In August 1950, a stall master in Beijing received a letter of appointment signed by Chairman Mao himself and was entrusted with his reuse. He was happy and wondered at the same time: "I have never met Chairman Mao, how can he know me?" ”
A year ago, the old man was still worried about his livelihood and had to go to Deshengmen to sell rags.
Early every morning, he took his wife to the small market of Deshengmen to set up a stall and occupy a place. When the people around him saw it, they would greet him warmly, and this one said, "Seventh Master has come to me." The one said, "Seventh Master is closer to me." ”
It can be seen that he is still quite popular in everyone's hearts. Of course, there are also a small number of people who will sneer at him and coldly say a few words: "I didn't expect that Grandpa Belle at that time would fall to this point, and he wouldn't be very mixed." ”
Every time he heard such a word, he would laugh it and pay no attention to it, perhaps it was precisely because of such a kind personality that he would be popular in the crowd.
Seeing this, I think everyone has already guessed the identity of this person. Yes, this stall owner is Ai Xinjue Luo Zaitao, because he is ranked seventh. Therefore, it is called "Seven Masters". He was the half-brother of the Guangxu Emperor and the uncle of Puyi.
Then, curiously, why did such a famous late Qing Emperor uncle in the capital be reduced to a stall master? Why was he entrusted with a heavy responsibility, who had never met Chairman Mao?
Could it be that this late Qing Emperor uncle had some skills that were different from ordinary people? Or do you have some noble qualities?
If you want to know the truth of the matter, you have to start from when he was a child.
Zaitao was born in 1887 in the Palace of prince Of Alcohol, nicknamed Yeyun. His father was Yi Zhen the Prince of Alcohol, who had 7 sons, three of whom died prematurely, the remaining four were the second son Zai Xiang, that is, the Guangxu Emperor, the fifth son Zai Feng, the sixth son Zai Xun, and the seventh oldest of him.
Figure | Zaitao
With such an identity, Zaitao was undoubtedly much more powerful than other ordinary Eight Banner disciples, and later his nephew Puyi became emperor, and his status became more and more prominent.
At that time, he was a high-ranking and powerful minister, and he also served as a minister of military advice and also served as a minister of training for the Janissaries.
The Minister of Military Counsel, equivalent to the Chief of Staff, and the Minister of Training, whose main duty is to "defend the capital". However, it was also funny to say that Zaitao, the military adviser, had not fought a single battle.
At that time, Empress Longyu was worried about state affairs and was afraid that the Qing Dynasty would not be safe, so she asked Zaitao: "You are the Military Counselor, then I ask you, how are our soldiers now?" Zaitao shook his head in fright after hearing this, and directly confessed that he did not know, although he had brought soldiers, he had not fought a battle.
In fact, Zaitao did not fight, not because he had no feeling for the military, on the contrary, he had always had a special interest in the military. There are historical reasons for this.
As we all know, the Manchus are known as the "people on horseback", are good at riding and shooting, and often have to contact horses. Zaitao's father, Prince Alcohol, was recognized as one of the outstanding military generals among the nobles of the Qing Dynasty, and spent his life leading soldiers to fight.
Under the influence of his father, although Zaitao looked like a weak scholar in the past, he also longed to be able to ride on the battlefield in his heart, so he formed an indissoluble relationship with Ma.
Since his teenage years, Zaitao has learned to ride a horse and archery, and even studied at the Sommy Cavalry School in France. He not only has superb riding skills, but also mastered the skills of raising horses and soma.
Speaking of Zaitao Xiangma, it is famous, any horse passing in front of him, he can quickly say how old this horse is, in addition to distinguishing the age of the horse, Zaitao can also accurately distinguish which are horses, which are horses, which are pack horses, which are plough horses.
Later, the Xinhai Revolution broke out and the Qing Dynasty fell, and those relatives of the emperor and the state in the past suddenly fell from "heaven" to "underground" and began to run for life, and Zaitao was no exception.
At that time, he sold the luxurious Tao Belle Mansion in Houhai and moved with his family to a small house in the old hutong. Although life began to become embarrassing, the hobby of horseback riding was not broken.
In The Xiyangwei Hutong, there is a famous horse trumpet, which is the place where Zaitao raises horses. At that time, there were five horses in this horse number, two for pulling carts, one for his wife, and the remaining two for Zaitao.
It is also quite interesting to say that one of the two horses that Zaitao rode was picked up by him on the street.
At that time, Zaitao found a horse sick in the street, skinny and dying.
Everyone else will deliberately bypass the horse when they see it. But Zaitao was different, he saw at a glance that it was a good horse, so he took it home, and after some careful care, the horse did not disappoint.
In addition to raising horses and soma, Zaitao also has a lot of achievements in racing horses. It is said that he also raced a horse with Zhang Zuolin once that year.
