In June 2000, Zhang Xueliang, who was far away in the United States, was about to celebrate his 100th birthday. Countless friends and patriots of Zhang Xueliang came to congratulate him.
And one of them came from the mainland, and Zhang Xueliang personally met with Ms. Zhao Yidi after learning about it and talked with her for a long time.
This person is Xu Wenhui, the daughter of the founding general Xu Haidong.
Zhang Xueliang's special friendship with the general Xu Haidong
Speaking of the friendship between Zhang Xueliang and Xu Haidong, we have to start from the Red Army period.
When Zhang Xueliang was the deputy commander-in-chief of the three provinces of Yu, Hubei and Anhui, he was forced by Chiang Kai-shek to want the Red Army to attack. And Zhang Xueliang met Xu Haidong's 25th Army at that time.
Although Zhang Xueliang was coerced by Chiang Kai-shek at that time, after all, Zhang Xueliang held 300,000 Northeast Army equipped with all German equipment. In comparison, the 25th Army, which has only a few thousand men, is too large to establish a huge disparity with it. But under such a huge gap, Zhang Xueliang still suffered a big loss at the hands of Xu Haidong.
In the Ganquan area, Zhang Xueliang's Northeast Army was eaten up by the 25th Army with the tactic of encircling and supporting three divisions in one go. This "young marshal" who returned from studying abroad admired this commander of the Red Army.
Later, after learning that the commander of the 25th Army was Xu Haidong, Zhang Xueliang always wanted to meet this respectable opponent. After the Xi'an Incident, Zhang Xueliang was placed under house arrest by Chiang Kai-shek and never got what he wanted.
Later, when Xu Wenhui opened an exhibition and published an album for his father, Zhang Xueliang, who was far overseas, heard that Xu Haidong's descendants were still alive, so he wrote a letter and sent it to Xu Wenhui, expressing his "friendship" and remembrance of Xu Haidong. And this time Xu Wenhui's trip to the United States can be regarded as a response to General Zhang Xueliang.
After the two met, Zhang Xueliang learned that the woman in front of him was Xu Wenhui, the daughter of General Xu Haidong back then, and held each other's hands for a long time. Zhang Xueliang and Zhao Yidi, who was accompanying him, looked at the daughter of the deceased in front of them.
During this period, Xu Wenhui also presented General Zhang Xueliang with a famous album of paintings that had been collected by Chairman Mao. And General Zhang Xueliang also gave Xu Wenhui several books written by himself.
Xu Wenhui's meeting with Zhang Xueliang made up for the regret that Zhang Xueliang and Xu Haidong had not been able to meet.
After this meeting, Xu Wenhui felt this special friendship between the revolutionaries of the older generation. Therefore, he decided to spend the rest of his life in propaganda of the revolutionary spirit.
Born behind the shomon of the war years
In May 1939, in Yan'an, Shaanxi, Zhou Dongping gave birth to Xu Wenhui in Yan'an, northern Shaanxi. This year, Xu Haidong was still recuperating and studying in Yan'an.
Whenever I chatted with my comrades, I would mention the battle at the town that had just ended. It was definitely the proudest victory for Xu Haidong, annihilating a wing of the Japanese 25th Division and killing and wounding nearly 1,000 Japanese troops. Such a record that could go in a battle was rare in the Eighth Route Army at that time.
However, although the battle was won, Xu Haidong's horse career over the years also left many old wounds on Xu Haidong's body. So at this time, Xu Haidong urgently needed to cultivate well. On the other hand, since marrying Zhou Dongping, he has always gathered less and separated more. After more than a year of cultivation, I finally have the opportunity to let the couple reunite well.
Not long after Xu Wenhui was born, Xu Haidong received an order to go to central China with Liu Shaoqi to work. Regardless of the danger of his illness, Xu Haidong took his wife and children to a new combat post.
After leaving Yan'an, Xu Haidong served as deputy commander-in-chief of the Jiangbei Command of the New Fourth Army and commander of the Fourth Detachment, and persisted in fighting in eastern Anhui.
