Battle of Huaiyin-Huai'an
Encyclopedia
Battle of Huaiyin
-Huai'an
is also called by the Campaign to Defend Huaiyin
-Huai'an
(两淮保卫战) by the Communist Party of China
, and it was a struggle between the nationalists
and the communists for the control of Huaiyin
and Huai'an
, the two richest cities in China
during the Chinese Civil War
in the post World War II
era, and resulted in the nationalist
victory.
of the reorganized 26th Division to Huaibei
from Huainan
, and by the middle of August 1946, the nationalists had taken regions including Chaoyang Village (Chao Yang Ji, 朝阳集) and Temple Mountain Yu (Miao Shan Yu, 庙山圩). On August 19, 1946, the nationalist commander-in-chief
of the region, Chen Cheng
, held a military conference at Xuzhou
, and decided the nationalist strategy of the next stage: 4 nationalist divisions under the command of the nationalist commander Li Yannian (李延年) would push eastward across the Tianjin-Pukou Railway in Huaibei
. On August 21, 1946, the nationalists begun their push toward Suining (雎宁), Xiuqian (宿迁), and Taier Village (Tai Er Zhuang, 台儿庄).
On August 26, 1946, Chen Yi (communist)
telegraph the communist high command to report the three options for the communist force from Shandong
under his command to fight in Huaibei
: First, the 2nd Division, 7th Division and the 8th Division of the communist force in Shandong
would attack the nationalist 28th Army. Second, the communist force in Shandong
would regroup at Siyang (泗阳) and the eastern bank of the Grand Canal of China
to have a month long break. Third, all of the communist force in Shandong
would go south to join forces with the communist force under Su Yu
’s command to concentrate their forces. Chen Yi (communist)
and his subordinates preferred the second option because they could strike in north, south or west when they wanted. The communist high command telegraphed back on August 29, claiming that the nationalists had struck eastward across the Lanzhou
-Lianyungang
Railway and thus threatened Huaiyin
and Linyi
, so it was impossible to for the communist troops to rest for a month continuously. The communists would be in a bad position if they were not to actively engaging the enemy. The communist force from Shandong
under the command of Chen Yi (communist)
should strike eastward to Suining (雎宁) region and fight enemy, and then rest for a short period, and repeat the process, so that morale would remain high. September was a good time to engage the enemy and the communist force under the command of Liu Bocheng
and Deng Xiaoping
and the communist force under the command of Li Xiannian
had all wished your corporation (to engage and tie down the nationalists). If there was no battle, then the enemy (nationalist) would gain more lands, and thus further boost their morale, and our morale would suffer as a consequence. Therefore, we must engage the enemy to decrease their morale and increase ours by annihilating a regiment
or a brigade
a time, and after five or six times, the situation would turn for the better for us.
In accordance with the order from the communist high command, the communist force from Shandong
under the command of Chen Yi (communist)
regrouped to the east of Suining (雎宁) in attempt to ambush the advancing nationalists, however, their plan was foiled by the skillful and careful nationalists who would not provide any opportunities for the enemy by concentrating their forces. Both side subsequently had to cease their operations due to heavy rains that followed and by the end of August, 1946, the communist force from Shandong
under the command of Chen Yi (communist)
withdrew to the east of Siyang (泗阳) to regroup and re-supply. By the beginning of September, 1946, the nationalist Reorganized 69th Division and the Reorganized 74th Division stopped its advance at Xiuqian (宿迁) and Suining (雎宁) regions while two divisions of the nationalist 7th Army stopped its advance at Oceanic River (Yang He, 洋河) and Ling River (Ling He, 凌河) regions to the north of Siyang (泗阳). Mother Nature had imposed an intermission that both sides were forced to accept.
provided three options for the next move for his communist force in Shandong
. The first option was to move to Shuyang (沭阳) in the north to face the incoming nationalist Reorganized 74th Division and 69th Division thus securing the link to southern Shandong
, but this would leave only the communist 9th Column to defend Huaiyin
, which was obviously not enough. The second option was to strike the town of Oceanic River (Yang He Zhen, 洋河镇) to fight the nationalist force of the New Guangxi Clique
, which would be at least two divisions strong, but this would not worth it. The third option was to wait, if the of nationalist forces of the New Guangxi Clique
came to attack, then they would be ambushed, and if not, then the communist forces from Shandong
under Chen Yi (communist)
’s command would wait until Chiang Kai-shek
’s force to begun their eastward push, and then strike north to fight Chiang’s forces.
Su Yu
and his political commissar
Tan Zhenlin
(谭震林) were concerned about the next move their comrades would make, and from September 5 thru September 7, 1946, they had sent four telegraphs to Chen Yi (communist)
, strongly recommending that his communist force from Shandong
should remain in Huaiyin
and Shuyang (沭阳) regions so that the communists could concentrate their forces to ensure victories. On September 7, 1946, Chen Yi (communist)
personally reached Huai'an
to discuss the situation with Deng Zihui (邓子恢) and Zhang Dingcheng (张鼎丞), the communist party bosses in Jiangsu
and central China
, and reached the following conclusions: The communists needed several victories badly and it was possible to achieve victories in Huaibei
, so in September and October, communist forces in Huaibei
would attempt to alter the situation for the better. On the same day, the communist force from Shandong
under the command of Chen Yi (communist)
received order to move to regions including Si (泗) County, Xiuqian (宿迁) and Shuyang (沭阳) to defend off the possible nationalist attack on Shuyang (沭阳) from Suqian
(宿迁), or the possible nationalist attack on Huaiyin
from the town of Oceanic River (Yang He Zhen, 洋河镇), and the troops begun their new deployment on September 8, 1946.
