Liu Guiwu: From the grass mang, martyrdom for the homeland

This is the fifth portrait of Liu Gui (file photo). Xinhua News Agency

Shenyang, 5 Nov (Xinhua) -- Outside the village of Hongyou Pole in Xingshunxi Town, Guyang County, Inner Mongolia, a low sand dune stretches endlessly, the sky is high and the clouds are low, and a monument to the fallen soldiers of the Anti-Japanese Resistance stands majestically. 80 years ago, General Liu Guiwu fought with the Japanese Kou here until the last moment of his life, and died heroically.

Liu Guiwu was born in 1902 in Lingnan, Rehe (present-day Chaoyang, Liaoning Province). He is a hero by nature, and has been practicing kung fu since he was a teenager. In 1924, Song Zheyuan, a famous general of the Northwest Army, was stationed in Rehe, and Liu Guiwu enlisted in the army. After defecting to the local armed forces led by Bai Fengxiang, his martial arts and personality were deeply appreciated by Bai. This armed force was reorganized from Zhang Xueliang's Northeast Army and was under the command of the 2nd Cavalry Army, with the nickname of the 6th Cavalry Division. In the case of repeated military achievements, Liu Guiwu was gradually promoted from squad leader and platoon leader to major company commander. In 1934, Liu Guiwu was promoted to colonel of the 18th Regiment of the 6th Cavalry Division.

In early December 1936, Zhang Xueliang repeatedly advised Chiang Kai-shek in Xi'an to stop the civil war without success, and decided to "advise the soldiers." On December 8, Zhang Xueliang summoned Bai Fengxiang, Liu Guiwu and others to discuss and decided that Bai Fengxiang, commander of the 6th Cavalry Division of the Northeast Army, Sun Mingjiu, commander of the 2nd Battalion of the Guards, and Liu Guiwu would act together. On December 12, Liu Guiwu, Bai Fengxiang and others led a surprise attack on Huaqingchi and successfully captured Chiang Kai-shek, and Liu personally "invited" Chiang Kai-shek to the car. The Xi'an Incident led to the cessation of civil war at home and the unification of the outside world. On December 14, Liu Guiwu was promoted by Zhang Xueliang to the rank of major general of the 6th Cavalry Division.

In 1937, the July 7 Incident broke out, and when the news came, Liu Guiwu immediately asked Miao to resist the war. On August 8, Liu Guiwu led the 6th Cavalry Division to join the Northeast Advance Army led by Ma Zhanshan and went to the front to resist the Japanese invading army. Liu Guiwu was very happy that the opportunity to serve the country for many years had finally arrived, and he wrote in a letter to his brother Liu Guizhong: "If the brother is unsuccessful in his departure to resist Japan this time, he will become a ren, and if he succeeds, he will meet in his hometown, and Cheng Ren will meet in Jiuquan. ”

After the outbreak of the All-out War of Resistance, Fu Zuoyi, commander-in-chief of the 7th Army and chairman of Suiyuan Province, led his troops to fight against the Japanese army on the Pingsui Line and Shanxi, and Liu Guiwu's 6th Cavalry Division took on the heavy responsibility of defending Suiyuan. He led his troops to fight the Japanese army in the Suiyuan front for 8 months, repeatedly defeating the enemy front.

The Northeast Advancing Army, including Liu Gui's 6th Cavalry Division, continued to grow and develop, causing the Japanese army to panic. On April 15, 1938, Ma Zhanshan led his troops to force the army's lair zhangbei, and the Japanese army mobilized a number of combat forces to meet the attack. The two sides fought fiercely for 5 days and nights, and the horse department inflicted heavy damage on the enemy, but he was also running out of ammunition, so he withdrew west from Wuchuan to wait for the whole army to fight again.

On the night of April 21, 1938, Mabu was surrounded by Japanese troops while camping in the village of Hongyou Pole in Guyang County, Baotou City, Inner Mongolia. Liu Guiwu commanded the guards to repeatedly charge and kill until the next morning, when they were outnumbered and scattered by the enemy. Liu Guiwu was seriously injured by enemy shells during the battle, but still insisted on fighting with a pistol, and later martyred the country because of his serious wounds. On June 9, the Nationalist government held a memorial meeting for Liu Guiwu in Xi'an Revolutionary Park, and Zhu De, commander-in-chief of the Eighth Route Army, Peng Dehuai, deputy commander-in-chief, and representatives from all walks of life in Shaanxi province all presented the alliance and delivered speeches praising the anti-Japanese heroes.

After the founding of New China, the Shaanxi Provincial People's Government posthumously recognized Liu Guiwu as a revolutionary martyr, and his coffin was also moved to the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery in the southern suburbs of Xi'an. On the occasion of commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Xi'an Incident, the Martyrs' Cemetery held a monumental ceremony for Liu Guiwu.

Zhao Dianwu, executive director of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Party History Society, has long been engaged in the search and investigation of the deeds of General Liu Guiwu. He said: "As a descendant, we should pay tribute to the courageous sacrifice of the martyrs." This spirit always reminds us not to forget history and strive to be strong. ”