On June 29, 2021, outside the gate of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, soldiers of honor guards stood as if they were ready to be on standby.
Sure enough, it didn't take long for red flag cars to slowly approach from afar, and the soldiers on both sides of the honor guard saluted and saluted.
I saw that from these cars, many old men in military uniforms walked down one after another, and they also carried large and small medals on their chests.
The most eye-catching of these was an old man in a wheelchair at the end of the line, who was carried directly into the Great Hall of the People by the staff with a wheelchair.
Who is this old man who enjoys special treatment, and what little-known heroic deeds have happened to him?
Throw yourself into the revolution
The old man who was carried into the Great Hall of the People was called: Wang Zhanshan
He was born in December 1929 in a village in Tangshan, Hebei Province, to a family of poor peasants for generations.
At the beginning of the 20th century, China has been in a deep and hot situation, and the life of every family is not good.
In Wang Zhanshan's memory, when he was a child, he often saw some people in Japanese military uniforms sneaking around near the village entrance.
At night, these Japanese devils rushed into the villagers' houses like beasts, specifically bullying the beautiful girls.
Every time at this time, Wang Zhanshan could hear the screams of some poor girls coming from the village, and he really wanted to rush directly to fight with these beasts.
But his mother stopped him and said bitterly, "They have guns, they don't blink an eye when they kill people, and you can only run to death." ”
Wang Zhanshan naturally knew that his mother was for his own good, but he knew even more that if these invaders were not driven out one day, China would never have a peaceful day.
So in 1939, Wang Zhanshan secretly joined an anti-Japanese children's group with his mother and officially embarked on the revolutionary road of resisting Japan and saving the country.
In the beginning, he was still just a child, and he could only help the people in the group to do some simple sentry work.
Fortunately, he was very clever, often able to pass the news to his comrades before the enemy arrived, and with his help this anti-Japanese children's regiment also completed many outstanding tasks.
At the beginning of 1947, Wang Zhanshan, who had just turned 18, resolutely joined the local militia and officially became a member of the defense of the family and the country.
Unfortunately, he had little combat experience, and after several missions, he was captured by the enemy with his comrades.
Watching his comrades-in-arms fall in front of him one by one, Wang Zhanshan's heart did not have the slightest fear, but he did not want to sacrifice for the country so early, after all, he had not yet killed many devils.
After the comrades in front of him were sacrificed, the little devil saw the only remaining Wang Zhanshan, and his heart could not help but be proud, and even provoked with a foot-skimming Chinese.
"Seeing that you are so young, you must not want to die."
Hearing this, Wang Zhanshan glared at him fiercely, gritted his teeth and responded, "I don't want to die, because I haven't driven you invaders, Wang Badou, out of my country." ”
As soon as the words stopped, the Japanese man became angry and picked up the machete in his waist and prepared to swing it at Wang Zhanshan.
Who knew that the Chinese traitor who had been following closely behind him suddenly stepped forward to stop him, and flattered: "Taijun, I see that this person has courage and knowledge, and if he is received from your subordinates, he will definitely be able to help a lot." ”
This proposal made the devil wielding the sword fall into deep thought, and after a while he slowly put the knife away and ordered, "Go and tell him that if you want to live, you must work for the Empire of Japan."
After hearing the command, the Chinese traitor next to him rushed to Wang Zhanshan's side and said on his toes: "Brother, if you meet me today and count your luck, hurry up and make reparations for the imperial army's prostrations, and maybe I can save your dog's life for a day."
This person originally thought that Wang Zhanshan would be grateful for his "kindness", but he did not expect that he would spit on his face.
"Dog traitor, you are as bad as the Japanese devils, and you will be punished."
When he finished, he closed his eyes and was ready to die.
Seeing that Wang Zhanshan's rice and water were not entering, the traitor did not want to waste any more time on him, and then he picked up the other pistol in his waist and prepared to send this unknown person back to the west.
Suddenly, the gun rang out
But it was not Wang Zhanshan who fell to the ground, but this traitor.
Just when he was surprised, he suddenly saw that the Japanese soldiers who were not far away had also been killed on the ground, and then a group of people in military uniforms came.
These people hurriedly untied the rope on Wang Zhanshan's body and said eagerly, "Go quickly little brother, don't do such a dangerous thing in the future."
The sudden rescue made Wang Zhanshan unable to react a little, but soon he calmed down and asked, "Who are you and why are you saving me?"
Hearing this question, the man at the head couldn't help but laugh, and then replied flatly, "Because we are all Chinese."
