In 1985, founding Lieutenant General Liang Xingchu officially retired, and had time to fulfill his three wishes: to move to a new home, to Tibet, and finally to write a biography of himself. By September of that year, the new home was completed, and Liang Xingchu could finally realize his first wish. However, at this moment, Liang Xingchu suddenly suffered from a cold, and when he went to the hospital for treatment, he suddenly died of a heart attack, and a generation of famous generals fell.
Liang Xingchu
All this came so suddenly that Liang Xingchu did not even leave his last words, let alone say goodbye to a group of old comrades-in-arms. When the bad news came, his comrades-in-arms came to Beijing one after another to pay tribute to their old comrades-in-arms.
Liang Xingchu and his wife Ren Guilan, who have been together for more than thirty years, his sudden death has caused a huge blow to Ren Guilan, washing his face with tears every day, and he does not want to die. She recalled the bits and pieces between the two and decided to fulfill her last wish for her deceased husband in her lifetime. But she couldn't do all that, so she plucked up the courage to make her only request to the organization. When the Central Committee received this request, it immediately issued a directive: Yes! Ren Guilan held this letter of instruction and shed tears of excitement.
So, why is Ren Guilan so affectionate to her deceased husband? What happened between them? What more request did she make to the organization? How will the deceased husband's wish be fulfilled?
Peng Dehuai (first from left) and Liang Xingchu (second from right) discuss military intelligence
Liang Xingchu, an outstanding general of the Republic who has experienced ups and downs and grown up in the revolutionary ranks. He participated in the revolution in 1930, participated in five anti-"encirclement and suppression" operations, bravely captured Lazikou during the Long March, formed the first cavalry reconnaissance company during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, won a decisive victory in the War of Liberation, and made great contributions to the founding of New China.
However, the greatest achievement of Liang Xingchu's military career was in the Korean battlefield in 1950. In the second campaign to resist US aggression and aid Korea, Liang Xingchu led the 38th Army of the Volunteer Army to make great contributions, and Commander Peng Dehuai waved a large pen and wrote on the commendation order: Long live the Chinese People's Volunteer Army! Long live the 38th Army! As a result, the 38th Army became the world-renowned "Long Live Army", and Liang Xingchu was also known as the History of the Army.
In the first campaign to resist US aggression and aid Korea, the 38th Army, the 39th Army, and the 40th Army of the Volunteer Army all came into battle, and only the 38th Army did not play well, not only failing to attack Xichuan and letting go of the "black regiment" of the US army, but also failing to cut off the Qingchuan River, causing the enemy on the western front to quickly flee south. After the war, Commander Peng Dehuai was furious, calling Liang Xingchu a "rat general" and wanting to "tear up and cut off horses."
Blood Battle Pine Bone Peak
Liang Xingchu held his stomach and vowed to teach the US military a lesson. From November 5, the 335th Regiment of the 112th Division of the 38th Army insisted on staying at Feihu Mountain, carried forward the spirit of "people in the position", and fought bloody battles with enemies several times larger than themselves for five days and nights, blocking the enemy's way to escape south.
At the same time, Liang Xingchu took the initiative to ask for battle, led the main force of the 38th Army to attack Tokugawa, and rushed to attack more than 70 Huali in one night, preemptively occupying Sanshouli in front of the enemy, creating a miracle in the world's military history. On November 30, the 3rd Company of the 1st Battalion of the 335th Regiment marched to Songkuo Peak, blocked the enemy for five hours in a position without fortifications, and when the bullets were finished, they fought the enemy with bayonets, stones, and teeth, and only 6 people survived in the company. That tragic scene was later written by Wei Wei into "Who is the Most Lovely Person", which has been passed down through the ages.
In the second campaign, the officers and men of the 38th Army used their lives to unite with the brotherly troops to drive the "United Nations Army" back to the south of the 38th Line in one go, and made great achievements, and Liang Xingchu, as the commander of the "Long Live Army", became one of the most well-known military generals.
Liang Xingchu and Ren Guilan took a group photo
Liang Xingchu was invincible on the battlefield, but his emotional experience was quite tortuous.
Liang Xingchu's first wife, Li Guifen, was a medical worker during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and the two met in the war, and in the war, they formed a family together and gave birth to a daughter. However, when Liang Xingchu first began to enjoy the joy of heaven, his wife Li Guifen was killed by the sudden tuberculosis.
The pain of losing his wife almost destroyed Liang Xingchu, but at this time, the northeast battlefield was in a stalemate situation, and he could not be distracted at all. Liang Xingchu had no choice but to raise his spirits and engage the enemy in the icy northeast.
Before the Montenegrin blockade battle began, Liang Xingchu went to the 28th Division headquarters to attend a meeting of cadres and met a female soldier from the division's health department at the gate. At that time, the northeast was cold and frozen, and the female soldier was wearing only a single coat and shivering. Liang Xingchu saw this scene and hurriedly took off his military coat and draped it on the female soldier. Looking at the tall soldier in front of him, the female soldier was not only moved, but also developed a good feeling for him.
Wounded warriors in war
On the day when the Montenegrin blockade was at its fiercest, the two met again. At that time, the female soldier was treating the wounded, and intimately placed the hot bricks wrapped in cotton at the feet of the wounded, which was just seen by Liang Xingchu, and could not help but appreciate: "Your method is good." ”
From that day on, the figure of this female soldier lingered in Liang Xingchu's mind, and after many inquiries, he learned that the other party's name was Ren Guilan. After that, Liang Xingchu only had free time and would run to the 28th Division's Ministry of Health. The political commissar of the 28th Division saw Liang Xingchu's intentions and simply transferred Ren Guilan to the column headquarters to give the two more opportunities to be alone.
