Before the 2019 Dragon Boat Festival, the Veterans' Office and the Armed Forces Department of Gao'an City's large towns jointly collected information on veterans, the main purpose of which is to count the living and deceased veterans, and to verify and verify the identity of veterans.
At that time, the staff in charge of information collection visited the veterans in the villages under their jurisdiction, and after several days of visits, they came to Zhoushang Village, and the veterans in the village went to register.
After collecting the information, the staff asked the surrounding villagers whether there were any veterans, and the villagers who were watching shook their heads one after another: "No." ”
The collector, who got the villager's answer, turned around and drove to the next village. However, the centenarian Chen Xunyang came out of the village breathlessly, trying to catch up with the staff's information collection vehicle.
The people around them looked at the blind old man in front of them and couldn't help but come forward and ask:
"Uncle Chen, what's wrong?"
Chen Xunyang, who was tired and out of breath, did not rush to speak, but took a breath and told everyone that he was also a veteran.
A stone stirred up a thousand waves, and the crowd couldn't help but coax and laugh at Chen Xunyang, but they didn't expect that Chen Xunyang really took out his demobilized military card and 23 military merit badges.
The people around them were dumbfounded, and they didn't expect that Chen Xunyang usually looked particularly low-key, but there were so many military merit badges.
Then Chen Xunyang's grandson Chen Chuanqiu rushed to the Veterans Affairs Center with his grandfather's demobilization certificate and 23 military merit badges, and Jia Fang, the deputy director of the institute, was shocked to see the demobilized military certificate and 23 military merit badges, and could not believe that this centenarian had such a big battle merit.
Chen Xunyang
When facing the reporter's interview, Deputy Director Jia Fang still couldn't help but tell the reporter:
"I didn't expect this old man to have such a great achievement."
What's going on here? Why should the old man who has achieved a lot of war go into anonymity for sixty years? What kind of hard work has he done?
This matter also began on June 24, 1920, Chen Xunyang was born in Zhoushang Village, a large town in Gao'an City, Yichun City, Jiangxi Province, and his family was so poor that he was very poor from a young age, plus he had six brothers, and Chen Xunyang often could not even afford to eat a full meal.
Although the family is poor, it does not lose the joy of life. As the youngest seventh, Chen Xunyang has been pampered since childhood. Parents love their youngest son, and they are also resigned to Chen Xunyang. Chen Xunyang, a child, played with his friends in the village, and sometimes played various war games.
Chen Xunyang is very popular among children, as if he has become a child king. The poor family did not affect Chen Xunyang's growth, but when the eldest brother was arrested by the Kuomintang to become a zhuangding, the young Chen Xunyang also felt the pressure of life.
Time flew by, Chen Xunyang grew up slowly, and several brothers also left the family one after another, either being arrested to be a strong man or taking the initiative to resist Japan.
At that time, on the land of China, the wind and rain were fluttering, the mountains and rivers were broken, and in order to protect their homeland, many people with lofty ideals wanted to participate in the anti-Japanese fight against the devils and drive the Japanese devils out of China.
Most of the small friends in the village went out to resist the Japanese, and Chen Xunyang was itchy and wanted to join the army with his friends. But the parents did not agree, only the youngest son was left in the family, the other six children were not heard from, not even a family letter, whether dead or alive was not clear.
If Chen Xunyang went to join the army again, then there would only be two widows and elderly people left in this family. Considering the situation at home, Chen Xunyang did not go to the army in the end, but chose to work as a farmer at home and serve his parents.
The parents have raised seven children, and it is impossible for them to eventually grow old and have no one to rely on, so Chen Xunyang is determined to support his parents to return to the mountains. In 1948, at the age of 28, Chen Xunyang was arrested by the Kuomintang to join the army.
Chen Xunyang followed the Kuomintang to participate in the liberation war, and he could not imagine that chen Xunyang, who had just entered the army for four months, was still a new soldier, and even Chen Xunyang, who was not very skilled in shooting, was captured by the People's Liberation Army.
