In 1950, Mao Zedong and Zhu De were in the Tiananmen Tower
As everyone knows, the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea was the first war since the founding of New China, and it was also the first time that the Chinese army participated in a war outside the national territory, and the opponent was still the United States, the world's number one power at that time.
As the "founding war" of New China, the Korean War had an extremely far-reaching impact on the stability of New China at that time and even on the world pattern after that.
Before the Chinese Volunteer Army went to Korea, two issues had always been the focus of debate in the Central Military Commission at that time: one was whether it should send troops, and the other was who would be the commander of the expedition.
General Peng Da, who "crossed the sword and immediately stood up," was actually not Chairman Mao's favorite candidate at that time, but for various reasons, no other candidate could take shape.
After receiving the order, Mr. Peng also rushed to the Korean battlefield with the determination to die, and literally fought the US troops back to the north of the 38th Line, showing the determination and courage of the Chinese to defend the family and the country.
Let's set the time back to October 1, 1950, at Tiananmen Square, Beijing.
This day is the first anniversary of the founding of New China, and in order to celebrate the first National Day after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the whole country has invested great enthusiasm.
All this is because this new China, which was born in the smoke and flames of war, was bought by countless people with their blood and lives. After years of war, everyone is looking forward to being able to enjoy peace.
On this day, party and state leaders, including Chairman Mao, also went to the Tiananmen Tower to celebrate the birthday of New China with the people.
However, many people found that Chairman Mao and other leaders standing on the upper floor of Tiananmen Square did not show much excitement, and everyone's face was very solemn.
Theoretically, new China was created by these revolutionaries, and no one enjoyed this moment more than they did, but the reality is just the opposite, and at this moment, they are like a great enemy.
The reason for this phenomenon is that on this day, Chairman Mao received telegrams from both Stalin and Kim Il Sung, hoping that China could send troops to Korea to resist the United States and aid Korea.
At this time, the Korean Peninsula had already been burned red by the flames of war, and since the US landing at Inchon, the Korean People's Army had been defeated and retreated, and now it was impossible to retreat, so Kim Il Sung had to ask China and the Soviet Union for help.
According to the convention, the Soviet Union, as the big brother of the socialist camp, should stand up at this time and support the little brother. But Stalin did not have the courage to confront the United States directly, nor did he have the heart to start a third world war.
Therefore, when he faced Kim Il Sung's call for help, he made it clear that he would not directly send troops to support North Korea, so that China would become the only country that could send troops to aid North Korea.
As for the DPRK, a friendly neighbor, it has a long history of relations with our country. In modern times, after the founding of the Communist Party of China, the ties between the two countries were still very close.
Contacts between the Chinese Communist Party and the Communist Party of Korea were established as early as the 1930s. The proletarian parties established by the Korean revolutionaries at that time under the influence of the October Revolution in the Soviet Union were mainly active in China.
In October 1921, the Korean revolutionaries held a congress in Shanghai to formally establish the Goryeo Communist Party, which later became the Shanghai branch of the Korean Communist Party. After the Comintern issued the directive of "one country, one party" in 1929, all members of the Shanghai branch of the Communist Party of Korea joined the Communist Party of China.
On National Day in 1950, Peng Dehuai (from left), Zhang Zhizhong and Yang Dezhi were in Xi'an
During the Period of the Great Revolution and the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Korean revolutionaries were active in many parts of China, and they generally had dual memberships in the Communist Party of China and the Communist Party of Korea.
For example, Vice Marshal Choe Yong-jin, a well-known one in North Korea, taught at the Whampoa Military Academy in Guangzhou, and participated in the Northern Expedition and the Guangzhou Uprising, and even Kim Il-sung's boyhood was spent in Harbin, China.
Later, in the early days of the Liberation War, the northeast became the main battlefield of the military contest between the Communists and the Kuomintang.
