Written by Yuan Guoxiang
Li Hanying and I are real old comrades-in-arms, and it has been 50 years since we met. Especially in the 1962 Sino-Indian border self-defense counterattack operation, the two of us followed the front-line command headquarters, moved to the north and south, and were in the line of fire, inseparable. We have slept back to back in the snow, and we have cooked together in the Indian fort. We marched side by side in the mountains of that fierce snowstorm, and we worked that fierce battlefield, and we accomplished many great tasks together. As a result, the friendship we forged since then continues to this day. Especially after I left and went to Urumqi, the two of us often met and talked about everything. And there is always something to be gained from talking and exchanging, and if you talk about it once, you will feel that something is missing. I think this is what people call a bosom friend "New Year's friend"!
Li Hanying was two years older than me and joined the army more than a month earlier. After he joined the army from Gangu, Gansu, he walked to Kashgar with the Second Army Teaching Corps. I worked as a photographer in the military department, and I basically entered Xinjiang by car. In 1952, he graduated from the teaching regiment and was assigned to work in the Organization Department of the Political Department of the Second Army.
However, it was only in 1956 that the troops were again streamlined and reorganized, and both of us went to the downsized Organization Section as officers. At that time, we spent several years together in the same office, and we were all young people who were diligent and studious, immersed in hard work, supported each other in work, rushed to the next unit, did excellent shooting training, and never lagged behind in labor and production. Especially in his spare time, we often learn how to write, because he is very energetic in this area, often writes some newsletters, work experience, and is published in military newspapers and magazines. At that time, he already had a family, and sometimes when I came back late from a business trip, he would take me to his house and order a bowl of noodles for me to eat.
In the summer of 1962, Li Hanying was transferred to the front-line command and worked on the Karakoram border defense line. In October of that year, when the border situation was urgent, I was also transferred to the Sino-Indian border overnight, and we worked together in the Organization Department of the Political Department of the former commander. From Tianwen Point to Tiannan River Valley, from Lado to Barigas, from Japan and Turkey to the Reqiong Ridge, we are all a working group, responsible for going deep into the troops, assisting in mobilization, battlefield agitation, participating in ambulance, as well as leading the former migrant workers to send the wounded and martyrs, assisting the follow-up troops to clean up the battlefield, and burying the corpses of the Indian army. I remember that after the Indian army took the central stronghold of the Indian army at the head of the red hill at the astronomical point, the Indian planes swooped towards us. The two of us immediately shouted: "Prepare to fight!" "Whoever shoots down the plane will give meritorious service!" When the Indian planes dropped supplies over the blazing Indian stronghold, the soldiers fired at it with all their long and short guns. This Soviet-made Il-14 printer was wounded and forced to land in a valley outside the country, and the wreckage can still be seen on the border by our patrol. In the same way, we counted the bodies of the prisoners and the Indian troops, and ordered to take a captain officer to the front headquarters, and after the conversation was translated by Deputy Political Commissar Li Bin through English, he was asked to write a letter of surrender, and the liaison cadres quickly reached the Indian stronghold that had not yet been laid.
After three days and three nights of jolting and freezing on a big truck, the two of us finally arrived at the Shiquan River, and after wading through the icy Shiquan River on horses in front of the Tibetan compatriots, we then turned into the snow and marched. When the troops were resting, the soldiers fell asleep lying down on the snow, and Li Hanying and I also fell asleep on a rock with back-to-back pillows. After a while, I woke up from freezing, my feet were very cold, and Lao Li was still snoring. I got up and took a look, and the soldiers were laying out a few overcoats and a few overcoats in a row and sleeping soundly together. But they have left gaps in their wriggling, and in some places they can fit into half of a person's body. So I woke up Li Hanying, and the two of us took advantage of the "loophole" of the soldiers, put our feet in the cracks, and slept peacefully for two hours.
