Late at night on April 8, 1982, Chen Zaidao and Lu Zhengcao, two founding generals, sat in the office with solemn expressions. At this time, a red-headed document stamped with the seal of the "** Military Commission" was quietly placed in front of the two.
Since receiving that order, Chen Zaidao and Lu Zhengcao have been troubled by how to carry out the instructions, and they can hardly sleep at night. They looked at the red-headed document in front of them again, and their ears seemed to echo with Deng Gong's instructions: not a single soldier must be left behind, and all of them must be revoked.
A dense "red-headed document" made Chen Zaidao and Lu Zhengcao, the commanders and political commissars of the railway troops, in a dilemma. At the end of the document, there is a line of small print: "The Communist Party of China ** and the Military Commission decided to abolish the establishment of the railway army and change it to a 'steel force'." ”
So, why did you abolish the Railroad Corps? They went again**? Let's get to know this railway army, which is known as the "eternal god".
In peacetime, an average of 230 soldiers died every year, and more than 1,400 soldiers were disabled. Their task is to provide support for railway transportation within our country, and they once shouted a domineering slogan: "If the field army can hit the first level, our railway can be repaired!"
Although the formation of the railway corps has been abolished, they are still a "steel force" and are still contributing to the cause of railway transportation in our country.
In the War of Liberation, the railway troops worked hard to repair 15 main railway lines in Northeast China, North China, East China and other regions, laying a total of nearly 3,000 miles of railways.
Thanks to their unremitting efforts, our railway network has been able to recover rapidly. During the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the Railway Corps came to the Korean battlefield in the name of the Railway Corps of the Chinese People's Volunteers.
At that time, the air force of our volunteer army was very weak, and its logistics were completely dependent on railway transportation. In the early days, everything went well, but in the later stages of the war, the U.S. military often bombed the railway lines in order to cut off the supply lines of our army.
Even in the face of such challenges, the railway troops were still able to accomplish their tasks brilliantly, so that our army's logistical supply was continuous. Van Vliet, then commander of the U.S. Eighth Army, would ask about the bombing of our railways at every meeting, but the answer he received every time was "The railroad has been blown up, and the mission has been accomplished!" ”
But it wasn't long before Van Vliet would be surprised to find that our volunteers were still able to receive a steady stream of logistical supplies, which made him deeply puzzled.
During the Korean War, the United States dispatched nearly 50,000 planes to blow up the railway lines in the rear of our army, dropping a total of 200,000 explosives. However, they ignored the presence of the railway troops of our army.
After each bombing, our army's railway troops will immediately rush to repair and repair at the same time, so as to repair and repair at the same time. At the end of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Van Vliet spoke highly of the Chinese Railway Corps, believing that without their presence, the Chinese Volunteers would not have been able to win easily on the Korean battlefield.
As a matter of fact, in order to ensure the safety of the transportation routes of logistics materials for the Chinese Volunteers, the railway troops paid the price of the lives of thousands of outstanding officers and men. Whether on the battlefield or in peacetime, the railway troops are the defenders of railway safety and the builders of New China.
The railway soldiers are a special unit of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and after the end of the Korean War, they still shoulder the task of national construction and participate in the construction of many large-scale railways such as the Chengdu-Kunming Railway, the Guikun Railway, and the Xiangyu Railway.
However, in order to accomplish these arduous tasks, the railway troops paid great sacrifices, especially during the construction of the Chengdu-Kunming Railway, more than 500 soldiers died bravely.
In 1964, the famous mathematician Hua Luogeng stood beside the majestic Chengdu-Kunming Railway and said with emotion: "I can calculate one mathematical problem after another, but I can never calculate the loyalty of the railway soldiers to the party and the country." ”
With their lives and sweat, they have made great contributions to the development of China's railway industry. According to statistics, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the railways built by the railway soldiers accounted for one-third of the total length of the country's railways, and more than 5,000 railway soldiers died along the railways.
However, in this context, the decision to dismantle the railway soldiers was made in 1983. This decision has aroused many doubts and opposition, because the railway corps has made great contributions to the development of China's railway industry, and their contribution cannot be measured in money.
Although the railway troops no longer exist, their spirit and spirit have always remained in our hearts and inspired us to continue to move forward on the road of building a nation.
In the face of the complex and volatile situation at home and abroad, China has always adhered to the overall situation of national stability, so the size of China's armed forces has always been maintained at a very large level. However, with the development of the country, the relationship between the East and the West has gradually stabilized, and our country needs to invest more funds in economic construction, so our team will carry out disarmament every few years to save military spending.
By 1980, my country had carried out five disarmaments, with more than 3 million disarmed people. Despite this, the ratio of officers and soldiers in China is still much higher than that of other countries.
In order to control military spending and to demonstrate to the world China's sincerity for peace, in 1981, Comrade ** once again put forward the instructions on disarmament at the enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission.
The railway troops have made tremendous contributions to the liberation and construction of the country, but with the development of the market economy, the task of building railways can be completely handed over to the market.
Therefore, on April 9, 1982, the General Office and the Military Commission issued a notice deciding to abolish the establishment of the Railway Corps and merge the Railway Corps into the Ministry of Railways. Although this decision was a blow to the officers and men who were reluctant to give up, the special mission of the railway soldiers had been successfully completed, and it was time to meet the new mission.
Just as Chen Zaidao said, although the railway troops have been abolished, our contingent is still there, our railway cause is still there, and the contributions of the railway soldiers are still there.
