In the northern suburbs of Sangzhi County, Hunan Province, at the northwest end of Zhangjiajie Forest Park, there is a river valley basin with "three gates around the water, five dragons holding the holy" - Hongjiaguan. This is the birthplace of Xiang Xuan, the youngest Red Army soldier in the history of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, and the hometown of He Long, one of the founders of our army and the founding marshal of the People's Republic of China, who "made a revolution with two kitchen knives" and became one of the founders of our army.
He Long, his eldest sister He Ying, the second sister He Penggu, and his younger sister He Mangu used kitchen knives, flat shoulders and guns, and from here, they created a new world.
01 Descendants of the Revolution Lost Their Mother at the Age of Two
He Mangu, the "Xiangxi Double Gun Heroine", is Xiang Xuan's biological mother and He Long's sister.
He Ying led her husband Gu Jiting and his younger sisters He Penggu, He Mangu and Liao Hansheng, a guerrilla group of nearly 30 people, to fight guerrillas in the sangzhi area of hunan province for 4 years.
He Ying's guerrillas "are a revolutionary detachment without the official designation of the Red Army but are really engaged in the armed struggle of the workers and peasants, a red armed force without Communists but indeed under the leadership of the Communist Party." ”
He Mangu is a hero, on the battlefield she has two guns in one hand to make it a surprise, it is no exaggeration to say that when Xiang Xuan was still in the womb, his mother took him up the mountain to fight a guerrilla.
In March 1926, Xiang Xuan was born. On the morning of his birth, his uncle He Long fired two shots into the sky happily, then bent down and knelt down and gently kissed the fresh face of Xiao Xiangxuan, whose amniotic fluid had not dried.
In August 1928, He Mangu was unfortunately captured by the local landlords and then brutally killed, when Xiang Xuan was just two years old. Later, Xiang Xuan was rescued by the Red Army and lived with his aunt He Ying, and called He Ying his mother.
02 Escape from death Joined the army at the age of seven
May 6, 1933, was a day that Xiang Xuan would never forget. Betrayed by traitors, the guerrillas led by He Ying were raided, and later outnumbered, and He Ying fell in a pool of blood. Before dying, He Ying shoved two blood-stained pistols and four silver dollars into Xiang Xuan, and with the last of his strength, pushed Xiang Xuan: "Run! Go and seek revenge on your uncle (He Long). ”
Xiang Xuan, who was just 7 years old, had no idea where He Long was at this time, he only knew that his uncle was on the other side of the mountain.
Taking advantage of the darkness, Xiao Xiangxuan ran wildly up the mountain, bullets flew from behind, his right foot was hit in the neck at some point, and the poor child fainted in the mountain. Fortunately, he met Liao Hansheng and others who came to meet him, and Xiang Xuancai was saved.
Today, most 7-year-old children grow up happily under the care of their elders, while Xiang Xuan's 7-year-old is cast with blood and fire; his 7-year-old comes out of the test of life and death.
Xiang Xuan, Liao Hansheng, and others cried to Commander He Long at the Headquarters of the Red Second Army about the tragic scene of He Ying's blood spilling on Dongchangwan.
It was from this day that 7-year-old Xiang Xuan joined the ranks of the "Little Red Devil".
03 Nine-year-old long march to temper the will
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 towns 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.
Unconsciously, Xiao Xiangxuan grew up and understood things. During the march, although the leg wound was not completely healed, and sometimes he bled and pus, he refused to enjoy the mules used by the army for the 3 youngest children, and always gave the mules to other children to ride.
There were 19 "little red devils" in the communication class that year, the oldest was 14 years old, and the youngest was 9-year-old Xiang Xuan, but in doing things, Xiang Xuan always took the lead. The guard post clearly stipulates that one person over 10 years old has one shift, and the small 3 people have a shift. But whenever Xiang Xuan and the 3 of them stood guard, Xiang Xuan always waved his hand: You go to sleep, I stand alone.
The "little red devils" are "little devils", and the Red Army ranks are full of their uses: sentries, attendants, messengers, trumpeters, scouts, grooms, nurses, actors...
Most of them wore military uniforms that were too fat, with sleeves hanging down to their knees and tops almost dragged to the ground. They say they wash their hands and face three times a day, but they are always dirty and often have a runny nose. They often rolled their sleeves and smiled with their teeth exposed.
Stories of their valor are passed down a lot. They were not given or asked to be cared for as small children, and many actually took part in the fighting. ”
- "The Long March, an Unheard Story"
04 Fought bravely and was seriously wounded
War smelts Xiang Xuan's youth and courage. The ignorance and cowardice of the youth are gradually melted by the smoke of gunfire, and what is precipitated is fearlessness and tenacity.
In the summer of 1948, in the Battle of Libei in Dali County, Shaanxi Province, Xiang Xuan, commander of the engineer company of the 358th Brigade of the Northwest Field Army, and his comrades-in-arms bombarded the enemy's fortifications with successfully modified Qing Dynasty earthen cannons and crushed the enemy.
The enemy was knocked down in a large area, but the enemy remained stubborn. Suddenly, the enemy's gun grenade hit Xiang Xuan, he fell in a pool of blood, his right eye socket was full of fried seeds, his right foot was pierced, and he was wounded in 26 places, and some of the shrapnel has not been removed.
When the column commander and one-armed general He Bingyan learned that Xiang Xuan had been seriously injured, he was both happy for his bravery and a little guilty at the same time: after all, Xiang Xuan's father and two mothers had sacrificed their lives for the revolutionary cause, in case he had a good villain, how to explain to his relative He Long?
He Bingyan hesitated for a long time, and finally reported the matter to He Long: Xiang Xuan's eyes were blind, I didn't protect him, I'm sorry for you!
Unexpectedly, He Long not only did not have the responsibility of He Bingyan, but said: (Xiang Xuan) even if he sacrificed, there was nothing! Other people's children can be sacrificed, and so can my children's lives!
When times are in danger, the world is chaotic and loyal; the heavens and the earth have righteousness, and the Road to Huaxia has been opened up. For the sake of new China, Marshal He Long's family produced a total of 109 heroes.
Write at the end:
In 1955, at the age of 29, Xiang Xuan was awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel for his merits, and was 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, and in November 1978, he was appointed deputy director of the People's Armed Forces Department of the Xicheng District of the Chengdu Military Subdistrict of the Sichuan Provincial Military Region. He retired in December 1982 and now lives in Chengdu, Sichuan.
Xiang Xuan, who came from the flames of war, always said when talking about the hardships and hardships on the long march: "Although the long march is very bitter and there are many people who have sacrificed, everyone always has a belief, a belief that they must go on no matter what. So do I. ”
I think this is exactly what the 94-year-old old Red Army Commander Xiang Xuan hopes and exhortations to contemporary young people: to maintain the glorious traditions of the Red Army era, to unite comrades, to always maintain faith, and never to give up.
In fact, the war is far from stopping. It may just be that the battlefield has changed and the tactics have changed, which requires the courage of the Chinese people, and even more needs a hot heart.