Preface
When it comes to Wang Jinshan and Xu Shiyou, the legendary story of these two founding generals is a household name. What few people know is that Xu Shiyou and Wang Jinshan experienced the baptism of blood and fire during the war years and formed a deep friendship.
During the Red Army, when Xu Shiyou served as the commander of the Fourth Army of the Fourth Front Army, Wang Jinshan served as the deputy commander of the 10th Division under his command. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Xu Shiyou and Wang Jinshan became important military cadres of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, although the two generals did not have much contact, a "divorce incident" led to Wang Jinshan being removed from his post and delegated. Xu Shiyou, who has always disliked begging for people, made an exception to intercede for him when he learned that his old comrade-in-arms was suppressed.
Feng Shui took turns, and many years later, when Xu Shiyou was wrongly criticized, Wang Jinshan, who was the deputy chief of staff of the Nanjing Military Region, only said two words.
1. Wang Jinshan, who has had ups and downs in his life
Compared with the relatively flat experience of General Xu Shiyou's life, Wang Jinshan has a life of ups and downs. In 1915, Wang Jinshan was born in Xujiatian Village, Gaoqiao, Hong'an County, Hubei Province, his original name was Wang Wenshan, and his real name was changed to Wang Jinshan after participating in the revolution.
Like many generals in the Republic, Wang Jinshan was also born in a poor family, joined the army at the age of 15, served as a company commander at the age of 16, and was wounded seven times because of his bravery in battle.
Once, Wang Jinshan and an enemy were fighting on a cliff, and the two scuffled together, holding each other and falling down the mountain. The enemy was pierced by sharp stones, and Wang Jinshan also suffered multiple fractures, but fortunately he was found by his comrades and luckily picked up a life.
Picture: Li Yunlong in the TV series
With his combat bravery, Wang Jinshan gradually became the commander of the troops. Whenever he was in battle, Wang Jinshan not only took the lead, but also had a great command talent, and won many times at critical moments and turned the tide.
For example, in the TV series "Bright Sword", there is such a scene, Li Yunlong, the head of the Independent Regiment of the Eighth Route Army, got a tip that a Japanese army observation group will pass through his jurisdiction. In the end, Li Yunlong set up an ambush and killed many high-ranking Japanese officers in one fell swoop.
This episode really happened on the battlefield of resistance against Japan, and its protagonist is Wang Jinshan.
It was in October 1943, Wang Jinshan, then the commander of the Second Division of the Taiyue Military Region, was ordered by the head of the 129th Division Liu Deng to lead the 16th Regiment of the 386th Brigade from Taihang Mountain back to northern Shaanxi to defend Yan'an.
More than 2,000 officers and men of the regiment traveled westward and soon came to the area of Hanluo Village in Linfen, on the edge of the Taiyue base area. The scout reported to Wang Jinshan that the road next to the village was often passed by Japanese troops, and the terrain was very dangerous, which was very suitable for ambushes. Wang Jinshan made a quick decision and decided to take advantage of the favorable terrain of Hanluo Village to fight a clean ambush battle.
In the early morning of October 24, 1943, the six companies of the 16th Regiment on ambush combat missions secretly entered the crops on both sides of the Hanluo Village raid.
At about 8 o'clock in the morning, the sound of automobile engines was heard from the direction of Linfen, and the scouts saw that the Japanese convoy of three cars and 13 trucks was slowly driving into the ambush circle. After three hours of bloody fighting, more than 180 Japanese troops were all annihilated by our army.
After the battle, the Eighth Route Army learned from the documents captured while cleaning the battlefield that the annihilated Japanese army was actually the "Imperial Army Officers' Observation Group" organized by Okamura Ninji, commander-in-chief of the Japanese invasion of China.
At that time, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression had already entered the stage of mutual confrontation, and Okamura Ninji, as the commander-in-chief of the Japanese army invading China, in order to implement the "new combat method of a three-tiered position in a drum type" adopted against the Taiyue base area of the Eighth Route Army, made a big blow everywhere and specially organized the fifth and sixth squadrons of the infantry school of the Japanese army dispatch army and some other officers to form a "battlefield visit group of the headquarters of the North China Dispatch Army." A total of more than 180 people rushed from Linfen to the front line of the Taiyue theater to observe and study.
Unexpectedly, as soon as this observation group arrived in the Taiyue Military Region, it ran into Wang Jinshan. According to statistics, the 16th Regiment killed more than 120 Japanese officers, including a major general, brigade commander, and a wing commander, and more than 60 elite soldiers.
The invincible "Imperial Army Officers' Observation Group" was wiped out in front of the heroic Eighth Route Army.
During the Liberation War, Wang Jinshan served as the commander of the Sixth Column of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army. In August 1946, Chiang Kai-shek dispatched 16 integrated divisions and nearly 400,000 strong troops to launch an attack on the liberated areas of Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, and Henan.
