Mao Zedong’s strategic wisdom in the three major battles of the War of Liberation: Decisive Battle of Liaoshen

After seven years of struggle in Jinggangshan, two years of training in the Long March, and eight years of training in the Anti-Japanese War, Mao Zedong’s military commanding abilities were as good as those of Mao Zedong by constantly summarizing the laws of war and accumulating countless practical experiences in war. The strategic thinking ability is getting deeper and deeper, and it can be said that it has entered a state of perfection. From September 12, 1948 to January 31, 1949, Mao Zedong planned a decisive victory thousands of miles away, commanded all the troops, launched three major battles, won consecutive battles, and eliminated more than 1.54 million Kuomintang troops, laying the foundation for the people's The basis for the victory of the War of Liberation across the country.

Before the three major battles, the Kuomintang army still had about 3.6 million regular troops and was supported by the United States. It had relatively advanced equipment and strength that was much higher than that of the People's Liberation Army. It occupied a vast area of ??China, especially the major cities. However, after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the Kuomintang gradually lost public support due to internal struggles for power and corruption. After the outbreak of the civil war, the military strength suffered a heavy blow. It could only focus on defending major cities. Its mobility was greatly weakened, and it was already passive in the situation.

On the contrary, under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the People's Liberation Army implemented the strategy of "not caring about the gains and losses of one city or one pool" and "concentrating its efforts on fighting a war of annihilation", annihilating a large number of enemies, and its total strength grew to 2.8 million , the equipment power has also been greatly improved. The People's Liberation Army "does not take advantage of the masses" and runs the army with dignity, which has won the enthusiastic support of the broad masses of the people. Although there is a certain gap between the overall military strength and equipment and the Kuomintang army, it is already in a proactive position in terms of the situation.

Of course, in addition to military equipment and popular support, military leaders always play a crucial role in the outcome of a war. Strategic decisive battles are the best touchstone to test a military commander's strategic vision, ability to control complex situations, determination and willpower. Mao Zedong is undoubtedly the top strategic master.

Since the outbreak of the civil war in June 1946, Northeast China has been the most fiercely contested place for national independence due to its rich strategic resources. Chiang Kai-shek did not hesitate to invest heavily in troops and change generals many times in order to occupy the Northeast. Thanks to Mao Zedong's precise remote control and the proper command of Lin Biao and Luo Ronghuan, through the "Four Wars and Four Peace" campaigns, by March 1948, the Kuomintang had only three isolated strongholds in the Northeast, namely Changchun, Jinzhou and Shenyang, which became the liberated areas surrounded We have obvious advantages in the "little white area".

Due to the great strategic significance of the Northeast and Mao Zedong's careful analysis of the overall situation, he decided to use it as a breakthrough to amplify the local advantages of the Northeast and strive for greater overall advantages. Of course, it was wise to make a decisive battle in the Northeast, but what showed Mao Zedong's talent and strategy even more was the choice of which city to attack first.

Mao Zedong believed that in order to completely annihilate the enemies in the Northeast, we should first attack Jinzhou and other places to seal the holes so that the enemies cannot escape. This also reflects Mao's style of doing things, either don't do it, or do it thoroughly. At that time, the Northeast Field Army was headquartered in Harbin and had surrounded Changchun. Lin Biao believed that Changchun should be attacked first and then gradually move south. However, the Kuomintang troops may move southward from Jinzhou. Not only will the enemy troops flee if they have the strength, but they will also put huge pressure on North China. This is strategically different.

Jinzhou is not only a choke point connecting Northeast China and North China, but also a base for enemy airlift supplies from Changchun and Shenyang. Its strategic value is extremely important. For the Northeast Field Army, Jinzhou is far away from the main base area, so it needs to bypass Shenyang, conduct a long-distance attack, and has a long supply line. If it cannot be captured quickly, it will be attacked from both sides by enemies from the north and the south, putting the troops at a dead end. This is also the reason why Lin Biao has been unable to make an order to attack Jinzhou.

With superhuman courage, Mao Zedong asked Lin Biao to consider the issue from the perspective of national grand strategy. In order to speed up the war process, Jinzhou must be attacked first. On September 10, the Northeast Field Army marched thousands of miles and reached Jinzhou. At that time, Jiang never dreamed that Mao Zedong would make such a determined decision to launch a strategic decisive battle, let alone attack Jinzhou first. He believed that given the conditions of the People's Liberation Army at the time, the focus of the offensive would be directed at Changchun. It was not until the People's Liberation Army suddenly surrounded Yixian and cut off land transportation in Tongguan, Jinzhou, that it reacted and hurriedly adjusted its deployment to deal with the chaotic situation.

At the beginning of the period, the campaign to attack Jinzhou did not go well, and there was a risk of being encircled and annihilated. Lin Biao's confidence was shaken. When he received Mao Zedong's stern instructions to "concentrate the main force and capture Jinzhou quickly, this plan should not be changed." "After that, Lin Sui made up his mind to attack Jinzhou with all his strength. Mao Zedong's orders and strategic vision were finally effectively implemented.

On October 14, 1948, the Northeast Field Army launched its general attack on Jinzhou and captured Jinzhou after 31 hours of fighting. The capture of Jinzhou was of decisive significance to the victory of the Liaoshen Campaign.

After the liberation of Jinzhou, the Northeast Field Army won consecutive battles. Zheng Dongguo, who had been trapped in Changchun for a long time, saw no hope and laid down his weapons, and Changchun was peacefully liberated. When Liao Yaoxiang's 100,000 regiments wanted to retreat from Yingkou after leaving Shenyang west, the Northeast Field Army divided and surrounded them from all directions, and wiped them out after two days of fierce fighting. On November 2, the Northeast Field Army liberated Shenyang and Yingkou. On the 9th, Jinxi and Huludao were recovered. At this point, the entire Northeast was liberated.

The Battle of Liaoshen lasted for 52 days. One million troops led by Lin, Luo and Liu wiped out 472,000 enemies, including the elite main force Xinyi, which was equipped and trained by the United States and had fought in the Indian and Burmese battlefields. The great victory of the Chinese Army and the New Sixth Army shocked China and foreign countries. The victory in the Liaoshen Campaign dealt a fatal blow to Chiang, for which he vomited blood twice in Peiping and Nanjing.

The victory of the Liaoshen Campaign gave the People's Liberation Army a consolidated and combat-ready rear area with a strong industrial base, which greatly accelerated the victory of the War of Liberation!

With his superb strategic decision-making and astonishing courage, Mao Zedong carefully analyzed the war situation between the enemy and ourselves, scientifically predicted the development trend of the war situation, comprehensively examined various factors, repeatedly weighed the pros and cons, and made a decisive decision Execute, defeat the enemy with one final move, and gain the greatest victory at the smallest cost! Chairman Mao really used his troops like a god!

Completed on October 6, 2020

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