In August 1947, Liu Deng led the main force of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei-Henan Field Army to march thousands of miles towards the Dabie Mountain, opening a strategic counterattack by the People's Liberation Army. However, this war also cost Liu Deng's army dearly. In less than a month, the main force of the field army was about 120,000 people, but less than 60,000 remained. Many combat machines were destroyed, such as American howitzers, heavy artillery and vehicles loaded with fuel. At that time, crossing the Yellow River, ten ** trucks could not pass the pontoon bridge and were forced to abandon or destroy. However, what is even more deplorable is the sacrifice of the commanders and fighters of Liu Deng's army. Bai Chongxi's group used the method of three-dimensional encirclement to encircle, pursue and intercept Liu Deng's troops, and many battles led to a large number of sacrifices of veterans and cadres. For example, Chen Zaidao's Second Column had more than 32,000 people when it set out, but after heading to Dabie Mountain, only about 10,000 troops remained, and some companies even had only one person left.
The combat effectiveness of Liu Deng's army was also seriously affected. In fact, Liu Deng's army had already anticipated difficulties before marching into Dabie Mountain. However, in the actual implementation process, many unexpected events also occurred, resulting in several times more difficulty than expected. At that time, the Kuomintang army's estimate was that even if Liu Deng's army could advance to Dabie Mountain, the troops would not be able to maintain too many troops within half a year or a year. However, what no one expected was that Liu Deng's army miraculously returned to its previous state a year after marching into Dabie Mountain. First of all, the number of soldiers has increased dramatically, from less than 60,000 when they first entered Dabie Mountain to 280,000. In addition, all kinds of ** have also been equipped to varying degrees, quickly turning the situation on the battlefield, which is a miracle. So, how did Liu Deng's army recover quickly under extremely difficult circumstances?First, let's look at the troop replenishment.
The replenishment of the number of soldiers is mainly done through conscription. After a long period of revolutionary practice, our army has long developed a set of highly effective methods of recruitment. Through propaganda, good deeds, and recalling suffering, the public will realize that the PLA is an army that truly fights for the poor people, and voluntarily sign up to join. Scenes of ordinary people bidding farewell to recruits are also often staged. Many Kuomintang generals also praised with envy: "We can only maintain the morale of our troops by recruiting strong men and paying them salaries, and as long as your troops publicize it, many young people are willing to follow you." This is the power of the people's will and the fundamental reason why our army can gradually grow. Another important ** was the capture and surrender of the Kuomintang soldiers. Our army has always given preferential treatment to prisoners, and adopted a policy of staying or releasing captured soldiers, and after ideological education and probation, many Kuomintang soldiers were willing to stay and fight side by side with the PLA.
For example, after the Battle of Shuangduiji, nearly 20,000 soldiers of Huang Wei's corps joined the PLA and became their comrades-in-arms. The replenishment of ** equipment in the war is also an important factor. Under the strategy of Liu Deng's army, which fought steadily and steadily, concentrated superior forces, and did not fight hard with the enemy, it successively won the Battle of Luoyang, the Battle of Xiangfan, and the Battle of Zhengzhou. In these battles, our army often defeated or encircled the enemy with the strength of the entire army, and captured a large amount of ** equipment. For example, in the Battle of Luoyang, our army defeated the 206th Youth Division of the Kuomintang Army and captured more than 200 artillery pieces, howitzers and small-caliber guns, as well as more than 100 heavy machine guns. In the Battle of Zhengzhou, after the annihilation of the Kuomintang 40th Army, our army captured nearly 100 artillery pieces, more than 30 complete transport vehicles, as well as countless rifles and supplies.
These seizures greatly made up for the shortcomings of Liu Deng's army, and enabled its combat effectiveness to be quickly restored. After the Huaihai Campaign, in order to avoid Liu Deng's army from sacrificing too much in the overall situation of national liberation, Huaye worked closely and almost all the tasks of cleaning up the battlefield were left to Nakano's troops, and Nakano obtained a large number of first-class equipment. For example, after the annihilation of Huang Wei's corps, a column of Huaye captured a large amount of ** equipment, and Mr. Chen was also full of praise for them. In this battle, all captured **, whether they have been obtained or not, must be handed over to the Nakano troops.
Not only that, but the entire army must also be handed over to Nakano, and there is no distinction between the differences between Huaye and Nakano, because we are all communists and fighters who are struggling under the leadership of ***!It is precisely because of these measures that Liu Deng's army quickly recovered its vitality in just over a year, became a sharp leader on the battlefield of liberation, and achieved a great victory in the Huaihai Campaign together with Huaye!(Reference: "Liu Deng's Army Advances to Dabie Mountain" and "Record of the Second Field Army's Campaign").