Zeng Zesheng was originally the commander of the Kuomintang 60th Army, and after the uprising, this "miscellaneous army" in Chiang Kai-shek's eyes became the commander of the 50th Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and in 1955, he was awarded the rank of founding lieutenant general.
In the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea before being awarded the title, after he led the 50th Army to fight bloodily on the Han River for 50 days and nights and made great contributions, Peng Dehuai bowed deeply to him with tears...
All of the above shows that Zeng Zesheng has an essential difference from the ordinary rebel generals of the Nationalist Army, and this distinction has actually been predestined from the beginning.
Zeng Zesheng
Compared with those national army generals with good births, Zeng Zesheng's life is definitely "miserable".
Zeng Zesheng was born into a landlord family in Yongshan County, Yunnan Province, and when he was born, his family already had thirty or forty people. When he was one year old, his father died suddenly. After that, his mother had to take him and his 7-year-old brother to remarry his uncle.
"The sky is going to rain, the mother is going to get married", after the mother's marriage, Zeng Zesheng's life also underwent an earth-shattering reversal. People say, "With the harem, there is the stepfather", but for Zeng Zesheng, this sentence is also true in reverse. Since having a stepfather, his mother has paid little attention to him, and his life has plummeted.
The local people of Yunnan have always looked down on women who are "not observant", so the internal and external clans always sneer at Zeng Zesheng's mother, who remarried. Little Zeng Zesheng is naturally not less blind, at home, he wants to be bullied by his stepfather, and outside he has to be suppressed by hooligans. After a long time, he had a rebellious mind with strong self-esteem.
He always thought, "Why do you look down on people, you look down on me, I want to get ahead!" ”
Zeng Zesheng knew that the only way to change his destiny was to read books. So, since he started school, he has worked very hard. So, his grades have been good. But when he was 13 years old, his stepfather did not allow him to study. It was only after his uncle interceded that his family allowed him to study in Zhaotong, more than 200 miles away.
Zeng Zesheng cherished this hard-won opportunity to study, and he was also very grateful to his uncle. When a man is in the dark, you give him a little light, and he can feel the endless warmth. His uncle's help at a critical moment made him feel grateful to his uncle at the same time, but also made him secretly swear:
"Be like your uncle and be a good person."
During his time in school, Zeng Zesheng studied hard, and in the ocean of knowledge, he studied the "words of the saints" spoken by his uncle every day, and slowly, his desire to be a good person became stronger and stronger.
After Zeng Zesheng graduated from high school, although his grades were excellent, his family said that he would not let him continue his studies. After hearing the news, he was extremely distressed, and after a night of hard thinking, he decided to take a risk: steal money to go to Kunming to attend middle school.
So, on a moonless night, Zeng Zesheng, who was eager to study, stole 200 silver dollars from his family. When he escaped with the 200 silver dollars, his heart was pounding, he was afraid of being caught, and he was afraid that he would never be able to go to school again.
200 silver dollars was not a small number in that era, and after discovering that Zeng Zesheng had stolen money and fled, the family quickly launched an "arrest plan". Soon, he was "arrested".
On the day he was arrested, Zeng Zesheng was depressed, but he had a lot less fear in his heart, and these days of stealing money, his heart was full of fear. Now that he was caught, he was not afraid. However, if he can't read, how will he "get ahead" in the future? Thinking of this, how could he not be discouraged!
Fortunately, because his motivation for stealing money was to "study", his uncle and relatives interceded for him, and his father reluctantly agreed to let him go to Kunming to attend junior high school under pressure. But after just a year of study, the family quickly cut off the supply. The year he had to leave the academy, he was just 20 years old.
When he was cornered, Zeng Zesheng resolutely abandoned his studies to join the army, and was successfully admitted to the non-commissioned team of Tang Jiyao, the governor of Yunnan Province, and then he was sent to the 18th Yunnan Lecture Hall with excellent results.
The former site of the Yunnan Wushu Academy
Since then, a completely different path from his original idea has been paved.
