On June 26, 1946, the Kuomintang army, led by Liu Zhi, director of the Zhengzhou Appeasement Office, launched a large-scale attack on the Xuanhuadian area, where the headquarters of the Central Plains Military Region was located. In order to preserve the strength and follow the instructions of the CPC Central Committee on "breaking through immediately, the sooner the better, do not have any worries, survival first, victory first", the main force of the Central Plains Military Region was divided into two directions, north and south, and a total of six troops began to carry out the breakthrough.
I. A Brief Description of the Breakthrough situation of the Central Plains Bureau and the Central Plains Army (Northern Route Army)
Breakthrough troops of the Northern Route Army: Li Xiannian, commander of the Central Plains Military Region, Zheng Weisan, political commissar of the Central Plains Military Region, Wang Zhen, deputy commander of the Central Plains Military Region, led the Central Plains Bureau, the organs of the Central Plains Military Region, the cadre brigade, the 13th Brigade of the 2nd Column, the 45th Regiment of the 15th Brigade, and the 359th Brigade, totaling more than 10,000 people.
Breakthrough process: Until July 11, 1946, in view of the fact that the troops could not get rid of the enemy's trailing pursuit during the breakthrough process, in order to disperse the enemy's pursuit and deployment, the North Route Army was divided into two roads, changed to the left and right flanks to disperse the breakthrough.
After more than 10 fierce battles, the left-wing troops, led by Li Xiannian and Zheng Weisan, the Central Plains Bureau, the organs of the Central Plains Military Region, the 13th Brigade of the 2nd Column, the 45th Regiment of the 15th Brigade, and the Guard Regiment of the Central Plains Military Region, arrived in southern Shaanxi on August 2 and joined a local guerrilla force in southern Shaanxi.
In the course of the breakthrough, in order to avoid the total annihilation of the Central Plains Bureau and the leading organs of the Central Plains Military Region and causing even greater losses, the party committee made a temporary decision: Zheng Weisan, political commissar of the Central Plains Military Region, Chen Shaomin, director of the Organization Department of the Central Plains Bureau, and several other senior cadres left the troops in disguise and disguised themselves as ordinary people to evacuate on their own.
Li Xiannian, commander of the Central Plains Military Region, led his troops into southern Shaanxi and, while still unable to get rid of the enemy's encirclement, pursuit, and interception, joined the guerrillas in southern Shaanxi, opened up the Base Area of Henan, Hubei, and Shaanxi on the spot, and insisted on fighting and maneuvering with the enemy.
The 39th Regiment of the 13th Brigade, which was responsible for the task of defending and blocking the attack, was separated from the main force in the breakout battle, and the 1st Battalion and the 1st Battalion led by the regimental commander Zhao Binglun were rebuilt, and the 3rd Battalion and the 1st Battalion led by yang Huanmin, the political commissar of the brigade, also broke through on September 12 and entered the base area of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, but the 2nd Battalion of the 39th Regiment was never heard from again.
The right wing troops, Wang Zhen, led the 359th Brigade and the Cadre Brigade to break through, and after many battles, they were still unable to break through the encirclement until July 27. In order to preserve the cadres as much as possible so that the troops could be reorganized in the future, Wang Zhen ordered the cadre brigade to disperse on the spot, and some of them followed the 359 trip, some of them changed into civilian clothes to transfer themselves, and the other part was changed into civilian clothes and entered the village, looking for the people's cover, hiding in place, and waiting for the opportunity to transfer.
Wang Zhen led the rest of the army to fight and walk, and finally broke through the siege on August 29, and the brigade headquarters organs, the 718th Regiment, and the 719th Regiment arrived at the base area of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region. Deputy Brigade Commander Xu Guoxian and the 717th Regiment also killed a bloody road to escape the pursuing troops on September 1, and on September 8, they entered the base area of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region to meet Wang Zhen.
