In October 1949, the good news of the founding of New China spread rapidly throughout the country, and the people of the whole country celebrated that they could stand up their chests and be masters of their own affairs. However, at this moment, Comrade Peng Dehuai is anxious and cannot sleep at night, because the work of liberating the Great Northwest that he is shouldering has not yet succeeded.
In the Battle of Fuyu in July, the participation of the First Field Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army kicked off the prelude to understanding the northwest.
On August 26, after a life-and-death contest between the People's Liberation Army and the remaining stubborn forces of the Kuomintang, Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province, was finally able to clear the clouds and see the five-star red flag of the motherland waving in the wind.
Although our side suffered heavy losses, the Lanzhou Campaign eliminated the elite of the Nationalist army and the main force of Ma Bufang. At this time, peng Dehuai immediately ordered our army to advance non-stop to the depths of the west. On September 25, Jiuquan, located at the western end of the Hexi Corridor, was also successfully liberated, opening a new chapter in history and also indicating the initial conclusion of the peaceful liberation of Xinjiang.
On the battlefield of liberation in the northwest, there were frequent reports of success, but if they wanted to go through the "big mountains" of "completely annihilating the remnants of the nationalist army, properly handling the national issue, establishing people's power, and rationally implementing the policy of 'preferential treatment of prisoners'" in a short period of time, Peng Dehuai and others still had to shoulder heavy burdens and spare no effort after the founding of the country. However, not long after the liberation of Jiuquan, his subordinate Wang Zhen brought a tricky news:
"Huang Zuxun organized a heart-digging regiment, infiltrated forty female soldiers, prepared to marry the cadres of our army, and then infiltrated and controlled the key departments of our army, and disintegrated our army from within in the future!"
For the liberation of the Great Northwest, forty female spies with ghost fetuses seemed to be unable to turn over any storm. But for Peng Dehuai, who is concerned about the large and small affairs of the northwest, this is undoubtedly a rather headache.
The roaring "rustling" sound of the wind outside the house surrounded the temporary headquarters in Jiuquan, and Peng Dehuai did not say much, but just handed Wang Zhen a firm and trusting gaze and opened his mouth:
"We must solve this matter as soon as possible!"
Forty female spies, like forty ticking time bombs that detonated at an unknown time. The cunning enemy must grasp the key point, and the subsequent series of tasks must not be delayed by this "small thing". Wang Zhen immediately made a clear guarantee: "We will definitely arrest the digging group within three or five days." ”
It will be late, and along with the yellow sand that is unique to the Great Northwest. The candle flame in the room gradually straightened up, and the exhausted Peng Dehuai glimpsed it with the afterglow, and he couldn't help but think of the thief's immortal Huang Zuxun -- the last arrogance of the Nationalist army had dissipated with Ma Bufang's forces, but Huang Zuxun, the commander of the 91st Army, still did not know where to turn back.
On the day the People's Liberation Army first entered Jiuquan, it received a "great gift" from the "thief" Huang Zuxun: Agents who obeyed Huang Zuxun's orders set fire to most of the local houses and warehouses, and billowing smoke enveloped the city, scaring the people from going out at all... The People's Liberation Army, which had been on the road for a few days, immediately threw itself into the work of rescuing people and fighting fires, and also actively did ideological work to stabilize the situation.
Huang Zuxun's move is tantamount to walking on the back of the people, and there are not a few reactionary remnants like this, who have fled, hidden, and survived. The enemy is bright and dark, and once discovered, we must get rid of it quickly. Although Peng Dehuai was not in good spirits, he always paid attention to the news of Wang Zhen's detection of the heart-digging group, and studied the work in Xinjiang while waiting.
The night in the desert north was unusually cold, and Peng Dehuai, who had just come from Beijing, was not comfortable, even if he was covered with a thick quilt, he always had the feeling of ventilation.
"It's not early, go to bed first." Peng Dehuai, who had given the guard a good account, still did not sleep. Time flew by in his one-eyed reading, and the environment outside the house unconsciously returned to its bad normal.
