As we know, since the founding of New China, a total of three large-scale peripheral operations have been conducted, namely: the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the Counterattack Against India, and the Counterattack Against Vietnam. If we talk about influence and popularity alone, there is no doubt that the gold content of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea was higher, but this does not mean that the self-defense counterattack war against India and Vietnam is not important, as two major wars to protect the emerging regime, anyone involved in the battle can be called a hero.
In the "Battle of Lang Son" in the 1979 counterattack against Vietnam, an incredible thing happened, as the protagonists of the two warring sides, Xu Shiyou and Wu Yuanjia actually went to great lengths in Vietnam for a flag. Such an abnormal thing, what kind of banner will make Xu Shiyou feel comfortable and smile happily, thus making Wu Yuanjia furious?
Descend the mountain and cross the king to descend
In the Battle of Langshan in 1979, at that time, the commander in charge of the People's Liberation Army was the famous general Xu Shiyou, speaking of Xu Shiyou, many people have heard of him, as a coarse and thin and vigorous general, Xu Shiyou has always been known for "not afraid of death", this is true when dealing with the Kuomintang reactionaries, and it is also true against the Japanese. In 1979, Xu Shiyou, who first came to the jungles of Vietnam to direct the battle, soon encountered a difficult opponent- Wu Yuanjia.
Who is Wu Yuanjia? As the commander-in-chief of the Vietnamese Battle of Lang Son, like Xu Shiyou, Wu Yuanjia was also a veteran of the battlefield, but in this famous Battle of Lang Son, Wu Yuanjia would face Xu Shiyou and usher in the biggest defeat of his life.
After the war against Vietnam began, according to the plan of the leaders of the CPC Central Committee, the battlefield would be divided into two areas, namely the Western Theater and the Eastern Theater, at that time, Xu Shiyou's troops were assigned to the Eastern Front Theater, Xu Shiyou was full of ambition, pinning his hopes on a battle, thinking that he could launch a rapid armored force to attack the Vietnamese military deployment, but he was helplessly blocked by the complex terrain and jungle.
In desperation, Xu Shiyou could only sink his heart to think about the strategy against the enemy, and it was obvious that in the complex tropical jungles of Southeast Asia, the Vietnamese who fought locally and were good at fighting jungle guerrilla warfare had more advantages.
After the end of World War II, for the sake of national and national independence, the Vietnamese fought with the French and Americans in Southeast Asia for decades, and the long-term combat career stimulated the bloodiness of the Vietnamese, so before the start of the counterattack against Vietnam, the Vietnamese combat effectiveness was more fierce than before.
In order to gain the initiative in the war as soon as possible, the Eastern Front Command and the Western Front Command drew up a new operational plan, which focused on the direction of attack in the Lang Shan area.
Why Lang Shan? In Vietnam, there is a saying called "descend on Lang Son and the king of Yue surrenders", although there was no Yue king for a long time in the 20th century, but it is not difficult to see the strategic importance of "Lang Son" from this sentence, the strategic purpose of the Plaster Is not to seize the whole of Vietnam, but to force the other side to obediently obey and return to the negotiating table by taking Lang Son.
Subsequently, troops and supplies were continuously sent to the direction of Lang Son, and both sides knew that the battle that broke out in Lang Son would determine the final trend of this war once and for all, so the Vietnamese side did not dare to relax and transferred the most elite troops and the best commanders to this direction.
It was in this context that Wu Yuanjia was ordered to go to Lang Son to command the Vietnamese army against Xu Shiyou, and at the same time, the "Flying Tiger Regiment", the strongest fighting force of the Vietnamese, also joined in.
The "Battle of Lang Son" was carried out very fiercely from the very beginning, and the People's Liberation Army had to take huge risks and psychological pressure every step forward, but the Chinese soldiers who had undergone countless baptisms of war went forward and followed in the face of their determination to defend their homeland and defend the country, repelling the enemy's counterattack several times while gradually advancing, constantly encroaching on the Vietnamese army's position in Lang Shan.
In the face of the PLA offensive, the Vietnamese army seemed to be somewhat inadequate, the losses on the front line were increasing, the strength of the troops was stretched, and the logistics line also had problems with poor supply.
Seeing that the situation of the Vietnamese army on the front line was becoming more and more unstable, Wu Yuanjia gritted his teeth and had to play the last trump card, which was the "Flying Tiger Regiment" that Wu Yuanjia and all the Vietnamese had high hopes for.
Focus on "taking care" of the Vietnamese Flying Tiger Regiment
So, what kind of troops is the "Flying Tiger Regiment"?
The so-called "Flying Tiger Regiment" is actually the 12th Regiment under the Vietnamese Third Division, as an elite of the Vietnamese army, this unit is famous for its strength in hand-to-hand combat, guerrilla warfare and sneak attacks, at first in the war against the Americans, the "Flying Tiger Regiment" caused great difficulties to the American soldiers, and it was difficult for the Americans to deal with the tactics of the "Flying Tiger Regiment", so it was always impossible to avoid "eating dumb losses" when confronting them.
Over time, the "Flying Tiger Regiment" also made its own name. After the Americans left, this unit was sent by the Vietnamese government to be stationed on the Sino-Vietnamese border, and since then, this unit has repeatedly provoked in the border area, robbing and massacring our Compatriots in Yunnan.
