CCTV has a hit series "Ode to Yan'an" before, and people who have watched it will certainly not forget such a set of scenes in the play:
A young and beautiful female cadre of the Red Army, overcoming all kinds of difficulties and dangers, finally arrived in Yan'an.
As soon as she arrived, she could not take care of her packing, so she hurried to visit Chairman Mao.
Chairman Mao was boiling water in a stove in the courtyard, and the female cadre quietly walked behind the chairman with a smile, slapped him on the shoulder, and shouted: "Old Mao! ”
Chairman Mao looked back and saw that it was her, and was overjoyed, taking her hand and asking long and short questions...
This woman, whom Chairman Mao regarded as a relative, was Zeng Zhi, one of the few female cadres in the early days of our party.
Climb the coffin and drown the hen
Zeng Zhi, whose original name was Zeng Zhaoxue, was born into an enlightened bureaucratic landlord family in Yizhang County, Hunan Province, and was the eldest daughter of the family.
In childhood, Zeng Zhi was a rather naughty little girl, she was bold, strong personality, and showed independence and stubbornness from an early age.
Grandparents thought the granddaughter was clever, diligent, sweet-mouthed, and pampered her extraordinarily.
What makes people cry and laugh is that Zeng Zhi's curiosity is exuberant, and he wants to try anything no matter what.
Once, when someone in the township died and the adults were busy with the burial, Zeng Zhi secretly climbed into the coffin and lay down for a long time, just to experience what it was like for the dead to lie in it.
On another occasion, she grabbed a hen in the house and put it in a canal to play, and drowned the hen. Fearing being beaten by his mother, Zeng Zhi ran to the back mountain to hide, but he got lost and could not return home.
At night, the villagers looked for her everywhere with torches, and when they found her, they found that Zeng Zhi was sleeping sweetly on the thick and fluffy pine hair.
The daughter was too naughty, this time, even the mother, who had always been enlightened, was so angry that she had to wrap her feet, and Xiao Zengzhi did not dare to cry loudly, humming in pain.
When the grandmother heard the voice, she came to see that her beloved granddaughter was suffering, and she picked up the laundry stick and chased her daughter-in-law while scolding.
Later, the great-father, who was outside the country to accept the new idea of women's emancipation, also made it clear that his family was not allowed to bind his daughter's feet.
Zeng Zhi grew up day by day in this environment.
At the age of 6, Zeng Zhi was sent to a girls' school not far from home to receive an enlightenment education.
In school, she still can't change her naughtiness, often teasing people, fortunately, her academic performance is not bad, and the enlightenment teacher Peng Jingqiu especially likes her.
Peng Jingqiu is a famous Communist Party member
In the autumn of 1924, at the age of 13, Zeng Zhi was admitted to the Hengyang Provincial Third Girls' Normal School.
When he was studying at the normal school, Zeng Zhi's favorite thing was physical education class, and he wanted to soak in the playground all day.
At that time, the Communist Party of China had been founded, the peasant movement in Hunan was in full swing, all kinds of new ideas and concepts were mushrooming like mushrooms, and the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal propaganda in the schools, against the old etiquette, and against the inequality between men and women was quite active.
Perhaps under the influence of Zeng Guofan's formation of the Xiang Army, Hunan has a tradition of shangwu, zeng zhi has been determined to be a hero since he was a child, and always fantasizes about being able to fight like Mulan, dressed as a man.
In the early autumn of 1926, Zeng Zhi overheard that she could learn the military when she went to Hunan peasant movement to study, and she immediately asked someone to take her to the registration office.
The Hunan Peasant Movement Training Institute is the second place to cultivate the backbone of the peasant movement struggle after Mao Zedong founded the Peasant Movement Training Institute in Guangzhou.
When filling out the enrollment registration form, Zeng Zhi solemnly wrote the word "Zeng Zhi" in the name column, and the students were puzzled and asked: "How did you change your name?" ”
15-year-old Zeng Zhi replied without hesitation: "I just want to fight for women!" ”
Peasant Movement Training Institute
Married to Xia Minghan's younger brother
At the training center, Zeng Zhi eagerly learned military knowledge and conducted militarized training with the men.
During this period, Zeng Zhi also developed a strong interest in politics, and she initially came into contact with new knowledge such as Marxism, and felt that she was suddenly cheerful and refreshing.
