War is always full of variables and surprises. When it comes to the local army during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, many people may first think of those central armies that have won many battles, and there was once a well-equipped Jin Sui army in the north, comparable to the central army, who fought bravely and well on the battlefield, and once became the pride of Yan Xishan. By the time of the Liberation War, this once elite division seemed to have become vulnerable, why was this?
Jin Suijun, this name once resounded in the sky in the War of Resistance Against Japan. As Yan Xishan's direct subordinate troops, they are not only well-equipped, but also have strong combat effectiveness. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the performance of the Jin Sui Army can be said to be quite outstanding, and once terrified the Japanese army. But then again, the brutality of war is not only reflected in the smoke of gunpowder on the front line, but also in the strife and power struggle within the army.
The strength of the Jin Sui army stemmed from its equipment and strict organizational structure. In the Battle of Xinkou, the Jin Sui army invested 10 artillery regiments in one go, which was rare in the local Chinese army at that time. It can be seen that the degree of equipment and combat effectiveness of this army are obvious to all. Even such an elite unit gradually revealed problems in the War of Liberation after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War.
The Jin Sui army suffered heavy losses in the war against Japan, and although its number was reduced from 200,000 to the remaining 40,000, this was only part of the problem. More importantly, when the post-war Jin Sui Army was reorganized, it relied heavily on the incorporated puppet army and the strength left over from the Japanese army. Although the effect of this mixed arms has increased manpower in the short term, it has also buried hidden dangers.
Soon after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War in 1945, the performance of the Jin Suijun began to be questioned. Yan Xishan tried to use this force to regain its strength, but found that its combat effectiveness was not as good as before. In 1946, the People's Liberation Army, under the command of Liu Deng, began a series of counterattacks against the Jin Sui army. In the contest again and again, the Jin Suijun always seems to be at a disadvantage, what is the fundamental reason?
Further analyzing the mystery of the combat effectiveness of the Jin Sui army, we have to mention the issue of morale and loyalty of the army. The recruited puppet army and the Japanese army, their loyalty naturally cannot be compared with the original Jin Sui army. In the post-war reorganization, the Jin Sui army also failed to effectively integrate the old and new forces, resulting in many internal frictions and instability.
From 1947 to 1949, the Jin Sui Army demonstrated its lack of combat effectiveness in many battles. Especially in the battle with the PLA, the Jin Sui army was defeated many times due to poor command and weak fighting will of the soldiers. Some of the top generals of the Jin Sui Army, for example, tried to maintain their power through political negotiations in the early days of the Liberation War, but as the war situation continued to deteriorate, these efforts gradually became inadequate.
Although the Jin Sui army was well-equipped in the war of resistance, the depletion of resources and the reduction of external support after the war also made it difficult for this team to maintain its past combat state. The aging of equipment, the lack of updating, and the lack of training all directly affected the actual combat capability of the Jin Sui army.
In addition, there was a clear split in the leadership of the Jin Sui Army in the late and post-war periods of the Anti-Japanese War. Although Yan Xishan was a visionary leader, during the turbulent period after the war, his influence gradually declined, and many independent individuals in thought and action appeared among his subordinates, such as the independent action of Fu Zuoyi, the commander of the 35th Army. Fu Zuoyi later reached a peace agreement with the Communists, which led to a further split in the strength of the Jin Sui army.
These problems of the Jin Sui Army were magnified one by one in the War of Liberation. In the face of the well-organized and determined People's Liberation Army, the weaknesses of the Jin Sui army began to be gradually exposed. Whether it was in the application of tactics, the coherence of command, or the combat morale of the soldiers, the Jin Sui army could not match the PLA.
In the end, the performance of the Jin Sui army in the War of Liberation became a tragic example. From the pride of a former local army to the rout in the War of Liberation, this reflects not only the comparison of military strength, but also the comprehensive effect of political, economic, social and other factors. The story of Jin Suijun reminds us of the complexity of war and history, as well as the importance of individual and collective choices in the context of the great era.
The historical experience of the Jin Suijun is an extremely complex and thought-provoking chapter in modern Chinese history. From the heroism of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression to the fragility of the War of Liberation, the changes in the middle are not only changes at the military level, but also a direct reflection of the changes in the background, internal structure and external environment of the times.