preface
At that time, the main force of the Central Plains breakthrough lost nearly 2/5, but the leather brigade, which was ready to give up the pawn to protect the car and the entire army was destroyed, fought all the way and successfully arrived at the Liberated Area of Suwan. After the breakthrough was successful, there were still more than 5,000 people in the leather brigade, how did Pi Dingjun do it?
Pi Ding was in danger
At the end of 1945, Chiang Kai-shek mobilized more than 20 divisions to prepare to encircle and encroach on the Liberated Areas of the Central Plains. Through this operation, the other side attempted to wipe out our troops and open the way for the march of East China, North China, and Northeast China. At that time, the central authorities made the operational deployment of "developing to the north and defending to the south," for which Wang Zhen led the southbound detachment of the 359th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army to meet with the troops of Wang Shusheng and Li Xiannian.
The Central Military Commission of the COMMUNIST Party of China, in order to meet the needs of the situation, formed the Central Plains Military Region with the Fifth Division of the New Fourth Army, the units of the Henan Military Region of the Eighth Route Army, the first unit of the Jiluyu Military Region, and the southbound detachment of the Eighth Route Army returning from the north.
Li Xiannian served as commander, Zheng Weisan as political commissar, Wang Shusheng as deputy commander, and Wang Zhen as deputy commander and chief of staff, with a total strength of about 50,000 people.
After the establishment of the Central Plains Military Region, Chiang Kai-shek mobilized 6 armies and 14 divisions to advance from the north and south to the Tongbai Mountains in Henan. In order to be able to gain a firm foothold, the Central Plains Military Region launched many battles and destroyed more than 7,000 enemy personnel. Although the battle achieved considerable results, Chiang Kai-shek even made a large-scale increase in troops to the Central Plains, which further worsened the situation in Eyu-Anhui.
In January 1946, with the signing of the war agreement between the Kuomintang and the Communists, there was a brief peace. At the behest of Chiang Kai-shek, the Kuomintang continued to launch attacks against the troops of the Central Plains Military Region, compressing and encircling the troops of the Central Plains Military Region in a narrow strip of land 100 kilometers from east to west and about 25 kilometers from north to south.
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Central Military Commission, in view of the fact that the Liberated Areas of the Central Plains are surrounded by layers of enemies. To this end, he repeatedly instructed the Central Plains Bureau and the Central Plains Military Region to carry out breakthrough operations.
On June 23, 1946, the Central Military Commission clearly instructed "agree to break through immediately, the sooner the better, do not have any worries, survival first, victory first." ”
To this end, the Central Plains Military Region formulated a breakthrough plan.
The breakthrough troops on the right road were about 15,000 people, led by Li Xiannian and Zheng Weisan; the breakthrough troops on the left road were about 10,000 people, led by Wang Shusheng; Pi Dingjun and Xu Zirong led the troops disguised as the main force, moved eastward, and covered the retreat of the main force; and the troops of the Eastern Hubei Military Region persisted in the struggle on the spot to confuse and contain the enemy.
After Receiving the order, Wang Shusheng issued a combat mission to Pi Dingjun, asking him to do everything he could to disguise himself as the main force and delay the enemy for three days. As long as the main force crosses the Pinghan Road, then Pi Dingjun can choose the direction of the breakthrough on his own. Pi Dingjun certainly knew what this order meant, and if he was not careful, he could completely destroy the army. At this critical juncture of life and death, Pi Dingjun did not flinch, but replied: "Please rest assured chief, we will resolutely complete the task!" ”
Be bold and careful, God bless the leather brigade
The location of Pi Dingjun's troops is the easternmost part of the Liberated Area of the Central Plains, which is the direction of the nationalist army's key offensive. To this end, after receiving the order, Pi Dingjun began to deploy troops to strengthen the fortifications and distribute ammunition and food. In order to create an illusion for the enemy, Pi Dingjun gathered his troops to the east during the day to attract the enemy's eyes to the east and relieve the pressure for the main force to advance west.
Subsequently, Pi Dingjun summoned his subordinates to discuss the direction of the breakthrough three days later.
Following the main force to the west will attract the enemy troops to the past, it is not appropriate, to break through to the north, the enemy may use the river to block the attack, the grasp is not large, break through to the south, with the strength of a brigade, it is impossible to break through the South Of the Yangtze River, fight guerrilla warfare, the strength of the troops is too small, will be wrapped in dumplings by the enemy.
