The young Su Yu ran away from home
In 1924, at the age of 17, Su Yu left his hometown and came to Changde. He came to Changde to apply for the famous local Second Normal School (Hunan Provincial Changde Second Normal School). At that time, the Second Changde Division, along with the First Division of Changsha and the Third Division of Hengyang, were the three famous schools in Hunan.
But unfortunately, at this time, the time for the enrollment of the second division had passed, and Su Yu had to enter the second division with a small transfer class through his distant cousin.
According to the "Biography of Su Yu", at that time, Su Yu especially cherished this hard-won learning opportunity, and he read and read to the extent of "hunger and thirst, like intoxication", so that in less than two months, he had a serious illness, coughing and vomiting blood, hair falling out, and lying in bed for a long time.
At that time, Su Yu did not go to the doctor, but forced himself to carry it with his young body.
After 49 years, the doctor examined Su Yu's body and found that his lungs had calcified spots, and Su Yu guessed that he had tuberculosis that year.
A year after arriving in Changde, Su Yu successfully passed the Second Division. At that time, Changde had developed land and water transportation and a prosperous commodity economy, and was the political, economic and cultural center of Western Hunan Province, as well as the source of the Revolution in Western Hunan at that time and the center for the dissemination of new culture and new ideas.
At that time, various ideological trends were rampant in society, and the students in the school were divided into two factions, among which the progressive students were represented by Teng Daiyuan and Deng Xinming. The contradictions between these two groups of students continued to escalate, and finally the Second Division Incident, which shocked Hunan and even the whole country, broke out.
Su Yu later recalled that after the Second Division incident, the progressive youth were strongly suppressed by the school, but through this struggle, he came into contact with a large number of Marxist-Leninist books, and began to understand the need to overthrow the old world and establish a new world, and from then on he decided to dedicate his life to that great faith.
In June 1926, the school summer vacation, Su Yu returned to his hometown, due to the economic conditions of his family at that time, his parents were reluctant to let him go outside to study again, after living at home for 4 months, Su Yu chose to run away from home and returned to the Second Division of Changde, who knew that after this departure, Su Yu would never be able to set foot on the land of his hometown in this life.
Su Rongsheng recalled why his father did not come home
In 1928, Su Yu followed Comrades Zhu De and Chen Yi to Jinggangshan. After going up the mountain, he once wrote a letter to his hometown, in which he comforted his parents, saying that he was all right, and that he had been guided by nobles, and asked them not to worry about it and take more care of their bodies.
Due to the ongoing fighting, Su Yu was unable to contact his family even once in the nearly ten years that followed. During these 10 years, Su Yu's father died of illness, and his mother dieted in poverty, praying religiously for her son's peace every day.
In 1935, the Red Sixth Army passed through Huitong on its way to the Long March. Comrade Xiao Ke, the commander of the Red Sixth Army, was Su Yu's old partner, and they served as detachment leaders and political commissars in the second detachment of the Red Fourth Army. After Xiao Ke learned that Huitong was Su Yu's hometown, he sent someone to search for Su Yu's family in the area of Huitongping Village.
In the end, they found a person who worked in Su Yu's house and asked him to bring a message to Su Yu's mother, saying that Su Yu was very good outside and asked him not to worry about it. When She heard the news, she wept with joy, and she warmly entertained the messenger.
Later, after the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Su Yu, who had been in the south for three years, had the opportunity to reconnect with his family. However, at present, the country is in trouble, it is obviously impossible to go home, and then the Anhui Incident broke out, and Su Yu broke off contact with his family again.
In June 1949, Su Yu led Huaye to conquer Shanghai, when his nephew was studying in Shanghai, the nephew saw Su Yu and told him about the situation of the family, and told him that the old man was still alive today, but he often missed him very much. Su Yuhou couldn't help but burst into tears.
But at this moment he still could not go back, although Chiang Kai-shek's defeat had been decided, but it had not yet failed completely, and the Central Committee entrusted Su Yu with the heavy task of dealing a final blow to Chiang Kai-shek.
However, with the spread of war on the peninsula next door, this plan had to be aborted. The central government once again ordered Su Yu, who planned to make him the commander and political commissar of the Northeast Border Defense Army, and take on the task of unifying the troops into the DPRK in the future, but Su Yu's physical condition at this time was too bad, and he finally had to go to the Soviet Union for recuperation, and did not return until the National Day in 1951.
After returning to China this time, the Central Committee decided to appoint him as deputy chief of general staff in charge of military operations in the General Staff Department of the People's Liberation Army.
