The process of marching into the Dabie Mountains

After the strategic counteroffensive operation in northern Henan, the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army immediately made preparations for external operations. The troops were reorganized and replenished; the masses were mobilized to build ships; militiamen and migrant workers were organized to participate in the war; The Crossing Headquarters conducted reconnaissance and research on the terrain and enemy situation in the crossing area and the Dabie Mountains.

The Kuomintang army reorganized the 55th and 68th divisions to serve as garrison on the Yellow River defense line about 250 kilometers from Dong'a, Shandong Province to Kaifeng, Henan Province. Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping led the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th columns of the *** 13 brigades with more than 120,000 people. On the night of June 30, 1947, the 1st and 2nd independent columns of the Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region were located on the south bank of the Yellow River. With the support of the brigade, they broke through the Kuomintang army's Yellow River defense line in eight sections covering more than 150 kilometers from Zhangqiu Town east of Yanggu in Shandong Province to Linpuji north of Heze. The reorganized 55th Division (under the 181st Brigade) was forced to retreat to Yuncheng City, and the reorganized 68th Division and the 181st Brigade of the reorganized 55th Division retreated to Heze. The Kuomintang Army Commander-in-Chief Gu Zhutong hurriedly transferred the 32nd, 66th, and 58th Divisions and the 153rd Brigade of the reorganized 63rd Division from the northern Henan, Henan, Anhui, and Jiangsu areas, together with the two brigades of the reorganized 70th Division in Jiaxiang, and placed them under Wang Jingjiu, commander of the 2nd Corps, commanded to block the People's Liberation Army crossing the Yellow River. Wang Jingjiu reorganized the 153rd Brigade of the 63rd Division to advance to Dingtao and guarded it; he used local teams to guard Cao County; he reorganized 2 brigades each of the 32nd and 66th Divisions and went north through Jinxiang, and rushed to aid Yuncheng together with the reorganized 70th Division; The reorganized 58th Division and the 199th Brigade of the reorganized 66th Division were deployed in Jinxiang as support. In an attempt to force the main force of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army to fight against the water in the Yuncheng and Heze areas.

Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping saw through the Kuomintang army's intentions and immediately adopted the combat policy of "attack one point, attract reinforcements, gnaw on one side, and defeat them one by one" and launched the Southwest Shandong Campaign. On the morning of July 8, the 1st Column captured Yuncheng, annihilated the reorganized 55th Division Headquarters and 2 brigades, and attracted reinforcements from the enemy in Jinxiang from the north; on the night of the 10th, the 6th Column completely annihilated the 153rd Brigade in Dingtao; The 2nd column recaptured Cao County; the 3rd column advanced to the east of Dingtao and waited. At this time, Wang Jingjiu's group's reinforcements to the north had reached the line between Liuyingji, Dushanji, and Yangshanji, forming a long snake formation. Liu and Deng immediately led their troops eastward to divide and surround Wang Jingjiu's group aided by the north. On the 14th, one and a half brigades of the reorganized 70th Division, one brigade of the reorganized 32nd Division, and the reorganized 66th Division (less than the 199th Brigade) were surrounded in the Sixth Camp and Yangshan Ji respectively; the reorganized 32nd Division was annihilated in the area west of Jiaxiang. The 139th Brigade of the Division; at the same time, the 1st and 2nd Independent Brigades entered the Wanfu River area to block reinforcements. That night, a "surrounding three towers and one" deployment was adopted for the Sixth Battalion, with the 1st column forming a bag-shaped position to the east; the 6th column attacked fiercely from west to east, wiping out all the Kuomintang troops who broke through to the east. Within the position. On the 15th, the 2nd and 3rd columns began to attack Yangshanji.

After Chiang Kai-shek learned of the above situation, he flew to Kaifeng on the 19th and ordered Wang Jingjiu to personally lead the reorganization of the 58th Division and the 199th Brigade, and go north from Jinxiang to relieve the siege of Yangshanji; and from Xi'an and Luoyang , northern Henan, Shandong, Hankou and other places dispatched 8 reorganized divisions and 1 cavalry brigade to rush to southwest Shandong for reinforcements. In order to gain the upper hand, Liu and Deng first annihilated the 199th Brigade of Northern Aid in the Wanfu River area. Then they concentrated 7 brigades to launch a general attack on Yangshan Ji on the night of the 27th. They fought until the evening of the 28th and completely annihilated the reorganized 66th Brigade. Division headquarters and 2 brigades.

