He was a resourceful and decisive general with outstanding military achievements, especially on the Korean battlefield, known as one of the "Ten Tiger Generals of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea", and was awarded the rank of lieutenant general in 1955, and was awarded the order of August 1, 2nd Class, the Order of Independence and Freedom of the First Class, and the Liberation Medal of the First Class. He is
Zhang Zuyi
。
In 1911, Zhang Zuyu was born into a peasant family in Datang Village, Shiqiao District, Shangcheng County, Henan Province, where he originally had 70 acres of land and could be self-sufficient. Zhang Zuyu entered a private school at the age of 9, but when he was 11 years old, his father died of illness and the family deteriorated, and he was forced to drop out of school to work as a farmer at home.
In September 1931, Zhang Zuyu joined the Red Army and became a soldier in the special service company of the 31st Regiment of the 11th Division of the 4th Red Army of Eyu and Anhui. Because of his bravery and wit in battle, successively
Platoon commander, chief of the supply section, officer of the Political Department of the 93rd Division of the 31st Army
Equivalent positions. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the 31st Army of the Red Fourth Front was reorganized into the 386th Brigade of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army, and Zhang Zuyu was also appointed in 1941
Director of the Political Department of the 386th Brigade
In May 1942, the Japanese army gathered more than 7,000 troops, divided into 5 routes, and prepared to encircle the 386th Brigade. At that time, the brigade commander
Chen Geng
and commissar
Wang Xinting
Having been transferred to the Taiyue Military Region, Zhang Zuyu immediately led the troops to break through, his wife
Wang Hua
Because of illness, she fell behind the line, because of the urgency of the military situation, Zhang Zu forgave her and could not take care of her, only ordered the guards to take her to the mountains and forests to hide, until after smashing the enemy's "sweep", he sent someone to find her out.
Zhang Zuyu and his wife
Afterwards
Deng Xiaoping
A special meeting praised Zhang Zuyu, saying:
"Comrade Zu Yu's lover Wang Hua suffered from severe typhoid fever and had difficulty walking, but when the enemy came to 'sweep up', he only asked a guard to carry her away and command the battle with all his might. This is not that Comrade Zuyu does not love his lover, he abides by the discipline of the Party and pays attention to the influence of the masses. ”
After the end of the Japanese army's sweep, Zhang Zuyu's luggage was all burned out due to the bombing of Japanese aircraft, leaving only the single clothes he was wearing, not even a change of clothes, he could only take off his clothes after dinner, seize the time to wash them, and then put them on after drying the next morning.
What's worse is that the quilt is gone, Zhang Zuyu had to use the old cotton coat as a quilt cover when he slept at night, and the coat could not cover the whole body, he could only shrink into a ball, everyone joked:
"Director Zhang became the head of the regiment as soon as he arrived at night."
Later guards
Wu Anliang
He really couldn't bear to look at it, so he proposed to go to the brigade supply office to get a new set of clothes and quilts for Zhang Zuyu, but Zhang Zuyu directly refused:
"There are more people without clothes, not just me Zhang Zuyi alone!"
One day, Wu Anliang was mending Zhang Zuyu's clothes and supplying the director of the department
Yang Guopu
When he saw it, he asked:
"Xiao Wu, whose clothes did you mend, so broken?"
Wu Anliang replied:
"Director Yang, this is Director Zhang's underwear."
Yang Guopu was shocked:
"They are all broken like this, can they still be repaired?"
Wu Anliang reported to Yang Guopu that Zhang Zuyu's luggage had been burned, and a few days later, the supply department sent Zhang Zuyu a new set of bedding and clothes. After Zhang Zuyu knew what had happened, he criticized Wu Anliang very severely, saying:
"In the future, your guard squad will not be able to go to the supply office to ask for anything, not a single line, let alone in my name." Now send the clothes back immediately. ”
Later, until the supply department uniformly reissued, Zhang Zuyu left a set of clothes and a quilt.
In May 1949, Zhang Zuyi was promoted to commander of the 60th Army.
He has since been there
Peng Dehuai
Under the command of the army, he led his troops to the west, successively participated in the Battle of Fumei and the Battle of Lanzhou, and liberated the Great Northwest. Later, he led his army into the southwest and completed the suppression of bandits in western Sichuan.