The Kuomintang in the War of Liberation
That was chen Xunyang's first real contact with the People's Liberation Army, even in the face of prisoners, the People's Liberation Army was very preferential, on the one hand, he wanted to go home to continue to serve his adoptive parents, on the other hand, he wanted to join the People's Liberation Army. Chen Xunyang thought about it again and again, and finally was touched by the harmonious and loving atmosphere in the People's Liberation Army, resolutely chose to defend his family and defend the country, joined the People's Liberation Army, and was incorporated into the 138th Regiment of the 46th Division of the 16th Army of the Fourth Field Army.
"That bowl of noodles is delicious!"
The old man still remembers the first meal he ate by the PLA captives, originally Chen Xunyang only had a nest to eat, but he could not move the cold and hard nest head, looking at him who could not eat, the PLA soldiers took him to the kitchen and personally ordered a bowl of noodles for him to eat.
It was the most delicious bowl of noodles he had eaten after he was arrested, and it was precisely because of this bowl of noodles that Chen Xunyang understood the difference between the People's Liberation Army and the Kuomintang army. The PLA is more like a harmonious and fraternal family, with no bureaucracy and no oppression from veterans.
In order to make the soldiers familiar with it as soon as possible, the troops will hold regular grievance meetings, and Chen Xunyang, who has been tearfully spoken by other soldiers, can't help but share the situation at home.
When he said that his 6 brothers had all died in the war, the soldiers present were deeply touched and sympathized with him.
Subsequently, the company commander and instructor took all the soldiers of the company to make a family spirit card for him. His company commander and instructor took the initiative to hold up a spiritual plaque for him.
The company commander's move impressed Chen Xunyang, and until now this centenarian still remembers the scene at that time, and told the reporter with a nostalgic look on his face:
"They touched my heart, so I asked to join the party, he said it would be 15 years, and then I won it in a year."
Chen Xunyang, who was encouraged by his comrades-in-arms, threw himself into the liberation war with enthusiasm, in order to be able to join the party as soon as possible, he rushed to the front every battle, and he finally made many achievements in the Battle of Huaihai.
Battle of Huaihai
On October 11, 1948, the Huaihai Campaign slowly began, and Chairman Mao put forward the idea of dividing the Huaihai Campaign into three stages, annihilating Huang Baitao's corps, occupying Zaozhuang and Linyi in Shandong, containing Sun Yuanliang's corps, reducing the pressure on Huaye, and finally having Liu Bocheng contain the Chinese army.
On October 27, 1948, the four columns of Nakano had entered the Xu Beng Battlefield, and by this time, the Battle of Huaihai had developed into a joint battle between the two major field armies, and finally, Chairman Mao ordered that Chen Yi and Deng Xiaoping jointly command.
Although the old man said that he participated in the Battle of Huaihai, according to the author's investigation, the predecessor of the Fourth Field Army was the Northeast Field Army, and the Northeast Field Army began the 52-day Liaoshen Campaign on September 12, 1948, and then prepared for the Battle of Pingjin, which began on November 29, 1948.
In April 1949, the Battle of the River Crossing was officially launched. The campaign was important for the liberation of the south, when the cities south of the Yangtze River were still under The control of the Kuomintang, and between the two armies, there was a natural defense line like the Yangtze River.
Since ancient times, the Yangtze River has been regarded as a natural graben, and the water level began to rise in April and May, and the People's Liberation Army crossed the river at the time of the soaring water level. During the flood season, the Yangtze River is windy and high, and there are few times when they calm down.
The width of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River is 2 to 10 kilometers, and even if there is no one to block it, it is difficult for normal people to cross the river, not to mention that there are still Kuomintang troops on the other side of the river.
In order to protect the last battlefield, the Kuomintang deployed 700,000 troops along the Yangtze River for more than 1,800 kilometers, and the equipment was world-widely different from that of the People's Liberation Army, with 26 warships, 56 gunboats, and 40 ships.
In addition, Britain, the United States and other countries also had warships in the sea off The Wusongkou in Shanghai, providing assistance to the Kuomintang troops at any time, and these objective factors brought great challenges to the Battle of Crossing the River.
If we analyze it from the perspective of the soldiers, the Kuomintang occupies the favorable time and place, and the time of the launch of this campaign is during the flood season, which is the time of day, and the Yangtze River Graben is the geographical advantage. In addition, the Kuomintang also has advantages in weapons and equipment, and compared with the two, the poorly equipped Platon Army is simply inevitable to lose.
