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Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, our country's foreign policy has been moving closer to the socialist camp , commonly known as "one-sided". As the big brother in the socialist camp, the Soviet Union has also provided a lot of help for the development of New China. After China and the Soviet Union signed the "Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance" in 1950, the Soviet Union and China formally formed an alliance. The Soviet Union also provided a large amount of technical assistance to China and exported various technologies and talents.
However, this good relationship did not last forever. Starting in the late 1950s, conflicts between China and the Soviet Union continued to intensify. In 1969, the Soviet Union sent a large number of troops to station on the Sino-Soviet border, and even threatened to launch a devastating nuclear strike against China. The war between China and the Soviet Union was about to break out, but in the end the two countries only had a small-scale battle on Zhenbao Island . The imagined war did not appear. The seemingly powerful Soviet Union was finally frightened and retreated. What happened in the middle? what? Three circles in a row, please pay attention~
Khrushchev came to Taiwan and China and the Soviet Union were at odds.
Because they both belong to the socialist camp, the relationship between the Soviet Union and China has always been relatively good. During the Japanese invasion of China period, The Soviet Union provided China with a lot of weapons and a loan of 170 million US dollars. Later, after the founding of New China, the Soviet Union also provided help to China in many fields.
Khrushchev
But as Khrushchev came to power, cracks began to appear in the relationship between China and the Soviet Union. In February 1956, the Soviet Union held the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. At this conference, Khrushchev criticized the mistakes in the construction of socialism in the Soviet Union under the leadership of Stalin, and also pointed out the cult of Stalin's personality. serious consequences.
Khrushchev's criticism contained serious deviations, which also caused great shock and ideological confusion in the socialist camp. Faced with Khrushchev's actions, the Chinese Communist Party did not agree with the complete denial of the history of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union led by Stalin in fighting for socialism for the people. This incident also made Khrushchev dissatisfied.
Khrushchev also proposed the "Three Harmonies Line" at that conference, which means "peaceful transition," "peaceful competition," and "peaceful coexistence." He proposed this policy in the hope of avoiding conflicts with the United States. Instead of confrontation, the United States and the Soviet Union divided the entire world equally. In his view, those countries in the world that are dependent on themselves and the United States need to regard these two countries as the center of development, and their policies also need to serve them.
Stalin
Under his leadership, the Soviet Communist Party became the "Laozi Party". They did not allow anyone in the socialist country camp to raise objections to the Soviet Union, and everything needed to obey Moscow's command. Especially in the military and diplomatic fields, other countries must also obey the command and arrangements of the Soviet Union, including China. However, this approach has a major conflict with our country's independent foreign affairs and defense strategies.
In this process, the conflicts and contradictions between China and the Soviet Union have increasingly intensified. The Soviet Communist Party's practice of calling itself the "Laozi Party" is a major reason, but the most fundamental reason is the ideological differences between the two countries. But during this period, the Soviet Union and China still maintained good relations on the surface, and there was no bad blood between the two countries.
In 1958, Khrushchev personally led a delegation to visit China. After visiting Beijing, Shanghai and other places, he said that China's current power was too limited and was completely insufficient to resist the threat posed by the Americans. He then sent a notice to Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou, expressing the hope that China and the Soviet Union could establish a joint fleet and build a long-wave radio station in Chinese waters.
At that time, it was the peak of the struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union. hegemony was in power, and the Soviet Union also required other socialist countries to serve its strategy.During that time, the Soviet Union's nuclear submarines could freely enter and exit the waters of other socialist countries. The Soviet Union euphemistically called them "nuclear protection submarines." But in fact, from the Soviet Union's perspective, these brotherly countries are nothing more than cannon fodder. As long as the Soviet Union is in need, they need to protect the Soviet Union at all costs.
The Soviet Union, which was accustomed to this kind of behavior, did not regard China as an equal country, but regarded China as a younger brother who always thought of the Soviet Union. Originally, Khrushchev thought that China would definitely accept his proposal, but his initial request already involved China's sovereignty, so he was firmly opposed by Mao Zedong and other leaders. Later, Mao Zedong also said that China and the Soviet Union actually fell out in 1958. They wanted to control China militarily, but we would not do it.
The Soviet Union increased its troops and the situation was tense.
Although there was no problem with China's rejection of the Soviet Union, Khrushchev at the time did not allow such a disobedient "little brother" to exist, so the Soviet Union also decided to give China some color. Afterwards, the leaders of the Soviet Union made public remarks in which they unceremoniously criticized our country for only parroting, saying that we were only repeating Lenin's ideas. In response to the Soviet Union's slander, our country also issued a public statement.
