In May 1947, Menglianggu, Shandong. The 74th Division, the ace unit of the Kuomintang, fought to the death with the Communist East China Field Army. The smoke of gunfire was thick and the sound of gunfire was incessant. Zhang Lingfu, commander of the 74th Division, stood on the top of the mountain, looking at the communist troops surging in all directions, and couldn't help but fall into deep thought. How will this battle evolve?
The fall of the 74th Division: a turning point in the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party
During the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, there were five main forces in the Kuomintang army, and the 74th Division was one of them. The unit is well-equipped, the soldiers are well-trained, and the combat effectiveness is quite amazing. The 74th Division is not only equipped with American-style weapons, but also has a number of 30,000 people, which can be called a super force.
However, no matter how powerful an army is, it is inevitable that it will be defeated. In May 1947, the East China Field Army successfully annihilated the 74th Division in the Battle of Menglianggu. This victory was undoubtedly a major breakthrough for the communist army, but the post-war situation made the communist army's high-ranking Su Yu and Chen Yi quite dissatisfied. What happened to diminish the joy of this glorious victory?
An accidental discovery after the fall of the 74th Division
After the Battle of Menglianggu, the communist army began to count the results. However, when Su Yu checked the number of prisoners, his face suddenly became solemn. It stands to reason that the 74th Division has an establishment of 30,000 people, and even if more than 10,000 people are killed in battle, the number of prisoners should be about 20,000. But the reality is that the number of prisoners is only a few thousand.
This abnormal situation immediately aroused Su Yu's alarm. After consulting with Chen Yi, he decided to thoroughly investigate the battlefield again. Sure enough, in a hidden valley, the communist army found more than 7,000 hidden Kuomintang soldiers!
The appearance of these "fish that slipped through the net" made the leadership of the communist army realize a serious problem: if the troops were hastily withdrawn, this hidden unit was likely to pose a huge threat to the rear. More importantly, there are many experienced veterans in this group, and if they are re-absorbed by the Kuomintang, it will bring tremendous military pressure to the communist army.
How to dispose of 7000 captives?
In the face of these 7,000 captives, the top of the communist army launched a heated discussion. As is customary, the Communists have always adopted a policy of leniency towards prisoners, allowing them to stay or stay as they please. However, this time the situation was special, the 74th Division was strong in combat, and if these people were allowed to leave, it would be tantamount to sending elite forces to the enemy.
Chen Yi immediately decided: "These wolf cubs, none of them can be released!" Su Yu agreed, believing that he should find a way to transform these people into his own combat power. However, how to convince these stubborn Kuomintang soldiers? This has become a difficult problem facing the communist army.
At the same time, the officers and men of the captured 74th Division were also in trouble. They were reluctant to betray their faith, but feared that the Communists would retaliate against them. For a time, both sides were at an impasse.
Ideological confrontation: the transformation of the officers and men of the 74th Division
In order to resolve this stalemate, the communist army decided to try to convince the prisoners by means of ideological education. They organized a large-scale debate on the topic of "Combat Effectiveness of the 74th Division."
As soon as the debate began, the atmosphere was tense. The representatives of the communist army first recognized the strong strength of the 74th Division and praised them for being no less impressive even in battles with the United States and Britain and other forces. These remarks surprised the officers and men of the 74th Division, and they relaxed their guard slightly.
However, when the representative of the communist army asked, "If it is so strong, why is it still defeated by us?" The officers and men of the 74th Division were speechless. Some people defended that it was because of the surprise attack of the communist army, and they were caught off guard. The representative of the communist army asked rhetorically: "Is it necessary to give advance notice of the war?" This witty response caused the people present to laugh.
As the debate deepened, some of the mid-level officers of the 74th Division began to loosen. They realized that there were many problems with the Kuomintang army, and that some of the practices of the communist army were indeed worth emulating. For example, in battle, the communist company commanders, battalion commanders and even regiment commanders would rush to the front line, which was unthinkable in the Kuomintang army.
Eventually, a brigade commander of the 74th Division stood up and said, "Brothers, let's think about it from a different angle. If you can't get your military pay every month, who wants to work hard? The fact that the PLA has been able to defeat us many times is by no means a fluke. Perhaps, following them is a better choice. "
These words were like the last straw that broke the camel's back. More and more officers and men of the 74th Division began to waver, and finally decided to join the ranks of the communist army.
The battle of Meng Lianggu was not only a military victory, but also a contest of ideas. The destruction of the 74th Division and its subsequent transformation injected new blood into the communist army and sounded the death knell for the Kuomintang army.
In today's era of information explosion, we need to learn how to influence others with sincerity and wisdom, rather than simply confrontation. After all, in the world, there are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.