There is a photo hanging on the wall of the Red Army Memorial Hall in Yunyang Town, Jingyang County, which is named "three heads and four arms", because there are three people standing on the photo, and the one in the middle is Marshal He Long, who is famous in the four directions, but the two generals standing on his left and right sides are one with one less right arm and one with less left arm, and the one standing on the left side of He Long is He Bingyan.
As a beloved general of General He Long, He Bingyan participated in countless battles throughout his life and was unswervingly loyal to the party, and even Chairman Mao personally approved him not to use military salutes. What makes people wonder is what kind of legendary life this general who has shaped the "hard bones" of the Chinese Communists has had.
(Admiral He Bingyan)
Joined the army with his father and was praised as "He Xiaolong"
In fact, compared with the identity of He Long's love general, the rumor that He Bingyan is He Long's son made him more well-known in the military.
In 1913, He Bingyan was born in a poor peasant family in Songzi City, Hebei Province, and his mother died at a young age, and he and his father have been dependent on each other ever since. Liu Jiachang, which has just ended the decadent and backward rule of the Qing Dynasty, still retains the backward feudal folk customs, and people live in the depths of the water, and even food and clothing cannot be guaranteed. Both He Bingyan and his father, He Xuewen, are members of the vast number of ordinary people who have suffered a lot. In order to survive, He Bingyan followed his father to engage in various labors, working as a cattle herder in someone else's house at the age of 11, and after being a little older, he became a smith, a pig killer, and even a blacksmith was one of his means of earning a living.
Although life has given He Bingyan a lot of setbacks, this child born at the pace of the new era is destined to be extraordinary, and instead of bending his spine by the burden of life, he has always maintained a pure and fiery heart in this unfair world, and even has a helpful and uneven heroic backbone. Whenever he saw a poor child being bullied, he would not hesitate to stand up, whether the other party had a position of power or not, he would always swing his fists at each other, eliminate violence and peace, and fight unevenly.
(He Bingyan in his youth)
It is worth noting that He Bingyan's youthful ambition is not only derived from the tempering of the day after tomorrow, but his father He Xuewen also had a great influence on him. When He Bingyan reached the age of sixteen, the ambitious He Xuewen joined the ranks of the Red Army. When He Bingyan saw the situation, he also made a fuss about joining the army, and at that time many people felt that he was still young and could not become a soldier, so they advised him: "People are not high on horseback, and they are unstable with guns." Let's wait until we're older. But He Bingyan said that he did not agree to anything, and later even He Xuewen rushed over to persuade him to go home, He Bingyan was still not dead-hearted, lying in the recruitment office, and did not let his father say anything about him. Later, it was General He Long who saw that he was determined and agreed to join the army, and he became a Red Army soldier as a member of the propaganda team.
After entering this new camp, He Bingyan's father and son were busy with each other, and they were fighting bloody battles for the liberation of China. In particular, He Bingyan, although he went to the battlefield at a young age, did not see any fear on his face.
One day in July 1930, He Long's troops were raided by the Kuomintang in the Qianjiang area of Hubei Province. The general reacted quickly and led the people and the nationalist army into a firefight, and the battle lasted from morning to noon, and the two sides fell into a white-hot situation. After seeing that the enemy was deliberately delaying time and waiting for reinforcements, He Long immediately decided to end the battle as soon as possible. He decided to divide his troops into two routes, one with him leading a frontal battle with the enemy, and the other sending the squad leader He Bingyan to inform the soldiers of the Red Sixth Division to attack from the rear of the enemy flank. After receiving the task, He Bingyan loudly assured: "Guarantee to complete the task!" ”
As soon as he finished speaking, He Bingyan rushed out with the soldiers. With the cooperation of the Red Sixth Division, the Kuomintang defense line was quickly torn through a hole, and at this time, the Nationalist army was attacked by the enemy, and soon they were beaten to the point of abandoning their armor and throwing their heads. It didn't take long for the Battle of Haozikou to end with the victory of the Red Army. However, before everyone could rejoice, some soldiers came to report that He Bingyan had not yet returned. He Long was also anxious for a while after hearing this, and immediately sent someone to find him, he thought in his heart: "This child is the first time to go to the battlefield, don't be too happy to win the battle, follow the enemy out." ”
(The first from the left is He Bingyan, the second from the left is He Long)
It turned out that He Bingyan saw that everyone was fighting after delivering the letter, and he was itching for a moment, so he secretly mixed into the team that was fighting. Hidden in it, from time to time to throw a grenade, pick up someone else's gun to shoot two shots, seeing the enemy being knocked to the ground by himself, he was excited, and the belligerent wildness was completely aroused for a while.
