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On September 6, 1949, Yang Hucheng, a famous patriotic general known at home and abroad for the Xi'an Incident, was killed by military agents at the Dai Gong Ancestral Hall in Chongqing, along with his 20-year-old son Yang Zhengzhong and his 8-year-old youngest daughter Yang Zhenggui.
Coupled with Xie Baozhen, the wife of Yang Hucheng, who died of illness in prison in 1947, many people often say that Yang Hucheng's family was killed in Chongqing when mentioning this tragedy. In fact, this statement is not correct or rigorous, general Yang Hucheng's family is not all imprisoned, and his other wife, Zhang Huilan, lived until the 1990s with 6 children of the Yang family who were not her own.
Yang Hucheng had three wives in his life, namely Luo Peilan, Zhang Huilan, and Xie Baozhen. Compared with Luo Peilan, who can write and fight, and Xie Baozhen, who has revolutionary ideals, the second lady, Zhang Huilan, can be described as obscure. Compared with the other two wives who had been fighting with Yang Hucheng in the south and the north for many years, Zhang Huilan did not even have many opportunities to get along with Yang Hucheng.
She was born ordinary, had no culture, and married Yang Hucheng according to her parents' orders. In the glory days of Yang Hucheng, she did not enjoy the prestige of the officer's wife, but took care of the elderly and children in her hometown. After Yang Hucheng's sacrifice, it was she who pulled Yang Hucheng and the 6 children of the other two wives to grow up and cultivate them into talents.
Zhang Huilan is considered to be the most ordinary of the traditional Chinese women, and also the representative of a good wife and mother. Her life is actually a victim of feudal arranged marriages, but she has not regretted marrying Yang Hucheng after half a lifetime of widowhood.
She is not related to the children of the Yang family, but in the eyes of the children, this mother is the best mother in the whole world, and it is she who pulls the children up one by one, because with her, the children of the Yang family can get together, otherwise they will be scattered all over the world, and whether they can survive is unknown.
This ordinary woman, after her husband was killed, held up a piece of heaven for the Yang family.
Yang Hucheng and Zhang Huilan, this is also one of the few photos left by Zhang Huilan
On November 26, 1893, Yang Hucheng was born in a poor peasant family in Pucheng County, Shaanxi Province, and his father Yang Huaifu, in addition to cultivating land for the landlords, relied on carpenters to earn some pocket money in his spare time, but he still could not support the expenses of the entire family. After attending a private school for two years, Yang Hucheng could only go to a restaurant in the town to help the workers subsidize the family.
When Yang Hucheng was 15 years old, he ushered in the first major change in his life. At that time, his father Yang Huaifu was hanged by the Qing court for murder. The top pillar of the family fell, for the young Yang Hucheng, it can be said that Taishan was at the top, and the pressure of life fell on his shoulders.
After his father's death, the Yang family had no money to bury him, and Yang Hucheng and his mother Sun Yilian borrowed money from relatives and villagers everywhere to bury their father. And the process of borrowing money to bury his father this time also made Yang Hucheng have an idea: that is, to unite people as poor as him to set up a funeral mutual aid organization, which family has passed away, everyone helps together, this mutual aid organization was called the Filial Piety Association at that time.
The Filial Piety Society developed rapidly in Yang Hucheng's hometown, and it did not take long to become a team with hundreds of people, and Yang Hucheng reorganized the organization into the Mid-Autumn Festival. At a young age, Yang Hucheng showed outstanding organizational ability and command boldness very early on.
After the Wuchang Uprising swept through the country, Yang Hucheng joined the revolutionary army with the centaurs of the Mid-Autumn Festival and fought against the Qing army. After Yuan Shikai came to power as president, he began disarmament and rectification, and Yang Hucheng ended his short first military career and returned to his hometown with his brother from his hometown. However, due to the killing of li zhen, a rogue xiucai who came to collect debts, in his hometown, Yang Hucheng and hundreds of brothers had to fall into the grass and become well-known local "knifemen".
