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Preface
In the mid-80s of the last century, in response to the party's call, Lieutenant General Wu Xinquan voluntarily retired, leaving the leadership opportunity to younger cadres. After his retirement, he devoted himself to the arduous task of compiling the history of the 39th Army, which is a review of his fighting years and an affectionate remembrance of his sacrificed comrades.
In the face of his wife's concern and suggestions, Wu Xinquan insisted on doing it himself, showing his firm belief as a Communist Party member and his respect for historical authenticity. But will he be able to complete the last task in this life and leave a real 39th Army to future generations?
Wu Xinquan devoted himself to the revolutionary cause since he was a teenager. At the age of fifteen, he joined the local Red Guards and showed extraordinary courage and determination. Three years later, he took an even more important step and became a member of the Communist Party. General Wu's life trajectory is the epitome of a legendary military career. His name is closely associated with bravery and bravery, and in the hearts of his colleagues and the people, he is the "victorious general" who has performed well in both the military and political fields.
In the spring of 1940, Wu Xinquan, as the political commissar of the new Second Brigade of the Eighth Route Army, led his team to Weiying District, Si County, in northeastern Anhui Province. The local leadership here organized a warm welcome ceremony to pay tribute to and welcome the brave soldiers of the new 2nd Brigade. Yu Huiru, a member of the local district working committee, was entrusted with the important task of presiding over the meeting, and after her brief but enthusiastic speech, Wu Xinquan took the stage to speak on behalf of the new Second Brigade, showing his leadership charisma.
During the event, the propaganda team of the New Second Brigade also performed a wonderful program, and Yu Huiru and Wu Xinquan both sat in the audience to enjoy it. Wu Xinquan took this opportunity to ask Yu Huiru about some personal information. Knowing that this young woman had been involved in the work at such a young age, and that now, despite being only 16 years old, was carrying such a great responsibility, he couldn't help but be impressed by Yu Huiru.
Because of Yu Huiru's love for singing and dancing, she quickly established a deep friendship with the members of the propaganda team. Her talent and enthusiasm prompted members of the publicity team to invite her to join. After careful consideration, Yu Huiru submitted an application to join the army, and once approved, she joined the propaganda team and began her military life.
Soon after, Li Xuesan, director of the brigade's political department, approached Yu Huiru, gave her a detailed introduction to Wu Xinquan's background, and offered to match the two. At first, Ms. Yu did not respond directly to the proposal. However, as time went on, her interactions with Wu Xinquan increased, and Yu Huiru discovered that Wu Xinquan had many admirable qualities, and gradually decided that he was a person who could be trusted for life. After a period of communication, Yu Huiru found Li Xuesan and agreed that he would come forward as an introducer.
In the autumn of 1940, Wu Xinquan received a telegram from the organization that he was about to go to Yan'an to attend the Sixth Plenary Session of the Central Committee. On the eve of his departure, he said an affectionate farewell to Yu Huiru. Yu Huiru firmly stated that no matter what happens, she will stick to her promise to Wu Xinquan. After Wu Xinquan returned from Yan'an, they held a simple and solemn wedding on December 22, 1940, with Li Xuesan as the officiant of the wedding.
In the autumn of 1950, the U.S. U.S. forces, led by General MacArthur, rapidly advanced to the Sino-North Korean border, demonstrating their formidable military might, directly threatening the security of the Korean Peninsula and posing a potential danger to the industrial base in the northeast of the mainland. In such an urgent international situation, the Chinese government responded to the DPRK's request for help and decided to send troops to support, and Wu Xinquan, commander of the 39th Army, was one of them.
Soon after the troops led by Wu Xinquan stepped into Korea, they ushered in a strong offensive of the 1st Division of the US Army. After receiving Commander Peng Dehuai's strategic instructions, Wu Xinquan spent the night studying tactics and vowed to shine in this battle. His decision was to launch a surprise attack before the enemy retreated, seize important passages, form an encirclement network, and catch the American troops by surprise.
