to an infantry regiment). Security forces: 1 security brigade, 2 security corps (equivalent to divisions), 6 county security regiments.

Police force: 3 police corps, 1 marine police corps (both equivalent to regiments), 2 marine police sub-bureaus (a total of more than 4,000 people and several ships). Navy 2 fleets. Air Force 3 brigades.The total force is 700,000 and 500 cannons. These regular troops of the Jiang army are generally of poor quality, and there are very few capable fighters.Among them, 8 armies, including the 54th Army, 28th Army, and 52nd Army, have stronger combat effectiveness.The rest are scattered soldiers and mobs. Regardless of his military strength, Chiang Kai-shek did not forget to regroup and make a comeback, and he did not loosen his control over the Kuomintang's military and political power at all.He set up 7 radio stations in his hometown in Xikou, and remotely commanded troops in various places at any time.The military and political officials of the Kuomintang continued to go to Xikou to ask for instructions, report to Chiang Kai-shek, and discuss countermeasures.Chiang Kai-shek used Li Zongren's "peaceful" offensive to conceal his true intention of seeking peace and preparing for war. He attempted to restore the combat capability of the Kuomintang army within 3 to 6 months, and secretly formulated a large-scale military expansion and preparation plan.

The main contents of this huge military expansion plan formulated by Chiang Kai-shek include: (1) Restore the organizational system and designation of the original 120 armies of the Kuomintang Army, form 400 divisions, and reorganize the armies and divisions that have been annihilated by the People's Liberation Army in each province.For example, the 63rd and 64th armies of the former Huang Botao Corps, which were wiped out in the Huaihai Campaign, were reorganized by Guangdong Province; the 18th Army of the former Huangwei Corps was rebuilt in Quzhou. (2) Stepping up the recruitment of troops in various places, trying to recruit 2.5 million soldiers in a short period of time.According to Chiang Kai-shek's plan, Xue Yue planned to expand the Guangdong Provincial Security Corps into five security divisions, Zhu Shaoliang planned to form five armies within three months, and Zhang Qun, director of the Chongqing Appeasement Office, planned to form 18 armies in the southwest. (3) Officers at all levels who have been retired and transferred to other jobs are re-conscripted back to serve. (4) Form a new armored corps mainly based on light tanks. (5) Expand the Air Force and prepare to invite Americans to join the Kuomintang Air Force in the name of volunteers. Beijing-Shanghai-Hangzhou Garrison Command Commander-in-Chief: Tang Enbo Deputy Commander-in-Chief: Leng Xin, Zhou Jing, Liu Ruming, Song Zhongyi, Ding Zhipan, Li Yannian, Xuan Tiewu, Chen Daqing, Zhang Shixi Songhu Security Command Commander: Chen Daqing; Deputy Commander: Li Chuyun, Zhou Lixing and Liu Changyi Commander of Songhu Defense Command: Shi Jue Commander of the 37th Army: Luo Zekai; Deputy Commander Zhang Zhige 202nd Division 204th Division 208th Division Commander of the 52nd Army: Liu Yuzhang; Deputy Commander Ping Erming Second Division Twenty-fifth Division Second Ninety-sixth Division Commander of the 75th Army: Wu Zhongzhi; Deputy Commander: Xu Da Sixth Division Sixteenth Division Ninety-sixth Division Commander of Wusong Fortress: Fu Kexian Commander of the First Appeasement Zone: Ding Zhipan; Deputy Commander: Gu Xijiu and Liu Changyi Commander of the First, Second and Third Armies: Gu Xijiu; Deputy Commander Ji Yuzhi The 182nd Division, the 308th Division, the 334th Division, and the Temporary Seventh Division Commander of the 21st Army: Wang Kejun; Deputy Commander: Ling Shuoyu 145th Division 146th Division 230th Division Commander of the 51st Army: Wang Bingyue; Deputy Commander: Dong Jitao The 113th Division of the 41st Division is temporarily organized into the 4th Division Fourth Army Commander: Wang Zuohua; Deputy Commander Li Ziliang 59th Division 90th Division 286th Division Temporary First Army Commander: Dong Jitao; Deputy Commander unknown Dai Rongguang, Commander of Jiangyin Fortress Commander-in-Chief of the Capital Garrison Headquarters: Zhang Yaoming; Deputy Commander-in-Chief: Tan Yizhi Chen Pei Forty-fifth Army Commander: Chen Pei; Deputy Commander Chen Zhen Zhu Shiqin 79th Division 102nd