On November 19, 1935, more than 18,000 people of the Red Second and Sixth Armies, under the leadership of He Long, Ren Bishi, Guan Xiangying, Xiao Ke and others, set out from Hunan to officially embark on the Long March, and it is worth mentioning that among these people there was a 9-year-old teenager, he
He is the nephew of Marshal He Long and the youngest Red Army soldier in China.
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This teenager was named Xiang Xuan, who was born in 1926, and since 1933 he had taken part in the fight against the Kuomintang reactionaries with the gun given by his aunt He Yingzhi, so according to the general political department of the People's Liberation Army, Xiang Xuan's military age actually began at the age of 7, so he could undoubtedly be regarded as an "old revolutionary".
Xiang Xuan's life is destined to be extraordinary, but what makes people wonder here is why He Long let his little nephew join the Red Army?
To find out the ins and outs, we have to start with Xiang Xuan's mother's family.
I. Xiang Xuan's mother's "He Family"
Xiang Xuan was born in Sangzhi County, Hunan Province, and although his father Xiang Shenghui was only an honest farmer, his mother was He Long's sister He Mangu. Xiang Shenghui has a shy and introverted personality, so the affairs of the family are decided by the "strong woman" He Mangu, after all, she is the most stubborn of all the He sisters.
Of course, this stubborn spirit of struggle is also engraved in their bones.
After all, during that war era, the sons of the He family were notorious for opposing the oppression of power.
As early as the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, He Long's ancestor He Tingbi had followed the Taiping Army in revolt, not only once invading Sangzhi County, but also capturing alive the corrupt Zhi County where the Qing government was stationed. Although the subsequent uprising was suppressed by the Qing government, these ancestors of the He clan who opposed the feudal power left a good example for their descendants.
In 1916, Yuan Shikai restored the imperial system, and He Long, a member of the He family, responded to Cai Yi and participated in the Patriotic War against Yuan Shikai with two kitchen knives.
At the same time, Xiang Xuan's mother, He Mangu, was also "not willing to show weakness", she asked her brother for a gun and embarked on the revolutionary road.
Later, He Long was promoted to the commander of the National Revolutionary Army for his military merits, and also led the army to participate in the Northern Expedition, becoming one of the senior officers in the revolutionary army. After receiving the strong support of He Long, the sons of the He family, led by He Ying and He Mangu, also continued to accumulate forces, pulled up guerrilla groups in the local area, and formed armed forces.
Among them, He Ying became the commander of the detachment, and He Mangu served as the leader of the detachment.
In 1928, He Long was sent back to his hometown by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and planned to carry out armed struggle in the western part of Xiang'e, but because of the tone set by He Ying and He Mangu, He Long did not take much effort to form a team of more than 3,000 people.
At the beginning, in the He family, the vast majority of people followed He Long to make a revolution,
Among them, He Mangu is especially strong in martial arts and good at making two guns, which is the most frightening to the enemy. But there are gains and losses, because
Participating in the revolution outside the country for many years, the mobility is too strong, resulting in Xiang Xuan, together with other siblings, pulled by his father Xiang Shenghui alone, and grew up in a family without maternal love.
In May of the same year, He Mangu followed He Long to lead an army to attack the Shimen and Gong'an area, but unfortunately the division was unfavorable, not only did she fail to win the battle, but even her own team was scattered by the enemy. After completely losing contact with the troops, He Mangu calmed down and decided to return to her hometown after weighing the pros and cons.
And this was actually the best plan she could take in the current situation. First, He Long and He Ying will return to their hometown sooner or later, as long as they maintain full patience, they can always wait for the arrival of that day; second, their hometown is the origin of their original uprising, and they can recharge their strength and accumulate strength again.
Only after successfully returning to her hometown, she did not dare to show her face easily, for the sake of safety, she would often change places for three days to hide, of course, the address was also chosen on the side of reliable relatives and friends.
