In December 1949, He Long led the 18th Corps of the North China Field Army from Shaanxi into Sichuan, and cooperated with the main force of Erye to launch the Chengdu Campaign. At this time, there were still more than 300,000 Nationalist troops in the western Sichuan area, and Lao Jiang appointed Gu Zhutong as the chief of the Southwest Military and Political Chief's Office, giving him full authority to command the Nationalist troops in the western Sichuan area to fight a decisive battle with our army in Chengdu. However, Gu Zhutong was very cunning, and he knew very well that the general situation had gone, and the so-called "decisive battle in Chengdu" by lao Jiang was just a trick to deceive himself. So he handed over the mess to Hu Zongnan on the grounds that he was unwell, and he flew to Hainan Island on December 15.
At this time, Hu Zongnan, due to successive defeats in successive battles, had long since lost the style of the "King of the Northwest" in the early days of the Liberation War. He saw that Gu Zhutong had handed over the mess to himself to clean up, and it was clear that he wanted to make himself a scapegoat, and in a fit of anger, Hu Zongnan threw down his troops and ran to Hainan Island. Although the nationalist troops in the western Sichuan area were numerous, most of them were defeated by the remnants of the army that had been attacked by our army, and their morale was not high. As a result, as soon as the Chengdu Campaign began, it became one-sided, and most of the more than 300,000 Nationalist troops revolted, one was annihilated, and a few escaped to Xichang.
The main force of Erye continued to march to the southwest, and the 18th Corps of the North China Field Army led by He Long remained in western Sichuan. At this time, there were more than 100,000 people in the People's Liberation Army in the western Sichuan area, and more than 200,000 Nationalist troops around Chengdu who rebelled and surrendered, and eating became a big problem. In order to solve the problem of food shortage, He Long sent many grain collection teams to collect grain, but the effect was not ideal. At the beginning of January 1950, He Long brought The Love General Yu Qiuli to him and said, "Now that the grain collection work is difficult to carry out, I want to send you to Xindu County to conduct a pilot project. ”
Born in 1914 in Ji'an, Jiangxi, Yu Qiuli joined the revolution early on and served as the leader of the Red Guards. In 1929, the 15-year-old Yu Qiuli officially joined the Red Army, don't look at the young age, but the battle was particularly brave, in the Battle of Qiliping he was seriously injured in the head because of the rush too hard, and it took several months to recuperate from the injury. In August 1934, Yu Qiuli followed the Red 6th Army on its western expedition, and after more than two months of arduous battles, he met in Guizhou Yinjiang and the Red Second Army.
After the Red Second and Sixth Armies joined the division, they successively fought fiercely with the enemy in Chenjiahe, Taozixi, Zhongbao, Chestnut Garden, and Bashotuo, annihilating two divisions and one brigade after another. In September 1935, Lao Jiang mobilized more than 130 regiments to launch a large-scale attack on the Qiansu district of Xiang'echuan. Due to the huge disparity between the enemy and our forces, the Red Army was forced to leave the Soviet zone and begin the Long March.
In 1936, the Red Second and Sixth Armies came to the Wumeng Mountains in Yunnan, but were stopped by the Troops of Wan Yaohuang of the Nationalist Army. Yu Qiuli was ordered to lead his troops to cover the main force, because the enemy was outnumbered, the battle was very sticky, in order to repel the enemy, Yu Qiuli personally led the charge, and as a result, his left arm was broken by the enemy's machine gun bullets. Yu Qiuli only let the hygienist make a simple bandage, continue to direct the battle, and finally repel the enemy. At that time, the Red Army lacked medical treatment and medicine, coupled with the urgent military situation, unable to carry out surgery in time, Yu Qiuli could only march with his wounded arm.
Later, he recalled: "Soon after I was injured, the wound began to burn and rot, and the pain was terrible. To relieve the pain, the injured left arm can only be soaked in cold water, or a wet towel can be applied to the injured left arm. Yu Qiuli dragged his injured arm to climb the snowy mountains and cross the meadow, spent 192 days and nights that ordinary people could not bear, and only began to do surgery after reaching Gannan, but due to the delay of too long, at this time his left arm had been necrotic and could only be amputated. Yu Qiuli thus lost his left arm and became a famous one-armed general in our army.
