Chapter 35 third quarter

In 1962, Zhang Guohua stayed in the mainland to recuperate after attending a meeting of 7,000 people held by the central government.The long-term war environment and frontier life made his over-tired body never get a rest.With the anti-insurgency in Tibet over and society becoming more stable, he now has some time to relax. However, after only a few days of warm and peaceful life in the hospital, Zhang Guohua's relaxed heart was lifted again.The Sino-Indian border conflict is becoming more and more serious, and the central leadership and the Military Commission headquarters summon him from time to time. Rather than saying that he is in Beijing for medical treatment, it is more convenient for him to go to the headquarters to attend meetings.

On September 20, 1962, the Indian army crossed the Kejielang River and attacked the Chidong checkpoint in China. By October 20, our army had suffered 47 casualties.That day when Zhang Guohua went to the Military Commission for a meeting, Liu Bocheng couldn't hold back anymore, and said at the meeting: "We have to fight! When fighting, we must fight like a lion binding a chicken; not with his border police force, but with his last Good ones who fought in standard troops in World War II. Trick them hard!" Zhang Wenhua nodded, and replied: "We have adjusted the border guards according to what the chairman said. If we want to fight, it will be overwhelming."

Liu Bocheng, He Long, and Xu Xiangqian exchanged ideas together, and soon, a combat command organization code-named "419" was formed. After the determination of the central government was made, Zhang Guohua was going to fly to the front line to specifically command the self-defense counterattack in Tawang, the eastern section of the Sino-Indian border.Before departure, Mao Zedong and other central leaders summoned him. Standing in front of the huge military map, Mao Zedong held a cigarette in one hand, pondered for a long time, then suddenly exhaled a puff of smoke, pointed at the Indian army stronghold on the military map, slapped it with his big hand, and raised his voice and said, "Sweep it!"

After Mao Zedong heard that Nehru's biggest trump card was that China did not dare to fight him, he strengthened his determination to fight.Mao Zedong liked to fight hard all his life, especially those who underestimated him. General Secretary Deng Xiaoping turned his face to Zhang Guohua and asked, "Is there enough food?" Zhang Guohua replied: "A few years ago we started a large-scale military reclamation farm. Now the military region alone produces more than 20 million catties of grain." Deng Xiaoping was very satisfied: "Okay, this has a strategic vision."

Chief of the General Staff Luo Ruiqing was more concerned about the military outcome, and asked, "Are you sure you will win?" Zhang Guohua readily agreed: "Yes!" "Based on it?" Zhang Guohua said: "The enemy we are facing is the trump card army of India, but it is not as good as Chiang Kai-shek's main force. They have not fought for a long time, but we have just suppressed the rebellion; they have not been to the mountains, but we often live in the mountains; their training Can't keep up with us..." At the end of the meeting, Zhang Guohua's head was already hurting like it was about to split open, and his high blood pressure had happened again.But he didn't say anything, and boarded a plane to Lhasa the next day.

The border dispute between China and India has a long history. In 1892, the weak Qing government set up a boundary stone at the Karakorum Pass on the southern border in order to curb the advance strategy of the British Empire, which is known as "the sun never sets." The inscription on the boundary stone declared: "China's territory begins here." . However, the British Empire, which had already reduced India to a colony, was not willing to stop there. At that time, Major General John Alda of the British Army presented a document and a map to the British Foreign Office and the Indian Affairs Department, blatantly separating India and China. The border was drawn to the Kunlun Mountains.According to the territory demarcated by Arda, the Aksai Chin region, Yeerwu and the upper reaches of the Karakash river system will all be incorporated into the territory of India.The illegal border demarcation of Arda was not only flatly rejected by the Qing government at that time, but even Lord Elgin, the governor of India, also denied it.

The border between China and India in the eastern part of Guanting was actually formed in the historical activities a century ago. Zayu and Tawang are both territories of China's Tibet.The Dawang Temple, which is full of incense, is the most famous Buddhist center within a thousand miles, and its business is also extremely prosperous. In 1904, the Governor of India, Lord Guansong, ordered his subordinates to go to Lhasa and signed the "Lhasa Treaty", expressing respect for the territorial integrity of Tibet. In 1907, the agreement signed by Britain and Russia also stated that the two sides were willing to jointly undertake the obligation not to interfere in China's Tibet affairs.

However, in 1911, British officer Noel Williamson, who crossed the Sino-Indian border to spy out Tibetan power, was killed by a tribe of Tibetans.In order to retaliate, the British army carried out four crusades and killed nearly a thousand Tibetans with foreign guns and cannons. In April 1914, Britain and China held the Simla Conference. Sir McMahon, the British representative, arrogantly drew an arc on the map with his cane, enclosing Menyu, Jiyu and Xiazayu areas in Tibet. (this area covers an area of ​​about 90,000 square kilometers), and then forced the Chinese representative to sign.This is the infamous "McMahon Line".

