Xu Shiyou
preface
General Xu Shiyou had 7 children, three sons and four daughters. Unlike many people in that era, Xu Shiyou "valued women over men", and he especially favored his third daughter, Xu Huashan. Xu Huashan is also the child who looks most like his father. In addition, her Reilly's decisive personality is also most like Xu Shiyou.
Xu Huashan grew up with his father, and Xu Shiyou played on his back as soon as he had time. Usually, Xu Shiyou rarely cares about his children. The children came back from other places to see him, going back and forth, and Xu Shiyou rarely asked questions. Only Xu Huashan came to see him, and Xu Shiyou had to send a secretary to pick him up every time.
Xu Shiyou likes to ride in a jeep, and he likes to sit next to the driver. This habit was developed during the war years, as the seat was convenient for observing the terrain. Some staff members joked that it was the "no. 1 position" dedicated to Commander Xu.
However, every time Xu Huashan came, Xu Shiyou would open the car door and go directly to the back seat to give up his favorite "No. 1 position" to his daughter.
For this most beloved daughter, Xu Shiyou did not relax the requirements, the discipline that should be observed must be observed, and if you want to go through him through the back door, not only can you not achieve it, but you may also taste the taste of "iron sand palm".
Xu Shiyou and Xu Huashan
Strict requirements for children
During the Liberation War, our army had just liberated a county town, and Xu Shiyou's eldest daughter Xu Li and Nie Fengzhi's son Guorong went to the streets to play together.
On the street, the two children saw a lot of delicious food, and they were so hungry that they swallowed their saliva. In the past, they had been wandering with their families and rarely ate good food, but now when they see something delicious, they are too hungry to walk.
However, at that time, they did not have any money on them. What to do? The two little guys had a clever move, thinking that their fathers were very prestigious people, everyone was very respectful, and if they said their names, the shopkeeper might give them food for free.
So the two children introduced themselves to each other, who was the son of whom, and who was the daughter of whom. Out of respect for Xu Shiyou and Nie Fengzhi, plus, the store also felt that the two children were lively and cute, so they sent them some things to eat, and the children were very happy.
After Xu Shiyou heard about this incident, he immediately took a pistol to the street to find someone, and his mouth kept scolding:
"This little bunny cub who breaks discipline..." He will never allow a child to make a special and take advantage of others in his name.
Xu Shiyou and his family
In addition to Xu Li, Xu Jianjun and Xu Huashan were also taught by their father Xu Shiyou.
Once, Xu Jianjun bullied a classmate at school, and the parents of the classmates quickly found Xu Shiyou to file a complaint. After learning that his son was bullying people, Xu Shiyou was furious,
He hated bullies the most in his life.
Therefore, the angry Xu Shiyou waved his slap and taught his son a lesson. This was not enough, after the slap lesson was completed, Xu Shiyou picked up a stick again and continued to teach his son.
With this lesson, Xu Jianjun would never dare to do such a thing again.
Xu Huashan was taught because of truancy.
Once, Xu Huashan and his sister Xu Sangyuan skipped school to go out to play, and Xu Shiyou was very angry when he learned about it.
On that day, the two sisters returned home, and before they could beat the dirt on their bodies, Xu Shiyou stood in front of them.
"Stand up!" Xu Shiyou shouted at the two men. When the sisters saw that their father was angry, their faces turned white and they immediately stood up.
Subsequently, Xu Shiyou looked at the two sisters and scolded, "Lizheng! The Xu Huashan sisters immediately straightened their chests and abdomen, standing straighter than the poles.
Looking at Xu Shiyou's gloomy face, the sisters' minds immediately came up with the scene of their brother being beaten. As his father slapped down, his brother's ass quickly swollen, red, and shining.
Thinking of this, the two sisters trembled with fright and sobbed quietly.
However, their cries did not make their father Xu Shiyou feel soft. Immediately, Xu Shiyou shot like lightning and picked up Xu Huashan. That formation was like an eagle gnawing on a chicken, and then the volley was a slap, and it hit Xu Huashan's ass firmly.