When China and India clashed on the border in 1959, the Soviet Union chose to favor India. At the same time, it suddenly withdrew all experts in China and terminated all aid projects. At the same time, the Sino-Soviet border issue was also brought up again. In the early days of the founding of New China, China and the Soviet Union had very close relations, so the border issue was shelved. As relations between the two countries continued to deteriorate, the Soviet Union also began to increase its troops on the border, thereby exerting military pressure on China.
In January 1966, the Soviet Union and Mongolia signed a 20-year treaty of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance. This treaty was in the nature of a military alliance, which also meant that the Soviet Union could exert pressure on China through the Sino-Mongolian border. The border between China and Mongolia is more than 4,500 kilometers long, and the Soviet Union can indeed pose a military threat to the northwest, north China, and northeast at the same time.
The straight-line distance from the China-Mongolia border to Beijing is only 500 kilometers, and the terrain in between is very gentle. The Soviet mechanical troops can quickly advance to Beijing. In addition, within Mongolia, the attack range of Soviet intercontinental missiles and medium-range missiles can cover the entire territory of China. This move by the Soviet Union will make our country face danger at any time. The top leadership with keen awareness of the crisis decided to hold a meeting to discuss how to solve this crisis. Zhou Enlai made it clear at the North China Bureau meeting in 1966 that North China It may be the enemy's main attack direction. Mao Zedong also expressed that he must be prepared to attack with revisionism and .
In addition to increasing troops on the border, the Soviet Union also continued to provoke disputes between the two countries. According to statistics, between October 1964 and March 1969, the number of border incidents between China and the Soviet Union was as high as 4,189, which was more than one and a half times the number of incidents between 1960 and 1964. During this period, the Soviet Union frequently attacked my country's Xinjiang region. It also accused my country of lagging in economic development and instigated people who rebelled against Xinjiang to go to the Soviet Union.
By 1968, from Xinjiang in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east, the entire northern border of our country was occupied by Soviet troops. They deployed 55 mechanics, equipped with 14,300 tanks , 4,200 aircraft, and the total number of people reached 1.18 million. In addition to the Soviet troops preparing to attack Europe, this was the largest heavily armed group in the world at that time.
Such a large force is deployed on the border between the two countries, and the tanks and infantry vehicles the soldiers ride on are equipped with the most advanced anti-nuclear, biological and chemical defense devices, which can quickly reach the center of the explosion to fight after a nuclear explosion. The Soviet Union also This can be used to carry out nuclear assault tactics, which poses a huge threat to our country's security.
In January 1968, a bloody incident occurred on Qiliqin Island , which attracted the attention of the CCP Military Commission. The Military Commission directly ordered to strengthen the alert and defense of the Sino-Soviet border. At the same time, it ordered all border defense forces to respond in the face of Soviet provocation. time, carry out planned strikes. At the same time, it was also emphasized that border defense struggles are mainly about political and diplomatic struggles, and that we must consider the overall situation and act in accordance with policies.
The Battle of Zhenbao Island broke out
Facing the aggressive Soviet Union, our country also began to change its strategy, requiring the border defense troops to counterattack the Soviet Union at the appropriate time. From the end of 1968 to the beginning of 1969, the Soviet border guards in the Zhenbao Island area caused many troubles. As early as December 27, 1968, 75 heavily armed Soviet soldiers invaded Zhenbao Island in armored vehicles , trucks and jeeps, and also injured Chinese soldiers who were patrolling the island.
Then on January 4, 1969, the Chinese army prepared to land on the island for patrol as usual, but was blocked by 30 Soviet troops, and our soldiers were forced to return. Two days later, the Soviet army invaded Zhenbao Island again. This time they captured two Chinese fishermen. On January 23, the Soviet army sent more than 70 soldiers carrying military dogs by car to Zhenbao Island, and launched an attack on our border guards, resulting in more than 20 injuries to our troops, 9 of whom were seriously injured.
In the Zhenbao Island area at that time, the Soviet Union and our country deployed similar troops, but there was a huge difference in weapons and equipment. Our army basically only had basic equipment of infantry, while the Soviet Union had a motorized infantry army, as well as tanks, Armored vehicles and aircraft support. Although our army was at a disadvantage, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China headed by Mao Zedong resolutely carried out border defense struggles and launched mass demonstrations across the country to denounce the "Soviet revisionist" invasion. The People's Liberation Army has also entered a state of combat readiness.