This move was highly praised by Peng Dehuai in the summary of the follow-up campaign, and he pointed out that this was a key victory for our army, and the "trump card" troops of the US army could not resist the bravery of the 39th Army. In the ensuing battle, Wu Xinquan used covert tactics to make the enemy mistakenly believe that the volunteers had retreated, and then launched an attack, a strategy that greatly shook the morale of the American army.
At the end of 1950, Wu Xinquan commanded the 39th Army to achieve remarkable achievements in the liberation of Pyongyang, and quickly turned to the next goal - to break through the 38th parallel and go straight to the capital. He personally reconnoitred the terrain of the Imjin River, accurately found the breakthrough, and then led his troops to secretly lurk, waiting for the best time to launch a surprise attack.
After waiting all night in icy weather, the troops finally launched a decisive attack the next day, completely unexpected by the enemy. The offensive not only forced the U.S. forces to retreat, but also led to the death of Walker, the commander of the U.S. Eighth Army, in the chaos. Through these actions, Wu Xinquan demonstrated outstanding military talent, not only winning important victories on the battlefield, but also laying the foundation for subsequent strategic layouts.
At the beginning of 1951, the Volunteer Army was in a difficult situation due to a shortage of supplies and constant pressure from the enemy. Against this backdrop, the Chinese People's Volunteers, together with the Korean People's Army, launched a well-planned counterattack in the Hoengseong area on February 11 with the aim of changing the passive situation on the battlefield.
Although the counterattack at Hoengseong lasted less than 48 hours, it achieved remarkable results, completely crushing three regiments of the ROK Army's 8th Division, as well as parts of the US Army's 2nd Division and other units, and destroying more than 12,000 enemy troops, including more than 7,800 prisoners.
This operation not only shocked the opponent, but also forced the Allied commander Ridgway to admit in his memoirs that his army was forced to retreat, and the US 2nd Division suffered a heavy blow in artillery equipment, especially in terms of artillery equipment.
The counterattack was carried out under the command of Deputy Commander Deng Hua and involved several of the main corps of the Volunteer Army, including the 39th, 40th, 42nd and 66th Armies. In particular, the 39th Army, in a fierce battle, not only eliminated 3,300 enemy troops, but also captured more than 800 American soldiers, setting a record for the number of American troops captured in a single battle.
This counterattack battle was not only a tactical victory, but also a great boost to the morale of the volunteers at the strategic level, showing the determination and ability to counterattack the enemy and seize the initiative under difficult conditions, and laying confidence for the follow-up battle.
In 1951, Wu Xinquan ended his mission in North Korea and returned to China to report on his work. After completing the mission, he was sent to Liaoyang, Liaoning Province to continue his duties. Although his family lived in Liaoyang at this time, Wu Xinquan never relaxed his dedication to work. When his subordinates suggested that he visit his family by the way, he firmly refused, emphasizing that his mission was to serve the country and not to abandon the public service for personal reasons.
Wu Xinquan and his wife Yu Huiru lived an unpretentious life. Despite the large number of children in the family, they always adhere to the principle of frugality. They inculcate in their children the values of thrift and thrift, even if the quality of the clothes distributed by the school is mediocre.
With the tension of the family economy and the shortage of materials, Wu Xinquan decided to solve the problem with practical actions. He bought a sewing machine and plans to make clothes for the children himself. Faced with Yu Huiru's unfamiliarity with sewing techniques, Wu Xinquan encouraged her to learn and strive for self-improvement. Faced with the economic pressure of buying fabrics, Wu Xinquan had an idea and thought of using the army's scrapped parachutes to make clothes. This innovative move not only solved the problem, but also unexpectedly won praise from the outside world.
The children of the Wu family grew up with strict family education, and many chose to join the army. Wu Xinquan has strict requirements for them: fair competition, no use of any privileges. He also made it mandatory for the children to pay their first month's wages to their families, with the aim of teaching them to cherish every penny given by the people.
