�粟裕 was known as the "ever-victorious general" - just how remarkable was he?

From a Small Communications Officer to Military Commander

On May 13-16, 1947, in the Mengliang Gu mountain area of Shandong Province, a unit claiming to be "the ace of aces in the Nationalist Party" – the 74th Reorganized Division – was surrounded on a rocky mountain. This unit was equipped entirely with American weapons, had over 30,000 troops, and was renowned for its rigorous training. Its commander Zhang Lingfu had previously led it to fame throughout the war of resistance against Japan. But this time, they encountered an opponent that the entire Nationalist military establishment found unbelievable: 270,000 troops commanded by Chen Yi, commander of the East China Field Army, and Su Yu, deputy commander and chief of staff. After 72 hours of intense fighting, Zhang Lingfu was killed, and the entire 74th Reorganized Division of over 30,000 troops was completely annihilated. When the news reached Nanjing, Chiang Kai-shek cried out loud in lamentation: "This is our greatest loss, our greatest loss!" With this battle, Su Yu's name resounded throughout China and abroad. From then on, the title of "General Su" and the nickname of "Ever-Victorious General" became inseparably linked. Just how capable was Su Yu? How could this military strategist, who had fought his way up from the Nanchang Uprising, win battles that almost everyone thought were impossible to win?

From a Small Communications Soldier to Military Commander

On August 10, 1907, Su Yu was born into a Dong ethnic family in Huangong County, Hunan. As a youth, he had an almost obsessive interest in military affairs. At age 14, after reading "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," he became fascinated with ancient warfare. At 17, while in middle school, he began secretly studying military maps and terrain analysis.

In 1926, the 19-year-old Su Yu enrolled in China's most prestigious military academy at the time, the fifth class of the Wuchang Whampoa Military Academy led by Ye Ting. At the academy, he received formal military training, studying infantry tactics, artillery principles, and topographical surveying. More importantly, he joined the Chinese Communist Party here, establishing his lifelong political beliefs.

On August 1, 1927, Su Yu participated in the famous Nanchang Uprising at age 20, serving as a communications squad leader in Ye Ting's unit. From then on, his military career became inextricably linked with the armed struggle of the Chinese Communist Party.

From 1929 to 1933, Su Yu followed Zhu De and Mao Zedong in campaigns throughout Jinggang Mountain and the Ganzhou-Minxi regions, rising from company commander to divisional commander. He participated in the entire process of the Red Army's first through fifth counter-encirclement campaigns, accumulating rich practical combat experience in brutal warfare.

When the Long March began in 1934, Su Yu did not follow the main force. Instead, he was left behind in the south to wage guerrilla warfare, which proved to be an extremely difficult period. He persisted in guerrilla warfare for three years in the mountains of southern Zhejiang, eastern Fujian, and southern Anhui, developing his force from several hundred to several thousand troops. These "three unknown years" gave Su Yu an almost miraculous ability in maneuvering small units in combat.

Seven Victories in Seven Battles in Suzhong: A Campaign That Left Chiang Kai-shek Astonished

In June 1946, full-scale civil war broke out. Chiang Kai-shek made East China the main direction of attack, concentrating 58 Nationalist brigades totaling 460,000 troops to assault the Suzhong and Subei liberated areas in central China. At this time, Su Yu served as commander of the Central China Military District with only over 30,000 troops under his command.

The disparity in troop strength was staggering: Nationalist forces of 460,000 versus Liberation Army forces of 30,000 – a 15-fold difference!

Facing such overwhelming numerical disadvantage, Su Yu and Mao Zedong had a strategic disagreement. Initially, Mao Zedong required Su Yu to lead the Central China Field Army to cross the Yangtze River southward for external operations and open new battlefields. However, after careful research, Su Yu believed that the timing to cross the Yangtze was not yet ripe. Instead, he should launch several annihilation campaigns in Suzhong itself, winning major victories with small forces.

Su Yu sent three consecutive telegrams to Mao Zedong outlining his views. Mao Zedong was convinced by Su Yu's analysis and approved his plan. From July 13 to August 31, 1946, Su Yu launched a series of campaigns in the Suzhong region, which later became known in military history as the "Seven Victories in Seven Battles of Suzhong":

1. Xuanjiapu Battle: 3,000 enemies annihilated
2. Runan Battle: Over 10,000 enemies annihilated
3. Hainan Blocking Battle: 3,000 enemies annihilated
4. Libao Battle: 8,000 enemies annihilated
5. DingyeLinzi Battle: 3,000 enemies annihilated
6. Shaobo Defense Battle: 2,000 enemies annihilated
7. Ruhuang Road Battle: 17,000 enemies annihilated

Seven battles, seven victories, eliminating over 53,000 enemies in total. These numbers exceeded even the strength of Su Yu's own Central China Field Army. Using 30,000 troops to annihilate 50,000 enemies was an extremely rare achievement in military history.

