In 1912, the situation in China changed and the Xinhai Revolution broke out, overthrowing the Qing Dynasty. In these turbulent times, the three young people met and struck up a brotherhood. They have fought together in the barracks, and they have also survived in turbulent times. No one could have imagined that decades later, the fate of the three of them would lead to three completely different paths - one became an ordinary blacksmith, one returned to his old business as a farmer, and the other became the chairman of New China. The ups and downs of these three people's lives, whether their friendship will stand the test of time, and how will their life trajectories intertwine, these questions will be solved one by one in the following stories.
The three of them met and worshipped for the first time
Back in the remote mountainous area of Hubei Province at the beginning of the last century, a boy named Zhu Qisheng was born into a poor peasant family. The family barely survived by farming, and their lives were embarrassing and difficult. Zhu Qisheng has experienced poverty since he was a child, and he has watched the children around him play carefree, while he has had to help his family with farm work since he was a child.
Despite this, Zhu Qisheng was not crushed by poverty, but stimulated his thirst for knowledge. Whenever he had free time, he would sneak to the private school in the village and lie out the window to listen to the teacher's lectures. Zhu Qisheng has extraordinary talent and studious quality, and quickly conquered the level of literacy. However, his poor family could not support him to continue his studies, so Zhu Qisheng could only temporarily put down his studies and began to share the burden for his family.
At the same time, in a small town in Hunan, a boy named Peng Yousheng was also born into an ordinary peasant family. Compared with Zhu Qisheng, Peng Yousheng's family is slightly more affluent, but it can hardly be called rich. In order to ease the burden on his family, Peng Yousheng, who was only 15 years old, left his hometown and went to a nearby mine to make a living.
In the mine, Peng Yousheng experienced the first tempering of his life. He had to work in the dark, damp mine for more than 10 hours a day, facing harsh working conditions and the danger of never returning. Despite this, Peng Yousheng never gave up, and he used his diligence and tenacity to win the respect of the miners. At this moment, a coincidence gave Peng Yousheng the opportunity to join the new army and open a new chapter in his life.
Unlike Zhu Qisheng and Peng Yousheng, Mao Zedong was born in a scholarly family in Hunan and came from a well-off family. From an early age, he was taught to study diligently and serve the country in the future. Mao Zedong was indeed a bright and studious child, and his grades were at the top of his school. He has read a large number of classics of Chinese culture and has a deep understanding of Chinese history and culture.
In 1911, the smoke of the Wuchang Uprising spread all over the country, and Mao Zedong, who was only 18 years old, was also infected by this wave of revolution. He resolutely put down his books and decided to join the revolutionary army and devote himself to the great cause of overthrowing the decadent rule with the ambition of saving the country and the people. However, due to the lack of military acquaintances to vouch for him, Mao Zedong was unable to fulfill his wish.
Just when Mao Zedong was at a loss, the arrangement of fate allowed him to meet Zhu Qisheng and Peng Yousheng, two inseparable friends. Zhu Qisheng was born in poverty, but his heart was pure, while Peng Yousheng had rich experience and was honest and responsible. When the two saw the down-and-out Mao Zedong, they did not hesitate to vouch for him and help him join the revolutionary army as he wished.
In the barracks, the three of them met late and soon became close friends who talked about everything. Mao Zedong was erudite and often explained some interesting allusions to Zhu Qisheng and Peng Yousheng, and Zhu Qisheng and Peng Yousheng used their own life experiences to inspire Mao Zedong. In this way, the friendship of the three slowly coalesced in the life of the military camp, and finally reached its peak in a blood-boiling Taoyuan rebellion. Since then, they have become brothers, sharing weal and woe, life and death.
The Xinhai Revolution and their respective paths
On October 10, 1911, the Wuchang Uprising kicked off the Xinhai Revolution. This revolution, which completely overthrew the rule of the Qing Dynasty, spread rapidly throughout the country like a prairie fire. Within a few months, the rule of the Qing Dynasty collapsed and the Republic of China was born. However, from the very beginning, the nascent regime of the Republic of China faced huge internal and external troubles.
