Picture | Xu Haidong and Wang Zhen
preface
Wang Zhen and Xu Haidong formed a deep friendship during the revolutionary war years.
On March 25, 1970, Xu Haidong died of illness in Zhengzhou, and his son Xu Wenbo, according to his father's instructions before his death, specially sent a telegram to Wang Zhen to report the news.
After receiving the news, Wang Zhen was in pain, did not eat a good meal for several days, and personally wrote a telegram of several hundred words of condolences to Zhengzhou, but was returned.
Wang Zhen was very sad:
"I will never forget my eldest brother, his lofty revolutionary spirit and excellent qualities are worthy of our eternal study, his historical merits to the Chinese revolution will always shine brightly, and he will always live in people's hearts."
"Brother Xu" and "Brother Wang" - a revolutionary friendship that lasts for 34 years
The revolutionary friendship between Xu Haidong and Wang Zhen began in October 1936.
On October 4, 1936, the Red Second Front followed the instructions of the Party Central Committee
The areas of Liangdang, Huixian, Chengxian and Kangxian began to move north, and on October 22, the General Tai fort north of Jingning and the Red Army successfully met the division.
Xu Haidong was ordered to lead the Red Fifteenth Army to General Taibao to receive the Red Second Front, and the vanguard of the Red Second Front at that time was the Red Sixth Army led by Wang Zhen (Wang Zhen was then a member of the Military and Political Committee and political commissar of the Red Sixth Army).
The Red First and Second Red Fronts successfully completed the division, and with the Red Fourth Front, which had arrived in Huining more than ten days ago, the three main forces of the Red Army successfully completed the division. It represents the smooth end of the Long March.
Wang Zhen and Xu Haidong embraced each other excitedly, although the two had never met before, but they were famous and admired each other.
Pictured| Old photo of Xu Haidong when he was young
Both were the most outstanding generals in the Red Army during the period of the agrarian revolution.
Through exchanges, Xu Haidong and Wang Zhen each found that their revolutionary experiences were even similar.
Both of them were workers.
Xu Haidong's family was poor when he was a child, and his family had been kiln workers for generations, and due to his temper, Xu Haidong beat up a child of a landlord's family when he went to private school, so he was driven out.
There was no way, Xu Haidong could only inherit the family tradition, but also became a kiln worker, when the workers were living a precarious life every day.
Xu Haidong had no clothes to wear as a teenager and was covered in mud every day, hence the nickname "stinky tofu". Because he did not have enough to eat, Xu Haidong once picked up a prepared tile pot to buy on the street, and as a result, he was so hungry that he fell on the street, or a kind person gave him a bowl of hot porridge to let him survive.
After 11 years of hardships as a kiln worker, Xu Haidong wanted to change his destiny, and in April 1925, Xu Haidong joined the Communist Party of China and threw himself into the revolution.
Xu Haidong has said many times that the purpose of the revolution is not to get rich and noble, but to live the life of an ordinary person, Xu Haidong once said interestingly: "I make kiln blanks quickly and well, and after the victory of the revolution, I am still a useful citizen." ”
Pictured| Old photograph of Snow in the Yan'an period
Snow, who went to Yan'an to interview and wrote "Journey to the West", once described Xu Haidong as follows:
"Among the military leaders of the Communist Party of China, I am afraid that no one can be more 'famous' than Xu Haidong, and certainly no one can be more mysterious than him."
The most brilliant stage of Xu Haidong's life was all during the Red Army period.
In the face of the encirclement and suppression of the Kuomintang army headed by Chiang Kai-shek, Xu Haidong fought many victorious battles and smashed the encirclement and suppression of the Kuomintang army in the base area of Eyuwan. In November, in response to the Long March of the Central Red Army, Xu Haidong led the Red 25th Army, which had only more than 3,000 people, to the north, although it was a lone army, but it was victorious.
At that time, Chiang Kai-shek's reward for Xu Haidong was 250,000 oceans, second only to Chairman Mao and Zhu De.
Most prominently, in November 1934, after the Central Red Army arrived in northern Shaanxi, it was very difficult, and there was even no money to spend the winter, Chairman Mao asked Yang Zhicheng, director of the Logistics Department, to borrow 2,000 oceans from Xu Haidong.
Xu Haidong asked the minister of supply, Zha Guozhen, and when he learned that the troops still had 7,000 yuan, he immediately decided to borrow 5,000 oceans, not only that, Xu Haidong also selected the best machine gun from each squad in the unit and handed it to the Central Red Army, and even the most elite cavalry regiment was directly handed over to the central command.