The Seven Victories in Seven Battles of Suzhong brought Su Yu sudden fame. After reading the battle reports, Mao Zedong enthusiastically declared: "I always knew that Commander Su Yu was a general capable of winning battles! His strategic vision demonstrates he is fully capable of commanding independently." From then on, Su Yu's status in Mao Zedong's mind rose dramatically.

The Mengliang Gu Campaign: Creating Miracles from the Impossible

In spring 1947, the Nationalists concentrated 450,000 troops for a major offensive against the Shandong liberated area, forming the "Shandong Army Group." The most elite unit among them was the 74th Reorganized Division (originally the 74th Army, the main force in the Nanjing defense, the Wanniajing Battle, and the Changde Campaign), commanded by Zhang Lingfu and equipped entirely with American weapons. It was known as the "number one ace of the Nationalist Party."

Chiang Kai-shek's strategy was to use the 74th Division as a "spearhead" to break through in the center, with other units providing left and right wing support, driving the East China Field Army to eastern Shandong for annihilation.

The dilemma Su Yu faced:

• The East China Field Army had only 270,000 troops against the enemy's 450,000
• Nationalist units were tightly clustered, mutually supporting each other, resembling a large iron net
• Attacking any unit would invite surrounding assaults from other units

How to break through this situation? Su Yu proposed a shocking plan to everyone: "pulling a tiger's tooth from its jaws" – directly attacking the 74th Division, the most elite unit!

Chen Yi and other East China Field Army leaders thought this plan was far too risky. Attacking the 74th Division meant placing the strongest 30,000-troop unit directly in the middle of the enemy's 450,000 troops and attempting to swallow it whole. The slightest miscalculation could result in complete encirclement and total annihilation.

But Su Yu had his logic: "Precisely because the 74th Division is an ace unit, other enemy units will believe it cannot be attacked. If we suddenly concentrate superior forces to attack the 74th Division, the other enemy units will need time to react, and during that window, we can eliminate it."

On May 12, 1947, Su Yu launched the Mengliang Gu campaign. He concentrated nine corps of the East China Field Army totaling 270,000 troops against the 74th Reorganized Division's 30,000 troops, a 9-to-1 ratio. The 74th Division withdrew to the Mengliang Gu mountain area, attempting to hold the dangerous terrain while awaiting reinforcement.

From May 13-16, on Mengliang Gu's rugged mountainous terrain, East China Field Army units compressed the 74th Division's defensive position inch by inch. Water was scarce in the mountains, and the 74th Division soldiers' lips cracked from thirst. Other Nationalist units were only kilometers away from Mengliang Gu but Su Yu's carefully positioned blocking forces held them back, preventing any breakthrough.

On May 16 at 5 p.m., the 74th Division was completely annihilated, Zhang Lingfu was killed in the command post (according to official battle reports), and all 30,000-plus troops of the 74th Reorganized Division were eliminated.

This battle produced three "firsts": the first time in the Liberation War to completely annihilate a Nationalist ace unit; the first time to achieve major victory in the middle of an enemy heavily-armed group; the first time to make Chiang Kai-shek realize the entire military situation was turning.

The Huaihai Campaign: Su Yu's Greatest Undertaking

If the Seven Victories in Seven Battles of Suzhong was Su Yu's breakthrough battle, and Mengliang Gu was his audacious feat, then the Huaihai Campaign was the pinnacle of his life's work.

The Huaihai Campaign began on November 6, 1948. The original plan was the "Small Huaihai," in which the East China Field Army would eliminate the Huang Baitao Army Group. But on November 8, after the campaign commenced, Su Yu sent a famous telegram to Mao Zedong proposing to expand the campaign's scale: after eliminating the Huang Baitao Army Group, to continue eliminating the Qiu Qingquan, Li Mi, Huang Wei, and Sun Yuanliang Army Groups, completely destroying all the heavily-armed Nationalist forces around Xuzhou in one operation.

Upon seeing the telegram, Mao Zedong was extremely excited. He told Zhou Enlai: "Su Yu's suggestion is audaciously ambitious, but his analysis makes sense. Can't we consume this many enemies all at once? Let him eat them one by one." Mao Zedong immediately replied, approving Su Yu's plan and expanding the Huaihai Campaign from "Small Huaihai" to "Large Huaihai."

Over the next 66 days, Su Yu and 600,000 East China Field Army troops (plus 200,000 Central China Field Army troops) engaged in an unprecedented large-scale decisive battle with 800,000 Nationalist troops.

