Since the founding of our army, it can be said that there are many talents and stars, and Peng Dehuai is the most dazzling one among many generals. However, Peng Dehuai did not debut early, and he joined the party very late. In North Korea, Peng Dehuai once personally said to Deputy Commander Chen Geng: "In terms of qualifications, I am not as good as you." However, in this way, Peng Dehuai came from behind and became the second marshal.
And the reason why Peng Dehuai was able to be the last to come first was because he had a "superpower" that no one could match, a kind of "superpower" that Chairman Mao valued very much, that is, the command ability to ignore the "mountain".
1. Peng Dehuai, who has never engaged in self-centeredness
"The prime minister must start from the state department, and the fierce general must be sent from the army", this sentence is extremely appropriate to describe Peng Dehuai. Peng Dehuai was born poor and did not read much. Mr. Peng later became a big soldier in the Hunan army, and later went to Hunan to lecture on martial arts for a period of time. In terms of academic qualifications and qualifications, they are not as good as those high-achieving students who graduated from Baoding Lecture Hall, Huangpu Military Academy or Europe and Suzhou.
By 1928, Peng Dehuai was still only a regiment leader, and his starting point was not high. You must know that at the time of the Nanchang Uprising, He Longdu was already a military commander. However, it was this former small regiment commander who greatly changed the pattern of the armed division of the Red Army.
After the defeat of the Great Revolution, our party staged more than 100 armed uprisings, which can be roughly divided into three types: 1. Workers' uprisings, represented by the three armed uprisings in Shanghai; 2. Peasant uprisings, represented by Chairman Mao's Autumn Harvest Uprising; and 3. Soldiers' uprisings, represented by the Nanchang Uprising and the Guangzhou Uprising. Unlike both of them, which broke out in the provincial capital of the political, economic, and cultural center, the Pingjiang Uprising was an uprising in a county on the edge of the province.
At the same time, the Pingjiang Uprising launched by Peng Dehuai was not sent by a higher-level leading organ, but was endogenous to the main body of the troops, and was launched at Peng Dehuai's initiative for a long time. In this sense, the scale and impact of the uprising were great, and the military rebellion won a great victory.
After the outbreak of the Pingjiang Uprising, Peng Dehuai and Teng Daiyuan reorganized more than 2,500 people under their headquarters into the Red Fifth Army. Peng Dehuai's command ability is outstanding, and his subordinate soldiers have strong combat effectiveness, so he can completely establish his own base and become a "prince". However, Peng Dehuai never had such an idea, he wanted to open up a base area from the beginning, and then join forces with the Zhumao Red Army
Long before the uprising was brewing, Peng Dehuai replied to Huang Gongluo in the form of poems:
"The Autumn Harvest Uprising was in the countryside, and the lesson of failure was blind movement. Only the Runzhi Workers and Peasants Army jumped on the new banner of Jinggang. I want to follow this example, either by the lake or by the mountains. ”
On December 10, 1928, Peng Dehuai led the Red Fifth Army straight to Jiangxi and joined Mao Zedong and Zhu De's Red Fourth Army in Ninggang New Town. For the Vermilion Red Army at that time, this was like a charcoal in the snow.
Why do you say that? Previously, the Red Army of Zhu Mao marched into southern Hunan and suffered the famous "August defeat." There were three regiments in the Red Fourth Army, the 29th Regiment was dispersed in a hurry, and the 28th Regiment lost the famous cadre Wang Erzhuo. Although the 31st Regiment was relatively complete, its combat effectiveness was not outstanding. In desperation, the Red Army had no choice but to abandon Jinggangshan and march towards southern Jiangxi.
At this time, the Red Fourth Army was already facing a life-and-death situation, but at this time, Peng Dehuai led the Red Fifth Army, a new force, to Ninggang, and the Red Army was revitalized.
In his conversation with Tang Degang, Li Zongren mentioned:
In the early spring of 1928, the Communist Party launched a rebellion of some peasant unions in southern Hunan, and Peng Dehuai, the commander of He Jian's 35th Army, also erected a red flag in response...... Peng had nowhere to stay, so he led his troops and Mao Zedong to retreat to the southern Jiangxi region......"
Li Zongren believes that Peng Dehuai's arrival has brought a shot of strength to the Red Army. The 29th Regiment that was dispersed in the "August Defeat" originated from the Southern Hunan Uprising led by Zhu De and Chen Yi, and was a unit developed and expanded from the regular army of the Nanchang Uprising. The collapse of the 29th Regiment dealt a great blow to the Red Fourth Army. The Red Fifth Army led by Peng Dehuai was also from the regular army, and its weapons and training were much stronger than those of the peasant army.
The gathering of Mao Zedong, Zhu De, and Peng Dehuai, the three heroes of the world, marked a qualitative change in the red armed struggle. The Red Army not only had a strong army, but also Peng Dehuai, the perfect executor. Mao Zedong and Zhu De carried out strategic planning, and Peng Dehuai was always able to complete it perfectly, coupled with the already up-and-coming Commander Lin, the Red Army at this time really became a victorious division capable of conquest and habitual warfare.
