The artillery company commander missed the birth of his daughter: the time difference was 1 hour, and the distance was a lifetime

Note: This article is part 5 of the Heroes of Malipo Martyrs Cemetery. Malipo Martyrs Cemetery is a famous sacred place for heroes, but for many people, it may be just an abstract symbol. Even if they walk by, bow down, and shed tears, they still know very little about the heroes who are buried here. In fact, the life and death of every hero is a heroic book and a youth song, which is far more than what can be summarized in just a few dozen words on the tombstone. They came, they laughed, they fought, they dreamed. They turned into mountains and still guard the southern border of the motherland and stand tall in our hearts. (The Lone Knight)

The Dongshan Mountain of Bali River where Song Qiang died looks like a soldier wearing a helmet lying on his back in the southern border of the motherland. His head, face, neck and chest are clearly defined. Song Qiang's daughter Song Sikun, who has never met him, must understand when she grows up that her father never left, but turned into a mountain to protect her growth and protect her, your and my home

Among the martyrs buried in the Malipo Martyrs Cemetery, most are infantry, and few are artillery. The reason is that artillery, as a long-range fire support arm, usually does not have to face enemy fire directly and has relatively few casualties.

But this does not mean that artillery is a comfortable branch. They endure high-intensity artillery battles and harsh and harsh position life on the battlefield, no less than infantry. In particular, the artillery front view and artillery positions are not only key targets for the Vietnamese artillery, but also important targets for harassment by agents, and they may face sacrifice at any time.

Song Qiang, commander of the 3rd Company of the 5th Artillery Regiment of the 4th Artillery Division of the Kunming Military Region, was an artillery officer who died heroically in the Laoshan Artillery Battle. In the Malipo Martyrs Cemetery, there are not many artillery soldiers buried in the first place, and there are even fewer artillery officers above the rank of company. How did the artillery company commander die?

Soldier Song Liang’s tombstone briefly describes his life: Born in Changshun County, Guizhou Province, in July 1954, he joined the army in January 1974, and acted in self-defense against Vietnam in the Laoshan area on June 13, 1984. Heroic sacrifice in the counterattack, second-class merit posthumously (photographed in May 2019) (1) A man’s biggest regret

Compared with many comrades who joined the army at the age of 18, Song who joined the army at the age of 20 Qiang is obviously older. In 1974, 20-year-old Song Qiang joined the army and came to the Second Battalion of the Artillery Regiment of the 32nd Division of the 11th Army. After working as an artilleryman here for 6 years, he entered the Artillery Academy in 1980 and graduated in 1982.

He was not assigned back to the old army, but served as the command platoon leader of the seventh company of the third battalion of the 5th artillery regiment of the 4th artillery division. In March 1983, this outstanding artillery backbone who grew up as a soldier was promoted to company commander of the third company of the first battalion at the age of 29 before serving as platoon leader for one year.

Song Qiang was older when he became a soldier, so it is not surprising that he became an older unmarried young man. After being introduced, Song Qiang met Liu Lifen, an employee of Guiyang Kaifu Candy Factory. Like many soldiers of that era, Song Qiang did not go through a long relationship. He had a flash marriage with Liu Fen in June 1983 and began a life like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.

In the second half of 1983, the situation in southern Xinjiang was tense. As the leader of a company, Song Qiang’s work intensity in combat readiness training can be well described by the army’s old saying: “When you open your eyes, you will be so busy that the lights are turned off”. At 9 o'clock in the evening on January 21, 1984, the regiment political commissar Chen Zhigui went to the first battalion to convey the advance order from his superiors, and the troops entered combat readiness.

The 1st Battalion of the 5th Artillery Regiment of the 4th Artillery Division organized combat training at the Moshan Camp of the 15th Border Defense Regiment

As preparations for war became increasingly tense, Song Qiang received good news: his wife is fast gave birth. Although the troops have entered combat readiness, the war has not yet started. After all, a man has to go back for such a big event as his wife giving birth. Song Qiang took leave to visit his family and left a message when he left: The army is in action, please call as soon as possible.

On February 26, 1984, Song Qiang was accompanying his wife in the hospital as she awaited delivery. The baby had already moved, but an urgent telegram came: Come home soon.

As soon as he saw these two words, Song Qiang understood that the troops were about to go to the front line.

He looked at his watch and saw that the time was 4:25 pm. He could still catch the 5 o'clock train from Guiyang to Kunming.

He found the doctor: "Can my lover be born now?"

The doctor wanted to laugh, but seeing Song Qiang's serious look, he couldn't laugh: "We can't wait any longer. Wait?"

Song Qiang made up his mind, but did not have the courage to say goodbye to his wife. After wandering in the corridor, he wrote a note, put it in an envelope together with the telegram, and gave it to his mother, who was in her 60s. The mother cried, Song Qiang wiped away her tears and went straight to the station.

At 5:00 on February 26, 1984, the train Song Qiang took left Guiyang.

