On March 18, 1947, the Party Central Committee withdrew from Yan'an and moved to northern Shaanxi. On the evening of March 29, in Zaolin Zegou Village, Qingjian County, northern Shaanxi, the Party Central Committee held an emergency meeting to discuss the course of action of the central organs.
At the meeting, Chairman Mao made it clear that although crossing the Yellow River east was the safest option, he was determined to hold on to northern Shaanxi in order to contain the enemy army and reduce the pressure on the battlefield across the country. In order to prevent accidents, he humorously used the metaphor of "not putting one basket of eggs" and proposed that the five secretaries of the Central Committee should act in two groups, and the central organs should be divided into three departments.
According to Chairman Mao's suggestion, the meeting set up a committee of former enemies of the Central Committee, and Chairman Mao, Zhou Enlai, and Ren Bishi stayed in northern Shaanxi to preside over the work. In addition, the Central Working Committee was set up, composed of Liu Shaoqi, Zhu De, and Dong Biwu, with Liu Shaoqi as secretary, and crossed the Yellow River to North China to carry out the tasks of the Central Committee. At the same time, a rear committee was established, with Ye Jianying as secretary and Yang Shangkun as deputy secretary and commander of the detachment, to ensure the rear work of the central organs.
Chairman Mao was far-sighted and very popular. The implementation of this strategy, which he proposed, ensured that the command center of the Party Central Committee would not be lost in the face of crisis, and that even if a working committee encountered a security challenge, it would not affect the solid leadership of the Party Central Committee over the whole country.
In early April, Liu Shaoqi and Zhu De crossed the Yellow River with the Central Working Committee, crossed the Jinsui Liberated Area, and arrived in Hebei. During this period, they stayed in many places for a short time, and finally chose Xibaipo in Pingshan County, Hebei Province as their foothold.
In July, at a meeting of the Central Committee of Former Enemies in Xiaohe Village, Jingbian, northern Shaanxi, Zhou Enlai summed up the achievements: the East China Field Army performed outstandingly, and the Northeast Field Army was ready to go. However, the former model Jinchaji base area has a surprising record at the bottom. There were many enemy generals captured in various strategic areas, and only one regiment commander was captured in Jinchaji.
The Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region suffered significant damage due to the streamlining of its military forces. At the end of the Anti-Japanese War, there were more than 300,000 regular troops and local armed forces in the region. After the signing of the Double Tenth Agreement between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, the two sides discussed disarmament. Because of doubts about the Kuomintang army, most of our army's theaters retained combat units, with the exception of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region.
Nie Rongzhen, commander of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region, was resolute and effective in his disarmament methods, and he reduced the original army of more than 300,000 to 200,000, of which the field army was sharply reduced to more than 50,000 people, and it was even difficult to form a complete three columns. As a result, many experienced veterans have returned to their hometowns to work as farmers.
In March 1946, the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region successfully completed its disarmament work. However, just three months later, in June, the war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party broke out again, and the situation changed suddenly and unexpectedly.
On October 22, 1946, at the Laiyuan Conference in Hebei, Deputy Commander Guo Tianmin made an indignant speech: "The disarmament is too much, and if the enemy attacks, there will be no doubt about the loss." Fu Zuoyi occupied Zhangjiakou because Commander Nie underestimated the enemy. After many years of war, where is the enemy's sincerity for peace? This act of blind optimism! ”
Nie Rongzhen, commander of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region, was extremely emotional after being severely criticized by Guo Tianmin. He slammed the table and shouted in a loud voice: "Guo Tianmin, I am determined to remove you from your position!" There was a strong determination in the words.
Guo Tianmin was removed from his post for some reason, and then transferred to the deputy chief of staff of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army. During his military career, he continued to demonstrate outstanding talent. In 1955, the state gave him high recognition and awarded him the rank of general in recognition of his outstanding contributions.
At that time, those who opposed disarmament were not only Guo Tianmin, but also Li Yunchang and other high-ranking generals. In his memoirs, Nie Rongzhen reflected that he trusted the United States too much, thinking that they could prevent the civil war in Nanjing, but in the end the Americans sided with Chiang Kai-shek.