After coming and going, the two gradually became acquainted, Liang Xingchu fought bravely, talked about love without ambiguity, and directly said: "Comrade Ren Guilan, I hope to establish revolutionary feelings with you." "The implication is to marry her."
In September 1949, when Siye liberated Hunan, Liang Xingchu held a simple wedding with Ren Guilan in the midst of his busy schedule, officially married and began their 36-year-long relationship.
In 1973, Liang Xingchu was transferred to the Yijing Chemical Factory in Taiyuan, Shanxi. Yijing is located in the western suburbs of Taiyuan, surrounded by desert. At this time, Liang Xingchu was already 61 years old, and he had shed many diseases in decades of conquest, and he was somewhat overwhelmed in a difficult environment. Ren Guilan learned of her husband's job transfer and immediately wrote an application letter to the organization, requesting to go together. During that time, she carefully cared for her frail and sickly husband, worked hard and complained, never said a word of bitterness, and the neighbors and colleagues around her were greatly moved.
In his later years, Liang Xingchu and his wife
In 1980, Liang Xingchu and his wife ended their seven-year life in Shanxi and returned to Beijing to live in the Zhao Jialou Guest House of the Beijing Military Region. Liang Xingchu, as a mighty general who shook the world during the war years, his whereabouts made the central leaders a headache. Marshal Ye Jianying sent Huang Yukun, deputy director of the General Political Department, to solicit Liang Xingchu's own opinion.
"Are you willing to work as an adviser to the Jinan Military Region or the Shenyang Military Region?" Huang Yukun asked. At this time, the military region's full-time candidates have been properly arranged, and it is not easy to change them, and there are still vacancies in the military region's advisers.
Liang Xingchu didn't even think about it and said, "I won't be a consultant." ”
Afterwards, in order not to embarrass the organization, Liang Xingchu applied for a leave of absence, hoping to settle down in Beijing and enjoy his old age in peace. For her husband's decision, Ren Guilan is very supportive, Liang Xingchu is already a nearly 70-year-old man, it is time to rest and consider his body.
Liang Xingchu inspected the troops
Liang Xingchu's application was quickly approved by the organization and he officially retired. He finally had his time to prepare for the fulfillment of the three wishes he had already planned: First, when a new dry rest house was built and moved to a new home; second, during Liang Xingchu's tenure in the Chengdu Military Region, Chairman Mao asked about the situation in Tibet, and he could not say for a moment and decided to go to Tibet in his lifetime; finally, he wanted to write an autobiography about his revolutionary experience and leave it to future generations.
Liang Xingchu's first wish was quickly fulfilled, and in September 1985, he got the keys to his new home and prepared to move the family. However, at this time, he fell ill with a serious cold and was forced to enter the 301 Hospital for treatment.
Heavy cold is not a difficult disease, wife Ren Guilan accompanied her husband in the hospital, while sorting out old things, ready to take her husband to a new home after the National Day.
Ren Guilan
However, on the evening of October 4, when Liang Xingchu finished receiving the guests and was lying on the hospital bed reading the newspaper, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart and had to call the doctor. Obviously, this is a cold-induced heart disease, but just in time for the attending physician to take a holiday, the new doctor did not understand Liang Xingchu's condition, according to the procedure of a series of examinations, the result was delayed the best time for rescue. By the early morning of the next day, a generation of famous generals Liang Xingchu died of ineffective rescue at the age of 73.
When the bad news came, many of Liang Xingchu's old comrades-in-arms expressed disbelief, and the good-looking people, how to say that they left, proposed to dissect the body and identify whether it was a medical accident. But Ren Guilan firmly disagreed, her husband has left, what is the point of checking again? What's more, her husband has been fighting for many years, and his body has been full of holes, how can he bear to use a knife on him again.
After Liang Xingchu's death, his wife Ren Guilan was devastated, but she knew that although her husband did not leave any last words, the three wishes were not fulfilled, and she must not fall down. So she plucked up the courage to write a letter to the central government with a pen, making her only request: to write her husband's eulogy. Soon, Ren Guilan received a reply from the organization: agree!
On October 12, at the farewell ceremony of Liang Xingchu's body, a memorial speech signed by Yang Shangkun, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, was read out in public, paying high tribute to this "long live army commander" who was famous and made immortal merits.
"Long Live the Army"
Liang Xingchu died and failed to fulfill the three wishes he had made, but his wife Ren Guilan stepped forward. The process of moving to the new house was very smooth, but the other two wishes were not so easy to complete. Ren Guilan was too old to adapt to the extreme climate of Tibet, and the writing of the autobiography was also due to a car accident on the way to Beijing by his family, and the information that Liang Xingchu had accumulated for many years was destroyed and became difficult to achieve.
But Ren Guilan inherited her husband's spirit of not being afraid of difficulties and heroic dedication, resolutely undertook the mission, starting from 1987, with more than ten years, along the trajectory of her husband, from Liang Xingchu's hometown of Luling County, Ji'an, Jiangxi, to the sites of the Long March, to North China and Northeast China, along the way through 27 counties and cities, collecting information and insights about her husband. After that, she also searched for many of Liang Xingchu's comrades-in-arms and subordinates before his death, collected information from them, and finally completed the book "Commanding the Long Live army - The Military Career of General Liang Xingchu".
This book not only details Liang Xingchu's growth process, but also condenses a wife's endless nostalgia and deep love for her husband. Ren Guilan hopes to tell future generations through this book that a peaceful life is not easy to come by, and the red spirit is passed down from generation to generation.