The Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai once wrote in "Chivalrous Travel": "Kill one person in ten steps, and leave no line for thousands of miles." The thing whisked away, hiding deep with the name. The words were filled with high admiration for the heroes of the battlefield.
In short: when the country needs me, I fight; when the war is won, I leave on my own, never showing off my exploits. He has both the qualities of a hero and a hermit, two faces.
In the course of the new Chinese revolution, there is no shortage of such people's heroes. For the cause of the liberation of the country and the people, we should throw our heads on the battlefield, sprinkle our blood, and pave a path of development for the motherland with our youth and blood. In the founding of New China, but without asking for anything in return, he was willing to return to the grassroots and continue to serve the people.
Pictured| Xiao Wanshi
Today, our protagonist, Xiao Wanshi, is one of these people's heroes. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he successively made 10 first-class merits and 12 second-class merits, and won more than 50 war medals. In that dusty history, what glorious deeds have happened that can be sung and wept? What kind of moving stories have you ever told? Let's explore today...
Xiao Wanshi was born in 1905 in a peasant family in Xiyou Village, Xingtai, Hebei Province, with a total of 5 children, Xiao Wanshi ranked third in the family. Although life was very embarrassing, the family was still happy with each other, but the advent of the war completely broke Xiao Wanshi's originally peaceful life.
On September 18, 1931, in order to annex China and dominate Asia and the Pacific, Japan assigned the Japanese Kwantung Army to blow up a section of the South Manchuria Railway track and shell the North Camp, creating the "918" incident that shocked China and foreign countries. This is an important step of aggression that Japan has been planning for a long time.
Xingtai, Hebei is located in the middle of the North China Plain, at the eastern foot of the southern section of the Taihang Mountains, connecting the three provinces of Jinji and Luzhou. Since ancient times, due to the abundance of mineral resources and the dangerous strategic location, it has always been a place where soldiers and families must fight. This time, the Japanese invaders had long planned and launched a fierce attack on the Hebei area.
On July 10, 1937, the invaders sent a number of military aircraft to bomb Xingtai in order to take Shijiazhuang in one fell swoop. At that time, the situation was very critical, it was a crucial moment for the unity of the military and the people and the enemy, but the governor of Xingtai Obviously did not think so, and he led his officials to abandon the city and flee south. On the other hand, the Kuomintang government and army also did nothing, regardless of the safety of the people.
In just 3 months, the Japanese controlled most of the villages, and they took over the major transportation routes, firmly controlling Xingtai. Then, they began to do evil unscrupulously in Xingtai, and the people of Xingtai lived in the depths of the water every day.
Pictured| Japanese troops
Xiao Wanshi saw all this in his eyes, and he believed: The Japanese have all hit the doorstep, and they must not sit idly by, but must take some action to do something for the country and the people to drive the Japanese aggressors out of China!
As the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression unfolded vigorously throughout the country, with the determination to drive the Japanese invaders out of China completely, the three Xiao Wanshi brothers joined the Xingtai Guerrilla Death Squad in Hebei Province, which was the local anti-Japanese guerrilla group. If this is only the initial awakening of Xiao Wanshi's revolutionary consciousness, then the successive deaths of his family members are the fuse for the complete development of his revolutionary consciousness. What's going on here?
It turned out that during Xiao Wanshi's participation in the anti-Japanese guerrillas, the inhumane Japanese army washed the village of Xiyou in blood. The village's men, women and children were not spared, and the soaring flames wrapped the villagers' cries one by one, and the originally lively village was reduced to a ruin.
Xiao Wanshi's parents and sister were buried in this ashes. The deaths of his parents and sister dealt a heavy blow to Xiao Wanshi, and at the same time strengthened his determination to resist Japan. But fate once again gave him a blow in the head.
Just as he regained his mood and continued to confront the invaders, the eldest brother Xiao Wannian was heroic and righteous, and the second brother Xiao Wangui was also missing. In that case, it was probably impossible to survive, and later even the guerrillas ceased to exist.
Hatred and anger occupied Xiao Wanshi's whole body, and his only thought at this moment was to avenge his family and the thousands of innocent people who died at the hands of the Japanese army, and Xiao Wanshi's national consciousness was completely awakened.
