Author: Chen Qijun.
The Hexi Corridor, the West Liaoning Corridor and the Jiaowei Corridor are known as the three major corridors in China. To the Hexi Corridor, the main survey is the Jiujia area related to the Lanxin junction.
On the morning of April 27, the survey team left Hami and headed for Jiuquan. Considering the situation of focusing on the topography of Xingxing Gorge on the way, the leaders agreed to arrange the 9th company of a certain regiment east of Xingxing Gorge for lunch nearby. In view of the company's insufficient support capability, the Operations Department of the Lanzhou Military Region notified the 12th Tank Division to send capable cadres with water trucks, fuel trucks, field tables and chairs, etc., to rush to the company in advance to assist in receiving and providing support.
On the way in, the Xinjiang side arranged a short stop at the camel circle, chimney pier, and bitter water to introduce the topography of these points and the surrounding willow springs, Wutong wozi springs, and Nanhu Lake, and it was nearly 12 o'clock when they arrived at Xingxing Gorge. Liao Liao, deputy commander of the Gansu Provincial Military Region, and Wu Zhanxiang, commander of the Jiuquan Military District, and their entourage rushed to greet us before us.
Xingxing Gorge is located at the junction of Gansu and Xinzhou provinces, north of the Tianshan Mountains, Yumai Hongshi Mountain, Mingshui, south of the Altun Mountain, is an important symbol and military important place of the Lanxin junction. Xingxing Gorge and its surroundings are mostly rolling hills and mountains, which can effectively control the Lanxin Highway and Railway, the main traffic artery, and are an important barrier to ensure the connection between Xinjiang and the hinterland. In that year, after the Western Route Army led its troops to highlight the Qilian Mountains, they entered Xinjiang along Anxi and Liuyuan through Xingxing Gorge.
Xingxing Gorge is a scarce water source and uninhabited, so drinking water has to be transported to the Shule River, 200 kilometers away. Xinjiang has a six-person communication line maintenance station and a road maintenance road team here. The highway road class has long been empty, and the sand is piled up to the edge of the window. On the wall of the courtyard of the Taoist class is a limerick poem with a certain calligraphy skill: "The wind is howling and the gravel is swirling, and the Gobi is a class for thousands of miles." There is a bitter well in front of the door, and there is a bright sand mountain behind the house. The road maintenance workers are heroes, and their hearts are not afraid of difficulties. The spirit of bitter water is passed down from generation to generation, and the more difficult it is, the more forward. Not far away, there was also a poem written on the wall of the courtyard of the communication maintenance station, I don't know if it was the poem on the wall in the courtyard of the Taoist class, or the poem and this poem in the courtyard of the Taoist class. The poem says: "The vast Gobi Desert is uninhabited for thousands of miles. Unique bitter water, a communication station. The perennial wind howls, let it sand fill the courtyard. Known as Lingyunzhi, the revolution will always move forward. ”
The two limerick poems truly and vividly depict the desolate and harsh natural environment of Xingxing Gorge, and eulogize the spiritual outlook of the highway maintenance workers and line maintenance workers who work and fight here, which is awe-inspiring. Unfortunately, I don't know who the author is.
Take a photo of the survey willow garden.
After leaving the 9th Company, he visited the town of Liuyuan, which is known as the "Little United Nations". From the introduction of the town director, it is known that this is the material distribution center of Gansu, Xin, Qinghai and Tibet, and it is also the starting point of the Liu (Yuan) Ge (Ermu) Highway. There are 77 large and small units in Liuyuan Town, almost all of which are material transfer stations in the four provinces and regions (22 in Gansu, 21 in Xinjiang, 20 in Qinghai, and 8 in Qinghai), and the permanent population of the town is 120 thousand. The subordination here is more complicated, the railway system is managed by Xinjiang, the administrative jurisdiction is subordinate to Anxi (Guazhou) County, and the material transfer stations of each province and region are subordinate to their own provinces and regions. This is probably where the name "Little United Nations" comes from.
