In the spring of 1947, in the valley of Menglianggu, a decisive battle quietly unfolded. Zhang Lingfu, the proud son of the Kuomintang, led the integrated 74th Division, known as the "first army in the world", and confidently entered this seemingly calm battlefield. His opponent, Su Yu, a general known for his cunning and courage, is quietly laying a net. Zhang Lingfu thought that he knew every corner of the battlefield and that he could foresee every opponent's movements. However, as the wheel of history rolls forward, there is always something that even the most astute warriors can hardly predict. So, on the battlefield of Meng Lianggu, what did Zhang Lingfu do not expect? Did his self-confidence become the precursor of his failure?
Introduction: Zhang Lingfu's self-confidence and initial deployment
The spring breeze blew through Meng Lianggu, and the war clouds were thick. Zhang Lingfu, the commander of the 74th Division, was dressed in a battle robe and looked calm. This person is a famous general in the Anti-Japanese War, who defeated the enemy army in the Battle of Lianshui and is famous. The 74th Division, proud of its American-style equipment, is known as the "first army in the world", and its combat effectiveness is second to none in the Kuomintang army.
Zhang Lingfu had a foresight in the battle of Meng Lianggu. He knew that the terrain was dangerous, with undulating mountains and lush forests, and it was a battleground for soldiers. He was convinced that with the strength of the 74th Division, it would be enough to show its strength here and crush the enemy in one fell swoop. His plan was to take the Huaye Headquarters Tangbu directly and capture the enemy leaders Chen Yi and Su Yu alive with lightning speed, so as to boost the morale of the national army and turn the tide of the war in one fell swoop.
However, Zhang Lingfu did not realize that his opponent Su Yu was also a general who used soldiers like a god. Su Yu has won many battles with less, and his tactics are changeable and elusive. In this battle of Meng Lianggu, Su Yu had already laid an exquisite tactical trap, waiting for Zhang Lingfu to throw himself into the net.
Zhang Lingfu's self-confidence stems from the strong strength of the 74th Division and its brilliant achievements in the past. His troops were well-equipped, well-trained officers and men, and had a strong will to fight. In his opinion, these are the only ways to ensure victory. His confidence in the troops was also translated into a firm belief in the victory of the campaign.
In the pre-war deployment, Zhang Lingfu planned every step of the operation in detail. He ordered the troops to take tight defensive measures, and at the same time prepared sufficient logistics supplies to ensure that the troops would not run out of supplies during the long battle. He also emphasized the importance of intelligence and asked the troops to keep abreast of the enemy's movements so that they could adjust their tactics at any time.
In Zhang Lingfu's plan, the 74th Division will be divided into three routes, one main attack, two covers, forming a situation of encirclement, and smashing Huanglong with rapid force. He believed that as long as he acted according to the established plan, victory would be in hand.
However, the vagaries of the war were far beyond Zhang Lingfu's expectations. The mountain breeze in Meng Lianggu seemed to be filled with the smell of gunsmoke, and the sound of war drums echoed in the valley, and a major battle related to the fate of the two armies was about to begin. Will Zhang Lingfu be able to get his wish and capture the head of the enemy army? Or will he leave an eternal regret in Menglianggu? The balance of war is waiting for a subtle tilt of history.
A turning point in the campaign: unexpected tactical and psychological warfare
The spring is cold, and in the mountain breeze of Menglianggu, the clouds of war are thick. Although the integrated 74th Division led by Zhang Lingfu was well-equipped and morale-like, Su Yu on the opposite side was an opponent that could not be underestimated. Su Yu, known for his unfathomable tactics and courage, is waiting for the right moment to defeat the strong with the weak and outwit him.
Su Yu's tactical layout is a well-planned psychological warfare and tactical struggle. He did not rely solely on guerrilla tactics or movement warfare, as Zhang Lingfu had expected. Instead, he opted for a bold and risky strategy - a central breakthrough. This strategy, aimed at hitting the enemy in the heart with its own central force, is a tactic of high precision and speed.
In the pre-war layout, Su Yu did not expose all his forces to the enemy. He took advantage of the complex terrain of Menglianggu and laid a net of heaven and earth, making it difficult for the 74th Division to identify the real direction of attack. His troops shuttled through the mountains and forests, like shadows and illusions, making it difficult for Zhang Lingfu to grasp his true intentions.
In addition, Su Yu also skillfully used psychological tactics to mislead Zhang Lingfu's judgment through feints and bluffs. He deliberately exposed part of his troops to the sight of the enemy scouts, creating the illusion that his strength was weak, and inducing Zhang Lingfu to underestimate the enemy.
In terms of tactics, Su Yu also added three unexpected new elements, which further deepened Zhang Lingfu's miscalculation. First of all, he took advantage of the complex terrain of Menglianggu and set up multiple ambush points, which made it difficult for the 74th Division to give full play to its firepower advantage even in the offensive. Secondly, Su Yu also received covert support from the local population, who provided valuable intelligence and material support to the Huaye Army. Finally, Su Yu's troops received a large number of weapons and ammunition from the northeast before the war, and these new equipment greatly enhanced their firepower.
In this psychological and tactical contest, Su Yu showed his military talents. Not only did he win tactically, but he also had the upper hand psychologically. His troops, under his command, were like tigers in the mountains, and although they were few in number, each sortie fiercely tore through the enemy's defenses.
