"I have returned to my hometown to meet the old people, and I have waited for twenty years without recompense, but I have been accompanied by good people and children, and I cannot accompany them in this life."
In the war years, bloodshed and sacrifice were inevitable, and for the sake of the great cause of the revolution, personal love was secondary.
Up to the generals, down to the soldiers, they abandoned their wives and children, and they may not be able to return home for several years or even more than a decade.
At that time, the communication was not so smooth, which would cause the misinformation of information, and the wife who stayed at home thought that her husband had died on the battlefield, and would choose to remarry, and when the strong man returned to his hometown, he would find that the object was not human.
Therefore, war brings blood and sacrifice to men, but to women a lifetime of mental torture.
And there is such a woman, her husband has been fighting on the battlefield for 20 years, she will wait at home for 20 years, do not remarry or leave home, waiting for her husband to be disarmed and return to the field, he is the founding general Yi Yaocai's child daughter-in-law, Zhang Feng'e.
Yi Yaocai joined the revolution at the age of 12, officially joined the Red Army at the age of 13, and began his war career at a young age.
Don't look at the young age of the people, but the ability is not small at all, with the soldiers in the unit, squad leaders learned a lot of practical knowledge, at the age of 16, has become a company-level cadre.
At the age of 21, Yi Yaocai was already a fierce general who was at ease on the battlefield, leading his troops to fight more than a dozen victorious battles in Akagi, killing, wounding and capturing more than 200 enemy soldiers, sowing the seeds of revolution in Akagi, and laying the foundation for opening up anti-Japanese base areas.
(The three sisters of the Fan family, the first on the left is Fan Jingyang)
The 23-year-old Yi Yaocai, young and promising, became the chief of staff of the Fifth Military Subdistrict of Jin-Cha-Ji, but when he reached the marriageable age, he had no partner, had lost all his family, and the organization wanted to help Yi Yaocai form a family.
Even if he didn't worry about himself, the leaders of the troops had to think about him and arrange a blind date.
Unexpectedly, Yi Yaocai did not look at the arranged blind date, but instead looked at the accompanying person, that is, Fan Jingyang.
Although it was a yin and yang mistake, the two people who were related to each other still met.
The leader of the unit can be regarded as relieved and wants Yi Yaocai and Fan Jingyang to have a wedding immediately. Fan Jingyang felt that although he had a good feeling, he had only met for a short time, and it was not good to get married immediately, and he had to talk about love first.
The leaders felt that Fan Jingyang's idea was unrealistic, the current is in the war environment, where there is time to cultivate feelings and fall in love, since the two have a good feeling, let's get married first, love can be talked about after marriage.
Fan Jingyang and Yi Yaocai, under the mediation of everyone, met in just a few times, and got married and became husband and wife. After all, they still met the right person, and after marriage, the two respected and loved each other, and there was no situation that Fan Jingyang was worried about.
In fact, for Yi Yaocai and Fan Jingyang, it doesn't matter how long they get along, it is to meet the right person, make decisions at the right time, and have confidence in dealing with the great changes and sufferings in life.
(Fan Family Three Sisters)
So, it's not that in those days, there was no love. Not only Fan Jingyang and Yi Yaocai, the three golden flowers of the Fan family, the three sisters are married into the general, they are the general's wife, and everyone's love story is also legendary.
However, the love between the little sister Fan Jingyang and Yi Yaocai is even more moving.
The reason why the love between Yi Yaocai and Fan Jingyang is to move future generations, not only is the love between the two people eternal, but also in the treatment of Yi Yaocai's "old people", Yi Yaocai's sentient righteousness, Fan Jingyang's profound righteousness, this noble sentiment is not something that everyone can do.
The teenager made a revolution, and the young man made great achievements in battle
Yi Yaocai was born in 1917 to a relatively wealthy family in Taihe County, Jiangxi Province.
During his childhood, Yi Yaocai met many Kuomintang troops.
Because at that time, the Red Army had just established a base area in Jinggangshan, and if the Kuomintang soldiers wanted to send troops to attack, they had to pass through Taihe County.
(Little Red Devil)
Yi Yaocai, 10, carefully observed these Kuomintang officers and soldiers, who were always energetic when they went to reinforcements, dressed in clean and straight clothes, and when they withdrew, they were gray-headed and their numbers were greatly reduced.
Soon, he knew that the Soldiers of the Kuomintang were invincible to the Red Army, and that this would only be the case if they lost the battle.
