Chapter 29 batang battle

On an ordinary map, Changkong can be seen, but Badang cannot be found.Changkhong is a county belonging to Chiang Rai Province. If the definition of "basin" is not strict, Changkhong County is located on a specific and small basin. On the mountain, there is a ridge-shaped dam, and there is a deserted village on the dam, and that deserted village is Badang.Badang is like a fort falling from the sky, overlooking Changkhong to the south, and the Mekong River lying at the foot of the mountain to the north. On the other side of the Mekong River is Laos.At that time, the Vietnam War was in full swing, and the Lao royal family was on the verge of disintegration. I don’t know when the Badang cottage was occupied by the Miao Communist Party. When the power of the Lao royal family was still strong, the Badang cottage was useless. Now "Freedom" (The Lao Communist Party) has become an armed group that cannot be underestimated, and Badang has become the beachhead for the Thai-Lao Communist Party coalition forces to go south.

In 1968, the year when the Thai government decided to disarm the lone army for the second time, the communist parties in India and the Chinese peninsula, in order to counter the US raid in Vietnam, put all their forces into the battlefield.Badang Shanzhai is no exception.The Miao Communists attacked Changkung County on a dark and stormy night of one month, and asked the county magistrate to negotiate. If they refused to negotiate, they would launch continuous attacks.They stated that the purpose of the negotiations was only to request the supply of grain, salt, and tea. "We will buy with money," the Miao Communist Party said in the document requesting negotiations, "you can follow your price, but you must sell it to us."

The magistrate of Changkong County agreed to negotiate, and the venue for the negotiation was a Buddhist temple about two kilometers outside Changkong City.According to Miao's statement afterwards, the county magistrate was deeply moved by their revolutionary spirit, so he spontaneously followed them.Knowing what happened, the Thai government immediately dispatched a battalion of elite National Defense Forces to the rescue. The Miao Communist Party responded quickly and to the point. They admitted their mistake and spread the word that the county magistrate could be released if the governor of Chiang Rai Province came to Changkhong in person. If they listen to their statements and accept their demands, they can even surrender their weapons and return to their hometowns to work in agriculture.

"The governor must personally give us a guarantee, and then issue us a guarantee document. We have no intention of confronting the National Defense Forces." Everyone in Thailand believes that the Miao Communist Party has been overwhelmed by the National Defense Forces.Mr. Governor - I couldn't find out his name for a while, and I also think it is his duty to go deep into the tiger's den.There is a Western proverb that says: the first time you are deceived, you should blame the other party, and the second time you are deceived, you should blame yourself. Mr. Governor is the one who should blame yourself.But we respect him from the bottom of our hearts, and his purpose is to avoid bloodshed once.The result of this "surrender" is the same as the result of the "negotiation" by the county magistrate, like a group of children playing house wine, treating such a serious ideological struggle as a child's play.

After the governor was captured and the police chief in charge of protecting the governor was shot dead, the Thai government had no choice but to order the National Defense Forces to pursue them, send additional tanks, and bomb them with planes.Huameng Mountain is tortuous and steep. I don't know its height. A soldier in the lone army said that starting from Changkong at dawn, you have to climb the Yangchang trail until dusk before you can see Badang.To deal with this kind of terrain, tanks can only rotate at the foot of the mountain. If you use aircraft, unless there are more than 100 or 200 bombing for more than 10 consecutive days in 24 hours, you cannot move a hair of the defenders.As a result, the Wehrmacht suffered heavy losses, and the battalion commander was seriously injured before reaching the mountainside.More than a hundred people died on the mountain path, and the whole camp collapsed, fleeing for their lives like flies being chased from a meat rack.

This bad news shocked the whole country of Thailand, but it also saved the lone army.His Majesty the Emperor of Thailand personally expressed his serious concern to the Supreme Command. When the wounded soldiers were transported back to Bangkok, His Majesty the Queen drove to the hospital to comfort them.According to common sense, the Thai government should continue to send large corps for reinforcements, but even the Supreme Command is not sure about the large corps that will be dispatched again. power, which would throw Thailand into the chaos desired by its enemies and become an international laughing stock.So, they thought of a lone army.During the meeting in Chiang Rai, the then major general Jiansai promised General Duan Xiwen that if the lone army helps Thailand and overcomes Batang, the Thai government will give priority to it: not only will it not disarm the lone army, but if the lone army agrees and is willing to be loyal to Thailand, the Thai government will also The lone army can be included in Thailand's military collateral system and live in Thailand legally.The so-called collateral system, because the solitary army is a foreign armed force, cannot be incorporated into the Thai Defense Force, but it can be organized into an organization such as the Self-Defense Force, which is controlled by the Supreme Command.

As General Duan Xiwen declared to the lone army, this is an important key. If it is rejected, or if it is not rejected and defeated, Thailand will not have an inch of ground for the lone army to gain a foothold.The result of this meeting is more obvious than the sun rising from the east. The lone army can only accept and win.This was an important acceptance. General Duan Xiwen immediately consulted with General Li Wenhuan of the three armed forces to understand the danger of the situation and the steps to take, although some people raised objections: "Why did we fight for the Thais? Didn't we become Thai mercenaries?"

The Thai liaison officer reminded: "But why do you live in Thai territory? What obligation does Thailand have to accommodate a foreign force that is not loyal to Thailand? Can you, China?" But most importantly, General Duan Xiwen saw that only by seizing this opportunity can the lone army survive.Opportunity only knocks on the door once, and once lost, no one has the power to stop the rebellious Thai government from ordering the expulsion. "Once the Thai government orders the expulsion," General Duan Xiwen persuaded the opponents, "what countermeasures do you have? Things will go back to the situation when we disarmed. Who will supply us? If there is no supply, what will we use to fight against Thailand? I have a word , I hope brothers will remember that the only way for us to survive in the future is to cooperate with the Thai government."

Everyone accepts this cruel fact. Yes, a lone army is always trapped in a narrow passage where there are tigers and wolves in front and an abyss behind. If you take a step back, you will die.