In February 1947, Shandong was cold and windy. In Laiwu City, the Kuomintang general Li Xianzhou was proud, not realizing that he was about to fall into a huge trap. At the same time, Chen Yi, commander of the East China Field Army, and Su Yu, deputy commander of the East China Field Army, were secretly deploying a shocking drama. A battle to change China's destiny is quietly begins.
[Who's playing the next big game?] 】
In Shandong at the beginning of 1947, this was not the case. After the outbreak of the Kuomintang-Communist civil war, Chiang Kai-shek sent a large army to attack the liberated area of Shandong, in a vain attempt to annihilate the Communist East China Field Army in one fell swoop. On the surface, the Kuomintang had the advantage of strong soldiers and well-equipped troops. But who would have thought that the Communist Party was already playing a big game of chess.
Chen Yi and Su Yu, the "golden partner", are not vegetarians. They knew very well that they would not be able to please each other, so they came up with a brilliant idea: deliberately abandon Linyi, lure the Kuomintang army to go deeper, and then "close the door and beat the dogs". If this trick is successful, it will be a pot!
But it was not easy to deceive the scheming Chiang Kai-shek. Chen Yi and Su Yu took great pains: first, they sent a small number of troops to feign the main force and fought fiercely with the Kuomintang army in the south; He also asked the local armed forces to build bridges over the canal and pretend to retreat. This move really frightened Chiang Kai-shek, and he thought that the Communists were going to run!
[Li Xianzhou's fatal advance]
Li Xianzhou, Li Xianzhou, do you say you are too carried away?
This high-achieving student of the first phase of Huangpu led three legions into the liberated area of Shandong, and he really thought that he had won the victory. But how did he know that he was walking into the trap carefully set by the enemy step by step.
Li Xianzhou's troops were not covered, there were more than 1,000 light machine guns alone, which was more than the number of the entire PLA army at that time. But no matter how sophisticated the equipment is, it can't match the wisdom of the common people. Listen to what these tricks are:
Dig pits at night and fill them up during the day. Li Xianzhou's cars and tanks fell wherever they went, and he was so angry that he jumped to his feet. But what's the use? The next day was another flat avenue, and Li Xianzhou scratched his head.
That's not all, what's even worse is Li Xianzhou's own mistakes. He received an order to speed up his march and rushed forward without saying a word. As everyone knows, this is exactly in the hands of Chen Yi and Su Yu.
[A thrilling game of "peek-a-boo"]
The most exciting part of this battle is the secret northward movement of the main force of the East China Field Army.
Imagine how difficult it is to move tens of thousands of troops silently! Chen Yi and Su Yu have made a bloody investment: the whole army can only march at night and hide during the day. On a cold day, the soldiers braved the cold wind, stepped on the mountain road, and walked silently for several days.
On February 19, the East China Field Army suddenly appeared around Laiwu and startled Li Xianzhou. This is "hide and seek", it's just magic!
At this time, Chiang Kai-shek and his henchman Chen Cheng were still dreaming. When they saw that the Communist Party had abandoned Linyi, they thought they had picked up a bargain. As everyone knows, he didn't pick up this bargain, but pushed his army into the fire pit.
[An unknown hero]
Speaking of which, we have to mention a big hero hidden in the Kuomintang army: Han Liancheng.
This seemingly loyal Kuomintang general was actually a "time bomb" planted by the Communist Party in the enemy's army. Han Liancheng is not an ordinary person, he is a hero who saved Chiang Kai-shek's life, and he is deeply trusted by Chiang Kai-shek. But who would have thought that this red man of "Jiang Jiajun" had already secretly defected to the Communist Party.
Han Liancheng has made a great contribution this time. He not only revealed the enemy's breakthrough plan to Chen Yi and Su Yu, but also played "disappearing" at a critical moment. Do you think, the commander of an army suddenly disappeared, how can this battle be fought?
In this way, Han Liancheng, the "invisible general", became a key figure in turning the tide of the war. His "golden cicada shelling" not only disrupted the deployment of the enemy army, but also won valuable time for the East China Field Army. The operation of this drama is even more exciting than a spy war movie!
[Chiang Kai-shek's "oolong command"]
The most dramatic scene of this battle is Chiang Kai-shek's "divine assistance".
The situation at that time was like this: Wang Yaowu, an old fox, smelled danger and wanted Li Xianzhou to retreat. But where are Chiang Kai-shek and Chen Cheng willing to listen? When they saw that the Communist Party had abandoned Linyi, they thought it was pie in the sky.
Chiang Kai-shek slapped the table: Li Xianzhou, chase me! Chase to the end!
Isn't it funny, you say? Chen Yi and Su Yu were worried that Li Xianzhou would not be able to fight if he retracted, and Chiang Kai-shek gave this order and directly sent Li Xianzhou into the encirclement. Isn't that a disservice?
The result can be imagined, Li Xianzhou's more than 50,000 horses were surrounded by the East China Field Corps, and the battle was defeated. Chiang Kai-shek's nickname of "Captain of the Transport Brigade" is confirmed this time.
[A big game-changing victory]
The victory in the Battle of Laiwu was not ordinary.
You think, after a battle, the Communists captured 1,773 light machine guns, 283 heavy machine guns, and 2 anti-aircraft machine guns. It may not be much today, but it was worth a lot back then!
With these captured weapons, how many troops can the East China Field Army arm? According to the minimum standard, it can equip 33 infantry regiments; By a higher standard, it can also equip 22 infantry regiments. That's not a small amount!
More importantly, this victory completely disrupted the deployment of the Kuomintang and laid the foundation for the later campaign. It can be said that the Battle of Laiwu was an important turning point for the Communist Party in the War of Liberation from weak to strong.
Looking back on the Battle of Laiwu, what can we learn?
First of all, it tells us that in war, resourcefulness is sometimes more important than weapons. Chen Yi and Su Yu relied on their superb strategic vision and witty tactical arrangements to defeat the strong with the weak and create a miracle.
Second, we see the important role of ordinary people in warfare. Without the support of the local masses, the secret transfer and ambush plan of the East China Field Army could not have been realized. This proves once again that the power of the people's war is infinite.
Finally, Han Liancheng tells us that in complex historical scenes, human nature is often more complex than imagined. A seemingly loyal general may be secretly serving the enemy.