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Wen | Nan
Editor|Nan
preface
On January 6, 1972, the great revolutionary and military scientist Marshal Chen Yi passed away at the age of 71. While his wife Zhang Qian was collecting relics, she accidentally found a letter under the pillow where Chen Yi slept. When Zhang Qian opened the envelope, tears welled up in her eyes - it turned out that this was a letter of entrustment left by Chen Yi to his wife before he died.
So what exactly is the special meaning of this letter?
I. Unwavering Revolutionary Friendship - The First Meeting between Chen Yi and Mao Zedong
In 1919, at the age of 24, Chen Yi returned from France, determined to transform old China. A year later, he joined the Communist Party of China and began his revolutionary path.
In the Nanchang Uprising and the Agrarian Revolutionary War, he forged ahead courageously and made many miraculous achievements. However, several three-year guerrilla wars in the south, which nearly killed him, also made him feel the hardships and dangers of the revolutionary road.
During a reorganization in Chongyi County, Jiangxi, the remnants of the Nanchang Uprising led by Chen Yi and the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army led by Mao Zedong met for the first time. Although the two exchanged letters, they never met. When the hands of the two clasped together, they knew that it was an encounter of fate.
After three hours of long talks, Chen Yi's revolutionary determination became even stronger. The two talked about French literature, especially Rousseau and Hugo, and it turned out that the two surprisingly resonated on this point. When parting, Mao Zedong wrote to Chen Yi: "Seeing each other late, comforting each other's lives, hoping to discuss things with each other." The three "phase" characters in the letter made Chen Yi feel Mao Zedong's trust and closeness.
I don't know how many times the scene where the two met has been watched by others. The formation of the whole procession took steady steps, and the eager eyes of the revolutionaries seemed to see through the fellow villagers. At that moment, Chen Yi only felt that his blood was boiling, this is the cradle of new China, and it is also the place where his dream began.
Chen Yi still remembers the content of his conversation with Chairman Mao. Talking about the bits and pieces of Paris, is the French sky really so blue? Or does memory glorify it? Chen Yi came one by one, painting his voice.
He talked about how French students pursued freedom and equality, which stimulated his interest in Marx, and talked about the words written by French literary heroes full of human brilliance, which made people unable to extricate themselves. Chairman Mao listened with relish and interjected from time to time to express his approval.
Three hours passed in a flash. When he said goodbye, Chairman Mao held Chen Yi's hand and said: "The heavens will descend on the people of Sri Lanka, and they must first work hard for their hearts and minds." We still have a long way to go, but victory will ultimately belong to the people. Chen Yi was deeply touched by these words and was full of pride.
In 1949, Chen Yi was appointed mayor of Shanghai. Mao Zedong agreed with this very much, believing that Chen Yi's Confucian demeanor was the most suitable for this heavy task. After capturing Tingzhou, Chen Yi wrote a congratulatory poem to Mao Zedong, expressing his longing for his friend. Mao Zedong joked that this poem was written more courageously than him.
After the founding of New China, the two often sang peace in poetry. In 1957, Chen Yi visited Burma and wrote a song "Gift to Burmese Friends" to express the friendship between the two countries. He painted the golden temples of Myanmar, prayed that the two countries would never be united, praised the kindness and warmth of the people of Myanmar, and expressed his hope that the friendship between the two countries would last forever.
In 1960, he wrote "Green Pine" in the face of natural disasters, expressing his determination to defy hardships and dangers. "Look at the green pine, standing tall in the snow, the waves are rough, and it can't stop its arms stretched to the sky." The verses contain the strength to persevere to the end. Chen Yi knew that difficulties would inevitably be encountered on the road of revolution, but as long as the people united, difficulties would eventually be overcome.
Chen Yi often expresses his true feelings in his poems. He hoped for peace in the world, painted a picture of the people's happy life, grasped the shortcomings of the times, criticized the reality of corruption and degeneration, and praised the passion of youth and hoped for a bright future. These works cleansed Mao Zedong's heart like a spring spring. Whenever Chen Yi has a new work, the first person who comes to mind is Mao Zedong.
In such a quiet time, the disease came quietly.
2. Death in the Dusk - Commemorating Marshal Chen Yi
In 1971, Marshal Chen Yi was admitted to the 301 Hospital due to physical discomfort. It was May Day, and Beijing was shrouded in a joyful and peaceful atmosphere. However, the struggle for life is staged in the 301 hospital.