The "McMahon Line" was not recognized by the Chinese government at the time, and the Simla Conference had to be hastily ended.Even McMahon himself admitted afterwards: "The negotiations failed to make the Chinese government officially sign the agreement, and the Simla meeting collapsed." In August 1947, India became independent.This country, which got rid of British colonial rule, has not changed a bit in terms of border policy from the previous British government's policy. In 1949, India took advantage of an uprising in a place in Sikkim to drive its troops in, making Sikkim its protectorate, and making Sikkim more dependent on it than Sikkim was to Britain in the past.In the same year, India signed a treaty with Bhutan, taking over the British right to direct Bhutan's foreign relations.

As soon as the People's Republic of China was founded, it announced that it would soon march into Tibet.India's reaction was very strong. New Delhi warned in a diplomatic note that some countries led by India were pushing the People's Republic of China to replace the Kuomintang regime in the Chinese seat in the United Nations, and China's military actions in Tibet would certainly damage this effort.Of course, this note cannot prevent the Chinese People's Liberation Army from entering Tibet.Immediately afterwards, New Delhi filed a strongly worded protest, expressing regret over the "invasion" of Tibet and China's use of force to resolve its relations with Tibet.

New China's reply was equally sharp: "Tibet is an inalienable part of China's territory, and the Tibet issue is entirely an internal matter of China. The Chinese People's Liberation Army must enter Tibet, liberate the Tibetan people, and defend China's frontiers." Faced with the fait accompli that the new China had restored power in Tibet in 1950, the Indian government's response was pragmatic.On the one hand, they continued to implement a friendly policy toward China, recognizing the close legal relationship between Tibet and the central government in the past; The name of the tribal land south of the line".What's more, India also decided at that time: If China raises this issue, India will refuse to negotiate. In the first few years when the Indian government officially announced that the "McMahon Line" was India's northeast border, the Chinese government did not protest in order to keep the overall situation in mind.However, this kind of forbearance was misunderstood by the Indian authorities as China's acquiescence to their approach, so they went further and extended this policy to other sections of the border. In 1954, the official map of India marked the "McMahon Line" as the international boundary with a solid line instead of a dotted line in the eastern section.The Indian government has also decided at the same time that border posts should be pushed to disputed places whenever possible.Therefore, in the middle and eastern sections of the Sino-Indian border, the Indian army's outposts have all moved forward. India moved forward in the middle, which immediately aroused China's displeasure. In July 1954, the Chinese government sent a note to the Indian government, protesting against the intrusion of Indian troops into Chinese territory, and believed that this action by the Indian side was not in line with the principles of non-aggression and friendly co-existence between China and India, which had just been enshrined in " Pancasila" agreement.The Indian government replied that the territory belonged to India, and in turn demanded that China respect the Five Principles and withdraw its personnel. In the summer of 1959, a rebellion broke out in Tibet.The Indian government openly supported the Tibetan rebels, causing the deterioration of diplomatic relations between China and India.The two sides have deployed troops and generals along the Sino-Indian border, bringing the two countries into a situation of head-on collision. In the eastern section of the Sino-Indian border, the Khamba rebels gathered between the Yarlung Zangbo River and the "McMahon Line", which led the Chinese government to station heavy troops in this area and move the troops to the border to prevent the rebels from crossing the border into India to seek shelter.On the other side of the border, the Indian army allowed their forward outposts to enter the "McMahon Line", and in some places even crossed the "McChaohong Line". On August 25, 1959, the Sino-Indian border dispute turned into live ammunition shooting for the first time on the "McMahon Line", and both sides suffered casualties.At the same time, the situation in the western sector is also on the verge of breaking out.That summer, the Indian government decided to set up outposts at three locations northeast of Leh. On October 20, three Indian armed personnel illegally crossed into Chinese territory in the area south of Kongka Pass.The Chinese border guards immediately advised them to leave the Chinese border immediately, but they refused.In order to protect the Chinese territory from being violated, the Chinese border guards had to disarm and detain them. On October 21, an Indian army of more than 70 troops intruded into Chinese territory at the same place, and unprovoked