Welcome to the 3299th issue of the Historical Column. On October 16, 1964, China successfully tested its first atomic bomb at Lop Nur, a landmark achievement that significantly enhanced China's national defense capabilities and its ability to resist nuclear blackmail by the superpowers. After the founding of New China, the slogan "The Chinese people have stood up since then" is not an empty expression, but has practical actions and manifestations in various fields. Having a self-developed nuclear power is undoubtedly an important symbol of becoming a military power.
The process of developing the atomic bomb condensed the talents and painstaking efforts of many outstanding scientists, but in the military circles, there were also many founding generals who devoted themselves to it. They were previously talented military commanders and were not familiar with scientific research and development, so they were.
The hard work of the fifties and sixties cannot be ignored. For example, Nie Shuai, who is the main leader of the "two bombs and one satellite" project;Admiral Song Renqiang also made contributions to the cause of atomic energy.
However, after the successful test of the atomic bomb in 1964, the first two generals to be named and praised were others, who were they?** happily took the hands of the two generals and said 10 words: "Chen Shiyu makes a nest, Zhang Aiping lays eggs." "Why did the chairman praise people in such a special way?To the uninformed, it may seem a bit puzzling. However, the two generals knew it and laughed out loud after hearing it. General Chen Shiyu is a "descendant general" in the true sense.
He participated in the Autumn Harvest Uprising and was a general from the Red First Army. During the war years, Chen Shiyu's highest position was chief of staff of the East China Field Army, and later he took charge of the 8th Corps of Sanye, which can be said to be a typical strategist. However, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Chen Shiyu was no longer engaged in war command work, and he was named as the commander of the engineering troops. Generally speaking, generals who serve in front-line troops are reluctant to engage in this kind of "service-oriented" work, but Chen Shiyu has no complaints when he receives the appointment, because the person he respects the most is ***
From the early days of the Red Army, Chen Shiyu followed the chairman to Jinggangshan, and did not flinch even in the most difficult period. In 1958, Chen Shiyu led 100,000 officers and soldiers on a secret mission and disappeared for more than a year, and even his family didn't know that they had gone. In fact, they went to the northwest and built two bomb test bases in Jiuquan and Lop Nur.
** The so-called "making a nest" refers to this task, which was a top-secret project of the state at that time, and the officers and soldiers involved in it were strictly forbidden to disclose any information to the outside world. Chen Shiyu shared weal and woe with the officers and men in the harsh natural environment, was busy day and night, and a year of struggle made him look much older. After the completion of the project, Chen Shiyu led his subordinates to leave the experimental base silently with high-quality delivery work.
As the person in charge of the project, Chen Shiyu naturally understood the significance of this matter, but he remained silent and did not brag about his efforts to anyone. It was not until the successful test explosion of the atomic bomb in 1964 that everyone knew that Chen Shiyu and his troops had made great contributions. In the face of the praise of his colleagues, Chen Shiyu smiled and waved his hand, saying that it was just"Insignificant"。Chen Shiyu has a proud backbone, and Zhang Aiping is a general with a distinctive personality. He came from the Red Third Legion, and was as unwavering and independent as his superior, Mr. Peng.
During the war years, Zhang Aiping was wounded many times, and after the founding of the People's Republic of China, he commanded the naval forces to liberate Dachen Island and Yijiangshan Island, and made great military achievements. When his superiors ordered Zhang Aiping to lead the work related to the development of nuclear bombs, he looked blank and replied with a ridiculous sentence:"I only know how to scrambled eggs, and I don't know anything about the atomic bomb"。Although he was willing not to leave the front-line troops, Zhang Aiping was a very principled person.
In a field that she was not familiar with, Zhang Aiping bowed her head to study Xi research, was very respectful to scientists, and provided them with the best conditions. Just a few months later, when his superiors asked Zhang Aiping about the progress of his work, he was able to answer professional questions without hesitation, which showed that he had made a lot of efforts behind his back, and this was Zhang Aiping's personality.
He was so fascinated by scientific research that many years later Deng Gong and other leaders asked him to take up more senior administrative positions, but he insisted on playing a role in the field of scientific research and national defense and military industry to ensure the renewal and advancement of the people's army. In 1964, the atomic bomb test was successful, and Zhang Aiping made great contributions to the organization and support work, and won the praise of the people. This is the scene described in the opening chapter, where the chairman takes him and Chen Shiyu by the hand and praises them face to face for their outstanding contributions to the development of the nuclear bomb.
As juniors, we should not forget these two"Make a nest"with"Lay eggs"of the founding generals. Today's peaceful situation and happy life are closely related to the dedication of our revolutionary forefathers.