In April 1955, the 50th Army of the Volunteer Army was ordered to triumph, and one day the following month, ** cordially met with the commander of Zeng Zesheng's 50th Army. Knowing that the 50th Army bravely killed the enemy on the Korean battlefield and made great achievements, ** held Zeng Zesheng's hand tightly: "Your 50th Army is indeed very good. ”
Zeng Zesheng was somewhat modest, he said: "Our performance is still insufficient compared to the brother troops. * waved his hand and turned to talk to Zeng Zesheng about other topics.
After talking, Zeng Zesheng was about to leave, but he suddenly turned around and came back, and he mustered up the courage to make a request to ***. After hearing his request, they first praised him for his courage, but then rejected his request.
So, what is Zeng Zesheng's request?Why did *** refuse this highly decorated soldier?
The 50th Army was one of the first units to cross the Yalu River and participate in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. They were a different kind of volunteer army, adapted from the 60th Army of the Kuomintang Army that revolted.
The 60th Army made great achievements in the all-out War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, participated in the Battle of Xuzhou, the Battle of Wuhan and the three Changsha Battles, and finally served as the commander of Zeng Zesheng after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War.
In 1950, they crossed the Yalu River without hesitation, showing the heroism and firm determination of the Chinese people.
Zeng Zesheng, a native of Yongshan County, Yunnan, studied in Yunnan Jiangwutang in his early years, and entered the Whampoa Military Academy in 1925 and became the district captain in the third batch of cadets. In 1929, he was invited by Long Yun to return to Yunnan, and in the following years, he commanded operations in Yunnan, and in the early days of the Anti-Japanese War, he served as the commander of the 60th Army Corps, participated in many major battles, and made great achievements.
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Zeng Zesheng was promoted to the commander of the 60th Army, and then was transferred to the Northeast Front to prepare for the civil war. During the War of Liberation, Chiang Kai-shek attached great importance to the descendant troops, and at that time, only the descendant troops could obtain better equipment, and the 60th Army was a miscellaneous army, so Chiang Kai-shek's neglect of the 60th Army caused dissatisfaction among the officers and men of the whole army.
In October 1948, Zeng Zesheng led more than 30,000 soldiers of the 60th Army to revolt and became part of the Northeast People's Liberation Army. Subsequently, according to the order of the ** Military Commission, the Northeast Field Army was reorganized into the Fourth Field Army of the Chinese People's Army, and each column was reorganized into an army.
In this process, the 60th Army led by Zeng Zesheng was also reorganized into the 50th Army of the People's Liberation Army. Although this was a "local force", the 50 Army was in no way inferior in combat effectiveness.
In the Battle of Western Hubei in October 1949, the officers and men of the 50th Army were not afraid of difficulties, bravely killed the enemy, and successfully completed the combat mission. For this reason, the Siye Command twice sent commendation orders to the 50th Army.
After the start of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the 50th Army was selected as the first batch of combat troops to enter Korea.
Zeng Zesheng did not perform well in the first and second battles, especially in the first, when his 50th Army, like the 38th Army, failed to perform well.
However, at the post-war meeting, Zeng Zesheng's criticism of the commander of *** appeared to be somewhat biased, and he severely criticized Liang Xingchu, the commander of the 38th Army, but did not blame the 50th Army.
This made Zeng Zesheng feel that it seemed that the poor performance of the 50th Army was also "expected", which made him feel very uncomfortable, and even complained that he would rather go to the 38th Army as a cook than serve as the commander of the 50th Army.
Although Zeng Zesheng's heart was full of dissatisfaction, his consciousness was still very high, and after he complained, he immediately threw himself into work.
Zeng Zesheng demanded that the whole army be carried out in an ideological rectification during the interval between the war. Facts have proved that this rectification is very necessary and has achieved remarkable results. After the rectification, the morale of the soldiers of the 50th Army was high, and they were determined to fight a turnaround battle to fight for the morale of the brother troops.
The opportunity was not long in coming. On December 31, 1950, ** commanded the Volunteer Army to launch the third campaign. In this campaign, the 50th Army made great contributions and made outstanding achievements.
First of all, the 29th Brigade of the British Army, the ace brigade of the British Army, which was a strong force that had participated in the "Normandy landings" and had the most advanced "Centurion" tank in the world at that time.
But the brave met, and in the end only the 50th Army was victorious.
Although the equipment of the 50th Army is inferior to that of the British Army, their volunteer soldiers have an advantage that surpasses the British Army, that is, the spirit of not being afraid of difficulties and sacrifices. In the battle with the 29 Brigade of the British Army, due to the lack of anti-tank **, the fighters of the 50 Army fought with the British with grenades.