From the period of feudal rule more than 2,000 years ago, Peng Dehuai unconsciously read about the heroic deeds of the national revolutionary army in the three districts. His mood also changed from being indignant for the toiling masses in Xinjiang for generations to the determination and fighting spirit to accomplish the task of peacefully building Xinjiang well.
Peng Dehuai excitedly lifted the quilt and wanted to lie down in front of the desk to continue the lamp... Suddenly, a heavy muffled sound interrupted him, followed by repeated sounds—like knocking on the door, and like the sound of a wall being chiseled, first coming from the wooden door and then coming in from all directions.
What is this sound? Whose voice is this?
Peng Dehuai stopped the movement of his hand, he did not have a trace of fear, but wanted to find out. Before the other comrades of the headquarters could stop him, Peng Dehuai pushed open the door and ate a mouthful of yellow sand stone. The courtyard was chaotic, not to mention seeing the situation outside the courtyard, the comrades of the guard company had also been awakened earlier, and the guns were pulled out and loaded, and they hurriedly surrounded Peng Dehuai's side. After all, if the enemy really hides in the wind and sand, the people on our side are living targets.
Standing in the raging sand, the thumping of the knock on the wall disappeared, and was replaced by a wind sound that did not resemble the sound of the wind—like the cries of women or babies, like the howls of wild wolves and wild dogs, and then it would become the sound of someone approaching. Peng Dehuai couldn't help but feel sympathy and sadness for the people of the Great Northwest, and then thought about how huang Zuxun and the female secret agents had investigated the matter of digging hearts.
Too coincidentally, without waiting for Peng Dehuai to call, Wang Zhen came to report against the wind. Seeing Peng Dehuai and the guards whose faces had just eased at this time, Wang Zhen probably guessed it. After all, Peng Dehuai had just arrived, and he was not familiar with the bad situation here. He explained with a smile, and at the same time eased the atmosphere a lot:
"Don't be frightened, this is the sound of the wind blowing through the Gobi Desert, not hostility!" Flying sand and stones are very fierce, I'm sorry I forgot to tell you last night. If you want to rest here, I'm afraid you have to adapt. ”
"It's like someone is crying."
Peng Dehuai then added: "It's a very strange thing, I haven't experienced it. I thought the heart digging group was doing something ghostly! ”
Peng Dehuai's last words pulled Wang Zhen back to the right thing, and he quickly became serious: "After my overnight search and pursuit of the Heart Digging Regiment, by just three o'clock, forty enemies had captured 37 people, and there were still three people left... The task was completed very quickly. Before dawn at the latest! ”
Peng Dehuai knew Wang Zhen very well, and he was very relieved that this "small matter" was entrusted to him.
The few strings that were tight in his heart suddenly loosened several at once, and Peng Dehuai diverged from the topic and ridiculed Wang Zhen: "So busy, the windy things are still personally coming to talk about." Wang Beard, very hearty! After a few small talks, in the deep cold night, everyone's heart was warm.
Extremely stubborn and irrational reactionaries like Ma Bufang and Huang Zuxun naturally cannot escape the judgment of history. Although there are still a small number of defeated Nationalist generals who try to escape by all means, there is no shortage of Nationalist generals who can see the situation clearly in time and surrender to our side. Wang Zhen and Peng Dehuai arrived at Jiuquan this time, and the heart-digging regiment incident was just a small episode, and more importantly, a meeting with a general of the Nationalist army who surrendered.
On September 25, 1949, Wang Zhen, who had just eaten lunch, received news of the uprising of Tao Zhiyue, former commander-in-chief of the Kuomintang Xinjiang Garrison Command. He did not misread Tao Zhiyue, Jiuquan revolted yesterday, and today the Xinjiang region is close behind, and the domestic situation is developing in a bright direction. Without Tao Zhiyue's help, Peng Dehuai and Wang Zhen would not have dared to think about the peaceful liberation of Xinjiang. The urgent task at the moment was to meet with the general Tao who was very helpful—Tao Zhiyue soon received an invitation from the two, hoping that he would rush to Jiuquan to discuss follow-up matters with him.
