Picture | Zhang Yunyi
preface
One day in September 1955, Huairen Hall in Zhongnanhai was solemn. Chairman Mao's ceremony to award the titles of the Ten Marshals and Premier Zhou's ceremony to award the titles to the Ten Generals began...
When Premier Zhou walked toward Zhang Yunyi with his hands holding the gilded order of the rank of general, a wave of heat suddenly surged in his heart, and his eyes became wet. At this moment, his feelings are not only excited, but also more uneasy.
It turned out that as early as the brewing stage of this title, he proposed to the Central Military Commission several times: He is old, his health is not good, and he cannot work as always, so let this rank of general be awarded to others.
After the Central Military Commission submitted his request to Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou for reading, the result was predictable, and naturally it was not approved.
Pictured| Chairman Mao
Moreover, Chairman Mao spoke highly of Zhang Yunyi: "Comrade Zhang Yunyi, under the condition that the white terror enveloped the whole country, led the Baise Uprising with a fearless spirit, created the Red Seventh Army and the Youjiang Revolutionary Base Area, and ignited the spark of the southern revolution. ”
Why did Chairman Mao give Zhang Yunyi such a high evaluation, and how did Zhang Yunyi step by step become a founding general?
Zhang Yunyi: From a patriotic general in the old army to a senior general in the Communist Party
In China's modern revolutionary war, which was full of twists and turns and hardships, many patriotic generals, after struggle, failure, wandering, and confusion, finally woke up and chose the road of joining the Communist Party of China.
Because only the road under the leadership of the Communist Party of China is the only correct path that can save the Chinese people from water and fire, and Among them, General Zhang Yunyi is a typical representative.
Zhang Yunyi was born in 1892 to a poor peasant family in present-day Wenchang County, Hainan Province. In order to save him from the fate of poverty, his parents saved money and thrift, and when he was 7 years old, they sent him to the village to study private school.
In 1904, at the age of 12, Zhang Yunyi entered the higher primary school in his hometown. After graduation, due to the family's financial constraints, he could not continue his education, so he worked at home while studying on his own.
Soon after, in order to make a living, Zhang Yunyi came to Guangzhou to join Zhao Shihuai, a fellow soldier who was an officer, and worked as a handyman in the Zhao family. Zhao Shihuai is an enlightened person, he is very sympathetic to Zhang Yunyi's situation, especially like his intelligent talent and diligent spirit, not only do not ask him, but also take the initiative to provide him with learning convenience, and guide him to read many new books.
In the spring of 1908, Guangzhou Huangpu Army Primary School began the second phase of enrollment, Zhang Yunyi with the desire to save the country from the army, applied for this school, with excellent results was admitted. From here, Zhang Yunyi began to accept progressive ideas and embarked on the communist road in a gradual groping.
In China at that time, the bourgeois revolutionaries began to gradually enter the stage of history, and many revolutionaries like Sun Yat-sen emerged. They often went to schools in Guangdong, Hunan and other places to give lectures on their revolutionary ideas.
One day, Zhu Zhixin, a famous revolutionary and close friend of Sun Yat-sen, came to the Huangpu Army Primary School in Guangzhou to propagate revolutionary ideas.
Pictured| revolutionary Zhu Zhixin
At the scene of the speech, Zhu Zhixin first recounted with generous passion the great shame and humiliation suffered by the Chinese nation since the Opium War, exposed the incompetence of the Qing government and its dark rule, and when he spoke of the excitement, he burst into tears, arousing the strong resonance of a large number of patriotic young people, including Zhang Yunyi, who decided to join the revolutionary party.
In 1909, Zhang Yunyi was introduced to the League in secret. A few months later, Zhang Yunyi walked out of the school and bravely threw himself into the torrent of the Xinhai Revolution and joined the ranks of the anti-Qing armed uprising.
In April 1911, the 19-year-old Zhang Yunyi participated in the Huanghuagang Uprising led by Sun Yat-sen and served as the captain of the bomb brigade in the revolutionary army, and the rebel troops and the Qing army engaged in street battles, the two sides fought fiercely for a day and night, and finally were forced to retreat because they were outnumbered and suffered too many casualties.