In one of the battles, Li Guanglu, a deputy squad leader of the 50 Army, decided to strike at enemy tanks in an unprecedented way. That night, Li Guanglu and the other fighters had no experience in fighting tanks, which led to great losses.
Watching his comrades-in-arms sacrifice one by one, Li Guanglu was extremely sad and indignant in his heart, but he did not give up. When the enemy's tank approached, Li Guanglu did not hesitate to hold the explosive bag, and when the tank approached, he stepped forward to draw fire to blow up the tank.
His heroic attack frightened the British army, and his heroic actions also helped the 50th Army successfully annihilate the 29th Brigade of the British Army. Li Guanglu's heroic deeds were recognized by the special meritorious heroes of the Chinese People's Volunteers.
His story teaches us that with perseverance and courageous action, even if the equipment is inferior to the opponent, it is possible to win the battle.
The strength shown by the 50th Army in the Battle of Seoul was amazing, but in the fourth battle, their true strength was revealed. In the "Han River Blocking Battle", they faced the dilemma of outnumbering their own joint ** and lack of supplies, but they still held their positions and successfully blocked the attack of the American army, demonstrating the heroism and tenacity of our army.
Commander Zeng Zesheng was well aware of the difficulty of the battle, but he ordered to complete the task at all costs, because he knew that this battle would be a "battle of honor" for the 50th Army.
In the face of the strongest US army, the "US 1st Army", although the 50th Army was not the strongest unit of the Volunteer Army, there was no tunnel defense, only a plain position, but they did not disappoint their superiors.
Zeng Zesheng led the 50th Army to hold its position for 50 days and nights, paying a huge price. Seven whole companies, 31 platoons, and 138 squads were all lighted, and 3More than 20,000 people, only 10,023 remained after four campaigns.
During the 50 days of holding its position, the 50 th Army made great achievements, killing and wounding 11,000 enemy personnel, capturing 61 enemy personnel, capturing more than 1,800 guns of various kinds, 17 vehicles, 37 tanks, 3 armored vehicles, and shooting down and damaging 15 enemy planes.
In this battle, the 50th Army officially won the respect and recognition of the whole world.
Zeng Zesheng found *** after the end of the fourth battle to praise the performance of the 50th Army, and promised to replenish troops and change equipment for them. Zeng Zesheng said that they would continue to work hard, and as a result, he gained respect among the brother troops.
In April 1951, Zeng Zesheng led the 50th Army back to China to recuperate, and met him in Zhongnanhai and praised their performance. Zeng Zesheng was very moved by the commendation, and after resting in China, he led the 50th Army to fight in North Korea again, and did not return to China until the end of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
In May 1955, Chairman ** met with Zeng Zesheng again. Zeng Zesheng was deeply encouraged by the chairman's encouragement to lead the troops as always, and to be ready to fight at any time for the liberation of Taiwan.
Towards the end of the conversation, Zeng Zesheng plucked up the courage and said, "Chairman, I have a request that I want to tell you in person. * The chairman smiled and said to the hero, "If you have any requests, just ask." ”
Zeng Zesheng replied earnestly: "I would like to ask you to approve my joining the Communist Party of China. ”
Zeng Zesheng made great contributions to the Korean battlefield in the late Liberation War, but at this time he was not a member of the league. ** Expressed appreciation for Zeng Zesheng's enlightenment and told him that in fact, he did not need to wait for approval and could directly join the Chinese Communist Party.
However, the next sentence made Zeng Zesheng puzzled: "I think it's better for you not to join the Communist Party." Zeng Zesheng asked curiously: "Chairman, why?" ”
General Zeng Zesheng Has Made Important Contributions to National Reunification Outside the Party ** Chairman once told Zeng Zesheng: "As a person outside the party, you have publicized the appearance of our socialist new China to the world, especially Taiwan, which can prompt some Taiwan to understand us and urge them to stand on the side of the motherland's reunification. ”
Zeng Zesheng thought so, and did his best to follow the instructions of the first and did many things that were conducive to the reunification of the country. As a student of the third phase of Whampoa, he kept in touch with many friends and colleagues in Taiwan, and their understanding and support played an important role in the reunification of the country.
In September 1955, Zeng Zesheng was awarded the rank of lieutenant general for meritorious service, and his contribution was affirmed and recognized by the state. However, he died of illness in 1973, and since he did not join the party, his urn was not covered with the party flag.
Nevertheless, his contributions and sacrifices will forever be remembered by history. "The vicissitudes of the sea show the true character of the hero. Although General Zeng Zesheng did not join the party, his spirit and contribution were extremely important to the party and the revolution.
His loyalty, bravery, and selflessness have been deeply admired and touched. We pay tribute to this great veteran general, whose spirit and dedication will always inspire us and make greater contributions to the development and reunification of the country.