It is precisely because of the continuous war that many families are torn apart. One day, Yi Yaocai's parents saw the homeless Zhang Feng'e, could not bear to let the child fend for herself, and led her back home to Make Yi Yaocai a daughter-in-law, that is, a child bride.
Yi Yaocai, who is still young, does not understand what marriage is, what is a family, what is a wife, for him, Zhang Feng'e's arrival is to have one more playmate.
When Yi Yaocai was 12 years old, as the influence of the Red Army grew, he grew young and gave birth to revolutionary ideas and participated in the peasant revolt with his father.
In the ranks of the revolution, he found the direction of his future life and decided to join the Red Army and serve the country.
At the age of 13, he began to study in the team, but because of his enthusiasm, he attracted the attention of the local reactionary government, and they slaughtered Yi Yaocai's family as a way to vent their anger.
Hearing that his family had been persecuted, Yi Yaocai was deeply saddened, but instead of doubting his decision to join the Red Army, he made up his mind that he must go into battle to kill the enemy and liberate all of China to avenge his family.
Of course, at that time, he also thought that his daughter-in-law Zhang Feng'e had also been persecuted and was no longer alive.
Losing all his family members did not attack Yi Yaocai's revolutionary enthusiasm, but on the contrary, he accumulated more assiduously to accumulate practical combat knowledge, only to win the battle on the battlefield.
With firm conviction, Yi Yaocai demonstrated his outstanding military ability in the army, danced with knives and guns, had a clear mind in actual combat, could show his views, and made contributions in many counter-encirclement and suppression and attacks.
The smooth life of the troops, accompanied by the failure of the Red Army's anti-encirclement and suppression, fell into a desperate situation, and Yi Yaocai began the Long March with the troops, and he was only 17 years old that year.
During the Long March, Yi Yaocai did not suffer less, the environment was harsh, so that he suffered from severe malaria, and when he was in danger, his uncle who was also in the same army was desperate, untied his cowhide belt, and cooked a pot of soup for Yi Yaocai.
Unexpectedly, Yi Yaocai miraculously recovered, and the full state was getting better and better, so he quickly caught up with the large troops.
Yi Yaocai, who was only 23 years old in 1940, was only 23 years old, and was already a senior in the army, taking hundreds of battles as actual combat experience and the knowledge learned at the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University as the theoretical basis, Yi Yaocai became an all-rounder in the team and was appointed chief of staff of the 5th Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region.
Young and promising, but without a family, 10 years without support. The organization wanted to help Yi Yaocai start a family and began to prepare for her.
Meet the love of your life, marry first and then love to become a model of the army
From the age of 12 to 23, Yi Yaocai's meritorious service on the battlefield in the past 11 years not only led the Eighth Route Army to capture Chicheng for the first time, laying a solid foundation for the future anti-Japanese base area, but also serving as a front-line commander, liberating Zhangjiakou, so that the Japanese puppet army was frightened when it heard Yi Yaocai's name.
Such a talent in the army should have a complete one, so the organization found Dr. Zhang, who is also a single army outpatient clinic, and arranged for the two to meet.
Dr. Zhang was nervous, so he found the intern medicine Fan Jingyang and went to meet him together. The first time they met, the three people were not familiar with each other, and they hurriedly separated without talking too much.
Through a simple conversation, Yi Yaocai felt that Dr. Zhang was not in love with himself, but he could not live up to the goodwill of the organization, nor could he let his comrades be hit, so he said that he looked at Fan Jingyang who accompanied him, so as to refuse this blind date.
I thought that the matter would end here, but I did not expect that the organization did not give up because of Yi Yaocai's prevarication, saying that since I had a crush on Fan Jingyang, then you two should get married.
Therefore, the head of the organization section of the 5th Military Sub-district found Fan Jingyang and told her that she was ready to get married.
Fan Jingyang also did not know why, suddenly, with whom to marry?
The chief of section said, Yi Chief of Staff, he has a crush on you.
Fan Jingyang was very surprised, he obviously accompanied his comrades to go on a blind date, why did it become his own marriage.
I heard that the organization was already communicating with Fan Jingyang, and Yi Yaocai was also overwhelmed, and did not expect the process to be so fast.
In a short time, although he felt that the chief of staff was good, but without careful understanding, he directly married, Fan Jingyang still felt inappropriate, so he proposed the idea of first falling in love to the organization.
However, the chief of the organization section said that in the environment of the war, there is still time for you to cultivate feelings and get married, if both parties like it, get married, fall in love, then talk about it after marriage.
So, with the help of their comrades-in-arms, the two got married.
Life after marriage does not quarrel and quarrel because the two parties do not know enough, but respect and love each other, get along in the small things of life, slowly understand each other, and love each other deeply.
