Pictured| Wang Yaowu
preface
In 1961, a generation of heroes Chen Geng passed away, and Wang Yaowu, who heard the news, could not control his emotions and covered his face and cried bitterly, and everyone was touched.
One is a founding general who is brave and good at war, and the other is a Kuomintang general who has been transformed, what kind of profound friendship does the two have? Why did the death of General Chen Geng poke into the heart of his former enemy Wang Yaowu?
Pictured| General Chen Geng
Chen Geng and Wang Yaowu's friendship
Both Wang Yaowu and Chen Geng were former students at the Whampoa Military Academy. In 1924, when he heard that the Whampoa Military Academy was enrolling students in Guangzhou, Wang Yaowu borrowed some travel expenses from his fellow villagers and embarked on the road to Apply for the Examination in Guangzhou.
After screening, Wang Yaowu was successfully admitted as the third batch of students, during the school Wang Yaowu carefully abided by the school motto, studied seriously, and became one of the more outstanding students in that group.
In 1925, Wang Yaowu's third group of cadets was appointed to participate in the Second Crusade, and during the battle, he showed perseverance and bravery, which was very prominent in the student army.
The following year, Wang Yaowu graduated from the Whampoa Military Academy and served as a platoon leader in the 4th Second Lieutenant of the 3rd Regiment of the First Division in the National Revolutionary Army, and was subsequently promoted to captain company commander because of his excellent combat.
After that, Wang Yaowu served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Kuomintang Central Committee, chairman of Shandong Province, and director of the Shandong Provincial Party,Government-Army Unification Headquarters, and later became a high-ranking general who was highly valued by Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek.
Chen Geng was Wang Yaowu's senior, and in May 1924 Chen Geng entered the Whampoa Military Academy and became a cadet of the first third team. In November of the same year, Chen Geng graduated and stayed on as the captain of the school.
In October 1925, during the battle against the warlord Chen Jiongming's subordinates, Chiang Kai-shek was in danger, chen geng struggled to save him, because of the life-saving grace of Chiang Kai-shek, Chen Geng was appreciated by Chiang Kai-shek and stayed with him as a staff officer.
Later, Chiang Kai-shek ordered that there should be no small organizations in the military academies, dissolved the Young Soldiers' Federation and the Sun Wen Doctrine Society, and demanded:
"The Communist Comrades in the Kuomintang of China should temporarily withdraw from the Communist Party and become pure Kuomintang members, so as not to have suspicion and suspicion among the Kuomintang members."
Chen Geng then publicly declared his communist status and quit the Kuomintang.
Wang Yaowu and Chen Geng entered the Whampoa Military Academy for education in the same year, but the difference was that as outstanding soldiers on the battlefield, they chose two completely different paths.
Pictured| Chen Geng
Wang Yaowu was defeated and captured
After the liberation war began, Chen Geng gave full play to his outstanding military command skills and led his troops to fight bravely and won several wars. Wang Yaowu, on the other hand, was ordered by Chiang Kai-shek to lead an army into Shandong.
In September 1948, the Battle of Jinan was officially launched, and the siege troops of the People's Liberation Army were divided into two corps, east and west, and launched a full-line attack on the outer positions of Jinan.
The siege troops on the western front attacked Changqing and YufuHe one after another and pressed for the airfield; after fierce fighting, the eastern front troops captured Maoling Mountain, Yanchi Mountain, and other places, opening the eastern gate of wang Yaowu's army's barrier.