The direction of the breakthrough is crucial, and one mistake is the result of the total annihilation of the army. Although everyone had different ideas, at this critical juncture of life and death, Pi Dingjun decided that after three days, it was most appropriate to move east in the direction of Dabie Mountain.
Due to our confused tactics, the Nationalist army thought that the Liberated Areas of the Central Plains were going to break through to the east, so they have been holding their ground for this reason.
Even if the main force of the Central Plains began to break through to the west, the Nationalist army regarded it as a feint attack by the Chinese Communists. The Kuomintang waited for two days without a trace of the People's Liberation Army, so they launched an attack on the Pi Brigade.
The leather brigade relied on the fortifications to engage the enemy, and after fighting until noon when it rained heavily, Pi Dingjun let a regiment of three battalions continue to hold their positions for ten hours.
He led the other commanders and fighters to retreat, according to the plan, first traveled 20 kilometers west, turned to the south, and finally hid in the Liu Jia Chong forest. In the middle of the night, a regiment of three battalions responsible for holding their positions arrived and joined the large troops.
On the 28th, Pi Dingjun led his troops from Liu Jiachong south, and after annihilating a company of the enemy army at Jiulong Mountain, he moved directly behind the enemy's 72nd Division and camped in Tianpu that night. During this period, although it was discovered by the enemy, under the command of Pi Dingjun,
The brigade set out from Tianpu and entered Hubei, then quickly turned east, broke through the enemy's first blockade line, entered the hinterland of Dabie Mountain, and arrived at Daniu Mountain, the main peak of Dabie Mountain at the junction of the three provinces of Eyu and Anhui on July 1.
This is the only way for Pi Dingjun to advance eastward, and naturally encounters the national army team. The 1st Regiment of the Nationalist 72nd Army and the Jinzhai County Security Regiment tightly locked the way forward. To this end, Pi Dingjun commanded the troops to launch an attack, and after two hours of fierce fighting, successfully annihilated the other side, and successfully reached Wujiadian three days later.
Wujiadian is located in the middle of the mountains, plus due to heavy rain caused by flash floods, the Nationalist army did not know where the fur brigade was for a while. Pi Dingjun decided to rest here, and then the command set up a radio station and sent telegrams to the column and the Central Plains Bureau to try to understand the situation throughout the country.
Soon after, when the Radio Brigade contacted Yan'an, the instructions of the Central Military Commission repeatedly appeared two words: Go fast! Pi Dingjun then led his troops eastward towards Huoshan and Lu'an, and on July 13, they reached the Liu'an Maotan Factory at the exit of Dabie Mountain.
The brigade party committee then held a meeting and decided to spend five days at a speed of 180 miles per day, crossing the Liuhe Highway, the Huainan Railway, and the Jinpu Railway, crossing the Central Anhui Plain, and reaching the Suwan Liberated Area when the enemy had not completed the encirclement.
On the 14th, the leather brigade passed through camouflage, cleverly took the enemy's official pavilion, and successfully passed through the Liuhe Highway. On the 17th, through fierce fighting, the Pi Brigade forcibly crossed the Huainan Railway. On the 20th, the Pi brigade fought fiercely with the enemy for three hours on the Jinpu Railway, and with the support of friendly troops, successfully crossed the Jinpu Railway and met the victorious division with the troops of the Huainan Military Region.
The principal leaders of the Central Plains Military Region made mistakes
Since the breakthrough, the leather brigade has spanned Henan, Hubei and Anhui provinces, lasting 24 days, traveling 750 kilometers, experiencing 23 large and small battles, and finally successfully breaking through.
At the time of departure, Pi Dingjun led the troops to more than 7,000 people, and after the successful breakthrough, the troops still had more than 5,000 people, maintaining the integrity of the brigade.
As for the main force that the leather brigade was responsible for covering at that time, it was in this breakthrough that the loss of personnel was about 2/5. After the responsible person of the Central Plains Military Region arrived in Yan'an, a meeting of cadres at and above the brigade level of the Central Plains Bureau was held to summarize the operation. At that time, some deputies held that the principal leaders of the Central Plains Military Region had made mistakes in the defeat of this operation.
General Wang Shusheng also admitted in a telegram
"Because of the mistake of failing to adjust the cadres' thinking in a timely manner and failing to grasp the tactical principles in a timely manner, our side has suffered heavy losses."