6. The impact of the Korean War

If the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea is regarded as a major test of national security affairs facing New China, then it can be said that this test was caught off guard -- New China was not prepared to fight such a war on the Korean Peninsula.

Regardless of the Americans' preparations or the various aspects, at that time, New China had just been established, and the focus was on restoring the national economy, and the Chinese troops entering the DPRK, including the main forces of the 38th Army and the 39th Army, were actually demobilizing a large number of troops, and many functions of the army were being transformed. Suddenly facing such a war is a severe test for China's national security.

It was a war that was not very well prepared - the troops were not very well prepared, the commanders were not very well prepared, the leadership was not very well prepared. In this case, this kind of examination is very severe for China, because we are facing the most powerful war machine in the world. What if it poses a threat to China's national security?

In that sense, in terms of China's response, we have delivered a very good answer that is not only qualified, but also quite excellent.

Of course, China also paid a huge price for this war, according to statistics, the number of Chinese volunteers participated in the war 2.9 million, and 183108 officers and soldiers have been confirmed to have sacrificed their lives for the country during the war, and 380,000 people have been injured.

Some scholars have questioned whether it is worth paying such a large price, and we have discussed this issue as well.

For example, some scholars say that this is not the case with European wars, Paris is never fortified, and if you come in, my city will not be defended, and it will be occupied. Belgium has always surrendered, and as soon as a strong enemy comes, I surrender, so everything in the country has been protected without major damage.

But this logic is very absurd when viewed from the East. For us, this kind of compromise, this kind of forbearance, has abounded since 1840, so what do we get? A large number of treaties that humiliated the country, ceded land, and paid indemnities caused the Chinese nation to fall into a low point of destiny.

The main reason why we have handed over a fairly good answer sheet to resist US aggression and aid Korea is that this battle has played out the international status of the Chinese nation, and even the "Cambridge History of China" does not deny this. After the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the whole world realized that New China, as a military power, stood on its own feet among the nations of the world.

Of course, this military power does not refer to how huge the investment in defense is and how well equipped it is. From these two aspects, our national defense investment and equipment are completely incomparable with those of the US military.

The War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea has created a completely new spiritual outlook for China. In the past, both the East and the West have seen through China's sick man's weakness in East Asia. As long as others star, their legs and stomachs tremble; As soon as someone swung his fist, his neck shrank back, and he quickly hid back. This is the traditional image of the Chinese, which is well known to the international community.

The Chinese tolerate it, the Chinese find it difficult to confront the powers, and on the issue of security and survival conflicts, the Chinese basically ensure their survival, and their consideration and security requirements for their own security are very low, which is the impression that old China gave to the world.

New China is completely different. When New China was founded, Comrade Mao Zedong said that China must be independent, China must be liberated, and China's affairs must be resolved by the Chinese people themselves, and no imperialist interference will be allowed in the slightest. This is easy as a political declaration, but for the realization of this declaration, we pay a huge price.

The cost of any success is inevitable. From such a weakened position, from such an image of the sick man of East Asia, from the fact that people hang a sign on your land that reads "Chinese and dogs are not allowed to enter", you still have no way to become a powerful nation that stands on its own among the nations of the world, it is not an overnight thing, it needs such a price.

The Chinese Communists and the Chinese People's Liberation Army have injected brand-new elements into the spiritual qualities of the Chinese nation, and their spiritual outlook has been completely new, so that the Chinese nation will henceforth be impressed in the world, regardless of the East or the West.

Chinese people are different from the past, and they are different from what they imagined in the past. The clear proof is that when the US military crossed the 38th parallel and advanced toward the Sino-DPRK border, we dared to send troops, and we dared to press the Americans from the north to the south. This is what Mao Zedong said with his actions - "China must be independent, China must be liberated, and China's affairs must be advocated and handled by the Chinese themselves."

It was at such a huge price and with such resolute action that we established our national status. From another point of view, this is a reinvention of our national spirit.

Therefore, former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew said: "The Chinese move towards national rejuvenation from the moment they cross the Yalu River, and daring to compete with the strongest country in the world and still be able to win the war is an extremely remarkable thing for New China and modern Chinese, and is an important psychological support point for the Chinese nation to move towards rejuvenation." ”

The War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea opened up our international status and broadened our international vision. When commemorating this war, many articles actually do not mention it.

What did the Americans pursue before entering the Korean War? You have to knock your opponent out completely. "World War I", which allowed Germany to surrender unconditionally; "World War II", which allowed Japan to surrender unconditionally. At the beginning of the Korean War, MacArthur pursued this goal, which was to defeat his opponents completely. But it is simply impossible for him to do this in the face of China.

Of course, there is also a shift for us.

When the United States proposed that the opponent surrender unconditionally, our People's Liberation Army also had a tradition of fighting, that is, to completely, thoroughly, cleanly, and completely destroy the enemy.

After a contest between China and the United States in Korea, a state of equal strength and a state of limited war emerged. I think this will be of great help to the leaders of New China in establishing this kind of international vision.

Judging from the Korean War, it has a very big revelation: in today's world, you overwhelm me, and I overwhelm you; You conquer me, I conquer you; You destroy me, I destroy you, it's practically impossible. How can we create a different social system, different ideologies, different values, and different worldviews of national interests, so that everyone can coexist, develop, and win each other?

So, the Korean War was the first time in the history of the United States that it came into contact with the concept of limited war, and it knew for the first time that military means were limited.

China has made great progress from the Korean War, which was a political battle that culminated in border negotiations in which the military ceasefire line for North Korea was determined and the interests of all parties were determined. I think it's also a shift from our old beliefs. Today, we have adopted this strategy of integrating into the world and joined the process of economic globalization, including reform and opening up, and we can see from this the change in vision and concept brought about by the Korean War.

Of course, the Korean War also gave us a great hint, that is, how to build a modern army and how to move from a revolutionary army of revolutionary war to a modern army of New China.

But we didn't just learn about military affairs, in fact, it also taught us a much bigger lesson: how to deal with major powers in an increasingly complex international environment.

From the Korean War, we learned for the first time the ability to fight in the contest between the major powers.