At 6:20 on February 26, 1984, Song Qiang’s daughter came to the world.

The daughter and her father passed each other. The time difference was 1 hour and 20 minutes, and the distance was a lifetime.

The 1st Battalion of the 5th Regiment of the 4th Artillery Division maneuvered into Malipo (2) The biggest responsibility of soldiers

Song Qiang did not guess wrong. The troops had rushed to Malipo. He hurried Hurry slowly and return to the company.

According to the Kunming Military Region's operational plan, the "Two Mountains" operation is divided into two stages: the artillery operation "14th Project" and the point-drawing operation "17th Project". The artillery operation "Project 1-4" started on April 2, 1984 and lasted until April 27. Our army's artillery troops carried out long-term attacks on the Vietnamese army strongholds in Laoshan and Zheyin Mountains. On the one hand, they destroyed the Vietnamese army's defense system. On the other hand, they concealed our main offensive intentions and paralyzed the fighting spirit of the Vietnamese army.

Song Qiang (right) and deputy company commander Chen Xiantang observed the Vietnamese army’s targets during the "14th Project"

The third company led by Song Qiang was the "first" to recapture Laoshan "Artillery" company. On March 21, the Third Company was ordered to construct four artillery bunkers in Jiaozhi City, Malipo. One gun entered the firing position, and explosives were installed in the remaining three gun positions. Under the direct command of the artillery commander of the 14th Army, the 1st artillery squad fired the first artillery shell to recapture Laoshan. The other three artillery positions detonated explosives in sequence, both real and fake to lure the enemy. This confusing shooting method lasted for 13 days. The position commander was Chen Xiantang, deputy commander of the third company.

Anyone who is familiar with artillery knows that during artillery operations, the artillery position is commanded by the deputy company commander. The company commander leads the observation post in front to observe and determine the target. The shooting elements are assigned to the deputy company commander, who then The commander directed the artillery fire. In layman's terms, the forward view led by the company commander is the command center of the artillery company and the "eyes" of the artillery.

The 1st Battalion of the 5th Regiment of the 4th Artillery Division opened 10 observation posts on the main peak of Balihe East Mountain

The No. 1 and 2 observation posts of the Third Company led by Song Qiang are located on the main peak of Balihe East Mountain. 1175.4 Highland, among which observation post No. 1 is located on the top of a bunker on the main peak, with an area only as large as an Eight Immortals table. Song Qiang built a "bird's nest" with sandbags and branches for concealment. When the weather is good, he can have a panoramic view of more than 10 kilometers of Vietnam.

The observation post led by Song Qiang is located in the 1175.4 Highlands of the East Mountain of Balihe River. Due to the harsh conditions and fierce competition between the enemy and ourselves, it was called the "Shangganling in the 1980s"

April 1984 At 5:58 a.m. on March 28, the "17th Project", the battle to regain Laoshan, began. Our army covered the Vietnamese army's fortifications with fierce artillery fire, clearing obstacles for the infantry to attack. Song Qiang kept firing at Zhu Yuan, and the shells roared away.

The artillery position of the 1st Battalion, 5th Regiment, 4th Artillery Division, located in Jiaozhi City, Malipo

How intense was this artillery battle? Veterans recalled that because too many shells were fired, the barrel of the gun was red; many soldiers' cheeks and arms were burned, and the smoke made them unable to open their eyes; the shells were consumed too quickly, and there were three to four hundred cartridges piled behind the cannon; The warehouse ran out of shell boxes, so they had to fix the projectiles on angle steel frames. The carriages were all filled with shiny new "naked shells."

In this battle, our army's artillery was powerful and accurate, making a major contribution to the recovery of Laoshan. After surveying the 1175.4 Highlands, the frontline headquarters said: "The mountaintop as big as a table played a huge role!"

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"Shangganling in the 1980s", the rotation training troops later erected a monument here

After our army regained Laoshan, it turned to defense, and the task of the artillery did not lighten. Song Qiang led two observation posts to hold on to the high ground and endured hardships unimaginable by ordinary people: sleeping on cold rocks at night, the mattress was soaked overnight; mosquitoes were raging, leaving everyone's skin scratched, with itchy bumps; shelling was at any time, and hot meals were not delivered. He could only eat dry food and drink cold water.

On June 11, the Vietnamese army organized a major counterattack. Song Qiang led his correspondent Li Xinglun and scout Li Tian to capture more than 10 targets in a row. He passed the shots to the artillery position and accurately hit the Vietnamese ammunition station, causing a sea of ​​​​fire.

The Vietnamese army hated our artillery and tried every possible means to remove the artillery observation post on the 1175.4 Highland. However, the "Bird's Nest" built by Song Qiang was on the ridge of the main peak. The Vietnamese army repeatedly fired cannons and howitzers. Hard to hit. On June 13, the Vietnamese army secretly sent a 160 mortar unit to sneak into the area five or six kilometers away from the 1175.4 highland. At about 5:30 in the afternoon, they suddenly shelled the highland.