Even after the children grew up and the family's economic conditions improved, Wu Xinquan still insisted on his frugal lifestyle. He donated the money he saved to those in need, embodying his life creed of "taking from the people, using it for the people".
On a spring day in 1955, Wu Xinquan was given the rank of lieutenant general, and the news reached his home, causing a small period of turmoil. Yu Huiru has her own views on her husband's new military rank. She believes that Wu Xinquan should be given a higher rank in view of his outstanding performance in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea and his important position as deputy commander of the West Coast Command.
In this regard, Wu Xinquan's attitude is firm and serious. He told his wife that he had joined the revolution not for personal fame and fortune, and that the rank of lieutenant general had been highly recognized by the Central Committee, and that he was grateful for this, and that there was no need for more. Although there is controversy in the historical record about whether Yu Huiru really "fought for Wu Xinquan's military rank", many historians tend to believe that this is more likely to be speculation or exaggeration by later generations.
In fact, as a woman who has experienced the baptism of revolution, Yu Huiru has a deep understanding and awareness of the party's overall situation. In Wu Xinquan's military career, although he has repeatedly performed miraculous feats, from any point of view, he was appropriately awarded the rank of lieutenant general under the circumstances and conditions at that time.
Wu Xinquan and his family, especially Yu Huiru, have always viewed honor and status on the basis of the principle of serving the country and the people, rather than personal fame and fortune.
One summer day in 1960, Wu Xinquan and his wife, Yu Huiru, were invited to a grand ball in the Great Hall of the People. Here they met Premier Zhou Enlai. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Yu Huiru proposed to dance with the premier, and her deep respect for the premier was overflowing, praising him for his tremendous contributions to the diplomatic cause of New China.
Premier Zhou responded with his characteristic humor, praising Yu Huiru for being able to raise 12 children as if she were a powerful aircraft carrier. This metaphor elicited a smile from everyone present. Chairman Mao Zedong happened to join them in the conversation at the ball. After learning about Wu Xinquan's family situation, he also praised Premier Zhou's metaphor and praised Yu Huiru as a heroic among women.
Since then, whenever Premier Zhou meets Mr. and Mrs. Wu Xinquan, he always asks them about the status of their many children. Mr. and Mrs. Wu treated Premier Zhou as family and shared the details of their family with him. On the premise of ensuring that party discipline is not touched, Premier Zhou always tries his best to provide help and support.
In the autumn breeze of 1988, Lieutenant General Wu Xinquan stepped into another stage of his life -- he left his post to recuperate, and he was a retired cadre at the rank of a major military region. Although he has taken off his military uniform, he still keeps a close eye on national affairs, listening to current affairs and thinking about the future and progress of the country through the radio every day. As he grew older, Wu Xinquan's health became weaker and weaker, and his physical condition became more and more deteriorating.
On December 22, 1990, they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. Wu Xinquan and Yu Huiru's twelve children, as well as their grandchildren, held an unforgettable celebration for the elderly couple, witnessing their lifelong perseverance and love. Li Xuesan and his wife also attended the celebration, adding a bit of warmth to this long and deep relationship.
Looking back on the past half century, Wu Xinquan and Yu Huiru have gone through countless ups and downs together. From the battlefield of resistance against Japan to the battlefield of Korea, whether it was the war-torn front line or the support work in the rear, they have always been heart-to-heart, and jointly contributed their youth and strength to the country and the people.
Especially during the Korean War, even though Yu Huiru had just added to the family, she resolutely supported her husband to go to the battlefield, and she stayed in the rear to ensure the continuous supply of logistics, showing the firm faith and indomitable spirit of a Communist Party member.
In the spring of 1992, Wu Xinquan, a hero of the generation, passed away quietly in Beijing at the age of 80. In the last years of his life, Wu Xinquan showed the tenacity and courage of a soldier in the face of the fragility and impermanence of life, and his attitude showed us what true open-mindedness and courage are. Despite the invasion of the disease, his spirit never gave in, and he used his own experience to warn future generations to cherish life, have the courage to face difficulties, and stick to faith until the end of life.