In the spring of 1948, the city of Changchun was enveloped in an atmosphere of tension. The Kuomintang general Zheng Dongguo had just arrived in this isolated city and took over as commander of the First Corps. He stood in front of the window of the headquarters, looking at the once prosperous "puppet Manchu capital", and his heart was full of worry. The situation in the Northeast is becoming increasingly severe, can Changchun hold on? What will be the fate of the city?
Changchun, as an important town in the northeast, has always been the focus of contention between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. In 1946, after the Kuomintang New First Army occupied Changchun, it vigorously strengthened the fortifications. By the beginning of 1948, Changchun had become an impregnable fortress city. With the successive victories of the Northeast Field Army, Changchun gradually became an isolated city.
The attitude of the KMT's top brass towards Changchun was very ambivalent. On the one hand, they believe that Changchun is of great strategic and political importance, and that abandonment will have serious consequences. On the other hand, Changchun was too far from the rear, it was difficult to supply, and the risk of guarding it was extremely high. This ambivalent attitude led to a series of ridiculous decisions.
【Cause】
In March 1948, the Kuomintang decided to form the First Corps, with Zheng Dongguo as its commander. Zheng Dongguo was reluctant to accept this hot potato, but under the pressure of his superiors, he could only reluctantly obey. He knew that Changchun was in a difficult situation, but he had to bite the bullet.
Immediately after Zheng Dongguo took office, he began to assess the state of Changchun's defenses. He found that although the fortifications were strong, the troops were insufficient and supplies were difficult. To make matters worse, Changchun was almost completely cut off from the rear, and in the event of a siege, it was difficult to count on foreign aid.
Faced with this situation, Zheng Dongguo had the idea of retreating in his heart. He believes that instead of sitting and waiting for death, it is better to take the initiative to withdraw and preserve the vitality. When he made this suggestion to his superiors, he was flatly rejected.
Zheng Dongguo's retreat proposal sparked a heated debate among the top echelons of the Kuomintang. The supporters of the entrenchment believe that Changchun is an important gateway to the northeast, and giving it up will seriously damage the morale of the military. They insisted that as long as they held Changchun, they could contain the main force of the communist army and buy time for other battlefields.
Those who advocate retreat argue that Changchun has become a huge burden. They feared that once the communist army launched a general offensive, Changchun would inevitably fall, and the losses would be even greater. The controversy continued until the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Chiang Kai-shek.
Chiang Kai-shek finally decided to defend Changchun. There are three reasons for him: first, Changchun is an important big city, and giving up will affect the international image; second, holding on to Changchun can contain the communist army and reduce the pressure on other battlefields; Third, he believed that the communist army lacked the ability to attack the fortified positions and could not conquer Changchun.
This decision put Zheng Dongguo in a dilemma. He clearly knew that Changchun was difficult to defend, but he had to carry out the orders of his superiors. So, he set about strengthening his defenses, while secretly preparing for the worst.
As the encirclement of the communist army shrank smaller and smaller, Changchun's situation became increasingly difficult. Zheng Dongguo commanded the troops to defend the city, but the supply problem became the biggest hidden danger. Due to the limited supplies airdropped, the city soon fell into a food shortage.
The communist army adopted a strategy of encircling but not fighting, preparing to slowly wear down the defenders of Changchun. The city was starved of supplies, and a large number of civilians were starved. When Zheng Dongguo saw this situation, his heart was like a knife. He repeatedly asked his superiors for permission to evacuate civilians, but was denied.
What made Zheng Dongguo feel most desperate was that he found out that his superiors were actually deceiving them. Nanjing has always claimed that it will send reinforcements, but in fact it has done nothing. Zheng Dongguo realized that they had been treated as outcasts.
In this case, the morale of the defenders dropped sharply. The phenomenon of desertion began to increase, and some people even plotted mutinies. Zheng Dongguo had to take drastic measures to maintain the morale of the army, but the effect was very limited.
At this time, the communist army began a tentative attack on Changchun. Although the defenders put up a hard fight, casualties continued to mount. Zheng Dongguo looked at the corpse of a warrior, and his heart was full of anger and helplessness. He knew that these young lives could have been sacrificed.
As time went on, the situation in Changchun became more and more critical. Food is running out and ammunition is running out. Zheng Dongguo has to face a cruel reality: continuing to hold on will only lead to more senseless sacrifices.
On a stormy night, Zheng Dongguo convened a secret meeting of the core generals. At the meeting, he put forward a bold plan: to organize a breakthrough. Although this was contrary to the orders of the superiors, the generals present agreed with this decision. They understand that this may be the only way to survive.
On the eve of the imminent implementation of the breakout plan, the communist forces launched a full-scale offensive. The already exhausted defenders soon collapsed. Zheng Dongguo led a small group of men to break out of the siege at the last moment, while most of the defenders fell into the hands of the enemy.
The Battle of Changchun came to an end. This battle fully exposed the decision-making mistakes and misjudgment of the situation at the top of the Kuomintang. They clung to a doomed city, not only sacrificing the lives of a large number of soldiers and civilians in vain, but also hastening their own collapse in the northeast.