Against the backdrop of problems with the supply of communist troops after the Nationalist forces occupied the major cities in the northeast and controlled the lines of communication, the Northeast Bureau of the CPC Central Committee decided in June 1946 to transfer the strategic rear to North Korea, and Xiao Jinguang went to Pyongyang to establish a special office of the Northeast Bureau in North Korea.
After the establishment of the special office, the Chinese Communist Party had a solid strategic support point in the northeast, through which the Northeast Bureau transferred the wounded and sick and important strategic materials to North Korea and procured war materials from North Korea.
Not only that, North Korea also provided material and personnel assistance to the Chinese communist army in the northeast, and many Korean volunteers participated in the liberation war led by the Chinese communists, most of them in Siye, following Lin Biao to fight in the whole country.
After the founding of New China, the two countries have also maintained good state-to-state relations. It can be said that no matter from which point of view, Kim Il Sung asked for help, we should help.
But in today's situation, the Soviet Union has made it clear that it will not send troops, and once China sends troops to North Korea, it will face a situation that will be against the United States alone.
In the face of the huge disparity in national strength between the two countries, this decision was really not good, and how to deal with the DPRK's call for help was a great test of the determination and wisdom of the Chinese leaders at that time.
Therefore, on the afternoon of the second day after the end of the National Day, the Secretariat of the Cpc Central Committee met at the Yinian Hall to discuss the issue of sending troops to Korea.
At the meeting, Chairman Mao first spoke:
"The current situation in North Korea is already very grim, and now we should not discuss the issue of sending troops or not sending troops, but about to send troops immediately, and sending troops one day early and one day late is extremely important to the whole war situation." Today, we will discuss two urgent issues, one is the time of dispatch, and the other is who will be in charge. ”
Around these two issues, there was a heated discussion.
For the candidate for the commander-in-chief of the army in Korea, the most suitable candidate for the situation at that time was naturally Lin Biao.
The Northeast Border Defense Army, which was established earlier, was basically an old unit of The Four Fields, which was brought out by Lin Biao. Among the generals of the People's Liberation Army at that time, Lin Biao was also the youngest, only 44 years old, and he was known for his ability to fight and strategize.
General Su Yu
With his outstanding military achievements, Lin Biao had a high prestige in the party and the army at that time, and Chairman Mao said that the characteristic of his war was fierce and cunning.
At the same time, because Lin Biao has been fighting in the northeast for a long time and is more familiar with cold season operations, and the rear of the volunteer army in the future is in the northeast, Lin Biao is more suitable for comprehensive situations in all aspects.
However, Lin Biao has always been opposed to sending troops to Korea, and he has always believed that our army is sure to fight Chiang Kai-shek's army, but the US military is not Chiang Kai-shek, they have a huge army, navy, air force, and atomic bombs, as well as advanced science and technology and a solid industrial base.
Lin Biao believes that North Korea has only a few million people, while China's nearly 500 million people, to destroy a country of 500 million people, to save a North Korea with a population of several million people, no matter how you say, it is not cost-effective.
And he thinks that the Soviet Union is far more powerful than us, but it does not send troops, and we have only been a country for a year, and what we need most now is to rest and recuperate, and it is best not to fight this battle until the last resort.
Therefore, in the face of such a situation, Lin Biao repeatedly refused to take command of North Korea on the pretext of illness, and asked to go to the Soviet Union for medical treatment.
Some of Lin Biao's thoughts were the actual situation at that time, and his physical condition at this time was indeed not suitable for sending troops to take command.
But more than that, out of Lin Biao's fear of the US army, he did not have the confidence to defeat his opponents, and in case of defeat, he would also ruin his own heroic name.
In addition to Lin Biao, another person with a relatively high voice was General Su Yu.
As early as the establishment of the Northeast Border Defense Army, Su Yu was appointed by Chairman Mao as the commander and political commissar of the Northeast Border Defense Army. After that, Su Yu ignored the injury and immediately began intricate preparations.
