Jie Xinping: Bravely Advancing towards Victory - Written on the occasion of the 70th Anniversary of China's Victory in the Korean War | Victory | Korean War

Advancing bravely towards victory

——Written on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Korean War

Jie Xinping

July 27, 1953.

5 kilometers south of the 38th parallel, on the Korean Peninsula, in Panmunjom.

On this day, the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed, marking the successful end of the Korean War of Resistance Against US Aggression and Aid to Korea.

At this time, there are still 4 days left until the Army Day of the People's Liberation Army of China. The heroic people's army celebrates its birthday with a remarkable victory that has attracted worldwide attention.

From then on, these two glorious days will always depend on and accompany each other. Today, as we commemorate this victory, we will still look back at the origin of this army's expedition, gaze at its current direction, and overlook its future journey.

In 1953, the People's Republic of China celebrated its 4th anniversary. At the critical moment of "standing up", the Chinese people have achieved a world shaking victory, fighting for the safety of mountains and rivers, and the peace of our country.

In 2023, we are only 4 years away from achieving the centenary goal of building the military. We have reached an important milestone in the "strengthening" of our great motherland, and we have reached a crucial leap on the road to realizing the dream of national rejuvenation.

Participate in the flag protection team celebrating the 90th anniversary parade of the founding of the People's Liberation Army of China. Photo by Liu Yinghua

President Xi profoundly pointed out: "The great victory of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea is a manifesto for the Chinese people to stand in the east of the world after they stand up. It is an important milestone in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It is of great and far-reaching significance to China and the world."

We once created victory, but we still yearn for it. No one can underestimate the perseverance and persistence of the Chinese nation in pursuing victory after suffering a century of humiliation.

Nothing is desired except for victory, and nothing is spared for the sake of victory. No one can underestimate the determination and will of the people's army to win in the face of all enemies.

No. 9 Fuxing Road, Beijing, China People's Revolutionary Military Museum.

The huge oil painting "Decision to Send Soldiers" hangs high on the wall: Zhongnanhai Yinian Hall, where a group of Communist Party members who lead China sit together, either listening attentively or pondering with their eyes closed. In the center of the painting, Mao Zedong had a stern expression and his eyes were burning with flames.

Oil painting "Decision to send troops". Gao Quan Painting

The still scene is filled with hidden waves of thoughts and emotions.

On October 1, 1950, the first National Day of the People's Republic of China was celebrated, with the sound of songs and slogans echoing through the sky in every city, and the streets congested with thousands of people.

On this day, history also entered a very steep canyon——

On June 25th, the Korean War broke out.On September 15th, at Incheon Port in North Korea, the US military conducted a three-dimensional landing, with their troops pointing straight at the Yalu River

On that National Day night, the lights of the Chrysanthemum Fragrance Bookstore in Zhongnanhai, like the red lanterns on the upper floors of Tiananmen Square, stayed on all night.

Comrade Hu Qiaomu recalled, "I have been working with Chairman Mao for more than 20 years, and I remember that there were two things that Chairman Mao had difficulty making up his mind." One of them was "sending the Volunteer Army to fight in North Korea in 1950.".

The situation is difficult, should we send troops, dare we send troops, and can we win? Traveling through the hidden reefs and treacherous rapids of history, the helmsmen of the China ship are repeatedly weighing:

Strength ratio——

In that year, the total industrial and agricultural output value of the United States was 150.7 billion US dollars, while the total industrial and agricultural output value of New China was only 57.4 billion Chinese yuan, which was not even the last digit of the United States when converted into US dollars. The steel production in the United States is 87.72 million tons, while in China it is 606000 tons, which is less than one percent of the United States. Therefore, MacArthur arrogantly declared that China dared not participate in the war, and if it did, it would suffer the "greatest massacre in the history of war.".

Worries about internal troubles——

On the day of the outbreak of the Korean War, Mao Zedong had a report on the serious banditry in the southwest on his desk. At this time, there were nearly 400000 Kuomintang scattered soldiers left in Chinese Mainland. The British intelligence agency asserts, "China has not yet consolidated internally and is making every effort to restore its economy, and its military strength is not sufficient to meet the needs of a major war... Therefore, the possibility of sending troops to North Korea is very small."

