In 1980, 65-year-old Zhang Gongxiu received an order to go to the Kunming Military Region as the commander of the military region. Yang Dezhi, a veteran general in his late teens, was unable to continue to serve as the commander-in-chief of the Western Front of the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam due to illness.
Born in 1915, Zhang Gongxiu joined the revolution when he was a teenager, began to participate in revolutionary activities at the age of 14, joined the Communist Youth League in 1930, joined the Red Army in 1933, and joined the party in 1934.
During the Agrarian Revolution, Zhang Gongxiu was already an excellent soldier, and his resourcefulness and courage were recognized when he was deployed in battle. With the increase in the number of battles, Zhang Gongxiu's ability to lead and command battles gradually became apparent, and he was valued by his superiors.
In March 1934, the Red 17th Division moved north, penetrated deep into the Nanxun Railway to clamp down on the enemy, and cooperated with the Red Army to fight. After returning to the Hunan and Jiangxi Soviet districts, in the battle of Shashi in early April, Zhang Gongxiu's Yongan Independent Battalion participated in the task of cooperating with the main force of the Red Army.
After the battle, Zhang Gongxiu was officially assigned to the Red 17th Division and served as the platoon commander of the 7th Company of the 3rd Battalion of the 49th Red Regiment. During the Long March, Zhang Gongxiu followed the army on a long journey.
At the beginning, in the face of the pursuit of the Kuomintang, the marching speed of the troops was limited. Zhang Gongxiu put forward many strategies, successfully confused the enemy, and played a key role in preventing the enemy's pursuit.
In the later battles, Zhang Gongxiu was even more heroic, often disguised as a puppet army and went deep behind enemy lines to conduct reconnaissance, and in the Weigang ambush, he provided timely intelligence and made significant contributions.
In the Southern Anhui Incident, Zhang Gongxiu led the troops to resist stubbornly for eight days and eight nights, successfully broke through the siege, and brought out more than 2,000 soldiers. In the battle of crossing the Yangtze River, Zhang Gongxiu personally boarded the "first ship to break through the Yangtze River", he was never afraid of battle, as long as the country needs and the people need, he will not hesitate to rush forward.
Zhang Gongxiu: New China has made great contributions, commanded the DPRK to resist US aggression and aid Korea and China, protected the lives of the masses in the War of Liberation, fully supported the People's Liberation Army in the Liangshan Round Battle, went to Vietnam in old age to help the PLA regain lost territory, and personally commanded and repelled many attacks by the Vietnamese army.
On April 2, 1984, Zhang Gongxiu commanded the army to carry out a month-long artillery bombardment operation on Laoshan and Zheyin Mountain, and formulated a plan for pulling out the points. He knew the importance of these two places to the battlefield on the Western Front, and he had to take them.
To achieve this goal, the Vietnamese army invested a large number of soldiers and artillery, and was ready to fight to the death. Through years of combat experience, Zhang Gongxiu sensed that the Vietnamese army was acting abnormally, and had a premonition that they would engage in a life-and-death battle.
He immediately mobilized 200 vehicles to transport the artillery shells, and instructed the troops to prepare enough consumables and spare parts to deal with possible damage. He also arranged the combat troops in detail, believing that the importance of this battle was self-evident.
In order to be sure, he deployed a large amount of heavy firepower in preparation for the attack of the Vietnamese army in battle. He consulted with Liu Changyou, who was in charge of the specific battle, and planned for the lethality of various heavy firepower.
With the support of Zhang Gongxiu, Liu Changyou formulated a plan to fire 7 tons per gun, 8 tons for Type 66 152mm cannon howitzers, and 9 tons for Type 59 130 cannons.
Although some artillerymen questioned this, with the support of Zhang Gongxiu, Liu Changyou insisted that it was necessary to cover the offensive of the troops.
After learning the news that the Vietnamese army would launch an offensive at 3 a.m. on the 12th, Commander Truong Hsu immediately organized vehicles to transport supplies to the front line, personally ordered the interception of civilian vehicles, and mobilized more than 800 civilian vehicles to participate in the transportation of artillery shells.
He set strict demands on himself according to the standards of a Communist Party member and did not take a stitch from the masses, but in the face of the imminent war situation, he decided to deal with special situations and give more confidence to the troops fighting on the front line.
His decision turned out to be correct, and the artillery groups of the front-line troops played an important role in the battle, covering the positions of the Vietnamese troops with massive artillery fire, reducing the number of fighters.
While some questioned his decision, he said: "I would rather reduce the fighter's ** with shells." His selfless dedication and unwavering determination are admirable.
Zhang Gongxiu's six sons and daughters bravely marched forward in the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, thanks to their father's teachings. Their father taught them to have the spirit of courage and forward, and only in this way can they make greater contributions to the motherland.
Although they were young, they all showed bravery and determination in battle. For Zhang Gongxiu, this is a good opportunity to train them, and he believes that only after tempering can he become a real swordsman.
In commanding the battle, Truong Xuan Xiu, with his experience and wisdom, developed an effective strategy to meet the battle, and successfully repelled the attack of the Vietnamese army. The troops of the Western Front of the People's Liberation Army successfully captured the operational route and continued to advance the front.
Zhang Gongxiu also observed the local terrain and national conditions, and ordered the soldiers to destroy all the buildings along the way. Soon, the Eastern and Western Fronts converged, and the counterattack against Vietnam ended after a month.
Truong knew that if he continued to advance the front, the fighting could spread to the capital of Vietnam. He understood that the purpose of the trip was not to capture Vietnam, but to warn Vietnam that China's attitude would not change, and that if China's interests were infringed, China would not hesitate to fight back, even with the support of the Soviet Union.