For soldiers, the promotion from deputy commander to military commander is something that everyone can't ask for, but there is a founding major general who politely refuses.
This founding major general is Li Shuiqing, a native of Jishui County, Jiangxi.
Born in 1918 in Jishui County, Jiangxi Province, Li Shuiqing joined the Red Army at the age of 12 and the arduous Long March with the troops at the age of 16.
The Long March was arduous, but it also greatly exercised Li Shuiqing's ability, and the strong crossing of the Dadu River and the Battle of Zhiluo Town left his footprints of battle, and he was known for his bravery in the army.
In Li Shuiqing's military career, the most memorable battle for him was the Ping-type Guan Dajie.
At that time, Li Shuiqing served as an instructor of the 3rd Battalion of the Independent Regiment of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army, and after the Pingxingguan Campaign was launched, Li Shuiqing remembered very clearly that it was Nie Rongzhen who made the mobilization, stressing that this was the first battle after the reorganization of the Eighth Route Army, and that it was necessary to play a mighty style, a dignified one, and a morale of the Eighth Route Army!
Li Shuiqing's blood boiled when he heard this, and after he returned, he also mobilized all the officers and men of the battalion, and led the team to set up an ambush in the "waist station" area between Lingqiu and Laiyuan to meet the enemy who was reinforced by the Japanese Kou at Pingxingguan.
The battle soon began, and after Li Shuiqing ran out of ammunition, he rushed out of the trench with all the officers and men of the battalion and engaged in a white-knife battle with the Japanese Kou.
A tall and strong Rikou rushed to Li Shuiqing with a battle knife in his hand and slashed at him, Li Shuiqing concentrated his wisdom, first used the butt of his rifle to block his knife, and then compared it to his chest, it was a shot, Rikou pounced and fell to the ground.
It turned out that Li Shuiqing was very thin and weak, and he knew that if he fought with the bayonet, it would be difficult for him to have a chance of winning, so he quietly pushed the only bullet left in the gun into the chamber, and when the tall Rikou rushed over, he was shot dead by Li Shuiqing.
Later, Li Shuiqing said: "You can't talk about fairness on the battlefield, either you die or I die, the Japanese Kou came to invade China and killed so many Chinese, who told you about fairness?" That's it! ”
If this battle made Li Shuiqing feel the cruelty of the battlefield, then another thing made him feel the supreme glory.
What's the matter? It is to participate in the military parade of the founding ceremony.
At the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China in 1949, a grand military parade was held, and the 199th Division, of which Li Shuiqing was the commander of the division, was called the First Division of the Founding Ceremony Parade.
The reason why the 199th Division was able to take on this glorious task was not without reason; the predecessor of the 199th Division, the First Division of the First Army of the Red Army, was a unit with a glorious tradition, and Li Shuiqing was also a young and promising division commander who could withstand the test, so the Central Committee decided to entrust this glorious task to the 199th Division.
At that time, more than 10,000 officers and men of the 199th Division wrote letters of request for battle and strongly demanded to participate in the military parade at the founding ceremony. Li Shuiqing personally selected and finally decided more than 2,000 officers and men to participate in the parade.
He was also very concerned about this unit; he personally visited the military parade training ground twice to give guidance, and talked to Li Shuiqing many times, stressing the importance of this military parade and the great significance of this glorious unit participating in the parade.
Nie Rongzhen and Yang Chengwu, commanders-in-chief of the military parade, even came to the troops to guide the training and put forward many specific requirements.
Under the care of the chiefs at all levels, on the day of the founding ceremony, Li Shuiqing led the mighty and majestic 199th Division, walked through Tiananmen Square with great vigor and vigor, and successfully completed the military parade task!
After the outbreak of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Li Shuiqing was again ordered to lead his troops into the Korean War, and the 199th Division, under the leadership of Li Shuiqing, won successive battles and victories, and soon after was promoted to deputy commander of the 67th Army and commander of the 199th Division.
After returning to China, the organization talked to him, and because the commander of the 67th Army, Li Xiang, died in Korea, the organization wanted him to succeed him as commander. Being promoted to military commander is a good thing for most people, but Li Shuiqing declined!
Why? He sincerely told the leader: "I was a soldier early, I have no culture, and now that the battle is over, I think my main task now is to improve my own cultural level so that I can better serve the troops in the future." ”
Touched by his spirit of study, the leaders agreed to his request and arranged for him to enter the Nanjing Military Academy to study.
At the Nanjing Military Academy, Li Shuiqing eagerly learned all kinds of knowledge, greatly improved his ability, and finally graduated with excellent results.
(Photo: Li Shuiqing (left) and Li Xiang , former commander of the 67th Army (right), and Political Commissar Kuang Fuzhao)
After graduation, the organization did not forget him, and once again let him be the commander of the 67th Army, this time Li Shuiqing did not refuse again, gladly took office, and was awarded the founding major general.
Later, Li Shuiqing successively served as deputy commander of the Jinan Military Region, deputy commander of the Nanjing Military Region, and commander of the Second Artillery Corps, and also became a member of the Central Military Commission, embarking on the peak of his military career.
As the saying goes, sharpening a knife does not mistakenly cut wood, Li Shuiqing did not choose to be a military commander, but chose to study for further study, which is actually a very wise choice and worthy of our study.
On September 3, 2005, the 60th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, the state held a grand commemorative meeting, and General Li Shuiqing, who is 88 years old, was invited to attend, speaking on behalf of the veterans of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, telling the magnificent history of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and expressing the determination of a veteran soldier to be ready to serve the country at any time.
On August 31, 2007, General Li Shuiqing died of illness at the age of 90.