preface
Figure | General Pi Dingjun
In July 1976, at the memorial service of Pi Dingjun, commander of the Fuzhou Military Region.
A forty-five- or six-year-old veteran pulled his son to kneel in front of piding jun's portrait, prostrating his head and crying:
"Commander, your soldiers, the recruit snipers who were on the Korean battlefield came to see you..."
The veteran's cries attracted the attention of many people, but no one present knew the veteran, and even Pi Dingjun's second son, Pi Xiaonong, was confused.
Just then, a plainclothes man in the crowd grabbed Pison and told him:
"Xiao Nong, he is Zhang Taofang of the 214th Regiment of the 24th Army, a sharpshooter on the battlefield of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and Commander Pi should have mentioned him to you."
Only then did Pi Xiaonong suddenly realize that he had lifted up the veteran with reverence.
He clearly remembered that when his father was still alive, he did not mention anything about his past combat experience and the achievements he had made, but he never forgot his outstanding performance on the battlefield.
But his father had mentioned Zhang Taofang's deeds to them more than once, and when he saw eye diseases in Fuzhou, he also asked his secretary to call Zhang Taofang and welcome him to have time to play in Fuzhou.
"For decades, I've missed this sharpshooter on the Korean battlefield..."
"Who is Zhang Taofang, who is Zhang Taofang"
To this day, Zhang Taofang's name has been known to everyone, and later became a famous sharpshooter. But it is difficult to imagine that when she first joined the army, Zhang Taofang's shooting performance was not outstanding.
In March 1951, Zhang Taofang joined the army honorably and was assigned to the 214th Regiment, 214th Regiment, 72nd Division, 214th Regiment, 8th Company, 24th Army as a correspondent.
When the troops had not yet been pulled onto the battlefield, there was an organization of target shooting in the company, and Zhang Taofang felt at first that his level was not bad, after all, in his early years, he had participated in the children's regiment and touched the gun, which was better than those who had not fought.
But after a comparison, Zhang Taofang was dumbfounded. Three shots in a row actually all went off target.
Pictured| Zhang Taofang
The comrades next to him couldn't help but laugh out loud, and the company commander shook his head straightly:
“
You are really good, hit three zero rings, is not the noon burnt cake to eat too much.
”
Zhang Taofang was later assigned to work in the cooking class, depressed and at the same time felt strange, although the previous shooting results were not so outstanding, but it was impossible to all be off target.
Since then, Zhang Taofang has worked hard to study shooting skills, and after a period of training, Zhang Taofang's shooting skills have been greatly improved.
However, even at this time, Zhang Taofang is still a certain distance away from the sharpshooter.
After the end of the five battles, the Chinese and Dprk armies launched the strategic principle of "protracted combat and active defense" on the front line, and on the display of the confrontation between the two sides, the volunteer army launched the "cold gun and cold gun" campaign.
Zhang Taofang had a place to play.
However, because she was too excited, Zhang Taofang, who had just entered the battlefield, made a "small mistake".
"At that time, the first time I went to the battlefield, I saw three American soldiers coming from the south direction, I was so excited that I forgot to aim at the essentials of the first person, and after the bullet was fired, I was just caught up by the American soldier in the middle, and successfully killed one person, and the other two American troops fled in a hurry."
In fact, any skilled sniper knows that when aiming at an active target, it is necessary to aim at the previous position in the direction of his travel, so that there is a high probability of hitting the target, Zhang Taofang is excited, and forgets this essential.
Fortunately, there were three enemies at the time, and Zhang Taofang accidentally hit the second target when aiming at the first target.
Although it was only an accident, it made Zhang Taofang's confidence double.
Zhang Taofang soon played an amazing record.
Picture | Old photo of Pi Dingjun
In 1952, commander Pi Dingjun braved the cold of minus thirty degrees and led the 24th Army to change defenses to the Shangganling position.
Relying on the superiority of firepower and air superiority, the US army went so far as to ignore our army and laugh at our army by dancing and laughing at our army in a big way on the position.
"Chew peanuts under wine, come one by one, and clean them up one by one, and you have to pick up the foreign temper of the foreign devils."
At that time, the whole army carried out a cold gun and cold artillery campaign, and many companies achieved very good results, and not long after, Xiao Staff Officer of the Military Operations Department rushed to report to Pi Dingjun:
"Report to the commander, Zhang Taofang, a soldier of the Eighth Company of the Third Battalion of the 214th Regiment of the Seventy-second Division, killed 71 enemies with 274 rounds of ammunition in 32 days."