In addition to understanding the storage and transfer of materials, the loading and unloading capacity of the railway platform and the transportation capacity of the Liuge and Lanxin highways were also investigated.
The road east of Liuyuan on Lanxin Highway is in good condition, and we soon arrived at Anxi County. After a short rest, I listened to the report of the leaders of Anxi County, and stayed at the Anxi County Guest House that night.
On April 28th, the whole day was held in Yumen City, where there are two main attractions, civil air defense fortifications and oil fields and refineries. After arriving in the morning, I first listened to a briefing by the Jiuquan Military Sub-district and the Municipal Civil Air Defense Office, which was in the leading position in the country at that time, on a par with Dalian, where Gansu Province held an on-site meeting in 1976. The cumulative amount of excavation in that year reached 1230,000 cubic meters, operational, office, living and other facilities are readily available, can be hidden, defended, fought and lived. The survey team was amazed by the grand scale, supporting facilities and complete functions of the civil air defense project in Yumen City! He applauded the instructions of digging deep holes, accumulating grain, and not seeking hegemony", and "preparing for war and preparing for famine for the people".
In the afternoon, visit the oil field and refinery, Yumen Oilfield is the originator of China's petroleum industry. Since Sun Jianchu discovered the oil field, China has attached great importance to the construction of oil fields. As soon as New China was born, a major decision was made to reorganize the 57th Division of the 19th Army into the First Petroleum Engineering Division and go to the Yumen Oilfield and Karamay Oilfield to strengthen the construction of the petroleum industry in New China.
Until the 70s of the 20th century, when I went to the Yumen Oilfield to conduct a survey of the history of military warfare, some veterans of the 57th Division were still fighting here, and Li Linfang, secretary of the Party Committee of the Petroleum Administration, was one of them. Many leaders of the petroleum system also went out from the 57th Division, such as Zhang Wenbin and Qin Wencai, vice ministers of the Ministry of Petroleum, and Jia Zhenli and Ji Meisheng, directors of the pipeline bureau. Not only were they able to command wars, but they were also outstanding leaders on the oil front.
With the rise of a number of high-yield large oil fields, in the mid-70s of the 20th century, Yumen Oilfield was mainly responsible for cultivating talents, and was known as the cradle of cadres and scientific and technological workers on the oil front. In the battles of Daqing, Fuyu, Shengli, Tuha and other oil fields, many teams and backbone forces were Yumen people. Iron man Wang Jinxi is one of the best. The famous poet Li Ji once wrote a poem praising Yumen: "The Soviet Union has Baku, China has Yumen, and where there is oil, there are Yumen people." ”
Even in the year of cultivating talents, the annual output of refined oil still reaches 850,000 tons, there are 5 series of 126 varieties, and there are as many as 46 kinds of oil products for military use. It plays an irreplaceable and important role in the oil supply of the future corridor area and even the Xinjiang war.
Overnight at the Yumen Petroleum Administration Guest House. Before going to Jiuquan on the morning of the 29th, I visited the Laojun Temple and the Baiyanghe Oilfield, where the movie "Entrepreneurship" was filmed. The oil well kowtowing machine all over the mountains has added a beautiful scenery to the originally desolate river valleys, mountains and ravines. Literary creators, photography enthusiasts, and travelers often come to visit for sightseeing.
Jiayuguan City Tower is built on Yaowang Mountain between two mountains, stuck in the inland to the outside of the traffic line, is the throat of the Hexi Corridor, the key to Jiujia, the strategic position is very important, has always been a place for soldiers to fight, naturally become the focus of the Lanxin joint department survey.
The Baiyanghe Oilfield is 60 kilometers away from Jiayuguan, an hour's drive away. Liu Lingu, commander of the 12th Tank Division, and Lu Baoyin, political commissar, were already waiting for the survey team on the side of the Lanxin Highway under the city tower.
The Jiujia area, centered on the Jiayuguan Tower, was the preset battlefield for the defense of the north. According to the plan, we first went to the Turtle Mountain to investigate, and then climbed the first pass in the world to appreciate the strategic vision of the ancient military strategists who built the city here.
