On the streets of Zhejiang, there is an old man who is pedaling three wheels hard, although he is disabled and walks with a limp, but he is very sharp at work, and he shuttles through the alleys like a gust of wind. Looking at his body shape, you can judge that he is different from ordinary people, because he is tall and tall, revealing a strong temperament from the inside out, like a general who is invincible on the battlefield. Many people asked him about his experience before becoming a coachman, and he laughed and said nothing.
However, on a sunny day in 2005, the coachman was resting at home when he suddenly received a mysterious letter, opened it and realized that it was an invitation from the central government, inviting him to participate in the Hunan Peace Culture Festival.
What's the story behind this coachman? He sat in prison for twenty years, and after he was released from prison, he could only make a living by pedaling a tricycle, so why did he get the attention of the state?
Determined to serve the country
The coachman's name was Wu Qiren and he was a retired Air Force.
Wu Qiyuan was born in a wealthy family, and his family was highly expected by his father, and he was sent to the school hall to study from an early age. Wu Qiyuan did not live up to his father's expectations, worked hard in school, always ranked among the best in his grades, was a good student in the eyes of the teacher, and later successfully admitted to Qingdao Normal University.
In 1931, after the "918 Incident", the three eastern provinces fell, and the Kuomintang established China's first aviation school to train flying troops in order to regain air supremacy.
Wu Qiyuan, who is studying at the Normal University, heard that the motherland was in danger, and his patriotic enthusiasm was thoroughly stimulated. So he wrote a letter to his father, hoping that his father would agree to abandon his pen and go to aviation school for further study.
As the domestic situation became more and more severe, he could not wait for his father's reply with great righteousness, so he simply applied to the school for withdrawal from school, enrolled in the training of the Central Aviation School, and successfully passed the examination.
At that time, China's aviation technology was not advanced, there were no professional instructors, nor was there a well-equipped machine, and the aircraft was far inferior to the enemy in terms of performance and quantity.
But Wu Qiyuan was not overwhelmed by fear, on the contrary, he always had a belief that he would defeat the enemy, drive these invaders out of China, and let the people live in peace and contentment.
In 1937, after the Lugou Bridge Incident, the Japanese army attacked Shanghai and launched a fierce attack on the local people, and the aviation school where Wu Qiyuan studied was also destroyed, and the principal had to transfer with his students in order to preserve his strength.
Wu Qiyuan and his classmates suffered a lot during the transfer, and they not only had to carry their bags every day, but also carried out rigorous military training and aerospace theoretical knowledge training.
During the march, the school's instructors would take the time to explain some of the operating principles of the aircraft to these students, teaching them how to see the routes and landmarks.
Wu Qiyuan studied very hard, and whenever he encountered problems that he did not understand, he would write them down in his notebook and then consult his classmates and teachers. Under the training day and night, Wu Qiyuan has a professional knowledge theory.
In the same year, Wu Qiren graduated from school. With his excellent results, he directly entered the Chinese Air Force and became a member of the Flying Tigers.
The birth of the Flying Tigers
The Flying Tigers were actually the American Volunteer Air Force, which was formed by Chennault.
In 1937, Chennault visited China and witnessed the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, and he accepted Song Meiling's proposal to establish an aviation school in Kunming.
Chennault required the Chinese Nationalists to conduct military training in accordance with American aviation training standards, and he helped the Nationalists resist Japan with his super high aviation skills.
But due to diplomatic pressure, he was forced to turn to behind-the-scenes planning.
At that time, the Chinese Air Force could only buy imported machines from other countries because of the backward development of the aviation industry. However, the enemy's firepower was too fierce, the aircraft imported from abroad by the army were quickly damaged by the enemy, the supplies that the Soviet Union had given us were exhausted, and the domestic war resources were all provided by the Soviet Union.
Later, due to the rupture of relations between the Soviet Union and China, aid was cut off, and China had to turn to the United States for help.
During his guidance of our army, Chennault was infected by the patriotism of our army. Seeing that New China was in trouble in the war, he decided to return to the United States to organize a volunteer army. After returning to the United States, he contacted the aircraft factory non-stop and persuaded the factory director to produce a hundred fighter jets for him to use as support.
Immediately afterwards, they negotiated with the British to use the 100 P-40s that the United States had supported them to reinforce China.
