preface
"For 15 years, you and I have lived and died together and suffered together. Honghu Lake, Xiang'exi, Eyuchuan and Shaanxi, scorching heat; Xiang'ebian, Xiang'echuan, Yunguichuan, Ganshan, Xueshan grassland, Xi'an Plain; stepping on Jinsui, out of Hebei, tens of thousands of miles of long march, into death and birth, whether on the battlefield, at work, or in the huts and high halls of the mansions, I can't remember when they were not together or when they were separated. And now, you and I are never gone, looking forward to the heavens, you are sound and beautiful, and I can't sleep..."
This is a eulogy written by He Long in tears after the death of He Long's friend Guan Xiangying due to illness in 1946. He Long used this to mourn his close comrade-in-arms who had fought alongside him for 15 years.
Guan Xiangying, He Long
He Long and Guan Xiangying, one of the two is the commander, the other is the political commissar, in the long-term exchanges, the two have developed a deep friendship, the relationship between the two can be described in one sentence, that is: good to wear a set of clothes, kiss like a person.
Guan Xiangying was not willing to give in to fate and resolutely joined the revolution
In April 1920, Guan Xiangying was admitted to Dalian Lianfutai Public School, and after graduating from the school, Guan Xiangying was assigned to a "Rihua Xingye Co., Ltd." as a handyman.
During his time here, he witnessed the Japanese boss discriminating against Chinese laborers, and he was very dissatisfied with this.
Soon after, he decided to quit his job because he was really unaccustomed to what his boss was doing, and later, the Japanese and pseudo-chambers of commerce hired him to work as a clerk in a firm, and he refused the invitation of the chamber of commerce once because of the previous incident.
Although he had this heart, life forced him to retreat, and then, because of the pressure of life, he had to go to Taidong Daily as an apprentice to keep himself alive.
Once, when a Japanese in the newspaper was bullying a Chinese worker during a meal, Guan Xiangying saw this scene and stood up again, and he immediately organized the employees present to fight and let the Japanese apologize to the humiliated workers.
Indignantly, he said to his co-workers: "We must unite and let the Japanese know that Chinese cannot be deceived!" ”
It was also from that time that his heart gradually began to have a sense of resistance.
In 1923, the communist Li Zhenying and others came to Dalian to carry out revolutionary activities, and when Guan Xiangying learned of this incident, he immediately actively participated in the activities of the Dalian revolutionary organization. Later, under the influence of Li Zhenying and others, he gradually embarked on the revolutionary road.
In 1924, Guan Xiang was sent by the organization to study at the Communist Labor University in Moscow, Soviet Union.
In 1925, after the outbreak of the May Thirtieth Movement, Guan Xiangying returned to Shanghai from the Soviet Union and joined the revolutionary movement in Shanghai.
Soon after, the Great Revolution failed, and Guan Xiangying was transferred to Wuhan to work on the labor movement, and during his time in Wuhan, Guan Xiangying was also invited to participate in the Fourth National Congress of the Communist Youth League and was elected as a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League.
In the days that followed, Guan Xiangying always struggled in the forefront of revolutionary work, and his indomitable and conscientious work attitude won the praise of all the leaders in the party.
In January 1932, Guan Xiangying came from Shanghai to the revolutionary base area of western Xiang'e, served as a member of the Central Bureau of Xiang'e-E, chairman of the Branch of the Central Military Commission, and political commissar of the Red Army, and began the most brilliant and magnificent military career in his life, and it was here that he met his lifelong good friend - He Long.
Following He Long to the battlefield, the two formed a deep friendship
In 1934, due to the failure of the fifth anti-"encirclement and suppression" campaign in the central revolutionary base area, under the circumstances again, Guan Xiangying and He Long could only lead the Red Three Armies to leave the western Xiang'e base area and begin to be responsible for the transfer of the Central Red Army.
In October, the Red Third Army and the Red Sixth Army led by Ren Bishi, Xiao Ke, Wang Zhen and others met at Muhuang Victory Division in Qiandong, and with the approval of the Central Military Commission, the Red Third Army restored the red Second Army, with He Long as the commander of the regiment and Guan Xiangying as the deputy political commissar.
Since then, the Red Second Army and the Red Sixth Army have joined hands to restore and create the Xiang'echuanqian Revolutionary Base Area on the basis of the Qiandong base area.
