The Soviet army invaded Zhenbao Island. Zhou Enlai instructed Xiao Quanfu: I have three opinions to tell you.

In March 1969, smoke filled the air, snow and fog shrouded Zhenbao Island.

A howling cold wind blew across the river, and the rising snow was boiling. Layers fell down one by one, covering the bodies of the Soviet border guard invaders and the blood stains shed by the martyrs of the Chinese border guards.

A rumbling sound of artillery came from the Soviet Union, and the artillery shells fell a few kilometers inside China. The entire Chinese leader west of Zhenbao Island was blocked by Soviet artillery fire.

The roaring sound of artillery broke the tranquility of the virgin forest. The large-caliber artillery shells fired by the Soviet border guards made low explosions in the forest clearing from time to time. Black craters.

Due to the high trees and dense forests, some cannonballs exploded on the treetops, blowing the towering century-old trees into two pieces. The animals in the forest let out bursts of frightened screams. Running around in the woods.

The Chinese border guards were retreating while counting the number of people. Company Commander Wei ran over sweating profusely and reported to Chief Ma: "Chief Ma, after counting the number of people several times, there is one soldier missing!"

Section Chief Ma couldn't help being surprised: "Have you found the comrade who died?"

"Yes, no!"

"Could it be? Didn’t they withdraw? ”

“When the troops were withdrawing, I was at the end. I looked over the scene and left only when no one was there.”

“No. Are you asking the enemy to take prisoners?" Chief Ma asked, making Captain Wei even more nervous.

"Definitely not. When the enemy withdrew, they were carrying and dragging their own wounded. They didn't see any of our people. Besides, if they did, we couldn't let them go so easily. "That's not necessarily the case. He was injured and unconscious, so he was dragged away without knowing it." Deputy Chief of Staff Cao was also a little nervous.

"If you are injured and haven't been evacuated now, you will freeze to death at night!" Section Chief Ma thought for a while: "Let me see, you can send a few people back to the treasure immediately. The island is being heavily bombarded and cannot be reached. We will touch it as soon as it gets dark. If we are alive, we will see people, if we are dead, we will see corpses!"

"Yes!" Captain Wei immediately ran to arrange it.

When the troops returned to the station, the cooking team had prepared meals, including braised pork, scrambled eggs, and celebration wine.

Although the battle was won, because Deputy Company Commander Chen Shaoguang of the Reconnaissance Company of the 133rd Division died, and Deputy Company Commander Wang Qingrong of the 1st Company of the 217th Regiment of the 73rd Division also died, these two comrades were in the army. The prestige was very high, and everyone felt very uncomfortable and couldn't eat anything.

Section Chief Ma persuaded them for a long time, and then they drank some gruel. Then, surrounding the fallen comrades, they silently wiped their weapons without saying anything, all holding back their energy to avenge the fallen comrades.

The sun slowly descended on the treetops, and it gradually became dark in the primeval forest.

The shelling from the Soviet border guards on the opposite side of Zhenbao Island was intensifying and relaxing. Everyone stood in the snow and looked towards Zhenbao Island, even though it was pitch black dozens of meters away and nothing could be seen. , everyone is still anxiously looking forward to going to the island to see it.

At this time, a faint light appeared in the forest. Someone shouted: "Come on, come on, come back."

The brigade cheered and rushed forward, only to see a few black figures carrying a person, panting heavily, and left. come over.

Section Chief Ma turned on the flashlight and saw that what was being carried was the body of a Soviet soldier. What was going on?

Someone recognized it and said: "Isn't this Ivan's driver with a big beard?"

Wei Lianliang said with a frustrated face: "I searched for a long time and couldn't find it. It was all in the dark. You can't see anything, and it's probably a sacrifice. Bring the bearded man back first. If our people ask them to carry it, we will exchange it with them."

Section Chief Ma frowned: " This is the only way, but be careful and don't make any mistakes."

He turned around and looked at it with his flashlight and said: "Our comrades, plus this one, are one and two. It's not good to leave all ten of them in the snow. It would be terrible if a bear came at night. There are also many wolves."

"Bring them all into the house," someone said.

"It won't work if you lift it inside the house. No door can stop the bears and wolves."

Captain Wei said: "Why don't we lift them all to the beams and send people on duty below? "Keep it."

"This is also a good idea." Section Chief Ma thought for a while: "Vacate all the occupied houses, prepare quilts and backpack straps, and be gentle.