After the examination, the doctor diagnosed Marshal Chen Yi with colon cancer and had to undergo surgery immediately. Premier Zhou learned that his old friend was seriously ill and gave instructions as soon as possible, hoping to save Marshal Chen Yi's life. After the operation, Marshal Chen Yi had a high fever that did not subside, the knife edge was infected, and his condition continued to deteriorate. The doctors worked day and night, but the flame of life of the old marshal was dimming.
Fortunately, after a period of treatment, by October, Marshal Chen Yi's condition improved. He was able to temporarily leave the 301 Hospital and come to Beidaihe to recuperate. In this quiet and peaceful seaside town, travel with two old friends, Zhu De and Nie Rongzhen.
Three gray-haired elders walked slowly in the sun and sea breeze, climbed to the roof of the nursing home, moved a few rattan chairs, looked into the distance, and talked about the past. Getting along day and night, reminding them of the time when they struggled together many years ago, is full of emotion.
Just when Marshal Chen Yi was over his age, he was plagued by illness again, and he could only be bedridden and transferred to Beijing Ritan Hospital for treatment. The doctor opened an operation to remove the cancer cells, which made the old marshal's condition improve. However, by the end of 1971, Marshal Chen Yi had developed an intermittent coma.
In the early morning of December 24, the daughter heard her father weakly say that she wanted to eat noodles. That is the old man's surviving will to life. In this way, Marshal Chen Yi ate his last meal at dusk in Beijing, under the gaze of doctors and daughters, away from the battlefield.
In the late evening of January 6, 1972, the old marshal died suddenly in the Beijing hospital at the age of 70. When the bad news reached Zhongnanhai, Chairman Mao was speechless for a long time, and his heart was sad.
The two have fought side by side and have a close relationship. Chairman Mao immediately instructed a grand memorial service, and many important leaders came to mourn the revolutionary father.
After that, Chairman Mao's mental state was slumped, he did not speak during the day, could not sleep at night, and looked sad when he saw everyone. Decreased metabolism and no appetite throughout the day. Everyone could see that he was struggling with the death of his friend for many years.
At dusk, the confidant is gone. The death of the old marshal not only made it difficult for Chairman Mao to recover, but also heralded the gradual decline of a generation of great people. The past is like a separate life, time is like an arrow, the prosperous age of youth has passed, and all that remains is remembrance and endless melancholy.
Although Marshal Chen Yi held a high position before his death, he still had an unfulfilled wish before his death.
3. The story in the handwritten letter
Before his death, Marshal Chen Yi always had a wish, that is, to sort out the manuscripts of poems he had written over the years. In 1971, he proposed this idea to his wife Zhang Qian at home, hoping to organize and publish it into a book as soon as possible. However, due to Chen Yi's poor health and spending many hours in the hospital, this wish has not been realized.
In January 1972, Chen Yi passed away. While sorting through her husband's belongings, Zhang Qian accidentally found a letter under his pillow, which was somewhat yellowish and curled, which could be seen to be some years old. Zhang Qian carefully opened the envelope, and inside was a reply letter from Chairman Mao to Chen Yi in 1965.
It turned out that after Chen Yi returned from a visit to six Asian and African countries in 1965, he was happy and wrote a set of five-word poems "Trip to Six Countries" to express what he saw and felt. He carefully bound these poems and personally sent them to Chairman Mao, hoping to consult for guidance. After reading it, Chairman Mao made some changes to the first poem and wrote this detailed reply to Chen Yi.
In the letter, Chairman Mao first fully affirmed Chen Yi's talent for poetry creation, saying that Chen Yi's poetry was simple and smooth, full of revolutionary atmosphere. Then, Chairman Mao modestly said that he was also a beginner in poetry, did not know much about the laws of flat rhyme, and needed to learn from experts such as Dong Biwu and Ye Jianying. However, Chairman Mao patiently pointed out that Chen Yi's original poem did not fit well with the Gram poem in form, and the revised version was more rigorous.
After the revision, the poem was significantly richer and more vivid in the expression of imagery, Chairman Mao added words such as "driving the earth" and "relatives and friends", and used a variety of ingenious bixing techniques. The mood of poetry has thus been elevated to a new level. This letter has undoubtedly become the most valuable reply Chen Yi has received, and it is also the highest evaluation of his poetry.
After that, whenever Chen Yi was ill and hospitalized, he would carefully carry the letter with him and put it under the pillow of the hospital bed as a spiritual sustenance. When he is free, he will take out this letter and read it repeatedly, absorbing the nourishment of creation.
