The mountains here are high and the water is rapid, the terrain is complex, there are many passes, and the traffic is very inconvenient, but it is also the weakest link of the "southwest defense line" that Chiang Kai-shek painstakingly managed.
Hu Zongnan's group army was stationed in the north, and Bai Chongxi's Hunan troops were stationed in the east. It stands to reason that there are two "shields" in the north and east, and this should be the safest area.
Topographic map of Guizhou
However, on November 1, 1949, after Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping issued the order to attack on all fronts, only half a month later, on November 15, the 5th Corps of the Second Field Army occupied its provincial capital, Guiyang, ---.
This was Guizhou Province at that time. So how did the 5th Corps quickly capture Guizhou in half a month?
Guizhou
Guizhou is referred to as "Guizhou", bordering Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality to the north, Hunan Province to the east, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to the south, and Yunnan Province to the west. The terrain in the west is high and low in the east, and it is inclined from the middle to the north, east and south, and is known as "eight mountains, one water and one field".
In 1949, it was a militarily sensitive area as a link between the Kuomintang troops gathered in the southwest region and the Bai Chongxi division in the central and southern regions. Its provincial capital Guiyang is the hub intersection of the three main highways of Sichuan-Guizhou, Hunan-Guizhou and Guizhou-Guizhou, starting from here, it leads to Hunan in the east, Yunnan to the west, Guangxi to the south, and Sichuan in the north, which is a very important strategic fortress.
At that time, Guizhou was guarded by the 19th Corps of the Kuomintang Army He Shaozhou, which had the 49th Army and the 89th Army under its jurisdiction. Although it is called an "army", it was all improvisedly cobbled together by miscellaneous units in early 1949, and its internal factions were complex, full of contradictions, and its combat effectiveness was very weak.
He Shaozhou of the 19th Corps
Gu Zhenggang was the director of the Kuomintang Guizhou Sui Administration at this time, and he and He Shaozhou agreed that Guizhou had Hu Zongnan in the north and Bai Chongxi in the east, and the PLA would not launch an attack on Guizhou. Therefore, the two only deployed two corps of the 19th Corps and a number of security forces in the northeastern region of Guizhou, and they were not on guard.
As far as the People's Liberation Army (PLA) marching into the southwest is concerned, Guiyang, Zunyi, and other strategic points in Guizhou Province are the primary targets to be conquered, and they are determined to be taken. On November 1, on the line of more than 100 miles from Chenxi in the north to Tianzhu in the south, the 16th and 17th armies of the 5th Corps and the 10th Army under the command launched a surprise attack on the Kuomintang army garrisoning Guizhou.
16th Army
The 5th Corps attacked in three directions: on the left was Yin Xianbing's 16th Army, which attacked Tianzhu, Sansui and Zhenyuan, and was responsible for capturing the area south of Guiyang; The middle road is Wang Bingzhang's 17th Army, which attacks along the Xiangqian Highway and targets Guiyang; On the right is Du Yide's 10th Army, attacking Sinan and Shiqian, aiming at Zunyi; Zhang Guohua's 18th Army was a reserve and was put into battle according to the actual situation.
In the first few days, under the fierce attack of the 5th Corps, the Kuomintang army in eastern Guizhou was crushed and fled. In the following days, one fled in front and the other chased behind, and scenes of pursuit battles were staged in the land of Guizhou.
The 5th Corps marched
On November 4, the 16th Army, which crossed the Qingshui River, successively captured Ongdong, Bangdong and other places, and then quickly advanced and continued to advance westward. At this time, the Kuomintang 49th Army, which was defending the Hunan-Guizhou Highway, put all its attention on the frontal defense line, and did not expect that the vanguard of the 16th Army would be diagonally inserted from the right side of Huangxian and Yuping, and for a moment panicked and the defense line was in chaos.
On November 7, the 16th Army and the vanguard of the 17th Army, which served as the central offensive, converged at Sansui and Zhenyuan. In the past week, the 5th Corps advanced more than 200 kilometers to the west, successfully broke through the first line of defense of the Kuomintang army's defense in eastern Qiandong, and arrived at Zhenxiongguan, the gateway --- eastern Guizhou.
