The First Section: The Beginning

  The warm sunlight of early summer shines on me, sitting in a chair by the window, slowly reading the book in my hand.

  Recently I've been fascinated with the Korean War, so I ran to the book city and the municipal library.

  Although I have been a military enthusiast for many years, I have always had a superficial understanding of that war, often just indulging in the numbers on paper and comparisons of equipment. However, when I calm down and savor it carefully, I can somewhat taste the true essence of that war.

  Looking at the books "Mao Zedong, Stalin and the Korean War" and "The Real Record of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's Battles", I couldn't help but think about why we fought in the Resist America and Aid Korea War. Why did we fight? Was it China's initiative?

  Not only did the book say it was impossible, but I also thought so at that time when our country had just been liberated and the wounds of domestic war had not yet healed.

  From 1911 to 1949, China was almost always at war. The warlords fought each other for decades, the anti-Japanese war lasted eight years, and liberation took three more years. When our country was first liberated, it was really a mess, with tens of millions of refugees, the Nationalist Party left behind a huge problem, taking away almost all of China's gold and silver reserves, leaving people struggling to survive, and dismantling or destroying many important industrial facilities.

  Moreover, Tibet had not been liberated yet, and several hundred thousand Nationalist Party troops in Taiwan were preparing to counterattack the mainland. The main force of 16 armies of the East China Field Army was still deployed along the southeastern coast, ready to liberate Taiwan. I ask you, would a weak country, when mobilizing more than one-fifth of its military strength to prepare for a war of liberation of its national territory, also take the initiative to participate in another war with a world power?

  At that time, the domestic land reform had just begun, and the remaining 2-3 million bandits in the country resulted in the killing of more than 30,000 cadres. In Guangxi Province alone, more than 5,000 cadres were killed, all of which required the dispatch of troops to suppress and eliminate them.

  Needless to say, China's steel production in 1950 was only a few million tons, while the US had nearly 90 million tons at that time. The US had tens of thousands of aircraft, more than 60 aircraft carriers, four battleships in service, and hundreds or even thousands of other cruisers, destroyers, and escort ships.

  How is it possible for China to launch a preemptive attack that would lead to the destruction of coastal cities like Shanghai, Guangzhou and Tianjin?

  At that time, the US military had more than 140 tanks and over 330 artillery pieces above 75mm in a single infantry division, while our main force was only half of it. How could our powerful intelligence agency not know?

  There is also the weakness of our air force, Soviet planes have short legs and when their bases are located on our borders, they basically can't fly over the Chongchon River. The air superiority over North Korea has been largely seized by the US military.

  In addition, the land reform at home made many PLA soldiers of peasant origin want to return to civilian life and go back home to farm, living a peaceful life as peasants.

  So although Kim Il-sung was once the commander of the Anti-Japanese Allied Army, and we handed over three Korean divisions in our army to Kim Il-sung; although the main force of the North Korean People's Army was surrounded after MacArthur's landing at Inchon and almost annihilated; although the puppet troops crossed the 38th parallel

  But all these were not the reasons why Mao Zedong, who wanted to liberate the whole country and Taiwan as soon as possible, participated in the Korean War. However, once the US military crossed the 38th parallel, Mao decided to send troops.

  Even if Korea unifies North Korea, it won't pose a threat to China, just like how North Vietnam drove out the US after reunifying South Vietnam. No matter how strong it becomes, we can still defeat it with one punch and make it collapse completely.

  However, if the US military crosses the 38th parallel, it's a different story. With Japan using Northeast China as a base for invading China, the US has once again entered a sensitive area in the hearts of Chinese people, how can they be trusted? Moreover, the US was one of the two superpowers at that time, and the Soviet Union could only match the US in strength. If the US military were to face off against us across the river, it would be unbearable. China's largest industrial and heavy industry base was located in Northeast China at that time. Even if the US military didn't cross the river, they could still bomb our Northeastern industrial base with planes every day, just like they did to Germany and Japan, destroying their war-making capabilities. If they were to bomb our Northeastern industrial base, would we still be able to carry out domestic construction?

  So this is one of the reasons why we need to send troops. Although Shanghai was also industrially developed at that time, it was light industry, and heavy industry is not in the same league. A country's strength depends on its heavy industry.

  Moreover, our participation in the war may not be without the idea of training soldiers. Although we defeated Japan and the Nationalist Party, the wars with them were not modernized wars, but rather a replica of ancient wars, only with the addition of firearms.

  So in the face of modernized US military, facing the powerful firepower of the US military, Mao Zedong thought of training troops, letting the Chinese army undergo the test of modern warfare. Therefore, later on, our main force went to Korea for rotation battles, making our army not sit idly by and also quickly understand modernized weapons. Later, when our army got Soviet-style weapons, they quickly formed combat effectiveness, which is also related to this.