Current considerations——

At that time, the United States had mobilized the "United Nations forces" of 16 countries, while only 17 countries had officially established diplomatic relations with China. Dozens of telegrams traveling between Beijing and Moscow witnessed the "three waves and two twists" of the decision to send troops to seek foreign aid

Soldiers are important matters of the country, places of death and life, and ways of survival and death, which cannot be ignored.

This difficult decision has been brewing for a hundred days. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held three expanded meetings of the Political Bureau. In the fierce debate and confrontation, they repeatedly discussed a topic: whether or not to send troops.

"If the North Korean issue is ignored, the United States will inevitably take advantage and follow the old path of Japanese aggression against China." "We should participate in the war, we must participate. The benefits of participating in the war are great, and not participating in the war will cause great harm..." After thorough discussion, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made a decision: resist the United States and aid North Korea, protect our country! "!

In the winter of 1950, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army crossed the Yalu River. Photo by Li Min

——Only by entering can we control and shape the situation. "If you go out, even if you are beaten back, it indicates that you are an insider. If you don't go out, there is no possibility of entering the bureau." Sending troops to North Korea has a more profound strategic consideration for the Party Central Committee. Kissinger commented that the Korean War "established China's military prestige as an awe inspiring opponent, and this prestige remained steadfast for decades to come.".

——Dare to fight, only then can we win and stop the war. "Tigers are meant to eat people, and when they eat depends on their digestive system. It is not possible to compromise with them... Unlike American imperialism, which has seen its ups and downs, it is difficult for us to build socialism." Peng Dehuai said, "This time we are going to Korea, we must be determined to win, but we must also be mentally prepared not to be afraid of destruction. In case the Americans invade our country, we will destroy it and rebuild it."

——Only by knowing the military can we dispatch troops. In Mao Zedong's eyes, the invincible United States had only one advantage in military affairs, which was its iron strength, but also three weaknesses, combined to form "one long and three short"... And we "had the most favorable terrain, the most convenient transportation, the most convenient material support, the most convenient manpower support, the most convenient political mobilization when competing with the United States in North Korea... Therefore, although facing major difficulties, there were also conditions for fighting.".

Victory is a great book with only two words, but it has the most essence of history between the lines.

Do you want, dare you, can you? Faced with extremely difficult and complex situations, the strategic considerations lingering on the eve of the decision to send troops bear witness to the foresight of a political party, and it is also a decisive decision for an army to achieve victory.

In 1948, when it came to leading troops to leap into the Central Plains, Deng Xiaoping said, "Everyone hopes for a faster victory in the revolution, but when you ask if you dare to win, the question arises. It's not necessarily that those who hope for victory dare to win."

"Victory will not be as easy as the dandelion on the hillside", we must face the storm in the soul with a strong heart.

There are two times to defeat an opponent, the first time is in the heart. Heart victory is not all about victory, but the first step towards victory.

When sending troops to North Korea, the CPC's spiritual character of "daring to struggle and win" is once again vividly reflected in the difficult decision-making.

"What I think about most is whether our army can always adhere to the absolute leadership of the Party when the Party and the people need it, whether it can pull up and win battles, and whether commanders at all levels can lead troops and direct them." Today, President Xi's inquiry strikes the heartstrings of every Chinese soldier in the new era.

"Be able to fight and win battles," these six words of President Xi's thoughts inspire today's people's army to bravely face the high winds and even the stormy waves of the new era.

Victory will not come to us automatically, we must walk towards it ourselves!

Sandtable deduction originated in the West. This is a prophetic game of victory and defeat before the war broke out, following the Western belief in the concept of power.

In the era of cold weapons, this strength was muscle; In the era of hot weapons, this strength was gunpowder; In the era of mechanized warfare, this strength is steel.

On the Korean battlefield, any expert in sand table deduction, placing these "weights" on the balance of war victory or defeat, seems to be unable to deduce the victory of the Chinese army in any way. However, under the crazy iron rain of "Van Frit ammunition", the Chinese army stood firm at Shangganling!

The only thing that subverts the concept of war within the scope of tradition and common sense is the other wonders of war - its creators are the people's army led by the CPC, the people's army nurtured by the Chinese people, and the people's army that has mastered advanced military thinking and flexible strategies and tactics.

At the parade site celebrating the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army of China, the units under review underwent a review. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Jianli

There are so many wonders, not just Shangganling!

