This seemingly ordinary sentence hides an extraordinary story behind it. In that war-torn era, a pair of "golden partners" used their wisdom and courage to compose a series of battles that could be sung and cried. Who are they? What kind of story did you experience? Why does Chen Geng always shirk responsibility, and how did Zhou Xihan establish meritorious service in the war? Let's walk into this eventful time together to explore the unique and touching story between these two close friends.
The germ of "lame" and "thin".
Chen Geng was born in a scholarly family in Hunan Province, and his ancestors have served several Hanlin families, and his family history is long. He was gifted and intelligent, and when he was 12 years old, he moved south with his family to escape the war of the Northern Expedition. The journey to the south was extremely difficult and dangerous, and he encountered several attacks along the way, and Chen Geng came into contact with the heat of war for the first time. The young Chen Geng witnessed the destruction of his home and the suffering of his relatives, and since then he has been determined to devote himself to the cause of saving the world.
In 1924, when Chen Geng was 18 years old, he was admitted to the Whampoa Military Academy for further study, starting his vast military career. Later, Chen Geng joined the Kuomintang and soon became famous with his heroic and outstanding combat talent. In 1927, when Chiang Kai-shek was detained by the Communists in Nanjing, Chen Geng bravely rushed into the encirclement and rescued him, thus forming a deep revolutionary friendship.
However, as the situation changed, the Kuomintang cabinet became increasingly corrupt and drifted away from its original intentions. Chen Geng was deeply disappointed by this, so he resolutely left the Kuomintang in 1928 and devoted himself to the revolutionary cause of the Communist Party. With a keen sense of smell, he recognized the eventual decay of the Kuomintang early on, and laid a solid ideological foundation for his later heroism.
Similar to Chen Geng's fate is Zhou Xihan. Zhou Xihan was born in an ordinary farming family in the Nanyang area, and his ancestors have been farming for generations. The young Zhou Xihan grew up in the harsh environment of war, so he established a grand desire to serve the motherland very early. In 1925, at the age of 19, Zhou Xihan joined the Red Army and became a herald. Because of his diligence and outstanding talents, he was soon appreciated by his superiors and was transferred to staff work.
In 1927, the fates of Chen Geng and Zhou Xihan began to intertwine. At that time, Zhou Xihan was already a well-known staff officer under Xu Qianqian, and Chen Geng discovered the outstanding military command talent of this "seedling" by chance, so he recruited him into his command. Since then, "Zhou Shouzi" and "Chen Cripple" have fought side by side, forming an indissoluble bond of life and death.
Although the backgrounds of the two are very different, they are both enthusiastic young people who have generously sung about 90,000 miles. In the face of the current situation of national crisis, they resolutely threw aside everything and devoted themselves to the great cause of revolution and salvation. The ruthless and bloody repression of the enemy strengthened their dedication to their faith; The tragic deaths of their relatives and friends in the flames of war have made their pursuit of the ideal of peace even more ablaze. It is this sincere love for the peace of the motherland that binds the hearts of the two people together. This is the reason why the "cripple" and the "thin man" have been able to walk a long way side by side.
An indissoluble bond was formed
Chen Geng's appreciation of Zhou Xihan stems from a chance encounter. In the autumn of 1927, Chen Geng arrived in the area of Shangqiu, Henan Province with his troops and conducted an encounter. The war is at a stalemate, and the two sides are deadlocked. At this moment, Zhou Xihan decisively surrounded the enemy army with excellent strategy, forced it to retreat, and extricated Chen Geng's troops from the predicament. Chen Geng saw Zhou Xihan's extraordinary resourcefulness and immediately recruited him into his command.
Since then, Chen Geng has redoubled his weight on Zhou Xihan. He found that Zhou Xihan was not only wise and brave, but also humble and sincere. This is closely related to Zhou Xihan's background. Zhou Xihan, who lost his father at a young age, experienced the hardships of life since he was a child, and thus developed a thrifty and simple character. When he grew up, after Zhou Xihan joined the Red Army, he saved most of his military salary and used it to fund his family.
Unlike Chen Geng's arrogant personality, Zhou Xihan is meticulous and cautious. Chen Geng admired Zhou Xihan's rigorous style very much, and felt that it was precisely because of the lack of similar talents that the troops would lose repeated battles. With Zhou Xihan, a "fine master", Chen Geng has a reliable think tank since then, and he has finally made a small difference on the battlefield.