Division 312th Division Commander of the 28th Army: Liu Bingzhe; Deputy Commander Liu Jianwei Ding Jun 52nd Division 80th Division 195th Division Commander of Jiangning Fortress: Hu Xiong; Commander of the 54th Army: Que Hanqian; Deputy Commander: Zhou Wenfan Eighth Division 198th Division 291st Division Commander of the 99th Army: Hu Changqing; Deputy Commander: Liu Jianxiu and Wang Chen 92nd Division 99th Division 268th Division Commander of the Sixth Corps: Li Yannian; Deputy Commander: Liang Dongxin Commander of the Seventh Appeasement Zone: Zhang Shixi; Deputy Commander: Tang Yunshan Ma Shigong Zeng Zhen Commander of the 66th Army: Luo Xianda; Deputy Commander: Su Shi Thirteenth Division, 185th Division, 238th Division Commander of the 20th Army: Yang Qiancai; Deputy Commander Chen Qinmin 133rd Division 134th Division Eighty-eighth Army Commander: Yang Baohu; Deputy Commander: Zhao Hualong Shengyue 49th Division 149th Division 313th Division Commander of the Eighth Corps: Liu Ruming; Deputy Commander: Cao Fulin, Liu Ruzhen, Mi Wenhe Commander of the 55th Army: Cao Fulin; Deputy Commander: Bai Yaoxian and Chen Yushu 29th Division 74th Division 181st Division Commander of the Ninety-sixth Army: Yu Zhaolong; Deputy Commander: Jin Dingzhou Xiao Xuwu 75th Division 141st Division 212th Division Commander of the 68th Army: Liu Ruzhen Deputy Commander: Wang Zhensheng and Chen Xinqi 81st Division 119th Division 143rd Division Commander of the Seventeenth Corps: Hou Jingru Commander of the 87th Army: Duan Yun 220th Division 221st Division 222nd Division Commander of the 106th Army: Wang Xiushen; Deputy Commander: Zeng Jirui 192nd Division 281st Division 282nd Division Commander of the Ninth Training Command: Zhang Xuezhong Commander of the 73rd Army: Li Tianxia The 15th Division, the 77th Division, the 316th Division, the Eighth Division Commander of the 74th Army: Lao Guanying; Deputy Commander: Ye Xiu Fifty-first Division Fifty-seventh Division Fifty-eighth Division Temporary Second Division Temporary Third Division Commander of the 85th Army: Wu Qiujian; Deputy Commander: Gou Jitang 23rd Division 110th Division 216th Division Eighteenth Army Commander: Hu Lian; Deputy Commander: Gao Kuiyuan Xiao Rui Eleventh Division Fourteenth Division 118th Division Commander of the 67th Army: Liu Lianyi; Deputy Commander: Zeng Qianying 218th Division 219th Division 285th Division Commander of the Twelfth Army: Shu Rong; Deputy Commander: Zhang Shuyu 203rd Division 224th Division 253rd Division Commander of the Second Fleet of the Navy: Lin Zun Air Force Stationed in Nanjing and Shanghai Central China Military and Political Commissioner's Office Chief: Bai Chongxi Deputy Chief: Li Pinxian Xia Wei Zhang Zhen Song Xilian Xu Zuyi Chen Mingren Commander of the Tenth Corps: Xia Wei; Deputy Commander: Xu Qiming Forty-sixth Army Commander: Tan Heyi; Deputy Commander: Zhuge Shu 174th Division 188th Division 236th Division Commander of the First, Second and Sixth Armies: Zhang Xiangze 304th Division 305th Division 306th Division Commander of the Third Corps: Zhang Gan Commander of the Seventh Army: Li Benyi; Deputy Commander: Zhu Nairui 171st Division 172nd Division 224th Division Commander of the 48th Army: Zhang Wenhong; Deputy Commander: Huang Jianyou 138th Division 175th Division 176th Division Commander of the 19th Corps: Zhang Zhen; Deputy Commander: Zhao Zili and Zhu Qiping Commander of the 127th Army: Zhao Zili 309th Division 310th Division Commander of the 128th Army: Xin Shaoting; Deputy Commander: Pei Yuhua 311th Division 312th Division Commander of the 58th Army: Lu Daoyuan; Deputy Commander: Lu Yuan 183rd Division 226th Division 265th Division Commander of the Sixteenth Appeasement Zone: Huo Kuizhang; Deputy Commander: Ding Delong Ding Shaodong Commander of the 97th Army: Jiang Dangyi; Deputy Commander: Duan Haizhou Thirty-third Division Eighty-second Division Commander of the 103rd Army: Wang Zhongzhu; Deputy Commander: Huang Yihua 374th Division Commander of the Appeasement Command of the Hunan-Hubei Border Region: Song Xilian; Deputy Commander: Fang Jing and Shen Jing Commander of the Fourteenth Corps: Song Xilian Zhongbin (back); Deputy Commander: Li Wei Commander of the Fifteenth Army: Liu Ping; Deputy Commander: Liao Jianfu 64th Division 160th Division 243rd Division Seventy-ninth Army Commander: Gong Chuanwen Fang Jing (rear); Deputy Commander: Gan Dengjun 