armed provocations against the Chinese border guards patrolling there.Relying on its superior strength, the Indian army surrounded and approached the relatively small Chinese patrol in two directions.Chinese patrols gestured to them to back out of the Chinese border and stop shooting.However, the Indian army ignored and continued to shoot.The Chinese patrol gestured to them again, but the Indian army ignored them and continued to press on, snatching the horses that the Chinese patrol had placed nearby. In this case, the Chinese patrol had to fight back in self-defense.During the two-hour conflict, 7 Indian troops were captured by Chinese patrols and 9 were killed. Immediately after the incident, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs submitted a memorandum to the Indian ambassador to China, lodged a serious protest, and demanded that the Indian government take immediate measures to prevent the recurrence of provocative incidents.However, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs submitted a note and issued a statement to the Chinese embassy in India successively on October 23, distorting the real history of the above-mentioned incident, accusing the Chinese army of infringing Indian territory and provoking armed conflicts, and attempting to take full responsibility for the incident. push on the Chinese side.On October 24, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs once again submitted a note to the Indian ambassador, refuting the groundless accusations made by the Indian government against China, categorically rejecting the protest raised by the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the note on October 23, and reaffirming the Chinese government’s October 23 statement. Serious protests and demands made in the Memorandum of Purpose 22. After the Kazan incident, Indian Prime Minister Nehru sent a memorandum to the main Indian diplomatic missions abroad.The memo was later leaked to the New York Times in the United States, which published its gist on November 12, that Nehru believed that India might have to use armed force to remove Chinese troops from the "Indian territory" they occupied. "Go up and drive out. In fact, Nehru had repeatedly stated at this time that war between China and India was possible.He constantly assured the Indian political circles that: "The Indian defense force has made all preparations; a war with China for the border is possible, and if a war breaks out, India can win." In the next two years, China and India conducted many negotiations to resolve border disputes.Senior leaders of the two countries have also met several times, but with little success.The Indian government sees China's relentless efforts to peacefully resolve the border dispute as a form of weakness, and Indians are overconfident that they can defeat the Chinese military. October 1, 1962, coincided with the celebration of the 13th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.When the night sky in Beijing, the capital, was full of rumbling gun salutes and colorful fireworks, in the war hall of the Ministry of National Defense of New Delhi, the capital of India, a battle conference was going on to determine the fate of India. The meeting was chaired by Indian Defense Minister Menon.As a civilian official, although Menon was responsible for the important task of Minister of Defense, when he faced the generals with gold flowers on their shoulders and ribbons hanging diagonally, he always felt an uncontrollable sense of oppression.In order to maintain his dignity, his magic weapon is to reprimand and laugh at his generals.Therefore, these generals were dissatisfied with Menon, but they had to be grateful to him, because Menon continued to promote their ranks, and at the same time greatly increased their salaries, especially the salaries of the generals.During Menon's tenure, the army's weaponry was also improved.Especially the extremely close personal relationship between Menon and Nehru made every officer have to be careful. Menon said after making a brief opening speech: "Prime Minister Nehru has gone to London to attend the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Meeting. Before leaving, he authorized me to formulate a combat plan to clear the Chinese army. I have ordered the General Staff to draw up a plan. , This is the 'Livorno' combat plan. Next, Brigadier General Pallett will be asked to read the text of the combat plan." Brigadier General Palet, Chief of the Operations Department of the General Staff, spread out the folder and said: "The name 'Livorno' has no special meaning. It is a place name, a port in Italy. During World War II, the Chief of the General Staff once There was a fight there, that's all." Then, he preached the mission and main points of the operation: In the eastern section of the Sino-Indian border, it is necessary to occupy the Tagra ridge and drive the Chinese army out of the Tagra Mountain; In the western section of the Sino-Indian border, 21 strongholds of the Chinese army will be removed and all the disputed Aksai Chin area will be occupied; In order to strengthen the military power in the eastern section, it is planned to form the 4th Army of the Special Forces