It was 1924, the second Zhifeng War broke out, Zhang Zuolin won the victory and entered Beijing, he heard that Zaitao had a lot of research on horses, and he still had a certain degree of achievement in racing horses, so he sent someone to send a message to find Zaitao to race horses, and compare the heights.
On the field, Zhang Zuolin was domineering, did not put Zaitao in the eyes at all, in his opinion, his technology has reached the point of pure fire, and even threatened to let Zaitao take a few steps, but the result was a fiasco.
Zaitao's horse has been far ahead and has won the final victory.
After this horse race, Zhang Zuolin said that he would invite Zaitao to a banquet at the "Grand Marshal's Mansion", and Zaitao agreed without much thought. At this time, some well-meaning people reminded: "You won the last game, I'm afraid this time is a feast, I think it is better not to go." ”
After hearing this, Zaitao said decisively: "Afraid of anything, since I promised others, I can't lose faith." ”
That night, the "Grand Marshal's Mansion" was brightly lit and very lively. After three rounds of drinking, Zhang Zuolin still explained his true intentions, he wanted to ask Zaitao to go out of the mountain and help him preside over government affairs, and the conditions proposed were probably not something that few people could refuse.
Figure | Zhang Zuolin
But Zaitao smiled and shook his head and said, "I'm only shallow and shallow, I can't take on this heavy responsibility, so forget it." In this way, Zaitao refused Zhang Zuolin's invitation, returned home, and continued to live an ordinary life, occasionally raising horses and riding horses.
For Zaitao, riding soma is a big hobby, in addition to this hobby, he has other hobbies, such as cycling.
Zaitao loves to ride a bicycle, he began cycling from his teenage years old and rode until he was eighty years old.
At that time, bicycles were still a rare thing in Beijing, and by chance, Zaitao saw a folk artist performing cycling in the imperial palace, and he was attracted by such a wonderful performance and gave birth to an interest in cycling.
Initially, Riding the Tao bike just thought it was fun and interesting.
He often rides around the city, all kinds of hutongs and alleys, are very familiar, a string of strings, simply like a number of family treasures.
In order to have someone to play with when riding, Zaitao also let the family learn to ride, whether adults or children, men or women, ladies or girls, they must learn to ride, and each time by Zaitao personally taught.
In the 1930s, there were bicycles driven by electric rollers on the streets of Beijing, and this novelty suddenly attracted the attention of Zaitao, which fascinated him, and he also asked someone to install an electric roller on his bicycle, and as a result, he could be seen every day, he "suddenly" came, "suddenly" went, attracting a large group of people to watch.
Of course, in addition to his love of cycling, Zaitao also loves to buy cars. If anyone in the family learned to ride a bicycle, he would give generously and give a new car.
Later, cycling was not only a joy of life for Zaitao, but also a mode of transportation for him to travel, and he insisted on riding to work every day, neither taking a bus nor a car.
So keen on cycling, he also made a promise to himself, that is, he would not ride again at the age of 80. In 1966, Zaitao was seventy-nine years old, the last year of his cycling career.
One day, he found his son and said he wanted to see how far he could ride. That morning, he and his son rode out of the house and did not return until six or seven o'clock in the evening, and the family asked where they had gone, and Zaitao replied: "A trip to the Ming Tombs!" "This ride is Zaitao's last ride.
Among those Belle masters, Zaitao can be said to be quite interested, and the old Beijing people know that Zaitao loved to play and could play when he was young, and there was also a nickname at that time, called "Big Player".
He likes to raise flowers, birds, and fish. In the small house of that old alley, there are flowers planted by Zaitao everywhere, including peonies, pomegranates, oleanders and so on.
These flowers are not simply raised, and Zaitao does not spend less time on them.
Watering, fertilizing, and pruning were all done by himself. Every three to five, there are some horse manure, soaked in water, and fertilized the flowers. If you encounter a problem that you don't understand, you will ask others for advice.
In the backyard at that time, between the flower pots and trees, there were more than a dozen fish tanks of different sizes, which contained a wide variety of goldfish such as Longjing fish, Wangtian fish, redhead fish, and blister eyes.
Raising fish is a tedious task, but Zaitao has this patience. Changing water, raising red worms, fishing and drifting, sucking fish and poop, he is all hands-on. If any fish gave birth to a small fish, he would choose one by one, leave it for himself, or give it to a friend.
After watching so many of Zaitao's hobbies and comfortable life, everyone can't help but think, his life has not fallen, how can he set up a street stall?
In fact, since the Xinhai Revolution, Zaitao sold The Tao Belle Mansion and then used the money to buy a small mansion in The Old Hutong, which is where he raised flowers and fish, rode horses and bicycles.
At that time, if this money was handed over to ordinary people, it was completely enough to spend. But Zaitao is different, he has 5 sons, plus daughter-in-law, grandchildren, granddaughters, already many people, not to mention he has been raising a housekeeper for many years.
