<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > Bloody 38th Line 138: Chai Yunzhen, 70 people in the 70 years of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea</h1>
Author: Mo Guyan
In the early 1980s, during a visit to China with Deng Gong, Prime Minister Kim talked about Sichuan volunteer heroes, and in addition to Huang Jiguang and Qiu Shaoyun, he also specifically mentioned a volunteer soldier named Chai Yunzhen and asked the participants about his whereabouts.
Chai Yunzhen came from the 15th Army of the Volunteer Army, and the commander of the 15th Army of the Volunteer Army was Qin Jiwei, then commander of the Beijing Military Region, who just happened to be sitting next to Deng Gong at the moment. Qin Jiwei immediately told him what he knew:
In June 1951, the 45th Division of the 15th Army fought a bloody battle against Pu Dafeng, and a large number of heroes emerged, of which a squad led by Chai Yunzhen captured 4 hills and annihilated more than 400 enemy troops. Seriously injured, he was sent back to China by the troops for rescue and treatment, and after being transferred to several hospitals in succession, his whereabouts are unknown, and he does not know whether he is still alive.
General Qin Jiwei
Qin Jiwei also said that when the volunteer army awarded Chai Yunzhente and other meritorious heroes, no one came to receive the medal, and his medal is still kept in the archives of the 15th Army. For years, the troops have been looking for the hero, but they have never been heard from.
After Deng Gong listened, he instructed on the spot: Even if it is a needle in a haystack, chai Yunzhen must be found!
The Pu Dafeng blockade battle that Qin Jiwei mentioned occurred in the retreat stage of the fifth campaign, and was an unprecedented and cruel bloody battle experienced by this young unit of the 15th Army since its formation.
In May 1951, when the US army launched a full-line counterattack, the volunteer army, which was short of food and ammunition and lack of manpower, fell into great passivity under the us army's fierce air-ground integrated counterattack, and the entire central front was in danger of being torn apart or even collapsed. Qin Jiwei, who was doing everything possible to gather his troops, received an urgent telegram from Shiji: Quickly occupy the key points in the Shibaura-ri area, resolutely block the enemy at all costs, and cover the retreat of the main force of our army to the north. Mr. Peng personally spoke to Qin Jiwei and clearly demanded that they must persist for 7 to 10 days.
As soon as the 15th Army entered the Korean War, it caught up with the fifth battle of unprecedented scale, and the troops not only suffered heavy losses (1/3 of the number of personnel), but also had serious difficulties in the supply of materials, so that the troops had to rely on wild vegetables to fill their hunger, and some soldiers even picked out the soybeans in horse dung and ate them. Coupled with the lack of ammunition and unfamiliar terrain, it is indeed extremely difficult to complete the tasks assigned by General Peng.
Qin Jiwei made a heart out of his mind, determined that even if the whole army ran out of the last soldier and pawn, he would complete the task of blocking the attack. The military department issued an emergency mobilization order, calling on the troops to "swear to coexist and die with the position."
A fierce battle was fought in the Shibaurai area. On the Pu Da Peak, which was firmly held by the 134th Regiment of the 45th Division, all the positions were repeatedly sawn, and in the end, it was all bloody white-knife battles, and the heroes and good men who shocked the world and cried ghosts and gods could be seen everywhere.
On June 4, the U.S. 25th Division concentrated its firepower and once again launched a fierce attack on the positions of the Park Dafeng Volunteer Army. By the afternoon of the fierce fighting, the garrisons of the 7th and 9th Companies were exhausted, the positions were lost, and the 45th Division's defense line was suddenly in danger.
Chai Yunzhen, who had just been replenished by the division's guard company to the 7th squad of the 8th Company, was ordered to lead 13 fighters to launch a counterattack on the main peak position occupied by the enemy.
Chai Yunzhen is one of the countless "liberation fighters" in the people's army. When he was 16 years old, he fled from Sichuan to Chongqing to avoid capturing Zhuangding, where he made a living selling mash, and was later sold by a baochang for 20 quintals of grain to Jiang Jun's 203rd Division and became a brother-in-law. Chai Yunzhen was captured in the Battle of Huaihai, and immediately joined the ranks of the People's Liberation Army, and when he landed on the beach in the Battle of the Crossing River, he was injured due to fighting bravely, and became a squad leader after returning from his wounds.
The blood and fire of the revolutionary war have long tempered Chai Yunzhen into a steel warrior. Taking advantage of the enemy's unstable foothold, he led 13 warriors into 3 combat groups to launch a counter-attack, driving a battalion of enemies down the hill in only 7 minutes, followed by 3 hills in a row, all of which resumed their positions.
The enemy did not all go far, and dozens of people gathered on another hill to build fortifications, and if they were not taken down in time, they would pose a great threat to the main peak. Chai Yunzhen led the last 3 remaining fighters to rush towards the enemy in desperation. After the position was attacked, all 3 fighters were sacrificed, leaving only Chai Yunzhen alone.