Only later, after a long time, she couldn't help but miss the child, so she secretly took Xiang Xuan and the other three youngest children to her side to take care of, and this time was also a rare opportunity for Xiang Xuan to get along with her mother day and night in her life.
Second, 7 years old to make a gun, to avenge his mother
One day in late May 1928, He Mangu was unfortunately followed by the enemy when she returned to her hometown with her children. And when she found out, it was too late, because the local bully Xiao Yongsheng had already instructed Xiao Peiran, the leader of the regimental defense team, to surround He Mangu's family with dozens of people.
After some struggle, He Mangu and her children broke through the siege, first fleeing to a he clan family in Yongshun County, and then moving into a small village near Zhoujiayu to hide. However, the Kuomintang agents had been pursuing her relentlessly, and later because of the leak of information, He Mangu's latest foothold was still exposed, and zhang Hengru, the head of the local regimental defense, quickly surrounded the village after learning of her location.
The enemy had long been prepared and had a large number of men, he Mangu with three children, and fought alone, and was finally captured by the enemy after the bullets ran out. Soon after his arrest, Zhang Hengru handed him over to the Kuomintang authorities, after which the enemy published the news to show off his exploits, while He Ying, after receiving the news, was bent on saving her sister, and she spent a large amount of money through her cousin Chen Guiru to release Xiang Xuan and the other three children on bail.
As for He Mangu, the enemy naturally would not let her go, after all, she was not only the female chief of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army in western Hunan Province, but also He Long's relative, so how could the enemy spare her so easily? At that time, He Mangu was tortured in prison, but she did not reveal the slightest information about He Long.
It may be hard for us to imagine how cruel the torture she had experienced at that time was, but from the fact that she secretly entrusted someone to buy opium and intended to commit suicide by swallowing cigarettes, we can see how vicious the enemy used against her. It was only when she was dying that she was discovered by the prison guards, and eventually she was executed alive.
After He Mangu's sacrifice, Xiang Xuan, who was only two years old at the time, had no one to rely on and could only live with his aunt He Ying, and after several years of getting along, the two also cultivated a deep relationship. Because of Xiang Xuan, He Ying has not given birth in her life, she gave all her love to Xiang Xuan, and Xiang Xuan has always regarded He Ying as her own mother, calling her mother.
In the winter of that year, as the enemy stepped up its encirclement and suppression of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, the troops led by He Long suffered heavy damage, and finally only more than 90 people and dozens of guns were left. In an increasingly unfavorable situation, in order to avoid another tragedy of his sister He Mangu, He Long asked He Ying to take the guerrillas to Sanmenyan.
Simen Rock is a mountainous area near the county seat of Sangzhi in Hunan Province, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, where guerrillas can barely hold out with the help of dangerous terrain. Sure enough, He Ying had many rounds with the enemy here, and the enemy did not take much advantage in guerrilla warfare, because it was relatively safe, so that it later became one of the key hiding places for the organs of the Xiang'e Border Special Committee of the COMMUNIST Party and the wounded and sick of the Red Army.
On the other hand, since he had been fighting guerrillas with his aunt He Ying in Simenyan since he was a child, Xiang Xuan also learned how to use a pistol under the influence of his ears.
His only wish at that time was to follow his aunt to kill the enemy and avenge his mother's hatred.
In 1933, five years after He Mangu's sacrifice, in a battle, the Red Army successfully captured Zhang Hengru, the head of the local regimental defense regiment that had arrested Xiang Xuan's mother at that time, and on the way back to the military headquarters, Liao Hansheng and the 7-year-old Xiang Xuan could not help but feel the evil in their hearts, and executed him in the middle of the road in violation of discipline, and since then He Mangu's great revenge has finally been repaid.
Third, witness the sacrifice of aunt He Ying
Being able to kill a mother's enemy with his own hand is certainly happy. However, in 1933, the year was also the most difficult year of revolutionary struggle in the western Hunan and Hubei regions at that time, when after several large-scale encirclements and suppressions by the enemy, the Red Third Army of more than 30,000 people under He Long's army was only a few thousand people left.
