In 1962, India regarded our calm and restraint as weakness and intensified its aggression and encroachment on our territory. Chairman Mao specially convened a meeting to discuss countermeasures for this purpose.
On the eve of the counterattack, Chinese and Indian soldiers confronted each other
At the meeting, he even made the worst prediction, that if the outcome of the counterattack is not ideal, we are likely to lose Tibet.
Marshals such as Liu Bocheng, He Long, and Xu Xiangqian attached great importance to the counterattack against the Indian army, after all, the seventh brigade, the main ace of the Fourth Division of the Indian army at that time, fought in North Africa, the Middle East, Italy and other battlefields during World War II, and the combat effectiveness should be relatively strong.
It is no exaggeration to say that at that time, India's independence was only a dozen years, and the three battalions under the Ace Seventh Brigade of the Fourth Division all had a history of nearly a hundred years. In World War II, he belonged to the subordinates of the famous British general Montgomery.
And, there is another important situation. Nehru dared to go so crazy in 1962. It was also because when he visited the United States in November 1961, then-Us President John F. Kennedy secretly asked him to help the United States contain our China.
Nehru was with Kennedy during his visit to the United States in 1961
Nehru happily agreed. After that, the Americans began to provide about $4.1 billion in military aid to indians.
Therefore, from the military equipment of the Indian army at that time, and the combat experience of the Indian army, we can see it. It seems that our army is on the weak side.
However, Zhang Guohua, commander of the Tibet Military Region at the time, expressed an optimistic attitude toward this battle.
Even after the meeting, the initial combat goal formulated by the General Staff was to eliminate a battalion of the Seventh Brigade, but Commander Zhang Guohua, after careful consideration, resolved to completely annihilate one of his brigades, believing that only in this way could the Indian side's encroachment and aggressive activities be stopped and thus the stability and peace in China's border areas be guaranteed.
In the middle is Lieutenant General Zhang Guohua
The General Staff believes that the goal of eating one brigade of the other side is not set a little too big, and we have not really fought with the Indian army, but this battle must be fought well, so it is not necessary to be cautious in the initial battle.
Commander Zhang Guohua communicated with General Yin Fatang, the political commissar of the Tibetan 419 unit at the front, and asked if he had the confidence to eat a brigade on the other side.
Eating up the other side of a brigade itself was proposed by the commanders and fighters of my front line, so General Yin Fa Tang said that he believed his old troops, he knew very well, no problem!
General Yin Fa Tang
Commander Zhang Guohua and the General Staff Repeatedly Communicated Three or Four Times like this, but they could not be decided. Luo Ruiqing, chief of the general staff, felt that the stakes were very high, so he asked Chairman Mao.
Chairman Mao said: We must respect the opinions of the comrades at the front. Besides, if we can't play once, we can play twice!
Chairman Mao Zedong at Xiangtang Airport in Jiangxi in 1962
Full trust was given to the commanders and fighters on the front line!
In the end, the task of annihilating one of the enemy's brigades was thus set.
Chairman Mao's trust also represents pressure. This is equivalent to Commander Zhang Guohua issuing a military order!
So, in the case of such a huge disparity in the apparent strength of the Chinese and Indian armies, why is General Zhang Guohua so confident to fight this battle?
What kind of person was Zhang Guohua, who was called "Jinggangshan" by Chairman Mao after liberation and "General Foguang" affectionately known by the people in Tibetan areas?
Zhang Guohua is a native of Guanshan Village, Huaizhong Town, Yongxin County, Jiangxi. Huaizhong Town is located in the middle of the Luoxiao Mountains, south of the county seat, is the revolutionary holy land, Jinggang Mountain.
In 1929, Zhang Guohua, who had received revolutionary education at the peasants' night school held by our party, joined the jinggangshan revolutionary contingent.
He became a revolutionary fighter of Wang Zuobu of the Red Fourth Army under the leadership of Chairman Mao and Commander-in-Chief Zhu De, and this year he was 15 years old.
Chairman Mao Zedong and Zhu De's commander-in-chief Jinggangshan met the division
At this time, Zhang Guohua changed his name from Zhang Fugui to Zhang Guohua. This contains the simplest ideal of building a beautiful new China with the Communist Party.
In 1930, Zhang Guohua, who demanded to be motivated, joined the Communist Youth League, and in 1931 he gloriously joined the Communist Party of China.