The American soldiers, who were "more steel and less gas," were frightened by this red-eyed Chinese soldier and quickly fled down the mountain, leaving only a black soldier. Chai Yunzhen engaged in a deadly hand-to-hand fight with the black man, who was crushed under the tall American soldiers. With his life hanging in the balance, Chai Yunzhen tried to cut out the eyes of the American soldiers, but was bitten off by the other party.
During the fight, the top of Chai Yunzhen's head was smashed by his opponent with a stone and he fainted. The American soldier thought he was dead and turned away. Chai Yunzhen, who woke up, grabbed the carbine thrown by the enemy, pulled the trigger with the last bit of strength, killed the enemy with the last bullet in the chamber, and passed out again.
When the 8th Company rushed up the mountain, what he saw was a shocking scene: the corpses of the enemy and the scattered guns were all over the mountain, and Chai Yunzhen, who was lying in the pile of dead people, was seriously injured in many places, and he completely became a bloody man! Later, it was determined that Chai Yunzhen killed more than 100 enemy people, was bitten off a finger by the US military, and left 24 scars on his body, becoming a special meritorious hero of the volunteer army with the same name as Huang Jiguang and Qiu Shaoyun.
When Chai Yunzhen woke up, he was already lying on a bed in a military hospital. The medical staff told him that this was Baotou City, Inner Mongolia, and that the head of the volunteer army had sent him back from the front line and had been transferred to several hospitals. He was injured in 24 wounds all over his body, and the blood was almost dry, and the hospital had the last glimmer of hope to rescue him, and it was a miracle that he could survive.
Chai Yunzhen, who lacked a finger, could no longer pull the trigger, and he did not want to be a burden on the troops, so a year later, he returned to his hometown of Dafo Township, Yuechi County, Guang'an, Sichuan Province, with a 500-kilogram rice ticket as demobilization fee. He did a good job in his hometown, serving as a township chief and secretary. Many people know that he has been a soldier and fought in battle, but no one knows that he is a battle hero who Can't be named by Peng Dehuai. Unbeknownst to him, his heroic deeds played a major role in turning the entire front into a safe position, and the headquarters of the Volunteer Army recorded him with special merit and awarded him the title of first-class combat hero.
Under the supervision of Deng Gong, the People's Daily, the People's Liberation Army Daily, and other media, as well as newspapers in the southwest region, successively published the enlightenment of looking for Chai Yunzhen in prominent positions. Under the supervision of Qin Jiwei, the veteran commander of the 15th Army, which has become an airborne army, specially sent personnel to various places to search for them.
Chai Yunzhen profile photo
After several twists and turns, Chai Yunzhen was finally found, or his son saw the search notice in the newspaper. He was taken to Wuhan by 2 searchers sent by the 15th Army. In order to investigate whether the old man in front of him, who had a broken finger and a scar on his head, was not a hero in the battle of Pu Dafeng, the 15th Army specially invited the old chief to let the old man identify. Chai Yunzhen accurately recognized the former political commissar of the 15th Army Valley, the commander of the 45th Division, Cui Jiangong, the commander of the 44th Division, Xiang Shouzhi, and many other leaders, and also accurately described their positions in that year.
Xiang Shouzhi burst into tears, hugged Chai Yunzhen tightly and said, "Yunzhen, we have found you so bitter." For more than 30 years, the army has sent people to search almost every province in the country, and today it has finally found you! ”
Finding the hero, the troops immediately held a commendation meeting. Chai Yunzhen received a medal that was more than 30 years late. Qin Jiwei specially invited him to his home as a guest, recalled the past, was full of emotion, and poured a glass of wine for him.
Chai Yunzhen (right) with his old comrades-in-arms
In 1985, Chai Yunzhen visited the DPRK as a member of the heroic delegation of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. At the memorial hall, he saw his "remains" placed side by side with Huang Jiguang and Qiu Shaoyun. The old hero personally took off his "relic" and took it home.
Chai Yunzhen's "remains" hanging at the Dprk Memorial Hall
Over the years, Chai Yunzhen has often made reports to government organs, schools, enterprises, and troops, telling the stories of the war to resist US aggression and aid Korea to the masses of all sectors of society. He never considered himself a hero, in his eyes, "the real hero is those comrades who sacrificed."
On December 26, 2018, Chai Yunzhen, a first-class combat hero of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, passed away at the age of 93. The hero is gone, the spirit lives on.
[In December 2018, Yuechi County, Sichuan Province, traveled thousands of miles from all over the country to a group of white-haired volunteer army veterans. They all hung medals of honor and medals on their chests, and came to bid farewell to their old squad leader, Chai Yunzhen, a special meritorious hero of the Volunteer Army.
[Deeply cultivate the history of war, carry forward positive energy, soldiers say that all parties are welcome to submit articles, private messages will be restored]