in the fastest time. Lieutenant General Kaur went to the northeast border to command and concurrently serve as the commander of the 4th Army; Preparations for the offensive must be completed by October 10. The first move of the Indian army is to push the post to the front of the Chinese guard post. If China does not move, the second step is to push the post to the back of the Chinese post to cut off the connection between the Chinese post and the main position. If China has not yet movement.The Indian army has implemented the third step, pulling out the Chinese outposts. At this moment when the fate of the country is determined, India's former army chief of staff, Timaya, put forward his own opinion. He said that if the Chinese army defeats the Indian army's attack, and takes advantage of the situation to counterattack, wipe out all the border troops, and then take advantage of the situation to pursue and capture New Delhi what to do? However, apart from the sympathetic eyes of Lieutenant General Singh, the commander of the 23rd Army, he got some comfort from the sympathetic eyes of others, and the others had indifferent cold eyes and sneering smiles at the corners of their mouths. He stood up helplessly, and accidentally knocked over the teacup with his trembling hands, and the tea splashed on the straight military uniform of Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Kaur. Kaur exclaimed, and said angrily: "Old man, he stepped down early, what are you talking about, shameless!" As if he didn't hear it, Timayah said: "Mr. Minister, wake up from your dream! The Chinese army is not vulnerable, and it will never never fight back. Think about Chiang Kai-shek's 8 million troops, think about the Korean battlefield. U.S. 8th Army, think about the Tibetan army that was just suppressed! I don’t want to say it, but I have to say it: the Chinese army is a hundred times better than ours!” This last sentence angered all the senior generals present. Immediately, there was a sound of scolding on the oval conference table: "You don't deserve to be a soldier!" "Traitor!" "Get out!" ... Timaiya was kicked out of the venue. After he left, the battle hall fell silent, and no one spoke for a long time. Timaya's prophecy seemed to freeze and freeze the hearts of all the people present.These arrogant Indian generals did not want to imagine possible defeats, nor did they dare to imagine them. Among these Indian generals, Lieutenant General Kaul was the most fanatical.The morning after the war conference was held, he flew to Tespur to take command of the 4th Army. On October 8, Kaul opened the prelude to the "Livorno" combat operation.He ordered the Rajput unit and the Gurkha unit to drive down from Zhangduo, join other troops along the river, and drive to the Yongcuo Pass.This mountain pass is about 1.6 kilometers west of Tagra, with a height of 4,800 meters.When they got there, Kaul ordered them to establish a controlling position behind the Chinese troops. Regarding Kaur's order, Prashad, the commander of the 4th Division, and Darvi, the commander of the 7th Brigade of the division, raised objections.They pointed out that the troops had no winter clothes, no supplies, and could not survive at 3,000 meters.And if a certain amount of artillery cover is not given, the Rajaput United will be wiped out halfway. Kaur completely ignored their opinions.However, he agreed to send out a reconnaissance team before the action of the large force, and said that the reconnaissance team should set off immediately, find the most suitable crossing point, and cover the action of the large force at dawn the next day. At this time, Zhang Guohua returned to Tibet with illness. On October 13, the day Zhang Guohua arrived in Lhasa, the military region held an enlarged meeting of the Standing Committee.First, Wang Kang, chief of staff of the military region, conveyed the instructions of the central government: "This battle is just like the battle at Pingxingguan. It is of great significance. If you beat him hard, you will have to step on him again. The central government has determined that the front will be commanded by the Tibet Military Region, and all matters related to tactical deployment adjustments will be made by Commander Zhang Guohua." The staff decided. In the past, the headquarters stipulated that no guns should be fired at a distance of 50 meters. After the chief of staff finished speaking, Zhang Guohua stood up and conveyed Mao Zedong's instructions. He learned them perfectly, including Mao Zedong's gestures and Mao Zedong's demeanor.Finally, he said what he always wanted to say: "The matter is of great importance and has a far-reaching impact. My determination is: I am going to kill 1,300 of his people, and don't consider casualties at all. We always keep 4 large regiments at full strength, fight one by one to make up for one... for Strengthen the command, we can all go down; if necessary, the deputy commander can go to the regiment to command." Zhang Guohua looked around the venue, and his words were full of encouragement: "Now is an extraordinary period. Everything must revolve around fighting, and everything must obey the front line. We will carry out our