So far, the Shanxi-Hebei-Luyu Field Army, with 15 brigades, has annihilated about 60,000 people in 9 and a half brigades of 4 divisions of the Kuomintang Army, disrupting the strategic deployment of the Kuomintang Army on the southern front. The road to advance into the Dabie Mountains was opened. When the Shanxi-Hebei-Luyu Field Army was besieging Yangshanji and the Kuomintang army reinforcements had not yet arrived, Mao Zedong telegraphed Liu and Deng: If the enemies of Yangshanji are sure to be attacked and annihilated quickly, they will be annihilated. Otherwise, immediately concentrate the entire army to rest for about 10 days, and make up their mind not to leave the rear and go straight out of the Dabie Mountains. Accordingly, Liu and Deng decided to rest for half a month after the Battle of Southwest Shandong and march south to the Dabie Mountains on August 15. At this time, it had been raining for days and the river water was rising sharply. The old embankment on the south bank of the Yellow River was in danger of breaching. In addition, Chiang Kai-shek was still trying to carry out a combined attack with heavy troops transferred to southwest Shandong, and was preparing to dig up the Yellow River embankment to use water to aid the war. In order to get rid of the predicament, Liu and Deng determined to advance southward in advance.

From southwestern Shandong to the Dabie Mountains, there are Longhai Railway, Yellow River Flood Area, Guohe River, Sha (Ying) River, Honghe River, Ruhe and Huaihe River in the middle, Pinghan Railway in the west and Jinpu in the east. The railway is not convenient for marching on foot, but it is convenient for the Kuomintang troops to maneuver along the railway line and use rivers to block it. In order to advance smoothly, the main force of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army chose the march route in areas with better mass conditions, and divided it into three routes to advance south: the first column was the west route, advancing westward along the lines of Caoxian, Ningling, Zhecheng, and Xiangcheng. ; The 3rd column is the east road, advancing eastward along the line of Shanxian, Yucheng, Boxian, and Jieshou; the 2nd and 6th columns led by the Central Plains Bureau of the Central Plains Bureau of the Communist Party of China and the Field Army Headquarters are the middle road, advancing along the city's military Advance along the lines of (now Chengwu), Shangqiu East, Luyi and Shenqiu. At the same time, the Jiangsu-Henan-Anhui Military Region troops attacked the Ping-Han Railway and cut off enemy traffic; the Central Plains Independent Brigade participated in breaking the road. After the main force crossed the Longhai Railway, they detoured to the west of the Ping-Han Railway and advanced southward, making a gesture of advancing into Tongbai Mountain. , to confuse the enemy.

On August 7, when the Kuomintang army was encircling and not closing in, Liu and Deng led their troops to suddenly rush south. This action completely exceeded the enemy's expectations. Chiang Kai-shek believed that the People's Liberation Army was "failed to cross north and fled south", so he quickly mobilized 20 brigades to pursue them in separate routes; he ordered the reorganized part of the 46th Division to enter Taihe County and march along Sha (Ying) Deploy defenses on the south bank of the river; use 4 brigades to flank the Ping-Han Railway in an attempt to annihilate the main force of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army in the Yellow River Flood Area.

The troops of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army, regardless of fatigue and repeated attacks by enemy planes, used men to push oxen and pull heavy equipment with amazing perseverance, and forged ahead tenaciously in the muddy water, crossing nearly 20 kilometers wide on August 17 yellow flood zone. Then, after crossing the Sha (Ying) River, the Kuomintang army's pursuit plan failed again. At this time, Chiang Kai-shek realized that the People's Liberation Army was marching southward in a planned way, and hurriedly ordered the reorganized 85th Division and the 64th Brigade of the reorganized 15th Division to go south along the Pinghan-Han Railway and rush to the south bank of the Ru River to set up defenses in an attempt to carry out a north-south pincer attack. The Shanxi-Hebei-Luyu Field Army buried and blew up some heavy equipment that was inconvenient to carry and moved southward at a faster speed. On the 23rd, when the 1st and 2nd columns crossed the Ru River and the 3rd column approached the Huaihe River, the Central Plains Bureau of the Central Plains Bureau of the Communist Party of China, the Field Army Command Headquarters and the leader of the 6th column arrived at the north bank of the Ruhe River. The Kuomintang army had already arrived at the south bank of the Ruhe River. Controlled Runan Port and other ferries. The three divisions following it were only more than 20 kilometers away from the Ruhe River. At the critical moment when there were blocking troops in front and pursuing troops behind, Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping personally went to the ferry to arrange a forced crossing. They put forward the slogan "The brave will win when we meet on a narrow road" and asked the troops to resolutely fight across the river. In the afternoon of that day, the leading troops of the 6th Column set up a pontoon bridge on the Ru River despite the threat of bombing and strafing by Kuomintang aircraft. The main force began to cross the Ru River at night and crossed the Ru River at dawn on the 24th. On the 27th, troops from all walks of life crossed the Huaihe River and entered the Dabie Mountains, completing the Thousand Miles Leap Forward.