With a snap, Xu Huashan screamed heart-rending. You know, Xu Shiyou's "iron sand palm" is not a joke. Xu Shiyou's wife Tian Pu once said:
"Shiyou's iron sand palm is very powerful, and he often practices it thousands of times in soybean millet and fine sand. I don't know how much skin and flesh have been worn off, often bleeding non-stop, and after the scars have subsided, he will continue to practice. So, he can really grab a handful of meat and insert five holes! ”
Because of this, when many generals shake hands with Xu Shiyou, they are often screamed by Xu Shiyou. Especially when shaking hands with friends he has not seen for many years, Xu Shiyou likes to use force.
Later, when many people saw Xu Shiyou, they didn't dare to shake hands with him directly, and when they saw him, they smiled and hugged their fists: "Master, no courtesy, no courtesy!" ”
It is conceivable that Xu Shiyou slapped down this slap, how much pain his daughter Xu Huashan was.
Xu Shiyou and his wife Tian Pu
After hearing his sister's harsh cry, although Xu Sangyuan was afraid, he also felt that the slap could not be avoided, so he sobbed silently, waiting for his father's slap to fall.
Unexpectedly, Xu Shiyou did not hit Xu Sangyuan. Xu Sangyuan was very puzzled and said with a crying voice: "Dad, you haven't hit me yet..."
Xu Shiyou said: "It is enough to hit one, she is a sister, just beat her." ”
Hearing this, Xu Huashan wowed and cried even more sadly. Xu Sangyuan said doubtfully:
"Dad, you're mistaken, I'm a sister, she's a sister..."
Xu Shiyou was surprised: "Ah..." After carefully looking at the two daughters again, Xu Shiyou sighed and said, "Play the piano randomly!" Your sister is two fingers shorter than your sister..."
Listening to his daughter Xu Huashan's miserable crying, Xu Shiyou slapped his thigh in chagrin.
Afterwards, Xu Shiyou painstakingly educated the two children:
"It's not easy to live a good life today, and you should study hard." When I was a child, I had no conditions, I only read books for a few days, and you should cherish them..."
Perhaps because he hit the wrong person this time, Xu Shiyou has not hit a child since then. Later, when the children made mistakes again, Xu Shiyou used a witty and humorous way to explain to them, teach them to know right from wrong, and often make the children laugh.
Xu Sang Garden
Privileges are never allowed, and relatives and friends will not be able to touch the light
Due to his personality, Xu Shiyou pursues the principle of natural development for the education of his children. When he is entitled, he will not use his power to benefit his children. When he has no power, Xu Shiyou will not ask others for personal gain for his children.
In 1968, Xu Huashan entered the Harbin Air Force First Flight Academy. She felt that it was good to learn a technique, and her father, Xu Shiyou, was also very supportive of his daughter's choice, and he also wanted his children to go to the army to exercise.
Before leaving, Xu Shiyou also specially reminded Xu Huashan to make preparations for eating and suffering. However, after arriving at the school, Xu Huashan was a little overwhelmed.
Xu Huashan recalled that during the school period, the emergency collection bell often sounded at four or five o'clock in the morning. All personnel must get dressed, pack their backpacks and assemble on the playground within ten minutes. Then, run 3000 meters with your backpack on your back.
Xu Huashan often couldn't keep up with the team, and the backpack couldn't be beaten well, so he could only hurry up and make a cross and run out. Because the cross is not secure, it is often not far away that the backpack is scattered on the ground. Therefore, Xu Huashan was criticized every time he came back.
However, these are not intolerable major events for Xu Huashan. Later, because of some things, Xu Huashan's situation was very difficult, and she felt that she had reached the point of being expelled from the "human status" and had a very painful life every day. She even felt that she would not graduate alive.
Therefore, Xu Huashan wrote a letter to his father, implicitly telling his father about the "tempering" he had received at school, hoping that his father would say hello to the school, go through the back door, and let himself withdraw from school.
At this time, Xu Huashan would rather go to the mountains to be a barefoot doctor than a pilot, and at school, she could not stay for a minute.
After receiving the letter, although Xu Shiyou was distressed about his daughter, he would never make a privilege for her daughter.
Therefore, Xu Shiyou picked up a red and blue pencil and personally replied to his daughter. In the past, Xu Shiyou corresponded with his daughter, all of which were dictated and ghostwritten by the secretary Li Wenqing. It can be seen that Xu Shiyou attaches great importance to this letter.
