Strategies
After the Campaign to the South of Baoding, nationalist redeployed their forces totaling 26 divisions in 9 armies. The nationalist forces in North China concentrated on protecting important regions including: the Beijing – Shijiazhuang section of Beijing – Hankou Railway, the Beijing – Zhangjiakou section of Beijing – Suiyuan Railway, Northern section of Tatong – Fengling Crossing Railway, Beijing – Shanhaiguan section of Beijing – Shenyang Railway, and the iron triangular region of Beijing – Baoding – Tianjin region.
However, the nationalist strategy was seriously flawed in that in order to strengthen the northern defense in the regions mentioned above, it sacrificed the southern defense: the vast region along Zhengding – Taiyuan Railway in the south were only guarded by three divisions and local militia garrisons, and this flaw was to be exploited to the maximum by the Communists. The commander-in-chief and political commissar of the communist Shanxi – Chahar – Hebei Military Region, Nie Rongzhen, decided to concentrate his force to first clear the nationalists from their strongholds outside Shijiazhuang, and then annihilate any nationalist reinforcement sent along the Zhengding – Taiyuan Railway.
Read more about this topic: Zhengtai Campaign
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