One day in 2016, in Nanjia Village, Dongting Town, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, the sun was just right, and an old man was sitting at the door, happily basking in the sun.
The old man was old, but sitting there quietly, he looked very straight and upright.
The fly in the ointment is that the old man's eyes are tightly closed, his eyelids are sunken, and he does not have full eyeballs like others.
There was also a shocking scar on the left side of his chin, almost splitting the old man's chin in half.
Veteran Qian Jianmin
A middle-aged woman is cleaning up the house, putting the old man's clothes and old belongings in a neat row, piece by piece, where they should have been.
Halfway through the packing, the woman found a very tightly packed package. The package is heavy and angular, and the contents of the package look square.
This was the first time she saw the package, and she asked curiously, "Dad, what's in this package?" ”
An old man's voice came from outside the house: "What package?" Bring it to me and look at it. ”
The woman followed her words and walked to the door and put the package into her father's hand.
The old man touched the four corners of the package, but did not even open the package, and then casually replied: "This is the great seal of the Japanese army." ”
The Great Seal of the Japanese Army
The woman couldn't help but be surprised. She had always thought that her father was just an ordinary ordinary person. His eyes should have been displaced during the war, blinded by the war, and he did not expect that his father would have such a thing as the Great Seal of Japan.
Driven by curiosity, she asked her father why it was and where the Great Seal came from.
The old man, Qian Jianmin, sighed a long time and, in a very calm tone, began to tell his daughter about the unknown past.
"What year is this year?" Oh, 16 years... If you do the math, that should have been 71 years ago, and I'm already 96..."
Expeditionary force
This old man is called "Jianmin", and the name means to build the country and the nation, with the ardent expectations of the sons and daughters of China for the glorious future of the nation.
Qian Jianmin in 1922. It was a turbulent era, with warlords divided, years of conquest, internal and external troubles coexisting, and war and politics mixed.
In the eyes of the people in the depths of the water, there are all the rivers and mountains that are broken. This is the same for the young Qian Jianmin.
But unlike others around him, Qian Jianmin has always harbored a kind of reluctance and resentment towards this situation, and he has never forgotten the profound meaning of his name.
In the excitement of what he saw and heard and the lofty hopes of ambition, Qian Jianmin was angry and strong in the midst of the artillery fire.
At the age of 18, he was admitted to the "Army Mechanization School" with excellent results. Founded by the famous anti-Japanese general Xu Tingyao, this school was one of the main military academies of the Kuomintang army, which sent a large number of military talents and backbones to the War of Resistance Against Japan.
Because of this, General Xu Tingyao himself was called the father of China's armored troops by later generations.
After passing the examination, the young Qian Jianmin was incorporated into the chariot student team and began to spend three years studying with the military.
If all goes well, Qian Jianmin can be directly appointed as a second lieutenant officer after graduation.
And Qian Jianmin always keeps in mind his ideals and forges ahead in these three years.
After completing his studies in three years, Qian Jianmin was admitted to the armored unit with his outstanding mechanical talent and outstanding performance, and became the armored soldier of the first batch of armored units in China.
At that time, the anti-fascist war was at a critical stage on the Asian battlefield. The Japanese army was riddled with evil deeds on the battlefields of Southeast Asia and began to look at Malaysia.
Moreover, Malaysia was only a springboard in the eyes of the Japanese army. The ambitious Japanese used Malaysia to march north and launch a massive attack on Burma in a vain attempt to invade all of Southeast Asia.
The Burmese army was constrained by military strength and strategic level, and was gradually defeated by the powerful artillery fire of the Japanese army. Even the capital, Yangon, fell into enemy hands, and for a time the land of Burma was full of sorrow.
The ambitions of the Japanese army did not, and could never, stop at Rangoon. When the city of Yangon was firmly in their hands, the Japanese aimed their next step at Mandalay, in a vain attempt to cut off foreign aid and supplies from the Allies by cutting off the Burma Road.
Naturally, the Allies would not have watched this happen.