In the letter, Xu Shiyou's tone was unmistakable, and he said:
"Since you have arrived at the military school, you must persist to the end!" If you feel that you will not live to the day of graduation, then you are ready to die and strive to live! ”
In this letter, Xu Shiyou wrote every word very large.
Li Wenqing and Xu Shiyou
After seeing his father's reply, Xu Huashan was both shocked and distressed. At this time, she did not understand why her father was so "cruel".
To Xu Huashan's relief, there was another letter in the envelope. The letter was written by Xu Shiyou's secretary, Li Wenqing. He told Xu Huashan that your father actually missed you very much, and the picture you took when you were three years old with a flannel hat and pointing to flowers was always hanging on the head of his bed, and he could see it every day when he opened his eyes.
In addition, when Xu Shiyou walked with Li Wenqing every evening, he often mentioned Xu Huashan, saying:
"Huashan grew up so big, I only hit her once, and now that I think about it, I regret it..."
Hearing these things that she didn't know, Xu Huashan felt a deep father's love, and she no longer blamed her father.
After surviving this painful period at school, Xu Huashan became stronger and stronger, and she also understood her father's bitter heart. Later, because of one thing, Xu Shiyou was once again furious with Xu Huashan.
At that time, a border self-defense counterattack was underway, and Xu Huashan went on his honeymoon. Xu Shiyou was furious on the spot and shouted:
"There's going to be a war soon, what honeymoon are you going to have?"
Subsequently, Xu Shiyou ordered:
"Notify the Air Force immediately and give me a look for her whereabouts." She was limited to returning to the army within three days, or she would be expelled from the army! ”
The staff recalled that after working with Xu Shiyou for so many years, it was the first time they had seen him make such a big fire. After receiving this order, Xu Huashan did not dare to delay for a minute, and immediately left and returned to the troops.
In addition to Xu Huashan's deep understanding of Xu Shiyou's refusal to engage in privileges, other relatives, friends and staff around Xu Shiyou also deeply felt it.
Around Xu Shiyou, not only can not engage in privilege, but sometimes also suffer losses because of this relationship.
Xu Shiyou's wife, Tian Pu, joined the army in the early days of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. When Xu Shiyou was working in the Nanjing Military Region, Tian Pu served as deputy director of the Cadre Department of the Nanjing Military Region.
Later, after Xu Shiyou was transferred to the commander of the Guangzhou Military Region, Tian Pu followed Xu Shiyou to Guangzhou. At that time, the leader of the Political Department of the Military Region said that Tian Pu would continue to serve as vice minister. This was a very normal thing, but Xu Shiyou resolutely disagreed.
Xu Shiyou felt that the cadre department belonged to the key department and could not arrange for his relatives to go. Therefore, Tian Pu was assigned to work in a certain department of the engineering corps.
Xu Shiyou's iron-faced selfless attitude, even in the face of the grandchildren of the next generation, is the same as always.
Early Years of Tian Pu (front row, first from right)
Xu Shiyou's eldest grandson, Xu Daokun, after being demobilized from the army, wanted his grandfather Xu Shiyou to come forward and say a word and arrange a good job for himself. In his opinion, it was an easy thing to do.
However, after Xu Shiyou listened to his grandson's request, he not only did not agree, but also criticized him very severely:
"You've been a soldier for three years, and you're certainly not a good soldier." Isn't a good soldier able to arrange what work? You better go home and farm! ”
In addition, Xu Shiyou's other grandson, because he was not admitted to the college entrance examination, his mother wanted Xu Shiyou to say a word to a school in Nanjing and let the child repeat the school for a year.
Compared to the work arrangement, this matter does not seem to be anything, and it is a major event related to the child's life, and it really needs a little more effort.
However, Xu Shiyou refused:
"If you want to study, you must work hard yourself, you can go up the exam, and if you can't pass the exam, you have to go down to the field and cultivate the land!"
In this regard, Xu Shiyou's daughter-in-law said helplessly:
"It is said that it is by relationship, what can we rely on him? You can only suffer losses. He was a true Communist, and indeed had no right to seek personal gain for his descendants. ”
Fulfill your father's last wishes
In addition to the strict requirements, the children benefit a lot. Xu Shiyou also had a lot of influence on Xu Huashan in terms of how to behave in the world.