After arriving in Hebei, Zhu De decided to conduct an in-depth investigation into the root cause of the poor performance of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region. He firmly believes that although disarmament is one of the factors affecting combat effectiveness, there are more complex reasons behind it that urgently need to be revealed and resolved.
After the investigation, Zhu De reported to Chairman Mao: The rear of the North China army is too large, and the expedition force is weak. Although the field army claimed to be 120,000, the actual combat was only 70,000. Rear production was scattered, discipline was out of order. The private property of organs at and above the regimental level is complicated. If this problem is not resolved, it will be difficult for the troops of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region to make a fundamental change.
The phenomenon of combat units doing business in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region stems from problems left over from the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. In order to survive and develop, the troops need to solve their own livelihoods. During the period of cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, it was impossible to fight local tyrants and share floating wealth, so they relied on production and business to make a living. The Jin-Cha-Ji troops then carried out a variety of operations, including cultivating land and operating shops, in order to increase their income.
During the War of Liberation, in the face of the fierce offensive of the Kuomintang army, our army was already weak. If we are further distracted from doing business and seeking profits, we will inevitably distract our combat strength, greatly weaken our army's ability to resist, and be extremely detrimental to the victory of the war.
The chairman replied to Zhu De and said: "Mr. Zhu, you will definitely be able to find a good plan to quickly improve the combat strength of Jinchaji." Wangru will do his best to overcome the difficulties and protect the peace of his home and country. "Be concise and have high hopes.
Zhu De immediately went down to the grassroots level and carried out a series of rectification actions in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region in a resolute manner. He quickly readjusted the organizational structure, strictly enforced discipline, ensured that the troops were in good order, and the combat effectiveness was markedly enhanced.
Among the major strategic regions, Peng Dehuai was appointed commander of the Northwest Field Army, Liu Bocheng was appointed commander of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army, Chen Yi was appointed commander of the East China Field Army, and Lin Biao was appointed commander of the Northeast Field Army. Zhu De boldly appointed Yang Dezhi, tied with these founding marshals, and at the age of 36, he became the youngest commander of the field army.
The careful selection of field army commanders with outstanding command skills is of great significance to enhancing the overall combat effectiveness of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region. This will not only strengthen the combat effectiveness of the military region, but will also ensure brilliant victories in future battles.
This move enabled the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Field Army to get rid of complicated logistical affairs and focus on training and combat, so as to meet the needs of carrying out mobile warfare and a war of annihilation, and to maximize combat effectiveness.
In addition, Zhu De stressed the necessity of training and reorganizing the field army. He paid special attention to actual combat and tactical training, and gave detailed instructions on how to lure the enemy deep into the plains, conquer the fortifications, and how to coordinate the operation of artillery, explosives, and infantry, and each instruction was in place.
Zhu De's two-month rectification gave the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region a new look. The field troops were relieved of the heavy burden of the rear and were able to concentrate on the battle, and their combat effectiveness increased rapidly. This change not only improved the efficiency of the troops, but also demonstrated Zhu De's outstanding leadership skills.
After the baptism of wind and rain, the rainbow immediately appeared. In October of the same year, the Jin-Cha-Ji Field Army annihilated more than 10,000 people of the Kuomintang 3rd Army in Qingfengdian, Baoding, and captured the army commander Luo Lirong, creating a new chapter in the Jin-Cha-Ji Annihilation War, which had a far-reaching impact on the war situation in North China, and at the same time helped the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army in the autumn offensive.
Nie Rongzhen said excitedly at the Zhujie meeting: The battle was decisive and the enemy was annihilated, and no one in the whole army flinched. Even if Chiang Kai-shek personally commanded in Beiping, he could not save the defeat!
Zhu De was full of joy and gave a special poem to celebrate the victory of Qingfeng Shop: "The dawn shines obliquely on Nanhe Village, and the voice of the cry for help is prestige in Beijing." The three armies of Baoding were bravely annihilated, and Hutuo crossed the September Chacha by mistake. The sound of unloading the armor and returning home began, and the camp was quiet. The victory flowers in the border area are splendid, and the moonlight shines on the sand in late autumn. ”
20 days later, Zhu De personally went to the front line and commanded the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Field Army to successfully conquer Shijiazhuang, annihilating more than 24,000 enemies, seizing strategic points in North China, connecting the two liberated areas and laying the foundation for the liberation of the whole country. This campaign created a precedent for the PLA to seize large cities and provided valuable experience for future urban battles.