When he joined the army, Zeng Zesheng did not give up on himself, and his choice to join the army was more or less the inevitable result of his eagerness to change his destiny. The humiliation of his childhood and his education caused him a huge psychological shadow. The pressure of his special family environment also breeds his antipathy to the evil forces. With the combination of these factors, his desire to use force to change the world is becoming more and more intense.
In May 1925, Zeng Zesheng did another big thing: he was sympathetic because "the school did not issue subsidies to the families of the students", and then took advantage of the night roll call to organize riots and make trouble in the school accommodation...
After this matter was discovered by the school, Zeng Zesheng, who could not stay in the Lecture Hall, had to defect to the Whampoa Military Academy. He was initially appointed as the district captain of the 3rd phase, and later, he entered the senior class of the Whampoa Military Academy.
During his time in Huangpu, Zeng Zesheng's "as far as his eyes can see" was also far from what he thought in his mind. He hated the "corrupt vice" that "officers only know how to gamble and don't ask about camp affairs." In Huangpu, he also saw the decay of the Kuomintang army: they withheld military salaries and food for a long time, causing the soldiers to suffer...
In 1927, Zeng Zesheng graduated from the senior class of the Whampoa Military Academy and was transferred to the front, this time, he saw more clearly the corruption of officers. Therefore, disdainful of being with these officers, he resigned in a fit of rage.
At this point, Zeng Zesheng himself also found that the criteria for him to make all his choices were very simple, that is, whether this matter could make him feel a little more at ease. Zeng Zesheng has always been convinced that if you act according to your conscience, you will certainly be able to be a good person.
Later, Zeng Zesheng returned to Yunnan and joined the Dian Army. This time, Zeng Zesheng had the pride of "doing a lot". Together with a group of young officers, he even founded the school magazine "New Force", which advocated "carrying forward the revolutionary spirit, opposing feudal autocracy, and eradicating corrupt officials."
However, only a few months later, Zeng Zesheng's "pride" was fatally suppressed: Chiang Kai-shek sent people to Yunnan to investigate their "revolution" and put them all in prison.
Chiang Kai-shek
This prison disaster almost killed Zeng Zesheng. People say that "great difficulties do not die, there will be blessings", after this life and death disaster, he painfully realized a "true meaning of survival": "The will of the chief is the truth, and only the will of the chief is from the way out."
It was also from the beginning of the realization of this true meaning that he restrained himself at all times and everywhere "with obedience as his natural duty", endured humiliation and burdens, obeyed his orders, immersed himself in hard work, and finally won the favor of the chiefs at all levels, and soon, he rose to the top.
In 1937, the Lugou Bridge Incident broke out, China entered a period of all-out war of resistance, Zeng Zesheng was finally the regimental commander, at the moment of the life and death of the whole nation, his words were loud and clear, he said:
"This is a crucial moment for a soldier to serve the country and swear to defend national dignity to the death; the brutal Japanese invaded the land, brutally killed the people, and handled the country in a difficult situation; the War of Resistance Against Japan was the first major event at present; there was no room for fear and concession, and the destruction of the family and the sacrifice of their lives.
Zeng Zesheng's words greatly boosted morale at that time, and later generations believed that only those who had the ambition to serve the country and save the people could say such words that made people's blood boil.
At this time, Zeng Zesheng was bent on fighting against the Japanese, and in the later Battle of Taierzhuang, he led the 60th Army to aid Xuzhou and hold Taierzhuang. In countless bloody battles with the Japanese, he led his soldiers to build a defensive line with their flesh and blood.
At this time, the Dian army was really fierce and not afraid of death!
Japanese newspapers once reported on the Dian Army: Since the beginning of the war with the Chinese army in September 18, it is rare to encounter a fierce charge of the Dian army.
After that, Zeng Zesheng led the Dian army to participate in the Wuhan Defense War and the Battle of Changsha, and he made great achievements in the great cause of anti-Japanese resistance, and he was also wounded many times.
However, his outstanding military achievements did not improve his life, and he slowly discovered that if he became an official according to his own principles, that is, to be a clear stream of officialdom, the only thing that awaited him was a "clean and white" life. This kind of "one clear and two white" made him suffer a lot -
At the height of the War of Resistance, Zeng Zesheng was about to lead his soldiers to the front, and he had to entrust his wife and children to his mother-in-law's house. Because he had no money in his hands, he had to pay his salary in advance for several months with a thick skin. But even so, he knew that it was even more difficult to maintain the life of his wife and children.
