Wu Tao Huaxi Metropolis Daily-Cover News Reporter Yao Ruojun

　　Both 90-year-old Jiang Yongde and 89-year-old Cai Xinghai participated in the Battle of Shangganling. Both were "second-level heroes and special heroes" in the battle of Shangganling.

Jiang Yongde lives in Yibin, Sichuan, and Cai Xinghai lives in Xianyang, Shaanxi. They met at the post-war meritorious service meeting. They have never seen each other since their farewell in Beijing in 1953.

　　On January 4, reporters from the West China Metropolis Daily and cover news learned from the Yibin Veterans Affairs Bureau that recently, two veterans met on the Internet for the first time after 67 years of separate video calls and meetings via mobile phones.

The two saluted each other through mobile video, and in this way paid tribute to the comrades who participated in the war to resist US aggression and aid Korea!

　　At the end of December 2020, with the contact and help of the "Volunteer Army Veterans Assistance Plan" public welfare team, Yibin release, and Yibin Veterans Affairs Bureau, Jiang Yongde and Cai Xinghai, who are more than 900 kilometers apart, finally "meeted".

In the video exchange of 15 minutes and 48 seconds, the two veterans who are also battle heroes recalled the old tears of the iron-blooded battlefield in the past, and were very pleased to talk about the happy life now.

Remember the past

　　Unforgettable the prosperous years on the battlefield to resist US aggression and aid Korea

　　Cai Xinghai served as the deputy squad leader of the 91st Regiment of a certain division of the Volunteer Army, and Jiang Yongde served as the deputy squad leader of the 92nd Regiment of a certain division of the Volunteer Army. The two held highs 597.9 and 537.7 respectively.

The Battle of Shangganling from October 14 to November 25, 1952, took place on these two highlands.

The battle lasted for 43 days. After repeated fierce battles, the Volunteer Army lost and regained positions many times, finally crushing the enemy's offensive.

　　On November 2, 1952, the 597.9 Heights was bombarded by the enemy for two hours.

At that time, as the deputy squad leader, Cai Xinghai led the 9 soldiers of the squad and was ordered to enter the 9th position at the forefront of the main peak of Highland 597.9.

Cai Xinghai recalled: "At that time, the position had been blasted into a piece of scorched earth by artillery fire. I grabbed a handful of sand with three or four pieces of shrapnel exuding residual heat. We used grenade'air-blasting' to fight for one day and one night. At the cost of slightly wounding 3 people, the enemy repelled 7 consecutive platoon-level shocks, wiped out more than 400 enemies, and defended the position tenaciously."

　　"Air-blast" means that the grenade fuse is opened, held in the hand for two seconds, and then thrown out, causing the grenade to explode on the enemy's head.

"This method is very lethal, but the operation is very dangerous." Jiang Yongde said, if the grenade is thrown out after the fuse is pulled, it may be picked up and thrown back by the enemy, so wait two seconds before throwing it at the enemy.

　　At 9 o'clock in the evening on November 13, 1952, Jiang Yongde successively ordered the company commander to lead the whole class of soldiers to stick to position No. 4 at 537.7 Beishan Highland. They repelled the enemy's many attacks with grenade and grenade.

Later, Jiang Yongde discovered an enemy's dark fort that was both a place for troops and a strong point of fire. He took two grenades and jumped out of the trench when it was getting dark. He approached here from the side and shot from a hole on the dark fort wall. Throwing into the grenade and quickly evacuated.

The fire flashed, and the machine gun in the dark castle was blown mute.

　　When returning, Jiang Yongde was spotted by the enemy on the opposite position, and the machine gun shot straight at him.

He rolled into a traffic ditch and crawled for about 20 meters, and found that there was an enemy dark fort not far away, and the machine gun inside was violently flaming out.

He quietly approached the bunker flexibly, took off another grenade hung around his waist, threw it in from a perforation in the bunker, and dumbed the enemy's machine gun again.

After blowing up the two hidden forts and destroying the enemies inside, the 22-year-old Jiang Yongde returned to the position smoothly.

