In 1958, after the end of the Kinmen artillery battle, a shot taken by a reporter from Chiang Jun's army showed a young soldier sitting alone on the ground, wearing a pair of shorts, as if he had just been evacuated from a fierce battle. On his forehead, there was obviously a scar, and a simple piece of gauze was clinging to his skin, making it look so dazzling. Facing the camera, his eyes reveal an indescribable tiredness and confusion, as if his soul has left his body, leaving only a listless shell.
When we look closely, it is not difficult to see that behind this soldier, there is an equally young soldier, who is barefoot, lying quietly on a stretcher, as if in a deep sleep.
This photo has undoubtedly aroused the curiosity and confusion of many people. After all, at that time, New China had already gone through a course of nearly 10 years, and it had long been far away from the smoke of war, and the mainland had already been cleared of bandits, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. So, where exactly was this photo taken? What is the story of this soldier?
It turned out that this photo was taken on Kinmen Island in Fujian. On August 23, 1958, in order to combat the arrogance of the enemy and to teach a lesson to those who were still eyeing our nascent regime, our army launched a large-scale artillery bombardment of Kinmen Island. Ten thousand cannons were fired at once, and at that moment, Kinmen Island became a sea of fire and gunsmoke. After fierce battles, our troops achieved the expected results, the enemy suffered heavy casualties, and their morale was greatly damaged.
However, many people may ask, why didn't they take Kinmen Island in one fell swoop at that time? In fact, the commanders at the front received orders to "only fight, not to board." Behind this order, there is a thoughtful consideration from the superiors. In the Battle of Kinmen in 1949, our army was unprepared because of the light enemy's rash advance, which eventually led to the defeat of the battle, and thousands of outstanding commanders and fighters died on that land. This defeat is undoubtedly a heavy blow to our army. Therefore, in the artillery battle of Kinmen, our army learned a lesson and finally gave the order that only the fight could not be taken. This not only achieved the desired goal, but also reduced the casualties of our troops.
Today, peace and tranquility have long since returned to Kinmen Island. The smoke of gunfire between the two sides of the strait has dissipated and has been replaced by an atmosphere of peace and friendship, and peaceful reunification is still the aspiration of every Chinese person.