  Although our army suffered heavy losses, it also fought out many elite troops. The battle of Sanggam-ri brought out the 15th Army, and the iron-blooded sniper battle at Cheorwon brought out the 63rd Army. By the time the armistice was signed in '53, we had become the world's third-largest air force and second-largest army, because the Americans believed that our army, equipped with modernized weapons, was stronger than theirs.

  With the outbreak of the Korean War, the US Seventh Fleet entered the Taiwan Strait. Due to the extreme weakness of the navy, Mao Zedong, who had no hope of liberating Taiwan, decided to teach the Americans a lesson in Korea. The deployment of US troops to Taiwan for joint defense also became an outlet for the Chinese people's patriotic enthusiasm.

  At that time, the decision to enter Korea and choose who would be the general also caused a lot of controversy. Su Yu, Lin Biao, Peng Dehuai, and Liu Bocheng were all famous generals. Su Yu was good at mobile warfare and positional warfare, Lin Biao was good at ambush warfare and mobile warfare, Peng Dehuai was good at mobile warfare and hard battles.

  However, Liu Bocheng was seriously ill. Lin Biao and Chairman Mao said he was afraid of wind, light, and water. Perhaps during World War II, he had stayed in the Soviet Union for a long time and deeply knew the fierce firepower and excellent equipment of the Soviet and German armies at that time. The Soviet army relied on overwhelming the German army with sheer numbers, while the American army relied on overwhelming the German army with firepower. It can be seen how fierce the American firepower was. Using China's equipment to fight against America, which is number one in firepower in the world, if they failed, their reputation would be lost. So he went to the Soviet Union for recuperation.

  Peng Dehuai, who came from a hard and bitter background, had led the Second Red Army Corps in a bloody battle on the Xiangjiang River, where his troops were nearly wiped out. Later, in northern Shaanxi, he defeated Hu Zongnan's 300,000-strong army with only 25,000 men. As a result, Peng Dehuai was chosen to lead the Chinese forces in Korea, but also because of his hard fighting style, which resulted in relatively heavy casualties for our army.

  So what did we gain from the Korean War? A sense of national honor. Any great power rising and reviving must first stir up a sense of national honor among its people. When our army defeated the American army, a modern country that had been humiliated for nearly a century used its weak military to defeat the world's number one military power, how exhilarating is that?

  This stunning news has swept away the atmosphere of fearing and worshipping America at home, and made Chinese people around the world stand up straight. Just like our atomic bomb explosion and Shenzhou carrying Yang Liwei into space, it has had a similar impact.

  After World War II, Japan still referred to China as "Shina", but when the news of Chinese troops defeating American troops arrived, the Japanese who were defeated by the US immediately changed "Shina" to "China". The Japanese began to re-recognize China and the world began to re-recognize China.

  I think this is the greatest gain from our Resist America and Aid Korea, secondly it was to keep North Korea intact, setting up a buffer zone for China's Northeast. Another gain was that a strong army was forged in blood and fire. By the time of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, our troops could concentrate several times more firepower than the enemy, break through the enemy's solid fortifications, and occupy dozens of square kilometers of land.

  Mao Zedong, who was originally excited to continue fighting, wanted to test the defensive capabilities of the US military. Due to the Battle of Triangle Hill, he realized that our army's defense was extremely strong and could not be breached without paying a huge price, so later on they did not take the initiative to attack. However, after Stalin died, the new Soviet leadership prioritized consolidating domestic power and stopped supporting us in fighting, which is why we eventually stopped.

  We fought against the US and aided North Korea for 3 years, from the Sino-Korean border to the 38th parallel. The outcome is self-evident. We sacrificed around 200,000 lives and injured around 400,000. In my personal opinion, these sacrifices were worthwhile.

  Leaning on the chair, I thought about these things and fell asleep in the warm sunlight of early summer.

  When I opened my eyes, I was filled with confusion. The earth-made wall still had a few straws, the white paper-pasted window, and the yellow old quilt. Although it was dawn outside, the room was still dimly lit. On the face basin rack, there were several bright red big characters that were particularly eye-catching: "Carry the revolution to the end".

  His mind was still dull, memories kept forcing their way into his brain, a sharp pain "Gao Daquan, 29 years old, the little devil of the Long March era, a little devil who was persuaded to drop out with three big silver dollars, but stubbornly followed the troops, was handed over by the regiment commander to Liang Daxin, who was still a company commander at that time. Climbing Snow Mountain, crossing the grassland, carrying a rifle taller than himself, the rifling of the old gun barrel had been worn off, the bullets shot out were floating, only 100 meters away, with only four rounds of ammunition and one stink bomb. The Long March did not make this weak little devil fall down, but his dark face still showed a strong heart.