In the early morning of the next day, Wang Yaowu, the governor of Shandong, was deliberating on the military map, and when he saw Wang Zhaojian, who was then the secretary of the Shandong provincial government, he said to him:
"After the battle, you have consulted with Lan Gu (that is, Liu Yutian, secretary general of the government) about the affairs of the provincial government... The Seventy-fourth Army was already on the airlift road, and it was ready to reach Ji. ”
Pictured| a group photo of Chiang Kai-shek and Wang Yaowu
In 1946, Wang Yaowu accepted Chiang Kai-shek's appointment and led the army to Jinan secretly. Before leaving, Wang Yaowu offered to take his Seventy-fourth Army to Shandong, but Chiang Kai-shek refused his request: "Why do you have to bring your own troops?" Isn't that a warlord mentality? ”
Wang Yaowu had no choice but to retreat and ask to take away the Eighteenth Army and the New Sixth Army, and Chiang Kai-shek said: "The Eighteenth Army must garrison Wuhan, the Sixth Army must support the northeast, neither army can be brought, and if you want to bring it, you can only take the Seventy-third Army." In addition, I can also transfer another powerful force, you go first. ”
Wang Yaowu had no choice but to take up his post first, and the strength of the Seventy-third Army he commanded could not actually compete with the Seventy-fourth Army he had brought out.
The powerful Seventy-fourth Army was about to arrive, and Wang Yaowu was confident in the war situation. On the 18th, the Seventy-fourth Division was airlifted from Xuzhou to Jinan, and only seven companies of the 172nd Regiment arrived smoothly. Subsequently, the western suburban airfield was controlled by the People's Liberation Army, and the follow-up reinforcements could only turn around and fly back to Xuzhou.
Pictured| Wu Huawen
On the evening of the 19th, Wu Huawen, who was stationed at the western suburbs of the airport, led more than 20,000 of his men to declare an uprising, and Wang Yaowu fell silent after learning the news. His hopes of relying on reinforcements to gain superiority in the war were dashed.
The next day, Wang Yaowu received a telegram from Chiang Kai-shek:
"Juncai Brother Jian: Wu rebelled, things happened very much, and it hurts to know." Chen Mingren guarded Siping, knowing that he could not defend it in the end, and the northeast relied on it to preserve it; Jinan was in north China and Siping was in the northeast, and the strategic places, the brothers would stick to it and could not give up.
Jing fu (i.e., Liu Zhi) and Guang Ting (i.e., Du Yuming) had been ordered to lead the three-way reinforcements and Cheng To advance in a hurry, zhongzheng. ”
At this time, Wang Yaowu knew that the general trend was gone, and lamented: "If you don't stick to it, you will kill your head, and there will be no reinforcements." At the meeting of officers at and above the brigade level, Wang Yaowu read out Chiang Kai-shek's telegram.
"As long as we can hold out for a week, reinforcements will arrive."
When I said this to everyone, even Wang Yaowu himself did not quite believe it, and everyone naturally understood in their hearts that this defeat was almost a foregone conclusion.
After the meeting, Wang Yaowu called the Military Justice Department and the prison and ordered that all detainees should be released and that no Communist Party member or prisoner should be harmed.
The battle of Jinan |
The defeat in the Battle of Jinan was decided, and Wang Yaowu thought of revolting like Wu Huawen, but in his heart he felt sorry for Chiang Kai-shek's cultivation and weight; he thought of killing himself, but he was worried that his old mother at home would not be served in the future; he thought of being captured like Li Xianzhou, and felt that it would damage his title of "Changsheng General" a few days ago.
Thinking about it, Wang Yaowu made a decision: Thirty-six counts, go to the top plan.
On the 22nd, Wang Yaowu found Wang Zhaojian: "You are the secretary of the provincial government, not a member of the Kuomintang, nor a soldier, and you have no responsibilities. Now that the situation is like this, you should go home and take care of your old mother! ”
At the mention of his mother, Wang Yaowu's voice was a little choked, and he immediately said, "I will immediately transfer to the Arctic Pavilion, and when the situation is better, you will go there again." ”
Wang Zhaojian thought that the soldiers were in chaos, and he was not good enough to leave, So Wang Yaowu pondered for a while and said, "Then let's go together." ”
On September 24, Wang Yaowu ordered a battalion of the Nationalist 15th Brigade to break through from the swamp north of the city, and taking advantage of the chaos of the battle, Wang Yaowu led the crowd to a bunker.
