At the beginning of 1921, in a dense forest on the border of Sichuan, a team of men and horses was hurrying away. The leader was a burly middle-aged man with a furrowed brow and a solemn expression. He is Zhu De, a famous general of the Yunnan army. At this time, Zhu De is facing a life-and-death decision, and an unexpected encounter is about to change his fate.
The warlords were fighting, the people were suffering, and Zhu De was disheartened and wanted to find another way out
At the beginning of the 20th century, China was divided by warlords and wars. The Dian army, as one of the forces, was also involved in this melee. As a general of the Dian Army, Zhu De personally experienced this turbulent time.
He joined the military with great ambition to serve his country. However, the reality is one meaningless battle after another, and the people suffer greatly. Zhu De became more and more disappointed with this situation, and he began to think: What was his original intention in joining the army? Is it just to become a thug of a warlord?
As time passed, Zhu De's dislike of warlord melee grew. He has repeatedly proposed that the civil war be stopped and that the population be given a stable environment. It's a pity that such calls are always in vain. In desperation, Zhu De decided to break away from the Dian army and find another way out. However, this decision also puts him in a dangerous situation.
Zhu De was wanted and fled, and his fate was full of dangers
Zhu De's "defection" angered Tang Jiyao, the leader of the Dian army. Tang Jiyao immediately ordered Zhu De to be wanted and offered a large reward for his arrest. For a time, Zhu De was reduced from a commanding general to a rat crossing the street, and everyone shouted and beat him.
In order to evade pursuit, Zhu De led a small group of cronies to flee overnight. They avoided the main roads, crossed the mountains, and hid like lost dogs. Along the way, Zhu De had mixed feelings in his heart. He couldn't help but sigh: When he first started to write from Rong, how could he have thought that one day he would fall to this?
On the way to escape, Zhu De and his entourage encountered many difficulties. Once, they were surrounded by a gang of bandits and almost lost their lives. Fortunately, Zhu De commanded well and led his subordinates to fight bravely out of the siege. However, there were heavy casualties, and only a dozen people remained in the team.
Finally escaped to the Jinsha River, Zhu De and others encountered a new problem - there was no boat to cross the river. Seeing that the pursuers were getting closer and closer, everyone was as anxious as ants on a hot pot. At this moment, a kind boatman risked his life and sent them to the opposite shore.
As soon as they breathed a sigh of relief, Zhu De and the others were surrounded by a group of Yi armed forces. The leading little leader shouted in Sichuanese: "Put down your weapons for Lao Tzu, otherwise you will cut off your heads first!" Zhu De responded calmly and defused the crisis. It turned out that this armed force was a patrol of the Sichuan Border Guard.
Zhu De happened to meet Lei Yunfei, and the brothers swore together to discuss the plan
Although Zhu De and others were temporarily out of danger, their future was uncertain. At this time, the patrol leader mentioned their eldest brother - Lei Yunfei. Zhu De had heard of this name and knew that Lei Yunfei was a well-known local bandit leader, quite chivalrous.
After some twists and turns, Zhu De finally saw Lei Yunfei. The two hit it off at first sight and had a good conversation. Lei Yunfei admired Zhu De's talent and courage, and Zhu De also admired Lei Yunfei's chivalrous spirit. The two hated each other late, and immediately decided to marry brothers with different surnames.
They held a solemn ceremony of worship, drank chicken blood wine, and swore to share weal and woe. Zhu De gave his treasured Browning pistol to Lei Yunfei, who gave him 300 silver dollars and some gifts. This brotherhood made Zhu De feel warm in adversity.
In Lei Yunfei's cottage, Zhu De was carefully cared for and treated. Lei Yunfei's wife, Liu Yuanzhen, personally took care of Zhu De's diet and daily life. In their spare time, Zhu De and Lei Yunfei had a long talk and chatted about important things.
Zhu De briefed Lei Yunfei on the situation at home and abroad, and analyzed the drawbacks of warlord melee. He hoped that Lei Yunfei could look to the future and do something practical for the country and the people. Lei Yunfei humbly asked for advice and expressed his willingness to work for the welfare of the people under the guidance of Zhu De.
However, the good times did not last long, and Zhu De knew that he could not stay here for long. He politely refused Lei Yunfei's stay and decided to continue to go north to find a way out. When parting, Zhu De gave his beloved war horse to Lei Yunfei and told him: "You must use it on the right path and contribute to saving the country and the people!"
Zhu De went to Germany, and Lei Yunfei was killed by rape
After leaving Lei Yunfei's territory, Zhu De came to Shanghai and met Sun Yat-sen. Sun Yat-sen admired Zhu De's talent and offered to reinvigorate the Dian army. However, after going through so much, Zhu De has seen through the essence of warlord melee. He politely rejected Sun Yat-sen's kindness and decided to go to Germany to find a cure to save the country.
In 1922, under the introduction of Zhou Enlai, Zhu De joined the Communist Party of China and embarked on a new path. He was full of hope and looked forward to a bright future for his motherland.
However, the sky is unpredictable. Just when Zhu De was struggling for a new life, his sworn brother Lei Yunfei encountered an accident.
It turned out that Lei Yunfei's power was growing day by day, causing panic among the local gentry and landlords. They paid a lot of money to ask the Nationalist Government to send troops to suppress the bandits. After several encirclements and suppressions were fruitless, Jiang Ruzhen, the head of the regiment sent by the Nationalist Government, came up with a poisonous plan.
Jiang Ruzhen first bribed Lei Yunfei's confidant Song Wenbang, and then wrote a letter to Lei Yunfei, pretending to worship him. Lei Yunfei was simple and kind, and he didn't realize that this was a trap at all. He happily went to the appointment, and only brought a dozen entourages to see Jiang Ruzhen.
At the moment when the two met, Jiang Ruzhen suddenly ordered to shoot. The unsuspecting Lei Yunfei was killed on the spot. Subsequently, Jiang Ruzhen ordered to exterminate Lei Yunfei's subordinates and cut off Lei Yunfei's head for public display. A generation of chivalrous men has fallen.
After Lei Yunfei was killed, his wife, Liu Yuanzhen, was nowhere to be found. Zhu De read the bad news in the newspaper and was devastated. He has always been thinking about this brother in distress, and he is even more concerned about Liu Yuanzhen's whereabouts. It's a pity that after many years, there has been no news.
Time flies, and the trajectory of Zhu De's life has undergone earth-shaking changes. He went from a warlord general to the founding father of New China. However, no matter how his status changes, the past with Lei Yunfei has always been engraved in his heart.
Until 1976, Zhu De died in Beijing. While sorting through his belongings, people found a diary. The diary records in detail the process of his acquaintance with Lei Yunfei, as well as his concern for Liu Yuanzhen's whereabouts. This dusty for many years has finally seen the light of day.
Zhu De and Lei Yunfei seem to be personal encounters, but they actually reflect the epitome of that turbulent era. The warlords are fighting, the people are struggling to make a living, and people of insight have to find another way out. Some people choose to leave, some people choose to stick to it, but they are all pursuing an ideal China in their own way.
Today's China has long been freed from the misery of warlord warfare, but the spirit of Zhu De and Lei Yunfei's pursuit of fairness and justice is still worth learning. In times of peace, we should cherish our hard-won stability and prosperity and contribute our strength to the country's development.