From General to Prisoner of War: The backstories of three characters and how they became prisoners of war
In the long river of Chinese history, there are countless heroes and heroes who have left their own legends in the vicissitudes of change. However, in that special era in 1949, many former generals were reduced to prisoners of war and became prisoners of war.
In the book "What I Saw and Heard in the Reform of War Criminals", Shen Zui mentioned the "three sons of Gongdelin": the madman Li Yixuan, the fool Hu Lincong and the lame Du Yuming. These three people were all high-ranking generals in the Kuomintang army, but the mockery of fate made them end up in prison.
Li Yixuan, who was the commander of the 50th Division of the Kuomintang, was a brave and good soldier. However, when the People's Liberation Army (PLA) moved south, he saw the situation clearly and decided to lead his troops to revolt and surrender.
Unfortunately, his subordinates did not buy it and viciously framed him, resulting in him not only failing to succeed in the uprising, but being taken prisoner and imprisoned in a prisoner of war camp. And Hu Lincong, a dignified lieutenant general of the national army, stupidly believed the rhetoric of his boss Sun Yuanliang. Who is Sun Yuanliang?
He is the notorious "escape commander", and he has a unique ability to run for his life with his tail between his legs in a fight.
In order to protect himself, this cunning commander actually pushed Hu Lincong into the fire pit and made him a scapegoat. By the time Hu Lincong reacted, Sun Yuanliang had already fled, and he himself had become a prisoner of the People's Liberation Army.
In contrast, Du Yuming's experience seems even more tragic. The disabled general, whose left leg was shorter than his right, and he walked with a limp, so he was nicknamed "lame".
However, such a soldier who had experienced many vicissitudes had to bow his once proud head in the torrent of war and became a prisoner of war.
Three generals, three destinies, but they have the same goal. When the wheel of history runs over, the fate of the individual seems so small and helpless. In the past, he was full of spirit, but now he can only struggle in a prisoner of war camp.
However, the road of life is never smooth sailing, and ups and downs are the norm. For these three generals, the POW camp may have been a low point in their lives, but it was also a turning point for them to re-examine themselves and reinvent themselves.
The years of reform in the prisoner of war camp: the mental journey of the madman, the fool, and the lame
When three former Nationalist generals, Li Yixuan, Hu Lincong and Du Yuming, became prisoners of war and were imprisoned in Gongdelin, the trajectories of their lives took a dramatic turn.
From the leader of the army who commanded thousands of troops to being reduced to being a prisoner, this huge gap is enough to tear anyone's heart apart. In the prisoner of war camp, they went through a difficult period of reformation and also experienced a baptism of soul.
Let's first take a look at what happened to Li Yixuan. This once high-spirited division commander gradually became in a trance in the prisoner of war camp, sometimes laughing, sometimes crying.
His behavior is becoming more and more abnormal, so that others think that he is pretending to be crazy and stupid, and playing some kind of bitter tricks. It wasn't until one day that everyone found out that he was really crazy and rushed him to the hospital. At the hospital, doctors diagnosed him with schizophrenia.
Shen Zui once asked him in private, why are you crazy as a big man? Li Yixuan cried and laughed and said, I led a troop to revolt and surrendered, but in the end I was taken as a prisoner and locked up here, can I not go crazy?
These words expressed the helplessness and sorrow in Li Yixuan's heart.
Let's talk about the "fool" Hu Lincong. Speaking of which, the title of "fool" was given to himself by himself. In the prisoner of war camp, whenever he met someone, he reported himself to his home, saying that he was a fool.
Why? It turned out that Hu Lincong was tricked by his boss Sun Yuanliang.
Sun Yuanliang, the "escape commander", in order to save his life, pushed Hu Lincong to the front line and asked him to fight some "beautiful battle", but the result can be imagined, Hu Lincong was beaten to the ground and became a prisoner.
When he came to his senses, he found out that he had been tricked, and he was so angry that he called Sun Yuanliang "old thing". Since then, Hu Lincong has considered himself unlucky, and he will say that he is a fool when he meets people.
Finally, let's take a look at the "lame" Du Yuming. To be honest, Du Yuming's consciousness is the highest among these three people. After entering the prisoner of war camp, Du Yuming did not complain, but actively accepted reform and studied hard.
The spirit of the former senior generals of the national army who actually put down their bodies and took the initiative to ask to be a dung picker is really admirable. Perhaps because he has a humble and enterprising heart, Du Yuming made rapid progress in the reform, and was soon amnesty and freed.
Three generals, three personalities, three destinies. The years of rehabilitation they experienced in the prisoner of war camp were not only a difficult mental journey, but also a reshaping of the soul.
The madman Li Yixuan, the fool Hu Lincong, and the lame Du Yuming, their experiences have left us with profound inspiration. There are always ups and downs and setbacks on the road of life, the key is to have an enterprising and upward heart, and to know how to introspect, self-discipline and self-improvement in adversity.
As Du Yuming showed, as long as you never give up, there is no hurdle that you can't overcome, and you will definitely be able to start again and welcome a new life.