Commander Liu of the 12th Tank Division briefed the survey team on the terrain of Turtle Mountain. Viewed from north to south, the mountain is from low to high, the ravines are connected, and a huge sand rock on the top of the mountain resembles a turtle cover, so the turtle mountain is named, and the locals call it the turtle cover mountain. The Lanxin railway and highway pass through the mountain. On the surface of the mountain and underground, built manned fortifications and fortified positions. Standing on the top of the mountain and looking north, Turtle Mountain and Yushugou South Mountain, Jiayuguan North Mountain, Huangcaoying Southwest Mountain, etc. are each other's horns, forming a strict prevention and control of traffic arteries. Looking south, Manjusri Mountain lies east and west, echoing with the north and south of Qilian Mountain not far away. Between Wenshu Mountain and Turtle Mountain, there is an insurmountable natural barrier of the Beida River, and the river valley is up to 100 meters deep, cutting Jiayuguan Beach and Wenshu Beach into two pieces naturally. Some people vividly compare the Jiuquan Basin to a wine bottle, and the city tower is just a bottle mouth, and its military value is self-evident.
Climb the city tower and look around, the distant mountain and the near view are in full view, and everyone is impressed by the military vision of the ancients to build the building. The narrator followed the chiefs as they walked and explained, and the chiefs also stopped and stopped, pointing to the surrounding terrain and talking about how to defeat the enemy in future wars. The staff secretaries who followed the chiefs pressed the shutter of the cameras in their hands from time to time to leave wonderful historical moments for the chiefs.
The chiefs were in high spirits on the upper floor of Jiayuguan City, and the scheduled arrival of the 12th Tank Division was delayed by an hour. Considering that since the departure from Hami, the saddle horse has been tiring all the way, the two chiefs decided to arrange a rest in the afternoon, visit the Quanhu Park of the Western Han Dynasty, and imagine the heroic scene of the hussar general Huo Quai's illness and the emperor gave wine in the spring and drank with the soldiers.
That night, the 12th Tank Division cleaned up the dust for the survey team at the guest house, and the soldiers' amateur literary and artistic propaganda team held a wonderful theatrical performance.
On the morning of April 30, the Lanzhou Military Region briefed the survey team in the war room of the 12th Tank Division. Deputy Army Commander Du Manling reported on the geography and troop deployment of troops in the Hexi Corridor and the main operational tasks undertaken by the 19th Army, such as supporting Xinjiang, entering Tibet, and holding on to defense.
Left: Deputy Commander Zheng Sansheng (right) and Deputy Commander Liu Jinghai.
Right: Front row from left, from the left, from the chief of Chang Fengyi, from the 12th Tank Division Lu Baoyin, the deputy commander of Du Manling, and the leader of Jiayuguan City, and from the left in the back row, the deputy section chief of He Youke, the author.
The staff officers took a group photo at the Jiayuguan City Tower. From left: Yang Xuhua, He Youke, Shen Qianyu, author, Zhang Tongjin.
Originally, he was scheduled to rest on "1 May", but because he had to go to the garrison division in different directions and the Hongshishan Frontier Battalion of the Gansu Provincial Military Region, in order not to prolong the survey time, he had to give up the rest of the next day and make preparations for the reconnaissance in the direction of the garrison division on the afternoon of 30 July.
On 1 May, when the people of the whole country were immersed in the celebration of International Labor Day, the survey team with a special mission marched to the direction of Castle Peak Tou, where the garrison division was stationed, after breakfast. The garrison division and the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Base are stationed in the same place, 220 kilometers away from Jiuquan, there is no grade highway, and vehicles can only rely on telephone poles to guide the direction of travel on the Gobi Desert. In order to avoid the sand and dust raised by the front car, the rear car had to follow up in the upwind position on the side of the front car, so that the lane became wider and wider. At that time, the satellite launch base was extremely secretive, and not only could ordinary people not enter, but also soldiers and military vehicles could only enter through the Tiancang checkpoint with a letter of introduction from the Security Department of the Lanzhou Military Region. However, the investigation team's actions had already been informed to the relevant parties, and the journey had been smooth.
