Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping lead troops through Yellow River Flood Zone

In the summer of 1947, commanders Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping led the main forces of the Jin-Ji-Lu-Yu Field Army in a strategic crossing of the Yellow River Flood Zone. Following the victory at Yangshanjie in Southwest Shandong, the troops moved toward the Dabie Mountains.

The Yellow River Flood Zone, created by the 1938 destruction of the Huayuankou dike, presented a massive natural obstacle approximately 20 kilometers wide, characterized by deep mud and standing water. To maintain speed and avoid encirclement by Nationalist forces, the troops traveled light, often abandoning heavy equipment or carrying it manually through the sludge.

Despite the extreme physical difficulty, which veterans compared to the hardships of the Long March, the troops successfully traversed the area by August 18, 1947, continuing their advance toward the Dabie Mountains.