Pictured: Nie Rongzhen meets Mihoko
preface
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I suddenly received the bad news of my father's death, and I deeply regretted that I could not go to Pinghang because I was far away.
In 1992, Marshal Nie Rongzhen passed away, and a Japanese woman sent a condolence telegram to express her mourning for her "father" Nie Rongzhen.
In the 1980s, when Marshal Nie Rongzhen was talking with Yao Yuanfang, vice president of the People's Liberation Army Daily, he talked about how he had rescued a Japanese girl during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, when Yao Yuanfang took a photo and asked Nie Shuai if he remembered the name of the little girl, and Nie Shuai pondered for a long time:
"It seems like her name is Xingzi."
"Picked up" Japanese girls on the battlefield
In August 1940, in order to break the "cage policy" of the Japanese invaders, Peng Dehuai personally commanded the Eighth Route Army in North China to launch the "Hundred Regiments War" that shocked China and foreign countries, when Commander Yang Chengwu gave the task of attacking the Jingxin Coal Mine to the 3rd Regiment of the Central General Corps, where the 17-year-old Yang Zhongshan belonged.
Pictured peng Dehuai on the front line of the Hundred Regiments War
At that time, Yang Zhongshan followed the troops to the village of Xiaozuo near Jingxing, and further on was the enemy-occupied area, and the enemy had already set up a turret on the top of the hill to protect the Jingxing coal mine they occupied. Taking advantage of the nightfall, Yang Zhongshan, led by battalion commander Lai Qingyao, quietly sneaked into Dongwangshe Village, not far from the coal mine, waiting for the order to attack.
At 8:30 p.m., with The Order of Yang Chengwu, the prelude to the "Hundred Regiments War" was officially opened at the Jingxin Coal Mine, and the battle continued until 4:00 a.m. the next day, when Yang Zhongshan's four companies and platoons finally opened the way to advance, captured XiaotuShan, and wiped out the enemy in the bunker.
Just as Yang Zhongshan and the others rushed to a breached bunker on the west side of Xiaotu Mountain, not far from Yang Zhongshan, a Japanese woman was lying next to the corpses of other Japanese soldiers, and the Japanese woman had been shot and killed, and next to her stood a little Japanese girl who had been stunned.
The three regiments of Yang Zhongshan attacked the Jingxing Coal Mine
The little girl's name is Mihoko, and her father is the deputy station manager of the Jingxing Coal Mine Railway Station, and her family lives next to the train station. When the Eighth Route Army attacked the coal mine, her mother thought that the family was not safe, so she fled with her to the Japanese bunker, while her father fled to the mine with her sister Miyazon in her arms after the bunker was breached.
After all, the child was innocent, Yang Zhongshan rushed forward violently, holding Mihoko in front of the company commander, the Japanese counterattack fire was more fierce, trying to retake the lost position, when the hygienist just wanted to get up to pick up the child, the enemy shot at him fiercely, and the hygienist was sacrificed.
The company commander saw this dangerous situation and immediately ordered Yang Zhongshan to escort the child safely to the battalion headquarters. Yang Zhongshan rushed out of the position with Mihoko in his arms and walked all the way along Xiaotu Mountain to the battalion headquarters. When descending the mountain, due to the steepness of the road, Yang Zhongshan had to bend down, holding the beautiful spike in one hand and pulling away the branches in front of him with the other.
Picture 丨 Childhood Mihoko with her mother
Mihoko was probably frightened, and did not cry or make trouble along the way, but obediently stayed in Yang Zhongshan's arms and let Yang Zhongshan take her to an unknown place. After walking down the rugged mountain road, Yang Zhongshan and Mihoko finally walked onto the main road leading to the battalion headquarters, and just when he was just relieved, there was a fierce gunshot not far away, mixed with the shouts of the Japanese army.
