In March 1982, the Chinese People's Liberation Army carried out the fourth major disarmament work, and one of these appointments attracted great attention: according to the decision of the State Council and the Central Military Commission, the railway troops of the Chinese People's Liberation Army came under the leadership of the Ministry of Railways on October 1, 1983, that is, the railway soldiers who were originally one of the army branches officially withdrew from the army.
Many people may ask, what is a railroad soldier?
Chinese People's Liberation Army is one of the largest armed forces in the world today, they have come all the way from the red revolution years, experienced from the beginning of the Wuchang Uprising, the War of Resistance Against Japan, the War of Liberation, and then to the establishment of New China, and there is no doubt that they are a group of veterans who have experienced hundreds of battles.
As soon as the railroad soldiers heard the name, they knew as if they were building roads, and those earth-shattering battles and heroic stories that could be sung and wept seemed to have nothing to do with them.
But is that really the case?
When the soldiers on the front line were in blood, the railroad soldiers would always pave a wide road for them, so that reinforcements would never be a problem, and when the war was over and everyone took off their military uniforms and lived a stable life, they still had to use their lives to build the land.
As early as the distant year of 1945, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression had just won a great victory, and the northeast region was retaken, and the Eighth Route Army, the New Fourth Army and the Northeast Anti-Japanese Coalition formed a Northeast People's Autonomous Army.
At that time, there were still many railways built by the Japanese army in the northeast, which was the most developed mode of transportation at that time, and in order to prevent the attack of the Kuomintang army and ensure the safety of various railway lines, we established a protective road army.
The main task of these people was to take care of the bridges, tunnels and stations along the railway line, to closely investigate the activities of secret agents or bandits, and to cooperate with the employees of the railway to repair the railway bridge, which was the prototype of the earliest railway soldiers.
Subsequently, the War of Liberation was thoroughly launched under the leadership of the Party, and the northeast region also won continuous victories in the battle, and the ranks were further expanded.
The situation of the war changed, and the structure of the troops naturally changed with it, and in 1948, the Northeast People's Autonomous Army Escort Army was strengthened, and many railway employees, technical cadres, and skilled workers were transferred in, and they also had political, engineering, supply, health and other departments under their jurisdiction, and then they were named after the railway column of the People's Liberation Army.
The name is just a code name, but this unit seems to have been loyal and stable in its heart from the beginning of its establishment, even if it has been rectified and reorganized many times later, from the railway column to the People's Liberation Army Railway Corps, but they have always fought in the logistics front line with the spirit of not being afraid of hardship and tiredness.
What is the purpose of the Railroad Soldiers? "Wherever the field army fights, it will repair the railway."
The war is very complicated, not only you and me fight back and forth, but also the logistical game, and the railway corps keeps its promise, no matter which battlefield the PLA fights, they will follow closely behind, paving the way for the vanguard troops to build bridges and ensure their lifeline.
In the overall victory of the War of Liberation, the railway soldiers were an absolutely indispensable group.
When new China was founded in 1949, the clouds of war seemed to have gradually faded away, but this group of steel-like men did not get a life to enjoy, they once again threw themselves into the construction of the country, and began to repair broken roads and bridges.
But then, US imperialism burned the flames of war in front of New China, and when the large troops of the volunteer army crossed the Yalu River in a mighty way, a large number of railway soldiers in the rear also rushed to the cruel battlefield with them.
Although there were many war-baptized veterans and technical elites in various railway departments, at that time, we were too backward in terms of equipment and technology, let alone competing with the world's top United States.
I believe that all the Chinese could not be clearer about the arduousness of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, but the most difficult place for the Volunteer Army at that time was actually the support and supply.
We have no aircraft at all, we can only transport by railway, but there are not many railways, and it is cold everywhere, and the environment is extremely harsh, but because the troops are fighting deep into Korea, the logistics line is bound to be stretched very long, which is very dangerous in this case.
On the other hand, the US military can transport, drop supplies, and support the battlefield at will through air power, and most importantly, with this force, they can easily inflict a fatal blow on our logistics line with bombers, and the same is true for those important roads and bridges on our march.
In addition, fragile railways also have to deal with serious natural disasters such as ice and snow, floods, etc., and the slightest carelessness will be destroyed.
Therefore, the incomparably heavy burden can only fall on the railway soldiers again, who do not know what is called difficulties and obstacles, what is invincible, but only know that the task assigned by the superiors is to ensure the smooth railway transportation in the rear of the volunteer army.