In addition, he also asked the president of the United States to allow the country's outstanding aviation and Marine Corps members to sign up for the volunteer army to support China.
Thanks to Chennault's efforts, the American Volunteer Air Corps was finally formed. Chennault's support for China did not stop there.
In the name of a private organization, he recruited many excellent pilots and mechanics, and then pretended to be civilians and embarked on the road to support China.
Most of these people were brave and adventurous young men, and their tactics were even more unexpected because they were not regular soldiers.
Scrappy and spirited, they returned triumphantly in their first battle in Kunming, posing a serious threat to the Japanese army.
Citizens flocked to greet the "Skyfall" team, calling them the "Flying Tigers" for the first time in news reports.
The famous animation master specially designed a logo with a "V" depicting victory on it, and a tiger with wings jumped on it, which also became the emblem of the Flying Tigers.
Everyone is watching their record and seeing them as heroes. But few people know that this heroic regiment is actually a mixed regiment of the Chinese and American Air Forces.
In this mixed regiment, some of them were Chinese pilots who had experienced hundreds of battles in the early days of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression; the other part were pilots who had just graduated from professional flight training in the United States and India; and the rest were real Flying Tigers, including Wu Qiyuan.
In 1941, Wu Qiyuan flew to Chengdu Airport and was suddenly attacked by enemy air raids. The order asked him to retreat quickly, but on the way he encountered Japanese fighters.
This was the first time he had engaged the Japanese head-on, and although he knew that there was a huge difference in strength between himself and the other side, he did not feel panic at all.
Wu Qiyuan quickly pulled down the joystick of the trainer, swooped down, and in order to avoid the enemy's attack, he had been gliding at a height of forty meters above the river surface.
Although he moved quickly, he was attacked by the Japanese army behind him, and his pilot was hit by enemy shells, the fuel tank was damaged, and the tail of the fuselage was instantly on fire.
The Japanese army wanted to return to the sea, but seeing that Wu Qiyuan, who was seriously wounded, still insisted on driving the trainer plane that was on fire to continue to move forward, so he exterminated him and replenished a series of bullets at the fighter he was piloting
。 One of the bullets hit the fuel tank of the plane, and the trainer plane instantly turned into a fireball and fell from the sky, fortunately, Wu Qiyuan had already jumped off the trainer plane and escaped this fate.
Many people saw the plane piloted by Wu Qiyuan fall into the river and thought that he had died, but wu Qiyuan, who had a hard life, fell into the river and was rescued by the people, which saved his life.
During this battle, Wu Qiren's sciatic nerve was broken, resulting in a disability in his left leg, and doctors said he would most likely not be able to work as a pilot anymore.
This was like a thunderbolt on a sunny day for Wu Qiren.
What made him even more sad was that nearly half of the comrades who fought with him at that time had unfortunately died. Remembering the comrades who fought side by side with him in the past, and remembering the vows he had made, Wu Qiyuan was very unwilling. Tenacious, he did not give up his aviation career, so he actively trained every day. After unremitting efforts, he was finally able to walk upright normally.
When Wu Qiyuan was hospitalized, he also met his first love, a woman from a privileged family, and the two fell in love at first sight and had a mutual affection.
Her father was a general, and although he admired Wu Qiren, he was firmly opposed to his daughter being with Wu Qiren. The general believed that even though Wu Qiren was talented and courageous, the work risk factor was too high, and he was worried that his daughter would become a widow in the future, so he always disagreed with the marriage.
Later, seeing that the two were deeply in love, the general had to make a step back, but let Wu Qiyuan choose between his daughter and work, Wu Qiyuan hesitated for a long time, and in order to save the motherland, he finally gave up his children's love.
After recovering, Wu Qiyuan wanted to continue to choose to return to the army as a pilot, so he asked his relatives to help him write a health certificate, and then he took the certificate to ask his superiors.
The boss has always appreciated Wu Qiyuan very much, believing that his skills are excellent and brave, and he is a rare talent. However, considering that Wu Qiren was disabled and believed that he was not suitable for the battlefield, he refused his request.
But Wu Qiren did not want to leave, under his soft and hard bubble, the boss gave him a chance to test fly, Wu Qiyuan won the trust of the boss with his outstanding performance, and returned to the blue sky again.