The love between the two has also become a good story in the army, whenever someone asks Yi Yaocai, a chief of staff in the hall, why he listens to his wife's words so much, Yi Yaocai also quipped:
"I'm a medicinal herb (Yaocai), she's a pharmacist, can I disobey?"
The happiness of marriage has given Yi Yaocai's heart that has nowhere to rest, and it is more down-to-earth, which also makes him more wholehearted on the battlefield.
Follow the team to start the anti-sweep, although the husband and wife get together less and leave more, but every day, they miss each other, but make love more wanton flood.
With his outstanding combat strength and command experience, Yi Yaocai was promoted to chief of staff of the Cha-Ji Military Region, and he was only 27 years old this year.
Many comrades-in-arms said that after marriage, Yi Yaocai gave full play to his strength and was able to rise step by step, thanks to a virtuous wife in the family.
In the past 20 years of military service, sijia emotions surged into his heart, and he took his wife and mother to sacrifice, but he met the old man
In 1945, Japan announced its surrender, and the anti-Japanese battlefield achieved a comprehensive victory.
Spending nearly 20 years on the battlefield means that Yi Yaocai has not returned home for 20 years, and he has not even swept the graves of his parents once.
However, before it was time to have the opportunity to miss home, Yi Yaocai led his troops to fight the reactionary government in Zhangjiakou.
In the face of the reactionary government, Yi Yaocai's countermeasure was to be quick and accurate, to strike directly into the heart of the enemy, and to liberate Zhangjiakou in just a few days.
Immediately afterward, Chiang Kai-shek of the Kuomintang sent an invitation to the Communist Party to go to Chongqing for negotiations, hoping that Chairman Mao could go to Chongqing to discuss the country's grand plan and future development.
In order to make good arrangements and ensure safety, an action group was set up, and Yi Yaocai was a member of the group, and he was well aware of the arduous task this time, and for the safety of the Maoist party and the future of the country, he must do a good job in this post.
Fortunately, the two parties successfully signed the "Double Tenth Agreement", but at this time, there was still a long way to go before peaceful liberation. The Kuomintang Chiang Kai-shek was not satisfied with the status quo and violated the agreement and launched an offensive against the Liberated Areas.
In the face of the Kuomintang's sudden turn of the face, our army could only attack with all its might and start the War of Liberation.
Yi Yaocai led his army to consolidate the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, seize Datong and Baijia kilns, and annihilate a regiment of the enemy army.
In the Caohetou area, Yi Yaocai led his troops to a night and a half, annihilating more than 4,600 enemy troops, a battle that was affirmed by the Central Military Commission, calling it a beautiful anti-ship battle.
After the end of the war, Yi Yaocai, who had been away from home for more than 20 years, could not be separated in his heart, and he decided to go home to worship his mother, and told his deceased family about his military career for so many years, so that they knew that sacrifice was only in exchange for a better future.
This time, Yi Yaocai did not go out of the village alone as he had done at the beginning, but took his wife and two people home.
The village, which has not returned for many years, still has a sense of familiarity, and there is no one at home, but the warmth is still there. Yi Yaocai took Fan Jingyang to the grave in front of the tomb to offer sacrifices, but found the figure of a woman.
When he left home at a young age, he could no longer remember who this person was, and he knew that all his family members had died, so who would come to sacrifice him?
Although Yi Yaocai's memory was not very clear, the woman remembered it clearly. She recognized the man in front of her at a glance, that is, her husband who had been waiting for more than 20 years, Yi Yaocai, and this woman was Zhang Feng'e.
20 years have passed, the creation of people, you have married a good person, this life will not be able to accompany, but I still have to persevere
Although she has not seen each other for 20 years, Zhang Feng'e recognized Yi Yaocai at a glance, and she also knew that she had waited for 20 years and finally had the answer that the dust had settled, even if there was a woman beside him.
Compared with the joy and excitement of the reunion, Yi Yaocai showed more surprise, and Zhang Feng'e told him about the ins and outs.
It turned out that when the reactionaries slaughtered the family at that time, Zhang Feng'e was still young, and the neighbors could not bear to watch the child die under the knife, falsely claiming that it was their own child, which saved her life.
Since then, Zhang Feng'e has replaced Yi Yaocai as a sacrifice for her family.
And Yi Yaocai was in the battlefield, he had not returned home for 20 years, and the people in the village advised Zhang Feng'e that he must have died in battle, don't wait, or find someone to marry again, so that someone can take care of it in the second half of his life.
