In the early days of the founding of New China, the conferral of titles by the People's Liberation Army was put on the agenda.
On September 27, 1955, Zhou Enlai presented a ceremony in the State Council to 10 generals and 55 generals of the New Chinese People's Liberation Army.
Among the 55 generals, the third rank is a man named Zhang Zongxun, who can be called an "old revolutionary".
In 1926, Zhang Zongxun was admitted to the Whampoa Military Academy, and then participated in the Autumn Harvest Uprising in 1927, and participated in the Fifth "Anti-Encirclement and Suppression" Battle of the Red Army and a series of important "hard battles" such as the Hundred Regiments War and the defense of Yan'an.
In addition, Zhang Zongxun is one of the few "father-son generals" in Chinese history, and even his son has achieved "blue out of blue".
What kind of story is behind this?
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >, the years of dutiful guards</h1>
In 1908, Zhang Zongxun was born into an ordinary peasant family in Yantou Village, Weinan Province, Shaanxi Province.
When he entered the academy at the age of 12, just in time for the years when the student movement was frequent, Zhang Zongxun was also exposed to many new ideological trends, which opened a new door for his later revolutionary road.
While actively participating in the student movement, Zhang Zongxun also gradually learned about Marxism and also developed new dreams and ambitions for the future.
At the age of 18, with excellent results and courageous courage, Zhang Zongxun was successfully admitted to the Whampoa Military Academy and became a student of the Whampoa Fifth Infantry Section.
During his years of study in Huangpu, Zhang Zongxun became acquainted with more proletarian revolutionary figures, including Zhou Enlai and Mao Zedong.
At that time, because Chiang Kai-shek concocted the famous "Zhongshan Ship Incident", Zhang Zongxun was already disappointed in the Kuomintang. Therefore, after receiving Mao Zedong's invitation, Zhang Zongxun decisively turned to the Chinese Communist Party and became a glorious party member.
In 1927, Zhang Zongxun, who had graduated from the Whampoa Military Academy, participated in the Autumn Harvest Uprising with his troops.
However, because most of the guards who were with him at that time were recruits who had not experienced much actual combat, after the heroic sacrifice of the regimental commander Lu Deming, the guard regiment fell into the predicament of smoke on all sides and leaderlessness.
In such a critical moment, Zhang Zongxun stepped forward.
He first led a company of troops to continue to attack the west, and after attracting enough enemy fire, the large troops retreated to the east en masse, and Zhang Zongxun led the company to finally leave to cover the retreat.
Because of his astute judgment, the entire guard regiment retained a large amount of combat vitality, and his excellent command skills and rapid response to the enemy were also noticed by Mao Zedong.
After the famous "Three Bays Reorganization" of the troops, Zhang Zongxun was transferred to the special service company as a deputy company commander, still in charge of Mao Zedong's guard work.
Zhang Zongxun never slackened off, basically staying away from Mao Zedong's side, dutifully completing his work - and thus there was a small "accident".
One day, Mao Zedong had just finished an all-night job, lying down to rest, when several Members of the Red Guards came to him to discuss things.
Knowing that Mao Zedong had only recently fallen asleep, Zhang Zongxun did not say a word, so he stopped the people at the door first, while the Red Guards rushed from afar to eat a "closed door soup" in front of Zhang Zongxun.
Because the quarrel became louder and louder, Mao Zedong was finally woken up, and he hurriedly got up in his clothes, which stopped Zhang Zongxun, who almost moved.
After sending away the Red Guards, Mao Zedong seriously criticized Zhang Zongxun's rude attitude, but Zhang Zongxun muttered unconvincingly: "I don't know, in case they are bad people!" ”
When Mao Zedong heard this, he couldn't help but wave his hand: "The attitude is not good, but the sense of responsibility is good, and your 'merits' are offset!" ”
Not only was he loyal in his work, Zhang Zongxun was also very concerned about Mao Zedong's life.
On the road of the Long March, one day, Zhang Zongxun suddenly found Mao Zedong walking with a limp, and after careful observation, Zhang Zongxun was shocked to find that Mao Zedong's straw shoes had long been worn out, and even Mao Zedong's feet were polished with blisters!
Out of fear, Zhang Zongxun and several soldiers immediately built a simple stretcher for Mao Zedong with branches, but when they were sent to Mao Zedong, Mao Zedong refused to put on the stretcher.
After several insistences, Mao Zedong had to "take a step back" with Zhang Zongxun, let Zhang Zongxun find a thick bamboo pole for himself as a crutch, and walked through many rugged mountain roads under Zhang Zongxun's support until the blisters on his feet grew again.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > Second, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he repeatedly performed miracles</h1>
Due to military deployment, Zhang Zongxun also "parted ways" with Mao Zedong for a while on the Long March.
In the years of leading the march alone, Zhang Zongxun also participated in major battles such as the forced crossing of the Wujiang River, and made great contributions, and his military position was repeatedly promoted.