In 1915, the "knifeman" Yang Hucheng joined the Shaanxi Protectorate Army with his men and horses, rebelled against Yuan Shikai, and became the commander of the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Mixed Regiment of the Shaanxi Army.
In 1916, Yang Hucheng, a 23-year-old battalion commander, was stationed in Dali County and met 15-year-old Luo Peilan. Luo Peilan was originally from Guanghan, Sichuan, because his family had business dealings with Shaanxi businessman Zhang Ximing for many years, so he recognized Zhang Ximing as his righteous father. Zhang Ximing also often takes his righteous daughter back and forth between Sichuan and Shaanxi. At that time, Zhang Ximing met Yang Hucheng of the garrison in his hometown in Dali County, and the two chatted speculatively, so they often walked around.
In this way, Yang Hucheng met the first lady Luo Peilan at Zhang Ximing's home, one was a spirited young and strong faction in the army, and the other was a clever little girl. The two have feelings for each other and set a lifelong relationship.
Within a few days, Yang Hucheng proposed to Luo Peilan's righteous father, Zhang Ximing. Zhang Ximing originally admired this young man, in the turbulent years, the righteous daughter can marry a man with soldiers, that is very ideal, not to mention Yang Hucheng and Luo Peilan is originally a love affair, this marriage is simply a match made in heaven, Zhang Ximing did not think about it, just mention luo Peilan's parents agreed.
Soon, Yang Hucheng married Luo Peilan in Dali County, and the two began their lives as Qinse and Ming after marriage.
In 1919, three years after becoming related to Luo Peilan, Yang Hucheng returned home to visit his family. His mother, Sun Yilian, told him that she was happy to learn the news that he had become a relative in Dali County, but at the same time she was very embarrassed. Because Sun Yilian had previously found a daughter-in-law for her son in her hometown, and the other parents had agreed.
Yang Hucheng learned that after his mother fell ill in his hometown, he often sought a traditional Chinese medicine doctor named Zhang Yangqing to see a doctor, and Zhang Yangqing also took good care of Sun Yilian, and after learning that she was at home alone, he often let his daughter Zhang Huilan boil the soup medicine and send it to Yang Mother.
Mother Yang, who was ill, was carefully cared for by Zhang Huilan and was very fond of this little girl. After the illness was cured, Yang's mother proposed that she wanted to be her daughter-in-law, and Zhang Yangqing was very happy when he learned about it, and the parents of the two families settled down Yang Hucheng and Zhang Huilan's affair.
Yang's mother, who was at home alone, often took Zhang Huilan to her home, although she had not yet passed the door, but she was already a family.
After Yang Hucheng returned to his hometown, his mother Sun Yilian hoped to take this opportunity to let her son marry Zhang Huilan into the door. This made Yang Hucheng a little embarrassed, although he repeatedly explained to the Zhang family that he was married, but Zhang Yangqing did not mind letting Zhang Huilan do the side room.
Although the Republic of China had already stipulated monogamy at that time, most people had not yet been freed from the idea of feudal marriage, and most of them thought that it was normal for capable men to have large groups of wives and concubines.
What's more, Yang Hucheng is still a big filial piety. Because his father died early, Yang Hucheng knew the hard work his mother had to work hard to run the family, so he was very filial to his mother.
In the face of "the order of his parents, the words of the matchmaker", Yang Hucheng did not resist the arranged marriage arranged by the family, and married his second wife Zhang Huilan, who was 15 years old, in his hometown.
Zhang Huilan has no culture, and she naturally cannot understand the revolution and freedom that her husband is pursuing outside. And Yang Hucheng could not have much common language with her, compared to Luo Peilan, who followed him in the military camp to talk about ideals and was in agreement, and Zhang Huilan's marriage was at first completely just to cope with the family, and there was not much affection to speak of.
Soon after becoming a relative, Yang Hucheng returned to the military camp to live with Luo Peilan, while Zhang Huilan stayed in her hometown to take care of Yang's mother.
