Liao-Shen Campaign: A Landmark Victory
The People's Liberation Army's success in the Liao-Shen Campaign marked the decisive collapse of the Nationalist forces in Northeast China, leading to the region's full liberation. This victory had significant ripple effects that spread to other battlefronts.
One of the most notable impacts was felt by the Nationalist general, Fu Zuoyi, who was leading the battle in the Pingjin Campaign in North China. With the fall of Northeast China, Fu began to realize that his forces would face insurmountable challenges ahead. Though he resisted the idea, he could not ignore the looming threat of inevitable defeat. Mao Zedong, on the other hand, sought to avoid unnecessary destruction and hoped to peacefully liberate Beiping (now Beijing), preserving the safety of its people and property.
To facilitate peace talks, the Communist Party sent Fu's daughter, Fu Dongju, who was also an underground Communist Party member, to persuade her father to consider negotiations. She successfully conveyed the importance of peacefully liberating Beiping, and Fu Zuoyi soon communicated his willingness to pursue peace, signaling his decision to cease hostilities.
On December 14, 1948, at the request of the Communist Party, Fu Zuoyi sent his representative, Cui Zaizhi, accompanied by an entourage, to Shijiazhuang to begin peace negotiations with the People's Liberation Army. Cui Zaizhi, a trusted associate of Fu, was the editor-in-chief of the Pingming Daily and a Communist Party member.
However, on the way to the talks, a small incident occurred. Due to a delay in identifying their status, Cui’s delegation was detained briefly. Fortunately, General Nie Rongzhen and his team intervened quickly, ensuring that the delegation was escorted to the frontlines safely.
By the afternoon, Cui Zaizhi met with Su Jing, the representative of the People's Liberation Army, to initiate the negotiations. Before discussing the terms of the talks, Cui first emphasized one important request from Fu Zuoyi—complete confidentiality. Fu feared that if the talks were leaked to Nationalist intelligence, the negotiations might be sabotaged, or worse, he could be targeted for assassination. Su Jing immediately agreed to this condition.
Despite agreeing to negotiate, there were significant differences between the two sides, which made the talks lengthy and challenging. Some of Fu's demands were difficult for the Communist Party to accept, while the Party's terms required Fu to seek further concessions. Eventually, Fu replaced his negotiator with General Deng Baoshan, a respected patriot who also had ties to Mao and the Communist Party. Under Deng’s representation, the negotiations made significant progress.
By January 20, 1949, Fu Zuoyi's two corps, eight divisions, and twenty-five regiments had started their withdrawal from the city and agreed to be restructured. This marked the peaceful liberation of Beiping. The 64-day Pingjin Campaign, led by the Communist Party and Mao Zedong, ended in victory, achieved through a combination of military action and political negotiation.
