1979 Self-defense Counterattack Against Vietnam
Chapter 1 Leng Shui Tan
Leng Shui Tan, situated on the Xiang-Gui line, south-west of China, a small town less than 200 km away from the famous tour city of Guilin, is a relatively big railway station entering into Guangxi province from Hunan province.
1979, a sheep year in accordance with China’s lunar calendar sequence, which usually means serenity and concord, the Spring Festival having just passed, the station started roaring up, losing ever calmness in the past. A number of military trains, with tanks, canons, and many armed soldiers wearing green uniforms, were galloping across the railway station one by one, and incessantly dove to the Sino-Vietnam border gate of Youyi.
At that time, I was living in LengShuiTan for winter vacation as a 1977-grade university student. Not far from the railway station, only about 600 meters away, I could see, while taking a walk nearby, these military trains were speeding by.
There was news everyday: Vietnam offending on borders, harassing border inhabitants, ---all the media in black and white revealed that a battle was drawing near.
I have been good at geography since childhood. Having read carefully a thick book 《Introductions to All Countries》, which I bought from an old bookstand several years ago, I had a deep doubt aroused in my mind: The area of Vietnam plus Taiwan is even smaller than that of Yunnan province. Its regular army forces approximately equal two military regions for maximum in China. Is it worthwhile to fight against a protracted brotherhood county mobilizing so many troops?
On 29. January 1979, deputy premier, Deng Xiaoping started visiting the United States. Moreover, all kinds of news were still lingering on headlines of many newspapers in China about Deng Xiaoping’s visit to the United States a few days just before the coming war against Vietnam.
I worked in a large iron-steel company for a few years before entering into the university in China. From 1976 Tiananmen 4.5 incidents to the end of July 1977, I was in charge of a blackboard-newspaper in our workshop for my co-workers. On the wall newspaper, we reposted the articles against the rightward reversal by Deng Xiaoping almost every day. I, at this time, was also wondering why deputy-premier first, instead of Chairmen Hua Guofeng, rushed to visit the United States just after only over one-month’s establishment of the diplomatic relations with the U.S, which apparently does not conform to foreign diplomatic sequence.
Fortunately, the American children, during the welcome ceremony, dancing pleasantly, began singing happily:
I love Beijing Tiananmen,
The sun rises above Tiananmen.
The great leader Chairman Mao,
Leads all of us forward.
Watching TV, I mindedly noticed that, Deng, deputy premier, his corner of mouth moving a bit, remained expressionless, which was showing: a change of wind direction is coming!
Deng’s visit to the United States lasted 9 days and returned to China on Feb 9.
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