Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Attacking with a heavy fist, multiple troops attacked Qamdo

The Jinsha River is known as the natural danger, and the water flow is turbulent.The Kashag of Tibet (formerly the local government of Tibet) relied on natural dangers to set up the first line of defense on the Jinsha River in an attempt to prevent the People's Liberation Army from entering Tibet. On October 6, 1950, the Battle of Qamdo started, and our various troops marched towards the target according to the established deployment. On the 5th, I arrived at Xincun, Dege County, near the Jinsha River, following the left troops of the Northern Front Group (including the reconnaissance battalion and the engineer battalion) led by Su Tongqing, commander of the 18th Army's reconnaissance battalion, and Wang Daxuan, director of the military's political department.At dusk, the troops began to quietly approach the Jinsha River about three kilometers away.The rapid march on this section of the road was extraordinary. In addition to carrying equipment and food on their backs, the soldiers also had to carry a cowhide boat (sewn with cowhide) weighing more than 50 kilograms together, and dozens of people jointly carried a wooden boat.The soldiers approached the Jinsha River step by step along the hillside path by the Kelu River (a tributary of the Jinsha River).Shoulder to shoulder, the soldiers moved forward in unison, their heads were stabbed by branches and their feet were scraped by rocks, but no one made a sound.In the middle of the night, the soldiers skillfully concealed the boat on the water surface under the hanging rock.At this time, I forgot the fatigue of continuous marching, and my whole body and mind integrated into the group of this army.

The night is thick, and the stars appear and disappear.Battalion Commander Su Tongqing came to a beach on the east bank of Gangtuo Ferry on the Jinsha River.This beach is about 100 meters long, open and unobstructed, and on the other side is a high mountain, condescending, and the terrain is not good for me.However, there is only this ferry here, and there is no other choice.The troops found out the enemy's situation in advance, and most of the enemy troops lived in the houses of Tibetan compatriots on the opposite bank.The troops immediately built bunkers on the beach and deployed firepower. In the early morning of the 6th, everything was quiet on both sides of the Jinsha River, and there was no movement from the enemy troops on the other side. The warriors of the assault company jumped into wooden boats and cowhide boats, put them into the rapids, and flew towards the opposite bank like arrows.At this time, it was already bright, and the enemy's machine guns rang out, and the bullets were as dense as rain, and the bunkers on the beach of our army were hit with yellow sand.

Our army suffered casualties.Battalion Commander Su jumped out of the bunker, pointed at the enemy's firepower point on the opposite bank and shouted: "Fire the opposite side!"At this time, the soldiers fully understood the command of Battalion Commander Su: This is a special war. We fought the Battle of Qamdo for the peaceful liberation of Tibet. We must not only smash the resistance of the enemy, but also protect the lives and property of Tibetans. The boats of the warriors of the assault company were approaching the opposite bank, but they were being strafed by the enemy more and more frantically. Some boats were hit and leaked, and some soldiers were injured. The situation was very urgent.On the boat where Deputy Company Commander Shen Jingyi was sitting, six people were injured and one died. The soldier Yang Zirong blocked the leak with his clothes and used his hands as oars to row the boat. The boat was still more than ten meters away from the shore. He plunged into the water and quickly pushed the boat to the shore. Rush towards the enemy stronghold. Squad 1 leader Hu Guangxian led three soldiers to occupy an enemy barracks in just over ten minutes with submachine guns and grenades.

Under the brave offensive of our army, the enemy troops fled to the mountains behind the village one after another.During the battle, some Tibetans took the risk of sending buttered tea, tsampa and hot milk to our army.Anlang Dorje, the head of the village, braved the rain of bullets to lead our army.On the same day, the Tibetan compatriots in Gangtuo sent representatives to take over the Jinsha River with batches of my left troops in cowhide boats.After our army crossed the river, we immediately bandaged the wounds of the captured and injured enemy soldiers, and distributed travel expenses (silver dollars) and rations to them.Tibetans praised our army as "Bodhisattva soldiers" and "new Han people".

Our army crossed the Jinsha River and took a short rest in Gangtuo, then seized the opportunity to chase down the fleeing enemy.The troops advanced along the ancient commercial road leading to Qamdo.One evening when we arrived at a place called Jueyong, the troops were greatly encouraged by a piece of news. The Tibetans sent by the enemy as "Ula" (commissioners) ran back to deliver a letter to our army. About 30 kilometers from Mazhan) there are many enemy troops.The enemy is on horseback, our army is infantry.The Tibetan compatriots who reported the letter believed that the People's Liberation Army could not catch up.The Tibetan compatriots still don't know that our team is an extremely strong-willed team that is good at fighting tough and bad battles.At night, the troops held a mobilization meeting for cadres above the platoon, analyzed the enemy's situation, and made arrangements to chase and wipe out the enemy day and night.Battalion Commander Su and Director Wang asked the troops at the meeting: Resolutely respond to the call of the military party committee, endure great hardships, endure heavy labor, fight well in the Battle of Qamdo, and successfully complete the mission of marching into Tibet!