responsibilities and be responsible to the end. Now Beijing depends on us. It is the performance of the Communist Party members." It's time!" After the meeting, he asked Hou Jie of the autonomous region: "You delivered 50 truckloads of shells to the front line within 24 hours. Is there any problem?" Hou Jie looked distressed: "It's 190 kilometers, you know the road conditions..." "Now is an extraordinary period, I know you have a solution." Zhang Guohua stared at Hou Jie. This time, Hou Jie and the others only took more than 10 hours to send the shells to the front line. An emergency meeting was held on the 13th, and Zhang Guohua went to the forward command post on the 15th.When passing by the Book Mountain Pass, he was recognized by several cadres of the 154th Regiment who were gathering there on standby.The news spread, and there was cheering on the hillside.Zhang Guohua seized the time to say a few words to the cadres: "You have to use the energy to fight the 11th Division, the main force of the Kuomintang army during the War of Liberation, so that you can defeat the ace 7th Brigade of the Indian Army. You must be as fast as a horse, and you must Has the stamina of a cow!" The atmosphere in the pre-war command post was tense.Zhang Guohua sometimes concentrates on studying the map, and sometimes walks away from the map and thinks deeply. "Careful in the first battle" is a very difficult vehicle to control, and winning the first battle is the minimum requirement.After all, it is the first time to fight against the Indian Army. Is it the "Tai Chi School" or the "Shaolin School"?Zhang Guohua estimated that the main force of the Kuomintang would not be as strong as the Kuomintang, but he should not underestimate it. He wanted cats to fight like tigers, like dealing with the medium-sized troops of the Kuomintang. At that time, the superiors had an opinion. In order to be prudent, it is only necessary to eat one battalion of the enemy in the first battle. This is a very safe plan.Zhang Guohua thought about it again and again, and felt that eating a battalion would not hurt or itch, if he wanted to eat it, he would eat a brigade! When he told another leader about this idea, the leader hesitated: "This is too risky! What if..." Zhang Guohua looked at the other leaders with a questioning air, and his hands touched the beard stubble on his face from time to time.His eyes were piercing, and his thin lips and commanding chin gave his face an air of confidence.At this time, the army's suggestions came up. After the 155th regiment inspected the site, they felt that the hole torn apart by hitting one point was very small, and the enemy was likely to shoot and reinforce from both sides. Yin Fatang, the political commissar of the 419 regiment, came to Zhang Guohua to ask Zhang Guohua to expand the attack surface.After listening to these opinions, Zhang Guohua announced: "The top and bottom have agreed. Generally speaking, the weak should be attacked first, but due to the constraints of the terrain, I am determined to attack the strong first. If the enemy's main force is destroyed, the enemy's deployment will be messed up." , it is easy to be broken by me one by one." One of the leaders seemed cautious, saying that the war was going to be a big one. Was the originally scheduled launch time of the battle postponed by two days? At this time, Yin Fatang once again spoke on behalf of the 419 regiment: the launch of the campaign cannot be postponed. Zhang Guohua asked back: "What's the reason?" Yin Fatang replied: "More than 10,000 people of mine entered the battlefield and stayed hidden in the forest for a day and a night without fireworks. A delay of two days will easily expose the target, and there will be no sudden attack there!" Zhang Guohua said: "Okay! Don't delay. Let the enemy be a prisoner before he puts on his pants!" When Zhang Guohua reported his opinions to the central government, some leaders thought that Zhang Guohua was taking risks.Mao Zedong had always been superior in military affairs. He didn't like to stick to the rules, so he affirmed Zhang Guohua's "adventure" and said: "He is a front-line commander, let him fight! If you can't fight again!" After the plan was approved, Zhang Guohua's agitated voice sounded in the frontline command post: "Now the enemy is not 1,300, but 2,500. We are going to hit him with 3,000, and if the enemy reinforces, we will hit him with 5,000. The problem will be solved in three to five days. Don't be afraid of casualties. To fight well, fight fast, and make quick decisions, you must Total annihilation. Fighting is not restricted by the 'wheat line'. If the fight is not good, it is the responsibility of the people in front, and if the supply is not good, it is the responsibility of the logistics staff. Whoever fails, whoever is responsible will be held accountable." Zhang Guohua also ordered more pork to be prepared, and sent the film teams of all regiments to the front, as well as the art troupe of the military region to boost morale. Three days later, on October 18, the Indian army took the lead in attacking. At the foot of the Himalayas, dense artillery shells flew from India to the land of China. The rumbling noise