In 1948, the Central Plains Military Region broke through the battle. In this arduous battle, the old man Yang Jingqu waged a resolute struggle against the enemy with his indomitable revolutionary will. He was in his old age, but he still insisted on following the troops to break through the siege, but unfortunately he was captured by the enemy. The enemy tried to persuade the old man by all means, but to no avail. Elder Yang's loyalty to the revolutionary cause made the enemy have no choice but to come up with a conspiracy to achieve their goal. But what exactly is this poisonous plan, and what will happen to the old man? Let's find out.
1. Yang Jingqu's revolutionary process
Yang Jingqu, born in Wuchang, Hubei Province in 1884, grew up in a poor family, but he was self-reliant, diligent and studious. In 1909, he was admitted to the Hubei Higher Patrol Police School and started his revolutionary road.
When the Xinhai Revolution broke out in 1911, Yang Jingqu resolutely joined the revolutionary ranks and contributed his strength to overthrow the rotten Qing Dynasty regime. After the victory of the revolution, he could have been high, but he chose a life of poverty. During the Republic of China, he successively served as the chief of the General Affairs Section of the Hubei Finance Department, the chief of the Yichang Police Department, and the county magistrate of Laifeng County. Despite his great power, Yang Jingqu was an unsmiling and honest official, and he hated corruption.
In 1932, local bandits kidnapped Yang Jingqu in order to extort money. In the face of the murderous bandits, the old man was not afraid, and would rather be killed than extort a penny from the common people. In the end, the bandits had no choice but to release him. This incident strengthened Yang Jingqu's integrity, and he would rather be poor than corrupt and pervert the law.
After the outbreak of the all-out Anti-Japanese War, Yang Jingqu, who was over half a hundred years old, stepped forward again and formed an anti-Japanese armed force in 1938. In 1940, he led the troops to revolt and joined the New Fourth Army as the commander of the first column. During the War of Resistance behind enemy lines, Yang Jingqu repeatedly performed miraculous feats, plotted against the puppet army many times, and made significant contributions to the final victory.
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War in 1945, Yang Jingqu was appointed vice chairman of the Hubei and Henan Border District Administrative Office. However, as soon as the civil war broke out, Yang Lao, despite his advanced age, resolutely followed the troops to break through and vowed to fight to the death against the Kuomintang reactionaries.
2. The Central Plains broke through and trekked hard
On June 26, 1948, Chiang Kai-shek launched a general attack on the Central Plains Military Region, intending to annihilate it completely. Faced with the grim situation of being outnumbered by the enemy, Li Xiannian, commander of the Central Plains Military Region, and Zheng Weisan, political commissar, made a resolute decision to lead the main force to break through the encirclement.
This famous Central Plains Breakthrough Battle kicked off. Under the frantic strafing fire of the enemy, the troops trekked with great difficulty and experienced countless bloody battles. Along the way, there were casualties and sacrifices from time to time, but everyone always gritted their teeth and moved forward bravely.
Although Yang Jingqu was old, he resolutely followed the troops to break through. This old man, who participated in the Xinhai Revolution, has always been extremely loyal to the revolutionary cause. He was on crutches, panting to keep up with the troops, never flinching.
On the march, there were many difficulties. Sometimes there is no rest for several days in a row, and the young soldiers can't bear it, so you can imagine how much Yang Lao has suffered. One day in August, the troops were marching through the vast mountains, and the weather was not beautiful, and the rain was pouring down. Although everyone was wearing hats and robes, the rain was so heavy that the uniforms were soaked.
Yang Jingqu's thin body was even thinner in the rain, and he struggled to move forward with crutches, gasping for breath with every step. Li Xiannian once persuaded the old man to go to Yan'an first, but Yang Jingqu resolutely refused to obey and insisted on breaking through with the army.
In order to protect the safety of Yang Lao, when the 359 Brigade was responsible for covering the main force, Li Xiannian and Wang Zhen repeatedly persuaded the old man to leave the team and go to Yan'an on his own. Yang Jingqu did not want to be escorted by soldiers, so he went on the road alone with Liu Yasheng, who was seriously ill.
