In 1979
Lu Binh District, Lang Son Province, Vietnam
A squad of Vietnamese operatives was sneaking toward the headquarters of the PLA's 127th Division, taking advantage of its own operations.
The goal of their trip was to assassinate the commander of the 127th Division and thwart the PLA offensive against Luping County.
The three-man squad managed to approach the command car of the 127th Division, and just as they were about to pull the door open, a loud cry interrupted their movements:
"What's it for?"
A cross-patrol post arranged in advance by the commander of the 127th Division discovered the vietnamese agents who were plotting against them
The Vietnamese who had failed to act immediately turned their heads and ran, and the patrolling sentries immediately opened fire, and when things got to this point, it was not necessary to think that these people must have come to the army camp to cause damage.
The three agents ignored the FIRE poured out on them by the People's Liberation Army.
The submachine gun in his hand was desperately firing at the command car
The bullet crackled on the body of the command car, flashing out countless sparks.
Vietnamese agents who had infiltrated the headquarters of the 127th Division were killed in the operation
The remaining two were seriously wounded and died of their wounds not long after fleeing back to the Vietnamese position.
subsequently
The Vietnamese radio spread the news that the commander of the PLA 127th Division had been killed by them.
Zhang Wannian who answered the phone
Zhu Chuanyu, the commander of the 43rd Army responsible for attacking Langshan, learned of this news and hurriedly called the staff of the 127th Division to verify the authenticity of the news.
The news spread by the Vietnamese army is of course false,
The commander of the 127th Division laughed when he received the call from the commander
"The Vietnamese are talking nonsense, I wasn't in the command car at all last night.
Rest assured, commander, I am on the bank of the river, only 100 meters from the front line! ”
Who knew that Zhu Chuanyu was not only not happy after hearing the news that the commander of the 127th Division was still alive, but became angry: "What did the battle regulations say?" Where should the command be placed? Do you want the Vietnamese to capture you alive? ”
The commander of the 127th Division also knew that this was the commander who cared about himself, but a general who was not on the front line and only sat in the command car could fight a good battle? What's more, the Americans didn't catch themselves, so how could the Vietnamese do it? However, he still told Zhu Chuanyu that his reason for doing so was to better command the troops to fight. He also said:
"Commander, when you go to the battlefield to fight, can you still bring a rule?"
Who was the commander of the division who had set up his headquarters at 100 meters on the front line? Why was the Vietnamese government so anxious to capture him alive or even kill him? What happened when the Americans didn't catch this division commander?
17-year-old first class merit
The commander of the division who set up his headquarters at a hundred meters from the front line was the chief officer who was later selected to prepare for the first batch of PLA troops stationed in Hong Kong.
General Zhang Wannian
。 The headquarters was set up at a distance of one hundred meters from the front line, which was due to Zhang Wannian's combat style of being a pioneer all along.
In October 1947, Zhang Wannian, who had only been in the army for two years, was already a platoon leader at this time, and this year, he was only 17 years old. He followed the troops into the northeast and fought against the Kuomintang reactionaries.
Demonstration spelling bayonet
In Fushun,
Here the Nationalists arranged for an all-American infantry regiment to garrison the Camp Pan Fortress
Zhang Wannian's three platoons were entrusted with surprise missions by the troops to open up offensive channels for the main forces. Zhang Wannian charged forward as a platoon leader,
More than thirty grenades were thrown at the enemy troops in the fortress in one go
, blew up the bunker that stood in front of the three platoons. Successfully cleared the offensive obstacles for the main force.
In the battle against the Yingpan Fortress, Zhang Wan was wounded in many places, fought bravely, and was awarded a first-class merit at a young age.
Subsequently, he participated in many major battles such as Sanbao Benxi, Sibao Linjiang, and the liberation of Anshan, and made great contributions twice in succession.
In March 1949, Zhang Wannian was personally received by Chairman Mao and attended the first military parade ceremony of New China at Beijing's Xiyuan Airport.