Zhang Guohua fought bravely, was wounded many times, and each time he was wounded without waiting for him to heal, he hurriedly put on his battle robe and threw himself into a new battle.
From the period of the agrarian revolution to the period of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Zhang Guohua gradually grew from a child of a poor peasant to an outstanding cadre who had both military and political integrity and ability.
From the beginning of an ordinary trumpeter in Jinggangshan, by the time of the Liberation War, he was already the commander of the 18th Army of the Second Field Army.
When Marshal Liu Bocheng was the commander of the Jinji-Hebei Luyu Military Region, he praised Zhang Guohua: He could catch fighters and fight guerrillas.
Deng Xiaoping, political commissar of the Jinji-Hebei Luyu Military Region, and Liu Bocheng, commander of the Jinji-Hebei Luyu Military Region
When Marshal Chen Yi was the commander of the East China Field Army, he gave a thumbs up and praised Zhang Guohua: Your independent brigade, this is it!
He was Marshal Chen Yi, then commander of the East China Field Army
In December 1949, on his way to Moscow, Chairman Mao sent back a telegram instructing:
India and the United States are fighting the idea of Tibet, and the issue of liberating Tibet must be decided. It is better to march into Tibet sooner rather than later. Otherwise the night is long and dreamy.
The Southwest Bureau, founded on November 23, 1949, received a telegram from Chairman Mao on January 2, 1950:
Although Tibet has a small population, its international status is extremely important, and we must occupy and transform tibet into a people's democratic Tibet.
After Deng Xiaoping, the first secretary of the Southwest Bureau, and Liu Bo, the second secretary of the Southwest Bureau, undertook this important telegram, after many considerations, finally selected the 18th Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
What he likes is that Commander Zhang Guohua is relatively young, and he not only has military command ability, but also has experience in opening up new areas and leading local work.
Lieutenant General Zhang Guohua, commander of the 18th Army of the Erye 5th Corps
Political commissar Tan Guansan has been engaged in political work for a long time, sophisticated, steady, and experienced.
On January 8, 1950, Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping reported this situation to the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao.
On the same day, Zhang Guohua rushed to Chongqing and accepted this heavy responsibility.
He also immediately implemented Chairman Mao Zedong's instruction that "it is better to march into Tibet sooner rather than later," unified the thinking of the commanders and fighters of the whole army of the 18th Army, and mobilized the whole army to make preparations without hesitation.
On February 3, Deputy Political Commissar Wang Qimei and Chief of Staff Li Jue led an advance team into Tibet to set off, kicking off the prelude to tibet.
On October 6, the Battle of Qamdo began, and after 19 days of bitter fighting, the Battle of Qamdo was won and the door to the march into Lhasa was opened.
Liu Shaoqi once compared the Battle of Qamdo to the Battle of Huaihai to liberate Tibet!
In 1960, Comrade Liu Shaoqi was with the masses of the people
On May 5, 1951, Zhang Guohua was ordered to beijing and, as one of the plenipotentiaries of the Central People's Government, signed the "Agreement between the Central People's Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet."
On the afternoon of 23 July, Chairman Mao Zedong received Zhang Guohua separately after listening to a report on the signing of the "Agreement."
When Chairman Mao Zedong heard about Zhang Guohua's experience, he was particularly happy and affectionately called Zhang Guohua "Jinggangshan".
Since then, Chairman Mao Zedong has repeatedly called Zhang Guohua "Jinggangshan" in public, and the title of Jinggangshan has almost become a proper noun for General Zhang Guohua.
In July, with Chairman Mao Zedong's instructions to "march into Lhasa as soon as possible, march on the one hand, build on the other, and work hard for the full implementation of the Seventeen-Point Agreement," General Zhang Guohua and the 18th Army set out from Qamdo.
Over 19 snow-capped mountains, wading through 10 glacial rapids, passing countless forests, grasslands, swamps, and finally reaching Lhasa on October 26. So far, the mainland has also realized the true reunification of the mainland except for Taiwan Province.
In 1952, the 18th Army was abolished and the Tibet Military Region, which was subordinate to the Southwest Military Region, was established as a second-level border defense military region. In 1955, it was reorganized into the Grand Military Region, and Zhang Guohua became the commander of the military region, and in the same year, Zhang Guohua received the rank of founding lieutenant general.
General Zhang Guohua's previous local work experience has given him great help in carrying out his work in Tibetan areas. Widely loved by the local people, he has since won the title of "General Fo Guang" from the people in Tibetan areas.
