History has its own life, it is like a person, both easy-going and self-respecting. ——Yu Qiuyu
The top ten generals Xu Haidong ranked second after Su Yu, while the humorous Chen Geng ranked third after Huang Kecheng, ranking fourth. Chen Geng once said humorously: "One of the most glorious things in this life is that he was the leader of Xu Haidong for a few days, he was a famous 'Xu Tiger', when I was the leader, he did not bite me, but helped me fight many hard battles." ”
The founding general Xu Haidong, nicknamed "Xu Laohu", was a native of Huangpi, Hubei Province, and worked as a kiln worker for 11 years. He joined the party in 1925 and participated in the jute uprising, an old revolutionary who is famous for his violent temper. When fighting, like Xu Shiyou, he often charged forward, and others could not pull it. As the saying goes, brine points tofu, one thing drops one thing. When he met Chen Geng, the tiger became a sheep.
In early October 1931, Chen Geng was sent to Eyuwan as the commander of the 38th Regiment of the 13th Division of the 4th Army of the Red Army. On November 7, the Red 4th Front was established, with Chen Geng as the commander of the 12th Division and Zhang Shihai as the director of the Political Department. The 12th Division had 3 regiments, with Xu Shiyou as the commander of the 34th Regiment, Gao Shaoxian (who died in the Battle of Hong'an in 1932) as the commander of the 35th Regiment, and Xu Haidong as the commander of the 36th Regiment.
In January 1932, Chiang Kai-shek made a meritorious "encirclement and suppression" army marched south along the Shanghuang Highway. Chen Geng led his troops to participate in the Third War of Encirclement and Suppression in the Eyu-Anhui Soviet Region. The Red 12th Division assembled in the shuangchunshu area, and Chen Geng issued an order: "The 34th and 35th regiments are blocking the enemy frontally." The 36th Regiment, as a reserve, was responsible for mobilizing the masses, raising grain and engaging in 500 pairs of military shoes. Before Chen Geng could finish speaking, Xu Haidong, the leader of the 36th Regiment, jumped up and said breathlessly on the spot: "Why did you ask my regiment to do this?" I don't do it! ”
Zhang Shihai gave Xu Haidong a job, and Xu Haidong said that he was still unwilling to do this mother-in-law's mother-in-law's work, so it was better to charge and kill the enemy on the battlefield, and proposed that the regiment of the faction do this work. Chen Geng was furious: "You tiger, that is, you have many opinions." That's an order. It doesn't work, 3 minutes, you think about it for another 3 minutes! Peng Jiandong wrote the "Ten Great Generals" of the China Literature and History Publishing House.
Xu Haidong didn't have to think about it or didn't want to do this job. But he knew the weight of the word "order", so he had to give a military salute to the division commander and political commissar and say "Execution!" Before leaving, he looked back and said, "I just hope that next time I will put it in an important position and fight more battles." He went to the door and vented again: "Let me make shoes and collect grain every day, Lao Tzu is about to become a woman and a Taoist family." Chen Geng listened, pointed his hand, and angrily called him back. Xu Haidongpi smiled and said, "Make a complaint, why is the division commander so serious?" I'm done with the task. ”
After three days of hard work, Xu Haidong prepared grain and military shoes, and he asked Chen Geng to join the war. Chen Geng agreed, taking into account the heavy casualties of the 35th Regiment in battle. Xu Shiyou of the 34th Regiment listened to Xu Haidong of the 36th Regiment and said, "Hey, there is a good drama to watch, and the 'stinky tofu' returned to the tofu shop." Originally, "Xu Laohu" was also nicknamed "stinky tofu". Chen Geng smiled and said, "'Stinky tofu', this battle is only allowed to win and not to lose." ”
The opponent of the Red 12th Division was 6 regiments of Tang Enbo, and the enemy relied on the superiority of troop strength, and the large army was pressed. At the time of the crisis, Xu Haidong began to undress, and finally only a pair of pants remained. He yelled, "Even if you die, you have to beat these black skins down!" He snatched the large knife from the guard's hand and jumped out, and the whole regiment of soldiers followed Xu Haidong and roared angrily towards the enemy. Xu Shiyou saw the situation and drank: "The big knife ball is not up, when will it stay?" The 34th Regiment also rushed up bravely. Tombaugh's 6 regiments were scattered by heroic Red Army fighters. Chen Geng ordered the counterattack of the 35th Regiment, the Battle of Tofu Shop, and the Red 12th Division annihilated more than 2,000 enemies and won a total victory.
After the war, Chen Geng said to Xu Haidong: "In such a vicious battle, you have suffered little casualties, you are still alive, it is really a great fate!" Xu Haidong smiled and said, "Of course." The bullet is 'vegetarian', click, just turn around. He also said, "All those who die on the battlefield are afraid of death." ”
When Chen Geng heard him say this, he immediately became angry: "Nonsense." Then he said, "How many martyrs have sacrificed, and if they hear your words, they will not be chilled." Are you right to say such a thing as a sacrificial comrade? Although you are loyal and commendable, it really makes me very sad that you say such irresponsible words. Chen Geng also said, "My surname is Chen's unbelief!" I only believe in Marx, and I believe that bullets can kill people. It doesn't fly in front of me and stand still and salute. Xu Haidong was honest from then on, and he did not dare to say such a big word again.