The most urgent task at the moment is to go to the battlefield and confront the aggressors head-on, so that the enemy can be stabbed by hand, and the only thing that could give him this opportunity at that time was the Communist Party. In July 1937, Xiao Wanshi resolutely joined the 772nd Regiment of the 386th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army and became an Eighth Route Army.
Perhaps, Xiao Wanshi was born as a good material for being a soldier, and he made a contribution in the army in just one year.
It was one night in 1938, when Xiao Wanshi and a few soldiers of the Eighth Route Army came to a hot spring in Baiquan Bay. The natural hot spring water temperature here is just right, which is conducive to relieving fatigue, and it is better to go in at night and take a bath. However, Xiao Wanshi and others did not come here to soak in the hot springs, they had important tasks.
The scouts found traces of the Japanese army in Baiquan Bay, and Xiao Wanshi and others were ordered to come here to inquire about the enemy's situation. Among these Eighth Route Army soldiers, Xiao Wanshi's outfit was extremely different, and the special feature was the spear he carried with him, which he had transformed with a large military knife.
At that time, the armament was insufficient, and not necessarily guns were issued to every soldier, but there were many large knives, sharp swords, and so on. The large knife that Xiao Wanshi received was somewhat short, but it was better in close combat with the Japanese army, and once the distance was opened, it was useless, so he changed the big knife into a spear.
After Xiao Wanshi and the others arrived at Baiquan Bay, they found a group of Japanese troops. They were unaware of the arrival of Xiao Wanshi and the others, and were now leisurely lying in the hot spring taking a bath.
Everyone hated the Japanese army very much, and they wanted to get rid of it quickly, and soon a soldier of the Eighth Route Army could not hold back and was about to rush forward to fight the Japanese army to the death. Saying that it was too late and fast, Xiao Wanshi quickly stopped him with his eyes and whispered, "If we want to take down this group of Japanese troops in one fell swoop, we must wait for the opportunity and must not rush to make a move!" ”
The eighth route army soldier replied, "I was reckless, so when is the right time?" Xiao Wanshi no longer spoke, but only gave him a "little peace of mind" look, this time needs absolute silence. After carefully observing the surroundings, Xiao Wanshi found the Japanese military uniforms taken off by the hot spring, and an idea flashed in Xiao Wanshi's mind.
He led everyone to quietly take away these clothes, and then took advantage of the night to quietly eliminate the other Japanese troops standing guard around. The Japanese troops who were soaking in the hot springs could not have imagined that this hot spring would become their burial place tonight. Xiao Wanshi and his party quietly passed in the direction of the hot spring, and their footsteps landed on the grass without making a half-sound.
In an instant, Xiao Wanshi's spear stabbed into the heart of the Japanese army located on the outermost edge with lightning speed. The rest of the Japanese army was frightened to flee around, but how could Xiao Wanshi give the Japanese army a chance to escape?
Only to see him turn over neatly and come directly to the hot spring. The Japanese army was anxious like ants on a hot pot, and in a hurry, they could not find their own clothes, so they had to stay in the hot springs and resist.
Xiao Wanshi and the others were not soft-hearted, and they punched and kicked at the Japanese troops in a pool, which made their noses and blue faces swollen. After doing this, Xiao Wanshi did not forget the order of his superiors, he led the soldiers of the Eighth Route Army to kill all the Japanese troops, the blood stained the hot springs red, and the air was full of thick blood.
A few people defeated dozens of Japanese troops, among which Xiao Wanshi's wise command was indispensable. Because of Shaw's outstanding performance in this mission, the organization promoted him from an ordinary soldier to a squad leader.
But Xiao Wanshi did not stagnate because he was the head of the work, and he went all out in every battle, rushing to the front of the troops, in order to kill a few more Japanese troops. He was a well-known combat expert in the army, and it was precisely because of his outstanding performance that the leaders appreciated him very much, and his position in the army rose again and again.