We not only marched all the way to the garrison division, but also surveyed the terrain at Jinta Nanshan, Jiuquandi Hongshan, and Jixin Mountain along the way, and listened to briefings by the deputy commander of the capital and the garrison division.
After arriving at the garrison division, the survey team was coordinated and arranged to live in the 20 base guest house. The base was originally a corps-level unit, formerly known as the 20th Corps of the Chinese People's Volunteers, and was ordered to go here after returning to China in 1956 to create China's aerospace industry.
In the afternoon of the same day, they reconnoitred the existing positions in the Qingshantou area and observed the launch of the No. X surface-to-air missile. In particular, it is worth mentioning that I visited the launch site X, which is the birthplace of China's "two bombs and one satellite" and the place where the first artificial earth satellite was raised, which is of epoch-making significance in the history of China's aerospace industry. Everyone was full of excitement, around the launch frame and silo turned around and around, sometimes standing and looking up, sometimes carefully ** the launch frame and silos, looking back on China's first artificial satellite from here, Dongfang Hong music resounded throughout the world that exciting scene, while taking pictures, while sighing "two bombs and one satellite" to strengthen our country's prestige, feeling that the spirit of "two bombs and one satellite" inspired us to forge ahead.
After leaving the first satellite launch site, they went to the martyrs' cemetery to pay their respects and lay wreaths to the aerospace pioneers headed by Sun Jixian to cherish their outstanding contributions to the cause of "two bombs and one satellite." In the evening, an amateur theatrical performance reflecting the combat life of the officers and men of the base was held, and everyone was moved by the spirit of "two bombs and one satellite" in which the officers and men of the base have been fighting in the depths of the Gobi Desert all year round and are "particularly able to endure hardships, endure hardships, fight, and make contributions." I am amazed at their great contribution to supporting the backbone of the nation and raising the prestige of our country and the army in the most difficult period of the country!
On May 2, we set off from the base to the Sino-Mongolian border, surveying the No. X man-made hill along the way. Then we arrived at the 6th Frontier Company of Ceke for lunch and visited the meeting station and the Frontier Company. Arrive at Ejina Banner before dinner, and stay at the 3rd Frontier Regiment. That night, the Eqi Ulan herdsmen held a wonderful theatrical performance for the survey team.
20 During the initial construction of the base, the construction tasks surrounding the defense of the base were also very heavy. In a special era and against a special background, the operational principle of "nailing nails, bayonets, and turning border areas into meat mills" has been formed. For a period of time, the construction of the battlefield of "making holes in the mountains, but not piling up mountains" was rolled out in an all-round way. The Central Military Commission successively transferred engineering units from Shenyang, Jinan, and other places to carry out construction, and some units of the 55th Division were also ordered to assign work areas to carry out national defense construction tasks. In addition to completing the fortification projects of x divisions, several artificial mountains were piled up on the Gobi Desert. The scale of the project, the huge cost of the project, and the length of time it took are rare in the history of our army. It is difficult for contemporary people to say whether it is true or wrong, and it can only be left to future generations of experts and scholars to make objective and fair comments.
With the advancement of the construction of the base and the unfolding of the launch test task, the Central Military Commission has successively set up bases around the safety and security of the base. After completing the construction task, the engineering unit was reorganized into the garrison division of the Lanzhou Military Region, and its main task was also to defend the base and consolidate the border defense.
In this historical change, the Eqi people have made great sacrifices and dedications. Before the construction of the 20th base, the capital of Eqi was in the No. 7 area east of Qingshantou, but later moved to its current location due to military needs, and the herders lost their original natural pastures with abundant water and grass and left their lovely hometown. On the glorious spectrum of the two bombs and one star of the republic, it should be written in a strong and colorful way for the banner people. They gave up their small family for the country, and they did not hesitate.