98th Division 194th Division 199th Division Commander of the First and Second Army: Zhang Shaoxun Deputy Commander: Ding Shuzhong 217th Division 345th Division Commander of the 20th Corps: Chen Kefei Commander of the Second Army: Chen Kefei; Deputy Commander: Yin Zuoqian Ninth Division Seventy-sixth Division First Sixty-fourth Division Commander of the First, Second and Fourth Armies: Zhao Yuan 60th Division 223rd Division Commander of the 118th Army: Chen Xiping 54th Division 298th Division Commander of the First Corps: Chen Mingren Commander of the 29th Army: Chen Mingren; Deputy Commander: Liu Donghao 179th Division 234th Division 307th Division Commander of the 71st Army: Xiong Xinmin Eighty-seventh Division Eighty-eighth Division Navy River Defense Fleet Air Force in Wuhan Commander of Wuhan Garrison Command: Liu Fang According to Chiang Kai-shek's intention, the Kuomintang Army Command decided to put 700,000 people in its Beijing-Shanghai-Hangzhou Garrison General Command and the Central China Military and Political Executive Office, as well as the Navy's Second Fleet, the Jiangfang Fleet, and the Air Force's 4 brigades, starting from Shanghai in the east. , the area along the river to Yichang in Hubei in the west and the area north of Zhejiang and Jiangxi for fortification.Use a force to go out from Hankou to Jiangyin to the north bank of the Yangtze River, control several bridgeheads and Jiangxinzhou in the north of the Yangtze River, deploy the main force along the south bank, place the main defense direction in the area west of Jiangyin and east of Nanjing, and control a certain mobile force in the depth of the battle.Attempt to rely on the established positions when the People's Liberation Army is crossing the river, with the cooperation of the sea and air force, massacre the PLA on the river, or counterattack and annihilate the PLA on the beachhead; if the river defense is breached, retreat to Shanghai and the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway Line, continue Organize resistance.The specific deployment of its Yangtze River defense is as follows: (1) The 25 armies under Tang Enbo of the Beijing-Shanghai-Hangzhou Garrison General Headquarters, with about 450,000 men, deployed defenses in the area along the river from Shanghai to Hukou and in the area north of the Zhejiang-Jiangxi line, forming two lines of defense.Along the river is the first line of defense, with a total of 18 armies, among which the 37th, 75th, and 52nd armies under the jurisdiction of the Songhu Garrison Command are responsible for the defense of Jinshanwei, Wusongkou to Baimaokou; The 123rd, 21st, 51st, and 4th armies under the jurisdiction of the first appeasement area are responsible for the defense of the section from Baimaokou to Zhenjiang. The 54th army is located in Danyang and Wujin areas as a battle reserve; The Sixth Corps and the Forty-fifth, Twenty-eighth, and Ninety-ninth Armies under the jurisdiction of the Capital Garrison Headquarters are responsible for the defense of the section from Qiaotou Town to the west of Zhenjiang to Ma'anshan, focusing on Nanjing, Pukou, and Puzhen; The 66th, 20th, and 88th Armies under the jurisdiction of the Suijing District are responsible for the defense of the section from Ma'anshan to Tongling. In addition, the 106th Army of the 17th Corps is located in Jingxian County and Ningguo area as a reserve team; The 55th, 96th, and 68th armies under the jurisdiction of the Eighth Corps were responsible for the defense of the section from Tongling to Hukou. The first echelon responsible for the above-mentioned Jiang defense tasks used a force to control several key points on the north bank of the Yangtze River and Jiangxinzhou.The second line of defense was deployed along the Zhejiang-Jiangxi line and the eastern Zhejiang region. There were seven armies along the line and the area south of it, namely, the 73rd, 87th, 74th, 85th, and 10th armies. Eight, sixty-seventh, and twelfth armies, responsible for defense in depth. (2) The 15 armies of the Bai Chongxi Department of the Central China Military and Political Commissioner's Office, with about 250,000 people, deployed defenses along the river from Hukou to Yichang.Among them, 10 armies directly served as Jiang defense, and 5 armies served as defenses in Changsha, Nanchang, Jiujiang, Anqing and other places. (3) The Navy's Second Fleet, with 89 ships of various