After marriage, Yang Hucheng marched and fought in various parts of Shaanxi with the troops for many years, and Luo Peilan, who followed him, also had courage and strategy, and became Yang Hucheng's xiannei helper. In 1922, Roppelle, who had been following her husband for a long time, fell ill, and at this time, the doctor diagnosed that Roppelle was pregnant. This made Yang Hucheng happy and worried, happy that he finally had to have a child, worried that at that time, the troops were marching around, and there was no stable place for Luo Peilan to raise a baby.
In the end, Yang Hucheng could only have Luo Peilan sent back to his hometown in Pucheng County and handed over to his mother and Zhang Huilan to take care of. This is also the first time that the two wives of Yang Hucheng have met. Before that, Yang Hucheng had always avoided letting the two meet to avoid unnecessary disputes because of personality and family relations, and this time it was really impossible.
But surprisingly, Luo Peilan and Zhang Huilan got along very happily. In front of Yang's mother, Sun Yilian, Zhang Huilan said to Luo Peilan: "My sister is three years older than me, and in the future, I will be a sister who has something inconsiderate about my service. ”
Luo Peilan had also heard Yang Hucheng talk about Zhang Huilan before, and originally felt that Huilan's sister was quite pitiful, only to blame her husband for not being firm in refusing, and some delayed Zhang Huilan, and she also complained about her husband for this. Now seeing zhang Huilan so sensible, she grasped her hand and said, "Sister, our family does not speak two languages, in the future, as long as my sister has something, it will certainly not be missing one of your shares." We are not a master-servant relationship who serves whom, we are equal sisters. Don't say such things about service in the future. ”
At first, Yang Mu was also worried that Luo Peilan, a woman in the new period, might have a very weak personality, afraid that Zhang Huilan, who had never seen the world, would be bullied, but after a period of getting along, she found that the two daughters-in-law got along really harmoniously. Zhang Huilan will take the initiative to take care of Luo Peilan, who is pregnant, and Luo Peilan will also prepare a copy for Zhang Huilan according to her own standards, whether it is eating and wearing.
As a mother-in-law, Sun Yilian is naturally very happy.
Under the careful care of Zhang Huilan, Luo Peilan successfully gave birth to a son a few months later. Yang Hucheng, who was far away in the military camp, was very happy after receiving the news, wrote a letter home, and named his son Yang Zhengmin, in order to save Li Min.
In order to allow Luo Peilan to sit in confinement safely in his hometown, Yang Hucheng, who did not understand that the two ladies already had a "deep sisterly love", also wrote a letter to Zhang Huilan.
Hui Lan's wife: Your sister Peilan was fortunate to have a boy, I don't smell it and feel happy, but your sister Ping su is weak and after the new illness. My wife must be careful to serve in all food and drink, so that your sister will not be distracted. As long as your sister and mother are safe, it is your credit, I am very grateful, ten million. This greeting is close to peace and praises the auspiciousness of the family.
After hearing Yang Hucheng's letter, Zhang Huilan said, "Is this still the use of his special letter?" My sister gave birth to the first male for the Yang family, which is the current big event of our Yang family. ”
In 1923, Luo Peilan, who had been separated from her husband for a long time, began to miss and worry about the safety of Yang Hucheng, and repeatedly said that she would take her children to find Yang Hucheng. Zhang Huilan and Sun Yilian were stubborn, but they had to agree. However, due to the fact that Luo Peilan's body was still a little weak, and the child was still young, Sun Yilian instructed Zhang Huilan to go with Luo Peilan to find Yang Hucheng, and there was also a care on the way.
At that time, the domestic chaos, warlords, bandits rampant, Zhang Huilan overcame various difficulties, with Luo Peilan mother and son to drive the road for more than ten days, and finally found Yang Hucheng, luo Peilan mother and son safely sent to her husband.
Yang Hucheng was overjoyed to see his son, and Luo Peilan also told about the difficulties encountered along the way, "If it were not for Huilan's sister, our mother and son would not have seen you." ”
After Yang Hucheng listened, he was full of gratitude to Zhang Huilan. I was ready to take the two ladies for a good walk around the station the next day, but I didn't expect Zhang Huilan to resign, "I'm going back tomorrow, my mother is alone at home and no one to take care of it, we've been out for many days." I am also relieved that you have a sister by your side to take care of you. ”
Yang Hucheng was even more touched to hear this, and said that he would leave Zhang Huilan for two more days. After that, two soldiers escorted Zhang Huilan back to Pucheng County.
