In the early summer of 2007, in an ordinary ward of Jingyang County Hospital in Shaanxi Province, the old man Tong Dehou lay quietly on the hospital bed, and the liquid in the infusion tube slowly flowed into his body, trying to inject more strength into his life. However, from the footage, we can see that the old man looks unusually weak, his mouth is slightly open, and his breathing seems to be a little rapid and unsmooth. His son stood by the bed, his eyes fixed on his father on the bed, his eyes revealing deep concern. After all, the old man is 97 years old, and the wind and frost of life have carved deep wrinkles on his face.
The doctor's critical illness notice made his son's heart even heavier, because everyone knew that this hospitalization could be the last moment of the old man's life. Despite this, the old man's mind was still clear, and his consciousness was as sharp as ever. With all his strength, he told his son in a weak voice that he wanted to go home.
The son knew that this was his father's last wish, so he took him home. The old man who returned home seemed to be comforted, and within a few days, the old man left this world peacefully.
The name Bai Dehou, in the context of today's times, I am afraid that few people know it. However, his life is legendary, full of ups and downs. He was a soldier, a general, and even a prisoner, a criminal, but finally chose to retire to the countryside and become an ordinary old peasant. The richness of his life experience is amazing enough to make people deeply curious about his story.
Born in Sanyuan County, his ancestors were small merchants, and although his family was not wealthy, it was enough to support his family. In such an environment, he lived through his childhood and adolescence. However, he was not satisfied with such a life, so he resolutely joined the Northwest Army in 1926 and began his military career.
In the army, Bai Dehou was promoted step by step with his own efforts and talents. His road to promotion was not all smooth sailing, but he got out of the predicament of having no background and no connections, and won the recognition and trust of his superiors by relying entirely on his true skills. It took him a full eight years to rise from an ordinary soldier to a company commander.
After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, in the Battle of Taierzhuang, he took the lead and fought to the death against the Japanese army. The troops led by him showed a tenacious will to fight and extremely high combat effectiveness in the battle, and made important contributions to the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. However, the war was brutal, and Bai Dehou also witnessed the sacrifice of many of his comrades. In the battle to recapture the positions occupied by the Japanese army, he led the death squad to engage the Japanese in a white-knuckle battle, and in the end only 3 people survived.
Bai Dehou's heroic performance in the Anti-Japanese War was rewarded and promoted by his superiors, and he was successively promoted to the positions of regiment commander, major general and division commander. However, just when his career was at its peak, an incident completely changed his fate. When Taiyuan was liberated in 1949, Tong Dehou, who was already the deputy division commander, listened to the words of the division commander Dai Bingnan and betrayed Huang Qiaosong, the commander of the 30th Army, who was preparing for the uprising, causing the plan of the Taiyuan uprising to come to naught. This incident made Tong Dehou a historical sinner, and he was arrested and subjected to labor reform.
During the period of labor reform, Tong Dehou deeply reflected on his mistakes and worked hard to correct his behavior. In 1976, he was released and returned to his hometown, where he lived a life as a farmer farming and herding sheep. Although he was once a general and a soldier, he never mentioned his contributions and honors in the War of Resistance to the outside world. He chose to live a low-key life, silently suffering the consequences of his past mistakes.
However, Bai Dehou's deeds were eventually made public. As a result, his pension was raised to 300 yuan per month, which made him feel very satisfied and satisfied. On an ordinary day in the early summer of 2007, Tong Dehou finished his life at the age of 97.