Domestically, the new armies in response to the revolution revolted one after another to overthrow Qing officials. But due to the lack of unity of command and leadership, these new armies soon fell apart and fought each other. For a time, the warlords of all sizes in the country were divided into one side and were in chaos. Yuan Shikai, Feng Guozhang, Zhang Xun and others in the north have supported their own troops, and the south is no exception, and Lu Haodong, Huang Xing and others in Guangdong are also eyeing each other.
Just as the country was in turmoil, the young Mao saw a glimmer of hope. He firmly believed that only through a thorough revolution, the overthrow of the old system, and the establishment of a new country that truly belonged to the people, could China be revitalized. As a result, Mao Zedong resolutely resigned from the military and began to devote himself to the revolutionary cause.
In 1918, Mao Zedong was admitted to the Hunan Provincial Normal School. During his time at school, he read a large number of Marxist works and gained a deep understanding of the theory of proletarian revolution. After the May Fourth Movement broke out in 1919, Mao Zedong actively participated in it and became a staunch Marxist. Since then, the trajectory of his life has been closely linked to the cause of the Chinese revolution.
Unlike Mao Zedong's ideals and aspirations, Zhu Qisheng did not have much yearning for the revolutionary cause. In the turbulent years of warlord melee, he just wanted to live the life of an ordinary person. In 1912, Zhu Qisheng left the barracks and returned to his hometown with a blacksmith's skills.
In his hometown, Zhu Qisheng made a living by striking iron, and although he was poor, he was also very content. He married a wife and had children, and lived in peace and security in this small village. Occasionally, when someone asked him about his experience in the military camp when he was young, Zhu Qisheng only smiled and never said much. For those years of worship, he just regarded them as a good memory of the past.
Compared with Zhu Qisheng's ordinary life, Peng Yousheng's life trajectory is more tortuous and eventful. After the Xinhai Revolution, he remained in the army and served for different warlords. Peng Yousheng was honest by nature, he just blindly followed the orders of his superiors, and did not know much about the chaos of the warlords.
It wasn't until 1927 that Peng Yousheng realized that there was no point in continuing to stay in the army. So, he resolutely left the barracks, returned to his old business, returned to his hometown, and began the life of an ordinary peasant. In the countryside of his hometown, Peng Yousheng lived a quiet life of sunrise and sunset, and seemed to have lost his military years.
Interesting anecdote about the three of them in the barracks
In the barracks, although Mao Zedong was the youngest, his well-read talent impressed Zhu Qisheng and Peng Yousheng. Whenever there was free time, the three would get together, and Mao would gush on and on and on with interesting allusions and stories.
Once, Mao Zedong talked about some plots in the martial arts novel "The Legend of the Condor Heroes". He vividly depicted the character characteristics and martial arts of Huang Rong, Guo Jing, Yang Guo and other characters, and when he talked about the highlights, he would also compare a few tricks on the spot, which attracted Zhu Qisheng and Peng Yousheng to be fascinated. Soon, the news spread in the barracks, and many other soldiers followed, and gradually a small "martial arts" meeting was formed.
Whenever Mao Zedong talked about the highlights, the soldiers in the audience would burst into applause, and some would shout the names of their favorite characters. On one occasion, one fighter shouted, "I admire Guo Jing, he is honest and loyal," while another retorted, "I prefer Yang Guo, he is witty and brave." In this way, a fierce character debate ensued, and the entire barracks was stirred up.
In the barracks, Zhu Qisheng and Peng Yousheng admired Mao Zedong, the youngest but knowledgeable "little scholar". The friendship between the three of them is deepened by this mutual appreciation. One day, Zhu Qisheng suddenly proposed that the three of them should be like Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei during the Three Kingdoms period.
Both Peng Yousheng and Mao Zedong agreed with the proposal. So, the three of them held a solemn ceremony in a peach grove near the barracks. They vowed under the peach tree that they must trust each other and share life and death, weal and woe.
After the ceremony, Zhu Qisheng proposed that the three of them should call each other according to their seniority. Since Zhu Qisheng is the oldest, he is the "eldest brother"; Peng Yousheng is the second brother; and Mao Zedong is the youngest, so he is naturally the "third brother." Since then, the three of them have been commensurate with each other in this way, and Zhu Qisheng and Peng Yousheng have loved Mao Zedong as their own brothers.