The reason why Zeng Zesheng was so poor was because after the "918" incident, the salaries of Kuomintang officers were greatly reduced. On the other hand, in the national army party army that is in the competition, he often has to spend some extra money to save some face. In this way, in the case of rising prices, the life of Zeng Zesheng's family is naturally quite embarrassing. With the passage of time, Zeng Zesheng's wife and children spent all the savings of his mother-in-law's family.
Zeng Zesheng family portrait
At the beginning of 1940, Zeng Zesheng, who had been promoted to deputy division commander, had no choice but to send his wife and children back to his hometown in Yongshan County. Before leaving, the wife had difficulty giving birth, but it cost money to be hospitalized, and Zeng Zesheng, who was already empty, had to borrow money from friends. But it was easy to settle the more than 200 yuan of hospitalization, and their travel expenses back to their hometown were gone. That time, Zeng Zesheng really felt that "the mountains and rivers were exhausted".
What if I don't have any money and can't borrow money? The answer is: selling valuable household goods. In order to make up for the cost of the trip home, Zeng Zesheng sold all the furniture and clothes in the house. Originally, Zeng Zesheng thought that he would finally be able to get home safely. But what he never expected was that his child, who was not yet a month old, actually fell ill with frost on the way to death on the way back to his hometown.
After the death of the child, Zeng Zesheng and his wife Li Lusheng were in pain. But in the circumstances at the time, they had no time to suffer. Before rushing to the anti-Japanese front, he comforted Li Lusheng: "There is no money in hand, there is no fear, the country is in trouble, the family will not let you go hungry, they will help you." ”
Zeng Zesheng obviously overestimated his family in his hometown, and he did not expect that they would only occasionally send rice to his wife and children because they felt that Zeng Ze was stingy. Unable to live, Li Lusheng had to leave his hometown with his children.
After this twist and turn, Zeng Zesheng once again realized a painful truth: no one would praise him for his "honesty and honesty", and they would only laugh at him for "not knowing how to make money". The "they" here refers not only to the family members of the hometown, but also to the officers and soldiers in the army. Behind his back, they all said to him:
"Being such a big official will not make money, it is too dirty, it is too incompetent!"
At that moment, Zeng Zesheng, who wanted to be a clear stream, wanted to cry without tears. He did not understand: why did he fall into the situation of being ridiculed by others when he was honest and honest? He didn't understand it at the time, it was all because: he was in the wrong place.
The incomprehensible Zeng Zesheng slowly slid into a wrong path that he originally hated: while "resisting Japan and saving the country," he was "fishing for money to support his family." According to Zeng Zesheng's own autobiography, when he was the commander of the 184th Division, he borrowed 6 million yuan from the bank and began to do hoarding business. After the end of the War of Resistance Against Japan, he borrowed 20 million yuan from the bank to do gold business.
After using his power to make money, Zeng Zesheng, who had been living a hard life, often felt guilty in his heart, and this guilt continued until decades later. Decades later, after detailing his "black history" in his Autobiography, he lamented:
"In the old society, there were officials who were greedy, who were rich in land, who were not inferior, who were not inferior, who were not merchants, who were not adulterous, who bathed together in the sewage basin, where was there a clean man?"
During that time, Zeng Zesheng began to find various excuses and reasons for himself to "do bad things", and he gradually drifted away from the ideal of "being a good person". When everyone deviates from their original intentions, they are confused, and so is Zeng Zesheng.
After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Chiang Kai-shek launched the famous "Dragon Exorcism Incident": Long Yun, the former chairman of Yunnan, was beaten into the cold palace, Lu Han took over as the chairman of Yunnan Province, and Zeng Zesheng was made the commander of the 60th Army.