After the Red Fourth Army and the Red Fifth Army joined forces, Peng Dehuai put forward another move with great strategic vision. At that time, Mao Zedong and Zhu De were originally going to southern Fujian for development, but Peng Dehuai thought that this move was inappropriate. If you go to southern Fujian and are forced to the beach by the White Army, there will be little room for maneuver. It is better to be cunning and rabbit three caves, kill back to Hunan and Jiangxi, and echo with the east and west of southern Fujian and western Fujian.
In this way, the Red Fifth Army was reorganized into the 30th Regiment of the Red Fourth Army, which returned to the Hunan and Jiangxi borders and began the process of creating the Central Soviet Region. Later, the Red 30th Regiment restored the structure of the Red Fifth Army, galloped across the three provinces of Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi, and continued to grow its strength. In June 1930, the Central Committee established the Red Third Army with the Red Fifth Army as the backbone. At this time, the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi Soviet region expanded to nearly 20 counties, becoming a relatively consolidated base area, echoing the east and west of southern Jiangxi and western Fujian of the Zhumao Red Army.
In September 1930, Chiang Kai-shek launched the first "encirclement and suppression". The 1st Red Army demanded that the 3rd Red Army immediately cross the Gan River east and fight the enemy together with them. Peng Dehuai convened a meeting of the generals, and some people adhered to localism and did not want to cross eastward, and once put forward the idea of the First and Third Army Corps "fighting across the river".
However, Peng Dehuai tried his best to defy public opinion, how can he engage in localism to eliminate the enemy, he must cross the river, and he must work with the Red First Army to smash the enemy's "encirclement and suppression". Politically, with Zhu and Mao as the banners, the Red Army was centralized and unified, and the First and Third Army Corps were no longer separated.
Most of the cadres who were reluctant to cross the river came from Hunan, Hubei, and Jiangxi regions. However, Peng Dehuai's lofty prestige and clear-cut attitude persuaded comrades who were unwilling to stay away from their homeland and played a decisive role in implementing the policy of "luring the enemy into depth." After the 1st and 3rd Army Corps of the Red Army joined forces, they really broke the first "encirclement and suppression" of the Kuomintang army. Peng Dehuai's strong party spirit and high strategic vision can be seen.
Second, the ability to command all the hills
If Commander Lin is the spear of the Red First Army, then Peng Dehuai is the heavy sword of the Red Third Army. The heavy sword has no edge, and the great ingenuity does not work. Under the leadership of Peng Dehuai, the Red Third Army was extremely fierce, and when it came to tough battles and vicious battles, it was always right to send Mr. Peng to play.
In July 1930, Peng Dehuai led the Red Third Army to storm Changsha. Mr. Peng only had 8,000 people in his hands, and his old superior, He Jian, had 30,000 troops. As a result, He Jian was defeated by Peng Dehuai, and was captured by Peng Dehuai of more than 4,000 people, more than 3,000 guns, 28 light and heavy machine guns, more than 20 pursuit guns, 2 mountain artillery, and lost the provincial capital Changsha. Changsha also became the only provincial capital captured by the Red Army during the Agrarian Revolution.
In the third anti-"encirclement and suppression" war, the Red Third Army made a detour of thousands of miles, returned to its division to rejuvenate the country, won three battles and won three victories, and created a miracle of winning two great victories in one day.
The Central Committee originally wanted to establish the Red Third Front Army on the basis of the Red Third Army Corps. But Peng Dehuai resolutely refused, and it was more appropriate to unite with the Red First Army. Peng Dehuai had no intention of establishing his own "mountain".
In the fifth anti-"encirclement and suppression" campaign, the Red Third Army played a mainstay role. In November 1933, Peng Dehuai led the Red Army to secretly sneak and raid Linchuan. At this time, Chiang Kai-shek sat in Linchuan to command the battle. Peng Dehuai was so fierce that he fought all the way to Chiang Kai-shek's headquarters, only 30 kilometers away. Although this battle did not capture Chiang Kai-shek, it made him discouraged for a while, and he said to Deng Wenyi:
"The anti-bandit troops have worked in vain, the combat is ineffective, and the critical battle situation has actually occurred near Fuzhou, which proves that our anti-bandit troops are no longer capable of defeating the communist bandits. ”
After the failure of the fifth anti-"encirclement and suppression" campaign, the Red Army embarked on the road of the Long March, and Peng Dehuai's Red Third Army Corps and the Red First Army always served as the main force during the treacherous Long March, shouldering the heavy task of breaking through the encirclement and advancing, blocking the enemy after breaking off, and defending the Party Central Committee
Peng Dehuai broke through the four blockade lines, crossed Chishui to participate in the battle to seize Loushan Pass and recapture Zunyi City, and third, after the council meeting, the Red Third Army assumed the responsibility of the rearguard force to block the enemy who was chasing after him. He made great contributions to the victory of the Long March.