Just at this time, the charge horn sounded, and He Bingyan expected that the Red Sixth Division must have won. Sure enough, dozens of Nationalist troops escaped from the battlefield and were planning to hide in the reeds on the side. He Bingyan immediately thought that if they really escaped into the reeds, then the Red Army would not want to look for them. He Bingyan, who had never thought that he was alone, jumped out from behind the tree and shouted at these dozens of enemy troops: "Stop, now immediately lay down your weapons and surrender, the Red Army will never embarrass you!" "People who have just been beaten to death by the Red Army, for a while they heard the word "Red Army" where they are not afraid! After the group was stunned, they planned to give up resistance.
However, just as they were about to lay down their weapons and raise their hands to surrender, one of the Kuomintang soldiers noticed that He Bingyan was alone, and he immediately raised his gun again and aimed it at He Bingyan and began to shoot. But what he didn't expect was that He Bingyan's movements were much faster than his. Only to see He Bingyan quickly grab the gun, shoot him to death, and then pull a grenade from his waist and throw it forward, and with a bang, several fleeing Nationalist troops were blown to the ground. In this way, the remaining people no longer dare to make any moves. Obediently laying down his weapon, he stood in the quagmire below and waited to be dealt with.
(He Bingyan)
He Bingyan counted. There were 47 remaining captives, but he had only one, so how could he bring them back? Just when he was unable to think hard, He Long's figure once again appeared in his mind, and he learned from the way He Long had treated prisoners of war and said to them: "Brothers, we are all from poor families, and we all come to serve as soldiers without food. If you trust me, go with me to the red army troops, and the red army will absolutely do what it says, and will certainly give preferential treatment to prisoners of war! Perhaps out of fear, or perhaps moved by He Bingyan's words, all 47 men followed him back to the camp where the Red Army was stationed.
The soldiers who were searching were surprised to see that He Bingyan had not only returned unharmed, but also had a neat line of 47 prisoners of war behind him. In a pass of ten to ten hundred, He Bingyan fought alone, and the capture of several prisoners of war spread in an instant in the army. He Long, who had been waiting for a long time, also quickly arrived after hearing the news, and looking at this He Bingyan who had gained a lot from the first battle, He Long was relieved in his heart, patting He Bingyan's shoulder and praising: "Good, good!" ”
(Marshal He Long)
After this time, He Bingyan was in the limelight in the military, and his excellent combat achievements were also valued by the superior leaders, who decided to cultivate this rare seedling well. Soon after, he was sent to study at the military academy. During this period, he was appointed as the district captain of the Honghu Military Academy, not only to learn theoretical knowledge and military skills on the one hand, but also to lead the soldiers to be ready for battle at any time.
