Preface
In 1927, the team of 800 people led by Mr. Zhu was short of food and ammunition, and faced the pursuit of the Kuomintang army. At the critical moment, Mr. Zhu thought that it was his two sworn brothers' team stationed not far ahead.
Despite the differences in the revolutionary positions of the two sides, he wrote to them asking for help, but their reaction was astonishing!
What was the reaction of the two brothers? How did Mr. Zhu resolve the current dilemma?
Pretending to be deaf and dumb at a critical moment
After the Nanchang Uprising in 1927, the rebel troops lost contact with the central government, and the number of people became smaller and smaller.
When Mr. Zhu led the people to the Hunan border, there were only about 800 people left, and winter was about to begin, and there was no food, cotton clothing, weapons and ammunition, and the troops could be defeated or disbanded at any time.
It can be said that this is one of the darkest moments of the Chinese revolution, and if Mr. Zhu's team could not go to Jinggangshan to join the division, it is likely that it would not have ignited the spark of the prairie fire.
In desperation, Mr. Zhu suddenly thought of a person, and the front defense area happened to be the territory of his former brother Yang Ruxuan.
Overjoyed, he immediately sent a letter asking for help, hoping to get supplies.
Yang Ruxuan, the commander of the 27th Division of the 9th Army of the National Army, he and Zhu Lao were always classmates in Yunnan Wutang, and the two had similar interests and had a great friendship when they were classmates.
Mr. Zhu once wrote an inscription on Yang Ruxuan's military uniform: "Those who survive a hundred battles can support the sky."
After graduation, the two participated in the Ninefold Uprising and the National Defense Movement together, Yang Ruxuan was not only Mr. Zhu's subordinate, but also became his sworn brother, so naturally there is nothing to say about his feelings.
However, since Tang Jiyao returned to Yunnan in 1922 and Gu Pinzhen died in battle, Mr. Zhu and Yang Ruxuan have embarked on different paths.
Yang Ruxuan went to Guangzhou to defect to Sun Yat-sen, and Mr. Zhu began to rethink the road of saving the country and the people, and went to Shanghai to join the Communist Party.
Unexpectedly, because of his background in the old army, he was rejected by Chen Duxiu, but Mr. Zhu was not discouraged, and went directly to Marx's hometown of Germany to find the truth.
During this period, he secretly joined the Communist Party under the introduction of Zhou Enlai, and was still a member of the Kuomintang to the outside world.
In 1926, Mr. Zhu returned to China to participate in the Northern Expedition and reunited with his brothers from the former Dian Army.
When Mr. Zhu went to serve as the director of the Nanchang Public Security Bureau, he was still escorted by Yang Ruxuan, and in the past, Mr. Zhu wrote a letter to invite Yang Ruxuan to carry out the revolution together before the Nanchang Uprising.
Yang Ruxuan did not reply at that time, and this time in the face of Mr. Zhu's request for help, he still did not reply, and Mr. Zhu's heart sank to the bottom.
At present, the Qing Party movement is intensifying, and it is understandable that Yang Ruxuan chose to protect himself.
With a long sigh, Mr. Zhu continued to lead the team on the road, but only halfway through, he was pleasantly surprised to find that he was not blocked by the Kuomintang army along the way.
Yang Ruxuan didn't send charcoal in the snow, but he wouldn't fall into the ground, so he specially transferred the troops so that Mr. Zhu could lead the troops away.
In this way, the rebel troops walked through the Yang Ruxuan defense area unimpeded, but the supply problem was not solved for a day, and the troops were still in danger.
When Mr. Zhu was at a loss, he suddenly saw an old newspaper, and the content on it made him suddenly excited.
It turned out that his other good brother Fan Shisheng was stationed in Chenzhou!
Fan Shisheng
Fan Shisheng was the commander of the 16th Army of the National Revolutionary Army, and was highly regarded by Sun Yat-sen, and made great contributions in the fight against Chen Jiongming.
Mr. Zhu wrote to Fan Shisheng again for help, and this time, he felt very hopeful.
Before the Nanchang Uprising, the Central Committee had inserted a party organization into Fan Shisheng's troops, and this person had a political basis for cooperation.
Sure enough, there was a reply ten days later, and Fan Shisheng's liaison officer came in person and warmly invited Mr. Zhu to lead his troops to the station.
Chen Yi was worried that this might be a Hongmen banquet, and persuaded: "This thing can't be filled with shells, I haven't seen him for so many years, how can I know his changes?"
Mr. Zhu still knows Fan Shisheng's personality very well, and he is confident about it, and sure enough, as he expected, the rebel troops went to the garrison and received great respect and tolerance from Fan Shisheng.