The troops then advanced and walked in front of the Indian stronghold of Zamagre, which had been occupied by our troops. When we went to the semi-basement, we saw that under the dim candlelight, Deputy Commander Li Shuangsheng was squatting there to the leaders of the 11th Regiment and the Artillery Regiment to plan to attack the base of the printing center at dawn. We quickly withdrew and hurried forward, but we were still sweating profusely with our weapons and bags on our backs. So, the two of us took off our fur coats and put them in a bunker, and marched lightly, hoping to see the battle at dawn. But when we arrived in front of the Indian Army's Lado stronghold in Diemuk, we saw in the morning light that our soldiers were moving there. It turned out that the enemy had fled, and my 8th and 7th companies had already occupied Rado last night.
The central stronghold of Ladoyin was taken down, and the former commander sent an order to our working group through the radio of the 4th Division: immediately deliver food to the troops interspersed with the rear of Barigas. Li Hanying and I went to Deputy Division Commander Wang Hongjie and asked him to send a ten-wheeled artillery truck that had just ventured from the Shiquan River to complete this task. He agreed, and we took the car to the rear warehouse of the Indian army in Barigas, behind Lado. There are dozens of warehouses and a small hospital there. Li Hanying commanded the soldiers to load a truckload of the Indian army's best staple and sideline food. Because I still had a photographic mission, I took the car on the road, driving west along the Indian army's telephone poles and the road they had repaired, and on the way I saw an American jeep and a Soviet-style bulldozer abandoned by the Indian army, and I took pictures. First of all, they went to Kariguo, where the Indian army's own burned stronghold was still smoking, and the soldiers of the 3rd Battalion of the 10th Regiment were catching fish and roasting them in the Shiquan River; then they went to the garrison of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment of Laganhel, where the soldiers were roasting wild lamb around the fire to eat; and finally to the reconnaissance company of the 4th Division on the hill of the Nakadong Pass, where most of the soldiers were so hungry that they slept in the sun. I expressed my condolences to each of them, and gave each company a bag of rice, two bags of flour, a barrel of mango oil (which we had mistaken for python oil), a bag of white sugar, a bag of walnuts, two sacks of bada almonds, two boxes of canned condensed milk, a box of Indian wine, a box of three or five cigarettes, and a box of spicy skin, dried onions, artichokes, peas, apricots, pineapples, and other canned food. The soldiers were overjoyed and took it back to cook and eat. The comrades of the reconnaissance company said: "As long as we have something to eat, let us stay here for as long as we want." ”
When I returned, I saw the head of the former finger looking out of the country on a hill in Laganhel. I climbed up the hill and briefed Deputy Commander Xu Guoxian and Commander He Jiachan on the delivery of food to the troops, and took out my camera to take a commemorative photo for them. Then I went to the 3rd Cavalry Regiment to pick up the 7 prisoners they had captured, and the co-pilot took my pistol and escorted them, and when I arrived at Lado, I handed them over to the comrades of the liaison office who had just arrived. At this time, Li Hanying, in accordance with the instructions of the former commander, had already taken away a large amount of British and American-made artillery and weapons to the logistics department, and also handed over a large amount of food, blankets, oil, wood, and other materials to the Gar County work team in Ali Prefecture. I remember that we also held a mass forum with the comrades of the work team. The local Tibetan compatriots complained bitterly and indignantly of the Indian army's crime of oppressing them, and strongly demanded that the PLA protect them. However, in order to ease relations with India, our army still withdrew to its original station in accordance with the decision of the central authorities. The following year, the Indian army invaded 450 square kilometers outside Barigas, but they did not invade the 1,450 square kilometers inside Lado.
