On September 16, 2022, the remains of the 9th batch of martyrs in South Korea, , returned to the motherland. 70 years ago, it was these martyrs who crossed the Yalu River and wrote a modern epic in a foreign country to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea. After experiencing the baptism and training of the War of Liberation, the Volunteer Army formed in 1950 was full of star stars and fierce generals. Liang Xingchu, nicknamed "Liang Daya", was undoubtedly the most shining one among them. Under his leadership, the 38th Army made the name of "Long Live the Army" in front of the US military with extremely strong combat effectiveness.
1. "He won't scold me now."
In July 1953, the hard-working resistance and aid to Korea finally ended. Peng Dehuai went to Panmunjom on the Korean Peninsula to sign a peace agreement with the US military. At this time, Peng Dehuai finally had time to walk around the famous mountains and rivers of the motherland. Peng Dehuai spent a long time inspecting the major military regions. According to the arranged itinerary, he would go to the southernmost part of China's Hainan Military Region before he served as Vice Premier of the State Council, Minister of Defense and Vice Chairman of the National Defense Commission in September 1954 to complete the inspection task.
After knowing that Peng Dehuai was coming, the Hainan Military Region naturally became busy and prepared to welcome the chief's inspection. At this time, the commander of the Hainan Island was Liang Xingchu, the commander of the "Long Live Army" who had just returned from the Korean battlefield. Under his rule, the Hainan Military Region was in order, and even the reactionary group of Chiang Kai-shek was much calmer.
During this period, General Liang Xingchu's youngest son Liang Xiaoyuan, saw that his father was busy every day in order to prepare for the arrival of Peng Dehuai, so he was very curious and thought that Peng Dehuai was a very fierce person. Everyone was afraid of him. Therefore, he couldn't help but ask naively: "Dad, will Mr. Peng Dehuai scold you? Why do I feel that you are all afraid of him?"
Hearing his son's question, Liang Xingchu, who was busy cleaning up, said meaningfully: "Xiaoyuan, Mr. Peng, he is now I won't scold me anymore." Liang Xiaoyuan didn't understand the meaning, so he kept asking: "Why? Why didn't President Peng Dehuai scold you?"
However, Liang Xingchu didn't tell his son what he meant. It was not until after growing up that after reading his father's personal biography and war memoirs, Liang Xiaoyuan finally understood that what his father said back then, "President Peng Dehuai won't scold me anymore" was actually a pun. My father still had half a sentence: I really can't scold you now, but I have scolded you before, and I scolded you very much. What happened? Why don’t you scold me now?
2. tiger will ? Rat General?
In November 1950, a battle summary meeting was being held in Dayudong, a temporary garrison of the Volunteer Army Headquarters was being held in secret. The first battle of the Volunteer Army entering North Korea had just ended. All participating troops fought very well. In Yunshan, the 39th Army severely damaged the 1st American Cavalry Division, and the 40th Army captured the intelligence chief of the 42nd American Division alive. On the battlefield of the Eastern Front, the 1st American Marine Division, which had strong combat effectiveness, made it difficult for MacArthur to end the Korean War before Thanksgiving. However, Peng Dehuai was not very satisfied because this battle could have been more beautiful.
"Everyone says that you Liang Xingchu is a tiger general, a tiger general is a bird, a rat general!"
November 13, at the post-war summary meeting of the first battle after entering the court, Peng Dehuai not only did not shake hands with Liang Xingchu, the commander of the 38th Army who had missed the opportunity three times, but also scolded him in a scattered manner, leaving Liang Xingchu, who had always been brave in the battle, silent. He knew very well that he had no face to defend himself when the battle was so fierce. Indeed, in the first battle, all the brothers were opened, but the 38th Army, who was responsible for the broken rear, lost the chain and three times in a row, which caused the main force of the US Eighth Army to escape the encirclement of our army.
38 The old foundation of the army was Peng Dehuai Pingjiang Uprising Red Third Army . He scolded him because he was so angry that he could not make a strong man."On the Western Front, six armies were concentrated to launch a general attack on the Eighth Army. The battle was launched on November 25th. If any army cannot fight well next time, the commander should not do it. The meeting will be dispersed!"
Peng Dehuai issued the combat plan for the second battle and stood up and left the seat. Liang Xingchu was both ashamed and angry. Looking at the new task of "The 38th Army is responsible for solving the enemy in Tokugawa", he made up his mind, "In the next battle, I will twist the American heads as a chamber pot!"
3. Dormant
Liang Xingchu is from Ji'an, Jiangxi Province. He participated in the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army at the age of 18, and fought against the Long March, Long March, , anti-Japanese, liberation, and entering the North Korea without missing a single one. He had a hot temper and was strong by nature. He made great achievements in his life in the military. There were nine bullet holes on his body. During the Long March, he was the first cavalry company commander of the Red Army. During the anti-Japanese war, he fought a great victory in Pingxingguan under Lin Biao. During the War of Liberation, he personally commanded the extremely tragic Black Mountain blocking war. Liang Xingchu had always commanded the front line in the war.