In 1943, Wu Qiren piloted a bomber to fight the Japanese in Xiangtan, but was unexpectedly hit by enemy artillery fire.
The unbalanced fighters circled the sky in a dangerous situation. However, Wu Qiyuan very calmly passed through the japanese gunfire and bullet rain, and with his skillful control ability, successfully drove the "butt smoke" fighter back to Zhijiang Airport. When he stood on the ground, he was greeted by deafening applause, and the other pilots in the team gave him a thumbs up.
In April 1945, the Japanese army launched the Battle of Xiangxi in order to capture Zhijiang Airport, when a total of 280,000 soldiers and horses from both China and Japan gathered here, which was the last battle of the War of Resistance Against Japan and the most brutal battle in history.
Wu Qiyuan, the main force of the Flying Tigers, was the first to rush to the battlefield, and while escorting the bombers back, he and his comrades were unfortunately hit by Japanese artillery fire, causing the engine to fail and forced to land on the river beach near the Zhijiang River. Seriously wounded, Wu Qiyuan fell into the river, but fortunately was rescued by the local people and recovered his life, and two days later he returned to the army to continue the fighting.
According to statistics, during the battle between Wu Qiren and the Japanese army, he was seriously injured three times, but each time he was lucky to survive, and he became more and more frustrated and courageous, always standing on the front line of the war.
Including unjust imprisonment for twenty years, pedaling a tricycle after being released from prison
Wu Qiyuan originally thought that after the end of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Guotai Min'an, he would also be able to retire with success. Unfortunately, the good times did not last long, and soon after the end of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the cooperative relationship between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party broke down again.
Wu Qiren could not accept his compatriots killing each other, so he had to move to the United States on the grounds that he was physically ill and needed to go to the United States to see a doctor, and Wu Qiren's military career also gained temporary tranquility.
But with a family letter from his father, Wu Qiren's hard-to-settle life was once again set off. In the family letter, the father said that he was old, and his last wish was to enjoy his old age in the company of his son.
At the same time, my father also told Wu Qiyuan in his family letter that he hoped that he could build a bright future with our party.
Wu Qiyuan knew that his identity could not return to the motherland in an honorable manner, and in order not to arouse Chiang Kai-shek's suspicions, he could only turn to his classmates for help.
At that time, as a classmate of the US Air Force, he was not bound by the Kuomintang, so Wu Qiyuan asked his classmates for help to take him to Hong Kong, so he flew to Hong Kong and met the representatives of the party organization who had been contacted in advance.
Under the protection of the party organization, he successfully avoided the eyes of the Kuomintang, drove back to Beijing, and served as an instructor at Nanyuan Airport.
Because Wu Qiyuan was once a Kuomintang, he was ostracized everywhere in the airport, and Wu Qiren left Nanyuan Airport in a fit of anger and chose to go to Zhejiang University to teach. It was also at Zhejiang University that he met his lover.
Unfortunately, shortly after getting married, Wu Qiren's peaceful life was once again broken due to some political factors.
He was forced to go to jail and rehabilitate his farm every day for twenty years.
After his release from prison, he returned home, where he had nothing and no skills, so he worked as a tricycle driver in the factory where his wife worked.
The family lives in a rental house of only a dozen square meters, and he gets up early every day and pedals three rounds in the dark, and his income is very meager.
Wu Qiyuan had almost nothing left after receiving his salary and paying the rent, and he barely made ends meet on his wife's income. I live a hard life with my family.
These days lasted for six years, and the patriotic youth who was once enthusiastic was now an old man who had suffered a lot of wind and frost. In 1980, Wu Qiren restored his reputation, and his glorious deeds were made public. Considering that he was once a talented man who had read poetry and books, and had made great contributions to our country, the state arranged for him to work as a herbarium clerk at Zhejiang University.
As a member of the Flying Tigers, Wu Qiren was given a commemorative medal by the Central Military Commission, which is of great significance to him, and on behalf of the motherland, he announced to everyone that Wu Qiren had made great contributions and was a great revolutionary fighter.
The justice in him has never been lost, and he has suffered more than twenty years of grievances in silence, fortunately. At the last moment of Wu Qiren's life, he finally got back his own medal of honor, and there was no regret in this life. His great spirit allowed him to create glory in the tide of history, to stand up in the most difficult moments in China, to make great achievements, and he is our national hero.