preface
In the early autumn of 1976, Chi Haotian was appointed deputy political commissar of the Beijing Military Region. As a member of the earthquake rescue leading group, he led his troops to fight day and night on the ruins after the Tangshan earthquake. At midnight on October 6, Chi Haotian finished discussing the next day's work with several comrades in the command headquarters and returned to the tent. Suddenly, a call from the Central Office came...
Figure | In September 1988, then-President Yang Shangkun (first from left) conferred on Chi Haotian (second from right) the rank of general
Chi Haotian rushed to Beijing
The other end of the phone told him: Hurry up and make preparations, return to Beijing tomorrow, and the central authorities will send a special plane to pick him up. Chi Haotian asked, "What task?" The other end of the phone replied, "You'll be there in person." When Chi Haotian wanted to ask about the situation again, the other party had already hung up the phone. Subsequently, Chi Haotian looked at his watch: 00:07
For many years, before going to bed, Chi Haotian would read "Zhenguan Politician" for a while, and in his own words: "Add some night food." However, tonight's "back to Beijing transfer order" phone call disrupted his habit of reading books before going to bed. At this moment, a big question mark appeared in his mind: "What can this be?" ”
Several other comrades also felt sudden, and helped him guess with all his tongues. He smiled slightly: "No matter what, you will know what the task is when you go." Unfortunately, at this time of tension, I can't fight with everyone. How hard have you guys worked! ”
Figure | Chi
After comforting the other comrades to exit the tent, Chi Haotian called Political Commissar Qin Jiwei again and asked what was going on. Qin Jiwei was stunned and said, "I don't know anything!" After pondering for a moment, he said: "This is probably directly determined by the central authorities, and if you are told to come back, you can come back." Therefore, Chi Haotian no longer thought about anything and quickly packed up his bags.
He packed his underwear, dental gear, notebook, and the "Zhenguan Politician" into his bag, and then he brought the secretary and the guards and told them to accompany him back to Beijing tomorrow.
At 8 o'clock the next day, the Li-2 plane that picked him up arrived. Several comrades from the headquarters came out one after another to send him off. From those pairs of concerned eyes, Chi Haotian read the voices of his comrades-in-arms. He strode over to them, shook hands one by one, and said, "There will be a period later, and there will be a period after that!" ”
After a few hours, the plane landed, and a black sleeping car was already waiting at the airport. In this way, Chi Haotian was pulled into Zhongnanhai. Subsequently, the comrade who picked him up at the airport took him into the conference room in the West Building of Zhongnanhai.
As soon as he entered the door, Chi Haotian saw Geng Biao, director of the Central Liaison Department. At this time, Geng Biao also saw him and immediately stepped forward and asked, "Are you Comrade Chi Haotian?" He replied, "Yes!" Geng Biao suddenly shook Chi Haotian's hand tightly: "I am very happy that you are here!" ”
Figure | Geng Biao
At this time, Ji Dengkui, member of the Political Bureau and vice premier of the State Council, walked in, and was very happy to see Chi Haotian, shook his hand, and said: "Comrade Haotian, we invite you to come, and we want to entrust you with a big task!" Go to the People's Daily. We studied and thought you were the most suitable candidate, would you like to go? ”
Chi Haotian chuckled in his heart, hesitated slightly, and then said, "Yes." ”
Ji Dengkui may not have noticed his hesitation, and then said: "Well, time is tight and the task is heavy. Let's make a long story short, you're ready to go. ”
Chi Haotian nodded. The hesitation just now has disappeared, replaced by unswervingness. Ji Dengkui also said: "The Central Committee has decided that Comrade Geng Biao will take the lead in taking charge of the propaganda mouth. You study it. We await your good news. "Just say it and go."
Geng Biao said: "We divide the work, Comrade Liu Xiyao to Guangming Daily, Comrades Chi Haotian and Sun Yiqing to the People's Daily, and I to xinhua news agency. Comrade Haotian, you should first come up with a plan to see how to do it well. ”
Chi Haotian said, "Yes, soldiers are fast." I recommend speeding up the pace and moving in now! ”
In this way, Chi Haotian was conscientious and meticulous in his new post. Many years later, he recalled his days at the People's Daily and said with great emotion: "I worked at the People's Daily for a year and twenty-one days, but the memories I left behind are unforgettable..."