The soldiers wrapped the fallen comrades in quilts and hoisted them all to the beams. The bearded body of Ivan’s driver was also plastic surgery, wrapped and hoisted to the beams.

p>

At dawn, the correspondent came over and said: "Deputy Commander Xiao Quanfu of the Shenyang Military Region has arrived at Wulin Cave with the front commander of the military region and asked you to go to a meeting. "

Chief Ma and Deputy Chief of Staff Cao led the command team and hurried towards the front of the military region.

March 2, 1969, Beijing, early spring in Beijing The cold wind was howling, the jasmine flowers had just sprouted, and the dead grass on the ground was showing a hint of yellow, and spring was everywhere.

Mao Zedong stood by the passage of the flower bed, walking with his hands behind his back, watching what was in front of him. In the spring, the cold wind blew the silver hair on his forehead, and he seemed completely unaware.

After stopping for a long time, he heard footsteps coming from behind, and then turned around and strode towards the living room. .

Premier Zhou and his secretary stood at the door of the living room. When they saw Mao Zedong approaching, they greeted him

"Chairman, you have worked all night and you haven't rested yet? ”

“It’s still the same old problem. I can’t sleep. Come out for some air.” ”

“In spring in Beijing, if the weather is bad, don’t go out for activities. "

"That is an objective reason, not an explanation of the problem. What matters is yourself. "

Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai walked into the room while talking. "Chairman, I just received a report from the Shenyang Military Region. This morning, the Soviet border guards invaded Zhenbao Island again. They were the first to open fire. Our border guards were killed and wounded, and our border guards were forced to fight back. The battle lasted for more than an hour, with minor casualties on both sides. "

Mao Zedong sat on the sofa and nodded slightly, indicating that he understood. His mood was very calm: "They have been going to fight for a long time. It will be a small fight at first, and it may be a big fight later. One thing is that we have been prepared for it. Don’t be afraid when it comes. There is no point in being afraid. "

"Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs will immediately notify the Soviet Embassy to lodge a strong protest. ”

“When we protest, they will protest too, even if they are justified. The important thing is that we must have the confidence to win.” "

Zhou Enlai said with approval: "In this battle, our soldiers fought bravely and had a spirit of not being afraid of death. "

Mao Zedong stood up from the sofa, walked around the room twice, and said: "Zhenbao Island is a good name. I don't think treasures may have much value. The real value is our soldiers.' One is not afraid of suffering, and the other is not afraid of death. Is it okay if people don’t pay attention to spirit? This spirit is priceless and fundamental. "

After a while, Mao Zedong's thoughts became more active. He turned around and asked Zhou Enlai: "How are the preparations for the Ninth National Congress going? ”

“We are proceeding as fast as possible, and the report and representative review are basically ready.” "

"I think among the representatives of the 'Nine Majors', there should be heroes from Zhenbao Island. I really want to meet them. "

Zhou Enlai nodded happily: "The fact that the heroes of Zhenbao Island can attend the Ninth National Congress is also a great encouragement to the whole party, the army and the people of the country. ”

“When we fight, we must first not be afraid. It's the same as what I said in the past: I won't offend anyone unless they offend me. If someone offends me, I will offend them. Zhenbao Island is very small, just a little bit, but it can cause a lot of problems, so don't be careless. Policy issues must be handled well and the initiative must be taken. Only with the initiative can we deal with various complex situations. "

"I will talk to Comrade Xiao Quanfu again right away. The situation is very complicated. We must be calm-headed, reasonable and restrained, and strive to take the initiative. "

After Zhou Enlai reported the situation to Mao Zedong, he hurried back to Xihua Hall. As soon as he entered the office, he immediately picked up the phone: "Comrade Xiao Quanfu, the front commander of the Shenyang Military Region? I am Zhou Enlai. ”

“Prime Minister. I'm Xiao Quanfu, do you have any instructions? "

"Chairman Mao is very concerned about the situation there. You must do a good job. I have three opinions to tell you. ”

“Please give instructions from the Prime Minister. "

"The first point is to strictly abide by border disciplines and prevent the situation from expanding. They may come again, and we must be prepared to fight back. The second point is to be reasonable and orderly. For those who were killed by the Soviet side on Zhenbao Island, we must ask them to take back their bodies as soon as possible. You can notify them through the radio. The third point is that for the fallen comrades, we must do a good job with the family members and bury the remains. We must vigorously publicize the heroic deeds and use them to educate the troops. If there are any situations, you must report them immediately. ”

“Prime Minister, please rest assured, we will resolutely comply with your orders!” "

The Prime Minister put down the phone. The secretary walked in: "Prime Minister, you see it's noon, but you haven't had breakfast yet.