On the morning of May 2, the survey in the direction of the Eqi returned to the garrison division headquarters from the 3rd Frontier Regiment, and Division Commander Feng Qingrui and Political Commissar Wang Yingwen held a luncheon to see off the survey team. In the afternoon, return to Jiuquan by the same route.
Hongshi Mountain is the northernmost part of the Lanxin Junction, and it is also an important operational direction of the Lanzhou Military Region, where the border defense battalion of the Gansu Provincial Military Region is stationed. The 1st Frontier Regiment of the Hami Military Subdivision and the Frontier Battalion of the Gansu Provincial Military Region jointly guarded the northern gates of Eastern Xinjiang and Gansu. At noon on 4 July, leaders of two friendly neighboring units met at the Jiuquan Military Sub-district to exchange views on issues related to defense assistance. Necessary preparations were made for the on-site investigation of the survey team and the identification of relevant problems by on-site research.
After breakfast on the 5th, the survey team went to Hongshi Mountain and had lunch at the Yumen Town Guest House on the way. At that time, there was no asphalt road for more than 200 kilometers from Qiaowan to the border defense camp, and the car could not run. After arriving at Mamanshan Town, he visited the officers and men of the 10th Company of the 35th Radar Regiment and the 10th Company of the 3rd Communication Station of the Lanzhou Military Region, and learned about the town's people's conditions, water sources, road traffic, and meteorological conditions. Mamanshan Town is a sub-county-level town in Subei Mongolian Autonomous County, with an area of 420,000 square kilometers, nearly 2,000 herders. With an average of 21 square kilometers and 1 person, it is typical of remote, desolate, border ethnic minority areas.
There are still more than 60 kilometers from the town of Horsehair Mountain to the Langwa Mountain of the border battalion headquarters. Although the survey team arrived at the battalion headquarters much later than planned and it was already dark, the officers and men still greeted the leaders of the survey group with full enthusiasm and lined up in a row.
The Gansu Provincial Military Region Frontier Battalion has 3 border companies and 1 special service company to control the border defense of the Gansu section of the Sino-Mongolian border. After dinner, Commander Wu Zhanxiang of the military sub-district reported to the survey group on the historical evolution, troop deployment, and tasks undertaken by the frontier battalion in the situation room of the battalion headquarters.
On the morning of 6 May, he first went to Hongshi Mountain to conduct reconnaissance and met with the officers and men of the 1st Frontier Company and the 3rd Communication Station Maintenance Station stationed here, and then went to Ikhatori to reconnoiter and visit the officers and men of the 2nd Frontier Company. Ihartori and Xiamagan are friendly neighbors. How to do a good job in assisting the defense of the two border defense companies that are far away from each other is a common issue that the leaders have considered when they come here and at Xiamaya a few days ago.
Staff Officer Shen and two deputy commanders of the General Staff Operations Department, Zheng and Liu, sat on the mountain bag next to the 2nd Ikhatori Frontier Company, pondering. Deputy Commander Zheng suddenly asked the communications ministers of the two military regions: Is the communication between the two companies guaranteed, and how long will it take for them to communicate? Wang Lizhong, deputy director of the communications department of the Xinjiang Military Region, replied: "Through the communication connection between the maintenance station in Hongshi Mountain and the communication station in Hami, it can be connected in five minutes. Liang Muzhi, deputy director of the Communications Department of the Lanzhou Military Region, also agreed. Deputy Commander Zheng said: "Good! I'll look at the watch, and you'll pick it up. ”
A few steps down the hill is the barracks of the 2nd Frontier Company, which has not been connected after about 20 minutes, and the two ministers look very embarrassed. Deputy Commander Zheng stared at the two deputy ministers with his blazing eyes, and said unhurriedly: "This kind of communication situation is not good! It's going to be a mistake. I suggest that the communications departments of the two military regions build an open line between the two companies to ensure smooth communication. He added: "The two sides should invest in the construction of a road that runs horizontally along the border line and a longitudinal road leading to the border from the company's station, so as to ensure that there is an incident and facilitate the two companies' patrol and defense posts." Deputy Commander Liu expressed his complete agreement with Deputy Commander Zheng's opinion, stressing that the functional departments of the organs of the two military regions should first step up the implementation of matters within the scope of their powers, and that the issue of road construction should be jointly reported to the General Headquarters by the two regions, and the project should be approved before being put into practice. He also invited Staff Officer Shen, who was present at the meeting, to report to the Operations Department of the General Staff Headquarters and the head of the General Staff Department after returning to Beijing to reflect these practical problems that urgently need to be resolved.