types, is located in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River; the Jiangfang Fleet, with 44 ships of various types, is located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.There are 4 air force brigades deployed in Shanghai, Nanjing, Hankou and other places, with a total of more than 300 combat aircraft.The navy and air force are responsible for supporting the army in defending the Yangtze River defense line. In addition, the US and British warships moored at Wusongkou and the Yangtze River estuary may also interfere and harass the PLA's operations across the river. According to Chiang Kai-shek's operational policy, Tang Enbo formulated the main points of defense of the Yangtze River.He reported to Chiang Kai-shek on the specific operational plan: "According to the operational policy approved by the president, we have decided that the guiding principles for the Yangtze River defense line are as follows: 1. If the Communist Army is crossing the river from Zhenjiang to Nanjing, it should be attacked and wiped out by Que Hanqian's 54th Army and Hu Changqing's 99th Army; , Wang Kejun's 21st Army, and Wang Bingyue's 51st Army resisted successively from Zhenjiang along the highway and railway until they retreated to Shanghai.The navy and air force fully assisted the ground forces to secure the Songhu area. 2. When the Communist Army is crossing the river from southern Anhui, Zhang Shixi's 66th Army and 20th Army in the 7th Appeasement Zone and Liu Ruming's 8th Corps should fight independently.Cao Fulin's 55th Army, Yu Zhaolong's 96th Army, and Liu Ruzhen's 68th Army should wait for an opportunity to counterattack.If it doesn't work, we should withdraw from southern Anhui in time to ensure the safety of the Zhejiang-Jiangxi line.The troops east of Nanjing ensured the triangle area of ​​the Yangtze River and Qiantang River, and retreated to Songhu as a last resort. 3. If the communist army only crosses the river from the front, each unit should guide operations according to the above two arrangements. Tang Enbo made an oath to Chiang Kai-shek: "President, don't worry, the defense line of the Yangtze River is solid. We have also deployed mobile troops in the direction of the Yangtze River. If the Communist army crosses the river from Zhenjiang and Nanjing, our army can surprise and annihilate them; The troops should resist from Zhenjiang along the highway and railway section by section, retreat to Shanghai, and then use the navy to assist the ground troops with all their strength to secure Songhu." Chiang Kai-shek made comparisons on the map for a while, expressing his satisfaction.He said with a smile: "This is the fundamental plan for our country governance. As for the peace talks, it is just to buy some time." But Li Zongren, who is well versed in military affairs, knows how stretched the Yangtze River defense line is.He believes that Tang Enbo's deployment of the Yangtze River defense line according to Chiang Kai-shek's will is the "most unimaginable" stupid deployment.Years later he wrote in his memoirs: "The Tang family dispatched all 300,000 elite troops to a corner of Shanghai, collected public funds, and built fortifications in the surrounding suburbs. On the front lines of Nanjing, Zhenjiang, and Wuhu, they used troops with extremely weak combat effectiveness to deal with it. This kind of deployment is tantamount to opening the door and stealing Naturally, the Communist Party is even more reluctant to negotiate peace with us.” Although Chiang Kai-shek planned to abandon the mainland to secure Taiwan, he still attached great importance to the Yangtze River defense line. Chiang Kai-shek ordered Tang Enbo at Xikou: "You fight hard for me, and you must guard the Yangtze River natural moat!" According to the above-mentioned combat guidance essentials, Tang Enbo deployed the troops under the jurisdiction of the Beijing-Shanghai-Hangzhou Garrison Command as follows: (1) Songhu Garrison Command, Commander Chen Daqing, under the jurisdiction of Luo Zekai's 37th Army, Liu Yuzhang's 52nd Army, Wu Zhongzhi's 75th Army, Zhu Zhiyi's 95th Division and Ma Zhichao Traffic Police There are 4 regiments in the total team.The defense area is the line of Baimaokou, Kunshan, Qingpu, Jiaxing, Jiashan, and Pudong. The task is to defend Jinshanwei, Fengxian, and Nanhui with a strong force, and especially guard the urban area of ​​Shanghai. (2) The