Peng Dehuai, Wang Zhen and others arrived in Jiuquan on October 5, while Tao Zhiyue arrived on the 7th, because before leaving, he had to deal with the riots in Dihua, Hami and other areas. Although Tao Zhiyue and the two are fellow Hunan compatriots, they have never met before. However, he also did not know much about the stories and exploits of Peng Dehuai and Wang Zhen, and Tao Zhiyue especially expressed his admiration for the Hundred Regiments Battle commanded by Peng Dehuai, and he could even recite chairman Mao's poem "To Comrade Peng Dehuai" fluently:
"The mountains are high and the roads are far and deep, and the large armies are galloping in all directions, and whoever dares to cross the sword is the only one who is General Peng."
This poem, which was not widely circulated in the Communist forces, was memorized by a Nationalist general at the time. It can be seen that Peng Dehuai's image has long been alive in Tao Zhiyue's heart. At the same time, his impression of Wang Zhen also got the answer from the "Nanniwan" that was praised by the people in the Liberated Areas.
On the way to the meeting, although Tao Zhiyue could not wait, he did not know much about the characteristics of Peng and Wang in their behavior and temperament, and he was still worried that this trip would put himself in an embarrassing situation. However, these concerns vanished the moment they met.
"Commander-in-Chief Tao, we can expect you to come!" Peng Dehuai did not have a shelf at all, he waited with Wang Zhen early outside the city gate of Jiuquan, and greeted Tao Zhiyue with a simple Hunan accent.
Tao Zhiyue couldn't help but sigh in his heart that he had never felt such a sincere greeting when he was serving the party-state. In order to show his sincerity, Tao Zhiyue sorted out his appearance and saluted the two of them with a standard military salute: "On behalf of the 100,000 rebel officers and men in Xinjiang, I salute Commander-in-Chief Peng!" ”
Before answering the call, Peng Dehuai first opened his arms and hugged Tao Zhiyue. At that moment, several admirations and emotions rose in Tao Zhiyue's heart, more trust and happiness, and he was also silently ashamed of his previous doubts. After the two of them released their arms, Peng Dehuai still held Tao Zhiyue's hands, which also made him feel at close range that the general with great military achievements was so approachable, and even his clothes could be very simple.
"Commander-in-Chief Tao led the uprising, and his contribution was indispensable. All my officers and men can be regarded as looking forward to the general, hoping that the general will lead us to Xinjiang and liberate Xinjiang at an early date! ”
Peng Dehuai's bold words and praise made Tao Zhiyue feel more and more guilty about his previous identity, and his voice even trembled slightly: "Zhiyue served the reactionary government for half a lifetime, and really had no face to face the people of the country, Peng Zong and Commander Wang, the generals, did not remember the old evils, abandoned their previous suspicions, and treated me with heavy courtesy, which really made me feel self-respecting..."
Peng Dehuai held Tao Zhiyue's hand tighter and expressed his attitude on behalf of the People's Liberation Army: "General Tao's words are seen outside, and although you could not help yourself in the past, you still made outstanding contributions to the people and the nation during the period of the War of Resistance Against Japan. We look at the general direction... Now, you are leading the uprising in Xinjiang. The people of Xinjiang thank you, and we thank you. Don't worry about it in the future, work with us and work boldly! ”
Seeing that Tao Zhiyue's eyes were gradually blurred, Wang Zhen came forward and diverged from the topic: "Commander-in-Chief Tao, you are from Ningxiang, I am from Liuyang, Elder Peng is always from Xiangtan, and all three of us are fellow hunan villagers..."
In order to make General Tao Zhiyue completely submit to our army and devote himself to the work of peaceful construction of Xinjiang, Peng Dehuai also secretly prepared a meeting gift for him.
