In the view of Yan Cairen, a retired colonel of Taiwan's "Marine Corps," the situation in the Taiwan Strait in 1996 was like a powder keg that had been ignited, which could be triggered at any time.
At that time, the US aircraft carrier battle group sailed to the Taiwan Strait, and it instantly became nervous, and Yan Cairen, as the commander of the Dongsha garrison area, experienced this missile crisis on the front line.
As he recalled, the soldiers had already written their wills, the bullets had been loaded, and no one could have predicted how this tense crisis would end.
The trigger for the Taiwan Strait crisis in 1996 can be traced back to May 1995, when the United States promised not to allow *** to visit the United States, but a month later, the United States suddenly announced that it would allow *** to conduct a so-called "private visit".
This kind of words and deeds are not.
1. The act of perfidy has deeply shocked and indignant the Chinese people.
This kind of non-compliance with the promise is undoubtedly challenging the bottom line of the mainland, which has taken resolute countermeasures for the next year or so. The PLA Navy, Army, and Air Force have conducted many joint combat military exercises, including amphibious landing, airborne, and mountain combat exercises.
During this period, the mainland also tested 13 Dongfeng-15 medium-range missiles and dispatched more than 200 ships and nearly 1,000 aircraft. The Taiwan issue has been one of the most sensitive issues in China-United States relations since 1958.
The atmosphere was extremely tense, the Taiwanese people fell into panic, the airport was crowded, and it was difficult to find a ticket to North America; Citizens flocked to banks to buy US dollars or withdraw deposits.
This large-scale build-up also caused the international situation to be the most important, at this time, the US military responded urgently, and Yan Cairen was leading the troops to be stationed on Dongsha Island. As the only island in the Dongsha Islands, Dongsha Island has always been controlled by the Taiwan military and is an important transportation hub in international navigation.
Dongsha Island is located about 440 kilometers southeast of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and only 260 kilometers from Shantou, Guangdong. After receiving an instruction from his superiors that "the island is in the people, and the island is dead," Yan Cairen, who served as the colonel commander of the Dongsha garrison area, knew very well that once the mainland took control of Dongsha Island, the capture of about 500 soldiers on the island would have a major impact on the morale of the Taiwan people.
The seizure of Dongsha Island can be said to be the greatest benefit in exchange for the smallest price for the mainland's strategy. Although the island is small in size, it is difficult to defend for a long time due to the lack of natural shelter.
Moreover, the island is far from the supply line of the main island of Taiwan, and in the event of an air attack, the entire island may be in flames. Therefore, even if Taiwan sends troops to defend it, they will not have the ability to control Dongsha Island for a long time.
If the mainland wants to gain control of Dongsha Island, it can be said that it will be easy. Therefore, whether or not to seize Dongsha Island is not a question of ability, but whether it is necessary.
When Luo Benli went to inspect the island, he pointed to the slogan on the wall that read "Live and die with the island" and asked Yan Cairen, which was the most impressive scene when he recalled the cross-strait situation in those years.
According to the sir, the soldiers of the whole island have completed the oath of meritorious service and swear to live and die with the island. "Yan Cairen looked at the spiritual slogan on the wall and said firmly. He said that his more than 500 Dongsha brothers had already written suicide notes, and the content was to leave all their property to XX for inheritance.
According to statistics,"Chief of Staff"In just a few months, Robbenli visited the outer islands 57 times. Some innocent soldiers believe that if a general with four stars on his shoulder personally comes to the front line to inspect, then there should be no danger at the front line.
However, in fact, it is precisely because everyone is on the verge of life and death that Luo Benli will personally come here to offer condolences and stabilize the morale of the army.
New Copy: As boxes of body bags are transported onto the island, the soldiers' emotions become heavier. The soldiers of the Marine Corps must be ready for battle at any time within 24 hours, wearing body armor and holding the ** in their hands.
The atmosphere on Dongsha Island is becoming more and more tense, and all of them have been loaded, because as the commander of the Dongsha garrison area, the responsibility on Yan Cairen's shoulders is like Mount Tai. Many high-ranking military officials also visited his home to express their condolences.
In the face of this torment, Yan Cairen couldn't help but muttered in his heart. He was worried that if a war broke out in Dongsha, more than 500 officers and men on the island might be killed, but if they were captured, how should the Taiwan authorities deal with it?
