After the founding of the People's Republic of China, although the domestic situation generally became calm, the war did not end there. The Kuomintang deliberately created various conflicts in the northwest region and colluded with bandit forces to frequently incite rebellion.
In the southwest of our country, the North Vietnamese government suffered a fierce attack from France , North Vietnam leader Ho Chi Minh walked through the rainforest to find Chairman Mao for help. A military advisory group composed of Chen Geng and others went to Vietnam to assist North Vietnam in resisting the French offensive.
And in the southeast of our country, the People's Liberation Army launched operations in Kinmen, Hainan and other places one after another, intending to be ready to cross the Taiwan Strait and attack the land of Taiwan Province to complete the liberation of all China.
In the northeast of our country, the Korean Peninsula is falling into war . On June 25, 1950, the Korean War broke out in full force. Behind the increasingly intensified conflicts between North and South Korea is the confrontation between socialism and capitalism.
As early as the end of May 1950, North Korean leader Kim Il-sung ordered his secret secretary to pay an unannounced visit to Beijing and expressed concerns with Chairman Mao about U.S. interference.
On June 27, the US Seventh Fleet patrolled the Taiwan Strait with force to prevent the People's Liberation Army from occupying Taiwan Province. At the same time, it took advantage of the gap where Stalin did not return to the United Nations and formed the United Nations Forces to intervene in the Korean War.
Under such a situation, whether it was necessary for China to help North Korea became the focus of discussion at the time.
The extremely tense situation
North Korea has always been a natural barrier for China. Japan The Warring States Period The last ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi once commented: "If you want to attack China, you must occupy North Korea."
During World War II , Japan also used North Korea as a springboard. was able to attack Northeast China. As a socialist country , North Korea is not only an ally of China, but also has a "lucky" relationship with China.
Once North Korea is destroyed, South Korea will unify the Korean Peninsula. Then the capitalist camp headed by the United States will pose a huge threat to China's Northeast.
At that time, Northeast China was the absolute foundation for the development of my country's heavy industry and an important gateway to Beijing. Once there is turmoil in the Northeast, passing through Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning, you will find Beijing behind Hebei Province.
Therefore, the Northeast must not suffer any more setbacks. Once the Northeast falls, not only will Beijing face a huge threat, but our country's heavy industry will also come to a standstill.
In the early morning of July 7, 1950, in Jurentang of Zhongnanhai , many senior leaders of China gathered together. Nie Rongzhen, Luo Ronghuan, Mr. Zhu, Lin Biao and others sat around the table, and Premier Zhou was in charge of directing the meeting.
At the meeting, Premier Zhou looked extremely serious. After Li Tao, Director of the Operations Department of the Military Commission, introduced the situation in North Korea, Premier Zhou emphasized that from the perspective of national defense, the border defense in Northeast China must be strengthened.
On July 13, 1950, in response to the complex situation on the Korean Peninsula, the Northeast Frontier Defense Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army was established.
Faced with the possible war, the Central Military Commission appointed Su Yu as the commander, and transferred Xiao Hua and Xiao Jinguang, two old partners of Su Yu, plus Su Yu's original subordinate Song Shilun to form the command structure of the border defense army.
It is a pity that Su Yu has a severe headache due to the shrapnel remaining in his head. He is unable to take command for a long time and cannot cope with the high workload that may come, so he cannot assume the position of command.
Therefore, although Chairman Mao considered the selection of the military rank system, he planned to add some merit to Su Yu. But it was not until September when the United Nations troops landed in Incheon, and North Korea was retreating steadily, that they set their sights on Lin Biao.
Among Chairman Mao's favorite generals who entered Korea, he was second only to Su Yu. Why? Chairman Mao thought about three reasons. Chief among them is military talent. The reason why
chose Su Yu is because Su Yu is good at attacking difficulties, can fight strange battles, and can fight tough battles.During the War of Liberation, Su Yu's record made him worthy of a major position.
The same is true for Lin Biao's military ability. From Pingxingguan Victory to Liaoshen Battle and Pingjin Battle and Crossing the River Battle , from a practical point of view, they are enough to prove Lin Biao's ability.
Fighting a war with the United States is not a child’s play. Excellent military ability is a rigid standard. and the second aspect is that and have been fighting in the Northeast for a long time. At the same time, there are also a large number of soldiers in the border guards in the Northeast who are soldiers from the four fields.
As the commander-in-chief of the four fields, Lin Biao's own prestige was the most convincing among the four fields. He is very familiar with the Liaoshen area and can give full play to his greatest advantage here.
As for the third reason, it is because he is very familiar with Soviet officers. The fall of North Korea was something that not only China did not want to see, but the Soviet Union also did not want to see it.
Therefore, when North Korea is in danger, the Soviet Union will definitely send troops to assist. Therefore, choosing Lin Biao can greatly reduce the running-in time with the Soviet army and improve the ability to match tactics.
