The Battle of crossing the river memorial hall is located on the shore of Chao Lake. 71 years ago, with the vigorous support of the people, the People's Liberation Army broke through the natural dangers of the Yangtze River in one fell swoop and created conditions for the liberation of all of China. Xi Jinping visited the memorial hall to relive the revolutionary history. He stressed: The victory in the Huaihai Campaign was won by the common people with a cart, and the victory in the Battle of Crossing the River was won by the common people drawing out a small boat. At any time, we must not forget the original intention, keep in mind the mission, can not forget the root of the people, and always be loyal servants of the people. It is necessary to extensively carry out patriotic education so that people can deeply understand why history and the people chose the Cpc, and why we must persist in taking the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
——People's Daily, August 22, 2020
After the victory of the three major battles, the main Kuomintang troops north of the Yangtze River were basically wiped out. In this context, people continue to release smoke screens of peace in an attempt to rule the river and establish the so-called Southern and Northern Dynasties. There are also many people who try to rely on the Yangtze River Graben to carry out a stubborn resistance to the death. In order to break the illusions of the enemy, Mao Zedong advocated "carrying the revolution through to the end" and called for "fighting across the Yangtze River and liberating all of China." In order to accomplish this historical task, more than one million troops of the People's Liberation Army gathered on the north bank of the Yangtze River to prepare for the crossing of the Yangtze River. Among them, Chao Lake in central Anhui is located in the southeast of Hefei and the north side of the Yangtze River, close to the headquarters of the Battle of Crossing the River, and is connected with Feidong, Feixi, Wuwei, Wuhu and other places, with an open lake surface, staggered river networks, and dense population, which is the central area of the People's Liberation Army to prepare for crossing the river. After the battle of crossing the river began, with the support of the local people, the People's Liberation Army heroically charged forward, broke through the Yangtze River graben, and sounded the clarion call of a million male divisions to cross the river.
(i)
During the three major battles, as the People's Liberation Army won successive victories in various battlefields, the CPC Central Committee and Mao Zedong began to plan a plan to cross the river. In October 1948, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Mao Zedong envisioned a river crossing operation in the autumn of 1949. On December 12, Mao Zedong sent a telegram to the General Front Committee of the Huaihai Campaign, hoping that the East China Field Army and the Central Plains Field Army would basically complete the material preparations and political mobilization required for the river crossing operation after a two-month rest after the Huaihai Campaign. On December 30, in order to break the illusion of some people trying to rule by river, he clearly stated in his New Year's message "Carry the Revolution through to the End": "In 1949 Chinese people's Liberation Army will march south of the Yangtze River and will win a greater victory than in 1948." ”
From January 6 to 8, 1949, at the meeting of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee held in Xibaipo, Mao Zedong analyzed the favorable and unfavorable conditions for crossing the Yangtze River to the south to fight, and believed that these situations should be told to the cadres and soldiers who were about to fight in the south so that they would have full mental preparations.
While proposing the objectives and tasks of the river crossing operation, the CPC Central Committee has also accelerated the process of military regularization. On February 5, the Central Plains Field Army was reorganized into the Second Field Army, with Liu Bocheng as commander, Deng Xiaoping as political commissar, Zhang Jichun as deputy political commissar and director of the political department, and Li Da as chief of staff. On February 9, the East China Field Army was reorganized into the Third Field Army, with Chen Yi as commander and political commissar, Su Yu as deputy commander and second deputy political commissar, Tan Zhenlin as first deputy political commissar, Zhang Zhen as chief of staff, and Tang Liang as director of the political department. In order to unify the command of the river crossing operation, on February 11, the General Front Committee of the Battle of Crossing the River was established in ZhangCaiyuan, Shangqiu, Henan, composed of Liu Bocheng, Chen Yi, Deng Xiaoping, Su Yu, and Tan Zhenlin, with Deng Xiaoping as the secretary. On the same day, Mao Zedong drafted a telegram for the Central Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee to the General Front Committee of the Campaign to Cross the River, pointing out: "I agree with your plan to go out in March and a half and start the operation of crossing the river at the end of March, and I hope that you will prepare everything according to this time." ”
