Recently, I heard a thought-provoking question about the military strategy of the Liaoshen campaign. This question may seem somewhat basic to those unfamiliar with the history of the campaign, but it touches on the core strategic issues of the Liaoshen Campaign.
In the early days of the Liaoshen Campaign, the Kuomintang army did achieve a certain advantage in the mountainous areas north of the Liaoxi Corridor. This mountainous area was once the position of the Kuomintang. In the early days of their entry into the Northeast, the Kuomintang forces quickly broke through the Western Liaoning Corridor, and the troops led by General Zheng Dongguo easily crossed the mountainous areas of Western Liaoning, not only taking complete control of the area, but also successfully capturing Chengde, an important city that was seen as a major victory for General Du Yuming.
However, after two years of preparation and adjustment, the ** in western Liaoning gradually began to counterattack. On the eve of the Liaoshen Campaign, a continuous offensive in the summer, autumn and winter was launched. During this period, the mountainous areas of the Liaoning West Corridor were directly connected by the Eighth and Ninth Verticals along the Jincheng Railway, and demonstrated the ability to be transferred to the Bac Ninh Railway for defense at any time.
This shift brought control of the mountainous region of western Liaoning back into the hands of **. Although the Kuomintang army sent troops to clear the mountainous area, it was unable to complete the task and lost four divisions.
It can be seen that the mountainous areas north of the Liaoning West Corridor have been deeply infiltrated by the Eighth and Ninth Verticals. Under these circumstances, whether the Kuomintang troops were able to bypass Tashan and rescue Jinzhou directly through the mountainous areas of western Liaoning became a question worth discussing. The war is relative, and if you choose to bypass Tashan, you will naturally adjust your strategy and transfer the main force to the mountainous area.
If ** decides to take a detour to the mountains to rescue Jinzhou without going through Tashan, although it is theoretically possible, the cost to consider is obvious. During the standoff at Tower Hill, both sides were able to receive continuous supplies in their rear. However, if you choose to make a detour to the mountains, the guarantee of logistical supply and rescue time will become a major challenge, not to mention the survival of soldiers.
At that time, the first had the ability to deal with multi-front battlefields at the same time. During the Liaoshen Campaign, ** could only defend isolated strongholds such as Jinzhou, Shenyang and Changchun, and was unable to conduct effective field battles.
In addition, the incident of Huang Taiji bypassing the mountainous areas of western Liaoning and attacking Beijing in history is also an example worthy of reference. In the second year of Chongzhen, Huang Taiji took advantage of the geographical advantages of the mountainous area of western Liaoning and quickly approached Beijing. Although the city was not eventually attacked, its actions resulted in the loss of many cities around Beijing and large-scale looting in Hebei and Shanxi.
This historical event shows that while it is theoretically feasible to conduct military operations around the mountains, the problem of logistical supply is an important factor that cannot be ignored. During the War of Liberation, faced with similar logistical challenges, the senior generals of ** were of course aware of this.
Therefore, the KMT's choice to directly advance along the Liaoning West Corridor to rescue Jinzhou was obviously the most reasonable choice. Judging from the historical results, if you choose to bypass the mountainous areas of western Liaoning, the outcome may be similar to that of Liao Yaoxiang's retreat from Shenyang, that is, the total annihilation of the army.
From this incident, it can be seen that decision-making in war requires not only military tactics, but also full consideration of factors such as logistical support and geographical environment. These factors often have a decisive impact on the final outcome of the war.
When considering the strategy of the Liaoshen campaign, it is also necessary to understand the special challenges faced by the Kuomintang army. At the beginning of the campaign, the Kuomintang army did have a certain advantage in the mountainous areas of the northern Liaoxi Corridor, but as the war progressed, this advantage gradually disappeared. ** Strategic flexibility and in-depth understanding of the terrain have enabled them to effectively use the mountainous areas of western Liaoning as strategic locations.
At this stage of the war, **'s control over the Liaoxi Corridor was already quite solid. The Kuomintang's attempts to clear the area were not only unsuccessful, but resulted in heavy losses. This shows that in terms of strategic choices, the Kuomintang army's mastery of the strength and terrain seems to be underestimated.
Another noteworthy point is that even if the Kuomintang forces considered bypassing Tashan and passing through the mountainous areas of western Liaoning, such an operation would be fraught with risks. The mountainous terrain is complex and logistical supply is difficult, which is a huge challenge for any army. In addition, the flexibility of strategic deployment meant that they could quickly adjust the layout of their forces and effectively respond to any tactical changes in the Kuomintang army.
In this case, if the Kuomintang army tries to bypass the mountainous area and directly rescue Jinzhou, it may face a more complex battlefield environment and higher logistical pressure. This will not only prolong the rescue time, but may also increase the uncertainty and risk in the battle.
In addition, from a historical point of view, the decision-making of the Kuomintang army during the Liaoshen Campaign was also limited by its strategic thinking and the political situation at the time. While military commanders have a wealth of experience, it is always a challenge to properly assess the enemy's capabilities and develop effective strategic plans in a complex war environment.
From this point of view, although the decision of the Kuomintang army to directly advance the rescue of Jinzhou along the western Liaoning corridor was reasonable in theory, it faced many difficulties in practice. This suggests that in war, even experienced military commanders can face difficult choices and undesirable results.
There is an important lesson to be learned: in war, the success of strategic decisions depends not only on the balance of military forces, but also on geography, logistical support, and the strategic flexibility of both sides of the equation. Properly assessing these factors is essential for developing an effective strategy. Moreover, history teaches us that even the most astute military commanders can face difficult choices in the complex environment of warfare. Therefore, it is essential to consider all possible variables and consequences holistically when developing a strategy.