From a creep to a general
On July 25, 1981, General Xu Shiyou made systematic recollections of his combat career. Xu Shiyou said:
"I fought a dozen battles from soldier to squad leader, a hundred battles as a platoon leader, three hundred battles as a company commander..."
Being able to become a founding general step by step from a small soldier, General Xu Shiyou is by no means a simple-minded and blind commander, but has great wisdom.
When Xu Shiyou was the commander of the Ninth Column, he went to the grass-roots company to explain infantry tactics.
"What is a tactic, hitting in is a tactic, don't talk about the head is the Tao, fight a no-dao."
General Xu Shiyou's words have always been rough and can solve problems simply and directly.
At the Battle of Heyuan Xigou, you can feel the details of Xu Shiyou's battle. As the old lair of the traitor Zhao Baoyuan, the other side has made deep efforts in defense. In general, the defense is not systematic, but the West Ditch of Heyuan is a city, there are tunnel fortifications outside, and there are tunnels inside the stronghold, forming a systematic defense system.
In order to be able to successfully conquer this stronghold, General Xu Shiyou carefully considered it. If you want to bite down this hard bone, the most important thing is the ability to attack! Xu Shiyou then appointed the 13th Regiment, which was the most capable of fighting hard battles in the team, as the main force, and in order to ensure the success of the operation, Xu Shiyou commanded the team to practice explosives, bridges and other techniques day and night. As for the materials and equipment, Xu Shiyou also made corresponding preparations, just to ensure that this battle is foolproof.
Originally, according to the plan formulated by Xu Shiyou, this operation was mainly based on strong attacks, supplemented by sneak attacks.
However, not thinking that the enemy would give him a chance, Zhao Baoyuan invited the Peking Opera Troupe to sing opera, and his vigilance was greatly reduced. After xu Shiyou received the news, he immediately changed the battle plan and commanded the team to launch an attack.
The Thirteenth Regiment was ordered to attack in the darkness and break through the enemy's defensive lines in one fell swoop. After several hours of fierce fighting, the team of the traitor Zhao Baoyuan was successfully annihilated. The success of this operation also enabled them to receive commendations from the Shandong Military Region. In his memoir "Ten Years in the Red Army", Xu Shiyou has his own views on military command
"Only commanders who closely link the part with the total, tactics and strategy can be called wise and courageous, and it is not advisable to be reckless military."
The education of children
Xu Shiyou had seven children, three sons and four daughters. In his treatment of his children, Xu Shiyou is both loving and severe. Xu Shiyou does not like to sleep lazily, nor does he allow his children to sleep late, and often takes them out to in the yard. Teaching his son to swim, he never taught them any movements, so he directly threw them into the water and watched from the side.
Xu Huashan, as the fourth daughter of General Xu Shiyou, also recalled his father. At first, when he was at school, he felt bad because of the criticism of his friends, and when he returned home, he told his father about it. When my father heard this, he said:
"Those of us who are high-ranking officials are thick and generous, and there are always people who are flattered. In such a situation, it is good that someone can criticize you, and the other party is someone who can be deeply friendly. ”
In the process of Xu Huashan's growth, Xu Shiyou always warned her that whether it is talking or doing things, there must be room for her. This sentence has always affected her, so that she learned to be independent very early and learned how to protect herself.
When the children grew up, Xu Shiyou threw them out one by one and did not let them stay by his side. Xu Shiyou said to them, "You have all grown up, let's live your own lives!" ”
For Xu Shiyou's shrewdness, his subordinates are also deeply touched. Jia Ruoyu, who served as Xu Shiyou's fourth chief of staff, once said:
"Don't think that Commander Xu is a rough man, in fact, he is thick and thin, and he is particularly shrewd. His shrewdness is not read through by ordinary people, and many cadres are inferior to him. ”
Treat people in the world
For General Xu Shiyou, Nie Fengzhi once recalled:
Commander Xu usually looked very taciturn, and it was difficult to even see a smile. In fact, he has a very fine heart, a bit of the so-called "jianghu righteousness", as long as he is a person who recognizes, he can put himself in the shoes of the other party. ”
As Xu Shiyou's old comrade-in-arms, Wang Jinshan and the two have a deep friendship. Wang Jinshan died of illness in Nanjing on May 10, 1978, and when General Xu Shiyou learned of it, he was very distressed and anxious.
Because according to the rules and regulations at that time, Wang Jinshan's funeral could only be handled according to the regular military duties. But Xu Shiyou could not accept it, because Wang Jinshan was a military cadre more than thirty years ago. In order to restore Wang Jinshan's due treatment, Xu Shiyou not only called the Central Military Commission, but also sent a telegram to the old chief.
In the end, the central authorities issued an order, and Wang Jinshan's funeral was also handled in accordance with the treatment of the leaders of the grand military region. Many old comrades, after learning about this incident, were also moved for several days.