On September 10, 2017, in the quiet early hours of the morning, Zhang Yuhua, a veteran of the Anti-Japanese War, died at the general hospital of the Nanjing Military Region at the age of 101. "The old man walked very calmly and peacefully."
Zhang Yuhua
On September 3, 2015, the military parade ceremony for the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War was held in Tiananmen Square. In front of Tiananmen Square, the red flag was raised, the salute was fired in unison, and the phalanx of all armies was in a uniform formation, striding forward.
Among the phalanx of anti-Japanese veterans, there was an elderly man who trembled and raised his right hand, and although his right hand had been pierced by bullets during the War of Resistance, he still firmly saluted a standard military salute to the Tiananmen Tower.
This scene has moved countless people.
This old man was Zhang Yuhua, the former deputy political commissar of the Nanjing Military Region and a hundred-year-old legendary general.
He once made a will, and after his death, there was no spiritual hall, no farewell to the body, and no ashes. In order to donate more than 400,000 yuan for charity, he asked his family to donate corneas to people in need.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > first, make a will, and repeatedly ask for funerals to be simple</h1>
The old general Zhang Yuhua had already made a very detailed will in 2001 and amended it three times. The will consists of two pages of A4 paper. The will was posted online, causing netizens to burst into tears.
He was a very good Communist, and in him he could see all the good qualities of the older generation of revolutionaries. He said that I have dedicated my life to the people, and I cannot cause trouble for the people after my death, I must think about them, let alone ask the organization.
Worried that his children and descendants would do the work for him, he filled two A4 sheets of paper with all the arrangements after his death:
No condolence telegrams or condolence letters; no spiritual halls, no memorial services... Everything was simple, as usual, wreaths, ties, shou clothes and shoes were all rejected, not even the urn.
All that can be done is to leave a photograph of the relics of future generations; donate valuable organs of one's own body; and remove the bullets from one's body as a souvenir;
You can even use your own ashes as fertilizer to supply nutrients for an ordinary tree, and you must wrap them carefully to prevent environmental pollution...
After his death, he left little inheritance for his descendants. He demanded that the descendants should return the property of the public in full, and those who needed compensation should also be strictly followed in accordance with the regulations;
Cash or deposits will be donated to Zhangpi Village Primary School and included in the "Huahua Scholarship Foundation of Zhangpi Village Primary School" founded by his parents; After his death, his body can be donated to the Tianfushan Uprising Memorial Hall.
The veteran general also made a special instruction: "My descendants must always follow the Communist Party and fight for communism all their lives."
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the war experience of a hundred-year-old legendary veteran: life and death are only between the first line</h1>
Turning over Zhang Yuhua's resume, in his hundred-year-old life, he has experienced the ups and downs of war. In the face of Jingo Iron Horse, he has experienced the death of his comrades-in-arms, and has been seriously injured three times, still "a smoke and rain for a lifetime".
In 1916, Zhang Yuhua was born into an ordinary peasant family in Zhangpi Village, Wendeng Ying Township, Wenden City, Shandong Province.
In 1932, Zhang Yuhua graduated from the teacher training major and became a primary school teacher honorably, and joined the Communist Party in 1935.
When the July 7 Incident broke out in 1937, he resolutely threw himself into the revolution and was one of the leaders of the "Tianfushan Uprising". Since then, he has experienced eight years of war against Japanese aggression, the Liaoshen Campaign, the Pingjin Campaign, the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and was the political commissar of the 118th Division of the "Storm Force" that fired the first shot of the "War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea." He has many meritorious deeds.
At the 1955 ceremony, he received the rank of colonel. In 1964, he was promoted to major general. He was awarded two Second Class Military Merit Medals and one First Class Military Merit Medal.
In 1967, Zhang Yuhua served as deputy political commissar of the Wuhan Military Region, and later transferred to the deputy political commissar of the Nanjing Military Region, and continued to serve until his glorious retirement.
From the tempering of the war, he grew into an excellent soldier and an excellent party member.
