In 1953, on the Korean battlefield, a sudden car accident injured Zhang Zhen, the head of operations of the General Commission. At this critical juncture, the front-line general Ding Sheng showed comrade-like care and care, which made Zhang Zhen very grateful. What exactly did Dante Sheng do? Let's wipe away the fog and uncover this touching past.
The friendship between comrades has a long history
During the revolutionary years, Zhang Zhen and Ding Sheng were both brave and warlike generals. Although they did not fight side by side, they belonged to the same camp, shared the same revolutionary ideals, and had a rare comradeship.
Zhang Zhen was born in Wujin, Jiangsu Province in 1898 and suffered from feudal society at an early age. With his father dying young, and his mother becoming a child servant to support the family, Zhang Zhen witnessed firsthand the darkness and inequality of society. In 1925, he resolutely joined the Communist Party and threw himself into the revolutionary torrent, and since then his career has begun.
In contrast, Ding Sheng was born in 1911. His hometown, Ji'an, Jiangxi Province, was once an important base of the "Little Red Army." As a child, Ding Sheng was in a hail of bullets and bullets, and he had a natural affinity for the revolutionary cause. In 1927, full of revolutionary enthusiasm, Ding Sheng joined the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.
The two men fought on different revolutionary paths, and by virtue of their firm belief in the revolutionary cause and extraordinary courage, they soon became heroic commanders admired by many soldiers. As the commander of the Tiger Head Division, Ding Sheng led his troops to fight guerrillas in Northeast China, North China, Central and South China, and established outstanding military exploits. Zhang Zhen grew up step by step from a small instructor, made great contributions in famous battles such as Pingxingguan and the Battle of the Hundred Regiments, and finally became the head of operations of the Central Military Commission.
Although Zhang Zhen and Ding Sheng had never met on the battlefield, their persistent pursuit of revolutionary ideals and sincere friendship with revolutionary comrades had long been closely linked in their hearts. This friendship is destined to the intersection of their future destinies.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, China's vast land was full of gunsmoke and gunpowder. In this special period, whether you are the Northeast Anti-Japanese Federation, the Eighth Route Army in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo Border Region, or the New Fourth Army in the southeast coastal area, although you and I are in our seventies and eighties, we all belong to the same collective, and we are all revolutionary fighters who fought bloody battles for the realization of national independence.
At that time, the armed forces were scattered but echoed from afar. The guerrillas of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Federation were brave and strong, and they had been operating under the noses of the enemy for a long time; Although the Eighth Route Army in northern Shaanxi was only a guerrilla force, it had grown to a scale of more than a million people; The Red Army started in the southeast coastal area and then developed into the New Fourth Army; There are still large guerrilla forces in northern Guangxi, western Hunan, Hubei and other places; Even in the large rear, there were small detachments that persisted in the struggle.
Although these forces cannot be completely unified, they all have a common goal: to eliminate the aggression of Japanese imperialism against China, defeat the Kuomintang reactionaries, and establish a democratic, free, and independent New China. Under the guidance of this great goal, whether you are Zhang Zhen or Ding Sheng, you are revolutionary comrades-in-arms who are fighting on the same front.
And the war-torn environment deepened the revolutionary friendship between them. In the rain of bullets, facing the danger of life at all times, only the friendship of colleagues can give the most reliable support. This deep friendship, which transcends secular friendship, is a revolutionary love condensed with blood.
During the revolutionary war years, Zhang Zhen and Ding Sheng had never met, but they had already established a deep spiritual fit through ideals and beliefs. The paths they have traveled are very different, but they all lead to the same bright future. This comradeship became the initial bond of their fate.
Accidental car accident on the North Korean front
On the Korean battlefield in 1953, the smoke of gunfire had begun to gradually dissipate. However, Zhang Zhen, who is the head of operations of the New China Military Commission, is still full of enthusiasm and insists on going to the frontline troops to experience actual combat and better grasp the enemy's situation.
At that time, the Korean War was nearing its end, and the two sides were wrestling over armistice negotiations. Zhang Zhen wrote to Peng Dehuai, requesting that he serve as the acting commander of the 24th Army on the Korean front, so as to conduct in-depth field investigations on the front line. Mr. Peng immediately approved and arranged for Zhang Zhen to go to the garrison of the 54th Army.