After participating in the founding ceremony, Zhang Wannian went south with his troops to fight in thousands of miles, successively participating in the Battle of Hengbao, the Battle of Guangxi, and the Suppression of Bandits in Eastern Guangdong, and once captured more than 1,500 Kuomintang soldiers with more than 20 troops.
Zhang Wannian, who grew up, was repeatedly entrusted with heavy responsibilities by the troops, and before the 1979 self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, Zhang Wannian, who studied in the senior department of the People's Liberation Army Military Academy, was appointed deputy commander of the 43rd Army and commander of the 127th Division.
Zhang Wannian when he was young
The 127th Division is a unit with a long history and outstanding military achievements, and is known as the "Iron Army Division".
Mr. Zhu once served as the military supervisor of this unit, and in the ranks of the People's Liberation Army, many generals and colonels have served in this unit. Its predecessor originated from the famous independent regiment, and it was repeatedly built in the Northern Expedition.
At the time of the Nanchang Uprising, this unit was also the backbone of the uprising. After being taken to Jinggangshan by Zhu Laozong, this unit was incorporated into the Fourth Army of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, and has always been the main force of the Central Red Army. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, this unit was reorganized into the 685th Regiment of the 343rd Brigade of the 115th Division of the Eighteenth Route Army, and later when the New Fourth Army was established, it was based on this regiment to form the Third Division.
However, when the counterattack against the Vietnamese self-defense began, a total of three thousand soldiers in this division were all newly recruited eggs.
Adhering to the idea of "knowing oneself and knowing the other without losing a hundred battles", Zhang Wannian did a good job of centralized training for the whole division in a very short period of time, and the veterans led the new soldiers, which quickly made the 127th Division form a strong combat effectiveness.
In view of the terrain characteristics of the jungle in Vietnam, Zhang Wannian has no details, how to tie his shoelaces and how to tie his pants when marching in the mountains. The night marched in this way to avoid the reflection of the moonlight on the guns, the water bottle, and the belt... And so on the details Zhang Wannian has taken into account.
Moreover, Zhang Wannian has been the commander of the 127th Division for ten years, which can be described as the main backbone of the 127th Division.
When Zhang Wannian returned to the division headquarters from the PLA Military Academy in 1978, the entire division of the 127th Division was full of jubilation, as if they had eaten a reassuring pill, and the military's heart was greatly encouraged.
"Crush 127 and capture Zhang Wannian alive!"
On February 16, 1979, Zhang Wannian, who sent all the division's scouts to collect enemy information and terrain information in advance five days in advance, set off with the 127th Division on the night of the moon and entered Vietnam in batches from Aidian, 92 kilometers from The Friendship Pass.
Before the war,
Xu Shiyou, who was in charge of commanding the counterattack against the Vietnamese self-defense, assigned Zhang Wannian the task of covering the main attack of the 55th Army on the flank, laying down the town of Zhima and The Longtou area, and opening up the mouth to Luping.
However, Zhang Wannian's 127th Division was so strong that the Vietnamese troops in front of them were almost crushed, allowing the 127th Division to drive straight in.
Zhang Wannian after the exercise
In the ChiMa town area, the Vietnamese army stationed here has two reinforced battalions and a part of the armed police.
The lion still used all his strength, and Zhang Wannian directly placed seven infantry battalions and seven artillery battalions before the attack
There were also two tank companies, and the cattle knife was also used to kill chickens, and Zhang Wannian was very cautious in the face of the first battle after the 127th Division's reorganization.
Zhang Wannian's caution is justified,
Because the two battalions of the Vietnamese army stationed in the Dom Ma area were not a ragtag group, they came from the independent 123rd Regiment of Lang Son Province, Vietnam
From the beginning of the Vietnamese resistance to the French, they fought on the front line, and the Yankees fought for twenty years, until 1976, when they were converted into local troops.