Chen Geng and Xie Fuzhi led two columns, one army and one brigade. On the evening of August 22, they began to cross the Yellow River in southern Shanxi and advanced into western Henan. By the 31st, they captured Xin'an, Mianchi, and Luoning. Waiting for the county seat, they wiped out more than 4,000 Kuomintang troops and attracted reinforcements from one division and three brigades to the west, which were chasing the main force of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army. Five columns of the East China Field Army and one column of the Shanxi-Hebei-Luyu Field Army actively dealt with the enemy in the southwestern region of Shandong, covering the main force of the Shanxi-Hebei-Luyu Field Army moving south. In early September, they joined a column led by Chen Yi and Su Yu to form Outside Corps. Marching into the Dabie Mountains

Marching into the Dabie Mountains

This series of combat operations initially realized the strategic plan formulated by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to lead the war to the Kuomintang areas. After the main force of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army entered the Dabie Mountains, taking advantage of the fact that the Kuomintang's pursuing troops were still north of the Huaihe River and lacking strength in the Dabie Mountains, they adopted the policy of containment from the north and expansion from east to west, with the 1st and 2nd columns, the Central Plains Independent Brigade and the The 16th Brigade of the 6th Column was deployed in the Shangcheng and Luoshan areas at the northern foot of the Dabie Mountains as cover to attract and contain the enemy and carry out local work on the spot; the main forces of the 3rd Column and the 6th Column were deployed to the western Anhui and eastern Hubei areas respectively, and quickly Seize dozens of counties centered on the Dabie Mountains, form local armed forces, develop guerrilla warfare, and create base areas. At the same time, the Dabie Mountain area was divided into four regions: southeastern Henan, Hubei and Anhui, western Anhui, and eastern Hubei, and a working committee of the Communist Party of China was formed to lead local work.

In early September, the Kuomintang's pursuit troops reorganized the 46th Division and the 58th Division into Lu'an, Huoshan, Gushi, and Shangcheng areas respectively; the reorganized 85th Division entered the Luoshan and Xinyang areas; 10. The 40th Division advanced to Huang'an (now Hong'an) and Macheng via Xuanhuadian; in addition, the reorganized 65th Division from Wuhan Xingyuan advanced to Huang'an; the 52nd Reorganized Division and the 56th Reorganized Division advanced to Hankou and Xinyang; The 7th and 48th Divisions were reorganized and sent from Jingfu (now Xin County) to Macheng to find the main force of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army for combat. Liu and Deng concentrated a force and fought three battles in Shangcheng and Guangshan areas. They annihilated more than 6,000 people of the 58th Division and attracted most of the mobile forces of the Kuomintang army to the northern foot of the Dabie Mountains, ensuring the entry into southeastern Henan, western Anhui, and Hubei. Troops in the eastern region deployed quickly. By the end of September, 23 county towns had been conquered, political power had been established in 17 counties, and rear areas had been resettled. During this period, Chen Xie's group fought continuously between Tongguan and Luoyang, annihilating more than 30,000 Kuomintang troops, forcing them to deploy one division in the Dabie Mountains and two brigades in northern Shaanxi and southern Shanxi to return reinforcements. In early September, the East China Field Army's Outer Line Corps launched the Shatuji Campaign in southwestern Shandong, annihilating the reorganized 57th Division, and forcing the Kuomintang army to deploy 4 divisions from Shandong and the Dabie Mountains for reinforcements; then six columns (including the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army's 3rd Division) were 12 Column), entered the Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu border areas in late September.

