Chapter 9: Mixing in Sand
ument.write(
Since Le Duan came to power in 1969, Vietnam has experienced a severe economic crisis. At that time, China was also experiencing the "ten years of turmoil", and China's economic problems were even more severe due to this disaster. As a result, China's unconditional aid to Vietnam decreased compared to the period when Vietnam was resisting the US. Le Duan then turned to the Soviet Union, ignoring the friendship of the Chinese people and forgetting that Vietnam's victories in the resistance against France and the US were achieved with China's help and participation. Unfortunately, at that time, the Chinese people tightened their belts and squeezed out several billion dollars in unconditional aid to Vietnam despite the extremely harsh economic environment. This amount may not be a lot for a country now, but for China at that time, when an ordinary worker's annual income was only over 300 yuan, it was an enormous sum of money.
Since the 3rd Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee in 1978 formulated the policy of reform and opening up, China's economy has risen rapidly. This had little impact on Vietnam itself, but the Le Duan group began to provoke China due to the influence of Soviet policies at the time. China continued to cherish traditional friendship and did not respond. Who knew that Vietnam's appetite grew bigger and bigger, even having territorial ambitions? It was necessary to reflect on its actions. Quoting an old general: "The little friend in the south doesn't listen, it's time to teach them a lesson." So, nine armies from Yunnan and Guangxi provinces simultaneously launched a counterattack on February 17, 1979, and a war aimed at teaching Vietnam a lesson - the "Counterattack against Vietnam" began.
At that time, the Sino-Vietnamese War had just begun, and with the one-sided situation on the battlefield, the Chinese army advanced quickly, basically in large-scale warfare. The Vietnamese army didn't even have time to retreat, let alone think about capturing prisoners. However, it was a war after all, with hundreds of thousands of troops deployed on both sides, so it's not surprising that some prisoners were taken. Moreover, Vietnam was also at war with Cambodia at the time, and some important Cambodian military personnel were being held in Vietnam.
Vietnam's POW camps have a long history. Either they were used by the French and Americans to detain Vietnamese, or by the Vietnamese to detain French or Americans, of course, with Japanese added in, anyway, almost without interruption, some dating back to last century, that is, the era of French colonization.
This prisoner-of-war camp near Hanoi should be one of the best in Vietnam, it was built in 1885 during the French colonial period, surrounded by mountains on all sides. In each war in Vietnam, it has been used to imprison members of the Vietnamese royal family and resistance fighters, then the Japanese used it to imprison French people and resistance fighters, next the Vietnamese used it to imprison Japanese people, then the French used it to imprison Vietnamese people...
Currently, there are 38 people detained in this prisoner-of-war camp, mainly from two aspects. The largest number is a detachment of a certain army in Guangxi direction, with 18 people being detained here. Then there is a detachment of a certain division in Yunnan province, with 13 people, and the rest are some scattered ones, either lost on the battlefield or dropped out during infiltration. In fact, it's not easy for Vietnam to capture these people, and it can be said that they have a bit of luck.
First, the 18 people from Guangxi were in a row, executing the task of piercing and inserting. The map they used was very different from the actual terrain, but the soldiers' morale was high and their speed was fast. However, after a whole day and night, Deputy Company Commander Zhang Xihang only discovered that their current location had exceeded the indication on the map, and they were actually in a completely unclear place.
Just as Zhang Xihang was dispatching scouts to search the terrain, a well-organized Vietnamese infantry regiment surrounded them. The battle lasted less than an hour before it ended. There was no way out; apart from over half of the squad being wounded, the automatic weapons were consuming too much ammunition. Although the soldiers executing the infiltration mission had brought extra ammunition, compared to the hundreds of rounds that could be fired by the automatic rifles every minute, the 150 rounds each person carried were not enough to last long. When they ran out of bullets, the comrades in the squad discussed whether to use their "last hand grenade" to die together with the enemy or wait until they entered the prisoner-of-war camp and then try to negotiate with the enemy, waiting for rescue from their organization.
