# Liao Yaoxiang

Last Men Standing on 101 Heights: How a Small Unit’s Sacrifice Turned the Tide at Heishan

In October 1948 the Northeast Field Army halted and reversed a major Nationalist thrust at Heishan by combining concentrated artillery fires, rapid reserve counterattacks and tenacious small-unit defence on the 101 Heights. The victory played a critical role in the Liaoshen campaign, accelerating the collapse of the Nationalist Ninth Corps and the liberation of Northeast China. The fight at 101 Heights remains a celebrated example in PLA historiography of how tactical resilience and combined-arms action can overcome superior numbers.