At this point, the three armies of Liu Deng, Chen Su, and Chen Xie formed a "pin"-shaped formation to compete in the Central Plains, attracting a large number of Kuomintang troops to transfer to the south, and allowing the People's Liberation Army in other battlefields to shift into strategic Counterattack and attack with strong support. In early October, the Kuomintang army deployed four divisions from eastern Hubei and western Anhui, together with the three divisions originally located in the northern part of the Dabie Mountains, to encircle the Guangshan and Jingfu areas; only a small number of regular troops were left to guard the southern part of the Dabie Mountains. In order to continue to complete the strategic deployment mission, the main force of the Shanxi-Hebei-Luyu Field Army used the 20th Brigade of the 1st Column and the 5th Brigade of the 2nd Column to stay in the Luoshan and Shangcheng areas to camouflage the main force to confuse and contain the enemy; the Field Army Headquarters led the 1st and 2nd Brigade The main force of the column left eastern Hubei, and together with the 6th column, developed southward with sudden movements, annihilating most of the newly formed 17th Brigade and 1 battalion of the reorganized 52nd Division of the Kuomintang Army in Qiting and Lijiaji. At the same time, the 3rd column attacked Wanxi. The reorganized 7th and 48th Divisions immediately followed to the west of Lu'an, attempting to launch a joint attack on the 3rd column with the reorganized 46th Division and the 62nd Brigade of the reorganized 88th Division in the area. Before the combined attack was formed, the 3rd Column concentrated its main force in the Zhangjiadian area south of Lu'an on the 8th and annihilated more than 4,000 people of the moving 62nd Brigade.

In mid-October, four columns of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army deployed along the Huanggang, Qichun, Huangmei, and Lujiang areas on the north bank of the Yangtze River. They mobilized the masses, raised food and clothing, and expanded their base areas. At this time, the main force of the Kuomintang army was still restrained at the northern foot of the Dabie Mountains. The main force of the 1st and 2nd columns and the 6th column took advantage of the situation to conquer Guangji, Yingshan, Wuxue and other towns; the 3rd column entered the Shucheng, Lujiang and Qianshan areas and captured Wangjiang and Huayang towns. At this time, Chiang Kai-shek believed that the People's Liberation Army approaching the Yangtze River was about to cross the river, so he ordered the 203rd Youth Army Division to advance from Jiujiang to Qichun and Huangmei; he reorganized the 56th Division's new 17th Brigade into Wuxue; he ordered the 40th Division to reorganize (2 brigades less than 1 regiment) and the 82nd Brigade of the 52nd Division attacked Guangji from Xishui. In response, Liu and Deng decided to concentrate 10 brigades and set up an ambush in the narrow valley east of Gaoshanpu in Qichun County where the Kuomintang army must pass. The specific deployment is: the 6th Column follows the enemy eastward from the Shangba River area and cooperates with the frontal attack; the 1st Column forms a bag-shaped position in the northeast and southeast of Gaoshanpu; the Central Plains Independent Brigade advances to the Caohe Town area to lure the enemy and coordinate with the 3rd Column. The 1st column attacked; the 2nd column was a reserve group and was deployed in the Houshanpu area; the 4th regiment of the 3rd column entered the Zhangjiashang area to wait, and the main force was to clamp down on the enemy in western Anhui. At 9:00 on October 26, the reorganized 40th Division and the 82nd Brigade were lured by the Central Plains Independent Brigade to the east of Gaoshanpu. They were suddenly and violently attacked by the 1st Column and retreated to the Qingshui River and Gaoshanpu areas at dusk. The Shanxi-Hebei-Luyu Field Army immediately adjusted its deployment and launched a general offensive the next day, annihilating more than 12,000 people from the two units and shooting down one aircraft.

In November, the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army successively transferred more than 30,000 troops and cadres, and formally formed the party committees and military regions of Hubei-Henan and Wanxi districts (*** governs 8 military regions The leading organs and local armed forces of the divisions further solved the problem of the use of troops: local troops are mainly used to mobilize the masses and conduct guerrilla warfare, and field armies are mainly used to fight mobile warfare.

The Chen Xie Group launched its operations in southern Shaanxi and western Henan from late October to November, annihilating more than 12,000 Kuomintang troops and conquering 19 county towns. The East China Field Army's Outer Line Corps was launched in the Henan-Anhui-Suzhou border area. By November, it had conquered 24 county towns and carried out an attack on the Longhai Railway. It annihilated more than 21,000 enemies, intimidated Xuzhou and forced the Kuomintang army to hurriedly mobilize 15 brigades returned to support, including 8 brigades used in the Dabie Mountains.