Zeng Zhi, who wanted to rush out of the shackles, first thought of the doll kiss that her parents had set for her.
She wrote to her mother, resolutely saying that she wanted to retire, and the mother, who was suffering from the old-fashioned marriage, understood her daughter and came forward to withdraw from the marriage.
Zeng Zhi, who had been freed from the shackles of the spirit, was like a changed person.
She was no longer the childish and mischievous girl who bounced around all day with a blank head, she became more fulfilled, stronger, and more determined to establish her faith.
In 1927, Zeng Zhi, who was less than 16 years old, graduated from the training institute with excellent results, and since then, Zeng Zhi has embarked on a bloody, windy, tortuous revolutionary road.
In the same year, by chance, Zeng Zhi and Xia Mingzhen, director of the Organization Department, became a couple.
"It doesn't matter if you behead, as long as the doctrine is true." Killed Xia Minghan, and later people. ”
Xia Mingzhen is the half-brother of the revolutionary martyr Xia Minghan.
Xia Mingzhen
Originally, Xia Minghan provoked the anger of his grandfather for making a revolution, and his grandfather locked him in a small dark room.
Xia Mingzhen found an axe, and the brothers worked together to cut the window with the axe.
Before sending his brother out, 14-year-old Xia Mingzhen said firmly: "Brother, you rush out first, and I will definitely follow you later!" ”
In 1928, Xia Mingzhen was elected secretary of the special committee of Chenzhou, Hunan.
At that time, the Kuomintang army was carrying out "encirclement and suppression", and in order to stop the enemy's attack, the commissioner of Hunan Province put forward some inappropriate slogans.
As a result, some reactionaries took the opportunity to stir up trouble and incite the masses to launch an attack on the nascent Soviet power.
On the morning of March 21, 1928, when Zeng Zhi learned that there was danger, he was so anxious that he rushed to report the letter.
But she was still one step too late.
When the main leaders of Hunan Province went to hold a mass meeting, some reactionaries rushed forward and brutally killed them.
When Zeng Zhi arrived, she saw that the river was covered with blood, the river beach was red, and among the corpses of the horizontal seven verticals, she found her husband who was only 21 years old.
Xia Mingzhen faced the sky, his fists clenched, and dozens of stabs were stabbed in his body.
17-year-old Zeng Zhi, who witnessed the murder of her closest lover, was greatly stimulated inside, and her anger and sadness made her almost lose her mind.
Since then, Zeng Zhi has more profoundly understood what is revolution and what is dedication, and she seems to have matured overnight, and from then on, she has continued to walk towards her husband's unfinished road without hesitation...
Immediately after, the Shonan Uprising occurred in Bin County, during which Zeng Zhi married Cai Xiemin, one of the leaders of the uprising.
Cai Xiemin
Although Xia Mingzhen had just been sacrificed at that time, revolutionaries could make sacrifices at any time, and they could not even care about talking about "three from four virtues."
A man cannot be resurrected from the dead, and the best thing to do is to keep him in his heart.
After that, Zeng Zhi and his wife followed Zhu De to Jinggangshan.
It was also during this period that Zeng Zhi met Chairman Mao for the first time.
Lift the lid of the chairman's house
On that day, the troops drove to Yuxian County and stopped for a while. Zeng Zhi was very tired, so he rested on the body of her husband Cai Xiemin.
Suddenly, only someone could be heard shouting loudly outside: "Cai Xiemin, old Cai, old Cai inside?" ”
Before the words could be heard, Zeng Zhi and Cai Xiemin had not yet had time to stand up, and the people who came had already entered the door.
As soon as Cai Xiemin saw it, he quickly pulled up Zeng Zhi and introduced himself to her:
"This is the Mao Zedong I often talk to you about, Mao Runzhi!"
When Zeng Zhi heard this name, she was instantly tired, and she immediately sat down to listen to the two talking.
Chairman Mao was the senior of Cai Xiemin, and the two studied together in the Hunan First Division, and later, Chairman Mao taught at the Peasant Movement Training Institute in Guangzhou, and the two became teachers and students, and their feelings were very deep.
Years later, recalling his first meeting with Chairman Mao, Zeng Zhi is still unforgettable.
Chairman Mao's face was thin and thin, his demeanor was dashing, his conversation was full of laughter, and his witty remarks made Zeng Zhi instantly free of restraint.
