After the fall of Taiyuan, the Japanese army marched south along the Tongpu Road and occupied the southwestern Jin region. Subsequently, the Japanese army established many strongholds along both sides of the Tongpu Railway. Due to the limited strength of the troops, the Japanese army attempted to control the southwestern Jin region through this "point-by-point" approach. The vast area outside the stronghold was the world of anti-Japanese armed forces. At this time, the strategy of the Japanese army in Shanxi was to hold the stronghold with heavy troops and easily leave the stronghold.
In April 1938, the 115th Division led the 343rd Brigade to the southwestern Jin Dynasty to carry out guerrilla warfare. According to the division's work, the 685th Regiment carried out activities in the areas of Xiaoyi, Jiexiu, Lingshi, and Pingyao to carry out the establishment of anti-Japanese base areas in southwest Jin. At the same time, the troops carried out reorganization and organized a series of training and study.
During this period, Yang Dezhi, commander of the 685th Regiment, and other cadres often took scouts, dressed in plain clothes, disguised as local people, and went to the vicinity of the Japanese stronghold to reconnoiter the situation. Every time I go out to scout, I have the cooperation or guidance of local organizations or ordinary people. The idea of Yang Dezhi and others was to look for opportunities to attack the Japanese army, especially to find a suitable ambush site and fight an ambush battle like Pingxingguan or Wucheng. However, the Japanese army did not hold the stronghold, and could not find the opportunity, which made people anxious. From April to October 1938, the troops had basically no battles to fight for more than half a year, and the troops were eager to fight.
[In April 1938, some cadres of the 685th Regiment of the 343rd Brigade of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army, from left: Yang Dezhi, Wu Wenyu, Xiao Yuanjiu, Peng Mingzhi, Xiao Ming]
The eight roads are strictly disciplined, friendly to the people, and pay according to the price for eating and buying. Over time, the local people knew that the Eighth Route Army was a poor man's army, which was completely different from Chiang Kai-shek's army. Yang Dezhi would stop at the homes of some fellow villagers every time they disguised themselves for reconnaissance. More times, I am familiar with the local villagers. Once, while chatting idly at a fellow's house, the fellow asked Yang Dezhi: "Sir, do you have a wife, do you want me to introduce you to one?" Yang Dezhi joked: "I haven't yet, you can find one." ”
I didn't expect that fellow to take it seriously. When Yang Dezhi went to the hometown again, he really brought the girl and the girl's father to see Yang Dezhi. The girl graduated from high school (this was already "Kochi" at the time) and was quite beautiful. After the meeting, the girl saw that Yang Dezhi was young and heroic, and she was very satisfied. Yang Dezhi also felt that the girl was good, and the two seemed to have a feeling of love at first sight.
After the meeting, the fellow came to Yang Dezhi and said that the girl's father was also quite satisfied, but there was a condition: Yang Dezhi was asked to take out 100 pieces of ocean as a dowry. The local compatriots did not understand the treatment of the Eighth Route Army, thinking that the Eighth Route and Jiang Jun were paid the same as the army, and a regimental commander and a dowry of 100 pieces of ocean were certainly not a problem. But this stumped Yang Dezhi, saying, "Where did I get a hundred yuan, and the public money can't move." ”
Wu Wenyu, the political commissar of the regiment, gave Yang Dezhi an idea and said, "Give him a few hundred catties of grain." "And let the fellow do the work of the girl's father." Later, the fellow replied: The girl was very willing, but her father resolutely refused to do it, and he had to pay a dowry of 100 oceans. Beauty admires heroes, and heroes also like beauty. But there was no way, this matter had to be put off for the time being.
A few days later, Yang Dezhi and Wu Wenyu went to the headquarters of the 115th Division for a meeting. Before going to the division headquarters, Wu Wenyu quietly wrote a wedding report on behalf of Yang Dezhi and brought it with him, preparing to act after going to the division headquarters. Before the meeting, Yang Dezhi tentatively asked Luo Ronghuan, the political commissar of the division: "Now some regiment cadres want to find a wife, what should they do?" Luo Ronghuan immediately said, "What are the regiment cadres anxious about?" Master Chen Guang is not yet married? When Luo Ronghuan said this, Yang Dezhi hurried over to Wu Wenyu and said, "Forget it, forget it, don't take the report out, the division commander doesn't have a wife yet, how good is I as the regimental commander to run in front." ”
However, Yang Dezhi was already 27 years old after all, and he definitely belonged to the elderly youth in that era. Therefore, the marriage problem is still a matter. In August 1938, the headquarters issued an order to transfer Yang Dezhi as deputy brigade commander and acting brigade commander of the 344th Brigade, replacing Brigadier Xu Haidong, who returned to Yan'an due to illness to recuperate. At that time, the 344th Brigade was in the southeast of Jin, under the direct command of the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army. Before going to work, Yang Dezhi still wanted to take the girl with him. But in the end, it was still not brought, the reason is still that 100 pieces of ocean can not be taken out, missed a marriage, and it is really 100 oceans that are difficult to defeat the hero.
