In the spring of 1948, the smoke of war on the land of China was filled. Su Yu embarks on a journey to Fuping, with a military plan in his mind that could change the course of the war.

When he walked into the conference room of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the air seemed to freeze, and all eyes were focused on him, waiting for the strategic plan in his mouth. Su Yu spoke, his voice firm and powerful, detailing his analysis of the current battle situation and his prediction of the future battle.

He proposed that by concentrating forces, a large-scale war of annihilation could be launched against the Kuomintang army in the Huanghuai region of the Central Plains, targeting the enemy's elite troops. When Su Yu mentioned the goal of annihilating the regular Kuomintang army, the atmosphere in the conference room suddenly became tense.

A prelude to a strategic shift

In 1948, on the stage of China's history, a contest was being staged to determine the future and destiny of the country. In this year, the Communist Party of China (CPC) stood at a critical juncture in strategic decision-making and faced unprecedented challenges. On the domestic battlefield, the Kuomintang army remained strong, and the Chinese Communist Party needed to find an effective strategy that could turn the tide of the war in extremely unfavorable circumstances.

After in-depth analysis and meticulous study, the Party Central Committee realized that a mere frontal confrontation with the Kuomintang army at the front line would not only fail to quickly weaken its strength, but could also lead the Chinese Communist Party into a more passive situation.

As a result, a bold and innovative strategic decision emerged - to shift the center of gravity of the war to the rear controlled by the Kuomintang, and to fundamentally shake its military power through a war of annihilation. At that time, the Kuomintang army was spread all over the country, and its huge military system seemed indestructible.

However, as the old saying goes, "a thousand-mile embankment collapses in an anthill", the rear areas of the Kuomintang army hid weak links. Communist Party leaders knew that in order to defeat the enemy, it was necessary to have a deep understanding of the enemy's weaknesses. Therefore, they sent capable scouts to infiltrate the rear of the Kuomintang army to conduct in-depth investigation and research.

After strenuous efforts, Communist scouts found that the rear military deployment of the Kuomintang troops was rather loose, with insufficient fortifications and scattered troops. What is even more deadly is that the supply route is long and complex, like a weak lifeline, and once attacked, the combat effectiveness of the entire army will be greatly reduced.

In addition, the logistical support capacity of the Kuomintang army was also overstretched, and it was difficult to cope with the pressure of continuous combat. After receiving the order from his superiors, Su Yu did not rush to carry it out, but first conducted an in-depth analysis of the war situation in the Central Plains and East China. He clearly put forward a strategic point that it is not advisable to rush south to cross the river.

Behind this viewpoint is his deep understanding and unique views on the war situation. Su Yu believed that Huaye and the Central Plains Field Army should continue to wage a large-scale war of annihilation against the Kuomintang army in the Central Plains. This strategy not only meets the needs of the current war situation, but is also the key to weakening the Kuomintang's military strength.

He made a detailed analysis of the deployment and combat effectiveness of the Kuomintang army, and pointed out that a war of annihilation in the Central Plains could make full use of the terrain and troop superiority and effectively consume the enemy's vital forces.

In Su Yu's view, the Central Plains region is a strategic location, with complex terrain and relatively mature material supply lines, which is conducive to launching a large-scale war of annihilation. Through a detailed analysis of intelligence and data from all sides, including troop deployment, logistical supply, and coordination of arms between the enemy and us, he gradually formed his own strategic concept.

Su Yu pointed out that although the Kuomintang army had a numerical advantage, its main forces were scattered and had gradually weakened during the long war. The Huaye and Central Plains Field Armies were fully capable of carrying out an effective war of annihilation in the Central Plains by concentrating their forces, rapidly maneuvering, and flexibly using tactics, so as to gradually weaken the Kuomintang's combat effectiveness.

A turning point in central decision-making

On April 30, 1948, with the joint efforts of Chen Yi and Su Yu, the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held an important enlarged meeting in Fuping. The meeting focused on the current war situation and future strategic deployment, with the aim of establishing a plan of military action for the future.

Su Yu delivered a crucial report at the meeting, which analyzed the situation in the Central Plains in detail and put forward a grand strategic plan, that is, to annihilate the enemy's 500,000 to 600,000 elite troops. In his report, Su Yu systematically assessed the geographical environment of the Central Plains battlefield, the deployment of troops on both sides of the enemy, and the lessons learned from past battles.

He emphasized the strategic value of the Central Plains, pointing out that it was not only geographically critical, but also an important concentration of troops for the Kuomintang army. Su Yu discussed in detail the deployment of the Kuomintang army in the Central Plains, including the location of its main force, the number of troops, and the state of its will to fight.

Su Yu has shown great ambition and far-reaching vision in the strategic layout. He planned in detail how to use the forces of the 10 columns in the Central Plains and Huaye, plus special forces and other armed forces, to launch a large-scale war of annihilation.