After that, Zeng Zhi served as the general secretary of the party branch of the General Hospital of the Red Fourth Front.
During the Jinggangshan period, the conditions were harsh, and the Soldiers of the Red Army could hardly even eat red rice and pumpkin soup, and hunger was a common thing.
Some soldiers said, "We eat so badly, Mao Zedong must have eaten differently from us, maybe there will be meat every meal." ”
When Zeng Zhi listened, some of them were suspicious.
On this day, Chairman Mao was eating at home, and Zeng Zhi walked in with a big grin, saying that she wanted to rub rice in her mouth, and directly opened the lid of the pot to see what kind of rice was made in Chairman Mao's pot.
Of course, Chairman Mao ate the same meal as the soldiers.
Looking at it only once was not true, Zeng Zhi did not take long to "raid" again, and as a result, both times he saw the same.
Only then did Zeng Zhi believe that Chairman Mao was indeed not special.
When Chairman Mao learned of Zeng Zhi's intention of "lifting the lid of the pot," he cried and laughed.
In fact, Chairman Mao not only did not engage in special things, but sometimes he even had to "beg for food" from Zeng Zhi.
"You give me some food"
In the cold winter of 1929, after a heavy snowfall, Chairman Mao and Zhu Laozong led more than 3,000 people to leave the Jinggangshan base area and successfully captured the county seat of Dayu.
Who knows, the enemy army quickly caught up with it and suddenly launched a fierce attack on the county seat of Dayu County.
Chairman Mao and General Manager Zhu led the soldiers of the Red Army to fight back, but unfortunately, due to the lack of concentration of troops, the battle was lost, and the troops suffered considerable losses.
Under the tail pursuit of the strong enemy, the main force of our army fought and retreated, which was very arduous.
During the march, Chairman Mao often had to work all night and slept at dawn, so every time he got up, the sun had risen high, and it was already past dinner time.
Later, the army specially arranged a service officer for Chairman Mao, who was responsible for taking care of Chairman Mao's diet and living.
Of course, this is not a small stove, because Chairman Mao and the soldiers eat the same pot of rice, and the attendants are only responsible for bringing the food with them.
Even so, however, Chairman Mao would sometimes not be able to eat.
Because Chairman Mao had to follow the troops on a rapid march when he got out of bed, he walked fast, the attendants could not keep up, and as soon as he fell behind, he had no food to eat.
One day at more than 10 o'clock in the morning, Chairman Mao got up and saw Zeng Zhizheng squatting on the side of the road eating, he touched his stomach, felt hungry and panicked, looked around, and the attendant was not around.
Chairman Mao walked up to Zeng Zhi and said to her:
"I got up late, I didn't eat breakfast, I'm hungry at this time, can you give me some food?"
Zeng Zhi replied while eating, "Yes! ”
"So you don't have enough to eat?"
Zeng Zhi handed chairman Mao the rice and pickles in the jar and told him: "A large jar, if you give it something, it will be enough for me to eat." ”
Zeng Zhi in his youth
Hunan English
The friendship in the difficult years is the most unforgettable, zeng zhi not only shared the meal for Chairman Mao, but also accompanied him through one difficulty after another.
In 1929, the Seventh Congress of the Red Fourth Army was held in Longyan County, Fujian Province, and because some comrades denied Chairman Mao's idea of army building, Chairman Mao was forced to leave the Red Fourth Army and go to the localities to guide the work.
In addition to He Zizhen, who accompanied Chairman Mao, were Zeng Zhi, Tan Zhenlin, and others.
During this period, Chairman Mao was depressed, depressed, and very ill.
On August 21 of the same year, escorted by Su Yu, Chairman Mao moved to the depths of the Jinfeng Mountains in Yongding, Western Fujian, and lived in a small bamboo liao of less than 10 square meters.
During his recuperation, Chairman Mao found a "Model English Reader" from nowhere and had the idea of learning English.
When Zeng Zhi studied at the Hengyang Provincial Third Girls' Normal School, he learned English and became Chairman Mao's "tutor".
From time to time, she corrected Chairman Mao's pronunciation, intonation, and grammar, and Chairman Mao studied very seriously, taking some time out of his day to sit at the table and read English in a dignified manner.
The more serious Chairman Mao became, the more Zeng Zhi laughed.