Chairman Mao kept In mind Xu Haidong's charcoal in the snow, until many years later, he said: "At that time, thanks to Xu Haidong's 5,000 yuan. ”
Pictured| Xu Haidong with Snow's wife Helen in Yan'an
After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Xu Haidong's Red Fifteenth Army was reorganized into the 344th Brigade of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army.
Wang Zhen was 8 years younger than Xu Haidong, born in a tenant family in Hunan, and the poor life in his childhood prompted Wang Zhen to embark on the road of resistance, and in 1922 Wang Zhen first joined the army and later became a railway worker.
During the Great Revolution, Wang Zhen actively participated in the workers' movement led by the Communist Party, and continued to persist in the workers' movement after the defeat of the Great Revolution and the national white terror.
In May 1927, Wang Zhen was transferred from the Communist Youth League of China to the Communist Party of China, and during the agrarian revolution, Wang Zhen was also the founder of the Xianggan Revolutionary Base Area.
From July 1934, Wang Zhen served as a member of the Military and Political Committee and political commissar of the Red Sixth Army.
Two Red Army generals from workers' backgrounds had the same idea of each other. Because Wang Zhen was younger, the two agreed with each other, Wang Zhen called Xu Haidong "Xu Big Brother", and Xu Haidong called Wang Zhen "Old Brother Wang".
For the next thirty-four years, both men referred to each other as such.
In December 1937, Xu Haidong, together with Wang Zhen, led his troops deep behind enemy lines to launch a guerrilla war in the mountains
Although during the entire period of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, the two did not have many opportunities to meet each other, but in the depths of each other's hearts, they always remembered each other.
Wang Zhen later led the troops to the south to fight in the north, xu Haidong was not so lucky, mainly because of physical factors has been at work.
Xu Haidong was injured nine times in his life, the most serious one was in the Battle of Yujiahe Town on December 10, 1934, Xu Haidong was hit by a bullet in the face door, pierced out from the back of the neck, due to excessive blood loss, Xu Haidong was in a coma for four days and four nights, or his later wife Zhou Dongping did not understand the care of a few days, before pulling Xu Haidong out of the ghost gate.
Pictured | Old photo of Wang Zhen
Since then, Xu Haidong's physical condition has deteriorated.
In August 1938, Xu Haidong fell ill on the battlefield in North China, had to return to Yan'an to recuperate, in August 1939 with Liu Shaoqi to the New Fourth Army to carry out work, the result went to the halfway, Xu Haidong due to overwork lung disease recurrence, Liu Shaoqi had to find a stretcher, let people carry Xu Haidong, the condition has just stabilized a lot.
In September 1939, Xu Haidong served as the deputy commander-in-chief of the Jiangbei Headquarters of the New Fourth Army and the commander of the Fourth Detachment, insisting on fighting in the eastern Anhui region and winning the victory in the anti-sweeping operation in eastern Anhui.
Unexpectedly, in January 1940, Xu Haidong vomited blood again and fell ill, due to the poor medical conditions on the front line, Xu Haidong's condition was difficult to be cured, but his personality was impatient, and even the front line combat was difficult, without him, the manager could not do it.
Or Chairman Mao sent a special telegram from Yan'an instructing Xu Haidong
"Rest assured, the sky is falling"
Xu Haidong was relieved to turn to recuperation, and in the late period of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and even during the Liberation War, Xu Haidong has been recuperating in various places.
I have been recuperating for more than ten years.
In September 1955, Xu Haidong was awarded the rank of general, for which he was very uneasy, he believed that he had been ill for many years, it was not enough to award such a high rank. Or Chairman Mao made a decision:
"Not only to be a general, but also to be the second general."
Xu Haidong thus became the second largest general after Su Yu.
Picture | In 1941, Xu Haidong took a group photo with the guards
In 1966, Xu Haidong went to Dalian to recuperate due to illness, and after Wang Zhen learned of the situation, he rushed from Beijing to Dalian to visit.
"When I came to Dalian this time, I did not inspect the army or local work, and I came to visit Brother Xu."
When he learned that Wang Zhen was going to see him, Xu Haidong did not sleep well for several days. When Wang Zhen arrived at Xu Haidong's residence at No. 75 Wenhua Street, two brothers who had not seen each other for many years embraced excitedly.
The two mouthed a "Big Brother Xu" and "Old Brother Wang", and talked until very late, and when they parted the next day, the two also took a group photo to commemorate the occasion.
The title of brother and brother of the two men reached the ears of an old cadre, and the old comrade said:
"Brother and brother, what is it?"
After Liu Bocheng learned of this, he smiled and said:
"They are all working class, they can be called brothers!"
