The War of Liberation was a war of unification for China, which had a long-standing influence in China's modern history and ended the fragmented political situation. During this period, the road of the People's Liberation Army's War of Resistance was relatively smooth, especially after the end of the three major battles and the Battle of Crossing the River, there were basically no difficult battles in the south except for the Bai Chongxi clique. But the north is different, Shanxi Taiyuan is the most difficult place to attack, Yan Xishan can hold Taiyuan for more than half a year, it can be said to be a miracle.
In March 1949, the Tianjin War was basically over, and the troops could rest assured to attack Taiyuan. But Yan Xishan had a force that would not admit defeat, and its strength was very strong, surrounded by bunkers and barbed wire, and the fire points were all over the place where it could not be seen. Both sides suffered heavy losses, and in the end we won at a terrible cost of 42,000 people. Throughout this war, our side dispatched 2 marshals and 300,000 troops, and fought for half a year before taking it. Why is this battle in Taiyuan, Shanxi, so difficult?
First, the four stages of war
The battle of Taiyuan, Shanxi, is like a difficult bone to gnaw, the whole war took half a year, both in terms of time and personnel attrition, paid a considerable price, the war can be divided into 4 stages in total.
The first stage was from October 5 to October 25, 1948, when the general Xu Xiangqian, who had just recovered from a serious illness, led an army of 80,000 troops to attack Taiyuan, Shanxi, xu Xiangqian had courage and strategy, and used troops like gods, and played a top priority role in this battle.
Sure enough, he led the team to break through the initial defense line of Yan Xishan and successfully opened the "gate" of Taiyuan in Shanxi. He annihilated two divisions and three regiments of Yan Xishan, accumulating 12,000 enemy troops. At the same time, he also captured Taiyuan Wusu Airport, cutting off Yan Xishan's external rescue route.
The second stage was from October 26 to November 15, this stage was less than 20 days, Yan Xishan launched a counter-offensive during this time, he organized teams to take the initiative many times, we had to fight, although it seemed to annihilate the enemy 22,000 people, but our losses were also very serious.
The third stage was from November 16 to April 19 of the following year, because Yan Xishan's communication with the outside world was cut off by us, so our army did not continue to use force to attack, but switched to the mode of "peace negotiations" to liberate Taiyuan. In the process, our army even launched a peasant uprising in the city, which did have a certain effect, but it was quickly suppressed.
The fourth phase was the shortest, the four-day period from April 20 to April 24, 1949. During this period, our army had reached 320,000 people to participate in the war, and Yan Xishan in Taiyuan City had made no progress at all due to the blockade of the road to foreign aid. In order to quickly end the battle, our side launched a fierce attack and finally liberated Taiyuan.
Second, the core reason why Taiyuan is difficult to attack
Taiyuan is the most difficult place to attack, so what is the core reason for the difficult attack? At the beginning of the Taiyuan War, it was led by Marshal Xu Qianqian, and later due to the long battle time, Xu Xiangqian's health was not good, and Peng Lao joined the command team. With these two powerful leaders, how can they fight for so long? In fact, Yan Xishan's strength in the War of Resistance Against Japan was not good, but in the battle in Taiyuan, his core interests were related, so he opened up.
Even if he lost in the War of Resistance Against Japan, he could retreat, and his wealth, strength, and position would not be lost; in the War of Liberation, if he lost, he would have nothing. It can be seen how precious a person's psychological state of not accepting defeat and not admitting defeat is, and even the strength of war has been greatly improved. This can also be seen from the battle of Niutuozhai, in 1948 our army launched a surprise attack on Niutuozhai, due to the sudden and well-trained action, it finally conquered the enemy position with minimal casualties.
As soon as it was dark, The unconvinced Yan Xishan led his troops to carry out a counter-offensive, launching a 3-hour long artillery suppression and cutting off the position of our army by one layer. Soon our side launched another attack, but the other side's sense of resistance was too strong, coupled with the enemy's numerical superiority, once again attacked our side and retreated. After many days of war, our side finally captured the cattle and camel villages, but when we look back at the battlefield, it has long become a scorched earth.
The corpses of the warriors filled the ravines, and because of this fierceness, the battle was also known as the "Verdun Meat Grinder" in Taiyuan. Yan Xishan, with his firm sense of resistance, was a state of openness in many wars, and in that situation, in order to protect his own interests and purposes, people had long ago put everything out of the way. The cruelty and ruthlessness of war have long been unspeakable, but how can the temptation in the heart be controlled? This is the fundamental reason why Taiyuan is difficult to attack.
Third, details that cannot be ignored
In addition to the above core factors, there are also some side points that cannot be ignored. For example, geographical advantages, external support, etc., Taiyuan, as the provincial capital of Shanxi, can be said to be a thick wall, and it is not too much to say that he is a natural "defensive fortress". Moreover, Yan Xishan and his troops were better at guarding, and from the time he came to Taiyuan, he gathered the team to discuss the defense, and finally formulated the famous plan of "Hundred Mile Circle".
He built 5,000 to 6,000 pillboxes within a hundred miles around Taiyuan City, with exceptionally strong firepower, and also prepared facilities such as water, grain, and rest areas, and skillfully used the advantage of "geographical advantage". In addition, Chiang Kai-shek's help was also a factor that made him persist for so long. Although our army had earlier seized two airfields during the battle, there was still one place in front of the Taiyuan City Gate that we could not take, which led Chiang Kai-shek to send Yan Xishan a rich amount of combat materials.
In fact, before the Pingjin War began, our side could directly attack Taiyuan, so it was very likely to take it directly, but at that time Tianjin needed help and chose to retreat. Moreover, during the period of attacking Taiyuan, the two sides had stopped fighting and tried to negotiate a peaceful settlement, which naturally required a certain amount of time. In this way, the reason why this war is so difficult to break through is from all sides.
The battlefield war was indeed very difficult, but in the end our side ended in victory. On April 24, 1949, the six-month-long Taiyuan War finally ended. If Yan Xishan could use this strength in the War of Resistance Against Japan, I believe that Japan's defeat would surely come as soon as possible. Unfortunately, in his heart, the interests of the people have long been inferior to personal interests.
4. Summary
Whether it is the War of Resistance Against Japan or the War of Liberation, it is a necessary battle for our country to rush to peace and put an end to the situation of fragmentation. Every warrior is remarkable, they are all sacrificed for the country. If a potential person like Yan Xishan can correct the three views and cognition, and use his ability to be consistent with the outside world, it will be another scene.
There is nothing wrong with protecting personal interests at critical moments, but what is more important in front of the country than the lives of ordinary people and the smooth life? These far outweigh personal interests. The story ends here, friends who like this article, you can pay attention to it a little.