Chen Zaiwen is one of the four children raised by Chen Xilian and his second wife Wang Xuanmei after marriage, he followed in the footsteps of his father and brother to become a pilot in the army, but unfortunately died in a plane crash while on a mission at the age of 32.
Chen Zaiwen's father Chen Xilian is a legendary figure, and in Hong'an, Hubei Province, a hot land where 200 generals were born, Chen Xilian, the star of 100 battles, is particularly eye-catching. He joined the Communist Party of China at the age of 15, served as a political commissar of the regiment at the age of 19, and became a division commander at the age of 20, and was one of the famous "Three Chens" in Liu Deng's army.
Li Xiannian said he was "the number one in the number of wars," Chairman Mao Zedong often referred to him as "commander," and Deng Xiaoping said he was "open-minded, big-hearted, and able to fight." He has achieved unimaginable results in his life, but he has also experienced the pain of white-haired people sending black-haired people. What is even more admirable is that General Chen Xilian did not collapse because of this, but relied on his tenacious perseverance to survive.
The second son was killed, and the central condolences
Chen Xilian had two wives in his life, the first wife, Su Ge, a native of Mizhi County, Shaanxi Province, who died of illness in 1948, leaving only a three-year-old son.
After Chen Xilian's wife died, between the Wuhan battles, Chen Geng brought Wang Xuanmei, the sister of his former wife Wang Genying, to Wuhan and introduced her to Chen Xilian.
Due to Chen Geng's matchmaking, the relationship between Chen Xilian and Wang Xuanmei developed very smoothly, and they got married when they met. In the fifty years since the founding of New China, Wang Xuanmei accompanied Chen Xilian through strong winds and waves.
After Chen Xilian married Wang Xuanmei, they gave birth to four children: daughter Chen Zaifen, second son Chen Zaiqiang, third son Chen Zaiwen, and fourth son Chen Zaifang.
Under the influence of his father Chen Xilian, his four children all worked in the army, and his three sons embarked on the road of joining the army.
Although Chen Xilian held a position of power, he never made a phone call or wrote a note about his children in his life. Mr. and Mrs. Chen believe that strict requirements are the true love for them.
He said to his children: "You are both my children and part of the organization, you can do as much as you can, work hard, and don't be specialized." Listen to the organization! ”
Chen Zaiqiang, born in 1955, is the eldest son of Chen Xilian, and when he went to study at the Harbin Military Engineering Institute, Chen Xilian specially told him to trust the organization, obey the leadership, and be an honest person.
After graduating, Chen Zaiqiang took root at the grassroots level, starting as a soldier, working his way up to squad leader, platoon leader, and company commander, successively serving as the head of a logistics branch of the Heilongjiang border defense, the director of the audit bureau of the Shenyang Military Region, and later promoted to colonel. Now retired at home.
After graduating from the Chinese Department of Peking University, his youngest son Chen Zaifang has long been committed to the management of national defense science and technology and the development and construction of weapons and equipment. He was promoted to major general in 2004 and lieutenant general in 2011.
In 1959, the tenth anniversary of National Day, Chen Xilian led his second son Chen Zaiwen to watch fireworks in the audience, and Mao Zedong laughed when he saw Chen Zaiwen: "It was burned in a kiln." ”
In 1968, Chen Zaiwen followed in the footsteps of his father and brother to join the army, learned to fly according to the requirements of his superiors, and later became a pilot.
At first, worried about Chen Zaiwen's safety, Chen Xilian's wife was reluctant to let him learn to fly. Chen Xilian said: "Since the organization has decided, let's obey the organizational arrangement. ”
In the team, Chen Zaiwen is very smart, loves to learn, has excellent personality and technology, and has never regarded himself as a high-ranking child.
In "Military Song", Chen Zaiwen wrote: For military life, I am full of infinite yearning. From the moment you put on your military uniform, you know that you are destined to travel.
The future is bright, but sometimes I am also confused, and I do not flinch with the belief that "accept what should be accepted and challenge what is worth challenging".
Although this road is full of difficulties and twists and turns, it is a severe test for me, but I believe that only by firmly forging ahead can we take the road of military service.
