preface
Xu Haidong was born in a poor family in Hubei Province, and when he was 12 years old, he dropped out of school to learn kiln craftsmanship with his brother and worked as a kiln worker for 11 years. He joined the Communist Party of China at the age of 25.
At the ceremony held in 1955, Xu Haidong ranked second among the generals, which also caused controversy at the time, and many people expressed disbelief. But what they didn't know was that among the ten founding generals of the republic, Xu Haidong could be said to be the one with the most bitter birth and the most serious battle wounds. After more than ten years of fighting, he was wounded nine times and had 17 scars all over his body.
First time in combat
Xu Haidong once said that before he was 18 years old, he had never eaten a full meal or worn a new coat. In 1925, he resolutely threw himself into the revolution, and in order to be able to pay his party fees, he also went to fetch water to sell, and it was not easy to collect enough party fees and money, and from then on embarked on the revolutionary road.
In 1926, when the Northern Expedition began, Xu Haidong served as an acting platoon leader in the Fourth Army, which was his first time in combat. The enemy attacked all the way to the Tingsi Bridge, Xu Haidong was a little dumbfounded, you must know that the enemy on the opposite side has four companies, but he has only one company.
It was such a task that most people could not complete, Xu Haidong led the troops to fight for a day and a night, he rushed to the front, led the whole platoon to crush the enemy's four artillery companies in one fell swoop
Organize the first revolutionary armed forces of workers and peasants
In 1927, Xu Haidong returned to his parents, with a pistol, 8 bullets, he went deep into the masses and mobilized the masses. In this way, the first revolutionary armed forces of workers and peasants were formed under his organization. Under his leadership, this team has participated in various battles many times, learned war in war, and continued to grow. He later became a senior commander of the Red Army.
Xu Haidong was brave and good at fighting on the battlefield, always charging into the battlefield, and was praised by the soldiers of the Red Army as "Tiger General". At one point, the enemy surrounded all the village names and coerced them to hand over the Communists.
A village name knew that these people were afraid of "Xu Laohu", so he shouted loudly at the entrance of the village that "Xu Laohu" was coming, and "Xu Laohu" was coming. When the enemy heard this, he turned around in fright and ran. Xu Haidong once said: Whether in life or on the battlefield, we must set strict demands on ourselves every time. He never accepts defeat and cannot lose.
Treat children strictly
Xu Haidong is not only strict with himself, but also very strict with the discipline of his children, and he resolutely prevents children from doing "going through the back door" by virtue of their positions. In 1925, the eldest daughter Xu Wenjin was born, and in 1927, for some reasons, Xu Wenjin had to leave his parents and live with his third uncle.
Later, after the founding of New China, Xu Wenjin learned that his father had become a high official, and he thought of seeking a good job with his father with his husband. When he met his father, who had been away for 24 years, Xu Wenjin was very excited and lived with his father for 2 months.
When Xu Wenjin told his father that he wanted to find a good job in the city, Xu Haidong looked outside and said: "Now the burden of the government is very heavy, and you yourself have no culture, let alone how can I be special?" After a pause, Xu Haidong continued: "Now that there are fields in the countryside, you can also cultivate land. How many poor people have turned over and become masters, why can't you go back to the countryside and farm with the villagers? ”
After bidding farewell to his father, Xu Wenjin returned to the countryside to continue to work as a farmer. Four boys and one woman were born. Later, due to natural disasters, the five children often fell ill due to hunger, and in 1962, the husband died of hunger and disease. Xu Wenjin raised five children by herself, even if it was difficult, she always remembered the words that her father had warned herself, and she worked hard to raise five children alone.
Xu Haidong was at home, but he did not allow the children to use anything that was related to the word public. He used to say, "This is what the public has given me for work, not for your own use." Including the ink distributed by the public, letters and letters, he never let the children use it.
He once told his children: "There are two kinds of money, one is public and the other is private. Public money cannot be spent privately, and private money cannot be spent casually. ”
Fighting is an addiction, and being an official is not an addiction
Because of the long-term battle, in January 1940, Xu Haidong vomited blood when he gave a report at a cadre conference. This led him to spend most of his life in a hospital bed for the next 30 years.
In 1955, Xu Haidong was awarded the rank of great general, and after learning that he had been awarded the title, he was deeply disturbed, saying: "I was sick all day, and I did not make much contribution to the party, but I was awarded the rank of great general, and I was ashamed."
Later, the relevant departments wanted to rebuild his house, of course, this is the treatment he should enjoy. But after he knew, he resolutely refused: "The country is engaged in construction, the government is very heavy, my house does not need to be built for the time being, and I now have a house to live in, which is very good." Let's talk about repairing the house later. ”
The following year he moved to Beijing, and Xu Haidong was elected a member of the Central Committee. But Xu Haidong said: "The most addictive thing about me is to fight, and I like to drink a little wine in my life, but being an official is really not addictive." ”
He wrote in his "Life Self-Statement": "Although the road I have experienced in my life is tortuous, it is all glorious. I, an uncultured, handicraft worker who knew nothing, was trained by the Party to be a senior general in the army. But what disturbs me is that I have done too little work for the party and for the people. I will not be able to do more work for the Party in the future, but I will always be loyal to the Party and the people. ”
On March 25, 1970, General Xu Haidong died at the age of 70 due to the ineffectiveness of aggravated medical treatment.