Written by Yuan Guoxiang
After the liberation of Ali, everyone was elated, and the troops were stationed at the border to take on the task of defending the motherland. Ma Zhanshan is active in work, has a cheerful personality, and has good military skills, so everyone is willing to get close to him. Unexpectedly, an unjust case involved him, causing many comrades to suffer misfortunes, and although he was later rehabilitated and summoned Xue, some comrades still had opinions about him. When I asked Ali about him after I went to work, he said bluntly: "At that time, I was also arrested and interrogated, and I was not allowed to sleep because I could not force a confession day and night." I can't stand it, so I have to do whatever you say. Then he said bitterly: "I am at fault in this matter, and I have harmed others and myself." I think that Ma Zhanshan was still a squad leader who had not long been in the uprising, and he could not withstand the pressure in the era when ultra-leftist ideology was rampant, and he could not be blamed entirely. Fortunately, the matter has been thoroughly clarified, and the injured comrades have been assigned work normally, so the past is not to blame. What's more, he has worked the Ali Plateau for 38 years, served the people of Ali all his life, and also made contributions to publicizing the heroic deeds of the advance company in Tibet.
In 1954, a large number of new recruits were added to the Ali detachment, and many veterans were facing discharge. Ma Zhanshan is also preparing to be demobilized due to the elderly age of his parents. But something happened on the border, the Indian army invaded the Urge area of the mainland, and the deputy detachment leader He Jingfu wanted to lead the patrol there. He immediately designated Ma Zhanshan, a veteran squad leader who was familiar with the situation, could speak Tibetan, and was good at leading troops, to stay behind and go to the border with him. Ma Zhanshan readily agreed: "Returning to my hometown is a trivial matter for me, and guarding the border is a major matter for the state. I can't leave combat duty when the motherland needs it. So he made urgent preparations, took a cavalry squad, and set off with Deputy Detachment Leader He. They climbed mountains and waded through waters, slept in the open air, and hurried for five days in a row, and when they were about to reach the Ure, it snowed heavily, and their superiors ordered them to garrison Charga Songdo. In the second year, the Xuehua Road was opened, led by Lin Zaixin as the head of the training unit, and the small detachment of our army first entered Wuge and established a sentry post. When the Indian soldiers returned, they had to set up a stronghold 600 meters away. The two armies confronted each other until the bitter winter. Later, due to heavy snowfall, it was difficult for the Indian army to withdraw, so our side "allowed the Indian army to pass through the road". Since then, Uge has become a hot topic in the Sino-Indian border negotiations. To this day, the Indian army has built roads and set up outposts there. In 1987, Deputy Commander Jiang Yang and I led a military and civilian patrol into Urre to conduct grazing patrols, and since then we have been conducting military patrols every year, thus breaking the situation of unilateral occupation by the Indian army, and the border dispute can only be resolved through negotiations at a later date.
Due to Ma Zhanshan's outstanding performance and tests, he was promoted to cadre in 1957 and joined the Communist Party of China. Then he became a deputy company commander and reconnaissance staff officer. In particular, he studied the Tibetan language in his work, came into contact with the broad masses of Tibetan cadres, and was able to skillfully use the Tibetan language to communicate. In this way, he was appointed head of the translation unit. In the 1970 crackdown on bandits and counterinsurgency, he often took a dried leg of mutton and single-handedly went deep into the snow-capped mountains and grasslands to find out the masses and understand the enemy's situation. As a result, they helped the participating troops to win the battle, eliminated many rebels, and won back a large number of people. Due to his outstanding performance, he was promoted to the head of the translation section of the Ali Army Division. Later, he married Qu Zhen, a Tibetan female cadre who participated in the work very early, as a lifelong partner, which shows that he is determined to be a good son of the Ali people and fight on the Ali Plateau for the rest of his life.
