A scene from COMRADES OF THE CUT SLEEVE by Veronique Renard
TANKMAN
On the morning of Monday the 5th of June, I had a short briefing with my superior; the Tank Battalion Commander and his superior, the Tank Regiment Officer. My superiors’ plan was to have three battalions of 30 tanks each advance across Chang An Avenue towards Jianguomen Intersection, east of Tiananmen Square, in order to intimidate and diffuse demonstrators who were still hanging around in the area. In sharp contrast to what I experienced a day earlier, Tiananmen Square only had small pockets of demonstrators, but the square was under full control of the army.
There were several armoured personal carriers and tanks placed at strategic locations on the square itself and, after the previous nights’ bloodshed, the demonstrators kept a quiet demeanor while the authorities were ordered not to engage with civilians in a provocative manner. Deng Xiaoping and General Li Peng wanted the city and the country at large to calm down and return to normal as quickly as possible.
As the Tank Company Commander, I had the responsibility of commanding my own specially modified Type-59 variant commander tank, as well as nine other tanks in my unit that would follow me in my wake. My unit was part of a 30-tank battalion. I was ordered to spearhead the entire column of 90 tanks from our location at the intersection between the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square to Jianguomen Intersection as swiftly as possible.
Chang An Avenue, the Avenue of Eternal Peace, cuts right through Beijing from west to east. Today it was free from civilian traffic, as police had closed off all major intersections. We were ordered to be cautious and alert during our mission, as there were still demonstrators and protest leaders hanging out on the sidewalks of Chang An Avenue. Out of precaution, we were ordered to sit inside the tank with the hatches closed. My superiors didn’t want to take any chances and avoid any causality in the regiment in case we were being attacked by Molotov cocktails. As the mission was executed during daytime, we didn’t have the advantage of moving under cover of darkness, however, the commanding presence of our tank column would hopefully scare the demonstrators away and make them go home. We were expected to reach our destination shortly past noon.
I was standing with my crew next to our tank. The machine gun near the hatch of the gun loader was covered by canvas. Sitting inside the tank with the hatches closed we wouldn’t be able to use it anyway. Hu and Bing, my driver and gunner, looked very tense while they smoked their cigarettes with trembling hands. Zunxin, my gun loader was only a young lad, barely 20 years old. The handsome boy looked scared. This didn’t surprise me. The previous day we had been attacked by demonstrators and one soldier of the crew of an armoured personnel carrier close to us had been beaten and killed whilst others were seriously wounded right in front of our eyes. The vehicle was set on fire. The rest of the crew was just able to save their own lives by abandoning the vehicle and run inside the Great Hall of the People, shooting in the air with hand weapons to clear their path to safety of insurgents. The demonstrators who attacked the armoured vehicle were shot by nearby troops. We fled the scene by driving over a barricade and a number of bodies, our vehicle engulfed in a blaze of fire.
I reassured my crew that everything would be alright today. I looked at my gun loader. “Don’t worry, Zunxin. You’ll be safe inside our tank. Nobody’s going to harm you, little brother.”
“I hope so, Comrade Chen.”
I smiled at him and gave a little peck on his cheek. “Soon we’ll be able to have a good hot shower and a nice bowl of chicken chowmein together.”
I glanced at the Battalion Commander who nodded at me before he separated from the Regiment Officer. My superior got into his own tank while the Regiment Officer got inside his commander vehicle. I ordered my driver, the gunner and gun loader to take their positions inside our tank that was numbered 102. I was the last one to get inside through the hatch at the rear end of the tank’s turret.
I checked our inner phone system that was connected to our earpieces and microphones on our protective helmets. Being the Company Commander, I was also linked to the radio, enabling me to communicate with the other nine tank commanders in my unit as well as my superior, the Tank Battalion Commander, who would follow us in tank 001 in the middle of the tank battalion. I checked my radio contact with him.
“Zero Zero One, do you read me?”
“One Zero Two, I read you loud and clearly,” was the response from the Battalion Commander.
“Zero Zero One, we’re okay to go,” I said.
“One Zero Two, copy that.”
“Driver, start the engine and get in position,” I ordered.