Battle of the River Crossing
The Kuomintang troops defending the People's Liberation Army created Jiangxinzhou and Jiangbei strongholds as warning positions, and on the banks of the river, built fortifications, hoping to take advantage of the natural dangers of the Yangtze River and with the support of the navy and air force to wantonly kill and injure the Platon Army in the Yangtze River.
The People's Liberation Army already understood the difficulties and dangers of this battle before crossing the river, and in order to be able to win this battle, it sent "commandos" to cross the river in advance before crossing the river, preemptively occupying the ferry port, and opening a passage for the large troops behind.
When choosing a "commando team," the PLA troops formulated three conditions: one was a party member, the other was a southerner, and the third was a water-aware person, and Chen Xunyang, who only met the conditions of a southerner, did not hesitate to sign up.
Until now, the reporter interviewed Chen Xunyang and the elderly chen xunyang still emphasized with a smile:
"Actually, they don't know I don't know water."
When he signed up to become a commando, Chen Xunyang understood that this was a battle of nine deaths, and everyone could see the situation of the two armies, and most importantly, the huge waves of the Yangtze River at that time were monstrous, and if they were not careful, they would overturn the ship, and if Chen Xunyang, who did not know the water, fell into the Yangtze River, then there was a high probability that he would be sacrificed, but even so, Chen Xunyang still wanted to contribute to the revolutionary cause.
Chen Bagen, the old man's son, recalled to reporters:
"When this 'commando' was a member, my father and comrades-in-arms were ready to sacrifice, and there was only one thought in their minds, that is, to take the lead in seizing the ferry and destroying the enemy's fortress."
As a commando, Chen Xunyang and more than 300 comrades-in-arms crossed the river at night, but the EQUIPMENT on the PLA side was only 8,000 wooden boats recruited from the people, and some homemade steamboats and bamboo rafts, and the plaster's million-strong army could only cross the river with such rudimentary equipment. Chen Xunyang, as a commando team, could only be given such equipment as a small wooden boat on a bamboo raft, but this did not affect his determination to cross the river in the slightest.
When their ships sailed to the middle of the river, the enemy's shells continued to hit the river, and the column of water exploded next to the assault ship. At this time, Chen Xunyang had no way to retreat from their ships, and could only dodge and shoot on the ship according to the previous training of the troops.
Seeing that the wooden boats of the comrades next to them were constantly overturned, and the corpses were floating on the river, Chen Xunyang rushed forward even harder, and only by moving forward could they gain a glimmer of life.
In the rain of bullets and bullets, Chen Xunyang supported the boat and constantly shuttled through it, sending his comrades to the ferry port, and then holding the boat back and continuing to pick up and drop off his comrades.
In the cycle, Chen Xunyang tirelessly crossed the Yangtze River from 3 a.m. to 8 a.m.
At that time, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the water flow was turbulent, there was no room for a little mistake, but Chen Xunyang came and went like a swallow, helping comrades-in-arms to cross the Yangtze River again and again, and in the end, the original small wooden boat had been seriously damaged, it could no longer be called a boat, but exploded into a broken wooden board, Chen Xunyang floated on the broken wooden board with his comrades-in-arms, and finally their group successfully completed the task and crossed the Yangtze River smoothly.
Unfortunately, only about 50 people came ashore in the original team of more than 300 people, and the soldiers who had fought all night were very tired, but they could not rest. After landing ashore, they were the most dangerous, their numbers were small, and they were attacked by the Kuomintang at any time.
Even if the shoes and shrouds on their feet were all wet, they kept moving toward each other's positions. The plastered PLA soldiers quietly approached the positions of the Kuomintang troops, trying to wipe out the Kuomintang soldiers. In fact, the Kuomintang troops on that position were not many, this was only a key point in defending the People's Liberation Army, not the main battlefield, so they only had 50 people who dared to defend the position.
After encircling the position, their group began to launch a charge, the two sides fought fiercely, after a burst of gunfire, Chen Xunyang finally led the soldiers to take this position, originally there were 50 people, they were reduced to only 13 people. Chen Xunyang was very impressed by this battle, it was a battle of nine deaths.
The fact that only 13 of the 300 comrades left was really sad, but it was also the bravery of the commandos that sounded the prelude to the battle of crossing the river.