"

Zhou Enlai's thin face showed weariness. He smiled and said: "It doesn't matter, we can have lunch and breakfast together. ”

On March 2, 1969, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China sent a note to the Soviet Embassy, ​​strongly protesting against the invasion of Zhenbao Island by the Soviet border guards.

Note The wording is extremely harsh and the tone is extremely tough, which has never been seen in previous diplomatic documents.

This note expresses that the Chinese government and the Chinese people have reached an intolerable level with the intrusion of the Soviet border guards. level, and directly expressed the determination of the Chinese people to safeguard their territorial integrity, sovereignty and dignity, and to resolutely prepare to fight back against the invasion.

The full text of the note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China is as follows:

< p> Soviet Embassy in China: On the morning of March 2, 1969, the Soviet border guards invaded the Zhenbaodao area of ​​Heilongjiang Province, China, shot, killed and injured many members of our border guards, creating an extremely serious border armed conflict. For this reason, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China was ordered to lodge a strong protest with the Soviet government.

At 9:17 on March 2, the Soviet border defense authorities dispatched a large number of heavily armed soldiers, four armored vehicles and Cars openly invaded the undisputed Zhenbao Island area of ​​China and wildly provoked Chinese border guards who were on patrol. They first opened fire and killed and injured many Chinese border guards.

After many warnings to the Soviet border guards were ineffective, they were forced to fight back in self-defense when they could no longer bear it. This serious bloodshed was entirely caused by the Soviet authorities.

This was a long-term deliberate move by the Soviet authorities. Violating Chinese territory and carrying out armed provocations is another serious crime in the bloodshed.

The Chinese government firmly demands that the Soviet government punish the perpetrators of this incident and immediately stop infringing upon Chinese territory and armed provocations. , and reserves the right to demand that the Soviet Union compensate us for all losses.

The Chinese government once again sternly warns the Soviet government that China’s sacred territory is inviolable. If you insist on continuing to provoke armed conflicts on the Sino-Soviet border. , will be resolutely fought back by the Chinese people, and the Soviet government can only bear full responsibility for all the consequences.

Almost at the same time, the Soviet government also informed the Chinese people of peace. The Chinese government strongly protested against its so-called "brazen armed intrusion into Soviet territory"

The diplomatic war triggered by the armed conflict on Zhenbao Island was very fierce at the beginning, and China and the Soviet Union refused to give in to each other. It reached a fever pitch.

Khabarovsk, Soviet Union, Far East Military District Headquarters

The combat conference room was filled with generals from the group army. p> The emergency meeting just held has made a decision that the seven motorized infantry divisions and special forces units deployed by the Far East Military Region in the Khabarovsk Territory will immediately prepare for combat.

Its vanguard force, two motorized infantry regiments, immediately entered the Damansky Island area and cooperated with the border defense forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to complete the siege of Damansky Island and remove it from China in the shortest possible time. Colonel Leonov is still responsible for the specific operational command of the recapture of Damansky Island.

The meeting ended quickly, and the officers walked out of the conference room one after another. The expressions on everyone's faces were very serious. The usual atmosphere of talking and laughing was gone, because everyone had realized , the next battle will be very fierce.

From the armed conflict on March 2, the Soviet border guards discovered that the Chinese were more experienced and mature than they had imagined in the past, and they had more fighting spirit and spirit of sacrifice.

Although the Soviet army has considerable military advantages in the Far East, the Chinese army also has a large number of people. In Heilongjiang Province, there are more than a dozen production and construction corps composed of educated youth.

There is intelligence that these young people, both male and female, are the direct source of manpower for the Chinese army.

Admiral Losik's face was gray, his eyes were red and swollen, and he looked very tired. He walked to a duty phone and picked up the earphone: "Call Moscow, Ministry of Defense."

< p> This is a dedicated telephone line and was connected in a short time.

"Marshal Grechko? Hello, the situation has not changed. Our troops have begun to take action."

"I think it should be limited to Damansky Island, but we should give them a head-on attack to maximize the number of enemies occupying Damansky Island."

"There are about two battalions of troops."

On the other side of the phone, Grechko thought for a moment: "Do they have heavy weapons support?"

"At least not yet. All we found were some light artillery. There are no tanks yet. There are no airplanes either!”

“If necessary, we can consider using special airborne troops, because Comrade General Secretary has great hopes for the airborne troops.