They occupied more than a dozen commanding heights on the road outside the town of Zhima, dug trenches, civil fortifications and various fire points where fortifications could be constructed, and planted mines and traps in the front of the positions.
In order to be able to better command the battle, Zhang Wannian also asked the command headquarters at all levels to be as far ahead as possible, and after the battle began,
Zhang Wannian directly led the division headquarters forward to a position less than two kilometers away from the first line.
"See directly with the naked eye the battle that is going on ahead."
As a result, the Vietnamese army in the Zhima town area was collectively beaten into a sieve under Zhang Wannian's caution. In the early morning of February 17, seven artillery battalions turned the Vietnamese position into a sea of fire, and seven infantry battalions, led by two tank companies, completely annihilated an enemy reinforcement battalion in less than a day, and successfully took the town of Chi Ma.
The political commissar of a battalion of the Vietnamese army was also captured by Zhang Wannian, and when interrogated by the People's Liberation Army, the enemy said with emotion:
"I had three unthinkables. The first is that you can deploy so many troops, and in our defense plan, you can only come down to one platoon at most; the second is that you can fight so fiercely; the third, you can't imagine that you will be defeated by you. We were going to stay here for half a year, but you annihilated them in less than a day. ”
Self-defense counterattack against Vietnam
On February 26, Zhang Wannian, who had cleared the area of Zhima Town, received orders from the army command post and began to attack in the direction of Luping, cutting off the enemy's reinforcements to Langshan City.
Facing the remnants of the Vietnamese Independent 123rd Regiment defending Lu Binh and the Independent Battalion of Lu Binh County, Zhang Wannian felt that the soldiers were fast and should annihilate the enemy before they fled, once again concentrate their forces and firepower, and form an absolute advantage in one battle, divide and encircle the Vietnamese army, and then annihilate them one by one.
The Vietnamese army resisted in front of the 127th Division for a day before retreating to the city of Lu Binh, and Zhang Wannian only took one day to advance 8 kilometers under the layers of Vietnamese defenses.
The next day, the Vietnamese troops in the city could not withstand the psychological pressure of being surrounded and annihilated, and they went into the mountains and forests to escape for their lives, and at noon, the 127th Division occupied the county seat of Luping Without bloodshed.
Zhang Wannian's division headquarters entered Luping at 1 p.m., and at that time, there were many Vietnamese slogans on both sides of the streets in Luping County.
The most written above is "Defeat 127, capture Zhang Wannian alive!" ”
But now Zhang Wannian was walking on the streets of Luping County with his staff officers and division leaders, and the Vietnamese army did not know where to run.
Zhang Wannian laughed loudly, but still said to the staff officers around him:
"Although the Vietnamese army lost the battle, their intelligence is accurate, they know a lot about the 127th Division, and the pre-war mobilization is also very good, and we should respect them."
After inspecting Luping City, Zhang Wannian set the front finger of the division on an unnamed plateau outside the city, and then ran to the Luping River to reconnoiter the terrain, and on the night of March 28, the Vietnamese agents went down a ditch under the nameless highland and touched the front finger of the division, which happened in the previous scene.
Zhang Wannian inspecting the position
"I've caught you!"
Why do Vietnamese people think so much about Zhang Wannian? In fact, the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam was not the first time Zhang Wannian went to Vietnam, in
In 1968, Zhang Wannian had been to North Vietnam, but at that time, Zhang Wannian came by plane, accompanied by 9 other generals, to help Vietnam fight the Americans, but also to learn from the war experience of the United States.
During his time in Vietnam, Zhang Wannian participated as an advisor to other generals
Battle of Creek Hill
and
Battle of the East River
He was familiar with the terrain and climatic characteristics of the Vietnamese region, and also learned about the operational characteristics, equipment and logistical support of the US military in the Vietnam War.
And in the process of getting along with the Vietnamese army day and night, Zhang Wannian and his colleagues also investigated and studied the strategy and tactics of the Vietnamese army to use the special geographical conditions of dense forest mountains and tropical rainforest areas to attack the US military.
