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Morning on the Songhua front
On April 17, 1967, in the early morning in the Song Hoa region of Vietnam, the sky was clear and cloudless, and the sun shone on the dense jungle and trenches. Despite the tranquility of the scenery, the atmosphere here is very different, with a strong sense of war permeating every corner. The officers and men of the 1st Company of the 29th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment of China's aid to Vietnam to resist the United States had already started a day's combat preparations as early as dawn.
As soon as dawn broke, the soldiers began to check their equipment and weapons. They carefully examined each shell to make sure that the mechanical parts of the turret were functioning properly, and that the grease and shiny barrel of the cannon looked unusually cold in the morning light. Between the trenches and the jungle, officers and men shuttled and busily, carrying ammunition boxes one by one to designated positions in case of a sudden attack by American air raids.
The correspondents were in the emergency communication station, debugging the old radio equipment to ensure that they could receive the latest news and instructions from the front line at any time. Static noise is heard from time to time on the radio, and the access of each signal can be critical battlefield information.
At the edge of the jungle, several snipers hide among trees and bushes, their eyes glued through binoculars to the airspace in the distance, ready to respond to threats from the air. The sniper's position is carefully chosen to ensure that they can cover critical defensive areas while being able to effectively hide their tracks.
At the same time, a group of officers and soldiers were reinforcing the bomb shelters, building stronger bunkers out of sandbags and wood. The inside of the bomb shelter is filled with emergency supplies, including medical kits, food, and extra ammunition. The expressions of each officer and soldier revealed a hint of nervousness, and they knew that these bomb shelters would be their only refuge in the event of an attack by enemy aircraft.
In the trenches, a platoon commander is instructing recruits on combat positions, ensuring that everyone quickly finds their position and masters the basic operation of using weapons. Over and over again, he stressed the importance of coverage and the speed of response, because when an air raid strikes, every second counts.
Responsibilities and Challenges
Since the 29th Regiment was stationed in Vietnam, they have been responsible for guarding several key military targets. Most of these locations are located at strategic points, such as transportation arteries, communication centers, and supply lines, and have a decisive impact on the overall war situation. The officers and men of the regiment must not only maintain a high degree of vigilance, but also be ready to deal with all kinds of conflicts and attacks that may occur.
To strengthen the defense, the 29 regiment deployed dense artillery and infantry forces at these important locations. At a key junction in the theater of operations, heavy machine-gun and mortar positions were set up in the regiment, each of which consisted of a select group of officers and men who had undergone rigorous combat and technical training before enlistment. These officers and men are subjected to daily tactical drills to ensure that orders can be carried out quickly and effectively in real combat.
In the rear of the positions, technicians and engineers were responsible for the maintenance of communications equipment and combat vehicles. They regularly inspect radio communication systems and vehicle engines to ensure that all equipment is functioning properly in case of an emergency. In addition, there are special logistics units responsible for supplying food, water and ammunition, and they ensure that the supply lines of front-line officers and soldiers are always open through careful logistics arrangements.
Observation posts and sentries were an integral part of every position. Through binoculars and night vision instruments, they monitor the surrounding area 24 hours a day. Any suspicious movements are immediately reported to the command center, where the commander assesses the situation and makes tactical adjustments. This high degree of vigilance is a great test of the will and endurance of officers and men, but it is also the key to maintaining combat effectiveness.
Accidental injury
In the hot jungles of Vietnam, as the weather gradually warms up, various wildlife activities become frequent. On this day, when Liu Wengeng was conducting a routine battle position inspection, Liu Wengeng gasped in pain and instantly realized that he had been bitten by a snake.
Immediately afterwards, the nearby comrades-in-arms heard his cries for help and quickly gathered to his location. The hygienist rushed to the scene as soon as possible with a first-aid kit. In the rudimentary battlefield environment, the hygienist quickly assessed the injury and found that Liu Wengeng's wound had obvious snake tooth marks and blood stains. He immediately removed the tourniquet and snake medicine from his first aid kit and began to treat the wound.
First, the hygienist carefully washes the wound to prevent infection, and then uses a tourniquet tightly tied to the thigh above the wound to slow the spread of the toxin through the blood circulation. He then squeezed out some of the bruise and applied snake medicine to the wound in hopes of mitigating the effects of the toxin. Throughout the process, the hygienist acted quickly and professionally, and despite the difficult environment, he handled it very well.
Just halfway through the sanitation process, the battle alarm suddenly sounded. This is an emergency order that every officer and soldier has experienced countless times, meaning that there may be an upcoming air raid or other urgent combat mission. Although Liu Wengeng was in pain, when he heard the call to fight, he immediately realized where his duty was. He resolutely pushed away the hygienist who was treating his wound and tried to stand up.
