On the backbone of the old mountain, the morning glow has not completely dispelled the chill of the night, and the flames of war have already ignited every inch of the highlands. April 29, 1984, was another morning in this tug-of-war. With the first rays of dawn, the soldiers of the 122nd Regiment, under the leadership of Long Yuanhong, were already ready to charge in the trenches. Their goal was the towering 262 Heights, a stronghold fortified by the enemy.
Suddenly, a dazzling flare pierced the sky, and the battle officially began. The fighters rushed out of cover like arrows from the string, rifles in hand, determination in their hearts. Their steps were firm and swift, weaving between trees distorted by artillery fire and burned ruins. Ahead, the bullets of the Vietnamese army rained down like a torrential rain, but the soldiers of the 122nd Regiment did not flinch in the slightest. During the battle, when the Dong squad leader and the Vietnamese army suddenly encountered, what would the Dong squad leader do?
The beginning of the Battle of Nala in 1984: the offensive of the 122nd Regiment
On April 29, 1984, the 122nd Regiment of the Chinese Army launched a decisive military operation in the northern region of Vietnam. Preparations for the day's operations began at dawn, when a flare suddenly crossed the sky at dawn, announcing the beginning of the battle. Long Yuanhong, a Dong national, as the leader of the ninth squad, led his soldiers to quickly rush out of the bunker and launched a fierce attack in the face of the 262 heights.
The Vietnamese army, which had placed dense fortifications on the high ground, were somewhat caught off guard by such a sudden attack, but they quickly adjusted their state and began to organize a counterattack in an orderly manner. From bunkers and trenches on the heights, they poured fire on the offensive positions of the Chinese troops. The bullets swept over like a torrential downpour, which greatly hindered the attack of the 122nd Regiment.
During a heavy fire from the Vietnamese army, the platoon commander of the Chinese army was hit by a stray bullet and was seriously wounded. In the chaos and smoke of gunpowder, the platoon commander got up from the ground with difficulty and took off the command headset on his head. He forcefully stuffed the headphones to Long Yuanhong, signaling him to take over the command. Despite the urgency of the situation, Long Yuanhong quickly took the headset and organized his troops to continue to advance while avoiding enemy fire.
Seeing that the Chinese army was not shaken by the platoon commander's injury, but attacked more ferociously, the Vietnamese army stepped up its firepower output. Taking advantage of the terrain of the heights, they fired downward from a height, making it very difficult for the fighters of the 122nd Regiment to approach the heights. However, Long Yuanhong did not choose to retreat, and he commanded his soldiers to use the terrain and smoke to find a shelter point in the advance.
In a small-scale assault, Long Yuanhong led several fighters to successfully break through an outpost of the Vietnamese army, killing several enemy soldiers and temporarily occupying the outpost. This success slightly reduced the fire pressure of the Vietnamese army and made it possible for the main forces to advance further.
Just when the Vietnamese army was trying to reorganize its forces and counterattack to recapture the outpost, Long Yuanhong quickly adjusted the deployment of the troops, set up machine gun points and snipers, and effectively prevented the enemy's multiple counterattacks. Over time, although the Vietnamese army's defenses on the heights remained strong, under the decisive command of Long Yuanhong, the 122nd Regiment gradually found a breakthrough and continued to erode the enemy's defensive line.
The decision to stick to the fight: Long Yuanhong's heroic performance
In the first assault of the 122 regiment, although some progress was made, it also paid a heavy price. The casualties of the assist platoon were large, and some fighters were forced to withdraw from the battle line. Faced with the dilemma, the company command, taking into account the actual situation, suggested that the third platoon be withdrawn and replaced with new forces to maintain the offensive. However, after assessing the situation on the battlefield, Long Yuanhong decided to stick to the battle, believing that the existing troops, although tired, were more familiar with the enemy situation and terrain, and were more conducive to continuing their mission.