At that time, the Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, and Henan field armies had only four columns of about 50,000 people, and in order to crush the enemy's attack, Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping decided to concentrate their existing forces and first annihilate the enemy's third division, which was advancing alone.
Lieutenant General Wang Jinshan
The reorganized Third Division was Chiang Kai-shek's descendant troops, participated in the expedition to Burma, was well-equipped and well-trained, the division commander Zhao Xitian was a graduate of the first phase of Whampoa, and his uncle was Gu Zhutong, commander-in-chief of the Kuomintang Army.
But Zhao Xitian was a man of great ambition and talent, and he did not listen to the advice of his colleagues, and insisted on leading the troops to advance. Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping believed that as long as they seized the favorable situation of this army advancing alone, and resolutely and resolutely ate them, they would be able to reverse the passive situation of our army in the Central Plains in one fell swoop.
It is easy to say, the reorganized Third Division is well-equipped, and its individual combat capability is not inferior to that of the people's army, and it is not easy to eat the enemy's ace main force with the 50,000 tired divisions of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Military Region.
Wang Jinshan took the case, and he issued a military order to the two leaders Liu and Deng. After the outbreak of the war, Wang Jinshan decisively invested all the reserves and organized the cadres and miscellaneous personnel of the organs to participate in the decisive battle.
In the end, the enemy's reorganized third division failed to withstand the full attack of the sixth column of the Shanxi-Hebei-Luyu Field Army, and the division commander Zhao Xitian was even more restrained.
At the end of June 1947, Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping led their troops to leap thousands of miles into Dabie Mountain, and it was still Wang Jinshan and his sixth column who served as the pioneer in this southward army.
In the Battle of the Joux, the 6th Column repelled the enemy's siege and cleared the way for the rapid crossing of the river by a large army.
In June 1948, Su Yu led the main force of the East China Field Army and the Kuomintang Army to fight in the eastern Henan region, in order to cooperate with the Huaye operation, Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping led the first, second, third and fourth columns of the Central Plains Field Army, which had been renamed the Central Plains Field Army, to attack the Pinghan Line.
At the same time, Liu Bocheng ordered the Sixth Column of Nakano, which had the strongest combat effectiveness, to rest in concealment in the Tanghe area, waiting for the opportunity to occupy Xiangyang in one fell swoop.
On July 15, 1948, Wang Jinshan finally waited for the opportunity to launch his order to launch a general offensive. After a night of bloody fighting, more than 20,000 Kuomintang troops stationed in Xiangyang were completely annihilated by the People's Liberation Army.
Throughout the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, Wang Jinshan made great contributions. After the liberation of the country, he served as deputy commander of the Third Corps of the Second Field Army of the People's Liberation Army and commander of the 12th Army, and led his troops to Korea to participate in the Fifth Campaign to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea and the world-famous Shangganling Campaign.
After returning to China, Wang Jinshan successively served as vice minister of public security and deputy commander of the Beijing Military Region, and was awarded the rank of lieutenant general in 1955.
In the mid-60s of the 20th century, because of a divorce, Wang Jinshan was removed and delegated.
Second, Xu Shiyou interceded for Wang Jinshan
In 1964, Wang Jinshan was involved in a divorce incident. The cause of the incident is not too complicated, although Wang Jinshan is invincible and invincible on the battlefield, but in the era of peace, he is an out-and-out love novice, and he fell in love with Han Xiurong, the sister of his wife Han Xiuyan, desperately.
If Wang Jinshan had cut off the love thread immediately, perhaps the later tragedy would not have happened, and if so, he would not be a well-known tiger general.
The marriage problem was originally just an internal contradiction, and Wang Jinshan had no intention of divorcing his wife, but some of Han Xiuyan's practices deeply hurt his self-esteem, and Wang Jinshan angrily submitted the divorce lawsuit to the central government.
As deputy commander of the Beijing Military Region, Wang Jinshan's personal life was no longer purely a personal issue, and his family disputes alarmed the central leadership, which soon caused an uproar throughout the country, and became a typical example of the central government's crackdown on "work style problems" at that time.
Wang Jinshan and his wife Han Xiuyan
In the end, Wang Jinshan was expelled from the party, the deputy commander of the large military region was revoked, his post was administratively demoted, and he was transferred from Beijing to the deputy director of a farm in Henan.
Bigger blows followed, and after being removed and sent to Henan, Han Xiurong also gave up Wang Jinshan and chose to run away from home. Wang Jinshan, who was already physically and mentally exhausted after his family was broken, didn't know who to vomit his bitter water on.
Fortunately, before going to Henan Farm, Huang Shenrong, a servant next to Wang Jinshan, stood up, and she was willing to take care of the chief for the rest of her life.
