Speaking of the founding general Xu Shiyou, people's impression is that this is a big figure full of legendary experience, who fought for the revolution all his life, and became the founding general. However, in the eyes of Xu Shiyou's relatives and friends, this general was a "unkind" person.
As the old saying goes, "One man attains the Word, and the chicken and the dog ascend to heaven." ”
After Xu Shiyou became a general, many relatives, friends, and acquaintances came to him to help him make a convenience, but he did not expect that Xu Shiyou was selfless to anyone, refused any move to go through the back door, and even his seven children did not get any convenience from Xu Shiyou.
Xu Shiyou's eldest grandson, Xu Daokun, after three years as a demobilized soldier, once asked his grandfather to arrange a good job.
After Xu Shiyou listened, he slapped the table in anger: "I have only been a soldier for three years and have returned to make demands!" I also want a good job, find my own job, and if I can't do it, I will go home and farm! ”
Why is Xu Shiyou so "ruthless" to his own family in a high position of power? The answer is written in the life experience of this great general.
First, start the road of the Red Revolution from the Shaolin Boy
The most legendary story of General Xu Shiyou is his indissoluble relationship with the Shaolin Temple.
On February 28, 1905, a poor peasant family in Xinyang County, Henan Province, welcomed its newborn and named it Xu Shiyou (formerly known). Due to his poor family, Xu Shiyou did not get many opportunities for education in his infancy, but fortunately, Xu Shiyou's mother was a woman who understood great righteousness, and taught him by example from an early age, and since then the truth of loyalty and filial piety has been deeply rooted in Xu Shiyou's heart.
When Xu Shiyou was eight years old, because the family could not afford to support so many people, the youngest sister could only be sold and given away. This was the first time that the young Xu Shiyou had experienced the pain of parting, and the helplessness of poverty made him have to think about his future way out at a young age. At this time, a Shaolin monk who passed on martial arts came to the village, and heard that he could manage the meal when he went to the Shaolin Temple as a monk, so Xu Shiyou began his temple life.
After Xu Shiyou arrived at the temple, he was not ordained ordained, but became a miscellaneous servant, and at the age of eight, he learned to do all kinds of chores, chopping firewood, cooking, washing clothes, and even pouring urine pots for the master, and every day under such high-intensity work, he had to practice martial arts with the master, and this life lasted for eight years.
In the eight years that Xu Shiyou grew up, he practiced all kinds of boxing techniques and became proficient in all kinds of weapons, but he was no longer the young child who just wanted to fill his stomach, the world was in chaos, wars were frequent, and Xu Shiyou was determined to use his own skills to defend his family and defend the country. In 1926, the 20-year-old Xu Shiyou tearfully bid farewell to his mother and hometown and followed the Red Army into the glorious revolutionary road.
Second, from Xu Shiyou to Xu Shiyou, he followed Chairman Mao all his life
Xu Shiyou, who was dressed in martial arts, showed great bravery in the army. During the Red Army period, Xu Shiyou participated in many death squad operations, often holding a large knife and engaging the enemy in close combat. Relying on excellent fist and foot kung fu and desperate fighting, Xu Shiyou went all the way from squad leader, platoon leader, regimental commander to commander of an army, even if he became a senior general, he still personally went down to the battlefield to fight, it can be said that Xu Shiyou's position was all based on his own flesh and blood.
During the Long March, Chairman Mao said to Xu Shiyou: "Monk Xu, now that you are a military commander and no longer a soldier's soldier, it is better to change into a world of the world and hope that the world will be friendly!" So Xu Shiyou changed his name to Xu Shiyou and followed Chairman Mao's footsteps all his life.
Changing the name is a big deal, so why did Chairman Mao obey every word Xu Shiyou did? This actually stems from chairman Mao's life saving Xu Shiyou during the early revolution. Chairman Mao and Xu Shiyou knew each other very early, and when they first joined the revolution, Xu Shiyou was in the ranks of the Red Fourth Army, not a direct subordinate of Chairman Mao.