Yang Zhongshan hurriedly picked up Mei Suizi and plunged into the sorghum field on the side of the road. In order to avoid Mei Sui from being bitten by mosquitoes, Yang Zhongshan ripped off the sorghum leaves to repel mosquitoes for her, and worried that Mei Sui would get cold at night, Yang Zhongshan also took off his shirt and draped it on Mei Sui. Seeing that the sky was gradually brightening up, and the distant gunshots were gradually disappearing, Yang Zhongshan's nervous mood could finally relax.
He sat on the ridge of the sorghum field to rest with Mei Sui in his arms, and after a night of tossing, the young Mei Sui zi was full of haggard face, and his eyes were deeply sunken, Yang Zhongshan saw that the child was strange and pitiful, so he took out the biscuits on his body and let her eat. At first, Mihoko shook her head and said that she would not eat, Yang Zhongshan had to use the Japanese he had just learned to speak only a few words, while saying it to Mihoko, Mihoko took the biscuit and barely took a few bites.
Picture 丨 Yang Zhongshan old photo
After dawn, although the battle on the other side of Xiaotushan was still going on, there was no movement in the direction of the battalion headquarters, and Yang Zhongshan estimated that the direction of the battalion headquarters was safe, so he drilled out of the sorghum field with Mei Suizi and hurried to the camp headquarters ambulance station. Yang Zhongshan handed Mihoko to the battalion commander Lai Qingyao and briefly reported his rescue of Mihoko.
Lai Qingyao praised Yang Zhongshan's task well, asked him to return to the team immediately, and told the company commander to be ready to attack the old mining area, and Yang Zhongshan immediately returned to the company when he received the task. Later, the other companies rescued Mihoko's sister and sent her back to the battalion headquarters to Lai Qingyao.
Nie Shuai adopted Japanese orphans
On August 21, just as Yang Chengwu was happy to take the Dongwangshe Coal Mine, he suddenly received a call from the leader of his subordinate regiment, saying
Soldiers of the first battalion rescued two japanese girls on the battlefield, and it was found that they were the children of the deputy station chief of the coal mine railway station, the parents of both children had died in the battle, and the two little girls were currently at the side of the battalion commander Lai Qingyao.
Picture 丨 Yang Chengwu old photo
After Yang Chengwu heard the news, he immediately ordered Lai Qingyao to send someone to send the two little girls to the forward command post, and then reported to Commander Nie Rongzhen and asked the chief for instructions on how to deal with the two little girls. Nie Rongzhen was very happy to hear this, and praised the third regiment under Yang Chengwu:
"Very good, they have done a very meaningful good deed, you take care of the child, immediately send someone to escort me."
After Yang Chengwu saw the two children, he immediately sent someone to carry them to Nie Rongzhen's command post with a basket.
At that time, Nie Rongzhen's daughter Nie Li was left in Shanghai, and she had not seen each other several times since she was almost ten years old, Nie Rongzhen missed her daughter all the time, and when she saw a child on weekdays, he would kiss and hug to relieve his longing.
In the evening, the two warriors finally carried Mihoko's sister to the command post, Mihoko's sister, although slightly injured in the battle, was already asleep in her swaddling, while Mihoko sat in the basket, looking around with her two large eyes open, and her mouth was still mumbling.
Tu 丨 sitting in the pick eating pear Mihoko
The child must be hungry, go and boil a little porridge.
Nie Rongzhen hurriedly instructed the comrades around him to prepare something to eat, and also specially instructed the rice soup to be diluted. Then he carefully examined the bandaged wound of Mihoko's sister and considered sending someone to find a nursing woman as soon as possible, such a small child could not drink milk.
The cooker quickly brought a bowl of hot porridge, Mihoko immediately swallowed a mouthful of saliva when she saw it, and Nie Rongzhen took Mihoko in her arms and fed her with a spoon while softly asking her what her name was. At that time, Mihoko repeatedly murmured in Japanese:
"Mom is dead, Mom is dead..."
None of the comrades present could understand mihoko's Japanese, and because the pronunciation of "dead" and "koko" in Japanese was close, when the translator arrived, they thought mihoko's name was "Koko". Soon women who could breastfeed were also found, and the headquarters and the surrounding masses knew that Nie Rongzhen had adopted two Japanese orphans.
