On February 22, 1988, two ** ships of the People's Navy sailed out of the Yulin base.
This small naval formation left the waters of Sanya, and on the vast and boundless blue ocean, like two arrows from the string, cut through the wind and waves, and sailed all the way south, heading to the Nansha Islands near the equator.
The commander of the squadron's flagship, the "502" frigate, was Chen Weiwen, chief of staff of the Navy's Yulin base.
According to the plan, why did Chen Weiwen, who was supposed to be on vacation at home, suddenly return to the army?
What kind of special mission is this small naval formation going to the Spratly Islands?
The whole story goes back to the end of 1987, two months ago.
According to the normal work arrangements of the base and the explanation given by Commander Yang Yushu of the base, Chen Weiwen, chief of staff of the base, can take a period of leave to reunite with his family after a long-absent family after attending the meeting of the four levels of chief of staff of the military region after going to Guangzhou.
This is a rare opportunity for Chen Weiwen, who has been together less and more away all year round.
However, plans are not changing as fast as they are. Towards the end of the meeting, a briefing disrupted Tran's vacation plans, and he sensed something unusual: the Vietnamese Navy, which often backtracked, might be "doing something" for the 74th Ocean Observatory.
The "74" Ocean Observatory is one of the five observatories set up along the coast of China, Xisha and Nansha in accordance with the request of the UNESCO Paris Ocean Conference, and is located on Fiery Cross Reef, 40 nautical miles north of Huayang Reef in the Nansha Sea.
At a critical moment, Vietnam has made another "moth" in the South China Sea.
A year ago in Paris, Vietnam had no objection to China's Nansha Marine Observatory and voted in favor of it on the spot. While the construction of the Fiery Cross Reef Observatory was in full swing, the Vietnamese side reneged on its word and openly clamored for a big disturbance in Nansha.
If the Vietnamese army had only been a verbal provocation, Chen Weiwen would not have returned to the team so urgently.
At that time, the Vietnamese side not only made a big noise on the South China Sea and added fuel to the situation in the South China Sea, which has always been turbulent, but more importantly, the Vietnamese Navy was impatient and acted as a vanguard in muddying the calm waters of the South China Sea.
From mid-January to mid-February 1988, in just one month, the Vietnamese army illegally occupied five islands and reefs in Nansha, and the number of islands and reefs illegally controlled in Nansha surged to 20 at once.
On 18 February, Vietnamese minesweepers and transport ships transported dozens of people to seize Huayang Reef, but they were forced to retreat by six brave men, including Lin Shuming, captain of our No. 147 tugboat engineering team, relying on one light machine gun, one submachine gun, and one radio.
40 nautical miles north of Huayang Reef is Fiery Cross Reef, where the oceanographic observatory is located.
The Eastern, Middle and West Reefs, which are not far from Huayang Reef, have been illegally occupied by the Vietnamese army, and the purpose of the Vietnamese army in making trouble in Nansha is to covet Xisha and Nansha, which have belonged to China since ancient times, that is, the "thousands of miles of Changsha" and "thousands of miles of sea ponds" in ancient books.
Chen Weiwen is well aware that whether the safety of the Fiery Cross Reef Marine Observatory can be ensured, the surrounding islands and reefs are the key.
Chen Weiwen, who had participated in the Battle of Xisha Sea, immediately smelled something different.
During the war years, the sound of a gun was an order; In peacetime, the enemy situation is an order. At this time, Chen Weiwen could no longer hold back his eagerness, and hurriedly ended his vacation early, bid farewell to his wife and children, and rushed back to the Yulin base.
As soon as Chen Weiwen came back, he found that the formation returning from duty in Nansha was undergoing intensive overhaul and was ready to return to Nansha at any time. However, Chen Weiwen learned from Commander Yang Yushu that the commander had preliminarily determined that a deputy commander would lead the team.
Seeing that he had "gotten up early in the morning and rushed to a late meeting," Chen Weiwen, who had graduated from the military academy and entered the Navy's Yulin base for 20 years and had passed the age of knowing the destiny of heaven, actively asked for war, and constantly fought in front of Commander Yang, and moved out 1,000 and 10,000 reasons to ask for war and lead the team.
Commander Yang listened to Chen Weiwen's words thoughtfully, but did not immediately express his position.
Commander Yang also knew that Chen Weiwen, who graduated from the Dalian Naval Academy, the cradle of naval officers, was born in poverty and spent his youth raising pigs, herding cattle, and escaping famine.
Chen Weiwen, born in April 1937 in Taishan, Guangdong, was admitted to Wuhan University at the age of 19 and soon responded to the call to join the Navy. He and Huang Youtai, his old rivals in the Battle of Zhongjian Island in Xisha 410 and the Battle of Chigua Reef in Nansha 314, are both alumni of Dalian Naval Academy.
In order to persuade Commander Yang to let him lead the team, Chen Weiwen did not hesitate to "sell melons".
After graduating in June 1961, Chen Weiwen participated in five naval battles.
In the first naval battle, the commander was Gao Xizeng, chief of staff of the South China Sea Fleet, who sank the "Xiejin No. 8" spy transport ship and captured 26 enemies. Chen Weiwen, 25, is the chief navigator of the "Yangzhou" submarine hunting submarine.
In the second naval battle, the commander was Tian Song, deputy commander of the Yulin base, and in this battle, he sank the "Daikin No. 1" and "Dajin No. 2" spy transport ships, killing 40 people and capturing 60 people. 27-year-old Chen Weiwen was promoted from the captain of the "Yangzhou" to the deputy captain.