After detailed consultations between China, Britain and the United States, a cooperative relationship was formed between China and Britain, with China forming an expeditionary force to support the British army and crush the Japanese militarist plot on the battlefield of Burma in Southeast Asia.
Live-action shooting of the Southeast Asian battlefield of World War II
Since then, the Chinese Expeditionary Force has officially entered the stage of history.
The armored unit to which Qian Jianmin belonged was a member of the Haohao Tang Army of the Chinese Expeditionary Force and a backbone of the Chinese Expeditionary Force.
Young Qian Jianmin believes that his opportunity has come!
Although he was going to Burma, as long as he thought of being able to fight the invaders head-on, he felt that his blood would boil.
But after actually entering the battlefield, Qian Jianmin found that the real situation was different from what he thought:
From the moment he set foot on Burmese soil, he was placed in a special unit for special training.
The Chinese Expeditionary Force, which had just entered the Burmese battlefield, faced an uphill battle.
The opponent was the Japanese 18th Division. This is an ace division in the Japanese army, which has created a record of 30,000 capturing 80,000 British troops.
Although the expeditionary force was not afraid of death and fought heroically, it made serious mistakes in deployment and command in fighting on battlefields in different places.
Thus, the First Burma Campaign ended in the defeat of the Allies.
The Japanese 18th Division, known as the "Jungle Devil"
In this battle, the British suffered more than 13,000 casualties, and the expeditionary force left 50,000 souls on Burmese soil.
The Japanese, who had long been accustomed to the battlefield and environment in Burma, lost less than 5,000 soldiers.
The result of the Burma Road falling into the hands of the Japanese army led to the supply route of the expeditionary force being strangled to death.
This kind of ending was not something the Allies were willing to see, much less was the one that the well-trained expeditionary forces were willing to accept.
Therefore, soon after, China put forward the strategic deployment of the second expedition to Burma, aiming to retake the China-India and Western Yunnan highways.
This strategic plan was recognized by the Americans.
Subsequently, the US military provided ordnance and the expeditionary force provided the source of troops, and the "First Temporary Tank Group of China and the United States" was established under the direct command of the military commander.
And this unit is Qian Jianmin's chariot unit.
Qian Jianmin himself, because of his outstanding performance and excellent tactical qualities, served as the leader of the lieutenant tactical team, responsible for the tactical command tasks of the three battalions;
He was also responsible for the assisted training of a battalion.
However, war is not for man. As soon as Qian Jianmin arrived at the first battalion, the Battle of Mengguan had already entered a state of stalemate, and the first battalion of chariots was ordered to leave.
Qian Jianmin, on the other hand, took a battalion with no hesitation and rushed to the front line in a chariot.
The chariot battalion commanded by Qian Jianmin was not afraid of death in battle. Whenever an attack was launched, it was bound for the enemy's sharp knife troops; in the face of the fierce Japanese army, the shells were fired out like they did not want money.
For those Japanese troops who rushed under the gun port, Qian Jianmin directly ordered the chariots to directly crush them.
Armored corps of the Expeditionary Force equipped with tanks
When the Japanese army was in the Southeast Asian battlefield before, how had it ever seen such an unstoppable torrent of steel?
For a time, where Qian Jianmin's chariot and battalion passed, the Japanese army was full of corpses and blood.
Under the strong offensive of a battalion of chariots, the Japanese army that was originally "looking at the world" was defeated and retreated, lost its armor, and ran back while shouting "Tanks are coming!" ”
Some Japanese troops who returned alive from the Burmese battlefield trembled uncontrollably whenever they thought of the steel beasts of the expeditionary force.
Speaking of the Mengguan battlefield, under the unstoppable torrent of steel, the defeat and retreat of the Japanese army has become a foregone conclusion. The remnants of the Japanese army were forced to retreat to The Valuban.
However, the expeditionary force had already encircled the rear of The Valuban, as if to kill the enemy in a battle.
If this battle is successful, it will be an incomparably serious blow to the morale of the Japanese army on the southeast Asian battlefield, and it will be of great significance to crush the Japanese army's intention to control Asia.
