"She wears an officer's belt and a red star on her hat, and everyone likes her there. She was like a little marshal, deeply proud of having a 'bandit' father. ”
These two sentences are from the war correspondent Snow's "Red Star Shines on China" (also known as "Journey to the West"). More than 80 years ago, Snow faithfully recorded the scene he saw in Yan'an. With the popularity of this book, his image of this "little marshal" has attracted the attention of many people at home and abroad.
In 2000, when she was attending an international seminar in the United States, a foreigner asked her, "Are you the little marshal?" At the age of 71, she replied firmly: "Yes, my father is Liu Zhidan."
Her name was Liu Lizhen, the only daughter of General Liu Zhidan.
Snow saw her in 1936. She was not yet 7 years old. That year, she lost her father, Liu Zhidan, who had always taken her as a treasure.
The sacrifice of General Liu Zhidan deeply shocked Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai in Yan'an, and the central government set a rule for the general in 1936 that is still in use today. And what has changed in the life of his wife, Gui Rong, and daughter Liu Lizhen after his death? In this issue, the author uses the most authentic brushstrokes to take everyone to understand this dusty past, which is a past about love and perseverance.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="4" >: Liu Zhidan's sacrifice, the central government stipulates</h1>
Liu Zhidan was born on the Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi, his original name was Liu Jinggui, and Zhidan was actually his character.
The foreigner gave him a nickname, called: China's "Modern Rogue Robin Hood". In this title, there is a chivalrous spirit and courage, and this is also the background of Liu Zhidan's life. In the ranks of the Red Army, General Liu was definitely an all-rounder who could write and fight.
Liu Zhidan graduated from the 4th phase of Huangpu and is a high-quality student in the artillery department. Because of his excellent results, in July 1926, he took two companies of troops to participate in the Huangpu Sheng Northern Expedition, and began a 10-year career as a horseman. In the next three anti-"encirclement and suppression" campaigns, he became more and more courageous, and together with other comrades, single-handedly founded the Red Army in northern Shaanxi and the Base Area in Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia.
In the eyes of the people of Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia, Liu Zhidan is very authoritative. In his later years, song Renqiang, an old comrade-in-arms, recalled such a scene: That day, the troops entered Shenmu and other places, and the local people heard that General Liu was coming, and they all came to see him from ten miles and eight townships. An old lady couldn't see it, so she squeezed him in front and pulled him from head to toe. And General Liu stood there, greeting her vigorously.
With such military merit and prestige, people say that if it were not for the early sacrifice, there would be one more founding marshal. In April 1936, Liu Zhidan died in the Battle of the Eastern Crusade, at the age of 33, and after being shot, his last words were: Leave me alone, quickly ask the Song political commissar to command... Destroy the enemy...
For Liu Zhidan's sacrifice, the central government was extremely shaken. Zhou Enlai burst into tears when he heard the news, and after a long silence, he said the words "major losses." Chairman Mao, on the other hand, said sadly: "I have only met Comrade Liu Zhidan once in northern Shaanxi..."
After that, the central government made a stipulation in order to commemorate him: to change the name of Bao'an County in Shaanxi Province to "Zhidan County". This provision is still in use today.
In fact, for many years, Chairman Mao and other leaders did not recommend using personal names as place names. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, when Comrade Li Da asked Chairman Mao whether he could change the name of "Hunan University" to "Mao Zedong University," the chairman resolutely refused.
However, the name Zhidan County has been retained and has not changed for more than 80 years. This is the same as Zuoquan County in Shanxi, which was renamed in September 1942 in honor of General Zuoquan.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="6" > two: the wife will never remarry</h1>
When it comes to Liu Zhidan's sacrifice, many people say that this is a loss to the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia base area, but they often ignore the impact on his wife and daughter. Liu Zhidan's wife was named Tong Guirong, and she was only 31 years old when her husband died. In the next 63 years, she completed the transformation from an ordinary woman to a generation of women.
Tong Guirong was born in 1905, two years younger than Liu Zhidan, and his family is in Wuqi County, which is adjacent to Bao'an County. In that era, it was very common for two families with a good relationship to set up dolls, and the Liu family and the same family could be regarded as family friends, so since childhood, Tong Guirong and Liu Zhidan had set doll relatives.
At the marriageable age, the family urged the two to become relatives. At that time, Liu Zhidan was still studying abroad, and could only use the vacation time to marry With GuiRong. Like Gui Rong and many women of that era, he had not read a book, had no name, and only had a breast name "Show Girl".
But Liu Zhidan is a reader who has received a new type of education, and in his view, men and women should be equal, how can a wife have no name? So after getting married, he specially named his wife "Tong Guirong".
