The Road to a Strong Army | The Smile of the Volunteers in Korea | The Battlefield | The Volunteers

The Smile of the Volunteers

Reporter Li Jingxuan from China Military Network

This is a photo from 70 years ago.

In the photo, there are 12 Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers standing neatly in two rows, with two soldiers holding banners in the front row. Everyone is smiling happily at the camera, and several even have a flower like smile on their faces.

If you think this is just a photo taken by soldiers to celebrate their achievements, then it's easy to imagine. They are the reconnaissance team of the 607th Regiment of the 203rd Division of the 68th Army of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, which created a team to defeat the enemy's ace regiment headquarters, killing and injuring 54 enemies and capturing 19 prisoners, and achieving a miracle of zero casualties. That's right, they are the prototype of the "Raid on the White Tiger Group".

The story of the surprise attack on the White Tiger Group can be said to be well-known in China. Compared to the heroic performances of the actors on the Beijing Opera stage or movie screen, this photo forever records the most innocent and adorable side of the battle heroes. Even from the picture, it can be inferred that the warrior, who appeared to be the youngest and even pursed his lips with a smile, might be holding a banner that was "stuffed" into his hand by a tall man standing in the middle. Why does the big guy smile happier?

The tall man's name is Yang Yucai, and he is a first-class combat hero of the Volunteer Army. He was honored with special merit for commanding this battle. This class also achieved collective special merit for this battle.

We are currently unable to determine the exact time of taking this photo. It can be confirmed that less than half a month after the textbook level "beheading operation", the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed, and the grand victory of the Korean War of Resistance and Aid to the United States came to an end.

War often gives us a cruel and bloody first impression, a bloody and determined battle, and a choking smell of flames and smoke. The confrontation between the two armies, the dance of iron and fire, and the battle between life and death, depict the cold appearance of war. Especially with the release of the first human photo "outside the window" in 1826, countless wars were recorded in real life and spread to the world, constantly washing people's understanding of war. The images of crying mothers, struggling children, and melancholic soldiers, which can directly touch the softest part of the soul, seem to have become the theme and standard of war photos.

American soldiers trapped in the quagmire of the Vietnam War. Data chart

However, some precious images left over from the war over 70 years ago have opened up another perspective for us to understand war.

This should be a photo taken by a war correspondent casually. In the photo, three soldiers are digging trenches with their heads down. In the distance, there is a dense forest, and the thick snow reflects the warm sun weaving through the branches, seemingly illuminating the entire picture. The area with the brightest light is a soldier wearing a suede hat on the right side of the picture, who is working with a shovel in his waist. The side profile of the warrior's face was perfectly captured by the camera, so young, handsome, and smiling. That cheerful expression was like flipping through the land in winter, hoping for the smooth sowing of the next spring.

The soldiers of the 42nd Army of the Volunteer Army built fortifications in the Huangcaoling area. Photo taken from the Korean War Memorial Hall

This is a small silhouette from the first battle of the Volunteer Army's overseas campaign - the Battle of Huangcaoling. In October 1950, more than 40000 officers and soldiers of the 42nd Army of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army bravely and tenaciously fought against more than 80000 enemies with modern equipment such as tanks and cannons, who held air superiority. They fought fiercely for 13 days and nights, ultimately achieving victory in defense operations in the Huangcaoling area, killing and injuring more than 2700 enemies, effectively reversing the situation of the war at that time.

Sixteen years later, Li Qiwei, the second commander of the United Nations Army, lamented in his memoirs, "This Chinese elite... they arrived at an unknown time and ambushed in the desolate and steep mountains of the eastern plateau, causing the United Nations Army to fight in great difficulty and suffering losses."

This battle has amazed the world as well. After being baptized by World War II, the United States was the world's number one military power at that time, and the US military was a mythical existence in the eyes of many people. In that resistance battle, the Marine 1st Division, known as the flagship of the US military, not only had a large number of tanks and armored vehicles opening their way towards Huangcaoling, but also bombers that could call for battlefield support at any time. Facing such a powerful opponent that we have never met before, through this photo, we cannot see any panic, helplessness, or even fear from the volunteer soldiers, only a confident smile before the war!

If we extend the timeline a bit longer, from October 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953, for two years and nine months, whether it was on the frozen and snowy Dead Eagle Ridge position, or in the cold and humid Shangganling tunnel, whether it was braving gunfire and bullets to repair railway bridges, or facing strong enemies in the air with bayonets in the sky, whether it was at the mobilization meeting before the war or the celebration after the victory, we could always find many photos filled with the smiles of volunteer soldiers.

The volunteer army held a pre war mobilization meeting. Photo taken from the Korean War Memorial Hall

The volunteer artillery entered the position. Photo taken from the Korean War Memorial Hall

Volunteer military engineers are repairing a makeshift bridge destroyed by enemy planes in a piercing glacier. Photo taken from the Korean War Memorial Hall

As a peace loving nation, we never glorify war. We deeply understand that war can be just or unjust, and our battle is to turn the past into the present and defend peace. Since modern times, more than 100 years of humiliating history, more than 100 years of being enslaved and oppressed, have made the Chinese people taste the bitterness of war. Which war, the Opium War, the Sino French War, the First Sino Japanese War, the Eight Nation Alliance's invasion of China, or the Japanese invasion of China, was not imposed on the Chinese people by imperialists, did not bring heavy suffering to the Chinese people, and was not filled with the blood and tears of the Chinese people? How much a nation that has suffered from bullying yearns for peace and hates war in its bones!