Chen Xunyang was also awarded the title of "Hero on the Water" for his bravery in battle, and as a dry duck, he was awarded the title of "Hero on the Water". Soon, in the battle of Jiangshan County, Chen Guanyang was once again awarded the first class merit. In June of the same year, he was allowed to join the party in Guangfeng County.
After the Battle of the Crossing River, Chen Xunyang passed through his hometown, but did not choose to stop, but went to liberate the southwest. As the saying goes: "Shu Dao is difficult, it is difficult to go to the blue sky." "Located in the southwest of Yungui River, the terrain is rugged and the mountains are high and densely forested. The Qinling Mountains, Daba Mountain, and Wuling Mountain Range were a natural barrier that blocked the connection between the interior and Sichuan-Shu, and the Kuomintang troops relied on the terrain to retreat to Sichuan-Shu to fight a decisive battle with the People's Liberation Army.
Sichuan Shu not only has peculiar terrain, the weather is also very hot, and there are many snakes, insects, rats and ants in the forest, which is very unfavorable for the march.
Most importantly, the people of Sichuan and Shu are still martial, the people are fierce, and there are often warlords and bandits in the mountains, even when the Japanese army is in its heyday, there is no way to take the Sichuan people.
It was precisely because the Kuomintang saw this that they retreated to the land of Sichuan and Shu with their troops, and they wanted to use the warlords and bandits in Sichuan and Shu to confront the People's Liberation Army.
But the Pla.D. marched quickly, dashing their wishes. The Fourth Field Army announced in a mighty way that it would attack Liangguang and marched continuously, which made the Kuomintang feel the pressure from the People's Liberation Army. Chen Xunyang followed Siye without fear of hardship or tiredness, overcame the difficulties in the process of marching and fighting, and carried 180 kilometers of weight in one day.
Because of the hardships and hard work in the process of marching, Chen Xunyang was also rated as a model of marching.
On the other hand, the Second Field Army secretly marched, detoured to the southwest, and caught the Nationalists by surprise. The commander-in-chief, Liu Bocheng, happily told his subordinates:
"Mao Zedong just wanted this atmosphere, which is very good."
Since then, the Kuomintang has been defeated and retreated on the southwest battlefield, and since the Battle of Hengbao, Lu Han, chairman of the Yunnan Provincial Government of the Kuomintang Army, Liu Wenhui, chairman of the Kuomintang Xikang Provincial Government, and Deng Xihou and Pan Wenhua, deputy chiefs of the Kuomintang Southwest Military and Political Chief's Office, have led a telekinetic uprising in Kunming, Xikang Ya'an, and Peng County, Sichuan Province.
After the uprising, Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan in defeat, and the People's Liberation Army completely entered the southwest region.
Chiang Kai-shek
After that, Chen Xunyang has been following the troops in the southern expedition to the northern war, and in half a year, he crossed six provinces and regions and participated in the liberation of the great southwest and the Chengdu Metropolitan War. Due to the long-term carrying of a light machine gun weighing more than 30 pounds during the march, his right shoulder was significantly lower than his left shoulder. This is not the only trauma he left in the course of the conquest,
In 1950, when the bandits were being suppressed in Yunnan, Chen Xunyang's left eye was scratched by shrapnel, and after being treated in the army, he was not in serious trouble, and he was still able to see clearly. In this campaign to liberate the southwest, Chen Xun Yang Rong made a third-class meritorious service.
As a brave soldier, after the Liberation War, Chen Xunyang responded to the party's call and participated in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
In October 1950, Chen Xunyang had already gone to Korea with a large army, and as one of the first soldiers to enter the DPRK, Chen Xunyang always remembered how cold North Korea was.
While enduring the cold, they also had to withstand the attack of artillery fire, and the planes kept flying overhead, and the bombs blew up the entire battlefield without a good place.
Chen Xunyang, a southerner, saw the cold in the north, and when they first arrived in North Korea, they did not even have a quilt, and they could only snuggle up to each other and fall asleep so that they could maintain their body temperature.
Chen Xunyang was most impressed by the sacrifice of his comrades-in-arms, it was a very ordinary day, after the end of the battle, the comrades-in-arms sat around, chatting and keeping warm. Soon it was time for Chen Xunyang to be on duty, and Chen Xunyang, who was still unsatisfied, patted off the snow on his body and walked towards the distant sentry. Before I could take a few steps, I heard a loud noise behind me.
rumble!