When Chen Geng led his troops to fight Huang Ancheng, Xu Shiyou showed his face in front of Chen Geng. Two enemy regiments, under the cover of artillery fire, pounced on the position of the 34th Regiment. Xu Shiyou drew a large knife from his back, killed the enemy group, and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy. The enemy was slashed to the point of collapse and retreated. Xu Shiyou led the officers and men to chase the enemy into Huang'an City, and the battle was until midnight, and all the enemies in the city were annihilated. After the battle, Chen Geng said to Xu Shiyou with great admiration: "Xu Monk, you simply changed your name to 'Commander of the Great Sword Regiment'." Since then, Xu Shiyou's nickname of "Commander of the Great Knife Regiment" has been far away.
In September 1932, Chen Geng was transferred to the chief of staff of the Red 4 front, and was wounded in the right leg during the Battle of Xinji in Anhui Province, and was sent to Shanghai for treatment in October. In this way, the two ended their superior-subordinate relationship for less than a year.
In 1932, Chiang Kai-shek personally led 500,000 heavy troops to encircle and suppress the Eyu-Anhui Soviet Region, and the main force of the Red Fourth Front broke through to the west and entered Sichuan and Shaanxi. The remaining Red 25th Army was in an increasingly difficult situation, and Zhou Enlai sent Cheng Zihua to instruct the main force in the Soviet region to make a strategic shift. Xu Haidong took the initiative to make Cheng Zihua the commander of the army, and he was changed to deputy commander himself, and Wu Huanxian was made the political commissar. The main force of the Red 25th Army broke through to the west to open up a new base area along the border between Henan and Shaanxi.
On November 16, 1934, the Red 25th Army, with less than 3,000 men, under the banner of "the second advance detachment of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army to the north to resist Japan", set out from He Jiachong, Luoshan County, Henan Province, and began the Long March west of the Pinghan Railway. In December, he moved to Luonan, Shaanxi Province.
The Red 25th Army has always been fighting alone, and the number of Nationalist troops surrounding and blocking is often about 100,000 people, and the proportion of military pressure it carries is much higher than that of the other three main Red Army. The commanders of the Red Army always took the lead in charging forward, Xu Haidong and Cheng Zihua were seriously injured because of their predecessors, and the political commissar Wu Huanxian was killed. After Wu Huanxian's death, Xu Haidong became the commander of the army, and Cheng Zihua became the political commissar.
The Red 25th Army lasted 10 months and marched 9,000 miles to reach northern Shaanxi first. The strength of the three main Red Army was constantly weakened during the Long March, and this Red Army was strengthened in both numbers and strength during the Long March.
Chiang Kai-shek called it "Xu Haidong does not die, and the country has no peaceful day", which is regarded as "a major harm to civilization". Xu Haidong, along with Mao Zedong and Zhu De, was listed as the three most wanted people in the country, and the amount of the designated head reward was 250,000 pieces of ocean. Among the generals of the Red Army, only Xu Haidong was able to stand side by side with Zhu Mao's head.
In early November 1935, Xu Haidong and Mao Zedong met for the first time. Mao Zedong sent people to borrow 2500 pieces from Xu Haidong to solve the urgent needs of the Central Red Army. After Xu Haidong learned that he had 7,000 pieces, he did not hesitate to order 5,000 pieces to the central government. Each squad was ordered to pick one of the best machine guns to give to the Central Red Army, and to send many important supplies and a large number of barge guns, and even the Caretaker Baby Cavalry Regiment was directly handed over to the Central Command. They have poured out their energies to support the Central Committee and have maintained great respect and absolute obedience to the Central Committee.
Zhang Guotao despised, Xu Haidong sent charcoal in the snow, and the two attitudes toward Mao Zedong formed a strong contrast. Mao Zedong, who had a strong sense of self-esteem, felt great relief. The base area in northern Shaanxi became a breathing ground for the CCP, and in the future it became the CCP's stronghold for seizing the world. Mao often said that Xu Haidong was "a man who made great contributions to the Chinese revolution" and "the best Communist Party member."
Edgar Snow wrote a chapter in his Journey to the West, "Xu Haidong, a Red Kiln Worker". Snow believes that in order to understand the revolutionary course of the Red Army, Xu Haidong and his people and deeds are the best materials. Zhang Guotao also admitted in his "My Memories": "Xu Haidong's struggle experience is a standard heroic epic of the Red Army soldiers. ”
When the title was awarded in September 1955, Xu Haidong said that he did not participate in the Liberation War and said that he would not participate in the evaluation of military ranks. But Mao Zedong said: "Xu Haidong must not only evaluate the generals, but also rank second among the generals, second only to Su Yu." This is a full affirmation of Xu Haidong's great contribution to the desperate situation of the Central Red Army.
Both Chen Geng and Xu Haidong were awarded the rank of Grand General. The former subordinate Xu Haidong was still ranked before the superior Chen Geng. Once, when Xu Haidong saw Chen Geng, he shouted from afar: "The division commander has come, standing upright and saluting." Many years later, Xu Haidong still said with a deep thought: "Chen Geng is my first good division commander. ”
Regrettably, General Chen Geng died of a heart attack in Shanghai on March 16, 1961, only 58 years old. Under the cruel persecution of Lin Biao, General Xu Haidong died in Zhengzhou on March 25, 1970, with hatred, and only lived for 70 years. Their legendary story came to an abrupt end, leaving future generations to sigh.