Su Yu
and his political commissar
Tan Zhenlin (谭震林) strongly opposed the new troop deployment by Chen Yi (communist)
and on August 8, 1946, they sent two telegraphs to Chen Yi (communist)
and his colleagues to voice their concern. The first was to ask not to take Hai’an (海安) so that their troops could have ten days to rest and regroup, and then move to Siyang (泗阳) to stop the nationalist forces of New Guangxi Clique
in order to stabilize the situation in central China
. (Though in reality, the nationalist forces of New Guangxi Clique
did not participate in the fighting like the communist had expected). The second telegraph sent by Su Yu
and his political commissar Tan Zhenlin (谭震林) to Chen Yi (communist)
accurately pointed out the plan Chen Yi (communist)
was ordered to follow was in fact a disaster because when the communist forces were deployed in the regions between Suqian (宿迁) and Shuyang (沭阳), it would in fact allow the nationalists easily taking the regions along the Grand Canal of China
and Huaiyin
-Huai'an
region, thus forcing the communist force from Shandong
to return to where it was originally from. Meanwhile, the communist force in Jiangsu
lost their base, and were surrounded by the nationalists from three sides, and thus forced to cross the Yangtze River into the south when supply run out. If Chen Yi (communist)
still had to follow the order by deploying the majority of the troop in the north, then the communist 2nd Column under commander Wei Guoqing (韦国清) must be retained in the region to check the nationalist southward advance. Otherwise, Su Yu
and political commissar Tan Zhenlin (谭震林) could not be responsible for the situation (when it turned for the worse).
The pleas from Su Yu
and political commissar Tan Zhenlin (谭震林) were rejected by Chen Yi (communist)
, who telegraphed back on August 9, 1946, claiming that the situation has changed and the nationalist 7th Army had moved southward to regions including Lingbi (灵壁), Siyang (泗阳), Xiuqian (宿迁) and Suining (雎宁) and its original defense perimeter was filled by other nationalist units. The communist should wait for several days to see if the nationalists would move eastward, and if so, the communists would ambush them in regions including Xin'an County
, Shuyang (沭阳) and Xiuqian (宿迁). Otherwise, the communists would attack westward into the region of Suining (雎宁) and Xiuqian (宿迁), so that the communist standing in Southern Shandong
, Shuyang (沭阳), Huaiyin
and Huai'an
would remain favorable, and Su Yu
still should direct his force to take Hai’an (海安). After receiving this telegraph from Chen Yi (communist)
, Su Yu
and political commissar Tan Zhenlin (谭震林) made one last attempt to avert the Chen’s decision by telegraphing back on the same day, claiming that the situation for the communist in Huaibei
was not optimistic and both Huaiyin
and Huai'an
were threatened, so taking Hai’an (海安) should not be a priority, and their troops should be give up the mission and turn northward to defend Huaiyin
and Huai'an
. However, before they could exchange anymore telegraphs with Chen Yi (communist)
, the rapid nationalist advance had turned the table against the communists, just exactly as Su Yu
and political commissar Tan Zhenlin (谭震林) had feared.
directly. Chen Yi (communist)
was forced to readjust his troop deployment again: the communist 5th Brigade and the 13th Brigade in central Jiangsu
were ordered to Huaiyin
to help the communist 9th Column to set up a defensive line along the southern bank of the Grand Canal of China
, the communist forces attacking Hai’an (海安) abandoned their original plan and turned to Huaiyin
to reinforce the threatened city. On September 12, 1946, the nationalist 7th Army crossed the Grand Canal of China
and took Siyang (泗阳), approaching Huaiyin
. On September 13, 1946, the nationalist Reorganized 74th Division attacked from the right flank of the nationalist 7th Army, taking the Yuan Family’s Village (Yuan Zhuang, 袁庄) and Xu Family’s Village (Xu Zhuang, 徐庄) the communist 9th Column. Rao Zijian (饶子健), the deputy commander-in-chief
of the communist 9th Column personally lead the communist 75th Regiment counterattacked, but without any success and the defenders’ perimeter was limited to the pier.
On September 15, 1946, the nationalist Reorganized 74th Division attacked the pier on the eastern bank of the Grand Canal of China
, and by the evening, had successfully driven the defenders consisted of the communist 9th Column and the communist 13th Brigade from the positions, taking the pier and adjacent Yang’s Family’s Village (Yang Zhuang, 杨庄). Pi Dingjun (皮定均), the communist commander of the 13th Brigade gravely underestimated the nationalists when he reached Huaiyin
with the 1st Regiment of the communist 13th Brigade, and ordered each of three regiment of the 13th Brigade would have two of their battalions sent out to counterattack the nationalists. The idea was strongly opposed by the communist commander of the 2nd Regiment of the 13th Brigade, Zhong Fasheng (钟发生), who reached the city earlier and fought with the nationalists and thus was well aware their adversary’s potent capability. Zhong Fasheng (钟发生) claimed that the 1st Regiment reached the city by noon and was aware of the situation and geography while the 3rd Regiment just got to the city, so it would be better for the communist 1st Regiment and the 2nd Regiment to fight and the 3rd Regiment would act as reserve, but his suggestion was rejected by Pi Dingjun (皮定均), the commander of communist the 13th Brigade. As a result, the communist 13th Brigade launched a total of nine assaults on the nationalist Reorganized 74th Division which had crossed the Grand Canal of China
, but all were beaten back, suffering over 600 casualties, the heaviest ever for the 13th Brigade. A total of four nationalist brigades from the Reorganized 74th Division and the Reorganized 28th Division attacked the city in two waves under the cover of air bombardment and artillery shelling, while the communist reinforcement from Shandong
were successfully checked by the nationalist 7th Army. In the riverine region in the south, the communist reinforcement was stopped by nature: due to the heavy rain and lack of boats, the communist reinforcement was completed stopped.