In January 1937, Zhang Zongxun led a team to successfully arrive in northern Shaanxi, joined Mao Zedong, and was transferred to the post of director of the First Bureau of the General Staff department of the Central Military Commission, responsible for the security and safety of the CPC Central Committee in the Yan'an area.
In fact, at that time, the Red Army had just arrived in northern Shaanxi, and the personnel in the ranks were mixed, and no one dared to pack whether there were reactionaries and spies in the tickets, so behind this post, there was actually a great trust in Zhang Zongxun by the central authorities, especially Mao Zedong.
In the same year, the July 7 Incident broke out, and North China was in a hurry, and Zhang Zongxun was again transferred to the 358 brigade commander of the 120th Division to fight on the anti-Japanese front in northwestern Jin.
In October of the same year, Zhang Zongxun cooperated with the Nationalist army to ambush the Japanese transport team near Yanmen Pass, cutting off the supply line of the Japanese Kou and winning the ambush battle at Yanmen Pass.
After this, Zhang Zongxun won many victories one after another:
In October 1938, Zhang Zongxun led the 358th Brigade to set up an ambush in Wutai County, Shanxi Province, and completely annihilated more than 700 people who invaded the Japanese Kou "Yuye Brigade";
In January 1939, Zhang Zongxun served as the headquarters of the Jizhong Column, completely annihilating the anti-communist Zhang Yinwu's team;
At the beginning of 1940, Zhang Zongxun participated in the famous "Hundred Regiments War", bravely taking the lead on the battlefield, annihilating countless enemies, and repeatedly making battle achievements;
In June 1940, Zhang Zongxun commanded the 358th Brigade in the town of Miyu to launch an attack on the "Murakami Brigade" that was "sweeping", and once again successfully annihilated more than 600 enemy troops;
In 1943, Zhang Zongxun returned to the Yan'an area with his troops, still holding the old post: "to defend the stability of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region." At the same time, Zhang Zongxun also began to take charge of the local large-scale production campaign, and achieved excellent results.
In the years of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, in addition to fighting bravely, Zhang Zongxun had another "ability", that is, to expand the army.
When he was just serving as the commander of the 358th Brigade, the 358th Brigade had a total of more than 3,000 people from top to bottom, but in just over a year, Zhang Zongxun, with his excellent propaganda ability and continuous victories, expanded the 358 Brigade to more than 12,000 people, more than doubling its number.
When this news reached the Central Committee, even Mao Zedong was shocked.
He left Zhang Zongxun to eat together, and during the discussion of the number of troops, Mao Zedong patted Zhang Zongxun's shoulder, smiled and praised: "Great! You are now the commander of a force of 10,000 people! ”
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > third, datong Jining battle defeat: "When it should be strong, it is not strong!" ”</h1>
In fact, in Mao Zedong's heart, Zhang Zongxun has always been regarded as a diligent and inquisitive student; and Zhang Zongxun also admired Mao Zedong.
It is precisely for this reason that Mao Zedong criticized Zhang Zongxun and was never merciless.
In a meeting between the two after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Peng Dehuai also happened to be present, and Mao Zedong chatted with Peng Dehuai with great interest for a while, and suddenly turned to Zhang Zongxun and said: "Zong Xun's strengths are steady and generous, but you are too honest, and you are not strong when you should be strong!" In this regard, you still have to learn from Mr. Peng! ”
This sentence immediately made Zhang Zongxun's face red. The reason why Mao Zedong suddenly criticized him in this way can be traced back to Zhang Zongxun's mistake in the Datong Jining War during the Liberation War.
Before the Battle of Datong in 1946, the People's Liberation Army had gradually taken the Jinsui and Jin-Cha-Ji regions, so Datong became a must for the People's Liberation Army: once Datong was taken, the People's Liberation Army could connect the two liberated areas together, which would also play a very positive role in the subsequent liberation war.
In the calculations of the general headquarters at that time, although the army defending the city was Yan Xishan's confidant General Chu Xichun, the combat effectiveness of the defending team was weak, and our troop strength was as high as four times, and Zhang Zongxun, the leader of the troops, had long been promoted to deputy commander of the Northwest Field Army.
At this point, Zhang Zongxun officially took office.
In August 1946, Zhang Zongxun led a total of 50 regiments to launch an attack on Datong.
Unexpectedly, due to the lack of heavy siege equipment at that time, in order to seize the outer Dongguan stronghold, Zhang Zongxun spent nearly a month.
On the other hand, when he was trying to attack the city, Chu Xichun also constantly telegraphed Yan Xishan in the city to request reinforcements.
Due to mutual suspicion within the Kuomintang, this task of rushing to the aid "turned around" internally, and was eventually pushed by Chiang Kai-shek on the head of the nearest Fu Zuoyi.
Fu Zuoyi has long had a "covetous heart" for Datong, which is rich in coal and Ugin.