Wang Zhen said to Xu Wenbo, "If your father has something to do, come to me."
Since the meeting in Dalian, Wang Zhen has paid attention to Xu Haidong every three to five times and asked him what his practical needs are, even in the most special era, Wang Zhen has not shied away from it.
The two comforted each other, encouraged each other, and firmly believed that the problem would always be cleared up one day.
Picture | Xu Haidong and his son Xu Wenbo when he was at the Marxist-Leninist College in Yan'an
Wang Zhen instructed Xu Wenbo:
"If your father has something to do, come to me, don't go anywhere else." I want to take care of Brother Xu's affairs to the end. ”
In March 1968, Xu Haidong's health deteriorated, and it was very difficult to obtain even the necessary medicines, Xu Haidong's wife Zhou Dongping thought about going and going to Wang Zhen, and only Wang Zhen could reflect this situation to Premier Zhou.
"Why is this happening? Why? ”
Wang Zhen stomped his feet in a hurry, and then comforted Xu Wenbo:
"I will definitely inform Premier Zhou of this matter, and please rest assured that I am duty-bound to do anything about Brother Xu."
Wang Zhen quickly found Premier Zhou's secretary and explained the situation, and when Premier Zhou learned of the situation, he immediately called the Beijing Hospital, asking that Xu Haidong's medical relations be transferred to the Platon General Hospital, and asked the secretary to call the relevant units to ensure Xu Haidong's medical supply.
When Xu Haidong learned that it was Wang Zhen's strength during his illness, he was very excited and repeated in his mouth:
"Old Brother Wang, Old Brother Wang, Prime Minister, Prime Minister."
……
”
Pictured | Xu Haidong's old photo
In the spring of 1969, the Ninth Party Congress was about to be held in Beijing and was scheduled to open on April 1.
Although Xu Haidong did not receive the news, his heart was very anxious; at the Eighth National Congress of the Party, Xu Haidong was elected as a member of the Central Committee, and every time the Central Committee met, Chairman Mao would ask: "Is Comrade Haidong here?" ”
Until the end of March, Xu Haidong did not receive news, and on this night, Xu Haidong did not sleep well all night.
What Xu Haidong did not know was that late at night on March 30, the members of the presidium of the congress received an urgent notice: to convene a meeting in the Great Hall of the People.
The meeting was presided over by Zhou Enlai, and there was only one topic for the meeting, and Xu Haidong's name was added to the list of deputies to the Ninth National Congress.
It turned out that at the preparatory meeting for the Ninth National Congress held in the afternoon, Chairman Mao reviewed the list of deputies attending the Ninth National Congress and did not find Xu Haidong's name.
After Zhou Enlai summoned the members of the Presidium of the Ninth National Congress to a meeting to announce this decision, someone raised objections at the scene, and Zhou Enlai said very angrily:
"As for Comrade Haidong's problems of one kind or another, we will leave it to be clarified later."
"Chairman Mao said, we all know that Comrade Haidong is a man who has made great contributions to the revolution."
Under the personal supervision of Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou, Xu Haidong not only became an official representative of the Ninth National Congress, but also became one of the members of the presidium of the congress.
Pictured| Chairman Mao
The next afternoon, when the Ninth National Congress opened, near noon, the staff of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the Office of the Central Military Commission came to inform Xu Haidong and conveyed to Xu Haidong the decision at the late night meeting last night.
"Can you attend the opening ceremony?"
Xu Haidong heard that it was arranged by the chairman and climbed up despite the sick body:
"The chairman mentioned my name, and if my body is no longer good, I will go even if I die."
"If you cannot attend the congress, you can ask the central authorities for leave."
Someone reminded me.
Xu Haidong did not care, he got dressed, asked his wife to shave off his beard, which he had grown more than an inch, sat in a wheelchair, put on his oxygen bag, and rushed to the Great Hall of the People in a car.
At the scene of the opening ceremony of the Ninth National Congress, in the face of the scene of the conference that was already crowded, Chairman Mao refused to go to the venue in the lounge for a long time, and did not appear until Xu Haidong arrived.
Pictured| Xu Haidong
After seeing Xu Haidong appear, Wang Zhen came behind him, and the two clasped their hands tightly together.
"Brother Xu, you are all right, I hope you take more care."
Hearing Wang Zhen's greeting, Xu Haidong also said affectionately:
"Brother Wang, how are you, you should take care of yourself too!"
Xu Haidong asked Wang Zhen: Old Brother Wang, help me with something
Before the meeting began, Chairman Mao looked around the venue as usual and asked:
"Did Comrade Haidong come?"