In fact, Chi Haotian only served as a "civilian official" for a while. His commendable deeds date back to the forties and fifties...
Chi Haotian fought bravely
In 1944, at the age of 15, Chi Haotian signed up for the army and worked as a clerk and messenger for a while.
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Chi Haotian was selected to study at the "First Branch of the Anti-Japanese University". The following year, facing the danger of a full-scale civil war, Chi Haotian's teaching regiment students graduated early. Because of his excellent results, he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion of the 13th Regiment of the 5th Division of the main force of the Jiaodong Military Region and served as a battalion clerk. The commander of the Jiaodong Military Region at that time was Xu Shiyou, so Chi Haotian became a small soldier under Xu Shiyou.
At the beginning of June 1946, the Jiaodong Military Region launched the "Jiaoxian, Gaomi, Jimo" campaign to attack the original puppet army that was absorbed by the Kuomintang, and the 5th Division was the main force in the operation. Chi Haotian and the 13th Regiment attacked the county seat of Jiaoxian County, and when he pursued and killed the enemy on the city wall, he saw 3 enemy soldiers fleeing. In a hurry, Chi Haotian jumped from the wall several meters high with a gun, and he ignored the pain in his feet and chased closely until he captured the 3 enemy soldiers. This was Chi Haotian's first live-fire battle! Afterwards, he excitedly said to his comrades-in-arms: "Fight! If you want to win, you have to rush forward and not be afraid of death! ”
Subsequently, the troops of the Jiaodong Military Region captured Gaomi and launched a siege of Jimo. During the battle, Chi Haotian charged forward and captured 5 enemy soldiers in one fell swoop. In this way, he became the champion of the whole row of prisoners.
After the outbreak of a full-scale civil war, the Kuomintang troops landed in Qingdao in an attempt to pinch the troops of the Jiaodong Military Region. At this time, the 13th Regiment of the 5th Division was ordered to meet the Nationalist troops attacking the Liberated Areas. Due to the superiority of the Nationalist army, the 13th Regiment failed to block the attack many times and was forced to withdraw from the battle.
In the process, the 3rd Battalion Machine Gun Company took cover, and after paying a heavy price, finally covered the withdrawal of the main force from the battlefield. At this time, Chi Haotian found that there were still 7 people who could not be evacuated, so he and another PLA cadre opened the way with grenades, forced several soldiers and several heavy machine guns out, and carried back the remains of the martyrs.
In 1947, Chi Haotian was promoted to secretary of the 3rd Battalion. In May, Chi Haotian's Huaye unit, reorganized by the Central Military Commission, besieged the integrated 74th Division commanded by Zhang Lingfu in the Menglianggu area. Subsequently, Huaye 9 launched a surprise attack on the main peak of Menglianggu vertically, and due to the continuous counterattack of the enemy, the troops suffered heavy casualties. Chi Haotian was ordered to reorganize the remaining personnel of each company of the 3rd Battalion and make a surprise attack on the main peak of Meng Lianggu.
Suddenly, a shell exploded beside him, and he was stunned on the spot. In a sharp pain, he woke up, and he found that his ears were deafened, and he only felt a "buzzing" in his ears. He opened his eyes hard, only to feel a blur in front of his eyes. He raised his hand and touched the corner of his left eye, and a piece of shrapnel was still exposed. He gritted his teeth and pulled the shrapnel straight out, and all of a sudden, the blood flowed.
The hygienist hurried over to bandage his wounds, and gradually, Chi Haotian regained a little of his hearing, barely hearing that his comrades were going to discuss how to send him off the position. Chi Haotian saw the situation and said, "I can't die, I must hit the main peak of Meng Lianggu!" With that, he lifted his gun and staggered forward! On the afternoon of the 16th, Chi Haotian attacked the main peak of Meng Lianggu with his troops!
In the celebration of victory, Chi Haotian fainted on the ground due to excessive blood loss. The comrades carried him to the medical team, and when the doctors examined the wounds, they could not find any shrapnel. Chi Haotian said that he had pulled out the shrapnel, and the doctor scolded: "It is very dangerous for you to do this." Thankfully, his eyeballs didn't blow up. The doctor asked him to be hospitalized for observation for a period of time, but Chi Haotian refused, only to re-bandage, put on the blindfold and rush back to the troops.