During this period, Xiao Wanshi also endured unbearable pain for ordinary people, such as the great encirclement and suppression in 1938. At that time, the enemy was strong and we were weak, and in the face of the rapid and fierce offensive of the Japanese army, our side had some difficulties, so we had to retreat while fighting, but the Japanese army's mentality towards this encirclement and suppression was different from the past, and they came with the determination to win and pressed the Eighth Route Army step by step.
Later, Xiao Wanshi and the others were forced to hide in a village. But soon the cunning Japanese army found this and surrounded the village, and our army could never accept its fate. At a critical juncture, Xiao Wanshi decided to lead everyone to break through, and he was not afraid in the face of a strong enemy, and took down multiple enemy heads in a row, which greatly boosted the morale of the army.
All the soldiers fought fiercely with the Japanese army for several days and nights together with Xiao Wanshi. Because the disparity between the enemy and our forces was too great, our army suffered heavy losses in this war, and only fifty or sixty people were left to break through in the end. What is more serious is that in this battle, Xiao Wanshi was seriously wounded, and a bullet was fired by the enemy in his chest cavity, although it was still some distance from the heart, but the situation was not optimistic.
Immediately after the war, doctors performed surgery on Shawwanshi. It was winter, and the blood that had come out had already solidified and stuck together with the clothes. Although the doctor's movements have been as gentle as possible, the degree of pain can be imagined, after all, it is hard to peel off the skin of the clothes and wounds. Moreover, during that period, medical supplies were generally scarce, and no anesthetics were used throughout the operation.
Xiao Wanshi's chest cavity had a lot of villi that had seeped into it, and these villi had invaded the flesh and could only be cleaned up little by little by the doctor with a slender surgical hook. During the whole process, Xiao Wanshi closed his teeth and did not cry out a single cry of pain, but the beads of sweat all over his forehead betrayed his true feelings.
Removing the fluff is not the end, the most important thing is to remove the bullet in the chest cavity. But the wound was too deep, the level of medical technology at that time was generally not high, and there was no suitable surgical equipment, and there were still two pieces of shrapnel that could not be removed. In later times, Xiao Wanshi's chest still faintly ached from time to time until he died, but this was all an afterthought.
After this battle, Xiao Wanshi's position was also promoted from squad leader to platoon leader. After recuperating for a while, Xiao Wanshi also returned to the army, and his performance on the battlefield was as good and positive as ever, many people thought that Xiao Wanshi was bent on pursuing fame, but his personality was as "hard" as his combat level.
Comrades-in-arms who are familiar with Xiao Wanshi all said: "Don't look at Xiao Wanshi's bravery and invincibility on the battlefield, he has made countless achievements, but in private he is a different look, he has two faces." Xiao Wanshi's son Xiao Yaqiang also mentioned in an interview: "My father Xiao Wanshi is a kind-hearted person, he can't see others suffering, and at the same time he is indifferent to fame and fortune, and never thinks about his future." ”
Why does Xiao Yaqiang make such an evaluation of his father? There are two small things we can get a glimpse of:
The first thing happened in 1938, when Shaw's position was platoon leader. In line with the principle of "seeking his own government in his position", he accepted the task of his superiors to escort 12 Japanese prisoners. These prisoners were not ordinary Japanese soldiers, but Japanese officers above the rank of Shaosa, so the escort mission could not be missed in the slightest.
Xiao Wanshi attached great importance to this matter, and they could be said to have all the staff on this escort mission. But the bad thing is that there are so many people, a group of young men are excited, and the lethality is too great. What's going on here?
On that day, the team ran for a day, watching the warriors work so hard, Xiao Wanshi ordered everyone to rest in place. He himself also found a place to rest not far away, but he did not expect that it was this rest that caused an accident!
When Shawwan returned, one of the captives was dying. Needless to say, it must have been done by the warriors present, and before Xiao Wanshi could ask a question, they all confessed to punishment. It turned out that the parents of several of these fighters were brutally attacked by the Japanese army and were very resentful of the Japanese army, and it happened that one of the prisoners was so arrogant that he openly provoked the soldiers of the Eighth Route Army, and the crowd stabbed the prisoner.