The failure of the communist counterattack meant that the defenders’ days were numbered when they were pushed to the edge of the city wall. Before the dawn of September 19, 1946, two companies of the nationalist Reorganized 74th Division crawled passed the defenders’ perimeter at the junction of the position of the communist 9th Column and the position of the communist the 5th Brigade, reached the gate of the city, and after capturing a sentry alive, they had successfully obtained the password. In the heat of ensuing battle, the two companies of the nationalist troops were able to enter the city from the southern gate by disguising as the communist troops outside the city wall going back into the city for re-supply. During the precise moment in the ensuing battle at the dusk, the nationalists inside the city opened the gate and the defenders had no choice but to abandon the city as the attacking nationalists entered the city en masse. On September 21, communists abandoned Huai'an
after fierce fights and on the next day, the nationalists declared the city was secured. Although the nationalists had suffered over 14,000 casualties in taking the region, it was only a drop in the bucket and the reward was far greater. The communist reinforcement from Shandong
withdrew to Lianshui (涟水) region upon hearing the news of the fall of the cities, ending the battle.
, the capital of the communist base in central Jiangsu
was taken by the advancing nationalists. Some nationalists blamed the communist failure on the communist leader Mao Zedong
for that he had made the same mistake Chiang Kai-shek
would have made in the latter stage of the Chinese Civil War
by interfering with the local command with impractical strategic objective, but this was a subject of debate remain to this day: there were many communist commanders participated in this battle who insisted on Mao was right due to the following reasons: The lost of Huaiyin
and Huai'an
region, which was the economic center of central China
where industrial and commerce were concentrated meant that the no more supplies could be provided to the communist forces. Furthermore, all of the communist bases in central and northern Jiangsu
were lost as a consequence because the natural barriers that would help to defend these communist bases such as Lake Hongze, Lake Gaoyou (Gao You Hu, 高邮湖), and Grand Canal of China
were in nationalist hands when Huaiyin
– Huai'an
region was lost by the communists. The collapse of the communist bases in northern and central Jiangsu
as a consequence of the fall of Huaiyin
– Huai'an
region meant that the rural area as a rich source in grain production and providing soldiers was no longer within the communist grasp.
On the other hand, many communists also supported Su Yu
for his decision to disengage the nationalist to withdraw because although the consequences of giving up the region was severe, the peasantry communist force at the time simply was no match to the elite mechanized nationalist forces attacking them and certainly did not have any capability to annihilate their nationalist adversary either. If the region was to hold at all cost, it might well be the communists themselves be completely annihilated. In fact, after the battle, the nationalists were so confident that they no longer encrypted their messages in their radio communications so that their every move was known by their communist enemy, yet the communists chose to avoid direct confrontation with the nationalists despite this advantage, because they were well aware that they were not strong enough at the time. To defend the city to the death just because the region was the heart and capital of the communist base would be disastrous for the communists. As the unexpected political fallout, this became an excuse to struggle and criticize Su Yu
decades later during the Cultural Revolution
what he had done in this battle.
Huaiyin
Huaiyin may refer to the following settlements in the People's Republic of China:*Huai'an , named Huaiyin before 2001, prefecture-level city of Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Huai'an , Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Jinan , Shandong...
-Huai'an
Huai'an
Huai'an , known as Huaiyin before 2001, is a prefecture-level city in northern Jiangsu province of Eastern China. It borders Suqian to the northwest, Lianyungang to the north, Yancheng to the east, Yangzhou to the southeast, and the province of Anhui to the southwest.The municipality has 4,799,889...
is also called by the Campaign to Defend Huaiyin
Huaiyin
Huaiyin may refer to the following settlements in the People's Republic of China:*Huai'an , named Huaiyin before 2001, prefecture-level city of Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Huai'an , Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Jinan , Shandong...
-Huai'an
Huai'an
Huai'an , known as Huaiyin before 2001, is a prefecture-level city in northern Jiangsu province of Eastern China. It borders Suqian to the northwest, Lianyungang to the north, Yancheng to the east, Yangzhou to the southeast, and the province of Anhui to the southwest.The municipality has 4,799,889...
(两淮保卫战) by the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
, and it was a struggle between the nationalists
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
and the communists for the control of Huaiyin
Huaiyin
Huaiyin may refer to the following settlements in the People's Republic of China:*Huai'an , named Huaiyin before 2001, prefecture-level city of Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Huai'an , Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Jinan , Shandong...
and Huai'an
Huai'an
Huai'an , known as Huaiyin before 2001, is a prefecture-level city in northern Jiangsu province of Eastern China. It borders Suqian to the northwest, Lianyungang to the north, Yancheng to the east, Yangzhou to the southeast, and the province of Anhui to the southwest.The municipality has 4,799,889...
, the two richest cities in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
during the Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
in the post World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
era, and resulted in the nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
victory.
Order of battle
- Nationalist order of battle
- The 7th Army
- Reorganized 26th Division
- Reorganized 28th Division
- Reorganized 69th Division
- Reorganized 74th Division
- Communist order of battle
- The 5th Brigade
- The 13th Brigade
- The 9th Column
- Communist force from ShandongShandong' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
First stage
After the Battle of Si County, the nationalists redeployed the Reorganized 74th Division and a brigadeBrigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
of the reorganized 26th Division to Huaibei
Huaibei
Huaibei is a prefecture-level city in northern Anhui Province, People's Republic of China. It borders Suzhou to the east, Bengbu to the south, Bozhou to the west, and the province of Henan to the north.-Administration:...
from Huainan
Huainan
Huainan is a prefecture-level city with 2,334,000 inhabitants in central Anhui Province, People’s Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Hefei to the south, Lu’an to the southwest, Fuyang to the west, Bozhou to the northwest, Bengbu to the northeast and Chuzhou to the east.Its...