He not only asked the Headquarters of the East China Military Region to select operational staff officers and communications teams for him, but at the same time, he began to order the East China Air Force to investigate and study the number of US aircraft and combat capabilities entering Korea. In order to further strengthen the strength of the Northeast Border Defense Army, he also suggested to the Central Military Commission that the Ninth Corps of the Third Field Army, which was originally preparing to attack Taiwan, be sent to the northeast.
Chairman Mao also gave great support to Su Yu's expedition to Korea.
At that time, the Northeast Border Defense Army was composed of the main forces of the original four fields such as the 38th, 39th, 40th, and 42nd Armies, and Su Yu was born in Huaye, and he was not familiar with these main officers of the four fields, and if Su Yu became the commander, how to straighten out the relationship with these chief officers would take some experience.
In order to cooperate with Su Yu, Chairman Mao specially named Xiao Jinguang and Xiao Hua as deputy commanders and deputy political commissars.
Xiao Jinguang and Xiao Hua were not only familiar with the situation in the northeast, but both of them were commanders and political commissars of the Siye Corps, and their relationship with the chief officers of the Siye Corps was relatively smooth, and they could hold the field. Moreover, the two have a very good relationship with Su Yu, as early as the Red Army period, the two fought together with Su Yu, and the relationship was not reversed.
With these two people helping Su Yu, Su Yu can control the situation as quickly as possible.
At the same time, the Central Military Commission also accepted Su Yu's suggestion and sent the Ninth Corps, which was originally subordinate to the East China Field Army, north to join the Northeast Border Defense Army, the Ninth Corps was Su Yu's concubine unit, and the commander Song Shilun fought under Su Yu for many years, and Su Yu used him handily.
Xiao Jinguang and Xiao Hua plus a Song Shilun, this combination of fierce generals, and a corps, it can be said that in order to make Su Yu take command, Chairman Mao and the Central Military Commission gave Su Yu enough face.
However, at that time, General Su Yu's physical condition was very bad, and after recuperating for a period of time, he still felt that his body could not recover, and when the headache attacked, the dizziness was unbearable, and it was impossible to command the battle in such a state.
So what kind of disease did Su Yu have? So difficult to treat?
At that time, the domestic doctors examined General Su Yu many times, but they could not come up with a treatment plan, and after the examination, they found that there were unknown metal objects in Su Yu's cranial cavity. Later, it was not until the death of General Su Yu that the body was cremated to find that there were several pieces of shrapnel in his skull.
Marshal Peng Dehuai
At this point, Chairman Mao dropped the final candidate on Marshal Peng Dehuai. At this time, Mr. Peng was in the northwest, although he had also been paying attention to the situation in the Korean battlefield, but at that time, Mr. Peng's energy was on the construction of the northwest, and he did not know anything about other fundamentals.
On October 4, Peng Dehuai, who was far away in the northwest, suddenly received a call from the central authorities, asking him to rush to Beijing immediately. After receiving the order, Peng Dehuai was a little confused by the second monk, because the Central Military Commission had not said anything to him about sending troops to aid the DPRK, and he had no idea that this trip was to ask him to take command.
Therefore, before getting on the plane, Mr. Peng even asked the secretary to prepare the materials for the economic recovery plan of the northwestern provinces and prepare to go to Beijing to continue to review.
At about 4 p.m. on the same day, Peng Dehuai's special plane landed at the airport in the western suburbs of Beijing, and then Peng Dehuai came directly to the door of the Zhongnanhai Yinian Hall, and Peng Dehuai got out of the car and walked quickly into the venue.
At this time, the meeting had already started at 3 o'clock, and after Peng Dehuai walked into the venue, he immediately felt the abnormality of the atmosphere of the meeting. After seeing Peng Dehuai's arrival, Mao Zedong and the members of the Politburo all stood up and shook hands with him.