Xu Shiyou is fierce and straightforward, treats things with a martial arts style, and pays the most attention to the word "loyalty". During the northern Shaanxi period, the leader of the Red Fourth Army made a mistake in splitting the party and establishing a separate central committee, and Xu Shiyou, who had a strong temperament, did not think much about it, but only thought about following the old leader, misunderstood the Red Army and the Party Central Committee, and tried to flee with his own team to Sichuan to fight guerrillas.
The matter was soon discovered by the Party Central Committee, and Xu Shiyou was imprisoned, and the Special Military Court sentenced Xu Shiyou to a one-and-a-half-year sentence. Xu Shiyou was not convinced, and he was still thinking of the old leader in his heart, so at that time there were also many calls in the party calling for Xu Shiyou to be shot, saying that he was stubborn and stubborn, and at this time Chairman Mao stood up and shouted "leave people under the knife" and tried to save Xu Shiyou's life against all opinions.
Xu Shiyou, who was still in confinement at the time, asked to bring a gun when he learned that Chairman Mao was coming to talk. Chairman Mao graciously agreed without much thought, and Chairman Mao trusted Xu Shiyou very much from the bottom of his heart, precisely because of Xu Shiyou's scrupulous adherence to the word "loyalty" and precisely because he ate Xu Shiyou's "loyalty." Chairman Mao did Xu Shiyou's ideological work in a few words.
Chairman Mao said: "Comrade Shiyou, you have suffered a lot and fought many battles on the front line, but the cadres of the Red Fourth Army are cadres of the Party, not cadres of the Red Fourth Army, and whoever makes the mistakes of the Red Fourth Army should be borne by him personally, and it has nothing to do with you." ”
In the face of Chairman Mao's frankness, generosity, and patient teachings, Xu Shiyou's admiration for the five bodies threw himself to the ground, immediately dropped his gun, and knelt down to express his loyalty to the chairman with his life.
After this incident, Chairman Mao did not take into account Xu Shiyou's previous mistakes, and also entrusted him with a heavy responsibility, appointing him as the commander of the Jiaodong Military Region. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Xu Shiyou took charge of the Nanjing Military Region for more than ten years, which shows the depth of Chairman Mao's trust in this tiger general.
During the special period, Xu Shiyou's life in Nanjing was not good, and Xu Shiyou, who was accustomed to fighting hard battles, was also at a loss in the face of this political situation. At this time, some people instigated in front of Chairman Mao and demanded that Xu Shiyou be locked up, saying that he held heavy power in his hands in case he was not prepared; Chairman Mao did not listen to such words at all, personally sent someone to take Xu Shiyou to his side with a special plane, and also specially said to others: "Xu Shiyou I know best, and no one can touch him." ”
Xu Shiyou will experience the grievances he has been aggrieved during this period, and finally disintegrate in front of Chairman Mao, and he will be moved to tears. Later, Xu Shiyou sighed: This is Chairman Mao once again saving my life.
Chairman Mao's death in 1976 was a serious illness, which was a great blow to Xu Shiyou. Heartbroken and weeping bitterly, he set up a spiritual hall for the chairman in his home, surrounded by portraits and posters of Chairman Mao. When the central authorities informed Xu Shiyou to go to Beijing to guard the spirit, Xu Shiyou was stopped by soldiers for carrying a pistol.
Among all those involved in the mourning and vigil, only Xu Shiyou carried a pistol, and he went directly away regardless of the soldiers' obstruction, and this confidence stemmed from the fact that when Xu Shiyou and Chairman Mao had the first deep talk, Chairman Mao specially approved Xu Shiyou to bring a gun when he met with himself, which was also the only general in the party who was allowed to bring a gun to meet with the chairman.
Bringing a gun into the spiritual hall is a special way of mourning in Xu Shiyou's heart, and the chairman has guided Xu Shiyou with his tolerance, understanding, words and deeds all his life, and Xu Shiyou has also been able to use his life to thank the chairman for his kindness.
III. Alcoholics Were "Educated" by Premier Zhou
Xu Shiyou had a nickname of "wine bully" in the army, liked to drink Moutai wine, and even during the Long March period, he drank boldly and openly, and other cadres' luggage was either clothes or books, but Xu Shiyou's luggage was full of wine. He also often said: hot wine hurts the liver, cold wine hurts the guts, and it hurts not to drink.