As the elite unit under the vietnamese third division, committing such a heinous crime in the border area inevitably makes people suspect that the initiator behind it is the Vietnamese government, and the atrocities of the "Flying Tiger Regiment" are unbearable, and even to some extent, the "Flying Tiger Regiment" directly provoked the military conflict between China and Vietnam.
Of course, in the Battle of Langshan, the arrogant "Flying Tiger Regiment" did not pay attention to Xu Shiyou and the People's Liberation Army at all, but soon they will know how serious their mistakes were.
At that time, the Vietnamese even clamored to "fight in Nanning within three months for the Spring Festival", in order to combat the arrogance of the enemy, Xu Shiyou personally went to the battlefield to conduct reconnaissance and observe the military deployment and movements of the Vietnamese army.
In Xu Shiyou's battle plan, the attack will focus on the "Flying Tiger Regiment" of the Vietnamese army, which was deployed at "Tongdeng", a key node near Lang Shan, and Xu Shiyou instructed the 55th Army of the People's Liberation Army to attack Dongdeng.
The battle soon began, and the Vietnamese army set up several barbed wire fences on the "Dong Deng" position, and planted mines and anti-tank cones in them, while the "Flying Tigers" hid in the bunkers built by the French colonists, quietly waiting for the arrival of the People's Liberation Army.
For Wu Yuanjia and the "Flying Tiger Regiment", the People's Liberation Army simply could not pass through the "Tongdeng" area, in their view, the People's Liberation Army was similar to the previous French and Americans, sooner or later it would be forced to surrender under pressure, unfortunately, this time Wu Yuanjia's calculation was completely frustrated.
Under the attack of the Trinity of the 55th Army of the People's Liberation Army, the Vietnamese army in the direction of "Tong Deng" was under great pressure, although the death toll was increasing day by day, at least the position was still there, at this time, the Vietnamese began to be blindly confident again, and the "Flying Tiger Regiment" that had been hiding in the bunker was once again emphasized."
It will take at least three months for the PLA to pass Tongdeng
”。
As soon as the words fell, the PLA offensive struck again.
The People's Liberation Army changed direction and attacked the weak defensive points of the Vietnamese army in the southeast direction, this change soon received miraculous results, Tongdeng, who had been difficult to overcome, announced a change of hands in the blink of an eye, and the "Flying Tiger Regiment" did not even have time to climb out of the bunker, and saw the People's Liberation Army overhead!
Obviously, these Vietnamese who did not know the height of the sky underestimated the tactical execution of the PLA, and even so, the "Flying Tiger Regiment" never put up decent resistance, and many of them did not want to be prisoners or go out to engage the PLA. In this way, many members of the "Flying Tiger Regiment" were burned alive and blown up in the bunker.
Wu Yuanjia: Retake the military flag at all costs
Incredibly, the "Flying Tiger Regiment" advocated by the Vietnamese was so vulnerable that What Xu Shiyou did not expect was that the 55th Army not only completely annihilated the "Flying Tiger Regiment", but also captured a military flag symbolizing the "Flying Tiger Regiment" and the honor of the Vietnamese Army in the bunker.
At that time, this was simply great news, and Wu Yuanjia did not think so, after learning that the "Flying Tiger Regiment" had lost its combat effectiveness almost inaction in Tongdeng, the respected old general could not help but be angry, and what was worse, the "Flying Tiger Regiment" also lost the military flag that symbolized the pride of the Vietnamese soldiers.
Subsequently, Wu Yuanjia immediately ordered the front-line troops."
At all costs, even if you die, you must take back the flag!
The Vietnamese army, which had long lost its will to fight and enthusiasm, where was the opponent of the People's Liberation Army, the so-called "tree falling and scattering", the "Flying Tiger Regiment" was completely annihilated by the news of Tongdeng, and soon caused great panic and riots in the Vietnamese army, and the situation became more and more out of control.
It can be said that the defeat of the "Flying Tiger Regiment" was simply the last straw that crushed the camel, and although Wu Yuanjia tried to organize a counter-offensive to retake the Tongdeng position, all efforts failed.
In the end, the "Battle of Lang Son" ended with the defeat of the Flying Tiger Regiment, and Wu Yuanjia and the Vietnamese did not expect that the People's Liberation Army could burst out such a strong fighting force, which the well-equipped French and Americans had never had, and the Vietnamese could not figure out how they had the ability to defeat the colonists and US imperialism, but they lost to a group of Chinese with low equipment and no international assistance.
In fact, Vietnam's defeat was doomed, the reason why they were able to defeat France and the United States one after another, relying on time, at that time, the war between France and the United States in Vietnam came to a standstill, and the Vietnamese finally ushered in the opportunity by relying on "dragging time", plus the war between Vietnam and France and the United States was a just war to safeguard national independence and national unity, which was not the same as the nature of the subsequent counterattack war against Vietnam.
On the other hand, Xu Shiyou and Wu Yuanjia are both well-known and famous generals on both sides, but there is still a gap in their ability, Wu Yuanjia misestimated the combat effectiveness of the People's Liberation Army, blindly optimistic trust in the "Flying Tiger Regiment", which violates the taboo of the soldiers, and it is not advisable to lightly attack the enemy, not to mention that Wu Yuanjia is facing Xu Shiyou.
In Lang Son, although the Vietnamese army showed a certain degree of combat effectiveness, the huge gap in strength between the two sides was irreparable, and the military flag captured by Xu Shiyou would become the shame of Wu Yuanjia and the "Flying Tiger Regiment" for a lifetime.