Later, Zhang Guotao issued a "99 telegram" to split the Red Army, and Peng Dehuai firmly stood on Chairman Mao's side, leading the Red Third Army Corps and the Red First Army Corps, a total of 7,000 people, to form a northern Shaanxi detachment to go north to northern Shaanxi. When he arrived in Wuqi Town, the central government decided to revoke the number of the Red Third Army, and Peng Dehuai showed a high demeanor of obedience to the overall situation.
Since joining the Red Army, Peng Dehuai has made countless meritorious contributions and played a mainstay role. As Mao Zedong praised:
"The mountains are high, the roads are dangerous, and the ravines are deep, and the cavalry is at your disposal. Who can be slashed immediately, only I am General Peng. ”
Peng Dehuai did not have deep seniority in the party, and he participated in the revolution relatively late, but he came from behind, second only to Commander-in-Chief Zhu De, and was known as "Master Mao, Deputy Marshal Zhu, and Marshal Peng".
In the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Peng Dehuai served as the deputy commander-in-chief of the Eighth Route Army, and it was for this reason that Peng Dehuai was able to command the main divisions of the three main hills of the Red Army - the 115th, 129th and 120th Divisions.
It is precisely because of this that Peng Dehuai was able to gather more than 100 regiments and more than 400,000 troops to launch a battle of 100 regiments. From then on, Peng Dehuai was another general besides Zhu De who could ignore the "mountain" and support the main forces of our army. And this is something that Liu Bocheng, Xu Xiangqian, Lin Zong, Su Yu and other generals do not have.
3. Peng Dehuai "supports each mountain like an arm"
During the Liberation War, Peng Dehuai became deputy commander-in-chief of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. In 1947, Hu Zongnan's 250,000-strong army launched a key offensive against northern Shaanxi, and Peng Dehuai was ordered to become the commander and political commissar of the Northwest Field Army. The troops left in northern Shaanxi originated from the 120th Division during the Anti-Japanese War, which was He Long's old troops.
Although there were some problems and clashes at first, Peng Dehuai quickly mastered the entire force. Although the number is small, Peng Dehuai can dance on the tip of the knife, and win again and again, Qinghuatou, Yangmahe, and Panlong Town, so that Hu Zongnan can not gain a foothold in northern Shaanxi. In the Battle of Yiwa, Peng Dehuai skillfully set up an ambush and completely annihilated the 29th Army of the Kuomintang. Hu Zongnan was forced to withdraw from Yan'an.
With such inferior equipment and such a small number of people in Xiye, Peng Dehuai was able to achieve such an outstanding record, and he deserved to be the top general in our army. At the same time, it can also be seen that Peng Dehuai's ability to control other Shantou teams.
Shortly after the three major battles, the Northwest Field Army was reorganized into the 1st Field Army. Before liberating the northwest, Peng Dehuai led the 18th and 19th Corps to successfully liberate Taiyuan. You must know that the 18th and 19th Corps were once subordinate to the North China Field Army. Soon after, all members of the 18th and 19th Corps joined the Northwest Field Army, followed Peng Dehuai to fight Xianyang, take Guanzhong, attack Longdong, break Lanzhou, and destroy the three major forces of the Kuomintang in the northwest - Hu Zongnan, Ma Bufang, and Ma Hongkui. Subsequently, Yiye marched into Xinjiang, completely ending the Kuomintang's rule in the northwest.
After the outbreak of the Korean War, MacArthur launched the Inchon landing, and the main force of the Korean People's Army was almost completely annihilated, and the United Nations forces were about to be killed by the Yalu River. When Chairman Mao decided to support North Korea, Peng Dehuai became one of the few people who supported the chairman's military deployment. Subsequently, General Manager Peng took over the command of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army and served as commander and political commissar.
The first batch of troops to enter the DPRK were mainly the Siye troops, and the Siye troops were mainly derived from the Red First Army. As early as the Red Army, Peng Dehuai commanded them to fight. Even in the early days of the Korean War, the 38th Army, which Peng Dehuai once scolded and praised bitterly, was also his old unit. The 334th Regiment of the 112th Division of the 38th Army was simply the Red Tenth Regiment led by General Peng in the Pingjiang Uprising. Therefore, the Volunteer Army was dominated by Siye at the beginning, but Peng Dehuai, who came from Yiye, was still able to command freely.
After the fifth battle, the 19th Corps from the First Field, the 3rd Corps from the Second Field, and the 9th Corps from the Third Field entered the DPRK one after another, and this time the four major field armies were completely gathered in the hands of General Peng. In the whole army, I am afraid that Peng Dehuai is the only one who has the ability to command the four major field armies. And this is also the fundamental reason why Mao Zedong strongly supported Peng Dehuai's entry into the Korean War.
There is a saying on the Internet: look at Mr. Lin in good times, look at Su Yu in adversity, and look at Peng Dehuai in desperate situations. This sentence is a portrayal of Peng Dehuai's commanding career, his heaviness and his strength have supported the people's army and ensured the victory of the Chinese revolution. His great achievements will always be worthy of our commemoration, and his great exploits will be with the Yangtze River and the Yellow River.