Mao Zedong explained to Peng Dehuai that the issue of China's preparation for sending troops to Korea is now being discussed, and everyone is expressing their opinions, so that Peng Dehuai can also think about it and say his own views later.
Then Peng Dehuai sat down and began to listen to the speeches of the people in the venue, and Peng Dehuai's brow frowned as he listened. He noticed that the atmosphere was very unusual at today's meeting.
Peng Dehuai's military secretary Yang Feng'an recalled in his later years:
After Mr. Peng arrived at the venue, he sat next to Gao Gang and listened to the topics discussed by everyone, and Mr. Peng pressed his throat and asked Gao Gang, why is everyone still holding a meeting, is the matter of resisting US aggression and aiding Korea already decided, and what else is being discussed? Gao Gang said that he had different opinions. Therefore, Mr. Peng listened to the whole meeting and did not speak.
At this meeting, most of the people who spoke did not agree to send troops to Korea, and the reasons they gave were also very sufficient, at this time, New China had just been established for a year, and after many years of war, it was a time of ruin and waiting for rejuvenation.
Moreover, at that time, not only was the land reform work in many areas of the country not completed, but there were also many remnants of the Kuomintang and bandits on the mainland that had not been eliminated, and it was necessary to devote great energy to accomplishing these things.
The most important thing is that the opponent on the Korean battlefield is not Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang, but the US military that has just experienced the baptism of World War II, which is not only a strong military force, but also a huge difference in national strength.
Throughout the meeting, Peng Dehuai heard such opinions against the dispatch of troops, and the atmosphere of the meeting was very heavy, the mood of the participants was low, and many people buried their heads and smoked, making the room full of smoke.
Peng Dehuai did not say a word that day, and after the meeting, Yang Shangkun, director of the CPC Central Committee Office, arranged for him to stay on the 6th floor of the Beijing Hotel, and also blew to him the wind that Mao Zedong had appointed Peng Dehuai as the commander and political commissar of the volunteer army.
That evening, as soon as Peng Dehuai had settled down, Deng Xiaoping came to the Beijing Hotel to visit Peng Dehuai and told Peng Dehuai in detail about the current situation, and told Mr. Peng that before the meeting tomorrow morning, Chairman Mao would meet with Mr. Peng alone to solicit General Peng's opinion on sending troops to Korea.
Peng Dehuai and Chairman Mao
After Deng Xiaoping left, Mr. Peng did not close his eyes all night, and he was not particularly clear about the current situation, and he needed to think carefully, after all, the stakes were high, and his opinions might play a decisive role now.
Peng Dehuai constantly recalled the various opinions he had heard at the meeting today, especially Chairman Mao's remark: "What you said is all reasonable, but others are in a critical moment of national crisis, and we stand by and watch, and no matter how we say it, we are sad in our hearts." This marshal, who has fought all his life, is also a little confused at this time.
At 9 a.m. the next morning, Peng Dehuai came to Zhongnanhai, and in Fengze Garden, he met Chairman Mao, who was wearing camel-wool pajamas, smoking a cigarette, and constantly pacing in the study, and his face was full of doubts.
As soon as Peng Dehuai came in, Chairman Mao sat him down and then said, "At the meeting yesterday, you Boss Peng said everything, which is really not like your Boss Peng's style. ”
In this regard, Peng Dehuai did not hide it, said: "I came back to Beijing this time, I was completely unprepared in this regard, my eyes were black, and I didn't expect that everyone would have so many differences, so yesterday I wanted to listen to more." ”
After listening, Chairman Mao raised his head, set his eyes on Peng Dehuai, and said: "Old Peng, you also saw yesterday's scene, and you also heard everyone's opinions at the meeting." As they say, we are indeed facing a lot of difficulties today, but I would like to ask your opinion now, can China send troops in the end?"