, and by the middle of August 1946, the nationalists had taken regions including Chaoyang Village (Chao Yang Ji, 朝阳集) and Temple Mountain Yu (Miao Shan Yu, 庙山圩). On August 19, 1946, the nationalist commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of the region, Chen Cheng
Chen Cheng
Chen Cheng , was a Chinese political and military leader, and one of the main National Revolutionary Army commanders during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War. After moving to Taiwan at the end of the Civil War, he served as the Governor of Taiwan Province, Vice President and...
, held a military conference at Xuzhou
Xuzhou
Xuzhou , otherwise known as Pengcheng in ancient times, is a major city in and the fourth largest prefecture-level city of Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China...
, and decided the nationalist strategy of the next stage: 4 nationalist divisions under the command of the nationalist commander Li Yannian (李延年) would push eastward across the Tianjin-Pukou Railway in Huaibei
Huaibei
Huaibei is a prefecture-level city in northern Anhui Province, People's Republic of China. It borders Suzhou to the east, Bengbu to the south, Bozhou to the west, and the province of Henan to the north.-Administration:...
. On August 21, 1946, the nationalists begun their push toward Suining (雎宁), Xiuqian (宿迁), and Taier Village (Tai Er Zhuang, 台儿庄).
On August 26, 1946, Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
telegraph the communist high command to report the three options for the communist force from Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
under his command to fight in Huaibei
Huaibei
Huaibei is a prefecture-level city in northern Anhui Province, People's Republic of China. It borders Suzhou to the east, Bengbu to the south, Bozhou to the west, and the province of Henan to the north.-Administration:...
: First, the 2nd Division, 7th Division and the 8th Division of the communist force in Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
would attack the nationalist 28th Army. Second, the communist force in Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
would regroup at Siyang (泗阳) and the eastern bank of the Grand Canal of China
Grand Canal of China
The Grand Canal in China, also known as the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is the longest canal or artificial river in the world. Starting at Beijing, it passes through Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the city of Hangzhou...
to have a month long break. Third, all of the communist force in Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
would go south to join forces with the communist force under Su Yu
Su Yu
Su Yu was a Chinese Communist military leader. He was considered by many to be among the best commanders of the PLA only next to Lin Biao and Liu Bocheng. Su Yu fought in the Sino-Japanese War and in the Chinese Civil War...
’s command to concentrate their forces. Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
and his subordinates preferred the second option because they could strike in north, south or west when they wanted. The communist high command telegraphed back on August 29, claiming that the nationalists had struck eastward across the Lanzhou
Lanzhou
Lanzhou is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. A prefecture-level city, it is a key regional transportation hub, allowing areas further west to maintain railroad connections to the eastern half of the country....
-Lianyungang
Lianyungang
Lianyungang is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. It borders Yancheng to its southeast, Huai'an and Suqian to its south, Xuzhou to its southwest, and the province of Shandong to its north...
Railway and thus threatened Huaiyin
Huaiyin
Huaiyin may refer to the following settlements in the People's Republic of China:*Huai'an , named Huaiyin before 2001, prefecture-level city of Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Huai'an , Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Jinan , Shandong...
and Linyi
Linyi
Linyi is a prefecture-level city in the south of Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The largest prefecture-level city in Shandong both by area and total population, Linyi borders Rizhao to the east, Weifang to the northeast, Zibo to the north, Tai'an to the northwest, Jining to the...
, so it was impossible to for the communist troops to rest for a month continuously. The communists would be in a bad position if they were not to actively engaging the enemy. The communist force from Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
under the command of Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
should strike eastward to Suining (雎宁) region and fight enemy, and then rest for a short period, and repeat the process, so that morale would remain high. September was a good time to engage the enemy and the communist force under the command of Liu Bocheng
Liu Bocheng
Liu Bocheng was a Chinese Communist military commander and Marshal of the People's Liberation Army.Liu is known as one of the "Three and A Half" Strategists of China in modern history...
and Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
and the communist force under the command of Li Xiannian
Li Xianniàn
Li Xiannian was President of the People's Republic of China between 1983 and 1988 and then chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference until his death. He was an influential political figure throughout the PRC, having been a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of...
had all wished your corporation (to engage and tie down the nationalists). If there was no battle, then the enemy (nationalist) would gain more lands, and thus further boost their morale, and our morale would suffer as a consequence. Therefore, we must engage the enemy to decrease their morale and increase ours by annihilating a regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
or a brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
a time, and after five or six times, the situation would turn for the better for us.
In accordance with the order from the communist high command, the communist force from Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
under the command of Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
regrouped to the east of Suining (雎宁) in attempt to ambush the advancing nationalists, however, their plan was foiled by the skillful and careful nationalists who would not provide any opportunities for the enemy by concentrating their forces. Both side subsequently had to cease their operations due to heavy rains that followed and by the end of August, 1946, the communist force from Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
under the command of Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
withdrew to the east of Siyang (泗阳) to regroup and re-supply. By the beginning of September, 1946, the nationalist Reorganized 69th Division and the Reorganized 74th Division stopped its advance at Xiuqian (宿迁) and Suining (雎宁) regions while two divisions of the nationalist 7th Army stopped its advance at Oceanic River (Yang He, 洋河) and Ling River (Ling He, 凌河) regions to the north of Siyang (泗阳). Mother Nature had imposed an intermission that both sides were forced to accept.
Second stage
The intermission caused by heavy rain had provided the opportunity for the communists to rethink their strategy, but unfortunately, the new strategy formed lead to the eventual communist defeat in the campaign. On September 4, 1946, Chen Yi (communist)Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
provided three options for the next move for his communist force in Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
. The first option was to move to Shuyang (沭阳) in the north to face the incoming nationalist Reorganized 74th Division and 69th Division thus securing the link to southern Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
, but this would leave only the communist 9th Column to defend Huaiyin
Huaiyin
Huaiyin may refer to the following settlements in the People's Republic of China:*Huai'an , named Huaiyin before 2001, prefecture-level city of Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Huai'an , Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Jinan , Shandong...