After getting married, Tong Guirong can be said to be both happy and worried, happy that she married a reader who knows how to read books, worried that she has not read books, nor can she read any words, she is afraid that Liu Zhidan will dislike herself.
But Tong Guirong's worries did not become a reality, Liu Zhidan did not have the slightest dislike for the newlywed wife, on the contrary, after knowing his wife's worries, he also took the initiative to ask Miao to become a "teacher" and teach his wife to read and write.
It's just that it didn't take long for Liu Zhidan to go back to school. Parting is always full of sorrow and reluctance, the same is true with GuiRong, she is a woman who is not good at words, and she does not know how to express her concerns to her husband, so she wants to make shoes for him.
However, Tong Guirong's original family was poor, and he had been working in the fields when he was in his mother's house, and he had not done much needlework. So when making shoes, she encountered a difficult thing, that is, how to cut the shoe sample. It just so happened that this matter was known to Liu Zhidan, who immediately took out a piece of paper and drew a comparison on his feet, and after a while he helped his wife cut out the shoes she needed. This also allows Tong Guirong to have a new understanding of her husband, and it turns out that readers will also do such things.
After that, Liu Zhidan joined the revolution in the school and began to run around for the revolution.
Husband and wife get together less and leave more, and what Tong Guirong, who stays at home, can do for her husband is to take good care of the family and not let her husband have any worries. During this period, Liu Zhidan returned home for a handful of times, and every time he returned home, he basically went home because of the needs of the revolution. Every time Liu Zhidan and his comrades held a meeting, Tong Guirong would stand guard for them.
Revolutions are always fraught with dangers, not only against the revolutionaries themselves, but also with their families. So Liu Zhidan also asked his wife: "What if the enemy captures you?" Although Tong Guirong had not read any books, she knew that what her husband did was to turn over ordinary people like her to live a good life, so she said decisively: "If you want to kill, kill, I will say I don't know." ”
And it turns out that Liu Zhidan's concerns are not unreasonable.
In 1934, the Kuomintang launched a large-scale "suppression of the communists" operation in northern Shaanxi, and in order to preserve the revolutionary fire, Liu Zhidan, then chairman of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Gansu Border Military Commission, led his troops to begin to move. However, the Kuomintang reactionaries have long regarded Liu Zhidan as a "thorn in the eye and a thorn in the flesh.", and since Liu Zhidan could not be caught, they seized his family, and the reactionaries posted a notice offering a reward for the arrest of Liu Zhidan's family.
Fortunately, some enthusiastic people went to Liu Zhidan's house in advance to ventilate the news, and the family hid out early. The reactionaries did not find a single figure in Liu Zhidan's house, and for a time they were also angry, not only burning the Liu family's house to ashes, but also destroying the Liu family's ancestral grave.
At that time, Tong Guirong hid in a cave with his daughter Liu Lizhen, who was only 5 years old, for eight days and eight nights. For eight days, they relied on a handful of fried noodles to fill their hunger, and when they were thirsty, they drank mountains and rainwater. About that experience, many years later, her daughter Liu Lizhen recalled: "The cave is gloomy and damp, and at night the wind roars outside the cave, and the wolves howl on the cliffs... ”
Thankfully, in the end, the guerrillas found the mother and daughter and brought them back to the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia base area.
At this point, the family finally ushered in a brief reunion. Although Liu Zhidan, who is a warrior, often comes and goes in a hurry, Liu Zhidan can undoubtedly spend a lot more time with his wife and daughter than when he was in his hometown.
And Tong Guirong also began the transformation from an ordinary woman to a generation of women. She also followed in Liu Zhidan's footsteps and participated in the revolutionary work, taking on the organization and logistics of women in the base areas.
At that time, Tong Guirong's figure could be seen in many places in the base area, sometimes she helped the comrades in the cooking class to cook together, and sometimes she went around sewing clothes for the soldiers, and everyone affectionately called him "Liu Sister-in-law".
When the Central Red Army arrived in northern Shaanxi in 1935, it was already close to winter and the weather was very cold. One day Tong Guirong noticed that in such cold weather, Chairman Mao was wearing only a pair of single shoes. You must know that Chairman Mao is a southerner, and he is not very accustomed to the cold winter in the north, and it is certainly not good to wear a single shoe now.
So she specifically found He Zizhen and asked the reason, and only then did she know that Chairman Mao originally had a pair of cotton shoes, but during the Long March, the chairman's feet were frozen, and when the weather was cold, his feet were swollen and painful, and the original cotton shoes could not be worn at all.
When Tong Guirong heard this reason, he immediately asked He Zizhen to find Chairman Mao's shoe samples for himself, and when he returned, he began to work busily, and after three days and three nights of rushing work, a pair of large and soft cotton shoes was delivered to Chairman Mao.