After receiving the order, Fu Zuoyi resolutely planned a "siege wei to save Zhao" according to Zhang Zongxun's fighting style, and the "Wei" that made him prepare for the siege was Jining not far from Datong.
In September, Fu Zuoyi began to make a surprise attack in the direction of Jining, and Zhang Zongxun, who learned the news, quickly led his troops back to reinforcements.
Because the reinforcement was too hasty, Zhang Zongxun did not even know where Fu Zuoyi's real destination was at first, so he hurriedly marched in the direction of Zhangjiakou, and this also made him miss Fu Zuoyi by "yin and yang".
At that time, Fu Zuoyi sent Dong Qiwu to conquer Jining, and he himself ambushed zhang Zongxun on the only way to return to help, preparing to imitate the People's Liberation Army at that time and come to a "siege to help".
Unexpectedly, Zhang Zongxun's mistake caused the team to go around in a big circle, just missing the route where he was ambushed.
However, after this, Zhang Zongxun never had such a lucky moment.
On September 11, Zhang Zongxun surrounded Dong Qiwu on three sides, and the situation at this time was still favorable to our army; Dong Qiwu, who was surrounded by it, understood the stakes even more, and he knew that once Jining was lost, his troops and Fu Zuoyi would "lose everything in the pan."
Therefore, under the call and leadership of Dong Qiwu, the Kuomintang army that fought against the water "killed the red eye", but Zhang Zongxun misjudged the situation, and after he led his troops to the vicinity of Jining, he actually let the army reorganize and rest and recuperate.
The situation on the battlefield was changing rapidly, and Zhang Zongxun's decision gave Dong Qiwu an opportunity to take advantage of it.
Taking advantage of this day, Dong Qiwu ordered a counterattack on Zhang Zongxun's forces, and finally temporarily captured Jining. What was originally an extremely powerful battle against us was thus boiled into a pot of "sandwich rice"!
Although after this, Zhang Zongxun led his army to counterattack in time, and joined forces with Nie Rongzhen, Yang Chengwu and others to retake Jining and relieve the immediate crisis, however, the impact of this mistake on the failure was extremely significant and far-reaching.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > four, the tiger father has no dog, and the son continues the wind of the general</h1>
Zhang Zongxun, who was half a life on horseback, also had a profound impact on his children.
Zhang Zongxun had two sons and a daughter in his lifetime, the eldest son was named Zhang Xinxia, and he had a special love for aerospace since he was a child.
Therefore, with the support of Zhang Zongxun, Zhang Xinxia successfully entered the Chinese aerospace industry and once served as the director of the planning department of the China Aerospace Industry Corporation.
The second son, Zhang Youxia, is the best interpretation of "tiger father without dog".
Since childhood, Zhang Youxia has been particularly fond of military books under the influence of his father and has longed for military life. After being at the right age, Zhang Youxia couldn't wait to join the army and became a loyal warrior who defended his family and country like his father.
In 1979, China broke out in self-defense counterattack war, and Zhang Youxia signed up for the first time. On the battlefield, Zhang Youxia showed bravery and fierceness, while observing meticulously, and made great contributions to the victory of the war.
During a battle with the Vietnamese army, Zhang Youxia found that the flank protection on the opposite side was weak, so he decisively gave up the frontal charge and instead led a squad to sneak up on the Vietnamese army from the flank, successfully disrupting the deployment of the other side, and finally winning the war with very little sacrifice;
Similarly, in the Battle of Lao Shan in China and Vietnam, Zhang Youxia used the "combination of infantry and artillery" method learned in the military academy to easily defeat the strength of six regiments of the Vietnamese army with fewer enemies and more enemies, and this battle was later recorded in textbooks for soldiers to analyze and study.
In 2011, due to his repeated military achievements, Zhang Youxia was also awarded the rank of general and promoted successively, and then served as the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, with the rank of vice minister.
This achievement is much better than the descendants of many marshals and generals, which shows that Zhang Zongxun's teachings are good and his family style is excellent.
From the rebellion in feudal society to the long revolutionary years that followed, Zhang Zongxun made immortal contributions to the party and the country.
He bravely fought against the enemy on the battlefield, and although he had encountered mistakes, his flaws were not hidden, and every victory he won in the war for the founding and growth of new China was a achievement for all to see.
After the founding of New China, Zhang Zongxun even trained a group of extremely outstanding children for the country, who fulfilled their duties in their posts and contributed to the country's later development.
Today, Zhang Zongxun has long been ancient, but his spirit and excellent family style are still passed down from generation to generation.
Today, bathed in the light of the prosperity and strength of new China, we should read history and seek the ancients, extract the fine spirit from these people, and carry it forward.
This is a precious legacy of the older generation of revolutionaries, and it is the best example we should use to encourage ourselves.
Don't forget your original intention, forge ahead. The wheel of the development of the times is rolling forward, we must also continue to improve, let us work together for a more brilliant future, for the great Chinese dream and continue to work hard, upward!