In the border city of Dandong in China, the local people say there is a place that must be visited, which is the Yalu River Broken Bridge.

The Yalu River Broken Bridge, as the name suggests, is a section of the broken bridge on the Yalu River. This bridge was originally built in 1911 and was built by the Japanese aggressors who had already occupied the Korean Peninsula to further invade Northeast China, forcing the late Qing government to agree to its construction on the Yalu River. Later, the Korean War broke out, and the bridge on the Korean side was bombed by US military planes, leaving only the remaining four hole bridge on the Chinese side, which is known as the "Broken Bridge".

The Yalu River is cut off. Photo by Li Jingxuan, a journalist from China Military Network

Standing on the broken bridge, you can see the Yalu River, which is less than one kilometer wide, below your feet. More than 70 years ago, when imperialism brought the flames of war to the Yalu River, a mere one kilometer away, it was unable to withstand the occasional shells dropped by the aggressors from the opposite bank. How could it resist the aggressors' ambition to covet New China? To put it another way, even if layers of fortresses are built along the border, can they really be safe and secure for a long time?

Since August 1950, the invading US Air Force has been continuously invading China's northeast airspace, frantically bombing border towns and villages. This is the scene after Anton was bombed. Data chart

Faced with the heinous aggressors, no material barrier can compare to the true awakening of the people's thinking in fighting for their country. When the shadow of war once again enveloped this country, resisting the United States and aiding Korea, and defending the country became the consensus of the entire nation at that time, and also became the strongest voice of that era. With the strong support and active participation of the people of the whole country, the Anti US Aid to Korea Movement was launched with great fanfare.

Students from Beijing Furen University took to the streets, using a "roadmap of Japan's invasion of China" to explain to the citizens in depth the sinister intentions of American imperialism to stifle New China under the pretext of the Korean War; More than 300 teachers and students from Harbin Medical University voluntarily gave up the opportunity to work and live in big cities and formed a medical team to rush to the front line in North Korea; Li Cai, a farmer from Andong City, Liaoning Province, brought his own tools and dry food. He was the first to sign up for the village's anti US aid to North Korea stretcher team; An elderly man named Tan Chuyun from Xiangtan County, Hunan Province, donated all the money he had accumulated from carrying water to buy airplanes and cannons for the volunteer army... There are countless examples like this, and such stories cannot be told for three days and three nights.

Students from Beijing Furen University used the example of Japanese imperialism invading China to carry out propaganda and education activities to resist US aggression and aid Korea and defend the country. Photo taken from the Korean War Memorial Hall

More than 300 teachers and students from Harbin Medical University volunteered to form a medical team to rush to the front line of North Korea. Photo taken from the Korean War Memorial Hall

The first farmer in Shengli Village, Andong City to sign up for the volunteer stretcher team for the Korean War - Mr. Li Cai. Photo taken from the Korean War Memorial Hall

The famous British scholar Liddell Hart profoundly pointed out in his book "Strategic Theory" that the most difficult factor to calculate in war should be people's will. This will is reflected in the Korean War, which is everyone's clear and firm understanding and resolute action towards this war. At the beginning of the outbreak of the war, a college student from the Central Academy of Fine Arts wrote in his letter of volunteer to join the army to the school's Youth League branch: The Chinese people have stood up, they can no longer fall down, and once they become masters, they cannot become slaves. We are now living a peaceful and happy life, building our beautiful motherland. However, the American Emperor threatens our peace and undermines our construction, and we cannot tolerate it anymore.

A letter of determination from students of the Central Academy of Fine Arts to participate in military academies. Photo by Li Jingxuan, a journalist from China Military Network

When the whole country is united and united, the army worries about not winning the battle, and the soldiers worry about not having high morale? To fight for one's steadfast pursuit of faith, to fight for a hard won happy life, to resist aggression and defend the motherland, to work and fight under this belief, even if the conditions are difficult and the environment is harsh, one's heart will always be filled with hope and there will always be endless energy in one's body. In a letter written by Wang Fengqi, a staff member of the Logistics Department of the Volunteer Army, to his relatives, there is a paragraph from his perspective that expresses the hearts of the soldiers: "The comrades in our department are all very good, very friendly, and have a very high enthusiasm for work. I am very happy about my work.". Although the text is simple and straightforward, without any fancy words, it contains passionate and unrestrained emotions that allow us to understand the internal motivation and source of strength behind this army's ability to defeat powerful opponents.

A letter from Wang Fengqi, a staff member of the Political Engineering Department of the 2nd Division of the Volunteer Army Logistics Department, to Zhao Yubin and his family at the No. 73 Station on Jiujiang Street. Photo by Li Jingxuan, a journalist from China Military Network

Today, more than 70 years later, when we look back at the old photos left by that great war, countless volunteer soldiers who sacrificed their lives on the Korean battlefield, their confident and resolute smiles also prove this point: soldiers who defend peace and freedom not only know how to fight, but also know why to fight!

And such warriors, armies, nations, and countries will eventually be invincible to the world!