Bai Xiaosheng talked about the history of the series of articles: Volunteer Heroes, Models, Special Heroes Phase III (Anti-Japanese Heroes) - Xiao Wanshi
In April 2009, Xiao Wanshi, a retired veteran cadre of the Sichuan Grain Bureau, died. When Xiao Wanshi's son, when sorting out the relics for his father, found out from his father's file: 10 first-class merits, 12 second-class merits, 56 medals, as for the third-class merit, there are more, and behind each medal is the refinement of blood and fire.
When it comes to making first-, second- and third-class meritorious service in the army, it is actually not an easy task. For example, a few days ago, an authoritative newspaper humorously introduced to readers the rank of meritorious service of the troops. To sum up, it is the third class standing collar; the second class skill lying collar - because it may cause injury to yourself. As for the first class merit, many of them are received by the family - because the first class merit means nine deaths and one life. Of course, this statement is a description. However, from this, we can also see how high the gold content and difficulty of the first-class work are. The old hero Xiao Wanshi received a full ten first-class merits, and it is conceivable that the old hero has experienced so many first-class merits after experiencing many swords, mountains, fires, and difficulties.
Xiao Wanshi was born in 1905 in Xingtai, Hebei Province. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, due to the fierce firepower of the Japanese devils and the corruption of the old Chiang Kai-shek, within a few days of the outbreak of the all-out War of Resistance, almost all of Hebei fell. Of course, the main reason is that old Chiang Kai-shek is too corrupt. For example, Marshal Nie Rongzhen recalled many years later: at that time, the nationalist army was decadent, and sometimes more than a dozen Japanese could capture the county seat. The defenders in the county town often left their guns and fled without firing a shot.
At the moment of national peril, the Eighth Route Army set up guerrilla units behind enemy lines in north China. Both of Shaw's older brothers joined the guerrillas. Under the influence of his two older brothers, Xiao Wanshi also embarked on the same path. However, after a series of battles, Xiao Wanshi's two older brothers, one sacrificed, one is missing. Shortly thereafter, Xiao Wanshi found the eighth route army and became a glorious soldier of the Eighth Route Army.
It is said that the equipment of the Eighth Route Army is very poor. For this reason, General Manager Zhu repeatedly negotiated with Lao Jiang and Yan Laoxi (commander of the theater), hoping to give the Eighth Route Army some equipment. Who expected that Old Jiang and Yan Laoxi insisted on not pulling out a dime. Therefore, many recruits of the Eighth Route Army did not have the weapons in their hands. Xiao Wanshi's first weapon was a large knife.
The Eighth Route Army has a tradition of "doing it yourself." Soon after Xiao Wanshi joined the Eighth Route Army, he learned this tradition. Once, Xiao Wanshi and several comrades-in-arms found that more than a dozen Japanese soldiers were taking a bath -- it turned out that the Japanese army felt that the Nationalist army had tanks and cannons, all of which had been defeated by the Japanese army, and the Eighth Route Army did not even have many hot weapons, so they felt that there was nothing to fear, so the defense of the Eighth Route Army began to relax. Therefore, when Japanese soldiers take a bath, they often throw their guns by the river. This allowed Xiao Wanshi to see an opportunity.
Xiao Wanshi visually surveyed the terrain by the river, and then, with a few comrades-in-arms, touched the Japanese soldier and killed the Japanese soldier when the Japanese soldier in charge of guarding the clothes and firearms did not notice him. After more than a dozen Japanese soldiers bathing in the river found Xiao Wanshi, Xiao Wanshi picked up the rifles that the Japanese soldiers had placed by the river and swept away at the Japanese soldiers who were bathing. In this way, more than a dozen Japanese soldiers were killed on the spot - this is the "no guns, no cannons, the enemy made us."
After Xiao Wanshi used the devil to take a bath and get the gun from the devil's hand, the superiors felt that Xiao Wanshi had to cultivate well--because the war needed such bold, flexible and changeable talents. Therefore, the superiors decided to promote Xiao Wanshi to be the squad leader, and let Xiao Wanshi fight the devils with a squad of troops to maximize his talents.
Although Xiao Wanshi was a small squad leader, this small squad leader was a figure that the Japanese hated deeply. In fact, normally speaking, this level of Xiao Wanshi, the corresponding Japanese army is equivalent to a cobia, which is a small person who can no longer be small. Xiao Wanshi was known to the Japanese, or because of Xiao Wanshi's sneak attack on the Japanese airfield.
It is said that around 1938, the Chinese army lost its air superiority - the air force was almost completely wiped out by the Japanese and Kosowars. As a result, even Chongqing, the capital of China at the time, was often bombed by the Japanese. And the old Chiang Kai-shek's anti-aircraft artillery unit often spent a lot of effort, and failed to kill a few devils' planes.
However, Xiao Wanshi made a contribution to this. Xiao Wanshi was good at guerrilla warfare, and once, Xiao Wanshi figured out the defense of the Devil's Airfield. Taking advantage of the security loopholes, he sneaked into the devil's airport with the warriors and blew up seven or eight devils' planes in one fell swoop.
You know, in the early days of the Pacific War, the Japanese and Americans overtook and lost about five hundred aircraft a month. However, while the U.S. military eliminated the Japanese aircraft, its own air force was also killed or injured. Xiao Wanshi sneaked into the airport and destroyed seven or eight Japanese planes without paying much price. Therefore, the Japanese hated Xiao Wanshi to the bone.
However, the old hero also has times of mistakes. Typical is the Battle of Xiangtangpu in 1938. Xiao Wanshi found out that the stronghold he was responsible for attacking was only a Japanese detachment. So he rushed to carry out a sneak attack. Unexpectedly, the intelligence was wrong, and a Japanese brigade was stationed at this stronghold -- in the Japanese military structure, the brigade was equivalent to the strength of a regiment. Xiao Wanshi led a small number of troops to attack a large group of people, and the consequences could be imagined.
Fortunately, Xiao Wanshi found in time that the opposing force was far more than a small detachment, so he led the soldiers to break through. But even so, the troops suffered heavy casualties. Xiao Wanshi felt remorseful for this for many years.
During the war years, Xiao Wanshi made many military achievements and was injured many times because of the war. The years of rongma delayed Xiao Wanshi's family. By the time the era of peace came, Xiao Wanshi was already fifty years old.
When Xiao Wanshi was fifty years old, he had a crush on a woman named Xia Qifang. However, at that time, Xia Qifang was only 18 years old, so this marriage was hindered by many obstacles. But Xiao Wanshi still insisted on coming together with Xia Qifang. For this reason, Xia Qifang's father has repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction. The superiors took into account the social impact and gave Xiao Wanshi a punishment. But Xiao Wanshi didn't care.
In 2009, Xiao Wanshi, who died at the age of more than 100, completed his life. However, the heroism of the old man when he was young is always enjoyable.