Because Chairman Mao read English with a thick Hunan accent, Zeng Zhi was often amused, but Chairman Mao did not care and continued to read aloud.
"Just want you to take care of!"
Chairman Mao and Zeng Zhi got along like brothers and sisters, and the two of them talked without scruples, and sometimes even gambled and quarreled.
Zeng Zhi was a straight man, Chairman Mao was a violent temper, and the two quarreled and neither of them would give in, making people cry and laugh.
In November 1929, Chairman Mao received an order to return to the army, and He Zizhen was inconvenient to accompany the army because of her pregnancy.
Chairman Mao was not at ease, so he went to Zeng Zhi and confessed:
"Zeng Zhi, I'm going to Jiangxi, He Zizhen can't follow, you have to take care of her."
Zeng Zhi mistakenly thought that he wanted her to leave his job and take care of He Zizhen, and he was instantly angry:
"I have my job, where is the time to take care of her and have children!"
Chairman Mao was also angry when he heard it, "I just want you to take care of it!" ”
Zeng Zhi's temper was even more grumpy than Chairman Mao's, and she shouted loudly: "Just don't take care of it!" ”
"Definitely you take care of it!"
"I still have a lot of work to do, how can I take care of her every day?"
Chairman Mao realized that Zeng Zhi had misunderstood his own meaning and quickly explained:
"Let you take care of her, not let you take care of her all day long, just let you care about her." 」
Zeng Zhi also knew that he had misunderstood, and said with a red face:
"I am good friends with Zizhen, in the past the march often ate and slept together, I always cared for her, took care of her, even if you don't say it, I will do it." 」
After saying that, Chairman Mao and she couldn't help but laugh.
However, Zeng Zhi was unable to wait for He Zizhen to give birth to a child, and in December of that year, Cai Xiemin was transferred to Fuzhou to work, and Zeng Zhi was also transferred to serve as a confidential secretary.
She could only say goodbye to He Zizhen.
In 1932, Chairman Mao led the Red Army to capture Zhangzhou, and soon after, the Red Army withdrew, and Zeng Zhi and Cai Xiemin stayed behind to open up new base areas.
On the day of their separation, Chairman Mao specially set up a banquet for them.
At that time, Chairman Mao's life was still very bitter, every day was full of bean sprouts and cabbage, but that day, Chairman Mao specially let people buy a big turkey, and also opened a can of butter brought from Jiangxi, Zeng Zhi was very moved.
The next day, Zeng Zhi and Cai Xiemin reluctantly separated from Chairman Mao, but they did not expect that this difference would be eight years long.
In 1934, Cai Xiemin was betrayed by traitors and died heroically.
Two consecutive husbands have sacrificed for the revolution, and the grief in Zeng Zhi's heart can be imagined.
However, as a revolutionary, you must have the consciousness of sacrificing at any time, whether it is Xia Mingzhen, Cai Xiemin or Zeng Zhi, they have put life and death aside.
"Out of breath" for her
After that, Zeng Zhi and Tao Zhu carried out revolutionary work in the name of husband and wife in Xiamen, Fujian Province, and the more they came into contact, the deeper their feelings became, and later they naturally became husband and wife.
One day after liberation, Tao Zhu attended the meeting to approve the list of members of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and after the meeting was adjourned, he returned home and said to Zeng Zhi:
"The chairman recommended you to be a member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and he also said, 'Good horses are let people ride, and good people are deceived', what does this mean?"
Zeng Zhi replied, "How can I know this!" ”
In fact, Zeng Zhi understood as soon as he heard it, this sentence was criticizing Tao Zhu.
Zeng Zhi and Tao Zhu
Originally, as early as 1954, when preparing for the first people's congress, the Guangzhou Municipal Party Committee recommended Zeng Zhi as a deputy to the people's congress, and according to his qualifications and ability, Zeng Zhi should be elected.
Who knows, after the list reached the hands of Tao Zhu, the then first secretary of the Central and Southern Bureau, Tao Zhu checked off Zeng Zhi's name and replaced it with another female comrade.
After Zeng Zhi learned about this incident, he scolded Tao Zhu: Why don't you let me be?
The explanation given by Tao Zhu was: The central authorities believed that Comrade Fang Fang was not suitable for working in the South China Bureau, and wanted to transfer him to Beijing, so in order to ease the contradictions and take into account the overall situation, they elected Comrade Fang Fang's wife as a deputy to the People's Congress.