Compared with Chen Geng's appreciation of Zhou Xihan, Zhou Xihan also respects this senior. In his eyes, Chen Geng is not only brave, but also has a broad and upright character. Although there are constant laughing tricks, he can be calm and fearless at critical moments. It is this character that makes Zhou Xihan have a sense of admiration for Chen Geng.
The two met late, so that they quickly formed a deep revolutionary friendship in the war. Whenever he encountered a difficult juncture, Chen Geng always let Zhou Xihan temporarily take the helm, and he assisted him. And Zhou Xihan is also willing to hand over the military power to Chen Geng, to use the experience and wisdom of this senior. The two complement each other in their work, and they also share hardships and take care of each other in life.
It is worth mentioning that the two have also formed an indissoluble bond in marriage. It was a spring day in 1929, and Chen Geng suddenly said to Zhou Xihan: "I heard that you have a good impression of Miss Zhou Xuan in the Taiyue Border District?" Why not take the initiative and pursue it? Zhou Xihan was asked by Chen Geng, and immediately blushed. It turned out that as early as a few months ago, Chen Geng had a glimpse of Zhou Xihan's heart for Zhou Xuan, but he didn't mention it.
After Chen Geng teased for a while, he put on an elder's shelf: "You are over thirty years old, and if you don't get married soon, you will have to be spoken." A manly man, how can he be eaten by tenderness? Go and pursue it, with Uncle Chen's support! Zhou Xihan had to reluctantly agree, thus embarking on the road of no return in pursuit of marriage.
However, the road is full of thorns. Although Zhou Xihan is humble, he is also too shy to express his heart to Zhou Xuan. Although Zhou Xuan also had a good impression, he was still frightened by Zhou Xihan's restrained expression. In desperation, Chen Geng had to go into battle in person to "say kiss". On the one hand, he tried his best to boast to Zhou Xuan about Zhou Xihan's excellence, and on the other hand, he held on to Zhou Xihan and forced him to take the initiative to be courteous. In this way, the marriage of the two finally had some eyebrows under Chen Geng's maneuvering.
Since then, Chen Geng and Zhou Xihan have been inseparable, sharing life and death. Even the interesting story of the marriage in honey after marriage, the two also shared it without reservation. Zhou Xihan once laughed at himself: "If it weren't for Brother Chen's several bali pushes, I, a wooden man, would have been alone for the rest of my life." Chen Geng laughed and quibbled: "If you don't marry her, then you will be cheaper than others!" Fortunately, my tricky and eccentric finally got into your heart and made you a husband. ＂
The friendship between the two has long been integrated into the family affection that is like a brother's blood thicker than water. The cohesion of this friendship not only allowed the two friends "Chen Cripple" and "Zhou Shouzi" to go through one crisis after another, but also laid a solid foundation for them to establish countless feats on the battlefield in the future.
A "golden partner" who fights side by side
After Chen Geng and Zhou Xihan formed an indissoluble bond, a unique mode of division of labor and cooperation was formed. As the commander-in-chief, Chen Geng focused on military command and strategic deployment; Zhou Xihan served as Chen Geng's military advisor and was responsible for planning combat strategies. The two cooperated tacitly and performed many miracles on the battlefield.
At the beginning of 1929, Chen Geng led his troops to attack Shangqiu City, Henan. Shangqiu was an important town of the Kuomintang and was heavily defended. Chen Geng originally wanted to go step by step, but Zhou Xihan put forward a proposal to storm the heart of the city. He found that there was a low-lying place in the northeast corner of Shangqiu, which could be broken through at night. Chen Geng thought so, so he adopted this plan, and sure enough, he successfully conquered Shangqiu at night, laying the foundation for the unification of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Soviet region.
The following year, under the planning of Zhou Xihan, Chen Geng connected the two cities of Lingbao and Weihui in Henan, thus securing the base in northwest Henan. In 1931, in the face of the sudden attack of the Kuomintang's "encirclement and suppression", the two fought side by side, and finally retreated after several months of unexpected movement tactics.