After the founding of New China, when Chairman Mao invited GuiRong to dinner, he also specifically mentioned this matter, saying: "The pair of cotton shoes that Sister-in-law Liu made for me in Wayao Fort are soft and warm, and they are very comfortable to wear on my feet!" ”
Chairman Mao's daughter Li Min and Tong Guirong also have an indissoluble relationship. When Li Min was born, he still helped deliver the baby with Gui Rong. At that time, the conditions in Yan'an were difficult, but when Li Min was born, Tong Guirong had already prepared a small quilt and small clothes for her baby. Later, Li Min was sent to the Soviet Union, and the two did not see each other for more than 40 years, but when they said goodbye, Li Min still recognized her at a glance and affectionately called her "Mother Liu".
It can be said that during that time, Tong Guirong's life was full and happy. But no one ever imagined that this happiness would be so short-lived.
On April 14, 1936, Liu Zhidan was killed in the battle of Sanjiao Town, Zhongyang County, Shanxi, at the age of 33. At that time, Tong Guirong happened to be ill and hospitalized, and the organization was afraid that this bad news would cause her a greater blow, and did not inform her of this news at the first time.
Until April 23, the organization held a public memorial meeting for the martyr Liu Zhidan, and Zhou Enlai went to the hospital to visit Tong Guirong and told her the bad news. When Tong Gui Rong heard this news, he didn't believe that it would be true, and his husband was only 33 years old.
Tong Guirong, who was overly sad, once fainted, and she wanted to see him for the last time at her husband's memorial service, but she really had no strength to be seriously ill, and finally missed her husband's memorial service.
In those days, husbands were sacrificed, and it was conceivable how difficult it was for a weak woman to live with her children. It is not that no one has advised Gui Rong to remarry, but she has loved the hero, how can she pretend to be someone else in her heart, and she has rejected those proposals one by one.
In his later years, Tong Guirong always took her husband's posthumous photos and looked at them over and over again. For her, the prosperous man never left, he always accompanied her in his heart until his death in 1999.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="8" > three: daughter is not simple</h1>
Liu Zhidan had two sons and a daughter in his lifetime. The eldest son was born in 1923, but died of illness less than half a year after his birth; the second son, born in 1935, fell ill with fever a few months old and died without receiving good medical treatment.
Therefore, Liu Zhidan's real children who grew up were only his daughter Liu Lizhen, but this child also suffered too much in the process of growing up.
In November 1929, Liu Zhidan and Tong Guirong's daughter Liu Lizhen were born. Because he had lost a child, So Liu Zhidan cherished and loved this daughter, when the daughter was born, he just accompanied his wife, 26-year-old Liu Zhidan was happy like a child, and said excitedly to his wife: "We have children again." ”
When he was at home, General Liu would open the quilt wrapped around his daughter and look at her cute and quiet little face, and the more Liu Zhidan looked, the more he liked it.
It's just that such good times always pass quickly, and due to the needs of the revolution, Liu Zhidan is basically rarely at home. The heavy responsibility of taking care of her daughter fell on Tong Guirong.
At that time, in addition to his daughter, Tong Guirong had to take care of the elderly at home, Liu Zhidan was not at home for many years, and the family's work had to be handled by her. Therefore, In those years, Xiao Lizhen suffered a lot, including the hardships of life, including the hardships of fleeing from the Kuomintang reactionaries mentioned above.
Fortunately, all this got better after coming to the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia base area. Before the establishment of the base area, General Liu only accompanied his daughter during the time of her birth. He hasn't seen his daughter for 4 years since.
When they reunited in the base area, Xiao Lizhen was already 4 years old. When her mother pointed to the tall man in front of her and said that he was her father, Xiao Lizhen was still a little overwhelmed for a while, after all, he had never seen his father in the previous 4 years. In the end, under the repeated urging of her mother, Xiao Lizhen dared to walk in front of her father. When her father picked her up, she felt a sense of security that she had never felt before.
Although after arriving at the base area in northern Shaanxi, he was able to see his father from time to time, this so-called "often" was also a handful in Liu Lizhen's memory. Because Liu Zhidan often led the team to the south to fight in the north, there was really not much time to accompany her. In Liu Lizhen's memory, the bits and pieces of getting along with her father made her remember three things the most: a boast, a dozen, and a parting.
This "one boast" was in the early autumn of 1935, when Liu Lizhen moved with the team. Although she was only 6 years old at the time, her many transfer experiences had already taught her the skill of horseback riding.
This time, Liu Lizhen rode alone as usual and followed the team forward. Suddenly, the horse she was riding was somehow frightened and began to run wildly. Adults panic when they encounter this kind of thing, let alone children who are only 6 years old. But Liu Lizhen showed unprecedented calmness, she did not cry or shout, just hugged the saddle tightly and did not let go.