Song Qiang discovered the smoke from the shelling in the mountain col opposite and quickly calculated the various elements. As soon as he sent Zhu Yuan to the artillery position, there was a loud noise and an artillery shell landed on the cliff only 6 meters away from Song Qiang. The shrapnel hit Song Qiang's head.

Chen Wanlei, the command platoon leader of the third company of the No. 2 Observation Post, heard an explosion from the company commander's position, and then heard the clear "one long, three short" gunshot code in advance. He knew something was wrong. , immediately led soldiers Li Futang, Yang Wenzhou, and Luo Yuming to rush over. At the blown-up Bird's Nest Observation Post, Chen Wanlei saw that the company commander's brain was overflowing. Communications officer Li Xinglun and scout Li Tian were also seriously injured. Two soldiers from the 15th Border Defense Regiment died on the spot.

The road leading to the "Main Peak of Shangganling" is very difficult and dangerous, and strictly speaking it cannot be called a road

Chen Wanlei and his comrades immediately bandaged Song Qiang urgently and carried him down the mountain on a simple stretcher. . The mountain is high and the slope is steep. There is no feasible way, so we can only slide down step by step. More than an hour later, they met the rescue team sent by battalion commander Chen Lin. Wang Guihui, a military doctor from the division hospital, saw that Song Qiang was injured in the head and knew that there was nothing he could do to save him. Seeing that Song Qiang seemed to want to speak, Doctor Wang asked everyone to be quiet. The following are Song Qiang's last words in the memory of his comrades -

"I promised my wife to name the child. No matter whether it is a boy or a girl, let's call him Song Sikun!" (3) The son's biggest guilt

Some war veterans said that one of the most difficult tasks during a war is to deal with the aftermath of the martyrs.

Half a year after Song Qiang's death, the Laoshan battle was basically over. Li Jianguo, deputy commander of the 1st Battalion of the 5th Artillery Regiment, was ordered to take charge of the aftermath of the martyrs. Song Qiang's relics mainly include three items: a military uniform, a military coat, and a watch. He took the relics and found Song Qiang's wife Liu Lifen in Guiyang. Liu Lifen saw what Deputy Battalion Commander Li was bringing, confirmed the bad news, and burst into tears. Deputy Battalion Commander Li comforted: "Song Qiang sacrificed his life for the country. He is a hero and an example for us all to learn from!"

At this time, Liu Lifen made an unexpected move. This move may be difficult for people today to understand, but if you put yourself in the shoes of a young wife who just gave birth to a child and suddenly lost her husband, this behavior is so normal——

Liu Lifen hugged her from the bed He picked up his 6-month-old daughter and handed it to Deputy Battalion Commander Li in tears: "Since Song Qiang is a hero and a martyr, take the child away. I can't raise it!"

Li Jianguo's The first reaction is to take responsibility. He took the infant child without hesitation: "Okay! I took her back to the army. When she grew up, we told her that her father was a hero who sacrificed his life for the country.

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Liu Lifen, who had lost consciousness due to grief, reacted at this time, took her daughter back into her arms, and cried: "Dad didn't even look at you, and he didn't give you a name! "

With tears in his eyes, Deputy Battalion Commander Li explained in detail the process of Song Qiang's sacrifice and his last words. After hearing this, Liu Lifen said to herself: "Baby, your dad has given you a name, and I will call you from now on. Song Sikun. ”

Song Qiang’s hometown, Guangshun Town, Changshun County, Guizhou Province, has now developed into a characteristic town in southern Guizhou

The next day, Deputy Battalion Commander Li came to Song Qiang’s In his hometown, Guangshun Town, Changshun County, Guizhou Province, Song Qiang's father is deceased, and his mother has white hair. Deputy Battalion Commander Li calls him "Mom" and said, "Song Qiang died gloriously in defense of the country." p> The old man said: "You are here, but he is not, I know. "

He asked again: "My son is a hero, right? "

After receiving a positive answer, Song's mother asked again: "Can you bring back a piece of my son's bones? I want to bury him next to me. "

After saying this, Song's mother was speechless and without tears. She took Song Qiang's military uniform and put it on her chest, patting him gently like she had held Song Qiang when she was a child.

Deputy Li The battalion commander could not answer Song's mother's words, and tears flowed out of the Song family. Seeing the villagers gathered at the door, the village chief poured a bowl of rice wine and held it up.

Deputy battalion commander Li saluted, bowed, and raised the big bowl. , finished it in one gulp.

The year after Song Qiang’s death, Song’s mother passed away.

Someone once met Song Qiang’s mother-in-law, wife and young children at the Malipo Martyrs Cemetery. His daughter Song Sikun came to visit the tomb. Song Sikun watched her grandmother burning paper in front of the tomb and cried. She listened to her mother and kowtowed in front of her father's tomb. Her mother told her that she was surprised that her father had turned into this stone monument. There are stone tablets everywhere, why is it that the one I kowtow to is my father (file photo)