Soon after, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression broke out in an all-round way, and Yu Qiuli entered the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army, successively serving as the political commissar of the independent third detachment of the 120th Division, the political commissar of the 8th Regiment of the 358th Brigade, and the political commissar of the 358th Brigade. After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the 8th Regiment led by Yu Qiuli was reorganized into the 1st Regiment of the 1st Division of the 1st Army of the People's Liberation Army, and He Long said happily: "After eight years of the War of Resistance, Yu Qiuli fought the first regiment in the world. ”
During the Liberation War, Yu Qiuli followed Ichino in fighting Against Hu Zongnan and Ma Jiajun in the Great Northwest, and was promoted to deputy political commissar of the First Army because of his military achievements. In December 1949, he followed the 18th Corps led by He Long from Shaanxi into Sichuan, and together with the main force of Erye, liberated Chengdu in one fell swoop. At this time, there were more than 100,000 people in the People's Liberation Army in the western Sichuan region, plus more than 200,000 national troops who revolted and surrendered, and eating became a big problem. To this end, He Long specially brought Yu Qiuli and asked him to take a company of guards to Xindu County to carry out grain collection work.
Unexpectedly, Yu Qiuli said: "I don't have a single class, as long as a jeep and two guards can complete the task." He Long knew Yu Qiuli very well, knew that he was not a person who spoke big, and now that he said so, he must be sure, so he agreed to his request. At that time, the new capital had just been liberated, and the local landlords and bullies colluded with the Kuomintang's scattered soldiers and bandits to constantly attack our grain collection team. Yu Qiuli only took two guards to the new capital, and the danger could be imagined.
At that time, when the grain collection team went to the countryside, they all lived in the homes of poor and lower-middle-class peasants. Sometimes, as soon as the task force had settled, the landlord bully would secretly deliver letters to the bandits, and then collude inside and outside to kill the team members. After Yu Qiuli came to Xindu, he did not live in the home of a poor and lower-middle peasant, but in the home of a landlord bully. The bully saw that Yu Qiuli had only two guards with him, and while he was vaguely welcoming, he was ready to send someone to deliver a letter to the bandit.
Yu Qiuli saw through the bully's thoughts at a glance, and immediately said to him: "You colluded with bandits in the past, we know, now that we live in your house, you are responsible for our safety, if we are killed by bandits, you will give us a funeral!" This remark immediately shocked the bully, who not only dispelled the idea of reporting to the bandits, but also took the lead in donating food and materials. In less than a month, Yu Qiuli had raised more than one million catties of grain. After He Long learned of this news, he said happily, "This Yu Qiuli, there is really a way!" ”
In 1955, Yu Qiuli was awarded the rank of lieutenant general. Since then, he has served as Minister of petroleum industry, vice premier of the State Council, and director of the General Political Department of the People's Liberation Army. Although he has been in a high position for a long time, Yu Qiuli is extremely strict with his family. His niece was a soldier to enter the military school, the culture was not enough, called Yu Qiuli, hoping that he would say hello to the following, Yu Qiuli said: "There is no need." If you can go up, you can go up, and if you can't get up, you can go home and farm. The niece eventually failed to attend military school and was demobilized and returned to the county to work as a waitress in a hotel.
For his son, Yu Qiuli was more demanding. Before the counterattack against Vietnamese self-defense began, his son Yu Hao had already transferred from the army. After the counterattack began, Yu Qiuli drove his son back to the army. Soon after, he learned that his son had been assigned to a subordinate unit of the General Political Department, and in a fit of rage, Yu Hao had to leave Beijing; later he heard that Yu Hao had been assigned to work as a staff officer in the non-frontline combat organs of the Nanjing Military Region, which was another reprimand, and personally sent his son to the front. In 1999, General Yu Qiuli died of illness at the age of 85.