Choosing this path, I do not hesitate, even if life no longer shines, I must dashingly move forward and never look back.
However, it was such an outstanding young man who was rated as an outstanding pilot by the Air Force, but his life was forever fixed on April 26, 1982.
In the morning of the same day, a Trident 266 plane flying from Guangzhou to Guilin was about to land in Guilin when its altitude was lowered early, causing the plane to crash after hitting a mountain.
All 104 passengers and 8 crew members were killed, and the wreckage of the plane was scattered in kilometers of forest.
The captain is Chen Huaiyi, and the other members include co-pilot Chen Zaiwen, navigator Han Bin and Liu Xiuxing, communicator Dai Guiming, mechanic Wang Shuanzhu, and two flight attendants.
The aftermath of an air crash is a very difficult task, and it is even more difficult if the families of the victims make unreasonable requests.
If you agree, you will violate the rules; If you don't say yes, it may hurt their feelings. However, the families of Unit 266 did not make any excessive demands on their superiors.
In particular, General Chen Xilian, who lost his 32-year-old son in the prime of life, did not blame the comrades sent by the central government for his condolences.
He was relieved and said, "I will take care of things at home, you don't have to worry about it." Accidents in the Air Force are inevitable, and the matter of commanding thousands of troops must not be taken lightly. Learn from this, and hopefully it doesn't happen again."
His words made all the staff present admire them.
Chen Xilian's character inherited his mother's fortitude, and the pain of losing his son did not knock him down, and he continued to attend the National Congress of the Communist Party of China until the 15th National Congress.
He said: "As long as the comrades of Chen Xilian continue to elect me after the death of my second son, I will continue to attend the 16th National Congress and have a 10th Grand Slam." ”
Admired, regular life
In the spring of 1988, General Chen Xilian visited Hong Kong with Zhang Aiping and Xiao Ke. When he walked to the Bank of China Building, General Chen Xilian was full of red light, showing an extraordinary attitude.
When Hong Kong people saw this situation, they all rushed to take pictures with him, thinking that the general had arrogance and must be a high-ranking official.
General Chen Xilian took a picture with them very happily, and said with a smile: "I am also stained with your wealth. ”
In the early autumn of the same year, in order to participate in the opening ceremony of the Taihang Memorial Hall of the Eighth Route Army, Chen Xilian and four other veteran generals returned to the Taihang Mountain District, where they fought bloody battles.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, more than half of the troops led by Chen Xilian were Taihang children. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the group of four went to Wang Jiayu, where the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army was located, to visit their father and fellow villagers.
Their arrival ignited the enthusiasm of the villagers of Wangjiayu, who beat gongs and drums and played the festive "Victory and Return to the Dynasty" to welcome their relatives who had been away for a long time.
The villagers surrounded several old generals on three layers inside and three layers outside, and affectionately invited them to their homes for dinner.
Li Ligong, secretary of the Shanxi Provincial Party Committee, who came with him, "relieved the siege" and said: "If you can't go one by one, let them talk to everyone together." ”
After Defense Minister Qin Jiwei finished speaking, Chen Xilian shouted loudly with excitement: "I will just say, long live the people of Taihang!" ”
After speaking, General Chen Xilian slowly raised his right hand and solemnly saluted the generals. The crowd erupted into enthusiastic applause, which lasted for a long time.
General Chen Xilian's later life was very regular, he usually got up at 6:30, exercised in the morning after breakfast, and went to the office at 8 o'clock to read books and newspapers.
For important news at home and abroad, Chen Xilian always records it in a book, writes neatly, and reads between the lines with thoughts for the country and the people.
For newspapers, the required materials are cut and pasted and saved, which is usually done by Chen Xilian's wife. By the time he left, his reading notes and newspaper clippings were already thick stacks.
He also often recalled the gains and losses of battles in this life, whether there was improper command, and when talking about key events of great significance, such as the split of the First and Fourth Front Armies of the Long March, and the advance of Liu Deng's army to Dabie Mountain, General Chen Xilian always had special ideas.
