In 1960, Wang Yuling, a woman who returned from studying in the United States, set foot on the soil of Taiwan. Her husband, Zhang Lingfu, who once led the 74th Division of the Kuomintang, and the famous division commander Zhang Lingfu, has been killed in battle for many years.
However, on this distant island, she experienced an unexpected invitation from the veterans of the 74th Division. This small banquet became the beginning of a thought-provoking story.
On the day of the banquet, Wang Yuling sat on the guest seat, watching the veterans of more than 20 tables stand up and toast her in unison, and her heart was full of emotion. The 74th Division, once the ace unit of the Kuomintang, although it has been destroyed three times, there are still so many veterans who miss Zhang Lingfu and are full of respect for Zhang Lingfu's widow, Wang Yuling.
This small banquet aroused Chen Yi's worries: "Can the officers and soldiers of the 74th Division be reformed and can they be suppressed?" So, a story about the 74th Division quietly unfolded after this banquet.
The magic weapon of grievance education
Since the founding of the army, our army has always paid attention to the education and transformation of prisoners. Among them, there is a unique magic weapon, that is, "complaining about suffering". By allowing the captives to recount their hardships and tribulations, our army was able to quickly build empathy and empathy with the captives. This played a positive role in the transformation of the Kuomintang soldiers and prisoners of other countries.
However, for American captives, the "grievance" education was ineffective. During the Korean War, American GIs grew up eating beef and drinking Coke, and could not understand the life of Chinese in the midst of hunger and cold. Therefore, grievance reform does not work for them. The same problem was reflected in the 74th Division.
The reorganized 74th Division is the trump card unit of the Kuomintang, and the soldiers are first-class in terms of equipment, treatment, and honor. They did not live in bitter waters like other Kuomintang officers and soldiers. This makes it extremely difficult to reform the officers and men of the 74th Division through grievance education.
Chen Yi's worries
Chen Yi's worries about the officers and men of the 74th Division were mainly in three aspects.
First of all, the cohesion of the officers and men of the 74th Division is very strong. Although this force is reactionary, it is a reactionary force with a military soul. They have experienced many lives and deaths, and the officers and soldiers have formed a deep comradeship. Especially under the leadership of Zhang Lingfu, the cohesion of the 74th Division has reached its peak. This makes it especially difficult to transform them.
Secondly, the 74th Division received a profoundly reactionary education. Most of the officers and men of this unit have high school diplomas and have received sophisticated military and ideological education. They did not agree with the propaganda of our army, especially the negative information about Chiang Kai-shek. They believed that Chiang Kai-shek was patriotic and the Communists were to blame, which made their transformation of our army even more difficult.
In the end, some officers and men of the 74th Division were extremely disagreeable and unconvinced by our army. This is mainly due to the many encounters on the battlefield, and the two armies have formed a deep hatred. Chen Yi said after the Battle of Menglianggu that the destruction of our army's policy of taking prisoners had reached a very serious level. There are even rumors that Zhang Lingfu did not commit suicide, but was killed by our soldiers on the way down the mountain.
The betrayal of the 74th Division
In the early 1960s, in a series of military operations against Taiwan, our army absorbed and reformed a large number of prisoners, including veterans of the 74th Division. However, when the tide of battle turned against our army, these veterans showed extreme betrayal.
In the "July Division" operation carried out by Huaye, our army suffered a series of defeats. At this time, the veterans of the original 74th Division became the main force of betrayal. Pan Xinmin recalled:
"During this operation, I saw my former comrades-in-arms turn their guns on us. Their eyes were full of hatred and disdain. ”
This situation intensified in the Battle of Jiangyin. Under the tense situation of the battle, some veterans of the 74th Division voluntarily surrendered and joined the ranks of the Kuomintang army, posing a considerable threat to our army.
In the face of these serious problems, our army can only adjust its transformation strategy and adopt more flexible means.
First of all, for the officers and men of the 74th Division, which had strong cohesion, our army adopted the strategy of dispersing the formation. Split the original team in half to weaken their cohesion. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the supervision of its military forces to ensure that they can obey the command of our army on the battlefield.
Second, in view of the problem of receiving reactionary education, our army has carried out more in-depth and meticulous ideological and political work. By guiding them to re-examine the history of the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, it reveals the dark side of the Kuomintang and makes them realize that the Communist Party is the real way to save the country. It takes patience, time, and trust to build, but it's also essential.
Moreover, for veterans who do not obey the command of our army, our army has adopted the method of paying equal attention to incentives and restraints. By giving some outstanding veterans some special treatment and rewards, their sense of honor is stimulated and they are more obedient to the command. At the same time, for uncooperative individuals, appropriate punishments are adopted as a demonstration of deterrence.
End of story
After several years of hard work, our army has achieved some results in the transformation of the officers and men of the 74 th Division. The scattered formations and in-depth ideological and political work gradually weakened their cohesion and reactionary ideas. At the same time, under the dual effect of encouragement and restraint, some veterans gradually accepted the command of our army.
However, in order for the 74th Division to fully integrate into the big family of our army, it will take a longer run-in. In the process, some touching stories emerged.
One day, a veteran of the former 74th Division, named Liu Zonghan, offered to join our army's propaganda team. He said:
"I had been kept in the dark for a long time, and after all these years of thinking, I realized that we had been deceived in the first place. I want to fight for justice and contribute to our country through the work of the propaganda team. ”
This story became a highlight of the transformation work of the 74th Division. Liu Zonghan's transformation has given hope to other officers and men, and has also proved the significance of the transformation work.
The ending of the story was not perfect, but over time, the 74th Division gradually integrated into the family of our army. Their backs are the tenacity that has been smoothed out by the years, and it is also the pursuit of peace and the recognition of truth.
In this difficult process, our army's transformation strategy played a key role, turning a former enemy army into a guardian of the country. It's a twisty and touching story, and a remarkable chapter in history.