The Americans threw a shell at the camp, and when he turned back, he looked at the place where his comrades had just rested, which was already full of debris. These comrades-in-arms who accompanied him into the DPRK, fought together, sang together, and rejoiced together were sacrificed in front of him.
Chen Xunyang, who was too late to grieve, could only pack up his mood and continue to fight on the Korean battlefield, and Chen Xunyang in Korea successively participated in anti-airborne and anti-landing operations on the west coast of Korea, and later stationed on the front lines of Pyeongkang and Chewon in North Korea.
It was not until 1953 that he returned from Korea, and during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Chen Xunyang participated in more than ten battles and made many achievements on the battlefield.
The War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea
In 1955, Chen Xunyang ended his military career, demobilized and returned to his hometown, and before leaving the army, Yang Dezhi instructed them not to be proud of their achievements and to do a good job in the construction of their hometown as ordinary party members.
After that, Chen Xun Yang really remembered Yang Dezhi's advice and never took the initiative to tell his own deeds, even the relatives and friends around him, they also knew nothing about him, and did not know how brave he was back then.
The reporter once interviewed his grandson Chen Chuanqiu whether it was until the deeds of the old man.
Chen Chuanqiu replied:
"Grandpa has talked a lot about the war, but where do we know that the protagonist is actually him?"
It can be seen how low-key Chen Xunyang, who returned to his hometown, did not even know these things, let alone the villagers in the village.
After returning to his hometown, it was the initial period of socialism, the surrounding villagers handed over their own family things, the humble Chen Xunyang did not say a word, took out his demobilization allowance to buy two large buffaloes to hand over, and the rest of the money was given to the poor villagers. In 1956, after being introduced, he married Yu Meimei, a doctor at the health center.
After marriage, the relationship between the two is not bad, but the economic conditions are not very good, when they first got married, they did not even have a decent quilt for the bed, because Chen Xunyang treated the selfless dedication of the collective, and the family has been living tightly.
After the demobilization, Chen Xunyang was originally engaged in forestry work, and later his hometown wanted to build a reservoir, chen Xunyang, who had work experience in the army, resolutely went to build the reservoir, and in the process of building the reservoir, he was repeatedly rated as a "model worker", and even the villagers who built the reservoir together lamented that Chen Xunyang was the most serious. Always the first to go to work, the last to leave, he is like a person who will not get tired.
Because of his serious and responsible work, Chen Xunyang even missed the birth of four children, and his wife was quite critical of him. Chen Xunyang, who was earnest and industrious, was quickly promoted, but he voluntarily refused, wanting to go home and become a bitter and tired farmer.
Back in his hometown, because he was a decent person, he soon became the secretary of the brigade, as long as the masses have any suffering, they can find him to solve, until now the old man is still a highly respected predecessor in the group, many old people mention him, are full of praise.
Chen Xunyang and his wife Yu Meimei
By 1993, Chen Xunyang's old injury recurred, and he was in his 70s and had his left eyeball removed. His son wanted to go to the civil affairs office to reimburse the cost, but Elder Chen taught his son:
"Can't the family afford this money?" Still want to reach out to the country? Are you a Communist? ”
In order to let the family rest their minds on reimbursement, Elder Chen even tore up the reimbursement invoice. Such a stubborn Chen Xunyang does not want to cause trouble to the party, even if he is bitter and tired.
Until now, the old man still did not talk much about his deeds, the villagers and the people around him did not know, the reporter once asked why he could keep this secret for 60 years.
The old man answered:
"If you think of the comrades who fought alongside me, one by one, they all fell, and I can still live, become a family, and have a son, where do I have the face to preach to others everywhere?"
This is the old man's remembrance of the hero who sacrificed him, and it is also the strict requirements of the old man for himself. The life of the elderly Chen Xunyang is a brilliant life, but also a life of selfless dedication. He has made outstanding achievements in battle, sacrificed himself for others, and loved his neighbors, which is really a model for my generation.
Today, the centenarian Chen Xunyang has a great-grandson, and his stack of military medals has become a family heirloom. Although his family is still poor, their family will be diligent and hard to make life better.