In 1975, in order to commemorate the heroes and martyrs of the advance company in Tibet, the Ali Army Sub-district decided to move their remains to the martyrs' cemetery in Shiquanhe. Who will you send? The only person who understands the local situation and is familiar with the advance company is Comrade Ma Zhanshan. He was also willing to take on this position, moved forward bravely, brought a big truck, pulled a squad of soldiers, galloped to the uninhabited area of northern Tibet, went through hardships and twists and turns, and found the Zhamamang Bao Township that he had walked through. The local people were very happy and helped the soldiers dig up more than 30 bones of the martyrs of the advance company from under the graves and trenches, and went to Baga and other places to dig up several comrades-in-arms who died on the way to liberate Pulan. The body was transported back and a grand burial ceremony was held, because most of the bones could not be distinguished, so a tomb commanded by Li Disan had to be built, and the rest were buried together into one tomb. In 1978, when I was the director of the political department of the Ali Military Division, I erected the carved tombstone. It makes the martyrs' cemetery with dense red willows more sacred, and becomes a scene for local soldiers and civilians and tourists of all nationalities to pay homage to. Ma Zhanshan said to me: "If I don't want to do everything possible to complete this task, how can I be worthy of my comrades-in-arms who have sacrificed their lives and the comrades of the advance company who are still alive." ”
Ma Zhanshan has worked in the Ali Army Division for 27 years, and although he has been the director of the left-behind office for two years, he is no longer used to the hot climate of Yecheng. Therefore, he asked to change jobs and return to work in Ali Plateau. He began to serve as the deputy director of the Bureau of Industry and Transportation, and later served as the secretary of the Party Committee of the local government, and in 1983, he served as the secretary of the Ali District Discipline Inspection Committee. With his impartiality, clean sleeves, vigor and Tibetan language, he has established a high prestige among the vast number of cadres and Tibetan compatriots in Ali. Everyone also sees him as their own person, a "Tibetan man" who serves the people of Ali wholeheartedly.
In 1988, I left Ali Plateau. Secretary Ma Zhanshan is also over 60 years old and has gone through the formalities of retirement. Minister Qu Zhen then retired and lived with his daughter. Where did the three of them, a revolutionary family of different nationalities, but with the same habits and language, go to recuperate? At first, they decided to go to Lhasa. However, not long after they went, they still felt that the plateau climate was not suitable for them to spend their old age in peace, so they moved to live in the old cadres recuperation center managed by the Lanzhou Tibet Office. This time it's good, the altitude is not high or low, the climate is neither cold nor hot, and it is very suitable for them to live. I have passed through Lanzhou many times, and I have to visit them. I saw that in the building where they lived, there were two living rooms: one was Tibetan-style, with three carpet mats and a carved tea table in the middle, which was for receiving Tibetan villagers; One is the usual, a set of fluffy sofas with glass coffee tables, apparently entertaining Han comrades-in-arms. I'm not welcome to go, go into the Tibetan living room inside, not only to reminisce about the Tibetan folk customs, but also to drink butter tea that I haven't drunk for a long time. Naturally, Comrade Ma Zhanshan and Comrade Qu Zhen received them warmly, and they had endless words about Ali.
I admire this pair of revolutionary couples who met, fell in love and united in the hard work of the Ali Plateau. Ma Zhanshan is not only the liberator of the Ali region, but also loyal to the motherland, loves the people, learned the Tibetan language in hard work, and dedicated his life to defending the border and building Ali. Qu Zhen was the first Tibetan woman to come to our branch work committee when our army liberated Ali and the regime was still under the control of the old government. Not only did she work diligently, but she also worked hard to learn Tibetan and Chinese, and she was soon promoted to a cadre. When she and Ma Zhanshan formed a happy marriage, the husband and wife helped each other and did a better job, once served as the director of the Ali District Women's Federation, and later became the head of the United Front Work Department of the prefectural party committee. She was a pioneer of Ali's women's liberation and an outstanding Tibetan female cadre. Husband and wife are like-minded, walking together, selfless dedication, hard work, mingling with the majority of Tibetan compatriots, and dedicating their lives to Ali.
In 2001, I was invited to go up the mountain to participate in the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Ali and witnessed the great changes in the Shiquan River and the Ali area. In 2007, I drove from Lhasa to the Ali Plateau to revisit the long-lost border line. The car drove over the asphalt road, saw the airport under construction, and saw the newly completed Shiquan River Hydropower Station, and I was very happy. Oh, yes! Ali has changed dramatically, and I can't help but think of the people who fought bravely for this land. I once called to tell Ma Zhanshan about the situation here, and especially said that the martyrs' cemetery had been renovated and that tombstones had been erected for the martyrs of the advance company. The couple was very pleased, and said that they were old and in poor health, and could no longer go to Ali, sharing everyone's joy, and felt regret in their hearts.