And Zhang Feng'e insisted on not remarrying, she believed that her life was given by the Yi family, and she had married Yi Yaocai, so even if he died, she would have to do filial piety for him and sacrifice her parents.
Compared with most of the wives left behind, even if you want to insist on love, you are bent by reality.
In that era, everyone had to live by doing farm work, and a woman supported a family, even if she could, it would have to pay a thousand kinds of hardships, and there were a few people who were willing to pay such hard work. For Zhang Feng'e, Yi Yaocai is called husband, but she has not felt any warmth between husband and wife, and 20 years of waiting can be described as precious.
Yi Yaocai was very touched to hear Zhang Feng'e's words, and his wife Fan Jingyang next to her also began to cry, touched by this woman's 20 years of perseverance.
However, Yi Yaocai said that she already had a lifelong companion and could not go back to the past, and could not live with Zhang Feng'e in the name of husband and wife.
For Yi Yaocai's situation, Zhang Feng'e is also reasonable, she understands Yi Yaocai, and there is no embarrassment for Fan Jingyang, she said, you are still as happy as before, I will stay here for you to guard the family that has passed away, don't worry.
However, knowing that Zhang Feng'e is still alive, she can't ignore it, Yi Yaocai told Zhang Feng'e, although I can't accompany you, nor can I take care of you for the rest of your life, but I can help you find a good husband among my comrades-in-arms and let him come to give you a home.
Zhang Feng'e explicitly rejected Yi Yaocai's proposal, she did not agree to remarry, and only wanted to stay here and wait.
Yi Yaocai, who was overwhelmed for a while, did not know what way to make up for Zhang Feng'e.
At this time, Fan Jingyang proposed to first find a stable job for Zhang Feng'e in the local area, so that she could have a stable source of livelihood, so that she could be more stable.
In the days that followed, Fan Jingyang did not make a big fuss because of this child daughter-in-law, and was willing to support each other and give Zhang Feng'e economic support, so that the family relationship had no worries and was harmonious.
Fan Jingyang's generosity, Yi Yaocai's affection and righteousness, Zhang Feng'e's unrepentant waiting, these three people are in their own way, giving the other two people a better life, thinking about each other, but also let them not have any rupture because of the special relationship, but more warmth and family between each other.
The three of them seem complicated, but in fact, they are very clear.
Between Fan Jingyang and Yi Yaocai is love and companionship; between Zhang Feng'e and Yi Yaocai is gratitude, responsibility, and family.
In 1955, at the age of 38, Yi Yaocai was named the founding general, Fan Jingyang was happy for him, because her husband's birth and death had been proven, Zhang Feng'e was also happy for him, and his 20 years of waiting was not white, and he was worth spending time waiting.
He did not have a name before he died, and he was buried together after death
For Zhang Feng'e, she is not her husband's wife, but like a friend, she regularly takes out money to supplement her life, gives care and care, which is the best ending for 3 people.
In 1990, Yi Yaocai died of illness at the age of 73. Leaving their adopted daughter-in-law Zhang Feng'e and his wife Fan Jingyang, the two women continued to take care of each other until Zhang Feng'e's death in 1996.
Fan Jingyang knew how difficult Zhang Feng'e's life was, and she also knew how sad she was that she had no name before she died, so she made a generous decision.
However, when her husband Yi Yaocai died, half of the ashes were scattered at sea, and half were transported back to his hometown for burial. After Zhang Feng'e, Fan Jingyang believed that she should have a name, even if she did not have it before she died, she should have it after death, so she buried her ashes with her husband Yi Yaocai, which can also be regarded as the completion of Zhang Feng'e's lifelong wish.
In today's society, monogamy, such a situation does not happen at all, and it is incomprehensible.
However, in the war-torn era, the complexity of the situation is unimaginable.
Although General Yi Yaocai has two "wives", he has not failed anyone, giving his beloved wife Fan Jingyang a lifetime of companionship and dedicated love, while giving his adoptive daughter-in-law Zhang Feng'e a lifetime of care and family companionship, at the same time, he also told her with his own 20 years of war experience that your waiting is not meaningless.
In the life of founding Major General Yi Yaocai, there is a child daughter-in-law who you wait all your life, hope that you are well, and have nothing else to ask for; there is a love at first sight, willing to accompany you for the rest of your life, understand all your situations, a love that affects 2 people, a good person, an old person.
(References: "Akagi Heroes", "The Spark of Memory", "Jin Sui Heroes, Military Characters Volume")
I would like to pay tribute to the founding major general Yi Yaocai with this article!
Author/Star Boy