In the future, the State Border Defense Commission arranged for the construction of patrol roads and barbed wire along the Sino-Mongolian border, supporting longitudinal roads connecting the company to the road network. When I arrived in Jiuquan in early 1998, the project was still in progress. The completion of one road and one network has greatly improved the conditions for patrolling on duty and for assisting in defense with Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia's neighbors. In those years, the leaders were so far-sighted and far-sighted in their strategic thinking that they were ahead of their time and how wise they were. He also lamented that the task of building border defense infrastructure proposed by the leaders in Ikhatori fell on his shoulders without coincidence. I don't know if this is providence or coincidence.
Building on my predecessor's example, the road network was built every year since 1998 until 2003, when the task was completed efficiently and with high quality. After inspecting and accepting the project, Bai Guochang, deputy director of the Frontier Defense Bureau of the General Staff Headquarters, believed that the quality of the project in the Gansu section was one of the best bids for the entire section of the Sino-Mongolian border, and decided to hold an on-site meeting at an appropriate time that year, which was later canceled due to SARS.
In August 2004, the Jiuquan Military Sub-district and myself were rated as advanced units and individuals in the construction of land border defense infrastructure in China. I was honored to attend the summary and commendation meeting held by the State Border Defense Commission in the Great Hall of the People and to stand on the highest podium of the country.
After completing the survey of the Hongshi Mountain Defense Area, the survey team marched to Haixi Prefecture, the next survey area, as planned. On the afternoon of May 6, through Mamanshan Town, Mingshui, Malianjing, and Hongliuyuan on the border between Gansu and Xinzhou provinces and regions, all the way to the south. Overnight at the Anxi County Guest House.
The destination on May 7 was Dunhuang. An (West) Dun (Huang) Highway is in good condition and there are few vehicles. The 120-kilometer journey arrived at 11 o'clock at noon, and the accommodation was arranged in the anti-chemical battalion of the Lanzhou Military Region. Although the camp was not large, it was clean and tidy, and when we arrived, the officers and men of the battalion lined up to welcome us.
In the afternoon of the same day, the survey team went to the 77th Regiment of the Qinghai-Tibet Military Station not far from the county seat to visit the officers and men and learn about the situation. After that, we arranged a tour of Crescent Spring and Mingsha Mountain. At that time, the crescent moon spring water was deep and prosperous, like a bright moon embedded in the Mingsha Mountain, full of charm, leaving a wonderful and magical impression.
Deputy Commander Zheng Sansheng, fourth from the right in the second row, Deputy Commander Liu Jinghai from the fifth from the right, and second from the right in the fourth row.
On the morning of May 8th, visit the Thousand Buddha Cave, a treasure cave of world art. At that time, there were no special protection measures in the Mogao Grottoes, and tourists were rarely seen. The museum arranged for us to visit 42 caves, including some that were later designated as closed. The curator accompanied the whole process, and the narrator was a tall, thin lesbian in her early 40s who wore a pair of glasses. She not only speaks standard Mandarin, but also is knowledgeable, and is very familiar with the historical background and formation process of the caves visited, especially the storylines of some representative murals, which can be narrated, talk about the past and the present, fascinating, and make everyone feel the profound and infinite charm of Dunhuang art. In the years since then, I have worked in Jiuquan for many years, and I have accompanied guests to visit the Mogao Grottoes many times, but I have never met such a high-level narrator.
On the afternoon of the 8th, the survey team held a meeting to summarize the situation since entering Hexi and arrange the survey plan for entering Haixi Prefecture and Bayingolin Prefecture.
(To be continued).