71 years ago, China was still in a state of poverty and devastation. Not long after the Chinese soldiers laid down their weapons, unexpectedly another conflict broke out on the Korean Peninsula. In line with the relationship between lips and teeth, and the relationship with the Communist Party, the Chinese soldiers had to shoulder the guns again, bravely and high-spirited, and immediately rushed to the Korean battlefield...
On the eve of entering the DPRK, the Northeast Military Region held a meeting At a meeting of cadres at the division level and above, suddenly, a sonorous and powerful speech came from the meeting:
The person who could make such an impassioned speech was the then commander of the 39th Army. Wu Xinquan.
Wu Xinquan was born in Pingjiang County, Hunan Province on March 26, 1912. When he grew up, he had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a burly figure. At the age of only 18, he joined the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army and In the same year, he officially joined the Communist Party of China and began his military career.
Born in troubled times, in that turbulent era, he, like many passionate and ambitious men, actively participated in the battle. He participated in the Red Army's Eastern Expedition, Western Expedition, Anti-Japanese War, and Siping Defense. War, Liaoshen Campaign and many other battles.
During his military life, General Wu Xinquan was famous for his bravery and daring to fight tough battles. People praised him as a powerful figure who was excellent in both military and political affairs and was victorious in every battle. They even called him the "victorious general" in the army. , even the most awesome volunteer army commander.
But if you want to talk about the most exciting and impressive battle he fought, it may still be the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea. As his eldest son Wu Wanxiang said: "My father fought in In a lifetime of fighting, the most outstanding one was on the Korean battlefield." Because on the Korean battlefield, General Wu Xinquan had created "four firsts" in succession and had outstanding military exploits.
In 1950, Wu Xinquan led the 39th Army and was recruited into the DPRK. After entering the DPRK, the first battle his unit participated in was the Battle of Yunshan. The volunteer soldiers of the 39th Army were preparing to attack outside Yunshan City. As the war was approaching, they suddenly discovered that the opponent they were fighting was not the South Korean army, but the US Army's ace unit-the US Army's 1st Cavalry Division.
Upon seeing this, Army Commander Wu Xinquan said to the political commissar Xu Binzhou:
Even Boss Peng immediately sent a telegram with a simple sentence: "Resolutely eliminate the U.S. military Ace Master".
Why were the volunteers so determined to capture Yunshan? Even though Unsan is just a small mountain city, its military strategic position is extremely important. It is a transportation hub in northern North Korea. If Unsan can be successfully captured, the volunteers can go straight to the Chongchon River Plain and seize the lead in the war. machine.
In October 1950, the 39th Army quietly started fighting under the cover of night in Yunshan. The main force had already formed an encirclement outside Yunshan City and poured into Yunshan City from all directions to carry out attacks on the US military. An overwhelming attack force blocked the US military's retreat route and occupied Yunshan Airport.
At a road intersection 15 kilometers south of Yunshan, the volunteers launched a fierce close combat battle with the US military. Seeing that the situation on the battlefield was becoming increasingly unfavorable to the U.S. military, Milburn, the commander of the U.S. First Army, also came to the front line of the battlefield to command the operations. However, it was difficult to restore the defeat of the first confrontation. He could only order the troops to give up the attack and retreat south with a livid face. .
As a result, the first confrontation between China and the United States on the Korean battlefield ended with the 39th Army's victory. In this battle, the 39th Army wiped out more than 4,000 enemies and captured 1,800 US troops; shot down 3 aircraft and captured 4 aircraft. However, these 4 US aircraft were bombed before they were put to use. Ruined. In addition, 28 tanks, more than 170 vehicles, and 119 artillery pieces were seized.
Being able to achieve such a record undoubtedly made the then Commander Peng Dehuai very happy and highly praised the volunteers of the 39th Army led by Wu Xinquan. As for the US military, after this battle, even after many years, they still have lingering fears whenever they recall it, and said: "Yunshan? My God, that was a Chinese-style funeral!"
After the victory in the first battle, the morale of the volunteers was greatly boosted, but they were not complacent because they did not have much chance to breathe and needed to immediately engage in the second battle. During the second battle, MacArthur, then commander-in-chief of the United Nations forces, ordered the entire army to advance northward. According to his plan, he wanted to occupy the entire North Korea before the Yalu River was covered by ice and snow.
But the reality is that precisely because of his pride and underestimation of the enemy, it also gave the volunteers an opportunity to win the war. At this time, the Volunteer Army chose to withdraw northward and adopted tactics to lure the enemy deeper into the US military. So Wu Xinquan made a prompt decision and led the 39th Army to concentrate the forces of three divisions to encircle and annihilate the US 25th Division in the area west of the Qingchuan River.
The 39th Army still chose to carry out operations at night, and used well-trained methods of rapid penetration and roundabout outflanking. It made full use of its advantages in night combat and hand-to-hand combat, successfully annihilated the enemy, and captured an entire disarmed army. The surrendered black company dealt a heavy blow to the United Nations army.
