Speaking of General Li Zhen's husband, Gan Siqi, it is impossible not to mention that he refused to criticize President Peng on the sidelines of the Lushan Conference in 1959, and encountered unfair treatment. What are the legendary experiences of him and his wife, Major General Li Zhen?
Gan Siqi's wife Li Zhen is a child bride turned a female general, and the only female general among thousands of founding generals, although she has not given birth to a son and a half daughter in her life for various reasons, but she has raised more than 20 martyr orphans, half of whom have become pillars when they grow up, in sharp contrast to the fact that she is still using the old furniture of 30 years ago, and even the old general once lived in an old bungalow that was in disrepair and leaked on rainy days.
Li Zhen, born in 1908 in a poor peasant family in Liuyang, Hunan Province, when he was five years old, his mother and eldest sister died of illness one after another, and his father had no choice but to sell Dan Wazi (Li Zhen's original name, because there were many children in the family) to a family surnamed Gu as a child bride. Dan Wazi just went to the Gu family, the old and young of the Gu family did not treat her as a person at all, and treated her as a cow and a horse, at that time, Li Zhen was still young, and often because she did not do a little housework, she was beaten by the Gu family with a rattan to a bruised purple piece.
According to Li Zhen in an interview with the famous writer Weiwei after the founding of the People's Republic of China: Once Li Zhen encountered heavy rain while herding cattle, and her whole body was drenched, and her whole body was bruised and purple because of Lu Slippery, but after returning to the Gu family, the people of the Gu family not only did not pity her, but because she did not collect her clothes in time, she was beaten again.
This is Li Zhen's miserable life as a child bride, perhaps in the eyes of the ancient family, Li Zhen is not as valuable as a maid in their family, and she can hit and scold if she wants.
In addition to her miserable life as a child bride, Li Zhen had two failed marriages before meeting her husband Gan Siqi.
When Li Zhen was the head of the organization section of the Political Department of the Sixth Red Army Corps, Li Zhen met his lifelong partner, Gan Siqi, who gave Li Zhen's first impression of being knowledgeable and reliable. And Li Zhen's first impression of Gan Siqi was capable and frank, and when Gan Siqi went to the troops to inspect that day, he saw Li Zhen directing the cadets of the Red Army School to sing, and left a good impression on Gan Siqi. Under the introduction of his comrades-in-arms, Gan Siqi and Li Zhen became lifelong partners.
The couple once gave birth to a child, who died of a serious illness due to insufficient nutrition and lack of food, when the army was on the Long March. The death of the child brought great psychological trauma to Li Zhen, and Li Zhen lost her fertility forever because she did not recover in time after giving birth. In the process of climbing the snowy mountain, in order to take care of Li Zhen, who had just recovered from a serious illness, the troops specially gave her a horse and let her ride a horse. But while climbing the snowy mountain, she gave up the horse to two seriously injured men. Li Zhen herself fainted due to weakness and lack of oxygen, and when her husband Gan Siqi found her, Li Zhen was already dying.
In the meadow, the husband personally carried his wife Li Zhen out of the meadow, and politely refused the help of other comrades-in-arms, Gan Siqi said to his wife: As long as I have a breath left, I will carry you out of the meadow. This is the tribulation to see the true love, they did not spend the romance before and after the month, some are just in the tribulation two support each other, foam at each other, encourage each other to get out of the most difficult years of the revolution, this is the greatest love between the revolutionary husband and wife.
The two worked together in the Political Department of the 120th Division during the Eighth Route Army period, and also worked together in the Political Department of the Northwest Field Army during the Liberation War. But the only regret is that the two have never given birth to a son and a half daughter, so Li Zhen has repeatedly filed a divorce request for Gan Siqi, asking Gan Siqi to find another one. Gan Siqi always said to his wife Li Zhen: I love you as a person, although we have no children, you are still my only favorite in this life.
After the founding of New China, the two raised the orphans of more than 20 martyrs, poured all their love into these 20 martyr orphans, and their salaries were basically used for the education and growth of these 20 "sons and daughters". Every weekend, 20 "children" would go to the courtyard of the general and his wife to listen to "Gan Siqi's father and Li Zhen's mother" tell revolutionary stories. Every weekend, the general and his wife are also busy, preparing a hearty meal for the 20 "children". Under the careful training of the general and his wife, these children have become pillars of the country, some have become scholars, and some have become doctors.
In 1955, in the title of founding general, her husband Gan Siqi became a founding general, and his wife Li Zhen became a founding major general and the only female general, and they also became the only general couple, which is a legend.
In 1959, during the Lushan Conference, Mr. Peng encountered wrong criticism, and General Gan Siqi, who had always worked under Mr. Peng, always refused to criticize Mr. Peng. Unexpectedly, 5 years later, General Gan Siqi died suddenly at work due to a sudden heart attack, which is really a good person who does not live long. Only his wife Li Zhen was left.
So how did General Li Jung live in his later years? Li Zhen lived in poverty, still living in a bungalow that leaked wind and rain on rainy days, furniture sofas and suitcase wardrobes were used for 30 years, and General Li Zhen was not willing to replace them with new ones. Someone came and asked General Li Zhen: It's about to be winter, how are you going to live in winter with leaky winds here? The old general smiled and said: I have a way.
The old general said that the solution was to wear a military coat and cotton coat that had not been changed for many years, and then prepare a hot water bottle to protect against the cold. This coat and cotton coat, the old general has been wearing it for more than 20 years! The old general always said: At present, the country and the masses are not yet rich, and they can save more money. Although the general lived in poverty, he used most of his retirement salary to support the construction of his hometown and improve the living standards of ordinary people.
The old general moved into the old cadre retirement apartment under the persuasion of everyone and spent the last years of his life here! In March 1990, General Li Zhen died of illness at the age of 82. In the people sorting out the general's relics, it was found that the old general did not leave any relics at all, only an old refrigerator and a set of old furniture. People followed the old general's last wish, and divided the savings of more than 10,000 yuan left by the old man into two halves, half to pay party dues, and the other half to donate to Hope Primary School.
With this article, I would like to pay tribute to Gan Siqi and Li Zhen, the founding general couple.