The "Tianfushan Uprising" fired the first shot of the Jiaodong War of Resistance
"The Tianfushan Uprising in which my father participated fired the first shot of the Jiaodong War of Resistance." Zhang Wenzhou, the son of Zhang Yuhua, said.
In 1937, when the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression entered, the Kuomintang warlord Han Fuyu, who had originally ruled Shandong, fled without a fight. The Jiaodong Special Committee of the Communist Party of China in Shandong Province carried out an armed uprising in Tianfushan, created the Third Army of the Shandong People's Anti-Japanese Salvation Army, and began to lead the people in armed revolutionary struggle.
Zhang Yuhua, who is only 22 years old, was one of the founders of the Tianfushan Uprising. After the success of the uprising, he served as the instructor of the first squadron of the third army of the Shandong Anti-Japanese Salvation Army.
As the first shot of jiaodong's war of resistance, the Tianfushan uprising left a glorious page in the history of the Chinese revolution.
In early February 1938, Japanese marines invading China landed in Yantai and invaded Jiaodong and occupied Muping City.
In just a few days, a large part of the Jiaodong Peninsula fell into the hands of the Invading Japanese Army. In order to attack the Japanese Kou, at dawn on February 13, Li Qi, secretary of the Jiaodong Special Committee and commander of the Third Army, led a large team to liberate Muping City and captured more than 170 prisoners, including the Japanese and pseudo-county governors.
The battle ended with lightning speed. By this time, the large army had already escorted 170 prisoners to the south. When Li Qi, Zhang Yuhua and others stayed at the Lei Temple in the southern part of the city to rest, they were unexpectedly surrounded by more than a hundred Japanese infantrymen. The first battle after the uprising: the Battle of the Thunder Temple was immediately fought.
Zhang Yuhua wrote in his recollection: "We stubbornly resisted the counterattack and repelled 5 chargebacks, and the enemy has not been able to enter the temple. My original rifle could not be opened, so I replaced it with a newly surrendered horse rifle. ”
The battle was fierce, and Japanese fighters roared from low altitudes, firing in the air from time to time to cover the Attack of Japanese infantry. The rebels hid behind the temple courtyard wall, relying on thick stone walls to fend off heavy enemy fire.
The fierce battle lasted for 7 hours, and 20 brave soldiers repelled the onslaught of 100 Japanese troops 5 times. During this period, there were constantly comrades who were unable to defeat the enemy's artillery fire, fell to the ground, lost their lives, and the living soldiers continued to add new wounds.
The opposing fighters were constantly circling in the air, flying very low and very slowly, not dropping bombs, and occasionally firing. Li Qi, who was experienced in combat, suddenly reacted and whispered to Zhang Yuhua, "No, this is the enemy reconnaissance, let's hurry up and meet!" ”
The Japanese army is well equipped and has been on the battlefield for a long time, compared with the rebel army's armament, most of which are long guns and knives, rifles are only about a dozen, and ammunition is extremely scarce. The long battle was extremely unfavorable, but they could not escape the fierce artillery fire.
Soon, the commander of the Third Army, Li Qi, was shot three times in the abdomen, and Zhang Yuhua and his comrades saw the situation and hurriedly transferred him to the garden of the Thunder Temple and hid him.
All 5 assaults were blocked, and the enemy began to use incendiary bombs. For a time, a raging fire broke out in the temple, the grenades of the rebel army had long been exhausted, and the ammunition had long been urgent. Seeing that 20 soldiers were about to be buried at this moment, gunshots suddenly rang out from not far away. Reinforcements arrived.
The reinforcements were the Kuomintang army of Zhang Jianxun, who had previously consulted with the other side to retake Muping City, and was a friendly force that could be trusted. Zhang Jianxun's troops led the army to fire guns not far away, and the Japanese army thought that a large number of reinforcements had arrived, but did not dare to love the battle and retreated in a hurry.
Song Cheng commanded the rebel army and fought and retreated, escaping from danger. The fierce Battle of the Temple of Thunder came to an end. Zhang Yuhua was wounded and carried Li Qi, who was seriously injured and had become a bloody man, to break through and move. However, in the end, unable to return to heaven, Li Qi died at the age of 30 due to his serious injuries and excessive blood loss.
