At the beginning of November 1948, with the defeat of the Liaoshen Campaign, the entire territory of Northeast China was liberated, which marked a complete reversal of the total strength of the People's Liberation Army to 2.9 million, while the PLA increased to 3 million.
At this time, on the Huaihai battlefield in the Central Plains, Huang Baitao's corps was surrounded by the East China Field Army, and the back road of Xuzhou's "suppression of the general" was blocked by the Central Plains Field Army. Even Yan Xishan in Shanxi was defeated again and again and was forced to defend the "isolated island" Taiyuan.
Looking at it, it seems that only Fu Zuoyi, who is stationed in North China, is still barely maintaining the superficial "evenly matched". With the KMT's rule crumbling, Fu Zuoyi, a former Jin warlord and now the KMT's commander in North China, began to plan his way out.
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While confronting the Communist Party, Fu Zuoyi also secretly tried to control the overall situation and tried to retreat with his whole body, but all his predictions were predicted by Chairman *** and blocked the road ahead.
On the Pingjin battlefield, the psychological game between the two is amazing. On December 4, 1948, Fu Zuoyi, the commander of the "Suppression Commander-in-Chief" in North China, hurried to Zhangjiakou, 180 kilometers away, and immediately reprimanded Guo Jingyun, commander of the 35th Army, and Sun Lanfeng, commander of the 11th Corps, and others, and then issued an order of "honor confession".
The sudden attack of Sun Lanfeng and Fu Zuoyi surprised everyone present. They just won a victory. At the end of November, Sun Lanfeng, who was stationed in Zhangjiakou, received an urgent message: "Yang Chengwu's department in North China suddenly advanced in three directions, intending to attack Zhangjiakou. ”
Zhangjiakou is the throat connecting North China and Saiwai, and it is also the only way for Fu Zuoyi's troops to retreat, if lost, they may fall into trouble. Sun Lanfeng knew the seriousness of the matter, and also knew the combat effectiveness of Yang Chengwu's department, he did not dare to slack off, and immediately asked his superiors for assistance.
The next day, Guo Jingyun led the 35th Army, one of the ten ace armies of the Kuomintang, to support. Guo Jingyun is known for his "fierce arrogance and courage in battle", and he wanted to fight happily.
However, as soon as the two armies clashed, Yang Chengwu led the team to "flee in the wilderness".
In the past few days, Yang Chengwu has swept the area of Zhangjiakou within a radius of 50 kilometers. Although this battle was a little unexpectedly easy, looking at his huge army and equipment, the doubts in Guo Jingyun's heart gradually disappeared, and he thought that Yang Chengwu might have retreated because of the difficulty.
Sun Lanfeng and the soldiers of the 11th Corps were ecstatic about this "lying to win" battle, and they praised Guo Jingyun vigorously, and even prepared a grand celebration banquet for him on the evening of December 3, hoping that he would return to Beiping in style.
However, Fu Zuoyi suddenly called to stop the banquet, and came to Zhangjiakou in person the next day, was furious and ordered an "honor confession". This is a new word coined by Fu Zuoyi, which means that all the troops retreat, and the materials and property that cannot be taken away are neatly placed, registered, and left to the PLA.
In other words, this is a gesture of goodwill to the Communist Party in order to leave a way back. So, why did Fu Zuoyi suddenly retreat after his victory?
A month ago, on November 2, 1948, under the leadership of the commander-in-chief, the Northeast Field Army fought a bloody battle for nearly two months in the Liaoshen Campaign, killing and wounding 470,000 enemies with 70,000 **, winning a complete victory and successfully liberating the entire territory of Northeast China.
At the beginning, Chiang Kai-shek, relying on the absolute superiority of troops and equipment, confidently predicted that the war would end within one year. However, the successive defeats have greatly reduced the strength and combat effectiveness of the first army, and the fighting spirit has become increasingly depressed, and the rule of the Kuomintang can only survive.
Now, after the Northeast Field Army has finished resting and recuperating, it is bound to move southward and point its sword at North China. At that time, the comparison between the strength and weakness of Dongye, which has a million troops, and Fu Zuoyi's 600,000 troops will be clear at a glance.