Zhenxiong Pass, located in the west of Zhenyuan County, is the key point on the second line of defense of the Kuomintang Army's defense in eastern Qiandong, and is also the only way for the 5th Corps to capture Guiyang.
As an important pass stuck on the Hunan and Guizhou highways, there is a naturally formed mountain up to 800 meters on both sides of the Zhenxiong Pass, and the slope is steep and difficult to climb. The Xiangmi River, which flows from north to south, has a steep bank and a deep valley, guarding Zhenxiong Pass. The Xiangqian Highway that crosses here, in the distance of less than 2 kilometers before and after, there are 16 sharp bends, and then through the three bridges on the Xiangjian River, and then spiral up along the mountain, through the Zhenxiong Pass to Guiyang. There were simply no roads on the north and south sides that could be used by large troops.
Xiangqian Highway on the town of Xiongguan, also known as "goose wings"
On November 7, the frightened He Shaozhou ordered the 19th Army to use a reinforced regiment to defend Zhenxiong Pass to prevent the PLA from advancing westward and cover the retreat of the main force. At this time, the 5th Corps received an order to quickly seize Zhenxiong Pass and ensure that this passage was not destroyed, so as to open up a passage for the advance into Guiyang.
On the morning of 8 November, Yin Xianbing, commander of the 16th Army, and Wang Huiqiu, political commissar of the 16th Army, came to the forward position in the west of Zhenyuan City and used binoculars to observe the dangerous terrain of Zhenxiong Pass and the enemy's defense.
"It's difficult, this terrain, attacked from the front, suffered heavy casualties, and the troops couldn't deploy. What is even more worrying is that if the enemy abandons the defense and flees, it will definitely destroy the highways and bridges in Hunan and Guizhou. In that case, the passage of our army will be blocked. Yin Xianbing said after taking a careful look at the terrain.
"That's right, it's not appropriate to attack in this case, you still have to find a way to outwit it. Ask local people who are familiar with the terrain and ask if there are any other roads. Wang Huiqiu continued.
"Then use a surprise attack to capture Zhenxiong Pass, let's discuss the details specifically." After Yin Xianbing discussed with Wang Huiqiu, he determined two sets of surprise plans.
Yin Xianbing
At noon, the 46th Regiment of the 138th Division sent a battalion, led by the local people, along the path to bypass Zhenxiong Pass and penetrate directly into Liujiazhuang, planning a roundabout attack from the flank. However, due to the encounter with a cliff on the way, he could not move forward, so he had to return in vain.
In the afternoon, the 16th Army decided to use the 5th Company of the 138th Regiment of the 46th Division to make a detour along the road to the high ground on the right side of Zhenxiong Pass, and after occupying the high ground, cooperate with the frontal troops to attack. That night, under the guidance of a local elder, the 5th Company made a detour to the right along a long-abandoned sheep intestine path.
After more than three hours, the 5th Company finally quietly circled to a company position of the enemy behind the Zhenxiong Pass. At this time, the enemy defenders were unaware, and after a short rest, the 5th Company suddenly launched an attack on the enemy, taking the pass and the commanding heights near it in one fell swoop.
While the 5th Company was attacking, the frontal units of the 46th Division also went into action. For a time, there was a loud sound of gunfire in front of Zhenxiong Pass. Coincidentally, one of the PLA shells hit the enemy's ammunition depot, causing a chain explosion reaction. This sudden situation not only consumed the enemy's ammunition, but also shook the enemy's confidence in defense.
The 46th Division struck while the iron was hot, and after two hours of fierce fighting, successfully captured Zhenxiong Pass and opened the road to Guiyang.
The breakthrough of Zhenxiong Pass caused the Kuomintang troops deployed in the depth of the second line of defense to be shocked, and fled when they heard the news, and even the slightest willingness to resist disappeared. In the face of a large number of fleeing enemy troops, the 16th Army pursued and fought fiercely behind, regardless of fatigue, marched continuously for 36 hours, and stubbornly bit the enemy troops.