When going to eastern Anhui, Liu Shaoqi, who was accompanying him, held three-month-old Xu Wenhui along the way, pretending to be Xu Haidong's secretary. Along the way, when passing through enemy checkpoints, I was almost exposed several times. Fortunately, in the end, the group came out of the enemy's blockade and successfully reached the eastern Anhui region.
In December of that year, Xihaidong, who had only arrived in eastern Anhui, led the Fourth Detachment of the New Fourth Army to fight the Japanese invaders in Zhoujiagang for three days and three nights, and won a major victory in the counter-sweep in eastern Anhui.
However, Xu Haidong was originally going to eastern Anhui with his illness, and after this battle, Xu Haidong's old illness recurred and he fell ill all of a sudden. So much so that for the next 30 years, Xu Haidong was bedridden all year round.
Since she was a child, Xu Wenhui knew that her father was seriously ill and bedridden, so the young Xu Wenhui often followed her mother to take care of her seriously ill father. It is said that the children of the poor have become heads of the family early, and in the ranks of the New Fourth Army, the children of the generals must also be in charge of the family early.
When Xu Wenhui was only three or four years old, she was already able to help her mother do some housework within her ability, and even "know" pickles.
When Xu Haidong's comrades-in-arms saw Xu Wenhui, they all treated him like his own daughter. He often took Xu Wenhui to play at the headquarters of the base area. When Xu Wenhui was a child, because of his perennial contact with soldiers, he was also very interested in the daily training and firearms experiments of soldiers. Often wrapped around the guard's uncle to carry her around her neck to watch the explosion.
In Xu Haidong's words, this daughter is "cast the wrong baby", not at all like a girl, but more like a boy similar to Xu Haidong when he was young.
Once Xu Wenhui had to yell for the guard's uncle to take him to watch the soldiers do blasting tests, but there was an accident. A stone flying through the air flew against Xu Wenhui's scalp, almost killing Xu Wenhui.
This time Xu Wenhui herself and her parents were very frightened, but not long after, Xu Wenhui yelled again for the guard's uncle to take her to watch the soldiers train. In this regard, Xu Haidong and Zhou Dongping also have no way at all, who let Xu Wenhui be in the military home!
"Paramilitarized" family education has created his tenacious character
Due to his health, Xu Haidong had been recuperating in the rear in the late Anti-Japanese War and during the Liberation War. Even after liberation, he was only engaged in theoretical research in the army. Away from the battlefield, Xu Haidong also has more time to spend with his wife and daughter.
In terms of his daughter's education, Xu Haidong is extremely strict. Therefore, Xu Wenhui's academic performance has been very good since she was a child, and although she often lived in a fixed place during the war, Xu Wenhui's homework did not fall behind at all.
Xu Haidong ruled his family in the same way as the army, so Xu Wenhui received a "quasi-military" education from an early age. Even after entering middle school later, Xu Wenhui had to ask her father for instructions every time she went out, and she could only go out after getting permission to go out.
It is even necessary to determine the time to go and the time to go home, and when you return home, you have to cancel the leave at your father's place on time.
This kind of education method may only be seen in military families like Xu Haidong, and ordinary people really can't do it.
According to Xu Wenhui's recollection, when she was in school, her father would give Xu Wenhui 5 cents of pocket money every month, although it was pocket money, but how to use it and where to use it were all to report to her father.
In school, Xu Haidong asked Xu Wenhui not to mention who his father was, everything should be the same as his classmates, and he should study in school as an ordinary child, and he should not do anything special.
It is precisely because of such a family environment that Xu Wenhui's simple frugality seems to be engraved in her bones, and it has been consistent in her subsequent life, even if it has not changed a little after decades have passed.
In 1958, Xu Wenhui was admitted to Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics with excellent results, when Xu Wenhui studied engineering.
Due to her frugality and hard work at school and the poor living conditions at that time, Xu Wenhui fainted in the factory due to malnutrition during an internship in the factory.
Xu Haidong was worried that Xu Wenhui was weak and could not cope with the arduous national defense construction work at that time, so he persuaded his daughter to transfer to medicine. At that time, Xu Wenhui had ten thousand reluctances in her heart, and of course she was unwilling to give up with a strong personality.