Fan Shisheng helped out
According to the discussion between Mr. Zhu and Fan Shisheng, Fan used the method of "incorporation" to let the rebel troops hide in the 16th Army to recuperate, and Mr. Zhu assumed the pseudonym Wang Kai as the general counselor.
The rebel troops used Fan Shisheng's ministry as a cover, but they never gave up their principles, and could still act independently without any restraints, and even engage in revolutionary activities, such as de-benizing, fighting local tyrants, and killing landlords and bullies.
What is even more rare is that Fan Shisheng also gave two months' worth of weapons, ammunition, food, bedding and other materials according to the strength of a regiment.
When Mr. Zhu led the team to leave, he received tens of thousands of yuan in foreign travel fees and ordnance materials for a division.
You must know that in the era of warlord warfare, the most important resource for any soldier is weapons and equipment.
Why did Fan Shisheng do his best to help Mr. Zhu?
It cannot be ruled out that there is a consideration of strengthening the team and confronting other warlords, but if it is not for strong personal friendships, it is impossible to achieve this step.
Although Fan Shisheng stood on the position of the Kuomintang, he was also a patriot, and wrote in his reply to Mr. Zhu:
"Farewell to Spring City, hurried for several years. With the great ambition of saving the country and the people, he crossed the ocean to seek a way to rejuvenate the country and save the country. In one fell swoop, Nanchang attracted the attention of the world, and the younger brother admired it deeply. ”
When Mr. Zhu was a brigade commander in the Yunnan Army, he had about 1,500 yuan a month, which can be said to be very rich, but he resolutely left his personal fame and fortune to participate in the revolution.
After the Nanchang Uprising, even if there were only 800 people left, he still did not change his original intention and used his strong will to unite this uprising team.
When Fan Shisheng saw Mr. Zhu in rags, his heart swelled with sincere admiration.
On the other hand, Fan Shisheng was loyal to Sun Yat-sen, and after Sun Yat-sen's death, he had a deep grudge with Chiang Kai-shek, Huang Shaohong, He Jian and others, and did not agree with his ideas, so he was constantly suppressed and excluded, and was sent to the border of Hunan, Guangdong, and Jiangxi.
Compared with Chiang Kai-shek, who used power for personal gain and dictatorship, he valued Mr. Zhu who had both ability and political integrity.
When the two said goodbye, Fan Shisheng wrote a letter to him, mentioning
"Who can be one (unify the world)? Those who are not fond of killing can be one", "The final victory is yours, and now I can't help it."
As for why Fan Shisheng did not join the revolution with Mr. Zhu, he should not be able to let go of his own team.
In his opinion, it was only a small help provided to Mr. Zhu, but in fact, it was really a relief in the snow, which directly affected the development of the entire Chinese revolution in the future.
After leaving the Fan Shisheng Defense Zone, Mr. Zhu led his troops to carry out a riot in southern Hunan, defeated Xu Kexiang, replenished his troops, and captured mortars and artillery, a bumper harvest.
When he arrived in Jinggangshan, there were already 10,000 people under Mr. Zhu's command, and it can be said that Fan Shisheng helped him start his family.
If it weren't for Fan Shisheng's righteous deeds, would the only 800 people who survived the pursuit of the enemy and the shortage of supplies after the Nanchang Uprising?
Among these more than 800 people, there are important generals such as Mr. Chen, Mr. Lin, and General Su Yu, and the generals of New China almost fell on the way to lead troops to Jinggangshan.
Until many years later, Mr. Zhu still sighed:
"The most generous and selfless assistance I have encountered in my life is only Fan Shisheng this time. Otherwise, it is difficult to say that there are only a few people left to go to Jinggangshan to meet Chairman Mao. ”
According to General Jin Yinan's research, if Mr. Zhu's team did not go to Jinggangshan, then Chairman Mao may be difficult to maintain in Jinggangshan.
On the one hand, Chairman Mao's Autumn Harvest Uprising had fewer troops and less materials.
On the other hand, Chairman Mao had little experience in military struggle at that time, and his enlightenment of military thought can be said to have started with Mr. Zhu.
Therefore, without the meeting between Mr. Zhu and Chairman Mao, it is likely that there would not have been the birth of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.
From the perspective of the history of the Chinese revolution, Mr. Zhu's contribution is crucial, and Fan Shisheng's help to him is the key to the key.
Later, when the Red Army went to attack Chenzhou again, as soon as Fan Shisheng heard that Mr. Zhu was leading the team, he immediately ordered the defenders to stop resisting, and the officers of two companies even took the initiative to gather and ask Mr. Zhu to come and disarm in person.
And sincere help like Fan Shisheng is not an exception, Mr. Zhu's popularity is simply beyond your imagination.
Mr. Zhu's good popularity
Many people don't know that an important reason why Mr. Zhu was able to participate in the Nanchang Uprising was that the central government took a fancy to his connections.