Peng Dehuai looked at Chairman Mao in front of him, his eyes were covered with blood, and the smoke in his hand did not stop from beginning to end. Peng Dehuai knew that Mao Zedong's long-developed habit was to work at night, go to bed near dawn, and the morning should have been his time to sleep. Today, Mao Zedong can make an exception to summon himself during sleep time, which shows that Mao Zedong, like him, did not close his eyes all night.
And Chairman Mao's question, Peng Dehuai also thought about it all night last night, at which time he directly blurted out: "If the Soviet Union completely abandons it, our equipment is far behind, and we will have to let The DPRK perish." If such an outcome occurs, it is indeed very sad. ”
Such an attitude is clearly not to approve of sending troops.
Chairman Mao was a little disappointed after hearing this, and then asked: "If we send out the army, the Soviet Union sends out the air force, the Soviet Union provides more and faster assistance, and our equipment improves better, can we fight this battle?"
After repeated consideration, Peng Dehuai said: "This is not impossible, the question is to what extent the Soviet Union can achieve this kind of assistance, what degree the air force can cover, as long as this problem is solved well, we can also compete with the US military." ”
Chairman Mao stood up violently after listening to it, and at such a moment, he needed such support too much, and then slapped him the arm of the sofa: Mr. Peng, what I want most now is your words! With your words, I am relieved. ”
Immediately afterward, Chairman Mao said that those comrades who opposed our dispatch of troops were actually right, that we really need peace building now, and that if we want to write the reasons for peace building, we can write thousands of articles, but the key is that the enemy will not give us the opportunity to build peace.
Peng Dehuai on the Korean front
Subsequently, Chairman Mao told General Manager Peng that he hoped that when the Politburo was meeting this afternoon, General Manager Peng would be able to come to the meeting to give a lecture.
Peng Dehuai also said emphatically: "Okay." I speak. ”
Chairman Mao then asked, "When you send troops to Korea, who will you see who will be in charge of the expedition?"
Peng Dehuai: "Please ask the chairman to decide." ”
Chairman Mao also said straight to the point: "How are you Mr. Peng?"
Peng Dehuai actually had preparations in his heart, and immediately replied: "This is nothing to say, the three major disciplines and eight points of attention are the first: all actions are subject to command!" ”
Subsequently, at the Politburo meeting that afternoon, Mr. Peng spoke passionately and boldly:
"Nowadays, it is necessary to send troops to aid the DPRK, do not be afraid to break it, and if it is broken, it will be equivalent to a few years of late victory in the War of Liberation." Otherwise, when the United States occupies all of Korea, the future problems will be more complicated. At that time, the US military will spend all day on the banks of the Yalu River and Taiwan, pointing its cannons at our doorstep, and if it wants to launch an invasion, it can find an excuse at any time. Instead of fighting this battle later, it is better to fight it early, and only after the battle can we wholeheartedly carry out construction. Even if we were defeated, at best the war of liberation would have been postponed for a few years. ”
Peng Dehuai's words were very weighty, and the participants saw that Peng Dehuai had made such a firm statement, and there was also a commander in charge of the troops sent to Korea, and no one at the meeting raised any objections.
At this time, Chairman Mao also took advantage of the hot iron and said:
"Now that the spearhead of US imperialism has been directed at the northeast of our country, if we do not send troops, the Americans will really bring down Korea, even if they are only on the Yalu River, our northeast will always live in its threat, and it is impossible to carry out peaceful construction." Therefore, if we ignore the Korean issue, US imperialism will certainly gain inches and follow the old path of Japan's aggression against China, even more vicious than Japan. Our War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea simply did not allow its wishful thinking to succeed. Punch a punch, so as not to have a hundred punches coming. When we resist US aggression and aid Korea, we are defending our homeland and defending our country. If the lips are dead, the teeth are cold, and the household is broken. We should go to war, we must go to war. The benefits of participating in the war are extremely great, and the damage of not participating in the war is extremely great!
At this point, Mao Zedong made up his mind and sent troops to Korea to resist the United States and aid Korea.