A simple answer deeply touched Wang Zhanshan's patriotic heart, so he asked without hesitation: "I also want to save more Chinese like you, can I?" ”
Wang Zhanshan's request was not unexpected by these people, after all, from the conversation he had just had with the enemy, it could be known that he was a patriotic person.
"Then are you afraid of death?"
Faced with the question of life and death, Wang Zhanshan still hesitated for a moment, but remembering his comrades who had just died under the enemy's sword, he shook his head resolutely.
Outstanding achievements
It was also from this day that Wang Zhanshan followed the Eighth Route Army, which gave him a second life, on the revolutionary road.
After layers of screening, he finally joined the ranks of the Chinese People's Liberation Army in 1948 and became a member of the Northeast Field Army.
What is more worth mentioning is that although Wang Zhanshan is a newcomer who has just joined the army, he has not flinched in every war and his performance is also extremely outstanding.
Later, people often asked Wang Zhanshan curiously: "When the enemy holds a gun to your head, is it true that he is not afraid at all?" ”
Hearing this, Wang Zhanshan sighed and replied, "I am not afraid that it is false, but if there are undead people who make a revolution, others can sacrifice for the revolution, and I can too." ”
It didn't take long for this answer to reach the ears of a horse instructor in the army, who immediately decided to let Wang Zhanshan join the party.
On the day he heard the news of joining the party, Wang Zhanshan couldn't believe it and confirmed again: "Instructor Ma, can I really become a member of the Chinese Communist Party?" ”
Instructor Ma patted him on the shoulder and said in a serious tone, "Comrade Xiao Wang, Communists are no better than ordinary people, and they must rush to the forefront of future wars." ”
Hearing this, Wang Zhanshan nodded heavily, and his eyes firmly assured: "Please rest assured that the party organization will be extremely honorable to sacrifice for the party." ”
Wang Zhanshan is indeed a man who does what he says, and from the first day he joined the party, he has put his life aside, and he will always be the one who rushes to the front in the team.
On his body, you can often see large and small scars, serious wounds and even shocking.
It's just that Wang Zhanshan never seems to care, and he is also very optimistic, and he and his colleagues can often be heard joking in the army.
"These scars on our bodies are the merit badges of our soldiers."
However, it was precisely because Wang Zhanshan was injured many times that the party organization worried that his body would not be able to eat, so it rarely assigned him some dangerous tasks later.
It wasn't until 1953, when he, then the platoon commander of the Seventh Company, heard that the People's Volunteers were going to cross the Yalu River to the Korean battlefield, and he could no longer sit still.
Then he walked into the instructor's office and applied, "I also want to go to resist US aggression and aid Korea." ”
The instructor seemed to have anticipated his arrival, and replied without looking up: "No, your health is not good, the last battle of Jintang Bridge made you seriously injured, you still have to rest for a while in the rear." ”
Hearing this, Wang Zhanshan couldn't help but complain: "I am also a soldier, and I can retreat when the country is in trouble." ”
After saying that, he sat down on the bench in his office and stared at the instructor motionlessly.
Looking at his bubbling appearance, the instructor also helplessly retreated: "It is okay to go, but you must pay attention to your body and ensure your safety in order to ensure the safety of other comrades." ”
Who knew that the instructor's voice had just fallen, he ran out, only to hear a sentence behind him, "Rest assured instructor, our three rows will not embarrass you" and disappeared.
However, when Wang Zhanshan really went to the battlefield, he knew the hardships of this battle.
Because of this war, we are very undemounted in both material and weapons.
On July 18, Wang Zhanshan and three platoons of fighters had just arrived at the Jincheng area when they saw many enemy planes and artillery coming at them.
The warriors looked around and had no hiding place, so they could only pick up their light weapons to fight them.
Unfortunately, the gap between the weapons and equipment between the two sides was too large, and it did not take long for a large number of soldiers of our army to die in the artillery fire.
Looking at the comrades who fell one after another on the ground, Wang Zhanshan's heart was like a knife cutting, and at this moment, a cannonball suddenly landed next to him.
Before he could dodge, he only saw a figure swoop over, and then he was stunned by the impact of the explosion.
When Wang Zhanshan woke up again, he vaguely felt as if his back had been pressed by some heavy object for a long time, and when he stood up with all his strength, he found that the heavy object was no one else, but a small soldier who had just joined the army.
It was also when the shell exploded that he rushed over desperately and protected Wang Zhanshan under his body.
Looking at the blurred appearance of the little warrior's flesh and blood exploded by the shell, Wang Zhanshan's tears flowed out at once, and before he even had time to know the name of this little hero, the two were separated by yin and yang.