The driver started the engine and moved ahead of the battalion. I checked my view through my two long-distance periscopes. However, sitting inside the tank with the hatch closed, I only had very limited vision on the outside world. I couldn’t avoid feeling slightly closed in my confined space in the back of the tank. I found the miasma of closed air distasteful.
The driver swiftly rolled our tank down Chang An Avenue in the direction of Jianguomen Intersection. As expected, the entire regiment moved rapidly as we encountered no obstructions. I started to feel more relaxed. This would be an easy mission. Little did I know that within a few minutes my life would change forever.
Suddenly the driver stopped our tank.
“Driver, why has the tank stopped?” I asked.
“There is a man blocking our way.”
“What man? Is he armed?”
“He looks like a civilian holding something in each hand. Looks like a plastic shopping bag and his jacket. He’s gesturing something. It appears that he wants us to move away.”
I was shocked by what my driver related to me and baffled by the man’s audacity.
“Driver, steer pass the man,” I ordered.
I felt the tank swerve to the right, then to the left, back to the right and back again. It felt as if we were dancing. The driver stopped once again.
By now, I expected all the tanks in my company as well as the entire regiment of 90 tanks to have stopped behind me. The voice of my superior commander, who was sitting in a tank in the middle of the battalion, came on the radio.
“One Zero Two, why have you stopped?”
“Zero Zero One, civilian blocks my way,” I responded.
“One Zero Two, steer pass him.”
“Zero Zero One, copy. Driver, try again to steer pass the man,” I ordered.
“Commander, there is no way to get around him. He is standing right in front of our tank. There is no space for me to manoeuvre unless I back up. What should I do?”
I contemplated. One man with a plastic shopping bag stopping an entire tank regiment? I couldn’t help but feel some admiration for this brave fool.
“Driver, hold on for a moment,” I said. “Zero Zero One, the man keeps blocking my way.”
“One Zero Two, nobody is allowed to stop our advance.”
I thought for a moment and swallowed. I cleared my throat. “Zero Zero One, the man is standing right in front of our tank. Are you asking me to crush him?”
“One Zero Two, I repeat, nobody is allowed to stop our advance. Use any means necessary.”
Any means? I was shocked to receive the order to crush the man with our tank. Hadn’t we killed enough innocent people already? I contemplated for a few moments. Any means to advance…peacefully? Without killing one of our brothers and sisters for a change?
“All unit drivers; shut down your engines,” I ordered calmly. A few seconds later, everything around me turned eerily silent.
“Driver, what can you see?”
“The man is approaching. He’s only a few metres away from us. He’s coming closer. Now I can’t see him anymore. He’s out of my sight.”
“You can’t see him anymore?”
“He’s gone.”
I was puzzled.
The gunner looked through his window. “Commander, it appears that the man is climbing onto our tank right now. I can see one of his legs right in front of my window.”
I was shocked. “Crew, check your periscopes and windows to see what’s going on.”
“Commander, the man is right above me,” the gun loader said. “It looks as if he’s shouting at me and he’s banging on the turret. He’s looking at me through my hatch window.”
“Gun loader, is he armed?”
“Difficult to tell. I think he’s just an emotional Pekinese fool who’s fed up with us.”
I contemplated and took a deep breath. “Gun loader; thank you for your psychological analysis. If you’re such a great shrink, then open your hatch and talk to that joker. Tell him to get off my tank.”
“Commander, I should open my hatch and talk to him? Is that what you just said?”
“Gun loader, I repeat, open your hatch and tell him to get off my tank!”
The gun loader opened his hatch and stuck his head out. I could hear the man shouting. “Get out of my city!”
“Please, get off our tank,” the gun loader pleaded, but the man refused to do so.
“Gun loader, get back inside and close your hatch,” I ordered. I suddenly realised I had made a mistake. I shouldn’t have put one of my crew into any danger. How could I have ordered Zunxin to put his life in danger once again? Zunxin was his mother’s only child. The boy’s father had died when he was only a schoolboy. I liked Zunxin better than I liked myself.
I opened my hatch and stood up. I looked over the hatch and saw the man getting off the turret and jumping off the tank. I sighed with relief and closed my hatch again. I suddenly realised I just made another mistake. I shouldn’t have put myself into any danger. Better one dead gun loader than a dead Tank Company Commander who has the responsibility of spearheading an entire regiment.