In 1971, when he mentioned to Zhang Qian that he wanted to organize his poems for publication, he specifically mentioned that "we should follow the spirit of the instructions in the chairman's letter." Unfortunately, Chen Yi's health deteriorated, and he did not fulfill this wish in the end.
After Zhang Qian found this letter, she couldn't help but burst into tears. She was determined to fulfill her husband's last wish and compile and publish Chen Yi's poetry collection under Chairman Mao's guidance. This is not only a promise to Chen Yi, but also the best portrayal of the deep friendship between the two revolutionaries of the older generation.
Chairman Mao regarded Chen Yi as a brother and a brother who was willing to impart the essence of poetry, while Chen Yi was proud to have received guidance and regarded this letter as the supreme honor.
Zhang Qian should fulfill this wish dedicated to Chen Yi. She had to carefully organize Chen Yi's many years of poetry, transcribe and sort out Chairman Mao's revisions, and contact publishing agencies.
Perhaps consider using "Stories in Letters" as the title of the book, which not only records Chen Yi's poetic achievements, but also leaves the deep affection of the two great men across time and space. This letter is not only a poetic technique, but also carries the revolutionary friendship between the two
And Zhang Qian also did everything on the way to fulfill Marshal Chen Yi's last wish.
4. Complete Chen Yi's last wish
In 1972, two months after Chen Yi's death, his widow Zhang Qian was diagnosed with lung cancer. This is undoubtedly another painful blow to Chen Yi's family.
However, Zhang Qian was not deterred by the disease, and she was determined to sort out Chen Yi's more than 300 unscrutinized poems. This became the most important cause in Zhang Qian's life.
In this way, Zhang Qian, who was seriously ill, began to work day and night. In order to complete this difficult task, she invited Chen Yi's former friend Zhao Puchu to help. Zhao Puchu readily agreed, even though he himself was old. And Zhang Qian knew that without the assistance of someone like Zhao Puchu who was familiar with Chen Yi's style, it would be difficult to complete this work by herself.
Zhang Qian's condition deteriorated so much that she had to let her children read the poems to her, and only get out of bed to read them when they got better. She worked hours a day, carrying poems with her and flipping through them everywhere. Whenever she flipped through the manuscripts, she often felt sad about Chen Yi and burst into tears. She deeply missed Chen Yi's surging passion, deep connotation, and ethereal charm.
In order to compile a good selection of poems, Zhang Qian put a lot of effort into researching the background of the creation of each poem. She flipped through the archives herself, dragged the sick body, visited Chen Yi's old comrades-in-arms, and asked them about the situation back then. She also consulted a large number of historical texts and examined the historical allusions in the poems to ensure that the annotations of each poem were accurate and reliable.
In December 1972, after Zhang Qian completed the manuscript, she insisted on visiting Chen Yi's former residence at Biyun Temple, recalling the picture of traveling with Chen Yi, and could not calm down for a long time. She stood at Biyun Temple, looking at the Yilu Vajra Pagoda, and recalled the scene when Chen Yi took her here in 1959. Looking at the mountains from afar, the ancient trees towering in the sky, Zhang Qian couldn't help but cry like rain.
In 1973, Zhang Qian's condition worsened, but she still insisted on working. In order to live up to Chen Yi's trust, she continued to supervise the work of typists despite the pain and torment. When Ye Jianying learned about it, he immediately sent someone to help. At the end of 1973, the "Selected Poems of Chen Yi" was finally published.
Zhang Qian immediately entrusted someone to give it to Ye Jianying and asked him to forward a copy to Chairman Mao. Soon, Chairman Mao came to visit the hospital and spoke highly of the book of poetry.
In 1974, the collection of poems was printed and bound. Zhang Qian asked the children to quickly distribute to Chen Yi's old comrades-in-arms, hoping that they could also recall Chen Yi's style bones from the poem. In March, Zhang Qian ended with a smile with the satisfaction of fulfilling her last wish, under the care of the leadership of the Party Central Committee.
She is not afraid of difficulties and pours all her heart and soul into fulfilling her husband's last wish. Zhang Qian can be described as a strange woman. She remembered Chen Yi in her own way, and also left a good story for future generations to remember. This selection of posthumous works is Zhang Qian's best evaluation of Chen Yi's life, and it is also a testimony of her infinite attachment to Chen Yi.
The author thinks
The touching deeds in history are worth learning and inheriting, and it is important to look at history with an open and realistic attitude and uphold patriotism. We must not forget our original intention on the road of history and continue to move forward.
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