After the defeat of the rebel army, the Qing army sent heavy troops to guard the various intersections in order to search for the hidden revolutionaries. Although Zhang Yunyi and several members of the rebel forces were disguised, they were not able to go out of the city, and in desperation, the crowd had to hide in a private house.
The next morning, Zhang Yunyi disguised himself as an uncle who went out to buy vegetables and went out to investigate the situation of the Qing army to see if there was a way to retreat.
However, when he finished investigating the situation and returned to the door of the people's house, he saw that the Qing army had entered their house with a large group of people and horses. Zhang Yunyi saw the situation and immediately hid, secretly watching the actions of the Qing army.
Figure | the tomb of the seventy-two martyrs of the Huanghuagang Uprising
Soon, the Qing army arrested the members of the rebel forces hidden here and shot them all at the intersection of the street, while Zhang Yunyi escaped the disaster by going out in disguise to investigate.
After the failure of the Huanghuagang Uprising, Zhang Yunyi participated in the Xinhai Revolution under the leadership of Sun Yat-sen.
Without the emergence of the Chinese Communist Party, Zhang Yunyi might have remained in the Kuomintang camp for the rest of his life.
In January 1924, a revolutionary united front based on the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party was formally established.
In the course of the revolution, Zhang Yunyi gradually realized the completely different political programs and goals of struggle of the kuomintang and the communists, and the heroic spirit of the communists in undertaking the mission of the country and the nation in the future and shedding their blood for the revolution made him deeply realize that only the Communist Party of China is the hope for the future of the Chinese nation.
In 1926, at the age of 34, Zhang Yunyi secretly joined the Communist Party of China, and at that time, he was already the chief of staff of the Major General of the 25th Division of the National Revolutionary Army, holding an important position and having a bright future, but he resolutely joined the Communist Party of China. In his own words: "I was very old when I joined the Party, my salary was quite high, and I joined the Party for the purpose of liberating the working people. ”
After the defeat of the Great Revolution in 1927, Zhang Yunyi remained in the Kuomintang army and carried out secret work because his true identity was not revealed.
Later, the central authorities sought Zhang Yunyi's opinion and asked him to choose whether to study in the Soviet Union or stay in China to carry out military movement work.
Pictured| Zhang Fakui
Although at that time in the midst of white terror, the domestic revolution was at a low ebb. However, Zhang Yunyi still resolutely chose to stay in China to continue to engage in military movement work. Subsequently, he went to the 4th Army of the National Revolutionary Army, of which Zhang Fakui was the commander, to engage in secret work.
In July 1929, Zhang Yunyi was sent to Nanning by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and through the recommendation of Chen Ce, commander of the Guangdong Navy, he won the trust of Yu Zuobai, chairman of the Guangxi Provincial Government.
He took advantage of his prestige in the National Revolutionary Army to infiltrate the troops of the Guangxi warlords Yu Zuobai and Li Mingrui, and was appointed captain of the Officers' Training Corps and captain of the 4th Garrison Brigade.
In early November 1929, the Instructions of the Party Central Committee approving the holding of an armed uprising in Guangxi were transmitted to Baise, calling for the establishment of a revolutionary base area in the Left and Right Rivers, the creation of the Red Army, the awarding of the red 7th Army, and the appointment of Deng Xiaoping and Zhang Yunyi as responsible persons.
Pictured| Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping immediately convened a party committee to convey the instructions of the central authorities and made a decision on the major issues and specific arrangements for the armed uprising. The meeting decided to complete the preparations for the uprising in about 40 days and declare the uprising on the second anniversary of the Guangzhou uprising.
On December 1, 1929, Deng Xiaoping led a part of his cadres to the Zuojiang area to deploy the Longzhou Uprising.
Before leaving, Deng Xiaoping tightly held Zhang Yunyi's hand and said: "Comrade Yunyi, the time of the Baise Uprising remains unchanged, remember it, the day of the second anniversary of the Guangzhou Uprising." ”
"The party deputies are assured that we will revolt on time." Zhang Yunyi said.
