In the early days of the War of Liberation, there was a huge disparity between the forces of the enemy and us, and Chiang Kai-shek wanted to start a civil war after the War of Resistance Against Japan, but he was forced by the situation to give up.
After the outbreak of a full-scale civil war, the Kuomintang carried out a fierce attack on our army by virtue of its superiority in strength and equipment, but was finally defused by our army one by one.
It was not until 1947 that there was a major turning point in the War of Liberation, and our army began to strategically lay the foundation for future victories.
It was also in this year that Chiang Kai-shek saw that the previous offensive not only did not achieve results, but also lost his troops, so he changed his previous strategy.
The all-out attack on our army was changed to a focus attack on the Shandong base area and the command center of our party in northern ShaanxiThis is indeed a major test for our army, which does not have an advantage in terms of troops.
At that time, Chiang Kai-shek secretly ordered Hu Zongnan, asking him to send troops and destroy Yan'an, the revolutionary base of our party.
Many people still have different opinions on the chairman's decision, because Yan'an was the holy place of revolution at that time, and if Yan'an was directly abandoned, then it might shake the revolutionary confidence of some people.
And Chiang Kai-shek took a fancy to the revolutionary holy place of Yan'an, which was the headquarters of our party, and tried to strike first, if this battle was successful, it could also reverse the situation of repeated defeats in previous battles, save face, and enhance morale.
In addition, Chiang Kai-shek had long planned to attack northern Shaanxi, so he believed that he was bound to win the war, and there was more international support for the Kuomintang at that time.
Therefore, he wanted to take the opportunity to capture Yan'an and strengthen the confidence of the Kuomintang, however, people were not as good as heaven, and Chiang Kai-shek was still defeated.
Regarding the abandonment of Yan'an, the chairman once made this explanation:If a robber wants to rob a person carrying a treasure on his back, if this person does not put down the package temporarily, then he will be restrained and unable to use his hands and feet, and he may not win the battle with the robber, but if the person throws away the burden, then he will become quite flexible, and finally he can beat the robber back and keep the gold and silver treasures.
The chairman's meaning is that temporarily giving up Yan'an is equivalent to putting down the package, and the enemy's vow to take Yan'an has become them carrying the package, so that we are more flexible and have the opportunity to destroy the enemy, and when we launch **, we will still get Yan'an.
Facts have proved that the chairman's judgment was correct, and it was in the process of this transfer to northern ShaanxiOur army and the enemy army have been maneuvering for four or five months, and the chairman has won several battles by virtue of the "mushroom tactic" and has preserved the vitality of our army.
Hu Zongnan did not expect our army to withdraw from Yan'an at all, so his 200,000 troops returned empty-handed after arriving in Yan'an.
Hu Zongnan originally rushed to Yan'an to make meritorious contributions, but now he directly pounced, naturally eager to catch up with our army and fight, and now Chiang Kai-shek has issued an order, so he began to pursue our army frantically, and the chairman took our army to carry out a thrilling transfer.
The situation was criticalKuomintang general Liu Jian rushed from the north with seven brigades of troops, and in the south, the 36th Division of the Kuomintang elite Zhong Songbu was approaching to the south, and Dong Zhao was guarding in the east.
So looking at the battle situation,The elite troops of the Kuomintang have already begun to flank the chairman and the leading organs of our party in three ways, and are even preparing to rely on the superiority in strength to block our army in a small area.
If it is besieged, it means that our army will fall into a situation of nine deaths and one life, and if it is trapped, the space for movement will be greatly reduced, and not only that, but the disadvantage of our army in terms of strength is also very unfavorable.
Just when the enemy army was gradually approaching our army, the chairman happened to hold a meeting on the liberation of the districts, and at this time, our army could be said to have no way to retreat.
The number of Kuomintang troops rushing from three sides has reached more than 100,000, while the total number of troops and guards around the chairman is less than the number of four companies, and at most only two or three hundred.
In terms of numbers, it was not only 108,000 miles behind the Kuomintang army, but also not at the same level as the well-equipped.
In the chairman's view, good equipment should be reserved for front-line combat units, while the guard company is only equipped with obsolete old equipment. Therefore, judging from the situation at that time, our army did not have the strength to confront the Kuomintang army at all, and could only outwit it.