first appeasement area, the commander-in-chief Ding Zhipan, under the jurisdiction of Gu Xijiu's 1st, 2nd and 3rd Army, Wang Kejun's 21st Army, Wang Bingyue's 51st Army, Wang Zuohua's Fourth Army, and Dong Jitao's Temporary First Army.Its main task is to secure the bridgehead positions from Baxu Port to Yizheng with a strong force, to defend the river defense from Baimaokou to Shatou Peak with a force, and to ensure that Hupu, Fushan, Luyuan Town, Yangshe, Jiangyin, Menghe, Dagang, Zhenjiang, Gaozi, Qiaotou each stronghold.Special vigilance is placed on Jiajiangzhou Island, Yangzhong, Xindao, Guazhou, Lizhou, and the Free Ferry Bureau in the north of Luyuan Town.In this appeasement area, there is another guerrilla group that quickly wiped out Maoshan, the Jiangsu-Zhejiang border area, and the Taihu Lake area.The defense area extends to Baimaokou and Kunshan in the east, and Qiaotou Town between Zhenjiang and Nanjing in the west. (3) The Capital Garrison Headquarters, Commander-in-Chief Zhang Yaoming, under the jurisdiction of the 45th Army of Chen Pei and the 28th Army of Liu Bingzhe, whose defensive task is to consolidate the bridgehead positions in Dahai and Wujiang towns.In the Jiangnan area, fortifications were rapidly strengthened.Use one to guard the river defense between Qiaotou Town and Tongjing Town, and ensure Longtan, Qixia and Dasheng Pass.Special vigilance should be exercised on the river bank near Xinzhou Station. (4) The Seventh Appeasement Zone, Commander Zhang Shixi, under the jurisdiction of Luo Xianda's 66th Army, Yang Gancai's 20th Army, and Yang Baohu's 88th Army.Use one to guard the river defense between Tongjing Town and Tongling Town to ensure quarrying, Dangtu, and Wuhu.Special vigilance is placed on the river near Digang.Control powerful troops to maneuver in Wuhu Fanchang.Necessary troops must be sent to occupy the bridgehead positions and Jiangxinzhou.The defense area extends to Gangjing in the east and Gangling in the west. (5) The Eighth Corps, Commander Liu Ruming, under the jurisdiction of Cao Fulin's 55th Army, Yu Zhaolong's 96th Army and Liu Ruzhen's 68th Army, is in charge of the river defense from Tongling to Hukou, and sends powerful troops to the bridgehead positions Make sure. (6) The mobile corps was directly commanded by Tang Enbo, including the 54th Army of Que Hanqian stationed in Danyang and the 99th Army of Hu Changqing stationed in Longtan. After finishing the deployment of troops, Tang Enbo strictly ordered all troops to immediately build river fortifications in their respective defense areas.Tang Enbo also, based on strategic and tactical considerations, required each unit to be divided into three categories: Class A, Class B, and Class C according to different operational requirements when building fortifications.Fortifications of Class A strongholds are planned by the Ministry of National Defense in a unified way, the location is determined, and permanent fortifications are built. It is required that in the river defense operations, they can stand alone in the case of being surrounded, and serve as a support point for the strategic counter-offensive force.Class B strongholds are selected and determined by the defensive troops at the corps and division level, and semi-permanent fortifications are constructed. Simple roads must be built between each stronghold to connect with each other, and they can independently support for a certain period of time in battle.Class C fortifications are selected by the divisions and regiments of the Jiangfang Army to build stronger field fortifications.The materials, labor and funds needed to build these fortifications are all borne by the local people.Many military officers took this opportunity to plunder the people's wealth in the name of building fortifications, and made the area along the south bank of the Yangtze River into a miasma of smoke. Tang Enbo also continued to inspect various troops and urged the troops along the river to step up their preparations for war.He convened a meeting of officers above the head of the Beijing-Shanghai line garrison troops in Changzhou, and cheered them up by saying: "We must defend the Yangtze River in order to reverse the situation. Although the Yangtze River is a natural danger, it will not work without generals who are good at commanding and capable troops." For example, the mouth horse is good at walking, and the Mongolian