In 1951, the Battle of Kamiyari. The 347th Regiment of the 116th Division of the 39th Volunteer Army annihilated the British ace, the Royal Auster Rifle Regiment, and seized its military flag. It is this enemy army that opened the door to China with guns and artillery during the Opium War over 100 years ago.

Amidst the towering mountains and mountains of North Korea, the victory horn of the Volunteer Army also heralds the dismal collapse of the US military's "ace" divisions - the US Cavalry 1st Division, known as the "Founding Fathers Division", the US Marine 1st Division, known as the "undefeated", and the US Infantry 2nd Division, known as the "never second"

The Battle of Yunshan was the first confrontation between China and the United States. The US Cavalry 1st Division suffered 1840 casualties, and the 3rd Battalion of the 8th Regiment was completely annihilated by the Volunteer Army. The US Army permanently cancelled the designation of this battalion.

In 2005, then US Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld visited China and meaningfully proposed to visit the troops of the 39th Army Group, which had engaged with the US military in the Battle of Yunshan.

Behind this exploration of time and space is their confusion and confusion - many soldiers in this army were still using the Type 38 rifle designed by Japan in 1905. If the scale of war only depends on the competition of weapons and equipment, there should not be any suspense about the outcome.

"Weapons are an important factor in war, but not a determining factor. The determining factor is people, not things." Since the establishment of the People's Army, it has won countless great wars and fierce battles, repeatedly "defeating the best with inferior equipment" and "defeating the strong with weak military strength". Its greatest skill is to counteract "asymmetry", which is mainly due to its higher strategic and tactical level than its opponents.

In December 1930, the First Front Army of the Red Army completely annihilated the enemy 18th Division equipped with German weapons in Longgang, Yongfeng, Jiangxi. More than 9000 soldiers of the division missed the net.

20 years later, the 113th Division of the 38th Army of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army - this Red Army unit, after undergoing the baptism of the Long March, the War of Resistance, and the decisive battle, crossed the Yalu River and faced the world's most modern opponents.

Seizing Sansuoli, the division carried more than 10000 combat equipment and rushed 72.5 kilometers through the mountains in 14 hours, breaking through layers of obstacles and blocking the retreat of the US military for 5 minutes, setting a record for rapid infantry march in modern warfare history.

The value of military power and speed is not only a competition of physical strength, but also a competition of mental strength. When the soldiers of the Volunteer Army settled in Sansuo, a rare strategic chess game of "internal and external double circuitous" was set in the history of world war.

In the three thousand mile mountains and rivers of the Korean Peninsula, this "miraculous interweaving" is repeatedly performed: from the 124th Division interweaving Jining Li, the 27th Army interweaving Xinxing Li, to the interweaving Hegu Li and Sanchakou in the Hengcheng counterattack, and then to the interweaving Erlong Cave and the surprise attack on the White Tiger Regiment in the Battle of Jincheng... Volunteers at all levels use the interweaving footprints of crisscrossing paths to outline a magical picture full of strategic imagination and tactical execution.

"At the sound of gunfire, the best response plan is half the battle." Throughout the entire process of the Korean War, constantly recognizing changes, actively responding, and actively seeking to become the key to the People's Army's victory over the enemy.

"Our original plan to eliminate the enemy in defense is no longer feasible, and the tactics of advancing and retreating with great strides used in domestic wars are no longer applicable... Mobile warfare should be the main focus, supplemented by positional warfare and guerrilla warfare." After analyzing the enemy situation, Peng Dehuai decisively recommended abandoning the original combat plan.

The Book of Changes states: A great man and a tiger transform, a gentleman and a leopard transform. The guidance of war varies according to the situation, and the tactics and tactics of war also change according to the times and the enemy. You come to "hang in the air", I will build a "steel transportation line"; You use "magnetic tactics", I use "tinkering with beef candy"; You have "Van Frit ammunition", I have "tunnel warfare"; "You throw your atomic bomb, I'll hit my grenade"

Mao Zedong sighed in his article "The Victory and Significance of Resisting US Aggression and Aid Korea": "Our cadres and soldiers have come up with various ways to fight... Some of us living in Beijing feel quite dangerous when we think of the Korean battlefield. Of course, there is danger, but as long as the big family finds a way, it is not that great."

Playing against strong enemies, precise control of the battlefield situation, creation and transformation of traditional strengths, and flexible application of strategic and tactical strategies have filled our army with the confidence to continuously move from victory to victory.