A major of the Taiwan military on active duty recalled that after receiving the order for the officers and men on leave to return to the unit immediately, his first thought was that he would rather be a deserter than return to the camp.
In a life-or-death situation, can loyalty really save lives? After retiring from the army, a Kinmen communications corpsman revealed that he had carried a communication codebook on the island and was about to hand over the codebook when the People's Liberation Army attacked the island, hoping to protect himself.
However, for these ordinary Taiwanese soldiers, the politicians who instigated the war did not need to go into battle in person, but they had to pay the price with their lives for meaningless policies, and even the officers and soldiers who stayed on duty in the camp said that if there was a real fight, they would rather choose to disarm and surrender.
It was used for news broadcasts in 1996"Thousands of troops crossed the strait, and thousands of miles of stormy waves opened the way"to describe the crisis, but the reality is far more dire than this sentence can describe.
If the U.S. dispatch of a two-carrier battle group to the Taiwan Strait brought the missile crisis to a confrontational climax, the ensuing development was full of drama.
Originally, in anticipation of the dispute between the mainland and Taiwan, the United States withdrew the aircraft carrier battle group from the waters near Taiwan on the pretext of easing the situation after flexing its military might. However, judging from the actual situation, China's conventional military forces have not reached the point of preventing the intervention of US aircraft carriers.
Therefore, why the US aircraft carrier suddenly retreated has become an unsolved mystery for more than 20 years. Some people speculate that the US military may have discovered that two of China's strategic missile nuclear submarines had suddenly disappeared from satellite monitoring, mistakenly believing that they had broken through the blockade of the island chain and were preparing to go to the US coastal waters for nuclear deterrence.
In order to avoid a direct conflict with China, the American aircraft carrier battle group took the initiative to retreat 200 nautical miles. Although the forces on all sides could not fully understand the situation at that time, and miscalculations were inevitable, the actions of the US side prompted the mainland side to take corresponding measures, and the clouds of war over the strait finally dissipated.
On March 25, 1996, China announced the end of military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, and a few days later, the aircraft carriers "Independence" and "Nimitz" returned to their stations, marking the end of the current crisis in the Taiwan Strait.
The missile crisis was one of the biggest cross-strait military crises since the 1958 air war, and Yan Cairen, as the frontline commander in Dongsha, was deeply touched. In 2001, he retired from the 99th Division of Taiwan's "Marine Corps".
Yan Cairen pointed out that although the education and preparation of noncommissioned officers in the Taiwan military were quite excellent, after more than 20 years of changes, the psychology and combat strength of the soldiers are now very different from those in the past.
In the face of a possible war, we cannot guarantee that the officers and men stationed on the island will not let go. He believes that if the PLA wants to seize Dongsha, whether or not the Taiwan military can hold the island will depend on the willpower and combat strength of the officers and men on the island; if the commander is passive and inactive, and the officers and men do not understand why they are fighting, then it will become difficult to defend the island.
In view of the future trend of the mainland, Yan Cairen believes that the strength of Taiwan and the mainland has undergone tremendous changes in the past 20 years, and Taiwan is no longer able to compete with the mainland in military force.
He suggested that the leaders of the Taiwan region should find a mechanism and consensus for dialogue with the mainland, which is the best benefit for the people.
The reunification of the motherland is the deepest aspiration of all Chinese people, but if the Taiwan authorities insist on going their own way, they will only end up digging their own graves and taking the blame on themselves. This is because China's core position is unswerving, that is, to realize the complete reunification of the motherland.
Past experience has taught us that we must strengthen our military strength, so we are speeding up the research and development of aircraft carriers, carrier-based aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft, submarines, missiles, and other equipment.
Looking ahead, although the mainland is committed to promoting cross-strait exchanges, the situation in the Taiwan Strait may not be turbulent, but there are always countries like the United States that frequently cause incidents watching from the sidelines, so that the situation in the Taiwan Strait is still facing severe challenges.
However, with the increasing comprehensive strength of the motherland, any encroachment by foreign forces will be resolutely resisted. On this rugged long march called "reunion," let us make joint efforts, march forward hand in hand, and strengthen our conviction that the peaceful reunification of the two sides of the strait will be realized in the end.