"My name is Zhang Mengyun and I am 90 years old this year. Now when I think of those war-torn years, I am still excited. Although I am only a logistics soldier, I also have a thrilling experience. During the two missions, he met with spies and successfully helped the Korean People's Army capture two spies. Zhang Mengyun, an elderly man, is still energetic and confident when he talks about his experience of resisting US aggression and aiding Korea.
The longing of a rural teenager
In 1934, Zhang Mengyun was born in rural Shandong Province. At that time, life in the countryside was hard, and when I was a child, I had never even seen a train or a car, and there was no road in the village. "I remember when I was a child, I went to Henan once, and suddenly I heard a rumbling sound, which shook the ground slightly. Later I learned that it was a train. Since then, I have been curious about the outside world. Zhang Mengyun said.
When Zhang Mengyun was in elementary school in the village, he learned some knowledge, but he always thought about how high the mountains outside were, and he always felt that he couldn't be trapped in this small village for the rest of his life, so he had to go out and see. In 1956, at the age of 19, Zhang Mengyun resolutely decided to sign up for the army, firstly, to contribute to the country, and secondly, to take this opportunity to go out and open his eyes.
It was a difficult time to enter North Korea for the first time
After coming to North Korea, Zhang Mengyun became a soldier in the 2nd Battalion and 1st Company of the 16th Detachment of the 253rd Unit of the Volunteer Army. Everything here is different from what he imagined. The devastation brought about by the war is everywhere, and their task is difficult and onerous. First of all, it was necessary to build barracks to give the fighters a place to stay.
The troops are stationed in Yangdeok, North Korea. "Without machinery, we had to rely on manpower. People carry stones on their shoulders, and each stone is heavy, and the shoulders hurt. When laying the foundation, it is even more careful to ensure the firmness of the barracks. The tamping of soil by soil is like building our hope. Zhang Mengyun recalled.
At first, Zhang Mengyun and his comrades-in-arms lived in tents. The tent was so hot that I couldn't sleep at night, but everyone didn't complain, because they knew they were giving for peace.
Participated in the expansion of field hospitals
In 1956, after Zhang Mengyun first arrived in North Korea, he participated in the task of expanding the field hospital. There is also a general logistics warehouse of the Volunteer Army, which was also built by them.
"First lay the foundation with the stones underneath, then put the adobe on top, then put them up one by one with wood, and weave them with strips like mats, and paste them with cement on both sides, and smear them with sand and earth. We made the adobe ourselves, and because of this, we were also rewarded by the divisional headquarters. Zhang Mengyun gestured, and then said, "At that time, it was required that each person hit an average of five or six hundred per day, and we worked more than 1,000 a day, and the hospital area was very large, about five or six hundred meters long and five or six hundred meters wide, and the construction took about a year." ”
Outwitting agents
In 1956, Zhang Mengyun stood guard at a duty point about a dozen miles away from Yangde. A North Korean walked over, Zhang Mengyun looked at him, a little wary in his heart, but still spoke to him politely. "Ordinary people see the soldier and leave directly, but this person came towards me." Zhang Mengyun said that this was his first year in North Korea and he could not speak Korean.
The North Korean man walked up to Zhang Mengyun and handed him a cigarette, and Zhang Mengyun waved his hand to signal that he would not smoke. The man also signaled to him if there was any fire, and he said that there was no fire either. At this time, the man suddenly leaned forward, about a meter away from Zhang Mengyun. "I didn't speak Korean at the time, I had no experience with spies or anything like that, and I was only 19 years old, and that person looked like he was in his 40s, so I thought something was wrong with him." Zhang Mengyun said.
The man took a step forward, and Zhang Mengyun took a step back, always keeping his distance from the man. At this time, Zhang Mengyun had already loaded the bullet and said "Go!" Walk! The man stared at Zhang Mengyun and slowly turned around and left.
After more than ten minutes, two more Korean People's Army, carrying submachine guns on their backs, walked very fast. They walked up to Zhang Mengyun and stood again. The Korean People's Army, which speaks Chinese, asked Mr. Zhang if he had ever seen a North Korean man in his 40s pass by. Zhang Mengyun hurriedly replied to them, this person had just passed ten minutes from here, and he had turned around from this mountain col. When they heard this, they chased after them. After about 20 minutes, the two men escorted the middle-aged man back. Only then did Zhang Mengyun know that that person was a spy. "I thought later, fortunately, I was vigilant at the time and didn't have too much contact with him, otherwise if he was a little careless, he would have taken the gun away, and it would be over." Zhang Mengyun said.
Alertness when watching a movie
In 1957, Zhang Mengyun and his comrades-in-arms went to the "38th Parallel" to carry out tasks. They walked more than 20 miles to Pungxi-ri in North Korea, which was a small village.
"We showed the movie there, not in the courtyard or some house, but in the open air, and a lot of ordinary people and volunteer soldiers came. The fighters were all looking in the middle, we were three platoons of nine squads, and we were sitting at the last at that time. Zhang Mengyun said.
At this time, Zhang Mengyun and his comrades-in-arms suddenly discovered that an officer's rank was different from that of all of them. At that time, the colonel's rank pattern was four stars, but this person's rank was five stars.
Zhang Mengyun and his comrades-in-arms began to discuss what kind of new troop this was. Everyone muttered in their hearts, thinking that they hadn't heard of any new regulations, so they wondered if they were spies. Everyone started to pay attention to this man. The man seemed to sense everyone's gaze and suddenly ran away. Zhang Mengyun and his comrades-in-arms immediately shouted, and the soldiers of the Korean People's Army standing behind heard the movement and quickly chased after them, and finally succeeded in catching the spy.
Growing up in the midst of war
During his time in North Korea, Zhang Mengyun learned to face difficulties bravely, learned to be cautious with every stranger, and learned to stick to his post in a difficult environment. At the beginning of the war, some of the young soldiers were young people who had just left their hometowns, and they may have dreamed of a better life in the future and imagined that they would create their own wonderful lives in the years of peace. However, when the horn of war sounded, they put down their farm tools and books, changed into military uniforms, and threw themselves into this great battle to defend their homeland and country.
This experience is the most valuable asset in Zhang Mengyun's life. "My experience in North Korea has taught me what responsibility is and what it means to be responsible. Even though I am only a logistics soldier, I am proud to be able to contribute to the country and the people. Zhang Mengyun said proudly.
Now, the smoke of war has long since dissipated, but those days remain in Zhang Mengyun's memory forever. Whenever he thinks of his years in North Korea, a warm current wells up in his heart. "Our generation has paid off. We have exchanged our youth and blood for peace and tranquility in our country. Zhang Mengyun often tells his story in North Korea to future generations, hoping that they can cherish today's happiness and peace, study hard, and contribute to the prosperity and strength of the country. He hoped that today's young people will remember this period of history and remember these volunteer martyrs who bravely sacrificed their lives for the peace of the country.
Although Zhang Mengyun is 90 years old, he is still proud that he was once a volunteer soldier. He believes that that history will forever be etched in people's hearts and inspire future generations to keep moving forward.
Zhang Mengyun
A native of Shandong, he entered the DPRK in 1956, and was a logistics soldier of the 2nd Battalion and 1st Company of the 16th Detachment of the 253 Troops of the Volunteer Army, and returned to China in 1958.
Lanzhou Daily all-media chief reporter Su Xiao trainee reporter Yang Jiaqi text/photo