I remember that at the marching swearing-in meeting held by the troops in Meishan County, western Sichuan, Tan Guansan, political commissar of the 18th Army, gave a very encouraging speech to the whole army. In his speech, he asked in a strong Jiangxi accent: "Comrades! The bayonet is sharpened. No? Have the guns been polished?" Immediately there was a tsunami of responses from the venue: "Sharpen it!" "Polish it!" Great encouragement.Now, the troops have crossed the Jinsha River, Qamdo is ahead, and an enemy army is not far ahead.Jueyong's cadre meeting was in full swing. Under the lights, everyone was gearing up, saying that they were not afraid of fatigue and sacrifice, and that they must catch the enemy in front and not miss the opportunity!The troops immediately buried the pot for cooking, reorganized their equipment, and set out on the road overnight after the meal.

The troops marched continuously day and night, and along the way they found that a large amount of excrement pulled by the enemy's horses was still wet, and in some places there were traces of the enemy's camping and cooking, which showed that the enemy was not far away from us.The early morning training during the military training in western Sichuan, the "plateauization of life", and the special dry food made by Chongqing workers have all come in handy and played an extremely important role in today's unprecedentedly intensified plateau rapid march. For several days and nights, the troops touched dangerous hills, crossed grasslands, and stepped across glaciers, and the troops' emotions were unprecedentedly high.After the soldiers crossed the river, their wet clothes quickly froze.The troops take a short rest, boil a pot of boiling water and then eat the rice substitute powder, which is the same as eating and marching.On the second night when the troops passed through Jiangda, they marched for more than 20 kilometers, and the troops in front suddenly stopped moving. It turned out that a surprising situation came from a company of advanced soldiers: a flashlight was found a few hundred meters ahead, and the grass beach Covered with tents.After careful reconnaissance, it was confirmed that the enemy camped here.The warrior whispered a message to those behind the line.what!The enemy has finally been caught up by us!

This place is called Lazhe Pass.Cold stars twinkle in the sky.A wide grass dam is surrounded by mountains on both sides.It was already late at night, and the troops quietly stopped in place, waiting for combat orders.Battalion Commander Su made a decisive deployment: the third company was on the left, and the first company was on the right, rushing from the shallow river, crossing from the foot of the mountain, straight into the enemy's camp, and using close combat to make a quick decision.Battalion Commander Su called me to his side and followed the battalion headquarters. At this time, I was also holding the pistol equipped by the 52nd Division, ready to participate in the battle.

A string of signal flares rose into the night sky, and the soldiers rushed to the grassy beach at high speed. The sound of dense guns and howling from the enemy camp rang together.The enemy's unbridled horses ran around neighing.The herd of yaks carrying supplies for the enemy was terrified and turned around on the grassy beach.Some enemy soldiers just put on their clothes and prepared to mount their horses and flee, but they quickly disarmed and became prisoners.After less than an hour of fighting, most of the more than 1,000 enemy troops belonging to the two generations were defeated, and more than 400 people were taken prisoner.In this campaign, a large number of British guns and ammunition, horses and supplies were seized.After dawn, the battlefield was cleaned up, and five silver dollars and rations were distributed to each captured enemy soldier.By noon, some enemy soldiers who had fled into the mountains came to disarm one after another, demanding that our army pay them travel expenses to let them go home (some Tibetan soldiers came from the distant Shigatse and Gyantse areas of Houzang).

The battle at Lazhe Mountain Pass and the results created by the brothers from all walks of life had a far-reaching impact in Tibet. It greatly enhanced the military prestige of our army and proved that the PLA came to Tibet to liberate millions of serfs and expel imperialist forces from Tibet to consolidate the national defense of the motherland.When the Tibetan army who fled back to Lhasa told people about their embarrassing defeat, they deified our army: "We can no longer fight with the People's Liberation Army!" "The bullets fired by the People's Liberation Army are flying all over the sky!" signal flare) "The People's Liberation Army can walk faster than a horse can run!"