Zhang Yuhua was deeply saddened, this was the first time he had faced such a fierce battle, and it was also the first time he had faced the death of a close comrade-in-arms.
Song Cheng
He was seriously injured three times, and there was still a bullet left in his body
As a veteran of military merit and countless cruel wars, Zhang Yuhua's body is covered with large and small scars. During the War of Resistance, he was seriously wounded three times, and until his death, a bullet remained in his body.
Between March and May 1938, Zhang Yuhua led his troops to repel the enemy's attack. The Japanese army even used the strength of the navy, land and air force to launch a fierce attack on Zhang Yuhua's troops with about 800 combat strength. In the fierce exchange of fire, Zhang Yuhua's thigh was pierced by the enemy's bullets, and blood continued to gush from the wound.
He commanded the battle with great pain. After the victory, he spent the next month in the hospital.
In 1940, he participated in the ambush of Sun Zu under Xu Xiangqian and was wounded while commanding the team to hold Jiuzi Peak. In the fierce exchange of fire, Zhang Yuhua commanded the team to hold their positions and repelled 9 fierce attacks of the enemy.
Xu Xiangqian
In the middle of this battle, an enemy bullet passed through Zhang Yuhua's right armpit and hit his abdomen, and the bullet remained in his body.
When making his will, Zhang Yuhua also considered this bullet that had followed him for more than half a century, and asked future generations to seal it as a witness to the flames and smoke and the storms of history.
He served as the political commissar of the 118th Division, from the Battle of Hainan Island to the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea
Zhang Yuhua has always been active in fighting, and has both military and political capabilities. Due to his repeated achievements in the War of Resistance Against Japan, Zhang Yuhua grew from a squadron commander to a political commissar of the 118th Division. This was a team that was later invincible and frightened the enemy army.
In October 1949, the People's Republic of China was founded. Most of the southwest, Hainan Island, and Taiwan are still not liberated, the war is still going on, and most of the troops in charge of other areas have retired and begun to carry out the matter of demobilization.
From Changbai Mountain all the way to Hainan Island, the warriors were already feeling a little tired.
In October and November, the two unsuccessful attacks on Kinmen and Dengbu Island aggravated the shadow in the hearts of the soldiers: other comrades-in-arms had already gone to the localities as township chiefs and town chiefs, married, had children, returned to the right track of life, lived ordinary days, and enjoyed the hard-won era of peace they had laid together.
But the final liberation is still unfinished, and their mission continues. The warriors were very worried that they would fall before the dawn of victory.
However, Han Xianchu, the commander of Zhang Yuhua's 40th Army, was still actively preparing to cross the sea. He plans to prepare at least 100 landboats before the arrival of March next year, and report to the Central Military Commission to state the operational requirements:
"In our opinion, it is better to buy landing craft, and strive to buy 100, and possibly 200, with an average of 200,000 Hong Kong dollars per vessel, for a total of 40 million Hong Kong dollars."
Han Xianchu
According to Han Xianchu's judgment, if Hainan Island could not be taken, the United States would most likely cut off the Qiongzhou Strait. The final victory must belong to us, but we must not fail at dawn before victory.
The war is relentless, and in the face of a high probability of sacrifice, the warriors feel a little hesitant. Between the great righteousness of the country and the happiness of the individual, no matter how confused the soldiers were in their hearts, they could only do nothing to create conditions for the happiness of the people and fight heroically for the peace of the motherland.
Deng Yue, commander of the 118th Army, and Zhang Yuhua, as the political commissar of the division headquarters, encouraged everyone to overcome the fear of crossing the sea. In the face of war, the more afraid you are, the more likely you are that you will not be able to return to your homeland alive.
With the encouragement of Zhang Yuhua and Deng Yue, the soldiers of the 118th Division ignited their fighting spirit and organized a reinforcement regiment and a vanguard battalion as a vanguard force to smuggle across the strait and follow Han Xianchu to the island in the first wave.
Their burning will to fight worked wonders. The reinforcement regiment landed on the island with wooden boats, creating a record of defeating enemy warships with wooden boats.
