After the Battle of Huaihai began, Huang Baitao found himself in danger of being encircled by Huaye, and immediately ordered the main force of the corps to retreat in the direction of Xuzhou. On November 8, most of the Yellow Legion crossed the canal, leaving our attacking forces behind. At this time, the 7th, 10th and 13th columns, which were responsible for cutting off the yellow army's retreat, had just arrived at the area of Hanzhuang and Wannian Gate. The area was under the jurisdiction of the Kuomintang Third Appeasement District, where about 30,000 troops were stationed.
When Huang Baitao learned that the positions around Jia Wang had not yet been conquered by our army, he was only a hundred miles away from Xuzhou, and the mechanized troops could reach it in a few hours, and finally jumped out of Su Yu's encirclement, Huang Baitao couldn't help but secretly rejoice. Unexpectedly, at this time, He Jifeng and Zhang Kexia led more than 23,000 officers and men of the Third Appeasement District to revolt in front of the front, and the He and Zhang uprising completely cut off Huang Baitao's retreat and made extremely important contributions to the final annihilation of the Huang Corps. However, the process of the uprising did not go smoothly, and it could be described as a series of twists and turns.
Feng Zhi'an
The Kuomintang Third Appeasement District had jurisdiction over two armies and four divisions totaling more than 30,000 people, and commander Feng Zhi'an was from the Northwest Army, which belonged to a miscellaneous unit, and Chiang Kai-shek had always been uneasy about this unit, and before the war ordered that all the families of officers above the Feng Battalion battalion be sent to Jiangnan as hostages. Although Feng Zhi'an was quite dissatisfied with Chiang Kai-shek's move, he still had illusions about Chiang Kai-shek, believing that the Kuomintang soldiers were well fed and would definitely win the Battle of Xu Beng. Therefore, he and his two military commanders, Liu Zhensan and Wang Caihai, were all staunch warriors.
He Jifeng
Feng Zhi'an set up the headquarters of the Third Appeasement District in Xuzhou, and Jia Wang set up a front-line command, with his brother He Jifeng as the director of the command, responsible for the front-line war. On November 7, Feng Zhi'an summoned Liu Zhensan and Wang Caihai to Xuzhou to study the battle plan, which provided a good opportunity for He Jifeng to organize an uprising. He immediately summoned officers at and above the group level to a meeting to discuss the question of the way out for the troops. However, the meeting did not go well, the chief of staff Liu Jingyue opposed the uprising and had a resolute attitude, only the commander of the four divisions, 132 division commanders Guo Jiafang, agreed to the uprising, and the meeting eventually broke up unhappily.
He Jifeng knew that these people opposed the uprising because they still had illusions about the war situation. So he contacted the People's Liberation Army through Yang Side and asked them to exert military pressure. That night, one of our troops broke through the Ten Thousand Years Gate, completely annihilated the enemy's bridge-guarding troops, and then crossed the canal with the strength of three regiments, and succeeded in one fell swoop. At this time, Feng Zhi'an was eating with Qiu Qingquan in Xuzhou, and he was already a little drunk when he heard that the Wannian Gate had been lost, and he was furious, and in order not to be seen by Qiu Qingquan, he immediately issued a strict order: "Retake the lost land before dawn, otherwise all military law will be carried out, the regiment commander and division commander will not tolerate it, and liu Jingyue, chief of staff of the army, will also be accused of missing the fighter!" ”
He Jifeng immediately relayed Feng Zhi'an's order to Liu Jingyue, and after listening to it, he was horrified and begged on the phone: "In the dark of night, the troops cannot be contacted, it is difficult to complete the task, I hope that the deputy will remember the friendship of the commander's subordinates for many years, and I hope to forgive, the matter has come to this point, please think of a way." He Jifeng deliberately said in an impatient tone: "You have your own ideas, consult with Deputy Commander Meng and tell me, and then make a decision!" In order to urge Liu Jingyue to make up his mind as soon as possible, he also said: "After dawn, the law enforcement team will come to Jiawang from Xuzhou, and the time for your consultation cannot be prolonged!" ”
In about half an hour, Meng Shaolian telegraphed He Jifeng that their opinions had been unified, but they hoped to see He. He Jifeng immediately came to the headquarters of the 59th Army, and while taking off his coat, he said: "It's time to make up your mind, everyone!" It is sad that our brothers have suffered many more casualties! From the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression to the present, the Northwest Army has been used as cannon fodder by Chiang Kai-shek, and this is not to mention, it is still subject to idleness. Now is the time to vent, why are you still hesitating? ”
Cui Zhenlun
Cui Zhenlun, commander of the 180th Division, threw the cigarette butt into the stove and said in a trembling voice: "The deputy seat is speaking from our hearts." What has the Kuomintang done for years? We couldn't get up with it when they were lucky, and now that they're going to mourn, why should we wear filial piety hats for others! Old Chiang asked us to show him the gate, but his concubine troops ran south. We'll never do such a stupid thing again! He stood up and walked to the window and inhaled a few hard breaths of cold air. He said, "Leave the door open, let's back off and cool off, and we can see the bustle!" ”
Zhang Kexia and He Jifeng
Yang Qiansan, commander of the 38th Division, and Guo Jiafang, commander of the 132nd Division, said at the same time: "Please give orders from the deputy commander!" Chief of Staff Liu Jingyue covered his face with his hand, looking extremely painful. At 10:00 a.m. on November 8, He Jifeng and Zhang Kexia led more than 23,000 officers and men of the 59th Army, the 38th Division, the 180th Division, the 132nd Division, and the 37th Division under the jurisdiction of the 59th Army, the 180th Division, the 132nd Division, and the 37th Division revolted in the Jiawang area, and the rebel troops gave way to the hundred-mile defense line from Taierzhuang to Lincheng, which opened the northeast gateway of Xuzhou, and the three columns of the Huaye Shandong Corps successfully passed through the defense area of the Third Appeasement District, quickly crossed the Longhai Road to the south and directly entered between Xuzhou and Nianzhuang, completely cutting off the retreat route of Huang Baitao's corps The demise of the Yellow Legion was thus doomed.