Only two months later, another vicious battle began. On 17 July, four columns under the command of Su Yu besieged Nanma in an attempt to annihilate the nationalist 11th Division. However, the integrated 11th Division was well-equipped and highly effective, and as a result, the battle became a war of attrition with repeated tug-of-war. Chi Haotian's 3rd Battalion fell into the "Zimu Fort" position group built by the reorganized 11th Division, and suffered a lot of casualties. While fighting the enemy, a shell suddenly exploded next to Chi Haotian, and the fierce air wave shook him far away.
Figure | Chi Haotian (left)
At that time, Chi Haotian's head, left shoulder, right leg and other places were injured in many places, and he immediately lost consciousness. After being sent off the battlefield, he was in a coma for several days and nights, struggling on the death line. A Yimeng sister-in-law was responsible for taking care of Chi Haotian, and seeing that there was no nutritional product, she had to squeeze out her own milk and feed it to Chi Haotian in a hurry to replenish his physical strength.
After Chi Haotian woke up, a Fellow Yimeng took him to the rear hospital on a wheelbarrow. At that time, Chi Haotian's physical condition was very bad, and after the doctor examined his body, he muttered quietly: "This wounded person is afraid that he will not be able to do it." When Chi Haotian, who was still conscious, heard this, he couldn't help but feel despair in his heart. That night, the pain was so much that he couldn't stand it, and he thought that since he couldn't treat it, he would have to waste the medicine, so that he might as well die early, so that the doctor could free his hands to rescue other wounded people.
At this moment, the doctor on duty heard movement in the house, quickly stopped Chi Haotian's behavior, and said: "You want to seek death?" Do you know that when the eight roads, suicide is shameful! After that, in order to prevent accidents, the doctor arranged a fellow villager to take care of Chi Haotian step by step.
One day, after diagnosing Chi Haotian's injuries, the doctor drew a bar above his knee with a black charcoal strip and told him to amputate his limb. As soon as Chi Haotian heard this, he immediately shouted: "If you want to amputate your limbs, first amputate your head, I will still fight, and I will die on the battlefield." "The doctor saw that Chi Haotian was so hard-boned, and did not amputate him. Later, through the efforts of medical staff, Chi Haotian's leg injury gradually improved. Three months later, Chi Haotian, whose injuries had not healed, was discharged from the hospital with the doctor. The doctor couldn't resist him, so he had to agree. In this way, Chi Haotian finally found his old troops after a long journey and more than 10 days later.
In 1949, all units of the army were reorganized in accordance with the orders of the Central Military Commission. Chi Haotian was appointed as the instructor of the 7th Company of the 3rd Battalion of the 235th Regiment of the Third Field Army.
On April 20, the Nanjing government refused to sign the peace agreement, and Chairman Mao and Zhu De immediately issued an order to "March to the Whole Country." The million-strong troops of the Second and Third Field Armies launched a campaign to cross the river on the same day, breaking through the "natural danger of the Yangtze River" boasted by the Kuomintang in one fell swoop.
After the successful crossing of the river, the Third Field Army quickly made preparations for the liberation of Shanghai. On May 12, the Battle of Shanghai began. On the 25th, under the unified command of the 235th Regiment, the 3rd Battalion attacked the north bank of the Suzhou River, and the 7th Company rushed to the forefront.
On the north bank of the Suzhou River, which was defended by the enemy at that time, barbed wire was pulled along the river and sand was packed with sacks, forming a tight blockade line. Relying on the firepower of high-rise buildings, the enemy blocked the roads and bridges through which our army must cross the river. Our army's repeated attacks were ineffective and were seriously damaged by enemy fire. When Chi Haotian's 7th Company rushed toward the bridge, the enemy's machine guns swept in like raindrops. In this situation, in order to protect the lives and property of the people of Shanghai, the military party committee decided not to use artillery.
Chi Haotian was really anxious to see that the troops were being passively beaten. Just as he was anxiously circling and thinking hard, he inadvertently stepped on a sewer. Chi Haotian asked the locals, what is this thing for? Locals say it is a sewer well, and rainwater, pot and pan washing water flow down from here and drain down to the Suzhou Creek.