Combat losses: During this phase of the Northern Route Army's breakout operation, the left-wing troops suffered a total of more than 1,570 casualties and more than 1,900 were scattered. Due to the dispersion and transfer of the right wing troops, the casualties were less than 100, but the number of scattered personnel was also as high as more than 1600.
The entire Northern Route Army went from more than 10,000 people at the beginning of the breakthrough to more than 6,000 people left at the end of the breakthrough.
II. A Brief Description of the Breakthrough of the Troops Led by Wang Shusheng and Liu Changyi (Southern Route Army)
Breakthrough troops of the Southern Route Army: Wang Shusheng, deputy commander of the Central Plains Military Region and commander of the 1st Column, and Liu Changyi, deputy commander of the 1st Column, led the 2nd Brigade, the 3rd Brigade, and the 15th Brigade of the 2nd Column (missing the 45th Regiment) totaling more than 9,000 people.
Breakthrough process: By July 24, 1946, when the breakthrough troops arrived in the northwestern Hubei region, in view of the fact that the troops could not get rid of the enemy's trailing pursuit, after requesting the central authorities and obtaining approval, Wang Shusheng decided to disperse the troops on the spot, with the Wudang Mountains as the center, open up the northwest Hubei base area on the spot, and persist in guerrilla warfare.
Scattered breakthroughs of the various units of the Southern Route Army:
Min Xuesheng, commander of the 1st and 3rd Brigades, led the 6th Regiment of the 1st Column 2nd Brigade (missing 1 Battalion), the 8th Regiment of the 3rd Brigade, the 1st Column Guard Regiment, and the 1st Column With a total of more than 2,500 personnel, and took on the task of covering the rear guard of the whole army when crossing the Xianghe River. After the completion of the mission, he was separated from the main force, and the 2nd Battalion of the 6th Regiment was lost, min Xuesheng led the rest of the army to the north alone, and in early August, he broke through into the Funiu Mountains and joined the breakthrough troops of the Henan Military Region.
Wu Maojin, deputy commander of the 43rd Regiment of the 2nd Column 15th Brigade, led the brigade personnel who were scattered during the forced crossing of the Xiang River, and the remaining parts of the 43rd Regiment, a total of about 1,000 people, went through several fierce battles, and finally about 300 people retreated into the Tongbai Mountains and joined the local guerrillas.
The 3rd and 2nd Column 15th Brigade (missing the 45th Regiment), under the leadership of brigade commander Wang Haishan and political commissar Chen Xianrui, originally undertook the task of covering the main force of the Southern Route Army across the Pinghan Road, but was unsuccessful due to the tight interception of the enemy army. The 15th Brigade of the 2nd Column had to go north alone, reaching southern Shaanxi on September 24, and the remaining 1,300 people met with Li Xiannian of the Northern Road Army, which had arrived earlier, to jointly open up the Yu'e-Shaanxi base area.
Sun Zonglin, deputy commander of the 6th Regiment of the 4th and 1st Column 2nd Brigade, and the 2nd Battalion led by Battalion Commander Luo Jinke were scattered while covering the main force to cross the Xiang River, and the troops retreated to the Dahongshan area to persist in guerrilla warfare, and then met with the breakthrough troops of the Jianghan Military Region and renamed the Second Brigade of the Jianghan Detachment, with a remnant of less than 200 people.
Battle losses: In this stage of the breakthrough operation of the Southern Route Army, more than 1,000 casualties were inflicted and more than 1,000 people were scattered.
III. A brief description of the situation of the breakthrough troops of the Jianghan Military Region
Breakthrough Troops of the Jianghan Military Region: Luo Houfu, commander of the Jianghan Military Region, and Wen Minsheng, political commissar, led the main force of the military region to about 6,000 people.
Breakthrough process: On August 27, the unit was dispersed on august 27 after meeting with the remnants of Wang Shusheng of the Southern Route Army in the northwestern Hubei region, and some of them insisted on guerrilla warfare in Jingshan, Yingcheng and other counties, and the troops were renamed the Jianghan Detachment. The other part entered the Wudang Mountains to insist on guerrilla warfare, waiting for the opportunity to move again.
