In 1953, during the prisoner exchange ceremony, a scrawny man trembled and walked towards us, he was Wu Chengde, political commissar of the 180th Division of the 60th Army of the Volunteer Army, but after returning to China, he was expelled from the party and revoked from his military post! When people saw his relics, they couldn't help but be surprised!
On June 25, 1950, war broke out on the Korean Peninsula, and soon the conflict spread to the neighboring Yalu River region. As the situation intensified, in October of the same year, hundreds of thousands of Chinese volunteer soldiers crossed the Yalu River and vowed to defend the territorial security of the motherland.
The 3rd Corps, which was part of the 60th Army, arrived on the eve of the outbreak of the fifth battle of the Korean War. Faced with tight time constraints, the unit engaged in the fierce battle of the Fifth Campaign on April 22, 1951, after hastily preparing for it.
In the fierce fighting, the 180th Division was encircled and encountered extremely difficult fighting conditions. Just when all the officers and soldiers were planning to break out of the encirclement, Wu Chengde accidentally discovered a group of soldiers who were seriously wounded but still stuck to their combat posts while carrying out reconnaissance missions.
The tenacious fighting spirit of these fighters deeply touched Wu Chengde. He was faced with a difficult choice: either to lead the wounded into the fight, or to break through the siege alone and find a way to survive. After weighing it repeatedly, Wu Chengde chose to stick to it and fight side by side with the soldiers to tide over the difficulties.
This decision undoubtedly increased the uncertainty of survival, but it also fully demonstrated his mission as a political commissar and his adherence to the deep friendship between his comrades. However, Wu Chengde knew in his heart that in the face of the enemy, our army was bound to stick to the ground and fight the enemy to the end, and the safety of the country was of paramount importance.
But the volunteers faced an extremely strong opponent called the United States. In the face of weapons and equipment, the US military has a very different status quo. Wu Chengde and his fighters immediately launched a guerrilla war. Under extremely difficult conditions, they traveled to many places and repeatedly engaged in fierce exchanges of fire with the enemy, during which Wu Chengde also unfortunately hung the lottery.
In these long years of struggle, they faced countless life-and-death challenges together, and Wu Chengde always stood his ground, worked with the soldiers to overcome the difficulties, and worked together to resist the enemy's invasion. He had long put life and death aside, and at this moment, every soldier on the battlefield was undoubtedly not heroic against the enemy.
Unfortunately, under the fierce offensive of the enemy, Wu Chengde's unit still failed to kill the enemy after all. His troops were defeated, and although Wu Chengde wanted to lead his soldiers to break out, the enemy had used all kinds of firepower to block all the passages and constantly tightened their encirclement.
Although a few were lucky enough to break out of the encirclement, many more died on the battlefield, and some became prisoners of war. Wu Chengde also unfortunately fell into the hands of the enemy, and he became the highest-ranking prisoner of war among the more than 20,000 volunteer prisoners of war, and what awaits him will be severe tests and cruel treatment in the prisoner of war camp.
However, even in the midst of extreme hardship, he still guarded military secrets. No matter how severely the enemy tortured and interrogated, Wu Chengde never revealed any important secrets about the Chinese Volunteers to them, and his actions fully demonstrated his strong will as a soldier and his unswerving loyalty to the country.
On July 27, 1953, the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed and came into effect, ending the war on the Korean Peninsula. After that, the two sides began a large-scale prisoner exchange through negotiations. Among the many prisoners of war who were released, Wu Chengde, as the highest-ranking volunteer prisoner of war, was able to return to China in the last batch.
On September 2, 1953, Wu Chengde finally embarked on the journey back to China. In the crowd, Wu Chengde's figure stood out. I saw Wu Chengde's face wrinkled, and there were thousands of emotions hidden in his eyes. Dressed in a ragged military uniform, he staggered across enemy territory and walked towards his long-lost homeland.
The Chinese colleagues who met Mr. Wu again were almost unrecognizable. After spending only a few months in the prisoner of war camp, Wu Chengde was so devastated that his weight plummeted from more than 130 catties to more than 90 catties, and his health was worrying.
On the occasion of return, what should have been a moment of praise and glory turned into a satirical drama. In the fierce fighting, the 180th Division suffered a heavy blow, and as a member of this unit, Wu Chengde was accused of taking responsibility for this loss.
In addition to the days when he was imprisoned by the enemy, rumors and misunderstandings led to all kinds of accusations against him. As a result, his heroic actions on the battlefield and the fact that he saved the lives of many soldiers were seriously overlooked.
Shortly after returning to the team, Wu Chengde received a notice of revocation of his party membership and military position. For him, this was tantamount to a sudden disaster, and he did not expect that his hard work and dedication would end in such an ending.
The reason given by his superiors for his dismissal was because of his careless command during the war and the heavy attrition of his divisional headquarters, but in Wu Chengde's mind, this was a great misreading and ruthless denial of his personal ability and dedication. After being punished, Wu Chengde had to say goodbye to his beloved military career, but he did not let it go.
Since then, he has spared no effort to go back and forth to the higher authorities, deliver letters of appeal, and never relentlessly appeal and work for the injustice he has suffered. I hope that one day I can wash away the injustices.
It was not until 1980 that Wu Chengde's case was given the opportunity to be re-examined. In the end, he was able to wash away his grievances. His party membership and military duties were also restored, and for him this was undoubtedly a victory for his rebirth and justice.
In 1996, Wu Chengde, who had experienced vicissitudes, passed away due to illness. His relatives and friends sorted out his relics, during which they were surprised to find that Wu Chengde had silently donated money to the old revolutionary base and disaster-stricken areas for a long time, with a total amount of 40,000 yuan. This act exemplifies his selfless spirit and is admirable.
Information source: Wenhui.com - He was the highest-ranking prisoner in the Volunteer Army, and he personally shot the mount and chose to be with the wounded What secrets did he leave behind?. 2020-02-16[2022-06-16].