“Okay, he’s off. Driver, start the engine and advance. All unit drivers, start your engines, we’re ready to advance.”
I barely noticed that I was sweating like a pig. The driver started the engine. He tried to move as quickly as possible, but suddenly the driver stopped the tank again. I was jolted forward.
“Commander, he’s in front of the tank again.”
I was baffled and felt frustrated. It was obvious that guy was determined to stick to his plan. There was no other option but to disable him. I bit my lip.
“Driver, shut down the engine. Unit drivers, shut down your engines.”
I looked at Zunxin and Bing. Should I ask one of them to take a hand weapon and shoot the man?
“Gun loader, get me a hand weapon.”
I opened my hatch and stuck my head out. I saw the man standing a few metres in front of our tank.
“Hey, brother!” I shouted. “What are you doing? Do you want to get killed? Get out of here!”
“One Zero Two, why aren’t you moving?” my superior asked.
“Zero Zero One, I…one moment. We’ll be on our way in a moment.”
“One Zero Two, don’t tell me that one guy is going to hold up our entire regiment. I order you to advance. Now!”
“Zero Zero One, copy.”
I looked at the man. “Go away! Please! Please, go away, brother! I don’t want to kill you! Go away!” I shouted.
“Get out of my city, you’re not wanted here!” the brave man shouted back at me. My gut instinct told me that he was just a frustrated student and that there were no weapons in his plastic bag. Nevertheless, I made sure that my torso was protected by the hatch. With my eyes just peering over the hatch, I stared at this lone student who was holding on to his plastic shopping bag and jacket and ordering us to leave his city. I heard a roar of excited voices and applause coming from hundreds of onlookers that were standing on the sidewalks. I feared being attacked by Molotov cocktails. The onlookers cheered and clapped and were obviously impressed by this student’s bravery.
The young man refused to give in to my pleading. I begged him to get out of my way but to no avail. I looked at a few bystanders who had their eyes directed at me. They started applauding me. I guess they did so for my decision not to kill one of their fellow demonstrators.
“One Zero Two, why aren’t you moving? I order you to advance!” sounded the commanding voice of my superior through the radio, this time even more forceful. I didn’t respond.
“One Zero Two, why aren’t you responding? Let me tell you that the Regiment Officer and I are getting very frustrated with you. I order you to advance! Now!”
I took a deep breath and finally said, “Zero Zero One, copy that.”
Suddenly, a man on a bicycle approached the student. “Hey, don’t be a fool, get out of here. What are you doing, you stupid man! Do you want to get killed?”
At this moment, it appeared to me that the man relented. Three more men appeared from the left, one holding both his hands above his head to show me that he was unarmed. They all appeared to me to be ordinary but concerned bystanders. One of the men had taken off his white shirt and waved it at me. The men grabbed hold of the student and quickly hustled him away from the tank.
At the same time, another man appeared, waving at the student and yelling; “Go away! What are you doing? Do you want to die?” The man on the bicycle raised his arm and waved at me, gesturing that everything was okay now. Perhaps he thanked me for being patient. They all disappeared into the crowd on the sidewalk. Hundreds of bystanders applauded. I wasn’t sure whether they were applauding the student or me, or both. I went back inside the tank and closed the hatch.
“To all drivers, start your engines and advance,” I ordered while my voice broke.
I felt a shiver run down my spine followed by a sensation of great relief. I slowly inhaled deeply and exhaled equally slowly. The tank started moving. Thinking about our upcoming debriefing I would explain my motivation not to crush the man and I would certainly be appreciated by my superiors for my smart strategy.
“One Zero Two, what takes you so long to advance! Why are you ignoring my orders!”
“Zero Zero One, I am following your orders. Everything is okay. The man is gone. We’re moving.”
“One Zero Two. Commander, you are in big trouble, Chen Ming. Again! This is going to have serious, I repeat, serious consequences for you! Over.”
That moment I realised that I had made a huge mistake. My body started trembling uncontrollably. Today I saved a brave man’s life but I myself might be executed tomorrow. I cleared my throat and swallowed. “Zero Zero One, copy that.”
I gazed into nothingness while the column advanced to our destination.
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