In June 1951, the 20th Volunteer Army was ordered by its superiors to enter the Huacheon area of Korea to block the "United Nations Army" advancing northward, and to serve as a cover for the main force.
After repeated study, the commander of the Sixty Army decided to set up a blocking position around Changgu Peak.
Although the altitude of Changgu Peak is only 830 meters, its geographical location is very special, as long as this checkpoint is guarded, it can control the necessary place from Shanyangli to Jincheng Highway - Zhubo Ridge, and at the same time control the traffic artery from Shanyangli to Jinhua.
However, there are also unfavorable factors in setting up positions on Changgu Peak, that is, tanks in this area that are very suitable for the US army to drive in and carry out a pinch attack on Changgu Peak.
The Twentieth Army only sent one battalion of the 180th Regiment of the Sixty Division to garrison Changgufeng, and this battalion was actually incomplete, with only 11 squads.
In the early morning of June 12, the U.S. army swung through the jungle and launched a sudden attack on the main peak of Changgu Peak. Due to the lack of manpower and firepower, the volunteer battalion unfortunately lost its position.
Changgu Peak is not only the main position of the Right Wing Sixty Division, but also a hub in the entire defense system of the Twentieth Army, and its loss means that the door is wide open, which will inevitably make the whole army fall into a relatively passive situation.
Sure enough, in the next two days and two nights, the two important commanding heights of the Fifty-ninth Division on the right wing of the Twentieth Army, Chigen Mountain and Santian Peak, fell into the hands of the American army.
It is no exaggeration to say that the situation is extremely critical!
At that time, the military command post was located only more than 5,000 meters away from the front, and the fierce gunfire from the front could be heard.
Because the commander Zhang Yixiang was recuperating at home, the 20th Army was commanded by deputy commander Liao Zhengguo (who became the founding major general in 1955), and such a difficult situation put him under great pressure.
However, at this time of great danger, Liao Zhengguo's courage as an excellent military commander was fully revealed.
On the afternoon of the 14th, he ordered the guard battalion to build a position on the front line of The bean chestnut cave and resolutely block the enemy in the north.
The battalion commanders and instructors of the guard battalion all understood that the situation was extremely dangerous at this time, and the whole battalion was shouldering an extremely arduous heavy responsibility, so they replied in unison: "Even if only the last person is left, we must resolutely hold the position!" ”
The military personnel knew that this meant that the command post had to be moved, but what they did not expect was that Deputy Commander Liao asked them all to eat dinner in advance and move quickly, but they had to stay where they were.
Of course, Liao Zhengguo did not stay there alone, accompanied by two combat staff officers and a guard squad. But if they really encounter the enemy, these few people will not only be unable to stop the enemy, but even protecting the deputy commander will become a problem!
No matter how much the crowd persuaded, Liao Zhengguo had only one sentence: the command post could be transferred, but he, the supreme commander, was determined not to leave!
Interestingly, although the US army hit Changgu Peak, it still failed to figure out the general location of the command post of the Twenty Corps of the Volunteer Army, and they could not imagine that the fearless Chinese had set up more of the grand military first-level command post so close to it.
Seeing that Deputy Commander Liao would not leave no matter what, everyone was anxious.
Peng Fei, commander of the 60th Division, called Liao Zhengguo during the battle in the middle of the night and said impatiently: "Deputy Commander, your position is too far ahead, and your situation is too dangerous!" Must be transferred immediately! ”
Liao Zhengguo replied calmly, "You are concentrating on dealing with the enemy, and you don't have to worry about my command post." ”
Not long after, the commander of the Fifty-ninth Division, Deklin, also came to urge Liao Zhengguo: "The bullets of the US artillery are not long-eyed, they are too dangerous, deputy commander, you must get out of there quickly!" ”
Liao Zhengguo's attitude was still so resolute: "If you want to withdraw, you can withdraw, what is the situation here, I have my own measure!" Then he snapped and hung up the phone.
Surprisingly, miracles have happened so naturally.
Liao Zhengguo's resolute refusal to move backwards made both Peng Fei and Dekelin feel uneasy in their hearts.
Such a resolute attitude of the deputy commander made both division commanders realize one thing: Since the supreme commander of the whole army was putting his life and death on the line, what reason did the subordinate commanders such as divisions and regiments have to transfer?
The cadres of all divisions, regiments, and battalions have made up their minds: No matter how passive and dangerous the situation is, combat units at all levels must resist the attack of the US army, otherwise the enemy will kill our supreme commander, which will be a disgrace to the whole army!
Subsequently, the division commander and the division political commissar went down to the most advanced regiment to take command, the regimental commander and regimental political commissar went down to the forefront battalion to sit in command, and the main cadres of each battalion and company also went down to the front company.
This series of practices has deeply infected and inspired the commanders and fighters of the whole army, and each one of them has a high spirit and high morale. With the joint efforts of all the officers and men of the army, they finally withstood the crazy attack of the enemy.
After the battle, the commanders and fighters all believed that it was the commander's attitude of never retreating that stimulated the morale of the whole army and completely turned the tide of the war.