Valuban
Strategic map of the counter-offensive in northern Burma
The Japanese army retreating to The Valuban was like a turtle in an urn, and the brainwashing of militarism made them move out of the backwater battle.
Earlier, when the Japanese army invaded Andruban, the idea was to take Burma back to the national territory, so a permanent fortification was built in Valuban. After retreating to Valuban, the Japanese army took advantage of the shrinking defense of the terrain surrounded by water on three sides of Varuban, and even blew up the bridge on the river channel, in a vain attempt to wait for the arrival of rescue.
The form of the battlefield was rapidly changing, and the expeditionary force also understood that the fighters were fleeting, so it launched a general offensive directly after the siege of Varouban.
However, because the Valuban had been run like an iron barrel by the Japanese army, the expeditionary force's initial general offensive did not achieve the desired results and paid a heavy price.
A mere Valuban has become a hard bone to gnaw on.
An armored unit of the Expeditionary Force that appeared in the War of the Valubans
Can't put it off any longer!
The expeditionary force gathered its forces, reassessed the defensive strength of the Valuban and the military strength of our army, and finally decided to adopt a strategy of war in which the east attacked the west.
The first and second companies of the tank battalion concentrated their superior forces and launched a massive feint attack north of The Valuban.
The real offensive force was placed west of The Valuban, with light tanks that were more flexible and maneuverable as the main force. The plan was thus determined, but who should be responsible for commanding the attack?
The top brass of the expeditionary force thought of Qian Jianmin, who had previously commanded a battalion.
This young man, who was only in his twenties, showed excellent military literacy and flexible military vision and judgment in the previous Mengguan War.
He is enough to be the best candidate to be responsible for the main attack!
Chinese Expeditionary Force in the Burmese Theater of Operations
Qian Jianmin performed a standard military salute after receiving the appointment: "Guarantee to complete the task!" ”
The offensive against the Valubans was launched at noon on 9 March 1944.
The 1st Battalion of Tanks, in coordination with the friendly forces that had arrived one after another, launched an attack on the remnants of the Japanese 18th Division, which was defending Varuban.
During the battle, the tank battalion once again exerted the powerful firepower, mechanical power and shocking power of the chariot, rushed into the enemy position first, and repeatedly ravaged the battlefield.
The light tank units in the first battalion, under the command of Qian Jianmin, crossed the moat from the west side of the Walluban to the east.
Although the Japanese had previously broken the bridge over the western channel of Valuban, what they did not expect was that a small section of the river was less than a meter deep, completely unable to hinder the light tanks.
Therefore, when the light tank unit broke through the obstacle and drove straight into the Valuban, the Japanese were stunned to see the steel monster in front of them.
Expeditionary Force tanks charged directly at Valuban
Only to see Qian Jianmin standing on the light tank in the front, pointing at their noses and shouting:
"Destroy the Japanese!" Destroy the Japanese!! Eliminate more Japanese!!! ”
Under the command of Qian Jianmin, 17 light tanks cooperated with the infantry to truly achieve foot-to-tank coordination. They slaughtered all sides in The Walluban, as if they were in no man's land.
This light tank unit is like a sharp knife that pierces deep into the heart of the enemy, and like a powerful cavalry in the era of cold weapons, interspersed back and forth among the Japanese army.
They broke the Japanese defenses into one small piece after another, completely tearing through the enemy's defenses, and the sound of tank tracks overturning and the roar of the motor easily shattered the enemy's fighting spirit.
For a time, the Japanese troops in Valuban were unable to form an effective resistance at all, and only fled in a hurry.
Coordinated Chinese Expeditionary Force
Young Qian Jianmin looked at all this with cold eyes. That's the price the aggressor has to pay!
"Commander, look there!"
The gunner's voice came from his ears, and Qian Jianmin looked in the direction the young gunner pointed out.
I saw that in a ruined wall that had been half destroyed by the artillery, a group of well-dressed people rushed forward.