The Kuomintang was defeated in North China, and Chiang Kai-shek decided to withdraw his troops to protect the south and mobilize all the Jiang Defense Army to block the southward movement of the Northeast Field Army. Although this move was conducive to the long-term development of the Kuomintang, it touched Fu Zuoyi's interests.
Fu Zuoyi was the formulator of the North China defense plan, but he did not completely obey Chiang Kai-shek's command, but had his own ideas. Since joining Yan Xishan's Jin army in 1918, Fu Zuoyi has always been different from other warlords in that he has always adhered to his beliefs and principles.
Fu Zuoyi was influenced by Sun Yat-sen, and the idea of democratic revolution was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. At the age of 15, he actively responded to the Xinhai Revolution as a student platoon leader and joined the front line. In the face of major rights and wrongs, he never hesitated, especially resolutely resisting Japan.
During the war, he regarded death as his home, and always rushed to the front line, fighting bloody battles for more than 150 days and nights, and made great achievements. Compared with Chiang Kai-shek's "foreign must first be at home", Fu Zuoyi is more inclined to unite with the outside world, and his ideas are consistent with the consistent line of the Communist Party.
Yan Xishan once attacked him" and gave the 35th Army under his command the title of "Seven and a Half Roads".
Fu Zuoyi won the "National Glory Medal" for his ability to lead the troops to fight and outstanding military exploits without playing with power. His strength and independence made him unique in the Nationalist Army, and even Chiang Kai-shek, who was suspicious and valued his origins and connections, had to reuse him.
On the eve of the Liberation War, he had become the National Commissar and the commander of the 12th Theater of Operations, how could such a powerful and assertive person be easily manipulated by others and obey Chiang Kai-shek's orders?
His life choices also laid the groundwork for the peaceful liberation of Beiping later.
Fu Zuoyi has deep roots in North China. Since 1931, he has been in charge of Suiyuan, after more than 10 years of efforts, he reorganized the army, eliminated bandits, cracked down on corruption, strictly prohibited opium gambling, and at the same time greatly developed water conservancy, developed industry and agriculture, and turned the barren Suiyuan into a "plugged Jiangnan".
All this proves that Suiyuan was established by Fu Zuoyi himself. How could he be willing to hand over this hard-fought country to Chiang Kai-shek as a wedding dress? In order to maintain relations with Chiang Kai-shek and keep North China, Fu Zuoyi finally came up with a way to get the best of both worlds after careful consideration.
Fu Zuoyi was well aware of Chiang Kai-shek's indecisive character traits of "hoping for the best of both worlds". Therefore, on November 4, at the banquet held at He Yingqin's official residence in Nanjing's Cockfighting Gate, he not only understood the reason, but also persuaded Chiang Kai-shek with emotion: "Does the committee really want to rule the river with the Chinese Communists?" ”
Abandoning North China, the Northeast Army will move south without hindrance, and the PLA's Dongye, Huaye, and Zhongye, plus the troops of the North China Military Region, will easily meet the divisions, and the Central Plains will not be difficult to resist at that time? ”
Fu Zuoyi saw that Chiang Kai-shek's attitude began to soften, and his face showed a tangled expression, so he struck while the iron was hot and slowly said the "North China Defense Plan" that he had thought of in advance - temporarily hold Pingjin, control Haikou, increase strength, and wait for the opportunity.
Fu Zuoyi planned to deploy his 600,000 troops in the three important defense areas of Zhangjiakou, Beiping, and Tanggu in Tianjin, to build a "long snake formation" of more than 500 kilometers.
First go all out to resist the approaching ** troops, but they can't bear it, and then transfer to the port of Tanggu, Tianjin as quickly as possible, and evacuate south. In this way, you can not only defend, but also retreat at any time, double protection, is definitely a hundred times better than directly abandoning North China.
Chiang Kai-shek thought about it carefully, and he was really happy, and praised Fu Zuoyi. He even promised on the spot that he would hand over all the party, government, military, and financial powers of the Kuomintang in North China to Fu Zuoyi.
