Decisive Battle: The Northeast China Liberation War, 1945–1948

One of the Shanghai People's Publishing House's "War of Liberation" series, published in tribute to the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army. This is Decisive Battle: The Northeast China Campaign of the War of Liberation, 1945–1948, by Liu Tong, a renowned military historian and author of Northward: The Full Story of the Central Committee's Struggle with Zhang Guotao. The Northeast China theater was swept by dramatic changes from 1945 to 1948. After Japan's surrender, one side raced to enter Shenyang first, while an army of 100,000 crossed the Shanhai Pass in an attempt to "seize" the Northeast. Then the situation changed abruptly: the takeover ran into obstacles, and the battles at Shanhai Pass and Jinzhou took new turns. The Northeast Field Army "made way for the main roads," as Lin Biao established a revolutionary base in the Northeast, launched campaigns to suppress bandits, carried out land reform, and trained his troops intensively. At last, everything was in place. Mao Zedong made the right strategic choice and struck at Jinzhou first. The Liaoshen Campaign, the first decisive battle against the Kuomintang army in the War of Liberation, lasted 52 days and liberated the entire Northeast. From then on, the balance of power between the Communist Party and the Kuomintang shifted decisively.