During the period of great change, some veteran cadres and generals were given a cold reception and marginalized for various reasons. Among these veterans, General Zhang Aiping's ups and downs are particularly significant, and the court is cold.
However, whenever a guest visits, it always brings laughter and comfort to his family.
Zhang Aiping: The founder of the two bombs and one satellite, he has made great contributions to the national defense cause of New China, and is an important pillar of the national defense science and technology front. In 1960, as Deputy Chief of the General Staff, he was given an important task: a decision was needed to make whether or not to continue the atomic energy business.
In that year, the Soviet Union withdrew its specialists from China, and projects in atomic energy and other fields came to a standstill. The leadership of the armed forces and the cadres of the economic departments disagreed on whether to continue the development of the atomic bomb.
The veterans of the army firmly stated that they would go all out even in the face of great difficulties, because foreign forces are eyeing them. Cadres of economic departments believe that the current economic strength of the country is relatively weak, and it should wait until the national economy is improved, otherwise it will bring greater pressure to the country.
From an objective point of view, both voices have their own truths, but the starting point is different, and the views are naturally different. One thing is clear, however, that we are all in favor of the study of the atomic bomb, but there are differences in timing.
Mr. Chen and others recommended Zhang Aiping to be in charge of this work, because he was in charge of the administration and equipment work of the General Staff, and he was conscientious and responsible. Mr. Chen once said that Zhang Aiping needed to seek advice from experts at the beginning.
Although he didn't know much about the atomic bomb, he knew the yam egg, and he knew that if he didn't know the expertise, he couldn't make an argument. Therefore, he hired Liu Xiyao, a graduate of the Department of Physics of Peking University, as an assistant, and consulted Zhu Guangya, a physics expert, and others.
After a period of investigation and argumentation, they came to a conclusion and gave a clear time frame.
The change in the timing of the atomic bomb test is closely related to Zhang Aiping's investigation report. Since then, he has become deputy director of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission and devoted himself to the work of the two bombs.
After the successful development of the two bombs, he began to develop missiles. However, during the Great Movement in 1967, Zhang Aiping suffered an impact and was placed under guardianship for 5 years. When he reappeared, he had a broken leg and needed to undergo surgery in the hospital**.
After the meticulous work of the old Chinese medicine doctor in Fujian, he basically ** at the end of 1973. For the work of national defense science and technology, no one can compare with Zhang Aiping's leadership.
For this reason, Ye Shuai asked him to go out of the mountain. His first comeback was only a few months, but in 1976 he suffered a second shock and was once again marginalized. When he was working normally, he was in the city; And after the interruption of work, the door can be crowded, forming two completely different scenes.
After crushing the Gang of Four, Ye Shuai continued to preside over the work of the Military Commission and asked Xu Liqing to ask him to make a second comeback. Xu Liqing's arrival brought joy and relief to Zhang Aiping, and Ye Shuai's instruction was to let Zhang Aiping continue to work in the National Defense Science and Technology Commission.
However, the blow of two defeats made Zhang Aiping a little sad, and he rejected Xu Liqing three times. In the end, Ye Shuai personally went out to do ideological work, and Zhang Aiping decided to make a comeback.
While lamenting that the past ten years have been wasted in the nest, Zhang Aiping is also aware of the development of other countries during this time.
After taking office, Zhang Aiping promoted the research and development of intercontinental missiles with great determination, and although it was originally planned to carry out a test launch in 1977, he chose to postpone it until 1980 in order to ensure the advancement and accuracy of the technology.
He knew that time was of the essence and that he could not wait any longer and that he had to get to work as soon as possible. After arduous efforts, in 1980, the first intercontinental missile was successfully tested, with a range of 8,000 kilometers, which won an important victory for China's national defense cause.
Zhang Aiping's mission in the National Defense Science and Technology Commission has thus come to a successful end.