  During the War of Resistance, he was a platoon leader in the 115th Division. He had killed several devils at Pingxingguan and saw his old squad leader being blown up by an injured devil with a hand grenade. With a heart as hard as iron, he advanced into Shandong Province, became the commander of the county detachment, fought in landmine warfare and sparrow warfare... When three county detachments formed an independent regiment, he again became the regimental commander of the independent regiment.

  This local army is the main force in the eyes of the troops, and the main force is the local army in their eyes. Although they fought and lived together, there was still a lump in their hearts. The eight-year war had tempered the Chinese people's blood nature, and also turned the 17-year-old beardless squad leader into a tall, strong and powerful figure.

  From the Bohai Sea to Liaodong, following Luo Zhengwei's troops in a series of battles, the old rifle with a worn-out barrel was replaced by a Type 38 Arisaka rifle still emitting a faint blue glow. The troops also exchanged their bird guns for cannons, and there were several mountain guns in the wild. Each soldier had a rifle, and each company had machine guns, but they were still non-mainstream forces.

  Although the independent regiment was formed as the main body of the independent division, and the regimental commander became the division commander, which is a good thing, and it's still the first independent division. However, the old battalion commander has become the commander of the First Column, and his former brothers are all commanders of the main force divisions, with better troops and artillery, so it's estimated that others can't match their strength.

  The Liaoshen Campaign, I was just besieging Changchun alone, Zheng Dongguo joined the battle together, and the enemy collapsed instantly, also didn't show my own ability.

  Out of the pass, war is peaceful in Tianjin. No play, Independent Division 1, although it is the first among the dozens of independent divisions in Northeast China, it is still an independent division. Compared to the dozens of armies and hundreds of divisions across the country, it can't even be counted. A force of 12,000 people seems like a lot, but looking at its equipment, there are only 12 75mm mountain guns, 5 of which are Japanese Type 38, and the other 6 are not worth mentioning, with some being made in Liaoning, Taiyuan, and Shanghai. Only one is an American-made 75mm mountain gun, which can fire up to 11 kilometers, but there aren't many shells. As for mortars, there's no need to mention them, with American 107s and 81s, as well as domestically produced 82s and Japanese 60mm cannons. There are over a hundred light and heavy machine guns, with one or two light machine guns per company and one heavy machine gun per battalion. However, the models are varied, including Czech-made, German-made, and Japanese Type 96. The domestic models have different parts that aren't interchangeable. As for rifles, there are many types, including those made in Hanyang, Zhongzheng, Liaoning, and others. There are also over 700 submachine guns, which are a treasured collection of the commander-in-chief. In the past, when his troops fought against the 22nd Division, they eliminated over 670 enemies but suffered over 1,500 casualties themselves. Watching his soldiers fall one by one under enemy fire, his heart bled. Each and every one of them was the pillar of their family. After liberation, it would be a good thing to let them return home and farm. And so, Independent Division 1 had its own unique collection of over 700 submachine guns, divided into three types: MP38, Type 37, American M3, and the M1 carbine used in the battle against the 22nd Division.

  Wearing a khaki uniform with a fabric badge on the chest that reads "Independent First Division of the Northeast Military Region of the Chinese People's Liberation Army", looking at the old-fashioned table and chairs, I couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. Originally thought it was just a dream, but in fact, I often do have dreams like this.

  But pinched his own flesh, cold sweat came out, mouth slightly painful, but still found that everything in front of him was true, do not know how sad parents will be, do not know how much girlfriend will miss me, goodbye parents goodbye girlfriend, goodbye 2008, goodbye to the just started university life, goodbye my brothers relatives friends.

  Looking at the white steamed buns, highland barley rice and a plate of pickled vegetables on the table, I don't know why, but my appetite is greatly increased, eating very happily, as if I'm very used to these foods.

  Since you've already come, let's do something. I see the calendar on the table says June 7th, 1950. As a history buff and a military enthusiast with thousands of military magazines and books, I naturally know what's going to happen next.

  Half a century ago's war

  A nation announced its rebirth to the world with blood and fire.

  A fight half a century ago

  Witnessed the beginning of a great country's rise and revival

  Tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers dyed that green mountain and blue water with their blood

  Report

  "Come in"

  "Superior officer, this is a telegram from the military region." His brain reacted that he was his own guard Zhang Xiaoshan.

  "Limit your troops to be gathered before June 20th, assemble and train in Andong, awaiting orders, Gao"

  What's coming is still coming, but there's a change, that is, I and the Independent First Division are joining in, we must give the Americans a surprise, give them a lesson, secretly said in my heart.

  Decisive Battle of Korea: The Whole Story Chapter 1 Arrival