The campaign's progression:

• First Phase (November 6-22): Surrounding and annihilating the Huang Baitao Army Group at Lingshuang. Su Yu commanded the main East China Field Army forces to encircle the Huang Baitao Army Group in the Lingshuang area. After 16 days of intense fighting, 100,000 enemies were annihilated and Huang Baitao committed suicide.
• Second Phase (November 23 – December 15): Surrounding and annihilating the Huang Wei Army Group at Shuangduiji. Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping commanded the Central China Field Army main forces (with Su Yu's coordination) to encircle and eliminate Huang Wei's 12th Army Group, annihilating 120,000 troops.
• Third Phase (December 6, 1948 – January 10, 1949): Surrounding and annihilating the Du Yuming Army Group at Chengguanzhuang. Su Yu commanded the main East China Field Army forces to encircle Du Yuming, Qiu Qingquan, and Li Mi's three Army Groups at Chengguanzhuang. After 34 days of intense fighting, 300,000 enemies were annihilated, Qiu Qingquan committed suicide, and Du Yuming was captured.

Total results of the Huaihai Campaign: 555,000 Nationalist troops were eliminated, with Du Yuming and Huang Wei captured, and Huang Baitao and Qiu Qingquan committing suicide. The Nationalist Party's main forces north of the Yangtze River were essentially destroyed.

After the campaign, Mao Zedong assessed: "In the Huaihai Campaign, Commander Su Yu took first credit." This was the highest praise.

Su Yu's Military Talent: Why He Was Called the "Ever-Victorious General"

Su Yu commanded countless large and small campaigns throughout his life and was almost never defeated. His military talents were demonstrated in several unique ways:

First, exceptionally forward-thinking strategic vision. When Su Yu analyzed a battlefield, he saw not only the present but three, five, or even ten steps ahead. The plan for Seven Victories in Seven Battles of Suzhong, the daring tooth-pulling at Mengliang Gu, and expanding the Huaihai Campaign from small to large – all represented strategic opportunities that others could not see.

Second, remarkable computational ability. Su Yu was skilled in mathematics and his calculations regarding troop strength comparisons, time differentials, and geographic distances were almost precise to the hour and kilometer. He often said: "Warfare is arithmetic; those who calculate accurately win."

Third, extraordinarily strong psychological resilience. Su Yu possessed an unusually calm temperament. During the most intense moments of battle, he often remained composed and unruffled, methodically considering the next steps before his maps. This composure gave his subordinates great confidence.

Fourth, extreme decisiveness. Once Su Yu made a decision, he was unwavering in its implementation. He repeatedly stood firm against superior pressure (including from Mao Zedong) and adhered to his judgment. Expanding the Huaihai Campaign from small to large and the daring tooth-pulling at Mengliang Gu both reflected his decisiveness.

Fifth, a strong capacity for learning and reflection. After each campaign, Su Yu would write battle analyses, examining his gains and losses. His collection of battle studies widely circulated within the military and became essential reading for many subsequent commanders.

Su Yu's Modesty and Magnanimity

In contrast to his outstanding military achievements, Su Yu was extremely modest.

Military ranks conferred in 1955: When the Chinese People's Liberation Army conferred ranks in 1955, Su Yu was given the rank of General. But by his accomplishments, his military merits surpassed all other generals, and many believed he should have been made a Marshal.

Regarding this, Su Yu repeatedly told the central authorities: "The rank of General is already very high. I commanded troops but did not establish base areas, so I cannot compare with the Marshals." This magnanimity moved Mao Zedong to say: "Su Yu possesses the capability and character of a great general."

A lifetime of modesty: Su Yu never sought credit and never wrote memoirs to magnify his achievements. For the victories at Mengliang Gu and the Huaihai Campaign, he always attributed success to Chairman Mao's leadership and collective wisdom. The memoirs and battle studies he left behind were mostly compiled from his records by his comrades-in-arms.

Historical Evaluation

An elderly general from the Military Science Academy once said: "The Chinese military has three military geniuses: Mao Zedong, Lin Biao, and Su Yu. The greatness of Chairman Mao lies in overall strategic vision, General Lin's greatness lies in tactical precision, and Commander Su Yu's greatness lies in creating possibilities from the impossible."

This assessment is fair and accurate. Su Yu faced circumstances in virtually every campaign he commanded where he was numerically inferior, geographically disadvantaged, and opposed by powerful enemies. Yet through precise calculation, forward-thinking vision, and steadfast determination, he always turned danger into safety and transformed crisis into opportunity.

From a communications squad leader to a general of the republic, from the mountain paths of Jinggang to the great plains of Huaihai, Su Yu embodied throughout his life what it means to be "a soldier whose nature is victory." Today in the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, beside Su Yu's photograph are written these words: "One of the most outstanding tactical and operational commanders in modern Chinese warfare history."

This is Su Yu, this is what the Ever-Victorious General means. His victories were not luck or coincidence but rather a true military genius's ultimate expression in the art of warfare.