In June, the main force of the Honghu Military Region was sent to fight in northern Hunan Province, and the Kuomintang took this opportunity to send the Sichuan army to Attack Honghu Lake, and in order to annihilate the remaining Red Army in one fell swoop, they attacked Honghu in three ways. However, at this time, there were also the leading organs in western Hubei who remained in Honghu Lake, and in order to protect their safety, the superior specially ordered He Bingyan to lead all the trainees to participate in the battle. After receiving the order, He Bingyan did not hesitate to stand in the front and lead the people to fight with them. However, at this time, the equipment of the military academy was simply insufficient, there were many people and few guns, and the young cadets had no actual combat experience, and many people seemed helpless. He Bingyan immediately gave them his gun when he saw this, and quickly ran into the kitchen to copy a kitchen knife, he waved the kitchen knife in one hand, pointed at the enemy with the other, and encouraged the students: "Don't be afraid, all follow me!" ”
Seeing that He Bingyan was so desperate, the trainees were quickly led up and rushed towards the enemy with his footsteps. Only to see He Bingyan slash left and right in the enemy's encirclement, frightening them to retreat one after another, just like a raptor crossing the river, no one dared to come forward to stop them. Before the enemy could react, he immediately bent down to pick up the guns left on the ground and shot at the enemy, and in a short while these people became his gunshots. Although the combat experience was insufficient and the weapons and equipment were backward, He Bingyan led these young people to kill a bloody road, and they used their enthusiasm to beat the enemy to evacuate in a hurry, and successfully defended the tie organ in western Hubei and the Honghu Military Academy.
He Bingyan once again defeated the Kuomintang army with courage and strategy, and his heroic deeds immediately caused a sensation at the military academy. At the same time that his superiors gave him a commendation, the cadets of the military academy also praised him as "He Xiaolong", praising him for his style of wisdom and courage like General He Long. After He Bingyan knew this, he said modestly: "I really don't dare to be, I just fought two battles, and I dare to use the name of commander-in-chief wherever I go." The commander-in-chief is an example for me to learn from, and I will continue to learn from him in the future and strive for the liberation of China! As everyone knows, it is precisely because of his character of not being afraid of sacrifice and daring to break through and fight that He Bingyan was promoted from a small Red Army soldier all the way to a political instructor in just two years. It was also the original name of "He Xiaolong" that had the rumor that he was later the son of General He Long. However, whether it is rumors or true praise, these are enough to show that He Bingyan is brave and fearless, and is an excellent general who can not be afraid of sacrifice in order to liberate China!
Defending the true color of "hard bones," Chairman Mao specially approved him not to use military salutes
There were nine "one-armed" generals in New China, including He Bingyan. Speaking of his "one-armed", we have to start from the Long March Road in 1933.
In the summer of 1933, the Red Third Army successfully arrived at the revolutionary base area in western Hunan and Hubei to receive reorganization, and was soon divided into the Red Seventh Division and the Red Ninth Division, with He Bingyan as the commander of the 20th Regiment of the Red Seventh Division. Half a year later, the revolutionary base areas in western Hunan and Hubei were full of difficulties, and they had to face the blockade and attacks of the Kuomintang from time to time and solve the problem of the survival of large troops. In order to change the predicament, the Red Army decided to move its troops in the direction of Guizhou to find a new way out. At the same time, He Bingyan was ordered to take soldiers as an advance unit in the area of Yanhe County to investigate the situation and try to establish a new base area. Soon after, this unit was expanded from regiment to division, and He Bingyan's position changed many times during this period, sometimes high and low. However, no matter what position he was in, as long as there was an order from above, he strictly enforced it, and there was no difference. He was described as the fire brigade leader of the troops, going wherever he was needed.
(Photo of He Bingyan and the warriors)
In the spring of 1935, He Bingyan once again had the opportunity to cooperate with He Long. The Battle of Houping began, and according to the original plan, He Long sent two assault troops to capture the commanding heights, but both units suffered heavy casualties and failed to complete the task. In a hurry, He Long entrusted this heavy responsibility to He Bingyan's hands. He Bingyan knew that this was the key to annihilating the enemy, and with He Long's order, he rushed out with countless bullets whizzing overhead. During this time, he was hit by a bullet, but he still insisted on rushing forward. In the end, the people he brought with him failed to climb the commanding heights with him, and only he was able to make a successful assault alone. Under the cover of our army, he captured two heavy machine guns and a number of grenades. It laid a solid foundation for the victory of the Battle of Houping. Because he fought alone under enemy fire many times, he was also affectionately known as the "Lone Hero"!