Everyone was very anxious, because as long as the Kuomintang army launched an attack, the consequences would be unimaginable, and ** described the scene at this moment as embattled.
However, the chairman not only did not show embarrassment, but even joked that there was no rumor yet. The people around them were very surprised when they saw this, because their hearts may have been in a mess, and the chairman was so calm, it seemed that he had already made up his mind.
What is even more surprising is that the chairman has also made it clear that he will never cross the Yellow River until Hu Zongnan is defeated. Judging from the current situation, there are only two ways to go, one is to cross the Yellow River to the east, and the other is to defeat Hu Zongnan.
In the eyes of everyone, how difficult it was to defeat Hu Zongnan, and the chairman could still say such heroic words at that time, it can be said that he knew the enemy army very well.
Unlike the chairman, many CCP leaders at the time suggested that the chairman should cross the Yellow River quickly, but the chairman responded unexpectedly at the timeThe enemy army is surrounded in all directions, how can the Yellow River pass with confidence if Hu Zongnan is not defeated?
In fact, although the small team led by the chairman was small, it was the backbone of the revolutionFirst, this is the command center of our Party, and second, it holds the secrets of our Party, and once the Kuomintang succeeds, the revolutionary gains of several decades will be dealt a heavy blow again.
At this time, the chairman looked at the map and said: "We will go to the east, in the direction of the enemy's rapid westward advance." After hearing this, everyone was very puzzled, you must know that the troops advancing west were quite elite troops of the enemy.
** and Ren Bi were very puzzled when they saw that the chairman had given such an order, and ** explained anxiously: "This army is very dangerous, relatively concentrated, and very mobile. ”
At that time, many people thought that the only way to survive was to go east, and it can be said that the chairman's idea of going west was not unanimously agreed.
With enemies on three sides chasing and intercepting you, which direction to go can be said to be a life-and-death decisionRen Bi, who was traveling with the chairman, also quarreled with the chairman because of this issue.
At that time, Ren Bishi insisted on crossing the Yellow River first, and the chairman was not happy when he heard this, and explained to everyone: "If you go east, you will fall into Hu Zongnan's arms, this is a trap set by him, he just wants to drive me across the Yellow River, if we cross the Yellow River, Hu Zongnan will be considered a victory." ”
In fact, the chairman said this with great foresight, when the Northwest Army led by *** was fighting with the Kuomintang army. In Ren Bishi's view, only by crossing the Yellow River to the east could he join up with a large army, which was much safer than a small army.
But the actual situation is not so simple, the situation at that time was not optimistic, it was supposed to fight with the enemy, if the leading team led by the chairman considered to meet with the Northwest Army from the perspective of security,That would definitely lead to the deployment of a part of the forces of the large forces to ensure the safety of the chairman.
In this way, the Northwest Army, which is currently losing the battle, cannot focus all its energy on defeating the enemy army, which is exactly what Hu Zongnan wants to see.
Because once *** crosses the Yellow River, the pursuing Kuomintang army will definitely pursue all the way until it encounters the Northwest Army.
Once such a situation is formed, the situation of the chairman and the main force will be even worse, not only will the safety of the chairman be difficult to guarantee, but the Northwest Army will definitely face a fierce battle.
The worst result is that the Northwest Army will have to deal with the Kuomintang army on the one hand, and fight with Hu Zongnan's troops who rushed in on the other, and it is likely to be very heavy.
If the chairman had not chosen to cross the Yellow River and hold back Hu Zongnan's troops, the pressure on the Northwest Army would have been relieved, and there would have been no need to worry about the chairman's safety and have to worry about the safety of the chairman to lead to the shackling of the battle.
It was precisely when the chairman thought of this layer that he could see Hu Zongnan's plan at a glance, so crossing the Yellow River was very unfavorable.
But what is in front of you is that it is also a very dangerous choice to deal with the enemy army with the advantage of troops, and Ren Bishi has been in a stalemate with the chairman because of this problem.
**Seeing this, I can only come out to solve the siege:"Desheng, we have to pass through the Jialu River in front of us, which is a fork of the Yellow River, as long as we pass through, there will be more room for maneuver. ”
**When leaving Yan'an, he deliberately gave himself the pseudonym Li Desheng, symbolizing that the people's revolutionary movement was bound to win.