In order to preserve their strength, the Red Third Army was forced to leave the base area in western Xiang'e, and the main force retreated to the southeast of Qiandong to conduct guerrilla operations, while He Ying, as the leader of a guerrilla group, remained in the local area to continue the struggle. In early May 1933, when He Ying led a guerrilla group to the vicinity of Taiping Town in Hefeng County, Hubei Province, for recuperation, unfortunately, an unfortunate thing happened...
Since this time coincided with the busy season of farming, most of the guerrillas had to go home to farm, which was also an important source of food supply for the guerrillas at that time, and it was impossible to delay. People had gone to plant seedlings and cultivate the fields, and He Ying naturally did not have many guards left around, in fact, it was true that she only had some family members around her at that time, including Xiang Xuan.
At dawn on May 6, He Ying's family was surrounded by enemies because of betrayal and their residence leaked. Desperately, He Ying quickly raised his gun and threw himself into battle, and in the case of being shot in the thigh, he still knelt by the door in pain and continued to resist.
Seeing that his aunt was injured, Xiang Xuan, who was beside him, quickly crawled to her side and tried to help her aunt up, but He Ying handed him a small bag (containing two rings, five silver circles, and a small pistol) and pushed it away, and asked Xiang Xuan to find his uncle (He Long) to avenge her. Because at this time, He Ying knew that she would not be able to escape death today, and the only thing she could do was to cover up xiang Xuan and other family members.
And this side had just finished instructing Xiang Xuan, and a bullet hit He Ying's abdomen, and He Ying was immediately sacrificed.
After witnessing his aunt's heroic sacrifice, Xiang Xuan was deeply saddened, but he quickly perked up, and when the enemy rushed in to search, he cleverly burrowed under the floor of the house (thin and small) and was not found.
After the enemy left, he took the weapons and coils in the bag and ran all the way to the mountain, after many difficulties and obstacles, evaded countless enemy pursuits, and finally found his uncle He Long in a big mountain in Guizhou. In fact, it was not so easy to find He Long at that time, because He Long, as a senior commander of the Red Army, led his troops to fight guerrillas everywhere, basically living in a fixed place, always moving, and did not have a fixed command.
Xiang Xuan was only a seven-year-old child, but he chased all the way from Hefeng in Hubei Province to the southeastern region of Qiandongnan, which was not only separated by several counties, but also countless mountains and rivers, but he really did it by himself, of course, when he found it, he himself was already scarred. And the motivation that allowed him to persevere through the rain of bullets and bullets was undoubtedly the last wish of his aunt He Ying, who wanted to avenge his family.
Seeing his nephew escape from death, He Long was also very pleased, and after Xiang Xuan's wounds healed, he arranged him to be by his side and became a service soldier of the headquarters guard company, so that he could better take care of him.
Fourth, participate in the Long March and become the smallest Red Army
In 1935, He Long led the Long March, and Xiang Xuan, who had been following He Long around, naturally participated. During the Long March, the Soldiers of the Red Army were short of materials and often starved, and there were always some "non-combat" attritions in the troops along the way, but Xiang Xuan persevered.
A 7-year-old child can escape to find He Long is beyond the reach of ordinary people, and when he is 9 years old, he can still complete the 25,000-mile long march, which is even more incredible, because the willpower and endurance required here are not even possessed by some adults.
And it's precious
At the beginning of the long journey, he was still able to make fun of it, often treating the tasks of standing guard and sendry as a game, according to Xiang Xuan's later recollection: he liked to run around in a dam of rice paddies at that time, and often stole small flowers and horses, very optimistic and naughty.
Later, after arriving in northern Shaanxi, the 10-year-old Xiang Xuan was left in Yan'an.