Interestingly, Xu Shiyou chose to be a general, and those who could not drink could not get into his eyes, and in the counterattack against the Vietnamese self-defense, General Liu Changyi was selected as the deputy commander because of the same alcoholism. Chairman Mao knew that he loved to drink, and often had no boundaries, and he also advised him that he needed to drink in moderation, but although Xu Shiyou was addicted to alcohol, he would never drink alcohol in wars and battles, and the right thing was never delayed, so Chairman Mao had no choice but to let him go.
But Premier Zhou was not accustomed to him, and seized the opportunity to "educate" Xu Shiyou fiercely by drinking alcohol, so why did Premier Zhou want to take action?
Xu Shiyou not only loved wine as his life, but also drank very well, and his subordinates and comrades-in-arms were miserable, because Xu Shiyou especially liked to persuade people to drink, drink to the head, and not give up until the other party was poured into the east and west. Many people went to tell Xu Shiyou about the drinking, but in the end it was all over, so Premier Zhou thought of using alternative means to teach Xu Shiyou a good lesson.
No one can know the answer to where Premier Zhou's alcohol is, he is a dionysian level bull, but Premier Zhou is not alcoholic or ostentatious, and will only drink when necessary. In order to teach Xu Shiyou a lesson, Premier Zhou specially invited Xu Shiyou to drink.
Hearing that there was a good wine to drink, Xu Shiyou really gladly came to talk with Premier Zhou about the past and the present, pushed the cup to change the cup, and unconsciously solved the three bottles of Maotai. Xu Shiyou was gradually overwhelmed and almost under the table, while Premier Zhou was still looking as usual, and his mouth was still chatting non-stop, and the slightest drunkenness was not reflected.
Seeing that Xu Shiyou could no longer drink alcohol, Premier Zhou took the opportunity to reason with Xu Shiyou and told him that there was no strongest but stronger, and it was absolutely impossible to be strong. Xu Shiyou also admired Premier Zhou in his heart, and after this special "education", he never forced others to drink alcohol, and from time to time boasted that Premier Zhou was the "wine saint" in his heart.
Fourth, the mother is a hidden pain in the heart: loyalty and filial piety are dilemmas
Xu Shiyou's father died of illness when he was thirteen years old, his parents had a total of eight children, the little sister was sold to others, and other brothers and sisters also died one after another, leaving Xu Shiyou alone and his mother to live together.
It is also because the family is poor, Xu Shiyou is very considerate of his mother at a very young age, rushing to help his mother work, always keeping his mother in mind, worried about his mother's loneliness, worried that his mother is uncomfortable remembering the past.
When he was old, he remembered his mother, Xu Shiyou often burst into tears, remembering that when he was a child, he went to the mountains to dig wild vegetables and came home late, and his mother was worried that he would have to look at the eyes at the entrance of the village in spite of the cold wind, etc. This scene of waiting often appeared in Xu Shiyou's mind, and he also secretly swore in his heart at this time that no matter whether he had achieved anything in this life, he would try his best to support his mother.
After participating in the revolution, it was difficult for Xu Shiyou to take care of his mother, and the reactionaries hated Xu Shiyou so much that they went to his home in three days and at both ends to raid his home, and Xu Shiyou was forced to live in a foreign land because of his disturbance.
Once, when Xu Shiyou was on the march, he happened to meet his mother begging along the way, xu Shiyou saw that his heart was like a knife, and immediately knelt down in front of his mother and said: "It is the son who has tired you." This great mother in turn comforted Xu Shiyou and said: "Filial piety is only for me, and loyalty is for the whole world, child, you can go with confidence." ”
Until the founding of New China in 1949, Xu Shiyou was the commander-in-chief of the Huaye Shandong Corps, and everything settled, Xu Shiyou finally had the opportunity to go home to visit his mother.
