General Xu Shiyou was a legendary figure among the founding generals. In his decades of military career, he has made great achievements in battle and died a lifetime, and is a special person with a special character, special experience and special contribution.
The supreme commander once said: "Shiyou is a general of the army, and he has beaten the eastern half of the sky red, which is remarkable!" ”
In 1955, General Xu was awarded the rank of founding general.
Xu Shang will be born on February 28, 1905 to a poor peasant family in Xujiahe Village, Tianpu Township, Surabayadian District, Xinxian County.
When he was eight years old, due to his family's poverty, General Xu went to the Shaolin Temple in Songshan to learn martial arts and studied under the Shaolin martial monk Lin Zijin.
In the temple, General Xu, whose legal name is "Yongxiang", studied diligently and diligently, practicing both internal and external and qigong, and was proficient in all kinds of martial arts.
After graduating from the Shaolin Temple, in the era of wars and chaos, General Xu, who was hungry, decided to join the army in desperation.
General Xu heard from his hometown that the warlord Wu Peifu's troops were recruiting troops in Luoyang, so he walked from Xinxian to Luoyang on foot, joined Wu Peifu's army, and was assigned to the first company and two platoons of the infantry regiment of the first division of the Fifteenth Army.
After staying in Wu Peifu's unit for several years, General Xu served as a company commander of the fourth company of the infantry regiment of the 1st Division of the 15th Army after it was incorporated into the Independent First Division of the E'an Provincial Defense Army.
While he was a company commander, something happened that made General Xu feel very annoyed. This prompted him to decide to leave the ranks of the old warlords and join the Red Army.
In early 1927, General Xu was ordered to lead four companies into the Pushui area to suppress mountain bandits.
One night, General Xu, who was resting, was suddenly handed over by the troops led by the regimental commander Yan Fengyi. Commander Yan also ordered xu company commanders to be handcuffed and shackled.
Suddenly suffering from this misfortune, General Xu hurriedly asked, "Commander Yan, what is going on?" Why? What crime have you committed? ”
Commander Yan looked at General Xu, his eyes were on fire, and he angrily said, "What crime?" What else do you do not know? Still mouth hard! ”
Yan Fengyi thought he was pretending to be confused, and shouted, "Give me a hard beating!" beat! ”
The law enforcement soldiers took turns whipping General Xu vigorously. General Xu was beaten by the leather whip belt and passed out after standing unsteadily and collapsing.
Seeing that General Xu had fainted, Yan Fengyi ordered him to be sent to a large prison and imprisoned.
Late at night, after General Xu was awakened by pain, he felt that his throat was dry and thirsty, and his thirst was unbearable. So, wearing handcuffs and shackles, he said to the guards, "Hello, brother, brother." I'm thirsty, give me some water. ”
The guards saw that he was thirsty, but did not give him water to drink. Also said: "You want to drink water?" dream! Commander Yan has explained that he will not let you eat and drink water! After dawn, the gun will ring, and you will go to Yama to ask for water! ”
Unable to drink water, and hearing that he still wanted to see the King of Yama, General Xu was furious and angrily said, "I know! You beat me indiscriminately, you have wronged me, and you won't let me drink water! I'm going to fight with you!" ”
After saying that, General Xu began to exert his strength, and after some luck, he only listened to the sound of "bang", and the handcuffs were broken!
When the guards saw that General Xu broke the handcuffs in anger, he trembled with fright and rushed to report to the regimental commander.
Yan Fengyi led the people to the front to see, and the handcuffs were really broken. He was horrified and secretly thought, "I have long heard that this person is from Shaolin, excellent in martial arts, and can break handcuffs. ”
Therefore, Yan Fengyi said to the guards, "You are fooling around." Quickly give Xu Company Commander water, and let him eat well. His affairs will be dealt with after they are clearly investigated. The guarding soldiers immediately did so.
A few days later, when General Xu was eating breakfast, Commander Yan Fengyi came to see him with a few soldiers with a smile on his face and personally opened his shackles for him. Yan Fengyi smiled, "Commander Xu Lian, you have suffered." Your case is clear! It was a squad leader of your company who led a few soldiers, and when he went out, he violated discipline! Snatched away; the common people's stuff. You're in the dark about it. That day, I made a mistake with you, and today I came to apologize to you! ”
After saying that, Commander Yan also took out several oceans as a healing fee for General Xu.
Although Yan Fengyi apologized to General Xu, General Xu's mood was still not good, and he was very annoyed and depressed in his heart.
Soon, General Xu was transferred to the Sixth Company of the First Division and the First Regiment of the Provincial Defense Army as a company commander. The team is stationed in Wuchang. At the station, he became acquainted with a fellow villager named Fu Mengxian.
Fu Mengxian was a progressive young man, and one day, Fu Mengxian mobilized and said: "Brother Shiyou, the old warlord only wants to get rich for promotion, often withholding military food and drinking soldiers' blood!" Let's go to Huang'an or Macheng and join the Red Army! ”
"Red Army troops? I have heard that the Red Army is the savior of the poor, and the Red Army is fighting for the poor. Good! Let's do it now! General Xu said happily, patting his thigh.
After that, General Xu and Fu Mengxian traveled more than 100 kilometers day and night to Yangsizhai near Macheng, and found the headquarters of the Red Thirty-first Division and joined the Red Army.