17th Army
When the 16th Army boldly advanced deep into the enemy's second line of defense, the 17th Army, which was attacking in the middle, under the leadership of army commander Wang Bingzhang and political commissar Zhao Jianmin, attacked westward along the Hunan-Guizhou Highway.
On November 6, the 50th Division of the 17th Army penetrated into Yuping from the Changlingpo area south of Huang County, intercepted the Kuomintang troops fleeing west, and went straight to Guiyang along the south side of the Hunan-Guizhou Highway. After eliminating the enemy forces in the northeast of Huang County, the 49th Division attacked Xifeng along the line of Cen Gong, Weng'an, and Kaiyang. After conquering Huangxian, the 51st Division moved south along the Guizhou-Guizhou Highway, successively conquered Majiang, Duyun, Dushan, Sandu and other places, and controlled the Guizhou-Guizhou Highway.
On November 8, the 49th Division of the 17th Army captured Cengong County, and then Wang Jusheng, the commander of the division's reconnaissance section, led the division's reconnaissance company to serve as the vanguard and attacked Yuqing.
At noon on 10 November, after a rapid march of more than 150 kilometers, the reconnaissance company came to Manxi, which was 20 kilometers away from Yuqing County.
Manxi is a district of Yuqing County, and after the reconnaissance company arrived, it immediately captured the district office here, and learned from the captured enemy soldiers that there were still many Kuomintang troops stationed in Yuqing County.
After Wang Jusheng's analysis, he decided: stabilize the enemy and outwit Yu Qing. Subsequently, after he obtained the name of the Kuomintang Yuqing County Magistrate, he used the name of the Kuomintang 49th Army to contact the enemy in the county town by telephone.
"Hurry up and get your county magistrate to answer the phone." As soon as the line was connected, Wang Jusheng shouted in Guizhou dialect.
"The contemptible person is Yuqing County Magistrate Xu Yongquan, who are you?" The person on the other end of the phone happened to be a pseudo county magistrate.
"Lao Tzu is the head of the 980th Regiment of the 327th Division of the 49th Army, and now we have arrived in Manxi, and we will be stationed in the county seat tonight. Hurry up and prepare a battalion of shelter and food and grass for me, and find 100 more people. Wang Jusheng said.
Hearing this, the pseudo-county magistrate on the other end of the phone hesitated for a moment, and then said: "Commander Zhang, the county is located in a remote area, and there are few people in the city. Now, there is already a regiment and a security regiment stationed in the city, and the city really can't arrange it, can Commander Zhang be aggrieved and stationed outside the city? ”
"You are a fool, your brothers are working the front line, and now you are not even allowed to enter the city, who do you look down on? I don't care who is stationed in your city, my troops must enter the city! You wait for me! Wang Jusheng scolded the pseudo county magistrate on the phone.
Putting down the phone, Wang Jusheng asked the soldiers of the reconnaissance company to disguise themselves as the troops scattered on the Kuomintang front line and set off towards Yuqing County.
Soon, the reconnaissance company came to the river in the east of Yuqing County, and the two sides of the river were ferried by a small boat.
"Brothers on the other side, what part of you are from?" Just as the reconnaissance company was preparing to cross the river, two people from the county government on the opposite bank shouted.
"We are from the 49th Army, and we have just come from Manxi. Who are you? A reconnaissance staff officer replied.
"Bosses, we were ordered by the county magistrate to arrange houses and people for you." When the other party heard this, he immediately took a boat and ferried.
When Wang Jusheng asked the two of them to lead the way into the city, the two of them said with bitter faces: "Boss, there is no longer room for you to live in the city, the county magistrate asked you to live outside the city, and the house and food are ready." ”
"Who live in the city?"
"The bunker outside the north gate and Yuqing Middle School are full, and they are also your 49th Army and the security regiment." The two men said as they pointed to the location of the garrison in the city.