After India's independence, in a vain attempt to inherit the mantle of the British colonialists, it made unreasonable territorial claims against me.
In 1904, when the British invaded Tibet for the second time, The British Colonel Rong Hyppeng led a team to confront 1,500 Tibetan troops in the Qumeixiong Valley in the Doklam area.
The British aggressor Rong Hepeng
The cunning Rong Hepeng said let's negotiate, for the sake of smooth negotiations between the two sides, proposed that both sides should unload the bullets so as not to cause misfire.
The Tibetan army was deceived and granted his request. This is a trap. Because it took two or three minutes for the Tibetan army to extinguish the rope of the arquebusier and re-ignite it, while the British army reloaded the bullet, that is, a few seconds.
As soon as the Tibetans extinguished the fire rope, the British opened fire. The result was an almost one-sided massacre.
This is what Britain calls gentlemanly style.
Indians have not learned anything else, but this is a complete learning.
After India's independence in 1947, it not only inherited the mainland territory illegally occupied by the Colonialists of the British Empire, but also demanded that the Chinese government recognize the various dividing lines illegally drawn by the colonialists of the British Empire that had not been recognized by the previous chinese governments.
Including the infamous "McMahon Line."
The front row, fourth from left, is the initiator: Henry McMahon
Since 1951, the Indian government has been constantly invading various places north of the traditional Sino-Indian customary line and south of the McMahon line, taking advantage of the fact that New China was busy with internal affairs and the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
During this period, although there was stubborn resistance from the local Tibetans, until 1954, the Indian government shamelessly established the "Northeast Border Special Zone" in the area north of the customary line south of the wheat line. Various maps have been modified in an attempt to distort illegal undescribed borders into established borders.
Until 1959, china's victory in the suppression of the rebellion in Tibet shattered India's dream of a so-called "buffer state." The Indian government has begun to carry out various provocations in the border areas.
On the day I quelled the rebellion launched by the reactionary elite in Tibet in 1959, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru wrote to Premier Zhou Enlai with a request for a large area of territory.
The total area reached 125,000 square kilometers, equivalent to the area of fujian province at that time!
Of course, this was sternly rejected by the Chinese government!
Premier Zhou Enlai's diplomatic demeanor
After our refusal, Nehru told the troops at the front to continue the so-called "forward policy".
Nehru regarded our sincerity in settling the border dispute peacefully as a weakness to be deceived. Clearly tell the Indian army that the Chinese army will not shoot the first shot, so you just have to implement the forward policy.
On April 25, the Indian side invaded Langjiu, north of the Wheat Line, on April 28, and On August 31, it occupied Kanzemani, and set up outposts in the above areas.
On the following August 25, shooting was fired at our task force stationed near Langjiu, and two Indian soldiers were killed by our army, and on the 27th, the Indian army fled in a hurry.
On October 20, the Indian army illegally crossed the border at the Khlong Kazan Pass and was found by our border patrol and detained on the spot. As a result, more than sixty Indian troops crossed the border the next day to attack our patrol in retaliation, and they were immediately counterattacked by our patrol, and there were casualties on both sides. After killing 9 people and taking 7 prisoners by me, the Indian army fled back in a hurry.
Capture of Indian soldiers
General Zhang Guohua reported these situations to the central authorities at the first time.
In November, General Zhang Guohua went to Hangzhou to attend a meeting to discuss solutions to the border problem.
The standard of this meeting was very high, and Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai and other leaders of the Central Committee and the Central Military Commission attended the meeting.
On behalf of the Tibet Military Region, Zhang Guohua briefed the leaders on various situations that had occurred in the border areas since January.
Finally, it is mentioned that the emotions of the soldiers on the front line have become extremely angry, and they strongly demand a resolute response to India's unreasonable provocations.
The Indian government at that time, under the pretext of the Langju and Khlong Kazankou incidents, made wild accusations and slanders against the mainland government at the United Nations.
Therefore, in order to avoid the continued deterioration of our international public opinion environment, some people at the meeting also proposed whether to consider not returning fire on the basis of not firing the first shot.
At that time, Chairman Mao Zedong did not speak, smoked a cigarette, and his expression was very serious.
Chairman Mao Zedong
Then, the military said that the scale of India's provocations is getting bigger and bigger, its actions are becoming more and more rampant, and it is difficult to avoid conflict.
