During the war years, many of the anti-war heroes who were active on the front line generally used pseudonyms to facilitate their actions, or some people simply changed their first and last names. Later, after the end of the War of Resistance, the original names of many heroes who died were sealed in the battlefield.
Because of this, the families of those heroes have never been able to find their loved ones. Fortunately, some people's original names and names that were later changed were recorded, so when they unfortunately died, posterity had traces on the way to find relatives and friends.
Many people will have a story behind changing their names, some to avoid enemy pursuit; some to protect their families. In that era of lack of information, it is generally difficult to notify the family after changing the name, so the later "recognition of relatives" increases the difficulty.
Yang Jingyu, a famous hero of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in China, changed his name in the battlefield and let his descendants and family find him for 28 years.
His father left home to join the army
Yang Jingyu, whose original name was Ma Shangde, was born in 1905 to a poor family in Liwan Village, Henan Province. When he was a child, he studied at a private school in the village, and later was admitted to the higher primary school in the county with excellent results.
When he was in school, Yang Jingyu was particularly lively and courageous. When a classmate was bullied, he pulled dozens of classmates to seek justice for the bullied classmate, and eventually drove those people away.
After the outbreak of the May Fourth Youth Movement, there was a wave of innovation throughout the country, and Yang Jingyu also began to throw himself into the battle. During the chaotic period with the Beiyang warlords, Yang Jingyu led and organized 50,000 peasant armed forces to launch the "Henan Uprising" that shocked China and foreign countries.
After four days of fierce fighting, they occupied the county seat of Qishan County, and established the Zhenshan Provisional Maintenance of Order Committee under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, with Yang Jingyu as a standing committee member, which was the county-level people's power of the CPC.
In 1925, Yang Jingyu was married to Guo Lian by "the order of his parents and the words of a matchmaker". Guo Lian is a person from Yang Jingyu's neighboring village, she is kind and gentle and accessible. Under the mediation of Yang Jingyu's mother, the matchmaker said that it became this family affair.
When the two married, Yang Jingyu had just turned 20 and Guo Lian was 19 years old. Yang Jingyu grew up in a private school and was a cultural person, but Guo Lian did not know one in big characters, but this did not affect the feelings of the two. After marriage, they have always been harmonious and loving.
In 1926, after Yang Jingyu joined the Communist Party of China, he led the troops to continuously open up new base areas, and also led the "autumn harvest uprising" in the Liudian area.
Together, they repelled the attack of the Kuomintang reactionaries and established Soviet power wherever the troops went, laying a solid foundation for the future War of Resistance.
After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Yang Jingyu had to leave home and go to the front line of battle. Although Guo Lian did everything she could, she knew well the truth that her eldest husband was determined to be far away. She told her husband not to worry about the family, and she would do her best to take good care of the family and let him have no worries.
When Yang Jingyu left, his son was only 2 years old and his daughter was only 3 months old. He named his son Ma Chongyun and his daughter Ma Jinyun.
Mother's advice
After Yang Jingyu left, the burden of the family's life was on Guo Lian's body, coupled with the young child and the sick body of her mother-in-law, this woman endured hardships that she should not bear at this age. But no matter how difficult it was, Guo Lian gritted her teeth and insisted.
She takes care of the children and the elderly while keeping the home in good order. She knew that her husband was already on the front line of the anti-Japanese battlefield, and from time to time she went to inquire about him, but she never got any response.
What Guo Lian did not know was that at this time, her husband had changed his name to Yang Jingyu and threw himself into the anti-Japanese front in the northeast. And because he was brave and good at war, the Japanese army in the northeast region was afraid of him. Yang Jingyu's name was also widely spread in the military.
The old and young family that stayed at home actually had a hard time, and those traitors knew that Yang Jingyu was not at home, speculating that he might have gone to join the army, so they always seized the opportunity to arrest Guo Lian and the old mother and torture them for interrogation.
But they kept silent and did not admit that Yang Jingyu had joined the army. When asked where Yang Jingyu was, Guo Lian only said that she didn't know, in fact, she didn't know.
After being tortured and destroyed by the Japanese army, the old mother's originally ill body finally fell down. Before leaving, she instructed Guo Lian to find Yang Jingyu.
In such a difficult environment, Ma Chongyun and his sister Ma Jinyun slowly grew up. They have always wanted to see their father, and it seems that this has become the hope of the family to survive.
In 1944, Guo Lian was once again captured by the Japanese army, and after a severe beating, she was thrown into a dung pit. Later, the villagers rescued her, but because the wound was infected, she had returned to heaven and lacked surgery.
On her deathbed, Guo Lian gave Ma Chongyun the only photo left by Yang Jingyu and instructed: "Treasure this photo well, and you must find your father in the future, his name is Ma Shangde." ”
It has been 16 years since Yang Jingyu left, and Guo Lian still has not been able to wait for her husband's return. And in the end, she did not know that in fact, Yang Jingyu had died in battle as early as 4 years ago.
The whereabouts of his father
After the end of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the whole country ushered in the great liberation, and at this time Ma Chongyun had grown into a 26-year-old boy. But his mother's last wish is still the most important thing in his heart, and he has never given up on finding his father's whereabouts for so many years.
He inquired in many ways, as long as there was a glimmer of hope, he did not give up, but the answer he got was that no one knew anyone named Ma Shangde. Ma Chongyun also once doubted whether his father had died long ago, so no one knew his name.
However, no amount of speculation could dissuade him from continuing to search for his father, even if it was only a dry bone, to find him back for burial.
The turning point came in 1952, when a group of people suddenly came to the house, claiming to have been appointed by Heilongjiang Province, headed by a cadre named Ma Zhongyun. As soon as the man entered the door and saw Ma Chongyun, he was surprised: "This child looks too similar to Commander Yang." ”
Just when Ma Chongyun was confused, the man told him, "Yang Jingyu is your father." "Yang Jingyu is a well-known anti-Japanese hero, and his anti-japanese deeds Ma Chongyun has also heard a little, but how can he be his own father?
Later, under the details of the cadres, it was explained that Ma Shangde's original intention of changing his name to Yang Jingyu was to protect his family. Ma Chongyun began to understand that his father, who had been looking for many years, was actually an anti-Japanese hero.
But by this time, his father had been away from home for 28 years, and the brothers and sisters had never seen their father, leaving only a picture of him. Now that he knows that he has sacrificed his life for the country, his heart is very emotional. But the thought of never seeing his father again filled his heart with despair.
After confirming Ma Chongyun's identity, the leader wanted him to work in the provincial party committee, which was also a kind of organizational care for the martyr's family. At that time, Ma Chongyun was a railway worker with a stable job and income, so he refused the leader's kindness.
Ma Chongyun said, "Now that I have found my father, I will not cause you any trouble." Later, he and his sister have been doing ordinary work and have never sought special treatment because of their father's status. He even taught his children to follow this "family style" as well.
Twenty-eight years apart, cut off the family affection continuously. Behind General Yang Jingyu is a wife who has waited for him for 16 years, as well as a son and daughter who have been looking for him for 8 years. Separation of flesh and blood is one of the most brutal phenomena in war, but it is also inevitable.
The waiting of his family should be the warmest touch of General Yang Jingyu's life, and these hopes have always inspired him to move forward. Perhaps in his mind he also painted a picture of his family reunion after the victory of the revolution, but it could no longer be achieved.
Cherishing the beauty of the peaceful era and giving more time to spend with our families is the most important thing we should do.