shocked the mountains, and the thick black smoke merged into the thick fog on the roof of the world. Brigadier General Darvi, commander of the 7th Brigade of the Indian Army's ace unit, stood in a shelter on a hill near Dora, staring at the Chinese position through the window.He seemed to be fascinated by the dazzling light and dancing smoke in front of him.This is a war spectacle created by nearly 400 artillery salvos, which has never appeared on the Sino-Indian border. On October 18th and 19th, the Indian army continued to pour more than 14,800 shells into the Chinese border post. The chief of staff of the brigade ran over excitedly and reported: "Your Excellency, Brigadier General, our fierce artillery fire has destroyed more than 10 strongholds of the Chinese army, and we are now preparing to extend our firepower and bombard the main positions of the Chinese army." Darvi's face was expressionless, as if he hadn't heard the chief of staff's report at all, and his whole body and mind were completely immersed in the spectacle of war in front of him. "Brigade Commander..." The chief of staff thought that Darvi hadn't heard clearly, and wanted to repeat the results of the battle just now. Darvi interrupted him: "Did you see any soldiers hiding in the opposite outpost? Did you hear the artillery fire from the Chinese army? No. The Chinese army has been prepared for a long time. This is a diplomatic war. Wait for us to fire the first shot. The counterattack of the Chinese army is already inevitable." Let Darvi be right. In the early morning of October 20, the Chinese army launched a comprehensive counterattack. At 5 o'clock in the morning, two flares flew over the Himalayas.Nearly 500 mortars and cannons of the Chinese army let out earth-shattering roars.Darvi, who was once intoxicated by the spectacle of the battlefield, witnessed a more thrilling scene this time.He recalled: "We were stupefied for a few minutes as the first shells whizzed overhead, and the spectacle was all the more frightening in contrast to the silence hitherto. The two armies were so close together. , so that it looked as if there had been a mutiny in the troops." The focus of the Chinese army's offensive is directed at the central position of the Indian army along the river, with the Gurkha and Rajaput units bearing the brunt.The Indian positions were taken one after the other, and by 9:00 am, the Gurkha and Rajaput regiments along the river were all wiped out. Chinese troops then attacked Zhangduo.At that time, this key position was only defended by a weak company belonging to the Gurkha United, and there were two paratrooper guns.At this time, they fired flat shots and resisted stubbornly until the whole army was wiped out. The Indian 7th Brigade was soon in disarray.The telephone lines from the brigade headquarters to the battalions have been interrupted by volleys of artillery.The signal soldiers of the Rajput and Gurkha units had to turn off their radios and take up their rifles and go into battle. The battle plan formulated by Zhang Guohua was to break through the center and then occupy Zhangduo and Hadong Pass.After these two places are conquered, the remaining Indian troops along the river will be intercepted, unable to escape or get supplies.Our army can deal with them calmly, or defeat them when the Indian army retreats to the mountain pass.The plan went very smoothly. Faced with being intercepted, Darvi had no choice but to flee, but in the end he failed to escape and was captured on October 22. The 7th Brigade of the Indian Ace Army has since ceased to exist. At the same time, Chinese troops also launched an offensive in the western section of the Sino-Indian border, violently attacking Indian outposts in the Chipchapu Valley, the Galwan River area, and the Pangong Lake area.Although the Indian army tried its best to resist, they were either killed or captured. The Indian government refused to sit idly by and watched the endgame of failure. They dispatched troops from all over the country to increase the total strength of the east and west sections to 30,000. They planned to launch a counterattack on November 1. The battle started again. The Western Indian Military Region regards Chushul as a key area, because they foresee that if the Chinese army captures Leh, then the Spangur Valley between the mountains will obviously become the passage for the Chinese army.Therefore, the Indian army established a position on the mountain to the east of Chushule. The conditions for building fortifications in winter were extremely difficult. The frozen land could not be dug, so they had to explode. Engage in short bouts of physical activity.There is not even wood for fuel and bunkers, and everything has to be carried up by the troops in small bags from the valley. Mules can't climb such a high place, but anyway, the Indian army built some relatively strong shelters. position. In the early morning of the 18th, the Chinese army began shelling Indian outposts, brigade positions and airfields in the valley; at dawn, infantry attacked the Indian positions on the hill.Heavy mortars, recoilless guns and rocket launchers almost leveled the shallow Indian fortifications. The frontal attack