Loading chili noodles into shells is not a plot in an anti-Japanese drama, but a real example of a battle in the history of our army's anti-Japanese war. Moreover, the power of this shell is beyond imagination. The inventor of the "pepper shell" is the artillery unit of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. The deputy commander, General Zhao Zhangcheng, has a household name - the mortar god.
General Zhao Zhangcheng, a native of Luoyang, Henan. In his early years, he devoted himself to the anti-Japanese resistance and participated in Feng Yuxiang's Second Army. However, as he grew up in the barracks, the Red Army's anti-Japanese concept of serving the country and the people was more in line with his ideal of serving the country. So in 1931, he abandoned the dark side and joined the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Army. Red army.
Zhao Zhangcheng has a "stunt" - individual mortar shooting, commonly known as "one-handed shooting". In fact, this is a training program of our army, but what makes Zhao Zhangcheng different from others is that his shooting is extremely accurate. There were no seat plates or gun mounts for shooting. It is run by a single person with independent goals. Hold the barrel of the gun with the left hand, release the shell with the right hand, and fire the gun with the hand. It has strong maneuverability and does not have high requirements for the shooting environment, but its accuracy is difficult to guarantee. Zhao Zhangcheng's "one-handed shooting" succeeded almost every time.
When the Red Army forcibly crossed the Dadu River, it was suppressed by enemy fire on the beachhead. Seeing the pursuers approaching, Yang Dezhi, the commander of the Red First Regiment, who was directing the battle, hurriedly found Zhao Zhangcheng. At that time, Zhao Zhangcheng had no helpers, no gun mounts, and only 3 shells left! I saw that he held a cannon in his hand, had no assistant to observe the coordinates, and relied entirely on naked eye and experience to aim. Three shells accurately destroyed three of the opponent's firing points. He made a miraculous contribution to the breakthrough of the Red Army. The chairman personally awarded him the honorable title of "sharpshooter". The name of "Cannon God" also spread among the army. Throughout the Red Army's Long March, Zhao Zhangcheng helped the Red Army overcome difficulties many times with his superb shooting skills.
During the Anti-Japanese War, Zhao Zhangcheng had served as the commander of the artillery regiment of the Eighth Route Army Headquarters and the artillery director of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningjin-Sui Joint Defense Army. During the Battle of the Hundred Regiments, the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army was blocked in Liaoxian County, Shanxi, and could not advance. A local stronghold called "Guantou" is an extremely difficult "hard bone" to gnaw. The Japanese occupied the favorable terrain and strong fortifications here. It was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and our army was even attacked by Japanese poison gas bombs. After nearly 6 days of fierce fighting, it was still not overcome. Zhao Zhangcheng rushed to help. He asked the fighters to pour out some of the explosives from the shells and then load them with chili flakes. , and then install the fuse. A total of 20 rounds were produced. On the day of the attack, Zhao Zhangcheng moved his firing position to a distance of 150 meters from the enemy and personally adjusted it. 20 "pepper shells" accurately fell into the Japanese positions. The pungent smoke of gunpowder enveloped the pillboxes, and the Japanese troops ran out of the fortifications. As a result, it was defeated, and Guantouzhai was captured.
The Battle of Anshun was the pinnacle of Zhao Zhangcheng's battle. In that battle, he controlled three cannons at the same time, firing continuously until the barrels of all three cannons turned red. The Japanese soldier who was captured after the war said, "At the time of the shelling, the Japanese commander at that time judged by the accuracy and density of the artillery fire that there was a mortar platoon in the Eighth Route Army firing a salvo!" It can be said that Zhao Zhangcheng's "technique has reached the standard of art" (*evaluation).
Later, Zhao Zhangcheng also improved the technical defect that the mortar could not fire directly. The 82 mortar of his modification, capable of firing both straight and direct fire, and having the functions of infantry artillery, created a miracle in the history of warfare. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhao Zhangcheng also participated in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea and served as the commander of the artillery command post of the Volunteer Army. After returning to China, he served as deputy commander of the artillery of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and was awarded the rank of major general.
Commander Zhao once observed a competition drill of a certain artillery unit. Due to the muddy site, the 82 mortar fired on an unstable chassis, and several shells in a row did not hit the target. Zhao Zhangcheng walked directly off the field, ran to the shooting position, took off the liberation insoles and held the gun rack, stabilized the gun with one hand, and picked up the ammunition with the other. He hit the target with a single shot, and the audience erupted in applause. It also allowed the young soldiers to see the majestic posture of the gunner holding the sword that never fades, and it became a good story.
General Zhao is like this, there is no shelf, easy-going. He was also worried about the hard work that followed the victory in the war. At the age of nearly 60, he also personally demonstrated the "one-handed cannon". His standard actions were made into military education films by Bayi Film Studio. In November 1969, this legendary figure in the history of Chinese artillery, this amiable, respectable and lovely old man died of illness at the age of 64.