The next day, the two were unfortunately surrounded by enemy troops, and their identities were revealed and captured. In prison, no matter how the enemy tortured them, Yang Jingqu and Liu Yasheng were unwavering and insisted that they were teachers. Eventually, they were recognized by a traitor and fell into the hands of Hu Zongnan.
After Hu Zongnan learned the true identity of Yang Jingqu, he was like a treasure. He tried to use the old man to make a fuss, and did not hesitate to lure him and torture him, but Yang Lao's loyalty to the revolutionary cause made the enemy have nothing to do.
3. Fighting the wits of the enemy after being captured
After Yang Jingqu and Liu Yasheng were captured, Hu Zongnan launched a psychological war against them. Hu Zongnan tried to use various means to make Yang Lao "abandon the darkness and turn to the light" and work for himself.
At first, Hu Zongnan was polite to the two and placed them in his official residence to enjoy first-class food and living treatment. He hoped that through the generous material conditions, Yang Lao would be grateful, so that he would surrender with relief.
However, Yang Lao's loyalty to the revolutionary cause was as firm as a rock and he was unmoved. No matter how clever Hu Zongnan was, the old man ignored it and was always silent.
Seeing that both soft and hard methods were ineffective, Hu Zongnan changed his strategy and began to torture Yang Lao. He ordered his men to put the old man in a black cell, deprived him of food and drink, and personally interrogated him.
"Yang Jingqu, you are too old, why should you be so stubborn? As long as you are willing to change your mind, I can open up and find a decent position for you. Hu Zongnan persuaded.
Yang Lao glared at him coldly and didn't say a word. Seeing this, Hu Zongnan was furious, waved his hand and signaled his subordinates to step forward and beat the old man severely.
But no matter how he was tortured, Yang Lao gritted his teeth and insisted on not speaking. In the end, Hu Zongnan had no choice but to detain him in a cell.
In prison, Yang Lao and Liu Yasheng suffered all kinds of inhumane treatment. The cells were damp and cold, the food was scarce and rough, and the health of the two was deteriorating. However, even in such a difficult environment, their will never wavered.
Once, when the jailer was letting off steam, a traitor accidentally saw Yang Lao and recognized his identity. The news soon reached Hu Zongnan's ears. Hu Zongnan originally thought that Yang Lao was just an ordinary person, but when he heard that he was actually the vice chairman of the Hubei-Henan Border Region, he was immediately like a treasure.
"Wow, that's a big fish! If I can get him to surrender, it will be a great help to our propaganda work. Hu Zongnan said excitedly.
So, Hu Zongnan invited Yang Lao to the official residence again, personally arranged favorable living conditions for him, and went to persuade him from time to time. However, no matter what, Yang Lao was unwavering and unmoved.
Hu Zongnan's several efforts failed, and the anger in his heart burned more and more. He wanted to put Yang Lao to death immediately, but he was reluctant to use this important "propaganda material". Just when he was at a loss, a trick popped into his mind.
Fourth, the enemy has unleashed a vicious conspiracy
Hu Zongnan saw that Yang Jingqu was determined and unwilling to "abandon the darkness and turn to the light" no matter what, and the anger in his heart became more and more vigorous. He wanted to put the old man to death immediately, but he was reluctant to give up this important "propaganda material". Just when he was at a loss, a trick popped into his mind.
Hu Zongnan ordered his subordinates to invite Yang Lao to the official residence and arranged an "interview". However, this interview is not really an interview, but an elaborate trap. The so-called "reporters" are actually spies, and the interview outline is carefully planned, full of traps and traps.
At the beginning of the interview, the reporters first praised Mr. Yang for his integrity and firm ethics with sweet words. Then, they began to follow the temptation, hoping that the old man would work for the Kuomintang and find a decent position for himself.