The final battle was fought on the hills on both sides of the west side of Lake Span Gur in Ritu County, and Li Hanying and I went to the 3rd Battalion of the 11th Regiment to uproot the No. 8 and 9 strongholds of the Indian Army with the troops. From the beginning of the mobilization of the troops, he was in the 8th Company, and I went to the 9th Company to help the company do political and ideological work. On the night of 17 November, he climbed with the Eighth Company from the Rechin Ditch to the flank of the No. 9 stronghold of the Indian Army, which was more than 5,000 meters away, while I climbed with the Ninth Company from the untouched Reqionggou to the side of the No. 8 stronghold in front of the 5,200 high ground. When the sky was faint and three red signal flares rose into the sky, our artillery group poured a large number of shells into the enemy position, and then the infantry launched an attack, the ninth company first took the 8th, and the seventh company conquered the 9th, but the eighth company encountered the stubborn resistance of an artillery position after beating the enemy company headquarters, and the ninth company soldier Wang Zhongdian, who went to support, sacrificed himself to blow up this big pillbox, and the battle ended victoriously. At this time, Li Hanying and I had already brought the Tibetan compatriots to carry the front pack team, and helped the company carry all the wounded and martyrs of our army, and then carried down the five prisoners we had captured.
According to the request of the previous commander, Lao Li and I, as well as the secretary Peng Yucheng and the translator Yan Shijie, ran all over the entire position separately, inspected the corpses of the Indian troops one by one, and collected the relevant documents, but we never found a copy of the password we were looking for. When everyone returned, they sat in an Indian army bunker, reporting the situation and cooking and eating. This battle of annihilation was fought very well, and I marked 136 dead Indian soldiers on a sketch, including 5 prisoners, for a total of 141 enemies. And the so-called cooking, is to use a canned box to fill the Indian army oil, boil a barrel of mango oil after ignition, and then mix it with the Indian army flour, white sugar and snow water, grab the oil pot with your hands, and fry the gnocchi to eat, which is really sweet and fragrant. Not only do we eat this, but also the Tibetan compatriots who come up eat this. In this way, they were very energetic, and they used horses and yaks to move all the weapons, ammunition and useful materials on the Indian army's position in three days.
In the afternoon, a snowstorm came, and the telephone line was set up at the top of the mountain. The commander of the former commander sent instructions for the troops to bury the bodies of the Indian soldiers. Li Hanying and I went to convey the task to Yu Degui, the commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 10th Regiment, who had just been replaced, and assisted the companies in finding the corpses, digging pits in the snow to bury them, or concentrating the corpses in the bunkers and tearing down the walls filled with sand in small sacks to cover them. I remember that the snowstorm was getting bigger and bigger, and Li Hanying and I walked in the wind, our faces were like knives, and we were choked and out of breath. So we turned and walked away, but in a moment the two coat pockets were filled with snow. When we reported the situation, Commander He Jiachan immediately instructed: "All materials that can be used to protect against the cold can be used by the troops, and the soldiers must not suffer frostbite." "We immediately conveyed this instruction to the battalion commander Yu, who in turn had the messenger spread it across the several kilometers long position. Therefore, the soldiers either used wood and oil to make fires for warmth, or slept with Indian army black blankets and kapok sleeping bags, and most of them were unharmed. A platoon guarding the top of Hill 5200 suffered frostbite from 21 people overnight because there were no pillbox supplies available.
Li Hanying and I experienced the Sino-Indian border battle in this way, and although our lives were extremely difficult, our emotions were always high. We finally withdrew from our position and returned to the front and back, and there was no tent to live in, so we put up a tarpaulin next to the chief's big tent, and the two of us slept with our heads on top of each other. Sometimes, when we were hungry, he knew a lot of people, so he either went to this border post to get two breads, or went to that company to have a mixed meal. He and I lost our fur coats twice on the battlefield, and each time he asked the logistics department to get us new coats. In short, with him, there is no need to worry about food and clothing, and the spirit is happy, which is probably the deep affection of our comrades-in-arms obtained through thick and thin!
