What happens after the armistice is signed?
It is generally believed that the two sides will immediately stop the exchange of fire and shake hands and make peace. In fact, on the contrary, after signing, the two sides exerted their strength to suckle, showed their firepower to the greatest extent, and were eager to destroy the other side's position.
The lives of many ordinary soldiers died after the signing of the armistice.
For individuals, this is undoubtedly a tragedy, they could have survived.
On July 10, 1951, in a place called "Laifengzhuang" in Kaesong, North Korea, the Korean War armistice negotiations officially began.
Laifengzhuang is located in the northwest of Kaesong, is a private courtyard, and the architectural style has typical Korean characteristics. The courtyard is planted with ancient pines, weeping willows and other landscape plants, which can be regarded as a paradise in the war years.
The two words "Lai Feng" are very Chinese.
The 17th time of "Dream of the Red Chamber", the Grand View Garden was completed, and Jia Zheng took people on a tour while collecting plaques and couplet inscriptions from everyone. In a certain garden, Jia Baoyu thought it was good to write the four words "There is a phoenix to yi", but as usual, he was criticized by his father. Later, Yuan Chun gave the name "Xiaoxiang Hall", which later became the residence of Lin Daiyu, which we know as well.
It is said that the negotiations in "Lai Fengzhuang" did not last long.
More than three months later, the negotiating venue was moved to Panmunjom. The famous "Panmunjom" is the place name that students are familiar with, because the history textbook of the child is written on this place name, which is where the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed.
The Korean armistice negotiations lasted for more than two years, and on July 27, 1953, at 10 a.m., the representatives of the two sides formally signed.
The armistice agreement provides for the formal entry into force 12 hours after its signature.
It was these 12 hours that became the last time for the two sides to meet each other, and it became the lifelong regret of the dead on both sides during this period, who did not see the end of the war with their own eyes.
In order to prevent a surprise attack by the enemy, the Volunteer side made comprehensive combat preparations during the final negotiations, and all kinds of cannons, grenades, rifles, and machine guns were "arrows on the string, and bows were ready to be fired.".
This is the final contest of the will to fight between the two sides. Perhaps they both accumulated too much hatred, perhaps neither side was willing to accept defeat, or perhaps they were worried that the other would not abide by the armistice, and the final battle was fought in the dark.
For a time, the enemy's various aircraft cannons poured thousands of shells on our army's positions. All kinds of light and heavy weapons in our forward positions were also fired at the enemy. The Korean Peninsula is shaking.
The last 12 hours of fighting between the two sides were unprecedentedly fierce. If it weren't for the prior knowledge that the negotiated agreement had been signed, the scenario would have led to the impression that a new, large-scale battle had begun — in fact, the war was coming to an end.
Both sides are showing each other their strong military strength and tenacious fighting spirit. At 10 p.m. that night, the time for the armistice to enter into force arrived, and there was a sudden silence on the battlefield.
The Korean War was over, and our army drove the "United Nations Army" from the banks of the Yalu River all the way back to the south of the 38th Parallel -- this is where they launched their aggression, and the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea won a great victory. Since then, the enemy has not dared to cross the thunder pool for half a step.
Many people, both in our army and in the enemy, died in the 12 hours between the signing and entry into force of the armistice.
The death of soldiers in the "darkness before dawn" proves from another perspective the cruelty, ruthlessness of war, and the preciousness of peace.
The signing of the armistice agreement and the formal armistice, there is usually a buffer time in between, which is not a new thing in history.
Towards the end of the First World War, many young lives also fell on the last day, also after the signing of the armistice.
At 11:00 a.m. on November 11, 1918, the Armistice of World War I was fought. Six hours earlier, the Allies and Germany had reached an armistice, which entered into force six hours after it was signed.
According to historians, on November 11, the total number of casualties and disappearances in the countries involved in the First World War was 10,900.
These include the following three:
Trebichon, 40, was the last person in France to die in World War I. 10 minutes before the armistice, he ran to tell his comrades the time and place of the dinner after the armistice, only to be shot and killed.
The man who fought in the most brutal battle in the history of World War I and survived fell on his last day. At the Battle of the Marne, the Battle of the Somme, and the Battle of Verdun, he miraculously survived.
In 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron mentioned Trebichon's name in his speech at the "Centenary Ceremony of the Armistice of world war I".
George Lawrence Price, 25, was the last person in Canada to die in World War I. Two minutes before the armistice, he was killed by a German sniper.
At the time, Price was participating in the recapture of the southwestern Belgian city of Mons. Residents of downtown Mons took out years of wine and whiskey — one of the few that had been lucky enough to be preserved during the war.
Just as they were about to raise a toast to the coming of peace, gunshots rang out and Price fell to the ground.
Henry Gunther, 23, was the last person in the United States to die in World War I. A minute before the armistice, he was killed by German machine guns.
Somewhere on a hillside in northeastern France, Gunther and his comrades encountered a German machine gun bunker on their way. The Germans first fired warning shots, but Gunther was unmoved and continued to move forward, only to be killed.
Gunther died at 10:59 a.m. on November 11, 1918, a last minute before the armistice took effect.
These ordinary soldiers may have just lacked a little luck, they had persevered to the day of victory, but they did not survive.
Dying on the day the war ended became an incredibly heavy and sad topic.