In the face of the persuasion of reporters, Yang Lao was expressionless and did not say a word. Seeing that the combination of soft and hard measures was ineffective, reporters began to intensify their efforts and threaten and intimidate the elderly.
"Yang Jingqu, you are over the age of old, why should you be so stubborn? As long as you are willing to change your mind, we can open our minds. Otherwise, you will spend the rest of your life here, and you will never be able to turn over!"
Yang Lao was still silent, unmoved. In the end, the reporters had no choice but to give up.
However, this "interview" did not end there. Hu Zongnan ordered his subordinates to record the whole process, and arranged for a spy to imitate Yang Lao's voice, adding some "mutiny" content to the recording.
The carefully edited "interview recording" was then broadcast on the radio and distributed across the country. Hu Zongnan's aim was to convince people that Yang Jingqu had "defected" in order to sow chaos in Yan'an and weaken the morale of the Communist Party.
This conspiracy is so vicious that it simply destroys human dignity. Although Yang Lao suffered such a great grievance, he never gave in and insisted on his revolutionary beliefs.
In addition to Yang Lao, Wu Manyou, a model worker in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo Border Region, was also involved in the same case. Wu Manyou was imprisoned in the same room as Yang Lao, and was later framed by Hu Zongnan's spies, and was forced to "record" at the press conference.
5. Eventually, he was rescued and rediscovered
On April 23, 1949, the main force of the Second Field Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army left for Sichuan and fought the famous Battle of Crossing the Wanli River. After more than a month of hard fighting, at the end of May, the PLA completely routed the remnants of the Kuomintang army in Sichuan.
On June 25, Hechuan Castle fell. The soldiers of the People's Liberation Army stormed the Hechuan Prison and rescued the revolutionary fighters and patriotic democrats who were imprisoned there one by one. When the fighters opened one of the cells, an old man with gray hair said excitedly: "Comrade, you have come, I have finally regained my freedom!"
This old man is none other than Yang Jingqu. In prison, he was mercilessly tortured and humiliated by the enemy, but he never gave in and stood firm in his revolutionary convictions. Now, he has finally regained his freedom.
At that time, Yang Lao was already old and very weak. The PLA soldiers hurriedly picked him up, gave him water, and carried him on a stretcher and sent him to the hospital for treatment.
In the hospital, Mr. Yang repeatedly told the soldiers about his ordeal. He said that he had been tortured by his enemies in prison, but that he had never given in. The enemy also falsified a "mutiny recording" of him and broadcast it on the radio with the intention of creating chaos in Yan'an.
"I have not defected, I will always be loyal to the revolutionary cause!" said Yang Lao, his eyes full of tears.
After hearing this, the soldiers of the People's Liberation Army were all moved, and they all stepped forward to hug the old man and pay homage to him. They sincerely admired Yang Lao's steadfast revolutionary will and assured him that they would definitely show him the snow.
After being released from prison, Yang Lao was depressed for a while. Many of his comrades-in-arms and subordinates are now the founding generals, and he has been discredited for being wronged. However, Yang Lao was not discouraged, but served the people as always.
In 1951, Yang Lao died of illness. Before dying, he took his daughter's hand and said intermittently: "I didn't rebel, my father won't be blind to death." These words showed his loyalty to the revolutionary cause.
After the death of Yang Lao, after an in-depth and meticulous investigation, the relevant departments finally found out the truth: his so-called "apostasy" was completely a trick of the enemy and was completely false. The relevant departments rehabilitated him, restored his reputation, and posthumously recognized him as a revolutionary martyr.
In 1987, Li Xiannian, then vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, made a special trip to meet with Yang Lao's daughter Xiaoyang and son-in-law Beisha. When he saw the photo of Yang Lao before his death, Li Xiannian choked up and said: "Your father is a good comrade, I miss it very much!"
This general, who has fought all his life for the revolutionary cause, has finally received due respect and honor in the spirit of heaven. His heroic deeds will forever be engraved in the hearts of the people and become a model for future generations to learn from.