"Arrived, arrived" Xu Haidong quickly stood up on the side of the rostrum, his body was a little inconvenient, but as soon as he heard this familiar inquiry, he still stood up involuntarily.
Chairman Mao nodded and motioned for him to sit down quickly, and the meeting proceeded as usual.
During the Ninth National Congress, the deputies wanted to elect the members of the central leadership, and Xu Haidong, because of his inability to move, found Wang Zhen before voting and solemnly gave him a military salute:
"Brother Wang, I trust you very much, do me a favor, because I am too ill to move, please vote for me."
Wang Zhen bowed deeply to Xu Haidong and said:
"Brother Xu, I will definitely do it."
Picture | Xu Haidong and his wife and Premier Zhou took a group photo
Xu Haidong's son Xu Wenbo recalled: When the beloved Premier Zhou saw this scene, he nodded and smiled at my father and Uncle Wang.
At the Ninth Party Congress, Xu Haidong was re-elected as a member of the Central Committee.
Late on the night of October 20, Xu Haidong received news that he would be evacuated to Zhengzhou out of need for war readiness.
As a general who came from the revolutionary war years, Xu Haidong is naturally not afraid of any war, even if his health is not good now, and Xu Haidong does not believe that he can fight.
"Although my health is not good, I don't need your protection when I start a war."
Even so, the visitor said to him:
"No, this is Chairman Mao's order, and it must be carried out."
Xu Haidong, who has always revered Chairman Mao, chose to obey the order: "I listen to Chairman Mao's orders. ”
The next day, Wang Zhen came to see Xu Haidong for the first time with the same order to him, and after the two embraced deeply, Wang Zhen said to Xu Haidong:
"Elder Brother Xu, both of us are from the working class and resolutely support Chairman Mao."
Hearing Wang Zhen say these words, Xu Haidong said with some feeling:
"Brother, you're right, don't do bad things, don't be afraid of ghosts calling the door!"
Pictured| Wang Zhen
Wang Zhen reached out and tightly held Xu Haidong's hand:
"This breakup, I'm afraid it will be difficult to meet again, Brother Xu, I will not forget you, please take care of yourself."
Two veteran generals who came from the revolutionary war years, holding hands tightly with each other, this deep friendship, people are moved.
That night, Xu Haidong took an oxygen bag and was sent to the southbound train, and later arrived in Zhengzhou, Henan. Wang Zhen was also arranged to go to jiangxi Hongxing Reclamation Farm.
After Xu Haidong arrived in Zhengzhou, his physical condition deteriorated even worse, Xu Wenbo wrote to Wang Zhen to explain the difficulties, and after Wang Zhen learned of the situation, he sent people to collect a lot of materials overnight, but he failed to send them over.
With the seriousness of his illness, Xu Haidong called his family to his side and asked:
"After I die, don't notify my comrades who fought with me, but I must notify Wang Zhen."
On March 25, 1970, Xu Haidong died in Zhengzhou at the age of 70.
Xu Wenbo endured his grief and, in accordance with his father's instructions, sent a telegram to Wang Zhen from Zhengzhou.
Pictured | Wang Zhen in his later years
After Wang Zhen learned the news of the death of his old comrade-in-arms, his hands trembled involuntarily, and his eyes were filled with tears, and for several days, Wang Zhen could not eat or see anyone.
Later, Wang Zhen personally wrote a telegram of condolences of hundreds of words and sent it to Zhengzhou, but it was returned without reason.
On March 25, 1979, the Party Central Committee held a memorial service for Xu Haidong, and Wang Zhen also participated in the memorial service.
At the memorial service, Wei Guoqing, then director of the General Political Department, delivered a eulogy on behalf of the PARTY Central Committee:
"Xu Haidong is an excellent military commander of our party and an excellent member of the Communist Party of China. He made outstanding achievements in the Chinese revolutionary war and won the trust of the party, the masses of the people and the vast number of commanders and fighters. Learn from his noble qualities of selflessness, openness, love and hatred of the working class..."
After the memorial service, Wang Zhen said the following to Xu Haidong's relatives:
"Big Brother Haidong is my well-deserved big brother,...... I will never forget my eldest brother, his lofty revolutionary spirit and excellent qualities are worthy of our eternal study, his historical merits in the Chinese revolution will always shine brightly, and he will always live in people's hearts..."
Pictured| Xu Haidong rong costume photo
Xu Haidong has experienced hundreds of battles in his life, his nature is like a fierce fire, love and hatred are clear, all of them no longer interpret the noble patriotic feelings of a communist, even in the pain of illness, Xu Haidong is still concerned about the construction of the country, although General Xu Haidong has passed away, but his spirit will always be remembered.