On January 1, 1984, the railway troops officially withdrew from the historical stage in the PLA sequence, and the railway troops were collectively transferred to the Ministry of Railways. However, Chen Zaidao and Lu Zhengcao, the two founding generals, their mission has not changed.
As the last commander of the railway corps and the last stop of his military career, on January 1, 1984, he reluctantly closed the door of the railway corps headquarters, but his heart was full of memories of the past and expectations for the future.
In September 1977, he received a letter from the Office of the Military Commission and learned that he had been appointed commander of the Railway Corps, which was a new challenge and an important turning point in his military career.
Although the railway corps has disappeared, their spirit and mission still continue in the Ministry of Railways, and they have made great contributions to China's railway industry.
Chen was puzzled by his new appointment, as it had nothing to do with his past experiences. Chen Zaidao began to devote himself to the revolution at the age of 17, participated in important battles such as the Jute Uprising, the Red Army's anti-"encirclement and suppression" and the Long March, and he commanded many classic battles during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and was an experienced combat commander.
However, he was somewhat surprised by the fact that the organization put him in charge of a railroad unit that he had never been in contact with before. In the face of ***'s expectations, Chen Zaidao said with some embarrassment: "Secretary General Luo, I have never managed the railway army before, and I am worried that I will not be able to do it and let the organization down." ”
When *** proposed to Chen Zaidao to be the commander of the railway corps, Chen Zaidao expressed concerns, but *** explained the complexity and fluidity of the position in calm language.
However, when *** finished explaining, Chen Zaidao suddenly excitedly said that he was willing to accept this task, and there was no need for other considerations. In the end, Chen Zaidao, who is nearly 70 years old, accepted the appointment, and no matter whether it was cold or hot, windy or rainy, as long as there was a task, he would be on the scene.
Although he has not been in the railway army for a long time, Chen Zaidao has a very deep affection for this unit. After learning the news that the organization was going to dismantle the railway troops, Chen Zaidao repeatedly appealed to the higher authorities for help, hoping to retain this unit.
He even wrote in his report to ***: "The railway troops can solve their own needs and be responsible for their own profits and losses, hoping to retain this force." ”
Although Chen Zaidao wanted to be able to retain the railway troops, the organization had fully considered and made a decision to revoke it. Chen Zaidao expressed his understanding of this, and actively cooperated during the revocation period, successfully presiding over the transfer and handover of hundreds of thousands of railway soldiers.
Although he lost his military position, Chen Zaidao, who was in his 70s, took the initiative to apply for a second step, and the organization transferred him to work in the CPPCC in consideration of his advanced age. His contributions were recognized, and in 1988 he was awarded the Red Star Meritorious Service Medal of the First Class of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
Chen Zaidao, the last commander of the PLA Railway Corps. In his life, the railway army was his last journey. With his enthusiasm and loyalty to the party and the country, he stuck to his post and completed his last stop.
And Lu Zhengcao, the last political commissar of the railway troops, has dedicated most of his life to the cause of the railway soldiers. Born in Northeast China, he witnessed the brutality of the Japanese army in China, and the idea of expelling the Japanese invaders and defending his home and country was born in his heart.
As a general from the Northeast Army, he has been following Zhang Xueliang in the southern and northern wars and participated in the "Xi'an Incident". They are all heroes of the railway troops, and they deserve to be remembered forever.
Lu Zhengcao's fate with the railway soldiers began after the end of the Anti-Japanese War in 1945, when he served as the director of the Northeast Railway Administration and the deputy director of the Railway Department of the ** Military Commission. In 1946, the General Administration of the Northeast Railway Administration was established, and Lu Zhengcao became the director and political commissar, leading the railway troops to ensure the safety of railway transportation and transport troops and logistics materials to the front line.
Lu Zhengcao and the railway troops he led played an important role in the War of Liberation. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Lu Zhengcao served as the vice minister of the Ministry of Railways, and led the railway troops to the Korean battlefield in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea to ensure the supply of logistics materials for the Volunteer Army.
From the railway column of the People's Liberation Army to the Ministry of Railways of the Military Commission and then to the railway troops, Lu Zhengcao witnessed the growth of the railway troops. In 1982, the ** Military Commission ordered the abolition of the railway troops, and Lu Zhengcao was the most sentimental.
When Lu Zhengcao's railway corps was dismantled, he was 79 years old, but his body was tough. Soon after, he was appointed vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. His later years were full of memories and contributions.
He once recalled his career: "I have only done three things in my life: the first is to play Japan, the second is to manage the railway, and the third is to play tennis. His contribution to the country and the nation was not limited to this, he was also passionate about tennis, and in addition to his status as the founding general and political commissar of the railway corps, he also served as the president of the National Tennis Association.
After he was dismissed from the Railway Corps, he has been committed to promoting the development of tennis in our country. Even when he was 87 years old, he was entrusted by the organization to go to the United States to visit General Zhang Xueliang, and made great contributions to promoting cross-strait reunification.
Whether it is Chen Zaidao or Lu Zhengcao, or countless railway soldiers, they resolutely implement every organizational instruction, and this selfless dedication has helped China's railway development to rank among the top in the world.
Although the railway troops no longer exist, the spirit of the railway soldiers still shines brightly in the places where the motherland needs it most. We believe that at the moment when the motherland needs me, they will once again chant that inspiring slogan: "I am a railway soldier, and the motherland needs me, and it is my duty to do so." ”