In 1924, Yang Hucheng had been promoted to division commander, and he and Luo Peilan's daughter Yang Zhengkun were also born smoothly. But Luo Peilan soon got tuberculosis, this disease is very contagious, Luo Peilan is afraid of passing it on to the children, so he asked Yang Hucheng to send Yang Zhengmin back to Pucheng for Zhang Huilan to raise, and the daughter had to find a nurse in the local area to take care of because she was still young.
Opellan with two children
Not long after the beginning of 1926, there was a military change in Shaanxi, and 100,000 Zhensong troops besieged Xi'an for eight months, and Yang Hucheng and Li Huchen, as the defenders of Xi'an, were known as the "Second Tiger Guard Chang'an". At that time, the Zhensong army besieged Xi'an for a long time, so they thought of using hostages as a trick, and they sent people to Yang Hucheng's hometown, ready to use the lives of Yang Hucheng's family to force Yang Hucheng to surrender.
Fortunately, Zhang Huilan learned that her husband was guarding the city in Xi'an, and the sick Luo Peilan was settled in Sanyuan County, thinking that it was not safe at home, so she took her mother-in-law and Yang Zhengmin to Sanyuan County to find Luo Peilan. This walk just escaped the arrest of the Zhen Song army.
After finding Luo Peilan, Zhang Huilan found that her sister was terminally ill. In front of the bed, Luo Peilan shook Zhang Huilan's hand and said, "I can't do it, we are like sisters, after I die, Zhengmin and Zhengkun will please give it to my sister." ”
On October 24, 1926, Opellan passed away. Zhang Huilan also fulfilled her promise to treat the two children as her own and take good care of them.
Not long after, Yang Hucheng, who was trapped in Xi'an, also waited for Feng Yuxiang's reinforcements, and the siege of Xi'an was rescued. Zhang Huilan took her mother-in-law and children and returned to her hometown in Pucheng.
Due to his merits in defending Xi'an City, Yang Hucheng was promoted to commander-in-chief of the Tenth Route Army of the Nationalist Army in February 1927, and in May of the same year he was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Route Army of the Second Army of the National Revolutionary Army.
In Xi'an, Yang Hucheng met Xie Baozhen, a progressive young woman, and the two soon fell in love. In 1928, Xie Baozhen was approved by the organization and married Yang Hucheng, becoming Yang's third wife. She is also the wife who has been with Yang Hucheng for the longest time, and gave birth to two sons and five daughters for Yang Hucheng.
Xie Baozhen
In 1931, Zhang Huilan also gave birth to a son for Yang Hucheng, named Yang Zhengren, and the Yang family lived together in Xi'an. In December 1936, the Xi'an Incident broke out, and Yang's mother became seriously ill after hearing about it, and Zhang Huilan's burden became heavier, taking care of the elderly and several children.
During that time, Zhang Huilan was too busy to be haggard, and she failed to find out in time that her son Yang Zhengren had scarlet fever, and when she was found and sent to the hospital, Yang Zhengren could not be saved. Watching her son lose his breath in front of him, Zhang Huilan's spirit was greatly stimulated. Although there are many children in the Yang family, Yang Zhengren is her own flesh and blood after all, and the son she gave birth to after 12 years of marriage with Yang Hucheng died of illness because of her own negligence, which is difficult for anyone to bear.
Zhang Huilan was insane in the pain of missing her son. Although the Xi'an incident was resolved peacefully at this time, Yang Hucheng was already limited in his movements, and seeing that Zhang Huilan was delirious and useless after being treated in Xi'an, he instructed his eldest son Yang Zhengmin, "Your mother Huilan has always taken good care of you and your sister, and now that she is sick like this, I can't get out of Xi'an, so you two take her to Beiping to cure it." ”
Yang Hucheng with Yang Zhengmin and Yang Zhengkun
Therefore, 14-year-old Yang Zhengmin took his sister and Zhang Huilan to Beiping under Yang Hucheng's arrangement to see a doctor, and stayed next to the hospital to plan for long-term treatment.
