General Xu Shiyou was born in the Shaolin Temple, once served as a miscellaneous servant for the master in the temple, and also practiced a solid martial art, he was a man of integrity, bravery and good at war, from the age of 23 to join the Red Army, in the long-term revolutionary struggle to improve ideological awareness, learn strategy and tactics, grew into an excellent military commander, successively served as the commander of the red fourth front army cavalry, the brigade commander of the Eighth Route Army, the commander of the Huaye Ninth Column, the commander of the Nanjing Military Region, etc., participated in the various battles since the founding of the army, in 1979, The 74-year-old Xu Shiyou was also responsible for commanding the Eastern Front Corps of the Self-Defense Counterattack against Vietnam and was an outstanding general of our army.
But his growth path was not smooth, in several sports, Xu Shiyou has suffered shocks, and his second marriage was dissolved in a rectification movement in Yan'an.
At that time, Xu Shiyou made a wrong move due to immature thinking, was locked up, and when his heart was dark, his new wife Lei Mingzhen wrote a break letter asking for a divorce from him, which made Xu Shiyou desperate, although the confinement was soon lifted, and his marriage with Lei Mingzhen also came to an end.
Xu Shiyou and his third wife, Tian Pu, on the Yangtze River Bridge in Nanjing
For Lei Mingzhen's apology and redemption, Xu Shiyou paid no attention to it, and also warned Lei Mingzhen of firing a gun when Lei Mingzhen broke in, almost injuring Lei Mingzhen, and finally, after several years of entanglement, Lei Mingzhen was completely dead hearted, agreed to divorce Xu Shiyou and remarry others, but later for the children born of Lei Mingzhen's remarriage, Xu Shiyou also gave some care, although out of disappointment and cut off the relationship between husband and wife, the old friendship, Xu Shiyou still had some concern in his heart.
1. After marrying his wife Zhu Ximin, he had a son, who was separated by war
Born in 1905, Xu Shiyou returned home from the Shaolin Temple in 1928 to join the revolution and served as a squad leader of the Red Eleventh Army, and was quickly promoted for his bravery in battle.
In mid-November 1928, during a break in battle, he returned to his hometown of Xujiawa (formerly Xujia Village, Surabayadian, Macheng County, Hubei Province, now part of Xinxian County, Henan) not far away to visit his mother, who saw that he was not young and arranged a marriage for him, and let him marry Zhu Ximing, a girl from a neighboring village.
Zhu Ximing is four years older than Xu Shiyou, hard-working and capable, and is still a member of the village's women's rescue team, and Xu's mother is very satisfied with this daughter-in-law. Xu Shiyou was a great filial piety, his father died early, and he always obeyed and obeyed his mother's words, so he immediately hired a flower palanquin and a few drummers to marry Zhu Ximing into the door.
Young Xu Shiyou
Three days later, Xu Shiyou received combat orders and left his mother and new wife, Xu Mother and Zhu Ximing made military shoes, joined the laundry team to support the revolution, and in 1929, Zhu Ximing gave birth to Xu Shiyou's eldest son, Xu Guang, with the nickname "Black Man". In the winter of 1931, after Xu Shiyou conquered Xinji in Henan (located in the hinterland of Dabie Mountain, a town under the jurisdiction of Xinxian County, Henan), he became famous in World War I and was promoted to the regimental commander of the 31st Regiment of the Red 11th Division.
On October 21, 1932, the main force of the Red Fourth Front Army broke through to the west, and the White Bandit Army counterattacked back to Xinji and Xu Jiawa, carried out a "great purge", burned and plundered the local area, all the red army family members were forced to remarry, otherwise they would all be sold to the north, Zhu Ximin and Xu Shiyou's fourth brother Xu Shisheng were arrested and sent to the political defense bureau of Xinxian County, Xu Shisheng was killed, and Zhu Ximin was forced to remarry.