After learning about the distribution of enemy forces in the city, Wang Jusheng threatened the two: "The enemy is chasing closely behind, if something happens to the enemy stationed outside the city, can you bear the responsibility?" Don't force us to take your magistrate's head off! ”
In desperation, the two had no choice but to enter the city with a camouflaged reconnaissance company. On this day, it happened to be a big gathering in the county seat, and people came and went on the streets of the county seat, and the reconnaissance company took advantage of the chaos to pass through the crowd and walk towards the location of the county government's yamen.
Before they arrived at the gate of the county government, the two people who led the way pointed to the oncoming people and said, "That's County Magistrate Xu." As soon as Wang Jusheng saw that the opportunity could not be missed, he ordered the soldiers to act immediately and prepare to capture this pseudo county magistrate. Where did you think that when this pseudo county magistrate saw that the situation was wrong, he turned around and ran, shouting as he ran: "The enemy is coming!" ”
With the shouts of the pseudo-county magistrate, the streets were in chaos. "The soldiers are divided into two roads, all the way to the puppet county government, and all the way to the county middle school." Wang Jusheng was in danger and gave an order.
After less than an hour of fighting, the enemy who was caught off guard was completely eliminated by the reconnaissance company. This good show of outwitting Yuqing County won valuable time for the 49th Division to advance westward.
Occupy Guiyang
On November 11, the headquarters of the Second Field Army received the latest information: the Kuomintang army in Guizhou had decided to abandon Guiyang, and the whole army had begun to withdraw westward. Due to the change in the enemy's situation, Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping immediately ordered the 5th Corps and the 10th Army to run in pursuit, cut off the escape route of Song Xilian's troops and Luo Guangwen's corps to Yunnan, and strive to encircle and annihilate the enemy.
In accordance with Erye's instructions to "travel day and night, galloping to Guiyang", the 5th Corps immediately made corresponding arrangements, mobilized its legs, and launched a competition with the fleeing enemy troops.
On November 12, the 138th Regiment of the 46th Division of the 16th Army marched rapidly to Gan Target Outpost, which is the intersection of the Hunan and Guizhou highways. After destroying a part of the enemy fleeing along the road, it was learned that a heavy army was fleeing from the direction of Liuzhou, and it was not far from here.
Liu Fengming, chief of staff of the 138th Regiment, immediately deployed a battalion of troops to set up an ambush at the Gan target outpost, while he disguised himself as a Kuomintang officer and drove along the Guiqian Highway in a captured jeep in the direction of Liuzhou.
Half an hour later, Liu Fengming saw the baggage convoy resting on the side of the road, so he scolded loudly: "What are you doing here? Why don't you go quickly, the enemy is coming soon, and you still have time to rest here? Pass the Gan Target Sentry now! ”
Guiyang Liberation Report
As soon as they heard that the enemy was coming, the entire baggage convoy immediately panicked, and hurriedly drove the vehicle towards the Gan target post. Half an hour later, the baggage convoy all entered the ambush circle of the 138th Regiment and was quickly captured by the People's Liberation Army.
Immediately, Liu Fengming ordered all the 138th Regiment to pursue by car, and then connected the two cities of Guiding and Longli all the way, and captured Chen Cuiqiu, deputy commander of the 49th Army of the Kuomintang.
At 23 o'clock on November 14, the 138th Regiment of the 46th Division of the 16th Army of the Second Field Army captured Guiyang. Subsequently, on November 15, the 50th Division of the 17th Army entered Guiyang. At this time, Gu Zhenggang and He Shaozhou had already fled Guiyang in a hurry on the evening of November 13.
-----
With the capture of Guiyang by the 5th Corps of the Second Field Army, Huzong's southern retreat route was cut off from the southeast, and Bai Chongxi's attempt to withdraw west to Yunnan and Guizhou was also crushed. At this point, the connection between the two strategic groups of Bai Chongxi and Hu Zongnan was cut off by the PLA, and the Kuomintang troops in the entire territory of Sichuan were surrounded, waiting to be broken and annihilated by each of them.