When he was about to drill into the entrance of the bunker, Wang Yaowu suddenly turned back to Wang Zhaojian behind him and said:
"Brother Zhaojian, do you remember the words that Mr. Liu said when he threw the teacup two years ago?" Today he was right.
After the speech, Wang Yaowu smiled bitterly and left.
The "Mr. Liu" in Wang Yaowu's mouth is Liu Ziheng, a well-known patriotic democrat.
Pictured| Mr. Liu Ziheng
Liu Ziheng was Wang Yaowu's teacher of economic history and a friend of Wang Zhaojian, and after Wang Yaowu opened the Jiaoji and Jinpu lines in 1946, he was praised by Chiang Kai-shek, and Wang Yaowu threw a banquet and invited Liu Ziheng to participate, but he refused.
Afterwards, Wang Yaowu invited Liu Ziheng to drink tea again, and during the banquet he proudly showed off his achievements, but Liu Ziheng threw the teacup heavily to the ground and said sharply:
"Don't be too happy too soon, I don't see that in two years you will have to be taken prisoner."
When Chiang Kai-shek sent Wang Yaowu to guard Shandong, Wang Yaowu consulted Mr. Liu Ziheng, and Liu Ziheng advised him not to go:
"The eight-year War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression is a national war, and in this war, you have made many meritorious achievements, and you will inevitably leave your name in history in the future." If you are involved in a civil war today, it will inevitably affect all the people, not to mention the comparison of the strength of the Kuomintang and the Communists, coupled with the people's hearts and minds, and it is not comparable to the past, you might as well retreat bravely, so as not to fall into the name of the future. ”
Mr. Liu Ziheng said a proverb, but unfortunately Wang Yaowu did not listen to his words in the end, or chose to go to Jinan, and ended up in a defeat and escape.
Now that Wang Yaowu has thought of Mr. Liu Ziheng's words again, he must also be remorseful!
Picture | people's liberation army marched into the downtown area of Jinan
After escaping, Wang Yaowu and a guard named Qiao Yulong changed into plain clothes and escaped among the refugees. Along the way, Wang Yaowu, alias Qiao Kun, claimed to be a native of Linqing, Shandong, who originally opened a small restaurant in The Commercial Port of Jinan, but due to a leg injury caused by the war, he had to be taken care of by his nephew and went to Qingdao to be treated.
Wang Yaowu wrapped his head in a white towel, plastered on his legs, pretending to be a patient, in addition, they also carried 2 or 2 gold, 10 silver dollars and other items.
When he walked to the Bridge of Zhangjian in Shouguang County, Wang Yaowu went to the bridge to facilitate it, and he held a snow-white hand paper in his hand, which was not used by ordinary people, and was generally only used by high-ranking military and political officials.
It was this inadvertently exposed little detail that was noticed by the careful bridge-keepers, who detained it for cross-examination.
At first, Wang Yaowu pretended to be weak and weak, and the PLA medical staff examined him physically, but Wang Yaowu did not fall ill. Taking off the hat on Wang Yaowu's head, the warriors found that there was an indentation on his forehead, which was the mark left by the long-term wearing of the military hat.
Wang Yaowu could no longer hide it, and had to admit:
"I am Wang Yaowu!"
Tu | Wang Yaowu was captured in Shouguang County
Wang Yaowu immersed himself in transformation
After being captured, Wang Yaowu was imprisoned in the Beijing War Criminals Management Center for rehabilitation. At first, he was quite worried about his thinking, and Chairman Mao asked Luo Ruiqing to relay on his behalf:
"Work is work, and passing is passing." Your anti-Japanese merits will always be remembered by us Communists, and as long as you are at ease with reform, you will soon return to the people. ”
Under Chairman Mao's care, Wang Yaowu calmed down to learn new ideas and new knowledge and strive to reform himself. In the management office, Wang Yaowu did not have the prestige of his former high-ranking generals, but was more cautious in his words and deeds, quite low-key.