Zhang Zuyu (right)
After the outbreak of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Zhang Zuyu was unable to lead his army to the expedition due to a stomach attack and the heavy tasks of sichuan and was commanded by the 61st Army
Wei Jie
He served as the commander of the 60th Army and led the 60th Army into the Korean War.
Although he could not personally fight, but the troops he personally brought out were about to go to a foreign frontier, and they were fighting against a strong enemy, Zhang Zuyu was still happy in his heart, believing that this was the honor of all the officers and men of the 60 Army, and he was always paying attention to the every move of the 60 Army on the Korean battlefield.
In the second phase of the Fifth Campaign in April 1951, the 60th Army led the 180th Division to cooperate with friendly neighboring forces to contain the frontal US ace Marine Division and the 7th Infantry Division, and completed the task brilliantly.
However, at the end of the second phase of the campaign and the transfer of troops to the rear, for many reasons, the 180th Division suffered a serious setback, losing thousands of men and suffering one of the biggest defeats of the Volunteer Army on the Korean battlefield.
After the news reached China, the 60th Army became the target of public criticism, and some people even proposed to abolish the establishment of the 180th Division and send them to the Northern Wilderness. Zhang Zuyu's heart was very heavy, because the 180th Division was an old unit that he personally brought out of the Taiyue Military Region, and followed him from Shanxi to the northwest and from the northwest to the southwest, and had many impressive achievements, and no one could casually say that this unit was not good!
In June 1952, Zhang Zuyu went to Korea with the Southwest Military Region's visiting and study group and met Chen Geng, deputy commander of the Volunteer Army, and acting commander of the 3rd Corps
Wang Near the Mountain
When he learned the details of the defeat of the 60th Army, he said excitedly:
"I want to return to the 60th Army and lead the 60th Army to fight a turnaround battle!"
Zhang Zuyu (second from left)
Chen Geng and Wang Jinshan had long hoped that Zhang Zuyu would regain control of the 60th Army, but they were worried that his body could not withstand the high-intensity command operation, and at this time Zhang Zuyu actually took the initiative to bring it out, and they were very pleased. Wang Jinshan tightly held Zhang Zuyu's hand and said:
"I hope you come back, I'll ask my superiors right away!"
In September of that year, the Central Military Commission appointed Zhang Zuyu as the commander of the 60th Army. October 4,
Mao Zedong
After receiving Zhang Zuyu in Zhongnanhai, Mao Zedong looked at Zhang Zuyu's toothless mouth and said humorously:
"What to do? I don't think the 180th Division does have to go to the Northern Wilderness, and the number does not need to be changed. You go a few days late, go to the Union Hospital to make up your teeth, and when you get to North Korea, you will raise your voice, speak louder, and mobilize the troops to fight a turnaround battle! ”
In late October 1952, Zhang Zuyu came to the Korean battlefield under tremendous pressure. At that time, the 60th Army had just taken over the 68th Army as a defensive task from Wendenli to the Han River, where the enemy had been operating for a long time, and there were many high ground in the position, which was in a condescending position for me. After investigation, Zhang Zuyu knew very well that he could not act arbitrarily, but must accumulate small victories into big victories and gradually change the unfavorable situation of our army.
Zhang Zuyu then vigorously launched the "cold gun and cold gun" campaign in the 60th Army, and in just 11 and 12 months, the cold guns and cold guns of the 60th Army killed and wounded 3,115 "United Nations Troops," an average of 50 enemy per day; 7 tanks, 13 cars, and 13 cannons were destroyed and injured. The 536th Regiment's high-altitude aircraft company defending Yuyin Mountain also shot down 16 enemy aircraft. The enemy troops on the other side could no longer rise up.
In April 1953, the Panmunjom armistice negotiations reopened after a six-month hiatus over the prisoner-of-war issue, and the progress of the negotiations came to a near standstill due to the lack of sincerity shown by the enemy. In order to teach the enemy a good lesson, the Volunteer Army decided to launch a summer offensive.
According to the battle plan, the 20th Corps of the Volunteer Army decided to give the task of capturing the 902.8 and 883.7 highlands to the 60th Army.
Summer offensive of 1953
Zhang Zuyu had already set sights on these highlands, and he had already sent his troops to secretly dig two tunnels to lead to the vicinity of the highlands. However, if we really want to capture the high ground, these alone are still far from enough, because even if the troops attack at 8 o'clock in the evening, it will already be the early morning of the next day when they reach the enemy's position, and once the attack and battle cannot be concluded at the scheduled time, our army will only be able to fight the enemy during the day, and in the face of the enemy's absolute superiority in firepower, our army will fall into an unfavorable situation.