, which was obviously not enough. The second option was to strike the town of Oceanic River (Yang He Zhen, 洋河镇) to fight the nationalist force of the New Guangxi Clique
New Guangxi clique
After the founding of the Republic of China, Guangxi served as the base for one of the most powerful warlord cliques of China: the Old Guangxi clique. Led by Lu Rongting and others, the clique was able to take control of neighbouring Hunan and Guangdong provinces as well...
, which would be at least two divisions strong, but this would not worth it. The third option was to wait, if the of nationalist forces of the New Guangxi Clique
New Guangxi clique
After the founding of the Republic of China, Guangxi served as the base for one of the most powerful warlord cliques of China: the Old Guangxi clique. Led by Lu Rongting and others, the clique was able to take control of neighbouring Hunan and Guangdong provinces as well...
came to attack, then they would be ambushed, and if not, then the communist forces from Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
under Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
’s command would wait until Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
’s force to begun their eastward push, and then strike north to fight Chiang’s forces.
Su Yu
Su Yu
Su Yu was a Chinese Communist military leader. He was considered by many to be among the best commanders of the PLA only next to Lin Biao and Liu Bocheng. Su Yu fought in the Sino-Japanese War and in the Chinese Civil War...
and his political commissar
Commissar
Commissar is the English transliteration of an official title used in Russia from the time of Peter the Great.The title was used during the Provisional Government for regional heads of administration, but it is mostly associated with a number of Cheka and military functions in Bolshevik and Soviet...
Tan Zhenlin
Tan Zhenlin
Tan Zhenlin was a political commissar in the People's Liberation Army during the Chinese Civil War, and a Communist politician after the establishment of the People's Republic of China.Tan Zhenlin was born in You County , Hunan Province...
(谭震林) were concerned about the next move their comrades would make, and from September 5 thru September 7, 1946, they had sent four telegraphs to Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
, strongly recommending that his communist force from Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
should remain in Huaiyin
Huaiyin
Huaiyin may refer to the following settlements in the People's Republic of China:*Huai'an , named Huaiyin before 2001, prefecture-level city of Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Huai'an , Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Jinan , Shandong...
and Shuyang (沭阳) regions so that the communists could concentrate their forces to ensure victories. On September 7, 1946, Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
personally reached Huai'an
Huai'an
Huai'an , known as Huaiyin before 2001, is a prefecture-level city in northern Jiangsu province of Eastern China. It borders Suqian to the northwest, Lianyungang to the north, Yancheng to the east, Yangzhou to the southeast, and the province of Anhui to the southwest.The municipality has 4,799,889...
to discuss the situation with Deng Zihui (邓子恢) and Zhang Dingcheng (张鼎丞), the communist party bosses in Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
and central China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and reached the following conclusions: The communists needed several victories badly and it was possible to achieve victories in Huaibei
Huaibei
Huaibei is a prefecture-level city in northern Anhui Province, People's Republic of China. It borders Suzhou to the east, Bengbu to the south, Bozhou to the west, and the province of Henan to the north.-Administration:...
, so in September and October, communist forces in Huaibei
Huaibei
Huaibei is a prefecture-level city in northern Anhui Province, People's Republic of China. It borders Suzhou to the east, Bengbu to the south, Bozhou to the west, and the province of Henan to the north.-Administration:...
would attempt to alter the situation for the better. On the same day, the communist force from Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
under the command of Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
received order to move to regions including Si (泗) County, Xiuqian (宿迁) and Shuyang (沭阳) to defend off the possible nationalist attack on Shuyang (沭阳) from Suqian
Suqian
Suqian is a prefecture-level city in northern Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. It borders Xuzhou to the northwest, Lianyungang to the northeast, Huai'an to the south, and the province of Anhui to the west.-Administration:...
(宿迁), or the possible nationalist attack on Huaiyin
Huaiyin
Huaiyin may refer to the following settlements in the People's Republic of China:*Huai'an , named Huaiyin before 2001, prefecture-level city of Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Huai'an , Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Jinan , Shandong...
from the town of Oceanic River (Yang He Zhen, 洋河镇), and the troops begun their new deployment on September 8, 1946.
Su Yu
Su Yu
Su Yu was a Chinese Communist military leader. He was considered by many to be among the best commanders of the PLA only next to Lin Biao and Liu Bocheng. Su Yu fought in the Sino-Japanese War and in the Chinese Civil War...
and his political commissar
Commissar
Commissar is the English transliteration of an official title used in Russia from the time of Peter the Great.The title was used during the Provisional Government for regional heads of administration, but it is mostly associated with a number of Cheka and military functions in Bolshevik and Soviet...
Tan Zhenlin (谭震林) strongly opposed the new troop deployment by Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
and on August 8, 1946, they sent two telegraphs to Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
and his colleagues to voice their concern. The first was to ask not to take Hai’an (海安) so that their troops could have ten days to rest and regroup, and then move to Siyang (泗阳) to stop the nationalist forces of New Guangxi Clique
New Guangxi clique
After the founding of the Republic of China, Guangxi served as the base for one of the most powerful warlord cliques of China: the Old Guangxi clique. Led by Lu Rongting and others, the clique was able to take control of neighbouring Hunan and Guangdong provinces as well...
in order to stabilize the situation in central China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. (Though in reality, the nationalist forces of New Guangxi Clique
New Guangxi clique
After the founding of the Republic of China, Guangxi served as the base for one of the most powerful warlord cliques of China: the Old Guangxi clique. Led by Lu Rongting and others, the clique was able to take control of neighbouring Hunan and Guangdong provinces as well...
