On October 17, 1940, Wang Jian'an (1955), commander of the First Brigade of the Shandong Column of the Eighth Route Army (general in 1955), ordered Li Fuze (major general of the first regiment of the brigade) to lead his troops to besiege the Japanese stronghold of Qingtuo Temple in Yinan County.
In order to ensure the total annihilation of the enemy at qingtuo temple, Li Fuze ordered the first battalion of the regiment to set up an ambush at Dabai Mountain on the outskirts of Qingtuo temple to prevent the enemy from going north to reinforce.
At dawn on the 18th, more than 500 Japanese puppet troops rushed towards the qingtuo temple in a murderous manner. When they entered the ambush circle, the commanders and fighters of the First Battalion of the Eighth Route Army struck a headache, causing the enemy to retreat in a hurry.
The Japanese army was not willing to be defeated, and after resting, it launched a counterattack against the Eighth Route Army with sophisticated weapons and equipment. The two sides fought fiercely until dawn on the 19th, and the first battalion learned that the main force had conquered the qingtuo temple stronghold, and immediately withdrew from the position of Dabaishan, achieving the result of annihilating more than 300 enemy troops.
Our army also suffered some casualties, including a battalion of three company-old soldiers feng Zhongzhi who was only 18 years old and was hit in the head, collarbone and hand by a Japanese shell at the Dabaishan position, and the wounds were very serious.
The Battle of Dabaishan was a very successful ambush, but after the battle, the Japanese immediately mobilized heavy troops to launch a retaliatory "sweep" against the Eighth Route Army in the Linyi area.
In view of this situation, Wang Jian'an led his troops to evacuate the Yinan area and move out to find another fighter. Because the seriously injured were inconvenient to transfer, Feng Zhongzhi was arranged to recuperate at the home of a farmer named Liu Zhongqi under Yimeng Mountain.
Due to the limited conditions of the troops, especially the lack of medicine, Feng Zhongzhi's wounds had become pus-filled and maggots.
Liu Zhongqi's family was very anxious, so they took out the little salt left to melt water and used it to clean Feng Zhongzhi's wounds, but the family was willing to eat unsalted vegetables.
Seeing that Feng Zhongzhi's injuries were recovering slowly, the old man Liu Zhongqi inquired around whether there was any earthwork to treat the injuries. When he heard that scorching the hawthorn and applying it to the wound could reduce inflammation, he risked his life to go to the enemy-occupied area, traveled hundreds of miles back and forth, and finally got some hawthorn back.
Liu Zhongqi's family, like most poor peasant families at that time, lacked food and clothing, and their lives were very difficult, but they treated Feng Zhongzhi, a strange soldier of the Eighth Route Army, more than their relatives.
In particular, Liu Zhongqi and his wife completely took good care of Feng Zhongzhi as if they were their own sons, as long as they could get a little food and clothing, the first consideration was Feng Zhongzhi, but they would rather let their children starve and freeze.
After the meticulous care of Liu Zhong's family, Feng Zhongzhi, who originally had little confidence in survival, miraculously recovered and returned to his unit.
Feng Zhongzhi, who returned from his wounds, made many meritorious achievements in both the War of Liberation and the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and was gradually promoted from an ordinary soldier to the posts of squad leader, deputy platoon leader, company instructor, battalion instructor, and director of the Military Service Bureau of Kedong County, Heilongjiang.
In 1955, Feng Zhongzhi was awarded the rank of lieutenant. In 1958, he transferred from the army to local work, served as the deputy director of the Urban Construction Bureau of Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province, and enjoyed the treatment of division-level cadres after retiring in 1981.
Before changing careers, Feng Zhongzhi had been accompanying his unit to the south to fight in the north, but he had never forgotten Liu Zhongqi's family, who had saved his life under the Yimeng Mountain, hoping to find them and repay the grace of saving his life, but after all, people in the army could not help themselves, and it was always difficult to achieve their wishes.
After changing careers, Feng Zhongzhi repeatedly searched for Liu Zhongqi's family through letters and visits to people, and also took the opportunity to return to his hometown in Linqu, Shandong Province, to revisit the place where he had fought in the past, but it was always difficult to fulfill his long-cherished wish.
This became one of the biggest regrets in the life of soldier Feng Zhongzhi, who often told in front of his sons and daughters about the past of the peasant Liu Zhongqi's family to save his own life, so as to educate his children not to forget their roots.
On the left is a portrait of Liu Zhongqi, and on the right is a photo of Feng Zhongzhi
In February 1995, the 73-year-old Feng Zhongzhi called his children to the bedside the day before his death and said: "Children, I have wholeheartedly been loyal to the country, the party, and the people in my life. But there is one thing that I can't let go of until I die, because I owe an adult affection, that is, uncle Liu Zhongqi's family who did not repay me for my second life, they are my saviors, and they are also people who are closer than my relatives! ”
Speaking of this, Feng Zhongzhi burst into tears: "It's been 55 years, but I really can't find them for so many years, which makes me unable to die and feel at ease." You must think of more ways to help me find your Grandpa Liu or his descendants, and repay them for saving my life in those years, otherwise I will not be blinded! ”
At the knee of the old man Feng Zhongzhi, there was an adopted son named Feng Jianjun. Just a few days after he was born, he was adopted by Feng Zhongzhi and raised him as a son.
For the dying wish of his adoptive father, who is as heavy as a mountain, Feng Jianjun attaches special importance to it and decides to relay to find relatives. After his adoptive father's death, he left only one address, "Li Lin Village, Yishui County", and Feng Jianjun tried his best to find Liu Zhongqi and his descendants according to this address.
Considering that Liu Zhongqi's family might migrate to other places, Feng Jianjun sent hundreds of letters to Linyi and surrounding counties and cities in Shandong Province, but there was no news.
Feng Jianjun's painstaking search for a savior for his adoptive father has deeply touched his children. In 2010, Feng Jianjun, with the help of his daughter, contacted the Shizhi Office of the Yishui County Civil Affairs Bureau, grasped the relevant information of the old and new zoning, and finally contacted Liu Ruitang, one of Liu Zhongqi's seven grandsons, in Lijialin Village, Xinji Town, Yinan County.
Unfortunately, Liu Zhongqi has been dead for many years, several of his sons have passed away, and among the seven grandchildren, the youngest is more than half a hundred years old.
But in any case, this story that lasted for 70 years, by the founding lieutenant Feng Zhongzhi and the adopted son Feng Jianjun two generations relay to find the benefactor, finally drew a successful end.
Feng Jianjun was extremely excited after receiving the news, and immediately set off from Chaoyang, Liaoning Province, to Go straight to Yinan, Shandong Province, to "recognize his relatives", and after a long journey of more than 2400 miles, he finally saw Liu Ruicun, the grandson of Liu Zhongqi, and others.
Although the two sides never knew each other, and the connection between them also happened to their grandparents and fathers, when Feng Jianjun and Liu Ruicun, two "strangers", met, they immediately hugged each other like relatives who had been separated for many years and reunited, and both of them burst into tears. When the people present saw this scene, they were also moved to tears.
Since then, the Feng and Liu families have maintained very close ties, often moving around like relatives. Feng Jianjun also specially funded the erection of a monument to repay the favor for the elderly Liu Zhongqi, so as to express the kindness of the old man forever.