He Long and Guan Xiang should command the battle
During the period of the Xiang'echuanqian revolutionary base area, He Long and Guan Xiangying jointly commanded several battles, and with the tacit cooperation of the two men, the battles were victorious, and the two also launched the famous Xiangxi Offensive together, effectively responding to the Long March of the Central Red Army.
During this difficult time, the relationship between the two slowly became closer, and the two also changed from a "partner" relationship to a "best partner".
In July 1937, after the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army was reorganized into the Eighth Route Army, and the Red Second Front army was reorganized into the Eighth Route Army's 12nd O Division, with He Long as the division commander and Guan Xiang as the political commissar.
In September, He Long and Guan Xiangying led the 1st and 2nd O divisions to cross the Yellow River in the east and came to shanxi. Subsequently, in the past year or so, the two commanded the troops to clash with the enemy many times, recovered 7 county towns such as Ningwu and Shenchi, drove the enemy to Datong, and laid the foundation for the anti-Japanese base area in western Jinxi.
In August 1938, He Long and Guan Xiangying sent Li Jingquan to Daqingshan, where they established the Daqingshan Revolutionary Base Area.
In October, the Japanese army carried out a large-scale "sweep" of Hebei, and the situation in Jizhong suddenly became critical, in order to strengthen the strength of the struggle against the enemy in Jizhong.
After the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, according to the decision of the Central Military Commission and Mao Zedong, He Long and Guan Xiangying led the main forces of the 1st and 20th O Divisions from Gangxian to Jizhong to assist in the battle and fight the enemy together with the local troops.
After He Long and Guan Xiangying led the troops to meet with the leading organs of the party, government, and army of the Jizhong Military Region, they immediately went to find out the enemy's situation and draw up a battle plan, and after everything was ready, they immediately threw themselves into the anti-"sweeping" battle.
In this campaign, they annihilated more than 1,100 Japanese puppet troops with a single blow, dealing a heavy blow to the arrogance of the enemy, and after the victory in the war, the struggle between the military and the people in Jizhong was also instantly encouraged.
On April 22, 1939, Guan Xiangying and He Long commanded the Battle of Hejian together, and after three days and three nights of continuous fighting, they completely annihilated more than 700 people of the Japanese Yoshida Brigade and won the Battle of Annihilation of the Plains.
In September, the enemy took Chen Zhuang in Lingshou County, Jixi Province, as the target, and carried out the "Autumn Crusade", and He Long and Guan Xiangying led their troops to fight with the enemy army in Chen Zhuang for five or six days, successfully destroying a large number of enemy troops.
Subsequently, the Battle of Chen Zhuang was recorded in the glorious annals of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression as a "model war of annihilation", after which the 1st and 2nd O Divisions were strengthened and developed on the Great Plains of Jizhong.
He Long and Guan Xiangying also cultivated a deep friendship in these long battles, whether it was many anti-encirclement and suppression, or anti-sweeping in the Jizhong region, the two always fought side by side, born into death, and thus a great tacit understanding between the two.
He Long is a Hunan native, he often uses Hunan dialect to communicate with others when he works, once, He Long's subordinates want to report some important things to him, He Long used Hunan dialect throughout the whole process of talking with people, which made the subordinates on the other side of the phone feel overwhelmed.
The two spent a lot of time communicating, but the subordinates on the other side of the phone could not understand He Long's words, and later, there was really no way, He Long had to find Guan Xiangying to ask him to act as an interpreter for the two.
He Long said that Guan Xiangying translated at the same time, and soon, with the cooperation of the two people, he explained everything completely, which was not only that Guan Xiangying could understand He Long's words, but more importantly, in the process of getting along, the two people's thinking about the battle and the tacit understanding of the long-term treatment.
In June 1940, when the poet Xiao San accompanied the army to interview He Long and Guan Xiangying, the interview he wrote had a description to describe the tacit relationship between the two.
He Long has different feelings for Guan Xiangying, and every time He Long recalls the days when he fought with Guan Xiangying, he always said with emotion:
"Guan Xiangying and I were always born and died together, no matter where we were on the battlefield and at work, and we can't remember when we weren't together or when we were separated."