In October 1964, Huang Shenrong and Wang Jinshan got married, and after marriage, the two went to live together on a farm in Henan and had a daughter and a boy.
Another five years passed, and in the spring of 1969, on the eve of the "Ninth National Congress" of the Communist Party of China, Wang Jinshan wrote three letters one after another, one to his old subordinate, Xiao Yongyin, then commander of the armored corps of the Nanjing Military Region, and the other two asked him to pass them on to Xu Shiyou, one of which asked Xu Shiyou to forward them to Chairman Mao.
After Xu Shiyou received the letter, he realized that the living conditions of his old comrade-in-arms Wang Jinshan were not satisfactory. With his understanding of Wang Jinshan, Xu Shiyou believes that he will not betray the party and the country, and divorcing his wife is just an internal contradiction among the people.
Five years have passed since this incident, and Xu Shiyou hopes that the party Central Committee will give him a chance to reform himself and let Wang Jinshan return to an important post in the PLA.
With this idea, Xu Shiyou, who has always disliked begging people, first asked someone to bring a message to Wang Jinshan, asking him to review it carefully and write down his reflection in detail.
The "Ninth National Congress" of the Communist Party of China was held, Xu Shiyou was elected as a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, became a deputy state-level leader, found Chairman Mao alone, explained Wang Jinshan's problem to him, and handed Wang Jinshan a handwritten letter to his old man.
The letter was sincere and hoped that the organization would give him a chance to return to work. Thinking of Wang Jinshan's past military exploits, coupled with Xu Shiyou's face-to-face intercession, Chairman Mao agreed that Wang Jinshan would leave Henan Farm and serve as deputy chief of staff of the Nanjing Military Region.
After five years, the tiger general finally returned to the military circles. If it weren't for the unremitting efforts of Xu Shiyou, including Xiao Yongyin and others, Wang Jinshan would probably have been able to die on Henan farm.
In July 1969, Wang Jinshan took his wife and children from Henan to Nanjing by train. After getting out of the carriage, Wang Jinshan was surprised to find three old subordinates Xiao Yongyin, You Taizhong, and Wu Shihong standing on both sides of the road to greet him.
Wang Jinshan, who had not shed tears for many years, suddenly burst into tears and was full of emotion, and Wang Jinshan, who had returned to the army, devoted most of his time and energy to the construction of the army.
In 1973, the Central Military Commission decided to transfer the commanders of the eight major military regions, and Xu Shiyou, then commander of the Nanjing Military Region, was ordered to go to the Guangzhou Military Region, and General Ding Sheng succeeded him.
Xu Shiyou, who had just left for Guangzhou to serve as commander of the Military Region, was wrongly criticized. In this case, almost no one dared to speak up for Xu Shiyou, but Wang Jinshan slapped the table at a meeting within the Nanjing Military Region to criticize Xu Shiyou and shouted: Break the meeting!
Although it is only two words, Wang Jinshan has clearly expressed his attitude to everyone, that is, he supports Xu Shiyou from the bottom of his heart. This is not only because Xu Shiyou helped him rehabilitate back then, but because Wang Jinshan always believes that Xu Shiyou, like himself, will not betray the party and the country.
Photo: Admiral Xu Shiyou
It is precisely because Wang Jinshan dared to slap the table at an internal meeting to show his attitude that at least very few people in the Nanjing Military Region dared to discuss Xu Shiyou behind his back.
In the spring of 1974, Wang Jinshan felt unwell, and in November of the same year, he had to be admitted to the hospital because of heavy bleeding, and was diagnosed with stomach cancer.
After long-term treatment on the fourth day of the year, in April 1978, Wang Jinshan, who was suffering from illness, was already delirious. When he was dying, he asked his family in a weak voice: "Where has the enemy hit, and who are we there?"
Wang Jinshan's youngest son replied: "It is Uncle Li Desheng who is on the front line. Hearing this, Wang Jinshan breathed a sigh of relief: "Li Desheng has gone up, and I can sleep with confidence." ”
Listening to the sound of the military horn played especially for him, 63-year-old Wang Jinshan died of illness in Nanjing on May 10, 1978.
epilogue
In 1992, the Academy of Military Sciences published the "Collection of Essays on the Memory of General Wang Jinshan", in which Comrade Xiaoping inscribed the four words "a generation of generals", and Yang Shangkun, Li Xiannian and other party and state leaders also wrote inscriptions.
Wang Jinshan's life is too legendary and his personality is very distinct, and he has made great contributions to the founding of New China. There are also many generals of the same generation who fought side by side with Wang Jinshan, and witnessed the transformation of the Communist Party of China and the people's army from weak to strong, and these revolutionary ancestors deserve our eternal memory.