We braved gunfire and bullets to go to the front line to offer condolences and performances. | The oral history of the veteran soldiers of the Volunteer Army, the tunnel before negotiations in Panmunjom | Section Chief | Comfort performance | The Volunteer Army
Narrator: Wei Derui, male, 87 years old, a literary and artistic soldier from the 70th Division of the 24th Army of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army. He went to Korea to participate in the war in the autumn of 1952
In 1952, at the age of 16, I worked as a literary and artistic soldier in the 70th Division of the 24th Army. In the autumn of that year, our troops boarded the train in Jiaxing and galloped northward from the North China Plain to the Northeast Plain. After three days and two nights, the train arrived at the Ji'an area by the Yalu River. We rested for a day in Ji'an, then crossed the Yalu River Bridge and set foot on the Korean territory, embarking on a half month long "Thousand Mile Night March" amidst the sound of the war song "Valiant and Vigorous".
At that time, our army was going to Yuanshan Port in eastern Korea for defense. Due to the enemy's control of air superiority, the large number of troops marching during the day have too many targets and may be attacked by enemy planes, so we all rest during the day and rush on at night. Although I have been in the military for three years, because I have been in the civil service team and have not smelled the smell of gunpowder, I cannot help but feel tense in the face of this situation. I do not know what will happen in the mysterious night, nor what will wait for us.
The deeper we delve into the hinterland of North Korea, the more intense the atmosphere of war becomes. Under the moonlight, not only can the city not be seen, but even the village is left in ruins. The sound of airplanes roaring and bombs exploding could be faintly heard from the sky, with only the sound of rapid footsteps and occasional commands to "keep up! Don't fall behind!", as well as the roaring sound of gunboats and transport vehicles disguised with branches passing by on the road.
We, the student soldiers who have just entered the battlefield, are getting tired as we walk, and our eyelids are constantly fighting. The captain saw us all looking crooked, so he gave the command: "Rest in place!" As soon as he heard this command, everyone sat down in place and immediately fell asleep. After 10 minutes, he stood up and continued walking forward.
One day, a guide from the North Korean People's Army told us, "Tonight we need to pass through an enemy aircraft blockade line. Everyone be clever and don't doze off." Previously, a platoon was killed by a bomb when passing through the blockade line without turning off its car lights, so we were highly vigilant when we heard about the blockade line.
After dark, we set off in full gear. As we approached the blockade, the sound of car horns kept coming and going. Originally, this was a transit route where all military vehicles heading forward had to pass through, so enemy planes blocked it day and night in an attempt to cut off our military transportation line. But when we followed the division's direct agency through the blockade, the sky was unusually quiet, and no enemy planes were detected. Everyone passed safely.
Winter is coming soon. The winter in North Korea is particularly cold. When we got up in the morning, we brushed our teeth and washed our faces. We just ran to the river and knocked open the ice, scooped some water from the ice to brush our teeth and wash our faces. Towels are useless because wet towels will quickly freeze into hard lumps and crack open with just one tap. It's also difficult to take a shower because without it for a long time, our sweaters are full of lice. Later on, we found a large gasoline bucket and carried it to the forest on the mountain. We scooped up the river water from the glacier and placed the chopped branches under the bucket to heat up a bucket of water. Then, everyone lined up to take a shower.
However, our conditions at that time were already much better than those of the first batch of soldiers who fought in North Korea. The army provided cold resistant materials such as cotton coats, cotton gloves, masks, and earmuffs, and we persisted in rehearsing the program in such an environment.
The most unforgettable thing for me during my time in North Korea was going to Mount Wusheng to perform for the frontline soldiers. On the eve of the Panmunjom negotiations, the US military launched another attack on our military positions in order to negotiate better at the negotiating table. In order to boost morale, the division leader requested that the civil service team form several small teams to go to the forefront tunnel to offer condolences and performances. That afternoon, Ren Renzhu from the music team and Director Ye from the cultural department, led by the communication soldiers, advanced towards a tunnel in Wusheng Mountain. I am carrying a small drum and erhu, Renzhu is carrying a violin, and Director Ye is carrying a phonograph and records.
We walked fast all the way, and as dusk approached, a fish spine like mountain range suddenly appeared before us, which was the Five Sacred Mountains. At this moment, the searchlights fired from the US military position crossed over our formation, and the position was as bright as daylight. There were no figures in the position, but automatic weapons occasionally made explosive noises. The signalman said this was a targeted blockade shooting, non-stop. He takes care of our footsteps to be light, as the enemy will shoot at the sound.
We lowered our posture and walked briskly, climbing halfway up the slope. An S-shaped trench appeared in front of us, reaching a depth of our shoulders. The signalman led us to jump out of the trench and warned us, "Bend down, run forward in one breath, and don't make any noise." Renzhu was a chubby girl who became more and more nervous as she ran. By chance, the lid of the piano box opened and the violin landed, and she couldn't help but let out an "oh". This shout immediately triggered a burst of automatic weapon gunfire, and the dust and debris fell into the tunnel like hail. The signalman quickly shouted, "Squat down! Don't move!" At this moment, intense gunfire echoed from the camp command post, indicating that our side was suppressing enemy firepower to cover us. We were safe and sound, unscathed.
As soon as we arrived, the frontline soldiers immediately perked up and applauded vigorously. Captain Lu Xiaoyang stepped forward and excitedly said, "I heard that you are coming, and the soldiers are extremely happy. On behalf of the entire company, I welcome you!" The performance began. I set up a small drum and performed the drum song "Jin Cha Ji Little Girl" to praise the anti Japanese heroes. Renzhu first played a few violin pieces, and I also played the erhu to accompany her in singing "Wang Dama Wants Peace", "The Wind of the Motherland", "Blue Flower", "Singing of Erlang Mountain" and several Korean songs. Finally, Director Ye turned on the phonograph and played the record, the beautiful melody echoing in the tunnel.
After the condolence performance, Captain Lu said to Director Ye, "Tonight, I will take a few soldiers to catch a few 'tongues' and understand the enemy's attack arrangements. If I cannot come back before dawn, the correspondent will take you to the instructor's tunnel." The so-called' tongues' are prisoners, and they are called 'tongues' because they want to reveal information. Later on, I found out that after Captain Lu and his team infiltrated the enemy's formation, they encountered the enemy's patrol team. After a fierce battle, the "tongue" was successfully caught, but Captain Lu and two soldiers unfortunately sacrificed themselves.
