What is history: it is the echo of the past to the future, the reflection of the future on the past. - Hugo
Li Mi, a native of Tengchong, Yunnan, graduated from Huangpu IV and became the commander of the Kuomintang Lieutenant General Corps. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he participated in many battles such as the Battle of Kunlun Pass and the Counter-Offensive of Northern Burma. Especially in the Matsuyama counter-offensive, Li Mi adopted the tactics of coordinated attack between infantry, artillery, and air, let the soldiers organize death squads to charge, and engineers to dig trenches and blast, etc., to smash Matsuyama, a solid defensive line called "Oriental Maginot" by the Japanese army, and opened a forward passage for the whole army to counterattack. He was also promoted to lieutenant general of the Eighth Army of the National Revolutionary Army.
After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Li Mi's Eighth Army was transferred by Chiang Kai-shek to Shandong to participate in the civil war. In the Battle of Nanma, Li Mi's reorganized Eighth Division was very desperate in this battle, causing the Eighth Division to lose more than 5,000 people, but Chiang Kai-shek did not blame him, but rewarded him. A condolence group was dispatched to Shandong to comfort Li Mi and award the Order of Qingtian White Sun. In fact, everyone understands in their hearts that Chiang Kai-shek is buying people's hearts and letting Li Mi fight a civil war for him with a dead heart.
Li Mi
However, after the outbreak of the Battle of Huaihai, the 13th Corps was expanded under the basis of the Eighth Army, and Li Mi served as the commander of the corps and participated in the Battle of Huaihai. This great war, which determined the fate of both sides, ended in the victory of our Party.
Chiang Kai-shek's last 300,000 troops were also destroyed at Chen Guanzhuang, Du Yuming was captured, the commander of the Second Corps, Qiu Qingquan, was killed, and only Sun Yuanliang, commander of the 16th Corps, escaped (this famous escapist general in the Nationalist army, whether it was the War of Resistance Against Japan or the War of Liberation, his escape skills were used to the extreme), so he successfully escaped in the Battle of Huaihai.
So, how did Lieutenant General Li Mi, commander of the Thirteenth Corps, escape in the Battle of Huaihai? After arriving in Nanjing, did Chiang Kai-shek punish him?
Although Du Yuming said that there were 300,000 troops, the commanders of the various corps at that time had their own calculations. Coupled with the fact that 300,000 troops have poured into Chen Guanzhuang, a place where birds don't, eating and drinking has become a problem. Coupled with the fierce attack of the Central Plains Field Army and the East China Field Army, Li Mi felt that there was no hope in front of him, and only a breakthrough could be reborn. Coupled with the fact that there is a little contradiction between him and Du Yuming, who will listen to him at this critical juncture of life? It is deliberate not to contact Du Yuming. Begin to plan your escape route. Perhaps he also knew that following Du Yuming would definitely be captured, after all, he was a big man and it was easy to attract the attention of the enemy army.
Therefore, he decided to lead the 13th Corps and retreat to Woyang and Mengcheng. However, later, because the target was too large, they were all beaten back by the officers and men of the East China Field Army, and it was impossible to break through.
13 Corps
At this time, in order to save his life, he could only abandon his troops and lead a few close associates to secretly escape, with few people and small targets, and it was not easy to find. Before Li Mi left, he had to say to the generals: You should hold your position well, and I will go to Commander-in-Chief Du to discuss the measures for breaking through. Leaving soldiers on the battlefield and running away alone is indeed not a qualified general.
Among Li Mi's escape guards, there was a man named Wang Xin'an, who had a distant cousin who worked in the Liberated Areas, so Li Mi disguised himself as a civilian and hid in Gao Darong's house. At first, Gao Darong thought that the person in front of him (Li Mi) really thought that he was an ordinary person who had fled to escape the disaster of war.
Later, I found out that it was getting more and more wrong, but Li Mi was very clever, and bribed Gao Darong with gold, and someone who had never seen so much gold in his life was suddenly moved and became an accomplice on Li Mi's escape. It was also with his help that Li Mi obtained a pass for the Liberated Areas and escaped the checkpoints of the Liberated Areas. Smoothly take the train, to Qingdao, and then take a boat back to Nanjing.
It stands to reason that as a general of a defeated army, especially a general who left his soldiers to flee alone, he should be punished and shot. However, After arriving in Nanjing, Li Mi did not. He was very clever and came to Chiang Kai-shek's hometown to apologize to the principal, because at this time, Chiang Kai-shek had already stepped down from president to president.
However, Chiang Kai-shek did not punish Li Mi too much, and was also prepared to reorganize the new Thirteenth Corps, the commander of which was still Li Mi, which made Li Mi more loyal to Chiang Kai-shek. Perhaps Chiang Kai-shek also understood in his heart that they had already failed, and there was no point in pursuing them any further, and it was better that one more person was loyal to him. After all, he has already gone to the wilderness, and it is more important to buy people's hearts.