of the Chinese army was blocked, so they outflanked the flanks and rear of the Indian positions, and captured these positions after fierce hand-to-hand combat.In the 1 company of the Kumaon Battalion, which was guarding the fortifications on a ridge called Rezanla, only 3 wounded soldiers returned to the battalion headquarters in the valley, and the rest were wiped out. In just 5 hours, the hilltop position held by the Western Military Region of the Indian Army was either breached or abandoned because it could not be defended.The Chinese army defeated all the Indian troops on Chinese territory in the western section, swept through the positions on the mountains east of Chushul, and seized a large amount of military supplies. The gathering speed of the Indian army from Sera to Bundila in the eastern section of the Sino-Indian border was relatively slow. After the Chinese army launched an attack, the Indian army immediately retreated. The Chinese army followed the retreating Indian army and occupied the positions that the Indian army had built. At the beginning, Hoshir Singh, the commander of the 62nd Brigade of the Indian Army, was able to maintain control over his own troops. When he was shot violently by the Chinese army, the retreating troops huddled together and fell into chaos. The whole brigade broke up. Scattered and small stocks headed for the plain separately.In the next few days, many small units were ambushed on the road, either killed or captured.Brigadier General Hoshir Singh was also killed in Puthang on 27 November. In this way, the 48th Brigade of the Indian Army stationed in Bundila has become India's only organized force in the Northeast Frontier Special Zone.The brigade has 6 rifle companies, and they are scattered to defend the semi-circular position originally held by 12 companies. Therefore, there are many gaps in the position. However, the Indian troops are waiting for the attack of the Chinese army on the prepared positions, and at the same time there are artillery support from field artillery, heavy mortars and 4 light tanks; the vanguard of one of the two reinforcement battalions, this The time has arrived and the defense was immediately carried out, blocking a gap in the position.There was going to be a fierce battle here.At this time, Kaul, the commander of the 4th Army, called from Tespur and ordered the 48th Brigade to send a mobile force to relieve the siege of Derangzong.Brigadier General Gebaz Singh, the commander of the 48th Brigade, protested that his situation had not changed, and the reinforcements had not all arrived. Drawing troops from his position would be tantamount to giving Bundila to the Chinese.In a huff, Kaul ordered him emphatically: the mobile unit must be on the road within half an hour, whatever the consequences for Bundila. How can the Indian army be invincible if it demolishes the east wall to make up the west wall? The 48th Brigade drew 2 infantry companies from the position, plus 2 tanks and 2 mountain guns, formed a column, and ran towards Derangzong along the winding mountain road.About 30 minutes after the column set off, the Chinese army launched an offensive.The column that was already on the road was ordered to return to its original position. When they returned, their position had been occupied by Chinese troops. On the night of the 18th, the 48th Brigade began to organize defenses around Ruba. At this time, they received an order from Kaul to withdraw to Mount Volt, which is close to the plain.In the process of retreating according to the order, the troops received an order from Kaul to continue to stick to Ruba!In this way, the 48th Brigade turned back to Ruba according to this order.Same as the ending of the day, when the 48th Brigade turned back to Ruba, the positions on the hills around Ruba had been occupied by the Chinese army! The 48th Brigade had to withdraw to Chaku, another possible resistance along the road south.The Chinese army followed and chased them all the way to Chaku.The 48th Brigade had lost control so far, and the remnants dispersed into small groups and rushed to the plain. The Chinese army has achieved an overall victory in the counterattack, while the Indian side is in panic.Lieutenant General Kaur, who was very arrogant before the war, called the District Commissioner of Tezpur and told him that the military situation was very bad. The District Commissioner was so frightened that he put down the phone and slipped to Calcutta with his family. The district commissioner took the lead in fleeing, and the common people were in chaos.Huge crowds, including lunatics released from asylums and freed criminals, flocked to the pier, waiting for the ferry steamer to transport them to the other side of the Brahmaputra River.The safe carrying capacity of the ferry is 300 to 400 people, but every time it is loaded, it is more than 1,000 people.What is even more ridiculous is that the staff of the bank actually set fire to burn the money that could not be transported, and the coins could not be burned, so they threw the coins into a lake, which suddenly attracted many people, and people jumped into the lake to fish coin. In Assam, the Director of Civil Defense has prepared