After Deng Xiaoping left, Zhang Yunyi led the military and people in the Youjiang area to complete all the preparations for the Baise Uprising in accordance with the decision of the party committee meeting and Deng Xiaoping's deployment.
On December 11, 1929, Zhang Yunyi led his troops to carry out the Baise Uprising, which was a complete success, becoming another major victory after the Nanchang, Autumn Harvest and Guangzhou Uprisings.
The birth of the Seventh Red Army and the success of the Baise Uprising marked a good beginning in the creation of the revolutionary base areas in the Left and Right Rivers. This is another vigorous and most extensive and thorough revolutionary movement established in Guangxi after the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Revolutionary Movement that began with the Jintiancun Uprising. In this revolution, Deng Xiaoping and Zhang Yunyi made indelible achievements.
Chairman Mao: Zhang Yunyi was one of the few people in the Communist Party who could speak to The Kuomintang generals
Among the ten founding generals, no one has the same qualifications as Zhang Yunyi.
Zhang Yunyi participated in the League, was the elder of the League, participated in the Huanghuagang Uprising, and was the only survivor.
When Zhang Yunyi was a staff officer in Sun Yat-sen's Grand Marshal's Office, Chiang Kai-shek was also a staff officer; before joining the Communist Party of China, Zhang Yunyi was already the chief of staff of the Major General of the National Revolutionary Army.
In the early days of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, when the New Fourth Army was formed, Zhang Yunyi negotiated with Chiang Kai-shek because he was an elder of the League and his seniority was there, so the negotiations went relatively smoothly.
Chairman Mao once said: Not many people in the Communist Party can speak to the Kuomintang generals, and Zhang Yunyi is one of them.
It was precisely because of Zhang Yunyi's qualifications that he only relied on the two levels of identity of the Elder of the Alliance and the Righteous Soldier of Huanghuagang, the various warlords of the Kuomintang did not dare to offend him, and even respected him quite a bit.
In May 1937, in order to carry out the work of the anti-Japanese united front in South China, zhang Yunyi was specially assigned to Hong Kong by the Party Central Committee.
After Zhang Yunyi arrived in Hong Kong, he immediately sent someone to contact Li Zongren's subordinate Liu Zhongrong, asking him to inform Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi first. This paved the way for the subsequent dealings with the two powerful people who ran Guangxi.
In early June, Zhang Yunyi arrived in Nanning by plane, and on the plane, his heart was full of worries, he was worried that Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi were not active in their anti-Japanese attitude, and it was inevitable that they would need to conduct a profound "ideological education" on the two of them.
However, what Zhang Yunyi did not expect was that Bai Chongxi gave him a surprise at Nanning Airport.
Bai Chongxi not only personally greeted him at the airport, but also led people from all walks of life in Guangxi to the airport to warmly welcome his arrival. The flags waving in their hands read, "Warmly welcome Communist Party deputy Ying Gui!" ”
Pictured | Bai Chongxi
And that wasn't all, Bai Chongxi asked him to board an open-top car and let him stand in the center, while he respectfully stood on his side, and then the car drove to nanning city. Both sides of the city have long been full of welcoming crowds, and slogans have been continuously transmitted into Zhang Yunyi's ears.
Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi arranged such a grand welcome, which made Zhang Yunyi still feel flattered at the beginning, but after calming down, he thought that there must be something strange in it, but he also realized that this mission could be successfully achieved.
Later, Zhang Yunyi learned from Liu Zhongrong that Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi, and Chen Jitang had launched the anti-Chiang Kai-shek and anti-Japanese "June 1st" movement in 1936, which was besieged by Chiang Kai-shek and was not resolved peacefully until September. But since then, Chiang Kai-shek has intensified his activities to divide the Gui clan, which has worried Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi.
When Zhang Yunyi came to Guangxi this time, Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi arranged such a grand welcome ceremony to express a gesture to Chiang Kai-shek so that they could bargain later and consolidate their power over Guangxi.