Chiang Kai-shek, Long Yun, Zeng Zesheng and others took a group photo with the generals of the Dian Army
Everyone knows that Chiang Kai-shek's next step is to disintegrate the Dian Army. In order to achieve the goal of disintegrating the Dian Army, Chiang Kai-shek sent Zeng Zesheng's 60th Army to the northeast to "confront" the Northeast Field Army led by Lin Biao. Because he did not trust the 60th Army, Chiang Kai-shek also dispersed the 60th Army, so that Zeng Zesheng, the "miscellaneous army" in Chiang Kai-shek's eyes, was omitted.
Zeng Zesheng saw sadly that because Chiang Kai-shek could not be saved, the 551st Regiment under the 184th Division of the 60th Army was completely annihilated. Watching his brother become cannon fodder, his heart did not mention how uncomfortable it was. Think about it, during the War of Resistance, I promised them:
"After winning the battle, I want to take them back to their hometown to live a good life."
Five days after the 551st Regiment was completely annihilated, the 184th Division was surrounded by our army, and the division commander Pan Shuorui kept making rescue calls, but who would go to rescue the existence that was regarded as "cannon fodder" by the supreme leader Chiang Kai-shek! Even if the rescue calls were about to be broken, the highest official at the time, Du Yuming, was stunned because he received the order to "rest for 3 days."
Pan Shuorui, who had no hope of breaking through, had no choice but to lead the whole division to revolt, and after the incident, Chiang Kai-shek, who realized that the momentum was not good, restored Zeng Zesheng's command of the 60th Army. However, at this time, Zeng Zesheng was already disheartened, and the situation of the 184th Division allowed him to see his future, and he became more and more disgusted with Chiang Kai-shek.
After much of this, he was even more confused about the future of himself and his brothers.
Zeng Zesheng, who was getting more and more emotional, began to think about a question repeatedly: Should he let the brothers die? If it was anti-Japanese, even if it was sent to death, he would not hesitate to take the brothers with him, but now, their opponents are his own people!
At the same time, he became more and more interested in this team called the "People's Liberation Army" with difficult conditions but amazing combat effectiveness. He began to wonder: Are they not as bad as Chiang Kai-shek usually said? If so, can they be so brave?
Once a person's thoughts begin to change, the next step, his actions will inevitably change. This is the reason why Zeng Zesheng resolutely led his brothers to revolt after seeing that the brothers of the 60 Army were fighting less and less.
On October 17, 1948, after more than 150 days of military siege and economic blockade in Changchun, Zeng Zesheng led more than 20,000 officers and men of the 60th Army to declare an uprising, accept the reorganization of the People's Liberation Army, and immediately hand over the defense area to the Northeast Field Army. Shortly thereafter, the New Seventh Army surrendered, and Zheng Dongguo, the commander of the First Corps (Acting) of the "Suppression General" stationed in Changchun, surrendered.
Zheng Dongguo, who originally wanted to "commit suicide and martyrdom", was able to surrender, which was probably related to Zeng Zesheng. It should be noted that Zeng Zesheng wrote a letter to him before the uprising, and in the letter, he wrote in a very sincere tone:
"In order to ensure that the military and people of Changchun City will not make senseless sacrifices, and the localities of Changchun City will not be eroded by the flames of war, but will immediately introspect themselves, resolutely revolt, and jointly carry out righteous deeds, then the country will be very fortunate and the localities will be very fortunate."
It can be seen from this that Zeng Zesheng is definitely a righteous person. And if you want to ask him the reason behind the righteousness, it can still be boiled down to: he wants to be a good person's ideal. Before thinking about whether to revolt, all he thought about repeatedly was: To do so, is it right to be worthy of his conscience.
Zeng Zesheng's answer was: You have to do this to be worthy of your conscience. When he was with his brothers before the uprising, he shouted something heartfelt, saying:
"Brothers, we have traveled thousands of miles from our hometown in the southwest frontier to fight a civil war outside the Northeast Pass, and after three years of fighting, you have followed me Zeng Zesheng out of my hometown and suffered for so many years, especially in the few months of being trapped in Changchun, I can't even eat a full meal!" I'm sorry for you guys! ”
When he said this, Zeng Zesheng's eyes were already wet, and many of his brothers were crying, and he stopped and continued:
In order not to let my brothers starve to death with me, not to throw away their bodies on the battlefield, to return to yunnan a day earlier, to be reunited with our parents, wives and children, there is only one way to live, that is, uprising!"