horse is quick-tempered. If there are no people who are good at riding, the strengths of these horses cannot be used; no matter how wide the Yangtze River is, and no matter how fast the current is, it will be useless without elite soldiers. For us, it is the key to life and death. The troops guarding the river must not be complacent. The communist army has never fought positional warfare. They are good at surprise attacks. We have planes in the sky, warships on the river, and fortresses on the shore. Therefore, there should be no problem in defending the Yangtze River and preventing the communist army from crossing the river." Tang Enbo also threatened the senior generals, saying: "Mao Zedong's statement on the current situation listed us all as war criminals. We all have no other way out except to fight to the death." On the surface, Tang Enbo was tough, and he kept saying that he must defend the Yangtze River. In private, he sighed to his cronies: "The distance from Hukou to Shanghai is more than 790 kilometers, and there are only 18 armies. It is not enough to rely on the army to defend. If we do not fight Xu In the battle of clam, today we have a much stronger force defending the Yangtze River. It can be seen that the mistake in strategic decision-making has too great an impact." After the Jiang defense deployment was finalized, although Tang Enbo and other senior Kuomintang generals had no confidence in guarding the river, they still activated their propaganda machines and held various meetings to cheer up the lower-level officers and soldiers. In early March 1949, Tang Enbo inspected the First Appeasement Zone, and Ding Zhipan asked him to speak to officers above the head of the independent regiment.Tang said: "The rumored peace is unreliable. We must never believe in peace. We should step up our preparations for war. Now our reserve army has been established, and it can be put into use after a few months of training. We have the natural danger of the Yangtze River, a strong reserve force, and With modern equipment and American assistance, we should have firm confidence in securing Jiangnan. We must prepare for the Communist Army to cross the river in April. If it does not come in April, we can cross the river in May or June to counterattack!" In early March, Deng Wenyi, Lieutenant General of the Information Bureau of the Ministry of National Defense, went to Puzhen and preached to the officers and soldiers of the 28th Army: "As long as we stick to Jiangfang for 6 months, the international situation will definitely change. Britain and the United States will not see China fall into the hands of the Communist Party." For the sake of their interests in China, they will not stand idly by. What's more, the conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union is sharp and the war is imminent. The Chinese issue is linked with the world's anti-Communism. The current peace talks are to buy time. If they want to follow the conditions of the Communist Party, Even if we surrendered to the Communist Party, all of us had no choice but to flee abroad to become Bai Hua. As for Bai Hua’s taste, the tragic situation of Bai Russia living in China should be used as a lesson. If we don’t go this way, we can only fight to the end. Survive the dead. Your 28th Army defends the gates of the capital. It has a great responsibility and is related to the survival of the country. This is the best opportunity for soldiers to serve the country. As long as you stick to your positions, every inch of land will be fought, and the backup troops will have no problem. We still have 20 reserve brigades , well-equipped with modern equipment, ready to reinforce you at any time." At the end of March, Li Zongren convened a meeting of the division commanders of the troops near Nanjing in the presidential palace. At the meeting, Xu Yongchang, the head of the military command, boasted that the Yangtze River defense line was impenetrable: "We now have such a powerful navy and air force, and such a natural danger of the Yangtze River. , That’s really God’s will.” Qin Dechun, the deputy minister of national defense, also yelled: “The Yangtze River has been dangerous since ancient times, and Cao Cao and Fu Jian couldn’t get through it, let alone the Communist Party? Unless it is a heavenly soldier!” In fact, the impassionedness of Tang Enbo, Xu Yongchang, Qin Dechun and others was nothing