Huang Wei clenched the letter paper with both hands, his face was red, his eyes were full of anger, and he only heard a loud "tearing" sound, and the letter paper in his hand shattered in response, and the white paper flew to the ground like snowflakes. Seeing this, Yang Botao, who was present, did not come forward to comfort him, so Huang Wei calmed down. In fact, Yang Botao already knew the content of the letter, so he understood that the reason why Huang Wei was out of control was not because he was arrogant, but because the stubborn stone in his heart was finally shattered.
This letter was written by Chen Geng to Huang Wei 14 years ago. 14 years have passed, Chen Geng has long passed away, but Huang Wei received this suicide note after just ending 27 years of reform and being released from prison. The record in the letter shocked Huang Wei, and also made his years of dissatisfaction with defeat disappear at this moment.
For 27 years, Huang Wei never really let go of his defeat in the Huaihai Campaign. He always believed that the reason for the defeat was that the PLA had the advantage of troops, and he would win more with less. However, Chen Geng's letter revealed another truth - in this seemingly evenly matched battle, Huang Wei was actually doomed to failure from the beginning.
The content of this letter made Huang Wei fall into an ice cave. Chen Geng was his classmate at the Whampoa Military Academy, and the two knew each other's personality and talents well. In the letter, Chen Geng ruthlessly pointed out that the fundamental reason for Huang Wei's defeat was that he had a rigid personality, blindly obeyed Chiang Kai-shek's orders, and completely became a trapped beast in the situation under Chen Geng in the Huaihai Campaign.
Huang Wei is a typical "nerd" character, he is rigid and ignorant of the general situation, and he is deeply influenced by Confucianism, and he has always done things according to the rules. He deeply admired Chiang Kai-shek, obeyed his words, and often obeyed Chiang's orders at critical moments, and lost the ability to make correct judgments. These fatal weaknesses were all seen by Chen Geng and became a trap set by him.
In fact, before the outbreak of the Huaihai Campaign, Chen Geng had accurately predicted that Huang Wei would lead the Kuomintang's ace force, the 12th Corps, into the battle. When the main forces of the two sides had not yet clashed, he envisioned Huang Wei's marching route and chose the best position in advance to set up an ambush - Nanbaji.
At that time, Nanbaji was far away from the main marching road, and Chen Geng's decision to insist on building fortifications here puzzled his subordinates. But Chen Geng confidently told them that Chiang Kai-shek would definitely order Huang Wei to take the shortest path north, and Huang Wei would definitely stick to the rules and dare not disobey the order at all. In the end, in the battle of Nanbaji, as Chen Geng expected, Huang Wei fell into the trap he set.
After Huang Wei led the 12th Corps to be ambushed at Nanbaji and suffered heavy losses, Chen Geng issued a peculiar order - he took the initiative to abandon the fortifications and retreat backwards. This caused his subordinates to question again, but they soon understood that this was Chen Geng luring the enemy deeper. Seeing that the People's Liberation Army was retreating without a fight, Huang Wei was even more careless, went deeper, and was finally annihilated on the north bank of the Hun River.
It wasn't until he read Chen Geng's letter that Huang Wei suddenly realized that he was doomed to fail from the beginning. Chen Geng knew him so well and Chiang Kai-shek's psychology so well that the two of them were perfectly cornered. After Huang Wei understood, he was incredulous, ashamed and angry, and finally tore up the letter that exposed the truth on the spot when he lost control of his emotions.
Why did Huang Wei receive Chen Geng's letter 14 years after his death? What was it about the letter that could make Huang Wei react so violently? To solve this mystery, we need to look back at that thrilling period of history.
1. A stereotypical gentleman is doomed to failure
Huang Wei's rigid nature did not understand the general situation, and he was deeply influenced by Confucianism, which became the fundamental reason for his defeat in the Huaihai Campaign.
Born in 1904, he came from a modest family, and after his father's early death, he relied on his mother's hard work to complete his studies and was admitted to a normal school. On the surface, he has a gentle temperament, is modest and polite, and is a typical "gentleman" style. However, under this external image of a gentleman, there is a stereotyped heart.
After graduating, Huang Wei returned to his hometown to work as a primary school teacher. He could have developed his education career in peace, but he had a conflict with the local squire. The Squires were financially strong, and the development of the primary school depended on their financial support, and the principals and teachers were often attached to them, and often had to cater to the Squire's ideas. And the stubbornness and rigidity in Huang Wei's bones made him unable to tolerate a slight compromise. His relationship with the squire deteriorated rapidly, and he was forced to leave his hometown to earn a living.