In this way, there are nearly thirty people, which is a big family. More than thirty people had more than thirty mouths, and these people all pointed to Zaitao to eat.
At first, life was fairly passable, but due to the huge expenses of the long time, the money from the sale of the house was quickly used up. Over time, Zaitao had to sell his property and make a living.
At that time, Zaitao was embarrassed to sell it himself, so he quietly called the "estimator" to his home and asked him to look at it and give him a price. "Dressmakers" have been groping and shrewd in society for many years, and they know that such families are generally in a hurry to use money, so they will keep the price very low every time.
Over and over again, Zaitao also saw the cattiness in it, and he thought to himself: "Life is already very difficult now, so it is even more difficult to go on." So, one night, Zaitao said to his wife, "Otherwise, from tomorrow onwards, we will not look for a dressmaker and set up a stall on the street ourselves." ”
When Madame heard this, although she did not refuse, she was more or less embarrassed.
Zaitao saw this and patiently said to his wife: "We did not steal nor rob, but only sold some things that we could not use, and there was nothing shameful about it." ”
Madame finally nodded when she heard it, she knew that now was different from before, Zaitao alone to support such a large family of people, it was very hard, she should understand more, help more, get through the difficulties.
So early the next morning, he picked out some old things that could not be used, packed some bags, and together with his wife, rode his bicycle to the small market near Deshengmen to set up stalls, which is the "Seven Masters" mentioned at the beginning of the article.
So, some people have thought about it, why would Zaitao choose such a place to set up a stall? In fact, this also reveals the wisdom of Zaitao.
In that area, as early as the Ming Dynasty, there were the residences of dignitaries and dignitaries, and later in the late Qing Dynasty, the most prominent gong, alcohol, and qing three major royal palaces were nearby, so the shops in this area were more special.
In short, all those who often appear in this area generally have some history, and Zaitao is precisely looking at this point, so he will set up a stall in this place.
At that time, on the morning market, you must get up early, otherwise you will not occupy a good position, and the market will not be good. For Zaitao, getting up every morning is really not an easy task.
In the summer, it is better, but in the winter, it is only painful.
The cold and bone-chilling northwest wind drilled straight into the neck and blew to the body, as if scraping with a knife, the taste was quite uncomfortable. However, for the sake of the family's livelihood, Zaitao still endured it, and at that time, he was close to the age of Hua Jia.
So, what about the business of Zaitao stalling and selling old things? It's actually good.
There's also an interesting thing going on here.
At that time, when Zaitao was selling old things, he mistakenly sold a Ming Dynasty vase as an ordinary vase, and as a result, the buyer picked up a big bargain, and he was immediately overjoyed, and would go to Zaitao's stall every day to see if he could encounter such a good thing.
Later, the matter spread out, and for a time, The small stall of Zaitao instantly exploded. Many people want to come and try their luck, so much so that they go earlier every morning than Zaitao.
In the face of this situation, Zaitao was also quite helpless, and he didn't want to do the same thing as before. Although the days of setting up the stalls were arduous and difficult, it was fortunate to help the family survive the most difficult years.
So, what is the "entrusted by Chairman Mao with a heavy responsibility" mentioned at the beginning of the article? Why can he be reused by Chairman Mao?
In fact, the reason is very simple, he has a strong sense of nationality, is a last emperor who would rather die than betray the country.
Although Zaitao was born into an imperial family, he had a strong sense of nationality. "Not to make a fortune in the country" is his life principle. He had many opportunities to go out of the mountains and achieve glory and wealth, but he refused them one by one.
The first opportunity to go out of the mountains was in 1932. At that time, Puyi, with the support of Japanese imperialism, established the puppet state of Manchukuo, and after receiving new news, those nobles of the former Qing Dynasty defected to puppet Manchukuo and gained an official and a half-post, but Zaitao did not, not only that, he was quite opposed to this kind of behavior.
In that year, Puyi entrusted people with letters and specially sent people to Beiping to invite Zaitao out of the mountains and go to the northeastern puppet state of Manchukuo to serve in order to strengthen his majesty.
We can imagine that if Zaitao, a former military adviser and grand uncle, arrived in the northeast, he would definitely be an official prominent. But Zaitao was resolutely not killed, and he said firmly: "I would rather die than be a slave to the country." After saying that, he sent the people sent by Puyi away.
If you can't do it once, Puyi will come twice. A few days later, he sent a Japanese named "Tanaka" to lobby Zaitao, but the result was the same, and he was bombed out.
Figure | Puyi
This was Zaitao's first chance to go out of the mountains, and the second time was on the eve of the japanese surrender, when the puppet regime in North China was in turmoil. At that time, Zaitao's old friend and pseudo-North China political councilor Wang Yitang wanted to ask Zaitao to come out of the mountain to help him in view of the changeable situation.