War is a science full of shadows, and all sciences have principles, but war does not. Currently, a new round of technological revolution is deepening, and strategic high-tech groups are emerging. Networking, unmanned, stealth, and intelligence are profoundly affecting the direction of world military development.

Building a strong military is not about drawing our own blueprint according to someone else's template, let alone preparing to fight a war that others have already fought.

The first proposed approach is to study and master the characteristics and laws of information-based and intelligent warfare, innovate military strategic guidance, and develop people's war strategies and tactics.

The "Songgufeng Special Skill Company" of a certain brigade of the 81st Group Army of the Army held a flag oath ceremony for new recruits. Photo by He Penggang

Not long ago, the army's basic training site meeting was held to thoroughly implement President Xi's important instructions on strengthening military training, speed up the innovation of group training mode, and promote the transformation and upgrading of basic training.

At the meeting, the purpose of the new lesson was demonstrated by the heroic troops who defended Songgu Peak back then.

5 kilometers away from Panmunjom, 67 highlands.

At 22:00 on July 27, 1953, the battlefield, which had once been shaken by gunfire, suddenly fell silent. Standing on the mountaintop where his comrades shed their blood, Wang Shushan, a guard and soldier of the Volunteer Army, quietly overlooks the arrival of victory.

In order to hold onto this high ground, the Volunteer Army withstood the record high unit firepower density set by the US military on the Korean battlefield. Zhao Xianyou, Deputy Instructor of the 6th Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 582nd Regiment of the 194th Division of the 65th Army of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, shouted a heroic slogan: "For victory, shoot at me!"

Zhao Xianyou, one of the prototypes of "Wang Cheng" in the movie "Heroic Sons and Daughters," was born in the second year of the Nanchang Uprising and died just after the Republic celebrated its third birthday.

Since the day of the founding of the army, many heroic soldiers have fought bravely and created a new China. During the Korean War, in order to defend our country and protect our country, many heroic soldiers shed their blood on foreign lands.

This is the heroic wall located in the Korean War Memorial Hall in Dandong City, Liaoning Province. Photo by Yang Qing, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

Victory's poetry, life is paper, blood is ink.

"Who dyed the flag of victory red? Who paved the way for peace? It was the heroes who sacrificed their blood, it was the heroes who sacrificed their lives." When victory arrived, Zhang Zongsheng, Deputy Director of the Political Department of the 67th Army of the Volunteer Army, wrote a poem in his diary for the hero Li Jiafa, who sacrificed 14 days before the ceasefire.

The veteran recalled, "I don't know how to write poetry," but "whenever I think of the Li family, I feel like I've lost a beloved child.".

According to statistics, there were as many as 47 volunteer officers and soldiers shouting "fire at me" during the Korean War, and the average age of sacrifice for volunteer martyrs was 28 years old. Among the volunteer army martyrs who have only been honored with special merit or above, there are 44 "Yang Gensi style" heroes who "collapsed and burned" with the enemy

Suffering and victory are the two main elements that Clausewitz attributed to the spiritual power of the army. Western philosophers have insightful views on victory. However, Western strategists often underestimate the courage and courage of the Chinese people to achieve victory.

Accumulate in suffering and baptize with victory. Having experienced the hardships of "not living like humans", this "poor people's team" has fought with blood for more than 20 years, and has just "piece of flesh and piece of blood" to create a bright new China. We cannot tolerate "the world changing again" or "construction turning into a pile of dust"!

Fresh blood stains the battle flag, life blooms with flowers. That battlefield, the soil of becoming a hero. That era, the era of becoming a hero.

Heroes have gone through hardships and sacrifices, becoming the "mystery of the East" in the hearts of their opponents.

Why can cold ice burn - in the snow at minus 40 degrees Celsius, the "Ice Sculpture Company" lurks into a combat posture?

Why can a raging fire solidify - in a flame of over 800 degrees Celsius, Qiu Shaoyun only had his hands inserted into the soil that were not burnt, but remained "motionless"?

What is it, standing tall on a high ground that has been lowered by shells and projectiles by 2 meters in Shangganling - holding on for 43 days, repelling more than 900 enemy attacks?

What is it that smashed the enemy's steel block by block at the defenseless Songgu Peak - fought fiercely for 8 hours with the strength of a hundred people, repelled thousands of enemy group attacks using planes, tanks, and heavy howitzers five times?