Pictured| Japanese prisoners
Xiao Wanshi did not hold everyone responsible, but only said to everyone: "It is true that there is a reason for the incident, this time I will not punish you, this matter is borne by my own efforts, and when you return to the army, you should not talk much." The soldiers did not want the platoon leader to be responsible for everyone's negligence, and said one after another: "Platoon leader, we have done something wrong, and we dare to do it." ”
Xiao Wanshi thought to himself: Everyone is still an ordinary soldier, and I am afraid that my superiors will not be able to bear this responsibility after blaming them, and if there is a future or something, there is no such thing! So he pretended to be angry and said, "This matter is so settled, there is no room for negotiation!" Sure enough, after returning to the army, Xiao Wanshi took all the responsibility on himself, and the punishment imposed on him by his superiors was: to remove the platoon leader.
The second incident occurred shortly after the founding of New China, when the opium epidemic in the southwest region caused serious damage to the country's economy and the people's health, and it was urgent to deal with. Xiao Wanshi's style had always been strong, and his superiors ordered Xiao Wanshi to go to the southwest to collect opium. Unexpectedly, Xiao Wanshi made a mistake!
At that time in Zhaotong, Yunnan, Xiao Wanshi went door to door as usual to collect opium. It didn't take long for his soldiers to find a large amount of opium, which was owned by an old local man.
Although he is old, he is also an addict and smokes opium every day. He understood the harm of opium, and in the face of Xiao Wanshi's confiscation, he did not stop it, but he pleaded: "I am old, leaving this opium, I am afraid that I will not be able to live for a few days, can I do well, leave a little for me, a little better..."
Pictured| opium smoker
Just when everyone thought that Xiao Wanshi would sternly refuse, he said slowly, "Well, just leave a little for you." This startled everyone present with their jaws dropped. At this time, a soldier reacted and whispered in Xiao Wanshi's ear, "This is against military regulations. When the time comes, you will not only be punished, but also ruin your future! ”
But Xiao Wanshi did not listen to the dissuasion of the soldiers, but still left a small amount of opium for the old man. The old man did not expect Xiao Wanshi to agree, and he was grateful and went home happily. Xiao Wanshi was punished for this, but he did not regret it.
From these two things, it is not difficult for us to find that Xiao Wanshi is indeed a very kind person.
Xiao Wanshi fought on horses and horses in half his life, made countless meritorious achievements, was bold and loyal on the battlefield, sacrificed his life and forgot his death, and made 10 first-class merits and 12 second-class merits. In the history of the new Chinese revolution, there are only a few heroes who have made so many contributions to the country, but Xiao Wanshi regards these honors very lightly and has never mentioned these glorious deeds to outsiders, even his sons and daughters.
It wasn't until 2009, when Xiao Wanshi died, that his children, while sorting out the relics, learned from the pockets of medals and some notes that his father turned out to be a combat hero. What is even more valuable is that Xiao Wanshi also has a heart that is indifferent to fame and fortune, and chooses to retreat into the background after the victory of the War of Resistance.
In 1949, after the founding of New China, Xiao Wanshi did not make any demands to the state, he took the initiative to retire, and later served as the director of the grain station in Liangzhou, Sichuan, which was decades. Because in the early years, Xiao Wanshi was injured many times on the battlefield, and in his later years, he was sick and spent the last days of his life in the hospital.
The state learned of Xiao Wanshi's situation and sent people to visit him many times, hoping to do something for the revolutionary veteran, even if it was to find a hospital with better medical conditions. But Xiao Wanshi declined, and everyone understood that this was no longer reluctant not to bother the country.
At the end of his life, Xiao Wanshi made his last wish to his children who were guarding the bedside: "Children, listen well, after I die, there is no need for the state to hold a memorial service for me, just a simple funeral, and there is no need to trouble comrades-in-arms to rush over to participate." ”
Until the last moment, his heart was still on the country and others. On the battlefield, Xiao Wanshi is an iron-boned hero, but in daily life, he is a kind-hearted pioneer who always thinks about others.
Xiao Wanshi dedicated his life to the motherland, composed a heroic song for the country with youth and blood, and was a well-deserved anti-Japanese hero. We must always remember his heroic struggle for the country, but also learn from his noble qualities of not seeking fame and fortune and always maintaining kindness!