On May 1, the entire territory of Hainan Island was liberated.
On June 25, the Korean War broke out.
On October 19, the sharp and unstoppable 118th Division set out for Korea to resist the United States and aid Korea.
Zhang Yuhua remembers that day very clearly, "On the evening of October 19, 1950, my 118th Division set out from the camp and embarked on a journey into Korea. At this time, the jeep that General Manager Peng was riding in surpassed the vanguard troops of our division on the Yalu River and went abroad with great speed. ”
At this time, long before the departure of the large army, the 40th Division led by Han Xianchu had secretly entered the front line of battle. For the sake of secrecy, the troops arranged an extremely strict march schedule.
All radio stations were turned off, and troops were required to march according to advance orders, arriving at their destination on a day strictly at the set time and place. After 5 days and 5 nights, the 118th Division finally arrived at the mouth of the Great YuDong Ditch. Without adequate rest, they were given a very important and urgent task:
"The 40th Army is the vanguard and must take the lead. The first battle abroad must be fought beautifully and play a mighty game! ”
This was the first battle of the Chinese Volunteer Army after entering the DPRK, and its importance is self-evident. If the first battle is won, it is crucial to the morale of the team. Zhang Yuhua was well aware of its importance, and in the future, he had time to alleviate the fatigue of the 5-day rapid march, so he studied and discussed the battle plan for the night with the division commander Deng Yue.
On the morning of October 25, a reinforced battalion of the South Korean army entered the Area of Seosui-dong, and the troops who had already ambushed there immediately launched a fierce attack, annihilating the reinforcement battalion in only two hours, killing and wounding 486 enemy prisoners, and getting many unexpected gains:
There were 12 guns, 38 cars, 163 guns of various kinds, and the capture of the American adviser Reilles.
Later, October 25 was designated by the Party Central Committee as the anniversary of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. Although this day is not the date of the Chinese Volunteer Army going abroad, it is the day of our country's first victory in the Korean battlefield and the commemoration of our army's wonderful first battle on the Korean battlefield.
The 118th Division became more and more courageous. Deng Yue proposed a plan to use a regiment as a reserve, using sharp knife tactics to penetrate 25 kilometers and detour the enemy's rear to cut off its rear road.
Deng Yue
Zhang Yuhua, who had experienced countless battles and tempering and had a very rich combat experience, listened to it and believed that Deng Yue's plan was both a high move and a dangerous move. The high place is attacking the enemy army unexpectedly and unprepared, and the dangerous place lies in the depth of 25 kilometers, the terrain and enemy situation on the way are not familiar, and the danger is difficult to predict.
Deng Yue was confident that with such a march, the enemy would not be able to help even a division! Zhang Yuhua thought about it again and again, and then proposed four fierce tactics to the commander of the sharp knife regiment: fierce attack, fierce charging, fierce pursuit, and violent insertion, and when it encountered a small space, it was crowded, and it was ignored to scatter the enemy army.
The leader of the sharp knife regiment understood the essence of the playing style proposed by Zhang Yuhua and immediately set off with confidence. In 6 hours, he led his troops to detour through the enemy's rear, turned back and attacked the enemy army from north to south with the 353rd and 354th regiments, and won a great victory.
The first use of the interspersed tactics created by the 118th Division was a miracle, annihilating 2,798 enemy troops and capturing 267 American troops. Later, this method of warfare was vigorously promoted by the Volunteer Army Command, creating a classic infantry interspersed battle in the Battle of Songkuo Peak.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > third, zhi en charity report: more than 30 years of charitable donations of more than 400,000 yuan</h1>
Zhang Yuhua spent half his life fighting for the peace of the motherland, and he still had the people in his heart when he took off his military uniform.
In 1986, Zhang Yuhua retired from office. Only 60 percent of his payroll account remains, and the remaining 40 percent is donated to charity.
He said: "I can't figure out that some people have hundreds of thousands of millions, and if they have millions, they want so much money. I'll keep 102,000 and enough! So I donate when I get a salary, and then I donate again, and I donate every year. ”
Over the past 30 years, he has donated more than 400,000 yuan to charity in poor areas, more than 200,000 catties of rice, and millions of yuan to schools. He donated most of his income to the impoverished masses in all parts of the motherland and to students who could not go to school and could not read.