When our troops left the Lazhe Pass and marched towards Chamdo, we buried the remains of our comrades in arms (11 comrades died in this battle), and bid them a sad farewell.After this battle, our army changed from infantry to cavalry, and each soldier was assigned a horse.We rode horses along the gentle slope to climb the Damara Mountain at an altitude of more than 4,800 meters. The terrain became higher and higher, and we could not see trees, and then we could not see grass, and our eyes were full of weathered stones.The sun went down and night fell.Our army decided to cross the Damara Mountain overnight and take Qamdo before dawn.After many days of continuous marching and fighting, the troops were extremely exhausted. No one spoke along the way, only the sound of horseshoes bumping and kicking the rocks on the road.The night was dark, and the road was completely invisible. Fortunately, the horse knew the way and did not affect the speed of the march. Due to the different tasks of each unit and the limitation of crossing equipment, the time for crossing the river is not consistent. Dunke is the main ferry for the North Group.There was no Tibetan defense on the opposite side of Deng Ke, and all the troops participating in the war crossed the river by boat during the day. The troops on the right, responsible for the roundabout task of the campaign, were under the unified command of Yin Fatang, the deputy political commissar of the division, and Li Ming, the chief of staff, and crossed the river first.Among them, the cavalry reconnaissance company of the division was going to join the Qinghai cavalry detachment in Batang, Qinghai, and crossed the river ahead of schedule on October 4 before the start of the battle, and arrived in Batang on the 6th, and was included in the cavalry detachment's battle order. On the 8th, the cavalry detachment went south from Batang. The 154th regiment crossed the river on the 6th and followed the cavalry detachment southward.The two chiefs, Yin and Li, acted with the 154th regiment. The central army, which was the main offensive task of the campaign, was led by division commander Wu Zhong, deputy chef Chen Zizhi, and director of the Political Department Zhou Jiading. They crossed the river in sequence after October 7 in the order of the 155th regiment, 156th regiment, army artillery battalion, and division straight.Due to insufficient ferry boats, poor organization and command, and these units arrived at Deng Ke before the battle, lack of necessary training, and cumbersome equipment, the crossing of the river was not as smooth as that of the troops on the right.During the voyage, capsizes and overboard accidents occurred many times.Although this section of the river was less than 100 meters wide, the water was deep and the current was rapid. As a result, 8 soldiers drowned and 14 mules and horses were drowned, and more than 10 weapons and some supplies were washed away.After crossing the river, the 155th Regiment was on the right, the 156th Regiment and the Artillery Battalion were on the left, attacking Qamdo in a trapezoidal shape, and the division command post followed the 156th Regiment. The left troops responsible for the frontal clamping task were commanded by Su Tongqing, commander of the military reconnaissance battalion, and Wang Daxuan, director of the political department directly under the army, and fought Gangtuo for the first time on October 7.Gangtuo is a village with about 20 or 30 families on the west bank of the Jinsha River. There is a three-story earthen building with thick walls in the village. In the north of the village, there is an isolated stone mountain about 30 to 40 meters high close to the river.Gangtuo Village is located in a bend of the Jinsha River, with the protrusion stretching towards us, and the isolated rocky mountain is just at the front of the protrusion.Opposite the protrusion is the confluence of Sequ (river) and Jinsha River.The avenue on the left side of Sequ is the main channel for our army to maneuver forward, all under the view of Xiaoshishan. The 10th generation of the Tibetan Army had a force of about two Jiaben, mainly relying on Xiaoshishan and the three-story building to organize defense.Our army adopted a combination of frontal containment and wing smuggling and detours to attack the Tibetan army. At dawn on October 7, the 3rd company of the reconnaissance battalion smuggled across the river about 10 kilometers upstream of Gangtuo, but lost its way when it turned to the Gangtuo side and failed to play its role.The 1st Company of the Reconnaissance Battalion was responsible for the offensive mission; due to insufficient equipment for crossing the river, only one platoon of the company managed to smuggle in a cowhide boat before dawn, which was discovered by the Tibetan army. The bomb capsized and sank, and all 15 people on board fell into the water and died, and a platoon that had landed was also suppressed by Tibetan firepower. Our army reorganized its firepower, concentrated on suppressing the Tibetan army on Xiaoshishan and the buildings, and a company took advantage of the momentum to attack.The Tibetan army failed and fled to the mountain about 200 to 300 meters behind the village. They occupied the mountainside and continued to shoot at me until the afternoon of the same day when I was expelled.In this battle, there were 8 corpses of the Tibetan army, including 1 Jiaben, 2 Dingben, and 9 captured. In addition to 15 people drowned in the shipwreck, our army sacrificed 2 platoon leaders, 9 soldiers, and injured 10 people in the battle. , consuming 15,000 rounds of bullets and more than 200 rounds of various shells.The main lesson learned from this battle is that the Tibetan local government's army was