"Oh, is it?" Pi Dingjun suddenly came to the spirit:
"This is really good news, we launched a cold gun campaign, the pole saw the shadow, you immediately go to me to find this soldier, see for yourself how to destroy the enemy."
Although Pi Dingjun's sex is like a fierce fire, fierce as Zhang Fei, but the temperament is definitely the one with the thick and the thin, he does not believe in rumors, and he is extremely serious about things, no matter how big or small, he is very careful.
"Wait, there's one more thing for you to do."
"Commander, what other tasks do you have to answer?" Counselor Xiao stood where he was.
Pi Dingjun looked at the snow outside, groaned for a moment, walked to the edge of the bed, took out a pair of brand new leather boots from under the bed and handed them to Counselor Xiao, and told him:
"You take this with you, go to the Eighth Company to find that Zhang Taofang, you follow him to that forward position, watch him with your own eyes, destroy three enemies in a row, if it is true, you reward him with this leather boot, if it is fake, you will take it back."
Picture | Zhang Taofang's comrade-in-arms Huang Xingmei introduced sniper experience to everyone
Counselor Xiao was stunned for a moment and hurriedly exhorted:
"Commander, this is specially issued to the chief of the Volunteer Army Headquarters, and a corps is only two or three pairs, what do you wear for the soldiers?"
"Less verbose." Pi Dingjun looked at the snow-capped hillside outside, and the cold wind was whistling coldly:
"A soldier holding a gun to fight in the ice and snow needs to wear these boots, and the logistics department is only because of the strong blockade of the enemy's artillery fire, and it cannot be supplied for a while."
"Besides, these boots can be worn by the military chief, and the soldiers can also wear them.
Counselor Xiao knew how much encouragement Zhang Taofang had given to the frontline fighters for his achievements, so this time when he left the company, he specially called Wang Jirong, a photojournalist from the Political Department, to go with him.
The defensive area where the Twenty-fourth Army was located, the terrain was very complicated, and it was also the only way for the two sides to compete, and the two men walked along the curved trench towards the distance to the defensive area where the 8th Company of the 214th Regiment was located.
Counselor Xiao was a little impatient, and as soon as he entered the pit, he shouted: "Who is Zhang Taofang, who is Zhang Taofang." ”
The commander of the Eighth Company suddenly felt some brilliance on his face, and hurriedly asked someone to call out to Zhang Taofang, who was still wiping his gun in the tunnel.
After the people arrived, Xiao Staff Officer looked up and down at the person in front of him, this was a young man in his twenties, with a thin figure, with a thick face of a cropper, just a pair of eyes full of golden light, which people could not forget at a glance.
"This is Zhang Taofang." Counselor Xiao muttered secretly in his heart.
Three shots knocked down three enemies and was an eye-opener
"Chief of the report, I am Zhang Taofang."
Looking at Zhang Taofang in front of him, Counselor Xiao was not polite and opened the door as soon as he came up:
"Zhang Taofang, you shot well with cold guns, 274 rounds of bullets killed 71 enemies, your deeds have been reported to the military department, Commander Pi is very happy, today we are here to see you shoot live targets, your guns are wiped well."
The company commander of the eighth company next to him understood what Counselor Xiao meant, so he ordered Zhang Taofang: "You accompany Staff Officer Xiao and the reporter to go out for a trip, fight a few enemies, and let them see and understand." ”
Zhang Taofang led Staff Sergeant Xiao and the reporter to a sniper position at the forefront, while Sergeant Xiao and Wang Jirong hid in a bunker for easy observation on the side and waited quietly.
The snow and ice are buried in the snow nest, the taste is not very good, and the cold wind blows on people's cheeks from time to time, like a sharp blade.
The position was quiet, and it was not until nearly evening that a noise came from the opposite position.
Staff Sergeant Shaw saw the sight of the opposite position from the telescope.
"Bang"
At this moment, Zhang Taofang opened fire, and an enemy who was lifted high was suddenly shot down. Before the enemy could react, there was another cry.
The tall man also fell to the ground.
There was chaos on the opposite position, and all the enemies hid, and did not dare to save the two comrades.
After a while, the enemy opened fire on the opposite position, and the dense bullets hit the sniper position where Zhang Taofang was ambushed, and the bullets flew over his cotton clothes, revealing the cotton with white flowers.
Wang Jirong, who was on the side, seized this rare opportunity and took several photos.