So they began a crazy repair journey, the American hordes of bombers roaring over the head never stopped, and from August 1951, the "United Nations Army" even carried out a "air blockade battle of communication lines" for more than ten months specifically for the supply of the rear of the Chinese and North Korean people's troops, which is the so-called "strangulation war".
We have no air power at all, and we have no power to fight back when bombed by the enemy, and we can only watch as precious railway lines are easily destroyed again and again.
There are no planes, but we have railroads.
If the railway is blown up, the railway will be repaired, and the bridge will be repaired when the bridge is broken, and no matter how the enemy repeats the trick, the railway soldiers will always face the battle with determination.
Relying on these people, our army finally smashed the air blockade, guaranteed railway transportation, repaired more than 900 kilometers of railways, and built a "steel transportation line that cannot be broken and exploded."
Even Van Vliet, commander of the U.S. Eighth Army, admitted helplessly: "Despite all the efforts of the air force and navy of the coalition forces to try to block the supply of materials to the Chinese army, the Chinese army still transported the materials to the front line with incredible tenacity and perseverance, creating a miracle on earth." ”
When the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea finally ended, and the railway soldiers also returned to the motherland, this time there was really no need to fight any more wars, but wouldn't there be no deaths if they didn't fight? No.
The backward motherland still needs to be vigorously developed, and transportation is naturally an unavoidable link, especially for many extremely poor areas in the mountains, building roads is their only opportunity.
Therefore, the railway soldiers should not hesitate to put into the project again, paving roads and bridges day and night, and with their efforts, the veins of the whole country were gradually connected into a whole, promoting the country's take-off.
The Chengdu-Kunming Railway, the Guikun Railway, the Xiang-Chongqing Railway, the Northeast Forest Railway, the Xinjiang Southern Xinjiang Railway, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and the Beijing Metro Project, all of which are almost difficult to complete, are all from the hands of railway soldiers.
One of the most noteworthy is the Chengkun Railway, not because of how grand its project is, but because of the countless heroes who are willing to be stepping stones for it.
Before this road was opened, between Chengdu and Kunming, there were towering and complex Hengduan Mountains and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, and even foreign construction experts could only sigh in the face of such a landform, but 300,000 railway soldiers pounced on it, only for the vigorous development of the southwest region.
They had no large machinery or sophisticated instruments at all, just shovels, carts and their own hands, and in the indescribable harsh environment, the railroad soldiers used manpower to drive mountains and rivers, and when some people died, they were buried in the hills next to the railway.
No one does not want to go home, but no one is afraid of death, the entire Chengkun Railway took a total of twelve years to be fully completed and opened to traffic, but on both sides of this magnificent road, covered with a lot of bones, there are 22 martyrs' cemeteries along the entire railway, almost a kilometer and a loyal soul.
The Chinese railway soldiers proved their ability to the world: in twelve years, they dug 13,000 kilometers deep into the ground, surveyed 11,000 kilometers of comparative lines, surveyed 1,500 square kilometers of geological surveys, and 1,100 kilometers of railways, conquering nature with manpower.
Later, when the famous mathematician Hua Luogeng went to visit the completion of the Kunming Railway, he said with great emotion: I am a mathematician, and I can calculate one mathematical problem after another, but I will never be able to calculate the loyalty of the railway commanders and fighters to the party and the people."
In fact, we have never forgotten their sacrifice and dedication, and under the pier of the Longkuodian Bridge on the Longchuan River, the words "Xiong Hanjun Martyrs for Eternity, Kunming Railway Veterans" are also engraved.
The young soldier and comrade-in-arms, who were only twenty-one years old at the time, fell into the cement of the bridge piers in an accident while working, and he struggled to push his comrades up, but he remained forever in the center of the bridge pillar more than forty meters deep, and integrated with the whole bridge.
And there are many martyrs like him, so until now, all trains passing through the Dragon Bone Dian Bridge will consciously abide by a rule, that is, to honk the horn for thirty seconds, which is to pay tribute to the martyr Xiong Hanjun under the pier and countless loyal souls.
It took thirty-five years from the formation of the railway column after the Anti-Japanese War in 1948 to the official appointment of the Ministry of Railways to become a worker in 1983.
In the past thirty-five years, they have been in the war: more than 3,600 kilometers of railways, more than 690 kilometers of railways, and more than 430 kilometers of roads.
In the era of peace, they built more than 12,590 kilometers of new railway trunk and branch lines, such as the Yingxia Railway, the Chengkun Railway, the Guikun Railway, the Xiangyu Railway, and so on, all of which are masterpieces of this group of people.