While studying at the Whampoa Military Academy, Huang Wei met the man who later changed his fate - Chiang Kai-shek. At that time, Jiang was in his prime, and he actively promoted the idea of loyalty to the monarch in the school, and was admired by Huang Wei. Huang Wei had a rigid personality and was difficult to change once he formed a judgment, and he quickly regarded Chiang Kai-shek as the right person in his mind.
Chiang Kai-shek also took a fancy to Huang Wei's loyalty, and under many recommendations, Huang Wei was appreciated by Chiang Kai-shek and was reused within the Kuomintang. Huang Wei, who was originally not good at scheming, soared under Jiang's cultivation. But his stereotypical personality has not changed, and he still firmly believes that Chiang's judgment is the standard answer, and he obeys his words. This proved to be a fatal mistake in the Huaihai War in the future.
In 1948, the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party entered a white-hot stage. In the face of the PLA's counteroffensive, Chiang Kai-shek urgently needed generals who could fight. He decided to reactivate Huang Wei, who had not been on the battlefield for many years, and promoted him to the commander of the 12th Corps, leading the four elite integrated divisions of the Kuomintang to face the PLA.
Huang Wei, who was originally teaching at the military academy, had a lot of complaints about returning to the battlefield, but Chiang Kai-shek had already guessed his concerns. Jiang knew that Huang Wei advocated the Confucian idea of "knowing kindness and repaying kindness", and he had been cultivating and reusing Huang Wei for many years, and now it was time for Huang Wei to return. In the face of Chiang Kai-shek's persecution, Huang Wei could not back down and could only accept the appointment and become a member of the Huaihai Campaign.
Before leaving, Huang Wei also said to Jiang: "After this battle, I will go to run my military academy." This sentence revealed Huang Wei's true ambition, but it also showed that he seriously misjudged the situation and was optimistic and blind about the Huaihai war.
Second, Chen Geng has insight into Huang Wei
Unlike Huang Wei, Chen Geng, who is also a senior general of the Kuomintang, has a unique vision and is well versed in the way of using troops. Before the outbreak of the Huaihai Campaign, he had already understood the direction of the war.
The newly formed 12th Corps made Chen Geng particularly concerned. At that time, the top level of the People's Liberation Army was analyzing who would be appointed commander of this corps. Without thinking, Chen Geng asserted that it must be Huang Wei. Because within the KMT, the forces that supported Huang Wei's ascension to the throne eventually gained the upper hand.
Facts have proved that Chen Geng's prediction is completely correct. When Huang Wei led his troops to the front line, Chen Geng predicted his actions with all his knowledge.
When the armies of the two sides had not yet fought, Chen Geng chose Nanbaji as a place to lure the enemy. Nanbaji is located in the middle of nowhere, not close to the main road, and his generals have many doubts about Chen Geng's decision. But Chen Geng confidently told them that Chiang Kai-shek would definitely directly order Huang Wei to go north quickly, and Huang Wei would definitely stick to the rules and go straight to Huanglong if he worshipped Chiang Kai-shek as his teacher.
As a result, in the battle of Nanbaji, Huang Wei fell into the trap set by Chen Geng. Chen Geng knew Huang Wei so well, saw through Chiang Kai-shek's mind so much, and forced the two to a dead end, which shows his talent.
3. The heart knot is protruding
After the Battle of Huaihai, Huang Wei was captured, and he was extremely dissatisfied with the defeat. He blamed the People's Liberation Army for taking advantage of the danger, which was really a psychological comfort. This has become a "pimple" in his heart for many years.
Chen Geng understood Huang Wei's point, and wrote a letter 14 years ago to persuade Huang Wei to stop being obsessed. However, for various reasons, the letter was never delivered. It was not until Huang Wei was released from prison in 1975 that Yang Botao handed the letter to him for review.
In the letter, Chen Geng reviewed the details before and after the Huaihai Campaign, and pointed out the reasons for Huang Wei's defeat one by one. How Chen Geng had insight into Huang Wei's actions in advance, and how he lured Huang Wei into a desperate situation step by step, were all listed mercilessly.
After reading this letter revealing the truth, the excuses that Huang Wei had been believing all these years collapsed. Only then did he realize that his failure was doomed, and he had fallen into Chen Gengbu's game from the beginning. Such a cruel truth made it difficult for him to accept, and he lost control of his emotions in shame and difficulty, and finally tore up the letter as if venting.
The knot in his heart that has been broken for many years is broken at this moment, which may be a relief for Huang Wei. We should not blame him for his gaffe at that time, because this belated truth is enough to make anyone feel painful. And in the end, he bravely faced up to his mistakes, which is a rare thing.
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