After Zhang Yunyi learned of this situation, he made a report to the Party Central Committee. After receiving instructions from the central authorities, Zhang Yunyi frankly explained to Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi: Only by taking anti-Japanese actions and making progress with Chiang Kai-shek can we survive and develop, such as comparing the warlord policy with Chiang Kai-shek, and only failing.
Because Zhang Yunyi grasped the thoughts of Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi, in the process of negotiations, Zhang Yunyi completely grasped the rhythm of negotiations, and finally the two sides reached seven draft programs.
Bai Chongxi and Li Zongren were also educated by Zhang Yunyi's words, and they were more advanced than Chiang Kai-shek in the anti-Japanese war.
After this meeting, the July 7 Incident broke out, and the War of Resistance Against Japan broke out in an all-round way. Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi quickly called the Nationalist government to support the anti-Japanese resistance.
Zhang Yunyi not only exchanged views with Kuomintang generals during the revolutionary war, but also after the founding of the People's Republic of China, he also accepted orders from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and went to the airport to meet Li Zongren, who had returned from overseas.
Pictured| Li Zongren
On July 20, 1965, former Kuomintang Acting President Li Zongren returned to Beijing from overseas.
Before Li Zongren returned to China, Zhou Enlai made a special appointment with Zhang Yunyi and said to him: "The central authorities ask you to meet Li Zongren at the airport, because you are many years old. Years of fighting, several degrees of reconciliation. Moreover, you have been working in Guangxi for a long time, and Li Zongren also started from Guangxi, and the central government has repeatedly weighed and considered you to be the best candidate to meet Li Zongren. ”
After learning of the central authorities' demands, Zhang Yunyi said to Premier Zhou very seriously: "Premier, I have fought with Li Zongren for half a lifetime, he has killed so many of us, from my personal feelings, I do not want to see him. But I obeyed the decision of the central government and went to the airport to meet him! ”
Premier Zhou nodded happily after hearing Zhang Yunyi's answer.
Zhang Yunyi went to the airport to meet Li Zongren, which made Li Zongren very moved, and he whimpered and said: "Thank you, thank you Communist Party!" Thank you Chairman Mao! Thank you, Brother Victory! ”
A few days later, Mr. and Mrs. Zhang Yunyi received Mr. and Mrs. Li Zongren in a friendly manner at their home. And invited him to drink Guangxi coffee. Two people with unique feelings for Guangxi tasted Guangxi coffee, talked about their feelings after saying goodbye, and talked about the construction of Guangxi, which was happy and harmonious.
Li Zongren looked at Zhang Yunyi, who was sincere and frank, remembered their past grievances, right and wrong, and his heart surged with thousands of tastes. He could no longer suppress his gratitude, and bowed deeply to Zhang Yunyi at a ninety degree degree, expressing both the apologies of the past and the respect of today.
Zhang Yunyi, regardless of his previous suspicions, proceeded from the great cause of the reunification of the motherland and warmly received Mr. Li Zongren, which fully embodied the high concept of the overall situation and the strong party spirit of a communist party member.
Zhang Guangdong: My father never let us engage in specialization and indifferent to fame and fortune
As a general who came from the revolutionary war, Zhang Yunyi, like Chairman Mao and President Zhu, was particularly strict with his children and never made specializations for them.
Picture | During the Liberation War, Zhang Yunyi was in Shandong
In 1946, Zhang Yunyi's youngest son, Zhang Guangdong, was born. At this time, Zhang Yunyi was 54 years old, old and had children, and his heart was very happy. However, due to commanding the battle in Shandong, it was difficult to take time to take care of his son, so Zhang Guangdong grew up with his mother.
Even if he is old and has children, Zhang Guangdong has never had any light on his father's body in the process of growing up. Zhang Yunyi loves his son very much, but he is not doting, and no matter what he does, he asks Zhang Guangdong to be like an ordinary person.
After Zhang Yunyi went to beijing to work, Zhang Guangdong transferred from other places to Beijing. Which elementary school to transfer to? Some people proposed to let him go to the Bayi Primary School, which has better conditions.