And Zhang Lingfu, although he has strong military strength and equipment, gradually fell into passivity in this tactical and psychological double battle. His troops were like a blind man touching an elephant in the mountains and forests of Menglianggu, and it was difficult to grasp the true face of the battle situation. Their movements were firmly controlled by the enemy, and every step was in Su Yu's calculations.
As the battle deepened, Zhang Lingfu's troops were gradually drawn into the battlefield carefully arranged by Su Yu. Here, every inch of land can become a battlefield, and every encounter can be a life-and-death contest. The mountain wind of Meng Lianggu was already filled with the smell of gunsmoke, and the sound of war drums echoed in the valley, and a big battle related to the fate of the two armies was quietly staged in this mountain forest.
Zhang Lingfu's four didn't expect it
As the battle deepened, the valley of Menglianggu was filled with gunsmoke and war. Although the reorganized 74th Division led by Zhang Lingfu was well-equipped and had high morale, it gradually fell into a predicament in the face of Su Yu's ingenious tactical layout and psychological warfare. In this battle, Zhang Lingfu encountered several major accidents, which he had not expected before the war.
First of all, Zhang Lingfu did not expect the strength of the enemy army and the precise execution of tactics. Although he knew that Su Yu was an expert, he failed to properly assess the opponent's tactical ability. Su Yu's troops were not only rapidly massed in numbers, but also extremely precise in their tactical execution, and their central breakthrough tactics perfectly cut the 74th Division's defensive line, leaving Zhang Lingfu's troops on the back foot.
Second, Zhang Lingfu did not expect that his stubbornness would lead to strategic mistakes. At the beginning of the campaign, Zhang Lingfu chose to hold on to Menglianggu, hoping to use the terrain and equipment advantages to resist the enemy's offensive. However, this decision instead caused his troops to lose mobility, allowing Su Yu to make better use of the terrain and tactical variability to carry out multi-directional attacks around the 74th Division, gradually weakening its combat effectiveness.
The third thing that was not expected was the inaction of friendly neighboring forces. Zhang Lingfu originally hoped that the surrounding Kuomintang troops would be able to provide support and jointly fight against the communist army. However, due to his past arrogance, he did not have a good relationship with friendly forces, which led to his failure to receive the expected assistance at a critical moment. Many units that might have fought together chose to wait and see or protect themselves, and did not desperately save each other, so that the 74th Division was increasingly isolated under the heavy pressure of the enemy.
In the end, Zhang Lingfu did not expect that Hua Ye received a large number of weapons and ammunition from Northeast China before the war. This new equipment greatly enhanced the firepower of the communist army, so that they were not inferior against the well-equipped 74th Division. Zhang Lingfu had never expected this, and he thought that his superior equipment would be enough to suppress any enemy resistance.
These unexpected developments gradually changed the situation on the battlefield. Zhang Lingfu's troops, although heroic, were tactically passive, psychologically stressed, and lacked external support, which made them gradually lose the initiative in the battle of Meng Lianggu. The brutality and unpredictability of war are vividly reflected here. In the mountain breeze of Meng Lianggu, there is not only the smell of gunsmoke, but also the bitterness of strategic mistakes and unexpected setbacks.
Ending and Reflection: The Fall of Zhang Lingfu and the Lessons of History
In the dense fog of Menglianggu, the flames of war have not dissipated, and the fate of the reorganized 74th Division has been settled. Zhang Lingfu, a general who was once feared by both friends and foes, was finally completely destroyed on the battlefield that he was confident that he could achieve great ambitions.
As the campaign progressed, Zhang Lingfu's troops were gradually surrounded by Su Yu's army. Su Yu's tactical layout and psychological warfare tactics, as well as his precise control of the battlefield, gradually deprived Zhang Lingfu of any possibility of counterattack. In the dense forests and steep terrain of Menglianggu, the technical and equipment superiority of the 74th Division failed to play its due role, but became a burden to their actions.
The battle entered its final stage, and Zhang Lingfu's troops were in a desperate situation. The lack of adequate support and supplies, coupled with the continuous fighting that drained the physical strength and morale of the soldiers, the resistance of the 74th Division dropped sharply. Su Yu's troops took advantage of this and launched a final general offensive. In this offensive, Zhang Lingfu's troops suffered a devastating blow, and a large number of soldiers were killed, including Zhang Lingfu himself.
Zhang Lingfu's death marked the end of the reorganization of the 74th Division and also symbolized a major defeat of the Kuomintang in the civil war. The battle was not only a military defeat, but also a major strategic and psychological setback. Zhang Lingfu's overconfidence, as well as his miscalculation of the enemy's strength, led to his inability to effectively deal with Su Yu's flexible and changeable tactics.
In addition, Zhang Lingfu failed to effectively integrate and utilize the forces of the surrounding friendly forces before the war, and this isolation became his Achilles' heel at a critical moment. His troops' entrenched strategy at Meng Lianggu eventually translated into a tactical stalemate, making it easier for the enemy to encircle and annihilate them.
The battle of Meng Lianggu eventually became an important turning point in the history of China's civil war. It not only changed the situation of the war, but also provided valuable lessons for the study of military tactics. This battle proved that in modern warfare, superiority in military force and equipment alone is not enough to guarantee victory. Flexible tactical use, accurate intelligence acquisition, and effective use of psychological warfare are all indispensable elements of modern warfare.
As the flames of war gradually died out, the valley of Menglianggu returned to tranquility again. But those soldiers who fell on this land, and the historical significance of this battle, will forever be remembered in the pages of history.