During the 10-year confrontation between the Kuomintang and the Communists, Chiang Kai-shek launched five large-scale encirclement and suppression campaigns against the base areas. In addition to the central base areas, Chiang Kai-shek also sent heavy troops to encircle and suppress the Eyu-Anhui base areas of the Four Fronts.
After the second encirclement and suppression was broken by the Red Army, Chiang Kai-shek soon began preparations for the third encirclement and suppression. Just before he could move, Xu Xiangqian moved the idea of making the first move stronger. At that time, because the September 18 Incident had just broken out, Chiang Kai-shek was entangled in various affairs, and the Red Fourth Front took the initiative to attack Huang'an, using the encirclement point to attack and annihilate 15,000 enemy troops, severely damaged the enemy army, and successfully defused the threat yet to be formed on the southern line of the base area.
After the Battle of Huang'an, the counties of Huang'an, Macheng, Huangpi, and Xiaogan were united, and the strength of the Red Army soared. On the contrary, most of the enemy troops around the base area shrank and took a defensive position against the Red Army.
So what is the situation of the enemy situation north of the base area? The 12th Division of the Northern Line, Zeng Wanzhong, was located in Huangchuan District, a regiment located in the port of North Asia on the Huangshang Highway 20 miles southeast of the city. Tang Enbo's 2nd Division and Tang Yunshan's Independent 33rd Brigade were garrisoned at Chuanliudian, Du fudian, and Jiangjiaji on the Huangshang Highway. The main force of Chen Yaohan's Fifty-eighth Division was stationed at Shangcheng, and one of them was placed on the Hefeng Bridge on the Huangshang Highway. In addition, in the Gushi area, there was the Twenty-fifth Division of Dai Minquan.
The enemy's intention is very obvious, that is, to try to use the Huangshang Highway as a line to cut off the base areas of Eyu-Anhui and western Anhui so that it can be easily encircled and suppressed in the future. Since the enemy's intentions are already so obvious, it is certainly better to sit back and wait.
After consultation with Chen Changhao, Xu Xiangqian decided to first concentrate his forces to attack Tang Enbo in the middle, and then besiege the shangcheng where the enemy was weaker, and once again use the tactic of encircling points to attack the enemy.
On January 13, 1932, commander-in-chief Xu Xiangqian led the 10th Division of the Red Fourth Army (division commander Ni Zhiliang), the 11th Division (division commander Wang Shusheng), and the 12th Division (division commander Chen Geng) from Huang'an to the north, and at the same time ordered the 73rd Division (division commander Liu Ying) of the Red 25th Army in western Anhui to march west to participate in the battle.
At dawn on January 19, the 3 divisions of the Red 4th Army and the Red 73rd Division of the Red 25th Army launched a siege to the Shanghuang area, Lianke Tofu Shop, Renheji, Hefengqiao and other places, the enemy 2nd Division and the 12th Division withdrew to Huangchuan after a little resistance, and the Red Army completely controlled the road of Shanghuang and completely surrounded Shangcheng.
Then, as planned, the implementation of the encirclement point rescue began. The focus of the encirclement point to fight for reinforcement is to provide reinforcement, so the focus of the deployment of troops is the strength of the reinforcement, and the siege is the auxiliary. However, if the attack of the encirclement point is not strong enough, the enemy will not be reinforced, and there will be no reinforcement. Reinforcements are useless, so the encirclement is also very critical.
In this battle, the Seventy-third Division and the Thirty Regiment of the Tenth Division, with the cooperation of the Red Guards in Shang, Huang, and Gu counties, were responsible for encircling the points. In order to perform the play more fully, Xu Xiangqian also arranged a regiment in Huangchuan as an illusion of besieging the city to help. The main forces were all gathered covertly on both sides of the Huangshang Highway.
The shangcheng was very large, and Chiang Kai-shek was very worried. Therefore, he strictly ordered Zhang Xuan, commander-in-chief of the 20th Route Army, to lead the 76th Division, the 2nd Division of Tang Enbo of Huangchuan, the 12th Division of Zeng Wanzhong, and the Independent 33rd Brigade to rush to Shangcheng.
As soon as the enemy reinforcements moved, Xu Xiangqian's heart was filled into his stomach. The battle of Huang'an, which had just ended, had greatly replenished the troops, and as long as the reinforcements entered his pockets, life would be difficult.
On the morning of February 8, the two armies exchanged fire. Tang Enbo's Second Division was the most elite unit of Chiang Kai-shek's army, with strong combat strength. Three divisions and one brigade had the upper hand, so they attacked the Frontal Position of the Red Army with all their might. Xu Xiangqian only arranged Chen Geng's Red Twelfth Division on the front, and the battle was very hard, and by the afternoon, the defensive line was already in danger.
At this time, Tang Enbo judged from the strength of the Red Army's reinforcements, and he believed that the main force of the Red Army must still be fighting the mall, so he thought that he could immediately break through the defensive line and fight the Red Army on the outskirts of the mall. While Zhang Xiao, Tang Enbo, Zeng Wanzhong, and others were waiting for a good report on the front, the Red Tenth Division and the Red 12th Division had already detoured back behind the enemy from the left and surrounded the headquarters of Tang Enbo, Zhang Yi, and Zeng Wanzhong at Liu Zhai. At the same time, the Red Army seized the Fuliudian ferry and cut off the enemy's rear road. The headquarters was surrounded, the retreat route was cut off, the enemy's psychological defense line completely collapsed, where is there any fighting spirit! Zhang Qi, Tang Enbo, and Zeng Wanzhong hurriedly ordered a retreat, and the Red Army took advantage of the victory to pursue them until they reached the outskirts of Huangchuan City.
After the shangcheng troops learned that the reinforcements were defeated, they no longer had the courage to hold on, and soon abandoned the city and fled, and the Red Army successfully occupied the shangcheng.
In this battle, Xu Xiangqian used inferior troops to set up pockets for three enemy divisions and one brigade, and his boldness was absolutely incomparable. Annihilated eight regiments and one militia regiment of the enemy, killed, wounded, and captured nearly 10,000 enemy personnel, and surrendered more than 7,000 guns, thus linking the base areas of Eyu-Anhui and western Anhui into one.
Such a victory, handed over to the average commander, is estimated to be crazy, but what about Xu Xiangqian? He was still reflecting. He felt that by the time the enemy army was retreating, the Red Army had already surrounded Liu Zhai, and if he gritted his teeth and fought down, he had every chance to capture all three of them.
Xu Xiangqian used the encirclement point to fight for reinforcements twice in a row to achieve great victories, which can be called a world military miracle. No one would have thought that in the immediate battle of Sujiabu, Xu Xiangqian once again used the encirclement point to help defeat The Jiang army. The same strategy, which dares to be used so intensively and repeatedly, should only be Xu Xiangqian.