After Zeng Zesheng said these words, all the brothers stood up and waved their fists in unison and shouted "uprising"... At that moment, Zeng Zesheng had already determined: his choice was worthy of heaven and earth, and worthy of his conscience!
After the uprising, Zeng Zesheng's 60th Army became the 50th Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and the commander was still Zeng Zesheng.
After accepting the reorganization, Zeng Zesheng began to slowly understand that the Plaster is equal from officers to ordinary soldiers. Moreover, the Communist forces were not allowed to beat and scold soldiers, let alone bully others. What surprised him even more was that the officials here prohibited corruption, and they could not kill prisoners, let alone harm the common people.
These ideas of the Communist army are completely in line with his ideal of "wanting to be a good man." At this point, he finally understood that he was not unsociable, but in the wrong group.
In October 1950, Zeng Zesheng led the officers and men of the 50th Army to Korea, and they went to fight for the country, and they wanted to fight against the so-called Aggressors of the United Nations Army.
In the first two battles after entering Korea, because the 50th Army did not even have a decent military map, and there was no translation, the enemy situation was unknown, and they were sniped, they continuously pounced on the air and failed to complete the assigned task.
In the face of such "battle achievements", Peng Dehuai, commander-in-chief of the Volunteer Army, did not scold them as much as he scolded the 38th Army, but Zeng Zesheng and the officers and men of the 50th Army felt even more uncomfortable in their hearts.
At the operational summary meeting, the emotions of Zeng Zesheng and the commanders at all levels of the 50th Army instantly exploded. Especially Zeng Zesheng, he felt that this was their shame, he pondered: "Even the share of scolding can't be turned, this is a lot of pockets!" ”
In fact, it was normal for Zeng Zesheng and the 50th Army to have such ideas at that time, and for them who had just been reorganized at that time, they were too eager to prove themselves. This urgency is also the result of the contempt and oppression in the Past in the Kuomintang army. Their past experiences have made them always feel that people will look down on them, so they even regard "not being scolded" as a shame.
It turns out that their "feeling looked down upon" is imaginary, and if they really despise them, why would they be sent to such an important battlefield!
People say: Shame and courage.
Soon, Zeng Zesheng and the 50th Army, holding their breath, broke through the Linjin River defense line boasted by the US army in one fell swoop in the third campaign. In this battle, the 50th Army led by Zeng Zesheng fought for 50 days and nights, and severely damaged the United Nations army led by the United States and completely annihilated the British Royal Heavy Tank Battalion.
In this battle, the 50th Army paid a huge casualty price, according to historical records: 138 squads, 31 platoons, 7 companies of soldiers were all killed! Among them, Wang Ying, Wang Changgui, Bao Qingfang and other martyrs sacrificed their lives to kill the enemy and tanks, and they used their flesh and blood to block the enemy army.
Zeng Zesheng (first from right)
When this battle was over, Peng Dehuai saw Zeng Zesheng and the volunteers of the 50th Army were all miserable: their clothes were all cracked, because they had been eating fried noodles for a long time and adding snow, and they were all yellow and thin. Seeing this scene, Peng Dehuai was extremely moved, and he bowed deeply to Zeng Zesheng and said:
"Please tell me on my behalf all the soldiers of the 50th Army that the comrades fought this battle beautifully!" The military might and strength of the People's Liberation Army were played! I Peng Dehuai salute everyone"!
It is also strange to say that Zeng Zesheng never shed tears when he heard so many insults before, but when he heard this great affirmation, his tears almost fell. The corners of his mouth moved and he said movingly:
"We in the 50th Army have done our best up and down, and finally we can raise our heads in front of the other fraternal troops!"