Similarly, in the past three decades, more than 8,000 railroad soldiers have lost their lives, and nearly 60,000 are disabled or seriously wounded, which is the largest sacrifice in peacetime.
If this is the case, why did Deng Xiaoping insist on abolishing the long-standing and glorious establishment of the Railway Corps in 1982? What is the mystery behind his persistence?
In fact, as early as 1975, after Deng Xiaoping's second return to power, he focused his work on rectifying the troops, and the country had already entered the Taiping, at this time, construction and economic development were the most important tasks, and the excessive number of troops would bring huge burdens.
From 1950 to 1980, China disarmed five times, laying off 3 million troops, but the military expenditure of the troops still accounted for one-sixth of the national finance.
In this case, in the face of the proposal of He Zhengwen, deputy chief of staff of the People's Liberation Army, to cut the railway troops, after careful consideration, Deng Xiaoping finally agreed.
In the past, the country was in ruins and needed railway soldiers to withstand difficulties in construction, but now, many projects can be carried out by private enterprises, and the significance of the existence of railway soldiers is not great.
So at the subsequent meeting of the Central Military Commission, Deng Xiaoping raised the question, but the opinions of the people were different, because the contribution and sacrifice of the railway soldiers were unknown, and now should they be retained or completely abolished?
If so, how much should I keep it? As for the management under the name of the Railway Bureau, how should it be managed?
These are all very complicated issues, and after a long discussion, the Central Military Commission has come up with a preliminary unification: the railway troops will be cut by the majority, only a hundred thousand people will be retained, and they will be separated from the army, under the direct leadership of the state, and the funds for the troops will also be transferred from the project funds.
On the surface, this seems to have the meaning of crossing the river to tear down bridges, unloading and killing donkeys, and the news reached the railway soldiers, which naturally caused an uproar, and everyone found their leaders and asked them to protest.
Faced with such a situation, Chen Zaidao, the veteran leader of the railway soldiers and one of the founding generals, hurried to the Central Military Commission to discuss with Deng Xiaoping, but he did not even see anyone, and he received news from Yang Shangkun, secretary of the Central Military Commission, who told Chen Zaidao that Comrade Deng Xiaoping repeatedly stressed that the railway troops must be dismantled, this issue is very serious, and his attitude is also very firm.
Some people may think that this is just an inconspicuous small link in the country's major decision-making, but in fact, this matter was finally decided after Deng Xiaoping's long-term thinking, and even if Chen Zaidao and Zhang Zhen, senior generals, interceded many times, his attitude was the same: the railway soldiers must all be abolished, all transferred, and none remained.
The reason why Deng Gong made his decision was for the sake of making a big plan; backward China needs to develop science and technology, economy, culture, education, and other entertainment, and the huge military expenditure is really unbearable, and the disarmament work has been going on all the time.
The railway soldiers are indeed outstanding in merit, and they have played a huge role in the past, but it is precisely because of this that after continuous development and continuous expansion, the total number of railway soldiers at this time has reached more than 400,000, which is too much, so it has to be cut.
However, the strong application of the generals was not entirely selfish, they were only nervous about the situation at that time, afraid that war would break out again at any time, and the railway soldiers were an indispensable force.
Therefore, the long-sighted Elder Deng will refuse, he understands that At this time, China will not face war in the short term, and it is the wisest choice to turn those soldiers into workers of the Ministry of Railways, who were once extremely down-to-earth and diligent in the army, and now after entering the state department, they will inevitably make every effort to contribute to the post, thus promoting the development of infrastructure.
But he did not chill everyone's hearts, but solemnly made a guarantee: "As long as there is a real war, everyone in the Ministry of Railways will still be railway soldiers." ”
In this way, the soldiers had nothing to say, but loyally obeyed the arrangements of the state and their superiors, and entered the enterprise work, the largest part of which formed the China Railway Construction Corporation, referred to as China Railway Construction.
On the basis of their engineering technology, after decades of development, China Railway Construction has become a super large enterprise in the world, in addition to infrastructure construction, but also at the same time to do parts manufacturing, real estate development, mineral resources development, material trade and other businesses, proudly standing in the world's top 500 enterprises.
And these achievements are inseparable from the continuity of the steel spirit of the veterans of that year, and also prove that Deng Xiaoping trusted them at the beginning, no matter what position they were in, the railway soldiers always maintained loyalty to the country, love for the people, and dedication to the cause, in order to go through all the hardships and hardships with the attitude of going through the wind and rain and bravely moving forward.