underestimated against the danger and stubbornness, so the organization of the troops crossing the river and the organization of firepower were not based on the most difficult situation, and adjustments were made hastily after setbacks, which resulted in increased casualties , wasting ammunition, and prolonging the fighting time; and poor coordination and organization, if the 3rd company can be inserted into the side of the Gangtuo defender as planned after crossing the river, it can be completely wiped out at the minimum cost. On October 11, the 3rd Battalion and 8th Company of the Front Guard of the 155th Regiment, under the leadership of two Tibetan guides, skillfully went around behind the outpost of Xialaisongduo, an outpost of the Tibetan local army, and wiped out about one final copy of the defenders in one fell swoop. On the 12th, the 156th regiment approached Guodui, a stronghold of the local army in Tibet. It seemed that Tibet was about to stick to the direction of Shengda. On the morning of the 13th, the third battalion of the 155th regiment arrived in Shengda. According to the pre-war analysis, this is where the enemy must stick. Across a small river called Gaiqu, the Tibetan local army took a dangerous defense on the opposite mountain.About 300 meters away, but there is no shadow of a Tibetan local army.They all hide behind rocks and in dense forests, and build fortifications with stones, resembling pigsty, which can be pushed down by hand.The water in Gaiqu is only waist deep, but the current is very fast.When the seventh company of the battalion, which was the main offensive task, was crossing the river, the Tibetan local army on the mountain opened fire.The People's Liberation Army suffered several casualties, and two soldiers were swept away by the torrent. The two sides faced each other across the river for more than 10 hours.The Tibetan local army is as slippery as a loach. They take advantage of their familiarity with the terrain and good riding and shooting.How to hold on to them has become a big issue. In the afternoon of the same day, the 156th regiment also arrived in Shengda under the leadership of the regiment leader Wang Lifeng.In the evening, the troops were setting up tents, boiling water, and preparing to camp.The telephony machine rang. It was an 8-watt radio that was powered by a hand crank.The voice of the intercom was very noisy, and the voice of the division commander Wu Zhong came from inside: "Comrade Wang Lifeng, from now on, you must travel day and night to catch up with the Tibetan local army who fled south. If they keep fleeing south, it may prompt the guards in Qamdo to advance. Retreat, and the PLA’s campaign plan will be ruined! They run, you chase, they rest, you rush to destroy them! You immediately convey this order to Xiao Meng, the chief of staff of the 155th regiment.” Wu Zhong's tone was decisive. At that time, Xiao Meng, chief of staff of the regiment, led the 155th regiment in Shengda. The two regiments left Sichuan only at the end of August, and went on long-distance marches without undergoing plateau adaptation training.People who are new to the plateau walk on foot and are panting, heartbeat and dizzy. What's more, the troops face three major problems: one is the unsuitable climate; Weapons, a rifle or submachine gun, 120 rounds of ammunition, 4 grenades; 3 for later starvation.Some people were so hungry that they fainted to the ground, and some people were so hungry that they vomited blood.Speaking of this, the veterans of the Eighteenth Army can now condense it into one word: bitterness.The pain of war breeds a calcium of pain.It is an essential nutritional element for every nation and every person.It is impossible for a nation that has not experienced pain to stand tall among the nations of the world.A man who has not experienced hardship cannot withstand any small storm. Wang Lifeng and Xiao Meng immediately ordered the troops to dismantle the tents and go south overnight. From then on, the two regiments, like hunters grabbing the tail of a wild beast, pressed against the Tibetan local army, day and night.Only take short breaks each day before and after meals.Many people didn't even take off their shoes for more than 10 days. After the battle, many people's feet were swollen like buns, and they couldn't take off their shoes no matter what. In order to increase the speed of pursuit, the 156th regiment organized a 10-man cavalry reconnaissance team from the horses captured in the Guodui battle, led by a reconnaissance staff officer, and walked in the forefront of the whole regiment. On the afternoon of the 16th, they caught up with the main force of the third generation who had fled south in Xiaowulashan.They were eager to complete the task, and they only cared about moving forward on horseback. They were careless and were ambushed by the Tibetan local army, and 7 people died. The surviving people were not afraid of danger and persisted until the main force of the regiment arrived.After reconnaissance, the front of the Xiaowulashan is dangerous, and the flanks are difficult to turn around. The Tibetan local army is condescending.There is only one small road in the middle, which can be blocked by two or three machine guns.Because of this, the Tibetan local army is very arrogant.But I saw hundreds of Tibetan soldiers resting on the slope of Xiaowula Mountain Pass, and saw that the main force of the People's Liberation Army had arrived, still motionless on the mountain.At this time, it was almost dusk, and it seemed that the local Tibetan army would spend the night on the mountain. Wang Lifeng proposed to detour from the right and surround the enemy from the rear.But the person who went out to reconnaissance said that after