At that time, the high-ranking officials of the Kuomintang army in Jiangxi had some friendship with Mr. Zhu.
For example, Zhu Peide, chairman of the Jiangxi Provincial Government, Jin Handing, commander of the 9th Army, Wang Jun, commander of the 3rd Army, and Yang Chisheng, commander of the 9th Division of the 3rd Army, were all classmates of Mr. Zhu who was lecturing in Wutang.
They trained together, followed Cai Ye to participate in the Xinhai Revolution, fought side by side, and formed a deep friendship.
This relationship helped Mr. Zhu a lot, and after the "April 12" counter-revolutionary coup, Zhu Peide took the risk to take Mr. Zhu to Nanchang and appointed him to important positions.
Even if he noticed the abnormal behavior between Mr. Zhu, Mr. He, and Ye Ting, he turned a blind eye, and he also asked Lao Jiang for leave to recuperate, and handed over all the important tasks of Nanchang to Mr. Zhu.
Without this convenience, Mr. Zhu would not have been so easy to launch the Nanchang Uprising.
Before the Nanchang Uprising, Mr. Zhu also mobilized Jin Handing to carry out revolution together, and Jin Handing and he were known as the top two of the "Four King Kongs" of the Yunnan Army, and the two had a deep friendship.
Although Jin Handing chose a different path from Mr. Zhu at that time, he was ordered to "suppress bandits" in the back.
The two old classmates fought each other several times, and Jin Handing almost "openly fought and secretly helped" every time, so angry that Lao Jiang dismissed his deputy commander-in-chief of the Hunan and Jiangxi "bandits" and relieved him of military power.
In Mr. Zhu's words, this is to use personal relationships to establish a united front and develop the revolutionary cause.
In the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, Mr. Zhu also made it handy and played an important role in the victory of the revolution.
To give a typical example, in 1938, Mr. Zhu and Wei Lihuang, deputy commander of the Second Theater of Operations, met on the anti-Japanese front in Linfen.
The two talked happily and quickly established a friendship, and almost every time they met, they had to talk for a long time, sometimes for days.
And not long after they met, Wei Lihuang was willing to transfer 6 regiments from his subordinates to the commander of General Zhu. Later, 7 divisions were allocated to Mr. Zhu and Mr. Peng.
When there was an emergency in the situation in the southeast of Shanxi, Wei Lihuang also offered to let Mr. Zhu be the commander-in-chief of the East Route Army of the Second War Zone, which shows how much Wei Lihuang trusts Mr. Zhu.
Of course, the other Kuomintang generals must have opinions in their hearts, how could they let the Communist Party lead the Eastern Route Army, which was mostly the Kuomintang army, but Mr. Zhu quickly convinced them with a battle.
In March 1938, the Xiangtangpu ambush began, and Mr. Zhu invited the Kuomintang generals to watch the battle. The Eighth Route Army killed more than 170 Japanese soldiers and burned more than 180 vehicles in two hours, which made them breathtaking.
Later, Wei Lihuang also asked Mr. Zhu to introduce and arrange some communists to work in the Kuomintang troops, and even to be his secretary.
It can be said that Wei Lihuang's positive performance in the entire Anti-Japanese War is inseparable from the influence of Mr. Zhu on him, and it is the two sides that have established a united front and formed the best period for the Kuomintang and the Communist Party to cooperate against Japan.
Of course, friendship is friendship, Mr. Zhu has never lost his revolutionary stance, and as long as the interests of the revolution require it, he will also wage a struggle mercilessly.
During the Jinggangshan struggle, Mr. Zhu never showed mercy when fighting with the generals of the Yunnan army, he personally commanded the "three fights and Yongxin" battle, defeated Yang Ruxuan's three regiments, and later commanded the Longyuankou battle to defeat Yang Chisheng.
When friends can be born and die, and when they become enemies, they will face each other with white knives, this is the cruel revolutionary struggle, and Mr. Zhu always puts the interests of the revolution in the first place.
Strong as him, there is also tenderness in his heart, in his later years, he recalled Fan Shisheng more, never forgot the grace of the year, he affirmed Fan Shisheng's help to the Chinese revolution many times, and our party also regarded Fan Shisheng as a friend.
In 1939, Fan Shisheng resigned and returned to his hometown, and was killed by Chiang Kai-shek in Kunming, and the central government sent a pension to his relatives.
Resources:
China News Network: "Revealing the Secret: Why Do Zhu De and the "Worship Brothers" Face Each Other?", August 7, 2013
The key moment after the Nanchang Uprising[J].Party History Expo,2023,(03):11-21.)
Party History: "Zhu De Reunites with Fan Shisheng in Danger after the Nanchang Uprising" 2013-06-01