On March 2, 1969, the first armed conflict officially broke out between China and the Soviet Union on Zhenbao Island. At 9:17 in the morning, the Sino-Soviet border troops met on Zhenbao Island. After an hour and a half of fierce fighting, we The army killed 48 enemy soldiers and wounded 8 others. Our army achieved victory in this encounter, but the Soviets naturally refused to give up and soon made a comeback.
In the early morning of March 15, the Soviet border guards dispatched 6 armored vehicles to cover more than 30 infantrymen who quietly landed on Zhenbao Island. Little did they know that our army had sent soldiers to garrison Zhenbao Island one day in advance and laid anti-tank explosive mines. The reconnaissance force quickly discovered the whereabouts of the Soviet army. At 7:40 that morning, our patrol team landed on Zhenbao Island and took the lead in launching an attack. The Soviet army was caught off guard, two armored vehicles were destroyed, and the Soviet army had to withdraw in despair.
After being disappointed, the Soviet army dispatched 3 aircraft, 6 tanks and 6 armored vehicles more than an hour later, and launched another attack on our patrol on Zhenbao Island. The patrol immediately retaliated, destroying two enemy armored vehicles and a tank. At 1:35 pm, the Soviet border guards used large-caliber artillery and tanks to launch a large-scale shelling of Zhenbao Island, which lasted for more than two hours.
At 5:13, after the bombardment ended, the Soviet army prepared to attack Zhenbao Island in one go. This time they sent 10 tanks and 14 armored vehicles to cover more than 100 infantry to launch the attack. Facing the menacing Soviet army, our soldiers used shore artillery to fight back fiercely. This time they not only destroyed an enemy tank and four armored vehicles, but also killed Colonel Leonov, the commander of the Soviet border region, and Lieutenant Colonel Yang Xin.
In this battle, after more than 9 hours of fierce fighting, our army killed more than 60 Soviet soldiers, wounded more than 80 enemy soldiers, and destroyed more than ten tanks and armored vehicles. In addition, our army had an unexpected gain in this battle. During the Soviet attack, a T-26 main battle tank had its tracks blown off by an anti-tank mine and had to be left on the battlefield. The T-26 is a tank developed by the Soviet Union after World War II. It is technologically advanced. After the Soviet Union withdrew all its aid experts, if a T-26 tank can be obtained for research, it will be of great significance to the development of our military's national defense technology. .
The Soviet army also knew this. After retreating, they sent out a demolition team to try to blow up the tanks, but they were repelled by our soldiers. Seeing that the tank could not be destroyed, the Soviet army used artillery fire to break the ice under the tank, causing the tank to sink into the Ussuri River.
What the Soviet army did not expect was that in April, when spring blossomed and everything revived, our army directly transferred professional divers to salvage the tanks in the Ussuri River. The divers plunged into the bottom of the river. The steel cable was tied to the tank, and then our army used the winch to drag the tank back to the base from underwater.
This T-26 tank has been a huge help to our country's tank research and development work. After the Soviet experts withdrew, our country's tank research and development progressed slowly. The performance of the independently developed Type 59 tank was weak, which also restricted the development of our army. Through the research on the T-26 tank, our army has mastered a large number of advanced technologies, and the development of our army's tank industry has also progressed for at least ten years.
The Soviet Union’s Nuclear Threat
After the Battle of Zhenbao Island, the relationship between China and the Soviet Union further deteriorated, and the discord between the two countries was brought to the forefront, which also brought the relationship between China and the Soviet Union into a more dangerous situation. . After learning the actual situation of the Zhenbao Island Battle, many people in the Soviet Union expressed their intention to carry out military retaliation against China. Among them, Soviet Defense Minister Grezko and other hawks supported this approach.
When mentioning China, Grezko even proposed the unlimited use of nuclear bombs against China, thereby completely eliminating the threat from China. At that time, the Soviet Union was far ahead of China in the field of nuclear weapons . The Soviet Union believed that in the face of its own nuclear threat, China would soon surrender and accept its territorial demands. However, China never compromised, which was far beyond the Soviet expectations.
At that time, China already had its own atomic bomb , which also made China more confident when facing the Soviet nuclear threat. In addition, although the Soviet Union knows that its nuclear power is much stronger than ours, they do not dare to release nuclear weapons easily because they know that once nuclear weapons are used, the entire world may be involved. Especially once the United States enters the situation, the situation will exceed the Soviet Union's Control range.