The Kremlin, the Defense Ministry and the General Staff all want the force to perform. "

Admiral Losik hesitated for a moment, and finally expressed his opinion: "Because the enemy is far away in depth, about forty to fifty kilometers, so we don't want to use it yet. Airborne assault troops, the Army are enough. "

"Well, I can do it according to your opinion, but I have to tell you a piece of regrettable news. Not long ago, the General Staff Headquarters responded to the situation on Damansky Island. The whole army selected a group of officers and conducted a cold resistance test. It was found that a considerable number of officers could not endure the cold resistance training of spending a night in the snow. Many of them suffered from frostbite. You know, it’s only a dozen degrees below zero in Moscow. This cannot be tolerated! "

Marshal Lorechko was almost furious. He continued angrily: "Why did Napoleon retreat from Moscow? Why didn't Hitler capture Moscow? It's because they are afraid of the cold. Their soldiers are like a group of old women shivering in the snow in the face of the severe cold, while the Soviet Red Army can live in the snow for days and nights. But now that this advantage is gone, what else do we have? We have almost lost our ability to fight in the snow. This is sad! From now on, the troops of the Far East Military Region will conduct cold-resistant training immediately without delay for a minute. "

Brezhnev sat on the sofa chair behind his desk, closing his eyes and concentrating. He had just been on the phone for more than two hours and was indeed a little tired.

In his opinion, the headaches are a lot of domestic problems that are urgent to deal with, such as fiscal deficit, agricultural failure, etc. He can't promote corn cultivation everywhere like Khrushchev did.

< p> There was also Suslov and his group, who hindered him at every turn. At this time, another armed conflict broke out on the Soviet-Chinese border, and even he himself could not tell whether it was bad or good.

On the table was a telegram from the Far East Military Region forwarded by the General Staff. He opened the telegram book and read it.

The door was pushed open and Marshal Grechko walked in. Brezhnev pointed to the sofa next to him and motioned for him to sit down.

Without any pleasantries, he said straight to the point: "Comrade Grechko, regarding the armed conflict on the Soviet-Chinese border, What do you think?

"The Communist Party of China is about to hold its Ninth National Congress. I think there is no doubt that they will fix anti-Soviet as the general line of foreign policy."

"Then What is the purpose of resisting the Soviet Union?"

Grechko hesitated, he obviously had not thought of this, "Of course they have other purposes, such as territorial expansion ambitions."

p>

"No, no!" Brezhnev shook his head: "Damansky Island is very small, and its role is very limited for China and the Soviet Union, but it is a symbol and a Signal. This is an important step for them to destroy the socialist family and the world communist movement."

Brezhnev was a little excited and waved his hands vigorously in front of his chest. Then he patted the telegram manuscript on the table. "What we must insist on and what we must understand is who are the true Marxist-Leninists and who is the proletarian party created by Lenin? Is it the Communist Party of China? Or the Communist Party of the Soviet Union?"

< p> "I think history will prove that it is not difficult to figure out who is the real Marxist-Leninist."

"Here are the telegrams sent by communist party organizations around the world. You You can take a look." Brezhnev handed the telegram to Grechko.

Although Grechko was not interested in party affairs, this time he still took it seriously.

Many communist organizations in the world regard the Communist Party of the Soviet Union as the natural representative of the communist movement. On some major issues, they often do not ask questions, but the Soviet Union follows the lead. .

Grechko had a smile on his face.

In Beijing, Zhou Enlai finished correcting the last word of the manuscript and gently put down the red and blue pencil in his hand. He stood up from the table, gently hit his sore back with his right hand, and walked slowly to the window.

He is old and tired.

Only nine years have passed, and this "young man" who is highly respected by the world has grown old. His thick black hair has been replaced by sparse gray hair; it seems that all that remains of his handsome body is The thin frame made the previously fitted tunic suit look particularly fat.

His face also lost its radiant look. A few age spots appeared quietly, giving people a feeling of tearful regret; his bright and intelligent eyes were also filled with too much My anxiety and melancholy have become deeper and more solemn.

It was already midnight on March 4, 1969. Outside the window, large swaths of snow were stacking up quietly, as if they were all flying into his heart, making him breathe like this It's rough and slow, and the heartbeat is so heavy.

Tomorrow, the manuscript he just revised will be published in the newspaper.

"Down with the New Soviet Revisionist Tsar" is a title that shocked the world.

It usually appears on the front page of major newspapers in various countries and is spread in dozens of languages. There is no doubt that the world's political landscape will undergo major reorganization and differentiation, but no matter what, what worries us most is our own motherland and people.