In 1963, the former command was abolished, and most of the personnel of the Political Department were transferred to the Political Department of the Xinjiang Military Region, while I still returned to the Southern Xinjiang Military Region. So we are separated, and one point is 30 years. But we never lost contact. Because Li Hanying works in the Organization Department of the Xinjiang Military Region, and I am still in the Organization Department of the Southern Xinjiang Military Region, not only do I have contacts in work, but I always have the opportunity to meet and talk when he leaves the army. Especially during the Cultural Revolution, although we sometimes disagreed, we all listened to each other's stories and never affected the feelings of our comrades-in-arms. In the 80s, he became the deputy political commissar of the 11th Division, and later the political commissar of the Military Medical School, and I first became the director of the Political Department of the Ali Military Division, and then the political commissar of the Military Division. Because he is a person with an extraordinarily introverted personality, when he encounters something that does not go well or solves a problem, he always has to pour it out to his old comrades-in-arms to be happy. I remember one time, when the graduation ceremony of the military medical school was held, he took me to a military parade and invited me, a "guest", to speak. Because he wanted to take advantage of the hope of the political commissar of the Ali Army sub-district to mobilize the graduates to go to the difficult border defense line. In fact, that year, he first assigned his child Zhou Xin to work in the Ali Army Division.
In 1993, I retired to the No. 4 Cadre Retreat Center of the Xinjiang Military Region in Urumqi, and he had been at home two years earlier, so we had more contact. In addition, his wife Zhou Xiangtan and my wife Dai Guifang were good friends when they were in Shule County. I know everything about his family, and I often ask him for advice when my family encounters problems. To be honest, if we don't see each other for days, we call to say hello.
Li Hanying has always been active in her work, and she is an idle person, even after retirement. He once said to me, "When you get old, you have to find something to do, like a piece of iron, the more you use it, the brighter it becomes, and if you don't use it, it will rust." Therefore, in the more than 10 years since he retired, he has continued to work and done a lot of things that are beneficial to society and the people. In particular, he has made great achievements and had a good impact on supporting the construction of his hometown and doing good things for his father, elders, and fellow villagers, and has not only won the support and respect of the local people, but has also been selected as a retired cadre who "has something to do for the elderly" and has been commended by the Xinjiang and Lanzhou Military Regions.
After Li Hanying left his post to recuperate, he felt uncomfortable when he returned to his hometown Gangu, because the life of the masses was still very hard. Therefore, he was determined to do something for the people of his hometown in his lifetime. In the beginning, he mobilized local farmers and young people to come to Xinjiang to farm, work and do business. For example, he once used his own grain, oil, and even pots and pans to support many peasants to contract vegetable fields in Urumqi. When he had no funds, he lent them money and contacted them to buy cheap steel and wood to help them build the first greenhouses. Within a few years, most of these villagers made a fortune with their own hard work, which attracted more Gangu villagers to settle down in Xinjiang. Recently, he has passed on information and helped with formalities, and has set up a Gangu labor service station in Urumqi, which has opened the door for the resettlement of tens of thousands of laborers from his hometown to work in Xinjiang. In addition, he also encouraged a vegetable station in his hometown to go abroad and go to the Kyrgyz Republic to contract land and set up a vegetable planting base, which is expected to achieve great results in two years.
Once, Li Hanying took me to visit hundreds of Gangu children from the Meike Furniture Company in the Urumqi Economic Development Zone. During the discussions, he not only strictly demanded that the young workers work hard and learn well the techniques, but also criticized and educated them in view of the problems that arose among them, and demanded that they abide by discipline and law, be diligent and thrifty, and not disgrace the elders in their hometowns. I was touched by his heartfelt words, which fully reflected his love and affection for the people of his hometown.
As for business, he showed us early on samples of Gangu's specialties: chili powder and local sweaters, and also looked for ways to help market these products. But due to poor quality and low profits, the situation has not been opened. However, he provided information to Zhao Wanshun, who came to Xinjiang to do cotton business, opened up relations, and helped buy 10 large gas canisters to distribute gas to Sichuan and Yunnan, but he quickly developed. So far, Zhao's Wanlongda company has owned 100 gas cylinders, making it the richest man in Xinjiang among Gangu villagers. To this end, Zhao Wanshun also often supports money and materials in the poor mountainous areas of his hometown as a Confucian businessman, and donated 40,000 yuan to Hope Primary School at a time.