After the Battle of Huaihai, Wang Yaowu participated in the radio propaganda work organized by the People's Liberation Army, and he openly shouted to the former leader Chiang Kai-shek:
"The defeat of the Kuomintang is a foregone conclusion, and it is irrational to make a final struggle, and it is better to order the Kuomintang troops to immediately and unconditionally surrender to the People's Liberation Army, so that peace can be restored to the country and the nation can maintain its vitality."
After hearing Wang Yaowu's shout, Chiang Kai-shek couldn't help but get angry:
"Wang Yaowu is my student, and I can treat him well, but now he has come against me.
Pictured| Chiang Kai-shek
On the one hand, Chiang Kai-shek's anger was uncontrollable, and on the other hand, Wang Yaowu's deep study. For a long time, Wang Yaowu's active transformation has been trusted and affirmed by the leaders of the management institute, and he has been appointed as a member of the study committee. In the management office, everyone is called a classmate, and several students are in a group, and each group has a team leader.
After the daily study of each group, the learning situation is reported to the study committee, and the study committee reports it to the leadership, and generally the people who can become the study committee are all good performers, and wang Yaowu is one of them who hopes to end the transformation early.
Wang Yaowu's life as a war criminal is completely different from his previous combat career, and the same is that he has always adhered to the pattern and quality of being tolerant and generous and strict with himself.
Once, because everyone wore exactly the same uniforms on weekdays, a major general who was in the same room with Wang Yaowu mistakenly wore his clothes, and at that time, Wang Yaowu had a pocket watch in his pocket, and the major general did not return it in time after discovering it, but hid it silently.
Wang Yaowu found that there was no pocket watch in the pocket of his clothes, and when he learned that the pocket watch was with the major general, he walked over to him with a kind attitude and asked him to get it back, but the major general refused to admit it: "As long as you have a pocket watch, I don't have it?" ”
Even if Wang Yaowu detailed the characteristics of his pocket watch, the major general never gave it. The "classmates" around me couldn't even look at it. In the end, Wang Yaowu no longer mentioned this matter, nor did he make any demands on the major general.
The major general did more than that. Wang Yaowu was next to his bed, and once Wang Yaowu put his freshly washed uniform at the head of the bed, and the major general wore his uniform.
When Wang Yaowu changed his clothes, he found out: "How come this newly washed clothes are still so dirty, I obviously washed them myself!" ”
When Wang Yaowu was puzzled, his roommate looked at the major general and said, "Why are you so clean after you just changed out of dirty clothes?" Another roommate said, "Hurry up and take it off for Wang Yaowu!" ”
The major general did not give it, and said with a straight face: "This set is mine, and that set is yours." Wang Yaowu did not bother with him, washed his clothes again, and put them on the other end.
In the reform of the management office, Wang Yaowu always abided by the principle in his heart: "When you go to the war criminal center, you are tempering yourself, getting rid of evil, letting goodness come, getting rid of meanness, and letting the thick way recover." ”
Wang Yaowu acted low-key and seriously accepted new ideas, and his excellent performance was affirmed by other students and leaders.
Pictured| reports on amnesty
In September 1959, Chairman Mao proposed amnesty for "war criminals who have truly changed from evil to good, as well as criminal offenders who are generally serving sentences."
Subsequently, Liu Shaoqi issued an amnesty order, officially announcing that he would grant amnesty to some people, including the Chiang Kai-shek clique who really changed evil and followed good, war criminals in puppet Manchukuo, and criminal criminals.
On September 18, people's daily published chairman Mao's proposal, Liu Shaoqi's amnesty order, and other amnesty decisions on the front page.
When Wang Yaowu of the war criminals' office learned of the amnesty news through the newspaper, he was very nervous in his heart, and he looked forward to and speculated whether he would become one of the amnesty lists. That night, Wang Yaowu was in a mood of excitement, and he couldn't sleep, and he actually got up six or seven times a night and went to the toilet.