In 1932, the Kuomintang concentrated its heavy forces and launched a decisive "battle" against Chen Geng's base area. Chen Geng was originally prepared to hold his position and persist in guerrilla warfare. However, Zhou Xihan knew that the Kuomintang was too strong, and if he insisted on holding it, he was afraid that he would be outflanked in a roundabout way, so he suggested that Chen Geng should delegate power to "fight guerrillas." Under Zhou Xihan's careful deployment, Chen Geng's troops harassed the Kuomintang army in all directions, depleting a large number of living forces on the other side. Although more than half of the casualties were suffered during the period, in the end, all the troops still crossed the Yellow River and broke out of the encirclement.
This battle can be described as thrilling. Chen Geng and Zhou Xihan were born and died in the rain of bullets, sharing life and death. Chen Geng recalled: "If it weren't for Zhou Xihan's unexpected and exquisite tactical deployment, it would have been difficult for us to get out of it alone. Zhou Xihan praised Chen Geng's bravery and tenacity: "Mr. Chen is really a hot-blooded iron army, which led to our final victory." ＂
During the 8-year Anti-Japanese War, Chen Geng and Zhou Xihan fought side by side, put forward many innovative tactics, and achieved many achievements. For example, in the Pinghan Railway Battle in 1937, under the strategic planning of Chen Geng's commander-in-chief and Zhou Xihan, the same force was used to defeat the superior enemy.
The tacit cooperation between the two has created one record after another, and their reputation has gradually spread on both sides of the enemy. For the communist army, Chen Geng and Zhou Xihan are undoubtedly very important commanders and strategists; But in the eyes of the enemy, they are a "cunning" or a "difficult" enemy. Whether it is friend or foe, they are all in awe of the combination of "Chen Cripple" and "Zhou Shouzi".
It is precisely by virtue of this close cooperation that Chen Geng and Zhou Xihan were able to perform miraculous feats in that turbulent era. Although the two have a unique side, they pay more attention to cooperation, mutual appreciation, and sharing weal and woe. The reason why this "golden partner" is famous is largely due to such revolutionary friendship and mutual support.
The defense of the "lame" and the reserved of the "thin man".
Although Chen Geng and Zhou Xihan are invincible on the battlefield, their friendship is also uneven. The most common situation is that Chen Geng was severely reprimanded by Zhou Xihan for shirking responsibility, and Zhou Xihan was ridiculed and squeezed by Chen Geng for being too humble. This situation often leads to a big fight between the two in the middle of the war. However, such disputes were often short-lived, and were soon soothed by their revolutionary friendship.
Once, in the last battle of the Henan Campaign, Chen Geng asked Zhou Xihan to temporarily take over his command because his body was really unbearable. Who knew that Zhou Xihan won a great victory with his wonderful military skills in this battle, but he was said by Chen Geng's hippie smile that he was "used to being lazy" and "pushing you a favor". Zhou Xihan was furious when he heard this, and asked Chen Geng why he slandered himself and almost used force. Chen Geng smiled and explained that it was just a joke, which coaxed Zhou Xihan away.
Afterwards, Zhou Xihan said to Chen Geng: "If you are really tired, why bother making such tasteless jokes?" You know that I am humble, but you want to insult me. Chen Geng touched his nose and said, "Who said that if you joke, you have to hurt your friends?" Where dare I slander you? Although you and I are of different ranks, we are all friends who are like each other. ＂
When Zhou Xihan heard this, he still looked angry: "If you really treat me as a friend, don't be unreasonable!" We have to fight for the revolutionary cause to the end, how can we always talk about it! ＂
Chen Geng was not annoyed when he heard this, but just sighed: "You are right, I did something wrong." But you don't have to make a fuss. If you really want to be annoyed, we've been fooled up all these years. ＂
Zhou Xihan listened, finally lost his anger, and said with a smile: "Then you have to change your temperament, otherwise I will be really angry with you one day... ＂
The two looked at each other and smiled, and resumed their usual conversation. Zhou Xihan's humility and self-control are due to his family background and upbringing, and he is by no means deliberately arrogant to his friends. And Chen Geng's hippie smile is just a little joke he makes to his friends. Although they occasionally quarrel over it, they never take this little thing to heart.
Interestingly, even if Chen Geng was seriously injured on the battlefield, he always had to pretend to be a hippie smile to hide his real weakness. Whenever this happens, Zhou Xihan will always reprimand him. For example, once, Chen Geng was shot in the leg during the battle and almost fell unconscious. When he woke up, he even had to put on a comfortable style, and was severely criticized by Zhou Xihan.