Under the persuasion of Xu Mu, Zhu Ximin had to agree to remarry a pig killer surnamed Wang to save his life, and Zhu Ximin's step-husband treated the mother and son very well, regarded the "black servant" as his own, and often carried cakes and pork to visit Xu Mu.
Xu Shiyou and his three sons (back row, right, Xu Guang)
It was not until he became an adult that Xu Guang did not know his origins, found his father with his grandmother's letter, and was able to enlist in the army to become a captain of the navy, but later, in order to help his father fulfill his filial piety, he still changed his profession and returned to his hometown to raise his grandmother until he was young.
Xu Guang
The cruel war and chaos made Xu Shiyou's family separated.
2. During the Long March, he married The bold and spicy female county magistrate Lei Mingzhen as a revolutionary partner
In July 1935, the Red Fourth Front met with the Red Front at Maogong, and because it saw that many senior cadres of the Red Front were getting married one after another, the Red Fourth Front also issued regulations, deciding that cadres at and above the army level could find revolutionary partners. Xu Shiyou was the commander of the Red Fourth Army at the time, which just met the regulations.
Political commissar Wang Jian'an saw that Xu Shiyou had been single for many years and had no one to take care of him, so he urged him to consider marriage, and specially introduced him to Lei Mingzhen, a young female county magistrate in Daxian County, Sichuan, who was 11 years younger than Xu Shiyou and joined the Red Army in February 1933.
Because he heard that Zhu Ximing and his younger brother Xu Shisheng were persecuted in the great purge, Xu Shiyou mistakenly believed that Zhu Ximing was long gone, so he agreed to be close to Lei Mingzhen, but he felt that his image was rough and uneducated, his face was full of beards, and he was like a stupid and black "Lu Zhishen", and he was a little ashamed in front of The cultured and lively and beautiful Lei Mingzhen, so he asked Wang Jian'an to quietly inquire about Lei Mingzhen's intentions first, and not to make a statement, so as not to make a mistake in the marriage and end up with others laughing.
Soon, under Wang Jian'an's arrangement, Lei Mingzhen, the revolutionary female county magistrate who was once famous in northern Sichuan, came to Commander Xu's side, followed Xu Shiyou's troops north, entered the vast Gobi and grassland, fought together in the cold, the wind and snow, and the feelings of the like-minded two people became deeper and deeper, and they held a lively and simple wedding on the way to the Long March.
Lei Mingzhen was very concerned and considerate of her husband, and when the Red Fourth Front crossed the meadow for the third time, Xu Shiyou, who had been transferred to the commander of the cavalry, was ordered to buy a large number of cattle and sheep from the herdsmen for the troops to eat, lei Mingzhen collected the cattle and wool, carefully washed and dried them, rolled them into wool, and knitted a sweater for Xu Shiyou to keep him close to the cold.
The husband and wife's act of love made Xu Shiyou's division commanders Chen Xilian and Chen Zaidao very envious, and they jokingly said to Xu Shiyou: "Military commander, monks can please wives (Xu Shiyou has been a monk for 8 years), why can't we laymen?" Xu Shiyou shot back triumphantly: "Who taught you not to fight well, and when you become a military commander, won't you be able to get married?"
At the end of 1936, after following Zhang Guotao to Yan'an, Xu Shiyou entered the Kang Da to study, Lei Mingzhen served as the director of the Women's Department in Yan'an County, although separated from the two places, but as long as there is time, Lei Mingzhen will go to kang da to take care of Xu Shiyou's life, and the husband and wife have deep feelings.
3. Resist the big event, so that the love of the husband and wife is broken
Soon, because of the existence of an enlarged law in the "Approval of Zhang Movement," some officers and men of the former Red Fourth Front were criticized, and when the Kang Da held a speech at the meeting, some people linked Zhang Guotao's political mistakes with the officers and men of the Red Fourth Front, and criticized them very heavily, and Xu Shiyou, who was fierce in nature and not yet politically mature, was the first to stand up and express dissatisfaction, and a fierce quarrel broke out between the two sides.