Zhang Xihang looked at the sacrificed comrades and the empty ammunition in his submachine gun for a long time. Did he really want to engage in close combat with the enemy like a revolutionary martyr? This was obviously unreasonable, before they could even get close, the enemy's bullets would pierce through the soldiers' bodies, there was no chance at all. It was better to be a prisoner of war, as long as they could survive, it was an opportunity! He shared his thoughts with several platoon leaders, and everyone agreed. As a result, the 18 surviving soldiers in this battle became the first batch of prisoners of war to enter the POW camp.
It was only later that they found out, because of an unmarked iron ore deposit on the map, they had gone off course. After all, they were following a compass, and sometimes instruments are unreliable.
As for the brothers in Yunnan, they were even more wronged. In order to ensure the smooth progress of the infiltration mission, they specially found a "overseas Chinese" from the local area to serve as a guide. To take care of the common people, the guides who led them on their way could not only get a large amount of military rations but also have some cash income.
Someone led the way, of course, and the speed was much faster. After all, Yunnan is a mountainous region with dense forests, and the road conditions are complex. However, they never expected that the "overseas Chinese" who led the way was actually a traitor. It's unknown how he informed the Vietnamese side of the route of the infiltrating troops (after all, he was a local, and one glance at the map would have given it away). As a result, when the troops were advancing along a mountain cliff road, several Vietnamese tanks blocked their path from front and back, and snipers on the mountaintop opened fire. In less than half an hour, more than ten soldiers of the company were either killed or jumped off the cliff, and the remaining dozen or so were all captured. They were then presented as a major victory by a certain Vietnamese unit to Hanoi.
Wang Xiaodong is the youngest prisoner of war in the camp, still under 17 years old this year. He should be in school at his age, but he's different. Growing up in the army since childhood, he was originally a mischievous and troublesome kid. His father, who was the deputy regimental commander, thought he wasn't suitable for studying and followed the army's tradition by sending him to the army. Moreover, to toughen him up, the deputy regimental commander sent Wang Xiaodong to the border defense troops with the most difficult conditions.
No one expected that after Wang Xiaodong arrived at the troops, he would be like a fish in water. Although he didn't even graduate from junior high school, he had been exposed to the army's situation since childhood and was very familiar with it. He spent his days loafing around, but no one could do anything about him. If someone didn't obey him, he would dare to confront them, regardless of what they were competing in. Even if he couldn't beat the old soldiers, he was still the best among the new recruits. The training subjects for new recruits were easy for him, and he had been trained since childhood, whether it was internal affairs, queueing, shooting, or throwing grenades. He could handle individual weapons without anyone teaching him (he had played with them since childhood). As a result, no one knew what to do with him. Usually, even if he had some minor problems, they would turn a blind eye. However, in order not to let his habits affect other comrades, the regiment could only arrange for him to be a communication officer, letting him stay alone and not influence others (of course, his father's face was also important).
After the Sino-Vietnamese War broke out, their troops also joined the battle. At that time, radios had been distributed to company-level units, and individual companies and platoons on special missions all had radios. As a result, Wang Xiaodong, as a communications officer, didn't have much to do. However, being a child of the army, he had a unique desire for battle, and watching others fight enthusiastically in front of him made his heart burn with anxiety. Finally, a company-level unit's radio ran out of batteries, and they asked the rear to send some over. Originally, this kind of work could be assigned to military workers or logistics personnel to deliver, but as soon as Wang Xiaodong heard about it, he eagerly asked the regiment commander to let him go. The regiment commander considered that during wartime, ensuring communication links was crucial, and since the entire route was under their control, he agreed to Wang Xiaodong's request and sent two soldiers with him to deliver the batteries.
No one had expected that the three people walking halfway would encounter a small Vietnamese infiltrating unit, which relied on its familiarity with the terrain to penetrate our army's defense line and attempt to launch a surprise attack on our rear. Faced with this situation, Wang Xiaodong made a quick decision, letting one comrade quickly return to report to the superior, while he and another comrade blocked the enemy on the spot.