more than singing at the graveyard in the middle of the night-to give yourself courage. The memory of Ouyang Bingyan, deputy commander of the 88th Army of the Kuomintang, expressed Jiang Fang's true feelings at that time. In February and March 1949, Ouyang Bingyan drove from Wuhu along the west of the Yangtze River. When he passed the position of the 313th Division of the 88th Army, he saw fortifications being built on the river beach, but rarely saw the covered firepower points and traffic trenches. , and are all first-line equipment, without depth, and have not seen strong stronghold fortifications.A director of the Eighty-eighth Army who was in the same car said: "Su Weizhong is really bad, don't care about anything! These strongholds will be finished after a few shots. What's the use? Their security is even more sloppy. There were a few people, but they searched and found no one. The reeds on the island were overgrown, and it was easy to hide as many people as possible. The warning they put on the island was to release it in the morning and take it back in the evening. There was no one at night. No way. The communist army will of course occupy Jiangxinzhou as a springboard for crossing the river in the future. The black sand is the closest to this bank, and occupying it is equivalent to successfully crossing the river. Their officers gather at night to gamble and sleep during the day, and they don’t care about anything.” After Ouyang Bingyan arrived at the 313th Division Headquarters, he talked about the Jiangfang Plan with the division commander Su Weizhong. Su complained and said: "What a plan! Where did the Communist Army come from? Where is my focus. A row of people, even a company of people, can form The important point. A battalion and a group of people came and managed to cross the river completely successfully, and there was no way for anyone to fight back.” Ouyang asked: “Then what are you going to do?” Su said: “At that time, I was the only one who managed to fight back.” Go up! The frontage of more than 100 miles, let alone the black sandbar in the middle of the river is so large, just put the guard on the shore, how many people are there in a division? Jiang, I counted as guarding it, and crossing the river from my front, it is my responsibility not to guard it, and I have to wait for the law!——I am afraid that there will be no law to do it at that time!" In early April 1949, Nanjing, the war room of the Ministry of National Defense.Chief of Staff Gu Zhutong held an emergency meeting on river defense operations. Tang Enbo's military deployment caused controversy at the meeting, and Cai Wenzhi, director of the war department, strongly opposed it. Xu Tingyao, the commander of the armored forces, is from Wuwei County, Anhui. He joked at the meeting: "I learned from my hometown that the Communist Party's troops crossing the river collect chamber pots from house to house, and prepare to put them on the boat and use them as oil lamps when crossing the river." His words attracted all the audience. Everyone laughed, but Tang Enbo remained expressionless. Gui Yongqing, commander-in-chief of the navy, said: "Everyone take this as a joke to relax, but you must not underestimate the enemy. The communist army has many tricks and must be on guard. Our navy is not afraid of him having a light, but of his smuggling." Qin Dechun, the deputy minister of national defense, stood up and said: "You don't have to worry too much. The Yangtze River has been a natural moat since ancient times. Even Cao Cao and Fu Jian can't cross it. What's more, the Communist Party doesn't even have warships, unless he is a heavenly soldier." Zhang Bingjun, deputy commander-in-chief of joint logistics, said: "Should we study the strength of our defense along the river? As far as I know, each division has less than 5,000 troops, and one-third of them will be deployed along the river, but only 1,500 troops." , and excluding the battalion reserve team, there are less than 1,000 people on the front line guarding Jiangfang, so how can we hold it?" Wei Yishan, Director of the Wounded Soldiers Management Office, agreed. He said: "It is still necessary to adopt all direct equipment and no reserve forces. Let the communist army cross halfway and annihilate its main force. We have the navy and air force, and the advantage is still ours anyway. This way. It’s just that we have to figure