When Liu Zhidan subdued the shock horse, he was also shocked by Xiao Lizhen's bravery for a while, and immediately said: "This woman is really powerful... It's my daughter, how daring! This was the first time her father praised her in front of the warriors, and this remark also left a deep impression on the young Liu Lizhen's heart. Years later, her achievements were worthy of her father's words.
And this "dozen" happened when Liu Lizhen was playing. At that time, the children did not have any toys, and a kind warrior helped Liu Lizhen catch a pigeon for her to play with.
Liu Lizhen was still young and did not understand things at that time, so she began to pluck the feathers on the pigeons. She didn't know what kind of harm this behavior would cause to the pigeons, but just thought it was funny.
But when this scene was seen by Liu Zhidan, the father who had always loved his daughter suddenly changed his face, and he not only loudly reprimanded his daughter for the first time, but also slapped her. At that time, nearby comrades-in-arms all advised Liu Zhidan, saying that Xiao Lizhen did not understand things, but Liu Zhidan said categorically: "... Let children know love from an early age. What is the difference between a man without love and a jackal? ”
To be honest, this statement is not heavy. At that time, Xiao Lizhen did not understand her father's good intentions, on the contrary, her heart was full of grievances, and she also confided in her mother after returning home. But her mother's words made her understand that her father was for her own good, and her mother said: "... He beat you today, but he also taught you to be a kind person! ”
The final "parting" took place in January 1936. At that time, Liu Zhidan received the order to organize and led the 28th Army to the East. Although Liu Zhidan has become accustomed to the southern conquest and the northern war, he is still full of reluctance to leave his daughter. On the eve of his departure, he hugged Xiao Lizhen tightly, kissed her and said, "You are Daddy's good daughter."
In Liu Lizhen's memory, the hug was gentle and forceful. It's just that none of them ever thought that this parting would actually be the farewell of their father and daughter.
Soon after, news came from the front that Liu Zhidan had died. At this time, Liu Lizhen was only 7 years old, and she didn't even know what death was at a young age. It wasn't until she saw her mother cry and faint, and her uncles and uncles all come to visit, that she realized that her father really couldn't come back.
Although she lost her father at an early age, Xiao Lizhen grew up in pampering, and her uncles and uncles took good care of her. This leads to the scene at the beginning of this article, in the eyes of the reporter Snow, she is the image of a "little marshal". Later, Liu Lizhen was sent to Yan'an to study, where she completed primary school, middle school, and university. It was not until after the liberation of northeast China that she was sent to Shenyang to study medicine.
After graduation, Liu Lizhen became a very good doctor. Colleagues say that she is very similar to General Liu, and the image here does not only refer to her looks, but also to her "stubborn temper".
In the 1960s, Shaanxi suffered a major drought that had not been encountered in a hundred years, and generally accompanied by major disasters, there were often diseases. After careful consideration, the organization decided to send a medical team to the disaster area in northern Shaanxi for treatment.
At that time, Liu Lizhen was seriously ill and weighed only 70 pounds. After years of working on the front line in difficult areas, she healed others, but exhausted herself. But when she heard the news, she immediately proposed to the organization that she would go to the place where her father had fought to continue the "battle". Oh, yes! It was Shaanxi, the place where my father had been worried about for half a lifetime.
At that time, the organization was worried about her body, but she only had one sentence: "I am Liu Zhidan's daughter, and my father made me do this!" "Seeing that she was so determined, the organization could only grant her request.
Since then, Liu Lizhen has led colleagues in the itinerant medical team to travel all over the mountains and ravines of northern Shaanxi, treating one patient after another. Everywhere they went, the people of Shaanxi heard that General Liu's daughter had returned, and they all took out the eggs from the family to replenish her body. Since then, in order to repay these lovely people, Liu Lizhen has stayed in northern Shaanxi and has been engaged in medical work. Until 1987, she couldn't move.
On November 3, 2014, Liu Lizhen died of illness. After she left, people found that she had left almost nothing of value for her children. In her home, the most precious thing should be the photo hanging on the wall: Liu Zhidan's photo.
Today, in the General Liu Martyrs' Cemetery in the north of Zhidan County, there are people from all over the country every day. They used a whole flower to commemorate this tough guy who was both literate and martial. But the author hopes that when commemorating him, everyone will not forget his wife Tong Guirong, who educated General Liu's only seedling with kindness and tenacity; and also do not forget Ms. Liu Lizhen, in her we see the shadow of General Liu.
Today, New China has stood strongly in the forest of the world. After the Liu family, people are also working in all walks of life. If the general knows, feel comforted.