"Destroy one, two seven, capture Zhang Wannian alive!" This is a slogan of the Vietnamese side in 's self-defense counterattack against Vietnam . At that time, the 127th Division of the 43rd Army led by Zhang Wannian was like a sharp sword piercing the heart of Vietnam and was called the "Iron Military Division." Under his leadership, the 127th Division achieved fruitful results.
1. Even if you want to kill a chicken, you still have to use a butcher's knife
In 1944, Zhang Wannian, who was only 16 years old, joined the army and began his military life. In 1945, Zhang Wannian joined the Communist Party of China and held many positions, from soldier to platoon leader, political instructor, and communications section chief. Zhang Wannian never said a word "no" to all the organization's requirements.
As a general from Shandong, Zhang Wannian has the unique heroic spirit of Shandong people. He never retreats during the battle and has repeatedly made military exploits. Although he was injured many times while participating in the battle, he was able to successfully complete each mission. During the Tashan Blockade, Zhang Wannian, the chief of the communications unit, and his comrades held their position and fought fiercely with the enemy for six days and nights when there was no danger to defend. They never chose to give up even if the conditions were difficult.
During the period of resisting U.S. aggression and aiding Vietnam, the central government sent many military talents, including Zhang Wannian, to Vietnam for field investigation and study. In The Battle of Khe Sanh , Zhang Wannian has an in-depth understanding of Vietnam's terrain and has a deep understanding of Vietnam's topography and climate conditions with high mountains and dense forests. At the same time, Zhang Wannian also conducted in-depth research on fortification construction, communications, troop interleaving and other issues in jungle warfare in Vietnam, and accumulated a lot of combat experience in Vietnam.
During his inspection in Vietnam, Zhang Wannian contracted malaria, and his weight dropped sharply from 160 pounds to 120 pounds. His wife could hardly recognize him. Although he unfortunately contracted the disease, Zhang Wannian's trip was well worth it. The experience accumulated during his stay in Vietnam provided a good reference for the war against Vietnam. Because of this, the central government later sent Zhang Wannian to the front line to command operations when the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam began.
After entering Vietnam, the task assigned by Xu Shiyou to the 127th Division was a diversionary attack. The main task was to contain the firepower of the main force of the Vietnamese army on the front line and cooperate with the main offensive force. The task of Zhang Wannian's troops is to break through Aidian Town and the Vietnamese army's defense forces to occupy Zhima County, open the gap to Luping, and protect the 55th Army from the flanks to attack Lang Son .
After receiving the mission, Zhang Wannian led the troops to set off from Aidian, 292 kilometers away from Friendship Pass, on the evening of February 16. The night made the troops march more convenient. Zhang Wannian divided his troops into multiple detachments and adopted the strategy of advancing into Vietnam from small roads in batches. This was also to avoid alerting the enemy.
After arriving at the designated location, Zhang Wannian sent scouts to investigate the enemy's defense situation in the Chi Ma area. Although Le Duan and Vo Nguyen Giap only arranged two battalions of troops and part of the armed police here, Zhang Wannian did not dare to slack off at all. Even to kill chickens, he had to use a butcher's knife. In order to ensure that the mission was completed without fail, Zhang Wannian used 7 infantry battalions, 1 reconnaissance company, and 2 border defense companies as the main attack in the battle of supporting horses, and also used 7 artillery battalions and 2 tank companies as auxiliary.
This was Zhang Wannian’s first battle on the battlefield in Vietnam, and he must not make any mistakes. The terrain in the Chi Ma area is dangerous and it is the defensive point of the 123rd Independent Regiment in Cao Binh Province. Our army must capture this high ground to launch an offensive along the highway in depth into Vietnam. After understanding the situation clearly, Zhang Wannian decided to break through from Gongshan in Aidian to Boundary Monument No. 47, and sent the 379th Regiment to attack from the front. The main 381st and 380th Regiments went from Gongshan to the enemy rear and made a roundabout way to form an encirclement.
After the battle of supporting horses, Zhang Wanshan led his troops to pursue the victory and cooperated with the large forces to attack the 338th and 461st regiments of the Vietnamese Army and the Luping County Independent Battalion defending the area from Luping to Tingli. During the battle, the 127th Division closely cooperated with the main force of the 143rd Army to annihilate Luping's defending enemy.
