Two or three incidents in the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam

China and Vietnam are neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, and the peoples of the two countries once lived in harmony. However, in the late 1970s, a war broke out between the two countries that should not have happened but was inevitable.

In 1978, after Vietnam signed the Soviet-Vietnam Friendship and Cooperation Treaty with the Soviet Union, it openly claimed that it was the world's third military power and began to be anti-China and anti-Chinese. A large number of troops were deployed on the Sino-Vietnamese border, shelling our border residents and facilities, constantly causing bloodshed, and the provocations gradually escalated.

What is tolerable is unbearable. In the early morning of February 17, 1979, in order to combat Vietnam's hegemonic behavior, our border defense troops fired thousands of artillery guns in the mountains on the China-Vietnam border. The ground shook and the mountains shook. Each artillery shell tore through the sky and fired at the Vietnamese army positions. The sudden sound of gunfire shocked the whole world, and the Chinese army's self-defense counterattack began.

Although the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam only lasted 28 days, it was only a blink of an eye in the long river of history. However, these short 28 days were destined to become an era where heroes were written with youth and blood. The era has become an unforgettable era for all veterans who participated in the war. And some of the people and things I experienced during that special war of that era will be unforgettable for the rest of my life...

1. "78.12" Office

1978 In the early morning of November 18, the forward command post of the 41st Army Headquarters where I was headed went to the China-Vietnam border. Under the instructions of the management office leader, I led the headquarters management platoon and supply vehicles to the border front line - Jingxi County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. At about five o'clock in the afternoon that day, we successfully arrived in Jingxi County, where the military headquarters was temporarily housed in the county trade union courtyard.

On November 24, the military headquarters moved to the county leprosy hospital that had been idle for many years about 5 kilometers southwest of the county. The management platoon and the second guest house that arrived at the same time also moved here.

In order to ensure smooth supply channels for wartime supplies, the military authorities decided that the troops and localities should establish a temporary joint office. Because it was close to December at the end of the year, it was named the "78.12" office.

On December 2, the "78.12" office was officially established in the Jingxi County Government Conference Room. County Magistrate Meng serves as the director of the office, Deputy Director of the Military Management Office Wang Guoliang and I (then the headquarters accountant) serve as deputy directors, and responsible comrades from relevant county departments are members. The office has been operating since its establishment.

The "78.12" office has three missions: first, during the war, unconditionally obey wartime needs and organize and prepare wartime material supplies; second, assist the military front command left-behind office to properly resettle the separated personnel on the front line. ; The third is to assist the frontline troops in the management and repatriation of Vietnamese prisoners. Since its establishment, the office has concentrated manpower and material resources to complete the reserve of all emergency supplies within three days, including pork, beef, mutton, rice, flour, dried vegetables, vegetables, as well as gas lamps, flashlights, ropes, pens and papers, and tacks. , swing needles, etc., everything is available, just waiting for an order, ready to go.

During the 28 days of the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, the "78.12" Office *** delivered four batches of materials to the front line. One of them was escorted by Fu Junhui, the driver of the military car platoon, and I alone.

At about 1:00 in the afternoon on March 13, 1979, I received a call from the frontline command post, requesting that a truck of supplies be sent to the frontline command post of the Chaling County military organization as soon as possible. I put down the phone and immediately took the car to Dingjingxi County. After contacting the relevant office personnel, the required pork, beef, ham sausage, flour, rice, vermicelli and vegetables were loaded into the truck in less than an hour. And the vehicle (a milky white station wagon of the military car platoon) was camouflaged. At three-thirty in the afternoon, our vehicle escorting the supplies set off from Jingxi County. An hour later, we passed the border checkpoint and followed the mountain leg road from Vietnam to Chaling County to the military forward command position - 30 miles east of Chaling County. A large mountain pass next to a small town.

At that time, the Sino-Vietnamese War was still going on. When going abroad to Chaling, Vietnam, the terrain was complicated and you would encounter danger at any time. So I reminded the driver, Xiaofu, to be more vigilant and drive well to ensure the safe delivery of supplies. As I spoke, I opened the front window of the car and loaded all the bullets for my pistol and submachine gun. I held the submachine gun tightly with both hands and kept looking around the front, looking left and right, ready to deal with emergencies at any time.

