In the Liaoshen Campaign, Lin Biao deployed the most capable Li Tianyou 1st Column as a general reserve and deployed it at Gaoqiao between Jinzhou and Tashan in order to deal with possible accidents in Jinzhou and Tashan defense at any time.
In fact, long before the Battle of Tashan began, Li Tianyou communicated with Commander Wu Kehua of the 4th Column who guarded Tashan Mountain. Li Tianyou also organized some cadres of the 1st Column to go to the 4th Column to offer condolences and took the initiative to send a lot of ammunition. Li Tianyou also told Wu Kehua that the 1st column can support the direction of Tashan at any time.
When the blockade battle reached the most urgent moment, Li Tianyou called Wu Kehua for reinforcements: "Old Wu, are you sure?" Do we need to go on? Wu Kehua replied firmly: "No problem, we have four columns in this battle, and there will definitely be no Big Brother Lao's column!" ”
In the common sense thinking of ordinary people, the blockade battle hit this hard part, and even at the most critical juncture, Wu Kehua could completely agree with Li Tianyou's suggestion, and even happy to see Li Tianyou take the initiative to support to alleviate the pressure of the 4 columns and the battle casualties.
However, why did Wu Kehua go against the norm and firmly reject Li Tianyou?
First, please ask the reserve team to support, to show that the 4th Column did not fight well, and the 4th Column will not be able to gain a foothold in Higashino in the future.
Reserves are usually the last hole cards and backhands of a battle, and once used, there is no room for maneuver. And once the reserve team was used, the entire battlefield of the Liaoshen Armageddon would know that Wu Kehua's 4 columns were not well fought, and they failed to live up to the expectations of Lin Biao and Luo Ronghuan.
As a unit with a glorious tradition from the Jiaodong Peninsula, the 4th Column, like the earliest columns established such as the 1st Column, the 2nd Column, the 3rd Column, and the 6th Column, are all strong troops in Dongye and are all strong troops under Lin Biao.com. As early as the mobilization before the war, Wu Kehua said such a zhengzheng saying: No matter how much sacrifice is made, we must also defend Tashan. Eliminate Wu Kehua, political commissar Mo (Wen Hua), deputy commander Hu (Wizard) and other leaders. We swear to coexist and die with our positions and never let the enemy move forward.
In ancient times, there was a saying that wars were broken. Wu Kehua's trumpet was tantamount to blocking the retreat route of Tashan. As a famous general in Dongye, Wu Kehua knows very well that once the reserve team supports it, the "face" of the 4 columns will be nowhere to be released, and it is bound to be unable to gain a foothold in Dongye in the future. This behavior is grossly out of proportion to the 4-column style that has always been iron-blooded. Therefore, from wu Kehua's heart, he has already made up his mind to independently undertake the task of blocking the attack, and even if the fight is hard, dangerous, and difficult, he resolutely does not want the support of the 1 column.
Second, asking for reinforcements is not just a simple matter of reinforcement, but has a great impact on the morale of the entire blockade.
If Li Tianyou 1 Column came to support it, on the surface, the number of blocking troops increased, but for the entire Tashan defense line, it was not necessarily a good thing. Because this will certainly have a great impact on the morale of the 4th Column of the original blockade and the entire morale of the 11th Column. From this point of view, Li Tianyou's 1 column is not just a simple reinforcement problem, and the impact on the morale of the 4th column and the 11th column behind it cannot be underestimated. In addition, the reserves will certainly have to be re-defended, redeployed, and re-prepared. As a column commander with rich experience in actual combat, Wu Kehua certainly knew this.
In fact, on October 12, the Kuomintang army also rested for a day, mainly to give the newly arrived "Zhao Zilong Division", that is, the independent 95th Division in North China, a certain amount of preparation and deployment time. It seems that the national army has made a day of full preparation, but from the perspective of post-war research, preparation and rest are equal, especially for the defensive side, this day is more needed and more rare than the offensive side.
It seems that Wu Kehua did not allow the reserves to be on the reserve team, both out of consideration of affecting morale, and also because it was not easy to adjust the deployment and re-establish a defensive system.
Third, please ask the reserve team to support, the 4th column can not fight the Tashan Hero Regiment, it is impossible to fight the most iron-blooded and representative battle of the 4th column.
Throughout the history of the Chinese People's Liberation Army's wars, each column has its most representative battle. The Battle of Liaoshen was the first strategic armageddon. The whole campaign depends on whether Jinzhou can be taken, and whether Jinzhou can be taken depends on whether Tashan can be defended. Wu Kehua knows very well that this is not only a test of war against the 4 columns, but also the best opportunity for the 4 columns to play a prestige and fame. And once the reserve team comes up, not only is it impossible to play a prestigious name, but it will even sweep away the prestige.
Proceeding from revolutionary heroism, from the heroism of overwhelming all enemies, and from the fact that revolutionary soldiers regard honor as life, Wu Kehua's 4 columns must fight this iron blood and courage even if they hit the last person, and they must firmly hold the Tashan position. This, whether from Wu Kehua himself or from the entire 4 columns, must be done, there is no other choice.
Sure enough, Wu Kehua's firm belief has won him great fame and reputation for himself and the 4 Columns. ——The Tashan Hero Regiment was quenched from this war, and the Tashan Blockade Battle was recorded in history as a classic battle in our army's classics.
Main references: The Battle of Liaoshen, Memoirs of Wu Kehua