When he was about to walk to the door of the house, he saw his mother hunched over her body carrying firewood and grass that was taller than her figure, Xu Shiyou had mixed feelings in his heart for a while, and quickly ran forward to take the firewood on his mother's back, seeing that his mother was already full of sideburns and white, and walking in a sloppy way, he immediately knelt down and begged his mother not to go up the mountain to cut firewood again, until his mother agreed to get up.
Soon after, Xu Shiyou insisted on bringing his mother from Henan to Shandong to live, Xu Mother only stayed in Shandong for a month and then clamored to return to her hometown, she worked all her life, she could not live a leisurely life, nor could she adapt to life in the city.
Xu Shiyou could not help his mother, so he had to send her back. After that, Xu Shiyou saved a part of the money from his salary every month and sent it to the production team in his hometown, asking the production team to buy grain for his mother every month, and at the same time entrusting the production team to find a girl to help take care of her mother.
In 1985, Xu Shiyou learned that he was suffering from cancer and died soon after, so he applied to the organization to ask for a posthumous burial next to his mother.
Xu Shiyou was the only general among all the high-ranking officials at that time who did not sign a cremation agreement, Chairman Mao left a "privilege" for Xu Shiyou before his death, and after Deng Xiaoping's special approval to "not take an example", Xu Shiyou became the only senior general to practice burial after his death, and he was buried at his mother's feet as he wished, and accompanied his mother forever with green mountains and green waters in his hometown.
Fifth, two sleeves of fresh wind, iron face selfless
Mother and Chairman Mao were the people who had the deepest influence on Xu Shiyou, so on the issue of treating his children, Xu Shiyou also followed the style of these two life teachers, taught his children strictly, and never favoritism.
Xu Shiyou had three wives in his lifetime and left seven children, all of whom were sent to the army to join the army, but none of them received the slightest special treatment. Xu Shiyou said that only for the guidance of children, how to go, but also rely on their own efforts.
In 1979, Xu Shiyou's third daughter, Xu Huashan, had just been newly married, and the situation in the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam was tense, and Xu Shiyou informed the chief of staff that all the personnel of the army must be gathered in place. The chief of staff looked embarrassed and told Xu Shiyou that his daughter Xu Huashan was taking wedding leave, which was also the legitimate right of the army.
Xu Shiyou was angry on the spot after listening: "What kind of marriage leave is taken in this situation?" She was told to return to the army immediately and be expelled from the army if she did not arrive within three days! ”
Xu Huashan later recalled the incident, saying that he was scared at the time, but he could also understand his father's approach. Even with his daughter Xu Shiyou being so strict, other officers in the unit did not dare to slack off in the face of things.
Xu Shiyou's second son, Xu Jianjun, was arrested for violating military discipline, and it took a long time for Xu Shiyou to learn the news from another leader's mouth. This incident made Xu Shiyou furious, shouting in his mouth: "Shot! Shoot him for me! ”
Everyone present was frightened by this situation, Xu Shiyou was furious, only afraid that his son was really present, Xu Shiyou would definitely take out a gun and open fire without hesitation.
After becoming a general, many relatives and friends came to Xu Shiyou for help. In the 1960s, almost all young people wanted to become soldiers, but at that time, if they wanted to join the army, the selection was strictly reviewed from birth to physical condition.
Xu Shiyou has two nieces, because the physical condition is not up to standard, specially from his hometown to Guangzhou to ask Xu Shiyou to help open the back door, Xu Shiyou's mouth refused, there is no room for negotiation. Daughter-in-law Yang Dingchun's third brother failed the college entrance examination, and wanted to ask Xu Shiyou to come forward to find a good school in Nanjing to re-study, Xu Shiyou was ruthless, saying that the school itself was looking for it, and if it could be tested, it would go back to his hometown to farm.
Xu Shiyou has refused countless such things, treating everyone equally, no matter how big or small, and never helping anyone open the back door. It is precisely because of this awe-inspiring attitude of righteousness that Xu Shiyou's children have achieved success by relying on their own feet:
The eldest daughter, Xu Li, served as a cadre in the Nanjing Military Region's Repertory Theater, the second daughter, Xu Sangyuan, was the vice president of the Nanjing Air Force Hospital, the younger daughter, Tian Xiaobing, was the secretary general of the Nanjing Higher Education Research Association, and the son Xu Yuanchao was the commander of the Anhui Provincial Military Region.