On March 15, Deng Xiaoping, Chen Yi, and others left Xibaipo and went to the front. Arrived in Xuzhou on the 18th. On the 22nd, the headquarters of the General Front Committee of the Battle of crossing the river and the headquarters of the Third Field Army were moved from Xuzhou to Sunjiaxu, 11 kilometers southeast of Bengbu. Here, Deng Xiaoping personally drafted the specific arrangements for the river crossing operation, the "Outline for the Implementation of the Beijing-Shanghai-Hangzhou Campaign." The "Outline" stipulates the objectives and time of the river crossing operation, and analyzes the changes that the enemy army may produce after the successful crossing of the river, pointing out: "As long as our army successfully crosses the river, no matter what kind of disposition the enemy adopts, the development of the war situation will change in our favor and may turn into a situation in which the enemy is completely chaotic." ”
In view of the deployment of the Kuomintang troops, according to the "Outline for the Implementation of the Beijing-Shanghai-Hangzhou Campaign", the People's Liberation Army's river crossing troops were divided into three assault groups in the east, middle and west. Among them, the East Assault Group was composed of the 8th Corps, the 10th Corps and the 3 independent brigades of the Northern Jiangsu Military Region of the Third Field Army, with a total of 350,000 people, commanded by Su Yu and Zhang Zhen, and crossed the river from the Sanjiang Battalion (north of Yangzhong) to Zhanghuanggang (east of the Jingjiang River); the Central Assault Group was composed of the 7th Corps and the 9th Corps of the Third Field Army, with a total of 300,000 people, commanded by Tan Zhenlin, and crossed the river from Yuxikou (north of Wuhu) to the Zongyang section; the West Assault Group was composed of the 3rd Corps, the 4th Corps, the 5th Corps and the First Unit of the Central Plains Military Region of the Second Field Army. A total of 350,000 people crossed the river from Zongyang to Wangjiang.
In order to facilitate the command of the river crossing operation, in early April, the East China Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, the General Front Committee of the River Crossing Campaign, the East China Military Region, and other organs left Sun Jiaxu and stationed themselves in Yaogang Village, Feidong County, Anhui Province, making it the frontline headquarters of the River Crossing Campaign. The launch of the campaign to cross the river is just around the corner.
(ii)
As the date of the river crossing approaches, preparations for the crossing of the river are also in full swing. The first question is how to collect enough ships. In order to prevent the People's Liberation Army from crossing the river, the Kuomintang troops had already forcibly dragged all the ships along the north bank of the Yangtze River to the south bank in advance, or destroyed them on the spot. When a million troops arrived at the intended river crossing site, there were very few ferries that could be found. In order to solve the problem of the ships needed to cross the river, the troops crossing the river tried all possible means.
After extensive mobilization and the help of governments at all levels in the Liberated Areas, by the beginning of April, a total of 20,977 wooden boats of various types had been raised, of which a total of 8,302 were used for river crossing operations, and more than 19,000 boat workers expressed their willingness to cross the river with their boats. In order to transport these boats from inland rivers and lakes to various river crossing sites along the Yangtze River, the People's Liberation Army invented the method of "digging canals and overturning dams", dragging ferries from channels to the riverside. On August 4, 1949, Deng Xiaoping gave a more detailed description in his report to the delegates to the Preparatory Committee of the New Political Consultative Conference. He said: "When crossing the river, the enemy did not understand where our ship came from. In fact, our boats did not go out of the waterway, but from the dry road. Our method is called digging a ditch. We dragged the boat out. Sometimes in order to dredge a channel to get the boat out, it is necessary to dig a small ditch for tens of miles (the longest is sixty miles). Twenty-one million manual laborers were used to dig canals and overturn dams. Such a huge project was completed in a month and a half of preparation time." While solving the problem of ships, the people's liberation army troops crossing the river are also training in the north of Chaohu Lake and inland rivers to adapt to water operations. Regarding the training process, Deng Xiaoping said: "In order not to faint in the water and to be able to cope with various situations, we have made various preparations in the north of Chaohu Lake, and conducted exercises day and night. What if you are used to it in the water, you are sure, and you consider that the boat is playing in the center of the river? Many warriors came up with the idea of using grass circles as lifebuoys. The grass circle is better than the rubber circle, the rubber circle is broken as soon as it is hit, and the grass circle is not afraid to hit. After hard training, many warriors were originally "dry ducks" who never swam, and then became "dragons on the water".
