Chief of the Railway Corps: Commander and Political Commissar Wang Zhen
Mei Zixiang
In the history of the railway corps, there have been four chiefs of the railway troops who later served as party and state leaders, namely: Teng Daiyuan, commander and political commissar of the railway corps, Lu Zhengcao, political commissar of the railway corps, and Chen Zaidao, commander of the railway corps, who served as vice chairmen of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference; and Wang Zhen, commander and political commissar of the railway corps, who served as vice premier of the State Council and vice president of the state.
As a branch of the railway soldiers, Wang Zhen was the first commander and political commissar.
Before the railway soldiers became the various branches of the army, they went through two stages: the railway column and the railway corps, participated in the liberation war, and resisted the United States and aided Korea. After the victory of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the country entered a period of large-scale socialist construction, and the Railway Corps and the 6 railway engineers who rushed to build railways in Korea were reorganized into railway troops. General Wang Zhen's appointment as commander and political commissar of the railway troops, and concurrently serving as deputy chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army, reflects the great importance attached by the party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission to the railway troops.
Wang Zhen was a native of Liuyang, Hunan, and a fellow villager of Mao Zedong. When Wang Zhen was 17 years old as the captain of the picket team of Changsha railway workers, he pedaled a rocking car to escort Mao Runzhi, who had just passed the age of establishment, and the two began a lifelong friendship. Saifuding Ai Zezi's reminiscences said that Mao Zedong usually used "Wang Beard" to affectionately refer to Wang Zhen. Wang Zhen served as commander of the Yan'an Military Subdistrict and the Garrison District to defend the party Central Committee; Wang Zhen led the 359th Brigade to open up the desert of Nanniwan and became the banner of the whole army of "doing it yourself and having enough food and clothing"; Wang Zhen led the southbound detachment of the Eighth Route Army to "return from the south to the north", which was praised as a "miracle in military history" and "the second Long March". The leadership of the railway corps by this high-ranking general with outstanding military achievements is the most important development opportunity in the history of the railway soldiers.
In October 1944, Wang Zhen accompanied Chairman Mao to inspect the troops of the 359th Brigade at Yan'an Airport, which would be driving behind enemy lines.
Before Wang Zhen took up his post as a railway soldier, he served as the secretary of the Xinjiang Branch of the CPC Central Committee; after leaving the railway soldier, he served as the minister of agricultural reclamation. He spent more than three years in the Railway (1954.2.28-1957.9.5), and was one of the three leaders who held the shortest time as the main leader of the railway corps (Zhang Yixiang served as the commander of the railway corps for 1 year, and Wu Kehua served as the commander of the railway corps for 2 years), but his achievements, contributions and influences were few people could match.
Wang Zhen laid out a blueprint for the construction and development of railway troops. Wang Zhen was appointed commander of the Railway Corps on February 28, 1954, and on March 2, the first 127-member Railway Soldier Party Congress was held. Wang Zhen integrated Mao Zedong's thinking on army building and the line of army building with the reality of railway troops, put forward the slogan that "the construction site is a classroom, and the scene is a training ground," established the principle of "building troops while building railways," and stipulated a series of specific measures for strengthening construction, training, scientific research, schools, bases, and cadre contingents, thus laying a solid foundation for the rapid development of railway troops.
Wang Zhen (the person pointing in front) and experts, engineering and technical personnel study the direction of the line at the Yingxia line construction site.
During Wang Zhen's work in the railway corps, he mainly commanded and led the team to rush to build the Lizhan and Yingxia railways. After Wang Zhen's death in 1993, xinhua news agencies broadcast a long article entitled "Comrade Wang Zhen's Brilliant Fighting Life", which commented on his merits in the railway soldiers: "Wang Zhen was transferred to the commander and political commissar of the railway troops of the Chinese People's Liberation Army in 1953 (the author's note should be 1954). Under the condition of backward technology and equipment, in order to build the railway at the fastest speed, he moved the headquarters of the railway corps from Beijing to the scene, personally led 100,000 troops, moved mountains and reclaimed the sea, built roads and bridges, and built a total length of more than 300 kilometers of the Lizhan Railway in only nine months; in twenty-six months, he completed the Yingxia Railway, which was originally planned to be built in three years, with a total length of more than 700 kilometers, making contributions to consolidating national defense and developing the economy. ”
"Wang Zhen's Life", the full text of 6300 words, of which the "Railway Soldier" section is only 160 words, which is an ordinary section in his long life, but for the history of the Railway Soldier, the "Wang Zhen Period" is the most brilliant page. The Lizhan and Yingxia railways were built in order to smash the blockade of the US military, open up new ports, and create conditions for the liberation of Taiwan; they were the first two railways built during the peaceful construction period of the railway troops, and they were also one of the important railway trunk lines built by the railway troops. Its "moving mountains and reclaiming the sea" project and "the speed of revolution" have had a great impact at home and abroad, and the railway soldiers are the reputation of "the commando team of the motherland's railway construction", which has begun to be widely praised in the land of Shenzhou.