(He Bingyan and the soldiers, front row, third from the left)
The situation between the Kuomintang and the Communists became more and more tense, and He Bingyan had to participate in more and more battles. On November 19, 1935, He Bingyan followed He Long and led the Red Second Division and the Red Sixth Division from Hunan to begin the Long March. As soon as the troops arrived at Watang house in Dongkou County, they were raided by the Kuomintang. In order to preserve the strength of the main force, He Long first sent the Red Fourth Division to fight with it, but the Red Fourth Division, which had only recently experienced a large number of attritions, could not withstand the enemy's artillery fire. So He Bingyan was once again in danger and took the soldiers of the Fifth Red Division to support.
As soon as he arrived at the battlefield, He Bingyan immediately threw himself into battle, ignoring the dissuasion of the guards, insisting on leading by example and fighting with the soldiers forever on the front line. In order to find the enemy's weakness as soon as possible, he took the lead in attacking from the enemy's left side, personally setting up a machine gun to strafe the Nationalist army. Facts proved that this strategy was correct, and under the counterattack of He Bingyan, the Nationalist army collapsed completely, and there were countless casualties. However, in order to win the battle, He Bingyan lost his right arm.
After he was carried back, He Long immediately asked the military doctor He Biao to find a way to rescue him. He Biao looked down and saw that He Bingyan's right arm was already blurred with blood and flesh, and only a thin layer of skin was still connected. The pain makes He Bingyan can only gasp for breath, but the fatal thing is that he has acute emphysema, if the treatment is not timely, the wound is infected, then He Bingyan is really doomed.
He Biao proposed that he needed to perform amputation surgery immediately, but the health center that had just experienced a big war had medicine, and even the tools for surgery were not complete. In a hurry, He Long ordered the troops to suspend the relocation and temporarily build an operating room for He Bingyan, without tools, then use the hacksaw of a carpenter. In order to reduce He Bingyan's pain, He Long asked, "Can you give him some brown when you have surgery?" He Biao pondered for a while and said: "Morphine is useless when used less, but using more will have an impact on the brain, and even have the possibility of addiction." He Long hesitated for a moment, and at this moment, He Bingyan woke up from his coma and struggled, and he said, "I don't need morphine, you can just give me this operation." He Long worried, "This is not a small injury, can you hold on?" "Rest assured, I can hold on, I don't die so easily, and I'm going to follow you in the revolution!" At He Bingyan's insistence, He Biao found a towel to stuff in his mouth, and then let him fix him dead on the door panel, and after simple disinfection, he began the operation. Under the ruthless cutting of the hacksaw, He Bingyan was trembling with pain, sweating profusely, trying to struggle but unable to break free of the wooden plank behind him, he bit the towel in his mouth into pieces, and resisted like that.
(Ninja Saw Right Arm Manga)
After the operation, in consideration of safety, He Long ordered the troops to continue to move, and let a group of people take turns to carry He Bingyan on the march, and he himself would come to visit from time to time. As soon as He Bingyan woke up, he found that the sleeve of his right arm was empty, and looked up at He Long and asked, "Boss, do you think I can still fight?" He Long replied with tears in his eyes, "Why not, you still have your left hand, as long as you stand up, you can still give orders, and you can still lead people to fight!" ”
With He Long's encouragement, only seven days after the operation, He Bingyan returned to the battlefield.
He Long was impressed by his resolute and tenacious spirit, and specially wrapped He Bingyan's two bones in red silk cloth, and said to others at the first opportunity: "Look, this is He Bingyan's bone, this is the 'hard bone' of the communists!" ”
In 1945, the Seventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held in Yan'an, and He Bingyan also participated in this meeting. During the break, Chairman Mao made a special trip to visit the generals, and when he walked in front of He Bingyan, He Bingyan stood up excitedly and saluted the leaders with his left hand. Chairman Mao immediately pulled his hand down and shook it, and said cordially: "Comrade He Bingyan, you are a one-armed general, and this arm of yours was lost for the sake of the country and the people. He Bingyan was deeply touched by his words, and after holding Chairman Mao's hand for a long time, Chairman Mao said: "You must take good care of yourself, your hand is now going to kill the enemy, and it will be used to build a new China in the future!" He Bingyan said loudly, "Yes, I will definitely listen to you, do a good job of this one-armed general!" ”
(Stills of Leung Ka-fai playing He Bingyan in the movie "On the Taihang Mountain")
Honest and honest, strict family style
After the founding of New China, He Bingyan was named a founding general and later moved to the Chengdu Military Region.
