Shangdang Campaign The Shangdang Campaign ( ) was a series battles fought between the Communist force under the leadership of Liu Bocheng and the nationalist Yan Xishan ’ s Kuomintang force . The Campaign lasted from September 10 , 1945 , through October 12 , 1945 . Like all other communist victories in the clashes immediately after Japanese ' s surrender in World War II , the outcome of this campaign altered the course of the peace negotiation held in Chongqing from August 28 , 1945 through October 11 , 1945 , resulting in a more favourable outcome for Mao Zedong . Prelude . After the end of World War II , the conflict between the Communists and the Kuomintang resumed the intensity that it had had before the outbreak of the Second Sino - Japanese War . Under the direction of Chiang Kai - shek , the commander - in - chief of the second war zone , Yan Xishan , ordered the commander of the 19th Army , Shi Zebo ( 史泽波 ) , to lead the 19th Army , part of the 61st Army , and other units , totaling more than 17 , 000 to invade the Communist base in the Shangdang ( 上党 ) region of southeastern Shanxi in the mid August , 1945 . Three Nationalist divisions were stationed in the largest city of the region , Changzhi , while the rest were stationed in the following cities / towns : Xiangyuan ( 襄垣 ) , Changzi ( 长子 ) , Tunliu ( 屯留 ) , Lucheng , Huguang ( 壶关 ) , and other counties ; and , from these newly established bases , the Nationalists planned to take the entire southeastern Shanxi region from the Communists . The Communists anticipated the Nationalist attack and mobilized 31 , 000 troops from the Taihang ( 太行 ) , Taiyue ( 太岳 ) , and Southern Hebei ( 冀南 ) military districts to prepare for the upcoming battles . The Communist commander , Liu Bocheng , was assisted by his political commissar Deng Xiaoping , who was excellent at motivating his soldiers . Many communist troops worried about the safety of Mao Zedong , who was in Chongqing negotiating a peace treaty with Chiang Kai - shek . Deng Xiaoping told his soldiers that the greater the victory for the upcoming battle , the safer Mao Zedong would be , and the stronger the position the Communists would have at the negotiations . This position was observed to be effective in raising the morale of the Communist troops in Shanxi . The Communists also mobilized an additional 50 , 000 militia to ease logistical concerns associated with the campaign , and to fill vacancies left behind by the regular troops who were on the front lines . First stage . The campaign officially started on September 10 , 1945 when the first shot of the first battle was fired . The Communist Taihang ( 太行 ) column first attacked Tunliu ( 屯留 ) , while Taiyue ( 太岳 ) and Southern Hebei ( 冀南 ) columns prepared for an ambush . One day later , the Taihang column entered a skirmish with the 6 , 000 Nationalist troops from Changzhi , but the Nationalist commander was extremely careful ; and , once contact with the Communist force was made , the Nationalist unit immediately withdrew to back to Changzhi . Although the Communist ambush failed , they did take the town of Tunliu ( 屯留 ) on September 12 , 1945 . On September 13 , 1945 , the communist used the same tactics again , with the Taihang ( 太行 ) column attacking Changzi ( 长子 ) , while the Taiyue ( 太岳 ) and Southern Hebei ( 冀南 ) columns prepared for another ambush . However , the Nationalist commander Shi Zebo ( 史泽波 ) anticipated the Communists ’ ambush , and did not sent out any reinforcements from Changzhi . Realizing that their original plan would not be successful , Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping promptly changed their strategy from decimating the nationalist force to retaking lost territory , taking Xiangyuan ( 襄垣 ) , Changzi ( 长子 ) , Tunliu ( 屯留 ) , Lucheng , Huguang ( 壶关 ) and other counties by September 19 , 1945 , annihilating over 7 , 000 Nationalist troops in the process . The next day , Communist forces attacked garrisons outside of Changzhi from the south , east and west . The Communists planned to let the Nationalists escape to the north and ambush them while they were fleeing . Again , the Communist plan failed