What is history: it is the echo of the past to the future, the reflection of the future on the past. - Hugo
During the Ye Ting period, the real power of the New Fourth Army, according to the instructions of the Party Central Committee, was actually controlled by deputy commander Xiang Ying.
However, in the impression of many people, Xiang Ying seems to have a low evaluation.
So, what kind of person is Xiang Ying?
The famous American journalist Smedley once said: "Xiang Ying was also one of the leaders responsible for organizing and training the New Fourth Army into the most effective and civilized military force behind enemy lines." He praised Xiang Ying as an "iron man" trained by the revolutionary war.
In this regard, many veteran soldiers of the New Fourth Army also said excitedly: "Our deputy commander Comrade Xiang Ying is worthy of the title of 'Iron Man.' Without such a pioneer, the 'Iron Man' commander who shared the hardships with the soldiers, was born into death, and fought hard, it is difficult to imagine that he could cultivate an indestructible and invincible 'iron army'. ”
This evaluation is so high!
As the founder and main leader of the New Fourth Army, Xiang Ying was born as a worker. He was first involved in the workers' movement and was elected a member of the Central Committee at the Third to Fifth Congresses of the Communist Party of China. He was the most resolute and tenacious in his revolution. American Jack Belden, author of "China Shakes the World," said:
"(He is an iron man) I do not believe that any suffering, any betrayal, and any misfortune will hurt Xiang Ying."
Xiang Ying was "left" in the eyes of most people when he was in the Red Army, but he was removed from his post by Wang Ming.
On the eve of the Red Army's Long March, Xiang Ying was still a member of the Politburo, but did not participate in the meeting to decide on the Long March. Unbeknownst to him, he was ordered to be in danger, and Chen Yi was left behind to cover the transfer of the main Red Army. In the three years of arduous guerrilla warfare, he was stubborn and indomitable in the dilemma of losing all contact with the central authorities and independently waged a difficult guerrilla war. Subsequently, he became the well-deserved leader of the New Fourth Army.
When the New Fourth Army was formed, Bogu and Ye Jianying, because he had lost contact with the Central Committee for a long time, did not understand the Party's policies, and the situation had changed greatly, suggested that the Party Central Committee transfer him to Yan'an to study for a period of time, but because of the needs of the work, the Party Central Committee still entrusted him with the heavy responsibility of the New Fourth Army.
As a result, Xiang Ying unified the guerrilla groups scattered in eight provinces in just a few months and formed the New Fourth Army. Both Chen Yi and Deng Zihui thought that this was not an easy task, and military commander Ye Ting also said: "In the construction of the army, Comrade Xiang Ying in particular plays the role of leading the decision. ”
After the establishment of the New Fourth Army, Xiang Ying became the director of the military branch as the top decision-maker of the whole army. He was sturdy, a standard military posture, very powerful, and spoke in a loud and sonorous voice. His expression was solemn and solemn, but the soldiers said: "Once contacted, he was extremely simple and warm, approachable, Xiang Ying had spare time, and we were making jokes, and there was no chief's official frame at all." ”
In the New Fourth Army, most people have the impression of him:
"Ordinary, simple, upright and respectable. Rich revolutionary experience and fine qualities, he enjoys lofty prestige among the officers and men of the whole army. ”
Xiang Ying was not married in his 30s (married at the end of 1940 and died in a dozen days), and his personal life was simple. However, in the New Fourth Army, the status of intellectuals is extremely high. Among the doctors and nurses in the Military Medical Department, the maximum treatment can be 140 yuan per month, 70 yuan for undergraduates, 30 yuan for senior nurses, that is, the nurses trained by the New Fourth Army can also get 8 yuan per month, and he himself, like the detachment leader, only receives 5 yuan allowance.
He lived a hard life, occasionally a little "good food", the first thing that came to mind was the warrior. Smedley came to the New Fourth Army, and he also paid for the reception himself.
Xiang Ying loves soldiers like sons. On July 1, 1939, he came to the cultural team to check on the trainees to try to sing the "New Fourth Army Military Song". Suddenly, 12 Japanese planes sneaked into Yunling and bombed indiscriminately. At the critical moment, Xiang Ying said calmly, "You should withdraw first." The soldiers refused and asked the deputy commander to leave first. Xiang Ying was anxious and shouted, "Hurry up and carry out the order!" "He didn't leave until everyone was evacuated.
Decades later, the veteran soldiers of the New Fourth Army talked about Xiang Ying and said with tears: "The three years in southern Anhui are the key three years for us to embark on the revolutionary road and grow up healthily. At that time, we were all young people who didn't know much. But fortunately, just after joining the revolutionary contingent, I met such a good leader who was highly respected and tireless. The words and deeds of the chiefs have benefited us a lot and gradually grown into staunch revolutionary fighters. The revolutionary spirit of Deputy Commander Xiang still has an impact on us to this day. ”
In May 1940, Xiang Ying was criticized by the central government for not handling his working relationship with Ye Ting, so he asked for his resignation and asked the central government to send someone to replace him or be represented by Yuan Guoping. The Party Central Committee did not agree and ordered him to continue his work. Subsequently, the superiors decided that Ye Ting was in charge of the New Fourth Army and sent Xiang Ying to Yan'an via Chongqing to participate in the Seventh National Congress.
Because Xiang Ying was a deputy commander, he needed to greet Chongqing. Unexpectedly, after the CCP made this request, Chiang Kai-shek did not agree to his going to Chongqing.
Because of Chiang Kai-shek's refusal, Xiang Ying, who could have escaped the disaster of the Anhui Incident, did not avoid it.
Since Chiang Kai-shek did not agree to let him go to Chongqing to Yan'an, the Party Central Committee ordered Xiang Ying to withdraw north with the New Fourth Army and then come to Yan'an via North China. At this time, although Xiang Ying did not explicitly leave his post, he was in a state of uncertainty about where to stay, and when he encountered a dispute between the New Fourth Army and the Kuomintang Gu Zhutong Third Theater on the issue of retreating to the north, although Xiang Ying was still the main person in charge, he still had many concerns, so he could not make a decision for a long time.
On January 4, 1941, he finally led the New Fourth Army to move north, but the opportunity to transfer was lost, and on the 6th, he was besieged by nearly ten times the strength of the Kuomintang army, and by the 14th, the whole army was destroyed. After Xiang Ying and Zhou Zikun and others broke through, they were killed by the adjutant Liu Houzong at Chikeng Mountain.
For Xiang Ying, Belden called him "the soul of the New Fourth Army", and Xiang Ying "is essentially a strong figure, his face is yellowish brown, his attitude is simple, honest and resolute." ”
With regard to the New Fourth Army under his leadership, a general of the Kuomintang Army once commented to this reporter: "The New Fourth Army has ten times more than any group army under the jurisdiction of the three theaters in terms of combat performance, and it is also more than any group army in the five theaters not only in the three theaters, but also in the five theaters, and in guerrilla warfare."