did not participate in the fighting like the communist had expected). The second telegraph sent by Su Yu
Su Yu
Su Yu was a Chinese Communist military leader. He was considered by many to be among the best commanders of the PLA only next to Lin Biao and Liu Bocheng. Su Yu fought in the Sino-Japanese War and in the Chinese Civil War...
and his political commissar Tan Zhenlin (谭震林) to Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
accurately pointed out the plan Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
was ordered to follow was in fact a disaster because when the communist forces were deployed in the regions between Suqian (宿迁) and Shuyang (沭阳), it would in fact allow the nationalists easily taking the regions along the Grand Canal of China
Grand Canal of China
The Grand Canal in China, also known as the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is the longest canal or artificial river in the world. Starting at Beijing, it passes through Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the city of Hangzhou...
and Huaiyin
Huaiyin
Huaiyin may refer to the following settlements in the People's Republic of China:*Huai'an , named Huaiyin before 2001, prefecture-level city of Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Huai'an , Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Jinan , Shandong...
-Huai'an
Huai'an
Huai'an , known as Huaiyin before 2001, is a prefecture-level city in northern Jiangsu province of Eastern China. It borders Suqian to the northwest, Lianyungang to the north, Yancheng to the east, Yangzhou to the southeast, and the province of Anhui to the southwest.The municipality has 4,799,889...
region, thus forcing the communist force from Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
to return to where it was originally from. Meanwhile, the communist force in Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
lost their base, and were surrounded by the nationalists from three sides, and thus forced to cross the Yangtze River into the south when supply run out. If Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
still had to follow the order by deploying the majority of the troop in the north, then the communist 2nd Column under commander Wei Guoqing (韦国清) must be retained in the region to check the nationalist southward advance. Otherwise, Su Yu
Su Yu
Su Yu was a Chinese Communist military leader. He was considered by many to be among the best commanders of the PLA only next to Lin Biao and Liu Bocheng. Su Yu fought in the Sino-Japanese War and in the Chinese Civil War...
and political commissar Tan Zhenlin (谭震林) could not be responsible for the situation (when it turned for the worse).
The pleas from Su Yu
Su Yu
Su Yu was a Chinese Communist military leader. He was considered by many to be among the best commanders of the PLA only next to Lin Biao and Liu Bocheng. Su Yu fought in the Sino-Japanese War and in the Chinese Civil War...
and political commissar Tan Zhenlin (谭震林) were rejected by Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
, who telegraphed back on August 9, 1946, claiming that the situation has changed and the nationalist 7th Army had moved southward to regions including Lingbi (灵壁), Siyang (泗阳), Xiuqian (宿迁) and Suining (雎宁) and its original defense perimeter was filled by other nationalist units. The communist should wait for several days to see if the nationalists would move eastward, and if so, the communists would ambush them in regions including Xin'an County
Xin'an County
Xin'an County is a part of Luoyang City, Henan Province, People's Republic of China.-History:...
, Shuyang (沭阳) and Xiuqian (宿迁). Otherwise, the communists would attack westward into the region of Suining (雎宁) and Xiuqian (宿迁), so that the communist standing in Southern Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
, Shuyang (沭阳), Huaiyin
Huaiyin
Huaiyin may refer to the following settlements in the People's Republic of China:*Huai'an , named Huaiyin before 2001, prefecture-level city of Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Huai'an , Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Jinan , Shandong...
and Huai'an
Huai'an
Huai'an , known as Huaiyin before 2001, is a prefecture-level city in northern Jiangsu province of Eastern China. It borders Suqian to the northwest, Lianyungang to the north, Yancheng to the east, Yangzhou to the southeast, and the province of Anhui to the southwest.The municipality has 4,799,889...
would remain favorable, and Su Yu
Su Yu
Su Yu was a Chinese Communist military leader. He was considered by many to be among the best commanders of the PLA only next to Lin Biao and Liu Bocheng. Su Yu fought in the Sino-Japanese War and in the Chinese Civil War...
still should direct his force to take Hai’an (海安). After receiving this telegraph from Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
, Su Yu
Su Yu
Su Yu was a Chinese Communist military leader. He was considered by many to be among the best commanders of the PLA only next to Lin Biao and Liu Bocheng. Su Yu fought in the Sino-Japanese War and in the Chinese Civil War...
and political commissar Tan Zhenlin (谭震林) made one last attempt to avert the Chen’s decision by telegraphing back on the same day, claiming that the situation for the communist in Huaibei
Huaibei
Huaibei is a prefecture-level city in northern Anhui Province, People's Republic of China. It borders Suzhou to the east, Bengbu to the south, Bozhou to the west, and the province of Henan to the north.-Administration:...
was not optimistic and both Huaiyin
Huaiyin
Huaiyin may refer to the following settlements in the People's Republic of China:*Huai'an , named Huaiyin before 2001, prefecture-level city of Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Huai'an , Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Jinan , Shandong...
and Huai'an
Huai'an
Huai'an , known as Huaiyin before 2001, is a prefecture-level city in northern Jiangsu province of Eastern China. It borders Suqian to the northwest, Lianyungang to the north, Yancheng to the east, Yangzhou to the southeast, and the province of Anhui to the southwest.The municipality has 4,799,889...
were threatened, so taking Hai’an (海安) should not be a priority, and their troops should be give up the mission and turn northward to defend Huaiyin
Huaiyin
Huaiyin may refer to the following settlements in the People's Republic of China:*Huai'an , named Huaiyin before 2001, prefecture-level city of Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Huai'an , Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Jinan , Shandong...
and Huai'an
Huai'an
Huai'an , known as Huaiyin before 2001, is a prefecture-level city in northern Jiangsu province of Eastern China. It borders Suqian to the northwest, Lianyungang to the north, Yancheng to the east, Yangzhou to the southeast, and the province of Anhui to the southwest.The municipality has 4,799,889...