2. The situation has changed and the attack on Mimai Mountain has been postponed.
The situation on the battlefield is ever-changing. Although the early plans are very thorough, various accidents will inevitably occur during the actual execution. On March 3, 1979, Zhang Wannian received an order to cross the Qiqiong River to the south, capture Mimai Mountain, and cooperate with the 55th Army to create a situation approaching Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.
In the order, the command specifically mentioned "Mimai Mountain must be captured before 11 o'clock." After receiving the order, Zhang Wannian and Cai Chunli urgently discussed the combat strategy and formulated a combat strategy of disrupting the enemy quickly and attacking quickly. The 381st Regiment is responsible for occupying Highland 413 and the commanding heights in the northeast, so that the safety of the right wing of the main attacking force can be guaranteed.
380 Regiment and the reinforced artillery battalion are responsible for crossing the Qiqiong River at the ferry to attack Mimai Mountain; the main force of the 379th Regiment takes over the original combat mission of the 380th Regiment and continues to defend in the southeast of the Luping area to block the reinforcements sent by the 462nd Regiment of the 338th Division of the Vietnamese Army. Just in case, Zhang Wannian also decided to use artillery fire to carry out devastating attacks on both sides of the river road in Mimai Mountain.
Since entering Vietnam, many soldiers have been shot secretly by Vietnamese troops, which has greatly dampened the fighting spirit of the soldiers. Zhang Wannian will kill all these sneak attack Vietnamese troops this time. At 9 o'clock in the morning, under the command of Zhang Wannian, the artillery group of the 127th Division fired thousands of artillery pieces. All the artillery shells poured on Mimai Mountain, and thunder roared. Half an hour later, each combat unit completed its tasks one after another and occupied various highlands.
380 regiment leader He Shanfu led his troops to encounter fierce resistance from the Vietnamese army when crossing the river, and was unable to cross the river immediately to occupy the beachhead. After learning the news, Zhang Wannian hurriedly moved the enemy command post in front of the division to a place less than 100 meters away from the river bank. Zhang Wannian also did this to be able to better command operations according to battlefield conditions. With Zhang Wannian in charge, the 380th Regiment fought until the afternoon, and the 1st and 3rd Battalions all crossed the river.
But this was not a good situation. Before Zhang Wannian could report to the headquarters, he received instructions from the army chief: Since the 55th Army troops in the frontal attack had not arrived at the designated position, the general attack time was postponed to 7 a.m. on the 4th, and the "Iron Army Division" postponed the attack on Mimai Mountain. After learned of the situation, Zhang Wannian urgently ordered the Second Battalion and the Rocket Artillery Battalion, which were preparing to cross the river, to stop their operations.
The general offensive was postponed. Once they engaged the enemy according to the original plan, they would need to persist for a longer period of time. This was a great challenge to the perseverance and belief of the soldiers. Although Zhang Wannian pulled back from the brink in time to hold back the follow-up troops, he was worried about the two battalions that had entered enemy territory at the moment.
These two battalions were the vanguard to cross the river in advance to reconnoiter the situation. Now they are isolated and helpless. If the enemy suddenly launches an attack at night, the soldiers of these two battalions will be directly exposed to the enemy's fire. But if the soldiers of the two battalions are withdrawn now, the other side of the river is likely to be reoccupied by the public security troops defending here. By then, the large force will pay a greater price for crossing the river.
3. Be flexible and attack Mimaishan
In such a tricky situation, it is difficult for Zhang Wannian to make a choice, but the battle situation is tense and he must make a decision as soon as possible. Zhang Wannian forced himself to calm down and think about countermeasures. He smoked one cigarette after another, repeatedly thinking about the stakes of each decision, and finally made up his mind with a slap on the table "use offense as defense, and guide the attack to the west" . Only by using artillery groups to disrupt the opponent's nerves and attack simultaneously from the south and west can the enemy's attention be distracted. The first battalion was responsible for moving south and giving the Vietnamese army a false signal that our army was about to turn around and go south.