At this time, Yang Hucheng, under the persecution of Chiang Kai-shek, had to surrender his military power and took Xie Baozhen and his 7-year-old son Yang Zhengzhong to Europe and the United States to investigate. The other 4 children were left by Xie Baozhen in their mother's house.
After the Lugou Bridge Incident in July 1937, Beiping also became unsafe, and Zhang Huilan's treatment in Beiping has not been effective, and Yang Zhengmin had to return to Xi'an with his sister and Zhang Huilan. Seeing that the anti-Japanese calls from all walks of life in the country were getting higher and higher, Yang Zhengmin said to his sister at home one day: "Everyone has risen up to resist Japan, and Dad should come back!" Zhang Huilan, who was beside her, heard these words and suddenly woke up, and her expression was no longer trance-like, as if she had changed into a different person.
Zhang Huilan asked her husband where Yang Hucheng had gone, and she kept asking about what had happened over the past year. At a time when the family needed it most, her illness miraculously improved!
After the outbreak of the all-out anti-Japanese war, Yang Hucheng did apply to return to China to resist Japan, but as soon as he returned from abroad, he was sent under house arrest by Dai Kasa and began a 12-year long house arrest until he was killed. Along with him, he was placed under house arrest by his wife Xie Baozhen, his son Zhengzhong, and his youngest daughter, Zhenggui, who was born under house arrest in 1941.
Yang Hucheng, Xie Baozhen and son Yang Zhengzhong
In 1947, Xie Baozhen, who was frail and sick, fell ill and died in Yangjiashan Prison in Chongqing. In September 1949, on the eve of the liberation of Chongqing, Yang Hucheng and a pair of sons and daughters were killed by military agents at the Dai Gong Ancestral Hall in Chongqing. Also sacrificed were Yang Hucheng's secretary Song Qiyun, Xu Linxia and his wife, and their son "Little Radish Head".
Many years later, recalling the disaster of the Yang family, Yang Zhengmin still feels that it was the strange mental illness of his mother Zhang Huilan that saved the family: "If it were not for the illness of Huilan's mother, my sister and I would definitely go abroad with my father, one prisoner, and one murdered like my brother in the middle of the country." In addition to the grace of nurturing, Huilan's mother also has the grace of saving her life, and she is very kind! ”
Zhang Huilan not only saved Luo Peilan's shengsheng and Zhengkun brothers and sisters, but also after waking up and heard the news that her husband was under house arrest, she immediately went to Xie Baozhen's hometown and took Yang Hucheng and Xie Baozhen's 4 children to her hometown to raise.
Zhang Huilan took the 6 children and mother-in-law of the Yang family and carefully lived under the surveillance of the secret agents. At the beginning, the family's life was extremely difficult, only Zhang Huilan and Zhengmin had two laborers, but the mouth of eating could not be less. Later, after our party learned about the situation, it gave certain help in life, and Yang Hucheng's former colleagues and friends would also secretly give care to the Yang family.
In the most difficult period, Zhang Huilan also survived the hope that her husband and Xie Baozhen could be freed as soon as possible and that the family could be reunited, but the bad news they waited for was one after another, first Xie Baozhen died of illness, and then Yang Hucheng and his children were killed in Chongqing.
Not long after Yang Hucheng was placed under house arrest, Yang Zhengmin followed in his father's footsteps and went to Yan'an to join the Eighth Route Army. In 1941, Yang Zhengkun graduated from high school and followed his brother's footsteps and went to Yan'an.
In 1943, Yang's mother died, and Chiang Kai-shek did not let Yang Hucheng return to fulfill his filial piety. As a daughter-in-law, Zhang Huilan sent her mother-in-law on the last journey for her husband Zhang Luo.