　　Hard to meet

　　The two never met after a goodbye in Beijing 67 years ago

　　"Actually, Cai Xinghai and I didn't know each other during the war." Jiang Yongde recalled that the two people who had done meritorious service met in North Korea because of a meeting.

After returning to China, they took a group photo with several other comrades-in-arms in Shenyang in April 1953.

Later, the two were invited to attend the May 1st and National Day ceremony in 1953. They met in Beijing and were cordially received by party and state leaders.

After a parting in Beijing in 1953, the two gradually lost contact.

　　After returning from North Korea, Cai Xinghai took the initiative to apply for a job in Tibet with difficult conditions. He stayed in Tibet for 17 years.

Later, Cai Xinghai returned to work in Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province in 1982 because his body was no longer adapting to the high-cold life.

　　Jiang Yongde transferred from the army to Yibin, Sichuan, and worked in a phosphate fertilizer plant in Yibin.

"If it weren't for an accidental fire at home, he was anxiously looking for his collection of military medals. We still don't know that he is a fighting hero." Jiang Yongde's family said.

　　Jiang Yongde said that the volunteers who defended the peace and resisted aggression will never be forgotten, whether they sacrificed or survived.

Especially after the establishment of the Department of Veterans Affairs, more and more people came to visit and condole him.

He was also invited to visit the local Lingang and Lizhuang villages. The changes in his hometown made him very pleased.

　　The old man Cai Xinghai has also stated many times that he is just a very ordinary soldier, throwing blood, defending the position, defending the country, and even making sacrifices are all things a soldier should do.

He said: "The treatment I am enjoying now and the honors I have won are all exchanged with blood by my comrades in arms. Compared with sacrificed comrades in arms, I can get off the battlefield with the best and highest treatment. We are alive. All should continue to contribute to the motherland for the sacrificed comrades in arms."

Continued

　　Video connection of old comrades, salute each other

　　"A comrade-in-arms you haven't seen in 67 years, are you okay?" In 2020, Cai Xinghai, who underwent rectal cancer resection, once again had the idea of ​​looking for his comrade-in-arms Jiang Yongde.

"Volunteer Army Veterans Assistance Program" After the non-governmental charity team learned of Cai’s wishes, one of the Chengdu volunteers in the team immediately posted a message to Yibin, saying that Cai Xinghai, the old hero in the battle of Shangganling, hopes to contact Jiang Yongde, his comrade-in-arms in Sichuan, two The old heroes once fought wars together and went to Beijing to watch the ceremony together...

　　After the relevant departments learned of this matter, they attached great importance to it and immediately assigned a person to be responsible for implementation.

Jiang Yongde is well-known in Yibin. Through newspapers, television, and the Internet, many people know that a Shangganling fighting hero lives in a certain community in Nan'an.

　　The staff of the Yibin Veterans Affairs Bureau called the old man Jiang Yongde and asked him: Do you know Cai Xinghai, an old comrade-in-arms?

"Yes! Of course I do! Even if this name has not been spoken in 67 years, it will suddenly pop out of my heart, because it is a comrade-in-arms on the battlefield!" Jiang Yongde said on the phone.

　　On the morning of December 28, 2020, with the help of the families of both parties, the distance of more than 900 kilometers between Yibin and Xianyang became zero distance through mobile phones.

The two elderly people with poor hearing use dialects with different accents to greet each other 67 years later: "Are you okay?" After a loud "translation" from their families, the two replied at the same time: "Good! it is good!"

　　Cai Xinghai, wearing a volunteer uniform and a medallion on his chest, appeared on the phone screen in front of Jiang Yongde.

On Cai Xinghai's mobile phone, there was also Jiang Yongde with the 70th anniversary medal of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 70th anniversary medal of the Chinese People's Volunteers to fight abroad to fight against the US and aid Korea.

Don't be glamorous and magnificent, and meet both temples.

The two old people chatted over and now, and the video call lasted for 15 minutes and 48 seconds.

When bidding farewell, the two men told each other by saluting each other, take care!