Preface
Wang Zhen once led 100,000 People's Liberation Army to "enter Xinjiang" and took over Xinjiang in only half a year, building the "Xinjiang Corps", a hoe, a rifle, and reclaiming land while fighting devils.
Chairman Mao gave him the nickname of "Wang Huzi", and he was also the only founding general of Chairman Mao who received special approval to enter Xinjiang "with a gun".
In August 1985, in the list of deputy directors of the Central Advisory Committee drawn up by the Central Committee, he unexpectedly found himself ranked first, which Wang Zhen thought was inappropriate.
He only came in September, and Comrade Bo Yibo has been in charge of the daily work of the Central Advisory Committee for three years, so he resolutely opposed the ranking, and the news reached Bo Yibo, but he didn't expect Bo Yibo to say angrily after learning about it:
"I'm the president, that's it!"
What is going on? What kind of revolutionary friendship does Wang Zhen and Bo Yibo have?
Such a shabby "stubborn old man"
Wang Zhen was born in a poor family, worked as a coachman at the age of 13, had a life in exile, and worked as a porter and handyman at the railway station at the age of 17.
After participating in the revolution, we fought in Hunan and Jiangxi, the Long March, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and the War of Liberation, all of which were spent in economic difficulties.
Those who know Wang Zhen well know that during the war years, Wang Zhen wore straw shoes, goat shoes, and coarse cloth shoes, but never wore leather shoes.
In fact, he said privately to his friends and family:
"Wearing shoes is to protect the feet, as long as the soles of the feet are not worn out, wearing leather shoes is beautiful, but buying a pair of leather shoes can buy seven or eight pairs of cloth shoes, you can't pursue beauty, there are a pair of cloth shoes to cover the feet!"
When reclaiming Nanniwan, even if the first year was harvested, the whole brigade was dressed in new clothes, but Wang Zhen still used an old towel seized in Taihang Mountain, and after three or four years, the white towel had become black and hard.
The guards advised him:
"Chief, no one will pick up this towel if you throw it on the street, it's time to change it!
Wang Zhen said:
"I, I think it can last for another year or two. ”
Even if the guards took it upon themselves to change, Wang Zhen was very annoyed, ordered the guards to get him back immediately, and criticized the guards for having bourgeois ideas, and he used this towel for a few more years.
Every time you wash your face, you have to wet your face with water with both hands, then gently fold the towel into several layers to wipe the water on your face, and then soak the towel in the water and gently rub it clean.
At that time, Wang Enmao, who was the deputy political commissar of the 359 Brigade at that time, said with emotion: "Comrade Wang Zhen's style of hard work has deeply infected and educated the leaders and comrades of our brigade. ”
After the peaceful liberation of Xinjiang, Wang Zhen also took the lead in cutting down on food and clothing, sharing worries for the country, and in order to prepare for the construction of the "Bayi Iron and Steel Plant", Wang Zhen was the first to say that he would donate wages for three years or more.
At the beginning of November 1988, Wang Zhen was on vacation in Zhuhai, and the literary biography team followed him to the draft.
Everyone was afraid of Wang Zhen's excessive expenses, so as not to make his hometown surnamed Li unpleasant, and sure enough, Wang Zhen asked with a gloomy face as soon as they met:
"Who asked you to come, how much does it cost to travel for a few people?"
Everyone said in unison: "There is a military vehicle coming to Zhuhai, and we are coming by hitchhiking!" The old man asked us how many days we had been on the road, and poured hard work on us, and then told the secretary:
"Consumption in the south is high, so pay attention to saving money as much as possible, and concretize the food standards, and do not serve fruit after meals."
还着重提出:
Although the local government is very welcoming to us, the housing must not exceed the standard, if you can open one less house, you must open one less house, you must not live in a single room, and so on.
Until his later years, Wang Zhen was diligent and thrifty, in-depth and simple, Wang Zhen was not only diligent and thrifty, but also very firm in taking the initiative to give up the position of virtuous, for this reason, he also had a "dispute" with Bo Yibo.......
Wang Zhen objected to the ranking of his position and had a heated quarrel with Bo Yibo
In August 1985, the preliminary list of deputy directors of the Central Advisory Committee came out, and Wang Zhen ranked first.
Bo Yibo, who is also a member of the Central Advisory Committee, has been working here for three years and is also an old qualification in the party, Wang Zhen thinks that Bo Yibo is the first place, so he called the secretary and said:
"I don't think this kind of ranking is appropriate, bring me a pen. ”
Wang Zhen picked up the pen, solemnly changed his name to the back of Bo Yibo, and then instructed the secretary to send it to Bo Yibo's office.
After hearing this, Wang Zhen also came to Bo Yibo's office, and he said bluntly:
"Bo Lao, I firmly disagree with this ranking, I must change it. ”
Wang Zhen also said that Bo Yibo was older than himself and should be ranked first.