During the period when the plaster armies of the People's Liberation Army were preparing to cross the river, the masses of the people in the Liberated Areas also enthusiastically participated in the front contingent and made remarkable achievements in raising grain and building roads. For example, from February to April, people in northern Jiangsu built a total of 5,290 roads and 197 bridges; when the troops crossed the river, 25,750 large and small boats transported supplies and ammunition for the troops, 62,100 standing migrant workers accompanied the army to the south, and another 23,300 migrant workers served along the river, successively supplying 130 million kilograms of rice noodles and 110 million kilograms of grass. During the same period, the Jianghuai Liberated Area raised 60 million kilograms of rice and temporarily mobilized 4,000 stretchers, 12,000 picks, and 5,000 cars. The former migrant workers also put forward the slogan of "wherever the PLA fights, we will resolutely support it."
In order to support the crossing of the river, the people along the river have made great contributions. 80 percent of the grain needed to cross the river is taken out by the masses of the people along the river. They would rather go hungry and take out their family food to support the front. Half of the boatmen needed to cross the river are from civilians, and half are temporarily trained PLA fighters. The Jiangnan underground party and guerrillas also cooperated closely with the operation of crossing the river to provide cover and assistance for the reconnaissance detachments crossing the river. All this has provided a powerful guarantee for the victory in the battle of crossing the river.
(iii)
At 8:00 p.m. on April 20, 1949, the Central Assault Group, composed of the 7th and 9th Corps of the Third Field Army, first crossed the river from the Yuxikou to Zongyang section of Anhui Province and launched an attack on the enemy on the opposite bank. At 9 p.m., the boats of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Company, 1st Battalion, 235th Regiment of the 79th Division of the 27th Army of the River Crossing Force took the lead in reaching the area around Xiajia Lake on the south bank of the Yangtze River.
On 21 April, Mao Zedong, chairman of the Chinese Revolutionary Military Commission, and Zhu De, commander-in-chief of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, issued the "Order to March To the Whole Country," calling on all commanders and fighters of all field armies and comrades of the People's Liberation Army in the guerrilla areas in the south to "march forward courageously, resolutely, thoroughly, cleanly, and completely annihilate all Kuomintang reactionaries in China who dare to resist, liberate the people of the whole country, and defend the independence and integrity of China's territorial sovereignty." Then, the Second and Third Field Armies forcibly crossed the Yangtze River on a front of more than 500 kilometers from Hukou in the west to Jiangyin in the east.
After the Launch of the Battle of Crossing the River, the 15th Army of the 4th Corps of the Second Field Army led by Qin Jiwei was in the first echelon, responsible for the first to cross the Yangtze River. In his diary of April 21, he recorded the details of the forced crossing of the Yangtze River by the vanguard troops who crossed the river. He wrote: "At twenty-one o'clock, the enemy fired an illumination bomb, and the dark surface of the river suddenly seemed like daylight. In the bright light, we saw our ships moving in groups toward the enemy's positions. They are like rows of sharp swords, crossing the river and stabbing into the chest of the enemy, and like a row of eagles with wings spread, stretching out their claws to pounce on the heart of the enemy... This is the most stressful moment. As the battle changes, joy and sorrow alternate in the heart. All the nerves of the people seem to be focused on a pair of eyes and a pair of ears at this moment, watching and listening! The enemy's machine gunfire became more and more urgent and intense. The scheduled landing time has passed, but no signal of landing has been found, and our hearts are getting heavier. At twenty-four o'clock, signal flares appeared near the customs lighthouse, and fires appeared west of Maureen Chau. The assault troops have landed! What an unforgettable moment! The light of the fire that came from the other side illuminated our eyes and our hearts. Everyone was ecstatic, cheering, and excited. The great historical task has been accomplished. The enemy who resisted our army was all crushed, and I suffered very few casualties. ”
After the crossing of the river began, when the commanders and fighters who crossed the river bravely charged, the vast number of shipwrights also showed a high degree of revolutionary heroism. For example, Zhang Xiaohua served as the helmsman of the river crossing commando during the Battle of crossing the river. In the process of crossing the river, his boat was hit with several holes, and his son was injured in the leg, but he was not afraid of danger, rowed the oars, and the People's Liberation Army quickly boarded the river bank and took the enemy's bunker. Jingjiang County boatmen Tian Shizhang and Yan Shengfu braved enemy artillery fire to load and deliver 6 to 8 times a night on the 8-mile-wide river, creating a record for the highest number of shipments. Wang Fengying, a 17-year-old female shipwright in Hai'an County, heroically and cleverly broke through the encirclement of 7 enemy ships and successfully completed the task.