The people who received his support were all over the country, Xinjiang, Tibet, Hainan Island, the three eastern provinces... Wherever there is a need, he donates to it. Even if it is a cup of water, it is also a piece of his own sincerity.
In his long revolutionary career, he was saved by the local people on several occasions, and he was very grateful for this, so he became more and more determined to help the people in need.
His own life is very simple, always able to save money, but for a long time to support the poor people in the community rice grain and oil.
For himself and his family, he seems to be a little "unkind". The daughter-in-law wanted to buy a car and wanted to borrow twenty thousand yuan from the old general for turnover, and he seemed a little unhappy to hear it. He said that children and grandchildren have their own children and grandchildren, and children's affairs cannot be managed for a lifetime.
He will not interfere with the pleasures and blessings of his children, but these matters will be resolved by himself. He is still concerned about the masses in poor areas, worried about them struggling to feed themselves.
Zhang Yuhua is stingy about unnecessary expenses for his family and is also very "harsh" on himself. This will make him remember the bits and pieces of his family's efforts for him in life.
On an ordinary day in his diary, he remembered this passage:
Today is March 8th Women's Day, today is March 8th Women's Day, I did not go out of the house these two days of labor, Zhenhua (Zhang Yuhua's wife) treated me well, today bought sweet wine for me to drink, I only said a sentence "This year's March 8th Festival, what gift to send you." I think there is nothing to send, said an empty word, in the future alone to see and then make up for it...
Despite his "harshness", it can be seen that he is full of love for his wife: his wife's kindness to him makes him cherished, but he can't give back, which makes him feel guilty. It is precisely because he cherishes all this that his family can be said to be very happy and warm.
Although he did not leave any material possessions for his family, his spiritual possessions were incomparably abundant.
Zhang Yuhua often said that in his heart there are three mothers, one is his birth mother, one is the people who raised him, and the third is the party that nurtured him to grow up.
Zhang Yuhua was very filial to his birth mother, lived to the age of 87 and died, and he served in front of him without shame;
For the second "mother", Zhang Yuhua said that his kindness is not enough for a lifetime. Every day of his life he was raised by the working people. Coming from a poor family, he often depended on the help of the working people, and when he was seriously injured, he was also saved by the people.
As long as he is alive to catch his breath, he will do something for the people.
The third "mother" nurtured him to grow up and guided him on the path of revolution. Without the Party, he would not have been able to get to where he is today. Therefore, he upheld the belief that he would always listen to the party and follow the party. In his will, his exhortation to future generations is also: "Always follow the party, toward the party." ”
He loves the people, and the people will have the same respect and affection for him. Zhang Yuhua, who has done many good things for the people, was awarded the people's honor: "General of Charity".
In 2012, Zhang Yuhua was named "China's Good Man".
Before the old man died, he asked his family to donate corneas
On September 9, 2017, the day before Zhang Yuhua's death, Dr. Cao of the Nanjing Red Cross Eye Bank received a call from Zhang Yuhua's niece. Since Zhang Yuhua had fallen into a deep coma at this time, she communicated with the eye bank staff about donating corneas.
This is a donation that Zhang Yuhua repeatedly asked his family to make before his death, and he wanted to dedicate the last "property" to the people.
In order to let the old man die safely, his family made arrangements in advance when he was leaving.
On September 10, Zhang Yuhua passed away peacefully.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="7" > conclusion</h1>
Half a life of fighting horses, half a life of charity, a hundred-year-old legendary veteran Zhang Yuhua explained to us the life dedicated by the older generation of revolutionaries. After a hundred years of baptism of wind and rain, the light of his personality charm has been precipitated. this
It is an extraordinary life of an ordinary veteran, and it is also a glorious life of the struggle and glory of an older generation of revolutionaries.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="4" > references</h1>
Public Network Poster News: "The Blood Battle of the Thunder Temple in the Memory of Major General Zhang Yuhua", author: Sun Hao