to implement a "scorched earth policy", planning to blow up everything that can be blown up in the state, from the airport in Tezpur to the oil fields in Digboy. The bombed list.In addition to burning the tea plantations, and of course blowing up all the power plants, waterworks, and the like. On the morning of the 20th, Kaur briefed the two state government ministers at his military headquarters, telling them that the Chinese troops were coming soon, that they might carry out an airborne attack in Misamari, and that they might launch an air strike on Tezpur.Therefore, the military headquarters is withdrawing "according to the order of the superior". This Lieutenant General Kaul greatly inflated the strength of the Chinese army. At that time, the few Chinese airborne troops were not sent to the Sino-Indian border at all. Just when there was panic in India, the Chinese government unilaterally announced the cessation of fighting and would withdraw from the eastern section of the Sino-Indian border.The major newspapers in New Delhi, India reported the news as quickly as possible, and the newspapers became very popular for a while.Only then did the Indian government understand that China did not intend to invade India, but merely carried out a large-scale punishment. The Sino-Indian border counterattack ended with a brilliant victory for the Chinese army.The Chinese army cleared all the Indian army's invasion strongholds in the western section of the Sino-Indian border, and entered the area south of the illegal "McMahon Line" close to the traditional customary line in the eastern section.This battle annihilated 3 brigades of the Indian army, and part of the Indian army of another 5 brigades was wiped out.Killed more than 4,800 officers and soldiers of the 62nd Brigade of the Indian Army under Brigadier General Hoshir Singh, captured more than 3,900 officers and soldiers of the 7th Brigade of the Indian Army under Brigadier General Darwi, and seized aircraft, tanks, and a large number of cars and guns , ammunition and other military supplies. Such a great result has been achieved, but China has not dispatched many troops. The total strength of the troops is roughly the same as that of the Indian troops participating in the war, about 3 divisions.In addition to our well-trained and strong combat effectiveness, the reason why the equal force can completely defeat the opponent is an important reason. The correct command and the resolute implementation of Mao Zedong's tactical principle of "concentrating superior forces to fight annihilation war" is an important reason.The total strength of our army is not large, but we must concentrate superior forces in local operations, and every time we defeat them, we will turn to the next target.On the other hand, the Indian army is deployed scattered and guarded everywhere, so they can only be passively beaten. The counterattack on the Sino-Indian border has enabled our army to gain combat experience in peacetime.After the war, many combat cadres were transferred to other units. In 1963, according to Mao Zedong's proposal, Zhang Guohua transferred 12 company platoon leaders who had participated in battles to the Central Guard Corps. In February 1963, Zhang Guohua returned to Beijing to attend a work meeting held by the Central Committee. A staff officer beside him said happily: "This time the chief will enter the (Germany) victory gate." What Zhang Guohua was afraid of was the pride of the army, and said: "Do you want to What I want is to enter Deshengmen, and what I want is to exit Xuanwumen." The secretary was notified that the chairman would personally listen to Zhang Guohua's report.张国华有些发怵：“叫别人汇报吧。”“不行，主席点名要听你讲，说你一直在前线，最有发言权。” 张国华心里忐忑不安。他知道主席听部下汇报时，最喜次插话提问，即兴发挥。他生怕哪个细节疏漏，对答不妥，只好加紧准备汇报提纲。准备完了，他还觉没把握，就把提纲送军委秘书长罗瑞卿审阅。罗秘书长在上面批了几个字：“此件看了，很好，请照此向中央工作会议汇报。” 2月19日下午，汇报会在中南海怀仁堂举行。当张国华走向怀仁堂讲台时，他那安然自若的神情忽然间又变得紧张起来，好像所有的目光都向他射来，对着他笑。他朝左右一看，自己的座位竟被安排在毛泽东和刘少奇中间。他也记不得是怎样走到自己座位上去的，只记得紧张得后来反而抛弃了一切杂念，放开了胆子照直说。 当他说到“这场斗争是一场错综复杂的政治斗争和军事斗争”时，毛泽东果然愉快地插话：“要注意军事，只搞文不搞武是危险的。各大区、省委的同志都要准备打仗。” 张国华说：“中央军委和总部在作战中的每一重大转换时节，都给我们作了及时、具体又详尽的指示……” 毛泽东插话：“我这次是参战了的。还有少奇、总理、小平。” 张国华说：“印度国防部长说中国军队在背后刺了他们一刀……” 毛泽东插话：“工人农民的军队、共产党领导的军队，为什么不能打胜仗呀！日本、蒋介石、美国、印度都被整下去了嘛！印度说抓了我们的人，又交不出来。好啊！没有抓到我们一个。” 张国华说：“在交通运输上，我们是依靠土法，依靠自己，依靠群众。没有空军支援，靠地面；没有公路，靠人、畜；没有体积小、重量轻、有营养的干粮，靠糌粑……” 毛泽东又插话：“在这一点上，他是现代化，我们是原始化。但革命的原始化战胜了反革命的现代化。” 汇报会后，罗瑞卿又将参战部队一不怕苦二不怕死的情况向毛泽东详报。毛泽东若有所思：“过去岳飞说过，'文官不要钱，武官不怕死，天下太平矣。'那时金兀术说：撼山易，撼岳家军难。我要说，撼山易，撼解放军更难。” 张国华在西藏整整工作了17年，他的身体不好，患有严重的心脏病，在高寒缺氧地区，心脏有病的人更是难以生存。但张国华为了祖国的利益顽强坚持在雪域髙原，直到1967年他才调到四川任党政军一把手。 1972年，正当张国华领导四川人民清算林彪反党罪行，由于过分劳累，竟在2月21日主持解决四川大学问题的会议上，猝然病发，倒在会场上。党中央闻讯，立刻派出专家小组抢救。专家小组在周总理的具体安排下，连夜飞往成都，但未能奏效。张国华再也没有起来。 2月24日，周恩来秘密访问越南，他一到越南，就伤心地对驻越大使王幼平说：“知道吗，国华同志死了。” 王幼平是张国华的老战友，听后大吃一惊。周恩来边说边流泪，十分伤心。王幼平控制不住自己的感情，失声痛哭了起来。 周总理从越南回到北京后，张国华的骨灰也运送到北京西郊机场。周恩来正在与访华的美国总统尼克松会谈，他从忙碌中抽身，亲往机场迎接。周恩来一生只去机场接过两位将军的骨灰，一个是他颇为赞赏的陈赓大将，一个就是张国华中将。寒风中，周恩来接过张国华的骨灰，伤心得不能自持，潸然泪下。 他沉痛地说：“中央正要重用他的时候，他却过早地走了……” 一旁的其他领导人也都恸哭出声。 不久，中央召开解决四川问题的工作会议。当周恩来询问毛泽东是否接见时，一般情况毛泽东总是满足地方干部的愿望，但这次却执意不从，他拍了一下沙发扶手，神色黯然，许久，叹了一口气：“不见了，再见也见不到张国华了！” 张国华在藏17年。这17年，是西藏变革时期最经磨难的时期，也是张国华人生最辉煌的17年。解放军多数将领都走进和平生活，而他却没有离开过艰难困苦。刀枪之战刚刚结束，又陷入“文革”的灾难，一生不得清闲。然而历史记住了他。他的事业融进了佛光里的皑皑白雪，人们赞颂他是“佛光将军”。