The Vietnamese troops who launched a surprise attack were furious when they found out that their ambush had been unexpectedly discovered. However, there were only two people in front of them, so they thought they could take them down quickly. Who knew that Wang Xiaodong was a good shot and had good military skills? Several times the Vietnamese troops charged forward but couldn't get close. Seeing the time, the Vietnamese knew it was impossible to complete this surprise attack, so they used mortars. Wang Xiaodong was stunned and when he came to, he was already on his way to Hanoi.
。。。。。。。
The location of the POW camp is very close to Hanoi, it can be said that it is a window. The Vietnamese are still relatively humane in management, and the captured personnel are also relatively obedient. Everyone knows that this place is on the edge of Hanoi, and it's not easy to escape, let alone every time someone enters, there will be UN staff to register, basically ensuring the treatment of prisoners of war.
Early in the morning, Chinese prisoners of war got up and gathered according to the management regulations. They found that a young female lieutenant was standing beside Captain Ruan Yuanjia, the highest leader of the prisoner-of-war camp. It seemed that this must be the new manager of the prisoner-of-war camp. After the Chinese prisoners of war stood in line, Captain Ruan began to give a speech.
"Gentlemen, Chinese prisoners of war, from now on, our prisoner-of-war camp will have an additional lieutenant administrator!" He said, pointing to Wu Hongying and introducing her: "This is Lieutenant Wu Hongying, who will serve as the deputy commander of our prisoner-of-war camp. She will be in charge of managing you prisoners! As administrators, I must tell you that you must cooperate with management, obey discipline, and from now on, assist Lieutenant Wu Hongying's work. You should know that our prisoner-of-war camp treats you humanely, following international law, but if you do not follow our management regulations, you will lose your rights as prisoners of war. At that time, don't say we'll treat you according to the enemy's methods!" When saying this, Ruan Yuanjia was very arrogant. Although he is currently managing a prisoner-of-war camp, due to frequent public scrutiny, the supplies here are still abundant. In other words, there is plenty of "oil and water" here.
Ruan Yuanjia has seen other prisoner-of-war camps, and not to mention the hardware conditions, even eating is a problem. However, Vietnam itself currently has very big economic problems, otherwise it would not have provoked China on the Cambodian battlefield before it was over.
Wu Hongying stood up after being introduced by Ruan Yuanjia, she was very happy to take office here, because she knew that this afternoon, Bao Yulin would enter the prisoner-of-war camp.
"Chinese prisoners, from now on, I will be the deputy commander of this prisoner-of-war camp. What I want to say is that as the war continues, more and more Chinese prisoners will arrive at this camp. As captives, you should understand that you are guilty towards the Vietnamese people. Of course, just like Captain Nguyen Ngoc Nha said, we still treat you with humanity, although we would like to hand you over to the people's trial. However, we know that most of you were deceived by the Chinese government and came to our Vietnam to participate in this aggressive war. We hope that in the future, you will learn from those who have seen through the situation and truly become friends of the Vietnamese people." Wu Hongying said this, then paused for a moment, wanting to see the reaction of the prisoners.
The prisoners of war on the playground did not speak a word. Such speeches were almost heard every day and had become numb with habit.
Wu Hongyan had of course anticipated this situation and didn't mind. What she needed was to convey some information at the right time.
"This afternoon, our prisoner-of-war camp will have a new Chinese prisoner of war who was once praised and called on by your newspaper to learn from him. After being captured and undergoing our ideological education, this former comrade-in-arms of yours, Bao Yulin, has come to see the light, recognized the consequences of China's aggressive war against us Vietnam, and is able to stand up and express his own doubts. You should learn from him, think carefully about the meaning of this war, and expose the true face of your government. Don't worry, our Vietnamese government will always be friendly to friends!"
Wu Hongyan's words were spoken with great righteousness, and even she herself was moved. She also noticed the surprised look on the faces of the Chinese soldiers on the playground. Wu Hongyan believed that as long as she made such gestures from time to time, Bao Yulin's days in the prisoner-of-war camp would not be easy.
。。。。。。