However, when Chairman Mao found Lin Biao, he put forward a different view.
The problem of whether to fight or not
Regarding the problem of whether to lead troops to fight or not, Chinese generals maintained two different attitudes. One side is the war-fighting faction, and the other is the war-avoiding faction. Lin Biao, on the other hand, was a war-avoidant, which was also the attitude of most generals.
In his opinion, there are three main reasons why China should not help North Korea. One of them is that the situation in China is not yet stable.
As mentioned at the beginning of the article, apart from Northeast China, China still faces many problems, and the most important one is the liberation of Taiwan Province.
China's economy and material supply level at that time made it difficult to supply two fronts for large-scale operations at the same time. Once the decision is made to enter North Korea, it will be impossible to supply Chinese troops to attack Taiwan Province at the same time.
In this way, Taiwan Province will not be liberated immediately, Chiang Kai-shek will also take the opportunity to strengthen Taiwan Province's defense. At this time, if China wants to regain Taiwan Province, it will become even more difficult.
Lin Biao believes that China's top priority now is to regain Taiwan Province and at the same time quell the civil strife so that the Chinese people can have real peace.
And the second point is because China has been at war for too long! from Opium War to Eight-Power Allied Forces , from Northern Expedition to Kuomintang-Communist Civil War . Then came another eight years of the Anti-Japanese War and the War of Liberation with the Kuomintang.
Across China, almost everyone hopes for peace and a peaceful life. If the smoke breaks out again at this time, I am afraid it will arouse the resistance of the people.
On the other hand, it has only been a year since the founding of the People's Republic of China, and the devastation caused by the war will require time, a lot of manpower, material resources, and funds to repair.
What's more, a large amount of weapons and supplies are invested in North Korea, and China also needs to pay for these consumption. And China relies on the Soviet Union for some of its supplies. Once a war breaks out, the Soviet Union will benefit.
As for the third point, it takes into account the combat power of the United States . Lin Biao believes that China has just been established and its comprehensive national strength is not strong.
Therefore, the North Korean problem should be handed over to the Soviet Union to solve, and China should take the opportunity to increase its strength. The best way is to "go out without attacking".
What does it mean to attack without attacking? What this means is that in order to prevent the war with the United States from getting into trouble, China should adopt a conservative strategy. I can help, but I won’t cross the border.
To put it bluntly, it is to let the army defend the banks of the Yalu River . On the one hand, it can protect the Northeast from infringement, and on the other hand, it can also have a certain deterrent effect on the US military, making them wary.
This proposal has been recognized and praised by many generals in China. However, Chairman Mao also remained silent for a day after his conversation with Lin Biao.
War between countries is not a trivial matter. Chairman Mao needs to think carefully about it. He called Premier Zhou and visited some generals with extremely far-reaching strategic vision. Then Lin Biao was found again.
Chairman Mao believed that from a long-term perspective, helping North Korea would still do more good than harm. He hoped that Lin Biao could take command. Although Lin Biao did not approve of the attack, he was indeed the most suitable general after Su Yu.
It was just that Chairman Mao had done ideological work several times in a row, but Lin Biao happened to feel uncomfortable at this time. According to Lin Biao, his "disease" recurred.
During the Anti-Japanese War, he was accidentally injured by a bullet from Yan Xishan 's men and was pierced through the chest. Although he was lucky enough to save his life, he also contracted a strange disease.
According to the memories of his internal staff Chu Chengrui, since Lin Biao was injured, he was afraid of both cold and heat, and was also very afraid of seeing light.
When Lin Biao was ill, he needed three layers of curtains inside and outside his room to block sunlight. It was also accompanied by a huge headache and low back pain, which can be said to be quite torture.
When Chairman Mao saw this, he couldn't hold on any longer. At that time, many Chinese generals had suffered injuries on the battlefield, such as Su Yu and Chen Geng.
Since Lin Biao showed this attitude, no matter whether this strange "disease" was true or false, Chairman Mao did not intend to continue to ask him to take charge.
Decision and selection of candidates
The turning point occurred on October 1, 1950. MacArthur clamored that "the Yalu River is not an insurmountable barrier" and ordered aircraft to fly into China's airspace and conduct bombings.
At this time, the situation in North Korea was already very difficult. It was similar to that of Ho Chi Minh who went to China at that time. It had reached the point where it was almost impossible to survive.
And this day was the first anniversary of the founding of China. Invading and bombing Northeast China at this time made it clear that MacArthur did not take China seriously at all.
Such provocative behavior has angered countless war-fighting generals, and some generals who originally advocated avoiding war have begun to agree to counterattack the US provocation.
At this time, North Korean leader Kim Il Sung once again sent a distress letter to China, requesting China to directly send troops into North Korea to help North Korea resist the United Nations forces.