The enemy's position on the opposite side quickly became quiet, and Zhang Taofang ran to Counselor Xiao with her waist and said:
"American devils can't taste it
‘
Peanuts
’
Now they only tasted three, and there were fewer. ”
"You're not hurt." Counselor Xiao noticed the hole in Zhang Taofang's clothes.
Zhang Taofang smiled hesitantly: "No, the enemy's bullets only throw cotton, not drill meat." ”
Pictured| the commander of the army personally observed Zhang Taofang's shooting
In short, this time Zhang Taofang showed his skills, which made Xiao Staff Officer also open his eyes, and when he returned, he told the company commander that he wanted to hold a boot awarding meeting.
On weekdays, the two armies faced each other, the battlefield was very boring, and the commander of the Eighth Company made the boot awarding meeting extremely grand. The whole army knew that the Eighth Company had produced a sharpshooter.
In front of everyone, Xiao Staff Officer hung the boots given by Pi Dingjun on Zhang Taofang's neck
……
One day, Pi Dingjun took advantage of the opportunity to go to the 8th Company of the 214th Regiment to inspect and test Zhang Taofang's marksmanship on the spot.
Of course, it is impossible for a military commander to personally go to the front-line position, how to evaluate it? Counselor Xiao next to him came up with an idea: "Why don't you test him to fight sparrows and birds?" ”
Zhang Taofang showed her skills, six shots hit four sparrows, and Xiao Staff Officer excitedly carried the prey to Pi Dingjun to see.
Pi Dingjun was very happy, so he waved to Zhang Taofang and said, "Come here and let me see your gun." ”
Speaking of which, Zhang Taofang's gun was nothing special, just a Soviet-style rifle, and when he said it, he asked Xiao Staff Officer to take another gun from his car.
This is a Soviet"Mosin Nagant" rifle, longer than the barrel of ordinary rifles, the accuracy is also better, Pi Dingjun gave this gun award to Zhang Taofang on the spot, and Zhang Taofang was even happier when he won the gun rewarded by the military commander.
Once, Zhang Taofang led a cold gun platoon to lurk near the Rok army's capital division and implement a 24-hour cold gun blockade, and those who dared to take the lead were basically solved by Zhang Taofang one by one.
The enemy hiding in the last bunker raised a white flag and shouted:
Chinese guys, don't fight, you don't fight righteousness, you always have to let people eat and and pee, you hide in the dark and play cold guns is not a skill, there is a kind of real knife and real gun, let's do a fight.
Zhang Taofang caught a glimpse of a figure on the bunker, raised his hand was a shot, and the bunker was suddenly dumb again...
"Give this quota to Zhang Taofang of your division"
On the battlefield of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Zhang Taofang's reputation rose and she became a famous combat hero of the whole army.
It also made Pi Dingjun remember the name thoroughly. For the talented people in the army, Pi Dingjun always remembered it particularly well.
Picture | Chairman Mao and Pi Dingjun
In the spring of 1953, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League held its second national congress in Beijing, and the 24th Army was also allocated a quota, and the commander of the 72nd Division, Pi Dingjun, told Kang Lin, commander of the 72nd Division:
"This quota will be given to Zhang Taofang of the 214th Regiment of your division, this young man is a good piece of material, and there will be development in the future."
Before leaving, Pi Dingjun wanted to see Zhang Taofang again, and he wanted to have a good chat with this warrior.
Hearing that the military commander wanted to see him, Zhang Taofang could not help but be a little nervous, because of her outstanding military achievements, Zhang Taofang not only promoted to platoon leader, but also became a reserve party member, as a young man, Zhang Taofang could not help but think that it was still a little simple.
"The commander must be asking me how many enemies I have destroyed, yes, it must be so."
Zhang Taofang turned over the pair of boots that Xiao had rewarded him on behalf of the military commander last time, and since they had reached his hands, he had not worn them, but regarded him as a souvenir. Later, every time an enemy was destroyed, Zhang Taofang put a bullet casing into his boots, and both boots were almost full.
Upon seeing Zhang Taofang, Pi Dingjun couldn't help but be stunned for a moment and asked curiously, "How did you come with these shoes on your back?" ”
"I think you need it even more, Sir." Zhang Taofang conveniently placed the boots hanging around her neck on the table, and the sound of shells colliding inside attracted Pi Dingjun's attention.
"What's in it?"
"Bullet casing."
Staff Sergeant Xiao explained the meaning of the bullet casings, and Pi Dingjun couldn't help but ask, "How many bullet casings are inside?" ”
"211 capsules."
