The Korean War was a large-scale local war that broke out after the end of World War II, which created a number of combat heroes such as Huang Jiguang, Yang Gensi, and Sun Zhanyuan, all of whom were martyrs of the Republic.
According to the "Military History", in May 1951, in the second phase of the Fifth Campaign, in order to prevent the eastern assistance of the US Tenth Army, in the Battle of Shagorang, when the three battalions of a regiment of the Volunteer Army advanced to The 281 Heights, a platoon of its sharp knife companies encountered the enemy several times larger than themselves, and the soldiers fought bravely and tenaciously with the enemy, and finally all of them died heroically because of the enemy' outnumberedness...
What is less known, however, is that in this battle, two warriors miraculously survived. After the war, the two people remained anonymous for more than 40 years, rooted in the countryside, lived in obscurity for a lifetime, never mentioned to anyone that they were once combat heroes, still selflessly dedicated, even seriously ill and had no money to be hospitalized, still did not want to trouble the country.
In the winter of 1946, two young men from the taihangShan revolutionary area, Zhang Shaokui and Pang Delai, joined the People's Liberation Army, followed the troops all the way to the north and south of the great river, and made outstanding military achievements.
In early 1951, Zhang Shaokui and Pang Delai followed the troops across the Yalu River and entered the Korean War.
At this time, Pang Delai had been promoted to deputy company commander and platoon leader of the sharp knife company of the third battalion of a certain regiment of the Volunteer Army, while Zhang Shaokui served as the captain of a row of machine gun squads of the sharp knife company.
In the Battle of Linjinjiang, Pang Delai was ordered to lead the sharp knife platoon to capture 281 heights. After a bloody battle, the Sharp Knife Platoon finally succeeded in capturing Hill 281. Between battles, Pang Delai and Zhang Shaokui immediately led the soldiers to repair the fortifications and grasp the preparations for the battle.
Unwilling to lose this commanding height, the US military gathered a large number of troops, launched a round of fierce attack on the 281 heights, and also used bombers and large-caliber artillery, and the bombs covered the small 281 heights into a sea of fire in an instant.
Under the calm command of Pang Delai and Zhang Shaokui, the sharp knife platoon took advantage of the terrain to attack the enemy condescendingly, and from time to time it also divided its troops into the back of the US army, surprisingly destroying a large number of enemies. Overnight in the fierce battle, The 281 Heights stood still, and in front of the position, there was a thick layer of American soldiers' corpses.
The next day, just after dawn, the U.S. army launched another onslaught, and the black-pressed crowd attacked the 281 heights under the cover of artillery fire. When the enemy reached only a hundred meters away from our army's position, Zhang Shaokui suddenly jumped out of the tunnel, raised his machine gun and fired fiercely at the enemy, killing and wounding the US troops in an instant, leaving more than 40 corpses behind, and fleeing in a hurry.
At ten o'clock in the afternoon, the U.S. army launched another round of heavy shelling on The 281 Heights, and the deputy company commander Pang Delai could not dodge it, was hit by shrapnel, was seriously wounded, and fainted on the ground. By the afternoon of the battle, all 29 soldiers of the sharp knife platoon had fallen in a pool of blood and died heroically, leaving only Zhang Shaokui and Pang Delai, who was still unconscious.
Zhang Shaokui did not panic, holding a machine gun and still desperately strafing. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in his shoulder, and Zhang Shaokui looked down and saw that the collarbone had been punched through four holes, and the upper gum bed along with several teeth had also been knocked out.
Zhang Shaokui endured the sharp pain coming from the wound, and took advantage of the retreat of the US army to simply bandage the wound for the bloody Pang Delai. Soon, the volunteer reinforcements arrived in time to take over the 281 Heights, and Zhang Shaokui and Pang Delai were taken to the hospital by their comrades.
After the war, when counting casualties, due to the poor communication at that time, the reinforcements who took over The 281 Heights went to chase after the fleeing American troops, and failed to hand over the defense in time, coupled with the large scale of the campaign, the establishment of the various units was temporarily disrupted, so that the three battalions of a certain regiment of the Volunteer Army believed that all the soldiers in the sharp knife company of the sharp knife platoon had died heroically, and Zhang Shaokui and Pang Delai were also included in the list of "killed".