In this group, some of the people around them were carrying explosives and some were carrying guns, but without exception, they were all a few people with their backs to the center.
The men gathered in the middle were dressed in army-green uniforms and boots, carrying katana.
Although they tried to pretend to be calm, the panic on their faces betrayed them, and they were surrounded by the crowd and dodged left and right in the artillery fire.
Commander in the Japanese army
Qian Jianmin, who has an old look, can see at a glance: this group of people is the commander of the Japanese army!
He immediately ordered, "Shoot at them!" ”
Almost at the same time as he gave the order, the gunfire under the seat roared and deafened.
In the end, the War of Valuban ended in the victory of the expeditionary force.
In this battle, only a few Japanese troops successfully escaped from the battlefield and fled to the Menggong River Valley.
The entire tank battalion not only won the War of Valuban, but also successfully intercepted the heavy Japanese troops in the ensuing finishing work.
The grain captured by our army can feed the entire division for three days, in addition to a large number of guns and ammunition, two complete armored vehicles, one division and regiment guard, and one large and small vehicle.
The command post of the Japanese 18th Division was destroyed in the battle, and the senior commanders of the Japanese 18th Division, including The Chief of the Operations Section, Nakasa Ishikawa, The Manager General, Daisa Kimura, and the commander of the 55th Company, Yamazaki, were all killed.
In the War of Valuban, among the booty captured by Qian Jianmin, the most valuable was the Great Seal of the Command.
The former invincible Japanese 18th Division
In contrast, throughout the Battle of Valuban, although the supreme commander of the Japanese army eventually escaped from the battle, the battle still killed several senior Japanese commanders, and the results were very fruitful.
The expeditionary force not only recaptured the main road of communication, but also proved to the whole world that the expeditionary force's excellent tactical quality, military coordination ability and combat level
。
After that battle, the tank battalion received a gift from the U.S. military: an off-road jeep with the inscription "Chinese Armored Corps NO.1".
This war brought out the morale and pride of the Chinese army, and even made Qian Jian's will full of public sentiment, and his chest was full of national pride.
But unexpectedly, such a brilliant officer had to bid farewell to his military career a year later.
No regrets
By 1945, the war on the Southeast Asian battlefield had ended with the opening of the Burma Highway.
During the battle, Qian Jianmin, who had established a great reputation, was finally able to catch his breath and was transferred to the logistics unit by the top brass of the expeditionary force as a liaison officer for the head of the automobile training regiment.
Qian Jianmin poured out what he had learned all his life and the experience he had accumulated during the war, and the achievements of the automobile training corps were also remarkable. Subsequently, Qian Jianmin left the automobile training regiment and became the chief of staff of the Highway Army.
The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression on the Asian battlefield has come to an end, and the US military has been able to break away from the battlefield.
People can walk, but a large number of ordnance loads are difficult to take away, including as many as 3,000 armed trucks and other vehicles left behind by the US military.
The vehicles were given as gifts to the expeditionary force, and the expeditionary force's top brass decided to appoint Qian Jianmin to receive them.
However, the situation in the country was not stable at that time, and there were bandits and bandits on the hills.
When Qian Jianmin and his party were going to Guizhou to receive the vehicles, they happened to encounter a group of bandits robbing refugees.
Qian Jianmin saw the situation and ordered his entourage to rescue the refugees.
However, the bandits are not only in front of them, but also some gunmen hidden in other hidden corners.
The bandit leader saw that the other party was an officer and a soldier, and there was no chance of victory in the frontal confrontation, but he did not want to swallow this breath, and his lips moved and made a strange movement...
A bird-like whistle sounded, followed by a gunshot, and the sound of glass shattering...
It turned out that the bandit leader saw Qian Jianmin sitting in the car in a straight suit and judged that he should be a senior officer in the officer army (and it was true), so he signaled to the gunman through the bird's whistle.
The gunman lurking in the shadows shot Qian Jianmin's chin, the windshield of the vehicle also burst open due to the impact of the bullet, and some glass fragments were also embedded in Qian Jianmin's eyes.