So far, the main force of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army has completed its strategic deployment in the Dabie Mountains and established a base area; the East China Field Army's Outer Line Corps and the Chen-Xie Group have also completed their deployment tasks in the Henan, Anhui, Su and Western Henan regions. . This pushed the battle line from both sides of the Yellow River to the north bank of the Yangtze River, opening up a vast battlefield for the three armies to coordinate mobile operations. In order to protect the Central Plains, Chiang Kai-shek used 3 reorganized divisions to suppress the East China Field Army's outer corps north of the Huaihe River; used 1 corps to suppress the Chen-Xie Group in western Henan; he also transferred 5 reorganized divisions from the battlefields of Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shandong, plus the ones originally stationed in the Dabie Mountains. The troops consisted of 33 brigades, under the unified command of the headquarters established by Defense Minister Bai Chongxi in Jiujiang, and launched a comprehensive siege on the Dabie Mountains. Its deployment is: use 5 divisions to attack from the Huangpi, Taihu, and Qianshan areas from south to north; deploy 5 divisions and 2 brigades to block the attack from the Shangcheng to Xinyang area. At the same time, it actively restored the Baojia organization and strengthened its rule over the occupied areas; in areas under the control of the People's Liberation Army, it implemented a policy of killing all, burning all, and looting all, in an attempt to completely destroy the Dabie Mountain base and force the People's Liberation Army to withdraw from the Central Plains.

The consolidation of the Dabie Mountain base is the key to the final establishment and consolidation of the Central Plains Liberated Area. To this end, the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China instructed the Shanxi-Hebei-Luyu Field Army to persist in the struggle in the Dabie Mountains. The East China Field Army Outer Line Corps and the Chen-Xie Group launched a large-scale attack on the Pinghan-Han and Longhai Railways to mobilize and disperse the enemies besieging the Dabie Mountains. , the Communist Party of China jointly consolidated the Central Plains base area. Accordingly, Deng Xiaoping led the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th columns to stay in the Dabie Mountains, combined with the local armed forces, and adopted the policy of persistence on the inside and maneuvering on the outside to actively disperse and delay the enemy; Liu Bocheng led the field army headquarters and the 1st column to Huaihe Expand in the western region; use the 10th and 12th columns that have recently arrived in the Dabie Mountains to deploy to the Tongbai and Jianghan areas respectively, creating new base areas to cooperate with the counter-siege operations in the Dabie Mountains.

At the end of November, the Kuomintang army began to besiege. The 2nd column of the Shanxi-Hebei-Luyu Field Army turned to the Gushi, Shangcheng, and Lihuang (today's Jinzhai) areas; the 3rd column turned to the western Anhui area; and the 6th column turned to the eastern Hubei area. On December 3, when the 6th Column moved westward with the reorganized 85th Division, it concentrated a force to suddenly besiege Songbu and annihilated more than 2,000 people; on the 24th, another force was used to attack Guangji from a distance and annihilate the 203rd Youth Army. The division had more than 1,800 men; when the reorganized 7th Division sent reinforcements to Guangji, the 3rd Column immediately turned its troops north to attack Shuzidian. Troops of military regions and military divisions carried out extensive guerrilla warfare, coordinated with the main force in operations, continuously attacked and annihilated scattered and isolated Kuomintang troops, and mobilized the masses to fight against arrests and grain grabs. After more than a month of fighting, the Communist Party of China annihilated more than 11,000 Kuomintang troops and once again captured more than 10 county towns including Taihu, Lihuang, Yuexi, and Lishan (today's Dawu). The 1st Column entered Huaixi in mid-December, captured Runan, and spread out in more than 10 counties. The 10th Column, the 12th Column, and the Central Plains Independent Brigade formed the leadership organs of the Tongbai Military Region and the Jianghan Military Region respectively. They launched their operations in the Tongbai and Jianghan areas in early to mid-December and conquered more than 10 county towns, directly threatening the Kuomintang army's Yangtze River and The Daba Mountain defense line forced it to dispatch a division from the Dabie Mountains to the Jianghan area.

The East China Field Army Outer Line Corps and the Chen-Xie Group launched an offensive on the Ping-Han and Long-Hai Railways on December 13. By December 22, the enemy had broken through more than 420 kilometers of road and annihilated the defenders. More than 20,000 people successively captured 23 county seats; then on the 26th, they annihilated the 5th Corps Headquarters and the Reorganized 3rd Division of the Kuomintang Army south of Xiping, and surrounded the 20th Reorganized Division in Queshan, forcing the Kuomintang Army to be transferred from the Dabie Mountains. 3 divisions returned to support.