The 54th Army can be described as a special unit. It was formed by the merger of the 44th Army and the 45th Army of the former Fourth Field Army, and the division commander was Ding Sheng, the founding major general. As one of the best wolf-fighting heroes on the Korean battlefield, Ding Sheng received this long-admired old-timer.
The battlefield environment in Korea was difficult, and the mountain roads were rugged and difficult to navigate. When Zhang Zhen set off before leaving, no one could have imagined that such an accident would happen. On the way to a high ground position of the 54th Army, the front car suffered a brake failure, and Zhang Zhen's car had to brake urgently, causing the rear chassis of the body to slide.
In order to reduce the weight of the car, Zhang Zhen immediately jumped off the body, but he did not expect the driver to twist the front of the car sharply in order to slow down, causing the vehicle to rampage, pressing heavily on Zhang Zhen's waist and abdomen, and his head was also hit hard.
In this way, 56-year-old Zhang Zhen was seriously injured and fell to the ground on the spot, in pain. The medical staff at the scene hurriedly injected him with morphine to relieve the pain, but due to the severity of his injuries, Zhang Zhen was in a coma for 3 hours before being carried on a stretcher and sent to the military headquarters of the 54th Army.
It all happened in an instant. Who would have thought that this founding father, who had escaped death in the smoke of the Hundred Regiments War, would suffer such a catastrophe and his life hung by a thread? Ding Sheng personally greeted Zhang Zhen's joyful emotions, and was instantly shocked extremely heavy.
In the face of the sudden crisis, Ding Sheng made a quick decision and personally vacated his residence, temporarily used it as Zhang Zhen's ward, and arranged for his deputy commander Wu Ruishan to take care of the whole process. At the same time, he quickly sent a request for help to the North Korean front headquarters, and soon, an elite military medical team rushed to the rescue to rescue Zhang Zhen.
In this way, with the dedication of Ding Sheng and his comrades-in-arms, Zhang Zhen passed the life-threatening period and turned the crisis into safety. A sudden accident almost took the life of this stalwor, but fortunately, Ding Sheng's heroic and selfless support avoided greater losses.
For Ding Sheng's series of vigorous and resolute actions, Zhang Zhen is sincerely grateful. Although they had never met before, they belonged to the same camp, and they were both revolutionary comrades-in-arms who fought bravely for national liberation, and their own comradeship ran through them. This time, Ding Sheng used practical actions to show his cherishing of the friendship between his brothers and sisters.
In the persistence of revolutionary ideals and the deep friendship between comrades-in-arms, Ding Sheng made the best footnote with his actions. This act of friendship linked the fate of the two more closely and became the starting point of their later fate.
The friendship between classmates has been stronger for three years
The accident on the Korean battlefield made Zhang Zhen and Ding Sheng's revolutionary friendship more solid. But no one expected that this encounter would become the starting point of their future fate.
In 1953, the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed, and Zhang Zhen did not retire after returning to China, but had greater ideals and ambitions. As a veteran who has experienced countless baptisms of war, he hopes to pass on the lessons he has learned on the frontline battlefield to the younger generation without reservation, so as to create more military talents.
In view of this, Zhang Zhen sent a request to the Military Commission, hoping to teach at the Nanjing Military Academy for a period of time. The CMC quickly approved the request after review. In September 1953, Zhang Zhen officially joined the Campaign Department of Nanjing Military Academy and began a three-year teaching career.
At the same time, Ding Sheng, a hero on the Korean battlefield, was also allowed to study at the Nanjing Military Academy. This founding major general made great achievements during the Anti-Japanese War, and now he is in middle age, and it is undoubtedly beneficial to further study theoretical knowledge.
In this way, the former master and mentor completely reversed their roles on campus. Ding Sheng studied modestly, while Zhang Zhen unreservedly passed on his decades of experience in warfare to him. In this way, the two formed a three-year friendship between teachers and students.
In those three years, Ding Sheng was particularly eye-catching on campus with his battle-hardened figure. But he never put on old qualifications, and always treated Zhang Zhen's teachings with an open mind and humility. As a military strategist who has been in battle for a long time, Ding Sheng knows the importance of theoretical knowledge, and naturally delves into what Zhang Zhen has taught him with 100 percent.
