At the beginning of 1954, "one-legged general" Zhong Chibing served as the commander of the Guizhou Provincial Military District. The general never imagined that he would be here to meet his former sworn enemy. This "old enemy" was the Warlord Wang Jialie of the Qian Army who caused Zhong Chibing to lose his right leg and his life was hanging in the balance during the Battle of Loushan Pass.
Zhong Chibing was born in Pingjiang and led a team of 500 people to follow Peng Dehuai. After the two battles in Changsha, the 500-man team was the only one left. After joining the Red Army, he rose from company instructor all the way to the political commissar of the 4th Division of the Red 3rd Army and became a member of Peng Dehuai's strong generals.
In February 1935, the main force of the Red Army, in order to facilitate the movement of the war, reduced the original Red 3 Corps into 4 units of the Red 10 to 13 Regiments. Zhong Chibing, political commissar of the Red 4th Division, was transferred to the Red 12th Regiment as political commissar. Although he was "demoted", Zhong Chibing did not care. For Zhong Chibing, the most important task was to get rid of the obstruction of a large number of enemy soldiers as soon as possible. According to the plan proposed by the chairman, the Red 12th Regiment will return to Guizhou, cross the Chishui River and take Loushan Pass, and then capture Zunyi City.
As the northern gate of Zunyi, the terrain of Loushan Pass is very steep, with only one road leading to the pass. Surrounded by mountains and deep streams, it was only a matter of time before the Red Army took Loushan Pass and conquered Zunyi City. In order to defend Loushan Pass, the Guizhou warlord Wang Jialie sent 4 regiments of "double gun soldiers" to garrison here.
【Loushanguan Battle Site】
[Wax Figure: Officers and Men of the Red Army Who Launched a Charge]
The "two-gunners" mentioned here do not mean that the enemy can shoot with both hands, but that these people carry two guns on their backs for many years: rifles and smoking guns. In Guizhou, from the regimental commander to the soldiers, there are these two guns, and the inferior combat effectiveness can also be seen.
After assigning the main offensive task to the Red 12th and 13th Regiments, Zhong Chibing led the whole regiment to immediately pull out, and after more than 10 days of marching, finally arrived at Tongzi County, 30 miles from Loushan Pass, on the evening of February 26.
The long march kept the warriors exhausted. While everyone was preparing to rest for a while, Xie Song, as the regimental commander, received a report that the 13th Regiment had arrived at Loushan Pass halfway yesterday afternoon and was engaged in a fierce battle with the "double-gunners." As a result, the troops set off again and arrived at the Loushan Pass before dawn.
After the 12th Regiment arrived at Nanxikou, it saw the messengers rushing to report: "A large number of enemy troops have counterattacked from the southern canyon along the road to Loushan Pass, and the outposts set up by the 13th Regiment in the middle of the mountainside have been lost. ”
When Zhong Chibing, who was only 21 years old, heard the news, he immediately asked Commander Xie for battle and personally led the 1st Battalion to rush to reinforcements. After a fierce blow, the 1st Battalion quickly captured Jinshan, the commanding height of Loushan Pass.
Jinshan fell, and Wang Jialie, as the commander-in-chief, was shocked and immediately organized more troops to counterattack. The two sides fought fiercely for more than two hours, and by 10 o'clock in the morning, the deflated "double gunners" could no longer attack, and could only abandon their weapons and retreat. Zhong Chi saw the situation and led the 1st battalion to launch a fierce attack. When they advanced to the Black Temple, the "two-gunners" who had smoked enough smoke pressed up again. Faced with a regiment of enemies, the 1st Battalion gradually fell short, allowing the enemy to rush to the position.
Watching one comrade after another fall, Zhong Chibing also killed the red eye. He simply unbuttoned his jacket, grabbed a large knife, and wrestled with the hordes of enemy soldiers.