Subsequently, Zhang Wannian reported his plan to the military headquarters. The two battalions that had previously crossed the river did not withdraw, and the 380th Regiment command post crossed the river to strengthen control of the other side of the river. The remaining 2nd Battalion crossed the river at any time to support the 1st and 3rd Battalions and the troops crossing the river.The rocket launcher battalion is on standby on the north bank of the river to block reinforcements from the Vietnamese army.
Later facts proved that Zhang Wannian's plan played a great role in conquering Mimai Mountain. Mimai Mountain is located 4.5 kilometers southeast of , Lang Son City. There are a total of three relatively high altitudes, which provide a natural defensive advantage for the 155th Regiment of the 327th Division of the Vietnamese Army. There are mixed trees on the mountain and natural rivers. The terrain on the left and right banks of the river is unequal, which is conducive to the enemy's defense and counterattack. The 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 380th Regiment, which crossed the river in advance to build a defensive line, provided great help to the follow-up troops in the process of crossing the river, greatly preserving the effective combat power.
After the troops crossed the river, Zhang Wannian led the soldiers to build a defense line while waiting for the main offensive troops to arrive at the designated position and order to attack Mimai Mountain across the board. On March 4, the 55th Army arrived at the designated position on time, and the battle to attack Mimai Mountain officially began. Zhang Wannian ordered the 122nd Cannon Battalion, 152nd Howitzer Battalion, and 130th Rocket Artillery Battalion of the 127th Division Artillery Group to conduct fire strikes on Mimai Mountain, and the 85th Cannon Battalion to attack the enemy on the north side of Banmao.
Subsequently, the infantry attacked the Mimai Mountain position in echelons, occupying the unnamed high ground on the east and west sides of the main peak, and then launched an attack on the main peak, and the battle ended at 11:30 am. The battle for the entire Mimai Mountain lasted until the end at 3 p.m., and the main force of the 380th Regiment controlled the entire Mimai Mountain. Subsequently, the 380th Regiment continued to annihilate the remaining enemies here and build a defense system. Zhang Wanshan continued to move forward with his troops, cooperating with the large forces to advance in depth.
Under Zhang Wannian's detailed plan, the remaining troops of the 123rd Regiment of the Vietnamese Army and the 462nd Regiment of the 338th Division deployed in the area around Mimai Mountain failed to pose any threat to our army during the battle. The 155th Regiment of the 327th Division of the Vietnamese Army defending here was defeated by our army with one move. The 380th Regiment suffered a total of 83 casualties and 12 deaths during the three-day battle on Mimai Mountain. Seized were 257 rifles and submachine guns, 22 anti-aircraft machine guns, 212 light and heavy machine guns, one recoilless rifle and many other weapons. The 127th Division fighting in Mimai Mountain wiped out a total of 439 enemies.
At that time, the 155th Regiment of the Vietnamese Army built three cutting trenches and an A-shaped shelter in Mimai Mountain. The communication trenches were connected in various fortifications, forming a supporting point-type circular defense. During the battle, the 380th Regiment showed a flexible and changeable style of action, organization, and timely adjustment according to the actual situation. Under the command of Zhang Wannian, the troops of the 127th Division took advantage of the hidden terrain to move covertly in the gaps in the enemy's defenses, and penetrated directly into the main peak of Mimai Mountain. They used this as a base to launch a fierce counterattack against the enemies on both wings from a high position.
After the battle at Mimaishan, the Vietnamese army suffered heavy losses, and they "hated Zhang Wannian even more deeply" for Zhang Wannian, the commander of the "Iron Army Division". In order to boost morale, they carried out false propaganda many times and claimed in telegrams that they had killed Zhang Wannian. But every time Zhang Wannian sat in the headquarters and commanded the troops safely.
After finishing fighting in the Vietnam battlefield, Zhang Wannian continued to contribute to the country in the military until his later years before retiring at home to take care of himself. During his work, Zhang Wannian met with important representatives of many countries on behalf of China's top state leaders.
In 1998, Zhang Wannian also met with the National Security Assistant to the President of the United States in the White House. During this period, Clinton broke diplomatic convention and went directly to the assistant's office to meet with Zhang Wannian. Clinton's move shows that the US government attaches great importance to China and the Chinese military, and to Zhang Wannian's delegation's visit to the United States!
