Chapter 18 The shadow cast by the "September 13" incident on the National Day in 1971

1971 has just entered mid-September.Tiananmen Square takes on the festive atmosphere of celebrating the 22nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.Workers in front of the History Museum on the east side of the square are carefully making various large-scale floats for the parade to be used when the parade passes through Tiananmen Square on October 1 to accept the inspection of Chairman Mao and other central leaders; the large crane swings up and down, left and right With his own flexible long arms, master electricians wiped the lampshades and light bulbs on the lanterns in Tiananmen Square; master gardeners also began to renovate and arrange various flowers in the flower ponds in the south of the monument; Intense erection construction... All the preparations for the National Day were carried out in a harmonious, tense and orderly manner according to the deployment of the central government.

On the night of September 13, the troops suddenly received an order from their superiors: to enter a state of first-level combat readiness.After receiving the notice, the officers and soldiers at each duty point, except those who were on duty, all ran to the company headquarters on the Xiaohonglou to gather urgently.The company commander briefly conveyed the order to enter the first-level combat readiness state, and put forward specific requirements.Nearly a hundred officers and soldiers listened with bated breath to the mobilization order in the conference room facing Tiananmen Square through the window.The order was like a thunderclap on a sunny day. It came so suddenly, so unfathomably, and so deafeningly loud, casting a shadow over the peaceful atmosphere of Tiananmen Square in the past.None of the commanders and fighters in the grassroots units knew the inside story of the order, which added to the mystery of the first-level combat readiness.A big question mark was placed in the heart of the old soldier, and a big exclamation mark was drawn in the heart of the new soldier.We didn't have time to think, and it was inconvenient to ask and listen to each other.Some soldiers glanced sideways at Tiananmen Square, wanting to confirm the mysterious connotation of this level of combat readiness from this sensitive heart area.But the lanterns are still so bright, and the empty square is still so fresh and quiet.Apart from the abnormality of the troops' silent and secret operations, there were no clues to reveal any abnormalities.Even so, everyone had a premonition in their hearts that something unexpected must have happened.The duty of a soldier is to obey.The company quickly deployed in accordance with the requirements of its superiors.There are three main arrangements: one is to open the armory immediately, and the bullets will be distributed to all squads and officers on duty immediately.In the past, soldiers were not allowed to hold and release bullets except when they were in contact with bullets in the shooting range. Even on duty, the regulations on the separation of bullets and bullets were strictly enforced, that is, they only carried guns but not ammunition while on duty.The special devolution of bullets shows the extreme seriousness of the matter.The second is that sentries on duty should be more vigilant and alert to prevent bad guys from attacking guard targets.The third is that non-duty personnel should take their weapons to their side, stand by on the spot, and be ready to perform tasks at any time.

The next day we learned that the Air Force Guest House, which was just across the wall from a certain hotel where our company guards, was controlled by the guards that night.At the same time, the brother troops in the garrison area also carried out surprise occupation and control of other key targets.Under the leadership of the chief of staff of the regiment, the Yuelian Company of our regiment ran towards Jingshan Park, which is located north of the Forbidden City, with the goal of seizing the commanding heights of Jingshan Park, which has a bird's-eye view of Beijing.Due to the emergency of the military situation, they fired bullets while running, and some new soldiers could not catch the bullets under the tense atmosphere of facing the enemy.A soldier dropped the bullet on the ground in a panic, and was quickly picked up by a squad leader behind.When they rushed to the gate of Jingshan Park, panting, the closed vermilion gate was guarding the former Meishan where Emperor Chongzhen was hanged, and it seemed quiet.When the sound of knocking on the door awakened the sleeping park guard, the old man yelled impatiently, "What are you doing? Why are you knocking on the door in the middle of the night!" When he immediately opened the door, the old man felt that the matter was of great importance, so he put on his clothes and said tremblingly, "Okay, okay, just open the door, just open the door."With trembling hands, he opened the latch.At this time, the impatient troops broke through the door like a flood that burst a bank.Regardless of explaining to the old man, he took a shortcut and sprinted to the top of the empty mountain, occupying this commanding height overlooking Zhongnanhai in an instant: he set up heavy weapons such as machine guns, and watched everything around him closely.Yue Lian, who was stationed at the Central Conservatory of Music, was also led by a deputy head. In the name of actual combat exercises, carrying light and heavy weapons and bullets, he rushed up to the White Tower in Beihai Park in just 8 minutes, occupying the border with Zhongnanhai. Adjacent to this commanding height.The commanding height post has also become a fixed post.Due to the fast running and rapid climbing, some soldiers climbed to the White Tower, and they fell on the ground with panic and shortness of breath.After the commanding heights of these two parks were seized, according to the intention of the central leadership, for the safety of Zhongnanhai, the two parks have since been closed, and no one is allowed to enter the park for sightseeing.The park was not reopened until after the "Gang of Four" was smashed. This is a later story.When seizing the military airport in the western suburbs, a deputy commander of the garrison mobilized the guard of honor battalion and the motorcycle battalion to seize the airport, and drove to the airport in the western suburbs at lightning speed.On the way, in order to save time, he repeatedly ordered the driver to speed up, speed up, and speed up again.The driver saw that the car was about to fly, and said, "If you speed up any more, the car will overturn."The deputy commander glared and said: "If you turn it over, you have to drive it quickly."When the troops surrounded the airport tightly with live ammunition, a group of three immediately supervised all the planes, and ordered all pilots and ground crews to gather at the designated place immediately, and no one was allowed to approach the planes.A certain company of our regiment stationed at Xinhua News Agency quickly blocked the south gate of Xinhua News Agency with machine guns according to the order of the superior, and deployed the main force, firearms and bullets on the very crucial fourth floor.The officers and soldiers of another company supporting Xinhua News Agency, led by a deputy chief of staff, ran from the State Ethnic Affairs Commission to the fourth floor of Xinhua News Agency in just 12 minutes, ready to fight at any time.These surprise occupations of the garrison ensured the implementation of the decisions of Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai.After more than ten days of thrilling, we did not find anything abnormal. Tiananmen Square still held rehearsals for the students to celebrate the National Day, and the radio still broadcast "Vice Chairman Lin taught us..." This is in accordance with Premier Zhou's instructions to deal with Lin Biao. Negative impact of the event.But at the time we didn't know its real purpose.

A few days later, there was no student rehearsal in Tiananmen Square, and the production of various floats in front of Tiananmen Square to welcome the National Day also stopped.A series of abnormal phenomena soon secretly spread a shocking news among the troops.Lin Biao, the deputy commander-in-chief and determined by the Nine Party Constitution to be Chairman Mao's successor, defected to the Soviet Union from Shanhaiguan with his wife Ye Qun, son Lin Liguo and other buddies by trident. He died in a plane crash in Undur Khan, Mongolia.At that time, according to the central government's instructions, we raided and occupied the commanding heights around Zhongnanhai, which was an emergency measure taken to ensure the absolute safety of Chairman Mao and other central leaders after the Lin Biao incident broke out.The occupation of the air force was a decisive decision taken by Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai.

After the "September 13th" incident, according to Chairman Mao's suggestion, various National Day celebration activities that were being prepared were suspended.Since then, according to Premier Zhou's instructions, the large-scale festival viewing activities held in Tiananmen Square on the "October 1" and "May 1st" every year have been changed to parks in major parks in the capital.It is also since the National Day of this year that Chairman Mao Zedong, the great leader of the Chinese people, has never been to Tiananmen Square to have fun with the people again, leaving a deep regret for the annual grand festival.