walking for more than half a day, they still haven't found a way. Zhang Zichao, Chief of Staff of the 156th Regiment, came from Sanye, and had participated in many fierce battles. When he saw the comrades who died, his eyes glowed: "Regimental Commander, give me two reinforcement platoons, concentrate the light and heavy machine guns, and sweep them away!" Stopped by Wang Lifeng.Zhang Zichao was holding back like a balloon, about to explode. Wu Zhong ordered the artillery battalion to arrive the next morning. The next day, it was already bright, and the local Tibetan army was still guarding the mountain.The artillerymen used the cross method to conduct test shots. Due to the inaccurate calculation of air resistance, the impact point was far and near.When the local Tibetan army saw it, they thought that the artillery of the People's Liberation Army was not accurate at all. They screamed and danced like children watching the fun, and some even blew their horns.After the test firing was completed, it was turned into effective shooting. The commander gave an order, and swarms of shells exploded in the middle and around the Tibetan local army, and several tents were hit and flew into the sky. Only then did the Tibetan local army realize the intensity of the artillery fire: they hurriedly mounted their horses and ran away in a hurry. Based on the situation of the three generations of Ben fleeing south, Wu Zhong judged that the Tibetan local army was still in Qamdo.He ordered again: the troops on the central road pursued quickly, and the 154th regiment and the cavalry detachment on the right speeded up to Leiwuqi and Nda. . After the Battle of Xiaowulashan, the main force of the 52nd Division in the middle road was also in danger of running out of food. Wang Lifeng called Wu Zhong through the telephone. "Is there any difficulty?" Wu Zhong asked. Wang Lifeng used code words to indicate that the troops were out of food: "The logistics chief's stuff is gone." "Then eat four-legged ones." "What if the yak team failed to keep up?" "Kill a few horses!" There was a trace of pity in Wu Zhong's voice.Horses are silent comrades-in-arms. They carry things silently all day long, climb mountains and cross glaciers with their comrades, march for days without eating grass, and many people dare not look at the gentle eyes of horses if they want to kill them. In Dolando, the 156 regiment was completely out of food. Dozens of families in this area have planted a lot of round roots, and it happened to be a bumper harvest this year. 3 baskets of round roots sell for an ocean.The People's Liberation Army even the above cadres carry dozens of dollars on their backs.Wang Lifeng carried more than 80 yuan on his back.Packed in a long strip bag sewn with white cloth, two in a stack, carried on the body.At this time, the soldier had not eaten for two days, and his whole body was limp and weak.When the Tibetan people heard that the People's Liberation Army was coming, they offered to send dozens of baskets of round roots.Wang Lifeng paid Dayang one by one.People knelt on the ground and kowtowed to express their gratitude.These soldiers do not rob or plunder, and give money back for what they give. They are really Bodhisattva soldiers. The 156th regiment cooked round roots in a bush by a small river, and everyone had a good meal.After that, each of them distributed four or five on their bodies.Relying on these round roots, the troops continued to pursue Qamdo.In the meantime, the journey is more than 60 hours.After arriving in Qamdo, some people jokingly called them: Four round roots entered Qamdo.A soldier was so hungry that he picked up seven ox hoofs thrown away by Tibetans, roasted them over fire, and ate them all at once, which almost burst his stomach. The round root, called Manjing in the Mainland, resembles a radish in both shape and taste.The word does not exist in the dictionary.But when the soldiers of the Eighteenth Army mentioned it, they would have a strange feeling in their hearts.There are not many edible plants on the plateau, but round roots are often found.It is a life-saving medicine, and it is food deliberately prepared by God for the PLA.It is also a touchstone to test the perseverance of PLA soldiers. On October 16, the 3rd Battalion of the 155th Regiment who arrived at Dongdongzhuka also ran out of food.The yak team accompanying the army was far behind, and there were still three or four days' journey to Qamdo, what should we do? Three soldiers from the 3rd Battalion Machine Gun Company were ordered to buy tsampa, and they returned empty-handed after a while.On the way, he accidentally picked up a cowhide bag full of tsampa.Can I eat the tsampa I picked up?The feeling of hunger came in bursts, almost destroying people, and they would not hesitate to exchange their lives for a full meal.Now, it's pie in the sky.The soldiers of the People's Liberation Army have proved with their actions that their will is stronger than steel.The three swallowed and discussed for a long time.No, no matter how hungry you are, you can't eat it. You have to return it to the owner. They waited there, and soon they saw the owner galloping towards him on horseback.When the lost tsampa owner took back the bag of tsampa from the soldiers, he didn't know how to express his gratitude.After riding a long distance, he still gave a thumbs up on the horse. Misfortunes never come singly.Not to mention the lack of food, there are still 20 or 30 people left behind in the third battalion.The two mules carrying the cannon did not move forward.At the order of the battalion commander, Zhang Shiying, the deputy instructor, went back to look for the soldiers who were left behind. When they arrived at a place called Shangba Ripa, Zhang Shiying