Combat losses: The Jianghan Military Region suffered very little losses in the breakout operation at this stage, with a total of less than 100 casualties.
Iv. A brief description of the situation of the breakthrough troops of the Henan Military Region
Henan Military Region Breakthrough Troops: Huang Lin, commander and political commissar of the Henan Military Region, led more than 2,000 people in the main force of the Military Region.
Breakthrough process: Due to the small target, the unit traveled all the way day and night, arrived in southern Shaanxi on July 30, and in early August met with the Li Xiannian department of the Northern Road Army that arrived earlier to jointly open up the Yu'e-Shaanxi base area.
Combat losses: The Henan Military Region suffered a total of more than 200 casualties in the breakout operation at this stage, and more than 130 people were lost.
V. Units undertaking the cover task of the whole army: a brief introduction to the breakthrough situation of the 1st Column 1 Brigade (Pi Dingjun Brigade).
Breakthrough troops of the 1st Column 1 Brigade: Brigade Commander Pi Dingjun and Political Commissar Xu Zirong led the brigade to more than 7,000 people.
The process of the breakthrough: As a lone army to cover the retreat of the whole army, as a strategic outcast of the lost pawn, the brigade originally faced the encirclement of 300,000 enemy troops alone, and there was no possibility of survival. But Pi Dingjun had to play a game of dead chess to life.
After blocking the attack on the spot for 3 days, covering the retreat of the whole army, pretending to the east to cover the main force to retreat west, and then taking advantage of the enemy's lack of preparation to suddenly return to the horse gun, the whole brigade of the whole brigade was hidden in dabie Mountain one day and one night.
In 24 days, Pi Dingjun led his troops to 1,500 kilometers, after 23 large and small battles, and on July 20, more than 5,000 people of the brigade arrived safely in the Liberated Area of Suwan.
Combat losses: The 1st Column 1st Brigade suffered a total of more than 300 casualties in this phase of the breakout operation, and more than 1,700 people were lost.
Sixth, the troops responsible for the cover of the whole army: a brief introduction to the breakthrough situation of the 2nd Independent Brigade in eastern Hubei
The breakthrough unit of the 2nd Independent Brigade in eastern Hubei: Brigade Commander Wu Chengzhong and Political Commissar Zhang Tixue led the brigade to more than 6,000 people.
Breakthrough process: The brigade was also used as a shield to cover the retreat of the whole army, and after completing the blockade task, it interspersed from the gap between the two combined units of the enemy army, and rushed all the way to the Taihu Lake area in Yuexi, Anhui on July 18, and then turned into the Dabie Mountains to insist on guerrilla warfare.
However, under the heavy encirclement and suppression of the enemy army, by mid-October, the 2nd Independent Brigade of Eastern Hubei, which had run out of ammunition, had only a few hundred men left. Brigade commander Wu Chengzhong and political commissar Zhang Tixue were ordered to transfer back to the Liberated Areas in disguise, and the rest were scattered on the spot and all plainclothes, waiting for the opportunity to disperse and transfer.
Battle losses: The 2nd Independent Brigade in eastern Hubei lost its formation.
A brief description of the situation after the breakthrough of the various units
Li Xiannian of the Northern Route Army: After the various units of the Northern Route Army arrived in southern Shaanxi, they held an enlarged meeting in Liuxianping, Danfeng County, on August 3, and decided to open up the Yu'e-Shaanxi base area and establish the Yu'e-Shaanxi Military Region, and initially set up three military sub-districts.
The 1st Military Subdistrict is west of Ankang, Zaoshui, Lantian and Lintong; north of the Jing Highway to the west and south of Longhai Road to the 2nd Military Subdistrict; north of Hanshui and south of Danjiang is the 3rd Military Subdistrict.