Pi Dingjun groaned for a while, and then instructed Zhang Taofang: "You have killed 211 enemies, you have fought very well, you are going to Beijing for a meeting, you must take a commemorative figure to report to the Party Central Committee, I see that you have not yet made a name for yourself." ”
Zhang Taofang did not understand his meaning, and was stunned for half a moment, and Pi Dingjun came out to remind him:
"What is the number of your regiment?"
"Regiment 214!"
Pi Dingjun smiled, "That's it, 214 Regiment, you have to kill 214 enemies for me." ”
Saying that, Pi Dingjun ordered Xiao's staff officer to follow Zhang Taofang and then go to the battlefield to make up for the number of enemies killed, and before leaving, Pi Dingjun insisted that he change the pair of cotton boots and put on this new pair.
Zhang Taofang was reluctant at first, and under the strict requirements of Pi Dingjun, she had to change into these boots.
Pictured| volunteer soldiers exchange sniper experience
In the afternoon, Zhang Taofang went to the battlefield to "hang out" for a while, and when she returned, she placed three shell casings with body temperature on the table.
That night, Pi Dingjun left Zhang Taofang at the military headquarters for a meal, and the two chatted hotly for a long time, estimating that if it were not for the urgency of the war, the two would have to have a good drink.
After Zhang Taofang returned from a meeting in Beijing, she soon encountered outstanding cadres selected from the whole army to study at the military academy, and Zhang Taofang was also among them, but unfortunately, this time she left, coinciding with the meeting of military commander Pi Dingjun, and the two did not meet again.
"Old chief, your soldiers have come to see you."
Zhang Taofang later left the 24th Army, but even so, Pi Dingjun still paid attention to him.
In the 1964 all-army competition, Pi Dingjun watched the documentary of the competition at home, and accidentally found that the instructor who loudly introduced the situation of the shooter was Zhang Taofang.
The excited Pi Dingjun said in front of his family:
"Look, look, this instructor is Zhang Taofang, he is contributing to the whole army, and the talents from my 24th Army are not simple."
Zhang Taofang's heart always remembered the old chief.
During Pi Dingjun's tenure as commander of the Lanzhou Military Region, Zhang Taofang was already a deputy division-level cadre of the unit, and had written letters more than once to visit the old chief, but unfortunately both of them worked in the army and did not have much leisure time, so that they failed to make the trip several times later.
Zhang Taofang later said with regret:
"I knew that at that time, the war preparedness was tense, the old chief was busy, and in fact I didn't have anything to do, just wanted to see the old chief and express the grace of a lifetime of knowledge."
Pictured| Zhang Taofang in her later years
In December 1973, Pi Dingjun was transferred to the Fuzhou Military Region as commander, and Zhang Taofang wrote several times, saying that if he had the opportunity, he would definitely come to visit.
But such an opportunity could not wait after all.
In July 1976, Pi Dingjun was directing a military exercise in Fujian, and flew from Zhangzhou to Dongshan Island to inspect the scene of the exercise, but due to a plane crash, 13 people, including Pi Dingjun and his eldest son Pi Guohong, were killed.
The news of the unexpected death of the old chief made Zhang Taofang feel sad, and it was less than a month before he last wrote a letter to visit.
In accordance with the requirements of the CPC Central Committee and the Central Military Commission, the Fuzhou Military Region has set up a funeral committee and is preparing to hold a memorial service in Fuzhou on July 13.
At the memorial service, Zhang Taofang rushed to the memorial with her son, and knelt down in front of the statue of Pi Dingjun, prostrating her head while crying bitterly:
"Old commander, your soldier, the new sniper Zhang Taofang on the Korean battlefield saw you coming, you looked for me for so long, I also looked for you for so long, I rushed from Lanzhou, finally met, I didn't think that our meeting would be in the yin and yang realms, I couldn't imagine, I couldn't imagine, I couldn't imagine, the old military commander ..."
Pi Dingjun's second son had never seen Zhang Taofang and was feeling a little confused.
Pictured| Zhang Taofang was interviewed
At this time, the crowd attending the memorial service walked out of an old man dressed in civilian clothes, this old man was none other than Wang Jirong, the same reporter Who took photographs for Zhang Taofang on the battlefield of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea:
Wang Jirong told him:
Pi Xiaonong suddenly realized this and quickly stepped forward to help Zhang Taofang up.
Even after more than 30 years, Zhang Taofang is still as affectionate as ever for the veteran commander, and the deep friendship between the old comrades-in-arms is touching.