Hearing this, Chairman Mao Zedong snuffed out his cigarette butt and criticized very seriously:
Some of our comrades have fought for more than ten years, but they still do not understand a minimum truth: the border guards of the two armies stand there nose to nose all day long, holding guns in their hands, and whenever the trigger is pulled, the bullets will kill people.
The problem is indeed serious, but we are still thinking of making efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement of disputes.
Therefore, Chairman Mao Zedong finally determined the policy of segregation.
On 7 November, Premier Zhou Enlai wrote back to Nehru, arguing that neither side would like to see a border conflict if it did not come up with a very appropriate solution: in order to maintain the quietness of the border between the two sides, it was suggested that the armies of the two countries should each retreat 20 kilometers from the Line of Actual Control and disengage from armed contact, so that there would be a demilitarized zone of forty kilometers between the two sides, which could avoid armed conflict.
Nehru
To tell the truth, our government can be said to be benevolent and righteous in handling the border issue with the Indian government.
Premier Zhou Enlai wrote back to Nehru on December 17, proposing concrete steps and suggesting that the two prime ministers meet directly to resolve the dispute.
In order to show sincerity, in January 1960, our side took the initiative to retreat twenty kilometers and put forward the requirements of not firing, patrolling, and practicing. If you encounter a provocation by the Indian army, you will warn first, and if the other side does not listen, then disarm the other side.
In April 1960, Premier Zhou traveled to New Delhi, India, for talks with Nehru.
In line with the principle of seeking common ground while reserving differences, Premier Zhou deliberately identified six aspects in which our side and the Indian side have the same or similar views, and proposed to first determine these six common or similar points, lay a good foundation, and continue to talk about other aspects.
As a result, this well-intentioned, unforgeted proposal was still rejected by the Indian side.
From June to December of that year, officials from both sides met several times, and we presented a large amount of conclusive evidence that the Indian side used it as evidence of border demarcation based on the accounts of the so-called British travelers and adventurers.
For Nehru, the lack of basic sincerity led to the meeting between the two sides without any results.
The logic of Nehru's expansionism is:
The places I have encroached upon are mine, and the places I want to encroach on are mine. Yesterday I could encroach on you an inch, today I can encroach on you an inch.
How to say it, the Nehru government does not have the demeanor of a great power, but it has the arrogance of a big country.
After receiving assistance from the Kennedy administration in the United States, the Nehru government took a bigger step.
Since April 1962, the Indian Army has established 43 military positions in the western part of the China-India border.
Chairman Mao Zedong held that:
India has a point on our borders, and we have every reason to fight. Why not fight now?
The first is to let Nehru further expose his true colors. Now Nehru was overwhelmed and thought his Laipi tactics were effective.
The second is to strive for a correct international understanding of the right and wrong of the Sino-Indian border dispute. Strive to get as much support as possible for us.
In order to make our front-line troops more effective in carrying out anti-cannibalization campaigns.
On July 20, 1962, the General Staff outlined the Two Crosses Policy:
Never back down and strive to avoid bloodshed;
Canine teeth intertwined, long-term armed coexistence.
However, the Indian side has been constantly encroaching on our territory.
Even in their newspapers blatantly hailed Nehru as "a unique victory in napoleonic bold planning".
By August, the Indian army had built more than 100 military positions on the mainland.
Our soldiers strictly abided by the two-cross policy, and in the face of the continuous encroachment of the Indian army, they adopted the strategy of "topping, forcing, encircling, and blocking".
For example, the Indian army set up a stronghold, and we set up a stronghold on his left and right front to surround him, leaving him only an exit to withdraw to India.
Our restraint and calmness have not been brought to the wake-up call of the Nehru authorities in India.
On October 12, 1962, Nehru publicly announced that he had issued an order for an all-out assault on the Sino-Indian border.
On October 14, 1962, Indian Defense Minister Menon openly and arrogantly declared in Bangalore, India, that whether it was one day, a hundred days, or a thousand days, the Chinese army would be driven away and eliminated from the Border Area between China and India!
This Menon, in order to be able to appear on the cover of Time magazine in the United States, also spelled.
On October 17, the Indian army launched an attack on our army on both the western and eastern fronts of the Sino-Indian border.
On October 18, Commander Zhang Guohua entered Beijing to attend the enlarged meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee.