From the 1950s to the 1960s, China had only one enemy, and that was US imperialism.

Under the high pressure of its military blockade, political isolation, and economic sanctions, the Chinese people managed to survive by relying on independence, self-reliance, and tenacious struggle. But now, another enemy has appeared behind China, and it is a huge giant.

China will face two huge devils at the same time.

"Imperialism and all reactionaries are paper tigers, and the revolutionary people are invincible." Although this is said, when a country and a nation are facing such a terrible existential crisis, as the Prime Minister of the country, both physically and mentally The weight carried is unimaginable and unbearable by ordinary people.

"Prime Minister, everyone here for the meeting is here." Secretary Du walked behind and reminded.

"Okay, I'll go right away. This manuscript will be published in the newspaper tomorrow. You ask them to proofread it and send it immediately."

In the conference room, people from the State Council and the General Office of the Central Committee More than 20 responsible comrades from the Foreign Affairs Office, the Public Security Bureau, and the Beijing Municipal Revolutionary Committee crowded this small reception room.

Because it was almost late at night, many people were whispering and guessing the content of this emergency meeting. When they saw Premier Zhou walking in, everyone stood up in unison and expressed their complicated feelings with warm applause. emotion.

Zhou Enlai waved for everyone to sit down, his voice a little hoarse.

"We are here today because there is an emergency situation that needs to be reported to you. On March 2, the Soviet revisionist traitor group brazenly attacked Zhenbao Island on our side of the Ussuri River in Heilongjiang Province. An armed provocation was launched. Our border defense forces responded vigorously. I don’t want to go into details. You can read tomorrow’s newspaper.”

For the participants, the vast majority of people did not understand the border. After hearing the news, they immediately started talking about the situation of the war.

"The Soviet revisionists are too crazy, we should teach them a lesson..."

"If they can fight over, we can fight over too! He has tanks and cannons, and we have "Spiritual atomic bomb."

After a pause, Zhou Enlai stopped the discussion and said with a serious expression: "I invite everyone to come here mainly to study this issue. The border struggle is a complex and sensitive issue, and Mao Zedong should follow the instructions of Mao Zedong. The Chairman's teachings are to carry out a reasonable, beneficial and measured struggle. I have left the issues there to comrades in the diplomatic and military departments. Tomorrow, our country's major newspapers and periodicals will publish protest articles from our government, and many factories and mines will do so. People in , enterprises, government agencies and units will spontaneously organize demonstrations. ”

“I believe that this kind of spontaneous demonstrations by the revolutionary masses is necessary. It reflects the determination that the dignity of the country is inviolable and expresses the determination. The people are not afraid of violence and uphold the good wishes of truth and peace. However, we must be particularly vigilant to prevent a small group of class enemies from taking advantage of troubled waters and taking advantage of the situation."

At this point, Zhou Enlai paused.

: "You go back and make arrangements for the work of the diplomatic department. Notify the embassies as soon as possible and explain the whole story so as not to panic."

Finally, he said to the comrades of the Beijing Municipal Revolutionary Committee: "The parade The number of people must be controlled, and they must not swarm in. We must ensure that we grasp the revolution and promote production, and the factories cannot stop working. The General Office of the Central Committee has drafted the propaganda slogans and will send them to you soon. The weather forecast will still snow tomorrow, so you must be well organized and pay attention. Safe. "

It was already past 1 o'clock in the morning when people from various ministries, commissions and offices were sent away. Zhou Enlai was the only one left in the empty conference room.

The secretary came closer with a glass of warm water and a few sleeping pills and said: "Prime Minister, take the medicine and go to bed early!"

At this moment, Zhou Enlai's thoughts were already flying to Northern frontier. The Soviet revisionists failed to succeed in their armed provocation this time, and they will definitely create trouble again in anger.

Once a war breaks out, who can lead the troops to defend against the enemy?

Yes, the Chairman should be advised to immediately set up a military group to study Soviet revisionism, and recruit all the veterans into it!

"Take medicine!" Zhou Enlai finally came to his senses, pushed the cup away, put on his coat, and said, "Come on, follow me to the chairman's place right away."

Outside the house, the wind and snow are coming. The flying snow flakes turned the whole world into chaos.

The towers, pavilions, pine and cypress flowers and trees in Zhongnanhai were completely covered by thick snow. In addition to the howling of the strong north wind, the sky and the earth seemed to be reflecting mysterious rays of light.

Zhou Enlai tightened his coat and walked out vigorously. On the road, two rows of deep footwells were left.