Picture Shu Nie Rongzhen watched the warriors feed Mihoko
Under Nie Rongzhen's meticulous arrangement, the life of the Mihoko sisters in the command post has come to an end, and Mihoko, who has gradually recovered from the stimulation of the war, has a closer relationship with Nie Rongzhen, almost inseparable, clutching Nie Rongzhen's clothes every day in and out. Looking at this "little tail" behind him, Nie Rongzhen couldn't help but think of his daughter Nie Li again.
After all, they were still on the battlefield at the time, and the command post could not let Mihoko live here for a long time. Nie Rongzhen thought about it again and again, and came up with two ways to send it to his hometown or send it back to the Japanese army. If they are sent to their hometowns, their lives will be more bitter, and they will be invaded by the Japanese army and will not be able to live in peace. Nie Rongzhen thought about it and decided to send them back to the Japanese army so that they could return to their relatives and friends.
Having made up his mind, Nie Rongzhen found a reliable fellow and discussed with him to send the Mieko sisters to the Japanese military camp with a pick.
He then wrote a long letter and asked them to hand it over to the Japanese. The letter detailed the origin of the two little girls and advised the Japanese army to abandon the invasion at an early date and seek liberation with the Chinese people.
Tu 丨 Nie Rongzhen and Mihoko said goodbye
After listening to the translator and reading the long letter written by Nie Rongzhen, the leader of the Japanese army said a few words to the other Japanese officers, and everyone stood in the direction of Nie Rongzhen's headquarters, bowed deeply, and took out a pile of banknotes to give to the compatriot who sent the child. Mihoko's sisters were then transferred to Shijiazhuang, where, unfortunately, Mishoko's sister died prematurely, while Mihoko returned to Japan smoothly.
"After more than 40 years of absence, I finally found it"
In April 1980, Nie Rongzhen listened to a report on the meeting of the Political Department, and after the end of the meeting, Yao Yuanfang, vice president of the "People's Liberation Army Daily", took out three photos and asked Nie Rongzhen if he remembered them. These photos were the only few photos of Nie Rongzhen and Mihoko at that time, and Nie Rongzhen looked at the photos carefully and said:
"Isn't this the little Japanese girl that our army rescued from the Jingxing Coal Mine?"
Picture 丨 Nie Rongzhen and Mihoko took a group photo
Yao Yuanfang said that he wrote an article "Japanese Little Girl, Where Are You?" The article wanted to promote the revolutionary spirit of the Eighth Route Army, but I didn't know what the name of this little girl was. Nie Rongzhen pondered for a moment and said:
"She seems to be called Xingzi."
The following month, Yao Yuanfang wrote an article published in the "People's Liberation Army Pictorial" and "People's Liberation Army Daily", which detailed the process of Nie Rongzhen's adoption of these two Japanese little girls, and also emphasized that Nie Rongzhen did not forget the past and called on the Japanese little girl of that year. The article immediately caused a great response in China and Japan.
Subsequently, Japan's "Yomiuri Shimbun" reprinted Yao Yuanfang's article in full, and distributed the headline "General Nie calls on the Xingzi sisters after forty years", and they also sent reporters to Beijing to meet Yao Yuanfang, learn more about Nie Rongzhen's concern about this matter, and said that they must find these two little girls.
The article written by Yao Yuanfang was published in the newspaper
Not long after, the Yomiuri Shimbun again published an article declaring that "Xingzi" had been found, and forwarded a letter from Mihoko to Nie Shuai for Marshal Nie Rongzhen, in which Mihoko mentioned that she hoped to visit China. Nie Rongzhen carefully read Mihoko's letter, thought that the Yomiuri Shimbun report was accurate, and happily said to the secretary:
"After more than 40 years of absence, I am very happy to finally find it, and I wish Mishoko a happy family."
