In November 1934, according to the instructions of the central authorities, the Red Twelfth Army in the Eyu-Anhui base area decided on the Long March under the leadership of commander Cheng Zihua and deputy commander Xu Haidong.
Before leaving, Xu Haidong was attracted by a cry, and only after asking did he know that it was the 7 female Red Army members of the army who did not want to be left behind, and one of the female comrades said to him:
We escaped to become the Red Army, and we could not go back to be child bridesmaids
！”。
Xu Haidong was touched by the determination of the seven female Red Army, and interceded with the chief of staff on their behalf, and they embarked on the road of the Long March, at that time Xu Haidong must not have expected that his move not only saved his life, but also made him a lifelong companion.
The person who said this to Xu Haidong was the youngest of these seven female Red Army soldiers, and her name was Zhou Shaolan.
Zhou Shaolan, a native of Liu'an County, Anhui Province, whose father was a carpenter, was sent to a large family as a child bride at the age of 10 due to his family's poverty, and his life was very sad.
Later, when the Red Army came to Lu'an, Zhou Shaolan escaped from home, joined the revolutionary ranks, and engaged in medical work in the troops.
Because of the cold childhood, Zhou Shaolan was malnourished, and at the time of the Long March, Zhou Shaolan was already 17 years old, but because of her short stature, the army wanted her to stay.
But Zhou Shaolan had a hard time escaping the fate of her adopted daughter-in-law, how could she easily go back? This is where the opening scene of the article begins.
Although she participated in the Long March as she wished, Zhou Shaolan did not walk easily, because she was low, she had to walk faster than others, and even when she was eating, she was also walking non-stop, but compared to being a child bride, Zhou Shaolan was happy in it.
On December 9, 1934, the Red Twentieth Army went to Luonan County, Shaanxi Province, and gathered at The Yujiahe River in Luonan to hold a meeting, but at this time, the 360th Regiment of the 60th Division of the Nationalist Army approached and quickly seized the favorable terrain, and the situation was very critical.
In order to get rid of the dangerous situation, deputy commander Xu Haidong personally went into battle, leading the 233rd Regiment to seize the favorable terrain, and the army commander Cheng Zihua and the political commissar Wu Huanxian also led the regiment to battle.
In the fierce battle, Xu Haidong and Cheng Zihua were seriously wounded, but thanks to the political commissar Wu Huanxian's command, he repelled the enemy army at dusk.
The military commander Cheng Zihua was pierced by a machine gun in both hands and lost too much blood and was unconscious, but compared to Cheng Zihua, Xu Haidong's injuries were much more serious, a bullet entered from the left eye and drilled out from the back of the neck, and his life was in danger.
With the efforts of military doctors, although Xu Haidong stopped the bleeding, his throat was stuck by a foreign body and it was difficult to breathe.
At this moment, Zhou Shaolan, a 17-year-old female nurse, came over and helped Xu Haidong suck out the foreign body in his throat and take on the responsibility of taking care of Xu Haidong.
Xu Haidong woke up again, it was 4 days later, looking at Xu Haidong who had woken up, Zhou Shaolan cried:"
Four days and four nights of unconsciousness really killed people.
”。
Xu Haidong smiled and said, "
I had a good night's sleep.
Although Xu Haidong miraculously survived, but the injury was extremely serious and needed to recuperate, which made the impatient "Xu Tiger" more impatient, and he lost his temper at every turn, but as long as Zhou Shaolan came, Xu Haidong's anger immediately dissipated, and naturally, Zhou Shaolan became Xu Haidong's "escort".
In the process of getting along, Xu Haidong gradually fell in love with the 17-year-old female nurse.
Before knowing Zhou Shaolan, Xu Haidong already had a wife, her name was Tian Dezhai, and the two had a daughter, Xu Wenjin.
Xu Haidong was born cold and bitter, worked as a kiln worker for 11 years, and became an excellent party member in 1925, and it was also in this year that Xu Haidong was wanted by reactionaries, his 66 members of his clan were brutally killed, his wife Tian Dezhai was imprisoned, and his daughter Xu Wenjin was picked up by his uncle in a basket and escaped a disaster.
Tian Dezhai, who was imprisoned in prison, was not released until 1931, when Xu Haidong had already left his hometown with the Red Army, and Tian Dezhai, who had no news of her husband, had no choice but to remarry.
Xu Haidong, after the tragic slaughter of his family, did not remarry until 1938, when he met Zhou Shaolan.
After a period of time together, Xu Haidong proposed to Zhou Shaolan, but this move was rejected by Zhou Shaolan, Xu Haidong thought that Zhou Shaolan was disgusted with his old age, but did not expect Zhou Shaolan to say that he was a child bride and had no culture to be worthy of Xu Haidong.
Xu Haidong, who learned of the original commission, told Zhou Shaolan about his past, and when he learned of Xu Haidong's birth, Zhou Shaolan nodded and agreed to Xu Haidong's marriage proposal.
In 1935, the 35-year-old Xu Haidong married 18-year-old Zhou Shaolan.
After marriage, Zhou Shaolan and Xu Haidong got along very well, although Xu Haidong had a hot temper, but to Zhou Shaolan, he always spoke softly, in 1937, the two had love crystallization, and the eldest son Xu Wenbo was born.
After getting married, Zhou Shaolan changed her name to Zhou Dongping, which means "Haidong Barrier" and guards Xu Haidong at all times.
Over the years of conquest, Xu Haidong was injured 9 times, with 17 scars on his body, and his body gradually collapsed.
In 1940, Xu Haidong, who was on the front line, suffered from lung disease, coughed up blood for more than ten consecutive days, and since then walked off the battlefield, in order to alleviate Xu Haidong's pain, Zhou Dongping made a shelf with wire, just so that her husband could cover the quilt.
In 1943, Xu Haidong's condition worsened, and the doctor even let Zhou Dongping prepare for Xu Haidong's aftermath, but Zhou Dongping did not give up, asked Chinese medicine to treat Xu Haidong, and even went to the mountain with Chinese medicine to collect medicine, under the efforts of Zhou Dongping, Xu Haidong woke up.
In 1947, Xu Haidong was treated by Soviet doctors, who found that Xu Haidong's lungs had basically lost their effect, but Xu Haidong was very surprised that he was alive and well.
Xu Haidong pointed to his wife Zhou Dongping and smiled:
Without her, I would have died!
His eyes were filled with gratitude and pampering.
Under the protection of Zhou Dongping, Xu Haidong's life is very good.
Although Xu Haidong missed the entire Liberation War because of his health, in 1955, Xu Haidong was still awarded the rank of major general by virtue of his previous military merits, and Zhou Dongping was also awarded the rank of colonel in 1960.
But unfortunately, Xu Haidong did not die on the battlefield, nor did he fall under the torture of the disease, but in the midst of the catastrophe, he died with hatred at the age of 69.
Zhou Dongping's son Xu Wenbo served as vice minister of culture, and his daughter Xu Wenhui served as chairman of the Choir of the Descendants of the Founding Fathers.
After the death of her husband, Zhou Dongping lived with her children and lived a very comfortable life until his death in 1997 at the age of 80.