saw seven or eight soldiers sitting on the ground in a circle, arguing fiercely.Seeing him coming, a party leader of the second company stood up and saluted: "Report, deputy instructor, I fell behind because of a stomachache. I saw a soldier from the third company pull out the round roots of ordinary people to eat. We laggards criticized him. He still refused to accept it, saying that he hadn’t eaten for a few days, so he marched and fought to wipe out the local Tibetan army. We are in a meeting to help him.” The soldier pulling the round root bowed his head, his face flushed. Zhang Shiying said to him: "So many of us can't eat, and some of us are hungry and vomit blood, so we must persist. We can't touch anything belonging to the Tibetan people. This is iron discipline and the guarantee of our victory..." The soldier stood Get up: "Report to the trainer, I know I made a mistake, and I will correct it immediately!" Looking at these seven or eight soldiers, Zhang Shiying thought to himself: It must be a mistake for a soldier to pull out two round roots, but how wrong is it if he hasn't eaten for several days.He still had a serious expression on his face: "Just know you're wrong." Zhang Shiying and the translator found the family who planted the round roots and apologized. The Tibetan family had a very good attitude and went to the field to pull out two large baskets of round roots.Zhang Shiying paid him five oceans.Tibetan compatriots will not be accepted.Zhang Shiying said: "If we don't accept us, we will violate the discipline, and we will be criticized. Don't let us be criticized." Then the fellow accepted it. According to investigations, this was the only "incident" of the 155th regiment's violation of discipline during the entire Qamdo campaign.The People's Liberation Army won the hearts of the people with its own actions.And popular support paves the broadest road to victory. If the troops on the right of the Northern Front Group detour for thousands of miles, like a punching fist, then the troops on the left attacking from Gangtuo are like another fist. Its task is to clamp down on the enemy and buy time. So that the fraternal troops can encircle the Tibetan local army. Two fists, stretched and retracted, this is the most explosive. The troops on the left consisted of the Reconnaissance Battalion directly under the 18th Army, the Engineer Battalion, and the Artillery Company of the 54th Division. On the evening of October 16, two companies of the Ministry smuggled across the Jinsha River in Raton, north of Gangtuo, and made a detour to the west of Gangtuo. Later, due to getting lost and delaying time, they failed to directly cooperate with the frontal troops to fight across the river.On the morning of the 7th, under the cover of artillery fire, the main force crossed the Jinsha River from the front of the Gangtuo Ferry. Gangtuo is located at the intersection of the "D" character of Jinsha River and Sequ River.When the Jinsha River flows through here, there is a slight bend. On the west bank part of the forward bend, there is an isolated stone mountain, which is close to the river and is about 40 to 50 meters high.The local people regard it as "Sacred Mountain" and call it "Zhongqinduiluo", with prayer flags flying on it.On the left side of the mountain, there are seven or eight Tibetan households. Among them is a blockhouse called "Puzhong" in Tibetan, which means a larger house. It is about three stories high and has extremely thick walls.In this house alone, there are more than 20 Tibetan soldiers and three British large plate machine guns.The leader of the Tibetan local army is called Nima Norbu, and he is a diehard. The small "Sacred Mountain" is like a pillar soaring to the sky, and behind it is a larger mountain, Erlogong Mountain. On the mountainside, two armored troops of the Tibetan Local Army are stationed, and occasionally one or two sentries can be seen swimming.Sequ flows into the Jinsha River from the direction of Dege and Gongya.This is the east bank of the river, the terrain is low and open, and all the activities of the People's Liberation Army are clearly seen by the condescending Tibetan local army. October is the dry season, and the Sequ River has become a fine stream that horses can leap across. The triangular sandy beach at the confluence of the rivers is also exposed, with a width of about 60 to 70 meters.On the beach near the water, there is a white stone, which is called the sacred stone by the common people, and people often kowtow to it. Just the day before the troops launched a storm, Xiadao, the leader of Yulong, sent his confidant Baima to find a suitable Tibetan and accompany a company commander of the People's Liberation Army across the river for reconnaissance.Today's Tibetans call all grassroots cadres of the People's Liberation Army "company commanders." In October, the riverside was still windy and drizzled, and the PLA company commanders and Tibetan compatriots were all wet.The company commander carries a shell gun with a lot of bullets; the Tibetan gun has 3 bullets.The company commander is an all-rounder. While reconnaissance, he draws a map on a piece of white paper. Where is the commanding height and where is the defense line of the Tibetan local army, he draws it clearly.When the two returned, they were discovered by the Tibetan local army. The company commander asked the Tibetans to go back to report the letter, and he had to deal with the Tibetan local army for several hours.During the reconnaissance, they found that this oblique line is the most suitable route to cross the river from the mouth of Sequ to the foot of the holy mountain. The troops on the left also adopted a combination of frontal containment and flank smuggling. On