The vehicle was driving on a rugged mountain road. On the right was an endless mountain, and on the left were cliffs and rivers. At this moment when the mountain was high and the road was dangerous, I suddenly found three Vietnamese agents on the top of the mountain on the right. The woods jumped over the rocks and rushed towards us quickly. They were carrying submachine guns, and one of the agents was carrying a 40-mm rocket launcher on his shoulder. Seeing this unexpected situation, I asked the driver, Xiao Fu, to drive more carefully and safely, while I fired three bursts of bullets at the enemy with my submachine gun. The agent also fired several rounds of bullets at us, and after I fired back a few more bursts, I finally The speed of the three agents was stopped, and the fast-moving vehicle also left the enemy far behind.

After the vehicle traveled about two miles, I found three military vehicles of our army behind me, heading south along the highway. At this time, gunshots suddenly rang out again, and it was estimated that the three Vietnamese agents were about to exchange fire with them again. After a burst of gunfire, the calm in the mountains returned.

Later we learned that the three military vehicles were from a military transport company transporting artillery shells to our artillery position in the direction of Chaling. After a fierce battle with the enemy, they arrived at the artillery position safely.

Our vehicle continued along the bumpy mountainside road and turned left at the foot of a large mountain towards a large stone bridge. The bridge is about 5 meters high, 30 meters long and 4 meters wide. When the vehicle was about to drive off the bridge, there was a sudden loud noise, deafening in the distance. The driver was stunned by the sudden sound. The vehicle suddenly stalled and stopped at the bridge head. From the passenger seat, I saw that Xiao Fu's face was pale and motionless, and his hands were holding the steering wheel tightly. So I jumped out of the car in a hurry and found that the front of the car had passed the bridge, but the tire outside the left rear wheel was hanging outside the bridge. Without thinking too much, I hurriedly picked up a large stone weighing about a hundred kilograms on the right side of the bridge and quickly blocked the rear wheels of the car to prevent the vehicle from sliding into the fast-flowing river about five meters deep. About five minutes later, Xiao Fu had also recovered. At this time, I was directing on the bridge, asking him to turn the steering wheel to full power and leave quickly. Xiao Fu said "hmm", started the vehicle and quickly rushed out of the bridge. A danger was thus averted.

After the vehicle drove out of the stone bridge, we headed eastward at about six o'clock in the afternoon. We finally arrived at our destination just before the weather turned dark. During dinner, I asked a staff officer from the Military Training Department what the loud noise was about. He told me that it was the military artillery regiment firing a 152mm large-caliber cannon at Chongqing County, an important town in Vietnam, in Chaling County, Vietnam.

This time we escorted the supplies to the military command post. Although the drive was less than 100 kilometers, the journey was thrilling and the conditions were changeable. Thinking of this incident after many years, I still feel thrilling.

2. Eight bullet holes in the military kettle

The owner of this military kettle with eight bullet holes is the 364th Regiment of the 122nd Division of the 41st Army of the former Army. Ouyang Ming, deputy leader of the regiment.

At noon on February 22, 1979, my comrades from the Second Army Hostel and I received an ordinary soldier who had returned from the front line at the Jingxi County Military Front Command Stay Area (formerly the Leprosy Hospital) , he is not tall, but very clever, his face is slightly dark, but also pale. With an expressionless face but tears streaming down his face, he sat in a daze on a square stool with a military kettle in his arms. He hugged him tightly and refused to let go. He claimed to be the commander's guard.

In order to find out the whole story, I asked him while persuading him, and he finally told the truth. It turned out that this soldier was the guard of Ou Yangming, deputy commander of the 364th Regiment of the 122nd Division. The military kettle with eight bullet holes was a relic of Deputy Commander Ouyang Ming.

On the morning of February 20, Ouyang Ming, the former deputy commander of the 364th Regiment of the 122nd Division of the 41st Army of the Army, led the First Division of the 2nd Battalion to attack Shuojiang, Vietnam along a simple road with the support of tanks. When they entered the line of Guoshounan Mountain east of Shuojiang River, they were suddenly attacked by Vietnamese troops from three sides with condescending firepower. Because the terrain is an open area. The troops were unable to covertly fight back and fell completely into a passive situation of being beaten. Most of the soldiers died heroically in the battle. When Ouyang Ming was commanding his troops to retreat while fighting back, he was unfortunately hit by multiple bullets in the body and neck, and died on the spot. The military kettle he was carrying was also pierced by four bullets from the Vietnamese army, leaving eight bullet holes. After the young soldier introduced the story of Ou Yangming's sacrifice, he took out Ou Yangming's military cap and a bright red collar badge with Ou Yangming's name on it from his pocket. The military kettle and collar badge became Ouyang Ming's only relics. Seeing this tragic scene, the comrades present were all sad and grieved, and they took off their hats to pay their respects to Comrade Ouyang Ming's relics. Ouyang Ming was only 43 years old when he died.

