When New China was founded, there were 5.4 million troops in the country at that time, and in April 1950, the central government reorganized the People's Liberation Army, and after the reorganization, there were more than 4 million troops. However, due to the outbreak of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the size of the army expanded rapidly, and in 1952, the total number of troops was 6.27 million. In 1958, the whole army was reorganized again, reduced to 2 million people. In the 1960s, due to the deterioration of the international situation, the size of the army continued to expand. In 1975, it reached 6.61 million people. In 1991, after several disarmaments, it was reduced to 3.1 million and is now 2 million.
After so many military reforms, many of the traditional ace units in the People's Liberation Army that had made great achievements in battle have been abolished, not to mention some of the kuomintang army's insurrectionary units. However, there is one unit that has not been withdrawn for a long time, and this unit is the 52nd Mountain Brigade of the Tibet Military Region, whose predecessor is the famous 60th Army of the Dian Army.
The Dian Army is a relatively special unit in China's modern history, this unit was reorganized from the Yunnan New Army, and participated in major historical events such as the Xinhai Revolution and the Patriotic Movement. After the outbreak of the All-out War of Resistance, Long Yun organized the main force of the Dian Army into the 60th Army of the National Revolutionary Army, before this unit went out, the whole army was 40,000 people, Long Yun also spent a lot of money to buy a full set of legal equipment for this unit, so when this unit first came out of Yunnan, due to its well-equipped and strict discipline, it was also sent to Wuhan for a military parade to boost morale.
During the Battle of Taierzhuang, the 60th Army of the Dian Army was ordered to go to the area east of Taierzhuang to block the Japanese army, but because Tang Enbo and other central army units did not tell the Dian army in advance, they withdrew from the position, resulting in the vanguard of the 60th Army being ambushed by the Japanese army and suffering heavy losses. The 60th Army of the Dian Army blocked the crazy attack of the Japanese Banyuan Division and the Isogu Division in the Yuwangshan area, and in the 27-day Yuwangshan Blockade Battle, the 60th Army of the Dian Army annihilated 14,000 enemy and suffered 20,000 casualties.
After the end of the War of Resistance, the 60th Army of the Dian Army was sent to Vietnam to be surrendered, and then sent to the northeast to fight a civil war. However, because it is not a military unit, this force is ostracized everywhere in the northeast. During the Liaoshen Campaign, the 60th Army of the Dian Army, under the leadership of its commander Zeng Zesheng, revolted and was reorganized into the Siye 50th Army, and subsequently participated in the campaign to liberate the southwest.
After the outbreak of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the 50th Army entered Korea as the first group of the main forces such as the 38th Army and the 39th Army to participate in the war in Korea. In the third campaign, the unit completely annihilated the British Royal Heavy Tank Battalion, and a division of the 39th Army took the lead in entering Seoul. During the fourth campaign, this unit resisted two Divisions of the American Army on the south bank of the Han River and the 38th Army, and the two brigades of the British Army attacked for nearly 50 days, leaving 10,000 officers and men to fight 10,000 people, and 20,000 Yunnan disciples buried their bones.
In 1969, the 52nd Division of the 18th Army and the 149th Division of the 50th Army exchanged their names, that is, the current 52nd Mountain Brigade of the Tibet Military Region was the 149th Division of the 50th Army that year. This unit has developed to the present, becoming the number one main force on the southwest front, and has been commended by the Central Military Commission many times because of its strong combat effectiveness and rigorous work style.