the night of October 6th, there is a moon.The People's Liberation Army deployed several firepower points along the river to explore the real situation of the Tibetan local army.The troops brought a recoilless gun, which was produced by an arsenal by the Jialing River, German equipment, and could be placed on the shoulder. It was more than 1 meter long, with a thick bowl mouth, and was extremely lethal.Warriors can carry it on their backs.As soon as it got dark, everyone carried the wooden raft and walked to the river. On October 7, just after dawn, the People's Liberation Army began to cross the Jinsha River on the east bank.Probably because they wanted to hold back the enemy, the troops crossed the river during the day.The Tibetan local army began to react, and machine gun bullets fell like raindrops.The fortifications of the People's Liberation Army are all built on the beach, and two people guard a machine gun.Although there are recoilless guns, the People's Liberation Army has an iron discipline: when the shells are fired, no ordinary Tibetans can be injured or injured, and no civilian houses can be destroyed.The soldiers screamed in panic.Several cowhide boats and wooden rafts sailed into the rapids and rowed to the opposite bank.A cowhide boat was shot by an enemy machine gun, and 4 soldiers were buried underwater instantly.Drops of blood bloomed on the water like blossoming flowers. On the beach, several soldiers were shot and died.Su Tongqing is very addicted to cigarettes. He usually carries a leather bag with cigarettes in it.At this time, his leather bag was placed on a mound of dirt and he did not take it.In the afternoon, he wanted to smoke, scratching his head anxiously.He climbed tens of meters and took it back, only to find that there were three dead people around him, one of whom was the platoon leader. Su Tongqing was in a hurry, and shook the cigarette butt fiercely, grandma, waiting like this will cause too many casualties, so it is better to cross over in several points. The People's Liberation Army seemed to have not seen the bullets coming densely, and was ready to attack.At this time, a burst of gunfire was heard behind the Tibetan local army.It was the detour troops that outflanked the rear of the Tibetan local army.The cowhide boat also rushed to the other side, and the roar of the People's Liberation Army shook the sky.The Tibetan local army escaped from the blockhouse, and more than 20 people rushed towards the back mountain.Soon disappeared into the jungle.The People's Liberation Army did not shoot at them, otherwise none of them would have escaped.At this time, the leader of the Tibetan local army got out of the house and continued to shoot and resist.His right buttock was hit, and even though he covered it with his palm, blood still gushed out like a fountain.He limped and shouted as he ran, the Han army hit me!The Han army hit me!In the end he was shot dead. All local Tibetan troops took the road and fled westward. Fifty years later, when we stood by the Jinsha River and listened to an old man named Karma Tashi in Gangtuo Village tell all about it, we seemed to hear bullets buzzing through the air like locusts. The 62-year-old man is wearing a dark red denim jacket and an off-white top hat. His black and red face has a layer of light, resembling a cowboy in the American West.He pointed to the opposite bank, where the holy mountain and the fortress were still there, and there were clusters of green trees in front of the house, and there was a blue sky and white clouds on the high mountains behind.In the village, several cattle and sheep walked leisurely past the newly built beautiful Tibetan houses.Who can still hear the gunshots back then? After all the troops on the left had crossed the river, a mobilization meeting was held.In order to quickly destroy the enemy's vital forces, everyone should not rest, eat something quickly, and take a small road to catch up with the Tibetan local army.The people in Gangtuo said that they were cavalry and they were hard to chase.On the way, the troops found that some piles of horse manure were still wet. Knowing that the local Tibetan army hadn’t run far, they started marching forcibly. There was no rest for two days and two nights. The food replacement powder could only be eaten while walking. Swallowing, choked and rolled his eyes.At a mountain pass, the wind was too strong, and the food replacement powder was blown away before it was put into the mouth. Zhao Qi, a senior reporter from Xinhua News Agency who was the first to walk into Tibet, has a photo to explain how difficult the march of the troops on the left is.The photo was titled "People's Liberation Army Troops Entering Tibet Crossing the Tongpuka River". It was once used as the cover of "People's Pictorial" and exhibited in Beijing as a historical photo many times.On the screen, a team of People's Liberation Army is advancing in the waist-deep snow water. They are wearing cotton-padded clothes and cotton caps, and there are long guns lying horizontally on the mountain-like backpacks behind them.The water was rushing, and white waves splashed around the warrior's legs.The soldiers walked with great difficulty step by step.According to Zhao Qi's introduction: At that time, the sun had already set to the west, and after a day and night of pursuit, the troops were blocked by a glacier in front of them.The river water is made of melting ice and snow, and it is bitingly cold. There is no bridge on the river, let alone a boat to find, and the only way to cross the river is on foot.After crossing the river, they have to climb a 5,000-meter high mountain.Zhao Qi is a writer, and he has a gold star pen in his hand. The Xinhua News Agency's Erye General Branch distributed