Zhou Xihan said: "If you can't fight again, why bother holding on? No one can hide it, you 'cripple', it's better to tell the truth. How could I blame you for being a crippled person? Let's rest and rest first. ＂
Chen Geng waved his hand and said: "I just don't want to be called a 'cripple', so I will be strong." You and I can have today because of the selfless and fearless character of the revolution. 'Cripple' just describes the appearance, but the inside is a righteous steel man! ＂
So the two quarreled again, until Chen Geng almost collapsed, and was dragged away by Zhou Xihan to bandage his wounds. Behind the scenes, Zhou Xihan was extremely moved by Chen Geng: "Cripple" is a vulgar nickname, but it is this reserved nickname that reflects Chen Geng's love and dedication to his ideal career.
Not only that, in the future battles, Zhou Xihan also took the initiative to let Chen Geng rest temporarily and personally command the army many times. And Chen Geng always told Zhou Xihan: "I'm just lazy, don't you learn from me!" This is how the two of them, through jokes and reprimands, take care of each other's shortcomings, and move forward together on the difficult road of revolution.
"Confidant" on the road to revolution
In the friendship between Chen Geng and Zhou Xihan, there are some unique anecdotes worth mentioning. Behind these little things, they all reflect the deep revolutionary friendship between the two.
For example, in terms of eating, Chen Geng has always been good at this bite, especially like big fish and meat. As a military advisor, Zhou Xihan usually only cares about planning the military and rarely pays attention to eating. Once, after Chen Geng won a surprise battle, he happily said to Zhou Xihan: "Brother, we finally fought a fight, why don't we celebrate and celebrate?" ＂
With that, Chen Geng asked his subordinates to kill an old scalper and started making beef hot pot in full swing. Zhou Xihan was full of suspicion and asked Chen Geng why he was so extravagant. Chen Geng said nonchalantly: "That's Lao Huang's lifeline, it's been boiled up for a long time!" We have been fighting for a long time, and it is not easy for us to have this fun, how can we not be happy? ＂
Zhou Xihan could only shake his head and smile bitterly when he heard this, saying that Chen Geng was a good mouthful. Chen Geng didn't care either, and in turn joked Zhou Xihan and said: "You 'thin man' just eat too little, so you have no energy." Try this beef old hot pot, it will definitely make you timid! ＂
The two of you say a word to me, and they put their friendship on food. Chen Geng seems to regard food as a good medicine for soldiers to replenish their physical strength, and Zhou Xihan does not criticize it further. In the war-torn era, this big meal undoubtedly made the two of them feel the joy of life for a short time.
In addition to eating, the two also have some interesting little habits in other aspects. For example, when sleeping, Chen Geng has always been a person who can sleep heavily. But Zhou Xihan always sleeps shallowly and wakes up easily, and he will wake up at the slightest movement. Sometimes Chen Geng woke up Zhou Xihan by snoring in the middle of the night, and the two would have a small quarrel because of this.
However, the two usually take care of each other's habits. Zhou Xihan often carefully prepared some snacks for Chen Geng, so that he could replenish his strength in time. And Chen Geng always deliberately lowered the footsteps when Zhou Xihan was reading at night, so as not to disturb his thinking. In the midst of the war, they took care of each other in this way and maintained a precious friendship.
Once, when the two were discussing combat strategies, Chen Geng suddenly picked up the wine cup and said to Zhou Xihan: "Brother, let's have a few drinks." Zhou Xihan asked strangely: "What are you kidding?" Now is not the time to drink. Chen Geng smiled mysteriously: "Drinking is not to get drunk, but to celebrate that we can make suggestions for the revolutionary cause together today." Treat me as what I think. ＂
Zhou Xihan was stunned, and then immediately raised the wine cup. The two looked at each other like this, and felt the fate and friendship of being able to fight side by side in the flames of war. From then on, whenever the two of them decided on a strategy, they would simply celebrate. For them, this is a unique way to drink the "wine of revolution".
end
Of course, in the bits and pieces of the lives of the two, there are countless such interesting and touching little things. Behind everything, there is a reflection of the "confidant" friendship between Chen Geng and Zhou Xihan. It was precisely by virtue of this friendship that they were able to take care of each other and support each other in those turbulent years, and walked together on the difficult road of revolution.