From this point of view, what may seem impossible in the eyes of others may not be in the eyes of the chairman, and after so many years of revolutionary activities, the chairman has long been very familiar with the style of Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang.
Therefore, his decision is likely to be nine out of ten, and he should have a deep understanding of the chairman's foresight, and the two of them were already tacit partners when they were in Jinggangshan.
For so many years, ** has always supported the decision of the chairman, because he firmly believes that only *** is the person who can really lead the revolution to victory.
I have also mentioned that the chairman's vision is more far-reaching than that of many people, including myself, and many times, we feel that he is wrong, but in the end, the facts always prove that his judgment is not wrong.
Therefore, when he saw the dispute between the chairman and Ren Bi, he did not want to persuade with all his might, but objectively expounded the benefits of crossing the Jialu RiverThe chairman, after hearing the Prime Minister's words, fell into deep thought, frowned and did not say a word.
At this time, Ren Bishi was already in a hurry, and it happened that an urgent report had been sent from the front line, and Liu Ji's troops were marching in a hurry, and they would catch up immediately.
Ren Bishi said anxiously after hearing this:"Don't waste any more time, let's do it. ”As he spoke, he asked a few soldiers with good water skills to bring a few rafts and prepare to cross the Jialu River in front of him.
Originally, the Jialu River was a trickle, but due to heavy rain for several days, the water level of this small river rose and it became a large river with a strong current.
As soon as the People's Liberation Army put the raft into the water, it was instantly overturned by the huge waves, and it sank directly into the water silently.
According to Li Yinqiao, the security guard of ***, at that time, even he, a veteran who had been in the army for many years, felt very scared and felt like he was about to lose his life.
The enemy troops in all directions and the turbulent water made Li Yinqiao feel embattled, and at this time, everyone's eyes were frightened, and they all became silent.
At this time, everyone looked at the chairman with the sound of surging water, only to see him suddenly speak"Bring the cigarettes. The chairman made a gesture of holding a cigarette between his fingers and spitting out the clouds.
The silence around him was thus broken, and the chairman was very fond of smoking, especially when faced with a major decision, even if he could smoke several packs in a row.
** Knowing the chair best, this could be a good time to turn things around, so he asked the people around him:"Who has a cigarette? Give Comrade Desheng a cigarette. ”
At that time, our army had been rushing in the heavy rain for many days, and the clothes were already soaked, and the smoke was difficult to preserve. Some comrades, because of the pressure, even if they brought a lot of cigarettes, had already finished smoking.
Not only that, but the chairman also suffered from pneumonia because of his addiction to smoking, and for the sake of his health, the doctor specifically told him not to smoke.
So his guards didn't prepare cigarettes, which made the chairman worried, but soon a soldier held an oiled paper bag aloft and walked quickly to the chairman and said"I have some more. ”Fortunately, this soldier specially wrapped the cigarette with oiled paper, which made a big difference at the critical moment.
After the chairman took the cigarette, the expression on his face suddenly relaxed a lot, but it was not easy to light the cigarette in the stormy weather, and it was difficult to light the match.
But even with the quilt as a cover, there was still wind coming in from all directions, and the guards who lit the cigarettes were very nervous, and they didn't strike matches several times, and they were finally lit and blown out, and the chairman was also sad when he saw this.
At this time, Li Yinqiao got into the quilt, found an angle to block the wind with his body, put a few matches together, and with a slight stroke, he immediately lit the cigarette in the chairman's mouth.
Li Yinqiao is smart and quick-eyed, such casual actions as lighting a cigarette, the chairman silently remembered in his heart, looking at the young man in front of him, the chairman still had a slight trace of gratitude in his eyes.
It was with this little incident that Li Yinqiao narrowed the relationship with the chairman, and in the future, the two had a close relationship, even like father and son, and Li Yinqiao also became the guard who stayed by the chairman's side for the longest time.
Seeing that the cigarette had been lit, the chairman took a big sip of the cigarette with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and said slowly: "If we don't cross the Yellow River, I won't believe in evil, follow me and return the same way." ”
After listening to the chairman's words, everyone present was dumbfounded, except for the side of the Yellow River in the east, all of them were enemies who rushed to surround and intercept them, and if they returned the same way and were discovered, it would definitely be a dead end.