All the central departments and the main leaders participated in this meeting, and the war seemed to be just around the corner.
At the beginning of the meeting, Chairman Mao Zedong first asked the diplomatic department and the military to report to everyone on the current situation and situation on the Indian border.
After listening to the reports of these two departments, Premier Zhou Enlai judged with certainty: From all aspects, we cannot solve the problem without counterattacking.
Various departments also expressed their agreement one after another, saying that they should resolutely fight back against the enemy who has attacked and cannot be patient any longer.
Chairman Mao Zedong said: We have tried our best to peacefully resolve the dispute over the Sino-Indian border, but India just does not listen to it, deliberately provokes the dispute, and has publicly declared war.
So what do we do? Then you have to accompany you to the end, and come without being rude!
Chairman Mao Zedong said:
Maybe we can fight back, the border can be settled, the border issue can be resolved peacefully, and there is hope for realization...
However, Chairman Mao Zedong also paid enough attention to the differences in numbers and equipment between the Chinese and Indian armies. Therefore, Chairman Mao Zedong said directly to Zhang Guohua at the meeting:
Maybe we can't win the fight, then there is no way, when we can't win, we don't complain, only that we don't have the ability...
These remarks not only reflect Chairman Mao Zedong's consistent attitude of seeking truth from facts. It is also to loosen the shackles and unload the burden on the commanders and fighters on the front line.
Even Chairman Mao Zedong made the worst prediction, that if we lost the war, we would most likely lose Tibet.
Zhang Guohua said this: He believes that India's so-called ace army has a combat effectiveness equivalent to that of the medium-sized units of Chiang Kai-shek's bandit army, and moreover, they lack experience in mountain warfare, but our army has long been familiar with the terrain of Tibet and has more than ten years of experience in mountain warfare.
Finally, Zhang Guohua stood up and cut through the iron, and his voice assured loudly: Please rest assured that the chairman will definitely win the war!
Chairman Mao Zedong was very pleased to hear Zhang Guohua's determination.
In the end, the meeting determined that the purpose of the war against India was: to warn and punish!
After the meeting, the scene at the beginning of this article happened.
The final goal of the battle was to annihilate a brigade of the Indian army!
On October 20, 1962, the self-defense counterattack against India was in full swing.
The so-called elite and so-called ace brigades of the Indian army suddenly collapsed in the face of the all-round attack of our army. In line with the principle of "cautious initial battle, initial battle will be won, if you don't fight, you will already fight, and if you fight, you will fight well.", in the Battle of Kejielang, we completely annihilated an ace brigade of the Indian Army.
Brigadier General Dalvi of the Ace Brigade was also captured by our army, and Brigadier General Singh was killed by our army!
Brigadier General Darvi of the Indian Army
At the same time as my self-defense counterattack began.
Our diplomatic services also began preparations for post-war negotiations.
When the Dalai Lama fled, the more than 1,300 boxes of archives left in the Potala Palace did not even want to take them away. There is a large body of documentation attesting to the fact that the area south of the so-called Mark Mahon Line has historically been the undisputed territory of the mainland.
So while the army went to war, our diplomatic service translated a large number of documents to prepare for negotiations.
But the Nehru government has ignored our good will to settle the border dispute peacefully and has escalated the war once again.
So on November 16, the second phase of the self-defense counterattack against India began again.
Lieutenant General Kaul of the Indian army also wanted to go to the front line to supervise the battle, but he was almost captured by our army.
Pre-war Helmut Lieutenant General Kaul (right)
In the two phases of this battle, more than 7,000 enemy members were annihilated.
In this operation, our army strictly observed the battlefield discipline announced in advance, treated prisoners leniently, and buried the enemy's corpses and marked them.
After the victory of the war, in accordance with Chairman Mao Zedong's policy of taking the initiative to cease fire and retreat, a ceasefire retreat was simply sharp. And return the prisoners of war and the military supplies captured on the battlefield, guns, etc. to the other side.
It has effectively cooperated with the follow-up of our diplomatic struggle.
In 1963, Director General Luo Ruiqing affirmed the outline of Zhang Guohua's report to Chairman Mao Zedong.
Chairman Mao Zedong also praised Zhang Guohua:
Fighting well, fighting well, fighting both a military battle and a political war, it is better to say that a political war is more than a military war!
History can prove that our Chinese the People's Liberation Army's ability and means to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity have been continuously enhanced, and our determination and will are unswerving!