After the meeting was adjourned, Xu Shiyou angrily discussed with several old friends of the Red Fourth Front, saying that "if you can't stay, you will go back to the Sichuan-Shaanxi base area to fight guerrillas." As a result, these few private remarks were reported upwards, Xu Shiyou was locked up, and a public trial meeting was held.
During Xu Shiyou's imprisonment, he deeply felt that he had run into a catastrophe, "his mouth was long and he couldn't speak clearly", his mood was very heavy and gray, and when he was in distress, he missed his wife especially, and the interrogator once asked him: "Is there anything else to say?" Xu Shiyou replied, "If it is convenient, bring a message to my wife, and before I die, I will ask her to come and bring the sweater with me." ”
He misses his wife, and he wants to pour out his heart to her, to say his true thoughts, so that she can understand his grievances and get her comfort and understanding. But after waiting for a few days, Lei Mingzhen did not come at all, and the interrogator brought him a letter and a package, which was categorically written:
"Xu Shiyou: I hate you! I will never love a counter-revolutionary! In order to preserve the purity of the revolution, we cut off our affairs in two, and I resolutely demand a divorce! Please sign! Lei Mingzhen"
At the most difficult time, Xu Shiyou received his wife's break-up letter and couldn't help but be in great pain.
He opened the package and saw that inside was the sweater that Lei Mingzhen had personally knitted for him, and the sweater that had brought him warmth and thoughtfulness on behalf of his wife during the Long March had now been cut into pieces, and it was Lei Mingzhen who specially entrusted someone to send it to show his determination to "draw a clear line" for divorce, so that Xu Shiyou could see the dead heart.
Xu Shiyou has a strong personality, but he is extremely easy to bend, and deep inside he is fragile, like a drowning person, who wants to grasp a piece of driftwood on the surface of the water, and what Lei Mingzhen gives him at this moment is not trust, salvation and comfort, but a fierce blow to the head.
Without hesitation, he wrote at the end of the letter: "Resolutely divorce! Xu Shiyou"
Their divorce procedures had not yet been completed, and a few months later, the expansion of the "approval of Zhang" was corrected in time, and Xu Shiyou also regained his innocence, was released, and re-led the soldiers to fight. At this time, Lei Mingzhen deeply regretted her impulse, and she confessed her mistake to Xu Shiyou many times, believing that under the situation at that time, she was under a lot of pressure, and it was inevitable that she would be vulnerable for a while, hoping to get back to good and not divorce.
But at this time, Xu Shiyou had already made up his mind to separate from the woman who wrote a break letter to himself when he was in distress, vowed to "not agree", resolutely requested a divorce, and the relationship between the two was completely rigid.
After Xu Shiyou graduated from Kang Da, he did not return to the cave that originally belonged to the two people, and became a passerby with Lei Mingzhen. But others always hope that the former loving couple can restore their affection, so the organization has not approved their divorce.
In October 1938, Xu Shiyou was transferred to the 386th Brigade of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army as deputy brigade commander, Chen Geng as the brigade commander, to fight in the Taihang Mountains, Lei Mingzhen also asked to go to the front line together, followed Xu Shiyou's troops to the Taihang Mountains, but Xu Shiyou still did not change his mind.
The tomb of Xu Shiyou, known as the "Dionysian General", is located next to the tomb of his parents in his hometown, and the comrades who came to pay tribute to the general offered Maotai to him, and the empty bottles have piled up into a landscape
Seeing her so insistent, braving the rain of bullets and bullets to look for a husband everywhere, the chiefs were very concerned and talked to Xu Shiyou, but Xu Shiyou was also very stubborn, just refused to agree.