Wang Zhen has been widely praised by the Chinese people for "respecting knowledge and cherishing talents", and there are a large number of confidants and friends in China's scientific and cultural circles who share his feelings. He was only half a year old in the railway corps - on August 26, 1954, the "Railway Soldier Technical Cadre Conference" was held in Guangzhou, and technical cadres above the engineer level participated, with a duration of 5 days and 380 personnel. Wang Zhen wrote in his reminiscence article "Commando Team for Railway Construction in the Motherland": "On the basis of pooling the wisdom of the masses, the Military Department has formulated various specific regulations on the duties, titles, and treatment of technical cadres in the troops, established a technical responsibility system, set up chief engineers at the railway, division, and regimental levels, and set up technical deputy posts in the leading body, such as deputy technical commander, technical deputy division commander, and technical deputy regiment leader. "This is a pioneering act, there is no precedent in the history of the railway soldiers, and it has been praised by Premier Zhou Enlai." Wang Zhen based his experience at the subsequent national conference on intellectuals. At this "technical cadre" meeting, Wang Zhen asked Tao Zhu, then secretary of the South China Branch of the CPC Central Committee, to make a report and arrange for all the participants to stay in the best hotel in Guangzhou.
The opening ceremony of the Li-Cham Railway was held, and Wang Zhen issued the road to the driver.
Wang Zhen has a down-to-earth work style, has the courage to bear hardships, goes deep among the masses, and cares about the lives of cadres and fighters. When he first arrived at the railway soldiers, he led his staff officers and technicians to explore the Baocheng Railway, climb mountains and mountains, wade into rapids, take shelter in broken temples, and sleep on the banks of the river; he was hungry and nibbled dry food, burned bonfires in the cold, and was happy to relive the guerrilla life of the war years. After his death, former railway commanders Kuang Fuzhao, Guo Weicheng, Xu Bin, and others wrote in the commemorative article "The Iron Bone Is Majestic and Majestic Mountains and Rivers": "When building the Yingyu Line, he (Wang Zhen) spent most of his time on construction sites, bridges, tunnels, mountain passes, and seawalls, and he traveled all over the sheds, houses, bathhouses, outposts, and up to 700 kilometers of the line.
On the palm of his hand, he and the warrior held the air gun together. The soldiers were physically exhausted, so he and the logisticians studied the nutrition problems of the soldiers, and personally called the general rear leaders for approval, and subsidized the tunnel company with two or two soybeans per person per day, and the wind sought-after people added one egg and one or two milk powder per person per day; at the same time, a bathhouse was built for each cave entrance, a coat was issued to each of the troops stationed in the Fujian-Ganshan Mountains, and the tunnel troops were issued with additional waterproof clothes and cotton overalls. Similarly, he also thought of many ways to learn the science and culture of the warriors. ”
Wang Zhen also became a popular bride for the railway veterans who developed the Northern Wilderness. According to the book "Remembrance of Wang Zhen", "Every time Wang Zhen went to the Northern Wilderness, he had to talk to the warriors on his knees. The warrior said, 'The Northern Wilderness is really desolate, and there are rabbits and wolves, and if you can run a farm to get grain, you lack big girls.' Afterwards, Wang Zhen specially reported to the central government and mobilized a group of girls from Sichuan to support the development of the Northern Wilderness. A large number of single veterans have a good relationship. ”
Wang Zhen has a distinct personality, full of pioneering and innovative spirit. He founded the Railroad Northeast Farm. After the opening of the Li-Cham Railway, he proposed and decided by the Party Committee of the Railway Corps to call on the commanders and fighters participating in the construction of the Li-Cham Railway to plant 10 trees on each side of the railway, planting a total of 120,000 road trees and 600,000 station trees on the whole line, making today's Li-Cham Railway a "green corridor" of 100 miles.