Xu Haidong said to his daughter: "With your physical level, don't waste the country's cultivation, change to another major." ”
In the end, Xu Wenhui could only transfer to Shanghai Second Military Medical University to study medicine at the suggestion of her mother.
After five years of study at Shanghai Second Military Medical University, Xu Wenhui graduated successfully. Organizationally, considering that Xu Haidong's body has been in trouble for many years, Xu Wenhui was specially transferred to Xu Haidong's side to take care of his father full-time.
The organization was originally a good heart, but Xu Haidong never thought so. Xu Haidong feels that it is not easy for the country to spend resources to cultivate a college student, and it is not good to keep his daughter by his side all the time, and it is still necessary to let his daughter create her own future.
Therefore, Xu Wenhui gave up the organizational arrangement and was assigned by the school to work in the General Hospital of the Beijing Military Region and became a military doctor.
Xu Wenhui recalled that the year when she first arrived at the General Hospital of the Military Region coincided with 1964, and the country had just experienced three years of natural disasters, and the living conditions were particularly difficult, and there were often political movements, so life was very difficult.
Especially after the death of his father Xu Haidong, the pressure on all aspects is even greater. In order to make life easier, Xu Wenhui will hide some old photos from the Anti-Japanese War and the Agrarian Revolution. Unexpectedly, these photos later became precious historical materials.
Although the environment was difficult and survival was not easy, Xu Wenhui always remembered her father's words: As a communist, it is a shame not to work for the Communist Party.
Therefore, in those few years, Xu Wenhui has never complained no matter how much he has suffered and suffered more grievances, let alone resentment. Think of everything as a kind of grind in life.
A remembrance of his father Xu Haidong
After the reform and opening up, Xu Wenhui left the General Hospital of the Beijing Military Region to work for a Hong Kong-funded company. It wasn't until the mid-nineties that he left his job to go home to care for his seriously ill brother and mother.
Xu Wenhui, who returned to Beijing, took care of her mother and younger brother at home, and began to collect and organize information on the Red 25th Army, the female Red Army during the Long March, and her father Xu Haidong, and spent her spare time publicizing the fine traditions of red culture and revolution.
With Xu Wenhui's unremitting efforts, the 5-episode TV documentary "General Xu Haidong" recording General Xu Haidong was put on the screen, and a large-scale picture album "General Xu Haidong" was also published. Assisted the national postal department in producing a number of sets of commemorative albums, stamps, etc. on the theme of "Founding Generals".
Especially in 2006, on the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Long March of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, Xu Wenhui cooperated with China Post Company to launch the "Heroes of Women" series of stamps, showing the stories of heroines in the Red Army during the Long March, showing this special group of heroes to the world.
Xu Wenhui remembered her father in this way, expressing her love for the revolutionary cause with enthusiasm and fist heart.
After retirement, he continued to contribute to revolutionary propaganda
In December 2010, Xu Wenhui and more than 120 founding fathers and descendants of patriotic democrats established a public welfare performance group called "Founding Fathers Descendants Choir".
In the years since, Xu Wenhui will rehearse Red Revolution songs with her members in a bar near the Beijing Zoo in her spare time. As long as I have time, I will also be invited to participate in some public welfare performances. All proceeds from the performance were donated to propagate the revolutionary spirit.
On October 1, 2019, Xu Wenhui attended the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China with a portrait of her father. At this time, Xu Wenhui was already 80 years old.
On September 28, 2020, Xu Wenhui passed away in Beijing. Until her death, Xu Wenhui did her best to contribute to the cause of revolutionary propaganda.
Xu Wenhui's love for the revolutionary cause is obvious to all, and because of this, Xu Wenhui has always been loved by friends around her. Among the many "red second generation", Xu Wenhui's reputation has always been very high, and she is affectionately called "big sister" by people.
At Xu Wenhui's memorial ceremony, the descendants of countless revolutionary soldiers gathered, and many of them came to mourn the descendants of the founding generals. Such a special memorial ceremony was used here to deeply remember the daughter of the general.
As a standard "second generation of reds", Xu Wenhui has always adhered to the legacy of her father's generation and spent her life practicing her love and loyalty to the revolutionary cause.