Jia Ruoyu, who served as Xu Shiyou's fourth chief of staff, said to Xu Huashan:
"Your father is thick and thin, especially shrewd, and it is not easy for others to see through. Although many cadres are also very shrewd, compared with him, they are not on the same level. ”
Jia Ruoyu
Once, Xu Huashan's classmate Gao Youming said a few words about her, xu Huashan couldn't stand it, and went home and told his father. After listening, Xu Shiyou educated his daughter:
"Those of us who are high-ranking officials are thick and generous, and there are always people who are flattered. In this case, the person who can criticize you can instead make friends, and such a person will not leave you in times of difficulty. ”
Xu Huashan told Gao Youming these words from his father, and the two remained close friends for decades to come.
Later, Xu Shiyou returned to Nanjing to recuperate, away from the world, and lived in simplicity. Xu Huashan also applied to the organization to be transferred from the flight squadron to civil aviation work. As a result, she also has more time to spend with her father.
During his stay in Nanjing, Xu Shiyou grew vegetables and raised chickens, and his life was quite comfortable. Every time his daughter Xu Huashan came to visit him, he was very happy to take her to see the dozens of rabbits he raised and the big pot of vegetables he pickled.
In 1985, Xu Shiyou was diagnosed with advanced liver cancer. When Xu Huashan learned of this, he immediately rushed back to Nanjing to see his father.
Seeing his daughter, Xu Shiyou took her hand and said with a smile:
"Boy, Daddy's dying. I'm going to see Marx soon..."
Xu Shiyou's own vegetables
Xu Huashan did not want to believe this fact, she said sadly: "No, the doctors will save Daddy..."
Later, Xu Shiyou's condition became more and more serious. When many old comrades-in-arms learned about it, they rushed to visit. It was sad to watch the old general who had once been full of spirit become so weak. At this time, everyone wanted Xu Shiyou to shake his hand again, but unfortunately it was impossible.
At 4:57 p.m. on October 22 of that year, Xu Shiyou completed his life and closed his eyes forever.
Before dying, Xu Shiyou was still worried about his daughter Xu Huashan in a coma, and he said vaguely: "You have to study hard and work well." ”
After Xu Shiyou's death, Xu Huashan has always missed his father. About her father's bits and pieces, she has never forgotten.
In 2015, Xu Huashan was invited to the home of Michael Vitke, vice president of SkyTeam Airlines. At that time, there were many guests in Michael's home, and their parents were All World War II veterans, and the topic naturally turned to the story of the veteran.
Xu Huashan
During this period, Xu Huashan told them many stories about his father and many Chinese soldiers. It was also from this time that Xu Huashan decided to write a story about his father on the 30th anniversary of his father's death.
In 2018, Xu Huashan made a special trip to the Jinan Battle Memorial Hall. The reason why I came here is to fulfill my father's last wish.
Before Xu Shiyou died, he passed through Jinan. At that time, he made a special call to Chi Haotian, political commissar of the Jinan Military Region, and wanted to see the martyrs who liberated Jinan, especially the tomb of the nine-column martyrs. He wanted to lay a wreath there, because he had been the commander of the Ninth Column of the East China Field Army and had a deep affection for the soldiers.
Unfortunately, Xu Shiyou did not see the Tomb of the Nine-Column Martyrs. Because there are no conditions for erecting monuments during the war, only wooden plaques are inserted on the graves of martyrs.
With the passage of time, the wooden plaque has decayed and the words on it have become illegible. Therefore, they were not buried in the revolutionary martyrs' cemetery.
Xu Huashan wiped the Monument to the Unknown Soldier
After learning of this situation, Xu Shiyou was very disappointed, saying:
"The victory in the Battle of Jinan was not easy to come by, it was all bought with the lives of the martyrs, and we should not forget them!" Be sure to find their cemetery, please let me know when you find it..."
However, after the tomb of the Nine-Column Martyr was found, Xu Shiyou was no longer there. Xu Huashan always remembered her father's regret, and when she came to Jinan this time, she just wanted to see the martyrs for her father.
In front of the tombstones of the Unknown Soldiers in the Martyrs' Cemetery, Xu Huashan stood silently for a long time, and after laying a wreath to them, she took out a handkerchief from her pocket and gently wiped the tombstone.
While remembering the revolutionary martyrs, Xu Huashan also remembered her father, and she kept repeating in her mouth:
"Father, I have finally fulfilled your last wish..."