At the end of 1951, Su Yu suddenly talked about many past events in his youth in a small conversation with his subordinates. He was excited to go home to see him, but the staff around him told him that if he wanted to go back, he would need at least a reinforced company to escort him.
At that time, it was not long before the founding of New China, the bandits had not yet been completely eliminated, and Su Yutangtang, deputy chief of the general staff, naturally could not take risks.
Su Yu heard that a trip home would be so exciting, so he did not mention this matter again. He then began his busy work at the General Staff.
In 1958, the army criticized dogmatism, so Su Yu left the army and had more free time. In February 59, the frustrated Su Yu went to the south to recuperate, on the way he passed through Changsha, his secretary Ju Kai reminded him whether to go back to his hometown, at that time Su Yu was very depressed and refused the secretary's proposal.
When he was in Changsha, Su Yu was just in time for a provincial meeting in Hunan, when the county party secretary and deputy county magistrate of The same county arrived, and after hearing about this, Su Yu was very happy, and he informed the secretary to arrange for him to meet with these two "parent officials".
The two young parents were very happy to learn that Su Yu had summoned them, but Su Yu was obviously happier than them, and without saying a few words when they met, Su Yu asked himself whether the hundred-year-old trees behind the house in his hometown were still there? Many of the pleasant moments of his childhood were spent on those trees. The two "parent officials" answered in unison.
Su Yu replied that it was good, and then he talked about the pavilions, bridge holes, and large stone monuments in his hometown. The "parent official" told him that the road had been built in his hometown, that the old bridge had been widened, and that the stone stele was still there. Su Yu happily instructed them that the stone stele was a cultural relic that we would meet and must be well protected.
The two "parent officials" warmly invited Su Yu to return to his hometown to see, but Su Yu thought about it and finally politely refused them.
This was probably the closest Su Yu had ever been to his way home.
Since then, Su Yu has been depressed in the midst of adversity. According to Xu Shiyou's daughter Xu Huashan, during the Ninth National Congress, Su Yu once called Xu Shiyou, then commander of the Nanjing Military Region, and entrusted him to take care of his elderly mother.
In addition, there is another theory about Su Yu not returning to his hometown in his lifetime, and this statement comes from Lieutenant General Su Rongsheng, the son of Su Yu. Su Rongsheng said that his father had promised their brothers and sisters that when the whole country was liberated, he would take them back to their hometown of Hunan huitong. But he never delivered on his promises. Su Rongsheng speculated: "In his father's eyes, if Taiwan is not liberated, the whole country will not be liberated, so he has been unable to fulfill his promises." ”
This is a small footnote to why Su Yu did not return home in his life!
A last wish in his later years
In 1980, a fellow villager went to Beijing to visit relatives, he brought a few pounds of winter shoots from his hometown, and Su Yu also tasted one, which was probably the most delicious meal that Su Yu could count in his later years.
The food of his hometown evokes a strong nostalgia for Su Yu. Soon after, Su Yu was admitted to the hospital for a cerebral hemorrhage attack. At this time, Su Yu, who had entered the wind and candle for a long time, lay on the hospital bed, grateful that he had left home when he was young, and had not been able to return so far, feeling very sorry, in the hospital bed, he decided to propose to the hospital for discharge, and took advantage of the fact that he still had the strength to return to his hometown.
The court immediately conducted a serious discussion of Su Yu's request, and they believed that Su Yu's body at this time was no longer suitable for long-distance travel. After they reported this opinion to the Central Committee, the Central Committee paid special attention to the old general's wishes, but out of consideration for his physical responsibility, still did not agree to let him return to his hometown.
However, in order to fulfill Su Yu's wishes, the central government sent General Zhang Zhen, Su Yu's old subordinate in Huaye, to let him go home on Su Yu's behalf.
In January 1982, Zhang Zhen and others came all the way to Huitong, Hunan Province. They carefully inspected Su Yu's old mansion and took many photos, and they also specially invited Su Yu's neighbors and villagers to take as many photos as possible.
When Su Yu's fellow villagers knew that Su Yu especially missed his hometown, they collected some local specialties for him, such as winter shoots, bubble fried, candied fruit, bacon and so on.
After Zhang Zhen and the others returned to Beijing, they told Su Yu in the hospital bed what they had seen and heard together, and Su Yu seriously looked at the photos brought back by his comrades and couldn't help but smile.
Since then, Su Yu's physical condition has become worse and worse. In February 1984, a generation of famous generals Su Yu passed away.
As the old saying goes: Taiping was originally determined by the general, and the general was not allowed to enjoy the taiping. General Su Yu worked hard all his life, but he never returned to his hometown until his death.