However, Chen Xilian never put into words what he had in mind about the matter. "I didn't write a word and I didn't want to write it," he said. ”
"During the Red Army period, more than 2,000 people who fought together in the world were liberated, and only a dozen remained, and now I am the only one, what is there to say."
Ageing at home to cultivate interest
General Chen Xilian, who has a rich hobby, likes ball games. When he was young, he used to use his spare time between battles and time to run and jump on the field.
In his later years, his physical condition did not allow him to play, so he watched the ball. General Chen Xilian often said: "I love to watch the three big balls and two small balls." ”
After his retirement, General Chen Xilian developed a new hobby: fishing. He believes that fishing can bask in the sun, exercise the eyes, relax the brain, and kill many birds with one stone.
He has a lot of experience in fishing, and he has also won the championship of the fishing friendship competition in the cultural and sports world.
On the wall of General Chen Xilian's home, there are some famous calligraphy paintings and ordinary birthday plaques. The living room is either mahogany furniture, plastic flowers and trees, or trendy ornaments, archival books.
In 1996, a reporter went to General Chen Xilian's home for an interview and was extremely impressed by an ornament, a home appliance, and a painting.
They are the bronze statue of Guan Yu with a majestic and realistic appearance, the hand-cranked Soviet-style sewing machine under the windowsill, and the bust of Mao Zedong directly south of the living room.
The portrait has been hanging on the wall since Chen Xilian arrived in Beijing in 1973 and has not been taken off for 26 years. He often said to his children, "As long as I live, no one will want to take it off." ”
Recalling the scene when the Red Army crossed the meadow, he said: "There is a blue sky above your head, and a meadow under your feet. At 12 noon, the temperature is high, and it is okay to take off your clothes and go bare; In the evening, the meadows fall with snow. ”
"When you encounter a pea seedling, those who walk in front eat leaves, those who walk in the middle eat stalks, and those who walk behind can only eat roots. When there is a lack of oxygen, those who are not in good physical fitness begin to sway from side to side while walking..."
June 21, 1997 is the fifth anniversary of the death of Chen Xilian's old leader, old comrade-in-arms and former President Li Xiannian, and the opening ceremony of the Li Xiannian Memorial Hall in Hong'an County will also be held on that day.
On June 19, Chen Xilian took the opportunity to attend the opening ceremony and took some books to return to his hometown of Hong'an County, Hubei Province, after 44 years of absence.
After breakfast on June 20, Chen Xilian returned to Pengjia Village in Steep Mountain, accompanied by the staff. Chen Xilian, who returned to his hometown, was particularly excited, and kept talking along the way.
From the age of 6, he fell into the well and was grabbed by the fourth uncle by the hair, and lifted up to the son of a landowner who rode a horse under a large maple tree to collect rent. When the group walked to Chen Xilian's mother's grave, the white-haired old man could no longer suppress the emotions churning in his heart, and said with tears in his eyes:
"Mother, I miss you so much, I came to see you! I carried you behind my back to the revolution, leaving you to suffer at home. I have not been able to fulfill my filial piety in front of you for more than 40 years, I am sorry for your old man! ”
This scene moved all the villagers present.
In May 1999, Chen Xilian's health was no longer well, he was in a wheelchair, and when he heard the news of the bombing of the embassy in Yugoslavia, he felt angry.
He was interviewed by a reporter from People's Daily in a wheelchair, expressing extreme anger and strong protest over the US-led NATO's attack on the mainland embassy.
This incident made Chen Xilian deeply realize the importance of economic construction to national construction, and only by strengthening national defense strength while developing the economy can the security of the country and the people be guaranteed.
epilogue
On June 10, 1999, the mighty founding general died in Beijing 301 Hospital at the age of 85.
Chen Xilian left without leaving a word, his face was peaceful as if he was asleep, and a generation of famous people fell. Lingtang Banglian proudly wrote "Seventy years of conquest in the south and war in the north, and he dedicated his life in honor and dedication", and this is a true portrayal of his life as a horse.
bibliography
[1] Chen Lin. Legendary General Chen Xilian[J].Decision & Information,2000(4):23-25