When Zeng Zhi heard this, he was furious:
"I was recommended by the organization, and you denied my representation for personal reasons, and I couldn't figure it out!"
No matter how angry Zeng Zhi was, Tao Zhu always insisted on his own opinion and refused to back down.
Zeng was extremely ambitious, but he could not tell others about this, for fear that he would be said to be a struggle for fame and profit.
With nowhere to pour out her grievances, she had no choice but to write a letter to Chairman Mao.
Chairman Mao must have read the letter.
Because, at the subsequent examination and approval meeting, Chairman Mao stared at the list and asked:
"Why is there no Zeng Zhi?" Zeng Zhi has done a very good job and can join the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. ”
Subsequently, Chairman Mao waved a big hand and added Zeng Zhi's name to the list.
After writing, he also nodded with satisfaction and said: "Zeng Zhi is a kind comrade, a good horse to ride, a good person to be deceived..."
It is this sentence that makes Tao Zhu puzzled.
Looking at her husband's confused look, Zeng Zhi snickered in his heart. Only she herself knows that chairman Mao's words are actually "out of breath" for her!
Mr. and Mrs. Zeng Zhi and Chairman Mao
The friendship between Zeng Zhi and Chairman Mao lasted a lifetime, and even after experiencing so many storms and twists and turns, Zeng Zhi was still grateful. As she told her daughter in her later years:
"I have followed Chairman Mao for more than half a century, not by personal feelings and grievances, but out of faith, I have unswerving faith in my choice, I have no complaints or regrets about the path I chose, Chairman Mao is my guide, and I will always have respect for him!"
postscript:
Zeng Zhi gave birth to a total of four children, except for his daughter Tao Siliang, the other children either died prematurely, or could not be raised because of the march and war, and had to be raised by others.
The eldest son is the flesh and blood of her and Xia Mingzhen.
When he grew his child, Zeng Zhi had difficulty giving birth, passed out several times, and was awakened with ginger soup several times, and it hurt for three days before giving birth to the child.
At that time, the war environment was extremely cruel, every day guns and bullets rained down, born into death, how could it be possible to take a child?
In order to let the child grow up safely, Zeng Zhi gritted his teeth and endured the heartache, and fostered him to the home of a deputy company commander of Shi Libao.
Shi Libao and his wife are locals of Jinggangshan and named their children Shi Laifa.
When the child was taken away, Zeng Zhi's tears never stopped.
More than forty days after giving birth to the child, Zeng Zhi received a notice from her superiors to serve as the general secretary of the general branch of the rear general hospital.
Shi Libao, who raised Shi Laifa, was later killed by a local tycoon and a gentry, and his wife died not long after.
Shi Laifa followed his grandmother to live a difficult life, her grandmother was old, her eyes were not good, she had no income, and she could only take Shi Lai to send a family to beg for food.
Zeng Zhi and his eldest son Shi Laifa and grandson climbed the Great Wall
Zeng Chunhua is the son of Zeng Zhi and Cai Xiemin.
At that time, the environment was dangerous, and it was possible to die at any time, and more than ten days after Zeng Chunhua was born, Zeng Zhi endured the pain and sent him away.
Soon after, the bad news of Cai Xiemin's heroic righteousness in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province, came, and Zeng Zhi was deeply saddened.
And Zeng Chunhua had lymph nodes at a young age, his body was rotten and smelly, dying, a kind person sent him to the hospital for free surgery for him, after cutting off three ribs, one leg was also three inches shorter, so that he could save his life.
After liberation, Zeng Zhi had a hard time finding the children, and he also tried to compensate with caring actions, but it was too late, and the mother and son were already old!
In 1998, Zeng Zhi died of illness.
This female warrior, after many marriages, gave up her own flesh and bones for the revolution, suffered hardships all her life, and still did not change her tenacious will, and she can be called a hero of a generation, and we should always remember it!
bibliography:
Qin Guangrong. Style Forever Exists Between Heaven and Earth: Remembering Tao Zhu and Zeng Zhi from Several Historical Fragments[J]. Xiangchao, 2018(3):2.
Fu Qisheng. Zeng Zhi's years of fighting in Fujian[J]. Fujian Party History Monthly, 2002(9):3.