Speaking of Ouyang Ming, I am quite familiar with him. In 1977, when I was working as a clerk in the military guesthouse, he was the staff officer of the military training department. Since his wife did not go with the army, he lived alone in the two rooms in the middle of the fourth row on the east side of the military guesthouse. Later, when I worked as an accountant in a military agency, we worked in the same yard and ate in the same cafeteria.

In 1978, Ouyang Ming was appointed as the deputy regimental staff officer of the Training Division of the Military Headquarters. He was identified as a candidate for transfer that year. Due to the tense situation on the Sino-Vietnamese border at that time, the military transfer work was also cancelled. In mid-October, based on the needs of the war situation, the military region appointed Staff Officer Ouyang Ming as deputy commander of the 364th Regiment of the 122nd Division of the 41st Army of the Army. On the third day after receiving the appointment, he packed his simple luggage and went to Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province to take office with the 364th Regiment of the 122nd Division. Before he left, I went to the guest house to see him off. He held my hand tightly, seemed a little excited, and said to me affectionately: "Accountant Huang, goodbye!" But I never thought that farewell would become an eternal farewell.

3. The day when we guarded the Vietnamese prisoners

The Sino-Vietnamese war entered a stalemate at the beginning. Although our army used a variety of tactics to attack and eliminate the Vietnamese army, the Vietnamese army Using familiar mountain barriers as a basis, they engaged in a life-or-death confrontation with our army. They broke it into parts and used small forces to continuously harass our army.

After fighting with American soldiers in the 1960s, the Vietnamese army accumulated experience in using all citizens as soldiers. Therefore, during the Sino-Vietnamese War, the Vietnamese army used this method of warfare to attack our army. Vietnamese soldiers range from teenagers to old people, regardless of age or gender. Even children in their teens can use a variety of weapons. Many women also join the fighting with their children on their backs.

Although the Vietnamese army resisted tenaciously, they could not withstand the strong offensive of our army. During the battle, many Vietnamese soldiers became prisoners of our army.

At about 11 a.m. on March 3, 1979, a platoon of our frontline troops escorted 76 Vietnamese prisoners to the location of the original leprosy hospital in Jingxi County. Before lunch, we arranged the prisoners to rest on an old playground together. The guest house also prepared a large pot of rice, pork, cabbage, and vermicelli for them, and gave them bowls and chopsticks so that they could serve the food themselves, but they were all stunned and anxious. At this time, the translator learned the specific reason and said that they suspected that the food was poisonous. After hearing this, our officers and soldiers were all filled with indignation. However, in order to implement our army's policy on prisoners, we still started to eat by ourselves. At this time, when the prisoners saw our soldiers eating, they grabbed the food one after another, and some even grabbed it with their hands. It was a mess and full of ugliness.

After lunch, together with the translator, we divided the prisoners into four rooms according to gender (including three rooms for men and one room for women), and gave them tea cups, toothbrushes and toothpaste respectively. In the female prisoner's room, there was an old woman in her sixties or seventies, with a boy about four or five years old nestled in her arms. We gave the boy a handful of coconut candy, and he tore a piece off and stuffed it into his mouth. At this time, the old lady said something to the boy, and the boy immediately spit out the candy and threw the candy in his hand. Later, through a translator, I found out that the old lady told the little boy that sugar was poisonous and he would die if he ate it. It can be seen that Vietnam has a long history of anti-China and anti-Chinese sentiments.

Among these prisoners, five of the lightly wounded were men, and the only seriously wounded was an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl. The bullet entered the inside of her right thigh from the outside, and the wound was as big as an egg. Our military doctors gave her treatment and medication for humanitarian reasons, but she firmly refused. Later, several people held her down, forcibly treated her, and tied a bandage, but as soon as the military doctor left, she tore the bandage...