Under the cultivation of Zhang Huilan, 6 children who were not related to her by blood have successively embarked on the revolutionary road.
In May 1949, when Xi'an was liberated, Yang Zhengmin was already the commander of the Shaanxi Dali Military Sub-district of the People's Liberation Army. Zhang Huilan looked at Yang Zhengmin, the son of Yang's family, who had become a talent, and couldn't help but think of her husband Yang Hucheng, who was unaccounted for at the time, and said with tears in her eyes: "Your father will be proud of you when he sees your achievements today." ”
Yang Zhengmin comforted his mother and said, "Soon the whole country will be liberated, and my father will definitely come back safely." Mother, you don't have to worry, then our family will be reunited. ”
Yang Zhengmin
Unfortunately, zhang Huilan received the bad news of Yang Hucheng's murder a few months later.
After the founding of New China, Yang Zhengmin, who had just turned 28, had a very good future in the military. When Mr. Peng was preparing to build an air force in the northwest, he was assigned a post of chief of staff, but Yang Zhengmin declined.
He looked at the waste of new China waiting to be rebuilt, thought of local contributions to the national industry, and finally threw himself into the petroleum industry in Yumen. Under his leadership, the output of Yumen Oilfield has increased year by year, and Yang Zhengmin has also become the first generation of heroes in China's petroleum industry.
And he never mentioned that he was the son of General Yang Hucheng, strict self-discipline in his work, and never engaged in special. Under the influence of this eldest brother and the education of her mother Zhang Huilan, the other children of the Yang family are also conscientious, and no one needs special care because they are yang Hucheng's children.
In 1957, Yang Hucheng's fifth daughter, Yang Zhenglu, chose to become a screw in the petroleum industry like his eldest brother after graduating from college. Unfortunately, in the second year after work, Yang Zhenglu died in an accident in the process of oil exploration, at the age of 22. After her sacrifice, the unit leaders and colleagues learned that this female college student who was picking up dirty work and doing tiring work was Yang Hucheng's daughter.
Yang Zhenglu
After the children of the Yang family got married and had children one after another, Zhang Huilan, who was widowed for Yang Hucheng, began to raise the grandchildren of the Yang family. Although these juniors are not related to her by blood, the Yang family regards her as the dearest patriarch in the world. Everyone listens to her words, after the Yang family has experienced various tribulations and disasters, several brothers and sisters can still be firmly connected, and the mother Zhang Huilan can be described as the Yang family's dinghai god needle.
On February 7, 1993, Zhang Huilan died of illness at the age of 88. Before dying, Zhang Huilan said to her children: "I am almost going to see your father, watching you become talented one by one, I feel that I have not failed him in my life, nor have I lived up to the expectations of Sister Perlan and Sister Baozhen." When I got there, I had the face to meet them too. ”
After thinking about it, Zhang Huilan said: "I want to be buried in the ancestral grave of my hometown to be a companion with your grandmother, but I also want to be buried next to your father, after all, it is a husband and wife." It's just that I haven't done anything big in my life, but I'm afraid I'm not qualified enough. ”
Several of the children burst into tears and heard their mother's implications. Because Yang Hucheng was relocated to Xi'an after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the "Yang Hucheng General Yang Hucheng Martyrs Cemetery", the martyrs' cemetery can only be buried here for those who sacrificed for the liberation of New China. Because Zhang Huilan "did not do anything major" and did not even participate in the revolution, she thought that she was "not qualified" to be buried in the martyrs' cemetery.
The sons and daughters said, "We thank you for the kindness of the mother, and the people thank you." You can't be with your father when you're alive, and you must be buried together when you're dead. ”
After the application of the children of the Yang family, the government approved Zhang Huilan's wish to be buried in the "General Yang Hucheng Martyrs Cemetery".
At her funeral, a painting sent by the people of Xi'an is the best portrayal of her hard life: a virtuous wife and a good mother respecting the old and helping the young can be called Yi Fan, and the hard work of a lifetime is dedicated to the country!
Although Zhang Huilan is not a martyr, she deserves the glory of being buried in the martyrs' cemetery.
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