Zhang Zhen also sincerely appreciated Ding Sheng's open-minded and studious spirit. In the interweaving of life and death on the Korean battlefield back then, Zhang Zhen had already seen the bravery and fearlessness of Ding Sheng, a tiger general. Now in the classroom, he once again felt Ding Sheng's persistent pursuit of the revolutionary cause and his thirst for knowledge.
At that time, most of the teachers and students of the Nanjing Military Academy were heroic veterans, and they had already formed a deep fighting friendship during the revolutionary years. And between Zhang Zhen and Ding Sheng, it was because of a catastrophe of life and death that this friendship was raised to a new height.
With such a personal experience in the past, Zhang Zhen naturally treated Ding Sheng differently in class. He did not hesitate to praise Ding Sheng's outstanding qualities and personally answered his questions. Under Zhang Zhen's words and deeds, Ding Sheng's understanding of strategic battles is naturally becoming more and more thorough.
From the Korean battlefield to the campus podium, the friendship between the old revolutionary friends has continued all the way to this point, and has been strengthened by the opportunity of separation and integration. In this unique historical environment, the two forged a teacher-student friendship, injecting new connotations into the original revolutionary friendship.
This simple friendship, forged by the flames of revolutionary war and once lived and died, is far more unbreakable than the friendship in the world. It brings a different kind of warmth and deep meaning to the relationship between the two. Not only that, but this revolutionary friendship will also have an immeasurable impact on the respective paths of the two men in the future.
In just a few years of getting along, Zhang Zhen and Ding Sheng have transformed from the original chief general and subordinates to a relationship of teacher and friend. Between them, it is not just a simple friendship between soldiers, but also a teacher-student relationship. The life-and-death battle on the Korean battlefield doomed the revolutionary friendship between them to be indomitable and passed down from generation to generation.
One heart and one mind continue the legend
In 1956, the teacher-student friendship between Zhang Zhen and Ding Sheng ended, but the revolutionary friendship between them was far from over. In the decades that followed, the two fought side by side and became intimate, using practical actions to sublimate this friendship forged by the war in Korea to a higher level again and again.
As the country gradually moved towards an era of peace, the focus of the military's work began to shift. As veteran generals, Zhang Zhen and Ding Sheng soon shared new responsibilities. Zhang Zhen remained in the post of director of operations of the Central Military Commission, focusing on military strategy and construction; Ding Sheng was sent to the southwest frontier and served as the first political commissar of the Kunming Military Region.
Despite being separated from each other, the two have never broken their relationship. At a meeting or on important occasions in the military, Zhang Zhen and Ding Sheng always interacted intimately. After retiring from the army, Ding Sheng often went to Beijing to talk to his old friend Zhang Zhen about the eventful years after many years of separation.
They have known each other for more than half a century, and revolutionary friendship has manifested itself in them at its highest level. With the passage of time, Zhang Zhen and Ding Sheng are no longer the first-hand witnesses of the bullets and bullets in that revolutionary era. However, their persistence in their conviction and their persistent pursuit of the revolutionary cause have never been worn out in the slightest.
At that time, China had already shaken off the troubles of war and began to enter a period of stable and peaceful development. However, no matter how the situation changes, Zhang Zhen and Ding Sheng have always fulfilled their duties and worked diligently to contribute to the prosperity and development of the country.
Even in their prime, the two of them are still managing every day and working hard. In the last 10 years of his military career, Ding Sheng has been holding important military and political positions, such as the first secretary of the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee and the political commissar of the Kunming Military Region. In these leading positions, he has made due contributions to the national defense and military construction and economic development of China's southwestern border region by virtue of his leadership experience in military life for many years and with a far-sighted vision that takes into account the overall situation and has a far-sighted vision.
When Zhang Zhen died, he was 86 years old. However, until a few years before his death, he also served as the political commissar and first secretary of the party committee of the Nanjing Military Region for a time, guarding the military, government, and people's livelihood in East China. Similarly, Zhang Zhen has always inherited and implemented the noble sentiments and family and country feelings of the older generation of revolutionaries into his own work practice.
What is even more commendable is that even in the twilight of life, the revolutionary friendship between the two has never been forgotten. Every time an important decision or turmoil occurs, Ding Sheng always seeks Zhang Zhen's opinion as soon as possible. Zhang Zhen was also willing to give advice, and expressed his heartfelt praise for Ding Sheng's attachment and concern for the old revolutionary base area.