So Chairman Mao struck while the iron was hot and seized this opportunity to hold meetings one after another to mobilize the soldiers to start the war to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea.
Kim Il Sung’s letter for help
Chairman Mao pointed out that Lin Biao mentioned three reasons why he could not send troops, and he also had three reasons why he must send troops. The first is the importance of North Korea to China.
Chairman Mao does not want another war in the Northeast. Today's Northeast is the cradle of China's heavy industry. Based on China's national conditions, if it wants to quickly embark on the road to becoming a powerful country, the development of heavy industry is a necessary step.
Today, China has not yet sent troops, and North Korea has not yet completely failed. MacArthur has already dared to show off his power in the Northeast. If North Korea really failed, MacArthur was destined to become even more arrogant.
By that time, will the heavy industry in Northeast China still develop? The Americans send two bombers over your head from time to time. Can your heavy industry develop with peace of mind?
Chairman Mao and Kim Il Sung
As for the second reason, it is from the overall perspective . North Korea is China's natural barrier and a reliable ally. If nothing happens to North Korea, Northeast China will be China's strategic rear.
However, once North Korea is destroyed, Northeast China will become the front line from now on. Once the entire Korean Peninsula is occupied by South Korea and the Americans station troops in South Korea, will you defend it or not?
If you don’t keep it, the entire Northeast will be wide open. If you want to defend, the subsequent resources invested in the strategic defense of the Northeast will become a huge bottomless pit.
and the third point is in the world structure. If China is willing to send troops to North Korea, China's influence in the entire international situation will be greatly improved.
Neighboring countries can see China's help to neighboring countries, which will only benefit and not harm China's diplomacy. And if you can fight and win, the benefits will be even greater!
Firstly, it can frustrate the spirit of the United States, and secondly, it can demonstrate China's military power in the world! At the same time, Chairman Mao also pointed out the disadvantages of the United States.
First, the strategic core of the United States is in Europe, so the number of troops invested in North Korea must be very limited. Second, if the United States were to go to war in Korea, its supply lines would be too long, so the United States could not afford a protracted war.
Finally, American soldiers are also war-weary. This is a war of aggression, so the fighting spirit of American soldiers must be inferior to that of a world war. Therefore, combined with these three disadvantages of the US military, the Chinese army is not without the power of to fight .
At this time, Mr. Peng, who had been ordered by Chairman Mao, finally rushed back to Beijing from the Northwest. Mr. Peng is a man with a bad temper. When he heard that Americans dared to provoke China like this, he couldn't sit still.
According to "Peng Dehuai's Autobiography", after attending the meeting, he was still afraid that Chairman Mao would not send troops. On October 5, he made a special trip to Juxiang Bookstore to find Chairman Mao and pointedly pointed out that China must help North Korea.
Chairman Mao was very happy after hearing this and asked Mr. Peng to take charge personally. As soon as Mr. Peng returned to Beijing from the northwest, he asked Chairman Mao why he did not let Lin Biao from the Fourth Field take full responsibility.
decided to send troops oil painting
Chairman Mao waved his hand and said: "He is more cautious than courageous in fighting wars. He is familiar with the Northeast, but he is afraid that he will not win, and he excuses his poor health and is unwilling to do it."
Mr. Peng Only then did I understand that Chairman Mao had specially transferred himself from the northwest as a way of provoking the generals, so that he could be the commander-in-chief of the volunteer army.
In this way, Mr. Peng, who was ordered to do so at the critical moment, officially led the volunteers to fight in North Korea on October 19. After three years, the battle was finally over.
However, this battle not only did not arouse war-weariness in the country, but the people across the country were impassioned, actively responded to Chairman Mao's call, and actively participated in the registration.
Chairman Mao has a profound insight into the current situation. If South Korea really unifies the Korean Peninsula, how serious will the threat to our country be when the United States deploys the THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea!
If it can be compared, the Korean War was a big gamble, but Chairman Mao won the gamble. The dignity of a country is to be rich and powerful. In that era when fists spoke, the Volunteer Army made China famous under extremely difficult circumstances!
To give an example, was looking through international information in Germany. During World War II, mentioned China very rarely. At that time, few people paid attention to what was happening in China.
However, after the Korean War, whenever Asia is mentioned, the shadow of China is everywhere. The price China paid for this war was extremely heavy, but the intangible assets gained from it have brought us benefits for decades.
Without victory in the Korean War, the Soviet Union would not have helped us establish a complete industrial system. After falling out with the Soviet Union, the United States would not have come to win over China. Perhaps in the eyes of the United States and the Soviet Union, China is the next Czechoslovakia!
Therefore, time and history have proven Chairman Mao’s foresight. Chairman Mao deserves to be called a great man.