After breakfast the next day, the officers and soldiers escorting the Vietnamese prisoners divided the prisoners into Take three trucks and drive to the prisoner concentration area in the interior.

During a day of guarding Vietnamese prisoners, through several small things, we can see how shameless and betrayal the Vietnamese army is. For many years, they have been eating Chinese food, holding Chinese guns, and even the teapots have "Good People's Communes" printed on them. They have put aside China's long-term assistance and support, and have unscrupulously provoked China, which is a crime. Tired. How can we not let our army defend itself and fight back!

4. Soldiers looking up at the Beidou

Vietnam has high mountains, dense forests, criss-crossed ravines, and overgrown weeds. Our army often encountered many difficulties when attacking the Vietnamese army. For example, the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Battalion of the 364th Regiment of the 122nd Division was in the battle to attack Shuojiang, Vietnam. Due to the high mountains and many caves, after the troops entered the small open area, they were attacked by the Vietnamese army from three sides. The troops suffered heavy casualties. After organizing a counterattack, they had to retreat while fighting to find the best offensive route.

Due to the complex terrain, during the retreat of the troops, a very small number of the last soldiers to withdraw did not follow the team. They formed combat teams in ever-changing environments and still fought against the enemy. In the end, they ran out of ammunition and food, and had to give up head-on confrontation with the enemy. They could only adopt the method of hiding in day and night, looking up to the Big Dipper, trying every possible means to overcome many difficulties and obstacles, and move towards the direction of the motherland. Their only wish is to return to their motherland as soon as possible.

At three o'clock in the afternoon on February 26, 1979, I had just finished arranging a batch of supply vehicles to be sent to the front line and returned to the front guard area, when I found three soldiers staggering towards the stay area. Their military uniforms were torn by branches, their guns were empty of bullets, their necks were swollen, and they were all sallow and thin. After we let them rest for a while, one of the soldiers told us in a hoarse voice: "After being separated from the troops, they automatically formed combat groups, fought with the enemy, and tried to find troops. Several pieces of "761" compressed He had already eaten all the biscuits, so he had to eat grass roots from the mountains to satisfy his hunger. His throat became severely inflamed from eating grass roots, and his neck slowly swelled up. After running out of bullets, he did not want to be a prisoner of the Vietnamese army. , I tried every means to avoid the pursuit of the Vietnamese soldiers, and finally I could only hide in the cave during the day, and at night, through the moonlight in the forest, I looked up at the Beidou heading towards the motherland. With their weak bodies, they overcame numerous difficulties and escaped attacks one after another, and finally returned to the embrace of the motherland."

These soldiers were only eighteen or nineteen years old at the time, and they relied on their firm belief and determination. The soldier's will to return to the motherland safely is so strong. This is the military style.

War is cruel. In the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, countless young officers and soldiers shed blood on the battlefield. They were eighteen, nineteen, and twenty years old with their gorgeous youth... Although they were all heroes, they had no time to look at their military medals. , but interpreted the solemn oath to defend the border with passion and selfless loyalty!

Soldier, a great and sacred name. As long as there are wars and disasters, then this name means sacrifice and reflects dedication!

The self-defense counterattack against Vietnam is an eternal monument and a glorious station for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation in the new era.

Let history always remember them and this most lovable person!

About the author

Huang Deke is from Dahuangzhuang Village, Shaobaisi Town, Tanghe County. Member of the Communist Party of China, bachelor degree.

Served in the army from November 1972 to December 1987, and served successively as accountant (deputy battalion position), administrator, military senior cadre, and director of the Second Guest House of the 41st Army Headquarters of the Army. He once served as commander Member of the Party Committee and Secretary of the Party Branch of the Ministry; in February 1979, he participated in the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam. Won third-class merit once.

After changing his career, he successively served as deputy director of the Tanghe County Civil Affairs Bureau Office, director of the Societies Office, director of the funeral management office, and party branch secretary. He is currently a director of the Yellow Research Association of Henan Province and Nanyang City, a member of the Tanghe County History and Culture Research Association, and the editor of the Tanghe Revolutionary Memorial Hall. He once edited Tanghe County's "Compilation of Archives Standardization Management Materials of Civil Affairs Bureau" and She (Banner) Bi (Yang) Tang (He) "Huang Family Tree", and published more than 30 articles in "Tangzhou Style" and "Tanghe Literature and History Materials" .