Then, Chairman Mao decided to set up the Chinese Volunteer Army, and proposed that Peng Dehuai be appointed commander and political commissar, and immediately make preparations for entering the war. After the meeting, Mao Zedong said to Peng Dehuai with great certainty: "I will give you 10 days to prepare for the army, and the time for sending troops is initially set for October 15." ”
On October 6, Zhou Enlai presided over a meeting of the Central Military Commission at Jurentang to convey the decision of the Party Central Committee on sending troops to Korea and to study the preparations for the deployment of volunteer troops.
Subsequently, Zhou Enlai and Lin Biao were sent by Mao Zedong to the Soviet Union for military assistance and went to Moscow. After Peng Dehuai was sure to take command of the expedition to North Korea, the first thing he was busy dealing with was a personal matter.
Peng Dehuai returned to his home after a long absence, at this time there were 10 children in his family, Peng Dehuai called these children to him, and handed each of them a passbook, with 100 yuan on the passbook. Peng Dehuai solemnly said to them: "Uncle is going to lead his troops to go abroad to fight, and if he can't come back, this will be my legacy to you."
Peng Dehuai inspected the front line of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea
Peng Dehuai and his wife Pu Anxiu have no children, he has always regarded these 10 children as if they were his own, among them are Zuo Taibai, the daughter of Zuo Quan, who was born and died with him and became a revolutionary hero as early as the Taihang Mountains, and Huang Shixin, the daughter of Huang Gongluo in Mao Zedong's poem "The Red Corner of Ganshui, Partial Teacher Borrows Huang Gongluo", and the other 8 are the children of Peng Jinhua and Peng Ronghua, the brothers of his two revolutionary heroes. These 10 children, raised by Mr. and Mrs. Peng Dehuai since childhood, were regarded by Peng Dehuai as their own.
After bidding farewell to his family, Peng Dehuai immediately left Beijing and came to Shenyang, where he held a meeting of the 13th Corps and arranged the combat tasks for resisting US aggression and aiding Korea.
After the meeting, several familiar generals found General Peng and said: When you go to Korea to fight, Lin Biao is unwilling to send troops, and Gao Gang is not willing to send troops.
Peng Dehuai did not explain too much in this regard, and now that the invasion of North Korea has become a foregone conclusion, the question that needs to be considered now is how to win this battle, not any other issue.
Earlier, when Lin Biao was making preparations for national combat, he had already suggested that the central authorities make adjustments to the main commanders of the northeast border defense forces, and Xiao Jinguang and Xiao Hua abolished their original posts and replaced Them with Deng Hua and Hong Xuezhi, who were born in Siye, as deputy commanders. It can be said that the troops of the Northeast Border Defense Army, the Volunteer Army, from top to bottom, are basically the old people of the original four wilderness.
Such a situation has advantages and disadvantages, a complete system, will certainly make the troops better operation, but Shino is famous for many tiger generals, many fierce men, self-contained system, and most of them are old qualifications from the red army, and ordinary people really can't stop the scene when they come.
But now it is Peng Dehuai who has come to the northeast, and these problems are not problems in front of President Peng.
Mr. Peng's identity and seniority are higher than those of several other field army chiefs. As early as the era of the Red Army, Mr. Peng was the commander-in-chief of the Red Army, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression he was the deputy commander-in-chief and deputy commander-in-chief of the Eighth Route Army, and in the Liberation War he was the deputy commander-in-chief of the People's Liberation Army.
These fierce generals of the four wilds may still be a little arrogant in front of others, but in front of Mr. Peng, they are all full of offspring, raw melons and eggs, beaten and beaten, scolded and scolded, no one dares to say a word, with this layer of reasons, Peng Dehuai's work is much more convenient.
In this way, after several twists and turns, Peng Dehuai took command and went out to Korea, and the boys of the volunteer army wrote a glorious history of victory and warfare of the Chinese nation in modern times on the Korean Peninsula.