When blocking Wei Lihuang in Black Mountain, the rice bowl in his hand flew into the enemy's shell, which almost hit the face. He picked up the shrapnel and continued to eat, and said, "The King of Hell dared not accept me either." If Liang Xingchu was not worthy of the name of "tiger general", I am afraid that no one in the Chinese and foreign military circles could match it.
November 24, the day before the general attack was launched, Liang Xingchu led the soldiers of the 38th Army to the front line of Tokugawa . After leaving the Dayu Cave, he rushed to the front line without stopping. The command post of the 38th Army was once again set up on the front line of the battlefield.
The Korean War situation at this time was divided into two battlefields: east and west. The US military attacked the Yalu River north with the main force of the Eighth Army's 130,000 troops on the Western Front, and the Eastern Front with the First Land Division as the main force of the Eastern Front, a total of 90,000 people invaded Changjin Lake. After MacArthur's Thanksgiving offensive was crushed by our army, he spoke wildly again, trying to end the Korean War before Christmas.
The main purpose of the second battle of the Volunteer Army was to use the enemy's arrogant mentality of rashly advancing north and seeking quick victory to lure the enemy into depth and find opportunities to encircle and annihilate the enemy's vitality. To this end, under the conditions of winning the first battle, our army still took the initiative to shrink northward in order to let the enemy walk into their pockets. On the Western Front, in order to conquer the 130,000 dumplings of the Eighth Army, the Volunteer Army assembled 6 armies, a total of 230,000 people. Five armies, 19, 40, 42, 50 and 66, fought against the US Eighth Army on the front of the Western Front, and the 38th Army took a surprise attack and cut off the enemy's retreat.
Although Peng Dehuai scolded Liang Xingchu, he still handed over the most important task to him. This is to trust the strength of the 38th Army from the bottom of his heart. A super battle covering a total of 600,000 people on both sides of the enemy and us is about to break out, and the battlefield situation is changing rapidly and elusive. For the second time, facing the US military with the highest firepower and equipment in the world, can Liang Xingchu and the 38th Army really avenge their previous shame and make a name for themselves again? Looking at the beating pointer of the pocket watch in his hand, Liang Xingchu was like a tiger lurking in the mountains and forests waiting to hunt, waiting quietly and anxiously in the command post on the front line.
4. Revitalize the reputation
0 pm on November 25, 1950, the earth-shaking shouts and killing sounded across the mountains of all sizes around Tokugawa Castle. Bullets and artillery shells fell on the positions of the South Korean army like raindrops. Many enemies were immediately bombed away. The 38th Army's Tokugawa defender's enemy, the 7th Division, began, and the second battle of the Korean War, which changed the historical process of East Asia, kicked off.
until the early morning of the morning, the 38th Army's direct reconnaissance company went around the Datong river bank south of Tokugawa City, guarded Liang Xingchu's order, blew up the Wulingli Bridge, and completely cut off the only way for Han Qi's division to escape south. In order to avoid the enemy's firepower, the reconnaissance company decided to attack by water.
At this time, North Korea was already in winter, the cold wind was biting, and the temperature dropped sharply. Under the cover of night, the soldiers took off their shoes, socks and cotton pants, wrapped them behind their shoulders, and jumped into the bone-filled Datong River without hesitation. They paddled water with one hand and held the explosive bag in the other hand, endured the biting pain and swam towards the base of the Wulingli Bridge.
Everyone who swims in winter knows that it is not cold in the water, and it is cold after it comes out of the water. The soldiers climbed up the base of the bridge, and the cold wind instantly formed a layer of ice on their bodies.Facing the volunteer army that was like a god descending to earth, the enemy guarding the bridge was stunned and before he could react, the Wulingli Bridge and the 7th Division of Han were completely destroyed. This bridge bombing operation was later changed to the movie "Surprise Attack" by Bayi Film Studio, and became a hit movie in that era.
27 hours after the battle started, the 7th Division of the Han Dynasty was completely wiped out by the 38th Army in Tokugawa area, and all eight American consultants belonging to the division were captured alive. Our army also seized 218 cars and 156 cannons . Many soldiers were carrying 8 large-scale when charging, and at the end, they collapsed carbine . At night, the fire reflected Liang Xingchu's face, but he did not show joy. In the north, it is the direction where the Eighth Army of the United States and its commander, Walker, is located. Since MacArthur still does not believe that the Chinese army has entered North Korea on a large scale, he continues to order the US troops to go north. Walker led the main force of the Eighth Army, accelerated the marching speed and left the Korean army behind.