Zhang Zuyu fell into a bitter meditation, and suddenly he thought of the example of a small detachment of the Soviet Red Army successfully lurking in front of the enemy during the Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union. He had a startling idea:
The 60th Army needs to organize about 3,500 troops to enter the stealth position the night before and then launch an attack the next night, so that there is plenty of time to adjust the deployment, build fortifications, replenish supplies, and correct tactics.
On June 4, the 20th Corps held a combat meeting, and the heights in front of the 60th Army became the focus of everyone's attention. Zhang Zuyu was just about to put forward his own ideas, but he did not expect that "what the hero saw was slightly the same", the acting commander of the corps
Zheng Weishan
Thinking of it with him, Zheng Weishan said:
"How to fight? The main positions of the enemy and us are at most 3 kilometers apart, and the deep valleys in the middle are separated. How do infantry assemble? I think it is possible to hide the troops in advance to the enemy's front, launch an attack after dark the next day, complete the attack and battle that night, and win four or five hours to repair the fortifications and replenish the ammunition, so that after dawn they can effectively counterattack the enemy's counterattack. As for the lurking troops, I calculated that at least 3,000 people would be needed. ”
But after Zheng Weishan finished speaking, the venue was silent, and no one dared to express his opinion.
Because a large number of troops lurking in the enemy's front, and to pass through a day, this has no precedent in the history of war, it can be said that it is a joke with life, in case the enemy finds out, the casualties caused are not a small number!
Zhang Zuyu was excited after hearing this, and he immediately stood up, expressed his support for Zheng Weishan's plan, and said his reasons:
"Since the 60th Army took over the defense, in accordance with Commander Zheng's instructions, we have organized 26 counterattacks against targets below the enemy company, of which 21 have adopted lurking methods of different sizes, from squad platoons to company battalions, all of which have been successful, and the ratio of troops between the enemy and us is basically 1:1 to 1:3, that is to say, this counterattack, to annihilate the enemy's regiment, I use 3,500 people to lurk is enough."
At this time, he was the commander of the 67th Army
Qiu Wei
He also stood up, and he also agreed with Zheng Weishan's battle plan. After receiving the statements of the two front-line commanders, Zheng Weishan's determination was even firmer. He said:
"This battle must be fought, I am responsible for the mistake, kill the head and kill me!"
Zhang Zuyu also stood up and said:
"I'm shared responsibility with you!"
But Zheng Weishan said:
"Don't you be responsible, you just have to hit you, it's enough to have my head on the wrong side!"
After the meeting, the 60th Army immediately threw itself into intense and orderly preparations, and Zhang Zuyu and the officers and men discussed the specific problems that they might encounter when lurking:
What should I do if the troops eat while lurking? What should I do if I cough? What should I do if I snore when I sleep? What about defecation? What should I do with mosquito bites?
In order to properly solve these problems, Zhang Zuyu specially organized officers and men to hold a "Zhuge Liang meeting." Everyone brainstormed and put forward one solution after another. Finally, Zhang Zuyu said excitedly:
"The head of the headquarters and the head of the corps are concerned about this battle. This is the best opportunity for the 60th Army to strive for the greatest honor, a crucial battle to completely change its appearance, and a golden opportunity to turn things around. For the honor of the 60th Army, we must go all out to fight this battle! ”
Three days before the battle, Zhang Zuyu asked the military quartermaster department to send a large number of "dry food" to the latent troops, instructing him to change his eating habits before leaving, and only eat milk powder, biscuits, fruits, etc., in order to minimize excretion during the incubation period.
On the night of June 9, 3,500 people from 13 infantry companies, 4 machine gun companies, 4 battalion headquarters, and a regimental command post successfully entered the incubation area, and by 4 a.m. on June 10, all personnel had been lurking. During the period when the troops were lurking, every hour or two, the artillery fired several shells at the enemy positions to cover the officers and men to turn over and change their posture.
Volunteer soldiers lurk
By 2 p.m., the command received a report:
There are two enemies swimming towards the lurking area!
Zhang Zuyu immediately gave the artillery an order: "Shoot them down with artillery fire!" The surveillance artillery immediately fired a burst of artillery, driving away the enemy's two stragglers.