On December 4, 1959, the first batch of 33 war criminals released by amnesty were announced at the release ceremony, and Wang Yaowu's name was prominently listed.
With a long history of active reform, Wang Yaowu was pardoned. Here we mention the unreasonable major general who was not released until 1975.
Pictured| Amnesty Assembly
Chen Geng's concern for Wang Yaowu
After leaving the war criminals management center, Wang Yaowu received the care and greetings of many leaders and former friends, including General Chen Geng.
In 1960, Chen Geng was preparing to invite Wang Yaowu, Du Yuming, and other first batch of amnesty war criminals to dinner, when someone around him advised him: "Be cautious, or it is better not to invite him to dinner." ”
Chen Geng did not follow the advice, but insisted on his own ideas and invited everyone to dinner at his own expense. Seeing the former "Huangpu colleagues", Wang Yaowu couldn't help but feel tears in his eyes.
Seeing Wang Yaowu's rather touching appearance, Chen Geng patted him on the shoulder and said:
"When we walked into Whampoa for a common revolutionary goal, we met each other, and then we had to part ways, fought a war for decades, and now we can get back together, which is really rare." Let the past pass, and in the future, when everyone is united, they will no longer be separated. ”
Wang Yaowu was touched in his heart, and tightly held Chen Geng's hand and said:
"Thanks to the party and Chairman Mao, we have come together again."
During the banquet, several people recalled the glory days of the Past at the Whampoa Military Academy and the Northern Expedition, and now they are no longer things and people. During the more than three hours of chatting, Chen Geng, Wang Yaowu and others said many confidants, and Chen Geng was concerned about everyone's life after the amnesty.
In fact, General Chen Geng's health at that time was not very good and needed more maintenance, but in order to help Wang Yaowu and others adapt to a new life faster, Chen Geng dragged the sick body to participate in activities several times, or invited them to eat.
Chen Geng never regarded them as defeated generals, but accepted and cared for his former classmates with sincerity, and this sincere friendship was also remembered by Wang Yaowu's people.
In the winter of 1960, when Chen Geng, who was constantly struggling, was inspecting a national defense research project, he suddenly suffered a myocardial infarction and fainted on the ground, and his health worried countless friends.
In 1961, General Chen Geng unfortunately died of illness, and his former comrades-in-arms were saddened by the departure of a generation of heroes, Wang Yaowu learned of this news, hid his face and cried bitterly, it was difficult to control himself, and everyone was moved!
A year ago, Chen Gengqiang endured illness and actively helped his old classmates adapt to life after the amnesty. A year later, when the lives of Wang Yaowu and others gradually got on the right track, he left everyone.
Wang Yaowu's sadness and reluctance toward General Chen Geng turned it into a driving force for him to devote himself to the cause of the motherland in the future.
Photo| Wang Yaowu (middle)
With the help of Premier Zhou Enlai, Wang Yaowu was appointed commissioner of the Literature and History Materials Research Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and became a colleague with the last emperor Puyi, with a monthly salary of 150 yuan.
Wang Yaowu has been invited to participate in important national activities several times, and has been received by Premier Zhou Enlai and other important national leaders in Zhongnanhai and the Summer Palace. He also visited the industrial construction in various regions of our country and learned about the construction status of the provinces.
In 1964, Wang Yaowu was invited to be a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and in this capacity, he was concerned about state affairs.
After leaving the management office, Wang Yaowu has been living alone, and later, under the kind care of Premier Zhou Enlai, he entered into marriage hand in hand with Wu Bolun, a teacher at Beijing No. 28 Middle School.
Under the concern of the party and the state, Wang Yaowu lived a simple and happy life, and he also gave back to the motherland with his ability.
In 1968, this legendary figure Wang Yaowu died of illness, leaving countless wonderful stories for future generations...