This plan was not just the application of local tactics, but comprehensively considered how to form an absolute suppression of the Kuomintang army on the battlefield, and the ultimate goal was to completely annihilate the enemy in the Huanghuai region of the Central Plains.

Su Yu's plan was for these columns to perform elaborate tactical maneuvers, including rapid breakthroughs, deep encirclement, division and outflanking, and maneuvering, all designed to weaken the resistance of the Kuomintang army and quickly eliminate its combat effectiveness.

The special forces units were given the responsibility of carrying out special tasks, such as sabotaging enemy logistics, cutting off communication lines, and assassinating key personnel, further increasing the psychological and physical pressure on the Kuomintang army.

Su Yu's strategic concept

During the meeting, Chairman Mao and other participants listened carefully to Su Yu's report and analysis. Through in-depth discussions on the battlefield situation, the participants gradually formed a consensus that the strategic plan proposed by Su Yu was practical and feasible and could effectively weaken the combat effectiveness of the Kuomintang army.

Chairman Mao spoke highly of Su Yu's analysis and suggestions, believing that this was a well-designed strategy that would give the Communist Party an advantage in the next war. Chairman Mao expressed a deep interest in Su Yu's strategic vision.

When he asked Su Yu if he had really considered the total annihilation of Chiang Kai-shek's 4.5 million regular army north of the Yangtze River, this was not only a question of the plan's viability, but also a reflection of Chairman Mao's concern for this bold strategic goal. Su Yu did not show any hesitation about this, and he explained in detail his strategic thinking and implementation details to Chairman Mao and the other participants of the meeting.

He said that although Chiang Kai-shek had a large army, the number of elite troops that could play a central role in actual combat was limited. His goal was to concentrate on annihilating these elite units through continuous combat operations, thereby greatly weakening the overall combat effectiveness and command structure of the Kuomintang army.

Su Yu further elaborated on how to take advantage of the geographical advantages of the Central Plains and the Huanghuai region to launch a continuous offensive to form a multi-point encirclement and division of the Kuomintang army, and weaken its will to fight and material supplies. He proposed that in this way it would be possible to gradually destroy the enemy's defenses and eventually achieve total annihilation north of the Yangtze River.

The discussion also touched on how to coordinate the actions of the different columns and armed forces to ensure a joint force in the offensive and deal a fatal blow to the Kuomintang army. Su Yu emphasized a high degree of flexibility and mobility, which he believes are the key to success in a complex and volatile battlefield environment.

Chairman Mao's decision-making and support

Chairman Mao expressed strong support for Su Yu's strategic vision, which was reflected in his recognition and active promotion of Su Yu's plan. He saw the practical feasibility and potential strategic value of Su Yu's plan, and saw it as an opportunity to significantly weaken the combat effectiveness of the Kuomintang army.

Chairman Mao's support was not accidental, but based on his in-depth analysis of the entire war situation and an accurate assessment of the strength structure of the Kuomintang army. In Chairman Mao's view, Su Yu's plan was not just an ordinary military operation, but a key battle that could change the overall situation of the war.

He realized that by concentrating his forces to annihilate the elite troops of the Kuomintang, he could not only directly weaken the enemy's combat capability, but also deal a major blow to the enemy army at the political and psychological levels, thereby shaking its overall will to war. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, under the impetus of Chairman Mao, finally adopted Su Yu's suggestion and set the annihilation of 500,000 to 600,000 elite troops of the Kuomintang army as the main strategic goal.

This decision signaled a series of well-planned and large-scale military operations by the communist army aimed at radically changing the balance of power on the battlefield. As soon as the decision was adopted, the CPC Central Committee quickly launched the corresponding strategic plan.

Under Chairman Mao's guidance, Su Yu and other military leaders began to refine their battle plans, adjust their troop deployments, and ensure that each unit could arrive at its designated position within the stipulated time and prepare to launch a decisive offensive. In the process, Su Yu's original plan was further refined and concretized, ensuring that each action had a clear goal and a feasible implementation plan.

In order to achieve this grand strategic goal, the CCP army has carried out extensive preparations, including strengthening intelligence gathering, closely monitoring the movements of the Kuomintang army, strengthening frontline defenses, and preparing logistics support. At the same time, the forces were also reintegrated and adjusted to ensure that sufficient offensive forces could be formed to carry out effective strikes against the Kuomintang army.

In terms of strategic planning, Su Yu's plan emphasized flexibility and surprise attacks, aiming to disrupt the defensive deployment of the Kuomintang army and create favorable conditions for a war of annihilation through tactics such as rapid penetration and in-depth encirclement.

In addition, the battlefield environment and terrain factors have also been fully considered, and a number of possible offensive routes and alternative plans have been formulated to deal with various battlefield changes and unexpected situations that may occur. Through these careful planning and preparations, the CCP army gradually established an all-round superiority over the Kuomintang army.

Resources:

1. The Complete History of the Chinese People's Liberation Army

2. "The Legend of Su Yu"