Fourth Field Army

The Chinese People's Liberation Army Fourth Field Army (Chinese: 中国人民解放军第四野战军) was an army group-level military formation of the People's Liberation Army. It was formed during the Chinese Civil War by existing members of Eighth Route Army and New Fourth Army stationed in Manchuria along with others, where they fought against the Republic of China government. The army also incorporated elements of the former Manchurian occupation forces, which included around 30 thousand Japanese technicians. The army was commanded by Lin Biao, and it was involved in many crucial battles including the Liaoshen Campaign. After the surrender of Japan in 1945, the Northeast People's Autonomous Army (Chinese: 東北人民自衛軍) was established from the Eighth Route Army that mobilized into Northeast China and local anti-Japanese guerillas. On January 14, 1946, it was renamed the Northeast Democratic United Forces (Chinese: 東北民主聯軍), It became the Northeast People's Liberation Army(Chinese: 東北人民解放軍) and later the Northeast Field Army (Chinese: 東北野戰軍) in 1948. The 156th Division was created in November 1948 under the Regulation of the Redesignations of All Organizations and Units of the Army, issued by Central Military Commission on November 1, 1948, based on the 6th Independent Division, Northeastern Field Army, PLA. After the fall of Tianjin to Communist forces on 14–15 January 1949, the Nationalist garrison in Beiping was effectively isolated. Fu Zuoyi came to the decision to negotiate a peace settlement on 21 January. In the following week, 260,000 Nationalist troops began to exit the city in anticipation of the immediate surrender. On 31 January 1949, the Fourth Field Army entered Beiping to take over the city which marked the conclusion of the Pingjin Campaign. On March 11, 1949, the Northeastern Field Army was renamed the PLA's Fourth Field Army. The army comprised the 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th Army, special technical troops, the Column of...