The two sides were at a stalemate, and Bo Yibo said angrily directly:
"Don't argue, I'm the executive deputy director, and I have the right to stick to this nomination plan, so it's decided. ”
Seeing that Bo Yibo refused to give in, Wang Zhen had no choice but to give up, and after that, he always said to the people around him:
"Comrade Bo Yibo entered the Central Bureau at the Eighth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, he is an old revolutionary, he has outstanding merits, and now he has photographed me in front of Bo Lao, and I am very uneasy in my heart!"
Seeing this, the secretary also comforted:
"This ranking is also considered from the perspective of the whole picture, so you should not shirk it. After hearing this, Wang Zhen thought for a moment and felt that it was very reasonable, so he gladly accepted the position of deputy director of the Central Advisory Committee.
Later, after the election in September, when the ranking of the deputy directors of the Central Advisory Committee was announced, Wang Zhen ranked first and Bo Yibo ranked second.
In fact, Wang Zhen took the initiative to give up his position, but he also took the initiative to "reach out and ask for the official ......"
In the early 80s, Wang Zhen saw in the newspapers and on television that the juvenile crime rate was on the rise in some places, that primary and middle school students were dropping out of school, and that the teaching staff was not stable enough.
He repeatedly exchanged views with his wife Wang Jiqing, who has been engaged in education for many years, and discussed with reporters from Xinhua News Agency, Guangming Daily, and China Education Daily many times, and has become more and more firm in his view that the cultivation of "four haves" newcomers must start from the education of primary and secondary school students, and to do a good job in basic education, we must build a stable and high-quality team of primary and secondary school preschool teachers.
In May 1986, the State Education Commission began to study the establishment of a system of commendation and reward for teachers, and Comrade Li Peng, then vice premier of the State Council and director of the State Education Commission, suggested that a teacher reward fund should be established to pool the strength of the society to commend teachers' achievements and improve the treatment of teachers, and asked Comrade Wang Zhen to serve as honorary chairman.
The person in charge of the State Education Commission came to Wang Zhen's home, explained his intentions, and sincerely asked Comrade Wang Zhen to accept this great trust:
"Mr. Wang, you are highly respected and concerned about education, if you serve as the honorary chairman, a lot of work will be easy to do. ”
Wang Zhen has always been honest and straightforward, he thought a little and said wittily:
"I've never asked for an official in the organization, and this time, I'm making an exception and reaching out to ask for an official. ”
When the comrades of the Education Commission heard this, they were surprised:
"Elder Wang is now the vice chairman of the state, what kind of official do you want from the State Education Commission?"
"In addition to being vice president, I am also the honorary president of the China-Japan Friendship Association, the honorary president of the China International Friendship Liaison Association, and the honorary chairman of the China Welfare Foundation for the Disabled. Wang Zhen said seriously:
"I won't do anything if you want me to be honored again. ”
The comrades of the Education Committee were very dazed and asked:
"Elder Wang, what do you mean by ......"
"Remove the word reputation", Wang Zhen said:
"Be the chairman, be a chairman with authority and authority, and be a chairman who does practical things!"
Suddenly, the comrades of the Education Commission were ecstatic, which they did not expect in advance, and it turned out that Wang Zhen's ability to be an "honorary" was already a great support for the work of the Education Commission, and how could the vice president of the state be allowed to take a subordinate post under the State Education Commission.
"Elder Wang, you are not ashamed to take care of you", the comrades of the Education Commission were moved by Wang Zhen's sincerity, and said again and again:
"Mr. Wang, you are the chairman of the China Primary and Secondary School Preschool Teachers Award Foundation, of course we can't ask for it! On behalf of the national primary and secondary school preschool teachers, we thank you!"
After speaking, the comrades of the Education Committee stood up and bowed deeply to Wang Zhen.
Wang Zhen also stood up, smiled and said:
"I thank the Education Commission for its trust in me, well, in the future, we will be comrades-in-arms in the trenches, let us work together and work together to improve the quality of China's teachers as soon as possible, improve their living and working conditions, and bring the mainland's education to a new ......level."
Wang Zhen has worked tirelessly for the cause of revolution and construction of the Chinese people for 70 years, with high moral standing and outstanding achievements, but he has no merit, only dedication, he took the lead in donating his savings for many years to the China Primary and Secondary School Preschool Teachers Foundation, and decided to donate his cornea to future generations.
In 1980, during the investigation in Xinjiang, Wang Zhen blessed his ashes to be scattered on the top of the Tianshan Mountains, and forever stood guard with the soldiers and civilians of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang for the northwest frontier of the motherland, and on September 1, 1983, Wang Zhen left a will, :
"If you encounter an incurable disease, please let you die peacefully, do not rescue, is an order, after the end of life, send it to the morgue for pathology, dissect in the province, where scientific research specimens can be used, take them down for scientific research, and send the rest to be cremated, and scatter the ashes in the sky, always stand guard for the Chinese nation, and always yearn for the magnificent communism. ”
On March 12, 1993, a generation of famous generals Wang Zhen passed away, and his ashes were slowly scattered on the top of the Tianshan Mountains.
"Comrade Wang Zhen is a shining example of respecting teachers and valuing education!"