Therefore, before the Soviet Union decided to launch a nuclear attack on China, they sent people to tell the United States the news. Nixon, the then President of the United States, was very shocked after hearing the news. He did not expect that the Soviet Union had a plan to launch a nuclear attack on China. . In addition, although the Soviet Union asked the United States to remain neutral on this matter and not get involved, this was not in the interests of the United States.
From the perspective of the United States, the enemies of the Soviet Union were its friends. After consultations, Nixon and the cabinet also believed that if the Soviet Union was allowed to carry out nuclear strikes against China, the Soviet Union would lose control of its actions in the future, which would be detrimental to the United States. So Nixon decided to tell China the news in advance and find ways to stop the Soviet plan.
Nixon
The day after learning about the Soviet plan, the United States also published an article in the "Washington Post""The Soviet Union intends to carry out a surgical nuclear strike on China". In this way, the Soviet Union's plan was known to the whole world. Know. The actions of the United States made the Soviet Union very angry. They felt that they had been betrayed by the Americans. At the same time, our country's leaders also realized that the dark cloud of nuclear war was hanging over their heads.
On the eve of the National Day in 1969, Premier Zhou approached Chairman Mao and wanted to discuss some matters related to the National Day. After all, faced with the tense situation at that time, it was still uncertain whether the National Day could be held smoothly, but Chairman Mao firmly expressed that he was not afraid. Looking at the confident Chairman, Premier Zhou, who was familiar with each other, immediately realized that the Chairman had already prepared a countermeasure.
Under the circumstances at that time, Chairman Mao also realized that if China only relied on its own strength to fight against the Soviet Union, he would definitely suffer in the end. He also knows very well that the enemy of his enemy is his friend, so he regards the United States as the key to reversing the situation. He said that the top priority is to make the United States relax and turn its attention to other countries, thereby dragging the United States into the water. In addition, he also pointed out that two atomic bombs should be dropped first to refresh the United States and the Soviet Union and make them nervous.
Using the United States to break the situation
Chairman Mao was also well aware of the possible harm caused by nuclear war. For this reason, he asked the people across the country to enter war preparation mode and build underground fortifications; on the other hand, he began to evacuate people from strategic cities. Some mountains in the southwest have also been built into nuclear-proof bunkers, and important factories have begun to move to isolated mountainous areas.
On September 23 and 26, our country successively conducted underground atomic fission explosions and bomber air-dropped hydrogen bomb thermonuclear explosions. The United States and the Soviet Union naturally saw these two tests, and what China wanted to express was very clear, that is, we also have the ability to fight back and are not afraid of a Soviet nuclear strike at all.
The Soviet Union also felt uneasy after seeing all this. They realized that even if they could defeat China, China's counterattack would cause huge harm to the Soviet Union. What they hoped was to obtain benefits at the minimum cost, because competing with the United States for hegemony was the most important thing for the Soviet Union at that time, and the Soviet Union did not want to waste too much energy on China, let alone pay a heavy price.
Just when the Soviets were having a headache, a piece of bad news reached their ears. They learned that China and the United States had reached cooperation in response to a possible nuclear strike by the Soviet Union. If the Soviet Union really attacked China, the United States would also launch nuclear weapons against the Soviet Union. If China's nuclear attack is still within the Soviet Union's tolerance, then the US nuclear attack is something the Soviet Union absolutely does not want to face.
Although the Soviet Union could not tell the authenticity of the news at the first time, they still did not dare to act rashly, because once the United States really united with China to go to war with the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union had no confidence in winning. After the United States was involved, the Soviet Union's position became passive. This is exactly what Chairman Mao wants to see. Although we will not be afraid of fighting the Soviet Union, not going to war is the best choice, so that we can avoid a lot of losses. In this way, a major war was eliminated under Chairman Mao's plan.
And this incident also made China realize one thing, that is, the United States is not always our enemy, and sometimes it can be fought for. Chairman Mao once said during this period: "There are two hegemons in the world, and we can always strive for one!" This incident also became an opportunity to break the ice in Sino-US relations, which also brought great changes to China's future development. Lots of benefits.
Today's China is becoming more and more powerful, and we will no longer be threatened by other countries. However, the international situation is still complex. We should cherish this hard-won peace and work hard to build the country to ensure the security of the country.