Long Yuanhong quickly summoned the other two squad leaders, and they held an emergency meeting in a bunker in a corner of the battlefield. During the meeting, they discussed the specific situation of the current troops, including ammunition consumption, the wounded and the current state of deployment of both the enemy and the enemy. After a detailed analysis of the Vietnamese army's defensive points and the weaknesses exposed by our army in previous attacks, Long Yuanhong proposed the necessity of adjusting tactics. They decided to change the original direct impact method and instead adopt the tactics of scattered attack, using small detachments to break through at multiple points, avoiding the enemy's heavy fire concentration area, so as to reduce casualties and increase the possibility of breakthrough.
Subsequently, they redistributed their forces, concentrating the remaining combat forces into several groups, each led by a squad leader, who was responsible for attacking different parts of the high ground. Long Yuanhong carefully arranged the travel route and attack time of each group to ensure that each group could work together to form a joint force.
This plan was quickly presented to the deputy company commander Li Jinjun. After briefly reviewing the battle plan, Li Jinjun recognized Long Yuanhong's judgment and decision-making, and quickly approved the plan. He instructed the communications corps to maintain open communication with the teams, ensure the effectiveness of command and control, and ordered the logistics department to prioritize the replenishment of ammunition and medical resources needed at the front.
After approval, Long Yuanhong and the squad leaders immediately set about detailed combat deployment. They assigned specific tasks and areas of responsibility to each group, and explained in detail how to quickly maneuver in the enemy's fire coverage zone, how to use the terrain to advance covertly, and how to quickly establish a temporary line of defense after breaking through the enemy's defenses in preparation for the enemy's counterattack.
In order to ensure the suddenness and effectiveness of the attack, Long Yuanhong decided to launch a general attack at nightfall. While waiting, the teams carried out a quick inspection and adjustment of the equipment to ensure that each fighter was clear about his mission and course of action. They rested in bunkers, conserving their strength, and waited for the night to come.
Attack again: break through enemy defenses
As the night deepened, the group led by Long Yuanhong began their planned decisive attack. They meandered forward, taking advantage of the cover of night and the terrain, and quietly approached the 262 heights. Although the enemy troops on the high ground were alert, it was difficult to accurately judge the movements of the Chinese troops under the conditions of limited line of sight and complex environment.
In the final stage of the attack, Long Yuanhong led the soldiers to launch a sudden charge. Taking advantage of the short window of time for the enemy's shift change, they quickly climbed steep slopes and dodged enemy lights and sporadic fire. In this scene, Long Yuanhong showed extraordinary courage and leadership, he led the soldiers on the front line, stepping on unknown dangers at every step.
When Long Yuanhong and his warriors finally reached the top, they were immediately met with heavy enemy fire. Bullets whizzed around them, and the smell of dust and gunpowder filled the air. In this tense firefight, Long Yuanhong realized that their ammunition was seriously low and they were facing great combat pressure.
At this critical moment, Long Yuanhong noticed that there was a temporarily covered supply box near an inconspicuous bunker. After a brief observation and quick judgment, he deduced that it might be an enemy ammunition storage site. Deciding to make a risky attempt before the ammunition was about to run out, he ordered his comrades to provide cover, and he himself moved quickly in a low profile, avoiding the enemy's line of sight and the net of fire, and quietly approached the bunker.
After successfully arriving at the ammunition storage center, Long Yuanhong quickly opened several of the ammunition boxes and replenished the magazines for himself and his comrades. These munitions are essential to continue the fight, providing the possibility for them to maintain their firepower. In the process of resupplying, he also found several grenades, which became the key to changing the tide of the battle.
Using grenades, Long Yuanhong skillfully created multiple smoke screens and confusion points, effectively distracting the enemy's concentrated firepower. The first grenade he threw landed near the machine-gun lair where the enemy was firing intensively, causing a series of chaos and explosions that caused a temporary diversion of enemy fire and relieved them of pressure on the advancing squad.
Face-to-face contest: the moment of life and death
At the moment when they successfully broke through the enemy's defensive line and caused the opponent's fire to disperse, the battle team led by Long Yuanhong began to penetrate deep into the interior of the high ground. They move quickly, taking advantage of the chaos of enemy defenses in an attempt to control more strategic points. The darkness of the night on the high ground and the artillery fire were intertwined, and the line of sight was limited, and the enemy's position could only be judged by the sound of the ears and the vibration of the ground.