(In 1955, He Long appointed He Bingyan)
According to He Bingyan's son He Lingsheng, when he was a child, the house in Chengdu always leaked, and when it rained, the guards and mother had to take the basin to collect water everywhere. At that time, his father was not in good health, and the Chengdu Military Region had special funds to build a new house for him, but he himself was unwilling, so he sent the money back to the army for construction. It was enough to insist that our family live in the old house. ”
Considering He Bingyan's good intentions, the military region no longer insisted on resettling him in a new house. However, the winter in Chengdu is mostly cold and wet, and there is no heating, and He Bingyan's body naturally cannot be well cultivated. The troops took advantage of his absence to install radiators at home, but when He Bingyan returned, he still lost his temper, and He Lingsheng said: "At that time, he told his mother how he could agree to the arrangements of the military region in his absence, the people outside were still suffering from cold and cold, and he, the general, was blowing heat in the house, which was not in accordance with the rules." Later, he had the removed radiator taken to the hospital, saying that it would be left for those in need.
(He Lingsheng)
He Lingsheng recalled that although his father was a general, he did everything himself at home, whether it was growing vegetables or feeding pigs, he did it single-handedly. After recuperating in Chengdu, He Bingyan resumed the business of feeding pigs, and after a pig was killed, he only left the pig's head and pork liver, and the rest were sent to the military region to be fed by the soldiers.
He was frugal, never extravagant and wasteful, a cotton coat was torn and repaired, and he was not willing to throw it away in the end, even in the winter of the year of his death. He doesn't like to take the car when he goes out, he loves to walk by himself, and he chats with people all the way, and the barbers and salesmen on the street know him. "Once when Chairman Mao arrived in Chengdu, he deliberately took a jeep to greet him. When he reached the door, he was stopped by the guards, thinking that he was an outsider and would not let him in, until he got out of the car, and the guards did not know that they had stopped the wrong person. When he was gone, the guard was still very confused, saying, 'The commander of this military district only sits in a jeep'? ”
He Bingyan not only set strict demands on himself, but he also never relaxed in the slightest way towards his children. When the children were young, they went to school, he asked everyone to walk by themselves, not allowed to let the car come to pick up, and He Bingyan himself would wait for them to come back for dinner every weekend, one day it was too cold, the lady was afraid that he was in a hurry, sent the car out to pick up the children back, but also only dared to let the car park outside, and then let the children run home, did not dare to let He Bingyan know, afraid that he said that he was spoiled with the children.
(He Bingyan and his wife)
He Lingsheng said: "When I was young, my father would often go to Beijing for meetings, but he never took us, and no matter how much we begged him, he did not agree. "He often told us that I was going to work, not to play, you followed what words, and when you grew up and had the ability, you could go to Beijing yourself." This shows the integrity of the general and the strict treatment of his children. And his strict self-discipline, honest and honest family style is still passed down in the He family, admonishing future generations to never forget the teachings of their fathers.
(He Bingyan with his wife and children)
On July 1, 1960, he Bingyan, who was only forty-seven years old, died of illness in Chengdu, which was also the first of the founding generals to die of illness. Four days later, on the day of the public sacrifice, 200,000 people in Chengdu braved the heavy rain to spontaneously come to bid farewell to this general who had bowed to the country and the people and dedicated his life. His friend Lieutenant General Yu Qiuli sent the coffin to the soul and cried bitterly all the way. After hearing the bad news, General He Long personally wrote down the elegy: "Outstanding meritorious deeds have been passed down through the ages, and the revolutionary spirit will always exist"!