When reviewing the ins and outs
of the north China great exercise, General Zhou Yibing, commander of the
north China great exercise said: "In early 1981, the general
headquarters/departments of the PLA issued an order to the Beijing
Military Area Command, in line with the directive of Comrade Deng
Xiaoping, to hold a large-scale military exercise in a certain place of
north China. On Feb. 25, 1981, we submitted to the leaders of the Central
Military Commission and the general headquarters/departments three
scenarios we had worked out for the great exercise---to wit, a front army
scale exercise, a group army scale one, or a division scale option. All
three options were sent to Deng Xiaoping, the then chairman of the Central
Military Commission, for final decision."
After listening
to the briefing quietly and with all attention, Comrade Deng Xiaoping
offered his own views: "We have not been holding large scale exercise for
a long time. Military exercise can help bolster up the morale of the
troops." Raising his hand in the air, he continued: "Let's go for the
first scenario. But do it in the economic way. It's worthwhile to spend
the money this way and try to make it more successful. The morale of the
troops should be bolstered up and the armed forces should be trained into
a competent one."
The exercise was kicked off on Sept.
14 and wound up on Sept. 18, which was the largest ever in the history of
our armed forces in terms of the number of troops involved and weapons
fielded. To wit: A total of 114,000 men, including supporting forces, as
well as 1,327 tanks and armored vehicles, 1,541 pieces of various
artilleries and 475 various warplanes took part in the exercise.
Deng Xiaoping, who was 77 years old
at that time, watched the three-hour-long exercise every day and never
missed one. He seldom said anything. But when the exercise came to the
climax, he applauded from time to time.
The exercise is of great
significance. It was when Comrade Deng Xiaoping addressed the troops after
reviewing them that he clearly put forward the general objective for the
army building in the new era for the first time: "We should build our
armed forces into a powerful, modern and regularized revolutionary
army."
(August 23, PLA Daily)
