Old trick: PLA borrows leaf from 2,200 years old battle

Chinese troops play Punjabi songs on loudspeakers at the LAC

IT SEEMS foolish if PLA assumes that Punjabi songs played at the LAC will have the same impact on a professional and battle hardened Indian Army as what happened with Chu soldiers some thousands of years back.

While Indians are amused over Chinese troops playing Punjabi songs on loudspeakers at Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Eastern Ladakh where for the first time in 45 years shots have been fired, its seems PLA is using the tactics employed by Chinese Han generals some 2,200 years ago during so called “Battle of Gaixia”.

In this battle, Han King Liu Bang beat his Chu rival Xiang Yu and established the Han Dynasty in China.

Chinese state run Global Times on Thursday talking about Chinese army playing Punjabi songs at LAC said that the Indian army is in a situation of “hearing the Chu songs on four sides.”

The Global Times said that the move of playing Punjabi songs sends a message to India that the Indian army is isolated and besieged on all sides.

“Hearing the Chu songs on four sides” is a Chinese idiom, which is said to have originated from the supposed “Battle of Gaixia”.

After the fall of the Qin Dynasty, the state of Chu and the State of Han fought for control of China around 206 BC to 202 BC.

As per the legends around 202 BC, Chu king Xiang Yu was trapped and surrounded by the rival Han forces in hills at Gai Xia. The legends say to weaken the morale of the Chu forces and King Xiang who was a ferocious fighter, Han soldiers started singing Chu songs from all sides.

After listening to these songs, Chu soldiers thought that Han people had captured their homeland and brought Chu people to the battlefield.

As per these stories, Chu soldiers became worried about their family members, homesick and lost the will to fight.

Many Chu soldiers deserted. Even Chu King is said to have become desperate after listening to the Chu songs and is said to have cried. Xiang Yu committed suicide after his forces tried to break the trap.

However, it seems foolish if the PLA assumes that Punjabi songs played at the LAC will have the same impact on a professional and battle hardened Indian Army as what happened with Chu soldiers some thousands of years back.

Only last week Indian army’s Sikh Regiment observed the 123rd Saragarhi Day where 22 soldiers of 4 Sikh in a famous ‘last-stand’ fought thousands of Pathans in North West Frontier Province on September 12, 1897.