to materialize when Nationalist commander Shi Zebo ( 史泽波 ) , still at Changzhi , again anticipated the ambush and decided to hold out . When the attack on Changzhi began on September 24 , 1945 , but the Communists failed to take the city ( attributed largely to the superior arms of the Nationalist defenders ) . A stalemate was reached following the successful defence of Changzhi . Second stage . After Yan Xishan learned of the emergency facing Shi Zebo ( 史泽波 ) at Changzhi , he sent out reinforcements led by the deputy commander - in - chief of the 2nd Army Group , Peng Yubin ( 彭毓斌 ) . Peng ' s units consisted of the 23rd Army , the 83rd Army , and other divisions totalling more than 20 , 000 men . Learning these troop movements on September 28 , 1945 , the Communists planned an ambush in the area between Tunliu ( 屯留 ) and Xianghuan ( 襄垣 ) , leaving the Southern Hebei ( 冀南 ) Column and local militia to maintain the siege of Changzhi , while redeploying Taihang ( 太行 ) and Taiyue ( 太岳 ) columns to the north . On October 2 , 1945 , the Nationalist reinforcements clashed with the ambushing Communist forces at a region northwest of Tunliu ( 屯留 ) known as " Wangjiaqu " ( 王家渠 ) . After the initial battle , the Nationalist reinforcements were engaged at regions along Laoyeling ( 老爷岭 ) , Mopannao ( 磨盘脑 ) , and Yulin ( 榆林 ) line . The Nationalists maintained a tight formation , making communication more efficient due to the shorter distance between units . The Nationalists benefitted from superior equipment , and effectively concentrated their superior firepower to inflict heavy casualties on the attacking Communist force . The Communists were forced to redeploy the Southern Hebei ( 冀南 ) Column for reinforcement , leaving only the local militia to besiege Changzhi . The Communists changed tactics , attacking from 3 sides while leaving the north side open so that the enemy would escape to the north and be ambushed on the way . This tactic proved successful when , on October 5 , 1945 , Peng Yubin ( 彭毓斌 ) escaped to the north exactly as the Communists had hoped . His force was soon defeated , and Peng Yubin ( 彭毓斌 ) himself was killed at Siting ( 虒亭 ) by the waiting Communist Taiyue ( 太岳 ) column . Third stage . Learning that his reinforcements were annihilated , the Nationalist commander Shi Zebo ( 史泽波 ) at Changzhi planned a breakout from the west on October 8 , 1945 , under the cover of darkness , hoping to reach Linfen . Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping immediately ordered Taiyue ( 太岳 ) column to move to Mabi ( 马壁 ) from Siting ( 虒亭 ) to intercept the fleeing enemy . On October 12 , 1945 , the Communist force caught up with the fleeing Nationalist force at the Jiangjunling ( 将军岭 ) and Peach River ( 桃川 ) regions , decimating the demoralized enemy and capturing the Nationalist commander Shi Zebo ( 史泽波 ) alive . Conclusion . The Shangdang ( 上党 ) Campaign cost the Kuomintang 13 divisions totaled more than 35 , 000 troops , with more than 31 , 000 of those 35 , 000 captured as POWs by the Communists . Of the two Nationalist commanders , one was killed and the other was captured alive . The Communists suffered over 4 , 000 casualties , with none captured by the Nationalists . In addition to decimating the Nationalist force with relatively light casualties , the Communist force also obtained an important supply of weapons that its force desperately needed , capturing 24 mountain gun s , more than 2 , 000 machine gun s , and more than 16 , 000 rifle s , submachine gun s , and handgun s from its enemy . The campaign had additional importance for the Communists because it was the first campaign in which a Communist force engaged an enemy using conventional tactics and succeeded , marking a transition from the guerrilla warfare commonly practiced by the Communists . On the political front , the campaign was a great boost for the Communists in their negotiations at the peace talks in Chongqing . The Kuomintang suffered from the loss of territory , troops , and materiel . The Nationalist also lost face before the Chinese public , which expected the Kuomintang to produce results in the peace talks .