What's more regrettable is that because it was in the mountains, when the crowd finally settled the robbers and rushed out, Qian Jianmin missed the best time for treatment...
"I originally thought that these things would pass and let me take them to the grave, but since the Great Seal was found by you, I will simply tell you."
After all this, the old man's expression was still calm, as calm as at the beginning.
That magnificent experience seemed to be just a few insignificant lines in the history books, and it could be flipped through at any time.
In his later years, Qian Jianmin and his daughter
After Qian Jianmin's daughter listened, her eyes were completely red.
She had no idea that her father had had such a tortuous experience. Ignoring the scars on his face, the old man in front of him and other ordinary old people can be said to be the same, and who can think that this is an anti-Japanese hero with great achievements?
After being sent to the local government for appraisal by Qian Jianmin's daughter, the big seal confirmed that it was indeed the great seal of the Japanese army's headquarters.
After this news came out, it was immediately valued by the local government and the Veterans Volunteer Association.
Local leaders went to Qian Jianmin's home and asked him if he needed any help or if he had any wishes he wanted to fulfill.
"I'm doing a good job, I don't need help. In recent years, without relying on the government, have you not raised your own daughter well? Qian Jianmin, who was blind in both eyes, was very calm, and then seemed to remember something, "But there is indeed one wish." ”
"Old chief, please speak."
After returning to his hometown, Qian Jianmin made a living by weaving straw shoes
"The chief does not dare to be. We used to drive American man-made tanks, and now the country is rich and strong, but unfortunately I can't see it, I don't want to open a tank, I just want to touch it, we built our own tanks. ”
The veteran volunteers present recorded the scene and posted it online for help.
Under the power of netizens, the local troops quickly noticed the old hero.
Through in-depth investigation, the army decided to make an exception for the elderly after consultation and invited him to visit a military base in Suzhou, which was set at the end of 2016.
On the day of the visit, Qian Jianmin put on all his medals.
The soldiers of the unit went out to greet him and helped him into the tank company.
A total of six tanks were dispatched from the company, firing in unison in front of the old chief, and the sound of the cannon was deafening, and the shells reached the sky.
After firing the cannon, the soldiers found that the veteran was already in tears, his hands were outstretched, and he walked majestically toward the tank.
When Qian Jianmin's hand finally touched the tank armor, his fingers rubbed inch by inch on the armor and turret, as if touching the love of this life.
After a while, Qian Jianmin murmured:
"We used to be poor, we used the equipment of the American army, and we received American education. Even in the Burma war, the credit was given to the Americans. I hate it! Is the blood shed by our Chinese soldiers not blood? Is the life lost by the Chinese soldier not a life? But I have no place to say it, and no one will listen to me, the old man. I don't hate it now, I am touching our Chinese tanks in my hands, and I am surrounded by soldiers Chinese, and my wish in this life has finally come true. ”
Everyone was in awe, and the company commander did not care whether the old man could see it or not, and performed a most standard military salute: "Salute to the old hero!" ”
This sentence and a movement like a switch, hundreds of soldiers on the school field, along with the drivers of the tanks, brushed together at the same time and performed a most standard military salute, shouting in unison:
"Hats off to the old heroes!"
Visit the tanks of Qian Jianmin
The warriors moved quickly and powerfully, and the shouts of the warriors broke through the clouds.
Two years later, the blind veteran ended his glorious life with a lung infection.
【Conclusion】
After retiring from the army, he did not rely on the unit to seek an errand, but chose to support himself and raised his daughter by rubbing grass shoes.
His desire for the country is only to be able to touch the tank he once loved again.
No one knows if Qian Jianmin remembered those glorious years when he touched the tank.
As the saying goes: Veterans don't die, they just wither.
For us, veterans are like living monuments and thick history books.
The founding and growing prosperity of the new China is imprinted on each and every one of them, and that imprint is every scar on their body, every pain and every drop of blood that is shed.
It is they who have witnessed the prosperity and strength of the country with their lives, and it is they who have personally supported the backbone of the Chinese nation!