In 1996, Li Hanying was determined to green the dustpan mountain in front of his hometown and create a resort for the people of Gangu to enjoy leisure. He first held a family meeting and did the work of his relatives, and then went door-to-door to mobilize nearby villagers to participate in support, and with the assistance of the local government, he raised funds to develop the barren mountain in the form of land shares. He first took out 50,000 yuan to buy saplings and pay his salary. Later, through the head of the garrison, he asked the local troops to provide labor support, asked the county government to provide wells and irrigation equipment, and mobilized cadres and the masses to work voluntarily to repair canals and plant trees. Seven years have passed, and the barren mountains have turned green. He went back every year to help plan and develop, solve problems, and successively invested 100,000 yuan to promote the construction of this "thousand acres of forest fruits and rare bird orchards". Now the farmers who bought shares at the beginning have obtained good benefits, not only the apple and pepper trees have been harvested year after year, but even the thin-shelled walnuts and Kuqa sweet apricots introduced by Li Hanying from Xinjiang have also borne fruit.
Last spring, Lao Li went back to his hometown to live for a few months, and he worked all day long, not only planting 10,000 cypress trees on the mountain, but also multiplying and developing the 100 Xinjiang fast-growing poplars he brought with him the year before to 50,000. He said that the fast-growing poplar, which grows up to 4 meters tall in one year, will grow to 500,000 trees in two years. The secretary of the county party committee also promised to promote this poplar tree to the whole county, bring green and increase wealth to the people of Gangu.
While greening the barren mountains, Li Hanying also used the forest and grassland to raise a large number of rare birds. The American mallard, the British chaise chicken, and the domesticated Zhaosu wild goose that he imported from Xinjiang have been bred there in large numbers to supply the market. In addition, more than 10 species of rare birds such as Yunnan peacock and local red-bellied golden pheasant are also active in the mountains and forests, which not only attract tourists and for people to watch, but also can breed in large quantities and can also be sold to increase income.
Li Hanying was immersed in greening barren mountains and creating a forest fruit and poultry orchard, when he heard the villagers report to him about the corruption of the cadres in the town. At first, he could not believe it, but when the accountant in charge of the accounts sent the materials, he was taken aback and reported to the secretary of the county party committee that there was no movement for a while, so he went directly to the secretary of the Tianshui City CPC Committee and demanded investigation and punishment as an old Communist Party member. Soon after, the secretary of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection led a working group to investigate, and immediately arrested three principal criminals who had embezzled millions of yuan in poverty relief funds, thus removing a stone that had been pressed on the heads of the masses and effectively promoting the building of local political power. I once said to Li Hanying that this is another great thing you have done, and its significance is no less than that of greening that barren mountain.
However, something unfortunate happened. In the autumn of 2003, when he went to Gangu to build a fruit warehouse and related facilities for the "Rare Bird Forest Orchard", he did not return home until winter. His wife urged him several times, but he always said, "Come on! But at this moment, in the mud house where he lived, the stove was not pressed, and the gas was poisoned at night, and he did not get up at 9 o'clock in the morning, and when I opened the door, I saw that he had been unconscious for a long time. The relatives and friends were anxious and immediately sent him to the county hospital for emergency treatment, and the secretary of the county party committee personally went to the ward to take measures, and the villagers wept and begged the hospital: "Political Commissar Li must be rescued, because he has problems for us." The hospital also did its best to treat him, and he finally regained consciousness. Then, the Lanzhou Military Region ordered the Tianshui Military Hospital to take him for further treatment and to a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, so that he could regain his senses. Now, he has been transferred to the General Hospital of the Urumqi Military Region for treatment, and it is said that his injured body will not recover within three months. Every time I went to see him, I felt very uncomfortable when I saw him with dementia, but I also happily encouraged him to be optimistic and work hard, believing that "if you don't die in a great disaster, you will have a blessing." He and his wife nodded happily. I believe that with modern high-tech medical technology and Li Hanying's spirit of active struggle, his illness will certainly be completely cured. As he himself has already written, "Striving to Live 100 Years".