But Wang Zhanshan knew that now was not the time to grieve, and the brave warriors not far away were still fighting in the rain of bullets and bullets.
So he shouted with all his strength: "Comrades, people are in the position, and they swear to coexist and die with the position." ”
It was also Wang Zhanshan's words that made the warriors' enthusiasm boil up, and with the sound of the charge trumpet, they once again launched a deadly struggle with the enemy.
The enemy may also have realized that the place would not be able to attack for a while and a half, so he came up with another bad idea - to cut off the logistical supply of the volunteers.
Wang Zhanshan and his comrades-in-arms fought for a day during the day, but they did not expect to be hungry at night, and their bodies were really overwhelmed.
Coupled with the fact that there was very little ammunition in the guns, they were really worried, and wang Zhanshan had no choice but to go to the front line to search for some guns, ammunition and food next to the corpses of the enemy troops in the front line position.
Without thinking that this was also the enemy's ruse, Wang Zhanshan, as soon as they reached the front line position, they were surrounded by the enemy, and the two sides inevitably came to another fierce battle.
After struggling to escape, Wang Zhanshan naturally did not dare to search for supplies through this method anymore, and the only thing that could save his life at the moment was the only grain left in his pocket.
Only half a day later, the grain reached the bottom, and they had no choice but to go to the forest to dig wild vegetables to fill their stomachs.
Who knew that there was nothing in this forest except bare trees, and the warriors had to smash the bark and swallow it in their stomachs in order to survive.
Under such harsh conditions, Wang Zhanshan and other volunteer soldiers held out for four days and four nights, repelling 38 enemy attacks one after another.
Among them, the most worth mentioning is that Wang Zhanshan annihilated 400 enemy troops in this campaign, which is also the greatest number in his combat career.
Finally, the reinforcements broke through the encirclement and rushed over, and at this time, the team led by Wang Zhanshan had sacrificed from the initial 200 to only 7 people.
At this time, Wang Zhanshan was also missing, and his life and death were uncertain.
While everyone was anxiously searching, they suddenly heard the company commander shouting, "Come here, Wang Zhanshan is under this stone."
As soon as the words fell, everyone rushed over and sent Wang Zhanshan to the battlefield hospital together.
When the doctor treated it, he found that the patient had 38 bullet holes and 4 serious injuries on his body, and whether he could survive was still unknown.
Fortunately, Wang Zhanshan miraculously woke up after four days and four nights in a coma in his hospital bed, but the first words he said when he woke up made everyone present cry.
He said with all his strength:
"We can't let our positions fall"
Deserved
After Wang Zhanshan "came back from the dead," he was sent back to China, and was personally received by Chairman Mao and recorded as a first-class meritorious man.
After experiencing this war, Wang Zhanshan was seriously injured, and after returning to China, he obeyed the state's arrangement and went to Anyang City, Henan Province, to take up an important position.
Still, he hadn't forgotten that he was a soldier, and people could see him going deep into the grassroots units every day to be with the soldiers.
Not only that, Wang Zhanshan also used his life savings to sponsor dozens of students with excellent character and learning, and he only hoped that all children could read books in this peaceful era and serve the motherland.
In addition, Wang Zhanshan also took the initiative to serve as an off-campus counselor in several middle schools, often telling students about some things that happened during the war era in his spare time, just to let the students feel that today's peace is not easy to come by.
Whenever he heard the children tearfully call him a hero, he would choke up and refuse.
"I'm not a hero, and those who don't come back on the battlefield are the real heroes."
What a kind old man, who dedicated his life to the country and the people.
In 2021, the Party Central Committee resolutely decided to award Comrade Wang Zhanshan the title of "July 1st Medal", the highest honor in the party.
Only at this time, Wang Zhanshan's legs were no longer convenient to walk, and he needed a wheelchair to push when he traveled, so although he was touched by the news, he still politely declined.
"I don't want to trouble the country."
epilogue
Of course, the motherland will not forget this old hero, and even if it is carried, it will carry the old hero Wang Zhanshan into the Great Hall of the People, because he is worth it!
Looking back at the life of the old hero Wang Zhanshan, he has always adhered to his belief and the belief of the party, and since he was rescued from the enemy's sword, he has been determined to follow the party all his life, defend the country, and defend the people.
Perhaps he himself never imagined that in this life, he would be awarded the highest honor in the party: the July 1st Medal
To this day, he still maintains a simple style of life and never shows off to anyone.
He also often exhorted his descendants to cherish their current lives, because this is all the flesh and blood of one comrade-in-arms after another, no matter when and where, we must not forget this group of the most lovely people!