He was the nephew of Marshal He Long, joined the Red Army at the age of 7, was identified by the General Political Department of the People's Liberation Army as the youngest Red Army in China, participated in the Long March at the age of 9, was awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1955, and was promoted to colonel in 1960. Let's take a look at his life.
His name is Xiang Xuan, a native of Tujia, Sangzhi County, Hunan Province. Her mother was Marshal He Long's fifth sister, He Mangu, who was arrested during the breakout in August 1928 for being betrayed. He was imprisoned with his mother, brother and sister. After He Long's eldest sister He Ying learned the news, the trustees ransomed the 3 children from the prison with heavy money, and He Mangu was brutally killed by the enemy. From then on, Xiang Xuan followed He Ying and called out to his mother. Since she was a child, she learned martial arts, and at the age of three or four, she could shoot pistols.
In a battle, the guerrillas led by He Ying were attacked, and in desperation, He Ying asked Xiang Xuan to find his uncle He Long, and after all kinds of difficulties and dangers, he finally found his uncle. At the age of 7, he became the youngest soldier in the Red Army. On November 19, 1935, one year after the Long March of the Central Red Army, 21,000 men of the Second and Sixth Red Armies, led by He Long, Ren Bishi and Guan Xiangying, set out from Liujiaping, Ruitapu, and county seats in Sangzhi County, Hunan Province, and embarked on a long journey. At this time, 9-year-old Xiang Xuan was already the deputy squad leader of the communications squad of the Red Second and Sixth Army Headquarters.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he was a correspondent at the headquarters of the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army. In April 1943, he served as a soldier in the guard company of the 358th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army. After studying engineers, he served as deputy company commander of the engineering company of the 358th Brigade of the 1st Column of the Northwest Field Army, and in January 1948, he became the commander of the engineer company. In the summer of 1948, in the Battle of Libei in Dali County, Shaanxi Province, 26 wounds were inflicted on the body, the eyes (right eye) were blinded, the neck, back, waist, buttocks, knees, right foot surface and other wounds, shrapnel has not been removed in the body. He was awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1955 and promoted to colonel in 1960. In December 1960, he was appointed deputy chief of the Ordnance Section of the Logistics Department of the Chengdu Military Subdistrict of the Chengdu Military Region. In November 1978, he was appointed deputy director of the People's Armed Forces Department of Xicheng District of Chengdu Military Subdistrict of Sichuan Provincial Military Region, and retired in 1982.
There are many more stories about the founding generals, interested friends can take a look at this book, the book records the 10 marshals, 10 yuan generals, 57 generals, 177 lieutenant generals, 1360 major generals, a total of 1614 generals and their anecdotes that were awarded or promoted to the rank between 1955 and 1965.