The self-defense and counterattack war against Vietnam that broke out in the 70s of the last century is of great significance to China. The war stemmed from Vietnam's constant border provocations, and Chinese soldiers defended peace on the border with their lives. However, as in any group, there is a small number of scum in the PLA. Shockingly, there were even incidents of collective surrender, and without a fight. This is a very negative impact on the public, and the people involved have also been severely punished.
The protagonist of this incident was the 8th Company of the 448th Regiment of the 50th Army of the People's Liberation Army, whose surrender directly led to the dismantling of the 50th Army in 1985, which shows the seriousness of the incident. Looking back at the situation at that time, by the time the war was coming to an end, Vietnam's defeat was inevitable. In the war, the squadron captured thousands of Vietnamese soldiers, while the number of Vietnamese prisoners in the squadron was only more than 40, and these soldiers did not surrender voluntarily, but were forced to become prisoners because they were seriously injured and could not evacuate. These soldiers are not to blame, and they deserve our respect.
Quite different from the situation of these soldiers was the situation of the 8 company. The 50th Army was formed from the reorganization of the first unit and participated in the Vietnam battlefield early. However, the 50 Army was not the main combat force, mainly responsible for cover and vigilance, and did not participate in important operations. As the war progressed, the 50th Army was once again tasked with covering the withdrawal of fraternal troops from the battlefield. The 50th Army encountered an unexpected challenge in this mission. Originally, they thought that the enemy army had withdrawn and that their situation was relatively safe. However, they unfortunately ran into elite Vietnamese troops on the way.
Despite the fact that the 50 Army had not previously participated in large-scale battles, they showed extraordinary combat effectiveness. After several hours of fierce fighting, they annihilated thousands of enemy soldiers and captured a large number of enemy soldiers. However, victory did not bring a sense of security. Due to the imminent arrival of reinforcements from the opposing side, the leaders missed the best opportunity to retreat. They mistakenly decided to go on the offensive and try to completely crush the enemy forces. However, they did not anticipate the tenacity of the enemy forces and the rapid arrival of Vietnamese reinforcements. With reinforcements, the 50 Army was encircled.
In a hasty retreat, the 448th regiment and the main forces were separated and caught in the encirclement of the enemy. In the face of this situation, the cadres of the regiment and company failed to effectively stabilize the morale of the army, and the soldiers fell into a desperate situation, and tried to break through the siege many times but failed repeatedly, and the situation became more and more urgent. In a series of desperate attacks, the soldiers of the 448th Regiment became more and more scattered, some fighting alone, some heroically, and the whole unit fell into a state of spiral control. At this critical juncture, there was no more danger than the 8th Company, not because they were law-abiding, but because they were trapped in the narrowest encirclement and could not escape.
Although the soldiers wanted to flee in all directions, they had no chance at all. The company was trapped in the encirclement, confronted the Vietnamese army, helpless and suffering from great humiliation. When someone proposed surrender, Wang Lixin, deputy company commander, immediately objected, but most of the soldiers raised their hands in agreement. Wang Lixin ordered all the soldiers not to move, and in the end, only he and a dozen soldiers who were unwilling to surrender decided to break out of the encirclement and died heroically, and only two soldiers successfully broke through. These dozen soldiers became one of the few who did not lose the reputation of the PLA.
The rest of the soldiers, led by the company commander, surrendered to the Vietnamese army en masse, and the news was transmitted back to our army, which was extremely shocking. Our People's Liberation Army (PLA) has always been known for its fine work style and has withstood a thousand tempers, and since the founding of the People's Republic of China, we have never heard of such a humiliating thingSadly, the 8th Company, by its own actions alone, increased the number of Vietnamese prisoners of our army from a few dozen to 239 people, and one company "contributed" about 200 people, completely nailing itself to the pillar of shame.
No one could explain the thoughts of the 8th Company at that time, were they just afraid of death?As a soldier, not being afraid of sacrifice should be a basic quality, not to mention, even if you surrender, you can barely understand, but surrendering without a fight is an unforgivable mistake. In the face of the encirclement, the 8th Company did not even discuss the counterattack, and decisively made the decision to surrender. This is not common in the history of the PLA. Of course, I hope that any soldier can return safely, but once he puts on the military uniform of the motherland, it means shouldering the responsibility of protecting his home and defending the country. This is the honor given to the soldiers, and it is also the responsibility that they must protect.
The PLA's enlistment is voluntary, so everyone realizes that choosing to fight for their country may even cost them their lives. The deep emotional ties between the military and the people are precisely because the officers and men of the People's Liberation Army cherish the motherland and the duties of the soldiers. Thankfully, scum is always in the minority. Most of our fighters are respectable heroes who silently guard the peace of the Motherland and the people. Only such a soldier deserves the title of "soldier".