Although his body had begun to feel the effects of the toxin, Liu Wengeng's movements had become noticeably slow and difficult. He used all his strength to stabilize his crumbling body, and moved step by step towards his battle position. Seeing this, other comrades-in-arms hurriedly came to help him, but Liu Wengeng insisted on walking by himself, and every step was extremely difficult.
After arriving at the battle position, Liu Wengeng laboriously picked up his weapon, adjusted his posture, and prepared for battle. His breathing began to rapid, his face turned pale, and it was clear that the toxin was affecting his bodily functions. Even so, his gaze remained steadfast, and the weapon in his hand was firmly aimed at the intended target area.
The last moments of the hero
As the battle alarm sounded, tensions throughout the theater of operations reached a peak. Liu Wengeng, despite being severely affected by snake venom, insisted on making final preparations at the combat post. He laboriously adjusted his weapon, with the goal of protecting himself and his comrades from the threat of impending air raids.
Liu Wengeng's physical condition deteriorated rapidly, and the effectiveness of the snake venom exceeded the limit of his physical strength. When he tried to load the bullet into the chamber, the force in his hand was noticeably insufficient, and the gun began to shake. Despite this, he managed to maintain his posture, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the enemy aircraft that might appear in the sky.
Suddenly, Liu Wengeng's legs were weak and he couldn't maintain a standing position, and his body began to lean forward involuntarily. In the process, his hand accidentally touched the bolt. With a flick of the muzzle, the gun rang out, and the bullet shot aimlessly into the air with a sharp whistling. This scene is not only a reflection of Liu Wengeng's personal bravery, but also a direct reflection of the cruel reality of the battlefield.
Liu Wengeng, who fell to the ground, tried to get up, but his physical strength was completely exhausted, and he could not stand again. When their comrades heard the gunshots, they quickly rushed to his side and found him dying. They immediately began emergency care in an attempt to stabilize his condition, but the rapid spread of the toxin and the severity of the injuries made rescue complicated and difficult.
At this critical juncture, the company's medical personnel and comrades-in-arms were trying to provide possible treatment for Liu Wengeng, and they quickly transferred him to a relatively safe temporary ambulance station on a military stretcher. However, despite receiving timely medical intervention, Liu Wengeng's vital signs gradually weakened, and eventually he died heroically on the battlefield due to his injuries and the effects of toxins.
The combat alert was finally lifted, the threat of air raids temporarily disappeared, and calm returned to the entire theater of operations. Liu Wengeng's sacrifice deeply touched the hearts of every comrade-in-arms.
Hero's evaluation and questioning
After the battle, as tensions gradually eased, the regimental headquarters of the 29 regiment began to conduct a thorough analysis and assessment of the events that had occurred. Liu Wengeng's heroic behavior attracted the attention of the high-level, and his deeds of sticking to his post until his death after being bitten by a poisonous snake were recorded in detail, and it was finally decided to posthumously award him a second-class meritorious service in recognition of his sacrifice and courage.
However, behind this commendation, the specific situation of Liu Wengeng's snake bite has caused widespread questions among his comrades-in-arms. In fact, due to the tension of the fighting and the complexity of the environment, many details were not fully clarified in the initial report. The initial report received by the regiment headquarters mentions that Liu Wengeng suddenly collapsed in the absence of an obvious external threat and died in the ensuing battle, and there are no detailed eyewitnesses to the specific bite.
In the days following the incident, the fighters frequently discussed the matter in their free time, trying to find a plausible explanation. Some fighters recalled that on the day of the incident, Liu Wengeng had accidentally fallen in the jungle, and his helmet slipped off his head and fell into the bushes not far away. The episode didn't attract much attention at the time, but now it seems to be the key to solving the mystery.
A fighter in charge of equipment maintenance suggested a possible scenario: in tropical environments, snakes are active and often seek shaded places to hide. Liu Wengeng's helmet may have become an inadvertent "shelter" after the fall. The fighters speculated that when Liu Wengeng came back to pick up the helmet, he may not have noticed that a snake was already lurking inside the helmet. The snake later climbed from the helmet into his clothes during combat readiness and inadvertently bit him.
To test this hypothesis, a group of fighters, under the direction of the captain, carefully examined the location of that incident. They found traces of snake activity in the area where the helmet had been dropped, as well as other clues that might have left for the snake to crawl. Although these findings do not fully confirm all the details, they are enough to give the fighters a more plausible explanation of the whole incident.
Reference: From Liu Dongli. Blood Sun[M]. 200