At that time, Tao Zhiyue and almost all the comrades in the field army who had positions gathered in Peng Dehuai's office, and after hearing Peng Dehuai's "meeting gift", they did not know what medicine he bought in the gourd. However, Tao Zhiyue had already let down his guard, and he was also curious.
After Peng Dehuai finished speaking, a mysterious document bag was handed over to Tao Zhiyue's hand. He was a little dazed, and then involuntarily read out the contents of the document:
According to General Peng's instructions and through inquiries from many quarters, we have found general Tao Zhiyue's wife and her children, who are hiding in the countryside of Chongqing, and properly protected them, and sent them back to Xinjiang for instructions on what day.
The expression on Tao Zhiyue's face soon became uncontrollable, and the thought of his relatives day and night surged into his heart in an instant, turning into two lines of grateful tears. Tao Zhiyue, who has always been a good eloquent, opened his mouth, but he couldn't speak... Peng Dehuai has long investigated him, and on the one hand, he is tormented by the Xinjiang issue all the time, and on the other hand, the safety of his family and relatives. The Kuomintang agents in Chongqing were notoriously fierce, and now that Tao Zhiyue had a tendency to surrender to our party, the platon's troops entering Sichuan carried out Peng Dehuai's special task at the first time...
After the "Jiuquan Talks," the Central Military Commission issued an order to go to Xinjiang. With the full cooperation of Peng Dehuai, Wang Zhen, Tao Zhiyue and others, on December 17, the Xinjiang People's Government and the Xinjiang Military Region were proclaimed, and Xinjiang embarked on a new journey of peaceful construction.
Objectively speaking, the peaceful settlement of the Xinjiang issue is indispensable to Tao Zhiyue, a great hero, and he still needs his full help in the future. It was only that he and his former friend had promised each other that when the whole country was liberated and Xinjiang was at peace, the troops would be handed over to the People's Liberation Army intact, and the troops would be demobilized and returned to the fields. However, after Wang Zhen learned about it, he sincerely expressed his intention to retain on behalf of our party: "In order to ensure the peace of Xinjiang and the integrity of the national territory, the general has worked hard to support the overall situation... And the demobilization and return to the field, it is absolutely impossible. It is better to operate this field in Xinjiang, how? ”
At that time, no one did not know Wang Zhenna's determination to build Xinjiang, and he also "boasted about Haikou" with Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou -- to build Xinjiang into a second Nanniwan. Wang Zhen patted Tao Zhiyue's shoulder and said happily, "This can't be done by my king's beard alone!" The implication is that Wang Zhen is inviting himself to join him in defending the frontier, so much trust and trust, Tao Zhiyue naturally went all out.
In the era of peace, the two generals threw off their arms to build Xinjiang. The proudest achievement is that two years later, the yield of 20,000 mu of cotton in the Manas River Basin in Xinjiang set a record high in the country. Since then, Xinjiang has become the most important cotton production base in all of China. Today's Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps is also the result of repeated agreements between the two in 1954.
The people's eyes are shining brightly, and our party will not turn a blind eye to these generals who have spared no effort to go to the light--in 1955, Tao Zhiyue did not expect that he could also participate in the award ceremony with Wang Zhen and was awarded the rank of general of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. In this way, presumably, those remnants of the Kuomintang who did not repent, stubbornly resisted, and fled Taiwan will regret their mistakes again and again...
Looking back at Peng Dehuai, Wang Zhen, and others who had just arrived in the northwest, they saw the devastated rivers and mountains of the motherland, and their worries filled their hearts. Through the joint efforts of the party and the people, the policy of peaceful construction in Xinjiang has been steadily implemented in "resolutely implementing the ethnic policy, respecting the customs and habits of ethnic minorities, and uniting and helping people of all ethnic groups to establish their own happy lives."
Since then, wherever the PLA has gone, the people of all nationalities have warmly welcomed the elderly and their children with songs and dances. All of this makes our Chinese sons and daughters feel sincerely grateful and loved for Peng Dehuai, Wang Zhen, Tao Zhiyue and others.