It was only because of his young age that his red army status has been questioned, especially among his peers. At that time, when looking at the child in front of him, who was about the same age as himself, the children in northern Shaanxi felt that he was bragging.
Because these children had learned about the hardships of the Long March from the elders, and knew that the Long March was not only facing the encirclement and suppression of the enemy, but also an extremely harsh environment, they did not feel that Xiang Xuan, a thin teenager, could persist.
Once, Xiang Xuan, who was a correspondent of the local logistics agency, was ordered
When they went to a certain unit to deliver a letter, they were stopped by the children's group on the way, and when Xiang Xuan revealed his identity, these children would not let Xiang Xuan pass, naturally they also expressed doubts about Xiang Xuan's personal identity.
Despite repeated explanations, the people in the children's group did not believe it, which brought a lot of trouble to Xiang Xuan. Just at this moment, Chairman Mao happened to be passing by this place, and when the children's league members saw Chairman Mao coming, they stopped him and asked him to come forward to make an assessment.
When Chairman Mao heard this, he asked with great interest: "You are the Red Army, what evidence do you have?" ”
Xiang Xuan immediately replied, "I have climbed snowy mountains and meadows. ”
At this time, not only the children's league members, but even Chairman Mao was a little surprised, so he hurriedly asked: "You are so young, you participated in the Long March?" If this is the case, of course, the Red Army, then who can prove it to you? Xiang Xuan said with a straight face, "My uncle and aunt." ”
Hearing this, Chairman Mao was even more puzzled, and then asked, "Who is your uncle?" Xiang Xuan was also unambiguous, and immediately replied that it was He Long. At this time, Chairman Mao also completely believed his words, and said to Xiang Xuan with a smile: "You stubborn man, you were originally a member of the He Beard family, and now I believe it." ”
It was precisely because of Chairman Mao's help to break the siege that Xiang Xuan finally completed the task. However, after all, he was still too young to receive some basic education, so he was later sent to the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border District Middle School to study, and then studied until the graduation of kang da.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Xiang Xuan officially joined the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army and became a correspondent of the division headquarters. Xiang Xuan, who had resumed his old career, soon threw himself into the workforce, making many achievements in the battlefield, and during the Liberation War, he had been promoted to the commander of the engineer company of the 358th Brigade of the Northwest Field Army.
Of course
Xiang Xuan also paid an extremely heavy price, at that time, he had 26 injuries on his body, not only his neck, back, waist, knee, right foot and other injuries, even his right eye was also blinded, and a lot of shrapnel still remained in his body.
Just for all this, Xiang Xuan has always had no complaints, because he knows that he is fighting for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and he also knows that this is what his mother, aunt, uncle, and even the entire He family expect from him. In fact, in his opinion, being able to see with his own eyes the founding of New China and the liberation of all of China is the best reward for him as an "old Red Army."
In 1955, in China
In the first rank awarded by the People's Liberation Army, Xiang Xuan was awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel, when he was only 29 years old, which is one of the youngest people to be awarded a rank.
In fact, whether it is seniority or military achievements, he is worthy of this honor. After all, according to seniority, he is recognized as "China's smallest Red Army soldier"; and in terms of battle merit, he has successively won the Order of August 1 of the Third Class, the Order of Independence and Freedom of the Third Class, the Liberation Medal of the Third Class, and the Red Star Medal of the Third Class.
In 1960, Xiang Xuan was appointed as the
Chengdu Military Region
Logistics Department of Chengdu Military Sub-district
Deputy Chief of the Ordnance Section
He was later officially promoted in 1978
It is the Chengdu Military Subdistrict of Sichuan Provincial Military Region
Xicheng District
Vice Minister of the Ministry of People's Armed Forces
。 He continued to contribute to the construction of the People's Republic of China until his official retirement in December 1982. After Xiang Xuan left his retirement, he began to enjoy the treatment of the full division level, and was later promoted to the treatment of the deputy military level, and is still retired in Sichuan.