Wang Zhen went deep into the troops and made reports to the cadres and fighters.
Today, reading through Wang Zhen's reports at various meetings of railway soldiers, we can also feel his unique personal charm. His articles, simple and unpretentious, are like the words between friends, and there is a real, intrinsic passion everywhere. Here is an excerpt from his report at the celebration of the railway soldiers, "Struggle for the construction of modern railway troops on the front of socialist labor":
“...... Everyone should set up a good home, so that it can be sheltered from wind and rain, warm in winter and cool in summer, with light, paving, and necessary tables and stools. Guaranteed to be able to sleep well and live a pleasant and cultured labor life. Then there is the local planting of vegetables and pigs to subsidize the difficulty of procurement and transportation, and to ensure adequate nutrition. As soon as one enters the construction site, even if people feel that they have entered a happy working family. Here, I suggest that comrades read "The Place Far Away from Moscow" (author's note: this book is a novel), this book, on which there is an administrative director named Rogoff, the section of the project he manages, and all the life of the construction site is very comfortable (the following 400 words talk about the novel, Wang Zhen did borrow some of the management methods introduced in the novel in his work)... I was able to work with my comrades, to participate in the construction of railways, to open caves, to build iron bridges, and to shovel a few shovels of earth in these work, and even to be able to build the railway with you all my life over the Tianshan Mountains, through the Kunlun Mountains, all the way to the Himalayas, that is really the greatest happiness and the greatest enjoyment. (Railroad Soldier, June 7, 1954)
Wang Zhen worked in the railway corps for more than three years, and after leaving the railway troops, he served as the minister of agricultural reclamation of the state, vice premier of the State Council, and vice president of the state, and still cared about the construction and development of the railway troops. According to the history records of the headquarters, Wang Zhen participated in many meetings held by the railway soldiers, inspected the railway site of China Railway Construction, received the leaders of China Railway Construction, and wrote inscriptions for China Railway Construction... It is recorded here as follows:
In February 1975, Wang Zhen, accompanied by Liu Xianquan (2nd from the left), commander of the Railway Corps, walked into the meeting place of the Railway Corps Engineering Conference and gave important instructions on the ideological and political construction and construction and production of the troops.
On February 19, 1975, the railway corps held an engineering meeting, and Vice Premier Wang Zhen of the State Council attended the meeting to give heavy instructions on the construction and construction and production of the troops.
On April 28, 1978, the railway soldiers held a scientific and technological conference, and Wang Zhen attended the meeting on the day of the closing of the meeting.
On July 5, 1978, the railway military organs solemnly gathered to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the founding of the railway troops, and Wang Zhen attended the meeting and delivered a speech.
On January 1, 1983, the railway soldiers held a forum for retired cadres, and Wang Zhen, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and vice premier of the State Council, spoke at the meeting.
On October 14, 1985, Wang Zhen, head of the central delegation participating in the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, inspected the construction site of the 15th Bureau's Northern Xinjiang Railway and boarded a paver; he took a group photo with the builders to encourage everyone to carry forward the glorious tradition of railway soldiers and speed up railway construction.
On October 14, 1985, Wang Zhen inspected the northern Xinjiang railway site of the 15th Bureau of China Railway Construction, took a group photo with the builders, and encouraged everyone to carry forward the glorious tradition of railway soldiers and speed up railway construction.
On July 7, 1991, at the invitation of Vice President Wang Zhen, Zhai Yueqing, then general manager of China Railway Construction Corporation, Sun Youli, secretary of the party committee, Shen Baiming, deputy secretary of the party committee, and Chen Jiazhen, deputy general manager, went to Wang Zhen's home to report on the team situation after the railway soldiers were rebuilt, and took a group photo to commemorate the occasion.
Regarding this meeting, in the book "Recreating Glory" published by China Railway Construction on the tenth anniversary of the military reform, Zhu Haiyan's reportage "Ten Years of Newspaper" vividly reproduced the experience of that time, and is excerpted here --
On July 7, 1991, Zhai Yueqing, general manager of China Railway Construction Corporation (2nd from left), Sun Youli, secretary of the Party Committee (4th from left), Shen Baiming, deputy secretary of the party committee (1st from left), and Chen Jiazhen, deputy general manager (1st from right), reported at Wang Zhenjia's home.