One day, Wang Yitang came to visit Zaitao, and as soon as the two of them sat down, Wang Yitang said straight to the point: "Tao Belle's talent in the political and military circles is obvious to everyone, and now that I am old, I can't move, and I want to ask you to come out of the mountain to help me." It also claims to be paid a high monthly salary.
With this money, Zaitao can definitely get rid of the embarrassment of life, but he did not do so, and still maintained a clear mind. He knew that Wang Yitang's life was getting worse and worse now, and looking for him at this time was undoubtedly trying to find a cushion, and in addition, he also had relations with the Japanese, so it was even more impossible to do it.
After thinking about this, Zaitao stood up and made a gesture to Wang Yitang, and then smiled and said, "You will spare me, I am not used to those cars, or it is more comfortable to ride my bicycle." ”
When Wang Yitang heard this, he no longer asked himself for no interest and left Zaitao's home with people.
The third opportunity to go out of the mountains was on the eve of liberation. At that time, Chiang Kai-shek sent Gao Youtang to Beijing to meet Zaitao and ask him to help save the crisis and take on some heavy responsibilities, even if it was just to come out and appeal a few words. But Zaitao did not give any face and resolutely refused to be killed.
Later, Chiang Kai-shek personally went to Beiping to entertain military and political dignitaries at all levels and celebrities, and Zaitao was even on the invited list. The moment he got the invitation, he didn't look at it and casually threw it aside.
After Chairman Mao learned all this, he admired Zaitao quite a bit, and because he himself had the ability, he entrusted him with a heavy responsibility.
In June 1950, Li Jishen proposed to Zhou Enlai that Zaitao be invited to the National People's Political Consultative Conference. Zhou Enlai immediately approved the proposal.
Figure | Zhou Enlai
During the congress, Zhou Enlai invited Zaitao to submit a bill to the government to make suggestions for the construction of new China. At that time, Zaitao was both excited and nervous, and while he was touched by the trust of the Communist Party and the people's government, he did not believe that he could make any useful suggestions, so he approached Li Jishen for consultation.
After listening to it, Li Jishen smiled and said, "You can give full play to your expertise, for example, if you understand horses, you can put forward a bill on military horses." With these words, Zaitao Mao set off, and he returned home happily and seriously wrote a bill to "ask for the improvement of horse breeds to facilitate military use."
When Chairman Mao saw this motion, he was greatly satisfied and even more appreciative of Zaitao.
On August 10, 1950, Chairman Mao personally signed a letter of appointment for Zaitao.
By decree of the Appointment Of the People's Revolutionary Military Commission of the Central People's Government, Zaitao is hereby appointed as an adviser to the Ma Zheng Bureau of the Artillery Headquarters of the People's Liberation Army of the Chinese.
When Zaitao received this letter of appointment, he was very excited, and at the same time he wondered: "I have never met Chairman Mao, how did he know me?" ”
Thinking about it, Zaitao couldn't help but shed tears, and at this moment, he felt that he had gained a new life, and sighed: "In my lifetime, I must repay Chairman Mao's kindness of knowing." ”
Since becoming an adviser to the Ma Political Bureau, Zaitao has ridden his bicycle to work every day with a smile on his face.
One day, he was in a meeting when he suddenly received a phone call from home, saying that a large hole had collapsed in the southeast corner of the north room, and he was asked to quickly return to repair it.
After hanging up the phone, colleagues around him asked him with concern what had happened. Zaitao smiled and said to the crowd, "My house has collapsed, let me go back and repair it, how can I afford it?" After saying that, he took a leave of absence to go home and repair the house.
Later, Chairman Mao learned of this and took out 2,000 yuan from his own manuscript fee and handed it to Mr. Zhang Shizhao, asking him to send money to Zaitao.
Figure | Chairman Mao and Zaitao
During the Korean War, the Volunteer Army faced numerous difficulties, and supply lines were cut off. In order to ensure supplies, Zhu De personally called Ma Zheng and asked them to immediately send a large number of troops and horses to the Korean battlefield.
You know, at that time, the Ma Political Bureau was only a bureau under the artillery, and it was usually only responsible for sending a part of the military horses to the artillery, but this time the entire army needed a large number of military horses, and the supply did not meet the requirements at all, so what should be done?
In order to accomplish this task, more military horses were prepared, and Zaitao and other comrades of the horse political bureau quickly rushed to Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and other places to collect military horses everywhere.
In the end, they raised more than 25,000 military horses to send to the Korean battlefield, solving the problems of the time.
On September 2, 1970, Zaitao died of illness in Beijing at the age of 84. His ashes were placed in the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery and received the most glorious home.
Throughout Zaitao's life, although he has experienced many ups and downs, he has always adhered to the bottom line, not forgotten the national integrity, and has made contributions to the construction of a new China.