him a folding camera made in Germany. Still use it to condense moments into eternity. By midnight the next day, enter a mountain pass.The surrounding terrain is high, and there is a large grassy beach below, about five or six hundred meters long and two or three hundred meters wide.The troops were advancing in column; many people were dozing off with their eyes closed while walking. The sharp knife squad in front noticed the situation: there were flashlights and firelight, and there were faint shadows of tents. It was the Tibetan local army!Look at the horseshoe watch, it is 1 o'clock in the morning. Su Tongqing turned one column into three: the third company was on the left, the second company was on the right, and the heavy machine gun company was in the middle. They surrounded the Tibetan local army to form a pocket formation, shrinking inward from the high mountains on both sides. The signal flares flew up, and the People's Liberation Army began to charge. Due to the darkness and the unfamiliar terrain, our side sacrificed 11 soldiers and 1 deputy instructor.The Tibetan local army is the two originals, they are screaming and running around in a mess.After dawn, I saw that the tent was trampled to this side.We captured more than 400 Tibetan local troops alive, including a lot of horses.A prisoner said: A red, green and green light floated down from the sky, dragging its long tail, and the magic soldier is coming, and you can't escape no matter what.Some Tibetan soldiers spread it even more mysteriously: the bullets of the People's Liberation Army will bend like horns, chasing your ass and beating you. This place is called Jueyong, and the battle took place on October 16. The Tibetan local army was defeated and fled to Qamdo. The troops on the left entered Qamdo City on October 19.The first to enter Qamdo City was the 3rd Battalion and 9th Company of the 156th Regiment of the Central Route Army.The team was led by Zhang Zichao, chief of staff of the regiment.After the battle in Xiaowulashan, Zhang Zichao became ruthless because of the sacrifice of more than a dozen soldiers. He held his breath and chased for five days and five nights. When he arrived in Qamdo, there were only more than 100 people left in the camp of more than 500 people. At 21:00 on the 19th, the 9th Company of the 3rd Battalion seized the Sichuan Bridge on the Zaqu River, and found that there were no defenders, and then entered the city without encountering resistance. At around 22:00, the Sanying took control of all key points in the city and the Yunnan Bridge on the Angqu River.In the city, there was a Jiaben of the local Tibetan army who had not had time to retreat, and voluntarily disarmed the PLA.Although it was night, many people still took to the streets to welcome the People's Liberation Army, and some even offered khatas and brought food. That night, part of the Army Reconnaissance Battalion entered Qamdo.The next day, the main force of the 156th regiment and the artillery battalion entered the city one after another.Knowing that the general manager of Qamdo and the main force of the Tibetan local army had fled westward, the 156th regiment immediately sent two companies to pursue in the direction of Erluo Bridge, and sent some troops to the southeast of Qamdo to intercept the Tibetan local army that had fled from Jueyong and Tuoba.The troops on the left also organized troops to pursue south of Qamdo, and captured more than 100 people with guns more than 10 kilometers southwest of Qamdo. Since then, according to the unified deployment of the division, the troops of the Northern Front Group have carried out operations against the collapsed Tibetan local army in Qamdo, Enda, Leiwuqi, Dongdong Zhuka and other places. When the news of the PLA crossing the river came, Qamdo City fell into confusion.Soldiers, lamas and residents gathered on the banks of the Angqu River, and the sounds of dharma horns, drums, cymbals, conch shells and chanting were noisy.人们燃起桑烟，白色的烟雾像道具般笼罩着转经、磕长头的人们，他们在心中默默求佛保佑。喇嘛们把一个个用稻草扎成的“解放军”扔进火堆，诅咒他们都尽快死去。持枪的士兵东逛西窜，不知如何是好。 10月12日，从昌都以南的宁静(今芒康县)传来西藏地方军第九代本德格·格桑旺堆率340余人宣布起义的消息，如同一阵巨吼引起漫天的雪崩，昌都西藏地方军的心理完全崩溃。 此时，昌都总管府的官员正在欢度一年一度的林卡节。各地呈送来的公文函件，如雪片般飞来，字迹潦草，早不见往日的工整，可见情况之危急。通过各方面消息，阿沛得知，昌都正面，解放军正在逼近，而后方类乌齐一带也出现了神出鬼没的汉人军队。10月17日晚，阿沛召集全体官员商讨对策，他说，昌都外围各防区已无力阻挡解放军的前进，目前只有停止武力对抗，与解放军商谈和平解决。但绝大多数官员主张弃城逃回拉萨。于是，总管发出命令：翌晨弃城西撤，并炸毁弹药库。 18日拂晓，阿沛率一部分官员、随从和2000多藏兵向恩达后撤。途经朗木拉山时，听一位放牧的说：解放军已占领恩达，多得不计其数。他们只有折回，到了朱阁寺。 据朱阁寺的老僧回忆，当时朱阁寺处于大山深处，有僧人130多个，很少和外边的世界打交道。那天见10多个骑马的人狼狈地进入寺庙，他们都穿藏装，佩带手枪，连必备的喝酥油茶的碗也没带。一打听，才知道是昌都总管及其随从。他们可能太饿了，别人正把酥油茶往碗里倒，他们抢着就喝，第二天，大批藏兵陆续到这里。不时有人说解放军到了哪里哪里。总管对大家说：“退路已被截断，在此危险时刻，我们不能只考虑个人安危，应该以宗奚谷头人和黎民百姓的安危为重。” 此后，他派出一名总管府官员、一名警卫和两个喇嘛去找解放军联络，准备放下武器。 10月19日，解放军北线右路的52师骑兵侦察连从恩达东进到邦达，发现远方山上有大批人马在下山，于是判断是西撤的西藏地方军主力。吴忠用报话机命令该连，不管对方兵力多大，不要顾虑自己兵力单薄，务必将其扭住，等待后续部队予以围歼。该连随即成战斗队形，以森林作掩护，于黄昏抵达朗木拉山口，却不见西藏地方军踪影。 该连停止前进，占领要地。接着派出小分队进行搜索，俘虏1名掉队的藏兵，还有几匹膘肥体壮、鞍具考究的乘骑。经审问，这名藏兵是阿沛的随从，他说，阿沛18日撤离昌都，准备回拉萨。 接到这一情报，吴忠兴奋不已，他与陈子植、周家鼎等分析后认为，逃进密林的西藏地方军有可能伺机突围，再有可能转向南逃，但他们有几千人马，还有大量物资，一时不可能远去。据他们了解，从朗木拉山口到昌都，除大路外还有一条小路。吴忠当即命令骑兵侦察连，连夜以主力沿大路，另用部分兵力沿小路向昌都方向搜索前进。 20日拂晓，该连主力抵加林。这里距昌都已不足20公里。忽然，尖兵发现两名骑在马上的藏兵，双手高举哈达迎面而来。二人称是奉阿沛总督之命来迎接解放军的，阿沛总督已下令停止抵抗。12时左右，骑兵侦察连连长夏怀道、指导员明宝金在朱阁寺见到阿沛，要西藏地方军放下武器，以代本为单位集合，送阿沛回昌都。下午，青海骑兵支队一部在队长孙巩率领下与骑兵侦察连会合。21日上午，154团政委杨军也赶到朱阁寺。杨军、孙巩同阿沛具体研究了对放下武器人员的处理问题。召开了欢迎西藏地方军放下武器的大会，杨军、阿沛·阿旺晋美讲了话，大会气氛良好。接着将福特叫出，当场揭露了帝国主义分子妄图阻挠解放军解放西藏的阴谋。 在解放军还饿着肚子的情况下，对被遣散人员，发给了路费和粮食。对伤病人员或携带家眷的，还发了骡马。共计遣散甲本以下军官85人，土兵2062人，发放银元2万多元，骡马510多匹。 当俘虏们把银元拿到手时，脸上露出非常诧异的神色。有的吹，有的敲，彼此窃窃私语。他们说，解放军真是菩萨兵，是救命恩人。你们保护寺庙，保护老百姓，对我们不打不骂，回家还发路费和粮食，真是做梦也不敢想。我们回家后，再也不给噶厦卖命了。 许多俘虏是含着热泪恋恋不舍离开解放军的。 他们把解放军的好名声带到西藏各地。 这种好名声，比原子弹更具有摧毁力。 从发起战斗到10月24日，昌都战役胜利结束，解放军全歼西藏地方军第三、七、八、十等四个代本，第二、四、六代本各被歼一部，另争取第九代本起义。缴获山炮3门，重机枪9挺，轻机枪48挺，步枪3000多支。 此后，噶厦政府只有一条路可走：那就是和平谈判。