In fact, after receiving He Long's report, Mao Zedong immediately approved the purchase of a batch of transport planes to airdrop materials to Tibet. He also instructed that wherever the troops went, they should build roads and transport all kinds of materials. In this way, we can make sure that nothing is lost. He also instructed: production and construction while marching.
Later, Mao Zedong wrote in calligraphy: In order to help all brothers and nations, work hard to build roads despite difficulties!
Mao Zedong presented this inscription to the 18th Army of the People's Liberation Army of China, which was the advance troops to Tibet, and listed the construction of the highway to Tibet as an important project in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
Deng Xiaoping received a telegram from Mao Zedong. He said to He Long: My boss, the chairman asked us to build roads, not just by plane!
He Long smiled when he read the telegram. He said, what should I do when I March and build roads? I must carry it out!
In fact, before marching into Tibet, the central high-level decision-makers foresaw all kinds of situations, made clear instructions and took active measures, and the determination to build roads was the most important one.
Zhou Enlai once said in a speech: economically developed Han areas should help economically backward minority areas.
Zhu De once instructed: the army and the people should unite, overcome natural barriers and difficulties, open up traffic between Kangzang and strive for the glorious task of consolidating national defense and prospering the economy! ..... The continuous transportation of airplanes and highways can be heroic.
Chen Yun, director of the Central Financial and Economic Committee, also instructed that the situation of troops entering Tibet was urgent, and the highway funds could not be handled according to the normal procedures. He agreed with the idea that funds should be allocated first and then reported.
Liu Bocheng, chairman of the Southwest Military and Political Committee, also pointed out that the key issue is transportation to ensure the peaceful liberation of Tibet. In a sense, road construction and transportation are more important than fighting. ..... it is of strategic significance to defend the frontier defense and improve traffic construction. Therefore, while marching, we should make great efforts to build roads.
Zhang Guohua, commander of the Tibet Military Region, said that the improvement of life in people in Xizang depends on transportation. Without roads, there will be no national defense, and the fundamental changes in Tibet will have to wait until the roads are completed.
Yan Mingde, Deputy Minister of Communications of Southwest Military and Political Committee, said: In war, highways are transport lines that cannot be bombed. Yan Mingde also specifically talked about the Tibet issue. He said: where the road is blocked, it means that there is no liberation, and our personnel are equivalent to exile!
Therefore, the advance troops in Tibet are actively preparing to build roads. At the road mobilization meeting, an instructor of a company said: consolidating national defense does not mean that you should wear submachine guns and military uniforms neatly. Stop at the top of the mountain. That's just a warning. To consolidate national defense, it is necessary to build roads.
Another assistant instructor said: when Lhasa builds a highway, there will be a body on the national defense highway, and you have to ask it to stretch its arm.
A soldier described it this way: national defense is like a big bunker, and roads are traffic trenches.
A soldier said: I am very sad to see that Tibetans are sick and can't be cured. I always remember it. If you don't build roads, you can't build Tibet even if you live in Tibet until you die.
Another soldier said: the road can't be repaired well, let alone the mountain cutter, and the old hen can't come.
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From the central government to the local government, everyone has realized the importance of highway construction. Everyone deeply feels that Tibet is rich in resources. There are a lot of coal, iron, copper, zinc and various rare and precious metals buried underground, endless virgin forests, inexhaustible powerful water power, rich salt, alkali and borax in dotted lakes, and countless cattle and sheep raised on the vast grassland.
However, due to traffic jams and underdeveloped economy, these resources have not been well developed and utilized, which makes people's life in people in Xizang very difficult.
In Tibet in the old society, all the means of transportation were carried by people and livestock, and even a nail and a match could not be made, let alone industry.
The mode of production of agriculture and animal husbandry is extremely primitive. To truly liberate the broad masses of people in Tibet, get rid of long-term extreme poverty and backwardness, and improve people's material and cultural life, we must first solve the traffic problem.
Moreover, in the past century, Tibet's border defense has been lax and imperialism has been invading. The local government in Tibet did not oppose the deception and aggression of imperialism, but adopted a policy of submission.
At that time, the urgent task was to liberate Tibet and consolidate national defense. However, if there is no smooth road connecting with Chinese mainland, it will lose the guarantee of logistics supply and it will be difficult to consolidate national defense.
1951On May 23rd, the central government and the local government of Tibet signed the Agreement between the Central People's Government and the local government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet, which is a seventeen-article agreement.
In order to implement the agreement, the advance detachment of the troops entering Tibet arrived in Lhasa on September 9. Because it is farther away from the mainland, it is neither open to traffic nor navigable, and the troops are once again in an extremely difficult situation of replenishment.
At that time, Lu, the representative of the reactionary serf owners in Tibet, gloated that we lost the battle of Qamdo. Starving now is worse than losing the battle. He also declared: the PLA will starve to death if they are hungry!