Just as Long Yuanhong and his team members were rapidly advancing and preparing to clear the next enemy position, a Vietnamese soldier suddenly rushed out of the darkness, holding an automatic rifle, and sprinted directly in the direction where Long Yuanhong was. This soldier was obviously also forced by the chaos on the battlefield, and unexpectedly rushed into Long Yuanhong's line of sight.
At this critical moment, Long Yuanhong did not hesitate. He quickly raised his gun to aim, pulling the trigger almost instinctively. Despite having only a few seconds of reaction time, his shots were exceptionally accurate. The bullet struck the Vietnamese soldier in the chest, knocking him to the ground and avoiding a possible melee fight.
This sudden incident occurred at the forefront of the battle, and Long Yuanhong's rapid response not only defused an immediate threat, but also further strengthened his leadership position in the team. His actions spread like an electric current through the squad, and every Chinese soldier gained a stronger will to fight.
After killing the Vietnamese soldiers, Long Yuanhong did not stop. He immediately instructed his men to move on, taking advantage of the brief shock and confusion of the enemy forces to speed up the clearing of the remaining enemy positions. They quickly stepped past the fallen Vietnamese soldiers, along the trenches and gravel damaged by artillery fire, closely monitoring possible enemy movements with each step.
In the next few minutes, the group led by Long Yuanhong cleared several enemy defensive points in succession. With their cover at night and extremely high combat efficiency, they weakened the enemy's combat power a little bit.
The results were remarkable: the pursuit reached the 146th height
With the collapse of the Vietnamese defense line on the 262nd Heights, Long Yuanhong and his soldiers did not stop for a moment, and they quickly reorganized and continued to pursue the defeated enemy. The remnants of the Vietnamese army retreated in a disorderly manner, retreating towards the nearby 146 heights, hoping to reorganize the defense there. The squad led by Long Yuanhong followed closely behind, their pace hurried but determined, and they knew very well the importance of the pursuit at this moment to completely defeat the enemy.
On the way to Heights 146, Long Yuanhong observed through a telescope a Vietnamese soldier trying to evacuate, who was carrying an obvious radio device and appeared to be in a hurry. The radio meant a lifeline for them to keep them compating, so the soldier became the main target of Long Yuanhong's pursuit. While ordering the soldiers to speed up the pursuit, Long Yuanhong also realized that this was an important opportunity to cut off the enemy's chain of command.
Just as he and his soldiers were trying to surround the Vietnamese soldier, they suddenly launched a sneak attack from the bushes next to them. The enemy had apparently set up an ambush in the hope of covering the retreat of vital communications equipment. The sudden gunfire caught Long Yuanhong off guard, and a bullet grazed his head, leaving a bloody mark. Pain and shock filled his feelings for a moment, but he suppressed it with his strong willpower.
Even with a head injury, Long Yuanhong did not flinch, he knew that any hesitation at this moment could lead to defeat in the battle. He quickly got up from the ground and ordered the fighters to launch a counterattack in the direction of the source of the ambush. In a fierce firefight, Long Yuanhong, with his excellent battlefield perception and shooting skills, killed three enemy soldiers who tried to resist in succession, and successfully wounded two. This operation effectively suppressed the enemy's firepower and greatly reduced the threat of Vietnamese ambushes.
Through this series of firefights, Long Yuanhong's team finally succeeded in taking control of the area around Heights 146. While clearing the battlefield, they found and captured a large amount of enemy military materiel, including weapons, ammunition and communications equipment. The acquisition of these supplies not only replenished their own troops with much-needed equipment, but also further weakened the enemy's combat capability.
Long Yuanhong's heroic performance and perseverance under extremely adverse conditions won him high honors on the battlefield. His unit spoke highly of his courage and leadership, for which he was awarded a first-class meritorious service.
- Ren Zhongfu,Lin Rusheng.Squad leader in the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam[J].Weapons Knowledge,2017,0(2):79-82