On the same day that mihoko received the letter, the General Political Department transferred an ancient Japanese samurai helmet given to Nie Rongzhen by the Japan Association, and in Japan, the ancient samurai helmet was the most noble etiquette, and they hoped to show the highest respect for Nie Rongzhen's actions that year.
Nie Rongzhen immediately sent a message to his Japanese friend:
"This is to turn the Chinese and Japanese people into jade, and I hope that the people of China and Japan will continue to be friendly from generation to generation and will never see each other in arms."
On June 12, Nie Rongzhen was invited to meet with friends in the press, answered the situation about Mihoko, and proposed that the China-Japan Friendship Association consider inviting Mihoko to visit China, which he believes is of great significance for further deepening Sino-Japanese friendly relations. On the basis of Nie Rongzhen's suggestion, the China-Japan Friendship Association issued an invitation to Mihoko to visit China after receiving the approval of the relevant departments.
Picture 丨 Nie Rongzhen and Mihoko shook hands cordially
A month later, when Mihoko's family came to Beijing, Nie Shuai sent his daughter Nie Li to the airport to greet her, and when she returned home, Nie Li reported to her father the moving scene of the meeting with Mihoko. In the next few days, Mihoko's family visited many scenic spots in Beijing and accepted a banquet from the China-Japan Friendship Association.
On the morning of July 14, Nie Rongzhen met with mihoko's family in the Great Hall of the People, and the Japanese ambassador to China also attended the meeting.
When the Mihozi family entered the Xinjiang Hall, Nie Rongzhen stepped forward to shake hands with Mihoko, and Mihoko burst into tears, bowed deeply to Nie Shuai, and touched Nie Shuai's hand with her forehead to show her greatest respect.
After more than 40 years of seeing each other again, Nie Rongzhen was also very excited, and he said to Mihoko while comparing, when he saw her, she was only so tall.
After everyone was seated, Mihoko took out a gift, and she unwrapped the silk cloth she was wearing, revealing a large, transparent glass cover with a Japanese doll a foot and a half tall. Mihoko said that in Japan, this is a precious gift for your guests.
Nie Rongzhen smiled heartily, of course he knew Mihoko's intentions on this gift, he solemnly took the Japanese doll and asked the staff to take out the gift he gave to Mihoko. When the picture scroll slowly unfolded, everyone present was very amazed, this painting is called "Three Friends of the Year Cold", which was made by Master Cheng Shifa.
Nie Rongzhen presents a painting to Mihoko
Cheng Shifa is an artist that Nie Rongzhen has always loved, and when he learned of Mei Suizi's visit to China this time, he specially asked Cheng Shifa to make this "Picture of the Three Friends of the Cold Years" for him, and personally inscribed on the top of the scroll:
Sino-Japanese friendship is eternal
。 Mihoko never expected nie shuai to prepare such a grand gift for her, and for a while her eyes burst into tears again.
Nie Rongzhen smiled and asked Mihoko if she knew why she chose the "Three Friends of the Cold Year" as a gift. Because in winter, only pine trees, bamboo and plum blossoms can withstand the cold and remain vibrant:
"I send you this painting in the hope that the friendship between China and Japan will stand the test like Shochiku Plum."
Due to the various restrictions during Mihoko's visit to China, she was unable to meet with Yang Zhongshan, which became Mihoko's regret. Later, after Mihoko returned to Japan, she made a long-distance phone call to Yang Zhongshan and wrote a warm thank-you letter, lettering that Mihoko invited Yang Zhongshan's family to come to Japan as a guest. Due to various reasons, Yang Zhongshan has not been able to make the trip, but Mihoko will send Yang Zhongshan exquisite greeting cards and gifts every festival.