In 1962, during a conversation with the writer Satin, He Long talked about his old friend Guan Xiangying and said:
"Political Commissar Guan played the greatest role in the entire work of the First and Second O Divisions."
In May 1941, the Japanese Kou gradually became arrogant in China, and began to carry out a large-scale "encroachment policy" and "strengthening public security" campaign in North China in an attempt to conquer China.
Soon after, He Long and Guan Xiangying led the military and people of northwestern Jin, and after a hard struggle with the enemy, completely smashed the enemy's plan.
Guan Xiangying grew up poor, had no nutrition since childhood, and was not in good health, and after participating in revolutionary work, he devoted himself to his career, engaged in heavy secret work and an extremely difficult anti-war life for a long time, which seriously damaged his physical health.
Guan Xiangying became ill with overwork, his lungs, kidneys and other places had problems large or small, and his body began to lose weight day by day, and soon after, the Party Central Committee, after learning of his physical condition, asked him to immediately suspend his work and return to Yan'an for treatment.
Guan Xiangying originally wanted to refuse and continue to work, but his body really did not allow it, so he had to leave He Long and leave the place where he had been fighting for a long time according to the will of the Party Central Committee, and rush to Yan'an for medical treatment.
He Long and Ren Bishi visit guan Xiangying on the hospital bed
During Guan Xiangying's recuperation in Yan'an, He Long went to Yan'an several times to check on his condition. Just one day after the "Seventh National Congress" of the Communist Party of China, He Long received an emergency and left Yan'an.
On the occasion of parting, He Long was afraid that Guan Xiangying would be worried about himself, and considering that he could not personally say goodbye to Guan Xiangying, he specially left a letter to Guan Xiangying, and after Guan Xiangying read the letter, he said:
"We fought together for 15 years and never left, this time he was alone."
After Guan Xiangying finished speaking, it was difficult to hide his sad feelings, and he used this short sentence to express his idea of not wanting He Long to leave and yearning to fight alongside him.
Guan Xiangying died, and He Long, in order to fulfill his wish, named his son 'Pengfei'
Due to the frequent wars, He Long did not have much time to meet with Guan Xiangying, so He Long always asked his wife Xue Ming to visit Guan Xiangying.
Once, Xue Ming came to Guan Xiangying's home as usual to visit Guan Xiangying, and Guan Xiangying saw Xue Ming come to greet her and sit in front of his hospital bed, chatting with her as usual.
At that time, although Guan Xiangying's body was getting worse and worse than before, he still smiled and slowly said to Xue Ming:
"I have worked with He Long for a long time, which is considered to be 'life and death together'. I admire him and I wish he had a son. I couldn't get up from my hospital bed all day, I had nothing to do, I even named this child. ......”
Xue Ming listened to Guan Xiangying's words, her heart was very moved, she did not expect Guan Xiangying at this time, thinking of their family, seeing the weak Guan Xiangying, Xue Ming said with tears:
"Commissar Guan, you rest, and when you're cured, we'll talk about it again..."
Guan Xiangying ignored Xue Ming's persuasion and insisted:
"No..., He Long should have a son." His son's 'faction' according to your He family should be the word "learning", what is good about 'learning'? ”
Guan Xiangying's words were intermittent, Xue Ming kept letting him hurry up and rest, but Guan Responded still talked to Xue Ming as always, and after he said it for a while, he continued: "I like one person for both..."
Xue Ming listened to his words and hurriedly asked, "Who are you talking about?" ”
Guan Xiangying thought of this person, unconsciously came to be interested, and felt that it was no longer difficult to speak like before, he opened his mouth and said to Xue Ming:
"We all like Yue Fei, Yue Fei's character Pengju. What is the son of He Long called 'learning'? It's not good to call it 'learning to fly', it's not good to call it 'learning to move'. ”
Guan Xiangying denied his thoughts while speaking, and when he finished saying that he was not satisfied with both names, he was not talking, and there was a person there.
After a while, Xue Ming saw a slight change in Guan Xiangying's face, and then Guan Xiangying said:
"Name, there are names and characters, take Yue Fei's name by one word, I think it will be called 'Pengfei'."
After Guan Xiangying finished speaking, he looked up at Xue Ming and asked, "You see, is this good?" ”
Xue Ming was very interested in seeing Guan Xiangying, and he also said happily:
"Commissar Guan, you are a learned person, and your name is of course good, but is it a little early to name it now?"