. However, before they could exchange anymore telegraphs with Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
, the rapid nationalist advance had turned the table against the communists, just exactly as Su Yu
Su Yu
Su Yu was a Chinese Communist military leader. He was considered by many to be among the best commanders of the PLA only next to Lin Biao and Liu Bocheng. Su Yu fought in the Sino-Japanese War and in the Chinese Civil War...
and political commissar Tan Zhenlin (谭震林) had feared.
Third Stage
The nationalist assault was with lightning speed that was completely unexpected by the enemy: on August 10, 1946, the nationalist Reorganized 28th Division and the Reorganized 74th Division struck the regions of the town of Oceanic River (Yang He Zhen, 洋河镇) and Storage Village (Cang Ji, 仓集) and threatened HuaiyinHuaiyin
Huaiyin may refer to the following settlements in the People's Republic of China:*Huai'an , named Huaiyin before 2001, prefecture-level city of Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Huai'an , Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Jinan , Shandong...
directly. Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
was forced to readjust his troop deployment again: the communist 5th Brigade and the 13th Brigade in central Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
were ordered to Huaiyin
Huaiyin
Huaiyin may refer to the following settlements in the People's Republic of China:*Huai'an , named Huaiyin before 2001, prefecture-level city of Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Huai'an , Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Jinan , Shandong...
to help the communist 9th Column to set up a defensive line along the southern bank of the Grand Canal of China
Grand Canal of China
The Grand Canal in China, also known as the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is the longest canal or artificial river in the world. Starting at Beijing, it passes through Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the city of Hangzhou...
, the communist forces attacking Hai’an (海安) abandoned their original plan and turned to Huaiyin
Huaiyin
Huaiyin may refer to the following settlements in the People's Republic of China:*Huai'an , named Huaiyin before 2001, prefecture-level city of Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Huai'an , Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Jinan , Shandong...
to reinforce the threatened city. On September 12, 1946, the nationalist 7th Army crossed the Grand Canal of China
Grand Canal of China
The Grand Canal in China, also known as the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is the longest canal or artificial river in the world. Starting at Beijing, it passes through Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the city of Hangzhou...
and took Siyang (泗阳), approaching Huaiyin
Huaiyin
Huaiyin may refer to the following settlements in the People's Republic of China:*Huai'an , named Huaiyin before 2001, prefecture-level city of Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Huai'an , Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Jinan , Shandong...
. On September 13, 1946, the nationalist Reorganized 74th Division attacked from the right flank of the nationalist 7th Army, taking the Yuan Family’s Village (Yuan Zhuang, 袁庄) and Xu Family’s Village (Xu Zhuang, 徐庄) the communist 9th Column. Rao Zijian (饶子健), the deputy commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of the communist 9th Column personally lead the communist 75th Regiment counterattacked, but without any success and the defenders’ perimeter was limited to the pier.
On September 15, 1946, the nationalist Reorganized 74th Division attacked the pier on the eastern bank of the Grand Canal of China
Grand Canal of China
The Grand Canal in China, also known as the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is the longest canal or artificial river in the world. Starting at Beijing, it passes through Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the city of Hangzhou...
, and by the evening, had successfully driven the defenders consisted of the communist 9th Column and the communist 13th Brigade from the positions, taking the pier and adjacent Yang’s Family’s Village (Yang Zhuang, 杨庄). Pi Dingjun (皮定均), the communist commander of the 13th Brigade gravely underestimated the nationalists when he reached Huaiyin
Huaiyin
Huaiyin may refer to the following settlements in the People's Republic of China:*Huai'an , named Huaiyin before 2001, prefecture-level city of Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Huai'an , Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Jinan , Shandong...
with the 1st Regiment of the communist 13th Brigade, and ordered each of three regiment of the 13th Brigade would have two of their battalions sent out to counterattack the nationalists. The idea was strongly opposed by the communist commander of the 2nd Regiment of the 13th Brigade, Zhong Fasheng (钟发生), who reached the city earlier and fought with the nationalists and thus was well aware their adversary’s potent capability. Zhong Fasheng (钟发生) claimed that the 1st Regiment reached the city by noon and was aware of the situation and geography while the 3rd Regiment just got to the city, so it would be better for the communist 1st Regiment and the 2nd Regiment to fight and the 3rd Regiment would act as reserve, but his suggestion was rejected by Pi Dingjun (皮定均), the commander of communist the 13th Brigade. As a result, the communist 13th Brigade launched a total of nine assaults on the nationalist Reorganized 74th Division which had crossed the Grand Canal of China
Grand Canal of China
The Grand Canal in China, also known as the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is the longest canal or artificial river in the world. Starting at Beijing, it passes through Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the city of Hangzhou...
, but all were beaten back, suffering over 600 casualties, the heaviest ever for the 13th Brigade. A total of four nationalist brigades from the Reorganized 74th Division and the Reorganized 28th Division attacked the city in two waves under the cover of air bombardment and artillery shelling, while the communist reinforcement from Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
were successfully checked by the nationalist 7th Army. In the riverine region in the south, the communist reinforcement was stopped by nature: due to the heavy rain and lack of boats, the communist reinforcement was completed stopped.
