Memoirs of a Veteran:
At about 5 pm on March 1, we arrived in the urban area of ??Gaoping and took over the task of defending Gaoping from the 484th Regiment of the 162nd Division. At this time, the streets and alleys of Gaoping city were filled with our military personnel. In the words of a Nanyang auto soldier, "the city is full of Chinese soldiers" - the red star shone across the entire Gaoping.
Caoping is the capital of Cao Bang Province in Vietnam and an important town in North Vietnam. Surrounded by water on three sides, Pingjiang River flows through Gaoping City, and Xianhe River in the south of the city flows into Pingjiang River in the west of the city. The Pingjiang River is winding and winding, with rugged mountains and rocks on both sides and numerous caves. The riverside is lined with trees and bamboos, and the terrain is complex. From the houses in the city to the riverside, there are large vegetable fields growing spinach and cabbage like radishes. The Gaoping area originally deployed the 346th Division, the elite force of the Vietnamese army, as well as the civilian army, local troops, public security stations and other armed forces. When our army occupied Gaoping, the main force of the Vietnamese army disappeared without a trace.
The tasks and specific deployment of our 480th Regiment are: to defend the urban area of ??Gaoping, control various key points in Gaoping and ensure the safety of the three bridges connecting our military's transportation lines. The first battalion occupied the commanding heights on the south bank of the Xianhe River to guard against the enemy in Taiyuan and prevent the enemy from threatening Gaoping from the southwest; the second battalion was the regiment reserve and was deployed at the commanding heights on the north bank of the Pingjiang River to prevent the enemy from threatening Gaoping from the north; the third battalion guarded the third battalion. The Seventh Company, the Eighth Company, and our Ninth Company guarded the No. 1 Bridge, the No. 2 Bridge, and the No. 3 Bridge respectively to ensure that the bridge was safe. The regiment command post follows the operations of the Second Battalion and is located next to the Provincial Grain Bureau warehouse near the 385 Highlands on the north bank of Pingjiang River. It is not far from the railway bridge and is a tunnel built by the French. It is said to be able to withstand earthquakes of magnitude 6 or 7, and its sturdiness can be imagined. The various units of the regiment are deployed on both sides of the regiment command post.
Our Ninth Company is guarding an iron bridge, about 10 meters wide, 150 meters long, and about 15 meters above the river. It is said that it was built by the French. The terrain at this end of the bridge is gentle. , the densely built urban area of ??Gaoping, on the other side of the bridge is a densely wooded mountain peak, and on the mountainside stands a church built by the French. Company commander Dai Zongwu ordered the third platoon and two rocket squads to garrison the south of the bridge; Lian Zhi led the first and second platoons to garrison the artillery squad and the cooking squad to garrison the north of the bridge. The entire company built fortifications and cat's ear holes along the bank of the Pingjiang River.
After the deployment, the fourth platoon leader Zhang Shicai commanded the artillery squad and set up two 60-mm mortars on the shore for test firing - two cute "monkeys" sitting on the land of a foreign country . With a "bang" sound, the shell flew out with a whistle, drawing a beautiful arc in the air, and the warhead was as clearly visible as a bird flying high in the sky. Just a "bang" sound was heard, and a puff of white smoke came out from the hillside on the other side - the shell accurately hit the target. It seems that the explosive power of this small cannon is about the same as that of a grenade. This is my first time to watch the 60-gun fire at close range. It feels very novel. I really want to try two of them.
Only by effectively protecting yourself can you better destroy your enemies. As a company clerk, I dug a bunker on the bank of the Pingjiang River with the health worker and bugler. The soil here was soft, and it was dug in a short time. I found a few cement boards to cover it, and then spread a thick layer of soil on top. That's it. I thought I had done a great job, but when I saw the bunkers dug by other platoons, I was immediately dumbfounded: Fourth platoon leader Zhang Shicai and other veteran comrades dug bunkers under the roots of clusters of bamboos. They really put in a lot of effort. If it falls on it, it will only blow up the bamboo but not the bunker; as for our bunker, if the artillery shell falls on it, it will definitely be destroyed. If it is not killed by the cannonball, it will be killed by the cement board. This is not an attempt to save trouble. It was getting late, and it was too late to dig a bunker again. Let's deal with it all night first, and then talk about it tomorrow
There was no fighting all night, with only sporadic gunfire in the distance, and the idea of ????rebuilding a bunker was also thrown away. outside.
On March 2, it was dawn. I walked to the Pingjiang River and was about to wash my face. I saw a few soldiers with their trouser legs rolled up, standing in the river washing clothes; a few military officers were standing in the river washing rice and washing vegetables, and soldiers in twos and threes were standing by the river. Chatting and looking at the scenery. The clear river flows slowly, the morning fog lingers on the river, and the shadows of the mountains on the other side of the river are hazy. People and nature form a wonderful beauty.
Somehow, it reminds me of the scene in the famous painting "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" - I have seen replicas of the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" exhibitions many times.