By the way, a batch of freshly arrived American equipment was also presented.
Chiang Kai-shek failed to gain insight into Fu Zuoyi's elaborate layout in the "North China Defense Plan". Fu Zuoyi divided the Long Snake Formation into Zhangjiakou on the left flank, Beiping on the middle flank and Tianjin Tanggu on the right flank, and personally guarded Beiping, deploying his confidant Sun Lanfeng on the left flank and Chiang Kai-shek's protégé Hou Jingru on the right flank.
This method of deployment is intended to allow ** to face Chiang Kai-shek's descendants first when entering the customs in Shenyang, while Fu Zuoyi can observe the battle situation during this period, and if ** has a chance of winning, he will immediately support; If the situation is not good, he will withdraw with his troops from Zhangjiakou west to Suiyuan.
This is actually a double insurance plan. However, although Fu Zuoyi's layout succeeded in deceiving Chiang Kai-shek, it was eventually cracked by the foresight of Chairman ***.
When Fu Zuoyi was increasing troops, hoarding grain, and building fortresses at the front of the Long Snake Formation, the chairman was pondering how to liberate North China in the war room of the Xibaipo Military Commission.
Chairman Youyun "captures the thief and captures the king first", Fu Zuoyi is the number one target of the North China operation, if his troops can be trapped in Beiping, Zhangjiakou, Tianjin, Baoding and other places, our army can achieve a quick victory.
To this end, the Military Commission sent a 4A-level cipher telegram on November 15, 1948, in which two important instructions were issued. The first is to stop attacking Taiyuan and Guisui, lest Fu Zuoyi lose his way out and retreat in advance.
The second is to let Yang Dezhi and ** lead the Second Corps of the North China Military Region to stand by in Fuping, Hebei, and be ready to dispatch to Zhangjiakou at any time to relieve Fu Zuoyi's worries and stick to Beiping.
Through the analysis of Fu Zuoyi, Chairman Yang Dezhi believes that he is not a person who likes to fight, and if the situation becomes dangerous, he may retreat in time in order to protect the strength of the army.
As for the direction of the retreat, it may be to the south or through the west and south roads. Although Chiang Kai-shek's descendants may not have known, Fu Zuoyi's cronies may have fled from Zhangjiakou to Sui.
Therefore, ** ordered the 2nd Corps to remain vigilant and be ready to go to Zhangjiakou at any time to block the enemy's escape to the west. Almost at the same time, ** also personally sent a telegram to **, asking him to stop resting before the 22nd and set off to enter the customs immediately.
In order to take the surprise by surprise, let the Xinhua News Agency report that the troops were recuperating and celebrating in Shenyang, so that the enemy could temporarily reassure and relax his vigilance after listening to the erroneous information.
* The troops descended the mountain like a tiger and took the lead in striking Hou Jingru's troops, and Fu Zuoyi's retreat plan was also blocked by our army. In this way, the Kuomintang's vital forces in North China will be wiped out.
However, the plan can never catch up with the changes, and just when the ** troops were about to enter the customs, the first battle of the Huaihai Campaign had been victorious.
After more than 10 days of bloody battles, the East China Field Army, under the leadership of General Su Yu, successfully surrounded Nian Zhuang and annihilated the Seventh Corps of the Kuomintang. After attempting to escape, the commander of the enemy army, Huang Baitao, had no choice but to commit suicide with a gun.
The Battle of Nian Zhuang is known as"The decisive factor in the outcome of the Huaihai Campaign", which shows its heavy blow to the Kuomintang army. Not only that, but even Huang Wei's 12th Corps was deeply surrounded by the People's Liberation Army, and it was only a matter of time before the entire army was annihilated.
This is the so-called "pulling a hair and moving the whole body". During the War of Liberation, the Kuomintang set up four major "suppression generals" in Northeast China, North China, Central China, and Xuzhou. Now, Xuzhou's "suppression of the general" is also facing the danger of annihilation of the whole army, which makes Fu Zuoyi feel a deep crisis and has to adjust his strategic deployment.