Due to the very difficult conditions, Zhang Wannian also suffered from malaria in Vietnam, and his weight plummeted from eighty kilograms to sixty kilograms, and when he returned home a year later, his wife could hardly recognize him.
However, this year's consultancy life has brought valuable wealth to Zhang Wannian. If Zhang Wannian completed the first two words as the commander of the 127th Division for ten years, then this year's time is enough for Zhang Wannian to complete the first two words.
whereas
And Zhang Wannian is not only familiar with the terrain and climate of Vietnam and the combat characteristics of the Vietnamese army, he is also a "classmate" with many Vietnamese commanders.
Because during the Vietnam War, in order to support Vietnam's counterattack against the United States, the Nanjing Military Academy absorbed many Vietnamese cadets, and Zhang Wannian was also studying at the Nanjing Military Academy at that time.
Troops involved in the Vietnam War
In addition to Zhang Wannian's personal reasons, there is another reason why Vietnamese people pay attention to him
The Soviet general adviser stationed in Hanoi was extremely concerned about the 127th Division
。 As a result of the Sino-Soviet hostilities and the Zhenbao Island incident, the Soviet Union had planned to launch an all-out war against China, and in the plan, the Soviet Union had assessed the combat effectiveness of China's major military regions and combat units at the army and division level.
The 127th Division and Zhang Wannian were the focus of division-level combat units.
However, Zhang Wannian did not let the Vietnamese hurt himself and the 127th Division in the end, but also made the Vietnamese army frightened, after taking luping county, because Zhang Wannian advanced too fast, the main force of the 55th Army had not yet captured langshan city, Xu Shiyou had to give Zhang Wannian an order: the 127th division stopped attacking. Xu Shiyou was helpless but also a little proud to say on the phone:
"You scared the enemy away, how can this battle be fought?"
Two battalions of the 127th Division crossing the Luping River turned their heads and attacked south along the Luping River, disrupting the Vietnamese defense, leaving the Vietnamese army confused about the intentions of the 127th Division and having no time to take into account the 55th Army's attack on Lang Shan.
However, the Ideal of "Capturing Zhang Wannian Alive" was not realized by the Vietnamese, but his old rivals, the Americans, did.
In fact, at the beginning, this slogan was put forward by the Americans.
When Zhang Wannian visited the United States in 1998, he was in office
Commander of the United States Army Shali
When meeting Zhang Wannian, he suddenly grabbed Zhang Wannian's hand and shouted at Zhang Wannian:
"I've finally caught you!"
Zhang Wannian was confused by Shali's actions, so Shali immediately explained to Zhang Wannian, and Zhang Wannian, who understood, immediately looked at Shali and smiled.
It turned out that Shally and Zhang Wannian were born the same as the generals who had fought on the battlefield.
In 1968, when Zhang Wannian inspected the Vietnamese Battle of Khe Sanh, Shally happened to be serving in the Vietnamese American army, and as a scout, on the way to the Battle of Khe Sanh, Shally also received a task, which was to "capture Zhang Wannian alive".
Of course, Shali didn't accomplish the task.
In the nearest time, Shali's scout squad was also a few kilometers away from Zhang Wannian
But that didn't stop him from making a joke about it years later and telling it to the person.
After the end of the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, in 1992, Zhang Wannian took up the post of chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army at the age of 64, and later selected the first batch of troops stationed in Hong Kong in the country, which was the trust of the state in him and the affirmation of his ability.
Although Zhang Wannian only joined the army in 1945, his contribution to the republic was not much smaller than that of the first revolutionary martyrs who joined the army, not to mention that his dedication to the country was not in any order, let alone big or small. China can have today's situation, and it is also built by generations of benevolent people and people who have come and gone.
As Zhang Wannian said after three years as chief of the general staff, after seeing Comrade Xiaoping's letter nominating himself: "The task is heavy and the road is long. ”