During the fierce battle, Zhong Chibing suddenly fell backwards and fell to the ground. The guard, Xiao Hu, mistakenly thought he had tripped, and when he went to the rescue, he found that his right calf had been hit by a stray bullet, and the blood was direct. Xiao Hu was preparing to carry the political commissar on his back and send him back, but Zhong Chibing struggled to get up again and fight with the enemy again. Just when the 1st Battalion was unable to resist, the commandos of the 2nd Battalion arrived in time and finally repelled the "double gunners".
After the battle was over, Zhong Chibing could not hold on any longer and fell to the ground again. Xiao Hu lifted him up, then sat him down on a bluestone, tore his shirt and bandaged him with bandages. But even though more than 10 layers of rags were wrapped, Zhong Chibing's right leg was still bleeding outward. When Commander Xie learned that the political commissar was injured, he directly ordered: "Hu Shenghui, we must remove the political commissar from the line of fire!" ”
[Zhong Chibing (1914-1975), a native of Pingjiang, Hunan, founding lieutenant general]
【Wang Jialie】
Without waiting for Xiao Hu to bandage the wound, Zhong Chibing dragged his injured leg to the front line. Unable to stand, he simply lay on the bluestone and commanded the battle. Seeing that the "two-gunner" once again launched a counterattack, with the cooperation of the 2nd Battalion, he and the surviving soldiers of the 1st Battalion repelled it again with bayonets and sabre. The battle lasted from dawn until evening, and the position was always in the hands of the Red 12th Regiment.
Under the powerful offensive of the Red Army, Wang Jialie's "two-gun soldiers" finally could not support it, and they fled along the road, and Zunyi City was finally taken by the Red Army.
After the defeat of Zunyi, the military doctor immediately operated on Zhong Chibing, who was seriously injured. Who knew that after the operation, everyone found that because Zhong Chibing did not bandage in time, the injury worsened, and the position above the calf had to be amputated. But the Red Army at that time lacked medical equipment, and all they could find was a wood knife borrowed from the common people and a wood saw that was cut in half.
During the 3-and-a-half-hour operation, Zhong Chibing passed out several times and was awakened by severe pain several times. But he forcibly endured the pain and did not say a word. After the operation, the 21-year-old political commissar became a person with only half-amputated right leg.
However, Zhong Chibing did not get rid of the pain. Due to the fluctuating temperature in Guizhou and poor medical conditions, the surgical instruments were not sterilized, and within a few days, his wounds began to infect. Zhong Chibing once again fell into a coma with a high fever and a swollen right leg.
Peng Dehuai personally came to the hospital and ordered all the medical staff to save their beloved generals no matter what, otherwise they would be severely punished. In order to save Zhong Chibing, the doctor had to make a second amputation, cutting off his right leg below the knee. But the wound was still infected, and the crowd had to perform a third operation, cutting his entire right leg from the femur position.
Having undergone three amputations in just half a month is such a pain for an ordinary person. But after experiencing such a tribulation, Zhong Chibing miraculously recovered and saved his life.
["One-legged warrior" Zhong Chibing and his wife Xia Jing (left)】
The Red Army still has to march, how to settle the frail Zhong Chibing? After peng Dehuai considered it, he personally ordered: "Bring Zhong Chibing with you, even if you use a regiment to carry him, you must also carry him away!" ”
After learning of Zhong Chibing's deeds, the chairman decided to transfer Zhong Chibing to the recuperation company and follow the actions of the direct subordinate units of the Red Army, and finally arrived in northern Shaanxi safely.
At the Spring Festival Tea Party in 1954, Wang Jialie learned that the commander of the military region was the political commissar of the Red Army Division who had been broken by his own troops at Loushan Pass, and said with great guilt: "I am really guilty of a deep sin, and I actually broke one of the general's legs, bringing so much trouble to Commander Zhong!" ”
Zhong Chibing waved his hand and said old things, no need to mention them again. What he thinks about most now is to work with Wang Jialie and others to govern and build Guizhou well. After listening to Zhong Chibing's words, Wang Jialie clenched his hand and said, "General Zhong really has the demeanor of a great general!" ”