After the United Nations troops retreated, Wu Xinquan ordered the pursuit of victory and commanded the 116th Division of the 39th Army to take the lead in attacking Pyongyang, thus becoming the first volunteer army unit to enter Pyongyang.
At the end of 1950, the Volunteer Army launched the third battle. Under the leadership of Wu Xinquan, 7,500 volunteers from the 116th Division of the 39th Army crossed the Imjin River in just 5 minutes. , broke through the so-called solid Imjin River defense line built by the South Korean army, and caught the South Korean army by surprise.
On the other side, the 117th Division of the 39th Army repelled five blocking actions by the South Korean army. With the complete defeat of the first and second divisions of the South Korean Army, the U.S. troops at this time also fell into a more difficult situation.
New Year's Day in 1950 also became a victory day for the volunteers. They successfully broke through Li Qiwei's US defense line in just one hour. So on the third day after New Year's Day, Ridgway officially ordered the abandonment of Seoul, so the troops commanded by Wu Xinquan took the lead and took the lead in attacking Seoul and occupying the South Korean Presidential Palace.
Ridgway also expressed his lament for the Volunteer Army after the war: "I really didn't expect that the Chinese soldiers would launch the New Year's Day offensive in this lifeless wasteland."
1951 On January 25, 2011, the United Nations Army launched an attack in the direction of Seoul, and the fourth battle began immediately. The 39th Army, which was originally performing charge missions on the Western Front, was transferred to the Eastern Front for defensive counterattack missions and engaged in fierce battles with the enemy. In the fourth battle, the volunteers of the 39th Army also chose to conduct military operations at night and aimed at the opportunity. On February 11, they launched the famous "Hengcheng Counterattack".
Hengcheng's counterattack was a tough battle and a bloody battle. Although the 39th Army has achieved good results in previous battles, there are still many volunteer soldiers facing the overwhelming swoop of U.S. fighter planes and the menacing U.S. and South Korean troops. Many fell into a pool of blood.
At this time, Wu Xinquan was angry and immediately issued a death order: "Even if we beat the last person, we must hold on to the end!" So the volunteers of the 117th Division of the 29th Army began to launch a fierce attack, allowing the U.S. military and The South Korean army was caught in a dilemma for a while.
At dusk, the volunteers of the 39th Army, under the command of Wu Xinquan, began to encircle and annihilate the U.S. and South Korean troops from multiple directions, conduct interspersed operations, divide and encircle, divide and annihilate, and cut off the enemy troops. and divided into several parts for siege. And focus on destroying the enemy's artillery positions, leaving the infantry units without fire cover and support.
Seeing that the situation on the battlefield was not good, some South Korean troops began to flee in a hurry, but unfortunately they happened to bump into the location of the 117th Division's logistics troops. In the end, they had no choice but to surrender. The retreat of the South Korean army undoubtedly caused heavy losses to the remaining US troops, especially the losses in artillery fire.
After the Battle of Hengcheng, the Chinese Volunteers gave the U.S. Army and the South Korean Army a head-on blow, which cast a shadow on the South Korean Army and made them even more afraid of the Volunteers. The 117th Division of the 39th Army still achieved victory in this battle, capturing 139 artillery pieces, 550 vehicles, annihilating more than 3,350 enemy troops, and capturing 2,500 enemy troops, including more than 800 American troops. It also set a record It is the battlefield record for the largest number of American soldiers captured alive by the volunteers during the battle.
As the commander of the 39th Army, Wu Xinquan became even more famous after experiencing these battles. On the battlefield, he was always strong and decisive, calm and clear-minded in situations, even if The arrogant MacArthur also said: Wu Xinquan, commander of the 39th Army of the Volunteer Army, is a terrible person. Therefore, Wu Xinquan is considered by the US military to be the most awesome volunteer commander.
General Wu Xinquan and the 39th Army led by him fought bloody battles on the Korean battlefield for three years. They annihilated the enemy when they encountered it, conquered it in attack, and won in battle, which enhanced the reputation of our volunteer army. The numerous achievements he achieved on the battlefield were not blown out, but fought with his life. They were real heroic achievements and battlefield glory. Therefore, after the war, he was also highly praised by Commander-in-Chief Peng Dehuai.
After returning to China, Wu Xinquan was awarded the honorable rank of Lieutenant General in September 1955. General Wu Xinquan was not only great at fighting, he was also equally good at playing ball. Ball sports are also one of his major hobbies in life, whether it is basketball, football, or table tennis.
In the process of playing and kicking, the tactics on the battlefield are also perfectly applied. Not only that, his love for ball games also infected his sons. He often took them to play ball games, and thus led a Wu Jiajun basketball team. It is reported that the Wu Jiajun basketball team composed of him and his sons once defeated the artillery compound without any rivals.
How deep is his love for ball games? Even in his later years, when he was hospitalized for a heart disease and was prohibited from watching live football matches by doctors, he still insisted: "If you don't watch football matches, you will have a heart attack!"
Wu Xinquan, the battlefield and the stadium, can come and go freely. You are at ease on the court and have the ball expertly at your fingertips. On the battlefield, you are even more brave and adept at fighting, becoming the most powerful commander of the volunteer army.