Seeing the chairman's confident appearance, everyone was at a loss, but they still walked back the same way. It turned out that **'s decision was so wise that he had long anticipated the enemy's plans.
That's why there was an incredible scene:The chairman returned smoothly with the team, and in the eyes of the enemy, our army was like space, and was not hindered in any way.
Obviously, the Kuomintang army was hysterical and came straight to our army, but now our army is moving back, but the enemy has chosen to turn a blind eye, which also makes the local people feel incredible, and even treat this incident as a myth.
Judging from the situation at that time, our soldiers were not well manned and well-equipped, and it was impossible to go head-to-head with the enemy. Therefore, the Kuomintang army may be determined by virtue of this point, and our army will definitely regard the crossing of the Yellow River as a necessary option.
Therefore, their eyes were all focused on the Yellow River, staring at the Yellow River, ready to attack at any time, but they did not expect that the chairman would turn back the same way and pounce again.
According to the recollection of Li Yinqiao, the guard of ***:This was the most thrilling moment in the battle for northern Shaanxi, and Hu Zongnan's troops were often about to catch up with us, but we were able to walk away in this way every time.
It seems that it is this way of making dangerous moves that makes Hu Zongnan's troops repeatedly fight in the air, and the so-called most dangerous place is the safest place, and the chairman can come up with this method is indeed both wise and brave.
In fact, when the chairman decided to return the same way in the Jialu River, the troops led by Liu Jian were already about to catch up, but he did not expect the chairman to return the same way, and when Liu Hu arrived at the Jialu River, the chairman and the team had successfully moved to the foot of a mountain.
At this time, Liu Jian was already angry, and he hurriedly followed the route of the chairman and the troops to catch up againIn order to cover up his whereabouts, Ren Bishi specially instructed the guards to erase the traces of going up the mountain, so as not to threaten the safety of our army by the enemy's rapid march along the route.
At this time, the chairman suddenly spoke to stop it, and made an even bolder decision, he ordered people to put up a sign at the foot of the mountainIt reads "** from this to the mountain". After hearing this, everyone refused, bluntly saying that it was too dangerous.
Unexpectedly, the chairman insisted on letting the guards do this, and said: "I don't expect Liu Jian to have the courage to do so." At this time, *** instantly understood the chairman's intentions and cast an approving look.
Sure enough, Liu Jian was fooled, and after he ran to the foot of the mountain where the chairman was located, he found such an unusual brand.
He was immediately stunned, according to him, it was impossible for the chairman to expose his whereabouts in the pursuit, so he directly determined that this sign was fraudulent, and the purpose was to set up an ambush to lure him up the mountain.
Therefore, Liu Jian will never go up the mountain, not only that, but he also suspects that the chairman came to Jia County after returning from the Jialu River.
The troops led by the chairman successfully climbed to the top of the mountain, and were sitting on the mountain, watching what Liu Jian was doing. Someone saw that Liu Jian had been dragged down, so they persuaded the chairman to move quickly.
The chairman waved his hand and said, "It's not too late to wait for him in a few hours." "In fact, from the moment the chairman set up the sign, to the hysterical madness of the enemy troops sitting on the top of the mountain, it was a long time to expect the development of things.
Sure enough, the enemy army had already chosen to go up the mountain at all, and our army took advantage of this opportunity to spend a peaceful night, and after a short rest, our army had already adjusted.
Then he came back to the Jialu River, and after everything was ready, he crossed smoothly, and at this time, ** had received the news that the chairman was temporarily safe.
The Northwest Field Army had also been moved to the Yulin and Shajiadian areas, and the 36th Division of the Kuomintang was rushing here. At this time, Mr. Peng was ready to be the enemy.
Our army then set up an ambush near Shajiadian and annihilated the Kuomintang army of more than 6,000 troops in one fell swoop, and it was this battle that completely turned the tide of the war in the northwest region, and Hu Zongnan was greatly shocked when he learned of this.
Immediately decided to change the strategy, and did not dare to pursue it unscrupulously. ** With extraordinary wisdom, he led a small army to turn Hu Zongnan's army around.
It not only preserved the main force of our army, but also relied on its unique tactics to constantly annihilate part of the enemy's forces, and the enemy's strategy of focusing on the offensive was also crushed by our army.