Wang Zhen asked Zhai Yueqing, "Where do you live now?" ”
Zhai Yueqing replied: "The old place, No. 40 Fuxing Road, is still the office building you built." ”
The general groaned for a long time, sinking into deep memories.
Zhai Yueqing said: "In 1985, when the Northern Xinjiang Railway laid tracks, the old commander boarded the bridge machine of the fifteenth bureau and published it in the newspaper, and more than 100,000 railway soldiers were excited, missed you, and looked forward to your return to your team to see and live. ”
The general's eyes were a little damp, and he said affectionately: "In the past, when I was in good health, I wanted to go back and take a look, but at that time I was too busy to have time, and now, I want to go back to see, but my legs are not enough." ”
The years did not dilute his feelings for the "railroad soldiers". He asked in great detail, from whether the team was unemployed to complete the task and pay taxes and profits; from construction equipment to overseas labor; from school construction to leadership bonuses, and so on. After having a more comprehensive understanding of the head office...
During the meeting, Wang Zhen also recalled the care of the party's first-generation leading collective for the railway soldiers, rushed to repair the Lizhan and Yingxia railways, developed the Northern Wilderness, and put forward hopes and requirements for the development of the headquarters company.
It is also recorded that during his tenure as a party and state leader, Wang Zhen also wrote the title of the book reflecting the reportage collection "Traces Left on the Earth" reflecting the railway soldiers' introduction of Luan Renjin Project, inscribed the name of the institute for the Shijiazhuang Railway Institute of the China Railway Construction Corporation, and inscribed the statue of Yang Liandi established by the Eleventh Bureau of China Railway: "Ascending Hero Yang Liandi."
There is also a little tidbit, which is also recorded here for everyone to enjoy -
Liu Bingshun, who served as director of the political department of the Railway Corps Headquarters and deputy secretary of the Party Committee of the Engineering Headquarters of the Ministry of Railways, recounted Wang Zhen in his memoir "Looking for the Road to Life pengcheng": "During my hospitalization, Wang Zhen, former vice president of the state and the first commander of the railway troops, was also hospitalized. He came to my bed in a wheelchair and said to me: You are a railroad soldier, how come I don't know you.
I said, I know you, first, on the Huibai (Shaanxi Gansu Junction) highway, you spoke at the meeting of cadres at and above the regimental level in Huixian County, and I was present; second, I listened to your report in Guixian County, Guangxi; third, in Shijiao, Zhanjiang County, Guangdong Province, in 1955, I picked you up with the regimental commander, and on the way I met an instructor who came down from the Railway Corps Cultural and Labor Corps. He listened to me list these familiar past events before he nodded his head and replied yes. Later, every time he came to my ward, he said a lot about the past, because I had just completed a major operation, so it was inconvenient to move. Because he was deaf in the ear, the doctor said to his ear that he had only finished the major surgery and should talk to him less. After that, every time I sat in front of my bed for a while, I left. From Mr. Liu Bingshun's article, it is not difficult for us to see that the old commander Wang Zhen has no affection for the railway troops.
Jin Puqing, former president of China Railway Construction Co., Ltd., delivered a speech.
On April 11, 2018, the 110th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Wang Zhen, at the invitation of Comrade Wang Zhen's family, Comrade Jin Puqing, president of China Railway Construction, attended the symposium held by the China Society of Literature and History to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the birth of General Wang Zhen, and made a speech entitled "Selfless Dedication, Hard Work and Rejuvenation of the Country -- Remembering The Glorious Years of General Wang Zhen in the Railway Corps", reviewing and summarizing Wang Zhen's outstanding contributions to the construction and development of the railway troops.
Wang Zhen and railway soldiers related information——
Wang Zhen at a meeting of leading cadres of the railway troops.
In 1952, Wang Zhen took a group photo with his mother Dong Qipu, his wife Wang Jiqing, his second son, and his third son in Xinjiang.
Wang Zhen inscribed the title of the book for the collection of reportage of the railway soldiers into Tianjin, "Traces Left on the Earth", and inscribed the name of the school for the "Shijiazhuang Railway College".
When Wang Zhen was 47 years old, he was treated by a railway soldier, and there is a record of "not taking medicine on time".
EDIT: Have fun