Zhang Yunyi said: "No need, just let him go to Beichizi Primary School, so that it is close to home." ”
In this way, Zhang Guangdong carried his school bag and entered this ordinary primary school 600 meters away from home.
Zhang Yunyi explained: "No matter what the occasion, you should not reveal that you are Zhang Yunyi's child. Do you know the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty? We can't be that kind of person. ”
However, once, Zhang Yunyi made a 'special' for his son.
Pictured| Zhang Guangdong
After graduating from primary school, Zhang Guangdong was admitted to Beijing Boys' Fourth Middle School and was assigned to the English class. Zhang Guangdong was admitted by his own efforts. A total of two courses, with a full score of 200 points, he scored 198 points, without any specialization.
However, the children of cadres at that time were all assigned to the Russian class, and Zhang Yunyi let his son not be separated from the ordinary people, so that he could study in the English class.
In Zhang Guangdong's entire academic career, he completely relied on his own efforts and did not make any requests to his father, and was successively admitted to the First Affiliated Middle School of Beijing Normal University and the Harbin Military Engineering College.
Zhang Yunyi often said to Zhang Guangdong: You should live and study like ordinary people, and work and study your own. ”
When Zhang Guangdong was studying at the Harbin Military Engineering College, Zhang Yunyi often wrote letters to his son, at first, the beginning of the letter was "Wu'er", but suddenly came a letter, which began with "Comrade Guangdong", which made Zhang Guangdong very shocked.
That's because after Zhang Guangdong joined the party, Zhang Yunyi wrote a letter and changed the usual 'Wu'er' to 'Comrade Guangdong'.
Zhang Yunyi said: "When you join the party, we are comrades, and I ask you to take over the revolutionary class!" ”
After graduating from University, Zhang Guangdong was assigned to a research institute in a large mountainous area of Sichuan to engage in computers, and he went for 4 years. In the matter of assigning jobs after graduation, Zhang Yunyi did not say a word for his son.
At that time, the cadre in charge of the distribution asked Zhang Guangdong, what is your father's thoughts on your distribution? Zhang Guangdong said: "No. ”
Zhang Yunyi only said to his son: It is good for you to work in the third department of the General Staff Department, but you must pay attention to confidentiality.
In his later years, Zhang Yunyi's health was not as good as before, and he was admitted to the 301 Hospital. Once, Zhang Guangdong returned from Sichuan and went to visit his father at the 301 Hospital. Zhang Yunyi looked at his son who had not spoken for half a day and suddenly asked, "Can you come back?"
Hearing these words, Zhang Guangdong's tears were about to come out, and he did not expect that his father, who had always been strict with himself, would actually talk to himself like this.
But it was not until 1973, when the organization took into account that Zhang Yunyi's health was deteriorating and that he really needed to be cared for by relatives, that Zhang Guangdong was transferred back to Beijing to work.
According to Zhang Guangdong' recollection:
"When I transferred back, my father was very ill, and we couldn't communicate anymore."
In early November 1974, on the occasion of Zhang Yunyi's death, Deng Xiaoping, who had just resumed his work, visited him in the hospital, clasped his hand, and said: "We are old comrades-in-arms, and we have known each other for 45 years." ”
Zhang Yunyi had difficulty speaking at that time, but he still held Deng Xiaoping's hand tightly, bowed his head, and watched Deng Slowly exit the ward. On November 19, Zhang Yunyi died of illness in Beijing at the age of 82.
After the death of his father, Zhang Guangdong felt very sorry, he regretted that he had too little communication with his father and that he matured too late.
He said: "The old revolutionaries of my father's generation rarely told their own stories and never expressed their own credit, so I did not know my father very well at that time. It was only after my father's death that I learned that my father had done so much for the revolution. To this day, when I look at the things my father has done and the big winds and waves I have experienced, I really feel that he is a great figure and admire him very much! My father's biggest influence on me was that whether it was the combat command or other aspects, he acted according to the law and sought truth from facts, and he also taught me to be indifferent to fame and fortune. He himself never rushed ahead of the credit, never fought for his own achievements. ”