Chi Haotian asked, "Can you drill from here to Suzhou Creek?" The local shook his head and said, "No, no, it's all dirty water inside, it stinks a lot." Chi Haotian heard this and decided to explore the way himself first, and when he reached the bottom of the well, the smell suddenly hit his nose and flies and mosquitoes flew around.
Later, Chi Haotian recalled:
The well was actually a drainage ditch leading to the Suzhou Creek, through which people could pass by cats. It was pitch black inside, and the sewage was so hot that people almost fainted. Ten minutes later, we came out of the drainage crossing and looked at the Suzhou Creek.
Chi Haotian and two comrades who drilled the well together said: "The Kuomintang sentries are shaking, so let's swim to the other side of the river." ”
The 3 of them groped to the famous "Four-Line Warehouse". Since the 3 of them went down the well, their bodies were black, and the sentry thought that they had encountered some ghost, and they were terrified. Chi Haotian said to the Kuomintang sentry: "Be honest, we are the People's Liberation Army, do not kill prisoners, you do not shout, listen to our orders, quickly take us to the headquarters." ”
In this way, under the leadership of the prisoners, Chi Haotian and others took the elevator and broke into the Kuomintang. Coincidentally, they ran into a drunken Kuomintang colonel officer. Chi Haotian immediately surrendered his gun and pressed it against his temple, causing him to order the troops to lay down their weapons.
Chi Haotian then asked the Kuomintang colonel to order the people on the bridge to withdraw. On the other side of the Suzhou River, the PLA cadres who were arranging the next charge had already understood the general idea when they saw the Kuomintang soldiers on the other side retreating one after another, and then saw no trace of Chi Haotian and others.
After liberating Shanghai, Nie Fengzhi heard that Chi Haotian and others had captured the deputy commander of the 204th Division of the Kuomintang Youth Army without spending a single shot and forced his division headquarters and three battalions to lay down their weapons, and immediately said to the leader of Chi Haotian's regiment: "Bring this Chi Haotian, I will see what kind of three heads and six arms he looks like, and he can subdue more than 1,000 enemies." ”
Figure | Nie Fengzhi
Later, after Nie Fengzhi saw Chi Haotian, he smiled and said:
"Oh! It turns out that you don't have three heads and six arms, and your head is not small. ”
When the words fell, Chi Haotian and the leaders present all laughed.
In May 1950, Chi Haotian was promoted to deputy instructor of the 3rd Battalion of the 235th Regiment, and soon after, he was awarded the honorary title of "People's Hero of the Third Class in East China".
In November of the same year, Chi Haotian participated in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. As a member of the 9th Corps of the 27th Army, Chi Haotian fought bravely and bravely, was rated as a first-class meritorious serviceman, and was awarded a national flag medal of the third class of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, becoming the only cadre above the battalion level of the 79th Division to receive this medal.
After that, Chi Haotian held an important position in the 27th Army and made great contributions to the building of the army.
Chi Haotian's contribution in the era of peace
On October 28, 1977, at the age of 48, Chi Haotian was ordered to leave the People's Daily and serve as deputy chief of general staff of the People's Liberation Army and director of the Political Department of the General Staff.
On December 28, Chi Haotian, along with Luo Ruiqing and others, went to Deng Xiaoping's house to report on his work. According to Chi Haotian, he later recalled: "I was very excited to see Comrade Xiaoping up close for the first time. ”
Deng Xiaoping turned his gaze to Chi Haotian, looked at it carefully, and then said: "Comrade Haotian, the new general staff, do you have any concerns about the work? ”
Chi Haotian only said that it is more difficult to undertake this task.
When Deng Xiaoping saw the situation, he pointed to Luo Ruiqing, who was tall, and said humorously: "The sky is falling, and there is 'Luo Eldest Son' on top." ”
In November 1987, Chi Haotian succeeded Yang Dezhi as chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army. In September 1988, Chi Haotian was awarded the rank of general in the army.
On November 8, 2002, Chi Haotian retired from his leading post in the Central Military Commission.
Chi Haotian has infinite affection for the party and the people. He believes that as a high-ranking cadre, the positions and powers in the hands of individuals are given by the people. He once said: "Every leading cadre must behave in an upright and upright manner, be an official in a clean and innocent manner, and do things conscientiously and earnestly." ”