On August 6, Min Xuesheng, commander of the 1st Column 3rd Brigade of the Southern Route Army, led his troops to the border of Henan and Shaanxi, and the unit formed the 4th Army Sub-district with the breakthrough troops of the Henan Military Region.
On September 24, Wang Haishan, commander of the 15th Brigade of the 2nd Column of the Southern Route Army, arrived in southern Shaanxi and formed the 5th Military Sub-district on the basis of this department.
After the official establishment of the Yu'e-Shaanxi base area, Li Xiannian was instructed by the central authorities to return to Yan'an and reorganize the Central Plains Bureau with Zheng Weisan, Chen Shaomin, and others who had scattered the breakthrough in disguise in the early stages.
Wang Shushengbu of the Southern Route Army: On August 27, the Southern Route Army and the breakthrough troops of the Jianghan Military Region met in Fangxian County, Hubei Province, and jointly formed the Northwest Hubei Military Region, and the northwest Hubei base area was officially formed.
Wang Shusheng was appointed commander and political commissar of the Northwest Hubei Military Region, Liu Changyi and Luo Houfu were deputy commanders, Liu Zijiu and Wen Minsheng were appointed deputy political commissars, and Zhang Caiqian was appointed chief of staff.
After January 1947, the Kuomintang army once again surrounded and suppressed Wang Shusheng's troops, and the Northwest Hubei Military Region studied and decided that the military sub-districts would once again be reorganized into scattered guerrillas.
At the beginning of February, Liu Changyi's troops were surrounded by enemy troops, Liu Changyi led hundreds of people to break through the siege into Dabie Mountain, and then turned to western Anhui; on February 12, Wang Shusheng, escorted by traffic officers, moved in disguise to the liberated areas of northern Jiangsu; Liu Zijiu and Wen Minsheng then also transferred in disguise and successfully escaped from danger; Zhang Caiqian led a force of less than a thousand people to cross the Yangtze River south to deal with the enemy's stubborn maneuvers...
Since then, there have been few remnants of the Southern Route Army left, and the northwestern Hubei base area has ceased to exist.
Jianghan Military Region: The Jianghan Military Region and the Wang Shusheng Department of the Southern Route Army were merged to form the Northwest Hubei Military Region and jointly established a base area in northwest Hubei. By February 1947, in view of the serious enemy situation and the bad situation, the base area was abandoned, one part entered the Dabie Mountains, and the other dispersed on the spot to insist on guerrilla warfare. Until December 1947, the remaining parts met the 3rd column and 12th column of the Jinji-Hebei Luyu Liberation Army.
Henan Military Region: As mentioned above, the Henan Military Region and Min Xuesheng, commander of the 1st Column and 3rd Brigade of the Southern Route Army who reached the border of Henan and Shaanxi, formed the 4th Military Subdistrict of the Henan-Shaanxi Military Region.
1st Column 1 Brigade: The brigade arrived safely in the Suwan Liberated Area after breaking through under the leadership of Brigadier Pi Dingjun, and was reorganized into the 13th Brigade of the Central China Field Army in late August, and expanded into the Independent Division of the East China Military Region in January 1947.
The 2nd Independent Brigade in Eastern Hubei: Insisted on guerrilla warfare in Dabie Mountain, and eventually ran out of ammunition, broke into pieces with only a few hundred people left, dispersed and transferred, and eventually lost its structure.
The historical significance of the Central Plains Breakthrough
On October 1, 1946, the Chairman commented on the Central Plains Breakthrough Campaign in the "Three Months' Summary": "Our Central Plains Liberation Army has overcome hardships and hardships with unparalleled perseverance, and except for one part that has been transferred to the old liberated areas, the main force has created two guerrilla base areas in the southern Shaanxi and western Hubei regions. In addition, there were troops in eastern and central Hubei who insisted on guerrilla warfare. All this has greatly aided and is continuing to assist the fighting in the old liberated areas and will play a greater role in future protracted wars. ”