out the main crossing direction of the communist army across the river.” Gu Zhutong nodded and said, "Then let's judge the main crossing direction of the communist army first." Hou Teng, director of the Intelligence Department of the Ministry of National Defense, said: "According to various intelligence reports, the Communist Army's main direction of crossing the river is in Guazhou and Yangzhong." Cai Wenzhi, the director of operations, interrupted Hou Teng's speech disdainfully, stood up, came to the map, and said with great confidence: "According to the operational symptoms of the Communist Army, the main crossing direction should be Digang, in other words, the upper reaches of Nanjing." Not in the lower reaches of Nanjing. Because Digang is easy to cross the river, after crossing the river, the communist army can go straight to Changxing and Jiaxing from Fanchang and Yicheng, and force the main force of our army back to the triangular area of ​​Changzhou, Jiaxing and Shanghai. Obviously it is beneficial to the Communist Army, but it is very difficult for us. At that time, because the main force will be trapped in Chang, Jia, and Shanghai, we will have to open the gates of Jiangxi and Zhejiang, and let the enemy run wild. I absolutely disagree with such combat guidance. Instead of In this way, it is better to control the main force in Wuhu, Xuancheng, and Langxi, and then retreat along the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway according to the battle situation. This way, we can resist one by one and prevent the enemy from going deep in one fell swoop. " Cai Wenzhi changed the subject and turned his body to Tang Enbo who was silent: "But according to Commander-in-Chief Tang's battle report, his opinion is exactly the opposite. Commander-in-Chief Tang wants to control the main force along the Beijing-Shanghai Railway, which is clearly a self-inflicted trap. The third hall cannot agree!" Gu Zhutong interjected immediately: "This makes sense, Commander-in-Chief Tang can refer to it." During the 3-hour meeting, Tang Enbo didn't say a word. Cai Wenzhi proposed that the main river defense force of the national army should extend upstream from Nanjing.Because this section of the river is narrow and there are many tributaries on the north bank, most of the civilian ships collected by the Communist Army are hidden in these river bends.As for the Yangtze River below Jiangyin, which is extremely wide and has no tributaries in the north, it is not easy for the communist army to cross, so there is no need to defend it with heavy troops.This plan was immediately supported by Li Zongren, He Yingqin and Gu Zhutong. When it was Tang Enbo's turn to speak, he expressed disapproval of this plan.He said: "First of all, this plan is contrary to the president's will." Then, Tang Enbo proposed: "Concentrate the main force of Jiang's defense forces below Jiangyin, and concentrate on defending with Shanghai as the core. In short, it is to defend Shanghai instead of the Yangtze River. " Cai Wenzhi immediately objected: "This is a suicide policy. In terms of strategy and tactics, I don't think Chinese and foreign military strategists will think that it is the best policy for you to abandon the Yangtze River and defend Shanghai. Now, the Acting President, President He, and Chief of Staff Gu all agree. Why are you the only one who disagrees with the battle plan of our third hall?" "My plan was formulated by the president, and I am only responsible for the president." Tang Enbo said calmly. "The president has already stepped down, so don't use this to oppress people. You defy the chief of staff's battle plan. Let me ask you, if the communist army crosses the river in a big way, can you hold Shanghai?" Cai Wenzhi chased after him. Except for a few people involved in the meeting, almost no one knew the real trump card of Chiang Kai-shek's "Yangtze River Defense War": the battlefield was only in Shanghai, and the capital Nanjing would be sacrificed.What makes Tang Enbo troublesome now is that since Li Zongren acted as president, he has spared no effort in planning the Nanjing defense plan, which has the taste of living and dying with Nanjing.而汤恩伯自上任起就按照蒋介石的密令，将南京周围沿江要塞的大口径江防炮秘密拆运到了上海，他手中始终控制着200辆美式大卡车，随时准备把设在南京孝陵卫的京沪杭警备司令部撤退到上海去。 由于蔡文治等人并不知道蒋介石的这个计划，所以他们都赞同李宗仁的主张，一再强调要以重兵保卫南京。在这种情况下，汤恩伯既不能同意蔡文治等人的主张，又不便讲出蒋介石的计划，处于两难之中。 汤恩伯将桌子一拍：“大胆！什么守江不守江的，我枪毙你……”说着，把文件一推冲出会场。