Guan Xiangying saw that Xue Ming agreed with his opinion, and with a smile on his face, he said:
"Not early, not early, you want, that's the name, maybe I'll die one day..."
When Xue Ming heard Guan Xiangying's words, some tears welled up in her eyes, and in order to reassure Guan Xiangying, she nodded with tears.
On September 28, 1944, Xue Ming gave birth to a child with He Long in Yan'an, and it happened that on the day Xue Ming gave birth, it rained heavily in northern Shaanxi, which was perennially dry.
In He Long's hometown, some people once said that He Long was a water dragon, and later, after He Long led his soldiers to fight, there was no war on a sunny day, it rained when it rained, and when it rained, he won the war, and it was raining on the day he was born, and people spread this saying even more.
He Long himself also believed what the villagers said, and after He Long and Xue Ming's children were born, they also happened to encounter rain. After learning of this news, many leaders of the central government expressed their congratulations to He Long, calling the two children Xiaolong.
(Left He Bingyan, middle He Long)
He Long's good friend General He Bingyan rushed to He Long's home to visit the child at the first time after Xue Ming gave birth to a child, and He Bingyan looked at the newborn child, was very happy, and asked excitedly: "Boss, did you name your son?" ”
When Xue Ming heard He Bingyan ask for his son's name, he unconsciously thought of Guan Xiangying and said to He Bingyan: "The name given by the political commissar Guan is Pengfei. ”
He Bingyan did not know the allusion that Guan Xiang should name the child, and he blurted out:
"What Pengfei is not Pengfei, my son is called Leisheng if he is born of thunder, and the son of the boss is born of rain, so he is called Yusheng."
He Bingyan
The people who came to celebrate next to them heard He Bingyan's words, and they also opened their mouths to offer advice and suggestions to help He Long's son name, and the house that was already very lively suddenly became more lively, looking at the people talking in front of them, Xue Ming thought of her conversation with Guan Xiangying.
Guan Xiangying's face appeared in her mind, and Guan Xiangying was breathless and weak and said to Xue Ming, "If you like it, maybe I will die one day..."
On this big day, Xue Ming was in tears while thinking, not paying attention to the fiery scene they were discussing in front of him.
Just when everyone was gathering in the house to watch the child, Guan Xiangying, who was seriously ill over there, also got the news of the birth of the child, although his face was not as good as before, but a closer look could still detect a trace of joy in his face.
Subsequently, Guan Xiangying announced to the people around him something that surprised everyone: from now on, he would no longer eat milk powder.
It turned out that in Yan'an at that time, people's lives were very difficult because of the strict blockade of the liberated areas by the Japanese imperialist aggressors and the Kuomintang reactionaries.
After Guan Xiangying came to Yan'an to recuperate, the Party Central Committee decided to provide him with a milk powder in order to ensure his nutrition, which was a necessary thing for Guan Xiangying's body to maintain, but now he was no longer eating, after hearing this news, the doctors around him were very worried about his body and persuaded him.
Although everyone around him came to persuade him, no one changed his mind, and later, when people were persuading, he would always say to those people:
"I want to raise offspring, I don't have a son, this milk will be sent to Xue Ming, let Pengfei drink..."
Before his death, Guan Xiangying always loved He Long's son as his own son, and always thought of Pengfei when there were good things.
On July 21, 1946, Guan Xiangying died of illness in Yan'an, He Long cried bitterly for a long time after hearing the death of his closest comrade-in-arms, and He Long, who was in a state of grief, remembered Guan Xiangying and said to his wife next to him:
"Yusheng and Xiaolong are small names, and the scientific name is Called Pengfei." This is the name that Guan Xiang should have! ”
Xue Ming heard He Long's words and nodded his head with tears, after which He Long's son was named He Pengfei.
In order to mourn this friend, He Long personally wrote a eulogy for guan Xiangying shortly after his death, "Crying xiangying".
Although He Long's cultural level is not high, he wrote the truest feelings in his heart in this eulogy. He used this short text to express his sadness at the departure of his comrades-in-arms.
Guan Xiangying's death also brought a heavy blow to He Long, so that in the days that followed, He Long's thoughts about him continued for many years...