From Fu Zuoyi's point of view, ** After careful consideration, he believed that North China was about to be fully liberated, and whether it was to hold or retreat, it was not the best choice for him.
For the sake of the bigger picture, he is likely to choose to flee south. The specific plan was to transfer the whole army to the eastern flank of the Long Snake Formation and evacuate south from the Jintang Haikou by waterway. This time, the prediction of ** was verified again.
Just as he said, the fall of Huang Baitao's corps made Fu Zuoyi feel a strong sense of crisis. He knew that there was a million-strong army in the north, and nearly a million troops in the Central Plains Field Army and the East China Field Army in the south.
When Xuzhou"Suppress the total"After the annihilation of the whole army, Fu Zuoyi's troops in North China will be in a desperate situation on all sides. Therefore, Fu Zuoyi quickly adjusted his strategy and ordered the transfer of important assets of ** banks, factories and the families of military and political personnel to the east.
However, Fu Zuoyi's transfer operation has not yet begun, and a response plan has been formulated. On November 24, a 4A-level military order was sent to Yang Chengwu, commander of the Third Corps, ordering him to lead the main three columns to reach the vicinity of Zhangjiakou by the 30th, and one column was inserted between Zhangjiakou and Xuanhua to encircle the enemy in both places.
It is clearly stated in the military order,"Catch an enemy and don't run away east"。This shows that **has **arrived** to Fu Zuoyi will lead his troops to flee east.
After the relevant information on Fu Zuoyi's transfer of personnel and assets to the east was sent to the ** Military Commission, the chairman of ** adopted a sophisticated and comprehensive response strategy. The directive he issued on November 27 was an ultra-top-secret mission, and his autograph was marked in the upper left corner: "Top secret, burn immediately after reading."
The directive instructed that almost all the forces of the Northeast Field Army and the North China People's Liberation Army should be attracted by Yang Chengwu's vanguard to the western section of the Long Snake Formation to carry out an encirclement and attack.
At the same time, Hou Jingru's troops will be isolated and solved by the ** troops. At the end of November, Yang Chengwu arrived in Zhangjiakou as scheduled and led the 3rd Column to launch a fierce attack. The outcome of this battle will determine the key to victory or defeat.
Fu Zuoyi knew that Yang Chengwu was a veritable fierce general, so he sent the equally brave Guo Jingyun to battle. In addition, he also arranged for the 104th Army and the 16th Army to assist, so that Yang Chengwu would not be consumed too much if he fought alone.
But the result was surprisingly easy. When the news of Yang Chengwu's retreat without a fight reached Fu Zuoyi's ears, he immediately realized that this might be a plan set up by the Communist Party to "lure the enemy deeper".
So he immediately ordered the withdrawal of troops and let the 35th Army return to Beiping. However, it was too late at this time, as early as after Yang Chengwu successfully implemented the first step of the plan, the Dongye Second Corps led by Cheng Zihua had already blocked the enemy's eastward escape route and continued to advance westward.
Fu Zuoyi's troops are now trapped in an "urn" and can neither retreat back to Sui nor flee south. Fortunately, Fu Zuoyi was not a stubborn person, he always believed in national liberation and peace, and was disgusted by the behavior of Chiang Kai-shek and others in colluding with the United States.
Under the persuasion of his eldest daughter Fu Dongju and his friend Deng Baoshan, in January 1949, Fu Zuoyi agreed to negotiate with ** and others, and promised to peacefully liberate Beiping. In this battle, our army annihilated and reorganized a total of 520,000**.
Fu Zuoyi played a key role in the peaceful liberation of Peking and the peaceful uprising in Suiyuan, and has been committed to national construction since the founding of the People's Republic of China. Looking back on the Battle of Pingjin, the duel between Fu Zuoyi and *** showed the true meaning of "there are people outside the world, and there is a sky outside the sky", although Fu Zuoyi was thoughtful and prepared to deal with it, but he was still inferior to the lofty vision and shrewd judgment of ***.
This, as Nixon said, was the most outstanding of all great leaders.