Since then, the enemy has repeatedly made tentative shots at the lurking positions, but even in such circumstances, our fighters can only stand still until they are finally sacrificed, and 15 of them have emerged in the latent troops."
Qiu Shaoyun
style" heroic figures.
At 8:40 p.m., three red flares suddenly lifted off, and the lurking forces attacked the enemy's positions from 13 directions. It took only 70 minutes for them to capture the predetermined targets of 902.8, 973, and 883.7 and completely annihilate the 27th Regiment of the South Korean Army, creating an example of a regiment of the enemy annihilating an enemy regiment in one offensive operation since the volunteer army entered the trench battle.
Zheng Weishan knew that the enemy troops in the rear would definitely organize a counterattack immediately, and he reminded Zhang Zuyu:
"You are facing an enemy regiment with 4 divisions, and an AIR FORCE wing of the US army, and after dawn the enemy will definitely counterattack, and you will not be able to resist, tell me earlier, the 203rd and 63rd Divisions of the second echelon are behind you."
Zheng Weishan's words were both the heart of An Zhang Zuyu and, of course, the meaning of agitation, Zhang Zuyu was angry when he heard it, and he also informed the following division commanders and regiment commanders:
"Commander Zheng said, if we can't do it, the reserve team can replace us at any time."
The division commanders and regimental commanders below were also angry, because the battle ahead was basically using the latent troops, and the army's own reserves had not yet moved, so how could the second echelon come up?
After dawn, the enemy, under the cover of aircraft artillery, began to organize a counterattack, and the 60th Army stubbornly blocked the attack, repelling more than 10 enemy charges in a row. At noon, Zhang Zuyu really couldn't stand it, so he had to call Zheng Weishan:
"Commander Zheng, 883.7 highland ammunition is in emergency, please support the corps!"
Zheng Weishan knew that Zhang Zuyu would not have asked for help if he had not encountered special difficulties, so he immediately said:
"Got it, I'll find a way to send it to you!"
At this time, the friendly 67th Army and 68th Army successfully broke through the enemy's position, and Zhang Zuyu, with their assistance, commanded the 180th Division to capture the 949.2 height after using the 883.7 heights to inflict a large number of casualties on the enemy. At this point, the planned battle plan of the 20 corps was fully realized, and the big lurk was successful!
This great victory caused the superiors and brother troops to completely change the perception of the 60th Army, the commander of the 3rd Corps
Xu Shiyou
Excitedly, he said to Zhang Zuyu:
"Commander Zhang had the courage to sneak thousands of people under the nose of the enemy, and by surprise, he fought a beautiful war of annihilation."
The Volunteer Command also sent a congratulatory message to the 60th Army:
The example of our 60th Army annihilating most of the enemy's regiment at a time since the first defensive operation was specially commended. It is hoped that we will continue to work hard, continue to fight steadily and fiercely, and strive for greater victories.
Soon after, when Zhang Zuyu led his troops back from Korea, he specially ordered a car to stop by the Yalu River, then bowed three times to the Korean territory and said affectionately:
"We must not forget the support of the Korean people, and we must not forget the heroes and martyrs who are forever buried on the territory of The DPRK!"
In 1955, Zhang Zuyu was awarded the rank of founding lieutenant general. In 1957, he graduated from the Nanjing Military Academy with full honors, and Xu Shiyou, commander of the Nanjing Military Region, directly sought him out
Zhou Enlai
and
He was sent to the Nanjing Military Region as chief of staff. After Zhang Zuyu took office, he made a lot of achievements in grasping combat readiness training and troop management, and Xu Shiyou praised him on many occasions:
"Zhang Zuyu is a good chief of staff!"
After entering the big city, Zhang Zuyu still maintained a hard and simple style of life at all times. Once the management section wanted to paint the walls of his room and office and change the window screens, and when he knew about it, he immediately stopped it and said:
"This wall is not too old, you don't have to paint it, it costs a lot of money to paint it once!" If the window screen is broken, you can repair it, you can block mosquitoes on the line, why do you have to change it? If you can save a little, save a little! ”
Under the long-term overload of work, in July 1960, Zhang Zuyu fell ill and was diagnosed with advanced stomach cancer. Despite the best efforts of the doctors at Huadong Hospital in Shanghai, they did not rescue him from the clutches of the disease. On May 13, 1961, Zhang Zuyu unfortunately died of illness at the age of 50.
Zhang Zuyu died of illness