Xu Shiyou has always adhered to the fine work style of an old revolutionary and a Communist Party member, never abused his power for personal gain for any relatives or friends, and he himself is even more spotless with a clean wind in his sleeves, which seems to be "unkind", but in fact he has a deep love for the party and his relatives and friends.
Last minute: Never go to Beijing for treatment
Unlike most generals, Xu Shiyou acted with a big grin, had a full personality, and had always been treated and protected by Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou, which also reflected that the two leaders were extremely tolerant of the character of leading cadres.
Xu Shiyou also responded to his Bole with his life's practical actions, commanding the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, which was already seventy-four years old. At this time, he was not only able to drink alcohol and command operations on the front line, but also his mind was still very clear-headed, and the combat deployment was strict, and the Vietnamese army in Langshan could not be defeated.
On March 1, 1979, Xu Shiyou commanded troops to besiege Lang Son, deployed hundreds of large-caliber guns to surround the Vietnamese garrison, our army fire rapidly, under more than half an hour of strong attack, the Vietnamese army gradually unable to support.
Seeing that it was about to be attacked, the Vietnamese army actually disregarded the provisions of international treaties and used prohibited chemical weapons against Xu Shiyou's troops, and this operation of the Vietnamese army caused many casualties among our soldiers. Angered by the shamelessness of the Vietnamese army, General Xu Shiyou ordered his troops to increase their firepower to continuously bombard the Vietnamese positions, and many acts of injustice would kill themselves, and soon the entire Lang Shan position was reduced to ruins.
General Xu Shiyou was originally a man of great loyalty and righteousness in black and white, and he could not see such a despicable act of the Vietnamese army, and since the other side did not keep his word, he did not want to fall into a little benefit!
After Xu Shiyou withdrew from Vietnam with his troops, Le Son, the supreme leader of the Vietnamese government at that time, came to Lang Son to inspect the post-war situation, and when he saw that the Lang Son position was full of devastation, Li Sun jumped straight to his feet in anger, and he did not know whether he regretted provoking this groundless war.
General Xu Shiyou's love and hatred are clear, and he warns Vietnam with his actions: China is by no means easy to provoke. It was not until the age of eighty that Xu Shiyou stepped down from all his work, and Jinge Iron Horse finally returned home to enjoy his old age in peace. Unfortunately, not long after leaving office, General Xu Shiyou was diagnosed with liver cancer.
According to Xu Shiyou's daughter-in-law's recollection, in fact, General Xu Shiyou had long felt that he was sick and would soon die, and at first he only felt pain, but did not speak out with his family, but endured the pain and braced himself.
Until one day when he couldn't hold back and fainted, the family reacted, and the old man had been resisting for several months. During this period, he did not go to see a doctor once, took medicine once, and later during the treatment, General Xu Shiyou was reluctant to give injections, and calmly accepted that his limit was approaching.
Xu Shiyou's old subordinates and family members repeatedly suggested that he transfer to Beijing for treatment, and the medical conditions in Beijing at that time were the best, and perhaps a delayed treatment plan could be found.
Xu Shiyou waved his hand, unwilling to go to Beijing for treatment, and when his family asked him why, General Xu Shiyou said with a sigh that the road in Beijing was too narrow.
Everyone thinks this is very strange, obviously the road in Beijing is the most spacious, Xu Shiyou said, there are too many people in Beijing, I can't argue with them. Who are they? No one knows, and no one asks any more questions. However, General Xu Shiyou's road is too narrow, and it also makes people sigh.
From illness to death, cancer tortured this heroic old man into human form, but he never cried out in pain.
General Xu Shiyou's life was a life of baptism of fire, a glorious battle of blood and sweat, and he passed away in October 1985 with his legend. He returned to his hometown, to the village where his mother stared, to the place where the ideal began, but he and his story will always be passed on in the hearts of the people.