In 1977, General Wu Zhong, commander of the Beijing Garrison, was transferred to the Guangzhou Military Region as deputy commander of the Grand Military Region at the invitation of the ** Military Commission due to military needs, assisting the veteran Xu Shiyou. These two long-time close friends were both members of the Red Fourth Front Army, so when Xu Shiyou learned that General Wu Zhong was about to take office, he was overjoyed, because he knew that the help of this right-hand man would be of great benefit to him.
Born in 1919, General Wu Zhong is a typical "war general", who served as the commander of the first mechanized division of the People's Liberation Army, and was also the youngest founding major general in the army when he was awarded the title in 1955. He had outstanding military command skills and upright moral character, and the chairman once praised General Wu before his death: "Those who are loyal to Wu are also loyal!"It can be seen that the chairman is very positive about Wu Zhong's talent and conduct. Prior to that, Wu Zhong served as the commander of the Beijing garrison for seven years, and his main task was to defend the Gyeonggi important area.
If it were not for the great trust that the Chairman had placed in him, how could he have been placed in such an important position?Soon after, after Wu Zhong was transferred to Guangzhou, the situation on China's southern border became increasingly tense, and the Vietnamese side continued to provoke and harm our border people. At a time when the Central Military Commission was planning to send troops to Vietnam, the Guangzhou Military Region and the Kunming Military Region happened to be on the front line. Therefore, the positions of Xu Shiyou and Wu Zhong were particularly important, and they actively prepared for various tasks in the counterattack.
Our captain has not fought on a large scale for a long time, and due to the domestic situation, the army's equipment and training status have not reached the best level, while the Vietnamese army has many experienced troops. Commander Xu Shiyou paid more attention to Wu Zhong's ability. At that time, Xu Shiyou was over 73 years old, and Wu Zhong was in the prime of life, 60 years old at the time of the counterattack against Vietnam, and had the qualifications of an important general commanding the combat troops on the Eastern Front, so he was entrusted with important tasks by Xu Shiyou.
However, in January 1979, ** issued a surprising order on personnel appointments and dismissals, dismissing Wu Zhong from his post as deputy commander of the Guangzhou Military Region and ordering him to return to Beijing. This seems to be an unconscionable move, and why did the army make such a decision when it was about to go on an expedition?It turned out that Wu Zhong was one of the important cadres of the troops stationed in Beijing before he went to Guangzhou, and some generals with Beijing background at that time had undergone quarantine and examination, and the reason for this is well known.
The story of Xu Shiyou and Wu Zhong is here.
In the sixties and seventies, Wu Zhong worked in Beijing for a long time. From 1968 to 1977, he served as deputy commander and then commander of the Beijing garrison. As a result of this experience, he was suspected of being involved in some major incidents and was therefore placed on the review list. However, when Xu Shiyou received the relevant documents, he was extremely angry.
Although he himself served in the Guangzhou Military Region during this time, he had no doubts about Wu Zhong, believed in the character of his old comrades-in-arms, and believed in the talent selection vision. In addition, with a major war imminent, there is an urgent need for a senior commander like Wu Zhong with competence and experience.
Therefore, Xu Shiyou made an astonishing decision, decided to withhold this document for the time being, and told Wu Zhong: You can lead your troops to fight with peace of mind, and then return to Beijing after defeating the enemy, and face those problems frankly!It is conceivable that at this time, whether it is Xu Shiyou or Wu Zhong, the psychological pressure is very great. Xu Shiyou is equivalent to "disobeying orders", and Wu Zhong is even more of a party, having to bear a heavy psychological burden and an unknown future, leading the troops to participate in the Vietnam War.
However, as high-ranking generals who have experienced many battles, they did not suffer from psychological pressure to combat readiness. After the outbreak of the war, Wu Zhong commanded the troops to achieve a brilliant victory on the Eastern Front, inflicting heavy losses on the Vietnamese army and showing the demeanor of a generation of famous generals. 60-year-old General Ngo Trung personally rushed into the jungles of North Vietnam with his officers and soldiers, armed with semi-automatic rifles, to defend the dignity of the motherland.
As the founding general, Xu Shiyou, who has experienced a hundred battles, knows how unbearable this pressure is when he is on the verge of being removed as a general. He understood Wu Zhong's inner torment, and he was even more unwilling to let him suffer the double blow of political censorship and staying away from the battlefield. Xu Shiyou decisively delayed the order and insisted on Wu Zhong's decision to go to the front, a move that became a good story in the army, and the conduct and ability of the two generals are worthy of praise from posterity. After the victory, Wu Zhong voluntarily returned to Beijing to be examined.
With an open mind and a clear conscience, General Wu Zhong's innocence was finally confirmed. Although Xu Shiyou's decisive approach caused controversy, he was not pursued by his superiors afterwards. This story has become a good story in the army, and the character and ability of the two generals are worthy of praise for future generations.