Under the fierce attack of the troops crossing the river, the Yangtze River defense line, which the Kuomintang troops had painstakingly operated for three and a half months, was quickly broken. It took only 15 minutes for the fastest river-crossing vanguard ships to attack the opposite shore. In the next 24 hours, 300,000 troops crossed the Yangtze River.
At the critical moment of the Battle of the River Crossing, four British warships, including the "Purple Quartz", which invaded China's inland River, sailed into the People's Liberation Army defense area and forcibly followed the river in spite of warnings, triggering a fierce artillery battle between the two sides. In the artillery battle, the Chinese People's Liberation Army suffered 252 casualties, and the warship "Purple Quartz" was also wounded by the People's Liberation Army, stranded on the Zhenjiang River, and the remaining 3 British warships fled in a hurry. After the incident, the British government forcefully defended the atrocities committed by the British ships, and even threatened military retaliation. In this regard, Chinese issued a statement from the headquarters of the People's Liberation Army, sternly refuting it, pointing out: "The Yangtze River is China's inland river, what right do you British have to drive warships in?" There is no such right. China's territorial sovereignty must be defended Chinese people, and foreign governments will never be allowed to infringe upon it. This solemn and just stand shows the determination of the Communist Party of China to defend national sovereignty and independence, strikes at the arrogance of Britain and other countries, wins the support of public opinion, greatly boosts the morale of the commanders and fighters of the People's Liberation Army, and enhances the self-confidence and patriotism of Chinese at home and abroad. Professor Fu Ying, a famous chemist who was in the United States at the time, recalled: "When the army went south and crossed the river, it fired a shot at the British gunboat, and I was shocked to see this news, afraid that this time there would be another apology, and the revolution would end here." When the newspaper was opened the next day, Zhou Enlai issued a statement, not only did not apologize, but protested and scolded the British. I believed that it was a real revolution and decided to return to China. ”
Under the fierce bombardment of enemy aircraft and naval guns, the battle of crossing the river was both intense and fierce, and its progress was very rapid, and the momentum was like a bamboo. In particular, in the early morning of April 21, under the leadership of underground COMMUNIST Party members Tang Binglin and Mei Hanzhang, the Jiangyin Fortress revolted. Then, on the 23rd, Lin Zun, commander of the Second Coastal Defense Fleet of the Kuomintang Navy, led 25 large and small ships to revolt on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. All this dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the Kuomintang defenders and accelerated the pace of victory in the Battle of the Crossing River. Upon learning that the People's Liberation Army had crossed the Yangtze River, Mao Zedong personally drafted a press release for the Xinhua News Agency entitled "A Million Troops of the People's Liberation Army Crossing the Yangtze River," declaring: "The People's Liberation Army's million-strong army broke through the enemy line and crossed the Yangtze River from a front of more than a thousand miles. ”
After the Yangtze River defense line of the Kuomintang army was breached, many of the kuomintang government's institutions left in Nanjing moved to Guangzhou, and acting president Li Zongren fled to Guilin. On April 23, the People's Liberation Army occupied Nanjing, marking the collapse of Nationalist rule on the mainland. After hearing the news of the liberation of Nanjing, Mao Zedong traced back to the past and wrote "Seven Laws: The People's Liberation Army Occupies Nanjing" with a stroke of his pen, which further demonstrated his determination to carry the revolution through to the end and stressed that "it is advisable to chase the poor and the poor with courage, and not to become a famous scholar and overlord."
At the same time as occupying Nanjing, the People's Liberation Army liberated Wuxi and Zhenjiang. On April 27, five enemy armies were encircled and annihilated in the southern Anhui and Guangde regions. By May 22, they had successively occupied Hangzhou, Wuhan, Jiujiang, and Nanchang. On the 27th, Shanghai was liberated. On June 2, Chongming Island at the mouth of the Yangtze River was liberated. At this point, the Battle of the River Crossing lasted 42 days and ended in victory. The Battle of crossing the river annihilated more than 430,000 enemy troops, occupied the cities of Nanjing, Shanghai, Wuhan and other cities in the center of Kuomintang rule, liberated southern Jiangsu, southern Anhui, Zhejiang province and jiangxi, Hubei, Fujian and other provinces, and created conditions for the liberation of all of east China and the march to the central and southwestern regions.