Zhu De displayed extraordinary military wisdom in the management and rectification of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region. His series of measures have demonstrated his outstanding military talents, and he can be called one of the most outstanding military strategists of our party and our army, and he deserves his name.
Marshal Zhu De joined the Communist Party of China in 1922 and was the first of the ten marshals. However, his early position in the party was not prominent, as was evident in the Nanchang Uprising, when he was not in a high position.
At the time of the Nanchang Uprising, Zhou Enlai served as secretary of the Committee of Former Enemies, and the members were strong, including Zhang Guotao, Li Lisan, Ye Ting, Liu Bocheng, Nie Rongzhen and Guo Moruo, but it is noteworthy that Zhu De was not included in it.
When Chen Yi recalled the Nanchang Uprising, Zhu De's words were rarely answered. Although the people paid tribute to him, it was more based on his status as a senior comrade than on his true obedience to his commands. The situation at that time was quite complicated, and Zhu De's authority was not widely recognized.
After the setback of the Nanchang Uprising, Zhu De shouldered the heavy responsibility of opening the way and was responsible for trivial and non-military affairs. He recalled: "Since Nanchang, I have taken the lead in engaging in political propaganda and raising food and grass. Accompanied by Peng Pai, Yun Daiying, Guo Moruo, etc., they only led two companies of troops and a few students, marching while propagandizing, not only as a political team, but also as an advance detachment, and also as a grain and grass team. ”
In September 1927, the remnants of the Nanchang Uprising were divided into two routes in Sanheba, the 25th Division of the 11th Army remained behind, and Zhou Enlai, Ye Ting, He Long, Liu Bocheng and others led the main force to the south and drove directly to Chaoshan, intending to create a new situation of revolution.
Zhu Deqin led elite troops to stay at Sanheba and bravely resisted the fierce pursuit of the Kuomintang army. He skillfully arranged the defensive line and commanded the troops to resist stubbornly, effectively delaying the pace of the enemy's offensive and buying precious time for the strategic transfer of the main forces of the Red Army.
After three days and three nights of stubborn resistance, the troops led by Zhu De suffered heavy casualties. At the time of the evacuation of the Three Rivers Dam, their numbers were drastically reduced, and only about 2,000 fighters remained, but their will remained strong and determined to continue fighting.
At this moment, scattered officers and soldiers who went south returned to report the battle situation to Mr. Zhu. The main force lost the battle in the south, and only more than 1,000 people retreated into the Hailufeng area, and the leadership also broke through separately, and the situation was worrying.
There is no hope of rendezvous with the main force, and the whereabouts of the men and horses are a mystery. Morale was sluggish, hearts were scattered, and many soldiers left the ranks. In the face of the dilemma, how to choose has become an urgent problem to be solved, and everyone is anxious.
In Sanheba, the original mighty team of more than 2,000 people went through hardships and battles, and finally only more than 800 people moved forward tenaciously. Although their numbers have plummeted, their will has become stronger and stronger.
These more than 800 people, because of their following Zhu De, ignited the fire of revolution with their firm belief. The team was able to survive thanks to Zhu De's outstanding military wisdom. He was already a brigade commander of the Yunnan Army during the Xinhai Revolution, and had accumulated rich military experience after countless battles.
As the commander-in-chief of the Red Army, the Eighth Route Army, and the People's Liberation Army, Zhu De was affectionately called the boss by Chairman Mao. Chairman Mao praised Zhu De and once said: "Mr. Zhu's measurement is as wide as the sea, and his will is as strong as steel." Such an evaluation fully demonstrates Zhu De's excellent quality.
Zhu De was a great military strategist, known for his humility and low profile. Even his old rival Chiang Kai-shek praised: "Zhu De's brilliance lies in the fact that it is difficult for you to spy on his true strength." ”
China is fortunate for the outstanding cooperation of Chairman Mao, Zhou Enlai, and Zhu De. They jointly led the nation to independence and freedom, realized the liberation of the people, and made the Chinese nation stand proudly in the east of the world, making the sons and daughters of China extremely proud. Such brilliant achievements will forever be recorded in the annals of history.