Confidence in steel limits the opponent's imagination. They never understood why they fought a war without hope of victory.

Steel, of course, can be calculated. They were defeated by an inexplicable "qi".

President Xi and Kissinger discussed the war to resist US aggression and aid Korea. Kissinger said: the Chinese army lacks logistical support, air support, and its equipment is so poor that it has not "lost". President Xi told him: "We rely on a revolutionary fighting spirit. Our soldiers are not afraid of you. No matter what weapons they use, they dare to compete with you."

The answer to the "mystery of the East" that opponents find difficult to understand is so firm and clear in the hearts of the volunteers: "Do not believe in unfinished tasks, do not believe in insurmountable difficulties, and do not believe in insurmountable enemies!"

The officers and soldiers of the Yang Gensi Company of a certain brigade of the 83rd Army Group reported to the old company commander. Photo by He Baiyuan

"Our spirit is by no means a mystery... This belief and patriotic spirit is the spirit educated by the Party." The soldiers of the Volunteer Army answered with their blood and lives, an army that understands who to carry guns for and who to fight for is invincible.

In the first spring after the ceasefire, writer Yang Shuo came to the place where the heroes sacrificed themselves and wrote for martyr Li Jiafa, "History can count to ten thousand years, one hundred thousand years, but Li Jiafa will always be nineteen years old, forever like spring, forever green."

On the front line of the Korean War, Huang Jiguang and his comrades took a group photo. After Huang Jiguang's sacrifice, people took out photos and looked at them again - "Who is Huang Jiguang? Maybe it's this person, maybe it's that person.". Yes, everyone in the photo may be "Huang Jiguang".

To this day, the figure of the hero remains so familiar. That is the embankments built by flood fighters in the midst of the waves, the backs of earthquake resistant officers and soldiers rushing towards the epicenter, and the arms of the heroic commander Qi Fabao facing the enemy

In the 70 years after the victory of the Korean War, the youth of the new era engaged in dialogue with the youth of New China in their own way. In the eyes of young people in the new era, they are heroes and even more flesh and blood "peers"; Their hero's song, "I'll continue writing it"——

At the graduation ceremony of Qingdao University, students sang a rap song to express their feelings for Huang Jiguang: "If I had left a letter for my mother earlier, I'm afraid I won't be able to go home in the future. With my chest pressed against the machine gun, it's as strong as a rock that cannot be shaken..."

This Spring Festival, Xiao Rongji, the younger brother of the patriotic martyr Xiao Siyuan, received a "Flower Planter" rabbit model dressed in volunteer army clothing, which his father brought to him from his brother's grave. This rabbit from the anime "The Rabbit That Year" is the WeChat avatar of Xiao Siyuan before his sacrifice.

In 2021, Zhao Xinmin, the grandson of a martyr named Zhao Xianyou, wrote a "reply" to his grandfather, "For victory, it is no longer just a call for battle, it has become the horn for China's progress."

In the spring of 1951, a battlefield communication titled "Who is the cutest person" from the Korean War seemed to open the "emotional gate" of New China overnight——

"Dear friends, when you take the first tram in the morning and walk to the factory, when you carry the plow and rake to the field, when you drink a glass of soybean milk and walk to school with your schoolbag... Friend, do you realize that you are in happiness?"

Happiness, the Chinese people who have suffered deeply for thousands of years, have been calling for and tirelessly seeking it.

Where does happiness come from? It was fought by the people's soldiers with guns, exchanged with blood, and won with victory.

At the Memorial Hall of the Korean War, veteran soldiers and young pioneers of the Volunteer Army pay tribute to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives. Photo by Yang Qing, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

Who is the cutest person? When a strong enemy presses the border, whoever can sacrifice and pay for this country, win victory, defend peace, and create happiness is the "cutest person".

Yuan Longping, the recipient of the Medal of the Republic, defeated China's thousands of years of famine with his dream of enjoying the cool under the grain, in exchange for a golden harvest on the land of China.

In the summer of 1951, the Volunteer Army Hero Reporting Team arrived in Chongqing. 21 year old Yuan Longping, a representative of Southwest Agricultural University students, crowded onto the podium. A hero wrote a gift on his student ID: "Comrade Longping: To protect..."