At this time, Zhang Shaokui had been sent back to China for treatment, while Pang Delai was temporarily left in North Korea for medical treatment because of his serious injuries, and was sent to the Korean People's Army Hospital for rescue, and then sent back to Changsha, Hunan Province, for treatment. However, the two close comrades-in-arms have since lost contact.
In October 1952, Pang Delai recovered from his injuries and was placed to work in the Bank Security Section of the Public Security Department of Heze District, Shandong Province, where he successively served as the chief of the Bank Protection Unit of Heze County, the commissioner of rural public security, and the director of the Heze County Iron and Steel Factory.
As his deputy company commander and combat hero, he could have won better treatment, but for decades, Pang Delai has been tight-lipped about his identity, without complaint, in his own words: "The martyr died in battle to serve the country, and it is my duty to work hard!" Don't take 'officials' too seriously, think of your dead comrades-in-arms, what qualifications do we have to talk about treatment. The people who always plan for themselves are not real communists! ”
In 1984, Pang Delai left for retirement and returned to his hometown of Pang Feng Village, Macun District, Jiaozuo City. After returning to the countryside, Pang Delai was not willing to be lonely, and took the initiative to become a volunteer security officer, participating in night patrols and maintaining social order. In many years, there has not been a single theft case in PangFeng Village, and not a single public security case or criminal case has occurred. In 1991, Pang Delai was named "Excellent Communist Party" and "Advanced Individual of Old Cadres" in Jiaozuo City; in 1992, the Ministry of Public Security awarded Pang Delai a "Second-class Golden Shield" honorary medal.
After Zhang Shaokui returned to China, he was treated in the hospital for 3 months before he was discharged from the hospital. However, due to the serious injuries, leaving more serious sequelae, there are several pieces of bomb fragments on the right collarbone that cannot be removed, resulting in the right arm can not be lifted, most of the teeth are also lost, and can only rely on drinking liquid food to maintain life every day. Later, when a certain unit of the Volunteer Army came to the hospital to select the recovered soldiers to return to the team, Zhang Shaokui resolutely signed up and crossed the Yalu River again to the Korean front. During the pre-war physical examination, the military doctor found that his injuries were too serious to fight, and he was forced to return him to the motherland for treatment.
In 1952, Zhang Shaokui was demobilized and treated as a healed person, without any level of disability certificate. Zhang Shaokui did not say a word, with a 100 yuan settlement fee and shrapnel, returned to his hometown of Yinyanghe Village, Jinlingpo District, Xiuwu County, Henan Province, and became an authentic farmer.
Like Pang Delai, Zhang Shaokui has always been tight-lipped about his identity, including his wife and children.
After returning to the countryside, Zhang Shaokui was elected as the village party secretary, leading the villagers to live in the sunrise and live in the day, always suffering first, not greedy and not occupied. His eldest son was paralyzed in both legs and could not walk normally, and the family was in debt in order to treat his son. But Zhang Shaokui did not open his mouth to the organization once, but extended his hand once.
Later, when he was older and more injured, Zhang Shaokui almost lost the ability to work, and the family burden became increasingly serious, even if he was seriously ill, he did not dare to be hospitalized because he had no money. In the words of Zhang Shaokui: "Compared with my dead comrades-in-arms, I can live to this day, see that the new China is already very good today, and what else do I take care of?" ”
For more than 40 years, Zhang Shaokui and Pang Delai have been looking for each other, firmly believing that the other party did not sacrifice at that time, but has not been able to achieve their wishes.
In 1993, by chance, Zhang Shaokui heard the story of a "strange old man" Pang Delai in Pang Fengying Village while chatting with a passerby who was driving a carriage, and Zhang Shaokui decided that this Pang Delai must be his old company commander. Therefore, I personally went to Pang Fengying Village and finally met Pang Delai.
The two "living martyrs" reunited after a long absence, and they held their heads in the crowd and cried bitterly, telling everything after parting with tears.
Only then did the two old men's wives and children, as well as their fathers and fellow villagers, realize that these two ordinary old men who could no longer be ordinary were actually former combat heroes, two living "martyrs", and everyone was in tears, and their hearts could not be calm for a long time...
[Adhere to the original, do not forget the original heart, remember the history, taste life, welcome attention, common progress】