They have grown from young soldiers who have no guesses to gray-haired old revolutionary men. But no matter how the years passed, this simple and pure revolutionary friendship will always be like a raging flame, illuminating the last journey of their lives.
This kind of revolutionary friendship that is the purest and noblest in the world is based on common ideals and beliefs. It comes from their steadfast dedication and pursuit of the revolutionary cause, and also from the personal experience of the two of them helping each other in the baptism of war in their early years. From the life-and-death communication on the Korean battlefield in 1953 to the subsequent decades of walking side by side, Zhang Zhen and Ding Sheng experienced the turmoil of the revolutionary era, witnessed the initial stage of New China, and contributed to the prosperity and strength of the country.
Now, as the wheels of the times roll forward, they will eventually turn into a wave of history and disappear in the long river of time. However, that legendary revolutionary friendship will forever be engraved in the heroic epic of the Chinese nation, shining brightly and forever.
The legend of the hero lives on
All great things will eventually become a thing of the past with the passage of time. In March 1986, Zhang Zhen, who was over 86 years old, passed away, and the founding father and people's hero passed away. When Ding Sheng learned the news, he was very sad in his heart.
In the revolutionary years, an accident on the Korean battlefield caused Zhang Zhen to suffer heavy losses. Ding Sheng was in danger and went to the rescue in person, resolving the crisis of life and death. That life-and-death exchange made the revolutionary friendship between the two climb to an unprecedented height. Later, in school, a deeper revolutionary friendship was formed because of the friendship between teachers and students.
Since then, whether in the government and the opposition, or at different stages of the revolution, Zhang Zhen and Ding Sheng have always been close and good friends. With practical actions, they continued this revolutionary friendship forged by life and death all the way and sublimated it to the highest level.
Although Ding Sheng was ready to send off his friends for the last time, when the news really came, he was still heartbroken. The death of the closest comrades-in-arms will inevitably lead to the sorrow and gloom of human nature.
But as an old revolutionary, Ding Sheng understood that he had to look at life and death with a lofty spiritual realm. Even if a friend dies, the revolutionary friendship between them that has been soaked in the flames of war will never fade away with the passage of time. The revolutionary friendship is eternal, and it will live on forever as the most precious legacy of the two people's life trajectories.
Therefore, shortly after Zhang Zhen's death, Ding Sheng took office and went to Beijing to mourn. Looking at the remains of the old revolutionary pioneers, Ding Sheng prayed deeply in his heart: May your spirit rest in heaven, and the friendship between you and me will be passed on from generation to generation.
Zhang Zhen's death shocked countless people, and the party and the country also gave him extremely high courtesy. Zhang Zhen's body was transported back to his hometown and buried in the Huishan Revolutionary Memorial Hall in Wuxi, Jiangsu. At that time, the party and state leaders came to see off Zhang Zhen in person and expressed their heartfelt respect for Zhang Zhen's life's dedication.
To Ding Sheng's relief, in Zhang Zhen's will, the unique friendship between them was specifically mentioned. That passage full of sincere feelings is enough to see how much Zhang Zhen cherishes his "close comrade-in-arms".
"Ding Sheng is my closest friend in life, and he is strict with himself with his lofty revolutionary ethics... We are like family, good friends and comrades. These simple words exhaust the deep friendship between the two brothers.
Since then, Ding Sheng has personally gone to Wuxi every year to pay homage to Zhang Zhen's mausoleum and miss those eventful years. In 1998, when Ding Sheng himself passed away, his ashes were buried next to Zhang Zhen's grave. The simple revolutionary friendship between the two during their lifetimes finally got an eternal fit on the other side of life.
In the years to come, as time passes, Zhang Zhen and Ding Sheng will gradually drift apart. But the friendship forged by the Korean war between them will forever be engraved in the annals of the Chinese nation and shine brightly.
Every time someone stops in front of their tombstones, they are reminded of the hardships of the two heroes in that turbulent era. In the rain of bullets, they wrote a legend with their blood and life; In times of peace, they are moving forward side by side with one heart and one mind, contributing their own strength to the prosperity and development of the country.
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This legend of revolutionary friendship will forever inspire future generations. It has witnessed the awakening process of a great nation from darkness to awakening, and will forever illuminate the way forward for the future sons and daughters of China.