In the life of the barracks, Peng Yousheng, as the deputy squad leader, has a higher position, and he takes special care of Mao Zedong, the "little brother", on weekdays. Whether it was training or duty, Peng Yousheng always gave Mao Zedong proper care. Sometimes, while other fighters were punished for training, Peng Yousheng often spared Mao Zedong.
This blatant act of "taking care" soon caused some complaints among the other fighters. Someone said in private: "That kid is great after a few years of studying, why is even the deputy squad leader so accustomed to him?" and some people went directly to Peng Yousheng to ask him why he always favored Mao Zedong.
In the face of these doubts, Peng Yousheng has never been angry. He just smiled and said, "That's my little brother, of course I have to take care of him." If you have a good brother like him, you will certainly take good care of him. ＂
From Peng Yousheng's words, it can be seen how much he loves Mao Zedong. And this interesting story also reflects the depth of the friendship between the three from the side.
Reunited in New China and deep friendship
The years flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was 1949, a few decades later. In this year, the Communist Party of China led by Mao Zedong won the great victory of the New Democratic Revolution, and New China was finally born. And at this gratifying moment, Peng Yousheng remembered the two brothers who swore when he was young.
Although they have not met for decades, Peng Yousheng still remembers the friendship with Zhu Qisheng and Mao Zedong in the barracks. He decided to visit Mao Zedong, the "third brother" of the year, to see how he was doing.
The search process did not go well, and it was not until 1951 that Peng Yousheng finally found Mao Zedong's whereabouts through his network. Knowing that Mao Zedong had become the chairman of New China, although Peng Yousheng was ecstatic, he was embarrassed to visit him because of his poor life. So, he could only tactfully ask Mao Zedong for help, hoping to get some funding.
Sure enough, when Mao Zedong received Peng Yousheng's letter, he immediately replied to welcome him and arranged for someone to receive Peng Yousheng. Since then, Peng Yousheng's life has been greatly improved, and he can still receive a considerable amount of living expenses every month.
Unlike Peng Yousheng, Zhu Qisheng did not know about Mao Zedong, the "third brother" of the year. It wasn't until 1952 that by chance, Zhu Qisheng learned that the youngest "little brother" had become the chairman of New China.
Although Zhu Qisheng was extremely shocked by this, he was more sincerely happy for Mao Zedong. As the former "big brother", he immediately decided to go north to the capital and visit the "little brother" in person.
In Beijing, Zhu Qisheng finally reunited with Mao Zedong. The moment the two met, it was as if they had traveled back in time and space to the young barracks years. Zhu Qisheng gushed about his experiences over the past few decades, while Mao Zedong listened intently, recalling some anecdotes from the past.
Seeing Zhu Qisheng, Mao Zedong was naturally very happy. He not only personally took over the wind and washed the dust, but also carefully arranged all Zhu Qisheng's daily life. Every day, Mao Zedong would find time to have a long talk with Zhu Qisheng, just like he did in the barracks.
In addition to spiritual care, Mao Zedong also generously donated money to fund Zhu Qisheng's life. He first gave Zhu Qisheng 200 yuan, and then added 500 yuan. When Zhu Qisheng politely excused himself, Mao Zedong smiled and said: "This is my own money, which was given to my brother as a younger brother, so you can accept it." ＂
In this way, Zhu Qisheng lived in Beijing for a few months, and when he left, Mao Zedong specially instructed the staff to take care of him. After returning to his hometown, Zhu Qisheng used the money to open a small factory and live a worry-free life.
end
Although the three of them took different paths in life after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the brotherhood they formed when they were young has lasted throughout their lives and has never changed. Whether it is Zhu Qisheng, Peng Yousheng, or Mao Zedong, they all have an eternal attachment and cherishment for their friendship back then. Even later, when Zhu Qisheng and Peng Yousheng passed away one after another, Mao Zedong personally approved the condolence documents, reflecting his eternal memory of the two "brothers". It can be said that this deep friendship that originated in the military camp and was nurtured in the flames of war has become the most valuable wealth in the lives of the three people, and until the last moment of their lives, they have not been diluted by time.