This incident is really lamentable: the girl's father is very businessman-like, short-sighted, for 100 oceans, delayed the girl's good fortune and great future, and also missed a general's son-in-law.
Due to the delay of the war, many cadres at that time had long passed the age of marriage. Around New Year's Day in 1939, in a small mountain village in southeastern Jin, Yang Dezhi once had a night talk with Huang Kecheng, Yang Yong, Qiu Chuangcheng, Yang Qiqing and other old comrades-in-arms who rarely met, and everyone joked, "Huang Kecheng was so old (Huang was 37 years old at the time), he did not look for a wife, he was a diehard." In fact, cadres who were as old as Yang Dezhi at that time were eager to find a partner. This is the normal human condition, and it is perfectly normal.
After that, Yang Dezhi rong ma qiang. Although he was appointed commander of the 344th Brigade, at that time the 344th Brigade had already dispersed to Taihang, Ji'nan and other places, mobilizing the masses, expanding the armed forces, and creating base areas. The task given to Yang Dezhi by the headquarters was to lead more than 100 cadres and fighters to create a base area in the Hebei-Lu-Yu Border Region. Since arriving in the Jilu-Yu Border Region in early 1939, Yang Dezhi has been working day and night, leading everyone to fight against the local Japanese, pseudo-and stubborn forces and disasters, and carrying out the work of creating base areas under extremely complicated and difficult conditions. The Jiluyu base area, founded by Yang Dezhi and others, became one of the four major components of the later Jinji-Hebei Luyu Strategic Zone. During this time, Yang Dezhi did not have time to think about personal issues at all.
During the establishment of the Blood and Fire Jiluyu Base Area, yang Dezhi met Shen Gejun, director of the Propaganda Department of the Women's National Salvation Association of the Jiluyu Border Region, because of his work relationship and the introduction of friends. Because of their common ideals, the two men understood each other in the war against Japan. After two months of acquaintance, in April 1940, the two married, and General Yang Dezhi, who was nearly 30 years old, finally harvested love. Who would have thought now that they had only met once before they got married, but they had lived together for 49 years.
Shen Gejun graduated from hebei daimyo women's normal school, and at that time, there were very few young women with high academic qualifications like this. According to his own words, Yang Dezhi is "a big old man" and his cultural level is not high.
[Before entering the Korean War, Yang Dezhi and Shen Gejun and his wife took a group photo]
In order to support Yang Dezhi's work, Shen Gejun took the initiative to give up his status as a local cadre after marriage, joined the Eighth Route Army, started as a soldier, and worked in posts such as instructors, officers, secretaries, and organization section chiefs, not only in life but also in work. From the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation to the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the Shen Ge Army followed General Yang until his death in 1989. In particular, during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Shen Gejun entered the battlefield together with Yang Dezhi and returned to China together, participating in the war as both military dependents and female cadres. This is certainly a very rare, if not the only, of the volunteer army.
【Yang Dezhi, Commander of the 19th Corps of the Volunteer Army】
On October 25, 1953, the third anniversary of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Shen Gejun was awarded the Order of Freedom and Independence of the Second Class by the DPRK side. Shen Gejun was awarded this medal not because of her status as a military dependent, but because of her status as a volunteer cadre, which was a great praise for her work. Between the two, it is not only love, but also mentors and friends and colleagues. This kind of feeling, which has been tested by the flames of war, is invaluable.
Yang Dezhi was a tiger general, since the age of 17 (1928) Shonan Uprising to join the Red Army, followed Zhu De to Jinggangshan, led the Red 1st Regiment to break through the Wujiang River and rush across the Dadu River on the Long March Road; during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he led the 685 Regiment to fight at Pingxingguan, created the Jiluyu Base Area, led the Yang Luogeng Corps to fly to Qingfengdian in the War of Liberation, attacked Xinbao, and fought in Lanzhou City, led the 19th Corps to fight in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, served as the second deputy commander of the Volunteer Army, was ordered to fight against the Vietnamese Self-Defense Counterattack, commanded the Yunnan direction, and was promoted to commander-in-chief in 1980. Until the age of 76 (1987), he worked in the second line. The general has been in the army for 60 years, and he has really fought all his life. As a tiger general, Yang Dezhi had outstanding military achievements, but he was humble and had an excellent reputation in the military. The way the general harvests love is obviously marked by the war years, but the long-term mutual help with the Shen Ge army in the work is also different and legendary.
[In the 1979 counterattack against Vietnam, Yang Dezhi (second from the right), commander-in-chief of the Western Front, surveyed the border battlefield]
(Franchised author: Mast)