The failure of the communist counterattack meant that the defenders’ days were numbered when they were pushed to the edge of the city wall. Before the dawn of September 19, 1946, two companies of the nationalist Reorganized 74th Division crawled passed the defenders’ perimeter at the junction of the position of the communist 9th Column and the position of the communist the 5th Brigade, reached the gate of the city, and after capturing a sentry alive, they had successfully obtained the password. In the heat of ensuing battle, the two companies of the nationalist troops were able to enter the city from the southern gate by disguising as the communist troops outside the city wall going back into the city for re-supply. During the precise moment in the ensuing battle at the dusk, the nationalists inside the city opened the gate and the defenders had no choice but to abandon the city as the attacking nationalists entered the city en masse. On September 21, communists abandoned Huai'an
Huai'an
Huai'an , known as Huaiyin before 2001, is a prefecture-level city in northern Jiangsu province of Eastern China. It borders Suqian to the northwest, Lianyungang to the north, Yancheng to the east, Yangzhou to the southeast, and the province of Anhui to the southwest.The municipality has 4,799,889...
after fierce fights and on the next day, the nationalists declared the city was secured. Although the nationalists had suffered over 14,000 casualties in taking the region, it was only a drop in the bucket and the reward was far greater. The communist reinforcement from Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
withdrew to Lianshui (涟水) region upon hearing the news of the fall of the cities, ending the battle.
Outcome
The nationalist victory resulted in a great blow to the morale of the enemy when HuaiyinHuaiyin
Huaiyin may refer to the following settlements in the People's Republic of China:*Huai'an , named Huaiyin before 2001, prefecture-level city of Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Huai'an , Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Jinan , Shandong...
, the capital of the communist base in central Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
was taken by the advancing nationalists. Some nationalists blamed the communist failure on the communist leader Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
for that he had made the same mistake Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
would have made in the latter stage of the Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
by interfering with the local command with impractical strategic objective, but this was a subject of debate remain to this day: there were many communist commanders participated in this battle who insisted on Mao was right due to the following reasons: The lost of Huaiyin
Huaiyin
Huaiyin may refer to the following settlements in the People's Republic of China:*Huai'an , named Huaiyin before 2001, prefecture-level city of Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Huai'an , Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Jinan , Shandong...
and Huai'an
Huai'an
Huai'an , known as Huaiyin before 2001, is a prefecture-level city in northern Jiangsu province of Eastern China. It borders Suqian to the northwest, Lianyungang to the north, Yancheng to the east, Yangzhou to the southeast, and the province of Anhui to the southwest.The municipality has 4,799,889...
region, which was the economic center of central China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
where industrial and commerce were concentrated meant that the no more supplies could be provided to the communist forces. Furthermore, all of the communist bases in central and northern Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
were lost as a consequence because the natural barriers that would help to defend these communist bases such as Lake Hongze, Lake Gaoyou (Gao You Hu, 高邮湖), and Grand Canal of China
Grand Canal of China
The Grand Canal in China, also known as the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is the longest canal or artificial river in the world. Starting at Beijing, it passes through Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the city of Hangzhou...
were in nationalist hands when Huaiyin
Huaiyin
Huaiyin may refer to the following settlements in the People's Republic of China:*Huai'an , named Huaiyin before 2001, prefecture-level city of Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Huai'an , Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Jinan , Shandong...
– Huai'an
Huai'an
Huai'an , known as Huaiyin before 2001, is a prefecture-level city in northern Jiangsu province of Eastern China. It borders Suqian to the northwest, Lianyungang to the north, Yancheng to the east, Yangzhou to the southeast, and the province of Anhui to the southwest.The municipality has 4,799,889...
region was lost by the communists. The collapse of the communist bases in northern and central Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
as a consequence of the fall of Huaiyin
Huaiyin
Huaiyin may refer to the following settlements in the People's Republic of China:*Huai'an , named Huaiyin before 2001, prefecture-level city of Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Huai'an , Jiangsu*Huaiyin District, Jinan , Shandong...
– Huai'an
Huai'an
Huai'an , known as Huaiyin before 2001, is a prefecture-level city in northern Jiangsu province of Eastern China. It borders Suqian to the northwest, Lianyungang to the north, Yancheng to the east, Yangzhou to the southeast, and the province of Anhui to the southwest.The municipality has 4,799,889...
region meant that the rural area as a rich source in grain production and providing soldiers was no longer within the communist grasp.
On the other hand, many communists also supported Su Yu
Su Yu
Su Yu was a Chinese Communist military leader. He was considered by many to be among the best commanders of the PLA only next to Lin Biao and Liu Bocheng. Su Yu fought in the Sino-Japanese War and in the Chinese Civil War...
for his decision to disengage the nationalist to withdraw because although the consequences of giving up the region was severe, the peasantry communist force at the time simply was no match to the elite mechanized nationalist forces attacking them and certainly did not have any capability to annihilate their nationalist adversary either. If the region was to hold at all cost, it might well be the communists themselves be completely annihilated. In fact, after the battle, the nationalists were so confident that they no longer encrypted their messages in their radio communications so that their every move was known by their communist enemy, yet the communists chose to avoid direct confrontation with the nationalists despite this advantage, because they were well aware that they were not strong enough at the time. To defend the city to the death just because the region was the heart and capital of the communist base would be disastrous for the communists. As the unexpected political fallout, this became an excuse to struggle and criticize Su Yu
Su Yu
Su Yu was a Chinese Communist military leader. He was considered by many to be among the best commanders of the PLA only next to Lin Biao and Liu Bocheng. Su Yu fought in the Sino-Japanese War and in the Chinese Civil War...
decades later during the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
what he had done in this battle.
See also
- List of battles of the Chinese Civil War
- National Revolutionary ArmyNational Revolutionary ArmyThe National Revolutionary Army , pre-1928 sometimes shortened to 革命軍 or Revolutionary Army and between 1928-1947 as 國軍 or National Army was the Military Arm of the Kuomintang from 1925 until 1947, as well as the national army of the Republic of China during the KMT's period of party rule...
- History of the People's Liberation ArmyHistory of the People's Liberation ArmyThe history of the People's Liberation Army began in 1927 with the start of the Chinese Civil War and spans to the present, having developed from a peasant guerrilla force into the largest armed force in the world.-Historical background:...
- Chinese Civil WarChinese Civil WarThe Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...