The third naval battle was also a battle against a spy transport ship, and Chen Weiwen was once again promoted for meritorious service.
In the 70s, Chen Weiwen participated in two more battles of Xisha Sea.
On January 19, 1974, Liu Xizhong led two submarine hunters and Zuo Chongyi led two minesweepers, with the cooperation of the frigate formation of the South China Sea Fleet, sank one South Vietnamese escort ship and damaged three ships, and successfully recovered the three islands of Ganquan, Coral and Jinyin.
Chen Weiwen was the deputy chief of staff of the 42nd Frigate Brigade at that time, and participated in the war as the "navigator" of the naval formation.
On April 10, 1979, Chen Weiwen commanded the naval battle to defend Zhongjian Island.
Chen Weiwen, then chief of the Aviation Protection Training Section of Xisha Marine Police District, was the supreme commander of Zhongjian Island, and used the 9521 landing craft and the "Hongqi" 086 transport ship to capture three military armed boats of alumnus Huang Youtai in one fell swoop, capturing 24 people.
In 1980, Chen Weiwen, who had made many military achievements, was transferred to Guangzhou Naval Academy.
During his seven years at the Military Academy, in addition to teaching, Chen Weiwen devoted himself to studying famous naval battle cases at home and abroad, and conducted in-depth research on the possible invasion of enemies in the Xisha and Nansha waters in the future. When he returned to the Yulin base again, the commander had been replaced by Yang Yushu.
Yang Yushu, a native of Hengshan, Hunan, is two years older than Chen Weiwen, and has worked step by step from the grassroots level to serve as deputy navigator and captain of minesweepers, deputy captain of the minesweeper brigade, commander of the Marine Police District, and deputy commander of the Yulin base.
In August 1987, 52-year-old Yang Yushu was promoted to commander of the base.
Chen Weiwen returned to the Yulin base as chief of staff, and cooperated with Commander Yang tacitly, and Commander Yang also trusted this chief of staff. Therefore, at this time, Chen Weiwen generously asked for battle and said that Commander Yang was moved.
Everything is ready, only the east wind is owed. Before leaving, Liu Xizhong, 58-year-old deputy commander of the South China Sea Fleet, inspected the preparations and gave an explanation to "Xiao Chen." The core of the disclosure is Beijing's clear "five ones" and "one must" instructions.
The "five ones" are: 1. Don't take the initiative to cause trouble;2. Don't shoot first;3. Do not show weakness;4. Don't suffer losses;5. Don't lose face.
The "one must" is: If the Vietnamese army dares to occupy our islands and reefs, they must be driven away!
How to implement the "five ones" and "one must", Chen Weiwen made a difficulty.
After pondering and meditating all the way, Chen Weiwen's comprehension of this instruction is reminiscent of the chairman's sixteen-character thesis during the war years, that is, "If people do not offend me, I will not offend others; If anyone sins against me, I will sin."
Rear Admiral Hoang Huu Tay, the Viceroy of the Vietnamese Navy, graduated from the Dalian Naval Academy a year later than Tran Wai Van after having been involved in the naval battle to seize Zhongjian Island. However, Huang alumnus remembered whether he ate or not, and forgot the pain after the scars.
This time, Huang Youtai sent 5 ships to seize a large number of islands and reefs near Fiery Cross Reef with Chen Weiwen, including Gaven Reef, and the most critical one is Chigua Reef. The officers and men on Chen Weiwen's 502 frigate took the lead in landing on Chigua Reef.
Seeing that there were a large number of menacing Vietnamese troops, Chen Weiwen immediately ordered the ship to rush to help. Soon, more than 50 people landed on the reef, more than the 40 people of the Vietnamese army. Seeing that there were not as many Vietnamese soldiers as our soldiers, they took the lead in firing, and our troops immediately returned fire.
At this time, the superiors sent an urgent telegram saying "no shooting", and the situation was urgent, so Chen Weiwen put this urgent telegram aside.
In less than 3 hours, 2 transport ships of the Vietnamese army were sunk, and 1 large landing ship was seriously injured and sank on the way back to the port.
In this battle, Chen Weiwen led his troops to kill and wound more than 300 Vietnamese soldiers and capture 9 people. All 3 of our frigates were intact, only 1 person was wounded. Chen Weiwen and the 502 Squadron actually controlled nine islands and reefs, exceeding the task of controlling four to six islands and reefs as specified by Deputy Commander Liu.
The Nansha naval battle aroused the exclamation of many foreign media.
[502 Formation Commander Chen Weiwen (right) and 502 Ship Captain Xu Changyin (left)].
In particular, Chen Weiwen, who was resolute in command and decisive at the moment, once became the focus of heated discussions and controversies from all walks of life.
At that time, the internal and external situation was very delicate, Chen Weiwen was transferred out of the Yulin base after the war and "hidden", is this related to his failure to strictly implement the order of "no shooting"? The reason is certainly not that simple.
Half a month later, the commendation order personally signed by Deng Gong arrived, but the name of "Chen Weiwen" was not mentioned. This is an even bigger test for a fighter. "After the matter is over, the clothes are gone, and the merit and fame are deeply hidden", Chen Weiwen's choice and dedication at the historical juncture have been engraved in history。From the chief to the soldiers guarding the islands and reefs, all gave Chen Weiwen a thumbs up.
The Motherland will never forget those who are loyal to the Motherland. September 1988,Half a year after the Battle of Nansha, our army resumed the military rank systemChen Weiwen, Yang Yushu, commander of the Yulin base, and Liu Xizhong, deputy commander of the South China Sea Fleet, were all awarded the rank of rear admiral.