Once, Chen Geng and Chen Xilian tricked Xu Shiyou and asked the guards to lock Xu Shiyou and Lei Mingzhen in a room, but Xu Shiyou resolutely did not appreciate it, shouted loudly, let people open the door, saw that no one paid attention to him, he simply used the Shaolin masterpiece of the year, smashed the door lock with one slap, broke the door, Lei Mingzhen felt very hurt his self-esteem, but still could not let go of this relationship.
Soon, Xu Shiyou was going to the battlefield of Shandong, and Lei Mingzhen wanted to see him and send him off.
Hearing that Lei Mingzhen was coming to visit, Xu Shiyou said, "I swore not to meet. ”
And Lei Mingzhen has been intruding to Xu Shiyou's residence, the guards are not too obstructive, after seeing Lei Mingzhen come in from the courtyard gate, Xu Shiyou did not hesitate, pulled out his gun to the air, "snapped" fired three shots to warn, lei Mingzhen was frightened on the spot stunned, after returning to God, she felt very sad, turned around and left, later, Xu Shiyou's comrade-in-arms Hu Guilin also mentioned this matter in his memoirs, saying, "Xu Shiyou did shoot to show his desperation." ”
Lei Mingzhen did not give up on this, she asked Chen Geng to help mediate, wanted to go to Shandong with her, before leaving, when Chen Geng invited Xu Shiyou to drink, Xu Shiyou said sadly: "What I hate most in my life is the guy who is disloyal and unrighteous and betrays the revolution, how can she doubt me?" He said stubbornly, "I can't forgive Lei Mingzhen." ”
Although even Commander-in-Chief Zhu De ordered Xu Shiyou to take Lei Mingzhen with him to Shandong, Xu Shiyou still did not agree, and the chiefs saw that he had already made up their minds and had to go through the divorce procedures for them.
4. Although the fate is broken, the love is not extinct
In 1941, Gao Dashan, director of the logistics department of the Jiaodong Military Region, saw that Xu Shiyou, who was the commander of the Jiaodong Military Region, was still single, had no one to take care of him, had a beard all day long, and did not take off his clothes to take off and wash them. ”
After Xu Shiyou came to Jiaodong, he quickly increased the revolutionary momentum, and the picture shows his Jiaodong headquarters
Soon, Xu Shiyou fell in love with Tian Minglan, a female worker in the garment factory, and in 1943, after the Great Victory in Shandong Province, 38-year-old Xu Shiyou and 19-year-old Tian Minglan held a simple wedding.
Xu Shiyou and Tian Pu
After marriage, Xu Shiyou changed his name to Tian Pu for his wife, asking her to remember that she was just an ordinary warrior, and this name was also homophonous with Xu Shiyou's hometown Tianpu Township, and later Xu Shiyou was buried in his hometown, and Tian Pu found that Xu Shiyou had sent a deep meditation on his hometown in his name.
Tian Pu gave birth to two men and four girls for Xu Shiyou, the two have been together for more than forty years, walked through a long period of time together, underwent many tests, she was kidnapped for Xu Shiyou's sake, left behind the sequelae of concussion, Xu Shiyou once said with emotion: "Tian Pu is my lifelong loyal partner. And he said that he would be companion in the next life.
Lei Mingzhen saw that there was no hope of remarriage, and later stayed in Lüliang Mountain and organized a family with the director of an arsenal in Lüliang.
In the 1960s, her children were persecuted because of their parents' involvement and could not join the army, so Lei Mingzhen wrote to Xu Shiyou, who was the commander of the Nanjing Military Region, asking to take care of her daughter as a soldier. "Helped my ex-wife's daughter put on the military uniform."
It should be said that Xu Shiyou's desperate love is precisely because of his deep affection and heavy righteousness, Lei Mingzhen's wavering at the critical moment hit him too hard, let him see that his wife does not really understand himself, believe in himself, can not become a loyal partner to spend life together, and then resolutely left Lei Mingzhen, although Lao Yan flew apart, in times of crisis, he can still help his ex-wife in time, worthy of being an iron bone, a person who is serious and righteous, and dares to take responsibility!