, who was determined to fight the 38th Army of the US, has only captured the 7th Pseudo-Korean Division, which is like a useless man. It is a pity to eat and abandon it. At this moment, an enemy army suddenly arrived in the west of Tokugawa Castle. The Turkish brigade sent by Walker to reinforce. The fierce fire exchange sound directly reached the military command post. Strangely, no fire exchange report was seen from any unit of the 38th Army.
"What is this Turkish brigade?" Liang Xingchu asked the military staff. Someone answered that the ministry had more than 5,000 people, and was affiliated with the UN Army. It is said that when fighting, it is a waste of life and advocates death charge. Liang Xingchu nodded, waved his hand, and the 112th Division of the 38th Army took advantage of the night to touch Jiariling where the Turkish army was.
On Jiariling, the Turkish , who had just won the battle, was in high spirits. They looked down on Walker, the commander of the Chinese army, who was always on guard against the Chinese army, and even believed that the United States should allow itself to serve as the vanguard of the United Nations Army and rush to the Yalu River instead of being sent here to clean up the mess of the Korean army.
0 The Turkish army annihilated a large number of Chinese troops and captured a large number of Fulu. After the news reached Walker's ears, he was disbelief and quickly sent a staff officer who was proficient in multiple languages to understand the situation. After asking, the staff officer found out that these prisoners were all Korean . The Korean defeated soldiers who were desperately taken out of the 38th Army were annihilated by the Turkish army again. Soon, the 112th Division of the 38th Army wiped out the 5,000 troops from the Turkish Brigade, and the brigade eventually escaped only two remnants that were less than two companies.
Not long after, Shishi urgently arrived at the command post and ordered the 38th Army to quickly penetrate west to the Sansuoli area tomorrow morning to cut off the retreat route of the enemy's Eighth Army. From Tokugawa to Sansouli, the straight-line distance is 73 kilometers between Chang'an Mountain, which is 1,250 meters above sea level. Moreover, the whole journey is a mountain road, so it is necessary to arrive overnight. "Report to General Peng, the 38th Army will resolutely complete the task!" Liang Xingchu set out with the 38th Army. They were going to fight back the military power of the 38th Army.
That night, they not only crossed mountains and ridges, but also had to run and fight, defeating countless Korean soldiers along the way, and also packed up a supply team of the Korean army, seized tens of thousands of live chickens. After entering the North Korea, the soldiers who rarely had meat were thrown away, and a large number of Korean soldiers captured also followed them. They only had the words "Three Shops" in their minds.
Finally, the 38th Army crossed Chang'an Mountain, marched 72.5 kilometers in 14 hours, and reached Sansouli. This is a world record that no army can break so far, turning the impossible into a possibility. On November 29, Walker ordered the Eighth Army to retreat southward and open up Sansili at all costs. A bloody battle between our army using rifles and bayonets to fight against the US aircraft Tank began, and a long-awaited battle of rectifying Liang Xingchu and the 38th Army began.
The desire to survive made the US Eighth Army go crazy. All the tanks were pulled out and charge towards the positions of the 38th Army in Sansouli. The infantry rolled out and rushed up after the tanks. The US military used the human sea tactics and all the planes that could be operated in Far East flew up. A battalion of the Eighth Army fired 3,206 shells in 22 minutes. The position of the 38th Army turned into a sea of fire, and our soldiers suffered heavy casualties.
Liang Xingchu stood on the top of the mountain, and the scene in front of him shocked him after decades of fighting. However, during this large-scale encirclement and annihilation, most of the US Second Division, the main force in the European battlefield, was annihilated during the Second World War in , and only 20% of the personnel escaped. The First Cavalry Division of the United States "Founder Division" and the 25th Division of the "Tropical Lightning" were both severely damaged. The Eighth Group was in chaos and almost collapsed. Walker realized that there was no hope of breaking south from the Three Stations, and ordered the abandonment of more than 2,000 cars and hundreds of tanks, lightly equipped and full speed to the weak area surrounded by the Volunteer Army, fled to the west by the sea, and stopped until the 38th parallel.
At the Dayudong Headquarters, the telegram from the front line that reported good news came like snowflakes. When seeing the 38th Army's record, Peng Dehuai finally smiled and nodded with satisfaction.
In the second battle, it was the 38th Army led by Liang Xingchu who created decisive conditions for our army to wipe out the enemy completely and gained valuable time. However, our army also suffered heavy losses. After seeing the report of 30,700 casualties and 50,000 frostbite, Peng Dehuai's eyes were wet. He took paper and pen and wrote "Hit 1 Chinese People's Volunteer Army " at the end of the reward order . After putting down the pen, he picked it up again, and finally added a few words "Hit 1, Long Live the Thirty-Eighth Army".
From then on, the 38th Army became the only long live army in the history of our army. After receiving the commendation from Zhisi, Liang Xingchu was excitedly shed tears. He knew that the word "Long Live" was hard-won, which was honor and responsibility.