"Your mom is my eternal sister"
In May 1992, Nie Rongzhen passed away, and on the occasion of his death, he specially asked his daughter Nie Li to have the opportunity to go to Japan to see her "sister" Mihoko. When Mihoko learned of this news in Japan, she sent a special telegram of condolences to express her condolences:
"I am deeply saddened to hear of the unfortunate death of His Excellency Nie Rongzhen... Thanks to General Nie's rescue, I have today... I have always admired General Nie as the support of my soul, and I have ignored the bad news of my father's death, and I am deeply sorry that I cannot go to Pinghang because I am far away. ”
Picture 丨 In 2005, Mihoko and Yang Zhongshan reunited
Then Mihoko called the China-Japan Friendship Association and asked them to tell Nie Li that she very much wanted to come to China to mourn Nie Shuai in order to fulfill her daughter's filial piety, but because her husband was sick and lying in bed at the time, it was really difficult to get out, and asked Nie Li's forgiveness. However, Mihoko set up a shrine in her home and held a memorial service according to traditional Japanese customs to express her special feelings for her foreign "father".
On the occasion of the Dragon Boat Festival in 2007, Mihoko's daughter, Machiko, brought her children to visit China with the Japanese delegation, and before visiting China, Machiko made meticulous preparations and specially made historical photos of "generals and orphan girls" into business cards and brought them to China to publicize their relationship with China.
On the night of the Dragon Boat Festival, Zhen Zhizi took the child to Nie Li's home, and Nie Li and the child Nie Fei waited at the door early to greet the guests. When The true Zhizi mother and daughter stepped out of the car, walked quickly to Nie Li and Nie Fei, and embraced them warmly:
"Finally I'm seeing you again!" Our whole family misses you so much that my mother, Mihoko, asked me to convey her best wishes for your whole family. ”
Picture 丨Mihoko visits "General Nie Rongzhen Sent to a Lonely Place"
According to Japanese customs, The mother and daughter of Zhenzhizi bowed three times in front of nie Rongzhen's bronze statue and offered a piece of heart incense to express their remembrance of Nie Shuai. Subsequently, Nie Li's mother and daughter accompanied Zhen Zhizi's mother and daughter to visit the Memorial Hall of Marshal Nie Rongzhen at home.
Machiko's mother and daughter looked through the photos of the past, and their thoughts seemed to return to that time. When she saw Mihoko go to Beijing for the first time to meet Marshal Nie Rongzhen, Zhen Zhizi excitedly pointed to the photo and said to her daughter:
"Look, that's me, about the same age I was when I came here."
After the visit, everyone sat in the living room and talked about homely things, and Nie Li took Zhen Zhizi's hand and said: "
I heard that you are going home, so I specially prepared zongzi for the Dragon Boat Festival to greet you. Your mother is my eternal sister, and you are welcome to come home and see it often.
Mihoko has been to China 5 times, and her daughter Machiko has also been here 4 times, Nie Li recalled:
"I have a similar fate to your mother, and I hate the deep disasters that the war has brought to the chinese and Japanese peoples and the misfortunes it has brought to two families. We sincerely hope that China and Japan will be friendly from generation to generation. ”
Tu 丨 Mei Suizi (left) and Nie Li warmly embraced
Nie Li then took out two memoirs written by herself based on her father's revolutionary career, one for Machiko, and the other for her to pass on to her mother Mihoko. Hearing that Zhen Zhizi's daughter likes to sprint, Nie Li gave her two beijing Olympic stamp collection books, a set of exquisite Olympic fuwa and a sweatshirt, and Nie Li also inscribed 8 words on the first day cover of the stamp album with the words "Sino-Japanese friendship, inheritance from generation to generation".
Then Nie Fei took out the gifts prepared for the Mihoko family, and Machiko was embarrassed to say that she thought too thoughtfully, and thanked them on behalf of her parents. Nie Li instructed Zhen Zhizi to say:
"Go back and tell your mother, I invite your whole family to come to China and come to your home."
Nie Li (right) presents a banner to Mihoko
Everyone talked freely together for a long time, and it was already late at night, and The mother and daughter of Zhenzhizi had to get up and say goodbye. Before parting, Nie Li could not control his feelings, and hugged and cried with Zhen Zhizi. Machiko said affectionately to Nie's mother:
"I really don't want to go, let this good time extend a little longer!"