Meng Yan's Transformation

Summer vacation is here, Zhan Yu is going to visit Zhan Zifeng in the army, and the children at home are eager for their father to take them with him. Xiao Mengyan begs Yunqing to ask Zhan Yu to take her with her, because she misses her third brother Zhan Zifeng so much!

Finally, after drawing lots, Zhan Yu took Zhan Zixun to visit his relatives in the border defense force. (There was some cheating in the drawing lots, because Zhan Yu tended to favor boys over girls, and he believed that only boys were worthy of joining the army.)

Zhan Yu and little Zhan Zixun were warmly received by the army leaders.

The army leaders specially approved a three-day holiday for Zhan Zifeng, and Zhan Zifeng led Zhan Yu and Zhan Zixun to visit the camp and the large artillery.

Zhan Zifeng borrowed a camera from the battalion commander and took a photo of Zhan Yu and Zhan Zixun in front of the cannon. Zhan Zixun also put on his brother Zhan Zifeng's military cap, looking heroic and proud, as if he was also a PLA soldier, very proud. The background of the cannon was full of blooming poppies and gesang flowers, colorful... (It's just that the photo was taken in black and white, not the fiery colors.)

Zhan Zifeng introduced the cannon to Zhan Yu and little Zhan Zixun:

The Type 56 85mm cannon, its prototype is the Soviet D_44 cannon (before it, there was a Type 54 75mm cannon imitating the Soviet ZIS type, but it was retired not long after being equipped). This is one of the old cannons in service. Its biggest advantage is that it can shoot accurately and has a high rate of fire, which is most suitable for attacking fortifications or tanks! The shelling of Kinmen in 1958 was its first participation in the war. Its range was close to 16 kilometers, and there was no problem in attacking Kinmen---but it mainly aimed at the enemy directly, and needed to be deployed first, so in the fierce artillery battle with the Kuomintang artillery, it paid a lot of price and suffered certain losses. In the battle of Zhenbao Island in 1969, the 85 cannon approached and fired at Soviet tanks and armored vehicles, which supported the infantry battle on the island. Its rate of fire can reach 60 rounds per minute in a short period of time, and the barrel is so hot that it can light a cigarette. The shells used in the most tense battles were new ones that had just left the factory... It was not done according to the tradition of firing old and keeping new. The Type 122 74mm cannon is a copy of the Soviet D-24 cannon. It has a range of up to 8 kilometers and a rate of fire of 10 to 130 rounds per minute, which is not too bad. It has also been introduced in "Weapon Knowledge". But its production is not too large, and its service time is not too long, which is a pity! Its caliber and power are too close to the 59mm cannon, and its performance overlaps a lot... But its gun mount was later grafted onto the Type 130 59 cannon to create the improved Type 1-59, which can be regarded as its special contribution. The Type 59 and Type 1-130 46mm cannons are based on the Soviet M30 cannon, which can be regarded as a classic cannon of the generation. Its advantage is that it has a long range of nearly 45 kilometers. At that time, the 52-caliber and 130-caliber revolutions had not yet emerged in artillery, and this range was quite impressive. The second is the fast rate of fire, which is considered good among large-caliber cannons at seven or eight rounds per minute. In the battle to bombard Kinmen, our army's 46mm cannon was used for the first time (it was still the prototype of M55 at that time), and it effectively suppressed all kinds of artillery of the Kuomintang artillery, including the eight-inch artillery they urgently requested from the United States (that is, the M203 20mm howitzer, which has a large caliber but a range of only about 130 kilometers, which is far behind the cannon.)

Zhan Zifeng also briefly introduced howitzers, rocket launchers, mortars, anti-tank missiles, etc.

Zhan Yu listened to his son's introduction and nodded approvingly, feeling proud of the country's military development!

Zhan Yu wishes he could be young again and join the army to serve his country. He misses his military life and his comrades-in-arms who had shared life and death with him!

"If we had a few more cannons like this on the battlefield, how many fewer comrades would have died!" Zhan Yu said with emotion.

One after another, the fallen comrades came towards Zhan Yu from the smoke with a smile: "Congratulations, old comrade! You have such an outstanding son!" As they talked and laughed, they gradually became blurred and disappeared...

Zhan Yu desperately tried to grab his comrades and tell them about his thoughts and distress... But his comrades slipped through his hands like quicksand... and dissipated like smoke...

Although little Zhan Zixun didn't understand what he heard, he was also excited. Especially when he heard Zhan Zifeng talk about firing at Kinmen, he felt a sense of reverence. He walked to the cannon, raised his head, and gently stroked the cannon with his hand: "Cannon, you are so mighty and majestic!" Zhan Zixun said admiringly.