After he finished speaking, his voice was a little choked. When Peng Dehuai heard this, he even understood, it turned out that they had always had such a big emotion. At that moment, his heart was also very unhappy. After trying to calm his mood, he looked at Zeng Zesheng very seriously and said:
"Zeng Zesheng, from the day you became the People's Liberation Army, you were our brother, and other fraternal units never despised you!" I am also from the old army and have never treated the 50th Army differently! You've done a good job!" In the future, replenish the troops and equipment, and give priority to the 50th Army! My respect for the warriors, please help me convey it! Thank you! ”
Peng Dehuai
After hearing this, Zeng Zesheng was so excited that he almost jumped up, and from then on, all the worries in his heart were dispelled. On that day, he loudly told all the living officers of the 50th Army word by word, and the soldiers cheered and applauded happily after hearing Mr. Peng's commendation.
At the moment when the volunteer soldiers cheered and applauded, Zeng Zesheng's heart gushed out for the first time with an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
During the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Zeng Zesheng returned to China and was received by Chairman Mao Zedong. This meeting gave him a deeper understanding of the leaders of the Communist Party. This kind of in-depth understanding was only achieved after discussing the military with Chairman Mao.
On that day, when Chairman Mao Zedong talked to him about the specific location of the second-line detachment's garrison, he, the commander of the army who personally commanded the battlefield, was unable to answer. At that moment, while he was ashamed, he finally understood how Chairman Mao Zedong "used his troops like a god", "strategized", and "won a decisive victory in a thousand miles".
After that conversation, Zeng Zesheng, who felt that he was "not worthy of his name," after meeting his wife Li Lusheng, his first sentence was: "I can't stay in Beijing for a day, and I have to return to the Korean battlefield as soon as possible." ”
Zeng Zesheng said this because he felt that there were too many deficiencies that needed to be improved when commanding the battle before, and he was sure that if he went again this time, he would definitely be a brand-new military commander, and he would certainly be able to lead the volunteer army to strike a hard blow to the enemy again.
However, Zeng Zesheng, who returned to China to recuperate, did not return to North Korea immediately as he wished, and he was forced to continue to recuperate from his illness for a period of time. During this period, deeply influenced by Mao Zedong, he read a lot of Mao Zedong's works during his illness and gained an in-depth understanding of the work style of the People's Liberation Army at the grass-roots level.
After recovering from his illness and returning to Korea, Zeng Zesheng really changed greatly, and he made up his mind to change his previous bureaucracy and began to really go to the grassroots level, go to the front line, and fight side by side with his brothers. Every time he fought, he tried to figure out every detail of the deployment of the army!
Zeng Zesheng and his comrades-in-arms
It was also after returning to the battlefield this time that he made a touching remark to the soldiers of the 50th Army, saying:
"Brothers in Yunnan, I didn't take you the wrong way!" If you go home, tell all your fathers and fellow countrymen that I have led their children to the most correct and glorious road! We follow Chairman Mao and the Communist Party, and the revolution will never regret it in the end! ”
After hearing these words, the soldiers shouted in unison: "Follow the Communist Party and Chairman Mao, and never regret doing the revolution!" ”
After the end of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Zeng Zesheng led the 50th Army to victory.
At the moment of his return, he was once again welcomed by the people. After the people saw their yellow-skinned appearance, they couldn't help but burst into tears, a situation that Zeng Zesheng could never forget in his lifetime.
At that moment, Zeng Zesheng personally felt that he was a good man, a good general, and a good son and daughter of the people...
In addition to these, after returning to China, Zeng Zesheng was still eager to become a "good party member." Therefore, when he met chairman Mao for the second time, he cautiously put forward a request to "join the Communist Party."
However, his request was not granted. Chairman Mao's reason for rejecting him was: "The country has not yet been reunified, and you play a greater role outside the Party than within the Party." ”
Zeng Zesheng understood Chairman Mao's considerations, but this rejection still became a disease-like existence in his heart. He had been trying all his life to find the group that really belonged to him, and he had found it so easily but could not join, which naturally made him regret it.
In the following decade or so, Zeng Zesheng has been working hard for the country and the people.
On February 22, 1973, Zeng Zesheng died of illness at the age of 71. Until his death, he was not a member of the Communist Party, but no one could deny that his understanding of communism was no less than that of any party member.
Later, Zeng Zesheng's six children all became Communist Party members, and today, they are succeeding their father in their efforts for the construction of new China! If Zeng Zesheng knew this, he would certainly be very pleased under the Nine Springs.